Woman jailed 11 years for anti-Amir tweets - Kuwait Times

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Amir urges
citizens to
be unified,
cautious
3
40 PAGES NO: 15836 150 FILS
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013 SHAABAN 2, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net
Indian
opposition
leader resigns
party posts
7
Smartphone
life shakes
up website
world
27
By Sajeev K Peter
Mourinho
returns to
Chelsea as
‘Happy One’
KUWAIT: Nearly 3,000 Indian workers
have been deported so far this year following
the crackdown on illegal residents
in Kuwait, Indian Ambassador
Satish C Mehta said yesterday.
Addressing a press conference at the
Indian Embassy, the ambassador said the
number is roughly 28 percent of the total
number of people deported. “As of today,
the embassy has issued 930 emergency
certificates this year which is double the
number of ECs issued in 2012,” he said.
According to the Kuwait government
estimates, 11,800 people of different
19
Woman jailed 11 years
for anti-Amir tweets
Assembly in semi-paralysis as it awaits ruling
conspiracy theories
Open speculations
By Badrya Darwish
badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net
What is happening at Shaddadiya university?
The university is still under construction.
The skeleton of the place is erected. That is
the only part of the project so far. Already all of you
heard about the fire which destroyed a large part of
the completed construction last week. The amazing
thing is that a bedoon posted online that he was
responsible for the arson. He gave stupid reasons
which I did not buy at all. He said that there will be
more fires in Kuwait. He said that he would continue
to set places ablaze until the bedoon issue is
resolved or until sharia laws are applied in the country.
I couldn’t see what is the connection between
the blaze and sharia laws? Or how could he help the
bedoon issue by burning places here and there.
I brushed the bedoon’s claims out of my head. To
prove my theory, yesterday another fire occurred in
the same place. Whoever committed the arson was
not satisfied with the results. I do not know the
actual reasons for the fire, but the person who first
set the place on fire might have done it the second
time too.
We tried last week to reach the people in charge
to provide the cause of the fire and to ask about the
investigation. We were told that it would take time
and still the cause of the fire remains unknown. Now
I think they will need even more time to get back to
us because of the second fire. Of course, I am not
going to jump into conclusions because there could
be many reasons to set that place on fire. I leave it to
the authorities to decide for themselves. I am sure
they are already doing that.
I hope they will come back to us with a convincing
statement even if it takes longer. I hope we will
be told who did it and why. And not leave the
nation open to wide speculations.
By B Izzak
KUWAIT: The criminal court yesterday
sentenced a Kuwaiti woman tweeter for
11 years in jail for insulting HH the Amir,
calling to overthrow the regime and misusing
her mobile phone by writing
remarks on Twitter. Huda Al-Ajmi was
accused of committing three violations
by writing tweets to insult the Amir and
undermine his status, calling for the
overthrow of the regime and finally misusing
her mobile phone. She was hand-
Source of US intel
leak outs himself
WASHINGTON: Reeling from the sensational
revelation of its secret global
Internet monitoring program,
Washington stepped up its probe yesterday
into the young private contractor
who leaked the details. Edward Snowden,
a 29-year-old technology expert working
for a private firm subcontracted to the US
National Security Agency, has become an
instant hero for transparency advocates
and libertarians around the globe. But his
exposure of the NSA’s worldwide monitoring
of private users’ web traffic and of
US citizens’ phone records has infuriated
US intelligence officials and embarrassed
President Barack Obama’s White House.
Continued on Page 15
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc
yesterday unveiled iTunes
Radio, a free music streaming
service that is a key part of
overhauled mobile software
that the company called the
most revolutionary re-design
of its operating system since
the iPhone was introduced in
2007. As Apple kicked off its
annual conference in San Francisco for
its developers, executives also showed
off a new line of Mac computers and
ed five years each for the first two offenses
and one year for the third.
HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah later yesterday urged
“unity” from the people of Kuwait and for
them to be “cautious” in the face of
regional challenges that could affect
Kuwait. “The current regional circumstances
and recurring developments we
are prone to require us to be cautious,
wary and ready for the challenge. This
can only come through national unity,
coordination and a united stand against
those who try to undermine this,” Sheikh
Sabah said.
The court ruling said Ajmi, who
denied the charges, must start serving
the jail term immediately even before
the court of appeals begins to look into
the case. Ajmi is not a well-known political
activist and is not known to have participated
in opposition protests, but the
public prosecution pressed the charges
against her based on tweets she had
allegedly written against the regime and
the Amir.
KUWAIT: Firemen battle a massive blaze at Kuwait University’s new campus in Shaddadiya yesterday. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh (See Page 3)
Edward Snowden
Apple unveils radio
service, revamps iOS
said that updated Siri voice software
used on the iPhone now
incorporates Microsoft Corp’s
Bing search engine. iTunes
Radio, which will compete
against Pandora Media Inc,
allows users to customize by
genre and personal taste. The
service is free with ads across
Apple’s devices, including Apple
TV. It is free of ads for subscribers to
iTunes’ Match, a digital content feature.
Continued on Page 15
Max 43º
Min 29º
High Tide
02:31 & 12:29
Low Tide
07:22 & 20:22
The 11-year prison term is the harshest
term against an online activist so far
since the government launched its crackdown
against opposition online activists
in October last year. But the term is not
final as it will still be challenged before
the court of appeals and the cassation
court, whose verdicts are final. During
the clampdown, dozens of online
activists and former opposition MPs have
been handed prison terms or are still on
trial, mainly for insulting the Amir.
Continued on Page 15
Nearly 3,000 Indians deported
Kuwait to issue
new banknotes
Indian rupee in ‘freefall’
KUWAIT/MUMBAI: The Central Bank of Kuwait
(CBK) announced yesterday that it will release new
currency notes with “modern and enhanced security
features” to cope with latest counterfeiting challenges
in the printing industry. “The CBK has decided
to release new Kuwaiti banknotes of all denominations
to cope with the developments to improve
hallmarks, security features and paper quality,”
Governor Mohammad Al-Hashel said in exclusive
statements to KUNA yesterday. “The Cabinet, upon a
recommendation of the CBK, endorsed today the
new issuance and the features and design of the
notes,” marking “the sixth issuance of Kuwaiti currency
notes since 1961”.
The unit of currency in Kuwait is the dinar, divided
into one thousand fils, while notes are issued in
denominations of quarter dinar, half dinar, one dinar,
five dinars, 10 dinars and 20 dinars. Hashel pointed
out that the CBK has started preparations for the
printing and circulation of the new notes, expecting
that they will be on the market within a year with the
current ones continuing to be circulated as they are
gradually withdrawn from the market. The CBK
Governor expressed confidence that the new banknotes
will be to the liking of bankers and the public.
There have been five issues of Kuwaiti currency
notes since the introduction of a state legal tender in
1961. The fifth and current issue was released in
1994.
Continued on Page 15
KUWAIT: Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta - flanked by Deputy Chief of
Mission Vidhu P Nair (right) and Consular and Chief Welfare Officer Balram
Kumar Upadhyay - addresses a press conference at the Indian Embassy yesterday.
— Photo by Sajeev K Peter
nationalities have been deported over
the past two-and-a-half months. The
government has made it clear that it
wants to stamp out illegal residents from
the country whose number stands at
around 100,000.
The ambassador said embassy officials
are in constant touch with Kuwaiti officials.
“In our regular interactions with the
authorities, the embassy has conveyed
the growing concern of the Indian community
to them over the ongoing campaign,”
Mehta said. “However, the situation
is not as alarming as it has been portrayed,”
the ambassador said.
Continued on Page 15

LOCAL
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurating the national campaign “Senyar 7” that aims at the preservation of the marine environment. — KUNA
Amir inaugurates ‘Senyar 7’ campaign
KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurated the national campaign
“Senyar 7” that aims at the preservation of the marine environment.
His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also attended the event which
TEHRAN: Kuwaiti members of the joint Parliamentary Friendship Committee with
Iran meeting Iranian officials. — KUNA
Parliamentary delegation
meets top Iranian officials
TEHRAN: Kuwaiti members of the joint
parliamentary friendship committee with
Iran held talks with Speaker of the Iranian
Parliament Ali Larijani and Foreign Minister
Ali Akbar Salehi separately on Sunday. The
talks with Larijani dealt with ways to
strengthen the parliamentary cooperation
between Kuwait’s National Assembly and
Iran’s Majles e-Shora (Islamic Consultative
Assembly), said MP Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, head
of the delegation.
“We’ve conveyed to Larijani an invitation
from National Assembly Speaker Ali Al-
Rashed to visit Kuwait and he welcomed
the invitation and promised to respond to
it in the due time,” Al-Mulaifi said. The
Kuwaiti law-maker urged enhancing the
was held at Bayan Palace yesterday. The Amir received the
Kuwaiti Voluntary Work Center Chairperson Sheikha
Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and members of
Senyar 7 diving team who presented the Amir with a commemorative
gift.
political dialogue in order to resolve any
problems in the bilateral ties or regional
tensions peacefully.
“The region is no longer able to tolerate
tensions and the nations in the region
expect a lot from us in manipulating the
parliamentary role in addressing the
regional problems and defusing tensions,”
Al-Mulaifi pointed out. He lauded as “very
fruitful” the talks with Salehi, saying they
discussed a range of bilateral and regional
issues. Al-Mulaifi voiced hope that the two
countries will be able to play a more active
role in stabilizing the region and serving
the common interests. The meetings were
also attended by Kuwait Ambassador to
Iran Majdy Ahmad Al-Dhafiri. — KUNA
KPC to expand private
sector partnerships
KUWAIT: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
(KPC) Managing Director for Government,
Parliamentary, Public Relations and Media
Affairs Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-
Sabah announced that the state company
plans to expand partnerships with the private
sector. In a speech at the Third Kuwait
Oil Industrial Forum, organized by Kuwait
Industries Union in cooperation with KPC,
Sheikh Talal said that the KPC is planning
to increase the private the sector involvement
in the oil industry to help create job
opportunities and improve performance.
“KPC’s strategy aims to encourage
national investors to pour $6 billion in
direct investments in the petroleum sector,”
he said, noting that the state development
plan had adopted several reforms to
enhance the private sector’s role in the
local economy, especially the oil sector. He
added that the KPC plays an active role in
supporting the local economy through
providing many opportunities for the local
sector to work as main contractors in
major projects, to participate in the engineering
and construction works and to
provide the corporation and its subsidiaries
with materials and services.
These projects will “create 1,600 new
job openings for nationals over the coming
few years,” said Sheikh Talal. He, furthermore,
said that the private sector was
involved in the ownership of some leading
projects, such as the first and second
Olefins projects and the aromatics projects
along with the allocation of some activities,
such as fuel stations.
“KPC has also developed several
approaches to increase private sector participation
in the petroleum project, the latest
of which is the public-private-partnership
(PPP) agreements,” he said. He underscored
that the KPC looks forward to work
in the future with the principle of engaging
the private sector through more comprehensive
view aiming at developing its
role in the oil sector through the enhancement
of the “local content” and settling the
local industries that support the oil sector.
“KPC has widened the scope of the
activities and participants of the council on
partnership with private sector to include
all its major subsidiaries,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of
Kuwait National Petroleum Company
(KNPC) Mohammad Al-Mutairi said that
there are plans to increase private sector’s
share in major petroleum project to
exceed 20 percent. He went on to say that
“private sector’s participation in these
projects has certain conditions and criteria
to be set by the executive body of
each”. — KUNA
Q8 refinery project in Vietnam
KUWAIT: The construction work will start
in July for the Kuwait Petroleum
International (Q8) major joint refinery and
petrochemical complex in Vietnam, Q8
Managing Director Bakheet Al-Rashidi
announced yesterday. “We expect the work
to be completed by late 2016 with the
commercial production to commence in
the second quarter of 2017,” added Al-
Rashidi in press statements on the sidelines
of a ceremony for graduates of a training
program for Q8 employees at Rotterdam
School of Management.
“The project execution will go as scheduled
and Kuwaiti staff will be present at the
construction site as of next month,” he
pointed out, on the project worth a total $9
billion. The Nghi Son Refinery and
Petrochemical Complex, a joint venture
between Q8, PetroVietnam and Japanese
companies Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui
Chemicals, will be located in Thanh Hoa
Province in North Vietnam, around 200
kilometers south of Hanoi.
As Vietnam’s largest oil refinery, it is
expected to contribute more than 30 percent
of Vietnam’s demand for petroleum
products. Although Vietnam is Southeast
Asia’s third-largest producer of crude oil, its
limited number of refineries has led to an
almost total reliance on imported oil products.
The new refinery will include a petrochemical
complex, energy facilities, and
pipeline and storage facilities. It will produce
products such as gasoline, diesel, and
jet fuel for the local Vietnamese market,
together with other products for sale in
neighboring countries. — KUNA
LONDON: The Canadian-led consortium trying
to buy Britain’s Severn Trent threatened to walk
away after its third approach was rejected,
prompting two of the water utility’s major shareholders
to urge a return to talks. Shares in the
British company dropped almost 6 percent yesterday
after it rejected the consortium’s proposed
$8.2 billion offer, ahead of a deadline
today for a firm bid.
Borealis Infrastructure, part of Canadian pension
fund OMERS, a Kuwaiti sovereign wealth
fund and Britain’s Universities Superannuation
Scheme want to buy Severn Trent for its steady
cash flows. But the utility, which has 7.7 million
customers mainly in central and western
England and Wales, said the latest offer of 2,200
pence per share failed to reflect its long-term
value and future potential.
A source close to the consortium told Reuters
that no talks had been held since May 14. One of
Severn Trent’s 10 biggest shareholders said yesterday
the company should start engaging with
the consortium with the aim of achieving an
offer of more than 2,300 pence per share. “We
certainly encourage them to engage and protect
His Highness Sheikh Sabah expressed appreciation to
the efforts exerted by the team who have played major
role in preserving local marine environment. He encouraged
them to persevere and become a role-model to be
followed by others.
the rights of shareholders,” the investor said, on
the condition of anonymity. “(But) any price
below 2,300 pence per share isn’t worth being
considered. Let them walk away, they don’t
deserve assets at this price.”
A second investor, one of the 15 largest, said
it was concerned Severn Trent was playing a
“very dangerous game”. “The Severn Trent people
are being a little pig-headed,” the investor
said, also on the condition of anonymity. “I think
we’re pretty much at a reasonable price and the
fact they are not really engaging with them
seems a bit strange. It’s not an unreasonable
offer and the strength of the rebuttal doesn’t
seem proportional to that.” Severn Trent, in common
with Britain’s other water and sewerage
firms, has stable cash flows and operates in a
favorable regulatory environment. Michael
Rolland, President and CEO of Borealis, speaking
on behalf of the consortium, said yesterday that
Severn Trent had shown no interest in discussing
its latest proposal. “In the absence of any such
engagement, there will be no further proposal
from the consortium and no offer for Severn
Trent shareholders to consider,” he said.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
The National Assembly Speaker Ali Fahad Al-Rashed,
Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Mishaal Al-
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh
Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and senior state officials
attended the event. — KUNA
UK Severn Trent bidder
threatens to walk away
Kuwaiti, Canadian firms eye British water supplier
KUWAIT: The Proteges - the mentorship program
that provides young people with opportunities
to learn life and leadership skills - is proud
to announce strategic partnership with KIPCO
(Kuwait Projects Company). Registration for the
program is now open for all young people aged
between 16 and 24. The program will start in the
second week of August and continue for 4
weeks.
Shamlan Al-Bahar, manager of The Proteges
said, “We are honored to have KIPCO as our
strategic partner and main sponsor for
Generation 3. It is with great appreciation to
Faisal Al-Ayyar that The Proteges is now powered
by KIPCO and nine of its operating companies.
Through this partnership, we will be given
outstanding support from some of the best
companies in Kuwait. Al-Bahar added, “This year,
we wanted to take The Protégés to a whole new
level, above and beyond whatwe did with generations
1 &2.
With the cooperation of KIPCO and their participating
companies, which include Burgan
Bank, KAMCO, United Real Estate Co, Qurain
Petrochemical Industries Company, Gulf
Insurance Group, OSN, Kuwait Hotels Company,
United Networks, and United Education Co
(UEC), we have no doubt that this year’s program
will be a truly life-changing experience for
the 25 young people who will be chosen.”
Commenting on the strategic partnership with
The Protégés, Abeer Al-Omar, Corporate
Communications Manager at KIPCO said: “The
Proteges program is an excellent way of preparing
the next generation of leaders and KIPCO is
proud to support such an initiative. KIPCO has a
long-standing commitment to help the young
people of Kuwait full their potential. All of our
core companies will be involved in our sponsorship
in some way. For example, the UEC will host
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
KUWAIT: Drug enforcement agents arrested
an Arab woman for being in possession of various
kinds of drugs, arms and ammunition.
Information was passed on to Lt General
Abdulhameed Al-Awadhi about an Arab
woman being involved in drugs trade. Further
information was collected to verify the tip off
and the woman was kept under surveillance
round the clock. After taking necessary legal
precautions, her residence was raided. A
search of the place led to the recovery of four
grams of Heroin, and 18 bottles of imported
liquor of multiple brands. She claimed that the
contraband found belonged to her but was
meant for personal use.
Despite intense interrogation, she avoided
giving proper answers to the questions asked
of her, but did confess to having a partner and
that she possessed a key to the place. Police
accompanied her to the other residence and
after searching it, found four kilograms of opium,
two kilograms of Hashish, 30,000 pills of
drugs, 500 grams Ice drug, 20 grams of Heroin
NO NEW OFFER, NO TALKS
According to British takeover rules, the consortium
has until 1600 GMT today to make a formal
offer for Severn Trent or walk away. Severn
Trent chairman Andrew Duff said the board had
acted in the best interest of shareholders in
rejecting the latest offer, which it said was only
3.5 percent higher than the previous approach.
Shares in Severn Trent closed at 2,070 pence on
Friday, after earlier hitting an all-time high of
2,200 pence.
They fell further yesterday, down 5.9 percent
at 1,949 pence by 1021 GMT, but still trading
well above the level of about 1,820 before news
of an approach was made public in May. The
chief strategist at stockbroker Central Markets,
Richard Perry, said the market had not completely
ruled out a new approach for Severn
Trent. “There have now been three bids in a row
rejected,” he said.
“However, the stock is still massively higher
than the 1,830-1,840 (pence) level where it was
in May, and the market still seems to be factoring
in some new approach.” — Reuters
The Proteges powered by KIPCO
the ProtÈgÈes at the American University of
Kuwait, while OSN will be providing broadcast
expertise. By doing this, the KIPCO Group will be
offering invaluable support to the leaders of
Kuwait’s future. We look forward to working with
the organizers to ensure a highly successful program.”
The last day to submit applications for The
Proteges, Generation 3 is June 20, 2013.
Arab woman arrested; Drugs,
arms and ammunition seized
Arab woman pictured with various kinds of
drugs, arms and ammunition.
and six pistols of different sizes, a golden automatic
gun, and different kinds of ammunition.
Her partner was identified and police were
able to nab him. Both the suspects and the
recovered drugs and arms were being sent to
the concerned authorities.
Car accidents
A car accident at Al-Sabbia near the Al-
Sabbia Bridge left a 58-year-old Kuwaiti man
with multiple injuries and pain in the neck.
Another 43-year-old Kuwaiti man also received
multiple injuries and complained of pain in the
head after being caught up in the same accident.
Both were taken to the Al-Jahra Hospital.
In a similar development, a car accident at
the Cairo Street near Hawally and Al-Qadsiya
crossing resulted in a head injury for a oneyear-old
Kuwaiti child who was rushed to the
Al-Amiri Hospital. Also, a car accident at Kabd
near Ahmad Al-Jaber base roundabout left a
45-year-old Indian expat with injuries to both
legs while a 51-year-old Pakistani expat suffered
a head injury and also one to the shoulder.
Both were taken to the Jahra Hospital.

Kuwait rejects Swiss
interference, criticism
GENEVA: Kuwait rejected yesterday
Switzerland’s interference in Kuwaiti
domestic affairs before the 23rd session
of the UN Council for Human Rights, and
its criticism of Kuwaiti court death sentencing
last April. Kuwait’s permanent
Malik Hussein Al-Wazzan
advisor to the United Nations, Malik
Hussein Al-Wazzan, told the council, in
response to the Swiss criticism, “The
death penalty is an issue of the Islamic
laws, as it represents the state’s sovereignty,
and we forbid interference in our
policies or politics.”
Al-Wazzan stressed that Kuwait is
committed to applying the provisions of
Islam. Affirming that the death penalty
was imposed after enough verifications,
and not for political attraction. “The
Swiss delegation is well aware that
death penalties have not been implemented
in Kuwait since 2007 and is
being implemented after passing
through several judicial regulations, several
cases take years of revision before
ruling a death sentence,” the Kuwaiti
diplomat stated.
Switzerland denounced to the council
the lifting of death sentences
imposed by several states including
Kuwait, with referral to three cases of
death penalty last April. Switzerland
called upon those countries to suspend
those convictions and lessen the sentencing.
Al-Wazzan stressed that eliminating
the death penalty is not bound
by international law and its implementation
meets the requirements of international
law as specified in the human
rights bodies.
He added, article six of the
International Covenant, stipulates that
“the death penalty may not be imposed
arbitrarily and can be used for the most
serious crimes” as is the case in many
democratic countries, and there is no
obligation to stop it. It is noted that the
23rd session of the UN Human Rights
Council continues from May 27 to June
14, to discuss human rights issues, and
reports of experts involved, reactions of
states and non-governmental organizations.
— KUNA
Govt approves setting up
of tire recycling company
KUWAIT: Kuwait has officially approved a
proposal to establish a used tire recycling
company, which will have an annual production
capacity of seven million tires, a
local daily reported yesterday, quoting
sources familiar with the subject. Speaking
to Al-Qabas on the condition of anonymity,
the sources said an approval letter signed
by Minister of Commerce and Industry
Anas Al-Saleh was sent to the Public
Authority for Industry (PAI), with instructions
on steps to be taken for the company’s
establishment. “The letter called for
quick processes to be put in place to establish
the company, in view of the growing
environmental risk from the rising numbers
of used tires collected annually”, the
sources said.
Furthermore, the sources noted that the
PAI approved the project’s feasibility study
“given its environmental importance and
the potential benefit of using recycled synthetic
rubber.” Allocation of land for recycling
factories is currently awaiting the end
of a process in which the PAI is taking back
industrial lands previously allocated to other
businesses. A Daily Mail report earlier
this month claimed that there are more
than seven million used tires buried under
sand in what the report dubs as “the
world’s biggest tire graveyard” in Sulaibiya.
Last year, a huge fire engulfed millions of
tires stored at a location in the Jahra
desert, where an average of between 2,000
and 2,500 used tires are dumped every
day, according to official estimations based
on investigations during the time of the
incident.
KD 51 billion budget
deficit set for 2030
KUWAIT: Kuwait faces the risk of incurring
a fiscal deficit of KD51 billion by 2030
even with a best case scenario of importing
4.5 million barrels a day at a price of
$185 a barrel, a local newspaper reported
yesterday quoting a government’s assessment
report for the fourth year
(2013/2014) of the five-year Development
Plan. Al-Qabas, which has been publishing
details of the report since the beginning
of this week, reported yesterday that the
fourth year’s plan urges “everyone to take
responsibility when it comes to procedures,
decisions and sacrifices to sustain
social welfare and protect the right of
future generations to have access to a luxurious
life.”
Among ‘cost cutting’ steps the assessment
report recommends are reconsidering
the public sector’s payroll and
allowances, linking pay to productivity,
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
limiting demands for financial increases,
and cooperation between the cabinet and
parliament to improve non-oil incomes.
Furthermore, the report recommends
rationalization of government spending,
reviewing public services’ cost and facilities,
and increasing the private sector’s
contribution in government activity.
Meanwhile, the report notes that a
Kuwaiti family costs the government an
annual average of KD 17,000 in direct subsidies
including electricity, gas, cooking
gas, manpower allowance for private sector
employees, social security and living
allowances. Al-Qabas also reported a plan
that the Civil Service Commission demonstrated
to the cabinet recently, which suggests
pay cuts for certain professions in the
public sector as part of a strategy to resolve
aberrations in the payroll and achieve
equality in distribution.—Agencies
By Ben Garcia
LOCAL
KUWAIT: Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFW) Party List Representative Roy
Seneres is set to file two highly awaited
bills for the OFWs in the Philippine
Congress once he joins the 16th national
congress that is scheduled to open on
July 1. Seneres’ party-list members, who
won the recent mid-term elections, are
in Kuwait to attend a pre-independence
day gathering hosted by the Filipino
community in Kuwait and the
Philippine Embassy. He is the first OFW
party-list member to enter the
Philippine Congress carrying the banner
of OFWs and the concern of approximately
12 million Filipino diaspora
across the world. Speaking during a
press conference yesterday at the
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Seneres highlighted
the two bills that he intended to file
after assuming his position. “There are
two important bills that I’d want to be
prioritized once I join the congress this
July. One of them would require ambassadors
to prioritize the concerns of all
OFWs abroad. I want them to regularly
check on Filipinos who are incarcerated
in foreign lands. I want them to pay regular
visits to Filipinos who are in hospitals
abroad,” he stated.
“Filipinos who are in jail or in need of
a family visit abroad must be helped by
ambassadors. I will require the ambassador
to do that because it is part of
their mandate to protect OFWs. The first
thing I would do is to meet with the secretary
of foreign affairs to ask for the list
of Filipinos who are in dire need of our
assistance. Protection of OFWs must be
our priority at all times,” Seneres added.
He also pledged that within the limited
period of his term, he would file all the
13 bills and fulfil the promises he had
made during the campaign.
“Part of my platform during the
campaign were the 13 bills, which I
intend to file once my party is elected. I
will see to it that within the three-year
period, I will be able to do that and
Fire at Kuwait University
KUWAIT: Few days after a huge fire ravaged the new university buildings
under construction at Al-Shidadia, another fire broke yesterday at
make a difference in the lives of Filipinos
overseas,” he said. Another important
bill that Seneres proposed involved
obligating at least one of the parents to
help or provide for their kids when they
are divorced or separated.
In other words, the bill is about the
right of children to get financial assistance.
“We have so many cases in the
OFW family club in which the children
are neglected because both parents
found happiness with other partners.
Usually the children are at the receiving
end of all this and suffer as a result. My
proposal would be to oblige the father
or the mother, whoever is abroad, to
provide for their children.
Many OFW’s families back here in
Manila have to fight for their survival
because the father or mother is no
longer helping them. Sometimes they
have no money to buy food, they no
longer go to school because they were
abandoned, or they cannot go anywhere
at all because they have no money.
So I want to help them by this proposal
by making the errant side, espe-
cially the father, obliged to provide for
the family. Ambassadors can also exercise
their right to cancel or not renew
passports of such OFWs if there are
complaints against them,” he added.
“There is an existing law on this. In
fact they (the neglected families) can
file a case in the municipal trial court.
But come to think of it, how can a wife
without money file a case at the court.
The wife will have to get a lawyer and
she will need money to do that. How is
that possible if she cannot even buy
food for her family? Therefore, the alternative
would be to authorize the
ambassador to summon the erring parties
and force them to provide financial
support to their family,” Seneres noted.
“What for we are called the ambassador
extraordinary and plenipotentiary if we
do not have the power to do discipline
our people? My advocacy is to strengthen
the family, so family will always be
my priority. It is in our constitution that
the Filipino family should be solid. We
have to protect the family, because the
families makes up the society. And if the
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Kuwait Amir urges citizens
to be unified, cautious
KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday urged “unity” from
the people of Kuwait and for them to be “cautious”
in the face of regional challenges that
could affect Kuwait. “The current regional circumstances
and recurring developments, we are
prone to, require us to be cautious, wary and
ready for the challenge. This can only come
through national unity, coordination and a united
stand gainst those who try to undermine
this,” Sheikh Sabah, accompanied by His
Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, said during in a
speech at a dinner banquet held in his honor by
Mohammad Mefarrij Al-Musaileem. “My brothers
and fellow citizens we have grave responsibilities
towards our nation that require us to
maintain it and to keep it secure, ushering all in
our power to improve it and usher forward the
wheels of development in order to achieve our
ambitious goals.
“Our democratic system we have opted for
and trust, and constitution we hold on to and
are proud of are things we have been entrusted
with and will keep on maintaining.” HH the Amir
went on to thank the host of the event, saying
Seneres: Protection of
OFWs ‘our top priority’
Filipino Congressman visits Kuwait
Al-Shidadia site. Fire centers responded to the call and tried to put out
the fire. Five ambulances and 10 technicians were sent to the site. One
fire fighting vehicle turned upside down causing injuries to two firemen.
he was “very happy at these visits and meetings
that illustrate the scale of unity, devotion and
commitment among the people of Kuwait and
KUWAIT: Congressman Roy Seneres (second left) pictured during a
press conference yesterday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel with
CDA/Consul General Atty Raul Dado, Philippine Labor Attache to
Kuwait David Des Dicang and Welfare Officer Norlita Lugto.
—Photo by Ben Garcia
KUWAIT: Nearly 500 complaints have
been registered against police officers
this year, according to official statistics
as of May end, marking a 13 percent
increase compared to the same period
last year. This was reported by Al-Qabas
yesterday quoting security sources
privy to the statistics with the General
Department of Control and Inspection.
“Forty-nine police officers of different
ranks have been subjected to penalties
after being convicted following investigations,”
said the sources who added
that nine of these policemen were sentenced
to jail. The sources spoke on the
condition of anonymity because they
were not authorized to release the statistics
before the same were announced
officially.
society is solid, then we’ll have a solid
country at the end of the day,” he mentioned.
Asked whether he would endorse or
support the creation of a new department
or ministry for OFWs, Seneres said
he does not support the idea, since he
believes the phenomenon of OFWs is
temporary. “I don’t support it because I
believe the OFW phenomenon is temporary.
How long does that mean, I
don’t know. But if we make a separate
department for OFWs, then we will be
sending a signal that the phenomenon
is permanent and overseas workers will
be there forever.
I don’t want it. I want our government
to do something and create new
jobs for Filipinos so that Filipinos will
return to their homeland. I am dreaming
of the day when all Filipinos will be
home and would no longer consider
working abroad, and be there for their
families. I am even dreaming of the day
when the OFW Family is no longer
needed because there would no OFWs
abroad anymore. The best country in
the whole world is the Philippines, so
why spend your life away from your
family,” he pointed out.
The Aquino government and the
previous Arroyo government have been
criticized for spending millions of pesos
from the OFW fund to save lives of
Filipinos in death row while usually
overlooking the needs of Filipinos
involved in minor cases. “I think the government
fund is really falling short for all
but I believe there are rich companies
which can be asked to help the government.
I don’t usually ask for help, but to
beg for help for the sake of suffering
Filipinos is something I don’t really
mind. After all, these big malls, real
estate developers and airlines are benefiting
from OFWs, too. So I think it’s not
bad to give something back for our
heroes,” Seneres stated. “Many businesses
in the Philippines flourished because
of OFWs. A small amount won’t hurt
them,” he added.
500 complaints
against police
KUWAIT: The Supreme Court has ruled
that a well-known local private hospital
will pay a compensation of KD 30,000 to a
citizen who suffered due to a medical mistake
by one of its doctors. The citizen,
through his lawyer, had filed a case
against the hospital, an expat doctor, and
an insurance company. He had gone to
the hospital as a patient to correct the
vision in his left eye through laser surgery.
A day after the operation, the patient
started feeling continuous pain in his left
eye. The doctor told the patient that the
pain was a result of the surgery and that it
was natural. However, due to the continuous
pain in the patient’s eye, the doctor
their leaders, since the nation’s inception. “This
portrays a path taken by our forefathers and one
that our sons will no doubt inherit,” he said.
The majority of complaints were
filed against rescue police, traffic police,
police investigators and police station
officers. The sources further indicated
that investigations in 180 of the complaints
concluded “with proper legal
procedures taken,” while the rest were
still pending, save a few complaints that
were shelved due to lack of evidence.
Some of the violations mentioned in
the report included keeping detainees
in jail after the expiry of their legal
detention period, as well as overcrowding
inmates in cells inside police stations.
Meanwhile, the source revealed
that at least 350 police officers were
subjected to disciplinary measures during
the same period for failing to report
for duty.— Agencies
Hospital to pay KD 30,000
compensation for mistake
gave him some treatment. But that did not
help.
Thereafter, the patient got his eyes
checked at Al-Baher Hospital, where some
problems were detected in his left eye.
The problem was confirmed by another
hospital as well. Then, the patient filed a
case against the doctor and the hospital
for mistreatment.
A medical examiner issued a report
that the patient had suffered a permanent
defect in his left eye, which made him lose
15% of his vision. The court passed its verdict,
giving due consideration to the
defects that developed in his left eye as a
result of the surgery.

kuwait digest
It does
not need
media shows!
By Hassan Al-Essa
There was nothing to cheer about as one
watched the ‘Taw Allail’ TV program aired by
the Al-Watan TV the other night as the world
saw images of people huddled together in police
dungeons in a most humiliating way for having
committed traffic violations, though none of them
was even convicted by a court of law.
There was also no need to depict the long queue
of people waiting to beg for forgiveness from the
traffic director, Major General Abdul Fattah Al-Ali,
and seek exemption from paying fines or being
deported in a most humiliating fashion. In even
more disgusting scenes, there were even longer
queues of people waiting to hear the general’s final
decision about their citations. It was as if General
Al-Ali had become a judge and an accuser at the
same time.
The right thing to do if those people really violated
any law was to follow the standard legal
measures and take action as per applicable law.
Any particular official’s personality should have no
role to play in deciding the penalty or pardon in a
country run through institutions. No person can be
larger than the office.
The state itself should not care about the personal
traits of this or that official and should follow
a set pattern and procedure which is binding when
it comes to appointing senior officials and determining
their duties and privileges. These ought to
be clearly set out and defined for everybody in
advance. Otherwise, it would not be rule of law or
an institutional state. We would then only have tribal
communities and favoritism.
A lot is being said these days about Al-Ali and his
role in resolving the traffic imbroglio in Kuwait in
the matrix of a state torn between the rule of law
and the chaos created by the personal idiosyncrasies
of those in certain positions. It seems that
the traffic director is so serious in fixing the innumerable
traffic related problems because, coupled
with the performance of the interior ministry in
general, they reflect the state’s ability to enforce the
law and safeguard individual’s freedoms and rights.
Al-Ali’s promise to eradicate the ‘Wasta tumor’
from the traffic domain’s ‘body’ calls for respecting
the man if he manages to keep it. So far, it seems
his strategy is working. Therefore, the man does not
need all the media backed propaganda to highlight
how serious he is in enforcing the law. Someday,
the people will judge for themselves the results and
speak up either in his favor or against him. The
most important thing now is to ensure the rule of
law. This requires selecting the right people and
excluding the opportunists and lickspittles with
whom most government establishments have been
stuffed. We need not link any success or progress to
a particular individual or officer who could be a
mere public servant doing his job.
Success should, instead, be associated with the
concerned office or establishment. Individuals will
not be in office forever. The legal establishments
last forever, regardless of who runs them. People
will eventually remember the role played by officials
who excel in their jobs and help ensure that
the organizations they work in evolve. They do so
by setting just and fair rules and laws to be followed
long after their own tenures end. The test
lies in ensuring that no injustice is meted to the
people, and the security requirements are not
underestimated at the same time. — Al-Jarida
kuwait digest
Public policy,
the 11th view
By Thaar Al-Rashidi
Public policy is an area as huge as an ocean.
There are multiple dimensions, and endless
arguments happen over intricate details. On
every minor twist and turn, there are sometimes ten
different views, if not more. None of those ten views
are 100% correct. There is, however, one view that is
correct, given the political realities in question, but
that is the one which normally remains unsaid. It is
the 11th view that no one talks about, no one defends
because those who peddle their ten different views
have their own interests or that of their backers, seats,
families, or tribes at heart.
The unexpressed view No 11 remains unclaimed.
Amidst an ocean of competing interests, no one owns
up to that view except those who have no motives,
who are totally independent of any sectarian, tribal or
political motives. Of course, there are such people but
unfortunately, those proclaiming the virtues of ten
different points of view, each with a modicum of half
truth, have a louder and shriller voice. The poor 11th
view is drowned in this cacophony.
Everyone should be aware what the real truth is.
Not everyone who defends the government is progovernment,
and some people do defend the government
and its various decisions because they believe in
those decisions and not because they have any particular
love lost for the government. Of course, as a
corollary, not everyone who opposes the government
is a popular person imbued with national interest and
not everyone who wears the opposition’s robes is a
person who survives on the oxygen of public interest.
They say that June 16, falling on Sunday next, will
be a key date in the history of Kuwait. Regardless of
the results, it will not be a darker day than August 2 or
worse than when the country’s constitutionally guaranteed
political life was held to ransom in the 70s and
the 80s. It is only a matter of a court verdict and there
is no need to try and second guess a court verdict or
view it through a pessimistic prism in advance. At the
end of the day, it is one court verdict, and it will be followed
by others. Neither the political authority nor
the executive or anyone else can influence the court
verdict. This is a truth that should not be contested, or
politicized.
HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber’s visits
to the heads of various tribes in Kuwait raised
several questions about the real objective behind
the move. Some said that these were just courtesy visits
by the Amir to his brother members of tribes and their
heads, and that they were a routine matter and a way of
the leader to keep in touch with an important component
of Kuwaiti society.
Others associated the visits with a political dimension
and said these were to gain the loyalty of the tribes in
preparation for the new elections if the constitutional
court ruled to pave the way for such a development.
Meanwhile, yet another party associated political and
social dimensions with the visits, and said these were
part of an attempt to strengthen the tribal state, and this
view was in agreement with the kind of division and
splintering that dominates the Arab countries.
The Arab elite which rules the Arab world failed in
instilling the principles of the pluralistic democratic
state that relies on the constitution, state of law, justice,
and equality for all. What happened in the Arab world is
that the failure to progress towards civility and modernity
paved the way for the return of other kinds of loyalties,
be these tribal as in the case of the Arabian Gulf
Countries, or the return of sectarianism as in case of
Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
In the case of Sudan, Egypt and Tunis, the narrow partisan
loyalty in the name of religion (Muslim
Brotherhood) is working. Initially, these groups were
active, organized and religiously diverse and they used
democratic slogans to attain power, but once they did,
they tried to become the sole power and did away with
all democratic ideas.
Even in the occupied Palestine, the occupation did
not unify the Palestinian factions. Rather the disputes
between the Fatah and the Hamas Movements (Muslim
LOCAL
kuwait digest
The single exception
Let us be honest and objective in analyzing the
present situation that concerns every Kuwaiti. A
political crisis happened, sparking oppositionist
movements of different views. Some of these views
were expressed in a calm and rational way, while others
bordered on banditry. Meanwhile, the government
gave a mixed response, including bad decisions, awful
reactions, calls for calm and opening the door for negotiations.
In general, both the opposition and the government
worked within the Kuwaiti framework, apart from one
exception that crossed the lines of principles and
covenants. Let me explain. Historically speaking, the
opposition has always been an integral part of Kuwait’s
political life. Since the ruling system was born from a
pact with the people instead of being forced by sword,
Kuwait has enjoyed accord, freedoms, democracy and a
constitutional life.
There is a ruling system and an opposition executive,
judiciary and legislative authorities; and government
control and decision, as well as partnerships. No matter
how different both parties might be, their differences
remain within the frameworks of the state and the society.
The opposition is also credited for playing an essential
role in the development of Kuwait’s political life. It
managed to successfully fight for rights that some
authority figures wished to monopolize.
We always proudly remember the 1990-91 Iraqi
Invasion experience. Although it happened in the middle
of a deep political crisis in Kuwait, the invaders
failed to find any Kuwaiti figure to stand on their side.
Instead, all Kuwaiti political figures renewed their
pledge of allegiance to their legitimate leaderships in
their efforts to achieve unconditional liberation of
Kuwait. This opposition trusts its people, and the people
trust it. They know from experience that the opposition’s
patriotism cannot be questioned, since it has
always worked within the national framework. Kuwaitis
have never been worried about the opposition-but
today they are. Why? Let us be even more honest here
because the issue goes beyond political debate or
reform demands.
It is common sense that Kuwait and other countries
have political movements whose members follow the
belief that they should not go against the national
interest and give it the ultimate priority - no matter
what. Theoretically, this is correct because heavenly
missions remain a superior cause to defend compared
with earthly loyalties. But practically, it would be incorrect
to impose religion on politics or using religion as a
means to achieve personal interests.
This movement has a broad ideology that goes
By Jassem Budai
beyond national borders, and we can say that its views
must be affected by the position of its central international
leadership. This happened during the Iraqi
Invasion when the movement expressed an opinion
that matched its parent organization’s, with regard to
supporting liberation through means that do not
include international channels. In addition to that, this
movement is not shy to express that its goal as a political
party is to reach power. This is OK from theoretical
and practical standpoints; and the movement is also
credited for having the courage to say that it has an
integrated ruling project, which is based on clear principles.
Regarding Kuwait, however, the movement finds
itself forced to adapt to certain particularities that do
not go in line with the concept of alternation of power,
since Al-Sabah dynasty has exclusive ruling rights as
per a pact with the people.
Therefore, the movement adopts an approach that
enables it to stay focused on its unspoken goals so that
it can be ready if any changes happen, or play an active
role if the opposition stepped up its activities - in which
case, the movement can benefit the most, given that it
is the most organized and most capable of garnering
public support.
This movement is known for its ability to penetrate
into certain social categories, as seen in other Arab
countries. That is difficult to happen in Kuwait, however,
because Kuwaitis are not short on wealth or democratic
rights, and are not deprived of things that the
movement used to garner public support in other Arab
societies. Therefore, the movement is unable to utilize
people’s needs for political gain. Yet, the movement is
credited for having the remarkable ability to adopt
alternating roles effectively, as you can find members
talking about an Arab-Spring-like movement in Kuwait
while their colleagues are simultaneously renewing
their pledge of allegiance and criticizing public uproar.
Kuwaitis, who were never deprived of their daily
bread or right of expression, realize very well that such
slogans reflect the movement’s political agenda, rather
than being a reflection of political reality. Kuwaitis who
live within the Kuwaiti framework also realize that this
very movement is the one that benefits the most from
any turmoil or change in the country.
I pray to the Almighty God that He saves Kuwait, the
Kuwaiti opposition, national unity, the people who
demand true reform, and the ruling pact that no
Kuwaiti can accept an alternative for. Furthermore, I
pray that the political movement that has been the
subject of this column is able to protect itself and
rethink its approach in order to give Kuwait ultimate
priority. — Al-Rai
kuwait digest
Amir’s visits to the tribes
By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa
Brotherhood) became worse. Even in Syria, where the
opposition is facing a tyrannical and strong regime, the
resistance factions did not agree on a unified national
program to rescue the country under the fiat that they
should create a country based on a democratic ideology
where Sunni and Shiites should work together with the
Christians, the Jews and the rest of Syrian groups.
What happened in Syria is the emergence of extreme
religious movements including the Muslim
Brotherhood, Al-Nusra Jihadis and Al-Qaeda, along other
extreme Jihadists who have no any project for a modern
democratic state. It is no wonder that the world’s
public opinion is not supporting the fighters because
some Jihadists distorted the revolution’s image by eating
human flesh.
The question now is how is it possible to pull out of
the tribal, religious, sectarian and partisan loyalties and
work towards a nationalist, plural and democratic state?
The experiences of people across the globe, especially
those of the people in the democratized west, tell us
about the importance of distancing religion from the
state, which means religion is for God, and the state is
for all, because it is not in the interest of any religious
sect to fight their co-religionist brothers or those who
differ with them on the basis of sect, religion or ethnicity.
Achieving a modern democratic state is not easy,
because it requires popular agreement on civil issues
and constitution of the state without owing any loyalty
to foreign powers. The problem is that the powers of
political Islam are in control of the Arab street, including
the Arab Gulf States. Those powers neither believe in
democracy nor in the modern state, and the proof of
that is their failure in achieving stability in the Arab
spring states. What Kuwait requires is to reject the tribal
loyalties and concentrate on the national principles by
working towards a state of law.—Al-Watan
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
kuwait digest
Al-Najjar’s
mistake
By Abdullatif Al-Duaij
They say that every tide has its ebb, which I think is
true. Everyone makes mistakes or takes a position
that is different from even their own beliefs or personal
interests. Fellow columnist Ghanim Al-Najjar is
known for his interest in the human rights and efforts to
defend civil and political rights of individuals and groups.
However, it seems that he has recently committed perhaps
an unintentional error in defending a proposed
security agreement among the Gulf Cooperation Council
countries.
In his recent column, Al-Najjar supported - perhaps
unintentionally - the passage of the GCC agreement on
the pretext that it would not add anything of substance
to what already exists. In my opinion - and I could be the
one who is wrong here - this is one of the most dangerous
and ‘smartest’ justifications for approving the agreement,
even though I believe that Al-Najjar’s views were
prompted by good intentions when he went against his
own principles and political history.
I do not agree with Al-Najjar’s notion that restrictions
on freedom were already present in the region, and
therefore the agreement would not add new ones. This
could be true, but the difference remains in the fact that
these restrictions were not codified. As long as the
restrictions lack legal cover, opposing them remains legitimate,
and can also motivate efforts to object to those
practices in the Gulf region which curb freedom.
In our struggle to change many existing behaviors, no
action or call to change the state of affairs can happen if
we provide legitimacy to the very practice we want to
alter. Many erroneously informed practices and misconceptions
have unfortunately become a reality because
they became some kind of a ‘tradition’ and were practiced
as a virtue that ostensibly achieves public good. The
prime example is the continuous suppression of the freedom
of expression, as it has come to be accepted as step
for ‘countering abnormal behavior’ in society. This was
allowed to happen because some of us at some point
failed to raise our voice against this oppression, or found
it unnecessary to do so. Therefore, I believe that it is better
to continue to object to what we believe are errors
committed by governments in the region, and work
towards changing them before they become accepted
traditions.— Al-Qabas
kuwait digest
‘Brotherhood
network’
By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa
Even as preparations are on for the visit of UAE’s foreign
minister to Kuwait to head the UAE - Kuwait
joint committee - with the fear that the Emirates
minister may submit a list of persons whose names figured
during the investigations into the “Brotherhood network”
members arrested in the UAE and currently on trial,
the Islamic Constitutional Movement (Muslim
Brotherhood) has issued a press statement on what it
called “a motivated campaign” to give it a bad name.
In the statement, it condemned the “motivated campaign
targeting a group of symbols of charity activists in
Kuwait and attempting to falsely link them with what
was being termed “the secret lists of Brotherhood elements
who supported the UAE cell, especially since the
names that figured in these fabricated lists affected men
who are known for their good reputation and sincerity.”
We do not know until now what are the lies that the
Brotherhood and the statement issued by the ICM are
talking about? Are the published names not those of
members of the Muslim Brotherhood? Explain to us what
the charge is against your movement so that we can
come to know whether it was true or a lie.
What we know through our readings, academic and
journalistic follow up, of all Brotherhood activities is that
those whose names were published are among the leaders
of the Muslim Brotherhood and played a major role in
defending the role of the Muslim Brotherhood during the
invasion, especially what late Sheikh Saud Al-Nasser, during
his time as Kuwait’s Ambassador to the USA, published.
Did not you, the Brotherhood, ask for $50 million
to pay for Taleban and Jihadi groups in Afghanistan to
liberate Kuwait?
You, and only you, destroyed the education system,
leaving it in a deplorable state due to which Kuwait is suffering.
You did so by politicizing the education and distorting
the image of Islam by brainwashing our children
in schools, and the evidence lies in what was published
across several columns in Al-Qabas about the state of
religious education in Kuwait.
The Brotherhood leaders, and no one else, are the
people who allied with the government and joined several
cabinets, with their leaders becoming advisors in the
Amiri Diwan and to the Prime Minister. Despite that, and
all the grants and gifts besides their members and students
being employed in high ranking state jobs, they
adopted an anti-government, anti-ruling family, and anti
Amiri wish stand when it came to changing the voting
mechanism from four votes per voter to a single vote.
The Brotherhood may be able to cheat the government
by claiming it was innocent and that it had nothing
to do with the popular movement. They have sent clergymen
to the social reform society to convince the government
or the ruling establishment that they are not connected
with the popular movement. The truth, nevertheless,
is that the ICM through its leaders and former MPs,
criticized the government and its leaders publicly. Were
re you not the ones who urged the students of Kuwait
National Students Union at the university to join the
demonstrations of the so-called youth movement?
Finally, what is this talk about the role of your partisan
leaders during the period of the invasion and the talk
about “Al-Morabitoon steadfast,” which is something
known, but the question remains about your motivation
to fight the invasion. Was it a patriotic Kuwaiti duty or not
as you are also citizens like other society members who
resisted the invasion? Or was your motivation an opportunistic
Brotherhood partisan move through which you
attempted to mix true national work and cheap partisan
activity? Fear Allah for your country’s sake. We, as people,
know all your moves and the fact that you have dominance
over more than one ministry and the management
of coop societies, and you played a role in the thefts in
coops’ and NGOs’ funds. The social affairs and labor ministry
published in its report the extent of corruption in
the societies and Mabbarah’s (foundations). You may
have been able to cheat the government but do not try
to cheat the people all the time. — Al-Watan

KUWAIT: Kuwait is launching an intense
media awareness campaign to protect
consumers from commercial fraud,
monopolization and price increase exaggeration,
starting from June, 22. The campaign’s
most important goal is familiarizing
consumers with their right to replace
or return unwanted purchased goods
according to the Ministerial Decree No 555
of 2012, said the Ministry of Commerce
and Industry Assistant Undersecretary for
Consumer Protection Abdullah Al-Enezi.
One of these aspects will shed light on
the dangers of energy drinks on health -
which could lead to death in some
instances - thus discouraging their pur-
LOCAL
Kuwait launches consumer awareness campaign
FM receives Romanian
envoy to Kuwait
KUWAIT: The Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah
Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah yesterday
received at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry the
Romanian Ambassador to Kuwait Vasile
Sofineti. Sofineti handed the Foreign
Minister an official invitation to visit
Romania to attend the 50th anniversary
celebration of commencing diplomatic ties
with Kuwait. They discussed means of
enhancing bilateral relations, especially in
the economic, commercial, investments,
and tourism fields. The diplomat presented
Sheikh Sabah with a memorial gift on
behalf of his government.
The meeting was attended by the
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Foreign Affairs Office Director Ambassador
Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-
Sabah, and Deputy Director of Europe
Department in the ministry Advisor Rashed
Hammad Al-Adwani. — KUNA
Kuwait-funded school
inaugurated in E Sudan
QADARIF: A grand ceremony was held in
Qadarif to mark the inauguration of an
integrated school funded by the Kuwaitbased
International Islamic Charitable
Organization (IICO). The Barbar Al-Foqara
Elementary School in Al-Qadarif State, east
Sudan, covers an area of 15,000 sqm and
costs up to $400,000. The funding is part of
Kuwait pledges to the reconstruction projects
in east Sudan.
The inauguration ceremony attracted
IICO representative and Kuwait’s former
minister of Awqaf and Islamic affairs
Mohammad Al-Humaidan, Ambassador to
Sudan Dr Suleiman Al-Harbi, Director of the
IICO Office in Sudan Dr Ahmad Al-Sennosi,
and ruler of Al-Qadarif State Al-Dhaw Al-
Mahi along with dozens of federal and
provincial leaders as well as local people.
Addressing the ceremony, Al-Mahi
appreciated Kuwait’s role in backing the
development in Sudan’s three eastern
states and hosting the international donor
conference for the region under auspices of
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in late 2010. “The
Kuwaiti contributions have positive impact
on the development in the region. The
State of Kuwait, under the wise leadership
of HH the Amir, is a beacon of philanthropic
action,” he said. On his part, Al-Humaidan
voiced joy for “this great accomplishment”
and extolled HH the Amir for his generous
MPs: ‘Respect
court rulings’
KUWAIT: Kuwait MPs are holding their breath in anticipation
of a Constitutional Court ruling next Sunday
about the amendment effected in the electoral law
under which last elections were held. Most of the MPs
counseled about ‘respecting the judiciary’ and
expressed faith that the new voting system, under
which each voter was empowered to cast a single vote
instead of four, was going to be upheld.
In the meantime, Parliament Speaker Ali Al-Rashid
said that he received a request from lawmakers to hold
a special session on Thursday in order to vote on five
pending draft laws. “We hope to end the topics on
schedule during (today’s and tomorrow’s) sessions so
that next week, we can hold weekly sessions to discuss
the state budget and the country’s fiscal condition,” he
told the reporters on Sunday. Under the law, the parliamentary
term, which otherwise is to end at the beginning
of July, cannot come to a close before the MPs pass
the state’s budget.
Next Sunday, the Constitutional Court will determine
whether an emergency decree released by HH the Amir
last October was in keeping with the statute. If not, the
court can rule that the elections held based on the single-vote
system that the decree implemented as void. In
that case, the parliament would ipso facto stand dissolved
and new elections would have to be held as per
the four-votes-per-voter system. “Court orders must be
respected whether they turn out to be in favor of the
incumbent parliament or not,” MP Adel Al-Khurafi told
Al-Rai on Sunday. Meanwhile, MP Faisal Al-Kandari
assured that the issue “is in the safe hands of the impartial
Kuwaiti judiciary.”
In the meantime, MP Hani Shams hoped that the parliament
will not be dissolved “as a result of governmental
mistakes,” insisting that the government had enough
time following the dissolution of the past parliament in
June 2012 “to ensure correct procedures.” MP Hesham
Al-Baghli said in the meantime that the court is likely to
uphold the decree based on the fact that the constitution
gives HH the Amir an “exclusive authority to assess
the level of emergency” when it comes to issuing a
decree of emergency during the parliament’s absence.
pledges to Sudan. The IICO representative
expects the inauguration of other projects
in the region soon. Meanwhile,
Ambassador Al-Harbi affirmed Kuwait’s
commitment to support to Sudan in its
efforts to stabilize the eastern region and
revitalize the economic growth in the three
eastern states.
“This Kuwait-funded school is unique for
being an outreach project in Sudan’s easternmost
part near the borders with
Ethiopia,” the ambassador noted. The IICO
Office director Dr Al-Sennosi said the project
is one of three IICO-funded projects in
the three eastern states of Al-Qadarif,
Kassala and the Red Sea.
“The IICO pledged USD ten million to
the three development projects of the
region during the international donor conference
in Kuwait; the other two projects
are the building of a $150,000-worth water
network for Kassala villages and a $95,000worth
farm project in the Red Sea State,” he
noted. Provincial Minister of Education
Mahjoub Hassan applauded the inauguration
of the school, saying it materializes the
depth of the Sudanese-Kuwaiti ties. The
International Investors and Donors
Conference on East Sudan, hosted by
Kuwait on 1-2 December, 2010, pledged up
to $3.5 billion to the post-conflict reconstruction
of the region, including $500 million
from Kuwait. — KUNA
chase. During this time, the ministry also
intends to popularize its consumer protection
hotline: 135, in addition to periodically-updated
smartphone applications that
include the prices of internet goods, he
added. Meanwhile, a team has been
formed to follow up on the performance
of the campaign, measuring its effective-
KUWAIT: Investigations are on to
identify and arrest six people who
left a teenager critically injured during
a robbery outside the Avenues
Mall. According to the police
report, a 15-year-old was making
his way out of the mall accompanied
by a friend when six people
stopped them. The suspects tried
to snatch the youngster’s cell
phone at knifepoint, and stabbed
him repeatedly when he refused to
yield. They ran away when the victim’s
friend went back into the mall
to seek help. The teenager was
rushed in an ambulance to the Al-
Sabah Hospital and admitted to its
intensive care unit. A case was filed
at the Andalus police station.
ness and writing up reports on its results
on a regular basis according to the schedule
prepared for it, noted the official.
“The ministry is preparing another
campaign that is to be launched immediately
after the current one, which will be
on the rationalization and improvement of
consumption for both citizens and resi-
Man commits suicide
A man who was employed as a
keeper at a private property in
Kabad was found dead on the same
property. The death was classified
as a suicide. Police and paramedics
rushed to the scene after the incident
was reported, and found the
Indian man hanging dead inside his
room. The body was taken to the
coroner after criminal investigators
examined the scene. Investigations
were on.
Investigation
in keeper’s death
Investigations are on to unravel
the mystery behind the death of an
Asian man whose body was found
in Al-Wafra this past weekend. The
man’s body was reportedly found
inside a manhole near a private
property where he worked as a
keeper. A homicide investigation
was opened after detectives found
marks of blows on the victim’s head.
Drunk driver caught
A man was arrested recently for
driving his truck at the Gulf Road
under the influence of liquor. Police
reached the site near the Kuwait
Tower when a big truck caught fire
because its driver continued driving
despite the fact that a tire had
burst. Firefighters reached the
scene and brought the blaze under
control. The officers arrested the
dents.” “Now that the holy month of
Ramadan is coming, the ministry will set a
plan to adjust the prices of goods in coordination
with the Federation of
Cooperative Societies to determine prices,
provide all supplier goods and prevent
monopolization and price exaggeration
growth,” Al-Enezi concluded. —KUNA
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Teen stabbed at Avenues
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
KUWAIT: A security campaign was
carried on Monday 10th June at
Hawally area, Al-Muthanna Street,
opposite the commercial institute.
The campaign resulted in the
arrest of 125 persons details as follows:
35 prostitutes; 15 local
liquor; 47 runaway maids; 4 persons
wanted for civil cases; 16 persons
without identification and 8
persons under arrest. This is the
1st raid which lasted from 12 pm
till 3am.
Fire engulfs building
A fire broke out last night in a
building in Hawally area. The operations
room received a report at
6.35 pm about the fire in a building’s
yard. As the firemen arrived,
they discovered that the fire was
Indian man commits suicide
raging in the sheds being used as
a store room. The fire spread to the
second floor, but firefighters were
able to prevent any casualties.
There was some loss to property.
Fire was brought under control in
a short span of time.
Security men were deployed at
the site while medical personnel
were also at hand to deal with any
emergency.
In another development, a fire
broke out last night in a camel
barn at Kabd. Responding to the
distress call, fire centers from Kabd
and Al-Jleeb rushed their personnel
who found that the fire had
engulfed a barn that was being
used for carpentry against the
rules. The barn, spread over an
area of 1600 square meters, was
totally gutted.
The Sulaibikhat fire center and
the support center also backed
firefighting operations and helped
bring it under control without suf-
driver. The Egyptian man was
referred to the proper authorities
for further action.
Robbers flee after
shoddy robbery bid
Search is on for two suspects
who tried to carry out a robbery in
Jahra recently but remained unsuccessful.
A case was filed at the Al-
Jahra police station where an
Egyptian man accused two armed
men of barging into his house
located behind the area’s park, but
who later fled when they found
nothing worth stealing. The man
explained he was unemployed and
was living with friends.
Investigations are on.
Police raid Hawally area
fering any casualties. The fire started
from a small room and spread
to the rest of the building.

LOCAL
Qatar promotes US-Islamic world ties
DOHA: Qatari Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs
Ahmad Al-Mahmoud has stressed on the
need to push forward the relationship
between the Islamic world and the US,
and correct all related misconceptions
and misperceptions. Al-Mahmoud was
addressing the inaugural session of the
10th annual US-Islamic World Forum. The
Forum has become a platform for constructive
dialogue and fruitful discussions
for a solid, well-established and
positive relationship between the
Islamic world and the United States
based on mutual understanding, cooperation,
mutual respect and common
interests.
Al-Mahmoud said that the Forum has
succeeded in achieving its primary
objective in enhancing dialogue, and
promoting opportunities for cooperation
between the Islamic World and the
United States of America, as well as
establishment of a positive relationship
between the two parties, which is fully
consistent with the vision of Qatari Amir
NBK teaches employees
how to use sign language
KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait is training
its employees to use sign language to
assist hearing impaired customers in
Kuwait. NBK’s service for the Hearing
Impaired customers is the first of its kind in
the banking sector.
“NBK is the first bank to offer services
to customers with special needs. NBK
strives not only to provide the best banking
services but also to continuously
develop its services to include all segments
of society,” Ahmad Al Mahmeed,
NBK Public Relations officer. Al Mahmeed
stated that the training will enable the
staff to assist hearing impaired customers
and offer them an efficient and individualized
customer experience.
‘Judaization of East Jerusalem’ slammed
Sign language specialist at NBK Najat
Mokhtar said: “NBK has proven its support
to their hearing impaired customers, by
starting something no other organization
has initiated.” “As the premier financial
organization in Kuwait, NBK takes its role
in the community very seriously and never
loses sight of the fact that it constitutes an
integral part of Kuwait society,” Mokhtar
added.
NBK aims to train staff in all its branches
in Kuwait to use sign language to
ensure the service is widely available. NBK
staff members who have successfully completed
the training wear badges that carry
the universal sign language icon so customers
can easily recognize them.
Kuwait keen on success
of Arab-African summit
CAIRO: Kuwait is keen on the success of
the Arab-African Summit which will be held
in Kuwait on November 18-20, a Kuwaiti
diplomat said. The Gulf State’s representative
to the African Union (AU) Ambassador
Rashed Al-Hajri told KUNA on the sideline
of the second preparatory meeting for the
Arab-African Summit, that the meeting was
part of several other events to be held in
Cairo, Addis Ababa, and Kuwait in preparation
for the summit.
He indicated that representatives from
Kuwait, the Arab League, and the AU would
meet on June 22nd to set the final preparations
for the Summit and the meetings that
would be held at the level of ministers and
senior officials on November 13 till the end
of the summit. On his part, member of the
Kuwaiti delegation to the preparatory
meeting and head of African Affairs
Department at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry
Hamad Al-Mashaan, said that the summit
would focus on economic cooperation
between the Arab world and Africa.
June 12 is the national day of the
Russian Federation - the Day of Russia.
It has been celebrated every year since
1994. The First Congress of People’s
Deputies of the Russian Federation
adopted the Declaration on Russia’s
National Sovereignty on June 12, 1990.
The National Sovereignty Declaration
set the wheels in motion for the creation
of what is now known as the
Russian Federation or more commonly
Russia.
The declaration views sovereignty as
a natural and indispensable condition
of the Russian state with its centurieslong
history, culture and traditions. The
adoption of the declaration paved the
way for the development of Russian
statehood based on the principles of
constitutional federalism, equality and
partnership.
Russian people choose to use Day of
Russia to celebrate the history of their
individual communities within Russia.
Representatives from various regions
show off the distinctive dress and
dance styles of their respective communities,
highlighting Russia’s cultural
and ethnic diversity.On this day, we
honor our motherland, our Russia. We
He noted that future projects aimed at
the economic welfare of the African and
Arab citizen would be focused upon during
the meeting, affirming that the theme
“partners in development and investments”
was reflective of the summit’s goal.
Meanwhile, Head of the Africa and Arab-
African Cooperation Department at the
Arab League Ambassador Samer Hosni said
that the June 22nd preparatory meeting
would focus on several files in investment,
economic, agriculture, and food security
domains. The establishment of Arab-
African funds for relief aid and sustainable
development would also be part of the
meeting, said Hosni. Asked whether the
Arab-African summit, which began in 1977
in Cairo and lastly held in Sirte Libya, ever
achieved its goals, Hosni said that several
projects were achieved since the summit
was launched, noting that commercial
exchange between the Arab world and
Africa had increased from one to eight percent
in recent years. — KUNA
The upcoming
Day of Russia
honor the country of more than thousand
years history and unique heritage,
the country which united on a huge
space many peoples, territories and
cultures.
Russian Ambassador
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
He stressed that the Palestinian issue
has great impact on the course of relations
between the Islamic world and the
United States, especially as it is not an
issue of the Palestinian people alone, but
the issue all Arabs and Muslims who
strongly reject all policies of the Israeli
occupation authorities including expansion
of settlements, the Judaization of
East Jerusalem, and its ongoing violations
of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Al-Mahmoud welcomed the partici-
KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Minister of Information and
Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman
Sabah Al-Sabah said the National Conference on
E-Legislation was a step forward towards the
adoption of the system which could help speed
up the law-making process. “The government
started preparing for leveraging the e-services in
early 1990s,” he said, noting that the government
gateway offers up to 743 e-services for
applicants and visitors of the website.
Sheikh Salman made the press remarks following
the third session of the conference. “The
technical efforts aiming to reach better use of egovernment
still need a suitable law to regulate
the access to and handling of e-services,” he noted.
On the session of conference, he said all
speakers agreed that the country enjoys a state
of constructive cooperation between the executive
and legislative authorities which helped
pass several laws and approve important agreements.
Sheikh Salman voiced hope that the
adoption of these legislations will give momentum
to the economic development, appreciating
the efforts of the organizers of the conference.
pants and said: “we are pleased for holding
this Forum every year to follow discussions
with interest, and see its positive
effects, which is characterized by a
deep understanding of the background
of the relationship between the Islamic
world and the United States of America.”
The three-day event will discuss the
changing landscape in Pakistan and
Afghanistan and its effect on internal
and regional security, the challenges of
democracy and development.
The Forum will also feature a discus-
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Cabinet
Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah
said the patronage of the Amir stems from his
keenness on innovation in all fields. “As early as
in 1994, the government developed a law on the
e-legislations aiming to regulate the exchange
of official data. The first law in this regard was
adopted in 2009; it’s made up of 40 articles,” the
minister said.
The session is themed “cooperation among
the three authorities to implement e-legislations;”
these include the executive, legislative
and judiciary authorities. “The state gateway
‘Kuwait Government Online’ offers up to 700 eservices
to internet users,” Sheikh Mohammad
said, noting that e-legislation will lay a firm
ground for orderly e-tendering and other transactions
with the community taking part.
“The system of e-petition, adopted by many
advanced countries, could be used by Kuwait to
involve the citizens to the law-making process.
“Through this system the National Assembly
could specify a link for e-petition on its gateway
in order to allow citizens express their views on
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
sion on the conflict in Syria, noting the
spiraling effects of the conflict on the
Middle East region and the roles played
by the United States and other outside
actors.
This year working groups will focus
on advancing women’s political participation,
supporting economic assistance
and recovery in Egypt and Tunisia, examining
the role of faith based leaders in
mediating conflict and fostering diplomacy,
and defining and understanding
freedom of speech. — KUNA
E-legislation to speed
up law-making process
E-petition in the pipeline
any matter. If 20 percent of the electorate
approves a certain proposal, it must be put on
the agenda of the Assembly,” he added.
Meanwhile, Minister of Justice and Minister
Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Shareeda Abdullah Al-
Muosherji thanked HH the Amir for his keenness
on cooperation between the executive and legislative
authorities. “The fruitful cooperation led
to the passing of 14 decrees and 25 draft
laws covering 60 percent of priorities items
on the agenda of the legislature in addition to
the endorsement of 95 agreements,” he
revealed. On his part, coordinator of the conference
MP Yaquob Al-Sane’ said the conference
will help collect work papers and share viewpoints
on how to leverage the applications of elegislation.
He underlined the importance of the
issuing a law to regulate e-legislation in order to
cope with globalization and the revolution of
information and telecommunication technology.
MP Nasser Al-Marri highlighted the need of
involving the citizens in the law-making process.
He suggested that the National Assembly adopt
the e-petition system. — Agencies
KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait organizes a series of training programs on the governance policies that the Central Bank of Kuwait has
recently introduced as a system for local banks to follow. The program includes workshops and sessions organized in cooperation with leading
international consultation offices.
Unit of Immunology and Innovative
Cell Therapy published two articles
KUWAIT: The Unit of Immunology
and Innovative Cell Therapy at
Dasman Diabetes Institute, which
was established by Kuwait
Foundation for the Advancement of
Sciences (KFAS), has recently published
two research articles on the
role of inflammatory markers on
obesity and type 2 diabetes. Twelve
abstracts have also been presented
at various international scientific
meetings.
The Unit is headed by Dr
Rasheed Ahmad, and is composed
of eight qualified members: Dr
Nadia Zghoul, Dr Amal Hasan,
Rawan Edan, Fatmah Rasheedi, Sara
Jasem, Cynthia Lehe, Munera Al-
Ghanim and Dunia Mukhles. The
aims of the Unit are as follows: (1)
Identifying immunological factors
and signaling pathways involved in
the development of obesity-associated
inflammation, diabetes and
their complications; (2) Developing
novel toleragenic tools such as
Regulatory T Cells, Mesenchymal
Stem Cells and Immunomodulatory
adjuvants to prevent and treat diabetes,
obesity and their complications.
The units’ ultimate aim is to move
these technologies from the laboratory
to clinical testing by conducting
early proof of principle in animal
models, and eventually in patients
with obesity and diabetes. The unit
is currently conducting research on
three ongoing projects: two projects
focusing on the cellular and molecular
anti-inflammatory response in
obese individuals subjected to a
defined exercise protocol (in collaboration
with the Biochemistry Unit
and the Wellness and Fitness Center
at Dasman Diabetes Institute), and
one project on the application of a
breathing exercise program to
improve obesity-associated asthma
(in collaboration with the Wellness
and Fitness Center at Dasman
Diabetes Institute).
The Unit will also be starting
three research projects as a part of a
comprehensive research program
on childhood obesity (in collabora-
tion with the Biochemistry Unit) that
will be carried out on children
recruited from five different centers
in Kuwait (Dasman Diabetes
Institute, Mubarak Hospital, Al-
Sabah Hospital, Farwaniya Hospital
and Adan Hospital). In addition, the
unit is also conducting a study on
the role of obesity and diabetes in
the metastasis of breast cancer.
KUWAIT: Dr Kazem Behbehani, Director-General of Dasman Diabetes Institute along with the team of the
Immunology and Innovative Cell Therapy Unit at Dasman Diabetes Institute.

TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Qatari leaders expected to step down
ANKARA: A beaten and shocked demonstrator is helped by other protesters late Sunday after being confronted by riot police on Kizilay square. — AFP
ISTANBUL: Turkish protesters refused to back down
yesterday after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
warned they would “pay a price” for their unrelenting
demonstrations against his Islamic-rooted government’s
decade-long rule. As riot police doused of
thousands of protesters in the capital Ankara with
tear gas and jets of water for a second straight night,
Erdogan fired up supporters of his ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) with combative rhetoric in
rallies across the country.
“Those who do not respect this nation’s party in
power will pay a price,” he told thousands of cheering
loyalists in Ankara, just a few kilometres from the
clashes in downtown Kizilay Square, the latest violence
in a second week of mass civil unrest. “We
remained patient, we are still patient but there’s a limit
to our patience,” Erdogan said. His fans relished the
show of strength, frequently interrupting his remarks
with bursts of applause and chanting: “Turkey is
proud of you.”
Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators
stepped up their protests over the weekend,
pouring into cities across the country including
Istanbul, Ankara and the western city of Izmir.
Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the symbolic heart of the
protest movement, attracted some of the largest
crowds yet, with people dancing and chanting
“Erdogan, resign!” into the early hours in a festive
atmosphere. The unrest first erupted on May 31 with a
tough police crackdown on a campaign to save
Istanbul’s Gezi Park, which borders Taksim Square,
from demolition. The trouble spiralled into nationwide
displays of anger against Erdogan and his party,
seen as increasingly authoritarian.
Nearly 5,000 demonstrators, scores of whom are
young and middle-class, have been injured and three
people have died in the trouble, tarnishing Turkey’s
image as a model of Islamic democracy. Taksim, which
has seen no police presence for over a week, was
much quieter yesterday as demonstrators resumed
their normal routines, though many vowed they
would return. “We are going to school now, but we
will come back later,” said 17-year-old Etem Yakin as
she crossed the square, where a clean-up operation
was in full swing. She said the premier was pouring oil
on the flames with his confrontational stance. “If he
keeps talking like this, we will keep up like this too.”
Erdogan was to meet with government ministers in
Ankara later yesterday, with the crisis expected to top
the agenda. “I honestly don’t know where this is
going,” said Akif Burak Atlar, secretary of Taksim
Solidarity, a group representing the original Gezi Park
campaigners. “It was his speeches and the police brutality
that led the protests this far in the first place. He
needs to take a step back.” “We want life on the square
to return to normal,” said Eyup Muhcu, head of the
Chamber of Architects and part of the Taksim
Solidarity Platform. “We are ready for dialogue...but
the prime minister’s remarks indicate he is not open
to dialogue.” Abdulkadir Selvi, a political commentator
close to the government, wrote in Yeni Safak
newspaper that Erdogan would stick to a tough line.
“To summarise the new roadmap in short, Erdogan
chose to fight. He will not reach an agreement with
those who launched this movement against him or
take a backward step,” Selvi wrote. He added a note of
moderation. “He will distinguish between those who
have just demands, voicing their criticism without violence
... from those who use violent means to try and
overthrow him.” Opponents accuse Erdogan, in power
since 2002, of repressing critics - including journalists,
minority Kurds and the military - and of pushing conservative
Islamic values on the mainly Muslim but
staunchly secular nation. But the 59-year-old is also
considered the most influential leader since Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, and
remains the country’s most popular politician. His AKP
has won three elections in a row and took nearly half
the vote in the 2011 elections, having presided over
strong economic growth.
On his whistle-stop tour of three cities Sunday, the
premier urged loyalists to respond to the demonstrators
by voting for the AKP in local polls next year. “I
want you to teach them a first lesson through democratic
means at the ballot box,” he said. — Agencies
Page 8
Iran hardliner
drops out, narrows
field for allies
Page 9
Erdogan warns protesters ‘will pay’
Demonstrators hold fast despite warning
Indian oppn leader resigns
NEW DELHI: Veteran Indian opposition
leader Lal Krishna Advani resigned yesterday
in apparent protest at the elevation
of hardliner Narendra Modi to lead
his party into next year’s elections.
Advani, an 85-year-old stalwart of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a former
deputy prime minister, resigned from all
his positions in the party which he
helped build into a national force. “He
has submitted his resignation letter to
the party chief,” a source in his office said
on condition of anonymity.
Indian media quoted from a resignation
letter by Advani, the BJP’s prime ministerial
candidate for the 2009 general
elections, which made oblique references
to Modi without naming him. Advani said
he was “finding it difficult to reconcile
with either the functioning of the party or
the direction in which it is going,” according
to the Press Trust of India. “I have
decided, therefore, to resign from the
three main fora of the party, namely, the
National Executive, the Parliamentary
Board and the Election Committee,” he
said. “Most BJP leaders are concerned just
Lal Krishna Advani
with their personal agendas,” he added.
Controversial right-wing politician
Narendra Modi who had willingly accepted
the new role during the weekend, said
he had requested Advani to change his
decision. Advani’s campaign to build a
Hindu temple on the site of a 16th-century
mosque in the northern town of
Ayodhya helped bring the party to
national attention but also led to deadly
religious riots. Hindu zealots razed the
mosque in 1992 which led to unrest in
which over 2,000 people, mainly Muslims,
died. BJP spokesman Srikant Sharma told
AFP that “every leader of the party will
make every possible effort to convince
him (to stay). His resignation has not been
accepted.”
Other leaders of the party also stated
that Advani’s resignation will never be
accepted as his political guidance was
needed at every stage by the party.
Advani did not attend the meeting of
the BJP’s national executive at the weekend
which promoted Modi to election
committee chairman, although the official
reason given was illness. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL
Qatari leaders expected to step down
DOHA: Qatar’s powerful prime minister
is preparing to step down as part of a
wider power transition that may also see
the country’s ruler ceding power to his
son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, Arab
and Western diplomats said yesterday.
Such a change could inject an element
of uncertainty into the foreign policies of
the US-allied gas exporter, which is a
global investment powerhouse and a
bankroller of Arab Spring revolts in
alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood.
“(The Emir) has had (this) in mind for
quite a long time. The path has clearly
been paved over the past year for
authority to be transferred to Tamim,” a
Doha-based diplomat told Reuters, referring
to head of state Sheikh Hamad bin
Khalifa Al-Thani. “The plan has always
been for this to happen, but it’s been a
question of timing.”
The diplomats said they understood
the motive for the reported reshuffle was
the desire of the leadership to have a
smooth transition to a younger generation.
Such a move would be relatively
unusual in Gulf Arab politics: It is customary
for Gulf Arab heads of state to
continue in office until death. One
source said the transition was expected
to start with Prime Minister Sheikh
Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, who also
serves as the foreign minister, leaving his
cabinet posts. The diplomats mentioned
various timetables, from some time in
the next few weeks to September. No
Qatari government officials were immediately
available to comment on the
reports.
Arab and Western diplomats in Doha
CAIRO: Supporters of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak hold his portrait
outside the police academy yesterday where the retrial of Mubarak and his two sons
Gamal and Alaa and six policemen included his former interior minister Habib Al-
Adli is taking place. — AFP
Egypt lawmakers slam
PM over Ethiopia dam
CAIRO: Angry Egyptian lawmakers accused
the country’s prime minister and government
yesterday of doing nothing to prevent
Ethiopia from completing a dam that threatens
to leave Nile-dependent Egypt with a
dangerous water shortage. Prime Minister
Hesham Kandil had just finished addressing
parliament about how the government
planned to work diplomatically, legally and
technically to negotiate with Ethiopia over
the dam when the session heated up. He
called the dam’s construction an ‘act of defiance’
and stressed that Egypt will not give ‘a
single drop of water,’ but then hurriedly left
the chamber despite calls for clarification
over how to handle the situation if Ethiopia
rejects overtures.
‘Egypt will turn to a graveyard’ if the dam
is completed, geologist and Egyptian lawmaker
Khaled Ouda shouted to parliament.
‘The prime minister didn’t provide anything.
We have to stop the construction of this
dam first before entering negotiations,’ he
said. Egypt in the past has threatened to go
to war over its ‘historic rights’ to the waters
of the Nile River. Last week, Egyptian political
leaders caused uproar after proposing to
aid rebels against the Ethiopian government
or even sabotaging the dam itself. Ethiopia
demanded an official explanation.
Egypt faces the prospect of its current
water shortage worsening when the socalled
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is
completed. Ethiopia’s decision challenges a
colonial-era agreement that had given
downstream Egypt and Sudan rights to the
Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion
cubic meters and Sudan 18.5 billion cu m of
84 billion cu m, with 10 billion lost to evaporation.
That agreement, first signed in 1929,
took no account of the eight other nations
along the 6,700-km river and its basin, which
have been agitating for a decade for a more
equitable accord.
Ethiopia’s unilateral action seems to
ignore the 10-nation Nile Basin Initiative, a
regional partnership formed in 1999 that
seeks to develop the river in a cooperative
manner.
Ethiopia is leading a group of five nations
threatening to sign a new cooperation
agreement without Egypt and Sudan, effectively
taking control from Egypt of the Nile,
which serves some 238 million people.
Experts estimate that Egypt could lose as
much as 20 percent of its Nile water in the
three to five years needed for Ethiopia to fill a
massive planned reservoir.
Abdullah Badr, who leads the ultraconservative
Salafi caucus in parliament, held up a
blank notebook after Kandil’s speech and
said: ‘I have been taking notes and the page
for solutions is blank.’ ‘Where are the studies?
Where are the solutions?’ He added. ‘There is
nothing more dangerous than this. This is
about water security and there are enemies
outside and inside -what is the role of the
government and what did it do?’ he said.
Ethiopian officials have downplayed the
effect the dam will have on Egypt, saying it is
needed to provide much-needed power for
the country’s development. —AP
Indonesian dies in
Saudi protest fire
JEDDAH: An Indonesian woman died
Sunday in a fire lit by workers outside her
country’s consulate in western Saudi
Arabia, where thousands converged seeking
to resolve their immigration status, a
consular source said. Some 8,000
Indonesians gathered outside the consulate
in Jeddah trying to sort out their
papers as illegal foreign workers in the
kingdom face a deadline to regularise
their position or leave. “Some of them lit a
fire near the walls of the consulate seeking
to enter by force, but leading to the
death of a woman,” the source said.
Before the fire, rocks and stones were
thrown at the consulate by the
Indonesian workers frustrated by long
waits to get their cases dealt with. The
action was “limited to the walls of the
compound and did not touch the offices”,
said the consular source. Police confirmed
only that a fire had left some people
injured, without mentioning any fatality.
Jeddah police spokesman Nawaf Al-Booq
said protesters had entered the consulate,
causing a stampede. He said protesters
had peacefully dispersed and a fire outside
the consulate had been put out.
Some 180,000 illegal foreign workers
have left Saudi Arabia since April 1 under
an amnesty that allows them to try to sort
out their papers or leave without paying a
penalty, a newspaper report said on
Sunday. This wave brings to 380,000 the
number of foreign workers who have left
Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the
year. Workers without proper papers are
becoming increasingly concerned as violators
of the immigration rules in the oilrich
kingdom will face penalties when the
amnesty period ends on July 3, with punishment
including imprisonment up to
two years, and fines up to 100,000 riyals
($27,000).
According to official statistics, eight
million expatriates work in the kingdom.
Economists say there are another two million
unregistered foreign workers. Saudi
Arabia is aiming to create job opportunities
for its own unemployed by cutting
the number of foreign workers,
although many of those are in low-paid
jobs that Saudis would not accept. The
world’s largest oil exporter is a goldmine
for millions of people from poor
Asian and Arab countries that are reeling
under high levels of unemployment.
— Agencies
and elsewhere in the region said that
countries, including the United States,
Britain, France and Saudi Arabia had
been briefed on the plan. They said they
expected the reshuffle to take one of two
courses - either Sheikh Tamim would
replace Sheikh Hamad as the prime minister
until he takes over as emir when his
father eventually steps down, or the current
Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmed Al-
Mahmoud, would become the next
prime minister when Sheikh Hamad bin
Jassim steps aside.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim, 53, has
been prime minister since 2007 and has
played a key role in positioning Qatar as
power broker in the region. He is also
chairman of the board of the Qatar
Investment Authority (QIA), a position he
is expected to retain. QIA has estimated
JERUSALEM: Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, backed by Iran and
Lebanon’s Hezbollah, may prevail in the more than two-year-old
uprising against him, Israel’s intelligence minister said yesterday.
Though the assessment was quickly disavowed by others in Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, it reflected
the difficulties facing Israel and Western countries in predicting
Syria’s destiny and weighing intervention. Yuval Steinitz, minister
for international affairs, strategy and intelligence, was asked at a
briefing with foreign journalists whether recent successes by
Assad’s forces against outgunned rebels might herald victory for
the Syrian leader.
“I always thought that it might be the case that at the end of
the day Assad, with a very strong Iranian and Hezbollah backing,
might gain the upper hand,” Steinitz said. “And I think that this is
possible and I thought that this is possible already a long time
ago.” Steinitz, who is not a member of Israel’s security cabinet but
does have access to intelligence updates as well as Netanyahu’s
ear, said Assad’s government “might not just survive but even
regain territories” from the rebels. He declined to comment further
on a possible Assad victory, citing Israel’s policy of not meddling
publicly in Syria.
The defence and foreign ministries received Steinitz’s remarks
coolly. “This is Steinitz’s personal informed - or rather, misinformed
- position,” said one Israeli diplomat who asked not to be named. A
senior Israeli official added: “Steinitz was giving his own assessment
of the situation. The government of Israel is following the
situation, while not taking any sides.” Asked if Israel had a formal
intelligence forecast on Syria, the official said: “The situation
changes almost daily and the assessments accordingly.”
In June 2011, only three months after the Syrian uprising
began with peaceful protests, then-Defence Minister Ehud Barak,
the lone centrist in the previous government also led by
Netanyahu, forecast Assad’s fall “within weeks”. Months later, after
a full-fledged insurgency had developed, a senior Israeli official
said Barak had been trying to “jump the gun” and encourage
Assad’s foes to hasten his overthrow - an outcome that Israel
viewed as inevitable at the time. Yet the current Netanyahu government
appears more cautious, given the four decades of stability
Assad and his father before him had maintained on the Syrian-
Israeli frontline.
Israel does not want chaos there, especially as it estimates that
one in 10 of the anti-Assad rebels are radical Islamists.
Government officials also say privately they have urged Western
counterparts to consider any aid to Syrian rebels carefully, lest the
weaponry end up being used against Israel. Israel has carried out
at least three air strikes on Syrian sites that intelligence sources
described as advanced weaponry in transit to Hezbollah. Israeli
forces on the occupied Golan Heights have occasionally fired in
response to Syrian gunfire when troops and rebels battle near the
frontlines. Alluding to Israel’s superior military might, Steinitz said:
“It is in his (Assad’s) interest not to provoke us so that we get
involved.” — Reuters
assets of $100 billion - $200 billion.
Widely seen as a savvy dealmaker,
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim has personally
negotiated some of the sovereign wealth
fund’s most high-profile investments,
including talks with Glencore’s chief last
year when the fund demanded better
terms for backing the firm’s acquisition
of Xstrata. The companies eventually
merged to create Glencore Xstrata.
The Emir elevated the country’s international
profile in recent years through
the launch and development of the al
Jazeera television network, as well as its
successful bid to host the 2022 soccer
World Cup tournament. The Gulf state
has played a substantial role in promoting
the Arab Spring, lending significant
support to rebels who ousted former
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and to
an uprising seeking to topple Syrian
President Bashar Al-Assad from power.
A close US ally that hosts a large US
military base, Qatar is the world’s largest
exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG)
and wealthiest nation per-capita. The
tiny country whose economy once centred
on pearl fishing now has a sovereign
wealth fund that controls an estimated
$100 billion in assets. Sheikh Hamad bin
Khalifa Al-Thani seized power from his
father in a bloodless coup in 1995.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim played a key
role in facilitating the coup, for which he
was rewarded with influence for life.
British-educated Sheikh Tamim is
believed to be closer to the Muslim
Brotherhood than many in the current
leadership, and may pursue more socially
conservative policies. — Reuters
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Israel minister says
Assad may prevail
Strong Iranian, Hezbollah backing bolsters Assad
MOGADISHU: Fighters loyal to
Somali warlord Ahmed Madobe
strengthened control of the key
southern port of Kismayo, residents
said yesterday, after days of clashes
between rival militia forces. Heavy
fighting broke out Friday when the
Ras Kamboni militia of Madobe -
recently self-appointed “president”
of the southern Jubaland region -
battled forces loyal to Iftin Hassan
Basto, another leader claiming to
be president. “The situation is quiet
now and most parts of the town are
controlled by Madobe’s men,” said
resident Abdulahi Mire, adding that
rival forces had been forced outside
town, but “are not far away”.
Several rival factions claim ownership
of Kismayo, a former stronghold
of the Al-Qaeda-linked
Shabab where Kenyan troops in an
African Union force are now based.
The Kenyan troops, who invaded
Somalia in 2011, back Madobe’s
control of the strategic and economic
hub, but neither the title of
“president” nor the region of
Jubaland is recognised by the weak
central government in Mogadishu.
“Business is slowly returning to normal,
we can’t hear gunfire today...
we hope the situation stays calm
like this,” said Ahmed Moyale,
another resident.
Jubaland lies in the far south of
Somalia, bordering both Kenya and
Ethiopia, and control is split
between multiple forces including
clan militia, the Shebab and Kenyan
and Ethiopian soldiers. Jubaland
joins other semi-autonomous
regions of the fractured Horn of
Africa nation, including Puntland in
the northeast - which wants autonomy
within a federation of states -
and Somaliland in the northwest,
which fiercely defends its selfdeclared
independence.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh
Mohamud, who holds little sway in
the port city, said all sides should
end the fighting. “The time for
fighting is over,” he said in a statement.
“We must unite and seek to
resolve our differences peacefully,
we must unite for the fight against
Al-Shebab.” The Kenyan and Somali
presidents met last week, discussing
among other issues
Nairobi’s role in Jubaland, which
has a lucrative charcoal industry,
IDLIB, Syria: Two Syrian men pull an unexploded rocket from a Syrian warplane
yesterday. In Aleppo, activists said that rebels advanced inside the
sprawling air base of Mannagh near the border with Turkey. The base has
been under siege for months and rebels have been trying to capture it with
no success. — AP
Somali warlord strengthens
control of port after clashes
BAQUBA, Iraq: Four car bombs and a suicide attack
targeting Iraqi markets and cafes yesterday killed at
least 23 people, the latest in a surge in violence that
authorities have struggled to control. Thirteen people
were killed and 53 wounded when two nearsimultaneous
car bombs and a suicide attack tore
through a wholesale market north of Baghdad, a
police officer and a medic said. The blasts went off in
the predominantly Shiite town of Judaida al-Shat,
which lies just west of Baquba, capital of Diyala
province and one of the most violent areas in the
country.
The attacks targeted fruit and vegetable stall
owners who were crowding the market, purchasing
goods for the day’s trading. Another car bomb
exploded near a fish market near Taji on the northern
edge of Baghdad, killing at least seven people,
while a vehicle rigged with explosives also went off
in the northern town of Tuz Khurmatu, killing three
others. No group immediately claimed responsibility
for the attacks, but Sunni militants linked to Al-
Qaeda often target Shiites, whom they regard as
apostates, in simultaneous and mass-casualty
bombings. “Al-Qaeda is behind this terrorist attack,”
Mohammed Al-Zaidi, a vegetable vendor wounded
fertile farmland and potential offshore
oil and gas deposits.
Many eye the economic, strategic
and political profits of the
region. Kenya views the region as a
key buffer zone to protect its borders,
but in Jubaland, it has ended
up backing a warlord opposing the
central government it is mandated
- and funded by the UN and
European Union - to support. In the
past two years, AU troops have
wrested town after town from the
Shabab, hauling down their black
Islamist banners and raising
Somalia’s flag. But asserting the
authority of the central government
- which until recently controlled
just a few blocks of the capital
Mogadishu - is a far harder task.
Analysts warn the rivalries risk
threatening the fragile progress
made in Somalia.
“The crisis...threatens to destabilise
the entire country if not properly
dealt with,” the Heritage
Institute for Policy Studies, a Somali
research group, wrote in a recent
report, warning the clashes risk
“creating an opening for Al-Shabab
to reassert control in recently
recovered areas.” — AFP
Bombings kill 23 in Iraq
in the Judaida al-Shat bombing told AFP, adding
that the extremist group was trying to “sow religious
hatred in our region, as we live peacefully with the
Sunnis”. The unrest comes amid a surge in attacks in
Iraq, with violence in May pushing the month’s
death toll to the highest such figure since 2008, raising
concerns of a revival of the all-out sectarian war
that blighted the country in 2006 and 2007.
There has been a heightened level of attacks
since the beginning of the year, coinciding with rising
discontent among the Sunni Arab minority that
erupted into protests in late December. Analysts say
the failure of the Shiite-led authorities to address
underlying frustrations among the Sunni community
has given fuel and room for militants to increase
their activities. The UN envoy to Iraq Martin Kobler
has warned the violence is “ready to explode”. In a
bid to ease tensions, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki
has in recent days met with two of his arch rivals -
the Sunni speaker of parliament and the president
of the autonomous Kurdish region. While the country’s
top politicians have pledged to address persistent
political disputes, which analysts say are linked
to violence levels, no tangible moves have yet been
announced. — AFP

DUBAI: Five days from Iran’s presidential
election, these are nervy times for
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who as only the
second Supreme Leader in the Islamic
Republic’s 34-year history answers to God
and not voters. The Shiite cleric was
bruised by the protests that exploded
after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2009 reelection
and then affronted by the unruly
ambitions of the man whose win he had
endorsed. Now Khamenei has said he
wants a high turnout on June 14 to bolster
the legitimacy of the vote, while
warning the eight candidates who have
survived a vetting process he controls to
avoid promising any concessions to the
United States.
Among the barred challengers is former
President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani,
a political heavyweight and long-time
rival of Khamenei. Rafsanjani’s influence
has waned since Khamenei succeeded the
Islamic Republic’s founding father,
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as supreme
leader in 1989. Not even an ayatollah at
the time, Khamenei has since lived in the
shadow of his mentor, Khomeini.
Struggling to impose his religious authority,
he has instead built up a formidable
security apparatus to extend his power.
The exclusion of high-profile candidates
has dented the poll’s relevance to a
mainly young and restless population of
75 million. Many Iranians do not share
Khamenei’s ideological confrontation with
the West and a nuclear policy that has
incurred harsh sanctions on Iran’s vital
energy sectors. Yet the 73-year-old leader
has proved resilient in the four years since
the violently suppressed post-election
unrest that was the worst in the Islamic
Republic’s history. As in 2009, Khamenei
can turn to his sophisticated security
structure, the hardline Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the
Basij, a paramilitary-religious force of hundreds
of thousands of volunteers, to snuff
out any revival of protests.
Although Khamenei and the IRGC say
they favour no candidate, behind the
scenes the security apparatus may be
gearing up again to sway Iran’s tightly
constrained version of democracy and
ensure the election of a loyal, obedient
hardliner. “In both 2005 and 2009, the
theocratic nature of the regime prevailed
amidst allegations of election engineering.
Security will likely trump legitimacy in
2013,” said US-based Iran expert Yasmin
Alem. “By creating a colossal bureaucracy
and establishing parallel institutions
Khamenei has sought to concentrate
power in his office,” she said.
Khamenei’s influence on major policy
and economic affairs starts with the 4,000
staff, all recruited from the IRGC or secret
services, at his “Beit-e Rahbar”, or leader’s
house. According to leaked U.S. diplomatic
cables, the Beit acts as a powerful
nerve-centre for an inner core of IRGC military,
security and intelligence chiefs and
hardline clerics in Qom. Yet Khamenei
remains an enigma, shunning interviews
and foreign travel. His son Mojtaba controls
access to him.
“Because Khamenei lacked Khomeini’s
religious credentials, he sought legitimacy
in the barracks rather than the seminary,”
said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst at
the Carnegie Endowment for International
INTERNATIONAL
Khamenei wants no one to jolt his power
TEHRAN: Iranian presidential candidate and conservative former chief of the
Revolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezai speaks during his campaign rally in downtown
Tehran yesterday. — AFP
Campaign finally warms
up on streets of Tehran
TEHRAN: At the bustling Vali Asr intersection
in central Tehran, pro-reform
camp supporter Armin settled in for a
heated showdown with supporters of a
conservative frontrunner in this week’s
Iranian presidential election. “I don’t want
a president who lives a simple life, I don’t
want a president who survives on bread
and cheese and wants the same for us,”
said the 30-year-old in jeans and a plaid
pink-and-white shirt, pointing to a banner
of top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.
“I want a president who eats pizza and
wants to improve the economy,” said
Armin, who did not give his first name, as
he adjusted his rimless glasses. Jalili, a
devout revolutionary and wounded war
veteran, is running on a ticket that boasts
opposition to dÈtente with the West. He
is considered a frontrunner among the
seven candidates, most of them conservative,
vying for Iran’s highest elected
office on Friday. His power-base stems
from the paramilitary volunteer force
Basij, whose young members are
impressed by Jalili’s calm, low-key
demeanour, as well as his uncompromising
stance in talks with world powers
over Iran’s disputed nuclear drive.
He has managed to appeal to the
same constituency, including the Basijis,
that catapulted President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad into power in 2005 and reelected
in 2009. Responding to Armin’s
rhetoric, Mehdi Sadghiani pointedly
waved a large poster of Jalili, adorned
with the slogan in bold letters: “Jalili, the
most devastating response to sanctions.”
Mehdi, a 22-year-old mechanical engineering
student, said: “We don’t need to
rely on other countries. This is the message
of the revolution that Jalili has
revived.” “He is an independent person,
and God willing he will never bow to the
demands of the enemies,” said Milad
Rahmani, another 22-year-old university
student, who joined in the conversation.
Dressed in low cut, denim jeans, Milad
argued that with Jalili in office, Iran
would overcome all difficulties through
“resistance” against the demands of the
international community, which has
been urging Iran to cut back on sensitive
aspects of its nuclear program.
The face-off on Vali Asr intersection
was one of the livelier incidents in a calm
run-up to the polls. This year’s election
campaign has been a far cry from the last
vote in 2009 when boisterous campaign
rallies and street parties attracted
crowds, as supporters of pro-reform candidates
Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi
Karroubi faced off with those of the conservative-minded
incumbent. The rallies
led to an upsurge of emotion when
Ahmadinejad was announced the winner,
as his opponents challenged the official
results claiming massive voter fraud
and staged street protests which were
suppressed in a brutal crackdown by the
regime.
This year, the election campaign has
been lacklustre as no heavyweight candidates
from the moderate and reformist
camps are on the ballot. Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani, a founding father of the revolution
and two-time ex-president
favoured by both camps, has been
barred from running. The reformists have
one candidate in the race, Mohammad
Reza Aref, but their votes are expected to
be divided between him and moderate
hopeful Hassan Rowhani. Authorities
have banned open-air rallies and most
candidates have mounted low-cost campaigns,
highlighted by three live televised
debates that only managed to produce
a few heated exchanges between
the candidates.
As crowd emerged at the intersection,
Ramin, 23, was setting up shop to spread
the word of Aref, sporting a t-shirt with a
picture of his favourite candidate. “We
should vote for a reformist government
to salvage this mess of the economy,” he
said, refusing to give his full name. “Only
with that government can we have freedom
of expression.” Another Aref supporter,
Meysam, a 27-year-old electrical
engineer, agreed.”Only a reformist can
save this country,” he said, while expressing
hope that Aref and Rowhani would
unite under a single candidate to
increase his chances. As crowds gathered,
Meysam launched into one-on-one
discussions with onlookers to persuade
them to vote. “We have to convince people
to vote,” he said. “Boycotting the election
will yield no result. It would only
translate into a repeat of the same situation.”
Iran is at loggerheads with world powers
over its nuclear ambitions, with draconian
sanctions against its economy
imposed by the United States and the
European Union. Despite Iran’s insistence
that it only seeks the peaceful application
of the technology, the standoff has
cost Tehran many of its friends in the
international community as well as a
hefty economic price. Amir, a 36-year-old
employee of a private company and former
Basij member, said regardless of who
takes office, Iran “has to be friends with
the rest of the world”. “The people want
to have nuclear energy but at what cost?”
he asked the crowd, waving an empty
box of an imported breast cancer drug
that he said had become scarce because
of the sanctions. — AFP
Peace, referring to the new leader’s links
with the IRGC as it emerged from the
1980-88 war with Iraq. Khamenei’s official
website portrays him as initially unwilling
to take the job, quoting him as saying “I
cried and supplicated to Allah earnestly”
to spare him the responsibility. Ironically it
was Rafsanjani who backed him in the
Assembly of Experts, the body that chose
Khomeini’s successor, because Khamenei,
unlike senior clerics at the time, was committed
to the former leader’s doctrine of
Velayet-e Faqih, or guardianship of the
jurist, which underpins Iran’s political
structure. Scholars abroad who have studied
him paint a picture of a secretive ideologue
who is deeply anti-Western, fearful
of Iran’s democratic institutions and paranoid
about betrayal. One of his childhood
friends from Mashhad sounded a similar
theme. “He is a conspiracy theorist and a
true anti-American,” said Djavad Khadem,
a minister under the ousted Shah.
Few Iranians had tipped Khamenei as
Khomeini’s heir. He is “an accident of history”
who went from being “a weak president
to an initially weak supreme leader
to one of the five most powerful Iranians
of the last 100 years”, Sadjadpour said. The
supreme leader relies on the Vali Amr, a
10,000-strong personal security force, and
wears a bullet-proof vest when appearing
in public, said Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow
at the Washington Institute who is
researching a biography of Khamenei.
Such heavy protection has contributed to
the isolation of a man who is enormously
powerful, but who is afflicted by depression
and obsessive about personal security,
Khalaji said. This concern may be
DUBAI: A conservative former parliament speaker
dropped out of the June 14 Iranian presidential
election yesterday in a move to consolidate
the hardline vote and lessen the chances of an
upset favouring a moderate candidate. The 12man
Guardian Council, largely under the sway of
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had
already barred all but eight of the 686 people
who registered as candidates, including pragmatic
ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
That left four hardliners, separated only by small
differences on issues such as Iran’s nuclear
stand-off with the West, facing a lone independent
outsider and two relative moderates who
may be able to generate popular support.
Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, a close adviser to
Khamenei related to him by marriage, had been
one of three so-called “Principlist” conservative
candidates alongside Tehran Mayor Mohammad
Baqer Qalibaf and former foreign minister Ali
Akbar Velayati before announcing on Monday
he was dropping out. While he did not endorse
any single candidate, Haddad-Adel urged voters
to back his fellow Principlists, hinting that they
were the ones also backed by Khamenei. The
Shiite clerical leader, the most powerful man in
the Islamic Republic, has not publicly endorsed
any candidate and insists he has only one vote in
the election.
“With my withdrawal I ask the dear people to
strictly observe the criteria of the Supreme
Leader of the Revolution (Khamenei) when they
vote for candidates,” Haddad-Adel said in a statement
carried by the semi-official Mehr news
agency. “I advise the dear people to take a correct
decision so that either a Principlist wins in
the first round, or if the election runs to a second
round, the competition be between two
Principlists,” he said.
Friday’s presidential vote will be Iran’s first
since 2009 when the excitement generated by
large reformist election rallies turned to anger
and protests when incumbent President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner.
Reformers, after two landslide presidential election
wins in 1997 and 2001, said the 2009 results
Ali Khamenei
understandable for a leader who lost the
use of his right arm in a 1981 assassination
attempt. While president from 1981-89 he
suffered several political betrayals. “He
doesn’t trust a single person,” said Khalaji.
“People are connected to him but not to
each other.” Under Iran’s constitution, the
leader wields supreme command of the
armed forces, has the power to declare
war and appoints and dismisses senior figures
including armed forces commanders,
judicial heads and the head of the state
media network. He effectively controls
the Guardian Council - the body that oversees
elections and vets candidates. His
were rigged. Fearing a repeat, many of their supporters
could stay home this time. The only
remaining moderates in the presidential race
are cleric Hassan Rowhani, Iran’s chief nuclear
negotiator under reformist president
Mohamed Khatami, and the lacklustre
Mohammad Reza Aref.
Despite the odds stacked against him,
Rowhani has still managed to rouse thousands
of supporters in sometimes heated election
rallies at which some of the old reformist slogans
were chanted, such as calls for political
prisoners to be freed. Several Rowhani staffers
and supporters were arrested afterwards. But,
with sanctions imposed on Iran over its disputed
nuclear program compounding problems of
economic mismanagement and corruption,
the big issue overriding ideology for many voters
is which candidate can best rescue the oil-
TEHRAN: Iranian reformists are making a
tentative return to mainstream politics with
two candidates in Friday’s presidential election,
despite the opposition being a shadow
of the movement that briefly rocked
the establishment in 2009. Protests by the
so-called Green Movement four years ago,
over the controversial re-election of
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, were
harshly suppressed and its leaders condemned
to house arrest where they still
languish. Now the largely sidelined proreform
camp is pinning its hopes on two
candidates in the June 14 presidential race,
moderate Hassan Rowhani and reformist
Mohammad Reza Aref.
In 2009, the conservative establishment
cracked down hard on reformists
after they cried foul when Ahmadinejad
was returned amid allegations of electoral
fraud. Main opposition leaders Mir Hossein
Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have now
been under house arrest for more than two
years. But pro-reform groups, whose representation
in parliament also waned after a
2012 general election, are mobilising for
this week’s presidential election. Their
hopes of making a firm comeback were
dealt a severe blow when moderate expresident
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who
could count on the support of both moderates
and reformists, was barred from standing.
Another reformist former president,
Mohammad Khatami, did not put his name
forward following a veiled warning from
the intelligence ministry for having backed
office nurtures clients throughout the
bureaucracy and can rely on a conservative
parliament to support its decisions.
Foreign and nuclear policy are the domain
of the supreme leader, who also controls
vast funds, not least via “bonyads” or charitable
foundations with a web of business
interests - although the poetry-loving
Khamenei is not reputed for personal
greed and visitors to his residence say he
lives humbly. “Khamenei crippled the
democratic institutions like the presidency.
That’s how he developed his power,”
said Khalaji. “It’s a conflict between the
positions of leader and president.”
Elections for president and parliament
provide legitimacy for the state and cover
for the leader. If problems emerge, the
government can be blamed, or, as
Carnegie’s Sadjadpour put it: “The
Supreme Leader likes being the man
above the fray. He’s been very effective at
wielding power without accountability.”
Khamenei sees threats by Israel and the
United States to strike Iran’s nuclear sites if
diplomacy fails to resolve the dispute as
confirming his belief that the West is bent
on overthrowing the Islamic Republic’s
ruling system.
As the presidential election looms, little
suggests he has changed his views since
2009 when he addressed Iranians at Friday
prayers a week after Ahmadinejad’s triumph
and told them foreign hands lay
behind the street protests shaking the
nation. “You see the hands of the enemy,”
Khamenei declared. “The hungry wolves
which lurk are slowly changing the guise
of diplomacy for their real faces. See them,
don’t overlook them.” — Reuters
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Iran hardliner drops out,
narrows field for allies
Vetting body denies plans to bar any more candidates
Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel
based economy from a slow, grinding collapse
that some analysts predict.
Mehr news agency, citing an unnamed
source, said on Sunday the Guardian Council
would consider barring Rowhani from the election
for revealing what it said was classified
information on Iran’s nuclear activity during a
televised debate, and for the slogans uttered by
his supporters. But the Guardian Council said
yesterday that it was not considering barring
any other candidate, denying the reports. While
Rowhani only smiled when reporters asked him
about the report that his candidacy may be up
for review, he may have grasped that failure to
curb his faithful could lead to him removal from
the race. The report might also discourage a
much-rumoured withdrawal by Aref that could
widen a vote for Rohani.
With nuclear issue and foreign affairs and
national security all decided by Khamenei, there
will be little substantial departure from current
policy whoever becomes president, but the
result could usher in a change of nuance and
style. During a televised presidential debate on
Friday, candidates clashed on Iran’s nuclear policy,
with nuclear negotiator and potential election
front-runner Saeed Jalili coming under fire
from rivals over the lack of progress in talks with
world powers.
Rowhani said hardline stances taken since his
time as nuclear negotiator had resulted in several
rounds of UN sanctions. “All of our problems
stem from this - that we didn’t make an utmost
effort to prevent the (nuclear) dossier from
going to the (UN) Security Council,” said
Rowhani, who in 2003 negotiated a suspension
in uranium enrichment with world powers, winning
a relative respite in Western pressure on
Tehran. Enrichment activity resumed after the
hardline populist Ahmadinejad became president
in 2005. “It is good to have centrifuges
running, provided people’s lives and livelihoods
are also running,” Rowhani said, referring to
Iran’s campaign to develop advanced nuclear
technology despite its worsening economic
problems. — Reuters
Iran reformers seek comeback
TEHRAN: A female supporter of Iranian former vicepresident
Mohammad Reza Aref holds a poster with his
image during a campaign rally in the Iranian capital on
Sunday. —AFP
the 2009 protests. Rowhani, a 64-year-old
moderate cleric, and Aref, 62, a former first
vice president under Khatami, have
emerged as the sole presidential standard
bearers in the reformist camp. Despite
being considered long shots because of
stiff competition from the five conservative
candidates, including two close aides of
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
Aref and Rowhani are urging voters to turn
out on polling day. “In all my travels, I call
on young voters to cast their ballots
because not voting is not a choice,” said
Aref during campaigning.
As polling day draws closer, pressure is
increasing on the two to join forces to
boost their chances. Many reformist figures
have asked Khatami and Rafsanjani to
endorse one of the two. The call seemed to
resonate at least with Aref, who said he
would “obey their decision”. In 2009,
Mousavi and Karroubi demanded a new
election, but the regime showed no mercy
as Ahmadinejad’s presidency was reinforced.
Since then the reformists have been
increasingly sidelined. Rowhani and Aref
have inspired new hope among those people
who had sworn not to vote, and who
had even lambasted Khatami for voting in
the 2012 parliamentary election.
“The presence of Rowhani and Aref in
televised debates and their criticism of lack
of freedom have helped revitalise the political
climate,” said one journalist close to the
reformers, who asked to remain anonymous.
— AFP

MYKOLAYIV, Ukraine: Sasha, 17, hides her
face under the brim of her baseball cap as
she recounts how a lack of food and clothing
in her boarding school three years ago
forced her to turn to prostitution. She is
one of many young women from the former
shipbuilding hub and now depressed
southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv who
at a young age felt forced to provide sex
for money or services. But along with
dozens of others she now has a glimmer of
hope and wants to get back to a normal
life with the help of rehabilitation centres
supported by UN Children’s Fund UNICEF.
“My mom was a single mother and
went to Russia when I was two years old.
She left and never came back,” said Sasha,
who declined to give her surname. Her
grandmother was left to take care of her
and her stepsister, but she could not handle
the pressure. So the social services
took the girl first to an orphanage, and
then when she was six years old she went
to a boarding school. Sasha says that starting
at the age of 14 she periodically ran
away from the boarding school, a tough
“internat” that houses orphans and prob-
lem children. She and her friends would
then be brought back by the police. The
sense of utter destitution made her to
work on the streets. “We needed the money.
We wanted clothes, food, and we were
often malnourished. Others had nice
clothes but we had nothing to buy,” said
Sasha.
The risks of such work are clear: the
Mykolayiv region has one of the highest
levels in Ukraine of HIV-related fatalities in
the age group of 15 to 24 years. Olena
Sakovych, the adolescent development
specialist at the UNICEF Office in Ukraine,
said that young people from disadvantaged
backgrounds and practising unsafe
sexual behaviour are more at risk of contracting
diseases, including HIV. “They have
a lack of knowledge, lack of information,
they are left alone with themselves and do
not know what to do.”
Sasha recalled how a volunteer from
the UNICEF-backed Unitus centre came to
the boarding school to tell the young sex
workers about the chances of another life.
It brought her to the centre. “I liked being
here, the people here are so kind, they
SOWETO, South Africa: A woman carrying a baby on her back walks behind fabric
bearing a portrait of former president Nelson Mandela yesterday.— AP
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine teens find way back into society
Mandela remains
in ‘intensive care’
JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela remains
in a serious but stable condition as he
receives intensive care for a recurrent lung
infection, the South African government said
yesterday. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid
hero was rushed to a Pretoria hospital in the
early hours of Saturday. “Former president
Nelson Mandela remains in hospital, and his
condition is unchanged,” the presidency said
in a statement. The government had
described his condition as “serious but stable”
on Saturday. “He is receiving intensive care
treatment,” presidential spokesman Mac
Maharaj, who served jail time with Mandela,
told AFP.
It is the fourth hospital stay in seven
months for the man beloved as a global symbol
of peace and forgiveness and the father of
the “Rainbow Nation”. And with his latest
health scare, South Africans are beginning to
come to terms with the mortality of their antiapartheid
hero and first black president. “He
has done his part. We just pray that he recovers,”
said Kennedy Moraga outside a private
specialist heart clinic in Pretoria, where he is
believed to be receiving treatment.
Two of Mandela’s daughters and some
grandchildren were spotted on Sunday entering
the facility, although the government has
not confirmed it is where he is being treated.
“I’ve seen my father and he’s well. He’s a fighter,”
Mandela’s daughter Zindzi told Britain’s
Guardian newspaper on Sunday. Access to
Mandela has been restricted to close family
members in a bid to reduce the risk of further
infections. In late April, President Jacob Zuma
and top party officials were photographed
with an unsmiling Mandela looking exceedingly
frail at his Johannesburg home. The visit
prompted allegations that the underfire ruling
party was exploiting Mandela for political
gain.
The ANC - facing 2014 elections - has lost
much of its Mandela shine amid widespread
corruption, poverty and poor public services.
The party and the government on Monday
denied local media reports that they had
been barred from visiting Mandela in hospital
by the former leader’s entourage. “There are
general restrictions that permit only relevant
people to have access,” said ANC spokesman
Jackson Mthembu.
Maharaj told AFP the authorities wanted
“to create a conducive environment for his
recovery”. “Close loved ones are going to him
for that reason, that’s all, nothing else,” he
said. “He is receiving treatment and we want
him to receive the treatment in the best condition
for his family. They would like to limit
the flow of visitors. The president will visit
him when it’s appropriate,” he said, adding
that Zuma does not want “to invade that
space willy-nilly”.
Mandela, who turns 95 next month, was
back in hospital two months after being discharged
in April following treatment for
pneumonia. He has not been seen in public
since the World Cup final in South Africa in
July 2010. “It’s time to let him go,” was the
stark front-page headline in the Sunday Times
newspaper, reflecting the mood of many in
the country. “They expect him to live forever,
but we can’t live forever. It’s impossible, we
can’t live forever,” said Maureen Lulu, a wellwisher
outside the hospital.
While Twitter users expressed sadness and
urged a quick recovery, they were also prepared
for the worst. “It’s time to let Nelson
Mandela go. He has served his country. Let
him rest with dignity and a legacy that will
never die,” tweeted Ketha Msane. South
African pulmonologist Guy Richards told AFP
that recurring pneumonia was rare unless
there was previous lung damage. “For example
if you had tuberculosis, then often those
damaged areas will be colonised with bacteria
which are able to cause recurrent infections,”
he said.
Mandela was diagnosed with early-stage
tuberculosis in 1988 and also has had treatment
for prostate cancer and suffered stomach
ailments. —AFP
Romania link in
French shooting
GRENOBLE, France: Police probing the murder
of a British-Iraqi family in the French Alps
last year are looking into telephone calls to
Romania made from the phone of the brother
of one of the victims, the prosecutor in
charge of the investigation said yesterday.
Annecy Prosecutor Eric Maillaud said
Romanian authorities had been asked to help
establish who Zaid Al-Hilli, the brother of
Saad Al-Hilli, had apparently been calling but
they had not been able to identify the numbers.
“There were calls made from the phone
of Saad Al-Hilli’s brother to Romania,”
Maillaud told AFP. “A formal request for assistance
was made to Romania several months
ago but so far it has not produced anything.”
Maillaud stressed that the Romania link
was not being treated as a major new lead. “It
is simply that we can leave no stone
unturned,” he said. “This is part of the masses
of data we are gathering month after month.
“We know calls were made to Romania but
we do not know who was at the other end of
the line or why the calls were made.” Maillaud
has in the past mooted the possibility of the
shooting having been the work of a “low-cost
killer” from eastern Europe, although he has
always stressed the lack of any firm evidence
to back up that theory.
Maillaud’s team believe that Saad Al-Hilli
was embroiled in a dispute with his brother
over a family inheritance which could have
provided a motive for the murder. According
to Maillaud, Saad and Zaid’s father wrote two
draft wills, one of which left Saad with nothing
and one which envisaged a fair split of
assets worth several million euros. Zaid Al-
Hilli denies any feud with his brother. British
police have spoken to him as part of their
inquiries but have given no indication that
they consider him a suspect.
Maillaud said that, for that reason, Zaid Al-
Hilli had not been asked to explain the calls
from his phone to Romania. “Those are the
type of questions that cannot be asked of a
witness in Britain,” the prosecutor said. “He
would have to be considered a suspect.” Saad
Al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal and her mother Suhaila
Al-Allaf were shot dead in the family estate
car at a beauty spot near Lake Annecy on
Sept 5. Their two young daughters survived
the shooting, in which a French cyclist was
also slain. Police believe the cyclist, Sylvain
Moller, was not a target and was shot because
he was “in the wrong place at the wrong
time”.— AFP
began to tell us what is possible, what is
not, how to get out of any situation,” she
said. Unlike Sasha, other girls at the centre
are not so ready to say they were engaged
in prostitution. Centre workers add that
many are in a state of denial about
whether they ever been prostitutes. “Girls
do not call what they do prostitution,”
Natalia Babenko, the project coordinator at
the centre Unitus, said. She said some girls
merely recount how men bought lipstick
for them, tights, or just took them to the
cinema in exchange for sex. All of the girls
are from problem families and have little
idea about basic sexual health, the social
worker said. “By the age of 14 they have
had half-a-dozen partners.”
Babenko emphasised that the main
objectives of the project are prevention
and access to services. “We test for HIV,
sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis.
In parallel we conduct classes often in a
playful way, because you cannot heal the
body if you do not cure the soul.”
According to Babenko, the girls are
encouraged to bring friends and acquaintances
to the centre and can also learn
BERLIN: Germany battled yesterday
against historic floods wreaking
death and destruction across
central Europe as a dyke burst
forcing hundreds from their
homes but the Hungarian capital
averted devastation. Parts of
northern Germany continued to
be threatened by the swollen
River Elbe where a dyke was
breached overnight in Saxony-
Anhalt state, adding hundreds to
the already thousands of German
residents to have been evacuated.
Downstream in Magdeburg,
more than 23,000 residents of the
city and its surrounding areas had
still not been given the green
light to return to their homes
after the Elbe rose to nearly four
times its normal level.
Levels had dropped to 7.30 m
yesterday after reaching 7.48 m
but authorities remained on
edge. The normal level is around
two metres. “The situation in
Magdeburg is under control for
the moment... but there is still not
cause yet to breathe a sigh of
relief or to lift the alert,” a spokeswoman
for the region’s emergency
task force. The water level
in Magdeburg exceeded that of
previous record floods of 2002,
local authorities said. Magdeburg
lies downriver from where the
River Saale spills into the Elbe,
creating a water surge, a record
40 km long.
Further downstream, towns
including Lauenburg and the village
of Hitzacker in Lower Saxony
were preparing for the peak to hit
in coming days while in
Wittenberge, in Brandenburg
state that surrounds the capital
Berlin, officials were bracing for
the Elbe to reach new record
highs yesterday. Overnight near
the village of Fischbeck, the torrent
of water forced a 10-metre
breach in the dyke which quickly
grew to 50 m, sparking the order
for the village’s 400-500 residents
to leave, as well as those of three
how to explain their experiences to others.
“If every one of them brought at least five
of their friends or acquaintances - it would
be very good.”
When the project started four years
ago, only a few dozen people joined the
program. But now it covers 300-400 girls.
“Now I am a student in a cultural college, I
live in a dormitory,” Sasha said, adding that
in the future she wants to become either a
musician or a film director. She also has
hopes now of a fulfilling, and safe, private
life. “I met a guy two and a half years ago.
Neither he, nor I have any infections. So
maybe we get married in the future.”
According to estimates by the UNICEF
office in Ukraine, the number of underage
girls involved in commercial sex in Ukraine
is as high as 15,000. Meanwhile the number
of young prostitutes engaging in
unprotected sex is still high but falling
sharply. The Ukrainian Institute of Social
Studies said that of those teenage girls
engaged in prostitution, those practising
unprotected sexual contacts had
decreased from 62 percent in 2008 to 40
percent in 2011.—AFP
neighbouring villages. The rupture
also closed a railway bridge
forcing a diversion in train services
between Berlin and Cologne or
Frankfurt. The torrent of flood
waters in Germany has turned
vast areas into a brown water
world, sparked a mass mobilisation
of emergency workers and
caused billions of euros in damage
in what one lawmaker
termed a “national catastrophe”.
After fearing the worst,
Hungary breathed a sigh of relief
yesterday after flood defences
held firm in its capital Budapest,
averting disaster and the mighty
River Danube started to recede
after reaching a historic high. As
the situation in Budapest began
to normalise, the focus of
Hungary’s defence efforts moved
to high-risk locations in the south
of the country, Hungarian Prime
Minister Viktor Orban said yesterday.
“Budapest should be out of
danger by Wednesday, and hopes
to present a faultless record - no
deaths or injuries due to the
flood,” he said, after the Danube
in Budapest reached a historic
peak of 8.91 m on Sunday
evening but had begun to fall
early yesterday.
The deluge has also sparked
massive emergency responses in
Austria, where the death toll has
now reached five, and Slovakia.
Across central Europe, the floods
have killed at least 19 people,
including 10 in the Czech
Republic. In the Czech Republic
more rain was expected yesterday
after storms and heavy rain
raised water levels on some rivers
and brooks, causing local flood-
MYKOLAYIV, Ukraine: Seventeenyear-old
prostitute Sasha speaks on
May 29, 2013 to a psychologist at
the UNICEF-backed Unitus rehabilitation
center in this southern
Ukrainian city. —AFP
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Dyke bursts as Germany
battles historic floods
Hungarian capital averts devastation
ROME: Italy’s battered centre-left won the
election for mayor of Rome yesterday and
appeared set to do well in other cities, giving
a lift to Prime Minister Enrico Letta as he
strives to control an uneasy coalition with traditional
rivals on the right. The centre-left
candidate, former surgeon Ignazio Marino,
took 63.8 percent of votes in a run-off ballot
on Sunday and Monday, defeating the outgoing
mayor Gianni Alemanno who won 36.2
percent, a partial Interior Ministry count
ing Sunday and police said the
number of missing had risen to
six. Slovakia was getting back to
normal with water levels falling
but forecasters had predicted rain
for yesterday too.
The rains have also severely
swelled the Danube in southern
Germany, especially the city of
Passau, which has moved from
alert to clean-up mode. Adding to
tensions was a threat to attack
dykes from a group calling itself
the “Germanophobic Flood
Brigade”. Aerial and ground surveillance
had been stepped up,
said Saxony-Anhalt state interior
minister Holger Stahlknecht. But
more rains were expected yesterday
in Thuringia, Saxony and
Bavaria, with as much as 50 litres
per square metre expected within
a few hours. — AFP
MEISSEN, Germany: A woman walks through a flooded street yesterday.— AFP
Italy local elections give boost to Letta
Ignazio Marino
showed. “The fact is that Marino has won, we
have to accept that,” said Andrea Augello, a
close aide of Alemanno.
With about six million Italians eligible to
vote, the elections were the first major test of
sentiment since the formation of the Letta
government in April. However, popular disillusionment
with Italy’s parties was evident
from the dramatic slump in voter turnout in
the capital to an all-time low of 45 percent,
down from 63 percent in the run-off in 2008
when Alemanno became mayor. Despite the
poor turnout, the result offers a welcome success
for Letta’s centre-left Democratic Party
(PD), which nearly imploded after throwing
away a 10-point lead it held ahead of Italy’s
inconclusive general election in February.
The party then upset more voters by forming
a government with centre-right adversary
Silvio Berlusconi and Letta has struggled to
convince many Italians that he is truly leading
the administration and not the charismatic
media mogul. Preliminary results yesterday
showed some signs of voter confidence in
the centre-left elsewhere too. It was well
ahead in the cities of Ancona, Viterbo and
Treviso and was on track to win in every
provincial capital in the race.
In Siena, a traditional stronghold of the
left, voting was neck-and-neck after a scandal
at the Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank tarnished
the image of the centre-left city government.
The anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement of comic Beppe Grillo, which rode
a wave of popular discontent to take almost a
quarter of the national vote in February, fared
badly in the elections, with almost all of its
candidates eliminated in the first round two
weeks ago. The movement faces an even
more telling test in Sicily, where a separate
set of local balloting was held on Sunday and
Monday. Sicily was the scene of one of its
greatest triumphs last year and a springboard
for its national success. The movement has
been shaken by growing concern about
Grillo’s authoritarian style. Last week two lawmakers
abandoned the group, complaining
about his control over decision-making.
The low turnout reflected widespread discontent
with corruption, waste and mismanagement
at national and city levels. While
good news for Letta, the result was a blow to
the centre-right and could weaken some of
Berlusconi’s more combative lieutenants who
have been pressing the prime minister to
make aggressive tax cuts. With constant internal
bickering, the left-right coalition government’s
popularity has dropped and few
Italians have confidence that it can end economic
stagnation or reform the country’s
sclerotic and inefficient institutions.
Letta has had to reconcile competing
demands for tax cuts and job-creating measures
to pull Italy out of recession with
pledges to shore up public finances and cut
state debt.
Official data yesterday showed Italy’s
economy contracted by 0.6 percent in the
first quarter of this year and industrial output
was weaker than expected in April, falling for
a third month running and offering no hope
that the slump will end soon. — Reuters

NEW YORK: In this file photo, two ceiling-mounted video surveillance cameras are seen
as a man awaits the arrival of a No. 1 subway train at the 34th Street station. —AP
NSA forces the question:
What do we really want?
NEW YORK: For more than a decade now,
Americans have made peace with the
uneasy knowledge that someone - government,
business or both - might be watching.
We knew that the technology was
there. We knew that the law might allow it.
As we stood under a security camera at a
street corner, connected with friends online
or talked on a smartphone equipped with
GPS, we knew, too, it was conceivable that
we might be monitored. Now, though,
paranoid fantasies have come face to face
with modern reality: The government IS
collecting our phone records. The technological
marvels of our age have opened the
door to the National Security Agency’s
sweeping surveillance of Americans’ calls.
Torn between our desires for privacy
and protection, we’re now forced to decide
what we really want. “We are living in an
age of surveillance,” said Neil Richards, a
professor at Washington University’s School
of Law in St Louis who studies privacy law
and civil liberties. “There’s much more
watching and much more monitoring, and I
think we have a series of important choices
to make as a society - about how much
watching we want.” But the only way to
make those choices meaningful, he and
others said, is to lift the secrecy shrouding
the watchers.
“I don’t think that people routinely
accept the idea that government should be
able to do what it wants to do,” said Marc
Rotenberg, president of the Electronic
Privacy Information Center. “It’s not just
about privacy. It’s about responsibility ...
and you only get to evaluate that when
government is more public about its conduct.”
The NSA, officials acknowledged this
week, has been collecting phone records of
hundreds of millions of US phone customers.
In another program, it collects
audio, video, email, photographic and
Internet search usage of foreign nationals
overseas who use any of the nine major
Internet providers, including Microsoft,
Google, Apple and Yahoo.
In interviews across the country in
recent days, Americans said they were startled
by the NSA’s actions. Abraham Ismail, a
25-year-old software designer taking
advantage of the free Wi-Fi outside a
Starbucks in Raleigh, NC, said in retrospect,
fears had prompted Americans to give up
LAS VEGAS: Environmental activist Erin
Brockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts in a
2000 movie about her fight over the pollution
of a California town, was arrested on
suspicion of boating while intoxicated at
Lake Mead near Las Vegas, authorities said.
Brockovich was arrested late Friday after
breath tests showed her blood-alcohol level
was just over twice the legal limit of .08,
Edwin Lyngar, spokesman for the Nevada
Department of Wildlife, said Sunday.
Brockovich, 52, was released from the Clark
County Detention Center after posting
$1,000 bail.
In a statement issued Sunday, she apologized
for her actions but stressed that she
did not operate the boat in open waters.
She only moved the boat within its own
slip, she said. “At no time was the boat away
from the dock and there was no public
safety risk,” Brockovich said. “That being
said, I take drunk driving very seriously, this
was clearly a big mistake, I know better and
I am very sorry. “After a day in the sun and
too much privacy. “It shouldn’t be so just
effortless,” he said, snapping his fingers for
emphasis, “to pull people’s information and
get court orders to be able to database
every single call, email. I mean, it’s crazy.”
The clash between security and privacy
is far from new. In 1878, it played out in a
court battle over whether government officials
could open letters sent through the
mail. In 1967, lines were drawn over government
wiretapping. Government used
surveillance to ferret out Communists during
the 1950s and to spy on Martin Luther
King and other civil rights leaders during
the 1960s. But in earlier times, courts, lawmakers
and the public eventually demanded
curbs on such watching. Those efforts
didn’t stop improper government monitoring,
but they restrained it, said Christian
Parenti, author of “The Soft Cage:
Surveillance in America from Slavery to
the War on Terror.” The difference now, he
and other experts say, is that enormous
advances in personal technology and the
public’s broad tolerance of monitoring
because of shifting attitudes about terrorism
and online privacy have given government
and private companies significantly
more power - and leeway - to monitor individual
behavior.
The tolerance of government monitoring
stems in large part from the wave of
fear that swept the country after the 2001
attacks, when Americans granted officials
broad new powers under the PATRIOT Act.
But those attitudes are nuanced and shifting.
In a 2011 poll by The Associated Press
and the NORC Center for Public Affairs
Research, 54 percent of those surveyed felt
protecting citizens’ rights and freedoms
should be a higher priority for the government
than keeping people safe from terrorists.
At the same time, 64 percent said it
was sometimes necessary to sacrifice some
rights and freedoms to fight terrorism.
“Whenever something like 9/11 happens,
it does tend to cause people to
change their minds,” Richards said. “But I
think what’s interesting is it has to be a
long-term conversation. We can’t, whenever
we’re scared, change the rules forever.”
But up until now, there’s been only limited
debate about where and how to redraw
the lines on surveillance. — AP
Activist Brockovich arrested
SANFORD: Jury selection in the case of
Trayvon Martin’s fatal shooting begins
Monday in the Orlando suburb of Sanford,
Florida, the scene of massive protests by
people who were angered that police waited
44 days before charging neighborhood
watch volunteer George Zimmerman with
second-degree murder. Other demonstrations
were held around the United States,
and the case drew worldwide attention as it
fanned a debate about race, equal justice
under the law and gun control.
There is no dispute Zimmerman shot an
unarmed Martin, 17, during a fight on a
rainy night in February 2012. Prosecutors
will try to show the neighborhood watch
volunteer racially profiled the black teenager,
while Zimmerman’s attorney must convince
jurors Zimmerman pulled his 9 mm
handgun and fired a bullet into the high
school student’s chest because he feared for
his life. Zimmerman is charged with seconddegree
murder. He says he shot Martin in
self-defense. If convicted, Zimmerman, who
identifies himself as Hispanic, could get a life
AGOURA HILLS: In this file photo, environmental
activist Erin Brockovich sits
in her home in Agoura Hills, Calif. — AP
with nothing to eat it appears that a couple
of drinks had a greater impact than I had
realized,” she added. Authorities were
unsure whether it was Brockovich’s first
arrest on the charge. — AP
sentence. Under Florida law, Zimmerman,
29, could shoot Martin in self-defense if it
was necessary to prevent death or great
bodily harm. His lead attorney, Mark O’Mara,
has to be careful how he characterizes
Martin, said Randy McClean, an Orlandoarea
defense attorney. “Mr. O’Mara’s challenge
is to show Trayvon wasn’t profiled,
that Zimmerman either saw something that
looked suspicious or something else that
caused him to make contact with Trayvon,”
he said.
McClean and another Orlando defense
attorney, David Hill, predicted prosecutors
will attack Zimmerman as a frustrated,
would-be police officer who had a chip on
his shoulder. Zimmerman was employed at
a mortgage risk management firm. He had
studied criminal justice at a community college
and had volunteered to run his community’s
neighborhood watch program. The
Feb. 26, 2012, confrontation began when
Zimmerman spotted Martin, whom he did
not recognize, walking in the Retreat at Twin
Lakes, the gated townhome community
INTERNATIONAL
SANTA MONICA: Santa Monica College reopened
under extra security Monday except for the library,
where police shot and killed a heavily armed gunman
after a rampage that left five people dead.
Students who fled Friday would be able to resume
final examinations and retrieve backpacks, car and
other belongings, according to the college website.
Counselors were on hand and a candlelight
vigil was planned for Monday evening in front of
the library. Investigators, meanwhile, were trying
to determine why John Zawahri, 23, killed his
father and older brother in a home near campus
Friday, leaving the house in flames. He fired at a
car, wounding the driver, took another motorist
hostage and forced her to drive as he shot at people
and a bus in the neighborhood. He shot a
woman in the head on campus and was shot and
killed by police in the college library after gunning
down a total of five people in fewer than 15 minutes.
Debra Fine was wounded when Zawahri
opened fire on her car. She said the attacker had
spiky hair, wore black clothing and a ballistics vest,
and a cold, intense stare. There was “no hesitation,
no flick of a muscle, nothing. Just absolutely staring
and going onto the next step,” Fine recalled. “I
just simply got in his way. And he needed to kill
me. That was it.” She recognized the eyes in a 2006
high school yearbook photo of Zawahri shown to
her by The Associated Press. Investigators were
trying to determine whether Zawahri had mental
health problems that may have sparked the rampage.
Authorities hoped his mother, who returned
early from a trip abroad and was interviewed
Sunday by police, could help provide clues about
what triggered the violence. “A big piece of the
puzzle just came home,” Sgt Richard Lewis said.
The killing began as a domestic violence attack
when Zawahri killed his father, Samir, 55, and
brother, Christopher, 24, in their home near
Interstate 10 in a working-class part of town a few
miles from the beachside attractions that draw
tourists year-round.
The gunman, carrying a duffel bag with 1,300
rounds of ammo, fired shots in the neighborhood
and took his rampage on the road. Fine was the
first stranger shot by Zawahri. She was using side
streets after her singing lesson to avoid traffic
from President Barack Obama’s visit three miles
away when the gunman motioned at the car of
the woman in front of her with his rifle, telling her
to pull over. Fine thought the man was providing
security for the president’s visit. Then he pointed
the rifle at the woman and started to yell. Upset
that he would yell at someone who cooperated,
Fine accelerated. “He looked right at me,” Fine said.
“Stared right at me and then shot. No hesitation.”
Zawahri then walked toward her, shooting again.
Fine was hit in the shoulder, arm and ear, and she
lay on the passenger seat, pretending to be dead.
Zawahri, meanwhile, carjacked the woman he’d
stopped and directed her to Santa Monica
College, firing at bystanders along the way and
shooting up a city bus.
At the college, he blasted a Ford Explorer driven
by Carlos Navarro Franco, 68, killing the driver
and his daughter, Marcela Franco, 26, who died
Sunday. The father was a longtime groundskeeper
at the college and was taking his daughter to buy
textbooks for summer classes. On foot, Zawahri
headed for the library, spraying gunfire around
campus as students, who were in the middle of
final exams, took cover in classrooms or bolted for
their lives. He fatally shot one woman in the head
and then casually strolled past a cart of books into
the library where he fired 70 shots without striking
anyone.
In a shootout with three police officers,
Zawahri was struck multiple times. His body was
taken outside, where he was pronounced dead.A
small cache of ammunition was found in a room
of the burnt house. The elder Zawahri brought his
family to the neighborhood of small homes and
apartment buildings tucked up against Interstate
10 in the mid-1990s, according to property
records. Not long after arriving on Yorkshire
Avenue, Samir Zawahri and his wife Randa Abdou,
54, went through a difficult divorce and split custody
of their two boys, said Thomas O’Rourke, a
neighbor. When the sons got older, one went to
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Police identify gunman
in Santa Monica rampage
Santa Monica College reopens
where Zimmerman lived and the fiancee of
Martin’s father also resided. There had been
a rash of recent break-ins at the Retreat, and
Zimmerman was wary of strangers walking
through the complex. He was well-known to
police dispatchers for his regular calls
reporting suspicious people and events.
Martin was walking back from a convenience
store after buying ice tea and Skittles.
It was raining, and he was wearing a hoodie.
Zimmerman called police, got out of his
vehicle and followed Martin behind the
townhomes despite being told not to by a
police dispatcher. “These a———s, they
always get away,” Zimmerman said on the
call. Zimmerman, who had a concealed
weapons permit, was armed.
The two then got into a struggle.
Zimmerman told police he had lost sight of
Martin, and that Martin circled back and
attacked him as he walked back to his truck.
Prosecutors say he tracked down Martin and
started the fight.
Zimmerman told police Martin punched
him in the nose, knocking him down, and
live with his mother while the other stayed with
the father.
Public records show Abdou, who lives in an
apartment a couple miles away, was the ex-wife of
Samir Zawahri and former co-owner of the house
where the first shooting took place. John Zawahri
had a run-in with police seven years ago, but
Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks wouldn’t offer
more details because he was a juvenile at the
time. She said the gunman was enrolled at Santa
Monica College in 2010. Home from the hospital
on Sunday, Fine recalled the moments after she
was shot. Neighbors had come to help her, one
holding towels to her wounds. Fifteen minutes later
paramedics arrived. Her husband Russell Fine
said he rushed to her side by using the family GPS
tracking feature on his phone to pinpoint her location.
“When I got ... into the trauma room and I
heard one of the doctors say, ‘Two more have
arrived but they’re DOA,’ that’s when I realized that
this was part of something bigger, and that his
intent had been to kill people,” Fine said. “I’m just, I
feel very, very lucky to be here.”“I’ve always been
right in the middle on the gun control issue, and
I’m not anymore,” she added. “When are we going
to get the guns out of the hands of the people
who are mentally ill, or when is there enough
proof that it’s very dangerous to have those types
of weapons out there?” — AP
SANTA MONICA: Margaret Quinonez-Perez (left) speaks to reporters during a news conference,
Sunday, June 9, 2013, about victims Marcela Franco and father Carlos Navarro Franco who
were both killed in Friday’s deadly rampage shooting in Santa Monica, Calif. — AP
Disclosures on NSA spying alarm
US lawmakers, tech companies
SAN FRANCISCO: Recent revelations
about the US National Security
Agency’s expansive data-collection
efforts have underscored the power
of electronic surveillance in the
Internet era and renewed an historic
debate over how far the government
should go in spying on its own people.
A disillusioned former CIA computer
technician named Edward
Snowden, who had worked as a contactor
at the NSA, identified himself
on Sunday as the source of multiple
disclosures on the government’s surveillance
that were published by the
Guardian and the Washington Post
last week.
The information included a secret
court order directing Verizon
Communications Inc to turn over all
its calling records for a three-month
period, and details about an NSA
program code-named PRISM, which
collected emails, chat logs and other
types of data from Internet companies.
These included Google Inc,
Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp, Yahoo
Inc, AOL Inc and Apple Inc.
Snowden cast himself as a
whistleblower alarmed about overreaching
by the US intelligence
establishment, which was given
broad powers after the Sept 11
attacks in 2001 and can take now
take advantage of the huge growth
in digital data. President Barack
Obama and congressional leaders
have vigorously defended the NSA’s
efforts as both legal and necessary.
US Director of National Intelligence
James Clapper took the rare step of
responding in detail to stories about
PRISM.
US Attorney General Eric Holder’s
Justice Department has launched a
new round of investigations into
media leaks, the very issue that consumed
his department for the last
month and led to renewed calls for
Holder’s resignation. Intelligence officials
and the technology companies
say PRISM is much less invasive than
initially suggested by stories in the
Guardian and the Post. Several people
familiar with negotiations
between the Silicon Valley giants and
intelligence officials said the NSA
could not rummage at will through
company servers and that requests
for data had to be about specific
accounts believed to be overseas.
Still, the revelations alarmed civil liberties
advocates and some lawmakers
who had supported the Patriot
Act, which gave intelligence agencies
new powers after 9/11, and another
law granting telecommunication carriers
immunity for evesdropping at
the request of the government. “This
is the law, but the way the law is
being interpreted has really concerned
me,” Democratic Senator
Mark Udall said on ABC on Sunday.
“It’s just to me a violation of our privacy,
particularly if it’s done in ways
that we don’t know about.”
Of primary concern for Udall and
others was that millions of Americans
have had their phone habits and other
records perused by computer programs
and analysts hunting for connections
to terrorists or foreign governments
- even though the NSA is
generally barred from spying on US
citizens. One former high-ranking
NSA official told Reuters that such
broad assembly of records was
essential to investigations.
If “a known terrorist in Yemen calls
someone in the US, why did he call
them and what happened when the
person in US starts making calls elsewhere
in the US?” he asked. “On the
surface it looks like the emergence of
a terrorism cell.” Data-mining programs
map such connections and
provide grounds for further inquiry,
potentially including the contents of
calls, according to former operatives
Jury to be picked for Zimmerman’s trial
then got on top of him and began banging
Zimmerman’s head on the sidewalk. Photos
taken after the fight show Zimmerman with
a broken nose, bruises and bloody cuts on
the back of his head. He said that when
Martin spotted his gun holstered around his
waist under his clothes, he said, “You are
going to die tonight.” Zimmerman said he
grabbed the gun first and fired. Martin died
at the scene.
Given the low visibility on the dark, rainy
night of the shooting, few residents of the
Retreat at Twin Lakes were able to give
investigators a good description of what
happened, and several offered conflicting
accounts of who was on top of whom during
the struggle. But police calls made by
neighbors captured cries for help during the
fight and then the gunshot. Martin’s parents
say the cries for help were from their son,
while Zimmerman’s father has testified they
were from his son. Voice-recognition experts
could play an important role in helping
jurors decide who was screaming, provided
they are allowed to testify. O’Mara had
and Justice Department officials.
Among the remaining unknowns,
even after four days of media coverage,
is how much data beyond
phone numbers is collected from US
residents, how that data is “minimized”
to prevent excess scrutiny,
how it is analyzed and how long it is
kept. The NSA “keeps the emails
essentially forever.
I don’t think there is any question
about it,” said Mark Rossini, a former
FBI supervisor who was assigned to a
CIA counter-terrorism unit and who
said he was briefed on PRISM. “They
are not reading our data, they are
storing it in bits and bytes that can be
searched,” Rossini said. The same is
likely true of the mass of phone calls
copied from AT&T Inc offices to facilities
controlled by the NSA, as disclosed
by an AT&T whistleblower in
2006, he added.
The revelations began on
Wednesday with a Guardian report
on a secret court order demanding
all Verizon phone records over a
three-month period. The scope of the
request appeared to undermine the
government’s contention that its surveillance
efforts are highly targeted
and do not involve large numbers of
US citizens. — Reuters
raised questions about whether such prosecution
experts would mislead jurors and
Circuit Judge Debra Nelson has yet to rule.
The shooting received little initial attention,
but that changed after Martin’s parents
hired Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil
rights attorney. He began complaining to
the news media, accusing the police and
prosecutors of letting the murderer of a
black child go free, and contacting other civil
rights leaders, including the Revs.
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, to get
their support. Gov. Rick Scott appointed
State Attorney Angela B. Corey from the
nearby Jacksonville district to re-examine
the case. She decided to charge
Zimmerman. For the past year, Zimmerman
has been free on $1 million bond and living
in seclusion. O’Mara earlier decided not to
invoke a “stand your ground” hearing in
which a judge alone would decide whether
to dismiss the case or allow it to proceed to
trial. It’s not clear whether Zimmerman will
take the stand, but he has already testified
in pretrial hearings. — AP

KABUL: Afghanistan’s human rights commission
has accused the police of a significant
amount of violence against
women, saying it threatened to undermine
public trust in the security forces as
they prepare to take full charge of the
country. Though Afghan women have
made gains since the collapse of the austere
Taleban regime in 2001, violence
against them remains widespread. There
are fears the gains made could be lost
when most foreign forces leave by the
end of next year.
Nearly 15 percent of so-called honour
killings and sexual assaults were commit-
ted by police, the Afghanistan
Independent Human Rights Commission
said in a report, citing findings gathered
from more than two years of data. “This
issue can harm public confidence and
trust (in our) national police,” the commission
said.
Honour killings are attacks by a member
of a family or a tribe, usually carried
out by a man, against another member,
usually a women, because of a perception
that the victim brought dishonour to
the group. The commission said it had
documented 163 cases of sexual assault
and 243 honour killings throughout the
INTERNATIONAL
Afghan group accuses police of violence against women
KHYBER: Pakistani security personnel move the dead body of a driver of a NATO supply
truck after an attack by armed militants in Khyber district yesterday. — AFP
Pakistan president to new
leaders: Stop militancy
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president, in what
will likely be his last major speech to parliament,
urged the new government yesterday
to keep up the fight against militancy, one of
the many problems facing the country. Asif
Ali Zardari spoke hours after militants dressed
as policemen and armed with assault rifles
and rockets attacked trucks in Pakistan carrying
supplies to US-led NATO troops in neighboring
Afghanistan, killing four people. The
attack and the speech both drew attention to
the continuing threat militants pose to the
stability of Pakistan.
The May 11 elections marked the first time
in Pakistan’s 65-year history that a civilian
government completed its full term and
handed over power in democratic elections.
Previous governments have been toppled by
military coups or sacked by presidents allied
with the army. Zardari’s Pakistan People’s
Party was badly beaten in the elections. The
victorious Pakistan Muslim League-N party of
new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif campaigned
primarily on fixing the country’s economy,
while pushing for peace talks with the
Pakistani Taleban and other militant groups.
In a wide-ranging speech, Zardari, now a
largely powerless figure who has already said
he won’t run again for the ceremonial presidency,
bid Sharif’s crew well on the economic
front, but also urged them to clamp down on
extremists who have killed thousands in
Pakistan in the last decade. “Militancy,
extremism and terrorism pose the greatest
threat to our national security,” Zardari said.
As he has done many times, he carried to the
podium with him a picture of his late wife
Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime
minister who was killed in a gun-and-suicide
bomb attack in late 2007.
“The nation is united against militants,” the
president said. “We need strong leadership to
overcome the threat. We are ready to make
peace with those willing to give up violence,
but should be ready to use force against
those who challenge the writ of the state.” In
yesterday’s attack, the militants emerged
from the mountains and fired rockets at the
NATO trucks, burning two vehicles, local official
Iqbal Khan said. The militants wore local
police uniforms, and the four dead included
truck drivers and their assistants, he said.
The attack took place in the Jamrud area
of the Khyber tribal region, along the main
route into Afghanistan for the supply trucks.
Government official Jehangir Azam told
DunyaNews TV that around 15 heavily armed
militants were involved. “It was a very organized
attack,” he said, adding that the trucks
carried a NATO jeep, an ambulance and other
materials. US-led coalition forces say such
hired trucks transport only non-lethal supplies
overland through Pakistan.
The route through Khyber is one of two
main entry points into Afghanistan used by
the Western forces. Militant attacks on the
road have frustrated NATO, and Pakistan has
at times closed the route to vent its anger
over NATO actions, including airstrikes that
killed Pakistani soldiers. As a result, the US has
increased its use of more costly routes
through Central Asia to get supplies into
Afghanistan.
Relations with the US figured in Zardari’s
speech yesterday. He condemned US drone
strikes in Pakistan’s tribal regions, saying
Pakistan could not allow violations of its sovereignty,
a stance shared by Sharif. Zardari’s
speech was punctuated by applause, including
some from Sharif. Zardari urged Sharif
and his team to safeguard democracy in this
nation of 180 million, where the army still
retains vast power. He declared that “the subversion,
abrogation and the suspension of the
constitution is an act of high treason.”
That appeared aimed at Pervez Musharraf,
the one-time army chief who ousted an earlier
Sharif government in a military coup in
1999. Both Sharif and Zardari despise him.
Musharraf is currently under house arrest in
Pakistan as authorities try to determine his
fate, and it’s not yet clear if Sharif’s government
will push for treason charges against
the retired general, who led Pakistan for
roughly nine years.
Zardari further urged the new government
to pay special attention to the poor and
to the rights of women and minorities. He
also called on it to stop the misuse of
Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws. The laws call
for death for those convicted of blasphemy,
but have often been used to persecute religious
minorities in this Muslim-majority
country as well as to settle personal scores.
“We need to further strengthen interfaith harmony,”
Zardari said. Past government figures
who have called for reforming the laws to
prevent their abuse have been accused of
blasphemy themselves and in two prominent
cases have been assassinated. —AP
Bangladesh says 7 failed
to check doomed factories
DHAKA: Bangladesh has suspended seven
inspectors it accuses of negligence for
renewing the licenses of garment factories
in a building that collapsed in April, killing
more than 1,100 people, a top Labor
Ministry official said yesterday. The official,
Mikail Shipar, said a ministry investigation
found that the inspectors never even visited
the five factories housed in the shabbily
built eight-story Rana Plaza building. He
said one of the factories, EtherTex, had
been operating without any license from
the factory inspection department since
2008, while the others were licensed
through 2013.
At least 1,129 people died when the
building in the Dhaka suburb of Savar collapsed
April 24, a day after cracks in the
building prompted authorities to issue an
evacuation order. Shipar said the ministry’s
report was preliminary, and that if the accusations
are proven the inspectors, all midlevel
officials, will lose their jobs.
Inspectors are required to visit factories
before issuing licenses, but “in the cases of
these five factories, the inspectors renewed
the licenses sitting at their desks,” Shipar
said. The number of factories in Bangladesh
has soared in recent years to more than
240,000, while their safety is checked by
only 50 government inspectors who issue
operating licenses, said Obaidul Islam, a
senior official at the office of the Chief
Inspector of Factories. Islam said the factories
include 3,500 garment factories that
employ more than 3 million workers, mostly
women from impoverished villages.
“There are too few inspectors for too
many factories,” Islam said. Shipar said
three of the suspended inspectors were
also involved in renewing the license of a
garment factory where 112 people were
killed in a fire in November. He gave no
details about whether the inspectors are
accused of wrongdoing in that license
renewal.
Another government probe, formed by
the Home Ministry, blamed the use of poor
construction materials and unauthorized
generators for the collapse of the Rana
Plaza building. Sohel Rana, the owner of
Rana Plaza, and five executives and owners
of the factories it housed have been arrested
and face possible charges of negligence
and violation of factory and building codes.
After weeks of questioning by police
they have been jailed pending formal
charges and a trial. It is still unclear what
charges will be brought against the six
suspects. If they are accused of causing
deaths through negligence they could be
sentenced to life imprisonment, said
Khandker Mainuddin, a senior Home
Ministry official. — AP
country from the beginning of 2011 to
the end of May 2013. It said that given
the high rate of under-reporting, the real
number of cases was probably much
higher. “Due to severe traditional sensitivities
and cultural obstacles, a large number
of such cases are kept secret.” The
Interior Ministry, which is responsible for
the police, rejected the report and said
the force had made significant progress
towards safeguarding human rights.
The Afghan parliament last month
failed to pass a controversial law banning
violence against women, dealing another
blow to fragile progress made on women
KABUL: Seven heavily armed Taleban
fighters launched a pre-dawn attack
near Afghanistan’s main airport yesterday,
apparently targeting NATO’s
airport headquarters with rocket-propelled
grenades, heavy machine
guns and at least one large bomb.
Two Afghan civilians were wounded
and all the attackers were killed after
a four hours’ long battle. It was one of
three attacks on state facilities in the
morning by insurgents around the
country, the third time in a month
that insurgents have launched a
major attack seeking high-profile targets
in and around Kabul. It appears
to be part of an effort to rattle public
confidence as Afghan security forces
take over most responsibility for protecting
the country ahead of the
withdrawal of foreign troops next
year.
In addition to the airport attack,
six militants wearing suicide bomb
vests tried to storm the provincial
council building in the capital of
southern Zabul province, while three
attempted to attack a district police
headquarters near the capital.
Elsewhere, a roadside bomb killed a
Polish soldier in the NATO force.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq
Sediqi said that in Zabul, attackers
wounded 18 people, including three
police officers, when they detonated
a car bomb outside the building in
the city of Qalat, but security forces
shot and killed them before they
managed to enter. On the outskirts of
Kabul, police killed one attacker and
arrested two others who tried to
storm the headquarters building in
the Surobi district.
The attack against the capital’s airport
appeared aimed at creating a
sense of insecurity among residents
of the capital and sow panic in the
population. The insurgents did not
get close enough to attack aircraft
and were not near the runway’s flight
path. Even if they had managed to
damage the airport, it would have
affected civilian flights but not had
an impact on military operations,
which are carried out from a military
airfield at Bagram about 50 kilometers
(30 miles) north of the capital.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai
said his government would not be
deterred. “These cowardly terrorist
attacks on the Afghan people cannot
change the chosen path of the
Afghan people toward progress,
development, peace and elections,”
Karzai said, referring to next spring’s
poll to elect a new head of state.
Karzai was not in Kabul during the
attack. He was visiting the Gulf state
of Qatar, where he was discussing his
country’s stalled peace process and
the possible opening of a Taleban
office in Doha.
Both Afghanistan and the United
rights. President Hamid Karzai approved
the Elimination of Violence Against
Women Law by decree in 2009 but it
required parliamentary approval before it
could be enshrined. The decree banned
forced and underage marriage, beatings
and rape.
Last month, the law was put before
parliament but a rift between conservative
and progressive members resulted in
it being deferred, with conservatives
warning of “blood on the streets” if it were
ever passed.
“The cultural impunity and the lack of
follow up of these cases by different
States support the opening of a
Taleban political office in Qatar as
part of an effort to rekindle talks with
the insurgent group, which has been
waging war against the government
and US-led military coalition for nearly
12 years. But first, Kabul and
Washington say, the Taleban must
renounce all ties to al-Qaida and other
terrorist groups and accept
Afghanistan’s constitution.
Sediqi said the attacks are motivated
by the upcoming handover of
the lead for security from the U.S.-led
coalition to the Afghan army and
police. Afghan forces are now leading
90 percent of the military operations
against the insurgents and have the
lead for security in areas where 80
percent of the country’s population
lives. After the handover sometime
later this month, the coalition will
assist, train and mentor and provide
military support only in emergencies.
“Of course, in the coming days, there
will be a transition, and security is
going to be handed over to Afghan
forces,” Sediqi said. “They are trying to
sabotage that process and trying to
bring the ability of the Afghan security
forces into question, which they
cannot because today’s incidents in
three different parts of the country
were all foiled without significant
casualties.”
He added that in the Kabul attack
there was no need to “call coalition
support because, you know, today
the Afghan forces, especially police
and special units, foiled the attack.”
The Kabul airport itself was not damaged
and reopened shortly after the
fighting was over, said airport chief
Yaqub Rassuli. “There was no damage
to the runway. Some shrapnel fell
nearby, but we have cleared it away,”
Rassuli said.
Police said that attackers wearing
suicide vests occupied one or two
buildings under construction on the
west side of the airport and began firing
at the NATO facility, which was
quite a distance away. It was unclear
whether they hit anything inside that
facility. Kabul police chief Ayoub
Salangi said a minivan full of explosives
parked outside the building in
an effort to kill security forces did not
blow up and was later safely detonated.
Two Afghan civilians were wounded,
but there were no deaths among
either security forces or civilians,
Sediqi said. Taleban spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility
for the attack, saying the insurgents
were targeting NATO headquarters.
The international military
coalition said it was assessing the situation
and had no immediate reports
of casualties or damage. The US-led
NATO coalition’s Joint Command
headquarters at the airport runs the
day-to-day operations of the war
against insurgents. The airport’s military
side is also used for NATO transport
and other aircraft.
The attack began with a loud blast
at around 4:30 am. “It started just
after dawn prayers and I counted
about a dozen explosions, mostly
RPG fire, coming from (near) the airport,”
said Emayatullah, who lives
next to the airport. Like many
Afghans, he uses only one name.
Kabul police spokesman Hashmat
Stanikzai said that after the initial
blast, at least five insurgents then
occupied two buildings in a single
compound and started firing rocketpropelled
grenades and automatic
weapons.
“Sometimes they are shooting
from one building, sometimes from
other,” he said during the fighting. “It
is a residential area and the compound
has been surrounded by
Afghan security forces. The security
forces surrounded the buildings and
are being careful because it is a resi-
organisations and authorities is something
we’re very concerned about,” said
rights commission chairwoman Sima
Samar. Despite billions of dollars in foreign
aid poured into the country Over
more than a decade, Afghanistan is regularly
declared to be one of the most dangerous
places to be a woman.
As the international presence shrinks,
many women fear a return to the conditions
they faced under the Taleban.
Afghanistan’s 152,000 police are routinely
accused of abuses and critics say their
behaviour has pushed many villagers into
the ranks of the insurgency. — Reuters
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Taleban attack near
Kabul main airport
7 attackers killed during 4-hour fight
NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi’s elevation as opposition
chief for India’s elections sets up a contest
between a Hindu nationalist who must shed the
taint of religious riots and the reluctant prince of
the Gandhi dynasty. Modi, the chief minister of
Gujarat state known popularly as “NaMo”, was
named election committee chairman for the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday ahead of
polls scheduled for the first half of 2014. The choice
marked a new era for the leadership of the BJP,
which came of age in the 1990s, and lays the stage
for what is expected to be a bitter and intensely
personal rivalry.
Rahul Gandhi, 20 years younger than Modi at 42
and with a vastly different background and personality,
will be the BJP man’s opposite number as
election coordinator for the ruling Congress party.
While neither man is guaranteed to become prime
minister even if their party wins the right to form
the next coalition, they will front the campaigning
in the world’s biggest democracy. “Our aim should
be a Congress-free India,” Modi told cheering supporters
after his appointment. “If we can free this
country of the Congress, all our problems will be
solved.”
Beneath the display of unity at the BJP meeting
in Goa, Modi’s elevation has divided his party and
coalition allies-an effect likely to be repeated on
the electorate. BJP patriarch LK Advani, who built
the party into the only national opposition to
Congress, snubbed the conclave and then issued a
shock resignation letter yesterday. “Most BJP leaders
are concerned just with their personal agendas,”
Advani wrote in the letter in an apparent reference
to his one-time protegee. The Indian Express noted
yesterday how “the BJP has pledged to unite
KABUL: Afghan policemen stand guard in a building which was used for attack on Kabul airport yesterday. — AFP
behind its most divisive leader” in an editorial that
analysed the “spectacular” rise of the son of a teastall
owner.
Modi’s immediate challenge will be to avoid a
messy internal power struggle and keep his party
together. He must then persuade voters he is fit to
lead a secular nation which was born amid religious
violence. Modi remains tarnished by 2002
riots in Gujarat in which as many as 2,000 people,
mostly Muslims, died in an orgy of killing shortly
after he came to power in the state.
While he has never been convicted of any
offence, one of his former ministers was jailed last
year for directing some of the violence and India’s
top court once compared him to Nero, the emperor
who fiddled while Rome burned. Boycotted for a
more than a decade by European powers, he was
dential area.” Deputy Kabul police
chief Dawood Amin said there were
seven attackers. Two blew themselves
up with suicide vests at the
start of the assault, and five were
shot and killed by police during the
battle.
The Taleban have launched
intense attacks across the country,
testing Afghan security forces as foreign
combat troops pull back. In one
such attack, Poland’s Defense
Ministry said a Polish soldier died of
wounds suffered in the explosion of a
roadside bomb yesterday in the eastern
province of Ghazni. He is the 18th
international service member to be
killed in Afghanistan this month. The
last big attack in Kabul was May 24,
when six suicide bombers attacked a
guest house belonging to the United
Nations-affiliated International
Organization for Migration, killing
three people - a police officer, a
guard and a civilian. On May 16, a suicide
bomber had rammed a car into a
NATO convoy, killing 15 people,
including two American soldiers and
four civilian contractors.
Also yesterday, Afghan government
officials said they found the
headless body of a 10-year-old boy
who lived by collecting trash near a
government checkpoint. They
believe he was killed by militants
who suspected he was a spy.
Kandahar provincial spokesman
Jawed Faisal said yesterday that the
child used to pick up leftovers from
police and soldiers in the Kandahar’s
Zhari district. Provincial police chief
Abdul Razaq said the boy’s body was
found decapitated on Sunday. He
condemned the “shameful act of the
Taliban” but did not say how he knew
the militants were responsible. The
Taleban have not claimed responsibility
for the killing, and it was not
possible to independently confirm
the incident. —AP
India’s election battle lines drawn as Modi rises
AHMEDABAD: In this file photograph, Chief
Minister of the western Indian state of
Gujarat, Narendra Modi speaks during a press
conference on forthcoming state assembly
elections in Ahmedabad. — AFP
denied a US visa in 2005 because of “severe violations
of religious freedom” in Gujarat, and has not
visited since. India’s 177-million-strong Muslim
population-about 15 percent of the electorateremains
fearful and overwhelmingly opposed to
him, as are many influential regional political parties
who depend on Muslim votes. “We will think
about it and present our stand on these new circumstances,”
Nitish Kumar, a BJP coalition ally from
the state of Bihar known to oppose Modi, told
reporters yesterday.
No Indian party has had an absolute majority in
parliament since 1989 and Modi could be more of a
hindrance than a help in trying to form a ruling
national alliance, analysts say. In an editorial yesterday,
The Times of India stressed Modi’s appeal
among the young and his promise of strong leadership.
“To take the BJP to victory in 2014 he will
however need to unveil a hitherto hidden side: the
ability to build coalitions,” it said.
Under diffuse leadership and with an ill-defined
policy agenda, the BJP has made little headway in
recent years, losing its only toehold in the south of
the country in state elections in Karnataka last
month. But Modi can hope to exploit voter dissatisfaction
over the economy which is at its weakest
level in a decade, multiple corruption scandals and
an uncertain election opponent.
Rahul Gandhi, whose great-grandfather, grandmother
and father were prime ministers, struggles
to fire up his party’s grassroots supporters. Modi
inspires feverish devotion from his followers.
Gandhi declared recently he was not “a hard-nosed
politician” and he is still seen as a reluctant leader
despite being named Congress vice president and
chief election strategist earlier this year.—AFP

Visit to Ski Resort on Masik Pass.
Kim Jong Un sends appeal
to service personnel, people
Marshal Kim Jong Un, First Secretary of the
Workers’ Party of Korea, First Chairman of the
DPRK National Defence Commission and
Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s
Army, provided field guidance to a ski resort
on Masik Pass under construction by the KPA.
He mounted an observation platform where
he received a detailed report on its construction.
He was greatly satisfied to see that soldierbuilders
have built ski slopes covering hundreds
of thousands of square metres, including
primary, intermediate and advanced ski
slopes with almost 110,000 metres in total
length and 40-120 metres in width. He said
that the ski resort is located in the best place
as it has a long skiing season and easy access
is ensured with the Pyongyang-Wonsan
tourist motorway nearby.
After learning about the progress of such
projects as the construction of a gatepost of
the ski resort, hotel, skiing apparatuses storehouse
and heliport and installation of cable
cars, he climbed up the summit of the ski
resort over 1,360 metres above sea level. He
set forth tasks and ways for stepping up the
building of the ski resort.
Supreme Commander of the Korean
People’s Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of
the Workers’ Party of Korea and first chairman
of the National Defence Commission of the
DPRK, on June 4 sent an appeal “Let Us Create
the ‘Masikryong Speed’ and Usher in New
Heyday on All Fronts for Socialist
Construction” to all service personnel and
people of the DPRK.
Kim Jong Un said the construction of the
Masik Pass Skiing Ground is a gigantic patriotic
work initiated by the Workers’ Party of
Korea to provide the people with better cultural
conditions by translating into reality
President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il’s
noble idea of loving the people.
The soldier-builders have achieved
remarkable successes by cutting off natural
rocks and steep mountain ranges and building
skiing courses covering hundreds of thousands
of square meters with more than a hundred
thousand meters in a total length in a
matter of less than one year since they had a
ground-breaking ceremony, he said, and continued:
The construction of the skiing ground is
such a huge project that it is hard for others
to complete the project even in ten years. But
the WPK remains unchanged in its resolution
to build a world-class skiing ground within
this year and provide the people and school
youth and children with a highly civilized and
happy living conditions to enable them enjoy
all blessings.
He expressed belief that the soldierbuilders
would wind up the construction of
the skiing ground within this year by creating
the “Masikryong Speed” by dint of
indomitable mental power and persevering
charge and that all the service personnel and
people across the country would bring about
a great leap forward and signal innovations
on all fronts for socialist construction in that
spirit.
The secret to completing the construction
of the Masik Pass Skiing Ground ahead of
schedule lies in giving fullest play to the mental
power of the service personnel, he noted,
adding Kim Jong Il’s patriotism is the core of
the mental power to be cherished by the soldier-builders.
He underscored the need to dynamically
push ahead with the construction of the skiing
ground by dint of great army-people unity,
the mainstay of the Songun revolution and
groundwork of society.
It is the intention and resolution of the
WPK to raise a hot-wind of great innovations
and upswing throughout the country by letting
all people learn from the indomitable
fighting spirit and work style being displayed
by the soldiers in the construction of the skiing
ground, he stressed.
He also underlined the need for the
People’s Army to make thorough-going
preparations for combat and bring about
uninterrupted innovations in all major construction
projects and in the work for sprucing
up the provinces, cities and counties.
He called on all the people including
workers, farmers and intellectuals to further
reenergize all the economic sectors of the
country and positively contribute to implementing
national economy plan by fully
implementing the WPK’s line on simultaneously
pushing forward economic construction
and the building of nuclear force.
MOUNT HAGEN: In this file photo, hundreds of bystanders watch Kepari
Leniata, a woman accused of witchcraft, being burned alive in the
Western Highlands provincial capital of Mount Hagen in Papua New
Guinea.— AP
Brutal witch hunts in PNG
being linked to jealousy
CANBERRA: On a tropical island in Papua
New Guinea where most people live in
huts, a mob armed with guns, machetes
and axes stormed a wooden house by
night. They seized Helen Rumbali and three
female relatives, set the building on fire
and took the women away to be tortured.
Their alleged crime: Witchcraft. After being
repeatedly slashed with knives, Rumbali’s
older sister and two teenage nieces were
released following negotiations with police.
Rumbali, a 40-something former schoolteacher,
was beheaded.
Her assailants claimed they had clear
proof that Rumbali had used sorcery to kill
another villager who recently died of sickness:
The victim’s grave bore the marks of
black magic, and a swarm of fire flies apparently
led witch hunters to Rumbali’s home.
Violence linked to witch hunts is an increasingly
visible problem in Papua New Guinea
- a diverse tribal society of more than 800
languages and 7 million people who are
mostly subsistence farmers. Experts say
witch hunting appears to be spreading to
parts of the country where the ruthless
practices never took place before.
There is no clear explanation for the
apparent uptick in killings in parts of the
South Pacific nation, and even government
officials seem at a loss to say why this is
happening. Some are arguing the recent
violence is fueled not by the nation’s widespread
belief in black magic but instead by
economic jealousy born of a mining boom
that has widened the country’s economic
divide and pitted the haves against the
have-nots.
“Jealousy is causing a lot of hatred,” said
Helen Hakena, chairwoman of the North
Bougainville Human Rights Committee,
which is based in the area Rumbali was
killed. “People who are so jealous of those
who are doing well in life, they resort to
what our people believe in, sorcery, to kill
them, to stop them continuing their own
development.” She said the witchcraft accusation
against Rumbali was just an excuse.
“That was definitely a case of jealousy
because her family is really quite well off,”
Hakena said. She said villagers were envious
because Rumbali’s husband and son
had government jobs, they had a “permanent
house” made of wood, and the family
had tertiary educations and high social
standing. The United Nations has documented
hundreds of cases of sorcery-related
violence in Papua New Guinea in recent
years and many more cases in remote areas
are thought to have gone unreported. It
found the attacks are often carried out with
impunity. Until last month, the country’s
42-year-old Sorcery Act allowed for a belief
in black magic to be used as a partial legal
defense for killing someone suspected of
inflicting harm through sorcery. The government
repealed the law in response to
the recent violence.— AP
INTERNATIONAL
SEOUL: North and South Korea agreed yesterday to
hold senior-level talks this week in Seoul, a breakthrough
of sorts to ease tensions after Pyongyang’s
recent threats of nuclear war and Seoul’s vows of
counterstrikes. The two-day meeting starting tomorrow
will focus on stalled cooperation projects, including
the resumption of operations at a jointly-run factory
park near the border in North Korea that was the
last remaining symbol of inter-Korean rapprochement
until Pyongyang pulled out its workers in April
during heightened tensions that followed its
February nuclear test.
The details of the upcoming talks were ironed out
in a nearly 17-hour negotiating session by lower-level
officials. Those discussions began Sunday in the
countries’ first government-level meeting on the
Korean Peninsula in more than two years and took
place at the village of Panmunjom on their heavily
armed border, near where the armistice ending the
three-year Korean War was signed 60 years ago next
month. That truce has never been replaced with a
peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula technically
at war. The agreement to hold the talks was
announced in a statement early yesterday by South
Korea’s Unification Ministry, which is responsible for
North Korea matters. North Korea’s official news
agency, KCNA, also reported the agreement. It’s still
unclear who will represent each side in what will likely
be the highest-level talks between the Koreas in
years. But dialogue at any level marks an improvement
in the countries’ abysmal ties. The last several
years have seen North Korean nuclear tests, longrange
rocket launches and attacks blamed on the
North that killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.
The meeting that starts tomorrow will also
include discussions on resuming South Korean tours
to a North Korean mountain resort, the reunion of
separated families and other humanitarian issues,
officials said. The issue most crucial to Washington,
however - a push to persuade North Korea to give up
its nuclear weapons - isn’t on the official agenda.
While there was broad agreement, Seoul’s
Unification Ministry said in a statement, sticking
points arose over the delegation heads and the
agenda. Seoul said it will send a senior-level official
responsible for North Korea-related issues while
Pyongyang said it would send a senior-level government
official, without elaborating.
North Korea said that in addition to the rapprochement
projects, the two sides would also discuss
how to jointly commemorate past inter-Korean
statements, including one settled during a landmark
2000 summit between the countries’ leaders, civilian
exchanges and other joint collaboration matters.
South Korea’s Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae
proposed a minister-level meeting with the North
last week. But Unification Policy Officer Chun Haesung,
who led the South’s delegation at Sunday’s
talks, told reporters it is not clear if Ryoo will represent
South Korea. A minister-level summit between
the Koreas has not happened since 2007.
Neither Korea mentioned Pyongyang’s nuclear
weapons. When asked yesterday by reporters if
South Korean delegates raised the issue during
Sunday’s negotiations, Chun said it wasn’t appropriate
do discuss issues that weren’t part of the agenda.
Analysts express wariness about North Korea’s intentions,
with some seeing the interest in dialogue as
part of a pattern where Pyongyang follows aggressive
rhetoric and provocations with diplomatic
efforts to trade an easing of tension for outside concessions.
Pyongyang is trying to improve ties with Seoul
because it very much wants dialogue with the
United States, which could give the North aid, ease
international sanctions and improve its economy in
return for concessions, said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor
of North Korea studies at Dongguk University in
Seoul. Nuclear matters won’t be on the table, Kim
said, because Pyongyang wants issues related to its
pursuit of atomic weapons resolved through talks
with Washington or in broader, now-stalled international
disarmament negotiations.
After UN sanctions were strengthened following
North Korea’s third nuclear test in February,
Pyongyang threatened nuclear war and missile
strikes against Seoul and Washington, pulled its
workers from the jointly run factory park at the North
Korean border town of Kaesong and vowed to ramp
up production of nuclear bomb fuel. Seoul withdrew
its last personnel from Kaesong in May.
The summit marks a political and diplomatic victory
for South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who
took office in February and has maintained through
the heightened tensions a policy that combines
vows of strong counter-action to any North Korea
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
2 Koreas to hold senior
level meeting in Seoul
Both Koreas mum on Pyongyang’s nuke weapons
provocation with efforts to build trust and re-establish
dialogue. Representatives of the rival Koreas met
on the peninsula in February 2011 and their nuclear
envoys met in Beijing later that year, but government
officials from both sides have not met since.
Sunday’s meeting follows a summit by US
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi
Jinping in California in which the White House said
“quite a bit of alignment” was found on North Korea,
including an agreement that Pyongyang has to
abandon its nuclear weapons aspirations.
China provides a lifeline for a North Korea struggling
with energy and other economic needs, and
views stability in Pyongyang as crucial for its own
economy and border security. But after Pyongyang’s
nuclear test in February, China tightened its crossborder
trade inspections and banned its state banks
from dealing with North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank.
PANMUNJOM: North Korean chief delegate Kim Song-Hye (right) shakes hands with
her South Korean counterpart Chun Hae-Sung (left) at the end of the working-level
talks at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone dividing the two
Koreas yesterday. — AFP
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un late last month
sent to China his special envoy, who reportedly told
Xi that Pyongyang was willing to return to dialogue.
President Park will travel to Beijing to meet Xi later
this month.
North Korea was probably motivated to hold talks
with Seoul because it wants to ease a sense of crisis
over its deepening isolation from the rest of the
world, including ally China, said Chang Yong-seok, a
senior researcher at Seoul National University’s
Institute for Peace and Unification Studies. “Normally,
China has been on North Korea’s side, but now the
United States and China have joined hands to urge
North Korea to denuclearize, which is a very tough
situation for North Korea,” Chang said. — AP
Vietnam leaders face first confidence vote
HANOI: Vietnam’s leaders faced a
first-ever confidence vote in the
communist-controlled parliament
yesterday as the authoritarian
regime seeks to allay growing public
anger at corruption and a lack of
political accountability. The vote-to
be held every year-was approved
by the one-party state’s rubberstamp
legislature last November
and requires most senior politicians,
including the prime minister
and the president, to win support
from lawmakers. The process has
been hailed in the official press as
part of a new commitment to
transparency and accountability.
But observers saw little threat to
the communist hierarchy and
expected the results to be decided
in advance behind closed doors.
It will not be “a proper vote”,
said Nguyen Minh Thuyet, an outspoken
former deputy who called
for a confidence vote on Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in 2010.
Even so, coupled with a recent government
call for public consultation
over proposed constitutional
amendments, the vote indicates
that the party is trying to respond
to rising public dissatisfaction,
experts said.
“This does represent an effort
by the party and state to shore up
its faltering legitimacy,” said
Professor Jonathan London at
Hong Kong’s City University. While
it is highly unlikely that the vote
will result in any change to the status
quo, “even symbolically it is an
important event, in Vietnam’s evolution
and in the evolution of the
National Assembly in particular”, he
added.
The results of the voting-which
covers 47 top officials who yesterday
submitted reports to lawmakers
of their work performance-are
expected to be announced today.
According to state media, officials
who win support from fewer than
half of lawmakers for two consecutive
years may be forced to resignbut
this is a “complicated”, slow and
effectively meaningless process,
Thuyet said.
“Everyone will win the vote,” he
told AFP, describing widespread
concerns that top officials would
BANGKOK: A pet shop owner was arrested after Thai police
found hundreds of protected animals, including rare lions, in
his warehouse near Bangkok, authorities said yesterday. Police
Col Ek Ekasart said police found 14 albino lions from Africa,
hundreds of birds, meerkats, tortoises, peafowls, capuchin
monkeys and other species from overseas and Thailand. They
said Montri Boonprom-on, 41, faces charges of possessing
wildlife and carcasses and could face up to four years in jail
and a fine of 40,000 baht ($1,300).
Ek said Montri owns an exotic pet shop at Bangkok’s
renowned Chatuchak weekend market and was previously
convicted of wildlife trade. Thailand is a hub of the international
black market in protected animals. While the country is
a member of a convention regulating international trade in
endangered species, Thai law does not extend protection to
many alien species.
Police also found a hornbill and a leopard, both protected
by Thai law, which were packed in a box and were scheduled
to be delivered to clients yesterday. “We have been monitoring
the location for a few days after the neighbors complained
about the noise from the animals,” Ek told reporters during the
raid in a residential area of Bangkok’s Klong Sam Wa district.
“And if you looked through the gate, you could spot lions in
the cage.” Montri told reporters the lions were shipped legally
to Bangkok from Africa and were waiting to be moved to a
zoo in Thailand’s northeast. He did not explain why only 14
lions remained at his warehouse, while the documents
showed he had imported 16. The animals were confiscated
and will be under the care of the Department of Natural Parks,
Wildlife and Plant Conservation. —AP
close ranks behind the scenes to
support each other regardless of
performance. The most closely
watched vote will be for Prime
Minister Dung, who was handed a
second five-year term by the party
in 2011 despite his widespread
unpopularity among the public.
Critics blame the 63-year-old
premier’s policies and governing
style for Vietnam’s economic
malaise, endemic corruption and
banking system riddled with toxic
debt, mostly held by state-run
enterprises. Top officials running
state-owned companies frequently
flaunt lifestyles incompatible with
their official remuneration, fuelling
public anger at corruption, inefficiency
and waste in the sprawling
sector. While the Communist Party
tightly controls public debate and
routinely imprisons dissidents who
question the political system or call
for change, Vietnamese are increasingly
turning to the Internet to
vent their frustrations. Dung has
been the target of much public
anger and has faced down repeated
threats to his premiership,
including rare public criticism from
senior party figures and even an
unprecedented call from one lawmaker
to resign.
In May the Politburo-composed
of the 14 most senior regime members-once
again called for disciplinary
action against him, according
to party sources. But Dung survived
thanks to strong support
from the Central Committee-mostly
from ministers, army officers, and
provincial officials whom he
appointed. “It was basically an
unprecedented coup d’etat by the
Central Committee over the
Politburo,” Nguyen Van Hieu, 76, a
former top party member turned
political commentator, told AFP.
After months of political wrangling
behind the scenes, “the balance of
power is clearly in favour of the
prime minister”, Hieu said, adding
that Dung himself is now “untouchable”.
With the backstage battle
apparently already won, many
observers suspect the vote of confidence
will simply be used to seal
the party’s decision on this internal
political dispute. —AFP
Thailand pet shop owner
caught with rare lions
BANGKOK: A lioness bares its teeth inside an enclosure after a raid at a zoolike
house on the outskirts yesterday. — AP

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Issues
Sunni-Shiite rift
on Syria risks
regional chaos
By Lynne Al-Nahhas
foray into Syria’s civil war by Lebanon’s Hezbollah
has fuelled a Sunni-Shiite polarisation that threatens
to feed extremism on both sides and export the conflict
to the wider region, analysts warn. The Iran-backed
Shiite movement has openly said it is fighting alongside
President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, while Shiite Iraqi fighters
are also reported to be in Syria, supporting the regime
against the mostly-Sunni rebels. These interventions have
prompted calls for a united Sunni stance against the Shiite
groups involved, particularly Hezbollah.
Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia’s top cleric Abdulaziz Al-
Shaikh has urged governments to punish the “repulsive sectarian
group” while Qatar-based Sunni cleric Yusuf Al-
Qaradawi called on Sunnis to join the rebels. George Sabra,
interim head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition,
charged Hezbollah, along with majority-Shiite Iraq and Iran,
of pushing the situation towards a “sectarian conflict”. “What
we are fearing now is that the whole region could drown in
a sectarian-fuelled conflict which in effect is a series of civil
wars including Lebanon, Iraq, and of course Syria itself,” says
Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Centre.
Fighters from Shiite Hezbollah openly spearheaded a 17day
assault on the Syrian town of Qusayr near the Lebanese
border which culminated on Wednesday with its recapture
from the rebels by pro-government forces. The battle for
Qusayr further stoked the already-simmering sectarian tension
across the region, the analysts say. Assad’s regime is
dominated by members of the Alawite minority, an offshoot
of Shiite Islam, while Sunnis make up the majority in Syria
and the Muslim world. Hezbollah’s “association with the
conflict on sectarian lines is creating tensions in Lebanon
and in the wider Arab world,” says Shaikh.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, whose Shiite government
is facing a wide Sunni-led opposition, warned
Sunday of “a storm passing through the region. It is a brutal
sectarian storm.” Funerals were held in Iraq last month for
men killed in Syria fighting alongside Assad’s forces. Emirati
political science professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla says that
“the sectarian line-up has recently reached worrying levels.”
Although a historical conflict, the Sunni-Shiite divide is “now
different... because it has become based more on a political
background than a religious one,” says Abdulla.
Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest sites, is seen the
regional power protecting Sunnis while Iran has become a
reference for all Shiites, he says. Lebanese columnist Hazem
Sagheye sees that the Syrian crisis “has morphed into a
cross-border Sunni-Shiite line-up.” He argues that Damascus
can stir trouble in surrounding countries through “holding
cards” - groups loyal to Assad’s regime. Lebanon officially
adopted a position of neutrality towards Syria’s conflict but
its people are sharply divided with Shiites mostly backing
Assad while most of the Sunnis support the rebellion.
Fighters from both sects have joined the battle on opposite
sides. This division is clearly reflected in frequent deadly
clashes in Lebanon’s second-largest city, Tripoli, between
Sunni and Alawite gunmen. The army warned on Friday of a
plot to embroil Lebanon in the 26-month Syrian conflict.
And while Sunni figures roundly condemned Hezbollah’s
involvement, news of the fall of Qusair sparked celebrations
in Lebanon’s Shiite districts. Reaction also came from the
Gulf kingdom of Bahrain - the scene of unrest between a
Shiite opposition and the Sunni monarchy - with the Shiite
Unitary National Democratic Assembly issuing a congratulatory
statement.
“What is scary is that the rise in sectarianism could once
more ignite Al-Qaeda and extremism, posing a danger to
the region,” says prominent Saudi columnist Tariq
Alhomayed. And a decades-long standoff between Iran and
Saudi Arabia appears now to be playing out by proxy in
Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and Lebanon, where the rivals are
supporting opposing political strands.
The Syrian opposition recently charged that the battle in
their country has even attracted Shiite Zaidi rebels from
Yemen to join the fight alongside Assad’s troops. Zaidis
have denied the claims. But while Shiite armed groups
fighting in Syria are openly backed by Iran, Sunni Islamist
fighters trickle into Syria as individuals and mostly against
the wish of their own states. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly
warned its citizens against taking part in the conflict.
Damascus’ brutal repression of protests, in addition to
Iran’s full support to Assad and Hezbollah’s intervention,
have “emphasised the Sunni character of the other side,”
says Sagheye. With the stirring of sectarian sentiment across
the region and the mushrooming of armed extremist Sunni
and Shiite groups, the region risks “a collapse of the concept
of the state, with every group having its own media outlets
and militias,” warns Alhomayed. “We are moving closer
towards chaos in the Arab world.” — AFP
All articles appearing on these
pages are the personal opinion of
the writers. Kuwait Times takes no
responsibility for views expressed
therein. Kuwait Times invites readers
to voice their opinions. Please
send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net
or via snail
mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait.
The editor reserves the right to edit
any submission as necessary.
14 ANALYSIS
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Building America’s secret surveillance state
By James Bamford
“G
od we trust,” goes an old National
Security Agency joke. “All others
we monitor. First, the Guardian
reported details on a domestic telephone
dragnet in which Verizon was forced to give
the NSA details about all domestic, and even
local, telephone calls. Then the Guardian and
the Washington Post revealed another massive
NSA surveillance program, called Prism,
that required the country’s major Internet
companies to secretly pass along data including
email, photos, videos, chat services, file
transfers, stored data, log-ins and video conferencing.
While the Obama administration and
Senate intelligence committee members
defend the spying as crucial in its fight against
terrorism, this is only the latest chapter in
nearly a century of pressure on telecommunications
companies to secretly cooperate with
NSA and its predecessors. But as stunning
technology advances allow more and more
personal information to pass across those
links, the dangers of the United States turning
into a secret surveillance state increase exponentially.
The NSA was so flooded with billions
of dollars from post-Sept 11, 2001 budget
increases that it went on a building spree and
also expanded its eavesdropping capabilities
enormously. Secret rooms were built in giant
telecom facilities, such as AT&T’s 10-story
“switch” in San Francisco. There, mirror copies
of incoming data and telephone cables are
routed into rooms filled with special hardware
and software to filter out email and phone
calls for transmission to NSA for analysis. New
spy satellites were launched and new listening
posts were built - such as the recently opened
operations center near Augusta, Georgia.
Designed to hold more than 4,000 earphoneclad
eavesdroppers, it is the largest electronic
spy base in the world.
Meanwhile, at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory in Tennessee, where top-secret
work was done on the atomic bomb during
World War II, the NSA is secretly building the
world’s fastest and most powerful computer.
Designed to run at exaflop speed, executing a
million trillion operations per second, it will be
able to sift through enormous quantities of
data - for example, all the phone numbers
dialed in the United States every day. Today
the NSA is the world’s largest spy organiza-
tion, encompassing tens of thousands of
employees and occupying a city-size headquarters
complex on Fort Meade in Maryland.
But in 1920, its earliest predecessor, known as
the Black Chamber, fit into a slim townhouse
on Manhattan’s East 37th Street.
World War One had recently ended, along
with official censorship, and the Radio
Communication Act of 1912 was again in
effect. This legislation guaranteed the secrecy
of electronic communications and meted out
harsh penalties for any telegraph company
employee who divulged the contents of a
message. To the Black Chamber, however, the
bill represented a large obstacle to be overcome-illegally,
if necessary. So the Black
Chamber chief, Herbert O Yardley, and his
boss in Washington, General Marlborough
Churchill, head of the Military Intelligence
Division, paid a visit to 195 Broadway in downtown
Manhattan, headquarters of Western
Union. This was the nation’s largest telegram
company - the email of that day.
The two government officials took the elevator
to the 24th floor for a secret meeting
with Western Union’s president, Newcomb
Carlton. Their object was to convince him to
grant them secret access to the private communications
zapping through his company’s
wires. It was easier achieved than Yardley had
ever imagined. “After the men had put all our
cards on the table,” Yardley later described,
“President Carlton seemed anxious to do
everything he could for us.’”
Time and again over the decades, this pattern
has been repeated. The NSA, or a predecessor,
secretly entered into agreements with
the country’s major telecommunications companies
and illegally gained access to
Americans’ private communications. In a
much-cited story, the influential Republican
statesman, Henry L Stimson, was described as
deeply offended by the very notion of snooping
into people’s private communications. As
the new secretary of state in 1929, Stimson
shut down the Black Chamber with the now
immortal phrase, “Gentlemen do not read
each other’s mail.”
But when President Franklin D. Roosevelt
later appointed Stimson secretary of war during
World War Two, Stimson changed his
mind. He wanted to eavesdrop on every possible
communication, especially on the
Germans and Japanese. Once the guns of
World War Two began falling silent, however,
the communications privacy laws again took
effect. Thus, Brigadier General W Preston
Corderman, the chief of the Signals
Intelligence Service - another pre-NSA iteration
- faced the same dilemma Yardley confronted
after World War One: a lack of access
to the cables flowing into, out of and through
the country.
So, once again, deals were made with the
major telegraph companies - the Internet
providers of the day - to grant the SIS (and later
the NSA) secret access to their communications.
Codenamed “Operation Shamrock,”
agents would arrive at the back door at each
telecom headquarters in New York around
midnight; pick up all that days telegraph traffic,
and bring it to an office masquerading as a
television tape processing company. There
they would use a machine to duplicate all the
computer tapes containing the telegrams,
and, hours later, return the original tapes to
the company.
The secret agreement lasted for 30 years. It
only ended in 1975, when the nation was
shocked by a series of stunning intelligence
revelations uncovered by a congressional
investigation led by Senator Frank Church. The
illegality and vast breadth of this one operation
stunned both the left and the right,
Republicans as well as Democrats. The parties
came together to create a new law to make
sure nothing like it could ever happen again.
Known as the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act, the legislation created a
secret court, the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Court, to ensure that the NSA
only eavesdropped on Americans when there
was probable cause to suspect they were
involved in serious national security crimes -
such as espionage or terrorism.
For more than a quarter-century, the NSA
obeyed this law. The intelligence agency
turned its giant ears outward - away from the
everyday lives of Americans. But that all
changed soon after Sept 11, 2001, when the
Bush administration began its warrantless
wiretapping program. Once again, an NSA
director sought the secret cooperation of the
nation’s telecom industry to gain access to its
communications channels and links. Again,
the companies agreed - despite violating the
laws and the privacy of their tens of millions of
customers. Eventually, when the operation
was discovered, a number of groups brought
suit against the companies, Congress passed
legislation granting them immunity.
Thus, for roughly 100 years, whenever the
government knocked on the telecommunications
industry’s door and asked them to break
the law and turn over millions upon millions
of private communications, the telecoms
complied. Why not, since they knew that
nothing would ever happen to them if they
broke the law. Now, as a result of these new
revelations, it appears that the NSA has again
gone to Verizon and other telephone companies,
as well as many of the giant Internet
companies, and obtained secret access to millions,
if not billions, of private communications.
There are still many questions as to
what, if any, legal justification was used.
But unlike with Yardley and the Black
Chamber, the dangers today of secret cooperation
between the telecom and Internet
industry and the NSA are incomparable.
Because of technology back then, the only
data the government was able to obtain were
telegrams - which few average people sent or
received. Today, however, access to someone’s
telephone records and Internet activity can
provide an incredibly intimate window on
their life.
Phone data reveals whom they call, where
they call, how often they call someone, where
they are calling from and how long they speak
to each person. Internet data provides e-mail
content, Google searches, pictures, and personal
and financial details. We now live in an
era when access to someone’s email account
and web searches can paint a more detailed
picture of their life then most personal diaries.
Secret agreements between intelligence
agencies and communications companies
should not be allowed in a democracy. There
is too much at risk.
In a dusty corner of Utah, NSA is now completing
construction of a mammoth new
building, a one-million-square foot data warehouse
for storing the billions of communications
it is intercepting. If the century-old custom
of secret back-room deals between NSA
and the telecoms is permitted to continue, all
of us may digitally end up there. Contrary to
what Simpson may have asserted, gentlemen
(and women) do read each other’s mail - at
least if they work for the National Security
Agency. And in the future, given NSA’s unrestrained
push into advanced technologies, the
agency may also be able to read your
thoughts as well as your mail. — Reuters
Brash Ahmadinejad presidency isolated Iran
By Farhad Pouldi
M ahmoud
Ahmadinejad’s eight years in power have isolated
Iran internationally because of deep suspicions
over its secretive nuclear program and unwavering support
for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, its closest regional ally, analysts
say. After two consecutive four-year terms since first taking
office in 2005, Ahmadinejad is now constitutionally barred from
standing in Friday’s presidential election. His disputed re-election
in 2009 plunged Iran into domestic turmoil, as the regime
used force to quell street protests. The suppression led only to
increased international pressure on Tehran.
All-powerful supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the
final say on all policy in the Islamic republic, including on its
atomic ambitions and support for Assad’s regime. And most
analysts agree that this left Ahmadinejad with no choice but to
implement those policies. “Iran’s foreign policy is not the prerogative
of the president,” Ali Vaez, the Brussels-based International
Crisis Group’s senior analyst on Iran, told AFP.
But Shiite Iran is also paying the price for Ahmadinejad’s fiery
rhetoric, including his Holocaust denials and conspiracy theories
about the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Tehran’s friends in the region have dwindled as tensions mount
with Sunni-ruled Arab monarchies over issues including prodemocracy
protests in Bahrain and the Syria uprising.
“Ahmadinejad was unable to achieve foreign policy goals
because of the way he carried out policies,” Mohammad Saleh
Sedghian, head of the Arabic Centre for Iranian Studies in
Tehran, told AFP.
Already strained relations with the West have worsened,
mostly over Tehran’s defiant expansion of its nuclear program
against the backdrop of international demands and pressure to
curb its activities. Years of talks with world powers to defuse the
nuclear stand-off - which has led to a raft of Western economic
sanctions coupled with others adopted by the United Nations
Security Council - have failed. It is not clear how much
Ahmadinejad is himself involved in the nuclear decision-making
process, but he has repeatedly dismissed the international sanctions
as “scrap paper”. Only in mid-2012 did he admit to economic
“problems” caused by the sanctions.
Sedghian said Ahmadinejad’s reliance “on slogans
instead of clear-cut stances” to defuse tensions has only
made things worse. He holds a record of eight appearances
at the annual UN General Assembly during his
tenure as president. His speeches there have outraged
the international community, and his
Holocaust denial also revived enmities with Israel,
whose existence Tehran does not recognise.
“Ahmadinejad got Iran into trouble. He could
have not talked about the Holocaust - it did not
concern Iran,” Sedghian said. “His intervention
had a negative effect on dealings with the world
community.” Reformist analyst Mohammad
Sadeq Javadihesar agreed, arguing that
Ahmadinejad’s public rants “only brought sanctions”
for Iran. “He lacks expertise in foreign policy
and diplomacy,” Javadihesar said of Ahmadinejad’s
conduct at home and abroad. “His abilities were
equivalent to those of a university graduate,” he said,
criticising Ahmadinejad’s controversial decision to fire
then foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki while on an
official visit to Senegal in 2010.
A major bone of contention between Tehran and Western
and Arab countries, as well as Turkey, is Syria. The conflict has
cost more than 94,000 lives since the civil war erupted in
March 2011 after Assad cracked down on pro-democracy
protests. Tehran, a traditional ally of Damascus, is accused by
Western and Arab governments of supplying weapons and
military advisers to the Syrian regime. It has repeatedly
denied there are Iranian troops on the ground in Syria
where Ahmadinejad has insisted that a rebel victory would
threaten the entire region. Analysts say that Ahmadinejad has
no choice - he had to support Assad. “Ahmadinejad has merely
been carrying out the regime’s policy
to consolidate the axis of resistance”
against Israel, Sedghian said of
the stance in Tehran,
Damascus, and in the
Lebanese Shiite movement
Hezbollah towards the
Jewish state. Despite his
record, Ahmadinejad has
become a popular icon at
home for his firebrand
oratory. It is a different
story in the international
arena, where he is seen as
a pariah, except by some
countries such as
Venezuela. “His rhetoric
turned him into a radioactive
statesman. From that
point on, all Western politicians
were loath to deal with
him, independent of his intentions,”
Vaez said. Most of the
eight candidates vying to replace
Ahmadinejad have identified
mending ties with the world outside
as a priority. “Iran is left with fewer
friends in the West and in the
region,” Sedghian said.
“Ahmadinejad’s foreign policy
was not a strategic one, but a
political show.” — AFP

NEWS
Turkish soldiers march during a changing of the guards ceremony at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara yesterday. — AP
Nearly 3,000 Indians deported
Continued from Page 1
He said the authorities have conveyed to him that
the Indians are not specifically targeted in the crackdown.
“The campaign is across the board and Indians
are not specifically targeted. And there is no reason for
us to doubt that,” he added. “The fact is that there are a
large number of illegal residents from India here who
are in violation of visa stipulations.”
The ambassador said many Indians who arrived in
Kuwait under Article No 20 later moved to work outside,
a practice that is illegal as per the Kuwaiti law. “It is
important that we have to respect the law of the land. It
is completely legal on the part of the Kuwaiti authorities
to take action against residency violators in the country,”
Mehta said. According to rough estimates made by
the embassy, there are more than 20,000 Indian illegal
residents currently in Kuwait. Around 288,000 Indian
domestic workers were in Kuwait as of the beginning of
2013.
“By and large, the Indian community abides by the
rules and regulations of the country. They are largely
peace-loving, law-abiding and hardworking. The Kuwait
government recognizes this,” he mentioned. “In view of
the close bilateral relations between Kuwait and India
and considering the presence of a large number of
Indians here, we have also conveyed our concerns to
the authorities over the handling of the arrestees. We
have requested the authorities that the issue may be
handled in a more dignified manner,” Mehta said.
Continued from Page 1
Obama’s spy chief, Director of National Intelligence
James Clapper, has described the leak as gravely damaging
to US security, and referred the matter to the
Justice Department, which has launched an investigation.
Snowden is reportedly holed up in Hong Kong,
which has an extradition treaty with the United States,
and he is cooperating with the British-based Guardian
newspaper, which revealed his identity at his own
request. The whistleblower told the Guardian he hopes
to win asylum in Iceland, but the head of Iceland’s
Directorate of Immigration said it had received no formal
request and said Snowden would have to be on
Icelandic soil to make one.
There was much speculation yesterday about Hong
Kong’s likely stance in the event Washington asks for
Snowden’s extradition, and analysts divided on whether
the territory’s ultimate rulers in Beijing would intervene.
The case has also turned the spotlight on the United
States’ widespread use of outside contractors for sensitive
intelligence work; Snowden is a former low level
CIA employee now employed by private outfit Booz
Allen Hamilton. Companies like Booz employ tens of
thousands of technicians and analysts with top secret
security clearances to work on lucrative contracts with
US intelligence agencies, and some are asking if they
pose a security risk.
In a statement, Booz Allen Hamilton confirmed
Snowden had been an employee for “less than three
months” and promised to help US authorities investigate
the “shocking” claim that he had leaked classified
information. Booz, which employs many former senior
Washington intelligence officials and relies on government
contracts, saw its shares fall sharply yesterday.
Snowden and his many supporters, who have taken
to the Internet to condemn the US government and the
private web giants which cooperated with its secret surveillance,
defended his actions as a blow for freedom.
“My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which
is done in their name and that which is done against
them,” Snowden said, in a Guardian video. He said he
had gone public because he could not “allow the US
government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and
basic liberties for people around the world with this
massive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.”
The Washington Post, the second newspaper to publish
leaked information, also revealed details from its
correspondence with Snowden, including his bleak
assessment of his future, once the information was out.
“I understand that I will be made to suffer for my
actions, and that the return of this information to the
public marks my end,” he wrote in early May, warning
The ambassador said the Kuwaiti officials have conveyed
to the embassy that the instructions regarding
arrests and deportations are very clear. There have been
media reports that many people - even with valid residencies
- were being harassed and ill-treated during the
course of the campaign. The authorities have assured
the embassy that they would look into such complaints
if they were brought to their notice with specific details,
he said.
The embassy has made certain proposals before the
authorities in order to find a solution to the issue. “We
have communicated to them that many of the domestic
workers are engaged in economically useful work in the
country. It will be better if many of them were given
some time to regularize their status instead of being
deported, which is humiliating,” the ambassador said.
Balram Kumar Upadhyay, Consular and Chief Welfare
Officer at the embassy, who was also present during the
press conference, said that embassy officials are regularly
visiting deportation and detentions centers. “The
authorities are providing all necessary amenities to the
detainees. A doctor is available there 24 hours. Their
only concern is that they have to go home at the earliest,”
he said. Regarding the concern over the destination
of the deportees, he said the embassy has arrived at
agreements with some travel agents to provide tickets
to people so that they can travel to their final points
from where they are deported. Deputy Chief of Mission
at the Indian Embassy Vidhu P Nair was also present
during the press conference.
Source of US intel leak outs himself
the Post reporter he was in danger too.
In naming Snowden on Sunday, the newspapers said
he had sought to be identified. “The NSA has built an
infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything,”
Snowden said in explaining his actions. “With this
capability, the vast majority of human communications
are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted
to see your emails or your wife’s phone, all I have to
do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords,
phone records, credit cards,” he said.
The Guardian said Snowden had been working at the
NSA for four years as a contractor for outside companies.
Snowden flew to Hong Kong on May 20 after copying
at the NSA’s office in Hawaii the documents he
intended to disclose, the Guardian said. The US
Consulate in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Security
bureau refused to comment on the case, but a senior
pro-Beijing lawmaker in Hong Kong told reporters
Snowden should probably leave the city. Hong Kong, a
special administrative region of China, is “obliged to
comply with the terms of agreements” with the US government,
Regina Ip said.
In a statement responding to Snowden’s decision to
go public on Sunday, Clapper said the matter had been
referred to the Department of Justice. “The intelligence
community is currently reviewing the damage that has
been done by these recent disclosures,” Clapper said.
The Justice Department confirmed that it was investigating
the matter. Under the PRISM program, revealed
by Snowden, the NSA can issue directives to Internet
firms like Google or Facebook demanding access to
emails, online chats, pictures, files, videos and more,
uploaded by foreign users. The service providers deny
they have given the government backdoor access to
customer data, insisting they did so only when compelled
by law. Clapper says the NSA applies to a secret
court for permission to target individuals or entities and
then issues a request to the service provider.
Snowden, who said he had left his girlfriend in
Hawaii without telling her where he was going, said he
knew the risk he was taking, but thought the publicity
his revelations had garnered in the past few days had
made it worth it. “My primary fear is that they will
come after my family, my friends, my partner. Anyone I
have a relationship with,” he said. “I will have to live
with that for the rest of my life. I am not going to be
able to communicate with them. They (the authorities)
will act aggressively against anyone who has known
me. That keeps me up at night.” In the video interview,
the bespectacled, lightly bearded Snowden looked
relaxed. He said he was ultimately hoping that Iceland,
which values internet freedom, might grant him asylum.
— Agencies
Kuwait to issue new banknotes
Continued from Page 1
Separately, India’s rupee slid to a record low against the
dollar yesterday as dealers moved into the US currency following
robust US jobs data and growing concern about the
South Asian nation’s struggling economy. The partially convertible
Indian currency ended the day at a new low of
58.15 to the dollar yesterday afternoon, sweeping past its
previous low of 57.32 rupees hit on June 28. “This is a
freefall,” Abhishek Goenka, chief executive of consultancy
firm India Forex Advisors, told AFP.
The rupee’s fall is the latest blow to the stuttering
growth story of Asia’s third largest economy, which has
been beset by sharply slower growth, worsening public
finances and political turmoil. A scramble by oil and other
importers to buy dollars to pay for imports in the US currency
also weakened the rupee, which depreciated seven
percent against the dollar in May alone. Analysts say that
while other emerging market currencies have been affected
by the dollar’s increasing strength, the rupee is particularly
hard hit due to the country’s troubled public finances
and string of corruption scandals.
The widening of India’s current account deficit - the
broadest trade measure - to almost five percent of gross
domestic product in the last financial year has also
weighed on the rupee. Foreign exchange traders reported
no signs the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was intervening in
the currency market to support the beleaguered rupee.
“Large-scale intervention from the RBI to buck the trend is
unlikely. They cannot stop the tide immediately,” said
Siddhartha Sanyal, chief India economist with Barclays
Capital.
Analysts say the central bank cannot intervene heavily
to buttress the currency as it must retain enough foreign
Continued from Page 1
In another development, the National Assembly
appears to be in semi-paralysis as it awaits a crucial ruling
by the constitutional court next Sunday which
could include dissolving the Assembly itself. Almost all
committees did not hold meetings, especially the financial
and economic affairs committee which could not
meet for the second day in a row for a lack of quorum.
Head of the panel MP Youssef Al-Zalzalah told reporters
the committee decided to meet next week “unless the
Assembly is dissolved”.
The only committee that held its meeting was the
foreign relations panel which discussed the controversial
Gulf security pact with representatives of the interior
ministry. Head of the committee MP Saleh Ashour
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Woman jailed 11 years for anti-Amir tweets
Continued from Page 1
Called iOS 7, the smartphone and tablet platform
redesigned by resident creative honcho Jonny Ive comes
with a new edge-to-edge look that uses translucency to
highlight underlying content, new typefaces, and new
icons. Apple plans to make iOS 7 available in the fall.
Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist Matt Murphy, who runs
the firm’s iFund, tweeted that the new iOS platform
“Looks livelier, happier, approachable.” It will also support
multitasking for all apps, executives said. “It’s the
biggest change to iOS since the iPhone,” said CEO Tim
Cook.
Apple also said that Siri, the voice-activated personal
digital assistant, comes with all new male and female
voices, a new look, and is now directly integrated with
Bing. Some industry experts have criticized Apple’s
mobile operating software, which has retained its general
look and feel since its inception, for looking somewhat
dated. Marketing chief Phil Schiller offered the audience
a sneak peek at Apple’s upcoming new Mac Pro - its topof-the-line
computer with a sleek cylindrical chassis that
he said will feature several times the processing and
memory speed and power of the previous generation. It
will be released later this year and be assembled in the
United States, Schiller said.
Apple’s stock has fallen 37 percent after touching a
high of $705 in September as competition in the key
smartphone market escalated. Some investors believe
the company that invented the iPhone is struggling to
reserves for imports. Right now, it only has sufficient
reserves for seven months of imports - the lowest cover in
13 years. The RBI has a policy of not commenting on movements
in the foreign exchange market and of intervening
only to curb volatility. New Delhi attempted to ease corporate
concerns, saying it will take measures to curb the
widening current account deficit as imports outpace
exports.
India’s chief economic adviser at the finance ministry,
Raghuram Rajan, said in televised remarks that “mediumterm”
steps will be taken to ease rupee volatility. The weaker
currency makes imports costlier, especially of foreign oil
on which India heavily relies, and will fuel already high
consumer inflation. “The dollar strengthening is hurting
the rupee,” said Naveen Mathur, commodities and currencies
associate director with Angel Broking, who added the
local currency was showing “continuous weakness”.
With the US economy improving, there is mounting
speculation that the US Federal Reserve could “reverse” its
monetary stimulus program sooner than expected, Mathur
said, prompting the exit of funds from emerging
economies in search of better US returns. Analysts believe
the rupee will fall further, with Goenka forecasting that the
currency will reach a 59-60 level against the greenback by
the end of 2013. They say the currency’s slide puts a question
mark over whether the central bank will cut interest
rates further at its June 17 meeting, since lower rates usually
translate into a weaker exchange rate. There have been
loud calls from business for an interest rate cut to spur the
economy, which has been growing at five percent - its
weakest pace in a decade. The RBI has already cut rates
three times in 2013 to boost growth. Shares closed virtually
flat at 19,441.07 points amid worries that the bank would
keep interest rates on hold. — Agencies
said it was decided to invite the foreign minister for a
meeting on June 23 to discuss the pact in detail. He
however added that it will be very difficult for the
Assembly to debate and pass the pact in the present
term.
The liberal National Democratic Alliance and Kuwait
Democratic Forum called in a joint statement on the
government to pull out of the Gulf security pact immediately
and withdraw it from the Assembly in order “to
preserve Kuwait’s identity and in respect of the constitution”.
The two groups reiterated their rejection of the
security agreement for fear of undermining the country’s
sovereignty directly or indirectly and in defense of
liberties against local or regional attempts to reduce
them, besides safeguarding the 1962 constitution from
any obligations or commitments under the Gulf pact.
Apple unveils radio service, revamps iOS
come up with original new products after cofounder and
former CEO Steve Jobs died in 2011. “Can’t innovate any
more, my ass,” Schiller said as he showed off the new
Mac Pro. “This is a machine unlike anything we’ve ever
made.” Apple also announced a new operating system
for the Mac PC called “Mavericks,” moving away from its
penchant for naming its computer software after big
cats. The new OS can handle multiple display and “tagging”
of documents, among other new features.
In an unusual move, Apple also shared the stage with
little-known startup Anki, which was given the opportunity
to show off a game. The conference, whose tickets
sold out in just over a minute when it opened up in
April, comes as South Korean rival Samsung Electronics
Co Ltd has solidified its lead in the smartphone market
with a 33 percent share followed by Apple with 18 percent
during the first quarter, according to market
research firm IDC. Cook is under pressure to show that
the company that created the smartphone and tablet
markets is not slowing down as deep-pocketed competitors
such as Samsung and Google Inc encroach on
its share.
Investor concerns center around whether Apple will
be able to come up with more groundbreaking products
as smartphone and tablet market gets more crowded. In
April, Apple reported its first quarterly profit decline in
over a decade. Cook told the audience of developers at
the Moscone Center in San Francisco that Apple’s App
Store now has 900,000 apps, which have been downloaded
a total of 50 billion times. — Reuters

Paraguay coach quits
ASUNCION: Paraguay coach Gerardo Pelusso has left his job with the team
virtually out of the running for the 2014 finals in Brazil, the Paraguayan
Football Association (APF) said yesterday. The APF has yet to name a
replacement for Uruguayan Pelusso, Paraguay’s second coach in the qualifying
campaign in which the team are bottom of the South American group
with eight points from 12 matches and a goal difference of minus 14. “(The
APF) informs that coach Gerrardo Pelusso has officially left
the APF as trainer of the Paraguay football team at a
meeting he held with the national teams director,” the
APF said in a statement. Paraguay, beaten 2-1 at home
by Chile on Friday in a match Pelusso had called “the last
train to Brazil”, have a bye on Tuesday, their next qualifier
coming against Bolivia in Asuncion on Sept. 6.
Mathematically, the 2010 quarter-finalists could sneak
into the Brazil tournament with four matches still to
play. Pelusso took charge last July after Francisco
Arce was sacked but he failed to improve a
team whose South Africa 2010 veterans were
past their best. He managed one win and one
draw in seven matches.—Reuters
DETROIT: Michael Bourn No. 24 of the Cleveland Indians beats the tag from shortstop
Ramon Santiago No. 39 of the Detroit Tigers to steal second base in the eighth
inning. —AFP
Tigers sweep Indians
DETROIT: Jose Alvarez pitched six impressive
innings in his Major League Baseball debut
and Don Kelly hit a tiebreaking, three-run
homer in the sixth to help the Detroit Tigers
finish a three-game sweep of the skidding
Cleveland Indians with a 4-1 victory Sunday.
Alvarez (1-0) was starting because of
Anibal Sanchez’s shoulder tightness, and he
held Cleveland hitless until Ryan Raburn’s
fifth-inning homer. The 24-year-old left-hander
allowed three hits and a walk and struck
out seven. Drew Smyly pitched two innings of
relief and Joaquin Benoit finished for his third
save. Cleveland has lost seven straight.
Justin Masterson (8-5) allowed four runs in
seven innings. He gave up a walk to Miguel
Cabrera and a single to Prince Fielder to start
the Detroit sixth. One out later, Kelly lifted a
drive over the wall in right. The first-place
Tigers lead Cleveland by 51/2 games in the
American League Central division.
RED SOX 10, ANGELS 5
In Boston, David Ortiz hit a three-run
homer and Jarrod Saltalamacchia connected
twice to power Boston past Los Angeles.
Saltalamacchia and Mike Carp went deep
on consecutive pitches from Joe Blanton (1-
10) in the sixth inning, moments after Ryan
Dempster (4-6) got his 2,000th career strikeout.
The Red Sox took two of three in the
series and have won six of eight.
Los Angeles entered the weekend having
won eight straight against the Red Sox after
going 6-0 last season, but dropped the final
two games after winning the opener of a daynight
doubleheader Saturday. Albert Pujols
and Alberto Callaspo each hit a solo homer
for the Angels. Dempster gave up three runs
in six innings. Ortiz has five homers and 14
RBIs in his last 10 games.
YANKEES 2, MARINERS 1
In Seattle, Chris Stewart hit a tiebreaking
single in the ninth inning and David Phelps
matched Felix Hernandez for six innings to
help New York beat Seattle.
Ichiro Suzuki drew a walk from Yoervis
Medina (1-2) to open the ninth and Jayson
Nix sacrificed. With two outs, Stewart
bounced a grounder through the left side
and Suzuki scored easily against his former
team to help the Yankees take three of four at
Safeco Field. Mariano Rivera allowed two hits
and a walk in the ninth but earned his 23rd
save in 24 opportunities, extending his career
record to 631. David Robertson (4-1) worked
out of an eighth-inning jam and Brett
Gardner had four hits and an RBI.
ORIOLES 10, RAYS 7
In St. Petersburg, JJ Hardy, Adam Jones,
Alexi Casilla and Nick Markakis had two RBIs
apiece as Baltimore battered eight-game winner
Matt Moore in beating Tampa Bay.
The Orioles, held to one run and six hits in
losing the first two games of the series, finished
with 16 hits in this one. Moore (8-2)
allowed career highs of nine runs and 12 hits
over five innings in his second consecutive
loss. In his previous start, the left-hander gave
up six runs over two-plus innings in a 10-1
loss at Detroit. Chris Tillman (6-2) yielded
three runs and four hits in six innings to
improve to 5-0 on the road. Jim Johnson got
his 21st save, handing the Rays their fourth
loss in 14 games.
RANGERS 6, BLUE JAYS 4
In Toronto, Adrian Beltre hit a tiebreaking
home run in the seventh inning as Texas rallied
from a four-run deficit to beat Toronto.
A day after the Blue Jays beat Texas in 18
innings, Beltre hit an opposite-field shot to
right off Neil Wagner for his 14th homer of
the season. That helped the Rangers avoid a
three-game sweep and their first four-game
losing streak of the season. Nelson Cruz and
David Murphy also homered for the Rangers,
while Neal Cotts (2-0) worked one inning for
the win. Joe Nathan escaped a ninth-inning
jam for his 19th save in 20 chances. Adam
Lind hit a three-run homer for the Blue Jays,
who had won three straight.
WHITE SOX 4, ATHLETICS 2
In Chicago, Alex Rios and Tyler Flowers
homered and Hector Santiago pitched into
the seventh inning as Chicago beat Oakland
to split their four-game series.
The White Sox appear to be waking up
after dropping 10 of 11 and falling into last
place in the AL Central division. They’ve won
two in a row behind strong starts from
Santiago (2-4) and John Danks.
Flowers tied it 1-all in the third after Coco
Crisp homered in the top half. The White Sox
grabbed a 3-1 lead in the fourth on a sacrifice
fly by Conor Gillaspie and an RBI double by
Gordon Beckham. Rios chased AJ Griffin (5-5)
with a solo homer in the eighth to make it 4-
2. Jesse Crain retired the side in the eighth,
giving him 24 straight scoreless innings and
25 appearances in a row without allowing a
run. Reed worked the ninth for his 19th save
in 20 chances.
ROYALS 2, ASTROS 0
In Kansas City, Alex Gordon and Eric
Hosmer each had a run-scoring single in the
eighth and Luis Mendoza pitched seven
innings of four-hit ball as Kansas City beat
Houston for its fifth straight win.
Aaron Crow (2-1) worked a scoreless
eighth to earn a victory that gave the Royals
their longest winning streak since taking seven
in a row form Sept. 10-17, 2011.
With one out in the eighth, Chris Getz singled
and stole second off reliever Hector
Amrbiz (1-3). Gordon, who was 1 for 18 on the
homestand, singled for the first run. Gordon
moved to third on center fielder Trevor
Crowe’s errant throw home and scored on
Hosmer’s single. Astros starter Lucas Harrell
held the Royals to two singles by Salvador
Perez in seven scoreless innings.—AP
ST. PETERSBURG: Outfielder Desmond Jennings No. 8 of the Tampa Bay Rays breaks
his bat against the Baltimore Orioles during the game at Tropicana Field. —AFP
SPORTS
FIA to hear Mercedes
LONDON: Mercedes and Formula One tyre supplier Pirelli will appear
before an international tribunal in Paris on June 20 to answer charges of
breaking the rules by testing in Spain last month, the sport’s governing
body said yesterday.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that
a notification of charges against both parties had been sent to the president
of the tribunal.
“Pirelli and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team have been convened by
the President of the International Tribunal to appear before a judging panel
of the International Tribunal,” it added.
The verdict will be published ‘as soon as possible’ after the hearing.
Mercedes, who finished third in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix with 2008
world champion Lewis Hamilton, risk stiff sanctions ranging from a fine to
points deduction or even exclusion if found guilty.
The rules bar teams from testing during the season with a current car.
Champions Red Bull and Ferrari, the sport’s most successful team, made
formal protests at last month’s Monaco Grand Prix when news of the test
leaked out.
Mercedes used their 2013 car at the ‘secret’ test in Barcelona, which
came just before Germany’s Nico Rosberg won in Monaco for the team,
but have said the move was approved by the governing body.—Reuters
LOS ANGELES: Dan Uggla had two homers and
four RBIs and Freddie Freeman drove in three
more runs with a double to help lead the Atlanta
Braves to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles
Dodgers on Sunday. Mike Minor (8-2) allowed a
run and six hits, struck out six and walked three
while helping the National League East division
leaders gain a split of the four-game series.
Atlanta’s rotation has yielded four runs in 37
1/3 innings spanning the team’s last six games.
Los Angeles rookie Matt Magill (0-2) was
charged with seven runs and four hits over 3 2/3
innings in his sixth MLB start, none of which the
Dodgers have won.
ROCKIES 8, PADRES 7
In Denver, Dexter Fowler’s single with two
outs in the 10th inning scored DJ LeMahieu from
third base as the Rockies rallied for a win over
the Padres. Fowler finished with four hits and
Troy Tulowitzki had two, including his 16th
home run. Rockies starter Juan Nicasio retired
his first 16 batters. Nick Hundley, Cameron
Maybin and Mark Kotsay homered for the
Padres, who missed an opportunity to take three
of four in the series after blowing a three-run
lead in the ninth. Rex Brothers (2-0) pitched the
10th for the win. Tyson Ross (0-3) took the loss.
MARLINS 8, METS 4
In New York, the Miami Marlins needed extras
to beat the New York Mets again, but only 10
innings instead of 20.
Derek Dietrich hit a tying home run in the
eighth and second baseman Daniel Murphy’s
10th-inning error allowed Logan Morrison to
score the go-ahead run in his first game in 11
months, boosting the Marlins to a victory.
Greg Dobbs added a sacrifice fly off Rob
Carson and Miguel Olivo followed with a tworun
homer in the four-run 10th, eliminating the
need for a repeat of Saturday’s 6-hour, 25minute
marathon, won by the Marlins 2-1.
Bobby Parnell (4-3) was the loser.
Chad Qualls (1-0) got his first win since last
July, striking out Justin Turner and Anthony
Recker with the potential winning run on base in
the ninth.
CUBS 4, PIRATES 1
In Chicago, Cody Ransom hit a tiebreaking,
three-run homer in the seventh inning and
Edwin Jackson pitched the Cubs to a victory
over the Pirates. Ransom connected off reliever
Justin Wilson (5-1) for his sixth home run of the
season. Darwin Barney and Julio Borbon were on
base after the Cubs were held hitless for 5 2/3
innings by Pirates starter Jeff Locke. Jackson (2-
8) had his best and longest outing of the season,
striking out eight in seven innings. He allowed
four hits and a walk as the Cubs salvaged the
finale of a three-game series.
GIANTS 6, DIAMONDBACKS 2
In Phoenix, Chad Gaudin pitched six strong
innings and Marco Scutaro and Brandon Belt
homered as the Giants beat the Diamondbacks.
Gaudin (2-1) had his second good start in
place of the injured Ryan Vogelsong, allowing
two runs on five hits in six innings. The Giants
right-hander, normally a long-relief specialist,
struck out seven and walked one intentionally.
Scutaro and Belt each had a solo shot off
Tyler Skaggs (1-1), who gave up five runs on
eight this in five innings. The Giants won two of
three in Arizona to move within 1 1/2 games of
the first-place Diamondbacks in the NL West
division.
BREWERS 9, PHILLIES 1
In Milwaukee, Carlos Gomez hit a two-run
homer, Scooter Gennett had a two-run triple
and Kyle Lohse pitched eight strong innings for
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Ramdin banned for 2 ODI’s
LONDON: West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has been banned for two
one-day internationals for “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”,
the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.
Ramdin was also fined 100 percent of his match fee after claiming a catch
off Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq in the West Indies’ two-wicket
victory in a Champions Trophy Group B match at The
Oval on Friday. Umpire Steve Davis initially gave
Misbah out caught behind. But, after consulting
with fellow umpire Nigel Llong, the decision was
reversed because the pair decided the keeper did
not have effective control of the ball after making
the catch.
Ramdin pleaded not guilty to the offence but
was sanctioned following a hearing on Monday for a
Level two breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.
“This is regarded as a serious offence as it is the
responsibility of all players to act in the spirit of the
game,” said former England batsman
Chris Broad, who adjudicated on the
matter for the Elite Panel of ICC Match
Referees. —Reuters
Braves thrash Dodgers
LOS ANGELES: Mark Ellis No. 14 of the Los Angeles Dodgers attempts a throw in front of Nick
Punto No. 7 off a groundball by Andrelton Simmons No. 19 of the Atlanta Braves during the
sixth inning. —AFP
his first win in eight starts to help the Brewers
beat Philadelphia to take the final three games
of the four-game series.
Gennett’s triple highlighted a four-run second
inning, and Gomez’s homer in the sixth off
starter Jonathan Pettibone (3-2) was plenty of
insurance for Lohse’s first victory since beating
San Diego on April 22. Lohse (2-6) struck out six
and gave up four hits, his only hiccup being
Humberto Quintero’s first home run of the season.
CARDINALS 11, REDS 4
In Cincinnati, Matt Holliday’s grand slam
capped a seven-run 10th inning to help the
Cardinals beat the Reds. JJ Hoover (0-5) walked
Allen Craig to lead off the 10th. One out later,
David Freese singled Craig to second, extending
his career-best hitting streak to 19 games, tied
with San Francisco’s Marco Scutaro for the
longest in the National League this season.
Daniel Descalso followed with his RBI double
off the left field wall. Matt Carpenter added two
insurance runs with a bases-loaded single before
Holliday hit his homer, his 10th of the season.
Trevor Rosenthal (1-0) had four strikeouts in two
American League
Eastern Division
W L PCT GB
Boston 39 25 .609 -
NY Yankees 37 26 .587 1.5
Baltimore 35 28 .556 3.5
Tampa Bay 34 28 .548 4
Toronto 27 35 .435 11
Central Division
Detroit 35 26 .574 -
Cleveland 30 32 .484 5.5
Kansas City 28 32 .467 6.5
Minnesota 27 33 .450 7.5
Chicago White Sox 27 34 .443 8
Western Division
Texas 37 25 .597 -
Oakland 38 27 .585 0.5
LA Angels 27 36 .429 10.5
Seattle 27 37 .422 11
Houston 22 42 .344 16
perfect innings to get the win.
MLB results/standings
INTERLEAGUE
NATIONALS 5, TWINS 4
In Washington, Ian Desmond doubled home
the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as
Washington rallied past Minnesota to sweep a
day-night doubleheader.
Desmond’s drive completed a comeback
from a three-run deficit - making it the Nationals’
biggest come-from-behind victory of the season
- and pulled Washington back to .500.
Jordan Zimmermann dominated the first
game, allowing two hits over seven innings. In
the nightcap, Adam LaRoche doubled off reliever
Anthony Swarzak (1-2) ahead of Desmond,
who then extended his hitting streak to a careerhigh
12 games. Tyler Clippard (5-1) pitched the
seventh to get the win, Drew Storen handled the
eighth and Rafael Soriano the ninth for his 16th
save. In the opener, Zimmermann (9-3) struck
out eight with a season-high 111 pitches while
dropping his ERA to 2.00. He is tied for most
wins in the majors. The Nationals scored a pair in
the fourth and had a five-run fifth to chase
starter Scott Diamond (4-5).—AP
Texas 6, Toronto 4; Detroit 4, Cleveland 1; Miami 8, NY Mets 4 (10 innings); Boston 10, La Angels 5;
Washington 7, Minnesota 0; Baltimore 10, Tampa Bay 7; Chicago White Sox 4, Oakland 2; Kansas City 2,
Houston 0; Milwaukee 9, Philadelphia 1; Chicago Cubs 4, Pittsburgh 1; NY Yankees 2, Seattle 1; Colorado 8,
San Diego 7 (10 innings); San Francisco 6, Arizona 2; Atlanta 8, LA Dodgers 1.
National League
Eastern Division
Atlanta 39 24 .619 -
Washington 31 31 .500 7.5
Philadelphia 31 33 .484 8.5
NY Mets 23 35 .397 13.5
Miami 18 44 .290 20.5
Central Division
St. Louis 41 22 .651 -
Cincinnati 37 26 .587 4
Pittsburgh 37 26 .587 4
Chicago Cubs 25 35 .417 14.5
Milwaukee 25 37 .403 15.5
Western Division
Arizona 35 28 .556 -
San Francisco 33 29 .532 1.5
Colorado 34 30 .531 1.5
San Diego 29 34 .460 6
LA Dodgers 27 35 .435 7.5
Six Gulf Bank employees return
from UEFA Champions League final
KUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced the return of six employees
who were nominated to attend the UEFA Champions
League Final match between Bayern Munich and
Borussia Dortmund, which took place in Wembley
Stadium, London on 25 May 2013.
The Bank’s employees who travelled to attend the
UEFA Champions League Final were nominated by their
department heads for their outstanding performance.
The trip was fully sponsored by the bank in appreciation
of the hard work the nominees have put in to achieve
outstanding results for the bank despite the challenging
targets.
The Bank continuously seeks to reward its outstanding
employees to encourage further excellence. As a
leading bank in Kuwait, Gulf Bank’s philosophy for talent
development advocates meritocracy and recognizing talent
in firm belief that the Bank’s biggest asset is it’s people.
The UEFA Champions League is the world’s most
anticipated sporting event and Gulf Bank was keen to
recognize and treat employees of outstanding performances
to a fully paid package to watch the final UEFA
Champions League final match.

David Frost
PARIS: Right now, French Open champions
Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are
as good as it gets in tennis. The next
time we see them competing, at
Wimbledon in two weeks, Nadal will be
merely a serious contender, while
Williams will be the unquestioned
favorite.
Both have a won-loss record of 43-2
in 2013. Nadal has won 22 matches in a
row. Williams has won 31 straight, the
longest single-season run on the
women’s tour in 13 years.
Nadal’s Grand Slam title total now
stands at 12, tied with Roy Emerson for
the third-most in the history of the men’s
game, behind only Roger Federer’s 17
and Pete Sampras’ 14.
Williams is up to 16 major singles trophies,
sixth-best among women, with
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova right
above her on the list at 18.
Now comes the shift from the clay of
Roland Garros to the grass of
Wimbledon, and that is where the similarities
end. Williams is a five-time champion
at the All England Club, including a
year ago, and the way she’s playing at
London Olympic Park to
stage British title fight
LONDON: London’s Olympic Park will host
top-level professional boxing bouts from
September, boosting efforts to ensure that
Games venues remain a lasting part of the
British sporting scene.
Boxing promoter Frank Warren has
signed an agreement to stage six fights in
the 7,000-seater Copper Box Arena which
was used for handball and modern pentathlon
fencing during last year’s Games.
British middleweight champion Billy Joe
Saunders will meet challenger John Ryder
on Sept. 21 in the first of the fights planned
for the venue.
Britain spent around nine billion pounds
($14 billion) of public money to put on the
Games. Politicians and sports administrators
are keen to show that the money was a
sound investment that will prove of lasting
benefit. “The Copper Box is what all the
investment in the Olympics was about —
legacy and giving London a fantastic arena,”
Warren said yesterday.
Proceeds from putting on the fights will
be used to subsidise other sports such as
swimming in the Olympic pool, officials
from the London Legacy Development
Corporation said.
The Park, currently closed for conversion
work, will host a series of rock concerts this
year. Sprint champion Usain Bolt is scheduled
to appear in a Diamond League athletics
meeting in a sold-out Olympic Stadium
at the end of July, one year on from the
Games.
Longer-term, the Olympic Stadium will
stage World Cup rugby matches in 2015
before becoming the home of Premier
League soccer club West Ham United the
following year.—Reuters
McLaren endure a
weekend to forget
MONTREAL: The Canadian Grand Prix has
been a happy hunting ground for McLaren
but Sunday’s race marked a low for the
British Formula One team. At the same
Montreal street circuit where McLaren had
produced four of the last five winners,
there was only disappointment.
For the first time in 65 races, a span dating
back to November 2009, the onceinvincible
team failed to claim a single
point after both drivers finished outside
the top 10. “It was a weekend that I think
we will try and quickly forget,” said McLaren
team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
“Qualifying was poor and then in the race,
looking back at it with the data we’ve got,
we made mistakes. We weren’t quick
enough, that’s the starting point. But I
think we should have been able to get into
the points.” The surprise was not so much
the team missed out on the points in an
already difficult season for them, but the
manner in which they did. Neither car was
involved in a crash as both finished, just
way behind. Mexican Sergio Perez finished
11th and 2009 champion Jenson Button
was 12th, both a lap down on Red Bull’s
race winner Sebastian Vettel. Even in quali-
the moment, there is little reason to
anticipate anyone beating her there this
time. Nadal, despite his recent form, is
only one of a group of men who can
think of themselves as possible champions,
along with No. 1-ranked Novak
Djokovic, No. 2 Andy Murrray and No. 3
Federer.
“The objective now is to celebrate
tonight,” Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and
coach, said Sunday, when his nephew
won his eighth French Open championship
by easily beating David Ferrer 6-
3, 6-2, 6-3 in the final, two days after outlasting
Djokovic 9-7 in the fifth set of a
wonderful semifinal, “and then we will
see if he plays well at Wimbledon.”
Even the Nadals acknowledge that
Rafa is not quite as superb on grass as he
is on clay. How could he be? He is 59-1 in
the French Open, with four titles in a row
from 2005-08 and another four in a row
from 2010-13, and the only man to claim
eight titles at the same major tournament.
That said, he’s done well at
Wimbledon, winning it in 2008 and
2010, and losing in the final to Federer in
2006-07 and to Djokovic in 2011.
fying, the team were unusually slow, failing
to advance to the last session for the 10
fastest cars. “We’ve won the last three here.
This weekend nothing’s really gone right,”
said Whitmarsh. “The car isn’t quick enough
but we could have done a better job than
we’ve done.
“Both drivers are driving well, but we’re
not giving them quite the car that they
need to go out and get the job done.”
To try and save time after the disappointment
of qualifying, Button gambled
on a one-stop pit strategy but the
Englishman said it made no difference
because the car was just not up to speed.
The Briton hoped the car would be better
for his home race, the next up at
Silverstone, but conceded that there were
unlikely to be any quick fixes.
“We got lapped today and easily. So
(there’s) a lot of work to do and it’s very
difficult to know where to look,” he said.
“It’s a big gap. We do have some things
for Silverstone which are positive. We
tried them here and they didn’t work for
this type of circuit. But they should help
us set the car up a bit easier in
Silverstone.”—Reuters
SPORTS
Will Nadal, Serena be unbeatable at Wimbledon?
Frost bags first major title
BIRMINGHAM: South African David Frost
clinched his first major title on the over-50s
Champions Tour with a one-shot victory at
the Regions Tradition in Birmingham,
Alabama on Sunday.
A stroke in front going into a weatherdisrupted
final round at Shoal Creek, the
53-year-old closed with a four-under-par 68
to hold off American playing partner Fred
Couples, who also carded a 68.
Frost, who began the season with five
consecutive top-10 finishes on the
Champions Tour, including a win at the
Toshiba Classic, birdied three of the last
eight holes to post a 16-under total of 272.
Play was suspended for just over an hour
due to the threat of lightning with the leaders
having completed 15 holes. After
resuming, both Frost and Couples birdied
the 16th before finishing par-par.
United States Presidents Cup captain
Couples briefly caught Frost in a tie for the
lead after seven holes but had to settle for
second place after the South African pulled
away with three birdies in five holes around
the turn.
American John Cook signed off with a
66 to share third place at 13 under with
Mexican Esteban Toledo (67), with
Germany’s Bernhard Langer a further three
shots back in a tie for 10th after firing a blistering,
best-of-the-week 63.—Reuters
A year ago, though, Nadal fell in the
second round against Lukas Rosol, who
was ranked 100th at the time. That
would be the last match Nadal played
for about seven months because of a
painful left knee, an absence that saw
him skip the London Olympics, the U.S.
Open and the Australian Open and is the
reason he’s ranked No. 5 this week.
“Some weeks I didn’t feel well, but the
last couple of weeks I start to feel ... better,”
Nadal said Sunday. “I am still going
week by week, day by day.”
He usually likes to prepare for
Wimbledon by playing in a grass-court
tournament during the week right after
the French Open. But this time, Nadal
withdrew from the field in Halle,
Germany, and opted for rest, instead.
“That’s not the ideal situation before
a Grand Slam like Wimbledon that is on
grass,” Nadal said. “The conditions are
very different.”
What he will do is head to the practice
court, to keep on getting better, just
as he’s done for years. His serve used to
be a real weakness, for example, so
Nadal and Uncle Toni studied ways to
NEW YORK: Park Inbee of South
Korea won the LPGA Championship
in a marathon Sunday finish, winning
a three-hole sudden death
playoff over Briton Catriona
Matthew with a birdie on her 39th
hole of play. It was the 24-year-old
Park’s second major title of the season
following her triumph in the
Kraft Nabisco Championship and
underlined her status as the
women’s world number one.
“It was one of the toughest days
out there,” Park said after sinking an
18-foot birdie putt at the par-four
18th at Locust Hill outside
Rochester, New York, to defeat
Matthew after they both parred the
first two holes of sudden death. “I’m
so tired.”
The entire third and fourth
rounds were played on Sunday
after Thursday’s opening round was
wiped out by heavy rains and lightning.
Tied for third place on fourunder-par
284 were American
Morgan Pressel, who shot a finalround
75, and Norway’s Suzann
Pettersen, who fired a seven-under
65 in the final round, the best score
of the tournament.
Park took a one-shot lead over
36-hole leader Pressel into the final
round and led by as many as three
strokes before losing her way off
the tee en route to a 75.
Matthew, 43, made up seven
shots on Park in the final round,
posting a bogey-free, four-under 68
to take a five-under-par total into
the clubhouse and force a playoff
after the Korean made three
bogeys over the last five holes to tie
her on 283.
“I didn’t hit many fairways out
there and I was scrambling really
speed it up and add variety.
At first, he found grass to be problematic,
but his accomplishments at
Wimbledon are ample proof that he figured
out a way to overcome that, too.
“You can improve always, in every way,”
Nadal said. “And in tennis, for sure, you
can keep improving.”
Williams expressed a similar sentiment
after her 6-4, 6-4 victory over
defending champion Maria Sharapova in
the women’s final Saturday in Paris.
Unlike Nadal, she’s had her issues
with red clay: After winning the French
Open in 2002, it took Williams 11 years
to get her hands on a second trophy.
And unlike Nadal, she’s excelled more on
other surfaces, with those five
Wimbledon championships, plus five on
hard courts at the Australian Open, and
four on hard courts at the US Open.
Tough as her serve was to handle at
the French Open these last two weeks -
she hit 10 aces against Sharapova, for
example, including three in the last
game - it should only be more effective
on grass, where balls skid instead of
clay’s higher bounces.
well out there,” said Park. “I think I
was actually really lucky to get in
the playoff.
“The amount of fairways I was
missing it’s almost a miracle that I
won today. I think I got a little lucky
there, too. And I really tried to fight
and tried not to give up. That really
paid off.”
In contrast to the final round, in
which Matthew played impeccably
and Park struggled finding the fairways,
the Korean had the steadier
hand in the playoff.
Park, who missed eight fairways
in the final round and struggled out
of the deep rough, regained her
swing off the tee in sudden-death.
On the decisive playoff hole,
Park split the fairway, while
Matthew landed in the rough
behind a large tree right of the fairway.
After the Korean put her
approach safely on the green, the
Scot punched out through the fairway
and into rough short of the
green. Her next shot also failed to
reach the putting surface and then
she chipped up weakly below the
hole.
“When I started the last round I
After her own stunning early exit at a
Grand Slam tournament last year - at
Roland Garros, in the first round, to a
woman ranked 111th - Williams immediately
went about fixing things. She stuck
around Paris to practice for Wimbledon
at coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s tennis
academy and has gone 74-3 since, winning
three of the last four major titles,
plus gold at the Olympics.
“It really was a shock for her. She really
worked on rebuilding herself to
become perhaps stronger than ever,”
Mouratoglou said.
And Williams insists that she is willing
to find new areas to work on, which
might not be comforting to other
women hoping to knock her from No. 1.
“The day I feel that I cannot improve,
it’s going to be a problem for me. I’m
going to have to really debate whether I
should keep playing,” said Williams, who
almost always skips Wimbledon tuneup
tournaments. “But I feel like, as of now, I
can do a lot of things better. I can be
better. I feel like I can be more fit. There’s
still a level of improvement that I can
reach.”—AP
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Park clinches playoff to
win LPGA Championship
PITTSFORD: Inbee Park of South Korea kisses the trophy after winning the Wegmans LPGA Championship
at Locust Hill Country Club. —AFP
MEMPHIS: Harris English overcame a
shaky start, then took advantage of a
late collapse by fellow American Scott
Stallings to clinch his maiden PGA Tour
title with a two-shot victory at the St
Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee on
Sunday.
The 23-year-old English birdied two
of the last three holes at the TPC
Southwind to close with a one-underpar
69, ending a roller-coaster final
round where he and Stallings had
duelled back and forth for the lead.
Stallings and four-times major champion
Phil Mickelson tied for second, two
strokes back. A curling 17-foot birdie
putt at the 17th put English two strokes
clear and he safely parred the tricky
final hole to post a 12-under total of 268
in the final PGA Tour event before next
week’s U.S. Open.
“I was feeling very good with my ballstriking
all week,” a beaming English
told CBS Sports greenside after twoputting
for par on the 18th green, then
pumping his right fist in delight.
“I just had to get those putts to fall. I
kept it together, had bad bogeys on
eight and nine, but stuck with it and
made some good birdies coming in.”
Stallings had been two ahead when
he hit his wedge approach into water at
the 15th en route to a damaging double-bogey
six and had to settle for a
share of second place after bogeying
the 18th for a 68. Level with Stallings at
10 under was Mickelson, who thrilled
the crowd when he nearly holed out his
approach at the par-four last for a tap-in
birdie and a 67.
“I hit some good wedges coming in
and I thought that one on 18 might
even go (in),” Mickelson said after a fivebirdie
display on Sunday. “I hit a lot of
good iron shots.”
English, whose previous best finish
on the PGA Tour was a tie for fifth at last
probably didn’t realize I could win,”
said Matthew, winner of the 2009
Women’s British Open. “So to play
well and get into the playoffs was
obviously pretty good.
“She’s not the kind of player
you’d expect to fall back.” After Park
rolled in her birdie putt for her third
career major and fourth victory of
the year, she was doused with
water by compatriot Chella Choi,
who finished at three-under 285
and joined the celebration as Park
extended a streak of nine successive
women’s majors won by Asianborn
players.—Reuters
English triumphs in Memphis
MEMPHIS: Harris English holds the winner’s trophy
after winning the FedEx St. Jude Classic at the TPC
Southwind. —AFP
year’s Crowne Plaza Invitational, mixed
six birdies with five bogeys as the
leaderboard fluctuated wildly in the
final round.
PGA Tour rookie Shawn Stefani
began the day with a one-stroke advantage
but bogeyed the opening hole and
he never recovered on the way to a closing
76 and a tie for seventh at six under.
Though English faltered at the parfour
second where he missed the green
with his approach, he immediately
rebounded with birdies at the third and
fourth to edge a stroke front.
However, he then slid backwards
with bogeys at the fifth, eighth and
ninth to hand Stallings a two-stroke
advantage.
Stallings had charged up the leaderboard
with four birdies on the front
nine, a 25-footer at the ninth giving him
the outright lead for the first time.
English briefly cut the lead to one
after making birdies at the 10th and
11th before surprisingly stumbling with
a three-putt bogey at the par-four 13th.
Stallings appeared to be in cruise
control as he started the back nine with
five consecutive pars but stunningly
double-bogeyed the 15th after hitting
his second shot into water to drop back
into a tie with English. Stallings
bounced back with a birdie at the parfive
16th, getting up and down from a
greenside bunker, to regain a onestroke
cushion before being caught in a
tie at the top.
English, playing in the group behind,
also birdied the 16th after reaching the
green in two and two-putting to join
Stallings at 11 under. Stallings then
bogeyed the last after missing the
green to the right with his approach
and hitting his chip shot fat for his ball
to get no further than the fringe. Now
one ahead, English effectively secured
the title with his birdie at 17.—Reuters

Bravo: Bring on India
LONDON: West Indies captain Dwayne
Bravo is confident of containing India’s
batting firepower when the two sides
meet in a key Champions Trophy match
at the Oval today.
The winner is almost certain to take
one of the two semi-final berths from
group B after both teams won their
opening games, albeit in contrasting
fashion. India, the reigning World Cup
champions, brushed aside injury-hit
South Africa by 26 runs in Cardiff after
an impressive batting display saw them
post a commanding 331-7.
The West Indies shot Pakistan out for
170 at the Oval on Friday, but then
showed their vulnerability while batting
as they lost eight wickets while chasing
the modest target.
All-rounder Bravo, who replaced
Darren Sammy as one-day captain
ahead of the tournament, said the close
result did not worry him as his side prepared
to face the in-form Indians.
“We came out on top and that’s more
important,” said Bravo. “It does not matter
if you lose eight or nine wickets, we
got the two points that we wanted.”
Bravo, whose side beat Sri Lanka by
17 runs in a practice match in
Edgbaston last week, said winning two
games in a row was the right moralebooster
ahead of tougher encounters.
Bravo, who plays for Indian captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super
Kings in the Indian Premier League, said
the West Indies had the resources to
take the world champions in their stride.
“It’s another tough game against a
team whose strength lies is their batting,”
he said. “But we have the right
bowlers to control their batting.
“Cricket is played on the day. India
could turn up on Tuesday and be
knocked over, or score a big total again
as they normally do. “I have the right
attack if I want to go with someone with
raw pace. I have the reserve bench that
is strong enough to actually come up
with the 11 that I think will do well
against the Indians.”
Bravo said the opening win against
Pakistan added to the joy of captaining
the West Indies. “It is a great personal
achievement for me,” he said. “But it is
not all about me as a captain. It’s how
we all come together and try to make
the best decision for the team.
“The West Indies normally do not
start well in tournaments like this, so it
was important that we get our first win
out of the way and look forward to the
rest of the games ahead.”
India, who have won eight of their
last 11 one-dayers against the West
Indies over the past three years, will look
to continue their fine batting form over
the past week.
They chased down Sri Lanka’s massive
333-5 with an over to spare in a
warm-up game in Birmingham, with
Dinesh Karthik making an unbeaten 106
and Virat Kohli slamming 144.
India then rode on opener Shikhar
Dhawan’s 114 off 94 balls to pile up
another 300-plus total against a depleted
South African attack missing injured
strike bowler Dale Steyn.
But the bowlers will have to deliver
against a line-up that has match-winning
batsmen like Chris Gayle, Marlon
Samuels and Kieron Pollard.—AFP
Rajasthan Royals’
Kundra suspended
NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for
Cricket in India has suspended Rajasthan
Royals co-owner Raj Kundra for betting on
Indian Premier League games.
“Raj Kundra has been suspended pending
enquiry from participation in cricket
activities under the aegis of BCCI,” the
board said yesterday after an emergency
meeting in which other aspects of an ongoing
spot-fixing scandal were also discussed.
The decision came after Delhi Police,
which is investigating spot-fixing allegations
during the IPL, claimed Kundra conceded
that he gambled on IPL games during
questioning last week.
According to IPL rules, a team official
can be suspended if he brings the tournament
into disrepute. Kundra said he was
being “made a scapegoat” and put under
trial by the media based on unproven
claims. “I am shocked and upset at the unilateral
decision taken today by the BCCI
and will fight the grounds of suspension,”
Kundra said in a statement. “All sorts of
accusations were made against me without
proof, by people in powerful positions.”
Kundra is the second team official to be
suspended after Chennai Super Kings team
principal Gurunath Meiyappan, who is the
son-in-law of BCCI President Narainswamy
Srinivasan.
Srinivasan, who is also the managing
director of the India Cements company that
owns the Chennai franchise, was forced to
step aside pending the probe into
Meiyappan, who was granted bail last
week. Former ICC and BCCI chief Jagmohan
Dalmiya is the interim president of the
BCCI. Though Kundra was never arrested,
his name came up in the scandal after a
long-winding chain that started with the
arrest of three Rajasthan Royals cricketers -
Preview
SPORTS
Photo of the day
Kotaro Tokuda performs during Wanna Panna at Marina Crescent, Kuwait City. www.redbullcontentpool.com
MEIRINGEN: Swiss rider Mathias
Frank claimed the overall
leader’s yellow jersey as
Slovakian Peter Sagan took stage
three honors at the Tour of
Switzerland yesterday.
The pair were part of a fourman
breakaway who moved
clear of a larger 12-man group
on the final descent into
Meiringen after a 203.3km run
from Montreux. Cannondale’s
Sagan proved too strong for his
breakaway companions in the
sprint for the line, finishing
ahead of last year’s overall winner
Rui Da Costa of Portugal and
Czech Roman Kreuziger, with
Frank fourth.
An elite group formed on the
final category one Hasliberg
climb as American Tejay van
Garderen pushed the pace for
his BMC teammate Frank.
That burst decimated the
peloton until around a dozen riders
were left but the next split
happened on the descent when
Italy’s 2011 Giro d’Italia winner
Michele Scarponi crashed into a
grass verge, holding up those
behind him.
Da Costa made an immediate
dash to join the three ahead of
him, but no-one else could
bridge the gap and the stage
win came down to the front
four.
With three of that group eyeing
overall victory more than a
stage success, Sagan was never
in any danger of being challenge
and he won the sprint at a
canter. It was the 23-year-old’s
50th UCI win and seventh stage
Peter Sagan
victory in this event although it
left him a little surprised.
“Honestly I’m surprised to be
able to take this win,” he said.
“In the morning meeting we
thought that this finale was too
hard to try a move. The stage
looked good when I stayed with
the leaders on the final climb.
“On the descent, the group
got smaller and with the other
three riders I pushed to go to
the finish. “The final sprint
wasn’t so easy. I knew I was the
faster rider of the group but my
legs felt tired due to the last
climb. I preferred a two-up sprint
with Rui Costa to not run any
risks.” Sagan said that he was
heartened that his form was
starting to improve with the Tour
de France beginning at the end
of the month. “I’m really happy
for this win and to have found
the first positive sign of my form.
“Every day is a useful test to
prepare for the Tour de France.
There is only one target: be at the
top to fight for the green jersey. If
I find other chances here I’ll be
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Frank takes yellow
as Sagan wins stage
ready, but for me it’s important
to see my form improving.”
Previous leader Cameron
Meyer of Australia was distanced
on the final climb and finished
1min 47sec down, not only losing
the yellow jersey but dropping
out of the top 10 overall.
Kreuziger moved up to second
overall at 25sec with Da Costa
third a further 10sec back. It was
a terrible day for another GC contender
as 2012 Giro d’Italia winner
Ryder Hesjedal of Canada
crashed out of the race.—AFP
Blackhawks, Bruins offer intriguing finals matchup
CHICAGO: Two NHL franchises, rich
in history, talent and star power.
Two winning teams that know what
it takes to bring home a title.
Intrigue in the form of a schedule
that kept them away from each other
for an entire season.
Oh, there’s plenty to love about
these Stanley Cup finals. The series
kicks off tomorrow when the
Chicago Blackhawks host the
Boston Bruins in the first finals
matchup of “Original Six” teams that
made up the league from 1942-
1967 since Montreal beat the New
York Rangers way back in 1979.
The mighty Blackhawks, winners
of seven of the last eight games,
have a deep roster that really found
its identity when pushed to the limit
by the Detroit Red Wings in the second
round of the playoffs. Then
there are the playoff-tested Bruins,
who rolled over favored Pittsburgh
during an impressive sweep that
gave them a chance for a second
NHL title in three seasons.
The matchup couldn’t be more
perfect for a league still trying to
recover from a bitter lockout that
wiped out 510 games and pushed
the start of the season back to Jan.
19.
“The tradition of the Bruins and
the Hawks is special,” Blackhawks
coach Joel Quenneville said. “I’m
sure, you know, the rivalry could
return instantly come Game 1. I
think it’s good for the league. It’s
Rajasthan Royals IPL cricket team co-owner
and British based entrepreneur Raj Kundra.
test player Shantakumaran Sreesanth,
Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila - for
allegedly conceding more than a minimum
number of runs agreed upon in exchange
for money from illegal bookmakers.
However, all three players were granted
bail by a Delhi court yesterday. The three
had been arrested from Mumbai on May 16
and initially faced charges of cheating,
criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of
trust.
They were later also booked under the
stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized
Crime Act for allegedly being part of an
underworld syndicate, but the court rejected
the police’s plea and said there is not
enough evidence to book them under the
act. Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj
Kumar said the police was yet to study the
court order. “We’ll examine the order and
consult legal experts before deciding on
the future course of action,” he was quoted
as saying by the Press Trust of India.
Another Rajasthan player, Sidharth
Trivedi, has also been questioned by
police.—AP
good for hockey. Two great hockey
markets. We’re very excited to be a
part of it.”
Chicago advanced with a 4-3
double-overtime victory over Los
Angeles on Saturday, using a hat
trick from Patrick Kane to eliminate
the defending champion Kings in
five games in the Western
Conference finals. Back in the
Stanley Cup series for the first time
since 2010, the Blackhawks are in
search of another title to pair with
their six-game victory over the
Philadelphia Flyers three years ago.
“Everyone has that drive to win
the Cup,” Chicago forward Andrew
Shaw said. “It’s going to be a long
road ahead here. It’s surreal. I’ve
wanted this since I was a kid. I’m
excited to get started.”
Boston is rolling again after losing
its spot atop the NHL’s Northeast
Division in the final days of the reg-
CHICAGO: The Chicago Blackhawks pose for a team photo with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in this file photo. —AFP
ular season. The Bruins have won
five in a row and nine of 10, boosted
by a familiar group of stars who led
the way when they won the championship
in 2011. David Krejci
scored four times in the Pittsburgh
sweep and leads Boston with nine
goals and 12 assists in the playoffs.
“The excitement is there,” Bruins
coach Claude Julien said Sunday.
“You’ve heard people say, ‘Once
you’ve been there, you want to go
back.’ It’s true, we really want to go
back; we made it happen. We’re
excited about it and we also know
what kind of challenge lies ahead
for us. It’s about acknowledging
that and being ready for it.”
While Boston and Chicago have
kept an eye on each other for a
while now, there’s no way for either
team to know what to expect at the
start of the series. That’s because
the lockout-shortened schedule
included no games between teams
from opposing conferences.
That’s right, the Bruins and
Blackhawks haven’t played since
Oct. 15, 2011, when Boston won 3-2
in a shootout in Chicago. There are
no mutual opponents this year, not
even an All-Star game to compare
the players from each conference.
“I think all the information is out
there for both teams to understand
how we both play,” Julien said.
“There’s no secrets there. Again, like
I said, it’s only the head to head,
how the two teams are kind of
going to clash, what’s going to happen
when we do. It’s as simple as
that. “It’s about having confidence
in what you plan on doing and
going out there and executing it,
that’s all you can do.”
The Bruins were on the brink of
elimination when they trailed
Toronto 4-1 with less than 11 minutes
left in the third period of Game
7 in the first round of the playoffs.
But they managed to beat the
Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime.
The Blackhawks had their own
great escape in the second round,
coming back from a 3-1 deficit to
eliminate the rival Red Wings in seven
games. The comeback included a
three-goal flurry in Game 6 that
erased a 2-1 deficit heading into the
final period.
The twin comebacks for Boston
and Chicago increase the potential
for a compelling series for the title.
Now mix in a couple of the NHL’s
best all-around forwards in Patrice
Bergeron of the Bruins and
Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks,
plus a slew of talented players on
each side, and there are convincing
arguments to be made for either
team to win the Stanley Cup. “Here
we are again,” Toews said. “We got a
great chance to go back to where
we want to be. We know there’s
going to be some more tough
moments that we’ll have to battle
through. We’re confident we can do
that as a team.”—AP

PORTO ALEGRE: Brazil’s defender Fernando Martins (left) vies with France’s forward
Bafetimbi Gomis during the friendly football match at the Arena Gremio
Stadium.—AFP
Brazil defeat France 3-0
PORTO ALEGRE: Brazil scrapped their way
to a flattering 3-0 friendly win over France
on Sunday in an ugly, disjointed match
against opponents who are even worse off
than themselves.
Second-half goals from Oscar, Hernanes
and Lucas gave the under-fire
Confederations Cup hosts a timely pretournament
tonic in the city where coach
Luiz Felipe Scolari built his reputation.
Brazil, who ended a six-match, 21-year
winless run against France, had gone into
the game under enormous pressure after
only one win in six outings since Scolari
returned for a second stint in the job last
November.
While the result, if not the performance,
will give Brazil some relief, France were left
to face the long flight back from their brief
South American tour reflecting on their
fourth defeat in five matches this year and
their fifth in 11 outings under Didier
Deschamps.
Having rested Bayern Munich’s Franck
Ribery, the toothless French, beaten 1-0 by
Uruguay on Wednesday, barely tested Julio
Cesar as they completed their trip without
scoring.
“We didn’t have the head nor the legs,”
Deschamps told TF1 television. “We played
well for 20 minutes against Uruguay and
for a short period against Brazil. Even in
adversity, against superior teams, we
should be able to do better.”
Brazil’s win placated a restless 51,000
crowd at the Arena Gremio, which is not
among the 2014 World Cup stadiums, after
they had jeered forwards Neymar and Hulk
during the game.
But, with only Oscar showing any real
invention and Neymar once again struggling
against a European defence, it was
still a far from memorable display
“The team is still being put together,”
Scolari, fondly remembered at Gremio
where he won several trophies during the
mid-1990s, told reporters. “We are working
to have a competitive team that will win
matches.”
The teams belied their reputations as
two of international soccer’s most graceful
exponents, instead setting out to concentrate
on nullifying each other, producing a
soporific and undignified first half. Brazil
often had four players - two central defenders
plus two defensive midfielders - behind
the halfway line even when they were
attacking, severely limiting their creative
options.
The 2014 World Cup hosts’ chances
mainly came from crosses into the area,
which the French defence dealt with comfortably,
and the occasional long-range
shot which invariably went high and wide.
France occasionally looked threatening
when they came forward, yet never really
tested Julio Cesar. Brazil defender David
Luiz showed his wild side as he escaped a
yellow card for hacking at Karim Benzema’s
leg near the halfway line, and was booked
shortly afterwards for a needless high challenge
in midfield.
The five-times world champions, who
had not scored in their last three meetings
against France, finally broke the deadlock
in the 54th minute when Oscar produced a
virtuoso finish after Fred’s low cross found
him in the middle of the penalty area.
France had their best chance shortly
afterwards though it came from a Brazilian
player when David Luiz diverted a Mathieu
Valbuena cross towards his own goal, forcing
an excellent save from Julio Cesar.
Scolari was jeered by the crowd when he
took off Oscar in the 65th minute, yet two
of his substitutes ended up on the scoresheet.
Hernanes made it 2-0 in the 85th minute
with a left-foot shot from outside the
penalty area which went in off the post
after the ball had been teed up to him by
Neymar, who was generally disappointing.
Lucas, who replaced Oscar, converted a
penalty in stoppage time after a foul on
Marcelo as he burst into the penalty area,
completing Brazil’s first win over France
since 1992. —Reuters
Matches on TV
(Local Timings)
WC2014 Qualifying - Asia
Australia v Jordan 12:00
Al Jazeera Sport +1
South Korea v Uzbekistan 14:00
Al Jazeera Sport +2
Iraq v Japan 17:30
Al Jazeera Sport +1
Iran v Lebanon 18:30
Al Jazeera Sport +2
World Cup European
Qualifiers
Sweden v Faroe Islands 20:15
Al Jazeera Sport +4
Denmark v Armenia 21:15
Al Jazeera Sport +10
WC2010 S. American
Qualifiers
Colombia v Peru 23:00
Al Jazeera Sport +7
Wednesday 12, June 2013
Ecuador v Argentina 0:00
Al Jazeera Sport +2
Venezuela v Uruguay 3:00
Al Jazeera Sport +10
Chile v Bolivia 3:30
Al Jazeera Sport +1
N. American World Cup
Qualifiers
Mexico v Costa Rica 3:00
Al Jazeera Sport +4
Honduras v Jamaica 4:00
Al Jazeera Sport +9
United States v Panama 5:08
Al Jazeera Sport +5
Dominant Spain, Netherlands
advance to Under-21 semis
JERUSALEM: Spain and the Netherlands
advanced to the semi-finals of the Euro
Under-21 championships in Israel on Sunday
with two convincing performances that eliminated
Germany and Russia. Spain relied on a
solitary goal from Real Madrid’s Alvaro
Morata to beat Germany in Netanya, while
the Dutch were far more expansive in a 5-1
drubbing of Russia, who played most of the
second half of their match in Jerusalem with
10 men.
With one game still to play, Netherlands
and Spain are now tied on six points at the
top of Group B after two wins from their
opening two matches while Germany and
Russia are both out of contention with no
points. Germany defended well for much of
the match but did little to threaten the
Spanish goal and eventually conceded in the
86th minute.
Morata, who also headed the winner
against Russia on Thursday, cut in from the
left and found the net with a shot that
deflected in off the leg of German goalkeeper
Bernd Leno.
“The team played a fantastic match
against a great side and showed character,
ambition and personality. I am very proud of
the lads,” Spain coach Julen Lopetegui told a
news conference.
“I did not expect to qualify so soon. All our
energy is focused on the Netherlands game
now. We will prepare with a great deal of
care.”
Netherlands, who scored a 90th-minute
winner to beat Germany 3-2 on Thursday,
again showed their quality and discipline as
they crushed Russia, who looked threatening
early on.
The breakthrough came in the 38th
minute when talented right-sided midfielder
Georginio Wijnaldum blasted a shot from 22
metres that beat Russian goalkeeper Nikolai
Zabolotni.
The Russians stayed in the encounter but
their hopes of finding an equaliser were dealt
a blow when Nikita Chicherin was shown a
red card for a tackle from behind on Adam
Maher in the 49th minute. The Dutch looked
to have the match wrapped up when they
scored again in the 61st minute as Luuk De
Jong of Borussia Moenchengladbach headed
in easily from a Wijnaldum cross from the
right.—Reuters
19 SPORTS
LONDON: If ‘Jose Mourinho, The
Chelsea Sequel’ had been a
London West End theatre production
yesterday, some of the
audience may have left their
seats by the intermission as the
‘Special One’ turned into the
‘Cautious One’.
The outspoken Portuguese
manager arrived at Stamford
Bridge in 2004 amid a blaze of
publicity, describing himself as ‘A
champion, not one of the bottle’
and arrogantly forecasting the
club’s first top-flight title for 50
years.
Nine years on there was no
controversy, no brashness and no
headline statements as Mourinho
addressed the media for the first
time since leaving Real Madrid to
sign a four-year contract to return
to Chelsea. The 50-year-old’s
news conference attracted 250
reporters from around the world,
dozens of television crews and
his arrival on stage was greeted
by a hail of flashing camera bulbs.
Mourinho normally revels in
the spotlight but on this occasion
he was low-key, giving measured
responses to questions and even
suggesting the whole paraphernalia
surrounding news conferences
was something he had little
time for.
“I don’t love this but it’s part of
my job,” he told reporters. “I try to
give you what you want but I
cannot always give you a good
line. “I try to be honest and give
you what you’re expecting from
me but at this moment what I
want to do is work. I’m humble,
sometimes it doesn’t look like I
am, but I am.”
When Mourinho arrived at
Chelsea the first time, his mission
was to transform a bunch of nearly
men into winners and he did
precisely that.
The Londoners lifted back-toback
Premier League titles in
2005 and 2006 and although the
Portuguese left under a cloud in
2007, they continued collecting
trophy after trophy until finally
reaching the ‘Holy Grail’ 13
months ago by winning the
Champions League for the first
time.
Mourinho did not make any
bold predictions about the
Champions League or Premier
League on Monday, preferring to
set his sights on more modest
targets.
“In 2004 Arsenal were the
power,” said Mourinho who wore
a light blue shirt and light grey tie
under a charcoal grey suit. “They
had won the league without losing
a game and were an
absolutely fantastic team - now
the picture is different.
“Manchester United are the
champions, Manchester City were
the champions in 2012 ... you
have Arsenal and Tottenham
coming up and Liverpool with
Brendan Rodgers will be up there
for sure.
“This competition starts with
everyone trying to finish in the
top four, then the top three ...
then to try and win it. We go step
by step.” Mourinho smiled
throughout, clearly delighted to
be back at the club he said he
had always loved.
“If I have to choose a nickname
for this period I would choose
‘the Happy One’,” he declared.
“Time flies, it seems like it was a
couple of days but it was nine
years ago when I first became
manager.
“I have the same nature, I am
the same person,” said the titlewinning
former Real and Inter
Milan manager before adding he
had the same heart and emotions.
“It is the first time I arrive at a
club where I already love the club
- before I had to build an emotional
relationship and I only
came to love the club a little later.”
It was widely reported his relationship
with billionaire Chelsea
owner Roman Abramovich broke
down in 2007, a claim Mourinho
rejected.
“I read and I kept listening I
was fired, I was sacked,” he said.
“That was not true. Many people
didn’t believe it but it was by
mutual agreement. “At the time
we thought it was best for both
of us. Of course it was a sad
moment but I don’t regret that
decision.”
Since leaving Chelsea,
Mourinho spent two years at
Inter where he won two Serie A
titles, the domestic cup and the
Champions League before mov-
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
‘Cautious One’ Mourinho
makes a low-key return
LONDON: Chelsea football club’s new manager Jose Mourinho poses for pictures as he addresses a
press conference at Stamford Bridge. —AFP
DOHA: Japan booked their spot at the
2014 World Cup finals with a draw
against Australia last week but the Asian
champions have a score to settle in their
final qualifier today and have no intention
of going easy on Iraq in Doha.
Iraq held Japan to a 2-2 draw in the
Qatari capital 20 years ago in a game
that denied the Japanese a place at the
1994 World Cup and was dubbed the
“Agony of Doha” by the country’s media.
Two decades on, it is Group B basement
dwellers Iraq who must beat Japan
in Doha to give themselves any realistic
chance of qualifying for Brazil next year.
Japan are unlikely to show any sympathy,
however, particularly with the
Confederations Cup on the horizon. “In
Japanese football history, this is a place
we can’t ever forget,” Kyodo News quoted
Shinji Kagawa as saying. “But we are
taking the necessary steps to move on
toward the future.”
Keisuke Honda, whose injury-time
penalty sealed Japan’s World Cup finals
spot, has been unable to train due to a
thigh injury and Manchester United’s
Kagawa could take over the playmaker
role.
“Wherever I play, I will be ready,”
added Kagawa. “It’s really important for
us to win and I hope we can finish the
qualifying campaign on a high note
before going to the Confederations
ing to Real where he won a La
Liga title and a King’s Cup.
The Portuguese has never
stayed more than three years at
one club but he hopes to at least
see out his new deal with
Chelsea.
“I’m prepared for that,” he said
when asked if he wanted more
stability in his career. “Before I
wasn’t. “I have a contract for four
years. I hope to go to the last day
of that. If the club then wants me
to stay, I’ll be more than happy.”
Mourinho inherits a side that
again qualified for the
Champions League, after finishing
third in the Premier League.
They also won the Europa League
but may need some restructuring
if they are to overhaul United and
second-placed City.
“I didn’t choose for my career a
comfortable position because I’m
returning to a house where I was
happy and successful and where
the fans love me,” he said.
“No. I’m coming with exactly
the opposite perspective. I have
more responsibility because of
that. The expectations are higher
because people know what I can
deliver.” —Reuters
Japan plan to make Iraq
suffer for ‘Agony of Doha’
DOHA: Iraq’s forwards Yunes Mahmud (center) and
Hammadi Ahmed (left) pose for a picture with goalkeeper
Jalal Hassan during a training session at the
Al-Arabi Club Stadium on the eve of their 2014 FIFA
World Cup Asian zone Group B qualifying football
match against Japan.—AFP
MELBOURNE: Jordan deserves respect and
Australia needs to raise their tempo against their
opponents to get a positive result in today’s World
Cup qualifier, Socceroos captain Lucas Neill said
yesterday. Australia host Jordan with both teams
on seven points in Asian qualifying Group B and
needing wins in their final two matches to be
assured of securing the second automatic berth to
next year’s finals.
Japan have already booked their ticket to Brazil
by sealing the first automatic spot with a 1-1 home
draw against Australia last week.
Jordan stunned Australia 2-1 at home and the
35-year-old defender said their opponents had
done enough in their World Cup qualifying campaign
to command respect.
“We’re all very excited, very focused and all
understand what is required now. The Japan game
has filled us with confidence, the priority and only
focus is Jordan,” Neill told reporters.
“Jordan are no mugs, they are a very good
team, I don’t think you (media) are giving them
enough credit. “They have beaten Japan and
Australia at home, they are a team that deserve
your respect and they certainly have our respect,
and we know if we don’t play our best there is a
chance we won’t win the game.”
While Jordan is also expected to play an attacking
game to give themselves an opportunity to
bag three points, Neill felt a high-tempo game
might be the best way to break down their opponents
at Melbourne’s Docklands stadium.
“I have got experience enough in the region to
know a quicker game will be the one to upset their
rhythm but also get us into a good rhythm,” Neill
said. “They don’t want tempo, they don’t want
quick passing and that is sometimes the only way
to break down a team.”
Coach Holger Osieck was not prepared to dwell
on last week’s qualifier, where Japan’s Keisuke
Honda converted an injury-time penalty to earn his
team a 1-1 draw against Australia, complicating
matters for the Socceroos.
“In football, you should never look back - the
only thing you get is a sore neck,” the German
coach said. “I look ahead. Jordan is a different
Cup.”
Honda has been a vital cog in the
Japan midfield and manager Alberto
Zaccheroni was non-committal about
the CSKA Moscow player’s chances of
featuring in Tuesday’s match.
“He hasn’t played a whole lot recently
so he is in need of some fine-tuning,”
Zaccheroni said. “Whatever playing time
he can give me, I need to use it wisely.
“I don’t think we’ve played as poorly
as some say without Honda. Honda is an
important player to us, but we do have
people who can step up and fill in.”
Japan took one of Group B’s two automatic
qualification spots but all four
remaining teams - Iraq, Australia, Jordan
and Oman - are in the running for the
second berth.
Oman are second on nine points from
seven games, while Australia and Jordan
are on seven having played a game less.
Iraq have five points with two games to
play.
Bottom side Iraq have to win on
Tuesday to keep alive their hopes before
they travel to Australia for their final
match on June 18.
“This is the last chance for Iraq to
qualify for the World Cup and we will
give it whatever we have,” Iraq coach
Vladimir Petrovic said. “We respect
Japan as the best side in Asia but we still
plan on beating them.” —Reuters
Australia demands respect for Jordan
game (to Japan).
“Everyone in our squad is ready to play, so it’s a
good situation but a tough one for me as well to
make the decisions.” Osieck expected a competitive
outing on Tuesday but was happy that qualification
was still in Australia’s hands.
“It was very clear I think from minute one that
this qualifying campaign would be a very tough
one,” he added. “We are still in a positive space that
we can manage the situation based on our own
strength. “We focus on tomorrow and that is what
counts, not what could have been or should have
been.” Jordan coach Adnan Hamad said his team,
who also beat Japan at home in Amman during
their qualifying campaign, would settle for nothing
less than a victory.
“We know the Australian team is a strong team
and we respect them, but we came here for a win,”
he said. “We’re here for the win. Our aim is to earn
three points in tomorrow’s match.
“It’s the biggest match in the history of
Jordanian football... (we) have all the intention of
getting the best result from this match.”—Reuters

BIRMINGHAM: Chris Morris took two wickets on
his one-day international debut and Ryan
McLaren a career-best four for 19 as South Africa
returned to winning ways in the Champions
Trophy with a 67-run success over Pakistan at
Edgbaston yesterday.
Pakistan, set 235 to win, finished on 167 all
out as South Africa made light of the absence of
premier fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne
Morkel in winning with five overs to spare.
McLaren’s return, which included a spell of
four for five in 11 balls, saw him enjoy fresh success
at an Edgbaston ground he’d once helped
look after while with Warwickshire 2nd XI.
In 2007, the seamer took a hat-trick at
Edgbaston for Kent as they won English county
cricket’s Twenty20 Cup.
Both Pakistan and South Africa needed to
win this day/night fixture after losing their opening
Group B matches to the West Indies and
India respectively. But while this victory revived
South Africa’s chances of a semi-final spot,
defeat left Pakistan’s hopes hanging by a thread.
Pakistan did well to restrict South Africa to
MIAMI: Mario Chalmers marched toward midcourt with a message.
“I felt like we had them on the ropes at the time. I told him,
‘Let’s go for the kill,’” Chalmers said. “He said, ‘I’m with you.’”
And once LeBron James joined in, the Miami Heat were back
with a blowout in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Chalmers led the
charge, James broke out to finish it with a flurry and the Heat
used a 33-5 run to rout the San Antonio Spurs 103-84 on Sunday
night and even the series at one game apiece.
James missed 10 of 13 shots through three quarters and the
Heat trailed by a point late in the period before unleashing the
lethal brand of basketball that led them to a franchise-record 66
wins this season. Chalmers finished with 19 points, and James
had 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three blocks —
the best on Tiago Splitter’s dunk attempt — while shooting only
7 of 17 from the field.
For two days following Game 1, the thought was that James
needed to do more for his teammates. Turns out, it was
Chalmers and the supporting cast who did something for James.
“Honestly, for me, when I was struggling offensively, my
teammates continued to keep it in range,” James said. “ And we
even had a lead at one point, especially late in the second quarter
when we made that run and I was struggling a little bit.
“So I think Rio more than anybody kept us aggressive, him
getting into the paint, him getting those and-ones and making a
couple of 3s. It allowed me to sit back and wait for my time.”
The Heat made 10 of 19 3-pointers and got 13 points from
Ray Allen, and 12 points and 10 rebounds from the previously
slumping Chris Bosh.
Danny Green made all six shots, including five 3-pointers, and
scored 17 points for the Spurs. They host Game 3 on Tuesday
night.
Tony Parker had 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting for the Spurs,
who were so precise in their 92-88 victory in Game 1 but threw
the ball all over the white-surrounded court Sunday, committing
17 turnovers that led to 19 Miami points.
“In the second half they just run us over,” the Spurs’ Manu
234 for nine after man-of-the-match Hashim
Amla, dropped before he reached double figures,
made 81.
But the question was whether Pakistan,
who’d been bowled out for just 170 by the West
Indies, could make a winning score against a
South Africa attack missing Steyn, still to feature
in this tournament because of a knee injury, and
Morkel, whose Champions Trophy ended after
he suffered a leg injury against India.
Pakistan’s chase stalled from the outset when
Morris, a late call-up to the squad after Morkel
was ruled out, produced a new-ball burst of two
wickets for 10 runs in 19 balls.
The 26-year-old Highveld Lions seamer,
struck with his fifth ball when he knocked over
left-hander Imran Farhat’s off stump.
Morris, who’d previously played two
Twenty20 internationals, then saw Mohammad
Hafeez fail to get over the top of a bouncer and
hole out to square leg.
By the time McLaren took two wickets in five
balls, with the aid of fine catches by Colin
Ingram and Faf du Plessis, Pakistan were 134 for
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Ginobili said. “We didn’t move the ball at all. Their pressure really
got us on our heels.”
Tim Duncan shot 3 of 13 and finished with nine points and 11
rebounds.
“We didn’t play well. We didn’t shoot well. I know I played
awfully,” Duncan said. “Whatever it may be, they responded bet-
Park clinches
playoff to
win LPGA
Championship
17
six off 39 overs.
But Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who
made a career-best 96 not out against the West
Indies, completed a 69-ball fifty with a straight
six off left-arm spinner Robin Peterson.
It was a shot greeted by huge cheers from
the overwhelmingly pro-Pakistan 25,000 capacity
crowd in Birmingham, which boasts one of
the largest Asian populations of any English city.
But the crowd was silenced when Misbah, on
55, pulled a Lonwabo Tsotsobe slower ball to
Amla at mid-wicket and the skipper was booed
at the post-match presentation ceremony.
McLaren ended the match by bowling Junaid
Khan. Amla was missed on seven when a cut off
Mohammad Irfan flew to backward point where
Umar Amin dropped the tough chance.
He made Pakistan pay with a typically stylish
innings before he reverse-swept off-spinner
Saeed Ajmal to Hafeez at short third man.
South Africa conclude their group campaign
against the West Indies in Cardiff on Friday, with
Pakistan facing arch-rivals India at Edgbaston on
Saturday. — AFP
ter than us. So hopefully we can look forward to this Game 3 and
regain some of our composure.”
James insisted he wouldn’t force himself to do more after he
had a triple-double in Game 1 but never seized the opportunity
to take control of the scoring as the game was slipping away
from the Heat.
Japan plan to
make Iraq suffer
19
for ‘Agony
of Doha’
Will Nadal, Serena be unbeatable at Wimbledon? Page 17
EDGBASTON: Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq (left) bats during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England. — AFP
S Africa defeat Pakistan
South Africa
C. Ingram lbw b Hafeez 20
H. Amla c Hafeez b Ajmal 81
F. du Plessis c Malik b Irfan 28
AB de Villiers run out (Misbah) 31
JP Duminy run out (Misbah) 24
D. Miller c Misbah b Khan 19
R. McLaren lbw b Malik 4
R. Peterson not out 16
C. Morris run out (Riaz) 1
A. Phangiso run out (Akmal) 0
Extras (lb5, w4, nb1) 10
Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 234
Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Ingram), 2-122 (Du
Plessis), 3-145 (Amla), 4-186 (De Villiers), 5-195
(Duminy), 6-203 (McLaren), 7-231 (Miller), 8-
234 (Morris)m 9-234 (Phangiso)
Did not bat: L Tsotsobe
Bowling: Irfan 7-1-27-1 (1nb); Khan 8-0-45-1
(2w); Hafeez 10-0-38-1 (1w); Riaz 9-0-50-0
(1w); Ajmal 10-0-42-1; Malik 6-0-27-1.
Pakistan
Imran Farhat b Morris 2
Nasir Jamshed c and b Tsotsobe 42
Mohammad Hafeez c Miller b Morris 7
Shoaib Malik b Duminy 8
Misbah-ul-Haq c Amla b Tsotsobe 55
SCOREBOARD
BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom: Final scoreboard in the Champions Trophy Group B
day/night match between Pakistan and South Africa at Edgbaston yesterday:
Umar Amin c Ingram b McLaren 16
Kamran Akmal c du Plessis b McLaren 0
Wahab Riaz b Phangiso 13
Saeed Ajmal c Ingram b McLaren 5
Junaid Khan b McLaren 4
Mohammad Irfan not out 0
Extras (lb7, w8) 15
Total (all out, 45 overs) 167
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Farhat), 2-18 (Hafeez), 3-48
(Malik), 4-86 (Jamshed), 5-129 (Amin), 6-134
(Akmal), 7-148 (Misbah), 8-162 (Riaz), 9-167
(Ajmal), 10-167 (Khan)
Bowling: Tsotsobe 9-1-23-2; Morris 7-0-25-2
(1w); McLaren 8-3-19-4; Phangiso 10-0-50-1
(7w); Duminy 7-0-26-1; Peterson 4-0-17-0.
Result: South Africa won by 67 runs
Man-of-the-match: Hashim Amla (RSA)
Group B standings
Champions Trophy Group B standings after
South Africa beat Pakistan by 67 runs yesterday
(tabulate under played, won, lost, points,
net run rate):
West Indies 1 1 0 2 +0.830
India 1 1 0 2 +0.520
South Africa 2 1 1 2 +0.410
Pakistan 2 0 2 0 -1.108
Heat scorch Spurs to tie NBA Finals
MIAMI: Tony Parker (left) of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat during
the second half in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. — AFP
He didn’t need to. Not with Chalmers making big shots, the
Heat’s defense forcing the Spurs to look shaky all over the floor,
and a barrage of second-half 3-pointers.
James finally got some openings late, hanging from the rim
an extra second not long after a sensational blocked shot freed
him up for a fast break.
The often-maligned Chalmers is frequently found in Heat
highlights being yelled at by James or another Miami veteran.
But he’s as cocky as any of the superstars in Miami, and he has
the big-moment plays to back up his bravado, from a tying shot
for Kansas in the 2008 NCAA championship game to his 25
points in Game 4 of last year’s finals.
“You have to have guts to play with our guys. If you don’t, you
get swallowed up,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The good
thing about it is the other guys were fine with him making plays.”
The point guard sparked the Heat late in the third, after San
Antonio had taken a 62-61 lead. He converted two three-point
plays, Allen and Mike Miller nailed 3-pointers, and James made
only his third field goal of the game during a 14-3 finishing spurt
that sent Miami to the fourth with a 75-65 advantage. They
opened the fourth with nine straight points to make it 84-65,
and capped the run at 94-67 when James made a 3-pointer,
erasing any chance of their first two-game losing streak in five
months. “We were just a little bit more active today,” Bosh said.
“We really just made an emphasis to continue to try to corral
them.”
The Spurs had only four turnovers in Game 1, tying an NBA
Finals record low. But they surpassed that total in the first quarter,
Parker committing two of their five after not coughing it up
once in the opener, and the Spurs looked more like the sloppy
Indiana Pacers from Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals
than the Spurs of Game 1.
The unrecognizable play continued, Parker firing passes on
the pick-and-roll right into a Heat player’s leg on multiple occasions
and even getting yanked barely three minutes into the
third quarter after his struggles continued. — AP

Business
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
DUBAI: An arial view taken on Dec 12, 2012 shows part of Dubai’s Marina. — AFP
ECB paying off staff who are stuck in a rut
Yemen bank exceeds legal
cap on govt loans by $1.6bn
Page 22
Britain should hand over RBS,
Lloyds Bank shares to public
Page 23
Page 23
Toyota Land Cruiser leads
with off-road heritage,
on-road comfort
Page 23
Dubai loans lean on local banks
Liquid local banks help drive fiscal recovery
LONDON: Dubai’s loan market has entered a
new phase in its post crisis recovery, underpinned
by a liquid local bank market, which is
helping to fill the void left by European
lenders still reeling from the emirate’s financial
meltdown in 2008. Island resort Atlantis,
The Palm is in the market with an $800 million
refinancing, and luxury hotel chain Jumeirah
Group is out with a six-year $1.4 billion loan,
while fund Investment Corporation of Dubai
has closed a $2 billion deal.
The Arab Spring has resulted in an inflow
of money into the region, which is now seen
as a relative safe haven, and Dubai’s borrowers
- many of whom were previously mired in
the restructuring of their large conglomerate
parent companies - are making the first cautious
steps for new money and new investors.
Pushed out at the height of the bubble in
2007-2008 by the inflow of cheaper international
money into the region from the socalled
‘suitcase bankers’, liquid local banks are
now helping to drive the recovery.
“Regional banks have been well capitalised
since the 2009 crisis. Now they are not just
participating in big tickets but becoming an
important part of the deal structure,” said
Simon Meldrum, director, CEEMEA loan syndicate
at RBS. According to Thomson Reuters
LPC’s UAE bookrunner league tables, local
banks did not feature in the top ten in 2007,
which consisted of eight European banks and
two US banks.
The switch to local banks is illustrated by
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which ranked
number 22 in the table that year, having led
just one deal, but which is a lead bank on all
three new Dubai loans. ADCB is leading the
Jumeirah deal, alongside HSBC and Standard
Chartered Bank, and is also a mandated lead
arranger on ICD alongside Citigroup,
Commercial Bank of Dubai, Emirates NBD and
HSBC on the conventional part of the deal.
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank
and Standard Chartered are lead arrangers on
an Islamic facility. ADCB is leading the Atlantis
deal with National Bank of Abu Dhabi,
Commercial Bank of Dubai and Union
National Bank, alongside Barclays and HSBC.
Still stung
While local banks, long-term regional stalwarts
such as HSBC and Standard Chartered
Bank, and US lenders are enthusiastic lenders
to Dubai’s borrowers, European banks that
were caught up in the emirate’s crisis are
more cautious. “If you take the slope to no
activity, European banks are near the bottom
of that,” said a London-based European
banker. “There is absolutely no chance some
of these banks will be looking to do deals in
the region. They all piled into the market in
2007 and it is quite common to see European
banks still stuck with a $500 million -$1 billion
exposure to a single counterparty.”
Another European banker said: “A number
S&P upgrades US outlook
NEW YORK: A better outlook for the US government’s
credit rating did little to impress investors
yesterday. The US stock market edged higher in
early trading yesterday after the Standard &
Poor’s ratings agency raised its outlook for US
government debt and predicted an improving
economy. Stocks rose in the first 15 minutes
after trading opened at 9:30 am (1330 GMT),
then moved between small gains and losses. By
10 am, all the major US indexes were down.
The S&P Ratings Service had downgraded the
US government’s long-term credit rating in 2011
because of a contentious fight in Congress over
raising government spending limits. The downgrade,
an embarrassment to the US, also sent
the stock market into a tailspin. The Dow Jones
industrial average plunged 634 points, or more
than 5 percent, on the first trading day after the
downgrade. The market suffered through big
triple-digit swings for the rest of the fall.
Yesterday, S&P upgraded its outlook on the
US debt rating to “Stable” from “Negative.” It said
that the US economy has started to improve. The
agency cited the budget deal that Congress brokered
late last year, which is meant to raise tax
revenue and cut government spending. The
Dow Jones industrial average was down 36
points at 15,211, a loss of 0.1 percent, as of 10:15
am The S&P 500 index was down four to 1,639.
The Nasdaq composite index was down three to
3,466.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to
2.20 percent from 2.18 percent late Friday. In
commodities trading, the price of crude oil fell
28 cents to $95.75 and gold edged up 30 cents
to $1,383 an ounce. On a day short on US economic
news, the S&P upgrade was the center of
traders’ attention. There were no major government
reports on the U.S. economy, and no big
companies announced earnings.
Outside the US, Japan’s Nikkei stock index
soared 5 percent after a report that the world’s
No. 3 economy is growing faster than expected.
But there were also reminders that the global
NEW YORK: In this file photo, Trader Gregory Rowe works on the floor of the New York Stock
Exchange. — AP
economy is far from cured. In the Netherlands,
the central bank warned that the government
needs to cut spending. Courts in Germany are
poised to consider whether Germany is legally
allowed to bail out struggling European countries
as it’s been doing.
Among companies making big moves:
Information company IHS Inc. rose after
announcing it would buy R.L. Polk & Co, the
owner of the Carfax service that compiles history
reports on vehicles. IHS rose $1.90, or 2 percent,
to $108.84. McDonald’s rose after reporting that
sales were up at stores open at least a year,
helped by the company’s focus on the Dollar
Menu and other low-cost menu items.
McDonald’s rose $1.32, or 1.6 percent to $99.60.
B&G Foods, which makes foods under brands
including Cream of Wheat and Mrs. Dash,
jumped after announcing it would buy Robert’s
American Gourmet Food, whose brands include
Smart Puffs. B&G Foods jumped $1.65, or 5.7 percent,
to $30.83.— AP
of deals we did at the height of the market
have had to be restructured or are being
restructured: this is still a painful exposure for
us; we will not be doing deals there in the
near future.” US banks have fared better, taking
a more measured and long-term
approach to the region, according to
bankers. Only two US banks - Citigroup and
Morgan Stanley - appeared in the top 10
bookrunners for 2007, but are expected to
help to fill the void left by the retrenched
Europeans. “Many of the US banks have
been long-term players in the region,” said
the London-based European banker. “Pre
and now post crisis they have regularly been
touted as lead banks.” The appeal of bank
balance sheets supported by the locally
based wealth management units of these US
banks is attractive for wealthy families and
local businesses looking for dollar funding.
“Dollar funding is key to financing and these
banks are willing and able to step up and
LONDON: The dollar bounced higher
against the yen and Japanese stocks led a
rise in world shares yesterday as signs of
economic momentum in the United States
and Japan outweighed worries about a
slowdown in China. A central bank forecast
that France’s economy will grow slightly in
the second quarter and a rise in French factory
output helped underline the sense of
recovery, as did better euro zone investor
sentiment for June. “The story is one of
slow but steady growth, moving in the
right direction but with headwinds still visible
for the United States, euro area and
China,” said Sarah Hewin, senior economist
at Standard Chartered Bank.
The improving outlook for major developed
economies lifted MSCI’s world equity
index by 0.25 percent, its third straight day
of gains, with US stock futures pointing to
further rises when Wall St opens. But
investors are ultra-sensitive to the timing of
any slowdown in the Federal Reserve’s
huge bond-buying programme and markets
are expected to remain volatile as each
new data report is closely scrutinised for
hints of when it may begin.
Last Friday’s monthly jobs report, seen
as the main gauge of future Fed action,
offered little in the way of new clues, and
the spotlight has shifted to this week’s
retail sales and factory activity numbers
and next week’s Fed policy meeting. “(The
jobs data) hasn’t changed the market’s
view much on the timing of Fed tapering,”
said Kasper Kirkegaard, currency strategist
at Danske Bank. The solid growth implied
by the 175,000 new jobs created in May in
the face of ongoing government cutbacks
has helped the dollar recover some of its
recent losses.
The greenback gained 1.4 percent to
98.90 yen, extending a recovery from twomonth
lows hit on Friday. Against a basket
give large commitments to these deals,” said
a second London-based banker.
Local attraction
As part of Dubai Holding, which is still in
the process of a long-term restructuring,
Jumeirah remains potentially sticky for international
lenders. However, there is plenty of
appetite from local banks and as a result the
borrower has managed to secure an aggressive
margin of 275bp over Libor. In comparison,
Atlantis, The Palm’s refinancing, which is
looking to attract international as well as local
banks, is priced at 500 bps over Libor. “The
Atlantis deal is priced to attract some newmoney
investors to the financing, and also
reflects in part the risk of the single asset
lending,” said the first London-based loans
banker. “Jumeirah is a punchier price. It is
much more of a corporate relationship play
on pricing: it is not priced to attract much, if
any, new money or investors.” — Reuters
Solid growth lifts shares,
dollar, China disappoints
of major currencies, the dollar rose 0.25
percent to 81.87 after suffering its biggest
weekly fall since January 2012 last week.
The yen’s fall, which improves the outlook
for the country’s exporters, and data showing
the economy growing at a quicker pace
than previously estimated, lifted the Nikkei
index by 4.9 percent for its biggest one-day
gain since March 2011.
The Nikkei has now swung by more
than 3 percent in all but two of the last 11
sessions, five of those by more than 4 percent,
making it one of the most volatile
periods in Japanese stocks since the height
of the financial crisis in 2008. Japanese data
yesterday showed the world’s third-biggest
economy grew at an annualised 4.1 percent
rate in the first quarter, better than the initial
estimate of 3.5 percent. That will help
reassure nervous investors that Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe’s bold stimulus policies
are having an impact.
China stumbles
A batch of Chinese data at the weekend
suggesting the world’s No. 2 economy
weakened slightly in May undermined
some of the positive sentiment by raising
questions around Beijing’s 7.5 percent
growth forecast for this year. Chinese
imports fell 0.3 percent against expectations
for a 6 percent rise, and exports posted
their lowest annual growth rate in
almost a year in May, at 1 percent. Imports
of major metals such as copper and aluminium
fell at double-digit rates.
MSCI’s broad index of Asia-Pacific shares
ended down 0.35 percent after the data
although China’s markets were closed for a
holiday and Hong Kong shares ended higher.
European shares were flat by midday
having first fallen when mining stocks took
a hit from the weak Chinese data. “China is
the elephant in the room.—Reuters

DUBAI: Yemen’s central bank exceeded the legal
limit on how much it may lend to the government
by 347.9 billion rials ($1.6 billion) last year,
its annual financial statement showed. The disclosure
underlines the severe financial pressures
faced by Yemen as it struggles to rebuild its
economy after years of war and political unrest.
The central bank did not reply to a Reuters
request for comment, and its officials were not
available for comment. It was not clear whether
the central bank would be penalised for exceeding
its limit or whether it would change its lending
policy this year.
Under the law governing the central bank, it
may provide temporary emergency financing to
the government in exceptional circumstances if
that is consistent with its monetary policy. Such
loans may be granted if the total outstanding
amount does not exceed 25 percent of the budget’s
average ordinary revenue in the three previous
financial years, the law says. Maturities of
loans should not exceed six months.
However, the central bank’s total financing to
the government, including loans to state companies,
stood at 937.9 billion rials in 2012, above the
EXCHANGE RATES
Commercial Bank of Kuwait
US Dollar/KD .2770000 .2880000
GB Pound/KD .4310000 .4470000
Euro .3680000 .3760000
Swiss francs .3020000 .3170000
Canadian Dollar .2780000 .2920000
Australian DLR .2940000 .3020000
Indian rupees .0040000 .0069000
Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000
UAE dirhams .0771240 .0778990
Bahraini dinars .7513970 .7589480
Jordanian dinar .3930000 .4110000
Saudi riyals .0720000 .0770000
Omani riyals .7366120 .7440150
Egyptian pounds .0370000 .0440000
CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES
US Dollar/KD .2841000 .2862000
GB Pound/KD .4338920 .4370990
Euro .3707360 .3734770
Swiss francs .3043390 .3065880
Canadian dollars .2795430 .2816100
Danish Kroner .0497330 .0501010
Swedish Kroner .0443660 .0446940
Australian dlr .2963730 .2985640
Hong Kong dlr .0365940 .0368650
Singapore dlr .2291130 .2308060
Japanese yen .0029600 .0028810
Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0052870
Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0022880
Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0029190
Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036810
UAE dirhams .0773800 .0779520
Bahraini dinars .7538810 .7594530
Jordanian dinar .0000000 .4048090
Saudi Riyal/KD .0757800 .0763400
Omani riyals .7382100 .7436660
Philippine Peso .0000000 .0069870
Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.
ASIAN COUNTRIES
Japanese Yen 2.888
Indian Rupees 4.934
Pakistani Rupees 2.891
Srilankan Rupees 2.246
Nepali Rupees 3.104
Singapore Dollar 227.850
Hongkong Dollar 36.730
Bangladesh Taka 3.563
Philippine Peso 6.683
BUSINESS
Saudi set to sell more crude to India in July
NEW DELHI: Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is selling
more crude to India in July as two refiners have
asked for additional cargoes, industry and company
sources familiar with the plan said, in part to make
up for a loss of supplies from Iran. Hindustan
Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery and
Petrochemicals Ltd stopped buying Iranian crude
from April because local insurers said they cannot
cover refineries that process oil from Iran as global
reinsurers, mostly based in the West, may not honour
claims.
Yemen bank exceeds legal
cap on govt loans by $1.6bn
Intense pressure on state finances from unrest
authorised limit of approximately 590 billion, auditors
Deloitte & Touche (ME) with Dr Hajar said. “In
addition, the maturities of such loans and
advances have exceeded six months, being
extended from time to time,” the auditors said in
the central bank’s financial statement for 2012,
posted on its website (www.centralbank.gov.ye).
Its board of directors discussed and approved the
statement on May 7, the website said.
Finances
The government’s finances have struggled
since protests against former president Ali
Abdullah Saleh brought the economy to the brink
of collapse in 2011, with attacks on oil pipelines
squeezing vital budget revenues. The International
Monetary Fund expects Yemen’s budget deficit to
widen to 5.8 percent of gross domestic product, or
about $2.3 billion, from 5.5 percent in 2012.
Last year wealthy Gulf Arab states, Western governments
and other donors pledged $7.9 billion in
aid over several years to Yemen, the second-poorest
Arab state after Mauritania, but only a small
fraction of the money has so far arrived. Saudi
Arabia boosted the central bank’s reserves with a
It’s a train! It’s a plane!
Wing kit for Paris Air Show
GENEVA: The model of an adjustable plane,
with wings that can be attached to for instance
train compartments, will be shown at the Paris
Air Show next week, the Swiss inventors said
yesterday. The “Clip-Air” project is fresh off the
drawing board and features a single flying
wing that could be clipped onto for instance
train “capsules” carrying passengers or cargo,
the EPFL technical university in Lausanne said
in a statement.
“More than a new type of flying device, its
innovative concept could revolutionise the airports
of the future,” it said. In a future of Clip-
Air planes, people would be able to “go to the
train station to take the plane. Board on a capsule
to reach the airport by rail, and then -
without leaving (their) seat - fly to another city,”
it said.
EPFL acknowledged that the project it had
been working on since 2009 remained “very
futuristic,” but stressed that its scientists were
convinced it was technically feasible. “We still
have to break down several barriers but we do
believe that it is worth (working on) such a
concept, at odds with current aircraft technology
and which can have a huge impact on
society,” project chief Claudio Leonardi said in
the statement. The model to be showed for the
first time at the Paris Air Show next week will
represent a flying wing which can hold up to
three capsules, each with the capacity to carry
150 passengers. In addition to allowing “more
efficient and flexible fleet management,” and
allowing airlines to kiss the days of empty
flights goodby, the engineers have also calculated
that Clip-Air planes would be far more
fuel efficient.
“Clip-Air aircrafts’ conventional fuel consumption
would be reduced since they can
carry as many passengers as three A320 with
half the engines,” EPFL said, adding that the
scientists were also looking into alternative,
less polluting fuels for the planes. Perhaps
the most exciting aspect of the project was
the potential to “revolutionise airport configuration,”
the Lausanne school said. The capsules,
measuring around 30 metres and
weighing about 30 tonnes, would fit in airports
the way they are built today, but would
also be compatible with rail tracks, it said,
meaning “the boarding of either cargo or
passengers in the capsule could be done not
only at airports but also directly in rail stations
or production sites.” — AFP
US and European sanctions aimed at pressuring
Tehran over its suspected pursuit of nuclear
weapons have already more than halved Iran’s
shipments, costing it billions of dollars in revenue
since the start of 2012. Washington is now
seeking to cut shipments further through tighter
sanctions. India’s purchases from Iran could average
about 190,000 barrels per day (bpd) spread
over April and May, based on industry and preliminary
tanker arrival data. That is about a quarter
less than the 250,600 bpd imported on aver-
Thai Baht 9.297
Malaysian ringgit 94.271
Irani Riyal 0.271
Irani Riyal 0.273
GCC COUNTRIES
Saudi Riyal 76.070
Qatari Riyal 78.381
Omani Riyal 740.940
Bahraini Dinar 757.670
UAE Dirham 77.687
ARAB COUNTRIES
Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.950
Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.118
Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.331
Tunisian Dinar 176.130
Jordanian Dinar 402.840
Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.914
Syrian Lier 3.099
Morocco Dirham 34.273
EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES
US Dollar Transfer 285.150
Euro 378.250
Sterling Pound 443.840
Canadian dollar 280.940
Turkish lira 151.550
Swiss Franc 305.300
Australian Dollar 269.320
US Dollar Buying 283.950
GOLD
20 Gram 265.000
10 Gram 134.000
5 Gram 70.000
UAE Exchange Centre WLL
COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH
Australian Dollar 275.96 283.000
Canadian Dollar 283.06 283.000
Swiss Franc 313.19 299.000
Euro 382.40 372.000
US Dollar 285.40 288.000
Sterling Pound 448.60 438.500
Japanese Yen 3.04 3.300
Bangladesh Taka 3.676 3.740
Indian Rupee 4.990 5.400
Sri Lankan Rupee 2.240 2.460
Nepali Rupee 3.132 3.420
Pakistani Rupee 2.890 2.985
UAE Dirhams 77.77 78.800
Bahraini Dinar 759.61 763.500
Egyptian Pound 40.24 40.500
Jordanian Dinar 406.18 415.000
age in the first three months of the year. The
company and industry sources did not want to be
named due to the sensitivity of the matter. For
July, HPCL will take 84,000 bpd from Saudi Arabia,
more than double the 40,000 bpd it normally
buys under annual contracts, the sources said.
MRPL will take in 86,000 bpd in July versus its
commitment to lift 55,000 bpd, a company source
said.
HPCL’s imports from Saudi Arabia will also rise
in July as the company did not buy full volumes it
12-year, $1 billion loan last September. The repayment
is to start after four years.
The central bank’s outstanding emergency
loans to the central government amounted to
679.0 billion rials last year, down from 691.6 billion
in 2011, the auditors said. Emergency loans and
advances to state corporations stood at 258.9 billion
rials in 2012, up from 156.5 billion.
“We noted that all loans provided to the Public
Sector Corporations... were denominated and
made payable in United States dollars,” the auditors
said. The central bank law stipulates that emergency
loans granted to the government and actually
utilised shall be denominated and payable
only in rials.
The loans to state-owned firms included $36.6
million to Yemen Economic Corp and a $385 million
facility to the country’s Aden refinery for diesel
imports. Both originated in 2008 and have been
extended since then, the report said. Other facilities
include $800 million to Yemen Petroleum Co
for imports of unleaded gasoline, expanded from
$200 million since 2011, and credit to Yemen Gas
Co, which has been raised and extended since
2009 to total $121 million. — Reuters
Omani Riyal 742.22 748.000
Qatari Riyal 78.81 79.500
Saudi Riyal 76.24 77.000
Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd
Rate for Transfer Selling Rate
US Dollar 284.900
Canadian Dollar 282.585
Sterling Pound 444.595
Euro 377.550
Swiss Frank 304.360
Bahrain Dinar 754.280
UAE Dirhams 77.545
Qatari Riyals 78.200
Saudi Riyals 75.935
Jordanian Dinar 401.615
Egyptian Pound 40.120
Sri Lankan Rupees 2.247
Indian Rupees 4.943
Pakistani Rupees 2.888
Bangladesh Taka 3.658
Philippines Pesso 6.793
Cyprus pound 698.875
Japanese Yen 3.895
Thai Bhat 9.385
Syrian Pound 4.070
Nepalese Rupees 3.195
Malaysian Ringgit 91.110
Bahrain Exchange Company
CURRENCY BUY SELL
Europe
British Pound 0.4357464 0.4447464
Czech Korune 0.0064025 0.0184025
Danish Krone 0.0465240 0.0515420
Euro 0.3714696 0.3786996
Norwegian Krone 0.0452981 0.0504981
Scottish Pound 0.4202528 0.4277528
Swedish Krona 0.0393613 0.0443613
Swiss Franc 0.2993874 0.3063874
Australasia
Australian Dollar 0.2583786 0.2703786
New Zealand Dollar 0.2154355 0.2254355
Uganda Shilling 0.0001131 0.0001131
America
Canadian Dollar 0.2724204 0.2814204
Colombian Peso 0.0001450 0.0001630
US Dollars 0.2828000 0.2849500
Asia
Bangladesh Taka 0.0036113 0.0036688
Cape Vrde Escudo 0.0031587 0.0033910
is committed to take from the kingdom for June
because a crude processing unit at its Vizag refinery
was shut following a fire. The unit may restart
by the end of this month. Other Indian buyers of
crude from Saudi Arabia - which include Indian Oil
Corp and Reliance Industries will lift the same volumes
committed under annual contracts, sources
said. India’s total imports from Saudi Arabia average
a little over 700,000 bpd. Two refineries in
South Korea will also take in full contracted volumes,
two separate sources said. — Reuters
BRATISLAVA: Slovak industrial production-mainly
German, French and
Korean-brand auto exports to the
euro-zone-picked up in April with 2.2percent
growth on an annual basis
after a 1.3-percent rise in March, official
data showed yesterday. But on an
adjusted basis, industrial output in the
euro-zone member contracted by 1.9
percent in April after adding 0.3 percent
in March, the Slovak Statistics
Office said. “Slovakia’s economy is
driven by exports of cars and spare
parts to Germany, which has seen a
moderate growth in the past months,”
Slovenska Sporitelna analyst Martin
Balaz told AFP.
“But we don’t expect this year’s
output to catch up with last year that
saw a one-off boost as foreign-owned
car plants in Slovakia launched new
production lines,” he added. April
industrial growth was driven by a 4.7percent
expansion in car production
at plants operated by the German
NICOSIA: Cypriot artist Andreas Efstathiou poses next to his artwork of plaster toilets
displayed outside the Cyprus Central Bank yesterday. — AFP
Al Mulla Exchange
Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)
US Dollar 285.400
Euro 377.050
Pound Sterling 442.350
Canadian Dollar 277.550
Japanese Yen 2.925
Indian Rupee 5.030
Egyptian Pound 40.245
Sri Lankan Rupee 2.256
Bangladesh Taka 3.677
Philippines Peso 6.768
Pakistan Rupee 2.902
Bahraini Dinar 760.050
UAE Dirham 77.800
Saudi Riyal 76.250
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Slovak euro-zone-focused
industry picks up in April
group Volkswagen, France’s PSA
Peugeot Citroen and Kia of South
Korea, which pumped out a record
900,000 vehicles last year.
Analysts say that even if auto
plants continue to operate at full
capacity this year, it would not significantly
boost growth of overall
industrial output. Electronics production,
primarily by South Korean
company Samsung and the
Taiwanese group Foxconn, struggled
meanwhile with 1.5-percent growth
in April. Slovakia, which registered
2.0 percent growth last year, is one of
the euro-zone’s most dynamic
economies largely thanks to sizeable
foreign investment in the export-orientated
auto sector. But flagging
exports to its recession-struck eurozone
trade partners and weak domestic
demand have seen 2013 growth
forecasts sink as low as 0.6 percent.
Slovakia joined the EU in 2004 and
the euro-zone in 2009. — AFP
Cyprus toilet protest
over economy despair
NICOSIA: An artist put 20 plaster toilets on display outside
the Cyprus Central Bank in Nicosia yesterday, in an
unusual protest to signal the island’s bailout economy
is going down the pan. Cypriot artist Andreas
Efstathiou called it a “symbolic protest” to highlight the
pain Cypriots have suffered since Cyprus secured 10
billion euros ($13 billion) in European Union rescue aid
in return for an unprecedented bail-in from bank
depositors.
“Through this art installation I’m making a visual
protest about the bad things that happened to Cyprus,”
the 49-year-old artist told the Cyprus News Agency. “I
think those people walking past the central bank seeing
an array of toilets outside get the message and understand
what has happened for the country to have
reached this point,” he added.
From the front, the installation looks like toilets but
from behind it also resembles tombstones, Efstathiou
said. Cyprus was forced to wind up failed lender Laiki
and impose a massive levy on larger deposits in the
Bank of Cyprus, the island’s largest. The unprecedented
euro-zone “haircut” on deposits forced the government
to close all the island’s banks for nearly two weeks in
March and impose draconian controls when they
reopened. International lenders don’t expect Cyprussuffering
record 15 percent unemployment and a credit
squeeze-to exit recession until 2015. — AFP
Chinese Yuan 0.0454461 0.0504788
Eritrea-Nakfa 0.0164500 0.0195633
Guinea Franc 0.0000442 0.0000502
Hg Kong Dollar 0.0341420 0.0372677
Indian Rupee 0.0049330 0.0049544
Indonesian Rupiah 0.0000241 0.0000292
Jamaican Dollars 0.0028441 0.0038465
Japanese Yen 0.0028429 0.0030055
Kenyan Shilling 0.0033194 0.0035519
Malaysian Ringgit 0.0872890 0.0931699
Nepalese Rupee 0.0029864 0.0031476
Pakistan Rupee 0.0028631 0.0029037
Philippine Peso 0.0062778 0.0067208
Sierra Leone 0.0000727 0.0000758
Singapore Dollar 0.2242216 0.2291965
Sri Lankan Rupee 0.0022088 0.0022497
Thai Baht 0.0089197 0.0094867
Arab
Bahraini Dinar 0.7494092 0.7579092
Egyptian Pound 0.0381058 0.0401358
Ethiopeanbirr 0.0127995 0.0192995
Ghanaian Cedi 0.1448818 0.1466718
Iranian Riyal 0.0000793 0.0000798
Iraqi Dinar 0.0001733 0.0002333
Jordanian Dinar 0.3963338 0.4038338
Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000
Lebanese Pound 0.0001748 0.0001948
Moroccan Dirhams 0.0221776 0.0461776
Nigerian Naira 0.0012108 0.0018458
Omani Riyal 0.7291191 0.7401191
Qatar Riyal 0.0776134 0.0783964
Saudi Riyal 0.0754533 0.0760933
Sudanese Pounds 0.0463312 0.0468812
Syrian Pound 0.0027545 0.0029745
Tunisian Dinar 0.1736770 0.1796770
UAE Dirhams 0.07615411 0.0776041
Yemeni Riyal 0.0012855 0.0013855

BUSINESS
Toyota Land Cruiser leads with
off-road heritage, on-road comfort
KUWAIT: Toyota yesterday announced a steady
growth in sales of its iconic Land Cruiser model in
the first quarter of 2013 across the Gulf region to
maintain its leadership status in the large SUV segment
with a 40.4 percent market share. In terms of
unit sales in the Gulf region, Toyota sold 18,592
units to grow by 15 percent in Q1 2013 while the
overall growth of the large SUV segment was only
7 percent. In the Levant and Yemen, the Land
Cruiser saw significant growth to record a 140 percent
increase in sales in the same period. This
reflects the broad appeal of the Land Cruiser across
the region thanks to its legendary on-road as well
as off-road capabilities.
The Land Cruiser was the first model to be introduced
in the Gulf region by Toyota back in the
1950s. Since then, over 2 million vehicles have
Canon ME signs two
new partners in Libya
DUBAI: Canon Middle East, leader in imaging
solutions, yesterday announced two new partnership
agreements in Libya with Al-Mutawasat
and Al-Watania Companies. A move which is
intended to further reinforce the company’s
‘closer to customer’ strategy in the region and
enhance its presence by having on ground support
across markets.
The introduction of our two new partners is
a testament to Canon Middle East’s intent on
building a robust position within the Libyan
imaging solutions market; a market which the
company believes has the potential to grow in
line with the wider Libyan economy. As recently
as April 2013, The International Monetary Fund
(IMF) published forecasts showing that the
Libyan economy, as measured by GDP growth,
would grow by over 20 percent in 2013 and
over 10 percent in 2014 which follows a sharp
rebound in Libyan GDP in 2011 and 2012. Other
economic commentators, notably African
Economic Outlook, have highlighted falling
rates of CPI and rising levels of consumer
spending.
To accomplish this strategy, high standards
of support and product knowledge must be put
in place. Canon Middle East is committed to
train its sales channels to be the most skilled in
the industry by providing extensive product
and solutions training to its partners and channels
in Libya
By combining Canon Middle East’s undoubted
product and marketing knowledge with the
on-the-ground experience of its new partners,
the company believes that it can bring an
unparalleled solution to the Libyan market’s
imaging needs.
18,592 Land Cruisers sold in Q1 2013 in the Gulf
As one of Libya’s most important office suppliers,
Al-Mutawasat Company extensively
serves the corporate market. Canon Middle East
partners with Al-Mutawasat Company to
extend the Canon portfolio of production systems
and meet growing demand for professional
print technologies from the commercial as
well as corporate sectors in the country.
Canon Middle East will also extend its consumer
imaging solutions offering to the Libyan
market through Al-Watania Company, specialized
in the field of photography in both retail
and whole sale categories for more than fifteen
years. The new partnerships will be further supported
by Canon Middle East’s existing relationship
with Avantech, who has been providing
Canon products and services to clients across
the Libyan market for 10 years
Anurag Agrawal, Canon Middle East managing
director said: “The new partnerships are in
line with our strategy for 2013 to drive further
growth through expansion. Canon views Libya
as an important emerging market holding
tremendous potential”. Through our new partners,
the company is optimistic about building
a strong image in the country and achieving its
strategy to enter and develop future value
through new business, particularly in emerging
countries.
“As a major global brand, Canon is keen to
maintain positive relationships with key stakeholders
in Libya, including its customers. We are
keen to provide a host of new value added solutions
to both existing and new customers in
Libya and offer more comprehensive support to
help them address their unique business needs,”
added Agrawal.
ECB paying off staff
who are stuck in a rut
LONDON: The European Central Bank is offering
payoffs that could go beyond 100,000 euros to
staff whose careers have stalled, paid for by
cheaper salaries for replacements. A “Career
Transition Support” programme is allowing officials
to leave the bank with up to fifteen months
salary and additional help if they have been in
the same salary band for between eight and 12
years. The ECB says the departure scheme was
created to address “the specific demographic
structures of the ECB” - an implication that it
wants to lower its age profile - and to help staff
who had failed to get promotions and “may want
to pursue external career steps”. The average age
at the ECB is now 43, up from an average of 36 a
decade ago. Half the ECB’s staff are now in the
40-49 age bracket and the average length of
service across the workforce is 9.8 years. The voluntary
departure package also comes as the
euro zone’s central bank prepares to add up to
800 supervisors to work as banking regulator, a
new remit for the institution. These new officials
will largely need different skill sets than the ECB’s
current workforce, which is focused on economics
and monetary policy. An ECB spokeswoman
said it is expected to be “self-financing due to the
difference in salaries between leavers and new-
comers” with full pay back over five to seven
years. The scheme was launched in January 2013
to run for two years and fund a maximum of 50
departures.In its first five months, 19 have successfully
applied, the spokeswoman said. All eligible
applicants have been accepted.
Careers on hold
As well as one months’ pay for every year
they’ve worked to a maximum of fifteen
months, staff who take up the scheme also
get unpaid leave equal to the probationary
period of the new job, 10 days leave for
“preparatory activities outside the ECB” and in
house training that covers areas like application
and interview skills. Staffers with the
highest level of service could get well over
100,000 euros, based on the ECB’s average
staff costs of just over 92,000 euros across its
1,600 strong work-force in 2012. The staff cost
average excludes pensions, includes
allowances, and exclude the salaries of the
ECB’s six-member executive board, which
would distort the figure upwards. There are
no restrictions on the who can apply, provided
they have remained in their salary band for
the requisite eight to 12 years. —Reuters
been sold in the region. Currently over 50 percent
of Land Cruisers sold worldwide are in the Middle
East. Nobuyuki Negishi, Chief Representative of
Middle East & North Africa Representative Office,
Toyota Motor Corporation said, “The Land Cruiser
represents over 60 years of unmatched performance
with its sophisticated blend of off-road
prowess with uncompromising go-anywhere capability,
on-road comfort and unparalleled refinement.
With its rugged nature and powerful performance
across the most challenging terrain, the
Land Cruiser continues to delight our customers in
the region and has become an integral part of their
lives.”
The Land Cruiser is equipped with a multiterrain
select system offering 5 modes, which
allows the vehicle to adapt to various road con-
LONDON: Britain should hand most of its shares in
Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group
to the public, an influential think tank said, in what
would be the country’s biggest ever privatisation.
The government, which pumped a combined 66
billion pounds ($102 billion) into the banks to keep
them afloat during the 2008 financial crisis, wants
to remove them from state control before the next
parliamentary election in 2015.
Prime Minister David Cameron last month said
he was “open to all ideas” for returning the banks to
private ownership, an apparent shift in government
thinking. The Finance Ministry and UK
Financial Investments (UKFI), which manages the
government’s shareholdings, have been expected
to favour selling the shares in blocks to financial
institutions, such as pension funds.
Think tank Policy Exchange said the government
should sell a minority of the shares to institutions
and hand the rest to the public via a mass distribution
that could give individuals shares worth
up to 1,650 pounds. “We urge the Chancellor to
take this method and apply it to both RBS and
Lloyds giving the taxpayer an opportunity to profit
from both and get the banks back into the private
sector, where they belong,” Policy Exchange said in
a report yesterday, refering to finance minister
George Osborne.
Lloyds is currently valued at 44 billion pounds,
while RBS is worth around 19 billion. The sale of
both banks would dwarf that of Britain’s Royal Mail
which, with a value of 2-3 billion pounds, is expected
to become the country’s biggest privatisation
for two decades later this year. Policy Exchange is
known to have the ear of senior government figures,
adding weight to the chances of its proposal
being given serious consideration. Osborne hired
Neil O’Brien, a former director of the Policy
Exchange, as a special adviser last year.
Osborne could address the issue in his annual
Mansion House speech to financiers on June 19. He
is also waiting for the publication later in June of a
report from the Parliamentary Commission on
Banking Standards, before he decides on what to
do with the RBS and Lloyds shares. Policy
Exchange’s proposal would enable 48 million taxpayers
to apply for shares at no cost and with no
risk attached, the think tank said. A ‘floor price’
would be set and taxpayers would make a profit on
any rise in the shares above that level.
The Policy Exchange report didn’t indicate what
the floor price for each bank should be. But, for
example, the government could set it at 400 pence
on RBS shares, and, if a taxpayer takes the shares
and later sells them at 500p, they would get 100p
per share and the Treasury would automatically get
400p back. Taxpayers would not lose money as the
shares would be returned to government ownership
after ten years should they not rise above the
floor price. The think tank estimates only 20 to 30
million people would apply for the shares with
many thinking it would require too much time and
effort, despite applicants only needing to supply
their name, address and national insurance number.
Taxpayers would receive shares worth between
1,100 pounds and 1,650 pounds depending on
how many people take up the offer. The government
holds an 81 percent stake in RBS and 39 percent
in Lloyds. Around 70 percent of the shares,
currently worth 48 billion pounds, would be given
to taxpayers under the proposal.
Policy Exchange said the option of selling all the
shares to institutions would take years to complete.
The think tank said it had spoken to institutions
who had indicated the government would not be
able to sell shares worth more than 5 billion
pounds at a time and would have to wait for a year
between sales, so as to avoid flooding the market.
A mass share distribution, by contrast, would
enable both RBS and Lloyds to be fully nationalised
in 2014. The report, written by James Barty, former
head of global equity strategy at Deutsche Bank,
ditions for excellent off-road ground covering
performance, which also controls Wheel Spin
and Wheel Lockup. This revolutionary system
also supports the optimum traction needed to
handle slippery surfaces like mud, sand and
loose rock, or non-slippery surfaces like moguls
and rock.
The Land Cruiser also comes with other intelligent
off-roading technologies such as a Crawl
Control system which offers five speeds to maintain
a constant low speed for a secure drive across different
terrain by providing optimal throttle and
brake control. The Turn Assist System is another
unprecedented feature which enhances turning
ability and minimizes the driver’s effort in tight Uturns.
Through its multi-terrain monitor, four cameras
dismissed the idea of giving away shares to the
public without the government claw-back, saying
that would increase national debt by around 50 billion
pounds. Shares in Lloyds are currently trading
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian long-haul carrier
AirAsia X said yesterday it plans to use funds
of up to $418 million from a public listing to
more than triple its Airbus fleet and expand
routes to meet demand in Asia-Pacific. The
budget carrier founded by aviation tycoon
Tony Fernandes hopes to raise the proceeds in
an initial public offering (IPO) ahead of its July
10 debut on the Malaysian bourse. “The estimated
amount based on the 1.45 ringgit
($0.47) per issue share is between 1.1 billion
ringgit and 1.3 billion ringgit,” Nazir Razak,
head of banking group CIMB which is running
the IPO, told reporters after the prospectus
launch.
AirAsia X had earlier cited a conservative
amount saying the IPO could raise RM859 million
(US$277 million) from the sale of 592.6
million new shares for between 1.15 to 1.45
ringgit each. Analysts have said with last
month’s general election over, investors are
looking for a wide range of stocks in
Southeast Asia’s third largest economy, sparking
a fundraising fever in Malaysia. AirAsia X
chief executive Azran Osman Rani said the
proceeds from the IPO would finance fleet
and route expansion to cement its position in
its core markets in Australia and Asia.
The carrier will take delivery of 23 Airbus
A330-300 planes over the next four years
beginning in July, while it has also placed a
firm order for 10 A350-900s. Detailing the airline’s
strategy, Azran said it will bolster its
position in lucrative markets like Australia,
China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. It would be
followed by adding frequencies to current
routes, opening new destinations including to
Adelaide in Australia, Nagoya and Fukuoka in
Japan and Busan in South Korea.
AirAsia X previously scrapped London
mounted on the front, rear, and sides of the vehicles
enable the driver to have six different views of
the terrain outside. This system supports the driver
by enabling him to see the surrounding conditions
even when cresting a hill or driving on extremely
uneven ground that makes it difficult to see the terrain
directly.
The Land Cruiser is available across the region
with a newly developed 6-speed automatic transmission
with a Super ECT sequential shift control
which allows the driver to choose the shift range in
order to deliver the driving control of a manual
transmission. It comes with a 5.7L V8 Engine, a
newly developed 4.6L V8 Engine, an improved 4.0
V6 Engine and a V8 4.5L Diesel Engine, options that
demonstrate the high power and performance of
the Land Cruiser.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Britain should hand over RBS,
Lloyds Bank shares to public
Proposal includes sale of remaining shares to institutions
marginally above the price which the government
regards as break-even. However, the government is
sitting on a loss of 9 billion pounds on its investment
in RBS at current prices. — Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR: Chief executive officer of AirAsia X, Azran Osman-Rani (fifth right), holds
a copy of the prospectus launch booklets as he poses for pictures together with AirAsia
group chief Tony Fernandes (sixth left) during AirAsiaX’s prospectus launch yesterday. —
AFP
AirAsia X plans fleet, and
route expansion with IPO
flights because of the European debt crisis
and focused on serving routes within Asia-
Pacific, where sustained economic growth has
swelled the middle class. AirAsia X currently
has 10 Airbus A330-300 planes and serves 14
routes across the region, including destinations
in Australia, China, Japan and Saudi
Arabia. Azran also said with the arrival of more
aircraft it would allow the airline to set up
hubs in Thailand and Indonesia. A hub in
Thailand will allow AirAsia X to operate regular
services from Bangkok to lucrative markets
such as Australia, Japan and South Korea.
A third of the funds raised in the listing will
be used to repay debt while another third is
slated for capital expenditure, with the balance
going to working capital and listing
expenses. Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst
with Standard & Poor’s Equity Research in
Singapore, has predicted the AirAsia X listing
will be a success and the cash raised was “a
good start to fund their fleet expansion”. The
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
has described Asia-Pacific as the world’s
fastest growing market, with passenger traffic
more than doubling since 1998, despite fuel
costs surging 55 percent since 2006.
Meanwhile Fernandes dismissed the threat
posed by Malindo Airways, an affiliate of
Indonesia’s budget carrier Lion Air, citing
AirAsia’s position as Asia’s largest budget carrier
with a strong balance sheet. “We are in a
very strong position. It will be tough for new
airlines or future entrants into the market,” he
said. Malindo Airways, however, has already
sparked a price war by offering competitive
fares with free snacks and luggage allowance.
It currently serves domestic routes. Profitmaking
AirAsia was Asia’s first low-cost carrier
to complete an IPO in 2004. — AFP

ASTANA: Kazakhstan has launched a new transit
railway linking China to Europe, aiming to beat
rival routes for journey time in the competition
to handle a growing flow of goods along the
ancient Silk Road trade route. “Kazakhstan is a
virtual bridge linking the East and the West,”
Yerkin Meirbekov, deputy railway department
chief at Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry, said in
an interview. “You can actually say this is the
revival of the Silk Road.” Centuries ago, it would
take months for caravans of camels and horses
from China to reach Europe across the sunscorched
steppes and deserts of Central Asia to
exchange silk for medicines, perfumes and precious
stones.
Now it takes just 15 days for trains carrying
containers with electronic goods, construction
materials and other cargo to cover the 10,800
km (6,750 miles) route from Chongqing in southwest
China to Duisburg in Germany’s industrial
Ruhr region. Late last year, Kazakhstan completed
construction of a 293-km (183-mile) stretch
from Zhetygen to Korgas at the Chinese border,
looping it in to the existing national railway network
and opening the second China-Europe link
across its territory.
BUSINESS
Meirbekov said that the annual volume of
freight turnover along the new route, guaranteed
by China, was set to total 2 million tonnes
this year and would rise eventually to 15 million
tonnes. “The Chinese side, as well as the Kazakh
side and European partners - everyone is ready
(to handle these volumes) already tomorrow,”
Meirbekov said. “All railways, as well as customs
and border guards, are ready to assist fast passage
of cargo across their territories.” Europebound
trains from China cross from Kazakhstan
into Russia. Then they go via Belarus and Poland
before reaching Duisburg in Germany.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Kazakhs launch ‘Silk Road’ China-Europe rail route
Lucrative business
Transit routes are a major earner for
Kazakhstan’s fast-growing economy,
already established as a route for pipelines
to pump Central Asian oil and gas to China,
reducing the region’s dependency on former
colonial master Russia. “In railways,
transit cargo is considered to be net profit,
because there are no costs involved - you
take in cargo at one border and hand it
over at the other. This is a tasty morsel, and
all nations are vying for transits,” Meirbekov
said.
Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth-largest
nation by area which is populated by just
17 million, inherited another railway route
to China from the Soviet Union. This railway,
with the Dostyk-Alashankou crossing
at China’s border, handled a record 16.5
million tonnes of cargo to and from China
in 2012, Meirbekov said, predicting that it
would reach it maximum annual capacity
of 25 million tonnes soon.
“If you look at China’s prospects, large-
NEW YORK: Soon, the black-uniformed
waiters wheeling trolleys of food will disappear
from the halls of the Hilton
Midtown. Will visitors to New York City’s
largest hotel mind having to leave their
rooms for sustenance? For some, a hotel
without room service made no sense.
“You’re on holiday, you’re away, you like
being waited on,” said Claire Avery, a
prison clerk from New South Wales,
Australia, who was staying at the Hilton
with her boyfriend. “Sometimes you
don’t even have to move.”
If she returns later in the summer, she
will have to move at least as far as the
lobby, where the hotel is building a selfservice
food market to replace room
service. The New York Hilton Midtown, a
2,000-room hotel in Manhattan’s commercial
district filled with business travelers,
tourists and conference-goers,
confirmed this week that it would end
room service. A Hilton spokesman, Mark
Ricci, said up to 55 employees could lose
their jobs.
Hilton officials said the move - which
is highly unusual for a full-service hotel -
was prompted by cutbacks in spending
by business travelers, many of whom
face tight expense-account rules, and
the changing tastes of leisure travelers,
who already pay rates at the Hilton that
start at about $240 per night before taxes,
going up to more than twice that.
The change appealed to Aakriti
Gupta, a recent college graduate from
New Delhi visiting New York with her
mother, who pointed out that the idea
of room service doesn’t always match
the reality. “The existing room service
isn’t great,” she said. “If you ordered it
once, I don’t think you would order it
again. We ordered a pizza that was $55.”
She added, unhappily, that it was delivered
in a box. Ricci said pizza was listed
on the Hilton’s room-service menu for
$24, with $3 for each topping, but could
not give the final cost once service
charges, an in-room dining charge and
taxes were added.
Walking out the door
Beth Scott, vice president of restaurant
concepts at Hilton Worldwide Inc,
conceded that room-service prices were
high, as they tend to be at most hotels,
in part because providing the service 24
hours a day is labor-intensive. The cost is
magnified in New York City, where a
strong union has secured higher wages
for hotel employees compared to other
hospitality industry workers and building
cleaners. As a result, Scott said in an
interview, guests have been heading out
to diners and food carts in the neighborhood.
“We were watching guests walk
out the door to get those things at a
much more reasonable price,” she said.
“I’m sure we got more complaints about
the price of bringing the hamburger up
scale and intensive development of western
China is under way, and output produced
there should be exported elsewhere,”
he said. “This is why the second
(transit) route was built.” “Sending goods by
sea is very cheap - of course, if the client
agrees to wait for 45 days,” he said. “But
markets are fickle, and you have to move
fast.”
Goods to be delivered to Europe from
China via Russia’s Trans-Siberian railway
would cover 12,000 km and transit time
would take between 18 and 20 days, the
Kazakh government says, touting its own
route. Oil-rich Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s
largest economy, forecasts its gross domestic
product to expand by 6 percent this year
after a 5-percent rise in 2012. Kazakh state
railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy
(KTZ) has estimated that cargo transit via
its network would reach 35 million tonnes
by 2020 and eventually rise to 50 million
tonnes. KTZ handles 90-95 percent of all
Kazakh transit cargo.—- Reuters
As guest habits change, NY
hotel clears room service
Decades-old laws barring foreign
ownership of farmland in Iowa,
Missouri and at least three other
Midwest states may complicate Shuanghui
International’s $4.7 billion planned purchase
of US meat powerhouse Smithfield
Foods. The deal, which would be the
biggest purchase in the United States by a
Chinese company, will face scrutiny from a
federal government panel that assesses
national security risks, but that is not
expected to block the sale.
A few politicians have raised concerns
about food safety, and farmers groups have
expressed worries about consolidation and
potential damage to small farmers. The
land laws could be invoked by those
opposed to the deal, and at the very least
may require some complex legal maneuvering
by the companies. The statutes in
question, some first adopted during the
1970s in response to fast-paced Japanese
investment in US real estate, restrict foreign
businesses or governments from owning or
controlling US land used for livestock or
crop production. The laws could provide
Midwestern states legal recourse against
the Smithfield deal.
At least eight states - Iowa, Nebraska,
Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin -
have laws that prohibit foreign ownership
of agricultural land. If the Shuanghui acquisition
goes through, any poultry farms,
to the room than we will for not bringing
it up to the room at all.” The new lobby
food outlet, called Herb n’ Kitchen, will
be cheaper and will allow guests to get
their food more quickly, she said.
The decline in room service is not
confined to the Hilton. Revenue from
room service declined from 1.3 percent
of total hotel revenue in 2011 to 1.2 percent
last year, according to an annual
survey of US hotels by PKF Hospitality.
As hotel occupancy rates have returned
to pre-recession levels, hotels have been
able to charge more for rooms, forcing
business travelers to save elsewhere,
which can include skipping room service,
said Robert Mandelbaum, a PKF analyst.
The reasons are not only economic,
he added. Guests are more inclined to
roam beyond their rooms, with executives
increasingly taking their laptops to
coffee shops to work rather than spreading
out papers on their hotel room desk.
“Being caged in your room waiting an
hour for a tray to arrive, it’s just not what
people do,” Mandelbaum said.
Paper bags and a knock
Ian Schrager, who helped pioneer the
idea of boutique hotels, said people’s
idea of luxury had changed, with a
greater emphasis on value than on
appearances. “They don’t care about getting
coffee served in the finest bone china
and sterling silver with waiters with
white gloves on,” he said, describing the
classic idea of room service as “dysfunctional
and antiquated.” At the PUBLIC
hotel in Chicago, which Schrager
opened in 2011, food by the French chef
Jean-Georges Vongerichten is delivered
unceremoniously in brown paper bags,
left outside guests’ doors with a knock.
The waiters, trolleys and silver cloches
are not likely to disappear entirely, however,
even from the Hilton-owned
Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York.
Luxury hotels say their guests expect
such service and are willing to pay a premium
for fine food, flowers, candles and
tablecloths in their room. It would be virtually
impossible for a hotel to hang on
to a high rating in the influential AAA
hotel guide if it ditched room service,
said AAA spokeswoman Heather Hunter.
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts (which
runs the Plaza in New York), Marriott
International Inc and the Mandarin
Oriental Hotel Group all said they had no
plans to discontinue room service at
their full-service hotels. But Scott, the
Hilton vice president, said the company
may expand the idea elsewhere if it
works in New York, and believes competitors
were studying the move. “It’s
not a secret guest habits have changed
these days, it’s not like we’ve figured
out something that nobody else
knows,” she said. “We’ve just decided to
take action.” — Reuters
What could stall the
China-Smithfield deal?
crop fields, manure lagoons or other land
used for agricultural production and now
owned by Smithfield in these states could
invite legal challenges. Smithfield’s 11
slaughterhouses and meat factories in the
eight states likely are exempt, legal experts
said. However, some of those operations
may rely on farm, feed or waste facilities
that could be subject to legal challenge.
Smithfield does not disclose specifics of
its property holdings, and the company
declined to comment for this story. But a
source close to the deal told Reuters that
dealmakers and lawyers were aware of the
issues, and the foreign ownership laws in
different U.S. states had been discussed
leading up to the May 29 deal announcement.
They believe the laws will not jeopardize
Shuanghui’s ability to close its purchase as
planned in the second half of this year.
However, the restrictions could affect how
Smithfield and its subsidiaries operate
post-merger, the source added. The morning
the deal was announced, Smithfield’s
attorneys sent a letter to Iowa Attorney
General Tom Miller’s office, alerting the
agency to the takeover. Since then, in Iowa
and elsewhere, state officials, legal experts
and industry critics are raising questions
about whether Smithfield under
Shuanghui ownership will comply with
these little-known and rarely tested laws,
Reuters has learned. — Reuters

BUSINESS
Putin issues Russian economic warning
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin
warned yesterday that Russia’s economic
growth would slow down this year to
less than the world average and ordered
his government to act to reverse the
trend. The Kremlin chief’s comments
came moments after the central bank
was forced to hold its main interest rate
unchanged at 8.25 percent for the ninth
month running in the face of inflation
that has jumped to the highest rate for
21 months.
Putin confirmed at a cabinet meeting
that Russia’s growth would slow to 2.4
percent this year from its downwardly
revised forecast of 3.6 percent. The government
had initially pencilled in 2013
growth of 5.0 percent. “This is lower than
the range necessary for sustainable
development, for resolving social and
other problems,” said Putin. “And second,
this is lower than the IMF (International
Monetary Fund) world growth forecast
of 3.3 percent,” Putin stressed in televised
remarks.
Russia’s economy has suffered from
lower domestic consumption and
declining industrial production rates.
Investment has also lagged as a partial
consequence of Europe’s economic troubles
and concern about corruption
along with the state’s dominant economic
role. Russia’s economy expanded
4.3 percent in 2011 and 3.4 percent last
year-a radical cut from rates that
approached 9 percent prior to the 2008-
With a computer tethered to his printing device, Tim Middleton watches intently as a
dimmer switch he designed begins to build from the ground up, in Kansas City.
3-D printing predicted
to mold our tomorrows
KANSAS CITY: Tim Middleton lives and
breathes now, but the mind of the 42-yearold
Eudora, Kan., man often floats to the
future, to what one might call the printable
life. It is a time - with tangible signs popping
up with increasing frequency around
the globe - when nearly any product one
needs is created by simply pushing a button
and printing it out in usable three
dimensions.
A pair of glasses? Print it. A knee joint?
Print it. Red taillight lens for a ‘65 Mustang?
Print it. A birthday cake, a prom dress, a
full-size house for a family of four? Print
away. “I have attempted printing my own
shoes,” Middleton said, laughing. He is a
graphic designer who in the past two years
has instructed more than 60 people on the
art and science of 3-D printing in Saturday
classes at Hammerspace, a community
workshop in Kansas City for builders, hobbyists
and inventors.
“They’re kind of hard,” Middleton said of
his shoes. “The material is a little uncomfortable.
But it is absolutely a possibility.”
More than possible: Such specialty 3-Dprinted
shoes already exist, produced and
sold along with 3-D-printed nylon bathing
suits, jewelry and dresses by Continuum
Fashion of New York.
Cakes, cookies, sailboats, toys, architectural
models, musical instruments,
weapons, prosthetic hands and legs: All are
items in recent years proved to be producible
by 3-D printers. Interest is high
enough that the federal government last
year earmarked $30 million to help support
a new public-private institute in
Youngstown, Ohio, dedicated to promoting
and funding 3-D printing research. It is a
technology - although already considered
overhyped in some circles - that many
manufacturing experts say is even now
only in its infancy, at a place similar to
where personal and business computing
was in the 1970s.
Like computing, they said, 3-D printing
not only is likely to change the things we
make and how we make and sell them, but
also change how we live in good, bad and
inconceivable ways. “It is a bit tricky to predict,”
said Hod Lipson, a professor of
mechanical engineering at Cornell
University and co-author with Melba
Kurman of “Fabricated: The New World of
3D Printing,” a 2013 book on the promises
and perils of an emerging technology.
“It is a little like trying to sit down in the
1970s and predict how computers were
going to be used. Everyone could predict it
would automate payrolls, but no one ever
predicted social media.” Given that caveat,
Lipson predicted of 3-D printing: “It is
going to change everything.” Exactly when,
how and how much, of course, is hard to
say. A May article in The New England
Journal of Medicine described how two
Michigan doctors used a 3-D printer to save
an infant’s life by printing a custom tracheal
splint to support the baby’s airway.
In the last year, meanwhile, one young
man’s mission to use a 3-D printer to produce
a workable handgun sparked immediate
outcry from the public and concerned
government officials who envision the
technology being used to put caches of
cheap and untraceable guns into the hands
of criminals or terrorists.
In May, Cody Rutledge Wilson, a Texas
law student who describes himself as a
crypto-anarchist, test-fired a rudimentary
handgun he created on a 3-D printer he
bought on eBay. He released his gun
design online, prompting the US State
Department to demand that he remove it.
Business ethicist Kirk O. Hanson of Santa
Clara University said that improved technologies
frequently usher in fresh fears.
Better 2-D printing fostered high-grade
counterfeiting. The Internet’s role in money
laundering continues to reveal itself.
Hanson said of 3-D printing: “This is simply
the latest technological breakthrough that
has great potential for good and great
potential for harm.”
Understanding 3-D printing and the
future requires understanding how most
products are made now. The range is
broad, from printing to stamping, casting
to injection molding. Many manufacturing
processes involve tooling or machining
parts - a subtractive process that produces
a part by cutting or chipping or shaving
away. “You start with a block of material
and subtract things until you get what you
want,” said Robert Landers, a professor of
mechanical engineering at Missouri
University of Science and Technology in
Rolla. But the first word in 3-D printing’s
alternative name, additive manufacturing,
tells how it is different.
Instead of chipping or cutting away at
some material, a 3-D printer’s nozzle runs
back and forth, over and over again, oozing
out layer after layer of whatever material is
inside. It could be spools of plastic, metal,
ceramic or cookie dough. These printers
have already been used to create a heart
valve. Some predict the printers will use
biological tissue to create entire replacement
organs.
Instructions for what to build are guided
by software, much of which is free online.
The 3-D printer builds a whole object in
place, as if it were growing from the bottom
up. Or it creates parts of an object that
can be assembled. Printers can be small
enough to fit on a desk, using spools of
thermoplastic filament that looks like weed
trimmer line. Or they can be huge, with
nozzles pouring out stone-like material to
create walls or 10-foot-tall sculptures.
In Kansas City last year, Hammerspace
founder Dave Dalton and others toyed with
the idea of building a printer large enough
to create a couch out of foam, until they
realized it might be too squishy to hold
anyone. A few quick clicks online reveal the
range - from military drones to crazy
motorcycle frames to specialty cookies to,
in Canada, a three-wheeled, egg-shaped
hybrid car prototype called Urbee. A
YouTube video from the MIT Media Lab
shows a quick-motion video of a 3-D printer
creating a playable flute. In New Zealand,
engineer Olaf Diegel’s experiments with 3-
D printing spurred for him a new market in
intricate electric guitars with hollow, lacelike
bodies. — MCT
One of the 3-D printed guitar bodies
made by Olaf Diegel. — MCT photos
2009 global financial crisis.
The government’s inability to stimulate
growth to earlier levels has frustrated
Putin at a time when Russia is preparing
to present its advances to the world
at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in
Sochi. The Russian leader suggested yetserday
that investments could be stimulated
by reaching into the pension fund
and using those assets to lay the
groundwork for select state projects.
The central bank has also been under
intense pressure from ministers to lower
rates in order to stimulate growth in a
practice broadly adopted by the world’s
developed nations. But the bank has
been stymied by unexpectedly high
inflation that in annualised terms
TOKYO: Japan’s economy grew faster than previously
thought in the first quarter, offering
renewed hope for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s
growth-boosting plan after two weeks of stock
market tumbles. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index had
soared about 80 percent in the months since
Abe campaigned for the nation’s top job in
November, pledging to drag the world’s thirdlargest
economy out of years of growth-sapping
deflation. But the Tokyo bourse stumbled in
recent weeks, plunging about 18 percent to near
bear market territory as doubts emerged over
the premier’s policy prescription of big government
spending and aggressive central bank easing.
Markets were unimpressed with the so-called
“third arrow” of his sweeping fix for the economy-structural
reforms-which Abe unveiled last
week as part of a blueprint dubbed “Abenomics”.
But the 58-year-old leader vowed to press on
before mid-term elections next month that are
likely to solidify his Liberal Democratic Party’s
legislative power. “The upward revision (for economic
growth) confirmed that the Japanese
economy remains on a firm recovery track,” said
Hideki Matsumura, senior economist with the
Japan Research Institute.
Earlier yesterday, the Cabinet Office said
revised data showed annualised growth came in
at 4.1 percent in January-March, up from a preliminary
reading of 3.5 percent and well ahead
of many other industrialised nations who are
struggling to stoke their economies. The annualised
figures, which show the level of growth if
quarterly data were stretched over an entire
year, comes as economists sift through recent
figures for signs that Abenomics is taking hold.
The IMF has said it expects Japan’s economy
to grow 1.6 percent in 2013. The Cabinet Office
also said revised figures for real GDP showed
Japan’s economy grew 1.0 percent in the first
three months of the year, slightly better than the
preliminary 0.9 percent growth reading. The
improvement was partly due to an upward revision
in capital spending, a key measure of confidence
among the nation’s producers.
reached 7.4 percent in May-well ahead
of the government’s target of 5.0 to 6.0
percent. “The maintenance of inflation
above the target range over the course
of an extended period may affect the
expectation of the market, which is a
source of inflation risk,” the central bank
cautioned. It further noted that the overall
economy “was indicating low growth
rates.” The bank decided to leave the discount
rate at which it repurchases government
securities from the commercial
institution steady at 5.5 percent while
lowering some medium- and long-term
borrowing rates.
Market analysts immediately read this
as a sign of a probable easing of monetary
policy in the months to come. “The
In other upbeat data, consumer confidence
improved in May over the previous month with
the number of Japanese who expect prices to
rise sitting at a near five-year high, as Tokyo
works to reverse years of falling prices which
have crimped private spending and business
investment. “We expect the economy will continue
to grow for now but consumer spending
may be dampened in the current quarter after a
sizeable adjustment in the Nikkei index,”
Matsumura said, referring the recent drop in the
Tokyo stock market.
However, the Nikkei bounced back yesterday
with a 4.94 percent jump, the biggest one-day
boost since March 2011 when Japan was pound-
turn towards the coming easing is clear,”
BNP Paribas said in a research note. “We
reiterate our call that the first cut is likely
already in July.” Renaissance Capital also
predicting a July cut and noted that the
bank had issued “worrying signals on
economic growth.”
The change in rate policy is expected
to come just as outgoing central bank
governor Sergei Ignatyev is replaced by
Putin’s new pick Elvira Nabiullina.
“Outgoing Governor Ignatyev has been
consistently arguing against lowering
rates in the past six months or so, but
the arrival of Nabiullina should change
the policy bias at the central bank to a
more accommodating position,”
Renaissance Capital said. — AFP
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Japan economy heats
up in the first quarter
IMF expects economy to grow 1.6% in 2013
MEXICO CITY: As Mexico gets ready
to unleash a battery of regulations to
curb the power of telecoms mogul
Carlos Slim, the government is sending
clear signals that it will not shy
away from breaking up his business if
necessary. Ever since President
Enrique Pena Nieto’s government
unveiled a landmark antitrust bill in
March allowing regulators to make
dominant phone and television companies
sell off assets, many Mexicans
have questioned whether it would go
that far. Increasingly, though, officials
say that option is no idle threat
against Slim, who has held sway over
the Mexican telecommunications
industry for the best part of a generation.
By 2010, that domination had
made him the world’s richest man.
The 73-year-old Slim kept that title
until last month, when a sell-off in
shares of his giant phone company
America Movil helped cut his wealth
to about $70 billion and put him
behind Microsoft’s Bill Gates in the
top spot. The dumping of America
Movil stock was fed in part by uncertainty
about Slim’s companies under
Pena Nieto, who took office in
December vowing to break the hold
that a few families have maintained
over key areas of Mexico’s economy.
America Movil’s local fixed-line
and mobile phone units, Telmex and
Telcel, have for years used legal
injunctions and appeals to thwart
attempts by the state to cut them
down to size. The reform, approved in
Congress and due to be signed into
law by Pena Nieto on Monday, aims
to strip away much of that legal cover,
create a stronger regulator and set
new, tougher rules to help competitors
catch up. To do that, a new regulatory
body known as Ifetel is likely to
make Slim’s companies share infrastructure
and create a tariff regime
that makes the billionaire charge
rivals less to access the vast phone
network he operates.
Whether that will be enough
remains to be seen, said Jose Ignacio
Peralta, deputy minister for commu-
nications and transport, one of the
architects of the reform. He stressed
that the legislation gives authorities
the power to totally reshape the
industry, from ordering the sale of
assets to possibly breaking up companies
completely.
“Even if it’s true that asymmetric
regulation will help improve competition,
it’s probably going to do so in a
gradual way that needs to be accelerated.
The possibility of asset divestment
is in the constitutional text,”
Peralta told Reuters. Through America
Movil, which has more than 260 million
wireless subscribers across the
Americas, Slim controls around 80
percent of Mexico’s fixed-line market,
and some 70 percent of mobile
phone traffic. Meanwhile Televisa, the
broadcaster run by Emilio Azcarraga,
has over 60 percent of the TV market.
Like Slim, it has used all legal means
to keep the competition at bay, but
could also soon feel the bite of a
more testing regime.
Balancing act
After years of domination by the
few, Peralta likened Mexico’s telecommunications
industry to a building
that needed to be “demolished” and
rebuilt “brick by brick”. Ifetel is due to
be created in the next three months
and will then have another 180 days
to rule which companies are “dominant.”
America Movil and Televisa are
the prime candidates. If the regulator
then decided such firms had abused
their power to stay on top, their
Mexican operations could be broken
up.
When asked how that could work,
Peralta said he had recently discussed
the carve-up of phone giant AT&T
and oil colossus Standard Oil with a
US government official. “When talking
about divesting assets, it means
very similar things to what the United
States did in these two cases, which, I
insist, would depend on the regulator’s
decision,” he added. John D.
Rockefeller’s Standard Oil was divided
into 34 firms in 1911, while the U.S.
government split AT&T, which grew
ed by a quake-tsunami disaster and subsequent
nuclear crisis.
Also yesterday, official figures showed Japan
posted a surplus on its current account for the
third straight month in April, as the weaker yen
helped boost the value of income from overseas
investments. Japan’s surplus doubled year-onyear
to 750 billion yen ($7.6 billion) in its current
account, the broadest measure of trade with the
rest of the world, helping offset a widening trade
deficit. Japan’s import bills have soared in the
wake of the Fukushima atomic crisis two years
ago, which saw Tokyo turn to pricey fossil-fuel
alternatives after switching off the disasterstruck
country’s nuclear reactors. — AFP
TOKYO: People walk by an electronic stock board of a securities firm yesterday. — AP
Threat of break-up looms
over Mexican tycoon Slim
out of the company Alexander
Graham Bell created in 1877, into a
long distance provider and seven
regional “Baby Bells” in 1984. Both
companies had become bywords for
monopolistic power when they were
taken apart, with US authorities arguing
they were impeding the emer-
gence of new players. Most experts
agree competition increased after the
state intervention, though subsequent
consolidation of the marketplace
means that much of the original
companies’ power now resides in
their largest successors, Exxon Mobil
Corp and AT&T Inc. —Reuters
Doughty Hanson sells
Vue cinema chain for $1.5bn
LONDON: Private equity group Doughty Hanson has sold cinema operator
Vue Entertainment to two Canadian investors for 935 million
pounds ($1.5 billion), cashing in on an industry where new technologies
like 3D movies have helped it to thrive in recession. The sale, to
OMERS Private Equity and Alberta Investment Management
Corporation, will more than double Doughty’s original investment and
is expected to close by late July, Doughty said in a statement on
Monday.
The buyout firm paid 450 million pounds to buy Vue in December
2010, and then embarked on an expansion drive beyond the chain’s UK
home market, including acquisitions of rivals in Britain, Germany and
Poland. Cinema ticket sales have remained strong in recent years,
despite the recession sapping consumer spending power, with big box
office hits such as James Bond film “Skyfall” and Batman flick “The Dark
Knight Rises” boosting sales last year.
This, combined with a shift to new digital technologies, has helped
cinema operators to improve their profit margins. “As a leisure activity
cinema going is very resilient, and it’s always proved itself to be very
resilient,” Wayne Brown, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said. “The box
office is doing very well and has benefited a lot from 3D technology.” As
a rough estimate, Brown says Doughty is selling Vue at over 9 times
earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation - more
than the 8 times at which listed rival Cineworld is currently trading. At
1050 GMT, Cineworld shares were up 1.9 percent at 324 pence. Together
with Odeon & UCI - set to be put up for sale or readied for an initial public
offering by its private equity owner Terra Firma - Vue and Cineworld
run around 70 percent of UK cinema screens between them. According
to the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association, UK box office revenues rose 5.9
percent to 1.1 billion pounds in 2012. The purchase of Vue by two deeppocketed
Canadian funds suggests the cinema chain will continue to
build market share by acquisitions across Europe, Brown said. Tim
Richards, founder and CEO of Vue, said in a statement he would grow
“the Vue business through our continuing plan for organic growth supplemented
by strategic acquisitions.” In a separate statement, Mark
Redman, Senior Managing Director and Head of Europe for OMERS
Private Equity, said the new ownership gave Vue “the distinct advantage
of patient capital and deep pockets for organic and acquisitive growth.”
For Doughty, the sale marks its second realisation from its fund V, which
has now returned more than half of commitments to investors and has a
further six investments still to realise. — Reuters

MSRY Behbehani shines at
Isuzu Service Awards 2013
KUWAIT: Mohammad Saleh & Reza Yousuf
Behbehani Company, the authorized distributors
of ISUZU vehicles in Kuwait have
outperformed other dealers from the
region by winning a number of prestigious
awards at the Middle East After Sales
Conference organized by ISUZU Motors
Ltd. in Dubai last week. The awards won by
MSRY Behbehani include:
1. Gold Award - Middle East Isuzu
Service Dealer of the Year 2013
2. Silver Award - Middle East Isuzu
Dealer Grand Prix Competition
3. Top Rank for the Practical Test (Sole
Recipient)
4. Good Team Work Award (Sole
Recipient)
5. Best Performance Award (Sole
Recipient)
The triumph of Behbehani at this event
coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the
company which was established in the year
1963 by the two brothers, Mohammad
Saleh Yousuf Behbehani and Mohammad
Reza Yousuf Behbehani who have taken
this company from its modest beginnings
into being one of the leading companies in
the country with diverse business interests.
“As a company, every award we receive
makes us more humble and determined in
our quest to achieving the highest level of
customer satisfaction through our services
in all quarters. We at Behbehani believe
that the customers are the sole of our business
and the fulfillment of their needs is
the key to our success. We are grateful to
our partners at ISUZU, as without their support
this achievement would not have
been possible. It gives us great pleasure to
receive this recognition which comes to us
as we celebrate 50 years of our establishment.”
said, Talal Behbehani, Director.
Mohammed Saleh & Reza Yousuf
Behbehani Co have been the sole distributors
of ISUZU in Kuwait since 1973 and
have established a full-fledged service center
in Al-Rai equipped with the latest technologies
and factory trained staff to provide
the best services to its customers
round the year.
TRACCS launches ‘Enrich’
communications training
KUWAIT: TRACCS, one of the region’s leading
and largest public relations networks,
has diversified its offering with the introduction
of a dedicated communications
training division, Enrich powered by
TRACCS. The new regional division provides
a wide range of interactive training
intensives in Arabic, English and French
conducted by seasoned, accredited training
specialists, all of whom are professional
public relations practitioners. The new division
was set up in response to a rise in
client demand for training across the
region.
“With the launch of ENRICH we are taking
the training services we have developed
over a decade to another level,” said
TRACCS CEO Mohamed Al-Ayed. “When we
launched TRACCS 15 years ago the public
relations profession in the region was in its
infancy. PR was seen as a promotional tool
and an adjunct to advertising. As a result,
we found it necessary to educate our
clients on what PR is and what it can do for
a business or government agency. Over the
years we have evolved a wide range of
training courses that have become increasingly
sophisticated and effective. Today,
our markets have matured to the point
where public and private sector organizations
are demanding extensive training for
their people on a wide range of disciplines.
We have trained hundreds of CEOs, company
directors and spokespeople from across
the region in Arabic, English and French.
Enrich is an expansion of our training
capacities.”
In setting up Enrich, TRACCS has formed
an alliance with the UK-based Public
Relations Consultants Association (PRCA), a
leading training provider in the field. All
Enrich trainers have PRCA accreditation.
Earlier in the year TRACCS and PRCA signed
a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate
on a series of projects to promote
excellence and understanding of public
relations in the MENA region.
“The alliance with PRCA will keep Enrich
at the leading edge of communications
training in the region,” said Al-Ayed. “In
addition, we are designing orientation
courses for multi-national companies
entering new Middle East and North
African markets for the first time.”
PRCA Director General Francis Ingham
said, “Professional development is the key
to the growth of our industry. So the PRCA
is delighted to be linking up with TRACCS
to offer cutting-edge training throughout
the Middle East and North Africa. Our
alliance will give thousands of PR practitioners
the opportunity to maximise their
skills in a modern manner. It is a great
development for all of us.”
Course titles offered include, An
Introduction to Public Relations, Meeting the
Press (giving interviews), Communicating in
the Middle East and North Africa, Facing the
Public (speech writing and delivery),
Preparing for the Worst (crisis communications),
Communicating and Implementing
CSR and Building Communications
Strategies. Other courses on offer include
Public Relations Best Practice, How to Get
the Best out of Your PR Agency, and High
Impact Business Presentations. Bespoke
training courses are also available on a range
of disciplines, including Inter-Office
Communications, Communicating with
Callers, Internal Communications and setting
up in-house PR and Corporate
Communications departments.
KUWAIT: Bob Hirth, a senior managing director with
Protiviti (www.protiviti.com), a global consulting firm,
has been named chairman of the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
Commission (COSO), the organization that provides
thought leadership and guidance on internal control,
enterprise risk management, and fraud deterrence.
“I am thrilled to become the chairman of COSO
and look forward to communicating with many
organizations and individuals on the key enhancements
to and benefits of the recently revised COSO
Internal Control Framework,”said Hirth.”I also look forward
to working with all of COSO’s sponsoring organizations
and the many other firms and professionals
who have contributed to COSO in developing and
disseminating additional thought leadership materials
on topics relevant to and aligned with our mission.
My last eleven years at Protiviti have been a critical
BUSINESS
KUWAIT: Al-Mazaya Holding Company yesterday
morning held its Ordinary General
Assembly meeting for the year 2012 at Al-
Mazaya Tower 1, part of its complex of three
towers at the heart of the Kuwaiti capital.
Attendance was 81.14 percent and the meeting
was inaugurated by Rashid Yaqoub Al-
Nafisi, chairman of Al-Mazaya Holding
Company, in the presence of Board Members,
CEO Ibrahim Al-Saqaabi, representatives from
the Ministry of Trade and Industry, a representative
from the auditing office , as well as executives
from the company and a number of
shareholders, investors, and media.
Al-Nafisi opened the agenda of the meeting
by reading the report of the board for the
financial year 2012, stressing that the 2012 was
a year of setting the rules and establishing a
new phase of achievements that the company
is strongly anticipating in the coming years,
after the transition from loss to profitability. He
stressed that Al-Mazaya is deeply embedded in
the local and Gulf real estate sector, in the
media, on the ground, in the analysis of the
market, and in various other reports across the
broader economy.
He added that stability within the Gulf real
estate market was not easy, especially since
this medium has seen the highest levels of
boom and bust over the year, so embarking on
building the company internally and sustainably
was an integral part of its long term establishment,
not least the importance of projects
already implemented, or in the process of
implementation in the near future.
Maintenance of the status quo in fact might
need decisive action and careful decisions, and
so it is considered that the internal building of
the house, and ensuring everything is “in
order”, is of the utmost importance. This is, he
said, the company’s first permanent project
upon which all other projects will be built.
Restructuring
Al-Nafisi added that Al-Mazaya Holding is
pursuing a plan of action based on financial
and administrative restructuring, and in doing
so the company has also sought to untangle
some of its investments and to exit from others,
while completing others, paying a large
portion of its obligations, and collecting
arrears, to fulfill its obligations toward official
authorities and investors, such as business
avenue projects, the Villa project in Dubai, real
estate portfolios such as “Dubai land portfolio”,
the Lake Jumeira portfolio, the exit from Al-
Madar fund, and the acquisition of a stake in
Oman Real Estate Development, all of which
effected the positive outcomes at the conclusion
of the last fiscal year.
Financial results
In a quick review of the financial statements
for the fiscal year, Al-Nafisi said that the total
assets of the company by the end of the year
amounted to 221.1 million dinar, compared
with a total value of 252.1 million for the previous
year 2011, while shareholders’ equity
stood at 83.3 million dinar in the year 2012
compared to a total value of 81.6 million in
2011.
The financial year yielded total revenue of
35.7 million dinars, compared to 88.2 million in
2011. This was accompanied by the decline in
the volume of the amount owed to creditors
by more than half, from 36.3 million dinars to
17.4 million dinars. With regard to the company’s
profits, it made 291,000 dinars in net profit
in the year 2012 compared to a loss of 15.84
million dinars in the year 2011, which paved
the way to the turning point from loss to profitability,
due to the development of incomegenerating
projects which raised the general
operating profits of the company, including a
77 percent increase in rental revenue of 2.8
million dinars for the year 2012, compared
with 1.6 million the year before. The company’s
total indebtedness to banks reached 49.41 million
dinars in the year 2012, compared to 53.97
million the previous year, which does not
exceed 24.4 percent of the total assets of the
company.
Al-Nafisi noted that real estate is the engine
of growth of civilization in the modern world.
Real estate drives transportation, energy, construction,
contracting, employment, engineering
represented in engineering consultancy,
banks and financial institutions, tourism, infrastructure
and many other areas.
He assured the General Assembly that Al-
Mazaya Holding will continue through the year
2013 through its strong foundations which are
based on internal and external pillars, especially
the Board and the qualified executive management,
and talented and experienced engineers,
and technical, professional and engineering
capabilities, and all the staff of the
company, not to mention the vital role of the
shareholders who gave the company strong
support necessary for the company to be the
part of preparing me for this leadership role and for
delivering on COSO’s mission and focus on risk management,
internal control and fraud deterrence.”
“We congratulate Bobfor being selected to lead
COSO, and I know he will do an outstanding job to
help fulfill its mission,” said Joseph Tarantino, Protiviti
president and CEO. “Bob’s extensive experience and
knowledge of internal audit,plus his tireless work ethic,
ensure that COSO is in good hands.”
A founding member of Protiviti and leading industry
voice on issues surrounding risk management and
internal controls, Hirth’s selection was driven in part by
his professional prowess, adept public speaking and
leadership skills, and commitment to organizational
success achieved through effective governance practices.
Hirth was chosen by the committee following an
extensive four-month search process. He will succeed
most prominent and the most influential in the
region: to achieve success after success.
Assembly agenda
Al-Nafisi then went through the rest of the
Assembly agenda for the year 2012, where the
audience listened to and approved the
Auditor’s Report and financial statements for
the fiscal year. They also approved the recommendations
of the Board not to distribute dividends
for the financial year 2012.
The assembly also approved the waiver of
directors of their remunerations for the fiscal
year, and authorized the Board to purchase or
sell shares of the company, but not to exceed
10 percent of the number of shares in accordance
with article 175 of the law 25, allowing
the company to deal with the relevant parties.
The election of new Board of Directors
Al-Mazaya Holding elected a new board of
directors for the next three years. The members
of the board were discharged related to
their legal actions for the financial year 2012,
the Assembly appointed or re-appointed auditors
of the company, and authorized the board
of directors to determine their remuneration.
After the ratification of the Agenda, Al-Nafisi
concluded the work of the Assembly and
closed it upon the acceptance of the attendees.
For his part, the CEO of Al-Mazaya Holding,
Engineer Ibrahim Al-Saqaabi, said that his
vision in the development and growth of the
company focuses on the ability of the company
in engaging in numerous projects and in
new markets in leveraging its launch from solid
ground and a solid financial position.
He pointed out that the advancement of the
company’s future requires putting the basic
building blocks in place according to solid
foundations, starting from developing the
staff, and the renewal of the internal rules and
regulations, which Al-Mazaya is currently working
on in accordance with the competent
authorities. The company contracted with HAY
International Group in order to study the
administrative structure of the company and
develop it in line with present and future
human recourses, in addition to a study of the
salary and incentive system and to lay the
foundations such that the company operates
in accordance with international standards and
specifications.
In addition, Al-Saqaabi said that Al-Mazaya
contracted with Protiviti to look at the current
internal regulations and systems of the company
in order to develop it in line with the next
stage and future objectives of the company.
The company has come a long way in this
regard, and is expected to complete this step
within the next few weeks.
Al-Saqaabi introduced to the audience a
presentation about the current status of the
company, stressing that Al-Mazaya has a solid
financial balance sheet containing considerable
real estate assets, and a strong base of
shareholders, as well as assets worth 221 million
dinars, including real estate assets worth
168 million across four sectors inside and outside
Kuwait, adding that the company’s total
assets increased by 26 percent from 2004 to
2012, while operating income rose by 93 percent
from the beginning of the work of the
company until today.
Income generating projects
equivalent to KD 65 million
Al-Saqaabi said that the first of these sec-
current COSO chair David Landsittel, who has served
since 2009. Hirth will serve a three-year term, which
began June 1, and will remain located in San
Francisco.
Hirth has more than 25 years of professional services
experience working with a broad range of global,
public and local private organizations in a variety of
industries, helping them manage their most significant
business risks and issues. During his career, he
has served as executive vice president for global
internal audit for Protiviti and is currently serving a
two-year term(2012-2013) on the Standing Advisory
Group of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Board (PCAOB). He is a member of Financial
Executives International (FEI) and The Institute for
Internal Auditors (IIA). In March 2013, Hirth was
inducted into The Institute of Internal Auditors’ Hall of
Distinguished Audit Practitioners.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Al-Mazaya general assembly agrees
against distribution of dividends
tors are income-generating projects, which
have successfully achieved high occupancy
levels, such as the GLOVER medical project
located inside Kuwait, with 100 percent occupancy,
and the Al-Mazaya tower project that
services the office sector in the heart of Kuwait
City, with 95 percent occupancy in one of its
towers, and a 20 percent occupancy level in
the other two. Al-Mazaya has succeeded in
attracting government agencies to rent in their
towers alongside private sector companies.
Al-Mazaya achieved an occupancy level of
100 percent in the Al-Meather towers located
in Saudi Arabia, and occupancy level of 80 percent
in the Sky Gardens tower in Dubai, and an
occupancy level of 100 percent in the Indigo
building in Dubai, alongside other projects
that has been rented out in the past.
Real estate assets for the purpose of selling:
value KD 25.6 million.
The second of these sectors are the real
estate assets for sale, represented in offices
space in Business Avenue project in Dubai, and
villas in the Dubai Land projects (currently
under construction), and apartments in the
Palm Island in Dubai.
A bank of distinct plots (under study for the
purpose of sale or development) of value equal
to KD 20 million.
With regard to the third sector, Al-Saqaabi
described it as a bank of distinct plots, about
which Al-Mazaya is currently reviewing its visibility
study in order to sell it or develop it with
local or regional investors. These plots are distributed
in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Lebanon,
Oman, Sharjah and Dubai.
Real estate projects under development
worth KD 57.2 million
The fourth category is “projects under
development and execution”, such as that
which Al-Mazaya owns for projects under construction
in the emirate of Dubai, including the
Alliwan project - 22 buildings for the middle
class, currently underway, and expected to be
delivered to the customers by the end of 2013.
He added that the balance sheet of the
company has now become clean, after it had
taken provisions and impairment losses
exceeded KD 137 million in the past four years.
With regard to the future projects of the company,
Al-Saqaabi said that the company is currently
working on a study with a view to
investing in several real estate projects in
Kuwait and outside, which will strengthen the
economic cycle of the company and add to its
real estate assets and operating revenue in the
future.
Al-Saqaabi concluded by saying that the
real estate market is currently witnessing an
acceptable revival which will lay the groundwork
for real estate companies to invest in,
especially those companies that have the
experience and excellence in the real estate
sector, like Al-Mazaya which and can distance
themselves from risk factors, adding that the
current era is an era “of solidarity among
investors and those who are interested in
diversifying their investment basket and
engaging in the largest number of projects”,
noting that the main strength of Al-Mazaya is
the company’s track record of achievements in
more than one market and more than one sector,
alongside the support of the major owners
and the experience of the executive management
and employees, the confidence of the
investors, contractors, and many other points
that add to the balance of power in the company.
Protiviti’s Bob Hirth Named Chairman of Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of Treadway Commission (COSO)
Bob Hirth

AT&T extends wait for
new phone to 2 years
NEW YORK: AT&T is extending from 20
months to 24 months the time it takes for
customers on contract-based plans to earn
a fully subsidized upgrade to a new phone.
The move announced Sunday follows
an identical one by Verizon Wireless in
April. AT&T Inc.’s new policy applies to any
customer whose contract expires in March
2014 or later.
Extending the time between phone
upgrades saves the phone companies
money, since they subsidize each new
phone by hundreds of dollars to make it
available to customers for $199 or less.
AT&T executives had said they planned to
rein in spending on phone upgrades this
year.
The change reflects the growing popularity
of expensive smartphones. Verizon
subsidized upgrades after just 13 months
until January 2011, just before it introduced
the iPhone, one of the most expensive
phones on a wholesale basis. Carriers pay
Apple over $600 for it.
Dallas-based AT&T is the country’s second-largest
cellphone carrier. It activated 6
million smartphones in the first three
months of this year.
AT&T shares rose 55 cents, or 1.5 percent,
to $36 in morning trading. The shares
hit a five-year high of $39 in April.
Breaking with industry practices, No. 4
wireless carrier T-Mobile USA ditched its
service contracts and phone-upgrade waiting
periods in March. It now sells phones
on installment plans, giving customers
more flexibility on the timing of their
phone upgrades.—AP
Cable operators buff up
guides for Internet age
WASHINGTON: After years of making money
providing Internet service, cable TV companies
are now tapping the power of the
Internet to improve clunky program guides
that are a relic of the 1990s.
Over the past year or so, Comcast Corp.,
Cablevision Systems Corp. and other cable
providers have introduced new program
guides on television set-top boxes. These
improved guides act more like websites,
making it easier to find movies, live TV shows
and on-demand video.
It’s important progress for cable TV companies,
which are often criticized for providing
hundreds of channels that customers
don’t watch. Making shows easier to find
helps them justify all those channels. And
that could help stave off defections to satellite
and telephone companies, which have
lured cable customers away with cut-rate TV
services that use fancier interfaces.
Retaining and winning back those subscribers
- while defending against a new
batch of Web video challengers such as
Netflix and Hulu - will be the focus of the
industry’s annual gathering, The Cable Show,
which started in Washington on Monday and
runs through Wednesday.
Although using the Internet might seem
like a no-brainer to the billions who use it
worldwide, cable TV operators have been
slow to adapt. For years, guides used the old
X-Y axis, with channels on the left and times
across the top. These were installed directly
onto the set-top box. There was no way to
change the format without replacing the
box, which could take a year or more for all
customers.
By using Internet programming language
and other tools common to the Web, newer
boxes are far more flexible.
These guides can now access software
running on more powerful machines located
elsewhere. They can make recommendations
rather than simply show reams of show titles.
Faster keyword searches are possible, and
cover art brings life to what once were textonly
program listings. The use of Internet
programming language means smartphones
and tablets can also be used to control the
box. As important, updates can be done from
afar and redesigns are as easy as changing a
website. That means new features can be created
and popular ones given more prominence.
Comcast says it has already updated
its guide 1,200 times since introducing its X1
set-top box in May 2012.
Marcien Jenckes, general manager for
Comcast’s cable TV services, says the difference
between the old box and the new one
is like the difference between an old IBM
computer that ran on a text-based DOS system
and today’s Google Chromebook, a laptop
computer that gains most of its functionality
from being able to access services
online.
“The prior boxes were limited by what
they could carry on them,” he says. “The current
boxes are essentially limitless in terms of
what they can access remotely.”
Since the X1 came out, Comcast says
viewing time for video on demand has
increased nearly 20 percent among users
who have it, partly because it’s easier to find
things to watch. Comcast says customers are
watching more channels and discovering
more shows. Comcast isn’t saying how many
subscribers now have the new X1 boxes, but
it did say that half of its 21.9 million TV subscribers
are eligible, with the rest expected
by the end of the year.
Although the company still lost a net
359,000 TV subscribers in the 12 months
through March, according to the latest figures,
Jenckes says that when more customers
are more engaged with their TV service, they
should stick around longer.
“It’s still early but every indication is posi-
tive,” he says. Time Warner Cable Inc., the second-largest
cable TV provider behind
Comcast with 12.1 million subscribers, is also
planning to unveil an improved guide this
year through new set-top boxes that also use
Internet tools to make them more versatile
and adaptable. “Traditionally each box generates
its own guide and navigation,” says Mike
Angus, Time Warner Cable’s senior vice president
for video. “That’s been one of the shortcomings
of the native guide technology.”
In November, Cox Communications Inc.
updated its Internet-enabled Trio guide to
include personalized recommendations for
up to eight members of a household. The
service adds diamonds to programs in the
channel guide that individual users might
like, based on which movies and shows
they’ve watched in the past and whether
they clicked to “like” or “dislike” them.
Another screen shows recommended videos,
whether they are offered on demand or live.
Some past episodes can be viewed right
away, while viewers can choose to record
future ones when they air.
The company says that more than half of
the 400,000-plus subscribers now using the
guide say they became aware of content
they didn’t realize was there before. Nearly a
third of users say they enjoy watching TV
more. Cox plans to offer the improved guide
to more of its subscribers, estimated at
around 4.5 million.
“They’re asking for the experience to be
much more personalized,” says Len Barlik,
executive vice president of product development
at Cox Cable. “This is focused on
attracting new customers but also retaining
the base.”
Customer retention is seen as increasingly
important for the cable TV industry, which
has lost about 10 million TV subscribers over
the last decade - down to 56.4 million in
2012, from 66.9 million in 2001, according to
research firm SNL Kagan. Most of them have
switched to satellite companies such as
DirecTV or Dish, or gone with TV services
from phone companies including Verizon
and AT&T. Overall, the number of pay TV subscribers
across all providers is unchanged at
about 100 million homes.
A small proportion have “cut the cord,” or
dropped pay TV service entirely, though
about 50 million homes rely on cable companies
for high-speed Internet service, a figure
that is growing.The Nielsen Co. says about 5
million U.S. households had a TV but didn’t
hook it up with a traditional pay TV provider
or even an antenna last year. Those households
are opting instead for Web video from
Netflix and other providers. Nielsen calls
these homes “Zero TV” households. Although
online viewing generates advertising revenue
on services such as Hulu, cable TV
providers will lose TV subscription revenues
if this group grows in size.
In a saturated market that’s not expanding,
the best strategy for cable TV providers is
to hold onto its paying customers for as long
as possible, says Bruce Leichtman, a TV consultant
and head of Leichtman Research
Group.
“Retention becomes very important,”
Leichtman says. “That’s really what Comcast
and the other operators are looking at -
adding value to subscribers in order to retain
them.”
Many cable TV companies also offer hundreds
of live TV signals and on-demand programs
over mobile devices using Internet
technology. These apps - such as Time
Warner Cable’s TWC TV, Comcast’s Xfinity,
and Cablevision’s Optimum - turn mobile
devices connected to home networks into
virtual TV sets on smaller screens. But customers
have to be home to use these most of
these services, and many aren’t aware of
them.—AP
NEW YORK: This image provided by Cox Communications shows a program
guide for television set-top boxes to make it easier to find programs available
live or on demand. It is an important development for cable TV companies,
as they face criticisms for providing hundreds of channels that customers
don’t watch.—AP
technology
SAN FRANCISCO: Internet giants from Google and
Facebook to Yahoo and Zynga are scrambling to
adapt to an online world where people reach for
smartphones or tablets instead of traditional computers.
Social games pioneer Zynga, which rose to
stardom making titles played at Facebook’s website,
is cutting nearly a fifth of its staff as part of a
move to focus on titles for mobile gadgets. After
taking over as chief executive at Yahoo last year,
former Google executive Marissa Mayer laid out a
turn-around strategy that made a priority of tailoring
offerings to smartphones and tablets.
The dismal performance of Facebook’s freshlylaunched
stock last year was blamed in large part
on fears that it lacked tools to cash in on members
who are increasingly accessing the social network
from mobile devices. Google has proved prescient
by creating and giving away an Android mobile
operating system that showcases its software and
services on smartphones and tablets. Even the
Mountain View, California-based technology titan’s
seemingly offbeat “big bets” on Internet-linked
Glass eyewear and Web-connected self-driving cars
are seen by some analysts as shrewd moves to
remain anchored in lifestyles.
“The head-mounted display makes the mobile
user much more valuable because you can serve
ads as they are walking and make them locationbased,”
independent Silicon Valley analyst Rob
Enderle said of Glass.
“With self-driving cars, the dashboard is a huge
tablet; if the car is driving and someone is bored,
you can serve up whatever you want.” Companies
that staked claims with websites visited by people
using desktop or laptop computers risk obsolescence
if they don’t adapt to Internet users switching
to apps on smartphones or tablets. Industry
data shows that people are moving “aggressively”
to apps and away from traditional websites,
according to Gartner analyst Van Baker. “It is important
to cater to that mobile user,” Baker told AFP.
“That is the driving force in the market right now;
the one device a person carries everywhere - the
smartphone.”
Not only are the devices preferred by Internet
users changing, so is their behavior. Gartner
research shows that people using smartphones
access the Internet an average of 20 times a day
with sessions lasting about a minute, compared
with four times daily for about 35 minutes a pop on
traditional computers. “It is a big challenge,
because the behavior associated with a smartphone
is dramatically different from a notebook
computer,” Baker said. “Your experience needs to be
two clicks deep and be done in a minute,” he continued.
“If it takes any longer, they are gone.”
Smartphones in particular have small screens,
raising the risk of people being annoyed by advertising.
Mobile devices also allow location, calendar
information and other contextual data to be woven
into services to win people over with desirable
information at just the right moments and places.
“The opportunity to be relevant or helpful is much
greater because of the contextual information,”
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
NEW YORK: This combination photo shows (clockwise from top left) Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the Bill Graham Auditorium in
an October 29, 2012 file photo in San Francisco; Google’s headquarters on 8th Avenue in New York in a January 11, 2013, file photo;
people walking past the Apple Store at Grand Central Terminal in New York in a January 25, 2013 file photo; the “Like” icon at
the Facebook main campus in Menlo Park, California, in a May 15, 2012, file photo. —AFP
Smartphone life shakes
up world of websites
SAN FRANCISCO: To get a sense of
how investors view the promise of
mobile gaming, one need look no
further than Japan’s GungHo Online
Entertainment. With just one game
under its belt, its stock has risen
tenfold since October and its market
cap almost equals that of
decades-old Nintendo.
From veterans like Electronic Arts
to rising stars such as “Clash of
Clans” maker Supercell, the $66 billion
video game industry is scrambling
to devise games and experimenting
with ways to appeal to a
generation of players that spends
more time on mobile devices than
on computers or consoles.
Most are having scant success in
an industry peppered with one-hit
wonders like OMGPOP and where
even established players like Zynga
are faltering, industry sources say.
“It’s sort of like all the chess
pieces have been thrown in the air,
and the industry has not yet landed
on what the chess board looks like,”
said Owen Mahoney, CFO of
Japanese online gaming giant
Nexon Co Ltd, which has in the past
year bought two companies to
accelerate its mobile foray.
In recent years, the model has
been to offer games for free, then
encourage players to spend real
money on in-game purchases - a
system perfected by Zynga in its
online games. But its rapid decline
in just the past year illustrates the
challenge of hooking new players,
and loosening gamers’ purse
strings.
The company that shot to fame
on the back of Facebook games like
“Farmville” bought OMGPOP, developers
of the mobile sensation “Draw
Something” - for $180 million. After
months of losing users that once
peaked to 14.5 million players over
a year ago, Zynga last week shut its
New York-based studio, effectively
laying off the OMGPOP team.
Industry executives say mobile
gamers today are spoiled for choice
as the industry has exploded. In
2007, when Apple Inc launched the
iPhone, there were but a handful of
developers. Today, there are hundreds,
whose apps sell across the
globe on Apple and Google Inc’s
Android devices.
“You see these rocket ships in
the industry that explode on the
scene with a casual game that’s easy
to develop with not much money
and they gain users quickly. But
users get bored or angry because
they can’t progress without paying
more money,” Nexon’s Mahoney told
Reuters in an interview. Nexon has
had some success boosting its
mobile portfolio, a likely factor
behind revenue growth of 24 percent
in 2012 to 108 million yen ($1.1
million).
To stand out from the crowd,
developers big and small are seeking
ways to build a sustainable business.
EA, as one of the best-funded
competitors, is turning to data analytics
to keep track of its players’
gaming patterns and behavior.
Japanese gaming giant DeNA is
experimenting with on-the-spot
tweaks to its games by employees,
who adjust conditions depending
on what players do, CEO of DeNA
West Clive Downie said.
Canadian indie studio
Noodlecake, known for games like
“Zombie Road Trip”, is employing
loyalty programs similar to airlines
with daily virtual currency rewards
for first-time and frequent players.
Others resort to tricks like seasonal
deals and holiday-themed
content to boost their rankings on
app-download charts during the
crucial holiday period.
Up-and-coming GungHo, which
has seen its shares rise tenfold since
October as investors bet on its ability
to rise above the fray with its sole
said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin. “If you interrupt
me and adopt the old get-in-your-face
approach of many marketers, you are much more
likely to sour any potential relationship.”
Internet companies don’t have the luxury of
focusing on either mobile devices or traditional
computers; they must tailor offerings for both,
according to analysts. “Mobile first is correct, but it
is not mobile only,” Golvin said. “You need to enable
your customers to reach you where and when they
choose to and on the device that happens to be in
their hand at that moment.” Established Internet
companies tend to be well-positioned to adapt to
engaging people on mobile devices. “The fundamentals
of delivering your experience digitally are
still there at the core whether it is going to a PC or
a browser or to a mobile device,” Golvin said, referring
to established operations such as Facebook
and Yahoo. “It is less of a disruption than it is a transition.”
However, the ability to bypass running websites
makes it easier for startups to blaze into the market
with mobile apps. Zynga faces the added challenge
of being in a hits-drive business in a world where
loyalty to apps is fleeting. Most of the people who
download a mobile app at launch abandon it within
three months, according to Gartner. “The life of
‘Draw Something’ or ‘Farmville’ can be even more
compressed in the mobile world,” Golvin said, referring
to Zynga titles. “A game is a hit, people engage
and then the next hit comes along and takes up
their time.” — AFP
Mobile gaming still eludes industry
title “Puzzle & Dragons,” is turning to
costly TV advertising to place its
brand front-and-center.
Japanese telecoms giant
Softbank Corp owns a majority
stake in GungHo. Even Rovio - backers
of pop-culture phenomenon
“Angry Birds” has reported that it
now leans on stuffed toys, mugs
and other merchandise for 45 percent
of its revenue.
“Everybody wants a manual”
with the best user acquisition techniques,
said Doug Smith, an independent
developer who launched
his kids game “Chugga Bugga” on
the Apple App Store in early April
but has had only about 3,500 downloads.
He is disappointed that it’s
becoming “harder and harder for
new entrants to come in without a
big budget.” As E3, the industry’s
largest annual convention, kicks off
in Los Angeles next week, console
games going up against mobile
games will be an underlying theme.
Revenue from games on mobile
and portable devices is expected to
grow about 38 percent to $8 billion
in 2013 and touch $20 billion in
2018, according to David Cole, an
analyst at research group DFC
Intelligence. That’s why mobile
developers won’t give up.
Game publishers are now rushing
to hire people with data science
and analytics skills dedicated to
acquiring users and analyzing their
behavior, said Ville Heijari, European
general manager for PlayHaven,
which helps developers monetize
and market games.
EA has made investments in data
analytics to build a suite of backend
proprietary software to break
down its players by region and preferences,
to help development of
future games, said EA’s President of
Labels Frank Gibeau.
For now, consumer spending
remains concentrated on the
decades-old console gaming industry.
But the situation is fast changing:
in just a few years, mobile gaming
has grown to account for about
9 percent of overall revenue. Mobile
is “an absolutely critical, if not ‘the’
growth driver for the industry for
the next several years,” Gibeau said.
Despite the success of a number of
companies, “a lot of the industry is
still in a learning phase,” PlayHaven’s
Heijari said.—Reuters

HEALTH & SCIENCE
Middle East climate wreaking your skin?
BEIJING: Only 14 patients from China’s
H7N9 bird flu outbreak are still in hospital,
national health authorities said in
their latest update on the disease. A
total of 131 confirmed human infections
of the virus have been recorded
on the Chinese mainland, the National
Health and Family Planning
Commission said. Of those, 39 died and
78 had been released from hospital,
with 14 still being treated, it said in a
statement late Sunday, adding it would
no longer report figures weekly,
switching instead to monthly updates.
NIVEA skincare experts offer ways to help your skin glow
KUWAIT: Are you struggling to keep up
with the changing weather - air conditioning,
sand storms, blazing sun, humidity
and even the odd rain shower!
Your skin is your body’s largest organ
and faces these weather changes and at
times it can be an upward battle to keep it
looking beautiful. With your skin making
up around fifteen per cent of your body
weight1, NIVEA is encouraging women to
look after their skin and remember that it
is as individual as they are. Tried and tested
tips to make your skin shine will never
change, such as drinking at least two litres
of water a day and cutting down on salt to
help your skin feel soft and supple. Protect
your skin from premature aging and wrinkles
by staying out of the sun between
11am and 3pm and get plenty of beauty
sleep. NIVEA has a few words of wisdom to
add to help women in the Middle East.
Jennifer Bell, Brand Manager for NIVEA
Body & Sun Care in the Middle East says,
“The basis of good skin comes from the
inside out. The traditional diet in the
Middle East includes the fabulous, skinfriendly
tabouleh. The main ingredient
parsley is a great source of vitamin C and A
helps your skin produce collagen and
repairs itself. Fattoush with its raw mixed
greens and vegetables is another dish that
can benefit your skin - if you go easy on
the fried pita bread!”
Jennifer adds that it is important to
remember everyone’s skin is different. “If
you suffer from dry skin you should be
using a lotion that nourishes your skin to
leave it smooth and supple, for example
NIVEA’s Repair & Care. If you are looking to
Only 14 China H7N9
patients left in hospital
One other case was recorded in
Taiwan. Experts fear the possibility of
the virus mutating into a form easily
transmissible between humans, with
the potential to trigger a pandemic.
Laboratory tests showed that in some
patients the H7N9 virus was resistant
to treatment drugs, researchers in
China wrote in the medical journal The
Lancet last month, adding that their
findings were “concerning”. But flu
viruses are often seasonal and much of
China has experienced warmer weather
following the end of winter.—AFP
China pig farm
‘pumped dissolved
carcasses into river’
BEIJING: Authorities are reportedly probing
a pig farm in central China for dissolving
dead pigs in a chemical solution and
pumping the resulting remains down its
drains, which empty into a river. Huasheng
Online, a news website published by the
Hunan Daily Press Group, said environmental
protection and animal hygiene
authorities in Changsha, Hunan province,
were investigating the allegations. The
farm claimed that using strong alkali to
break down carcasses before flushing
them away was a non-harmful method of
disposal for pigs that died of disease, the
report said.
But users of China’s Twitter-like
microblogs were disgusted. “It’s absolutely
illegal and absolutely harmful,” wrote one
using the name Quxiaolijie. “The only nonharmful
way to dispose of dead pigs is to
burn them or bury them. They absolutely
can’t be discharged into the river. Strictly
investigate and strictly punish!” Food safety
is a major issue in China following a
string of scandals, including the discovery
in March of thousands of dead pigs floating
down a Shanghai river.
No official explanation has been provided
for the incident, which lasted for several
days and was a major embarrassment for
China’s commercial hub. Last month the
public security ministry announced that
900 people had been detained for meatrelated
crimes including selling rat and fox
meat as beef and mutton. In another
recent incident, US fast food giant KFC was
hit by controversy after revealing some
Chinese suppliers provided chicken with
high levels of antibiotics, in what appeared
to be an industry-wide practice.—AFP
fight the signs of aging, use the NIVEA
firming lotion with Q10, which is a natural
component of the skin and actively works
to keep it firm. It’s a myth that there is one
lotion that will suit everyone and because
of this, we have developed a range of
body lotions so for every skin there’s a
NIVEA.”
The NIVEA body lotion range available
in the GCC contains 15 different body
lotion ranges specially formulated by
Beiersdorf’s research team in Hamburg,
NIVEA’s parent company, and includes the
following:
NIVEA Creme - the beauty classic for all
moisturizing needs, available from KWD
0.360.
Like the feeling of a rich, caring cream
on your skin? The world’s No.1 skin care
cream, NIVEA Creme, provides the skin
with all it needs to stay pure, fresh and
smooth. It’s the best cream for rich nourishing
care.
NIVEA Soft - a light, fast absorbing general
purpose cream, available from KWD
0.720 Do you want a caring cream that
feels light and refreshing? A non-greasy,
intensive moisturizing care for soft and
beautiful skin that’s specially formulated
with jojoba oil, vitamin E and is pH neutral.
The lightest, freshest feeling moisturizing
cream.
NIVEA Nourishing Body Lotion - for dry
to very dry skin, available from KWD 0.625
Is your skin thirsty for deep nourishing
care? The rich formula of the NIVEA Body
Lotion nourishes your skin with essential
vitamins of Almond Oil and Vitamin E
leaves the skin smooth and supple. Your
MALLE: Under an eco-friendly, flowering turf
roof in an industrial park, the world’s largestmaker
of green cleaning products is trying to
figure out how to stay on top of a market that
has big growth potential but also increasingly
fierce competition. With big-name detergent
and household cleaner manufacturers and
retailers moving into the ecological market and
consumers growing more savvy, Belgium’s
Ecover must compete on price and prove it is
greener than the rest.
Global spending on green cleaning products
is expected to rise to $9.3 billion in 2017 from
an estimated $2.7 billion in 2012, according to
Global Industry Analysts Inc - albeit still a fraction
of the relatively stable $150 billion market
for all household cleaning products. Founded in
1979 by a Belgian who left his job at a soap
company to make a phosphate-free washing
powder, Ecover became the world’s largest ecological
cleaning firm last year when it acquired
San Francisco-based Method, leapfrogging
Burlington, Vermont-based Seventh Generation
to the top spot.
It plans to make and market Ecover in the
United States and do the same in Europe for
Method’s distinctive line of colourful liquids in
colourless bottles. “We never really cracked the
U.S. market and concluded a takeover was the
best way forward,” said Ecover chief executive
Philip Malmberg. “We wanted a company with
the same principles, but one that targeted a
slightly different group of consumers.” Ecover
has been owned since 1992 by private investment
vehicle Skagen, which manages the family
assets of Jorgen-Philip Sorensen, the late
founder of what is now the multinational security
services company G4S.
With last year’s takeover, sales doubled to
some $200 million. But analysts say Ecover has
gained more than scale. Combining Ecover’s scientific
savvy with Method’s U.S. presence and
innovation, such as pump-action laundry detergent,
Malmberg sees sales doubling again in
the next five years. Method outsourced production,
so the combined company plans to build a
third green-roofed plant in Chicago by 2015.
“Ecover definitely punches above its weight
in terms of brand awareness. Method is more
design-focused,” said Ian Bell, analyst at
Euromonitor. “It (the new company) has married
innovative design with a green message.” Asia
first choice for deeply moisturized skin.
NIVEA Natural Fairness Body Lotion -
developed to enhance the skin’s natural
radiance, available from KWD 0.625.
Do you want your skin to have natural
radiance? NIVEA’s innovative formula with
liquorice and berry extracts gives the skin
even-toned fairness and is left silky
smooth. Your favorite lotion for fairer skin
in 4 weeks.
NIVEA Q10 Plus Firming Body Lotion -
for noticeably firmer and tighter looking
skin, available from KWD 1.605.
Skin looks visibly tighter and firmer
with Firming Body Lotion Q10 Plus in just
two weeks.
NIVEA Repair & Care Body Lotion - for
long-lasting relief from roughness and
tightness, available from KWD 1.09.
The first product by NIVEA to provide
48-hour relief from dry skin symptoms.
The innovative formula with
Dexpanthenol strengthens your skin’s barrier
and supports the skin’s own hydration
system to relieve dry, tight skin.
NIVEA Smooth Body Lotion - for dry
skin, available from KWD 1.09.
Enriched with Shea Butter, Gingko
Extract and Vitamin E, the NIVEA Smooth
Body Lotion protects the skin from drying
out.
NIVEA Express Hydration Body Lotion -
provides skin with non-stop moisture,
available from KWD 0.625.
The ultra-light formula with Sea
Minerals of the NIVEA Express Hydration
Body Lotion leaves the skin immediately
soft and supple and delicately enwrapped
in a blue lotus scent.
could be the next frontier, although demand
has yet to take off, partly due to price. In China,
a half-litre bottle of green detergent can cost
$15, some 10 times more than in Europe.
Market explosion, financial crash
The industry has struggled since the start of
the financial crisis in 2008, which also marked
the arrival of several new players: SC Johnson
brought out Nature’s Source, Clorox its Green
Works range and German Persil maker Henkel
its Terra brand. Dozens of retailers like Tesco and
US pharmacy chain Duane Reade have also
since launched their own labels.
Nature’s Source was discontinued in 2010
under the pressure. Green Works survived but
has lost market share, according to research
firm Packaged Facts, and plans to cut prices this
summer. “While our research showed that consumers
wanted to buy products made with natural
ingredients, they largely went back to
basics - price and efficacy - when money got
tight,” said Kelly Semrau, SC Johnson’s chief sustainability
officer.
While Ecover’s sales also suffered, down 5-6
percent per year from 2007 to 2010, it believes
it is ahead of the pack with products that really
clean at a price aimed at no more than 10 percent
above standard equivalents. “In terms of
performance we are at the same level as the traditional
brands and for some ... we are better,”
Malmberg said in an interview at the company’s
headquarters. Sales, flat in 2011, shot up 17 percent
in 2012 and are now approaching peak
2007 levels.
Which green product?
One sector-wide problem is that although
consumers may care about the environment,
they aren’t really sure what it means to clean
“green” and are overwhelmed by competing
claims. It’s partly about what’s in the product.
The first ecological cleaners did not contain
phosphates, now banned in many countries
because they promote the growth of algae,
which starves fish of oxygen. Many now also
shun bleach or ammonia, again largely due to
their impact on wildlife.
Green producers are also increasingly stressing
the health risks consumers face by wearing
clothes or using crockery washed with harsh
chemicals, from scents to brighteners. But these
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Eco rivals battle to show
who is cleaner, greener
BETHESDA: Atomic medicine has
“fantastic potential” for fighting
deadly, difficult to treat cancers, the
head of French nuclear giant Areva’s
medical arm told AFP in an interview.
“We are interested in tumors
against which the current therapeutic
arsenal is very limited-like ovarian,
gastric and pancreatic cancerswhere
the needs are huge and
patients are waiting,” explained
Areva Med chief Patrick Bourdet.
Based in a Maryland suburb of the
US capital, not far from the National
Institutes of Health, Areva Med is
pitting its hopes on a rare radioactive
isotope that may be capable of
selectively annihilating cancer cells.
This new weapon against these
aggressive cancers is a variety of
lead: the isotope Pb 212. It is
extremely rare, extracted from an
equally rare metal called thorium.
Only the few major nuclear powers
have stocks of the radioactive metal-France,
being one of them, with a
considerable cache, Bourdet told
AFP. France’s stock can be traced
back half a decade to its nuclear
subsidiary.
At that time, the Commissary of
Atomic Energy, or CEA, a government-funded
research group,
decided to hold on to thorium after
it extracted uranium-which has
become the principal material used
in nuclear power plants. In 2003,
researchers had the idea of extracting
the isotope Pb 212 from the
thorium, with Areva’s scientists
among them, looking in part for
possible applications against cancer.
Convinced of the great medical
potential of this isotope, Areva created
its medical affiliate in 2009 in
the United States, which, since then,
hasn’t stopped growing.
Extremely targeted
cancer- treatment
In 2011, Areva Med, working
with researchers from the University
of Alabama, got the green light
from the US Food and Drug
Administration to start a phase one
clinical trial with Pb 212, using
radioimmunotherapy. The first
patient, of 18 slated in the trial, was
treated in April 2012.
“The trials are advancing in a satisfactory
way,” Bourdet said, adding
that he couldn’t be more optimistic
at this point. Backing up that optimism,
Areva Med has gone into
overdrive, putting in place the necessary
components for the development
and production of this new
cancer-fighting tool, including in
2012 Areva Med inking an agreement
with Swiss pharmaceutical
giant Roche, the world leader in
oncology.
At the same time, Areva
launched the construction of a Pb
212 production laboratory, the
world’s first, in Bessines-sur-
Gartempe, in the central French
region of Limousin. The lab, set to
open at the end of 2013, will extract
nanograms-billionths of a gram-of
the isotope from tonnes of thorium.
In the regime currently under in
preliminary trials, each patient
needs just four nanograms of Pb
days it’s also about the way the producer runs
its business. Ecover argues its customers are
buying into an entirely green process. The roofs
on its plants in Belgium and northern France
allow them to use no heating or air conditioning.
Next year, its bottles will contain plastic
recovered from the sea.
In recent years, major producers have also
focused on cutting their carbon footprint, using
less or more recycled packaging and selling
cold-wash formulas, a big plus for consumers in
an era of high energy bills. Ecover is among a
number of producers that are developing surfactants
- the compounds that act as the cleaning
agent in most products by lowering the surface
tension of a liquid - derived from plants
rather than petroleum to sever their relationship
with what is considered a polluting industry.
Fragmented standards
The industry also suffers from a lack of global
standards and low consumer awareness of
those that do exist. Directory Ecolabel Index
lists more than 60 different eco labels from different
organisations around the world.
Certification in the European Union assures
consumers that a product has been tested independently
and shown to work and to contain
few hazardous chemicals. But the label is not
well known among consumers and there is no
grading system like Europe’s energy consumption
labelling for light bulbs, cars and other
products, from least efficient G to best in class,
A+++. Ecover is among critics that say the EU’s
eco label, which says cleaners must be “largely
bio-degradable”, is not strict enough. Ecover
itself has not escaped criticism, however. The
Vegan Society withdrew its vegan trademark
over Ecover’s use of water fleas for testing.
British consumer association Which in 2010
questioned whether “green” products in general
were really more environmentally friendly than
standard equivalents, as well as whether they
actually worked. Environmentally aware consumers
may be best off simply cleaning less,
some experts say. “Really you can clean a whole
house with two or three cleaners and you can
do a lot with water, lemon, juice, vinegar and
salt,” said Silvia Maurer, safety and environmental
specialist at European consumer body
BEUC.—Reuters
radioactive lead could beat cancer
212 in a single day of treatment,
explained Bourdet. The radioactive
isotope is aimed at the cancer cells
by chemically attaching it to an
antibody crafted to recognize the
tumor by it’s specific antigens, or
chemical signals.
“It’s truly an extremely targeted
anti-cancer therapy” that could
fight many forms of cancer, even
metastasized, emphasized Bourdet.
In addition, thanks to its precision,
“there are no side effects,” he said.
“Everything’s going well so far, we
are confident and optimistic, but
let’s wait the results of the science,”
he cautioned, while adding: “I think
our drug will be ready in 2016.”
Martin Brechbiel, head of radioimmunotherapy
research at the
National Cancer Institute, is more
“cautiously optimistic.”
“The potential is very great” with
Pb 212, he told AFP. “If this therapy
can improve survival significantly
this would be extremely important,”
he said, but it’s “far too early to
tell.”—AFP

HEALTH & SCIENCE
Spain hesitates on contentious abortion reform
MADRID: Despite ramming through austerity measures
that sparked popular protest in the streets,
Spain’s right-leaning government seems to be hesitating
on a potentially more divisive reform: tightening
the abortion law. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s
Popular Party promised, in a manifesto ahead of its
2011 election victory, “to reinforce protection of the
right to life”. That was a nod to opponents of a landmark
2010 reform by the former Socialist government,
which brought Spain into line with much of
Europe by letting women freely opt for abortion in
the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.
But nearly 18 months after the Popular Party took
power, the justice ministry, which is in charge of the
reform, has still not drawn up any concrete proposals
amid signs of internal dissent. “There is a lot of
speculation that it is being slowed down by differences
of opinion in the party itself and in the government,”
said Ferran Requejo, a political scientist at
Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. “There is
resistance in the party because they can’t agree on
the criteria for aborting and there is no agreement in
the government because of the image it gives of
Spain in Europe.”
Before 2010, abortion was a crime in Spain except
in cases of rape, risk to the mother’s health or deformation
of the foetus. Justice Minister Alberto
Gallardon has indicated in press interviews and in
parliament that he wants to return to a law similar to
that one, but also to go further, curbing abortions in
cases of deformation. A study by pollster
Metroscopia published last month in centre-left
newspaper El Pais indicated that 46 percent of
Spaniards favoured keeping the law in its current
form while 41 percent wanted a stricter system such
as that planned by Gallardon.
Pressure from the Church
Last month, the head of the Roman Catholic
Church in Spain, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco
Varela, called for an “urgent reform” of the 2010 law,
which he said had “led to a rise in the number of
abortions to terrifying levels”. Within hours,
Gallardon announced that the government would
pass the reform “promptly”, sparking speculation
that he was under pressure from the Church, considered
a powerful lobby in the party. “Gallardon at one
time was the leader of the most liberal section of the
party. He has made a U-turn since he has been in the
government, and has become the leader of the most
hardline section, those closest to the Catholic
Church when it comes to abortion,” said Requejo.
“Some people speculate that he is going to put
himself forward as an alternative to Rajoy in the next
election, when the most right-wing section of the PP
wants to replace Rajoy.” The justice ministry and the
Popular Party told AFP they would not comment on
the reform since it was still being discussed. Rajoy as
well as Health Minister Ana Mato and other members
of the government have avoided commenting
on details of the reform. Mato has defended
Gallardon in parliament, however, and said the
future law would have the backing of the whole
government.
The spokeswoman for the Spanish anti-abortion
campaign group Right to Life, Gador Joya, said
Gallardon “must know that Spanish society is backing
him to carry out this reform”. “What we want is
for no woman in Spain to have to go through this
ordeal,” Joya said in a statement. Spain’s
Constitutional Court has yet to rule on an appeal
brought against the law by the Popular Party. “We
cannot make the right to life subject to the decisions
of one political party or another,” Joya said. “The
right to life must be protected by the constitution.”
On the other side, a platform of pro-choice
women’s rights groups has launched a joint campaign
to keep the abortion law as it is. “I am con-
vinced that Spanish society no longer agrees that
judges, doctors, ministers and lawyers should make
women’s decisions for them,” said the deputy leader
of the opposition Socialist party, Elena Valenciano, at
the launch of the campaign. “It is clear there is divi-
sion” in the Popular Party on the issue, she told AFP
afterwards. “It is also clear there is pressure from the
most conservative sections of the party. There must
be tension in the government but we still don’t
know where everyone stands.”—AFP
INDIA: Indian yoga practitioners participate in a session organized by the Bharatiya Yog
Sansthan association on the outskirts of Amritsar yesterday. Yoga, which means union in
Sanskrit, is a family of ancient spiritual practices and also a school of spiritual thought from the
South East Asian continent, where it remains a vibrant living tradition and is seen as a means of
enlightenment.—AFP
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013

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Greetings
Happy birthday to Abubaker Nisharpampra
as you celebrates his 10th birthday today.
Greetings from dear and near ones.
Announcement
The Meat Co Kuwait launches
weekly Jazz Nights
The Meat Co Kuwait will be bringing more
than outstanding steak to the table with the
launch of their new weekly jazz nights.
Starting Wednesday 12 June, The Meat Co Jazz
Nights will be treating its customers to the
smooth sounds of the Kuwait Jazz Trio, who will
be entertaining the crowd with their extensive
repertoire of tunes, including the works of Cole
Porter, Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael, Billy
Strayhorn and George Gershwin. Kuwaitís premier
jazz band will be performing every Wednesday
from 8pm at The Meat Co, Kuwait - using the traditional
jazz trio instruments of piano, bass and
drums -thrilling the audience with the best of
international jazz late into the evening.
IMAX film program
Write to us
IMAX
Thursday:
** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups
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 3D3:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pm
To The Arctic 3D 4:30pm, 7:30pm
Flight of Butterflies 3D 6:30pm
Born to be Wild 3D 9:30pm
Saturday:
** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups
Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 1:30pm, 8:30pm
Tornado Alley 3D11:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm,
9:30pm
To The Arctic 3D 12:30pm, 6:30pm
Born to be Wild 3D 3:30pm
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.
Send to What’s On
upcoming events, birthdays or
celebrations by email:
local@kuwaittimes.net
Fax: 24835619 / 20
Kuwait National English School officially celebrated
the graduation of the students class 2013 who
have completed their secondary education and
will be moving into the next step of tertiary education
in the next academic year. The School Director Madame
Chantal Al Gharabally and guests of honor Professor
Basil Al Nakib, Vice President of Health and Science
WHAT’S ON
Center, Kuwait University and Dr. Husain Al Khayat,
Dean of the College of Engineering and Petroleum,
Kuwait University, addressed the audience and Class
2013.
The Head Boy, Osama Al Shatti, Head Girl Israa
Abdulsalam, School Prefects, Tala Muassess and Dima
Kheir and long school students, Abdullah Al Najem and
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Kuwait National English School Secondary Graduation
The International and Private Patients Service at
Great Ormond Street Hospital London recently
launched a monthly tea party for mothers of children
who are currently inpatients at GOSH. Many mothers
of Kuwaiti children and those from across the world
gather at the monthly tea party to share their experiences
and help each other. Having a child in hospital is
a very worrying time for families especially so if you are
visiting GOSH from overseas, and English is not your
first language.
The monthly tea parties have had a resounding positive
effect on the mothers, many from Kuwait. The
meetings aim at creating a sense of strong community
spirit amongst the mothers and GOSH staff. Mothers are
more supportive to each other, helping each other
through the difficult times, sharing their experiences
and helping each other to settle into ward life. The tea
parties provide an opportunity to GOSH clinical staff to
educate and train mothers around simple medical procedures
that enable them to develop their own skills so
that they can provide better care for their child.
Al Marri, the mother of Ali Hamad from Kuwait who
is 5 years old and is at GOSH for surgical procedures
commented: “The tea parties are really good for us; we
get the opportunity to properly socialize and create
connections with other mothers on the wards. We can
support each other and talk about our experiences, our
child’s condition and treatment. It gives us a chance to
Shahad Shweikeh delivered speeches before their
awards. The ceremony of graduating class 2013 ended
up by cutting of traditional cake by the Guests of
Honour, School Chairman, School Director and graduated
students from Kuwait National English School
Student Council. Congratulations to Kuwait National
English School Class 2013!!!
Mother’s Tea Party brings a sense
of community during time of need
bring a bit of home spirit into the hospital and make me
feel reassured that my child is getting the best treatment
available.”
“The nurses here try and make sure our stay at GOSH
is as comfortable and pleasant as possible and they
ensure that we are a valued member of our child’s
health care team. The tea parties are not only about
drinking tea, eating cakes and socializing, we get
trained in certain medical procedures which helps us to
look after our child better. We also have the opportunity
to talk as a group about the ideas we may have to
improve our stay at GOSH and to go over any concerns
we may have.”

WHAT’S ON
Loyac launches its 12th
annual summer program
Loyac launched its twelfth annual
summer program in the presence
of Loyac’s Board of Directors, and
the managers and representatives of
the companies that contribute to
Loyac. Representatives from the volunteer
centers and the student’s participating
in the summer program
were also present. Mohammed Ajraan,
Supervisor of the Committee of
Programs and Activities, presented the
opening ceremony with a unique
show prepared by Loyac Academy of
the Performing Arts. Fadia Al Marzouq
Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors delivered a speech welcoming
the guests.
Loyac also modified its awareness
committees and those committees
were given the name “Students
Humanitarian Initiatives.” Each committee
will be named after a participating
company that accepted a minimum
of 30 students. These committees
will be led by the youths themselves
and their initiatives will be evaluated
at the end of the program so as
to chose the best initiatives according
to their goals and how they were
implemented.
Every year at the end of the summer
program, some of the students
get a full-time employment at the
company where they have been training.
However, this year a student
received an offer for a permanent job
from one of the participating companies
after his interview and before the
start of the summer program.
Star comedian Faisal Al Basri presented
a funny skit that engaged the
students and volunteers. The skit was
followed by a unique video displayed
by the Committee of Programs and
Activities about the activities, trips
and entertainment that await t Loyac’s
achievements.
Annual Associate Week celebrated at Marriott Hotels
Agrand celebration of Marriott’s global Annual
Associate Week was recently organized at the JW
Marriott Kuwait City Hotel, the Courtyard by Marriott
Kuwait Hotel, and Arraya Ballroom to express appreciation
to their staff for their efforts throughout the past year. In
celebration of its founding anniversary, Marriott hotels
around the world set aside a week of fun-filled activities to
commend its 700 associates for the ongoing dedication,
commitment and outstanding service.
“Celebrations this year were special, as 2013 marks the
86th anniversary of the founding of Marriott, now a truly
global company,” said George Aoun, General Manager for
Kuwait Marriott Hotels. “We do hope this week marked as a
remarkable memory to each and every associate at the
hotel with the exciting interactive program prepared for
them, which provided the opportunity to thank them for
the continuing efforts .Their reliable service and hard work
is the reason our operations run seamlessly with a loyal
guest base and the communities we serve, are a better
place.”
During the week, the hotel also celebrated Cultural
Appreciation Day, in honor of Marriott’s global workforce.
This day builds on the hotels’ existing efforts to constantly
promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion. At Marriott
properties globally and in Kuwait, each day was eventful
with a different theme and in true style; beginning with the
‘Mark your Fingerprints’ day that included a special themed
lunch and games such as dinar race and basketball with tissue,
moving onto ‘Cultural Day’ where the associates participated
in the ‘Pingpong bounce’ game and ‘paper clown’.
To add to the excitement each associate was given the
opportunity to win daily raffle draws at JW Marriott and
Courtyard by Marriott. ‘Spirit to Serve our Associates’ day,
followed with cleaning of guest rooms along with “Get Well
Soon” wishes displayed and cake cutting.
Moreover, during the “Thank you for all you do” day,
appreciation notes were provided to all associates while
games such as balloon blowing race, were also enjoyed,
along with cleaning of the cafeteria’s stewarding section.
“The 86th anniversary provided the ideal platform to celebrate
Marriott’s core values that have been the drivers of
our success, setting us apart: Pursue Excellence, Put People
First, Serve our World, Embrace Change, and Act with
Integrity,” added George Aoun.
Ernakulam District Association new office bearers
Ernakulam District Association, Kuwait
(EDA) conducted its Annual General
Body Meeting on 26th April 2013, at
Pravasi Auditorium, in Abbassiya. The meeting
was presided over by EDA President Roy
Yoyaki. The EDA General Secretary, Madhu
Warrier, welcomed the distinguished
guests, members and their families to the
meeting. He also presented a detailed
Report of the EDAís performance for the
last 2 years term from 2011-2013. Abdul
Rahim, the Chairman of the Advisory Board,
addressed the audience.† New Office
Bearers for EDA Central Executive
Committee and The EDA Mahila Vedhi were
elected in the General Body Meeting. The
elected new Office Bearers for EDA Central
Executive Committee are Madhu Warrier
(President), Varghese Paul (General
Secretary), AD Gopinadhan (Treasurer) and
Biju MY (General Coordinator).
Johnson (Chairman of Advisory Board),
Sunil Kumar (Vice President), Santhosh A.C
(Executive Secretary), Balakrishnan Mallya
(Joint Coordinator), Kishorekumar P V (Joint
Treasurer), Anilkumar P K (Website-in-
Charge), Tajuddin (Arts & Cultural
Committee Secretary), Maxi Joseph (Arts &
Cultural Committee Joint Secretary) Stanly
(Social Welfare Committee Convener),
Bipin Madhavan (Social Welfare Committee
Secretary), Samson (Sports Committee
Secretary), Sudish (Sports Committee Joint
Secretary). EDA Mahila Vedhi elected Lissa
Varghese as its Convener, Radha
Gopinadhan (secretary) and Sobha Nair
(Treasurer) for the new term. EDA family
members performed various cultural programs
during this meeting. Balakrishnan
(Chief Returning Officer), Johnson and
Thajudeen (Returning Officers ) controlled
the entire Election process.† The General
Coordinator Geo Mathai expressed the vote
of thanks.
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-gcccom
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, Email:
abdbi-im-enquiry@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 US
Parents of Kuwaiti citizen children may
drop off their sons’ and daughters’ visa
applications - completely free of an
interview or a trip inside the Embassy. The children
must be under 14 years of age, and additional
requirements do apply, but the service
means parents will no longer have to schedule
individual appointments for their children, nor
come inside the Embassy (unless they are
applying for themselves). The service is only
available for children holding Kuwaiti passports.
To take advantage, parents must drop off
the following documents: Child Visa Drop-off
cover sheet, available on the Embassy website
(http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.htm)
- Child’s passport; The Child’s previous passport,
if it contains a valid US visa; 5x5cm photo
of child with eyes open (if uploaded into DS-
160, photos must be a .jpg between 600x600
and 1200x1200 pixels, less than 240kb, and
cannot be digitally altered); A completed DS-
160 form; Visa Fee Receipt from Burgan Bank; A
copy of the valid visa of at least one parent. If
one parent will not travel, provide a visa copy
for the traveling parent, and a passport copy
from the non-traveling parent with a letter
stating no objection to the child’s travel. - For
children of students (F2): a copy of the child’s I-
20.
Children born in the US (with very few
exceptions) are US citizens and would not be
eligible for a visa. Parents may drop off the
application packet at Window 2 at the Embassy
from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Monday to Wednesday,
excluding holidays. More information is available
on the U.S. Embassy website:
kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.html
n n n n n n n
EMBASSY GREECE
The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the
pleasure to announce that visa applications
must be submitted to Schengen Visa
Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th
floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al-
Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For
information please call 22281046 from 08:30 to
17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours:
Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collection
from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications
please visit the following website
www.mfa.gr/kuwait.
n n n n n n n
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
EMBASSY OF VATICAN
The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of
the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait presents
its compliments to Kuwait Times
Newspaper, and has the honor to inform the
same that the Apostolic Nunciature has moved
to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find
below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1,
Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158,
Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066.
Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com
n n n n n n n
EMBASSY OF TURKEY
The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
announces that a new classes of Turkish language
for beginners will start at the
Embassy’s Tourism, Culture and Information Office
on 17 February 2013. The lessons will be two times
in a week for six weeks, for further details and registration
please contact. Or fill the application form
on http://kuveyt.bemfa.gov.tr and send it to the email:
embassy.Kuwait@mfa.gov.tr

14:35 Border Security
15:05 Auction Hunters
15:30 Auction Kings
16:00 Ultimate Survival
16:55 Yukon Men
17:50 Mythbusters
18:45 Sons Of Guns
19:40 How Stuff Works
20:05 How It’s Made
20:35 Auction Hunters
21:00 Storage Hunters
21:30 Off The Hook: Extreme
Catches
21:55 Off The Hook: Extreme
Catches
22:25 Extreme Fishing
23:20 Moonshiners
00:15 Off The Hook: Extreme
Catches
00:40 Off The Hook: Extreme
Catches
01:10 Extreme Fishing
14:50 Reign Of The Dinosaurs
15:45 Animal Armageddon
16:40 HMS Ark Royal
17:35 Mystery Cars
18:00 Mystery Cars
18:25 Hero Factor
18:50 Hero Factor
19:20 The Real Sherlock Holmes
20:10 Tattoo Hunter
21:05 Out Of Egypt
22:00 The Real Sherlock Holmes
22:55 Death Machines
23:50 LA: City Of Demons
00:45 Mystery Cars
01:10 Mystery Cars
01:35 The Real Sherlock Holmes
14:20 Food Factory
14:45 Food Factory
15:10 Scrapheap Challenge
16:00 Nextworld
16:55 Robotica
17:45 Race To Mars
18:35 The Gadget Show
19:00 The Tech Show
19:30 Unchained Reaction
20:20 Prototype This
21:10 Food Factory
21:35 Food Factory
22:00 Unchained Reaction
22:50 Colony
23:40 Food Factory
00:05 Food Factory
00:30 How Do They Do It?
01:00 Prototype This
01:50 Colony
14:00 American Pickers
15:00 American Pickers
16:00 American Pickers
17:00 American Pickers
18:00 American Pickers
19:00 WWII: Secret Army
20:00 Pawn Stars
20:30 Storage Wars
21:00 Ancient Aliens
22:00 Storage Wars
22:30 Storage Wars
23:00 American Pickers
00:00 Pawn Stars
00:30 Storage Wars
01:00 Ancient Aliens
02:00 Storage Wars
14:00 C.S.I.
15:00 Kyle XY
16:00 Emmerdale
16:30 Coronation Street
17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show
18:00 C.S.I.
19:00 Royal Pains
20:00 House Of Cards
21:00 The Americans
22:00 Banshee
23:00 Greek
00:00 Kyle XY
01:00 Banshee
02:00 The Americans
03:00 Samantha Who?
03:30 Malibu Country
04:00 Seinfeld
04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay
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05:30 Hope & Faith
06:00 All Of Us
06:30 Til Death
07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
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08:30 Hope & Faith
09:00 Samantha Who?
09:30 Hot In Cleveland
10:00 Parks And Recreation
10:30 Til Death
11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay
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12:00 All Of Us
12:30 Seinfeld
13:00 Hope & Faith
13:30 Til Death
14:00 Malibu Country
14:30 Parks And Recreation
15:00 Hot In Cleveland
15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition
16:00 The Colbert Report Global
Edition
16:30 All Of Us
17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
18:00 Last Man Standing
18:30 Raising Hope
19:00 Hot In Cleveland
19:30 Men At Work
20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay
Leno
21:00 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
21:30 The Colbert Report
22:00 The New Normal
22:30 Out There
23:00 Brickleberry
23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
00:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
01:00 The Colbert Report
01:30 The New Normal
02:00 Out There
02:30 Brickleberry
05:15 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
05:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
06:00 Prankstars
06:25 Suite Life On Deck
06:45 Shake It Up
07:10 A.N.T Farm
07:35 Jessie
07:55 Good Luck Charlie
08:20 Good Luck Charlie
08:45 Doc McStuffins
09:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
09:30 A.N.T. Farm
09:55 A.N.T. Farm
10:15 Jessie
10:40 Jessie
11:05 Good Luck Charlie
11:25 Good Luck Charlie
11:50 Good Luck Charlie
12:15 Shake It Up
12:35 Shake It Up
13:00 Austin And Ally
13:25 A.N.T. Farm
13:45 Jessie
14:10 Shake It Up
14:35 Suite Life On Deck
15:00 Gravity Falls
15:25 Good Luck Charlie
15:50 Jessie
16:10 Shake It Up
16:35 A.N.T. Farm
17:00 Austin And Ally
17:20 Gravity Falls
17:45 Suite Life On Deck
18:10 Good Luck Charlie
18:30 That’s So Raven
18:55 Austin And Ally
19:20 Jessie
19:40 Gravity Falls
20:05 A.N.T. Farm
20:30 Good Luck Charlie
THE ARTIST ON OSN MOVIES HD
20:50 Suite Life On Deck
21:15 Austin And Ally
21:40 That’s So Raven
22:00 Shake It Up
22:25 A.N.T. Farm
22:50 Austin And Ally
23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place
23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place
00:00 Hannah Montana
00:20 Hannah Montana
00:45 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
01:05 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
01:30 Emperor’s New School
01:50 Emperor’s New School
02:15 Replacements
02:35 Replacements
14:30 Style Star
15:00 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians
16:00 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians
17:00 Ice Loves Coco
17:30 Ice Loves Coco
18:00 Married To Jonas
18:30 Married To Jonas
19:00 E!es
20:00 E! News Special: Country
Music Festival
20:30 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami
21:30 Playing With Fire
22:30 Fashion Police
23:30 Chelsea Lately
00:00 Dirty Soap
00:55 Style Star
01:25 E!es
03:05 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish
03:30 Food Poker
04:15 Bargain Hunt
05:00 House Swap
05:45 Cash In The Attic
06:30 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish
07:00 Food Poker
07:45 Food & Drink
08:15 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent
09:05 Bargain Hunt
09:50 Antiques Roadshow
10:45 Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition
11:30 MasterChef Australia
11:55 Come Dine With Me
12:45 Food & Drink
13:15 Food Poker
14:00 Bargain Hunt
14:40 Cash In The Attic
15:25 Antiques Roadshow
16:15 Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition
17:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent
17:55 The Roux Legacy
18:30 Home Cooking Made Easy
18:55 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard
19:20 New Scandinavian Cooking
With Andreas Viestad
19:45 Come Dine With Me
20:35 Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition
21:20 Antiques Roadshow
22:15 Bargain Hunt
23:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent
23:55 Food Poker
00:40 Come Dine With Me
01:30 MasterChef Australia
01:55 New Scandinavian Cooking
With Andreas Viestad
02:20 Cash In The Attic
03:00 Andy Bates Street Feasts
03:25 Food Wars
03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
04:15 Unique Eats
04:40 Chopped
05:30 Iron Chef America
06:10 Food Network Challenge
07:00 Guy’s Big Bite
07:25 Guy’s Big Bite
07:50 Andy Bates Street Feasts
08:15 Unique Sweets
08:40 United Tastes Of America
TV PROGRAMS
09:05 Barefoot Contessa
09:30 The Next Food Network Star
10:20 Extra Virgin
10:45 Kid In A Candy Store
11:10 Charly’s Cake Angels
11:35 Unique Sweets
12:00 Amazing Wedding Cakes
12:50 Have Cake, Will Travel
13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To
Basics
13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To
Basics
14:05 Food Wars
14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
15:20 Guy’s Big Bite
15:45 Chopped
16:35 Barefoot Contessa
17:00 Barefoot Contessa
17:25 Food Wars
17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
18:40 Charly’s Cake Angels
19:05 Unique Sweets
19:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes
20:20 Chopped
21:10 Chopped
22:00 Food Wars
22:25 Food Wars
22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
23:40 Food Wars
00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
00:55 Unwrapped
01:20 Unwrapped
01:45 Food Wars
03:00 Something Borrowed-PG15
05:00 A Dog Named Duke-PG15
07:00 The Tourist-PG15
09:00 The Artist-PG
10:45 Battleship-PG15
13:00 A Fall From Grace-PG15
15:00 Page Eight-PG15
17:00 The Artist-PG
19:00 In Time-PG15
21:00 Young Adult-PG15
23:00 Horrible Bosses-18
01:00 How I Spent My Summer
Vacation-PG15
07:00 The National Tree-PG15
09:00 Enter The Phoenix-PG15
10:45 The Way-PG15
13:00 Golden Christmas 3-PG15
15:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG
17:00 Dangerous Flowers-PG15
19:00 Leaves Of Grass-PG15
21:00 Morning-PG15
23:00 Arbitrage-PG15
01:00 Dangerous Flowers-PG15
04:00 Perfect Plan-PG15
06:00 Flicka 3-FAM
08:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits-
PG
10:00 The Hairy Tooth Fairy 2-PG
12:00 New Year’s Eve-PG15
14:00 Outlaw Country-PG15
16:00 The Pirates! Band Of Misfits-
PG
18:00 Big Miracle-PG
20:00 The Woman In Black-PG15
22:00 Ted-18
00:00 Outlaw Country-PG15
02:00 Big Miracle-PG
04:00 Tomorrow, When The War
Began-PG15
06:00 Brake-PG15
08:00 Blackthorn-PG15
10:00 Transformers: Dark Of The
Moon-PG15
13:00 Green Lantern-PG15
15:00 Transformers: Dark Of The
Moon-PG15
18:00 Blackthorn-PG15
20:00 Striking Distance-PG15
22:00 Breaking Point-PG15
00:00 Hostel: Part III-18
02:00 Striking Distance-PG15
08:00 House Arrest-FAM
10:00 Snow Day-PG
12:00 Good Boy!-PG
14:00 I Think I Do-PG15
16:00 Snow Day-PG
18:00 Just Crazy Enough-PG15
20:00 Stripes-18
22:00 Slums Of Beverly Hills-18
00:00 A Few Best Men-18
02:00 Stripes-18
09:00 The Perfect Man-PG
11:00 Frozen-PG15
13:00 Would Be Kings-PG15
15:00 The Perfect Man-PG
17:00 TT: Closer To The Edge-PG15
18:45 Dog Day Afternoon-PG15
21:00 Across The Universe-PG15
23:15 John Rabe-18
00:30 PGA European Tour
Highlights
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02:30 Super League
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22:30 UFC The Ultimate Fighter
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14:00 Mass Participation
14:30 Motor Sports 2013
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What a thrill it must have been to be present
during artistic collaborations between performing
arts legends like George Balanchine
and Igor Stravinsky. Richard Nelson’s intimate, bittersweet
new drama, “Nikolai and the Others,” about the
immortality of art, showcases a purely imaginary country
weekend in the lives of a group of famous Russian
emigres in America that depicts those two great talents
working together, surrounded by supportive friends.
The richly detailed drama, which opened Monday
night at Lincoln Center, is set in the spring of 1948,
when the Cold War between former World War II allies
America and the Soviet Union is under way. While the
U.S. government is generously funding cultural activities
of the group’s members, the menacing shadow of
CIA agents with confusing agendas haunts everyone’s
activities, public and private.
Nelson skillfully encapsulates the complexities of
these emigres’ lives as they struggle with artistic ambitions,
memories of past loves, yearning for their longlost
homeland, and current-day political issues that
require strategic approaches to even minor activities.
In all, 18 actors are deployed with assurance by
director David Cromer on the compact thrust stage of
the Mitzi E Newhouse Theater, which is beautifully
designed with sophisticated period touches by Marsha
Ginsberg. Cromer successfully creates a Chekhovian
atmosphere with Nelson’s script, with some characters
reminiscing out loud while others experience quiet,
sometimes rueful epiphanies.
The Russians are gathering at the comfortable,
bohemian farmhouse of Lucia Davidova, (Haviland
Morris, quietly resonant), in rural Westport, Conn. They
plan to celebrate the name day of a beloved but
extremely ill old friend, renowned set designer Sergey
Sudeikin (Alvin Epstein, masterfully hamming it up.)
The central figure in the play is composer Nikolai
(“Nicky”) Nabokov, who now works with the State
Department doing favors for his Russian friends regarding
documents, permissions, and the like. Stephen
Kunken emanates a slightly melancholy helpfulness as
Nicky, whose time-consuming diplomatic role has distanced
him from his art. As he watches the creative
process of his friends Stravinsky and Balanchine, he
becomes inspired to begin composing again.
The group is privileged to enjoy a private rehearsal
of the Stravinsky-Balanchine’s gestating avant-garde
ballet “Orpheus,” which would soon premiere and be
MORNING ON OSN CINEMA
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
hailed as a masterpiece. John Glover is an energetic,
thoughtful Stravinsky. Feisty yet practical, Igor curries
favor with the mistrusted CIA operative who turns up
unexpectedly, while reminding Nicky it’s just what they
have to do.
Michael Cerveris is smooth and calmly imperious as
Balanchine, whose impracticality and devotion to his
artistic vision are subtly presented by Nelson through
the “Orpheus” rehearsal process, as well as via anecdotes,
called “George stories,” shared by his amused
and admiring friends.
The entire cast is excellent. Blair Brown radiates
magnetism and warm authority as Stravinsky’s wife
Vera, a former actress who is also Sudeikin’s ex-wife and
a leader within the group. Kathryn Erbe gives a spirited
portrayal of Natasha Nabokov, Nikolai’s cheerful, pragmatic
ex-wife.
Gareth Saxe is appropriately boorish as Chip Bohlen,
the American CIA agent who intrudes upon the
Russians’ gathering with clumsy bonhomie, his not-sosubtle
threats putting a face to the general feeling of
US government dominance.
Illustrating the alienation immigrants feel in their
adopted country is that the audience hears the cast
speaking flawless English whenever the characters are
actually meant to be speaking Russian among themselves.
The actors then switch into heavily Russianaccented
English when speaking to the few Americans
in their midst. Rosemary Dunleavy staged the ballet
selections from “Orpheus,” which are gracefully performed
by Natalia Alonso as Maria Tallchief, Native
American ballerina and wife to Balanchine, and a puppyish
Michael Rosen as her young American co-star.
Nelson has created a beautifully moving look at a
dark time in America, when government suspicion of
even its most lustrous citizens could escalate into
threats against their personal freedom and livelihoods.
“We do what we have to do,” is a cautionary refrain
among these emigres, weary of government manipulation
yet determined to carry on with their artistic work.
Sudeikin gives a lyrical summation in the text of a
speech to his friends, “Art: our record that we have
lived, the breath that gives us life.”— AP

Classifieds
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Arrival Flights on Tuesday 11/6/2013
Airlines Flt Route Time
BBC 43 DHAKA 00:05
QTR 148 DOHA 00:05
JZR 267 BEIRUT 00:20
JZR 539 CAIRO 00:40
PIA 239 SIALKOT 01:05
THY 764 SABIHA 01:40
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
RJA 642 AMMAN 03:10
RBG 555 ALEXANDRIA 03:15
KAC 416 JAKARTA 06:35
KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 07:25
KAC 412 MANILA 06:15
JZR 503 LUXOR 07:40
JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 06:20
JZR 1541 CAIRO 06:25
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
FDB 69 DUBAI 05:50
BAW 157 LONDON 06:30
FDB 53 DUBAI 07:45
KAC 284 DHAKA 08:15
KAC 514 TEHRAN 13:40
KAC 546 ALEXANDRIA 14:15
KAC 332 TRIVANDRUM 07:55
KAC 302 MUMBAI 07:50
KAC 352 COCHIN 08:05
JZR 561 SOHAG 12:00
JZR 165 DUBAI 11:35
UAE 855 DUBAI 08:25
ABY 125 SHARJAH 08:50
QTR 132 DOHA 09:00
FDB 55 DUBAI 09:15
IRA 605 ISFAHAN 09:20
ETD 301 ABU DHABI 09:30
GFA 213 BAHRAIN 10:40
MEA 404 BEIRUT 10:55
TMA 213 BEIRUT 12:00
UAE 871 DUBAI 12:45
MSR 610 CAIRO 13:00
THY 766 ISTANBUL 13:10
QTR 140 DOHA 13:45
FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50
SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30
UAE 859 DUBAI 21:15
ETD 307 ABU DHABI 21:30
QTR 136 DOHA 21:35
GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:45
QTR 146 DOHA 22:00
JAI 576 COCHIN 22:05
FDB 59 DUBAI 22:20
AIC 981 AHMEDABAD 22:25
UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40
DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10
JAI 574 MUMBAI 23:20
KAC 678 MUSCAT 19:35
KAC 562 AMMAN 14:40
KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25
KAC 786 JEDDAH 18:30
KAC 166 PARIS 18:40
KAC 542 CAIRO 18:15
KAC 104 LONDON 18:45
KAC 742 DAMMAM 19:30
KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25
KAC 618 DOHA 19:10
JZR 177 DUBAI 17:30
JZR 557 ALEXANDRIA 19:10
JZR 535 CAIRO 16:10
JZR 239 AMMAN 22:30
JZR 325 NAJAF 16:15
JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:50
JZR 135 BAHRAIN 23:00
JZR 189 DUBAI 20:10
JZR 185 DUBAI 22:40
KNE 472 JEDDAH 14:35
SYR 341 DAMASCUS 15:50
RJA 640 AMMAN 15:55
QTR 134 DOHA 16:15
ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:35
UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55
ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:10
UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:15
SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20
GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:20
QTR 144 DOHA 18:25
FDB 63 DUBAI 18:55
GFA 219 BAHRAIN 19:05
AXB 393 KOZHIKODE 19:15
JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35
RBG 553 ALEXANDRIA 19:40
OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:00
FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00
ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:05
MEA 402 BEIRUT 20:15
IRA 619 LAR 20:20
MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:30
KLM 415 AMSTERDAM 21:05
ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10
MSR 614 CAIRO 23:30
THY 772 ISTANBUL 23:45
JZR 513 SHARM EL SHEIKH 23:20
Departure Flights on Tuesday 11/6/2013
Airlines Flt Route Time
AIC 976 GOA/CHENNAI 00:05
AXB 490 MANGALORE 00:15
PIA 206 LAHORE 00:15
JAI 573 MUMBAI 00:20
UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 00:25
DLH 637 FRANKFURT 00:30
MSR 615 CAIRO 00:30
KLM 411 AMSTERDAM 00:55
KAC 283 DHAKA 01:30
JZR 502 LUXOR 01:30
BBC 44 DHAKA 01:30
PIA 240 SIALKOT 02:20
THY 773 ISTANBUL 02:20
THY 765 ISTANBUL 02:40
ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45
UAE 854 DUBAI 03:45
FDB 68 DUBAI 03:50
RBG 556 ALEXANDRIA 03:55
MSR 613 CAIRO 04:15
OMA 644 MUSCAT 04:20
ETD 306 ABU DHABI 04:20
QTR 139 DOHA 04:25
QTR 149 DOHA 05:15
JZR 560 SOHAG 05:35
FDB 70 DUBAI 06:30
RJA 643 AMMAN 06:35
GFA 212 BAHRAIN 07:00
THY 771 ISTANBUL 07:10
KAC 545 ALEXANDRIA 07:20
JZR 164 DUBAI 07:25
BAW 156 LONDON 08:25
FDB 54 DUBAI 08:25
JZR 534 CAIRO 09:10
KAC 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 09:15
KAC 561 AMMAN 09:25
ABY 126 SHARJAH 09:30
UAE 856 DUBAI 09:50
FDB 56 DUBAI 09:55
QTR 133 DOHA 10:00
ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:15
IRA 604 ISFAHAN 10:20
KAC 101 LONDON 10:25
GFA 214 BAHRAIN 11:25
KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30
KAC 165 ROME 11:45
MEA 405 BEIRUT 11:55
JZR 556 ALEXANDRIA 12:10
JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25
JZR 324 AL NAJAF 13:00
KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:00
KAC 677 MUSCAT 13:00
JZR 176 DUBAI 13:20
TMA 223 DUBAI 13:45
MSR 611 CAIRO 14:00
THY 767 ISTANBUL 14:10
UAE 872 DUBAI 14:15
FDB 58 DUBAI 14:30
QTR 141 DOHA 14:55
KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05
KNE 473 JEDDAH 15:30
SVA 501 JEDDAH 15:45
KAC 617 DOHA 15:45
KAC 773 RIYADH 16:00
JZR 188 DUBAI 16:00
KAC 741 DAMMAM 16:30
SYR 342 DAMASCUS 16:50
RJA 641 AMMAN 16:55
JZR 238 AMMAN 17:05
JZR 512 SHARM EL SHEIKH 17:15
QTR 135 DOHA 17:20
ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:20
JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40
ABY 128 SHARJAH 17:50
UAE 858 DUBAI 18:15
SVA 511 RIYADH 18:20
GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:20
UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:30
JZR 184 DUBAI 18:30
JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:40
QTR 145 DOHA 19:25
FDB 64 DUBAI 19:35
GFA 220 BAHRAIN 19:50
JZR 134 BAHRAIN 20:05
KAC 283 DHAKA 20:15
AXB 394 KOZHIKODE 20:15
RBG 554 ALEXANDRIA 20:20
JAI 571 MUMBAI 20:35
FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40
ABY 120 SHARJAH 20:45
OMA 648 MUSCAT 20:55
KAC 343 CHENNAI 20:55
KAC 351 KOCHI 21:05
MEA 403 BEIRUT 21:15
IRA 618 LAR 21:20
MSR 607 LUXOR 21:30
DHX 171 BAHRAIN 21:50
KLM 415 DAMMAM 22:05
ETD 308 ABU DHABI 22:15
ALK 230 COLOMBO 22:20
UAE 860 DUBAI 22:25
KAC 381 DELHI 22:30
QTR 137 DOHA 22:35
KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:40
GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:45
FDB 60 DUBAI 23:00
KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00
QTR 147 DOHA 23:05
JAI 575 ABU DHABI 23:05
JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:20
JZR 1540 CAIRO 23:25
KAC 411 BANGKOK 23:40
JZR 528 ASSIUT 23:55
DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION
Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)
MATRIMONIAL
Inviting marriage proposal
for Kerala Christian boy, age
29/ ht - 176cm, from Trichur
district working as an
Accountant in a reputed
company in Kuwait.
Contact: Email:
sanjayantony42@gmail.com
(C 4440)
11-6-2013
FOR SALE
Mitsubishi Lancer GT 2012,
red color, sunroof, Camera,
CD, (full option), 7,500km,
Price KD 3,250/-. Contact:
50994848. (C 4438)
10-6-2013
Toyota Yaris model 2008,
red color, alloy rim fog
lamp, R bumper sensor, CD,
very excellent original condition,
installment possible,
cash price KD 1,950/-, negotiable.
Contact: 99105286.
SHARQIA-1
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 1:30 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 1:00 PM
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FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 5:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 8:15 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 10:30 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 12:45 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
SHARQIA-2
EPIC (DIG-3D) 12:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 2:45 PM
EPIC (DIG-3D) 5:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 7:15 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 9:45 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 12:15 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
SHARQIA-3
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 1:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 3:45 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 6:00 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 8:00 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 10:00 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 12:30 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
MUHALAB-1
EPIC (DIG) 1:30 PM
EPIC (DIG) 3:45 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 6:00 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 8:15 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 10:15 PM
MUHALAB-2
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 12:45 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 3:00 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 5:00 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 7:15 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 9:45 PM
MUHALAB-3
TATTAH (DIG) 12:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 2:45 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 5:15 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 7:45 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 10:00 PM
FANAR-1
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 12:30 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 2:45 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 5:15 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 7:30 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 10:00 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 12:30 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
FANAR-2
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 1:30 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 3:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 5:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 7:45 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 10:15 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:15 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
FANAR-3
YEH JAWANI HAI DEEWANI12:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 3:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 5:30 PM
CHANGE OF NAME
I, Pallath Halid, Passport
No. F8706312, P.O. Vakkad,
Malappuram (dt.) Tirur,
Kerala, India have changed
my name from Pallath Halid
to Khalid Pallath. (C 4437)
10-6-2013
ACCOMMODATION
Sharing accommodation
available in Farwaniya near
Garden for a Filipina lady in
a C-A/C building. Rent KD
55/-. Contact: 99076372.
(C 4439)
10-6-2013
Sharing accommodation
now available near big
Jamiya, Bahrain Street,
Salmiya (Gadeer Clinic building).
Contact: 66792392/
69664598. (C 4436)
9-6-2013
Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY
YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA 2 (HINDI) (DIG)
7:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 10:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 12:45 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
MARINA-1
DISCONNECT (DIG) 12:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 2:30 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 4:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 6:45 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 8:45 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 11:00 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 1:00 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
MARINA-2
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 3:00 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 5:30 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 8:00 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 10:30 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:45 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
MARINA-3
TATTAH (DIG) 1:00 PM
EPIC (DIG-3D) 3:30 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 5:45 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 7:45 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 10:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 12:30 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
AVENUES-1
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 1:45 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 4:00 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 6:15 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 8:30 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 10:45 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 1:00 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
AVENUES-2
TATTAH (DIG) 1:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 4:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 6:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 9:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 11:30 PM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
AVENUES-3
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 1:45 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 4:30 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 7:15 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 10:00 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 12:45 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
360º 1
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 1:00 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 3:15 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 5:30 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 7:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 10:00 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:15 AM
360º 2
DISCONNECT (DIG) 2:15 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 4:30 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 6:45 PM
Prayer timings
Fajr: 03:13
Shorook 04:48
Duhr: 11:47
Asr: 15:21
Maghrib: 18:45
Isha: 20:19
(06/06/2013 TO 12/06/2013)
112
DISCONNECT (DIG) 9:00 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 11:15 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 1:15 AM
360º 3
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 1:45 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 4:00 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 6:15 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 8:30 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 10:45 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 1:00 AM
AL-KOUT.1
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 1:30 PM
EPIC (DIG-3D) 3:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 6:00 PM
THE HANGOVER PART III (DIG) 8:00 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 10:15 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:30 AM
AL-KOUT.2
TATTAH (DIG) 12:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 2:45 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 5:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 7:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 10:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 12:45 AM
AL-KOUT.3
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 1:00 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 3:30 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 5:45 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 8:15 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 10:30 PM
NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 1:00 AM
BAIRAQ-1
EPIC (DIG-3D) 1:30 PM
EPIC (DIG-3D) 3:45 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 6:00 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 8:45 PM
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 11:30 PM
BAIRAQ-2
TATTAH (DIG) 12:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 3:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 5:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 8:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 10:30 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 1:00 AM
BAIRAQ-3
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 3:00 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 5:15 PM
DISCONNECT (DIG) 7:30 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 9:45 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 12:05 AM
PLAZA
TATTAH (DIG) 5:45 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 8:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 10:30 PM
LAILA
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (DIG) 6:00 PM
TATTAH (DIG) 8:30 PM
AFTER EARTH (DIG) 10:45 PM
AJIAL.1
IDDARAMMAYILATHO (DIG) 6:45 PM
IDDARAMMAYILATHO (DIG) 9:45 PM

CROSSWORD 217
ACROSS
1. The local time at the 0 meridian passing
through Greenwich, England.
4. A quick reply to a question or remark (especially
a witty or critical one).
12. (computer science) A computer that is running
software that allows users to leave messages
and access information of general interest.
15. (used especially of commodities) In the natural
unprocessed condition.
16. The wife or widow of a czar.
17. A constellation in the southern hemisphere
near Telescopium and Norma.
18. Any division of quantity accepted as a standard
of measurement or exchange.
20. A cigar made with light-colored tobacco.
21. A member of the North American Indian people
of Oregon.
23. Any of various tropical shrubs widely cultivated
for their showy drooping purplish or reddish
or white flowers.
25. A tract of land with few or no trees in the
middle of a wooded area.
27. Running away from (or as if from) danger.
28. Marked by intense agitation or emotion.
29. Food made from dough of flour or meal and
usually raised with yeast or baking powder and
then baked.
31. Mythical bird of prey having enormous size
and strength.
34. A horse used to set the pace in racing.
37. An important question that is in dispute and
must be settled.
41. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part
of an organism.
42. Remote city of Kazakhstan that (ostensibly for
security reasons) was made the capital in 1998.
45. Antibacterial consisting of any of several synthetic
organic compounds capable of inhibiting
the growth of bacteria that require PABA.
47. (the feminine of raja) A Hindu princess or the
wife of a raja.
49. The capital of Western Samoa.
50. Soil that is plastic when moist but hard when
fired.
51. A large elongated exocrine gland located
behind the stomach.
52. A bag used for carrying money and small personal
items or accessories (especially by women).
55. A highly unstable radioactive element (the
heaviest of the halogen series).
56. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely
the razorbill.
57. Sole genus of the family Naiadaceae.
59. A mature blood cell that contains hemoglobin
to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues.
60. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.
63. A disreputable vagrant.
66. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in
Turkey).
70. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in
Turkey).
71. A fatty deposit in the intima (inner lining) of
an artery.
75. A river in north central Switzerland that runs
northeast into the Rhine.
76. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you
to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your
retirement.
77. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat
trimmed off.
78. Any of various coarse shrubby plants of the
genus Iva with small greenish flowers.
79. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to
10 liters.
80. Thin-shelled freshwater mussels.
81. A long projecting or anterior elongation of an
animal's head.
DOWN
1. Brusque and surly and forbidding.
2. Small wildcat of the mountains of Siberia Tibet
and Mongolia.
3. Two times.
4. A New England state.
5. Of or relating to the songbirds n.
6. A port city and resort in Andalusia in southern
Spain on the Mediterranean.
7. A period marked by distinctive character or
reckoned from a fixed point or event.
8. Consisting of or made of wood of the birch
tree.
9. Eaten as mush or as a thin gruel.
10. A soft silver-white ductile metallic element
(liquid at normal temperatures).
11. A genus of Psittacidae.
12. Pertaining to or constituting a base or basis.
13. Broken husks of the seeds of cereal grains
that are separated from the flour by sifting.
14. North American woodland herb similar to
and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng.
19. 100 thebe equal 1 pula.
22. In or relating to or obtained from urine.
24. Formerly a contemptuous term of address to
an inferior man or boy.
26. A very light brown.
30. French couturier whose first collection in
1947 created a style (tight bodice and narrow
waist and flowing pleated skirt) that became
known as the New Look (1905-1957).
32. Wildly disordered.
33. Ruffed grouse.
35. Scale-like structure between the base of the
wing and the halter of a two-winged fly.
36. A drug (trade names Calan and Isoptin) used
as an oral or parenteral calcium blocker in cases
of hypertension or congestive heart failure or
angina or migraine.
38. A blow from a flat object (as an open hand).
39. The capital and largest city of Yemen.
40. Lap at the front of a coat.
43. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in
southeastern Asia.
44. A percussion instrument consisting of a pair
of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held
between the thumb and fingers) that are made
to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in
rhythm with the dance.
46. A major victory by the Romans over the
Macedonians in 168 BC.
48. Allow to enter.
53. The dialect of Malay used as the national language
of the Republic of Indonesia or of
Malaysia.
54. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element.
58. A broken piece of a brittle artifact.
61. A city in northern India.
62. Any of numerous local fertility and nature
deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.
64. Chocolate cookie with white cream filling.
65. Brought into existence.
67. A quantity that is added.
68. A person who possesses great material
wealth.
69. An Arabic speaking person who lives in
Arabia or North Africa.
72. Administration of a nutritionally adequate
solution through a catheter into the vena cava.
73. 10 hao equal 1 dong.
74. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from
aba cloth.
Yesterday’s Solution
34 stars
STAR TRACK
Aries (March 21-April 19)
You are very skilled at working with people and you would make an excellent
negotiator. These same skills make it possible for you to work with the public,
in politics or wherever handling sensitive or hot issues are routine. You may find yourself
representing your company in matters of importance. Communicating with others is in high
demand—there are peaceful negotiations. Your timing should be perfect for whatever project
or idea you want to present. As a natural socialite, you love decorum and etiquette, but friendships
are the best. You have an urge to be free and you also love a challenge. You would rather
travel far than be stuck in a routine. You have a strong drive to be known—to communicate
yourself to others.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
You are born to love and care for others and may tend to worry over
much. Your fear of being left out or not being fully used up in this life can be alleviated by
much hard work. Jumping in with both feet and putting your thoughts into action are
called for today. You have a natural insight and understanding as to what the public
wants. Your career gets plenty of support from other people now and you feel at home
making practical and management decisions. Your career may be built around the way
you appear or present yourself. Your spontaneous personality and ability to fascinate others
are key elements in being successful. You have a good mind for business as well as an
ability to understand the spiritual. Peace.
Gemini (May 21-June 20)
Right now, the key to career moves involves attending to nagging details—
whatever you have neglected or delayed. Attention to matters of health and
efficiency are important. Opportunities are plentiful and you may find yourself wanting to do
almost everything. Things are working with rather than against you so, do not hold back.
However, do not overdo and try to go too far too fast. Let things take their natural course; this
should be an easy path now. Prosperous things result from new insights, inventions and an
independent point of view. Circumstances may augment and stimulate appreciation and
enjoyment of your life situation. Your mind may be very clear now and your thoughts brought
to a sharp focus. Communication is productive.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Your input and advice today seems very important to a special friend. You will be
helpful as you penetrate and get to the very heart of a problem. Guard against doing
for this person what this person can do unaided. Continual discovery, persistent search and continual
change and transformation keep you on the move. There may also be many interruptions today.
There is an emphasis on communication, expression of ideas and the connections between things,
places and people. What goes on in your mind is the all-important motivation in your life. You tend
toward mental pursuits and admire intelligence. This is a good time to reap the benefit of your past
efforts. Life seems to run smoothly this afternoon. You are feeling good and enjoy your work.
Leo (July 23-August 22)
You could be most persuasive with others. Career moves must be given
special attention. Your own partiality for routine and the traditional may result in your feeling
challenged by anything new or different. You could find yourself struggling against
change and progress—clinging onto the status quo. Although a conformist, you may surround
yourself with partners and friends who are themselves unconventional and offbeat.
There is a love/hate relationship here with all that is unusual. Your tendency to compromise
and settle for less than you dreamed can be a problem. Given the opportunity, you
may choose the path of least resistance, willing to bypass some of the things you always
wanted in favor of expediency.
Virgo (August 23-September 22)
Because you may often be impulsive and spontaneous, you could find
yourself representing your company, lecturing or teaching. You may even find yourself on
a plane, traveling to some foreign country, ready to teach new technical skills. Today you
may provoke a response from others and this could mean big business. You are able to
make another person or group of people put on their thinking hat. There is something
essential that starts or causes something else to happen—a reaction or response when
you promote a product, instruct or lecture: enthusiasm! Your birth sign is in a good place
to gain positive energy from the result of your actions that work to increase the income or
finances. Keep up the good work.
Word Search
Daily SuDoku
Libra (September 23-October 22)
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
You are gifted and lucky when it comes to career decisions. The day
unfolds in a positive manner. There are some important facts to obtain before expressing
your viewpoints; a little research is in order. Pace yourself—this is not the time to become
involved in conversations with higher-ups. Your theories and mental activities may be fine,
but you may lack the necessary patience to let things develop on their own—take a walk
or climb stairs, your invigorated self will encourage clear thoughts. You will not forget what
you want to say if you keep a logbook and write your ideas. You have plenty of enthusiasm
today. You have an inner self-confidence that burns with its own light. A little extra pampering
is healing this evening.
Scorpio (October 23-November 21)
Your career is smooth these days. A career in communications of one kind
or another is indicated—you are a kind of living channel. You love investigations,
reporting, writing, speaking, broadcasting, advertising—networking. Forever curious,
you love searching for answers and following leads. The good life and all that is fine and luxurious
may be what you value just now. You could enjoy making your own way through whatever
problems you have. This is a great time to be with others and to work together. Feel good
about yourself this afternoon! This is a great day to partake in self-improvement activities. Start
with a new hairstyle or outfit. Tonight you could get in touch with a friend or family member
you have not talked with in a while.
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Circumstances can throw you into positions where you must use your mind
and deal with communications, service or secretive people. You may deal with
education, psychology, spiritual enlightenment or teaching principles and techniques. You will
find yourself more concerned with maintaining and strengthening your position, rather than
pushing outward. Work on a request for a raise or job change, if that is what you want—a job
review is coming up soon. There are new business opportunities opening up for you at this
time. A feeling that anything characterizes the cycle you have just begun. There is optimism,
faith and a tendency to take chances. Help your mind and physical well-being enjoy some
leisure activity tonight.
Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
CAPRICORN
This is a time when support and recognition should be available from public,
family and friends. You feel at home in the world and it more than takes care of
you. You could have deep insights into your own feelings and inner spiritual nature. Your surroundings,
circumstances and support system are the crucial spot or what-have-you in the
chain of your life. When things get hectic, it is in these areas that you can expect pressure and
great activity. You may find yourself being put to good use by your friends today. This is a great
time to be with others and to work together. Creative endeavors and friendships make up most
of your day. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with
someone you love this evening.
Aquarius (January 20- February 18)
Your sense of responsibility is clear and requires no training or education.
However, you have an appreciation for education and are interested in becoming involved in
some sort of continuing education. You have clarity and competence in practical and business
matters today and others pay attention to what you have to say. There is a passion for inventions
and electronics as some new equipment is available for your inspection. You will be concerned
with issues of freedom and independence. Your privacy and the opportunities to carry
out your work without too many restrictions are uppermost important today afternoon—so
much so, you may find yourself doing research in a library during, and perhaps after, work
hours.
Pisces (February 19-March 20)
You may want to avoid the superficial people today—you hate small talk
anyway. Exercise the talents you have to quietly investigate, search out answers and explore
possibilities for new techniques in business. Uncomplicated explanations of your ideas may
find better results than the technical explanation. Basic communication skills may be the only
thing required now in order to get others to listen more attentively. You are, perhaps, a
genius—at least others may think so. Computers and new methods of communication are for
you. Improvements of existing circumstances into new possibilities are available. Inventions,
electronics and computers are all fantastic voyages for you now. Self-confidence and self-discipline
will help you succeed.
Yesterday’s Solution
Yesterday’s Solution

For labor-related inquiries
and complaints:
Call MSAL hotline 128
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Ophthalmologists
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Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660
Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478
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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
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info@soorcenter.com
www.soorcenter.com
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Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100
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(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar,
FRCS (Canada) 25655535
Dentists
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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
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
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This theater image released by The O+M Company shows the cast during a performance of the musical ‘Kinky Boots.’
—AP /AFP photos
Actor Neil Patrick Harris, left, and Mike Tyson perform on stage.
1. Neil Patrick Harris opening the show with
an insane amount of dancers, glitter and
silliness. He joked about kiddie stars,
ended up hanging high from a prop and
made even Mike Tyson dance.
2. When Harris joined “Smash” star Megan
Hilty, “Go On” star Laura Benanti (swigging
a bottle) and former “The Book of
Mormon” star Andrew Rannells to skewer
theater stars who seek fame and fortune
- on TV. Harris’ guests all recently tried
their hands at TV, but only his “How I Met
Your Mother” is still on the air.
3. That amazing kid tap-dancing in the “A
Christmas Story, the Musical” segment.
He’s 10- year-old Luke Spring and in his
gangster’s pinstripe suit and lightningfast
feet, he mowed people down.
4. Cyndi Lauper performing her song “True
Colors” during the segment when dead
members of the theater community are
honored. It was moving, natural and fitting
that Lauper, a first-time Broadway
composer, make the nod to her predecessors.
5. The final song, when Harris teamed up
with five-time Tony winner Audra
McDonald to rework Jay-Z’s “Empire State
of Mind” - “In New York, singing all the
lyrics we made up/There’s nothing we
can’t do.” Harris rules again. — AP
Cyndi Lauper accepts the Tony award for best score for her work on music and lyrics
in “Kinky Boots.”
Musician Cyndi Lauper, winner of the Tony Award for Best Original Score
for ‘Kinky Boots.’
lifestyle
A w a r d s
On a feel-good night for Broadway, it was only natural
that the Tony Award go to its most feel-good
musical, the joyous “Kinky Boots.” But most everything
about Sunday’s Tony telecast was warmhearted,
from inspiring speeches about the theatrical community to
the inspired antics of Neil Patrick Harris, who should officially
be awarded the host job on a permanent basis. It was
an especially happy night for female theater artists: In a
rare feat, women took home both directing prizes, for a
musical (Diane Paulus for the high-energy “Pippin” revival)
and for a play (Pam MacKinnon for the searing revival of
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”).
And Cyndi Lauper won best original score for “Kinky
Boots,” a result that had many in the audience whooping
with delight. “Girl, you’re gonna have fun tonight!” shouted
presenter Jesse Tyler Ferguson, the “Modern Family” actor -
a reference, of course, to Lauper’s iconic “Girls Just Want to
Have Fun.” In winning best musical, “Kinky” scored something
of an upset over the terrific but decidedly darker
“Matilda the Musical.” And underscoring the sunny nature
of this year’s ceremony, a comedy - Christopher Durang’s
dysfunctional-family satire “Vanya and Sonia and Masha
and Spike” - won for best play over the more typical dramatic
fare.
It wasn’t a great night for movie stars. In a season where
a number of Hollywood personalities were snubbed for
Tony nominations - Scarlett Johansson, Bette Midler and
Jessica Chastain among them - best-actor nominee Tom
Hanks (“Lucky Guy”) lost out to Tracy Letts, previously a
Tony-winning playwright, for his wrenching performance
in “Virginia Woolf.” As it was for women, it was a big night
for African-American actors, with wins for best actor and
actress in a musical, best actress in a play and featured
actor in a play. The ebullient Billy Porter won best actor in a
musical for playing a drag queen with a heart of gold and a
taste for, well, kinky boots, in “Kinky Boots.” He graciously
saluted his co-star and co-nominee, Stark Sands. “”You are
my rock, my sword, my shield,” he said, adding: “I share this
award with you. I’m gonna keep it at my house - but I share
it with you.”
And the effervescent Patina Miller won best actress in a
musical for “Pippin,” in a role - the Leading Player - that also
won Ben Vereen a Tony in 1973. Like Vereen, Miller sings
and dances expertly in the role, but unlike Vereen, she also
soars on a trapeze and sings while hula-hooping. Cicely
Tyson, 88, had perhaps the evening’s most emotional win -
and not one but two standing ovations - for best actress in
a play, in “The Trip to Bountiful.” She told the audience that
at her age, she had “this burning desire to do just one more
- one more great role. I didn’t want to be greedy. I just
wanted one more.”
And Courtney B. Vance won best featured actor in
“Lucky Guy,” his first win in three nominations. “It’s a richer
experience now,” he said at the Tony after-party. “Being
nominated is a whirlwind. Now I know how to pace myself.”
He was snapping photos of his wife, actress Angela Bassett,
as fellow guests at the Tony after-party at the Plaza Hotel
crowded around them. “Besides,” he said, “we’re the toast of
Broadway now! That doesn’t happen very often.” Wins or
losses, the guests at the Tony gala seemed intent on having
a wonderful time. One of them was Billy Magnussen, who
plays a studly young boyfriend to Sigourney Weaver’s character
in “Vanya and Sonia.” He had lost out to Vance but
couldn’t stop dancing (if you wanted to interview him, you
had to twirl along.) “Who gets to dance at the Tonys?” he
asked joyfully and rather rhetorically. “This guy!” He said it
was “amazing to be honored for something that I would do
for free anyway.”
Shalita Grant, his colleague in “Vanya and Sonia,” was
boogying on the dance floor, too. “Hey, it’s a great night,”
she said. “Two months on Broadway and then a nomination?
I can’t complain.” The winner in Grant’s category was
Judith Light of “The Assembled Parties,” her second Tony in
the category in two years. The former star of TV’s “Who’s
the Boss?” gave one of the most poignant and admired
speeches of the night, along with Letts, who made similar
remarks about the Tonys being not about competition, but
about collaboration.
At the after-party, Light elaborated on her thoughts.
“We are here to celebrate each other,” she said in an interview.
“That is the magic. We root for each other. If we didn’t,
our work would simply be too arduous.” “This is my family,”
Light added, pointing to a ballroom filled with theater folk.
“I’m so happy to be at a party with my family.” Light’s coun-
(Second right) Writer Christopher Durang winner of Best Play for ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’.
terpart on the musical side was Andrea Martin, 66, who
won best featured actress in a musical for “Pippin,” in which
she plays the title character’s grandmother, Berthe, and
stops the show every night by performing high-flying
stunts that thrill the audience.
Her co-star, Matthew James Thomas, who plays Pippin,
said at the party that he was backstage watching Martin’s
emotional speech, and found it so moving that he burst
into tears. “She’s usually so together, so it was amazing to
see her like that,” he said. “I’m so happy for her, and Diane,
and the whole company.” Also accepting congratulations at
the party was someone who never appeared onstage: the
Tony-winning composer, actor, lyricist and rapper Lin-
Manuel Miranda, who co-wrote with Tom Kitt the terrific
opening number performed by host Harris. Miranda, who
wrote and starred in “In the Heights,” also wrote the rap
number that Harris performed with Audra McDonald at the
end of the show, with lyrics that referred to events that had
happened only minutes earlier.
Harris showed no sign of wear on his fourth go as Tony
host, earning as many laughs as ever with routines like a
running reference to boxer Mike Tyson, or a number about
theater actors (like him) who move on to glory and wealth
on TV shows - some of which then get canceled. Harris
opened the show as the Irish “Guy” in the musical “Once,”
holding a guitar in a pub and singing soulfully, but then
quickly jumped into a flashy production number that
showcased performers from almost a dozen musicals.
Among other things, Harris jumped through a hoop, a la
“Pippin,” vanished from a box and somehow appeared at
the back of the theater, and promised a “truly legendary
show” before glitter guns went off. Legendary or not, it certainly
made its audience very happy; by the end of the
number, the entire Radio City Music Hall crowd was on its
feet. — AP
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
This theater image
released by Philip Rinaldi
Publicity shows
Sigourney Weaver, right,
during a performance of
‘Vanya and Sonia and
Masha and Spike.’
The cast and producers from ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ accept the award for
best revival of a play.
The cast of ‘Matilda The Musical’ performs. (From left) ’Pippin’ producers, from left, Barry Weissler, Fran Weissler, Janet
Kagan and Howard Kagan accept the Tony award for best revival of a musical.

(From left) )Patina Miller, winner of the award for Best Performance by a Leading
Actress in a Musical for ‘Pippin’, Cicely Tyson, winner of the award for Best
Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for ‘The Trip to Bountiful’ and Billy
Porter, winner of the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
for ‘ Kinky Boots’.
Actress Judith Light accepts the award for
Best Performance by an actress in a featured
role in a play for her role in ‘The
Assembled Parties’.
Actor Tom Hanks speaks onstage.
Actress Andrea Martin, winner of Best
Performance by a Featured Actress in a
Musical for her role in ‘Pippin ‘.
to thank Harvey Fierstein for calling me up.
I’m so glad I was done with the dishes and
“Iwant
answered the phone.”-Cyndi Lauper, who
teamed up with Tony-winning Fierstein, to create the
best musical “Kinky Boots.”
“Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s the portion of the
evening where two actors who are not nominated for
their performances on Broadway this season very graciously
give a Tony to someone who was.”-Alan
Cumming, presenting with Scarlett Johansson.
“You are my rock, my sword, my shield. Your grace
gives me presence. I share this award with you. I’m
gonna keep it at my house! But I share it with you.”-Billy
Porter to his “Kinky Boots” co-star Stark Sands, whom he
beat for best leading man in a musical.
“‘Please wrap it up,’ it says. Well, that’s exactly what
you did with me: You wrapped me up in your arms after
Diane Paulus accepts a Tony award for best
direction in a musical for “Pippin.”
30 years.”-Cicely Tyson, who returned to Broadway after
three decades and won for best actress in a play but ran
afoul of the stage managers on Tony night.
“I want to thank every woman that I am in this category
nominated with: you have made this a celebration,
not a competition.”-Judith Light after winning for best
featured actress in a play, beating Judith Ivey, Condola
Rashad, Shalita Grant and Carrie Coon.
“It’s not bad for someone who can’t sing, can’t dance,
and can’t act. Actually I’m a triple threat literally.”-New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in response to
Sigourney Weaver’s praise for his support of the
Broadway community. — AP
lifestyle
A w a r d s
Best Play: “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”
Best Musical: “Kinky Boots.”
Best Book of a Musical: “Matilda the Musical.”
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theater: “Kinky Boots.”
Best Revival of a Play: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Best Revival of a Musical: “Pippin.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Tracy Letts, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play: Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Bountiful.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Billy Porter, “Kinky Boots.”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Patina Miller, “Pippin.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Courtney B. Vance, “Lucky Guy.”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Judith Light, “The Assembled Parties.”
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Gabriel Ebert, “Matilda the Musical.”
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Andrea Martin, “Pippin.”— AP
Reeve Carney, center, and the cast of ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark’.
Presenters Jesse Tyler Ferguson, left, and Jane Krakowski present the Tony award for best original
score to Cyndi Lauper, right, for “Kinky Boots”.
Courtney B. Vance accepts the award for
best featured actor in a play for ‘Lucky Guy’.
Rob Howell receives an award for best scenic
design for a musical for his work in
“Matilda The Musical”.
Actor Tracy Letts, winner of Best Performance
by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role in
‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’
Patina Miller accepts the Tony Award for
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading
Role in a Musical for ‘Pippin’.
Scarlett Johansson, left, and Alan Cumming present an award at the 67th Annual Tony Awards.
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
Gabriel Ebert poses with his award for best
performance by an actor in a featured role
in a musical, for ‘ Matilda the Musical’.
Billy Porter accepts the Tony Award for Best
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
in a Musical for his role in ìKinky Bootsî.
Jerry Mitchell poses with his Tony Award
for best choreography for “Kinky Boots”.
John Shivers accepts award for best sound
design for “Kinky Boots”.

Scottish author Iain Banks, best known for
his novels “The Wasp Factory” and “The
Crow Road”, has died aged 59, two months
after revealing that he had terminal cancer, his
publisher said. Banks died less than a fortnight
before the scheduled publication of his final
book, “The Quarry”, which focuses on the final
weeks in the life of its cancer-ridden protagonist.
Ian Banks
He was one of Britain’s most prolific writers and
unusual in his talent for both mainstream novels
and science fiction, which he wrote under the
name Iain M Banks.
“On behalf of Iain’s wife, Adele, it is with enormous
sadness that Little, Brown announces the
death of Iain Banks,” said a statement released by
his publisher on Sunday. “Iain Banks’ ability to
Splash announces grand
winners of its 20th
anniversary celebrations
Splash the region’s most popular high-street retailer announced recently
the names of winners of its 20th Anniversary celebrations. Kicking off
the celebrations in glamour, the brand partnered with BMW to offer an
eye catching Kuwait , other countries in the GCC, Jordan and Egypt wide promotion
which came loaded with 20, 520i Executive 2013 model BMWs.
The BMW promotion started from 1st April till 10 May and the Raffle
draw took place on 30th May at the Splash Store in the Avenues where the
two winners from Kuwait were announced. Osama Al-Sayed and Ahmed
Mohd Mohamoud drove away the two BMW’s while Fathen Fayez Al-
Sageh, Tamer Mohd Ahmed, Khadeja Abed Salem, Fathma Jassim, Mariam
Adel, Gaurav Kumar, Alaa Makawi, Maaly Betal Al-Merjah, Mohd Hindi
Mohd and Dalal Ali Mohammed won Iphone5, Ipad3, Samsung 32 inch
LED TV , Samsung Galaxy Note II and Mac book Air.
The promotion entitled customers who shop for 15 Kuwaiti dinars
worth of trendy purchases from Splash, to participate in a raffle draw.
Twenty lucky winners from GCC, Jordan & Egypt became proud owners of
the cars. Born in the UAE with a single store, the brand’s journey has
spanned 12 countries with over 200 stores and is all set to celebrate these
two stylish decades. In Kuwait, Splash is available at all Centrepoint Stores
in Al Rai, Salmiya, Kuwait City, Hawally, Fahaheel, Jahra, Fintas , Sulaibikhat
and at The Avenues - Phase II.
In an exciting finale that brought the most talented
Filipinos in the GCC region to Dubai to vie
for the top spot of Kapatid TV5’s ‘Talentadong
Pinoy Middle East,’ Haina Uddin was adjudged
Middle East Grand Champion. All the buzz from the
exciting contest will be showcased exclusively on
OSN’s Kapatid TV5 channel. Hailing from Laguna,
Philippines and a student of the Philippine School
of Doha, 16-year old Haina will go on to represent
the Middle East at the global Battle of the
Champions in Kapatid TV5’s leading reality talent
show. She also received a cash prize of US$10,000
for winning the Middle East contest.
“I am totally surprised, I did not expect this!”
said Haina. “I was just a wildcard entry and I am
thrilled to have had this fantastic opportunity.”
When asked with what she will do with her prize
money, she said: “I intend to donate part of the
prize to charity and the rest will be used to open a
small business for my family in the Philippines.”
Mesmerising judges with her powerful rendition
of Jessie J’s song Mamma Knows Best, Haina
had the audience on their feet, in a closely contested
event that also saw Kesiah Ariteo, a student
from Saudi Arabia, and the Dubai-based 5-member
all-male dance group Watawat, emerging as first
combine the most fertile of imaginations with
his own highly distinctive brand of gothic
humor made him unique,” it added. “He is an
irreplaceable part of the literary world.” Banks
was presented with a finished copy of “The
Quarry” three weeks ago, the publisher revealed.
Born in Fife in Scotland in 1954, where he
continued to live up until his death, Banks was
regarded as one of the most innovative writers
of his generation. He rose to prominence in 1984
with his first novel “The Wasp Factory”, the disturbing
tale of a Scottish teenager who had
murdered three children in his family before he
was ten. He was known for his frenetic writing
pace, often completing a novel in less than three
months, and leaves behind a collection of more
than two dozen novels. These include the
“Culture” series, tales from a futuristic utopia of
which he was particularly proud.
In his last blog posting on April 20, the
English literature graduate rejected suggestions
that the sci-fi was a sideline intended to pay for
his other, more literary ambitions afloat. “The SF
novels have always mattered deeply to me-the
Culture series in particular-and while it might
not be what people want to hear (academics
especially), the mainstream subsidized the SF,
not the other way round,” he wrote. Publishers
had worked to bring publication of his new
book forward following his announcement on
his website in April that he had only months to
live.
“I am officially Very Poorly,” Banks announced
with trademark black humor, explaining that the
cancer had started in his gall bladder and spread
to his liver, pancreas and lymph nodes. With
news that his time was nearly up, the previously
divorced Banks asked his girlfriend Adele Hartley
if she would “do me the honor of becoming my
widow”. Hartley, who runs a horror film festival,
shares his dark humor, signing one blog post
and second runners-up who received US$5,000
and US$3,000, respectively. Award-winning host
Ryan Agoncillo, and celebrity talent scouts Gelli de
Belen, Arnell Ignacio and Marvin Agustin, were in
Dubai for the inaugural Middle East regional talent
search for Talentadong Pinoy.
The Dubai event followed the first round of
auditions and qualifying rounds held in Saudi
Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
The celebrity talent scouts and host unanimously
praised Haina. “We have seen a lot of talented
Filipinos here in the Middle East and all over the
world,” said Arnel Ignacio. “But aside from talent, we
are also looking for the x-factor, which Haina definitely
has,” he added.
“I think it was her fate to win this contest,”
celebrity talent scout Gelli de Belen said. “I can’t
help but think that maybe she is really fated to win
Talentadong Pinoy Middle East,” added De Belen.
Several lucky OSN Pinoy subscribers had the
exclusive opportunity to meet Ryan Agoncillo,
Marvin Agustin, Arnel Ignacio and Gelli de Belen in
person after the grand finale.
Chuck Silva of OSN added: “We are extremely
pleased with the positive response we had from
the auditions and qualifying rounds including the
lifestyle
F e a t u r e s
“Chief Widow-in-Waiting”. They had a honeymoon
in Venice and Paris, but Banks was admitted
to hospital in Edinburgh immediately on
their return to Scotland. Banks was also known
for his political views. He famously ripped up his
passport and send it to prime minister Tony Blair
in an act of protest against the 2003 invasion of
Iraq.
Before he died, Banks thanked his fans and
supporters for all their kind words following his
diagnosis, saying he was “knocked out by the
love and depth of feeling”. “I want to say thank
you to all of you for your messages, your memories,
your wit, your sympathy and your kind, supportive
thoughts,” he wrote, during a holiday on
the Scottish island of Barra. Fellow author Ian
Rankin said Banks had been “fascinating, curious
and full of life”.
“He didn’t take things too seriously, and in a
way I’m happy that he refused to take death too
seriously-he could still joke about it,” he told the
BBC. “What made him a great writer was that he
was childlike; he had a curiosity about the
world.” Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond
paid tribute to an “incredibly talented writer”
whose work “brought pleasure to readers for
over 30 years. “I have been in correspondence
with him in the last few weeks and can testify to
the extraordinary vitality with which he continued
to approach life,” he added. — AFP
The leading apparel retailer bested many retailers from across the globe
Giordano, the fashion retailer for everyday
essential wardrobe, clinched the “2013 RLI
Emerging Market Retailer of the Year” award
in the recently concluded Global RLI Awards held
in the National History of Museum in London. The
recognition adds to a long list of accolades
received by Giordano from prestigious award-giving
bodies internationally.
The leading apparel retailer was nominated for
representing the essential retail qualities of entrepreneurship,
originality and flexibility. Giordano
bested three other international nominees shortlisted
from many entries across the globe, as it has
demonstrated a robust and growing retail format
and essayed its role in the development of emerging
economies where it operates.
Receiving the award from Jayne Rafter,
Publisher of RLI (Retail and Leisure International)
were Dominic Irwin, Giordano International’s CFO
and Ishwar Chugani, Managing Director of
Giordano Middle East FZE and Executive Director
of Giordano International.
The Global RLI Award boasts a strong and
prominent panel of judges including Theo Papthis,
owner of Boux Avenue, Chairman of Ryman
Stationery and star of BBC’s Dragons’ Den; Hamish
Dodds, President and CEO of Hard Rock
International; Peter Sharp, President of Walmart
Asia Realty; and, Steve Sadove, Chairman and CEO
of Saks Incorporated, among others. According to
Rafter, the awards celebrate and reward the success
and creativity of the industry’s most impressive
developments, leading retailers, leisure operators
and affiliated business partners, through concepts,
initiatives and design excellence.
Other winners from different categories were:
Yongsan International Business District from Seoul,
South Korea; Kidzania; Boux Avenue, Asics,
McDonald’s and Burberry Flagship store from the
UK. “This award means a lot to Giordano
International and Giordano Middle East FZE as it
recognises our efforts in delivering not just quality
products but innovative and creative retail entrepreneurship.
Our business has expanded exponentially
since 1981. Around the world, Giordano
now boasts of 2,800 stores in 40 countries with
continued focus on expansion into emerging mar-
fully-packed finale. Events such as this give our valued
OSN Pinoy subscribers the opportunity to connect
with what they watch on TV and experience it
live and in person. We are happy to provide these
opportunities as it enriches our customers’ experience
with OSN.”
Talentadong Pinoy Middle East will be broadcast
exclusively on OSN’s Kapatid TV5 channel
every Sunday from June 23. OSN offers premium
Filipino entertainment through its dedicated Pinoy
packages offering over 40 TV channels including
Kapatid TV5 and Aksyon TV (the official and exclusive
worldwide broadcaster of the games of the
Philippine Basketball Association).
OSN recently added four premium and leading
ABS-CBN channels including TFC (The Filipino
Channel), Bro, Cinema One Global and ANC (ABS-
CBN News Channel) further strengthening its Pinoy
offering for Middle East viewers.
Hobbits, elves and dragons appear to be
luring tourists to New Zealand as fans
await their first glimpse of the second
movie in “The Hobbit” trilogy. Figures released
this month by government agency Tourism
New Zealand show that international vacations
to New Zealand rose 10 percent from January
through April when compared to the same
period last year. The agency said a survey indicated
that 8.5 percent of visitors cited “The
Hobbit” as one reason for coming and that 13
percent took part in some kind of hobbitthemed
tourism like visiting a film set.
Warner Bros announced yesterday it will
release the first teaser-trailer of “The Hobbit:
The Desolation of Smaug” at 1 pm EDT Tuesday.
The second film will premiere Dec 13 in Los
Angeles. The trilogy is directed by New Zealand
kets such as Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe
and Latin America,” commented Chugani.
Chugani added that Giordano’s passion is to
continuously reinvent itself to offer customers
essential and relevant collections as well as offer
the best customer experience while shopping in
each of its stores.
Just in May 2013, Giordano was also ranked
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
filmmaker Peter Jackson and shot in his home
country. The opener “The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey,” was released December
2012. It received mixed reviews but proved
extraordinarily popular with audiences, earning
a little over $1 billion at the box office. In an
email, Jackson’s spokesman Matt Dravitzki said
fans can expect “a surprise or two” in this week’s
trailer, “but I can’t say anything more than that!”
A little over 500,000 tourists visited New
Zealand for vacations in the first four months of
the year. About the same number again visited
for other reasons, such as for work or to visit relatives.
— AP
19th in Forbes Middle East magazine’s Top 100
Making an Impact in the Arab World, for companies
which are leading an industry, contributing to
societal development, or pouring finances into
charity work or economic growth across the Arab
world.

Mazatlan’s own cliff divers, a tradition begun in 1961, perform for visitors.
Music and al fresco
dining, at Pedro and
Lola’s, on the Plaza
Machado in
Mazatlan.
With its church and main street,
Gravelbourg seems like just another
Canadian prairie town. But it has a little
known claim to fame-as prime producer of the
world’s mustard seeds. And growing beneath its
placid exterior is a movement to depose France’s
Dijon as the globe’s condiment king.
A two-hour drive through farm country from
the Saskatchewan provincial capital Regina, the
town of 1,200 established in 1906 by four brothers
from Quebec “is now at the heart of mustard production,”
boasts its mayor, Real Forest. Canada produces
35 to 40 percent of the world’s mustard
seeds, with Gravelbourg at the core of this output.
The mustard seed was only introduced in the
Canadian province in the 1940s, five centuries
after Dijon in eastern France, which made it
famous. But France’s Burgundy region no longer
mass-produces the seeds and the last big mustard
manufacturing plant in Dijon was shuttered in
2008 after being taken over by Anglo-Dutch multi-
By Anne Z Cooke and Steve Haggerty
The atmosphere in the Plaza de Toros, hot
in the afternoon sun, crackled like popcorn,
leaving visitors wondering just how
long the crowd, growing larger by the minute,
would sit patiently and wait. But as late arrivals
searched for the last free seats, their concerns
melted away. Suntanned cowboys in bigbrimmed
hats spotted distant friends and
waved. Vendors selling drinks worked the
aisles and ladies spread sunscreen on their
children. Clean-shaven men, eyes hidden
behind black Ray-bans, shook hands and
strangers compared notes on the afternoon’s
event, the Carnaval Week bull fight.
Weekly bull fights, a winter sport here in
Mazatlan, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, run from
Christmas through April. But the bull fight held
during Carnaval, featuring world-famous
“rejoneador,” Pablo Hermosa de Mendoza, is
the spectacle that packs the arena.
Challenging the bull, the charismatic Hermosa
and his horse he travels with six trained
Lusitanos are super stars, leaping, dancing, and
spinning, melding the crowd into a cheering,
gasping, groaning, clapping, handkerchiefwaving
mass.
While we waited for the first bull to enter
the ring, I overhead a conversation behind me,
a couple discussing their new house on the hill
overlooking the beach. Another family moving
to Mexico, I wondered? Immigrants heading
south, instead of Mexicans coming north?
A favored beach retreat since the 1940s,
Mazatlan has been shunned lately, tarred by
the same brush that paints the country as
crime-ridden and unsafe. But this couple
seemed to be ignoring conventional wisdom.
Why? I wondered. “Are you living here permanently?”
I asked, turning around to introduce
myself. “Maybe you’ve met my friends. They
live in that neighborhood, too, up on the hill.”
“Vacation for now, but permanently soon,”
said Edward Klop, a company owner from
British Columbia, smiling and leaning over to
shake hands. “Why? Because people here are
so decent. Look at this crowd.
“Mexicans are family people,” added
Yvonne Klop. “They take their kids when they
go out to eat or to a concert. The kind of
restaurants we’d like to eat at in Vancouver, or
San Francisco or New York, don’t allow kids. If
there’s a bar or they serve alcohol, it’s illegal.”
Right about then, the crowd broke into
cheers and Hermosa cantered into the ring
mounted on a white Lusitano stallion. Whether
you condone bullfighting, it’s impossible not
to watch Hermosa as he gets down to business,
teasing the bull until it charges, then
wheeling away, leaning and turning, whirling
and circling the ring with the bull in hot pursuit,
staying just inches away from the bull’s
horns. At the conclusion, Hermosa took a victory
lap and the ladies tossed red roses. The
fight committee awarded prizes and the crowd
collected their things and filed peaceably away
to the parking lot.
The Klops, when they do move, won’t be
outliers, but part of a settled expat community,
people that bring time, energy and expertise
to the town. “There are more than 10,000
Americans and Canadians in Mazatlan,” said
Francisco (Frank) Cordova, secretary of tourism
for Sinaloa, speaking by phone from a meeting
in Miami. “They rent apartments and some
even own houses. Now, if it wasn’t safe, why
would they be here?”
Drug cartel murders are a fact, he conceded.
They are, he said, the federal government’s
most pressing internal security issue. But most
violence occurs far beyond the Golden Zone
(the town’s designated tourism area), in the
mountains or along the US border. “There isn’t
any crime in the Golden Zone, not that we’ve
heard about,” agreed Paul Petty, a 12-year resident.
“Nothing violent, no drive-bys, no school
shootings like we had at home. We feel a lot
safer than we did when we lived in Los
Angeles.”
It could be the bounce-back effect, but
2013 is shaping up as the town’s best year in a
decade. According to Carlos Berdegue,
President and CEO of Mazatlan’s four El Cid
national Unilever. So Gravelbourg now has the
chance to step up and seize mustard glory. The
problem is “we sell the raw materials which go
elsewhere... and the benefits also go elsewhere,”
laments Forest, who is searching for investors to
help locals kick-start their dreams.
‘Made in Saskatchewan’
More and more Canadian resource sectorssuch
as forestry and diamond mining-are seeking
to process raw materials into finished products for
export to reap greater economic benefits.
Acknowledging past failures to help farmers turn
their crops into value-added products and struggles
ahead, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister
Lyle Stewart is adamant: his government wants
“more agriculture products to be processed here
with brand names.” “We need to sell not only mustard
but also to add value to more of our agriculture
products,” he said.
Some have already started getting
lifestyle
T r a v e l
Taking the kayaks for spin, on the beach on Deer Island, in Mazatlan.— MCT photos
hotels, $6 million has been allocated for
tourism from the US and Canada, a promotion
that’s already filling the town’s 12,000 beds.
“Our group and convention programs have
been very successful, the cruise lines are
returning and the airlines are looking at creating
more capacity,” he said.
The cruise industry, often the first to fold up
and run when bad news hits the wires, agrees.
After pulling out abruptly 18 months ago,
Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Lines
are returning to Mazatlan, adding 10 port
stops to their Mexican Riviera route this year
(in November and December) and 35 more
during the 2014 season.
“We’ll be ready for them,” said Cordova. “I’ve
got a tourism budget of 400 million pesos (US
$32,541,000), half for the new cruise port and
the rest for restoration and improvements in
the historic city center.”
The cruise port and passenger terminal, a
contemporary stunner designed for comfort
and for passenger security has docking room
for eight large passenger ships at once.
Adjacent tour bus parking will allow passengers
taking shore tours to board the buses
without much walking. Travelers who’d rather
stay on the ship or at the port will have shops,
a restaurant, a tourist information center, and
gift stores to explore.
Shore tours in Third World ports, often the
bete noir of cruise passengers, haven’t been
forgotten. “Funds are set aside to train tour
guides to make sure every tour is unforgettable,”
said Cordova. Cognizant of first impressions
matter, the adjoining neighborhood has
also gotten a facelift. Seedy shacks are gone,
cracked stucco was painted and vacant lots
turned into gardens. “They’ve spent $3 million
restoring the colonial buildings on the corridor
between the port and the historic district,” said
Berdegue.
Shore tours will visit several nearby 16th
and 17th century-era villages, and the ancient
pictographs on the shoreline. But visitors who
A dance group, in alien-movie lookalike
costumes, march in the
Carnaval parade in Mazatlan.
Gravelbourg’s name out. One local family, for
example, started Gravelbourg Gourmet Mustard
two years ago, offering a line of condiments made
from local harvests. “Our objective was to use local
resources,” says owner Val Michaud, who started
the company with her husband. It is currently the
only mustard maker in the province, but its wares
are sold in specialty stores throughout Western
Canada, and it is soon slated to expand nationwide
and beyond.
At present, however, it does not even own its
kitchen. Instead, the mustards are prepared at
facilities at the local school. “I’d really like to have
our own kitchen next year,” said Michaud, offering
tastes of her traditional wholegrain mustard, hot
(Dijon) mustard, and a unique garlic and berries
blend. “With our company, I hope to put
Gravelbourg on the map.” — AFP
opt for a stroll through the historic center’s
narrow streets and shaded plazas, dating to
1837, won’t be sorry. It was these plazas where
the first colonists gathered and where much of
the time’s social and civic life played out. Still
popular gathering places, this is where people
meet to walk, talk, work, eat out or sit and
watch the world go by. Wander around and
you’ll find the Plaza Machado, the Cathedral,
the elegantly restored Angel Peralta Opera
House and the art museum.
The Central Market, humming from early
morning to late afternoon, is where housewives
shop for food, teenagers for cheap purses
and jewelry and travelers take photos.
Covering a city block, the two-story iron structure
(think late Victorian), houses hundreds of
stalls selling fruits of every color and shape,
vegetables, nuts, bread, tortillas, cheeses,
woven hats, souvenirs, fish, shrimp, chickens
(whole and butchered), beef ribs, cakes, pies,
cookies, puddings and candy, not to mention
soap, brooms, buckets and dish towels.
If the past is prologue, the outcome is
already written. Some cruise passengers will
make a beeline for the beach; sample real
Mexican cuisine at Pancho’s and take the sightseeing
boat to Deer Island. On the second trip
they’ll dine by candlelight at Pedro & Lola’s, sit
on the Plaza Machado, meet expats from
home and play golf. On the third visit, they’ll
check out the bullfights. After that, who
knows?—MCT
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
The matador uses
his cape to lead the
bull in a useless
charge, Plaza de
Toros, Mazatlan.

At the farthest end of the Great Wall, Yang Yongfu limps
along the section he arduously restored, in effect “privatizing”
it and putting himself on a collision course
with the authorities. The farmer spent five million yuan
($800,000) and years of backbreaking work renovating several
hundred meters of the national symbol deep in northwestern
China, turning it into a tourist site. “At the beginning people
didn’t understand why I took on this project. They called me
crazy,” said the 52-year-old. The Great Wall is not a single
unbroken structure-nor is it visible from space-but stretches
for thousands of kilometers, from Shanhaiguan on the east
coast to Jiayuguan in the windswept sands on the edge of the
Gobi desert.
In places it is so dilapidated that estimates of its total
length vary from 9,000 to 21,000 kilometers (5,600 to 13,000
miles), depending on whether missing sectors are included.
Construction first begun in the third century BC, but parts
were still being built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), among
them Yang’s section. It was little more than a ruin when he
started work in 2000, but now 790 meters of ochre wall run
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
out from a small fort across a stony plain, snaking upwards
over a bare hillside via several watchtowers. Built of bricks and
rendered with earth, his wall averages around 4.5 meters high
and is topped with battlements.
“People were skeptical, because they thought renovating
the wall was the job of the government,” said Yang. “I was surprised
at the success I had. But this could also be considered
an act of patriotism.” He set up an entrance area for tourists,
complete with a car park and fishpond, and his wife Tao
Huiping collects the 25 yuan admittance fee at the ticket
booth-a table in the open air. “Today about 30 people came,”
she said, holding up the ticket stubs, beaming proudly and
praising her husband’s “phenomenal” work. “People call him
Emperor Yang,” she said laughing.
Their opportunity came about in 1999, Yang said, when
local authorities called on residents to renovate the Wall
themselves, and officials gave him authorization to do so. The
money came from savings and loans from relatives. In recent
decades the Wall has suffered the depredations of farmers
stealing its stones for building, and construction crews cutting
through it with roads and railways. Some of the greatest damage
came during the turmoil of the 1966-76 Cultural
Revolution. But as China has become wealthier the government
can better afford to take on the burden of restoration.
At the same time the Communist Party uses nationalism to
bolster its claim to a right to rule, and in recent years authorities
have become keener custodians of symbols of China, from
historic monuments to giant pandas. A 2006 law gave the
government the exclusive right to manage national relicsmaking
Yang’s project illegal. His business continues to operate
but he and the local authorities have been through several
rounds of negotiations over transferring the rights to the wall.
They have so far failed to reach an agreement.
“I never received any support from the government and
they accused me of constructing a fake wall. That’s what
makes me angry,” Yang said. One of the Wall’s most popular
sections, at Badaling just north of Beijing, can see tens of
thousands of Chinese tourists during public holidays. But even
with 20,000 visitors a year, Yang’s site is a long way from being
a viable business-and just across the valley an official attrac-
At Tonys, ‘Kinky
Boots’ races out to
early lead
38
Performers present the Bodies in Urban Spaces project from Austrian artist Willi Dorner, not seen, at the Serralves Museum in Porto, Portugal, Sunday. ‘Party at Serralves’ it is a contemporary art festival that hosts over 200 events
simultaneously on a non-stop 40-hour period, in the Gardens and in the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art. — AP photos
A general view of a
section of the Great
Wall restored by
farmer Yang Yongfu.
tion listed as a World Heritage Site offers 7.5 kilometers of
wall. Yang admits still owing one million yuan. “I have cried
tears of despair,” he said, but insisted he “regretted nothing”.
Jiayuguan city’s head of cultural heritage Ye Yong explained
that Yang’s work was approved in a particular context. “It was a
unique time in which the government did not have enough
money to renovate or protect its heritage,” he said.
“But going forward, with the new laws and regulations
about the protection of cultural relics in place, individuals will
no longer be able to do renovations themselves.” Even so, the
farmer could yet reap a windfall from his investment if the
government decides to “renationalize” it by including it in an
official preservation project, Ye signaled. “We will consider
buying it,” he said.—AFP
Tourists posing for photos at
the entrance to a section of the
Great Wall restored by farmer
Yang Yongfu.