ARAb StAtES diSMAyEd At WESt'S cOMPlAcENcy - Kuwait Times

SUBSCRIPTION
Swimming pools in
Kuwait ready 2for
summer season
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013 JAMADA ALTHANI 24, 1434 AH No: 15798
US military
plane crashes
in Kyrgyzstan
7
AFC to introduce
ethics
44
committee
150 Fils
Arab states dismayed
at West’s complacency
Nuclear Israel jeopardizes NPT: Kuwait Envoy
MOUNTAIN VIEW: A member of the Solar Impulse crew rides an electric bike alongside the plane as it takes off from Moffett Field NASA
Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California yesterday.—AFP
Solar-powered plane takes off
SAN FRANCISCO: A solar-powered airplane that developers
hope to eventually pilot around the world took off early
yesterday from San Francisco Bay on the first leg of an
attempt to fly across the United States with no fuel but the
sun’s energy.
The plane, dubbed the Solar Impulse, departed shortly
after 6 am local time from Moffett Field, a joint civil-military
airport near the south end of San Francisco, heading first to
Phoenix on a slow-speed flight expected to take 15 to 20
hours. The spindly looking plane barely hummed as it took
flight in the still northern California morning as the sun was
just beginning to peek out over the Santa Cruz Mountains
to the east. After additional stops in Dallas, St Louis and
Washington, DC, with pauses at each destination to wait for
favorable weather, the flight team hopes to conclude the
plane’s cross-country voyage in about two months at John
F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Swiss pilots and co-founders of the project, Bertrand
Piccard and Andre Borschberg, will take turns flying the
plane, built with a single-seat cockpit, with Piccard at the
controls for the first flight to Arizona. He is tentatively
scheduled to land in Phoenix at 1 am local time today.
The project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90
million euros ($112 million) and has involved engineers
from Swiss escalator maker Schindler and research aid from
Belgian chemicals group Solvay - backers who want to test
new materials and technologies while also gaining brand
recognition. — Reuters
‘Massacre’ feared as
war comes to Banias
US reporter ‘hostage’ in Damascus
DAMASCUS: Syrian troops yesterday bombarded
Sunni areas of the Mediterranean
city of Banias, a monitoring group said,
warning of a new “massacre,” as
Washington said for the first time it was
looking at arming rebels. The opposition
National Coalition earlier denounced a
“large-scale massacre” by troops and militiamen
on Thursday in a Sunni village near
Banias, a new front in Syria’s war, citing witness
reports of civilians being stabbed to
death.
“The Coalition calls on the Arab League
and the United Nations to act rapidly to
save the civilians of Bayda, Banias and other
villages across Syria,” it said in a statement,
accusing the regime of “war crimes and
genocide”. “Several sources in the village
say at least 50 people were killed in summary
executions and shelling in Bayda village,”
a southern suburb of the Alawite-majority
city, Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said.
Meanwhile, a US journalist missing in wartorn
Syria is believed to be held by government
intelligence agents at a detention
center near Damascus, a spokesman for his
family said yesterday.
James Foley, a 39-year-old freelancer
who has filed reports for GlobalPost,
Agence France-Presse and other outlets,
has been missing in Syria for nearly six
months. Foley’s family and employers insist
that he was working as an objective, professional
reporter within Syria, and have called
for his release. Syrian officials have never
acknowledged having any news of his
whereabouts. — Agencies
Max 36º
Min 23º
GENEVA: Arab states including Kuwait are
dismayed at complacency by some
Western powers toward Israel’s abstention
from cooperating with the international
community on banning nuclear arms, an
official of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said.
Ambassador Jassem Al-Mubaraki, the
Director of International Organizations
Department, said in a statement yesterday,
Arab officials expressed criticism of these
powers’ stance during meetings of the
preparatory commission of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory
states.
Arab Group, to prove good intentions in
this respect, had
formed a “troika, “
comprising Egypt,
Tunisia and Morocco,
that held talks with
the United States on
this issue, Al-
Mubaraki said.
The Americans,
during these discussions,
asked the
Jassem Al-Mubaraki
Arab officials to refrain from blaming
Washington for failure of holding a special
conference on clearing the Middle East of
nuclear weapons, scheduled in Helsinki in
end of last year, the ambassador said. He
indicated they also criticized the Arabs for
shedding too much light on Israel’s nuclear
capacities, but failing to do so regarding
nuclear program of Iran.
The Americans deduced, by examining
statements by Arab states’ representatives
and delegates of Non-Aligned Movement
countries at meetings of the commission,
that “these countries generally tended to
hold them, along with other Western powers
and Canada, responsible for failure of
holding the Helsinki conference for sake of
appeasing Israel,” ambassador Al-Mubaraki
explained. “Such unwavering stances
means there will be no progress in our
efforts to establish a world free of nuclear
weapons and a Middle East clear of these
arms,” he added.
Western powers have no intention,
whatsoever, to exert pressure on Israel to
cooperate on the nuclear issue, he said.
“Moreover, they have no desire to compel
it with anything regarding respect for the
Continued on Page 8

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
LOCAL
Number of lifeguards
depends on visitors
Swimming pools in Kuwait ready for summer season
By Nawara Fattahova
KUWAIT: For the children to feel safe while
swimming, it is necessary to have a lifeguard
at the swimming pool. Some parents
don’t feel safe to let their children swim
and play in the swimming pool alone, so
they stay with them all the time while in
the pool. However, if there were to be a lifeguard,
they would feel more comfortable
to let their children swim alone.
There is no special regulation indicating
a specific number of lifeguards to be present
at the swimming pools. Each club or
place is providing a certain number of
these guards, and the number differs from
one place to another. Certain hotels do not
have any lifeguards. The clubs and utilities
of the Touristic Enterprises Company are
the most popular as far as swimming pools
are concerned. Captain Essam Badawi, a
swimming trainer and supervisor of the lifeguards
at the Sha’ab Sea Club, explained
that lifeguards’ presence is important at all
the swimming pools, especially those for
children.
“The number of visitors is crucial to
deciding how many lifeguards should be
available. The number ranks between one
to four lifeguards, depending upon the
occupancy of the pool. For instance, when
its high tide, most people go to the beach
and swim in the sea, leaving the pools
almost empty. During the low tide, the
pools are crowded. Also, during the weekends,
the pools are more occupied than
during the weekdays, so the number of lifeguards
is higher,” he told the Kuwait Times.
The lifeguards are well-trained and certified.
“The guards are educated and they
speak English. They have to concentrate
and deal with the children. Even if parents
are with them, we are still responsible for
them. Guiding the children is more important
than rescuing. The guards give people
and especially the children directions on
how to swim, which is more important than
saving. The guard doesn’t have to wait till
there is a drowning person or somebody
calls for help to act. Prevention is always
better,” added Badawi.
The lifeguards are always present at the
Club. “Even if the swimming pool is closed,
the club remains open. So there should be
a guard to watch the swimming pool, as
sometimes children may try to jump in the
pool and their parents may not come to
know. We have to guard the pools and tell
them it is forbidden to swim in it in this
period,” he stated.
The availability of lifeguards is basic
requirement for the swimming pools. “In all
swimming pools of the company, we have
lifeguards available all the time. We have a
budget to employ more guards in case the
need arises. At the Sha’ab Club, we didn’t
have any accidents, yet we remain careful.
Also, on days when the pool is used for
women, we have women guards who
remain present. At our club, there are two
guards as the pool is not so crowded, while
at the Messilah Beach, for instance, there
are more than 10 guards,” he further said.
The water condition of the swimming
pools is also very important. Badawi
explained, “We always take that we have
clean water. Every month the inspectors
from the Ministry of Health come to run a
check, and sometimes they come randomly
or once a week. They have special instruments
to measure the state of the water, so
sometimes we actually invite them to check
out the quality.”
The hotels are the other places that provide
swimming facilities. The Crowne Plaza
Hotel has three lifeguards watching two
swimming pools and they have never experienced
an accident at the pool. The Palms
Beach Hotel and Spa also has two swimming
pools, one for the adults and one for
the children. They have three to four lifeguards
for both the swimming pools. The
Hilton Kuwait Resort has five lifeguards for
two swimming pools, besides having
guards at the beach.
Surprisingly a four star hotel that is not
along the beach has one swimming pool
but without any lifeguard. The employee in
charge noted that they did not face any
accidents or problems ever, and that the
pool is never crowded, so they do not provide
a lifeguard. They have also put up a
sign that the guest would be personally
responsible if he chooses to swim.
The lifeguards are well-trained and certified. “The
guards are educated and they speak English. They
have to concentrate and deal with the children.
Even if parents are with them, we are still responsible
for them. Guiding the children is more important
than rescuing. The guards give people and
especially the children directions on how to
swim, which is more important than saving.
A child enjoying her swim

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Merging project
KUWAIT: Sources said Kuwait Fire Service Directorate
approved the merging project with the Interior Ministry
under the name Public Authority for Civil Defence. The
sources said there will be several meetings and sessions
with concerned authorities to implement the merger and
declare it.
Meanwhile the Fire Service approved the project to link
all departments with fiber optics, because it will be easy to
communicate and transfer data between all departments
and centers. —Al-Shahed
Arab media experts
meet in Tunis
TUNIS: Arab media experts entrusted with setting out Arab
media development mechanisms convened here on Thursday.
Advisor at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information Khaled Al-
Khalfan is attending the three-day meeting, which discusses how
to put in place the Arab media charter and a media strategy. The
agenda also includes suggestions for effective mechanisms for
monitoring and assessing the Arab media performance and
acceptance, cancellation and suspension of the membership of
Arab federations and organizations.
The conferees are expected to come up with a vision for
enabling Arab mass media to deliver their basic message for the
Arab world and its essential issues. —KUNA
Kuwait to negotiate
with Dow on fine
KUWAIT: A delegation from the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is
expected to hold talks either tomorrow (Sunday) or on Monday
with Dow Chemicals officials in the United States regarding a $2.5
billion fine the Gulf state is required to pay for canceling a project
with the American company a few years ago, a local daily reported
yesterday quoting sources with knowledge of the case.
Dow Chemical had won last year an international court
order stipulating that the Petrochemical Industries Company, a
wholly owned subsidiary of KPC, pay the fine for canceling a
contract to establish a $7.4 billion joint venture project. The
Kuwaiti government had called off the deal to establish K-Dow
Petrochemicals late 2008 under pressure from the parliament,
prompting Dow Chemical to sue for damages as per a penalty
clause in the contract.
The sources who spoke to Al-Rai on the condition of anonymity
said that the delegations includes KPC CEO Farouq Al-Zanki,
PIC CEO and Managing Director Maha Husain, KPC Managing
Director for Legal Affairs Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah and KPC
Managing Director for Financial Affairs Ali Al-Hajri. The team is
given authority to seek quittance “according to the best available
solutions”, the sources said. They also expressed optimism about
the team’s chances of reaching a deal by which the amount of
the fine could be reduced.
In other news, a parliamentary committee probing alleged
violations in hiring and promotion decisions carried out in the
KPC has reportedly found evidence of misconduct. “Our investigations
confirm that manipulation had happened and that several
of the complaining employees were subjected to injustice”,
said parliament’s petitions and complaint committee Essam Al-
Dabous. The committee is expected to release its report during a
press conference tomorrow containing a recommendation based
on which the parliament can vote to waive the promotions.
Separately, Al-Jarida reported yesterday that the Public
Prosecution started summoning former Ministry of Social
Affairs and Labor officials for investigations in a case filed by
minister Thekra Al-Rashidi regarding suspected violations in a
deal with a car rental company. According to sources familiar
with the ongoing investigations, there are five officials suspected
to be involved in violations which led to around KD 5
million in losses. — Al-Rai & Al-Jarida
KUWAIT: The Kuwait Trade Union
Federation became the latest group to condemn
the Interior Ministry’s step of deporting
expatriates for committing ‘grave’ traffic
violations, and opened the door for foreigners
affected by such stipulations to file complaints.“Deporting
expatriate labor forces
for traffic violations is an individual act on
the Interior Ministry’s part”, said KTUF
President Fayez Al-Mutairi as quoted by Al-
Jarida daily yesterday. “We categorically
denounce such imprudent behaviors which
affect the fate of expatriate workers and
their families”.
Undersecretary Assistant for Traffic
Affairs Major General Abdulfattah Al-Ali had
announced last week that 213 expats were
deported for committing ‘grave’ traffic violations
since the Interior Ministry launched
campaigns late April. “Deporting an illegal
resident or a person who entered Kuwait
illegally is understandable, but a worker
who came to Kuwait legally and follows the
law should be most welcomed to stay”, Al-
Mutairi said during a press conference
Wednesday night.
He further urged any expatriate worker
“who becomes subjected to injustice as a
result of the Interior Ministry’s behavior to
local
Kuwaitis in Gitmo forced-fed
KUWAIT: An American delegation is
expected to arrive in Kuwait on May 30,
2013 in order to resume negotiations which
the Gulf state hopes would lead to the
release of its two remaining nationals in the
Guantanamo Bay prison, a local daily
reported yesterday quoting one of the prisoner’s
father.
Khalid Al-Odah, father of Fawzi Al-Odah
who along with Fayez Al-Kandari are last
Kuwaitis in Guantanamo out of 12 originally
held there, revealed in the meantime that
his son was hospitalized due to complications
of being forced-fed. At least 100
inmates have reportedly been on a hunger
strike to protest against being held without
KTUF denounce deportations,
welcomes expats’ complaints
charges or trial. “After the strike enter its
third month, the inmates had their rights
confiscated by being forced-fed with 8-
10mm wide tubes in a process resulting in
several health risks”, Al-Odah told Al-Rai.
According to an e-mail Al-Odah
received from his son’s lawyer, the prisoners
are being tied to chairs with their heads
set in a vertical base, before a tube is inserted
in their noses to pass food to their stomachs.
“The strike started in protest against
the behavior of new guards assigned at the
prison, which include provocative inspections
during which copies of the Holy
Quran were mistreated”, Al-Odah said. He
further urged the Kuwaiti government to
‘Violation of human rights’
“take more serious steps to put pressure on
the American administration for the release
of our children”. The US military confirmed
last week that 40 medical back up teams
arrived at the Guantanamo Bay to administer
treatment to keep the protesters alive,
and confirmed that 21 inmates are being
forced-fed. US President Barack Obama
revived on Tuesday a promise he had made
during his 2008 presidential elections campaign
to shut down the controversial
prison camp. In order for it to happen, this
decision needs to be approved by the
Congress where Republicans who have
majority in the House of Representatives
oppose such step.— Al-Rai
lodge a complaint at the expatriate labor
forces office in the KTUF”, vowing to “stand
by their side”.
The event organized to mark the Labor
Day was attended by Minister of Social
Affairs and Labor Thekra Al-Rashidi; who in
March announced a plan to deport 100,000
foreigners annually as part of the Gulf state’s
efforts to restore demographic balance.
Kuwait is home to around 2.6 million expatriates
who make up nearly two thirds of the
state’s total population of 3.8 million according
to official statistics. Details of the plan, by
which the government looks to deport a million
foreigners in ten years, are yet to be
revealed, but Al-Rashidi had previously hinted
that individuals to be targeted are chiefly
going to be ‘marginal labor forces’ or workers
who usually accept menial labor and
often stay in the country without valid visas.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Association for Basic
Evaluators of Human Rights released a statement
calling the deportations an “exaggerated
penalty”, a “violation of human rights”,
an “unpractical solution for the traffic problem”
and “arbitrary use by deportation
authorities”. The association also warned
from the consequences of similar steps
which includes “hurting Kuwait’s international
reputation” and “making foreigners
lose the feeling of social security in Kuwait
when they find themselves facing the threat
of deportation at any moment”.
“Deportation sentences must be handed by
an independent authority which is the judiciary
in order for the government to avoid
being accused of committing injustice”,
reads the statement as published by Al-Rai
yesterday. The association also called for
clear definitions to explain the nature of the
grave violations “and their direct impact on
public safety”. This comes while a report
published by Al-Watan newspaper yesterday
indicated that 19 new expatriates could be
deported soon for committing violations
which warrant for deportation including
driving without a driver’s license, crossing
the red traffic light for a second time, using
private vehicles to carry passengers and
exceeding speed limits by 40 km. The report
which quotes sources with knowledge of the
case indicates that the Traffic General
Department sent the names of the 19 expats
to the Immigration Investigations General
Department, and that there are an additional
33 people currently held for investigations
on similar charges.
— Al-Jarida, Al-Rai & Al-Watan
Kuwait envoy attends graduation
of Islamic studies in Philippines
KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait’s
Ambassador to the Philippines,
Waleed Al-Kandari, as special guest,
attended the commencement ceremony
yesterday of graduate students
of the Institute of Islamic Studies at
the University of the Philippines.
Ambassador Al-Kandari lauded
Philippines’ educational monument,
wishing the graduates all success and
best of luck in their future careers,
Kuwaiti Embassy in the Philippines
said in a statement to KUNA.
During the ceremony, which was
also attended by Secretary of the
Philippines National Commission on
Muslim Filipinos, Mehol Sadain, the
Kuwaiti Ambassador presented Prof
Julkipli Wadi, the Institute’s Dean, with
a commemorative wooden-made
Kuwaiti dhow, and took part in handing
symbolic gifts to graduates.
For his part, Prof Wadi, who also
presented Al-Kandari with a commemorative
shield, expressed his gratitude
and appreciation for the Kuwaiti
Ambassador’s attendance of the ceremony
and praised his efforts in
strengthening bilateral cultural cooperation.
— KUNA

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
LOCAL
kuwait digest
No bungee jumping
for expatriates!
By Labeed Abdal
local@kuwaittimes.net
Al-Saadoun and company
According to former parliament speaker Ahmad Al-
Saadoun, the Gulf Cooperation Council security
agreement that Kuwait is supposed to join gives the
government the chance to put further restrictions on freedoms
while providing more protection to authorities and
governments. This approach against freedom, public opinions
and people’s right to keep a watchful eye on public politics
was also shown in the unified media law that the government
proposed. And while Al-Saadoun says that the new
GCC agreement is ‘a lot worse’ than the old one, I believe
that the unified media draft law which the government
eventually retracted is worse by several degrees than the
current press law.
This approach followed by the government proves their
intention to restrain popular forces, limit freedom of civil
institutions, as well as silence the oppositions and even critics
of public policy. I agree with Al-Saadoun in criticizing and
even expressing concern from the government’s predicted
approach. On the other hand, I do give the government an
‘excuse’ because in reality they are meeting the “populist”
demands promoted by Al-Saadoun’s associates, and ignored
by those who are supposed to be concerned with national
democratic work. The cabinet, or more specifically the cabinet
led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah
which was eventually overthrown by the “public movement”,
kuwait digest
By Abdullatif Al-Duaij
had previously rejected or expressed reservation on the GCC
agreement. Our government also refused to interfere in
Bahrain’s internal events, which prompted demands by the
“heroes of public movement” to send Kuwaiti forces to the
island-kingdom. Not only did they request intervention in
Bahrain’s internal affairs, but also filed a grilling against then
premier Nasser Al-Mohammad on allegations of ‘siding with
Iran against Bahrain’. Al-Saadoun’s allies welcomed the confederation
idea that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia proposed.
Some of them even called for immediate merger with the
Saudi kingdom despite knowing - or at least they should -
that the KSA and the five other GCC countries are connected
together by the security agreement.
On the media side, Ahmad Al-Saadoun and his allies
grilled information ministers on multiple occasions on the
pretext of “failure to prosecute newspapers and TV stations”
that criticized them, or to demand that certain outlets be
shut down. Unfortunately, Al-Saadoun dragged what is left of
national forces with him and with the tribal-religious alliance
to demand in Al-Andalus, Al-Aqailah and the Iradah Square
for “silencing corrupt media outlets”.
These are the best politicians we can offer, and the supposed
‘freedom fighters’ that we have. Do we blame the government
after that when it approves the GCC security agreement
or proposes a ridiculous unified media law?
Iwas asked by a local Arabic newspaper about the possibility
of the government increasing the service charges applicable
to expats and citizens on services rendered by the government.
My immediate direct answer was yes, if we can guarantee
that the services will be available for everyone on demand,
with better quality, and promptly delivered without the unnecessary
red tape and without even a whiff of Wasta.
I think we should agree that we are a country that is making
provisions in its budget for a huge sum of money to be spent
on services and that this amount is now reaching billions of
dollars. All that we need to do is to make sure that first class
service is delivered at a notice of 24 hours and we will be able
to convincingly attract investors from all over the world and
will be able to proudly say that we are the best and you should
come here. We have everything that you may want, and you
can get your office and license in one single day. We should
agree that there should be some kind of concern across the
GCC states that funds should not go down the drain, and a
spending without any kind of cap will definitely mean spending
what we gained in critical times in history. Yes, we need to
re-think our position and rework the relevant decisions as we
must someday need to put a control valve on spending.
Moreover, we really need a well formulated plan to control
the work force and the expats’ population since the latter now
are twice the number of Kuwaiti nationals.
Yet, we need not forget or threaten the well settled and
legal workers, by mixing them up with the marginal or illegal
workers, since we need to keep smooth the work flow, production
and achievements in both private and public sectors. We
should avoid purely reactive measures or replicating a copypaste
job that any neighbouring Gulf country has done as in
each case, history and economic structures differ. We must put
in place measures that help encourage local and foreign
investors who need a stable and robust investment-friendly
environment. We have legal grounds depending on the investment
plan and an approved budget, and we need not take any
risks by scrapping or delaying the relevant bylaws.
We need to iron out the aberrations if we see these at any
local or regional level and must not hesitate in applying the
correctives. We would be able to relieve the public of any worry
by exercising due care, remaining focused and paying attention.
After coming up with a clear set of rules in a small country
like Kuwait, we will surely achieve a desirable outcome which
can have no chance of backfiring. We must not allow any
administrative bungee jumping.
Recipe to reform public policies
kuwait digest
When someone feels joint-pain he should be initially and
properly diagnosed before doctors could decide on the
best treatment strategy. Similarly, when productivity
assessment apparatuses in state institutions (if we have any)
senses a malfunction, or when national cadres feel neglected
and alienated, this indicates that we are in need to ‘diagnose’
the problem and set proper remedies for the problems. The following
are some issues that urgently need to be tackled:
l The first issue is the government’s executive plan and its
remoteness from being productive for not focusing on selecting
competent manpower because we lack the mechanism of to
detect them. We also lack direct evaluation of state institutions
and its executive potentials. So, there is need to adapt mechanisms
to revive productivity and, at the same time, protect institutions
from corruption.
l The second issue is about enabling and encouraging youth
to start their own businesses. The effort currently exerted in
youth programs is only good media-wise with no real implementation.
Many young entrepreneurs have had difficulties getting
foundation capital, facilities to run the business and some
failed to differentiate between mature and professional business.
I believe we need to evaluate small projects and their
effectiveness in business. We should indentify the obstacles the
youth have been facing in order to set the right solutions.
According to studies, funding business has been the prime hurdle
followed by finding local and regional marketing channels.
Young people also need incentives to tempt them cut loose
with government work and start their own business.
l The third issue is the government’s capability to balance
and coordinate between suggested ideas and their possible parliamentary
and public reactions. Ideas and proposals have been
released as statements that are reacted to by writers’ articles
By Nada Sulaiman Al-Mutawa
and then some fragile parliamentary statements. Take the
media law, public services’ fees and recently, compulsory enlistment
and sharing the responsibility of protecting Kuwait, for
example.
l The fourth issue is Kuwait’s absence on the world’s productivity
and scientific and technological inventions map. We are
also standing by and watching professional (Asian) technicians
seep out to other neighboring states while we settle for marginal
useless ones. We need a real strategy to change our perception
of labor quality and work on recovering ‘immigrant minds’.
l Last but not least, dear readers.....best regards to you all
from the core of science, knowledge and condensed cultural
doses; Harvard campus. The scene before me now shows
students from far and wide and all nationalities stand in consolidation
with Boston City after the recent sorrowful incident.

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Brothers, sisters
brawl in Farwaniya
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
KUWAIT: A security source said a fight broke out
between six members of a Kuwaiti family in Farwaniya
governorate. Two sisters and one brother on one side
and three brothers on the other used sharp objects and
fire arm. The sisters and their brother handed police
medical reports stating injuries they sustained. A case
of threatening to kill and verbal insults was filed.
Egyptian injured
A 30 year old Egyptian was severely injured in the
knee during a motorcycle accident on Arabian Gulf
Road. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital. Another 69
year old Egyptian sustained a fractured right leg when
he was run over by a car. Paramedics rushed him to
Adan hospital.
Attempted suicide
A 30 year old Egyptian sustained burns on his face
and hands during his attempted suicide inside the central
prison. He was rushed to Sabah Hospital.
Broken left hand
An 18 year old Kuwaiti sustained a broken left hand
during a car accident in Hadiya area. He was taken to
Adan Hospital.
KUWAIT: Authorities at the Cairo
International Airport arrested a man
who arrived from Kuwait with a large
number of bladed weapons in his custody.
The Syrian man raised suspicions
after arriving in a Kuwait Airways flight,
prompting customs officers to search
his luggage. He was put under arrest
after nearly a hundred pieces including
daggers and swords were found in his
suitcases. (Rai)
Student wanted for murder threat
Search is on for a high school student
accused of murder threat charges pressed
by a Sulaibiya high school principal. The
suspect reportedly headed to the principal’s
office Wednesday afternoon to
inquire about the school’s decision to
expel him. The principal had taken the
decision due to the student’s low performance,
bad behavior and repeated absence.
The teenager reportedly showered the
principal with verbal assault and attempted
to attack him, and then escaped after
threatening him with murder. Police first
headed to the student’s house as registered
in the school’s records, but found
out that he had given a false address.
Investigations are ongoing. (Anba)
Ex-convict arrested
An ex-convict was arrested recently
for drug trafficking, which he reportedly
returned to after serving time in jail on
similar charges. The Kuwaiti man was
arrested in Al-Nugra after being lured to
a trap in which he sold 3 grams of heroin
to an undercover agent. The set up was
planned based on information that
police received indicating that the suspect
resumed drug trafficking shortly
after being released from the Central Jail
where he spent six years. More amounts
of heroin as well as hashish and drug
pills were found in the suspect’s house.
(Anba)
Man fabricates attempted murder
A man faces multiple charges after he
fabricated an attempted murder case to
cover up for his suicide attempt. The
Egyptian man was reportedly found by
his wife bleeding in the bathtub of his
Nugra apartment, and claimed after his
condition stabilized that he was
local
Passenger from Kuwait arrested
with suitcase-full of knives
Man fabricates attempted murder
attacked by two people who stormed
the apartment and then escaped after
closing the door from the outside.
However, investigations revealed that
the door was actually locked from the
inside while a second key was placed on
the door lock from the outside. The man
eventually confessed of faking the case
and that he had actually attempted suicide
after officials at his company
accused him of stealing KD 75,000.
(Watan)
Child molester in custody
A child molester was arrested in
Maidan Hawally after harassing a 12-
year-old girl in an apartments building.
The suspect reportedly followed the
Kuwaiti child to the elevator and tried to
take advantage of her, which triggered
her screams that caught the attention of
the building’s keeper. The Palestinian
man tried to escape after punching the
Egyptian keeper in the face, but a number
of people present at the time caught
him. Police were soon present at the
scene and placed the suspect under
arrest. (Rai)
Spiritual counselor Dr Nuna
heals the world her ways
By Sunil Cherian
When a 10th grader from Indian Community
School, Amman branch asked Dr Sneh Lata
Goel, affectionately known as Dr Nuna, during
an interview conducted as part of a student assignment
about her opinion on teenagers having boyfriends or
girlfriends, she took a wise stance.
Her response was simple to follow but complex for
many. She wanted all kids to have an open, communicative
and straightforward relationship with parents.
Images of interlocking triangles
She did not argue for a strong yes or no to the boy’s
clever question. But more cleverly, she knew if a child
shares everything that goes on in his/her daily life,
things would fall naturally and normally in their respective
places without clash or conflict. “I’m only being scientific
here”, Dr Nuna, a PhD holder in spirituality and
spiritual counseling from Corllins University, US said.
When this reporter met Dr Nuna at her beautiful and
sprawling 3-storey residence in Mangaf, she surprised
me with thousands of Sri Chakras - images of interlocking
triangles - the house adorns. Her house seemed to
generate energy emanating from creative visualizations.
Her hand-drawn paintings and drawings speak
volumes of positive energies. No wonder folks of all
walks are friends to Dr Nuna - some people call her aunty
- and the experienced say they go back filled with
energies, shedding all negative toxins from the mind as
if they had a refreshing mind-spa session.
Sri Chakra - the happiness generating image - is an
instrument formed by nine interlocking triangles that
surround and radiate out from the central point, the
junction point between the physical universe and its
un-manifest source. A geometric-design emblem or
instrument of contemplation and its effect in life is
what Dr Nuna is passionately striving to spread. She has
been in Kuwait since 1974 and now lives with her son
after her husband Viswapal Goel died last year. Most
people take home the images Dr Nuna has made and
place them at their workplace or home as per Dr Nuna’s
instructions.
“The instrument of happiness influences our
thoughts and imagination positively. They help the
individual marshal the resources necessary to accomplish
what is desired. A design for meditation is a therapeutic
tool in modern psychotherapies. An image helps
the common folks to establish a harmony that facilitates
opportunities and lucky breaks. Some people call
it miracle. For me it’s real”, Dr Nuna said.
It is miraculous when thinking of Dr Nuna’s ways of
handling common people who approach her with common
problems. She educates, entertains and enlightens
Dr Sneh Lata Goel
them through visuals and words sweetened in truth
and reality. “There is no problem alive and active in
nature”, she said.
“We create problems and our ego is the main culprit”.
When I asked her to tell me a ‘case’ from her
many years-long counseling experiences, she told me
the story of a divorced lady doctor whose desperate
husband approached Dr Nuna. “After extracting some
hints from the husband, I went to the doctor posing as
a patient. While diagnosing I surprised her with the
information I had about her life. She instantly gave in
and was able to shed her problems with her tears”, Dr
Nuna said. As she is talking, quips, quotes and anecdotes
flow like the Ganga in monsoon. Here is one:
Sunlight is everywhere. It is up to you to open the window.
What advice is she keeping to herself while counseling
people? “Catch the bird tight, it will die; catch it
loose, it will fly; catch with care”.

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Syria oppn blames regime
for village deaths
8
S Africa officials fired
over wedding scandal
9
Pakistani ‘critical’ in
India after jail attack 11
US military
plane crashes
in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: A military transport
plane crashed in mountains with
three crew members aboard shortly
after taking off from a United States airbase
in Kyrgyzstan yesterday, officials
said, with so far no survivors found. The
C-130 American refuelling plane fell in
the northern Chuy province at around
2:55 pm local time (0855 GMT), the
emergency ministry said.
“The plane definitely belongs to the
US transit centre. On board were three
crew members. Their fate is unknown,”
the emergency situations minister
Kubatbek Boronov said in a televised
comment after rushing to the scene. “I
cannot exclude that the three
American pilots could have died, being
burnt up alive in the explosion,” he
said, adding that the search operation
would continue at least until nightfall.
The Manas airbase is key to US military
operations in Afghanistan, used to ferry
troops into the country, refuel warplanes
and evacuate wounded soldiers.
The US base said it was still confirming
the report. “So far we cannot confirm
this information. If this in fact happened,
we will be able to later give
accurate information,” a spokeswoman
for the base told AFP, speaking in
Russian. —AFP
BISHKEK: The remains of a crashed US KC-135 Stratotanker plane are seen on a hill near the villages of Chorgolo and Cholok-Aryk, 180 km from the Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek yesterday.
— AFP
Close Iran, N Korea nuke networks: US
‘Iran supplying bullets that kill Syrian civilians’
GENEVA: The United States said yesterday
that Iran and North Korea were trying to
obtain high-tech materials linked to their
nuclear programs in violation of UN sanctions.
Iran was also sending weapons and ammunition
to Syrian government forces despite a
ban, said Thomas Countryman, Assistant
Secretary for International Security and
Nonproliferation.
“Both Iran and North Korea have developed
channels that enable them to continue
to export and continue to procure the items
they need for their weapons industry,” he told
a news briefing in Geneva. In comments to
Reuters, he made clear he was referring to
high-tech materials related to nuclear and
other programs, including conventional
weapons.
Iran and North Korea are under UN sanctions
banning sales of nuclear, missile and
related high-tech material to them as well as
the export of any military material,
Countryman said.
There was a determined international
effort to enforce the UN sanctions and prevent
such trade, he said. Regarding Iran’s
alleged efforts, he said: “Certain Iranian
procuring agents in high-tech places like
China push very hard.”
Asked about any cooperation between
Iran and North Korea in nuclear matters, a US
official, speaking on condition of not being
identified, said: “They have contacts. We are
watching it.
Western experts say the two countries
have cooperated on ballistic missile development
and there is concern that cooperation
may extend to the nuclear field, though no
such link has been proven.
North Korea, which conducted a third
nuclear test in February, continues development
of nuclear technology and long-range
ballistic missiles that will move it closer to its
stated goal of being able to hit the United
States with an atomic weapon, a Pentagon
report said on Thursday.
Countryman led the US delegation to a
two-week session that reviewed progress in
implementing the 1970 nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that aims to prevent
the spread of atomic weapons. The Geneva
talks end yesterday. “Obviously, more needs
to be done in order for the regime in Iran to
hear the message that it must seriously
address its non-compliance with the Non-
Proliferation Treaty,” he said. Critics say Iran is
trying to achieve the ability to make nuclear
bombs. Tehran denies this, saying it needs
nuclear power for energy generation and
medical purposes. Negotiators from the
European Union and Iran will meet in Istanbul
this month to discuss future diplomatic efforts
to resolve the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear
program. — Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
INTERNATIONAL
Syrian opposition blames regime for village deaths
At least 80 killed in
Darfur tribal battles
KHARTOUM: At least 80 people have been killed in the latest
outbreak of fighting between Arab groups in western Sudan’s
Darfur region, tribal leaders said yesterday.
“Fighting was going on until last night and from our side
we have 37 dead,” said Ibrahim Al-Sheikh, a leader of the Beni
Halba tribe. He claimed more than 100 members of the rival
Gimir group were also killed but a Gimir chief, Abaker Al-
Toum, said 44 of his people had died.
The fighting took place in Edd Al-Fursan, about 100 kilometres
(60 miles) southwest of the South Darfur state capital
Nyala. Both sides agreed they were fighting over land, with
each side claiming ownership. The UN’s Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), cited the Sudan
government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission as confirming
“new inter-tribal fighting between the Gimir and Beni Halba
tribes over land ownership” in South Darfur.
“Seven people from the Gimir tribe were reportedly killed
in an attack on 26 April. The fighting is continuing”, OCHA
said in its weekly humanitarian bulletin issued late on
Thursday. —AFP
Arab states dismayed...
Continued from Page 1
international community where majority of states are in
consensus on defining Israel as a rogue state, “ Al-Mubaraki
said in the remarks.
“Israel is a rogue state by all standards, for there is no other
state in the world that deals with the United Nations” and other
international agencies and organizations with contempt, he
said, criticizing the Western trend to pressure India and
Pakistan regarding their nuclear potential, while refraining
from adopting such an approach toward Israel.
Such policies and stands may eventually lead to nullifying
the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty, ambassador Al-Mubaraki
warned. Kuwait and other GCC states are bound with the US
and other Western powers with alliances and cooperation
treaties, however “we are at odds with them on this particular
topic.” The commission, which began the meetings on April
22, closed the sessions yesterday. — KUNA
BEIRUT: Syria’s main opposition group
yesterday accused President Bashar
Assad’s regime of committing a “largescale
massacre” in a Sunni village near the
Mediterranean coast in which activists say
at least 50 were killed with guns, knives
and blunt objects.
The killings in Bayda reflect the sectarian
overtones of Syria’s civil war. Tucked in
the mountains outside the Mediterranean
coastal city of Banias, the village is primarily
inhabited by Sunni Muslims, who
dominate the country’s rebel movement.
But it is located in the heartland of
Assad’s Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite
Islam that is the backbone of the regime.
In amateur video purportedly taken
after the killings, the bodies of at least
seven men and boys are seen strewn in
pools of blood on the pavement in front
of a house as women weep around them.
“Don’t sleep, don’t move,” one woman
sobs, leaning over to touch one of the
men, who appeared already dead. The
video appears genuine and consistent
with reporting by The Associated Press
from the area. The war has largely split
the country along sectarian lines, with the
divide deepening over months of bloodshed.
There has been heavy fighting in
recent weeks between Sunnis and Shiites
over villages near the Lebanese border,
while Islamic extremists in the rebel ranks
have injected a radical fervor, often referring
to their adversaries with derogatory
names insulting their sects.
The regime has so far kept a relatively
solid grip on the Alawite heartland, centered
on the mountainous region along
the coast. The area is dotted with Sunni
villages, but they are surrounded by larger
Alawite communities, so the anti-Assad
revolt has had a harder time taking hold.
Early Thursday, there was an eruption
of fighting in Bayda and then in the afternoon,
Syrian troops backed by gunmen
from nearby Alawite villages swept into
the village, according to the Britain based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
They torched homes and used knives,
guns and blunt objects to kill people in
the streets, the group said. It said it has
documented the names of at least 50
dead in Bayda, but that dozens of villagers
were still missing and the death toll
could rise to as high as 100.
Syria’s state news agency said late
Thursday that the army conducted a raid
in Bayda, killing several “terrorists” and
seizing machine guns, automatic rifles
and other weapons. The government
refers to those trying to oust Assad as
“terrorists.” Syrian troops were still in
Bayda yesterday, conducting house to
In this citizen journalism image released on Thursday by a group that calls
itself The Syrian Revolution Against Bashar Assad, a Syrian man (center)
identifies dead bodies, who were killed according to activists by Syrian
forces loyal to Bashar Assad, in Bayda village. — AP
KHARTOUM: Around 100 miners are estimated
to have died inside a collapsed gold
mine in Sudan’s Darfur region and nine rescuers
trying to free them are now trapped,
a miner said yesterday.
“Nine of the rescue team disappeared
when the land collapsed around them yesterday
(Thursday),” said the miner, who had
visited the scene and asked to remain
anonymous. On Monday the unlicensed
desert gold mine began to collapse in Jebel
Amir district, more than 200 kilometres
(125 miles) northwest of the North Darfur
state capital El Fasher. The stench of death
is now seeping out of the baked earth, the
miner said. “Yesterday eight bodies have
been found and still they are looking for
the others,” he said. “According to a count
by people working in the mine, the number
of people inside is more than 100.” On
Thursday the Jebel Amir district chief,
Haroun al-Hassan, said “the number of
people who died is more than 60”, but it
was unclear whether anyone might still be
alive. Hassan could not be reached yesterday.
Earlier he said rescuers were using
hand tools out of fear that machinery
would cause a further collapse.
But the ground fell around some of the
rescuers anyway. Production from unofficial
gold mines has become a key revenue
source for the cash-strapped government
in Khartoum. It is also a tempting but dangerous
occupation for residents of Sudan’s
poverty-stricken western region of Darfur
which has been devastated by a decade of
civil war. A humanitarian source said earlier
this year that close to 70,000 people were
digging for gold in Jebel Amir. Sudan is trying
to boost exports of the precious metal
and other non-petroleum products after
house searches, according to the
Observatory’s director, Rami Abdul
Rahman. He added that phone and
Internet service to the village was cut,
making it impossible to verify the final
death toll or pin down more details on
what happened.
If confirmed, the bloodshed in Bayda
would be the latest in a string of alleged
mass killings in Syria’s civil war. Last
month, activists said government troops
killed more than 100 people as they
seized two rebel-held suburbs of
Damascus.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama
said his administration was looking at
every option to end the bloodshed in
Syria. Speaking at a news conference in
Mexico City, Obama said the administration
was proceeding cautiously as it
looked at options to ensure that what it
does is helpful to the situation rather than
making it more deadly or complex.
In Washington, US Defense Secretary
Chuck Hagel, became the first top
American official to publicly acknowledge
that the administration was rethinking its
opposition to arming the Syrian rebels.
Hagel said Thursday that “arming the
rebels - that’s an option,” but added that
the administration was looking at all
options. The Syrian conflict, now in its
third year, started with largely peaceful
protests against Assad’s rule in March
2011, but shifted into an armed insurgency
as opposition supporters took up
weapons to fight a harsh regime crackdown
on dissent. — AP
100 dead, rescuers trapped
in Darfur mine disaster
AL-ABIDIYA: Sudanese men panning for gold at the village of Al-Abidiya, in
northern Sudan. Around 100 miners are estimated to have died inside a collapsed
gold mine in Sudan’s Darfur region and nine rescuers trying to free
them are now trapped, a miner said yesterday. — AFP
the separation of South Sudan two years
ago left Khartoum without three-quarters
of its crude oil production.
The lost oil accounted for most of
Khartoum’s export earnings and half of its
fiscal revenues, sending inflation above 40
percent while the currency plunged in value
on the black market. Sudan’s Mining
Minister Kamal Abdel Latif said traditional
mining produced 41 tons of gold worth
$2.5 billion (1.9 billion euros) from January
to November last year. In 2011, the government
estimated there were more than
200,000 unlicensed artisanal gold producers,
generating most of the country’s output
of the resource. Sudan’s central bank
has entered the market, trying to buy from
the small producers.
Seven weeks of clashes over gold
between two Arab tribes in Jebel Amir early
this year killed more than 500 members of
the Beni Hussein tribal group, a Benni
Hussein member of parliament for the area
said previously. The violence uprooted an
estimated 100,000 people. The fighting
between the Beni Hussein and Rezeigat
erupted when a leader of the latter tribe who
is a border guard officer apparently laid claim
to a gold-rich area inside Beni Hussein territory,
Amnesty International said. —AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
INTERNATIONAL
Afghan father guns down daughter over ‘affair’
KABUL: In front of 300 villagers, Halima’s
father shot her in the head, stomach and
waist-a public execution overseen by local
religious leaders in Afghanistan to punish
her for an alleged affair.
Halima, aged between 18 and 20 and a
mother of two children, was killed for
bringing “dishonour” on her family in a
case that underlines how the country is
still struggling to protect women more
than 11 years after the fall of Taliban
regime.
Police in the northwestern province of
Badghis said Halima was accused of running
away with a male cousin while her
husband was in Iran, and her father
sought advice from Taliban-backed clerics
on how to punish her.
“People in the mosque and village
started taunting him about her escape
with the cousin,” Badghis provincial police
chief Sharafuddin Sharaf said.
“A local cleric who runs a madrassa
told him that she must be punished with
death, and the mullahs said she should be
executed in public.
“The father killed his daughter with
three shots as instructed by religious elders
and in front of villagers. We went there
two days later but he and his entire family
had fled.” Amnesty International said the
killing, which occurred on April 22 in the
village of Kookchaheel in Badghis
province, was damning evidence of how
little control Afghan police have over
many areas of the country.
“Violence against women continues to
be endemic in Afghanistan and those
responsible very rarely face justice,”
Amnesty’s Afghanistan researcher Horia
Mosadiq said. “Not only do women face
violence at the hands of family members
for reasons of preserving so-called ‘honour’,
but frequently women face human
rights abuses resulting from verdicts
issued by traditional, informal justice systems.”
Police in Baghdis, a remote and impoverished
province that borders
Turkmenistan, said Halima had run away
with her cousin to a village 30 kilometres
(20 miles) away. Her father found her after
10 days and brought her back home,
where clerics told him he must kill her in
front of the villagers to assuage his family’s
humiliation. A Badghis-based
women’s rights activist said he had seen
video footage of Hamila’s execution,
which was not able to obtain.
“On the video, she is shot three times
in front of 300-400 people. Her brother
witnesses her death and breaks down in
tears,” said the activist, who declined to be
named to avoid reprisals.
“She is sitting on her knees in the dust,
wearing a large chador veil. A mullah
announces her funeral prayers first, then
her father shoots her from behind with an
AK-47 at a distance of about five metres.
“We have learned that a Taleban shadow
governor in the region asked the mullahs
to issue the death penalty for her.
“The local religious council first said she
should be stoned to death, but since the
cousin was not there, they decided that
she should be shot.” —AFP
S Africa officials fired
over wedding scandal
Gupta party guests land in air force base
LONDON: Former British servicemen Patrick Hemessey
(left) and Jake Wood (right) arrive with Mary Fitzgerald
(second right) and an interpreter named as Mohammed
(2L) at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in central
London yesterday to deliver a petition signed by over 75
thousand people calling for asylum for Aghan interpreters
who served the British army. — AFP
Afghan interpreters
take legal action
to stay in UK
LONDON: Lawyers for three Afghan interpreters who served
with British forces fighting the Taleban in southern
Afghanistan said yesterday they had launched a legal challenge
to a government decision not to let them settle in
Britain. The three argue they should be entitled to the same
treatment as interpreters with British forces in the Iraq war
who were given exceptional leave to remain in Britain and
financial help.
The interpreters say they face the threat of being attacked
by the Taleban in their homeland because of their work with
foreign forces. Lawyers have lodged proceedings against
British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Defence
Secretary Philip Hammond at the High Court on their behalf.
And campaigners were set to deliver a petition signed by
nearly 70,000 people supporting the three to Downing Street
later.
The law firm Leigh Day says one of the three Afghans they
are representing, named only as Abdul, remains in
Afghanistan, where he and his family have been receiving
threats by text message.
“The recent threats made against Abdul and his family further
underline the very real dangers these men and their families
face as a direct result of their work, and incredible bravery,
in support of the British forces in Afghanistan,” Rosa Curling
from the firm said.
“The government has a duty to ensure that they are not left
exposed to the very real dangers posed by the Taleban. “The
failure by the UK government to extend to the Afghan interpreters
the resettlement package offered to Iraqi interpreters
is unlawful and discriminatory.” — AFP
JOHANNESBURG: Five South African
officials, including police and military
commanders, have been suspended
after a chartered plane carrying about
200 guests from India to a lavish family
wedding was allowed to land at a South
African air force base, the government
said yesterday. The scandal, in which the
passengers allegedly bypassed customs
procedures on their way to a gaudy
entertainment complex, has angered
many South Africans who see the
episode as a case of cronyism linking big
business and the highest levels of government
in a country where corruption
is a growing problem.
The government sought to stem
public outrage over the incident,
launching an investigation into how the
Airbus A330 was given permission to
land Tuesday at the Waterkloof Air Force
Base and ordering it to fly on Thursday
to a civilian international airport in
Johannesburg. The wedding festivities
wrapped up yesterday.
The guests attended the wedding of
Vega Gupta, whose Indian immigrant
family has powerful business interests in
South Africa, and groom Aakash
Jahajgarhia in an extravaganza spanning
several days at Sun City, a leisure
center northwest of Johannesburg.
Some South African current and former
officials also attended. Justice Minister
Jeff Radebe said the suspended officials
included two brigadier generals at the
air force base and the head of state protocol,
Bruce Koloane.
He said the government is “gravely
concerned at this violation of the security
protocol and total disregard of established
practice for clearing the landing
of aircraft in a military facility that is of
strategic importance to the country.”
Radebe added: “Our particular concern
is that the aircraft was carrying international
passengers who do not fit the category
of government officials or VIPs on
official duty.” According to authorities,
two police officers and a reservist were
also arrested for working for a private
JOHANNESBURG: Members of the Gupta wedding party check in at O R Tambo
International Airport in Johannesburg for their flight back to India yesterday. — AFP
security company that provided escort
vehicles - black BMWs equipped with
illegal emergency lights and false registrations
- during the wedding guests’
transfer from the military base to Sun
City. Authorities were also investigating
the alleged use of marked police vehicles
in the incident, Radebe said.
The Democratic Alliance, an opposition
political party, said in a statement
that parliament should open an investigation
and alleged that the government’s
reaction was as an attempt to
protect President Jacob Zuma and
Cabinet ministers from the “political fallout”
of the scandal by targeting lowerranking
officials. South African media
reports said a son and a nephew of
Zuma were among the guests at the lavish
wedding. SABC, South Africa’s state
broadcaster, quoted Virendra Gupta,
India’s high commissioner, as saying
permission for the plane to land at the
base had been requested because of
security concerns for VIPs and “senior
political figures from India” on the flight.
The South African government, however,
said it did not have a record of
notification from the Indian High
Commission. Instead, it said, India’s
defense attache in South Africa requested
clearance from the air force, which
consulted the office of state protocol
without informing the military chief.
SABC quoted businessman Atul
Gupta as saying Gupta investments
have brought jobs to South Africa and
boosted tourism since the family began
operating in the country in the 1990s.
Atul Gupta is chairman of the familyowned
TNA media group. The family is
also involved in technology and other
interests.
Photographs of the wedding ceremony
showed the couple of traditional
Indian attire as they floated on a platform
across a pool at the Palace of the
Lost City, one of Sun City’s deluxe locations.
The bride was also photographed
joining the groom after stepping out of
a sculpture of a giant lotus flower.
While many South African newspapers
focused on the scandal, the Guptaowned
The New Age newspaper carried
a front-page headline on the event: “A
union of elegance and tradition.” — AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
INTERNATIONAL
Anti-EU party gains in British local elections
LONDON: The anti-European Union UK
Independence Party made big gains in
local elections, siphoning support from
Prime Minister David Cameron’s
Conservatives in a vote that underlined
the threat it poses to his re-election
chances in 2015.
Early results showed UKIP had won 42
council seats - as many as Labour - after
seven of 35 councils had been declared
and that it had polled an average 26 percent
of the vote, the best result by a
fourth party since World War Two. UKIP,
which wants Britain to leave the
European Union and an end to “opendoor
immigration”, also pushed
Cameron’s Conservatives into third place
in an election for a national parliamentary
seat in northern England, a humiliating
blow for the prime minister.
The results showed UKIP could split
the centre-right vote at the next national
election, making it harder for Cameron
to defeat Labour, which leads his
Conservatives by up to 10 percent in
opinion polls as economic austerity persists.
Yesterday’s outcome is also likely to
reignite questions about Cameron’s
leadership from malcontents within his
Belgian mystery:
Who is hiding
the stolen money?
ZEDELGEM, Belgium: On a Saturday evening two weeks ago
in Zedelgem, townsfolk were disturbed by the wail of a siren
and the shriek of tires, the din of a high-speed car chase that
broke the tranquility of their sleepy city.
Suddenly, cash was flying through the air like confetti at
carnival. Dozens of people rushed out of homes or cars to
grab a share of the accidental bounty: about 1 million euros
($1.3 million) in all. The small fortune had flown from a safe
that cracked open when the fleeing robbers panicked and
threw it out the window. “It was,” recalled Mayor Patrick
Arnou, “a rainstorm of money.” Everyone from kids to the elderly
ran out to take part in the free-for-all.
Now, the cops want the money back, and the townspeople
face a thorny dilemma: Play things badly, and you could
face two years in jail. Keep a poker face, and the money could
be yours to keep.
A veil of suspicion has fallen over the town: Neighbors
watch neighbors as police go door to door, questioning
townsfolk about what they did - and what they saw others
do. “People talk about nothing else any more in this town,”
said Arnou. “In the street itself, there is an atmosphere of bitterness.”
Some Zedelgem inhabitants who missed the windfall said
they understood the actions of their fellow townsfolk, but
insisted the size of the cash pile should have made them
think twice. “If it were a 20 euro note,” said 77-year-old pensioner
Hector Clarysse, “I’d pick it up, too, and join in.”
But he added: “If you pick up so much money, you know
it’s not normal.” It all started when the robbers broke into a
home in a neighboring town, and made off with the safe. The
getaway car was soon identified; by chance a motorcycle
police officer spotted it and gave chase. When the cop and
robbers hit Zedelgem’s Ruddervoordsestraat, a street lined
by simple red-brick row houses, the thieves tried to shake off
the officer by throwing the safe in his way. As it careened
down the asphalt, the box shot open: A cloud of bills - some
worth as much as 500 euros - swirled through the air and
drifted down.
Dozens of wide-eyed people flooded the street, grabbing
handfuls of cash. Drivers got out of their cars, snatched money
and sped away. One lady even came out of her house with
a broom, Arnou said, and swept the money inside. —AP
Cameron’s Conservatives face test
own party who complain he is too liberal
and to pile pressure on him to take a
tougher stance on Europe and immigration,
issues on which he has already
tacked to the right.
Full results of the elections for more
than 2,000 council seats in England and
Wales are expected later yesterday. UKIP
LONDON: UK Independent Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage addresses the
media in central London yesterday. — AFP
BELFAST: A 47-year-old man originally
convicted of murdering two British
soldiers in Northern Ireland was
acquitted yesterday following a retrial.
Brian Shivers had denied any involvement
in the attack outside the
Massereene Army barracks in Antrim
in March 2009.
Sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, and
Patrick Azimkar, 21, were gunned
down as they came out to collect a
pizza delivery, in the first murders of
soldiers in Northern Ireland since
1997. Two other soldiers and two pizza
delivery men were seriously
wounded in the attack.
It took place hours before the soldiers
were due to fly to Afghanistan.
Judge Donnell Deeny delivered his
judgement after the retrial without a
jury at Belfast Crown Court. The prosecution
case against Shivers was based
on DNA evidence found on matchsticks
and a mobile phone in and
around the abandoned, partially
burned-out getaway vehicle used in
the attack. But the defence insisted
that the genetic traces did not prove
he was involved on the night of the
shootings.
The judge questioned why hardened
Catholic dissidents opposed to
British rule of Northern Ireland would
choose to work with Shivers, who suffers
from cystic fibrosis and was
engaged to a Protestant woman.
“He was an unlikely associate for
this hardened gang to rely on,” he
said. Last year, Shivers was convicted
of the murders of the two soldiers and
ordered to serve at least 25 years, but
that judgement was quashed earlier
this year by Northern Ireland’s Court
of Appeal. — AFP
said it had tapped a wider public disenchantment
with Britain’s three mainstream
parties, which it argues are effectively
all left-leaning social democratstyle
parties.
“We’ve got three parties who have
given away the ability to govern our own
country, who have led us into near bankruptcy
and who have pursued open
door immigration policies,” Nigel Farage,
UKIP’s leader, told BBC radio.
“We want to fundamentally change
British politics. It can happen.” Though
represented in the European Parliament,
UKIP currently has no MPs in the British
parliament.
Labour, which has controlled South
Shields since 1935, held onto the national
parliamentary seat that was previously
occupied by David Miliband, brother of
Labour leader Ed Miliband and a former
foreign minister. But UKIP won 24 percent
of the vote, its second highest result
in such an election.
Grant Shapps, the chairman of the
Conservative party, said his party, the
senior partner in a two-party coalition,
had heard the voters’ message “loud and
clear”. “We are offering a lot of the things
that people say they’re concerned
about,” he said. But he emphasised the
local nature of the election. “People’s
aren’t voting for who runs the country,
they’re voting for local councils.” The real
choice at the next national vote in 2015
would be between Labour and the
Conservatives, he said. — Reuters
N Ireland man cleared of
killing British soldiers
BELFAST: Brian Shivers (second left) looks on as his lawyer Naill Murphy (right)
reads out a brief statement to the media outside Belfast High Court in Belfast,
Northern Ireland yesterday after the former was acquitted in a retrial of the
murder of two British soldiers. — AFP
Pope calls for ‘greater aid’ for
Syrian refugees in Lebanon
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis called yesterday
for greater humanitarian aid for Syrian
refugees in Lebanon and surrounding countries,
after meeting with Lebanese President
Michel Sleiman at the Vatican.
“The huge number of Syrian refugees who
have sought refuge in Lebanon and the
neighboring countries gives rise to particular
concern,” the Vatican said following the talks.
“Greater humanitarian aid is called for, for the
refugees and the suffering population, with
the support of the international community,”
it said. The United Nations in mid-April said
that Lebanon was housing 400,000 Syrians
who have fled the conflict now in its third
year which has killed more than 70,000 people.
Those fleeing war-ravaged Syria included
a quarter of a million children, the Vatican
noted. At the meeting, the pontiff and
Sleiman also discussed the “delicate situation
of Christians throughout the Middle East.”
Christians in the region have felt under threat
from the rise of political Islam following the
Arab Spring.
They have been uneasy about showing
support for rebels against Syria’s President
Bashar Al-Assad and the secular Baathists
who have largely safeguarded freedom of
belief. Francis and Sleiman also discussed
their hopes for “the quick and fruitful
resumption of negotiations between Israel
and the Palestinians, which is ever more
necessary for peace and stability in the
region.” — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
BHIKHIWAND: Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi consoles
Dalbir Kaur near the body of her brother Sarabjit
Singh, who died after he was bludgeoned with a brick by
two fellow inmates at a Pakistani prison. — AP
Bangladesh building
crash toll passes 500
DHAKA: The death toll from the collapse of a factory complex in
Bangladesh passed 500 yesterday as the prime minister said Western
retailers had to share some responsibility for the plight of garment
workers. It also emerged that an engineer who had warned that the
building may be unsafe before it imploded on April 24 was being
questioned by police after becoming the latest person to be arrested
over the disaster.
With bulldozers clawing away at the mountain of rubble at the
site, the number of bodies being recovered from the country’s deadliest
industrial disaster has been increasing sharply. Lieutenant Mir
Rabbi, an officer in a special army control room set up to coordinate
the rescue operation, told AFP the “death toll now stands at 511”, a
sharp rise on the figure of 441 compiled by authorities on Thursday
evening.
Dozens more people are thought to have been buried alive after
the eight-storey building collapsed in Savar, which lies around 30
kilometres (20 miles) to the northwest of Dhaka.
Around 3,000 garment workers were on shift at the time of the
disaster in the Rana Plaza compound, which housed five different
textile factories.
Spain’s Mango, Britain’s low-cost Primark chain and the Italian
label Benetton were among the retailers who have confirmed having
products made at Rana Plaza where the typical worker took home
less than 40 dollars a month.
The collapse was the latest in a series of disasters to befall the $20
billion industry, which accounts for 80 percent of the country’s
exports. A fire at another factory compound killed 111 workers last
November and witnesses say the latest disaster happened after bosses
insisted staff remain at their workstations even though cracks had
been detected in the building.
In an interview with CNN, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina defended the industry’s safety record, saying the recent deadly
explosion at a fertiliser plant in the United States showed that no
country was immune.
“Anywhere in the world, any accident can take place,” she said.
Some Western fashion brands have said they are considering their
futures in Bangladesh and Disney has already announced it is pulling
out of the country.
The prime minister insisted that “Bangladesh now is a place for
good conditions for the investment” but she also suggested that
Western firms drawn to the country by cheap labour costs could hike
salaries. —AFP
SRINAGAR: A Pakistani prisoner in India
was critical yesterday after being attacked
by an inmate, an official said, in apparent
tit-for-tat jail violence that has strained
relations between the neighbors.
The attack came after Sarabjit Singh, an
Indian convicted in Pakistan for spying and
deadly bombings, died on Thursday following
a savage beating in Lahore prison,
sparking a furious response from Indian
politicians. Singh was cremated with state
honors yesterday in his native village in
northwestern India where hundreds of
angry demonstrators shouted “Down with
Pakistan!” as they gathered to pay their
tributes.
The injured Pakistani prisoner-a convicted
murderer named Sanaullah Ranjaywas
assaulted early Friday in the northern
city of Jammu, a day after India’s home
ministry ordered stepped up security for
jailed Pakistanis. Ranjay was in critical condition
and was to be airlifted to a hospital
in the city of Chandigarh for treatment, K
Rajendra, the state’s director general of
prisons, told AFP.
“It was a scuffle between the Pakistani
prisoner and Vinod Kumar, who is an ex-
Indian army soldier. Both of them were
serving life imprisonment,” Rajendra said.
Ranjay was photographed with a
swollen black eye and a bloodied beard as
he was rushed into hospital in Jammu
where he was underwent surgery. “This
obvious retaliation to the death of Indian
prisoner Sarabjit Singh is condemnable,”
said a statement from the Pakistan foreign
ministry, which asked for a police probe.
“We would also remind the government
of India of its responsibility in ensuring
the safety and security of all Pakistani
prisoners lodged in Indian jails,” it added.
Rajesh Kumar, the police chief for
Jammu province, told AFP that police had
registered a case and had begun investigating.
The Indian foreign ministry promised
consular access to Pakistan and proposed
a meeting of authorities from both
countries to suggest measures to avoid
“such tragic incidents in future”.
The violence is likely to cause further
friction between nuclear-armed India and
Pakistan, whose ties were hit by a border
flare-up earlier this year that undermined
efforts to build trust.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
condemned the “barbaric and murderous
attack” on Sarabjit Singh on Thursday
and New Delhi complained that its diplomats
were denied access to the prisoner as
he fought for his life.
The main opposition Bharatiya Janata
Party and Sarabjit Singh’s family attacked
the government for being too soft on
Pakistan, while the parliament’s lower
house passed a resolution condemning
the death.
On Friday, hundreds of mourners gathered
in Singh’s hometown of Bhikhiwind
INTERNATIONAL
Pakistani ‘critical’ in
India after jail attack
Singh cremated with state honors
KARACHI: Relatives and supporters gather
in front of the bodies of slain election candidate,
Saddiq Zaman Khattack (top) and
his younger son, Naseer Khattack 6, at a
hospital mortuary in Karachi yesterday following
a gunmen attack. Zulfiqar,
Pakistan’s main state prosecutor in the
2007 murder of former prime minister
Benazir Bhutto and the 2008 Mumbai
attacks was shot dead in Islamabad en
route to court, police said. — AFP
JAMMU: Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah Ranjay is carried on a stretcher to be shifted
to another city for treatment, in Jammu yesterday. The prisoner in Kashmir
was beaten seriously yesterday by another inmate, officials said. —AP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s main state prosecutor
in the 2007 murder of former prime
minister Benazir Bhutto and the 2008
Mumbai attacks was shot dead in
Islamabad en route to court yesterday,
police said. Chaudhry Zulfiqar was shot
multiple times after gunmen intercepted
his vehicle shortly after he left home in a
busy, middle-class neighborhood of the
capital. His bodyguard was also wounded
and a woman passer-by killed.
The assassination comes just days
before Pakistan holds historic general
elections on May 11, marking the first
time that a civilian government completes
a full-term in office and hands over to
another at the ballot box.
Zulfiqar was given extra government
security last year after he was mentioned
in threats received by police investigators
working on the Bhutto case. The source of
the threats was unclear, but one investigator
said he was told not to appear in
court at Zulfiqar’s behest by an unknown
caller using a number in Afghanistan.
to pay their last respects at a public
ground where the body was displayed in a
wooden coffin wrapped in the Indian flag.
Rahul Gandhi, the vice-president of the ruling
Congress party, and a host of other
political leaders attended the last rites
held on the outskirts of the village close to
the India-Pakistan border amid tight security.
Sarabjit Singh was convicted 16 years
ago for espionage and for his alleged
involvement in a string of bomb attacks in
Pakistan’s Punjab province that killed 14
people in 1990. His mercy petitions were
rejected by the courts and former president
Pervez Musharraf.
His family insists he was a farmer who
became a victim of mistaken identity after
inadvertently straying across the border
while drunk. India’s government also
denies he was a spy. — AFP
Pakistan prosecutor
in Bhutto, Mumbai
cases shot dead
“Chaudhry Zulfiqar was driving his car. He
lost control and the car crushed a woman
passer-by,” police officer Mohammad
Yousuf told AFP.
Medics said he died of his injuries
before arriving at hospital. The gunmen,
who are believed to have attacked from at
least two different angles, fled and officers
refused to speculate who was responsible.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto’s widower,
condemned the killing and ordered a
thorough investigation to “expose the
real culprits involved in the murder”, his
office said. Zulfiqar had been on his way
to the latest hearing of the anti-terrorism
court hearing the Bhutto case in the
neighbouring city of Rawalpindi.
He lost control of his car after being
shot and hit the woman, who died
instantly, witnesses and officers said.
Abdul Mateen, who works at a nearby
guest house, said he heard heavy gunfire.
“When I came out I found a car moving
out of control. It then descended into a
side road. —AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Malaysia opposition
has narrow lead
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s opposition enjoys a very
narrow lead over the long ruling National Front for the
first time in a key poll issued yesterday, two days before
an election in the Southeast Asian country. The survey
carried out by the Merdeka Center also revealed a
broad decline in support for Prime Minister Najib
Razak, whose National Front has held power since
independence from Britain in 1957.
The survey, conducted between April 28 and May 2
among 1,600 voters, showed 42 percent of respondents
wanted the opposition Peoples’ Pact of former
Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to govern the
country. It credited the prime minister’s Front with 41
percent. Seventeen percent were either unsure or
refused to answer. It was the first time Merdeka had
put such a question to voters. It was also the first time
the opposition outscored the ruling coalition in any of
its surveys, though the opposition has come out ahead
in polls conducted by other organizations.
Stocks on the local bourse fell 1.09 percent, reflecting
unease over the poll and partly offsetting gains this
week.“The fear of the outcome of the election and the
uncertainty have been around for quite some time, but
for those people who still have not sold, they have suddenly
become fearful that the (National Front) may
lose,” said Ang Kok Heng of Phillip Capital
Management Sdn Bhd.
Merdeka showed support for Najib had slipped to 61
percent from 64 percent in March. Dips were recorded
within all three main ethnic groups — 75 percent of
majority Malays backed him against 76 percent in
March, while support among minority Chinese fell to
31 percent from 37 percent and among Indians to 68
percent from 70 percent.
Ethnic Malays are the bedrock of support for the
coalition, which has been largely abandoned by ethnic
Chinese voters, more than a quarter of Malaysians.
Merdeka Center attributed the falls to the fleeting
effect of government cash handouts to low-income
groups and of increased pay and pensions for 1.4 million
civil servants.
The coalition suffered its worst electoral showing in
2008, losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority for
the first time.
Most analysts predict the National Front will win
narrowly tomorrow, but a failure to improve on the
2008 result could cost Najib his job and raise uncertainty
over policy. Despite robust economic growth of 5.6
percent last year, those polled expressed most concern
about economic conditions.
The poll found support for Najib was highest among
poorer Malaysians, reaching 75 percent among households
earning less than 1,500 ringgit ($500) a month
and lowest among households earning more than
5,000 ringgit a month, at 43 percent. — Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR: A robot from a bomb disposal
squad checks a suspicious package after it was
found with a notice “bomb” written on it at an opposition
election office in Jinjang, outskirt of Kuala
Lumpur yesterday. — AP
INTERNATIONAL
SEOUL: A South Korean police officer stands on an empty road at the customs, immigration and quarantine office
near the border village of Panmunjom, that has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju, north of
Seoul, yesterday.—AP
Last S Korean workers
leave joint factory zone
Project falls victim to military standoff
PAJU, South Korea: South Korea yesterday
withdrew its last remaining workers
from a joint industrial zone in North Korea
at risk of permanent closure due to soaring
military tensions.
It is the first time that Seoul has pulled
out all its workers from the flagship project
since it was opened in 2004, underscoring
the severe deterioration in relations
between the two Koreas.
The Kaesong Industrial Zone-located
10 kilometres (six miles) north of the frontier-was
once a rare symbol of cross-border
cooperation, but has fallen victim to
the stand-off on the Korean Peninsula.
Seoul last week ordered all remaining
South Koreans to leave after Pyongyang
banned entry by southerners, pulled out
its own 53,000 workers and rejected the
South’s call for talks on the impasse. Most
South Koreans had left by early Tuesday,
and the last seven workers returned yesterday
after several days of talks with the
North over issues such as unpaid wages
for North Koreans, the Unification Ministry
said. Seoul sent two vehicles loaded with
$13 million in cash over the border as the
last workers returned, to make the payments
demanded by Pyongyang. Tension
has been high since the North, angered by
fresh UN sanctions sparked by its nuclear
test in February and South-US military
drills, issued a series of apocalyptic threats
of a nuclear war against Seoul and
Washington. Pyongyang has repeatedly
blamed the South for the deadlock over
the Kaesong Industrial Zone (KIZ).
“All facts go to prove that the (South
Korean) puppet forces are working hard to
turn the sacred KIZ into a theatre of confrontation
and source of a war against the
north, not a zone for reconciliation and
unity,” the North’s official KCNA news
agency said yesterday in a commentary.
“The puppet regime is getting frantic in
its moves to have the KIZ closed by withdrawing
all South side’s personnel from it,”
it added. Previously the complex had
remained largely immune to strains in
cross-border relations.
While neither side has gone so far as to
declare a permanent shutdown, experts
say the next step could be for the South to
cut electricity supplies to the site. South
Korean companies with interests at
Kaesong have expressed shock at the sudden
withdrawal.
Hong Yang-Ho, head of the Kaesong
Industrial District Management
Committee, expressed hope that the two
sides could still secure the future of the
complex. “I believe there will be further
discussion through various channels,” he
told reporters at the border in Paju after
his return, adding that the factories were
safely locked and would remain intact
despite the withdrawal. South Korea has
urged North Korea to reconnect cross-border
hotlines severed last month at the
height of tensions, officials said.— AFP
China indicts official
in sex tape scandal
BEIJING: Chinese prosecutors have filed corruption charges against a former city official
at the center of a sex tape scandal in which developers allegedly hired women to
sleep with officials then extort money or favors from them.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday that prosecutors have indicted
Lei Zhengfu, formerly Communist Party chief of a district in the southwestern
megacity of Chongqing, for accepting bribes. The report did not provide details of the
charges. Lei’s was the first, high-profile case to break in November when online video
clips of him, in the throes of passion, went viral.
Coming as China’s new leadership has vowed to crack down on rampant official
corruption, the images of his jowly, pop-eyed face became targets of derision and disgust
over government malfeasance. In January, 10 more officials were fired in relation
to the scandal. The officials, who appeared in additional sex videos, were from districtand
county-level government or party departments or state owned enterprises. The
involvement of officials from across various departments exposed the intertwining of
sex, money and politics and the often shady ties between real estate developers and
local officials. Reports say a construction company hired women to sleep with Lei and
the other officials, secretly videotaped the trysts, then used the tapes to extort construction
contracts or other deals from them. Authorities have also been investigating
the developers behind the alleged extortion scheme. Yetsreday, the People’s Daily
newspaper said on its official Twitter-like microblog that Chongqing’s prosecutors
were preparing to file charges of extortion and blackmail against the woman who had
been allegedly hired to sleep with Lei. Calls to the city’s prosecutors’ office and the
Communist Party propaganda department rang unanswered yesterday.—AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Garrett Plath (right) holds a sign and Toni Zagami
(left) wears a “Boston Strong” shirt as they stand
outside the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home in North
Attleborough, Massachusetts, where a vehicle
believed to be carrying the body of Boston
Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev
arrived Thursday.—AP
Boston suspect’s
mortuary offers
Muslim services
BOSTON: Funeral arrangements for the Boston Marathon
bombing suspect killed in a shootout with police are
being handled by a funeral home that has experience with
Muslim services.
Peter Stefan, owner of Graham Putnam and Mahoney
Funeral Parlors in Worcester confirmed yesterday he is
handling funeral arrangements for Tamerlan Tsarnaev but
he could not confirm whether he has possession of the
body. Stefan says everybody deserves a dignified burial
service no matter the circumstances of their death and he
is prepared for protests. He says arrangements have yet to
be worked out.
Several protesters showed up outside a North
Attleborough funeral home Thursday night where
Tsarnaev’s body was taken following its release by the
state medical examiner. Timothy Nay of the Dyer-Lake
Funeral Home says he is no longer in possession of the
body.—AP
Anti-gun groups focus
on Pryor with ads, visit
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas: As one of five Democrats who opposed
expanding background checks for firearm sales, US Sen. Mark
Pryor of Arkansas is facing pressure from gun control groups who
are urging him to rethink a position they suggest could haunt
him during his re-election bid next year.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns on Thursday brought the father of
a student killed in the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting
last year to Arkansas in the hopes of arranging a meeting with
the two term senator. The director of the group also said it plans
to soon air radio ads and mail direct mail pieces directed focused
on Pryor.
Pryor is among several lawmakers the group, co-founded by
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is focusing on for opposing
the background checks measure that failed in the Senate last
month. Pryor and Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska are the only
Democrats who opposed the measure who are seeking re-election
next year.
“This can easily become a dry policy issue where senators get
their facts from the same place they get their campaign money.
The way you change that is you sit them down with people who
lost their children and didn’t have to,” Mark Glaze, executive
director of the group, said. “It is the only thing that works in the
end, in our experience.”
Glaze said the group also planned to soon launch radio ads
and a direct mail effort in Arkansas, with a focus on African-
American voters - who tend to favor stronger background check
measures - but said the group’s immediate focus as on getting
Pryor to reconsider his position on background checks.
“It is hard for me to imagine a combination of constituencies
that would get Mark Pryor over the finish line if he doesn’t perform
exceptionally well in the African American community,”
Glaze said.—AP
HOUSTON: A man who had fired a gun
inside a ticketing area at Houston’s largest
airport was killed after being confronted by
a law enforcement official during an incident
that sent people in the terminal
scrambling and screaming, police said on
Thursday.
It’s unclear if the man fatally shot himself
or was killed by a Homeland Security
agent who had confronted him, said
Houston police spokesman Kese Smith.
The man’s name was not released by
police, but they said he was about 30-
years-old.
Police say the man walked into the ticketing
area in Terminal B at Bush
Intercontinental Airport around 1:35 pm
and fired at least one shot into the air. The
agent, who was in his office, came out and
confronted the man, telling him to drop his
weapon, but the man refused, police said.
“The suspect then turned toward the
special agent. The special agent, fearing for
his safety and all the passengers in the terminal,
discharged his weapon at the same
time it appears the suspect may have shot
himself,” Smith said. The man died at the
scene. An autopsy will be conducted.
Police would not say what kind of
weapon the man had. The terminal was
closed immediately after the shooting. But
later Thursday, parts of the terminal were
reopened to passengers. The rest of the airport
remained open after the shooting.
Darian Ward, a spokeswoman for the
Houston Airport System, said some passengers
who were scheduled to leave from
Terminal B were rerouted to other terminals.
Dale Howard, of Tomball, was at the
baggage handling area of the airport waiting
for his sister to arrive on an incoming
flight when he heard two shots fired from
INTERNATIONAL
Man killed after firing
shot at Houston airport
Incident sends people scrambling, screaming
PHOENIX: Jodi Arias’ defense attorneys
were set to present closing arguments in
the murder case that has become a tabloid
and cable TV sensation with its graphic
tales of sex and lies and has attracted
spectators from around the country who
line up as early as 2 am for a chance to
score a few open seats in the courtroom.
Arias, 32, is charged with first-degree murder
in the June 2008 death of her one-time
boyfriend at his suburban Phoenix home.
Authorities say she planned the attack on
Travis Alexander after he wanted to end
their relationship and prepared for a trip
to Mexico with another woman.
Arias initially denied any involvement
then later blamed it on masked intruders.
Two years after her arrest, she said she
killed him in self-defense when he
attacked her after a day of sex. If convicted
of first-degree murder, Arias faces a potential
death sentence or life in prison. Jurors
also have the option of finding her guilty
of second-degree murder, punishable by
up to 25 years in prison, if they don’t
believe she planned the attack but instead
think it occurred in the heat of the
moment. A third option is manslaughter,
which carries a sentence of seven to 21
years.
Arias wept and looked away from
jurors Thursday as prosecutor Juan
Martinez concluded closing arguments by
displaying a gruesome photo of
Alexander’s back, covered in stab wounds,
while describing her as a manipulative liar
who meticulously planned the savage
attack. He pounded his hand on a table,
raising his voice occasionally but largely
speaking in an almost whisper-like tone.
Martinez said Arias lied from the start and
is still lying, and hoped to fool the jury into
believing she is the victim.
“That’s what she wants you to believe,”
Martinez said, the photo of Alexander’s
dead body displayed on a large screen
behind him. “But actually, in reality, it’s
this,” he said, motioning toward the
autopsy picture. The images displayed
Thursday, one after another, of
Alexander’s decomposed body covered in
stab wounds, of his bruised face with a
gunshot wound above the forehead, of
the bloody scene of the killing, were too
much for Alexander’s friends and family
members. They sobbed and buried their
faces in their hands.
“This is an individual who will stop at
nothing, and who will continue to be
manipulative and will lie at every turn,”
Martinez told jurors. Alexander suffered
nearly 30 knife wounds, was shot in the
head, and had his throat slit. Arias’ palm
print was found in blood at the scene,
along with nude photos of her and the victim
from the day of the killing.
Arias said Alexander grew physically
abusive in the months before she killed
him, but there was no evidence or testimony
during the trial to corroborate her
allegations.
The defense has portrayed Alexander
as a cheating womanizer who used Arias
for sex and abused her physically and
the floor above. A few seconds later, he
said he heard three more shots.
“People were screaming. I knew exactly
what it was - gunfire,” Howard said. Police
from an adjacent station rushed in, and
Howard said he directed them to the floor
above.
Greg Newburn, who was in the terminal
waiting for a flight to Oklahoma City, said
he was sitting in a cafe area when he heard
two gunshots and after a pause, several
more. “It seemed like quite a few shots.
Everyone was scrambling, running left and
running right, turning tables up and hiding
behind tables. Nobody knew what was
happening. I couldn’t tell where the shots
were coming from,” he said.
Newburn, from Gainesville, Flordia, said
it took him a few seconds to realize that
the shots had come from the ticketing
area, near the security checkpoint. —AP
Defense set for closing
arguments in Arias trial
emotionally. Prosecutors depicted Arias as
an obsessed ex-girlfriend who couldn’t
come to grips with the ending relationship.
Martinez told jurors that Arias had
been stalking Alexander and arrived unannounced
on the day she killed him, sneaking
into his home at about 4 a.m. The two
went to sleep together, then awoke and
had sex.
At some point, Martinez said, Arias
decided it was time to carry out her murderous
plan. Martinez displayed text messages
that Alexander and Arias exchanged
about a week before the killing. “I want
you to understand how evil I think you
are,” Alexander wrote to her.
The key to a first-degree murder conviction
lies with intent, and Martinez said
repeatedly that Arias planned the killing
well in advance. Arias’ grandparents had
reported a .25 caliber handgun stolen
from their Northern California home about
a week before Alexander’s death - the
same caliber used to shoot him. — AP
PHOENIX: Defendant Jodi Arias listens to prosecutor Juan Martinez makes
his closing arguments during her trial at Maricopa County Superior Court
in Phoenix on Thursday.—AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
A water dropping helicopter gets ready to make a drop
on a fire burning in Point Mugu State Park during a
wildfire that burned several thousand acres in Ventura
County, California.—AP
California wildfire
burns 15-mile
path to Pacific
LOS ANGELES: A Southern California wildfire carving a path to
the sea grew to more than 15 square miles and crews prepared
yesterday for another bad day of gusting winds and searing
weather.
“We’re going to be at Mother Nature’s mercy,” Ventura County
fire spokesman Tom Kruschke said. The wind-whipped fire erupted
Thursday in the Camarillo area, damaging 15 homes and a
cluster of recreational vehicles in a parking lot.
About 2,000 Ventura County homes remained threatened and
evacuations remained in force although the fireline edged southwards
toward Malibu. It was about 20 miles from the coastal
enclave at daybreak. The blaze was 10 percent contained but the
work of more than 900 firefighters and deputies was just beginning,
fire officials said.
The weather forecast called for parching single-digit humidity,
highs in the 90s in some fire areas and morning winds of 20 to 30
mph with gusts to 45 mph - slightly down from a day earlier.
There’s still a chance of “explosive fire spread” before winds
begin tapering off in the afternoon and cooler weather begins to
kick in, said Curt Kaplan, a National Weather Service meteorologist
in Oxnard.
While winds calmed overnight, the fire that had burned about
12 1/2 square miles by Thursday night had increased to around
15 1/2 square miles by dawn. “It has grown throughout the
night,” Kruschke said. “The fire has been coming down canyons
all along Pacific Coast Highway and that’s where we’ve been concentrating
a lot of our effort.” Air tankers were expected to
resume water and fire retardant drops after daybreak, which
showed molten lines of flames along the oceanside ridges and a
vast, black charred landscape behind. Few homes were in the
immediate area.
Although the flames were generally heading seaward, the
threat to homes behind its edge remained from hotspots and
wind-driven embers, Kruschke said. “The fire can jump up at any
time and any place,” he said.—AP
AUSTIN, Texas: The powerful US gun lobby
has spent much of the past year under
siege, defending gun rights following mass
shootings in Colorado and Connecticut
and fighting mounting pressure for stricter
laws across the country. Now, after a major
victory over President Barack Obama with
the defeat of a gun control bill in the US
Senate, the National Rifle Association will
gather in gun-friendly Texas this weekend
for its annual convention.
“If you are an NRA member, you
deserve to be proud,” Wayne LaPierre, the
NRA’s brash chief executive wrote to the
organization’s 5 million members last
week, telling them they “exemplify everything
that’s good and right about
America.” Obama pushed for ambitious
gun control measures after 20 young children
and six adults were shot to death in
December at a Connecticut school by a
gunman with a legally purchased highpowered
rifle. But lawmakers in Congress,
under pressure from the NRA and its vocal
members, kept the proposals from moving
forward.
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam
predicted the convention will draw the
largest crowd in its history. “The geography
is helpful,” Arulanandam said. “The
current (political) climate helps.”
The NRA couldn’t have picked a friendlier
place to refresh the troops. More than
70,000 people are expected to attend the
three-day “Stand and Fight”-themed event,
which includes a gun trade show, political
rally and strategy meeting. Texas, with its
frontier image and fierce sense of independence,
is one of the strongest gun
rights states in the country. More than
500,000 people are licensed to carry concealed
handguns, including Gov. Rick
Perry, who once bragged about shooting a
coyote on a morning jog. And concealed
handguns are allowed the state Capitol.
Friday’s big event is a political forum
with speeches from several conservative
leaders, including Perry, former Republican
vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, former
presidential candidate Rick Santorum
and Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who
has become one of the top conservative
voices in Washington since being elected
last year. LaPierre speaks to the convention
today.
For NRA member Mike Cox, a concealed
handgun license instructor, the recent
Senate vote showed not only the power of
the NRA but demonstrated the need to
recruit more members.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm right now,”
Cox said. “This isn’t over by any means.”
Gun control advocates say they will have a
presence around the convention, with
plans for a vigil for victims of gun violence,
a petition drive to support background
checks for gun purchases and a Saturday
demonstration outside the convention
center. Sandy Phillips, whose daughter was
killed in the Colorado theater shooting in
July 2012, met privately with Cruz this
week. She said Cruz refused to budge on
expanding background checks on gun purchases
and told her he considered it the
first step toward government confiscation
INTERNATIONAL
Top US gun lobby to
hold big convention
Over 70,000 to attend ‘Stand and Fight’ event
of guns. “They’re always good at saying the
right thing, ‘I’m so sorry for you loss and da
da da da da,’” Phillips said. “If you’re really
sorry for my loss, do something about it.”
Despite polls that show most
Americans favor some expansion of background
checks, Ladd Everitt, spokesman
for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said
a big challenge is matching the NRA’s
grassroots organizing. “The NRA knows this
issue is very much in play. People were
sickened by that Senate vote,” Everitt said.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who has
supported gun rights in the past, has said
he will reintroduce
the bill to require criminal
and mental health background checks for
gun buyers at gun shows and online. And
despite their loss in Congress, gun control
advocates have scored significant victories
at the state level. Lawmakers in Colorado
passed new restrictions on firearms, including
required background checks for private
and online gun sales and a ban on ammunition
magazines that hold more than 15
rounds. —AP
PROVIDENCE: Gun owner Tonya Ricketts, of Warwick (left) displays a placard
during a rally in front of the Statehouse, in Providence. The National
Rifle Association will gather in gun-friendly Texas this weekend for its
annual convention.—AP
Drought across the West spurs resurgence of faith
BERNALILLO, New Mexico: Along the
irrigation canal that cuts through the
centuries-old New Mexico town of
Bernalillo, a small group of churchgoers
gathers to recite the rosary before tossing
rose petals into the water. Remnants
of a tradition that stretches back to the
days of Spanish explorers, the humble
offerings are aimed at blessing this
year’s meager irrigation season and easing
a relentless drought that continues
to march across New Mexico and much
of the western half of the United States.
From the heart of New Mexico to
West Texas and Oklahoma, the pressures
of drought have resulted in a
resurgence of faith - from Christian
preachers and Catholic priests encouraging
prayer processions to American
Indian tribes using their closely guarded
traditions in an effort to coax Mother
Nature to deliver some much needed
rain.
On Sunday, congregations across
eastern New Mexico and West Texas are
planning a day of prayer for moisture
and rain. “We’re worried, but we’re
maintaining our traditional ways and
cultural ways. Together we pray, and
individually we pray,” said Peter Pino,
administrator of Zia Pueblo. “We
haven’t lost hope in the spiritual world,
that they’ll be able to provide us
resources throughout the year.
“We’re not giving up. That’s pretty
much all we can do at this point.” In its
wake, the drought has left farmland
idle, herds of cattle have been decimated,
the threat of wildfire has intensified
and cities are thinking twice about the
sustainability of their water supplies.
In New Mexico, the renewed interest
in the divine and the tension with
Mother Nature stems from nearly three
years of hot, dry weather. There are
spots around the state that have fallen
behind in rainfall by as much as 24 inches
(61 centimeters), causing rivers to
run dry and reservoirs to dip to record
low levels. In neighboring Texas and
Oklahoma, the story is no different. The
faithful gathered Wednesday night in
Oklahoma City to recite a collection of
Christian, Muslim and Jewish prayers for
the year’s first worship service dedicated
to rain. In Bernalillo, the parishioners
from Our Lady of Sorrows church recited
the rosary as they walked a few
blocks from the church to the irrigation
canal on a recent Friday evening. At the
front of the procession, two men carried
an effigy of San Isidro, the patron saint
of farmers.
“I think people need to pray for rain,”
said Orlando Lucero, a school teacher
and county commissioner who organized
the procession. “We used to do it in
every community and in every parish. It
was a beautiful tradition that disappeared.
Now I’m hoping that we can get
other parishes involved.”
In dry times, it’s natural for farmers
and others who depend on the land to
turn to God, said Laura Lincoln, executive
director of the Texas Conference of
Churches. Still, she and others said praying
doesn’t take away the responsibility
of people to do what they can to ease
the effects of drought.
Church leaders are urging their
parishioners to conserve water and use
better land-management practices like
rotating crops. “We have to play our
part,” said The Rev. William Tabbernee,
head of the Oklahoma Conference of
Churches. “Prayer puts us in touch with
God, but it also helps us to focus on the
fact that it is a partnership that we’re
involved in. We need to cooperate with
God and all of humanity to be responsible
stewards of the gifts God has given
us through nature.” —AP

Qatar extends buying spree to
India with $1.3bn Bharti deal
airline lipstick ban
Business
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
16
Turks see red over
17
RBS eyes return
19
to private sector
US jobs data points
to sluggish economy
20
WASHINGTON: A jobs sign is seen on the front of the US Chamber of Commerce building in this photo in Washington, DC. — AFP
EU sees deeper recession coming up
Euro-zone members caught in fierce debate
BRUSSELS: Recession in the crisis-hit euro-zone will be deeper
than expected for the rest of the year, hitting even Europe’s
biggest economies and leaving unemployment at record levels,
the EU warned yesterday. Though signs of recovery could
emerge in 2014, four of the euro-zone’s biggest economies-
France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands-will see negative
growth, the European Commission said in its spring forecast.
Economic output in the 17-nation area-home to 340 million
people and a global rival to the United States, Japan and
emerging giants-will shrink by 0.4 percent this year, worse
than the 0.3 percent forecast in February and after a 0.6 contraction
last year. The failure of Europe’s economies to emerge
from the debt crisis means record unemployment that last
month saw 19 million people on the dole will endure, though
differences are wide between richer euro-zone states to the
north and those to the south.
“In view of the protracted recession we must do whatever it
takes to overcome the unemployment crisis in Europe,” said
the EU’s commissioner for economic affairs Olli Rehn. Eurozone
joblessness this year would hit a record 12 percent and
11 percent across the whole 27-member EU. The rates vary
hugely, with an alarming 27 percent in Spain and Greece,
which Rehn said was “unbearably high”, but a low 4.7 percent
in Austria and 5.4 percent in Germany.
France, the euro-currency area’s second economy, will
shrink by 0.1 percent in 2013 as weakness in household
demand, a key economic driver, finally takes its toll. France will
then rebound to 1.1 percent growth in 2014, the data said. But
France, along with Spain and the Netherlands, will miss commitments
to meet the EU’s 3 percent of GDP deficit ceiling.
France will post a 3.9 percent deficit this year and a 4.2 percent
shortfall next year.
Rehn said it would be “reasonable” to provide Paris with an
extra two years to meet the target-an offer also already made
to Spain-but appeared to chide the country’s Socialist government,
calling for “more important and urgent efforts” to trim
spending. Spain will continue a hard slog from its crisis,
brought on by the 2008 implosion of a decade-long housing
boom, and should contract by 1.5 percent in 2013 before
reversing to 1.4 percent growth in 2014.
But Spanish public finances will remain dire well into next
year with a government deficit of 6.5 percent in 2013 expected
to worsen in 2014 to 7.0 percent as certain measures
expire. The crisis will be hugely felt in recently bailed out
Cyprus where output is expected to contract by 8.7 percent
this year in the wake of a severe restructuring of the island
nation’s key banking sector, including a controversial “haircut”
on deposits.
The Cypriot recession will prolong into 2014 and beyond,
the Commision said, with the economy expected to contract
by an overall 15 percent between 2012 and 2015.
In a rare glimpse of encouragement, the Commission saw
recovery in Greece by the end of the year after six consecutive
years of recession. Athens is forecast to eke out 0.6 percent
growth in 2014, after contracting sharply by 4.2 percent this
year. With signs of recovery still wanting, euro-zone members
are caught in a fierce debate over the way out of the crisis,
with hard-hit countries to the south clamouring for an end to
austerity policies championed by Germany and like-minded
states to the north.
The latest raft of grim data comes a day after the European
Central Bank cut interest rates to a new record low in an effort
to do its part to unwind a crisis now in its third year. — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Qatar extends buying spree to
India with $1.3bn Bharti deal
Deal pushes India ahead of China
NEW DELHI/DUBAI: Gulf state Qatar
has bought a 5 percent stake in Indian
telecoms firm Bharti Airtel Ltd for
$1.26 billion, the firm said yesterday,
extending an overseas buying spree
from mainly developed countries to
Asia’s third-largest economy. The deal
is being channelled through Qatar
Foundation Endowment and a source
close to QFE said it would be an active
investor in Bharti Airtel, securing a
board seat at the world’s fourthbiggest
mobile phone company by
customers.
“QFE is in for the long-term,” the
source said, speaking on condition of
anonymity. The purchase by QFE - an
investment vehicle of the Qatar
Foundation controlled by Sheikha
Mozah, the second wife of the country’s
Amir - pushes India ahead of
China to top Asia’s inbound league
table for mergers and acquisitions this
year. According to Thomson Reuters
data, India’s inbound M&A now totals
$9.83 billion so far this year, compared
with China’s $7.7 billion and
Australia’s $6.9 billion. Qatar’s first
major investment in a listed Indian
company provides Bharti Airtel with
much-needed capital that strengthens
its balance sheet and future growth.
LONDON: China, Russia and Kazakhstan are among the
few trade allies still providing a lifeline to Iran’s vital steel
and iron ore sector after most Western suppliers and buyers
have cut ties due to growing sanctions pressure. While
industry data shows steel imports have more than halved
in the last year, Tehran has kept an inflow from some partners
and slightly boosted domestic production of the
material, used in construction and vehicle production but
also potentially for nuclear use and munitions.
Iran has also doubled exports of the steelmaking raw
ingredient iron ore, worth about $3 billion a year at current
prices. The country does not have enough capacity to
use much more of its ore to produce steel, but exporting it
provides much-needed income now its oil revenues are
down by about 50 percent due to sanctions over its disputed
nuclear programme.
“This only allows Iran to ease the pain or offset some of
the effects of what is happening because of sanctions. It
does not enable them to overcome the sanctions,” said
Scott Lucas, founder of the EA WorldView news site.
“The Iranians are having to go to a shrinking number of
customers to try and look for this increase in exports like
iron ore to compensate for sharp drops in its main product,
which is oil,” said Lucas, whose site provides analysis
on Iran. While EU and US bans on specific ferrous products
have pushed most Western players away, fearing repercussions
on their international trade, Chinese interest in
Iranian iron ore has increased, and China has increased
steel supplies to Iran.
Top steel producer China is now buying about 2 million
tonnes of Iranian iron ore a month, double the amount it
was buying in early 2012, data from consultancy the
International Steel Statistics Bureau shows. “The growth in
exports is absolutely true ... (The business) is growing from
an infant to a small child,” said a spokesman for the Iran
Iron Ore association. It is not yet a “key form of income at
Bharti’s profit has fallen for three
years in a row, hit by fierce competition
in its main Indian market.
Controlled by billionaire Sunil Mittal
and also nearly a third owned by
Southeast Asia’s top phone carrier
SingTel , Bharti had $11.7 billion of net
debt, or about 2.5 times its operating
profit, as of end-March. It operates in
20 Asian and African countries and
has about 260 million mobile phone
customers. The investment by QFE, a
recently-established arm of the Qatar
Foundation, is in line with the gas rich
state’s strategy of picking minority
stakes in large global companies such
as Royal Dutch Shell, Tiffany & Co and
Siemens.
Those deals were made through
Qatar Holding, the investment arm of
the state sovereign wealth fund,
which has emerged as one of the
world’s most prolific investors with
stakes in companies such as London
miner Glencore Xstrata and Swiss
banking giant Credit Suisse. Bankers
close to the sovereign fund say it has
an appetite for $30-$40 billion in global
investments annually.
Separately, the nonprofit Qatar
Foundation has a main mandate of
developing the state’s human capital
and a knowledge-based economy,
although it still owns commerciallooking
investments such as telecoms
firm Vodafone Qatar.
Deal dynamics
As part of the deal Bharti will issue
199.9 million new shares at 340 rupees
each, a 7.3 percent premium to the
stock’s Thursday closing price, the
company said yesterday. The telco’s
shares closed 0.3 percent higher on
Mumbai’s National Stock Exchange,
having risen as much as 4.7 percent in
early trade. The stock has fallen 4 percent
in the last three months.
The deal “should help ease the debt
burden and improve investor confidence”,
said Karan Mittal, a telecommunications
analyst at ICICI Direct in
Mumbai. Bharti, which recently raised
$1.5 billion in overseas bonds, has an
option to sell shares its majority-owned
telecoms infrastructure unit Bharti
Infratel. Bharti Airtel did not sell any
shares when this unit went public last
December. It is also looking to sell up
to a quarter of its satellite television
services arm, sources told Reuters in
March. Goldman Sachs advised Qatar
Foundation Endowment on the Bharti
deal. — Reuters
Trade allies throw lifeline
to Iran’s vital steel sector
this point”, he said, adding that cash was the primary payment
choice. Market participants, however, say much of
the trade now involves barter and funds deposited in
bank accounts in China, South Korea and other countries
that can be exchanged for goods.
Tehran’s ambitious plans
Tehran has ambitious plans to expand domestic steel
output and hopes it can in the short term become self-sufficient.
“Iran is in a position to produce more steel domestically;
they have the technology, energy, iron ore to do
that,” said Edwin Basson, director general of industry body
WorldSteel. Nevertheless, industry experts say it will take
the country many years to become independent from foreign
producers, especially for semi-finished products such
as billet.
“We have enough factories, and they can make anything
they want, but the raw product is often coming
from abroad,” an Iranian property developer said by
phone. While some of the finished products he needs
such as steel beams come directly from China and Russia,
others are manufactured by Iranian companies from billets
coming from abroad, he said.
Iran still has to contend with the dragnet of sanctions,
which is cutting supplies of steel. New US regulations
coming into effect on July 1 are set to tighten metals trade
with Iran. Government sources in South Korea said steel
exports to Iran had decreased a lot and would face
tougher sanctions. “Those who continue to do business
with Iran will face fewer competitors for Iranian business
and will demand a risk premium on exports to Iran and a
risk discount on imports from Iran.
The net impact will be a continued drain on Iran’s foreign
currency reserves,” said Mark Dubowitz, who has
advised President Barack Obama’s administration and US
lawmakers on sanctions. — Reuters
business
MICHIGAN: In this photo, Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly
Plant employees cheer as the millionth Ford Mustang is
driven off the assembly line in Flat Rock, Mich. — AP
Boeing to build
longest-range
passenger jet
PARIS/DUBAI: Boeing has shown airlines a blueprint for the
world’s longest-range passenger jet, adding spice to a longawaited
revamp of its 777 wide-body jet, people familiar
with the matter said. Boeing launched a race against Airbus
for sales of the newest long-haul jets by announcing it had
begun selling an upgraded aircraft family code-named
777X. First seen in the 1990s, the 777 cornered the market
for large twin-engine aircraft able to fly routes previously
only possible with four engines, earning it the nickname
“mini-jumbo.”
Analysts say the 777 is Boeing’s most profitable plane,
thanks largely to the 777-300ER, a 365-seat version that
began operations in 2004. Most of the industry’s attention is
now focused on a future 400-seat version known as the 777-
9X, which is Boeing Co’s response to a growing challenge
from the largest version of Europe’s newest aircraft, the
Airbus A350-1000.
But talks between Boeing and potential buyers have also
generated interest in a 777-8X that would be a successor to
the 777-200LR, the industry’s current distance champion,
with a range of more than 9,300 nautical miles (17,200 km),
people briefed on the talks said.
The 777-8X, boasting a range of 9,500 nautical miles
(17,600 km), would be designed for some of the world’s
longest trips such as from the Middle East to South America.
“They are offering an ultra-long range aircraft in the 777-8X,”
said an industry source briefed on the plans. “It’ll be the
longest range aircraft in the business.” Boeing declined to
comment on specifics, but spokeswoman Karen Crabtree
said the company is working with customers to fine tune
the details. Experts say ultra-long range planes deliver
mixed benefits to airlines and so far the market for them
remains a niche, overshadowed by the juggernauts
designed for trunk routes. That is because when modern aircraft
fly the longest 15-hour flights, the first few hours are
spent mostly burning the fuel needed to carry even more
fuel for the rest of the flight. These aircraft “carry more fuel
to carry more fuel,” said consultant Richard Aboulafia of
Virginia-based Teal Group.
“They need a very big wing with lots of (fuel storage)
capacity, which means lots of structure and weight.” Fuel is
not the only source of extra weight. The long journey times
also mean loading extra meals and a reserve crew, so that
the fuel burned per hour - a measure of efficiency - can end
up greater than if the plane simply stopped en route. Airlines
must balance this against any extra revenue they can charge
for a direct flight and the ability to eliminate the fuel wasted
in climbing and descending twice, as well as en-route landing
fees and other costs linked to a stopover. —Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
business
Turks see red over
airline lipstick ban
Turkish consortium wins tender for third Istanbul airport
BRUSSELS: EU commissioner Economic and
Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn gives a press conference
on the spring European Economic Forecast yesterday.
— AP
France to get more
time to cut deficit
BRUSSELS: France will get two more years to meet its budget
deficit target because of the country’s poor economic outlook
within a recession-hit euro zone, the European
Commission said yesterday. Presenting economic forecasts
for the next two years, Olli Rehn, the European monetary
affairs ommissioner, also confirmed earlier statements that
Spain would get the same leeway.
Others, including the Netherlands, Slovenia and non
euro-zone Poland, are likely to get a year more to get their
budget gaps below the 3 percent of gross domestic product
European Union ceiling. The formal decision will be
announced on May 29, when the Commission will make
macroeconomic recommendations.
“France badly needs to unlock its growth potential and
create jobs,” he said as he announced that Spain, Italy and
the Netherlands as well as France - four of the euro zone’s
five largest economies - would remain in recession this year.
The granting of more time is a victory for French President
Francois Hollande, who won elections promising a focus on
growth and less on austerity but has little to show for his
economic policies after a year in office.
The extra time also underlines a shift of focus in the 17
countries that share the euro from sharp fiscal consolidation
in the first years of the sovereign debt crisis to economic
growth, as earlier radical deficit cuts and European Central
Bank action restored some market trust in euro zone
finances. EU finance ministers had given France until this
year to bring down its budget shortfall below 3 percent of
GDP and set the deadline for Spain for 2014. But while
France expects its economy to expand by 0.1 percent this
year, the European Commission forecast a 0.1 percent contraction.
“The recovery is now expected to be delayed... The
French growth forecast is in our view overly optimistic,”
Rehn told a news conference. France repeated yesterday it
would bring the deficit below 3 percent in 2014, only one
year later than the original deadline, but a finance ministry
official said the
Germany’s cautious approval
The euro-zone as a whole will shrink more than expected
this year and budget deficits in most countries will therefore
decline more slowly, Rehn said, as the bloc struggles in its
second year of contraction and its second recession since
2009. Of the large countries only Germany, the largest euro
zone economy, will manage to eke out 0.4 percent growth,
even if less than the earlier expected 0.5 percent.
It sees budget austerity as necessary to bring down bloated
public accounts after a decade of credit-fuelled spending
across much of Europe, even if many economists say such
austerity has deepened the euro zone’s recession.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert gave
only cautious approval to the Commission’s planned extensions,
saying each country must be “checked on an individual
basis”. The Commission now believes that the euro zone
economy will shrink 0.4 percent this year and grow 1.2 percent
next year, against projections from last February of a 0.3
percent recession and 1.4 percent growth respectively. This
is roughly in line with forecasts from the European Central
Bank. “We must do whatever it takes to overcome the unemployment
crisis in Europe. Fiscal consolidation is continuing,
but its pace is slowing down,” Rehn said, referring to the
record 19 million people out of work in the euro zone in
March. — Reuters
ISTANBUL: Turkey’s national airline has
barred female flight attendants from wearing
red lipstick and nail polish, striking a
nerve among secular Turks worried the
country is becoming more Islamic. Turkish
Airlines, Europe’s fourth-biggest carrier,
said the ban was aimed at keeping crews
“artless and well-groomed with makeup in
pastel tones”, as a natural look improved
communication with passengers. “As a
consequence of our current cabin uniforms
not including red, dark pink, et
cetera, the use of lipstick and nail polish in
these colours by our cabin crew impairs
visual integrity,” the statement said.
Turkish Airlines declined a request for
further comment. The guideline follows
other restrictions on employees’ appearance
and on serving alcohol. Critics say
they reflect the influence of the government’s
conservative religious values at the
fast-growing state-run airline, one of
Turkey’s most recognised brands. “This
new guideline is totally down to Turkish
Airlines management’s desire to shape the
company to fit its own political and ideological
stance,” Atilay Aycin, president of
the airline’s Hava-Is labour union, told
Reuters.
“No one can deny that Turkey has
become a more conservative, religious
country.” Turkey is 99 percent Muslim but
the NATO state and European Union candidate
has a secular constitution. Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party,
which traces its roots to a banned Islamic
party, has relaxed the state’s control over
the expression of religion, such as oncestrict
limits imposed on wearing the
Islamic-style headscarf.
Such restrictions were aimed at reining
in Islamism and improving women’s
rights, but effectively prevented many
devout women from studying at university
or taking government jobs. Turkish
Airlines scrapped its own ban on the headscarf
more than a year ago, and covered
women now work at check-in counters
and at other positions in the company,
Aycin said. Other Turkish carriers also have
guidelines on the appearance of cabin
personnel.
MUMBAI: India’s central bank cut its main
interest rate by 25 basis points yesterday
in the third such move this year, but said
there was “little space” for further reductions
to help the slowing economy. After
meeting in the financial capital Mumbai,
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that
the benchmark repo rate, at which it lends
to commercial banks, would fall to 7.25
percent, as expected by most economists.
After the decision, India’s Finance Minister
P. Chidambaram, said that there was
“scope for more rate cuts, if inflation came
down further”.
India’s headline inflation eased to a
three-year-low of 5.96 percent in March,
but the consumer price index is at 10.39
percent, led mainly by high food prices.
Explaining the rate cut, the RBI governor
Duvvuri Subbarao said that “growth had
decelerated continuously,” forecasting
expansion of 5.7 percent in the new fiscal
year-far below the government’s estimate
of 6.0-6.5 percent. But Subbarao warned
that there were “significant risks” to inflation
in the near-term and said that “monetary
policy cannot afford to lower its guard
against the possibility of a resurgence of
inflation pressures”.
The governor also struck a cautious
tone about future rate cuts, saying:
“Overall, the balance of risks stemming
from our assessment of the growth-inflation
dynamics yields little space for further
monetary easing.” The RBI’s decision to cut
rates had been forecast by economists
and business leaders, who have been calling
for lower borrowing costs to help the
economy, which grew at an estimated 5.0
percent in the full year to March.
Indian shares fell as much as 0.91 percent
to 19,555.05, reacting to the news
that further rate cuts were unlikely in coming
months, but recovered marginally to
19,613.10 points, down 0.62 percent. The
cash reserve ratio-the percentage of
deposits banks must keep with the central
bank-was kept unchanged.
The RBI’s decision to cut rates had been
forecast by economists and business leaders,
who have been calling for lower borrowing
costs to help the economy, which
grew at an estimated 5.0 percent in the
full year to March. But they are unsure
when the next rate cut could come.
Goldman Sachs chief India economist
Tushar Poddar expects the RBI to proceed
slowly with future rate cuts. “The forward
guidance suggests to us that the RBI is
unlikely to cut again in its next policy
meeting (of June 17),” he said.
But Nomura economist Sonal Varma
said that: “Given the recent fall in commodity
prices, upside risks to inflation are
likely to remain contained... creating more
space for future rate cuts,” in a note to
clients. Industry body Associated
Chambers of Commerce and Industry of
India (Assocham) criticised the RBI for
being “over-cautious” on potential risks to
India’s economy.
“While there is a lot the government
should do to improve governance, the RBI
should not wash its hands off at the cost of
economic growth, which is a must for fulfilling
aspirations of the people,”
Assocham president Rajkumar Dhoot said.
The RBI yesterday reiterated that the government
should take measures to encourage
investment, as policy action was not
enough to stimulate the economy.
Subbarao said the biggest risk to
India’s economy came from the current
account deficit, which widened to a record
6.7 percent of GDP in the December quarter.
The government, led by Prime Minister
Hidden agenda?
The flag carrier caused a stir earlier this
year when newspapers published mockups
of a new Ottoman-style uniform for
stewardesses with ankle-length dresses, a
proposal the airline’s management
appears to have since abandoned. That
was followed by a ban on alcohol on
planes flying to most domestic destinations
and some Islamic countries.
“They are objecting to the lipstick and
nail polish that we have been using for
years,” said Asli Gokmen, 30, a flight attendant
who lost her job with more than 300
others last year during a union protest and
is petitioning for her position back. No current
employees were available for comment.
Turks worried the government is
undermining the country’s secular order
see a hidden agenda. On Twitter, women
posted pictures after applying red lipstick.
One wrote: “Why not just ban stewardesses
altogether so we can all breathe a sigh
of relief?”
Some male Twitter users were indignant
over the insinuation that red lipstick
would induce a sexual frenzy. Turkish
Airlines passenger Ahmet Yerli, 33, said he
did not think the new guideline was a sign
of creeping Islamisation but that the ban
was still “absurd.” “I’ve never heard of a
plane crashing because of a women’s lipstick,”
he said before his flight.
In another development, a consortium
of Turkish construction firms won a tender
yesterday to build and operate a planned
third airport in Istanbul which Turkey says
could eventually be the world’s largest,
bidding 22 billion euros ($29 billion) for
the project. —Agencies
India’s central bank cuts rate
Manmohan Singh, has been battered by a
spate of corruption scandals and is keen to
revive economic growth before facing voters
in general elections due in 2014. The
World Bank on Tuesday lowered its forecast
for growth to 6.1 percent for the new
fiscal year which started in April, from the
7.0 percent projected six months ago. The
RBI slashed rates by 25 basis points at its
previous two meetings in March and
January. Rates had previously been on
hold for nine months. — AFP
MUMBAI: An Indian security guard
stands at the gate of the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) yesterday. —AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Paul Otellini
Intel’s CEO pick sticks to
tried-and-true formula
SAN FRANCISCO: In picking Brian Krzanich as its next CEO,
Intel Corp. stuck to a familiar playbook amid a game-changing
shift in computing that has raised worries about the future of
the world’s largest chipmaker. Ever since Intel co-founders
Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore ceded their roles as the first
two CEOs, the company has always promoted the second-incommand
to the helm. That started in 1987 with Andy Grove,
who served as the top lieutenant under the co-founders. After
learning the ropes under Grove, Craig Barrett took over as CEO
in 1998 and then handed the reins to his understudy, Paul
Otellini, in 2005.Krzanich, Intel’s chief operating officer, was
named its sixth CEO on Thursday. He will start in two weeks.
The succession formula worked well in a computing market
dominated by desktop and laptop machines that ran on Intel’s
microprocessors and Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system.
But if there is a time to break from that tradition, this
would be it. Traditionally strong in personal computers, Intel is
facing a threat from smartphones and tablet computers, which
demand lower-energy processors that Intel is late to master.
“We are a little disappointed that the board didn’t bring in
new blood at this critical juncture for the company,” Wedbush
Securities analyst Betsy Van Hees said. “We have seen a pretty
significant shift in the tide, and they are now navigating some
pretty tough currents. It would have been nice to have a fresh
pair of eyes.”
PC sales are declining as businesses and consumers
embrace mobile computers - most of which don’t rely on
Intel’s chips. Microsoft has even created a lightweight version
of Windows that isn’t well suited for Intel’s processors. The
upheaval contributed to a 15 percent decline in Intel’s profit
last year. Intel has been scrambling to develop power-sipping
chips and designs better suited for the needs of mobile
devices. But even if that effort is successful, the company’s
profit margins may be squeezed. That’s because mobile chips
sell for much less than PC chips.
Some analysts believe that Otellini, who is 62, decided to
retire early because of the industry turmoil. The board had
expected him to remain CEO until he turns 65 in 2015. “It’s time
to move on and transfer Intel’s helm to a new generation of
leadership,” Otellini said in November when he disclosed his
plans to leave. His retirement created an opportunity for the
Santa Clara, Calif., company to hire an outsider as CEO for the
first time in its 45-year history. Although external candidates
were considered during the six-month search, the board concluded
that Krzanich is the best leader to tackle the mobile
computing challenge.
Krzanich, who is 52 and spent his entire career at the company,
comes out of a manufacturing organization where meticulous
attention is required to churn out processors with billions
of minute details. Just because Intel promoted from within
doesn’t mean there won’t be changes, RBC Capital Markets
analyst Doug Freedman said. He believes Intel plans to
become less focused on engineering technological breakthroughs
so it concentrate on helping its customers develop
their products. “Our view is Krzanich’s appointment was
awarded as a result of changes in the future direction of the
company, with these changes expected to become visible over
the next few quarters,” Freedman said.
Investors evidently weren’t disillusioned with Intel’s CEO
choice, which had been widely expected. Intel’s stock rose 12
cents to close Thursday at $24.11. Krzanich isn’t inheriting
Otellini’s title of president. It will go instead to software chief
Renee James, 48, creating a two-person “executive office” at
the head of the company.
Gartner Inc. analyst Sergis Mushell believes one of the reasons
Intel promotes from within is because of the difficulty
finding outsiders capable of running a business with the size
and complexity of Intel. — AP
DHAKA: In the aftermath of a building
collapse that killed more than 500 people,
Bangladesh’s garment manufacturers may
face a choice of reform or perish. Home to
five factories that supplied clothing to
retailers in Europe and the United States,
the shoddily constructed building’s collapse
has put a focus on the high human
price paid when Bangladeshi government
ineptitude, Western consumer apathy and
global retailing’s drive for the lowest cost
of production intersect. Police said yesterday
that more than 500 bodies have been
pulled from the wreckage of the eightstory
Rana Plaza building that collapsed
nine days ago, sparking desperate rescue
efforts, a national outpouring of grief and
violent street protests.
The tragedy followed the deaths of
112 people five months ago in a blaze
that swept through the Tazreen Fashions
garment factory in Dhaka and the death
of seven in a January blaze. With three
disasters in quick succession, the reputation
of Bangladesh’s $20 billion garment
industry, already notorious for its low
wages and dismal safety record, has
plummeted. International clothing brands
and retailers that said they could ensure
worker safety in developing countries
through self-regulation such as factory
inspections have also suffered a blow to
their credibility.
Now, Bangladesh’s garment manufacturers
fear that a backlash has been set in
motion that threatens fortunes and livelihoods
in a business that employs more
than 3 million people and accounts for
about 80 percent of the impoverished
country’s exports. “It’s a crucial time for
us,” said Atiqul Islam, president of the
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association. “We are doing our
best to improve the safety measures in
the factories. We expect our buyers to
bear with us and help us to overcome the
current crisis. It’s not the time to turn
away from us. That will hurt the industry
and many of the workers will lose jobs.”
The most potent warning so far has
come from the European Union, which
said it could restrict Bangladesh’s access
to the crucial EU market if it fails to immediately
take steps to ensure that basic
labor standards are enforced. Bangladesh
is a member of Europe’s “Everything But
business
Bangladesh retailers under
pressure to fix factories
‘It happens everywhere’: Finance minister
Arms” program for the world’s poorest
nations that exempts it from quotas and
tariffs on all exports to the 27-nation EU
except armaments. The EU is
Bangladesh’s single biggest market with
exports of 8 billion euros in 2011, the bulk
of which was garments shipped for
European retailers.
“The sheer scale of this disaster and
the alleged criminality around the building’s
construction is finally becoming
clear to the world,” EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton and trade commissioner
Karel De Gucht said in an April 30 statement.
They said they want any EU action
to “incentivize” responsible management
of the garment industry in Bangladesh.
The United States is also reviewing
Bangladesh’s preferential trade status, a
development partly set in motion by the
killing last year of a Bangladeshi labor
rights organizer who had campaigned for
years to improve factory safety. Garments
are not included in the American trade
preferences for Bangladesh but loss of its
special market access would further taint
its reputation in the US, its second largest
export market.—AP
DHAKA: A Bangladeshi woman looks at a wall filled with portraits of missing persons near the site of a garments
factory that collapsed last week.—AFP
Gold turns negative
LONDON: Gold fell yesterday, as the dollar
reversed earlier losses against a basket of
currencies after US employment rose more
than expected in April, pushing the unemployment
rate to a four-year low. Data
showing the world’s biggest economy
added 165,000 jobs last month compared
to an expected rise of 145,000 could help
ease concerns of a sharp slowdown in the
economy. Spot gold moved lower to trade
at $1,464.76 an ounce by 1318 GMT, down
0.1 percent, reversing a 1.5-percent gain to
a two-week high of $1,487.80 earlier. US
gold for June delivery also fell 0.4 percent
to $1,460.10 an ounce. “Gold reversed initial
gains as we have a combination of
stronger dollar and better sentiment
towards the economy after the jobs data,”
Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg
said. “But prices are still holding up well as
there are still elements providing support,
such as the strong physical demand and
the implication of the ECB rate cut.” The
dollar erased initial gains and rose against a
basket of currencies after April payrolls
pushed the unemployment rate to a fouryear
low of 7.5 percent.
Employment data in Europe and the
United States are likely to be closely scrutinised
in coming weeks for more clues on
the longer-term prospects for the Fed’s
monetary stimulus. “There will be a lot of
focus on macroeconomic data in the coming
weeks and months, especially on
employment, indicators of price pressures
and the impact of fiscal policy on growth,”
UBS analyst Joni Teves said in a note.
Sentiment had improved after a cut in
interest rates by the European Central Bank
and the US Federal Reserve’s decision to
stick to its stimulus programme. The ECB
cut its main interest rate by 25 basis points
to a record low of 0.50 percent on
Thursday, its first change for 10 months,
after inflation fell well below the bank’s target
and weak economic surveys increased
doubts about a recovery.
The decision came a day after the US
Fed’s recommitment to its aggressive stimulus
programme, and a month after the
Bank of Japan stunned markets by promising
to inject about $1.4 trillion into its economy
to spur growth. Easy monetary policy
extended gold’s bull run to a 12th consecutive
year last year, as investors bought bullion
to hedge against inflation and economic
uncertainties.— Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
BUSINESS
Westpac posts record first-half profit
SYDNEY: Australian heavyweight
Westpac Banking Corporation Ltd yesterday
reported a better-than-expected 11
percent increase in first-half net profit to a
record Aus$3.3 billion ($3.4 billion) as it
chases growth. The country’s second
largest bank by market capitalisation said
cash earnings, the preferred measure
which strips out volatile items, were up 10
per cent to Aus$3.53 billion against the
first half last year. Analysts had forecast
cash profit of Aus$3.47 billion for the six
months to March 31.
The bank noted that all its Australian
businesses produced double-digit cash
earnings growth and costs had also been
reduced. Despite the record results, chief
executive Gail Kelly said: “The operating
environment continues to be challenging,
with subdued lending growth. “However,
in line with our strategy, we are actively
targeting opportunities in higher growth
areas where conditions are more
favourable such as deposits, wealth, trade
finance and natural resources.”
“Momentum continued to build over
the period, with all our Australian businesses
producing double-digit cash earnings
growth,” she said. Westpac said lending
increased three percent to $15 billion,
driven by Australian housing loans.
Customer deposits soared 12 percent to
$360 billion. “However you look at the
headline numbers from Westpac this
morning, they can only be seen one wayinvestor
pleasing,” said IG market strategist
Evan Lucas.
Kelly said that Westpac’s capital
strength helped it to pay a higher interim
dividend of Aus$0.86 per share as well as
a surprise special dividend of Aus$0.10. In
early deals, Westpac shares rose but, IG
market strategist Stan Shamu explained,
it “turned negative as short-term traders
who had positioned themselves for a
monster result by the bank locked in
gains”. Westpac shares closed down one
percent at $33.55 while the benchmark
ASX200 index was flat on 5,130 points.
The results followed rival ANZ’s record
$2.94 billion half-year net profit posted
earlier this week. A rally in Australian bank
shares in the past 12 months has pushed
the market value of Westpac above $100
billion with some analysts warning of a
possible bubble in the sector. — AFP
LONDON: State-backed Royal Bank of
Scotland yesterday pushed for the
British government to start selling its 82
percent stake as early as next year even
though it could mean a loss for taxpayers.
Chairman Philip Hampton said the
aim was to have a business in strong
enough shape to start preparing a
prospectus with the government for a
sale from the middle of 2014. “It could
be earlier, that’s a matter for the government,”
Hampton said in an interview on
the bank’s website.
Britain pumped 45.5 billion pounds
($71 billion) into RBS during the 2008
financial crisis, leaving the government
with a controlling stake. The bank has
been through a big restructuring - shedding
underperforming assets and cutting
jobs. It reported its first quarterly
profit in 18 months yesterday. But taxpayers
are still sitting on a paper loss of
19 billion pounds, based on RBS’s current
share price.
The government is keen to start selling
its holding but is under pressure to
get a good deal for taxpayers ahead of a
general election in 2015. RBS is pushing
LONDON: A blue sky over the headquarters of RBS Bank is seen yesterday. — AFP
RBS eyes return
to private sector
RBS to show first profit in 18 months
for a sale so it can run its business without
state interference. Hampton has said
the bank needed freedom to execute its
recovery plan without political meddling.But
rival Lloyds Banking Group, 39
percent state-owned after a bailout in
the crisis, could prove a more attractive
business to sell. Lloyds reported a big
jump in first quarter profit on Tuesday,
pushing its shares close to a price where
the government could break even if it
sold out. Sources with knowledge of
government plans told Reuters a sale of
shares in RBS or Lloyds in 2014 was realistic.
A decision would depend ultimately
on the share performance of the two
banks in the interim and whether the
government would sell at a loss, the
sources said. Other factors affecting the
decision included the outcome of talks
on capital requirements between the
banks and Britain’s financial regulator
and a review into banking standards by
a parliamentary panel. The Treasury and
UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which
manages the government’s stakes,
declined to comment.
RBS Chief Executive Stephen Hester
said the government might have to take
a loss initially when it starts selling, given
the depressed state of bank shares
and tougher regulation of the industry.
But he expected the UK taxpayer to
make a profit in the long run. “There
may well be a cogent case for starting at
a lower price but I believe the average
(sale) price can, and should, be above
the government purchase price,” Hester
told reporters.
RBS shares were down 5.7 percent to
290 pence at 1200 GMT, well below the
407 pence mark which the government
regards as its buy-in level. Under
Hester, RBS has shed around 900 billion
pounds in assets and is focusing on
lending to British households and small
businesses. He said the bank was starting
to see a pick-up in loan demand,
echoing comments from Lloyds, which
said its core loan book had returned to
growth quicker than expected. The
long-term prospects for RBS and Lloyds
are closely linked to Britain’s economy
as their domestic focus means profitability
will be constrained until UK
growth picks up. —Reuters
Economist to
lead Canada’s
central bank
OTTAWA: The Bank of Canada on Thursday named an economist
and longtime bureaucrat, Stephen Poloz, as its new governor,
succeeding Mark Carney who is leaving to head the
Bank of England next month. Poloz has worked in Canada’s
public service for 25 years, including since 2011 as chief executive
of Canada’s export credit agency, which helps Canadian
exporters and investors expand their international business.
“Mr. Poloz has significant knowledge of financial markets and
monetary policy issues and extensive management experience,”
David Laidley, chair of the bank’s search committee
said in a statement.
“We are confident Mr Poloz will make an outstanding contribution
to the work of the bank and uphold its reputation as
a leading central bank.” Poloz starts his new job on June 3, for
a seven-year term, hinting on Tuesday at a press conference
that he intends to stay the course on monetary policies set by
his predecessor. During his term, Carney lowered the bank’s
key interest rate to a near record low of 1.0 percent-where it
still stands-in hopes of keeping the Canadian economy afloat
during the worst global economic and financial upheaval in a
century. “The global economy still has its fragilities or issues
that it faces, so we aren’t out of the woods yet, and Canada
will feel all of those shocks as they occur,” Poloz said.
“But I think the framework that we work with here has
proved itself very well and so I think we’re well equipped to
press forward.” Analysts quickly noted that Poloz has otherwise
not commented on monetary policy for some time and
so it is hard to judge how he perceives the current central
bank stance.
Even so, the Bank of Canada’s rate decisions are taken by
consensus by its governing council and so most analysts
expect rates to remain at their current levels for now. Nomura
bank analyst Charles St-Arnaud of Nomura bank commented
that as chief economist at Export Development Canada, Poloz
worked “intensely on the productivity and competitiveness
issues that have been plaguing the Canadian economy over
the past decade.”
“This could be important given that the recent Bank of
Canada forecast pegged a lot of hope on an export-led recovery,”
he said. Citing a report released by Export Development
Canada, Poloz told reporters to expect “pretty strong growth”
in Canadian exports in the coming year as the recovery in the
United States, Canada’s largest trading partner, picks up. He
also noted that since 2008 many small companies in Canada
had folded. “What we’re looking for now is the resumption of
creation of new companies, and that is just beginning.”
“So the supply side of the economy is also in a rebuilding
phase,” he said. A native of Oshawa, Ontario, Poloz graduated
from Queen’s University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in
economics, and subsequently received a master’s degree and
a PhD in economics, both from the University of Western
Ontario. He worked for Canada’s central bank from 1981 to
1995, occupying increasingly senior positions including chief
of the research department. He then spent five years with
Montreal-based BCA Research before returning to the public
sector. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty pointed to Poloz’s
decades of experience in financial markets, forecasting and
economic policy, to say: “I am confident he has the skills and
experience required to lead the Bank of Canada at a time of
global economic uncertainty.” Poloz said his appointment as
the central bank’s ninth governor was both “an honor and a
privilege.” — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
BUSINESS
MOGADISHU: A Somalian porter carries a sack of
imported noodles on his head, in the sea port in
Mogadishu from a foreign vessel like many of
which have been captured along with their crews
in the last five years by sea-going Somali pirates
for ransom. — AFP
Jobs wanted: Somali
ex-pirates seek pay
MOGADISHU: For a fearsome pirate, even one in selfdeclared
retirement, there is a notable lack of what literature
has led one to expect: cutlass, eye-patch, hook or
even a parrot. Instead, Mohamed Abdi Hassan, one of
Somalia’s-if not the world’s-most notorious pirate chiefs,
appears far more businessman than sea bandit, as he
explains why he now wants to end the murderous
hijacking of ships. Hassan, better known as “Afweyne” or
“Big Mouth”, whose men once terrorised vast stretches
of the Indian Ocean-generating millions of dollars in ransoms
from seized ships-now claims to have renounced
piracy.
“The young men need to be trained, to get skills and
get integrated into society,” Afweyne said, pulling out of
his briefcase an official letter apparently nominating him
as an “anti-piracy officer”. Afweyne, who says he earned
his nickname as a child “because I would cry a lot”,
claims to have persuaded almost a thousand young
pirates to quit.
“We are convincing the youths to give up piracy... I
have influence, and have been mobilising the community...
to keep the men from the water,” he told AFP over a
cup of tea in an upmarket hotel in Somalia’s war-ravaged
capital Mogadishu. Last year a United Nations
report described Afweyne as “one of the most notorious
and influential leaders” in Somalia.
Pirate attacks have in recent years been launched as
far as 3,655 kilometres (2,277 miles) from the Somali
coast in the Indian Ocean. The World Bank last month
calculated between $315 million and $385 million (242-
295 million euros) has been paid in ransoms since 2005,
a figure dwarfed by the estimated $18 billion that piracy
costs the world economy annually.
But Afweyne, a soft spoken and portly man in his
fifties with an apparently kindly manner, shuns descriptions
of himself as a pirate, and especially the Somali
translation of “burcad badeed”, literally, the “scum of
the sea”. “Perhaps you have heard a lot about this ship
or that ransom... but 90 percent of what you hear in
Somalia is false,” he said, opening his arms wide and
chuckling to laugh off any suggestion he was dangerous.
“I’m not saying I was not involved, for I was the
one who initiated the fight,” he said, claiming he took
up piracy after his fishing company was ruined by foreign
fleets off Somalia after the country spiralled into
civil war in 1991. “It was legitimate because there was
no government, we were like orphans without a
father,” he added.
Afweyne, whose son is reportedly a feared pirate
chief, was involved in the 2008 capture of the Saudiowned
Sirius Star oil supertanker, released for a ransom
of several million dollars. His or his son’s men were also
involved in the 2008 capture of the MV Faina, a
Ukrainian transport ship carrying 33 refurbished Sovietera
battle tanks, which was released after a 134-day
hijack for a reported three million dollars. —AFP
US jobs data points
to sluggish economy
Unemployment rate to hold steady at 7.6%
WASHINGTON: US employment
growth likely picked up in April, but
probably not by enough to counter
other signs that suggest the economy
has lost a step in recent weeks.
Nonfarm payrolls are expected to have
increased by 145,000 jobs, according
to a Reuters survey of economists, after
braking to a nine-month low of 88,000
in March. Taken together, the job creation
pace over the past two months
would still be far below the average of
200,000 for the first two months of this
year.
“That would be consistent with an
economy that’s losing growth momentum
but hasn’t fallen out of bed,” said
Millan Mulraine, a senior economist at
TD Securities in New York. Although
the economy grew at a 2.5 percent
annual pace in the first quarter, data on
construction spending, retail sales and
trade suggested it ended the period
with less speed. Factory data for April
imply the loss of momentum persisted
early in the second quarter, setting the
stage for a replay for a third straight
year of what economists have called
the spring swoon.
Economists say uncertainty over the
full impact of higher taxes and deep
government spending cuts on already
sluggish demand was making businesses
reluctant to hire.
A 2 percent payroll tax cut ended at
the start of the year, and $85 billion in
federal budget cuts went into effect on
March 1. The forecast job gains should
be just enough to hold the unemployment
rate at a four-year low of 7.6 percent,
though the rate could even fall as
older Americans retire and younger
people give up the hunt for work in
frustration.
The labor force participation rate -
the share of working-age Americans
who either have a job or are looking for
one - hit a 34-year low in March. “We
need more than 3 percent growth on a
sustained basis to make real inroads in
reducing not only the number of those
counted as unemployed, but the
legions of those who are nowhere to
be found in the labor force data,” said
Patrick O’Keefe, head of Economic
NEW DELHI: Emerging Asia needs to be on guard against
“asset bubbles” as central banks globally loosen monetary
policy, the Asia Development Bank’s managing director
warned yesterday. Last month Japan’s central bank
announced it would pump $1.4 trillion into the economy
over the next two years, administering unprecedented
financial shock treatment to end two decades of growth
stagnation through bold monetary expansion.
The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England have
also embarked on more limited forms of “quantitative easing”
or increasing the money supply to revive their
economies. “The positive thing of quantitative easing out
of Japan and other economies is that they will start to
grow, but we have to be wary of building asset bubbles”
Research at CohnReznick in Roseland,
New Jersey. The Labor Department will
release its April employment report on
Friday at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT).
High bar for Fed
The continued sluggishness of job
growth would likely bolster the resolve
of the Federal Reserve to push forward
with its efforts to spur a stronger recovery.
On Wednesday, the US central
bank said it would continue to buy $85
billion in bonds each month and keep
on buying until the labor market outlook
improved substantially. It even
said it would step up purchases should
the need arise.
“They have sort of tied their hand
here; they set a very high bar for what
constitutes a satisfactory improvement
in the job market,” said Robert
DiClemente, chief economist at
Citigroup in New York. “This number
will be a reminder that we are not
there yet.” Economists are divided on
the impact government spending cuts
may have had on employment in April.
Some see a minor hit, arguing that the
government has been reducing hours
for workers instead of resorting to outright
lay-offs.
Others, however, say there have
been job losses in industries such as
defense contracting. However, firsttime
applications for state unemployment
benefits have shown no sign of a
pick-up in lay-offs and rose in only one
week in April. “At the margin, the
sequester is having an impact. You
might see it in the hours worked rather
than payroll jobs,” said John Canally, an
economist for LPL Financial in Boston.
While reducing hours keeps more people
on the payroll, it does cut into economic
growth. The composition of job
growth in April is expected to be fairly
encouraging, although little change is
anticipated in manufacturing employment,
which fell in March for the first
time since September.
Construction employment is seen
snapping back after being slowed by
unusually cold weather in March. That
would mark an 11th straight month of
gains, thanks to a recovering housing
market. Job gains in the private services
sector are expected to have picked
up from March‘s nine-month low,
although the retail sector remains a
wild card. Retail employment fell in
March after eight straight monthly
increases. —Reuters
NEW YORK: In this photo, traders gather at a post on the floor of the New
York Stock Exchange. —AP
ADB flags danger of Asia ‘asset bubbles’
and economic overheating, said ADB Managing Director
Rajat Nag. Nag noted inflationary pressures are already “on
the uptick” in many countries in Asia as economies reach
full manufacturing capacity. “The robust growth that we
have seen in Asia so far has eliminated slack productive
capacity, so price pressures will begin to mount,” Nag told
reporters ahead of the formal start of ADB’s two-day meeting
of the board of governors in New Delhi today.
Nag said a currency war was unlikely in Asia as a result
of the fall of the Japanese yen due to the easing. The
emerging Asian economies, such as India, China, Indonesia,
and Thailand but not Japan — were on track for solid
growth of around 6.6 percent this year driven by domestic
and regional demand, he said. — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
www.kuwaittimes.net
Bollywood marks
India’s century
of cinema PAGE 25
This image shows actress
Camilla Belle wearing a twotone
Ferragamo Vara shoe in
white and beige. — AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
The couple - who reconciled earlier this year after splitting
briefly following the actress’ affair with director
Rupert Sanders - have been spending a lot of time with
Jules Mann-Stewart at her Malibu home but the ‘Twilight
Saga’ actor is reportedly not happy about the arrangement
because of the lack of intimacy. A source said: “Rob told
Kristen that living with Jules has become unbearable. He says
Jules is driving him nuts and he can’t take it. “Living with Jules
has all but killed their love life. Neither of them have any
libido when Jules is around.” Robert also hates when Kristen
and her mother “gang up” on him. The source added to
America’s OK! magazine: “They tease him if he doesn’t clean
up properly after himself and worse still Jules keeps asking
him all sorts of questions about their relationship.” It seems
the living arrangement has only just turned sour as it was
reported last month that the couple had enjoyed an idyllic
Easter break at the Malibu house with other members of
Kristen’s family. A source said recently: “Rob and Kristen celebrated
Easter together at her mom’s house in Malibu. It was
low-key and Kristen’s brothers were there as well. “During the
day, Rob took the paddle board out. There is a private beach
where Jules lives and that’s where Rob always goes paddle
boarding. It’s very secluded and private. As far as I know, all is
perfect in Rob and Kristen’s world. They are really happy to be
back together.” And while he may not be experiencing much
privacy, at least the ‘Bel Ami’ star will be eating well as Jules
previously admitted she and her daughter love to stage cookoffs
against one another. She said recently: “I made a sausagebased
lasagne, and Kristen made a cheese and marinara. We
had friends come over as blind judges and she won.”
The fashion designer and soccer star - who
have children Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, 10,
Cruz, eight, and 21-month-old daughter
Harper together - are currently renting a £2
million mansion in the UK capital after moving
over from Los Angeles in January ahead of
David’s transfer to French club Paris Saint-
Germain. They are now looking for a property
to buy amid plans for Victoria to open her first
ever clothing store. A source told The Sun
newspaper: “They’ve been happy renting so
far, with Victoria spending most of the week in
London with the kids, while David stays in a
luxury pad in Paris. “But they’re feeling settled
back in Europe, and Victoria has expanded her
fashion business in London, so it makes sense
to sort out a home.” The couple are so serious
about the move that they hope to put their US
property on the market as soon as they can.
The source added: “While they still have ties in
LA, when the US housing market gets back on
track, there’s a good chance they’ll sell up
there.” However, Victoria, 39, and David - who
turned 38 - seem to have dividing opinions
about where they want to live, with the
brunette beauty eager to purchase a home in
the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
and the sportsman wanting to be more central
and near his friends. The source said: “David
would prefer Notting Hill, close to people like
his best pal David Gardner. But Victoria would
like their family home to be slightly removed.”
The ‘Iron Man 3’ actress would love to follow in
the footsteps of former actress Ellen DeGeneres
and host her own chat show. A source told
America’s Star magazine: “She thinks she can be a kind
of New Age Ellen DeGeneres. She completely believes
she has what it takes. “As much as Gwyneth is inspired
by Ellen and other talk show hosts, she also thinks she
can do it better than any of them.” It was recently
revealed Gwyneth will front a 10-episode show called
‘Second Chances’ on the AOL On Network, produced
by Ryan Seacrest Productions, alongside her fitness
guru pal Tracy Anderson, during which they will share
stories of numerous women who have faced and overcome
a variety of obstacles in their lives. AOL said:
“Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy Anderson spend time
with women who’ve overcome hardship, injury, and
setbacks to triumph in the face of adversity. “We’ll
hear their inspiring stories firsthand, whether fighting
back from a career-ending injury or transforming their
lives and bodies through diet and exercise.” ‘American
Idol’ host Ryan, 38, who already produces a number of
reality shows including ‘Keeping Up With The
Kardashians’ revealed he is excited to focus on digital
shows. He said: “It’s a new focus for us, in the context
of this company.”

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
The ‘X Factor’ USA judge says checking in to a treatment
facility to help her overcome her struggles with
bulimia and self-harming in 2010 was a life-changing
move, especially because it proved who actually cared
about her. She told Company magazine: “A couple of
months before I went to rehab, I had a birthday party, and
there were a couple of hundred people there. It was full of
people who I considered my closest friends. “When I
turned my phone on after being in rehab for three months,
I expected lots of text messages and phone calls. I had four
texts. That was a wake-up call.” The 20-year-old singer -
who used to be friends with her fellow Disney stars Miley
Cyrus and Selena Gomez - has cut most of her old pals out
of her life and now only has a small support group of people
she can rely on. Demi added: “I don’t have loads of
friends. I used to, but then I realized, do any of them actually
care? “Now I have people who, if I break my leg in the
middle of the night, will come to the hospital with me. Or
they’ll answer the phone at 4 am if I need them.”
The 66-year-old singer admitted she was “really strongheaded”
when she was a youngster which often caused
problems with her mother Georgia Holt, who she has
paid tribute to in new documentary ‘Dear Mom, Love Cher’.
She told People magazine: “We were always close but we
fought a lot when I was young. I was really strong-headed
even then. “I did a couple of things like running away when I
was 11. I hopped a train with my friends. I was adventurous
but never disrespectful, She wouldn’t have put up with that.”
Cher also revealed her mother wasn’t entirely supportive of
her relationship with the late Sonny Bono, the father of her
child Chaz Bono, at first. She said: “I had a little problem with
her over Sonny but that didn’t take long to get over. She listened
first before making a judgement so I could always talk
to her about my romances. She stressed the importance of
being sure that person you are with is the person you love.”
The 17-year-old daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger is
dating stand-up paddleboarder Slater Trout and revealed
the pair first starting talking to each other on the microblogging
site. She told Vanity Fair: “We met through mutual flirting
efforts on the Internet. Twitter is a modern-day public diary of
your thoughts. You have to be careful, but at the same time it’s
kind of fun not to be too careful.” The model also acknowledged
that people may think her success comes from her famous parents
but she insists she works hard for her career. Ireland explained:
“For any kid raised under the circumstances I was raised-having a
famous family-people often think you have everything laid out for
you and you don’t need to work,” she said. “But everyone has to
work for what they want, and everybody has to make a name for
themselves.” Despite her stunning looks, Ireland went through an
awkward phase but has now learned to love her looks. She said: “I
went through a lot in middle school, and you always try so many
different looks and try to be so many different people. I finally see
that I’m awkward, I’m lanky, and I’m going to embrace it-make fun
of myself and just laugh.”
Lil Wayne is engaged
The ‘Lollipop’ rapper has been dating Dhea Sodano for
two years and in a trailer for Vinny Guadagnino’s ‘The
Show With Vinny’, Wayne says “My fiancee is Italian,”
when asked if he has ever eaten Italian food. However, it
could simply be a joke as on Valentine’s Day 2012 he wrote on
Twitter, “She said yes!” before adding: “Ohhhhhhh now I see
why! I meant “she said yes” to being my valentine!!!
Hahahahahahaha! Y’all krazy (sic).” The rapper - who has confirmed
that he is epileptic and nearly died after his heart rate
decreased to “30 percent” in March - suffered yet another
seizure earlier this week. Speaking about his condition previously,
he said: “[I’m] prone to seizures. This isn’t my first, second,
third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh seizure. I’ve had a bunch
of seizures, ya’ll just never hear about them. “But this time it
got real bad ‘cause I had three of them in a row and on the
third one, my heart rate went down to like 30 percent.
Basically, I could’ve died.”—Bang Showbiz

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Actor Robert Downey Jr (center) who plays Tony Stark in the “Iron Man” movies, gives a thumbs-up as
he rings the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange. — AP
‘Iron Man 3’ blasts off
US blockbuster season
Man 3” is expected to launch
America’s summer blockbuster season
with a bang this weekend, hav-
“Iron
ing already taken global box offices by
storm, industry analysts say. Robert
Downey Jr returns as the metal-suited
Marvel superhero, in a sequel to the last
“Iron Man” movie in 2010, but also playing
off the back of last year’s comic-book mega
hit “The Avengers,” which also featured
him. The film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow
and Ben Kingsley as well, has already made
nearly $200 million around the world in the
last week, and could earn a similar sum in
its first weekend in North America.
“The summer firework show has already
begun for most of the world. Disney’s cash
rocket... is expected to light up the box
office with $165 million,” said Jeff Bock,
box office analyst at industry tracker
Exhibitor Relations. That may be short of
the best opening weekend box office ever
— $207 million for “The Avengers”-but it
would be the biggest “Iron Man” debut
after $98 million for the first one in 2008
and the second three years ago. Downey
Jr was in suitably relaxed mood when promoting
the movie recently ahead of its US
release, bantering with Paltrow, whose
character’s teasing romance with his reaches
new levels in this movie.
“These guys are wimps, okay? The suit is
not that bad,” Paltrow said after Downey Jr
and metal-clad co-star Don Cheadle complained
about how heavy their suits were,
and how much they had to wear them on
set compared to Paltrow. The “Iron Man”
star shot back: “And Gwyneth by the way,
she did come in and she was having a ball,
and her kids were there and she was in
rockin’ shape, so it was all nice and easy. I
think she wore it once or twice. “It’s an
accumulative issue,” he joked at a Beverly
Hills press conference, before acknowledging:
“I admit, we’re wimps.”
In the new movie, Tony Stark, his billionaire
playboy character who transforms
himself into “Iron Man,” faces formidable
terrorist The Mandarin, played by Kingsley.
There are two baddies in all, with Anglo-
Australian actor Guy Pearce playing evil
scientist Aldrich Killian, who has developed
a fluid that can turn people into superhuman
mutants.
“These movies are only ever as good as
their bad guys,” said Downey Jr, paying
tribute to his co-stars-who in turn heaped
praise on the US star actor, who makes fun
of his past problems with drugs and the
law. “The truth is that these movies work
Spielberg to direct
‘American Sniper’
Steven Spielberg has his sights set
on his next project, a movie about
former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle.
A spokeswoman for DreamWorks Studios
says the filmmaker will direct Bradley
Cooper in an adaptation of the best-selling
book “American Sniper.” “Spread”
screenwriter Jason Hall wrote the script
based on the autobiography of Kyle, who
was killed along with a friend earlier this
year while at a North Texas gun range. An
Iraq war veteran who they were trying to
help deal with PTSD is charged with the
killings. Kyle is considered to be the
deadliest sniper in US military history. At
the time of his death, he was working on
another book, “American Gun: A History
of the US in Ten Firearms.” The film will
be a co-production of DreamWorks and
Warner Bros. — AP
because Robert has a really big picture creative
mind about what these movies
should feel like,” said Paltrow. “He is
always asking... how can we make it feel
like something we care about, and we
want to watch.
So I think... that’s why the movies keep
working, and they’re not a weaker carbon
copy of the one before.” Box office analyst
Bock noted that in China, “Iron Man 3”
made $21.5 million in just one day, a
record he said-compared to $18 million
taken by “The Avengers” there over two
days last summer.
“In fact, ‘Iron Man 3,’ straight out of the
gate, may be the top movie of the summer,”
he told AFP, adding that it was “definitely
playing like a pseudo-sequel to” last
year’s “The Avengers.” So will there be an
“Iron Man 4?” “We never could have
known what and who was going to come
together for the third Iron Man. Usually,
the third of anything struggles to even
meet the first two, let alone the first one,”
said Downey Jr. “So in all earnestness,
things are very much in flux right now.
Marvel has their plans and we’re all living
and growing, so we’ll see what happens,”
he added. “The future, as usual, is uncertain.”
— AFP
In this file photo, actor Bradley Cooper
attends the premiere of Focus
Features’ “The Place Beyond The
Pines” at the Landmark Sunshine
Theater in New York. — AP
Video shows Reese
Witherspoon’s arrest
Adashboard-camera video of Reese Witherspoon’s
recent disorderly-conduct arrest provides a rare
glimpse of one of Hollywood’s best-known actresses
unfiltered as she takes on a no-nonsense Georgia state
trooper following her husband’s traffic stop. In video of
the April 19 early-morning incident in Atlanta, posted
Thursday by the website TMZ, the 37-year-old actress
seeks to intercede as her husband is being administered a
field sobriety test by the trooper. Trooper First Class J
Pyland tells Witherspoon to stay in the couple’s vehicle no
fewer than five times. For her part, Witherspoon is equally
determined to get out and engage him, even at one point
feigning pregnancy and saying she needs to use the bathroom.
When the trooper starts to arrest her, she lets loose.
Witherspoon turns to yell at him while being handcuffed
and accuses the trooper of harassment, at one point
prompting him to warn her, “You fight me, I promise you
...” Witherspoon’s husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth,
mostly observes the exchange, but tries to calm her after
the trooper’s warning about resisting arrest.
TMZ posted the video from the trooper’s vehicle hours
after Witherspoon appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning
America” to apologize for her behavior. In her first sitdown
interview about the arrest, the Oscar-winning
actress and mother of three said she had “one too many”
glasses of wine, and panicked after she and her husband
were pulled over. “I have no idea what I was saying that
night,” she said. “I literally panicked. I said all kinds of crazy
things. I told them I was pregnant. I’m not pregnant.”
The police report states Witherspoon asked the trooper,
“Do you know my name?” and added, “You’re about to
find out who I am.” The video shows the situation quickly
escalating. In one video clip, the trooper appears to be
examining Toth when Witherspoon, out of view, starts to
get out of her vehicle. “Ma’am, get back in that car,” the
trooper tells her. She apologizes, and asks if she can say
something. “No ma’am,” he says, “get back in that car. I’m
not going to repeat myself again.”
Later, when Witherspoon continues to try to intervene,
the trooper handcuffs her. “You better not arrest me! Are
you kidding me?” she asks. “Nope,” he responds. She
protests again, “I’m an American citizen!” The trooper
leans toward her and says he told her to stay in the car.
She repeats “This is beyond!” She turns to yell at the trooper
as he’s handcuffing her and he raises his chin and warns
her against resisting arrest.
As Witherspoon is taken out of view, she can be heard
asking, “Do you know my name sir?” When he says he
doesn’t need to, she asks, “You don’t need to know my
name?” He says “Not quite yet,” and she adds, “Oh really.
OK, you’re about to find out who I am.” The trooper
responds, “That’s fine. I’m not real worried about you,
ma’am. I done told you how things worked. You want to
get out and get up in my investigation, that’s OK.” As the
trooper returns to Toth, he tells him, “I tried.”
Toth says “I’m sorry,” and the trooper adds, “I absolutely
100 percent tried.” Toth then tries to put some distance
between him and his wife’s outburst. “I had nothing to do
with that,” Toth tells the trooper. “I know,” he responds.
Toth was charged with drunken driving and is due in court
May 23. Witherspoon faces a May 22 court hearing on the
disorderly conduct charge.
Shortly after her jail release, the star of hit movies such
as “Walk The Line,” “Legally Blonde,” “Sweet Home
Alabama” and “Election” issued a statement saying there
was “no excuse” for her behavior. “I was disrespectful to
the officer who was just doing his job. The words I used
that night definitely do not reflect who I am. I have nothing
but respect for the police and I am very sorry for my
behavior.”
Two lawyers for Witherspoon, one in Los Angeles and
one in Atlanta, did not immediately return calls from
The Associated Press seeking comment Thursday. “There
are so many lessons learned,” she told ABC on Thursday.
“When a police officer tells you to stay in the car, you
stay in the car,” she said. “I learned that for sure. I
learned a lot.” — AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Bollywood marks
India’s century of cinema
India’s movie industry toasted its 100th
birthday yesterday with the release of two
films celebrating its humble origins in the
silent era and the influence of glamorous
modern-day Bollywood. “Bombay Talkies”
comprises four short stories inspired by
India’s love of cinema, created by some of the
country’s leading filmmakers. “You usually
celebrate birthdays and that’s what we are
doing today. Indian cinema turns 100 and we
are acknowledging that,” said Zoya Akhtar,
who directed the film along with Karan Johar,
Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee.
The acclaimed cast includes Nawazuddin
Siddiqui and Rani Mukherjee, with a cameo
from acting legend Amitabh Bachchan. The
Indian Bollywood film actress Preity Zinta
poses during the press meet for the Hindi
film ‘Ishkq in Paris’ in Mumbai.
film’s theme song features Bollywood A-listers
such as Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya
Balan, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor.
The movie will have a special gala screening
at the Cannes film festival this month, where
India is to be honoured as the “guest country”
in its landmark year.
“The four short stories are about passion
for cinema and ingredients like drama, music,
A man walks past a mural of Indian Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan from his classic film ‘Deewar’, at sunrise in Mumbai yesterday.
dance and entertainment. All of these ingredients
are a huge part of our films and culture,”
said co-producer Ashi Dua. Its release comes
100 years to the day since the opening in
Bombay (now Mumbai) of “Raja (King)
Harishchandra”, the first all-Indian silent feature
film, based on the tale of a virtuous king
from the Hindu epic Mahabharata.
It marked the birth of one of the world’s
most vibrant film industries, which produced
almost 1,500 movies last year in various languages
and corners of the country, with
Hindi-language Bollywood leading the way.
While “Bombay Talkies” explores life in the
present, the second film opening on Friday is
the award-winning “Celluloid Man”, which
pays tribute to the founder of the National
Film Archive of India, PK Nair.
The documentary, so far only shown at festivals,
showcases Nair’s lifetime dedication to
preserving films that date back to the silent
era, and it is peppered with clips from historic
black-and-white productions. Thanks to the
efforts of 80-year-old Nair, nine silent films
out of 1,700 made in India have been preserved,
although no records remain of many
others. “Almost 70 percent of the films made
before 1950 are lost, including some real
gems like the first ‘talkie’,” Nair told AFP, refer-
Bollywood actresses Meera Chopra (left)
and Mahi Gill pose at a ceremony ahead of
the forthcoming Hindi Film ‘Gang of
Ghosts’ directed by actor Satish Kaushik in
Mumbai.
ring to the first Indian film with sound, 1931’s
“Alam Ara” (The Light of the World).
He said digital technology would help to
preserve the cinematic gems that still exist for
future generations. “There are currently about
12,000 films awaiting digitisation.” Also on
Friday, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee
was to join stars and filmmakers at the annual
National Film Awards in capital New Delhi, following
a six-day festival showcasing the
colourful history of Indian cinema. Awardwinners
already announced include “Paan
Singh Tomar”, a Hindi film starring Irrfan Khan
about the Indian soldier and athlete who
became a notorious bandit. The ceremony
also celebrates works from various regional
film hubs, in languages including Malayalam,
Marathi, Telugu and Bengali. — AFP
A fitness enthusiast does his morning walk past a statue of late Indian filmmaker Yash
Chopra in Mumbai yesterday. — AFP photos
An Indian employee of the New Excelsior
Theatre prepares to remove a poster from
a display board.

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Director says spirit of
‘45 ‘only way forward’
Children pose in front of a 2.8-meter tall confectionery house called “Jiyugaoka Sweets House”, created
by Japanese patissier and confectionery artist Junko Yokoi (not pictured) in Tokyo yesterday. The
confectionery house is decorated with 1,500 cookies, donuts, breads and sugar candies to celebrate
Children’s Day on May 5 and will be displayed through May 6. — AFP
‘Maisie’ tasteful with
strong performances
Review
Abroken-family melodrama with a minimum of
histrionics, Scott McGehee’s and David Siegel’s
“What Maisie Knew” begins from scenes that will
be familiar to most viewers who’ve witnessed a custody
battle. Things get pretty orchestrated from that familiar
scenario onward, but never to the point of unbelievability.
The sad tidiness of the film’s resolution (and the way it
departs from the Henry James book it’s based on) makes
it all the more appealing.
Maisie is a six-year-old New Yorker (Onata Aprile) in a
position to know a great deal. She knows her rock-star
mother (Julianne Moore) is too busy arguing with Dad
(Steve Coogan) to pay for the pizza delivery she ordered;
she knows Dad tries extra hard to be cute when her nanny
Margo (Joanna Vanderham) is in the room. She knows
Mom and Dad aren’t going to live together anymore, and
there’s a lot of arguing over how much time she’ll spend
with him.
Most importantly, she knows how to keep some of
these things at bay - as the adult relationships around her
grow more disturbed, she coasts along as best she can,
wisely choosing ignorance when Mom asks if Daddy (now
in his own apartment, with the nanny there to help when
Maisie’s with him) is ever so happy to see Margo that he
gives her a kiss.
He is, of course, and when he marries his former
employee, Maisie’s mother Susanna feels she must compete
in the court’s eyes - making her own home just as
family-like by marrying a younger man (Alexander
Skarsgrd’s Lincoln) she hardly knows. The closest thing to
an innocent in all this aside from Maisie, Lincoln - a lanky
Southerner whose body sometimes seems to fold inward
on itself in deference to those around him - can’t help but
befriend the girl, a development that (to a perhaps
implausible degree) disturbs Susanna. “You don’t get a
bonus for making her fall in love with you,” Susanna
snaps at one point, making us wonder whether that’s a
literal comment, and she has actually paid the bartender
to be a prop husband.
What’s more emotionally abusive to a child whose parents
have split - failing to show up for days when it’s time
for her to stay at your place (both sides are guilty here), or
spending your time with her on loud, “he can’t get away
with this” phone calls to a lawyer? Steve Coogan’s Beale is
an up-front narcissist; Susanna needs her daughter’s welfare
as an excuse to make everything about her own
desires.
Moore has the most complicated part to play here, as
a woman who really believes she loves her daughter
more than anything but is blind to what such a devotion
might mean in practice. Over and over, she relies on
Lincoln to pick Maisie up from school, watch her when a
gig beckons, improvise when necessary. It’s inevitable
that he will come to identify with Margot, who fills the
same role for Beale.
And another thing Maisie knows is to trust the people
who actually take care of her - never voicing an allegiance
that would exclude anyone she cares for, but eagerly
accepting love that’s offered in the form of actions as well
as words. In this modern take on a century-old story, that
distinction remains the most valuable one of all. “What
Maisie Knew,” a Millennium Entertainment release, is rated
R for language. Running time: 98 minutes. — AP
This image shows Onata Aprile (left) and Alexander
Skarsgard in a scene from “What Maisie Knew.” — AP
British director Ken Loach arrives for the closing ceremony
of the 65th Cannes film festival. — AFP
Director Ken Loach is not impressed. “Happy films for happy
people” is the withering verdict of the man who made his
name with the likes of “Cathy Come Home” and “Kes” on
much of today’s film and television. Movies and programmes now
“don’t ask questions... like a soft cushion for the brain... the life
squeezed out of it by so many bureaucrats above,” he says. His latest
film “The Spirit of ‘45”, an archive documentary about the 1945
general election and the creation of the welfare state by Clement
Attlee’s Labour government, is the Loach antidote to such visual
“comfort food”.
At a time when the 76-year-old filmmaker sees worrying parallels
in the Britain of the 1930s, he believes it is timely to look back
and remember “how we got out of it” last time. “I wanted to say
that this (free health care, decent housing, financial support for
the old and unemployed) is possible and... not an act of God,” he
says. “That the neo-conservative idea of the free market and the
kind of raw capitalism will never provide a dignified and secure
life for people.” Loach, who is known for his socialist convictions,
argues that you do not have to look far in modern-day Britain for
echoes of the poverty that led to the establishment of the welfare
state after World War II. And he deplores the failure of television
and film to highlight and explore what is going on, viewing much
of what is on offer on our screens as increasingly “irrelevant to
what’s happening” in Britain today.
“You think what’s going on in the country-it’s a society in
chaos. There’s dysfunction, alienation amongst young people and
you look at the TV drama and it no way reflects that,” the British
director told AFP in an interview in Paris. What Loach sees in the
most deprived pockets of some parts of Britain such as Liverpool,
the northeast, Glasgow and east London is mass unemployment,
great poverty of the sort “marked by obesity rather than starvation”
and the rise of the far right. A generation of young people
whose material security less than a decade ago seemed so assured
now sees its future as “negligible”, he says.
“Talking to young people, they don’t expect to get a job, they
don’t expect to have a house, they don’t expect to necessarily
even be able to bring up a family. “They’re not thinking politically
but they’re saying that’s their future... a future without hope... I
think the (1930s) parallel is there and it’s very dangerous.” Loach
blames overly commercial and prescriptive television and film
executives obsessed with market share for what he sees as a loss
of choice. “Cathy Come Home”, written by Jeremy Sandford,
about a family’s downward spiral into homelessness, highlighted
a lack of proper housing in Britain and sparked public outrage
when it was broadcast on the BBC in 1966. Today, however, he
believes filmmakers would find it impossible to get something
similar made due to the endless layers of “bureaucrats” working
above them. “There were none really (then), it was just the producer
and the head of drama and sometimes he would see it
before it went out and sometimes he wouldn’t. “It was a very
benign supportive process. It only lasted a few years and, yes, we
had battles of course but the battle lines were drawn in a far more
generous way, so that there was far more freedom.”
Despite the difficulties, Loach’s output is prolific, with six films
for the big screen in the last decade alone including “The Wind
That Shakes the Barley” which won the 2006 Palme d’Or at
Cannes. Retirement often crosses his mind, he says, when he feels
like an “old racehorse” who is “not sure I can get round the
course”. But for now “there’s too much to do, really”, including
another film in the early planning stages with writer Paul Laverty.
“We are hoping to do something in Ireland, maybe set in the
1930s, 10 years after “The Wind That Shakes the Barley,” he
adds.”We haven’t really worked it out yet, it’s just a twinkle in the
eye at the moment.” — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Rolling Stones release low-priced seats ahead of LA show
Wild horses couldn’t drag many of
the most die-hard of Rolling
Stones fans to the kick-off of the
band’s North American tour - at least not
at prices of up to a whopping $600 a ticket.
Three weeks after tickets went on sale,
and a day before the British band take the
stage yesterday, the Los Angeles Staples
Center was far from sold out for the “50
and Counting” gig. Secondary ticket sellers
StubHub had more than 500 tickets
available 24 hours before the May 3
show, Good Seat tickets said they were
slashing re-sale prices by 40 percent, and
Epic Nation rolled out a 10 percent discount
code.
The veteran rock band announced on
their official website this week that they
were releasing an additional number of
tickets at a modest $85, the only price
point that quickly sold out for the May 3
concert. According to the website, some
of the $85 seats will be among the best
seats in house in the “Tongue Pit,” with
others spread around the arena. Buyers
will be notified of their seat location on
the day of the show.
Concert promoters AEG denied they
were cutting prices, saying tickets once
thought to have an obstructed view had
come to light after the tongue and lip
shaped stage was set up. “Seeing (the
stage) in this setting for the first time, we
were able to determine that seats previously
thought to have obstructed views
were in fact unobstructed and could
immediately be offered to fans for $85
each,” AEG said in a statement. On
Thursday, seats at prices ranging from
$250 to $600 were still available, according
to the AXS website operated by AEG,
which owns the Staples Center arena that
seats about 19,000 people.
Biggest Stones tour in six years
Yesterday’s show officially kicks off the
band’s 17-date North American tour to
mark their 50 years in the music business.
It’s the biggest tour by the Stones in six
years and follows a handful of dates in
London, Paris and New York at the end of
2012. Tickets for the London shows in
November sold out swiftly despite complaints
from fans over similarly high
prices. “Having a $600 price point for
prime seats is definitely pushing the
envelope,” said Gary Bongiovanni, editorin-chief
of Pollstar, a concert industry
magazine. He noted it was a particularly
tough sell to core Rolling Stones fans
who have seen the band many times. “It’s
easy for someone who has seen them to
rationalize and say I’m not sure I want to
skip my mortgage payment to see them
again,” he told Reuters.
Nevertheless Bongiovanni expects sales
to pick up with the lower prices. “I wouldn’t
expect a lot of empty seats because they’re
repricing tickets to whatever it takes,” he
said. The band played a more reasonably
priced $20 “surprise” gig in Los Angeles last
Saturday. The Rolling Stones last went on
the road from 2005 to 2007, playing 144
shows globally and grossing more than
$550 million, one of the world’s most lucrative
tours. —Reuters
Ed Sheeran performs at the Nokia Lumia Concert at The Box in New York on Thursday,
May 2, 2013. — AP
Picture shows the organ of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris. — AFP
Where’s Lindsay Lohan? Not in rehab, apparently
Lindsay Lohan appeared to have
skipped out on a court-ordered
rehab program on Thursday,
before doing a disappearing act and
Lindsay Lohan arrives at the amfAR
(The Foundation for AIDS Research)
gala in New York. — AFP
possibly violating her probation again.
Although her lawyer assured a Los
Angeles judge on Thursday that she had
checked in to start a 90-day stint
imposed for a June 2012 reckless driving
case, Lohan was photographed about
the same time shopping in a Southern
California electronics superstore.
Santa Monica city prosecutor Terry
White told the Los Angeles Times hours
later that he had learned that Lohan, 26,
spent only a few minutes at the rehabilitation
facility in Newport Beach before
leaving. “Ms. Lohan is in violation of her
probation. That much is clear,” White
told the newspaper.
Lohan is still on probation for a 2011
jewelry theft. Any violation could make
her liable to arrest and being ordered to
jail. Celebrity news outlet E!, quoting
unidentified sources, said Lohan never
got out of her car at the Morningside
Recovery Center and that she may be
headed back to New York.
Calls to Lohan’s lawyer and publicist
were not returned on Thursday and
celebrity news websites reported no further
sightings of the troubled “Mean
Girls” actress. Lohan, 26, was sentenced
to 90 days in a locked rehab center as
part of a March plea deal. She avoided
jail by pleading no contest to charges
that she lied to police when she said she
was not behind the wheel of a car that
smashed into a truck in the beach city of
Santa Monica in June 2012.
Lohan had until Thursday to start her
treatment and had initially agreed to go
to a rehab center in New York. Her lastminute
switch, reportedly because she
could not smoke in the New York facility,
left White fuming on Thursday
because he said he had not had time to
vet the Morningside Recovery Center.
Officials at the Department of
Alcohol and Drug programs said the
center was not licensed to provide the
kind of 24-hour residential alcohol or
drug detox program that Lohan was
ordered to attend. The center said in a
statement that it operated sober living
homes and certified outpatient services
at a clinic and had “successfully treated
thousands of patients through our program.”
Its website shows pictures of sunsets
on the beach, and offers clients group
trips to Disneyland, sailing and kayaking.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James
Dabney gave prosecutors a week to
investigate the Morningside Recovery
center. Lohan has spent at least five
stints in rehab in the past six years for
unspecified issues. — Reuters
Family tried
intervention for Jackson
Apolice detective has testified that Michael Jackson’s mother
told him the family had tried drug interventions for the
singer, believing he was addicted to painkillers. But
Katherine Jackson said her son refused any help, saying he didn’t
have a drug problem. The testimony came on Thursday under
questioning by lawyers for a concert promoter being sued by
Katherine Jackson in connection with the star’s death. Police
detective Orlando Martinez said Katherine Jackson spoke of several
attempts by the family to do interventions and get Jackson
into rehab.
She also said she never met Dr Conrad Murray until after her
son was dead. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter
after giving the anesthetic propofol to the pop star. Five days
before Michael Jackson died, his manager called the singer’s doctor,
told him Jackson was sick, and implored him to have blood
tests done, according to a voicemail played Thursday in court.
The message left by Frank Dileo was retrieved by police from
the cellphone of Dr. Conrad Murray and played during the trial of
a negligence lawsuit filed by Jackson’s mother against concert
promoter AEG Live. “I’m sure you’re aware he had an episode last
night,” the message said.
“He’s sick ... We gotta see what he’s doing.” Plaintiff’s lawyer
Brian Panish acknowledged outside court that the episode
occurred on the day Jackson was told by Kenny Ortega, the
director of his “This is It” concert, to go home from a rehearsal
because he was pale and shivering. Panish suggested that if
Dileo was aware of the incident, so were AEG executives. —AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
In this June 14, 1945 file photo, actress and singer Deanna
Durbin (right) poses with her second husband, producer Felix
Jackson, immediately after their wedding at The Little Church of
the West in Las Vegas.
In this May 30, 1939 file photo, actress Deanna Durbin sits with Vaughn Paul in the clubhouse
of Hollywood Park in Los Angeles.
Deanna Durbin, the teen sensation whose
sparkling soprano voice and girl-nextdoor
looks made her a star during
Hollywood’s Golden Age, has died, a family
friend said Wednesday. She was 91. Durbin died
on about April 20 in a village outside Paris where
she had lived, out of public view, since 1949, family
friend Bob Koster of Los Angeles told the
Associated Press. Koster’s father, Henry Koster,
directed six of Durbin’s films. Bob Koster did not
know the cause of death.
At the height of her career, the Canadian-born
Durbin, who made her first feature, “Three Smart
Girls,” at age 13, was among the highest-paid
actresses. Her fans included Winston Churchill,
who said she was his favorite star according to
biographer William Manchester, and Anne Frank,
who had Durbin’s photo pasted on the wall in
the secret quarters where she and her family hid
in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.
In 1938 she received an honorary Academy
Award for her “significant contribution in bringing
to the screen the spirit and personification of
youth.” Her hair, makeup and on-screen outfits
set fashion trends worldwide and were emulated
by millions. In the 1941 hit “Nice Girl?” Durbin,
then 20, wore a spangled white organdy dress,
ruffled and modestly cut, that became the rage
at proms and country club dances across the
United States.
“She was one of the last really legitimate
movie stars from the 1930s who was still with us,”
film historian Alan K. Rode told the Los Angeles
Times. “She was a huge box-office star for a short
period of time.” But Durbin retired from the
movies at age 28 and never looked back despite
appeals from directors, studios and fans.
Deanna Durbin was born Edna Mae Durbin on
Dec. 4, 1921 in Winnipeg, Canada. Because of illness,
her father moved the family to Los Angeles
where the young Edna was discovered by a talent
scout while singing at a school recital. In
1936, she co-starred with Judy Garland in “Every
Sunday.” The financially struggling Universal
hired her to star in “Three Smart Girls.” It was
Durbin’s first full-length feature, and it was a
huge success thanks to the young actress’ strong
screen presence. A year later, “One Hundred Men
and a Girl” followed suit, saving Universal from
bankruptcy and earning the renamed Deanna
Durbin the nickname, “the mortgage lifter.”
Rode said Durbin, along with Abbot and
Costello, “saved the studio from going down the
tubes.” By 1939 child roles were becoming
increasingly out-of-reach for Durbin who had
grown into a mature young woman. She was
passed over for the role of Dorothy in the classic
“Wizard of Oz” and Garland got the part. That
same year saw her first on-screen kiss - with
Robert Stack - and the news bumped war headlines
off daily papers. Durbin married cinematographer
Vaughn Paul in 1941, and was divorced in
1943.
She made “Can’t Help Singing,” her first and
only Technicolor film, in 1944. Her other films
were in black-and-white because studio executives
said it was too expensive to have Deanna
Durbin and color film in the same movie. That
same year she married playwright Felix Jackson,
20 years her senior. They had one daughter and
divorced in 1949. In 1945, Durbin made “Lady on
a Train” - directed by Charles David, whom she
married five years later. The two moved to France
and had a son. David died in 1999. Durbin is survived
by her daughter, Jessica Jackson, and her
son, Peter H. David. — AP
This 1937 file photo shows singer and film
actress Deanna Durbin. — AP photos

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Emirati designer Mona Al-Mansouri (center) stands amidst models presenting
her creations during a fashion show in Beirut on May 2, 2013. — AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
TECHNOLOGY
In battle against cyberattacks,
hackers wear the ‘white hats’
Tearing apart computer programs to find vulnerabilities
WASHINGTON: He’s 26, likes industrial and electronic music,
has a bleached-blond Mohawk haircut and sometimes, Mikhail
Davidov said, he starts his day “at the crack of noon.” The late
hours are in front of a computer, working on reverse engineering,
tearing apart computer programs to find their vulnerabilities.
Sometimes he works 18 hours straight. “There are few hackers
out there who are ‘morning people,’ “ Davidov said.
These days, the front lines for security don’t only include soldiers
carrying weapons. They include computer whiz kids like
Davidov, who works for the Leviathan Security Group, a 20-person
firm that operates out of second-floor offices in a renovated
1918 building in Seattle. Chad Thunberg, chief operating officer
of Leviathan, said he can relate to Davidov, remembering his
own younger days. Thunberg, who is 35 and married with two
children, said, “I’m considered a grandpa in my industry. There
was a time when I was the Mikhail equivalent. You live and
breathe security.”
Cyberattacks are costing corporations and consumers - a lot.
In a six-year span starting in 2005, data breaches in 33 countries,
including the US, cost the firms involved more than $156 billion,
according to the nonprofit Digital Forensics Association. Every
second, in various parts of the world, there are 18 cybercrime
victims - some 1.6 million a day - according to a 2012 Norton by
Symantec study.
On Friday, the Wenatchee World newspaper reported that a
Leavenworth, Wash., hospital said hackers stole more than $1
million from the hospital’s electronic bank account. The Chelan
County, Wash., treasurer said it had been able to retrieve about
$133,000 by notifying recipient bank accounts, most in the
Midwest and East Coast. And the Associated Press reported that
LivingSocial, an online deals site, said Friday that its website was
hacked and the personal data of more than 50 million customers
may have been affected - names, email addresses, date of birth
of some users and encrypted passwords.
Then there are the Chinese hackers, who blasted into the
news in February when Mandiant, an Internet security firm,
released a report saying that a group linked to the People’s
Liberation Army had systemically stolen confidential data from
at least 141 American firms. In his State of the Union address,
President Barack Obama warned, “Now our enemies are also
seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial
institutions and our air traffic control systems.”
That makes Internet security a booming industry, at an estimated
nearly $1 billion a year in 2012, according to the consulting
firm Frost & Sullivan. Another “white hat” hacker is Adam
Cecchetti, 31, who used to work at Leviathan and then in 2010
became one of the founders of Deja vu Security, which operates
out of a second-floor renovated loft in Seattle’s Capitol Hill.
Sometimes, he has colored his hair blue. Davidov and Cecchetti
are on the front lines of fighting off the “black hat” hackers. Yes,
that is how they describe their enemy.
The latter includes those sending out phishing emails that
look like they came from a legitimate source but are fakes trying
to get your passwords and credit-card information. Or maybe
they are black hats trying to compromise a company’s website
just so they can boast about it in hacker circles. For the white
hats, their unique skill at finding where a program is vulnerable
and how to close the digital doors that the black hats use to
penetrate a website is worth $120,000 to $130,000 a year,
Thunberg said.
“Companies are being attacked by bad people, and if they
want to defend themselves, they have to attract these scarce
people,” he said. “There are maybe 1,000 individuals of this
nature in the world. They have this unique hacker mind-set.”
Their clients aren’t exactly keen to publicize that they seek
Internet security, said Thunberg, and that’s often written into
their contracts with Leviathan. Thunberg said his company’s
average contract size is for around $70,000. Citing privacy, he
said only that most are Fortune 1000 companies.
But one client that didn’t mind talking is a Washington, DCbased
company called Silent Circle. For $20 a month, it offers a
service that encrypts voice, text and video on a user’s smartphone,
tablet or computer. Their customers, said Jon Callas,
Silent Circle’s chief technical officer, include US businesses
“doing work in China and Eastern Europe and other places
where they don’t want their phone calls tapped.” His company,
Callas said, hired Leviathan to evaluate the encrypting software
for vulnerabilities and fix them. “They helped us find problems
before anybody else did,” said Callas.
At Deja vu Security, Cecchetti said, work that they’ve done
includes posing as new employees at a financial institution, given
the standard access to computers. Firms routinely give computer
“administrative privileges” to only a handful of individuals.
But, Cecchetti said, “within a couple of weeks, we had basically
control of the entire organization and could access pretty much
anything we wanted.” Deja vu put together “a very large report”
on how to fix things, he said.
Hackers such as Davidov and Cecchetti have certain similarities.
For one thing, they started tinkering with computers when
they were kids, and that passion never stopped. Cecchetti grew
up in Greensburg, Pa. He helped start a computer club in high
school and said that although he ran track and played soccer, “I
was plenty nerdy.” As a teen in the 1990s, he was programming
video games and went on to creating simple websites, before
they had become ubiquitous. Cecchetti earned a master’s from
Carnegie Mellon University in electrical and computer engineering,
and ended up in Seattle in 2005, working for Amazon to
keep black hats from breaking in.
Davidov is the son of Russian immigrants. His father worked
at a tech firm in Moscow and got a visa to come to the US in
1995, moving the family to Woodinville, Wash. But even in the
old country, when he was 5, Davidov said, he was using a computer
his father brought home, “playing little DOS games,” the
early operating system. By his teen years, Davidov was hacking
into video games so he could beat them. Having promised his
parents that he’d go to college, Davidov enrolled at the DigiPen
Institute of Technology in Redmond, Wash., and earned a fouryear
degree in “Real-Time Interactive Simulation.”
Said Davidov, “That means I know video games.” It is the ability
to look at programs over, under, sideways and down that
makes a Davidov so valuable, and in such short supply. At the
University of Washington’s renowned Computer Science and
Engineering program, out of nearly 50 faculty members, “we
have one full-time faculty member, Yoshiro Kohno, who is a
superstar in computer security, but we’re hoping to grow in that
area in the near future,” said its chairman, Hank Levy.
But even with more college classes in cybersecurity, it is realworld
experience that is needed, said Davidov. Outside of a
school’s lab, he said, it all gets “much grander in scope.” There
are also personal aspects, he said, such as when he delivers a
report to developers who had spent a long time working on a
program, and he points out its security flaws. The developers, he
said, “can get a little defensive, and it can become a little confrontational.”
For both Davidov and Cecchetti, it was a conscious, and simple,
decision to become a white hat. Said Cecchetti, “I’m not in
this business to harm people, or to take Grandma’s savings, or
deface somebody’s website.” There is plenty of money to be
made in Internet security. “Things are very good,” Cecchetti said
about Deja vu, which has a staff of a dozen. Companies pay for
security because getting hacked can cost plenty. At Leviathan,
SEATTLE: Mikhail Davidov (right) is a senior security consultant with the 20-person Leviathan Security Group. Duncan Smith
(left) is his colleague. A Leviathan official says most of their clients are Fortune 1000 companies. — MCT
on one of the brick walls are a dozen or so framed exotic bugs.
Chad Thunberg, as one of Leviathan’s bosses at the 20-person
company, said that every time the company finds “a big-deal”
bug in software, up goes another display insect. At Deja vu, a
small gong gets banged when there is some good news.
“Deja vu” is a very specific reference point in the hacker mentality.
Cecchetti said it’s from the 1999 movie “The Matrix,”
which he figures he’s seen 10 or 20 times. The hero, played by
Keanu Reeves, is a hacker in a future time in which humans live
in an artificial reality. In the movie, Reeves sees a black cat walk
by, and then immediately sees the same black cat walk by again.
“Whoa. Deja vu,” he says. It turns out that “deja vu” is a glitch in
the matrix, and happens when something is changed in that
cyberspace reality. The logo for Deja vu Security even has a
black cat.
Cecchetti now is one of those who hires, and said that when
interviewing applicants, he wants to know, “Can they see things
from the perspective of a hacker, gleeful to see how things are
made? They need to want to peel away the layers. What happens
if I make a very small change in the system?” If you can do
that, you can come to the office in any hairstyle you want. “It’s
usually a little bit of a shock,” Davidov said about how some
clients react to his Mohawk. “But once they start seeing the output
of the work we do, they find it almost endearing.”— MCT

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
TECHNOLOGY
Clean technology investors shift focus to drilling
NEW YORK: A decade ago, large investors in so-called
clean technology had a straightforward goal: finance
companies that would help eliminate the world’s
dependence on oil, natural gas and coal. But as profits
from wind, solar, biofuels and other alternatives consistently
fell short of expectations - and as the fossil fuel
business boomed - things got complicated. Venture
capitalists and other investment funds started stretching
the definition of clean technology almost beyond recognition
in an effort to make money while clinging to their
environmental ideals.
Today, clean technology investment funds are not
trying to replace the fossil fuel industry, they’re trying to
help it by financing companies that can make mining
and drilling less dirty. The people running these funds
acknowledge the apparent hypocrisy, but defend a
more liberal definition of clean technology. “Oil and gas
will be with us for a long time. If we can clean that up we
will do the world a great service,” says Wal van Lierop,
CEO of Chrysalix, a Vancouver, Canada-based venture
capital firm founded in 2001.
Chrysalix still backs companies that fit the more traditional
definition of clean energy - including Bridgelux,
which makes more efficient light bulbs, and Agilyx,
which turns plastic waste into fuel. But the firm, whose
website boasts that it is “100 percent focused on clean
energy” is a backer of MineSense, which helps miners
operate more efficiently by assessing the quality of ore
as it is being scooped. It also supports GlassPoint, which
helps drillers extract more oil by using steam generated
with solar power.
Environmentalists have mixed feelings. They welcome
technologies that reduce the environmental footprint
of oil and gas development. But they worry the
newfound abundance of oil and natural gas - and all the
money that can be made helping drillers - has distracted
clean technology backers from what once seemed to be
their main goal: to make oil and gas a thing of the past.
Mark Brownstein, who runs the energy and climate program
at the Environmental Defense Fund, says “some
don’t have the stomach for that and are simply going
with the flow.”
The shift has made even those who are helping to
drive it squirm. “We’ve wrestled with it,” says Alan
Salzman, managing partner of VantagePoint Capital
Partners, one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent venture
firms focused on clean technology. “If someone comes
up with a more benign way of (exploiting fossil fuels), is
that a good thing or a bad thing?” If fossil fuels become
more palatable to society, Salzman says, we may end up
burning more of them.
Ten years ago it seemed as if the world was running
out of oil, and what was left of it was in the Middle East.
Oil and natural gas prices spiked to alarming highs. And
scientists showed that fossil fuels were causing troubling
changes to the climate. Pushing for an end of the
fossil age made sense for economic, political and environmental
reasons. This had Silicon Valley venture capitalists
drooling. “Cleantech” as they called it, would be
the next big thing. And it was going to be very, very big.
These firms saw a chance to profit from what many
thought would be the biggest economic shift in history -
from fossil energy to renewable energy.
But the new energy technologies proved much harder
to master than predicted. And oil and gas drillers,
using technology advances of their own, learned how to
unlock enormous new reserves of fossil fuels. Dozens of
solar, biofuels and battery companies failed, unable to
show enough promise to go public or attract the attention
of bigger companies. “Investors are still waiting for
their cleantech investments to produce returns,” says
Dallas Kachan, who runs the San Francisco clean technology
consulting firm Kachan & Co. “Nobody’s seen the
stellar home runs they were hoping for 5 years ago.”
Even when clean energy companies have gone public,
they haven’t fared well. An index of clean energy
companies is down 69 percent since it began in 2005. A
similar index of traditional energy companies is up 75
percent over the same period. The value of global clean
technology deals fell 29 percent last year to $7 billion,
from a record $9.9 billion in 2011, according to the
Cleantech Group. But the portion of that sum focused
on conventional fossil fuels nearly tripled, to a record
$556 million.
A few clean technology investors have stayed away
from oil and gas despite the temptation. Khosla
Ventures, for example, has been a major backer of
advanced biofuels even as most of these companies
have failed to live up to their promise. The firm does not
invest in companies that support fossil fuels. But the
drilling boom has led to countless investments in this
gray area between clean and dirty. Axine, which is
backed by Chrysalix and Royal Dutch Shell, wants to
make the drilling process known as fracking less dangerous
by treating wastewater produced during drilling
without chemicals.—AP
Mobile ads
lift Facebook
NEW YORK: A year ago, Facebook was just testing the
waters of mobile advertising, causing plenty of headaches
for investors ahead of its massive initial public offering. It
has since eased those worries. On Wednesday the world’s
biggest social networking company said nearly a third of its
advertising revenue came from mobile in the first three
months of the year, helping to push total revenue up 38
percent to surpass Wall Street’s expectations.
“They are making the transition to mobile faster than
anyone anticipated,” said Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia.
“It seems like they are delivering.” Facebook Inc said
Wednesday that its net income was $219 million, or 9 cents
per share, in the January-March period. That’s up from $205
million, or 9 cents per share, in the same period a year ago,
when it was still private. Revenue grew to $1.46 billion from
$1.06 billion, above analysts’ expectations of $1.44 billion.
Excluding special items, mainly related to stock compensation
expenses, Facebook earned 12 cents per share,
matching the average of analyst expectations, according to
FactSet. Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook said that its
mobile advertising revenue was 30 percent of its total ad
revenue in the first quarter, amounting to $375 million.
That’s up from 23 percent, or $306 million, in the fourth
quarter. In the third quarter - the first time it disclosed such
figures - the company generated 14 percent, or $153 million,
of its advertising revenue from mobile.
Investors had been worried about Facebook’s ability to
grow mobile revenue since before its initial public offering
in May 2012. That’s because although the number of people
who access Facebook on smartphones and tablet computers
has been growing quickly, Facebook didn’t begin showing
ads to those users until last year. David Ebersman,
Facebook’s chief financial officer, said most advertisers did
not specify that their ads be shown only on desktop computers
or only on mobile devices, “rather they put their ads
into our system and allow us to show the ads on whatever
device where the ads will perform best.”
Bhatia thinks Facebook will fare even better on mobile
devices once Zuckerberg firms up its plan to make money
from the growing audience checking into Instagram, a photo-sharing
service that the company bought last year for
$521 million. The analyst believes Instagram will play a bigger
role in Facebook’s business next year.—AP
WCup host Brazil promises
fast Internet connections
Fans may use 3G wireless network
BRASILIA: Soccer fans attending next year’s World Cup in Brazil
will have no problem going online from stadiums, but they
might want to use a local cellphone chip to keep their charges
low, Brazilian Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo said on
Thursday. Each of the 12 stadiums hosting the 32-nation soccer
tournament will have two separate 50-gigabyte networks connected
to Brazil’s fiber optic backbone, he told reporters.
“I doubt that the stadiums will use one third of the capacity
that we are installing,” Bernardo said. “Not even Mr Jerome
Valcke will use up all that capacity, though he could if he makes
a lot of explosive statements,” the minister said in reference to
the general secretary of FIFA, the governing body of global soccer.
Valcke was briefly declared persona non grata by the
Brazilian government last year for saying Brazil needed a “kick
up the backside” to speed up preparations for the World Cup.
Though relations between Brazil and Valcke have improved
since, FIFA remains concerned about construction delays for the
stadiums that will host the games. It has also expressed worries
about the readiness of hotel, transport and communications
facilities. Brazil has yet to officially open two of the six stadiums
that will be used for the Confederations Cup, a dress rehearsal
for the 2014 tournament. The smaller contest kicks off on June
15 with Japan facing the host country in the capital, Brasilia.
More than half a million soccer fans are expected to travel to
Brazil next year for the World Cup. Many will be emailing and
posting photos on social networks during the games, congesting
local wireless networks. Brazil officially launched the latest
fourth generation (4G) wireless technology this week, and the
service will be available at the stadiums and in the host cities for
the Confederations Cup. But the majority of foreign fans will not
be able to use it. That is because most smartphones in the
United States and Europe use the 700 MHz frequency, while
Brazil’s 4G network uses 2.5 GHz. “Whoever has a 700 MHz cellphone
will not be able to use 4G, they will have to use 3G,”
Bernardo said.
The minister recommended that fans leave their cellphones
at home to avoid paying “scorching” international roaming fees,
and instead get a local chip on arrival in Brazil. Brazil’s wireless
infrastructure is among FIFA’s top concerns ahead of the World
Cup. FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio said last month Brazil
BRASILIA: Brazilian Minister of Communications, Paulo
Bernardo offers an interview to the Foreign Correspondents
Association at the Ministry in Brasilia. Bernardo talked about
the advances of the telecommunications in the country and
the preparations ahead of FIFA’s Confederations Cup in 2013
and World Cup in 2014. — AFP
should maybe fix its 3G network before jumping to 4G. The
number of 3G users in Brazil has grown “explosively” to 70 million
since the technology was introduced in 2008, and is expected
to grow to 130 million by the end of 2014, Bernardo said.
Brazilians complain the service provided by local cellphone
companies is poor, with connections dropping regularly and
signals congesting at crowded events such as music festivals.
Paying for access to Wi-Fi may be the best means of communications
at the World Cup for those wanting to capture the
excitement of the games and post it on social networks.
Ample high-speed Wi-Fi access will be good news for the
heaviest users of broadband at any major sporting event: the
media, who rely on the Internet to send out pictures and video
images. — Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
TV listings
00:45 Monster Bug Wars
01:35 Untamed & Uncut
02:25 Wildest Africa
03:15 Shark City
04:05 Whale Wars
04:55 Call Of The Wildman
05:20 Baboons With Bill Bailey
05:45 Animal Airport
06:10 Animal Airport
06:35 Wildlife SOS
07:00 Meerkat Manor
07:25 Dogs 101
08:15 Crocodile Hunter
09:10 Weird Creatures With Nick
Baker
10:05 Monkey Life
10:30 Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild
11:00 Bondi Vet
11:25 The Really Wild Show
11:55 Wildest Latin America
12:50 Wildest Islands
13:45 Wildest Islands
14:40 Wildest Islands
15:30 Wild Appalachia
16:30 Wild Hawaii
17:25 Wildest Islands
18:20 Queens Of The Savannah
19:15 Wildwives Of Savannah Lane
20:10 Tigers Attack
21:05 Wildest Latin America
22:00 My Cat From Hell
22:55 Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer
23:20 Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer
23:50 Untamed & Uncut
00:40 Come Dine With Me
01:30 Masterchef: The Professionals
02:15 Gok’s Fashion Fix
03:05 Coastal Kitchen
03:30 Cash In The Attic
04:15 Bargain Hunt
05:00 Holmes On Homes
05:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix
06:35 New Scandinavian Cooking
07:00 Homes Under The Hammer
07:55 Homes Under The Hammer
08:50 Homes Under The Hammer
09:45 Homes Under The Hammer
10:40 Cash In The Attic
11:30 Come Dine With Me
12:20 Perfect Day
12:50 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard
13:15 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard
13:40 The Good Cook
14:05 The Roux Legacy
14:40 Bargain Hunt
15:25 Antiques Roadshow
16:20 Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition Specials
17:40 Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition Specials
19:00 Celebrity MasterChef
19:55 Vacation Vacation Vacation
20:20 Come Dine With Me
21:15 Antiques Roadshow
22:15 Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds
23:00 Extreme Makeover: Home
Edition Specials
00:00 BBC World News America
00:30 BBC World News America
01:00 BBC World News
01:30 Newsnight
02:00 BBC World News
02:30 Our World
03:00 BBC World News
03:10 Weekend World
03:30 Talking Books
04:00 BBC World News
04:30 Horizons
05:00 BBC World News
05:10 Indian Ocean With Simon
Reeve
06:00 BBC World News
06:30 Fast Track
07:00 BBC World News
07:10 Art Of Germany
08:00 BBC World News
08:30 Middle East Business Report
09:00 BBC World News
09:30 Click
10:00 BBC World News
10:10 Weekend World
10:30 Talking Books
11:00 BBC World News
11:10 Football Focus
11:30 Horizons
12:00 BBC World News
12:10 BBC World News
13:00 BBC World News
13:10 World Features
13:30 Newsnight
14:00 BBC World News
14:30 Our World
15:00 BBC World News
15:10 Weekend World
15:30 Spirit Of Golf
16:00 BBC World News
16:15 Sport Today
16:30 Fast Track
17:00 BBC World News
17:30 Dateline London
18:00 BBC World News
18:10 Indian Ocean With Simon
Reeve
19:00 BBC World News
19:30 Final Score
20:00 BBC World News
20:10 Art Of Germany
21:00 BBC World News
21:15 Sport Today
21:30 Fast Track
22:00 BBC World News
22:30 Click
23:00 BBC World News
23:10 World Features
23:30 Dateline London
00:45 Wacky Races
01:35 Duck Dodgers
02:00 Duck Dodgers
02:25 Dastardly And Muttley
02:50 Dastardly And Muttley
03:00 Dexter’s Laboratory
03:30 Wacky Races
03:55 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
04:20 Tom & Jerry
04:45 The Garfield Show
05:00 Bananas In Pyjamas
05:25 Gerald McBoing Boing
THE TRANSPORTER ON OSN ACTION HD
05:45 Jelly Jamm
06:00 Ha Ha Hairies
06:25 Baby Looney Tunes
06:50 Cartoonito Tales
07:15 Krypto: The Super Dog
07:40 Lazy Town
11:50 Gerald McBoing Boing
12:15 Baby Looney Tunes
12:40 Jelly Jamm
13:00 The Looney Tunes Show
13:50 Taz-Mania
14:40 Tom & Jerry Tales
15:30 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo
15:55 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo
16:20 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
16:45 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
17:10 Dexter’s Laboratory
18:00 Moomins
18:50 The Looney Tunes Show
19:40 Taz-Mania
20:30 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo
20:55 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo
21:20 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo
21:45 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo
22:10 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
22:35 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries
23:00 Moomins
23:50 Duck Dodgers
00:30 Grim Adventures Of...
01:20 Johnny Test
02:10 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien
02:35 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien
03:00 The Amazing World Of
Gumball
03:25 Regular Show
03:50 Ben 10: Omniverse
04:15 Scooby-Doo! Mystery
Incorporated
04:40 Powerpuff Girls
05:05 Evil Con Carne
05:30 Cow & Chicken
06:00 Casper’s Scare School
06:30 Angelo Rules
07:00 Thundercats
07:25 Batman: The Brave And The
Bold
07:50 Young Justice
08:15 Hero 108
08:40 Scooby Doo! Mystery
Incorporated
09:35 Ben 10 Omniverse
10:25 The Amazing World Of
Gumball
11:15 Evil Con Carne
12:05 Adventure Time
12:55 Regular Show
13:45 Angelo Rules
14:10 Ben 10 Omniverse
15:00 Scooby Doo! Mystery
Incorporated
15:50 The Amazing World Of
Gumball
16:40 Adventure Time
17:05 Regular Show
17:30 Ben 10
17:55 Hero 108
18:20 Young Justice
18:45 Total Drama World Tour
19:10 Total Drama World Tour
19:35 Total Drama World Tour
20:00 Total Drama World Tour
20:25 Total Drama World Tour
20:50 Starwars: The Clone Wars
21:40 Evil Con Carne
22:00 Ben 10
22:25 Ben 10
22:50 Mucha Lucha !
23:15 Mucha Lucha !
23:40 Powerpuff Girls
00:00 Amanpour
00:30 World Sport
01:00 Piers Morgan Live
02:00 World Report
02:30 Backstory
03:00 Anderson Cooper 360
04:00 Piers Morgan Live
05:00 Quest Means Business
05:45 CNN Marketplace Africa
06:00 The Situation Room
07:00 World Sport
07:30 Inside The Middle East
08:00 World Report
08:15 CNN Marketplace Africa
08:30 Backstory
09:00 World Report
09:15 CNN Marketplace Middle East
09:30 Eco Solutions
10:00 World Sport
10:30 Living Golf
11:00 The Best Of The Situation Room
12:00 World Report
12:30 The Brief
13:00 Amanpour
13:30 Inside Africa
14:00 Talk Asia
14:30 Business Traveller
15:00 World Report
15:30 CNNGo
16:00 News Special
16:30 Backstory
17:00 International Desk
17:30 African Voices
18:00 CNN Marketplace Europe
18:15 CNN Marketplace Africa
18:30 The Brief
19:00 World Sport
19:30 Mainsail
20:00 International Desk
20:30 Inside Africa
21:00 International Desk
21:30 Inside The Middle East
22:00 The Best Of The Situation Room
23:00 World Report
23:30 News Special
00:15 Crash Course - Season 2 Special
01:10 Overhaulin’ 2012
02:05 Fifth Gear
03:00 Mythbusters
03:55 Border Security
04:20 Auction Hunters
04:50 Baggage Battles
05:15 How Do They Do It?
05:40 How It’s Made
06:05 Sons Of Guns
07:00 Magic Of Science
07:25 Magic Of Science
07:50 You Have Been Warned
08:45 Moonshiners
09:40 Mythbusters
10:30 Fire In The Sky: A Daily Planet
Special
11:25 NASA’s Unexplained Files
12:20 Jungle Gold
13:15 Jungle Gold
14:10 Jungle Gold
15:05 Jungle Gold
16:00 Jungle Gold
16:55 Jungle Gold
17:50 Crash Course - Season 2 Special
18:45 Gold Rush - Season 3 Specials
19:40 Jungle Gold
20:35 Heroes Of Hell’s Highway
21:30 Baggage Battles
21:55 Baggage Battles
22:25 Baggage Battles
22:50 Baggage Battles
23:20 Baggage Battles
23:45 Glory Hounds
00:05 How Tech Works
00:30 Patent Bending
01:00 The Future Of...
01:50 The Colony
02:45 Tech Toys 360
03:10 Tech Toys 360
03:35 The Future Of...
04:25 Man-Made Marvels Asia
05:15 The Gadget Show
05:40 How Tech Works
06:05 The Sun
07:00 Storm Chasers
07:50 X-Machines
08:40 The Gadget Show
09:05 How Tech Works
09:30 Man-Made Marvels Asia
10:25 Man-Made Marvels Asia
11:20 Man-Made Marvels Asia
12:10 Man-Made Marvels Asia
13:00 Man-Made Marvels Asia
13:50 Patent Bending
14:20 The Gadget Show
14:45 How Tech Works
15:10 X-Machines
16:00 Scrapheap Challenge
16:55 Space Pioneer
17:45 Food Factory
18:10 Food Factory
18:35 Tech Toys 360
19:00 Tech Toys 360
19:30 James May’s Man Lab
20:20 X-Machines
21:10 The Gadget Show
21:35 How Tech Works
22:00 James May’s Man Lab
22:50 Dark Matters: Twisted But True
23:40 The Gadget Show
00:10 Hannah Montana
00:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
01:00 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
01:25 Replacements
01:50 Replacements
02:15 Emperor’s New School
02:40 Emperor’s New School
03:05 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
03:30 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
03:55 Replacements
04:20 Replacements
04:45 Emperor’s New School
05:10 Emperor’s New School
05:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers
06:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
06:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates
06:40 Suite Life On Deck
07:05 A.N.T. Farm
07:30 Cory In The House
07:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place
08:20 Hannah Montana
08:45 Good Luck Charlie
09:10 Shake It Up
09:35 Jessie
10:00 Austin And Ally
10:25 A.N.T Farm
10:50 That’s So Raven
11:15 Beverly Hills Chihuahua
12:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place
13:20 Wizards Of Waverly Place
13:45 That’s So Raven
14:10 That’s So Raven
14:35 That’s So Raven
15:00 That’s So Raven
15:25 That’s So Raven
15:50 Austin And Ally
16:15 Jessie
16:40 A.N.T Farm
17:00 Cinderella II
18:20 Wizards Of Waverly Place
18:45 Good Luck Charlie
19:10 Jessie
19:35 Shake It Up
20:00 Austin And Ally
20:25 Wizards Of Waverly Place
20:50 Wizards Of Waverly Place
21:15 Jessie
21:40 Jessie
22:05 Jonas Los Angeles
22:30 Sonny With A Chance
22:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place
23:20 Wizards Of Waverly Place
00:00 Opening Act
00:55 Style Star
01:25 THS
02:20 E!es
03:15 Style Star
03:40 Extreme Close-Up
04:10 THS
05:05 E!es
06:00 THS
07:50 Style Star
08:20 E! News
09:15 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians
10:15 THS
11:10 E!es
12:05 E! News
13:05 Scouted
14:05 Ice Loves Coco
14:30 Ice Loves Coco
15:00 Chasing The Saturdays
15:30 Chasing The Saturdays
16:00 Ice Loves Coco
16:30 Ice Loves Coco
17:00 Married To Jonas
17:30 Married To Jonas
18:00 E! News
19:00 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
TV listings
20:00 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians
21:00 Chasing The Saturdays
21:30 Fashion Police
22:30 E! News
23:30 Chelsea Lately
00:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner
01:20 A Haunting
02:05 Scorned: Crimes Of Passion
02:55 Most Evil
03:45 I Almost Got Away With It
04:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner
05:20 A Haunting
06:10 Nightmare Next Door
07:00 Mystery Diagnosis
07:50 Street Patrol
08:15 Street Patrol
08:40 Real Emergency Calls
09:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry?
09:30 True Crime With Aphrodite
Jones
10:20 Murder Shift
11:10 Disappeared
12:00 Mystery Diagnosis
12:50 Street Patrol
13:15 Street Patrol
13:40 Forensic Detectives
14:30 True Crime With Aphrodite
Jones
15:20 Real Emergency Calls
15:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry?
16:10 Disappeared
17:00 Murder Shift
17:50 Forensic Detectives
18:40 True Crime With Aphrodite
Jones
19:30 Disappeared
20:20 Nightmare Next Door
21:10 Couples Who Kill
22:00 Deadly Affairs
22:50 Stalked: Someone’s Watching
23:15 Stalked: Someone’s Watching
23:40 On The Case With Paula Zahn
00:45 Perilous Journeys
01:40 One Man & His Campervan
02:05 One Man & His Campervan
02:35 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita
03:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita
03:30 Market Values
03:55 Market Values
04:25 Street Food Around The World
04:50 Street Food Around The World
05:20 Bondi Rescue
05:45 Bondi Rescue
06:15 Roam
06:40 Graham’s World
07:10 Perilous Journeys
08:05 On Hannibal’s Trail
08:30 On Hannibal’s Trail
09:00 Deadly Arts
09:55 Don’t Tell My Mother
10:50 International Open House
11:15 International Open House
11:45 Earth Tripping
12:10 Earth Tripping
12:40 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita
13:05 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita
13:35 Market Values
14:00 Market Values
14:30 Somewhere In China
15:25 Scam City
16:20 On Hannibal’s Trail
16:45 On Hannibal’s Trail
17:15 Deadly Arts
18:10 Don’t Tell My Mother
19:05 Bondi Rescue
19:30 Bondi Rescue
20:00 Roam
20:30 Graham’s World
21:00 Perilous Journeys
22:00 A World Apart
22:55 My Sri Lanka With Peter
Kuruvita
23:20 My Sri Lanka With Peter
Kuruvita
23:50 Don’t Tell My Mother
00:00 Hostel-R
02:00 Imago Mortis-PG15
04:00 Warbirds-PG15
06:00 True Justice: Dark Vengeance-
PG15
08:00 Ip Man 2-PG15
10:00 The Transporter-PG15
12:00 The Ring-PG15
14:00 Ip Man 2-PG15
16:00 Interview With A Hitman-PG15
18:00 The Ring-PG15
20:00 Fright Night-PG15
22:00 Mission To Mars-PG15
01:00 Spy Kids: All The Time In The
World-PG
03:00 When Love Is Not Enough-
PG15
05:00 Sammy’s Adventure: The
Secret Passage-FAM
07:00 Spy Kids: All The Time In The
World-PG
09:00 When Love Is Not Enough-
PG15
11:00 Take Shelter-PG15
13:00 Morning-PG15
15:00 Ties That Bind-PG15
16:30 John Carter-PG15
19:00 This Means War-PG15
21:00 Best Laid Plans-18
23:00 Scream 4-18
00:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
01:00 The Colbert Report
01:30 Unsupervised
02:00 Unsupervised
02:30 Entourage
03:00 Breaking In
03:30 2 Broke Girls
04:00 Seinfeld
04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay
Leno
05:30 Til Death
06:00 Arrested Development
06:30 Samantha Who?
07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
08:00 Seinfeld
08:30 Til Death
09:00 Breaking In
09:30 Go On
10:00 Cougar Town
10:30 Samantha Who?
11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay
Leno
12:00 Arrested Development
12:30 Seinfeld
13:00 Til Death
13:30 Samantha Who?
14:00 2 Broke Girls
14:30 Cougar Town
15:00 Go On
15:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
16:00 The Colbert Report
16:30 Arrested Development
17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
18:00 Breaking In
18:30 Happy Endings
19:00 The Neighbors
19:30 The Office
20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay
Leno
21:00 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
21:30 The Colbert Report
22:00 Saturday Night Live
23:00 Entourage
23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
00:00 Supernatural
01:00 Survivor: Caramoan
02:00 Smash
03:00 Treme
04:00 American Idol
05:00 Smash
06:00 Supernatural
07:00 Smallville
08:00 The Closer
09:00 Glee
10:00 American Idol
11:00 Survivor: Caramoan
12:00 Smallville
14:00 The Closer
15:00 Breakout Kings
16:00 Smallville
18:00 The Closer
19:00 The Glades
20:00 Criminal Minds
21:00 The Mob Doctor
22:00 Sons Of Anarchy
23:00 Treme
00:00 The Kingdom
02:00 Hostel
04:00 Imago Mortis
06:00 Warbirds
08:00 True Justice: Dark Vengeance
10:00 Ip Man 2
12:00 The Transporter
14:00 The Ring
16:00 Ip Man 2
18:00 Interview With A Hitman
20:00 The Ring
22:00 Fright Night
00:00 Detention-18
02:00 Detroit Rock City-18
04:00 Zathura: A Space Adventure-PG
06:00 Sleepless In Seattle-PG
08:00 The Perfect Catch-PG15
10:00 While You Were Sleeping-PG15
12:00 Zathura: A Space Adventure-PG
14:00 Best In Show-PG15
16:00 While You Were Sleeping-PG15
18:00 The Decoy Bride-PG15
20:00 Tucker And Dale vs Evil-18
22:00 Detention-18
02:00 Live NBC Nightly News
02:30 ABC World News With Diane
Sawyer
03:00 MSNBC All In With Chris Hayes
04:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow
Show
05:00 MSNBC The Last Word With
Lawrence O’Donnell
06:00 NBC Nightly News
06:30 ABC World News With Diane
Sawyer
07:00 Live NBC Nightly News
07:39 ABC Nightline
08:06 Live MSNBC The Rachel
Maddow Show
10:00 MSNBC Morning Joe
13:00 MSNBC Caught On Camera
14:00 Live NBC Saturday Today Show
16:00 MSNBC Up With Steve Kornacki
17:57 Live MSNBC Hardball With
Chris Matthews
18:38 Live MSNBC The Ed Show
19:19 Live MSNBC The Rachel
Maddow Show
20:00 Live ABC 20/20
21:00 Witness
23:00 MSNBC News
00:00 A Better Life-PG15
02:00 The Muppets-PG
04:00 Mandie And The Secret Tunnel-
PG
06:00 A Better Life-PG15
08:00 Brave-PG
10:00 Batman: Year One-PG15
12:00 The Muppets-PG
14:00 According To Greta-PG15
16:00 Brave-PG
18:00 New Year’s Eve-PG15
20:00 Summer Coda-PG15
22:00 Your Sister’s Sister-18
00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
00:30 Outrageous Food
00:55 Unwrapped
01:20 Unwrapped
01:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
02:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
02:35 Heat Seekers
03:00 Heat Seekers
03:25 Unique Eats
03:50 Kid In A Candy Store
04:15 Andy Bates American Street
Feasts
04:40 Chopped
05:30 Iron Chef America
06:10 Food Network Challenge
07:00 Healthy Appetite With Ellie
Krieger
07:25 Healthy Appetite With Ellie
Krieger
07:50 Healthy Appetite With Ellie
Krieger
08:15 Healthy Appetite With Ellie
Krieger
08:40 Cooking For Real
09:05 Cooking For Real
09:30 Cooking For Real
09:55 Cooking For Real
10:20 Symon’s Suppers
10:45 Symon’s Suppers
11:10 Symon’s Suppers
11:35 Symon’s Suppers
12:00 Staten Island Cakes
12:50 Barefoot Contessa - Back To
Basics
13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To
Basics
13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To
Basics
14:05 Kid In A Candy Store
14:30 Kid In A Candy Store
14:55 Kid In A Candy Store
15:20 Kid In A Candy Store
15:45 Chopped
16:35 Barefoot Contessa
17:00 Barefoot Contessa
17:25 Barefoot Contessa
17:50 Barefoot Contessa
18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
18:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
19:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
19:30 Chopped
20:20 Chopped
21:10 Ultimate Recipe Showdown
22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
22:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives
BEST LAID PLANS ON OSN CINEMA
00:15 The Crucible-PG15
02:15 L.A I Hate You-PG15
04:00 John Rabe-18
07:00 Toast-PG15
08:45 Virtual Lies-PG15
10:15 My Afternoons With
Margueritte-PG15
11:45 Phenomenon-PG
13:45 Sunshine State-PG15
16:00 My Afternoons With
Margueritte-PG15
17:30 Justice For Natalee Holloway-
PG15
19:00 World Trade Center-PG15
21:15 Twelve-18
23:30 Eternal Sunshine Of The
Spotless Mind-PG15
01:15 Shark Tale
02:45 Cher Ami
04:15 Rainbow Valley Heroes
06:00 Cinderella (1950)
08:00 Marco Macaco
10:00 Dolphin Tale
12:00 Shark Tale
13:30 Hey Arnold! The Movie
14:45 Bushwhacked
16:15 Looney Tunes: Back In Action
18:00 Dolphin Tale
20:00 Winx
22:00 Marco Macaco
23:30 Hey Arnold! The Movie
00:00 Anonymous-18
02:30 We Bought A Zoo-PG
05:00 Treasure Buddies-PG
07:00 Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven
Seas-FAM
09:00 A Fall From Grace-PG15
11:00 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most
Wanted-PG
12:45 Muhammad And Larry-PG15
13:45 The Conspirator-PG15
16:00 A Fall From Grace-PG15
18:00 Win Win-PG15
20:00 Flying Lessons-PG15
22:00 30 Minutes Or Less-18
00:00 MSNBC Hardball With Chris
Matthews
01:00 MSNBC Politicsnation
01:00 Super Rugby
03:00 Super Rugby
05:00 Super League
06:30 ICC Cricket 360
07:00 Live AFL Premiership
10:00 Super League
11:30 Live Super Rugby
13:30 Live Super Rugby
15:45 Live Top 14
18:00 Live Super Rugby
20:00 Trans World Sport
21:00 Live Super Rugby
23:00 NRL Premiership
01:00 WWE SmackDown
03:00 Snooker World Championship
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16:30 Live Snooker World
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20:00 Live PGA Tour
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22:00 Live PGA Tour
00:00 Total Rugby
00:30 Asian Tour Golf
05:00 Pro 12
07:00 Super League
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10:30 Live NRL Premiership
12:30 Live NRL Premiership
14:30 Trans World Sport
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00:30 WWE SmackDown
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22:00 WWE SmackDown

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
WHAT’S ON
Places of interest
Sadu House
Al Sadu House stands on Arabian Gulf Street
near the National Museum, representing one of
the last preserved pre-oil -era dwellings in
Kuwait. Al Sadu House became a centre for
Bedouin art and the sale of traditional goods In
1979. Visitors can observe Bedouin women
weaving at their looms, handmaking carpets,
camel bags and tent screens. Opening hours
are Saturday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 1:00
p.m and from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m daily except
Friday. (Tel: +965 2243.2395) Admission is FREE.
The Dickson House
The house of the first British political agent
In Kuwait is still standing. The Dickson House,
located across from the dhow harbour east of
Sief Palace, was originally a Kuwaiti home built
in 1870, but was given to Britain to use as residential
headquarters. The compound was
expanded several times over the years, but
stands as an excellent example of early Kuwaiti
architectural styles. Opening hours are from
Saturday to Thursday 8:30 a.m-12:30 p.m and
4:30 a.m-8:30 p.m Friday 4:30 a.m - 8:30 p.m.
Admission is FREE.
Science & Natural
History Museum
A wealth of education awaits the visitor to
the Science and Natural History Museum on
Abdulla Al Mubarak Street. Each gallery contains
either a collection or an exhibit covering a
wide range of themes. Collections on display
Include fossils, stuffed animals, skeletons, and
dried flowers. There are exhibits on health,
petroleum, space travel, and electronics,
among others. Forming part of the National
Museum complex, the wonderful, modern
Planetarium In the museum complex has
shows at around 18:00 daily: local children,
convinced the room is spinning, clap In syncopated
beats every time the accompanying
music begins.
A museum planetarium shows: Mornings:
1st Show: 10:00 a.m; 2nd Show: 11:00 a. m; 3rd
Show: 12:00 p.m Evenings: 1st Show: 5:00 p.m;
2nd Show: 5:45 p.m; 3rd Show : 6:00 p.m. Note:
Friday & Saturday no morning shows. (Tel: +965
22451195; +965 22456534). Admission is FREE.
Al-Qurain Museum
Located in the residential suburb of Qurain,
This small museum is a memorial to a cell of
young Kuwaiti patriots who tried to resist arrest
in February 1991. Early In the morning, Iraqis
bombarded the house for hours with machine
guns, bombs and eventually a tank. Monday to
Saturday 8.30 a.m - 12.30 p.m; 4.30a.m -8.30
p.m Friday morning off. Afternoon: 4.30 a.m-
8.30 pm. Winter Visiting hours: 4-8.30 pm. 1st
Day of Eid off. Tel: +965 25430343
Al Hashemi Marine Museum
The World’s largest wooden dhow, owned
and build by Hussein Marafie,Al Hashemi is a
‘Baghalah’ of monumental proportions.
Baghalah is a large wooden cargo vessel
which sailed the seas in the nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries. Constructed next to
Radisson SAS Hotel, the double-decked Al-
Hashemi II is dry-docked next to pre-oil era
Kuwaiti village and marine museum containing
models of extinct and modern dhows The
lower deck has the grand ballroom - one of
the finest in Kuwait. Al-Hashemi II has earned
the distinction of being listed in the Guinness
Book of World Records. The museum is
opened Sat. Thu. from 9 am till 5 pm.
Admission is FREE.
Oil Display Centre
The Oil Display Centre at Kuwait is located
20 kilometers in the southern direction from
main city of Kuwait. Oil display center In Kuwait
is set In the Ahmadi area, which is the primary
hub of Kuwait’s oil production where many ollfields
and oil wells are located. This center is a
learning ground for all those who wonder how
oil processing is done. It gives an opportunity
to the tourists to know all about the history
beginning from how oil was explored, drilled,
produced and processed In Kuwait.
The Oil Display Center Is located 20 kilometers
away from Kuwait City, in the southern
direction. This small center throws an insight
into Kuwait’s oil business and the work of the
Kuwait Oil Company, which owns it. It is definitely
worth a visit. Opening hours Sat - Wed
07:00 am -3:00 pm. It is open by appointment.
Tel: +965 23982393; 23989111; 23981678. KOC
can also arrange for groups to tour the oil fields
themselves.
Kuwait Memorial Museum
Before the Iraqi invasion, the museum
housed a collection that has been acclaimed by
International art historians as one of the most
comprehensive collection of Islamic arts.
Located near the National Assembly, comprising
of four buildings and a planetarium. In
1997, the Muhallab II, the replacement for the
magnificent trading dhow from the 1930 that
graced the front yard of the museum before it
was burned by the Iraqis, was constructed on
site and now is open to visitors. Tel (2451195)
Tareq Rajab Museum
Tareq Rajab opened his private collection of
Islamic art treasures to the general public in
1980. The Tareq Rajab Museum in Jabriya features
ceramics, silver and gold jewelry, and
musical instruments. It also houses one of the
finest collections of old Qurans and at her
Arabic manuscripts in the world.
All artifacts are of Arab or Muslim origin and
are labeled for easy viewing. Visiting hours are
from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and from 4:00 to
7:00 p.m. Saturdays through Thursdays. On
Fridays, the museum is open to the general
public only in the mornings, with afternoons
reserved for tours. Opening hours 9:00 -12:00
noon; 4:00-7:00 pm; Ramadan open on weekdays:
09:00-12:00; noon 7:00 pm-10:00 pm;
Fridays usual time. (Tel: +965 25317358) Entry is
KD2 / Adult. Children and students are FREE.
Al Shaab Leisure Park
Located on Arabian Gulf Street, this park has
variety of games & amusements for young &
old including carousels, dodmegs, bowling hall,
billiards, snooker and tennis as well as a theatre
and a cinema. All the amusements are linked
by paths that meander through gardens and
around water fountains. There is a restaurant
block containing branches of most fast food
outlets in Kuwait.
Open daily from 4 pm to midnight (from 10
am on weekends), entry is 500 fils a head and
games cost 250 to 750 fils a go, though a full
ticket may be purchased for a KD 2.500 (Tel:
5613777) http://www.shaabpark.com
The Scientific Center
Kuwait Scientific Center in Kuwait is located
on the waterfront at Ras Al Ardh in the Salmiya
region in Kuwait which serves as a center for
environmental education of the gulf region.
Kuwait Scientific Center at Kuwait was initiated
by late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-
Sabah and its compound covers an area of over
80,000 square meters with the building itself
covering over 18,000 square meters.
The major attractions of the Kuwait
Scientific Center in Kuwait which the tourists
must see are the Aquarium and the interesting
Discovery place. There is also a 250 seat IMAX
film theater. (Tel: +965 1848888)
http://www.tsck.org.kw
Courtesy: Dispatches Magazine
Hans Christan Anderson’s
classic at ESF
The English School Fahaheel Middle
school recently presented a musical
adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s
classic tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. This production
followed the outstanding musical
production of “Jack and the Beanstalk” by the
Middle school last month.
“Little Red Riding Hood” once again showcased
the dramatic and musical talent of ESF’s
younger students.
In stellar roles were Gulnar as Red Riding
Hood, Jen Jon as the wolf, Lyan as Sniffy the
dog (who kept the audience amused) and
Maryam played the Grandma. The whole cast
did a marvelous job at entertaining and
amusing the audience throughout the performance.
A big thank you goes out to the teachers
who put in many hours of hard work to make
this show an outstanding success!

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
WHAT’S ON
KNES students visit Q8 Road and Traffic Safety Program
Early Years children from Kuwait
National English School (KNES) recently
visited the Porsche Early Childhood
Road and Traffic Safety Program under the
Patronage of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Humoud Al-
Jaber Al-Sabah.
This is a terrific program and provides an
opportunity for young children to learn and
follow basic safety rules. The children really
enjoyed themselves and have shared what
they learned with classmates, family and
friends. Who knows, what they learned just
might save a life?
Many thanks for the Q8 Road and Traffic
Safety program for this unique opportunity
from the youngest children at Kuwait
National English School.
NAFO ‘Samanwayam’
The 10th anniversary of NAFO Kuwait will be celebrated
on May 10 at the American International School
Auditorium from 6pm onwards. Indian Ambassador
Satish C Mehta will inaugurate the event. Former Indian
Ambassador to the US and the United Nations T P
Sreenivasan and NSS Director Board Member Pandalam
Sivankutty will be guests of honor. NAFO will also present
an eclectic dance drama ‘Krishna’ which is conceived and
choreographed by Padmashri Shobana. She will be accompanied
by a 15-member troupe from Kalarpana Chennai
and supported by Oscar winner Rasool Pookkutty. It has
voice-overs in English by film personalities such as Irrfan
Khan, Konkonasen, Shabaana Azmi, John Abraham, Prakash
Raj, Stephen Devassy and P Rajeevan.
Basketball Academy
The new Premier Basketball Academy offers coaching
and games every Friday and Saturday from 10 am
onwards for 6 to 18 year olds, boys and girls. Located
in Bayan Block 7, Masjed Al-Aqsa Street by Abdullah Al-
Rujaib High School. Free Basketball and Tee Shirts for all
participants, with certificates and special awards on completion
of each 6 week course. Qualified and experienced
British and American Coaches, Everyone Welcome.
Announcements
Konkani musical show
United Friends Club - Kuwait presents Kuwait Trio’s
Konkani Songit Sanz (a Konkani musical evening)
with fun filled comedy and songs, starring: Gracy
Rodrigues, Clemmie Pereira, Irene Vaz, Lucy Aranha, Espy
Crasto, Bab. Agnel, Katty de Navelim, Salu Faleiro, Gasper
Crasto, Braz de Parra, Anthony D’Silva, Agnelo Fernandes,
Seby & Seby, Zeferino Mendes, Lopes Bros., Comedian
Nelson, Laurente Pereira & Cajetan de Sanvordem-Michael
D’Silva-Mario de Majorda (Kuwait Trio). The show will be
held on Friday, 10th May 2013 at 4 pm at the Indian
Community School (Senior), Salmiya, Kuwait. Music will be
provided by Maestro Shahu.
Kottayam Gramolsav
Kottayam Association, Kuwait is conducting
Malayalam Arts competitions - Gramolsav’ 2013 on
10th May 2013 at United Indian School from 4pm
onwards. The competitions are for Solo Nadan Pattu (Folk
Song), Poetry Recitation and Kathaprasamgam. The group
is divided as Sub-Junior, Junior, senior and Super Senior
where as Kathaprasamgam is only for Junior and Senior
groups. Different committees headed by Jomon Joseph as
General Convener and Renjith Thomas as Joint convener
are making the arrangements. Entry forms are available at
Hi Tech Computers, Hi Dine Restaurant, Family Super
Market and Al-Watan Restaurant, Abbassiya.
Adnan Abd
Al-Rahman
exhibition
Adnan Abd Al-Rahman searches for an identity
with deep thoughts and transparency scraping
the soil to rise amid the absence of light. Like a
Sufi he disappears into the “time and space” of this endless
universe. The ambiguity of his thought allows for
infinite interpretations of the artist’s artwork. Opening
Reception at Gallery Tilal, Shuwaikh, Jahra Road 80. Al
Tilal Complex - M3-M4 on May 5, 2013 at 5:30 pm.
Following Days : 10 am - 2:00 pm and 5:30pm -9 pm.
Saturdays : By appointment
Fridays : Closed
Sebamed goes Instagram
We are glad to inform you that we launched our site
on instagram. Follow us on @sebamedkuwait and
(hashtag)#sebamedkuwait and send us your shots
involving all family members and be the lucky winner of a
valuable prize from Sebamed products.

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
BOSTON: Carmen Blandin Tarleton, of Thetford,
Vermont, speaks with reporters at Brigham and
Women’s Hospital in Boston.— AP
US woman disfigured in
attack reveals new face
BOSTON: A Vermont woman has revealed her new face, six
years after her ex-husband disfigured her by dousing her
with industrial-strength lye, and said she went through “what
some may call hell” but has found a way to be happy. Carmen
Blandin Tarleton of Thetford had face transplant surgery at
Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital in February and
spoke publicly for the first time at a news conference at the
hospital Wednesday. “I’m now in a better place, mentally and
emotionally, than I ever could have imagined six years ago,”
said Tarleton, a former transplant nurse. “I want to share my
experience with others, so they may find that strength inside
themselves to escape their own pain.” In 2007, the 44-yearold
mother of two was attacked by her then-husband,
Herbert Rodgers, who believed she was seeing another man.
Police say he went to the house looking for that man, then
went into a fury directed toward Tarleton, striking her with a
bat and pouring lye from a squeeze bottle onto her face.
When police arrived, Tarleton was trying to crawl to a
shower to wash away the chemical. It already had distorted
her face. In 2009, Rodgers pleaded guilty to maiming Tarleton
in exchange for a prison sentence of at least 30 years. “I
learned that ... forgiveness doesn’t condone anything he did
and it’s not about him - it’s about forgiving him, it’s forgiving
myself, it’s allowing myself to move forward and not getting
stuck in the tragedy of that night,” said Tarleton, who has
undergone 55 surgeries during the past five years.
During the face transplant surgery, more than 30 surgeons,
anesthesiologists and nurses worked for more than 15
hours to replace her skin, muscles, tendons and nerves, the
hospital said. The face donor was a Williamstown, Mass.,
woman named Cheryl Denelli Righter who died of a sudden
stroke, a hospital spokeswoman said. Righter’s daughter,
Marinda, told Tarleton on Wednesday that she looked beautiful,
adding she was certain her mother had somehow picked
Tarleton. —AP
LONDON: Is nanomedicine the next big
thing? A growing number of top drug companies
seem to think so. The ability to
encapsulate potent drugs in tiny particles
measuring billionths of a meter in diameter
is opening up new options for super-accurate
drug delivery, increasing precision hits
at the site of disease with, hopefully, fewer
side effects. Three deals struck this year by
privately held Bind Therapeutics, together
worth nearly $1 billion if experiments are
successful, highlight a new interest in using
such tiny carriers to deliver drug payloads
to specific locations in the body.
US-based Bind is one of several biotechnology
firms that are luring large pharmaceutical
makers with a range of smart drug
nanotechnologies, notably against cancer.
And nanomedicine is also being put to
work in diagnosis, with tiny particles used
to improve imaging in scanners, as well as
rapidly detecting some serious infections.
In future, researchers hope to combine
both treatment and diagnostics in a new
approach dubbed “theranostics” that
would allow doctors to monitor patients via
their medicines.
After much hype but limited clinical success,
scientists in the nanotechnology field
finally see a turning point. “We have been
hearing about the promise of nanomedicine
for a long time, but it is now really
starting to move,” said Dan Peer, who runs
a nanomedicine laboratory at Tel Aviv
University. “There is a new level of confidence
in this approach among the big
pharmaceutical companies ... We will see
more and more products in clinical testing
over the next few years and I think that is
very exciting.”
Nanoparticles made of polymers, gold
and even graphene - a newly-discovered
form of carbon - are now in various stages
of development. In cancer alone, 117 drugs
are being assessed using nanoparticle formulations,
though most have yet to be
tried on patients, according to Thomson
Reuters Pharma data. Other potential applications
include treatments for inflammatory
disorders, heart and brain diseases, and
pain.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Companies are increasingly focused on
better drug targeting to increase efficacy
and lessen the collateral damage caused by
medicinal “carpet bombing” - a particular
problem in cancer, where toxic compounds
are needed to kill tumors. The work on
drug-carrying nanoparticles parallels
advances in using so-called “armed antibodies”
to deliver drugs direct to cancer
cells - an approach championed by Roche.
The Swiss group won US approval in
February for Kadcyla, its first such antibodydrug
conjugate, which treats breast cancer
with fewer side effects like hair loss.
“All these developments have prompted
companies to look at new avenues
because the older ways of using drugs
haven’t worked so well,” said Robert
Langer, a pioneer of nanomedicine who
runs the world’s largest biomedical engineering
laboratory at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Having worked on
drug delivery since the 1970s, Langer has
seen plenty of ups and downs. The world’s
first nanomedicine was actually approved
back in 1995 when US regulators gave a
green light to Doxil for treating Kaposi’s sarcoma,
a cancer often associated with AIDS.
Doxil - a hollow fatty ball known as a
liposome with a cancer-killing drug inside it
- was a breakthrough. Yet few other
nanomedicines have followed. Recent scientific
advances have changed the game,
however. Bind’s nanoparticles, for example,
are programmed to reach the right
spot using targeting molecules that recognize
specific proteins linked to disease on
the surface of cells. They also have a stealth
covering that shields them from the
immune system, in order to minimize
adverse reactions.
Since January, Amgen, Pfizer and
AstraZeneca have all signed up to use
Bind’s technology, which comes from work
originally carried out in Langer’s lab. And
Bind is not the only game in town. Another
approach, using tiny particles of gold as
health
Big drugmakers think small
with nanomedicine deals
Nanomedicine promises
greater precision and monitoring
drug carriers, is being explored in a deal
that AstraZeneca signed in December with
CytImmune. “Anything you can do to
improve targeting of tumors rather than
normal tissue - whether that is through an
armed antibody or nanoparticle approach -
increases the chance of success,” said Susan
Galbraith, who leads AstraZeneca’s oncology
research.
PARALLEL APPROACHES
The work remains early stage and Peer
of Tel Aviv University says all the novel carriers
will have to be studied closely for
potential toxicity. However, experience
with liposomes is good and versions of
gold nanoparticles have also been used
safely for many years to treat rheumatoid
arthritis. Injecting patients with gold may
sound like a pricey option but with thousands
of nanoparticles fitting into the width
of a human hair, the amount of metal used
is tiny. Gold, unlike some other metals, is
not toxic and has been used in various
medical treatments for many years without
harmful effects. Bind CEO Scott Minick also
thinks his polymer technology will have
cost advantages over expensive antibody
drugs.
Further out, Kostas Kostarelos, professor
of nanomedicine at University College
London, has high hopes for graphene - a
one-atom-thick form of carbon. His team is
currently working with graphene nanomaterials
in pre-clinical experiments. “We will
see parallel development of different materials,
each offering something different
therapeutically,” he said. Other venturebacked
nanomedicine firms include
Cerulean Pharma, whose technology has
made a highly potent cancer drug tolerable
but which recently had disappointing
results in a clinical study, and two companies
looking at new vaccines.
Selecta Biosciences has a deal on food
allergy vaccines with Sanofi, while Liquidia
Technologies is allied with GlaxoSmithKline
on vaccines and inhaled products. MIT’s
Langer is convinced more Big Pharma companies
will think small in future. —Reuters
Fears for man-made bird flu bug
PARIS: Immunologists expressed concern
yesterday about the “dangerous” work of
scientists in China who created a hybrid
bird flu virus that can spread in the air
between guinea pigs, and now lives in a
lab freezer. The team from the Chinese
Academy of Agricultural Sciences and
Gansu Agricultural University wrote in the
journal Science they had created a new
virus by mixing genes from H5N1 “bird flu”
and H1N1 “swine flu”. H5N1, transmitted to
people by birds, is fatal in about 60 percent
of cases, but does not transmit between
humans-a characteristic that has prevented
a pandemic so far.
Some argue that hybrid studies like
these shed light on how the virus could
mutate in nature to cause a human epidemic,
and may help us prepare. Since
2003, H5N1 has infected 628 people, killing
374, according to the World Health
Organization. H1N1, which erupted in
Mexico, is highly transmissible and infected
a fifth of the world’s population in a
2009-10 pandemic, but is about as lethal as
ordinary flu. The new mutant virus was
easily transmitted between guinea pigs
through respiratory droplets-which the
Chinese team said proved the deadly H5N1
virus may need but a simple genetic mutation
to “acquire mammalian transmissibility”.
Flu hybrids can arise in nature when
two virus strains infect the same cell and
exchange genes in a process known as
reassortment, but there is no evidence that
H1N1 and H5N1 have done so yet. Some
observers fear that science is putting
mankind at risk by preemptively creating
such mutants. “These are manmade viruses,
they have never been made in Nature.
They are now sitting in a freezer,” virology
professor Simon Wain-Hobson of France’s
Pasteur Institute said.
He pointed to a laboratory leak of foot
and mouth, a cattle disease, which caused
an outbreak in Britain six years ago. It was
unclear how the flu hybrid, which is not
deadly in guinea pigs, would affect peoplebut
Wain-Hobson warned: “These could be
pandemic viruses. “That is, if there was
ever an error of they got out or there was a
leak or whatever, this could infect people
and cause anywhere between 100,000 and
100 million deaths.” Wain-Hobson and others
fear the risk may far outweight the scientific
value of the research. The findings
held little value for finding a vaccine or
treatment that would take years to develop-probably
long after an outbreak, they
argue.
“The record of containment in the highest
containment laboratories is not good.
There have been repeated leaks,” said
Robert May, a former president of Britain’s
Royal Society of science. “You do not do
these things unless there is some call of
extreme emergency,” he said. “We are
encountering a real and present danger
with extremely dubious benefits to the
public.” Virologist John Oxford from the
Queen Mary University of London, however,
said the experiment was a valuable
wakeup call. It showed that the two viruses,
both still infecting people around the
world, can swap genes.
“Mathematics will tell you that sooner
or later a person will get co-infected,” he
said-possibly leading to a hybrid virus “that
will start spreading”. “We need to get ourselves
reorganizes, relook our pandemic
plans and make sure we have H5N1 vaccine
stockpiles,” Oxford said. In January,
scientists in the United States and the
Netherlands resumed controversial
research into their own hybrid flu viruses
after taking a year-long break to allay fears
of the bug escaping the lab or falling into
terrorist hands.— AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
health & science

Al-Madena 22418714
Al-Shohada’a 22545171
Al-Shuwaikh 24810598
Al-Nuzha 22545171
Sabhan 24742838
Al-Helaly 22434853
Al-Fayhaa 22545051
Al-Farwaniya 24711433
Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983
Al-Fahaheel 23927002
Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983
Ahmadi 23980088
Al-Mangaf 23711183
Al-Shuaiba 23262845
Al-Jahra 25610011
Al-Salmiya 25616368
ACCOMMODATION
Sharing accommodation
available for decent single
person (male/female) with a
separate room with attached
bath in Amman Street near
roundabout. Please call 5 pm
to 10 pm 66321532. (C 4399)
1-5-2013
FOR SALE
Nissan Infiniti G37, 2009
model, 6 cylinder, automatic,
SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
6 CD changer, mobile connectivity,
rear view camera,
sunroof, sand color, GPS,
excellent condition, 60,000
Kms. KD 7,000. Contact:
99742340. (C 4394)
4-5-2013
For sale car Corolla model
2000, price KD 700/-. Contact:
99017342. (C 4402)
2-5-2013
CHANGE OF NAME
Rajaraman Sundarraj son of
Kuwait
Sundarraj and Janaki bearing
an Indian Passport No.
K2091792 and having an
address No. 4A-1,
Moongikollai Street,
Kumbakonam PO, Tanjore
DT, Tamilnadu 612001 - had
embraced Islam and
changed the name as Raja
Mohammed. (C 4401)
4-5-2013
MATRIMONIAL
27 year Roman Catholic girl,
158cms, BSN MOH invites
proposals for a suitable
groom - Male nurses
expetional. Email:
rosammaantony72@gmail.com
(C 4400)
2-5-2013
Automated
enquiry about the
Civil ID card is
1889988
KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY
(02/05/2013 TO 08/05/2013)
Hospitals
Sabah Hospital 24812000
Amiri Hospital 22450005
Maternity Hospital 24843100
Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700
Chest Hospital 24849400
Farwaniya Hospital 24892010
Adan Hospital 23940620
Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300
Al-Razi Hospital 24846000
Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9
Clinics
Rabiya 24732263
Rawdha 22517733
Adailiya 22517144
Khaldiya 24848075
Khaifan 24849807
Shamiya 24848913
Shuwaikh 24814507
Abdullah Salim 22549134
Al-Nuzha 22526804
Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764
Al-Qadisiya 22515088
Dasmah 22532265
Bneid Al-Ghar 22531908
Al-Shaab 22518752
Al-Kibla 22459381
Ayoun Al-Kibla 22451082
Mirqab 22456536
Sharq 22465401
Salmiya 25746401
Jabriya 25316254
Maidan Hawally 25623444
Bayan 25388462
SHARQIA-1
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
SHARQIA-2
TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
SPIDERS (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
SHARQIA-3
OBLIVION (DIG)
FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
OBLIVION (DIG)
MUHALAB-1
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
MUHALAB-2
THE CALL (DIG)
OBLIVION (DIG)
GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
MUHALAB-3
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
FANAR-1
THE CALL (DIG)
OBLIVION (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
OBLIVION (DIG)
12:45 PM
2:45 PM
4:45 PM
6:45 PM
8:45 PM
10:30 PM
12:30 AM
12:30 PM
2:30 PM
5:00 PM
7:00 PM
9:30 PM
12:05 AM
1:45 PM
4:15 PM
6:15 PM
8:15 PM
10:15 PM
12:15 AM
12:45 PM
2:45 PM
4:30 PM
6:45 PM
8:45 PM
10:45 PM
2:00 PM
4:00 PM
4:00 PM
7:00 PM
9:00 PM
11:00 PM
12:30 PM
3:00 PM
5:00 PM
7:30 PM
10:00 PM
1:30 PM
3:30 PM
6:00 PM
8:00 PM
10:00 PM
12:05 AM
FANAR-2
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
12:45 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
2:30 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 4:15 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
6:15 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
8:00 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
9:45 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG)
11:45 PM
FANAR-3
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (DIG)
MARINA-1
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
2:00 PM
4:30 PM
6:30 PM
8:30 PM
10:30 PM
12:30 AM
1:30 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
3:30 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG)
5:15 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
7:15 PM
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 9:00 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
11:00 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
12:45 AM
MARINA-2
THE CALL (DIG)
OBLIVION (DIG)
FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
MARINA-3
TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
AVENUES-1
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG)
1:45 PM
3:45 PM
6:15 PM
8:15 PM
10:15 PM
12:15 AM
2:00 PM
4:00 PM
6:30 PM
9:00 PM
11:45 PM
1:15 PM
3:30 PM
5:45 PM
8:00 PM
10:15 PM
12:30 AM
AVENUES-2
OBLIVION (DIG)
12:45 PM
OBLIVION (DIG)
3:15 PM
OBLIVION (DIG)
5:45 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG)
8:15 PM
OBLIVION (DIG)
10:30 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG)
1:15 AM
AVENUES-3
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
360º 1
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
360º 2
FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)
FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)
FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)
FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)
FIRE WITH FIRE (DIG)
360º 3
EMPEROR (DIG)
EMPEROR (DIG)
EMPEROR (DIG)
EMPEROR (DIG)
EMPEROR (DIG)
EMPEROR (DIG)
AL-KOUT.1
TAD, THE LOST EXPLORER (DIG-3D)
SPIDERS (DIG-3D)
2:15 PM
4:15 PM
6:15 PM
8:15 PM
10:15 PM
12:15 AM
1:15 PM
3:15 PM
5:15 PM
7:15 PM
9:15 PM
11:15 PM
1:15 AM
2:30 PM
4:45 PM
7:00 PM
9:15 PM
11:30 PM
1:00 PM
3:15 PM
5:30 PM
7:45 PM
10:00 PM
12:15 AM
1:00 PM
3:00 PM
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
5:00 PM
7:30 PM
10:00 PM
12:30 AM
AL-KOUT.2
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
12:45 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG)
2:45 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
4:45 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG)
6:30 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
8:30 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
10:15 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
12:15 AM
NO SUN+ TUE+WED
AL-KOUT.3
OBLIVION (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
OBLIVION (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
BAIRAQ-1
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
IRON MAN 3 (DIG-3D)
1:45 PM
4:15 PM
6:15 PM
8:45 PM
10:45 PM
12:45 AM
1:30 PM
4:00 PM
6:30 PM
9:15 PM
12:05 AM
BAIRAQ-2
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 12:45 PM
THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT 2 (DIG)
3:00 PM
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 5:15 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
7:30 PM
WINTER OF DISCONTENT (DIG) 9:30 PM
NO TELL MOTEL (DIG)
11:30 PM
BAIRAQ-3
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
OBLIVION (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
THE CALL (DIG)
PLAZA
SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU)
SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU)
GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)
GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)
NO THU
GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)
LAILA
IRON MAN 3 (DIG)
NO MON+TUE+WED
IRON MAN 3 (DIG)
NO MON+TUE+WED
IRON MAN 3 (DIG)
NO MON+TUE+WED
AJIAL.1
SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU)
SHADOW (DIG) (TELUGU)
GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)
GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)
GREEKU VEERUDU (DIG) (TELUGU)
1:45 PM
3:45 PM
5:45 PM
8:15 PM
10:30 PM
12:30 AM
7:00 PM
10:00 PM
4:00 PM
7:00 PM
10:00 PM
5:45 PM
8:15 PM
10:45 PM
6:45 PM
9:45 PM
3:45 PM
6:45 PM
9:45 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
information
DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION
In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation
of bookings will help other passengers use seats
Arrival Flights on Saturday 4/5/2013
Airlines Flt Route Time
BBC 43 DHAKA 00:05
QTR 148 DOHA 00:15
JZR 267 BEIRUT 00:20
SAI 441 LAHORE 01:30
ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 01:45
GFA 211 BAHRAIN 01:55
PIA 239 ISLAMABAD 02:05
UAE 853 DUBAI 02:25
ETD 305 ABU DHABI 02:30
FDB 67 DUBAI 03:10
RBG 555 ALEXANDRIA 03:15
MSR 612 CAIRO 03:15
OMA 643 MUSCAT 03:20
QTR 138 DOHA 03:30
QTR 6130 DOHA 04:15
DHX 170 BAHRAIN 04:20
THY 770 ISTANBUL 04:35
FDB 69 DUBAI 05:50
KAC 412 MANILA 06:15
JZR 359 MASHAD 06:25
BAW 157 LONDON 06:30
KAC 416 JAKARTA 06:35
JZR 529 ASSIUT 06:40
KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 07:25
KAC 382 DELHI 07:30
JZR 503 LUXOR 07:40
FDB 53 DUBAI 07:45
KAC 302 MUMBAI 07:50
KAC 352 COCHIN 08:05
KAC 344 CHENNAI 08:20
UAE 855 DUBAI 08:25
KAC 362 COLOMBO 08:45
ABY 125 SHARJAH 08:50
QTR 132 DOHA 09:00
IRM 1186 TEHRAN 09:10
FDB 55 DUBAI 09:15
ETD 301 ABU DHABI 09:30
JZR 137 BAHRAIN 10:10
GFA 213 BAHRAIN 10:40
IAW 157 BAGHDAD 11:00
JZR 165 DUBAI 11:35
IRM 1188 MASHAD 11:45
MSC 401 ALEXANDRIA 12:00
KAC 284 DHAKA 12:05
JZR 325 NAJAF 12:25
JZR 241 AMMAN 12:35
UAE 871 DUBAI 12:45
MSR 610 CAIRO 13:00
KNE 480 TAIF 13:25
KAC 672 DUBAI 13:40
QTR 140 DOHA 13:45
FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50
KAC 790 MEDINAH 13:55
IRC 6692 MASHAD 14:00
MSR 575 SHARM EL SHEIKH 14:15
SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30
JZR 257 BEIRUT 14:30
KNE 472 JEDDAH 14:35
KAC 788 JEDDAH 15:00
KNE 470 JEDDAH 15:05
KAC 538 SOHAG 15:40
RJA 640 AMMAN 15:55
KAC 118 NEW YORK 16:00
JZR 535 CAIRO 16:10
QTR 134 DOHA 16:15
JZR 125 BAHRAIN 16:25
ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:35
JZR 357 MASHAD 16:50
UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55
SVA 2696 JEDDAH 17:05
ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:10
SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20
GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:20
UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:25
JZR 177 DUBAI 17:30
KAC 176 GENEVA 17:45
JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:50
KAC 502 BEIRUT 18:00
IZG 4167 MASHAD 18:05
KAC 542 CAIRO 18:15
QTR 144 DOHA 18:25
KAC 104 LONDON 18:45
FDB 63 DUBAI 18:55
NIA 251 ALEXANDRIA 19:00
GFA 219 BAHRAIN 19:05
KAC 618 DOHA 19:10
KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25
KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25
MSC 405 SOHAG 19:30
JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35
RBG 553 ALEXANDRIA 19:40
KAC 562 AMMAN 19:55
FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00
OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:00
ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:05
IRA 607 MASHAD 20:10
JZR 189 DUBAI 20:10
MEA 402 BEIRUT 20:15
MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:30
KNE 462 MEDINAH 20:35
AXB 489 COCHIN 20:35
KLM 415 AMSTERDAM 21:05
ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10
UAE 859 DUBAI 21:15
ETD 307 ABU DHABI 21:30
QTR 136 DOHA 21:35
DHX 370 BAHRAIN 21:40
GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:45
QTR 146 DOHA 22:00
FDB 59 DUBAI 22:20
AIC 975 CHENNAI 22:25
KNE 474 JEDDAH 22:25
JZR 239 AMMAN 22:30
UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40
KAC 786 JEDDAH 22:40
JZR 185 DUBAI 22:40
KAC 614 BAHRAIN 23:00
FDB 8057 DUBAI 23:05
DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10
JAI 574 MUMBAI 23:20
JZR 513 SHARM EL SHEIKH 23:20
THY 772 ISTANBUL 23:45
Departure Flights on Saturday 4/5/2013
Airlines Flt Route Time
AIC 976 GOA/CHENNAI 00:05
JAI 573 MUMBAI 00:20
UAL 981 WASHINGTON 00:25
DLH 637 FRANKFURT 00:30
JZR 358 MASHHAD 00:35
KLM 413 AMSTERDAM 00:55
JZR 502 LUXOR 01:30
BBC 44 DHAKA 01:30
THY 773 ISTANBUL 02:20
SAI 442 LAHORE 02:30
ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45
PIA 240 SIALKOT 03:35
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
QTR 6131 DOHA 05:45
FDB 70 DUBAI 06:30
GFA 212 BAHRAIN 07:00
THY 771 ISTANBUL 07:10
JZR 240 AMMAN 07:10
JZR 136 BAHRAIN 07:15
JZR 164 DUBAI 07:25
KAC 537 SOHAG 07:45
BAW 156 LONDON 08:25
FDB 54 DUBAI 08:25
JZR 256 BEIRUT 08:50
JZR 324 AL NAJAF 09:10
JZR 534 CAIRO 09:10
KAC 789 MADINAH 09:15
KAC 671 DUBAI 09:25
ABY 126 SHARJAH 09:30
KAC 787 JEDDAH 09:35
UAE 856 DUBAI 09:50
FDB 56 DUBAI 09:55
QTR 133 DOHA 10:00
ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:15
KAC 101 LONDON 10:25
IRM 1187 IMAM KHOMEINI 10:30
JZR 356 MASHHAD 11:00
GFA 214 BAHRAIN 11:25
KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30
KAC 165 ROME 11:45
KAC 501 BEIRUT 12:00
IAW 158 AL NAJAF 12:00
JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25
MSC 406 SOHAG 13:00
IRM 1189 MASHHAD 13:10
JZR 176 DUBAI 13:20
JZR 124 BAHRAIN 13:30
MSR 611 CAIRO 14:00
KNE 481 TAIF 14:15
UAE 872 DUBAI 14:15
FDB 58 DUBAI 14:30
KAC 561 AMMAN 14:40
QTR 141 DOHA 14:55
IRC 6693 MASHHAD 15:00
MSR 576 SHARM EL SHEIKH 15:00
ظ
Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Word Search
Yesterdayʼs Solution
C R O S S W O R D 1 7 9
ACROSS
1. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.
4. A tub in which clothes or linens can be washed.
11. The leg from the knee to foot.
15. A light touch or stroke.
16. An amine containing the double bond linkage -C=C-N-.
17. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.
18. Jordan's port.
20. Cactus having yellow flowers and purple fruits.
21. Oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food.
22. Informal terms for a mother.
23. A law passed by US Congress to prevent employees from being injured or contracting
diseases in the course of their employment.
25. Spanish singer noted for his ballads and love songs (born in 1943).
28. A genus of Mustelidae.
29. (computer science) A system of world-wide electronic communication in which a
computer user can compose a message at one terminal that is generated at the recipient's
terminal when he logs in.
33. Avatar of Vishnu.
37. Very light colored.
39. A colorless and odorless inert gas.
40. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.
42. The month following October and preceding December.
43. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers.
44. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.
45. Follower of Rastafarianism.
47. A member of an Iroquoian people formerly living around Cayuga Lake in New York
state.
50. A small pellet fired from an air rifle or BB gun.
52. A member of a North American people formerly living in the Colorado river valley in
Arizona.
54. (informal) Being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition.
55. Any of various coarse shrubby plants of the genus Iva with small greenish flowers.
56. Expandable metal or wooden wedge used by printers to lock up a form within a
chase.
58. A bicycle with two sets of pedals and two seats.
60. Flat-topped or rounded inflorescence characteristic of the family Umbelliferae in
which the individual flower stalks arise from about the same point.
63. In great numbers.
65. A language of Australian aborigines.
68. The Japanese art of folding paper into shapes representing objects (e.g., flowers or
birds).
72. A unit of pain intensity.
73. Excellent and delightful in all respects.
76. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.
77. A graphical record of electric currents associated with muscle contractions.
78. (plural) Rare collector's items.
79. (aeronautical) Pertaining to the tail section of a plane.
80. A column of light (as from a beacon).
81. A barge or barge-like vessel used for dredging.
82. An annual award for outstanding achievements in television.
Daily Sudoku
DOWN
1. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.
2. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.
3. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.
4. Small carnivorous mammal with short legs and elongated body and neck.
5. An associate degree in nursing.
6. The capital and largest city of Yemen.
7. Group insurance that entitles members to services of participating hospitals and clinics
and physicians.
8. A native American tent.
9. Not subjected to an aging process.
10. Having a belly.
11. Conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC).
12. East Indian cereal grass whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the
Orient.
13. The capital and largest city of Mongolia.
14. A strong-smelling plant from whose dried leaves a number of euphoriant and hallucinogenic
drugs are prepared.
19. American pioneer and hero of the Texas Revolution (1796-1836).
24. A period of time equal to 1/24th of a day.
26. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.
27. A constitutional monarchy in southeastern Asia on Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.
30. A Portuguese province on the south coast of China and two islands in the South China
Sea.
31. A sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow).
32. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.
34. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trade name Ansaid) that is administered only
orally.
35. Causing or able to cause motion.
36. Evergreen Indian shrub with vivid yellow flowers whose bark is used in tanning.
38. Similar to the giraffe but smaller with much shorter neck and stripe on the legs.
41. A member of the Caddo people who formerly lived in the Dakotas west of the
Missouri river.
46. A public promotion of some product or service.
48. A circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal
mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue.
49. A person serving a prison sentence.
51. 4-wheeled motor vehicle.
53. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and
thermal conductivity of any metal.
57. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.
59. Be in contradiction with.
61. A benign tumor composed of muscle tissue.
62. Smelling like bilge water.
64. A French river.
66. The sixth month of the civil year.
67. A harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment.
69. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.
70. Injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation.
71. In an idle manner.
74. Either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye.
75. (of roads) Made of logs laid down crosswise.
Yesterdayʼs Solution
Yesterday’s Solution

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
SPORTS
White Sox thump Rangers
ARLINGTON: Hector Santiago allowed two hits in five-plus innings
filling in for Jake Peavy on Thursday night, Tyler Flowers hit a threerun
homer and the Chicago White Sox beat Texas 3-1, handing the
Rangers their first series loss of the season. Flowers’ drive just inside
the foul pole in left field was the third straight hit after Texas righthander
Justin Grimm (2-1) retired 10 in a row on the day he was
named AL rookie of the month. Adrian Beltre’s homer in the second
was the only hit through five innings against Santiago (1-1), who
had six strikeouts and two walks in 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander
made his first start of the season and fifth of his career after Peavy
AL Capsules
was scratched because of back spasms.
RED SOX 3, BLUE JAYS 1
Ryan Dempster won his second straight start and the Red Sox
took advantage of a season-high 10 walks to beat the Blue Jays 3-1.
Dempster (2-2) allowed one run and four hits in six innings. The
right-hander, who walked three and struck out four, retired 10 of the
final 11 batters he faced. Winless in his first four starts this season,
Dempster posted his first victory by beating Houston a week ago.
Brett Lawrie homered and Colby Rasmus had three hits but the lastplace
Blue Jays lost for the 12th time in 16 games. Blue Jays left-hander
J A Happ (2-2) allowed two runs and three hits in 3 2-3 innings,
his shortest start of the season. He matched a career high with seven
walks.
TIGERS 7, ASTROS 3, 14 INNINGS
Don Kelly had an RBI single to start a four-run 14th inning and
the Tigers beat the Astros. The Tigers tied it in the eighth with help
from right-fielder Rick Ankiel’s error. Austin Jackson led off the 14th
with a ground-rule double. Jackson advanced to third on a groundout
by Torii Hunter before Houston intentionally walked Miguel
Cabrera and Prince Fielder to load the bases. Kelly’s dribbling
grounder to right field scored Jackson and chased Dallas Keuchel (0-
1), who came in to start the 10th. Matt Tuiasosopo’s two-run double
made it 6-3 before Detroit added a run on a sacrifice fly by Jhonny
Peralta. Luke Putkonen (1-0), who was called up from Triple-A on
Thursday, allowed no hits in the last 2 1-3 innings for the win in a
game that took 4 hours, 50 minutes.
ORIOLES 5, ANGELS 1
Chris Tillman returned to his hometown and outpitched Joe
Blanton with eight scoreless innings of three-hit ball, right fielder
Nick Markakis threw out Mike Trout at the plate, and the Orioles
beat the Angels in the opener of a four-game series. Markakis also
hit an RBI double and Nate McLouth hit a two-run homer in the
ninth. Tillman (2-1) struck out three, walked two and retired 20 of his
last 21 batters. Albert Pujols homered in the ninth inning against
closer Jim Johnson. Blanton (0-5) allowed three runs - two earned -
and eight hits over eight innings.— AP
MLB results/standings
San Diego 4, Chicago Cubs 2; Philadelphia 7, Miami 2; Boston
3, Toronto 1; Washington 3, Atlanta 1; Chicago White Sox 3,
Texas 1; St. Louis 6, Milwaukee 5;Detroit 7, Houston 3 (14
innings); Baltimore 5, LA Angels 1.
CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles Angels catcher Hank Conger looks to field as Baltimore Orioles’ Adam Jones (left) scores
on a double by Chris Davis during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif.— AP
Tough Nationals beat
Braves again, cut gap
ATLANTA: Dan Haren pitched eight sharp innings, Denard
Span hit a two-run double and the Washington Nationals beat
the Atlanta Braves 3-1 Thursday night. The Nationals, who
snapped a nine-game losing streak to Atlanta on Wednesday,
allowed their NL East rivals to get only three runners in scoring
position over two nights. Haren (3-3) won his second consecutive
start, giving up four hits and one run with one walk and
four strikeouts. Washington got off to a good start in the first
off Kris Medlen, breaking its 15-game streak without a firstinning
run. Medlen (1-4) lost his third straight start, allowing
seven hits, three runs and three walks in seven innings. He
struck out eight.
CARDINALS 6, BREWERS 5
Jake Westbrook allowed one run over six innings for his
100th career win and the Cardinals held off the Brewers.
Westbrook (2-1) walked three and struck out four. The Brewers
were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position against him.
Westbrook allowed Norichika Aoki’s double to open the game
and then nothing more until one out in the fourth when the
Brewers pushed across a run on three consecutive singles. He
struck out Alex Gonzalez and then fanned Wily Peralta (2-2),
his third strikeout of the inning. Westbrook left with a 6-1 lead
NL Capsules
for the relievers to protect, but the Brewers scored twice in the
seventh, one in the eighth and one in the ninth.
PHILLIES 7, MARLINS 2
Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown hit solo homers to
back Kyle Kendrick and the Phillies beat the Marlins.
Kendrick (3-1) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven
innings to earn his ninth straight win against the Marlins,
dating to May 28, 2010. Justin Ruggiano hit a solo shot for
Miami. Alex Sanabia (2-4) gave up four runs - two earned -
and six hits in five innings.
PADRES 4, CUBS 2
Yonder Alonso’s two-out fly ball to right field dropped in
front of Julio Borbon for an RBI single that led to a four-run
eighth inning and boosted the Padres over the Cubs for a
four-game series split. Travis Wood (2-2) retired his first 14 batters
before Kyle Blanks singled, and he led 2-0 when Jesus
Guzman reached on an infield single leading off the eighth.
San Diego went ahead with just one hard-hit ball in the
inning, taking advance of two infield hits, the shallow fly and a
passed ball. Joe Thatcher (2-0) pitched one-third of an inning
for the win. — AP
American League
Eastern Division
W L PCT GB
Boston 20 8 .714 -
NY Yankees 17 10 .630 2.5
Baltimore 17 12 .586 3.5
Tampa Bay 12 15 .444 7.5
Toronto 10 19 .345 10.5
Central Division
Kansas City 15 10 .600 -
Detroit 16 11 .593 -
Minnesota 12 12 .500 2.5
Cleveland 12 13 .480 3
Chicago White Sox 12 15 .444 4
Western Division
Texas 17 11 .607 -
Oakland 16 13 .552 1.5
Seattle 13 17 .433 5
LA Angels 10 18 .357 7
Houston 8 21 .276 9.5
National League
Eastern Division
Atlanta 17 11 .607 -
Washington 15 14 .517 2.5
Philadelphia 13 16 .448 4.5
NY Mets 11 15 .423 5
Miami 8 21 .276 9.5
Central Division
St. Louis 17 11 .607 -
Pittsburgh 16 12 .571 1
Milwaukee 14 13 .519 2.5
Cincinnati 15 14 .517 2.5
Chicago Cubs 11 17 .393 6
Western Division
Colorado 17 11 .607 -
San Francisco 16 12 .571 1
Arizona 15 13 .536 2
LA Dodgers 13 14 .481 3.5
San Diego 11 17 .393 6

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
New-look Capitals
down Rangers 3-1
Blues seize on Quick error, beat Kings
ANAHEIM: Alex Ovechkin’s franchise-record
31st career playoff goal got the Capitals
started before less-heralded teammates
Marcus Johansson and Jason Chimera
scored 46 seconds apart, and Washington
beat the New York Rangers 3-1 Thursday
night in Game 1 of their first round series.
Ovechkin, a two-time MVP who led the NHL
with 32 goals this season, crashed the net to
score on a power play about seven minutes
into the second period to tie the game. Carl
Hagelin had put New York ahead 1-0 in the
first period - the only puck that made it past
Braden Holtby, who finished with 35 saves.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is
Saturday in Washington. It’s the third consecutive
season these two teams are facing
each other in the playoffs and the fourth
time in five years. The Rangers eliminated
the Capitals in seven games in the second
round last season.
BLUES 2, KINGS 1
Defenseman Barret Jackman scored his
first career playoff goal with 50.4 seconds
remaining, lifting St. Louis over defending
Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles for the
second straight time. Jackman, a stay-athome
type who totaled three goals and 12
points in the regular season, joined a rush
and scored in transition against Jonathan
Quick, last year’s playoff MVP. He beat Quick
from just inside the blue line for a 2-0 series
lead heading to Los Angeles. The Blues capitalized
on a stickhandling goof by Quick to
win the opener on Alex Steen’s short-handed
goal in overtime. Patrik Berglund’s deflection
tied it early in the third period for St.
Louis, which was swept by the Kings in the
second round last season while getting
outscored 15-6. Dustin Brown scored for the
Kings, who’ll try to rebound in Game 3
Saturday night.
SENATORS 4, CANADIENS 2
Craig Anderson made 48 saves in a spectacular
goaltending performance in Game 1.
Blues edge out Stormers
ALBANY: The Auckland Blues held on for a dramatic 18-17 win over
the Western Stormers in a bruising encounter at North Harbor
Stadium yesterday. The Stormers scored the only two tries of the
match through captain Jean de Villiers but it was not enough as
Blues flyhalf Chris Noakes booted a club record six penalties to get
the New Zealanders over the line. Allister Coetzee’s men combined
plenty of attacking intent with their renowned defence to narrow a
9-3 half-time deficit, only just missing out on a last-gasp victory when
Elton Jantjies scuffed an attempted drop goal after the final siren.
The Blues first win over the Stormers since 2009 keeps them in
touch with New Zealand conference leaders the Waikato Chiefs, who
play the Melbourne Rebels in Melbourne later. Blues captain Ali
Williams praised the way his team bounced back from a narrow loss
to the Queensland Reds last week. “We’re growing, there’s something
exciting here,” he said. “We’re working for each other, that’s the
key thing and we’re having some fun. “(But) that’s a tough Stormers
outfit, I’m sore.” The game began at a frantic pace, with two Noakes
penalties separating the sides mid-way through the first half.
The South Africans should have had the first try on 20 minutes
ST LOUIS: Brian Elliott #1 of the St Louis Blues makes a save against Justin Williams #14 of
the Los Angeles Kings in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the
2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Scottrade Center. — AFP
Jakob Silfverberg and Marc Methot scored
early in the third period to lift the Senators
into the lead. Game 2 set for Friday night at
the Bell Centre. Erik Karlsson and Guillaume
Latendresse also scored for the Senators,
who were outshot 50 31 but saw Anderson
easily win the goaltending duel with Carey
Price, who was beaten twice through the
pads. Rene Bourque and Brendan Gallagher
replied for Montreal, which set a team
record for shots in a regulation-time playoff
game. Montreal center Lars Eller was
wheeled off on a stretcher bleeding heavily
from the nose and was taken to a hospital
with what the team said were head and
facial injuries after he was caught with a
shoulder to the face on an open-ice hit from
Senators defenseman Eric Gryba.
Red Wings 5, Ducks 4, OT
Gustav Nyquist’s power-play goal at 1:21 of
overtime after the Red Wings blew a threegoal
lead in the third period to even their playoff
series with Anaheim. Johan Franzen scored
two goals and Damien Brunner had his first
Stanley Cup playoff goal and two assists for
the Red Wings, who survived a third-period
collapse with a timely goal from Nyquist.
Bobby Ryan scored the tying goal with 2:22
left in regulation for the Ducks, who also got
goals from captain Ryan Getzlaf and Kyle
Palmieri while erasing Detroit’s 4-1 lead with a
phenomenal surge in the final minutes. Game
3 is today’s night at Joe Louis Arena. — AP
after a run from winger Gio Aplon but Andries Bekker was held up
short of the line and they had to settle for a penalty. They set up
another opportunity off the back of a rolling maul, only for the
attack to break down when the ball was knocked on, before Noakes
made it three penalties from three, ending a frustrating half for the
Stormers. A further two penalties after the restart extended the
Blues’ lead and they could have put the game beyond doubt when
Quentin MacDonald dived for the corner but lost the ball forward.
The Stormers’ patience finally paid off when captain Jean de
Villiers released Juan de Jongh for a run at the posts, then collected
the looping offload and bulldozed his way over for the first try of the
match. Another Noakes penalty made it 18-10 before de Villiers cut
loose from the midfield and outpaced Frank Halai for his second try
with six minutes on the clock.
Pietersen added the conversion and the Stormers were given a
final chance from a scrum as the siren sounded. They worked the
ball through 21 phases looking for an opportunity, finally giving the
ball to Jantjies, who mis-kicked, sending the ball skidding along the
turf from the side of his boot. — AFP
SPORTS
Chiefs put
down Rebels
MELBOURNE: Gareth Anscombe
scored a hat-trick of tries as the faststarting
Chiefs prevailed 39-33 over the
Melbourne Rebels in a Super Rugby
shoot-out yesterday. The Chiefs fullback
caught fire in the first half at
Melbourne’s Rectangular stadium,
securing a bonus point for the visitors
in the 27th minute with his third try,
and finishing a 24-point game with
three conversions and a penalty.
Inspired by Wallabies backs James
O’Connor and Kurtley Beale, the Rebels
pulled within a converted try with five
minutes left, but the Chiefs held on to
retain top spot in the New Zealand conference
and be well-placed for a run to
the playoffs.
“Pretty relieved,” Chiefs captain
Craig Clarke said in a pitchside interview.
“Fair play to the opposition for
playing the style they do.” Anscombe
was denied a magical fourth try in the
78th minute by the television match
official, who ruled the ball had been
pushed forward by a team mate just
before the fullback received it wide and
bolted for the left corner. The Chiefs
took a 24-14 lead at halftime, with
Anscombe scoring his first try in the
opening minute and inside centre
Bundee Aki making it 10-0 in the 10th.
Scott Higginbotham put the Rebels
on the board with a try five minutes later,
but Anscombe responded with two
tries in seven minutes, the second courtesy
of a brilliant break from outside
centre Tim Nanai-Williams. The Rebels
were kept in the game by towering lock
Hugh Pyle, who scored the first of a
brace of tries shortly before halftime,
but the Chiefs sprinted away to a 31-14
lead 12 minutes after the break with a
try by flanker Sam Cane. Beale came off
the bench eight minutes into the second
half, making his return after a sixweek
exile from the Rebels.
He was stood down in March for
punching two of his team mates in an
alcohol-fuelled incident on the team
bus in South Africa, and appeared a
bundle of nerves as his first kick went
out on the full on the re-start following
Cane’s try. He was soon brought into
the match by fellow Wallabies back
O’Connor, and helped set up scrumhalf
Nick Phipps for a 68th minute try in the
left corner with a brilliant break at midfield.
Big lock Brodie Retallick pushed
the Chiefs’ lead out to 39-26 by scoring
an enterprising try with 10 minutes to
play after charging down a clearing kick
by James O’Connor.
But that only set up a grandstand
finish as newly slimmed-down Beale
tore through the Chiefs defense, running
wide then cutting back inside to
score a brilliant individual try in the
75th minute. Rebels winger Cooper
Vuna raised the roof at the ‘Stockade’
with a dash along the left touch-line in
the 79th minute but was dragged into
touch just short of the line. The Rebels
stole back possession with a poor lineout
throw but were unable to penetrate
the Chiefs’ last line of defense in a frenetic
finish after the siren. — Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
SPORTS
Snooker: First Asian champion from Afghanistan
KARACHI: Saleh Mohammad yesterday
became the first Afghan to win the amateur
Asian snooker title, expressing hope that his
victory would lift the game in the war-ravaged
country. The 40-year-old, who also represented
Pakistan at a regional and world level from
1988 to 2006, beat Syria’s Omar al Kojah 7-2 in
a one-sided final. “It’s a dream come true for
me,” Mohammad said. “I don’t know, but I can
claim to be the first Afghan to become an
Asian champion in any sport and it means a lot
to my homeland where they clamor for a sporting
title.” Pakistan organized the 29th edition
of the Asian championship despite a rise in violence
in both Karachi and the country at large.
Mohammad, who lived in Pakistan for many
years after becoming a refugee but in 2006
switched to representing Afghanistan, won a
glittering trophy and $7,000. He now runs a
snooker parlor in Kabul and called on the government
of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to
increases its support for the game. “Snooker is
gaining in popularity day by day... and can help
divert youth from being involved in unhealthy
activity to a peaceful and rewarding game,” he
said.
Mohammad reached the final of the world
amateur snooker championship in China in
2003 while representing Pakistan. The
International Billiards and Snooker Federation
president Jim Leacy praised the hosts for
organizing a successful event in which 14
countries featured. “I had no hesitation in coming
to Pakistan and the successful hosting and
wide coverage of the event has made me envious,”
Leacy said at the prize distribution.
India refused to send its players amidst
heightening tension between the two countries
and security fears for their players.
Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association
president Aalmgeer Shaikh hoped the event
would remove doubts about the safety of visiting
sportsmen in the country. “We hope that
more and more international sports will be
held in our country,” said Shaikh. Pakistan has
been a no-go zone for international teams
since militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket
team in March 2009. — AFP
Amir Shooting Grand
Prix begins Thursday
KUWAIT: Kuwait Shooting
Club is putting the final
touches on the preparations
for the launching of The
Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s
annual Shooting Grand Prix
next Thursday. In a press
statement on Thursday,
Kuwait Shooting Club said
the three-day event will see
competitions in different
Olympic shooting contests;
skeet, trap, double trap, 50
meters rifle prone, 50 Engineer Duaij Al-Otaibi
meters free pistol, 25 pistol,
10 meter air pistol and rifle etc. President of Arab Shooting
Federation and the Higher Organizing Committee of the
The Amir Grand Prix Competition Duaij Khalaf Al-Otaibi
expressed gratitude for HH the Amir’s sponsorship of the
completion and his non-stop support to Kuwaiti sports,
particularly shooting. The Amir’s support to Kuwaiti shooters
has resulted in great achievements for Kuwaiti sports,
the latest of which was Kuwait’s shooter Fuhaid Al-
Daihani’s win of his second Olympic medal in the London
Olympic Games. — KUNA
Ilonen takes 3-shot
lead at China open
TIANJIN: A relaxed Mikko Ilonen of Finland brightened his
chances of ending a six-year trophy drought on the European
Tour with a sizzling nine-under-par 63, which gave him a
three-shot cushion at the halfway stage of the China Open
yesterday. Ilonen’s spotless round took him to a two-day total
of 12-under at the $3.2 million event, co-sanctioned with
OneAsia, with two recent winners - Australian Brett Rumford
and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat - chasing him on nineunder.
The Finn, whose two European Tour victories came in 2007,
has already finished ninth in Qatar and second in Morocco this
season and looked set for another strong show at the Tianjin
Binhai Lake Golf Club.
“I hit the ball better than yesterday,” Ilonen, who carded a
69 in the opening round, said. “I gave myself a few more
chances on the greens, especially on the back nine, and managed
to take quite a few of them, so it was a very stress-free
round today. “I didn’t put myself in any trouble at all, which is
always nice, and it’s nice to be three ahead going into the
weekend.”
Rumford, last week’s Ballantine’s Champion, found motivation
in the 67th birthday of his caddie John Roberts to shoot a
five-under-par 67 for a share of second place. “Each player has
their own motivation, I guess, and that varies from day-today,”
said Rumford, who ended a five-year drought with victory
in Korea last week.
“It was in my mind at the beginning of the day that it
would be nice to shoot 67 on Ronnie’s 67th birthday.
Tomorrow I’ll have to find something different to motivate
me.” Thailand’s Kiradech, who won his maiden European Tour
title at the Malaysian Open in March, also carded a 67, mixing
six birdies with a lone bogey. — Reuters
Jet-lagged Els stays
in hunt in Indonesia
Thongchai takes second round lead
JAKARTA: South African Ernie Els
struggled with jet-lag but stayed
within striking distance of Thai veteran
Thongchai Jaidee who took a
two-stroke lead at the halfway
stage of the Indonesian Masters in
Jakarta yesterday. British Open
champion Els was tied fourth, four
strokes behind Thongchai, after
carding five birdies against three
bogeys for a two-under-par 70 at
the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
“Today was a bit of a jet-lag day
for me. I was trying to get some
energy going. Hopefully, I will have
more energy tomorrow. I think my
game is all there. I just need to get a
bit sharper mentally,” the big South
African said. “I was hoping for a better
score but I didn’t quite get it. My
game is not too bad. I just need to
eliminate some really small mistakes.
“This is the type of course where
you can get a little bit aggressive.
I’m hitting the ball quite nicely so I
like to stay aggressive. If I get myself
in position, I will go for flags and get
my putts in,” the four-times major
winner said. A confident Thongchai,
three-times Asian Tour Order of
Merit winner, hit a blemish-free seven-under-par
65 to move two shots
ahead of Australian Scott Barr. “I
hope I can keep my confidence like
this in the next few days.
If I drive, hit and putt like today
then I think I have a good chance to
win the tournament,” the Thai, who
has been joined by his wife and two
sons in Jakarta, said.
“My putting wasn’t that good in
the last few months but it is coming
around now. “I played very solid
and I have no complains at all. I
think I have a chance to go even
lower in the next few days. I’m only
halfway there.
There are many strong players
here but getting off to 10-under
after two rounds gives me a good
chance.” Wade Ormsby of Australia
was three shots behind the leader
and Hung Chien-yao of Chinese
Taipei and three more Australians,
Kieran Pratt, Jake Higginbottom
and Scott Hend, shared fourth place
with Els. — Reuters
JAKARTA: Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand plays during the second day of the
$750,000 CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club.- AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
sports
Sinclair slump is my fault, says Mancini
MANCHESTER: Roberto Mancini has
blamed himself for Scott Sinclair’s failure to
make an impact at Manchester City since his
move to Eastlands. Sinclair, 24, joined the
Blues for £6.2 million ($9.6 million) from fellow
Premier League side Swansea City in
August. But the winger has made only
three starts for Mancini’s side in all competitions,
with most of his appearances being as
a late substitute, and may not make the
starting line-up for City’s league match
away to his former club today.
But Italian boss Mancini insisted yesterday
none of this was Sinclair’s fault,
although he was unsure if the Englishman
will remain at Eastlands, given his last
league start was in September. “I don’t
know this (if he will stay),” Mancini said yesterday.
“This situation with Sinclair is difficult
because I didn’t give him a lot of
chances to play. He is very unlucky. “It is my
fault, not his fault. A young player like Scott
who is a good player deserves to play
always. For him, it was a really difficult year
this year. “Scott is young and he has good
quality but this year was difficult for him. It
is better if he can have another solution,”
the Italian added. “If he stays here, maybe,
he can change everything but I can understand
his frustration in this moment
because he didn’t play a lot of games. “For
me, he is a good player. We have one team.
For him, it was difficult. I repeat: He did
everything well, he worked well, he is a
good guy, he deserves to play. I can understand
when one player can’t play often, it is
difficult.”
Reports in the British media on Thursday
suggested that City are interested in a move
for 27-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder
Fernandinho with £20 million the fee that
may tempt the Ukrainian side to sell the
player. But Mancini believes there will be a
number of clubs interested in the Brazilian
as well as he looks to strengthen his side in a
bid to mount a more aggressive challenge
to recently-installed champions Manchester
United for the Premier League title that City
won last season. “We can talk about
Fernandinho,” said Mancini. “Fernandinho is
a good player but he plays for Shakhtar. I
don’t think there are a lot of good players
around the world. “There are also four or
five top teams who want to buy good players.
It could be difficult.” Former Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho has hinted he may
return to England ahead of next season and
Mancini believes any team under the control
of the Portuguese, linked with a second
spell in charge of Chelsea, would lead to a
more competitive Premier League.
“I think that it is important that next year
(season) there will be four or five teams who
can play for the title,” said Mancini. —AFP
AFC to introduce
ethics committee
KUALA LUMPUR: New Asian soccer chief Sheikh Salman Bin
Ebrahim Al Khalifa will make introducing an ethics committee
a top priority as the Bahraini attempts to bring about sweeping
reform at the scandal- hit Asian Football Confederation.
Just 24 hours before Sheikh Salman claimed a landslide election
win on Thursday, the AFC suffered more embarrassing
headlines with Sri Lankan Vernon Manilal Fernando banned
for eight years by FIFA for unethical behaviour.
Sheikh Salman told Reuters the introduction of a new body
to tackle the problems was an essential part in pushing
through his transparency manifesto. “If there are any wrongdoings
by some, there has to be a tool to have a watchdog on
everybody including the president,” Sheikh Salman said hours
after hosting his first AFC Congress. “I think this can be done in
the next two years and hopefully we will do it, by the end of
the year we will have to have something up and running.
“It is disappointing that we haven’t created an ethics committee
to look at these matters to have a proper mechanism
to tackle these things and I think FIFA will support us on that.”
The married father of three takes over the AFC at a difficult
time with the body suffering bribery issues amongst members,
allegations of age cheating in Southeast Asian competitions,
violence on the field, referee abuse in Lebanon and
player deaths in Indonesia. But undoubtedly the biggest problem
is match-fixing, with cases rife in nations big and small
including China, South Korea, Malaysia, Lebanon and
Singapore. “I think we need, whether it is a task force, a committee
or a team, to look into these matters and see what the
proper matters are to fight it and hopefully with the support
of FIFA and the local governments as well,” the 47-year-old
said. “I don’t think it can be done on our own. There are a lot
of resources that are going to be put into that. It is a responsibility
for all - not just the AFC.”
CARETAKER PRESIDENT
Sheikh Salman will initially serve two years rather than the
normal four because he is effectively replacing former leader
Mohammed Bin Hammam who was dismissed by FIFA for
bribery and corruption halfway through what was the Qatari’s
third term. During the near two-year interim period under
caretaker president Zhang Jilong of China, while Bin Hammam
attempted to clear his name, the AFC largely went to ground,
releasing few statements as the problems mounted.
Sheikh Salman said this would no longer be the case and
the AFC would have a voice in world soccer. “Our voice has to
be heard, especially if it is related to match-fixing, corruption
and any misleading actions or whatever,” the head of the
Bahrain FA said. “We have to have a strong monitor and, of
course, the support Asian needs, whether it is for its own interests,
of course I will be heard.”
During his campaign there were many loud voices alleging
he was guilty of human rights breaches during the prodemocracy
uprising. Bahrain crushed Shiite-led demonstrations
that began in February 2011. At least 35 people were
killed. Lower-level unrest has continued since then and Sheikh
Salman said he had been the victim of a smear campaign.
“Unfortunately to say some media are controlled by other
people ... to say what they want whether it is the truth or not,”
he said.— Reuters
FIFA president Blatter
targets another term
Vice-president opposes Euro WCup cut
KUALA LUMPUR: FIFA president Sepp
Blatter again hinted he plans to stand for
another four-year term as the head of world
soccer during a speech to AFC delegates in
which he called for more World Cup places
for Asian teams. The 77-year-old Swiss,
speaking at the Asian Football
Confederation Congress in Kuala Lumpur
yesterday, was discussing his reform plans
before he appeared to reveal he was not
going to quit the presidency in two years
time. “This will be the last term of, not of
office, the last term of the reform,” Blatter
said, smiling as he delivered the message.
Blatter went on to describe that the
reform period, brought in to clean up the
scandal-hit body that has seen members
routinely banned on graft charges, would
end in 2015. The Swiss ignored reporters’
requests to clarify his position after the
Congress. Blatter had previously said he
planned to step down from office at the
end of his latest four-year term in 2015 but
opened up a loophole in March by adding
that was providing he could find someone
to carry on his legacy.
UEFA president Michel Platini, who
watched on Thursday as Sheikh Salman Bin
Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain won the AFC
presidential election in a landslide, has long
been tipped to replace Blatter. Sheikh
Salman said he was grateful for the backing
Blatter had given the AFC and said he
would reciprocate should the Swiss choose
to stay on. “If he announces, of course,”
Sheikh Salman told reporters. “He has
always been a supporter of Asian football
and if he can fulfill and continue as a president
of course I’ll support him.”
WORLD CUP PLACES
Blatter also questioned the logic of
Platini’s European confederation having so
many World Cup places in what could be
seen as a campaign for votes in Asia. “We
have to start to see the access to the World
Cup, the access to the World Cup should be
a little bit better balanced,” Blatter said. “In
2014 in Brazil 32 teams, one has qualified
from South America (Brazil as hosts) and
then you have 13 teams from one of the
continents, which is Europe, and possibly
five more from South America,” Blatter said.
“If this happens then you have 19 out of
32, there is no chance to kick them out
before one of them is in the semi-finals.
This is the law of the numbers. “We shall
have a look on this, you should have a look
on that and bring such items on the agenda
because we should have a better balance.”
Asia has four guaranteed places at
the next World Cup in Brazil with a fifth
possible if another side beats a South
American team in an intercontinental playoff.
Sheikh Salman, also head of the Bahrain
Football Association, welcomed talk about
more places for Asia. His country has never
qualified for a World Cup finals and were
denied a place at the 2010 tournament
when they were beaten by New Zealand in
a playoff. “I think it has to be looked at, it
has to be studied,” he told reporters after
the congress. “We have to look at the future
and the interest of Asian teams and national
associations. The teams have progressed
very well in the last few years and I hope we
can earn more seats at the World Cup.”
Any plans by Sepp Blatter to cut the
number of European places at future World
Cups will be opposed by Britain’s FIFA vicepresident
Jim Boyce. Blatter, the president
of FIFA, football’s global governing body,
called on Friday for more berths for Asian
teams at future editions of the World Cup.
The Swiss, speaking at a meeting of the
Asian Football Confederation in Kuala
Lumpur, said FIFA should allow more Asian
teams at the expense of European and
South American nations, stressing that Asia
provides 50 percent of the body’s revenues
with Europe contributing less than 20 percent.
Asia currently has four automatic
spots at the World Cup, with another available
if an Asian team wins an intercontinental
play-off. Europe has 13 places out of the
total of 32. A reduction in the number of
European places would be seen as a slight
to France football great Michel Platini, the
head of European governing body UEFA,
who is expected to bid for the FIFA presidency
in 2015.— Agencies
KUALA LUMPUR: Newly elected Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (left) is congratulated by
FIFA President Joseph Blatter during the AFC Extraordinary Congress 2013
held in Kuala Lumpur. —AFP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Orb, Verrazano battle
in wide-open Derby
KENTUCKY: Few sports fluctuate as much as horse
racing and even fewer races are as unpredictable as
the Kentucky Derby. This year’s race, at Churchill
Downs today, is no different and looms as one of the
most open in decades. The early favorite is Orb, who
won the Florida Derby, one of the key traditional leadup
races, in brilliant fashion. His main challenger, at
least in betting circles, is the unbeaten Verrazano, but
this is anything but a two-horse race.
With a capacity-field of 20 impeccably bred threeyear-olds,
the 139th Kentucky Derby has all the makings
of a classic. An expected crowd of more than
160,000 will cram into the track while tens of millions
of people will watch the race, dubbed the most exciting
two minutes in sport, on television. The only sure
bet is that the winner of the Run for the Roses will
instantly be feted as the sport’s new great hope, raising
expectations he can emulate the likes of
Secretariat and Seattle Slew by winning the Triple
Crown.
But the Triple Crown will have to wait. With no
obvious standout horse from this year’s field, no one is
taking anything for granted before the mile and a
quarter race on dirt, one of the toughest tests for a
thoroughbred. Orb was installed as the 7-2 favorite
after winning each of his three runs this season,
including the Florida Derby, but his trainer Shug
McGaughey said he would still need some luck after
drawing the 16 hole.
A Hall of Fame trainer who has prepared nearly 250
graded stakes winners but never a Kentucky Derby
winner, McGaughey said his prospects could be decided
at the first bend. “Hopefully, he’ll get a clean trip
around the first turn, which I think is very important,”
McGaughey told reporters. “That’s where all the jamming
up comes. Going down the backside, hopefully,
he can ease in and save a little ground, but not be
down in there and not be able to make a run when
the time comes.”
HEAVY RAIN
Verrazano, named after the New York City bridge
connecting Brooklyn with Staten Island, has won his
four career starts, all this season. He was listed as the
4-1 second pick but has the added weight of history
against him. The last horse to win the Kentucky Derby
that did not race as a two-year-old was Apollo in 1882
but Verrazano’s trainer Todd Pletcher was unfazed by
the doubters. “As far as Orb being the favorite over
Verrazano, that’s not an issue. He (Orb) deserves to be
the favorite,” said Pletcher, who has five runners in the
race. “And it might even be an advantage. There’s usually
more pressure on the favorite.” Goldencents was
rated the next best chance, at odds of 5-1, but none of
the 20 runners were longer than 50-1.
His trainer Doug O’Neill won the race last year with
I’ll Have Another and is hoping history will repeat
itself after both horses finished off their Derby preparations
by winning the Santa Anita Derby. Heavy rain
is forecast for today’s race but O’Neill was unconcerned
about the weather.
“From what I know about this track, it handles
water real well,” said O’Neill. “As long as we don’t have
any gushers just before or during the race, I think we’ll
all be all right.” Goldencents is part-owned by Rick
Pitino, the coach of the University of Louisville men’s
basketball team that won this season’s NCAA championship.
His jockey is Kevin Krigger, bidding to become the
first African American rider to win the Kentucky Derby
since Jimmy Winkfield won for the second time in
1902. Rosie Napravnik is also chasing history in the
saddle, hoping to become the first female to boot
home the winner. Two years ago, she finished ninth in
the Derby, the best placing by a female rider. Last
year, she won the Kentucky Oaks. This time she is
aboard Mylute, a 15-1 shot. The lone international
entrant this year is Lines Of Battle, trained in Ireland
by Aidan O’Brien, and rated a 30-1 pop. — Reuters
Photo of the day
SPORTS
Mark Webber and Infiniti Red Bull Racing drives in for a pitstop
during the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. www.redbullcontentpool.com
Boxing - Klitschko faces
cancer-survivor Pianeta
BERLIN: World heavyweight champion
Wladimir Klitschko takes on undefeated
challenger Francesco Pianeta
today in a busy summer for the
Ukrainian champ with a bumper payday
against Russia’s Alexander
Povetkin looming on the horizon.
The 37-year-old Klitschko will defend
his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts in
Mannheim, south-west Germany,
against German-Italian Pianeta who
survived testicular cancer three years
ago and has a record of 28 wins and
one draw.
Pianeta beat 48-year-old former
world champion Oliver McCall on
points last year, then laboured to
another points win over South
Africa’s Francois Botha, 44, but is
eager to face the reigning champion.
“I will bust my backside to get those
belts. I am sure that everyone is beatable,”
said the 28-year-old, who has a
tattoo bearing Julius Caesar’s boast
“veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered).
Unlike Klitschko’s recent victims,
Poland’s Mariusz Wach,
Frenchman Jean-Marc Mormeck and
Britain’s David Haye, Pianeta has
already faced Klitschko, having been
a former sparring partner.”He knows
what he’s getting himself into and
that’s why he’s confident that he can
win this fight,” said Klitschko’s trainer
Johnathon Banks. “That’s what’s
going to make this fight a good one.”
With 143 sparring rounds under
his belt in training, Klitschko is looking
for the 60th win of his career with
50 knock-outs and he has no plans to
add to his three defeats, the last of
which came nearly a decade ago.
Klitschko has said he will do “everything
for a clear win” having been
ordered by the World Boxing
Association to face Povetkin in
Moscow on August 31 at the city’s
60,000-seater Olympic Hall.
Russian promoter Vladimir
Hryunov won the purse bid to stage
that bout with a staggering $23.33
million bid last week. The Ukrainian is
entitled to 75 percent of that figure,
which would give him a career-high
$17,250,000 purse. Povetkin is the
‘regular’ WBA champion and
Klitschko the governing bodies’
‘super’ champion-an honor
bestowed on him when he added
the WBA belt to his three others with
a points win over Haye in 2011.
Now Klitschko and Povetkin are
obliged to fight in order to leave just
a single WBA belt-holder. The two
former Olympic champions were due
to clash twice before but Povetkin
pulled out in 2008 because of injury
and then backed out a second time
in 2010. Klitschko has banned any
questions about Povetkin and opted
to face Pianeta in a voluntary defense
of his titles. —AFP
Spain investigates
possible match fix
BARCELONA: The Spanish soccer league is investigating
a game between first division clubs Levante and
Deportivo La Coruna for possible match-fixing. League
spokesman Juan Carlos Santamaria said yesterday the
league is examining Deportivo’s 4-0 win at Levante on
April 13. Levante issued a statement on its website saying
it will “help and collaborate with any investigation.”
“I have spoken with (league president) Javier
Tebas and he has passed on indications (of a fix)”
Levante club president Quico Catalan told El Pais
newspaper.
Deportivo coach Fernandez Vazquez denied any
wrongdoing by his club. Following the heavy loss to
Deportivo, Levante forward Jose Barkero apparently
accused four of his teammates- captain Sergio
Ballesteros, goalkeeper Gustavo Munua, forward Juan
Luis “Juanlu” Gomez, and defender Juan Francisco
“Juanfran” Garcia- of a suspicious lack of effort in the
match. Barkero later publicly retracted his accusations.
It is not clear if the league had already begun investigating
prior to leaks of Barkero’s accusations.
“I only want to make public what I have told my
teammates,” Barkero said at a news conference on
Wednesday. “I asked them for forgiveness, above all
my four teammates, those who I accused of something
erroneous. I ask Ballesteros, Munua, Juanlu, and
Juanfran for forgiveness for what I have done to their
image, their persons and their family, because they
didn’t deserve it. “I am the one who was wrong. I
accused them of something that didn’t really happen.”
Match-fixing is a crime in Spain and can lead to
prison time for individuals or expulsion of a club from
official competition. Deportivo is in a fight to avoid relegation.
Stuck in last place in Spain’s first division last
month, it started a four-game winning streak that ended
with the lopsided victory at Levante. The previous
wins were against teams also struggling to avoid relegation
- 3-1 over Celta Vigo, 3-2 over Mallorca, and 3-2
over Real Zaragoza.
Deportivo has since tied two more games and currently
lies one point above the relegation zone with
five games left. “As an athlete I’m slightly offended,”
Vazquez, the Deportivo coach, said. “But I believe that
we athletes have our conscience clean. I don’t know
about Barkero.” Deportivo became the latest Spanish
club to seek bankruptcy in January. It spent last season
in the second division and would take a hard economic
hit if it dropped down again this summer.
Levante, meanwhile, has lost four straight games,
its worst run in two seasons under coach Juan Ignacio
Martinez. The modest Valencia-based club was the
darling of the Spanish league last season when it
briefly occupied first place in the standings for the
first time and ended the season by qualifying for the
Europa League. Tebas, who was recently elected
league president, said that one of the priorities was
stamping out match-fixing. “UEFA and FIFA say it only
happens in 1 percent of matches,” Tebas told El Pais
on April 28. “But if one game of the 380 played in the
first and second division is fixed, it’s a serious problem.
The first thing we have to do is recognize it’s a
problem.” — AP

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
SPORTS
German League Preview
Relations cool as Euro finalists clash
BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-
Joachim Watzke has admitted relations
between his club and Bayern Munich are
far from cordial as the Bundesliga rivals
prepare to meet today in a dress rehearsal
for the Champions League final. With
Bayern having already won the league
and Dortmund second in the table,
today’s match at Borussia’s Signal Iduna
Park stadium is no more than a warm-up
for the Wembley final on May 25.
But relations between Germany’s top
two clubs are strained despite the promise
of a first European Cup showpiece involving
two German teams. “I have always
spoken with a lot of respect and admiration
for Bayern. But that has cooled. There
are a few irritations now,” said Watzke
after Borussia beat Real Madrid 4-3 on
aggregate in their Champions League
semi-final to reach the final itself. After
news broke last Tuesday that 20-year-old
Germany star Mario Goetze has actioned a
release clause in his Borussia contract to
join Bayern in July for a reported 37 million
euros ($48.3m), there is little love lost
between Dortmund and the Bavarians.
Watzke insisted there is no animosity
between the clubs, but the Bayern delegation
have not been invited as usual to dine
with their Dortmund counterparts, and
will be greeted “with a handshake”.
Certainly, Bayern have shown Dortmund
little courtesy recently, especially since
their 3-0 win at Barcelona on Wednesday
gave them a 7-0 victory on aggregate in
the other Champions League semi-final.
“We’ve got an easy away game today, so
let rip. We’re already German champions,”
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
told the team after the win in Barcelona as
they prepare to face last season’s domestic
double winners.
Likewise, Bayern president Uli Hoeness
stirred things up in February after
Dortmund’s 1-0 defeat in the German Cup
quarter-final at Munich’s Allianz Arena
when he said: “The status quo in German
football has clearly been restored”. But
Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said his
side are looking forward to today’s match.
“This won’t be a character test, it’s just a
game we really, really want to play
because we want to put on a great
evening for our fans,” said the 45-year-old.
THE BOYS WILL RUN LIKE HARES
Dortmund will be without Goetze, who
tore his left hamstring against Real on
Tuesday, while Germany midfielder Sven
Bender is out with damaged ankle ligaments.
Meanwhile, Bayern coach Jupp
Heynckes said he will not be fielding his
top side in Dortmund. “I think both coaches
will collect their flock together and see
who has the gas, who has the energy.
Because of that, today’s game has no significance,”
said Heynckes.
Today’s clash is certainly the battle of
the Bundesliga giants. Dortmund have
won all of their last six league games, and
are one short of their own Bundesliga
record, set in 2005, for the most consecutive
league wins. Their current sequence is
however bettered by Bayern, who have
won 14 matches on the spin. Munich have
lost four and drawn one of their last five
league games against Borussia but, with
84 points, the Bavarians have already set a
new record for the most points in a
Bundesliga season. Dortmund were the
previous record holders after registering
81 points a year ago.
The top three places in the Bundesliga
are virtually decided, with Bayer
Leverkusen set to take the final automatic
berth in next season’s Champions League.
Beneath them, however, Schalke still have
work to do to make sure of finishing
fourth as they go to Borussia
Moenchengladbach.
While bottom side Greuther Fuerth
have already been relegated, secondfrom-bottom
Hoffenheim badly need a
win at Werder Bremen, who themselves
are just two points above the drop zone.
Likewise, 16th-placed Augsburg need
three points at Freiburg tomorrow with
their hosts eager to hold onto sixth place
and a Europa League berth. — AFP
ITALIAN LEAGUE PREVIEW
Juventus on verge
of 29th Serie A title
NAPLES: Juventus will secure their 29th Serie A title with a draw at home
to relegation-threatened Palermo tomorrow as the battle for places in
Europe, and to stay in Italy’s top flight, heats up. A draw for Juventus in
Turin would give Antonio Conte’s champions an unassailable 12-point
lead over Napoli with three games remaining after this weekend. All
Walter Mazzarri’s Napoli’s side can realistically hope for is a win at home
to Inter tomorrow in order to cement second place, which offers direct
qualification for next season’s Champions League.
AC Milan sit in third ahead of the visit of Torino to the San Siro tomorrow,
but are still seven points behind Napoli and are under pressure for
the third and final Champions League spot from Fiorentina, in fourth only
one point adrift. Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik has all but admitted his
side’s title hopes are over, but the Slovakian admitted Juve had simply
been better. “We’ve had a great season and only slipped up a few times.
Unfortunately, Juventus did better,” Hamsik told Sky Sport Italia. “I can’t
have any regrets. We’re improving as a team and you can’t turn your nose
up at a second place finish.”
Juventus have lost only four times this season and with 66 goals are
second only to Roma for goals scored (68). In the absence of an out-andout
striker, Juventus’s top scorer this campaign has been Chilean Arturo
Vidal, who has scored nine in the league and 14 in all competitions. He is
now just three short of becoming Juventus’s most prolific midfielder in a
single Serie A season, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Any joy
Napoli may garner from qualifying for Europe’s top table next season may
be tempered by the expected sale of their top scorer, Edinson Cavani.
The Uruguayan has scored a league-leading 23 goals, five more than
Udinese marksman Antonio Di Natale, but is expected to be sold to either
Real Madrid or Manchester City in the summer. Reports have also suggested
Mazzarri could be enticed elsewhere. Hamsik, who has shone this
season playing alongside Cavani and fellow forward Goran Pandev in
Mazzarri’s 4-3-3 formation, signed a contract extension at Napoli despite
several enticing offers from around Europe. He admitted: “I don’t have
any regrets and I’m happy to be here. I hope Mazzarri and Cavani can stay
here.”
Milan, meanwhile, welcome a Torino side still hurting from last week’s
2-0 derby defeat to Juventus and will possibly be without influential midfielder
Riccardo Montolivo after he suffered a knock in training on
Thursday. Striker Giampaolo Pazzini, who scored twice in a crucial comefrom-behind
4-2 win over Catania, was also a concern although Milan said
Montolivo “suffered from a muscular problem and will be evaluated over
the next few days.” — AFP
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Norwich v Aston Villa 17:00
Abu Dhabi Sports HD6
Swansea v Man City 17:00
Abu Dhabi Sports HD4
Fulham v Reading 17:00
Abu Dhabi Sports HD9
Tottenham v Southampton 17:00
Abu Dhabi Sports HD3
Abu Dhabi Sports HD5
West Ham v Newcastle 17:00
Abu Dhabi Sports HD8
West Brom v Wigan 17:00
Abu Dhabi Sports HD7
QPR v Arsenal 19:30
Abu Dhabi Sports HD3
Abu Dhabi Sports HD5
SPANISH LEAGUE
Valencia v Osasuna 17:00
Al Jazeera Sport +2
Granada v Malaga 19:00
Al Jazeera Sport +5
Real Madrid v Valladolid 21:00
Al Jazeera Sport +2
Deportivo v Atletico 23:00
Al Jazeera Sport +8
ITALIAN LEAGUE
Chievo v Cagliari 19:00
Al Jazeera Sport +1
Matches on TV
(Local Timings)
Fiorentina v Roma 21:45
Al Jazeera Sport +1
GERMAN LEAGUE
Werder v Hoffenheim 16:30
Dubai Sports
Stuttgart v Greuther Furth 16:30
Dubai Sports
Nuremberg v Leverkusen 16:30
Dubai Sports
Frankfurt v Fortuna 16:30
Dubai Sports
Hannover v Mainz 16:30
Dubai Sports
Dortmund v Munich 19:30
Dubai Sports
FRENCH LEAGUE
Marseille v Bastia 18:00
Al Jazeera Sport +4
Toulouse v Lille 21:00
Al Jazeera Sport +8
Montpellier v Brest 21:00
Al Jazeera Sport +4
Sochaux v Lorient 21:00
Al Jazeera Sport +7
Troyes v Gaillard 21:00
Al Jazeera Sport +10

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
LONDON: Chelsea’s Spanish interim manager Rafael
Benitez shouts to his players during the Europa League
semi-final second leg football match between Chelsea
and FC Basel at Stamford Bridge in London on May 2,
2013.— AFP
LONDON: Chants of “Jose Mourinho”
rang around all four sides of Stamford
Bridge. Fans sang loud and proud about
club stalwarts Frank Lampard and John
Terry, too. Still nothing, though, for the
man who has defied debilitating circumstances
to guide Chelsea to a second
straight European final as well as the
brink of a return to the Champions
League. Rafa Benitez knows full well he’ll
never be accepted by Chelsea supporters
following his past comments about the
club during his time as Liverpool manager,
but it’s hard not to notice the grudging
respect toward the Spaniard as his shortterm
reign approaches its end.
Once greeted with boos and jeers as
he emerged from the tunnel before
matches, now there is just a stony silence
that will be music to the ears of Benitez.
Fans on website forums and radio phoneins
are even starting to credit the job he is
doing, justifiably. Considering the team’s
crazy fixture schedule - it’s 64 matches
and counting this season - and the hostility
he’s had to cope with since joining as
interim manager in November, Benitez
will leave Chelsea this summer with his
reputation enhanced and possibly another
trophy on his impressive CV.
“With all the circumstances that were
around at the beginning - the situation
with the squad, being without (January
signing) Demba Ba, a team in transition -
we’ve done a good job,” Benitez said on
Thursday after Chelsea’s 3-1 win over
Basel that set up a Europa League final
against Benfica on May 15. “We were professional
trying to improve things without
much time, because we’ve been playing
twice a week, and we did well. Hopefully
we can finish even better.” His famous
outburst after an FA Cup win at
Middlesbrough in February could go
down as a turning point in Chelsea’s season.
Benitez stated in a feisty post-match
news conference that he would definitely
be leaving the club at the end of his interim
stay, before criticizing fans for not getting
behind him and the club’s hierarchy
for giving him the “interim” tag. There
have been few murmurs since, helped by
the fact that Chelsea has lost only four of
its 16 matches in the past two months -
two of those defeats coming in away legs
in the Europa League. Chelsea has won
all eight of its home games in that period.
“I think what’s key is that the fans
have settled down a bit,” Manchester
United manager Alex Ferguson, a longtime
foe of Benitez’s, said on Friday.
“They have left him alone and he’s gone
on doing his job, because it can’t be easy
listening to criticism from fans all the
time.” “They’ve eased off on him,” added
Ferguson, who will renew his touchline
rivalry with the Spaniard in a Premier
League game on Sunday, “and it’s
allowed him to relax himself. He has produced
some good results and he has
picked the right teams in the right
games. He has rested and brought in certain
players. It’s been a good period for
him.”
Faced with a game every three or four
days since the start of February, Benitez
has to be given credit for the way he has
rotated his squad to deal with the
demands of a punishing, unprecedented
sports
Benitez gaining grudging respect at Chelsea
Old rivalry renewed as
Liverpool face Everton
LONDON: Out of contention for a place in the European positions,
Liverpool has a new target for the remainder of the
English Premier League season - finishing above local rival
Everton. The neighbors meet at Anfield tomorrow, with sixthplace
Everton five points ahead of seventh-place Liverpool
and knowing a win will guarantee its status as the top club on
Merseyside for a second straight season.
Outdoing Liverpool two years in succession has not happened
for more than 50 years, however, and the job is far
from done for Everton, with Liverpool holding an impressive
home record against its oldest foe and buoyant after a 6-0
win at Newcastle last weekend. Everton has not won at
Anfield since 1999, while manager David Moyes has led his
team to victory against Liverpool only three times in his 21
attempts. “The fact that they haven’t won at Anfield for so
long has to play on their minds,” Liverpool midfielder Stewart
Downing said. “I am sure David Moyes will get right amongst
them. He must be desperate to beat Liverpool. But we don’t
want that record to end. We did really well against Everton in
the three games last season. “We have to be ready and make
sure we start well. It will be a good test for us and it will be
tight with battles all over the pitch, but we’re confident we
can get another win.”
Liverpool will look to close the gap to two points with two
games to play but is without star striker Luis Suarez, who
recently started a 10-match ban for biting an opponent.
“Derbies mean a lot and we know what’s at stake,” Everton
midfielder Steven Pienaar said. “For the people of the city
and the pride of the club, it’s one of those games you don’t
want to lose. “We will give everything to make sure we come
away from Anfield with three points because it has been a
long while since we won there.”
A victory would not only give Everton the bragging rights
for another season - it would also keep the club’s faint hopes
alive of qualifying for next season’s Champions League as it
bids to chase down Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea. Thirdplace
Chelsea qualified for the Europa League final by beating
FC Basel on Thursday but finishing in the league’s top
four remains the priority and it faces a tough match against
already crowned champion Manchester United tomorrow.
Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez has rotated the squad to
keep his players as fresh as possible in the two competitions,
with the team embarking on a hectic run-in that sees it play
five games in 15 days. —AP
MANCHESTER: Manchester United
manager Alex Ferguson is resorting
to light-hearted bribery to keep his
Premier League winners focused on
tomorrow’s match against Chelsea by
telling them they will only be allowed
a day at the races if they win. His players
sealed a 20th league title last
week and there has been a party
mood around the club since,
Ferguson even sharing champagne
with reporters at yesterday’s news
conference.
“I never took into account all the
(celebration-type) things that happen,”
he said. “The PFA award, our
own Player of Year awards, the
parade and then (Nemanja) Vidic
came to me last week and asked if the
team could go to Chester races on
Wednesday. “And I said without
thinking “Yeah, of course” but then
when you put all these things together
you think ‘what the hell!’. “I hope
they don’t forget there’s a game of
football to be played, now if they
don’t win I think that would be cancelled.”
The incentives do not end there. “In
actual fact, I think I’ve got two horses
running on Wednesday so I’ll give
them a tip if they win,” he added.
Having travelled to Arsenal last weekend
and hosting Chelsea this weekend,
Ferguson has spoken of his duty to put
out strong sides against teams whose
seasons are far from over as they chase
Champions League spots. They might
put out their best team but there is no
pressure. “It’s time for us to play with
good enthusiasm, enjoyment and relax
and play good football and express
ourselves, that’s what I expect to see,”
said Ferguson as he sipped his bubbly
from a plastic cup.
BENITEZ DIG
Third-placed Chelsea are 20 points
behind the champions in the standings
with 65 points from 34 games
and after a stuttering season have
found some form over recent weeks,
reaching the Europa League final on
Thursday. Ferguson said inconsistency
had been the London side’s problem
in a season where they dismissed
manager Roberto Di Matteo in
November and appointed Rafael
Benitez until the end of the campaign.
“When they sacked Roberto Di
Matteo that maybe knocked them
back a bit, it took them a long time to
schedule. Terry and Lampard, fans’
favorites in southwest London, have had
to be content with playing every other
week, often in the less important games.
That policy did not work for former manager
Andre Villas-Boas but Benitez has
emerged the better for it.
Playing David Luiz - a central defender
- as a center midfielder at times has been
a masterstroke while playmakers Juan
Mata and Eden Hazard look to have been
given the right amount of game time to
keep them in good shape for the final
month of the season. “I was helping the
team,” Benitez said. “As a manager you
have to do your job.” For a person who’s
never shy of talking up his own achievements
as a coach - Champions League
and UEFA Cup titles, a Spanish league
championship, a Club World Cup -
Benitez will be desperate to finish his
time at Chelsea with the Europa League
won and a top-four place in the Premier
League secured. Chelsea is third with
four games left.
“He is very concerned about his CV.
He refers to it quite a lot,” Ferguson said
mockingly, before adding: “But you can’t
dispute the fact he has done a good job.”
After his recent comments, Mourinho is
the man most likely to succeed Benitez
this summer although the manner of the
Portuguese coach’s departure from
Stamford Bridge in 2007 must still rankle
with owner Roman Abramovich. “I have
not made any decision about whether I
will stay or go,” Mourinho said on Friday
about his future at Real Madrid. The hardto-please
Abramovich could do worse
than stick with Benitez.— AP
Ferguson resorting to
light-hearted bribery
Day at the races rests on United beating Chelsea
get going again. It’s only in the last
few weeks that they’ve got any consistency
again,” he said. Ferguson
praised Benitez for good recent
results, helped in part he believes by
an easing in hostility from fans
towards the Spaniard. But he could
not resist a little dig at a man with
whom he has often had a fractious
relationship. “I think he’s very concerned
about his CV, he refers to it
quite a lot,” he said.
Ferguson has not got any major
injury concerns before tomorrow’s
game at Old Trafford (1500 GMT)
although striker Danny Welbeck has
been ruled out and midfielder Paul
Scholes is likely to be on the bench as
he returns from injury. The United
manager said he was not planning
wholesale changes to his squad during
the close season, saying “tweaking”
was the right word for what he
had in mind. “We’ll maybe look at one
or two bodies to come in but you’ve
got to remember we’ve got a lot of
young players we expect to improve,
we’ve got to take that into consideration,”
he said. “In the main group, we
know where we are, we are comfortable.”—
Reuters

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2013
Sports
Atletico Mineiro
thump Sao Paulo
FIFA president
Blatter targets
another term
44
Brazilian champions
Fluminense lose 2-1
BUENOS AIRES: Libertadores Cup favorites
Atletico Mineiro took a big step towards the
quarter-finals with a 2-1 away win over 10-
man Sao Paulo in the first leg of their last 16 tie
on Thursday. Brazilian champions Fluminense
lost 2-1 at Ecuador’s Emelec after conceding
an own goal and a penalty. Jadson gave Sao
Paulo an early lead at the Morumbi with
Ronaldinho equalizing just before halftime.
Diego Tardelli scored the winner in the 60th
minute. It was the third meeting between the
Brazilian rivals in the competition and sweet
revenge for Atletico, whose perfect record in
the group phase was ended when Sao Paulo
beat them 2-0 two weeks ago.
In an incident-packed first half, Sao Paulo
centre back Lucio was sent off for a dangerous
challenge on Bernard, his second booking,
leaving his side a man short from the 35th
minute on. “The game was set in a certain way
and it took a different turn after (Lucio’s dismissal).
Unfortunately, any loss of a player is
fatal when two balanced teams meet,” Sao
Paulo captain Rogerio Ceni told Fox Sports.
“We made the most of our qualities, our shooting,
our pedigree. It’s always like that, we have
a different spirit when we play for something,”
said Ronaldinho.
Ronaldinho had angered Sao Paulo players
when he said the teams’ previous meeting had
been nothing more than a training session for
Atletico, who had already qualified. Sao Paulo
began in fiery mood and took the lead in the
ninth minute when Paulo Henrique Ganso
sidestepped two defenders inside the box and
squared to Jadson, who fired a shot past goalkeeper
Victor. The home side were forced to
make a substitution immediately afterwards
because Aloisio injured his groin making the
cross to Ganso and was replaced by
Ademilson.
SAO PAULO: Ronaldinho of Brazil’s Atletico Mineiro (left) and Wellington of Brazil’s Sao Paulo FC battle for control of the ball during a
Copa Libertadores soccer match in Sao Paulo. — AP
RONALDINHO EQUALISER
The substitute was guilty of a glaring miss
soon after coming on, firing a chance over the
bar when he had only Victor to beat. Atletico
equalized three minutes before halftime when
Bernard hit a corner well beyond the far post
where the unmarked Ronaldinho steered a
header back across the face of goal past a static
Rogerio Ceni. Tardelli scored the winner on
the hour mark, running on to a through ball
from fellow striker Jo to slot past the goalkeeper
and give Atletico the advantage for the
return leg next Wednesday at the
Independencia in Belo Horizonte.
In Guayaquil, Emelec went ahead in the
32nd minute when central defender Leandro
Euzebio turned the ball into his own net trying
to cut out a cross from right back Carlos Vera.
“Flu” pulled level just before the interval with a
superb left-footed shot by midfielder Wagner
from outside the box. With the final whistle
just minutes away, Carlinhos brought down
Emelec striker Marcos Mondaini and Fernando
Gaibor scored the winner with a well-taken
penalty out of reach of the diving Diego
Cavalieri. — Reuters