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TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 JAMADA ALTHANI 22, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Efforts Biden makes All aboard! Man United needed to Ukraine visit Sudan’s sleek evasive protect Gulf as Russia new train on Moyes museums2 blames10 Kiev a22 rarity sack20 reports Court to examine order Max 40º Min 26º to shut two newspapers High Tide 05:38 & 15:57 Low Tide Probe panel wants details on MPs’ finances 10:38 & 23:48 40 PAGES NO: 16143 150 FILS By B Izzak suspension decision until it has issued a strongly criticized the information ministry information about the investigation and from the editor’s desk verdict on the matter. for demanding the closure, saying that the not publishing about the issue in general. KUWAIT: The Al-Watan and Alam Al-Youm The two newspapers were ordered shut action reflects a government policy to sup- Adasani said the government is using The cost of silence dailies yesterday challenged a judicial by a judge for allegedly breaking a news press freedom and silence people. He said articles of the press and publications law to order to suspend them for two weeks, and blackout. The two newspapers however that the government is also using the law unjustly penalize newspapers. The lawmak- the court decided to look into their appeal continued to publish online and kept to punish newspapers with decisions like er threatened that the closure of any news- today, lawyers said. The lawyers for the two updating their stories yesterday. Al-Watan this one to shut publications down even paper for any reason could force him and newspapers demanded that the decision republished two articles it said were the before a final court decision is made. The his colleagues to include the issue in their be reversed because it was not supported reason for the order to shut it down. lawmaker said the news blackout prevents planned grilling against the prime minister. By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan by law and called on the court to freeze the MP Riyadh Al-Adasani meanwhile the media from publishing confidential Continued on Page 15 Runners reclaim Boston Marathon [email protected] BOSTON: Tens of thousands of runners, cheered by a multitude of spectators, set off through the streets of his week the public prosecution shut down two Boston yesterday to reclaim the world’s oldest newspapers in Kuwait for violating a ban on the marathon from the fear left by last year’s deadly twin Tpublication of news and information related to a bombing. More than 3,500 police, double the size of the videotape. The gag order also applies to Kuwait Times force last year, and multiple government security agen- and I will not, therefore, discuss the issue of the tape. cies are keeping watch to prevent any replay of the Instead, I want to talk about what we cannot say. I ghastly carnage that devastated the race on April 15, don’t mean we as in the media in Kuwait. There are clear 2013 when two explosive devices tore through the redlines - commercial, religious and political - whether crowds at the finish line. Three people were killed and we like to admit it or not, and anyone that works in the 264 injured in a rain of shrapnel. media in Kuwait knows them. There are also uncertain- “We want to show that the runner spirit is very ties around some issues. Let’s call them the ‘grey area’ resilient, and strong. This year we come back more and where you never know how people will respond to what better than ever,” said Amby Burfoot, the 1968 winner you write. All editors, reporters, writers and columnists who is running again at age 67 after being kept from practice self-censorship, which sadly is more powerful finishing the 2013 race because of the attack. “The peo- and much more insidious than any of us would like to ple of Boston - they will be there twice as many, twice as believe. loud,” he said. A moment of silence was observed at the This is even more frightening given that Kuwait’s starting line in Hopkinton, just before the first wave of press is among the freest, most vocal and most vibrant runners set off on the 26.2-mile course through Boston. in the region. In fact, Kuwait ranks the highest in the Disabled participants in wheelchairs were the first to go, Middle East. Kuwait should be proud of how far its press followed by the elite runners. has come and I am proud to be a member of its press A clear blue sky, sunshine and cool weather greeted corps. But let’s not be mistaken that Kuwait’s better- the participants - 36,000 runners from all over the than-its-peers ranking equals a free press. The gag order world, 9,000 more than last year and near the record and the closure of two newspapers is a rude awakening 38,708 on the marathon’s centenary in 1996. Meb that there is still a lot of work to be done. Keflezighi became the first US man since 1983 to win Moreover, neither Kuwait’s press nor its people are the event, in two hours, eight minutes and 37 seconds. truly free to say whatever they feel. They talk in private, Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo won her second women’s title in a will even discuss in diwaniyas the problems of the coun- row and third overall. She set a women’s course record try, their concerns and fears. But no one, neither citizen BOSTON: Husband and wife bombing survivors Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky, who each lost a leg in of 2:18:57. nor expat, will express in public, on the record anything last year’s bombings, roll across the finish line at the 118th Boston Marathon yesterday. — AP (See Page 20) Continued on Page 15 that can be deemed controversial or might cause upset. There are many reasons for this. First, Kuwait is a small society and everyone knows pretty much every- one within their relative communities. The social con- Bourse takes step towards delayed IPO straints are many and run deep. Second, you never know who may be connected to or behind a particular issue and wasta is too prevalent in this society to risk New Capital Markets Authority law eyed losing it over an issue or subject you may not have the full picture of. KUWAIT: Kuwait’s stock exchange took a step towards process. Kuwait’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA), might take place. The privatisation would make Kuwait Third, there is a natural tendency to keep problems an initial public offer of its shares yesterday after the which regulates the stock market, said the stock the second listed bourse in the Gulf Arab region, after behind closed doors. Part of this is understandable giv- state’s financial regulator said it had established the exchange chairman had signed a contract establishing Dubai Financial Market. Under a law passed in 2010, en Kuwait’s troubled past with neighbors and its small bourse as a company with a capital of KD 60 million the company at the CMA headquarters yesterday. the CMA is supposed to offer 50 percent of the shares size. Why open up about issues that other countries ($213 million). The country has been considering an Under the contract, Kuwait Stock Exchange will to Kuwaiti citizens and 50 percent to ten companies might exploit? Fourth, the divisions that exist within IPO of its stock market for years, but political infighting have 600 million shares priced at 100 fils each, the listed on the stock exchange. society - between locals and expats, between men and and entrenched bureaucracy have held up the CMA said in a statement. It did not say when an IPO Continued on Page 15 women, between sects, between hadhar and tribals, between old and young - can also be exploited and used against Kuwait or against each other. Why risk it? A fifth though far from final reason is that secrecy Saudi health minister and silence allow much that is wrong to fester and Syria calls June 3 polls thrive. Transparency and openness are goals that even the most democratic, the most open and the most sacked as MERS spreads DAMASCUS: Syria announced yester- Speaker Mohammad Al-Lahham transparent society strives for. day it will hold a June 3 presidential announced the date in parliament, It has become clear to me that when speaking to my RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah election, which is expected to return saying Syrians living outside the coun- fellow Kuwaitis about some of the defects of our system, sacked the country’s health minister yester- Bashar Al-Assad to office despite a civil try would vote on May 28 and candi- the majority seem to know what needs to be done. day amid a spike in deaths and infections war that has cost tens of thousands of dates would be able to register from However, when it comes to changing things, personal from the virus known as the Middle East lives. Underlining the persistent vio- Tuesday until May 1. Voting would be interest trumps societal good. Openness and trans- respiratory syndrome, or MERS. A royal lence, mortar fire killed two people near “free and fair... and under full judicial parency tend to weed out inefficiencies, illuminate order carried by the state news agency said the parliament building shortly before supervision”, he said. He urged Syrians bribery and other corruption and hold governments Abdullah Al-Rabiah was relieved of his post the election date was announced. “to give voice to their will through the accountable. as health minister, and that Labor Minister Syria’s first presidential election - after ballot box and participate in the dem- These may all sound like great things that Kuwait Adel Faqih would temporarily lead the constitutional amendments scrapped a ocratic process by electing whoever desperately needs. But they come at a cost - a cost that Health Ministry until a replacement is referendum system - is to go ahead they think is most able to lead Syria to many (both locals and expats) will deem too high and named. The statement said Rabiah will despite violence which has killed victory.” too damaging to their own interests. No one wants to now serve as an adviser to the Royal Court. 150,000 people since March 2011. Continued on Page 15 see the inefficiencies in government reduced if it means No reasons were given for the move, fewer jobs for locals or expats (for instance in nursing, but it comes as the kingdom is scrambling teaching, government contracts, etc). to contain the spread of the coronavirus Everyone wants to see wasta eliminated, until it related to SARS. The Health Ministry says Abdullah Al-Rabiah means their wasta isn’t working to circumvent some 79 people have died and more than 240 which killed some 800 people in a global archaic rule or regulation. No one wants to pay a bribe have been infected by the virus since 2012. outbreak in 2003. MERS can cause symp- to get their papers passed in the ministries but if it Saudi officials are struggling to alleviate toms such as fever, breathing problems, means jumping the queue or having to deal with less concerns that the virus is spreading. There pneumonia and kidney failure. bureaucracy... is no vaccine or treatment for the virus, and Panic over the spread of the virus We cannot say so much of what needs to be said it is still unclear how it is transmitted. among medical staff in Jeddah triggered because the truth is we are all culprits of the corruption A day before Rabiah was fired, he told a the temporary closure of a hospital emer- in the system - constantly looking for a way around televised news conference there was no gency room in the city earlier this month. things even when we have a fully legal avenue available medical reason to impose stricter preven- The now fired minister visited the facility to us. We all contribute to its failure. Change is difficult tative measures against the spread of last week in a bid to reassure the public and disturbing and challenges many vested interests. MERS. He also said he thought the sudden but on Wednesday at least four doctors at We cannot say so much of what needs to be said spurt of new cases in Jeddah might have a the King Fahd Hospital reportedly because change could mean we might suffer or lose seasonal cause, given there was also an resigned after refusing to treat MERS benefits (or subsidies), a cushy job, a visa or a tender. We uptick in infections about a year ago, but patients. do not say what needs to be said because to do so added that he had “no idea” why that The Saudi Health Ministry will host near- would upset the entire system and would certainly might be. MERS belongs to a family of ly two dozen experts this weekend from ALEPPO: A Syrian girl collects her belongings from the rubble yesterday backfire on the speaker. viruses known as coronaviruses that international bodies, such as the World after her building was destroyed in an air strike by government forces in this And so we are silenced - by our own culpability as include both the common cold and SARS, Health Organization, who have experience northern city. — AFP well as that of the authorities that would gag us. or severe acute respiratory syndrome, dealing with epidemics. — Agencies TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 LOCAL

KUWAIT: The Cabinet meeting in progress yesterday. Cabinet approves council of governorates lineup Support for small, medium enterprises

KUWAIT: The Cabinet has approved the line- up of the newly created Supreme Council of Governorates’ Affairs including His Highness the Prime Minister as chairman and several Cabinet ministers as members. The makeup, which was granted during a routine Cabinet meeting held at Seif Palace yesterday, com- prises as members, apart from its secretary- general, the deputy premier and minister of interior, and ministers of health, education and higher education, public works, social affairs and labor, communications, of state for munic- ipal affairs, Justice, Awqaf and Islamic affairs and of state for cabinet affairs. The Cabinet also reviewed a recommenda- tion by the ministerial youth committee on the final report of the current sports situation sized enterprises, including executive proce- to encourage young people to capitalize on Tunisian Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa on the Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the out- in the country, involving suggestions target- dures for launching a relevant national fund, the goals of the fund, he added. outcomes of the latter’s recent visit to Kuwait. comes of a recent visit by Spanish King Juan ing local sports development, Minister of State he said. Afterwards, the Cabinet appreciated a pub- They were also apprised of a letter recently Carlos, which reflected the willingness of both for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad The ministry of state for youth affairs, the lic donation worth KD 1 million for an early sent to His Highness the Amir from Belgian countries’ leaders to develop and promote Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said in a news General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for breast cancer screening as a sign of deep-root- Princess Astrid, Special Representative of the bilateral cooperative relations. statement following the meeting. Planning and Development, the ministry of ed solidarity and integration. Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM), on anti- Finally, the ministers discussed issues to be The ministers were then apprised of the commerce and industry and the national fund The ministers were briefed on a recent let- malaria efforts. considered during parliament sessions, committee’s recommendation to spur young for supporting small and medium-sized enter- ter sent to His Highness the Amir Sheikh The Cabinet then listened to a presentation together with reports on the latest Arab and people to get involved in small and medium- prises to thrash out appropriate mechanisms Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from from His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh international political situations. —KUNA $300bn invested in Students stage sit-in in Jabriya

GCC airports KUWAIT: Students from Jabriya Secondary to break ministry rules on keeping students at sive paperwork needed. He added that tempo- KUWAIT: General Manager of Leaders School for girls carried out the threats they schools after the exams to complete the school rary solutions will not solve the problem. Group Company for Consultancy and made last week about holding a sit-in and day and picked up their sons and daughters. The On another educational concern, the chair- Development (Leaders Group) Nabila Al- abstaining from going to classes unless air con- sources added that many school administrations man of the private schools union Omar Al- Anjari stressed the importance of airports, ditioners are repaired and cold drinking water is even refused accepting some parents’ donated Ghareer said that 10 Arab private schools have marine ports and land border exits - the provided. Despite statements by top Ministry of air conditioners or water coolers to avoid legal increased their fees by 10 percent effective at gateways into any country - in serving the Education officials including Minister Ahmed Al- accountability by the Ministry of Education. They the beginning of the upcoming school year. He state’s investment and development plans. Mulaifi about solving the problem soon and also wondered if the minister could instruct the also noted that many of these schools have “For this reason, GCC states have invested signing new maintenance contracts, the prob- ministry’s financial sector to find a way out to requested to shift into bilingual schools. $300 billion in airports in Dubai, Qatar, Abu lem continues for a third consecutive year. grant each educational area an emergency Commenting on the increase, some parents said Dhabi, Bahrain, Muscat, Kuwait, two airports Students in many schools have protested budget to be used for maintenance. that the increase reached KD 325 in three stages in Iraq and three in Saudi Arabia,” she added, against the bad conditions in view of the rising Hawally educational area director Anwar Al- divided into KD 150 for the secondary stage, KD noting that the previous concept of an air- temperatures and the fact that they have been Anjari justified the AC problem by the expiry of 93 for the intermediate stage and KD 82 for the port merely for arrival and departure should sitting for exams. maintenance contracts over two years ago and primary stage. The parents also urged Mulaifi be changed and airport services should be Informed sources said that many parents had the failure to renew them in view of the exces- stop such unjustified increases. extended to provide malls, restaurants and cafes, automobile rentals, hotel and resort marketing in addition to duty free commer- cial areas. The Leaders Group monthly report stressed that regional states were currently racing in contracting major international Nabila Al-Anjari consultancies and designers to design and is so far no more than officials’ statements. build modern airports and other border “That is why neighboring countries are rac- ports that have become a sign of a country’s ing to build modern airports despite the fact advancement that plays a major role in that Dubai airport, for instance, is rated 7th developing tourism. “There is an annual rat- worldwide in terms of the most important ing of the world’s best air and marine ports,” airports that received 66 million passengers said Anjari, noting that Dubai had recently in 2013 while Kuwait airport only received started building the Sheikh Mohammed bin 4.7 million. Maktoum Airport as an embodiment of fully Kuwait Airport facts: integrated aviation cities that provide logis- • It was first established in 1961 with the tic and residential services at a total cost of name of Maqwa airport and developed a lot AED 120 billion. The report also noted that over years by adding a second runway, a sec- Turkey is considering building a Ä7 billion ond control tower, a second terminal, a car- airport to become its third and the largest go terminal, modern radar systems and a worldwide. “Pending hosting the 2020 World transit hotel. Cup, Qatar is also preparing to open the new • The airport was widely damaged, dev- Hamad International Airport at a total cost of astated and looted during the Iraqi invasion $16 billion, an initial capacity of 30 million in 1990-1991 and after renovations, the old passengers a year and 50 million once it’s terminal was scrapped and all flights shifted completed,” added the report. to the new larger building where duty free The report added that the GCC currently shops were added. has 66 civil and military airports including 27 • By the new millennium, the airport was KUWAIT: Assistant Secretary General for Culture and Arts at the National Council for Culture and Letters Dr Bader Al-Duwaish during the open- in KSA, 16 in UAE, 11 in Oman, 5 in Qatar expanded to include a commercial center, ing of the communities exhibition (Colors from East and West) at the Modern Arts Museum yesterday. while Kuwait only has 4 with only one civil new parking lots and check-in lounges. airport. The report stressed that according • In 2008, a new building of the aviation to the World Airport Awards website, Abu control was opened and later on changed Dhabi airport was rated first in the Arab into Saad Al-Abdullah terminal to serve world, the best in the Middle East and 20th Wataniya Airways that later stopped operat- Efforts needed to protect museums amongst world airports in 2013. Therefore, it ing. The terminal is now used for other is also the best GCC airport followed by budget carriers. KUWAIT: Minister of Information Sheikh Salman civilizations.” The minister believed that a prom- states, as well as the protection of Gulf tradition. Dubai airport (33rd in the world), Bahrain • The airport also includes a VIP terminal Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah said here yesterday ising future could not be created unless cultural On his part, Assistant Secretary-General of (55th in the world), Doha (68th in the world) named the Amiri airport in addition to the concerted efforts need to be exerted to safe- and human tradition are given much signifi- the GCC for Culture and Media Khaled Al- and Oman, rated 75th worldwide. Abdullah Al-Mubarak airbase. guard and protect GCC antiquities and muse- cance. Ghassani appreciated the efforts of specialists Accordingly, the report wonders about • The airport’s annual capacity is 7 million ums. The meeting is primarily intended to boost and researchers working in the field of monu- the rating of Kuwait’s air, land and marine passengers and provides services to 59 inter- Speaking at a meeting of senior officials of public awareness of monuments which mark a ments and museums in safeguarding GCC tradi- ports amongst worldwide peers and national airlines. GCC monuments and museums held here, knowledge fortune that should be protected tion. He voiced hope that the meeting would whether the services they provide match • It can serve 90 planes at a time through Sheikh Salman, who also doubles as minister of and maintained, he said, adding that monumen- come up with resolutions and recommendations those provided worldwide. “Why don’t we two main runways. state for youth affairs and chairman of the tal history and diverse types of tradition reflect that could contribute to bolstering and consoli- have a proper marine port or harbor that is The world’s top rated airports: National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, the national identity and cultural dimension of dating inter-Gulf cooperation in the field of capable of receiving touristic voyages and Singapore’s Changi Airport, Incheon said: “This meeting comes to call for exerting people. In this context, the Kuwaiti minister of monuments and museums. cruises?” wondered the report in view of the International airport. S. Korea, Amsterdam concerted efforts and harnessing potential to information spoke highly of the great role Several Gulf experts in monuments and fact that Kuwaitis have a great passion for Airport, Holland, Hong Kong International safeguard GCC monuments which are a great played by the GCC Secretariat in the promotion museums were awarded on the sidelines of the sea cruises and Kuwait has long, unused airport, Beijing International Airport, China, human tradition and a vivid reminder of human of cultural activities among the GCC member meeting. —KUNA coasts. Munich Airport, Germany, Zurich Airport, Moreover, the report highlighted that Switzerland, Vancouver International Airport, Kuwait airport has been suffering during Canada, Tokyo International Airport, Japan, high seasons for years and that its expansion Heathrow Airport, London, UK Campaign to tackle youth violence

KUWAIT: The Youth Ministry has lauded a destroying other’s property, firing arms, beat- campaign to tackle violence among youth. ing and attempted murder. Youth officials presented several facts and fig- Mutairi said maintaining the society’s ures that show how widespread this phenom- energy, represented by youth, should have all enon is in the Kuwaiti society. They said even establishments pinpoint the reasons for this girls have joined the fighters, adding that phenomenon and work on implementing among non-Kuwaitis, bedoons lead the treatment and preventive plans to avoid its gangs that commit crimes, followed by adverse effects on the society. Saudis, Syrians and Egyptians. Information Minister and State Minister for Youth Ministry assistant undersecretary Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah has for the development sector Abdelrahman Al- formed a special task force to study violence Mutairi listed the types of violent crimes among youth in Kuwait in order to determine prevalent in Kuwait - sexual attacks, theft, its psychological aspects and protect the Minister of Information Sheikh Salman attempted theft, forced robbery, arson, youth against expected risks. Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah Sheikh Salman honoring the participants at the meeting. LOCAL TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 Commercial visit visas transfer until May 1 Foreign recruitment decision delayed KUWAIT: Commercial visit visas can be trans- year, as opposed to three years in case of established labor authority. Once it becomes ferred to work visas until the beginning of workers recruited from outside Kuwait. fully functional - supposedly sometime this next month as an exception to a ban on for- Foreigners can still come to Kuwait summer - the state-owned body would eign labor recruitment in Kuwait. Approval is through visit visas issued for commercial pur- assume exclusive powers in hiring and spon- still granted to people who transfer to the poses, but they cannot use those documents soring foreign workers, and provide them to sponsorship of the same employer that issued to get a permit to work in the country. Earlier companies on demand. them the visit visa, Al-Qabas daily reported reports had suggested that transferring com- While the authority’s administrative struc- yesterday. mercial visas to work visas, one of the most ture has already been finalized, work is cur- Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Al- common ways for foreigners to find a job in rently ongoing to hire staff by choosing Subaih authorized Jassem Al-Dousary, the Kuwait and which has been suspended since employees from the labor department at the General Director of the Labor Public February, could resume on May 1. Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Sources Authority, to sign the approvals starting from Local authorities had originally mulled revealed that the authority received a large Sunday until May 1, 2014. The authority will reopening foreign recruitment by April 1, but number of requests from labor department also collect KD 200 for every year of the work the decision was delayed for further study. A employees requesting transfer to the new visa’s duration as an additional fee, the report similar exception to issue work permits for for- authority. The employees are looking for the KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah said. eigners who entered Kuwait after Feb 16 opportunity to be hired in supervisory posts, received at Seif Palace yesterday Sheikha Intisar Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah who pre- Subaih also made changes to a recent deci- expired at the beginning of this month. making use of an exception given to the sented to His Highness a book titled “Talk of Gold.” sion that allows workers to be transferred in It is expected that an announcement to authority to bypass the experience condition the fields of fishing, agriculture and industry allow private companies to start recruiting for qualified candidates, the sources said. as long as they move within the same field of expatriate labor forces will be made simulta- They added however that directors are still KU students rewarded work. The new stipulation allows workers neously with new regulations under which studying applications to make sure that expe- hired locally to change employers after one the process will be organized by the newly- rienced, most qualified personnel are hired. after Liverpool win

KUWAIT: A Kuwait University instructor by giving each of his students a five-mark rewarded his students five marks each bonus according to Al-Qabas daily. Gulf Cable plans copper after his favorite sports team extended its It was a very emotional day for the lead from its closest rival at the top of its instructor. In fact, he spent the entire lec- national competition’s standings by as ture Sunday telling stories about the his- factory project in Jordan many points. Students at the Faculty of tory of Liverpool FC, his experiences Social Sciences received the good news cheering for the English side since the KUWAIT: Chairman of the Board of Gulf In his remarks in the board of directors’ minum cables from 2012 (5,850 tons in 2013 moments after the end of Liverpool’s early 1980s and how he misses the club’s Cable and Electrical Industries Co Bader report, Kharafi said: “Future prediction, pro- compared to 5,056 tons during 2012), and match with Norwich City on Sunday as glory days that have been missing for Nasser Al-Kharafi said the company is always viding suitable circumstances for success this explains the increased production. part of the English Premier League, which two decades. The lecture, and the bonus considering expansion opportunities, and and presenting training programs and the Aluminum cables are lesser in weight and the ‘Reds’ won by three goals to two. The marks, have changed any negative per- gets involved in feasible ones. He said it is abundant knowledge in the fields of manu- cheaper than copper, and demand in both win put Liverpool five points ahead of its spectives that students could have had currently considering involvement in a cop- facturing and customer service contributed local and Gulf markets determines the type closest competitor, Chelsea, and a few about sports. A female student com- steps closer to its first title in 20 years. mented during the lecture that she used per factory project in Jordan. Kharafi, who to the company ending the year with suc- of material used.” This is a very long waiting period for any to hate football, but has now officially was speaking after the company’s general cess. A new article in the housing care law Kharafi said sales during 2013 reached passionate sports fan - including the KU become a Liverpool fan, the Al-Qabas assembly, said the company is committed to grants a person who receives a building loan nearly KD 97.87 million, compared to KD instructor who decided to express his joy report reads. paying its debts, and at the same time it is 90.47 in 2012, an increase of 8.18 percent going through an expansion even if there is despite increased competition in addition to a need to borrow, affirming that the compa- a drop in the average prices of metals during ny has a clean sheet and does not face any 2013. Minister given ultimatum to hurdles. As for investments, Kharafi said the com- Kharafi said the company’s products meet pany underwrote KD 0.69 million due to the present subsidies removal steps the highest specifications and quality. He application of accounting standard 39 on the said Gulf Cable is exerting its best efforts to income data of 2013, due to the drop in the KUWAIT: Frustration in the parliament over The government also suggested ways of have its products included with the subsi- value of some investments put up for sale. As the government’s rejection of increasing rationalizing subsidization of fuel and ener- dized construction material. Kharafi said the for revenues of investment for the same year, the children’s allowance could escalate into gy as a way to cut spending, an argument company sent a request in this regard to the they reached around KD 8.61 million in 2013, a grilling motion against Finance Minister that received several supporting voices ministry of commerce which expressed its compared to KD 7.11 million in 2012. He said Anas Al-Saleh within two weeks. The only from the parliament. readiness and cooperation through Minister net profits for 2013 reached around KD 9.97 way for the minister to avoid that is if his But it seems that MPs want to see those Abdelmohsen Al-Mudej, adding that it is million, compared to KD 11.42 million in ministry takes effective steps to remove plans put into effect as soon as possible, subsidies from services that the state pro- as suggested by the grilling motion cur- looking forward to getting the final approval 2012, after deducting around KD 0.55 million vides but citizens do not benefit from rently in preparation. “Several lawmakers as soon as possible. Kharafi commended the Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi for the company’s contribution to the Kuwait them, according to ‘parliamentary sources’ are already preparing the draft for the minister’s interest and his positive response Foundation for the Advancement of quoted by Al-Rai daily yesterday. motion which will address the govern- to support national products, and anything subsidized material that includes all con- Sciences, national labor support tax, zakat During a closed parliamentary session ment’s decision to reject a bill that stipu- that supports the national economy. struction needs, and we hope the commerce and board member bonuses. last month, the Cabinet argued that lates an increase to the monthly KD 50 per Kharafi called for hastening the establish- ministry and the minister include our nation- Meanwhile, the general assembly increasing citizens’ benefits was not an child allowance, coupled with lack of steps ment of local projects and speedy decision- al product in the subsidized material list.” approved all items, including the board’s option given the status of the budget, to remove subsidies from some services,” making on them as well as awarding tenders. He said, “production during 2013 was report and the approval of distributing cash which it claimed could fall into deficit said the sources who spoke on the condi- He said the period for awarding tenders nearly 62.77 tons, compared with 54.58 tons profit for the year ending 31/12/2013 at 30 unless steps are taken to curb spending. tion of anonymity. takes too long and should be shortened, so in 2012, which is an increase of 8.1 tons (15 percent cash, and authorizing the board to that “we can go along with the development percent), bearing in mind that the 2013 pro- buy or sell no more than 10 percent of its Rawda medical plan in Kuwait”. duction included a higher quantity of alu- shares according to the law. center ‘a role model’ KUWAIT: Head of the government’s per- occasion that the great achievement repre- formance follow-up apparatus in the sented in the opening of the new health Cabinet of Ministers Sheikh Ahmad Meshal center emphasizes the importance of com- Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah paid a tour yesterday munity/government cooperation, and to the new medical center in the city of embodiment of the desire of His Highness Rawda. the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Sheikh Ahmad said in a speech on this Al-Sabah for the prosperity of Kuwaiti citi- zens. He noted in this regard that the Amiri speech in 2008 before the National Assembly session in which he said “Let us make the Kuwaiti citizen and economic openness as the headline of our stage” was the actual beginning of the “cities develop- ment campaign’ which he heads. He stressed that the new health center, that is simple in its building and big in its meaning, is the result of the guidance and unlimited support by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al- KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday Minister of State Hamad Al-Sabah to all ministries and gov- for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah who presented to His Highness the newly-appointed governors. ernment agencies to work on allocating The new governors are retired General Ahmad Abdullatif Al-Rujaib, Governor of Mubarak Al-Kabeer, retired General Sheikh Ahmad KUWAIT: Sheikh Ahmad Meshal Al- land, medical equipment and human Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Governor of Hawally, Sheikh Fawaz Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Governor of Ahmadi, retired Lieutenant- Ahmad Al-Sabah addressing a meeting resources for the health facilities around General Fahad Ahmad Fahad Al-Amir, Governor of Jahra, Sheikh Faisal Al-Humoud Al-Malek Al-Sabah, Governor of Farwaniya, retired at the Rawda medical center. the country. —KUNA Lieut-General Thabit Mohammad Hassan Al-Muhanna, Governor of the Capital. WANTED Editors & Reporters

Full time, must be in Kuwait, have transferrable 18 visa and writing experience

Send CV, letters of reference and 3 writing samples to [email protected] KUWAIT: Commerce and Industry Ministry Undersecretary Abdelaziz Al-Khalidi opened the International Gold and Jewellery Exhibition, being organized by Kuwait International Fair Company yesterday. Only those who are shortlisted will be contacted TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 LOCAL Man leaves mentally ill woman pregnant Maid hurt in botched escape

KUWAIT: Search is on for a Kuwaiti man accused following an emergency call made Sunday Drunk driver of sexually assaulting a mentally ill woman and about a woman who fell from the third floor. The A man faces multiple charges after he was leaving her pregnant. Salmiya police were Ethiopian national was rushed to the Adan caught driving drunk in Hawally with possession approached by a Palestinian woman recently to Hospital where she was diagnosed with several of an unlicensed firearm. Police rushed to a scene report that her daughter was subjected to broken bones and bruises that required admis- in the area in response to an emergency call repeated sexual assault. The 21-year-old Tunisian sion at the intensive care unit. Preliminary inves- reporting a car collision. They discovered that the girl told her mother that she has been romanti- tigations conducted at the scene indicate that Kuwaiti driver who hit a delivery man’s car was cally involved with a man who she often met at the housemaid was trying to escape from the inebriated. Police searched his car and found a the rooftop of their building. The meetings hap- window of her employer’s apartment, using bed gun and plastic bottle filled with homebrewed pened ten times, and in each time the man took sheets tight together as a rope. The woman lost liquor. The man was taken to the proper authori- advantage of the girl according to her state- balance midway and fell to the floor. A case was ties to face charges. ments. The mother told police that her daughter filed for further investigations. has an open file at the Psychological Medicine Ferdous crackdown Hospital. She added that a doctor’s diagnoses Hawally scam Eight fugitives including a man sentenced to revealed that her daughter is 21-weeks preg- Hawally police are looking into a case involv- eight years in prison and another with a visa nant. The news report does not explain how the ing a woman who accused her sister of stealing expired since four years were arrested during a mother learned about her daughter’s pregnancy, KD70,000 in scam. The Kuwaiti woman told offi- crackdown carried out recently in Ferdous. The however. Investigations are ongoing in search of cers at the area’s police station that her sister four-hour surprise campaign focused on the the man based on information provided by the and brother-in-law convinced her to enter as Farwaniya Hospital parameter, and resulted in mother through her daughter. partner in a KD150,000 fancy restaurant project. detaining five people wanted for money-related After paying them the money, the woman later cases. In addition, police arrested two Kuwaitis Maid injured discovered that the project was a mirage, so she wanted for criminal cases, including one sen- A domestic worker was hospitalized with seri- reported the case. Police found out that the sis- tenced to eight years in jail, and an Asian man ous injuries sustained during an escape attempt ter’s husband was outside the country, so they whose papers revealed that he lived in Kuwait ille- that went wrong. An ambulance was dispatched circulated his name to be arrested as soon as he gally for four years. The detainees were referred to to the scene, an apartments building in Fintas, returns to Kuwait for questioning. the proper authorities for further action. Insulin Pump Therapy Workshops at Dasman Diabetes Institute

KUWAIT: Faten Sukkar, Director of the patient’s glucose levels drop too low, Education and Training Department at the therefore protecting users against poten- Dasman Diabetes Institute, which was tially dangerous Hypoglycemia. All the par- established by the Kuwait Foundation for ticipants fixed the sensors on themselves the Advancement of Sciences, stated that and were subjected to verbal and written the Education and Training Department assessments to be certified insulin pump recently organized in collaboration with prescriber. Medtronic, Diabetes Education and The second workshop “Fundamental Training Division for the Middle East, three Insulin Pump Therapy” was held over two consecutive workshops about the recent days and it was aimed at novice pump advances in Continuous Blood Glucose users. The workshop introduced the partici- Monitoring and Insulin Pump Therapy for pants to insulin pump therapy and essen- people with diabetes. Healthcare profes- tials needed to master it. Finally the sionals from the Dasman Diabetes Institute “Advanced Pump and Carbohydrate and six MOH hospitals in Kuwait attended Counting” training was delivered to Pump the workshops. Educators to maximize the benefit of pump Some of the participants of the event The first workshop “Advanced Insulin therapy and achieve the best glucose out- Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring” come for people with diabetes. The work- was delivered over three days to healthcare shops offered consecutively 16, 9, 9 CME professionals who are Pump Educators and credits for the above mentioned work- require certification or recertification on shops. All participants expressed their the device. The workshop highlighted the gratitude to the Institute for organizing Insulin Pump therapy and the latest sensor these advanced workshops which aim to technology emphasizing the safety feature keep the participants abreast of the latest to automatically shut-off supply of insulin if developments in the field of diabetes. Saudi university honors Kuwaiti scholar RIYADH: The Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Islamic University in Riyadh yesterday honored 1988. He completed his Masters from the same Dr Mohammad Al-Tabtabae of Kuwait in appre- university in 1993 and obtained his PhD from ciation of his academic achievements. the university’s Surpeme Judicial Institute in The University held a ceremony under the 1996. He then became a member in the auspices of the Governor of Riyadh Prince Scientific Research Center of the university. César Gonzalez-Bueno, Gulf Bank’s CEO, interacting with the Open Day Elie Hajj winner of the Grand Prize Open Day draw a Ford Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, a press state- Dr Al-Tabtabae has written books and attendees. Focus Sport. ment said. Dr Al-Tabtabae, the man of the year, research papers in the Islamic Fiqh (jurispru- is the first Kuwaiti scholar to be honored by dence) and Islamic financial transactions. He is Saudi Arabia for his achievements in the Islamic chairing the Fatwa (Islamic edict) committee in Sharia domain. Kuwait. He also chairs the international confer- Dr Al-Tabtabae graduated from the Imam ence on contemporary Islamic issues. —KUNA Kuwait’s trade surplus with Japan widens TOKYO: Kuwait’s trade surplus with Japan the 21st straight month of shortfall. It marked sharply widened 63.2 percent in March to $2 the biggest-ever trade deficit for the month of billion from a year earlier, expanding for the March since comparable data became avail- first time in two months, as exports jumped, able in January 1979. Overall exports edged the Finance Ministry said yesterday. up 1.8 percent to $62.2 billion, up for the 13th Kuwait maintained black ink with Japan for month, led by shipments of vehicles, mineral the 74th consecutive month, the ministry said fuels and steel. But imports gained 18.1 per- in a preliminary report. cent to $76.3 billion, up for the 17th straight Kuwaiti overall exports to Japan swelled month, as the weaker yen continued to push 49.9 percent to $1.3 billion for the first increase up fossil fuel imports costs, which comprise in two months, and imports from Japan more than one third of all imports. Children enjoying the Open Day festivities dropped 9.6 percent year-on-year to $146 mil- Demand for fossil fuel-based power gener- lion, down for the first time in 11 months. ation have risen following the March 2011 Middle East’s trade surplus with Japan also Fukushima nuclear accident, which was trig- Gulf Bank holds Open Day in Mangaf widened 22.5 percent to $13 billion last gered by the massive earthquake and tsuna- month, with Japan-bound exports from the mi. The last-minute demand for durable region rising 22.0 percent from a year earlier. goods in the domestic market before the April KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Annual Staff Open Day at Crude oil, refined products, liquefied natu- 1 tax hike also boosted import bills. Exports to Hilton Mangaf on March 27, organizing a memorable ral gas (LNG) and other natural resources, China, Japan’s biggest trading partner, grew KUWAIT UNIVERSITY daylong event for the bank’s employees and their fami- which accounted for 97.4 percent of the 4.3 percent, and imports from the country lies to enjoy a variety of activities, competitions and region’s total exports to Japan, soared 21.3 surged 27.0 percent. HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE great prizes in a carnival like day. The Open Day theme percent on the year. Japan’s currency weakened against the US was T.E.A. which revolves around the Bank’s people cen- The region’s overall imports from Japan dollar by 8.7 percent the year before, accord- FACULTY OF MEDICINE tric working values of Trust, Empathy and Agility. grew 19.6 percent, mainly led by robust ship- ing to the ministry. The yen’s depreciation The event was an enormous success by all accounts ments of automobile, steel and machinery. supports exports by making Japanese prod- and everyone involved enjoyed an exceptional day with The world’s third-biggest economy hit a ucts more competitive overseas and increase their friends, families and co-workers. A variety of activi- global deficit of $14.1 billion in March as soar- the value of repatriated overseas earning, but The Faculty of Medicine ties took place to make sure everyone got involved in the ing energy costs offset export values, marking it also inflates import prices. fun including a ‘Treasure Hunt’, Magic Show and sports at Kuwait University competitions for valuable prizes. The prizes presented included two Qatar Airways tickets to any destination, Regency in four tickets to Dubai provided by Marwa Travel, three Travel Market invites applications tickets to Dubai provided by Alghanim Travel, four free weeklong meal plans provided by Diet Slim, chalet KUWAIT: The Regency Hotel, for accommodations from Hilton Mangaf and vouchers from part of the Preferred Hotel Missoni Hotel. Group (PHG), announced partic- Wrapping up the event was the Bank’s annual raffle ipating in the Kuwait Travel one Teaching Assistant draw for the grand prize of a Ford Focus Sport 2013, Market, which takes place later which was won by Elie Hajj, who was presented with his this month at the Kuwait car keys by Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager, Human International Fairground in position in the Physiology Department Resources at Gulf Bank. The Bank thanked Hamad Mishref under the patronage of Mohammed Al-Wazzan and Partners (Ford) for their par- Minister of Information Sheikh ticipation in this year’s prize draw. Gulf Bank and Ford Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah. for the Academic year 2014/2015. have maintained close business ties for many years and The hotel’s pavilion is set to fea- the bank looks forward to continuing this special rela- ture great offers on luxury suits For full consideration, applications should be received tionship in years to come. with affordable prices to allow within one month from the date of announcement. Gulf Bank values the dedication of its employees, and expresses its appreciation for their hard work and loyalty everyone to enjoy a luxurious Interested Candidates may refer to the website: by regularly holding various events throughout the year, experience at the Regency as well as creating numerous exclusive Gulf Bank Hotel, said General Manager http://www.kuniv.edu/ku/CareersKU/AcademicStaff/index.htm employee offers for staff to enjoy. Aurelio Giraudo. TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 LOCAL

KUWAIT: Minister of Information Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah opening the Al-Ayoub pavilion at Bait Al-Othman Museum. Al-Ayoub pavilion opens at Bait Al-Othman Museum

KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister pavilion, organized by Kuwait’s Heritage Team Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said Al-Ayoub Higher Education Ahmad Al-Mulaifi said Al- unfinished painting, was installed in the pavil- of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Al- of the Voluntary Work Center. played a major role in documenting the social Ayoub served Kuwait as a teacher and princi- ion. She said she was proud that the pavilion Sabah opened Sunday a pavilion of late He said works of late Al-Ayoub reflected his and cultural life of the Kuwaiti people. pal for more than 30 years. would be a “historic and traditional reference Kuwaiti artist Ayoub Hussein Al-Ayoub at Bait genuine skills to document Kuwait’s history in Al-Ayoub’s paintings have become a refer- “The late Al-Ayoub was a role model in for the current generations to know their past Al-Othman Museum, which included many of his paintings. “The pavilion is not only to hon- ence for architecture, social activities and tra- dedication and many of his students remem- and life of their ancestors.” his paintings and personal belongings. or Al-Ayoub’s achievements ... but to attract ditional Kuwaiti costumes, she noted. ber his ethics and morals,” he noted. Al-Ayoub, who passed away in November “We remember with utmost gratitude and attention of our youth on human icons who Sheikha Amthal called on Kuwaiti students Al-Ayoub began, since retirement in 1979, 2013, was born in 1932 and graduated from appreciation the artistic march of one of the worked for the entire lives in the service of to visit the pavilion to learn how their ances- to document the history of Kuwait through his Al-Mubarakiya School in 1949. He has more iconic formative artists in Kuwait,” Sheikh Kuwait,” said the minister. tors used to live. work. Al-Ayoub’s daughter, Hana said her than 700 works and publications all about tra- Salman said in a speech at the opening of the Head of Voluntary Work Center Sheikha Minister of Education and Minister of father’s studio, which consisted of his last yet dition. —KUNA Kuwait calls for unified Environmentalists worry of stance on Arab issues Tigris River pollution effects

KUWAIT: Despite governmental all the way down to the Kuwaiti sky in the surrounding areas. ‘Security document should be modified’ assurances that Kuwait’s envi- coastline. This led to concern in Kuwait ronment is safe from pollution But environmentalists believe that southwestern winds could CAIRO: National Assembly Speaker of and to the European Parliament to ral- ment was approved on during a previ- caused by an oil spill in the that while the oil spill might not carry the smoke into the coun- Kuwait and Head of the Arab Inter- ly support to the Palestinian cause ous meeting in Bahrain in March 2013. Parliamentary Union (AIPU) Marzouq and to expose the Israeli illegal prac- He added that the committee also Tigris River, several environmen- have an immediate effect on try. But whether the oil spill Al-Ghanem underscored yesterday tices against the Palestinian people decided to form a committee for talists have warned of the long- Kuwait’s environment, the itself could reach Kuwaiti waters the importance of integration and and territories. Palestine and the occupied territories term effects if the river pollution impact of the leak and the fire or not, this depends on whether coordination among the Arab The Arab Parliament’s fourth ses- since the Palestinian cause is in the problem escalates. Since news that happened afterwards might Iraqi authorities could contain it Parliament and AIPU for serving Arab sion, themed “Palestine at the Heart of heart of all Arab discussions. surfaced about the leak that eventually reach Kuwait. “There before it reaches the Tigris causes. In his speech at the inaugural Arab and Muslim World”, is held at the The committee also reconsidered was caused by a ruptured oil is no doubt that pollutants from River’s estuary, and whether the meeting of the Arab Parliament Arab League headquarters and sending an Arab Parliamentary dele- pipe, there has been concern the burned oil spill moves down river’s ecological system can fil- Fourth Session, which kicked off here chaired by the Arab Parliament gation to the Czech Republic as the that it might cause pollution in depending on winds’ speed and ter it or not, according to Uqab. yesterday, Al-Ghanem said that the Speaker Ahmad Al-Jarawan. Czech President would be occupied the Arabian Gulf where the direction,” said Wujdan Al-Uqab, There is still concern, two pan-Arab parliamentary bodies Yesterday’s session taek led the with preparing for his presidential Tigris River naturally flows out. the Secretary General at the through, that some pollutants are representatives of the Arab peo- reports about the Arab national secu- election campaign. Mohammad Bushehri, the Kuwait Environment Protection might make their way through ple. “The coordination between the rity; human rights situation; political Al-Khurainij pointed out that the Assistant Undersecretary for Society. Uqab recalled Kuwait’s the Shatt Al-Arab and into the two entities have become a necessity,” developments in Palestine, Syria and Arab Parliament reiterated its disap- Al-Ghanim said, adding that each Iraq; development plans. proval of relocating the Czech’s Water Operation and oilfield fires during the 1990/91 center of Kuwait Bay that is body could focus on a number of dif- The conferees will also review embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Maintenance at the Ministry of Iraqi invasion, which left adverse located only 80 km away. “Weak ferent Arab issues and brief the other reports from the Arab Parliament’s which opposes the UN and the inter- Electricity and Water, under- effects on large areas and affect- currents make it easier for pollu- on the outcome of its discussion to committees of economic and financial national resolutions as well as the mined those concerns in a state- ed air quality. tants to settle at the bottom of help tackle the huge number of issues affairs; the social, cultural and educa- European Parliament’s pro-Palestinian ment Sunday, saying that the According to reports from Kuwait’s sea,” said Waleed Al- on Arab agenda. tional affairs; Arab women affairs and stance. speed of currents in the Gulf are Iraq, the fire emitted a thick Fadhel, the Kuwait Dive Team He added that the integration and legislative affairs. The Arab Parliament also con- too weak to carry the pollution cloud of smoke that covered the leader. coordination among the Arab Meanwhile, the Arab Parliament demned the European Parliament and Parliament and the Arab Inter- Foreign Affairs, Political and National a report from the US Department of Parliamentary Union (AIPU) would Security Committee decided to State which both interfered in play an important role in addressing promptly modify an Arab security Bahrain’s internal affairs. It also con- the challenges facing the Arab region document through holding a confer- demned all assaults against the Libyan as well as meeting the aspirations of ence in the foreseeable future on Arab General National Congress and all vio- people. Al-Ghanem called for unifying national security, MP Mubarak Al- lations committed against Al-Aqsa stances of the major Arab causes such Khurainij announced. Mosque by Israeli forces. In conclusion, as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and After the committee concluded its Al-Khurainij reiterated the importance the Syrian crisis. meeting, Deputy National Assembly of building cooperation between Arab He noted that he has recently paid Speaker and Member of the AP Al- and international parliaments to serve a number of visits to France, Germany Khurainij told KUNA that the docu- Arab causes.—KUNA Al-Jarallah asserts significance of Kuwaiti-Qatari cooperation

KUWAIT: Undersecretary of the meeting stems from both countries’ Cooperation Council. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khalid effort to push the relations between He stressed that the work of the Suleiman Al-Jarallah asserted here the two countries forward and come session will achieve the aspired suc- yesterday the importance of the third out with unified visions to serve the cess and excellence, thanks to the session of the Joint Higher Committee march of cooperation between the directives of the wise leadership of for bilateral cooperation between two countries, thus, achieving aspira- the two countries and their keenness Kuwait and Qatar, due here Tuesday. tions of their peoples for progress and to develop areas of cooperation and Al-Jarallah said in a statement prosperity. push them to higher levels. issued by the Ministry of Foreign He pointed out that activation of The Kuwaiti delegation will be Affairs that the session will be of great projects and areas of cooperation headed by Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime importance due to the nature of the between Kuwait and Qatar, which will Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh topics to be discussed, in addition to be probed by the session closely, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah the bilateral agreements and memos would not only be in favor of bilateral whereas the Qatari side will be head- of understanding. relations, but will also be a qualitative ed by Foreign Minister Khaled bin He added that convening this addition to the march of the Gulf Mohammed Al Attiyah. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The media officer at the security information department Lt Israa Bouland gave a traffic awareness lec- ture at Hawally intermediate girls school. Bouland explained the efforts of security information and its continued work to raise awareness of citizens and expats on road safety and improve traffic behavior. TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 LOCAL

In my view kuwait digest Israeli-Palestinian Sheikhs are negotiations also citizens By Linda Gradstein By Ali Al-Kandari s the April 29 deadline that was originally supposed to lead to a framework agreement between Israelis and he Opposition Coalition’s project of comprehen- APalestinians approaches, negotiations to extend the sive political reform in Kuwait bars ruling family deadline picked up again. One of the most difficult issues, members (sheikhs) from the state’s prime minis- since the talks resumed last July, was the Palestinian demand T to release 14 Arab citizens of Israel. ter post. The decision is based on the constitution’s They were to have been among the last group of 26 explanatory note which disallows Al-Sabah family Palestinian prisoners Israel was to have released last month. members from running for parliament. On the other Economy Minister Naftali Bennet threatened to resign if Israel hand, Article 29 of the Kuwaiti constitution indicates went through with the deal to include Arab citizens of Israel. that citizens are equal in rights and duties, without When the date passed and Israel did not free the men, the distinction of language, gender or origin. Palestinians appealed to 15 United Nations conventions, violat- Does that include ruling family members? This is ing a promise they had made not to do so. something that requires explanation from constitu- It is still not clear whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin tional and legal standpoints. It is worth mentioning Netanyahu promised to free the 14 Arab citizens of Israel. US that the opposition always calls for enforcing the law Secretary of State John Kerry told Palestinian President against everyone equally, including ruling family Mahmoud Abbas that Netanyahu had agreed, but Israeli offi- cials have denied this. “These are Israeli citizens and that Abu members. And since they are citizens with equal Mazen (nickname for Mahmoud Abbas) claims to speak for duties, then I believe that they are entitled to equal them as Israeli citizens is a demand we don’t accept,” an Israeli rights. Based on that understanding, ruling family official said on condition of anonymity. “He can claim to speak members are entitled to join political parties that will for Palestinians but he cannot claim to speak for Israeli citizens.” be established as per the Opposition Coalition’s proj- Some 20 percent of Israel’s population are Arab citizens of ect. They cannot be deprived of that right either Israel, and Arabic is one of Israel’s official languages. The issue was raised again as Palestinians marked Palestinian Prisoner Day on Thursday. “For Palestinians, having loved ones in prison is not the exception: it is something which It is worth mentioning that the has affected every Palestinian family,” PLO Executive opposition always calls for Committee Member Saeb Erekat wrote in a statement. “A stag- kuwait digest gering 800,000 Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces enforcing the law against since 1967. 5224 remain incarcerated today, including adminis- everyone equally, including trative, sick, female and children detainees. These numbers A minister’s definition reflect one of the worst experiences of imprisonment in con- ruling family members. temporary history, designed to break the will of an entire nation seeking freedom.” Palestinian analysts say that Palestinian public opinion demands freedom for all By Mudaffar Abdullah according to the current constitution, or to an Palestinians in Israeli jails. “The question of prisoners among amended one. If we assume that a ruling family mem- Palestinians has received and continued to receive wide sym- hat does it mean to a minister in a Kuwaiti Cabinet? hospital since Mubarak Hospital three decades ago. Ministers Kuwaiti Cabinets have developed special character- of education made it easier to devastate education by making ber joins a political party established according to the pathy and support and empathy because they view them as political reform project, and eventually wins the presi- having sacrificed for the sake of getting rid of occupation,” Wistics over decades of practice that changed the defi- non-educationists responsible for it. The municipality has dency of his party, and if that party wins a majority by George Giacaman, a professor at Bir Zeit University said. “It’s a nition of a minister to as low as a ‘senior official or public ser- become a haven for corruption and facilitated the emergence vant’. If we read article 130 of the constitution, we will find of bad experiences such as lack of cleanliness and the exis- 90 percent of parliamentary seats in the elections, the highly charged issue among Palestinians and the Palestinian party has the right to form the Cabinet. If the party Authority knows this quite well.” that a minster is defined as someone who ‘supervises the tence of foul and inedible food. Including Arab citizens of Israel in the release is important affairs of his ministry and executes therein the general policy Naturally enough, the government team leaders (prime nominates its president - the ruling family member - to the Palestinians. “There have been two separate occasions in of the government. He also for- ministers) are to blame for this to the prime minister’s post and assigns him to select the past where a prisoner exchange involved Palestinians mulates directives of the ministry deterioration because of lack of ministers from his party, then how is the situation inside Israel,” Giacaman said. “From the Palestinian point of and supervises their execution’. The way ministers are selected planning, which made many going to be like? Is the party that won the majority of view, Palestinians both in Israel and elsewhere are considered How have practices destroyed in Kuwait has destroyed its serious nominees reject portfo- seats according to the people’s vote going to be part of the same people.” He was referring to two previous pris- this definition, then? Why were lios and consequently, only the forced to move its leader away from the premier’s oner releases which included Arab citizens of Israel, including many ministers demoted to mere establishments. We are unable worst of them accept with one post just because he is a ruling family member - even the 2011 deal in which Israel freed more than 1000 prisoners public servants? I believe the today to enforce the simplest major goal - to get the title of if that decision means ignoring the balloting results? convicted of being involved in killing Israelis in exchange for problem lies within the Cabinet ‘former minister’. Some of them We need explanations in this regard from the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. itself and starts by lacking a clear laws such as fastening have even understood the Opposition Coalition first, and from constitutional Some Israeli analysts say that freeing Arab citizens of Israel experts second, so that the comprehensive reform would be more palatable in the context of a prisoner vision of planning, development seatbelts, cleanliness in game and stared utilizing their project becomes fully integrated, democratic, applica- exchange. “That’s why the Americans threw Jonathan Pollard and most importantly, reform. tenure in promoting their own into the mix,” Yehuda Ben Meir of the Institute for National The Cabinet has given away its various areas personal, political and social ble, and acceptable by a majority of the Kuwaiti peo- Security, (INSS) a think tank in Tel Aviv, told The Media Line. most important duties which is interests as they know their ple. Furthermore, the proposal to increase the num- He was referring to the US naval analyst who was charged the continuation of building the term in office will be very short. ber of MPs to 100 needs clarifications as well, because with spying for Israel and has been imprisoned since 1987. He concept of a civil state, protecting the constitution and The way ministers are selected in Kuwait has destroyed the project as mentioned in news reports does not is eligible for parole next year, but many in Israel have long enforcing and developing laws depending on oil resources. its establishments. We are unable today to enforce the sim- explain whether the increase is meant to be made been advocating for his release. A deal that could still come to What do today’s ministers do in their ministries? They are inca- plest laws such fastening seatbelts, cleanliness in various exclusively in the parliament, Cabinet, or both. That fruition would entail an extension of the negotiations for pable of performing their duties, needless to mention incapa- areas or developing e-transactions because some incompe- issue, in addition to cases in which a party fails to win another nine months during which Israel will “restrain” building bility to develop. Interior ministers since the 1980s failed to tent ministers are working on temporary bases. Such irre- the majority seats and creation of a coalition govern- in some post-1967 areas, Israel will free another 400 prisoners find a solution to the bedoon problem. Labor ministers stand sponsible ways of selecting Cabinet members is the main ment, are things that need more clarification. of its choice (mostly petty thieves) and Israel will free the last helpless towards visa traffickers. The ministry of planning has reason behind tensions within the parliament. group of prisoners including the Arab citizens of Israel. never had any significance. Health ministers failed to build a — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas Ben Meir of the INSS says some in Israel worry that releas- ing Arab citizens of Israel could set a dangerous precedent. “Let’s say we agree on a peace deal with Abu Mazen,” he said. “Then the next day the Arabs in the Galilee and the Bedouin start saying they want independence or to be part of kuwait digest kuwait digest the Palestinian state. That’s something Israel could not accept.” One idea being floated is that before these men are released Israel will divest them of their citizenship. A premature Until we meet in heaven political debate By Anwar Al-Rushaid kuwait digest By Thaar Al-Rasheedi was not surprised when the nurse asked me about ney of chemotherapy that lasted for a year until her BOT, violating hat is currently going on in Kuwait’s political who ‘Hamoudi’ was, whose name was the last thing blessed soul went back to her Creator. I remember the arena is somehow similar to the football Ishe mentioned before she departed our world. It day when an official from the Philippines’ embassy state property transfer season. Some politicians have shift- was 25 years ago when we hired her from the came to check on Maureen, and asked her whether W Philippines. And during the quarter of a century we she received good treatment from her employers. She ed from one political team to another and, therefore, lived in together, Maureen, or ‘sister’ or ‘manang’ - told him, “I don’t work for anybody — this is my house the real essence of political decisions is changing. By Dr Bader Al-Daihani which means ‘aunt’ in Tagalog - as we used to call her, and these (her employers) are my children.” Nobody precisely knows the reality of the ‘deals’ was more than just a housemaid. For us, she was a When doctors told me that Maureen’s days were t a time when the public opinion is preoccupied made on transferring some ‘political players’ from nanny who with time numbered, I thought to with marginal issues, or rather say deliberately one team to another. However, the whole scene indi- became responsible for all myself that if she sees her Aand exaggeratedly put on fire, there people on cates that more changes will happen and more play- household affairs, and said I remember the day when an grandson, maybe that will the other side taking advantage of this by amending ers will be collectively shifting affiliations soon. what could or could not go. official from the Philippines’ help her condition get bet- some important laws, or to be more precise, custom-tai- The Opposition Coalition project is actually noth- She was a mother to all of ter. I never saw her so happy lor them to the benefit of a limited number of groups at ing more than a card in achieving media pressure, us. embassy came to check on when she laid her eyes on the expense of the majority such as BOT law number which is well deserved. In fact, it is the opposition’s Fate decided that her Maureen, and asked her her grandchild after we 7/2008 that, if amended as the government demands, right to take such a step. Yet, any political reform daughter back home suf- brought him to Kuwait. It is would unprecedentedly squander and waste public project should be constitutional and legally done. I fered a disease. As soon as whether she received good very sad that fate did not funds. mean that a project of this magnitude should go we learned about the news, treatment from her employers. give her much time to be The BOT law amendments currently suggested by through the parliament, otherwise it is nothing more we brought her to Kuwait happier with her grandson. the government and the financial affairs committee in than a premature political debate. The opposition where she was treated to full It is with deep dismay the ‘one-vote’ parliament can only be perceived as was right in boycotting the 2012 parliamentary elec- health. But while we were still under the effect of joy, I and teary eyes that my family and I say goodbye to a almost giving away government property and lands, tions but it was absolutely wrong in boycotting the was shocked by the news that my son Mohammad symbol of human coexistence. She lived with us as a just like what happened during the second half of the broke to me, that Maureen suffered from some kind of mother, nanny, housekeeper and a manager. Her great last century when a very limited number of people got chest disease. memory will surely live with us forever. God bless your such lands for durations up to 50 renewable years or I called my wife immediately, and she conducted a soul, Maureen, and until we meet again in Heaven more. At the same time, the government is eager to The opposition must realize clinical examination that revealed that Maureen had a inshallah. impose indirect taxes on income, new fees or increase shockingly large chest tumor. We rushed her to the that it does not represent hospital immediately, and she started the painful jour- — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Aan itself in the decisions it makes. The BOT law amendments can only be perceived as kuwait digest 2013 parliament. Its first boycott formed a political almost giving away govern- attitude that was hailed by many people at the time, ment property and lands. but it made a fatal political mistake against democra- Decision making cy by the second boycott. It should have run in the elections and taken the chances instead of leaving the ones currently collected for public services without things to the mercy of the second boycott that actu- nonexistent citizens realizing it. For sure, citizens with low and medi- ally was behind much of what we see today. um incomes will be the most affected by the new finan- The opposition must realize that it does not rep- cial policy and usurping of state property and lands. resent itself in the decisions it makes. It supposedly By Ahmad Al-Sarraf It is pitiful that people and various social powers are represents a large segment of the people, namely pre-occupied with lateral and marginal issues including the youth. So instead of the second boycott, it fficials in Kuwait cannot be this inept and incapable of build black mountain chains waiting for someone to set them some that have been fabricated by the media such fol- should have made a referendum amongst its mem- making decisions — not only important ones, but also on fire! It does not take a genius or intensive studies to find a lowing the activities and daily press statements made bers and supporters just the way parties who believe Othose considered relatively simple. Something has to solution. All it needs is a decision. There are many firms ready by the ‘one-vote’ parliament MPs. It is if people have for- in their followers do. Yes, indeed. It should have con- be stopping them from acting, because the laxity in inability to provide active solutions for the problem as soon as they gotten how this parliament was formed and the role they show is strange and unprecedented. Maybe the reason for receive approval and financial support. If the government expected from it, which is becoming as clear as the sulted its supporters on the second boycott and this is that officials do not feel responsible to do their jobs wants to do the job itself, it can through the Kuwait midday sun in a clear sky. should have actually run a referendum on its politi- properly, since there is no punishment and reward. As a result, Municipality or any environment-oriented state body import It is also shameful not to see any real actions from cal agenda that not only benefits opposition icons only a few honest employees do the whole work, while the rest giant cutting machines for less than a million Kuwaiti dinars. the very few political and youth blocs and NGOs known but rather involves everybody, namely its basic sup- have zero productivity or only work when they find personal This will help dispose all used tyres in less than a year, freeing in recent years to stop violation of state property and porters. benefit from it. millions of square meters of lost lands in the process. lands, especially from those who still possess some By simple calculations, let’s ask a question. What Kuwait has for years been suffering from a dilemma over It is strange to see this much failure and delay in disposing patriotism, because it is their main duty to boost public might have happened if the opposition had contest- finding ways to dispose millions of used tyres gathered from the tyres that will not disappear on their own. Instead, the awareness and enlighten the public about their consti- ed the 2013 parliamentary elections instead of boy- around the country. The issue has created many problems mountains of tyres will continue growing, and the problem will tutional rights, public funds and national wealth that is cotting it? How many seats it might have won? The including waste of land used to store the tyres, in addition to become bigger and bigger. What is stranger that no one in the being currently wasted and liquidated under legal cov- answer is that it could have won at least 22 seats, security and environmental hazards which came to public government or other authorities such as the parliament - er and through short-sighted interest, economical and attention when anonymous suspects set millions of tyres through its environmental affairs committee - has confronted which could have been enough to make some politi- ablaze. This problem is not exclusive to Kuwait of course. All the Municipality director over the issue, and asked him what is political arrangements! cal changes! countries face a similar problem, but the difference is that most he waiting for before taking a decision? — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Jarida have successfully ended it or even benefited from it by recy- — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Anbaa cling. In Kuwait, however, tyres are only collected and used to —- Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

China, South Korea fume as Abe makes Why are Americans obsessed with missing plane? offering to a Shrine Page 9 Page 11

TRIPOLI: A member of Libyan security forces stand guard outside the Tunisian embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, where a diplomat identified as Al-Aroussi Al-Fatnassi was kidnapped in still unknown circumstances just two days after armed men seized Jordan’s ambassador. — AFP Kidnapped diplomat begs for his life Jihadist group releases video of sobbing hostage

TRIPOLI: A Tunisian diplomat kidnapped in Libya pleaded a beard, said. “They can kill me anytime.” “Mr President, I have was Bel Sheikh who appeared in the five-minute video. “The Libya, demanding an Islamist militant be released from a with his government to negotiate with his Islamist captors, three young children,” he said. “Are you a father, Mr person who appeared in the video is my brother, that is sure Jordanian jail in exchange for the diplomat’s freedom. according to a video released by an Islamist group on Sunday President?” Bel Sheikh was kidnapped a month ago, while ... we’re suffering,” his sister Samira bel Sheikh said. “Where are Foreign powers worry that Libya’s porous borders and the evening. Libyan Islamists have seized two Tunisian diplomats another Tunisian diplomat was snatched in the Libyan capital the Tunisian authorities a month after his kidnapping. We absence of a functioning government are making the coun- in the past month to demand the release of fellow militants last week, the latest in a series of kidnappings of diplomats in haven’t seen any action or negotiations,” she said, adding that try a safe haven and transit point for militant Islamists head- jailed in Tunisia for attacking security forces there in 2011, the North African country. At the end of the video, an Islamist her brother had missed the birth of his youngest daughter. ing for Syria, Egypt or sub-Saharan African countries. Last according to the Tunisian government. Entitled “message of group called Shabab Al-Tawhid (Youth of Monotheism) “Where is the president and the prime minister?” Libyan week the interim prime minister resigned after just a month the kidnapped Tunisian diplomat Mohammed Bel Sheikh to added a message to the Tunisian government: “As you authorities are struggling to contain former rebels and into the job, saying gunmen had tried to attack his family. the Tunisian government and his family” the video, published imprison ours we will imprison yours. As you kill ours we will Islamist militants who fought to depose ex-leader Muammar Tribal groups, militias and even local citizens are also resort- on social media, showed the diplomat crying. kill yours.” Gaddafi in 2011 and who have formed increasingly powerful ing to road blockades as a negotiating tactic. Some rebel “Mr President, negotiate seriously with them. I want to Neither Libyan nor Tunisian officials were immediately and violent militias. groups have also shut down the OPEC member’s oil facilities, return to my country Tunisia,” the diplomat, who was sporting available for comment but the diplomat’s family confirmed it Last Tuesday, gunmen kidnapped Jordan’s ambassador to raising supply concerns on global oil markets. — Reuters 5 sentenced to death in Saudi RIYADH: A Saudi court has sentenced to death five people over deadly 2003 attacks that marked the start of a wave of Al-Qaeda violence, media reported yesterday. Dozens of Saudis and expats were killed and wounded that year in car bomb- ings that ripped through three residential com- pounds in Riyadh where foreigners lived. Sabq news website did not say when the five suspects were sentenced to death, but reported that they were found guilty of rigging car bombs used in the 2003 attacks. Thirty-seven other defendants were given jail terms ranging from three to 35 years, it said. The suspects were also convicted of plotting and car- rying out an attack on a military base near Riyadh and of providing financial and logistical support to their now-slain leader Turki Al- Dandani. Dandani was a top Al-Qaeda operative who was eventually killed in clashes with Saudi police. Saudi authorities set up specialized ter- rorism courts in 2011 to try dozens of Saudis and foreigners accused of belonging to Al-Qaeda or of involvement in the wave of unrest unleashed in 2003. The attacks prompted authorities to crack down on the jihadist network founded by Saudi- born Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US commando operation in May 2011. The Saudi crackdown prompted many homegrown jihadists to shift base to neighboring Yemen, where they merged to form the formidable Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The United States con- siders the group - which has been implicated in failed attacks on US soil - to be the most danger- ous franchise of the Islamist network, and has waged a covert drone campaign against it. Earlier this year Saudi Arabia added Al-Qaeda organizations fighting in Syria to its list of banned terror groups. — AFP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 INTERNATIONAL

Lebanon to vote on president without clear favorite

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s parliament con- tomorrow, she said. “No candidate will venes tomorrow to try to elect a new be able to get two-thirds of the 128 president without a clear frontrunner votes” required by the constitution, in sight because of deep divisions over she added. If no candidate wins two- the Syrian conflict and Hezbollah’s thirds of the vote in the first round of a arsenal. The conflict next door in Syria secret ballot, a second round has to be has pushed more than one million held, requiring only a simple majority refugees into Lebanon and drawn in to be elected head of state. the powerful Hezbollah which is fight- Lebanon’s presidents are chosen by ing alongside the Syrian regime. The parliament, and under the country’s violence has also spilled over into delicate multi-confessional system the Lebanon, which was dominated by post is traditionally filled by a Syria for nearly three decades, in the Maronite Christian. The current presi- form of car bombs and armed clashes. dent, Michel Suleiman, leaves office at The three-year-old war has also the end of his six-year mandate on raised sectarian tension between May 25. Since the end of the civil war, Shiite backers of Hezbollah and its the office of president has lost much of Syrian allies and Sunni supporters of its power, including the right to dis- the deadly uprising in Syria. Lebanon solve parliament. But that has not has been rocked by a string of political stopped international players from crises since the end of its own 1975- seeking to influence the incumbent. 1990 civil war, and it is now divided “The issue is regional. Saudi Arabia, between two camps and their interna- Iran and Syria are voting because the tional backers. The “March 14” bloc, led next president will set the tone” on by Saad Hariri, son of assassinated for- issues such as Hezbollah’s arsenal, mer premier Rafiq Hariri, is supported Kiwane added. by Washington and Riyadh and largely So far, just one candidate has backs Syrian rebels. It is opposed by announced his bid: Samir Geagea, a BEIRUT: A handout picture shows a general view of the parliamentary session in the Lebanese capital Beirut. —AFP the “March 8” bloc headed by former warlord and member of the Hezbollah, which has the backing of March 14 coalition who is widely seen erful military force in the country-as is unlikely to prevail, analysts say, with added. On Hezbollah’s side, the most both Damascus and Tehran. as having little chance of winning. He is essential to protect Lebanon from the Syria and Iran opposed to any prominent candidates are likely to be backed by Saad Hariri but “he has no Jewish state. But critics accuse it of Lebanese president hostile to their Michel Aoun, their firmest Christian Delicate multi-confessional system chance of winning the first round” seeking to impose its will on Lebanon. interests and anti-Hezbollah. “The bal- ally, or Suleiman Frangieh, who is close Discussions inside the blocs have because of his opposition to Hezbollah, ance is tipped towards Hezbollah to Syria’s embattled President Bashar begun, but Fadia Kiwane, political sci- said Kiwane. The Shiite movement Gemayel, Aoun because, after all, the Syrian regime has Al-Assad. March 14 will reject those ence department head at Beirut’s Saint rejects Geagea as a “candidate of divi- Other potential March 14 candi- managed to stay in place,” Kiwane said. candidates, meaning “it is very proba- Joseph University, said they are unlike- sion” and says it wants a president who dates include Amin Gemayel, who And those countries opposed to the ble that we will go to candidates who ly to yield swift results. “What is almost “defends the choice of resistance” to served as president during the civil Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis, including the are not yet in the race,” Kiwane said. certain is that a president will not be Israel. The group has defended its pow- war, as well as MPs Boutros Harb and United States and Saudi Arabia, are not Otherwise, “there is a real risk of a pres- elected in the first round” of voting erful arsenal-making it the most pow- Robert Ghanem. But the bloc’s choice in the mood for confrontation, she idential vacuum.”— AFP Rockets from Gaza hit southern Israel Army strikes back, targets Hamas camps

GAZA: Seven rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel during the Jewish Passover holiday yesterday, drawing retaliatory air strikes from the Israeli army, officials said, the first cross-border clash in several weeks. Israel’s army said its strikes hit two training camps run by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza. Medical sources there said two Hamas militants were lightly wounded. Hamas has largely maintained a truce with Israel since a brief war in late 2012, but it has sometimes struggled to rein in smaller armed Islamist fac- tions hostile to the Israel. There was no claim of responsibility for the latest rocket salvo from any of those factions, BAMBARI: Refugees from Sudan are pictured in a camp called Pladama-Ouaka,10 km who are opposed to troubled peace talks from Bambari, Central African Republic. —AFP between their Palestinian rivals in the occupied West Bank and Israel. Two of the projectiles from Gaza exploded in the southern Israeli border South Sudan rebels community of Sderot in a road and an open area, Israeli police said. There were no reports of any injuries. Israel holds Hamas responsible for slaughter hundreds any rocket fire from the Strip and routinely retali- ates against it. “Israeli civilians celebrating the Ethnic massacres Passover Holiday woke up this morning to the GAZA: Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on Rafah town, in the southern Gaza Strip yester- sound of Code-Red alarms and rockets ... Hamas day, hours after Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired seven rockets into Israel. — AFP rocket terrorism is an intolerable reality Israelis cial crossed yesterday from Egypt into the Gaza with Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, the pre- JUBA: Rebel gunmen in South Sudan mas- ethnic groups and escorted them to safety, should not have to accept,” Israeli army Strip ahead of a new attempt to reconcile the mier’s office said. Longtime tensions between sacred “hundreds” of civilians because of while the others were killed,” the UN report spokesman Peter Lerner said in a statement. militant Islamist movement and its Palestine Hamas and Fatah boiled over in a week of fight- their ethnicity when they captured a key oil said. At the hospital, “several Nuer men, Residents of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Liberation Organization rivals. An AFP journalist ing in 2007 that left the Islamist movement in town last week, the UN said yesterday, one women and children were killed for hiding said an Israeli helicopter opened fire there, saw Mussa Abu Marzuq, head of external affairs control of Gaza and effectively divided the of the worst reported atrocities in the war- and declining to join other Nuers who had though it was not clear what it was targeting. in the movement’s political office, enter the Palestinian territories in two. torn nation. In the main mosque alone, gone out to cheer” the rebels as they entered Hamas confirmed its training camps had been Hamas-ruled coastal strip through the Rafah The two sides have made repeated attempts “more than 200 civilians were reportedly the town, the UN said. Peacekeepers later attacked but did not comment on the reports of frontier crossing. An official of the Palestine to heal the rift, including an Egyptian-brokered killed and over 400 wounded,” the UN mis- rescued over 500 civilians, many of them rockets. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after Liberation Organization, which is headed by deal in 2011 in which they agreed to make way sion in the country said. Civilians including wounded, from the hospital and other sites, 38 years of occupation, a unilateral move that Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and domi- for an interim government of independents to children were also massacred at a church, as well as guarding “thousands” of civilians as boosted Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other nated by his Fatah movement, said a PLO dele- organize fresh elections throughout the territo- hospital and an abandoned UN World Food they continue to stream towards the UN Palestinian groups. Palestinians seek a state in gation was expected to arrive in Gaza from its ries. The agreement has never been implement- Program (WFP) compound, it said. base, where over 25,000 people are now the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as West Bank headquarters tomorrow or Thursday ed. Hamas’s fortunes have slipped since July Fighters said on the radio rival groups crammed in for shelter. Similar killings were its capital. Two Islamist groups fired rockets at for talks with Hamas. 2013 when the Egyptian army deposed the should be forced from the town of Bentiu, reported at the Catholic church and WFP Israel over several days in early March, and Israel Hamas’s Gaza interior ministry said 10 Fatah movement’s ally, president Mohamed Morsi of and urged men to rape women from the compound. UN aid worker Amanda Weyler responded with air strikes. members imprisoned for “breaches of public the Muslim Brotherhood. Last month a Cairo opposition ethnic group. South Sudan’s described “nightmarish scenes” with “scores order” were freed on Monday “as a goodwill ges- court barred Hamas from operating in Egypt and army has been fighting rebels loyal to of bodies” still scattered on the streets after Hamas to meet PLO rivals ture to support national reconciliation efforts”. said it would seek to seize the movement’s sacked vice president Riek Machar, who visiting Monday. Meanwhile, a senior Cairo-based Hamas offi- Immediately upon his arrival, Abu Marzuq met assets there.—Agencies launched a renewed offensive this month targeting key oil fields. The conflict has tak- Rebels say ‘mopping up’ en on an ethnic dimension, pitting The capture of Bentiu came two days President Salva Kiir’s Dinka tribe against before gunmen stormed a UN compound militia forces from Machar’s Nuer people. in which at least 58 people were killed, with Suicide bombings, attacks UN human rights investigators said that peacekeepers fighting back to protect over after rebels wrested Bentiu from govern- 5,000 civilians sheltering there who the ment forces in heavy battles last Tuesday, attackers had wanted to kill. The UN the gunmen spent two days hunting down Security Council said that attack may “con- leave 19 dead across Iraq those they believed opposed them. Both stitute a war crime”. The surge in fighting in South Sudanese and Sudanese-some from the four-month-long conflict comes amid BAGHDAD: Suicide bombings and checkpoint in the town of Suwayrah, east of Baghdad, another suicide car across Iraq killed at least 18 people the war-torn Darfur region-were killed, the warnings by UN Secretary General Ban Ki- other attacks across Iraq killed at killing 12 people - five policemen bomber struck an army checkpoint, and wounded nearly 50. The attacks UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan moon that more than one million people least 19 people and wounded 36 yes- and seven civilians. A police officer killing three soldiers and two civil- included a coordinated assault on a (UNMISS) said in a statement. Toby Lanzer, are at risk of famine in the war-torn coun- terday, officials said, the latest in an said the explosion in Suwayrah, ians, a second police officer said. private Shiite college in Baghdad in the top UN aid official in the country, told try. A ceasefire deal is in tatters, while uptick in violence as the country located about 40 kilometers (25 Twelve other people were wounded which a suicide bomber with an RFI radio on Monday what he had wit- peace talks in luxury hotels in Ethiopia have counts down to crucial parliament miles) south of Baghdad, also in that attack, he said. An Iraqi sol- explosives belt attacked the main nessed was “beyond description”, describ- made little if any progress. Bentiu is the first elections later this month. In one sui- wounded 19 people. dier was killed and three were gate while three militants attacked ing “a never-ending stream of spots where major settlement to have been retaken in a cide attack, the bomber drove his In the nearby town of Madain, wounded when a roadside bomb the back gate of the college. Four people have been executed, very deliber- renewed offensive by Machar’s forces, with explosives-laden car into a police about 20 kilometers (14 miles) south- struck their patrol in the northern policemen and one teacher were ately targeted.” the rebels saying on Monday that fighting town of Mishahda, 30 kilometers (20 killed and 18 other people were continued in Unity state, boasting of fur- miles) north of Baghdad, a police wounded. Hours after the attack, an Hate radio urged rape ther villages they had captured. officer said. And in the town of al-Qaida spin-off group known as the “They (the rebels) searched a number of They could not be contacted for com- Latifiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant places where hundreds of South Sudanese ment on the reports of massacres. The con- miles) south of Baghdad, gunmen in claimed responsibility for the attack, and foreign civilians had taken refuge, and flict in South Sudan, which only won inde- speeding car went on a shooting accusing the college’s professors of killed hundreds of the civilians after deter- pendence from Sudan in 2011 and is the spree, killing one civilian and wound- teaching students to “curse” the mining their ethnicity or nationality,” the world’s youngest nation, has left thousands ing two, a police officer said. Prophet Muhammad and training UN said. Some rebels took to the local radio dead and forced around a million people to Four medical officials confirmed them to “fight” the Sunnis in Iraq and to “broadcast hate messages declaring that flee their homes. The fighting has been the causality figures. All officials Syria. The authenticity of the state- certain ethnic groups should not stay in marked by reports and allegations of atroc- spoke on condition of anonymity ment could not be independently Bentiu, and even calling on men from one ities by both sides, with ethnic massacres, because they were not authorized to verified, but its style was consistent community to commit vengeful sexual vio- child soldier recruitment and patients talk to the media. Since last year, with previous statements. lence against women from another com- raped and murdered in hospitals by attack- Iraq has been experiencing a surge The UN Special Representative in munity,” the statement added. Rebel ing forces. “These atrocities must be fully in violence to levels unseen since Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, described spokesman Lul Ruai Koang, in a statement investigated and the perpetrators and their 2008. The recent uptick has become the college assault as a “vicious and released shortly after the capture of the commanders shall be held accountable,” the Shiite-led government’s most cowardly attack on innocent civil- town, had praised the “gallant forces” of said Raisedon Zenenga, deputy head of serious challenge as the nation pre- ians.” “This is yet another example of having completed “mopping and cleaning UNMISS. The United States, the key backer pares to hold the national parliamen- sectarian-based violence that the up operations in and around Bentiu”. of South Sudan’s move to independence tary elections on April 30 - the first people of this country need to fight At the Kali-Ballee mosque, where hun- less than three years ago, has threatened SUWEIRAH: Iraqi police inspect the site of a car bomb explosion at a voting in Iraq since the US army in order to bring this country to tran- dreds had taken shelter, the rebels “separat- targeted sanctions against those responsi- checkpoint in the Suweirah area, 45 kms south of Baghdad yester- withdrawal in 2011. quility,” Mladenov said in a state- ed individuals of certain nationalities and ble for the violence.— AFP day.—AFP On Sunday, a series of attacks ment. — AP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 INTERNATIONAL Obama on a mission to quiet the Asia skeptics ‘Rebalancing’ of US-Asia policy

WASHINGTON: Five years after refashioning US buzzword “pivot,” which implies a departure four years in Indonesia, declared himself foreign policy to emphasize Asia, President and caused consternation among US allies in America’s “first Pacific president” in Japan in Barack Obama will face questions over his strate- Europe. But some wonder if the policy has 2009. “Unfortunately, the White House has not gy’s content and staying power in the region this been stronger on rhetoric than on delivery been able to make the notion of ‘rebalance’ week. Obama will counter the impression that since Obama, born in Hawaii and raised for stick and give it operational coherence,” said events, including carnage in Syria and the East- Kenneth Lieberthal, a Clinton administration West showdown over Ukraine have dragged his Asia policy specialist. administration’s attention elsewhere. He will “Countries on this visit will be looking for evi- WYOMING: A worker inspects damage to a house at the top of a slow-motion argue in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the dence of President Obama’s security commit- landslide in Jackson, Wyo. —AP Philippines that the “rebalancing” policy-of with- ments and his related tactical skill, the ability to drawing US military, economic and human judge and manage issues in a way that estab- resources from Middle East wars and deploying lishes reachable goals and a good strategy to Landslide devouring them to emerging Asia-remains on track. get there,” said Lieberthal, of the Brookings Obama will embark on his fifth visit as presi- Institution. The administration insists the strate- part of Wyoming town dent to Asia when he lands in Japan tomorrow. gy has had tangible results and revitalized This journey, the first of two to the region this American alliances. A small US Marine detach- JACKSON: What’s happening in this Willy Watsabaugh said as he stood at the year, will make up for the embarrassment of ment is already in Darwin, Australia, building up Wyoming resort town might be better edge of the slide zone, its rocky slope rising skipping regional summits in November to a permanent rotation of around 2,500 troops. described as a land creep than a landslide, sharply behind him. The rate of movement because of domestic political battles. He seeks With an eye on North Korea, Defense Secretary but the lack of speed has not hindered the slowed Saturday, giving crews a chance to progress in tough talks with Japan over the pro- Chuck Hagel sent two more destroyers to Japan. sheer power of the moving earth. Over the get back in and reassess the damage, posed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, Several Littoral Combat Ships have been based past two weeks, a piece of East Gros Ventre Watsabaugh said. The chief said he’s seen hung up over auto and agricultural market in Singapore and the US Navy eventually envis- Butte has slowly collapsed toward the west many slides in the mountains around access. ages a 60-40 split between assets in the Pacific side of Jackson - shearing one hillside Jackson but never one in town. The TPP would cement Obama’s legacy in and elsewhere. home in half, threatening to devour several Town officials first noticed significant hill Asia, but talks on the 12-nation pact lost Washington was also prominent in luring others and looming ever more ominously movement on April 4. They evacuated 42 momentum last year. Obama must also walk a Myanmar out of isolation, though the country’s over a cluster of businesses below. No one homes and apartment units on April 9. fine line, bolstering alliances with nations which reform drive is beset by challenges. But uncer- can say precisely when the mountainside Workers and residents had watched helpless- see the United States as a counterweight to tainty lingers over US intentions. “The US needs will cease its slow droop into Jackson or ly on Thursday and Friday as a sudden accel- powerful China, while avoiding angering to first and foremost clearly define what ‘pivot- finally give way. But it appears increasingly eration of movement prompted authorities Beijing. He will also press on with efforts to ease ing’ or ‘rebalancing’ exactly means, especially in likely that it’s going to take a piece of to suspend their efforts to shore up the slope the dispute between US allies South Korea and the current high-tension environment in East Jackson with it. as falling rocks created a hazard. Work Japan, insist North Korea will get no reward for Asia,” said Oh Ei Sun, an international relations belligerence and complete a revival of US rela- specialist at Nanyang Technological University, Emergency workers have tried in vain to resumed over the weekend with a new focus: WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama shore up slow-moving slope, attracting a repairing some of the damage the slide tions with Malaysia. Singapore. “Is pivoting just a military and securi- steady parade of the curious and camera- already has caused, including a break in a (center) and first lady Michelle Obama ty issue, in which case it may be gaining traction wielding gawkers. “We don’t know what sewer line on Friday. On Saturday evening, Can Obama deliver? depart from the White House in regionally due to China’s increasingly strident Mother Nature wants to do here. She’s officials postponed the sewer line work until US officials now prefer the term “rebalanc- Washington, DC as they head to Easter serv- posture, or is it something more, entailing an shown us quite a bit,” Jackson Fire Chief Monday because of access issues. —AP ing” of US-Asia policy rather than the previous ices at St John’s Episcopal Church. —AFP economic dimension as well?” —AFP

Why are Americans obsessed with missing plane? PERTH: From the disappearances of aviator Amelia Earhart to labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa, there’s just something about a good mystery that Americans find too tantalizing to resist. Perhaps that’s why the saga of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has continued to rivet the country long after people else- where have moved on. From the beginning, the story has bub- bled with enough drama to rival a good Hollywood whodunit. And even though it unfolded on the other side of the world with only three Americans on board, many were sucked in any- way. “This story has many ingredients of compelling drama, par- ticularly early on: lives at stake, mystery unsolved, a race against time, human emotion,” Tom Rosenstiel, executive direc- tor of the American Press Institute, said in an email. Many found it impossible to believe that a modern Boeing 777 carry- ing 239 people could just vanish without a trace in an age where an iPhone can be tracked just about anywhere. And so they tuned in to watch the latest developments. And when there were no new developments, they stayed glued to their smartphones because the suspense of not knowing - or possibly missing something new - somehow spiked when nothing was going on. From oil slicks to pings from dying black boxes, each new lead provided a salacious morsel that drove viewers to wonder: Will this be it? “I find myself drawn into watching or reading about it because it has taken on seemingly mythic worldwide importance,” Paul Mones, an attorney from Portland, Oregon wrote in an email. “In this modern world we simply refuse to accept that something so concrete can get so out of our physical reach and understanding. ... People just refuse to concede that the cause of the disaster will likely forever remain unknown.” After six weeks of breathless reporting, not one shred of hard evi- dence has been found from the jetliner. An unmanned under- water submarine is now using sonar to comb the ocean floor at a depth exceeding 4 1/2 kilometers off the west coast of Australia. It is desperately trying to spot something - anything - that resembles wreckage in an area where signals believed to be coming from the plane’s dying black boxes were heard. According to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center conducted April 3-6, the missing plane remained the top news story in the US, with 33 percent of people saying they followed it over a deadly shooting at Fort Hood Army base, develop- ments related to Ukraine and President Obama’s health care overhaul. That’s down from 39 percent in the previous March questionnaire, when nearly half of those asked said they thought the hunt for MH370 was being given the right amount of coverage. CNN covered the drama ad nauseam for weeks, once breaking into one of its programs to report that objects recovered from the sea could be trash - which is exact- ly what it proved to be. They featured tons of go-to footage from a flight simulator and a nonstop spool of speculation from talking heads. Everyone had a theory, with some sound- ing more like a Twilight Zone rerun than a newscast: Could a black hole or even something supernatural be behind the aircraft’s March 8 disappearance? Last week, Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr, begged CNN to scale it back. “Enough, already,” he wrote. “Give us a break from the missing plane. ... Put your hands up and step away from the story.” But even though its coverage was mocked by “The Daily Show” and spoofed by “Saturday Night Live,” Americans kept watching, and the 24-hour news network’s ratings kept soaring. CNN, which declined to comment for this story, reported itself that the all-important 25- to 54-year-old viewer demographic more than doubled after its plane reporting began. But why did interest remain so high in the US when the story lost steam elsewhere? It dropped from most Australian front pages and web sites weeks ago, despite the search being coordinated off its western coast. CNN International tapered its coverage when other big news broke, such as the crisis in Ukraine and the Oscar Pistorius trial in South Africa, even though the missing jetliner was actually an overseas sto- ry. Even in China, where two-thirds of the passengers were from, reports never ran nonstop on TV and the clamor on social media also died down. Still, Americans yearned for more. A month and a half into the massive search that has involved scores of countries scouring thousands upon thousands of ocean miles, the plane was still among the top three stories Sunday on Google news. The only new development was that a robotic subma- rine was expected to finish its sweep of the seabed in a week. Part of the obsession may also revolve around the country’s gotta-know-now mentality and its social media addiction that gets fed 24/7 by the latest breaking news, raw footage or pho- tos going viral on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Since the plane disappeared, it has consistently been one of the top five most-read stories on The Associated Press’ mobile app. —AP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 INTERNATIONAL Former PM steps up bid to keep Scotland in UK

LONDON: Former British Prime Minister Scotland’s 5.3 million population want Gordon Brown is stepping up his efforts to change although not necessarily separation stop Scotland leaving the United Kingdom as as advocated by the ruling Scottish National opinion polls show growing support for inde- Party (SNP) that trounced Labour at the 2011 pendence. Brown, a Scot, will today make his Scottish parliament elections. An ICM poll on first speech in support of the cross-party Sunday showed support for independence Better Together campaign, warning Scots of a unchanged from a month ago at 39 percent possible deficit in pension funds if they opt while opposition fell four points to 42 per- out of the 307-year old union in a Sept. 18 ref- cent. A Survation poll put the pro-indepen- erendum. dence side at 38 percent, up one point from Polls show growing support for independ- 10 days ago, and pro-unionists on 46 percent, ence with the gap between the two sides nar- one point lower. rowing to just a few percentage points after a Better Together, led by former Labor split seemed unattainable a year ago. Brown, British finance minister Alistair Darling, has a former Labor leader who has kept a low been accused of being too negative. This profile since losing the 2010 general election, week it will launch a “No thanks” advertising said he will set out the case for why Scotland blitz and Labor leader Ed Miliband will lead a should stay in the United Kingdom in a visit by his top team to Scotland later in the speech at Glasgow University. “I will set out a week. Scotland set up its own parliament in positive, forward-looking case for the best 1999 after a referendum on devolution, with future for Scotland, showing how in areas London handing over powers for issues such such as pensions it makes good sense to as education, health, transport and housing. combine having a Scottish parliament with Brown argues that the devolved Scottish par- being part of Britain,” Brown said ahead of the liament should be given more powers rather speech. Campaigners believe working-class than break up the union of England, Scotland, Labor supporters could be key to the referen- Wales and Northern Ireland. dum with both sides seeking to woo Labor But the SNP, led by Alex Salmond, argues voters as well as women, who opinion polls SLOVYANSK: Armed Pro-Russian men on the street in Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine yesterday. The self-proclaimed mayor of Slovyansk in eastern independence would let oil-rich Scotland suggest are more likely to oppose independ- Ukraine is appealing to Russia to send in peacekeeping troops after a shootout at a checkpoint near the city manned by pro-Russia insurgents. —AP decide its own path rather than having often ence. Brown is expected to give statistics unpopular policies imposed by lawmakers in showing that Scottish pensioners could receive 500 million pounds ($840 million) less London. Salmond said the latest polls and new advertising campaign showed the No Ukraine peace deal falters a year in benefits if the country goes it alone. He will also warn that Scotland’s pension bill side’s campaign was backfiring even after could soar as the number of pensioners rises playing all their trump cards. The anti-inde- to 1.3 million from one million. Brown last pendence campaign has focused heavily on Rebels show no sign of surrender month said he intended to play a major role warnings that Scotland would lose the pound ahead of the September vote, but this is his and have to reapply for European Union KIEV: An agreement reached last week to avert “Steps are being taken - above all by those who “Easter truce”, though it is far from clear it could first foray into the intensifying cross-party bid membership if it quit the United Kingdom, wider conflict in Ukraine was faltering as the new seized power in Kiev - not only that do not fulfil, but muster any real force if it tried. The army is ill- to stop independence. and the business sector would suffer. “The No week began, with pro-Moscow separatist gunmen that crudely violate the Geneva agreement,” Russia’s equipped, untested and untrained for domestic campaign is in a panic because they are seen showing no sign of surrendering government build- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday, operations, while the government in Kiev doubts Race tightens as negative and unbelievable,” Salmond said ings they have seized. Washington says it will hold describing the attack on the separatist checkpoint as the loyalty of the police. Brown has acknowledged most of in a statement.—Reuters Moscow responsible and impose new economic a crime. President Vladimir Putin overturned decades sanctions if the separatists do not clear out of gov- of post-Cold War diplomacy by announcing last Sanctions ernment buildings they have occupied across month that Russia has the right to intervene on the The United States and European Union have swathes of eastern Ukraine over the past two weeks. territory of its neighbors to protect Russian speakers. imposed visa bans and asset freezes on a small num- Nigerians mark Easter US Vice President Joe Biden was due in Kiev later yes- He then seized and annexed Ukraine’s Crimea penin- ber of Russians over the annexation of Crimea, terday. sula. Moscow has since massed tens of thousands of measures that Moscow has openly mocked. Kiev and Moscow traded accusations over a dead- troops on the Ukrainian border, and Kiev and its Washington and Brussels both say they are working amid mourning, fear ly shooting on Easter Sunday morning, when at least Western allies say Russian agents are directing the on tougher economic measures to impose unless LAGOS: With little to celebrate, Nigerians ing him on Easter Sunday. “Boko Haram will three people were killed at a checkpoint manned by uprising in the east, including the “green men” - Russia’s allies in eastern Ukraine back down, marked Easter Sunday with heightened not disintegrate this country! ... Even those armed separatists. Moscow and its separatist allies heavily armed, masked gunmen in unmarked uni- although building a consensus is tricky in Europe security against a spreading Islamic upris- who think this country will be divided into accused Ukrainian nationalists of attacking the forms. In his latest move, likely to be seen by the where many countries rely on Russian energy ing, mourning the deaths of at least 75 north, south or east and west, we will not.” checkpoint; Kiev said Russia had provoked the vio- West as a further threat to the post-Cold War order, exports. One European diplomat said the Geneva bomb blast victims and fearful of the fate Nigeria has stayed together despite a civil lence. In a later incident, the Ukrainian defense min- Putin signed a law yesterday making it easier for deal was a way for Putin to buy time and undermine of 85 abducted schoolgirls. The home- war in the late 1960s to create a separate istry said gunmen on motorcycles fired on an army Russian speakers across the former Soviet Union to momentum towards sanctions: grown terrorist network Boko Haram on nation in the east called Biafra. A million checkpoint between Donetsk and Slaviansk shortly obtain Russian citizenship. Eastern Ukraine is largely “Talks and compromises are just part of his tac- Saturday claimed responsibility for last people died, mostly of famine in the after dark on Sunday. The troops opened fire, Russian speaking and many residents are deeply tics,” said the diplomat. “He wants to have Ukraine.” week’s rush-hour explosion at a busy bus defeated east. Jonathan noted that after wounding one attacker and capturing two, it said. suspicious of the pro-European government that The OSCE, a European security body that includes station in the capital, Abuja, and threat- the bombing, Nigerians of all religions and Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the took power in Kiev in February when Moscow- both NATO members and Russia, has deployed ened more attacks. classes came together to evacuate the United States signed off on an agreement in Geneva backed President Viktor Yanukovich fled the country around 100 monitors and mediators in Ukraine in 10 “We are the bombers ... yes we are the wounded before security forces arrived, on Thursday, designed to lower tension in the worst after mass protests. different cities including the capital Kiev and eastern bombers; if you really want to know who and citizens responded to a call for dona- confrontation between Russia and the West since the Separatists have declared an independent and southern towns. An OSCE spokesman said the did it, let me tell you now, it was Shekau tions by giving more blood than was need- Cold War. The agreement calls for occupied buildings “People’s Republic of Donetsk” in the east’s biggest mediators were visiting separatist-occupied build- that did it,” leader Abubakar Shekau boasts ed. to be vacated under the auspices of envoys from the province and have named themselves to official ings with copies of last week’s Geneva accord to in a new video. He taunts Nigeria’s The Nigeria Police High Command Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, posts in towns and cities, setting up checkpoints explain it to the people inside. “It’s a mixed experi- President Goodluck Jonathan, saying: “Look appealed to citizens to help with security a security body. All sides are meant to refrain from and flying Russian flags over government buildings. ence dealing with checkpoints and so forth and at us, we are right within your city (Abuja) by removing cars from around churches force. But no sooner had the accord been signed Ukraine announced an “anti-terrorist” operation to there is a varying reaction to teams. There is a hard- and you don’t even know how to find us. and mosques, keeping flower beds clear of than both sides accused the other of breaking it, retake the territory last week, but that modest effort ened attitude in Donetsk or Slaviansk but some oth- Let me tell you now, I am here very close to trash, discouraging hawking and making while the pro-Moscow rebels said the pledge to largely collapsed in disarray when a column of para- er areas are more accommodating,” spokesman you, I dare you to get me, if you can.” conscious efforts to know fellow congre- withdraw from occupied buildings was not binding troops surrendered rifle parts and some armored Michael Bociurkiw said. “When teams go to smaller Nigeria’s military twice have claimed that gants to “make it easier to know who is a on them. vehicles to a separatist crowd. Kiev has declared an centers people are more willing to talk.” — Reuters Shekau was dead, only to have him resur- stranger in their midst.” On social media, face in a video. The United States has the Nigerian hashtag placed a $7 million ransom on his head. #CitizenSolutionToEndTerrorism was trend- News At church services around the country, ing with scores of suggestions, including in brief Nigerians mourned victims of four attacks one that reached to a root cause of extrem- in three days last week. At the Vatican, ism, saying “provide jobs, take care of basic Pope Francis prayed for a halt to the “brutal needs, and let them see reason to live.” Egypt authorities detain terrorist attacks” in parts of Nigeria. Despite the country’s wealth, endemic cor- well-known belly dancer “Government should be more sincere in ruption keeps 70 percent of Nigerians liv- CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have detained a belly handling the security and insurgency prob- ing below the poverty line, and the north- dancer who rose to fame for her videos spoofing lems,” Okeoghene Eboibi, a 45-year-old east suffers most with youth unemploy- Islamists and other politicians over allegations that she polytechnic lecturer in southern Delta state ment estimated at 80 percent. is running an unlicensed satellite station. Prosecutors said. He was referring to politicization of Acknowledging the inequity, Jonathan said yesterday that Sama El-Masry was taken into cus- the 5-year-old Islamic uprising that has the has promised a massive development pro- tody late Sunday in Cairo. Earlier this year, she launched two main political parties accusing each gram in the north but only once the insur- a satellite station called “Feloul,” a pejorative term used other of backing the terrorist network as gency is halted. Police officers guarded to refer to supporters of longtime autocrat Hosni the country gears up for elections in strategic installations and manned check- Mubarak, who was toppled in 2011. El-Masry has used February 2015. points searching cars in Abuja on Sunday the station to vigorously defend the military and its The attacks also undermine government but security forces were absent from the overthrow last July of Mubarak’s successor, the Islamist and military claims that an 11-month-old scene of the abductions at Chibok, a Mohammed Morsi. This week, she attacked a former state of emergency in three northeast remote northeast town where more than presidential hopeful who filed a complaint against her. states covering one-sixth of the country 100 girls and young women were kid- has been contained the extremists. Eboibi napped from a school hours after Monday’s Algeria hunts Islamists CARACAS: Member of the national police confront demonstrators during a protest prayed that “God give us the grace to live bombing. Borno state education commis- behind deadly attack against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas. — AFP together peacefully.” But Chidozie Iyoke, a sioner Musa Inuwo Kubo said Friday he was ALGIERS: Algeria’s army was hunting yesterday for an 35-year-old unemployed laborer whose leg forced to send the 44 students who have armed Islamist group linked to an attack in the rugged was injured in the bombing, said it might been accounted for to homes all over the Kabylie region in which 11 soldiers were killed, a securi- be better if people went back to their state, because there was no security at the ty official said. Gunmen ambushed an army convoy car- Fresh clashes erupt places of origin. Africa’s most populous school or in the town. rying soldiers back to their barracks late on Saturday in nation of some 170 million people is divid- Confidence in the military was further Iboudrarene, in the restive mountainous region, a bas- in Venezuela capital ed almost equally between Muslims living eroded when the Defense Ministry claimed tion of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), with three assailants also killed in the deadliest attack on the mostly in the north and Christians whose Wednesday that soldiers had freed all but CARACAS: Fresh clashes erupted in Popular (Popular Will), an anti-government Algerian military in years. According to residents of vil- homes are predominantly in the south. eight of the girls - only to retract the state- Venezuela’s capital on Sunday, with hooded group whose outspoken leader, Leopoldo lages around Iboudrarene contacted by telephone, President Jonathan vowed there will be ment on Thursday. Eighty-five are still miss- anti-government protesters hurling rocks and Lopez, has been jailed since February 18. Also no breaking apart of Nigeria, which in ing, Kubo said. The military has said it has artillery fire could be heard in the surrounding moun- Molotov cocktails at riot police who returned attending the protest were opposition legisla- January celebrated the 100th anniversary the extremists on the run with near-daily air tains on Monday. “The armed forces, including para- fire with rubber bullets, tear gas and water tor Maria Corina Machado and former mayor of the amalgamation of north and south, bombardments of hideouts in forests and troopers, have been combing the region. Important cannon. Eight people were reported injured Antonio Ledezma, both of whom, along with under British colonizers. “As a nation, we caves, but the growing toll tells a different reinforcements have been dispatched to Iboudrarene,” in the unrest that erupted in Caracas’s upscale Lopez, support a strategy known as “The Exit,” are having tribulation, but surely we have story: more than 1,500 people have been about 100 kilometers east of Algiers, the security official Chacao neighborhood, a hotbed of anti-gov- which aims to push Maduro from office hope. Surely we shall overcome this tribula- killed this year alone, compared to an esti- said. The slain troops were from a unit that had been ernment opposition. Oil-rich Venezuela has through continuous protests. tion,” the Christian leader told guests visit- mated 3,600 between 2010 and 2013.— AP deployed as part of a nationwide security operation for been rocked by two months of deadly At the end of the peaceful march hooded Thursday’s controversial leadership contest in which ail- protests, with at least 41 people killed since a activists blocked a main Chacao thoroughfare ing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika won a fourth term. wave of demonstrations against the leftist and nearby streets with debris that included The attack, by what the defense ministry called a “terror- government of Nicolas Maduro broke out in an uprooted bus stop shelter and sewer ist group”, came a day after the announcement of early February. grates. Some were protected by gas masks Bouteflika’s landslide victory, with 81.5 percent of the Some 600 people have also been injured and construction helmets. Others hid their vote, despite his age and poor health prompting many in the protests, and around 100 have been identity with scarves and Guy Fawkes masks. Algerians to question his ability to rule. detained. Maduro, the hand-picked successor After police and rioters clashed, Chacao to the late leftist icon Hugo Chavez, was nar- Mayor Ramon Muchacho said in a Twitter Car slams into rowly elected to office in a controversial elec- message that of the eight injured-including packed church tion one year ago. A former bus driver and four bruised and two hit by buck shot-there FORT MYERS: A car slammed into a packed Florida union leader and the self-proclaimed “son” of were no bullet injuries. church just as its annual Easter concert was about to Chavez, Maduro was elected after Chavez begin, injuring 21 people as it barreled through the died from cancer and was sworn in April 19, Burning of Judas brick outer wall and several rows of pews, Fort Myers 2013, pledging to carry on his mentor’s social- In a separate Easter tradition, effigies of police said. The Lexus sedan struck the Second Haitian ist legacy. Maduro and top government officials were Baptist Church at around 8 p.m. Sunday, when there set ablaze, a Venezuelan tradition known as were about 200 people inside, Lt Victor Medico said. ‘Resurrection of democracy’ the burning of Judas, the disciple who When officers arrived at the scene, church members Hundreds of anti-government activists betrayed Jesus Christ. “I’m tired of the abuses used car jacks to lift the vehicle off of people who were marked Easter Sunday in Chacao by holding a of the government,” said Genesis Reveron, a trapped underneath, according to the News-Press of peaceful march calling for the “resurrection of 20 year-old student who was dragging along Fort Myers. Investigators were looking into the crash democracy.” With Venezuelan flags fluttering a Maduro effigy to burn. She blamed Maduro even though they believe it was “an unfortunate traffic in the wind, the crowd marched to the offices for the country’s high inflation and soaring accident.” “Everybody was sitting and the service started of the United Nations in Venezuela, where crime rate. Inflation now flirts with 60 per- and then ‘BING’ the car came in,” said Jean Corjeles, who more than a month ago students set up some cent, there is an acute shortage of foreign was in the church when the crash happened. “So many 120 tents and began to camp out seeking currency reserves, and basic goods ranging people are injured,” he said. support against the Maduro administration. from meat to toilet paper are seeing recurrent ABUJA: A police officer search Catholics before they attend a Mass in Abuja, Nigeria. —AP The Sunday demo was organized by Voluntad shortages. — AFP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 INTERNATIONAL Cancellation threat follows tragedy on Everest

KATHMANDU: Expedition leaders and guides threat- families of guides who were killed as well as those who ened yesterday to cancel all climbing on Mount Everest were injured and unable to resume work, the statement after the deadliest avalanche in its history as hundreds of added. Sherpas have also asked the government to pay Nepalese sherpas paid final respects to their fellow the medical expenses of the injured, many of whom are guides. With heads bowed and many in tears, a proces- recovering in hospital. The bodies of 13 guides have sion of mourners filled through the centre of Nepal’s been pulled from the snow and another three are capital Kathmandu amid growing anger over compensa- thought still buried. Another nine were rescued from tion levels for those bereaved by Friday’s tragedy. the avalanche, which struck as the sherpas hauled gear At least 13 people were killed in the avalanche above for international climbers waiting at base camp below. base camp but the toll is expected to rise. Accompanied by monks and pick-up trucks bearing the caskets of six Reluctant to climb victims, the mourners also carried a list of demands that Some teams at base camp have decided to pull out they intend to present to the government, warning all of the climbing season this year, while others told AFP expeditions would be cancelled unless action is taken they are deciding whether to proceed. Seattle-based within a week. The letter, seen by AFP, calls for a sherpa Alpine Ascents International, which lost four sherpas in relief fund to be set up using 30 percent of the fees paid the accident with another still missing, has decided to by climbers and says life insurance payments, currently cancel its expedition, according to its sirdar (sherpa cap- set at $10,000, should be doubled. tain). “We have lost five members of our team. To respect The letter also warns against “putting pressure (on them, we will not be going ahead with our expedition,” the sherpas) to continue this season” which only began said Lakpa Rita Sherpa, who has summited Everest 17 last week, adding that “we will not hesitate to protest” if times. their demands are not met. The petition was penned US-based Discovery Channel, which was planning a after a meeting of expedition leaders, sherpa guides and live broadcast of the first winged jumpsuit flight off the climbers at base camp Sunday night to discuss how to summit, also cancelled an expedition after losing its team KATHMANDU: Buddhist monks lead relatives carrying a casket bearing the body of a Mount Everest respond to Friday’s disaster, the worst single accident in of sherpas. Some sherpas said they were reluctant to avalanche victim for cremation in Kathmandu yesterday. — AFP Everest’s history. In a statement, the Nepal climb but felt duty-bound to stay until clients made a The disaster underscores the risks borne by sherpas calling it disrespectful. Cancellations will be a signifi- Mountaineering Association said the meeting had decision. “After such a tragic incident, most of us here who ascend the icy slopes, often before dawn and usu- cant blow to the impoverished Himalayan country agreed on “a seven-day ultimatum to the government to don’t want to go ahead this season,” said Tashi Sherpa, ally weighed down by tents, ropes and food for clients, which earns millions of dollars in annual climbing fees. address their demands and threaten to stop climbing if whose team, Seven Summit Treks, lost one guide with two who pay tens of thousands of dollars. Some sherpa A senior tourism ministry official said he had not seen the demands are not met”. still missing. “But there is so much investment here, we are families are angry about the government’s offer of the letter but said “the government is positive towards The government must provide $10,000 each to the not in a position to just refuse,” he said from base camp. 40,000 rupees (about $400) to pay funeral expenses, sherpa concerns”. — AFP Japan PM makes offering at controversial Shrine China, S Korea fume; Japanese ship seized TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent safeguard the rights of foreign investors. Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, seen by critics “This case has nothing to do with compensation Allied tribunal after World War Two are honored, as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, angering both from the Chinese-Japanese war (World War Two),” Qin along with Japan’s war dead. Abe made his latest South Korea and China yesterday and putting region- told a regular news briefing. “Nothing has changed in offering to the shrine as a private individual so it was al ties under further strain. Adding to unease in the the Chinese government’s position on adhering to, not the government’s place to comment, Suga, the region, a Chinese maritime court in Shanghai seized a and defending every principle in, the Sino-Japanese chief government spokesman, told a news confer- ship on Saturday owned by Japanese shipping firm Joint Statement,” he added, referring to an announce- ence. “It will not have an impact on the US-Japan Mitsui OSK Lines, a move that Japan warned could ment in 1972 that the two countries were establish- leaders meeting,” he said. Qin, China’s foreign ministry have an adverse impact on its businesses in China. ing official ties. At the time, Japan also recognized the spokesman, said Beijing had already lodged a protest The court said the company had failed to pay com- government in Beijing as the sole government of with Tokyo, adding that Abe’s move reflected Japan’s pensation stemming from a wartime contractual obli- China and China gave up claims to Japanese war “mistaken attitude towards history”. gation. China’s Foreign Ministry said the disagree- reparations. “China will continue to protect the inter- ment was a normal commercial dispute. ests and rights of foreign investors in China according A slap in the face Japan said the ship seizure, apparently the first to law,” Qin said. China’s official Xinhua news agency condemned time the assets of a Japanese company have been Abe’s offering as a provocative move that threat- seized in a lawsuit concerning compensation for Mistaken attitude ened regional stability and was a “slap in the face of World War Two, was “extremely regrettable”. “It is The offering by Abe, who visited the shrine in the leader of Japan’s closest ally”. South Korea’s inevitable that this will have an adverse impact on December but did not go in person this time, was Foreign Ministry also responded angrily. “We Japanese companies in China,” said Chief Cabinet sent just before US President Barack Obama begins a deplore the fact that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has Secretary Yoshihide Suga. “We strongly urge the three-day visit to Japan tomorrow. The United States romanticized Japanese colonialism and its war of Chinese government to make the proper response.” has said it was “disappointed” with Abe’s shrine visit aggression by paying tribute to the Yasukuni TOKYO: Shinto priests walk to the main shrine as they administer a Shinto rite The spat over the ship was a “regular business con- last year, which infuriated Beijing and Seoul. China Shrine,” it said in a statement, noting it had hap- “Kiyoharai” on the first day of the three-day spring festival at the controversial tract dispute”, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman protested on April 12 after internal affairs minister pened despite expressions of concern from the Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP Qin Gang said, adding that the government would Yoshitaka Shindo visited the shrine, where 14 international community. — Reuters Clock ticking for PM as Thai court verdict nears

BANGKOK: A Thai court will decide this week whether to ban from politics. give embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra more time to defend herself against charges of abuse of power, Dangerous chapter accusations that could bring her down, or whether to Thailand has been in conflict since 2006 when then move swiftly to a verdict. The fate of Yingluck and her premier Thaksin was ousted by the army. The former tele- government will determine the course of politics in coms tycoon turned populist politician lives in self- Thailand which is polarized between the supporters of imposed exile but is hugely popular in the north and her and her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin northeast. The crisis broadly pits the Bangkok-based mid- Shinawatra, and supporters of the royalist establishment. dle class and conservative establishment, who see The confrontation between the two sides, marked by Thaksin as a corrupt crony capitalist and threat to their occasional violence, has undermined growth in interests, against the mostly poorer supporters of Southeast Asia’s second biggest economy. Yingluck’s Yingluck and Thaksin. government has faced months of sometimes violent anti- Long-simmering tension erupted last November government protests but it appeared to be weathering when the lower house of parliament passed an amnesty the storm until legal challenges against her began to bill that critics said was designed to let Thaksin come mount in February. home without facing jail time for a corruption conviction The charges Yingluck faces this week relate to the he said was politically motivated. That bill was eventually transfer of National Security Council chief Thawil Pliensri rejected by the Senate but the street movement against in 2011, which opponents say was done to benefit her it spiraled into a full-blown attempt to remove Yingluck. party. The Constitutional Court will decide on Wednesday The protesters disrupted a snap election she called for whether to grant her an extension to prepare her Feb 2, which was nullified by a court in March. Last week defense. If the court eventually finds her guilty, Yingluck Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, an election commissioner, said a will be forced to step down. “If the court does not grant new election could be held at the earliest in July. the prime minister an extension this week and there is The protesters, determined to rid the country of enough evidence, then the next court date will be the Thaksin’s influence, want Yingluck to resign to make way verdict,” Constitutional Court spokesman Pimon for broad political and electoral reforms before a new Thampitakphong told Reuters yesterday, adding that the election is held. Adding to the instability, “red shirt” sup- verdict could come at the end of April. porters of the Shinawatras say they will resist attempts to The prime minister has also been charged with dere- force Yingluck from office. “A day before the liction of duty for overseeing a state rice-buying scheme Constitutional Court hands down its verdict, we will hold critics say was riddled with corruption. The National Anti- a massive rally near Bangkok to support Yingluck,” said Corruption Commission, which brought the charges Thanawut Wichaidit, a spokesman for the pro-govern- against her, rejected a request by her lawyers last week ment United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship. to allow two more witnesses. The commission is expect- “Thailand is heading toward a dark and dangerous chap- ed to deliver its ruling in May. If found guilty, Yingluck ter so we must fight back, but with our voices only and could be removed from office and may get a five-year not with weapons.” — Reuters Indian top court lifts ore mining ban in Goa state

NEW DELHI: India’s top court yesterday lifted an 18- prevent environmental destruction in the state, which is month ban on iron ore mining in the state of Goa, one of the country’s top iron ore producers. A govern- which had been imposed over allegedly corrupt prac- ment-backed inquiry found that illegal iron ore mining tices that were harming the environment. But the in the state had cost the public coffers huge sums in lost Supreme Court imposed several conditions on the royalties. resumption of mining in the western state, including The ban has affected India’s largest private iron ore setting a cap of 20 million tons per year on the amount producer Sesa Sterlite, the main subsidiary of mining of ore that can be mined. The three-judge bench also conglomerate Vedanta, among others. Last year the banned mining within one kilometer of national parks Supreme Court allowed more than 100 mines in the and wildlife sanctuaries in the state, which has an southern state of Karnataka to resume operations after important tourism industry. a suspension of more than a year due to environmental It also asked the government to identify other eco- concerns. Much of the ore that was illicitly mined in Goa sensitive areas that should remain off limits. The gov- and Karnataka is thought to have been shipped to ernment must also establish an expert panel to report China and other east Asian countries to make steel. The to the court on future maximum annual output and scandals in the mining sector shone a light on the gov- other issues within six months, said the bench headed ernment’s management of natural resources and ques- by Justice AK Patnaik. The ban was imposed in tionable ties between regulators, politicians and busi- September 2012 to clamp down on illegal mining and ness owners. — AFP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 INTERNATIONAL

Veteran Myanmar pro-democracy campaigner Win Tin dies

YANGON: Win Tin, one of the mer journalist and veteran cam- for Democracy party spokesman dent-led pro-democracy uprising. Kyi, but was at pains to remind authorities who demanded the founders of Myanmar’s pro- paigner, whose near two decades Nyan Win said. A funeral service He reiterated his support for party the NLD of its role as an opposi- return of the blue shirt and democracy opposition and the in jail failed to dull his commit- will be held tomorrow. A towering leader Suu Kyi in the days before tion party when its leader took sarong-like longyi he had worn in nation’s longest-serving political ment to the democratic cause, figure within the democracy he died, according to his long- her seat in parliament alongside prison, refusing to pay back the prisoner, died yesterday at the age had suffered worsening ill health movement, Win Tin formed the time assistant Yar Zar. “We are so her former captors. And he was cost of the clothing-around $2. of 84 after battling for decades to in recent weeks. NLD with Aung San Suu Kyi in sad to have lost him-it is like the unafraid to voice disagreement He told AFP that he continued to bring freedom to a nation that He died in hospital in Yangon 1988 and was imprisoned the fol- world has been lost,” he said. “But with the Nobel laureate-a rare wear a blue shirt in solidarity with suffered under military rule. A for- early yesterday, National League lowing year in the wake of a stu- we have many things to do. We attribute in a party where many dissidents still in jail and to show will continue as he asked and will are awed by “the Lady”. “The only the world that his country was follow his way to democracy,” Yar dissent comes from me,” he told not yet truly free. “I feel like I’m Zar added. AFP in an interview in June. Win still in prison,” he said. Myanmar’s Myanmar began its emergence Tin’s death was met with pro- junta once held about 2,000 dissi- from nearly half a century of mili- found sadness within the democ- dents. The government of tary rule in 2011, under a quasi- racy movement. “We have lost President Thein Sein, a former civilian government that has won something precious forever,” said general-turned-reformer, claimed international plaudits for reforms NLD MP Khin San Hlaing who had it had freed them all by the end of including the release of hundreds gathered with dozens mourners last year. of political prisoners. Suu Kyi, who for a memorial service at a But rights groups say activists was freed from years of house Yangon church. continue to be locked up. Win Tin arrest in 2010, has also been wel- began his career as a journalist at comed into parliament at the Political prisoner the Agence France-Presse bureau helm of her party and has indicat- Win Tin was freed by the for- in Yangon in the early 1950s soon ed her wish to become president mer military junta from Yangon’s after Myanmar’s independence after 2015 elections. But the army notorious Insein prison as part of from British colonial rule. After retains a tight grip on the fledg- an amnesty in September 2008. three years with AFP he moved to ling parliament, casting doubt During his imprisonment he was the Netherlands, where he spent over Suu Kyi’s chances for the top interrogated for up to five days at another three years. In 1962, job, and campaigners stress there a time, deprived of sleep, hooded General Ne Win seized power in a is still a long way to go before the and beaten. From 1996 he was coup, plunging the country into country can enjoy full democracy. also kept in solitary confinement tyranny. “The reason I became a and allowed only fleeting 15 politician is because of military Voice of dissent minute visits from family every governments. They put pressure Bespectacled and with a shock two weeks. He walked out of jail on us. They seized the newspa- of white hair, Win Tin possessed still wearing his blue prison uni- pers and publishing houses. As I YANGON: In this file photo, Win Tin, a former political prisoner and an opposition party an urbane temperament that form because he did not believe have many contacts in politics, I stalwart poses for a picture at his home in Yangon, Myanmar. —AP belied his steely nature. He was he would really be freed. reached into politics,” Win Tin told unwavering in his loyalty to Suu Last year, he tangled with AFP last year. —AFP S Korean transcript fuels anger over ferry disaster President says crew’s actions ‘tantamount to murder’

JINDO: The captain and crew of a South the sinking vessel. the ferry-have faced vehement criti- the use of heavy cranes to lift the Korean ferry that capsized last week While an unidentified crew mem- cism for delaying the order to aban- ship before divers have searched with hundreds of children on board act- ber repeatedly asked if there were don ship-a possibly fatal error of every section. “We believe there are ed in a way “tantamount to murder,” coastguard vessels on hand to rescue judgment before the vessel fully many people on the third and fourth President Park Geun-Hye said yesterday, anyone who abandoned ship, the submerged with hundreds trapped deck where cabins were located, so as four more crew members were marine controller insisted the crew on board. will focus on these areas,” a coast- arrested. Park’s denunciation, in which check that passengers had donned guard spokesman told reporters. she vowed to hold all those responsible lifejackets and extra clothes. At one ‘Both shunned responsibility’ “We have also opened a route lead- for the disaster “criminally accountable”, point the marine controller stressed While most South Korean media ing to a dining hall, and will try to followed the release of a transcript that only the captain could make a reports pilloried the captain over the enter that area,” he said. South showing the panic and indecision that call on evacuating the 6,825-tonne released transcript, the largest circu- Koreans have been stunned by the paralyzed decision-making on the Sewol as it listed sharply over before lation daily-the Chosun Ilbo-said the ferry tragedy, which looks set to bridge as the 6,825-tonne Sewol listed eventually capsizing. “When it comes crew and the marine control were become one of the country’s worst and capsized Wednesday morning. to evacuation, you, captain, make the both culpable. “Both shunned peacetime disasters and has BEIJING: A Chinese relative (center) of passengers on the missing Malaysia unleashed a sense of profound national grief. The weeping of devas- Airlines flight MH370 reacts as he attends a meeting at the Metro Park Hotel tated family members could be in Beijing yesterday. —AFP heard across the harbor on Jindo island as boats brought the most recently recovered bodies in from Cyclone disrupts search the nearby rescue site Monday morning. for missing Flight MH370 Traumatic identification PERTH: A tropical cyclone was threatening weather, may be affected as Tropical Wrapped in white cloth, each to hamper the search for a missing Cyclone Jack continued to move south over body was gently lifted off the boats Malaysian jetliner in a remote stretch of the the ocean. “Widespread showers are devel- and placed on a stretcher which was Indian Ocean yesterday, as a submarine oping with isolated thunderstorms to the then carried away by six uniformed drone neared the end of its mission scouring north and east south-easterly winds,” the police wearing surgical face masks. In the sea bed with still no sign of wreckage. centre said of the weather forecast in the a nearby tent they were placed on The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight search area. white tables and prepared as best as MH370, which vanished on March 8 with possible for the grieving relatives to 239 people on board, has narrowed to a 10 Air search continues make a visual identification. The fami- sq km (6.2 sq mile) patch of sea floor about On Saturday, the centre said the Bluefin- lies have bitterly criticized the official 2,000 km west of the Australian city of Perth. 21 was expected to complete its search of response to the disaster, saying delays Search authorities and the Australian the targeted area within a week. But with in accessing the submerged ship may and Malaysian governments have said a the prospect of that search ending without have robbed any survivors of their series of sonar signals, or “pings”, traced to finding any sign of the plane drawing ever last chance to make it out alive. the area may have emanated from the more likely, the authorities are under pres- Since bodies began being pulled plane’s “black box” and present the most sure to determine their next strategy. The from the ship itself on Sunday, they credible lead as to its whereabouts. search coordinator, retired Air Chief have also attacked the pace of the However no pings have been detected in Marshal Angus Houston, said on April 14 recovery effort, insisting the bodies almost two weeks and authorities now fear that an air and surface search for debris should be removed faster while they that, with the flight data recorder’s battery would end within three days. But the daily JINDO: A monk leads a prayer session as a relative weeps at an area where family members of are still recognizable. Of the 476 peo- victims of the South Korean ferry ‘Sewol’ are gathered, at Jindo harbor yesterday. —AFP several weeks past its expected expiry date, sorties have continued unabated since ple on board the Sewol, 350 were the black box may not emit further signals. then, in a search involving some two dozen high school students headed for the A US Navy remote controlled submarine, nations and already estimated to be the Meanwhile, anger flared in South final judgment,” the controller said. responsibility!” was its front page holiday island of Jeju. A group of the Bluefin-21, was on its ninth mission most expensive in aviation history. Korea yesterday over fresh indica- Captain Lee Joon-Seok was verdict. The confirmed death toll nearly 200 family members had set scanning the largely unmapped stretch of Yesterday, up to 10 military aircraft and 11 tions that the evacuation of a cap- arrested Saturday along with a from the disaster rose to 64 on off Sunday on a hike from Jindo to sea bed where the pings are believed to ships were expected to help in the day’s sized ferry was delayed by panic and helmsman and the ship’s relatively Monday morning, with 238 people Seoul - 420 kilometers to the north- search, with a total search area covering indecision, as the death toll from the inexperienced third officer, who was still unaccounted for. Coastguard where they planned to make a per- have come from, with still no trace found, disaster pushed past 60 with hun- in charge of the bridge when disas- officials said 24 bodies had been sonal protest to President Park Geun- Australian search officials said yesterday. about 49,491 sq km. The Malaysian govern- dreds still missing. “Precious minutes ter struck. Lee was charged with removed from the ship which sank Hye. But they were prevented leav- “Bluefin-21 has searched approximately ment has said the search is at a “very critical just wasted,” ran the front page head- negligence and failing to secure the on Wednesday morning, but hun- ing the island by a police and even- two-thirds of the focused underwater juncture” and asked for prayers for its suc- line in the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper, in safety of hundreds of passengers- dreds more were still believed tually returned after a series of minor search area to date. No contacts of interest cess. Malaysian Acting Transport Minister response to a communications tran- most of them children, travelling to trapped inside. scuffles. Only 174 were rescued have been found to date,” the Joint Agency Hishammuddin Hussein has also said the script released Sunday revealing the the popular resort island of Jeju on a Realistic hopes of finding sur- when the ferry sank and no new sur- Coordination Centre said in a statement. government may consider using more confusion as the crew and marine high school holiday trip. The captain vivors have disappeared, but families vivors have been found since The centre added that the search, which remote controlled submarines in the traffic control debated evacuating and crew-most of whom escaped of the missing are still opposed to Wednesday. —Agencies has so far been largely unimpeded by search. —Reuters Ferry disaster a grim test for civilian divers

JINDO: Professional taekwondo teacher Lee schoolchildren trapped or worse was just their worth, and the sheer scale of the rescue Jun-Ho took up scuba diving eight years ago as unbearable, and I thought I had a duty to try and recovery task has clearly encouraged offi- a fun hobby. It was never meant to lead him to and help save them,” he said. More than 500 cials to turn a blind eye to qualifications in the black, nightmarish world of a submerged divers, including elite South Korean navy seals, exchange for more manpower. As of yesterday ferry looking for the bloated bodies of hun- have been taking part in the rescue efforts- morning, the confirmed death toll from the dis- dreds of schoolchildren. Last Wednesday, Lee, many of them civilian divers with no real expe- aster stood at 64 but was expected to rise dra- 41, was preparing for another day teaching rience of such work. “It was a bit of a mess at matically with 238 people still unaccounted for children at his private taekwondo school in the beginning,” Lee acknowledged, with mili- most of them schoolchildren. With any hope of Gimhae, near the southern South Korean port tary, coastguard and civilian dive teams strug- finding passengers surviving in air pockets all city of Busan, when he heard reports of an gling to coordinate their efforts. but extinguished, the rescue has effectively unfolding ferry disaster off the southwest The conditions in the immediate aftermath transitioned into a grim recovery operation. coast. of the sinking were extremely challenging, And it was a team of civilian divers who As the scale of the tragedy became appar- with powerful currents and heavy swells buf- retrieved the first bodies from inside the ferry ent, Lee, who qualified as a diving instructor in feting the divers as they sought a way into the early Sunday. “The mood changed a lot after 2008, packed his dive gear in his car and drove inverted, submerged ferry in near-zero visibili- that,” Lee said, with many of the amateurs 160 miles to Jindo island where a massive res- ty. Not everybody welcomed the civilian divers’ deciding to leave once it became clear there cue effort was taking shape. There he found commitment. “This isn’t leisure diving. It’s diffi- were no survivors to be rescued. But Lee stayed scores of other civilian divers who had come cult, dangerous work and it’s definitely not for on. “I’m proud of what we did and are still individually or with their clubs to volunteer in amateurs,” said Kim Do-Hyun, president of the doing here, although it was obviously a huge the search for survivors in the submerged ferry, Ship Salvage Unit, a grouping of former navy disappointment not to find anyone alive. “It’s that was carrying 476 people-most of them divers. “If something happens to the volun- exhausting, but it’s a job that needs to be high school students-when it sank. teers, who will take responsibility? The authori- done,” he said. Asked how he coped with the “I have two young sons of my own,” Lee said ties should have stepped in immediately and grim task of finding and recovering the bodies in Jindo harbor yesterday as he prepared to stopped them going in the water,” Kim told AFP of the children, Lee’s relentless optimism gave leave for another underwater search of the by phone from Seoul. way. “I really don’t want to talk about that,” he JINDO: A South Korean military rescue team ride boat at the site of the sub- 6,825-tonne ship. “The thought of all those Most feel the civilian divers have proved said. —AFP merged ‘Sewol’ ferry off the coast of Jindo yesterday. —AFP

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 ANALYSIS

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Issues Putin playing the long game over Russian kin

By Christian Lowe

ussia’s decision last week to sign a peace accord on Ukraine does not mean that the Kremlin is Rbacking down, rather that President Vladimir Putin is prepared to be patient in pursuit of his ultimate objective. That aim, his own reflections and those of people close to his way of thinking seem to indicate, is one day to re-unite Russian speaking peoples, including those living within the borders of Ukraine, within one common home. As a skilled tactician, Putin knows that to push too fast to achieve this ambition could be dam- How the US made its Putin problem worse aging for Russia - as demonstrated by the Western threat of tough sanctions and Europe’s rush to wean itself off By David Rohde and Arshad Mohammed Graham said small, incremental attempts to test Russian inten- Moscow to determine if Putin really wanted a meeting and to Russian gas supplies. tions in the early 2000s in Afghanistan, for example, would have make clear that if there was one, it would be substance-free. In Signing the four-way agreement on Ukraine in n Sept 2001, as the US reeled from the terrorist attacks on the been low-risk ways to gauge Putin’s sincerity. “We never tested the end, the two presidents met and agreed to ask their under- Geneva last week, and thereby showing the West that it World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Vladimir Putin support- Putin,” Graham said. “Our policy never tested Putin to see whether lings to work on a nonproliferation package. “When the Russian was willing to compromise, made tactical sense for Ied Washington’s imminent invasion of Afghanistan in ways he was really committed to a different type of relationship.” But team came to Washington in December 2006, in a fairly high-level Russia. With another four years before he needs to seek that would have been inconceivable during the Cold War. He Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator John McCain and other con- ... group, we didn’t have anything to offer,” Graham said. “We had- re-election, and the strong chance of winning another 6- agreed that US planes carrying humanitarian aid could fly servatives, as well as hawkish Democrats, remained suspicious of n’t had any time to think about it. We were still focused on Iraq.” year term after that, Putin can take his time, giving him through Russian air space. He said the US military could use air- Russia and eager to expand NATO. They argued that Moscow Graham said that the Bush administration’s approach slighted an advantage over his Western rivals whose policies are bases in former Soviet republics in Central Asia. And he ordered should not be given veto power over which nations could join the Moscow. “We missed some opportunities in the Bush administra- driven by more short-term imperatives. “Now the main his generals to brief their US counterparts on their own ill-fated alliance, and that no American president should rebuff demands tion’s initial years to put this on a different track,” Graham said. thing is to keep the powder dry and be prepared for the 1980s occupation of Afghanistan. from Eastern European nations to escape Russian dominance. “And then later on, some of our actions, intentional or not, sent a eventuality that the crisis in Ukraine is going to last a During Putin’s visit to President George W Bush’s Texas ranch clear message to Moscow that we didn’t care.” long time,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in two months later, the US leader, speaking at a local high school, Democracy in our Time Global Affairs, a journal which has the Russian foreign declared his Russian counterpart “a new style of leader, a reformer, Another core dispute between Bush and Putin related to Three Train Wrecks minister on its editorial board. “Agreements will be bro- a man who’s going to make a huge difference in making the democracy. What Bush and other American officials saw as Bush’s relationship with Putin unraveled in 2008. In February, ken and then made again. Russia, for once, is not on the world more peaceful, by working closely with the United States.” democracy spreading across the former Soviet bloc, Putin saw as Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia with the defensive, it is advancing. That means it doesn’t have to For a moment, it seemed, the distrust and antipathy of the pro-American regime change. The 2003 US invasion of Iraq, with- support of the United States - a step that Russia, a longtime sup- get flustered and can keep ploughing its furrow.” Cold War were fading. Then, just weeks later, Bush announced out UN authorization and over the objections of France, Germany porter of Serbia, had been trying to block diplomatically for more Putin’s long game means he is unlikely to actively that the United States was withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic and Russia, was a turning point for Putin. He said the war made a than a decade. In April, Bush won support at a NATO summit in seek to involve Russian in an armed conflict over Ukraine Missile Treaty, so that it could build a system in Eastern Europe to mockery of American claims of promoting democracy abroad Bucharest for the construction of a missile defense system in any time soon. But equally, it means that European protect NATO allies and US bases from Iranian missile attack. In a and upholding international law. Eastern Europe. Bush called on NATO to give Ukraine and Georgia states will have to adapt to a long-term future when per- nationally televised address, Putin warned that the move would Putin was also deeply skeptical of US efforts to nurture a so-called Membership Action Plan, a formal process that would sistent sanctions complicate their trade relations and undermine arms control and nonproliferation efforts. “This step democracy in the former Soviet bloc, where the State put each on a path toward eventually joining the alliance. with the threat of disruption to their Russian gas sup- has not come as a surprise to us,” Putin said. “But we believe this Department and American nonprofit groups provided training France and Germany blocked him and warned that further plies hanging over them constantly. decision to be mistaken.” and funds to local civil-society groups. In public speeches, he NATO expansion would spur an aggressive Russian stance when The sequence of events early in Washington’s relationship accused the United States of meddling. In late 2003, street Moscow regained power. In the end, the alliance simply issued a Putin’s Tactics with Putin reflects a dynamic that has persisted through the protests in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, known as the statement saying the two countries “will become members of The Kremlin’s official objectives in Ukraine are limited: ensuing 14 years and the current crisis in Ukraine: US actions, Rose Revolution, led to the election of a pro-Western leader. Four NATO”. That compromise risked the worst of both worlds - antag- Protecting Russia’s own security, countering NATO some intentional and some not, sparking an overreaction from months later, street protests in Ukraine that became known as the onizing Moscow without giving Kiev and Tbilisi a roadmap to join expansion, and helping Russian-speaking residents of an aggrieved Putin. As Russia masses tens of thousands of Orange Revolution resulted in a pro-Western president taking NATO. Ukraine if they come under threat of persecution. Russia troops along the Russian-Ukrainian border, Putin is thwarting The senior US official said these steps amounted to “three train denies any plans to invade. Last week at Geneva’s what the Kremlin says is an American plot to surround Russia wrecks” from Putin’s point of view, exacerbating the Russian InterContinental Hotel, chief diplomats from Russia, the with hostile neighbors. Experts said he is also promoting leader’s sense of victimization. “Doing all three of those things in European Union, the United States and Ukraine signed a “Putinism” - a conservative, ultra-nationalist form of state capi- kind of close proximity - Kosovo independence, missile defense document calling on illegal armed groups in Ukraine - talism - as a global alternative to Western democracy. and the NATO expansion decisions - sort of fed his sense of peo- including the pro-Russian separatists occupying more ple trying to take advantage of Russia,” he said. than a dozen public buildings - to disarm and go home. Not Paying Attention? In August 2008, Putin struck back. After Georgia launched an By Sunday, the deal was already fraying, after several It’s also a dynamic that some current and former US officials offensive to regain control of the breakaway, pro-Russian region people were killed in a shootout at a checkpoint said reflects an American failure to recognize that while the Soviet of South Ossetia, Putin launched a military operation that manned by separatists. Russia blamed Kiev for failing to Union is gone as an ideological enemy, Russia has remained a expanded Russian control of South Ossetia and a second break- implement the Geneva deal. Still, people close to the major power that demands the same level of foreign policy atten- away area, Abkhazia. The Bush administration, tied down in Iraq talks said they were notable because it was the first time, tion as China and other large nations - a relationship that should and Afghanistan, publicly protested but declined to intervene in multiple attempts, that Russian’s foreign minister, not just be a means to other ends, but an end in itself. “I just don’t militarily in Georgia. Putin emerged as the clear winner and Sergei Lavrov, has sat down for discussions on Ukraine think we were really paying attention,” said James F Collins, who achieved his goal of standing up to the West. with a mandate to do a deal. served as the US ambassador to Moscow in the late 1990s. The But one European diplomat expressed scepticism, bilateral relationship “was seen as not a big deal.” Only One Major Issue saying the agreement was a feint by Moscow. By show- Putin was never going to be an easy partner. He is a Russian After his 2008 election victory, Barack Obama carried out a ing it was prepared to talk, the diplomat said, the nationalist with authoritarian tendencies who, like his Russian sweeping review of Russia policy. Its primary architect was Kremlin relieved the diplomatic pressure that was build- predecessors for centuries, harbors a deep distrust of the West, Michael McFaul, a Stanford University professor and vocal propo- ing, and bought some time before further sanctions according to senior US officials. Much of his world view was nent of greater democracy in Russia who took the National were imposed. “Talks and compromises are just part of formed as a KGB officer in the twilight years of the Cold War and Security Council position previously held by Thomas Graham. In a his (Putin’s) tactics,” said the diplomat, who spoke on as a government official in the chaotic post-Soviet Russia of the recent interview, McFaul said that when Obama’s new national condition of anonymity and stressed he was expressing 1990s, which Putin and many other Russians view as a period security team surveyed the administration’s primary foreign poli- his private opinion. “He wants to have Ukraine.” Russia’s when the United States repeatedly took advantage of Russian cy objectives, they found that few involved Russia. Only one offer of compromise could widen differences inside the weakness. directly related to bilateral relations with Moscow: a new nuclear Western coalition assembled against the Kremlin, some- Since becoming Russia’s president in 2000, Putin has made arms reduction treaty. The result, McFaul said, was that relations thing that would only benefit the Kremlin. There are restoring Russia’s strength - and its traditional sphere of influence with Moscow were seen as important in terms of achieving other already differences between the United States, which is - his central goal. He has also cemented his hold on power, sys- foreign policy goals, and not as important in terms of Russia itself. hawkish on sanctions, and a more cautious Europe tematically quashed dissent and used Russia’s energy supplies as “So that was our approach,” he said. Obama’s new Russia strategy where many countries are determined to avoid a costly an economic billy club against its neighbors. Aided by high oil was called “the reset.” In July 2009, he traveled to Moscow to start confrontation. prices and Russia’s United Nations Security Council veto, Putin has implementing it. perfected the art of needling American presidents, at times In an interview with the AP a few days before leaving A Common Future obstructing US policies. Washington, Obama chided Putin, who had become Russia’s Behind the standard, official Kremlin line on its objec- Officials from the administrations of Presidents Bush and prime minister in 2008 after reaching his two-term constitutional tives in Ukraine, when Putin or his associates offer up occa- Barack Obama said American officials initially overestimated their Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin poses dur- limit as president. Obama said the United States was developing a sional glimpses of what he is thinking, evidence emerges potential areas of cooperation with Putin. Then, through a combi- ing his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in “very good relationship” with the man Putin had anointed as his of a more expansive set of aims. On Thursday, during a nation of overconfidence, inattention and occasional clumsiness, southern Siberia on Aug 3, 2009. —AFP successor, Dmitry Medvedev, and accused Putin of using “Cold question and answer session that was televised live, Putin Washington contributed to a deep spiral in relations with War approaches” to relations with Washington. “I think Putin has at one point reflected on how during tsarist rule, large Moscow. office there. one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the parts of eastern and southern Ukraine belonged to Russia Putin saw both developments as American-backed plots and new,” Obama said. and were known as Novorossiya - literally, New Russia. “All Common Cause slaps in the face, so soon after his assistance in Afghanistan, In Moscow, Obama spent five hours meeting with Medvedev these were territories which were handed over to Ukraine Bush and Putin’s post-2001 camaraderie foundered on a core according to senior US officials. In 2006, Bush and Putin’s sparring and only one hour meeting with Putin, who was still widely seen in the 1920s by the Soviet government. Why they did that, dispute: Russia‘s relationship with its neighbors. In November over democracy intensified. In a press conference at the first G-8 as the country’s real power. After their meeting, Putin said US- God knows,” he said. —Reuters 2002, Bush backed NATO’s invitation to seven nations - including summit hosted by Russia, the two presidents had a testy Russian relations had gone through various stages. “There were former Soviet republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - to begin exchange. Bush said that the United States was promoting free- periods when our relations flourished quite a bit and there were talks to join the Western alliance. In 2004, with Bush as a driving dom in Iraq, which was engulfed in violence. Putin openly also periods of, shall we say, grayish mood between our two force, the seven Eastern European nations joined NATO. Putin and mocked him. “We certainly would not want to have the same kind countries and of stagnation,” he said, as Obama sat a few feet All articles appearing on these other Russian officials asked why NATO continued to grow when of democracy as they have in Iraq,” Putin said, smiling as the audi- away. the enemy it was created to fight, the Soviet Union, had ceased to ence erupted into laughter, “I will tell you quite honestly.” Bush At first, the reset fared well. During Obama’s visit, Moscow pages are the personal opinion of exist. And they asked what NATO expansion would do to counter tried to laugh off the remark. “Just wait,” he replied, referring to agreed to greatly expand Washington’s ability to ship military the writers. Kuwait Times takes no new dangers, such as terrorism and proliferation. Iraq. supplies to Afghanistan via Russia. In April 2010, the United States responsibility for views expressed “This purely mechanical expansion does not let us face the and Russia signed a new START treaty, further reducing the US current threats,” Putin said, “and cannot allow us to prevent such A Pitstop on Moscow? and Russian nuclear arsenals. Later that year, Russia supported therein. Kuwait Times invites read- things as the terrorist attacks in Madrid or restore stability in Graham said the Bush administration telegraphed in small but sweeping new UN economic sanctions on Iran and blocked the ers to voice their opinions. Please Afghanistan.” Thomas E Graham, who served as Bush’s senior telling ways that other foreign countries, particularly Iraq, took sale of sophisticated, Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile sys- send submissions via email to: opin- director for Russia on the National Security Council, said a larger precedence over the bilateral relationship with Moscow. In 2006, tems to Tehran. effort should have been made to create a new post-Soviet, for example, the White House asked the Kremlin for permission Experts said the two-year honeymoon was the result of the [email protected] or via snail European security structure that replaced NATO and included for Bush to make a refueling stop in Moscow on his way to an Obama administration’s engaging Russia on issues where the two mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. Russia. “What we should have been aiming for - and what we Asia-Pacific summit meeting. But it made clear that Bush was not countries shared interests, such as reducing nuclear arms, coun- The editor reserves the right to edit should be aiming for at this point,” Graham said, “is a security looking to meet with Putin, whom he would see on the sidelines tering terrorism and nonproliferation. The same core issues that any submission as necessary. structure that’s based on three pillars: the United States, a more or of the summit. sparked tensions during the Bush administration - democracy less unified Europe, and Russia.” After Russian diplomats complained, Graham was sent to and Russia’s neighbors - largely went unaddressed. —Reuters INTERNATIONAL TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

Teen survives after riding Syria calls June 3 polls Continued from Page 1 demanding democratic reform but soon escalated into in wheel well of Hawaii jet a civil war after the government launched a massive Assad, who became president after his father Hafez crackdown on dissent. Violence continues in many parts HONOLULU: US officials say a 16-year-old boy is “lucky to died in 2000 and whose current term ends on July 17, is of the country, even reaching into the heart of the capi- be alive” and unharmed after flying from California to widely expected to run and win another seven-year tal, which has regularly come under mortar fire from Hawaii stowed away in a plane’s wheel well, surviving mandate despite the conflict. New election rules require opposition fighters on the outskirts. cold temperatures at 38,000 feet (11,580 m) and a lack of candidates to have lived in Syria for the past decade, A security official said mortar fire in Damascus was oxygen. “Doesn’t even remember the flight,” FBI effectively preventing key opposition figures in exile expected to increase during the electoral period. “They spokesman Tom Simon in Honolulu told The Associated from standing for office. (rebels) will increase the fire this month to try to Press on Sunday night. “It’s amazing he survived that.” The opposition, which insists Assad step down and undermine the election,” he said. Syria specialist The boy was questioned by the FBI after being discov- play no role in Syria’s future, rejected the election as Fabrice Balanche said the government could only ered on the tarmac at the Maui airport Sunday morning nothing more than a “farce”. “The Assad regime’s stage the election on 40 percent of the country’s terri- with no identification, Simon said. “Kid’s lucky to be alive,” announcement today that a ‘presidential election’ tory. “The election can only be held in the govern- Simon said. would be held in June should be treated as a farce and ment-held areas, a band of territory stretching from Simon said security footage from the San Jose air- be rejected by the international community,” said the the Jordan border, through Damascus, Hama and port verified that the boy from Santa Clara, California, office of opposition National Coalition leader Ahmad Homs,” as well as Idlib city, Jisr al-Shughur, half of hopped a fence to get to Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 on Jarba. “With vast parts of Syria completely destroyed by Aleppo and half of Deir Ezzor, he said. An activist in Sunday morning. San Jose police say they will be review- Assad’s air force, army and militias over the last three Daraya, near Damascus, described the announcement ing whether charges are warranted against the boy. The child had run away from his family after an argument, years, and with a third of Syria’s population displaced as a new sign of military escalation in the conflict. Simon said. Simon said when the Boeing 767 landed in internally or in refugee camps in the region, there is no “Things are going towards escalation,” Amjad Abbar Maui, the boy hopped down from the wheel well and KAHULUI, Hawaii: A 16-year-old boy who stowed electorate in Syria in a condition to exercise its right to told AFP via the Internet. started wandering around the airport grounds. “He was away in the wheel well of a flight from San Jose, vote.” On the ground, regime forces were on the offensive unconscious for the lion’s share of the flight,” Simon said. California to Maui is loaded into an ambulance at Much of the international community has also yesterday in the central city of Homs, where the Syrian The flight lasted about 5 1/2 hours. Kahului Airport Sunday afternoon. — AP warned Syria against holding the vote, with UN-Arab Observatory for Human Rights said clashes were con- Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Alison Croyle said air- His misadventure immediately raised security ques- League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi saying it could tinuing in the Bab Hud and Juret al-Shiyah districts. line personnel noticed the boy on the ramp after the tions. A congressman who serves on the Homeland close the door to any peace negotiations. Britain yester- Both rebel-held neighbourhoods have been under flight arrived and immediately notified airport security. Security committee wondered how the teen could have day said holding the election during a time of war government siege for nearly two years. In the northern “Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the sneaked onto the airfield at San Jose unnoticed. “I have meant the result “will have no value or credibility”. It city of Aleppo, meanwhile, activists said government boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived,” Croyle long been concerned about security at our airport remains unclear how Syria’s government will organise a aircraft dropped barrel bombs on several districts, a said. A photo taken by a Maui News photographer shows perimeters. #Stowaway teen demonstrates vulnerabili- vote under the current circumstances, with swathes of day after 52 civilians were killed in air raids in the the boy sitting upright on a stretcher as authorities get ties that need to be addressed,” tweeted Rep. Eric the country out of its control. province. North of Damascus, a car bomb killed two ready to load him into an ambulance. Simon said the boy Swalwell, a Democrat who represents the San Francisco Syria’s conflict began with peaceful protests soldiers at a checkpoint in Mashru Dummar. — AFP was medically screened and found to be unharmed. Bay Area’s eastern cities and suburbs. — AP Runners reclaim Boston Marathon Bourse takes step towards delayed IPO Continued from Page 1 Heather Abbott, amputated below the knee, planned Continued from Page 1 He noted that after three years of the current CMA’s to be near the starting line to applaud those who saved law enforcement, a necessity has emerged for amend- A series of draconian safety measures were imposed, her life, Peter Riddle and Erin Chatham. “I’m really excit- Separately, CMA Deputy Chairman of the Board of ments to deal with the loopholes discovered during this including a “no backpack” rule. The Chechen brothers ed to be with them,” she told AFP. Josef Klobusnik, a Commissioners Mahdi Al-Jazzaf said the CMA is consult- period and to cope with the latest developments in the who allegedly carried out the 2013 attack, Tamerlan and Slovakian living in Minnesota, said he was still hurting ing with all concerned parties in the market to intro- market. Achieving public interest goals and state strate- Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, hid pressure-cooker bombs in their because of what happened. “Last year was very painful duce a new bill for upgrading the authority’s work at gy will be the criteria for any introduced amendments, backpacks. “We’ve tried to strike a balance between for me, I had a lot of friends here,” he told AFP. the National Assembly. He said the CMA is contacting he stressed. Jazzaf expected the market will be classi- enhanced security and preserving the family feel of this Last year’s winner, Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, was listed and licensed investment and brokerage compa- fied as a “nascent” one after two years, noting that this day,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said. among those returning to compete again. The 24-year- nies to get their proposals and feedback over the new requires exerting more efforts to qualify national cadres Across the city, people could be seen wearing old has met several victims of the attacks, calling them bill for the authority. and prepare the market for a new position. — Agencies “Boston Strong” shirts, with banners bearing the mantra “an inspiration”, and has said he will be running again to proudly displayed in stores, restaurants and hotels. “We show that he has no fear. Several former winners were don’t let terrorists win here. We come back, doesn’t mat- also taking part yesterday, including America’s Joan Court to examine order to shut two... ter - they aren’t going to stop us,” said Rudy Duplissis, Benoit Samuelson, who won in 1979 and 1983. who came with his wife Claire to watch their daughter Run every year since 1897, the Boston Marathon is Continued from Page 1 bank accounts were inflated. The decision covers members of Leah run her third marathon. They set up folding chairs one of the six biggest foot races in the world and part of parliaments elected between 2006 and 2009 (three National near the finish line as they did last year. “They took the prestigious World Marathon Majors circuit. “The fans Adasani along with MPs Abdulkarim Al-Kundari and Hussein Assemblies). enough precautions - I feel safe,” said Claire. Rudy con- are the star attraction,” said Burfoot. “We are 36,000 run- Quwaiaan are planning to file a request to grill the prime minis- The committee will also ask the ministry of justice curred. “More security for sure. More streets closed, ners and we are lucky because we are going down the ter this week. In a related development, Kandari yesterday sub- about any increase in real estate ownership and the min- police with dogs sniffing - it feels safe really,” he said. middle of a parade, with fans on both sides of the road.” mitted a proposal to amend article 15 of the press and publica- istry of commerce and industry about stockholdings of the Hundreds of runners and onlookers stopped by a The Tsarnaev brothers were identified as perpetrators of tions law to ban the withdrawal of a publication license or shut it same former lawmakers. The committee was formed to memorial - decorated with flowers and shoes - in honor the attacks within days thanks to footage from cameras down for a certain period without a final court verdict. investigate allegations that MPs in the 2009 Assembly of those who perished in the bombings. “We will never and thousands of photographs. Tamerlan, 26, was shot In another development, a parliamentary panel formed to accepted millions of dinars in political bribes to influence forget them,” read a sign by four crosses with the names by police on April 19, 2013, after killing an officer and probe allegations that former MPs received bribes decided yes- their voting on critical issues. The case was investigated by of those killed - including a police officer allegedly Dzhokhar, now 20, was captured and stands accused of terday to ask the ministry of finance and the Central Bank to the public prosecution but shelved on the basis that the gunned down when he crossed paths with the attackers 30 federal charges. He is awaiting trial and could face supply the panel with information about former MPs whose country’s legislations were not sufficient to press charges. during the city-wide hunt for the two brothers. the death penalty if convicted. —AFP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 SPORTS

Knicks fire coach Woodson Indonesia want Asian Games Guangzhou eye Asian title

NEW YORK: Mike Woodson was fired as coach of the New York Knicks yester- JAKARTA: Indonesia has the will and the funds to stage the 2019 SINGAPORE: Marcello Lippi’s Guangzhou Evergrande face a tense evening in day after his team fell from division champions to out of the playoffs in one Asian Games, a government minister confirmed Sunday as regional the AFC Champions League today with their Asian title defence on the line in season. Phil Jackson, in his first big move since becoming team president in organizers scrambled for a host to replace Vietnam. the final round of group games. The 2019 event was due to be staged in Hanoi but the March, said in a statement “the time has come for change throughout the fran- Last week’s shock defeat has put the pre-tournament favorites in the per- Vietnamese government last week announced it would withdraw as ilous and unlikely position of being level on seven points with their three rivals chise.” The dismissal comes shortly after the Knicks completed a 37-45 season host, citing a lack of money and the potential damage to its reputa- that began with their belief they were a serious contender. in Group G, with one game left. tion if the event - second only to the Summer Olympics in terms of The Chinese champions and league-leaders now need a home win against Instead, they started poorly, making Woodson’s job security practically a the number of athletes competing - was a flop. Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos to guarantee that they progress to the last 16 and season-long distraction. A late surge wasn’t good enough for a postseason Indonesia, with the largest economy in Southeast Asia, was run- avoid an embarrassing early exit. spot or another year for Woodson. ner-up in the initial bidding process for the games. “We have been Such a failure would be a blow for World Cup-winner Lippi, Jackson has won an NBA-record 11 championships as a coach. He has waiting for this opportunity for decades and don’t want to wait for who has extended his contract to 2017 after helping repeatedly said he’s not interested in returning to the bench, so another decade,” Indonesia’s youth and sport minister Roy Suryo Guangzhou become China’s first Asian champions in 23 years he will have to hire someone before he turns his attention to the told The Associated Press late Sunday. “Indonesia is ready and there last season. In a boost for Guangzhou, Italian talisman roster. The team said the coaching search begins immediately. will be no problem with funds.” Suryo said the games could be held Alessandro Diamanti, who missed the 2-0 loss to Melbourne Jackson said he has a “tremendous amount of respect” for in Surabaya, the country’s second largest city. But in a measure of Victory through injury, is back in full training and is expected Woodson and the team “owes a great deal of gratitude” to him the potential problems ahead, Indonesia Olympic Committee chair- to play alongside prolific striker Muriqui. Meanwhile Kevin woman Rita Subowo questioned whether the government had and his staff. Jackson called this an “extremely difficult” sea- Muscat’s Victory will need more heroics as they search for enough time to properly prepare. “The government should realize son and said “blame should not be put on one individual.” one of the group’s two knock-out berths away to 2006 win- that Surabaya will only be ready to host the Youth Games in 2021, ners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. “But the time has come for change throughout the not in 2019,” Subowo said She also noted that a new government franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this An exceptionally tight group stage in east Asia has left would be elected later this year that might not agree to pay for the much to play for in the final week with seven of the eight team for next season and beyond,” he added.—AP games, injecting more uncertainty into the bid.—AP places in the eliminators still up for grabs.—AP Bruins level playoff series

BOSTON: Justin Florek and Reilly Smith scored in a three-minute span in the first peri- od as the Boston Bruins leveled their playoff series with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in the Game 2 on Sunday. Showing more spark after a 1-0 loss Friday night, the Bruins had 18 shots in the first peri- od after managing just 25 in the entire open- er. Luke Glendening cut Boston’s lead to 2-1 at 13:20 of the second period before Milan Lucic scored late in the second and Zdeno Chara added a power-play goal early in the third. Game 3 of the best-of-seven series between the top-seeded Bruins, who won the Presidents’ Cup with an NHL-high 117 points, and eighth-seeded Red Wings is set for Detroit on Tuesday night. On Sunday, Boston didn’t take its first shot until 7:28 into the opening period. And it went in. Florek, a rookie wing filling in for the NEW YORK: In this June 8, 2001 file photo, middleweight boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ injured Chris Kelly on the third line, scored Carter (left) is escorted by an unidentified security guard. —AP after Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard and defenseman Brendan Smith missed connect- ing on a pass. Prizefighter Howard came out of his crease to collect a loose puck and passed it toward Smith, who was skating back along the right boards. But the puck bounced off Smith’s right calf and ‘Hurricane’ dies into the circle where Florek shot quickly before Howard could get back. It was Florek’s NEW JERSEY: Rubin “Hurricane” Carter never upon an appeal to racism rather than reason, surrendered hope of regaining his freedom, not and concealment rather than disclosure.” first career playoff goal after he scored one even after he was convicted of a triple murder, Born on May 6, 1937, into a family of seven goal in four regular-season games. then convicted again and abandoned by many children, Carter struggled with a hereditary prominent supporters. For 19 long years, the speech impediment and was sent to a juvenile FLYERS 4, RANGERS 2 prizefighter was locked in a prison cell far away reform center at 12 after an assault. He escaped Luke Schenn scored the go-ahead goal in from the spotlight and the adulation of the box- and joined the Army in 1954 and learned to box the second period, and backup Ray Emery ing ring. But when he at last won his biggest while in West Germany. made 31 saves for Philadelphia, which rallied fight - for exoneration - he betrayed little bitter- After returning home, he committed a series to beat New York to level the first-round play- ness. Instead, Carter dedicated much of his of muggings and spent four years in various off series. remaining life to helping other prisoners and state prisons. Upon his release, he began his pro Schenn put Philadelphia in front after exposing other injustices. boxing career, winning 20 of his first 24 fights Game 1 goat Jason Akeson tied it 2-2 earlier in The middleweight title contender, whose mostly by knockout. the period. That was enough for the Flyers to murder convictions became an international At 5-foot-8, Carter was fairly short for a mid- snap a nine-game losing streak at Madison symbol of racial injustice and inspired a Bob dleweight, but he was aggressive and threw Square Garden and send the series to Dylan song and a Hollywood film, died Sunday. waves of punches. His shaved head and menac- Philadelphia tied at 1. Game 3 is tonight. He was 76. ing glower gave him an imposing ring presence Jakub Voracek brought the Flyers within 2- The New Jersey native, who had suffered but also contributed to a forbidding aura out- 1 in the first after Martin St. Louis and Benoit from prostate cancer, died in his sleep at his side the ring. He was quoted as joking about Pouliot staked New York to the early two-goal home in Toronto, said John Artis, his former co- killing police officers in a 1964 story in the lead. Emery did the rest, looking especially defendant and longtime friend and caregiver. Saturday Evening Post, which was later cited by sharp in the second and third periods while Carter “didn’t have any bitterness or anger - Carter as a cause of his troubles with law he kind of got above it all. That was his great enforcement. subbing for injured No. 1 goalie Steve Mason. strength,” said Thom Kidrin, who became friends Carter boxed regularly on television at Henrik Lundqvist stopped 21 shots after a with Carter after visiting him several times in Madison Square Garden and overseas in 14-save winning effort in the opener. The Rangers had outscored the Flyers 35-10 dur- prison. The boxer, a former petty criminal, London, Paris and Johannesburg. Although his BOSTON: Bruins defenseman Torey Krug (47) stops Detroit Red Wings’ Luke Glendening (41) became an undersized 160-pound contender career appeared to be on a downswing before ing the winning streak and allowed two goals or fewer in each game. from getting around him during the first period of Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff and earned his nickname largely on his ferocity he was implicated in the murders, the 29-year- series. —AP and punching power. old fighter was hoping for a second mid- Although never a world champion, Carter dleweight title shot. CANADIENS 3, LIGHTNING 2 Stamkos fell and was struck in the head by Justin Braun, Patrick Marleau, Joe went 27-12-1 with 19 knockouts, memorably Carter defied his prison guards from the first Tomas Plekanec scored in the third period Alexei Emelin’s knee, but he returned for the Pavelski, Logan Couture and Joe Thornton stopping two-division champ Emile Griffith in day of his incarceration and spent time in soli- to help Montreal move one win away from third period. also scored for the Sharks, who overcame a the first round in 1963. He also fought for a mid- tary confinement because of it. advancing to the second round of the NHL And the Lightning were outraged when two-goal deficit after the first period of a dleweight title in 1964, losing a unanimous “When I walked into prison, I refused to wear playoffs with a victory over Tampa Bay. the officials waived off an apparent goal by playoff game for just the third time in 26 decision to Joey Giardello. their stripes,” Carter said. “I refused to eat their Montreal leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 Ryan Callahan at the 15:38 mark of the sec- tries in franchise history. Antti Niemi made But his boxing career came to an abrupt end food. I refused to work their jobs, and I would and can sweep the Lightning with a win ond because of Alex Killorn’s incidental con- 24 saves. Jake Muzzin and Trevor Lewis when he was imprisoned for three 1966 mur- have refused to breathe the prison’s air if I could tonight at the Bell Centre. Rene Bourque tact with goalie Carey Price. scored first-period goals before Jonathan ders committed at a tavern in Paterson, New have done so.” Carter eventually wrote and scored 11 seconds into the game after a rous- Quick allowed seven goals in the final two Jersey. He was convicted in 1967 and again in spoke eloquently about his plight, publishing ing pregame show and Brendan Gallagher SHARKS 7, KINGS 2 periods. Los Angeles heads home for Game 1976 before being freed in 1985, when his con- his autobiography, “The Sixteenth Round,” in also scored for Montreal. Ondrej Palat and Fourth-liners Mike Brown and Raffi Torres 3 today and can take some comfort in the victions were thrown out after years of appeals. 1974. Benefit concerts were held for his legal Matthew Carle scored for Tampa Bay. scored second-period goals to spark a fact that the home team has won 18 of the He then became a prominent public advocate defense featuring Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Tampa Bay got a scare at 16:09 of the sec- comeback and lead the Sharks to a 2-0 lead previous 19 games between these teams, for the wrongfully convicted. Roberta Flack. in their first-round series against the Kings. including nine in the playoffs.—AP His ordeal and its racial overtones were pub- Although many of his celebrity friends aban- ond period when scoring star Steven licized in Dylan’s 1975 song “Hurricane,” several doned the cause after his second conviction books and a 1999 film starring Denzel and an allegation of assault during his brief Washington, who received an Academy Award release, other advocates worked tirelessly on his nomination for his portrayal. behalf, culminating in Sarokin’s ruling and two In a statement issued Sunday, Washington subsequent failed prosecutorial appeals to have Six NBK MasterCard credit cardholders praised Carter’s “tireless fight to ensure justice the convictions reinstated. Each year on the for all.” Carter and Artis had been driving around anniversary Sarokin’s decision, Carter called the to enjoy Champions League semi-finals Carter’s hometown on the night that three judge to thank him. white people were shot by two black men at After his release, Carter moved to Toronto, KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait The prizes consist of six travel the Lafayette Bar and Grill. They were convicted where he served as the executive director of the (NBK) offers six NBK MasterCard packages to the UEFA Champions by an all-white jury largely on the testimony of Association in Defence of the Wrongly credit cardholders the opportuni- League 2013/14 Semi-Finals and two thieves who later recanted their stories. Convicted from 1993 to 2005. He received two ty to attend UEFA Champions one for the UEFA Champions Carter was granted a new trial and briefly honorary doctorates for his work. League 2013/2014 Semi-Finals League Final Lisbon 2014. Each freed in 1976, but he was sent back for nine Canadian director Norman Jewison made more years after being convicted in a second tri- Carter’s story into a biographical film. that will kick off today. travel package includes two al. “I wouldn’t give up,” Carter said in an inter- Washington worked closely with Carter to cap- NBK MasterCard Credit round trip airline tickets, hotel view in 2011 on PBS. “No matter that they sen- ture the boxer’s transformation and redemp- Cardholders still have the chance accommodation, transfer service tenced me to three life terms in prison. I would- tion. “He’s all love,” Washington said while to win a travel package to the and match tickets for both winner n’t give up. Just because a jury of 12 misin- onstage with Carter at the 2000 ceremony UEFA Champions League Final and guest. formed people ... found me guilty did not make where he won a Golden Globe. “He lost about Lisbon 2014 before the campaign NBK MasterCard Credit me guilty. And because I was not guilty, I 7,300 days of his life, and he’s love.” concludes on 30th of April, 2014. Cardholders get one chance to refused to act like a guilty person.” The makers of “The Hurricane,” however, NBK MasterCard Credit enter the draws for every 20 KD Dylan became aware of Carter’s plight after were widely criticized for factual inaccuracies Cardholders increase their cumulatively spent using their reading the fighter’s autobiography. He met and glossing over other parts of Carter’s story, chances of winning every time NBK MasterCard Credit Cards for Carter and co-wrote “Hurricane,” which he per- including his criminal past and a reputation for they use their cards during the all local purchases during the formed on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour in a violent temper. Giardello sued the film’s pro- promotional period. promotion period. Cardholders 1975. The song concludes: “That’s the story of ducers for its depiction of a racist fix in his victo- The UEFA Champions League also triple their chances of win- the Hurricane/But it won’t be over till they clear ry over Carter, who had long acknowledged is one of the world’s most popular ning when using their cards while his name/And give him back the time he’s that Giardello deserved the win. sporting events, and NBK is the travelling overseas or doing done/Put him in a prison cell but one time he Artis said Carter will be cremated and didn’t only bank in Kuwait offering its online shopping. NBK MasterCard could-a been/The champion of the world.” want a funeral or any memorial. Artis has been MasterCard credit cardholders a Credit Cardholders can also dou- Muhammad Ali and Coretta Scott King spoke taking care of him since 2011. “He was a cham- chance to win one of seven fully ble their chances of winning by out on Carter’s behalf. Other celebrities also pion of the underdog,” he said. “He was like the paid packages to see the UEFA registering through nbk.com. worked toward his release, joined by a network David against the Goliath of the justice system.” Champions League 2013/14 NBK Credit Cards are accepted of friends and volunteers. Kidrin spoke with Carter on Wednesday. “He Carter eventually won his freedom from U.S. said, ‘You know, look, death’s coming. I’m ready Semi-Finals and Final Lisbon worldwide and are the safest, District Judge H. Lee Sarokin, who wrote that for it. But it’s really going to have to take me 2014, in partnership with most convenient and rewarding the boxer’s prosecution had been “predicated because I’m positive to the end.’” —AP MasterCard International. way to pay. TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 SPORTS

Even Thibodeau can’t Photo of the day defend this loss

CHICAGO: Watching the Bulls play offense coach-drew-it-up six-pass sequence with the some nights, it’s a wonder The House That last of his three 3-pointers around the 7-minute Jordan Built is still standing. Sunday turned out mark. “Up 13, we exhaled and they came back,” to be another one of those nights, and in a 102- Joakim Noah said ruefully. “Bad turnovers, they 93 playoff-opening loss to the Washington got some easy scores. We’ve got to make Wizards no less. Worse, the tough-minded adjustments. “This is chess,” he added. “It isn’t defense that has let the Bulls stand up to high- checkers.” powered opponents lacked its usual effort and Given the pieces he’s been handed, intensity. Thibodeau has played his four seasons here like So coach Tom Thibodeau zeroed in where a Grandmaster. He helped Rose win the he always does. “One-hundred-and-two points, league’s MVP award before his knee gave out, 48 percent, outrebounded - it’s hard to win like stole a playoff round from Brooklyn last season that,” he said, just getting started. “Giving up 35 with the much-traveled (and since-departed) free throws ... “ Nate Robinson shooting out the lights, and The way those numbers rolled off now Thibodeau has refashioned the always- Thibodeau’s tongue was no accident. The guy awkward Noah into one of the most reliable spent most of his 25 years between head- big men in the game. Which made his perform- coaching jobs - Thibodeau’s first stint was at ance against the Wizards a little puzzling. Division III Salem State University in 1984-85 - To be sure, it came at the end of a tough at a half-dozen NBA stops, where every defense week. He flew to New York after learning of the he touched got better and someone else usual- death of Tyrone Green, a much-respected ly got the credit. youth basketball coach whom Noah called a Thibodeau accomplished it by relentlessly mentor and “second father.” Against the breaking down game films, possession by pos- Wizards, Noah contributed 10 points, 10 session, then drawing up a plan to win every rebounds and a team-high four assists. But he one. That was long before he lost his two best also got run over repeatedly on the defensive scoring options early this season - Derrick Rose end by Nene, who scored a game-high 24 to a knee injury (again) after just 10 games; and points. Luol Deng in a deal with Cleveland after just 23. “He’s versatile,” Noah said in front of his lock- It’s like he’s competing - at least some nights - er, his voice barely above a whisper. “He can with one hand tied behind his back. The Bulls shoot, he can post up, he’s aggressive.” A finished an NBA-worst in scoring average and moment later, Noah was asked whether he shooting percentage, and only Miami and found it tough to play after losing a close Mansour Al Safran performs in Kuwait City, Kuwait.— www.redbull.com Indiana attempted fewer shots. friend. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. Thibodeau has made do with once-promis- But the moment after that, he was repeat- ing castoffs DJ Augustin and Mike Dunleavy, ing the Thibodeau mantra: If you can’t play any and made it a priority to share the ball, no mat- better, at least try harder. “We definitely have to ter how meager the talent at any given pick up our intensity a little bit,” Noah said. Wizards stop Bulls charge moment. But mostly, he doubled down on A few lockers over, DJ Augustin echoed it. what he knows best - treating every defensive “They came out and played harder,” he said. stand like it was the last. “We’re going to have to match that.” And a few CHICAGO: Nene dominated with 24 points and So no one had to remind Thibodeau the minutes after that, the master motivator himself Trevor Ariza scored 18 as the Washington Bulls were just 4-12 this season when they gave walked into the interview room. “Offensively, if Wizards rallied from 13 points down to beat the up 100 or more points, worse (2-11) when they we think a call isn’t going our way, you can’t Chicago Bulls 102-93 in their playoff opener on allowed opponents to shoot 48 percent or bet- allow that to take away from getting back and Sunday. ter from the floor, and winless (0-11) when they playing great defense. There is a lot of things John Wall scored 16 in his postseason debut. failed to collect at least 13 assists. In other you can do,” Thibodeau said finally, “to help your Marcin Gortat added 15 points and 13 rebounds, words: Thibodeau’s nightmare trifecta. team win.” Read between the lines and this is and the fifth-seeded Wizards pulled out the vic- What made it even tougher to digest is that the message he’s sending his team; You guys tory even though they looked like they were Chicago led by 13 points barely two minutes miss a lot of shots and because you’re not ready to be blown out. They cut a 13-point into the third quarter and was still ahead 69-57 Michael Jordan, you won’t get a lot of calls. So deficit to one in the third and trailed by three when Dunleavy finished off a just-like-the- get back on defense - or else. —AP going into the fourth, before outscoring Chicago 18-6 over the final six minutes to come out on top in their first playoff appearance since 2008. Kuchar wins Heritage Game 2 is today. HEAT 99, BOBCATS 88 HILTON HEAD ISLAND: American Matt Augusta National roar (from the gallery).” LeBron James scored 27 points, Dwyane Kuchar ended a frustrating run of close calls Kuchar carded a seven-under 64 to finish Wade added 23 and Miami used a late charge to in spectacular style when he holed a bunker at 11-under-par 273, collecting $1.044 million beat Charlotte in Game 1 of an Eastern shot on his final hole to win the RBC Heritage for his seventh PGA Tour win. He had been in Conference first-round series. in South Carolina on Sunday. Minutes after contention in the final round the previous Chris Bosh scored 13 points and James Jones three-putting the 17th from four feet, Kuchar three weeks, finishing no worse than fifth, but had 12 for the Heat. Game 2 of the best-of-seven responded emphatically by sinking a 20-yard had stumbled down the stretch, most notably series is tomorrow. Kemba Walker scored 20 sand shot for birdie at the par-four 18th to at the Houston Open, where he bogeyed the points for the Bobcats, who led by nine early and beat third round leader Luke Donald by one last and lost a playoff. led again in the third. Al Jefferson missed eight stroke at Harbour Town on Hilton Head The 35-year-old looked to have squan- of his final 13 shots after getting hurt in the first Island. “I wish it wasn’t that great a finish but I dered another chance after missing a four- quarter. He finished with 18 points and 10 made it that way after 17 and, man, that was footer and a two-footer at the penultimate rebounds for the Bobcats, who got 17 from Gary CHICAGO: Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) drives to the basket against Chicago so thrilling to see that ball disappear,” said hole. “It was blowing pretty hard on that Neal and 15 from Josh McRoberts. Miami sealed Kuchar, in a green side television interview. green. I tried to play it straight (and) it went a Bulls center Joakim Noah (left) and forward Carlos Boozer (5) during the first half in Game 1 of it with an 18-4 run in the fourth, all but three of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series. —AP “To hole the bunker shot in that fashion is little left,” said Kuchar of his first putt. “I know those points coming with James getting a rest. something I’ll never forget. That was a full-on that’s not a characteristic of mine to three- rebounds for top-seeded San Antonio, which has Aldridge fouled out with about a minute left putt from four feet (and) I wanted to have SPURS 90, MAVERICKS 85 won 10 straight against Dallas. Devin Harris in overtime in Game 1 of their first-round playoff another chance.” Tim Duncan scored 27 points, and San scored 19 points for the Mavericks, who nearly series and Lillard, who was making his playoff Donald, meanwhile, narrowly missed a 30- Antonio held Dallas to one field goal in the final pulled off a huge upset. debut, took over. He scored the next five points yard birdie chip at the last and was left to rue seven minutes to win Game 1 of their first-round for Portland and put the Trail Blazers on top by another near-miss at Harbor Town, where he playoff series. The Mavericks also went scoreless TRAIL BLAZERS 122, ROCKETS 120 one point with a pair of free throws with 17 sec- has finished second or third five times in the for 51/2 minutes during that stretch, their lone LaMarcus Aldridge scored a club playoff- onds left. Game 2 is tomorrow in Houston. past six years. field goal coming as time expired. record 46 points and Damian Lillard added 31, Aldridge, who was playing in his home state, Americans Ben Martin (67) and John Huh Tony Parker had 21 points, and Manu Ginobili including the go-ahead free throws in overtime, also had 18 rebounds and two blocks. James (68) finished one shot further back in a tie for added 17. Kawhi Leonard had 11 points and 10 to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 122-120 vic- Harden and Dwight Howard each scored 27 third. Donald started the day with a two-shot rebounds and Tiago Splitter pulled down 11 tory over the Houston Rockets. points for Houston.—AP lead and shot 69, but it was not enough for the former British world number one, who double-bogeyed the par-four sixth after hit- ting his tee shot out-of-bounds. “I caught a gust there and took me right out of my rhythm and (hit a) big snap hook,” Donald said. “I hit a poor tee shot (into a water hazard) on 10 and would love to have given myself a better chance on 18 but other than that I hit a lot of solid shots.” With his victory, Kuchar joins an illustrious list of champions at Harbor Town that includes Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom HILTON HEAD ISLAND: Matt Kuchar Watson, Payne Stewart, Nick Faldo and Greg holds the trophy after winning the final Norman. “To put my name on a list of champi- round of the RBC Heritage golf tourna- ons here, that is so great,” Kuchar said. “This ment. —AP means a lot to me.”—Reuters Can anyone stop Hamilton and Mercedes? SHANGHAI: A clean-sweep for Mercedes ing away on the straight. That’s where we’ve including a Lewis Hamilton hat-trick has left got to improve.” the rest of Formula One wondering whether Fernando Alonso drove an impeccable A group of players with the coaches and VIVA’s Public Relations and Social Media team. they can keep up this year, even after only race to finish third, Ferrari’s first podium of four races. the season which the Spaniard dedicated to The opening exchanges have all been won outgoing team principal Stefano Domenicali. by Mercedes, who have dropped just 18 But the two-time world champion was VIVA to announce players to attend points so far-after a broken spark plug forced guarded on whether the result was a break- Hamilton out of the season-opener in through. He did not seriously challenge the Melbourne. Since then, Mercedes have front two, and his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen Man United’s training program enjoyed three consecutive one-two finishes placed eighth. “We did improve the car a little with 2008 world champion Hamilton leading bit compared to the first three races, so we KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s fastest-growing and The top 10 players will be chosen by a joint VIVA is very committed to encouraging team-mate Nico Rosberg, the winner in felt more competitive,” said Alonso, who most developed telecom operator, will judging committee consisting of MUSS coach- young people to develop their talents and Melbourne, home on each occasion. moved up to third in the drivers’ champi- announce the names of the ten players who es, a Kuwaiti team led by players from the hone their skills, and the Manchester United The Briton was untouchable at Sunday’s onship on 41 points. will visit Manchester to practice at Kuwaiti National Football team. Each of the program is just one of the many ways in Chinese Grand Prix, pulling away from pole “We will give 100 percent again and we Manchester United’s Cardington training players will be judged on the basis of their which we are trying to do this. We have been position to beat Rosberg by 18 seconds and will fight-but we need to see how develop- ground, and to play a game at Old Trafford, foot-balling capability and talent, physical fit- very pleased with the enthusiastic response complete a run of three straight F1 wins for ment is these three weeks and if we can bring the home of Manchester United. ness, discipline, their communication skills to this competition and we look forward to the first time. some extra new parts for Barcelona,” he The top 10 players, will be chosen from amongst each other as players and their gen- developing similar programs in the future.” It underlined a power advantage which added. over 200 participants who joined in the eral conduct on and off the field. In 2011, VIVA announced its sponsorship of propelled the Mercedes cars down the 1.3 The main consolation for Mercedes’ rivals Manchester United Soccer Academy try outs, The training program focused on different Manchester United for five years, starting with is that they have time to catch up, with 15 kilometre (0.8 miles) Shanghai back straight which were held on April 17, at Corner Soccer technical areas, such as dribbling, short pass- the 2011- 2012 Premier League season. In more than 20 kilometres an hour faster than races remaining and double points on offer at field next to the Kuwait Towers. All the play- ing, turning and finishing. The programs were August 2011 VIVA started to provide football their rivals. Red Bull boss Christan Horner, the season finale in Abu Dhabi. who saw Daniel Ricciardo and reigning world And they will be glad that Rosberg and ers will enjoy a fully funded week-long train- also designed to develop young players in fans the chance to win VIP tickets to watch champion Sebastian Vettel finish fourth and Hamilton have split the wins between them, ing camp in Manchester being trained by the other fields, such as tactical understanding, Manchester United play at Old Trafford in fifth, said his team needed to find a response leaving them within four points of each other best Manchester United coaches. and mental, physical and social growth. England. To support its sponsorship, VIVA has quickly. “We’re going to give it everything,” he and within sight of the other drivers. The Manchester United Soccer School Commenting on this occasion, also developed a number of exciting promo- said. “I believe we can take the fight to them. But Hamilton’s biggest rival is currently (MUSS) is a private facility very close to Abdulrazzaq Bader Al-Essa, Director of Public tional offers and distinguished gifts, enter- We just can’t concede too much more shaping as Rosberg, with whom he has Manchester city center. The players will be Relations and Social Media at VIVA said: “We taining programs, interactive competitions, ground. “You know we were 22 kilometres an sparred since their karting days and who accompanied by trainers, supervisors as well are very pleased to support these young ath- and organized a number of activities to pro- hour slower on that long straight today. That remains narrowly ahead courtesy of his win in as VIVA officials who will all ensure that they letes in bringing them closer to their dream of vide the subscribers with chances to watch represented almost 100 metres that we’re giv- Melbourne. —AFP are taken care of during their travels. becoming professional football players. the club stars playing matches at Old Trafford. TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 SPORTS Mets outlast Braves

NEW YORK: Curtis Granderson hit a sacrifice fly in the 14th inning to help the New York Mets outlast the Atlanta Braves 4-3 on Sunday and prevent a three-game sweep. David Wright had four hits and New York took advantage of three early errors by Atlanta, which had won seven of eight. Granderson went 0 for 6 with an error and was booed all afternoon, but turned those jeers to cheers at the end of a long day. Kirk Nieuwenhuis drew a leadoff walk from Gus Schlosser (0-1) and advanced on Ruben Tejada’s sacrifice bunt. Eric Young Jr. was inten- tionally walked to bring up Granderson, hitless in his last 16 at-bats and stuck in a 4-for-44 slide. The runners moved up on a wild pitch, and Granderson lifted the next delivery into medium left field. Nieuwenhuis slid home ahead of Justin ARLINGTON: Chicago White Sox’s Jose Abreu follows through on a double down the Upton’s throw, and the Mets mobbed Granderson left field line that came off a pitch from Texas Rangers relief pitcher Hector Noesi in near first base. Jose Valverde (1-0) worked a the ninth inning. —AP scoreless inning for the win, hours after he was demoted from his closer role in favor of Kyle White Sox, Yankees roll Farnsworth. BREWERS 3, PIRATES 2 ARLINGTON: Jose Abreu and Jordan Danks to complete a series sweep. Khris Davis delivered the biggest hit in a each had two-run homers and Erik Johnson Jed Lowrie and Eric Sogard added two hits game interrupted by a punch-filled brawl, homer- NEW YORK: Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis (left) looks after New York Met’s Curtis combined with three relievers on a two-hitter apiece for the A’s, who have won 11 of 13. ing in the 14th inning to lift Milwaukee. Ryan Granderson’s sacrifice fly during the fourteenth inning of the baseball game. —AP Braun hit a tying home run in the ninth for as the Chicago White Sox ended a four-game Chavez (1-0) allowed four hits over six innings ing to cap a four-run sixth inning. His second Ryan Howard added four hits, including a homer losing streak with a 16-2 victory Sunday over and retired seven of the final eight batters he Milwaukee. Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez, Pirates outfielder Travis Snider and Milwaukee homer of the season came after a two-out inten- and triple while driving in three runs. the Texas Rangers. The White Sox went ahead faced after giving up a solo home run to tional walk to Adrian Gonzalez. Rockies star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez exited with three unearned runs off Robbie Ross (1- Marwin Gonzalez in the fourth. bench coach Jerry Narron were ejected after the third-inning fracas. Dodgers starter Josh Beckett pitched five early because of a sore left knee. He appeared to 1) in the fifth, including Abreu’s fifth homer of Gonzalez had two hits for the Astros. innings of one-hit ball, striking out seven and tweak it running out a high chopper to end the the season for a 5-2 lead. Johnson (1-1) Houston has dropped seven straight. The problems started when Gomez paused at the plate and flipped his bat after hitting a two- walking two. Jamey Wright (1-0) got three outs sixth inning. Justin Morneau homered and drove allowed two runs and only a single over his Donaldson hit a two-run home run off for his 93rd career victory, spread over 19 big in five runs for the Rockies. The teams combined five innings, but the right-hander walked the Houston starter Brad Peacock (0-2) in the first out triple. Gerrit, who was near third base back- ing up the play, stormed toward Gomez and they league seasons and 10 different clubs. The for 30 hits, 15 for extra bases. Jake Diekman (2-1) leadoff batter the first four innings and threw and added an RBI double in the seventh. He Dodgers won on manager Don Mattingly’s 53rd got the win despite allowing two runs in 1 1-3 only 44 of his 87 pitches for strikes. The also had a two-out double in the fifth. exchanged words. Gomez took a couple steps toward Cole before players rushed the field from birthday. Josh Collmenter (0-2) gave up Puig’s innings. Jonathan Papelbon earned his fifth save Rangers also scored on a wild pitch, and had homer. in six chances. Matt Belisle (0-2) gave up Rollins’ another runner thrown out trying to do the TWINS 8, ROYALS 3 both dugouts. Milwaukee’s Martin Maldonado threw a punch that knocked off Snider’s hat. single that broke an 8-all tie. same. Ronald Belisario threw two scoreless Phil Hughes ended a personal losing streak GIANTS 4, PADRES 3 innings before Andre Rienzo and Matt that dated to last July, pitching into the sev- The Brewers won their third in a row and sent Pittsburgh to its third straight loss. Davis hit his Buster Posey hit a two-run home run and Tim INTERLEAGUE Lindstrom each worked an inning. Marcus enth inning and helping the Twins top the Lincecum earned his first victory of the season for MARLINS 3, MARINERS 2 Semien had four hits, including a bases- Royals to avoid a three-game sweep. first homer, connecting for a leadoff shot against Jeanmar Gomez (0-1). Zach Duke (1-0) pitched San Francisco, which had only three hits in end- Adeiny Hechavarria hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly loaded triple, while Abreu added two doubles Hughes (1-1), who signed a $24 million, ing a three-game losing streak. in the eighth inning after an instant replay went to his homer. The White Sox had 18 hits and a three-year deal in December, allowed an RBI two scoreless innings and Francisco Rodriguez got his seventh save. Padres pitchers retired 23 of the final 24 bat- in Miami’s favor and the Marlins completed a season high in runs after scoring a combined single to Omar Infante in the fifth and a two- ters and the Giants didn’t get a hit after the sec- three-game sweep. 12 runs their previous six games. run homer to Alcides Escobar in the seventh NATIONALS 3 CARDINALS 2 ond inning. The Giants had scored only one run in Mike Dunn (1-2) picked up the win in relief while winning for the first time in 17 appear- each of their previous three games. and Steve Cishek pitched the ninth for his third YANKEES 5, RAYS 1 ances. He had lost eight games since that vic- Denard Span hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning as Washington, with Bryce Harper back in Lincecum (1-1) was chased by Nick Hundley’s save of the season and 32nd in a row. Tom Dean Anna drew a bases-loaded walk on a tory on July 2 for the Yankees. first homer of the season, on the first pitch of the Wilhelmsen (0-1) took the loss for the Mariners, full-count pitch with two outs in the 12th Josmil Pinto homered and Trevor Plouffe the lineup, rallied past St. Louis. The Nationals loaded the bases in the ninth against Seth seventh inning that pulled the Padres to 4-3. who dropped their sixth straight. In the bottom inning and Carlos Beltran followed with a two- and Kurt Suzuki each drove in a pair of runs Lincecum allowed three runs and seven hits, of the eighth, Christian Yelich was ruled safe at run single as the Yankees beat Tampa Bay for a for the Twins, who battered Yordano Ventura Maness (0-1) when Danny Espinosa singled with one out for his third hit, Jose Lobaton singled struck out seven and walked three. Sergio Romo home after plate umpire Ed Hickox initially ruled split of a wild four-game series. Yangervis (1-1). The loss ended Kansas City’s five-game pitched the ninth for his fifth save in as many him out on a force play. First baseman Justin Solarte was walked by Heath Bell (0-1) to open winning streak. through the right side of the infield and pinch hitter Nate McLouth walked. chances. Padres starter Robbie Erlin (1-2) took the Smoak threw home on a grounder by Garrett the 12th. After failing twice to bunt against CJ loss. Jones. Riefenhauser, Brett Gardner reached on a TIGERS 2, ANGELS 1 In his second game since being activated from the seven-day disabled list following a concus- Marlins manager Mike Redmond challenged fielder’s choice and went to third on Brian Rick Porcello pitched seven sharp innings, PHILLIES 10, ROCKIES 9 the call. It was overturned after a delay of 2 min- McCann’s two-out single. Jacoby Ellsbury was and the Tigers took advantage of four errors in sion, Span lofted a fly to left field. Espinosa easily beat the throw from John Jay, who shifted over Jimmy Rollins homered early, then hit a go- utes, 20 seconds. Replays showed Yelich slid in intentionally walked before Anna checked his a victory over the Angels. Three of those errors ahead single in the eighth inning that sent safely tying the game at 2. With the bases loaded swing to complete an eight-pitch at-bat and came on one play in the first inning, allowing from right field as St. Louis used a five-man infield. Philadelphia past Colorado. Rollins finished with and one out, Hechavarria followed with a sacri- score the go-ahead run. Beltran had his hit off Detroit’s Ian Kinsler to score from first on a three hits as the Phillies averted a series sweep. fice fly to right field against Wilhelmsen.—AP Josh Leuke before Alfonso Soriano added an walk. Then in the sixth, Angels catcher Hank Harper started in left field and went 1 for 4 RBI single that made it 5-1. Preston Claiborne Conger threw wildly to first trying to pick off with his first stolen base of the season. The two- (1-0) went two scoreless innings for the Austin Jackson. It was his second error of the time All-Star was pulled from the game a day ear- Yankees. game, and Jackson went to second. lier for what manager Matt Williams called a “lack MLB results/standings Nick Castellanos followed with an RBI sin- of hustle.” Rafael Soriano (1-0) pitched one inning for the win. Cleveland 6, Toronto 4; Detroit 2, LA Angels 1; NY Mets 4, Atlanta 3 (14 Innings); Miami 3, Seattle 2; Washington 3, St. RED SOX 6, ORIOLES 5 gle to put Detroit ahead 2-1. Porcello (2-1) Louis 2; Milwaukee 3, Pittsburgh 2 (14 innings); NY Yankees 5, Tampa Bay 1 (12 innings); Minnesota 8, Kansas City 3; Dustin Pedroia scored from third on left allowed a run and five hits, striking out four REDS 8, CUBS 2 Cincinnati 8, Chicago Cubs 2; Chicago White Sox 16, Texas 2; Oakland 4, Houston 1; LA Dodgers 4, Arizona 1; San fielder David Lough’s throwing error with two and walking one. Hector Santiago (0-3) Francisco 4, San Diego 3; Philadelphia 10, Colorado 9; Boston 6, Baltimore 5. Homer Bailey pitched six scoreless innings for outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Boston Red allowed two unearned runs and two hits in 5 American League National League Sox to a 6-5 comback win over Baltimore 2-3 inning. his first win of the season and Jay Bruce homered and doubled as Cincinnati won for the 17th time Eastern Division Eastern Division Orioles. Jonny Gomes hit a three-run homer W L PCT GB in its last 19 games at Wrigley Field. Atlanta 12 6 .667 - for the Red Sox, who overcame a 5-0 deficit INDIANS 6, BLUE JAYS 4 NY Yankees 11 8 .579 - Washington 11 8 .579 1.5 Zack Cozart hit a two-run homer for and improved to 4-5 in Fenway Park where David Murphy hit a three-run double in the Toronto 10 9 .526 1 NY Mets 9 9 .500 3 they went 53-28 last season. sixth inning and John Axford worked out of Cincinnati, which took two of three this weekend Boston 9 10 .474 2 Miami 9 10 .474 3.5 Tampa Bay 9 10 .474 2 Adam Jones had three singles and a dou- bases-loaded jam in the ninth, lifting the from the Cubs. Bailey (1-1) struck out eight while Philadelphia 8 10 .444 4 allowing six hits and three walks. Baltimore 8 9 .471 2 Central Division ble, and Nelson Cruz hit a solo homer to spark Indians to a win over the Blue Jays. Central Division The Reds have won 10 straight when Bailey Milwaukee 14 5 .737 - a three-run first inning for the Orioles. Cleveland entered the sixth trailing 4-2, Detroit 9 6 .600 - St. Louis 11 8 .579 3 Boston can take three of four when the but reliever Aaron Loup (1-1) walked the bases faces the Cubs. He is 7-0 in his last 10 outings Kansas City 9 8 .529 1 against Chicago and 5-0 in his past six at Wrigley Minnesota 9 9 .500 1.5 Cincinnati 8 10 .444 5.5 series concludes with Monday’s traditional 11 loaded before Murphy delivered a line drive Pittsburgh 8 11 .421 6 a.m. Patriots’ Day start. Edward Mujica (1-1) past third base that kicked off the stands and Field. The Cubs have lost six of their last seven. Chicago White Sox 9 10 .474 2 Carlos Villanueva (1-4) was tagged for five runs Cleveland 8 10 .444 2.5 Chicago Cubs 5 12 .294 8 got one out for the win while Brian Matusz (1- caromed into shallow left field, allowing all Western Division and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings. Western Division 1) suffered the loss. three runners to score. Axford, the fourth Oakland 13 5 .722 - LA Dodgers 12 7 .632 - Cleveland reliever, loaded the bases with two Texas 11 8 .579 2.5 San Francisco 11 8 .579 1 ATHLETICS 4, ASTROS 1 outs in the ninth before retiring Edwin DODGERS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 1 LA Angels 8 10 .444 5 Colorado 10 10 .500 2.5 Josh Donaldson homered and doubled Encarnacion on a groundout for his sixth save. Yasiel Puig hit a three-run homer and threw Seattle 7 11 .389 6 San Diego 9 10 .474 3 twice to back another solid start by Jesse Josh Outman (3-0) recorded the final out of out a runner at second base, leading Los Angeles Houston 5 14 .263 8.5 Arizona 5 16 .238 8 Chavez, helping the Athletics beat the Astros the sixth.—AP over Arizona. Puig flipped his bat after connect-

RCB captain with Huawei officials. TACK-Huawei batsman at the non-striker’s end. TACK-Huawei-XI manager Mahmoud Abdullah TACK-Huawei XI to participate in UAE Desert Premier League

KUWAIT: Teams Association for Cricket in to the glittering deserts of Dubai to partici- Cricket’s history before. Entertainment City Cricket Ground-Doha by Huawei aim to announce the final squad for Kuwait (TACK) and MG Cricket Club came pate in DPL. Huawei is the largest telecom- Desert Premier League is a recent cricket TACK-MG with a pool of 30 top players from TACK-HUAWEI XI and are extremely confi- together earlier this year to raise the stan- munications equipment maker in the world phenomenon that took the GCC cricket the leading teams of Kuwait.The final squad dent of their team doing really well in its first dard of domestic Cricket in Kuwait by pro- and has consistently proven itself to be a world by storm with its first season in of 16 players will be selected by the senior overseas tournament. viding the best facilities and maximum socially responsible brand. Huawei debuted January 2013. The month long tournament coaching staff and TACK-MG management The official sports equipment partner for exposure to domestic players like never in the field of Cricket in April 2014 by last year saw 32 corporate and club teams based on fitness, performance in TACK-MG TACK-HUAWEI XI will be Pro Sports with before. becoming the principal sponsor of Royal battle it out at Sharjah Cricket Stadium and tournaments and discipline. branded equipment being provided to the In order to live up to that promise, TACK is Challengers Bangalore, a domestic cricket Skyline University College for the champion’s Players have been undergoing rigorous entire squad of 16 players. All the printing flying their team to neighboring UAE where team that plays in the well renowned and trophy as well as cash and prizes worth over training for the last five weeks which is requirements of TACK-HUAWEI-XI is going to it’s participating in the biggest domestic cash rich Indian Premier League (IPL). The AED 50000. DPL Season 2 promises to be expected to get more strenuous with less be managed and handled by the Germany cricket tournament in the GCC which is now fact that Huawei only associates itself with bigger and better with 48 teams and over than a month to go before the team’s depar- Printing Press Company, one of the leading famously known as the Desert Premier the biggest and the best of sporting brands 750 players participating in 95 T20 Matches, ture on 12th May. Some of the players in the giants in print solutions in the market of League (DPL). In this pioneering endeavor and has now put their corporate muscle at picturesque venues such as Emirates The camp have fond memories of DPL Season 1 Kuwait. Kuwait Swedish Cleaning Services TACK is being backed by the Chinese behind TACK speaks volumes about the qual- Sevens in Dubai and Emirates Palace in Abu when TACK’s team Kuwait Dashers made it to Company is the official logistics partner of Telecommunication Global Giant Huawei. ity of work being done by the organization Dhabi. With Radio Mirchi (UAE’s No.1 Asian the finals. They will be hoping to better that TACK since the historic 4 nation’s T-20 festi- Huawei’s relationship with TACK goes back for Cricket in Kuwait. Since both the organi- Radio Station) as official event partner, performance this year as the facilities and val. Camco Global Events is the official to the historic 4 Nations Festival (15th Nov zations put customers (players) first and Khaleej Times as the print partner and televi- platform provided by TACK-MG and the mag- events management partner of TACK and 2013) where Huawei was one of the key believe that their success is the organiza- sion partner Imagine Movies broadcasting nanimous support of Huawei is second to therefore, any official event leading up to the Corporate sponsors and believed in TACK’s tion’s success, participating in DPL provides the semifinals and finals live on television, none. TACK in collaboration with Huawei team’s departure will be handled by this vision. Building on their relationship further the ideal platform for both the brands to DPL promises to be a matchless and exhila- plans to run an elaborate campaign leading national giant which is responsible for con- and fulfilling their Corporate Social come together in achieving something spe- rating prospect for cricket players in Kuwait. up to the team’s departure on May 12, 2014. ducting some of the most prestigious events Responsibility, TACK-Huawei XI is travelling cial which has never been done in Kuwait A training camp has been setup at TACK In coming days and weeks TACK-MG and in the history of Kuwait. TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 SPORTS Destro and Immobile could light up World Cup MILAN: Given the statistics, two play- unlikely to have another chance of win- However, the match that should Torino this term, two more than can withstand the heat and humidity of ers should have a chance to make their ning football’s greatest prize “unless have secured his ticket to Brazil could Juventus star Carlos Tevez. “He is a nice the Amazon, both players could be giv- international breakthrough by lighting there are emergencies.” also be the one that leads to Destro surprise,” Prandelli said. “Especially en the chance to shine this summer. up Italy’s attack at this summer’s World So attention has now shifted to the being left at home after he was subse- because he had a difficult time last year, “We ‘provoked’ the young players Cup. One is the top scorer in the Italian other end of the scale - to the future of quently banned for three matches for but he has great character and the right and the response was positive,” league, the other has netted a goal Italy’s attack. Roma’s Destro has been in punching Cagliari defender Davide DNA of a forward and he didn’t let neg- Prandelli said. “They silence the critics every 85 minutes of play. stunning form, while Immobile is on the Astori. ative experiences beat him. and showed their worth. It’s not a given However, neither Ciro Immobile nor verge of a record-breaking season for The incident meant he fell afoul of “I remember the negative comments that both (Destro and Immobile) can’t Mattia Destro are even guaranteed a Torino along with strike partner Alessio Prandelli’s strict code of ethics and last year from so many critics who said come to Brazil.” spot on Italy’s squad for Brazil as coach Cerci. Destro was left out of the group of 42 he wasn’t ready for Serie A, while now Destro is not leaving anything to Cesare Prandelli tries to find a balance Destro only started his injury- players called up for World Cup fitness they say he is first choice for the World chance and has scheduled his wedding between talented youngsters and delayed season in December but the tests last week. Cup. We need to leave him in peace, he date and honeymoon for after the experienced veterans. And it could be 23-year-old appeared to be a near cer- Two players who were present at is doing well and then we will make our World Cup, while football could once that one gets a spot at the expense of tainty to make the squad after a hat Italy’s Coverciano training complex for choices later, and they will be justified.” again delay celebrations in the the other. trick against Cagliari two weeks ago the two-day camp were Immobile and Strike partner Cerci is now a regular Immobile household. For most of the past two years since took his tally to 13 goals in 18 matches. Cerci. in the Italy squad since making his Immobile had to reschedule his Italy’s humbling 4-0 loss to Spain in the It was Destro’s first hat trick in Serie A - The duo have scored 33 goals debut against Brazil more than a year wedding last year when he was called European Championship final, talk has although he had achieved that feat between them for Torino, one less than ago, and the 26-year-old has 10 appear- up for the Under-21 European been of whether a surprise recall for twice for the Italian Under-19 side. the record set by Paolo Pulici and ances under his belt. Championship - where he scored a goal one of the Azzurri greats could be on “Let’s hope I make it. I try always to give Francesco Graziani, who fired Torino to His obvious understanding with in the 4-2 loss to Spain in the final. the cards. my best for Roma, then we’ll see,” the Italian title in 1976. Immobile may see the latter preferred The forward is set to marry Jessica Prandelli has dodged those ques- Destro said after the match. “I have to Immobile has made just one appear- to Destro but, with Prandelli still sweat- Melena at the end of May but their hon- tions with calm and poise, and only continue like this, normally perform- ance for Italy, in a friendly match ing on the fitness of star forward eymoon will again have to be resched- recently confirmed that World Cup win- ances always have a consequence for against Spain last month. However, the Giuseppe Rossi and doubts over uled if, as looks likely, he goes to Brazil ners Francesco Totti and Luca Toni are the national side.” 24-year-old has scored 20 goals for whether the veteran Antonio Cassano instead.—AP Messi’s free kick ends Barca’s nightmare run

MADRID: Lionel Messi smashed in a superb free kick to complete a 2-1 comeback win for injury- hit Barcelona at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday that kept alive their slim hopes of a fifth La Liga title in six years. After a wretched 12 days when they were eliminated from the Champions League by Atletico Madrid, beaten in the King’s Cup final by Real Madrid and suffered a shock 1- 0 reverse at lowly Granada in La Liga, Barca bad- ly needed a morale-boosting victory in front of their fans at the Nou Camp. However, after Messi, Pedro and Alexis Sanchez squandered clear scoring opportunities, Aritz Aduriz fired fourth-placed Bilbao ahead five minutes into the second half, prompting rumblings of discontent among the home faithful. Pedro levelled in the 72nd minute after more chances had gone begging and Messi struck the MEXICO CITY: Pumas’ Daniel Ramirez (left) fights for the ball with Chivas’ Patricio winner three minutes later when he drove the Araujo during a Mexican League match. —AP ball powerfully into the net, the Argentina for- ward’s 26th goal of an injury-disrupted season. With four matches left including a trip to Pumas chase ‘goats’ Barca on the final day of the season, surprise leaders Atletico top the standings on 85 points following Friday’s 2-0 home win over Elche. SPAIN: Barcelona’s Daniel Alves, from Brazil (center) duels for the ball against Athletic Bilbao’s to edge of precipice Barca are second on 81 points, two ahead of goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz (left) and Mikel Balenziaga (right) during a Spanish League soccer Real, who have a game in hand. Bilbao are a fur- match.—AP MEXICO CITY: Substitute Daniel Ramirez Chile’s World Cup squad after recovering ther 17 points behind Real and remain well struck the only goal to give UNAM Pumas a from a shoulder injury, scored twice in placed to secure a berth in Champions League keeper Gorka Iraizoz before Adriano had a shot led to Barca’s equaliser. The Brazil fullback 1-0 home win over Ricardo La Volpe’s 13th-placed Monterrey’s 4-1 victory over qualifying for next season. “We are creating a lot cleared off the line by Mikel Balenziaga. squared for Alexis and his cross-shot was Guadalajara at the Olimpico on Sunday, Veracruz. of chances but finding it tough to put them In an entertaining contest featuring two turned into the net by Pedro before Messi’s guaranteeing the winners a place in the Visitors Veracruz took an early lead away,” Barca centre back Javier Mascherano said attack-minded sides, Aduriz cracked a stunning fierce free kick was too hot to handle for Iraizoz. Mexican championship knockout phase. when a shot from outside the box by in an interview with Spanish television broad- overhead kick against the post on the half hour “It’s a shame because we had our chances to Leaders Cruz Azul, with 33 points, sec- Alfredo Moreno took a deflection off aster Canal Plus. and Alexis scuffed a shot against the crossbar win but now we need to move on and focus on ond-placed Toluca (31) and Pumas (25) Suazo’s shaven head and went into the net. “We just have to do things as professionally two minutes later when it seemed easier to the next match,” the Bilbao keeper told Canal have all qualified for the quarter-finals with The Chilean made up for it with a head- as possible for the remaining few games,” added score. Five minutes into the second half Bilbao Plus. “We cannot take our foot off the gas now one match remaining in the 17-match ed goal in the 39th minute and a tap-in for the Argentine, who made a superb block late on were ahead. An error from Barca centre back and we have to keep up the effort so we can league phase. his second in added time. Argentines Cesar to deny Bilbao substitute Mikel Rico. “We have to Marc Bartra surrendered possession in a danger- achieve our objective” of securing fourth place, hold on to this small amount of hope we have, Santos Laguna, America and Tijuana, all Delgado and Neri Cardozo also scored for ous position and Aduriz strode forward before he added. try to win all our matches and see what hap- firing clinically past keeper Jose Manuel Pinto. Bilbao are three points clear of fifth-placed on 24, are virtually assured of their places Monterrey. Atlante, who lost 2-1 at home to in the top eight. The Guadalajara Chivas pens.” Barca have been ravaged by injuries in Sevilla, who continued their fine recent run Tijuana on Sunday, were relegated on (goats), who are in 11th place on 21 points, recent weeks and were without Brazil forward GOLDEN CHANCES with a 4-0 victory at home to Andalusian must win their home match against Saturday after Puebla’s 2-1 victory at Neymar and the Spain trio of left back Jordi Alba, Barca had two chances to level but both rivals Granada on Sunday. Celta Vigo pulled Monterrey to have any chance of reaching Pachuca. central defender Gerard Pique and goalkeeper were wasted. Pedro fired straight at Iraizoz further away from danger when they won 4-2 the so-called “Fiesta Grande” (big party). Atlante, although above Puebla and Victor Valdes for Bilbao’s visit. They lost to the when well placed inside the area in the 58th at second-from-bottom Almeria, while base- Five teams are on 21 points looking for Veracruz in the standings, are bottom of Basque club at the San Mames in December and and Messi sent a shot narrowly wide of the post ment side Real Betis are on the brink of rele- two last-eight berths with Guadalajara bot- the relegation table calculated on average looked hungry for an early goal in the return, when clean through two minutes later. gation after they were beaten 3-1 at Rayo tom of the pile on goal difference. “Today’s points over three seasons. —Reuters Messi and Pedro drawing fine saves from goal- Good work down the right from Dani Alves Vallecano.—Reuters match was very important, these are the kinds of matches you can’t (afford to) lose,” Guadalajara coach La Volpe told reporters. “Well, we lost and we’ve got to make an Matches on TV River Plate climb to the top analysis without getting desperate, there’s (Local Timings) one fixture to go (in the round-robin phase), a last battle, let’s see what happens UEFA Champions League BUENOS AIRES: River Plate lost two of their back but reserve goalkeeper Leandro Chichizola penalty save in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with and then think a lot about the future of the Colombian players through injury but were able made two key saves, one in each half, to deny Estudiantes in La Plata. Arsenal, at home to team,” added the Argentine known as to climb to the top of the standings with a 1-0 the Velez attack. Union Espanola of Chile in their first ever “Bigoton” (big moustache). Atletico v Chelsea 21:45 victory over Velez Sarsfield in an exciting Final Chichizola has kept clean sheets in two full Libertadores Cup knockout round tie on Title holders Leon and Monterrey, both beIN SPORTS 1 Championship clash at the Monumental on matches since coming on for the injured Marcelo Thursday, beat Lanus 3-1 in Martin Palermo’s with 20 points, are also clinging to their beIN SPORTS 2 Sunday. Striker Teo Gutierrez scored the only Barovero near the end of last weekend’s 1-0 debut as their coach to climb off the bottom of goal after half an hour but had to off with a leg home win over Atletico Rafaela, including a the standings. —Reuters slim chances of making it into the top eight beIN SPORTS 1 HD after crushing victories on Saturday. injury early in the second half that sparked fears Leon are in 12th place after beating beIN SPORTS 2 HD for his fitness with less than two months to go to UANL Tigres 3-0, including a brace from beIN SPORTS 11 HD the World Cup finals. “I have faith that there’s striker Miguel Sabah. Striker Humberto beIN SPORTS 13 HD nothing (serious) and all’s well. It was tough but, “Lollipop” Suazo, hoping to sneak into thank God, the team managed to win,” Gutierrez told Futbol Para Todos. Defensive rock Eder Balanta, whose form could earn him a place in Colombia coach Jose Wembley can wait, Hull Pekerman’s squad at the Brazil finals, also had to come off with a leg muscle injury after a knock boss focuses on EPL status 10 minutes from time. “It was a strain, let’s hope it’s nothing serious,” said the 21-year-old, fast LONDON: Next month’s FA Cup final is not Sunderland taking four points of title chasing emerging as a world class centre back. yet on the radar of Hull City’s Steve Bruce Manchester City and Chelsea in their last two River, having chalked up a fourth successive with the manager believing there is work still matches. home win without conceding a goal, moved on to be done to preserve the club’s Premier “I always said if you get 10 wins that is usu- to 27 points with four matches remaining but League status. ally enough and it still might be, who knows,” can be caught by Gimnasia, who are at home to Hull are 14th on 36 points-six clear of the said Bruce, whose side achieved their 10th All Boys in La Plata late yesterday. Estudiantes, drop zone with four games to go-after league win of the season at home to Swansea who drew 0-0 at Rosario Central on Saturday, Sunday’s 3-0 home loss to Arsenal, who they City earlier this month. “Its too close for com- and Colon, held to a goalless draw by Belgrano will face at Wembley on May 17. fort and we have seen some unbelievable in Santa Fe, are one point behind River. “I’m not really interested in Wembley just results at the weekend and its concertinaed it A packed Monumental was heaving to the yet, we have got to stay in this league and let and its quite a remarkable league this year.” rhythm of fans’ chants as they urged their team Wembley look after itself in four weeks or Despite the defeat to Arsenal, Bruce was to victory with dreams of a new title to erase the whenever it is,” Bruce told reporters after pleased with the way his team performed on memory of their first ever relegation in 2011. Sunday’s defeat. Sunday. Strikers Nikica Jelavic and Shane Velez, one of the better-run clubs in the coun- “We have got to concentrate on the next Long, who will both miss the cup final as they try, have won three titles since River lifted their few games and make sure we get over the played for others clubs in the previous last, a record 34th, in 2008 under former coach line because we haven’t done it yet, we are rounds, went close to putting Hull ahead with Diego Simeone. not safe yet and we still have a bit of work to Jake Livermore also hitting the inside of the do and that’s all I’m concentrating on.” post with a long range strike. POOR CLEARANCE Hull face trips to relegation-threatened But Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring for The decisive goal came following a poor Fulham and Aston Villa and the manager’s the visitors in the 31st minute after a swift clearance by Velez keeper Sebastian Sosa, which former club Manchester United next before attack with Lukas Podolski doubling the lead was headed towards Gutierrez by midfielder finishing their campaign at home to just before halftime and added a third after Manuel Lanzini, with the striker beating the Champions League chasing Everton on May the break. advancing goalie with a low shot under his 11. Bruce, though, was annoyed Jelavic was body. Hull have enjoyed a strong campaign but not awarded a free kick after a coming Lanzini had two chances to put River two-up five defeats in their last seven games have left together with Mikel Arteta which led to in the second half but his first effort went well them short of the traditional safety mark of Arsenal regaining possession and scoring the wide of the mark with only Sosa to beat and the 40 points, although that is expected to be a second. keeper saved the second. lot lower this season. “The big turning point in the game, we are River captain Fernando Cavenaghi’s auda- Bruce was also left nervous by the recent talking about a refereeing decision again,” the cious chip near the end deserved to go in but improved showing of the teams beneath former Wigan Athletic, Sunderland and came back off the angle of the post and bar. BUENOS AIRES: River Plate’s Manuel Lanzini (left) fights for the ball with Velez Sarsfield’s Lucas them in the table with bottom side Sheffield United manager said.—Reuters There were plenty of scares for River at the Romero during an Argentine League soccer match. —AP Wizards stop White Sox, Bulls charge Yankees roll

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 17 18

Destro and Immobile could light up World Cup Page 19

BOSTON: Meb Keflezighi of the United States celebrates after winning the118th Boston Marathon yesterday. (Inset) Rita Jeptoo, of Kenya, hoists the trophy after winning the women’s division. — Agencies Keflezighi, Jeptoo win Boston Marathon

BOSTON: Meb Keflezighi ended a 31-year Boston of a historic victory for the people of Boston to help ease who won at Chicago last year as well, is Kenyan Catherine or Boston start, closed late to keep the American looking Marathon win drought for American men and Rita Jeptoo the recovery from last year’s finish-line horror, much the Ndereba with four titles. Six other women have taken three over his shoulder late but could not overtake him. defended her title yesterday in a race that began with way the Boston Red Sox dedicated their triumph in last as well. Deba was last year’s New York Marathon runner-up “Looking back is not a bad thing,” said Keflezighi. “It can remembrances of last year’s bombing tragedy. year’s Major League Baseball World Series to the city. while Dibaba won the Xiamen Marathon earlier this year in save you a win.” Ethiopia’s Markos Geneti, the Dubai Keflezighi became the first American man to win the “It was my dream to win Boston and to make it just like China for her first title at the distance. Marathon runner-up in January, was fifth in 2:09:50, 13 sec- famed race since Greg Meyer in 1983 while Kenya’s Jeptoo the Red Sox did and do the same thing for the people,” Jeptoo’s training partner, compatriot Jemima Sumgong, onds behind fourth-place finisher Vitaliy Shafar of Ukraine. added to her 2006 and 2013 victory haul in a record time Keflezighi said. was second at Chicago last year and second in Boston in US runner Shalane Flanagan took the lead at the for the 26.2-mile classic. Keflezighi, whose other wins include the 2009 New York 2012 by only two seconds, but settled for fourth this year women’s start with a first mile in 5:11 and she completed A moment of silence was observed before the start by a Marathon and 2012 US Olympic trials, set a personal best in 2:20:41. 5km in 16:10 as the leading group was trimmed to 12. field of 35,755 from 95 nations for the victims of two with the second-fastest US men’s time ever at Boston. His South Africa’s Ernst Van Dyk won his 10th Boston Flanagan and Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba set the early bombs hidden inside backpacks that exploded near the best prior Boston finish was third in 2006. Marathon men’s wheelchair crown in 1:20:36 while pace but at 20 miles, Deba grabbed the lead alone as the finish line last year, killing three people and injuring more It marked the first time since 1991 that the men’s win- American Tatiana McFadden took her second consecutive pack was reduced to five, Flanagan falling back and than 250 others. ner was not from Kenya or Ethiopia. Jeptoo set a women’s women’s wheelchair title. Kenyan Caroline Kilel dropping out. Keflezighi, who was born in Eritrea and became an course record of 2:18:57 to defeat Ethiopia’s Bizunesh Deba Keflezighi took charge at mile eight and although “I ran everything I had in me,” said Flanagan. “I’ll be back American citizen in 1998, held off Kenya’s Wilson Chebet to by 62 seconds with Ethiopian Mare Dibaba third in 2:20:35. joined for a while by countryman Josphat Boit, he was out to run here until I win it.” At mile 22, Jeptoo made her move win in two hours, eight minutes and 37 seconds. Jeptoo, 33, shattered the prior Boston women’s mark of on his own by the 18-mile mark. and seized the lead, quickly pulling away and seemingly Chebet was 11 seconds adrift with Kenyan Franklin 2:20:43 set by Kenya’s Margaret Okayo in 2002. The only Chebet, a three-time Amsterdam winner and former stretching her margin with nearly every stride on her way Chepkwony third in 2:08:50. Keflezighi, 38, realized his goal woman to have won more often at Boston than Jeptoo, Rotterdam champion who was fifth in 2012 in his only pri- to the course record — AFP

Preview United evasive on Atletico looking to deliver Moyes sack reports another blow on Mourinho MADRID: Atletico Madrid sent Jose Mourinho strugglers Sunderland, Mourinho’s first league LONDON: Manchester United said yesterday packing without a major trophy in his final sea- defeat at Stamford Bridge in 78 matches. that David Moyes had not been sacked as man- son in Spain and the surprise Champions Mourinho refused to answer questions after ager, but refused to comment on widespread League semi-finalists are itching to land another the game and appeared to blame the referee for British media reports that he was about to be blow on the Portuguese coach. Chelsea’s setback, which severely damaged their fired. Mourinho’s Chelsea play their last four, first title chances, rather than his players. A spokesperson from United told AFP in an email: “David Moyes has definitely not been leg at the Calderon today against an Atletico “They did everything they could,” he told a sacked!” However, when asked if he would leave side riding high in La Liga and through to the news conference. “They fought, they played before the end of the season, journalists were semi-finals of Europe’s elite club competition for from the first to the last second and they told: “We do not comment on speculation.” the first time in 40 years. deserve that (praise),” added the 51-year-old. Several national newspapers claimed that In Mourinho’s third and final campaign at “Sometimes we praise them when we win but I United have decided to sack Moyes after a Real in 2012-13, they had been knocked out of think it’s fair to praise my players after a defeat.” wretched debut campaign, while Sky Sports the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund News declared that he could lose his job “within and Barcelona had wrapped up the La Liga title LOAN DEAL the next 24 hours”. when they hosted Atletico in the King’s Cup There has been some doubt over whether Meanwhile, leading British bookmakers final at their own Bernabeu stadium. Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is on stopped taking bets on Moyes being fired. Sky But Miranda’s extra time header secured a 2-1 loan from Chelsea, would be able to play against Bet cut their odds on Moyes leaving United comeback win for Diego Simeone’s inspired his parent club but Simeone said after the Elche before the end of May to 1/4 from 9/4, before MANCHESTER: A poster featuring Manchester United manager David Moyes is pic- Atletico side in an action-packed and ill-tempered game the Belgium international will feature. suspending betting. clash in which Mourinho and forward Cristiano As part of the loan deal, the two clubs agreed Ladbrokes installed United great Ryan tured beside Manchester City fans during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion yesterday. —AFP Ronaldo were both sent off. “You don’t have to be a penalty clause that meant Atletico would have Giggs, currently a player-coach at Old Trafford, a magician to tell that the result of the final was to pay a hefty fee to deploy Courtois against as the 5/1 favorite to replace Moyes before they, Bayern Munich, but will not compete in the Champions League semi-final at home to not fair, that Atletico is not a just winner,” Chelsea but governing body UEFA said such a competition next season for the first time since Chelsea, he told a press conference: “With all too, suspended betting on their ‘Next manager Mourinho told a post-match news conference. clause was against competition rules. 1995.United’s owners, the US-based Glazer fam- due respect to the question, and I understand to leave’ market. Speculation about Moyes’s Now back at Chelsea, Mourinho is seeking to “Nobody has said anything to me so as it future intensified following Sunday’s 2-0 loss at ily, have so far been supportive. Doubts, the situation, but the match tomorrow is a very avenge that bitter reverse as he makes his latest stands he will play,” Simeone said. “It is not an Everton-the Scot’s former club-which con- though, have now surfaced over whether they important match for us and I am not thinking demned reigning champions United to their will allow Moyes to oversee the club’s final four about anything which is not my players and bid to become the first manager to win the issue for dialogue as far as we are concerned.” 11th defeat of the season and meant they could matches of the season, against Norwich City, Chelsea.” European Cup with three different teams after The Cup final defeat to Atletico was the only no longer qualify for the Champions League. Sunderland, Hull City and Southampton. Moyes received backing from Everton goal- triumphing with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan blemish on Mourinho’s record against them Moyes was the chosen successor of former Earlier yesterday, Moyes told MUTV, United’s keeper Tim Howard, who said the home fans at in 2010. with Real, who won all eight of their other United boss Alex Ferguson-British football’s in-house television station: “We need to end the Goodison had been wrong to boo the club’s for- He and his expensively assembled squad face meetings during his tenure. However, Atletico most successful manager-following his retire- season on a high. “We want to finish by winning mer manager during Sunday’s game. a stiff task against an Atletico team who are top are the only unbeaten side left in the ment at the end of last season. all of our games. We’ll do everything we possi- “We have brilliant fans, but that was unfair of La Liga and closing on a first domestic league Champions League and have won all five of But Moyes has endured a torrid first season bly can to make that happen.” on him,” Howard said of Moyes, who spent 11 title since 1996 when a team featuring Simeone their home matches in the latest edition, at Old Trafford, with United falling to seventh Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone was years at Everton. In a development that created won a La Liga and King’s Cup double. including superb victories against former win- place in the Premier League and being knocked one name identified as a potential successor to fresh uncertainty at the club, reports emerged Atletico warmed up for today’s clash with a 2- ners AC Milan and Barca. The winners of the tie out of both domestic cup competitions. Moyes in British media reports, but he refused on Sunday that forward Danny Welbeck is con- 0 win at home to Elche, while Chelsea slipped to will play Real or Bayern Munich in the final in They reached the quarter-finals of the to discuss the speculation yesterday. sidering his future at United due to a lack of a shock 2-1 home reverse to Premier League Lisbon on May 24. — Reuters Champions League, where they lost to holders Speaking before the first leg of his side’s game time this season.—AFP Egypt to lift gas prices for homes, businesses

Page 23 Japan logs record $134bn Business trade deficit in FY 2013 TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 Page 25 All aboard! Sudan’s sleek Al-Mazaya Holding achieves 588% jump in Q1 net profits new train a rarity Page 26 Page 22 Zain Group records robust revenues of $1.1bn in Q1

Net income of $198.4 million • Substantial investments in 3G and 4G LTE networks pay off

KUWAIT: Zain Group, the pioneer in mobile (Y-o-Y) growth of 9 percent, 12 percent and 8 cent of total revenues as the company expands telecommunications across the Middle East percent respectively. The appeal and quality of its state-of-the-art 4G LTE network. The effi- and Africa, announced its consolidated finan- Zain Kuwait’s nationwide 4G LTE network is tru- ciency drive coupled with new commercial cial results for the first quarter ended 31 March, ly differentiating the mobile operator amongst strategies is proving successful to date and we 2014. its peers, with data revenues growing by 23 are confident that the management in Saudi Regarding customers, Zain Group added 2.1 percent Y-o-Y, representing 31 percent of the Arabia will successfully drive the mobile opera- million net additions over the last twelve operation’s total revenues. The operator also tor towards fulfilling its potential.” months to serve 46.2 million as of 31 March witnessed impressive customer growth of 8 2014, reflecting a 5 percent growth rate. Zain is percent to now serve 2.5 million customers.” Other Zain country operational First quarter the market leader in six of its eight operations Zain Iraq also performed exceptionally well 2014 highlights: by customer numbers. in the first quarter of 2014 with revenues of Bahrain: Customer base grew by 13 per- For the first quarter of 2014, Zain Group $432.3 million, EBITDA of $167.8 million and cent Y-o-Y and the operation recently launched generated consolidated revenues of $1.1 bil- net income of $78.3 million reflecting Y-o-Y 4G LTE, which is driving future growth. Data lion (KD 311.1 million) up 4 percent when com- growth of 3 percent, 3 percent and 24 percent revenues grew 7 percent with data revenue pared to the same period in 2013. EBITDA for respectively compared to Q1-2013. “The opera- reflecting 29 percent of total revenues. the quarter reached $469 million (KD 132.2 mil- tion performed remarkably well and we expect Jordan: Despite a highly competitive and lion) compared to $448.7 million during Q1- Zain Iraq to be one of the Group’s major penetrated market, Y-O-Y the operation grew 2013, a comparative increase of 5 percent. Net growth drivers in all facets of the business dur- its customer base by 5 percent and net income income for the quarter reached $198.4 million ing the course of the year. The 18 percent by 2 percent. Data revenue growth was a (KD 55.9 million), reflecting an 8 percent growth in customer numbers Y-o-Y to reach 16 healthy 19 percent with data revenue reflect- increase compared to $184.2 million for the million bodes well for the on-going develop- ing 24 percent of total revenues. In mid April same period of 2013. Earnings Per Share for the ment of the company given the imminent 2014, Zain Jordan attained frequencies to quarter reached $0.05 (14 fils). Asaad Al-Banwan Scott Gegenheimer granting of 3G spectrum this year. Zain Iraq is enhance and expand its third generation net- the largest contributor to Zain Group’s cus- work and also to roll-out 4G LTE in the Mobile Telecommunication in the MENA and produce positive results.” tomer base with 35 percent of all customers Kingdom, boding well for the operator to pro- Key operational notes Region. The report was completed in collabora- On his part, Zain Group CEO, Scott and Zain Iraq’s revenues represents 40 percent vide superior mobile and data services to its 1. Consolidated Group data revenues tion with PricewaterhouseCoopers, and under- Gegenheimer noted, “Across many of our mar- of total Group consolidated revenues.” customer base going forward. (excluding SMS and VAS) witnessed a healthy lines the seriousness with which Zain takes its kets, we are witnessing growth in key financial Additionally, the Group CEO also noted the Lebanon: Management contract extended 27 percent growth year-on-year, with data now role as thought-leader and regional innovator, indicators as we drive efficiency and innova- improved performance from Zain Saudi Arabia. to 30 June 2014 forming 15 percent of all Zain’s service rev- as well as the Group’s eagerness to share its tion. The healthy 27 percent annual growth rate “The transformation efforts by the new man- Sudan: Revenues grow by 4 percent in USD enues. experience and insights with the wider com- in data revenues with data now reflecting 15 agement in Saudi Arabia are taking effect, terms with a customer base of 11.9 million at 2. Two major loans were announced at the munity. percent of all Zain Group’s service revenues, highlighted by the 45 percent Y-o-Y increase in the end of the period. In local SDG currency Group level: In early March 2014, the successful 4. In Lebanon, the management agreement emphasizes the appeal and quality of our prod- EBITDA with net losses narrowing by 20 per- terms, revenues grew by 8 percent year-on- closing of a $ 800 million five-year amortizing of mobile operator ‘Touch’ was extended by uct and service offerings and justifies the huge cent and by 31 percent compared to Q4, 2013. year syndicated revolving credit facility. This devel- three months from 1 April, 2014. investment we continue to make in our 3G and The operator saw a phenomenal 52 percent South Sudan: Several challenges resulted opment was a resounding vote of confidence Commenting, the Chairman of the Board of 4G networks.” rise in data revenues Y-o-Y reflecting 17 per- in reduction of customer base. from the financial community as 11 leading Directors of Zain Group, Asaad Al-Banwan said: Regarding Zain’s operation in Kuwait, the regional and international banks participated. “Zain’s ability to increase revenues, EBITDA and Group CEO welcomed the growth in all key Additionally, in early April 2014, Zain secured a earnings year-on-year is a significant achieve- financial indicators considering the highly sat- favorable $250 million five-year Murabaha facil- ment in today’s environment, reflecting Zain’s urated market conditions present with pene- Total Managed Active Customers 46.2 million up 5% on Q1-2013 ity, led by Kuwait-based Boubyan Bank and resilience in dealing competently with the rise tration rates of around 205 percent. “Zain Consolidated Revenues USD 1.1 billion KD 311.1 million up 4% with the participation of Kuwait International in competition and a multitude of other market Kuwait performed exceptionally well during EBITDA USD 469 million KD 132.2 million up 5% Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank. challenges it faces. With a solid 46.2 million cus- the quarter, with revenue reaching $313 mil- EBITDA Margin 42.5% 3. At the Mobile World Congress in tomer base that continues to grow, we are con- lion, EBITDA reaching $153 million and net Net Income USD 198.4 million KD 55.9 million up 8% Barcelona, Zain announced the publication of a fident the company will continue to flourish income of $98 million reflecting year-on-year EPS USD 0.05 fils 14 report entitled, The Socio-Economic Impact of TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 BUSINESS News in brief

KAFCO earns KD 11.5m in 2013-14 fiscal year KUWAIT: Kuwait Aviation Fueling Company (KAFCO) earned nearly KD 11.5 million in the 2013-2014 fiscal year ending on March 31, announced the General Manager Ahmad Al-Mudhef yesterday. Earnings rose to KD 3.22 million during the 2013-2014 fiscal year, some 37. 7 per- cent, as compared to the previous financial year, he said in an exclusive statement to KUNA, noting that the prof- its’ hike was result of slashing operational expenditures and expanding marketing of the aviation fuel. Total actu- al spending amounted to KD 11.78 million, as compared to KD 12.53 million of the previous fiscal year. Sales of JP8 (for ‘Jet Propellant 8’) and (Jet A-1) fuels dropped in the 2013-2014 fiscal year, reaching approximately 736.98 mil- lion liters in contrast to 748.42 million liters in the 2012- 2013 fiscal year, falling by 1.1 percent.

Saudi retailer Alhokair KHARTOUM: A member of Sudan’s security forces stands near the tracks as the new Nile Train passes through Khartoum. (Right) A man walks down the aisle of Sudan’s new Nile Train. — AFP Q4 profit climbs 40%

DUBAI: Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co, the Saudi All aboard! Sudan’s sleek new train a rarity Arabian retailer which franchises brands such as Zara and Marks and Spencer in the kingdom, KHARTOUM: In a dilapidated, poverty-stricken country train,” said Hannah Ali Mohammed, 35, marvelling at since the loss of about 75 percent of its oil production reported yesterday a 40 percent year-on-year leap where some railway rolling stock is more than 40 years how, unlike older trains, the air-conditioned coaches kept when South Sudan separated in 2011. in net profit for its fourth quarter ended March 31. old, Sudan’s sleek, sharp-nosed Nile Train is an unusual her clothes free of desert dust during the trip to North “It will remain that railways are the cheapest system Profit climbed to 190.8 million riyals ($50.9 mil- sight. From a distance it looks like a large white snake Khartoum. A student, Ahmed Al-Haj Omer, 23, said it was for your exports,” Salih said. lion) in the quarter, missing the average forecast gliding past fields of green near the Nile River north of his first time riding the rails. “I enjoyed it,” he said. “It’s of three analysts polled by Reuters of 230 million Khartoum. On January 20 the train began daily passen- safer. There are a lot of bus accidents on the road A railway morgue riyals. Sales climbed 10 percent in the quarter to ger service-Sudan’s first in years-as part of efforts to between Khartoum and Atbara.” A bus ticket also costs Lack of money played a role in the railway’s decline 1.36 billion riyals. In a brief statement, Alhokair attributed the size of the profit rise to other revive the railway system despite an economic crisis that about 50 percent more than the 51-pound ($6) train trip. but so did political factors, according to the columnist, income which it did not specify. For the full finan- has left the country ravaged by inflation and starving for Hassan Abdulmajid, 52, said he has already used the who said the government of President Omar Al-Bashir, cial year, net profit rose 24 percent to 771.4 mil- hard currency. Nile Train four times and hopes other parts of the country fearing labor unrest, dismissed thousands of skilled rail- lion riyals, as sales increased 18 percent to 5.48 “This new train is really, really modern,” says Ahmed will get a similar service. That is the plan, says Hussein, way employees in the 1990s. Khartoum has been under a billion riyals. The company also said it planned to Hussein, the project manager for Sudan Railways but the first obstacle to overcome is the track. United States trade embargo since 1997, and Mohamed pay a dividend of 3 riyals per share for the second Corporation. The four coaches roll out of the once-aban- “Unfortunately, we have only one track,” meaning freight Oro Saliem Mohamed, the railway’s locomotive and half of its last financial year, and that its board had doned station in an industrial area of North Khartoum at and passenger services share the same narrow-gauge rolling stock manager, says all of Sudan’s American-made recommended doubling the company’s capital to 9:00 am every day, heading north with two stops before rails, although the company is doing its best to upgrade engines are idle because of a parts shortage. 2.1 billion riyals through a one-for-one bonus reaching the railway junction town of Atbara. what they have, he said. Others are still able to pull 20-25 freight trains around issue of shares. The journey of close to 300 kilometers (186 miles) Sudanese and Chinese firms have been replacing the country daily, he says, adding with a slight chuckle takes six hours and 40 minutes. That is roughly twice as wooden railway ties with concrete on the Khartoum- that some are very old. “Some of them, 1970. Some of long as a bus but a lot quicker than the old trains serving Atbara line, while track work has also started between them, 1960... but rehabilitated.” Many of the roughly 49 Egypt to buy 4.25m Sudan’s other passenger rail destinations-all two of them. Atbara and the trade centre of Port Sudan, he said. functional locomotives have been purchased in recent tons of local wheat Rehabilitation of the line to Wad Medani, in Sudan’s once- years from China, and five more are on the way, CAIRO: Egypt has signed 186,000 contracts with local The train to Nyala, in war-torn Darfur, goes every two farmers to procure 4.25 million tons of wheat from the weeks, while another makes a weekly trip north of Atbara thriving agricultural heartland, will follow soon, Hussein Mohamed says. Decaying grey and yellow coaches from harvest, the Agriculture Minister said yesterday. This to Wadi Halfa near the Egyptian border. said. After that, service by modern coaches like the Nile decades past lie abandoned behind his central Khartoum would be a 25 percent increase from the 3.4 million tons Even though track conditions have restricted speeds Train can be expanded. railway headquarters. of wheat the government bought from farmers last year, of the Nile Train, it has proven so popular that in March This was part of former general manager Makawi It is a railway morgue, but alongside the corpses are Minister Ayman Abou Hadid was quoted by state news the railway doubled its frequency to twice daily in the Mohammed Awad’s vision for restoring the railway, signs of life. In recent months a new dirt road has been agency MENA as saying. corridor which is already heavily-travelled by buses, employees say. In December, Awad was named to the built into the site where pedestrians used to wander transport trucks and private cars. Hussein said every Nile cabinet where he is minister of oil. The Khartoum-Atbara freely. A fence has gone up, and Sudanese workers ham- Train service is almost full with an average passenger route formed part of the main line to Port Sudan and mer away at severed pieces of track. A backhoe digs, and load of around 284. Sudan bought two of the trains from dates from 1898, the year before Britain and Egypt began a Chinese technician has set up his surveying tool on a China’s crude China at a total cost of around $13 million, which is being to jointly administer Sudan, the railway’s website says. tripod. Train horns are heard more frequently in the city. paid over about four years, he said. “It played a very important role in unifying the coun- For newspaper columnist Salih the Nile Train and accom- imports from try,” said veteran newspaper columnist Mahjoub panying improvements are a small step “but not much”. “I Safer than the bus Mohamed Salih, who hasn’t used the railway in about 30 think the collapse of Sudan Railways is total, and partial Iran up 36.1% y/y “I think most people travelling between Khartoum years. An efficient rail system would be an asset for the rehabilitation will not do,” he said. “But they have to start and Atbara will stop using buses and change to this new country which has been desperate for hard currency somewhere.” — AFP BEIJING: China’s March crude oil imports from Iran rose more than a third from a year ago, keeping imports in the first three months of 2014 close to the levels seen before Western sanctions were applied more than two years ago. Turkey, Russia agree to boost China’s intake from Iran in March rose 36.1 percent to 555,182 barrels per day (bpd), customs data showed yester- day, in keeping with the rise in exports from the OPEC member after the November nuclear deal that eased some Blue Stream pipeline capacity sanctions on Tehran. Under the temporary deal, Iran’s exports are supposed to be held at an average 1 million barrels bpd for the six months to July 20, but shipments to Asia have topped that level since November, according to customs and ship tracking data. Oil from Iraqi Kurdistan reached 1.5m bbls in Ceyhan China’s imports have been higher this year largely due to new volumes of condensate, a super light crude, and also because ANKARA: Turkey and Russia have agreed talks. “We have understood that with little right to Turkey for a price revision,” he said. Yildiz said. Turkey has allocated three stor- top refiner Sinopec Corp may have boosted liftings under a to raise the capacity of the Blue Stream tweaks the gas flow in Blue Stream could Yildiz said Turkey will seek a new gas age tanks at the Ceyhan export outlet with long-term agreement, traders said. China’s oil arrivals from pipeline, which brings in Russian gas via be increased to 19 billion cubic meters purchasing contract for Turkey’s private a total capacity of 2.5 million barrels for oil Iran in the first quarter of this year were at 557,605 bpd, up the Black Sea, to 19 billion cubic meters from 16 billion cubic meters,” Yildiz told sector at ‘a reasonable price’. A potential re- coming from the Kurdistan Regional 36.2 percent from a year ago. On a daily basis, China’s March (bcm) annually from 16 bcm, Energy reporters ahead of the meeting. “In princi- routing of Russia’s South Stream pipeline Government’s (KRG) pipeline, where oil imports of Iranian oil climbed 0.5 percent from February’s Minister Taner Yildiz said yesterday. Turkey ple, we have agreed on this with Russia.” will also be discussed after Turkey said it started to flow last December. Baghdad 552,613 bpd. is due to start discussions later yesterday Turkish gas demand has more than tripled was open to the possibility of letting the and Arbil remain at loggerheads over the Ship loading data seen last week by Reuters shows that with Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom on a since 2000 to almost 47 billion cubic controversial conduit pass through its terri- sharing and payment method for oil rev- China’s crude and condensate intake this month - based on series of energy issues including gas price meters, with further rises expected as both tory if Moscow made such a request. enues, leaving the future of exports in lim- March tanker schedules - should be around 562,000 bpd before jumping to more than 600,000 bpd in May. Iran’s total revisions, gas supply and nuclear power its economy and population grows. The bo for now. A breakthrough before the Iraqi crude exports fell for the first time in five months in March, cooperation. country’s total energy bill is around $60 bil- Oil to world markets elections due on April 30 looks extremely and are slated to drop again in April, moving closer to the Officials said Russia’s recent annexation lion annually. Yildiz said the oil stored in tanks at unlikely, Turkish officials say. levels stipulated by the November deal in Geneva. The drop of Crimea had created a risk for Turkey, not- The issue of gas prices will be another Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan Separately, the Baghdad-controlled Iraq- in Iran’s crude exports - excluding condensate - to just over 1 ing that 12.5 percent of its gas supplies priority for Turkey, which is dependent on coming from Iraqi Kurdistan had reached Turkey pipeline, which has been pumping million bpd in March and to 953,000 bpd for April, according pass through Ukraine via the Western imports for almost all its energy needs. 1.5 million barrels and that once the stor- way below its 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) to ship loading data, may reduce some pressure on Tehran pipeline. Steps to prevent a potential sup- “Following (today’s) cabinet meeting, we age tanks were completely full, exports of capacity, is in very bad shape due to persist- ahead of talks next month to finalize an end to its decade- ply problem will also be discussed with will get together with Medvedev and dis- should start. “We would be in a position to ent militant attacks, Yildiz said. “The pipeline old nuclear dispute with the West. —Reuters Alexander Medvedev, Gazprom’s director cuss our request for a discount in person. send this oil to the world markets once the on the Iraqi side is in unusable shape. This is a general of exports, who is in Ankara for the The contracts we have so far provides a tanks are full. We can’t keep this in tanks,” loss for Iraq,” he said. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES

Malaysian Ringgit 87.875 South African Rand 0.021105 0.029605 Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. UAE Exchange Centre WLL Chinese Yuan Renminbi 45.695 Thai Bhat 9.740 Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001845 0.002425 Turkish Lira 132.605 Taiwan 0.009216 0.009396 ASIAN COUNTRIES COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Thai Baht 0.008399 0.008949 Japanese Yen 2.750 Australian Dollar 268.81 265.81 Canadian Dollar 260.51 261.51 Indian Rupees 4.679 Arab Pakistani Rupees 2.857 Swiss Franc 326.21 324.21 Bahrain Exchange Company Euro 393.69 394.69 Bahraini Dinar 0.741688 0.749688 Srilankan Rupees 2.156 Egyptian Pound 0.036617 0.039717 Nepali Rupees 2.928 US Dollar 281.25 284.25 COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFT Sterling Pound 474.65 477.65 Iranian Riyal 0.000078 0.000079 Singapore Dollar 225.820 Europe Japanese Yen 2.83 2.85 Iraqi Dinar 0.000181 0.000241 Hongkong Dollar 3.627 Belgian Franc 0.007329 0.008329 Bangladesh Taka 3.359 Bangladesh Taka 3.623 3.893 Jordanian Dinar 0.393589 0.401089 Indian Rupee 4.685 4.985 British Pound 0.467231 0.476231 Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000 Philippine Peso 6.259 Czech Korune 0.006170 0.018170 Thai Baht 8.766 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.155 2.590 Lebanese Pound 0.000138 0.000238 Irani Riyal transfer 0.271 Nepali Rupee 2.932 3.467 Danish Krone 0.048104 0.053104 Moroccan Dirhams 0.024778 0.048778 Irani Riyal cash 0.273 Pakistani Rupee 2.924 2.790 Euro 0.384163 0.39263 Nigerian Naira 0.001191 0.001826 UAE Dirhams 76.64 77.11 Norwegian Krone 0.043074 0.048274 Omani Riyal 0.726564 0.732244 GCC COUNTRIES Bahraini Dinar 748.57 750.64 Romanian Leu 0.081384 0.81384 Qatar Riyal 0.076762 0.077975 Saudi Riyal 75.243 Egyptian Pound 39.72 40.32 Slovakia 0.008062 0.018062 Saudi Riyal 0.074577 0.075277 Jordanian Dinar 400.29 405.94 Qatari Riyal 77.529 Swedish Krona 0.038706 0.043706 Syrian Pound 0.001749 0.001969 Omani Riyal 732.980 Omani Riyal 731.43 738.73 Swiss Franc 0.312991 0.323191 Qatari Riyal 77.67 78.22 Tunisian Dinar 0.174204 0.182204 Bahraini Dinar 749.440 Turkish Lira 0.133090 0.140090 Turkish Lira 0.133090 0.140090 UAE Dirham 76.842 Saudi Riyal 75.13 UAE Dirhams 0.075810 0.076959 Australasia Yemeni Riyal 0.001281 ARAB COUNTRIES Australian Dollar 0.255062 0.266562 Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.420 Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd New Zealand Dollar 0.235680 0.245180 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 39.760 America Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.317 Rate for Transfer Selling Rate Canadian Dollar 0.250912 0.259412 Tunisian Dinar 179.190 Al Mulla Exchange US Dollar 281.800 Jordanian Dinar 398.460 US Dollars 0.277950 0.282300 Canadian Dollar 258.605 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.893 US Dollars Mint 0.278450 0.282300 Sterling Pound 474.712 CurrencyTransfer Rate (Per 1000) Syrian Lira 2.011 Euro 391.245 Morocco Dirham 35.657 Asia US Dollar 281.500 Swiss Frank 319.540 Bangladesh Taka 0.003242 0.003842 Euro 391.250 Bahrain Dinar 750.035 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES Chinese Yuan 0.044248 0.047748 UAE Dirhams 76.700 Pound Sterling 474.850 US Dollar Transfer 282.050 Qatari Riyals 78.280 Hong Kong Dollar 0.034280 0.037030 Canadian Dollar 257.100 Euro 391.200 Saudi Riyals 75.420 Indian Rupee 0.004511 0.004912 Indian Rupee 4.662 Sterling Pound 475.250 Jordanian Dinar 397.140 Indonesian Rupiah 0.000020 0.000026 Canadian dollar 256.640 Egyptian Pound 39.780 Egyptian Pound 40.258 Japanese Yen 0.002669 0.002849 Turkish lira 132.730 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.153 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.156 Kenyan Shilling 0.003330 0.003330 Swiss Franc 320.880 Bangladesh Taka 3.623 Indian Rupees 4.672 Korean Won 0.000263 0.000278 Australian Dollar 264.560 Pakistani Rupees 2.885 Malaysian Ringgit 0.083105 0.089105 Philippines Peso 6.330 US Dollar Buying 280.850 Bangladesh Taka 3.626 Nepalese Rupee 0.003000 0.003170 Pakistan Rupee 2.890 Philippines Pesso 6.353 GOLD Pakistan Rupee 0.002668 0.002948 Bahraini Dinar 749.550 Cyprus pound 692.155 20 Gram 243.500 Philippine Peso 0.006355 0.006635 UAE Dirham 76.650 Japanese Yen 3.750 10 Gram 123.350 Sierra Leone 0.000069 0.000075 Saudi Riyal 75.175 Syrian Pound 2.905 5 Gram 63.500 Singapore Dollar 0.221954 0.227954 Nepalese Rupees 3.885 *Rates are subject to change BUSINESS TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Q1 net profit up 20.4%

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank , the largest sharia- lion dirhams in the prior-year period, it said in a ADIB attributed its profit hike in the first quarter data showed. compliant lender in the emirate, met analysts’ bourse statement. The results were in line with the to an 18.1 percent year-on-year increase in lending, Over the same timeframe, deposits grew 21.4 expectations as it posted a 20.4 percent rise in first- average estimate of three analysts, who forecast with total loans standing at 63.8 billion dirhams at percent to 77 billion dirhams. The profit increase quarter net profit yesterday, with higher lending profit of 411 million dirhams in a Reuters poll. the end of March 2014. Bank lending across the came despite a 16.7 percent increase in credit provi- cited for the increase. ADIB said April 6 it would buy the retail business UAE banking system has been buoyant in recent sions to 216.4 million dirhams in the three months The lender, which said earlier this month it was of the British lender for 650 million dirhams, subject months as the economy rebounds from a real to March 31. The fact the bank could grow its profits buying much of Barclays’ retail operations in the to regulatory approval, as Barclays became the lat- estate crash and debt problems at a number of healthily while still maintaining a conservative United Arab Emirates, made a net profit of 409.5 est foreign lender to exit the country’s highly-com- Dubai government-related entities - December saw stance towards provisioning showed the strength of million dirhams ($111.5 million) in the three petitive consumer banking space as new capital the fastest lending growth in nearly four years, the bank’s core business, chief executive officer months to March 31. That was up from 340.1 mil- rules make banks evaluate their global footprint. before dipping slightly in January, central bank Tirad Al-Mahmoud said in the statement. — Reuters Egypt to lift gas prices for homes, businesses Fuel subsidies to blame for energy sector woes CAIRO: Egypt plans to double the price of natu- The price hike, announced in the country’s use less state-subsidized butane. Artificially low ral gas piped into some homes and businesses official gazette, does not apply to the electricity prices for electricity, for butane and for trans- from next month, but the move will trim its generation sector, which is the largest consumer port fuel at filling stations provide little incen- huge fuel subsidy bill only slightly because few of gas in Egypt. State news agency MENA quot- tive for Egyptians to curb consumption, despite premises are connected to the gas network. ed an unidentified Oil Ministry source as saying a fuel supply crisis that frequently causes black- Energy prices in Egypt are among the lowest in that the move would increase state revenues by outs. the world, and the cash-strapped government 800 million to 1 billion Egyptian pounds ($114.5- Under the new pricing structure, those who spends more than a fifth of its budget on keep- $143.1 million), “which will be used to finance consume 25 to 50 cubic meters per month will ing them down. Although successive govern- projects that deliver natural gas to homes and pay 1 Egyptian pound ($0.14) per cubic meter ments have called for reform, none have dared expansion (of the grid)”. over 25. Those consuming over 50 cubic meters push through big price rises for fear of stoking The decree also says that bakeries, which will pay a top rate of 1.5 Egyptian pounds public unrest. produce the staple food of most Egyptians, will ($0.21), or around $6 per mmbtu for each cubic According to a government decree issued not have to pay any higher price. The price hike meter over 50. late on Sunday, residential and commercial therefore only affects a small number of citizens By contrast, US householders paid an aver- users of less than 25 cubic meters of gas per whose homes have been connected to the gas age of $0.36 per cubic meter of gas, or around month will pay 0.40 Egyptian pounds ($0.06) per network. Most poor Egyptians use cylinders of $9.60/mmbtu, last year, according to US Energy cubic meter from May. The Oil Ministry’s website butane for cooking. Information Administration data. Government shows the current price of gas for households at Egypt raised the price of the cylinders last officials and industry experts say the wasteful 0.20 Egyptian pounds ($0.03) per cubic meter, or year for the first time in two decades ahead of subsidy system is at the root of a range of about $0.80 per million British thermal units talks with the International Monetary Fund on a problems in Egypt’s chaotic energy sector. (mmbtu). $4.8 billion loan. Talks later broke down, and Egypt, facing the worst energy crunch in years, State newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the some analysts said the price hikes were regres- is scrambling to secure adequate fuel supplies MANILA: Dominic Avendano, 28, climbs a billboard metal frame to attach an current price is 0.10 Egyptian pounds ($0.01) per sive, as they cut fuel subsidies for poorer for the summer to avoid popular anger over advertising tarpaulin in Manila yesterday. Avendano earns $6 per day as an on- cubic meter for consumers that use less than 30 Egyptians. power cuts. Officials privately admit that cam- call worker. The Philippines should create more investment opportunities in cubic meters a month. No officials from the min- The government last year began a World paigns to urge Egyptians to curb their con- agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and mining to escape the curse of jobless istry could be reached yesterday, a public holi- Bank-backed plan to link 800,000 households a sumption will have no effect while energy economic growth, experts and businessmen said.— AFP day in Egypt, to confirm the current price. year to the gas grid in a bid to get consumers to prices remain low. — Reuters Libya to slash budget to offset loss of oil revenue

TRIPOLI: Libya must slash its budget by a third Abdullah, head of the budget committee, told needs to replace and repair roads, universities and halt infrastructure funding to offset the loss Reuters late on Sunday. He said funding for new and schools damaged during the 2011 uprising. of oil revenues due to a 9-month shutdown of infrastructure and other development projects The government reached a deal earlier this major ports and oilfields, the head of parlia- would be halted for now. “It is very difficult ... to month with rebels in the east to end their ment’s budget committee said. launch a development plan in the absence of a blockade of four oil ports but so far only the Protests at oilfields and ports since last July new government,” Abdullah said. Hariga terminal has reopened. have knocked oil production down to 200,000 Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni resigned a The reopening of the Zueitina port, planned barrels per day (bpd) from 1.4 million bpd, hit- week ago after just a month in office, saying two weeks ago, has been delayed due to dam- ting the sole source of budget revenue. The gunmen had tried to attack his family. More age during the long blockade, justice minister weak central government is unable to disarm than half of the budget goes to subsidies and Salah Al-Merghani said on Sunday. Talks with militias and tribesmen who helped overthrow salaries for a greatly overstaffed and inefficient the rebels to restart exports from the eastern Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 but have kept their public service, a legacy of Gaddafi who put Ras Lanuf and Es Sider ports will start only after weapons to make political and financial most adults on the payroll to discourage oppo- the Zueitina terminal has been reopened, he demands. sition. said. Parliament proposes to cut the budget to 44 The government has been reluctant to cut A different set of protesters has halted most billion Libyan dinars ($36 billion) from an initial- back as it struggles to impose authority on a oil production in the west of the vast desert ly planned 68.6 billion dinars to focus on salary country awash with arms. Cuts in infrastructure country. Talks to reopen major western oilfields payments and ministry spending, Mohammed projects risk fuelling social tensions. Libya have gone nowhere. — Reuters PAWTUCKET: Hasbro returned to profitability in its first quarter, driven by sales of girls’ toys such as My Little Pony and Nerf Rebelle. The prior-year period was European bankers win dragged down by restructuring charges. The Pawtucket, RI company earned $32.1 million, or 24 cents per share, for the period ended March 30. That com- friends again with pares with a loss of $6.7 million, or 5 cents per share, a year ago. — AP lure of easy money BRUSSELS: Jacques de Larosiere says he is an isolated and modest man. Yet the 84-year-old former head of the International South Africa’s ‘spaza’ shops Monetary Fund is one of the most influential voices in European and global finance. An eminence grise as respected among suffer as big retail rolls in France’s political elite as in the heart of the law-drafting European Commission, de Larosiere finds himself at the nexus of finance and SOWETO: In this corner of South Africa’s areas, targeting rising consumer spending. rulemaking, treading a fine line between lobbying and advice. black township of Soweto, the biggest Following the financial crash, his blueprint - produced by a building used to be the Catholic church. Getting the cake group of experts he led at the request of the European Now it’s been overshadowed by a shop- South Africa’s emerging black middle Commission in 2009 - shaped the most ambitious round of bank- ping centre and business has only gotten class grew at annual 6.5 percent between ing reform in Europe’s history. Now he is pushing to help banks worse for Grace, a 68-year-old shopowner. 2001 and 2007, according to the BMR, with a scheme that some experts warn could repeat mistakes Like many proprietors of “spaza” shops - which estimated the growing socio-eco- that led to the collapse. the informal stores that dot township cor- nomic group at 9.3 million in 2007, out of a The Halliburton sign adorns the side of a machine being used by the company at His work provides a rare glimpse of the ease with which ners - Grace barely manages to keep afloat total population of around 50 million. “The a site for natural-gas producer Williams in Rulison, Colorado. — AP European lawmakers interact with industry and how banks, as more of her neighbors head to the mall. emerging consumer market has been despite the crash, still shape the ‘rules of the game’. He runs a “Once people get paid, they buy their very, very good for construction of retail Halliburton posts $622m Paris-based think-tank called Eurofi where investment banks groceries at the malls,” she said, sitting outlets in non-traditional locations,” said such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan pay for membership in among dusty shelves of tea-bags, small Mike Upton, chief executive of South part to interact with the officials and parliamentarians who packets of biscuits, loose cigarettes and African building company Group Five. net income in 1st quarter decide the fate of their industry. butter. “They used to buy their groceries “It’s kind of like first mover gets the Although he is no longer on its payroll, he provides advice to NEW YORK: Halliburton says it was prof- East and Asia. Revenue, however, was from us. Now they only come for daily cake.” Grocers have been big beneficiaries BNP Paribas and has an office at the bank. In biannual meetings of items,” she said, declining to give her last of this broadening wealth. itable in the first-quarter after reporting slightly lower than expected. Another the Group of 30, an elite body of financiers and academics who name. Shares of Shoprite, Africa’s top retailer, a loss for the period a year ago. Its latest competitor, Baker Hughes, said last week meet around the globe, de Larosiere rubs shoulders with Mario Grace has been running the shop with have more than trebled over the last five results topped Wall Street expectations, that first-quarter income rose 23 percent Draghi, the President of the European Central Bank, and former her husband since 1993, the year before years, lifted by a push into sub-Saharan and its shares edged up in premarket and beat analysts’ forecasts as revenue US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Now he is proposing a trading yesterday. increased everywhere except Latin scheme to securitize - repackage and sell to insurers, pension South Africa’s first all-race elections. They Africa and previously underserved South Halliburton sells services to compa- America. Growth in the Middle East and funds and possibly even the ECB - loans made in the go-go years used to earn around 1,500 rand ($140) a African markets. The Cape Town-based nies that drill for oil and natural gas, Asia Pacific was stronger than in North that have turned into a dead weight on banks’ finances. The day, but are down to a third of that now. company’s no-frills Usave discount outlets including helping them with hydraulic America. declared aim is to make it easier for the banks, once unburdened, During apartheid, blacks were crammed pose a major threat to spaza shops. fracturing, a method of breaking up Halliburton is trying to move beyond to lend to credit-starved small and medium-sized companies. together in squalid townships miles away The warehouse-like stores appear tai- underground shale rock formations to its role in the huge Gulf of Mexico oil The plan, outlined last month at a Eurofi event on the side- from cities. Some residents began to sell lor-made for low-income customers: most release trapped gas. It has benefited spill. BP PLC hired Halliburton to seal that lines of a meeting of European finance ministers and central staples such as maize meal and cooking oil of the laundry soap is for hand washing, not machines. Some dispense with large from strong US oil production but been well with cement, and has been involved bankers in Athens, could play a pivotal role if the ECB embarks on out of their own homes. The informal parking areas as customers come on foot. hurt by low prices that have undermined in litigation ever since the deadly quantitative easing or money printing to buy such assets. “It stores became known as tuck shops or The only milk available is full cream - gas drilling. The Houston-based compa- blowout in 2010. Halliburton has been would provide some breathing space to the financial sector that “spazas,” a slang word that connotes “just is being stifled,” de Larosiere told Reuters. getting by”. no skim, organic or soy - while bags of ny reported net income of $622 million, entangled even longer in a lawsuit by frozen “walkie talkies” - chicken heads and or 73 cents per share. Revenue rose 5 investors who bought stock between Along with shebeens, or corner taverns, Change of heart spazas are one of the most visible parts of feet - are plentiful and cost just 10 rand. In percent to $7.35 billion. 1999 and 2001 and accuse the company Soweto, a flashpoint of the anti-apartheid Analysts polled by FactSet expected of misleading them about revenue and There is support for such a move. Last month, the European township life, and a major component of Commission said it would loosen the rules to make it easier for struggle, where stone-throwing black 72 cents per share on revenue of $7.26 asbestos-related liabilities. In a closely South Africa’s vast informal economy. insurers and pension funds to invest in securitized debt. And the While recent data on the informal econo- youths battled heavily armed soldiers and billion. A year ago, the company report- watched case, Halliburton asked the US police with their snarling dogs, the ECB is warming up to its use, accepting more such debt as securi- my is hard to come by, a 2002 study by the ed a net loss of $18 million, or 2 cents per Supreme Court to effectively block a 65,000-sq-meter Maponya Mall is one of ty in return for credit. Michel Barnier, the French commissioner in University of South Africa’s Bureau of share on revenue of $6.97 billion. That class-action lawsuit by overturning a several shopping centers that have charge of regulating finance, announced that he would cut the Market Research (BMR) estimated that included a charge for setting aside mon- 1988 decision that said investors don’t amount of capital investors must carry to cover potential losses sprung up in recent years. Just down the spaza shops brought in around $705 mil- ey for litigation over the 2010 Gulf of have to prove they relied on misstate- on such investments, paving the way for them to snap up such road from Regina Mundi church where Mexico oil spill. Without the charge, its ments when buying stock. A ruling is debt from banks, who are eager to sell. Insurers, said Barnier, have lion a year, employing up to 290,000 peo- former President Nelson Mandela is adjusted profit was 67 cents per share a expected by late June. Shares of 84 trillion euros of assets, while pension funds have 37 trillion ple. Those numbers will have come under depicted in stained glass, the mall boasts year ago. Last week, rival Schlumberger Halliburton rose 23 cents to $61.13 in euros - money that could help unlock lending and tackle the con- pressure over the last decade as real estate a Pick N Pay hyper-market, more than a reported a 26 percent jump in profit on premarket trading. They are up 20 per- cerns of voters over the economic malaise ahead of European developers and big grocers such as dozen restaurants and a Virgin Active growth in North America, the Middle cent for the year. — AP elections. — Reuters Shoprite and Pick N Pay push into black gym. — Reuters TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 BUSINESS Gold falls to 2-week low in thin trade

SINGAPORE: Gold fell to a two-and-a-half-week low in Australia, Hong Kong and London were closed yester- its monetary stimulus. dued interest in top buyer China, where a weaker yuan choppy and thin holiday trade yesterday, hurt by sharp day for the Easter holiday. “But people have been Due to the fund outflows, bullion investors have large- has dented bullion imports. In physical market news, outflows from the world’s biggest bullion-backed spooked by the near 10-tonne decline in SPDR holdings ly ignored the heightened geopolitical tensions in China has begun allowing gold imports through its capi- exchange-traded fund (ETF) and a stronger dollar. The that we saw last week.” Ukraine which had earlier lent some safe-haven support tal Beijing, sources familiar with the matter said, in a metal was also hurt by a spurt of technical selling after it SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s top gold ETF and a good for the metal. At least three people were killed in a gun- move that would help keep purchases discreet at a time was unable to hold on to the $1,300-an-ounce level hit measure of investor sentiment, saw outflows of 9.3 tons fight in the early hours of Sunday near a Ukrainian city when it might be boosting official reserves. early in the trading session. last week. Before last week, the fund - closely watched controlled by pro-Russian separatists, shaking an already In news from the gold mining industry, sources told Spot gold fell to a two-and-a-half-week low of due to the size of its holdings - had gained 6.2 tons from fragile international accord that was designed to avert a Reuters that talks between Barrick Gold Corp and $1,281.40, before pruning the losses to trade down 0.6 the beginning of 2014. Last year, huge outflows from the wider conflict. The dollar index edged up on Monday. A Newmont Mining Corp over a combination that would percent at $1,286.30 by 0641 GMT. “One aspect is that fund were partly responsible for the 28 percent drop in stronger greenback makes the dollar-denominated met- create a gold mining behemoth have hit a snag, but the the market is pretty thin today and liquidity is going to gold’s price. Investors shifted money to better-perform- al more expensive for holders of other currencies. companies remain keen on a deal and discussions are be constrained,” said Victor Thianpiriya, an analyst at ANZ. ing equities as the US Federal Reserve began to unwind Physical demand remained quiet in Asia, led by sub- likely to resume. —Reuters

NEW YORK: Trader Joseph Lawler (center) works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Global stocks were mixed yesterday in light trading after Japan reported a record annual trade deficit and investors looked ahead to economic data this week from China and South Korea. —AP Asian shares mixed in holiday-thinned trade

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mostly investment officer at Sompo Japan lower in thin Easter holiday trade yesterday, Nipponkoa Asset Management, told Dow with Japan’s Nikkei giving up early gains Jones Newswires. despite a weaker yen as data showed the In China the stock regulator at the week- country’s trade deficit quadrupled in March. end said several firms were planning IPOs, Chinese shares slipped on fears over the state media reported, sparking worries that economy as well as liquidity after authorities floodgates were opening after a two-month unveiled a list of 28 firms that have filed for pause in new listings. On oil markets New initial public offerings (IPOs). York’s main contract, West Texas Tokyo finished flat, giving up 3.89 points Intermediate for May delivery, dipped 13 to 14,512.38, Seoul was down 0.25 percent, cents to $104.17 in afternoon trade and or 5.06 points, at 1,999.22, while Taipei ended Brent North Sea crude for June eased 42 0.17 percent, or 15.47 points, lower at cents to $109.11 a barrel. 8,951.19. Shanghai tumbled 1.52 percent, or Gold fetched $1,287.37 an ounce at 1042 31.92 points, to 2,065.83. GMT, compared with $1,289.90 on Friday. Hong Kong, Sydney and Wellington were closed for the Easter holidays. With markets In other markets: in most of Europe and the United States Manila closed 1.44 percent higher, adding closed on Friday and yesterday, business was 96.33 points to 6,767.51. SM Investments thin as investors look ahead to the release gained 1.51 percent to 738 pesos while this week of preliminary manufacturing data Philippine Long Distance Telephone rose from around the world as well as US retail 3.57 percent to 2,900 pesos. and house price figures. Jakarta ended down 0.10 percent, or 4.76 In afternoon trade the dollar was at points, at 4,892.29. Lender Bank Permata 102.55 yen compared with 102.41 yen on gained 1.09 percent to 1,385 rupiah, while Friday, while the euro bought $1.3825 and palm oil firm Sinar Mas Agro Resources and 141.76 yen, against $1.3817 and 141.48 yen. Technology slipped 1.49 percent to 6,600 In Tokyo, the government said Japan’s trade rupiah. deficit hit $14 billion (1.45 trillion yen) in Kuala Lumpur gained 0.55 percent, or March, compared with a shortfall of 356.9 bil- 10.24 points, to 1,862.93. Public Bank rose 0.8 lion yen a year ago. percent to 20.20 ringgit, while Berjaya Corp The huge deficit came as a weaker yen lost 1.0 percent to 0.50 ringgit. increased the cost of imports, especially of Bangkok gained 0.28 percent, or 3.89 fossil fuels, and was compounded by the fact points, to 1,413.07. Supermarket operator Big consumers rushed to buy ahead of the April C Supercenter added 2.41 percent to 191.00 1 sales tax hike. baht, while Bangkok Life Assurance rose 3.87 This week will see the start of corporate percent to 73.75 baht. reporting for the first three months of 2014, Singapore ended flat, edging up 2.03 with investors paying close attention to points to 3,255.83. DBS bank was down 0.24 Japanese firms’ outlook following the sales percent to Sg$16.86 while Singapore tax rise, which critics fear could derail the Telecommunications climbed 0.27 percent to economy’s young recovery. “It’s difficult to Sg$3.72. Mumbai rose 0.60 percent, or 135.99 project an impact from the consumption tax points, to 22,764.83. Biocon jumped 9.13 per- increase. Companies are likely to report con- cent to 496.10 rupees, while Suzlon Energy servative guidance,” Shigeo Sugawara, senior climbed 6.74 percent to 14.26 rupees. —AFP Brent dips to $109 after steep gains SINGAPORE: Brent futures dropped towards $103 and $113 a barrel, caught between $109 a barrel yesterday as investors took prof- geopolitical risks and an improving supply its after steep gains, but uncertainty surround- outlook with expectations of higher ship- ing the crisis in Ukraine checked the decline. ments from Libya, Iran and Iraq, Hasegawa Russia and world powers reached an agree- said. ment designed to avert a wider conflict over The US benchmark will rise towards $105 a Ukraine, but the viability of the deal was barrel, and if it fails to break that key resistance bought into question after at least three peo- level it will fall towards $100 a barrel, he said. ple were killed in a gunfight near a Ukrainian Even though the contract is drawing support city controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Oil from an improving US economy, rising US and broader financial markets are watching production will cap gains in prices. the unfolding crisis that has already made ties “Current oil supply-demand dynamics sug- between Russia, the world’s largest oil produc- gest a lower Brent price at the prompt,” ana- er, and the West more fraught than at any time lysts at Barclays said in a note late last week. since the Cold War, raising the risks of further “However we think the window of time avail- economic sanctions. able for this downward shift in prices is clos- “The market is being supported by Ukraine ing given summer demand requirements and although we are seeing some profit-taking other supply risks on the horizon.” Oil coming in after the recent rise,” said Ken investors are keeping an eye on the resump- Hasegawa, a commodity sales manager at tion of shipments from key north African brokerage Newedge Japan. “We may see Brent exporter Libya. rise further by $1 to $2 a barrel if the Ukraine crisis worsens, but it will retrace as the overall Supply outlook market is well supplied.” Technical problems have delayed the Brent crude lost 39 cents to $109.14 a barrel reopening of Libya’s eastern Zueitina oil export by 0753 GMT, after rising to intraday highs of terminal. Two weeks ago, the government in above $110 late last week for the first time Tripoli reached an agreement with rebels in since early March. US crude oil futures the restive east to end an eight-month occu- declined 13 cents to $104.17 a barrel. Brent pation of four oil ports which have halted vital gained 2 percent last week, and has risen near- exports. Under the plan, the Hariga and ly 5 percent from $104.79 a barrel, its lowest Zueitina ports were due to open immediately settlement for the year reached earlier this while the larger Ras Lanuf and Es Sider termi- month. nals would resume oil exports within a month. “Benchmark crude prices sustained down- But Hariga port, located in Tobruk in the far ward pressure after markets resumed from east, would be the only one to start operations Good Friday holiday last week, mainly due to technical problems at Zueitina. induced by profit-taking activities as investors Iran and world powers will begin work waited for more directions from new geopo- drafting a long-term settlement of Iran’s dis- litical developments,” analysts at Phillip puted nuclear program at expert-level talks in Futures said in a note to clients. Brent looks set New York next month, the official state news to trade within a broad range of between agency IRNA reported on Sunday. —Reuters BUSINESS TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 Dubai surges on Emaar, Arabtec dividend talk

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

DUBAI: Dubai’s bourse posted its highest ers will discuss a proposed 10 percent cash which will also include Abu Dhabi and “These are all names that attract signifi- In Saudi Arabia, the main index retreat- daily gain since late January yesterday as dividend and a 30 percent bonus share Qatar, may trigger profit-taking as many cant retail interest which would be natural- ed 0.2 percent from a six-year high reached investors scooped up shares of real estate issue on April 30. Neither of the companies active funds have already taken positions ly driven by project announcements.” on Sunday. Shares in Saudi Electricity Co and construction companies on hopes for has officially announced any plans to in local stocks and the volume of inflows The Kuwait index rose 0.7 percent to fell 1.5 percent after it reported a wider- increased dividend payouts. review the proposed dividends. from passive funds - which are expected to 7,484 points. than-expected net loss for the first quarter. The Dubai benchmark rose 2.9 percent The third biggest contributor to Dubai’s buy on the eve of the upgrade - may be It lost 913 million riyals ($243.4 million) to 4,984 points, its highest level since jump was property developer Deyaar, lower than hoped. Qatar, Saudi during the quarter, compared to a loss of August 2008, while turnover more than whose shares rose 6.1 percent as they “It is hot and there is nothing to fuel the Qatar’s bourse also posted strong gains 657 million riyals in the same period of the doubled compared to the previous ses- became open to investment by foreigners heat apart from high hopes, some of which as its main index rose above resistance on previous year. NCB Capital had forecast sion. Real estate developer Emaar from outside the Gulf. According to bourse are about to be dashed,” Manibhandu said. its 2008 peak of 12,637 points and climbed SEC would have a quarterly net loss of 754 Properties, whose shares rose 3.9 percent, data, non-Gulf investors owned 0.4 percent Abu Dhabi’s index rose 1.0 percent to a 1.5 percent to 12,768 points, a level last million riyals. and construction firm Arabtec , up 9.5 per- of Deyaar’s stock after the close yesterday; fresh eight-year high of 5,192 points on the seen in 2005. Stocks in sharia-compliant Shares in retailer Fawaz Abdulaziz cent, contributed the most to the increase. United Arab Emirates investors reduced back of stocks that look likely to be includ- companies continued to lead gains: the Alhokair Co jumped 7.0 percent after it Both companies will hold annual share- their holdings to 94.4 percent from 95.1 ed in the MSCI emerging markets index. bourse’s Al Rayan Islamic Index, which reported a 40 percent year-on-year holder meetings this month to discuss, percent at the same time. Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank rose 2.5 tracks them, rose 2.7 percent. increase in net profit for its fourth quarter among other issues, dividend payouts for Yesterday’s surge brought Dubai close percent, National Bank of Abu Dhabi Sharia-compliant stocks started gaining to March 31. The stock hit a new all-time 2013. Some investors are betting that the to the psychologically important mark of added 1.0 percent and First Gulf Bank earlier this month on expectations of large high of 197.0 riyals, although at 190.8 mil- companies will end up paying more than 5,000 points and increased year-to-date climbed 0.9 percent. Real estate developer investments from Ezdan Holding Group , a lion riyals, the profit missed the average initially suggested by their boards, said gains to 48 percent. “I think we are still at Aldar Properties, also a likely MSCI index firm established and chaired by members forecast of three analysts polled by Reuters Sanyalak Manibhandu, manager of the end, or at a fairly mature stage, of the pick, added 4.5 percent after it announced of Qatar’s ruling Al-Thani family. In March who had expected 230 million riyals. The research at NBAD Securities. “There are rally which has been going on since the three new projects worth a total of $1.4 bil- Ezdan, whose shares jumped 9.9 percent company also said it planned to pay a divi- rumours that there will be different profit start of 2013,” said Manibhandu from lion yesterday and said it was looking at 20 yesterday and have more than doubled in dend of 3 riyals per share for the second distribution,” he said. NBAD Securities. more. “Any bit of news is incrementally price this month, bought a stake of more half of its last financial year, and that its Emaar’s shareholders will meet on “The culmination of the rally will be the positive to the sentiment (towards UAE than 20 percent in Islamic investment firm board had recommended doubling the Wednesday; its board has proposed paying upgrade of Dubai to emerging market sta- property stocks),” said Amer Khan, senior Islamic Holding Group. Investors expect it company’s capital to 2.1 billion riyals a 15 percent cash dividend and issuing 10 tus” by index compiler MSCI at the end of executive officer at Shuaa Asset to make more sharia-compliant invest- through a one-for-one bonus issue of percent bonus shares. Arabtec’s sharehold- May, he added. Analysts say the upgrade, Management. ments. shares. — Reuters Japan logs record $134bn trade deficit in FY 2013 Exports fail to keep pace with energy costs

TOKYO: Japan’s trade deficit surged nearly 70 percent to a record 13.75 trillion yen ($134 bil- lion) in the last fiscal year, the third straight year of deficit, as exports failed to keep pace with surging energy costs. The Finance Ministry reported yesterday that exports in the year that ended March 31 rose 10.8 percent over the year before to 70.8 trillion yen ($690.5 billion) while imports climbed 17.3 percent to 84.6 trillion yen ($825 billion). BEIJING: Visitors watch a Changan Reaton car at the China International Exhibition Preliminary data showed the deficit at 1.45 Center new venue during the “Auto China 2014” Beijing International Automotive trillion yen ($14.1 billion) in March, the 21st Exhibition in Beijing yesterday. — AFP straight month of shortfall. The annual rate of growth in exports sank to 1.8 percent in March Automakers in China from a peak of 18.6 percent in October, while the growth rate for imports has remained mostly in the double digits. Resource-scarce Japan’s costs eager to sell and resell for energy imports have soared since the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Plant led to the closures of all of its nuclear reac- tors for safety checks. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe TOKYO: Container ship Josco View of Hongkong (right) and Panama’s container ship Mol is hoping for restarts of some of those plants to Earnest sail through a port in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo yesterday. — AP help reduce the burden on the economy. Japan’s deficit with Middle Eastern countries chases ahead of a hike in the sales tax to 8 per- 16 percent, to 13.2 trillion yen ($128.7 billion), that provide most of its oil and gas rose 18 per- cent from 5 percent. “Looking ahead, consumers however, against a 17 percent increase in imports cent in fiscal 2013, to 13.7 trillion yen ($133.6 bil- are likely to rein in spending in the wake of this to 7.1 trillion yen ($69.2 billion), leaving a surplus lion), accounting for the biggest share of its over- month’s consumption tax hike, which should of 6.1 trillion yen ($59.5 billion). all deficit. A weakening of the Japanese yen last reduce import demand,” he said. Japan’s exports Japan’s deficit with China jumped nearly 40 year further pushed costs for all imports higher, of vehicles, machinery, electronics and manufac- percent, to 5.6 trillion yen ($54.6 billion), though while exports have not risen as quickly as expect- tured goods have shown solid growth over the double-digit increases in exports to other Asian ed. Increases in the trade deficit are expected to past year, with car exports jumping nearly 19 per- countries kept the overall trade balance with the fall, however, in coming months, Marcel Thieliant cent. But as many manufacturers shift production rest of Asia in a surplus. The deficit with Australia of Capital Economics said in a research note. to emerging markets in Asia and other regions, its also rose, to 3.5 trillion yen ($34 billion), while Imports jumped nearly 12 percent as measured imports of many industrial components are Japan’s deficit with the European Union jumped by volume in March, he said, on a surge in pur- catching up. Exports to the United States jumped 70 percent to 719.2 billion yen ($7 billion). — AP Barclays to Higher costs pressured pull out of key A visitor takes a photo of a Chevrolet Camaro car. — AFP US businesses in Q1 BEIJING: China’s car market is just gearing up “This is a massive new car market in China, commodities as the world’s largest, yet automakers are which creates a bywave of a pre-owned car NEW YORK: Rising costs for materials and labor next year. Nearly three-quarters also said they already eyeing the next big thing-the market market as well, so all our retailers should be trading areas appear to be pressuring US businesses, accord- expect labor market conditions to improve, with for reselling them. Their eagerness to attract ready for this,” said Andy Goss, director of ing to a quarterly survey from the National unemployment easing to between 5 percent buyers in the world’s largest car market is on group sales operations for Jaguar Land Rover. LONDON/NEW YORK: Barclays is planning to Association of Business Economics. During the and 6 percent in the next one to three years. And full display at the Beijing International The second-hand market is “a fundamental withdraw from large parts of the metals, agri- first quarter of the year, 31 percent of businesses over the next six months, 43 percent of respon- Automotive Exhibition, which opened to the part of our footprint”, he added. Jaguar Land cultural and energy markets as part of a surveyed reported higher material costs, more dents expect their firms to expand employment. public yesterday with more than 1,000 vehicles Rover is setting up the systems needed to sup- restructuring of its investment bank, a person than double the 15 percent that saw costs rise in Still, a majority expect wage growth to remain on show. Motor enthusiasts crowded around port such a market, including insurance, vehi- familiar with the matter said. Barclays is one of the previous survey. Additionally, 35 percent subdued, with growth of up to 3 percent over the displays with their spouses and children in cle checks, presentation standards and market- the top five banks in the global commodities reported rising wages and salaries at their busi- the next three years. The number of businesses a festive atmosphere to seek inspiration from ing, Goss said. business, and it is expected to announce its nesses in the past three months, up from 23 per- that reported rising sales in the first quarter fell the new models, while executives representing reduced activities to staff yesterday, the cent in January. to 53 percent, down from 63 percent in the pre- brands from across the globe also made Used-car sales lag behind source said. It is expected to involve sizeable Yet those who said they raised the prices they vious quarter. Jack Kleinhenz, president of NABE cuts to staff, although the source did not spec- appearances at the show, China’s biggest. At present used-car sales in China lag far charge in the past three months remained and chief economist at the National Retail ify how many people were likely to go. China has become a vital market for foreign behind new ones, although estimates are unchanged at 20 percent, according to the latest Federation, attributed the decline to “a very brands as business in other regions flags. Yet rough because of the large informal market. The Financial Times, which first reported the cutback, said there would be heavy cuts to NABE survey of 72 members, which was con- rough winter” in a statement. Capital spending the boom in sales-which last year rose 14 per- Only about 35 used cars were sold in China for ducted between March 18 and April 1. “It rose for 38 percent of respondents, up from 28 cent to 22 million vehicles-only took off a every 100 new ones, compared with a far high- the bank’s 160 commodities staff. Barclays declined to comment. appears that businesses were not able to pass on percent in January. Meanwhile, those reporting decade ago. And the nation only overtook the er ratio of 270 old for every 100 new in the costs increases, resulting in increased pressure rising profit margins during the period declined United States in 2009 to become the world’s United States, said Dominique Boesch, head of Barclays follows other banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley in a on margins,” the survey findings said. slightly to 32 percent, from 34 percent in the biggest auto market. the Audi sales division at FAW-Volkswagen. The quarterly survey by NABE is intended to previous survey. Looking ahead to the coming With such a brief period for new cars to hit The key is to convince buyers that a sec- retreat from commodities as tougher rules make it less profitable, requiring them to hold gauge business conditions at members’ firms or quarter, 41 percent said they expect costs to the market and for China’s still-expanding mid- ond-hand car offers as much reliability as a far more capital than in the past against trad- industries. The April survey reflects first quarter increase up to 5 percent. Whether they’ll be able dle class to make the costly purchases, the sec- new one, said Frederic Banzet, director general ing operations. Barclays Chief Executive results, as well as the near-term outlook. Despite to pass that on to customers is uncertain; 31 per- ond-hand market has yet to develop. Also lack- of Citroen, adding that the French automaker Antony Jenkins plans to release full details of a the cost pressures, businesses seem more cent said they expect their businesses to raise ing is the necessary infrastructure such as deal- planned to provide such assurances. “We review of the investment banking business on upbeat about the direction of the broader econ- prices. That’s down from the 43 percent who said erships and, in particular, guarantees of quali- explain to them that these vehicles have been May 8, which could results in losses of thou- omy. The survey found that 80 percent said they they planned to raise prices in January, but still ty. But by setting up the systems to provide checked,” Banzet said. Volvo CEO Haakan sands of jobs as he strives to cut costs and expect the GDP to rise at least 2 percent over the an elevated level from most of last year. — AP such assurances, automakers hope to win over Samuelsson told AFP that the company aims improve profitability in the business. The news second-hand buyers and sellers who have oth- to bolster its maintenance and inspection sys- on commodities will come before then and erwise largely resorted to doing informal deals tems to give confidence both to second-hand just two days before Barclays holds its annual among themselves. buyers and sellers. —AFP shareholder meeting. Gauge of US economy up The bank, Britain’s third biggest, has been criticized at past annual meetings for some of for 3rd straight month its commodities activities, and investors are keen to see some signs of change from WASHINGTON: A measure of the US econo- Conference Board economists say the Jenkins. my’s health rose in March for the third con- gains last month point to “accelerated Barclays has already cut some areas of its commodities business including US power secutive month, a sign of stronger growth growth for the remainder of the spring and market operations and soft commodities. after harsh winter weather caused the econ- the summer,” although it remains to be seen Jenkins has been criticized by shareholders for omy’s pace to slow. The Conference Board whether employers continue to hire at their increasing bonuses for investment bankers said yesterday that its index of leading indi- March and February pace of almost 200,000 last year despite a drop in profits. He has cators increased 0.8 percent in March after a workers a month. “The economy is rebound- undertaken the bank’s third review of the 0.5 percent rise in February and modest 0.2 ing from widespread inclement weather investment bank in as many years in response percent gain in January. It was the best and the strengthening in the labor market is to pressure to cut costs and improve returns, showing since a 0.9 percent gain in beginning to have a positive impact on which lag other parts of the business such as November. growth,” said Ken Goldstein, an economist at Barclaycard. Both hiring and consumer outlooks have The Conference Board. “Overall, this is an Analysts are expecting cuts in areas such as improved, which along with interest rates optimistic report.” Many economists expect credit trading, emerging markets, securitiza- fueled much of the index’s improvement. the overall growth rate in the January-March tion, structured credit and equity derivatives. On Friday, Barclays announced a shake-up of That offset a negative contribution from quarter will dip below 2 percent because of its investment bank management team, building permits. The index looks at a series the weather disruptions but they are fore- including a new head of markets and new co- of different indicators to spot peaks and casting a rebound in coming quarters to BEIJING: Visitors gather to look at the cars on display during the “Auto China 2014” heads of banking. — Reuters troughs in economic growth. growth of around 3 percent. — AP Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing yesterday. — AFP BUSINESS TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 Al-Mazaya Holding achieves 588% jump in Q1 net profits

Al-Saqabi: Operational activities driving force behind leap in results

KUWAIT: Al-Mazaya Holding Company Speaking about the other side of the compa- announced its financial results for the first quar- ny’s activities, namely the projects already sold ter of the year 2014, confirming a net profit of by the company, Al-Saq’abi stressed that Al- KD 1.5 million during the period, compared to Mazaya was able to achieve good revenues KD 214,000 over the same period in 2013, repre- from the sale of the last residential villas in “The senting an increase by 588 percent. Dividends Villa” project in Dubai Land which are currently per share amounted to 2.37fils per share, com- being delivered to the clients, the residential pared to 0.34 in 2013. units project in “Queue Point” and the Office Following the meeting of the Board of Spaces Project in “Mazaya Business Avenue, Directors held yesterday noon in the presence with revenues from the sale operations amount- of the Board members and Eng Ibrahim Al- ing to KD 2 million. Saqabi, the Group CEO, Al-Saqabi said that Al- Shurooq attends China Mazaya Holding Company had achieved a Financial results quantum leap in its fiscal results during the first Speaking about the company’s financial Enterprises Outbound quarter of the year 2014, by virtue of the com- results during the first quarter of 2013, Al- pany’s focus on operational activities through Saq’abi said that the company was able to main- Investment Conference increasing the occupancy rate in its income- tain steady growth in its operational perform- generating projects, which led to an increase in ance and net profit, in line with its carefully Eng Ibrahim Al-Saqabi the rental revenues of the company by 36 per- plotted smart objectives. Reviewing the rest of SHARJAH: The Sharjah Investment and structure and a diverse and resilient business cli- cent, valued at KD 1.2 million by the end of the the company’s financial statements for the first in order to speed up the operating-leasing Development Authority (Shurooq) has concluded mate, supported with our government’s first quarter of 2014, compared to KD 863 thou- quarter of the year 2014, he pointed out that operations, which will have a positive impact on its participation in the 8th China Enterprises approach to offer all the necessary facilities and sand for the same period in 2013. the company’s total assets amounted to KD 226 the company’s revenues at the end of 2014. Outbound Investment Conference, which was incentives and provide a strong yet flexible leg- This included the Sky Gardens Project in million by the end of the first quarter, compared He added that Al-Mazaya had broadened its held from 16-17 April in Beijing. Shurooq’s partici- islative framework to meet investment require- to KD 218 million during the same period in relations with many banks and investors in pation was part of its nine-day roadshow in Dubai International Financial Centre, in which ments, as well as to develop a solid, safe, and order to enter into strategic partnerships for the China. The emirate of Sharjah attracted the atten- investor-friendly environment in the emirate of the occupancy rate reached up to 95 percent, 2013. The shareholders’ equity added up to KD development of its new projects in the Gulf tion of over 1,500 participants, including CEOs, Sharjah. and Al-Mazaya Towers at the heart of the 98 million by the end of the first quarter of the executives of representatives of leading Chinese Yonghui MA, Investment Promotion Executive Kuwaiti capital, with an occupancy rate ranging year 2014, compared to KD 89 million for the region and the Middle East, in addition to companies and businessmen as well as over 30 at Shurooq, delivered a detailed presentation, in between 75 and 100 percent, in addition to its same period in 2013, which represents a 10 per- preparing extensive studies for the local, Gulf investment corporations from across the world. which she outlined Sharjah’s numerous and var- projects in a number of the region’s countries cent rise. and regional markets, as a preliminary step to The delegation which included, alongside ied investment, business, and cultural offerings, such as the KSA and Dubai, in which the occu- First quarter achievements engage in the sectors that will achieve satisfac- Shurooq’s officials, a representative from Sharjah and highlighted a number of tourism projects pancy rates of the company’s projects reached Speaking about Al-Mazaya’s major achieve- tory returns with a limited risk rate, benefitting Environment Company - Beeah, held a series of that have been developed by Shurooq to stimu- 100 percent. The company also succeeded in ments during the first quarter of 2014, Al-Saqabi from the company’s previous experience and intensive meetings throughout the two days of late the local economy and meet the require- achieving an increase in its operational rev- said that the company has achieved consider- the current market factors. Al-Saqabi concluded the conference, during which they presented the ments of growth in the Emirate while also provid- enues resulting from managing others’ projects able success in pushing up the timetable for the that Al-Mazaya still has numerous investment Emirate’s investment potential in vibrant and ing foreign investors with unique opportunities by 37 percent, with a value of KD 354.3,000, implementation of Al-Mazaya Logistics - a opportunities under consideration, which are thriving sectors such as tourism, logistics, renew- to capitalize on the phenomenal growth being compared to KD 258.4,000 during the same group of industrial units for rent in Bahrain going to see light in the near future according able energy and healthcare among other sectors. witnessed in all sectors in Sharjah. period in 2013. Investment Port, worth more than KD 6 million - to the company’s strategic plan. Shurooq is being represented by a delegation On the sidelines of the conference, Shurooq’s led by Marwan bin Jassim Al-Sarkal, CEO of the delegation held over 25 meetings with represen- Sharjah Investment and Development Authority tatives of government and private corporations at (Shurooq), which includes Elie Armaly Director of the authority’s stand, where they discussed Wataniya Telecom sponsors Business Development of Shurooq, Mohammed investment opportunities and answered the Al-Musharrakh, Head of Investment Promotion, investors’ questions about the Emirate’s facilities Fahd Shehail, Managing Director - Waste and incentives offered to new businesses in dif- Kuwait Social Media Summit Collection at Bee’ah, and Yonghui MA, Investment ferent investment sectors. The delegation Promotion Executive at Shurooq. received positive feedback as many Chinese The two-day investment conference, aimed at investment bodies and companies showed their KUWAIT: The second annual Kuwait Social Media attracts the largest number of users. enhancing Chinese enterprises’ competitiveness interest in boosting cooperation with Sharjah’s Summit launches tomorrow at the JW Marriot EmaLinaker, regional director at and encouraging their outbound investment in entities in various sectors, such as renewable Hotel, sponsored by Wataniya Telecom, a mem- Social@Ogilvy will present a study that covers accordance with China’s Go Global Strategy, fea- energy and tourism, as well as in entering into ber of Ooredoo Group. The two-day event fea- the key elements of what makes a great social tured an opening ceremony, plenary session, par- trade and investment partnerships with the tures a variety of lectures and workshops by media campaign. “A question like this is worth allel and sector-based seminars, exhibition Emirate’s public sector. On the 4th day of the renowned international and regional experts. pondering especially today, as Facebook is the stands, and a networking dinner. roadshow, Fahd Ali Shehail, Managing Director- Targeting government officials, business owners size of China and WhatsApp is the most expen- Shurooq’s delegation presented the invest- Waste Collection at Beeah, visited the head- and marketers among other professionals, sive company purchase in recent history,” ment potential in the UAE, and particularly in quarters of the China Resources Recycling the summit covers a variety of topics says Linaker. Sharjah, as well as the investment and business Association, where he held a meeting with the related to social networking. Topics Director of global business strat- opportunities available for foreign companies Association’s management and discussed include social media bullying, egy at Canadian firm t2 Marketing seeking to invest and tap into the country’s opportunities and possible joint ventures in the social media crisis management, Solutions, Corey Padveen, will be strategic location as a major business and finan- environment and recycling sector. Chinese’s and establishing effective social leading a workshop on social cial hub in the region and the world. officials showed keen interest in the available media campaigns. media monitoring. The work- On the first day of the conference, Marwan opportunities in this sector in Sharjah. “We believe that the closer shop will discuss the necessary bin Jassim Al-Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq, participated we are to our customers, the tools needed for executing an in a Parallel Session titled, ‘Investment Sharjah-Tianjin investment seminar better we are at meeting their effective social media strategy. Opportunities in Silk Road Countries’, during As part of their roadshow in China, Shurooq needs,” says Wataniya Telecom GM Ibrahim El-Badawi, founder and which he stressed that Sharjah is striving through organized Sharjah-Tianjin Investment Seminar in and CEO Eng Abdulaziz Fakhroo. CEO of Exantium, a UAE-based the efforts of various authorities to strengthen Tianjin on 18th of April. Tianjin is one of the major “Social media has obliterated the gap government advisory firm focusing economic cooperation with all countries of the industrial and trading cities in China and is a hub between customers and service on e-government strategy and policy Wataniya Telecom GM and CEO Eng providers, and we believe in raising aware- design, will lead a workshop on e-participa- world, including East Asian countries, with a spe- city for international shipping and logistics, as it Abdulaziz Fakhroo. cial focus on China. He added that Shurooq’s del- has the 4th largest port in the world. ness and empowering local social media chan- tion campaigns. The workshop will include a egation is presenting and discussing the available The meeting was attended by Dong Libin, nels by bringing renowned expertise and open- step-by-step guide on designing and executing a Minister of State for Youth Affairs. It attracts over opportunities in Sharjah with various investment Vice Chairman of the China Council for the ing the floor for discussion about this subject,” successful campaign and engaging audience. 200 private and public sector communication bodies in China. Al Sarkal referred to the long Promotion of International Trade-Tianjin and over adds Fakhroo. He notes that Wataniya Telecom’s The summit is organized in cooperation with professionals from Kuwait and the GCC region. and successful shared business history that has 100 representatives from a number of foreign participation in this event stems from the com- the Central Agency for Information Technology Other key contributors and supporters of the brought benefit and progress to both countries trade companies and authorities and business pany’s belief in the importance of social net- under the patronage of Sheikh Salman Al- summit include Socialobby, Exantium, MEPRA, and to the eagerness of both countries’ leaders to leaders in the city. The emirate of Sharjah, repre- working in this day and age, especially since it Hmoud Al-Sabah, Minister of Information and Booz & Co, Skynews Arabia and Ipsos. further strengthen this relationship, adding: “The sented by Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Chinese business community has consistently Industry (SCCI), signed a Memorandum of acted as a positive driver of business growth Understanding (MoU) with the CCPIT-Tianjin in within the UAE and Sharjah, where there are cur- 2010. In his speech at the beginning of the meet- Tourism and real estate rently more than 4,000 Chinese companies oper- ing, Marwan bin Jassim Al-Sarkal praised the eco- ating in the UAE across a diverse range of sectors.” nomic relationships between Sharjah and China. “We are looking forward to further building He underlined that the goal of the seminar was on this already strong foundation and will be not only to provide a deeper insight into the shoring up UAE economy meeting with a wide range of companies and vibrant economic sectors in Sharjah, but also to organizations during our tour in China, to explore open channels of communication with Chinese mutually beneficial avenues of cooperation,” business communities to identify the needs and Shurooq CEO added. Al-Sarkal went on to say: aspirations of Chinese firms that desire to invest “We are here to highlight what Sharjah can offer in Sharjah and tap into the vast available oppor- NBK ECONOMIC REPORT to potential investors...such as sophisticated infra- tunities. KUWAIT: In the near term, investors and tinues to accelerate and oil production mainly come from rising housing rents, export earnings, particularly from the observers will be monitoring real estate growth edges back to positive turf. as growth in global food prices, and in tourism sector, are expected to keep Warba Bank reports 72.5% developments in the UAE for signs of Higher government spending, the the other CPI components remain mod- the surplus above 10 percent of GDP for overheating. A sudden acceleration in booming tourism sector and recovering est. at least the next two years. residential sales prices in Q4 2013, has real estate sector, are expected to be operating income growth spurred concerns over the brewing of the main drivers in the non-oil sector. Public finance Banking sector an unsustainable boom in Dubai’s resi- The Markit PMI illustrates strong private Consolidated government spending Bank credit growth continues to KUWAIT: Emad Al-Thaqeb, Chairman of Warba of KD 376 thousand as compared with a pre- dential property market, similar to non-oil sector activity that is on an is estimated to have fallen last year, due improve; loans and advances grew by 7 Bank, announced that Warba has posted oper- provision loss of KD 194 thousand for the 2008’s. Price pressures appear to be upward trajectory. The index reached an mainly to lower government bailout ating income of KD 3.8 million as at the end of same period of 2013. It is noteworthy that the percent y/y in December last year, its greatest in the apartment sector. impressive new high of 58.1 in the first quarter of 2014 vis-a-vis KD 2.2 million provisions made during Q1 of 2014 are gener- spending. Government spending is fastest pace since August 2009. Bank Apartment sales prices grew on average for the same period of 2013, with an increase al and mandatory provisions requested by the November 2013, before falling slightly expected to grow at a moderate pace credit growth may be hampered slight- of around 72.5 percent. He pointed out that regulatory bodies. Such provisions indicate by a staggering 60 percent y/y and a in December and January. The index during the next two years, so while the ly in the medium term however, when the increase and growth achieved by Warba the growth of the financing portfolio, as provi- whopping 23 percent q/q in Q4 2013, recovered in February and currently budget surplus will continue to fall, it the authorities strengthen lending reg- are attributable to focusing on customers’ sions are calculated at a fixed percentage of according to Asteco, a real estate servic- stands at 57.7. will remain in surplus at around 4-5 per- ulations in an effort to avoid overheat- requirements and the introduction of out- the indicated growth, with no defaulting es company. Though at the same time, ing and keep leverage at bay. The meas- standing services amid a fierce competition. finances against such provisions. In addition, the steep rise in asset prices is helping ures that have been announced so far Warba has incurred a total loss of KD 162,000 indebted companies repay parts of their include a tightening of lending limits as at the end of Q1 of 2014 as compared with debt early or meet their repayment on large exposures, new liquidity KD 1.5 million for the same period of 2013, deadlines on time. The rising incidence requirements and caps on mortgage indicating the improved operating perform- of successful negotiations for debt lending. Annual growth in the broad ance. Warba’s financing portfolio is one of the rollovers is also helping companies real- M2 money supply measure grew by 23 most prominent positive indicators, as it locate their resources towards launch- percent y/y in December 2013, amid increased to KD 273 million as at the end of Q1 ing new development projects or revive the Central Bank’s easy monetary policy of 2014 compared with KD 124 million as at projects that were stalled during the stance. This is its highest growth rate the end of Q1 of 2013, with a 120 percent 2008-2009 property crisis. since the pre-crisis years. The UAE’s increase. On the front of Risk Management, Over the medium-term, we are likely three-month and one-month interbank Warba has high quality assets, with 0.30 per- to see a potential slowdown in residen- rates were below 1 percent for most of cent defaulting finances, which is one of the tial price pressures, thanks to rising sup- 2013, supporting high levels of liquidi- best percentages the globe over. Warba’s ply, and to more stringent regulation. ty. The US Federal Funds rate target, at Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) exceeded the Following the Expo 2020 win, the sup- 25 bps, remains low and well-below 1 required limit imposed as per Basel instruc- ply of new residential units is expected percent. The repo rate, which was intro- tions and CBK regulations, which indicates to grow by 8 percent y/y this year, its duced at the start of 2009, remains low that Warba has a strong financial position that highest growth rate in four years. The at 1 percent. contributes to the future growth of the bank’s spike in new housing supply is project- Emad Al-Thaqeb businesses. Al-Thaqeb stressed Warba’s keen- ed to slow residential price growth this Financial markets ness to extend its outreach with a view to fully year. Prices are also expected to slow as Inflation cent of GDP (including investment UAE equities have put on an impres- This achievement is a testament that the bank access the local market and reach customers the initial hype subsides. New regula- Housing rents accelerated towards income and oil profits), despite a fall in sive performance since the beginning is on the right track, which will allow share- through the expansion of the branches net- tions may also keep exuberant price ris- the end of 2013 and into 2014, but total oil revenues. However, spending is of last year. The main Abu Dhabi index holders to reap the desired benefits sooner. work, and the introduction of electronic and es at bay, if effectively enforced on time. CPI inflation still remains modest. expected to accelerate, particularly in rose by 63 percent between January During Q1 of 2014, many positive financial direct channels of communication in a way The UAE authorities have vowed to take Housing rents grew by 2.0 percent y/y Dubai, in the run up to 2020, as more and December of 2013, whilst the main indicators came to the surface, most notably that enhances the quality services provided to greater steps to keep property price ris- in February whilst overall CPI came in at development projects get underway in Dubai index rose by a staggering 108 the growth of the total assets to KD 429 mil- customers and keeps pace with the latest es under control, which should help 1.7 percent y/y. Housing inflation preparation for the Expo event and as percent during the same period. The lion as compared with KD 321 million as at the developments and changes in this industry. mitigate risks to banks’ balance sheets returned to positive territory for the the Dubai government pays off a siz- rally is mainly attributed to strong sen- end of Q1 of 2013, with an increase of 34 per- Optimistically, Al-Thaqeb highlighted the and limit the level of speculation. first time in almost two years in mid- able portion of its maturing debt. This timent, an improving corporate debt cent. And to the increase of customers’ achievement of Warba’s objectives in line with 2013. Inflation is expected to continue may lead to a smaller surplus. environment and a recovering real deposits to KD 240 million as compared with the approved strategic plan. GDP to rise this year, but at a gradual pace, estate market. Both main indices rose KD 120 million as at the end of Q1 of 2013, Relentlessly, Warba seeks to increase its Overall real GDP growth is expected and is expected to average 2.0 percent Current account sharply after Dubai won the bid to host with a 100 percent increase, which marks cus- customer base and provide unique banking to decelerate this year, because of a by year’s end. Total CPI inflation The current-account surplus is pro- the Expo 2020 at the end of 2013. The tomers’ increased confidence in Warba. and financing services that fulfill retail and cor- decline in oil production growth. reached an annual average of 1.1 per- jected to continue to fall slightly for the main UAE CDS spreads remain in Indeed, Warba has realized pre-provision profit porate customers’ requirements. However, a pick up is projected next cent compared to 0.7 percent in 2012. next two years, as oil export earnings decline, which reflects lower risks in the year, as non-oil production growth con- Price pressures are likely to continue to dwindle. However, strong non-oil economy. technology TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 White House updating online privacy policy WASHINGTON: A new Obama administration priva- engagement since taking office in 2008, embracing also do not give third parties, including the political mixed. The biggest problem, said Jeramie Scott, cy policy released Friday explains how the govern- using the Internet in all of its manifestations. The first organization Obama for America or the U.S. National national security counsel for the Electronic Privacy ment will gather the user data of online visitors to administration with an Office of Digital Strategy, Security Agency, access to their email database or Information Center in Washington, D.C., is not what WhiteHouse.gov, mobile apps and social media sites, Obama’s online strategy now includes a We the other systems. happens when users are on WhiteHouse.gov, but and it clarifies that online comments, whether People petitions platform, live online chats and “Within the White House, we restrict access to when they click onto the White House’s third-party tirades or tributes, are in the open domain. more than a dozen social media sites including personally identifiable information to employees, social media sites that don’t abide by Obama’s own “Information you choose to share with the White Google Plus, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Vine, contractors, and vendors subject to non-disclosure privacy rules and may sell personal data they glean House (directly and via third party sites) may be MySpace and seven different Facebook pages requirements who require access to this information from users. treated as public information,” the new policy says. including La Casa Blanca and Education to Innovate. in order to perform their official duties and exercise “Interacting with the White House and its different The Obama administration also promises not to sell Visitors who link to those social media sites are controls to limit what data they can view based on sites is inherently political, and that type of thing the data of online visitors. But it cannot make the advised: “Your activity on those sites is governed by the specific needs of their position,” the policy says. shouldn’t be used for commercial gain,” Scott said. same assurances for users who go to third-party the third-party website’s security and privacy poli- For example, if someone gives the White House a Mark Jaycox, a legislative analyst at the Electronic White House sites on Facebook, Twitter or Google cies,” which frequently allow those companies to sell telephone number or email address, staffers might Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, said the new Plus. users’ data. In addition, the White House archives respond to the message or petition, providing infor- policy underscores the administration’s ongoing There will be no significant changes in actual Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus content to com- mation or even services if appropriate. They might interest in collecting data. “You see it across the practices under the new policy. But legal jargon and ply with the Presidential Records Act. also take messages, comments, Twitter replies and board. You saw it in the campaign. You see it in the bureaucratic language has been stripped out, mak- The policy says Obama will keep some informa- Facebook comments to use for public advocacy, like White House petitions. This is just one more step ing it easier for readers to now understand that the tion - automatically generated email data, Mobile promoting Obama’s health care overhaul. toward amassing more information,” he said. White House stores the date, time and duration of App use data and some cookie data - until the end of If a user asks the White House a question that is Jaycox said the new policy is not explicit enough online visits; the originating Internet Protocol the current administration. The White House is also really about homeland security, the user’s informa- about what the White House does with information it address; how much data users transmit from explicit about what it doesn’t do, including collecting tion may be shared with that agency. And if some- gathers. “The onerous thing is we don’t know what WhiteHouse.gov to their computers; and more. The geolocation information from mobile-app users or one is trying to report a federal crime, or threatening they’re doing on the back end with all of this data,” he administration also tracks whether emails from the sharing information for commercial purposes. someone, that person’s information may be passed said. White House are opened, forwarded or printed. The policy is being released at a time when the on to law enforcement. But several privacy experts praised the new policy The updates were needed because “Our old pri- administration is facing unprecedented criticism Lehrich said that when people share comments as more explicit and understandable. “It’s a nice ges- vacy policy was just that - old,” blogged Obama’s dig- over disclosures from former intelligence contractor or sign online petitions through the We the People ture by the White House,” said Federation of ital director Nathaniel Lubin. After coming to office Edward Snowden that expose sweeping U.S. govern- platform, it’s with the understanding that it is public American Scientists secrecy expert Steven Aftergood in a campaign lauded for its online savvy, President ment surveillance programs. The policy aims to information. in Washington. “I think the move reflects a height- Barack Obama’s address at least some of those concerns. Reviews from privacy experts - who have been ened public awareness of privacy concerns, which is White House has quickly adapted to online White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said they watching the privacy-policy revisions closely were commendable.” —AP Japan’s digital eyes show your emotions for you

TOKYO: Can’t be bothered to show anyone what you’re thinking? Then a Japanese scientist has the answer-a pair of digital eyes that can express delight and anger, or even feign bore- dom. Building on a long line of slightly wacky and not-very-practical inventions for which Japan is famous, Hirotaka Osawa has unveiled the “AgencyGlass”. “I wanted to build a system that is capable of carrying out social behaviours for humans,” he told AFP. Just as robots can reduce the need for physi- cal labour, the AgencyGlass-which looks like IDAHO: This July 7, 2010 file photo shows Barry Diller at the annual Allen & two small TV screens set in spectacle frames- Co. Media summit in Sun Valley, Idaho. Thirty years after failing to persuade aims to cut down its user’s emotional demands the Supreme Court of the threat posed by home video recordings, big media by carrying out their eye movements for them. The two organic light-emitting diode (OLED) companies are back at the high court to try to rein in another technological screens, which are connected to motion sensors TSUKUBA: This combo picture released by University of Tsukuba assistant professor innovation that they say threatens their financial well-being. The battle has and an external camera, show a pair of eyeballs Hirotaka Osawa on April 19, 2014 shows the “AgencyGlass”, developed by Osawa, which moved out of viewers’ living rooms, where Americans once marveled at their that can appear to be making eye contact while has OLED screens in the prototype dark glasses to display emotional expression with ability to pop a cassette into a recorder and capture their favorite programs or the wearer is looking somewhere else entirely. wearer’s digital eyeball images at Osawa’s laboratory in Tsukuba in Ibaraki prefecture, the game they wouldn’t be home to see —AP The wearer has to choose their emotion in suburban Tokyo. The two organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens, which are connect- advance-if they want to appear “attentive”, for ed to motion sensors and an external camera, show a pair of eyeballs that can appear to High court to hear dispute example, they must switch it to this mode before putting the glasses on. be making eye contact while the wearer is looking somewhere else entirely. —AFP Osawa, of the prestigious Tsukuba University, about TV over Internet said possible applications include for flight important that we behave by showing under- his technology could eventually help them. WASHINGTON: Thirty years after failing to ing for it. “Aereo is simply a blatant free rid- attendants dealing with irritating passengers, or standing to others,” he said. “That requires us to The glasses weigh around 100 grams (3.5 convince the Supreme Court of the threat er trying to make a quick buck without pay- teachers who want to project an image of kind- behave differently from our true feelings.” onces) with the battery lasting roughly an hour, posed by home video recordings, big ing anything toward the true costs of what ness towards shy students. Such “emotional labour” has caused some Osawa said, adding that the prototype cost just media companies are back and now trying it misappropriates,” Time Warner Inc. said in “As the service sector grows and becomes people to become deeply conflicted and devel- over 30,000 yen ($290) to make. They are cur- to rein in another technological innovation a court filing. more sophisticated, it becomes increasingly op emotional illnesses, Osawa said, adding that rently not in production. —AFP they say threatens their financial well- The broadcasters told the court that being. Aereo’s “competitors pay for the rights to The battle has moved out of viewers’ liv- retransmit ‘live TV’ to the public - as they NASA’s moon-orbiting ing rooms, where Americans once mar- must to avoid liability for copyright veled at their ability to pop a cassette into a infringement - while Aereo does not.” robot crashes down recorder and capture their favorite pro- The federal appeals court in New York grams or the sporting event they wouldn’t ruled that Aereo did not violate the copy- CAPE CANAVERAL: NASA’s robotic moon explorer, LADEE, be home to see. rights of broadcasters with its service, but a is no more. Now the entertainment conglomerates similar service has been blocked by judges Flight controllers confirmed that the orbiting spacecraft that own US television networks are wag- in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. crashed into the back side of the moon Friday as planned, ing a legal fight, culminating in today’s avoiding the precious historic artifacts left behind by Supreme Court argument against a startup Copyright law moonwalkers. business that uses Internet-based technol- The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said LADEE’s annihilation occurred just three days after it sur- ogy to give subscribers the ability to watch its ruling stemmed from a 2008 decision in vived a full lunar eclipse, something it was never designed programs anywhere they can take portable which it held that Cablevision Systems to do. devices. Corp. could offer a remote digital video Researchers believe LADEE likely vaporized when it hit The source of the companies’ worry is recording service without paying addition- because of its extreme orbiting speed of 3,600 mph, possi- Aereo Inc., which takes free television sig- al licensing fees to broadcasters because bly smacking into a mountain or side of a crater. No debris nals from the airwaves and sends them each playback transmission was made to a would have been left behind. over the Internet to paying subscribers in single subscriber using a single unique “It’s bound to make a dent,” project scientist Rick Elphic 11 cities. Aereo, backed by billionaire Barry copy produced by that subscriber. The predicted Thursday. By Thursday evening, the spacecraft Diller, has plans to more than double that Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal had been skimming the lunar surface at an incredibly total. from movie studios, TV networks and cable low altitude of 300 feet. Its orbit had been lowered on Broadcasters including ABC, CBS, Fox, TV channels. purpose last week to ensure a crash by Monday following NBC and PBS have sued Aereo for copyright In the Aereo case, a dissenting judge an extraordinarily successful science mission. infringement, saying Aereo should pay for said his court’s decision would eviscerate LADEE - short for Lunar Atmosphere and Dust redistributing the programming the same copyright law. Judge Denny Chin called Environment Explorer - was launched in September from TOKYO: This picture taken on April 17, 2014 shows a customer picking up a way cable and satellite systems do. Aereo’s setup a sham and said the individ- Virginia. From the outset, NASA planned to crash the space- user videogame software for Nintendo’s Game Boy at a videogame shop in The US networks increasingly are reliant ual antennas are a “Rube Goldberg-like con- craft into the back side of the moon, far from the Apollo Tokyo. —AFP on these retransmission fees, estimated at trivance” - an overly complicated device artifacts from the moonwalking days of 1969 to 1972. $3.3 billion last year and going up to more that accomplishes a simple task in a confus- Scattered over the near side of the moon: the landing than $7 billion by 2018, according to ing way - that exists for the sole purpose of portions of six lunar modules, flags, plaques, rovers and research by SNL Kagan, which analyzes evading copyright law. more, not to mention those memorable first footprints by TCS, Mitsubishi to create media and communications trends. They The Obama administration, artists, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 12 had been pro- fear that they will lose some of that money actors, Major League Baseball and the jected to be closest - by several hundred miles. new Japan IT services firm if the Supreme National Football League all support the The last thing the LADEE team wanted was “to plow into broadcasters. But the administration and any of the historic sites,” said project manager Butler Hine. MUMBAI: India’s biggest outsourcing firm more Japanese turnover. Analysts estimate Court rules for Aereo computer software and telecommunica- LADEE completed its primary 100-day science mission Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Japan’s the Japanese IT market to be worth over Aereo’s service starts at $8 a month and tions groups are urging the court to avoid a last month and was on overtime. The extension had LADEE Mitsubishi Corp said yesterday they are team- $100 billion in revenues. is available in New York, Boston, Houston broad ruling in favor of copyright protec- flying during today morning’s lunar eclipse; its instruments ing up to create a Japanese software services The Japanese market has strong existing and Atlanta, among others. Subscribers get tion that could call into question the rapidly were not designed to endure such prolonged darkness and provider with annual revenues of $600 mil- players but “is under-penetrated from a glob- about two dozen local over-the-air stations, evolving world of cloud computing, which cold. But the small spacecraft survived - it’s about the size of lion. al delivery model perspective”, TCS chief plus the Bloomberg TV financial channel. gives users access to a vast online computer a vending machine - with just a couple pressure sensors Tata Consultancy Services Japan, Nippon financial officer Rajesh Gopinathan told AFP. In the New York market, Aereo has a network that stores and processes informa- acting up. The mood in the control center at NASA’s Ames TCS Solution Center and IT Frontier Corp-a “The opportunity for us is to use our glob- data center in Brooklyn with thousands of tion. Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., was upbeat late Mitsubishi unit-will merge to create the al network model to service Japanese cus- dime-size antennas. When a subscriber Smaller cable companies, independent Thursday afternoon, according to Hine. provider under the agreement slated to close tomers locally and in their international wants to watch a show live or record it, the broadcasters and consumer groups are “Having flown through the eclipse and survived, the in June. efforts,” Gopinathan said on the sidelines of a company temporarily assigns him an backing Aereo. FM radio and cable TV were team is actually feeling very good,” Hine told The “This strategic transaction signifies our news conference in India’s financial hub antenna and transmits the program over initially derided as unnecessary, inefficient Associated Press in a phone interview. serious commitment to the Japan market,” Mumbai. the Internet to the subscriber’s laptop, or just bizarre, said the digital civil liberties But the uncertainty of the timing of LADEE’s demise had TCS chief executive N. Chandrasekaran said in The agreement would give TCS the scale tablet, smartphone or other device. watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation. In the flight controllers “on edge,” he said. a joint statement with Mitsubishi. “TCS will and expertise to increase its presence in The antenna is only used by one sub- a legal filing joined by other public interest As it turns out, LADEE succumbed within several hours now have the scale, strong local presence Japan’s IT market, he added. IT Frontier Corp scriber at a time, and Aereo says that’s groups and the consumer electronics trade of Hine’s comments. NASA announced its end early Friday and our full range of global capabilities to has longstanding relationships with Japanese much like the situation at home, where a association, the group said the justices morning. serve the Japanese corporations effectively corporations and know-how in sectors such viewer uses a personal antenna to watch should not become regulators of technolo- It will be at least a day or two before NASA knows pre- and accelerate our growth in Japan’s market,” as retail and distribution, TCS said. over-the-air broadcasts for free. gy and “the court should not attempt to cisely where the spacecraft ended up; the data cutoff indi- Chandrasekaran said. “This will complement TCS’s deep domain “Aereo is in some ways novel, but it is predict the future of television.” cates it smashed into the far side of the moon, although TCS Japan will initially hold a 51 percent knowledge, technology expertise and strong also among a host of technologies that The entertainment industry has changed just barely. stake in the new company while Mitsubishi execution track record,” the Indian company uses the Internet to offer consumers the dramatically since the high court ruled in LADEE did not have enough fuel to remain in lunar orbit Corp will hold 49 percent. TCS Japan will have added. ability to do what they always have more favor of home video recording in 1984 in a much beyond the end of its mission. It joined dozens if not an option to raise its holding later. The com- Shares of TCS closed up 0.14 percent at cheaply and conveniently,” the Dish 5-4 decision. Then, Sony was the maker of scores of science satellites and Apollo program spacecraft pany, due to start up in July, will have over 2,220.50 rupees on the Bombay Stock Network and Echostar Technologies said in the Betamax recorder and Universal City parts that have slammed into the moon’s surface, on pur- $600 million a year in revenues, the state- Exchange in an overall firmer market. India a supporting legal brief filed in the Studios and Walt Disney Productions were pose, over the decades, officials said. Until LADEE, the most ment said. has become a back office to the world as Supreme Court. arguing for protection under copyright law. recent man-made impacts were the LCROSS crater-observ- Last week TCS reported a 48.2% percent companies, especially in developed nations, But the broadcasters and their backers Now, Disney owns ABC and cable giant ing satellite that went down in 2009 and the twin Grail jump in quarterly net profit, led by new have subcontracted work to firms such as argue that Aereo’s competitive advantage Comcast owns NBC and Universal. The case spacecraft in 2012. —AP European and emerging market contracts. TCS, taking advantage of the country’s skilled lies not in its product, but in avoiding pay- is ABC v. Aereo, 13-461. —AP TCS expects its new joint venture to generate English-speaking workforce. —AFP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 HEALTH & SCIENCE ‘Save Your Eyesight’ with Vision Express at The Avenues KUWAIT: Vision Express, Kuwait’s leading Contact lenses help keep the patient’s eyes healthy, more active and to look their best, and through constant innovation using the optical retailer and eye health expert, has ACUVUE Brand Contact Lenses, the moist and comfortable throughout the transforming the world’s vision by provid- latest technology. A Vision Express team announced the launching of its ‘Save Your world’s first soft disposable contact lens, day. ACUVUE is worn by more people ing an outstanding range of contact lens of licensed opticians and eye care experts Eyesight’ campaign at The Avenues. This provide unique patented technologies globally than any other contact lens options to meet the needs of just about will be carrying out free eye checkups and unique event aims to educate mall that ensure an ultra-smooth surface to brand giving them the freedom to be everyone requiring vision correction. a free contact lens fitting by ACUVUE. patrons about the importance of eye Luxottica Group SpA is the leader in Customers will also be receiving a free health and vision care through live eye the design, manufacturing, distribution ACUVUE Brand Contact lens upon pur- screening while also creating awareness and sales of premium, luxury and sports chase of an optical frame from Ray-Ban, about the newest and innovative prod- eyewear and Vision Express stores carry Vogue Eyewear, Burberry, Versace or ucts available for vision correction. the hottest styles of these brands offering Emporio Armani. The activity will be edu- Vision Express is committed to ensur- a wide array of classy and trendy contem- cational and informative as the audience ing that the public understands how cru- porary eyewear. The brands include Ray- will interact with experts on the subject cial it is to have one’s eyesight examined Ban with its cutting edge technology and who will be using state of the art technol- annually. By generously providing the iconic look, Vogue Eyewear’s chic styles ogy and digital screens. vision care podium, Vision Express takes a that make a fun fashion statement, “Not many people realize that their eye significant step in raising eye care aware- Burberry’s classic elegance and versatile sight might be slowly deteriorating. And ness across Kuwait. shapes that are always a great fit, this could be affecting the way they drive, Vision Express encourages everyone Versace’s glam high fashion look, and their performance at the office and even to take advantage of this platform and Emporio Armani’s stylish clean and mod- the way they see the world. I am honored have their eyes tested during this event ern frames. to be asked to participate in this pioneer- which runs from the 16th to the 24th of ing endeavor at the vision booth and I April. Vision Express is organizing ‘Save Ophthalmic lenses look forward to educating the public Your Eyesight’ for the first time in Kuwait, Essilor is the leading manufacturer of about personalized eye health and the with the generous support of The prescription and ophthalmic lenses. It is range of expert services available at Avenues, the country’s favorite shopping committed to providing the best lenses to Vision Express,” said distinguished destination. each wearer based on their needs optometrist Dr Hisham Ahmed Kamel. Dr Kian Sadaat with Zeiss management. Poll: Big Bang a big question for Americans

WASHINGTON: Few Americans question that is untestable.” smoking causes cancer. But they express big- But evolution, the age of the Earth and the ger doubts as concepts that scientists consid- Big Bang are all compatible with God, except er to be truths get further from our own expe- to Bible literalists, said Francisco Ayala, a for- riences and the present time, an Associated mer priest and professor of biology, philoso- Press-GfK poll found. phy and logic at the University of California, Americans have more skepticism than con- Irvine. And Darrel Falk, a biology professor at fidence in global warming, the age of the Point Loma Nazarene University and an evan- Earth and evolution and have the most trou- gelical Christian, agreed, adding: “The story of ble believing a Big Bang created the universe the cosmos and the Big Bang of creation is not 13.8 billion years ago. inconsistent with the message of Genesis 1, Rather than quizzing scientific knowledge, and there is much profound biblical scholar- the survey asked people to rate their confi- ship to demonstrate this.” dence in several statements about science Beyond religious belief, views on science and medicine. On some, there’s broad accept- may be tied to what we see with our own ance. Just 4 percent doubt that smoking caus- eyes. The closer an issue is to our bodies and es cancer, 6 percent question whether mental the less complicated, the easier it is for people illness is a medical condition that affects the to believe, said John Staudenmaier, a Jesuit brain and 8 percent are skeptical there’s a priest and historian of technology at the genetic code inside our cells. More - 15 per- University of Detroit Mercy. cent - have doubts about the safety and effica- cy of childhood vaccines. About 4 in 10 say Doubts they are not too confident or outright disbe- Marsha Brooks, a 59-year-old nanny who lieve that the earth is warming, mostly a result lives in Washington, D.C., said she’s certain of man-made heat-trapping gases, that the smoking causes cancer because she saw her Earth is 4.5 billion years old or that life on mother, aunts and uncles, all smokers, die of Earth evolved through a process of natural cancer. But when it comes to the universe selection, though most were at least some- beginning with a Big Bang or the Earth being what confident in each of those concepts. But about 4.5 billion years old, she has doubts. TRENTON: Ed Forchion, center, a pro-marijuana activist known as NJ Weedman, uses a bullhorn to address a gathering in front of the New a narrow majority - 51 percent - questions the She explained: “It could be a lack of knowl- Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, NJ, Sunday. Dozens of activists and community members gathered in front of Statehouse to show their support Big Bang theory. edge. It seems so far” away. Jorge Delarosa, a for legalizing marijuana. — AP Those results depress and upset some of 39-year-old architect from Bridgewater, N.J., America’s top scientists, including several pointed to a warm 2012 without a winter and Nobel Prize winners, who vouched for the sci- said, “I feel the change. There must be a rea- Public smoke-out marks ence in the statements tested, calling them son.” But when it came to Earth’s beginnings settled scientific facts. 4.5 billion years ago, he has doubts simply “Science ignorance is pervasive in our soci- because “I wasn’t there.” ety, and these attitudes are reinforced when Experience and faith aren’t the only things pot holiday in Colorado some of our leaders are openly antagonistic to affecting people’s views on science. Duke established facts,” said 2013 Nobel Prize in University’s Lefkowitz sees “the force of con- medicine winner Randy Schekman of the certed campaigns to discredit scientific fact” University of California, Berkeley. as a more striking factor, citing significant Tens of thousands gather for cannabis-themed festivals The poll highlights “the iron triangle of sci- interest groups - political, business and reli- ence, religion and politics,” said Anthony gious - campaigning against scientific truths DENVER: Once the province of activists and ston- Marijuana-scented air enjoying the marijuana-scented air. Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on on vaccines, climate change and evolution. ers, the traditional pot holiday of April 20 has Pot activist Jodie Emery said there’s been a huge “It’s a lot mellower this year,” said Cody Andrews, Climate Change Communication. And scien- Yale’s Leiserowitz agreed but noted some- gone mainstream in the first US state to legalize spike in interest as the experiment plays out in 29. “It’s more of a venue now. More vendor-y.” tists know they’ve got the shakiest leg in the times science wins out even against well- recreational marijuana. Tens of thousands gath- Colorado and Washington state. “I can tell you from Last year’s event was marred by an unsolved triangle. financed and loud opposition, as with smok- ered for a weekend of Colorado cannabis-themed my spot as being a pot activist for 10 years in shooting that wounded three. This year, a fence To the public “most often values and ing. Widespread belief that smoking causes festivals and entertainment, from a marijuana Vancouver, the last year has been insane - even in ringed the park. Security guards in protective gear beliefs trump science” when they conflict, said cancer “has come about because of very pub- industry expo called the Cannabis Cup, to 4/20- Canada - with respect to licensed providers and all roamed the grounds, and all entrants were being Alan Leshner, chief executive of the world’s lic, very focused public health campaigns,” themed concerts - acts include Snoop Dogg - to a these companies trying to be the next big thing,” checked for weapons. The whole scene was won- largest scientific society, the American AAAS’s Leshner said. A former acting director massive festival in the shadow of the state capitol. Emery said in a telephone interview. derfully surreal for Bud Long, 49, from Michigan, Association for the Advancement of Science. of the National Institute of Mental Health, Police didn’t swoop in for mass arrests at 4:20 On Saturday, in Denver, thousands lingered on who recalled taking part in his first 4/20 protest in Leshner said he was encouraged by the pub- pm Sunday, the moment for the traditional the broad lawns near the capitol, listening to hip- 1984. “Nationwide, it’ll be decriminalized,” he pre- Age of the Earth lic’s acceptance that mental illness is a brain smoke-out marking the holiday. Denver police hop music blasting from the sound stage and dicted, “and we’ll be doing this in every state.” — AP Political values were closely tied to views disease, something few believed 25 years ago, reported issuing 37 citations, 31 for public con- sumption of marijuana and the rest for unspeci- on science in the poll, with Democrats more before just such a campaign. That gives fied violations. They said they had issued 21 cita- apt than Republicans to express confidence in Leiserowitz hope for a greater public accept- tions on Saturday. All were for public consumption evolution, the Big Bang, the age of the Earth ance of climate change, but he fears it may be of marijuana. One person was arrested Saturday and climate change. too late to do anything about it. The AP-GfK on suspicion of attempting to distribute the drug. Religious values are similarly important. Poll was conducted March 20-24, 2014, using The pot holiday started as a defiant gathering Confidence in evolution, the Big Bang, the age KnowledgePanel, GfK’s probability-based of marijuana activists, but this year the event had of the Earth and climate change decline online panel designed to be representative of an official city permit, was organized by an events sharply as faith in a supreme being rises, the US population. It involved online inter- management company and featured booths sell- according to the poll. Likewise, those who reg- views with 1,012 adults and has a margin of ing food, hemp lollipops and glass pipes. ularly attend religious services or are evangeli- sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percent- Gavin Beldt, one of the organizers, said in a cal Christians express much greater doubts age points for all respondents. statement that the event is now a “celebration of about scientific concepts they may see as con- Respondents were first selected randomly legal status for its use in Colorado and our launch tradictory to their faith. “When you are putting using phone or mail survey methods and of an exciting new experience for those attend- up facts against faith, facts can’t argue against were later interviewed online. People selected ing.” Elsewhere, San Francisco Police Chief Greg faith,” said 2012 Nobel Prize winning bio- for KnowledgePanel who didn’t otherwise Suhr said his officers would be cracking down on chemistry professor Robert Lefkowitz of Duke have access to the Internet were provided illegal parking, camping, drug sales, underage University. “It makes sense now that science with the ability to access the Internet at no drinking and open alcohol containers at Golden would have made no headway because faith cost to them. — AP Gate Park’s Hippie Hill. Officials didn’t want the unofficial pot holiday to disrupt Easter Sunday activities. In Canada, the pot-smoking movement took on marijuana prohibition with rallies across the country. Police estimated that more than 2,000 people gathered on the lawn on Parliament Hill in DENVER: Partygoers listening to live music on the second of two days at the annual 4/20 mari- Ottawa. Hundreds turned out at rallies in juana festival in Denver, Sunday. The annual event is the first 420 marijuana celebration since Vancouver and Toronto. retail marijuana stores began selling in January 2014. — AP Children get codeine in ER despite risks, guidelines

CHICAGO: Despite recommended limits on children given the drug after certain surgeries. It What do doctors say? codeine use in children, the potent painkiller is advises using codeine for children’s pain only if Dr. Kathleen Neville, a pediatric drug expert prescribed for children in at least half a million anticipated benefits outweigh the risks. at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in emergency room visits each year, a study sug- Another genetic variation makes the drug inef- Kansas City, said it’s likely the numbers have gests. fective for pain relief in as many as a third of declined since the study ended, given the FDA’s Use of the drug in that setting is hardly ram- patients. Codeine was once commonly used for black box warning. pant - just 3 percent of kids’ ER visits resulted in a coughs, but the American Academy of Pediatrics Dr. Bradley Berg, medical director of McLane codeine prescription in 2010, the 10-year study recommends against that use because of the risks Children’s Clinic in Round Rock, Texas, said found. But with more than 25 million ER visits by and no evidence it relieves coughs. some ER doctors may have been unaware of children each year, the authors say far too many pediatricians’ guidelines on limiting codeine’s kids are getting the drug when better options are The fine print use, or recalled getting the drug themselves as available. Injuries and respiratory symptoms are the top children, when its use was more common, with reasons for children’s ER visits. The study authors no ill effects. The concerns analyzed 2001-10 national data on ER visits for Dr. Alfred Sacchetti, a spokesman for the Codeine is an opiate drug and a genetic varia- kids aged 3 to 17. The portion of visits where American College of Emergency Physicians, tion makes some people metabolize it too quick- codeine was prescribed dipped slightly during says codeine can be safely used in many chil- HAYNEVILLE: This March 2, 2013 file photo shows a woman smoking a cigarette while ly, potentially resulting in dangerous side effects the study. But the authors estimated the yearly dren, especially older kids. Children typically sitting in her truck in Hayneville, Ala. Few Americans question that smoking causes including excessive sleepiness and difficulty number of codeine visits ranged from almost are monitored in the ER after getting codeine cancer. But as we get farther from our own bodies and the present, a new AP-GfK poll breathing. The Food and Drug Administration 560,000 to 877,000. Information on any side and would not be sent home with a prescrip- shows Americans have much more doubts in other concepts that scientists say are issued its strictest warning last year about a rare effects was not included in the data. The study tion if they had a bad reaction or it didn’t work, basic truth: Global warming, evolution, and their largest question mark was in the risk for life-threatening complications or death in was published online yesterday in Pediatrics. he said. —AP Big Bang that created the universe. — AP TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 HEALTH & SCIENCE WHAT’S ON TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

PGA spring festival of football at Bayan Park

he Premier Goal Academy (PGA) in association with Everton F.C., under the sponsorship of Porsche TCentre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company, held their 2014 Spring Festival of Football event at Bayan Park under the patronage of the British Ambassador, Frank Baker. In total, over 600 players aged 3 to 18 participated in the Porsche Centre Kuwait sponsored event, including teams from the PGA/Everton Coaching Courses and Everton Centre of Excellence, as well as numerous private schools and football academies from across Kuwait, including teams from Arsenal, Saracens, Skelps, Don Bosco and Hawally Pakistan English School. A huge turnout of enthusiastic parents and spectators cheered on and encouraged the players, who were superbly organized and guided by their coaches throughout a series of exciting matches. Porsche Centre Kuwait pre- sented their Porsche Kids Driving School to promote Road Safety to the young participants and Baroue enter- tained everyone with the Zorb Ball, trampoline, jungle animals and food court. Ambassador Frank Baker and several other VIP guests players and coaches who took part, saying: “Apart from participate in sporting activities which contribute to the players and teams to such an exceptionally high presented medals to all participants, as well as certifi- the joy of the game itself, football is a wonderful way to maintaining a healthy lifestyle” ambassador added, standard.” cates of appreciation to event sponsors and supporters. encourage young people to become physically active, “Congratulations to all who took part and made this fab- The next P.G.A. Coaching Course will take place Ambassador Baker expressed his appreciation and improve fitness, and develop their communication and ulous event possible - to Premier Goal Academy organiz- throughout this month and May at Bayan and everyone is recognition for the collective effort behind such an good teamwork - essential skills as they grow up. In this ers and the other generous contributors, and all the welcome to participate. There will be courses in Football important community event, and congratulated all the day and age of hi tech entertainment it is important to teachers and coaches who have taught and encouraged and Basketball available for children aged 3 to 16 years. Greetings

ousuf Saleem celebrated graduating from kindergarten at the Pakistani School with Yfamily and friends. Second tower officially opens as JW Marriott Marquis Dubai announces new GM, Bill Keffer

fter celebrating unprecedented Area Director of Operations in the United tower opening has opened at an important occupancy rates for Tower 1 during Kingdom and Ireland until 2009, when he time in Dubai’s development; recent Aits inaugural year, the second tower came to the UAE as General Manager of reports from Dubai Tourism and of the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai has offi- Marriott Dubai Harbour Hotel and Suites. Commerce Marketing (DTCM) predict that cially opened under the leadership of new- Throughout his career, Keffer has been by 2020, Dubai will receive around 20 mil- ly appointed General Manager, Bill Keffer. the recipient of a number of prestigious lion visitors per year. This is due to the Owned by Emirates Group, Dubai’s first awards including Continent General country’s growing prominence as a MICE world-class convention and business desti- Manager of the Year 2012, Continent Hotel destination on the world stage and the nation hotel originally opened in of the Year 2011, Global Hotel of the Year recent Expo 2020 win. In light of this we November 2012 and was awarded World’s are confident our hotel is in a strong posi- Tallest Hotel by the Guinness Book of tion to cater for the increased number of Records shortly after for its considerable visitors, particularly because our confer- height of 355 metres. ence and event facilities are equipped to The iconic Tower 2 will feature an addi- host over 1,000 people to meet, dine and tional 804 luxurious suites and rooms, stay.” bringing the total room count to 1,608, to Keffer added: “Dubai is an attractive be opened gradually throughout the year. destination for large scale conferences and Tower 2 will also introduce a new lounge events - an area the JW Marriott Marquis which will build on the hotel’s current 14- Dubai specializes in. Not only do we have strong portfolio of restaurants and lounges. the right facilities, we have a highly talent- The new offering will have a 72nd floor two ed team made up of associates from all tier function space, appealing to events around the world meaning we are perfect- planners worldwide thanks to its breathtak- ly able to adapt to cultural needs; a key fac- ing views of the Dubai skyline. tor in today’s global economy. We believe Leading the hotel team of 1,200 associ- our hotel has the right offering to help ates and more than 70 nationalities is new- Dubai build upon its reputation as the pre- ly appointed General Manager, Bill Keffer. mier global MICE destination and I am Having spent two years as Hotel Manager delighted to have the opportunity to lead in the hotel, Keffer is well placed to take on the team to further success” the position of General Manager, having Bill Keffer In 2013, the hotel won a total of 16 already led the team to significant opera- international industry and media awards tional success. for 2011, three individual recognitions for for a combination of outstanding restau- Hailing from the Southern state of Leadership and Engagement Excellence rants and lounges, architecture and design, Tennessee in the US, Keffer has held mana- between 2010 and 2012, Food and and innovative business and convention gerial positions with Marriott International Beverage Excellence in 2011, Operational facilities. Serving both the business and for 25 years. Beginning his career in the Excellence in Asia Pacific Region 2005 and a leisure traveller, once fully open the two Four Seasons Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, special award for ‘Investor in People’ in towers will offer 1,608 hotel suites and Keffer joined Marriott International in his Middle East and Africa, 2011.In his past rooms, 9 diverse restaurants, 6 lounges, the home state of Tennessee some time later, assignments he was actively engaged in world-class Saray Spa and 8,500 sqm of followed by positions in Florida and New local community projects and business event space including two ballrooms. York. In 2000, Keffer decided on a move to councils, winning a “Contribution to Located in the heart of Business Bay, min- Asia and spent two years in Japan as the Culture” award in the Marriott Business utes from Dubai World Trade Centre, the Food and Beverage Director of the Council and “Spirit to Serve “Community Dubai International Convention & Renaissance Hotel, Sapporo, followed by award in Dubai. Exhibition Centre and close to Dubai three years in South Korea as Director of Commenting on the tower opening, Bill International Airport, the JW Marriott Operations in the JW Marriott, Seoul. 2005 Keffer, General Manager for the JW Marquis resides in a prime location and is saw a move to Europe taking on the role of Marriott Marquis Dubai said: “The second iconic in the Business Bay skyline. JW Marriott Marquis Dubai WHAT’S ON TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

The participants

Mayson - employee of the year award Majed Sawas Memac Ogilvy Kuwait welcomes ‘Advertising Person of the Year’

n line with the annual regional tour, Memac Ogilvy Kuwait welcomed Founder, Chairman and CEO of IMemac Ogilvy - Edmond Moutran, at the annual Red Breakfast event which was held at the Sheraton Four Points hotel. Moutranmet with the local team to recog- nize outstanding efforts and demonstration of impactful work over the year. During the Red Breakfast event, a number of employ- ees were honored for their long-standing years in the agency and for their commitment in contributing to the success of Memac Ogilvy. Also during the same event, the ‘Employee of the Year’ was exceptionally awarded to Mayson Kamah, Senior Art Director, for her outstanding performance and dedication in 2013. In his speech made during the ceremony, Moutran congratulated everyone for winning the Lynx ‘Network of the Year’ in Dubai on March 12th, 2014. Memac Ogilvy Dubai received on the same date ‘Agency of the Year’ honors.It is worth noting that during the same evening, Moutran himself received ‘Advertising Person of the Year’ honors from the organizers of the Lynx Festival. The triple crown was never received by the same group in the past. Memac Ogilvy bagged a total of 46 awards at the Dubai Lynx Awards 2014, 2 Grand Prix, 14 Gold, 23 Silver Eddie cake Nabil Touma Managing Director, Marianne Bechar with Edmond Moutran and 7 Bronze awards on top of the 72 shortlists. Moutran also commented on the success of the Memac Ogilvy group in 2013 and explained to his audi- existing disciplines of Advertising and Public Relations another 20% equity in the Memac Ogilvy group in the strengthen the ties with Ogilvy and Mather worldwide ence, the strategic direction for 2014 and the expansion and introducing news disciplines and services such as MENA region, which puts the ownership at 60% WPP & and WPP, which will immediately translate into better plans designed for the group to grow even further in the Activation, Healthcare and Social Media to name a few. Ogilvy and 40% local equity.. This shift of majority will training and more career prospects for our people future. In Kuwait, these plans include strengthening the Moutran added that WPP & Ogilvy has acquired not change the local management but it will simply regionally and internationally. AUK participates in the CFA Institute Research Challenge 2014

he Chartered Financial Analysts “After weeks of intense and careful Society in Kuwait organized a chal- preparation, we were able to present and Tlenge, entitled the CFA Institute justify our analysis clearly during a ques- Research Challenge, for university students tions and answers session fielded by an in Kuwait to create and present an equity imposing panel of judges,” said Sally report for Jazeera Airways. Held for the first Zaghloul, a Finance Major at AUK and team time in Kuwait, students from the leader. The panel included Talal Al-Tawari, American University of Kuwait (AUK), Head of GCC stock at Gulf Investment Kuwait University (KU), the American Company; Ziad Al-Qaisey, Chief Investment University of the Middle East (AUM), and Officer at KAMCO; Karim Kamal, Executive the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) par- Director for Brokerage & Research at NBK ticipated in the challenge. Capital; and Mr. Gururaj Rao, Chief Five students majoring in Finance at Investment Officer at Noor Financial AUK participated in the CFA Institute Investment Company. Research Challenge; Sally Zaghloul, Jihan Professors John Russell, Dean College of Kablaoui, Manit Kaur, Nigel D’souza and Business and Economics, and Mr. MireilleTannous. Prior to conducting their RafiqulBhuyan, Professor of Finance at research, the students had the opportunity AUK, attended the presentations to to meet with Jazeera Airways Chief encourage and support AUK’s team. Financial Officer (CFO), Donald Hubbard, Following the challenge, a ceremony who provided all the participants with a was held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in briefing on the airline’s performance in Salmiya where the AUK team was awarded recent years, then proceeded to answer with Outstanding Investment Research questions the participants had. The CFA certificates. Institute Research Challenge required the The 2014 CFA Institute Research participants to play the role of financial Challenge in Kuwait was organized by CFA analysts and value a publicly traded stock, Robin Bhattacharya, who also served as provide a written paper for their analysis the intermediary between the student par- and then present their recommendations ticipants and Jazeera Airways. The team to a panel of investment industry experts. was mentored throughout the completion The AUK team was mentored by Raghu of the challenge by Dr Bhuyan, and Raghu Mandagolathur, Senior Vice President at Mandagolathur, Senior Vice President at (From left) CFA President Rafik Hafez; AUK Professor of Finance, Dr Rafiqul Bhuyan; AUK students Manit Kaur, Nigel D’souza, Sally Kuwait Financial Centre/Markaz. Kuwait Financial Centre/Markaz. Zaghloul, and Jihan Kablaoui; Senior Vice President at Kuwait Financial Centre, Raghu Mandagolathur. TV PROGRAMS TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

13:00 How Do They Do It? 13:30 Bang Goes The Theory 13:55 Bang Goes The Theory 14:20 Mythbusters Kerry Washington: 00:45 Megalodon: The Monster 00:30 Crime Stories 15:10 Smash Lab Shark Lives 01:30 My Ghost Story 16:00 Mighty Ships 02:25 Safari Vet School 02:30 Killers: Behind The Myth Filming ‘Scandal’ while 16:50 How The Earth Works 02:50 Safari Vet School 03:30 The Yorkshire Ripper: Peter 17:40 Kings Of Construction 03:15 Too Cute! Sutcliffe 18:30 Mega Builders pregnant wasn’t easy 04:05 My Pet’s Gone Viral 04:30 Private Crimes 19:20 The Gadget Show 04:30 My Pet’s Gone Viral 05:00 Beyond Scared Straight 19:45 How Do They Do It? erry 04:55 Animal Cops Phoenix 06:00 The First 48 20:10 Mythbusters Washington 05:45 Animal Maternity Ward 07:00 Private Crimes 21:00 Da Vinci’s Machines admits it hasn’t 06:35 Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors 07:30 Private Crimes K 21:50 Rocket City Rednecks been “easy” filming 07:00 Escape To Chimp Eden 08:00 Private Crimes 22:15 Rocket City Rednecks ‘Scandal’ while preg- 07:25 Panda Adventures With Nigel 10:00 Fatal Vows 22:40 Bang Goes The Theory nant. The 37-year-old Marven 11:00 Beyond Scared Straight 23:05 Bang Goes The Theory 08:15 Wild France 12:00 Evil Up Close beauty is expecting 09:10 Nature’s Newborns 13:00 Family That Slays Together her first child with hus- 10:05 Safari Vet School 14:00 Fatal Vows band Nnamdi 11:00 Animal Precinct 15:00 Fred Dinenage: Murder Asomugha, but 11:55 Escape To Chimp Eden Casebook because her pregnan- 16:00 Curious & Unusual Deaths 12:20 Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors 00:30 Scorned: Crimes Of Passion cy wasn’t echoed in 16:30 Private Crimes 12:50 From Pound Pups To Dog 01:20 Disappeared her character Olivia 17:00 Homicide Hunter Stars 02:10 Fatal Encounters Pope, she has found it 18:00 The First 48 13:45 Wild Things With Dominic 03:00 Couples Who Kill a “challenge” to take a 19:00 The Devil You Know Monaghan 03:45 Nightmare Next Door different approach to her work. She explained to The 20:00 Beyond Scared Straight 14:40 Safari Vet School 04:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner Hollywood Reporter: “I work very physically as an 21:00 Private Crimes 15:05 Safari Vet School 05:20 Disappeared actor. The biggest thing for me has been the chal- 21:30 Evil Up Close 15:30 My Cat From Hell 06:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn lenge of how to be this person [Olivia Pope] with the 22:30 I Killed My BFF 16:30 Wild France 07:00 Murder Shift personal transformation that’s going on for me physi- 23:30 Model Killers 17:25 Crocodile Hunter 07:50 Extreme Forensics cally and how to stay true to this character. That 18:20 Predator’s Prey 08:40 I Was Murdered hasn’t been easy. “It’s been an awesome challenge for 18:50 Predator’s Prey 09:05 Stalked: Someone’s Watching me as an actor because so much of how I access char- 19:15 Animal Clinic 09:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner acter is through my body. It’s definitely been compli- 20:10 Animal Maternity Ward 10:20 On The Case With Paula Zahn cated to say the least.” And Kerry feels “grateful” to all 21:05 Echo And The Elephants Of 11:10 Disappeared the team who work on the show for their hard work Amboseli 00:30 Gold Rush 12:00 Murder Shift in allowing her to continue filming while keeping her 22:00 Animal Clinic 01:20 Klondike 12:50 I Was Murdered 22:55 Animal Maternity Ward 02:10 Gold Divers changing shape concealed. She added: “I’m just 13:15 Stalked: Someone’s Watching grateful for how hard everybody has worked to main- 23:50 Animal Cops Phoenix 03:00 You Have Been Warned 13:40 Extreme Forensics tain the authenticity of this character in this world. 03:50 Border Security - Series 6 14:30 Disappeared Specials 15:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner “I’m grateful to [costume designer] Lyn Paolo and all 04:15 Auction Hunters: Pawn Shop 16:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn our producers.” Edition 17:00 Murder Shift 04:40 The Liquidator 17:50 Extreme Forensics 00:25 Doctors 05:05 How Stuff Works 18:40 I Was Murdered 00:50 Waking The Dead 05:30 How Stuff’s Made 19:05 Stalked: Someone’s Watching Weisz and Craig 01:45 Only Fools And Horses 06:00 Get Out Alive With Bear 19:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner 02:15 Rev. Grylls 20:20 Disappeared want a baby 02:45 The Children 07:00 You Have Been Warned 21:10 On The Case With Paula Zahn 03:35 Spooks 07:50 Flying Wild Alaska 22:00 Stalked: Someone’s Watching achel Weisz and 04:25 Me & Mrs Jones 08:40 Fast N’ Loud 22:25 Stalked: Someone’s Watching Daniel Craig 05:00 Tweenies 09:30 Border Security - Series 6 22:50 Deadly Women want to have a 05:20 The Green Balloon Club R Specials 23:40 True Crime Scene baby. The couple, who 05:45 Poetry Pie 09:55 Auction Hunters: Pawn Shop SHADOW DANCER ON OSN MOVIES HD 05:50 Little Human Planet tied the knot in a Edition secret ceremony in 05:55 Show Me Show Me 10:20 The Liquidator New York City in front 06:15 Tweenies 10:45 How Stuff Works 17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 06:35 The Green Balloon Club 11:10 How Stuff’s Made 18:00 The Simpsons of just four guests, 07:00 Poetry Pie 11:35 Gold Rush 18:30 Raising Hope including the ‘Skyfall’ 07:05 Little Human Planet 12:25 Klondike 19:30 Trophy Wife star’s daughter Ella, 22, 07:10 Show Me Show Me 13:15 Gold Divers 00:00 Chelsea Lately 20:00 The Tonight Show Starring 02:00 Extremities-18 and the actress’ son 07:30 Only Fools And Horses 14:05 Border Security 00:30 The Dance Scene 00:00 The Two Million Year Old Boy Jimmy Fallon 03:30 Trishna-18 Henry, seven, in June 08:00 Me & Mrs Jones 14:30 Auction Hunters: Pawn Shop 00:55 The Dance Scene 01:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon 05:30 Citizen Gangster-PG15 2011, are reportedly 08:30 Rev. Edition 01:25 Style Star 02:00 Hunter Hunted Stewart 07:15 Night Falls On Manhattan- ready to expand their 09:00 Eastenders 14:55 The Liquidator 01:50 Style Star 03:00 Helicopter Wars 21:30 The Colbert Report PG15 family as they are 09:30 Doctors 15:20 Manhunt 02:20 E! Investigates 04:00 Big, Bigger, Biggest 22:00 The Big C 09:15 Someday This Pain Will Be more in love than ever. 10:00 Upstairs Downstairs 16:10 Fast N’ Loud 03:15 Extreme Close-Up 05:00 Animal Intervention 22:30 Web Therapy Useful To You-PG15 A source told Us 10:55 The Weakest Link 17:00 Ultimate Survival 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 06:00 Helicopter Wars 23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers 11:00 Wuthering Heights-PG15 Weekly magazine: 11:40 Only Fools And Horses 17:50 Wheeler Dealers 04:10 E!ES 07:00 My Dog Ate What? 13:00 The Wild Hunt-PG15 “They talk about hav- 12:10 Me & Mrs Jones 18:40 You Have Been Warned 05:05 THS 08:00 The Two Million Year Old Boy 15:00 Ed Wood-PG15 ing kids together. It’s 12:40 Rev. 19:30 Get Out Alive With Bear 06:00 THS 09:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 17:15 Wuthering Heights-PG15 about timing at this 13:10 Eastenders 10:00 Hunter Hunted Grylls 07:50 Style Star 19:15 The Caller-PG15 point.” The insider 13:40 Doctors 11:00 Helicopter Wars 03:00 Nip/Tuck 21:00 Notes On A Scandal-18 08:20 E! News added: “They’re so happy.” The 44-year-old brunette 14:10 Upstairs Downstairs 12:00 Big, Bigger, Biggest 12:00 Emmerdale 22:45 Puncture-18 09:15 Scouted beauty looked besotted with her husband, 46, as they 15:05 The Weakest Link 10:15 Married To Jonas 13:00 Animal Intervention 12:30 Coronation Street made a rare red carpet appearance at the 15:50 Me & Mrs Jones 10:40 Chasing The Saturdays 14:00 Helicopter Wars 16:00 Emmerdale 16:20 Lark Rise To Candleford 11:10 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 15:00 My Dog Ate What? 16:30 Coronation Street Opportunity Network gala in Manhattan, New York on April 7, where they accepted an award for their chari- 17:10 Eastenders 00:20 The Gadget Show 11:35 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 16:00 Ancient Secrets: China’s Lost 19:00 Once Upon A Time In 17:40 Doctors 00:45 How Do They Do It? 12:05 E! News Pyramids Wonderland 01:00 Bullet To The Head-18 ty work. An eyewitness said: “When they came on 18:10 The Weakest Link 01:10 Mega Builders 13:05 Extreme Close-Up 17:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 20:00 Grey’s Anatomy 03:00 Remember Sunday-PG15 stage, she never too her eyes off Daniel as he spoke.” 19:00 Last Of The Summer Wine 02:00 Kings Of Construction 13:35 THS 18:00 Hunter Hunted 21:00 Unforgettable 05:00 Gambit-PG15 Rachel previously admitted she hadn’t ruled out hav- 19:30 Me & Mrs Jones 02:45 Mythbusters 14:30 Style Star 19:00 Air Crash Investigation 22:00 True Detective 07:00 Now Is Good-PG15 ing more children. She said: “Oh, I wouldn’t make one 20:00 Upstairs Downstairs 03:35 Bang Goes The Theory 15:00 Keeping Up With The 20:00 Access 360 World Heritage 23:00 Nip/Tuck 09:00 Madea’s Witness Protection- just for the sake of giving my son a sibling. But ...you 20:55 Mistresses 04:00 Bang Goes The Theory Kardashians 21:00 Engineering Connections PG15 never know.” The ‘Lovely Bones’ star also said becom- 21:45 Absolutely Fabulous 04:30 Moon Machines 16:00 Keeping Up With The 22:00 Air Crash Investigation 11:00 Mirror Mirror-PG15 ing a mother to Henry, whose father is ‘Black Swan’ 22:15 Silk 05:20 Smash Lab Kardashians 23:00 Card Shark 13:00 Shadow Dancer-PG15 director Darren Aronofsky, had made her “much hap- 23:05 The Weakest Link 06:10 How The Earth Works 17:00 Eric And Jessie: Game On 15:00 The Expendables 2-PG15 pier.” In an interview in 2009, she said: “I think being a 23:50 Eastenders 07:00 Penn & Teller Tell A Lie 17:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On 17:00 Madea’s Witness Protection- 01:00 Good Morning America mum and having a child has completely grounded 07:55 You Have Been Warned 18:00 The Drama Queen PG15 05:00 Good Morning America me. It’s amazing, and I’ve never been happier in my 08:45 Bang Goes The Theory 19:00 THS 19:00 Lincoln-PG15 14:00 Live Good Morning America life. Being a mum is just delicious, and Henry is so 09:10 Bang Goes The Theory 20:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills 21:30 Gangster Squad-18 19:00 24 scrumptious I could just eat him up.” 09:40 How The Earth Works 20:30 Giuliana & Bill 23:30 Warm Bodies-18 00:20 Wild Case Files 20:00 Covert Affairs 10:30 Mighty Ships 21:30 Giuliana & Bill 01:10 Shark Attack Experiment 21:00 The Glades 00:00 BBC World 11:20 Moon Machines 22:30 Fashion Police 02:00 Built for the Kill 22:00 Strike Back 01:00 BBC World 12:10 Smash Lab 23:30 Chelsea Lately Franco’s ex-manager 02:50 Animal Intervention 23:00 Hannibal 03:45 Python Hunters sued for allegedly stealing 04:40 Built For The Kill 05:35 Built for the Kill 00:00 The Double-PG15 ames Franco’s ex- 06:30 Animal Intervention 02:00 Celeste And Jesse Forever- manager is being 07:25 Python Hunters PG15 sued for allegedly 08:20 Going Wild J 00:00 Billy Bathgate-18 04:00 A View From Here-PG15 stealing from the actor 09:15 Dangerous Encounters 02:00 Apartment 1303-PG15 06:00 Magic Journey To Africa- for eight years. Miles 10:10 Man v. Monster 04:00 Dangerous Attraction-PG15 PG15 Levy, who represented 11:05 Wild Wild West 06:00 Vantage Point-PG15 08:00 The Runway-PG15 the ‘Oz the Great and 12:00 Monster Fish 08:00 Chinese Zodiac-PG15 10:00 Love Birds-PG15 Powerful’ star for 20 12:55 Built for the Kill 10:00 Batman: The Dark Knight 12:00 Celeste And Jesse Forever- years until last year, has 13:50 Animal Intervention Returns Part Two-PG15 PG15 been accused by his for- 14:45 Python Hunters 12:00 Kung Fu Hustle-PG15 14:00 Jesse Stone: Benefit Of The mer business partners, 15:40 Going Wild 14:00 Chinese Zodiac-PG15 Doubt-PG15 Randall James and 16:35 Dangerous Encounters 16:00 Sins Expiation-PG15 16:00 The Runway-PG15 Kenneth Jacobson, of 17:30 Man v. Monster 18:00 Kung Fu Hustle-PG15 17:45 Star Trek Into Darkness-PG15 diverting the actor’s commissions to one of his own 18:25 Wild Wild West 20:00 Double Jeopardy-18 20:00 Killing Them Softly-18 companies between 2006 and 2013. They claim that 19:20 Built for the Kill 22:00 Dragon Eyes-PG15 22:00 Mama-18 Levy informed them the star was reducing their commis- 20:10 Animal Intervention sions from 15 percent to 10 percent in May 2006, but lat- 21:00 Python Hunters er discovered James “had never directed any such thing,” 21:50 Going Wild and Levy diverted the five percent difference to his other 22:40 Dangerous Encounters company Down Goes Frazier. Court documents - filed on 23:30 Man v. Monster 00:00 Revenge Of The Nerds-18 Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court - also state that 01:00 Super Rugby 01:45 Ted-18 Levy made “substantial” personal credit card charges on 03:00 NRL Premiership 03:45 The Beautician And The a card provided to him by the 35-year-old star, according 05:00 NRL Premiership Beast-PG15 to Variety.com. 05:45 The Producers-PG15 07:00 Super Rugby 08:00 The Three Stooges-PG15 09:00 Super Rugby 10:00 Spy Hard-PG15 11:00 AFL Premiership 00:00 Parks And Recreation 12:00 The Beautician And The 12:00 Live Snooker Leighton Meester 00:30 The Daily Show Global Beast-PG15 16:00 ICC Cricket 360 Edition 14:00 Scrooged-PG15 16:30 Live Snooker 01:00 The Colbert Report Global praises Adam Brody 16:00 Spy Hard-PG15 20:00 NRL Full Time Edition 18:00 Ghostbusters-PG 20:30 Futbol Mundial 01:30 Girls eighton Meester 20:00 Slap Shot-18 21:00 Live Snooker 04:00 All Of Us thinks her new hus- 22:15 Revenge Of The Nerds-18 04:30 The Tonight Show Starring Lband Adam Brody is Jimmy Fallon “incredible.” The former 05:30 My Boys ‘Gossip Girl’ star, who tied 06:30 My Name Is Earl the knot with the actor in 07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers 00:00 Golfing World a secret ceremony in 08:00 All Of Us 01:00 Trans World Sport February after meeting 01:00 The Forger-PG15 08:30 My Boys 02:00 Snooker him on the set of their 03:00 Cheerful Weather For The 09:30 2 Broke Girls 06:00 Trans World Sport film ‘The Oranges’ in Wedding-PG15 10:00 Trophy Wife 07:00 Golfing World 2011, loved getting the 05:00 Carnage-PG15 10:30 My Name Is Earl 08:00 PGA Tour Highlights chance to work with him 07:00 Flower Girl-PG15 11:00 The Tonight Show Starring 09:00 Premier League Darts again on their upcoming 09:00 The Forger-PG15 Jimmy Fallon 12:30 Super Rugby movie, ‘Life Partners.’ The 27-year-old actress told Newsday: 11:00 Cheerful Weather For The 12:30 All Of Us 14:30 Golfing World “That pesky guy. That came along just by chance. I was like, Wedding-PG15 13:00 My Boys 15:30 NRL Premiership ‘I’m gonna be playing the person you’re not dating. That 13:00 Beneath Hill 60-PG15 13:30 My Name Is Earl 17:30 ICC Cricket 360 OK? I’m gonna be playing the opposite of that.’ And yeah, 15:00 The Entitled-PG15 14:30 2 Broke Girls 18:00 AFL Premiership Highlights I’m biased-but he’s incredible in it.” She added: “It was the 17:00 Too Late To Say Goodbye- 15:00 Trophy Wife 19:00 Golfing World best. We basically got to say whatever came to our minds. PG15 15:30 The Daily Show Global 20:00 Champions Tour Highlights There was a lot of improv.” The brunette beauty is currently 19:00 Buried-PG15 Edition 21:00 PGA Tour Highlights starring in the Broadway production ‘Of Mice and Men’ with 21:00 This Must Be The Place-18 16:00 The Colbert Report Global 22:00 NRL Full Time Chris O’Dowd and James Franco. —AP 23:00 50/50-PG15 KUNG FU HUSTLE ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION Edition 22:30 Futbol Mundial Classifieds

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY NOTICE FLOOR FOR RENT (17/04/2014 TO 23/04/2014) April IN SURRA 10, 2014 SHARQIA-1 RIO 2 (DIG) 6:45 PM BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 1:30 PM OPEN GRAVE (DIG) 8:45 PM CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 3:30 PM OPEN GRAVE (DIG) 10:45 PM TOKAREV (DIG) 6:15 PM OPEN GRAVE (DIG) 12:45 AM Super Deluxe finishing, BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 8:15 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED Mr. Nikhil Kumar Musku son of Mr. Musku Raja Reddy, BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 10:15 PM Indian national, resident of H.No. 4-2-237/10, Thulasi BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 12:15 AM FANAR-3 Nagar, Jagtial, District Karim Nagar, Andhra Pradesh - marble floors, 4 bedrooms, NO SUN+TUE+WED BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 1:00 PM 505 327 and Miss Romina Sindurakar daughter of Mr. TOKAREV (DIG) 3:00 PM Manik Ratna Sindurakar, Nepal - National, resident of 4 baths, big salon, large SHARQIA-2 BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 5:00 PM Pakanajol 16, Kathmandu, Nepal, both presently residing RIO 2 (DIG) 12:30 PM TOKAREV (DIG) 7:00 PM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 2:30 PM BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 9:00 PM in Kuwait, have given notice of intended marriage equipped kitchen, separate THU+MON BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 11:00 PM between them under the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969. If RIO 2 (DIG-3D) 2:30 PM BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 1:00 AM anyone has any objection to the proposed marriage, FRI+SAT NO SUN+TUE+WED he/she may file the same with the undersigned accord- entrance, overlooking RIO 2 (DIG) 5:00 PM ing to the procedure laid down under the Act/Rule TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 7:15 PM FANAR-4 TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 9:45 PM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 2:15 PM within thirty days from the date of publication of this the main road. TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 12:15 AM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 4:45 PM notice. NO SUN+TUE+WED TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 7:15 PM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 9:45 PM (S. K. Dudeja) Embassy of India, Kuwait. SHARQIA-3 TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 12:15 AM Second Secretary (Consular) P.O.Box 1450-Safat-13015 BL. #2, St. # 5, Plot # 606 AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 12:45 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED and Marriage Officer OCULUS (DIG) 2:45 PM Kuwait. AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 4:45 PM FANAR-5 Call: 99424726 OCULUS (DIG) 6:45 PM OCULUS (DIG) 12:45 PM AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 8:45 PM OCULUS (DIG) 3:00 PM WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 10:45 PM CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 5:00 PM Prayer timings REQUIRED OCULUS (DIG) 12:15 AM NO THU+FRI+SAT FOR SALE RACE GURRAM (DIG) (Telugu) 5:00 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED Fajr: 03:51 THU+ FRI+SAT Toyota Prado (4 clr) 2006, BIG COMPANY MUHALAB-1 OCULUS (DIG) 8:00 PM BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 12:30 PM OCULUS (DIG) 10:00 PM golden color, in very good Shorook 05:15 requires OCULUS (DIG) 2:30 PM OCULUS (DIG) 12:05 AM condition. KD 3,450. Tel: BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 4:30 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED 50994848. (C 4704) Duhr: 11:47 OUTDOOR BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 6:30 PM SALES MAN OCULUS (DIG) 8:30 PM MARINA-1 Camry GLX (full option sun Asr: 15:22 BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 10:30 PM OCULUS (DIG) 12:30 PM roof) color-gray metallic, Must Have OCULUS (DIG) 12:30 AM WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 2:30 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 4:30 PM model 2010, km 75200, Maghrib: 18:18 driving license WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 6:30 PM cash KD 3750. Call: MUHALAB-2 AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 8:30 PM 97800987. (C 4706) Isha: 19:40 [email protected] CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 1:00 PM OCULUS (DIG) 10:30 PM 22-4-2014 Fax: 24761284 AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 3:45 PM OCULUS (DIG) 12:45 AM SUN+TUE+WED NO SUN+TUE+WED CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 3:00 PM WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 5:45 PM MARINA-2 CHANGE OF NAME AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 7:45 PM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 2:00 PM AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 9:45 PM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 4:45 PM No: 16143 CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 11:45 PM CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (DIG) 7:15 PM I, Mohmood Abdul NO SUN+TUE+WED TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 10:00 PM Abubakar S/O Mohmood TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 12:30 AM Abdul Kareem of Indian MUHALAB-3 NO SUN+TUE+WED Passport No. E8783786 TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 12:30 PM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 3:00 PM MARINA-3 hereby change my name to THU+MON RIO 2 (DIG) 1:45 PM Mohmood Abdul Abubakar RIO 2 (DIG-3D) 3:15 PM RIO 2 (DIG) 4:00 PM S/O Mohmood Abdul FRI+SAT RIO 2 (DIG) 6:15 PM Kareem R/O 12-11-659/A RIO 2 (DIG-3D) 5:30 PM BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 8:15 PM Warasiguda, Sec-bad, HYD - TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 7:45 PM BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 10:15 PM TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 10:15 PM BRICK MANSIONS (DIG) 12:15 AM AP, India. (C 4705) TRANSCENDENCE (DIG) 12:45 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED 22-4-2014 NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-1 FANAR-1 AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 2:15 PM AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 12:30 PM AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 4:30 PM SITUATION WANTED AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 2:30 PM AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 6:45 PM WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 4:30 PM AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 9:00 PM An academic Arabic AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 6:30 PM AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 11:15 PM teacher 35 years experience WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 8:30 PM in teaching Arabic lan- AL MA3DIYA (DIG) 10:30 PM AVENUES-2 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 12:30 AM WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 1:45 PM guage for foreigners. Tel: NO SUN+TUE+WED TOKAREV (DIG) 3:45 PM 99538080. (C 4702) WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 5:45 PM 22-4-2014 FANAR-2 WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 7:45 PM 24835616/7 ,24833199 RIO 2 (DIG) 2:00 PM WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 9:45 PM RIO 2 (DIG) 4:30 PM WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (DIG) 11:45 PM

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 22/4/2014 QTR 1078 Doha 13:45 Departure Flights on Tuesday 22/4/2014 THY 767 Istanbul 14:10 Airlines Flt Route Time KAC 672 Dubai 13:50 Airlines Flt Route Time UAE 872 Dubai 14:15 QTR 1084 Doha 00:05 FDB 057 Dubai 13:55 AIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05 KAC 521 Al Najaf 14:15 JZR 239 Amman 00:20 GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20 PIA 206 Lahore 00:15 FDB 058 Dubai 14:35 JZR 267 Beirut 00:25 SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30 JAI 573 Mumbai 00:20 QTR 1079 Doha 14:55 JZR 539 Cairo 00:30 KNE 472 Jeddah 14:40 BBC 044 Dhaka 00:35 GFA 222 Bahrain 15:05 PIA 239 Sialkot 01:05 KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00 KLM 411 Amsterdam 00:55 KAC 673 Dubai 15:05 PGT 858 Istanbul 01:25 KAC 562 Amman 15:30 JZR 502 Luxor 01:30 KAC 617 Doha 15:30 THY 764 Istanbul 01:40 ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35 DLH 635 Frankfurt 01:35 KNE 473 Jeddah 15:35 THY 773 Istanbul 02:20 SVA 501 Jeddah 15:45 ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45 RJA 640 Amman 15:55 PIA 240 Sialkot 02:20 KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50 RJA 642 Amman 01:45 FDB 051 Dubai 15:55 ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45 ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15 GFA 211 Bahrain 01:55 JZR 325 Al Najaf 16:10 PGT 859 Istanbul 02:55 FDB 052 Dubai 16:35 UAE 853 Dubai 02:25 QTR 1072 Doha 16:15 UAE 854 Dubai 03:45 RJA 641 Amman 16:55 ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:30 ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:45 FDB 068 Dubai 03:45 JZR 266 Beirut 17:05 JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:35 UAE 857 Dubai 16:55 MSR 613 Cairo 04:15 QTR 1073 Doha 17:20 FDB 067 Dubai 03:05 SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15 ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:20 JZR 538 Cairo 17:40 MSR 612 Cairo 03:15 UAL 982 IAD 17:25 OMA 644 Muscat 04:20 ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:45 OMA 643 Muscat 03:20 GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30 QTR 1077 Doha 04:25 UAE 858 Dubai 18:15 QTR 1076 Doha 03:25 JZR 177 Dubai 17:45 MSC 406 Sohag 05:00 SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15 MSC 401 Alexandria 04:00 KAC 678 Muscat/Abu Dhabi 17:55 QTR 1085 Doha 05:20 GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20 THY 770 Istanbul 04:35 KAC 522 Al Najaf 17:55 JZR 560 Sohag 05:35 JZR 184 Dubai 18:20 DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10 KAC 542 Cairo 18:15 THY 765 Istanbul 06:00 UAL 982 Bahrain 18:40 FDB 069 Dubai 05:50 QTR 1080 Doha 18:25 JAI 575 Abu Dhabi/Kochi 06:30 JZR 238 Amman 18:45 KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15 KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30 FDB 070 Dubai 06:30 JZR 134 Bahrain 18:50 BAW 157 London 06:35 KAC 166 Paris/Rome 18:40 RJA 643 Amman 06:35 QTR 1081 Doha 19:25 KAC 416 Jakarta /Kuala KAC 104 London 18:45 THY 771 Istanbul 06:50 FDB 064 Dubai 19:25 Lumpur FDB 063 Dubai 18:45 GFA 212 Bahrain 07:00 ABY 120 Sharjah 19:40 JZR 164 Dubai 07:15 JZR 503 Luxor 07:40 AXB 393 Kozhikode 18:55 GFA 218 Bahrain 19:50 BAW 156 London 08:25 FDB 053 Dubai 07:45 KAC 618 Doha 19:00 AXB 394 Kozhikode 19:55 FDB 054 Dubai 08:25 KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50 ABY 129 Sharjah 19:00 KAC 283 Dhaka 20:30 SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55 JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35 KAC 206 Islamabad 07:50 GFA 217 Bahrain 19:05 QTR 1087 Doha 08:55 QTR 1086 Doha 07:55 KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15 FDB 062 Dubai 20:50 KAC 513 Tehran 09:15 KAC 361 Colombo 20:50 SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55 KAC 674 Dubai 19:25 ABY 126 Sharjah 09:30 KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:00 JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35 OMA 648 Muscat 20:55 KAC 613 Bahrain 09:30 KAC 343 Chennai 20:55 KAC 352 Kochi 08:05 OMA 647 Muscat 19:55 KAC 787 Jeddah 09:35 DLH 636 Dammam 21:00 UAE 855 Dubai 08:25 FDB 061 Dubai 20:05 KAC 671 Dubai 09:35 KAC 351 Kochi 21:05 ABY 125 Sharjah 08:50 MEA 402 Beirut 20:15 UAE 856 Dubai 09:50 MEA 403 Beirut 21:15 KAC 284 Dhaka 08:55 DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:15 ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:15 MSR 607 Luxor 21:25 IRA 675 Lar 09:20 MSR 618 Alexandria 20:30 FDB 056 Dubai 10:15 DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50 KLM 415 Amsterdam 20:55 KAC 741 Dammam 10:15 ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:30 KLM 415 Dammam/Amsterdam 21:55 FDB 055 Dubai 09:35 ALK 229 Colombo 21:10 KAC 561 Amman 10:15 IRA 674 Lar 10:20 ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15 QTR 1070 Doha 10:00 UAE 859 Dubai 21:15 ALK 230 Colombo 22:20 GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40 QTR 1074 Doha 21:30 KAC 101 London/New York 10:25 QTR 1071 Doha 11:00 UAE 860 Dubai 22:25 MEA 404 Beirut 10:55 ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30 KAC 381 Delhi 22:30 MSC 405 Sohag 11:20 GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45 KAC 677 Abu Dhabi/Muscat 11:20 KAC 541 Cairo 11:30 QTR 1075 Doha 22:40 JZR 165 Dubai 11:50 JZR 135 Bahrain 21:45 GFA 214 Bahrain 11:35 FDB 060 Dubai 22:40 JZR 561 Sohag 12:00 FDB 059 Dubai 22:00 KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:45 KAC 301 Mumbai 22:40 KAC 614 Bahrain 12:30 SYR 341 Latakia 22:00 MEA 405 Beirut 11:55 GFA 220 Bahrain 22:45 UAE 871 Dubai 12:45 AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:25 MSC 402 Alexandria 12:20 SYR 342 Damascus 23:00 MSR 610 Cairo 13:00 UAL 981 Bahrain 22:40 JZR 324 Al Najaf 12:50 KAC 203 Lahore 23:10 THY 766 Istanbul 13:10 JZR 185 Dubai 22:55 KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00 KAC 205 Islamabad 23:35 KAC 742 Dammam 13:15 JAI 574 Mumbai 23:20 JZR 176 Dubai 13:10 KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:40 KAC 514 Tehran 13:40 THY 772 Istanbul 23:45 MSR 611 Cairo 14:00 JZR 528 Asyut 23:50 DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION stars34 TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014

CROSSWORD 525 STAR TRACK

Aries (March 21-April 19) Libra (September 23-October 22) You are full of confidence now and prepared to put your education or expe- If you can end that negative thinking that seems to happen to all of us from rience to use. Make sure that both your expectations and abilities are realis- time to time, you will find this a great time to interact with co-workers and clients and rise tic before diving into something you may not be able to get out of without harm or above any difficulties with much accomplished by the end of the day. Refuse to join up embarrassment. There is a collision of powerful energies spilling into your life in unpre- with the “worry monster.” Your job and your friend’s job are secure. You may discover, how- dictable ways. Be guided by lists, lists and more lists. The decisions and actions of today ever, that someone has added to the amount of work you usually do. This, however, is tem- will have long-lasting effects. You can be most persuasive with others and you seem to porary and there will eventually be a nice balance. You will see some reward for your bounce your positive attitude back to others all day. Although some of your energy needs efforts-all throughout the day. This evening you are in a great mood and can appreciate direction you seem confident and optimistic. Feeling good about yourself does wonder your achievements and your situation in this world. Water runoff, roof repairs, overgrown for your overall attitude toward life. Buy a butterfly house. ivy comes to your attention for a to-do list in the near future.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You are a genius at understanding others and pride yourself at finding the Right now you are in charge of your life and right now is the time to work best help for people that want your help. Co-workers tend to come to you in search of for what you want. There could be a demanding individual in your day today. When you how best to handle some difficult project. A good profession for you to consider would be talk with this person, use your intelligence to maneuver yourself away from any difficulties. as a teacher, counselor or guide. The need that arises from another country or even your If your job identification does not call for you to respond to difficult customers, you are still own country, calls your name. You and a mate or close friend may find a group of people flexible enough to give a little. Being on the go and keeping a finger to the winds of to back you in traveling for some missionary or volunteer project. You like to help rehabili- change make you feel in touch with the events around you. Positive communication is a tate those that can’t help themselves. Wherever you are, photography is one of your hob- mental satisfaction for you. Everything conspires to reveal you at your most elegant in a bies and can be a very helpful tool. There are some very special people around you. Smile- social situation. Your ambitions may outweigh family activity just now, but you will be firm you will have positive reactions. Happy birthday! to create more family time soon; bravo.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Many distractions today may cause any number of frustrations. Keep your You may find challenges regarding family or political matters today. Instead sense of humor and ask the next person that interrupts your work to take a of just believing something, you need to understand the underlying truth number-you are the new catalog department. You may be looking for advice in many dif- for yourself. If uncertain conversation creates stress in the workplace, you may be the one ferent places and find yourself confused. You have all the answers you need inside your who is called on to uncover the real story. You can demonstrate a deep sensitivity to the ACROSS DOWN own psyche. Enjoy some quiet time this afternoon by surrounding yourself in a quiet envi- needs of others and you are in a good position to communicate concerning groups and 1. Of or relating to near the ear. 1. Port city on southern Honshu on Osaka ronment and asking yourself the questions you have been asking others. You may be very society in general. You may see value for an older person or someone in authority today- Bay. pleased with the input you receive. Emotional security and a sense of nurturing are the you sense when you can be helpful or when you can just be present. Your mind is quite 5. Lacking fresh air. clear and ideas flow easily. If needed, you can exchange a few ideas. Continue to keep the 12. Apparent power to perceive things that 2. Capital city of the Piemonte region of issues felt instinctively now. You may find a relaxing evening at home is in order. Show your loved ones your appreciation of them in your own special way. attitude of trust in others and the willingness to open up to life’s experiences. are not present to the senses. northwestern Italy. 15. The muscular back part of the shank. 3. A native or inhabitant of Iran. 16. Battle in which the ruler of Afghanistan 4. Alternatively, a member of the family defeated the Mahrattas in 1761. Nymphaeaceae. Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Cancer (June 21-July 22) 17. The 17th letter of the Greek alphabet. 5. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates. Communication with a supervisor or boss today can prove beneficial and 18. A peninsula between the Red Sea and the Obtaining and exchanging information is very important for you and you will clear the air of any misunderstandings. You may be of tremendous help Persian Gulf. 6. A state in midwestern United States. do your best to learn good problem-solving techniques. Being more involved with neigh- to a co-worker or associate because of your compassionate nature. If you are involved in 19. Isolated from others. 7. A nucleic acid that transmits genetic infor- bors or siblings satisfies a deep emotional need. Communicating feelings becomes impor- ecology and methods to preserve our planet, you may want to network with different mation from DNA to the cytoplasm. tant. Your work mentally and physically becomes more refined emotionally. Getting your 20. The bureau of the Treasury Department groups. Share ideas of how to find recycling resources such as books, magazines or work- 8. Of a pale purple color. message across and learning how and when to say no successfully is an important issue responsible for tax collections. shops near your neighborhood or community. Get the word out into your neighborhood 9. (possibly Roman) Goddess of horses and for you. You know that your mind and ego are at risk if you cannot foster discrimination as to the different ways to recycle and protect the wildlife. You enjoy being in touch with 21. Obtained from various tropical plants. mules and asses. and clearness. Your willpower and intuition grow little by little and this is the perfect time the new and the different as well as original or old ways of living. Perhaps creating a com- 22. An intensely radioactive metallic element 10. A bar of sand. to work on communication skills. Personal growth is encouraged now as you have gained munity or neighborhood newsletter would help spread information. that occurs in minute amounts in uranium 11. Any of a group of natural steroid alcohols confidence in your work. ores. derived from plants or animals. 24. Cynipid gall wasps, chiefly affecting oaks. 12. Any plant of the genus Erica. 26. A hard copal derived from an African tree. 13. A gesture involving the shoulders. Leo (July 23-August 22) Aquarius (January 20- February 18) 28. The exclusive right of a country to control 14. A temporary police force. A greater appreciation for things of value and the idea of value itself is in You are extremely hardworking and ambitious on the professional level. the air traffic within its borders. 23. A constellation in the southern hemi- You may tend to politely ignore co-workers now in order to meet a quota or goal that you 29. A chain of more than 200 islands about order now. This could be a period of great material gain; it is certainly a time when material sphere near Telescopium and Norma. things have a great deal of importance for you. Before purchasing large, expensive items, previously had in mind. You could be most persuasive with authority figures and this is a 400 miles long in the western central Pacific 25. A republic in southern Europe on the look for ways in which you could invest. Make long-term plans to build your income and good time to show your findings from some research you conducted. This is a significant Ocean. Italian Peninsula. financial holdings through careful, conservative methods and investments. Be realistic in day for you. Good news is finally reaching your ear. Communication with co-workers, 32. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike 27. The branch of engineering science that your expectations of a relationship and do not hesitate to exchange ideas between you friends or relatives may be on your mind this afternoon. This evening you could find your- part of an organism. studies the uses of electricity and the equip- and your loved one concerning future goals and expectations. The plan and process of all self writing and phoning and keeping in touch with out-of-town relatives. All of this week meaningful thinking come from your creative imagination. Allow yourself to be creative is a good time to either take a trip or plan a trip. Vacation plans are included here, particu- 33. Capital and largest city and economic ment for power generation and distribution larly if you do not have children in school-plan ahead. center of Peru. and the control of machines and communi- this evening. Enjoy a bookstore or art show. 36. A male monarch or emperor (especially of cation. Russia prior to 1917). 30. (Welsh) A warrior god. 39. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of 31. A city in central New York. Virgo (August 23-September 22) Pisces (February 19-March 20) Lamaism. 34. (Old Testament) The second patriarch. 35. (Greek mythology) A princess of Colchis You could be somewhat susceptible to misunderstandings at work, partic- You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of 43. The compass point midway between east ularly with members of the opposite sex. If you have a natural tendency others. You see just where you need to be in order to serve others. You com- and southeast. who aided Jason in taking the Golden Fleece from her father. toward gullibility, you must be most observant and prudent at this time. Activities involv- municate well and most of all, you listen. You could be giving a lecture or coordinating 44. (Apocrypha) Jewish heroine in one of the ing the arts and culture come into the workplace now and bring new opportunities for 37. A genus of Sterninae. events. Unfinished business from the past may set up patterns of relying on others instead books of the Apocrypha. your professional advancement. Although you may be tempted to work overtime, take of taking independent action. Trust in your own abilities and you will be extremely pleased 38. According to the Old Testament he was a every opportunity to enjoy family activities. You will always want things to run smoothly, at the results. Perseverance may be difficult if you have always received help. Give yourself 47. A large number or amount. pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel 49. The event of dying or departure from life. but this is a time of new discoveries into your talents and interruptions can appear to keep time to achieve by taking little steps toward your goals. Hang your own carrot in front of (9th century BC). you from moving forward. This is a most positive day, full of beneficial professional choices 51. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which your face by promising yourself a new item you have been wanting for after you achieve 40. American author of inspirational adven- and opportunities to create a calming balance in your home surroundings. your task. Others will appreciate your progress. the pilot is talked down by ground control ture stories for boys. using precision approach radar. 41. A Portuguese province on the south 52. The United Nations agency concerned coast of China and two islands in the South with atomic energy. China Sea. Word Search Yesterday Solution 53. Found along western Atlantic coast. 42. A grant made by a law court. 54. Dearly loved. 45. United States labor organizer who ran for 55. The act of scanning. President as a socialist (1855-1926). 57. A chronic inflammatory collagen disease 46. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent affecting connective tissue (skin or joints). metallic element. 58. (British) A linear measure of 16.5 feet. 48. The capital and largest city of Yemen. 59. The residue that remains when some- 50. A mountainous island in eastern thing is burned. Indonesia. 63. Any of various long-legged carrion-eating 56. Thorny shrub or small tree common in hawks of South and Central America. central Argentina having small orange or yel- 67. (India) Usually in combination. low flowers followed by edible berries. 72. A loose sleeveless outer garment made 60. A device (trade name Aqua-Lung) that from aba cloth. lets divers breathe under water. 73. Continuing at full strength or intensity. 61. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind 76. Title for a civil or military leader (especial- and raisins and almonds. ly in Turkey). 62. Being ten more than one hundred forty. 64. In bed. 77. A spacecraft that carries astronauts from 65. Avatar of Vishnu. the command module to the surface of the 66. Framework for holding objects. moon and back. 68. A condition (mostly in boys) character- 78. The flow of air that is driven backwards by ized by behavioral and learning disorders. an aircraft propeller. 69. A narrow thin strip of wood used as back- 79. A doctor's degree in theology. ing for plaster or to make latticework. 80. A federal agency established to regulate 70. Title for a civil or military leader (especial- the release of new foods and health-related ly in Turkey). products. 71. A pilgrimage to Mecca. 81. Natural nitrogen-containing bases found 74. A pointed tool for marking surfaces or for in plants. punching small holes. 82. A pilgrimage to Mecca. 75. An adherent of any branch of Taoism. Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku Yesterday’s Solution TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 information

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 Al-Madeena 22418714 Al-Shuhada 22545171 GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883 Sabah Hospital 24812000 Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558 Amiri Hospital 22450005 Sabhan 24742838 Maternity Hospital 24843100 Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518 Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622 Al-Helaly 22434853 Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700 Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184 Al-Faiha 22545051 Chest Hospital 24849400 Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010 Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201 Adan Hospital 23940620 Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300 Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Al-Razi Hospital 24846000 Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075 Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9 Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549 Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559 Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554 Ahmadi 23980088 Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264 Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Kaizen center 25716707 Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144 Al-Jahra 25610011 Khaldiya 24848075 Al-Salmiya 25616368 Kaifan 24849807 Shamiya 24848913 INTERNATIONAL Shuwaikh 24814507 CALLS Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804 Afghanistan 0093 Iran 0098 Albania 00355 Iraq 00964 Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764 Algeria 00213 Ireland 00353 Qadsiya 22515088 Andorra 00376 Italy 0039 Angola 00244 Ivory Coast 00225 Dasmah 22532265 Anguilla 001264 Jamaica 001876 Antiga 001268 Japan 0081 Bneid Al-Gar 22531908 Argentina 0054 Jordan 00962 Shaab 22518752 Armenia 00374 Kazakhstan 007 Australia 0061 Kenya 00254 Qibla 22459381 Austria 0043 Kiribati 00686 Bahamas 001242 Kuwait 00965 Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082 Bahrain 00973 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Mirqab 22456536 Bangladesh 00880 Laos 00856 Barbados 001246 Latvia 00371 Sharq 22465401 Belarus 00375 Lebanon 00961 Belgium 0032 Liberia 00231 Salmiya 25746401 Belize 00501 Libya 00218 Jabriya 25316254 Benin 00229 Lithuania 00370 Bermuda 001441 Luxembourg 00352 Maidan Hawally 25623444 Bhutan 00975 Macau 00853 Bolivia 00591 Macedonia 00389 Bayan 25388462 Bosnia 00387 Madagascar 00261 Mishref 25381200 Botswana 00267 Majorca 0034 Brazil 0055 Malawi 00265 W Hawally 22630786 Brunei 00673 Malaysia 0060 Bulgaria 00359 Maldives 00960 Sabah 24810221 Burkina 00226 Mali 00223 Jahra 24770319 Burundi 00257 Malta 00356 Cambodia 00855 Marshall Islands 00692 New Jahra 24575755 Cameroon 00237 Martinique 00596 Canada 001 Mauritania 00222 West Jahra 24772608 Cape Verde 00238 Mauritius 00230 South Jahra 24775066 Cayman Islands 001345 Mayotte 00269 Central African 00236 Mexico 0052 North Jahra 24775992 Chad 00235 Micronesia 00691 Chile 0056 Moldova 00373 North Jleeb 24311795 China 0086 Monaco 00377 Ardhiya 24884079 Colombia 0057 Mongolia 00976 Comoros 00269 Montserrat 001664 Firdous 24892674 Congo 00242 Morocco 00212 Cook Islands 00682 Mozambique 00258 Omariya 24719048 Costa Rica 00506 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 N Khaitan 24710044 Croatia 00385 Namibia 00264 Cuba 0053 Nepal 00977 Fintas 23900322 Cyprus 00357 Netherlands (Holland) Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 0031 Czech Republic 00420 Netherlands Antilles 00599 Denmark 0045 New Caledonia 00687 Diego Garcia 00246 New Zealand 0064 PRIVATE CLINICS Djibouti 00253 Nicaragua 00505 Dominica 001767 Nigar 00227 Dominican Republic 001809 Nigeria 00234 Ecuador 00593 Niue 00683 Egypt 0020 Norfolk Island 00672 El Salvador 00503 Northern Ireland (UK) Plastic Surgeons Paediatricians Ophthalmologists Endocrinologist England (UK) 0044 0044 Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272 Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898 Equatorial Guinea 00240 North Korea 00850 Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700 Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300 Eritrea 00291 Norway 0047 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60 Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Estonia 00372 Oman 00968 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Ethiopia 00251 Pakistan 0092 Family Doctor Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Falkland Islands 00500 Palau 00680 Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581 Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514 Faroe Islands 00298 Panama 00507 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Physiotherapists & VD Psychiatrists Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Fiji 00679 Papua New Guinea 00675 Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282 Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 Finland 00358 Paraguay 00595 Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 (1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288 France 0033 Peru 0051 French Guiana 00594 Philippines 0063 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, Rheumatologists: French Polynesia 00689 Poland 0048 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581 FRCS (Canada) 25655535 Gabon 00241 Portugal 00351 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dentists Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Gambia 00220 Puerto Rico 001787 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581 Georgia 00995 Qatar 00974 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290 Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2 Germany 0049 Romania 0040 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 Ghana 00233 Russian Federation 007 Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226 Internist, Chest & Heart General Practitioners Gibraltar 00350 Rwanda 00250 Dr. Salem soso 22618787 Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444 Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Greece 0030 Saint Helena 00290 Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557 General Surgeons Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid Greenland 00299 Saint Kitts 001869 Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Grenada 001473 Saint Lucia 001758 Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148 Assistant Professor Of Medicine Guadeloupe 00590 Saint Pierre 00508 Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111 Guam 001671 Saint Vincent 001784 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Internists, Chest & Heart Head, Division of Cardiology Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Neurologists Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Guatemala 00502 Samoa US 00684 Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Guinea 00224 Samoa West 00685 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Guyana 00592 San Marino 00378 Urologists Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 Haiti 00509 Sao Tone 00239 Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Gastrologists MD, PH.D, FACC Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Saudi Arabia 00966 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Dr. Sami Aman 22636464 Inaya German Medical Center Honduras 00504 Scotland (UK) 0044 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Te: 2575077 Hong Kong 00852 Senegal 00221 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135 Fax: 25723123 Hungary 0036 Seychelles 00284 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Sierra Leone 00232 Soor Center Iceland 00354 Singapore 0065 Psychologists [email protected] Tel: 2290-1677 Kaizen center William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 India 0091 Slovakia 00421 /Psychotherapists www.soorcenter.com Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 25716707 Indian Ocean 00873 Slovenia 00386 Indonesia 0062 Solomon Islands 00677 LIFESTYLE36 TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 Gossip ry-again dlibra slan de I Rho elps Baldwin h

struggling public library in Rhode Island is getting help from actor Alec Baldwin - again. Officials at the Adams Memorial Library in Central Falls say Baldwin will headline a Afundraiser June 7 at Fete in Providence. Attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to read dialogue on stage with Baldwin. Central Falls has been in the news for its financial problems. The city in 2011 became the first in Rhode Island to declare municipal bankruptcy and the library closed for a month as a result. The city emerged from bankruptcy in 2012. Baldwin read about the city’s woes and donated $10,000 to the library in 2011 and another $5,000 in 2012. He also gave $2,500 to two local school chess teams last year.

Daniel Radcliffeis dating Erin Darke he ‘Harry Potter’ star has been in a relationship with the actress for “about two years” after meeting her on Tthe set of ‘Kill Your Darlings’ in 2012, according to the MailOnline. The couple went public with their romance over the weekend as they were spotted doing the grocery shopping together in New York City, but they have done well at keeping their relationship a secret over the past 24 months as it was previously believed they had called time on their brief fling shortly after it began in 2012. The 24- year-old hunk split from his previous girlfriend Rosie Coker in October 2012 after two years of dating and reportedly tried to woo Erin not long afterwards. However, it was believed Erin was left “devastated” when he apparently ended their brief relationship. A source told Life & Style magazine at the time: “Erin thought it was a real relation- ship, going as far as introducing Daniel as her boyfriend. He’s flown her out to London and taken her on dates and spent plenty of time with her in NYC, but Daniel just up and left New York without a second thought. Erin was dev- astated.” However, the split didn’t last long as the pair were spotted with each other again in London last August.

Elizabeth Hurley’s husband to sell mansion infested with mice Geldof’s he 48-year-old actress was getting ready to spend Easter with her family her home where she died and friends at her home in Donnington Hall, Herefordshire, when a Tmouse shot out from the sofa. Taking to Twitter on Thursday , she said: eaches Geldof’s husband Thomas Cohen is reportedly planning to sell the coun- “Mayhem. A mouse just shot out from behind the sofa. Screaming women tryside home where she died. The S.C.U.M rocker is too distraught to return to (me loudest) and children. (sic)”. The brunette beauty, who has 12-year-old Ptheir home in Wrotham, Kent, where the 25-year-old star’s body was discovered son Damian, even enlisted the help of her mother’s cats to catch the rodents on April 7, and wants to put the property on the market once the police have finished as they scurried around her living room. She explained: “My mum on her way their investigation. A friend told the Sunday People newspaper: “Tom has said that he round with her two killer cats. I’m having a stiff drink. “Operation Vermin start- can’t return to the house, he wants to immediately sell the place and move. “It is just ed early this morning. On my hands and knees looking for evidence. (sic)”. too heartbreaking for him there, he is in bits and can’t bear to live in the place where Elizabeth, who also owns a plush flat in London, later thanked her fans for his beloved wife died. “He has some very happy memories of living there with their advice in getting rid of the pests. She tweeted: “Thank you for all your Peaches and bringing up their babies but it’s so, so painful for him to think about liv- rodent killing advice....taking it all on board. Have declared war on them. (sic).” ing there now. We’re worried about Tom, he can’t believe he is a widower, with two The star bought her mansion two years ago with her ex-boyfriend Shane young kids, at 23. It’s heartbreaking to see.” Thomas, who has sons Phaedra, 11 Warne for a reported £6 million. The couple called time on their relationship months, and Astala, 23 months, with the blonde beauty, will attend Peaches’ funeral at last year after their busy schedules caused them to grow apart, but they insist St Mary Magdalene church in Davington, Kent, where the couple married in 2012, later they still remain friends. today. Peaches’ death is being treated as “non-suspicious”, but an autopsy proved to be inconclusive earlier this month. The star’s family - including father Sir Bob Geldof and sisters Fifi, 31, Pixie, 23, and Tiger-Lily, 17 - now have an agonizing wait while toxi- cology tests are carried out.

Coyle names her daughter Anaiya Katona ‘nearly died’ giving birth adine Coyle has named her baby daughter Anaiya. The former Girls Aloud singer, who welcomed her first child erry Katona “nearly died” giving birth to her baby daughter earlier this Ninto the world in February with her fiancé Jason Bell, month. The former Atomic Kitten singer welcomed her fifth child into the has shared the first photograph of the tiny tot since her birth Kworld on April 4, but the delivery didn’t go according to plan after she and has also confirmed her moniker. Taking to Twitter last reportedly developed pre-eclampsia, which can be fatal if undiagnosed. The insid- night, the 28-year-old star released the cute close-up snap of er told the Daily Star newspaper: “The birth didn’t go smoothly at all, she nearly her adorable baby girl, which she accompanied with the cap- died. Kerry had pre-eclampsia and her legs and feet swelled up. The condition can tion, ‘Introducing Anaiya. Xx (sic)’. Nadine announced her be fatal for both mums and babies but thankfully Kerry’s baby was fine. It was daughter’s arrival on Twitter shortly after giving birth two Kerry who was in danger. “Her mum Sue was really scared Kerry was going to die. months ago, describing the new bundle of joy as “amazing”. She lost a lot of blood.”The 33-year-old star - who already has daughters Molly, 12, She said at the time: “I am overjoyed to let you know our little and Lilly-Sue, 11, with her first husband Brian McFadden and Heidi, seven, and girl is here. She is amazing! I love being a mammy & will fill Max, five, with second husband Mark Croft - spent four days in hospital, before you all in soon. Love Nadine Xx. (sic)” The brunette beauty was returning to her Oxfordshire home with her daughter and her fiancÈ George Kay, initially shocked when she realized she had fallen pregnant as 34. The source explained: “George was there throughout and is now being more she expected one of her former band mates to have a baby protective than ever of Kerry. “He was terrified but had to stay strong for her - he first. However, fellow Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh thought he was going to lose her.” Kerry - who filed for bankruptcy a second time recently announced she too is expecting her first child with last year - is yet to announce the name of her new bundle of joy. her long-term partner Justin Scott. Nadine was clearly overjoyed at the news and congratulated her pal on Twitter last month, tweeting: “Congratulations Miss Kimberley. I hope you love every second as much as I did. Xx (sic)”. Bartha and wife welcome first child Dunstnot worried about money ustin Bartha has become a father for the first time. The ‘Hangover’ star irsten Dunst isn’t worried about making money. The and his wife Lia Smith, who got married in January, welcomed their baby ‘Melancholia’ star has an extensive portfolio of film roles Jdaughter into the world on April 13, according to Us Magazine. The cou- Kunder her belt and claims that, although her mother ple first sparked rumors they were expecting their first child just days after often used to help her to decide which parts would be best for they tied the knot earlier this year on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. At the time, her, she no longer feels the need to take her advice. She said: a source said Lia “had her hand on her stomach most of the time” and “looked “I’m too old to be swayed in any way now. “She sees that I do like she had a little bump” under her white gown at the ceremony. Later at the these indie films and she’s like, ‘I don’t understand why these reception, held at the nearby Kualoa Ranch, Lia donned a loose-fitting dress people [reality TV stars] make so much money and you don’t’. and was seen touching her stomach as she walked around. Justin, 35, and Lia, I’m like, ‘Mum, I’m an artist, I want a career path that will last. who hails from Hawaii, were first linked in January last year when they cele- Relax. We’re OK.” The 31-year-old actress, who landed her first brated the start of 2013 together on a Maui beach. The actor then popped the job in a TV advert at the age of three, also admitted that she question in May when they took a romantic trip to Big Sur in California. An liked to play down her career as a teenager because she didn’t insider said at the time: “The trip to Big Sur, the engagement, the ring, every- want to be singled out by bullies. She explained to Harper’s thing. So cute.” Justin previously dated Ashley Olsen for two years before the Bazaar: “I actually underplayed myself [at school] because I couple split in 2011. didn’t want to be a target. The fact that I was an actress made me nervous. I never wanted to be called names or anything. I LIFESTYLE37 TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 Gossip Cameron Diaz: I barely worked out for scenes ameron Diaz “barely worked out” before stripping off in scenes for ‘The Other Woman’. The 41-year-old actress, who is seen running down a beach in a bikini with CSports Illustrated model Kate Upton, 21, in the new movie, admits she wasn’t wor- ried about her figure and being filmed with an actress half her age. Talking on 2Day FM radio station, she explained: “When I did that scene I was barely working out. “I wasn’t like ‘Oh my God, I am going to be in a bikini and Kate is going to be in a bikini and what is everyone going to think of me. “I am 20 years older than her. I am not trying to be her. She is a beautiful woman. We are completely different and I celebrate her.” The blonde star also insists she doesn’t wish to be 21 anymore and she feels “great” about her body, adding: “I am very happy to be 41 and I love it.” Kate - who joins Leslie Mann on screen for comedy ‘The Other Woman’ - has become friends with Cameron after they gossiped about ex-boyfriends together. Asked who is more likely to call an ex when they’re drunk, Cameron, who is single and previously dated Justin Timberlake, replied: “I don’t have anybody I want to drink dial.” And Kate, whose former boyfriends include Dancing With The Stars professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy, added: “I don’t have anyone I loves working with want to talk to. Stone Garfield They’re an ex for a reason. I’m like, mma Stone loves working with Andrew Garfield. The 25-year-old actress has reteamed with her real-life boyfriend in superhero sequel ‘The ‘Okay, and go! Next!” Amazing Spider-Man’ and finds it “easier” working with him because of their relationship, and says he always teaches her a lot. She said: “When it Ecomes to working with people you already know, it’s much better and easier. “It’s great to be working together. He’s an amazing actor and I always feel like I’m learning something from him.” However, Emma admits she finds it difficult to balance her work and personal commitments. She added: “But in terms of finding a career and home life balance, well I’m still working on that.” Meanwhile, Andrew also admitted he is relieved not to be a superhero in real life as it would leave him little time to be with his loved ones. He told the latest edition of Closer magazine: “It’s difficult to be a superhero because you don’t get to have much of a personal life. Luckily, I’m not a hero, I’m just an actor.” The Vamps have an ‘advantage’ Debbie Harry: Pop stars need to take risks over other boy bands londie frontwoman Debbie Harry thinks pop stars need to “step out of their comfort he Vamps think they have an “advantage” over other boy bands on the market. zones”. The ‘Heart of Glass’ hitmaker and her bandmates - Chris Stein, Clem Burke Tristan Evans, who plays the drums for the ‘Wild Card’ hitmakers, credits the group Band Tommy Kessler - release their new album ‘Ghosts of Download’ next month and Tand their pop rivals, 5 seconds of summer, for bringing an acoustic sound back to the she feels it’s important to continue to re-invent yourself as an artist and has accused many charts and claims that creating this “new sound” has helped put them ahead of their com- musicians of being too safe. Debbie told Gay Times magazine: “I’m excited because I love petitors who don’t play their own instruments. Tristan exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “We the new stuff. It’s always a chance to breathe fresh air. It’s good for artists to step out of really like 5 Seconds of Summer, we spoke to them before both of us even released any- their comfort zone.” Although the 68-year-old singer thing so, you know, it’s great to work with them in a way to bring back the guitar-y band likes to see artists take risks, she also sound.” The 19-year-old star and his band mates Connor Ball, Bradley Simpson and James doesn’t mind when people cover her McVey achieved UK chart success with their debut single ‘Lets Dance’ and he insists he isn’t music. Asked if she knew of Atomic worried that the boy band market is becoming overcrowded because together they are Kitten, who released a cover of setting a new precedent for pop music. He added: “The more similar bands in the charts, her 1967 track ‘The Tide Is High’, the easier to make the statement that this is the new music. It will be to our advantage she replied: “Of course [I know that there are more bands in the charts. It’s setting ‘this is what’s in now’ and this is what who they are] I thought it people like so we’re all different. We’re more kind of indie pop.” [the cover] was ... OK. It’s funny how that song keeps coming around, it’s very interesting how that hap- pens. “There’s something about it. We’ve been work- ing on a surprise with that song [for the new album]. There’s a guest artist on it.” Meanwhile, Blondie have announced they will per- form at this year’s Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset in June. Michelle Heaton Statham almost drowned on set christened her baby son he Liberty X singer and her husband Hugh Hanley ason Statham nearly “drowned to death” on set. The hunk stars as Lee Christmas in took their seven-week-old son Aaron Jay to the holy forthcoming ‘The Expendables 3’ alongside Sylvester Stallone who revealed just how Tmass at Ballyroan Church in Dublin, Ireland, on J“dangerous” action films can be while he was defending the genre which he believes Sunday. The 34-year-old singer - who also christened her Poots admires actresses isn’t as well received as dramatic films. Stallone told collider.com: “Everyone has this con- two-year-old daughter Faith at the same church in 2012 - jecture that action films are somewhat less prestigious than dramatic films. Nothing could took to Twitter yesterday to share an adorable snap of her be further from the truth. I’ve done them both and this is hard and bundle of joy in the car, wearing his long christening gown. who can adapt dangerous. I mean, Jason [Statham] nearly drowned to death - She accompanied the picture with: “Getting AJ into his car lucky he’s a great swimmer. All of us would’ve been walking seat with his christening gown on was challenging to say on the bottom of the Black Sea by now - well, not really the least ! Lol xx (sic)”. Earlier this month, the brunette mogen Poots looks up to walking, probably floating - and that’s some serious stuff. beauty was left fearing for her baby’s life after he contract- women who challenge Things happen here. It’s very very unique.” Stallone ed viral meningitis and was rushed to hospital for emer- Ithemselves in film. ‘The doesn’t think films like ‘The Expendables’ series will be gency care. She said at the time: “The last 24 hours has Look of Love’ actress - who is produced in the future since there is a lack of stars been the worst and scariest in my life.” The tiny tot’s condi- currently starring alongside who’ll be able to “commit” to roles needed. He added: tioned improved and he was allowed to return home ‘Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul in ‘A “They’re not going to make films like this much longer shortly afterwards, but Michelle won’t know if he’ll suffer Long Way Down’ and ‘Need For because it takes a certain person that’s willing to com- long-term complications until he’s a bit older. She said: Speed’ - admires actresses mit and go for it and have an aura. The hardest thing is “Our beautiful baby boy Aaron Jay Hanley is home now such as Kristen Scott Thomas to find an action star. I don’t give a damn what anyone and we couldn’t be happier. It has been hell, I’m not going and Shirley Henderson for says, stars they come and go. An action star, you can lie, and only time will tell if Aaron has been physically or their ability to adapt to unusu- count on one hand, because it’s a very interesting ele- mentally effected with having had viral meningitis. “But the al roles. She told BANG ment.” chances are slight so we just pray he will be one of the Showbiz: “These incredible lucky ones!” women who really challenge themselves again and again, they’re like chameleons, they adapt.”They are a huge inspira- tion and they inspire me to be the most terrific actress I can be.” The blonde beauty - who made her first major film Outcast starring tipped for sequel appearance in 2008 post-apoc- Cage alyptic sci-fi horror ‘28 Days Later’ alongside Robert Carlyle, utcast’ starring Nicolas Cage is being tipped for a sequel. The 50-year-old Jeremy Renner and Idris Elba - actor plays legendary Crusader-turned-bandit, Gallain, in the forthcoming says she’s planning on taking ‘O film and ‘Resident Evil’ producer Jeremy Bolt has already announced plans some time off before her next for a sequel, reports Variety.com. Talking in Beijing on Thursday, Bolt said: “We are project, which she’s already planning a worldwide release, including the US and China, in September and lined up. She added: “I’m doing October this year.”‘Outcast’ has been acclaimed by buyers, and we are determined to a film called ‘Beautiful Ruins’ make a sequel.” The American action adventure is directed by Nicholas Powell while based on the Jess Walter novel James Dormer penned the script. ‘Outcast’ follows the tale of the heir of the Imperial with Todd Field directing, I’m throne who becomes the target of assassination by his older brother. The prince is very excited about that.” protected by his sister, and needs the help of Crusader, Arken (Hayden Christensen), who must overcome his own personal issues and enlists Gallain’s aid to help the boy obtain his rightful place on the throne. Cage is also set to hit the big screen in this year’s ‘Left Behind’ where he stars opposite Cassi Thomson and Chad Michael Murray and ‘Tokarev’ alongside Rachel Nichols. —Bang Showbiz lifestyle TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 FEATURES Jimmy Choo finds right fit with sole couture line aute couture shoemaker Jimmy Choo says he is happy Hto focus on his own exclusive footwear line, amid reports the famous brand bearing his name-but with which he is no longer associated- could be set for a flotation worth $1.7 billion. The London-based designer revealed he is on good terms with the people in charge of the pret-a-porter label and occasionally meets with the chief executive. “We have an agree- ment. I still carry on my couture, they still carry on the Jimmy Choo ready to wear,” he said in an interview with AFP. “Now and then when I am in London, I will call the CEO (Pierre Denis) and have a tea with him and talk about Pictures show Malaysian Jimmy Choo, with his one-off shoes using what we’re doing. materials of Japan’s Fukushima area, speaking during an interview “I think that’s why it’s an important with AFP in Fukushima. — AFP photos friendship. You know we still carry on, still support each other.” Having earlier don’t know to love each other to pro- was speaking to AFP in Fukushima at established himself as a bespoke mote the company, it wouldn’t be suc- the launch of a one-off range of shoes shoemaker in London, Malaysia-born cessful.” made using materials and techniques Choo founded the brand in 1996 with Picture shows pairs of shoes using materials of Japan’s Fukushima area. native to the area, which is still suffer- British socialite Tamara Mellon. It present owner, Swiss-based luxury ‘Anyone can design’ ing the effects of the tsunami-sparked became a household name after goods group Labelux, is reportedly Since parting ways, Choo has nuclear disaster of 2011, in a bid to repeatedly featuring on high profile looking at raising capital for the forged ahead with an exclusive cou- boost the profile of local artisans. TV shows including “Sex and the City”, group, with a London listing being ture line catering to deep-pocketed He said he had been entranced by and was worn by celebrities and royal- considered that could value the busi- clients, including Madonna and US the level of local craftsmanship and ty, including Britain’s Princess Diana. ness at a billion pounds ($1.7 billion), First Lady Michelle Obama. He said he was inspired to create six pairs of Jimmy Choo has since developed into according to the Financial Times. is happy with the way things are shoes using Aizu cotton and lacquer- a luxury fashion brand encompassing Mellon told American television because it allows him to focus on ware, as well as the super-fine shoes, handbags, leather goods, last year that she had been the cre- quality and on creating a legacy he Kawamata silk, all of which have scarves, eye wear and fragrances. ative brains behind the partnership that’s what is very important... If you believes matters. “I have no worries been made by hand for hundreds of and claimed that Choo-who she dis- love each other, you will be successful. about finance, but what I want to do years. Choo said such skills had the Souring ties missed as merely “a cobbler”-had nev- It may not make a lot of money but it for the rest of my life is that I want to power to help turn around the for- In 2001, with ties between him and er even lifted a pencil to design a will make a lot of love, and that’s very give back to students,” Choo said. tunes of a place where tens of thou- Mellon souring, Choo sold his stake in shoe. Her former business partner did important to the world, to society. “I would like people to remember sands of people remain displaced Jimmy Choo Ltd., which now straddles not comment on her claims, but said Choo said any enterprise needed to me, how I was the student learning because of radiation released from the globe, with operations in Europe, profit could not be the sole driving involve teamwork if it was to succeed. from the father, learning from the the crippled nuclear plant. “Anyone the Americas, the Middle East, Asia, force behind a successful business. “Imagine, if you and I start a partner- school. I am working in the industry can design, but could they be a Africa and Australia. The company’s “Knowing how to respect people, ship,... if you don’t make a team and and giving back to the industry.” Choo craftsman?” he said. — AFP Albania Did you know?

Members of the brotherhood of the Bessieres’ giant Easter omelette break thousands of eggs.

1. The Karavasta Lagoon is one of the largest lagoons nightlife, affordable adventures and the possibility in the Mediterranean Sea and is home to the of old-style unplanned journeys. Bessieres’ giant Dalmatian Pelican, as well as to over 250 other species: birds, mammals, and amphibians. Five per- 8. The main legacy of the Albanian national hero, cent of the world’s Dalmatian Pelican population is Skanderbeg, was to stop the expansion of the found in this lagoon. Due to the biodiversity this Ottoman Empire in Western Europe. His contribu- lagoon is part RAMSAR convention since 1994. tion is commemorated in monuments, statues, and squares named after him in Rome (Italy), Vienna 2. The first printing house in the Balkans was estab- (Austria), Geneva (Switzerland), Michigan (USA), Easter omelette lished in 1720 in Voskopoja, which is to be found Skopje (Macedonia), and Pristina (Kosovo), Paris inthe eastern Albania. This printing house pro- (France), Spezzano (Italy) and Brussels (Belgium). duced a total of nineteen books, mainly Services to the Saints but also the “Introduction of Grammar” 9. Albania is part of the three most important lakes of by a local scholar. Moreover the city had an the Balkans Peninsula. orphanage for children, known as Shkodra Lake is located in northwestern Albania Orphanodioiketerion, possibly the first in the post- and is the largest lake in the entire Balkan Byzantine Orthodox world, a hospital and a total of Peninsula, with an area of 370 km≤. twenty four churches. Ohrid Lake is located in the southeastern part of Albania and is the deepest lake in the entire Balkan 3. Mother Teresa, whose given name was Gonxhe Peninsula, with a maximum depth of nearly 300 m. Bojaxhiu, was an ethnic Albanian. Mother Teresa’s Prespa Lake consists of two branches, Great and work has inspired generations throughout the Small Prespa. The latter branch cuts deeply into world. In her honor the national airport is named Albania’s Galicica Mountain. It is the highest tec- after as: the Tirana International Airport tonic lake in the Balkans with an altitude of 853 m. “NeneTereza”. 10. Did you know that the origins of iso - polyphony, Two young men, members of the brotherhood of the Members of the brotherhood of the Bessieres’ giant 4. The second largest Roman Amphitheater in the one of the worlds most ancient a Capella singing Bessieres’ giant Easter omelette, throw eggshells as Easter omelette are about to break thousands of eggs. they take part in the preparation of a giant omelette. Balkans is located in Albania’s port-city of Durres. traditions, can be traced to the Illyrians, the ances- Built in the 2nd century AD, the theater has a tors of modern Albanians? The term “iso” refers to capacity to host as many as 20,000 spectators, the drone, which accompanies the iso-polyphonic about one-sixth of the population of nowadays singing and is related to the “ison” of Byzantine Durr’s. church music, where the drone group accompanies the song. This unique musical tradition was recog- 5. Two of the seven “purple codices” written from the nized by UNESCO in 2005 when it was added to the sixth to the eighteenth centuries are preserved in list of “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible the UNESCO city of Berat in Albania. The two Heritage of Humanity.” Albanian codices are very important for the global community and the development of ancient bibli- 11. The Albanian language is one of the oldest living cal, liturgical and hagiographical literature. languages in the world and a stand-alone branch of the Indo-European language family and is now 6. Onufri is “famous” as the most important icon spoken by close to eight million people around the painter of 16th century in Albania. He painted bibli- world. In addition to a large diaspora, over 80,000 cal and ecclesiastic motives according to the ArbÎresh speak Albanian in Southern Italy. The esti- Byzantine canon. In his works, he depicted mated 260,000 ArbÎresh are direct descendants of Albanian landscapes, towns, peasants, shepherds Skanderbeg following a mass migration after his and especially knights. The most characteristic fea- death in the late 15th century. ture of Onufri’s pictures is the so-called “Onufrian red”. 12. During the nearly forty-year leadership of Communist period, over 700,000 bunkers were 7. Did you know that Lonely Planet ranked Albania as built in the country - one for every four inhabitants. the number one recommended destination to visit The bunkers are still a ubiquitous sight in Albania on 2011? It was not so long ago, when the Balkans for visitors, with an average of twenty four bunkers were considered an ‘only for the brave’ journey des- for every square kilometer. Albania is maybe tination. Since backpackers started coming to unique with its bunkers where some of them are Albania in the 1990s, tales have been told in ‘keep decorated with brightful colors. Pencil holders and it to yourself’ style. What they found were amazing ashtrays in the shape of bunkers have become one Toulouse’s archbishop Mgr Robert Le Gall (second left) and members of the brotherhood of the Bessieres’ giant of the country’s most popular tourist souvenirs. azure beaches, good cuisine, heritage sites, Easter omelette prepare a giant omelette with thousands of eggs, yesterday, in Bessieres, southwestern France, as part of a traditional Easter celebration. — AFP photos Lenin

lifestyle TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 MUSIC & MOVIES ‘Touched by an Angel’ producer back in series TV

n the decade that “Touched by an ic, the Hallmark Channel series will remain Angel” executive producer Martha a “safe place” for families who still want and IWilliamson has been away from series deserve less-edgy programming, she said. TV, much has changed. A new golden age “The television landscape has changed. But has brought more daring shows, from “Mad people don’t change,” Williamson said. She Men” to “House of Cards” to “Breaking Bad,” recalls seeing moms perusing the DVD and more ways to see them. But Williamson shelves at her local store, “looking desper- says her Hallmark Channel series, “Signed, ately for something they could watch com- Sealed, Delivered,” will be just as comfort- fortably with their families.” It was her own able a fit for viewers as “Angel” was during brood that kept Williamson away from TV: its 1994-2003 run. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” debuting 8 pm EDT Sunday, stars Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty”) as Oliver, the straight-laced, good-natured supervi- sor of an offbeat group of US Postal Service employees who become sleuths to get mail to its proper place. While mail carriers refuse to surrender to the weather, Oliver’s crew is undeterred by a missing name or indecipherable address. In the first episode, a boy’s urgent letter to an anonymous Grandmom leads them into unexpected territory. Kristin Booth, Crystal Lowe and Geoff Gustafson co-star as the unlikely Sherlocks. Valerie Harper is a visiting manager in the first two episodes, with Carol Burnett, Valerie Bertinelli, Marilu Henner and former “Angel” star Della Reese also set to guest Sing-along saint: Showbiz star. The series is “a remarkably executed gem of a series, one that we hope returns the Sunday night tradition of families watching television together,” said Michelle world gets papal inspiration Vicary, the channel’s executive vice presi- dent for programming. “Touched by an Angel,” a hit for CBS, ope John Paul II’s extraordinary life is In the audience, a smiling Sister Carmela from to bring down communism in Europe. kept within the boundaries of decorous After “Angel” ended, she concentrated on being set to music in Rome, with audi- the Daughters of St Anne congregation was Father Giuseppe Spedicato, the author of a storytelling. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” raising her two daughters, now 14 and 12, Pences enjoying a flourish of theatre shows thrilled. “We’re already praying a lot and it’s been second musical in Rome about Wojtyla, said his does the same, with charms as old-school with her husband in the Los Angeles area. about the former playwright and future saint a great gift to see this before the canonization!” theatrical background prepared him well for the as the Post Office appears in an increasing- Inspiration for her return to series TV came ahead of his canonization on Sunday. Highlights she said. “I passed the theatre and saw the papacy. As he oversaw the final rehearsals for “Be ly digital world. There’s gentle humor as in the form of a rediscovered box of like his famous meeting with his would-be poster and I was immediately drawn to it Not Afraid!” Spedicato said he first had the idea well, which Williamson traces back to her “Touched by an Angel” fan letters that had assassin Ali Agca in 1983 and his famous phrase because I knew the pope well. He blessed me for a musical in 1994 when John Paul II came to TV roots writing for variety shows and sit- gone unread. In a sense, she said, “they “Be not afraid!” have become modern dance when I was a student!” The musical features visit his diocese in Lecce in southern Italy. coms including “The Facts of Life.” On the arrived right on time, just when I wanted to numbers and jaunty tunes in an unusual cocktail songs composed by Israeli singer Noa and pre- “Knowing about his passion for theatre, I told flip side, Williamson said she hopes her read them.” of piety and showbiz. miered in Krakow, where Wojtyla was archbish- him that I wanted to write this musical and he new series will grow to encompass more She was struck anew by the power of Nuns and priests were out in force at a per- op for many years, with the pope’s longtime said ‘Go for it!’ That’s where it all started,” he said. complex and sensitive issues, such as scribbled words and what they add to life formance of “Karol Wojtyla: The True Story”-one friend Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz in attendance. The overlap between faith and showbusiness is “Touched by an Angel” did with domestic and history: President Barack Obama’s of at least three pope-linked productions in the not as jarring in Italy as it might be in more secu- violence, human rights violations and emails won’t provide the insights that can Eternal City. Backstage, 26-year-old actor ‘Passion for theatre’ lar societies and it came naturally to Danilo more. be gleaned from a handwritten missive Virgilio Brancaccio donned a cardinal costume Wojtyla was born in 1920 and took up theatre Brugia, the actor playing John Paul II in “Be Not from 20th-century leaders like John F. and rehearsed his lines as he prepared for his in the 1930s when he was a student of lan- Afraid!” .”I often turn to John Paul II in my own People don’t change Kennedy and Richard Nixon, she said. star role as the Polish pontiff. “The hardest guages at the Jagellonian University in Krakow, prayers. I think we need initiatives like this to Episode two of “Signed, Sealed, Besides, Williamson suggests, in these days thing for me was combining his strong charis- performing in various productions and writing bring people closer,” said Brugia, before rehears- Delivered” about a PTSD-afflicted veteran, of hackers and snoops, “the most private ma with a great gentleness and purity,” said plays even during World War II. In the run-up to ing his favorite scene-the pope’s meeting in heads in that direction. No matter the top- thing you can do is send a letter.” — AP Brancaccio, who plays Wojtyla as a young man the canonization, the French seminary in Rome prison with Agca. But not all the actors are reli- in a plot that ends with his Vatican election in has staged a production of a play written by giously inspired. “It’s part of our job to transform 1978. “We know his papacy but we don’t really Wojtyla entitled “Our God’s Brother” about the ourselves!” said Roberto Rossetti, who plays know what he was like as an adolescent and a life of Polish painter-turned-monk, Saint Adam Wojtyla’s brother Edmund in “Karol Wojtyla: The young man,” said Brancaccio, a television actor Cmielowski. Wojtyla was ordained in 1946 and True Story”. “Sometimes we have to believe what French, American and former participant in the Italian version of went on to become one of the longest-serving we do not believe in and make the public believe the talent show X Factor. popes in history, who was credited with helping it. We have studied how to fake it!” — AFP cultures collide in romantic comedy ‘5 to 7’ Country music singer Kevin rench and American attitudes about best known for her role as Severin oppo- food, wine, world events, and love site Daniel Craig in the 2012 James Bond Fand marriage collide in “5 to 7,” a film “Skyfall,” is the lover, Arielle, a mother love story set in New York that premiered of two and wife of a French diplomat. A Sharp dies at age 43 at the Tribeca Film Festival. While for woman who loves her children and her Americans 5 to 7 is the typical time when husband, she accepts his affair as she evin Sharp, a country music singer who diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bars offer discounted drinks and food, the begins her own. When she suggests to recorded multiple chart-topping songs and bone cancer, as a high school senior. French have a decidedly different take on Brian that they can meet from 5 to 7, he Ksurvived a well-publicized battle with cancer, He overcame it after two years of chemotherapy happy hour. In French, “cinq a sept,” or five misunderstands her meaning in the first has died. He was 43. His sister Mary Huston said and radiation. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grant- to seven, refers to the time of day that of many cultural and traditional clashes as Sharp died at his mother’s Fair Oaks, Calif., home, at ed Sharp’s wish to meet Grammy Award-winning Frenchmen traditionally see their mis- they embark on their unlikely love affair. 10:49 pm Saturday of complications from past music producer David Foster, who gave him tips to tresses before heading home to dinner French-born actor Lambert Wilson (“Of stomach surgeries and digestive issues. “He had a help jump-start his career. Sharp also became a with their families. Gods and Men” and “Catwoman”) plays strong heart, that’s what kept him alive, (but) I’m so motivational speaker, a spokesman for the Make-A- Brian is the aspiring, young writer who Arielle’s husband, Valery. A worldly diplo- happy for him, that there’s no Wish Foundation and wrote “Tragedy’s Gift,” a 2004 discovers the cultural nuance and much mat, Valery welcomes a very confused more suffering,” Huston said through tears and book about fighting cancer. For the last several more when he embarks on a French-style Brian to his home and introduces him to exhaustion. She had cared for her brother since his years, Sharp had struggled from past stomach sur- love affair with an older women in “5 to 7,” his young children and his own mistress, a return home to Northern California last Friday after gery and residual issues from his aggressive cancer the feature directorial debut by writer book editor played by actress Olivia 10 weeks in the hospital. Sharp gained fame with treatment. “His dream came true through music, Victor Levin, who served as a co-executive Thirlby (“Juno” and “Dredd”). the release of “Nobody Knows,” a single on his 1996 and he touched thousands of lives, and he helped producer of “Mad Men,” the Emmy-win- Frank Langella, a best actor Oscar debut album, “Measure of a Man.” He released two heal the soul of people dealing with cancer,” ning drama on the AMC network. nominee in 2009 for “Frost/Nixon,” is other albums, “Love Is” in 1998 and “Make A Wish” in Huston said. Sharp is survived by five brothers, two This image provided by Sue Veldkamp shows Levin, a four-time Emmy nominee who Brian’s very traditional father, who would 2005. Born in 1970 in Redding, Calif., Sharp was sisters and his mother. — AP a book cover of Kevin Sharp. — AP has been writing for film and television prefer that his son give up writing and go since 1990, was a 27-year-old in Paris to law school and who struggles to when he observed a marriage conducted accept and understand his son’s love under the 5 to 7 rules. The experience affair. As Brian’s mother, six-time Academy Whedon releasing film gave him the inspiration and the title for Award nominee Glenn Close (“Albert Discovery network the film. “It is the kind of thing that Nobbs,” “Dangerous Liaisons” and “Fatal for digital download doesn’t leave you when you see it at close Attraction”) is more understanding and range,” Levin explained after the film’s accepting of the liaison. cancels Everest jump debut at the Tribeca festival that runs Brian falls into a comfortable pattern through April 27. with regular 5 to 7 meetings at the St he Discovery Network is canceling a dare- the avalanche. Regis Hotel, and even babysits for Arielle’s devil’s planned jump off the summit of Jumper Joby Ogwyn already was at Everest Rules of the affair children, who refer to him as their moth- TMount Everest in a wing suit next month in advance of the jump, which was scheduled to Anton Yelchin, 25, who starred in er’s boyfriend-until he breaks the rules following the avalanche that killed at least 13 be televised live on May 11 worldwide. He was 2009’s “Star Trek” and 2013’s “Star Trek Into and proposes to her. Shot in New York, people on Friday. Network spokeswoman Laurie not injured in the avalanche. Discovery had Darkness,” plays Brian, who falls for a beau- Levin uses witty dialogue to explore the Goldberg said Sunday that the network’s hoped for big ratings with the stunt, and had tiful, sophisticated, older French woman couple’s differences as they fall more thoughts and prayers go out to the Sherpa scheduled several hours of coverage in anticipa- after meeting her outside the St Regis deeply in love and realize it is more than a community of guides who were the victims of tion. — AP Hotel in Manhattan. Berenice Marlohe, “5 to 7” affair. — Reuters David Baldacci hits ‘The Target’ with new thriller

n David Baldacci’s latest thriller, “The Target,” master This Jan 21, 2014 file photo shows Lohan says on reality show assassins Will Robie and his partner, Jessica Reel, are American film producer and director Joss supposedly given a clean slate by the government Whedon at the screening of ‘Much Ado I on the condition that they take an assignment that is - About Nothing’ in Paris. — AP in reality - a suicide mission. The president knows it she had miscarriage oss Whedon is releasing a film he wrote could mean his impeachment if they are caught. Evan as a $5 digital download, bypassing the Tucker, the head of the CIA, doubts they can follow indsay Lohan says she Jnormal channels of independent film orders and would prefer to see them die before they suffered a miscarriage distribution. In a video announcement take the assignment. He throws them into the Burner Lduring the taping of her Sunday following the premiere of the super- Box, a high-tech training facility that is notorious for reality TV series. The 27-year- natural romance “In Your Eyes” at the Tribeca breaking agents, both physically and mentally. Tucker old actress made the disclo- Film Festival, Whedon says the film will tosses the absolute worst at them, and they soon dis- sure during Sunday’s final immediately be released online via Vimeo cover that surviving the torture is the easy part of their episode of “Lindsay,” the OWN On Demand and InYourEyesMovie.com. mission. cable channel series. The film stars Zoe Kazan and Michael While they are struggling to pass the ever-increas- Lohan said the miscarriage Stahl-David. Whedon wrote and produced it. ing brutal tests lobbed at them, a man in another part was the reason she was The release will be the second film release for of the country awaits his fate on death row. However, unable to appear on the pro- Whedon’s “micro studio” Bellwether he is dying from lung cancer, and he persuades his doc- gram at one point. She said Productions, following last year’s adaptation tor to look up his daughter, who was placed in witness she was sick and unable to of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” protection years earlier, so he can tell her goodbye. move. She didn’t offer any Whedon has experimented previously with He has an ulterior motive, and while his doctor con- further details on the pro- digital releases. His 2008 miniseries “Dr templates contacting the authorities, in another part of gram about her ill-fated preg- Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” was among the the world, a North Korean assassin receives a danger- nancy. Lohan began taping first high-profile Web series. Whedon current- ous mission with world-changing ramifications. Robie the OWN reality show shortly File photo shows actress Lindsay Lohan addresses ly is working on the “Avengers” sequel “Age of and Reel are complex characters, and anything they do of the story, making it appear that the missions were after leaving her sixth stint in reporters during a news conference at the 2014 Ultron,” to be released next year. — AP is a pleasure to follow. However, the adventures are short stories that Baldacci shoved in with the rest of the rehab last summer. — AP Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. — AP extremely short and somewhat disjointed from the rest story and characters. —AP Sing-along saint: Showbiz world gets papal inspiration

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 39

People wear bonnets during the Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival along 5th Avenue in New York. — AFP photos Celebrating Easter and creativity in New York

ome wore their Sunday best in New York’s “I dress this way because I grew up honoring the annual Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue, but oth- day, and it’s like the passing of winter to spring - a Sers simply spruced up their St Patrick’s Day or celebration,” said Herrera, 40, who works in digital Halloween outfits. “That’s what she wore for St marketing and lives in the Bronx. “It’s part of my Patrick’s Day,” said Barbara Baicich as she scooped up faith.” Inside the cathedral, Cardinal Timothy Dolan her cockapoo - half spaniel, half poodle - in front of celebrated Mass surrounded by restoration work St Patrick’s Cathedral. Betsey Johnson, as the dog that is part of a $175 million project to fix cracks and was named after the designer, was decked out in - clean walls darkened by decades of soot and pollu- what else? - an outfit inspired by Betsey Johnson. tion. On the avenue, the religious message of “This is one of the best things to do in New York, redemption didn’t get totally drowned out. there’s so much creativity,” said Baicich, a retired chil- dren’s clothing designer who came with her hus- band from Queens to the cathedral where they were married. In recent decades, the street gathering that started in the 1880s as a strolling display of Easter finery outside Fifth Avenue churches has morphed into a sort of costume circus. On Sunday, a Long Participants Island lawyer smoked a cigar with a carrot wrapped display their around it, and had carrot greens hanging from his outfits during the jacket pockets. annual Easter There were also lots of bonnets piled high with Parade on Fifth bunny ears or eggs - made of silicone, polyester and Avenue felt - parading up and down the crowded, elbow-to- in New York. elbow avenue. The zany scene didn’t seem to bother people lined up to enter the cathedral, including Elizabeth Herrera in her new Easter dress and blos- som-graced hat. “Religion is what you make of it, and it’s in your heart,” she said, smiling at a group of people and pets in over-the-top garb.

Yakup Can, who calls himself a “messianic Jew and follower of Christ,” held up a Bible as he sur- veyed the zany scene. “This is a carnival of darkness, it’s paganism, it’s a mockery of Easter,” said the retired District jeweler from New Jersey. “This has nothing to do with Christ; we are asking for the wrath of God.” Not so, said Herrera, waiting in line for the next service. If the Easter Parade has taken on a modern twist, “it’s a little bit of fun for the occasion, and you take it for what it is,” she said. “It’s 2014; let’s enjoy it.” — AP