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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 SHAABAN 17, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Obesity a Iran, Hezbollah ‘Password Serena restores widespread involvement in fatigue’ haunts order after the disease2 Syria ‘dangerous’9 masses27 shockwaves20 ‘New era’ as Qatar ruler Max 46º Min 33º hands power to his son High Tide 02:20 & 13:05 Low Tide Kuwait, Gulf rulers congratulate young Emir 07:42 & 20:37 40 PAGES NO: 15851 150 FILS

DOHA: Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Qataris sad handed power yesterday to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, in a rare abdication by a hereditary Gulf Arab ruler to try to ensure a smooth succession. The US- but hopeful allied state is small, with 2 million people, but is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, a global DOHA: Even before Qatar’s emir Sheikh Hamad bin investment powerhouse and heavy hitter in Middle East Khalifa Al-Thani delivered his early-morning abdication diplomacy and international media. speech yesterday, citizens in white traditional dish- Qatar has also been a high-profile supporter of Arab dashas were lining up outside the palace to swear alle- Spring uprisings but remains an absolutist monarchy giance to the new ruler, his son. Qataris received the itself, a system unchallenged by a population that news with mixed emotions as the 61-year-old emir, who enjoys great affluence. Thousands of Qatari citizens came to power in a coup in which he overthrew his own thronged the emiri court in the capital Doha to pledge father 18 years ago, announced he will cede power to his allegiance to the 33-year-old new head of state after the son, crown prince Sheikh Tamim, 33. emir, 61, announced the handover. “The time has come “We are sad for the departure of the builder of mod- to turn a new page in the journey of our nation and ern Qatar but are also pleased with the continuity of (the have a new generation carry out responsibilities ... with line of) power,” said Hamad Al-Hijji. The 37-year-old their innovative ideas,” Sheikh Hamad said in a seven- financial expert, accompanied by his brother, waited minute speech broadcast on state television. patiently to greet the new Emir, unlike hundreds of oth- “I address you today to inform you that I will transfer ers who turned back when they saw the vast crowds power to Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. I am fully outside the palace. confident that he is qualified for the responsibility and Under the scorching sun, scores waited in long lines is trustworthy,” he added, seated beside Qatar’s red-and- outside the large white seaside building in Doha. Sheikh white flag. Sheikh Hamad made no mention of Sheikh Hamad, using the tiny Gulf state’s vast wealth generated Hamad bin Jassim, the veteran prime minister and for- by its enormous gas deposits, had transformed Qatar eign minister who is the public face of Qatar’s assertive into a political and economic powerhouse with multi- foreign policy and had been expected to step down as billion-dollar investments across the world. No official well. reason has been given for the abdication, although the Gulf political analysts said they anticipated no signifi- emir is known to suffer from kidney problems. cant changes to foreign or domestic policy after the Officials and diplomats say however that the Sheikh’s handover, noting that Sheikh Tamim was already handing over of power was not linked to health issues DOHA: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (center) congratulates Sheikh involved in running the peninsular state under his but rather a determination to bring a younger leader- Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (left) and his son Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani on his accession father’s direction. ship to the fore. Tamim’s accession makes him the to the leadership of Qatar as the new ruler of the state. — KUNA Continued on Page 15 youngest sovereign of any of the Gulf Arab monarchies. Hijji said he hoped the historic transition would “encour- age other Arab countries to undertake similar rejuvena- tions” in their political systems. Autocratic rulers in the 3 scenarios at Constitutional Court Arab world had held power uncontested for decades until the Arab Spring revolutions that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Election either in late July or months later By ceding power at his age, “Sheikh Hamad, con- By B Izzak election date now hangs on the explana- The 2009 Assembly was dissolved in if that Assembly should be reinstated. cerned about the national interest, gives a lesson to oth- tion of the court. December 2011 following street protests If the court says there is no need to er Arab leaders who cling to power,” agrees a Qatari KUWAIT: The Constitutional Court is set The Constitutional Court, whose rul- and fresh elections were held in February revive that Assembly, then the election father. The 29-year-old customs employee, who declined today to issue an explanation to its histor- ings are final, has three scenarios regard- last year which resulted in an opposition- will most probably will be held late July to be named, added that he had been inspired by the ical ruling it issued on June 16 which is ing the explanation request which was dominated Assembly that was dissolved possibly on July 27 after the election “wisdom of Sheikh Hamad” in choosing to give up pow- expected to have an immediate impact filed by Abdulhameed Dashti, a member four months later by a constitutional decree is published either today or er. A young Qatari woman clad in a black traditional on the election date with the possibility of the scrapped Assembly. It will either court ruling which also ordered that the tomorrow. If the court says the 2009 abaya, sitting in a coffee shop in a shopping centre on to delay the polls for months. The council reject the request and decline to issue an 2009 Assembly must be revived. Assembly must be revived, then elections the outskirts of Doha, voiced mixed feelings. of ministers on Monday decided to halt all explanation on the grounds that the rul- That Assembly could not meet are not likely to be held in summer and “I am saddened by the departure of the father of this procedures regarding the election until ing was clear or it may accept the request because most MPs boycotted its sessions, are expected to be in October. nation under whose reign I had lived and grown up,” the court has issued its explanation. but set another date to issue the explana- forcing the government to recommend This can also happen if the court says she told AFP. “But I’m reassured about the future with Among the procedures affected was tion. to the Amir to dissolve it for the second that an Amiri decree must be issued to the enthronement of Sheikh Tamim, who is young but halting the publication of the election The third option is for the court to time. The Amir dissolved it on October 7 dissolve the scrapped Assembly elected mature.” Abdelaziz Al-Duhaimen, a 34-year-old official decree in the official gazette which effec- make the explanation in today’s session last year and new elections were held on last December. Under this scenario, the from the National Olympic Committee, headed by tively made it not possible to hold the explaining how the ruling should be December 1 within the 60-day legal peri- government can have the liberty in wait- Tamim, was upbeat. “This change offers a chance for election on July 25 as was announced implemented. The argument is whether od. Again, the new Assembly was dis- ing several weeks to issue the decree, young Qataris who, like Sheikh Tamim, are well-trained earlier. This is because the law requires the 2009 Assembly should be revived solved by the Constitutional Court which then several more weeks to publish the and competent enough to take new responsibilities,” the decree to be published by at least one after the court ruling although it had did not order reviving the 2009 Assembly. election decree and at least a month until he said. month before the election date. So, the already been dissolved on two occasions. The explanation request asked the court the election date. Continued on Page 15 US has no ‘plan B’ for naval base in Bahrain Kuwait’s Shuabia, Qatar seen as alternative

WASHINGTON: The US military has failed to prepare a realistic “plan B” if political turmoil forces the closure of a vital naval base in Bahrain, a naval officer argues in a report released yesterday. The Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain is the most US important maritime base in the Middle East but senior officers have become com- placent about its future, Commander Richard McDaniel asserts. “Surprisingly, military leaders have no ‘Plan B’ if strategic access in Bahrain is jeopardized,” McDaniel wrote, in a paper published by the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. “Because of a strong desire to support the govern- ment of Bahrain, losing critical access is not currently being considered, and strategic basing alternatives are not being developed.” The loss of the base “could leave the United States without a key maritime base during a critical juncture of heightened tensions in the Middle East,” wrote McDaniel, who cited interviews with unnamed US officers. His report warns the United States was caught ill-prepared and off-guard by political upheavals in the past-in Iran in 1979 and in the Philippines in 1991 - which saw Washington lose access SANABIS: A Bahraini Shiite man punches his fist into the air as he and thousands to crucial bases. of others chant slogans in support for their senior clerics during a public forum, The author proposes the United States investigate at a religious community center in Sanabis, Bahrain. Hatreds between Shiites alternatives in the Qatari capital Doha, where a large and Sunnis are now more virulent than ever in the Arab world because of Syria’s port is under construction, and in Shuabia, Kuwait, as brutal civil war. Hard-line clerics and politicians on both sides have added fuel, well as ports in Oman. depicting the fight as essentially a war of survival for their sect. — AP Continued on Page 15 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 LOCAL NBK launches new session of training program

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) the knowledge on a variety of subjects such recently welcomed a new batch of university as: teamwork, creative thinking and modern students in its ongoing Training Program. banking, in addition to helping them have This annual program is specially designed greater exposure to daily banking work pro- for university students and aims at providing cedures. NBK’s Training Program is an exten- Kuwaiti youth with the appropriate opportu- sion to NBK’s educative initiatives and as part nities to experience how the actual profes- of its corporate social responsibility. sional banking issues and transactions are NBK’s training programs include NBK handled and processed. Academy which aims to train and develop the More than 200 trainees are enrolled annu- professional skills of fresh graduates, the ally in this intensive program. Summer Internship Program for high school The Training Program extends over a peri- and college students and the new training Al od of two months and provides practical Shabab program, that is specially designed to training covering different aspects of the develop the skills of newly recruited diploma banking industry. The program offers trainees holders.

KUWAIT: Mohammed Al-Othman, NBK’s Executive Manager, Consumer Banking Group in a group photo with the trainees.

KUWAIT: Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon left the country yesterday, ending a three-day official visit which was highlighted by a meeting Passenger clashes with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. President Rahmon was seen off at the airport by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and Deputy Chief of the National Guard Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Also seeing off the head of state were His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, with security man First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarah Al-Sabah, and senior commanders of the army, police, and National Guard. By Hanan Al-Saadoun Saad Al-Abdullah police who have sum- moned the Egyptian expat to hear his side of KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti man who arrived at the story. Kuwait Airport last night onboard a flight from Sharjah behaved in a rather peculiar Girl missing fashion, and even clashed with a security man An Egyptian expat has filed a case saying who sought to question him. The passenger his underage daughter went missing from the even assaulted the security man, whereupon house 48 hours ago and has not returned. he was arrested and sent to the concerned authorities. Asian held A Bangladeshi expat was arrested for Maid harassed being in possession of 240 bottles of locally A Sri Lankan maid complained that an made liquor. Security sources said that a Egyptian expat working as a delivery boy at a patrol on duty at King Fahad Express Way restaurant harassed her sexually. She told the near Mina Abdullah noticed a van driven by police that when she came out of her house an expat who seemed confused. After search- to receive the meal that was ordered, he ing the van, police found cartons containing touched her inappropriately and tried to the locally made liquor. He was sent to the KUWAIT: (Left) The German Specialized surgery room. (Right) Some staff members of the German Specialized Clinic in Hawally. seduce her. A case was registered with the Mina Abdullah police station. Obesity a widespread disease in Kuwait German Specialized Clinic welcomes Dr Hirsch By Ben Garcia “That is why we are joined here by Germany. After working in several gery is a procedure highly in demand the best international consultant and hospitals and care centers back home in Kuwait nowadays. What we offer is KUWAIT: Obesity is a widespread dis- plastic surgeon. He will be here with in Germany, he moved to Kuwait in a comprehensive approach in which ease in Kuwait, admits a former us for several months to provide the 2008 as a permanent consultant sur- a full range of surgical procedures is health minister. Speaking at a press best surgery that patients could ever geon at a private hospital. Then, in made available to the patient as well KUWAIT: The fire department received a report at 10:52 yesterday morning about a fire in conference to introduce a visiting have,” he added. Dr Peter Christian 2013, he joined German Specialized as qualified aftercare and specialized the basement of a house under construction in Mishref area. Some timbers were stored surgeon, Dr Peter Christian Hirsch, at Hirsch graduated in Plastic Surgery Clinic, where he continued to deliver dermatological care,” he said. at the 750 square-meter basement for construction purposes. Personnel from the Mishref the German Specialized Clinic, from the University of Hannover, exceptional patient care. “Plastic sur- Parts of Hirsch’s work includes fire center and the support center, led by Hawally governorate fire director Colonel Kuwait’s former health minister Dr body sculpting surgery, liposuction, Mohammad Al-Mihaimeed and head of Mishreef center Major Ali Abdul Razaq, respond- Muhammad Al-Jarallah cited research fat transplantation, augmentation of ed to the call. Within 3 minutes, firemen arrived at the site and soon brought the fire based on a sample of 212 Kuwaiti the breast and buttocks, arm and under control. No causalities were reported. men and 212 Kuwaiti women, con- thigh lifts, reconstruction of ducted by Kuwait University, in which abdomen after pregnancies and aes- 71 percent people were believed to thetic and functional reconstruction be obese. of body shape after weight loss. “Excessive overweight has an “Successful cosmetic surgery important negative impact on a per- requires a team approach. I am son’s health and quality of life, leav- joined here by doctors qualified and ing surgery the only available option specialized in their respective fields,” in certain cases,” he noted. he said. His team comprises Dr Reza Jarallah mentioned that with the Pajand, an experienced Italian Board latest technology available now at plastic surgeon and Dr Matthias the German Specialized Clinic and KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Former Health Minister Dr Muhammad Al- Roux, German Board dermatologist with their doctors dedicated to help- Jarallah, center, formally welcomes Dr Peter Christian Hirsch, left, who covers the full range of opera- ing patients in Kuwait, it has become at the German Specialized Clinic at a press conference yesterday. tive dermatology, laser treatment possible to tackle obesity. Also in the photo is Dr Reza Pajand.—Photos by Joseph Shagra and cosmetic skin therapy. Travel ban on Al-Barrak lifted

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s court of appeals on Monday dismissed a request by former lawmaker Musallam Al Barrak to suspend his tri- al until a verdict by the cassation court is pronounced. However, the court agreed to lift a travel ban imposed on the leading oppo- sition figure put on trial on charges of undermining the status of the emir in a speech he delivered in October. A five-year-sentence against Al Barrak by a lower court in April was overturned by the court of appeals in May. However, the court kept the case open within the court, a decision that the for- mer lawmaker challenged at the court of cassation, saying that it needed to be sent back to the lower court. “Not taking back my case to the lower court means that I have been deprived of my liti- gation rights,” he said. The court of appeals scheduled the next tri- al on Sept 8. The ex-MP is well-known throughout his years in the country’s parliament for his vociferous statements and sharp stances. He delivered his “abusive” speech at the pinnacle of a bit- ter standoff between the government and the opposition over the amendment of the controversial 2006 electoral law. The opposition, mostly conservative and tribal figures, said that the amendment that reduced the number of ballots a voter could cast from four to one was meant to ensure the election of a rubber-stamp parliament. The government argued that the “one voter, one vote” principle was adopted universally and that the amendment would also help address possible legal loopholes that had marred past elections. With the parliamentary elections in December, both sides sought support for their arguments and the opposition staged several rallies and demonstrations where leaders gave passion- filled speeches. According to security forces and several political formations, the former lawmaker stepped over the limits tradi- tionally accorded to the emir. However, the ex-MP and his sup- porters denied the claim. Al Barrak boycotted the December 1 parliamentary elections and this week urged eligible voters not to cast their ballots at the next national polls to elect a new legisla- tive house on July 25. Several other former lawmakers supported his call, but the boycott drive on Sunday evening was dealt a heavy blow after Al Awazem, Kuwait’s largest tribe, said that its members would run in the elections. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 LOCAL Opposition plans ‘more organized’ boycotting Plan to avoid confrontations KUWAIT: The opposition plans to adopt a differ- explanation to be released by the Constitutional that the tribesmen in all but the third con- ent approach in its campaign to boycott the Court today for last week’s ruling that upheld stituency launched preparations to declare out- elections, compared to what it adopted during the single-vote system. lawed the by-elections in which candidates will last December’s polls. This time, the campaign Al-Sawagh’s statements came a day after a be chosen to represent their respective tribes in would be “more organized” and based on “more gathering of the members of his Awazem tribe the upcoming elections. effective” political tactics, according to sources during which its leader Sheikh Falah Bin Jame In a related note, former MP Mohammad privy to the opposition’s thinking. urged his tribesmen to vote. “The majority of the Hayef announced that he does not plan to con- Speaking to Al-Qabas on the condition of Awazem tribesmen approve of the boycott call test in the upcoming elections, although he anonymity, the sources said that recent discus- as hundreds of them pledged to boycott after rejected plans to boycott. Hayef was one of sions among opposition groups focused on (Sunday night’s) gathering,” he told Al-Rai. more than 30 oppositionists who boycotted last coming up with a work plan that avoids con- Al-Sawagh argued that hundreds of Awazem December’s elections held as per the single- frontations and in which every step would be in tribe members walked out of the gathering in vote system that was enforced in keeping with line with the law. One of the options discussed which former MPs Salem Al-Namlan, Badr Al- the emergency decree released by HH the Amir was forming a shadow parliament “to monitor Dahoum and he himself advocated a rejection following dissolution of the parliament. Hayef the work of the executive and legislative authori- of all calls to vote. “We were carried on the said in his recent announcement that he ties with regards to progress in fighting corrup- shoulders of our tribesmen, and hundreds of changed his mind based on “the need to give tion and commitment to the constitution,” them accompanied us to Al-Namlan’s dewaniya priority to combating corruption ahead of per- according to the source. where they vowed to continue boycotting,” he sonal interests.” Separately, former MP Falah Al-Sawagh added. Al-Dahoum also argued in a separate In other news, the Kuwait Democratic Forum announced leading a movement in the fifth con- statement that a majority of the members of the released a statement announcing it will boycott stituency to urge the voters to boycott the Awazem tribe, the largest in Kuwait, plan to the upcoming elections, but also indicated that upcoming elections, the date for which could be boycott the elections. Meanwhile, Al-Qabas it will not stop any members from contesting if postponed to next October, depending on an reported yesterday quoting “informed sources” they planned to do so. Arab countries still suffering demographic challenges

CAIRO: Secretary-General of the poverty and marginalization rates as applied in the Arab world, and will graphic, economic, social, and politi- Arab League Dr Nabil Al-Arabi point- they were some of the main causes of also set a development plan to be cal changes they are facing. Kuwait’s ed out here yesterday the Arab the latest political events that took executed beyond 2014. delegation for the conference is head- region was still undergoing divergent place in many Arab countries. The three-day conference, will aim ed by Minister of State for Planning demographic challenges such as In addition, Al-Arabi explained to provide a better life for the 370 mil- and Development and Minister of Kuwaiti Amir arrives home unemployment, marginalization, low that some of the low-income Arab lion people of the Arab world popula- State for National Assembly Affairs Dr. income, and immigration despite countries are still undergoing high tion, especially with the recent demo- Rola Dashti. —KUNA KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Minister of Amiri Diwan Arab states’ efforts to strengthen and rates of population growth, death of Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- employ development opportunities. mothers, illiteracy, low awareness, the official delegation accompanying him Jaber Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Latest data showed that a major and bad health services, affirming at Premier sponsors LAPA arrived home yesterday after having con- Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh number of Arab countries will not be the same time that other Arab states gratulated Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Ahmad Al-Hamoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, able to accomplish most of the goals are witnessing high populated migra- cultural activities Khalifa Al Thani on his accession to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign of World Population Plan of Action by tions to their lands such as forced, leadership of Qatar as the new ruler of the Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, 2014, as well as the Millennium irregular, work, and competencies. KUWAIT: LAPA (LoYAC general, and scientifically, state. Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Development Goals by 2015, Al-Arabi Furthermore, he asserted that Academy of Performing Arts) socially, culturally, and aestheti- On hand to see HH the Amir at the air- Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, President of the said during his opening speech at the wars and conflicts contributed in held yesterday its cultural activi- cally in particular. Kuwait is port here were His Highness the Crown National Security Apparatus Sheikh Regional Population and aggravating numbers of immigrants ties at the theater of Kuwait known to be rich with youth Development Conference, entitled and refugees in the region, making it Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Mohammad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, Advisor at National Museum, under the potential, manifested in cultural “Development Challenges and one of the world’s biggest regions in Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister the Amiri Diwan Mohammad Dhaifallah auspices of His Highness the and artistic productions, said Population Dynamics in a Changing hosting refugees. Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and a Sharar, Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al- the Prime Minister, expressing number of ministers and senior govern- Jaber Al-Sabah, Advisor at the Amiri Diwan Arab Region, which kicked off on The current conference is of great Monday in the Egyptian capital. importance since it is occurring after Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. confidence in the continuity of ment officials. Sheikh Fahad Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem His Highness Sheikh Jaber Kuwaitis’ creative efforts. The Among members of the delegation Al-Sabah, Director of the Office of His Also, he noted the Arab world is two decades of the first population currently witnessing high unemploy- conference in 1994, which resulted in said that the government is event was attended by a num- accompanying His Highness the Amir to Highness the Amir Ahmad Fahad Al-Fahad keen on encouraging all youth ber of sheikhs, ministers, and Qatar were Sheikh Faisal Al-Saud Al- and Chief of Amiri Protocol Sheikh Khalid ment rates, compared to other inter- creating a 20 year program of action. national regions, adding that these Moreover, the conference will dis- talents, adopting their various senior state and Premier Diwan Mohammad Al-Sabah, Deputy Chief of the Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah Al-Nasser Al- ideas and theses in all fields in officials. — KUNA National Guard Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Sabah.—(KUNA) high rates contributed in aggravating cuss how well the program was WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 LOCAL

kuwait digest In my view The looming US cohabitation threat with terrorists

By Dr Wael Al-Hasawi By Dr Abdulaziz Sager mid speculations about what shape the parlia- ment and Cabinet will take following the upcom- n mid-December 2012, President Obama in an Aing elections, my hope is that whatever formations interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters tried to we end up with, these should be able to help the Kuwaiti Iexplain US policy toward the Syrian revolution, people realize their ambitions that have been put on hold saying “Not everybody who’s participating on the during the long years of political turmoil. ground in fighting Assad are people who we are If there is something we need to focus on as a top pri- comfortable with.” This comment was a direct refer- ority today, it is a plan to rescue the Kuwait’s economy ence to the US government’s decision to designate and avoid a dark future in which its very existence would be at risk. This plan must be based on reformist steps to the Syrian rebel group “Al-Nusrah Front” as a terror- correct the huge imbalance in spending that continues to ist organization. It was amazing how fast and effi- worsen, according to researches and reports released by cient the US and European counter-terrorism several international organizations. authorities were in discovering that the Al-Nusrah Predictions for the 2012/2013 fiscal year budget indi- Front is a terrorist group affiliated to Al-Qaeda that cate that Kuwait’s revenue will reach KD18 billion while deserves swift punishment. expenses are set to reach KD21 billion, which means that Most Arab governments, and even the general at least a deficit of KD3 billion is expected. What is more public, raised no objection to the US administra- alarming are the statistics which indicate that the public tion’s decision. Yet many thought that, considering sector’s payroll was in excess of KD10.3 billion or 57 per- the criminal behavior of the Assad regime, evi- cent of the revenue, while subsidies have reached KD5.6 dence of Al-Nusrah practising terrorism was not billion or 30 percent of the revenue. Together, the salary sufficient or convincing. It would appear that as a budget and subsidies claim KD16 billion or 88 percent of In my view Sunni Jihadi militia organization, Al-Nusrah was the revenue, leaving comparatively little funds for other predestined to be branded as a terrorist group by activities. Western governments. Some might argue that these figures are not as alarm- The debate over whether Al-Nusrah can be con- ing as they seem to be, given Kuwait’s status as a country The unfolding catastrophe sidered as a terrorist group and a branch of Al- that makes more than KD10 billion in annual surplus while oil prices are gradually increasing. However, the Qaeda was over quickly after it was promptly problem lies in the fact that politicians lack a long term By Muhammad Sahimi included on both the US and EU terrorist groups vision and have been unable to realize that the ongoing list, as well as on the UN Security Council blacklist. spending policy is leading the country towards a dark hen the United States and its allies began celed, and at least a few patients have already died. Yet, deliberation is still continuing among the EU future. imposing sanctions on Iran to persuade its Fatemeh Hashemi, head of Iran’s Foundation for states on listing Hezbollah as a terrorist group, with According to official estimations, Kuwait is in line to Wleaders to reconsider their policy toward its Special Diseases, recently wrote a letter to United considerable and evident hesitation. The fact is that face a $179 billion deficit by 2030 in a best case scenario nuclear program, they promised the world that the Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The both Al-Nusrah and Hezbollah have been equally in which oil production increases from three million bar- sanctions would be “smart” and “targeted.” They told us Foundation cares for the needs of patients with life- accused of interfering in the Syrian internal conflict. rels a day to 4.5 million and at the rate of $185 a barrel. that the sanctions would not hurt millions of ordinary threatening diseases, including a variety of cancers in All terrorist groups must be faced with immedi- This scenario is almost impossible to happen; in a Iranians who go about their daily lives and play no role adult patients as well as children, heart diseases, lung ate and severe punitive action, and the crime of ter- more pragmatic scenario, production would increase to in the decision-making process of the Islamic Republic’s problems, multiple sclerosis (MS) and thalassemia. The rorism must be fought regardless of sectarian, reli- four million barrels a day by 2030 and the price would be leaders regarding Iran’s nuclear policy. Now that the foundation has been a highly successful organization gious, and nationalist pretexts. Yet, one has the sanctions are in full force, they are hurting the same that, in addition to Iran, has also served many people in $100 a barrel. With a seven percent average increase in right to wonder about the double standards adopt- people who were not supposedly the target. In fact, a Iraq and Afghanistan, and whose work has been recog- general spending, the budget deficit would exceed $624 ed by the US and its European allies toward catego- billion by then. human catastrophe is emerging whose scale poses as nized by the U.N. much a threat as an outright military attack. In her letter, Hashemi says she leads an organization rizing who deserves to be called a terrorist and who No one needs an economic expert to understand does not. what it means for a country like Kuwait that has a less The supposedly “smart” and “targeted” sanctions “with 6 million patients and, hence, in contact with 30 Recently, many thousands of Hezbollah militias than 1.25 million population and a $624 billion budget have been increasingly expanded to all areas, even if percent of Iran’s total population.” Emphasizing the non- deficit. Given the lack of sources of income other than oil, they are not part of the official sphere of sanctions. This political nature of her organization and her letter, with their heavy arms crossed the Syrian interna- not only would this deficit mean that the country would is because the US and its EU allies have imposed sanc- Hashemi adds, “Although drugs have not been sanc- tional border to participate in the Assad’s regime face bankruptcy, but also that debts will follow Kuwaitis tions on the Central Bank and practically all other tioned, due to the impossibility of paying for the bloodbath against the Syrian people, on the Syrian everywhere they go. Greece is an example of a country Iranian banks that are involved in commercial transac- imported drugs through the banking system, the heavy land. Does this not amount to a terrorist act? that has a population larger than us, a history that goes tions with the outside world. Since these banks open shadow of the sanctions is felt in the health sector. Not “Before Al-Qaeda’s attack on the US on Sept. 11, far beyond ours as well as agricultural, touristic and lines of credit for imports, and provide financial guaran- only has importing drugs been disrupted, importing the 2001, Hezbollah was responsible for killing more industrial potential. After falling in a debt trap that tees for commerce with the outside world, it has raw chemicals [for the drugs that Iran does produce] has Americans in terrorist attacks than any other terror- reached 350 billion Euros, the European Union offered become very difficult, if not impossible, to import vital also been disrupted. ... As a human activist, I call on ist group.” These were precisely the words of the US help but only as long as it follows tough conditions that goods and products into the country, even those that humanity’s conscience to pay attention to the fact that, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial include releasing 150,000 people from the public sector, absolutely have nothing to do with the military, or oil, or despite the claims by those that have imposed the sanc- Intelligence David Cohen on Aug. 10, 2012. salary and pension cuts, increasing the retirement age, the nuclear program. tions, their pressure is having its destructive effect on He told his audience that Hezbollah has “a long increasing income and value added taxes, as well as An area that has been hit very hard is the pharma- the life and health of the people.” history of terrorist attacks against American citizens ceutical sector. Iran produces a large part of the medi- Hence, advanced drugs for the aforementioned spe- merging or dissolving many public sector institutions. and officials, including the bombing of the US Even after following these conditions, Greece is yet to cines and drugs that its population needs, based on the cial and dangerous diseases cannot be imported, generic versions of brand-name pharmaceuticals. But it endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of Embassy and Marine barracks in Lebanon during recover from its debt crisis that it could have avoided the 1980s.” He further added that Hezbollah “quick- more easily by acting earlier. Is a fate similar to Greece’s is unable to produce the most advanced drugs that Iranian people. There are about 37,000 Iranians with ly expanded its violent campaign on to a global awaiting us? — Al-Rai have come to the market over the past 10-15 years that (MS), a debilitating disease that can be controlled only deal with a variety of serious illnesses, simply because with advanced medications; otherwise, the patients will stage, carrying out and supporting terrorist attacks their generic versions are not yet available. As a result, die. Three members of my own extended family living in in South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and vari- kuwait digest Iran must still import a significant amount of drugs Iran are afflicted with MS. Furthermore, given that even ous countries in the Middle East. More recently one every year to address the needs of the Iranian people under the best medical conditions 40,000 Iranians lose has seen the group’s plotting disrupted in when dealing with such illnesses as leukemia, AIDS and their lives to cancer every year, and that it has been pre- Azerbaijan, Egypt, Thailand, and Cyprus,” and that What’s after others. dicted by many medical experts that Iran will have a “Hezbollah’s members have engaged in criminal But, the sanctions imposed on Iran’s banks and finan- “cancer tsunami” by 2015, as every year 70,000 to 80,000 behavior, including profiting from the narcotics and boycotting cial institutions have made importing the necessary new cases of cancer are identified in Iran, the gravity of money-laundering schemes.” drugs and the associated chemicals almost impossible. the situation becomes even more glaring. The net result Yet the top counter-terrorism official in the elections? At the same time, as Iran’s oil exports continue to is that, as a result of the sanctions, the shortage of drugs Obama administration focused on Hezbollah’s decrease due to the sanctions strain on the country’s for such patients and other types of illnesses is becom- crimes against the US, overlooking the fact that the resources, it becomes increasingly more difficult to pay ing chronic in Iran and has reached dangerous levels. group has practised terrorism and intimidation for the expensive imported drugs, even if a way can be Meanwhile, recent reports indicate that two large against the people of Lebanon for many years. By Dr Bader Al-Daihani found to important them. As a result, the shortage of plants that produce drugs for a variety of illnesses have drugs has begun to create a human catastrophe. also been closed. The reason is that it has become Hezbollah’s responsibility for the brutal assassina- n my last article, I said that boycotting the parliamen- The board of directors of the Iranian Hemophilia essentially impossible to import the chemical com- tion of the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and tary elections to be held under the one person-one Society recently informed the World Federation of pounds used in the production of the drugs, due to the possibly a dozen more similar crimes, has been Ivote decree was a principled choice of those who Hemophilia (IFH) that the lives of tens of thousands of sanctions imposed on Iran’s financial institutions that proven by a UN investigation team. reject any stakeholder’s monopoly over the decision- children are being endangered by the lack of proper deal with the outside world. In this context, most Arabs are concerned about making process and who want to stick to democratic drugs as a consequence of international economic sanc- It may be useless to preach to the Obama administra- US double standards, with the US government offi- practices based on the constitution. tions imposed on Iran. According to the letter that the tion about the human, moral, and ethical toll of its poli- cially describing Hezbollah as a dangerous terrorist The Kuwaiti constitution stresses that no single stake- Society’s board sent to the IFH, while the export of cy toward Iran, given that the president has in many group on the one hand, yet declining to treat it like holder should override the jurisdiction and authority of drugs to Iran has not been banned, the sanctions respects perpetuated the destructive Middle East policy other “terrorist groups.” Indeed, if one removes the another, and thereby destabilize the political equation. imposed on the Central Bank of Iran and the country’s of George W. Bush, which in Iran’s case has been even word “Hezbollah” from the US under secretary’s As an example, assume we are about to participate in a other financial institutions have severely disrupted the tougher and more damaging to the livelihood of the sport where our opponent is entitled to change its rules statement we will be mistaken that the top US offi- purchase and transfer of medicines. Describing itself as Iranian people. cial was referring to Al-Qaeda. as he wishes while the game is in progress. Will this be a non-political organization that has been active for 45 But, the emerging catastrophe will be an ethical and game be a fair one? Can you have any hope of winning? Does such strong US language bring any puni- years, the Society condemned the “inhumane and moral problem for the West for decades to come, a tive consequences on the Hezbollah group, which The answer is definitely no. immoral” US and EU sanctions and appealed to interna- catastrophe that is being created simply because Hence, the question should not be about the practica- has been on the US terrorist list since 1995? Does it tional organizations for help. Western governments blindly pursue crippling sanc- actually increase the pressure on Hezbollah in any bility of boycotting the coming elections. It should rather There are tens of thousands of Iranian boys and tions against Iran. Given the tragic history of the US practical way? focus on the practicability of participating while knowing young men who are hemophilic and need certain drugs intervention in Iran in the past, it would be prudent to beforehand that it would only impart further political and that must be imported. Many of them may need surgery rethink the consequences of such blind sanctions, and While the US has fully mobilized its military public legitimacy to the laws and decisions passed by the for a variety of reasons, but in the absence of proper their effect on the thinking of the Iranian people about might and its intelligence apparatus, along with government, particularly since it controls all the cards in drugs for their hemophilia illness, the surgeries cannot the US-a largely pro-US population in one of the most thousands of US drones, determinedly chasing and the political game and can change the rules of the game be performed. In fact, several reports from Iran indicate turbulent areas in the world that has been largely hos- hunting down Al-Qaeda’s operatives from the jun- whenever it wished. that surgeries for all hemophilic patients have been can- tile towards the United States. gles of Africa to the mountains of Pakistan, and the Therefore, any new parliament will not be different in deserts of Yemen, many thousands of Hezbollah’s essence than the one just annulled. Can this be described militia members are crossing the Syrian internation- as a real democracy or just a nominal one that would al borders with their most sophisticated and heavy only usher in another phony parliament? kuwait digest weapons, in daylight, and even under the scrutiny Moreover, those who had already taken part in the of the TV cameras. previous one-vote parliament that was annulled by the Constitutional Court will find no problem participating This is happening while the US and its Western once again as well. The question will be, then, directed to A state of confusion allies are turning a blind eye to Hezbollah, which those who had boycotted the elections. They will have to has been developed to operate as an effective ter- ponder over what they expect to happen after the elec- rorist arm for the Iranian regime. The US’s official tions. The problem does not lie in the worthless gains classification of Hezbollah as a “dangerous terrorist the government can easily wipe off anytime by a simple By Khalid Al-Tarrah group” is no more than lip-service, mere words stroke. The issue is more important than that. It is related unsupported by real conviction and lacking any to adhering to our democratic system that really reflects t seems that the Constitutional Court’s ruling has ing would have ended people’s boycott of the elec- real enforcement action on the ground. Such the nation’s will and addresses its interests. Democracy is failed to end the instability that has swept through tions, especially by the opposition. Its participation hypocrisy and insincerity is deeply worrying. not mere polling boxes and a parliament house. We have Ithe political scene for years. Taking a decision about today is more necessary that it ever was in order to Soon after the start of the Syrian revolt, whether to participate in the elections or boycott restore balance in the political struggle and amend the seen many examples of phony parliaments in the Arab Hezbollah successfully ‘tested the waters’ and region. Democracy is all about well defined rules and these is not an easy one, especially when reading the single-vote system in the parliament. details in the ruling, ahead of a clarification to be In the meantime, it is clear what steps are needed moved rapidly from providing logistical and opera- mechanisms agreed upon by all to ensure stability of the tional support for the Assad regime and its repres- political system. Such a system can be formed and released by the Constitutional Court today next in the political scene. (Wednesday). We need reinforcement of the idea of respecting sion to actual participation in the bloodbath. The tweaked by the people themselves. So boycotting the Iranian and Hezbollah leadership rightly assumed elections being held as per the ‘necessity decree’ is a prin- There is no doubt that the Fatwa and Legislation different opinions and plans for a better future. that the US and its allies are either unwilling or cipled stance, expressing rejection of inducing imbalance Department bears political and legal responsibility National unity is also critical at this point; we need to in the political equation for the benefit of a government that cannot be justified just by releasing a statement stand united in face of challenges at the local and unable to stop or hinder Hezbollah’s direct involve- that wishes to have a nominal parliament in which no to the press, as they did recently. Further, the state- regional levels. This requires us to stand together as ment in the Syrian internal conflict. The US lack of opposition group should be able to affect its decisions. It ment seems like a reaction and betrays the fact that it Kuwaitis in order to reinforce public participation in resolve and interest, which remains very evident, is will only be used to legalize an undemocratic situation. needs rescuing. It was illogical for the FLD to abandon the decision making process through steps based on seen in Tehran as a green light to further pursue its Boycotting the elections is a peaceful and civilized its responsibility since it serves the role of being the accord. Meanwhile, the executive authority needs to agenda. way followed in many countries worldwide to reject the government’s only legislative body whose job is to take radical and reformist steps in the Fatwa and Today, the US and its Western allies are shedding moves to manipulate democratic functioning. Such assess the status of urgency based on which emer- Legislation Department to avoid committing further crocodile tears about the atrocities committed manipulation would eventually render the government’s gency decrees are released. constitutional errors. against the civilian population in Syria, apparently decisions illegal and, thus, the government alone would The single-vote system is in my opinion not com- Today, there are only two options left for the oppo- with the intention to deceive Arab and internation- be responsible for them. patible with the population density, the distribution of sition: either be convinced through efforts of youth al public opinion. President Obama rightly feels Hence, the role of youth and opposition powers and constituencies and the political system as a whole. activists to answer the national call for voting, or pro- uncomfortable to share the ground with Al-Nusrah However, the Constitutional Court’s ruling to uphold vide a clear vision to correct the situation in accor- their ability to unite and overcome previous differences terrorist group. Yet, he seems comfortable to share the system must be honored. I had hoped that the rul- dance with the law and the constitution. —Al-Qabas becomes very significant. —Al-Jarida it with the Hezbollah terrorist group. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 LOCAL 6,000 illegal residents deported in 6 months Jails getting overcrowded

KUWAIT: Nearly 6,000 people were deported would not to allow their employees to work in Kuwait Airways is currently the only airline used over the past six months of crackdowns on ille- other firms before the workers were officially to transport deportees. A maximum of five gal residents in Kuwait, a local daily reported released. In addition to people with expired deportees per flight are allowed, he added, in yesterday, quoting Interior Ministry statistics as visas, the continuing crackdowns are targeting order to avoid trouble inside the airplane. of June 23. According to a source, who agreed to expatriate laborers reported missing by their Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Thekra Al- provide the statistics to Al-Qabas on the condi- employers, as well as people holding Article 20 Rashidi had announced in March the govern- tion of not being named in the report, as many visas (for domestic helpers) but working in pri- ment’s intention to deport 100,000 foreigners as 25,000 expatriates were arrested during secu- vate firms, for which visas are issued under this year, as part of a plan to reduce the expatri- rity campaigns carried out since the beginning Article 18 of the labor law. ate population in Kuwait by one million within a of the year across Kuwait. However, the source stated, such security decade. The Interior Ministry never confirmed The source said around 15,000 people were campaigns could be put on hold until further that the ongoing crackdowns on illegal residents later released after their employers submitted notice, with jails getting “overcrowded with were part of the deportation plan. In response to documents to prove that the workers were living detainees.” The source indicated that nearly a criticism from rights groups inside and outside legally in Kuwait. In other cases, workers whose thousand employers were blacklisted for allow- Kuwait, Al-Rashidi later identified “marginal visas had recently expired were released after ing domestic workers to work for others. labor forces” as the target of the plan. Kuwait is their employers gave assurances to renew their Furthermore, he said cooperation with the home to 2.6 million expatriates, who make up 68 visas immediately. Ministry of Social Affairs resulted in the blacklist- percent of the country’s 3.8 million population. The source also revealed that some employ- ing of nearly 500 companies found guilty of visa Nearly 90,000 of them live illegally in the coun- ers were required to sign undertakings that they trafficking. The source also indicated that try, according to official numbers. Gulf states use latest IT tools in public service KUWAIT: The Learning and Training Affairs Department under the Ministry of Interior has invited applications for admission to a training course for MANAMA: The GCC states use the latest IT tools to lance corporal specialized criminal detectives, for the academic year 2013- provide advanced public services, said Director General of Kuwait’s Central Agency for Information 14. Applications will be accepted during the period from June 2 through Technology (CAIT) Abdulatif Al-Suraie here yesterday. July 25, as advertised earlier. Applicants should be Kuwaiti citizens with a During CAIT’s participation at the four-day UN good conduct record. Public Service Awards 2013 Forum which began Monday, Al-Suraie said that the GCC states briefed the event on their experiences in utilizing IT tools in public Kuwait marks World service, adding that CAIT was honored during the forum by Deputy Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa. ABK sponsors Quran Anti-Drugs Day The agency was being recognized by the Bahraini government for its efforts in e-governance and valu- reciting competition KUWAIT: Kuwait marks the United Nations’ ministry of interior established a depart- able input to the UN forum. International Day Against Drug Abuse and ment for drug enforcement which not only He revealed that this was the first Kuwaiti participa- KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait announced internal for their employees or external, focusing Illicit Trafficking which falls today each year went after drug abusers but worked with tion in the forum which witnessed the participation of their sponsorship of the Quran reciting competi- on society, education, health, charity, environ- to raise awareness of the major problem other government agencies and NGOs to 1,700 figures from 80 countries. tion, at the Arab Open University, to be held at ment and sport. ABK is keen on participating that illicit drugs represent to society. rehabilitate habitual drug users. Al-Suraie noted significance of Kuwait’s participa- the Qutaiba Al Ghanim Theatre in the University with society on those levels, as such, our spon- This day is supported by individuals, Since the department of drug rehabilita- tion in the forum, the first event of this level to be held building. sorship of AOU’s Quran reciting competition communities and various organizations all tion started its task at the ministry of interi- in the Middle East. The sponsorship was held under ABK’s ongo- helps us achieve the Bank’s goals towards fulfill- over the world. or and up till now, the rate of drug use has He indicated that CAIT was partaking in the exhibi- ing social responsibility campaign under the slo- ing our social responsibility.” AOU’s Head of Kuwait has been marking this day since diminished measurably. In 1993 the social tion, held on the sideline of the forum, which was fea- gan “Our Society... Our Responsibility”, that Student Council thanked and expressed his grat- 1996 when it began making laws against charity organization known as Bashayer al- turing the latest IT tools and application within the encourages activities for the youth in particular. itudeto ABK for sponsoring their competition, drug abuse and trafficking and in 2006 the Khair was established unofficially for the public service domain. —KUNA Sahar Al-Therban - PR Manager at ABK said, “ABK while hoping for more such events and partner- purpose of treating and rehabilitating drug sponsors and supports many activities, whether ships in the future. users. Its work was seen as effective by the ministry so much so that its existence was officially recognized in 2005 when it obtained an official license to operate. Currently its activities are sanctioned by Kuwait, Tajikistan to cement ties the ministry of social affairs and labor. A good example of cooperation KUWAIT: Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and tem, modern banking system, experienced private eral ties. The current visit of President Rahmon to between the public and private sectors on Industry (KCCI) on Monday expressed desire for sector, modern infrastructure, and unique geo- Kuwait expresses not only satisfaction with the disseminating drug awareness among the closer ties between Kuwait and Tajikistan in the graphic location,” he noted. progress of the bilateral ties but the shared aspira- public is the national program or campaign economic and investment fields. “All these characteristics, coupled with friendly tion for stronger economic and commercial ties, for drug awareness known as Gheras, “The bilateral ties have great potentials for ties with Tajikistan, provide the suitable ground for Al-Sager went on. On his part, Saidov said his whose efforts have paid off in recent years growth in all domains,” KCCI First Deputy effective partnership in the investment and com- country seeks “to capitalize on her friendly ties and and which has garnered accolades both Chairman Khaled Abdullah Al-Sager said after mercial ties,” Al-Sager pointed out. “Kuwait is look- the already-signed cooperative deals with Kuwait regionally and internationally from the likes receiving Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and his ing forward to building closer ties with the Central to attract more Kuwaiti investments. of the UN and the WHO. party at the headquarters of the chamber. Asia country and open new horizons for coopera- “Tajikistan is blessed with a stable investment Col Adel Al-Hashash, the director of He made the comments in a joint press confer- tion in order to meet the needs of both nations infrastructure and enjoys abundant natural public relations, valued the gesture of the ence with Chairman of Tajik State Committee on and serve the mutual interests,” he reaffirmed. resources that gave rise to the mining industry in First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Investment and State Property Davlatali Saidov. The two countries signed an agreement on the such fields as gold, aluminum and coal besides who inaugurated the celebrations. He said “The State of Kuwait is blessed with invest- promotion and protection of joint investments in the oil and gas industries,” he said, noting that his Kuwait was participating in this event since ment-attractive atmosphere thanks to its political 1995. Since then, the two sides exchanged visits country has the biggest aluminum plant in the it became a signatory in 1988 to the UN stability, deep-rooted democracy, fair judicial sys- on various level with a view to furthering the bilat- world. —KUNA Col Adel Al-Hashash agreement to fight the drugs trade. OIC opens office in Brussels BRUSSELS: The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) , Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu , yesterday officially opened the OIC Permanent Observer Mission to the European Union in Brussels saying the 57-member organiza- tion is keen to develop relations with the 27-member European bloc. “There is also a growing and developing interest on the highest level in the EU to cooperate with the OIC,” he told the gathering of diplomats and officials from Europe and the Muslim world present at the inaugural ceremony. He noted that the OIC is the second-biggest organization after the United Nations having 57 members in four continents. Ihsanoglou said the OIC signed an agreement with the Belgian for- eign ministry in 2011 to open the mission in Brussels and in November of the same they pur- chased the building in which the office is now located. “I think our relations with the European Union on the different agenda items that we share will benefit all of us. There is a need for the cooperation between the Muslim world and Europe and the OIC as a collective voice of the Muslim world which stands for modernization and moderation will be the proper institution to deal with the EU,” he stressed. Hugues Mingarelli, Managing Director for North Africa and Middle East in the EU foreign serv- ice, known as the European External Action Service, said that EU High Representative Catherine Ashton was to be present at the opening of the office but she was held up at an EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg. —KUNA WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 LOCAL Zain honors its product and services partners

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunica- consistency in providing excellent service for tions company in Kuwait, recently held its Zain’s customers is critical to the company’s quarterly dealers lunch event to honor a focus on enhancing the customer experi- number of its authorized service providers for ence.” their outstanding performance during the The company provides a world of content first quarter of 2013. on the users’ mobile phones, from news and During the event, Zain acknowledged the games to email and messaging. Zain’s latest outstanding performers of these partners and unmatched value added services include based on several key indicators. ‘Media Phone the latest Mobile Applications, Mobile Health, Plus Company’ came first in terms of driving Mobile Education, Mobile Advertising, Mobile revenue to Zain’s value-added services, while Payment, and Mobile streaming. These servic- ‘BlueTec Company’ ranked first in the overall es are presented to all mobile users and are performance of the value-added services as available at the company’s authorized distrib- well as the first in receiving the least com- utors, who are sparing no efforts in maintain- plaints , and ‘First Cable Company’ the first in ing the highest quality standards. Zain’s dis- providing “Zain Same’ni” value-added service. tributors are without a doubt, an integral part Providers’ efforts were reflected in their of Zain and a significant element of success eagerness to exert maximum efforts to that has helped Zain reach the leading posi- ensure the upgrading of value-added services tion it enjoys today. The company encourages that Zain offers to its customers, which direct- distributors to maintain their performance ly strengthens Zain’s plans and operations. and continue offering the best services and This event takes place every quarter, products in town to its loyal customers. allowing distributors to compete fairly with For more information about Zain’s numer- one another and drive more efficiency when ous competitive promotions, customers are offering the best services and products to advised to visit any of Zain’s branches located Zain customers. in more than 75 locations across Kuwait, visit Nadia Al-Saif Zain’s Valued Added Services the company’s website on www.kw.zain.com, Director commented by saying: “Our partners contact its 24 hour call center at 107, or visit play a significant role in Zain’s success. Their the company’s social media channels. Four-member gang in police net for forgery Man found dead in Mishref KUWAIT: Criminal investigation department offi- warrant was issued to arrest the Indian man defaulted on a KD4000 payment. The man was cers arrested a gang of four people who whose name was blacklisted to prevent him referred to the proper authorities for further skimmed off nearly half a million Kuwaiti Dinars from fleeing the country. action. using forged credit cards. Investigations had been ongoing in several cases reported by shops Bribery case School quarrel where the suspects used the fake credit cards to A man was arrested recently for reportedly Police intervened to prevent a quarrel at a purchase expensive items. Detectives were receiving bribes to release driving license appli- Jahra high school on Monday after teachers eventually able to identify one of the suspects, a cations illegally. According to a source familiar caught a group of students cheating. Security Municipality intensifies Syrian man, who was arrested in an ambush in with the case, head of the General Traffic officers responded to an emergency call report- Ashbiliya. Police later arrested his accomplices - Department Major General Abdulfattah Al-Ali ing that students were trying to attack the food inspection campaigns a Kuwaiti, an Egyptian and a Nigerian - based on issued orders to investigate a tip off about a teachers supervising the final tests held at the information he provided during the interroga- Syrian man using his connections with a number Mulla Eissa School in Taima. The teachers told By Hanan Al-Saadoun ing their round-the-clock campaigns to tion. Further investigations revealed that the of officials in the department to release licenses the police that the students went on a rampage ensure that all shops in the six gover- suspects brought foreigners to Kuwait using visi- illegally. Based on an extensive investigation, the after they were caught using their smartphones KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality has con- norates are compatible with the tor’s visas, and then registered the forged credit man was detained and taken to the proper to cheat and were subsequently not allowed to tinued its inspection of food shops, Municipality’s regulations in terms of cards in their names. The foreigners would then authorities to face charges. continue their exams. supermarkets and stores aimed at pun- food stuffs. Director General of Kuwait leave Kuwait once their visa expired and would ishing violators in various areas in Municipality Ahmad Al-Subeih said that be paid a percentage for their cooperation. The Disguised fugitive Suicide Kuwaiti Governorates, ahead of incom- his body is stepping up its efforts to four suspects explained that they used this ploy A man wanted on account of money-related A man was found dead inside an under con- ing holy month of Ramadan. prosecute those who take advantage of to avoid being arrested. charges was arrested recently after he was found struction building in Mishref and the case was Emergency teams and regulatory the holy month of Ramadan and sell rot- disguised as a woman to avoid arrest. Traffic classified as suicide, according to preliminary bodies of the municipality are continu- ten food to consumers. —KUNA Rapist at large patrol pulled over a vehicle in Farwaniya after investigation results. Police and paramedics Search is on for a bus driver accused of sexu- noticing that its female driver was donning a reached the scene where a man reported finding ally assaulting a disabled boy in a case reported naqab (face-veil) in violation of traffic regula- a person in an unconscious state. The Indian on Monday at the Salmiya police station. tions. The driver was ordered to step outside the man was pronounced dead and investigators According to the 14-year-old’s statements, the vehicle after ‘she’ refused to produce a driver’s examined his body and found burn marks. suspect assaulted him inside the bus before license or answer the officers’ questions. Police Preliminary investigations indicated that the dropping him off at his house. The boy was at then found that the driver was actually a man man could have inflicted the burn injuries upon first hesitant about reporting the incident but dressed in an abaiya. He said that he used the himself before jumping from a height. The body decided a week later to tell his family. His father disguise as the best way to move freely since was taken for an autopsy to confirm the cause immediately took him to the police station. A there was a warrant out for his arrest for having and time of death. Investigations were on.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality inspection campaign in progress. KPC promotes sustainable social responsibility KUWAIT:Chairman of Kuwait Oil Tanker segments of society should follow the Islamic Company and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s teachings of social cooperation and help Managing Director for Government, those in need. There is a need for special Parliamentary, Public Relations and Media attention to care for those with special needs Affairs Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid Al-Sabah in particular, a matter recognized and stressed KUWAIT: Expo Tag for Conferences and Exhibitions honored Touristic Enterprises Company officials Jassem Al-Shmais (left) and announced that the corporation is constantly by the government, he said. The corporation Khaled Fawzi (right) for the TEC’s sponsorship for the First Summer Festival concluded recently at the Ras Al-Ardh Sea Club. eyeing means to promote sustainable corpo- recently helped with a Kuwaiti Society for the rate social accountability and responsibility. Handicapped procurement of a specially- The social role of KPC is just as important equipped bus to transport patients with spe- as its economic role, noted the chairman, cial needs to and from medical and entertain- adding that social responsibility is a main sup- ment facilities, and also contributed towards port to overall economic development. All furbishing physical therapy halls. — KUNA UN Public Service Forum kicks off

MANAMA: Bahraini Deputy Premier Sheikh in line with its belief in the UN goals, asserting Mohammad bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa underlined that the kingdom will embark on a plan to yesterday the importance of Information and upgrade the performance of state establish- Communication Technology (ICT) in enhancing ments in the coming period, which, he said, government services through e-government, requires it to be informed about the successful which has made landmark strides regarding the experiences of other countries. DMCP, US Embassy work to number and quality of services provided by e- Sheikh Mohammad pointed out that the service platforms in all fields. forum provides a platform for participants to Sheikh Mohammad, who is also the exchange views, expertise and successful expe- Chairman of the Supreme Committee for riences and discuss ways of promoting protect marine habitat Information and Communication Technology advanced government work systems that cope (SCICT), made his remarks in a speech at the with the fast technological developments wit- KUWAIT: Dow Chemical in Kuwait, in partnership the environment; this is very much in line with our how even small, concrete actions can have signifi- opening ceremony of the UN Public Service nessed by the world, especially in the field of e- with en.v, recently hosted American Ambassador core values of integrity and protecting our planet,” cant long-term impact.” Forum 2013, on behalf of King Sheikh Hamad Government in which the kingdom of Bahrain Matthew H. Tueller along with representatives from said Jamel Attal, Managing Director, Dow Kuwait. DMCP is now preparing to launch its Summer bin Issa Al-Khalifa. Sheikh Mohammad affirmed has made quantum leaps and become a region- the American Embassy in a cleanup at Sulaibikhat “We want to raise awareness of important environ- Awareness Campaign, which will focus on educating the Government of Bahrain’s keenness to keep al role model in a record time. beach in Kuwait. The Dow Marine Conservation mental issues and create a lasting positive impact in the public about proper waste-management and on side by side of all developments in the field of The Bahraini official added that the UN Program (DMCP) holds the distinction of being the the Kuwaiti community.” Also in attendance were demonstrating how each individual’s actions can public service through constantly updating the Public Service Awards distribution ceremony lead corporate patron of ‘Al-Yaal’ - Kuwait’s first volunteers from various non-profit organizations contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable laws and legislations regulating government testified to the world’s interest in public service nationwide marine conservation initiative devel- and schools including I Am Challenge - Kuwait, The Kuwait. Since its launch in April 2011, Dow’s Marine work out of its drive to upgrade performance and keenness to address the challenges it is fac- oped by en.v - an initiative dedicated to social Universal American School and the Kuwait Society Conservation Program has collected over nine and achieve good governance. ing in the economic, social, cultural, health and responsibility in the Arab world. for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitats (K’S tonnes of waste from over 84,000 sq.m. of Kuwait’s The deputy premier noted that within King education fields, congratulating the laureates “It was my pleasure to participate in Dow PATH), Al Yaal’s implementing partner. In two hours, shoreline, engaged close to 400 volunteers and edu- Hamad’s pioneering Reform Project, the public and lauding their contributions in the service of Chemical’s beach clean-up,” said Ambassador a total of 32 volunteers collected approximately 272 cated over 2000 students. The program’s concentrat- service sector has assumed its role in imple- individuals and societies. Tueller.”I’m so pleased to see American companies kgs of waste across 8000 sqm of shoreline, filling up ed efforts continue in order to protect and restore menting government programs fully through Also in his speech, Sheikh Mohammad con- such as Dow Chemical assisting in the preservation 34 heavy-duty waste bags. the rich marine ecosystem of beaches along enhancing performance, achieving excellence veyed greetings from the King to the partici- and restoration of some of Kuwait’s most treasured Zahed Sultan, en.v’s Managing Director said, Kuwait’s bay. These areas are abundant in marine life and developing mechanisms and goals, includ- pants, wishing a happy stay in the kingdom and beaches. I want to commend Dow Chemical and “Engaging youth is an integral part of this social pro- and coral reefs and serve as natural nesting grounds ing use of ICT, transparency, responsibility and successful forum. The forum which tackles vari- en.v on their innovative and sustainable partner- gram, as we aim to empower young members of the for turtles and migratory birds. Their fragile balance other incentives and stimulating programs. He ous technology and sustained government ship.” community to take on a leading role in bettering is endangered by indiscriminate disposal of direct added that the government was keen to pro- public service issues is bringing together inter- “Dow is very passionate about sustainability and their surroundings and in educating their peers on and indirect man-made waste. vide the quality public services for the citizens, national and regional experts. — KUNA WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

Out with the old Few cheers in Brussels as Croatia readies to join EU in Qatar but little change expected Page 10 Page 8

GOLAN HEIGHTS: Israeli soldiers from the Golani brigade drive their APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) during a military exercise in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights near the border with Syria yesterday. — AP Al-Qaeda’s rift may spark conflict among jihadis ‘Power grab’ by Iraqi Qaeda boss angers Syria jihadis

BEIRUT: A rift between Syrian jihadis and their blinks... We will not compromise over its exis- could end up isolated, even among the jihadis, fellow fighters from Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi wing may tence,” Baghdadi responded earlier this month. because they were more concerned with impos- lead to internecine war among some of the most “After consultation I decided to (follow) the ing an Islamist agenda than toppling Assad. effective rebel groups in combating President order from God over the order that opposes Resentment about Baghdadi’s agenda in Syria Bashar Al-Assad. Trouble has been brewing since it,” he added in an audio message. Nusra echoes the way that Al-Qaeda fighters alienated April over what Syria’s Nusra Front regards as a fighters, other rebels and Islamic sources many Sunni fighters during the Iraqi insurgency power grab by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, leader of reacted by saying Baghdadi had effectively against the US occupation forces and the Shiite- the Islamic State of Iraq. Now, Baghdadi’s insis- severed his Al-Qaeda links. “He rejected the led government in Baghdad. This could encour- tence that he will keep fighting as head of a unit- ruling of Sheikh Zawahri and therefore he is age other rebel brigades to join a Nusra backlash ed jihadi brigade in Syria, defying orders from Al- no longer a brother of al Qaeda,” said a senior against Baghdadi. “Baghdadi and those who Qaeda chief Ayman Zawahri, has brought the Nusra commander. “After Sheikh Zawahri believe in his extreme thinking, they are mostly two groups close to turning on each other. ruled in our favor, the State (Islamic State of foreigners and they are on their own,” the source “Tension is increasing, it is about to reach Iraq and Levant) is illegitimate.” said. “Nusra is back to work,” he added, saying boiling point. Both sides are saying they are Golani had ordered his commanders to prepare right. A clash between them could occur soon PUSHING BAGHDADI OUT to resume operations. and if it happens, it will be ugly,” said a senior A source close to Nusra leader Abu Despite losing ground to Baghdadi’s men in rebel commander in Damascus who is following Mohammad Golani described Baghdadi’s defi- the north, particularly in Aleppo and Raqqa the dispute. The two-year uprising against Assad ance as dangerous. “We have no choice but to provinces, rebels say the Nusra Front remains has drawn fighters from many foreign countries confront them, or Zawahri himself has to deal active and prominent in operations in the south- to both sides, in what is increasingly a sectarian with these people,” he said. Nusra was ready to ern province of Deraa, near the border with struggle between the main denominations of fight Baghdadi’s forces and kick them out of Jordan. Any resurgence of the Nusra Front, which Islam. Some Iraqi Shiites are fighting for Assad, Syria, but “Golani does not want bloodshed fights alongside other rebel brigades against whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam, among brothers in Islam, he added. “Right now Syrian government forces, would further compli- while Iraqi Sunni radicals who once took on US- there is a decision to avoid them... but if he acts cate Western efforts to support Assad’s oppo- led forces at home have joined the Syrian rebels. in a way that goes against Syria’s interest he will nents. The United States has been reluctant to Baghdadi’s attempt to unite the Syrian and be pushed out by force, him and his people.” arm the rebels because of fears that weapons Iraqi wings of Al-Qaeda has provoked the dis- Beneath the bluster, Nusra fighters appear to could end up in the hands of anti-Western jihadis pute at a sensitive time when some Western gov- be in no position for now to challenge such as the Nusra fighters. However, after a ernments are considering arming more moder- Baghdadi’s forces, and would need time to string of Assad gains around Damascus and near ate rebels, but fear the weapons might fall into regroup and find allies among Syria’s other the Lebanese border, backed by Lebanon’s Shiite the radicals’ hands. In April Baghdadi announced rebels. A senior commander from a hardline militia Hezbollah, President Barack Obama said his Islamic State of Iraq was merging with the Islamist rebel brigade in the northern province Washington would increase military aid. Nusra Front, which has staged some of the dead- of Idlib said Baghdadi’s men would probably win liest attacks on Assad’s forces. a direct clash. “Nusra was weakened by ARMING A FRACTURED FORCE This apparently unilateral move opened up (Baghdadi’s) takeover and weakened even more Any weapons which are sent would flow into bitter and public rifts with the Nusra Front lead- by the split that happened,” he said. “It will be a fractured rebel force. “Nusra believe, and they ership - which resisted what it saw as his bid for very difficult for Golani or anybody to bring it are right, that this is their land, it is their Syria overall power - and with Zawahri, the global Al- back from ashes.” and they have the right to lead the battle here,” Qaeda leader who instructed him to put the With powerful, mostly foreign, fighters on his said the senior rebel commander in Damascus. merger on hold in an apparent attempt to settle side, Baghdadi forced Golani and some of his Islamist sources close to Al-Qaeda’s thinking say the row. Baghdadi dismissed the demand from men to go underground, confiscating some that Baghdadi’s attempt to merge the Iraq and Zawahri, who has headed Al-Qaeda since US Nusra weapons. Many other Nusra fighters went Syrian wings of the movement did not contradict forces killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. The home or joined other Islamist brigades. But the Zawahri’s belief in a hierarchy and structure that merged Islamic state of Iraq and Levant “is stay- source close to Golani said the fact that most of could form the basis of a powerful Islamic ing as long as we have a pulse and an eye that Baghdadi’s fighters were non-Syrians meant they state.—Reuters INTERNATIONAL WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 QatarYoung Emir likely to remain an exception

DUBAI: Ageing Gulf Arab rulers swiftly congratulated Qatar’s young new emir on his accession yesterday, Outgoing Emir, a visionary for tiny Gulf state but will be in no rush to emulate his father’s abdica- tion - for them, hereditary rule is for life. The ascent to power of Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, 33, provides a Sheikh Hamad, Emir who The step is sure to stir the interest stark contrast to other Gulf Arab states whose youth- ful populations are ruled by kings or princes in their of young Arab royals around the 60s, 70s and 80s, some with heirs of the same vin- tage. made Qatar world player The step is sure to stir the interest of young Arab Gulf, especially those impatient royals around the Gulf, especially those impatient for plum state jobs shared out in royal deliberations far DOHA: To his admirers, Qatari emir Sheikh from the public eye. And in time, as Tamim’s profile Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani is a champion of the for plum state jobs shared out in grows, his rule may raise expectations of more youth- common man’s struggle against tyranny, and a friendly policies in Gulf societies where almost a third visionary who turned billions of dollars in energy royal deliberations far from the of the population is under 15. revenues into strategic international investments. Since Arab uprisings erupted in 2011, Gulf states To his critics, the 61-year-old ruler only pretends have worked harder to provide more jobs and better to be a friend of the masses, for while he backed public eye. And in time, as social services to Internet-savvy populations increas- Arab Spring revolts against autocracy, he ingly outspoken online. But reverence for age, and a clamped down on freedoms at home. What both view of Qatar as an irrelevant maverick, mean other groups tend to agree on is that Sheikh Hamad Tamim’s profile grows, his rule Gulf states are unlikely to follow the example Qatar has managed to turn the tiny Gulf state into a set yesterday when the emir handed over to Tamim, regional powerhouse that punches above its may raise expectations of more hailing the “innovative ideas and active energies” of weight in international diplomacy and high- youth. “This step will not be repeated in other parts rolling finance. of the Arab world,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a politi- His vision is expected to continue after he youth-friendly policies in Gulf cal scientist in the United Arab Emirates. “What hap- announced on Tuesday that he was stepping pened in Qatar will be forgotten.” Analysts also sug- down and handing power to his son, Crown societies where almost a third of gest that the complex internal politics of Gulf ruling Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The families, which often involve balancing rival dynastic dramatic step is unheard of in a region where, lines, tend to exhaust the energies of senior players. until Arab Spring revolts two years ago, authori- the population is under 15. tarian rulers usually remained in power for life. ELITES GET SET IN THEIR WAYS The handover cements Qatar’s standing as “the Tough decisions on succession tend to get put off. great regional maverick”, said Kristian Ulrichsen, a Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al- “Elites get set in their rules and operations, in their Gulf expert at The Baker Institute for Public Thani way of thinking and of working,” said Shafeeq Policy. The impetus behind Sheikh Hamad’s pur- Ghabra, professor of political science at Kuwait suit of the limelight for his country over the past of President Bashar Al-Assad, as well as official University. “They just keep going for decades until decade, analysts say, was a wish to differentiate recognition of the Syrian opposition at the Arab things become problematic and crises happen.” In Qatar from regional neighbors, especially Sunni League. Oman, for example, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, 72, who powerhouse and rival Saudi Arabia. The first embassy for the Syrian opposition has yet to name a successor, has ruled for 43 years. opened in Doha in March. A close US ally that Kuwait’s Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, 84, VOLATILE REGION hosts a large American military base, its copious put in 40 years as foreign minister before acceding to “He dexterously fostered a unique place for natural gas reserves have made Qatar one of the the top job. Qatar as a relatively neutral country in a volatile world’s richest countries. The tiny country whose Bahrain’s powerful Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman bin region,” said David Roberts, deputy director of economy once centered on pearl fishing now has Khalifa, in his late 70s, an uncle to the king and an the Royal United Services Institute in Doha. “This a sovereign wealth fund that controls an estimat- advocate of stringent internal security, has been not only improved his status domestically, but ed $100 billion in assets. Its high-profile purchas- prime minister for four decades. In Saudi Arabia, the furthered Qatar economically by encouraging a es, such as the acquisition of London department largest and most powerful Gulf Arab state, the ruling modern, attractive and liberalizing image.” Under store Harrods, have highlighted the country’s Al-Saud family has cautiously elevated younger Hamad’s tenure, along with his influential wife immense wealth. princes over the past two years, but has given no hint Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, Qatar gar- “It would not be a stretch to say that in some that it is contemplating a Qatar-style transfer of top nered much attention in the past decade through ways, Qatar today is more influential than Egypt roles. Two royal deaths since 2011 have led King the launch of the Al Jazeera television network, on the regional stage, even though Egypt has Abdullah, who turns 90 this year, to retire some older as well as its successful bid to host the 2022 soc- more than 240 times the number of citizens,” said princes and promote comparatively younger mem- cer World Cup. Shadi Hamid, director of research at Brookings bers of the family to senior posts. Sheikh Hamad mediated conflicts in Darfur, Center Doha, the Qatar branch of the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 53, made Interior Somalia and Lebanon, often by hosting lavish Washington-based think-tank. That boldness Minister in November, is now the most powerful multi-day peace talks in five-star hotels until the helped Qatar cultivate remarkable success as a prince of his generation, commanding a ministry that rival sides agreed to a deal. But it was Qatar’s regional mediator. During Sheikh Hamad’s reign, oversees the kingdom’s formidable security infra- aggressive intervention in the Arab Spring Doha displayed an ability to engage almost structure and 13 provincial governors. King revolts, especially supplying rebels in Libya with everyone from the United States to Hezbollah, Abdullah’s son, Prince Miteb, who took command of weapons to oust long-time ruler Muammar and even Iran. the National Guard from his father in 2010, was made Gaddafi and pushing for Arab agreement on a a full minister in May, reinforcing his seat at the top no-fly zone, that really turned attention to the SUPPORTIVE TWEETS table. Other members of the next generation - peninsula state of 1.9 million people. The transformation of Qatar from a backwater grandsons rather than sons of the dynasty’s founder Sheikh Hamad personally directed that bil- into a global powerhouse began in June 1995 King Abdulaziz Al-Saud - have been made governors lions be spent on supplying weapons as well as when Hamad, then aged 45, ousted his father in a of the Riyadh and Eastern provinces. fuel and supplies to the Libyan rebels. As one of bloodless coup. “I am not happy with what has the world’s richest countries with a cradle-to- happened but it had to be done and I had to do FAMILY SIZE SLOWS grave welfare system for its 250,000 native popu- it,” he said in brief televised speech at the time. DECISIONS lation, Qatar has largely escaped the unrest seen “God knows that I was not seeking power by this However, while in other Arab countries. It is perhaps that fact method for the love of power. It is rather a heavy younger princes may that has pushed Sheikh Hamad to throw his responsibility and a great trust, and I beseech be hungry for top weight behind popular revolts abroad without Almighty God to guide us.” jobs, Saudi and worrying about any backlash at home. As Hamad handed over power to his son, the Gulf analysts Qatari Twitter-sphere was awash with supportive say whatever BIG GAS RESERVES tweets for the outgoing ruler, with a “thank you happens in He has also shored up Egypt’s Muslim Hamad” hashtag quickly gaining popularity. Qatar will Brotherhood which rose to power after Hosni “Today is a new step in the history of the state of make little Mubarak was deposed, depositing millions of Qatar,” said one Twitter user. Another Twitter user difference dollars in Egypt’s central bank as the country from Qatar said: “Don’t want media to analyze to its larg- struggled economically under the Islamist leader- today, I just want them to witness the birth of an er neigh- ship of Mohamed Mursi. In Syria, Qatar was at the icon. Seldom do we come across this in MENA.” — bor’s forefront of Arab countries calling for the ousting Reuters succes- sion process. For one thing, the complex internal politics potent symbol for Gulf states acutely aware of the of the roughly 7,000-strong Al-Saud family makes any need to address the concerns of their youthful and direct power shift to younger men much trickier than sometimes restless societies. within Qatar’s Al-Thani dynasty. Unlike in Qatar, Saudi Christopher Davidson, a Gulf expert at Britain’s succession does not pass from father to son but Durham University, said Tamim’s rise “ushers in the down a line of brothers born to King Abdulaziz and first generation of Gulf rulers who have near-native then to an as-yet unchosen prince from the younger English, are fully social media-savvy, and are fully a generation. product of the oil era.” Jane Kinninmont of the That means there is no single clear candidate Chatham House think tank in London said the sight among the younger princes for the family to rally of an absolute monarch voluntarily stepping down around. Instead, there are half a dozen who might “defies the conventional wisdom about the Gulf and one day become king. Princes in their 50s and 60s in will linger in the imaginations of many in the wider Saudi Arabia at best occupy deputy ministerial posi- Middle East. “It becomes harder for other powerful tions or governorships of small provinces, making royals to insist the younger generation must wait them callow by the standards of a family that likes its years or decades for their turn in power. This has senior princes to have held top jobs for decades. implications for every single one of the other Gulf Nevertheless, Tamim’s youth could evolve into a countries.” — Reuters Qatar handover tests assertive global push DUBAI: Qatar’s leadership transition is well-man- both assertive and ad hoc. That makes the out- aged by the standards of the Arab Gulf, where look less certain now. The new emir will have rulers tend to hold on until death. The abdication more flexibility to adopt a more moderate stance of Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, 61, overseas, where Doha’s interests range from who deposed his father in a bloodless coup bankrolling Syria’s rebels to propping up Egypt’s eighteen years ago and has transformed Qatar, flailing new Islamist government. He may also be ensures an orderly succession by his son Sheikh under pressure to do so. A desire to shore up the Tamim, 33. But it raises some uncertainty over emirate’s security has driven decision making, the country’s outsize portfolio of financial and but the interventionist approach has arguably foreign policy interests. made Doha more vulnerable - not less. The handover is unlikely to result in a major There’s no official word yet on the fate of change of direction for the country’s fast-grow- Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al- ing economy. Domestic spending has been Thani, one of the country’s most powerful men, agreed up until 2017, notes Eurasia Group. and a savvy dealmaker. That will determine the Sheikh Tamim has also been active in many of the impact of the transition on Qatar’s massive sover- emirate’s biggest projects, including Doha’s suc- eign fund. He is expected to step down as part of cessful but controversial bid to host the football the first cabinet reshuffle in more than a decade. World Cup 2022. That project commits the coun- If he keeps his role as chairman of Qatar Holding try to massive infrastructure spending. and gives the fund his full attention, activity Qatar’s foreign policy in recent years has been could increase. —Reuters WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 INTERNATIONAL

Fadl Shaker: Lebanon crooner turned fugitive militant

BEIRUT: Once adored by women for He constantly ended up in bad com- his first album in the late nineties, and (My heart melted in your love), are reserved person,” said Shaker’s friend. of the Sunnis”. He grew a beard and his warm voice and good looks, pany,” said the friend, who lost touch continued to perform until 2011. regularly played at Arab weddings “When his Palestinian wife left him, he became a highlight of Assir’s rallies, Lebanese crooner Fadl Shaker fol- with him some years ago. In his prime, His biggest hits, Bayyaa Al-Qulub and parties. Shaker’s songs are would cry on stage as he sang, think- helping attract attention to the phe- lowed an unlikely path to become an Shaker sang love songs that were (The Heartbreaker), Ya Ghayeb (You romantic and his voice full of longing. ing of her. He is very emotional.” In nomenon of Sunni radicalism in the Islamist militant now on the run with instant region-wide hits. He released who are far away) and Law Ala Albi “He is a very sensitive, extremely one of his most well-known songs, he small Mediterranean country. fellow fugitive Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir. sang: “O you who are far away, why Performing during a television The pair are now being sought in a don’t you ask after the one who loves interview earlier this year, Shaker nationwide manhunt after clashes you, and who can’t sleep at night? I swapped his love songs for a chant between Assir and his Salafist sup- am thinking of you.” about jihad (holy war) and death. porters and the military in the south- Shaker’s immense popularity was Sitting by Assir, Shaker smiled and ern city of Sidon that left 17 soldiers boosted by the fact he was also a sang as sweetly as ever: “God gave dead. defender of Palestinian rights, and me the gift and invited me to join the Though he grew to become one was granted honorary Palestinian citi- jihad... Mother, don’t cry for me... of the Arab world’s most famous zenship by President Mahmud Death does not frighten me, and my singers, Shaker suffered through a Abbas. Shaker also opened a restau- wish is to become a martyr.” His latest miserable childhood of poverty, rant in Sidon and pondered swap- media appearance came in an ama- which a onetime musician friend says ping his music career for a less hectic teur video in which he boasts: “We helped lead him down a dark path life, closer to his three children. “I got rid of two of your swine, of your later in life. Now in his mid-forties, knew he would leave music one day, dogs... God is great.” Shaker was born to a Palestinian but I would never have thought he The video went viral, with many mother and Lebanese father in the would join Assir. It’s such a shame, he alleging Shaker referred to killing country’s biggest Palestinian refugee has such talent. I feel sorry for him,” army troops. Others said the footage camp, Ain Al-Helweh. Born Fadl his friend said. Shaker’s brother had referred to earlier clashes between Shmandur, he began his career as a long been a strict Muslim, and he Assir supporters and pro-Hezbollah popular wedding singer who per- tried for years to convince him to fighters. Lebanon’s judicial authorities formed from the rooftops of the leave music. issued a detention order for Assir and camp, an over-crowded and hopeless But it wasn’t until after the out- 123 of his supporters, including place. “He has a beautiful voice. break of an uprising in Syria against Shaker, whose brother was killed in Hearing him live was even more President Bashar Al-Assad that weekend clashes with the army in beautiful than a recording,” a former Shaker became convinced that Sidon.”Fadl’s story makes me sad, but friend of Shaker’s told AFP on condi- singing is haram, or forbidden in in a way I am not surprised. He has tion of anonymity. “But he has always SIDON: File picture shows Lebanese Sunni Muslim Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed Al-Assir Islam. Shaker soon became the best- always been easy to manipulate,” his been naive and gullible. The more of a (left) holding the hand of Lebanese singer Fadel Shaker during a small concert where he known face of Assir’s small move- friend said. “These people have used star he became, the further he strayed ment of openly sectarian, Sunni radi- him. Without him, no one would from the people who really loved him. sang Muslim hymns in the southern city of Sidon. —AFP cals and praised the cleric as “the lion have heard of them.” —AFP Asia fuels ‘explosion’ Iran, Hezbollah involvement in Syria is ‘dangerous’: Saudi in global arms trade JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia regards the involve- armed groups supporting opposing sides strategy noted that it had become their ment of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria’s civil in Syria have fuelled fears of a lapse back only option to cope with the deterioration war as ‘dangerous’ and believes the rebels into sectarian civil war. in their living conditions,” WFP spokes- Opportunities East are double-edged, analyst warns must be offered military aid to defend woman Elisabeth Byrs told a news briefing themselves, the kingdom’s foreign minister BEGGING SPREADS in Geneva. She said the WFP was stepping LONDON: Asian powers are outpac- percent by 2021 to fall behind Asia at makers such as Lockheed Martin, said yesterday. Speaking at a news confer- Meanwhile, families in Syria are increas- up food deliveries in Syria ahead of the start ing the United States to become the 31 percent. Boeing and BAE Systems who want to ence with US Secretary John Kerry in ingly resorting to begging for food to cope in early July of the Islamic holy month of biggest spenders on defense by 2021 Military spending in the Asia Pacific sell them fighter jets and other equip- Jeddah, Prince Saud Al-Faisal added that with shortages and high prices wrought by Ramadan, during which devout Muslims and are fuelling an “explosion” in the region - which includes China, India ment to make up for reduced spend- Saudi Arabia “cannot be silent” about the civil war, the World Food Program (WFP) fast from dawn to dusk and economic activ- global arms trade, a study showed. and Indonesia - will rise 35 percent to ing in their Western home markets, Iranian intervention and called for a resolu- said yesterday. The conflict between ities are disrupted. The global arms trade jumped by 30 $501 billion in the next eight years, but such deals tend to require invest- tion to ban arms flows to the Syrian govern- President Bashar Al-Assad and rebels trying “We have to anticipate that during percent to $73.5 billion between compared to a 28 percent fall in US ment in the buyers’ defense industries. ment. “The kingdom calls for issuing an to overthrow him has killed 93,000 people, month of Ramadan..., some transport activi- 2008-2012 in spite of the economic spending to $472 billion over the India, for instance, is speaking unequivocal international resolution to halt uprooted millions of people, destroyed ties will slow down or stop. It is urgent to downturn, driven by surging exports same period, IHS Jane’s said. “The big exclusively to France’s Dassault the provision of arms to the Syrian regime livelihoods and wrecked property, busi- ensure delivery to ensure normal distribu- from China and demand from coun- Western defense companies have no Aviation on a $12 billion order of 126 and states the illegitimacy of the regime,” nesses and infrastructure worth tens of bil- tion to families.” Some 9 percent of those tries like India, and is set to more than option - export or shrink - but this warplanes and wants 50 percent of Prince Saud said. More than 93,000 people lions of dollars. interviewed reported begging for assis- double by 2020, defense and security could be sowing the seed of their own the work to be given to Indian compa- have been killed in the Syrian conflict, A survey of 105 families conducted by tance, a rise from 5 percent in March, Byrs consultancy IHS Jane’s said yesterday. demise; the opportunities in the East nies. China is expected to increase its which began as a popular protest move- WFP food monitors in seven provinces, said. “They need fresh products which are “Budgets are shifting East and are a double-edged sword, fuelling a defense budget by 64 percent to $207 ment against President Bashar Al-Assad but including the hotspots of Homs and missing from their diet,” she said. “Many global arms trade is increasing com- trend which threatens US dominance billion by 2021, compared to India has descended into a civil war with sectari- Aleppo in April and May, found many markets are not stocked or products are petition. This is the biggest explosion of defense.” said Guy Anderson, senior and Indonesia which are respectively an overtones. Nearly 1.7 million refugees switching to lower-quality foods in order to expensive”. WFP hoped to reach 2.5 million in trade the world has ever seen,” said principal analyst at IHS Jane’s. forecast to spend 54 and 113 percent have fled into neighboring countries, spend less, the United Nations agency said. Syrians with food supplies in June, up from Paul Burton, a senior manager at IHS China’s ramp-up in defense spend- more, the study said. These countries including Lebanon, where clashes between “Those who cited begging as a coping 2.4 million in May. —Reuters Jane’s whose study looked at 34,000 ing in recent years is worrying its aspire to build thriving defense indus- defense acquisition Programs. The neighbors such as Japan, with whom tries capable of developing modern United States has accounted for the it is currently embroiled in a stand-off equipment such as fighter jets andair- lion’s share of global defense spend- over a series of uninhabited islands, craft carriers, and may be able to ing over the past decade, but budget despite its repeated reassurances that export “world class kit” rivaling that of cuts in Washington, as it withdraws there is nothing to fear. Japan, as well the West in a decade as a result of from countries such as Afghanistan, as India and South Korea, are among their willingness to spend, IHS Jane’s mean that it will account for just 30 countries being courted by weapon said. —Reuters News in brief

Saudi jails activist RIYADH: A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a human rights activist to eight years in prison for sedition after his group campaigned for a constitu- tional monarchy and elections in the Gulf Arab kingdom. Abdulkarim al-Khader co-founded the Saudi Political and Civil Rights Association (ACPRA) and served as its head after the imprisonment of two of his colleagues in March. Mohammed Fahd Al-Qahtani and Abdullah Hamad were sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges that included sedi- BAGHDAD: Iraqis inspect the damage outside tion and damaging the country’s reputation. shops in Baghdad yesterday following an explo- Monday’s ruling stipulated that Khader will only sion the night before. —AFP serve three years in jail, with five years suspended unless he resumes his activities, human rights activists said yesterday. He has also been barred Baghdad picks from travel for a further 10 years, they said. up its pieces 37 die in mine collapse BANGUI: At least 37 people were killed when a gold mine collapsed at Ndassima in the middle of after bombs the Central African Republic, where President Michel Djotodia has declared three days of mourn- BAGHDAD: Workers at a Baghdad supermarket choked back tears ing, national radio reported yesterday. The acci- yesterday and took a moment to mourn fallen friends before resum- dent occurred on Sunday after a landslide in very ing a familiar task in Iraq-picking up the pieces after a bombing, and heavy rain “led to the death of almost 40 of our rebuilding. The Warda supermarket in the Iraqi capital’s Karrada dis- compatriots”, presidential spokesman Prosper trict was hit by one of a series of car bombs on Monday night, badly Ndouba said on the radio. “It is to be feared that damaging the store’s facade and much of its interior. Two shop work- the casualty toll may unfortunately rise in the next ers, Ashur and Jaabar, and two customers-apparently a mother and few hours or coming days,” Ndouba added. daughter-were killed, and several others were wounded in the 7:00 “Confronted with this tragedy, the president of the pm attack, when a minibus bomb blew up in the parking lot in front republic presents his sincere condolences to the of Warda, which means flower in Arabic. Overall, at least 28 people families of the victims and to the entire were killed and more than 120 wounded in the attacks across the Centrafrican people. He has decided on three days city. “I was terrified,” said Thair Ghazi Said, a 48-year-old Warda of national mourning as of Tuesday.” A source in employee, describing the moment of the attack. “I saw some people the district administrator’s office in the central dead, some people were bleeding.” “A woman and her daughter Ouaka region said “there is no hope of finding any passed away just here,” he said, motioning to the ground, his hands survivors” in the mine, which has been active since and clothes covered in dust from picking through debris. “I could 2009. smell the powder used in the explosives, it was mixing with the smell of blood and flesh.” Iraq bombings kill 14 KIRKUK: Bombings targeting protesters and pil- A BIG MESS INSIDE grims outside of Baghdad killed 14 people yester- The explosion struck the supermarket that, over the past several day, the latest in a surge of violence that has years, has transformed from a musty shop with heavy glass doors sparked fears of a revival of all-out sectarian con- and tills where cashiers manually calculated customers’ change to flict in Iraq. The latest attacks come a day after 35 one of Baghdad’s best. It now features electronic cash registers, an people were killed nationwide, most of them in a in-house bakery, a fresh fruit section, and often puts up stalls provid- series of car bombs across Baghdad, as the country ing free samples of new products from international brands such as grapples with a prolonged political deadlock and Cadbury’s and Kraft. months of protests from its Sunni Arab minority. That is, it did, until Monday’s attack. “Whoever did this is inhu- No group immediately claimed responsibility for man,” said Maher Abdulrahman, another Warda employee. “Some of the attacks, but Sunni militants linked to Al-Qaeda the employees working here are so poor, they have only this job to frequently target Shiite Muslims-both the protest- make a living. Can you imagine what their families are going ers and the pilgrims were from Iraq’s Shiite majori- through? Who will compensate them, who will take care of them?” ty-whom they regard as apostates. Yesterday’s Alluding to Iraq’s religious diversity, and fears that a recent surge in deadliest attack struck the ethnically-mixed town violence could push the country back towards the sectarian war that of Tuz Khurmatu, which lies in a tract of territory in raged here in 2006 and 2007, he continued: “Here, we are all work- north Iraq that Kurdistan wants to incorporate into ing-Christians, Muslims, Sunnis, Shiites. We are all friends here.”“A its three-province autonomous region over friend of mine, he was Christian, he died yesterday,” the 29-year-old Baghdad’s objections. said, referring to Ashur. “He was like my brother. I held him, I tried to help him, but he passed away.” —AFP INTERNATIONAL WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 EU rebukes Turkey on crackdown by delaying entry talks

LUXEMBOURG: The European Union rebuked against redevelopment of an Istanbul square. Two diplomatic row last week after Chancellor Angela that Turkey’s cultural differences and its size will Turkey yesterday for its crackdown on anti-govern- weeks of clashes with police have left four people Merkel said she was appalled by the Turkish crack- make it too difficult to integrate. The delay in ment protesters by postponing a new round of dead and about 7,500 injured. down. Germany and France have always had con- reviving Turkey’s bid is helpful to Merkel as it push- membership talks for at least four months, but said TROUBLED BID cerns about allowing a largely Muslim country of es back the talks until after a German election in its path to the EU remained open. The EU’s move, Turkey and Germany became embroiled in a 76 million people into the 27-nation EU, fearing September. Merkel’s conservatives oppose Turkish discussed in advance with Turkey, drew only a mild EU membership. Other EU governments, including response from Ankara and avoided a feared crisis Sweden, argued that the EU must keep Turkey on in EU-Turkey relations. The EU had planned to the path to EU membership and should engage open a new chapter, or policy area, in talks with more closely with Ankara to foster civil rights. Turkey today, reviving Turkey’s bid to join the bloc “While we have been disturbed by the reaction that has been virtually frozen for three years. But to the recent peaceful protests in Turkey, I believe Germany, backed by Austria and the Netherlands, the EU accession process is the most effective tool blocked the plan, believing it would send the we have in influencing the reform agenda in wrong signal so soon after police cracked down on Turkey,” Eamon Gilmore, foreign minister of protesters in Turkish cities. Ireland, current holder of the EU presidency, said EU governments yesterday backed a German- in a statement. German Foreign Minister Guido inspired proposal, agreeing to open the chapter Westerwelle, who spoke several times to his on regional policy but delaying the formal launch Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu before yes- of talks until after an Oct. 9 report by the European terday’s EU decision to smooth over any ill-feeling, Commission on reforms and human rights in said the decision was “a good decision in a difficult Turkey. EU governments will meet again after the situation”. report comes out to set a date for talks on the new Turkey had promised a “strong reaction” to any chapter in the light of what the report says about EU decision and Turkish press reports had said it Turkey’s behavior. Austrian Foreign Minister could suspend negotiations with Brussels alto- Michael Spindelegger said the EU agreement gave gether if today’s talks were called off, but it toned Turkey “a probationary period (for) how it handles down its criticism yesterday. “What is important is basic rights for citizens, how it handles the right to the confirmation of the opening of the chapter demonstrate and the right to free speech.” with an irrevocable decision,” Davutoglu said in “In my view this is absolutely necessary Ankara. “An obstacle in Turkey’s relations with the because we cannot have a double standard in the EU has been overcome... Our target now is the European Union. We have a community of ANKARA: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2nd right) speaks with a member of parlia- opening of two new chapters.” Turkey opened European values and this assumes that citizens’ ment from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parlia- negotiations to join the EU in 2005, 18 years after basic rights will be respected,” he said in Vienna. ment in Ankara yesterday. Erdogan yesterday praised the police “heroism” in handling several weeks applying. The talks have advanced at a snail’s pace Protests swept Turkish cities after police used tear- of unrest that threw up the biggest challenge yet to his government after more than a decade in and it has provisionally closed just one of 35 chap- gas and water cannon to disperse a demonstration power. — AFP ters. — Reuters News Russia, China reject US in brief

Next in line for EU membership pressure over Snowden BRUSSELS: As Croatia prepares to join the European Union on July 1, several other countries are still wait- ing in line-most of them in the Balkans and the for- mer Soviet Union. Only three others-Iceland, White House says China relations ‘damaged’ Montenegro and Turkey-have begun membership talks but several are considered candidates and oth- MOSCOW: China and Russia rejected US accusations they An airport source said the 30-year-old American, who Washington’s assumption that Snowden was still in Russia. ers still are seen as possible future bidders. Here is a helped a former US spy agency contractor escape prosecu- has asked for asylum in Ecuador, had flown in on Sunday Snowden, whose exposure of the surveillance raised ques- list of the current state of play for enlargement: tion in the United States, deepening a rift between powers and had been booked on a flight to Cuba on Monday but tions about civil liberties in the United States, flew to whose cooperation may be essential in settling global con- had not got on board. Journalists camped out at the air- Moscow after being allowed to leave Hong Kong even TURKEY flicts including the Syrian war. Edward Snowden, charged port have not spotted him inside, or leaving, the transit though Washington had asked the Chinese territory to Turkey is the European Union’s longest-lasting suitor- with disclosing secret US surveillance programs, left Hong area, and say a heavy security presence has been relaxed for detain him. it first applied in 1987 — but talks have stalled in Kong for Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday. The the past 24 hours. He has not registered at a hotel in the Snowden, until recently a contractor with the US recent years mainly because of opposition from US State Department said diplomats and Justice transit zone, hotel sources say. National Security Agency, had been expected to fly to members like Germany. Turkey, which actually began Department officials were holding discussions with Russia, A receptionist at the Capsule Hotel “Air Express”, a com- Havana from Moscow on Monday and eventually go on to membership talks only in 2005, has also refused to suggesting they were looking for a deal to secure his return plex of 47 basic rooms decorated predominantly with grey Ecuador, according to sources at the Russian airline normalize ties with Cyprus, whose northern half it to face espionage charges. carpets and grey walls, said Snowden had turned up on Aeroflot. There is no direct flight from Moscow to Quito, occupied in 1974, leading to a long-running sover- Sunday, looked at the price list but then left. US officials which has said it was considering Snowden’s asylum eignty dispute. Hit by a series of unprecedented anti- admonished Beijing and Moscow on Monday for allowing request. government protests in past weeks and growing crit- Snowden to escape their clutches but the United States’ Ecuador, like Cuba and Venezuela, is a member of the icism of its human rights record, Turkey’s member- partners on the UN Security Council, already at odds with ALBA bloc, an alliance of leftist governments in Latin ship now appears an even more distant prospect. Washington over the conflict in Syria, hit back indignantly. America that pride themselves on their “anti-imperialist” “The United States’ criticism of China’s central govern- credentials. The Quito government has been sheltering ICELAND ment is baseless. China absolutely cannot accept it,” Foreign WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy for Membership negotiations began in 2010 but have so Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing, also the past year. The airport source confirmed Snowden was far skirted the most sensitive issues-such as fisheries- dismissing US criticism of Hong Kong, a Chinese territory, travelling with Sarah Harrison, a legal researcher working even though Iceland has already adopted a lot of EU for letting Snowden leave. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei for WikiLeaks. “She (Harrison) came together with Edward regulation. A new centre-right coalition came to Lavrov denied suggestions Moscow had helped Snowden Snowden from Hong-Kong on June 23 around 5 pm,” the power earlier this year and is less keen on joining in any way, including by allowing him to fly into source said. “He had a ticket to go to Havana on the 24th, than the previous government, saying it will first Sheremetyevo. “He chose his itinerary on his own. We learnt but he did not use it. She also had one, but she didn’t use it hold a referendum before continuing talks. Iceland is about it ... from the media. He has not crossed the Russian either.” also highly integrated in the European network as a border,” he said. “We consider the attempts to accuse the DEFIANCE member of the European Economic Area (EEA), the Russian side of violating US laws, and practically of involve- With Snowden’s whereabouts a mystery, US President European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the visa- ment in a plot, to be absolutely groundless and unaccept- Barack Obama, may face prolonged embarrassment from a free Schengen area. Two-thirds of its foreign trade is able.” Lavrov’s insistence Snowden had not entered Russia young man leading the world’s lone superpower on a glob- with EU member states. implies he has not left the airport transit area, used by pas- al game of hide and seek. Obama told reporters his govern- sengers flying from one non-Russian airport to another ment was “following all the appropriate legal channels MONTENEGRO without going through passport control or requiring an working with various other countries to make sure the rule Negotiations began in 2012 and in April of this year entry visa. The transit area is Russian sovereign territory, but of law is observed”. Podgorica closed its second accession chapter out of it could be argued that in staying there Snowden had not But US officials said intelligence agencies were con- 35, although key issues like reforming the justice sys- formally entered the country - a move that could implicate cerned that they did not know how much sensitive material tem have still not been discussed. Brussels has President Vladimir Putin in helping a fugitive. Interfax news Snowden had in his possession and that he may have taken stressed that Montenegro has a European future but agency quoted a source “in the Russian capital” as saying more documents than initially estimated. has urged the government to do far more to fight Snowden could be detained to check the validity of his He could publish more documents or they could get into organized crime and corruption. passport if he crossed the Russian border. Snowden is trav- the hands of foreign intelligence. The Kremlin denies knowl- elling on a refugee document of passage provided by edge of any contacts between Russian officials and CANDIDATE COUNTRIES Snowden, despite media speculation the security forces Ecuador, the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said. Putin is not Skopje obtained the status of candidate in 2005 and shy of celebrating people who challenge Washington, but could be questioning him. Carney said his escape would the Commission recommended opening member- MOSCOW: Photographers take pictures as light shines has an interest in keeping relations with the United States damage US-China relations and US Secretary of State John ship talks in 2009 but European leaders have still not through a cabin window on seat 17A, right, the empty on track as both sides try to improve security cooperation Kerry said Snowden’s activities could threaten the security given it the green light. Greece is officially in favor seat that an Aeroflot official said was booked in the and arrange a peace conference on Syria. of China and the United States. “People may die as a conse- name of former CIA technician Edward Snowden, dur- quence to what this man did,” he told CNN. But to his sup- but has said the country cannot use the title ing Aeroflot flight SU150 from Moscow to Havana, US, RUSSIA DISCUSS SNOWDEN porters, Snowden is a whistle blowing hero who exposed “Macedonia” as this is the name for a northern Greek Cuba. — AP Jay Carney, a spokesman for the White House, said it was the extent of US surveillance activities.— Reuters province and has proposed it be called “North Macedonia.”

SERBIA Few cheers in Brussels as Belgrade was granted candidate status last year and is hoping to get the go-ahead for the start of mem- bership talks at a summit of EU leaders later this week. The main remaining stumbling block to mem- Croatia readies to join EU bership negotiations had been relations with Kosovo, which Belgrade normalized in an historic EU- brokered agreement signed in April. BRUSSELS: A giant banner hanging from the European was less diplomatic. “Debts, corruption and high unem- the only one voicing concern about Europe’s capacity to Commission headquarters in Brussels hails Croatia’s ployment. This is Croatia,” the newspaper said in an editori- bring into the fold a fragile new arrival at a particularly dif- KOSOVO impending accession on July 1 but there is little real cheer al, adding: “This is the next Greece, which will swallow up ficult time. Bulgaria and Romania have set a worrying Kosovo proclaimed its independence from Serbia in billions from Berlin.” The controversy-courting paper is not precedent. —AFP at the prospect of another troubled economy joining EU 2008 - a status that Belgrade and some European ranks. The first new member of the club since Bulgaria and countries like Spain still refuse to recognize. Romania joined in 2007 is also proving unpopular in the Following the April normalization deal with Serbia, streets, where opinion polls show a majority of Europeans the European Commission has recommended the have turned against enlargement after years of grinding opening of negotiations on a stability and associa- recession and austerity. “The nuptials will not be followed by a honeymoon tion agreement with the EU. period, given the complexity of the current socio-econom- ic and political context,” said Corina Stratulat, an expert at ALBANIA the European Policy Centre, a think-tank in Brussels. Tirana applied in 2009. The main condition was that “Instead, Croatia will plunge straight into a tepid marriage it hold elections in accordance with international and needs to prove itself,” she said, echoing the less than norms, as well as clamp down on corruption and celebratory mood in the EU’s corridors of power as the for- organized crime. mer Yugoslav state’s economic fundamentals have wors- ened. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA The European Union’s executive arm is already warning Sarajevo is behind its Balkan neighbors on ties with Croatia that it could face a sanctions procedure if it breach- Europe. It has still has not amended its constitution es the EU’s already widely flouted public debt threshold of in line with a request from the European Court of 60 percent of gross domestic product next year, as forecast. Human Rights which says it discriminates against Croatia has said it expects its economy to grow by 0.7 per- Roma and Jewish minorities. The constitution states cent this year and 2.4 percent next but the European only members of the three main communities- Commission is forecasting a contraction of 1.0 percent in Serbia, Croatian and Muslim-can be elected to the 2013 and a weak recovery to growth of 0.2 percent in 2014. upper chamber of parliament or the presidency. The deficit is expected to reach 4.7 percent of GDP this year and could even hit 5.6 percent in 2014 - well above the EU’s FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS three-percent limit, with unemployment rising over 18 per- Six former Soviet republics-Armenia, Azerbaijan, cent. Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine-are consid- “Croatia faces important challenges,” the Commission ered by the European Commission as possible future said in a report last month that stressed the need to BRUSSELS: A banner announcing the arrival of Croatia into the EU is seen hanging on a main wall of the candidates for enlargement and are all members of relaunch growth, strengthen public finances and boost Berlaymont building at the EU Headquarters in Brussels yesterday. From July 1, 2013, Croatia will be the 28th the EU’s Eastern Partnership. — AFP competitiveness. Germany’s Bild mass-circulation tabloid country to enter in the European Community. — AFP INTERNATIONAL WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 US Senate clears security hurdle for immigration bill

WASHINGTON: The US Senate cleared a key immi- and high-technology fields, institute electronic Senate Democrat Harry Reid of running a “dictator- pute that the border will become virtually air tight.” gration reform hurdle Monday, bucking pointed employment verification and comprehensive entry- ship” in the Senate by exerting unassailable control He said new technologies unavailable as recently as Republican opposition and proceeding on a critical exit tracking, while seeking to prevent future waves of over which immigration amendments received votes 10 years ago, like drone surveillance, would allow for measure that would tighten security on the US bor- illegal immigration by making the US-Mexico border in recent weeks, and attacked the Corker-Hoeven deal far tighter operational control of the 2,000-mile der with Mexico. The procedural vote marked an virtually impenetrable. as “a “political fig leaf” that “will not solve the prob- (3,200-kilometer) border. important test for comprehensive immigration “We’re securing the border but we’re allowing lem.” While recognizing the amendment boosts bor- Reid is pushing for a vote on the 1,200-page bill’s reform backed by President Barack Obama. He wants those people at the back of the line to have some der enforcement, Cornyn and others said it unaccept- final passage this week, and he has said he hopes to it enacted this year, though the landmark legislation pathway to continue to live the American dream, the ably fails to implement border “triggers” that would secure at least 70 votes to send it to the House with faces an uncertain fate in the House of same things that we want for our sons and daughters only allow the full legalization for undocumented major momentum. Monday’s procedural step was Representatives. Fifteen Republicans joined a unani- all across the country,” said Senator Bob Corker, who workers to begin once all the border security meas- approved 67-27, although the two Democrats who mous Democratic side to end debate on the all- crafted the border deal with fellow Republican John ures are in place. “This bill has no teeth. This bill has missed the vote support the amendment. Some law- important amendment, which would bring muscular Hoeven. Obama, who has largely stayed out of the $48 billion thrown up against the wall to buy the makers have warned it will be dead on arrival in the new security measures to the southern US border fray but in recent weeks sought to nudge the bill for- votes to say this bill will secure the border, and it will Republican-held House, where conservatives want to including 20,000 additional agents, 350 miles (560 ward, stressed at a White House meeting with busi- not,” Senator Tom Coburn boomed. see stronger protections in place that would only kilometers) of new fencing and expansion of drone ness leaders Monday ahead of the vote that immigra- Democrats hotly countered that the new border allow the full legalization for undocumented workers surveillance. tion reform would give the nation’s economic recov- enforcement has no fewer than five triggers, includ- to begin once all the border security measures are set. The controversial legislation, shepherded through ery a boost. ing the requirement that the “e-verify” system be in The Corker-Hoeven amendment details $3.2 billion in the Senate by its four Republican and four “Now is the time to get comprehensive immigra- place before any permanent residency cards are new equipment, including four unmanned drone sys- Democratic authors, would create a 13-year-long tion reform done,” he said. A coterie of conservatives issued to legalized immigrants. tems, 40 helicopters, 30 boats, 4,595 unattended pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million however were banding together against the legisla- “They just won’t take yes for an answer,” Schumer ground sensors, and hundreds of fixed and mobile immigrants living illegally in the United States. It tion, including Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a state said, citing the added security measures inserted as a camera systems. “It’s almost overkill,” Corker himself would also reform the work visa system in agriculture with a long border with Mexico. Cornyn accused top concession to skeptical Republicans. “No one can dis- admitted. — AFP Obama must play catch up on trip to Africa

WASHINGTON: It is a comparison President Barack Obama chance to reverse some of the criticism that his administra- may not relish: when it comes to Africa, he’s no Bill Clinton. tion has failed to launch any of the grand health or trade ini- Or even George W Bush for that matter. Obama makes his tiatives in Africa that his two predecessors accomplished. In first extended trip to Africa today. After the sky-high expec- the absence of US involvement, other countries, particularly tations raised by his election in 2008, Obama now faces the China, have aggressively pursued business opportunities on prospect of trying to convince Africans that the United the continent. “This is a place where the United States needs States has vital interests there that it intends to safeguard to be present, and we’re very pleased that early in the sec- and pursue. ond term, we can send a signal of increased US engagement “The African leaders, the African public have been won- through this trip,” said Rhodes. dering where the US president has been,” said Ben Leo, glob- al policy director for the anti-poverty group ONE. “This trip Shadow of Bush, Clinton has been designed to address some of those perceptions, Critics of Obama’s Africa policy point to George W. Bush’s those concerns, hopefully reset the engagement trajectory program to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa, with an initial com- over next couple of years.” mitment of $15 billion over five years when it as launched in Obama’s trip risks being overshadowed by the deteriorat- 2003. As a result, the United States is credited with directly ing health of South Africa’s national hero and revered former supporting antiretroviral treatment for more than 4 million leader, Nelson Mandela, who is approaching his 95th birth- people. “George kind of knocked it out of the park,” the Irish day. Mandela’s decline could dwarf other topics. Madiba, as rock star Bono, an activist for development causes, said last he is known by his clan name, is adored by most of South year. Bush is also praised for initiating the Millennium Africa’s 53 million people as the architect of the 1994 transi- Challenge Corporation, a foreign aid agency that provides tion to multi-racial democracy after three centuries of white assistance, if a recipient nation can meet good government domination. Mandela spent his second week in a hospital, criteria, for anti-malaria initiatives and for forgiving debt. where his condition was described as “critical.” The White Before him, Bill Clinton generated enormous goodwill by RIO DE JANEIRO: A masked man marches toward the Cinelandia square during a protest in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, House has said Obama will defer to the wishes of the becoming the first American president to make more than Monday, June 24, 2013. — AP Mandela family with regard to any meetings. “We’ll be in one trip to Africa and for signing the Africa Growth and touch with them,” said White House foreign policy adviser Opportunity Act, which dropped trade restrictions on more Ben Rhodes. “If he has an opportunity to see the family in than 6,000 exports to America from 35 African countries. Brazil earmarks $23bn some capacity, that’s certainly something that we may do.” Clinton was also close to Mandela and supportive during Obama may also face questions about the exposure of South Africa’s transition from white-minority rule to its first classified information by former US government contractor free election in 1994. for public transport Edward Snowden, which has forced the president to defend “Africans still consider Clinton their president,” Mwangi widespread government surveillance of Internet and phone Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the data. The furor over Snowden’s disclosures could drown out Brookings Institution, recently told reporters. Obama has issues Obama wants to spotlight on the trip, particularly been preoccupied with winding down two foreign wars and Lull in demonstrations Africa’s potential as a business and trade partner for the the worst financial crisis in the United States since the Great United States. Still, Obama’s weeklong visit may afford him a Depression. —Reuters SAO PAULO: President Dilma Rousseff proposed a wide range ed and a day after a million people took to the streets in at of actions to reform Brazil’s political system, fight corruption times violent protests. Since then, the demonstrations have and improve public services - all demands angrily asked for by shrunk and become less widespread, while Rousseff looked the millions of protesters who’ve taken to the streets the past stronger Monday outlining her agenda. week. In a meeting Monday with four leaders of a main group Many of the means she listed, including using oil royalties behind the protest movement and later with governors and to fund education and a program to attract foreign doctors to the mayors of 26 capital cities, Rousseff shifted some of the work in areas underserved by Brazilian physicians, had already burden for progress onto the back of Brazil’s widely loathed been proposed by Rousseff before but met stiff resistance in congress - in particular, in calling for a plebiscite on political congress. By putting the issues before the public at this sensi- reform that only lawmakers have the authority to call. tive time, the president is ratcheting up pressure on congress, Rousseff told the governors and mayors that the govern- an institution widely loathed by the population, to not serve ment would allocate $23 billion for new spending on urban as a bottleneck for the proposals. public transport, but she didn’t provide details on what the Opposition politicians in congress, including a senator who new projects would be. The four leaders of the free-transit is viewed as her biggest rival for next year’s presidential elec- activist group that launched the first demonstrations more tion, blasted Rousseff’s call for a plebiscite on political reform. than a week ago said she also gave them no concrete plans. “I “It’s the specific jurisdiction of congress to call a plebiscite,” mainly want to repeat that my government is listening to said Sen. Aecio Neves. “To divert attention, she’s transferring to democratic voices. We must learn to hear the voices of the congress a privilege that is already ours and isn’t responding street,” Rousseff told the governors and mayors. “We all must, to the expectations of the population.” without exception, understand these signals with humility and Some scattered protests flared Monday, and two women accuracy.” died after being hit by a car as they tried to block a highway in She said her government would focus on five priorities: fis- the state of Goias near the nation’s capital. The highway patrol cal responsibility and controlling inflation; political reform; in Goias said the driver fled and was being sought. Protests in health care; public transport, and education. Protesters have Sao Paulo state blocked road access to the nation’s largest port filled cities across this vast country to air a wide spectrum of in Santos, causing a huge backlog of trucks trying to unload grievances including poor public services and the high cost of products. In Brasilia, a group of about 300 students protesting hosting next year’s World Cup soccer tournament and the against corruption blocked some streets. 2016 Olympics. Mayara Longo Vivian, one of the leaders of the The protests have hit as the nation hosts the Free Fare Movement who met with Rousseff in the capital Confederations Cup soccer tournament, seen as a warm-up for Brasilia, said that no concrete measures were given to the the World Cup. Experts said the protesters, though mostly dis- group and that their “fight would continue.” The movement organized, were in control thanks to support from the majority has been working since 2006 to eliminate public transport of Brazilians as seen in recent polls. That opened a window for fares. concessions on their demands for less corruption and Vivian referred to the billions of dollars Brazil is spending improvements to the nation’s woeful public services. for the World Cup, saying, “If they have money to build stadi- Complicating matters, though, is Brazil’s worsening eco- ums, they have money for zero tariffs” on public transporta- nomic climate, which Rousseff referred to Monday. The gov- tion. “The people are on the street, the left is on the street, ernment has been struggling against both a lagging economy with legitimate agendas,” she said. “Only with concrete meas- and rising inflation, which economists say require contradicto- ures from the state will this situation be reversed.” At a demon- ry actions to fix. While the nation’s benchmark interest rate stration in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, 68-year-old sociologist could be slashed to stoke economic growth, it could also be Irene Loewenstein said she was not too impressed by raised to keep inflation at bay. Rousseff’s action. “Brazil will see several waves of protests,” said Guillermo “It’s a necessary first step, but not a particularly meaningful Trejo, a professor at the University of Notre Dame in the US nor surprising one,” she said. “Neither Dilma nor any other whose research focuses on social protests in Latin America. politician here is capable of even understanding, much less “This cycle will decline, and it’ll likely return to episodic putting into practice, the kind of systematic change the peo- protests once the media attention of the Confederations Cup ple are demanding. It’s just not within their world views.” goes away.” But next year could be a bumpy ride as Rousseff Monday marked the beginning of a more hands-on faces re-election, Trejo said. Already, the protests have become approach for Rousseff in the face of sharp criticism that she the largest of their kind in Brazil in at least two decades. had been too silent during protests last week. She only made “Presidential elections are always a huge magnet for protests brief comments on June 17 and then a 10-minute, pre-record- and hosting a major event like the World Cup will open a win- ed nationwide address Friday, a week after the protest explod- dow for more,” Trejo said. — AP Ruling favors US transgender girl

DENVER: Officials say a school district discriminated hope the latest decision will lend momentum to the strug- against a 6-year-old transgender girl by preventing her gles of transgendered people. “This is by far the high-water from using the girls’ bathroom, in what advocates mark for cases dealing with the rights of transgendered described as the first such US ruling in the next frontier in people to access bathrooms,” said the Mathis family’s attor- civil rights. Coy Mathis’s family raised the issue after school ney, Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & officials at Eagleside Elementary in suburban Colorado Education Fund. He and other advocates said the case is Springs said the first-grader could use restrooms in either one of several potentially ground-breaking transgendered the teachers’ lounge or in the nurse’s office, but not the civil-rights cases winding their way through US courts. girls’ bathroom. Coy’s parents feared she would be stigma- The Maine Supreme Court is considering the case of a tized and bullied. 15-year-old transgendered girl who was forbidden from On Monday, the Mathis family and its lawyers celebrat- using her school’s girls’ bathroom. Last year, Vice President ed the ruling on the steps of the state capitol. Coy, dressed Joe Biden called transgendered rights “the civil rights issue in a glittering tank top, jeans and pink canvas sneakers, ran of our time.” Sixteen states, including Colorado, and the around a towering blue spruce tree as her mother spoke to District of Columbia expressly outlaw discrimination reporters. “Her future will be better if we get to this place against transgendered people. where this is nothing to be ashamed of,” Kathryn Mathis Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, which focuses on reli- said, noting the family hadn’t sought a civil rights battle gious and family litigation, said transgender cases are “a but was happy for the Colorado Division of Civil Rights’ rul- mockery of civil rights.” He said his group got involved ing. defending a department store employee who was disci- As the country’s gay rights movement has won mount- plined for ordering a person who was obviously male to ing legal and electoral victories in recent years, advocates leave the women’s changing room. —AP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 INTERNATIONAL

Australia PM Gillard knits toy kangaroo for royal baby

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia task of making the toy. Gillard, known set myself the challenge of knitting a little lished in The Australian on Tuesday show- “There is a real sense of respect for the Gillard has revealed she is knitting a red globally for her stance against sexism, said stuffed toy, and why not a kangaroo?” ing her personal support has crashed to Queen, so I do think a natural moment to kangaroo for the first baby of Prince it was important people saw a different The prime minister’s office suggested record lows. The poll found that if an elec- look again (to a republic) will be when her William and his wife Kate. The nation’s first side of her beyond the politics. “In terms of the idea of the knitting story, but the tion were held now, Labor would be reign comes to an end,” she said. “Prince woman leader, battling a tough final week knitting for Kate Middleton’s baby-I knit for media have made light of it with Sydney’s crushed 56 percent to 44 percent by the William and Kate, and their child, will still in parliament ahead of September elec- babies-in part, they are the smaller proj- Daily Telegraph calling it “Spins & Needles” conservative opposition led by Tony be personalities in Australia; people will tions amid renewed speculation that she ects, I’ve got not that much time in my life,” and a “last-stitch bid to woo voters”. The Abbott, a former minister in John Howard’s still follow their lives with interest.” The heir could be ousted from within her own par- Gillard told the magazine to be published charm offensive comes amid more bad government. Despite knitting for the royal to the British throne and the duchess of ty, found time to tell the Australian today. “I just thought that it would be a opinion polls for Gillard and her centre-left baby, Gillard said she still hoped Australia Cambridge are expecting the baby in mid- Women’s Weekly she had set herself the cute project to work on. I thought I would Labor Party, with the latest Newspoll pub- would one day become a republic. July. —AFP Taleban hits Kabul’s presidential palace CIA base attacked by gunfire KABUL: Taleban gunmen and bombers using to pass through a checkpoint to access the Karzai, who lives in the palace, was due to hold fake NATO identification attacked an entrance to sprawling palace grounds at about 6:30 am (0200 a press event in Kabul yesterday morning. the Afghan presidential palace in the heart of GMT). “The first vehicle was checked and let in, Officials confirmed that he was in the building at Kabul yesterday, just a week after insurgent lead- and as the second car tried to get in the guards the time of the attack but not in danger. All roads ers opened an office in Qatar for peace talks. A became suspicious and tried to prevent it,” to the palace are permanently closed off, with nearby building known to house a CIA base also Mohammad Daud Amin, the Kabul deputy police multiple rings of heavy security around the com- came under attack as explosions and gunfire chief, told AFP. plex keeping people far away. “A big group of erupted for more than an hour in an area close to “The clash started and the cars were detonat- attackers have struck against the CIA office as the heavily secured Western embassies and ministry ed. All the attackers were killed.” Police said the main target and also the palace and the defence buildings. Three Afghan security guards and all cars had been fitted with radio antennae to make ministry nearby,” Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP. The last major attack in Kabul was on June 11 UDHAMPUR: Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh (left), receives flowers when the Taleban claimed responsibility for a sui- from Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah after arriving at cide car bomb outside the Supreme Court that the Udhampur district of Jammu yesterday. —AFP killed at least 15 civilians. Yesterday’s attack came during a visit to Kabul by US envoy James Dobbins after a diplomatic spat over the Taleban’s new Strike shuts down Kashmir office in Qatar, whose creation is meant to be a first step towards a peace deal to end 12 years of fight- over Indian PM’s rare visit ing in Afghanistan. SRINAGAR: Prime Minister Manmohan politician from Delhi visits our Kashmir,” a The Qatar office used the formal name of Singh faced protests as he arrived for a rare resident of the area said by phone, adding “Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan” from the rebels’ visit to Indian Kashmir yesterday, a day after that he was not able to leave his neighbour- 1996-2001 government, and flew the white militants killed eight soldiers in the dead- hood for work. Taleban flag, displaying the trappings of power in liest attack in the region for five years. Singh Despite the high security, a group of mil- a way that infuriated Karzai. The president broke said India was united in the fight against itants staged an attack on Monday on a off Afghan-US talks on an agreement that would terrorism after landing in the southern town troop convoy on the outskirts of Srinagar, allow Washington to maintain soldiers in of Kishtwar as part of the two-day trip, his killing eight soldiers and wounding 13 oth- Afghanistan after 2014. He has refused to send first to the region for three years. “India is ers. Hizbul Mujahideen, a local pro-Pakistan representatives to Qatar, but pressure is growing firmly united against terrorism. (We) Won’t militant, group claimed responsibility for for a ceasefire and eventually a peace settlement let them succeed in their nefarious designs,” the attack, the deadliest on Indian security ahead of the NATO withdrawal and a presidential the premier told Indian media in Kishtwar, forces since July 2008 when a landmine election due in April. About 100,000 foreign com- where he laid a foundation stone for a killed nine soldiers on a bus on the outskirts bat troops, 68,000 of them from the US, are due to hydro-power plant. of Srinagar. exit by the end of 2014, and NATO formally trans- Singh stressed in a speech that violence More than a dozen armed rebel groups ferred responsibility for nationwide security to “had shown a sharp decline and was the have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 Afghan forces a week ago. When in power, the lowest in last two decades,” the Press Trust for the region’s independence or its merger Taleban imposed a harsh version of Islamic law of India news agency reported. Singh was with Pakistan and tens of thousands of peo- that banned television, music and cinema, KABUL: Afghanistan National Army (ANA) soldiers arrive near the entrance of the accompanied by Sonia Gandhi, the presi- ple, mostly civilians have died in the fight- stopped girls from going to school and forced Presidential palace yesterday. —AFP dent of the ruling Congress party, for the ing. Armed violence had been declining woman to wear the all-covering burqa. visit in which he will inspect major infra- steadily since the early 2000s but the region four assailants were killed, officials said. It was one them look like ISAF vehicles and that the four They were ousted in 2001 for sheltering Al- structure projects and inaugurate part of a has been tense following the execution in of the most brazen assaults on the city since attackers were also wearing military uniforms. The Qaeda in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, but railway line to connect north and south February of a local man over a deadly 2001 President Hamid Karzai narrowly escaped assassi- car bombs detonated near the CIA base inside the launched a resilient and bloody insurgency Kashmir. attack on the national parliament in New nation in April 2008 when the Taleban attacked first of several layers of outer checkpoints, but a against US-led NATO troops and the US-backed It is the first time the premier has visited Delhi. an annual military parade. government official told AFP that the militants Afghan government. Dobbins on Monday said the the Indian-controlled part of the divided Mohammed Afzal Guru’s execution, car- The three guards were killed close to the had not entered the palace grounds. The chal- United States was “waiting to hear” whether the Himalayan territory-which has been the ried out in a New Delhi prison without first Ariana hotel building, used as a CIA base since lenge of securing peace in Afghanistan as NATO militants were committed to peace talks after scene of two wars with Pakistan-since June informing his family, triggered widespread about 2002, but officials said neither the palace troops exit next year was underlined when a opening the Qatar office. “It doesn’t seem like an 2010 and comes less than a year before protests in Kashmir where many doubted nor the CIA property were breached. Two four- bomb killed eight women and one child travel- entirely spurious effort on their part but whether India goes to the polls. Police and paramili- his guilt. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was wheel-drive cars using fake badges from NATO’s ling to celebrate a wedding in the southern they are prepared to participate... we just don’t tary forces have been deployed in strength among those who condemned Monday’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) tried province of Kandahar. know,’ he told reporters. —AFP across the region for the visit, including in attack, saying it was “aimed at restoring the the main city of Srinagar where the premier shattered morale of the militants”. is expected later yesterday. Abdullah is an ally of Singh but has criti- Fears of disease in flood-hit India Shops and other businesses, along with cised the Delhi government for showing schools, banks and offices were closed what he regards as a lack of political will to throughout the city after the three main resolve the underlying tensions in what is Indian journalist reports from victim’s shoulders separatist groups called a strike to protest India’s only Muslim-majority state. “The RUDRAPRAYAG: Indian officials senior disaster management official still awaiting rescue, officials said. as a sign of respect. The man Singh’s visit. Government forces were Kashmir issue needs to be addressed politi- stepped up efforts yesterday to K.N. Pandey told AFP. “We have Thousands of soldiers along with “wanted to show me some respect, enforcing curfew-like restrictions in the cally. Economic packages are not a solution prevent an outbreak of disease in reports that many stranded people the Indo-Tibetan Border Police have as it was the first time someone of volatile and congested old town in Srinagar. to the issue nor can it be found on the point the northern Himalayan region are suffering from diarrhoea and been evacuating people by foot, my level had visited his house. So “We are confined to our homes whenever a of a gun,” Abdullah said recently. —AFP devastated by landslides and flash other ailments and have decided to using harnesses and erecting rope while crossing the river he offered floods, as rains hampered the res- cremate the corpses near the bridges across flooded rivers to to help by carrying me... between cue of thousands still stranded. Kedarnath shrine,” he said. help them to safety. which, I thought of reporting“, Workers sprayed disinfectant amid A senior official warned that the Meanwhile, an Indian television Pargaien said. Pak tourism industry concerns about disease from the death toll of 1,000 could rise dra- journalist reporting on the deadly The journalist also attacked his bodies of hundreds of people who matically as the grim task of collect- floods that have swept northern cameraman for framing the shot so perished when floods hit the state ing the bodies from rivers and from India defended his decision yester- it showed him sitting on the floods reels after shootings of Uttarakhand, known as the “Land of the Gods” for its revered Hindu ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s already embattled and took away mobile and satellite phones shrines. “We are spraying disinfec- tourism industry is struggling to deal with and money. Some climbers and guides tant in the flood-affected areas to worried customers and cancellations after were able to run away, but those that prevent the spread of water-borne Islamic militants attacked foreign climbers weren’t were shot dead. diseases,” state medical officer KD preparing to summit one of the world’s By the end, 10 foreign tourists and a Sharma said. tallest mountains, killing 11 people. For Pakistani cook employed by a tour compa- The move came as fresh rains years, intrepid climbers and mountaineers, ny were killed. A faction of the Pakistani and landslides hampered efforts by lured by a collection of awe-inspiring Taleban has claimed responsibility for the the military to evacuate some 6,000 peaks, were some of the only international shootings. The remaining mountaineers pilgrims and tourists still stranded tourists willing to come to Pakistan. The who were at camps higher up on Nanga throughout the state since the region has also attracted Pakistanis looking Parbat when the shooting happened have floods hit on June 15. Raging rivers for a respite from the summer heat in the been evacuated to allow the authorities to swept away houses, buildings and southern part of the country. freely comb the area for the suspects, said even entire villages in the state, Now hotel owners, tour operators and the president of the Alpine Club of which was packed with travellers in tourism officials worry that may be in dan- Pakistan, Manzoor Hussain. what is a peak tourist season. More ger after the vicious attack by militants “In that area it is difficult for someone to than 1,000 bridges have been dam- Saturday on the climbing group at the base hide,” said Hussain, who added that there aged along with roads, cutting off camp of Nanga Parbat, the second highest will be no more expeditions to Nanga hard-hit villages and towns. peak in Pakistan and the ninth highest in Parbat this summer. The Pakistani military UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he the world. “The impact is huge,” said evacuated 34 tourists Monday on a C-130 was saddened by the disaster, Ghulam Nabi Raikoti, one of two brothers aircraft that flew them to Islamabad, said which has killed some 1,000 peo- who run Raikot Serai, a resort in an area of Muhammed Ajmal Bhatti, deputy commis- ple. “The secretary-general is sad- northern Pakistan called Fairy Meadows. sioner of Diamer District near where the dened by the loss of life, and the From the hotel’s cottages and tents, visitors shootings happened; about a dozen left on damage to homes and infrastruc- can look up at the face of Nanga Parbat, Sunday. They were also evacuating the ture in India as a result of the tor- which has been nicknamed the “killer porters, guides and other Pakistanis from rential floods in the northern state mountain” for the number of people the area. of Uttarakhand over the last week,” GAURI KUND: Indian army medical staff attend to an elderly pilgrim at Guptkashi after his res- who’ve died trying to climb its 8,126-meter Meanwhile, those associated with the a statement from his spokesperson cue from the flood damaged area of Gauri Kund. —AFP (26,660-foot) peak. tour industry, including tour operators said. Officials have stepped up Raikoti said a tour group of 50 Pakistani affected by the tragedy, faced worried cus- preparations for a mass cremation under flattened villages and other day to file a report while perched survivor’s shoulders and accused students already cancelled a stay at the tomers. Mohammed Ali, owner of of victims in the hard-hit holy town debris continues. “From the feed- on a survivor’s shoulders. Narayan him of posting the video online. resort. Pakistan has been beset by militan- Karakoram Magic Mountain, with which of Kedarnath, amid health con- back we are getting from people on Pargaien, who works for the local “The report was supposed to be cy for years, but this attack will likely be the slain cook was working, said a trekking cerns, with tonnes of wood flown the ground, people working in News Express channel, told Indian telecast only with footage of me especially disruptive to tourism because it tour expected later this summer was by helicopter into the area. The cre- scavenging bodies, our estimate is media website newslaundry.com chest-up. This was entirely the struck foreign tourists in what is usually already in doubt. “I don’t know if they will mation had been expected to go the toll could be anything between that the criticism he has faced since cameraman’s fault, who... tried to one of the most peaceful regions of the come or not. Last night they sent emails to ahead yesterday but has now been 4,000 and 5,000,” a senior disaster the video was posted online was sabotage my career by shooting country. The attack also demonstrated a me, and they want to know more informa- delayed by the downpours, an offi- management official who did not unfair. from that distance and angle and high degree of planning. Just getting to tion about this incident,” he said. cial said. want to be named told AFP. “People are talking about us releasing the video,” he said. the base camp takes roughly two days of Several thousand foreign tourists a year A police official in charge of Helicopters and soldiers have being inhuman and wrong but we “I was wrong as well. That was hiking. come to the northern region known as organising the cremations said evacuated tens of thousands of were actually helping some of the the wrong thing to do, and the The militants, disguised in paramilitary Gilgit-Baltistan during the warmer summer belongings and documents recov- people from the floods, while victims there,” Pargaien said. The wrong time to have shot that uniforms, first abducted two local months. Trekkers come for longer hikes ered from bodies will be used to tonnes of food and other emer- reporter claimed that the slight sequence. But what my cameraman Pakistanis to take them to the remote that don’t require technical skill or equip- help with identification while DNA gency supplies have been dropped man who carried him, who can be did was even more unacceptable.” camp in Gilgit-Baltistan. Late Saturday ment. Climbers generally tackle the more samples will also be collected. to those still stranded. Unmanned seen wobbling under the strain The video has been viewed more night, a group of about 15 gunmen serious peaks that require technical skills “Under no circumstances can we drones have also been deployed to while standing in ankle-high water, than 11,600 times since it was post- attacked the camp, beat the mountaineers and a good deal of experience. —AP allow an outbreak of an epidemic,” scan the thick jungles to find those had hoisted him onto his shoulders ed Saturday. —Agencies WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 INTERNATIONAL Websites in Koreas shut down on war anniversary South Korea issues cyber-attack alert

SEOUL: Major government and to yesterday’s attack on South trains large teams of cyber warriors evening, men lined up in the shad- media websites in South and North Korean websites. and that the South and its allies ow of the capital’s iconic Juche Korea were shut down for hours It wasn’t immediately clear who should be prepared against possi- Tower to practice coordinating yesterday on the 63rd anniversary was responsible. North and South ble attacks on key infrastructure their steps as they hoisted signs of the start of the Korean War. Seoul Korea have traded accusations of and military systems. If the inter- reading “Sweep away the imperial- said its sites were hacked, while it cyber-attacks in recent years. South Korean conflict were to move into ist American aggressors,” “sworn was unclear what knocked out Korean officials blamed Pyongyang cyberspace, South Korea’s deeply enemies,” and “US troops out of those north of the border. Seoul for a March 20 cyber-attack that wired society would have more to South Korea” while a man with a said experts were investigating struck 48,000 computers and lose than North Korea’s, which megaphone barked out orders. attacks on the websites of the servers, hampering banks and largely remains offline. The shut- In South Korea, thousands of South Korean presidential Blue House and prime minister’s office, as well as some media servers. There were no initial reports yester- day that sensitive military or other key infrastructure had been com- promised. The attacks in South Korea did not appear to be as seri- ULAN BATOR, Mongolia: In this photo, Mongolia’s incumbent President ous as a March cyber-attack that shut down tens of thousands of Elbegdorj Tsakhia of the ruling Democratic Party waves at his supporters computers and servers at South during a campaign rally in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, for today’s presidential Korean broadcasters and banks. elections. —AP Seoul alerted people to take securi- ty measures against cyber-attacks. Incumbent favored over The North Korean websites that shut down yesterday included those belonging to the national air- wrestler in Mongolia polls line, Air Koryo, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the North’s official ULAN BATOR: A popular ex-wrestler and a physi- in boots and leather shorts, and Baterdene has Uriminzokkiri site and Naenara, the cian, the first woman to seek Mongolia’s top successfully leveraged that popularity to win country’s state-run Internet portal. office, are the main rivals to the Harvard-educat- three terms to the Great Hural, Mongolia’s parlia- All but Air Koryo were operational a ed incumbent in today’s presidential elections, ment. Baterdene, who towers over most of his few hours later. South Korean but neither is likely to wrest the job from him. The compatriots with a height of 177 cms (5 feet 10 National Intelligence Service offi- election campaigning in this northern Asian inches), is one of Mongolia’s most successful cials said they were investigating YEONCHEON: South Korean army’s K-55 A1 self-propelled howitzers fire during a military exer- nation has been dominated by debate over cor- wrestlers ever. He is a 11-time winner of the what may have caused the shut- cise to mark the 63rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War in Yeoncheon near the demilita- ruption, which President Elbegdorj Tsakhia hopes Mongolian national competition of Naadam that down of the North Korean web- rized zone that divides the two Koreas yesterday. —AP will work in his favor-throughout his 4-year term, combines horse racing, archery and wrestling. sites. North Korea didn’t make any broadcasters for several days, downs came on a war anniversary people, including Korean war veter- the former journalist has attacked bribery and Baterdene, who also holds a master’s degree in immediate comment. although television programming that both countries were marking ans, gatherrf at Jamsil Stadium in embezzlement, weeding out graft in the national law, has vowed to overcome regional rivalries in Operators of several Twitter was not interrupted and officials with commemorations. They also Seoul for a commemoration. Two airline, public welfare funds and among the cus- the herding nation of 3 million people, a third of accounts who purported to be part have said that no bank records or are gearing up for the 60th anniver- South Korean army units held mili- todians of Mongolia’s vast mineral wealth. whom are poor, further root out corruption, and of a global hackers’ collective personal data were compromised. sary of the end of the fighting July tary drills in Yeoncheon in But he has also been accused of shielding his rid law enforcement and the justice system of known as Anonymous claimed that Seoul officials said in April that an 27, a day North Koreans call Gyeonggi Province, near the demili- party members from corruption investigations. political influence. A third candidate, Health they attacked North Korean web- initial investigation pointed to a “Victory Day” even though the tarized zone, defense officials said “I’m your son. I know your pain and struggles,” Minister Udval Natsag, is Mongolia’s first woman sites. The Associated Press received North Korean military run spy Korean War ended in a truce, not a in Seoul. North Korea in recent Elbegdorj, 50, told cheering supporters at a final to vie for the presidency and a staunch backer of no answer to several requests to agency as the culprit. North Korea peace treaty. weeks has pushed for diplomatic campaign rally Sunday in the capital, Ulan Bator. “I former President Enkhbayar Nambar, now serv- speak to the Twitter users. Shin blamed South Korea and the Tens of thousands of North talks with Washington. Tensions ran know exactly what I will do if I’m re-elected. I will ing time in jail for corruption. Hong-soon, an official at South United States for cyber-attacks in Koreans were gathering yesterday high on the Korean Peninsula in continue my fight against corruption and finish Elbegdorj’s Democratic Party also controls the Korea’s science ministry in charge March that temporarily disabled to Pyongyang’s main Kim Il Sung March and April, with North Korea what I already started.” This year’s election has legislature under Prime Minister Altankhuyag of online security, said the govern- Internet access and websites in Square for the largest of many ral- delivering regular threats over UN again raised the question of how best Mongolia, Norov, although elections for that body are not ment was not able to confirm North Korea. lies around the nation denouncing sanctions and US-South Korean a staunch US ally, should benefit from its boom in due until 2016. Baterdene, who is No. 2 in the whether these hackers were linked Experts believe North Korea the United States. On Monday military drills. —AP the mining of coal, copper, gold, and other miner- race, has pledged to review a multibillion-dollar als. The newfound wealth has propelled the econ- investment agreement signed with Anglo- omy to dizzying heights, but also contributed to Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, and has sworn soaring inflation and further skewed the uneven to fight corruption regardless of who is implicat- wealth distribution in the landlocked country, ed. “I will not discriminate based on the notion N Korea to dominate squeezed between China and Russia. that this is my party member or my brother,” he S Korea-China summit Polls show Elbegdorj, of the ruling Democratic said. Party, with a strong lead over his rivals. Elbegdorj, Baterdene, 49, has himself faced unproven SEOUL: South Korean President Park Geun-Hye heads for a who has a degree from Harvard University’s accusations that he acquired a former state farm summit in China today, looking to exploit signs of Beijing’s Kennedy School of Government, has also been on the cheap through a murky privatization deal, growing frustration with its unpredictable ally North Korea. highlighting his political origins as a leader of the and - perhaps most seriously in a land where herd The North and its nuclear weapons programme will domi- 1990 protests that ended 70 years of one-party animals have long been the basis of survival - sold nate the agenda of Park’s summit talks with Chinese Communist rule and gave birth to a thriving hay bales to China in the middle of calamitous President Xi Jinping, which will be anxiously monitored by democracy in a region better known for stern dic- winter blizzards. the regime in Pyongyang. Speaking to senior officials on tatorships. He was elected president in 2009 after Critics of the president say he and his party are Monday, Park said her priority in Beijing would be to “hard- serving two terms as prime minister. He lives with using the anti-corruption campaign as cover for en” China-South Korea cooperation on “attaining the goal his wife, mother and 25 children of whom 20 are politically motivated attacks on Baterdene’s of North Korea’s denulcearisation”. adopted. Along with fighting graft, he has prom- Mongolian People’s Party. They point out that no Officials in South Korea feel the time is ripe for a re-cali- ised to enact further legal reforms, increase public Democratic Party members have been investigat- bration of the Seoul-Beijing-Pyongyang axis. “China has tra- participation in government decision-making, ed or arrested by the country’s anti-corruption ditionally emphasised the need to keep North Korea stable, and boost the Alaska-sized nation’s participation body, the Independent Agency Against while trying to solve the nuclear issue,” said Choi Woo- in global institutions. Corruption, run by Elbegdorj’s allies, and say the Seon, a professor at the state-run Korea National “Before Elbegdorj, nobody dared touch these judicial and law enforcement branches have Diplomatic Academy. “But the two issues are actually corrupt officials protected by their party leaders,” effectively become Democratic Party auxiliaries. sometimes contradictory and these days China’s position is said retired Ulan Bator accountant Tungalag Third-running Udval has sought support from gradually moving closer to the position of the US and Tsedevdorj, a supporter of the president. “Now female voters and also raised complaints that South Korea.” BEIJING: US businessman Chip Starnes stands behind the bars of his office we are hearing and seeing about the arrest and deals with foreign mining firms have failed to Washington and Seoul have made it clear they will window after being held hostage for five days over a wage dispute at his jailing of corrupt government officials,” Tungalag benefit ordinary Mongolians and threaten the never accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear state, Specialty Medical Supplies factory in Huairou, Beijing yesterday. —AFP said. Elbegdorj’s main rival, opposition country’s economic independence. Udval, 59, and insist Pyongyang must show a tangible commitment Mongolian People’s Party lawmaker Baterdene began her career as a neonatology doctor in 1978 to abandoning its nuclear weapons if it wants substantive Badmaanyambuu, is a former wrestling champi- and held various senior medical positions before talks. Both have pressured China-North Korea’s sole major Chinese workers holding on who has portrayed himself as a clean politi- entering politics in 2011. She was appointed ally and economic lifeline-to use all its leverage to bring cian committed to upholding national unity and health minister last year. “Mongolia is facing a Pyongyang to heel. North Korea appears to have moder- US boss say wages unpaid fighting the environmental degradation new choice. It is time to decide whether Mongolia ated its line after a series of incendiary threats in recent BEIJING: Chinese workers keeping an American closing and that Starnes would run away with- brought by the mining industry. can exist or not. If we can’t make a new choice, we months against Seoul and Washington. While a planned executive confined to his Beijing medical supply out paying severance. Starnes’ attorney arrived Mongolians have huge respect for their tradi- face the prospect of living as the colony of a for- meeting with South Korea fell through, it has offered factory said yesterday that they had not been yesterday afternoon. Chu later told reporters tional burly wrestlers, who compete bare-chested eign people,” she told supporters. —AP direct talks with the United States, and has sent two paid in two months in a compensation dispute that there would be no negotiations for the envoys to Beijing in the past four weeks. that highlights tensions in China’s labor market. rest of the day. Starnes said that since Saturday China’s relationship with North Korea-famously The executive, Chip Starnes of Specialty Medical morning, about 80 workers had been blocking China dissident cites described by Mao Zedong as being as close as “lips and Supplies, denied the workers’ allegations of two every exit around the clock and depriving him teeth”-was forged in the 1950-53 Korean War which China months of unpaid wages, as he endured a fifth of sleep by shining bright lights and banging Tiananmen in praising entered to prevent the North’s total defeat. But it has day of captivity at the plant in the capital’s on windows of his office. The standoff points to weakened significantly over the years, as China’s econom- northeastern suburbs, peering out from behind long-ingrained habits among Chinese workers ic transformation has distanced it from the ideological the bars of his office window. About 100 work- who are sometimes left unprotected when fac- Taiwan democracy rigidity of the dynastic Kim regime across the border. ers are demanding back pay and severance tories close without severance or wages owed. In line with UN sanctions, Beijing has moved to restrict packages identical to those offered 30 workers Such incidents have been rarer as labor protec- TAIPEI: Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng Square crackdown is still taboo in China, Pyongyang’s financial operations in China which the being laid off from the Coral Springs, Florida- tions improve, although disputes still occur said yesterday that the pushing and shoving where on June 3 and June 4, 1989, its leaders international community says are the major conduit for based company’s plastics division. The and local governments have at times barred that comes with Taiwan’s raucous democracy ordered troops to open fire on demonstrators funding its nuclear weapons programme. “China tended demands followed rumors that the entire plant foreign executives from leaving until they are was superior to “having tanks going rampant and sent in tanks to crush a student-led cam- to emphasise dialogue rather than pressure in the past, was being closed, despite Starnes’ assertion that resolved. Starnes said the company had gradu- on the streets and squares”, referring to paign movement, killing hundreds. China but I think that Chinese leaders began to realise it’s neces- the company doesn’t plan to fire the others. ally been winding down its plastics division, China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and Taiwan have been ruled separately since sary to put some strong pressure on North Korea,” Choi The dispute highlights general tensions in planning to move it to Mumbai, India. He on protesters. Chen, who was invited to defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island said. China’s labor market as bosses worry about ris- arrived in Beijing a week ago to lay off the last Taiwan by opposition lawmakers, sparked a in 1949 after losing a civil war with the com- China’s relations with South Korea got off to a late ing wages and workers are on edge about the 30 people. Some had been working there for diplomatic crisis between the United States munists. start with diplomatic relations only established in 1992, impact of slowing growth on the future of their up to nine years, so their compensation pack- and China after he fled house arrest in China When asked about Chen’s comments, but have improved steadily ever since, especially in the jobs. Inside one of the plant’s buildings, about ages were “pretty nice,” he said. Then workers and sought refuge at the US Embassy in Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua economic sphere. China is now South Korea’s biggest 30 mostly women hung around, their arms in other divisions started demanding similar Beijing. He has been a research fellow at NYU Chunying said: “Every Chinese citizen has the trade partner and Park will be accompanied on her trip crossed. One worker, Gao Ping, told reporters severance packages on Friday, he said. Law School since he flew to the United States duty and responsibility to abide by China’s by a sizeable business delegation. The two sides are inside an administrative office in the plant that Kevin Jones, who advises US companies on in May 2012. constitution and law, and should not say or expected to discuss a free-trade pact. she wanted to quit because she hadn’t been Chinese labor and employment law, said it is Chen has accused New York University of do things that harm China’s national inter- The strategic side of the partnership has always been paid for two months. Dressed in blue overalls better if American executives stay at home and bowing to Chinese pressure to ask him to ests.” Taiwan began dismantling the struc- coloured by the issue of North Korea and stagnated and sitting down at a desk, Gao said her division let their local managers lay off workers. In a case leave. On Monday, he refused to shed light tures of decades of iron-fisted rule by under Park’s predecessor Lee Myung-Bak, who focused - which makes alcohol prep pads, used for clean- last week, Jones said the chief financial officer on the issue. “Taiwan’s experience is a valu- Nationalist dictator Chiang Kai-shek in the his efforts on boosting Seoul’s alliance with Washington. ing skin before injections - had not been doing of a US telecommunications equipment maker able asset. A good use of it could let China 1980s, allowing the formation of new political The hopes of a reboot have been bolstered by the fact well and that she wanted her salary and com- wanted to come to Beijing to explain the situa- get rid of dictatorship and walk on the path parties and replacing appointed politicians that Park and Xi are both new leaders, having taken pensation. tion and give 41 white-collar workers their ter- to democracy more easily,” Chen told with elected ones. office within one month of each other earlier this year. Workers in other divisions saw how badly mination notices. reporters. “It’s better to have pushing and The reforms spawned a feisty brand of Park will be hoping for a strong joint statement that her division was doing, thought the whole “We told him to stay in America,” said Jones, shoving in a parliament hall than having democracy. It is common for lawmakers to commits both sides to a denuclearised North Korea, with company was faring poorly and also wanted to who chairs the Shanghai-based Faegre Baker tanks going rampant on the streets and shout and punch their way through parliament China unlikely to go much further. As irritating as Beijing quit and get compensation, said Gao, who had Daniels labor and employment practice. The squares.” sessions while voting and approving laws. might find Pyongyang’s behaviour, ensuring North been working for the company for six years. company’s lawyers met with six employee rep- China had warned Chen to mind his lan- Taiwan regularly plays host to people China Korea’s survival remains China’s bottom line, given the Starnes, 42, denied that they were owed resentatives in a hotel. “We had two body- guage and protect China’s “dignity” on his vis- despises, including exiled Tibetan spiritual alternative of a unified Korea allied to the United States. unpaid salary. “They are demanding full sever- guards but that was just in case things got out it to self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as leader the Dalai Lama. It is also home to two Jia Qingguo, a professor of international relations at ance pay, but they still have a job. That’s the of control,” Jones said. Christian Murck, presi- its own and insists must unite with the main- leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests Peking University, said Beijing wanted to strengthen the problem,” he said, still in the clothes he wore dent of the American Chamber of Commerce in land, by force if necessary. Chen, who has who escaped China - Wang Dan and Wu’er overall strategic relationship with Seoul. “China wants to when he went to work Friday morning. China, said Chinese labor law specified a mini- been blind since childhood, is a self-schooled Kaixi. Yesterday, about 30 to 40 lawmakers attach a lot of importance to this relationship not just Chu Lixiang, a local union official represent- mum severance pay in the event of a layoff due legal advocate who campaigned against shoved each other in parliament while arguing because of North Korea,” Jia said. “The relationship ing the workers in talks with Starnes, said the to economic necessity or if someone is dis- forced abortions. He was jailed for four years over a cross-straits services agreement. A legis- deserves this kind of attention.” But he acknowledged workers were demanding the portion of their missed due to cause, but not a maximum one. on charges that he and his supporters said lator from the opposition Democratic that any improvement in China-South Korea ties would salaries yet to be paid and a “reasonable” level “There is a kind of structural weakness in the were spurious, and then held in his village Progressive Party, a man, grabbed the arm of a “impact the feelings” of North Korea. “They are sensitive of compensation before leaving their jobs. way the labor law is set up that leads to negoti- home for 19 months after being released. female legislator from the Nationalist Party, to events like this,” he said. —AFP Neither gave details on the amounts demand- ations and disputes when departures occur,” Public discussion of the Tiananmen who started crying. —Reuters ed. Chu said workers believed the plant was Murck said. —AP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 ANALYSIS14

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Issues Berlusconi legal blow could create more problems

By Francoise Kadri

ilvio Berlusconi’s furious reaction to a conviction for paying for sex with an underage prostitute suggests Sa belligerent centre-right will intensify pressure on the coalition government to favour its policies, particularly concerning the hot-button issue of tax, analysts said Tuesday. Political observers had warned a guilty verdict could provoke the capricious former premier into pulling support from Enrico Letta’s grand coalition, for failing to offer him legal protection. Commentators yesterday said the risks of that were lim- Questions turn to US competence in Snowden saga ited for now, but the right would want payback for the harsh seven-year jail sentence and lifetime ban on holding By Andy Sullivan and David Ingram mystery on Monday as Russia resisted White head of the NSA, General Keith Alexander, on June 14, one week before it made the public office inflicted by magistrates Berlusconi has long House pressure to stop him during his jour- said on Sunday that he did not know why the charges public, and asked Hong Kong to decried as “leftist” persecutors.”Nothing will ever be the he Obama administration has spent the ney to escape US prosecution. Reporters NSA did not catch Snowden before he left arrest Snowden the next day. same again. The government will not fall but it will not be past few weeks arguing it can wield staking out an Aeroflot flight to Havana from Hawaii for Hong Kong in May. Officials from the FBI, the Justice saved from the storm,” political analyst Stefano Folli said in Tpower responsibly after Edward Moscow on Monday, saw no sign of Department and the State Department Italy’s main business daily Il Sole 24 Ore. Snowden unveiled its sweeping spying pro- Snowden. The captain told reporters on WHITE HOUSE STEERS CLEAR worked with their counterparts in Hong “It would not serve Berlusconi to bring down the grand grams. Now the administration must prove it emerging from customs: “No Snowden, no.” Obama first learned that Snowden had Kong to extradite Snowden over the next coalition,” but “he will try and present himself as a sort of can wield power effectively. As the 30-year- Ecuador said it was considering Snowden’s turned up in Hong Kong on Sunday, June 9, several days, culminating in a telephone call ‘defender’ of the people, unjustly persecuted,” Folli said. old leads the world’s lone superpower on a request for asylum, and advocates in the as he flew back from a weekend of talks with between US Attorney General Eric Holder The 76-year-old billionaire cannot afford to pull the plug global game of hide and seek, US govern- anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks were also ask- Chinese President Xi Jinping. But Obama and Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice, just yet: polls show the left currently leads over the right, ment officials faced questions about whether ing Iceland to take him in. does not appear to have played a direct role Rimsky Yuen, on June 19. “There was a sense and any withdrawal from the coalition would open up the they had botched the effort to extradite Snowden’s decision to go on the lam cre- in trying to get him back. Obama declined to that the process was moving forward,” a path to a damaging alliance between the left and the Snowden from Hong Kong to face charges ates another headache for the Obama say on Monday whether he has spoken Justice Department official said, speaking on protest Five Star Movement. related to his leak of classified information. administration, which has seen priorities like directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin condition of anonymity. Berlusconi can, however, drum up public support for The latest wrinkle in the Snowden saga immigration reform threatened by a string of or other foreign leaders about the extradi- Hong Kong officials asked for more infor- having been handed a sentence even stiffer than that poses a different set of questions for an scandals. Republicans in Congress say the tion efforts. Obama had an icy meeting with mation and evidence two days later, but did requested by prosecutors-who had called for him to be administration that has spent weeks fending Obama administration has abused its power Putin a week ago at the G8 summit in not give the United States enough time to given six years in jail. The media magnate late Monday off questions about whether it has abused its by targeting conservative groups for heavy- Northern Ireland. respond before Snowden left the Chinese slammed “an incredible sentence, of a violence never seen power to collect taxes, investigate criminal handed tax scrutiny and seizing reporters’ “We’re following all the appropriate legal territory on June 23. Administration officials activity and fight terrorism. On Monday, phone records in the process of investigating channels and working with various other dismissed suggestions that they had mishan- or heard before, handed down to try and eliminate me administration officials said they had done all security leaks. When it comes to the NSA rev- countries to make sure the rule of law is dled the extradition effort. Using a so-called from political life,” and pledged to “resist this persecution they could to bring Snowden to justice. elations, most lawmakers were already aware observed,” Obama told reporters at an unre- “red notice” to ask Interpol, the international (and not) abandon my fight to make Italy a truly free and Chinese defiance, rather than bureaucratic of the surveillance program and few have lated event on Monday on immigration police organization, for help was unneces- just country.” bungling, had allowed the 30-year-old for- raised objections. Republicans by and large reform. Obama’s public schedule leaves little sary because Snowden should not have been The sentence will be suspended until all appeals have mer contractor to slip out of Hong Kong as have focused their criticism on Snowden and room for the extradition effort. He makes a able to leave Hong Kong if his passport had been exhausted, a process likely to take years. According officials there weighed Washington’s request China rather than the administration. That major speech on climate change on Tuesday, been revoked, a Justice Department official to Folli, the centre-right “may plausibly increase pressure for extradition, they said. may change if the ordeal drags on. and then leaves on a week-long trip to Africa. said. on their keystone issues” such as blocking an increase on “This was a deliberate choice by the gov- Republican Representative Peter King of New Michael Chertoff, a former Homeland US officials said privacy laws prevent VAT and a loathed housing tax. Nicholas Spiro, managing ernment to release a fugitive, despite a valid York on Monday said Obama should have Security Secretary under Republican them from describing the status of any indi- director of Spiro Sovereign Strategy, said: “Berlusconi’s arrest warrant,” White House spokesman Jay taken a harder line with the Chinese authori- President George W Bush, said extradition vidual’s passport, but Carney hinted that it conviction adds another layer of political risk at a time Carney said at a briefing. Carney said early ties who ultimately control the semi- laws are riddled with loopholes and the had indeed been revoked. “Hong Kong when the Letta government is deeply divided over fiscal Monday afternoon that it was the US autonomous region of Hong Kong. United States has a limited ability to get oth- authorities were advised of the status of policy and Italy’s economy remains mired in recession.” assumption that Snowden was still in Russia “I hate to be in the middle of a crisis sec- er countries to do what it wants. Snowden’s travel documents in plenty of After interest rates rose at a debt auction on Tuesday, after fleeing Hong Kong for Moscow over the ond guessing the president, but where is he? “You can do all the paperwork, but it time to have prohibited his travel,” he said. Spiro warned: “Further pressure on Italy’s bond market will weekend. Other administration officials tried Where is the president? Why is he not speak- becomes a question of leverage,” he said. George Terwilliger, who served as the Justice inflame political tensions, with Berlusconi’s People of to dispel any notion of foot-dragging since ing to the American people? Why is he not “Either they didn’t have enough, or they did- Department’s No 2 official under President Freedom (PDL) party heaping more pressure on Letta to Snowden first went public on June 9, and dis- more forceful in dealing with foreign lead- n’t exercise enough.” Though the White George H W Bush, said it was too early to take a tougher line with Germany and the European missed suggestions that they could have tak- ers?” King said on CNN television. There are House has distanced itself from the Snowden know whether the agency should be blamed Central Bank.” The government, says political editorialist en other steps to detain Snowden, who had also likely to be increasingly embarrassing affair, other agencies have taken pains to for failing to get Snowden. “These are not for La Stampa daily Marcello Sorgi, risks remaining “as if gained access to highly sensitive information questions about how Snowden managed to show that they have done all they could to legal issues, per se. They’re political and suspended in mid air... without political margins for as a contract systems administrator at a download and take many highly sensitive bring Snowden back to face charges. The diplomatic issues, and most of the skills that manoeuvre or the strength necessary to face the serious- National Security Agency facility in Hawaii. documents when he was working in Hawaii Justice Department said it had filed espi- are exercised are exercised away from the ness” of Italy’s recession. Snowden’s exact whereabouts were a for NSA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. The onage and theft charges against Snowden public eye.”— Reuters Massimo Franco, political commentator for the Corriere della Sera daily, said the verdict was “a time-bomb” for the uneasy centre-left and right coalition, already suffering Bruised Greek government to limp along internal tensions. “Not dumping his judicial misfortunes on the coalition, at least for now, validates Berlusconi as a responsible politician,” he said. “He has taken on the role of By Harry Papachristou implement reforms without any serious trou- Left lawmakers have signaled they might TALKING TOUGH ble.” Teneo Intelligence, which assesses politi- back reforms to keep Greece in the euro, but Several coalition lawmakers have also sig- victim, which he excels at.” “But what worry are the reper- Greece’s weakened coalition government cal risk, said a government collapse before their support is unlikely to come without naled the government plans to toughen its cussions on a coalition which already has to perform daily is expected to survive the departure of a jun- year-end could not be ruled out. strings attached. Failure on that front could in stance with its lenders. “The government will acrobatics to survive,” he said. James Walston, politics pro- ior partner for now but will be forced to resist turn trigger demands from the EU and IMF for negotiate tough,” Socialist deputy Costas fessor at the American University of Rome, said the convic- any fresh demands from its foreign lenders to REFORM HURDLES additional austerity measures, which Samaras Skandalidis told the Mega television channel, tion “turns up the heat” on Berlusconi, whose sentencing prevent its tiny parliamentary majority from A big test for the coalition will be to show has ruled out to spare Greeks reeling from saying it will reject new wage cuts or tax hikes on Monday was just one of several legal woes. crumbling. A year after coming to power, it is on track to meet the target to fire 15,000 repeated rounds of pay cuts and a 27 percent on low-income workers. The government is A Milan court last month upheld his conviction for tax Prime Minister Antonis Samaras suffered a public sector employees by the end of 2014 jobless rate. already pressing the EU and IMF to repeal tax fraud connected to his Mediaset empire, confirming the heavy blow when his smallest coalition part- and accelerate privatizations-a process which Instead, a new coalition agreement due hikes on restaurants and fuel. It is also resist- punishment of a year in prison and a five-year ban from ner, the Democratic Left, quit the government has all but stalled. Politically well-connected for release soon is expected to reject new ing any new tax rises or public sector wage public office, frozen pending a second appeal. A definitive last week to protest the abrupt closure of labor unions have already vowed to fight austerity measures and insist on pushing cuts to offset a privatization revenue shortfall ruling in that case is expected to fall around October this state broadcaster ERT. Left with a three-vote both and dock workers called for a seven- lenders for gradual tax cuts to help soften a after failing to sell state gas firm DEPA. year. “Berlusconi now has to use every weapon in his majority in the 300-seat parliament, Samaras hour nationwide walkout as a warning severe recession in its sixth year. Samaras said “If this doesn’t happen, the (bailout) pro- armoury to get out of this conviction. He will try to change rushed to appease his only remaining ally, against the planned sale of the country’s two yesterday avoiding new austerity measures to gram won’t work,” Skandalidis said, suggest- the law, get a pre-emptive amnesty, anything to give him PASOK, by giving the Socialist party key port- biggest ports. Despite naming the pro-reform fulfill targets in the country’s international ing that the government could threaten the judicial protection,” Walston said. folios in a cabinet reshuffle and naming its Kyriakos Mitsotakis as administrative reform bailout was the priority. “Our immediate pri- troika with elections if it doesn’t get its way. Ordinary Italians were, as ever, divided over chief, Evangelos Venizelos, as his deputy. minister, Samaras will likely struggle to push ority is to return to recovery ahead of time, Another Socialist deputy, Panagiotis Rigas, Berlusconi’s legal woes and his future in politics. “I don’t The new cabinet sworn in yesterday by through reforms that take on powerful spe- defeat unemployment, bring in investment, went further, saying the government would believe he will pull support for the government... it would Greece’s archbishop has 11 PASOK members, cial interest groups like lawyers or engineers avoid new measures and create jobs for the leverage the IMF’s admission earlier this not work in his favor. I’m curious to see what he’ll come up including four full ministers. PASOK opted to with his 153-seat majority. youth,” he told ministers at their first cabinet month - that Greece’s first bailout programme with this time, he is certainly a cat with nine lives,” said 46- have little say in the previous cabinet, which Four independents and some Democratic meeting. in 2010-2012 was unnecessarily harsh - to year-old Raffaele Lanzia, as he drank coffee in a bar in the only included two PASOK-appointed tech- seek better terms. centre of Rome. Paola, a 35-year-old Italian nurse, said she nocrats in ministerial posts. The more inclu- But with German Chancellor Angela thought Berlusconi likely had already struck a deal by sive approach and PASOK’s fear of new elec- Merkel keen to avoid a flare-up of trouble in which he would be made exempt from his legal responsi- tions - in which the already battered party Greece before she faces re-election in bilities before the Mediaset verdict falls. “I’m sure there will risks losing even more - means the two-party September, most analysts do not expect any be an amnesty soon, they wouldn’t have sentenced him coalition is in some ways more stable than its serious clash with the EU/IMF troika before otherwise,” she said.—AFP three-party predecessor, analysts said. then. Crunch time for the coalition is expect- That will allow the government to limp ed soon after, when Athens and its lenders along for now, helped by the opposition of will also have to decide how much in new All articles appearing on these Greeks to a new round of elections that could savings Greece needs to drum up to meet fis- pages are the personal opinion of throw the country into chaos and reopen cal targets for 2015 and 2016 - when it faces a fears of a Greek exit from the euro zone if the 4 billion euro revenue gap. the writers. Kuwait Times takes no hard-left Syriza opposition won. But few “If new measures are required, then things responsibility for views expressed expect it to see out its four-year term ending will get tough for the government,” said politi- therein. Kuwait Times invites read- in 2016 and the coalition could be pushed to cal analyst Costas Panagopoulos. The opposi- breaking point in the autumn if lenders tion has also vowed to turn up the pressure ers to voice their opinions. Please demand more austerity measures to meet come September, and says the government is send submissions via email to: opin- budget targets under the country’s EU/IMF already near collapse. [email protected] or via snail bailout, analysts said. “This government is already running on “Most people don’t want elections and empty, it’s weak from the outset. It’s the same mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. therefore they are willing to tolerate an other- two-party system that brought the country to The editor reserves the right to edit wise fragile government,” Thomas Gerakis, the mess it’s in today,” said Panos Skourletis, any submission as necessary. head of the Marc pollsters said. “Their survival ATHENS: Ministers attend the first cabinet meeting after the swearing-in spokesman for the Syriza party. “It’s a short- really depends on the whether they actually ceremony of the new government in Athens yesterday. — AFP term government.”— Reuters NEWS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

CAIRO: General view shows a traffic jam surround a gasoline station as drivers wait in long queues in Cairo yesterday. Fuel shortages have caused long lines for months, but Egypt’s Supply Minister Bassem Ouda told a news conference that the latest fuel shortage will end in a matter of days. Authorities blame the shortage on a technical problem at a major petrol depot on the outskirts of Cairo. — AP Snowden: The invisible international traveler

MOSCOW: Fugitive US intelligence leaker Sunday on Aeroflot flight SU 213. It said that on board nodded when shown a picture of secretly slipped out of Russia by the time the of the “capsule hotel” inside the Sheremetyevo Edward Snowden seemingly vanished into he had received emergency refugee travel Snowden and asked if they had seen anyone flight departed. ITAR-TASS countered with departures area where he is reported to have thin air in Moscow after arriving from Hong papers from Ecuador the state where he wants like that on their flight. Reports then emerged information from an unnamed source that spent Monday night. He may have left Russia Kong at the weekend. Now the hunt is on to to seek political asylum and which is currently that Snowden was staying in the so-called Snowden was definitely still at Sheremetyevo. or been taken for special debriefings some- find where on earth he is. Snowden’s round- sheltering WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at “transit zone”-an airport no-man’s land that is Intelligence “veterans” quoted by both Interfax where in Moscow or even given refuge at a the-world travels with no valid passport and its London embassy. Washington had by this not actually Russia proper because it ends pri- and RIA Novosti speculated that Snowden was South American embassy in Russia. caches of files revealing the dirty secrets of point revoked Snowden’s passport and had or to passport control. far too valuable a find for Russia to let him go Or he simply could be killing time before Washington’s super-espionage efforts are the filed an extradition request to Hong Kong. so easily. Meanwhile desperate journalists on taking a flight out of Moscow some other day stuff of James Bond movies from the Cold War. The Hong Kong government said NO SHOW ON FLIGHT board flight SU 150 had nothing left to do but in the hopes he will not be pursued by the Here is a summary of what we know about Washington’s paperwork was incomplete and Snowden was checked in on Aeroflot’s resign themselves to a half-day flight around press. Sources quoted by Russian news agen- Snowden’s whereabouts since his decision to that Snowden had “voluntarily” left China’s Monday SU 150 flight to Havana but never the world with no booze served. cies have been adamant that Snowden is a spill the beans on US and UK surveillance pro- special administrative region for a third coun- appeared on board-unleashing speculation of transit passenger who never crossed the bor- grams. try. Dozens of journalists swarming Moscow’s his intentions and whereabouts. Some say he WHERE IS SNOWDEN NOW? der after arriving from Hong Kong. But grungy Sheremetyevo international airport’s may have never intended to go to Havana and Speculation now abounds as to the where- Snowden has also never been seen by any EXIT FROM HONG KONG Terminal F failed to spot Snowden in the had just wanted to throw journalists off his abouts of the man Washington has painted as journalist at the Moscow airport. This has led The anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks said crowd of passengers disembarking the scent. the most dangerous leaker of the cyber era. to conjecture that he may have never travelled Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow on Aeroflot flight from Hong Kong. Some of those Interfax said that he may have already He could still be staying in the box-like rooms to Moscow at all. — AFP

‘New era’ as Qatar ruler hands power... Continued from Page 1 and frequent hospitalization have raised concerns about the future leadership of his ultra-conservative A Qatari official said earlier that the transition of kingdom, a key player in the Middle East and a major power, once announced, would take immediate force. exporter of oil. Recently, the king had carried out a State television later showed Qataris lining up to shake series of reshuffles of princes holding government posts hands and rub noses in the traditional Gulf Arab greet- in the OPEC kingpin. ing style with the new emir and his father. Outside, a The United Arab Emirates also congratulated Sheikh queue of black Mercedes cars snaked their way to the Tamim, voicing hope of stronger ties, the official WAM royal court. news agency reported. UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin On the eve of the power transfer, Sheikh Hamad Zayed al-Nahayan affirmed “the deepness of the broth- issued a decree extending the term of the advisory shu- erly relations between the two countries and the keen- ra council, in effect indefinitely postponing elections ness to strengthen them to serve the people of both that had been tentatively scheduled for the second half states,” WAM said. Relations have become strained dur- of the year. Diplomats had said earlier that Sheikh ing the past few months over Qatar’s reported support Hamad, who overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in of the Muslim Brotherhood, which, allegedly backed by 1995, had long planned to abdicate in favor of the the gas-rich state, has risen to power in several Arab Crown Prince. Spring states. Yesterday was a national holiday in the country of 2 Dozens of people are on trial in the UAE over their million, ruled by the Al-Thani family for more than 130 suspected links to the Islamist movement, with 94 of years. Regional governments, including Iran, Saudi them accused of forming a “secret organization plotting Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were swift to wel- to overthrow the regime.” Kuwait’s Amir, Sheikh Sabah come the new ruler. An Iranian foreign ministry Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, was the first leader to meet Tamim spokesman said Tehran regarded “tranquillity and stabil- as he visited the gas-rich state to offer the new emir his ity” in Qatar as very important. British Foreign Secretary best wishes. Congratulations also came from Oman, William Hague said in a statement that he looked for- where Sultan Qaboos has been in power for four ward to even stronger ties with Qatar, which gained decades, and Bahrain’s King Hamad, whose country has independence from Britain in 1971. been rocked by a Shiite-led uprising demanding the LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles Police Department officers search cars during a massive manhunt for a suspect Sheikh Hamad has elevated Qatar’s global profile ouster of the prime minister, the monarch’s uncle, since who attempted to kill two detectives yesterday in Los Angeles, California. The shooting happened in the through the development of the Al Jazeera television February 2011. early morning hours as the two detectives were ambushed and slightly injured outside the Los Angeles network, as well as its successful bid to host the 2022 Qatar has loomed large in promoting Arab Spring Police Department’s Wilshire Station, prompting the closure of a 25-square-block area in the Mid-City sec- soccer World Cup tournament. Qatari state media said protests, lending significant support to rebels who top- tion of Los Angeles. — AFP Sheikh Hamad had formally told family members and pled and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 top decision makers of his decision at a meeting in and to a continuing uprising against Syrian President Doha on Monday. Arab and Western diplomats said Bashar Al-Assad. Doha has established strong links with US has no ‘plan B’ for naval base in Bahrain they understood the motive was the emir’s desire to moderate Islamists, especially Egypt’s ruling Muslim effect a smooth transition to a younger generation. Brotherhood group. State television showed Youssef Al- Continued from Page 1 anonymity. “Our relationships with the kingdom of Such a transition would be unusual for Gulf Arab states, Qaradawi, a prominent Egyptian preacher based in Bahrain and other nations in the region remain strong,” where leaders usually die in office. Qatar, greeting the outgoing emir and his son. Shifting the whole headquarters to ships at sea is a US Navy officer, who also asked not to be named said. “As Tamim’s succession is very much the outcome of Qatar has also played host to a delegation of the also an alternative, he wrote, though it would be costly “As in other parts of the world, we have a number of a longer process rather than the enforced product of Afghan Taliban, which opened an office in Doha last and problematic. US defense officials and military offi- viable options to maintain a robust presence,” the offi- any sudden upheaval, there will be less sensitivity week in preparation for possible talks with the United cers dismissed the report, saying the Pentagon regularly cer said. Rights groups have accused the United States attached to the change of leadership than might other- States about how to end a 12-year-old conflict in reviews contingency plans, particularly for pivotal of failing to use its leverage from the naval base to per- wise be the case,” said Gulf expert Kristian Ulrichsen at Afghanistan. Other crises and wars that Qatar has tack- bases. suade Bahrain’s monarchy to address the grievances of the Baker Institute for Public Policy. “If anything, the led include Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon, Darfur and the “That’s not the case,” a senior defense official said of protesters and ease a crackdown on dissent. Since 2011, decision to hand power to a younger generation con- Palestinian territories. Doha has often arranged for the report’s claims. “We’re always assessing the security a Shiite-led uprising has demanded more rights from firms Qatar as the regional outlier, as a state that does peace talks on its own soil to show it can punch above situation,” said the official, who spoke on condition of the ruling Sunni dynasty. — AFP things differently, meaning there is less direct compari- its weight in international diplomacy. son with other Gulf States,” he said. But although he has strongly supported uprisings Meanwhile, Rulers of the Arab states of the Gulf, against veteran autocracies in other Arab states, Sheikh Qataris sad but hopeful where ageing monarchs retain power, congratulated Hamad cracked down on dissent at home, restricting Qatar’s new young emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al- freedom of expression. In February this year a Qatari Continued from Page 1 Qaradawi, who embraced both. Qaradawi is a controver- Thani, whose father abdicated in his favor yesterday. poet was jailed for 15 years for criticizing the emir and sial figure in the West and has millions of supporters, The first reaction came from Saudi Arabia’s 90-year-old attempting to incite revolt. But Arab Spring sentiment Yesterday was announced a public holiday in Qatar as mostly from the Muslim Brotherhood-which Qatar King Abdullah. He congratulated Sheikh Tamim, who has scarcely figured in Qatar, which has one of the the palace invited Qataris-who comprise just 200,000 reportedly supports. But expatriates, who make up a has played a major role in improving relations between world’s highest per capita incomes and whose citizens people out of a population of nearly two million-to majority of the emirate’s population, seemed indifferent. Qatar and the regional powerhouse, which had been have cradle-to-grave welfare. come to the palace to swear allegiance to the new emir. “For us, this makes no difference. It is an internal matter strained until 2007 over a border dispute. “We are happy Still, Qatar and other Gulf ruling dynasties have On the corniche near the palace, a van decorated with and it is the same family ruling,” said a Bangladeshi taxi to express to you in the name of the people and Saudi worked harder to provide more jobs and better social Qatar’s burgundy and white flags played patriotic music driver. The allegiance ceremony, open to men only Arabia’s government and in our name, our sincerest services to Internet-savvy populations increasingly out- and anthems. The rest of the city was nearly empty. based on the conservative Gulf state’s traditions, would congratulations,” King Abdullah said in a statement spoken online. Qataris said Sheikh Tamim had a big task Television footage showed Qataris, among them tribal continue through today morning, according to a palace published by SPA. upon his shoulders. “He told us he would do his best to leaders, army officers and dignitaries, pouring into the statement. Qatari newspapers, which devoted their front “We are confident that you will continue the journey continue the development in the country. He looked palace to greet the new emir who stood smiling next to pages to yesterday’s event, are committed today to the of your father... and his efforts in serving the state of happy,” Khalid Rashid Mohammed, a 34-year-old well- his father. highly profitable ritual of publishing congratulatory Qatar and its brotherly people as well as strengthening wisher, said after he shook hands with the new ruler. “It’s Among those who arrived to congratulate the father statements from the country’s top personalities and trib- relations between the two nations.” King Abdullah’s age not easy work. It’s a heavy responsibility.” — Agencies and son was influential Muslim cleric Sheikh Yusuf al- al dignitaries. — AFP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 SPORTS

Pakistan to play in UAE ‘Sick Soccer’ tax probe Loeb to race on circuits

DUBAI: Pakistan will play series against South Africa and Sri Lanka in the NAPLES: Italian finance police seized documents from about 40 soccer FRANCE: Citroen and their nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb will race on circuits next sea- United Arab Emirates, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said yesterday. clubs yesterday as part of an investigation, dubbed “Sick Soccer”, into son in the FIA World Touring Car championship (WTCC), the French manufacturer said yesterday. Loeb is South Africa declined to tour Pakistan due to security concerns and the PCB possible tax evasion and money laundering in the buying and selling of not contesting the world rally title this year, opting instead for a limited programme of events, and he is had no option but to play matches on neutral ground. Chief operating officer eager to return to full time racing. players. Subhan Ahmad said the series against South Africa would take place in “It’s a bit of a dream to think that we are going to write a new chapter in our history. I can’t wait to get Naples prosecutors said that authorities sought documentation from October and November and would include three tests, out on track in the car and start testing,” he said in a Citroen statement announcing the new venture. “I five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 virtually all of Italy’s top flight Serie A clubs, including three listed on the have used this transitional year to try out various experiences and to improve my match. stock exchange - Lazio , AS Roma, and Juventus - last season’s league track driving skills. I don’t expect to win straight away, but I am determined Fixtures are to be played at venues in champions. to get there one day.” Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, with the Spokesmen for Lazio, Roma and Napoli had no comment, while Citroen brand head Frederic Banzet said involvement in the touring series against Sri Lanka, due to start in Juventus officials did not respond to phone calls or email. The document car championship would help to develop the brand in promising November, to follow a similar format. seizures were part of an investigation into a “criminal conspiracy whose growth markets such as China, Russia and South America. The manu- No foreign team has toured Pakistan since objective was to evade taxes through the systematic issuing of inexis- facturer will continue to compete in the world rally championship. 2009 when militants attacked a Sri Lankan tent invoices” in player transfers, the Naples court said in a statement. “Obviously, we’re still committed to rallying and we’ll continue to team bus in Lahore in which six Pakistani The suspicious player transactions “took enormous quantities of cash work hard to try and get the best possible result in 2013,” said Citroen policemen and a van driver were killed away from tax authorities”, the court said. The probe also includes 12 Racing head Yves Matton. and members of the touring side Italian and foreign player agents, police said. Italian soccer has been “Our partnership with Abu Dhabi is set to be reinforced, enabling us wounded. Militants killed nine dogged by match fixing allegations in recent years. Juventus were to continue to be involved in WRC with a new system and with foreign tourists last week in the new objectives.” Matton said Citroen would be able to use Nanga Parbat mountainous stripped of two Serie A titles in 2006, and later Italy was the focus of an much of their existing expertise on the WTCC project as region, sparking further safety international match-fixing ring, with Juventus coach Antonio Conte tem- well as the DS3 WRC car’s 1.6-litre direct injection turbo fears in the country. —Reuters porarily suspended last year for failing to report infractions. —Reuters engine. —Reuters Giants fall to Dodgers

LOS ANGELES: Rookie sensa- tion Yasiel Puig hit his seventh home run in 20 major league games and added a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning against Madison Bumgarner, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. Nick Punto led off the eighth ST. PETERSBURG: Infielder Emilio Bonifacio No. 1 of the Toronto Blue Jays tags with a double. Mark Ellis sacri- out Wil Myers No. 9 of the Tampa Bay Rays as he attempted to steal second base. —AFP ficed Punto to third and reached safely when Bumgarner threw high to first for an error. Rays roll over Jays Puig greeted George Kontos with a line-drive single to left ST. PETERSBURG: Jeremy Hellickson 2011. Toronto’s winning streak matched the that scored Punto. Hanley allowed one hit in seven shutout innings and best in club history. The Blue Jays also won Ramirez drove in the final run on rookie Wil Myers homered in his home 11 in a row in 1987 and 1998. a liner toward the middle that debut, helping the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Blue Jays 4-1 on Monday night to end INDIANS 5, ORIOLES 2 shortstop Brandon Crawford Toronto’s 11-game winning streak. In Baltimore, Michael Brantley homered knocked down with a lunging Myers hit the second of three straight and had four RBIs to lead Cleveland past attempt before getting the out Tampa Bay homers in the second, connect- Baltimore for its ninth win in 12 games. at first. ing in his first at-bat at Tropicana Field. His Brantley put the Indians ahead with a two- Paco Rodriguez (2-2) got two LOS ANGELES: Pitcher Paco Rodriguez No. 75 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches in relief for Ronald Belisario drive to center off Esmil Rogers (3-3) was run single off Zach Britton (1-2) in the sixth No. 51 (not in photo) in the eighth inning during the MLB game against the San Francisco Giants. —AFP sandwiched between home runs by James inning and made it 5-2 with a two-run shot in outs and Kenley Jansen worked Loney and Sam Fuld as Tampa Bay went the eighth off Darren O’Day. His four RBIs tied the ninth for his fifth save. deep three times in a span of eight pitches. a career high, reached twice previously. The Bumgarner (7-5) was charged MLB results/standings Luke Scott added a bloop RBI double to victory improved Cleveland’s record against with three runs - two earned - make it 4-0 in the third, and that was all the the AL East to 7-17 and provided an uplifting and five hits in seven-plus Cleveland 5, Baltimore 2; Tampa Bay 4, Toronto 1; LA Dodgers 3, San Francisco 1; San Diego 4, Philadelphia 3 (10 start to an 11-game road trip. support Hellickson (6-3) needed. Fernando innings in his 100th big league innings). Rodney worked the ninth, earning his 16th Ubaldo Jimenez (6-4) allowed two runs in save in 21 opportunities. 5 1-3 innings and Vinnie Pestano, the fourth start. American League National League The Blue Jays were limited to four singles Indians reliever, worked the ninth for his Eastern Division Eastern Division and five walks. They came up short in their fourth save. Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters PADRES 4, PHILLIES 3 W L PCT GB Atlanta 44 33 .571 - bid to extend the longest winning streak in homered for the Orioles, who have lost four In San Diego, Kyle Blanks sin- Boston 45 33 .577 - Washington 37 38 .493 6 the majors since Detroit won 12 straight in straight. —AP gled home the winning run in NY Yankees 41 34 .547 2.5 Philadelphia 36 41 .468 8 the 10th inning for his career- Baltimore 42 35 .545 2.5 NY Mets 30 42 .417 11.5 high fourth hit, and San Diego Tampa Bay 40 37 .519 4.5 Miami 25 50 .333 18 Perry leads PGA Professional Toronto 38 37 .507 5.5 rallied from a three-run deficit in Central Division SUNRIVER: Rod Perry shot an even-par 72 in have a lot of golf to play. Thirty-six holes on the ninth to beat Philadelphia. rainy conditions Monday at Sunriver Resort this golf course a lot can happen.” Central Division St. Louis 47 29 .618 - Blanks also had a two-run sin- to take the second-round lead in the PGA Mark Sheftic and Chip Sullivan, the 2007 Detroit 42 32 .568 - Pittsburgh 46 30 .605 1 Professional National Championship. winner at Sunriver, were a stroke back after gle and scored the tying run on Cleveland 39 36 .520 3.5 Cincinnati 45 32 .584 2.5 Perry, the PGA head pro at Crane Lakes in shooting 4-under 67 on the Meadows Carlos Ruiz’s passed ball in the Kansas City 35 38 .479 6.5 Chicago Cubs 31 43 .419 15 Port Orange, Fla., had two birdies and two course. The 38-year-old Sheftic is a PGA ninth as the Padres fought back Minnesota 34 38 .472 7 Milwaukee 31 43 .419 15 bogeys on the Crosswater Club course, the teaching pro at Merion in Ardmore, Pa., the against Cliff Lee and struggling site of the final two rounds. The 39-year-old site of the US Open last week. Chicago White Sox 31 42 .425 10.5 closer Jonathan Papelbon. left-hander had an 8-under 135 total after “Hectic is the right word,” Sheftic said. Western Division opening with a 63 on the Meadows course. “But, you have to say this, everyone that Joe Thatcher (3-1) retired Western Division Arizona 41 34 .547 - “No lead is safe; that’s for certain,” said works at Merion and the members, it was a Domonic Brown with a runner Texas 44 32 .579 - Perry, the 2012 PGA Professional Player of hectic week for us all. Being out here it’s on third in the 10th. Chase Utley Oakland 44 34 .564 1 Colorado 39 38 .506 3 the Year. “Obviously, Crosswater is playing almost like a vacation. I don’t know if I want homered and Ruiz had an RBI Seattle 34 43 .442 10.5 San Diego 39 38 .506 3 pretty tough. The crosswinds are there, and to say it that way, because it’s still a lot of single for the Phillies. Justin De LA Angels 33 43 .434 11 San Francisco 38 38 .500 3.5 it’s tough to get the ball close to the hole. It’s stress. But it’s fun to get out here and play Houston 29 48 .377 15.5 LA Dodgers 33 42 .440 8 tough to get the ball inside 8 to 10 feet. We some golf.” —AP Fratus (2-1) took the loss. —AP

Mayweather, Alvarez kick off tour in Times Square

NEW YORK: Floyd Mayweather stood in the victory over Austin Trout on April 20. “In the “It wasn’t me,” Alvarez told reporters before conference, Mayweather talked about shooting middle of a jam-packed Times Square, speaking sport of boxing, it’s everybody’s time, and this is the news conference. “I don’t want to fight 2 a commercial with the Spanish-speaking over the chants of “Mex-i-co!” that grew increas- my time,” Alvarez said through a translator. “I’m pounds below my weight class. That’s the way it Alvarez and someone asked why he isn’t doing ingly louder. going to win.” was negotiated, and I accepted it. I’m fine with his usual trash talking with his opponent. “He The eight-time world champion also had The 12-round fight will be contested at it.” wouldn’t understand me anyway,” Mayweather plenty of fans cheering him on, but Mexican star 152 pounds with both men’s super welter- There was also some contention between the said, laughing. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez appeared to be the slight weight/junior middleweight titles on the line two because Alvarez chose to headline his own It is the second in Mayweather’s six-bout, 30- crowd favorite as the two kicked off an 11-city - Mayweather’s WBA super welterweight fight card against Trout rather than be included month contract with Showtime that could pay tour Monday to officially announce and pro- “super” championship, and Alvarez’s WBC, on the undercard of Mayweather-Guerrero card. him more than $200 million. After Mayweather mote their title fight at the MGM Grand in Las WBA and Ring Magazine super welterweight But both fighters agreed that this is a matchup beat Guerrero, he said he wanted to fight again Vegas on Sept. 14. championships. that needed to happen. in September - marking the first time since 2007 Not that it seemed to bother Mayweather all The bout billed simply as “The One” is expect- “I’ve visualized this fight for years,” Alvarez he will be in the ring twice in a calendar year. that much. “I take my hat off to the country of ed to be a monstrous draw on pay-per-view for said, “and I feel I’m going to win.” The fighters Mayweather showed little rust while domi- Mexico, and they have produced some tremen- Showtime. It also just might satisfy many fans each announced on Twitter last month that they nating Guerrero by using superior defensive dous champions and I respect the country of who had been wishing during the last several would face each other, exciting boxing fans skills in his first ring appearance since serving a Mexico,” Mayweather said on a steamy after- years for Mayweather to take on Manny around the world. Monday’s event marked the jail term for assaulting the mother of his chil- noon in the heart of Manhattan in front of a few Pacquiao. start of perhaps the sport’s most ambitious pro- dren. thousand fans with Broadway marquees serving “In every sport, there are certain rare occa- motional tour since Mayweather and Oscar De Alvarez is a confident and rapidly rising fight- as a colorful backdrop. sions when you have the best fighting the best,” La Hoya also stopped in 11 cities before their er who should provide a huge test for “But one thing I always know about the sport said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president 2007 bout - won by Mayweather. Each fighter Mayweather. Alvarez was solid against the previ- of boxing is that my fans can’t fight for me, and and general manager of Showtime Sports. “The took a stroll down a makeshift red carpet lead- ously unbeaten Trout, showing up some fans his fans can’t fight for him,” he continued. “The Super Bowl, Final Four, the college football ing to the dais with pops of confetti - red, white and media who speculated that perhaps he Earth is my turf. You can put me in any ring and I national championship. Sept. 14 will be one of and blue for Mayweather and red, green and wasn’t ready to face such an experienced oppo- will always come out victorious.” those occasions - the two biggest stars in the white for Alvarez - marking their entrances. One nent. The promotional tour includes stops in cities sport, the two biggest fan bases. fan got Mayweather to crack up when he held “To be the best,” Alvarez said when asked such as Washington D.C., Chicago, Miami and “We have America’s No. 1 fighter versus up a Chucky doll from the “Child’s Play” movie before the news conference what his motivation Mexico City, and is jumpstarting the hype ahead Mexico’s No. 1 fighter. We have the No. 1 pound- franchise, taking a clear shot at Alvarez’s hair col- is to fight Mayweather now. “(I want) to go of one of boxing’s most anticipated bouts in for-pound fighter in the sport versus the No. 1 or. down in history as the guy who beat the guy recent memory. new star in the sport.” The two took their seats after staring each people consider the best.” When the news con- Mayweather, 36, is unbeaten in 44 fights, the There remains some dispute over who set the other down for nearly a minute - Mayweather ference was over, both fighters got up and last a unanimous 12-round decision over Robert 152-pound catch weight, with Mayweather’s next to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather stared each other down one more time. And Guerrero on May 4 in defense of his 147-pound camp saying Alvarez’s people brought it up first. Promotions, and Alvarez next to De La Hoya, the again, the crowd went wild. title. Alvarez, however, insisted it was Mayweather president of Golden Boy Promotions. It was a “Canelo, I appreciate you for taking the fight,” Alvarez, a 22-year-old rising star, is 42-0-1 and who decided on having both fight at 152 mostly tame news conference with the banter Mayweather said. “Now, let’s give the fans what unified the 154-pound titles with a unanimous pounds instead of 154. between sides at a minimum. Before the news they want to see.” —AP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 SPORTS

Tour de France winners PARIS: Tour de France winners since the event was first staged Froome, Contador could in 1903 (no races during the World Wars): 2012 Bradley Wiggins (Britain) 2011 Cadel Evans (Australia) 2010 Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) *** make 100th Tour a classic 2009 Alberto Contador 2008 Carlos Sastre (Spain) 2007 Contador 2006 Oscar Pereiro (Spain) ** PARIS: Chris Froome is overwhelming favourite 2005 * for the Tour de France but the return of former Doping affairs winner Alberto Contador after a one-year hiatus 2004 * PARIS: A look at major doping scandals involving 2003 * could trigger a classic duel to mark the 100th edi- 2002 * tion of the great cycling race. the Tour de France since the Festina affair in 1998: 2001 * It will also be the first Tour since American ● 1998: Festina medical team member Willy Voet 2000 * Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven titles was arrested at the French border before the start of 1999 * after admitting he cheated his way to glory from the Tour after customs officers seized banned sub- 1998 Marco Pantani (Italy) 1999-2005, leaving a huge gap in the event’s stances, including the blood-boosting drug erythro- 1997 Jan Ullrich (Germany) records. It is a period Briton Froome will be happy to poietin (EPO). 1996 Bjarne Riis (Denmark) Festina were kicked out of the race and their rid- 1995 Miguel Indurain (Spain) put in the past for good. “The fact that I’m able to 1994 Indurain finish at the front in the mountains and in the ers later admitted to taking performance-enhancing 1993 Indurain general classification means that the sport has drugs. Top rider Richard Virenque was banned for 1992 Indurain changed since 10 years ago,” said Froome, who nine months, team director Bruno Roussel and Voet 1991 Indurain was promoted to Team Sky leader before team were fined and given suspended jail sentences. mate and defending champion Bradley Wiggins 1990 Greg LeMond (US) ● withdrew from the race for health reasons. 2006: American Floyd Landis became the first 1989 LeMond Tour winner to fail a drugs test during the race after 1988 Pedro Delgado (Spain) “You learn from the past. The sport is going in 1987 Stephen Roche (Ireland) the right direction and my results are proof of testing positive for the male sex hormone testos- 1986 LeMond that.” Froome has won four of the five stage races terone. Landis was stripped of the title and given a 1985 Bernard Hinault (France) he has entered this season. “It definitely gives me two-year ban. 1984 Laurent Fignon (France) confidence that I’ve had the right build-up to the Germany’s 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich and Giro 1983 Fignon Tour, that I’ve had the right preparation for the d’Italia champion Ivan Basso were among nine com- Tour,” he explained. 1982 Hinault petitors withdrawn on the eve of the prologue after 1981 Hinault “It also gives my team mates a lot of confi- 1980 Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands) dence, that they’re riding for a worthy cause, that being implicated in a Spanish doping investigation, 1979 Hinault they know I can deliver the result. Operation Puerto. 1978 Hinault “But having said that, once we line up on the Ullrich, who retired from competition in 2007, 1977 Bernard Thevenet (France) start line in Corsica, every other race we’ve done admitted earlier this month to blood-doping under 1976 Lucien Van Impe (Belgium) early on this season folds away,” added Kenya- the guidance of the Spanish doctor at the centre of 1975 Thevenet born Froome, with a note of caution. the Operation Puerto scandal. 1974 Eddy Merckx (Belgium) Froome is expected to have the upper hand in 1973 Luis Ocana (Spain) the individual time trials and will rely on a super Basso admitted his involvement in the scandal to 1972 Merckx strong Team Sky with a stunning capacity to set a the Italian Olympic Committee in May 2007 and was 1971 Merckx high tempo in the mountains to prevent attacks - banned for two years. 1970 Merckx a tactic Wiggins heavily relied on in 2012. ● 2007: Pre-race favorite Alexander Vinokourov 1969 Merckx Contador’s presence, after missing last year’s tested positive for blood doping after winning a 1968 Jan Janssen (Netherlands) Tour because of a doping suspension, will defi- time trial. The Kazakh’s Astana team left the Tour and 1967 Roger Pingeon (France) nitely be felt even if the Spaniard has made little 1966 Lucien Aimar (France) impression so far this season. sacked Vinokourov, who denied any wrongdoing. 1965 Felice Gimondi (Italy) Contador, who won the Tour in 2007 and The Cofidis team pulled out of the race following 1964 Jacques Anquetil (France) 2009, goes into the race with only one low-key Italian Cristian Moreni’s positive test for testosterone. 1963 Anquetil victory under his belt - a stage of the Tour de San Moreni was suspended for two years. 1962 Anquetil Luis in January. Tour leader Michael Rasmussen was sacked by his 1961 Anquetil Since then, the 30-year-old has been compre- Rabobank team during the race for lying about his 1960 Gastone Nencini (Italy) hensively beaten by Froome and others, despite whereabouts in training. He was banned for two 1959 Federico Bahamontes (Spain) repeated attacks in the uphill stages of the Tour 1958 Charly Gaul (Luxembourg) of Oman or the Criterium du Dauphine. years by the Monaco Cycling Federation for violating 1957 Anquetil Froome is likely to gain time in the two indi- anti-doping rules. 1956 Roger Walkowiak (France) vidual and one team time trial of this year’s race, German Patrik Sinkewitz was suspended after a 1955 Louison Bobet (France) which starts on June 29, so Contador will have to test taken in June was positive for elevated levels of 1954 Bobet make up for it in the mountains, where his rival testosterone. Sinkewitz had already pulled out of 1953 Bobet also shines. the Tour injured following a crash with a spectator. 1952 Fausto Coppi (Italy) The race should not be decided before the last Spanish rider Iban Mayo, who finished the race in 1951 Hugo Koblet (Switzerland) week with the 14th stage finishing up the Mont 1950 Ferdi Kubler (Switzerland) Ventoux and the 18th sending the peloton twice 16th place, was suspended by his team Saunier 1949 Coppi round the 21 hair-pins of L’Alpe d’Huez. Duval after cycling’s governing body confirmed 1948 Gino Bartali (Italy) However, Contador is one of only five men traces of EPO in a sample taken during the race. 1947 Jean Robic (France) with titles in all three grand Tours (Spain, Italy, ● 2008: Italian Riccardo Ricco was kicked out of the 1939 Sylvere Maes (Belgium) France) while Froome has only two podium fin- race after failing a test for the new generation of EPO 1938 Bartali ishes - seconds in the Vuelta in 2011 and the Tour called CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor 1937 Roger Lapebie (France) in 2012. 1936 Sylvere Maes (Belgium) Contador will also be assisted by a solid team Activator). Saunier Duval then announced they were 1935 Romain Maes (Belgium) featuring Australian Michael Rogers, who was withdrawing their sponsorship of the team. 1934 Antonin Magne (France) instrumental for Team Sky during last year’s Tour, Austrian Bernhard Kohl, third overall and the 1933 Georges Speicher (France) as well as Irishman Nicolas Roche and Czech race’s top climber, as well as Italian Leonardo 1932 Andre Leducq (France) Roman Kreuziger. Both have relinquished their Piepoli and German Stefan Schumacher were also 1931 Magne personal ambitions to help the Spaniard clinch a 1930 Leducq found guilty of using CERA following retroactive third title. tests. 1929 Maurice De Waele (Belgium) “There are quite a few guys whom I believe to 1928 Nicolas Frantz (Luxembourg) be threats to the yellow jersey and until any of Kazakh Dmitriy Fofonov tested positive for the 1927 Frantz those guys lose time on the general classification banned stimulant heptaminol and was fired by his 1926 Lucien Buysse (Belgium) Chris Froome they should be treated as potential yellow jersey Credit Agricole team. Spaniards Manuel Beltran 1925 Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) wearers,” said Froome. and Moises Duenas Nevado tested positive for 1924 Bottecchia “Contador is definitely not someone to write 1923 Henri Pelissier (France) EPO. Barloworld ended sponsorship of their team off from the group of contenders. I did come out after Nevado’s test result. 1922 Firmin Lambot (Belgium) on top in the time trial and in the mountain ● 2012: Luxembourg’s Frank Schleck tested pos- 1921 Leon Scieur (Belgium) stages (in the Dauphine) against Contador but he 1920 Philippe Thys (Belgium) cannot be ruled out.” itive for the banned diuretic Xipamide during the 1919 Lambot Contador proved in winning last year’s Vuelta second rest day and was withdrawn from the race 1914 Thys that he never gives up, taking the overall lead in by his RadioShack team. He was suspended for 1913 Thys the 17th stage after launching a devastating sur- one year. 1912 Odile Defraye (Belgium) prise attack. 1911 Gustave Garrigou (France) In June, the United States Anti-Doping Agency Should he and Froome falter, the indefatiga- (USADA) recommended charging seven-times 1910 Octave Lapize (France) ble Cadel Evans, winner of the Tour in 2011, will 1909 Francois Faber (Luxembourg) be ready to step up, as well as fellow Australian Tour winner Lance Armstrong, who won the race 1908 Lucien Petit-Breton (France) Richie Porte, the Team Sky number two. from 1999 to 2005, with using performance- 1907 Petit-Breton “Richie’s results this year have been fantastic,” enhancing drugs during his career. 1906 Rene Pottier (France) Team Sky coach Tim Kerrison said. “He’s a very After initially saying he would fight the charges, 1905 Louis Trousselier (France) very good stage racer and a strong GC con- 1904 Henri Cornet (France) Armstrong changed his mind and in August USA- tender.” 1903 Maurice Garin (France) DA stripped him of his Tour titles and banned him The battle for the points classification green *** Spain’s Alberto Contador was stripped of the title after for life. jersey is likely to be between Slovakia’s Peter testing positive for a banned anabolic agent during the 2010 Sagan and Mark Cavendish, although the Briton USADA said in its report that Armstrong and his race. would be happy with a brief spell in yellow. U.S. Postal team had run “the most sophisticated, ** American Floyd Landis was stripped of the title after test- “I would like to wear the yellow jersey after professionalized and successful doping program ing positive for elevated levels of testosterone during the 2006 race. the first stage in Corsica,” said Cavendish, who is that sport has ever seen”. * American Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven 11 stages shy of Eddy Merckx’s all-time Tour In January 2013, Armstrong admitted in a tele- titles from 1999-2005 for doping. The titles have not been real- record of 34. “It’s the only one of the three grand vision interview he used banned substances in all located. —Reuters Alberto Contador tours where I haven’t worn the leader’s jersey, so of his Tour victories. —Reuters I’d like to do that.”—Reuters Hamilton raring for British GP BRACKLEY: Lewis Hamilton has put trials and “secret” tyre test with Pirelli. “Of course, when I saw the team at the week- tribulations behind him and is raring to make his Last week’s hearing handed Mercedes a repri- end it was a relief for everyone...that they could first British Grand Prix appearance for Mercedes mand and ordered them to miss a young driver get on and start focusing on the next race. And this weekend in a car he says is better than last test in July, but neither punishment will have I’m happy as well.” year’s McLaren. With McLaren yet to finish higher much impact on Hamilton or Rosberg. Hamilton said the team was doing a great job, than fifth this season, after winning seven races In Montreal Hamilton had seemed abrupt adding: “We’ve got into a good position so far in 2012, the 2008 Formula One champion has no and distant, telling reporters he had “things” on and if we can get into an even better one that regrets about the move to Mercedes that many his mind, but on Tuesday he was relaxed again. would be fantastic. They have been working so were still questioning only months ago. “I feel good. I am really happy,” he said. “My hard to get the results that we’ve had, a negative He heads for Silverstone as one of four British mind was a bit clouded (in Canada), it didn’t real- result was not needed.” drivers but the one with the best chance of vic- ly affect my weekend in terms of performance Although Hamilton would not have taken tory, Mercedes already being a winner in and being able to do the job, but I feel good. part in the young driver test, he said the lack of it Monaco thanks to Germany’s Nico Rosberg and And I am looking forward to this weekend and would be a setback. The test is the sole chance being on pole four times in seven races. just getting on with it. during the season for teams to try out new “I feel like I have a better car this year so I “I can’t wait until Friday...And I am on the sim- developments. think we should be more competitive than we ulator tomorrow so I get to really focus on trying “That does suck a little bit,” said the Briton of were last year,” he told reporters at the Mercedes to nail the set-up, so we start on the right foot the team’s exclusion. “It’s important because we factory, a short drive from Silverstone. during the weekend.” had a lot planned, upgrades and stuff, on those “It is definitely closer (to being able to win) Hamilton, who was at McLaren in 2007 when three days. than what I have had for a couple of years, so I the Woking team were fined a record $100 mil- “It’s also vital for the (reserve) drivers who are am looking forward to seeing what the car can lion and stripped of all their constructors’ points always on the simulator to test the tyres, and do,” he added. for a spying controversy, said he had not allowed where they are, and come back in here and feed “I think the car will go really well here.” Two the tribunal to unsettle him. back so they continue working on develop- clouds that hung over Hamilton at the last race “I tried my best not to give it much thought. ments and improving the simulator. in Canada have lifted. One was personal and the (Team principal) Ross (Brawn) kept me in the “It definitely puts us back a little bit but we’re other was an international tribunal that could loop and I’d get an email here and there from the going to have to try to figure out a way to recov- have imposed heavy sanctions on his team for a lawyer explaining where we were,” he said. er it elsewhere.”—Reuters Lewis Hamilton WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 SPORTS Lions put down Rebels Photo of the day

MELBOURNE: The British and Irish replacement scrumhalf Ben Youngs “The main thing was to get the win but Lions will head into the second test crossed over after the break as the Dan also play well as a team and play well against Australia with a head full of Lydiate-captained Lions dominated on as individuals ... All credit to the Rebels steam after subjecting the Melbourne all fronts. guys, they gave us a good game Rebels to a 35-0 thrashing in their tour The tourists suffered a shock loss to tonight.” match yesterday. a well-drilled ACT Brumbies last week, Tuilagi drove the Lions forward with Eager to impress coach Warren with their set pieces a mess and well a jinking run to set up their first try in Gatland in their last non-test tour beaten at the breakdown, but their for- the 15th minute, scrumhalf Conor match, the midweek Lions ran in four wards made amends against the Murray swooping on a loose ball from tries and were awarded fifth by penalty Rebels, setting up scoring chances with the resulting five-metre scrum before as they completely outclassed the sharp work at the lineout. spinning over in the right corner. Super Rugby strugglers at Melbourne “We definitely had to up our game The barnstorming centre was even Rectangular Stadium. coming here, we wanted to get the more involved in the second try with England centre Manu Tuilagi cele- result and keep the momentum going another powerful break, a fend and an brated his return to action after a nig- for the weekend,” said Lydiate, a offload helping number Toby Faletau gling shoulder injury by contributing replacement for the Brisbane test last take the tourists to the Rebels’ line. to the first two tries for the Lions for weekend. Inside centre Brad Barritt played scrumhalf Conor Murray and winger “It’s a massive game for us this scrumhalf at the breakdown to get the Sean Maitland. weekend and some of the boys put ball to Simon Zebo, who flung it wider Openside flanker Sean O’Brien and their hands up for selection tonight. still to another winger in New Zealand- born Maitland for an easy try in the right corner. The Rebels, captained by former Wales backrower Gareth Delve and marshalled by former Wallaby scrumhalf Luke Burgess, pressed hard but were let down by poor finishing. Fullback Jason Woodward missed a penalty kick from straight in front, and the Rebels waved away another three Danny MacAskill performs a backflip during the Imaginate filming in Glasgow, United Kingdom. points by kicking for the corner only to —www.redbullcontentpool.com botch the lineout a minute before the break. Although dictating proceedings, the Lions ‘dirt-trackers’ made a hash of a few scoring chances, and O’Brien was Uruguay, Brazil, and left fuming a few minutes after half- time when a long looping pass from Maitland sailed into touch to deny the Irishman a certain try. the ghosts of 1950 O’Brien was all smiles a few minutes later, though, when he dived over to score in the opposite corner after lock FORTALEZA: For all the glory associat- but Brazil remained on course for the Uruguay, the country, spent the first Richie Gray and Lydiate had combined ed with their famous yellow shirts, trophy until Uruguay winger Alcides three centuries of its existence being well from the lineout. Brazil can never shake the sense of Ghiggia surprised goalkeeper Barbosa tugged back and forth between the The Rebels, reduced to something unease that descends whenever they with a low shot in the 79th minute that Spanish and Portuguese empires and of a rabble after a raft of substitutions, find themselves confronted by stunned the giant stadium. “Only three was only granted independence from conceded a penalty try some 10 min- Uruguay. people have ever silenced 200,000 peo- Brazil in 1828. utes later, with replacement flanker Today’s Confederations Cup semi- ple at the Maracana with a single ges- It has been wreaking vengeance in Jordy Reid sent off for illegally stop- final in Belo Horizonte will be the 71st ture,” Ghiggia once said. “Frank Sinatra, the form of guerilla raids on the football ping a rolling maul. Youngs completed match between the South American Pope John Paul II, and I.” pitch ever since. Brazil’s heaviest defeat, the rout by sharking the ball at the neighbors, and for Brazilians it will Uruguay, not Brazil, were the world a 6-0 thrashing in September 1920, back of a lineout and beating two dredge up a 63-year-old nightmare that champions, and the host nation sank came at Uruguay’s hands and La defenders to cross between the posts haunts the Selecao to this day. into mourning. Barbosa became an Celeste have twice beaten their neigh- and hand the Lions momentum head- The 1950 World Cup in Brazil was instant scapegoat and played for his bours in the final of the Copa America. ing into Saturday’s second test against intended to crown the hosts’ emer- country again only once. Reports of sui- A Brazil team featuring the great the Wallabies. gence as the world’s best national cides abounded. “Everywhere has its Socrates fell to Uruguay in 1983, while “Disappointing,” said Delve. “We team, but instead it witnessed their irremediable national catastrophe, the 1995 final saw a Brazil side contain- wanted to try a few things but we nev- most traumatising defeat, immortalised something like a Hiroshima,” said ing five members of the team that had er really got the stability at the set as the ‘Maracanazo’ (‘Maracana Blow’). Nelson Rodrigues, the Brazilian play- overcome Italy in the previous year’s MELBOURNE: British and Irish Lions Simon Zebo is tackled heavily piece that we wanted. And a quality A side led by all-action inside-for- wright, journalist and novelist. World Cup final beaten 5-3 on penalties by Lachlan Mitchell of the Melbourne Rebels during the Lions’ tour team like that, they ran a few points up ward Zizinho went into the decisive “Our catastrophe, our Hiroshima, in Montevideo. match against the Rebels at AAMI Park. —AP on us.” —Reuters match at Rio de Janeiro’s newly built was the defeat by Uruguay in 1950.” In Brazil claimed symbolic revenge for Maracana stadium needing only a draw response, a competition was launched the Maracanazo by defeating Uruguay to win the tournament for the first time. by Rio newspaper Correio da Manha to in the 1989 Copa America final at the On July 16, the day of the game, Rio redesign the uninspiring white strip Maracana, Romario heading in the only Clarke gives Australia newspaper O Mundo carried the head- that Brazil’s players had worn in the goal, but the memory of the 1950 line “THESE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPI- final. match refuses to fade. In 2014, Brazilian ONS!” alongside a picture of the team, The winning entry, submitted by 19- players will take to the field at a fitness boost for Ashes and an estimated 200,000 fans year-old illustrator Aldyr Garcia Schlee, Brazilian World Cup for the first time streamed into the giant concrete arena combined the yellow, green and blue since Zizinho and his disconsolate in anticipation of Brazil’s coronation. of the Brazilian flag and is worn to this team-mates left the pitch at the TAUNTON: Australia captain Michael Ashes tour and the Australian captain is then, with opener David Warner first Opponents Uruguay, narrow victors day, but even there, Uruguay played a Maracana over six decades previously. Clarke gave the beleaguered tourists a pretty excited about being involved. fined following a Twitter rant at senior over Sweden in their previous game, part. Schlee was born in the border So although Brazil have since much-needed lift two weeks before the “He is in a good spot. He had a good journalists and then suspended for were offered up as the sacrificial victims town of Jaguaro and as he told British amassed five World Cups and will start Ashes series by declaring himself fit to catching session this morning and a bit throwing a punch at England batsman and they seemed destined to fulfil that author Alex Bellos in the 2002 book as strong favourites against Uruguay return to competitive action after three of a hit.” Joe Root in a bar. That came during the role when Friaca put Brazil ahead early ‘Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life’, he today, victory would represent only months out with a lower back problem. Clarke hasn’t played a competitive Champions Trophy, where Australia in the second half. grew up supporting the national team partial consolation. —AFP Clarke came through Australia’s first match since the tour of India in March, failed to win a match and exited at the Juan Alberto Schiaffino equalised, from the blue side of the frontier. training session under new coach when Australia slipped to a humiliating group stage. Darren Lehmann, who was hired on 4-0 loss in the test series. During that Cricket Australia reacted by sacking Monday to replace the fired Mickey tour, four players - including vice-cap- Arthur after 19 months in charge and Arthur. Clarke will start the four-day tain Shane Watson - were dropped for hiring Lehmann, a popular former test tour match against Somerset at the third test for failing to complete batsman who has two weeks to turn Taunton beginning today. written reports on their views of the things around before the first Ashes “Michael is definitely playing against team’s performance - a saga dubbed test against England starts on July 10. Somerset, which is great news,” “Homeworkgate.” Lehmann has made a good impression Australia vice captain Brad Haddin said And the woes of the once-mighty already, according to Haddin. yesterday. “It is the first match of an Australian cricket have deepened since “Training was good and sharp, so the new coach got a tick today!” Haddin said Tuesday. “Darren is a good person, who loves the game of cricket and talk- ing about it. He loves to see guys learn- ing about cricket and has a lot of knowledge, so he is well respected over here and at home. “He is very excited about getting the group together and playing some crick- et. There has been enough talk, now it’s time to get out there and enjoy the start of an Ashes tour.” The inclusion of James Faulkner in the starting XI will see Australia go with a five-strong bowling attack for Lehmann’s first match in charge. Somerset’s team will include Nick Compton, who appears likely to miss out on the Ashes opener at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, after being dropped for England’s warm-up match Michael Clarke against Essex starting Sunday. —AP BRAZIL: Brazil’s goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri fails to catch the ball during a training session at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte on the eve of their FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 semifinal NSW primed for Queensland football match against Uruguay.—AFP

BRISBANE: New South Wales can finally end Cronk to improve their decision-making under pressure Queensland’s record run of seven straight State of Origin in the big moments to lift the cornered Maroons. Blanc takes over as PSG coach series triumphs with a victory in today’s second match in All-conquering Queensland coach Mal Meninga has Brisbane. been working on improving his team’s attitude for the PARIS: Paris St Germain named Laurent Blanc as coach on a million euros ($262 million) on transfers since taking over the The Blues set up their chance with an impressive 14-6 pivotal showdown after the Maroons were outplayed for two-year contract yesterday, ending weeks of speculation over club two years ago, recruiting the likes of Sweden striker Zlatan victory over the Maroons in the opening game in Sydney much of the Sydney opener. who would succeed Carlo Ancelotti. Ibrahimovic and Brazilian defender Thiago Silva in pursuit of a earlier this month. “We have spent the week making sure our attitude is a The 47-year-old Blanc, out of a job since departing as France Champions League victory within five years. Blanc, whose But they are prepared for a charged Queensland lot better, particularly at the start,” Meninga said. “Because coach after their Euro 2012 quarter-final exit, led Girondins European coaching experience is limited to two seasons with response before their own fans in a bid to keep this year’s we need to play better. Bordeaux to the French title in 2009. Bordeaux, will have to deal with QSI’s high expectations. series alive until the final encounter in Sydney on July 17. “We can’t get away from the fact that we didn’t exe- “Paris St Germain is delighted to announce the appointment “The mission Paris St Germain’s management has assigned Blues’ coach Laurie Daley believes his team will have to cute the best that we possibly could (in game one).” Off- of Laurent Blanc as coach for the next two years,” PSG said in a Laurent Blanc is to continue the work initiated last year and improve on their first-match win to repel a fired-up field issues have clouded NSW’s build-up to the big game statement. Blanc will begin work on Monday for the start of the lead the team towards the European heights,” the statement Queensland if they are to grab their first Origin series with prop James Tamou suspended on a drink-driving pre-season training. The former France international sweeper said. The Frenchman, who earned the nickname “The President” since 2005. charge and winger Blake Ferguson dropped after he was replaced Ancelotti, who said last month he wanted to leave the during his playing days, will also have to prove he can handle a In the eight times NSW have travelled to Queensland charged by police for the indecent assault of a woman in club after leading them to their first French title since 1994. The squad full of characters after failing to keep France’s bad-tem- following a game one victory, they have won just once — a late-night bar incident. Italian agreed to join Real Madrid yesterday. pered players under control at the European Championship. in 2000 — and none of the current squad of 17 have won South Sydney winger Nathan Merritt will replace Blanc, who played for Montpellier, Marseille, Manchester The list includes PSG forward Jeremy Menez who was a live rubber at the intimidating Suncorp Stadium. Ferguson, while St George Illawarra fullback Josh Dugan United, Barcelona and Inter Milan, was part of France’s World banned for one game by the French Football Federation for “In front of their home crowd they’re going to be a lot will make his return to Origin football after Jarryd Hayne Cup-winning squad in 1998 and won the last of his 97 caps in insulting a referee. stronger and use those opportunities better than they was ruled out with a hamstring injury. the 2000 European championship final victory against Italy. The representatives of Brazil captain Silva and Ibrahimovic did in Sydney,” Blues’ backrower Greg Bird said. Wests Tigers prop Aaron Woods will make his Origin But he was not PSG’s first choice, according to media appear to have supported the appointment, saying the most Scrum-half teammate Mitchell Pearce added: “They’re debut after coming in for Tamou. Meninga has revamped reports. French media said Roberto Mancini, Fabio Capello, respected players in PSG locker-room back Blanc. going to lift and we’re going to have to improve.” The his side with Daly Cherry-Evans and Josh Papalii coming Andre Villas-Boas, Frank Rijkaard, Manuel Pellegrini, Rafa “Laurent Blanc can’t be a wrong choice. He was France NSW team is expecting Queensland’s irrepressible Test onto the reserves bench for Ashley Harrison and David Benitez, Michael Laudrup and Guus Hiddink were all coach, he’s equal to all the names that have been cited. They trio of Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Shillington. —AFP approached by the club. are all great coaches,” Silva’s agent Paulo Tonietto told French Owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) have spent over 200 weekly Le Journal du Dimanche. —Reuters 19 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 SPORTS The longest minute in a long comeback BOSTON: The Stanley Cup is back in the “An eternity,” Patrick Kane, who won Some nights, they’d have their own sec- During a moment of silence for Wirtz something the Blackhawks remembered city of big shoulders and short memo- the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, tion,” he laughed. at the home opener, the crowd respond- when they were down 3-1 in a series ries, delivered by a Chicago team that called it. “Nerve-wracking,” captain “We used to have business cards with ed with boos. The Hawks made the post- against Detroit in an earlier round, and featured neither. Jonathan Toews added. a website address and we’d tell people, season after a six-season hiatus, but again against Boston as the clock ticked The Blackhawks started the lockout- “Things were happening so fast,” ‘Go there and you’d get two free tickets.’ those fans who chose self-exile only down the final few seconds. shortened NHL season so fast, they were recalled winger Patrick Sharp, “I looked People wouldn’t even take the cards!” grudgingly began trickling back. It “You win it once and you think you’re the team to beat for months. But they up at the clock and knew it was going to The 2004-05 lockout hurt hockey, but wasn’t until Wirtz’ son, Rocky, was in going right back to the Stanley Cup still couldn’t outmuscle anybody. They be the longest minute of the season.” the rule changes that opened up the control for a full season - putting the finals the next year after that,” Toews were all about speed and skill, advan- Better a minute like that one than all game helped the Hawks. games back on TV, bringing guys like said. “Two first-round exits for us last tages that get squeezed tighter, round the minutes Blackhawks fans ignored Then-general manager Dale Tallon Hull and Mikita back as ambassadors and couple years will make you realize how by round, in the defensive vise of the just five short years ago. It wasn’t that finally quit pursuing draft picks and free putting up statues outside the United tough it is to get here.” postseason. long, after all, that the current toast of agents with wide bodies and narrow skill Center - that all was forgiven, and then The Blackhawks have become the They had to find another way to play the town was just toast. sets. Suddenly, guys like Sharp and slick- some. first team to win a second Stanley Cup in with 1:30 left Monday night in Boston, Toews, 25, and Kane, 24, came along passing defensemen Duncan Keith and Average attendance jumped 7,000 the salary-cap age, a bit of smart spend- when goalie Corey Crawford headed for in 2006 and 2007, when the Blackhawks Brent Seabrook had targets up ice with seats by the end of the 2008-09 season. ing that would have pleased old man the bench to bring on another attacker. were already beginning their bounce the imagination and ability to finish The product on the ice was reflected in Wirtz. And they did it as the last team Turns out the Blackhawks do despera- back from the bottom. Just a few years plays. the fast-climbing value of the franchise. standing from a final four that featured tion well, too. before that, the Blackhawks were round- Except at first, nobody noticed. A The season after that brought the team’s the last four cup winners, playing wide “That’s kind of the way you had to ly derided as the worst franchise in pro decade or so of continuing futility - in a fourth Stanley Cup title, giving one of open or gritty as each game or each shift score this whole series,” coach Joel sports. At 32, Sharp is one of the longest- city where the gold standard is the Cubs the NHL’s “Original Six” some recent his- demanded. Quenneville said after Bryan Bickell and serving veterans of the team’s core. He’s at a century and counting - kept all but tory worth boasting about. As talk of a third Cup and even the Dave Bolland banged in a pair of gritty made it a point not to let anybody in the the hardcore fans away. The realities of the salary cap, though, dreaded “dynasty” began making the goals during a 17-second span to stun locker room forget that. Tight-fisted owner William “Dollar dictated what happened next. The rounds, Quenneville put up his hand and the Bruins. After Chicago’s 3-1 victory in Game 5, Bill” Wirtz stubbornly kept games off TV, Blackhawks had to unload or choose not asked for a moment where he didn’t Yet even after Bolland’s putback of a Sharp sat at his cubicle exhausted and and drove off legacy names like Bobby to resign nine players on that team, have to recall what was behind or worry rebound - off the goal post, no less - stories rolled out about the bad old days. Hull and Stan Mikita. Then Wirtz died in electing instead to lock up Toews, Kane, about what was ahead. “I’m going to slipped by sprawling Bruins goalie “We’d get, maybe 10,000 fans, and in September 2007 following a brief battle Keith and a handful of others. enjoy this one first,” he said, “and have Tuukka Rask, there were still 59 seconds our building that felt like empty. I could with cancer and the bitterness spilled They got ambushed in their first post- fun with it. And then we’ll talk about that left on the clock. pick friends of mine out in the crowd. out in one sweeping gesture. season outings the next two years - one.”—AP Blackhawks win Stanley Cup

BOSTON: Two goals. Seventeen seconds apart. A sec- ond Stanley Cup victory in four seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks. Seventy-six seconds away from defeat and a trip home for a decisive seventh game, Bryan Bickell tied it. Then, while the Bruins were settling in for another overtime in a series that has already had its share, Dave Bolland scored to give Chicago a 3-2 victory in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night. The back-to-back scores in about the time it takes for one good rush down the ice turned a near-certain loss into a championship clincher, stunning the Boston players and their fans and starting the cele- bration on the Blackhawks’ bench with 59 seconds to play. “We thought we were going home for Game 7. You still think you’re going to overtime and you’re going to try to win it there. Then Bolly scores a huge goal 17 seconds later,” said Chicago forward Patrick Kane, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the post- season’s most valuable player. “It feels like the last 58 seconds were an eternity.” The team that set an NHL record with a 24-game unbeaten streak to start the lockout-shortened sea- son won three straight games after falling behind 2-1 BOSTON: Brandon Saad No. 20 of the Chicago Blackhawks hoists the Stanley Cup Trophy in the best-of-seven finals, rallying from a deficit in after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game Six of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD the series and in its finale. Corey Crawford made 23 Garden. —AFP saves, and Jonathan Toews returned from injury to back and in front of the fans in Blackhawks sweaters en to the top defensive forward in the league. Both add a goal and an assist in the first finals between who lined the front row behind the net. Toews returned after missing the end of Game 5, but only Original Six teams since 1979. banged on the glass while the remaining Bruins fans Toews showed up in the box score. “I still can’t believe that finish. Oh my God, we nev- headed up the runways. He then continued the tradi- Bergeron said afterward that he had a broken rib, er quit,” Crawford said. “I never lost confidence. No tion of handing it from player to player before the torn cartilage in muscles, and added to that a separat- one in our room ever did.” team settled to the side of the faceoff circle for a pic- ed shoulder on Monday night. Trailing 2-1, Crawford went off for an extra skater ture with the trophy they will possess for the next 12 “It’s the Stanley Cup Final. Everyone is banged up,” and the Blackhawks converted when Toews fed it in months. Bergeron said. “It’s tough to put words to describe front and Bickell scored from the edge of the crease Just like in 2010, they won it in a Game 6 on the how we’re feeling right now. You work so hard just to BOSTON: Patrick Kane No. 88 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates with the to tie the score. road. “In 2010, we didn’t really know what we were get to this point and give yourself a chance to get the Perhaps the Bruins expected it to go to overtime, Conn Smythe Trophy defeating the Boston Bruins in Game Six of the 2013 NHL doing. We just, we played great hockey and we were Cup. You feel like you’re right there and you have a as three of the first four games in the series did. They Stanley Cup Final. —AFP kind of oblivious to how good we were playing,” said chance to force a Game 7, and definitely it hurts.” sure seemed to be caught off-guard on the ensuing Toews, who scored his third goal of the playoffs to tie What had already been a physical series continued to faceoff. Chicago skated into the zone, sent a shot on it 1-1 in the second period, then fed Bickell for the take its toll, with Jaromir Jagr ‚Ä” the NHL’s active net and after it deflected off Michael Frolik and the score that tied it with 76 seconds to play. playoff scoring leader ‚Ä” and Andrew Shaw both Kane named Stanley post it went right to Bolland, who put it in the net. “This time around, we know definitely how much going to the dressing room during the first period. The Blackhawks on the ice gathered in the corner, work it takes and how much sacrifice it takes to get Jagr’s injury was not known, but Shaw deflected a while those on the bench began jumping up and Cup playoffs’ MVP back here and this is an unbelievable group,” Toews slap shot from Shawn Thornton off his own right down. It was only a minute later, when Boston’s said. “We’ve been through a lot together this year and cheek and crumpled to the ice, leaving behind a pool Tuukka Rask was off for an extra man, that Chicago BOSTON: Chicago Blackhawks winger time against the Philadelphia Flyers. this is a sweet way to finish it off.” of blood when he skated off. withstood the Bruins’ final push and swarmed over Patrick Kane was awarded the Conn “I think there’s something about our The Blackhawks opened the season on a 21-0-3 Both returned, but Jagr again disappeared from the boards, throwing their sticks and gloves across Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player core. Hopefully we can stay together a long streak and coasted to the Presidents’ Trophy that the Boston bench in the second. Crawford also forced the ice. “It’s unbelievable, man,” Crawford said. “So of the Stanley Cup playoffs after helping his time because that’s two Cups in four years, goes to the team with the best regular-season record. a stoppage of play when his mask came off following much hard work to get to this point. Great effort by team to the National Hockey League cham- and we seem to only be getting better and But regular-season excellence has not translated into David Krejci’s slap shot off his shoulder; the Chicago everyone on the team.” pionship on Monday. better,” he said. playoff success: Chicago is the first team with the best goalie appeared to need a little time to recover, but The Bruins got 28 saves from Rask, who was hop- The 24-year-old American was present- “It’s unbelievable to be in this situation. record to win the Cup since the 2008 Detroit Red he stayed in the game. ing to contribute to an NHL title after serving as Tim ed with the trophy after Chicago rallied in “It’s just a great group and it’s going to be Wings. “The whole playoffs. It wasn’t just Chicago. It’s Thomas’ backup when Boston won it all two years the final minutes to beat the Boston Bruins fun to celebrate with them.” The Blackhawks went through Minnesota in five going to be physical, grinding the whole playoffs,” ago. 3-2 and clinch the best-of-seven series 4-2. Kane paid a special tribute to Chicago games and Detroit in seven, rallying in the Western said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, the 2009 Norris “It’s obviously shocking when you think you have Kane was Chicago’s leading point scorer captain Jonathan Toews, who won the Conference semifinals from a 3-1 deficit and winning Trophy winner who was on the ice for 10 of the last everything under control,” Rask said quietly, standing during the playoffs with 19 points from 23 Conn Smythe trophy in 2010, and played in Game 7 in overtime. They got through the defending 12 Chicago goals. “I think that first game we played at his locker with a blue baseball cap on backward games, including nine goals, but said he Monday’s Game Six despite saying he had NHL champion Los Angeles Kings in five games to them we knew it would be a close series. We just had and a towel draped over his shoulders. felt lucky to win the award, insisting his his “bell rung” in the previous game. “He’s a return to the Cup finals, where Boston was waiting. that feeling. It went all the way to triple overtime. It The sold-out TD Garden had begun chanting “We teammates did all the real work. “We actu- great player. He’s played big in a lot of big Chicago won the first game at home in three over- was physical. It was close. At times a very fast game, want the Cup!” after Milan Lucic’s goal put the Bruins ally came up with a name for myself this games,” Kane said. times but dropped Game 2 ‚Ä” another overtime ‚Ä” (but) it was very, very even.” up 2-1 with eight minutes left, but it fell silent after its morning, calling me the ‘Benefish,’ for the “That’s really all you can say about and fell behind 2-1 in the series when it returned to The Bruins, who never led in Games 4 and 5, took team coughed up the lead. The team came out to beneficiary of all their hard work,” he told a Jonathan Toews is he’s a competitor. He Boston. After that, it was all Blackhawks. The tightly the lead seven minutes into the game when Tyler salute its fans as they streamed out of the building for news conference. leads the team in the right way and we all contested finals ‚Ä” with three games going a total of Seguin gloved a pass from Daniel Paille and con- the last time, from the air conditioning into the sum- “I had a couple chances to finish and follow.”—Reuters five overtimes ‚Ä” may help fans forget the lockout trolled it, then backhanded it across the middle to mer air. ended up doing that, so got to give them that shortened the season to 48 games and pushed Chris Kelly. He beat Crawford on the glove side to “Probably toughest for sure, when you know the credit.” Despite his reluctance to take back the opener to Jan. 19. That left the teams still make it 1-0. you’re a little bit over a minute left and you feel that credit for his achievements, Kane’s star has playing ice hockey on a 95-degree day in Boston on But the Blackhawks tied it early in the second you’ve got a chance to get to a Game 7,” Bruins coach been rising for years. Matches on TV June 24, matching the latest date in NHL history. when, as a Bruins power play was ending, Toews Claude Julien said. “And then those two goals go in A native of Buffalo, New York, he was Fans in their Bruins sweaters filtered into the TD broke into the Boston zone on the right side. He had quickly.” The arena was almost empty ‚Ä” except for a drafted first overall in 2007 after an out- (Local Timings) Garden to see the last game in Boston for the season Kane in the middle and Shaw coming out of the box, few hundred fans in red Blackhawks sweaters who fil- standing junior career and was named the with the hope there would be one more in Chicago: a but didn’t need either one, rattling it in off the right tered down to the front rows ‚Ä” when NHL commis- NHL’s rookie of the year in 2008. FIFA Confederations Cup seventh game just like two years ago, when the post to make it 1-1. sioner Gary Bettman handed the 35-pound Cup to He won a silver medal with the Bruins rallied from a 3-2 deficit, then won in It stayed that way until Lucic put Boston ahead Toews, who left Game 5 with an undisclosed injury American team at the 2010 Vancouver Brazil v Uruguay 22:00 Vancouver for their first NHL championship since with 7:49 left in the third. The final series seemed and wasn’t confirmed for the lineup until the morn- Winter Olympics then his first Stanley Cup 1972. headed for a Game 7 for the sixth time in 10 years Al Jazeera Sport +9 ing skate. with Chicago later that same year, scoring Both teams were bolstered by the return of star before Bickell and Bolland turned it around. “Dave Al Jazeera Sport HD 1 The Chicago captain skated the Cup right over the the championship-clinching goal in over- forwards, Selke Trophy winner Toews of Chicago and Bolland, what else can you say about that guy?” Kane crease in which the Blackhawks mounted the come- Patrice Bergeron, who was a finalist for the award giv- said. “He just shows up in big playoff games.”—AP Italy preparing to run past Spain in semis

FORTALEZA: Italy has defined a clear-cut strate- set up by the opponents. They’re excellent at the Brazil game after picking up two yellow gy for its Confederations Cup semifinal match holding on to the ball and attacking so we’ve cards. Not surprisingly, De Rossi appeared against Spain tomorrow: Out-run the World Cup got to try to make them run as much as possi- among the freshest players in training, and he holders. ble.” and Emanuele Giaccherini were the two fastest As far as Italy coach Cesare Prandelli is con- Prandelli may be on to something with his runners in the training exercise. cerned, matching Spain’s ball possession or strategy but it remains to be seen if his players But running may not be enough against passing skills is impossible. So in training have the stamina to execute such a plan. Spain, which routed Italy 4-0 in last year’s Monday, running took priority over tactics. Japan and Brazil ran circles around Italy in the European Championship final. The Azzurri players - at least the ones that are first half of their group matches and two key “Spain is much better off than then, if you still healthy after a series of injuries - sprinted Azzurri players have been sent home injured consider how easily they advanced from the from one end of the field to the other at full since the 4-2 loss to Brazil - forward Mario group and how solid they have been,” Prandelli speed about 10 times consecutively at one Balotelli left with a strained left thigh and full- said. “They have a precise identity and they are point, then stopped to have their heart rates back Ignazio Abate departed with a dislocated the favorites without a doubt.” Including its 10-0 checked by team trainers. right shoulder. win over Tahiti, Spain outscored the opposition “We’ve got to get it into our heads that Also, midfielder Andrea Pirlo sat out the Brazil 15-1 in the first round. Italy, by contrast, scored against Spain it’s going to be a battle of suffer- match due to a muscle problem and has contin- eight goals and allowed eight in the group ing,” Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. “Their ball ued to train separately from the rest of the phase. Still, Prandelli does not seem concerned FORTALEZA: Spain’s defender Alvaro Arbeloa is surrounded by Brazilian fans on possession is superior to ours and the Spanish squad. by his defense, even after attending Spain’s 3-0 the beach near the team’s hotel in Fortaleza. Spain will play against Italy in their are unbelievable at getting past any sort of trap Daniele De Rossi, another midfielder, missed win over Nigeria on Sunday.—AP FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 semifinal football match tomorrow. —AFP Lions put Blackhawks down win Rebels Stanley Cup

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 18 19 Froome, Contador could make 100th Tour a classic Page 17

WIMBLEDON: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns against Germany’s Florian Mayer during their men’s first round match on day two of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament at the All England Club. — AFP Djokovic and Serena cruise

LONDON: Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena deflected attention away from the storm sur- ries.” Williams did not concede a single point on her second round with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Carina In the men’s first round, Spanish fourth seed Williams cruised into the Wimbledon second rounding her controversial comments on a US serve in the first set and finished the match with 25 Witthoeft, an 18-year-old German qualifier, who David Ferrer beat Argentina’s Wimbledon debu- round yesterday as the All England Club recovered high school rape case and the fall-out from her winners to Minella’s five. She goes on to face was just four when the Japanese star made her tant MartÌn Alund 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 while Bulgarian from the shockwaves of Rafael Nadal’s exit 24 criticism of Maria Sharapova’s love life. French qualifier Caroline Garcia, who she beat in Wimbledon debut in 1989. “I’m taking care of my 29th seed Grigor Dimitrov, the man at the centre of hours earlier. World number one Djokovic, the The 31-year-old took out her frustrations on the the second round in Paris, for a place in the last 32. body, because of course the most difficult thing is the Williams-Sharapova spat, cruised past Italy’s 2011 champion, beat Germany’s Florian Mayer 6-3, hapless Minella, the world number 92 who has Russia’s Maria Kirilenko, who made the quarter- recovery. I need more training. But if I do too much Simone Bolelli, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. Argentinian eighth 7-5, 6-4, in the Serb’s first grass-court outing of the never defeated a top-30 player let alone one of finals last year, slumped to a first round exit at the I feel tired,” said Date-Krumm, a semi-finalist in seed Juan Martin del Potro, who missed the French season and his first match since his shattering five- Williams’s calibre whose French Open title three hands of Britain’s world number 38, Laura Robson, 1996. Open through illness, saw off Spain’s Albert Ramos set semi-final loss to Nadal at the French Open. “It weeks ago took her majors haul to 16. who claimed a 6-3, 6-4 win. “I like Chinese tea. Sometimes Japanese tea. I 6-2, 7-5, 6-1. was a big pleasure to play in front of a packed Victory was also her 75th in her last 78 matches, “That was a big one for me just because of all drink a lot. I have a tea pot I always I carry. It’s here Australia’s Bernard Tomic put out American 21st Centre Court against a tricky rival like Mayer. He’s a run that stretches back to her shock first round the nerves and playing in front of your home with me now.” Li Na, the Chinese sixth seed, seed Sam Querrey, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 got a great variety of shots and his game is well- departure at Roland Garros in 2012, the worst crowd at Wimbledon,” said Robson, a former junior enjoyed a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 defeat of despite complaining of dizziness midway through suited to grass,” said Djokovic, who next faces Grand Slam exit of her career. champion. On a bad day for Russians, 21st seeded Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek. the match and being forced to call for a doctor. either Bobby Reynolds or Steve Johnson. Yesterday’s 32nd successive win took her to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova slumped to a 6-0, 6-1 The 31-year-old former French Open champion Tomic, a quarter-finalist in 2011, was playing with- Defending champion Williams, chasing a sixth within just three of the record set by older sister loss to Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova who made next faces Romania’s Simona Halep. “It was a pretty out his controversial father in the crowd. Wimbledon title and 17th major, racked-up her Venus in 2000. “I never think about the run, I just the semi-finals in 2010. Russian 13th seed Nadia good start to Wimbledon. Because the last two John Tomic, who is facing a criminal charge in 32nd successive win, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3 win over treat every match like a new one,” said Williams. Petrova went out 6-3, 6-2 to Karolina Pliskova of years I didn’t do well on the grass court,” said Li, Spain for assaulting his son’s hitting partner, has Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella. “It was special coming out as defending cham- the Czech Republic. Kimiko Date-Krumm, just twice a quarter-finalist. “I have to get used to play- been banned from the club by Wimbledon Her 57-minute romp on Centre Court briefly pion. I played great and I have some great memo- three months shy of her 43rd birthday, made the ing on the grass. I was feeling pretty happy.” authorities. — AFP Qatar’s new emir raised Real Madrid appoint his profile with sports Ancelotti as new coach DOHA: Qatar’s new ruler was the not the first MADRID: Carlo Ancelotti has been appointed And his appointment has been backed by choice to lead the Gulf nation and its grow- as the new coach of Real Madrid on a three- defender Sergio Ramos, one of those who had ing political and economic ambitions. year deal, the club confirmed yesterday. a public clash with Mourinho last season. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani “Carlo Ancelotti will be the coach of Real “You can only say good things about his CV became the crown prince a decade ago - at Madrid next season,” said a statement on the and what he’s shown at a global level,” he said the age of 23 - when his older brother Jassim club’s website. Ancelotti will be formally pre- yesterday at a press conference ahead of gave up his position as emir-in-waiting. sented to the media on Wednesday afternoon. Spain’s Confederations Cup semi-final with That began a gradual grooming process The 54-year-old’s protracted move from Italy. for the British-educated Sheikh Tamim inside Paris Saint-Germain was finally confirmed after It is Ancelotti’s proven track record in the Qatar’s security and investment arms, which the French champions also appointed Laurent Champions League in particular that attracted are bankrolled by enormous oil and gas Blanc to be their coach for next season yester- Perez as winning a 10th European Cup remains wealth. day. Madrid’s primary objective. As deputy commander of the armed That cleared the path for Madrid to end a After falling short at the semi-final stage forces, he had sway over multibillion dollar five-week wait to announce their new boss under Mourinho for the past three seasons, arms purchases and direct dealing with after it was announced Jose Mourinho would Perez has now entrusted Ancelotti to take what defense officials from the US and other not be continuing at the club on May 20. is currently the most expensive squad ever Western allies. His senior role with the Qatar Investment Authority gave him a powerful However, the former Juventus, AC Milan assembled in the history of the game the extra Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Chelsea boss has always been Real presi- two stages required to land Madrid’s first voice over the direction of one of the world’s dent Florentino Perez first choice to replace Champions League trophy since 2002. most active sovereign wealth funds, whose sible bidder for the 2024 Games - an effort Mourinho and arrives with a impressive CV. The Italian’s arrival is also likely to signal the landmark stakes around the world include that could get a boost from the new emir. “He has won practically everything in the beginning of major moves in the transfer mar- Harrods department store in London and Sheikh Tamim - who also has served as ambit of international football (two Champions ket from the Spanish giants who have so far luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. head of Qatar’s Olympic panel since 2000 - Leagues, two European Supercups, One World just exercised their right to buy-back Spanish TOULOUSE: A picture taken on February 1, But Sheikh Tamim’s most enduring inter- helped avoid an embarrassing showdown Club Cup and One Intertoto Cup) and has won under-21 international Dani Carvajal from 2013 shows PSG’s coach Carlo Ancelotti national image to this point has been linked with Olympic overseers by organizing the the league in three different championships in Bayer Leverkusen and converted 21-year-old reacting during the French League football to sports. His crowning moment came as he first female athletes representing Qatar for which he has managed (Italy, England and Brazilian Casemiro’s loan deal from Sao Paulo match. — AFP helped win Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 last year’s London Olympics. Neighboring France),” the club statement added. “Familiar into a permanent move in recent weeks. Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, however one of World Cup. Sheikh Tamim and other Qatari Saudi Arabia and the Asian country of Brunei with the pressure of managing big teams on The purchase of Malaga midfielder Isco for a Ancelotti’s first jobs may be to sanction a few officials, however, later faced complaints that also sent their first women Olympic athletes. the continent, the Italian is a guarantee to price in the region of 30 million euros ($39 mil- transfers out of the club to create the funds for the nation used its vast wealth to swing sup- Sheikh Tamim was educated at schools in manage an exciting project.” lion, £25.5 million) is also expected to be com- future moves. port its way from football federation mem- England and then graduated from It is that experience that Madrid have bet pleted this week as Real look set to beat off Striker Gonzalo Higuain has spoken of his bers in Africa and elsewhere. Sandhurst, Britain’s prestigious military acad- on after a tumultuous final year under strong competition from Manchester City for desire to leave the club and his father admitted Last year was less positive - an emy and alma mater for many Middle Mourinho in which Real failed to win a major the highly rated Spanish international. on Sunday that the player was close to reach- International Olympic Committee member Eastern leaders. trophy and the Portuguese clashed with many Real have also been strongly linked with a ing an agreement with both Arsenal and since 2002, Sheikh Tamim headed Doha’s His two wives include Sheikha Anoud of his senior players. move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale and Juventus. — AFP unsuccessful bid for the 2020 Olympics. bint Mana al-Hajri, a member of a prominent Qatar’s capital has been mentioned as a pos- Qatari family. He has six children. — AP StanChart banker Nelson to take helm at Dubai’s ENBD Page 22

German election puts Business Europe’s hopes on ice WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 Page 23 BMW ME reaches 1m fans on Facebook Kuwait: Employment in private sector sees rise Page 23 Page 25

NEW DELHI: Managing director and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz India Eberhard Kern poses with the newly launched E Class model of Mercedes-Benz yesterday. Car sales in India slid by over 12 percent in May, data showed, marking an unprecedented seventh straight month of decline, and an industry body warned that layoffs loomed in the once-booming sector. — AFP Fuel-short Egypt faces long, hot summer Egypt cuts back on gas exports, grapples with imports

CAIRO: A gift of gas to Egypt from tiny Qatar and most difficult and darkest summer Egypt had appealed to Cairo to prevent such inci- seems likely to do so again this year, pressing shows just how tough this summer is shaping has ever seen.” Adding to worries about ener- dents. the power sector to its limits. up to be for the government in Cairo, facing a gy, the month-long Muslim fast of Ramadan “In the summer, in Ramadan ... on some Bahrain approves funding crunch and power cuts as it struggles will begin around July 9, a time when tem- Infrastructure days (demand) could rise to 29,000,” Aktham to contain explosive public discontent. Daily pers can fray as temperatures hit 40 Celsius Successive governments have long avoid- Abou-Elella, undersecretary of state at the 11% rise in 2013 blackouts have darkened homes and busi- (100 Fahrenheit) and above. ed of cutting subsidies on fuel which has left Electricity Ministry, told Reuters. “We can’t nesses across the country over the past few Egypt, once a net exporter of energy, in need operate at more than 86 percent of capacity - budget spending weeks, aggravated in recent days by an early Fiscal crunch of imported gas and products including 27,000 is our ceiling. Anything above that we summer heatwave that has Egyptians crank- Since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, diesel, fuel oil and gasoline. The political for sure need to conserve energy.” The gov- DUBAI: Bahrain’s state spending is expected to jump 11 ing up their air conditioners. Qatar offered the authorities have run through more than instability of the past two years has also ernment is hoping a public awareness cam- percent this year, by more than originally planned, after five cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), half of Egypt’s foreign reserves, or some $20 stalled exploration and drilling activities in paign can help cut demand this summer. its parliament approved 174.2 million dinars ($462 mil- worth perhaps $300 million, “as a gift to the billion. They have also borrowed billions from Egypt’s key offshore and desert areas, reduc- “It could result in a reduction in consump- lion) in additional expenditure, official data showed. Egyptian people during the summer months”. abroad and delayed payments to oil compa- ing production at a time of rising domestic tion of 2,000 MW at least, especially setting Budget expenditure in the small non-OPEC oil exporter It is a small gesture from a Gulf ally which nies and other suppliers. Yet partly due to fuel demand. It has also delayed infrastructure air-conditioners at 25 degrees rather than 18 is now expected to total 3.62 billion dinars in 2013, up has already lent Egypt some $7 billion in the subsidies energy consumption remains high needed to import LNG. Currently Egypt’s two degrees and turning off unnecessary lights,” from 3.26 billion actually spent last year, according to a past year but highlights how tough times are as the state grapples to pay for imports of fuel LNG terminals are equipped only for export, Abou-Elella said. Mosques and government breakdown provided by Mahmood Almahmood, a mem- for the 84 million Egyptians. Falling living to generate electricity. In April, Qatar and meaning the five Qatari cargoes are likely to buildings will be urged to save electricity, he ber of parliament’s financial and economic committee. standards since the 2011 revolt that ended six Libya extended loans worth $5 billion and be diverted to clients previously contracted said, adding that the ministry had agreed Bahrain’s 2014 spending plan was raised by 164.5 mil- decades of military rule have led to disillu- Libya said it would provide another $1.2 bil- to buy Egyptian gas. with energy-intensive industries to smooth lion dinars from last November’s initial finance ministry sionment focused on Islamist President lion in credit to buy crude oil for Egypt at Egyptian officials expect to be able to out peak loads. proposal, to 3.71 billion dinars. Parliament approved the Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood. world prices. receive LNG imports by October, but industry Some businesses have, however, have suf- 2013-2014 budget plan on Monday. Demands within Opponents have called for mass protests on But this will only plug a portion of the sources say it could take up to 14 months fered shortages of energy. Mahmoud Arafat, a parliament for extra spending, especially to raise public June 30, the first anniversary of Morsi’s elec- country’s energy gap, and still leaves Egypt before a floating import facility can be towed spokesman for the Nahda cement plant in sector salaries by 15 percent, a measure opposed by the tion. needing to find fuel on the international mar- into place and connected to the country’s Qena, 700 km (400 miles) south of Cairo, said cabinet, had delayed approval for several months. In the The country’s budget deficit has widened, ket, get it from ports to power plants, keep grid. In the meantime, Egypt has already cut it ran out of diesel on May 28, forcing it to lay end, parliament passed the plan without the public sec- the Egyptian pound has weakened, and those plants running at near full capacity and back on gas exports to free up supply for its off 600 workers. Another cement executive tor pay hike, but it added rises in pension payments for investors have taken fright, sending the Cairo deliver the electricity to consumers across a own power stations, including pipeline deliv- said production at major plants around the both public and private sector retirees, and higher subsi- share index on Monday to its lowest close in leaky power grid. This is proving difficult, with eries to Jordan. Its power plants that use fuel capital has fallen by half for lack of fuel. dies for food and other items, to the plan, Almahmood more than 10 months. A vicious circle of rolling blackouts throughout the country, oil also face difficulties, including foreign sup- In the Mediterranean port of Damietta, a said. The plan was supported by 23 deputies, while sev- unrest and slumping tourism revenues has some for up to 10 hours at a time, which pliers that have become reluctant to offer major furniture-making centre, hundreds of en rejected it and 10 were absent, he said. Finance min- drained government cash reserves, leaving prompted protests in late May, and a heat- credit terms and bottlenecks in distribution. people staged a sit-in outside the local power istry officials were not available to comment. ministers scrambling for favours abroad, wave in early June that pushed temperatures “Even if you have the money to import all station last month in protest over repeated The tiny island state faces difficult choices between notably to maintain supplies of heavily sub- in Cairo to 45 Celsius and compounded the the amounts that you need, the logistics that blackouts that had disrupted factories for boosting state spending to support the economy in the sidised fuel and bread that account for a problem. In some places, people blocked we have cannot cope with transporting days. At the Electricity Ministry, Abou-Elella face of political unrest, and grappling with a rising state quarter of all government spending. roads and railways to demand power - need- them,” former EGAS head Shoeib said. “Since estimated that blackouts might last no more budget deficit, by far the largest in the six-nation Gulf “We will suffer this summer,” said ed in many apartments to pump water. In the the revolution they are struggling to get fuel than an hour a day but hoped the govern- Cooperation Council as a proportion of Bahrain’s econo- Mohamed Shoeib, who until recently ran ancient Pharaonic capital of Luxor, local gov- oil from ports to power plants,” one fuel oil ment plans to manage demand would work. my. Bahrain expanded its original 2012 expenditure plan EGAS, the state natural gas concern, and is ernor Ezzat Saad told Reuters that power cuts trader in the region said. Last summer, during “If all these attempts succeed, we should have by nearly 19 percent in September 2011 after protesters, now a managing director at private equity blacked out major tourist sites last month, the hottest days, electricity consumption an acceptable summer,” he said. “We should inspired by revolts elsewhere in the Arab world, took to firm Citadel Capital. “This will be the hardest including the 3,400-year-old temple, and he peaked at 27,000 megawatts (MW) and not have black-outs.” —Reuters the streets of Manama demanding political reforms. The International Monetary Fund warned in May that the island needed to reform its public finances in the medium term to avoid its debt burden becoming unsus- Indian jewelers join govt drive to cut gold buying tainable. Softness in oil prices is one threat. Bahrain now expects state revenue to dip to 2.79 billion dinars in each of the years 2013 and 2014 from an actual 3.0 billion last MUMBAI: India’s biggest jewelers’ association tomers to pay up front for gold. imports hit a record of 162 tonnes in May, ($430) per 10 grams, and they are now trad- year, based on an average budgeted oil price of $90 per has asked members to stop selling gold bars “We have appealed to members not to sell more than double the average monthly ing around 26,734 rupees. and coins, about 35 percent of their business, coins and bars till our CAD situation resolves,” import level in 2011, a record year. The gov- The WGC said it expected 2013 demand - barrel. adding its weight to government efforts to Soni said. “We expect 1,500-2,000 retailers to ernment’s and central bank’s latest actions to largely covered by imports - to be “at the It predicts a budget deficit of 833.2 million dinars in cut gold imports and stem a swelling current stop sale of gold coins and bars immediately,” curb buying came earlier this month, and higher end of our estimate of 865 to 965 2013, widening to 914.4 million in the following year. account deficit. The call by the All India Gems he added. About 30 to 35 percent of last Soni said imports in June had declined drasti- tonnes”, which would be close to the record Last November’s initial budget plan had forecast short- and Jewelry Trade Federation (AIGJTF), which year’s imports of 860 tonnes went into invest- cally. He declined to give specific figures. 969 tonnes of 2011. “Demand in India is price falls of 662.0 million dinars and 752.9 million. The actual represents about 90 percent of jewelers, ment demand, Soni said. Most of the gold Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said last inelastic ... the fundamental reasons for gold deficit in 2012 widened sevenfold to 227 million dinars, comes just days after financial services com- imported into India goes into making gold week imports had fallen in value to about $36 demand in India cannot be addressed though it was still smaller than the government’s origi- pany Reliance Capital halted sales of its gold- jewelry, traditionally part of a bride’s million a day from $135 million before the through supply restrictions,” said nal projection. backed funds. trousseau and dowry. curbs. But the World Gold Council (WGC) esti- Somasundaram PR, managing director for The oil price which the country needs to balance its “As a responsible trade body, we have “We are safe guarding the jewelry industry mated imports could still be 300-400 tonnes India at the WGC, in an email. The WGC last budget reached a critical level of $115 per barrel in requested our retailers not to sell gold coins ... (which) generates employment and creates in the second quarter - almost half the total month said 82 percent of Indian consumers in 2012, making Bahrain vulnerable to any sustained or bars. We need to help the government to revenues for the government,” he said. On for 2012 - and the government itself said a survey said they thought the price of gold decline in oil prices, the IMF said. The country relies on solve the CAD (current account deficit) prob- Monday, shares in listed jewelrs such as imports had exceeded 300 tonnes in April to would increase or be stable in the next five output from the Abu Safa oilfield shared with Saudi lem,” said Haresh Soni, chairman of the Gitanjali Gems Ltd and PC Jeweler Ltd fell mid-May. years. Many Indians see gold as a sound Arabia - which supports Bahrain’s Sunni rulers politically AIGJTF, which has more than 40,000 mem- sharply on concerns the government meas- Domestic prices are already back near lev- investment in a country that lacks any kind of - for some 70 percent of its budget revenue. Analysts bers. India is the world’s biggest gold buyer, ures could hit their businesses. Soni said the els before the rise in the duty, which indicates comprehensive banking system and with real believe Manama’s share of the oil could be raised if its and soaring imports have sent its current federation had asked the government to demand could revive, particularly as a bounti- interest rates stubbornly low. Over centuries, budget runs into trouble. The IMF expects Bahrain’s fis- account to a record deficit. New Delhi has reduce the import duty from 8 percent to 4 ful monsoon starts to raise hopes of increased Indians have squirreled away at least 20,000 cal deficit to widen to as much as 8.6 percent of gross raised the import duty on gold twice since percent. incomes for farmers and India’s large rural tonnes of gold - more than is stored in the domestic product in 2018 from 4.2 percent forecast for Jan. 1, doubling it to 8 percent, and the cen- Falling world prices from mid-April trig- community. On April 16, domestic gold vaults of the US Federal Reserve - in their this year. —Reuters tral bank has imposed measures forcing cus- gered a surge in demand globally. India’s futures hit a contract low of 25,270 rupees quest for a safe investment. — Reuters WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 BUSINESS

Sharjah’s logistics industry offers immense potential for investors

SHARJAH: Sharjah’s transport and logistics sector is three continents by focusing on four key sectors, namely Emirate’s growing airfreight traffic, Humaid Al-Khatri, ports and then out of the airport to its final destinations expected to grow at 15 per cent annually over the next travel and leisure, transport and logistics, healthcare, Commercial Director of Sharjah International Airport in Europe and the USA.” four years, driven by its fast growing sea-air traffic, and the environment. Free Zone (SAIF Zone), said, “The impressive growth of Dr Ghanem went on to add, “Sea-Air Cargo has according to a study released by the Sharjah Investment “We have an open and fast growing economy; it is an Sharjah’s air and sea freight industry is strongly driven by become the golden median between using prohibitively and development Authority (Shurooq). “Transport and economy that encourages competiveness and innova- its unique geographic location as the only Emirate with expensive direct airfreight and the often too slow sea logistics is a very dynamic market in the Emirate, where tion without compromising our cultural identity and seaports on the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.” freight, and Sharjah, with its excellent sea and air infra- the total market size reached Dh3.53 billion in 2012, out heritage,” Al-Sarkal said, adding that the logistics sector Sharjah has carved a niche in the sea-air traffic sector, structure, was instrumental in its remarkable success of which Dh1.28 billion worth is sea freight and Dh 0.7 is the gateway to commerce in the Middle East, which experiencing growth rates of more than 50 per cent in story in the UAE. Sharjah International Airport has also billion is air freight, offering rewarding investment has become one of the world’s top trading regions after the last few years,” he added. The Sharjah Free Zones recorded the fastest cargo transfer time, with cargo opportunities for local and foreign investors,” Marwan offloaded from the ship, transferred to the airport, bin Jassim Al-Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq said. pushed forward to the aircraft, and final departure with- The transport and logistics industry consists of two- in 6 hours.” sub sectors, marine fright and airfreight, which have On the topic of logistics, Ali Al-Fathi, Senior been experiencing a phenomenal growth due to major Commercial Executive at Gulftainer Company Limited expansion plans and development projects. spoke about the swift development taking place in Highlighting Sharjah’s promising future, Al-Sarkal said, Sharjah’ s logistics and transport industry, “Sharjah has a “As a responsible investment Authority with a mandate unique advantage as it is the only Emirate that has ports to stimulate the Emirate’s economy, Shurooq is now on the Arabian Gulf (Sharjah Container Terminal) and focusing on expanding Sharjah’s logistics infrastructure, Indian Ocean (Khorfakkan Container Terminal). taking advantage of the Emirate’s strategic location Gulftainer, operator and manager of the two Container between Europe and the Far East as well as its direct Terminals are able to serve the business community in access to the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.” Sharjah and the Northern Emirates with a fast, efficient “This geographic location has led to a unique inte- and reliable service that saves them time and money.” gration of land, sea and air links, offering a gateway to Saud Salim Al-Mazroui, Al-Hamriyah Free Zone 160 countries serving 2 billion consumers, thus offering Director of Commercial Affairs, said, “Al-Hamriyah Free unbeatable logistical, warehousing and distribution Zone (HFZ) is the UAE’s second largest free zone and one advantages for investors,” Al-Sarkal remarked. of the largest free trade areas in the Middle East, making “Capitalizing on this perfect location, the transport Sharjah one of the cornerstones of the UAE’s industrial industry is expected to see a phenomenal growth, pow- development as it is the only free zone in the UAE which ered by the various mega transport projects that are cur- offers a port specialised in bulk and heavy cargo with a rently underway, while many others are still in the 14 metre deep sea port that accommodates dedicated pipeline,” he added. berths for petrochemical bulk.” Al-Sarkal stated that Sharjah has all the logistical Sharjah is the industrial powerhouse of the UAE, advantages for being a larger player in the logistics mar- accounting for more than 40 percent of the country’s ket, where traders can take the advantage of cutting industrial GDP, he clarified. “The HFZ is growing at an freight cost and saving on shipping time. He added that impressive rate of 10 per cent annually, and the industri- Sharjah’s transport and logistics industry is not only on al area in the free zone has been expanded recently to the move, but is doing extremely well, boosted by meet the high investor demand,” Al Mazroui said. He increasing global and regional trade and high investor diversifying its economy into non-oil products and serv- and the airport have been instrumental in helping added that Sharjah’s strategic access to both the Arabian demand. ices. Shurooq’s CEO said that cities with greater logistics Sharjah’s economy scale new peaks. SAIF-Zone is the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, makes it an ideal business The Emirate’s economy had exhibited strong growth capabilities and sophisticated infrastructure tend to fastest growing airport free zone in the region, while the destination for port operators, sea freight forwarders, during the period between 2002-2009, despite the attract more foreign direct investment. Sharjah is on the international airport has gained an enviable reputation shipping and cargo companies, and logistics providers. repercussions of the global financial crisis which hit the move, which is creating an extraordinary opportunity for as a leading cargo hub, Al-Khatri commented. Shurooq was established in 2009 with the aim of world in early 2008, driven by its open-economy polices, investors to enjoy the Emirate’s abundant business Further expounding on Sharjah’s cargo capabilities, achieving social, cultural, environmental and economic incentives, flexible legislation, and the state-of-the art opportunities. He stressed that the Emirate has many Dr. Ghanem Al Hajri, Chairman of Sharjah Airport development on the basis of Sharjah’s distinct Arab and facilities and sophisticated logistics infrastructure, he unique characteristics and competitive advantages that Authority said, “Sharjah International Airport has been Islamic identity, and to encourage investment by adopt- explained. make it an ideal business destination for investors from always a key landmark on the international air cargo ing the best international standards in providing quality According to Shurooq’s statistics, Sharjah’s GDP regis- all over the world. industry map, as a result of its on-going development services that help attract investors from the region and tered a compound growth rate of 13 per cent between The logistics sector is one of the four key sectors strategies in with regard to infrastructure, equipment, the world. Shurooq’s key mission is to provide facilities 2002 and 2009, one of the highest in the UAE, while Shurooq is now focusing on, to fuel the Emirate’s eco- and adapting state-of-the-art cargo handling systems and incentives to help overcome obstacles facing invest- between 2005 and 2009, its GDP per capita increased by nomic growth and offer new business opportunities, in and procedures. Most notably the airport pioneered the ment activities in the Emirate, evaluate tourism and 50 percent. Furthermore, the emirate of Sharjah is aspir- order to pull more local and foreign investors into introduction of the Sea-Air Cargo concept in UAE, where investment related infrastructure projects, and lay down ing to establish itself as a leading business hub between Sharjah’s thriving economy. Speaking about the cargo originating from Far East is moved by sea to UAE the necessary plans to complete such projects.

Iran looking to be StanChart banker Nelson to major fuel exporter take helm at Dubai’s ENBD

DUBAI: Iran hopes to become a major ment projects we will become a big exporter of vehicle fuels with the fuel exporter,” Ahmadinejad was quot- ENBD chief executive to leave at year-end opening of more plants after it moved ed as saying by state agency IRNA. “In from dependence on imports to self- the past the oil industry was complete- DUBAI: Emirates NBD’s appointment of a senior appointment of Nelson, an Asia-focused banker Standard Chartered’s regional CEO for the Middle sufficiency, President Mahmoud ly dependent and all equipment was Standard Chartered banker with Asia experience as who has worked in the UAE previously, draws com- East and North Africa and its UAE chief executive Ahmadinejad told a state news agency imported. Study, exploration and its new group chief executive reinforces the trend parisons with the appointment by National Bank of before being tapped to head its private bank in July yesterday. development was also in the hands of of Gulf-based banks looking beyond their own Abu Dhabi of its new chief executive, fellow 2010, his profile on the bank’s website said. “I think region for their next growth phase. Shayne Nelson, Australian Alex Thursby. he enjoyed his stint in Dubai, so he won’t be averse Iran has been forced to increase its others,” he said, marking the inaugura- currently based in Singapore as the British-based The neighbouring emirate’s largest lender is to coming back. Plus ENBD is a high-profile role,” refining capacity over the past few tion of the upgraded refinery. lender’s head of private banking, will assume the focused on organic growth in the Far East and the former colleague said. Nelson’s last day at years due to Western efforts to prevent According to a report last week by top job at Dubai’s largest lender when current CEO Thursby led Australia and New Zealand Banking Standard Chartered will be Aug. 9, according to an it from importing fuel as part of wide- oil ministry news service Shana, the Rick Pudner leaves at the end of the year. Group’s push into Asia over a six-year period before internal memo seen by Reuters. ranging sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear Lavan refinery was able to produce ENBD, like other large Gulf banks, is increasingly replacing long-standing CEO Michael Tomalin at A successor will be named in due course, the activities. around 1 million litres a day of gasoline looking outside its home market to generate rev- NBAD. Thursby starts his new role on July 1. memo said, with his private banking responsibility Refinery capacity expansions and before the expansion. enue and diversify its business in the face of strong Lenders in other Gulf states have also been expand- being covered by Judy Hsu, global head of wealth government efforts to curb fuel use Further upgrade work at the refin- competition and limited growth opportunities. The ing their networks outside their home region: Qatar management and priority and international banking. bank completed its first foreign purchase this National Bank bought Societe Generale’s Egyptian Nelson was also chairman of the lender’s Islamic have slashed Iran’s imports over the ery will also boost its diesel capacity month with the acquisition of the Egyptian assets assets, Kuwait’s Burgan Bank acquired the Turkish banking arm, which will be run temporarily by Raheel last three years. Around 1.8 million from 1.7 million to 4 million litres, of BNP Paribas and aims to make a fifth of its rev- arm of Greece’s EFG Eurobank and Commercial Ahmed, regional head of consumer banking, Middle litres a day of additional gasoline pro- Shana reported, without giving a time- enue outside the United Arab Emirates (UAE) within Bank of Qatar is buying 71 percent of Turkey’s East, Pakistan and Africa. duction capacity from the Lavan oil line for when the extra capacity would five years. The forthcoming CEO change wouldn’t Alternatifbank. “Banking systems in the Gulf pre- Pudner joined Emirates Bank as chief executive refinery, starting this week, should be ready. derail ENBD’s overseas expansion, Pudner said in dominantly cater to local populations, which are in early 2006. A year later the bank merged with reduce imports further. Iran has rationed gasoline for pri- April. limited in size (excluding Saudi Arabia), so you National Bank of Dubai in one of the region’s “Now we have no need for imports vate motorists since December 2010. could see some of them, particularly in Qatar, being largest tie-ups to form ENBD. of any petroleum products. Through Shana said in March that average daily ‘Strong credentials’ active and doing deals,” said Timucin Engin, of He led ENBD through the latter part of Dubai’s “He’s done various senior roles across Standard Standard & Poor’s. economic boom before the emirate was hit by a exploiting the Persian Gulf Star refinery gasoline consumption in Iran averaged Chartered so would come with strong credentials collapse in its real estate market, forcing its state- in Bandar Abbas and other develop- around 63 million litres. — Reuters and a global perspective,” said a former colleague Return to Dubai linked entities to restructure billions of dollars of of Nelson, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Nelson also has local experience, having been debt. — Reuters EXCHANGE RATES

Commercial Bank of Kuwait Thai Baht 9.218 Omani Riyal 741.44 747.600 Hg Kong Dollar 0.0342247 0.0373247 Malaysian ringgit 94.271 Qatari Riyal 78.73 79.100 Indian Rupee 0.0047508 0.0048158 Irani Riyal 0.271 Saudi Riyal 76.16 76.400 Indonesian Rupiah 0.0000237 0.0000289 US Dollar/KD .2770000 .2880000 Irani Riyal 0.273 Jamaican Dollars 0.0028506 0.0038508 GB Pound/KD .4310000 .4470000 Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Japanese Yen 0.0028410 0.0030210 Euro .3680000 .3760000 GCC COUNTRIES Kenyan Shilling 0.0032714 0.0035014 Saudi Riyal 74.164 Swiss francs .3020000 .3170000 Rate for Transfer Selling Rate Malaysian Ringgit 0.0842790 0.0912790 Canadian Dollar .2780000 .2920000 Qatari Riyal 78.477 Nepalese Rupee 0.0028596 0.0030596 Omani Riyal 741.850 US Dollar 283.750 Australian DLR .2940000 .3020000 Canadian Dollar 280.895 Pakistan Rupee 0.0028584 0.0028984 Indian rupees .0040000 .0069000 Bahraini Dinar 758.600 Philippine Peso 0.0060597 0.0065297 UAE Dirham 77.782 Sterling Pound 445.920 Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000 Euro 380.130 Sierra Leone 0.0000729 0.0000759 UAE dirhams .0771240 .0778990 ARAB COUNTRIES Swiss Frank 300.705 Singapore Dollar 0.2200755 0.2260755 Sri Lankan Rupee 0.0021720 0.0022140 Bahraini dinars .7513970 .7589480 Egyptian Pound - Cash 39.200 Bahrain Dinar 751.230 Thai Baht 0.0087723 0.0093723 Jordanian dinar .3930000 .4110000 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.140 UAE Dirhams 77.230 Arab Saudi riyals .0720000 .0770000 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.332 Qatari Riyals 77.885 Bahraini Dinar 0.7503375 0.7588375 Omani riyals .7366120 .7440150 Tunisian Dinar 174.460 Saudi Riyals 75.630 Egyptian pounds .0370000 .0440000 Jordanian Dinar 403.330 Egyptian Pound 0.0381014 0.0401314 Jordanian Dinar 399.990 Ethiopeanbirr 0.0127898 0.0192898 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.916 Egyptian Pound 39.942 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES Syrian Lier 3.103 Ghanaian Cedi 0.1450613 0.1468513 Morocco Dirham 34.274 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.223 Iranian Riyal 0.0000793 0.0000798 US Dollar/KD .2841000 .2862000 Indian Rupees 4.857 GB Pound/KD .4338920 .4370990 Iraqi Dinar 0.0001778 0.0002378 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES Pakistani Rupees 2.877 Jordanian Dinar 0.3968289 0.4043289 Euro .3707360 .3734770 Bangladesh Taka 3.643 Swiss francs .3043390 .3065880 US Dollar Transfer 285.500 Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000 Euro 376.290 Philippines Pesso 6.561 Lebanese Pound 0.0001750 0.0001950 Canadian dollars .2795430 .2816100 Sterling Pound 441.950 Cyprus pound 696.050 Danish Kroner .0497330 .0501010 Moroccan Dirhams 0.0222390 0.0462390 Canadian dollar 272.290 Japanese Yen 4.000 Nigerian Naira 0.0012130 0.0018480 Swedish Kroner .0443660 .0446940 Turkish lira 146.860 Thai Bhat 9.785 Australian dlr .2963730 .2985640 Omani Riyal 0.7300286 0.7410286 Swiss Franc 306.990 Syrian Pound 4.055 Qatar Riyal 0.0777095 0.0784925 Hong Kong dlr .0365940 .0368650 Australian Dollar 263.800 Nepalese Rupees 3.325 Saudi Riyal 0.0751467 0.0757867 Singapore dlr .2291130 .2308060 US Dollar Buying 284.300 Malaysian Ringgit 95.150 Sudanese Pounds 0.0461426 0.0466926 Japanese yen .0029600 .0028810 Syrian Pound 0.0027430 0.0029630 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0052870 GOLD 20 Gram 244.000 Bahrain Exchange Company Tunisian Dinar 0.1740625 0.1800625 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0022880 UAE Dirhams 0.0758409 0.0772909 Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0029190 10 Gram 123.500 5 Gram 64.000 COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFT Yemeni Riyal 0.0012801 0.0013801 Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036810 Europe UAE dirhams .0773800 .0779520 British Pound 0.4333862 0.4423862 Bahraini dinars .7538810 .7594530 UAE Exchange Centre WLL Czech Korune 0.0066804 0.0186804 Al Mulla Exchange Jordanian dinar .0000000 .4048090 Danish Krone 0.0465862 0.0515862 Saudi Riyal/KD .0757800 .0763400 Euro 0.3699962 0.3774962 Omani riyals .7382100 .7436660 COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Norwegian Krone 0.0436254 0.0488254 Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) Philippine Peso .0000000 .0069870 Australian Dollar 266.58 266.000 Scottish Pound 0.4307440 0.4382440 US Dollar 284.920 Canadian Dollar 275.63 275.000 Swedish Krona 0.0395474 0.0445474 Euro 376.550 Swiss Franc 310.16 310.000 Swiss Franc 0.3009076 0.3079076 Pound Sterling 442.150 Euro 377.86 380.000 Australasia Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Canadian Dollar 273.250 US Dollar 285.10 287.800 Australian Dollar 0.2534400 0.2654400 Sterling Pound 441.75 445.000 New Zealand Dollar 0.2137168 0.2237168 Japanese Yen 2.965 Japanese Yen 2.97 3.000 Uganda Shilling 0.0001119 0.0001119 Indian Rupee 4.780 ASIAN COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound 40.120 Japanese Yen 2.928 Bangladesh Taka 3.684 3.700 America Indian Rupees 4.781 Indian Rupee 4.777 5.110 Canadian Dollar 0.2663205 0.2753205 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.209 Pakistani Rupees 2.883 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.216 2.800 Colombian Peso 0.0001452 0.0001632 Bangladesh Taka 3.657 Srilankan Rupees 2.210 Nepali Rupee 2.986 3.600 US Dollars 0.2831500 0.2853000 Philippines Peso 6.523 Nepali Rupees 2.994 Pakistani Rupee 2.888 2.990 Asia Pakistan Rupee 2.883 Singapore Dollar 224.360 UAE Dirhams 77.69 78.200 Bangladesh Taka 0.0036301 0.0036851 Bahraini Dinar 758.650 Hongkong Dollar 36.811 Bahraini Dinar 758.81 760.700 Cape Vrde Escudo 0.0031651 0.0033951 UAE Dirham 77.600 Bangladesh Taka 3.660 Egyptian Pound 40.15 40.200 Chinese Yuan 0.0455360 0.0505360 Saudi Riyal 76.100 Philippine Peso 6.558 Jordanian Dinar 405.76 410.900 Eritrea-Nakfa 0.0164867 0.0195867 *Rates are subject to change Guinea Franc 0.0000443 0.0000503 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 BUSINESS Kuwait: Employment in private sector sees rise Employment growth improves among Kuwaitis, expats NBK ECONOMIC UPDATE

KUWAIT: Population growth gained pace in quickly from 62 percent in 2001. The growth of two decades has been the increasing role of 2012 boosted by a more solid increase in expa- the expatriate population has been accelerating women in the labor market. This trend contin- triate numbers as hiring in the private sector moderately since the economic slowdown in ued in 2012 with the proportion of 30-34 year- picked up. By contrast, the population of Kuwaiti 2008 and 2009, but has not returned to the pace old women in employment rising to 84 percent nationals saw its growth moderate, reflecting an seen in the years before the financial crisis when by the end of 2012. Ten years before, this ratio ageing trend seen over the past two decades. it averaged 8.5 percent annually. stood at 59%. By comparison, men have a partic- Kuwait’s population grew by 3.4 percent in 2012 ipation rate of 92 percent. to end the year at 3.82 million. Employment growth in 2012 While general employment growth was sta- Overall employment in Kuwait grew by 3.2 Expatriate employment picked up in 2012 ble during the year, it appeared to strengthen percent in 2012, a pace similar to 2011. Total The year saw a further improvement in job somewhat in the private sector. More Kuwaitis employment reached 2.25 million, 83 percent of growth among expatriates, which has been on a obtained employment in the private sector than which were expatriates. Kuwaiti nationals recovering trend since the economic slowdown the prior year. Meanwhile, in line with an accounted for only 17 percent of employment. in 2008 and 2009. The non-Kuwaiti workforce improving economy, private sector growth This ratio has improved since 2007 when it stood rose by 3.3 percent in 2012, a net increase of boosted expatriate job growth, particularly in at 15%. nearly 60,000 jobs. The vast majority of these This handout combo made of pictures from the Iotornose.it website shows Italian unskilled employment. Kuwaiti civilian job growth has been some- new jobs were in unskilled positions in the pri- surgeon Ciro Mastroianni (left) and Italian lawyer Natascia Musardo. — AFP what more rapid recording an increase of 4.4 vate sector. Kuwaiti population growth percent in 2012, with a net increase of jobs of At the end of 2012, 1.86 million expatriates continues to moderate over 12,300. Annual job growth has been rough- worked in Kuwait. Nearly half were unskilled ‘Dear Italy, I have left, The population of Kuwaiti nationals grew by ly similar over the last three years following the workers employed in the private sector. Another 2.5 percent during 2012 to reach 1.21 million. economic slowdown. 30 percent were domestic workers. Only around but would return if...’ This was the slowest rate of growth on record, Job growth in the private sector strength- 15 percent of the expatriate workforce was with the slowing trend reflecting Kuwait’s aging ened in 2012. Nearly 3,000 more Kuwaitis made up of skilled employees in the private sec- MILAN: As thousands of Italians leave the had spent five billion euros ($6.5 billion) on population. On average, Kuwaiti nationals are worked in the private sector at the end of the tor. Meanwhile, the remaining 7 percent were country to look for work elsewhere, one educating those now working abroad, sar- tending to choose smaller families and are often year than did at the start. Employment growth in employed in the government sector. young journalist’s blog claims to offer “a donically adding: “our incredulous competi- delaying having children. this sector accelerated to 5.9 percent from 1.7 The year saw a small pickup in the growth of megaphone for this generation,” a voice to tors thank us for this precious gift.” Gabriele Despite the aging trend, the Kuwaiti popula- percent the year before. Still, the proportion of skilled expatriates working in the private sector, all those who profess to be ready to return Scoditti, a 28-year-old project controller in tion is still youthful by global standards. Over a Kuwaitis working in the private sector remained though the pace remained modest at 1.4 per- “if...”. From disenchanted rants to nostalgic San Francisco, says on the blog: “after living third of Kuwaitis are under 15 years of age. In the mostly stable at 18 percent. cent. Skilled jobs in the private sector, which laments, feedback from young film direc- abroad, especially in a place like Silicon last decade, this share has fallen from 41 percent By contrast, the government sector generat- rose to 276,000, continued to be under pressure tors, researchers and doctors in New York, Valley, you can see how, while returning to to 37 percent. This compares to a global world ed fewer new civilian jobs in 2012. The net from a modest economic recovery and increas- France and Germany are published by Italy is possible, the price to pay is high.” average of 27 percent and an average for increase in civilian employment in this sector ing Kuwaitization. Meanwhile, unskilled job Antonio Siragusa on his blog “iotornose.it” “If you do it, you do it for your heart, not wealthy economies of 22 percent. reached 8,500, down from 9,750 the year before. growth topped 6.7 percent in 2012. (“I’ll come back, if...”). “They have an inter- for your career,” he said. The euro-zone’s The number of births among Kuwaitis peaked Still, the government continued to employ over Employment growth is expected to continue esting point of view on Italy, which is not third largest economy did worse than in early 2011. Monthly births per 1,000 women 76 percent of Kuwaitis working in civilian posi- to pick up in the coming period especially as heard enough. They can propose changes thought in the first quarter of this year, aged 20-45 has declined from 14.8 in 2005, to tions, a ratio which has been relatively stable economic growth accelerates in the non-oil inspired by the countries where they are shrinking by 0.6 percent, and the national 13.2 at the end of 2011. This ratio is likely to con- since 2008. The oil sector, which is also largely economy. Private sector employment in particu- living better lives,” the 28-year-old blogger unemployment rate in April rose to 12 per- tinue to fall in the coming years. government owned, accounts for another 5 per- lar is likely to pick up steam resulting in job from Caserte, near Naples in southern Italy, cent. The brain drain phenomenon is not Kuwait’s expatriate population increased to cent. growth for both Kuwaitis and expatriates. This told AFP. new to Italy, but the issue has been exacer- 2.61 million by the end of 2012, 3.9 percent will help reduce the burden on government hir- “The situation is dramatic. As a precari- bated over the last few months, with youth higher than a year before. The proportion of Labor participation rate ing. It will also help generate further economic ous worker, I feel it personally,” said unemployment reaching 40.5 percent in non-Kuwaitis has remained mostly unchanged among Kuwaiti women rising growth as higher income jobs increase in the Siragusa, who began the blog after his April, sparking promises of government since 2007. Before that, it had climbed relatively One of the notable trends visible over the last country. brother, cousins and friends began to emi- action. grate, and does not rule out packing his Prime Minister Enrico Letta earlier this cases too “if nothing changes”. The stories month apologised to the country’s young on his blog speak of a country stuck in a for letting them down, saying: “the biggest German election puts Europe’s hopes on ice two-year recession, where anti-crisis auster- debt that we are accumulating... is towards ity programmes have squeezed ordinary the young people, which is an unforgivable BRUSSELS: For the best part of a union’s largest and most powerful slowdown is having an effect on Then early 2014 will be dominat- Italians hard, but they also denounce a mistake.” He vowed to push for action to year, the minds of European policy- economy, it will end up on the financial markets, where minds are ed by campaigning for the deep-seated culture of nepotism and cor- “free up the energy of a country stifled by makers have focused on one over- hook for other countries’ debts if a more occupied by central bank pol- European Parliament elections in ruption. privileges, bureaucracy and conservatism”. riding issue - banking union. By single, EU-wide system for sorting icy in the United States, Japan and May. If the anti-EU vote turns out to “I would like to return to Italy because Letta has also been at the forefront of establishing stricter oversight of out problems is put in place. at the European Central Bank. be strong, as expected, it will com- the quality of life is better... but here I get a calls for EU leaders to take immediate Europe’s banking sector and a uni- Combined with German frustration “Market sentiment is really of plicate the appointment of a new salary I could never dream of back home measures to boost job creation when they fied system for dealing with any at having to bail out weaker euro- the view that banking union will president of the European and my work is appreciated,” said Michela meet tomorrow and Friday. The Italian gov- problems, they hope to draw a line zone members including Greece come at some point in time, it’s a Commission, a process in which the Pascucci, 27, who works for ernment is set to unveil next week a series under more than three years of and Portugal, it is not surprising mid-range goal,” said Carsten parliament has an increased say. PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Brussels. of measures for tackling unemployment, debt and economic turmoil by sep- Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to Brzeski, an economist with ING Policymakers may have to wait until Natascia Musardo, 28, studying for a doc- such as tax breaks for firms hiring young arating countries from their banks. keep any banking union controver- Bank in Brussels. “In that respect, after that process is complete, and torate in law at Mainz University in people, but many-including the thousands For months, a summit of EU leaders sies out of the debate ahead of the Merkel has prevailed. Muddling perhaps until a new Commission is Germany, said: “I’d return, even if I had to of protesters who took to the streets of on June 27-28 was flagged by offi- Sept. 22 vote, when she will bid for through has become an accepted in place, before they can seriously earn half as much, if there was a decent job Rome last weekend-say enough is not cials as an important ‘landmark’ on a third term. and successful policy strategy. crack on with implementing bank- to go to.” being done. the road towards a fully fledged She is being helped by the Europe is muddling through in very ing union. “Europe is probably “I’d come back if, to achieve things, I was “Letta must do more than say sorry. We banking union. But it now looks inability of EU finance ministers to small steps.” capable of making steady, but not forced to make frustrating or illegal need a very courageous policy. Nobody more likely to produce a letdown agree on how best to go about The danger is that muddling incremental, progress without an compromises; if I was able, by investing has done anything about it in twenty years,” than a breakthrough. cleaning up bad banks. Nearly 20 through becomes complacency or overarching vision for the next few time and energy, to obtain my goals with- said Gianluca Spina, president of Milan’s There are unlikely to be any sig- hours of meetings in Luxembourg procrastination. If concrete years,” said Alex White, an econo- out being someone’s “daughter”; if Italy was business school MIP. Italy’s taxes are “exces- nificant decisions given upcoming last Friday again failed to reach a progress on banking union - origi- mist with JP Morgan, playing down ready to hire me on merit and choose sive on payrolls and too low on property,” German elections, continued dis- deal. As a result, the Thursday- nally conceived of as a three-step the prospect of any progress at the someone else over me if they are better he said. “We cannot cut taxes but we can agreement over how banking prob- Friday summit will focus on youth process involving a single supervi- summit. “Leaders look increasingly than me,” she said. From 2000 to 2010, shift them. Such measures would be diffi- lems should best be resolved and unemployment and the need to sor, a single resolution mechanism unlikely to do much that is both according to a survey cited by La Stampa cult to implement, however, because Silvio the fact that financial markets are reinvigorate growth in the EU - and a single bank deposit-guaran- additive and transformative for the newspaper, 316,000 Italians between 25 Berlusconi’s right is very against the idea of no longer exerting the same pres- worthy goals but ones that some tee scheme - is put off until after region in the near term.” While that and 37-years-old with university degrees a property tax.” At the moment, Italy “is a sure. “We’re in a holding pattern leaders feel are a distraction. the German election, the chances may be acceptable, it doesn’t emigrated, the majority heading for country which exports brains and imports until after the German elections in “If we don’t discuss a common are that nothing will happen until come without risks. If the anti-EU Germany, followed by Britain, France and muscles. “It has become a country of emi- September,” said a senior diplomat resolution of banks in crisis at the mid-2014 or later. It takes around vote in next May’s elections is par- the United States. gration once more, but unlike previous involved in preparing files for the next meeting, I have a feeling that six weeks to form a coalition in ticularly strong, and it therefore Confindustria business association head waves driven by the lower classes, this is an summit. “Nothing controversial can the December 2013 deadline for Germany, which means the next EU proves very difficult to appoint Giorgio Squinzi said this month that Italy ‘emigration of talent’,” Spina said. —AFP happen until then, at least in terms this will also not be met,” Italian leaders’ summit in October will new presidents to the European of economic policy.” Prime Minister Enrico Letta said last come too soon to deal with the institutions, the EU could find itself Ever since banking union started week. While other countries such as outstanding issues, and it is unlike- in a power vacuum while also not to take shape in mid-2012, Finland, France and the ly much progress can be made having made any progress on sort- China central bank Germany has been wary of it. It is Netherlands share Italy’s concerns before the December EU gathering ing out its banks - one of the ori- soothes after plunge concerned that as the currency about a delay, there is little sign the either, officials acknowledge. gins of the crisis. — Reuters SHANGHAI: China’s central bank said yes- The benchmark Shanghai Composite terday it saw an end to a liquidity crisis and Index ended down 0.19 percent yesterday Irish outrage offered to support banks, after stocks at the lowest closing level since January, grows over ‘arrogant’ closed at a level unseen since the global 2009. The index tumbled as much as 5.79 financial crisis in 2009. For more than two percent in afternoon trading before failed bank weeks, funds have been in short supply on rebounding on bargain-hunting. The mar- DUBLIN: China’s interbank market and the interest ket closed down 5.30 percent on Monday. Ireland’s deputy prime minister laid in to “arrogant” rates banks charge to lend to each other “The situation with tight liquidity condi- executives yesterday at a failed bank who mocked govern- have surged to record highs. Instead of tions has not improved,” Zhang Yanbing, an ment efforts to tackle an economic crisis, amid growing public pumping money into the system, the cen- analyst at Zheshang Securities, told AFP. outrage at the latest revelations in tapes of bank executive tral People’s Bank of China (PBoC) had “The market is still anxiously waiting for phone calls. The revelations were seen as potentially damag- stood by, as recently as Monday ruling out authorities to improve liquidity conditions ing to Ireland’s efforts to obtain concessions from the providing fresh cash and ordering banks to and stabilise the stock market,” he said. But European Union on the terms of a bank rescue that pushed it to an 85-billion-euro ($111 billion) bailout. put their financial houses in order. After in a stern warning for China’s 170 million The bank eventually cost taxpayers some 30 billion euros China’s financial markets closed yesterday, stock investors, the mouthpiece of the rul- during the financial crisis, almost one-fifth of the country’s the central bank sought to ease the worries ing Communist Party, the People’s Daily, annual output, and three former executives - not including BARCELONA: A member of the Mortgage Victims’ Platform (PAH) protests against of domestic and international investors. warned the government would not play Bowe - will go on trial next year on fraud charges. “I mean the evictions yesterday. —AP “Interest rate fluctuations and the situa- “wet nurse”. “The securities regulatory com- degree of arrogance, the degree of hubris, the degree of mission is not the stock market’s ‘wet nurse’ tion of tight liquidity will gradually ease,” couldn’t-care-less-about-the-taxpayer, about the Irish people, the bank said in a statement. It added it nor is the central bank,” the influential that seemed to be part and parcel of the culture of that bank,” Spain short-term had already offered funds to financial insti- newspaper said in a commentary. “So- deputy prime minister Eamon Gilmore said. tutions and would continue to do so, but called market-saving and market-boosting In Dublin, the story dominated television and radio news borrowing costs soar gave no details. Analysts have warned the acts will not help the stock market, rather for a second day, with almost all national papers splashing the liquidity squeeze was raising the risk of a they will harm the market,” it said. The han- story on their front pages. “How come nobody’s in jail?” read MADRID: Spanish short-term borrowing said Finance Minister Luis de Guindos at an hard landing for the world’s second largest dling of the liquidity squeeze has put the the lead headline in the Irish Sun. The Irish Independent costs rose sharply yesterday, reflecting mar- economic conference on Tuesday ahead of economy. credibility of China’s new leaders on the released more details including Bowe singing the German ket concerns over China and over US mone- the sale. But analysts’ warnings over China’s “If prolonged, this may lead to a credit line as they try to control financial risks national anthem and laughing as he discussed the prospect of tary policy which Spain’s finance minister said economic growth and its banks, plus the crunch to the real economy, risking a hard while at the same time keeping economic German money flowing in after the guarantee on deposits. posed a risk to its economic recovery. The looming withdrawal of monetary stimulus landing scenario in China,” ANZ Banking growth on track. “There is a lot of latent anger about this issue,” said Eoin Spanish treasury said it raised 3.075 billion measures by the US Federal Reserve, caused Group said in a research report yesterday. “The liquidity squeeze is the first real O’Malley, a lecturer in politics at Dublin City University. “Most euros ($4.03 billion) in sovereign bills of three European stock markets to slump on Monday. The liquidity tightness could persist to mid- economic test for China’s new leaders to of us must have known - but now you can hear them com- and nine months’ maturity on Tuesday, sur- “Times of change in direction in monetary July, analysts said. “The longer this goes on, prove their willingness to overcome tough menting and you can hear the tone.” Many Irish have had their passing its target of two to three billion euros. policy are always delicate,” Guindos warned. there’s a risk that it could feed into the price economic issues not with words, but by salaries cut by 20 percent or more in order to meet fiscal But the rate of return demanded by investors “They introduce volatility in the capital mar- of credit going into the real economy,” said their actions,” said Zhang Zhiwei, a Hong deficit targets as part of the loan guarantees for the country’s rose compared to the last comparable sale on kets, which if not duly controlled can derail Paul Gruenwald, chief economist for the Kong-based economist for Nomura international bailout. The unemployment rate has trebled May 21 — a sign of weakened confidence in the recovery that we are undergoing.” Spain’s Asia-Pacific region for ratings agency Securities. “If the new leaders maintain since the crisis to 14 percent after the bank-and-land specula- Spain’s financial strength. soaring borrowing costs last year raised fears Standard & Poor’s. their current approach... it will add down- tion property bubble burst. The 2008 blanket guarantee on The rate nearly tripled on the three-month for the overall stability of the euro-zone. “But for now, we don’t see a measurable side risk to growth in 2013,” he said in a bank liabilities led to an 85 billion euro IMF/EU bailout and bill, rising to 0.869 percent from 0.331 per- “Europe is no longer a problem for financial macro (economic) impact,” he told a confer- research report, though he added it would provoked widespread anger in the country of 4.6 million. cent. On the nine-month bill the rate rose to stability. It is no longer in the eye of the ence call with financial analysts and jour- help make growth more sustainable in the “These guys in the banks lose billions and nothing ever hap- 1.441 percent from 0.789 percent. Spain, the storm,” Guindos said on Tuesday, however. He nalists. Analysts said the policy of the cen- long term. China has set its annual eco- pens,” said Noel Newman, a 78-year-old retiree in Dublin. “On euro-zone’s fourth-biggest economy, has said that Spain’s economic output and tral bank stemmed from worries over finan- nomic growth target at 7.5 percent for all of the tape they were laughing, joking. The way they said it was seen its borrowing costs generally ease this employment figures would improve in the cial risk from loosely regulated wealth man- this year. The country’s economy, a crucial disgusting. Unbelievable.” Bowe and another executive, con- year after it resisted pressure to reach out for current quarter. “The question now is not agement products and the vast “shadow driver of global growth, expanded 7.8 per- sumer banking chief Peter Fitzgerald, said they regretted the a sovereign bailout in 2012. “The Spanish whether the Spanish economy is going to banking” system. China’s stock investors cent in 2012, its worst performance in 13 conversation but denied any wrongdoing or intention to mis- treasury’s situation is much more comfortable recover. The fundamental question is how have responded poorly to the moves. years. — AFP lead the central bank. —Reuters now than what it was just a few months ago,” strong the recovery is going to be.” — AFP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 BUSINESS Honda Alghanim’s Service Center launches summer offer

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NEW YORK: In this photo, traders gather at the post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange that handles Pfizer and Zoetis. Stock and bond prices are sinking because investors were caught off guard and alarmed by the Federal Reserve’s signal that long-term interest rates are headed higher. — AP Unseen legacy of Europe’s crisis

BRUSSELS: As the first anniversary of her friends in Germany and Austria who work as graduation in eco-tourism and cultural histo- engineers and chemists. In Spain, if you work ry approaches, Linnea Borjars remains jobless at a Starbucks, you are lucky.” Martin Schulz, and frustrated. After finishing her studies at the president of the European Parliament, Sweden’s Linkoping University, the 25-year- says Europe has not had such a well-educated old accepted an unpaid, part-time position at generation since World War Two, especially in Fair Travel, a non-profit group focused on countries like Italy and Spain. human rights and tourism, hoping it would “Their parents invested a lot of money in lead to a full-time job and a salary. But no the education of their children, everything such luck. When her contract ended in they did was right,” the German Socialist told December, she declined the offer to stay on Reuters in an interview earlier this year. “And as an unpaid intern. Since then, dozens of now that they are ready to work, society says: applications and endless hours of networking ‘No place for you.’ We are creating a lost gen- have yielded just two interviews, despite a eration.” David Blanchflower, an economics resume boasting a stellar academic record professor at Dartmouth College in the United and a string of hard-to-obtain internships. States, who was previously a member of the “I feel in some ways that I’m of no use any- Bank of England’s monetary policy commit- more. It’s like I’m posing nude in my cover let- tee and studied unemployment figures in ter, begging for approval, but I just keep on detail, reckons a fifth of the part-time workers getting dumped,” says Borjars, who lives a few in the European Union are underemployed. train stops south of where young Swedes In Britain, wage freezes, particularly in the rioted last month, in part in an outcry against public sector, have resulted in a decrease in their miserable job prospects. Borjars’ situa- the number of workers over 50 who choose tion is a reflection of the depth of the to cut back on working hours. This hurts the European economic crisis. It is not only unem- young, who traditionally have picked up ployment but also underemployment - those hours. “There is now a huge gap including workers who are overqualified, between these two groups. Before the crisis, interns who are unpaid or low-paid and part- they were equal,” Blanchflower told Reuters. “I time employees who want full-time work - argue that the young actually get a double that has reached critical levels in many EU whammy - they can’t get jobs, but if they do, countries, and could leave a permanent finan- they can’t get enough hours.” cial and psychological mark on a generation. Studies have shown that part-time work The European Union’s unemployment sta- often sets people back on the pay scale, rarely tistics do not account for university graduates includes benefits and can hinder future who are employed to flip hamburgers, or career advancement. While working parents part-time coffee shop baristas who want to may be willing to accept that trade-off, the work more hours. But experts now argue that long-term cost for young people at the dawn the number of people who are underem- of their careers can be high. “If you have a ployed has become too great to ignore, and large section of the job market that for a long represents a huge loss of potential economic time is dependent on short-term jobs, it can output. be very damaging to people’s future prospects,” said Dorothy Watson, a researcher Overqualified and underemployed at Dublin’s Economic and Social Research To understand where underemployment Institute. fits in, it is worth looking at how the EU’s sta- tistics break down. Last December, the most Poverty trap recent full figures available, 25 million of the Bjorn Gustafsson, a professor in the EU’s workforce of 240 million were unem- department of social work at the University of ployed and actively looking for jobs, produc- Gothenburg, sees underemployment driving ing an unemployment rate of 11 percent. An people into poverty and ultimately onto wel- additional 11 million were unemployed but fare. “The process of becoming self-sufficient had stopped looking or were not immediate- through employment is taking longer than it ly available to start work, and were therefore did before,” he said. “They get low income, not classified as unemployed. Adding them to low living standards and end up in poverty, the total would bump the jobless rate up to and they utilise other means of income, such 15 percent. as welfare and health benefits.” With more Then there were more than 9 million part- and more Europeans graduating from univer- time workers who wanted to work more sity, many companies are additionally hours but had no opportunity to do so - they demanding practical experience from job were counted as employed but felt underem- applicants. This has deepened the mismatch ployed. And finally there were those who between theoretical college programmes and were overqualified for their jobs and might the job market, and forced a growing number well have been making more money else- of young graduates to accept jobs they are where if they had found the right match for academically overqualified for. Or else to their skills. study more. There is no specific figure for the overqual- In Stockholm, Linnea Borjars has filed an ified, but a study published in 2011 by the application for graduate school, but remains Organisation for Economic Cooperation and ambivalent about its usefulness. “It’s a dilem- Development, a club of wealthy nations, esti- ma - you rack up more college credits, but mated that they may number as many as 65 that doesn’t necessarily make you more million in the European Union, or more than a employable,” she said. While unemployment quarter of the total workforce. Daniel is a known cause of psychological and social Feldman, a professor in management at the problems, the mental effects of underem- University of Georgia and a specialist in ployment are less well researched. But underemployment, puts the cost of unre- experts say they are equally serious. alised economic output in larger EU member Feldman, who has written several books states from the under-use of skills in the tens examining underemployment, lists cynicism, of billions of euros. resentment, anxiety and depression as some While European politicians are focused on of the common, long-lasting side effects. “The the deepening scourge of youth unemploy- effects are much longer-term than people ment, which in countries such as Greece and think,” he said. “Even after people get re- Spain has topped 50 percent, they are also employed in better jobs, they still don’t starkly aware of the threat from underem- devote the same level of organisational com- ployment. Getting people into their first job is mitment. They always keep looking over their one thing - and will be the focus of discussion shoulder for a better deal.” Goran Majlat, a 26- among EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on year-old from Croatia, returned to his home June 27-28. But ensuring that those who have country in 2011 after earning a business jobs are properly or fully employed, especially degree at the University of Minnesota in the at a time when there are 2 million vacancies United States. across Europe, is also critical. Even with overseas academic credentials, Whether in the Netherlands, Belgium or finding a job proved to be tough. Majlat went Austria, which have a tradition of job-sharing, unemployed for seven months, adding to or in southern Europe and Scandinavia, Croatia’s 35 percent youth unemployment. “I where it is much less common, the number of went through all seven stages of depression people who work part-time, increasingly and couldn’t get out of my house. You need against their will, is soaring. A fifth of the EU’s money for everything - to drive, drink coffee workforce is now registered as part-time, up and all that. It was terrible, “ Majlat said. from 16 percent in a decade. He was eventually hired as a bell boy at a local hotel, but was let go after the summer. Lost generation? After another nine months without a job, he “The situation in Spain is terrible. In the found a position as a sales representative and Starbucks where I work, they look for people also works greeting holidaymakers at a yacht to work 10 hours per week,” said Laura firm. The latter is “unglamorous but easy”, he Higueras, 24, who studied chemistry at says. “But you are lucky if you have a job - any Universidad Autonoma in Madrid. “I have job.” — Reuters BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 BMW Middle East becomes first automotive brand in region to reach 1m fans on Facebook

DUBAI: BMW Group Middle East has reached media reports. As such, we recognise the significant 1,000,000 Facebook fans - the only automotive brand social and cultural impact of digital networks and the in the region to reach this milestone. This landmark importance of including it within our marketing strate- comes less than three years after the world’s most suc- gy,” said Michael Keller, Marketing Manager at BMW cessful premium automotive company launched its Group Middle East. popular Facebook page in the Middle East in “We always strive to launch creative and unique November, 2010. The pace of its growth has accelerat- digital marketing campaigns, which connect and ed rapidly, with the fan base continuously growing - engage customers with our brand, and create stand- affirmation of the increasing popularity and success of out against competitors. Our strategy is obviously the the BMW brand in the region. The majority of BMW right one as demonstrated in this milestone achieve- Middle East Facebook fans are from Jordan, Saudi ment.” Arabia, the UAE and Lebanon. Model launches have proven to be big contributors Facebook continues to be an overwhelmingly dom- when it comes to increasing “Likes” as it offers fans inant force in the Middle East’s social space. exclusive images and insights of the new models as According to a recent Arab Social Media Report by well as conversations. the Dubai School of Government, there are approxi- This forms part of a detailed content strategy which mately 43 million facebook users in the Arab world, focuses on delivering high quality posts, offering prod- which is the equivalent of one third of the region’s uct previews and allowing customers to book test total population. There is also growing reliance on drives through the Facebook page’s application. technology signaling an increasing shift to mobile The one million mark achievement is testament to commerce. According to the Luxury Institute, one in the success and increasing popularity of the world’s three consumers own a tablet or e-reader. “People in most successful premium automotive brand here in the Arab world trust news shared by peers on social the Middle East, with a record 24 per cent increase in media platforms such as Facebook over mainstream sales for January - May 2013. Japan’s ANA, AirAsia to dissolve budget carrier ANA to launch new budget brand in November

TOKYO: Japan’s All Nippon Airways and AirAsia said yesterday they have agreed to terminate their budget carrier joint venture as business slumped amid management clashes, dealing a blow to the country’s fledgling low-cost sector. Malaysia-based AirAsia said AirAsia Japan would cut service by the end of October, just over a year after it started flying out of Tokyo’s Narita WASHINGTON: In this file photo, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks airport in August. “The joint venture... faced during a news conference. — AP many challenges since its launch,” AirAsia said in a statement. It cited a “fundamental difference of opinion Cash hard to raise as US between its shareholders on how the business should be managed from cost management to Fed jars credit markets where the domestic business operations should be based”. AirAsia chief executive and founder Tony Fernandes added that “it is time for us to NEW YORK: Prospective borrowers ranging basis, according to the Barclays investment- part ways and focus our attention on what we from US companies to county governments grade index. do best, which is running a true LCC (low-cost on Monday shelved a raft of deals to raise “The level to which investment grade cor- carrier)”. Fernandes hinted AirAsia may return to new capital or refinance debt as a suddenly porate bonds are interest rate sensitive will Japan, saying its brand had “resonated with uncertain interest rate environment dented certainly be an eye-opener to many total Japanese customers”. demand. In the municipal bond market, half return investors when they open up their “I remain positive on the Japanese market a dozen deals aimed at raising collectively quarterly statements on June 30,” said and believe there is tremendous opportunity more than $300 million were postponed, Edward Marrinan, head of Royal Bank of for an LCC to succeed,” he added. However while several companies pulled plans to refi- Scotland’s US research. Said CrediCorp Shinzo Shimizu, senior vice president of ANA TOKYO: All Nippon Airways (ANA) senior vice president Shinzo Shimizu (right) answers a ques- nance syndicated bank loans. Corporate Capital CEO Christian Laub: “What we know is Holdings, told a press briefing in Tokyo yester- tion next to the company’s executive vice president Yoshinori Maruyama during a press con- bonds, meanwhile, passed a fourth day with that we won’t see cheap financing like we did day that the venture dissolved because “its ference at the company’s headquarters yesterday. — AFP no deals brought to market, either in the in the early half of the year.” name didn’t spread in Japan and it couldn’t returned to the Malaysian firm. staging point for the most profitable domestic risky high-yield sector or the safer invest- Municipal issues have also slowed to a make profits”. “We will announce details of which brand routes. Flying out of Narita requires a one-hour ment-grade sphere. crawl, with bond sales worth $331 million The airline booked an operating loss of and aircraft to use, as well as routes, in July,” train ride from the city centre, a long-standing Raising capital has been challenging to postponed on Monday. That brought the about 3.5 billion yen ($36 million), he said. Shimizu said. News reports said a new airline headache for travellers including passengers say the least since last Wednesday when total value of deals shelved since mid-June to Another problem was that the carrier focused could fly under ANA’s other budget carrier joint with AirAsia Japan and Jetstar Japan, a joint Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sent $2.6 billion. A steep price drop in the $3.7 tril- on online sales-a key strategy for AirAsia-but venture, Peach Aviation, which flies out of venture between JAL and Australia’s Qantas. interest rates soaring by outlining a plan to lion municipal bond market has lifted yields many Japanese travellers still book flights Osaka. AirAsia Japan was one of three budget The Japanese aviation industry has long wind down the central bank’s massive stimu- on bonds due in 10 and 30 years to levels not through travel agents, Shimizu said. “We think airlines to come online in Japan over the past been notorious for sky-high landing fees and lus program. Known as quantitative easing seen since 2011. that there is a limit to the strategy of simply couple of years, promising to shake up a sector fuel taxes. and consisting of $85 billion a month in “Public officials do not want be the ones bringing AirAsia’s operation into the Japanese long controlled by ANA and rival Japan Airlines. Another no-frills carrier, Skymark Airlines, has bond purchases, the program was instru- selling a deal at yields which result to be top market,” he added ANA would launch a new But a key constraint for budget carriers is struggled to offer the kind of heavily discounted mental in a rally of bonds, equities and com- of the market,” said a municipal bond analyst budget brand in November, he said, although that they were shut out of Haneda airport, just a fares seen in Europe and North America due to modities, and had driven interest rates to who declined to be named. “They prefer to the airplanes leased by AirAsia Japan would be short train ride from downtown Tokyo and the high operating costs. — AFP record lows. But since Bernanke’s comments wait for the market to calm down and last week, the yield on the benchmark 10- become more stable before pushing ahead year US Treasury Note has shot up 37 basis with their sales.” Loop Capital, a muni bond points, briefly touching a two-year high of underwriter, recently cut its estimate for In Britain, attempts 2.67 percent on Monday. 2013 muni issuance to $360 billion from “We need to have panic selling (in $400 billion, but Loop Managing Director Treasuries) out of the way and a stable level Chris Mier said they may cut their forecast to cut spending fuel on the 10-year Treasury,” before the new- more if present conditions persist. issue market can return, said Scott Schulte, Still, the two big munis deal of the week LONDON: When the chief enforcer for Britain’s Austerity Britain? point of pride, celebrated at the London 2012 senior investment-grade corporate bond remain on the calendar for now: $1.3 billion finance ministry suggested that the army should When Osborne arrived at the offices of the Olympics opening ceremony as a part of what it syndicate manager at Citigroup. That needs each from the state of Illinois and the city of cut spending further because it had more horses Treasury following the 2010 election, his deputy means to be British. to be followed by borrowers willing to sell Los Angeles. than tanks, he provoked an indignant response had been left a note by departing Labour treasury Despite Osborne’s reputation for swingeing bonds at higher yields than they had to In the syndicated loan market, Loan from one of his own colleagues in the cabinet. As chief secretary Liam Byrne saying: “I’m afraid cuts, total expenditure has actually increased in under the Fed’s easy-money regime. Pricing Corp, a unit of Thomson Reuters, Britain prepares to say who will take the pain for there’s no money left”. Osborne faced a budget nominal terms under his watch and is due to rise Corporate bonds had been flying off the reported that Beats Electronics, the con- more cuts, the row over ceremonial horses versus deficit of 11 percent of gross domestic product to 720 billion pounds in 2013-14 from 670 billion shelves until recently as companies looked to sumer audio company founded by rapper Dr. tanks shows just how hard it is to trim the size of a (GDP) and the UK gilt market was, in the words of pounds in 2009-10. Osborne says the public sector refinance at record low rates and yield-hun- Dre, pulled a $600 million to $650 million state that the government says has been over- Pimco’s Bill Gross, the manager of the world’s was far too big and that Britain needs a tough fis- gry investors were ready to sign checks. Since senior secured loan deal designed to finance spending for years. While the cuts have upset some biggest bond fund, “resting on a bed of nitroglyc- cal policy to get the deficit under control so that Bernanke first floated the notion last month a dividend recapitalization. Meanwhile, air- voters and stoked tensions among senior members erine” because debt was far too high. the government can spend on health and schools. of a pull back from bond buying, corporate craft part manufacturer PRV Aerospace of Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition gov- The opposition Labour Party accuses him of State spending is declining as a percentage of bonds have fallen hard and are now down for shelved a proposed repricing due to market ernment, the debt mountain is still rising and damaging the economic recovery by cutting too GDP: from 47.4 percent in 2009-10 to 45.2 percent the year by 3.74 percent on a total return conditions, sources told LPC. —Reuters Britain has lost its prized triple-A credit rating for far and too quickly, although it has pledged to of GDP in 2013-14. But most of the cuts are still in the first time since it received the rating in 1978. keep to the spending plans for 2015-16 if it wins the future, with spending projected to fall to 40.5 For finance minister George Osborne, the row power in the 2015 election. After Osborne staked percent of GDP in 2017/18, near the long-term over Britain’s military horses shows the political the reputation of the Conservative-led coalition average for Britain for the past half century. Still, Jane Austen ‘waiting in wings’ dangers and limits of austerity just as he puts the government on reducing Britain’s debts, lower even achieving the cuts so far has required reduc- finishing touches to his spending review than expected tax receipts from a stagnant econo- ing the public sector workforce by nearly 10 per- to feature on UK banknotes announcement due on June 26. “In a department my forced him to extend the budget cuts way past cent, to 5.7 million from 6.3 million, a step Labour LONDON: Author Jane Austen is “waiting side. Austen would be a well-known and that has more horses than it has tanks, there are the 2015 election. “We are out of intensive care says holds back the economic recovery by taking in the wings” to become the next famous likely popular choice. Her novels of room for efficiency savings without affecting our and our job now is to secure the recovery,” money out of the economy. Briton to be honoured on the country’s romance among the Regency gentry, overall military output,” said Danny Alexander, Osborne said in a BBC interview on Sunday. Britain is cutting the army by 20,000 soldiers banknotes, outgoing Bank of England spiced with sharp social comment, still Osborne’s cabinet-level deputy at the Treasury. “We’re going to go on taking the difficult deci- over this decade and its navy and air force have governor Mervyn King said. The writer of regularly feature on bestseller and litera- Asked about the criticism of his horses, Defence sions, go on cutting back spending, go on prioritis- lost 5,000 each. Fees charged to students for uni- 19th century classics such as “Pride & ture course reading lists, and have Secretary Philip Hammond fired back in parlia- ing spending on the things that help the economy versity have been tripled. The police force has Prejudice”, “Sense & Sensibility” and spawned numerous period-drama TV ment: “I will probably not share with my and cutting the spending that doesn’t.” The been cut by at least 10,000 and the Foreign Office “Emma” is already a “reserve” figure shows and film adaptations. Honourable Friend all the thoughts that I would International Monetary Fund, long known for its has had to cut back embassy jobs, sell off exotic whose image could be a clear candidate Historical women figures should be like to offer to the Treasury and some of my col- support of austerity economics, has begun calling properties and cap expenses for mid-ranking to replace that of naturalist Charles chosen as individuals rather than for leagues.” on Osborne to increase spending to boost diplomats. Darwin on the 10-pound note when his their gender, King said at his final appear- “While it is easy to draw attention to such things demand. Yet the chancellor has shown no sign of Osborne’s hands are partly tied by pledges not time is up, King said yesterday. ance as governor before parliament’s as the number of horses in the army, the moral relenting, at least in public. to touch spending on the National Health Service The announcement potentially defus- Treasury Committee. “One thing which component of our armed forces - that which links it The British state is still spending about 120 bil- and schools - which together account for a third of es criticisms of a future lack of female fig- we are quite determined to avoid is any to the great tradition of military service in this lion pounds more than it receives each year. Public spending - as well as on overseas aid - a small item ures on the currency, which have been suggestion that the five pound note in country - is a very important part of delivering mili- sector net debt is forecast to peak at 85.6 percent but one that annoys some Conservatives who levelled at the central bank since it said some sense be reserved for women,” he tary capability and is money well spent.” One law- of GDP in 2016-17. “Prior to the financial crisis, we think it wrong to shield aid abroad while imposing in April that wartime leader Winston said. maker retorted that the bosses at the Treasury, had one of the lowest debt ratios of below 40 per- cuts at home. Some senior members of Cameron’s Churchill would feature on the five- The notes featuring Fry would contin- Britain’s most powerful ministry, should be served cent of GDP, so we have seen our debt ratio rise Conservative party say Osborne has so far failed to pound note from 2016, replacing prison ue to circulate for some time and with an “idiot’s guide” to Her Majesty’s armed forces faster than our peer group,” said John Hawksworth, get a grip on the biggest target of all, 220 billion reformer Elizabeth Fry. Churchill and although the final decision as to the to put them out of their ignorance. chief economist for the United Kingdom at PwC. pounds ($338.5 billion) of annual “social protec- Darwin will complement economist identity of the next figure would be one A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it “Sustained growth is harder to achieve now, and tion” spending, nearly a third of the total and more Adam Smith and steam engine inventors for the incoming governor, Canadian had about 500 horses compared to around 350 an older population will be very averse to higher than five times as big as the defence budget. Matthew Boulton and James Watt to Mark Carney, it was unlikely that there tanks. The horses are used in ceremonial events inflation, so it will be a long tough job to get our So far, the government has announced a cap complete the all-male line-up - other would be a time when there were no such as the opening of parliament and the celebra- debt ratio back down to pre-crisis levels of about on benefits for any one family at 26,000 pounds a than the image of Queen Elizabeth on females, King said. “I think it is extremely tion of Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday. In what 40 percent of GDP.” year to ensure that those on state aid do not the overleaf. unlikely that we should ever find our- will be the fourth year since he took power promis- The biggest debt since World War Two has receive more than the average working family. The monarch is on one side of each of selves in the position where there are no ing deep spending cuts, Osborne reached deals stoked a discussion about whether the taxpayer Tenants in state-funded social housing will be Britain’s four denominations of bank women among the historical figures on with ministers including Hammond to secure 11.5 can still afford the size of state which Britons have forced to pay a fee or move home if their homes notes, while celebrated Britons take their our banknotes. “Jane Austen is quietly billion pounds ($17.70 billion) of further cuts in cherished for over half a century. The post-war cre- are deemed too large. Those on unemployment turn for 10 to 20-year stints on the other waiting in the wings.” — Reuters 2015-2016. The fate of the horses was not immedi- ation of the welfare state by Labour is taught at benefit will see rises to their payments capped at 1 ately clear. schools and Britain’s National Health Service is a percent a year for three years. — Reuters BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

KUWAIT: Shadi Alamah, Faisal Al-Boos and other Danat Al-Kuwait officials inaugurate the new showroom. KUWAIT: The new and improved Danat Al-Kuwait showroom. Hyundai Electronics, Danat Al-Kuwait state partnership

KUWAIT: Hyundai Electronics Marketing and Sales Manager Shadi ment the Danat Al-Kuwait Showroom for Electronics was reopened Alamah acknowledged the Danat Al-Kuwait group as “a pioneer in Alamah announced a partnership agreement between the in Al-Fahaheel after undergoing redecorations in a ceremony attend- the electronics trading business with a long history in the Kuwaiti Standards Arabia Company, the exclusive supplier of the Hyundai ed by Faisal Al-Boos and other Danat Al-Kuwait officials. In a state- market”, and also expressed appreciation to the partnership deal that Electronics Brand, and the Danat Al-Kuwait Group. As per this agree- ment made to the press on the occasion of the showroom’s opening, gives his company the opportunity to compete in the local market.

KUWAIT: Shadi Alamah and Faisal Al-Boos are seen. KUWAIT: Shadi Alamah (left) receives a commemorative plaque from Faisal Al-Boos.

Al-Riyada focuses on ASAR advises on KD 60m lucrative realty projects bond issuance by URC KUWAIT: Al-Riyada Finance & Investment Co real- projects with manageable risks, investment in such KUWAIT: ASAR - Al-Ruwayeh & Partners witness a renewed growth of the local bonds izes significant returns approximating 22 percent projects and establishing appropriate exit strate- (ASAR), Kuwait’s leading and most promi- market, more so for the real estate sector.” for the company and its clients of invested capital. gies for the company & its clients. Al-Liwan Mall nent corporate law firm, and one of the John Cunha, Partner at ASAR - Al- This significant realization of profit comes as a (launched in the middle of 2012) is one of its region’s top tier firms has advised the Joint Ruwayeh & Partners said: “ASAR has been result of the company’s exit from its investment in achievements. Lead Managers on the placement of a KD 60 consistently at the forefront in advising large Al-Liwan Mall located at the state of Kuwait - Eqaila Al-Sane concluded his statement by stipulat- million bond issue by United Real Estate organizations with their bond issuance. The area. The mall covers an area of 5,592 sq with total ing that profits realized should be included in the Company (URC). The five-year bond will firm previously advised the joint lead man- exit value of KD 30 million. 2013 results. In regards to the reasons of this exit, mature in 2018 and will be issued in two agers to Burgan Bank’s landmark KD 100 mil- Muhanad Al-Sane, Chairman & Managing Al-Sane indicated that the market is full of prof- tranches, namely fixed rate bonds of KD lion (US$ 356 million) Lower Tier II Director, stated that Al-Riyada, since inception in itable and promising investment opportunities 36.45 million, and Floating Rate Bonds of KD Subordinated Bond Issue. The bond marked 2008, has focused on the achievement of its basic and Al-Riyada wishes through its future vision to 23.55 million. the first KD-denominated Lower Tier II sub- objectives including the provision of finance solu- diversify sources of income for the company and The fixed rate bonds bear a fixed interest ordinated bond, largest private sector KD tions for feasible and carefully selected real estate its clients. Muhanad Al-Sane at the rate of 5.75 percent per annum. The issuance and longest tenor in Kuwaiti mar- floating rate bonds bear an interest at the ket to be issued by a Kuwaiti bank. rate of 3.25 percent per annum over the dis- Moreover, ASAR also previously advised counted rate of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) with suc- CFC’s ‘Askatna Al-Khamsa’ FASTtelco launches Wi-Fi capped at 6.75 percent, in effect on the rate cessfully completing its four year KD 80 mil- fixing dates. The bonds include a Kuwaiti lion bond issuance.” campaign in great demand services in Al-Raya Center Dinar denominated fixed income investment With dedicated offices in Kuwait and opportunity which will deliver regular Bahrain coupled with its associated offices KUWAIT: “Askatna Al-Khamsa” take advantage of what the KUWAIT: FASTtelco, the leading this Wi-Fi service in Al-Raya enables income in the form of quarterly coupon pay- and relationships, ASAR provides clients campaign that has been recently “Askatna Al-Khamsa” campaign internet service provider in Kuwait the visitors, specifically businessmen ments with redemption at maturity of the across an extensive range of industry sectors launched by Commercial Facilities offers.” specialized in providing innovative and professionals to effectively pur- five year term. The bonds have been rated with comprehensive legal advice and sup- Company (CFC) receives good In conclusion, Al-Mannai said: internet and data communications sue their work efficiently. BBB- with a positive outlook by Capital port for their business activities in Kuwait, acknowledgement from a wide “We are moving forward in achiev- solutions, announced that it had suc- Abdulwahab Ahmad Al-Nakib, Intelligence. across the GCC, and beyond. range of customers who wants to ing more accomplishments thanks cessfully launched its Wi-Fi services in Chairman and Managing Director of Rob Little, Partner at ASAR - Al-Ruwayeh & ASAR has been consistently rated as the purchase a car. Customers can take to our commitment to the best ini- Al-Raya Center in the framework of Al-Deera Holding, and CEO of Partners said: “We are pleased to have leading corporate and commercial law firm advantage of this offer to own a tiatives and financing solutions that its plans aiming to cover all areas in FASTtelco, said that the company has advised the Joint Lead Managers in relation in Kuwait by many of the world’s leading and new or used car regardless of the focus mainly on auto financing, in Kuwait with high quality, reliable always been eager and determined to URC’s latest bond issue. Such transactions reputable legal guides such as the Chambers source be it a car agent, supplier or addition to the highest standards internet. to install more Wi-Fi hotspots in key are crucial for the development of the local Global Guide, International Financial Law individual by paying their four of efficiency in customer service, With its leading position in the locations in Kuwait such as Al Raya debt capital markets. We strongly believe Review, and the Legal 500. In 2012, ASAR was years installment in a stretched which was a key element in the Kuwaiti Internet and data communi- Center, and revealed that it had suc- that a fully functioning and vibrant local named as the “Best Law Firm in Kuwait 2012” period of five years. success of the campaign. We con- cations market, FASTtelco reaffirmed cessfully covered over 70 other loca- bond market is a key element in the develop- by the International Financial Law Review Speaking about the campaign, tinue to make every possible effort its commitment to provide Internet tions, available and seen on ment of Kuwait’s private sector, in line with (IFLR), the market-leading guide for financial coverage all over Kuwait thanks to its FASTtelco’s dedicated page. Nasser Ali Al-Mannai, Assistant to provide the best and latest prod- the plan of developing Kuwait into a key law firms worldwide. The firm also won the state of the art infrastructure and cut- He confirmed that Al-Raya is a key financial center in the region. The issuance of “Best Equity Deal in the Middle East” award Managing Director Marketing, ucts and services which we hope ting edge Internet technology. location in Kuwait as it is an everyday this bond comes at an opportune time as we by IFLR during the same year. Commercial Facilities Company will gain the trust and satisfaction FASTtelco noted that installing a Wi-Fi destination for many visitors; Al- said: “”Askatna Al-Khamsa” cam- of existing and prospective cus- network in Al-Raya Center illustrates Nakib went on and noted “Our aim is paign is special with its role in tomers at the same time. “ its dedication to meet all the needs of to provide customers visiting public uplifting the car sector in Kuwait. Customers can submit applica- its clients mainly in the commercial with fast reliable Internet connectivi- The campaign includes new and tions very easily at any of the com- centers that attract a great number of ty. We are glad that we are now cov- used cars regardless of the source pany’s branches across Kuwait and people on a daily basis. FASTtelco ering this key commercial center in be it a car agent, supplier or indi- through sales employees who are went on and explained that offering Kuwait City”. On the other hand, Al- viduals in Kuwait.” available in all car agencies and Raya officials expressed their appreci- Al-Mannai added: “We are really suppliers. In addition they can also ation for such convenient, value pleased with the huge success the pay monthly installments, enquire added services from FASTtelco, and campaign has achieved for being about their account balance and highlighted that hosting such reliable an extension of the company’s next installment due date through Wi-Fi service may in fact invest in and leading marketing initiatives that the company’s website as well as enhance the satisfaction of the visi- were previously launched. This smart devices which are compati- tors. reflects the importance of the mar- ble with systems “App Store” and Al-Nakib concluded that during keting strategy that the company “Google Play that are secure and the last years FASTtelco has proved follows to guarantee meeting the flexible hence saving time. CFC, its capabilities in delivering highly customer’s needs and requirement the first leading finance company, innovative internet services in at all levels in Kuwait. The cam- has gained a stronger position numerous important locations while paign played a big role in con- thanks to its uniqueness in best assuring its quality, affirming its posi- tributing towards the car sales in serving its clients, quick process- tion among the top technological Rob Little and John Cunha one month since its launch which ing of transactions and remarkable and social responsibility driven com- panies in the region. reflects the customer’s interests to convenience. Abdulwahab Ahmad Al-Nakib technology WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 In Asia, ancient writing collides with the digital age

TOKYO: As a schoolboy, Akihiro Matsumura spent in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Japan imported kanji some foggy.” Traditionalists fear that forgetting kanji means hundreds of hours learning the intricate Chinese char- time during the first millennium to use as a writing the irrevocable loss of a fundamental part of culture. acters that make up a part of written Japanese. Now, system, despite there being no linguistic link between In Hong Kong, Rebecca Ko said her 11-year-old the graduate student can rely on his smartphone, Japanese and Chinese. By around the 8th-9th cen- daughter uses the computer more and more, but she tablet and laptop to remember them for him. turies, it developed a syllabary-a system of conso- insists the child learn traditional characters, and sends “Sometimes I don’t even bother to take notes in nant/vowel blends-called “hiragana”. Where kanji con- her to a Chinese calligraphy class. seminars. I just take out my tablet to shoot pictures of tain a meaning, but no inherent sound, each hiragana “We cannot rely too much on computers, we what instructors write on blackboards,” he told AFP. character represents a sound, but has no inherent should be able to write... (and) we should be able to Like millions of people across East Asia, 23-year-old meaning-like a letter in the Latin alphabet. Unlike the write neatly, it’s a basic thing about being Chinese,” Matsumura is forgetting the pictographs and ideo- alphabet, however, each syllable only ever has one she said. But, says Matsumura, times change and the graphs that have been used in Japan and greater sound. A second syllabary, called “katakana”, also spread of technology gives people opportunities to China for centuries. developed. Modern-day written Japanese is a mixture develop their language capability in other ways, for While some bemoan what they see as the loss of of kanji, hiragana and katakana, with an increasing example allowing some to read more. history and culture, others say the shift frees up brain- amount of Western script also thrown in (known as “I’m one of them. I used to listen to music blankly power for more useful things, like foreign languages, “romaji” or Roman letters). on trains, but I now read news and other things,” he and even improves writing as a whole. In both Chinese and Japanese, computer and said. Guardians of the characters say there is no evi- Naoko Matsumoto, a professor of law who heads smartphone users need only to type the pronuncia- dence of any drop-off in enthusiasm. international legal studies at the prestigious Sophia tion of the kanji from the constituent sounds using The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, a University near Tokyo, said the students in her classes either the syllabary or the alphabet. They then choose Kyoto-based organisation, says the number of people now write more fluently than their predecessors. “I’m one of several options offered by the device. who take its exam every year is holding steady at in my 40s and compared with my generation, they Very different meanings can come from the same around two million. have more and more opportunities to write using sounds. For example, in Japanese, “shigaisen” produces People are “increasingly using text messages rather Twitter” and other social networking services, she said. “street fighting” and “ultra-violet rays”. than making phone calls”, which means they need to “I think they are actually better at writing” because know which characters to use, said a spokeswoman. they write in a simple and easy-to-understand way, FORGETTING, AND REMEMBERING And kanji characters are not falling out of favor she said. Priorities are changing with more emphasis “It’s easy to forget even the easiest of characters,” with all younger people. Yusuke Kinouchi, a 24-year- placed on building logical thinking strategies-a case of said Zhang Wentong, an assistant at a calligraphy cen- old graduate student at the Tokyo Institute of content becoming more important than form. tre in Beijing. “Sometimes you’ve got to think for ages. Technology, thought children should keep learning “The skill of handwriting kanji (Chinese characters) Occasionally I’ll repeatedly type the character out pho- the characters in the way they have done for hundreds perfectly is becoming less necessary compared with netically in my phone” until the right one pops up. of years. TOKYO: Akihiro Matsumura (left) a University stu- earlier times,” the professor said. Graduate student Matsumura said his reliance on Kanji provide a certain economy, he said, where dent uses his tablet computer, while his friend Kanji developed in China as a mixture of pic- devices leaves him adrift when faced with filling in one character can stand in for the sounds made by parctices hand writing of Chinese characters on a tographs-characters that represent a thing, like “moun- forms for repairs at the electronics shop where he several letters in a language such as English-some- copybook in Tokyo. Matsumura spent hundreds of tain”-and ideographs-those that depict an abstract works part-time. thing particularly useful on Twitter, for example, with hours learning the intricate Chinese characters concept, like “think”. “I sometimes can’t recall kanji on the spot while a its 140-character limit. But beyond the economy, there that make up a part of written Japanese. He can Greater China uses only these characters-a simpli- customer is watching me,” he said. “I remember their is one other good reason to keep them alive, he said. rely on his smartphone, tablet and laptop to fied version on the mainland and the traditional form rough shapes but can’t remember exact strokes... It’s “They are beautiful.” — AFP remember them for him.—AFP Microsoft to unveil latest Windows adjustments

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft will use its annual devel- opers conference to release a preview of Windows 8.1, a free update that promises to address some of the gripes people have with the latest version of the com- pany’s flagship operating system. Many of the new features have been shown off already. The Build conference, which starts today in San Francisco, will give Microsoft’s partners and other technology developers a chance to learn more about the new system and try it out. It also will give the com- pany a chance to explain some of the reasoning behind the update and sell developers on Microsoft’s ambitions to regain relevance lost to Apple’s iPad and various devices running Google’s Android software. There’s also speculation that Microsoft could show BEIJING: In this May 29, 2013 file photo people sit around laptop computers at a cafe off a new, smaller version of its Surface tablet comput- in Beijing. Millions of Internet users have learned the hard way, no password is safe ers. One of the new features in Windows 8.1 is the abili- ty to work well on smaller-screen devices. Windows 8.1 when hackers can, and do, pilfer them en masse from banks, email services, retailers will be available as a preview starting Wednesday for or social media websites that fail to fully protect their servers. — AFP anyone to download. It will be released to the general public later in the year, though a specific date hasn’t ‘Password fatigue’ been announced. Windows 8, which was released in October, was BOSTON: In this Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012 file photo, the Microsoft Corp. logo (left) is seen on an meant to be Microsoft’s answer to changing customer exterior wall of a new Microsoft store. Microsoft will use its annual developers conference to haunts Internet masses behaviors and the rise of tablet computers. The operat- release a preview of Windows 8.1, a free update that promises to address some of the gripes ing system emphasizes touch controls over the mouse people have with the latest version of the company’s flagship operating system. — AP WASHINGTON: Looking for a safe password? There’s even a name for the syndrome: and the keyboard, which had been the main way peo- You can give HQbgbiZVu9AWcqoSZm password fatigue. “People never took pass- ple have interacted with their personal computers a mouse or touch was used. And while Microsoft has rather than just two. The update will also offer more ChwgtMYTrM7HE3ObVWGepMeOsJf4iHMyNX words very seriously, and then we had a num- since the 1980s. But some people have been put off by encouraged people to use the new tablet-style layout, integrated search results, showing users previews of MT1BrySA4d7 a try. Good luck memorizing it. ber of really big password breaches,” said the radical makeover. Although Microsoft has said it many programs - including Microsoft’s latest Office websites, apps and documents that are on the device, Sixty-three random alpha-numeric charac- Marian Merritt, Internet security advocate for has sold more than 100 million Windows 8 licenses so software package - are designed for the older, desktop all at once. ters-in this case, generated by an online pass- software provider Norton. far, some analysts have blamed the lackluster response mode. People were forced into the tablet layout when Although Microsoft is addressing much of the criti- word generator-are as good as it gets when it “As people are increasingly accessing web- to the operating system for a steep drop in PC sales in they start up the machine and had to manually switch cisms with Windows, it is positioning the update as comes to securing your virtual life. sites from smartphones and tablets, typing the first three months of the year, the worst drop since the desktop mode each time. more than just a fix-up job. From its perspective, the But as millions of Internet users have passwords is becoming an ever bigger pain,” tracking by outside research firms began in 1994. Windows 8.1 will allow people to start in the desk- tuneup underscores Microsoft’s evolution into a more learned the hard way, no password is safe added Sarah Needham of Confident Among the complaints: the lack of a Start button top mode automatically. In that mode, it is restoring a nimble company capable of moving quickly to button that resembles the old Start button. Although respond to customer feedback while also rolling out when hackers can, and do, pilfer them en Technologies, developers of a picture-based on the lower left corner of the screen. In previous ver- the Start button will now take people back to the new more innovations for a myriad of Windows devices - masse from banks, email services, retailers or password alternative. In a 24-nation survey last sions of Windows, that button gave people quick tablet-style start screen, rather than the old Start smartphones, tablets or PCs. social media websites that fail to fully protect year, Norton found that 40 percent of users access to programs, settings and other tasks. Microsoft replaced that with a tablet-style, full-screen start page, menu, the re-introduction of the familiar button may It’s crucial that Microsoft sets things right with their servers. don’t bother with complex passwords or fail to but that covered up whatever programs people were make it easier for longtime Windows users to get Windows 8.1 because the outlook for the PC market And besides, with technology growing by change their passwords on a regular basis. working on, and it had only favorite programs. Extra accustomed to the changes. keeps getting gloomier. IDC now expects PC ship- leaps and bounds, why does the username- Rival security app firm McAfee says its research steps were needed to access less-used programs. Other new features of Windows 8.1 include more ments to fall by nearly 8 percent this year, worse than and-password formula-a relic of computing’s indicates that more than 60 percent of users Settings, a search box and other functions were hidden options to use multiple apps. People will get more its previous forecast of a 1 percent dip. IDC also antici- Jurassic era-remain the norm? regularly visit five to 20 websites that require away in a menu that had to be pulled out from the options to determine how much of the screen each pates tablets will outsell laptop computers for the first “The incredibly short answer is, it’s cheap,” passwords, and that a like-sized proportion right. How to do that changed depending on whether app takes while showing up to four different programs, time this year. —AP said Per Thorsheim, a Norwegian online securi- preferred easy-to-use passwords. ty expert and organizer of PasswordsCon, the The most popular passwords, infamously, world’s only conference dedicated to pass- are “password” and “123456,” according to Top award for Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 words, taking place in Las Vegas in July. Mark Burnett, whose 2005 book “Perfect “If you want anything else-if you want Password: Selection, Protection, in the MRG Effitas Real-World Protection Test some kind of two-factor authentication that Authentication” was among the first on the involves using a software-based token, a hard- topic. DUBAI: Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 for home financial information), ransomware, malicious indicates a high-quality security solution. Any ware-based token or biometric authentication- BIOMETRICS ARE COMING users has been granted the highest 5-star programs with integrated rootkit functionality protection product must be able to safeguard you need something extra,” he told AFP. “And Carl Windsor, director of product manage- award in MRG Effitas’ Real World Protection Test and other dangerous types of malware. the user from the real and dangerous threats that will cost you extra money.” Back in the ment at California-based network security firm for Q2 2013. The solution detected and blocked The testing was conducted on computers such as backdoors, financial malware, ran- beginning, it was all so easy. The very first com- Fortinet, said he once ran John the Ripper, a 100% of all threats it faced in the test. running Windows 7 SP 1 32 bit. These PCs were somware, rootkits, etc. A product which cannot puters were not only room-sized mainframes, free program to crack passwords, through an During testing, the experts assessed the abil- also set up with a suite of popular applications do this can hardly be called a security solution,” but also stand-alone devices. They didn’t con- employer’s Unix system with its consent. ity of rival antivirus solutions to detect and which have vulnerabilities regularly exploited said Oleg Ishanov, Director of the Anti-Malware nect to each other, so passwords were needed Within seconds, Windsor had one-third of block dangerous malware. The MRG Effitas by hackers. Kaspersky Lab’s product competed Research Unit, Kaspersky Lab. only by a handful of operators who likely knew its passwords. Within minutes, he had another experts deliberately selected samples of mal- alongside 16 other popular security solutions. Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 continues each other anyway. Then along came the third. “I also won a bet by finding the ‘super ware which an ordinary user may face while Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 blocked every to collect awards in several independent Real Internet, binding a burgeoning number of secure’ password of a colleague in less than working online. one of the 585 threats prepared for the testing, World Protection tests. In May and April, the computers, smartphones and tablets into a five minutes,” he told AFP by email. The experts from this respected research earning MRG Effitas’ highest award - 5 stars. product demonstrated impressive effectiveness globe-girdling web that required some virtual Password alternatives are in the pipeline. company chose malware samples with the Only two other solutions in the trial could in similar tests conducted by the independent means for strangers to identify each other. Google is toying with the idea of users tap- most dangerous payloads. So the test samples match Kaspersky Lab’s result. AV-Comparatives laboratory. Kaspersky Internet Passwords have thus proliferated so much ping their devices with personalized coded included various types of backdoors (programs “To receive the highest MRG Effitas award is Security 2013 has also been highly acclaimed that it’s a daily struggle for users to cope with finger rings or inserting unique ID cards that can remotely control the user’s computer), a worthy achievement, but more than that by other well-known testing laboratories such dozens of them-and not just on one personal called Yubikeys into the USB ports of their financial malware (software designed to steal these test results are a kind of marker which as AV-Test.org, Matousec.com and others. computer, but across several devices. computers. —AFP Help at hand for those wanting to detox from technology

PARIS: Tired of checking your smartphone every dependent,” Oudghiri said. option to surrender their smartphones and few minutes for new emails, likes or retweets? Do French researchers have come up with one tablets on check-in and provides them with a you spend more time looking at your device solution, creating a special type of wallpaper that detox pack that includes a tree planting kit and a than chatting to your date? Are you close to a blocks wifi, which materials company Ahlstrom is board game. But it comes at a price — 175 euros digital burn-out? busy developing further with the aim of putting ($230) per person per night. Other firms are Fear not, an increasing number of options are it on the market next year. Spokesman Robin offering more in-depth packages to really get available for those seeking to detox from tech- Guillaud says there has already been significant away from it all. nology, from wallpaper that blocks wi-fi to interest in the invention. Schools in particular The US-based Digital Detox organises tech- Internet-free holidays and software that forces have made enquiries, keen to prevent students free retreats to remote places in the United States you off addictive sites. from spending too much time hooked to their or escape destinations such as Cambodia. “Some “People connect all the time, everywhere, in smartphones. of it is marketing”, said Thierry Crouzet, a blogger every position-lying down on their bed, at the According to an Ipsos survey, nearly a third of who went cold turkey and disconnected for six restaurant, in the waiting room,” says Remy French people now feel the need to disconnect, months. “There are loads of places that are tran- Oudghiri, a director at French polling firm Ipsos with similar trends recorded in other countries. quil. No need to book a tour operator that takes and author of a book on the subject. More and Separate research from the same firm found that you to the North Pole.” The 49-year-old wrote a more people own devices that allow this. In the in 2006, 54 percent of the French population felt book about his experience called “I unplugged”, United States, over half of adults now have a people spent less time together due to the after suffering from a digital burn-out that saw smartphone, while more than a third own a advent of new technologies, a figure that leapt him so craving technology that he would some- tablet computer. “This sudden surge in connec- to 71 percent last year. Companies have latched times check his email, blogs and Twitter at night. tion possibilities, after the initial period of enthu- onto this lassitude, particularly in the tourism “I see a lot of blogger friends who are easing off. siasm, prompts every user to reflect on how to industry where some hotels and resorts offer Nearly everyone gradually takes breaks. We’re continue to enjoy life while taking advantage of digital detox packages. The upmarket Westin realising that at the end of the day, it (technology) THAILAND: This picture taken on March 20, 2013 shows people looking at their smartphones their connection. How to avoid becoming hotel in Dublin, for instance, gives guests the doesn’t nourish us,” he said. —AFP while waiting for a train at a BTS station in Bangkok. — AFP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 HEALTH & SCIENCE Cuba to send doctors to work in Saudi Arabia

HAVANA: Cuba will send temporary the world. “The first group of Cuban negotiating “other types of medical important source of hard currency for Forty of the participating nations are medical personnel to work in Saudi doctors will work in the King Saud cooperation, which would let the Saudi the cash-strapped Caribbean island. As poor countries receiving free medical Arabia under a deal reached this week Medical City and at the Prince Salman health system benefit from the experi- of May, Cuba had 38,870 medical per- assistance as part of a program with Riyadh, officials in Havana Hospital, two of the most prestigious ence... of the public health sector in sonnel working abroad, including designed by former president Fidel announced. The foreign ministry said Saudi medical institutions,” it said in a Cuba,” the statement read. 15,407 doctors, said Yiliam Jimenez, Castro in 1998. Monday that Saudi Arabia will become statement. Cuba’s ambassador Enrique The government of President Raul head of the office that coordinates for- The remaining 26 countries-includ- the latest country to receive doctors Enriquez signed the agreement on Castro hopes to expand the paid pro- eign medical cooperation. ing Venezuela, China, South Africa and from Cuba, which contracts its medical Sunday in Riyadh, the ministry said. gram because it produces an annual The Cuban doctors work in 66 coun- Algeria-pay for the medical workers’ professionals to work in nations around Officials from both countries are now income stream of $6 billion a year-an tries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. services.—AFP Indonesia sorry for haze, sends thousands to fight fires

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Susilo The RSPO, which produces a sought-after sunny day yesterday after the air pollution index Bambang Yudhoyono has apologized to certification for producers deemed sustainable, eased from the all-time highs of last week, Singapore and Malaysia over fires that have bans its members from using burning to clear Malaysia is now bearing the brunt of the crisis. cloaked the countries in thick haze, as thou- land. Southeast Asia suffered its worst smog Air quality was “hazardous” in two Malaysian sands of emergency workers were deployed outbreak in 1997-98, which cost the region an districts, including the country’s busiest port, yesterday to tackle the blazes. Southeast Asia’s estimated $9 billion, and was hit with a serious Port Klang on the Strait of Malacca facing worst smog crisis for years pushed haze levels in recurrence in 2006. Indonesia’s national disaster Sumatra, where the readings stood at 484 mid- Singapore to a record high last week, with resi- agency said yesterday that more than 3,000 per- morning yesterday. dential buildings and skyscrapers shrouded and sonnel-including members of the army, air force Readings above 300 indicate “hazardous” daily life for millions in the city-state dramatical- and police-would be sent over the next two conditions. Three other areas, mostly in central ly affected. The smog has drifted north and is days to Riau to join some 2,300 already tackling Malaysia near the capital Kuala Lumpur, logged now badly affecting Malaysia, while in a badly- the blazes. Firefighters are backed by helicop- “very unhealthy” air quality. In one Riau district hit province on Indonesia’s Sumatra island- ters and planes dropping water and attempting almost 300 people were evacuated over the where the fires are raging in peatland-hundreds to chemically induce rain through cloud-seed- past two days as fires raged close to their hous- INDONESIA: In this handout photograph released by the presidential palace gathered to pray for rain. ing. es, and in the province’s badly-hit Dumai city yesterday, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono inspects gov- The crisis has triggered a war of words After efforts in previous days proved ineffec- hundreds gathered to pray for rain. “This morn- ernment firefighting personnel during a sendoff ceremony at the Halim between Jakarta and its neighbors, with an tive, cloud-seeding managed to successfully ing, we prayed to God for rain and for the efforts Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta.—AFP Indonesian minister accusing Singapore of act- induce rains in several parts of Riau yesterday, to fight the haze to be successful,” said local ing “like a child”. But Yudhoyono sought to ease officials said. While the smog has lifted from environment official Basri, who like many tensions by issuing a public apology late Singapore, which was enjoying its third straight Indonesians goes by one name.—AFP How some US states are Monday. “As the president of Indonesia, I apolo- gize for what has happened and ask for the addressing doctor shortages understanding of the people of Malaysia and Singapore,” he said. “We accept it is our respon- California Kentucky needs some 3,790 additional sibility to tackle the problem.” Prime Minister A package of bills moving through the physicians, including primary care doctors Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore accepted Legislature is aimed at addressing and specialists, plus 612 more dentists, 5,635 Yudhoyono’s “gracious” apology, adding: “We California’s medical provider gap. The legis- more registered nurses, 296 more physician need a permanent solution to prevent this lation would allow nurse practitioners, assistants and 269 more optometrists to problem from recurring annually.” optometrists and pharmacists to expand the meet current demand. The report’s recom- Indonesia had previously sought to deflect types of services they can provide patients. mendations included expanding the use of blame for the crisis, saying Singaporean and The proposals face heavy opposition from telemedicine, particularly to put patients in Malaysian companies who own plantations on doctors, who favor training and placing contact with specialists. Sumatra were also responsible. But Malaysian more primary care physicians in rural and Prime Minister Najib Razak said late Monday the other underserved communities. New Jersey question of who owns the plantations “is not Opponents also worry such changes would Three bills in the New Jersey Legislature the issue here” and called on Jakarta to take create two classes of medical care - one for would give non-physicians more authority. action against those responsible, national news people who have access to doctors and The bills would let advanced-practice nurses agency Bernama reported. Police in Riau another for people who don’t. determine causes of death if doctors are not province, where the fires are centered, said they available, let psychologists prescribe med- had arrested nine people so far on suspicion of Delaware ications and let advanced-practice nurses starting the blazes, all small palm oil farmers. Among the steps Delaware officials have prescribe drugs without the same oversight Smog from Sumatra is a recurring problem taken to address the primary care physician required for doctors. None of the bills has during the June-September dry season, when shortage is a loan repayment program for gotten far, and the Medical Society of New big companies and smallholders alike light fires primary care providers who commit to work Jersey opposes all three. to clear land, in a cheap but illegal method of in underserved areas. The program, funded clearing space for planting. Several big palm oil by the state and federal governments, pro- New Mexico companies have been accused of lighting fires on their concessions in Sumatra, and the vided more than $360,000 in loan repay- According to a state legislative report, INDONESIA: This picture shows a private helicopter deployed by pulp paper and ments to seven primary care providers in fis- New Mexico residents could have trouble Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) said yesterday it would investigate five of its mem- Palm Oil Company APP Sinar Mas conducting water bombing operation on forest cal 2013. Officials say they are looking at accessing medical care due to the potential fires in Siak regency in Riau Province, on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.—AP expanding it. need of 2,000 physicians, 3,000 registered bers over the allegations. nurses and as many as 800 dentists. State Florida lawmakers didn’t act this year on a plan that Gov Rick Scott funded an additional 700 would have allowed dental therapists to Talking to teens about weight loss residency slots this year, but Florida will still practice in the state. An association repre- need additional residencies and fellowships senting dentists opposed the measure, just to bring the state up to the national although supporters said therapists would tied to unhealthy dieting, laxative use average per capita. Scott also recently help address the state’s shortage of dentists. NEW YORK: Teens were more likely should be talking about. “They overweight teens whose mothers veys represent a single point in signed into law a long-debated bill that to diet and use other unhealthy would always ask me, ‘What do I talked about weight and weight time, Berge and her colleagues expands the drug-prescribing powers of New York measures to control their weight say to my kid?’” Berge said. loss had used worrisome weight- couldn’t determine whether family optometrists. The state now allows The New York health department’s 2013- when their parents talked to them She and her colleagues sur- control behaviors. That compared conversations or a teen’s dieting optometrists to prescribe oral medications 14 budget includes $8.5 million for pro- about losing weight or the impor- veyed 2,800 racially and socioeco- to 41 percent when family discus- and unhealthy weight-control to treat eye diseases. House Republicans grams that place physicians in underserved tance of being thin, in a new study. nomically diverse middle and high sions were only about healthy eat- behaviors came first. Field said repeatedly used the shortage of primary areas. Doctors Across New York began in Conversely, family conversations school students and one or both of ing and 53 percent when mothers future studies will ideally follow care physicians and nurses in the state as a 2008 and has awarded $8.9 million to sup- about healthy eating that did not their parents about food, weight didn’t discuss food or weight at all. teens who don’t engage in any reason not to expand Medicaid under the port practices and $7.6 million for loan involve the topic of weight were and related conversations. Twenty- Likewise, 39 percent of normal unhealthy weight-related behav- federal Affordable Care Act. repayments. So far this year, it has provided linked to fewer unhealthy behav- eight percent of mothers of nor- weight children whose mothers iors to see how family talks about 26 awards totaling more than $2.5 million iors, such as laxative use and skip- mal-weight teens said they’d brought up weight had used food affect who does and doesn’t Illinois over two years. ping meals - especially among talked about healthy eating with unhealthy behaviors, compared to start. A state medical society succeeded in heavier adolescents. their child, and 33 percent said 30 percent of those with mothers Still, the researchers said, the killing or gutting bills this year that would North Dakota “It’s important to (have) conver- they’d had conversations about who emphasized being healthy, findings suggest parents should have given more medical decision-making North Dakota has a program that reim- sations that focus on healthy eat- weight or the need to lose weight. Berge’s team reported Monday in stay away from conversations that authority to psychologists, dentists and burses family doctors for student loans up to ing as a cause for healthy bodies That compared to 15 percent of JAMA Pediatrics. “If a child is con- focus on losing weight and being advanced-practice nurses. That included $90,000 for a two-year commitment to work and strong bones, rather than a mothers who talked solely about cerned about their weight and thin - and talk about the general one bill that would have allowed trained in a rural or other underserved area. A com- cause for weight and size,” said healthy eating with their over- they want to talk about their importance of healthy eating dentists to give flu shots and other immu- munity match is required. A related pro- Jerica Berge, who led the new weight teens and 60 percent who weight, you want to have an open instead. “Healthy eating conversa- nizations. The dental society plans to bring gram gives similar loan repayments up to study at the University of discussed losing weight. Rates conversation with them,” said tions are not going to be harmful, the issue to lawmakers again but focus nar- $30,000 to physician assistants and nurse Minnesota Medical School in were similar for conversations initi- Alison Field, who studies weight and they may be helpful,” Field rowly on flu shots. The group contends den- practitioners for a two-year-commitment to Minneapolis. Past studies have ated by fathers. and unhealthy eating at Boston said. “That to me is a positive mes- tists should be prepared to respond to a work in rural or other underserved areas, shown that being told to diet or The researchers found that diet- Children’s Hospital but wasn’t sage for parents who have an over- future flu pandemic. They plan to make the again with a community match required. being teased about weight by a ing and unhealthy eating patterns involved in the new research. weight kid and are struggling case that the Affordable Care Act will parent is harmful to children, she were more common among both However to have that talk with a because they don’t know what to increase the number of patients eligible for Ohio said. But that still leaves the ques- normal weight and overweight kid who doesn’t really want to dis- do,” Berge added. “The best thing free flu shots and that the number of pro- The governor wants to target graduate tion of what families who genuine- children of parents who focused on cuss weight probably won’t be they can do is focus on a healthy fessionals who can give them also should medical education funding toward training ly want to help an overweight child weight. For example, 64 percent of helpful, she said. Because the sur- message.”—Reuters increase. in primary care. Under a budget proposal still being debated, medical schools would Indiana receive about $200 million over the two- State officials and professional associa- year budget period that begins in July. The tions representing primary care physicians state would then work with medical deans Japan to robustly defend whaling at ICJ and other health providers are reviewing the on a plan to prioritize training in primary state’s primary care providers and where care services, with the idea that dollars TOKYO: Japan will robustly defend its whaling pro- understood,” he told reporters. that Japan is exploiting a loophole by continuing they are concentrated. Shortly after the fed- would be more focused in that area in the gram at the UN’s top court this week, Foreign “Japan’s research whaling is a scientific endeav- to hunt whales as scientific research in spite of a eral health care law was signed in 2010, 2015 budget year. Minister Fumio Kishida said yesterday as Canberra our carried out legally under the International 1986 International Whaling Commission (IWC) ban state officials determined that Indiana had and Tokyo ready to do battle over the legality of Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, article 8. on commercial whaling. not been properly tracking the density of South Dakota the hunt. A day before hearings are due to start at “Japan will make this point clearly in the hearing.” Australia wants ICJ judges to order Tokyo to primary care physicians and needed to do a South Dakota has a program that reim- the International Court of Justice in The Hague, While Norway and Iceland have commercial whal- stop its JARPA II research program and “revoke any complete review, said David Roos, executive burses doctors double the University of Kishida said Tokyo has no intention to back down ing programs, Japan insists its hunt is purely scien- authorizations, permits or licenses” to hunt whales director of Covering Kids and Families of South Dakota School of Medicine’s resident under pressure. “Japan will fully engage in the case tific, although it makes no secret of the fact that in the Southern Ocean. In its application, Australia Indiana. tuition for the most recent four-year-period so the country’s position and thinking will be the resulting meat ends up on plates back home. accuses Japan of breaching its obligation “to if they agree to practice for three years in The whaling research is to prove that commercial observe in good faith the zero catch limit in rela- Kansas underserved rural areas. The current amount whaling is viable. The proceeds from sales of the tion to the killing of whales.” Critics question what Efforts in Kansas to address medically is about $138,000. A related program also meat partly pay for the program. Tokyo defends remains for Japan to conclude about sustainable underserved areas of the state began nearly gives double tuition reimbursements to the practice of eating whale meat as a culinary tra- whale populations after carrying out its research in a half- century ago at the University of physician assistants, nurse practitioners and dition. the decades since the moratorium on international Kansas, where a scholarship program is nurse midwives who agree to practice in Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus will whaling was established. aimed at recruiting new physicians to start rural areas for three years, while a third pro- argue the case in the final week in The Hague and Japan killed around 6,500 Antarctic minke their practices in rural areas. Kansas has gram gives a $10,000 payment to nurses, said Canberra would assert that “Japan’s so-called whales between 1987 and 2005, after the moratori- expanded those efforts in recent budget therapists, lab professionals and others who scientific whaling is contrary to its international um came into effect, compared to 840 whales for years, including legislation this year to practice in a rural area for three years. obligations and must be brought to an end”. “For research purposes in the 31 years prior to the increase the scope of study that would be more than 20 years Australian governments have moratorium, court papers said. A further 2,500 eligible for the scholarships in return for Wisconsin tried without success to end Japan’s whaling minke whales were killed between 2005 and 2009 serving in rural areas. Legislators also have So far, no Wisconsin bills have dealt through diplomacy,” Dreyfus told Australian parlia- under the JARPA II program. Minke whales are not expanded the laws to give pharmacists the specifically with increasing the number of ment yesterday. “Modern science can obtain the endangered, but JARPA II also allows for the killing ability to perform certain wellness functions, physicians or granting medical decision- information we need to understand and protect of endangered mammals including humpback and including administering vaccines. making authority to pharmacists and other whales without harming them.” fin whales. health care workers. But the budget-writing Because Japan was a “friend” of Australia, The haul from Japan’s most recent whaling mis- Kentucky committee of the Republican-controlled Dreyfus said the two nations had agreed that “the sion in the Southern Ocean was a “record low”, the The state has not yet taken steps to deal state Legislature unanimously approved a International Court of Justice is the best place to government said earlier this year, blaming “unfor- resolve our differences”. Japan’s Fisheries Minister givable sabotage” by activists. Whalers came back with an influx of patients, but a recent study measure to shift more money toward resi- JAPAN: Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio showed Kentucky’s 10,475 doctors were not dency programs in the state. Supporters Yoshimasa Hayashi vowed in February that Japan with just 103 Antarctic minke whales, less than half enough to keep pace with current patient said the bill will encourage new doctors to Kishida speaks at a press conference would never stop hunting whales, saying it was a its tally last year, and no fin whales, after repeatedly loads. A report from Deloitte Consulting said remain in Wisconsin.—AP after a cabinet meeting at his office in “long tradition and culture” in his country. Canberra clashing with militant environmentalist group Sea Tokyo yesterday.—AFP will argue before the International Court of Justice Shepherd.—AFP WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 HEALTH & SCIENCE E-cigarette study hints at quit-aid potential

NEW YORK: In a trial of e-cigarettes researchers recruited 300 people between some increased quitting and decreased among Italian smokers with no desire to June 2010 and February 2011. All were smoking,” Dr Murray Laugesen, a tobacco quit using tobacco at the outset, up to 13 current smokers who stated they had no and nicotine researcher who was not Deadly piglet virus spreads percent of participants were not smoking intention of quitting in the near future. involved with the new study, told Reuters regular cigarettes at all a year later. Each participant was then randomized Health. Though the study was not billed as a into one of three groups. One group “It also has to be acknowledged that to nearly 200 US farm sites smoking-cessation test, more than half of received e-cigarettes along with car- these are good results in people who had participants cut down on tobacco soon tridges containing 7.2 milligram (mg) of no intention of quitting,” said Laugesen, a after they started using the e-cigarettes. nicotine. Another group also received the public health medicine specialist at Health NEW YORK: A swine virus deadly to young pigs, and positive sites, Minnesota has 19 and Indiana has 10, And the percentage who quit smoking devices and 7.2 mg nicotine cartridges, New Zealand Ltd in Christchurch. never before seen in North America, has spiked to 199 according to the data. PEDV has also been diagnosed entirely by the end rivals results achieved but later in the study they were switched He is also involved in an e-cigarette sites in 13 states - nearly double the number of farms in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, with medications, the authors note in the to 5.4 mg nicotine cartridges. And a third clinical trial and hopes to present the and other locations from earlier this month. Iowa, the Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South journal PLOS ONE. group got e-cigarettes and cartridges results in September. Siegel told Reuters largest US hog producer, has the most sites testing Dakota. Swine veterinarians, investigators with the US “I think the main message of the study containing only tobacco flavor but no Health that what’s attractive about e-ciga- positive for Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus: 102 sites, Agriculture Department and others are trying to is that we can use these products as an nicotine. Each participant received rettes is they can not only provide the as of June 10. The state raises on average 30 million determine how the virus is spreading from farm to extraordinary tobacco control tool,” Dr enough supplies to last three months and nicotine that smokers crave without other hogs each year, according to the Iowa Pork Producers farm and state to state. Currently the focus is on the Riccardo Polosa, the new study’s senior went to regular checkups throughout the harmful substances; they allow people to Association. nation’s livestock transportation system. author from the University of Catania, told year. At the end of the study, 13 percent of mimic their traditional smoking behavior. PEDV is spread most commonly by pigs ingesting Reuters Health. “This really is the first clini- the group that first received the highest- Researchers said that’s one reason why PEDV, most often fatal to very young pigs, causes cal trial that’s ever been reported on elec- dose nicotine cartridges was no longer e-cigarettes might turn out to be a better diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. It also sickens contaminated feces. Investigators are studying physi- tronic cigarettes. There has been survey smoking. That compared to 9 percent of form of nicotine replacement therapy older hogs, though their survival rate tends to be cal transmission, such as truck trailers marred with evidence and anecdotal reports, but this is those who were in the reduced-nicotine than patches and gums, but there’s no high. The total number of pig deaths from the out- contaminated feces, or a person wearing dirty boots the first serious study,” said Dr Michael group and 4 percent in the group without data yet to prove it. “I think that’s why break since the first cases were confirmed May 17 is or with dirty nails. While the virus has not tended to Siegel, who studies e-cigarettes but nicotine. they... found the people who actually got not known. kill older pigs, mortality among very young pigs wasn’t involved in the new research. Since there was no control group of no-nicotine electronic cigarettes had Researchers at veterinarian diagnostic labs, who infected in US farms is commonly 50 percent, and can E-cigarettes were first introduced in smokers who got no e-cigarettes at all, it’s some sort of quitting behavior... But obvi- are testing samples as part of a broad investigation be as high at 100 percent, say veterinarians and scien- China in 2004. The battery-powered hard to know how many would have quit ously the people who got the nicotine into the outbreak, have seen a substantial increase in tists who are studying the outbreak. devices let users inhale nicotine-infused smoking on their own by the end of a and the high dose of nicotine did the best. positive cases since early June, when data on the The strain of the PEDV virus that is making its way vapors, which don’t contain the harmful year, experts noted. Siegel, a professor at Clearly having the nicotine and device PEDV outbreak showed it at some 103 sites nation- across the nation’s hog farms and slaughterhouses is tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco the Boston University School of Public structure is ideal,” Siegel said. But he cau- wide. The data was compiled and released last week 99.4 percent similar in genetic structure to the PEDV smoke. Health, said he would expect about 2 per- tioned that more research is needed - by Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, that hit China’s herds last year, according to the US While past studies have looked at the cent of the participants to quit within a especially on the long-term safety of e- Kansas State University and South Dakota State researchers. After PEDV was first diagnosed in China use of e-cigarettes, the new study is the year if they weren’t involved in a study. cigarettes and how the devices stack up University. The virus does not pose a health risk to in 2010, it overran southern China and killed more first to follow hundreds of smokers for an However, Polosa’s team also found that against traditional smoking cessation humans or other animals and the meat from PEDV- than 1 million piglets, according to the Centers for entire year. It did not, however, compare between 9 and 12 percent of people in methods. “ My advice to people is to try infected pigs is safe for people to eat, according to Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious the devices to traditional nicotine replace- each of the nicotine-cartridge groups had the traditional therapy first. But I think federal officials and livestock economists. Diseases Journal. No direct connection has been ment therapies, such as gum or patches. reduced the amount they smoked by at electronic cigarettes are for people who But the virus, which is spreading rapidly across the found between the US outbreak and previously iden- To see how many e-cigarette users least half. “The study is very positive in have tried and failed nicotine replacement United States, is proving harder to control than previ- tified outbreaks in Asia and Europe, say scientists and would cut down or quit smoking ciga- that it shows if you smoke even a low- or therapy, which is, sadly, most people,” researchers.—Reuters rettes without any encouragement, the medium-strength e-cigarette, you can get Siegel added.—Reuters ously believed. In addition to Iowa, Oklahoma has 38 WHAT’S ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

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Issue of online visa by Indian embassy oreigners requiring visas for India need to apply it online from 16th June 2013. Applicants Fmay log on to the Public portal at www.indian- visaonline.gov.in. After successful online submis- sion, the hard copy, so generated, has to be signed by the applicant and submitted with supporting documents in accordance with the type of visa along with the applicable fee in cash at any of the two out- source centres at Sharq or Fahaheel. It is essential that applicants fill in their personal details as exactly available in their passports. Mismatch of any of the personal details would lead to non-acceptance of the application. Fees once paid are non-refundable. All children would have to obtain separate visa on their respective passports.

Indian Embassy sets up helpline he Indian Embassy in Kuwait has set up helpline in order to assist Indian expatriates in Tregistering any complaint regarding the gov- ernment’s ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal residents from the country. The embassy said in press release yesterday that it amended its previous statement and stated if there is any complaint, the same could be conveyed at the following (as amend- ed): Operations Department, Ministry of Interior, Kuwait. Fax: 22435580, Tel: 24768146/25200334. It said the embassy has been in regular contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing checking of expatriates. The embassy has also conveyed to them the concerns, fears and apprehensions of the com- munity in this regard. The authorities in Kuwait have conveyed that strict instructions have been issued to ensure that there is no harassment or improper treatment of expatriates by those undertaking checking. “The embassy would like to request Indian expatriates to ensure that they abide by all local The Najla Al-Naqqi Forum hosted a seminar recently discussing the aftermath of the Constitutional Court ruling and the need to honor the judgment of the Kuwaiti laws, rules and regulations regarding residency, traf- law. Several lawyers and political activists attended the event including Abdul-Aziz Al-Khateeb, Ahmad Al-Mulaifi, Dr Ayed Al-Manna, Yaha Al-Enizy, Hamed Al- Omairi, Ahmad Al-Faresi, Dr Khalid Al-Enizy and Dr Abdul-Wahed Al-Khalfan. fic and other matters,” the release read. It would be prudent to always carry the Civil ID and other rele- vant documents such as driving license, etc. In case an Indian expatriate encounters any improper treat- ment during checking, it may be conveyed immedi- ately with full details and contact particulars to the embassy at the following phone number 67623639. These contact details are exclusively for the above- mentioned purpose only.

8th Expo Pakistan to commence in September he 8th Expo Pakistan will be held from Sept 26 to 29 in Karachi. Held annually, Expo TPakistan is the biggest trade fair in the coun- try showcasing the largest collection of Pakistan’s export merchandise and services. Foreign Exhibitors also use the event to launch their products. Expo Pakistan 2012 was visited by delegates from 52 countries and generated a business of over $ 518 million. A 16 member dele- gation from Kuwait including reputable compa- nies like Al-Yasra Foods also took part in the last exhibition. German Shepherd owners are invited to a gathering organized this Saturday by the ‘German Shepherd Group’ in Kuwait at the Mesilah Water Village. Group leader Expo Pakistan 2013 is being held under the Bader Al-Sayegh announced special activities to be featured during the event which starts at 5 pm. auspices of the Trade Development Authority Pakistan. Details about the event can be viewed www.~pop~dstaii~gpy.pk. Further information and details of sponsorship can be obtained from Meeting of company representatives the office of Commercial Secretary, Pakistan Embassy, Jabriya (25356594) during office hours. with Indian ambassador The Embassy of Russia he Embassy of Russia has launched its offi- he Ambassador of India Satish C. Mehta held a meeting on June 24, cial page on Facebook social network which with HR Managers and Representatives of about 20 Companies Tcan be found by following address: Temploying Indian labourers in large number to discuss concerns http://www.facebook.com/RussianEmbassyKu about ongoing checking by the Kuwaiti authorities. wait All necessary information about Russia, bilat- The ambassador briefed the company representatives about the efforts eral relations between Russia and Kuwait and made by the Embassy of India to address the apprehension and concerns information for those who are going to apply visa of the Indian community. Details of the help lines of Ministry of Interior can be found there. Please don’t hesitate to con- and the embassy were given. A free exchange of views and an interactive tact us if you have any questions. We’ll be happy question-answer session was held during the meeting which led to clarifi- to help you. cation of a number of doubts and apprehensions. During the session a few useful suggestions emerged for all companies to follow. The Ambassador urged the Company Representatives to disseminate the correct perspec- tive to their Indian employees. He also advised the Company Representatives to set up their own English and Arabic help lines for the IMAX benefit of Indian employees in their companies. The Ambassador urged the Company Representatives to convey to the Indian workforce to abide by the Kuwaiti laws, rules and regulations and carry Civil ID and other relevant documents such as driving license etc.

IMAX film program Orio Milane - your Italian dining destination Wednesday: ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups njoy delicious Italian To The Arctic 3D 10:30am cuisine with a flavor Tornado Alley 3D 11:30am, 6:30pm, 9:30pm Ethat you will never Flight of Butterflies 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm forget. Experience unique Journey to Mecca 5:30pm Italian dishes and relish every bite. A visit to Orio Born to be Wild 3D 8:30pm Milane is a fascinating journey to savour the Thursday: healthy and scrumptious ** 9:30am Showtime Available for Groups Italian delights with an Flight of Butterflies 3D 10:30am, 5:30pm, 8:30pm unparalleled service in a Born to be Wild 3D 11:30am relaxing ambiance. Now Tornado Alley 3D 12:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm open in Abu Halifa, Dome To The Arctic 3D 6:30pm Mall, Besides Kuwait Magic. WHAT’S ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 Embassy Information

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: [email protected] (VFS) [email protected] (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc- com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at Premier Goal Academy celebrates www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. closing of successful season n n n n n n n EMBASSY OF CANADA he Premier Goal Academy in association with ers. Over 100 of these players, aged from 3 to 18 years, Further awards were made to players involved in The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does Everton F.C. and under the sponsorship of were nominated by their coaches to receive awards in the Girls Coaching Courses, School Community TPorsche Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors several categories, including: Most Outstanding, Most Programmes, and specialist Goalkeeping Awards. All not have a visa or immigration depart- Company, held their Gala Presentation Evening Season Improved, Most Sporting, Top Trainer, Star Player, the players were presented with trophies by the British ment. All processing of visa and immigra- 2012-13 at the Marina Hotel this week. Over 400 guests Coaches Award and Centre of Excellence Team Player. Ambassador, the Palestinian Ambassador and the tion matters including enquiries is conducted by packed into the Salwa Sabah Al-Ahmad Theatre and These players demonstrated an abundance of hard Deputy Head of Mission from the Canadian Embassy, the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Hall for a spectacular occasion under the Patronage of work, commitment and high standards of performance Colleen Mapendere. Many surprise gifts were also pro- H.E. the British Ambassador, Frank Baker, which com- and conduct over the course of the season to earn vided by the awards sponsors, Porsche Centre Kuwait, Individuals who are interested in working, menced with the playing of the national anthems of their rewards. Special Presentations were made to Behbehani Motors Company and Go Sport, including studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada Kuwait and the United Kingdom. Several other Coaches Peter Mapendere by Mr. Paul, Charge gift vouchers, footballs, sports sunglasses, fitness should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Ambassadors and Embassy officials, Ministry of D’Affaires of the Zimbabwean Embassy, and to Nasser packs, cameras and BMX bicycles. Academy Director Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.going- Education officials and special guests graced the occa- Dakak by H.E. the Palestinian Ambassador, Mr Rami Mike Finn and Executive Director Baker Al-Nazer sion, during which over 150 glittering awards were Tahbob, in recognition of their initiatives to support thanked the coaching team, sponsors and supporters tocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-im-enquiry@inter- presented to selected players, coaches and sponsors at Global Football Development by promoting organized for all their assistance in making the season such an national.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located the end of a tremendously successful season of coach- sports activities and donating footballs and equipment enjoyable and successful one for everyone involved at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. ing courses, matches, festivals tournaments, overseas to underprivileged youth in Zimbabwe and bringing with the P.G.A. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. trips and special events involving over 500 young play- visiting teams to Kuwait from Jerusalem, Palestine. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday.

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EMBASSY OF US Parents of Kuwaiti citizen children may drop off their sons’ and daughters’ visa applications - completely free of an interview or a trip inside the Embassy. The chil- dren must be under 14 years of age, and addi- tional requirements do apply, but the service means parents will no longer have to schedule individual appointments for their children, nor come inside the Embassy (unless they are applying for themselves). The service is only available for children holding Kuwaiti pass- ports. To take advantage, parents must drop off the following documents: Child Visa Drop-off cover sheet, available on the Embassy website (http://kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.htm) - Child’s passport; The Child’s previous pass- port, if it contains a valid US visa; 5x5cm photo of child with eyes open (if uploaded into DS- 160, photos must be a .jpg between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, less than 240kb, and cannot be digitally altered); A completed DS- 160 form; Visa Fee Receipt from Burgan Bank; A copy of the valid visa of at least one parent. If one parent will not travel, provide a visa copy for the traveling parent, and a passport copy from the non-traveling parent with a letter stating no objection to the child’s travel. - For children of students (F2): a copy of the child’s I- 20. Children born in the US (with very few exceptions) are US citizens and would not be eligible for a visa. Parents may drop off the application packet at Window 2 at the Embassy from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Monday to Wednesday, excluding holidays. More information is avail- able on the U.S. Embassy website: kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.html

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EMBASSY OF GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the pleasure to announce that visa applica- tions must be submitted to Schengen Visa Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al- Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For information please call 22281046 from 08:30 to 17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours: Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collec- tion from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications please visit the following website www.mfa.gr/kuwait.

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EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait has moved to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait. Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066. Email: [email protected] The Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC) concluded its ‘Bright Minds’ course at the “Fab Lab Q8” workshops in Qadsiya, in which chil- dren of SACGC employees learned the basics of computer programming and robot operation. TV PROGRAMS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

00:45 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 14:05 Food Wars Highlights 01:05 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:00 PGA Tour Highlights 01:30 Emperor’s New School 14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 20:00 ICC Cricket 360 03:00 Last Man Standing 01:50 Emperor’s New School 15:20 Guy’s Big Bite 20:30 Live Cricket International 14:35 Border Security 03:30 Raising Hope 02:15 Replacements 15:45 Chopped Twenty20 15:05 Auction Hunters 04:00 Seinfeld 02:35 Replacements 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To 23:30 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 15:30 Auction Kings 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Basics 16:00 Discovery Saved My Life Leno 17:00 Red, Hot And Yummy 16:55 Heroes Of Hell’s Highway 05:30 Two And A Half Men 17:25 Food Wars 17:50 Mythbusters 06:00 All Of Us 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:00 UK Open Darts 18:45 Sons Of Guns 06:30 Til Death 18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:00 World Cup Of Pool 19:40 Industrial Junkie 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 14:30 Style Star 18:40 Charly’s Cake Angels 05:00 World Cup Of Pool 20:05 How It’s Made 08:00 Seinfeld 15:00 Keeping Up With The 19:05 Unique Sweets 06:00 Trans World Sport 20:35 Auction Hunters 08:30 Two And A Half Men Kardashians 19:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes 07:00 Golfing World 21:00 Storage Hunters 09:00 Last Man Standing 16:00 Keeping Up With The 20:20 Chopped 08:00 International Rugby Union 21:30 Unchained Reaction 09:30 Hot In Cleveland Kardashians 21:10 Chopped 10:00 Futbol Mundial 22:25 Skywire With Nik Wallenda 10:00 Men At Work 17:00 Ice Loves Coco 22:00 Charly’s Cake Angels 10:30 World Cup Of Pool 23:20 Mythbusters 10:30 Til Death 17:30 Ice Loves Coco 22:30 Charly’s Cake Angels 11:30 World Cup Of Pool 00:15 Unchained Reaction 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay 18:00 E! News 22:55 Unique Sweets 12:30 Trans World Sport 01:10 Skywire With Nik Wallenda Leno 19:00 Fashion Police 23:15 Unique Sweets 12:00 All Of Us 20:00 THS 23:40 Food Wars 13:30 Golfing World 12:30 Seinfeld 21:00 Kourtney And Kim Take Miami 00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 14:30 Super League 13:00 Two And A Half Men 22:00 What Would Ryan Lochte Do? 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 16:30 NRL Premiership 14:00 Raising Hope 22:30 E! News 00:55 Unwrapped 18:30 Futbol Mundial 14:30 Men At Work 23:30 Chelsea Lately 01:20 Unwrapped 19:00 AFL Premiership 14:50 Real Gangs Of New York 15:00 Hot In Cleveland 00:00 Scouted 01:45 Charly’s Cake Angels 21:30 Super League 15:45 Reign Of The Dinosaurs 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon 00:55 Style Star 23:30 NRL Full Time 16:40 Great Planes Stewart 01:25 THS 17:35 Chasing Classic Cars 16:00 The Colbert Report 18:00 Chasing Classic Cars 16:30 All Of Us 18:25 Marine Corps Survival School 03:00 Mission: Impossible - Ghost 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 00:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 19:20 Combat Countdown 18:00 Ben And Kate Protocol-PG15 01:00 NHL 20:10 Living With The Kombai Tribe 18:30 The Simpsons 05:15 Marley & Me: The Puppy 03:00 Mass Participation 21:05 What The Ancients Knew 19:00 Modern Family 03:05 Coastal Kitchen Years-PG 22:00 Combat Countdown 19:30 The Mindy Project 03:30 Food Poker 06:45 Hugo-PG 04:00 Motor Sports 2013 22:55 Legend Detectives 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay 04:15 Bargain Hunt 09:00 Kung Fu Panda 2-PG 05:00 NHL 23:50 Most Evil Leno 05:00 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish 11:00 Mission: Impossible - Ghost 07:00 WWE NXT 00:45 Chasing Classic Cars 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon 05:25 Mitch And Matt’s Big Fish Protocol-PG15 08:00 WWE Bottom Line 01:10 Chasing Classic Cars Stewart 05:50 Cash In The Attic 13:30 Every Jack Has A Jill-PG15 09:00 Ping Pong World 01:35 Combat Countdown 21:30 The Colbert Report 06:35 Coastal Kitchen 15:30 The 16th Man-PG15 10:00 US Bass Fishing 22:00 South Park 07:00 Food Poker 16:45 Kung Fu Panda 2-PG 11:00 NHL 22:30 South Park 07:45 Home Cooking Made Easy 18:45 Snow White And The 13:00 Mass Participation 07:55 The Hairy Bikers Come Home Huntsman-PG15 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 14:00 Mass Participation 08:15 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 21:00 Shadow Dancer-PG15 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon 15:00 Mobil 1 The Grid Stewart 09:05 Bargain Hunt 23:00 The Rum Diary-18 14:20 Food Factory 15:30 WWE Experience 01:00 The Colbert Report 09:50 Antiques Roadshow 01:00 Gone-PG15 14:45 Food Factory 16:30 Ping Pong World 15:10 Thunder Races 01:30 South Park 10:45 Extreme Makeover: Home 17:30 US Bass Fishing 16:00 Nextworld 02:00 South Park Edition 16:55 Mega World 11:30 MasterChef Australia 18:30 NHL 12:15 Come Dine With Me 20:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 17:45 Mars: The Quest For Life 07:00 The Stool Pigeon-PG15 18:35 The Gadget Show 13:00 The Hairy Bikers Come Home 21:00 Prizefighter JANE EYRE ON OSN CINEMA 13:55 Bargain Hunt 09:00 The Decoy Bride-PG15 19:00 How Tech Works 11:00 Underground: The Julian 19:30 Through The Wormhole 14:40 Cash In The Attic 05:15 Brandy & Mr Whiskers Assange Story-PG15 20:20 How The Universe Works 15:25 Antiques Roadshow 05:35 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 16:15 Extreme Makeover: Home 13:00 No Surrender-PG15 21:10 Food Factory 06:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 21:35 Food Factory Edition 15:00 Jane Eyre-PG15 06:30 Doc McStuffins 17:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 17:00 Footloose-PG15 22:00 Through The Wormhole 06:45 A.N.T. Farm 22:50 Stuck With Hackett 17:55 Planet Cake 19:00 The Darkest Hour-PG15 Director Emmerich brings 07:10 A.N.T. Farm 18:25 Tareq Taylor’s Nordic Cookery 21:00 Snowtown-R 23:15 Stuck With Hackett 07:35 Jessie 23:40 Food Factory 18:55 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 23:00 Now Is Good-PG15 07:55 Jessie 19:20 New Scandinavian Cooking 00:05 Food Factory 08:20 Shake It Up 01:00 Footloose-PG15 ‘White House Down’ 00:30 How Do They Do It? With Claus Meyer 08:45 Shake It Up 19:45 Come Dine With Me 01:00 How The Universe Works 09:05 Austin And Ally 01:50 Stuck With Hackett 20:35 Extreme Makeover: Home 09:30 Geek Charming Edition 04:00 12 Dates Of Christmas-PG15 with terrorism plot 11:05 A.N.T Farm 21:20 Antiques Roadshow 11:25 Jessie 22:15 Bargain Hunt 06:00 Frankenweenie-PG 11:50 Jessie 23:00 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 08:00 Source Code-PG15 12:15 Austin And Ally 23:55 Food Poker 10:00 Batman: Year One-PG15 ilm director Roland Emmerich has made oblit- ‘Independence Day’ writer Dean Devlin asked me 14:00 Ancient Aliens 12:35 Austin And Ally 00:40 Come Dine With Me 12:00 Frankenweenie-PG erating the White House a trademark in his ‘So what do we blow up in Washington? The 13:00 Shake It Up 14:00 A Mother’s Choice-PG15 15:00 Ancient Aliens 01:30 MasterChef Australia apocalyptic blockbusters and true to form, he Capitol?’ And I said ‘No, No. The White House.’ And 16:00 Ancient Aliens 13:25 Shake It Up 02:20 Cash In The Attic 16:00 Source Code-PG15 F 17:00 Ancient Aliens 13:45 The Adventures Of Disney 18:00 Johnny English Reborn-PG15 ravages it in spectacular fashion with a terrorist he said ‘Oh!’.” 18:00 Ancient Aliens Fairies 20:00 The Girl-PG15 attack in “White House Down,” opening in theaters 22:00 Love And Other Impossible 19:00 Ax Men 14:10 The Adventures Of Disney on Friday. “White House Down,” starring Channing Spotlight on Tatum Pursuits-PG15 20:00 Pawn Stars Fairies 14:35 Suite Life On Deck 00:00 Source Code-PG15 Tatum, Jamie Foxx and Maggie Gyllenhaal, is “White House Down,” produced by Sony Corp’s 20:30 Storage Wars 15:00 Gravity Falls 03:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 02:00 Johnny English Reborn-PG15 Emmerich’s first foray into terrorism. Columbia Pictures for an estimated $150 million 21:00 Ancient Aliens 15:25 Good Luck Charlie 03:25 Food Wars 22:00 Ancient Aliens “It’s about the division in America, it’s about lob- according to IMDB.com, shines a spotlight on 15:50 Jessie 03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:00 Soviet Storm: WWII In The East byism and about how some people feel entitled to Tatum, who is rising fast into the Hollywood’s upper 16:10 Shake It Up 04:15 Unique Eats 00:00 Pawn Stars 16:35 A.N.T. Farm 04:40 Chopped do certain things and totally believe in them patri- echelons. Tatum, 33, voted ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ by 00:30 Storage Wars 17:00 Austin And Ally 05:30 Iron Chef America 04:00 Ip Man 2-PG15 otically,” Emmerich told Reuters. Emmerich, 57, has People magazine last year after starring as a strip- 01:00 Ancient Aliens 17:20 Gravity Falls 06:10 Food Network Challenge 06:00 Soldiers Of Fortune-PG15 actually made his career destroying the White per in “Magic Mike,” performed most of his many 02:00 Ancient Aliens 17:45 Suite Life On Deck 07:00 Guy’s Big Bite 08:00 Ice Quake-PG15 18:10 Good Luck Charlie 07:25 Guy’s Big Bite 10:00 Boiler Room-PG15 House. In his 1996 film, “Independence Day,” the stunts himself in the action-packed movie. 18:30 That’s So Raven 07:50 Andy Bates American Street 12:00 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider-PG15 building was annihilated by an alien laser beam, Emmerich said he was so eager to have Tatum in 18:55 Austin And Ally Feasts 14:00 Ice Quake-PG15 then buried in snow in 2004’s “The Day After his movie, that he brought filming forward by 10 19:20 Jessie 08:15 Unique Sweets 16:00 Romancing The Stone-PG15 Tomorrow,” and swept away by an aircraft carrier weeks to accommodate the actor’s busy schedule. 14:00 C.S.I. 19:40 Gravity Falls 08:40 Red, Hot And Yummy 18:00 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider-PG15 15:00 Glee 20:05 A.N.T. Farm 09:05 Barefoot Contessa 19:45 The Big I Am-18 riding a tidal wave in last year’s “2012.” “When I met him, I couldn’t believe how smart and 16:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Shake It Up 09:30 Food Network Challenge 21:45 The Crazies-18 “Whenever something big happens in America, intelligent he is, and grounded in reality, humble 16:30 Coronation Street 20:50 Suite Life On Deck 10:20 Extra Virgin 23:30 The Godfather III-18 the White House is involved. Because of that there and how cool and everything,” Emmerich said. “And 02:30 The Crazies-18 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 21:15 Austin And Ally 10:45 Kid In A Candy Store is a lot of White House in my movies because I I realized: I have a real problem if he says ‘no’.” 21:40 That’s So Raven 11:10 Charly’s Cake Angels 18:00 C.S.I. always try to do a relatively international plot. I’m Foxx, 45, who plays fictional President James 19:00 Touch 22:00 Shake It Up 11:35 Unique Sweets 20:00 Bones 22:25 A.N.T Farm 12:00 Amazing Wedding Cakes not the only one. The White House gets attacked a Sawyer, said the role was a welcome change from 22:50 Austin And Ally 12:50 Red, Hot And Yummy 21:00 Castle lot! But I probably hold the record,” the director his last one in Quentin Tarantino’s spaghetti 23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To 08:00 Scrooged-PG15 22:00 Breakout Kings said. In “White House Down,” Emmerich dedicated Western about slave revenge “Django Unchained.” “I 23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place Basics 10:00 3 Holiday Tails-PG 23:00 Greek 00:00 Hannah Montana Forever 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To 12:00 Beethoven’s Second-PG the best part of two hours to destroying the presi- was doing ‘Django’ a year ago. I was a slave, so play- 00:00 Glee 00:20 Hannah Montana Forever Basics 14:00 Rookie Of The Year-PG dential building as an aspiring Secret Service agent, ing the president is much better,” Foxx joked with 02:00 Castle 16:00 3 Holiday Tails-PG played by Tatum, finds himself protecting the presi- reporters at a premiere screening in Washington, 18:00 Larry Crowne-PG15 20:00 Friends With Benefits-18 dent, played by Foxx, during a terrorist attack. attended by an audience of journalists, politicians 22:00 Extract-PG15 Emmerich teamed up with screenwriter James and former White House staff members. 00:00 30 Minutes Or Less-18 Vanderbilt, who wrote 2012’s box-office reboot “Remember, this is fiction. I’m here to make sure 02:00 Friends With Benefits-18 “The Amazing Spider-Man,” to develop a script this doesn’t happen,” Homeland Security Secretary exploring the threat of terrorism. “Any point of view Janet Napolitano quipped on the red carpet in when taken to an extreme can turn into a bad Georgetown. — Reuters thing, no matter how rational it is to begin with,” 10:00 Project Nim-PG15 11:45 Courage-PG15 Vanderbilt told Reuters. 13:15 The Year Dolly Parton Was My Asked if being a European gave him a slightly Mom-PG different perspective as a filmmaker, the German- 15:00 Project Nim-PG15 born director said: “I’m maybe a little bit more 16:45 Win Win-PG15 18:45 Money For Nothing-PG15 courageous than an American. I realized that when 21:00 Columbus Circle-PG15 23:00 Roadie-18 01:00 L.A I Hate You-PG15

00:00 AFL Highlights 01:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 02:00 PGA Tour 07:00 Super League 09:00 NRL Premiership 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 ICC Cricket 360 12:30 Live British & Irish Lions 14:30 International Rugby Union 16:30 ICC Cricket 360 17:00 PGA Tour Highlights 18:00 AFL Highlights 19:00 British & Irish Lions 21:00 NRL Full Time 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 Trans World Sport 23:00 PGA European Tour Highlights

00:00 NRL Premiership 02:00 Super League 04:00 International Rugby Union 06:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 07:00 Trans World Sport 08:00 PGA Tour Highlights 09:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 10:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 11:00 Futbol Mundial 11:30 UK Open Darts 15:30 Futbol Mundial 16:00 British and Irish Lions Tour SHADOW DANCE ON OSN MOVIES HD 18:00 PGA European Tour Classifieds

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

Kuwait TUITION KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY Tuition for IGCSE/ TOEL/ (20/06/2013 TO 26/06/2013) IELTS/ GMAT/ SAT and for American, English, Bilingual Schools and University stu- SHARQIA-1 MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG) 3:15 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 9:45 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 1:30 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG) 5:30 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 12:15 AM dents. Spoken English for WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 3:45 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 7:45 PM all. English teacher - call: LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 6:15 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 10:15 PM AVENUES-3 66948099. (C 4446) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 8:15 PM TATTAH (DIG) 12:45 AM WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 1:45 PM 24-6-2013 LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 10:45 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 4:15 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 12:45 AM FANAR-3 WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 6:45 PM CHANGE OF NAME LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 1:45 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 9:15 PM SHARQIA-2 LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 3:45 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 11:45 PM I, HASEENABIBI Manorsha silver color (1.8), hatch THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) 12:45 PM NOW YOU SEE ME (DIG) 5:45 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 2:30 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 8:00 PM 360º- 1 Fakir holding passport No. back, 60,000km, price KD MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 4:45 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 10:00 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 12:30 PM J4436269 wish to change my 1,750/-. Contact: 66729295. MAN OF STEEL (DIG-3D) 7:00 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 12:05 AM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 3:00 PM name to Mrs. Hasinabibi (C 4448) MAN OF STEEL (DIG-3D) 9:45 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 5:30 PM Fakir Mohammad Diwan. MAN OF STEEL (DIG-3D) 12:30 AM MARINA-1 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 8:00 PM Mitsubishi ASX (Jeep), LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 1:30 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 10:30 PM I, FAKIR Manorsha Pirusha, 2011 model, dark gray col- SHARQIA-3 SCENARIO (DIG) 3:30 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 1:00 AM holding passport No. or, full options, 71,000 km, TATTAH (DIG) 2:00 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 6:00 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 4:30 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 8:00 PM 360º- 2 F8463173 wish to change my price KD 2,900/-. Contact: TATTAH (DIG) 7:15 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 10:30 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 1:15 PM name to Fakir Mohammad 50994848. (C 4449) SCENARIO (DIG) 9:30 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 12:45 AM SCENARIO (DIG) 3:45 PM Pirusha Diwan. 25-6-2013 TATTAH (DIG) 12:05 AM SCENARIO (DIG) 6:15 PM (C 4450) MARINA-2 SCENARIO (DIG) 8:45 PM 26-6-2013 MUHALAB-1 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 12:30 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 11:15 PM MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 1:30 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 2:45 PM I, Eshfak Esmailbhai Huseiny, MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 4:15 PM MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 5:00 PM 360º- 3 SCENARIO (DIG) 7:00 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 7:45 PM THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) 1:00 PM holder of passport No. MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 9:30 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 10:00 PM THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) 3:00 PM H2611280 have changed my MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 12:15 AM THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) 5:00 PM name to Mustafa Esmailbhai MUHALAB-2 NO SUN+ TUE+WED WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 7:00 PM Huseiny. (C 4445) WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 1:30 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 9:30 PM 24-6-2013 112 LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 3:45 PM MARINA-3 WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 12:05 AM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 5:45 PM THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) 1:30 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 8:00 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 1:15 PM AL-KOUT.1 FOR SALE THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 10:00 PM THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) 3:30 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 1:15 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 5:15 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 3:30 PM Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is MUHALAB-3 TATTAH (DIG) 7:30 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 5:45 PM Mercedez Benz E230, 1998 MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 1:00 PM TATTAH (DIG) 9:45 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 8:00 PM model, white color in excel- THE LEGEND OF SARILA (DIG-3D) 3:30 PM TATTAH (DIG) 12:15 AM WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 10:15 PM lent condition for sale, well 1889988 MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG-3D) 5:15 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG-3D) 12:45 AM maintained, insured up to TATTAH (DIG) 7:30 PM AVENUES-1 June 2014. Contact: TATTAH (DIG) 9:45 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 1:15 PM AL-KOUT.2 99797826. (C 4451) Prayer timings LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 3:15 PM TATTAH (DIG) 12:45 PM 26-6-2013 FANAR-1 LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 5:15 PM TATTAH (DIG) 3:00 PM Fajr: 03:14 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 12:30 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 7:15 PM TATTAH (DIG) 5:15 PM WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 3:00 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 9:15 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 7:30 PM Mitsubishi Pajero, 2007 Shorook 04:50 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 5:30 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 11:15 PM TATTAH (DIG) 10:00 PM model, single man driven, Duhr: 11:50 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 8:00 PM LAY THE FAVORITE (DIG) 1:15 AM TATTAH (DIG) 12:30 AM maintained by Mitsubishi, WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 10:30 PM for immediate sale. Contact: Asr: 15:24 WORLD WAR Z (DIG) 1:00 AM AVENUES-2 AL-KOUT.3 66101542. (C 4447) SCENARIO (DIG) 2:15 PM MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 1:00 PM Maghrib: 18:51 FANAR-2 SCENARIO (DIG) 4:45 PM MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 3:45 PM MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (DIG) 1:00 PM SCENARIO (DIG) 7:15 PM MAN OF STEEL (DIG) 6:30 PM Nissan Tiida, 2011 model, Isha: 20:23

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

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 26/6/2013 MEA 402 BEIRUT 20:15 Departure Flights on Wednesday 26/6/2013 MSR 611 CAIRO 14:00 Airlines Flt Route Time AXB 489 COCHIN 20:35 Airlines Flt Route Time THY 767 ISTANBUL 14:10 QTR 148 DOHA 00:05 KLM 417 AMSTERDAM 21:05 AIC 982 AHMEDABAD 00:05 KNE 481 TAIF 14:10 JZR 267 BEIRUT 00:20 ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10 JAI 573 MUMBAI 00:20 UAE 872 DUBAI 14:15 QTR 6130 DOHA 00:25 UAE 859 DUBAI 21:15 UAL 981 WASHINGTON 00:25 FDB 58 DUBAI 14:30 RJA 644 AMMAN 00:30 FDB 8057 DUBAI 14:50 DLH 637 FRANKFURT 00:30 IYE 827 RIYAN MUKALLA 14:30 THY 764 SABIHA 01:40 KAC 542 CAIRO 18:15 MSR 615 CAIRO 00:30 CLX 792 GIALAM 14:45 JZR 539 CAIRO 00:40 KAC 672 DUBAI 13:40 JZR 1542 CAIRO 01:20 QTR 141 DOHA 14:55 UAE 4965 DUBAI 02:55 KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25 QTR 6131 DOHA 01:55 IRC 6693 MASHHAD 15:00 ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 01:45 KAC 166 PARIS 18:40 THY 773 ISTANBUL 02:20 MSR 576 SHARM EL SHEIKH 15:00 GFA 211 BAHRAIN 01:55 KAC 786 JEDDAH 18:30 THY 765 ISTANBUL 02:40 KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05 UAE 853 DUBAI 02:25 KAC 618 DOHA 19:10 ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45 FDB 8058 DUBAI 15:35 ETD 305 ABU DHABI 02:30 KAC 790 MEDINAH 13:55 RJA 645 AMMAN 03:05 KAC 617 DOHA 15:45 LZB 7779 BOURGAS 02:35 KAC 102 NEW YORK 19:35 LZB 7780 BOURGAS 03:25 SVA 503 MADINAH 15:45 THY 768 ISTANBUL 02:50 KAC 538 SHARM EL SHEIKH 15:50 THY 769 ISTANBUL 03:40 JZR 188 DUBAI 16:00 RJA 642 AMMAN 03:10 KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25 UAE 854 DUBAI 03:45 KAC 773 RIYADH 16:00 QTR 6058 ZARAGOZA 03:55 UAE 871 DUBAI 12:45 FDB 68 DUBAI 03:50 RJA 641 AMMAN 16:55 RBG 557 ALEXANDRIA 06:25 MSR 610 CAIRO 13:00 MSR 613 CAIRO 04:15 JZR 238 AMMAN 17:05 KAC 412 MANILA 06:15 THY 766 ISTANBUL 13:10 OMA 644 MUSCAT 04:20 QTR 135 DOHA 17:20 FDB 67 DUBAI 03:10 CLX 792 LUXEMBOURG 13:15 ETD 306 ABU DHABI 04:20 ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:20 MSR 612 CAIRO 03:15 KNE 480 TAIF 13:20 QTR 139 DOHA 04:25 JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40 OMA 643 MUSCAT 03:20 IYE 826 SANAA 13:30 QTR 149 DOHA 05:15 ABY 128 SHARJAH 17:50 QTR 138 DOHA 03:30 QTR 140 DOHA 13:45 UAE 4965 DUBAI 05:30 UAE 858 DUBAI 18:15 THY 770 ISTANBUL 04:35 FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50 JZR 560 SOHAG 05:35 SVA 511 RIYADH 18:20 DHX 170 BAHRAIN 05:10 IRC 6692 MASHAD 14:00 QTR 6058 DOHA 05:55 GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:20 FDB 69 DUBAI 05:50 MSR 575 SHARM EL SHEIKH 14:15 FDB 70 DUBAI 06:30 UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:30 BAW 157 LONDON 06:30 SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30 RJA 643 AMMAN 06:35 JZR 184 DUBAI 18:30 JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 06:20 RJA 640 AMMAN 15:55 JZR 242 AMMAN 06:55 KNE 471 JEDDAH 18:40 JZR 529 ASSIUT 06:40 QTR 134 DOHA 16:15 GFA 212 BAHRAIN 07:00 JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:40 JZR 1541 CAIRO 06:25 ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:35 RBG 558 ALEXANDRIA 07:05 NIA 252 ALEXANDRIA 19:00 MEA 406 BEIRUT 09:45 UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55 THY 771 ISTANBUL 07:10 QTR 145 DOHA 19:25 KAC 382 DELHI 07:30 ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:10 JZR 164 DUBAI 07:25 FDB 64 DUBAI 19:35 KAC 344 CHENNAI 08:20 UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:15 KAC 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 08:00 GFA 220 BAHRAIN 19:50 KAC 352 COCHIN 08:05 SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20 BAW 156 LONDON 08:25 JZR 134 BAHRAIN 20:05 KAC 284 DHAKA 08:15 GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:20 FDB 54 DUBAI 08:25 KAC 283 DHAKA 20:15 KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 07:25 KNE 462 MEDINAH 17:45 JZR 256 BEIRUT 08:50 MSC 404 ASSIUT 20:15 KAC 302 MUMBAI 07:50 NIA 251 ALEXANDRIA 18:00 KAC 117 NEW YORK 09:05 MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 20:30 FDB 53 DUBAI 07:45 QTR 144 DOHA 18:25 JZR 534 CAIRO 09:10 JAI 571 MUMBAI 20:35 UAE 855 DUBAI 08:25 FDB 63 DUBAI 18:55 KAC 789 MADINAH 09:15 FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40 ABY 125 SHARJAH 08:50 GFA 219 BAHRAIN 19:05 KAC 671 DUBAI 09:25 ABY 120 SHARJAH 20:45 QTR 132 DOHA 09:00 JZR 357 MASHAD 16:50 ABY 126 SHARJAH 09:30 KAC 361 COLOMBO 20:50 IRM 1186 TEHRAN 09:10 JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:50 UAE 856 DUBAI 09:50 KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 20:50 FDB 55 DUBAI 09:15 JZR 787 RIYADH 16:15 FDB 56 DUBAI 09:55 OMA 648 MUSCAT 20:55 IRA 603 SHIRAZ 09:25 JZR 535 CAIRO 16:10 QTR 133 DOHA 10:00 KAC 351 KOCHI 21:05 ETD 301 ABU DHABI 09:30 JZR 257 BEIRUT 14:30 ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:15 MEA 403 BEIRUT 21:15 GFA 213 BAHRAIN 10:40 JZR 177 DUBAI 17:30 IRA 602 SHIRAZ 10:25 DHX 171 BAHRAIN 21:50 MEA 404 BEIRUT 10:55 JZR 189 DUBAI 20:10 IRM 1187 IMAM KHOMEINI 10:30 KLM 417 DAMMAM 22:05 ETD 934 SHARJAH 22:05 IAW 157 BAGHDAD 11:00 JZR 481 SABIHA 20:10 MEA 407 BEIRUT 10:45 JZR 356 MASHHAD 11:00 FDB 8054 DUBAI 22:10 MSC 403 ASSIUT 11:30 ETD 307 ABU DHABI 21:30 GFA 214 BAHRAIN 11:25 ETD 308 ABU DHABI 22:15 IRM 1188 MASHAD 11:45 QTR 136 DOHA 21:35 KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30 ALK 230 COLOMBO 22:20 TMA 213 BEIRUT 12:00 GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:45 MEA 405 BEIRUT 11:55 UAE 860 DUBAI 22:25 KNE 470 JEDDAH 12:15 QTR 146 DOHA 22:00 JAI 576 COCHIN 22:05 IAW 158 AL NAJAF 12:00 KAC 381 DELHI 22:30 JZR 243 AMMAN 12:20 FDB 59 DUBAI 22:20 KAC 175 FRANKFURT 12:10 QTR 137 DOHA 22:35 JZR 1543 CAIRO 08:20 AIC 975 CHENNAI 22:25 JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25 KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:40 JZR 561 SOHAG 12:00 UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40 JZR 480 ISTANBUL 12:30 GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:45 JZR 165 DUBAI 11:35 DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10 MSC 406 SOHAG 12:30 FDB 60 DUBAI 23:00 MSC 405 SOHAG 19:15 JAI 574 MUMBAI 23:20 KAC 103 LONDON 12:30 KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00 MSR 606 LUXOR 19:30 MSR 614 CAIRO 23:30 JZR 786 RIYADH 12:50 QTR 147 DOHA 23:05 JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35 THY 772 ISTANBUL 23:45 KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:00 JAI 575 ABU DHABI 23:05 FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00 FDB 8053 DUBAI 21:30 IRM 1189 MASHHAD 13:10 JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:20 OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:00 JZR 185 DUBAI 22:40 KNE 461 MADINAH 13:10 JZR 1540 CAIRO 23:25 ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:05 JZR 239 AMMAN 22:30 JZR 176 DUBAI 13:20 KAC 415 KUALA LUMPUR 23:50 ETD 933 ABU DHABI 20:05 JZR 135 BAHRAIN 23:00 TMA 223 DUBAI 13:45 JZR 528 ASSIUT 23:55 DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION stars34 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

CROSSWORD 232 STAR TRACK

Aries (March 21-April 19) Libra (September 23-October 22) ARIES Abundance is in the air! Tap into and use a prosperous attitude to create You may be sought after for your advice and counsel. You seem to magi- wealth. A co-worker or customer may be just a little too sensitive today. There may be cally cut through the red tape and get at what is hidden. This is a great time to be with some difficulty in controlling a situation. Consider the person is probably afraid of some- others—in play or work. Success is indicated in education, politics or the law. You know thing that does not relate to the present surroundings. Your interest in probing the how to attack and solve problems, whether they are personal or public difficulties. secrets of others is very energetic, but this may not be the proper time. Devote time and Chances are that your social skills mean you are popular with almost everyone. Your energy to a creative project this afternoon. You can be very effective as you play. Young energies run effectively toward making yourself felt in the material, tangible outer people like to visit and be with you when you are not in a serious tone. It is worth a world. You are an action-person who gains the attention of others and seems to get change of plans, to take time for love this evening. There are opportunities to have an things moving. understanding and a deeper bonding with those you love.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You are a real charmer—able to enchant others and bring them under You may be very forceful in what you say and think. With all of this emo- your spell. All sorts of social interactions are possible. A co-worker friend is about ready tional energy, you could speak or communicate very well. You have a lot to have her baby and a shower is in order. Although you have plenty of work to carry of mental drive now. Learn to use your good intuition and feelings so that you will out you manage to put on a nice little shower during the lunch break. You will have help become more in-tune with what is most needed today. This is a great time to make the to clean up and help this co-worker pack her things up for her drive home. At home this extra effort to stretch beyond the usual daily routine and help a person. While it is diffi- evening you will still have a couple of days before you have the kids over at your place cult for you to approach your sensitive areas, it is of great importance that you do so. A for a birthday party. A busy but fun time . . . Certainly something that takes a rare person good transition from work to home this evening would be some fun trip to see an award-winning rose garden or stopping to exercise at the gym or any number of other to carry out. Your success is remarkable. There is time this evening for a foot massage activities that pleasantly shake up the day. You enjoy time with your partner tonight. after your nice hot bath or shower.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Everything seems to put you in the limelight today. You come off well in You are understanding to the needs of others and are in a good position group matters. The areas in which you enjoy doing the best work are with to communicate concerning groups and society. You are very imaginative when it comes to your health, the food you eat and how you take care of yourself. You the written and spoken word and with ideas in all their flavors. Your enthusiasm for are quick to get the picture and you may find you take an interest in helping others see mind, the intellect and the world of ideas makes it easy for you to communicate these the benefits that proper care—mental, physical and such—can bring. Others may find ACROSS sweeping strokes. things to others. You have no trouble putting your feelings into words and what you say you especially witty and eccentric. You may have insights or breakthroughs with regard 1. System of measurement based on cen- 5. A setting with precious stones so closely always carries a lot of content. You could have difficulty getting outer recognition for timeters and grams and seconds. set that no metal shows. to your living situation or life circumstances. A move could be in order. You are very sen- your efforts or accomplishments. This does not mean they are worthless but it does sitive, even vulnerable when it comes to expressing yourself. Periods of intense creativi- 4. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat 6. 100 avos equal 1 pataca. mean you should throw your efforts into work or ventures from which you take great ty enable you to go through changes and inner growth. There is music. trimmed off. 7. Of or related to genetically distinguished pleasure. You enjoy mental effort and discipline and will find your efforts successful. 12. A proportion multiplied by 100. groups of people. 15. Resinlike substance secreted by certain 8. Fragrant resin obtain from trees of the fam- lac insects. ily Burseraceae and used as incense. Capricorn (December 22-January 19) 16. A skirt consisting of a rectangle of calico 9. Sweet liqueur made from wine and brandy Cancer (June 21-July 22) or printed cotton. flavored with plum or peach or apricot ker- There are challenges this morning, but you know the details—now is the 17. Of or relating to a member of the nels and bitter almonds. Today, you will find it easier to work with others than most days. You tend time to just forge ahead. Your organizational abilities and sense of Buddhist people inhabiting the Mekong river 10. Being one more than three. to pour a lot of energy into those around you. Your home and surround- accountability will be what guides you and proves successful. Your career could assume in Laos and Thailand. 11. Having undesirable or negative qualities. ings reflect your tender loving care as well. Your loved ones and perhaps your birds or a much more determined form. This is a time of good fortune when things open up nat- other animals keep you company. When it comes to teaching or coaching young people, urally. Working overtime is hard to avoid today. You may, however, find that you want to 18. Title for a civil or military leader (especial- 12. An innocuous or inert medication. you are a natural and this is an area in which you may want to become involved this do almost everything. Circumstances should work together to help bring out your ly in Turkey). 13. Small room on a ship or boat where peo- evening. You are always able to motivate and inspire others. Your social life seems to have ideals—make it easier to make your dreams real. Overall, this is a good time to project 19. Long-legged web-footed black-and- ple sleep. increased and because you are able to get along well with all sorts of people, you may be your image. Whatever you ask for is granted—within reason. Real estate matters may be white shorebird with slender upward-curv- 14. A person who tries to please someone in learning about another country through someone you just met while traveling. You have important soon. Tonight you learn a new trick to make your technical work easier. ing bill. order to gain a personal advantage. an easy manner and find it easy to communicate with just about anyone. 20. Any of numerous low-growing cushion- 21. Measuring instrument in which the echo forming plants of the genus Draba having of a pulse of microwave radiation is used to rosette-forming leaves and terminal racemes detect and locate distant objects. Leo (July 23-August 22) Aquarius (January 20- February 18) of small flowers with scapose or leafy stems. 23. A communist state in Indochina on the You could have difficulty getting your ideas across to others today. You 22. Corrupt morally or by intemperance or South China Sea. Not a great starter today, you may have trouble initiating things and get- sensuality. 25. Informal terms for a mother. may have doubts about those who talk too much and have little to back ting them moving. You may need help from friends or others to motivate you into up their claims. Your inner self-confidence may be lacking and you could try to overcome 24. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in a 28. (astronomy) The angular distance of a becoming more aggressive and outgoing when necessary. After you get your motor mosque. celestial point measured westward along the this by defensive aggressiveness—careful. You probably wish you had more of the self- going, however, it could be hard to slow you down. As you become motivated, situa- assurance your fiery acquaintances have. You could have difficulty getting outer recogni- 26. Harsh or corrosive in tone. celestial equator from the zenith crossing. tions are almost specialized so that you can see which path is the one for you to take. tion for your efforts or accomplishments. This does not mean they are not recognized—it 27. A state in New England. 31. Annual or perennial herbs with large This is a time of good fortune when things open up naturally. Garage sales, home does mean, however, that you should throw your efforts into work or ventures you really 29. Declare untrue. leaves that resemble the leaves of cabbages. repairs, talk of investing and visiting with neighbors make up most of this day. love doing. You have an average amount of change present in life, neither too much nor 30. The place where some action occurs. 32. An independent ruler or chieftain (espe- Opportunities flourish and you feel that you could do almost everything. Later this after- too little. Lighten up on your workload. You deserve a little break—go dancing. 33. A silvery ductile metallic element found cially in Africa or Arabia). noon you will probably exhibit your ability to be a smooth talker with a quick wit. primarily in bauxite. 34. A member of the Taracahitian people of 35. A large fleet. central Mexico. 41. Injure or wound seriously and leave per- 36. Lower in esteem. Virgo (August 23-September 22) Pisces (February 19-March 20) manent disfiguration or mutilation. 37. (combining form) Very large in scale or 42. A small cake leavened with yeast. scope or capability. Independence, as well as anything unusual or different, is valued. You are You could be an excellent teacher in areas requiring discipline. You value 44. A gonadotropic hormone that is secreted 38. A loud resonant repeating noise. very communicative, flexible, mental and other-oriented as you wait or serve the public order and place a high premium on hard work and effort. You like to get down to the by the anterior pituitary. 39. A translucent mineral consisting of today. Your smooth talking abilities, as well as your quick wit and ready tongue, will cre- bare bones, to what is essential. Whatever is most practical is best—you appreciate 45. The ratio of the circumference to the hydrated silica of variable color. ate some positive results—high productivity. You may, however, yearn for a time that things that are durable and long lasting. You love truth, philosophy, law and the like. This diameter of a circle. 40. Denoting a quantity consisting of one you can get away from all the busy work of late. Family outings or friendly visits could afternoon you may be able to pick up a little extra pay because of some processing 46. The rate at which heat is produced by an more than eight and one less than ten. be planned for this upcoming weekend, perhaps a group camping expedition. There machine that you have. You can either loan it out or use it to process some product for individual in a resting state. 43. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike will be a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with some- others. This doesn’t happen often but it is nice when you can get the extra cash. While one you love. There are good feelings among friends and family today as well as a you are working a bit of fun music fills the air—not too loudly now. More money and bet- 48. The officer who presides at the meetings part of an organism. ter accommodations make life a little more comfortable . . . Sigh. of an organization. 47. Small European freshwater fish with a chance to deepen a weak relationship. A child tells a joke. 52. A soft silvery metallic element of the alka- slender bluish-green body. li metal group. 49. Genus of North American herbs with 54. That is able or fit be rented. basal cordate or orbicular leaves and small Word Search Yesterday’s Solution 55. The branch of engineering science that panicled flowers. studies the uses of electricity and the equip- 50. A switch made from the stems of the rat- ment for power generation and distribution tan palms. and the control of machines and communi- 51. A unit of information equal to one million cation. (1,048,576) bytes. 56. (informal) Of the highest quality. 53. (trademark) A liquid that temporarily dis- 59. A town and port in northwestern Israel in ables a person. the eastern Mediterranean. 57. Found in moist places as rounded jellylike 63. A very young child (birth to 1 year) who colonies. has not yet begun to walk or talk. 58. Realistic Norwegian author who wrote 67. Dyed with henna. plays on social and political themes (1828- 70. An associate degree in applied science. 1906). 73. A master's degree in business. 60. A Bantu language spoken by the Kamba 74. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square people in Kenya. meters. 61. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on 75. Used of animals. a skewer usually with vegetables. 76. A decree that prohibits something. 62. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan 77. A fractional monetary unit of Japan and River. Indonesia and Cambodia. 64. A river in north central Switzerland that 78. Pearl oysters. runs northeast into the Rhine. 79. A loose sleeveless outer garment made 65. A member of a rural Finnish people living from aba cloth. in eastern Russia. DOWN 66. Trace the shape of. 1. Wearing or provided with clothing. 68. Having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature 2. A measuring instrument for measuring especially as specified. and indicating a quantity or for testing con- 69. A quantity of no importance. formity with a standard. 71. A diagrammatic representation of the 3. Someone who works (or provides workers) earth's surface (or part of it). during a strike. 72. A groove or furrow (especially one in soft 4. Patterned by having color applied with earth caused by wheels). Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku Yesterday’s Solution WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 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

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Arab Idol winner Palestinian Mohammed Assaf wears a garland of flowers around his neck and a scarf in the colors of the traditional Palestinian head dress or Kaffiyeh upon his arrival to the Rafah crossing terminal between Egypt and the south- ern Gaza Strip yesterday. — AFP photos

housands of Gaza residents yesterday gathered at the ture ministry director Fakri Judeh, who was heading a govern- presenter of the show which is modeled on the British hit at home. The resignation of West Bank prime minister Rami Rafah border crossing with Egypt, eagerly awaiting the ment delegation to receive Assaf. “Assaf is a Palestinian citizen show Pop Idol, as confetti rained down on the cheering audi- Hamdallah and internal political wrangling was largely over- Tarrival home of a 23-year-old Palestinian who won this who has made an outstanding achievement... and we support ence. The handsome, tuxedo-clad singer immediately dedicat- shadowed by Assaf’s victory, with Palestinian president year’s prestigious Arab Idol talent show. Young and old alike him,” he said, adding “we hope he will use his God-given talent ed his win to “the Palestinian people, who have been suffering Mahmud Abbas crowning him a national goodwill ambassa- waved Palestinian flags and held up posters of Mohammed to serve the Palestinian cause.” Assaf left Gaza via the Rafah for more than 60 years from (the Israeli) occupation”. He won a dor, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees named him Assaf, raising banners congratulating him on his win in Beirut crossing for an audition in Egypt in October last year, and professional recording contract and a car, a 2013 Chevrolet their UNRWA Youth Ambassador. on Saturday, when he beat off stiff competition from fellow made it through each stage, eventually staying in Beirut Camaro. Assaf’s competition included singers from as far west Gaza’s Islamist Hamas rulers disapprove of shows such as singers from across the Arab world. The meteoric rise of Gaza’s alongside other contestants for the final rounds. as Morocco and Tunisia, from Gulf countries Saudi Arabia and Arab Idol, which are considered to be un-Islamic, but they Assaf to snatch the top prize in the pan-Arab singing contest Assaf’s victory in the finals, held in the Lebanese capital Bahrain, and notably war-torn Syria and even Iraqi Kurdistan. have not clamped down on support for the contest. — AFP sparked an unprecedented outpouring of joy across the West and screened live on television across the Arab world, marked The victory of the young man from Khan Yunis in the Bank and the Gaza Strip, unifying an often divided public. the first such success for a Palestinian entertainer. besieged Gaza Strip united tens of thousands of Palestinians “We are making him an official welcome,” said Gaza’s cul- “Mohammed Assaf is the Arab Idol!” declared on Saturday the in celebration, temporarily overshadowing the political crisis

he creator of the “Kick-Ass” action “caused a change in my heart.” film franchise said on Monday that The “Ace Ventura” star plays Colonel The was “baffled” over why its star Stars and Stripes in “Kick-Ass 2,” the fol- Jim Carrey has publicly objected to vio- low-up to 2010’s “Kick-Ass,” starring Chloe lence in the movie since Carrey’s charac- Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, in ter takes an anti-gun stance and refuses which a young girl teams up with a nerdy to fire a weapon. Comedic actor Carrey, teenage boy to fight evil bullies. 51, said on Twitter that the December “Ironically, Jim’s character in ‘Kick-Ass 2’ is shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary a born-again Christian and the big deal School in Newtown, Connecticut, had we made of the fact that he refuses to changed his mind about the violent fire a gun is something he told us attract- superhero film that is due to open in the- ed him to the role in the first place,” Millar A picture taken in Paris shows French actor Gerard Depardieuon leaving his man- aters in August. said. sion. — AFP “I did Kickass a month b4 (before) “Ultimately, this is his decision, but I’ve Sandy Hook and now in all good con- never quite bought the notion that vio- science I cannot support that level of vio- lence in fiction leads to violence in real- lence,” Carrey posted on Twitter on life any more than Harry Potter casting a Sunday. The shooting killed 26 people, spell creates more Boy Wizards in real- rench movie star Gerard Depardieu was only published yesterday. Traffic police told the including 20 children and intensified a life,” Millar added. Comcast Corp’s slightly injured in a traffic accident in cen- media that the taxi driver had run through a push for gun control in the United States. Universal Pictures, the film’s distributor, Ftral Moscow, where he is shooting scenes red light and did not even have a valid licence. of his latest film, Russian media reported yes- Izvestia ran a photograph of several police- Mark Millar, who wrote the comic had no comment. — Reuters terday. Depardieu, who recently gained Russian men in reflective clothing surrounding the books on which “Kick-Ass” and its sequel citizenship after denouncing, exorbitant taxes French star at the scene of the accident close to “Kick-Ass 2” are based and serves as a in his native France, was riding in a minivan the Bolshoi theatre and Red Square. Unnamed producer on the films, rebutted Carrey’s with five others en route to the lavish Metropol traffic police sources told Moskovsky comments in a post on his website, say- hotel when a taxi crashed into the side, Izvestia Komsomolets newspaper that the taxi driver ing the film deals with the “conse- daily reported. Depardieu is shooting a film Dmitry Subbotin had been banned from driv- quences of violence.” “I’m baffled by this called “Turquoise” on location in Grozny and ing until 2016 for drink-driving but had contin- sudden announcement as nothing seen Moscow, where he plays a father whose son is ued to work for a taxi company. Depardieu in this picture wasn’t in the screenplay killed in Russia, while Elizabeth Hurley plays his received his Russian passport during a dinner eighteen months ago,” Millar said. “Yes, This film publicity love interest. with Putin in January after getting into a fight the body-count is very high, but a movie image released by “The six passengers from the film crew with the French authorities over a new 75-per- called ‘Kick-Ass 2’ really has to do what it Universal Pictures received scratches,” Izvestia quoted traffic cent tax on the super-rich. — AFP says on the tin.” shows actor Jim police as saying. The accident came after Carrey, who in the past has spoken Carrey portraying Depardieu last week was ordered by a court in out in support of gun-control, said on Colonel Stars and Paris to pay a fine and had his license suspend- Twitter he was not ashamed of the film Stripes in a scene from ìKick-Ass 2.îóAP ed for driving his scooter while drunk. The acci- but that the Sandy Hook shooting dent occurred early Sunday, but details were

ctress Halle Berry testified in Berry has repeatedly tangled with favor of California legislation paparazzi. The Los Angeles Times amous directors, fans and even Lucas, 69, has been married once a new animated series to air on televi- Athat would limit the ability of reports that in April she shouted and Darth Vader congratulated “Star before, to film editor Marcia Griffin. He sion in 2014. paparazzi to photograph the children cursed at photographers at Los FWars” creator George Lucas on has three adopted children. His son Jett “Star Wars” has become a cultural of celebrities. The hearing before the Angeles International Airport, telling Tuesday on his marriage to long-time was his best man and his daughters, phenomenon, making characters such Assembly Committee on Public them to get away from her young girlfriend Mellody Hobson at his Katie and Amanda, served as brides- as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Safety was set for 9 am yesterday daughter.—AP Skywalker ranch in California. maids, Huffington wrote. It was the first Darth Vader, and phrases like “May the although it’s not clear exactly when Huffington Post founder Arianna marriage for 44-year-old Hobson. force be with you” part of popular cul- Berry is expected to speak. Huffington, who was at the wedding on Last October, the creator of the Star ture. The original six-film franchise has Saturday, tweeted a picture of Lucas in Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, sold grossed more than $4.4 billion at the white tie with a white flower on his label his production company Lucasfilm Ltd worldwide box office. — Reuters and his bride in a white dress with a veil. to Walt Disney Co for $4.05 billion. Since “The visionary “Star Wars” filmmaker then Disney has announced plans for wed the Ariel Investments president three new “Star Wars” films for the big before an intimate gathering,” screen which will be made in Britain and Huffington wrote in a report for her news and gossip website. She said Lucas’s second wedding was officiated by US journalist Bill Moyers and was attended by friends and family includ- ing fellow filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. Van Morrison Indian Bollywood flew in to perform at the reception. actors Farhan Akhtar Another guest, US film director Ron and Riteish Deshmukh Howard went on Twitter to congratulate pose with choreogra- the couple. “George Lucas Melody pher judge Geeta Hobson (sic) wedding was joy to behold Kapoor during the .. Congrats Mr&Mrs Lucas,” tweeted promotion of the Howard. The evil Lord Vader, a dark pres- forthcoming Hindi ence in the original “Star Wars” trilogy film ‘Bhaag Milkha which first hit the silver screen in 1977, Bhaag’ in Mumbai on revealed a sunny side on the social June 24, 2013. — AFP media site. “Congrats to George Lucas, who got married this weekend. May the Force be with your marriage,” tweeted In this June 16, 2013 file photo, George Lucas, left, and longtime girlfriend one fan from Twitter account Darth Mellody Hobson arrive at the 40th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Vader@Depressed Darth. Hills, Calif. — AP lifestyle WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

oland Emmerich knows all about disasters. ing down Foxx’s President Sawyer. The biggest The 57-year-old filmmaker laid waste to sev- contrast is that FilmDistrict’s “Olympus Has Fallen” Reral landmarks in “Independence Day,” was rated R and Sony’s “White House Down,” turned New York into an ice cube in “The Day After which was originally set for a November launch, is Tomorrow” and leveled most of the world in rated PG-13. It’s a lighter, less violent occupation “2012.” However, when it comes to his latest film, of the presidential palace. Emmerich said he “White House Down,” the biggest catastrophe encouraged just as many jokes from Tatum and might not be that terrorists have commandeered Foxx as he did stunts during filming last year in America’s most famous home. It’s perhaps that the Montreal. action-packed film starring Jamie Foxx as the “You have to release a lot of tension with President of the United States and Channing humor,” said Emmerich. “I personally don’t like Tatum as his impromptu bodyguard is being movies that are too intense. I just don’t like them, released Friday - just three months after “Olympus so when I’m making something as intense as this Has Fallen,” which featured a strikingly similar when a girl is constantly at gunpoint, you have to under-siege White House plot with Aaron Eckhart figure out ways to laugh in between. Otherwise, it and Gerard Butler in the parallel roles. becomes too fast and not enjoyable anymore.” Yet Emmerich doesn’t think the coincidence is Emmerich first learned another White House the end of the world. “You do your film,” said takeover movie was in the works when he trav- Emmerich. “They do their film. I remember when eled to Louisiana to meet with Foxx about the there were two volcano and two meteor movies. I commander-in-chief role. At the time, “Training thought, ‘Isn’t Hollywood stupid to do that?’ All of Day” director Antoine Fuqua wasn’t attached to a sudden, I was in the same situation, and I said, “Olympus Has Fallen,” so Emmerich didn’t take the ‘I’m not stopping.’ I like my script. I have the two movie seriously. He still hasn’t seen it - and doesn’t coolest dudes I always wanted to work with intend to for a while. together in one film. I’m not stopping.’” “White “I will probably watch it at Christmas when all is House Down” focuses on Sgt John Cale, a Capitol said and done,” the director said with a smirk. police officer played by Tatum who is touring the When it comes to like-minded movies, there’s no White House with his daughter right after tanking conclusive box-office evidence that going second an interview for a Secret Service job. When rogue is a death sentence. Sure, “Dante’s Peak” grossed former soldiers and government employees begin more than “Volcano” when it erupted two months wreaking havoc on Pennsylvania Avenue, Cale earlier in 1997, but “Armageddon” outperformed FilmDistrict originally pegged it at somewhere in In this undated publicity photo provided by Sony Pictures Entertainment, must step up to rescue his daughter and the presi- “Deep Impact” when it struck seven weeks later in the under-$20 million range. The thriller has gone Channing Tatum, left, and Jamie Foxx, center, star in Columbia Pictures’ ‘White dent. 1998. Last year, “Snow White and the Huntsman” on to bank $98.4 million in North America. House Down,’ directed by Roland Emmerich. — AP While there are more than a few similarities mined more than double at the box office two Emmerich isn’t concerned by such figures. “You between the films, there are some differences. The months after the debut of fellow live-action Snow make your own thing and hope for the best,” he “Olympus Has Fallen” baddies were led by a for- White adaptation “Mirror Mirror.” said. “That’s it.” — AP mer North Korean terrorist who kept Eckhart’s “Olympus Has Fallen,” which also starred President Asher in captivity for most of the movie. Angela Bassett and Morgan Freeman, opened The “White House Down” villains are a rag-tag higher than expectations last March, earning band of mercenaries who spend their time hunt- $30.3 million in its first weekend after distributor

eyman Moaadi, who starred in the Oscar-winning foreign film P“A Separation,” is set to star opposite Kristen Stewart in writer- director Peter Sattler’s politically- charged indie drama “Camp X-Ray,” TheWrap has learned. Stewart stars as Cole, a young sol- dier who escapes her suffocating small town by joining the military, only to find that she’s been stationed at Guantanamo rather than Iraq, as she had hoped. Met with hatred and abuse from the Muslim men in Seong Ryeong-chul, a daughter-in-law of late South Korean director Min Kyoung-sik, Late South Korean film director Min Kyoung-sik, center on photo, is pointed at by Min’s daughter-in-law shows leaflets and photos of Min’s movie ‘The Street of the Sun,’ before its first screening Seong Ryeong-chul, before the screening of his film ‘The Street of the Sun’. charge, she forges an odd friendship in six decades at Korean Film Archive in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday. — AP photos with Ali (Moaadi), who has been imprisoned at Gitmo for eight years. “Army Wives” star Joseph Julian Soria will co-star as one of Stewart’s clos- est friends on the base. Gina Kwon and Sophia Lin are or decades, South Korean film buffs thought all their the war, according to the Korean Film Archive, the organiza- time when war, poverty and desperation marked everyday producing, which David Gordon country’s movie making from the Korean War era was tion behind the film’s restoration. But two decades ago, the life. Chung said the style of “The Street of the Sun” influenced Green is executive producing with Flost forever. And it would have been, but for one film director’s daughter-in-law, Seong Ryeong-chul, found the 62- other filmmakers, including prolific South Korean director and Lindsay Williams and Ellen wrapped in a cocoon of old newspapers, tucked inside a plas- minute, 16 mm film in a closet at her home. Seong said in an producer Shin Sang-ok. Shin was kidnapped in 1978 by Kim Goldsmith-Vein. Production will tic bag and placed in a dark, dusty closet. That film, “The Street interview that she nearly threw away the coil of negatives. Jong Il, son and eventual successor of North Korean leader begin later this summer in Los of the Sun,” got its first screening in six decades Tuesday, the “But when I raised the plastic ribbon against the light, I saw Kim Il Sung, and spent years making movies for the cinephile Angeles. Moaadi is an accomplished 63th anniversary of the beginning of the war. Now digitally tiny images of people etched inside,” she said. and future dictator before escaping with his wife. Min, who screenwriter who has penned several restored, it offers South Koreans a rare glimpse at how their Even after the discovery, well over a decade passed before made five films in a relatively low-key career, had a life story famous Iranian films and recently ancestors lived amid the destruction and poverty of war. the Korean Film Archive became aware of the film. Seong con- that reflects the divisions that still haunt the two Koreas. Min’s made his directorial debut with the The movie was the debut feature of Min Kyoung-sik, a tacted the organization in 2009, and in 2012 she granted the son, Min Byoung-hak, said Tuesday that the director’s younger award-winning drama “The Snow on South Korean director who took a camera to the streets of film to the archive for an undisclosed fee. The audio has never brother, Min Jung-sik, was on the north side of the 38th paral- the Pines.” He started his acting Daegu in 1952, while a stream of refugees poured in. The been found, so the film was screened yesterdaywithout lel when the Koreas were divided, and ended up making pro- career in Asghar Farhadi’s 2009 film southeastern city was tucked behind a perimeter secured by sound. The story begins at a train station where a Seoul pagandistic films for the Pyongyang government. “About Elly” before reuniting with US and South Korean forces battling North Korea and China to schoolteacher arrives at the scene of a fight. Even in South Korea, which was led by military dictators for the director on “A Separation.” the north. The film’s sentimental story of a refugee school- He watches a local break up the brawl between two men. decades, filmmakers were often prevented from making the Moaadi will soon be seen along- teacher who becomes a surrogate father figure for street Another scene depicts a dusty road in wartime Daegu lined films they wanted to make as late as the 1990s, according to side Morgan Freeman in “The Last urchins attempts to teach a social lesson about wartime with thatched roof houses that form a shantytown around the Darcy Paquet, founder of Koreanfilm.org. South Korean film Knights” and he also worked with poverty and crime. original city. The influences of American culture prevail over directors are now a growing presence on the international While fiction, it offers a look at real life in war-torn South the scenes. Refugee children play baseball in clothing straight film festival circuit. The modern South Korean classic “Old Boy” James Gandolfini on the HBO pilot Korea. The actors and producers had been uprooted by fight- out of 1950s American comic strips. was remade by US film director Spike Lee and will be released “Criminal Justice,” which is now in ing, and many of the scenes reflect the city’s actual surround- Civilian life behind the US-South Korean perimeter is this fall. — AP limbo following Gandolfini’s death. ings rather than a movie set, with non-actors in the mix. The depicted as impoverished but peaceful: Children bend vines He’s repped by Shelley Browning of war started June 25, 1950, and ended in a truce a year after in an apple orchard and swim together in a creek where they Magnolia Entertainment. — Reuters the film was made. The Koreas remain technically at war, sepa- learn to stop fighting and get along. Though they watch their rated by a heavily fortified border, and about 28,500 US troops elders struggle to make ends meet, there are no obvious refer- are still stationed in the South. ences to war in the film. Chung Chong-hwa of the film archive Min’s movie was long believed to have been destroyed or said the film shows the influence of post-World War II Italian lost, along with the 13 other South Korean films made during classics like “The Bicycle Thief” in South Korean cinema at a Star power: Depp, Cruise hail producer Bruckheimer

ohnny Depp and Tom Cruise hailed veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer on Monday, as the man behind “Top Gun” and J“Pirates of the Caribbean” got a star on Hollywood’s storied Walk of Fame. The A-listers joined Bruckheimer at a ceremony adding his name on the famous stretch of Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk, which is lined with stars in tribute to generations of entertainment celebrities. Depp, who starred as Captain Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films and as Tonto in Bruckheimer’s latest film, “The Lone Ranger,” hailed the 67-year- old as a legend. “Without Jerry, there would be no ‘Pirates,’ there would be no Captain Jack,” Depp said. “Without Jerry, there would be no ‘Lone Ranger,’ there would be no reinvigorated Tonto. “So I have a lot to thank him for. The man is a legend to me, a legend to us all, hence this congregation to celebrate him for his long-deserved star on the Walk of Fame. I, for one, could not be more honored to be here.” Bruckheimer, whose films have made more than $16 billion at the box office, got the 2,501st star on the Walk of Fame, in a prime location outside the El Capitan Theatre Sequel to Pitt’s ‘World War Z’ is in works opposite the famed Chinese and Dolby theatres. “My lifelong dream began when I was a young boy in rad Pitt is getting his action franchise after all. A person budget of about $200 million. Reviews, too, have been mostly Michigan, and it always remained the same-to be a filmmaker,” he close to Pitt’s “World War Z” told The Associated Press on positive, and the film earned a B+ CinemaScore from movie- said. “It’s been a long exciting journey from the streets of Detroit BMonday that Paramount Pictures is likely to develop a goers over the weekend. to the sidewalks of Hollywood, to be given a star to mark my con- sequel to the apocalyptic zombie thriller. The person was not Pitt, who’s also a producer on the film, has spent recent tribution to an industry I love so much,” he added. authorized to announce the plans and spoke on condition of weeks traveling around the world to aggressively promote Other celebrities at the ceremony, which came a week or so anonymity. “World War Z,” based on Max Brooks’ novel, was “World War Z.” When asked about the possibility of sequels in before the release of “The Lone Ranger,” included director Gore always intended to spawn a trilogy for Pitt, who stars as a an interview last week, Pitt said there was plenty of fodder. Verbinski, actor Jon Voight and actress Marg Helgenberger. United Nations inspector. But that seemed in doubt when the “We’ve got so many good story lines stemming from the book Bruckheimer called the star an “unbelievable honor,” noting that film ran significantly over budget, the ending had to be reshot or inspired by the book and then just generated from our own fellow honorees on the tourist-crowded Walk of Fame, which and reports of turmoil among the filmmakers surfaced. powwows,” he said. “It might still be fun. We’ve got enough stretches for a mile or two along Hollywood Boulevard, include But the film opened strongly over the weekend, earning material, that’s for sure.”—AP Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock. — AFP $66.4 million domestically and another $45.8 million interna- Director Jerry Bruckheimer is honored with the 2,501st tionally. That put it on course to easily recoup its production star. lifestyle WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

Fashion

earing a sleek black dress topped with a taupe women should behave and dress. Earlier this year, to look dreary. We are forbidden to attract attention, bolero and long stiletto-heeled boots, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, one of the strictest leaders of reli- that’s all. Halacha does not give a single, definitive inter- WNathalie Benhaim cuts an elegant figure. For gious Zionism, issued an updated dress code for pretation,” she says. her, Orthodox Judaism’s rules of modesty have never women, banning them from wearing red or other “It has become more and more open since I arrived been synonymous with austerity. “I’m always made up bright colors, prohibiting any transparent fabrics-and in Israel,” says Haiks, who has been in the country for 25 and have my hair done, I never let myself go. It’s impor- ordering them to wear opaque tights. He even speci- years. Leah Sheklar, a settler in her 50s living just north tant for me and for my husband,” explains this mother- fied what thickness — 40 denier. of the West Bank city of Ramallah, has combined her of-four who has just opened a bakery in Jerusalem. The But this extreme reading of Jewish law has sparked interest in Jewish spirituality with her taste for clothes Benhaims describe themselves as religiously observant. widespread condemnation, even within the movement and organizes a weekly workshop for women at a itself where interest in women’s fashion is rapidly grow- Jerusalem cafe. ing, with an ever-growing number of shops and special- In a side room, she has set up a mirror where the ist designers entering the field. “Just a few years ago, women are invited to stand and show others how they religious Zionist fashion was all hippy chic and baba- have put together an outfit. Standing in front of the cool. But recently a real national religious style has mirror and looking at themselves also encourages developed,” explains Vered Gilboa, who runs a boutique women to think more about their own identity. “The in the centre of Jerusalem. “Now it’s more vintage, chif- question of clothing comes up far too often in terms of fons and lace. But there are many different trends and what is banned. Those who are prohibiting are actually designers. Zionist religious women are more and more obsessed, not by the Torah, but by that thing which interested in fashion, like women in the rest of Israeli they never mention-sex,” explains Sheklar, wearing a society,” she adds. black dress with a brooch, an elegant beret covering Such is the surge in interest that the Shenkar School her head. of Engineering and Design-the most popular in Israel, “I am trying to see how to live freely in the world which has produced names such as Lanvin creator while respecting the rules. In my workshop, we speak Alber Elbaz-recently launched a fashion course aimed about clothes as a means of self-discovery,” she says. at these very women. Dress codes for women within “Many religious Zionist women are following the trend the Orthodox Jewish world hardly lend themselves to in society as a whole to become more and more indi- the creativity of designers: low necks are banned, dress- vidualistic, they want to be happy, to live their feminity es and skirts must cover the knees and sleeves must and their identity while at the same time living harmo- reach to the elbow. niously with the religious world,” she adds. — AFP Jewish religious woman Nathalie Benhaim, 40, poses at her home on January 13, 2013 in Jerusalem. — AFP photos ‘We can’t live in a bubble’ But according to Nathalie Haiks, a mother-of-five, it is possible to be stylish while staying faithful to Jewish They are also prominent in government under the law. Her secret: basic skirts and t-shirts of the accepted leadership of cabinet minister Naftali Bennett, head of length. “After you’ve done that, you can wear whatever the hardline right-wing Jewish Home party. Mixing as you want from whatever shop,” says the 48-year-old, a they do with the secular population often sparks heat- personal assistant at the Hebrew University of ed debate over the interpretation of halacha, the Jewish Jerusalem. “We cannot live in a bubble even if we have code of law which governs, among other things, how to respect the rules. The Torah does not compel women

Models display creations as part of Giorgio Armani Menswear Spring-Summer 2014 collection yesterday dur- ing the Menís fashion week in Milan. — AFP lifestyle WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013

Fashion

Fashion designers Dean and Dan Caten pose with models at the end of DSquared2 men’s Spring-Summer 2014 collection, part of the Milan Fashion Week, unveiled in Milan, Italy yesterday. — AP/AFP photos

ritish fashion designer Vivienne Westwood their clothes. The designer added that she isn’t wor- cost of her designs, which carry high price tags, with said on Monday that she has no plans to fur- ried about people’s changing habits squeezing her a man’s suit costing about 800 pounds ($1,200). “I Bther expand in China and defended the high profits. “If people like my clothes, it’s good if they think it’s ecologically friendly that the clothes should prices of her designs as a way to encourage cus- don’t buy things for six months, then they’ll be able be expensive,” she added. — Reuters tomers to buy fewer clothes. to afford them,” she said. Westwood defended the Westwood, who started selling clothes in London in the swinging 60s and now has shops in 15 other countries, said she is assessing her company, its operations and its aims. “I want to backtrack and control it,” Westwood said before showing her men’s spring/summer 2014 collection in Milan. “I don’t want to expand in China anymore at the moment.” Westwood, an environ- mental activist, said she has turned her attention to her supply chain, starting with the material used to make the protest T-shirts that have become a fea- ture of her shows. “We do a lot of T-shirts and at least I’ve managed to get the jersey that we use for the T- shirts, which comes from Peru mostly. It’s organic and it’s not harmful,” she said. For the Milan show, staff and some models wore T-shirts supporting US Army private Bradley Manning, who is accused of releasing hundreds of thousands of classified files, videos and other data to the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website. A romantic idea of India, which was chosen by her husband and creative director, Andreas Kronthaler, is the theme of the show, which featured Harem-style trousers, kaf- tans and chunky necklaces along with military berets. Westwood, dressed in a grey sequined dress she had worn before, said she hoped other fashion icons Designers Vivienne Westwood and husband Andreas Kronthaler acknowledge the audience at such as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and the duchess of the end of the Vivienne Westwood Spring-Summer 2014 Menswear collection on June 23, Cambridge, Kate Middleton, would also re-wear 2013 during the Men’s fashion week in Milan. — AFP photos Star power: Depp, Cruise hail producer Bruckheimer

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2013 37

People interact with a large-scale installation art piece by Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich, entitled ‘Dalston House’, in East London yesterday. A replica front of a late nineteenth-century Victorian terraced house lying on the ground has a large mirror angled above it which gives the illusion of people hanging from the brick work. — AFP

almatians, the ultimate menswear accesso- governmental organization. Revealingly, the word ous lack of financial support for athletes. Alpine ski ry, and a clutch of sporting greats are just “croata” can be found in many languages as the champions, sister and brother Janica and Ivica Dsome of the national successes that Croatia root of words meaning tie or cravat: the historical Kostelic, have also found stardom-even if their will bring to the EU when it joins the bloc on July 1. reason comes from the tight neck scarves worn by homeland has practically no ski resorts. “At all events, people who deny the influence of Croatians in the French army during the Thirty Croatia’s football squad are ranked fourth on Europe’s ‘smaller nations’ should remember that Years War in the 17th century. FIFA’s world list, while its national handball team the Croats have the rest of us by the throat,” wrote The humble tie was soon accepted as a fashion scooped the world champions title in 2003 and Norman Davies in his book “Europe: A History”. The accessory by the powerful French court, including Olympic gold in 1996 and 2004. And in 2007 razilian literature and arts will this year come British historian was referring to a tie or cravat- King Louis XIV himself, and later spread to Britain Croatia’s water-polo squad were crowned world under the spotlight at the world’s biggest book and throughout the world. The Academia pro- champions, while its top basketball players, Drazen fair, which annually attracts hundreds of thou- motes the tie as part of Croatia’s cultural heritage, Petrovic, who died in 1993, and NBA star Toni B sands of visitors in the western German city of Frankfurt, and in 2003, broke a Guinness World Record by Kukoc bounced Croatia into the sporting spotlight. organizers said yesterday. After New Zealand was last wrapping an ancient Roman amphitheatre in the On the foodie side of things, Croatia’s big claim to year’s guest of honor, Brazil takes centre stage at the northern port city of Pula with the world’s longest fame is its prosciutto ham from Istria, whose artisan 2013 Frankfurt book fair, with 70 of its authors as well as tie-an 800-metre (2,640-foot) specimen. While the producers hope to obtain protected status for the artists and others expected to showcase the country’s origins of the tie may prove a surprise to the rest of tasty delicacy. literary and cultural traditions. Europe, the country has one “export” that is known Of course, for much of Europe, Croatia’s big “We want to show how culture feeds Brazilian life, and loved. draw is its tourism-and more specifically its pristine especially when one sees what’s happening currently in Of Croatia’s seven native dog breeds, Adriatic coast dotted with more than a thousand Brazil,” fair director Juergen Boos told a new conference, Dalmatians, with their distinctive brown or black islands and islets. These vary from those with lunar- referring to a two-week wave of street protests in Brazil. spots and elegant bodies, have won global fame like surfaces such as Pag in the north, to islands Brazil’s organizing committee head Renato Lessa said thanks to Walt Disney’s cartoon “101 Dalmatians”, dense with Mediterranean forest like the southern there was a lot of expectation in the fair and that it was first released in 1961. Originating from the coastal island of Mljet. It is not for nothing that Dubrovnik, important for the country to trumpet its own language region of Dalmatia on the Adriatic, these friendly perched on the coast, and gleaming with Baroque internationally. dogs were first depicted in a number of paintings buildings, has earned its nickname as the “pearl of The authors selected to take part represent “an and church chronicles dating from between the the Adriatic”. A survey conducted within the EU excellent and vivid assortment”, he said. “The current 16th and 18th centuries, before becoming sought- showed that Croatia is best known for its natural selection, although committed to giving a broad sense after domestic pets hundreds of years later. beauty and tourism, public relations expert Bozo of the literary variety of the country, aims to show the Nowadays, though, it seems both foreigners liv- Skoko told AFP. “There is an overall consensus over link between Brazilian contemporary literary trends and ing in Croatia and sport aficionados abroad think of that,” he said. — AFP the international ones,” he added. The book fair, which athletes as the country’s best-known brand. “I find runs from October 9 to 13, will also stage Brazilian con- it amazing how much quality in the world of com- certs, exhibitions and demonstrations of street art, the- petitive sport Croatia brings. They (athletes) are a atre and films. More than 7,300 exhibitors from 97 coun- fantastic advert and an indication and example of tries took part in last year’s five-day fair, which drew worn every day by millions of men worldwide- the potential of this country,” 47-year-old Russell about 280,000 visitors. — AFP The founder of the whose Croatian origin reaches far into the past and Owens, a British businessman and Croatia resident, non-governmental is linked to love and devotion. told AFP. organization “For centuries girls were tying scarves around Tennis legend Goran Ivanisevic and high jump Academia Cravatica, their darlings’ necks, namely when they were leav- champion Blanka Vlasichas have made names for Marijan Busic, poses ing for wars, as a token of love and fidelity, they themselves internationally, taking their first sport- with ties in his office in were ‘tying’ or obliging them,” explains Marijan ing steps in a country whose 4.2 million popula- Zagreb. — AFP Busic, founder of the Academia Cravatica, a non- tion is fond of sport but where there is still a seri-