WASHINGTON: How important wereTwitter, Facebook and other social mediain toppling regimes in the Arab Springuprisings? Amid a fierce debate in aca-demic circles, an upcoming book arguesthat social media and new technologymade a key difference in successful upris-ings in Tunisia and Egypt and helped fos-ter grassroots movements in other Arabnations. The book by Philip Howard andcolleagues concludes that digital mediawas “consistently one of the most impor-tant sufficient and necessary conditions”for the Arab Spring movements. “Therewas a longstanding democracy move-ment in these countries that for manyyears tried many tactics but none ofthem worked,” Howard told AFP. Hemaintained that new media made a dif-ference because it “has so fundamentallychanged the way people think abouttheir options.”

The Arab Spring movements “involveda networked public of generally youngerfolks,” which was “structurally different”

than prior movements headed by acharismatic leader, Howard said. Howard,a University of Washington communica-tions professor who is visiting atPrinceton, said authoritarian regimes hadbeen accustomed to controls on tradi-tional media but were unable to keep upwith the rapid pace of Twitter andFacebook organizing at that time.“Democracy ’s Fourth Wave? DigitalMedia and the Arab Spring,” written withMuzammil Hussain, counters the conclu-sions of other academics who found thatthe impact of social media were exagger-ated in the West.

Earlier research led by Sean Aday ofGeorge Washington University conclud-ed that new media “did not appear toplay a significant role in either in-countrycollective action or regional diffusion”during the 2011 uprisings. “This lack ofimpact does not mean that social mediaor digital media generally were unimpor-tant,” they said in a report for the US

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MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013 RABI ALTHANI 29, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

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Billionaire

for an hour

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

By Badrya Darwish

newsin the

Life is so strange. Sometimes it is miserable.Sometimes it is ironic. Sometimes it is plainridiculous. Some other times it is harsh and

sad. But I have no words to describe the story Irecently read about Prince Alwaleed bin Talal ofSaudi Arabia who reportedly is upset with Forbesmagazine for undervaluing his wealth in their lat-est ranking of world billionaires.

We usually hear and live with people whohave debts or are bankrupt. We meet peoplecomplaining of price increases who ask the gov-ernment to scrap their debts. For instance, lookat us in Kuwait. We have been rallying for a whilenow asking the government to scrap our debts.The government has been rejecting these pleasfor years. That is why now we are begging thegovernment to scrap the interest on our loans.After a few years of arguments in parliament, thegovernment has been rejecting our requests.

I am sure that 90 percent of the people wish tobe in Alwaleed bin Talal’s shoes. As for me, Iwould like to be in his position for just one hour.How about you, guys? How do you feel aboutthis?

We usually read stories that one firm hasclosed down or another announced bankruptcy.We even hear of countries that have terrible fiscaldifficulties, such as Greece. Such countries haveto beg Angela Merkel, the Chancellor ofGermany, and her group to bail them out. Spainhas been also falling apart with debts. Portugalhas also been hit hard. Italy is the latest casualtyof the post-recession period. I hope thatBerlusconi, the billionaire tycoon, can save it.

How many banks have disappeared from thefinancial map? In the past few years many coun-tries have been suffering. Even governmentshave failed to pay their debts. A country such asJapan is also experiencing financial turbulence.Tune in to business news and you will hear peo-ple complaining that firms are closing. There arebillions of stories about failed enterprises. Suchkinds of stories exceed the number of stars in thesky. That is why it was nice to hear about some-one who is not complaining about bankruptcy ortight times.

Good luck Prince Alwaleed!

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: A parliamentary bloc consisting of eight MPsyesterday called on the government to scrap all subsi-dies on services and commodities and make expatriatespay full prices in a move that could increase electricitybills to around KD 100 per month. Spokesman of theIndependents Bloc MP Nasser Al-Marri said in the pro-posals submitted to the National Assembly yesterdaythat they found that between KD 6-12 billion is squan-dered annually for providing subsidized public servicesand commodities. He said the bloc found that publicexpenditure is bloated not because of the high wagebill of Kuwaiti citizens as the government claims, butbecause of the huge bill paid for subsidies from whichexpatriates benefit. Marri said the solution to this is toscrap all subsidies, mainly on fuel, electricity and water,and then provide these services free of charge toKuwaitis and subsequently make expatriates pay fullcosts.

Based on the latest official figures, the number ofKuwaitis is 1.2 million against 2.6 million expatriates,more than half of whom are either domestic helpers orlow-paid menial workers whose monthly salary is lessthan KD 100 and clearly cannot cope with any increasein the price of essential commodities or services.

Based on statements by the electricity and waterministry, the government sells a kilowatt/hour of elec-tricity for just two fils while its actual production cost isaround 38 fils. Power prices have not been increasedsince the mid-1960. If the proposal is accepted, themonthly electricity bill for a medium size apartment,which is now at KD 5-6, will increase to as high as KD100. The price of fuel has remained unchanged for thepast 15 years and is considered one of the lowest in alloil-rich Gulf states. The government says it pays over KD1 billion annually to subsidize its cost. The proposalsmust first be debated by Assembly panels before being

Continued on Page 2

TOKYO: A protester holds a placard amongst the crowd during an anti-nuclear rally yesterday. Waves of anti-nuclear rallies were held across Japan on the eve of the second anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earth-quake and tsunami disaster that triggered a nuclear crisis in northern Japan. — AFP (See Page 11)

Debate flares on ‘Twitter revolutions’

RAQQA, Syria: This March 5, 2013 photo shows a Syrian man sitting on a fallenstatue of former Syrian president Hafez Al-Assad in a central square in this city.Graffiti on the fallen statue reads “Tomorrow will be better.” — AP

Syrian rebels launch

dawn assault in Homs

PAGE PAGEKarzai alleges US and

Taleban are colluding

Rights group slams jailing of activists

KUWAIT: A Gulf rights group has strongly con-demned heavy jail terms against two prominentSaudi rights activists and called on the authorities inthe kingdom to free them immediately. “We stronglycondemn these jail terms and demand that Saudiauthorities release them immediately and scrap theverdicts,” said the Gulf Forum for Civil Societies(GFCS), a pan-Gulf liberal group, in a statementovernight. “We caution against the use of the judici-ary as a means of settling political scores, which hasbecome a policy used repeatedly by Gulf states dur-ing the past two years,” the forum said. The criminalcourt in Riyadh on Saturday sentenced activistsMohammed Al-Qahtani and Abdullah Al-Hamed to10-year and five-year jail terms respectively. The GFCSsaid it held the Saudi authorities responsible for the“physical and psychological safety” of the twoactivists, and called on international rights groups toapply pressure on Riyadh to free them.

Seven children among 8 dead in German fire

BERLIN: Fire swept through an apartment buildingin southwestern Germany yesterday, killing at leasteight members of a family of Turkish origin, includ-ing seven children, police said. The cause of theblaze was not known but police said they wereinvestigating an oven in a flat on the first floor of theformer leather factory in the town of Backnang nearStuttgart. “There are no indications of arson or axenophobic motive,” police said, adding that therewas a German-Turkish cultural exchange associationon the ground floor of the building. Firefighters wereable to rescue three people from a balcony.According to a local paper, the WaiblingerKreiszeitung, an 11-year old girl, the family’s grand-mother and an uncle were saved. The father of thefamily, said to have 10 members, was not at homewhen the fire broke out, it reported. Mass circulationBild said the youngest victim was only six monthsold.

Backlash over move to allow knives on planes

WASHINGTON: A decision to scrap a post-9/11 ban onpocket knives being carried by passengers on US aircrafthas triggered an angry backlash from pilots, flight atten-dants and airline chiefs. Starting from April 25, travelers willbe able to carry small knives with folding blades on USplanes following a shift in security strategy by the federalTransportation Security Administration. TSA chief JohnPistole said the new guidelines would bring US securityregulations into line with international standards and weredesigned to help airport staff find more dangerous itemssuch as explosives. While box cutters of the kind used byhijackers in the Sept 11, 2001 attacks remain banned, theTSA’s decision to relax the rules on pocket knives hasappalled airline officials and staff. The Flight AttendantsUnion Coalition said its members were “outraged”. TheCoalition of Airline Pilots Associations has also spoken outagainst the move. The furor has also proved irresistible tosatirical media outlet The Onion, which commented in aspoof report that the TSA “will henceforth allow small ter-rorists on commercial aircraft.”

Iran repeats offer to help US find agent

TEHRAN: Iran yesterday repeated its offer to help theUS in finding an ex-FBI agent who went missing whileon a trip to the Islamic republic to probe cigarettecounterfeiting in the region. On Friday the UnitedStates, arch-foe of Iran, asked again for Tehran’s helpin finding Robert Levinson who disappeared six yearsago from the Gulf island of Kish. “We have said manytimes that we do not have any information in thisregard,” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said. “Wehave repeatedly announced that we are ready tocooperate on humanitarian ground to find... how hedisappeared.” Salehi said Iran was ready to share intel-ligence to help locate Levinson. “We are ready tocooperate through the intelligence entities to shedlight on this issue. I once again repeat that this personis not in Iran and the Americans have alreadyacknowledged this,” Salehi said. Salehi said that basedon that evidence Levinson “is not in Iran”.

LO C A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

KUWAIT: Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, ambassadors and other dignitaries signed the condolence book at the Venezuela Embassy in Kuwaitexpressing their heartfelt sympathy to the people of Venezuela on the sad demise of great leader Hugo Chavez over the weekend. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Govt plans to cut subsidiesto all Kuwaitis, expats

VAT, income taxes soonBy Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Kuwaitis and expatriates willall be riled very soon by subsidy cuts,imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) andincome tax. MP Nasser Al-Merri hasrecently proposed scrapping of subsidyto all Kuwaitis and expats and advisedthe government to instead improve theservices and provide subsidy to Kuwaitisonly on basic necessities such as elec-tricity, water and fuel.

Last week, the government admittedthat it was studying a mechanism toreduce subsidizing products and servic-es for expatriates before similarly trim-ming subsidies for citizens as the statewas trying to better organize its spend-ing and budget.

Water, electricity and fuel in Kuwaitare subsidized, apart from other prod-ucts and services. If taxes and subsidycuts are imposed, the prices are likely togo up. VAT is a form of consumption tax

which, from the perspective of the buy-er, is a tax on the purchase price. A sellerwould look at it as a tax only on the val-ue added to a product, material, or serv-ice from an accounting point of view atany stage of its manufacture or distribu-tion. The manufacturer remits to thegovernment the difference betweenthese two amounts, and retains the restfor themselves to offset the taxes theyhad previously paid on the inputs. “Asfar as I am concerned as an expat, I donot really care much if it finally comes toa point that the government needs ourmoney to pay for its services and basicnecessities. It is a norm in other coun-tries also, so we are not strangers tothat,” said an expat who spoke with thisreporter but did not wish to let his namebe disclosed.

“There is no country in the worldtoday that does not pay for its govern-ment. That is how countries pay for theirinfrastructure, public employees etc, but

I wonder why Kuwait needs it since ithas a lot of oil revenue surplus and occa-sionally gives out cash handouts orgrants to their citizens. One wonderswhy it plans to impose such taxes,”another expat observed.

Many expatriates said they would bestaying even if tax system was to beimposed. “I will stay if my salary is stillokay, but if I find that I can earn thesame amount of money back in my owncountry, then why should I stay? I camehere because of Kuwait’s attraction as atax-free country,” an expat said. Alongwith the issue of generating incomefrom expatriates is the possibility ofimposing value added tax, probably bynext year.

The government has sought the assis-tance of World Bank on tax-relatedissues and mechanism for tax collection.Most of the governmental subsidy thatforeigners in Kuwait benefit from per-tains to electricity and water services in

addition to gasoline. According to aKuwait Times report, the mechanism isbased on finding new ways to changethe pricing of services available to citi-zens and expatriates, thus enabling thegovernment to charge the fees accord-ingly.

They explained that the state plans tostudy “similar experiences followed byother Gulf states” and then apply themin Kuwait. The issue is currently beingstudied by government committees“that are also assigned to chalk out plansfor reducing subsidies for Kuwaitis as afirst step,” said the sources who did notprovide a timetable as to by when areduction in subsidies was expected tobe approved.

The state’s budget for the fiscal year2012/2013 lists the total governmentsubsidy for consumer services at KD 6.3billion, KD 3.1 billion of which goestowards electricity and KD 1.1 billiontowards fuel.

Russian ambassador

Kuwait-Russiadiplomatic ties

Iwould like to take this opportunity to con-gratulate the Governments and the peopleof Russia and Kuwait on the upcoming

50th anniversary of establishing diplomaticrelations between the Russian Federation andthe State of Kuwait. The history of friendlyrelations between Russia and Kuwait datesback to the beginning of the 20th century,when the Russian Empire’s ships - gunboat“Gilyak” and cruisers “Varyag”, “Askold” and“Boyarin” visited Kuwait for the first time.Relations between Russia and Kuwait contin-ued to improve since then and formal diplo-matic relations were established on 11 March,1963.

Since the establishment of diplomatic tiesRussia-Kuwait relations have made a steadyand stable development. The friendship andfruitful cooperation between Russia andKuwait are based on mutual respect andshared interests. Our two countries have builtup increasingly closer contacts at all levelsand in all fields. On the political field Russiaand Kuwait have constructive cooperation inthe framework of regional and internationalorganizations. Our two countries have prox-imity of the positions in respect to many inter-national and regional issues and work togeth-er to safeguard common values and interestsof our two countries and other countries aswell, and to tackle global challenges andadvance the noble cause of world peace anddevelopment.

Economic ties between Russia and Kuwaitare based on mutual benefit. Our two coun-tries signed a series of agreements in varioussectors like trade, energy, science and tech-nology. Remarkable results have beenachieved in the field of military and technicalcooperation. The bilateral trade has grownfrom a modest $7 million in 2006 to nearly$325 million today. In 2012 the Russian DirectInvestment Fund (RDIF) and KuwaitInvestment Authority (KIA) have launched ofan automatic co-investment mechanism. Itmeans that KIA will invest $500 million along-side the RDIF in the Russian economy. I amconvinced that it is only the beginning andthere are still many opportunities to developtrade and investment cooperation betweenour two countries.

Today the strategic partnership betweenRussia and Kuwait is growing. We continue towork together to elevate the friendly coopera-tive relations to a new level of development inall fields and increase high-level exchange ofvisits and interaction between the people.And I believe firmly that the potential forRussia-Kuwait cooperation is not limited tospecific economic and political interests but itis rooted in common values and commonaspirations for the future.

Russia is determined in further boostingtraditional friendship ties with Kuwait, deep-ening pragmatic cooperation, expanding peo-ple -to-people and cultural exchanges,strengthening coordination in internationaland regional affairs and work hand in hand fora brighter future of Russia-Kuwait relations inthe days ahead.

By Alexander Kinshchak

KUWAIT: A recent study showed thatbusiness incubators are a strategic toolfor economic development, as they helpcreate job opportunities and transfertechnologies, as well as expand existingbusinesses.

Business incubators have the abilityto provide business services and high-level support, including networks ofcontacts to accelerate the developmentof leading companies along with smallstartups, in addition to existing compa-nies, Dr Hanadi Al-Mubaraki from theFaculty of Engineering and Petroleum atKuwait University said yesterday.

The professor added that the studyshe conducted with Dr Michael Busler

from Richard Stockton College of NewJersey found that business incubatorsare very successful in economic devel-opment and creating job opportunitiesin the United States and on the interna-tional level.

“There are an estimated 7,000 busi-ness incubators at present across theworld, 1,800 of which are in the US and900 in Europe,” noted Al-Mubaraki.

The study is based on the evaluationof both quantitative and qualitativeresults, which indicate that the incuba-tors’ program is “an added value to themarket,” she said, further adding that theresult of surveys and case studies indi-cates that this added value creates job

opportunities, transfers technology,enhances marketing, and reduces indi-rect start-up cost for companies.

Al-Mubaraki said “the findings alsoindicate that the success of the “incubat-ed” leads to creating sustainable compa-nies with five criteria involved; cleargoals, incubator location, access to serv-ices, job opportunity creation, and final-ly, economic development strategy.

“When these criteria are met, theylead to a survival rate of 90 percent,which leads to sustainability in the mar-ket.”

Business incubators provide a helpfuland supportive educational environ-ment to entrepreneurs during the criti-

cal stages of starting a new business.The goal of incubators, she remarked, isto develop the company’s business asthey help to take care of the companiesthat will pave the way for the wealth ofthe country and employment in thefuture, she noted.

The findings of the study show thatthere are five benefits to incubators; anincubator is a powerful tool in economicdevelopment strategy to create jobopportunities; it promotes entrepre-neurship; it helps with technology trans-fer; it supports corporate sustainability;and it helps diversify the economy andthe corporate field in the country con-cerned. —KUNA

Business incubator a strategic tool for economic development

KUWAIT: Under the patronage of His Highness theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, theSeventh Ambassadors Conference will kick off heretoday. The two-day conference is organized by theKuwait Foreign Ministry at its headquarters hereand will be attended by 124 ambassadors andheads of missions.

In a press statement, Head of the Conference’sHigher Committee and Kuwait Foreign MinistryUndersecretary Khalid Suleiman Al-Jarrallah saidthat the seventh round of the conference is heldamid major local, regional and international devel-opments which require thorough revision to allaspects of Kuwait’s diplomacy.

Al-Jarrallah described the conference as a goldenplatform for diplomats to meet with the state seniorofficials in all political, economic, parliamentary,energy and other sectors, to get comprehensiveinformation and clear vision for the new develop-ments both at home and abroad.

For his part, Foreign Ministry ProtocolsDepartment Director and the Conference HigherCommittee member, Ambassador Dhari Al-Ajransaid the conference will include an expanded meet-ing between heads of the Kuwait diplomatic mis-sions and ambassadors working at the Diwan ofKuwait ’s Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

The meeting will also be attended by KuwaitForeign Ministry Undersecretary, he added.

Al-Ajran disclosed that the event will compriseseveral lectures on Kuwait’s foreign, economic,petroleum and social policies. —KUNA

Kuwait hostsambassadorsconference KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Chief Justice said that the

Constitutional Court is expected to pronounceits ruling on electoral challenges next June, averdict that will settle the legal disputebetween the government and the oppositionabout the legal validity of the electoral system,and decide the course for the subsequent polit-ical movement.

Meanwhile, Counselor Faisal Al-Mirshed, theHead of the Supreme Judicial Council and theConstitutional Court, insisted that the court is‘unaffected’ by the voices questioning the judi-cial verdicts “because [earning] people’s trust inthe judicial system is what is important.”

“Some people criticize the judiciary if theyare affected by a court ruling, while praise it ifthe ruling is in their favor,” he told Al-Jaridanewspaper on Saturday. The ConstitutionalCourt is looking into 56 challenges madeagainst last December’s parliamentary elec-tions, including cases arguing that an emer-gency decree which enforced the single-votesystem prior to the elections was unconstitu-tional. A ruling that upholds these challengeswould lead to the dissolution of the parliamentwhich was elected amid a boycott by most ofthe opposition and nationalist groups.

Al-Mirshed was asked about the slogan‘cleansing the judiciary’ chosen for the 8thKaramat Watan procession that the oppositionplans to stage at an undisclosed date.“Questioning the integrity of patriots who han-dle the judicial work is unacceptable,” he said,adding that “objections to court verdicts arecarried out through challenges forwarded tohigher courts according to the law.” (Jarida)

In related news, former MP Dr. Waleed Al-

Tabtabaei said that details of the next protestexpected to conclude with a rally at the IradahSquare will be announced soon. He said theidea was first pitched by the Majority Bloc, acoalition of oppositionists who formed a major-ity in the scrapped 2012 parliament. Dr. Al-Tabtabaei also urged lawmakers to resign and‘renounce’ the current parliament “to save theirparliamentary careers.”

Sources privy to the Majority Bloc’s thinkingtold Al-Rai in the meantime that next Saturdayhas tentatively been selected for a procession,while it was yet to be confirmed whether itwould end at the Iradah Square or outside theKuwait Towers.

Separately, former liberal lawmaker Dr.Ahmad Al-Khateeb described the situation thatKuwait is currently going through as “compli-cated” and “sad,” and suggested that the coun-try could be “involved in a deal that we havenothing to do with or benefit in any way from.”

“After no longer having a role in the region,we have become part of a regional strugglethat is bigger than us and is led by regionalpowers and the world’s superpowers, while wefind ourselves the weakest link in it,” he toldGulf University for Science and Technology stu-dents recently. The member of the ConstituentParliament spoke about “Kuwait’s bright politi-cal history since independence,” but soon indi-cated that the Gulf state “no longer shows clearactivity, leaving its fate to be determined by aregional struggle.”

“It is easy for the superpowers to agree, andit is possible that we can someday be ‘sold’because we have become followers after givingup the leading role,” he said.

Ruling on electoralchallenges next June

Continued from Page 1Institute of Peace last year. “But it does

mean that at least in terms of media...(especially Twitter), data do not providestrong support for claims of significantnew media impact on Arab Spring politi-cal protests.” The 2012 study said thetweets and Facebook posts probably didmore to spread information outside theaffected countries and could have led to“a boomerang effect that brought inter-national pressure to bear on autocraticregimes”.

A separate study led by JuergenPfeffer and Kathleen Carley at CarnegieMellon University found that “the patternof spread of the revolutions was notrelated to the pattern of social mediausage” “In other words, the social mediadid not cause the revolutions,” theywrote. Many activists in the region main-tain that social media helped keep upthe momentum of the protests thatbegan in Tunisia, toppled two more dic-tators in Egypt and Libya, and continueto shake the region.— AFP

Continued from Page 1

debated on the floor. The governmentmust accept them before they can be imple-mented. Meanwhile, HH the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah yesterdayreceived a number of lawmakers and calledon them to avoid tension with the govern-ment and to consolidate cooperation withthe government. MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak said the meeting did not tackle theissue of waiving interest on loans andfocused on boosting cooperation betweenthe Assembly and the government.

The court of appeals yesterday lifted atravel ban imposed on three former MPs inOctober last year after they deliveredspeeches at a public rally that were deemedoffensive to the Amir. Former oppositionMPs Falah Al-Sawwagh, Khaled Al-Tahousand Bader Al-Dahoum were sentenced totwo years in prison each in January by the

criminal court for insulting the Amir andundermining his authorities. The court ofappeals however suspended the jail termagainst them until it has looked into thecase. Yesterday, the court lifted the travelban on them and set April 21 as the date forthe next hearing. In a related development,the trial of former opposition MP MusallamAl-Barrak resumes today in the criminalcourt. He is on trial on charges of insultingthe Amir and undermining his authoritiesand status. Around 40 lawyers are defendingthe opposition figure. The cassation courtwill also start looking into the case of oppo-sition writer Zayed Al-Zaid who is serving aone-month jail term for accusing someboard members of Kuwait InvestmentAuthority (KIA) of being corrupt and failingto fight corruption. Zaid returned fromabroad about 10 days ago and was takenstraight to jail. The court today can suspendthe jail term until the case is settled.

MPs want expats to pay...

Debate flares on...

L O C A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Two days ago, a young Kuwaitdied and a few others were injured during astreet race held in Subhan. It was not thefirst such accident here. Almost every year,young people die in fatal street racing acci-dents. People have been blaming the gov-ernment for not laying down a racing trackfor these young drivers where they canpractice their hobby.

People also blame the police for notsecuring this and other areas where streetraces occur. Some spectators and partici-pants in these races claim that many a time,police act as mere spectators but do notban the drivers from racing. When contact-ed, the officials from the Ministry of Interiorrefused to not only comment on the acci-dent but even avoided saying anythingabout how they planned to act or ensurethat such accidents in future are avoided.

The Kuwait Quarter Mile Club or as it isofficially called, Kuwait Motor Racing Club(KMRC), was founded a few years agothrough private initiative to organize racesfor the car and motorcycle fans.

It does not receive any support from thegovernment.

“Unfortunately we are working with ourown funds and have a limited ability tosupport the young racers. Yet we are organ-izing a few races to protect our youth fromfatal accidents,” Khalid Al-Ajeel, Director ofthe Drag Race Committee, told the KuwaitTimes yesterday.

Al-Ajeel announced the good news.“Finally, after 11 years, we have received apiece of land to build a track. We still needfinancial support from the government. Weorganized the Midnight Madness racerecently, and even provided the partici-pants with food just to encourage them topractice their hobby of racing on the trackwith safety measures in place. We providethem with the same length of stretch thatthey use in the street. We concentrate onsafety, and use of safety belt, helmet, andother tools,” he added.

The quarter Mile Club is doing its best,given its resources. “We arrange for the rac-ing lovers to participate in the races heldabroad such as in Abu Dhabi, but noteveryone can travel as it is expensive.Currently, we are holding drift and dragrace on weekends. The ambulance and fire-men are present at these races for more

safety,” stressed Al-Ajeel.If the track is built, the racers will defi-

nitely come. “I assure you that 99 percent ofaccidents will not happen once the trackwas launched. In the United States, there isno street racing, and if somebody raced inthe streets, they will withhold his drivinglicense. We can organize all kinds of racessuch as the Head to Head race, ATV race,motorcycles and others. We have materialsto put on the street so that the cars wouldnot slip,” he stated.

According to him, building the track isnot difficult at all. “The track can be builtwithin five months only. For the drag race,it would not cost more than KD 1 million,and if we combined all other motor sports,it would not cost more than KD 8 million.We can bring in an American company tobring all the things we need. However, weneed funds to pay for the companies whowill work on this track. I accuse the govern-ment of being responsible for all the acci-dents caused by street racing. The govern-ment has to act fast to execute the track assoon as possible. In all GCC countries, thereare such tracks. And although we had thefirst track in 1986, which was closed forbuilding new residential area, the otherGCC countries all have a track now whilewe do not have one,” explained Al-Ajeel.

He concluded by saying that the Clubadopts and welcomes all drivers, be theyKuwaitis or expats, who love this sport. “Wecannot provide them with funds but wedirect them and give them advice. We teachthem the international rules of racing andsimplify and arrange for their participationinternationally. We also help them availSports Leave to participate,” he said.Twitter:@KMRCQ8, Instagram: KUWAITQUAR-TERMILECLUB, Facebook: KWquartermileclub,http://www.kmrc.com.kw

On his part, Col Abdulrahman Al-Sharah,Central Area Commander, blamed the par-ents in the first place. “In the Doha Roadaccident last year in which few youngstersdied, there was one whose father calledhim and wanted him to come home imme-diately but he did not,” he pointed out.

“In fact, it is not easy for the police toguard the area. They need more than 50police patrols to control the racers whogather there. The police department needsto cooperate and make repeated rounds toreduce the instances of street racing,” Al-Sharah further said.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at Seif Palace the National Assembly Speaker AliFahad Al-Rashed and several MPs who had joined Al-Rashed’s delegation during his recent tour to several Arab Gulf countries. The meeting wasalso attended by MPs Dr Maasouma Saleh Al-Mubarak, Safaa Abdulrahman Al-Hashim, Khalid Hussein Al-Shatti, Essam Salman Al-Dabbousand Faisal Saud Al-Duwaisan.

No safe racing track despite fatal accidentsYoung drivers blame govt

KUWAIT: The National Assembly is plan-ning to discuss the employment issue andcreation of job opportunities for citizens onthe waiting list at the Civil ServiceCommission (CSC) which is now growing.

About 22,000 job applications were nowpending with the CSC.

The assembly needs to intervene toobtain a clarification about the govern-ment’s policy to provide job opportunitiesand replacements in the government sec-tor. It also needs to understand the difficul-ties that the private sector faces in absorb-ing university and lesser graduates.

National Assembly member SaadounHammad said he and a group of MPs areworking on a request to designate a specialassembly session to discuss the unemploy-ment issue and the lack of job opportunitiesfor citizens. Hammad said the jobs crisis andthe piling up of some 22,000 job applica-tions at the CSC is something for which thegovernment needs to bear responsibility.He said the slow replacement policy, andfailure to create job opportunities for citi-zens in the oil sector contracts, besides the

absence of evaluation of the employmentstructure in the government sector wereresponsible for the crisis that is escalating asthe educational establishments add newgraduates each year. Development issues inthe country such as education, medicaltreatment, employment and housing need-ed urgent attention, he said, adding thatthe current assembly changed the followup and supervision aspects and introducedclear and transparent solutions for citizensíissues according to a new principle that isnot limited to saving the government butwas rather focused on providing alterna-tives and ensuring cooperation betweenthe two authorities to implement the poli-cies. MP Ahmad Lari said among the mostimportant achievements of the currentassembly is the stability achieved in thecountry, especially between the twoauthorities, besides the positive spirit inthe parliamentary per formance of allmembers. This was reflected in the generalstability in the country. He said this waspossible due to the wisdom of HH the Amirand his leadership.

KUWAIT: The Leaders Group forConsulting and Development, organizersof the 2013 HORECA Kuwait exhibition,announced yesterday that HORECALebanon founder Nihad Dammous hasbeen invited to attend the event sched-uled for March 18-21, 2013 at the ArrayaBall Room of Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

Dammous will be joined by GeneralManager of the Leaders Group forConsulting and Development, Nabila Al-Anjari, as well as Undersecretary of theMinistry of Commerce and Industry,Abdul-Aziz Al-Khaldi, in inaugurating theevent which will witness wide participa-tion of companies involved in the hospi-tality, catering and food industries.

KUWAIT: MP Dr Maasouma Al-Mubaraksaid that women and family affairs commit-tee will discuss this week a draft law aboutamending the housing care law aimed atgiving the Kuwaiti woman her rights.

She said the much awaited meeting willbe held in the presence of government par-ties like Public Authority for Housing andSaving Lending Bank.

Maasouma said that the most importantamendment suggested was to grant adeserving woman housing care leaseallowance equivalent to what any manreceives. She said the intention was toensure the principle of parity between gen-

ders before the law. Sources said that MPswere expected to approve this draft law asseveral of them were in favor of it as it wasin consonance with the constitutional arti-cles that called for achieving justice andequality.

In the meantime, the Ministry ofHousing has given its initial approval toallow any widow whose husband diedbefore the Iraqi invasion to own real estateand to allow any young child to apply for ahousing unit instead of giving him thechoice to either own the same real estateor register it as leased for his mother, some-thing that was prevalent before.

Discussions to amendhousing care law

KUWAIT: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh NasserSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah headed to New Delhi yesterdayaccompanied by a host of officials on an official few-dayvisit, during which he is to forward a letter from HisHighness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to President Pranab Mukherjee of India.

This comes upon invitation of the Indian Government,conveyed through Minister of External Affairs SalmanKhurshid.

Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah is to meet senior officials to dis-cuss means to further cooperation and coordinationbetween the two friendly nations.

The Kuwaiti delegation includes Deputy Chairman ofKuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry Khalid Al-Saqer, Kuwait Petroleum Managing Director Farooq Al-Zanki, Amiri Diwan Undersecretary Mazin Al-Eisa, andKuwait Investment Authority Mohammad Al-Hilal Al-Mutairi. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabahand his accompanying delegation leaving for New Delhi yesterday.

Sheikh Nasser visits India

22,000 job applicationspending with CSC

Horeca founder toattend inauguration

Nihad Dammous

L O C A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

EQUATE employees with other participants in Clean Up the Gulf campaign.

KUWAIT: The Union of ConsumerCooperative Societies (UCCS) will cel-ebrate today the anniversar y oflaunching the co-operative move-ment in the country with a numberof activities over three days.

The UCCS worked in cooperationand coordination with various gov-ernmental institutions to best servesociety and meet the daily needs ofcitizens over the past 50 years.

In 1962, law number 20 wasissued, explaining procedurestowards establishing co-operativesocieties, membership, management,supervision, and dissolution, and thefirst cooperative society was estab-

lished in the same year.In 1971, the UCCS was founded,

and its activities increased dramati-cally by 1975 with the distribution ofsubsidized goods to citizens. Theunion also played a great role in sup-porting national industry. I t alsointroduced measures such as collec-tive and bulk purchase and import in1981, in order to find alternativesthat are more affordable for con-sumers. In the same year, the UCCSbecame member in the InternationalCo-operative Alliance (ICA), and sofar into 2013, some 50 co-operativesocieties are ser ving consumersacross the country.— KUNA

Kuwait celebrates golden

jubilee of co-op movement

KUWAIT: The unified Gulf Traffic Week kickedoff here yesterday under the slogan ‘Your safetyis our goal’ which will continue until March 14.Ministry of Interior’s Assistant Undersecretaryfor Traffic Department Maj Gen Dr. Mustafa Al-Zaabi stressed the importance of this eventwhose deliberations and activities must beexploited through the exchange of experiencesand specialized information.

The field visits during the Gulf Traffic Weekwill achieve the greatest possible benefit inparallel to the exchange of information andexperiences relating to the problems of trafficbetween the GCC countries, Al-Zaabi added

The representatives of GCC delegationstoured the streets and major intersections afterthe opening to become acquainted with thenature of the traffic in the country. They distrib-uted a number of awareness brochures beforeheading to the Police Officers Club to attendthe official opening and hoist the flags of theGulf states participating in the Unified GulfTraffic Week. — KUNA

Unified Gulf Traffic Week kicks off

KUWAIT: A woman pressed harassmentcharges against a phone maintenance techni-cian who called her at a late hour in the nightto ‘check if ever ything was okay with herphone.’ The Kuwaiti woman had sought help ata phone shop in Sharq on Friday night to fixsome fault with her smart phone. She had giv-en the phone number to the technician whowanted to ‘check the sound quality.’ She wasstartled the same night by text messages at1:00 am from a strange number. This was fol-lowed by a call from the technician using thesame number. When she scolded him, heclaimed he was only calling to check if theproblem with her phone was fixed. The womanheaded the next morning to the Sharq policestation and filed a case. The man is being sum-moned for investigations.

Traffic accidentA pedestrian died when a car hit him at the

Gulf Road in front of the Amiri Hospital onSaturday afternoon. He was rushed to thesame hospital but succumbed to his skullinjury within minutes. The car, after hitting theexpatriate pedestrian, crashed into a side barri-cade. The car’s Kuwaiti driver was taken into

custody for investigations.

Search for thiefA Kuwaiti man in Subahiya who returned to

his house only to find it locked from insidecalled the police but by the time help arrived,the thief inside succeeded in escaping througha window along with KD 1000 that he stolefrom the bedroom. The thief managed to reachthe window that was perched high by using atrash can which was found placed upside downunderneath the window. A case was filed.

Ingrate son heldA young man whom his Kuwaiti father

refused to allow going out with his friendsturned violent and attacked him, leaving himwith bruises. Police rushed to a house in Al-Adan where the Kuwaiti man in his sixtiesrepor ted being assaulted by his son. Theyoungster was arrested and the senior citizenwas taken to the hospital for treatment.

‘Independent’ girl A college student reported missing was

recently found living in an apartment sheshared with classmates who all came together

to seek independence from their families.Search for the Arab girl who studies in a localprivate university had been going on since herfather reported her missing at the Salmiyapolice station. Detectives eventually found heron Saturday with three other women whoturned out to be students at the same universi-ty. Questioning of the four women revealedthat they had decided to stay in an apartmentrented by one of them after leaving theirrespective families’ homes. The news report didnot mention whether the three other womenwere also reported missing by their families.Police charged the apartment’s owner for pro-viding shelter to a person reported missing.

Drug duo arrested Two people were arrested in Hawally late on

Friday night for possessing some drugs and afirearm. Patrol officers called for backup afterfinding a pistol and an amount of drugs insidethe suspects’ vehicle. They searched the carafter noticing that the two men, a Kuwaiti anda Bedoon (stateless), were in an inebriatedstate when they were pulled over. The duo wasreferred to the proper authorities to facecharges.

Phone technician charged

for late night call to woman

Pedestrian killed on Gulf RoadKUWAIT: EQUATE PetrochemicalCompany participated in “Clean Up theGulf ” campaign launched by the GulfPetrochemicals & Chemicals Association(GPCA) in cooperation with Kuwait’sEnvironment Public Authority (EPA). Withthe participation of over 200 persons,EQUATE employees cooperated with stu-dents from a number of Kuwaiti schools,teachers and EPA staff in cleaning up apart of Kuwait’s beachfront at Youm Al-Bahhar. The campaign was proposed byGPCA for its member companies, group-ing EQUATE and several others, to organ-ize such an activity within their respec-tive communities through publicengagement and participation.

As part of its efforts to preserve theenvironment through applying sustain-

ability principles, EQUATE has launchedthroughout the years a number of initia-tives including the Middle East’s FirstPlant Water Recycling Project andKuwait’s First CO2 Recovery project.

Established in 1995, EQUATE is aninternational joint venture betweenPetrochemical Industries Company (PIC),The Dow Chemical Company (Dow),Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC)and Qurain Petrochemical IndustriesCompany (QPIC). Commencing produc-tion in 1997, EQUATE is the single opera-tor of a fully integrated world-scale man-ufacturing facility producing over 5 mil-lion tons annually of high-quality petro-chemical products which are marketedthroughout the Middle East, Asia, Africaand Europe.

EQUATE participates

in Clean Up the

Gulf campaign

MANAMA: Women’s sports in theGulf will be given a boost as amedia committee will be formed todistribute awareness and cam-paigns for sports events, accordingto senior sports official SheikhaNaeema Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The Gulf Cooperation CouncilWomen’s Sports Committee chair-man told KUNA, while attendingthe Women’s Games in Bahrain,that a meeting she had headed

agreed the formation of the com-mittee.

“It is important to select themost competent of sports journal-ists out there, whether they befemale or male, in order to accom-plish our aim to aid the spread ofwomen’s sports to a larger degreeacross Gulf states.

“Media preparations shouldbegin early, should continuethroughout the year and should

provide coverage on all sportsevents related to women,” sheadded.

The endeavor was regarded apriority by head of the Third GCCWomen’s Games organizing com-mittee Sheikha Hayat bintAbdulaziz Al-Khalifa.

“Forming a sports media com-mittee is aimed at educating thepublic on the efforts of the GCCWomen’s Sports Committee, and its

role in the community,” shestressed.

The Women’s Sports Committeemeeting also discussed Oman’spreparations to host the fourth edi-tion of the five-nation Women’sGames in 2014.

Kuwait is taking part in thegames currently being held at theBahraini capital, alongside the hostnation, the United Arab Emirates,Qatar and Oman.— KUNA

Gulf women’s sports to get big boost

KUWAIT: Al-Najat Charitable Societyadded three new languages (Hindi, Urdu,and Vietnamese) to its Holy Quran onlineradio service.

The radio already broadcasts inEnglish, French, and German, allowingvisitors of the website to access transla-tions of the meanings of the Holy Quranin all mentioned languages.

Electronic Da’wah Committee (EDC) atAl-Najat charity said in press remarks thatthe Holy Quran is the most widely read(holy) book worldwide, and it is instru-mental to understanding Islam and itsteachings.

This project aims at spreading accessto the holy Quran to the largest numberof peoples, and to allow Muslims fromacross the world to better understand

the teachings of their religion.This is a golden opportunity to intro-

duce non-Muslims to Islam’s true teach-ings.

A statistic from last year revealed aremarkable increase of listeners to inter-net radios, especially among owners ofsmart phones. The number of this lattersegment rose from 51 percent in 2012, to62 percent in 2012, while owners oftablet computers accessing such web-radios jumped from 15 percent in 2011to 28 percent in 2012.

Internet radios are unique in that theyare accessible from any part of the world,through the appropriate devices, and thecost of broadcast in such medium ismuch lower than more conventionalmedia. —- KUNA

Three languages added

to Quran radio online

KUWAIT: The national security college organized a workshop to explain the aims and contents of the comprehensive security strate-gy for GCC. A total of 20 officers from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar participated in the workshop, which washeld under the patronage of Assistant Undersecretary of Ministry of Interior, Gen Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. It was super-vised by the general administration for training.

L O C A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

“Everybody knows that Iraq owes Kuwait morethan $1.2 billion, which gives us only twooptions: either pay the entire amount, or

accept the negotiations between the Iraqi governmentand its Kuwaiti counterpart with the hope of reducingthe amount to $500 million. We at the services com-mittee support the latter option, and applaud themajor negotiations which can help Iraq retain half ofthe amount owed to Kuwait.” - MP Ehsan Yasseen,member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq - ses-sion no. 13, on Thursday Aug 2, 2012.

The way in which the Kuwaiti government is man-aging the Kuwait Airways issue is strange. The issueseems to be lost between the KAC privatization, theKAC budget law, the early retirement fiasco, and finallyclosing the file about compensations due to Kuwait onaccount of the destruction of the KAC fleet during the1990/91 Iraqi Invasion. This issue was closed through a

settlement signed between Iraq and Kuwait on July 18,2012, and approved by an emergency decree releasedin Kuwait on Oct 24, 2012. But is there anyone otherthan the parties involved who knows the details of thesettlement? The aforementioned quote from a debatein the Iraqi parliament on the issue revealed thatrumors about Kuwait giving up some of its rights weretrue. How can the compensation be dropped by half abillion dollars despite final verdicts released by inter-national courts which gave Kuwait a $1.2 billion com-pensation?

And just for the record, the current pro-governmentparliament agreed with a comfortable majority of 46votes to pass the settlement on Jan 22, 2013. I wouldlike to ask lawmakers: is dropping $700 million ownedto Kuwait by Iraq the best you could do? Is supportingIraq and waiving its dues something that Kuwaitiselected you for? Is this how you reward Kuwaitis on theLiberation Day anniversary? Is the already running inlosses KAC budget going to bear the relinquishedamount? And what did Kuwait gain from this settle-ment? After all, I raq continues to object to theMubarak Port and argue on issues pertaining to theborders, while Iraqi factions continue to insult Kuwait.

How ironic is it that the Kuwaiti government andparliament let go of $700 million of Iraq’s dues, whileKuwait’s finance minister skips meetings to reach a set-tlement on Kuwaitis’ loans? Are these the ‘achieve-ments’ that the government and parliament promisedus? — Al-Qabas

‘Achievements’of govt, NA

kuwait digest

By Waleed Al-Ghanim

Anansa Raj is a Christian electronics engineer whocame from his native India to Kuwait in 1992 towork in the engineering department at the Public

Authority for Applied Education and Training. He was 22then. I saw him recently, proudly reminiscing about thewonderful times he had throughout his career with man-agers Mohammad Al-Misf, Fareed Al-Awadhi, Mansour Al-Shemmari, Mohammad Al-Serbel and others. He spokefondly about the good treatment meted out to people inthe PAAET. This resulted in him forming a good impres-sion about the Kuwaiti society, and made him come clos-er to what he had been looking for all his life, and find it inIslam.

I was invited last week to a ceremony held by thePAAET to celebrate Raj’s decision to convert to Islam. Iwent there thinking it was going to be a small gatheringof a handful of people, but much to my surprise it turnedout to be a huge event attended by a large number ofguests led by the PAAET Director, Dr. Abdul-Razaq Al-Nufaisi, who is known for his support to his employees -be they Kuwaitis or expatriates.

I made sure to speak privately with Raj in order tounderstand the spiritual journey which ended with himfinding the safety in Islamic shores. He told me that thefirst thing that made him think about the religion was thegood treatment he received from his Kuwaiti colleaguesand managers at the workplace. He never felt discriminat-ed against among them. After interacting at a young agewith the Kuwaiti society and seeing features of the Islamicfaith, Raj decided to investigate what was it that madepeople equal in this society. One day, Raj was advised by acolleague to read the Holy Quran.

Raj says that he started reading an English-translatedversion of the holy Quran that he had bought, and thenstudied Islam until he found everything he was lookingfor in this religion, such as equality between people, aswell as clothes that are described in the Holy Book as‘ornaments’ that enhance the appearance of people. Hedecided to convert to Islam after it provided an answer toevery question he needed to ask.

Raj’s story shows a significant role that the PAAETplayed aside from the task for which it was established. Itmanaged to transmit the concept of Islam to Raj throughgood treatment only, without preaching. The fact that theofficials of the PAAET as well as teaching staff membersmade sure that they attend the celebration will furthersolidify this role and strengthen Raj’s faith.

I asked Raj about his family, and he told me that hewas married with two children - a 12-year-old daughterand an 8-year-old son. He said he was not going to forcehis family members to convert, but was going to let hiswife do her own research until she reaches the shores ofsafety just as he did. The same thing would apply to hischildren who currently study at an Indian school inKuwait. Raj said he was confident that one day, they willalso make the decision to convert by learning the Islamicfaith by interacting with the Kuwaiti society.

At the end of our conversation I asked Raj if he hadanything he wanted to add, and he simply said“Alhamdulillah”. — Al-Rai

Other face of PAAET

kuwait digest

By Dr Hamad Al-Asidan

The Soviet authorities had agreed to screen the movie‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ a 1940 American productionthat tells the story of the suffering of American work-

ers, because they wanted to propagate the negative imagethat the movie depicted of thesituation of laborers in theUnited States during the GreatDepression. The authorities feltthat the movie could help ‘dis-tort’ the image of capitalism inthe east. However, the Sovietauthorities later had to ban themovie after it left a huge impacton the public who saw that inreality American families ownedcars and used them for trans-portation.

There are people whoattempt to ‘distort’ the Kuwaitiopposition and the ongoingprogressive youth movement.Such attempts targeting a signif-icant component of the societycome in several forms includinglies being spread through themedia.

In order to block oppositionist political groups, the gov-ernment brought in a parliament elected after the single-vote decree under the pretext that it would be ‘an assem-bly that is going to result in achievements, more civilizeddiscourse and be a better protector of the will of the peo-

ple.’ What was the result? Lawmakers’ performance and thepoor quality of discourse inside the National Assembly’sbuilding exposed the fact that Kuwaitis have no true repre-sentative in the parliament. Between public skepticism,

blind loyalty to the government,accusations of profiteering, gov-ernmental control that led todelay in debate over grillingmotions, cancellation of commit-tee meetings due to lack of quo-rum and MPs hiding behind par-liamentary immunity, people arenow yearning for those timeswhen the now scrapped 2012parliament was strong andcoherent.

Moreover, all this has now putfurther responsibility on theshoulders of the scrapped assem-bly’s members to continue work-ing in order to defend the peo-ple’s constitutional gains.

Finally, people would notaccept anything less than realachievement, development and

better usage of public funds. Kuwaitis never forgive a law-maker who remains silent and fools around with their destinyfor personal benefit. The government needs to stop its the-atrical performance before it is too late. It should take a leaffrom the erstwhile Soviet nation’s book before it loses what-ever little support it still enjoys in Kuwait’s politics. — Al-Rai

Understand the lessonkuwait digest

By Dr Mubarak Al-Therwa

There are people whoattempt to ‘distort’ the

Kuwaiti opposition and theongoing progressive youthmovement. Such attempts

targeting a significantcomponent of the society

come in several formsincluding lies being spread

through the media.

The current pro-governmentparliament agreed with a

comfortable majority of 46votes to pass the settlement

on Jan 22, 2013.

L O C A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

KUWAIT: Kuwait faces the risk of being unable to meet itsenergy requirements during the summer of 2014 and 2015 if aplanned mega power plant project was to be delayed, a seniorMinistry of Electricity and Water official said in a recent pressstatement. Undersecretary Assistant for Planning and TrainingDr. Meshan Al-Otaibi indicated in his statement on Saturdayabout completing projects to increase the daily productioncapacity of the Subbiya power plant and South Zoor powerplant by 500 megawatts each, and added that the latter wasexpected to start generating an additional 370 megawattsbefore next summer. However, Al-Otaibi stressed that thesesteps were still not enough to meet the growing demand ofelectricity unless the North Zoor power plant was built.

In related news, Al-Qabas newspaper quoted official statis-tics yesterday which suggested that thanks to extremely lowtariffs, power generation losses have reached 95 percent.Power tariff in Kuwait is considered the lowest in the world.

The percentage is based on the difference between theannual cost of electricity generation which is pegged at KD3.2billion, and the average amount of fees collected every yearwhich is estimated at KD160 million, charged at the rate of 2fils per kilowatt.

Meanwhile, statistics showed that the government wasspending 38 fils for every kilowatt produced and then sold itfor 2 fils, the lowest rate in the region.

The rates were as much as 20, 22 and 30 fils per kilowatts inSaudi Arabia, Oman and Dubai, respectively. Experts predictthat the production cost would increase to 50 fils per kilowattin the next few years, putting Kuwait at risk of further financialloss. According to international reports, Kuwait uses 10 per-cent of its daily oil production to produce electricity and water.

The rate is estimated to increase to 20 percent by 2017, atwhich point nearly 600 thousand barrels will be pumped everyday into power plants to meet the demand that continues to

increase as a result of population growth and residentialexpansion projects.

In another development, sources revealed that nine min-istries have been found to have spent KD 901.6 million withoutany authorization on their employees and companies con-tracted by those ministries. Expenses also included thoseborne on account of unnecessary medical treatment abroad,in addition to uncollected dues.

Out of this figure, KD 280.2 million were wasted by theMEW, KD 206.5 million by the oil sector, KD 115.50 million bythe Ministry of Communication, KD 109 by the Ministry ofFinance, KD 13 million by Justice Ministry, KD 10.7 million bythe Ministry of Information, KD 7.4 million by the Ministry ofPublic Works, and KD 6.8 million by the Ministry of HigherEducation. Sources said real financial regulation was almostabsent in these ministries due to corruption indulged in one orthe other leader.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The 11th Fireman DayExhibition activities held from March 7-9,2013 came to a close at Souq Sharq inthe presence of General Director of FireDepartment, Lt. General Yousuf Al-Ansari, his Deputy Brig. Khalid Al-Mikrad,capital fire center director ColonelHamad Al-Hadlaq and public relationsdirector Lt. Colonel Khalil Al-Amir.

The fire department, Army andNational Guards fire department and

KOC fire department participated in theevent. Visitors were educated about theequipment used in firefighting, accidentprevention and safety and securityissues. They were also told why eachfamily should equip itself for its ownsafety. Al-Ansari expressed thanks andappreciated the sponsoring companiesand participants who backed this exhibi-tion. He also appreciated the commer-cial participants in the exhibition andthanked the commercial complexes thathosted the festival.

The Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC)yesterday announced that the Ice SkatingRink will remain closed until April 4, 2013

for annual maintenance. Supervisor of the Ice Skating Rink and

Fountain Park, Omar Al-Sameraie, was quotedin a statement as ensuring that “all efforts willbe made to ensure that the comprehensivemaintenance operations are finished in time.”

Kuwait may face power shortage risk next year

Mega power plant soon

Fireman Day activities conclude

Skating rink closed for maintenance

Omar Al-Sameraie

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Karzai alleges America,Taleban are colluding

Page 12

Falkland Islands vote in referendum Page 9

CARACAS: Handout picture released by the Venezuelan Presidency shows supporters of late President Hugo Chavez paying their last respects to their leader during his funeral at the Military Academy in Caracas, yesterday.Venezuelan political parties begin registering candidates Sunday for a snap election on April 14, setting the stage for a bruising campaign to succeed the late president Hugo Chavez. — AFP

CARACAS: Venezuelan opposition leaderHenrique Capriles yesterday weighed a runagainst Hugo Chavez’s handpicked succes-sor in an April 14 election, six months afterthe late firebrand leftist defeated him.

Capriles, the 40-year-old Miranda stategovernor, said he would announce lateryesterday whether he will take on actingPresident Nicolas Maduro and the 14-yearsocialist revolution that has divided the oil-rich nation.

The election promises to be bitter, withthe ruling party vowing to keep Chavez’slegacy alive and the opposition accusingthe government of violating the constitu-tion by making Maduro acting president.

Capriles, who has said he would followBrazilian-style center-left policies, thankedthe opposition for offering him the nomi-nation, writing on Twitter that he would“speak to the country about my decision”late yesterday. Candidates have until today

afternoon to register for the snap election.A recent survey by pollsters Hinterlacesgave Maduro a 14-point advantage overCapriles, though the opposition leader hasquestioned the firm’s reliability in the past.

The Democratic Union Roundtable(MUD), a large coalition of wide-rangingparties, said it had unanimously pickedhim as its candidates. Last year, Caprileswas nominated in an unprecedented elec-tion within the historically fractured oppo-sition.

“ We have al l recognized HenriqueCapriles Radonski as the person to embodythis option of change,” said MUD executivesecretary Ramon Guillermo Aveledo.

The opposition largely boycottedMaduro’s swearing-in late Friday, hoursafter Chavez was given a lavish state funer-al with more than 30 foreign leaders, most-ly from Latin America, including his closestally, Cuban President Raul Castro.

Capriles denounced the inauguration asa “constitutional fraud” and an abuse ofpower, telling Maduro: “The people didn’tvote for you, kid.” Maduro countered thatthe opposition was misinterpreting theconstitution.

Maduro, the 50-year-old former vicepresident, and Capriles began tradingbarbs well before Chavez lost his battle tocancer last Tuesday at the age of 58.Maduro has called Capriles the “decadentprince of the parasitic bourgeoisie,” whilethe governor said the former bus driverand union activist was “lazy” and a “slacker”who “has never worked.” Chavez defeatedCapriles by 11 points in the October presi-dential election, but Capriles gave theopposition its best result ever against thepresident, garnering 44 percent of thevotes.

The youthful, energetic governor drewmassive crowds during the last campaign,

bringing hundreds of thousands of peopleto the streets of Caracas for a rally in thefinal stretch of the race.

But Chavez was propelled to victoryagain thanks to his popularity among thenation’s once-neglected poor, who wor-shipped him for the oil-funded social pro-gram that brought them health care, hous-ing and education. His expropriations andnationalizations of key industries, however,angered the wealthy.

The opposition accused Chavez of usinghis position to dominate the airwaves anduse state funds to finance his campaign.Chavez will cast a huge shadow over thisnew election, which fal ls near a keyanniversary in his political history.

The late leader was briefly ousted onApril 11, 2002, in a coup that was organ-ized by the chamber of commerce and thetrade union federation with the help ofsome military officials. But he was restored

to power by loyal soldiers on April 13 amidpopular protests. The government plans toembalm and preserve Chavez “like Lenin”to rest in a glass casket “for eternity,” amove decried by the opposition, whichclaimed that it went against the president’swishes. Thousands of Venezuelans, mean-while, continued to file past the open cas-ket of the firebrand leader at a militaryacademy, in a prolonged farewell. Chavez,who forged a near-mystical bond with thecountry’s poor, has been lying in statesince Wednesday and throngs have filedpast his half-open casket nonstop.

Chavez chose Maduro to succeed himbefore leaving for Cuba in December for anew round of cancer surger y, urgingVenezuelans to vote for him if he died.

“Chavez continues to govern throughMaduro,” said former vice president JoseVicente Rangel, an influential figure inChavismo. — AFP

Venezuela’s Capriles mulls election runParties begin registering candidates for April 14 election

ROME/ATHENS: Seven foreignhostages kidnapped last month by aNigerian Islamist group from a con-struction firm’s compound have beenkilled, the Italian and Greek ForeignMinistries said yesterday.

Al Qaeda-affiliated group Ansarusaid on Saturday it had killed thehostages seized on Feb. 7 in the north-ern state of Bauchi because ofattempts by Nigerian and Britishforces to free them.

It published grainy photos purport-ing to show the bodies of a Briton, anItalian, a Greek and four Lebaneseworkers snatched from the Lebanesefirm Setraco. Foreign governmentshad not been able to confirm thekillings until yesterday. Italy andGreece denied any attempt to rescuethem had been made by any of thegovernments involved. Nigeria hadno confirmation of the killings.

“Our checks conducted in co-ordi-

nation with the other countries con-cerned lead us to believe that thenews of the killing of the hostagesseized last month is true,” an ItalianForeign Ministry statement said.

“ There was never any militaryattempt to rescue the hostages by anyof the governments concerned,” it said,adding the president had sent his con-dolences to the Italian’s family.Security has become a top concern foroil and infrastructure companiesacross the region after gunmen loyalto al Qaeda’s north African franchisestormed an Algerian gas plant inJanuary. Up to 37 foreigners died dur-ing an attempted rescue mission byAlgerian forces.

The risk posed by Islamists acrosswest and north Africa has greatlyincreased since France sent troops toMail to wrest control of its northernterritory from al Qaeda linked rebels.

Islamist groups have also spread

across the north and centre of Nigeria,Africa’s top oil producer, where theyhave become the main security threatafter an amnesty ended an uprising byarmed groups in the oil-producingsoutheastern Niger Delta.

Britain said it was “likely” the Britonwas killed along with the six others,with Foreign Secretary William Haguesaying: “This was an act of cold-blood-ed murder, which I condemn in thestrongest terms.” Greece confirmed itscitizen was dead, adding the ForeignMinistry had informed his family.Lebanon declined to comment.

Nigerian authorities continued tosay they had no evidence, after doubt-ing the veracity of the Ansaru state-ment on Saturday. “We have launcheda full investigation to find out whathas really happened, but for now wereally cannot way whether this reportis true or not,” police spokesman forBauchi state Hassan Mohammed Auyo

said by telephone. Western securityofficials say growing links betweenNigerian Islamists and Saharan groupssuch as al Qaeda in the IslamicMaghreb has led them to increasinglyseek Western targets, rather than localsecurity forces or civilians. Frenchintervention in Mali has also height-ened the risk to Western interests inNigeria, analysts say, and French oilmajor Total moved its staff from theNigerian capital Abuja, where themain insurgent group Boko Haramoperates, in January.

Kidnappings - including some tar-geting foreigners - have been rife inthe southeast for many years, but thegangs there usually seek a payout andhostages tend to be released quickly,while Islamist kidnappings in thenorth are often fatal. The hostage-tak-ing at the compound in the remotetown of Jama’are was the largest num-ber of foreigners seized in the mostly

Muslim north since an Islamist insur-gency intensified two years ago.

Ansaru declared itself a separategroup from Boko Haram in January,although security officials believethem to be closely linked.

Its full name is Jama’atu AnsarulMusilimina Fi Biladis Sudan or “van-guards for the protection of Muslimsin Black Africa”. Ansaru was suspectedof being behind the killing of a Britishand Italian hostage a year ago innorthwest Nigeria during a botchedattempt to rescue them by British andNigerian forces. Britain has labelled ita terrorist organisation. I t alsoclaimed responsibility for the kidnap-ping in December of a French nation-al, still missing. Nigerian authoritiesare still looking for a French family ofseven kidnapped in northernCameroon and moved over the bor-der by militants who said they werefrom Boko Haram. — Reuters

Italy, Greece confirm hostages killed in Nigeria

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

BEIRUT: Syrian government airstrikes killed at least14 people in the northern province of Raqqa lessthan a week after rebels seized the area’s provincialcapital, activists said yesterday.

Also, the UN’s top official for refugee affairs saidthe number of people fleeing Syria could triple thisyear if the war does not end.

The city of Raqqa, home to a half million peoplebefore the uprising against President Bashar Assadbegan two years ago, could prove a test case forhow rebels administer areas they capture.

The rebel groups that led the battle for the cityare comprised largely of conservative Muslims,some of them extremists, and videos released overthe weekend indicate some fighters have killed cap-tured soldiers. Recent government airstrikes haveshown the limits of rebel control. Even if they holdthe ground, they can do little about the govern-ment’s air force, which often bombards areasrecently captured by the rebels, killing fighters andcivilians alike.

The regime regularly accuses the rebels - whomit refers to as “terrorists” - of attacking civilians. UNHigh Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterrestold reporters in the Turkish capital, Ankara, that theinternational community should work toward end-ing the conflict.

“If the Syrian conflict will go on and on and on,there is an effective risk of an explosion into theMiddle East,” he said, adding that it was in “the inter-est of everybody to stop this conflict before it is toolate. “ On March 6, the UN said the number of regis-tered Syrian refugees had reached 1 million.Guterres also renewed a call for nations to supportTurkey, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries shel-tering refugees.

The UN says more than 70,000 people have beenkilled in the violence. Associated Press writer SuzanFraser contributed reporting from Ankara, Turkey.Also yesterday, some of the fiercest fighting in ayear was reported in Baba Amr, the neighborhoodin the central city of Homs that stood for rebel defi-ance but also for the government’s ability to strikeback. The Syrian military besieged Baba Amr for amonth last year, killing hundreds of people, andeventually retook the area.

Yesterday, rebels and regime troops clashed inBaba Amr, accompanied by army shelling andairstrikes, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatoryfor Human Rights, an activist group. Amateur videoshowed clouds of smoke above Homs. In theDamascus suburb of Harasta, assailants fired a rock-et-propelled grenade at a van carrying preschoolchildren Sunday, according to Syrian state TV and agovernment official. The attack killed one child andwounded nine, three seriously, said the official, whospoke on condition of anonymity in line with brief-ing regulations. A video posted online from Raqqa

city showed the dead bodies of seven people scat-tered in a street with destroyed buildings nearby.An off-camera narrator says they were killed in anairstrike. The Observatory confirmed that strike andsaid at least seven others were killed in a separateair attack near the province’s eastern border.

Over the last year, Syria’s rebels have greatlyexpanded the territory they hold in northern Syria,mostly in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo next tothe Turkish border. In February, they extended theircontrol into Raqqa province, seizing a hydroelectricdam on the Euphrates River. After storming a cen-tral prison, they seized most of Raqqa city on March4, solidifying their control over the next two days.Raqqa is the first of Syria’s provincial capitals to fallcompletely under rebel control. Rebel actions sincetaking the city have raised concerns.

Videos have surfaced in recent days that showdead government soldiers and security officialslying on the ground, their heads bearing gunshotwounds.

One video showed rebels driving the dead bodyof a military intelligence official around in the backof a pickup truck to show it off. At one point, theylay out his body in a street next to another body.Both have large holes in their heads.

“No one hurt me more than this man!” a voiceoff-camera yells. Rights groups have reported extra-judicial killings of regime officials and troops follow-ing the capture of other areas, especially of pro-government militiamen known as “shabiha,” whomrebels accuse of atrocities. Rebels groups in some

areas have set up courts to try prisoners, though itis unclear whether they meet international stan-dards of due process.

Another video from Raqqa posted on Saturdayshows three bodies in a street in pools of blood.“These are the dogs of military intelligence, andthey were executed in Clock Square,” a voice says,referring to a city landmark.

Other captured regime officials appear to havebeen kept alive. Another video posted Saturdayshowed the provincial governor, Hassan Jalali,along with the chief of President Bashar Assad’s rul-ing Baath party sitting in front of the black flag ofJabhat al-Nusra, an extremist rebel group the UShas designated a terror group.

The two were captured by rebels when theystormed the governor’s palace on March 4. In thevideos, the second man, Suleiman al-Suleiman, saysthat before his capture, he was afraid that rebelswere extremists.

“But my view has changed, and I have seen thatJabhat al-Nusra has a religious program that fol-lows Allah and his prophet,” he said. There was noway to establish whether he was speaking underduress. In Aleppo, activists said the dead bodies ofat least 20 men were pulled from a river that runsbetween regime- and rebel-controlled parts of thenorthern city.

Videos posted online showed the bodies of atleast nine men, some with their hands behind theirbacks and deep head wounds, covered with mudand flies on the riverbank. —AP

Syria regime bombs rebel-held city

Refugees may double or triple this year: UN

ANKARA: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, chief Antonio Guterres,right, and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, left, seen during a meeting in Ankara,Turkey, yesterday. Guterres will visit Syrian refugee camps along the border between Turkeyand Syria yesterday. — AP

PORT SAID: A man who was released from police custody is greetd by relatives inPort Said yesterday. Defendents were released following a court verdict over deadlyfootball violence sparked fresh unrest in Egypt on March 9, with two people killedand buildings torched in Cairo, as Islamist President Mohamed Morsi faces growingcivil unrest. — AFP

CAIRO: Egypt’s interior minister pleadedyesterday for an end to “rumours” ofpolice abuse, saying his forces had neverfired a single shot at protesters since thestart of the 2011 uprising.

Mohammed Ibrahim, who is facing anunprecedented strike by thousands ofpolice officers across the country callingfor his resignation, told reporters themedia was waging an attack against theministry and spreading lies.

“We are the ones being hit withstones. We are the ones being hit withlive bullets... this is putting too much psy-chological pressure on officers,” Ibrahimsaid. “The police is being attacked all dayin the media. Why the rumours? Why theattacks?”

He said people were making up storiesof torture in police custody and accusingthe police of shooting protesters, which is“untrue.” The police have been engagedin violent clashes with protesters acrossthe country for months, and local andinternational rights groups have accusedthe force of unlawful killings.

Clashes in the canal city of Port Said inJanuary following 21 death sentenceshanded down to supporters of a localfootball team left more than 40 peopledead. “Evidence gathered... indicates thatthe police began shooting when theycame under fire on January 26, but con-

tinued shooting after the threat againstthem receded, killing and wounding anumber of protesters and bystanders,”Human Rights Watch said in a statementlast week.

But Ibrahim insisted that police havenever fired on protesters. “We haven’tfired a single shot since January 25. Not asingle shot,” he said in reference to thestart of the 2011 uprising that toppledlong-time president Hosni Mubarak.

He said his forces were being attackedand called on political factions to with-draw their people from the streets “so wecan tell the difference between a thugand a protester.”

Ibrahim said the police were underimmense pressure, which is why the offi-cers were on strike. Thousands of police-men have refused to obey orders andsome have locked police stationsdemanding the minister’s resignation,accusing him of being too close toPresident Mohamed Morsi’s MuslimBrotherhood and of using them as pawnsin a political battle.

But Ibrahim painted a more unifiedfront, saying that the strikers were aminority and added that he himself want-ed to be kept out of politics. “We call oneveryone to keep us out of their equa-tions. We don’t belong to any faction, ide-ology, opposition,” he said. — AFP

Egypt minister urges end to ‘rumours’ of police abuse

ROME: You’re expecting hundreds of thousandsof guests. You don’t know where they’re comingfrom, or when they’ll arrive. You don’t even knowthe date of the celebration.

And heaven only knows the name of the manbeing feted. Planning for the moment when thenext pope is proclaimed to the world, and for theinstallation ceremony a few days later, is a big-time guessing game. And that adds up to anungodly logistical headache for the city of Rome.

When white smoke pours out of the chimneyatop the Sistine Chapel, throngs of Romans willdrop what they’re doing and race to St. Peter’sSquare to cheer the new pope when he steps outonto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. If the nextpontiff hails from somewhere in Italy, thousandscan be expected to pack trains to the capital.

Then there are all the foreigners flying intotown to capture the historic moment - an influxthat may become overwhelming if cardinalsbreak with tradition and elect the first pope fromLatin America, home to 40 percent of the world’sCatholics.

A tented field hospital will go up in a squarenear the Vatican by the eve of the start of theconclave on Tuesday, ensuring that emergencymedical treatment will be just around the cornerif any pilgrim feels ill or stumbles in the rush toglimpse the new pope.

While there are no other special plans for theconclave itself, Rome authorities have a detailedgame-plan for the papal installation that takesplace a few days after the pope is elected. Theaudience for that momentous event in St. Peter’sSquare will include presidents, prime ministers,religious leaders and tens of thousands of pil-grims, along with the throngs of accidentaltourists who happen to be in town.

Police helicopters will whirl overhead.Thousands of extra police will be summoned toduty to keep streets safe and unclogged. Officerson motorized rubber dinghies will glide downthe Tiber, ready to dive into the river’s murkywaters to pick out anything suspicious. Bomb-sniffing dogs will poke their noses down man-holes and trash bins in security sweeps along theroutes that both VIPs and faithful will cover enroute to the square.

As soon as the installation date is known,some 500 Civil Protection volunteers, many ofthem ready to hop on Segways, will receivephone calls to spring into action. They know thedrill for the big day: They’ll report to Rome’s maintrain station and the subway stop closest to theVatican before dawn, helping like good shep-herds to channel the flock along designatedstreets, closed to traffic, that lead to St. Peter’sSquare.

“Not even the Vatican knows how big thecrowd will be,” said Mario Vallorosi, who heads

the Rome office of the government’s CivilProtection service. “It will be affected by who (thepope) is. If he’s a Latin American, he will drawhuge crowds.” Conservative crowd estimates, hetold The Associated Press, run between 200,000and 300,000.

Since Benedict XVI gave two-week’s noticelast month for his resignation - the first in 600years - there have been a few “trial runs” of crowdcontrol and security in St. Peter’s Square. His finalpublic audience drew so many people (some

150,000 people) there wasn’t enough space forall in the vast cobblestone square. Surroundingstreets quickly filled up with the overflow, withmany faithful watching the pope’s final publicVatican appearance on maxi-screens set up forthem.

The Vatican’s own security force, known as thegendarmerie, is in charge of the crowd inside thesquare and Italian police handle crowd controljust outside the Vatican’s boundaries. Securityofficers from both forces included plainclothesagents dressed up as pilgrims and tourists, listen-ing to the chatter in the square and watching forany unusual movements.

Nearly everything went smoothly forBenedict’s last public appearances, althoughsome faithful panicked during the retiredpope’s penultimate Sunday blessing from hisstudio window, when thousands of last-minute arrivals tried to squeeze through threenarrow openings through a metal fence ring-

ing the edge of the square.Rome enjoyed at least a few days scramble

time for those last papal events. Now, uncertain-ty surrounding the conclave is adding hugepressure.

“The biggest concern is lack of information,”said Giammario Nardi, the man Rome’s mayorhas put in charge of hosting special events. Nardiinsisted the city is not privy to any hints from theVatican about when the papal installation willtake place. “We’re operating on predictions,” he

said, “on what the newspapers tell us.”Nardi spoke with The Associated Press several

hours before the Vatican announced on Fridaythat the cardinals will start voting for Benedict’ssuccessor on Tuesday, a process that could wrapup in a day or two, or might need more time.

With a shudder, Nardi recalled how ambu-lances were blocked by the narrow streets of theBorgo, the neighborhood near the Vatican, whenfaithful couldn’t squeeze into the square andclogged the streets after John Paul II’s death in2005. In those days crowds turned out day andnight to pray at the Vatican and pass by his bodyas it lay on display in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The decision to set up a field hospital this timeis fruit of that bad memory, he said. The mostmentioned date for the new pope’s installationMass in St. Peter’s Square is Sunday, March 17,exactly a week before Palm Sunday begins HolyWeek. Nardi acknowledged that date as the city’soperating “hypothesis.”

He sighed as he pondered the challenges.“The election of an Italian pope or a foreign popewill mean, as pilgrims go, different numbers anddifferent types,” he said, adding: “It’s not like wehave a lot of time between when the whitesmoke puffs out and the installation.”

Complicating a March 17 papal installation: It’sthe same date the capital is hosting the RomeMarathon. Some 100,000 runners are expectedfor the race, which traditionally loops near St.Peter’s Square in mid-morning. That’s practicallythe same time huge crowds could be surgingtoward the Vatican for a first papal Mass.

Nardi said that the Italian government wantedto cancel the marathon, citing worries aboutpublic safety. But Rome’s officials were adamantabout holding it, and a compromise wasclinched. If the installation falls on marathon day,the race will go ahead but re-routed away fromthe Vatican. The marathon’s start will also be putoff until early afternoon, when presumably thenew pope, pilgrims and Romans will be eatinglunch. A main Rome boulevard usually on themarathon route will be fenced off so limousinescan whisk VIPs straight to St. Peter’s Square with-out dodging pedestrians - or marathon runners.

If the marathon weren’t enough, March 17 isalso St. Patrick’s Day, with thousands of Irishrugby fans expected in Rome because Irelandplays Italy the day before in the Six Nationstournament.

Benedict’s final public audience cost Romesome euros 500,000 ($675,000) alone, and publicevents surrounding the new pope’s installationceremony could cost 10 times that amount. Forexample, the city will rent several maxi-screens, ateuros 20,000 ($27,000) apiece, to place in streetsnear the Vatican for faithful who can’t fit into thesquare.

Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno has taken topassing a collection plate to the central govern-ment, but so far Italy’s austerity-minded caretak-er premier, Mario Monti, hasn’t dropped any-thing in.

Whether Rome could recoup some of thecosts connected with the papal ceremonies fromtourism, including a modest surcharge on hotelrooms, depends heavily on where the pilgrimscome from, Nardi said. The number of tourists inthe city rose by some 10 to 20 percent forBenedict’s final audience, with many apparentlyfrom southern Germany, judging by the manypilgrims waving the flag of Benedict’s nativeBavaria.

When Benedict was installed in 2005, an esti-mated 100,000 Germans turned out for the cere-mony, which drew some 350,000 overall. Justhow many people the new pope will attract tothe city is an open question, depending a lot onwhat Nardi called “charisma.” —AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

VATICAN: People gather at St Peter’s square at the Vatican ahead of the cardi-nals conclave yesterday. Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world willassemble in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel from tomorrow for a conclave to electa new pope in an unprecedented transition after Benedict XVI’s historic resig-nation. —AFP

Rome braces for conclave crowd control challengeAncient ritual and high-tech security

Merkel partners pick candidate

for electionBERLIN: German Chancellor AngelaMerkel’s coalition partners yesterdaychose a former economy minister astheir candidate in national elections inSeptember, as the party battles for itspolitical survival.

The pro-business Free Democrats(FDP), which has governed withMerkel’s conservative ChristianDemocratic Union since 2009, selectedRainer Bruederle, 67, to representthem in the September 22 vote inEurope’ top economy.

“People want a strong voice forfreedom. The chance is there for us.We should use it and we want to useit,” said Bruederle during a 75-minutespeech at the party conference inBerlin.

“I know you will all fight with me,”he told the 600 delegates, whoresponded by giving him a five-minute standing ovation. “Let’s go intobattle,” he shouted, to cheers andapplause. Bruederle has a tough scrapahead of him, as the party struggles toturn around its fortunes followingyears of internal bickering and plung-ing support.

With now Foreign Minister GuidoWesterwelle as candidate, the FDP wasthe surprise package in the 2009 elec-tions, polling 14.6 percent and givingMerkel the combined votes needed toform a viable government.

But following a failure to pushthrough promised tax cuts and a briefflirtation with a more eurosceptic line,supporters left in droves and the partysuffered a series of catastrophicregional election defeats.

In recent polls, the FDP has consis-tently failed to score the five percentrequired to win seats in the Bundestaglower house of parliament and wouldbe cast into political oblivion if thisperformance were repeated inSeptember. The latest survey, pub-lished yesterday by polling instituteEmnid for the Bild am Sonntag weekly,put the FDP at four percent. —AFP

LONDON: Falkland Islanders held a refer-endum yesterday and today to send amessage to the world that they want tostay British, although Argentina hasalready dismissed the vote as illegal.

Residents of the windswept archipela-go in the South Atlantic have hoistedBritish and Falklands flags and even cre-ated a giant “YES” made of four-wheeldrives ahead of the vote. In a move insti-gated by residents themselves, 1,672 eli-gible voters are being asked whetherthey want the Falklands to remain aninternally self-governing British overseasterritory.

Argentina and Britain fought a briefbut bloody war over the islands in 1982,and diplomatic tensions have escalated in

recent years with the discovery of oil nearthe Falklands. Britain has held the barrenislands since 1833 but Buenos Airesclaims what it calls “Las Malvinas” areoccupied Argentinian territory. “We wouldbe deluding ourselves if we thought thatArgentina would change overnight, butwe hope it’ll be a strong message to themand to others,” legislative assembly mem-ber Jan Cheek, a sixth generation FalklandIslander, told AFP.

Falklanders hope the outcome-andideally a big turnout-will provide a slap inthe face to an increasingly bellicoseArgentinian President Cristina Kirchner.They also hope the referendum result will

arm them with an unambiguous mes-sage to take to other capitals when press-ing their case for acceptance on the inter-national stage.

The United States, for example, hasstudiously avoided taking sides on theissue despite its close ties with Britain. Inthe Falklands capital Stanley, televisionfootage showed islanders busy on theeve of the vote hanging bunting with theBritish Union Jack and the Falklands flag,which is deep blue with the Union Jack inone corner and a crest with a sheep inthe middle.

“I’m quite proud to be a British over-seas territory,” sheep farmer AilsaHeathman told Britain’s ITV news. At least30 Land Rovers were lined up to spell

“YES” on a patch of land opposite Stanleythat has historically been used by RoyalNavy vessels to commemorate their ves-sels. The Penguin News, the local news-paper named after the flightless birdsthat are native to the Falklands, urgedresidents to take part in “grass roots”events for the vote.

“When you pass journalists open yourwindow, smile, wave or give the thumbsup,” it wrote. “Face painting, especiallywith children, is encouraged. Please bringyour flags.” Argentina, 400 kilometres(250 miles) away, has branded the refer-endum “illegal” because, it claims, theislanders are “implanted” and thus do not

have the right to self-determination.The Argentinian foreign ministry said

on Friday that the vote was “a Britishattempt to manipulate” the status of thearchipelago. The “attempt will not alterthe essence of the Falklands or put anend to the sovereignty dispute”, it insist-ed. London says it will not discuss sover-eignty issues with Buenos Aires unlessthe islanders expressly wish it.

Opinion polls commissioned forBritish media organisations showed thatattitudes in both Britain and Argentinawere hardening. A YouGov poll for SkyNews published on Saturday found that24 percent of Argentinians surveyed saidthe Falkands was the most important for-eign policy issue, against just one percentof Britons.

But a ComRes poll for ITV news onSaturday showed that 77 percent ofBritons thought the Falklanders shoulddecide the future of the islands, while 60percent said London should keep militaryoptions open against any threat to theFalklands. On April 2, 1982, Argentina’sthen-ruling junta invaded the Falklands,sparking a 74-day war with Britain whichcost the lives of 649 Argentine and 255British troops.

If the invasion hardened the minds ofthe staunchly pro-British islanders fur-ther, Kirchner’s tub-thumping has donelikewise for a whole new generation. “Theonly people who can really decide whatis in their best interests are the FalklandIslanders,” Dick Sawle, another of theislands’ eight elected legislative assemblymembers, told AFP.

Diplomatic friction betweenArgentina and Britain has intensifiedsince 2010, when London authorised oilprospecting in the waters around theislands. But Falkland Islanders suspectKirchner’s often-emotional crusade is aruse to divert domestic attention awayfrom Argentina’s mounting economicproblems. Four-fifths of the ruggedislands’ 2,563 residents live in the capitalStanley, with its pubs and red telephoneboxes. But polling stations in remote vil-lages and even mobile voting booths willbe used to make sure those in even thefarthest-flung sheep farms get thechance to cast their ballots.

Several countries have sent officialinternational observers for the polls,which open at 1300 GMT with resultsexpected overnight Monday-Tuesday.Sukey Cameron, who represents theFalklands government in London, saidthey expect Buenos Aires to disregardthe result but added that “at least, inter-nationally, it will bring the islanders intothe forefront”. —AFP

Falkland Islanders vote in referendum

PORT STANLEY: People drive their vehicles bearing British flags andstickers in favor of keeping the Falkland Islands as an overseas ter-ritory of the United Kingdom in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands,Saturday. The local Falkland Islands Government has mobilized amajor effort to get registered voters to answer a yes-or-no to thereferendum; “Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their cur-rent political status as an Overseas Territory of the UnitedKingdom?”, scheduled for March 10-11, 2013. —AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

CINCINNATI: An Ohio man who wasexonerated after spending 13 years inprison for murder cried as a federal juryfound that two Cleveland police detec-tives violated his civil rights by coercingand falsifying testimony and withhold-ing evidence that pointed to his inno-cence.

The jury’s verdict on Friday, whichincluded awarding $13.2 million toDavid Ayers of Cleveland for his pain andsuffering, brings an end to the legal bat-tle he’s been fighting since his arrest inthe 1999 killing of 76-year-old DorothyBrown. Ayers, 56, was released fromprison in 2011 after the 6th US Circuit

Court of Appeals in Cincinnati reversedhis conviction and the state decided notto seek another trial.

Ayers had been found guilty of killingBrown, who was found in her Clevelandapartment bludgeoned to death, cov-ered in defensive wounds and nakedfrom the waist down; she also had beenrobbed. DNA testing later proved that apubic hair found in her mouth did notcome from Ayers.

“This should have been stopped along time ago,” Ayers told the ClevelandPlain Dealer after the jury ’s verdictFriday. “My goal is that it never happensto anyone else ever again.”

A phone number listed for Ayers didnot accept messages Saturday. Ayersfiled his civil rights lawsuit in March 2012against six Cleveland police officers, thecity and the county housing authority.Allegations against three of the officers,the city and the housing authority weredismissed by a judge who found thattheir roles did not violate Ayers’ rights.

One of the remaining officers settledout of court with Ayers for an undis-closed amount. The Friday verdict wasagainst Michael Cipo and Denise Kovach,who were the lead investigators in thecase. Kovach and Cipo could not bereached for comment. They have denied

misconduct. Phone and email requestsfor comment with Cleveland police andthe three city attorneys who representCipo and Kovach were not immediatelyanswered Saturday. The Cleveland PlainDealer reported that attorney RachelSteinback of Chicago, who representedAyers, said the city is self-insured so theaward will come from taxpayer money,not an insurance company.

Among the most serious allegationsby Ayers against Kovach and Cipo werethat the two detectives conspired witheach other to fabricate a confession thathe never made, coerced a friend of Ayersto lie by saying that Ayers had told him

of the murder before Brown’s body wasdiscovered, and gave key informationabout the crime to Ayers’ prison cellmateso he could later testify against Ayersabout an admission he didn’t make.

In an August filing, Cipo and Kovachargued to have the lawsuit dismissed,saying that they acted in good faith andwith probable cause, and that Ayerswas responsible for any alleged injuriesthat he incurred. Federal Judge JamesGwin denied their request late lastmonth shortly before the trial, rulingthat Ayers had produced sufficient evi-dence that the detectives had violatedhis rights. — AP

Exonerated Ohio man wins civil rights suit, $13.2m

HELENA: US Sen. Max Baucus hasbeen here before. Back during theClinton era, the Democrat faced achoice: support an assault weaponsban urged by a president from hisown party and risk angering con-stituents who cherish their gunrights, or buck his party. He chosethe ban, and nearly lost his Senateseat.

Now, as he begins his campaignfor a seventh term, Baucus facesthe question again. For weeks, gunfoes have sought assurances hewould oppose the assault weaponsban. But it was only this past weekhe said he would oppose it.

That decision alone doesn’t set-tle the issue for his re-election cam-paign. His opponents are watchingclosely, eager to pounce as he navi-gates a series of other gun controlproposals, including an expectedcall for universal backgroundchecks.

Baucus’ predicament is one thata group of Democrats like him inthe West and South are facing. Theyhail from predominantly ruralregions of the country where theSecond Amendment is cherishedand where Republicans routinelywin in presidential elections.

From Montana to Louisiana,these anxious voters have made atleast six Democratic senators a littleuneasy heading into next year’selection season. Both sides areaware that gun-owners’ rights aretaking shape as a campaign issuethat could shift the balance of pow-er in the US Senate.

“Make no mistake - it is a verydelicate dance for rural stateDemocrats,” said Barrett Kaiser, aDemocratic political consultant. “Iwould be stunned if the Montanacongressional delegation said any-thing but ‘hell no’ to gun controlmeasures,” he added.

Part of the concern comes froma proposal by Sen. DianneFeinstein, D-Calif., that would banassault weapons and high-capacityclips. The plan is a response to callsfor new gun restrictions fromPresident Barack Obama in theaftermath of the shooting rampageat a Connecticut elementaryschool. Gun control is a top-agendaitem for many Democrats, andthey’ll need all the votes they canto push changes. Baucus knows,though, that a gun control vote“opens the door for whoever chal-lenges him, because Montanans donot want the federal governmentrestricting guns. That is clear as

day,” said Republican state Rep.Scott Reichner, who was MittRomney’s campaign chairman inMontana.

“It would be a monumental mis-take on his part” to support federalgun control legislation, saidRepublican state Rep. ScottReichner. Gun rights carry sway inMontana. The state Department ofFish, Wildlife and Parks saysMontana “boasts more hunters percapita than any other state in thenation.” State lawmakers have beendiscussing measures to expand gunrights. And a pro-gun group, theMontana Shooting SportsAssociation, has set up a websitethat is updated with Baucus’ publicstatements on gun policy. OtherDemocratic senators thatRepublicans are watching closelyinclude Mark Begich of Alaska, KayHagan of North Carolina, TimJohnson of South Dakota, MaryLandrieu of Louisiana and MarkPryor of Arkansas.

Democrats control the Senate,but if Republicans pick off theseseats they could take the chamber.Pryor already has said he won’t sup-port an assault weapons ban, andthe measure is unlikely to clear theSenate. Gun activists still worry thatother restrictions they oppose arein the works.

“I don’t think the assault rifleban, the semi-auto ban, has beenthe real objective,” said GaryMarbut of the Montana ShootingSports Association. “I think that iswhere the rubber meets the road,federal gun registration.”

The gun rights crowd considersmandatory registration as anunconstitutional overreach of fed-eral authority and the close atten-tion paid to all discussions on thetopic show how carefully Baucusand others must tread.

Baucus would appear to be ashoo-in for re-election. He’s thethird most senior U.S. senator,chairman of finance committeethat lets him prioritize manyMontana projects and a consum-mate dealmaker who routinely col-lects endorsements fromRepublican-allied groups like theU.S. Chamber of Commerce. Andhe’s worked hard over the years tobecome the only Senate Democratwith an A-plus rating from theNational Rifle Association.

But one wrong gun vote couldenergize his opposition. ThoughBaucus specifically rejected theassault rifle ban, he stopped short

of mentioning expanded back-ground checks by name. Baucusindicated he prefers the focus waselsewhere. “Instead of focusing onnew laws, Max believes the firststep should be effectively enforcingthe laws already on the books,”Baucus spokeswoman JenniferDonohue said Thursday.

The entire debate represents apotential replay of the most diffi-cult fight of his career, whenBaucus voted for the 1993 BradyBill that established backgroundchecks and the original 1994 banon assault rifles and high-capacityclips.

Those votes led to the closestelection in four decades of politicsfor Baucus, a narrow victory in a bit-ter campaign against RepublicanDenny Rehberg.

The other Democratic senatorsin rural states could find them-selves in similar fights and havebeen cagey over the issue. Mosthave taken a wait-and-see

approach. The NRA last monthlaunched an advertising campaignaimed squarely at this group, send-ing a strong message. The organi-zation did not return a call seekingcomment.

Democratic political operativessay the NRA could be overplayingits hand this time, arguing somesportsmen may be willing to listento moderate proposals.

Still, Baucus and his colleaguesaren’t likely to take risks and bynext year’s election, he and otherscould seek to turn the issue to theiradvantage by using a pro-gunstance to appeal to conservativeand libertarian-minded voters.

“Why wouldn’t he want to talkabout guns?” said Montana StateUniversity political scientist DavidParker. “Sen. Baucus is as about asmiddle of the road as they get inthe United States Senate. What hedoesn’t want to do is have himselfpainted as a national Democrat oras an Obama Democrat.” — AP

Pro-gun voters put heat

on Democratic senators‘Gun control is a top-agenda’

CLARKSDALE: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. pallbearers carry the casket of slainClarksdale, Miss. mayoral candidate Marco Watson McMillian from the Pinnacle atCoahoma Community College in Clarksdale Saturday. Authorities have charged 22-year-old Lawrence Reed in McMillian’s death. McMillian was killed in late February. —AP

WASHINGTON: Projecting urgency,President Barack Obama said he wants theSenate to pass a comprehensive immigra-tion bill in the next three months, thoughhe is willing to be patient if that timelineslips slightly.

Obama spoke during a meeting withfaith leaders, an increasingly powerful partof the coalition seeking to overhaul thenation’s patchwork immigration laws. Theprivate meeting occurred as the WhiteHouse tries to show it is focused on morethan just fiscal issues followingWashington’s inability to avert billions inbudget cuts and a looming deadline forkeeping the government running.

According to people who attended themeeting, the president was enthusiasticabout the work underway in the Senate,where a group of eight senators, fourDemocrats and four Republicans, are craft-ing legislation. The White House has draft-ed its own immigration bill, but Obamaemphasized to the faith leaders that hewould only send it to Capitol Hill if theSenate effort breaks down.

“The president understood our sense ofurgency,” said Rev. Gabriel Salguero, presi-dent of the National Latino EvangelicalCoalition. “He understands there’s a verynarrow window.” The “Gang of Eight” sena-tors said this week that they’re not surethey can finish crafting a bill by their self-imposed March deadline but were opti-mistic about reaching a deal soon.Immigration shot to the forefront ofWashington’s agenda - both for Obama andsome Republicans - following theNovember election. Hispanic voters madeup 10 percent of the electorate and Obamacarried more than two-thirds of their vot-ers, raising concerns among Republicans

about their ability to appeal to the increas-ingly powerful voting bloc.

Overhauling immigration laws is also atop priority for the fast-growing number ofAsians in the US, who also voted over-whelmingly for Obama but make up a farsmaller percentage of the electorate - 3percent, according to exit polls from theNovember election.

Faith leaders, particularly evangelicalChristians, have become an importantvoice in pressing Republicans to back newimmigration laws. Rev. Samuel Rodriguezof the National Hispanic ChristianLeadership Conference was among thosewho attended Friday ’s meeting withObama. He said Republicans “must crossthe Jordan of immigration reform” in orderto regain their standing with Hispanics.

“Otherwise, they will stay in the desertof a political minority party,” he added,using Bible references to illustrate his point.The faith leaders said they were largely inline with the president on what needs to beincluded in an immigration bill, particularlythe need to provide a pathway to citizen-ship for illegal immigrants. They also agreewith Obama declaring the border secureshould not be a precondition for startingthe citizenship pathway, as the Senategroup has proposed.

However, faith leaders are opposed tothe president’s belief that gays and lesbiansshould be afforded equal rights under anew immigration law. Meeting participantssaid they raised their concerns during themeeting, but the topic did not dominatethe conversation.

Among the 14 participants in the meet-ing were representatives of the Christian,Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Mormonfaiths.— AP

Obama meets with faith

leaders on immigration

BELGRADE: Reformers in Serbia will bemourning slain prime minister ZoranDjindjic this week, painfully aware that hisassassination a decade ago severely dam-aged efforts to bring the country into theEuropean Union.

Djindjic, the first democratically elect-ed prime minister in post-communistSerbia, was shot and killed by a singlesniper in broad daylight on March 12,2003, at the doorstep of a Serbian gov-ernment building.

His pivotal goal was to transform thecountry from a pariah state, tainted bywar crimes and shattered by NATObombs, into a democratic and prosperousEU member. “Djindjic devoted lots of timeto realise his idea of transforming Serbiainto a decent country,” said CedomirJovanovic, who was a close associate ofthe slain leader.

But in the years following Djindjic’sdeath, he said, nobody has been able tocarry the cause with equal fervour. “Serbianowadays is the same as the one 10 yearsago,” Jovanovic lamented. Djindjic wasthe mastermind of the October 2000uprising that ousted the authoritarianregime of Slobodan Milosevic, the allegedarchitect of the genocide that followedthe break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

He saw Serbia’s future as laying to thewest, and set about removing the keyobstacles to Serbia’s EU entry-notably byarresting war crimes suspects and takingthe diplomatic track with breakaway stateKosovo. His assassination, plotted by elitepolice in league with the criminal under-world, put the reform movement intoparalysis. The economy, slowly revivingafter years of sanctions, was brought to a

halt for years as Djindjic’s successorsfailed to push on with reforms the slainleader had started.

Zoran Zivkovic, Djindjic’s right-handman and successor, said the killing “halt-ed Serbia.” “If Djindjic had not been killed,I am convinced that Serbia would havejoined the EU along with Croatia,” anotherformer Yugoslav republic set to become amember of the bloc in July, Zivkovic toldAFP.

While the last war crimes suspect,Bosnian Serb wartime military leaderRatko Mladic, was finally arrested in 2011,Kosovo has remained an obstacle toSerbia’s EU integration.

It took years for Serbian leaders toeven agree to talk with Kosovo’s leader-ship on how to overcome the raft of prob-lems that arose after the 1998-1999 con-flict war between Belgrade security forcesand ethnic Albanian separatists, followedby Pristina’s secession from Serbia in2008. Current Serbian Prime Minister IvicaDacic-once Milosevic’s spokesman andDjindjic’s fierce opponent-now negotiateswith his Kosovo counterpart HashimThaci in EU-sponsored talks.

Progress in the dialogue with Kosovo,whose independence Belgrade still refus-es to recognise, is a key condition set byBrussels to open accession talks withSerbia later this year. In an article for theinfluential NIN weekly, Dacic appearedto admit that Djindjic was ahead of histime.”Ten years later, Serbia has yet tosolve the problems that burdenedDjindjic’s government,” Dacic wrote. “Iam convinced that he would not mindthat we, his political opponents, do whatwe do.” — AFP

SOFIA: A third Bulgarian man died yesterdayafter setting himself on fire amid protestsagainst growing poverty and corruption in theEU’s poorest country, hospital officials said.

Ventsislav Vasilev, a 53-year-old unemployedfather of five, had doused himself with fuel andset himself ablaze outside the mayor’s office inthe central town of Radnevo on February 26.

He died on Sunday after being hospitalisedwith severe smoke inhalation and burns over 75percent of his body.

Also last month, 36-year-old protester PlamenGoranov set himself on fire outside the city hallin Varna, on the Black Sea, amid snowballingnationwide rallies against poverty, cronyism andcorruption.

Goranov’s self-immolation and clashesbetween protesters and police in Sofia prompt-ed the resignation of the right-wing governmentof Prime Minister Boyko Borisov the same day.

The young man’s death on Bulgaria’sLiberation Day, March 3, turned him into a sym-bol of the rallies. Another Bulgarian died by self-immolation in the central city of Veliko Tarnovoon February 19 although he had not voiced anydemands and police played down his death say-ing he had schizophrenia.

Several thousands demonstrated yesterday inthe capital Sofia and about a dozen other citiesacross the country as the political crisis deep-ened. Protesters in Sofia kneeled and observed aminute’s silence in Vasilev’s memory and gath-ered outside parliament, shouting “Victory” andwaved banners reading “Out with the mafia.”

Demonstrators briefly blocked traffic at therailway station in Varna. Traffic on a key highwayto Greece was also blocked. Bulgarian PresidentRosen Plevneliev is due to dissolve parliamentand appoint a caretaker government next weekahead of snap elections on May 12. — AFP

Third Bulgarian dies after setting ablaze

BAKU: Azerbaijani police use water cannons against demonstrators showing V-victory signduring a protest in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, yesterday. Police in the capital ofAzerbaijan have broken up an unsanctioned protest rally by firing water cannon and rubberbullets at the hundreds of demonstrators. — AP

NEW YORK: In this Wednesday, May 9, 2012 file photo, New York CityCouncil Speaker Christine Quinn laughs during a news conference atCity Hall in New York. Quinn, a Democrat, announced through herTwitter feed yesterday, that she’s in the race to succeed Mayor MichaelBloomberg. — AP

Ten years on, Serbians

mourn murdered PM

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

BEIJING: China is to effectively abolishits scandal-plagued railways ministry aspart of a sweep of government reformsaimed at tackling inefficiency and cor-ruption, a top official told parliamentyesterday.

The changes include bolstering amaritime body as China engages inisland disputes with its neighbours, andgiving an economic development bodymore say over the one-child policy as thecountry faces a shrinking labour pool.

“The administrative system in effectstill has many areas not suited to thedemands of new circumstances andduties,” Ma Kai, secretary general of theState Council, China’s cabinet, told theNational People’s Congress parliament atits annual gathering in Beijing, accordingto a copy of his speech.

Inadequate supervision had led to“work left undone or done messily,abuse of power and corruption,” he said,adding that some areas were insuffi-ciently managed while others had “too

many cooks in the kitchen”.Analysts, though, expressed doubts

about the effectiveness of the moves.David Goodman, a China politics expertat the University of Sydney, pointed outthat reorganisation alone could notstamp out corruption. “They are veryserious reforms,” he said, “but they arenot going to attack that question of mak-ing officials more accountable and moreresponsible.”

Since taking office at the head of theruling Communist Party in November,China’s incoming leadership has issued abarrage of promises to adopt humbleways and fight corruption, while statemedia have highlighted individual scan-dals. But any broad anti-graft measureswould require taking on powerful vestedinterests, and the official news agencyXinhua said the State Council hadrestructured the government seventimes in 30 years.

Beijing will switch control of the rail-way ministry’s administrative functions

to the transport ministry and hand itscommercial functions to a new ChinaRailway Corporation. The rail system-which has cost hundreds of billions ofdollars-has been one of China’s flagshipdevelopment projects in recent yearsand the country now boasts the world’slargest high-speed network.

But the expansion has seen a series ofscandals and widespread allegations ofcorruption, with former railways ministerLiu Zhijun, who was sacked in 2011, nowawaiting trial on graft charges.

In July 2011 a high-speed crash in theeastern city of Wenzhou killed at least 40people, sparking a torrent of public criti-cism that authorities compromised safe-ty in their rush to expand the network.

Meanwhile the body that overseesChina’s one-child policy will be mergedwith the health ministry to form a newbody, and nationwide population policywill now be handled by the NationalDevelopment and Reform Commission,an economic planner.

The move comes after China saw thefirst drop in its labour pool in decades

a consequence of the restrictionsimposed on families in the late 1970sthat now threaten to impact the coun-try’s future growth.

But outgoing premier Wen Jiabao toldparliament last week that the policywould be maintained this year. China willalso bring its maritime law enforcementbodies under a single organisation,allowing greater coordination as thecountry is embroiled in a bitter row withJapan over disputed islands in the EastChina Sea.

The State Oceanic Administration,which runs marine surveillance, will takeover management of the coastguardfrom the public security ministry, fish-eries patrols from the agriculture min-istry, and customs’ marine anti-smug-gling functions.

Chinese marine surveillance vesselsregularly patrol what Beijing says are itswaters around the Diaoyu islands,

prompting accusations of territorialincursions by Tokyo, which refers to theoutcrops as the Senkakus.

Beijing is also at odds with severalSoutheast Asian countries, including thePhilippines, over islands in the SouthChina Sea. In other measures, the StateAdministration for Food and Drug will beelevated to a “general administration”amid a series of food safety scandals thathave generated public concern.

Two censorship bodies, one for printmedia and the other for broadcast, willbe merged. Goodman called the reformssensible efforts to better address press-ing issues such as demographic changesand disputes with neighbours, sayingthey pointed to the government seekinga “more sophisticated, more effectiveway of doing things”.

But the restructuring would onlybring about “government efficiencywithin the limits of what is possible,” hesaid. “It doesn’t stop people behavingbadly.” — AFP

China to abolish rail ministry in anti-graft shakeup

FELDA SAHABAT: Malaysian police shot dead ateenager and injured a man yesterday as theytried to end a month-long incursion by Filipinogunmen in remote Sabah state that has seen 62people killed.

The death of the teen, whose identity andnationality has not yet been confirmed, came onthe same day that police said two officers werehurt in clashes with armed Filipino Islamists.

The group landed in the state on Borneoisland to resurrect long-dormant land claims by aself-proclaimed Philippine sultan.

Malaysia, facing its worst security crisis inyears, insists the gunmen must surrender and haslaunched air- and ground strikes against them,but they continue to hide within a security cor-don around two villages and farm land.

Malaysian police shot the boy, believed to bebetween 12 and 15 years old, and the man in his30s when they noticed movement in some bush-es while frisking a group of five near the battle-zone, federal police chief Ismail Omar said.

Gunmen have traded fresh fire with securityforces since late Saturday, also injuring twopolicemen who have been hospitalised. Eightpolicemen were killed in clashes before theMalaysian military assault began.

Police said earlier yesterday they have arresteda total of 85 people in the state under a securitylaw and are investigating them for “committingterrorist acts”.

Earliere, Philippine officials asked theMalaysian government yesterday to clarify newsreports of Filipinos in Malaysia’s eastern Sabahstate allegedly being mistreated by authoritiesamid a crackdown on armed Filipino gunmenstaking a claim on the resource-rich frontierregion. The Department of Foreign Affairs alsoreiterated a call for Malaysia to give Philippinediplomats full access to Filipinos who are beingheld outside an area of Sabah where Malaysianforces have staged the crackdown against the fol-lowers of a Filipino sultan from the southernPhilippines.

About 200 Filipinos from the southernPhilippines, dozens of them armed, barged intoSabah in Borneo around Feb. 9, sparking assaultsthat Malaysian officials said they launched afterefforts to coax the intruders to leave were ignoredand the gunmen fatally shot two policemen onMarch 1. At least 53 Filipino gunmen and eightMalaysian policemen have died in the conflict,mainly in shootouts, according to Malaysian offi-

cials. The Sabah conflict has tested the relations ofthe Southeast Asian countries. Malaysia has beenbrokering peace talks between Manila and a largeMuslim rebel group, and the two countries arefounding members of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations, an influential regionalbloc. The Philippine foreign affairs departmentsaid in a statement that it “views with grave con-cern” Philippine news reports of alleged roundingup of Filipinos in Lahad Datu, the coastal districtwhere the gunmen are believed to be hiding, andother Sabah areas.

“The allegations are alarming and should beproperly and immediately addressed by con-cerned authorities,” the statement said. There wasno immediate reaction from Malaysian officials.

But Malaysian police said 85 men and women,held without trial under a security law, werebeing investigated for their links to the gunmen.Malaysian national police chief Ismail Omar said a

teenager was shot dead yesterday during anongoing operation to flush out the gunmen.Security personnel were questioning five peoplewhen they saw some movement in the bushes,prompting them to fire because they feared theywere under attack, he said.

They later found the body of the boy, agedbetween 12 and 15. A man was also injured inthe violence, Ismail said, adding that authoritieswere still trying to identify the duo. New York-based Human Rights Watch on Saturday echoeda call by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon toensure the protection of civilians and for humani-tarian access to help those affected by the vio-lence.

Malaysia should provide accurate informationon what has transpired and either charge orrelease dozens of suspects detained under a newsecurity law, said Human Rights Watch’s Asiadeputy-director, Phil Robertson. — Agencies

Teen dead, 3 injured

in Malaysia incursionPhilippines alarmed by alleged Malaysian abuses

YANGON: Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) speaks to the media at apress conference during the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) first ever partyconference at the Royal Rose Hall in Yangon yesterday. Myanmar’s long-silencedopposition yesterday reappointed Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as party leaderat a landmark maiden congress, as it eyes victory in elections due in 2015. — AFP

YANGON: Aung San Suu Kyi was re-elect-ed as Myanmar opposition chief yesterdayat a landmark congress that disappointedsome members hoping for new blood inthe wider leadership ahead of a key 2015election. Hundreds of National League forDemocracy (NLD) members gathered inYangon for their first national conference-adisplay of political strength that wouldhave been unthinkable under the formerjunta.

The meeting highlighted the myriadchallenges facing the hugely popularopposition, including its lack of experienceas well as party infighting, as it eyes victoryin key elections due to be held in 2015.

“We have to seize the chance,” Suu Kyi, aformer political prisoner who entered par-liament last year, urged the estimated 850representatives who attended the threedays of talks.

“I thank the members who struggledhand-in-hand with the NLD for 25 years,and I also welcome our new members,” shesaid. “A party can be energetic if it ’srefreshed with new blood all the time.”

The party had faced calls amongyounger members to rejuvenate its leader-ship, dominated by elderly activists includ-ing some in their 80s and 90s known as the“NLD uncles”.

But it held back from a substantialrevamp, instead selecting older veteranparty members for a core executive of 15and unanimously reappointing Suu Kyi aschairwoman. “We are not completely satis-fied. We accept their decision and we willsupport it. But we do want more new bloodamong the leadership,” said an NLD youthmember who asked not to be named.

“We want to see people in their 40s and50s who are educated and have experiencein politics being more involved.” NLDspokesman Han Tha Myint said the partyrecognised the need to gradually promote

younger activists.“That’s our main concern-most of our

senior leaders are getting old,” he said.“ That’s why we have decided that thecapacity of our youth must be built up andwe must recruit some competent peoplefrom outside.”

After being sidelined by Myanmar’s mili-tary rulers for two decades, the NLDentered the political mainstream last yearas a result of sweeping reforms initiated bya new reformist government.

Experts question whether the party isready to run an impoverished nationwhose economy, education and health sys-tems were left in tatters by the corrupt for-mer junta. “They could not take power overthe country tomorrow. They are not ready.They have a lack of capacity,” said a Westerndiplomat who did not want to be named.

The NLD faces the financial and politicalmight of President Thein Sein’s UnionSolidarity and Development Party (USDP),created by former generals who shed theiruniforms to run for office in controversialelections held in 2010.

The congress is the latest sign of thedramatic changes seen in Myanmar since aquasi-civilian regime, led by former generalThein Sein, took power in 2011, endingyears of isolation and heralding a flood ofaid and investment. Suu Kyi, 67, has saidshe is ready to become president if the NLDtakes power, but a constitutional rule nowbars her from the role as she was marriedto a Briton and has two sons who are for-eign nationals. The NLD-which says it nowhas 1.3 million members across the coun-try-swept to a landslide election victory in1990, when Suu Kyi was under housearrest, but the junta never recognised theresult. The party refused to take part inpolls in 2010 mainly because of rules thatwould have forced it to expel imprisonedmembers. — AFP

Suu Kyi reappointed

as opposition leader

MANILA: Self-declared Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III (R) talks to his brother Sultan BantilanEsmail Kiram II (L) during a photo opportunity in his home in Manila yesterday, as the crisiscontinues to fester after his followers entered the Malaysian state of Sabah to reassert hisclaim over the area. So far 53 militants and eight police officers have been killed since thestand-off in Sabah. — AFP

TOKYO: Thousands of protestersmarched in the Japanese capitalyesterday calling on the govern-ment to shun nuclear power, a daybefore the second anniversary ofan earthquake and tsunami thattriggered the world’s worst atomicdisaster in 25 years.

Japan is still coming to termswith the disaster that ravaged itsnortheastern region two years ago- the earthquake and tsunami killedmore than 15,000 people. Severalthousand people are still unac-counted for.

“It’s becoming more and moreimportant for us to protest. I do thisfor my children, we can’t leave themess of nuclear power behind tothem,” said a 32-year old mother oftwo marching in front of theMinistry of Economy, Trade andIndustry, chanting “Stop nuclear!Protect our children!”.

“People and the media are start-ing to forget Fukushima and whathappened there,” said the woman.The nuclear meltdown at TokyoElectric Power’s (Tepco) FukushimaDaiichi plant forced 160,000 peoplefrom their homes and many ofthem will never return. I t alsosparked an unprecedented protestmovement against nuclear power.

Tepco faces a decades-longeffort to decontaminate anddecommission the wrecked nuclearplant after the worst atomic disas-ter since Chernobyl in 1986.

All of Japan’s 50 reactors weregradually shut down after theFukushima disaster and all but twoof them remain idle. But the sweep-ing December victory of Prime

Minister Shinzo Abe and his LiberalDemocratic Party (LDP), which longsupported nuclear power and fos-tered ties between politicians,bureaucrats and utilities, is a worryfor nuclear power’s opponents.

A recent survey showed about70 percent of Japanese want tophase out nuclear power eventual-

ly. An equal number backs Abe,who wants to restart off-line reac-tors if they meet new safety stan-dards.

Nobuko Kameyama, a 67-yearold retiree, handing out anti-nuclear leaflets at a train station,said many people were pre-occu-pied with a stagnant economy

while progress made towards phas-ing out nuclear under the previousgovernment was lost when it lostpower.

“The movement seems to havegotten quieter because we had togo back to the drawing boardwhen the LDP got voted back in,”Kameyama said. — Reuters

Thousands in Japan hold anti-nuke protest

TOKYO: People hold up placards as they take part in an anti-nuclear rally in Tokyo yesterday. Waves of anti-nuclear rallies were held across Japan on the eve of the second anniversary of the March 11, 2011 earth-quake and tsunami disaster that triggered a nuclear crisis in northern Japan. — AFP

BALI: A Balinese priest puts an offering at “Ogoh-ogoh”, a paper-mache effigy thatsymbolizes Balinese Hinduism’s mythical demons and monsters, during a parade tocelebrate “Nyepi”, or Bali’s Day of Silence, in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia yesterday.Balinese Hindu will celebrate Nyepi Day tomorrow by observing a day of silence inwhich they have to stay inside their homes and meditate in silence and darkness forthe entire day. — AP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

PANAJI: India’s Catholics may accountfor less than two percent of the country’spopulation but they will be Asia’s mostpowerful voice in the election to choosea new pope.

Five of the nine Asian cardinals whohave the right to vote at the upcomingpapal enclave hail from India, an over-whelmingly Hindu nation whereCatholics are also outnumbered byMuslims and Sikhs.

Only Italy, the United States andGermany will be represented by morecardinal electors when they meet inVatican City. But with around 17 millionpracticising Catholics, India is home tothe Church’s second largest communityin Asia after the Philippines.

Like elsewhere on the continent,Indian Catholics would love to see anAsian take over from Benedict XVI, withLuis Antonio Tagle, the archbishop ofManila, the name most often mentionedby Vatican observers.

Oswald Gracias, the archbishop ofMumbai who is one of the five Indiancardinals, has expressed doubt that anAsian will be elected pope for the firsttime and insists that a candidate’s birth-place should not be a major factor.

“For me it’s not important what conti-nent he comes from,” he told the

Catholic News Service. “We want a per-son who is most suitable for this assign-ment and most suitable for the verygreat responsibility, the one to whomthe Holy Spirit guides us.”

Telesphore Toppo, the archbishop ofPatna and another of the five Indian car-dinal electors, has also said that nation-ality should not be a factor.

Thousands of miles away from theVatican, the election is being closely fol-lowed in the sun-blessed coastal state ofGoa, a place better known in the Westfor its hedonistic beach parties.

One in four of the state’s 1.5 millionpopulation is Catholic-a legacy of cen-turies under Portuguese rule-and manywould love to see an Asian become thechurch’s leader. But they also stress thathis beliefs on keynote issues are themost important consideration.

“It would be an honour for the conti-nent,” Peter Cabral, a 56-year-old bakertold AFP outside the Church of Our Ladyof the Immaculate Conception in Panaji,the state capital. Cabral hopes thatregardless of where the pope comesfrom, he will have a truly global outlook.

“He should not sit only in the Vaticanwhile heading the flock. He should per-sonally see the people before decidingthe agenda,” he said.

Although an Asian pope would be aradical departure from tradition, manyCatholics expressed the desire that achange at the top should not lead tomajor changes on social issues. BankerRichard D’Mello, 37, said the new popeshould be “a bit liberal” but stick to “tra-ditional religious ethos”.

“The Church is against gay marriageand contraception, so let it be that way.Liberal values does not mean he shouldchallenge everything,” he told AFP.

On the same issues, social workerMaria Viency Cardozo, also in her late30s, agreed that there should be no pro-gression. “The new pope should notchange the policy,” she said. “The resolu-tions were taken by the Catholic Churchafter much deliberation.”

A reader survey by the Union ofCatholic Asian News found that sexabuse by the clergy and its handling byChurch authorities is the top priority forthe next pope, who will have to dealwith a string of scandals.

Other important issues raised includ-ed unifying the Church and offering amore pastoral response to divorcees.

Jerry Fernandes, who runs a smallkiosk on an island off Goa, said the newpope “has a challenge to be different”and adapt the Church to changes in the

modern world. “More than the issue ofhumanity and strengthening religion, healso needs to focus on crucial aspectslike the environment,” he said. The elec-tion, which should be decided by March

31, was triggered when Benedictbecame only the second pontiff to stepdown by choice in the Church’s 2,000-year history and the first to do so sincethe Middle Ages. — AFP

India, Asia’s most powerful voice in papal vote

DHAKA: A policeman was killed earlyyesterday in a gunfight with Islamists in aremote southern village, as violence overwar crime convictions of Islamic leaderscontinued to mount in Bangladesh.

Police said a constable was hit by abullet after around 1,000 supporters ofthe country’s largest Islamic part, Jamaat-e-Islami, attacked police entering a vil-lage in Khulna district and tried to detaina Jamaat activist on charges of violence.

“They attacked us with firearms. Wealso fired from shotguns. ConstableMofizur Rahman was hit by a bullet anddied after we took him to a hospital,”inspector Mominur Rahman told AFP,adding several policemen were alsoinjured.

The killing raised the death toll to 85,including eight policemen, in clasheswith Islamists since a Bangladesh tribu-nal announced its first war crimes verdicton January 21. Sixty-nine of the dead-most of them Jamaat members shot by

police-have been killed since DelwarHossain Sayedee, the vice-president ofJamaat, was sentenced to death onFebruary 28.

Three convictions by the state-appointed tribunal have triggered theworst violence in the impoverished coun-try since independence, hitting econom-ic growth and raising concern over politi-cal stability.

The war crimes proceedings against adozen leaders from Jamaat and the mainopposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) have opened old wounds anddivided the nation, with the oppositionaccusing the government of staging awitch-hunt.

The government, which says the 1971war claimed three million lives, rejectsthe claims and accuses Jamaat leaders ofbeing part of pro-Pakistani militiasblamed for much of the carnage duringthe war. Independent estimates put thewar death toll much lower. — AFP

MUMBAI: In this photograph taken on March 7, 2013 an Indian Catholic manprays outside the Mount Mary Church in Mumbai. India’s Catholics may accountfor less than two percent of the country’s population but they will be Asia’smost powerful voice in the election to choose a new pope. —AFP

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai yester-day accused the Taleban and the US of workingin concert to convince Afghans that violence willworsen if most foreign troops leave - an allega-tion the top American commander inAfghanistan rejected as “categorically false.”

Karzai said two suicide bombings that killed19 people on Saturday - one outside the AfghanDefense Ministry and the other near a policecheckpoint in eastern Khost province - show theinsurgent group is conducting attacks todemonstrate that international forces will still beneeded to keep the peace after their currentcombat mission ends in 2014.

“The explosions in Kabul and Khost yesterdayshowed that they are at the service of Americaand at the service of this phrase: 2014. They aretrying to frighten us into thinking that if the for-eigners are not in Afghanistan, we would be fac-ing these sorts of incidents,” he said during anationally televised speech about the state ofAfghan women.

Karzai is known for making incendiary com-ments in his public speeches, a tactic that isoften attributed to him trying to appeal toTaleban sympathizers or to gain leverage whenhe feels his international allies are ignoring hiscountry’s sovereignty. In previous speeches, hehas threatened to join the Taleban and called hisNATO allies occupiers who want to plunderAfghanistan’s resources.

US and NATO forces commander Gen. JosephDunford said Karzai had never expressed suchviews to him, but said it was understandablethat tensions would arise as the coalition bal-ances the need to complete its mission and theAfghans’ move to exercise more sovereignty.

“We have fought too hard over the past 12years, we have shed too much blood over thelast 12 years, to ever think that violence or insta-bility would be to our advantage,” Dunford said.Karzai also denounced the arrest of a universitystudent Saturday by Afghan forces his aide saidwere working for the CIA. It was unclear why thestudent was detained.

Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said in aninterview with The Associated Press that the CIAfreed the student after Karzai’s staff intervened,but that Karzai wants the alleged Afghan raidersarrested. The president issued a decree onSunday banning all international forces and theAfghans working with them from entering uni-versities and schools without Afghan govern-ment permission.

The Karzai government’s latest commentsand actions come as it negotiates a pact withthe US for the long-term presence of Americanforces in Afghanistan and just days after an

agreement to transfer a US prison outside ofKabul to Afghan authority fell through. They alsocame during US.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s first visit toAfghanistan since becoming the Pentagon chief,a trip made in part to meet with Karzai. Hoursafter Karzai’s speech, their joint news conferencewas canceled by officials citing security con-cerns, though officials said the two men stillplanned to meet privately.

Karzai said in his speech that any foreignpowers that want to keep troops in Afghanistanneed to do so under conditions set forward byAfghanistan. “We will tell them where we needthem, and under which conditions. They mustrespect our laws. They must respect the nationalsovereignty of our country and must respect allour customs,” Karzai said. Karzai offered no proofof coordination, but said the Taleban and theUnited States were in “daily negotiations” in vari-ous foreign countries and noted that the UnitedStates has said that it no longer considers theinsurgent group its enemy. The US continues tofight against the Taleban and other militantgroups, but has expressed its backing for formal

peace talks with the Taleban to find a politicalresolution to the war.

Karzai said he did not believe the Taleban’sclaim that they launched Saturday’s attacks toshow they are still a potent force fighting theUnited States. “Yesterday’s explosions, which theTaleban claimed, show that in reality they aresaying they want the presence of foreigners inAfghanistan,” Karzai said.

In the incident at the Kandahar universitySaturday, presidential spokesman Faizi said theraiders fired shots as they grabbed studentAbdul Qayoum, and blindfolded him before tak-ing him for interrogation at a CIA post thatTaleban leader Mullah Omar once used as ahome.

The CIA could not be reached for comment.The CIA has trained an Afghan counterterroristforce several thousand strong, known as theCounterterrorism Pursuit Team, which worksmostly in insurgent strongholds in southern andeastern Afghanistan. U.S. officials say they workin concert with the Afghan intelligence service,but Karzai frequently complains he lacks over-sight over their operations. — AP

Karzai alleges America,Taleban are colluding‘We have fought too hard over the past 12 years’

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai sits among the audience prior to his nationally tele-vised speech about the state of Afghan women in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. Karzai yester-day accused the Taleban and the US of working in concert to convince Afghans that violencewill worsen if most foreign troops leave as planned by the end of next year. — AP

JAMMU: A Hindu devotee takes a picture on her mobile phone as others wait to offerprayers at the ancient Ranbireshwar temple during the Shivaratri festival in Jammu,India, yesterday. Shivaratri, or the night of Shiva, is dedicated to the worship of LordShiva, the Hindu god of death and destruction. — AP

ALLAHABAD: A record 120 million pil-grims washed away their sins with plungesin an Indian holy river during the world’sbiggest religious festival which ended yes-terday, officials said.

The two-month-long Kumbh MelaHindu festival celebrated every 12 years atthe conjunction of two sacred rivers on theoutskirts of the northern Indian city ofAllahabad drew massive crowds of Hindudevotees, ascetics and foreign tourists.

“Over 60 million people attended thefestival in 2001 and this time we believe120 million people have participated,” festi-val chief Mani Prasad Mishra told AFP lateon Saturday. The festival involves crowdmanagement on a jaw-dropping scale anddespite all the precautions was hit bytragedy last month when a stampede at atrain station in Allahabad killed 36 pilgrimswho were returning from the festival.

Assorted dreadlocked, naked holy men,priests and self-proclaimed saints from allover the country assembled for the specta-cle that offers a rare glimpse of the dizzyingrange of Indian spiritualism.

Despite the hardships of waking early,plunging into the polluted river water andthe relentless crush of the crowds, pilgrimsfrom all over the world described feelingspiritually uplifted and amazed by the scaleof the event.

“There is a sense of relief because thefestival finally is coming to an end. Most of

the pilgrims have returned back home,”said Mishra.

He said the job of dismantling the infra-structure that sprawled over 5,000 acres(2,000 hectares) to house the pilgrims hadalready begun. “We built a tent city to cele-brate the Kumbh Mela and now we aretearing it down,” he said.

Mishra said five electrical substationsand tens of thousands of streetlights thatgave the improvised city its yellow glowbetween dusk and dawn would beremoved last night.

All police stations, mobile field hospitals,fire stations, shops, and cafes were nowshut and more than 35,000 makeshift toi-lets had been removed, he said. The KumbhMela has its origins in Hindu mythology,which describes how a few drops of thenectar of immortality fell on the four placesthat host the festival-Allahabad, Nasik,Ujjain and Haridwar.

The “Mother Ganges” is worshipped as agod and is seen as the giver and taker oflife. In many cases, pilgrims used up alltheir money to come to the Kumbh Mela,hoping that their prayers could come true.

“People from all walks of life participatein the festival but there is one thing com-mon among al l of them-they have adesire to lead a pure life,” said ChandraBala, a temple priest in Allahabad city.“ The power of the Kumbh Mela is thepower of humanity.” — AFP

120 million wash away sins as India’s Kumbh Mela ends

LAHORE: Police have arrestedaround 150 people accused ofburning dozens of Christian housesin eastern Pakistan after a non-Muslim was accused of makingoffensive comments about Islam’sProphet Muhammad (PBUH) ,police said Sunday as Christians ral-lied against the destruction.

The Christian demonstratorsblocked a main highway in Lahoreand police fired tear gas shells todisperse the protesters whodemanded assistance from thegovernment.

Government spokesman PervaizRasheed promised the governmentwould help hem rebuild their hous-es, but the Christians expressed dis-satisfaction with the way the gov-ernment was handling the incident.

“I have been robbed of all of mylife’s savings,” Yousuf Masih said,standing close to his burned house.He said the government’s announce-ment that it would give 200,000rupees ($2,000) compensation toeach family was a joke. The incidentbegan on Friday after a Muslimaccused a Christian man of blasphe-my - an offense that in Pakistan ispunished by life in prison or death.On Saturday, a mob of angry

Muslims rampaged through theChristian neighborhood, burningabout 170 houses.

The Christian man is in policecustody pending an investigationinto the allegations. Those whorioted are being investigated foralleged arson, robbery, theft, andterrorism, said police officer AbdurRehman. The Pakistani police usual-ly arrest rioters to tamp down pub-lic anger, but those accused arerarely convicted.

The law is often misused to set-tle personal scores and rivalries.Akram Gill, a local bishop in theLahore Christian community, saidthe incident had more to do withpersonal enmity between two men- one Christian and one Muslim -than blasphemy. He said the mengot into a brawl after drinking lateone night, and in the morning theMuslim man made up the blasphe-my story as payback. Such accusa-tions of blasphemy in Pakistan canprompt huge crowds to take thelaw into their own hands. Once anaccusation is made it’s difficult toget it reversed, partly because lawenforcement officials and politi-cians do not want to be seen asbeing soft on blasphemers. — AP

Bangladesh policeman shot dead in clashes

150 arrested for burning Christian homes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Christians hold posters during a demonstra-tion demanding that the government rebuild their homes after theywere burned down following an alleged blasphemy incident inIslamabad, Pakistan, yesterday. The incident began yesterday after aMuslim accused a Christian man of blasphemy, an offence that inPakistan is punished by life in prison or death. — AP

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

The newest stress tests for US banks produced scoresthat are at odds with other measures of lenders’safety, in another sign that some institutions may be

too big for regulators to understand and executives tomanage. For example, Citigroup Inc, which has beenbailed out multiple times by the US government, showedup on the score sheets posted by the Federal Reserve onThursday as being clearly safer than JPMorgan Chase &Co. That conclusion is at odds with the views of investors,bond analysts and credit-rating agencies, as well as whenmeasured by a yardstick regulators themselves want touse in the future.

“At the end of the day, there is a legitimate questionabout the ability of regulators to fully evaluate $2 trillioninstitutions because of the complexity and exposuresthey have,” said Fred Cannon, director of US research atKeefe, Bruyette & Woods. On Thursday, the FederalReserve reported the latest results of the tests that beganafter the 2007-2009 financial crisis to determine if bankshave enough capital to withstand a severe economic cri-sis. The Fed concluded that the banks are in “a muchstronger position” than before the financial crisis in 2008.

While experts are not arguing with the fact that thebanks are better capitalized now and that the system issafer than it was in the run-up to the financial crisis, someof the numbers the regulators published left analysts andbank executives groping for explanations. The test raisesquestions about the ability of regulators to head off thenext big threat to the financial system because of thecomplexity of the institutions. The results are also impor-tant as they will help the Fed decide how much capitalbanks can return to investors.

The report showed that Citigroup’s capital, as trackedby the Tier 1 common capital ratio, would dip to 8.3 per-cent during two years of hypothetical stress. JPMorgan’swould fall to 6.3 percent. Both numbers are better thanthe 5 percent minimum under current regulations, butthey show Citigroup having a bigger cushion to weatherlosses. That does not make a lot of sense to KathleenShanley, a bond analyst at GimmeCredit, a research serv-ice for institutional investors. “I wouldn’t say that Citi issafer than JPMorgan, for a variety of reasons, including itstrack record,” Shanley said.

Citigroup has lower credit ratings than JPMorgan, andprices for credit default swaps show the market viewsJPMorgan as safer. Citigroup is the third-biggest US bankby assets and JPMorgan is the biggest. A Federal Reservespokeswoman declined to comment, as did representa-tives for Citigroup and JPMorgan.

Citigroup’s score came out better partly because itstarted the test with a better Tier 1 common ratio, 12.7percent compared with JPMorgan’s 10.4 percent. Thestarting ratios were based on the banks’ financial state-ments at the end of September. They were calculatedbased on a set of international regulations known asBasel 1, which the Federal Reserve intends to replace asinadequate with a pending new set known as Basel 3.Under the expected Basel 3 rules, Citigroup has estimatedits ratio was 8.6 percent at the end of the third quarter,about the same as the 8.4 percent JPMorgan estimated.Among the reasons that Citigroup’s ratio will fall so muchunder Basel 3 from the Basel 1 level is that the new ruleswill not treat as favorably Citigroup’s deferred tax assets.Citigroup expects those assets to allow it to pay lowertaxes on future profits because it lost so much moneywhen the financial crisis and recession hit. Also, Basel 3will reduce the benefits of stakes Citigroup has in jointventures, such as its brokerage with Morgan Stanley. TheFederal Reserve did not publish stress scores for thebanks under Basel 3 because the regulators have notfinalized those rules yet.

Analyst Cannon said there was one reason to think ofCitigroup as being safer: its capital markets business issmaller than JPMorgan’s. Regulators regard capital mar-kets operations as riskier than consumer banking busi-nesses. The Fed’s scoring is also at odds with results someof the banks calculated for themselves under the samescenarios, which shows there is room for subjectivity inthe testing. JPMorgan, for example, found that its ratiowould fall to 7.6 percent, significantly better than the 6.3percent reported by the Fed. Goldman Sachs Group Incdetermined its low during the hypothetical stress periodwould be 8.6 percent, compared with the 5.8 percentreported by the Fed, with some of the difference relatedto its extensive capital markets activities. Goldmandeclined to comment.— Reuters

Issues

Is Citi safer than JPMorgan? And

other questions

By David Henry

14A N A L Y S I SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

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By Michael Mainville

After two years largely on the side-lines, the international communityis finally showing signs of taking

action on Syria’s escalating conflict butanalysts say it may be a case of too littletoo late. Foreign efforts to stem the coun-try’s conflict have been paralysed sinceMarch 2011 protests against PresidentBashar Al-Assad sparked a crackdown,armed uprising and eventually a full-blown civil war. The rising tide of violence- with more than 70,000 killed and onemillion fleeing the country - has done lit-tle to push foreign powers to overcomedeep divisions on how to tackle the crisis.

“The diplomacy has very clearly notkept up with the situation on the ground,”said Salman Shaikh of the Brookings DohaCenter, describing the Western and Arabnations backing Syria’s opposition as a“Coalition of the Unwilling”. But analystssaw moves since last month, includingBritish and US decisions to supply directaid to rebel f ighters battl ing Assad’sregime, as tentative steps towards a newinternational response to the crisis.

“Things are starting to move... I havethe feeling that people are starting towake up,” said Joseph Bahout, a MiddleEast expert and professor at Science Po inParis. “We’re at less of an impasse than wewere six months ago,” agreed ChristopherPhillips, a lecturer on the Middle East atthe University of London. “That sense ofurgency has ratcheted up.” Phillips said USPresident Barack Obama’s election to asecond term in November has freed hisadministration to act in the face of Syria’sworsening humanitarian crisis.

Obama’s newly minted secretary ofstate, John Kerry, gave the first sign of a

US shift last month by announcing foodand medical aid to the rebels and an extra$60 million in support to the country’spolitical opposition. Experts said themove was hardly a game-changer, but didsend an important signal. “ The directfinancing and recognition of the FreeSyrian Army is an evolution in Americanthinking,” a French diplomatic source said.“They have broken through a barrier.”Britain went fur ther on Wednesday,announcing it would send non-lethal mili-tar y aid including body armour andarmoured vehicles to the rebels. “The factremains that diplomacy is taking far toolong and the prospect of an immediatebreakthrough is slim,” Foreign Secretary

William Hague said while announcing theaid. Analysts said that as well as helpingthe rebels, the aid aims to push Russia -Assad’s key international ally - into budg-ing on its steadfast suppor t for theregime. “They believe the Russians caninfluence the situation and they want theRussians to see that they’re serious, play-ing ball,” Phillips said. Moscow’s supportfor Assad has been vital in keeping him inpower, lending him continued legitimacy,blocking UN Security Council resolutionsagainst him and maintaining the flow ofRussian arms to his regime. Backed by itsforeign allies, the opposition has saidAssad must step down before any talkscan be held on ending the conflict, but

Moscow has insisted on negotiationswithout any preconditions.

Western leaders have been increasingpressure on President Vladimir Putin, butexper ts said it would be diff icult forMoscow to back down. “The longer thesituation lasts, the more difficult it is forMoscow to separate itself from Assad,”said Alexey Malashenko, an analyst withthe Moscow Carnegie Center. What ’sneeded before diplomatic efforts canmove forward, experts said, is an end tothe stalemate that has seen the rebelsmake some gains but not yet pose a seri-ous threat to the regime. “There can be nopolitical solution without a change in thebalance of power on the ground,” theFrench diplomat said. “Damascus needs tobe afraid.”

“If Moscow realises that basically itsclient has decisively lost, then new diplo-matic options will suddenly open up,” saidRichard Gowan, a Syria exper t at theCentre on International Cooperation atNew York University. Still, experts saidmore will need to be done if the opposi-tion’s main international backers in theUnited States, Europe and Arab worldwant to give the rebels a decisive edge.Wary of weapons falling into the hands ofthe Islamic extremists who are playing anincreasingly prominent role in the con-flict, Washington and Europe have shiedaway from directly providing the rebelswith arms. And given the potential quag-mire for foreign troops, analysts said thechances of an international military inter-vention in Syria were practically non-exis-tent. “At this point in time we’re going tobe stuck in an intensifying confl ict ,”Shaikh said. “I suspect that 2013 will prob-ably be one of the bloodiest years we’vehad so far.” — AFP

Faint hope of Syria breakthrough

Obama carries 3 goals on trip to IsraelBy Steven R Hurst

Three goals will dominate US President BarackObama’s coming visit to Israel, his first as president:Convincing Israel and its leadership he means what

he says about stopping Iran from building a nuclearweapon, mending a deeply troubled relationship withPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, in return,entic ing Israel back to negotiat ions with thePalestinians. Some of the cosmic stars of diplomacy andMiddle East reality are lining up to make the visit a suc-cess. Others are not. Whatever the outcome, the visitthat will also take Obama to the West Bank and Jordanwill mark a significant step by the president to dig deep-er into a problem that has bedeviled American leadersfor decades. Managing expectations, therefore, is essen-tial in the remaining two weeks before Obama sets offon his mission. Palestinian and Iranian issues dominatedObama’s remarks in a White House briefing with repre-sentat ives of major US Jewish organizat ions onThursday. The president said it would be premature totake a grand peace plan, according to a person at thesession who requested anonymity to detail the privateremarks. The person said Obama planned to tell Israelisthat just wanting peace was not enough, and would askwhat hard steps they were willing to take.

On Iran and attempts to sidetrack its nuclear pro-gram, Obama said Tehran must be left with sufficientface-saving room to accept a diplomatic solution. Thepresident said he was not “going to do extra chest beat-ing in public” during the visit to Israel just to convincepeople he is tough, according to the person at themeeting. He left the talking on that issue earlier in theweek to Vice President Joe Biden, who spoke at theWashington gathering of the American Israel PublicAffairs Committee, America’s most powerful Jewish lob-bying organization. “The president of the United Statescannot and does not bluff,” Biden told the group whenhe turned to US vows to keep Iran from obtaining anatomic bomb. “President Barack Obama is not bluffing.”

Israel views a nuclear armed Iran as a threat to itsexistence, and Netanyahu has hinted at launching a pre-emptive military strike on the Islamic Republic to setback its nuclear program. Tehran has already enrichedenough uranium to 20 percent purity for the country,should it decided to do so, to quickly move toward lev-els needed for a bomb. Obama says he won’t let thathappen, declaring that a US military attack would bepossible should negotiations with Iran fail. Netanyahu,however, needs reassuring. That showed in his words tothe same AIPAC conference addressed by Biden.

“From the bottom of my heart and the clarity of mybrain, words alone will not stop Iran,” the Israeli leadersaid, reinforcing his contention that negotiations withTehran and damaging international sanctions may notstop Iran from becoming a nuclear power. The Iranianssay they are only trying to refine sufficient uranium asfuel for power generat ion and medical research.Netanyahu, thus, will want more public reassurancesfrom Washington. “Obama will have Netanyahu in hispocket if he truly manages to convince him that theUnited States will use military force if necessary,” saidJonathan Adelman, a professor and Israeli specialist atthe University of Denver. “Then, Netanyahu will be com-fortable saying: ‘You deal with the Iranians and we willgive you serious negotiations with the Palestinians.’”

Aaron David Miller, a scholar at the Woodrow WilsonCenter who was a Mideast negotiator under six secre-taries of state in both Republican and Democraticadministrations, said “Obama needs to have two kindsof conversations” during his visit. In private, Miller said,the two leaders will have to find a way “to give oneanother the benefit of the doubt on both Iran and thepeace process so they can figure out a way to manageeach issue because there is no comprehensive solution”.The men have been “at cross purposes”, he said “becausethey couldn’t manage that uncertainty in the past.”

The two men got off to a terrible start. Netanyahuvisited the president shortly after Obama took office in2009 and publicly and bluntly rejected Obama’s insis-

tence that Israel stop building Jewish settlements in theWest Bank, land that the Palestinians view as the territo-ry that will make up their future state. Obama subse-quently dropped the issue, but it remains foremost inthe minds of Palestinians, a pre-condition for a return tonegotiations about creating a two-state solution - Israeland a Palestinian state living peacefully and side-by-sidein a tiny swath of land over which so much blood hasbeen shed.

For that reason, there looks to be little doubt thatObama and Netanyahu will emerge from their meetings,smiling and reassuring their constituencies that the badblood of Obama’s first term is a thing of the past. Therehave been hints, but only hints, that Netanyahu mightbe ready to again call a halt to expanding settlements -part of a potential deal that would leave those aroundJerusalem in place in return for a land swap elsewhere.That’s a bitter pill for the Palestinians, but one theymight swallow if the deal were sufficiently sweet. Andthe Israeli government quickly knocked down suchreports on settlements.

Netanyahu is weakened at home after January elec-tions in which his deeply conservative coalition wasgravely damaged. The prime minister has been unablein the ensuing weeks to pull together a new coalitionand form a government despite a readiness to shed hisformer alignment with deeply conservative, ultra-Orthodox Jewish political powers. Signaling a shifttoward moderation, he has drawn former oppositionleader Tzipi Livni into a future government, if it can beformed, to be justice minister and chief negotiator withthe Palestinians. Livni’s party promises to push for thetwo-state solution with the Palestinians. But plenty ofhardliners will remain in government.

The hope is that Obama reassurances on Iran willgive a politically weakened Netanyahu the needed cov-er for a move back toward talks with the Palestinians,who are worried that Obama will do too little during hisvisit to pressure the Israeli leader on the need to resumenegotiations.— AP

Abu Khalil, a sniper of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), watches governmentpositions on Feb 17, 2013 in Jbiela, a neighborhood of Deir Ezzor. — AFP

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

LONDON: Manchester United’s England striker Wayne Rooney will be offered anew contract before his deal ends in 2015, the club’s manager Alex Ferguson wasquoted as saying by British media yesterday.

“There is no issue with the contract. When it has to berenegotiated, it will be,’ Ferguson said in The Mail onSunday ahead of United’s FA Cup quarter-final athome to Chelsea.

British media went into overdrive last week report-ing that Rooney would be offloaded by Fergusonafter he was left out of the starting lineup for United’sbiggest game of the season against Real Madrid inthe Champions league tomorrow. The 27-year-oldcame off the bench in the 73rd minute but could notstop United losing 2-1 to exit the competition.

However, on Friday Ferguson dismissed speculationthat Rooney’s Old Trafford days were numbered, tellingreporters: “He will be here next year, you’ve got myword on that.” Yesterday’s newspaper reports backed thatup as Ferguson came to Rooney’s defence and stressed hisqualities, having said he was right to leave the forward out oftheir Champions League last 16, second leg at Old Trafford fortactical reasons. —Reuters

New contract for RooneySYDNEY: Australia suffered a hammer blow in their preparations for this year’s tourof the British and Irish Lions when flanker David Pocock was ruled out for the seasonwith a knee injury yesterday.

Openside Pocock’s ability to turn over ball at the breakdown would have madehim one of the first names on the team sheet for three tests

against the Lions in June and July and he was also a con-tender to captain the hosts.

The 24-year-old ACT Brumbies forward injuredhis left knee in a Super Rugby match on Saturday,coming off the pitch early in the first half after

being tackled by Adam Ashley-Cooper of NewSouth Wales Waratahs.

Scans later confirmed an anterior cruciate liga-ment injury, which will require surgery and sixmonths out of the game, an ACT Brumbies

spokesman said yesterday. The Zimbabwean-bornflanker will miss the rest of the Super Rugby season,

the Lions tour as well as the southern hemisphere’sinternational Rugby Championship.

Pocock, who has played 45 tests since his debut in2008, was one of four players to captainAustralia last season as the Wallabies were hitby a catalogue of injuries.—Reuters

Pocock out of Lions seriesSYDNEY: Crisis club Cronulla Sharks overcame a turbulent week of dop-ing scandals to open their National Rugby League season with an emo-tional 12-10 victory over Gold Coast yesterday.

It followed a week where up to 14 players were implicated in aswoop by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) whichled to the standing down of head coach Shane Flanagan and the sack-ing of four other football staff members.

The narrow victory was just the tonic the embattled club and its fansneeded ahead of the full ramifications of ASADA’s investigation in thewake of a wide-ranging Australian Crime Commission (ACC) report intodoping in Australian sport. The Sharks held on for a tenacious victorybefore their home fans and in the end it was a missed Aidan Sezer con-version that proved the difference with both sides scoring two tries.

Defending NRL and world club champions Melbourne Stormopened their title defence with an impressive 30-10 home victory overSt George Illawarra yesterday. In scorching temperatures, the Stormshowed no signs of a hangover from their recent trip to England for theWorld Club Challenge where they beat Leeds for the title.

The Storm ran in three unanswered tries in the first half to set up thevictory, with Test fullback Billy Slater scoring the opening try. Testscrumhalf Johnathan Thurston guided the North Queensland Cowboysto a 24-12 win over the Ben Barba-less Canterbury Bulldogs. —AFP

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic DivisionW L PCT GB

NY Knicks 38 22 .633 -Brooklyn 37 26 .587 2.5Boston 34 27 .557 4.5Toronto 24 39 .381 15.5Philadelphia 23 38 .377 15.5

Central DivisionIndiana 39 23 .629 -Chicago 35 27 .565 4Milwaukee 31 29 .517 7Detroit 23 41 .359 17Cleveland 21 41 .339 18

Southeast DivisionMiami 46 14 .767 -Atlanta 34 28 .548 13Washington 20 41 .328 26.5Orlando 17 46 .270 30.5Charlotte 13 50 .206 34.5

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Oklahoma City 46 16 .742 -Denver 42 22 .656 5Utah 32 31 .508 14.5Portland 29 32 .475 16.5Minnesota 21 38 .356 23.5

Pacific DivisionLA Clippers 44 20 .688 -Golden State 35 29 .547 9LA Lakers 32 31 .508 11.5Phoenix 22 41 .349 21.5Sacramento 22 42 .344 22

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 48 15 .762 -Memphis 42 19 .689 5Houston 34 30 .531 14.5Dallas 28 33 .459 19New Orleans 21 42 .333 27

NBA results/standings

Brooklyn 93, Atlanta 80; NY Knicks 113, Utah 84; Washington 104, Charlotte 87; Memphis 96, NewOrleans 85; Denver 111, Minnesota 88; Phoenix 107, Houston 105; Milwaukee 103, Golden State 93.

TOKYO: Japan’s reliever Hideaki Wakui pitches against the Netherlands in the sev-enth inning of their World Baseball Classic second round game at Tokyo Dome.—AP

OAKLAND: Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings (3) and Golden State Warriors’ StephenCurry chase a loose ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game.—AP

Sharks win NRL opener

TOKYO: Japan’s World Baseball Classic titledefence roared into life yesterday when theyhammered the Netherlands 16-4 to secure aspot in the final round in San Francisco.

The two-time defending championssmashed six home runs at Tokyo Dome tofloor the Dutch, who earlier upset SouthKorea and will now play Cuba, whom theyhave already beaten in the second round, in aplay-off on Monday.

Japan, missing their Major League starsand with a coach under pressure fromdomestic media, lost to Cuba during the firstround and they struggled to an extra-inningwin against Taiwan in their opening game ofround two. But on Sunday, opening batterTakashi Toritani hit a solo homer in the firstinning, and then Nobuhiro Matsuda andSeiichi Uchikawa cracked two more in thesecond to put Japan 6-0 up, while pitcherKenta Maeda shut out the first five innings.

“I thought nothing but of taking the firstbase. I’m really happy that it eventually endedin a home run,” said Toritani. Atsunori Inaba,with a solo homer, and Yoshio Itoi, with athree-run homer, stretched the lead at 10-0by the fourth inning. Captain Shinnosuke Abeand Matsuda hit a double each in the follow-ing two innings to add two runs, while start-

ing pitcher Maeda gave just one hit andstruck out nine batters in his five innings.

In the sixth inning, Wladimir Balentien hita double to get three runs for theNetherlands and Andruw Jones added anoth-er with a single off relief pitcher TetsuyaUtsumi to reduce the deficit to 12-4 and raisebrief hopes of a comeback.

But Hayato Sakamoto fired a grand slamfor a 16-4 lead in the seventh, and closerHideaki Wakui shut out the bottom inning tobring the game to an early halt under themercy rule.

“I’m really glad that we achieved our firstgoal of reaching the final stage,” said Japan’shead coach Koji Yamamoto. “I used Toritani asthe first batter in our line-up, because heshowed his fighting spirit by courageouslystealing the second base at two downs in theninth inning” against Taiwan on Friday.

“And Toritani suddenly hit a home run. Itgathered the momentum to our side,” saidYamamoto. Japan beat Taiwan 4-3 in an extrainning on Friday after Toritani returned homeon a single hit by Hirokazu Ibata for 3-3.

Japan are now assured of a berth in thismonth’s four-team final series, featuring twosides from the Asian grouping and two morefrom pools in Puerto Rico and Arizona.—AFP

Japan demolish Dutch to reach final round

NEW YORK: JR Smith scored 24 points and theNew York Knicks shook off the absence of CarmeloAnthony and the shock of Amare Stoudemireneeding more knee surgery to rout the slumpingUtah Jazz 113-84 on Saturday night.

The Knicks learned earlier Saturday thatStoudemire will have right knee surgery that willsideline him approximately six weeks. But theystill have plenty of scoring off the bench, withSteve Novak adding a season-high 20 points.

Alec Burks scored 14 points and GordonHayward had 13 for the Jazz, who completed a 0-4road trip that dropped them into a tie with theLos Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoffspot in the Western Conference. Utah played with-out starting forward Paul Millsap because of rightknee inflammation.

Nets 93, Hawks 80In Atlanta, Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche

each scored 18 points, Deron Williams added 17and Brooklyn won its third straight game by beat-ing Atlanta. Al Horford finished with 15 points and12 rebounds for the Hawks, who seemed lethargicafter losing in overtime at Boston on Friday.Atlanta has lost two straight and five of six.

Brooklyn had a better performance coming offits 17-point home victory over Washington onFriday in which Williams set the NBA record withnine 3-pointers in a half and scored a season-high42 points. Lopez, who finished with ninerebounds, scored 14 points in the third, includinga runner that gave Brooklyn its first 20-point lead.

Nuggets 111, Timberwolves 88In Denver, Ty Lawson matched his season high

with 32 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter,and Denver beat injury-depleted Minnesota tostretch its home winning streak to 13 games, itslongest in 14 years.

Corey Brewer had 15 points, while DaniloGallinari and Andre Iguodala added 11 apiece forthe Nuggets, who have won eight in a row overall.Fueled by their longest home winning streaksince a 19-game run from Jan. 28-April 20, 1989,the Nuggets ran their home record to 28-3, tyingthe Miami Heat for best in the league.

Mickael Gelabale scored 19 points for theTimberwolves, who were without Nikola Pekovic(abdominal strain), Kevin Love (broken hand),Andrei Kirilenko (strained left calf ), Brandon Roy(knee surgery), Chase Budinger (knee) andMalcom Lee (knee). JJ Barea added 15 points forMinnesota, which lost for the seventh time ineight games.

Grizzlies 96, Hornets 85In Memphis, Mike Conley scored 22 points,

seven Memphis players finished in double figuresand the Grizzlies won their fourth straight. TonyAllen had 14 points, while Tayshaun Prince andQuincy Pondexter scored 13 points apiece. EdDavis had 12 points, nine rebounds and matchedhis career best with five blocks as Memphis wonits 12th game in the last 13.

Jerryd Bayless and Marc Gasol scored 10 pointsapiece, although Gasol missed all four of his shotsin the second half. Anthony Davis led the Hornetswith 20 points and 18 rebounds, while RyanAnderson scored 17 points. Greivis Vasquez added12 points and eight assists, and Eric Gordon had11 points. The Hornets lost their third straight andhave dropped five of six.

Bucks 103, Warriors 93In Oakland, Brandon Jennings had 31 points

and 10 assists, Monta Ellis scored 26 pointsagainst his former team and Milwaukee pulled

Knicks rout slumping Jazzaway late to beat Golden State.

Ellis added five assists and five rebounds, andJ.J. Redick finished with 15 points and seven assistswhile hitting some big shots in the fourth quarterto carry the Bucks to their fifth win in six games. Ina matchup of teams transformed by a trade lastseason, Milwaukee has owned the matchup. TheBucks are 3-0 against the Warriors since sendingcenter Andrew Bogut to the Bay Area for Ellis.

Ellis shot 10 of 19 from the field and Jenningswas 10 of 16, including 6 of 11 from beyond thearc. Bogut had four points, four assists and ninerebounds in 29 minutes in his first game againstthe Bucks since the trade.

Suns 107, Rockets 105In Phoenix, Goran Dragic scored 13 of his 18

points and delivered a key hustle play in the fourthquarter to help Phoenix beat Houston. The Sunsovercame 38 points from Rockets star JamesHarden.

Phoenix, far out of playoff contention, has three

straight wins over the postseason-hopeful Rocketsand is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings. Jared Dudleyled the Suns with 22 points. The Rockets got 21points off the bench from Carlos Delfino.

Wizards 104, Bobcats 87In Washington, Trevor Ariza scored a season-

high 26 points as Washington never trailed, shot50 percent and handed league-worst Charlotte its10th straight loss.

Martell Webster finished with 20 points, andNene had 19. John Wall added 13 points and sixassists for Washington, and A.J. Price contributedsix assists. Ariza and Emeka Okafor each had 10rebounds as Washington controlled the boards 45-32. Kemba Walker scored 29 points for the Bobcats,who were done in by their 5-for-17 shooting fromthe field in the second quarter. Charlotte did man-age to cut a 22-point deficit in the third quarterdown to nine early in the fourth, but Ariza made apair of 3-pointers to restore the Wizards’ comfort-able lead.—AP

NEW YORK: The last save will be the toughestof them all for Mariano Rivera. The cities andstadiums will all be familiar after 18 yearscrisscrossing the country, glove in hand. Thereception in what will be his final season maybe different because even fans who neverwanted to see him get the last out will wantto see his last hurrah.

The way the Yankees are aching and agingit could end in, of all places, Houston, wherethe New Yorkers close out the regular seasonagainst the assuredly hapless Astros. But if allgoes by the script Rivera envisions, the lastpitch of his career will be made in the lastinning of the final game of the World Series.

The only thing certain, really, is that thisseason is the end. After nearly two decades inpinstripes, the greatest closer ever is finallyclosing it out. He never intended to have afarewell tour, until he blew out a knee earlylast season. Now that he will, he’s going toenjoy his last ride.

“There’s nothing to be sad (about),” Riverasaid. “I did everything within my power toenjoy the game, to do it well, to respect thegame of baseball. Have so much joy, and noone can take that joy away from me.”

That joy was evident Saturday in Florida,where Rivera threw in a game for the firsttime since he tore the anterior cruciate liga-ment in his right knee last May.

It was a fifth-inning appearance in a mean-ingless spring game, but the 43-year-old onthe mound didn’t look much different thanhe would in the ninth inning in the postsea-son. A pop up followed by two strikeouts. Themaster of the single inning barely broke asweat. It came just a few hours after Riveraformally announced it was soon to be over,that this season would be his last. ForgiveYankee fans if they never want to see it end.

If baseball is truly a game of numbers, hiswill make him a part of Yankee lore forever.He rarely pitched more than one inning at atime, but he goes into this season as base-ball’s all-time save leader with 608, a numberthat may never be matched. He’s won 76 oth-er games and, pitching in a time where

steroids reigned, has an ERA of just 2.21.Rivera only has one pitch, really, a cutter

that over the years flummoxed hitter after hit-ter even though they knew it was coming.Most are already swinging toward where theythink the pitch will be when it takes a sharptwist left at the plate and either eats up a leftyor finds the outside corner of the plate for aright-handed hitter.

He’s not the first closer with a signaturepitch, of course. Bruce Sutter was about towash out of baseball until he learned his, asplit finger that looked like a fastball until itgot to the plate. Now he’s in the Hall of Fame,a prototype closer who became the firstpitcher elected there who never started aMajor League game.

When it comes time to vote on Rivera forCooperstown, there will be no debate. He’lllikely go in on the first ballot, wearing thepinstripes he proudly wore his entire career.

The clock to that won’t start ticking untilthe end of this season, one Rivera didn’t evenexpect to be playing. He wanted to retireafter last season, but wasn’t going to go out,with the last vision fans having of himwrithing in pain after tearing his ACL whileshagging fly balls during batting practice inKansas City. In typical Rivera fashion, he wasmore concerned about his team after thatgame than himself. “You feel like you let yourteam down,” he said the night he was injured.No, Rivera didn’t let his team down. He neverdid, even if he occasionally failed, most mem-orably in the 2001 World Series when manag-er Joe Torre put him in for a rare two-inningsave in Game 7 and he allowed the tying andwinning runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks.Mostly, though, he was routinely brilliant in agame where brilliance is so terribly hard tosustain. He was even better once the postsea-son began, once pitching 33 1/3 consecutivescoreless innings on his way to 42 postseasonsaves and five World Series titles.

Rivera was MVP of the 1999 World Series, ayear he finished with 43 straight scorelessinnings, though he was never MVP of theAmerican League. —AP

Rivera victory tour abonus for baseball

BIRMINGHAM: Tine Baun became the oldest All-England women’s singles winner of the open erawhen she beat the youngest finalist RatchanokIntanon in an uniquely emotional final. The 33-year-old’s 21-14, 16-21, 21-10 win over the 18-year-oldbrought to an end the career of one of the outstand-ing players of the past ten years, and the onlywoman to threaten Chinese dominance.

The Dane only decided to compete this year as a“last adventure” but instead, as seventh seed, sur-prised herself by winning the All-England title backand taking it a third time. Her young Thai opponent,the youngest world junior champion at the age of14, was not far from spoiling the script with herwonderful movement and wide range of strokesand looked a likely future champion.

Meanwhile,Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli, one of thewomen’s doubles pairs disqualified from theOlympics in London for throwing matches, tookanother step down the road towards atonement byregaining the title at the prestigious All-EnglandOpen championships yesterday.

The top-seeded Chinese pair followed theirSuper Series success at the Korean Open in Januarywith a 21-18, 21-10 win over their compatriots, ZhaoYunlei and Cheng Shu.

Yu, who announced that she was quitting bad-minton after the Games scandal but changed hermind, thus produced further confirmation that hercareer is moving into another, more productivephase. Earlier Zhao and Cheng, a new partnership,had had to fight their way through the qualification

and an unseeded position in the draw.They upset the seedings twice to do that, but in

the final against Yu and Wang there was only onephase where it seemed they might pull off the mira-cle and go all the way. That was when they pulledback a four-point deficit to reach 16-16, with achance of continuing the momentum to upset theirtop-seeded team mates.

But Wang delivered a good smash return of serveto halt a four-point sequence and then won twomore points behind her serve to avert the immedi-ate danger. Once the top seeds had taken the firstgame, the match became much more one-sided.The result meant that Zhao, the only player to wintwo badminton gold medals at the same Olympics,was denied the chance of doing the same at thisyear’s All-England. China thus won the women’sdoubles event for the 13th time in 14 years, and latershowed that they are developing another remark-able pair by winning the men’s doubles title back.

That was achieved by Liu Xiaolong and QiuZihan, a new partnership who were unseeded andwho completed an unexpected journey by beatingseeded opponents for the third time. These wereHiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hasagawa of Japan, whomade a full contribution to a magnificent spectacle,full of high speed rallies, but rarely looked like alter-ing the course of the Chinese newcomers’ triumphin a 21-11, 21-9 result. Chin was later in contentionfor the men’s singles and the mixed doubles titles aswell, but for the first time since 1995 had no surviv-ing contenders in the women’s singles final.—AFP

Baun becomes oldest winner at All England

BIRMINGHAM: Tine Baun of Denmarkholds her trophy after defeating IntanonRatchanok of Thailand in their women’ssingles final at the English BadmintonOpen Championships.—AP

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

England first innings 167 all outNew Zealand first innings 460-9 dec.England second innings (overnight234-1)A. Cook c Watling b Boult 116N. Compton lbw b Wagner 117S. Finn lbw b Martin 56J. Trott c & b Wagner 52K. Pietersen c Watling b Wagner 12I. Bell not out 26J. Root run out 0M. Prior not out 23Extras (b-6, lb-11, nb-1, w-1) 19

Total (for six wickets, 170 overs) 421 Fall of wickets: 1-231 2-265 3-355 4-367

5-386 6-390Bowling: T. Southee 36-8-94-0 (nb-1), T.

Boult 35-12-49-1, N. Wagner 43-9-141-3(w-1), B. Martin 44-13-90-1, K. Williamson12-3-30-0.

Result: Match drawn

Remaining fixturesMarch 14-18 - second test, WellingtonMarch 22-26 - third test, Auckland

DUNEDIN, New Zealand: Scoreboard at the close of play on the fifth and final day ofthe first test between New Zealand and England at University Oval yesterday:

SCOREBOARD

DUNEDIN: England’s Matt Prior (left) and Ian Bell wave to the fans as theywalk from the field at the end of the game during the first internationalcricket Test match against New Zealand.—AFP

BLOEMFONTEIN: South Africa’s cricketer Faf du Plessis plays a shot during a One DayInternational (ODI) cricket match against Pakistan. —AFP

FRANCE: Winner of Paris-Nice cycling race, Richie Porte of Australia poses forphotographers on the podium after the final stage, in Eze, close to Nice. —AP

GALLE: Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim (right) shares a light moment with bats-man Mohammad Ashraful at the end of the third day of the first Test cricket matchagainst Sri Lanka. —AP

Sri Lanka first innings 570-4 declared

Bangladesh first innings (135-2 overnight)Jahurul Islam c Chandimal b Eranga 20Anamul Haque b Mendis 13Mohammad Ashraful not out 189Mominul Haque c Mathews b Kulasekara55Mahmudullah st Chandimal b Herath 0Mushfiqur Rahim not out 152

Extras (b-2, lb-1, nb-6) 9Total (for four wickets in 136 overs) 438Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-65, 3-170, 4-177.To bat: Nasir Hossain, Abul Hasan, Sohag Gazi,Elias Sunny, Shahadat Hossain.Bowling: Kulasekara 21-3-76-1 (nb-1), Eranga

22-3-80-1 (nb-5), Herath 42-9-103-1, Mendis23-2-92-1, Mathews 6-1-16-0, Dilshan 20-3-55-0, Thirimanne 2-0-13-0.

GALLE, Sri Lanka: Scoreboard at the close on the third day of the first test between Sri Lankaand Bangladesh yesterday:

SCOREBOARD

South Africa G. Smith c Kamran Akmal b Saeed Ajmal 30H. Amla c Shoaib Malik b Mohd Hafeez 43A. de Villiers c Younis Khan b Ajmal 65C. Ingram not out 105F. du Plessis c Umar Gul b Junaid 26F. Behardien not out 34 Extras (b1, lb5, w6) 12 Total (4 wkts, 50 overs) 315Fall of wickets: 1-72 (Smith), 2-83 (Amla), 3-203(De Villiers), 4-265 (Du Plessis)Bowling: Junaid Khan 9-0-59-0, Umar Gul 10-1-68-0 (1w), Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-48-1(3w), Saeed Ajmal 10-0-53-2 (1w), ShahidAfridi 8-0-60-0 (1w), Shoaib Malik 3-0-21-0Did not bat: R. McLaren, R. Peterson, R.Kleinveldt, K. Abbott, L. Tsotsobe

PakistanMohammad Hafeez run out (Kleinveldt) 25 Nasir Jamshed c Smith b Kleinveldt 25

Younis Khan c De Villiers b Abbott 30Asad Shafiq c Abbott b McLaren 5 Misbah-ul-Haq c De Villiers b McLaren 38Shoaib Malik c McLaren b Tsotsobe 19Kamran Akmal c Smith b McLaren 2Shahid Afridi c Behardien b Kleinveldt 34 Umar Gul c and b Kleinveldt 2 Saeed Ajmal lbw b Kleinveldt 0 Junaid Khan not out 0Extras (lb6, w4) 10Total (36.2 overs) 190Fall of wickets: 1-42 (Jamshed), 2-52 (Hafeez),3-65 (Shafiq), 4-114 (Younis), 5-135 (Misbah),6-148 (Kamran), 7-165 (Malik), 8-178 (Gul), 9-178 (Ajmal)Bowling: Tsotsobe 9-0-52-1 (3w), Abbott 6-0-35-1, Kleinveldt 5.2-2-22-4 (1w), Peterson 8-0-47-0, McLaren 7-0-19-3,Behardien 1-0-9-0Result: South Africa won by 125 runsSeries: South Africa lead the five-matchseries 1-0

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa: Scores in the first one-day international between South Africaand Pakistan at Chevrolet Park yesterday.

SCOREBOARD

GALLE: Mohammad Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahimsmashed impressive centuries in a record stand asBangladesh dominated the third day of the openingTest against Sri Lanka in Galle yesterday. Ashraful hitan unbeaten 189 not out, the highest by aBangladeshi in Tests, on his comeback and Rahimmade a career-best 152 not out as the tourists posted438-4 in their first innings at stumps in reply to SriLanka’s 570-4 declared.

Their 261-run unbroken stand was Bangladesh’shighest for any wicket in Tests, the previous bestbeing 200 for the second wicket between TamimIqbal and Junaid Siddique against India in Dhaka in2010.

Bangladesh also surpassed their previous highesttotal of 413 against Sri Lanka in Tests. The tourists,who avoided the follow-on in the final session, nowtrail by 132 runs with six wickets in hand. The 28-year-old Ashraful, who played his last Test in December2011, hit one six and 20 fours in his sixth Test hundred,and the fifth against Sri Lanka, while Rahim, 24,smashed one six and 18 fours in his second Test cen-tury.

“We needed a partnership and I had one withMushfiq. The wicket was very nice and I believed if Idon’t make any mistake I won’t be out. I just wantedto continue, just batting, batting and batting,” saidAshraful. “Every time I play against Sri Lanka I feel veryconfident. It’s still a very good wicket and I think wecan bat two more sessions easily.” It was a frustratingday for Sri Lanka as none of their bowlers could keepup pressure on Ashraful and wicketkeeper-batsmanRahim on a good batting pitch. The hosts went wick-etless after striking twice in the opening 11 overs.

“Certainly we are not in position that we hopedwhen we came to the ground this morning. We werehoping for a better day and all credit to Bangladesh,”said Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford.

“Obviously we believe we can win and I thinkeverybody knows that game can change rapidly.There is still a lot of cricket left in this match.”Bangladesh added 303 to their overnight total of 135-2 for the loss of just two wickets.

Ashraful, 65 overnight, completed his century withan aggressive shot when he firmly drove unorthodoxspinner Ajantha Mendis through the covers for a fourin the morning. Rahim also played some handsomeshots during his big innings and reached his hundredin the last session when he swept Mendis for a four.

Debutant Mominul Haque also impressed, scoringan 83-ball 55 with nine fours. He added 105 for thethird wicket with Ashraful before being caught at firstslip by skipper Angelo Mathews off paceman NuwanKulasekara. The left-hander added 20 runs to hisovernight score of 35. Sri Lanka struck again whenleft-arm spinner Rangana Herath had MohammadMahmudullah stumped for no score to reduceBangladesh to 177-4 before Ashraful and Rahimpropped up the innings.—AFP

Record-setting Ashraful,

Rahim boost Bangladesh

BLOEMFONTEIN: Colin Ingram hit anunbeaten century to set up a comfortable125-run win for South Africa in the first one-day international against Pak istan atChevrolet Park yesterday.

The left-handed Ingram made 105 notout as South Africa piled up 315 for fourafter being sent in to bat. Pakistan couldonly make 190 in reply. Ingram made hisruns off 103 balls with ten fours. It was histhird one-day international century and hissecond against Pakistan.

He shared partnerships of 120 for thethird wicket with captain AB de Villiers (65),62 for the fourth wicket with Faf du Plessis(26) and 50 off only 23 balls with FarhaanBehardien, who hammered 34 not out off 14deliveries.

Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla set anaggressive tone with an opening partner-ship of 72 after South Africa were sent in,with both batsmen going for their shotsagainst Junaid Khan and Umar Gul despitethe Pakistan new ball bowlers getting someearly assistance from the pitch.

Pak istan made a bright star t withMohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed put-ting on 42 for the first wicket off 43 ballsbefore the suffered a double blow.

Jamshed was caught at slip by GraemeSmith off Rory Kleinveldt for 25 and Hafeezfell for the same score in unlucky fashionwhen a drive by Younis Khan was deflectedby bowler Kleinveldt into the stumps forHafeez to be run out.

Asad Shafiq fell cheaply and Pakistanwere unable to build substantial partner-ships with captain Misbah-ul-Haq top-scor-ing with 38. Shahid Afridi hit 34 off 16 ballsbefore he was last man out but his inningswas never likely to alter the outcome. Afridihit three sixes, including a massive strikewhich sailed out of the ground and into acar park.

Kleinveldt, whose first two balls were hitfor four, came back strongly to finish withfour for 22 in 5.2 overs, while Ryan McLarentook three for 19. The win gave South Africa a1-0 lead in the five-match series. The secondmatch will be in Centurion on Friday.—AFP

DUNEDIN: A determined England battedthrough the final day to salvage a drawfrom the first Test against New Zealand atthe University Oval in Dunedin yesterday.

At stumps England were 421 for six, alead of 128 runs, after facing a 293-rundeficit on the first innings in the rain-inter-rupted Test. Despite the best efforts ofEngland nightwatchman Steven Finn andNew Zealand quick Neil Wagner on thefinal day, an outright result was never morethan a remote possibility on the unrespon-sive wicket.

New Zealand saw a glimmer of hope inthe first three overs after tea when Finnwas eventually removed after 203 minutesat the crease for 56 and Joe Root quicklyfollowed, run out without scoring.

But Ian Bell, with an unbeaten 26, andMatt Prior (23 not out) carried Englandthrough to stumps, seeing off the third newball of the innings in the process. Despitebeing unable to force a victory, NewZealand captain Brendon McCullum saw itas a morale-boosting performance for hisside who dominated the early stages of theTest against the world’s second-rankedside. “We never gave up the belief that wecould get the job done but we weren’tquite able to finish off,” he said, rueing theloss of the opening day because of rain.“Another day of Test cricket would havebeen phenomenal. You lose that first dayand you have to try and work out how tocongest such a good game into four days.Unfortunately we weren’t able to.”

England captain Alastair Cook wasrelieved to escape with a draw after thetourists posted only 167 in their firstinnings. He said it put them on good foot-ing for the second Test.

“The character to dig ourselves out of ahole is very pleasing,” he said. “It certainlygives us some confidence, especially whenyou get bowled out for 160 in the firstinnings, as a batting unit you can start tohave negative thoughts. You don’t wantthat to snowball.”

England resumed the final day at 234 for

one and added 31 before Nick Comptonfell for 117, trapped leg before wicket by aswinging delivery from Wagner.

Compton’s maiden Test century and his231-run opening stand with Cook, whomade 116, may well have secured his inter-national career. Compton’s previous nineTest innings had produced a best score ofonly 57.

Wagner, a late inclusion in the sidewhen Doug Bracewell cut his foot, staked astrong claim to be retained for the secondTest after finishing with figures of three for141 to go with his four-wicket bag in thefirst innings.

In the session between lunch and tea,the left-arm seamer claimed the wickets ofJonathan Trott, caught and bowled for 52,and Kevin Pietersen who was caughtbehind for 12.

As the senior batsmen came and went,nightwatchman Finn doggedly pressed onto his maiden half-century, frustrating theNew Zealand bowlers as he played astraight bat to anything heading towardsthe stumps.

He survived two tough chances, edgingthe ball towards the slip cordon, and his203 minutes at the crease included a 72-minute period when he faced 50 dot ballsbefore advancing from 53 to 54.

But having refrained from anythingflashy for more than two sessions Finn wasundone immediately after tea when heattempted to play across the line againstBruce Martin and was deemed leg beforewicket.

Root’s brief stay in the middle endedwhen he was called for an unnecessary sin-gle by Bell and was run out without scoringon a direct hit from Tim Southee. Bell andPrior then steered England safely throughto stumps, which was called with 15 oversremaining.

Although Wagner was the principalwicket-taker for New Zealand, Trent Boultwas the most economical bowler with onefor 49 from 35 overs. Martin took one for 90in 44 overs. —AFP

Dogged England

salvage draw

South Africa defeat Pakistan

PARIS: Team Sky rider Richie Porte becamethe first winner of Paris-Nice yesterday ashe won the final stage 9.6km time-trial tohold off the challenge of American AndrewTalansky.

The 28-year-old began the day with a32sec lead over Talansky in the prestigiousrace and came home in a time of 19min16secs to wrap up the overall victory.

He increased his overall advantage55secs with a rock solid showing in thetime-trial that featured a rolling course suit-ed to his talents and finishing with the onlysummit finish of the week-long race.

The Tasmania native, who only turned

professional in 2010, picked up the biggestwin of his career, although he had finishedseventh in his debut season on the Girod’Italia after holding the leader’s pink jerseyfor three days and finishing the race at bestyoung rider.

“To succeed such great names as (Tony)Martin and Bradley (Wiggins) is huge forme. I feel very honoured,” he enthused afterthe race. Frenchman Jean-ChristophePeraud snatched the final place on theoverall podium by finishing fourth on theday to push American Tejay Van Gardereninto fourth overall while compatriot SylvainChavanel had to settle for fifth.—AFP

Porte wins Paris-Nice race

PARIS: Sebastian Vettel’s bid to become only thethird driver to rack-up four successive world titlesfaces a triple-edged challenge from Ferrari,McLaren and Mercedes in 2013.

The German Red Bull driver was crowned theyoungest three-time champion in 2012, grabbingthe championship from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonsoby just three points in a breath-taking season-finalein Brazil after a roller-coaster campaign. Vettel andRed Bull, whose lacklustre performance in pre-sea-son winter testing was masked by sleight of handfuelling to keep rivals guessing, will start the 19-race campaign as favorites.

Ferrari and McLaren will, as always, be closelytucked in, but Mercedes, with a bank-bustingbudget and with Lewis Hamilton having replaced

Michael Schumacher, are widely-expected tosmash through the three-team dominance.

Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who consistentlyout-paced the ageing Schumacher in 2012, set thefastest times in testing in Barcelona, while formerchampions Alonso and McLaren’s Jenson Button,were just off their shoulders.

Hamilton, the 2008 champion, insists his firstyear with the German giants will be a learningcurve and that teams’ strengths and weaknesseswill not be apparent until the season-opener inMelbourne on March 17.

“I don’t think there are any expectations,”Hamilton told autosport.com. “If anything, I feel likeI have a free ticket. It’s a year where we know wemay not have the best package, but it’s a challenge

for me. “I think the pressure is more on the otherguys, who had great cars and were evolved intothis year’s car. They have the pressure to go andcompete and perform. For us, we only have every-thing to gain.”

Vettel, looking to emulate Juan Manuel Fangioand Schumacher as a four-in-a-row champion, wasonly eighth fastest in testing at Barcelona lastweekend. His test, as well as that of teammate MarkWebber, saw the Red Bulls run full of fuel and with2012 having seen a dip in their dominance-sevenwins compared to 11 the year before-Vettel iskeeping his feet on the ground. “We’re in goodenough shape I think. Overall testing has beengood for us and we didn’t have too many prob-lems,” said the German.—AFP

Vettel four-title bid faces threat

S P O RT SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L OTL GF GA PTSPittsburgh 17 8 0 91 75 34New Jersey 11 9 5 62 73 27NY Rangers 12 9 2 59 57 26NY Islanders 11 11 3 76 82 25Philadelphia 11 14 1 72 80 23

Northeast DivisionMontreal 16 5 4 79 64 36Boston 16 3 3 67 48 35Toronto 15 10 1 79 70 31Ottawa 13 8 4 59 51 30Buffalo 9 13 3 65 80 21

Southeast DivisionCarolina 14 9 1 75 69 29Winnipeg 12 11 1 61 71 25Washington 10 12 1 68 68 21Tampa Bay 10 14 1 85 79 21Florida 7 12 6 62 93 20

Western ConferenceCentral Division

Chicago 21 1 3 80 52 45St. Louis 13 9 2 74 73 28Detroit 12 9 4 66 63 28Nashville 10 9 6 54 61 26Columbus 9 12 4 58 70 22

Northwest DivisionVancouver 11 6 6 64 63 28Minnesota 12 9 2 54 57 26Calgary 9 10 4 63 79 22Colorado 9 10 4 59 67 22Edmonton 8 11 5 54 71 21

Pacific DivisionAnaheim 17 3 3 81 60 37Los Angeles 13 8 2 68 59 28San Jose 11 7 5 54 54 27Phoenix 12 10 3 72 72 27Dallas 12 10 2 67 67 26Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in thestandings and are not included in the loss column (L)

Boston 3, Philadelphia 0; NY Islanders 5, Washington 2; Columbus 3, Detroit 0; St. Louis 4, SanJose 3 (OT); Pittsburgh 5, Toronto 4 (SO); Carolina 6, New Jersey 3; Montreal 4, Tampa Bay 3;Minnesota 2, Nashville 1 (SO); Phoenix 2, Dallas 1; Los Angeles 6, Calgary 2.

NHL results/standings

LONDON: England’s fly half Toby Flood (left) is tackled by Italy’s AntonioPavanello (seconf left) during the Six Nations international rugby unionmatch against Italy at Twickenham Stadium. —AP

NASHVILLE: Ryan Ellis No.4 of the Nashville Predators defends Mike Rupp No. 27 of theMinnesota Wild in front of Predator goalie Pekka Rinne No. 35 at Bridgestone Arena.—AFP

DORAL: Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the World Golf Championships-CadillacChampionship.—AFP

MIAMI: An on-fire Tiger Woods will take afour-stroke lead over Graeme McDowellinto Sunday’s final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship after shooting afive-under-par 67 at Doral on Saturday.Woods, searching for his 76th PGA Tourvictory, finished his third round in finestyle with a 16-foot birdie putt on the18th, highlighting his outstanding workon the greens so far in the tournament.

The 14-times major winner finishedthe day at 18-under for a 198 total, whileMcDowell’s three-under par 69 put himon 14-under at 202. The debate overwhether Woods is “back” will not be overunti l he wins a major championshipagain, but on this display he will be thefavourite, on form and not just reputa-tion, at the Masters next month.

Woods, who won in January at TorreyPines, has made 24 birdies through 54holes - a personal record at this stage in atournament and he has never lost a finalround where he has led by three or morestrokes. “He putted fantastically today,”said playing partner McDowell. “He con-trolled every part of his game very well,very few loose shots. He’s going to be atough man to catch tomorrow.”

Woods, who started with a two-strokelead over McDowell, began his round inblistering fashion by collecting birdies onhis first three holes and added four morebefore heading to the clubhouse withonly two blemishes on his card, a bogeyon the fifth and on the 17th.

The bogey on the penultimate holecame courtesy of a freak incident wherehis ball stuck in the top of a palm tree,forcing him to take unplayable lie and apenalty stroke.

Woods was powerful and mostly accu-rate off the tee but also was outstandingwith his short irons. “I’m hitting the ballfurther and it is just about adjustments. Ihad to re-establish the new numbers andnew feels and it took a little bit of time

and I worked on it. It is starting to payoff,” said the world number two.McDowell, also striding the course inconfidence, made an equally lightningstart with an eagle on the first and abirdie on the third, reaching the turn atfour-under. The Northern Irishman losthis momentum with a bogey on the 11thand a double on the 14th, where he gotin trouble in the rough.

The 2010 US Open winner bouncedback though with a superb eagle on thepar-four 16th, where he drove over theback of the green and then superblychipped in from 22 feet.

Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker areboth five shots off the lead, tied for thirdplace, af ter shooting rounds of 69.Mickelson had hoped for a final roundpair ing with Woods and a chance toavenge him for the defeat in the ‘Duel atDoral’ in the 2005 Ford Open but he stillbelieves he can catch his old rival.

“I ’m going to have to play a reallyincredible round on Sunday but I reallydon’t have to play that different than Iplayed today,” said Mickelson. “I threwaway five or six shots on and around thegreens. I just can’t afford to give awaythose shots.” Stricker, who gave puttinglessons to Woods on the eve of this tour-nament, may privately wonder if that wasthe best-timed gesture and he concededthat Woods looks hard to budge. “Youknow what kind of closer he is. When hegets a lead in a tournament it is tough.He doesn’t let too many guys in usually,”said Stricker.

World number one Rory McIlroy madesix birdies as he recovered from a poorstart of a bogey on the third and a dou-ble-bogey on the next hole. McIlroy, stillfeeling his way back to form after inten-sive work on his swing, carded a one-under 71 and is three-under for the tour-nament, 15 strokes behind Woods andtied in 30th place.—Reuters

Sizzling Woods leads at Doral

PUERTO RICO: Argentine Fabian Gomez andAmerican Scott Brown share the lead at 18-under at the Puerto Rico Open as they headinto Sunday’s final round four strokes clear ofthe field.

Gomez, searching for a maiden PGA Tourvictory, shot a seven-under round of 65 at theTrump International Golf Club with his onebogey coming on the 10th hole. Brown, from

Augusta, Georgia, had a five-under 67, alsowith just one bogey.

Andres Romero, another Argentine whowas in strong contention, fel l down theleaderboard after a triple bogey on the par-four 12th. He eventually finished at three-over 75, leaving him seven shots off the lead-ers. Australian Matt Jones shot the best roundof the day with an eight-under 64 that moved

him within six strokes of Gomez and Brown.Gomez said he was hoping for some windlate yesterday. “There are many good playersin this field and it’s a course where you cango low. So you have to work hard and playwell. “If it gets windy, that’ll be better. It willplay a little more difficult. If there’s no wind,you will need a lot of birdies to win,” hesaid.—Reuters

Gomez, Brown share lead

UNIONDALE: John Tavares scored two power-playgoals in the third period to lift the New York Islandersto a 5-2 win over Washington on Saturday, ending theCapitals’ three-game winning streak.

Tavares scored his 15th goal at 12:13 and his team-leading 16th - the 100th of his career - 30 seconds lat-er, and Evgeni Nabokov made 22 saves for theIslanders. Josh Bailey, Casey Cizikas and Frans Nielsenalso scored for the Islanders, who won for the thirdtime in four games and improved to 11-11-3.

Tavares’ first goal came as Washington’s MikeRibeiro was serving a four-minute penalty for highsticking and unsportsmanlike conduct. His secondcame with Jeff Schultz in the box - also for a double-minor - as Tavares beat Washington’s Philipp Grubauer,who faced 45 shots in his first NHL start.

Mathieu Perreault and Nicklas Backstrom scoredfor the Capitals, who came in with eight wins in 11games since starting the season 2-8-1 under first-yearcoach Adam Oates.

Blue Jackets 3, Red Wings 0In Columbus, Sergei Bobrovsky had 29 saves in his

first career shutout, and Cam Atkinson and NickFoligno took advantage of Detroit giveaways to scoregoals in leading the suddenly hot Columbus BlueJackets to a victory over the Red Wings.

Jack Johnson also picked up a power-play goal forthe Blue Jackets, who have won four in a row andearned points in their last six. For a change they didn’twork overtime. They had gone to extra time in theirprevious five games. Bobrovsky, acquired in a tradewith Philadelphia last summer, picked up his firstcareer shutout in his 99th NHL game and 16th withColumbus.

Bruins 3, Flyers 0In Boston, Tyler Seguin scored his third goal in two

games and the Boston Bruins added two more in aspan of just over 2 minutes in a win over thePhiladelphia Flyers.

Tuukka Rask made 23 saves in his second shutoutof the season as the Bruins won the first of three meet-ings with Philadelphia. Goals scored by Seguin, ChrisKelly and Daniel Paille in the first period were allBoston needed against the slumping Flyers. One weekafter reaching .500 for the first time this season, theFlyers lost their third straight.

Blues 4, Sharks 3In San Jose, Vladimir Sobotka recorded his first

career hat trick and Patrik Berglund scored 72 secondsinto overtime to lift the St. Louis Blues past the SanJose Sharks. Berglund’s team-leading 12th goal of theseason came after the Blues rallied from two goalsdown in the third period. Sobotka, in the best stretchof his career, had both scores to tie it before Berglund’sgame-winner. Sobotka has five goals in his last threegames. Scott Gomez had a goal and assist for SanJose, which has lost nine of its last 11 against St. Louis.

Penguins 5, Maple Leafs 4In Toronto, Sidney Crosby and James Neal scored

shootout goals, and Pittsburgh beat Toronto for itsNHL-leading 11th road win. Neal opened the shootoutwith a goal against James Reimer before Crosbysealed the win on Pittsburgh’s second attempt afterMarc-Andre Fleury stopped Toronto’s Tyler Bozak andNazem Kadri.

Phil Kessel forced overtime for the Maple Leafswith his seventh of the season at 15:40 of the third.Neal, Crosby, Beau Bennett and Pascal Dupuis scoredin regulation for Pittsburgh (17-8-0), which outshotToronto 41-26. Crosby scored in his first game inToronto in over three years to extend his point streakto a season-high seven games (five goals, 10 assists).James van Riemsdyk, Cody Franson and ClarkeMacArthur had the other goals for Toronto (15-10-1).Defenseman Dion Phaneuf added three assists.

Hurricanes 6, Devils 3In Raleigh, Jiri Tlusty had two goals, and surging

Carolina built an early lead and carried it through to avictory over slumping New Jersey. Alexander Seminand Jay Harrison scored 28 seconds apart in the firstperiod, and Jeff Skinner and Chris Terry - in his NHLdebut - added goals for the Hurricanes, who won for

Islanders down Capitals the fifth time in six games. Dan Ellis made 31 saves inthe victory.

Tlusty’s second goal was into an empty net with1:14 remaining. New Jersey got two goals from IlyaKovalchuk, including a short-handed tally, and onefrom Patrik Elias, but that wasn’t enough for the Devilsto avoid their seventh loss in eight games without topgoalie Martin Brodeur.

Johan Hedberg stopped only 13 of 18 Carolinashots through two periods and was replaced by JeffFrazee, who made his NHL debut, at the start of thethird.

Canadiens 4, Lightning 3In Tampa, Brendan Gallagher broke a tie with

Montreal’s third goal of the third period, and theEastern Conference-leading Canadiens rallied to beatTampa Bay.

The Canadiens pulled within 3-2 on Brian Gionta’spower-play goal 3:49 into the third, and Alexei Emelintied it at 7:33. Gallagher then put the puck pastCedrick Desjardins from in-close to give Montreal a 4-3lead with 7:57 to play.

Montreal also got a goal from Tomas Plekanec andtwo assists from Michael Ryder as the Canadiens wonfor the third time in a five-game trip that has onegame remaining.

Steven Stamkos scored his NHL-leading 19th goal,and Martin St. Louis had two assists for the Lightning,who have lost seven of eight. Sami Salo and RyanMalone had the other Tampa Bay goals.

Coyotes 2, Stars 1In Glendale, Rob Klinkhammer netted his first NHL

goal in his Coyotes debut, and Shane Doan also scoredas Phoenix beat Dallas. Mike Smith made 20 saves forthe Coyotes, who ended a two-game losing streak.

Phoenix won the season series from Dallas 2-1-1 andhas a point in nine of 10 games against the Stars.Jaromir Jagr scored a goal during a 5-on-3 power playfor the Stars, who had a two-game winning streaksnapped.

Wild 2, Predators 1In Nashville, Matt Cullen scored the shootout-win-

ning goal to give Minnesota a victory over Nashville.The Wild, who have won two of three, sent Nashville toits fourth loss in five games.

Cullen and Wild captain Mikko Koivu both scoredin the shootout. Craig Smith was the only Nashvilleshooter to score in the tiebreaker against NiklasBackstrom. Zach Parise gave the Wild a 1-0 lead in thesecond period. David Legwand tied it for Nashville inthe third.

Kings 6, Flames 2In Los Angeles, Jeff Carter opened the scoring with

his 13th goal in 13 games, Justin Williams had a goaland two assists, and the Los Angeles Kings beatCalgary in their first of back-to-back home gamesagainst the Flames.

Anze Kopitar, Colin Fraser, Trevor Lewis and rookiedefenseman Jake Muzzin also had goals, defensemanSlava Voynov tied a career high with his second three-assist game in a week, and Jonathan Quick made 17saves to help lift the defending Stanley Cup champi-ons into a tie with St. Louis and Detroit for fourth placein the Western Conference.

Michael Cammalleri and Alex Tanguay scored forCalgary. Miikka Kiprusoff, making his third straightstart after missing 13 games because of a sprainedknee, gave up six goals on 22 shots and was replacedby Joey MacDonald after Fraser’s goal with 11:38remaining.—AP

LONDON: England came through a hugescare to keep their Grand Slam hopesalive with an unconvincing 18-11 victoryover Italy in the Six NationsChampionship at Twickenham yesterday.

When Italy scored the only try of thematch, through Australia-born wing LukeMcLean in the 49th minute, they cutEngland’s lead to 15-11.

But England, with recalled fly-halfToby Flood kicking all of the hosts’ pointscourtesy of six penalties, hung on to setup a title-decider away to championsWales on Saturday.

A Wales victory at the MillenniumStadium will deny England a first GrandSlam since their World Cup-winning yearof 2003 at the Millennium Stadium. Andthis result left England with a mere pluseight points difference advantage overtheir title rivals.

England came into this match havingwon all their previous 18 Tests againstItaly. But come the finish they wereforced into some desperate scramblingas Italy laid siege to their line. Englandcoach Stuart Lancaster made severalchanges to the team that beat France 23-13, handing a first start to Saracens propMako Vunipola.

He also selected a new half-back com-bination in scrum-half Danny Care, whoreplaced Ben Youngs, and Flood, in forthe injured Owen Farrell. Italy threw thecompetition wide open on the firstweekend with a 23-18 win over pre-tour-nament favourites France only to subse-quently lose heavily to Scotland andWales.

The Italians were like a ship without arudder against Wales in the absence ofcaptain Sergio Parisse. But the world-class No 8 returned at Twickenham afterhis ban for abusing a referee in a Frenchclub fixture was reduced on appeal andso too did fly-half Luciano Orquera, whomasterminded the win over France.

England forced a fourth minute penal-ty that Flood converted and it looked asif the visitors would soon crack. Floodand Orquera then exchanged penaltiesbefore Italy came desperately close to a

try. Parisse burst round the front of alineout and his superb inside pass foundAlessandro Zanni. The flanker’s returnpass was knocked up and although Italyscrum-half Edoardo Gori regathered, Irishreferee George Clancy mistakenly blewfor an Italian knock-on.

England then squandered a trychance when after a break by wing ChrisAshton, Flood was held up over the lineas he attempted to ground the ball.Clancy then penalised England for earlyengagement at the ensuing five-metrescrum and the try chance disappeared.England were becoming increasinglysloppy but Italy’s cause wasn’t helpedeither side of the half-hour mark.

First powerful prop MartinCastrogiovanni went off injured and thenscrum-half Edoardo Gori was sin-binnedfor pulling back Flood without the ball.Flood increased England’s lead beforethe hosts butchered a try on the strokeof half-time.

Mike Brown burst down the left butwas unable to find supporting fellowwing Ashton. Brad Barritt then didn’tmove the ball wide and althoughEngland had an overlap, the chanceevaporated when lock Geoff Parling puta foot in touch as he tried to take a highpass.

Fortunately for England, Italy centreGonzalo Canale had strayed offside andFlood’s fourth penalty left them 12-3 upat the interval. Flood then made it fivefrom five to extend England’s lead earlyin the second half before an Orquerapenalty cut their advantage to 15-6.

Then the nightmare scenario forEngland of an Italy win loomed when theAzzurri scored a fine try. Care’s poor tappenalty put England under pressure andthe scrum-half ’s attempted clearancekick went backwards.

Italy secured possession andOrquera’s superbly weighted cross-fieldkick-pass was regathered by McLean,who went over. Orquera, however,missed the conversion and a subsequentpenalty before Flood kicked England aconverted try in front at 18-11.—AFP

England survive Italy fright to keep Grand Slam bid alive

S P ORTSMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

NEW YORK: Bernard Hopkins (right) punches Tavoris Cloud (left) during the10th round of an IBF Light Heavyweight championship boxing match at theBarclays Center.—AP

INDIAN WELLS: Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to DanielaHantuchova, of Slovakia, during their match at the BNP Paribas Open tennistournament.—AP

INDIAN WELLS: With the tennisworld watching closely, Rafa Nadalmade a successful return to IndianWells with a 7-6 6-2 victory overRyan Harrison in the second roundof the BNP Paribas Open onSaturday.

Though initially looking a littlerusty, the Spanish left-handershowed no visible sign of discom-fort after being sidelined for sevenmonths last year by a left kneeinjury before sealing a command-ing win in just over an hour and ahalf.

Playing his first match on a hard-court surface in 346 days, Nadaledged a close first set 7-3 in thetiebreak, then broke Harrison’sserve in the third and fifth games ofthe second to take firm control.

The Spanish world number five,who had his left knee taped upthrough the match, served out tobook his place in the third round,ending Harrison’s brave challengewith an overhead smash to sparkloud roars from the crowd.

“It was a good victory for metoday against a good opponent,”Nadal, who clinched the IndianWells title in 2007 and 2009, toldreporters. “I am satisfied to be inthe next round. That’s the mostimportant thing. “Two weeks ago, Ididn’t really know if I would be hereplaying. I am happy to be here. I amhappy to be in the third round.”

Asked how he felt after thematch, Nadal replied: “I am fine. Myphysical performance needs toimprove. My movements need toimprove. Matches like this help forme sure, no?

“Today, more than any result,any victory is important becausethat gives me the chance to play

another day. I need to compete.That’s the only way to play well in ashort period of time.”

Nadal, who has enjoyed a suc-cessful tournament run on clay inrecent weeks, was given an electri-fying welcome by a vocal crowd

when he first walked out on to theshowpiece Stadium Court at theIndian Wells Tennis Garden.

He made a confident start, rac-ing into a 4-1 lead before his 73rd-ranked opponent broke back in theseventh game to take the opening

set into a tiebreak. Nadal, who hadoccasionally blasted his groundstrokes long as he tried to find hisrange, stormed 5-1 ahead in thetiebreak before wrapping up theset in 54 minutes after he struck adeep forehand which forced anerror by Harrison.

The Spaniard did not look back,breaking Harrison in the third gameof the second set with a stunningcrosscourt pass and also in the fifthwith a dipping forehand servicereturn which the American couldnot retrieve.

While Nadal did not attempt toslide in his customary manner as hemoved from side to side in some ofthe longer baseline rallies, he didnot appear to be in any discomforton the surface expected to troublehim most following his knee injury.

“After seven months, I’m notgoing to take crazy risks,” said the26-year-old, who won his 11thgrand slam title at the French Openlast June. “But I am here. When I amplaying a tournament, if you knowme, my mentality is to try my bestin every moment.

“For my first tournament on (a)hard (surface) and with the condi-tions, I don’t expect a big result butjust to be here, to practise with theother players, compete like I didtonight and have another chancetomorrow.”

The Spaniard, who returned tothe ATP circuit last month in SouthAmerica where he competed inthree relatively minor claycourtevents, winning two of them afterreaching all three finals, will nextface Leonardo Mayer of Argentina.Mayer brushed aside RussianMikhail Youzhny 6-2 6-3 earlier inthe day.—Reuters

Nadal triumphant on his hardcourt return

INDIAN WELLS: Australian Open championand top seed Victoria Azarenka recoveredfrom a sluggish start to beat Slovakia’sDaniela Hantuchova 6-4 6-1 in the secondround of the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday.

Trailing 1-4 in the opening set, the pony-tailed Belarusian then gave herself a wake-upcall and seized control by winning 11 of thenext 12 games to improve her record this sea-son to 15-0.

Azarenka clinched the first set with an ace,then broke Hantuchova for a sixth time in theseventh game of the second when the twiceformer champion dumped a backhand intothe net.

“First round matches are never easy andDaniela is such a great player,” Azarenka saidcourtside at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.“She started really well. It was my first matchafter a while, so it’s always a little bit tricky.

“She already had a match under her belt,plus I think she really feels very good here,winning two times before. So it caught me alittle bit off guard. I needed a bit of time torealise ... that I had to step it up if I want towin the match.

“I adjusted really well, tried to make her hitout of her comfort zone, because at thebeginning she was really going for her shotsand making incredible winners. I changed themomentum.”

Azarenka, who demolished Russian MariaSharapova 6-2 6-3 in last year’s final at IndianWells, will next face Belgian Kirsten Flipkens,who earlier scraped past Romania’s MonicaNiculescu 4-6 6-4 6-3.

In other matches, former U.S. Open cham-pion Samantha Stosur eased into the thirdround with a commanding 6-3 6-4 victory

over American teenager Madison Keys whilefourth-seeded German Angelique Kerberswept past Romania’s Irina Begu 6-3 6-2.

Eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki ofDenmark battled past Frenchwomen AlizeCornet 6-4 3-6 6-3 and 2008 champion AnaIvanovic of Serbia hammered American wild-card Taylor Townsend 6-1 6-2.

Australian Stosur, seeded seventh in theelite WTA event at Indian Wells, broke heropponent’s serve once in each set to win thefirst match of the day on the showpieceStadium Court after an hour-and-a-quarter.

In bright desert sunshine, Stosur sealedvictory on her first match point when wild-card Keys netted a forehand from the base-line and will next meet China’s Peng Shuai, a6-0 4-6 6-3 winner over Romania’s AlexandraDulgheru.

“I’m happy with the way I played,” Stosur,who won her only grand slam singles title atthe 2011 U.S. Open, said. “I thought I servedvery well. “As soon as I put a little bit of pres-sure on her early on in her service game ... Ireally took a bit of a stranglehold on thematch.” Stosur was lavish in her praise of the18-year-old American, who reached her firstWTA quarter-final in Sydney earlier this year.“She’s got a big game,” the Australian worldnumber nine said of Keys. “Her forehand ismassive and she’s got a very big serve. She’sjust got to put all the pieces together.

“She’s only 18. I think she’s got a lot ofpotential. She has those big weapons thatwin these big matches.” In earlier matches,10th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova easedpast Swiss Stefanie Voegele 6-2 6-3 andBelgian Yanina Wickmayer beat Croatia’sMirjana Lucic-Baroni 3-6 6-3 6-2.—Reuters

Azarenka, Stosur advance

INDIAN WELLS: Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return to RyanHarrison during day 4 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian WellsTennis Garden. —AFP

NEW YORK: Bernard Hopkins became theoldest boxer to win a major t i t le onSaturday, scoring a 12-round unanimousdecision over Tavoris Cloud to claim the IBFlight heavyweight championship. “It feelsgood. It feels real good,” Hopkins said. “I’mgoing to Junior’s (Restaurant and) I’m goingto have cheesecake.” The 48-year- oldHopkins broke the record he set by beatingJean Pascal for the WBC light heavyweighttitle on May 21, 2011. When asked whichfight meant more, Hopkins said “tonightwas better. Because I’m older. (It’s) moregratifying. “Tonight was one of the biggerfights (in my career).”

And while he reveled in what he accom-plished, he was looking toward the future.Hopkins, who was adamant that he will notfight past 50, laid a challenge at the feet ofthe 175-pound and 168-pound divisions.“I’m motivated to do it,” Hopkins said. “Idon’t believe anybody in the 175(-pound)weight class and possibly the 168(-pound)class can beat me.”

Hopkins, fighting his 19th title bout,improved to 53-6-2 in the main event of aneight-fight card at the Barclays Center. The30-year-old Cloud fell to 19-1. “It was greatto break (in) the Barclays Center with a (leg-endary) performance,” Hopkins said.

With Hopkins forcing a patient, techni-cal match, Cloud was unable to press theissue and Hopkins circled him, landing jabsto his face, eventually opening a cut abovehis left eye.

“I have to throw a lot of substance (intofights). I’m fighting old school in a newworld. (I) have to learn to adapt to what(the judges) are looking for,” Hopkins said.“We knew a 30-year-old guy was not goingto run from a 48-year-old guy.”

Hopk ins connec ted on 169 of 417punches. Cloud landed 139 of 650. “I was

only average tonight,” Cloud said. “He hitme with an elbow but I’m not complaining.It is what it is.”

Keith Thurman won the WBO interconti-nental welterweight title with a 12-round,unanimous decis ion over Jan Zaveck .Thurman improved to 20-0 and Zaveck fellto 32-3. Thurman and Paulie Malignaggiengaged in a shouting match af terThurman challenged the WBA welterweightchampion to a title fight during the post-fight news conference.

“(There is a) lot of action in the welter-weight divis ion,” Thurman said beforefocusing on Malignaggi, sitting in the backof the room. “You better not duck me, son.”

Malignaggi fired back, saying “Bring thatmoney. It’s prize fighting, dummy. I’m duck-ing you because you don’t bring (any) mon-ey.” Michael Perez (18-1-2) and LonnieSmith (14-4-3) fought to a majority draw inthe first bout on the main card. The boutwas called midway through the seventhround after Perez absorbed what was ruled“an accidental head butt” that led to bloodrunning down both sides of his face.

Judges Julie Lederman and Carlos Ortizboth had the fight 66-66, while Perez led67-65 on Joe Pasquale’s card. “The guy kepthead-butting me from the first round on. Inthe first round, he nailed me in the left eye.Fourth round, he cut me up here above myright eye. In the sixth, he got me in my tem-ple,” Perez said. “To me, it’s all about pointsand not rushing forward. It’s about gettingin clean shots and getting points. I’m goingto take a little break and rest my body andrecuperate and the get back in there.”

Steve Bujaj (9-0), Claude Staten Jr. (1-0),Frank Galarza (9-0-1), Marcus Browne (3-0)and Eddie Gomez (13-0) won undercardfights. The announced attendance was12,293.—AP

Hopkins becomes oldest boxer to win major title

KRANJSKA GORA: Ivica Kostelic of Croatia wona rain-drenched World Cup slalom yesterday,while Marcel Hirscher of Austria clinched the dis-cipline title after his sole rival skied out in theopening run.

Kostelic mastered the difficult conditions onthe weakened Podkoren course to finish in anaggregate time of 1 minute, 45.81 seconds.Hirscher finished 0.19 behind in second, and fel-low Austrian Mario Matt came third, 0.34 behindKostelic. Hirscher led Felix Neureuther by 184points going into the race, and the German wasleft without a chance of making up the deficitwhen he straddled a gate in the opening run.

“I got the maximum result, I am totallyrelieved,” said Hirscher, who won the giantslalom globe last season on his way to winningthe overall title. “To win the slalom globe meansa lot to me. I am more relaxed now. The smallglobe is important as I hadn’t won this onebefore.”

The Austrian, who turned 24 last week, is theyoungest man to win the slalom globe sinceKostelic in 2002. He is the seventh Austrian towin the title, more than any other country.

Hirscher has finished in the top three of allWorld Cup slaloms this season, making him thefirst man with eight straight slalom podiumssince Italian great Alberto Tomba in 1991-92.Hirscher also placed second and first respective-ly in the two city events in Munich and Moscow,which counted for the slalom standings.

The Austrian leads Norway’s Aksel LundSvindal, who skipped the race, by 149 points inthe overall standings with four events remainingat the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide,Switzerland.

Alexis Pinturault of France opened the raceon a rapidly deteriorating course and led thefield by 1.45 seconds after the first leg, but failedto finish his final run. Kostelic, who was 1.51 offthe lead, benefited from Pinturault’s mistake toland his second victory of the season and 26thoverall. “This is a very emotional win for me,”Kostelic said. “I have been training on this hill asa kid and have raced here more than anywhereelse. The win means a lot to me. It was a toughday for all of us.”

Kostelic, who won the overall title two yearago, said he would undergo tests on his recur-ring knee problems later Sunday but confirmedhis start in the World Cup finals.

Many racers were critical of the conditions.The snow had already been softened after daysof mild temperatures. Rain made the courseeven weaker. “As a late starter, you have nochance,” said Austrian veteran Benjamin Raich,who failed to finish his first run. “The course isnot holding up well. It’s not dangerous but it’snot fair either.”

Kostelic also said the race “was not fair for latenumbers but we have seen worse courses on theWorld Cup.” Ted Ligety, who secured his fourthgiant slalom title here yesterday, finished 2.80 offthe lead in 18th. In his first run, the Americanhad a costly mistake that almost threw him offcourse at the fifth gate. He recovered to stay inthe race but came 3.87 behind.

“Miserable day for ski racing,” Ligety wrote on

Twitter, where he posted a photo of the specta-tors sheltering under umbrellas. “It’s been atough day,” Ligety said. “I didn’t ski very well andthese are really bad conditions.”

Ligety earned 13 World Cup points to retainhis third place in the overall standings, holding a74-point lead over fourth-place Neureuther. Theslalom was the last event before the World Cupfinals start on Wednesday.—AP

GERMANY: Tina Maze won her duel withworld champion Mikaela Shiffrin in a women’sWorld Cup slalom yesterday to keep herchances alive of scoring a grand slam of crystalglobes this season.

Led by her young American rival in themorning run, the Slovenian overall runawayleader fought back in the afternoon to snatchher 10th victory of the World Cup season, hersecond in a slalom. In a combined time of oneminute and 52.85 seconds, Maze beat Swisshopeful Wendy Holdener by 0.25 secondswhile Shiffrin settled for third, 0.75 adrift.

With 2,254 points, the utterly dominantMaze again increased the all-time points

record in the overall World Cup and totalsmore than twice the score of nearest rivalMaria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany, who is on1,065 points.

The Slovenian, who beat Hermann Maier’sprevious record total of 2,000 points last week-end, also improved on one of the Austrian’sother career statistics by earning her 22ndpodium of the season.

In the slalom World Cup standings, she nowleads second-placed Shiffrin by seven pointswith only one race left at the Lenzerheidefinals next week. Maze remains in contentionto win all four discipline World Cups on top ofthe overall big globe. —Reuters

IPOH: World champions Australia put on astrong showing yesterday to whip Pakistan 6-0in the second match of the Sultan Azlan ShahCup. South Korea secured their first win whenthey defeated India 2-1 in a closely foughtmatch, while host Malaysia kept up their win-ning ways to defeat defending champions NewZealand 2-1.

In a show of clinical finishing, which washelped by an insipid Pakistan team, Australia,aiming for a seventh cup title, had little troublecollecting full points to lead the standings aftertwo days. The world number two took the leadthrough Daniel Mirecki, and Matt Gohdesincreased the gap with another field goal.

Goalkeeper Imran Butt proved to be a bundle

of nerves. It got worse for the Pakistanis as theAustralians rang up another two goals by JacobWhetton for a 4-0 first half lead.

Daniel Beale and then Nick Budgeon com-pleted the rout, the latter with a penalty cornergoal. Pakistan chief coach Akhtar Rasool said theplayers were tired and worn down by thehumidity in the Southeast Asian nation. Headded Butt might be replaced by Imran Shah.

“We can only improve, and hopefully the restday (Monday) will do the team some good,” hesaid. Australia’s coach Ric Charlesworth down-played the rival’s thrashing. Australia alreadybeat India on Saturday.

“Beating Pakistan at any time is a welcomemoment,” he said. “The big score is not that big a

deal as it can happen in an international match.The next minute you may end up losing to thesame team.” Meanwhile, Kang Moon-Kweonscored twice for South Korea, while India earnedtheir goal via Malak Singh. India went on towaste six penalty corners in the second halfthrough poor execution and good defending bythe Koreans. In the last match of the day, thegoals came from Malaysia’s Chua Boon Huat andAhmad Tajuddin Jalil, although the Kiwis pulleda goal back through Shay Neal.

Malaysia now rank second with six points, likethe Australians, having won both their games,ahead of South Korea and Pakistan. India andNew Zealand have no points so far. The tourna-ment ends next Sunday.—AFP

Australia thrash PakistanSultan Azlan Shah Cup

Kostelic wins WCup slalom

KRANJSKA GORA: Ivica Kostelic of Croatia competes during the first run of FIS WorldCup Men’s Slalom race. —AFP

Maze keeps GS hopes alive

S P ORTSMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Juventus 28 19 5 4 55 18 62Napoli 28 15 8 5 47 24 53AC Milan 28 15 6 7 50 32 51Inter Milan 27 14 5 8 44 36 47Lazio 27 14 5 8 37 32 47Fiorentina 27 13 6 8 48 33 45Roma 28 13 5 10 58 49 44Catania 28 12 6 10 36 35 42Udinese 28 10 11 7 37 35 41Sampdoria 28 10 6 12 35 33 35Parma 28 9 8 11 36 37 35Cagliari 28 9 7 12 35 48 34

Atalanta 28 10 5 13 28 39 33Bologna 27 9 5 13 38 36 32Torino 28 7 12 9 33 36 32Chievo 28 9 5 14 29 44 32Genoa 28 6 8 14 27 42 26Siena 28 8 6 14 29 40 24Palermo 28 3 12 13 23 41 21Pescara 28 6 3 18 21 56 21Note: Sampdoria (one point), Torino (onepoint), Atalanta (two points) and Siena (sixpoints) all docked points for involvement inthe “Calcioscommesse” illegal betting scandal.

Italian League results/standings

Atalanta 2 (Denis 34-pen, 67) Pescara 1 (D’Agostino 24); Cagliari 3 (Ibarbo 18, 52, 72) Sampdoria1 (Maxi Lopez 90-pen); Chievo 2 (Drame 12, Thereau 43) Napoli 0; Juventus 1 (Giaccherini 90)Catania 0; Palermo 1 (Anselmo 44) Siena 2 (Emeghara 51, Rosina 72-pen); Parma 4 (Amauri 77,84, 90, Sansone 80) Torino 1 (Santana 56).

Italian Serie A table ahead of yesterday’s late games (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goalsagainst, points):

Barcelona 27 23 2 2 85 30 71Real Madrid 27 18 4 5 66 25 58Atletico 26 18 3 5 48 23 57Malaga 27 12 8 7 38 25 44Real Betis 27 13 4 10 39 39 43Valencia 27 12 6 9 38 40 42Sociedad 26 11 8 7 44 34 41Rayo 27 13 2 12 36 43 41Getafe 27 11 6 10 37 44 39Levante 27 10 6 11 32 40 36

Valladolid 27 9 8 10 35 34 35Sevilla 27 10 5 12 39 40 35Espanyol 27 8 8 11 31 37 32Bilbao 27 9 5 13 32 50 32Osasuna 27 7 7 13 23 30 28Grenada 26 7 5 14 25 38 26Zaragoza 26 7 4 15 25 38 25Mallorca 27 6 6 15 28 50 24Celta Vigo 27 6 5 16 26 38 23Deportivo 27 3 8 16 29 58 17

Spanish League results/standings

Athletic Bilbao 1(Muniain 79) Valencia 0; Levante 0 Getafe 0; Celta Vigo 1 (Aspas 63)Real Madrid 2 (Cristiano Ronaldo 61, 71-pen)Playing laterAtletico Madrid v Real Sociedad

Spanish League table ahead of yesterday’s late match (played, won, drawn, lost,goals for, goals against, points):

LIVERPOOL: Steven Gerrard rockedTottenham as the Liverpool cap-tain’s late penalty clinched a 3-2win over the Champions Leaguehopefuls at Anfield yesterday.

Tottenham, who scored twicethrough defender Jan Vertonghenafter Luis Suarez’s opener, wouldhave opened up a 10-point gap onrivals Arsenal in fifth place had theyheld on to their lead.

Instead, Gerrard won it forLiverpool, who had equalisedthrough Stewart Downing, and theReds climbed above Merseysiderivals Everton into sixth place ongoal difference. Tottenham remainthird, two points ahead of fourthplaced Chelsea, who have a gamein hand.

Liverpool started brightly, withDaniel Sturridge twice found inpromising positions by PhilippeCoutinho, but his eagerness wasnot matched by his technique. Onthe first occasion he raced intospace only to fail to test Hugo Llorisby hitting his shot well over the bar,then when Coutinho delivered afine pass, the former Chelsea strikerfailed to control the ball properly.

It was in-form Gareth Bale whocommanded the most attention,and the crowd waited in anticipa-tion as he addressed a free kick forthe first time. The Welshman’s aimwas true enough and goalkeeperBrad Jones, deputising for theinjured Pepe Reina, was forced toconcede a corner.

However, it was Suarez, Bale’smain rival for the Footballer of theYear award, who drew first bloodafter 21 minutes to put Liverpoolahead. The goal, his 29th of the sea-son, was fashioned by a smartexchange of passes betweenCoutinho and Jose Enrique downthe left.

Enrique’s final pass to Suarez asthe Uruguayan sped in behindTottenham’s defence allowedLiverpool’s leading scorer to flickthe ball past Lloris at the near postwith the outside of his right boot.

Bale’s response was a waywardshot high into the Kop andmoments later he set up GylfiSigurdsson with a clever backheelfor a shot that went just past a post.

The Wales midfielder was hurt inan aerial challenge with Gerrard

and needed treatment before con-tinuing, but Bale soon recovered toprovide the far-post cross forBelgian centre-half Vertonghen tohead Tottenham level on in firsthalf stoppage-time.

Vertonghen struck again on 53minutes to put the visitors ahead.Bale flighted a free kick from theright and although Jamie Carragherwon the header, the ball was notcleared and the alert Vertonghendeftly shot into the bottom corner.

With Liverpool in some disarrayat the back, Tottenham almostsnatched a third goal whenSigurdsson, unmarked, had hisangled shot deflected on to a postby Glen Johnson.

However, the visitors presentedLiverpool with an unexpected life-line on 65 minutes that the hosts

gratefully accepted. Kyle Walkerplayed a long back-pass that Lloriscame out of his area to clear butmissed, leaving winger Downing toequalise past Vertonghen on theline.

The goal seemed to galvaniseLiverpool and Sturridge did his bestto impose himself, only to findVertonghen in just as fine form atthe back as he had been at the oth-er end. A blatant dive by Sturridgeto win a penalty might have merit-ed a yellow card from a less lenientreferee.

But Michael Oliver did eventual-ly point to the penalty spot soonafter when Suarez was bundledover by Benoit Assou-Ekotto, andGerrard made no mistake to win itfor Liverpool with eight minutesleft. —AFP

Gerrard strike rocks SpursLiverpool 3

Tottenham 2

LONDON: Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez controls the ball during the English Premier Leaguefootball match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield stadium.—AFP

NEWCASTLE: Senegal strikerPapiss Demba Cisse bagged a stop-page-time winner as Newcastleboosted their survival bid with a 2-1 victory over Stoke at St James’Park yesterday.

Alan Pardew’s team moved ninepoints clear of the Premier Leaguerelegation zone thanks to Cisse,who struck two minutes into addi-tional time to complete a fine fight-back from the Magpies.

Jonathan Walters put Stokeahead from the penalty spot with67 minutes gone, but YohanCabaye’s superb free-kick soonafter gave Newcastle renewedhope. After Thursday’s draining 0-0Europa League draw with AnzhiMakhachkala in Moscow, Pardew’sside could have been forgiven formaking a slow start.

Initially, that looked likely as RobElliot had to save a third-minutevolley by Peter Crouch. ButPardew’s men started to force theirway into the game, with Frenchmidfielder Cabaye and then JonasGutierrez both sending shots justwide from long-range.

Davide Santon tested Stokegoalkeeper Asmir Begovic with awell-struck drive. Newcastle shouldhave been ahead when Cabaye’sthrough-ball took a deflection andfell nicely for Yoan Gouffran, onlyfor the French playmaker to lift hisshot over the bar.

A tight second half appeared toturn Stoke’s way in the 67th minutewhen Newcastle midfielder CheickTiote conceded a penalty with arash challenge on Walters.

Referee Andre Marriner pointedto the spot and Walters, whoserecent record from 12 yards hasbeen dreadful, stepped up to blasthome the penalty. However, TonyPulis’s team were ahead for onlyfive minutes. Moussa Sissoko wastripped by Glenn Whelan on theedge of the penalty area, prompt-ing a furious reaction from Begovic,

who became embroiled in a rowwith Steven Taylor as the Stokecoaching staff took exception toPardew’s reaction on the sideline.

Once order had been restored,

Cabaye curled the resulting free-kick over the wall and in off theunderside of the crossbar to level.Newcastle pushed hard for a win-ner after that and they finally shat-

tered Stoke’s resistence when sub-stitute Sylvain Marveaux pickedout Cisse in front of goal and hecontrolled before f ir ing pastBegovic.—AFP

Cisse late show sinks Stoke

LONDON: Newcastle United’s French striker Yoan Gouffran (right) vies with Stoke City’s Andy Wilkinson(left) during the English Premier League football match. —AFP

Newcastle 2

Stoke 1

ROME: Substitute Emanuele Giaccherinistruck in injury time to snatch a 1-0 win for anuninspired Juventus at home to Catania yes-terday to increase their Serie A lead to ninepoints.

Giaccherini had only been on the field 15minutes, during which time he’d beenbooked for diving, when he shot home fromthe centre of the box following a stormingrun from Paul Pogba down the right. Thatlast-gasp goal completed a joyful day for thereigning champions as their nearest chal-lengers Napoli crashed to a 2-0 defeat atstruggling Chievo. Juve came up againstdetermined opponents who refused to relin-quish an inch of space in defence and theirhosts lacked the inspiration to break themdown.

Mirko Vucinic did hit a post in the firstperiod while Claudio Marchisio came close toopening the score but Catania remained res-olute and determined. After the break youngFrench prospect Pogba tested Argentinegoalkeeper Mariano Andujar while Marchisioswept a shot just over the bar but Juventus,with Andrea Pirlo stiffled in midfield, simplycould not find a breakthrough.

That was until Giaccherini’s injury-time

intervention and even after that fellow substi-tute Fabio Quagliarella should have put glosson the score when sent through one-on-onewith Andujar but the goalkeeper trumped theforward. It was a miserable day for Napoli inVerona as they fell to defeat at Chievo for thethird year in a row. Serie A top scorer EdinsonCavani even missed a spot-kick and Napoli’sgoalscoring troubles are now becomingincreasingly acute.

They have managed only two goals intheir last seven games in all competitionswhile Cavani’s last successful strike came atthe end of January. French born Senegalinternational full-back Boukary Drameopened the scoring for Chievo on 12 minuteswith Frenchman Cyril Thereau doubling theadvantage just before the break.

The defeat leaves out-of-sorts Napoli, whohave not won in their last seven games in allcompetitions and five in the league, droppinginto the clutches of hard-charging AC Milan.

The Rossoneri won 2-0 at lowly Genoa onFriday night to take their unbeaten run in theleague to 10 games and now trail theNeapolitans by just two points. Siena boostedtheir survival hopes with a crucial 2-1 win atfellow strugglers Palermo.—AFP

Juve go clear at the top

Man Utd 28 23 2 3 68 31 71Man City 28 17 8 3 51 24 59Tottenham 29 16 6 7 51 36 54Chelsea 28 15 7 6 56 30 52Arsenal 28 13 8 7 53 32 47Liverpool 29 12 9 8 56 36 45Everton 28 11 12 5 44 35 45West Brom 29 13 4 12 40 38 43Swansea 29 10 10 9 40 36 40Fulham 28 8 9 11 39 44 33

Stoke 29 7 12 10 27 35 33West Ham 28 9 6 13 32 41 33Newcastle 29 9 6 14 40 50 33Norwich 29 7 12 10 27 45 33Sunderland 29 7 9 13 32 41 30Southampton 29 6 10 13 39 51 28Aston Villa 29 6 9 14 28 54 27Wigan 28 6 6 16 33 55 24Reading 29 5 8 16 35 56 23QPR 29 4 11 14 24 45 23

EPL results/standings

Liverpool 3 (Suarez 21, Downing 66, Gerrard 82-pen) Tottenham 2 (Vertonghen 45, 53); Newcastle 2(Cabaye 72, Cisse 90+2) Stoke 1 (Walters 67-pen).

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against,points):

BERLIN: Bayern Munich finished the weekend 20points clear in the Bundesliga and are now justthree league wins from the title, while EintrachtFrankfurt stayed in the chasing pack after yester-day’s draw at Hanover.

If they win their next three matches, Bayern areset to be crowned German champions on April 6at Frankfurt, who were held to a goalless draw atwintry Hanover in heavy snow.

Despite claiming a point, Frankfurt drop to fifthfollowing a fifth consecutive league match with-out scoring having only netted five goals in theireight games so far in 2013. They last scored onFebruary 2 in the 2-0 win at Hamburg.

In a scrappy game, Hanover 96’s ex-ManchesterUnited striker Mame Diouf and Ivory Coast for-ward Didier Ya Konan both had chances up frontfor Hanover, who stay 10th. There was controversyjust after the break when Hanover claimed a goal

after Frankfurt captain Pirmin Schwegler clearedYa Konan’s shot, but even replays failed to deter-mine whether the ball had crossed the line.

“During the game I was sure the ball was in, Ihad already reckoned the goal would count, butafter seeing the replays I still don’t know if it wasthe right decision,” admitted Schwegler.

Hamburg moved up amongst the Europeanplaces when they claimed sixth with a 1-0 win atVfB Stuttgart as Latvia’s Artjoms Rudnevs hit the50th-minute winner for his 11th goal of the sea-son.

On Saturday, Bayern warmed up forWednesday ’s Champions League clash withArsenal by fighting back for a 3-2 win at home toFortuna Duesseldorf. Having beaten the Gunners3-1 in London three weeks ago, Bayern are lookingto book their quarter-final berth in the second legat Munich’s Allianz Arena.

With Borussia Dortmund, second, and third-placed Bayer Leverkusen both losing, Germanydefender Jerome Boateng’s 86th-minute headergave Bayern three more points after ThomasMueller and France wing Franck Ribery had earlierequalised.

Schalke warmed-up for tomorrow ’sChampions League last 16, second leg clash athome to Galatasaray with a 2-1 win over neigh-bours Dortmund in Gelsenkirchen, but lost strik-er Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to injury. Schalke have afighting chance of reaching the last eight havingdrawn 1-1 in Istanbul three weeks ago andclaimed their second Ruhr derby win of the sea-son. Having already enjoyed a 2-1 win atDortmund last October, Schalke are fourth in thetable after their third straight success, but willface Galatasaray without Huntelaar, who has tornknee ligaments.—AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid registered their sixthconsecutive victory in all competitions as twogoals from Cristiano Ronaldo led them to a 2-1victory over Celta Vigo. Despite dominating forlong spells in the first-half, Madrid couldn’t finda way past Celta goalkeeper Javi Varas until justafter the hour mark when Ronaldo swept homea loose ball from close range.

The lead lasted barely two minutes as IagoAspas’s deflected effort wrong-footed DiegoLopez to bring Celta level. However, for all hisgood work in the first-half, Varas was at fault forthe winner as he clipped Kaka inside the areaand Ronaldo stepped up to smash home thepenalty for his 40th goal of the season.

Jose Mourinho again choose to rotate hisside after their 2-1 victory against ManchesterUnited in midweek with only Lopez, SamiKhedira, Mesut Ozil and Ronaldo retaining theirplaces in the side.

And Celta took advantage of Madrid’smakeshift defence early on as Lopez had to bequick off his line to deny Aspas in the firstminute. The Madrid keeper was then forced intotwo good saves in quick succession as againAspas got in behind the Madrid defence andafter his low drive had been turned behind,Lopez had to get down well to prevent AlexLopez’s deflected shot creeping in at his left-hand post. Slowly, though, the visitors started totake a stranglehold of the game and only a hostof saves from Varas prevented them going intothe break with a comfortable lead. Ronaldo wasfirst to test the Celta stopper with a low drivefrom distance before Karim Benzema shotstraight at Varas after skillfully weaving a waythrough the Celta defence.

Varas did well again to repel Marcelo’s lowdrive after the Brazilian had been released by awonderful pass from Khedira 10 minutes before

the break and even when the Celta keeper didmake a mistake, Madrid couldn’t take advan-tage as Raul Albiol skied over after Varas hadflapped at a corner.

The chances continued to flow for Madrid,though, as Jose Maria Callejon also failed tobeat Varas when he should have scored andeven Ronaldo couldn’t find a way through as hecrashed a header off the bar from Benzema’scross four minutes before half-time. Xabi Alonsowas introduced for Khedira at the break andwith the Spanish international orchestrating inmidfield, Madrid continued to create plenty ofchances. Benzema was again denied by Varaswith a bending shot from inside the area beforeMarcelo blazed over after being brilliantlyplayed in by Alonso. The goal finally arrived forthe visitors 16 minutes into the second-half asRonaldo pounced on a loose ball inside the areaafter Callejon’s shot had been blocked.

However, the lead only lasted two minutesas from Celta’s next attack Aspas spun inside thearea and saw his shot deflect off Pepe and intothe net with Lopez stranded.

The Madrid keeper then nearly gifted thehosts a second as a simple cross from the leftslipped through his grasp and Raul Albiol hadto react quickly to stop Mario Bermejo tappinghome from barely a yard.

Albiol’s intervention proved to be vital asmoments later Alonso’s lovely scooped passreleased Kaka and after he had been broughtdown by Varas, Ronaldo confidently slottedhome his second goal of the evening from thepenalty spot. Celta pushed strongly for anotherequaliser in the dying minutes and came ago-nisingly close in stoppage time as Park Chu-Young’s header hit the bar, but a fifth defeat insix games sees them remain in the bottomthree.—AFP

Ronaldo double sees Real past Celta Vigo

Eintracht held in Hanover, Bayern three wins away

VIGO: Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (left) celebrates withteammate Real Madrid’s Portuguese defender Pepe after scoring a goal during theSpanish League football match against Celta.—AFP

17Sizzling Woodsleads at Doral

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 201318Hopkins becomesoldest boxer to win major title

Record-setting Ashraful, Rahim boost Bangladesh Page 16

OLD TRAFFORD: Chelsea’s Senegalese forward Demba Ba (left) vies with Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea (right) and Manchester United’s English defender Rio Ferdinand (center) during the English FA Cupquarter-final football match. — AFP

MANCHESTER: Holders Chelsea stormed back from twogoals down to draw 2-2 against Manchester United at OldTrafford yesterday and take their FA Cup quarter-final to areplay. After Javier Hernandez opened the scoring in thefifth minute, Wayne Rooney marked his return to theUnited team with another early goal to put United 2-0 upat half-time.

Alex Ferguson’s side looked poised to move on fromthe hurt of their Champions League exit to Real Madrid,but second-half goals from Eden Hazard and Ramiresmeant Chelsea kept a hand on the trophy.

United were guilty of an oddly disjointed performance,but Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez - barracked,once again, by his own fans - could point to a second-halfdouble substitution that changed the game’s momentum.

After the pain of Tuesday’s loss to Madrid, Fergusonspared himself further unwanted headlines by recallingRooney to his starting line-up, with Robin van Persie on

the bench.Benitez resorted to what has emerged in recent weeks

as his strongest team, meanwhile, with Fernando Torresand captain John Terry both dropping out of the visitors’line-up. The two clubs’ fans’ had only just started to runthrough their repertoire of songs about each other whenUnited took the lead.

Michael Carrick sent an angled pass over the Chelseadefence and as visiting goalkeeper Petr Cech rushed out,Hernandez guided a gentle header over him and into thenet. Six minutes later it was 2-0, as Rooney announced hisreturn with a goal. Victor Moses was penalised for a foulon Nani near the left-hand apex of the penalty area andfrom the free-kick, Rooney bent in a cross that eludedeveryone to creep inside the right-hand post.

Jonny Evans blocked from Demba Ba and FrankLampard shot straight at David de Gea as Chelsea soughta response, but United were soon back on the attack.

After Hernandez had diverted a Nani cross wide of thenear post, Cech produced a magnificent double-save. TheChelsea goalkeeper was left on the floor after blocking aneffort from Rooney but he sprang to touch the ball overthe bar when David Luiz inadvertently headed towards hisown goal.

Cech saved again, from Tom Cleverley, but United grewsloppy, and Moses should have done better than blazewildly off-target after Juan Mata’s back-heel gave him agood sight of goal in the 39th minute. United then lostNani to injury just before half-time.

Having been controversially sent off against Madrid,the Portuguese winger had to leave the fray early for thesecond game in succession after abruptly going down onthe edge of the Chelsea box. Rooney feathered a chip overthe bar in the injury time that followed, but United’s care-lessness had given Chelsea hope for the second period.

Ramires skewed a shot wide in the 52nd minute, but

Benitez had already seen enough and immediately intro-duced Hazard and John Mikel Obi in place of Moses andLampard. The move drew chants of ‘You don’t know whatyou’re doing!’ from Chelsea’s fans, but it yielded immedi-ate results. Hazard reduced the arrears with a gloriousstrike in the 59th minute, ghosting into the box from theleft and shaping a gorgeous strike into the right side ofthe goal.

In response, Ferguson introduced van Persie, butChelsea’s tails were up and in the 68th minute, they drewlevel. A counter-attack left United’s defence exposed andwhen Oscar fed the ball wide to Ramires, he rolled the ballinside to throw Evans off balance before stroking a shotinto the bottom-left corner.

Chelsea had two opportunities to win the game at thedeath, but de Gea saved brilliantly from Mata in the lastminute before parrying a fierce shot from Hazard in addedtime. — AFP

Chelsea roar back to defy United

LONDON: Indian-owned Blackburnearned an FA Cup quar ter-f inalreplay against Millwall after ridingtheir luck in a 0-0 draw at the Denyesterday. Michael Appleton’s teamwere second best for long periods ofthe last eight clash between two outof form Championship clubs, butthey enjoyed their share of good for-tune to set up a replay at Ewood Parkon Wednesday.

Andy Keogh’s first half headerstruck a post before Lions striker RobHulse missed an absolute sitter fromclose -range in the second half.Rovers, owned by Indian poultry firmVenky’s, have endured a troubledseason in the second-tier after lastyear’s relegation from the PremierLeague and Appleton is Blackburn’sthird manager of the campaign.

They didn’t have a shot on targetagainst Millwall, yet are still in with achance of a Wembley semi-f inalappearance thanks to their escape insouth London. “It’s always going tobe a battle when you come to theDen with the Millwall fans behindthem,” Appleton said.

“I was delighted with the way thelads went about it. I had three or fourplayers who were only 60-70 percent f it and we’ve got anotherchance to get through. “The gameon Wednesday is going to be a com-pletely different game.”

Millwall manager Kenny Jackettadded: “If you don’t score you’re notgoing to win games. We did a lot ofthings right, put a lot of pressure onthem and had clear-cut chanceswithout scoring. “That’s been us of

late. We need to find the quality toput the ball in the net. That’s thething that is lacking at the moment.”

Rovers stunned Arsenal in theprevious round and are yet to con-cede in this season’s competition,but they found it hard going fromthe start. Millwall had the ball in theback of the net when Keogh headedhome Chris Taylor’s corner, but thewhistle had already gone as DanyN’Guessan impeded goalkeeper JakeKean.

Republic of I reland for wardKeogh then saw a diving headercome back off the post as he con-nected with Jack Smith’s deep crossfive minutes before the break.

Blackburn had a good chance totake the lead early in the second half,but Scotland striker Jordan Rhodescould only fire over after latching onto David Bentley’s set-piece.

Mil lwall kept pushing for theopener and Nigerian defenderDanny Shittu unleashed a ferociousdipping strike from 40 yards whichKean tipped over for a corner.

The hosts should have beenahead moments later when Keogh’sball across the face of goal pickedout Hulse, only for the on-loan QPRstriker to miscue his shot high overthe bar. Blackburn came back intothe game as the second half pro-gressed and Josh King saw a headercome back off a post. It was Shittuwho went closest to taking his sideto the last four, testing Kean againfrom long range, with the Roversgoalkeeper doing well to claw therebound away from Hulse. — AFP

Rovers hold Millwall in FA Cup stalemate

EDINBURGH: Hibernian were left to rue arefereeing blunder that cost them a winagainst Hearts as the Edinburgh derby end-ed goalless at Easter Road yesterday. Thehome side had the ball in the net in the 78thminute when a Leigh Griffiths free-kickthundered off the underside of the bar andcrossed the line by at least a couple of feetbefore bouncing out.

However, referee Euan Norris and hisassistant on the far side both missed it andallowed play to continue to leave the homefans with a deep sense of injustice. Defeatwould have been hard on Hearts, who hadthe best of the clear cut chances withMichael Ngoo firing just wide and DannyWilson heading into the side netting.

The Jambos, who also have financialproblems to deal with off the pitch, move upto 10th, while Hibs stay sixth as the secondsuccessive Edinburgh derby ended withouta goal for the first time in 20 years.

Hibs manager Pat Fenlon was deeply dis-appointed at the decision that cost his sidethe win. “It was difficult to see but fromLeigh’s reaction I thought it was a goal,“Fenlon said.

“I am desperately disappointed with thatdecision. I can’t do anything about it so I’mnot going to get too hot about it. “The gamewas very tight and it was going to takesomething very special to win it and obvi-ously it was a fantastic strike from Leigh.”

Hearts coach Gary Locke, who is tempo-rary charge of the club following JohnMcGlynn’s dismissal, felt his side deserved abit of luck. “Obviously it’s gone over the line

and it’s one we’ve got away with but maybethe luck is turning for us now,” Locke said.“The referee didn’t give it and that’s themost important thing. I think the effort andcommitment from our boys was differentclass.”

There was a place on the Hibernianbench for Kevin Thomson on his return tothe club after being released byMiddlesbrough in January. Hearts had oneenforced change with the suspendedDarren Barr replaced by Callum Tapping incentral midfield, with John Sutton partner-ing on-loan Liverpool striker Ngoo up front.

Ngoo caused the home defence all sortsof problems from the start as he showedRyan McGivern a clean pair of heels downthe right before sending in a cross that wasjust in front of Sutton.

Hibs were under the cosh and Ngooalmost grabbed an 18th minute openerwhen his shot, through the legs of McPake,bounced inches wide of Williams’ post.

Hearts came close from a corner aminute later when Danny Wilson noddedthe ball on to Sutton whose bullet headerfrom close range was blocked on the line.

The home fans had little to shout aboutuntil the 25th minute when McGivern head-ed a free-kick into the box to Matt Done buthis weak shot was stopped by JamieMacDonald.

Scott Robertson then did well to controla Tom Taiwo pass in the box before roundinghis marker and firing a shot at MacDonaldwho was quick off his line to smoother thedanger. — AFP

Ref blunder denies Hibs derby delight

LONDON: Millwall’s Rob Hulse (left) jumps for the ball during an EnglishFA Cup quarter final soccer match against Blackburn Rovers. — AP

BusinessMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

NBB, pension fund to buy 51.6% in Islamic lender

Page 22

American job gains cut unemployment to 7.7%

Page 23

The new Nissan Leaf arrives in Geneva

Page 26

Bank compensation up in 2012 despite cutbacksPage 25

MADRID: Demonstrators march during a protest against unemployment and austerity measures in Madrid yesterday. Tens of thousands of demonstrators march indozens of Spanish cities to protest sky-high unemployment, what they say is the government’s inefficient handling of the economy and corruption scandals, includ-ing one engulfing the royal family. — AP

DUBAI: Dubai’s benchmark made itslargest gain in three weeks yesterday asupbeat global markets spurred investors tobuy back into the emirate’s stocks followinga recent slump, while other Middle Eastbourses also rose on similar sentiment.

In Dubai, Emaar Properties climbed 3percent to a four-year high. The developeris the market bellwether and a favoriteamong fund managers betting on the emi-rate’s economic recovery, especially as thecompany diversifies away from real estateand into retail and hospitality.

“Emaar still has room to go up further -we’re seeing more and more buying fromforeign institutions,” said a regional traderwho declined to be identified. Dubai’sindex rose 1.5 percent in its biggest gainsince Feb 19. It is down 1.9 percent fromFebruary’s 39-month peak.

“Fundamentally, we’re still looking at agood performance from most companiesand we’ve not had yet an influx of liquidityfrom dividend distributions,” saidMohammed Yasin, managing director ofNBAD Securities in Abu Dhabi.

“The market is in a sideways pattern,building support for the next rally, whichwill hopefully come with dividend pay-outsand first-quarter results from mid-April.”Arabtec climbed 0.9 percent to 2.14dirhams, trimming its losses to 28 percentsince it unveiled plans for a $1.8 billion cap-ital increase.

This will be dilutive to shareholders andwill strengthen the grip of top shareholderAabar, an Abu Dhabi state investment fund,over the builder.

“There’s a lack of confidence in Arabtecnow,” said the trader, adding investors willbe reluctant to buy Arabtec shares unlessthe company reconsiders its capital hike.US and European bourses reached multi-year peaks on Friday, buoying most region-al markets as Dubai led gains.

“Dubai ? it’s most sensitive to globalmarket moves,” said Adel Nasr, UnitedSecurities brokerage manager in Oman.Kuwait’s measure rose 0.8 percent to a two-year high as individual traders againpumped money into small-cap stocks.

The benchmark has gained in 38 of 44sessions this year and is up 17.3 percentsince November’s eight-year low. The pro-longed rebound means it now reads 91.1on the relative strength index. A scoreabove 70 usually is seen as over-bought.

Egypt’s index climbed 0.6 percent, itsthird straight gain since Tuesday’s 2013 lowas traders shrugged off renewed violenceover the weekend to buy sold-off stocks.The benchmark has fallen 8 percent sinceFeb. 5.

“We can’t analyze the market from atechnical or fundamental perspectivebecause the political situation is the maindriver and we can’t predict what’s going tohappen,” said Nasr. —Reuters

Dubai in biggest gain

in 3 weeks; Gulf up

MADRID: Angry workers staged mass demonstra-tions in Spanish cities yesterday, protesting thecountry’s high unemployment rate and demandingpolitical reform.

Thousands of demonstrators including health,transport and administrative workers marched incentral Madrid and Barcelona, to the din of horns,drums and yells of “Government resign!”

Similar demos were called in 60 cities in a nation-wide movement led by the two main trade unions,CCOO and UGT, and a wide collective of other civilgroups. They were the latest in months of strikes andprotests against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s aus-tere economic reforms in a recession that has driventhe unemployment rate over 26 percent. Yesterday’sactions were called “against unemployment and forthe renewal of democracy,” the UGT said in a state-ment.

Protestors raged against Rajoy’s spending cuts,which they say are hitting public services such asschools and hospitals and sharpening hardship inthe recession. “Bread and a roof at a fair price,” readsome of the signs waved by protestors. Others bran-dished pictures of Rajoy with the words “Wanted:serial con man”. Rajoy says the cuts are necessary tomeet the targets for cutting Spain’s budget deficitthat he has agreed with European authorities. Heinsists the painful measures will strengthen Spain’sfinances and economy in the long run.

Protestors complained that through this austereeconomic drive the government and EuropeanUnion leaders were imposing unfair suffering on citi-zens. They also vented anger at the political estab-lishment, aggravated by recent investigations intoalleged corruption in the governing Popular Partyand even the royal family. “Our current problems canonly be solved by political change,” said one demon-strator in Madrid, Pilar Gomez, a 52-year-old nursingassistant, wrapped in a red, yellow and purpleRepublican flag. “The risk premium is going downand the stock market is going up. But the one thingthat isn’t changing is the six million people unem-ployed,” she said.

“We can’t allow them to condemn us to economicmisery with the stroke of a pen.”

The UGT in its statement urged “a radical andurgent change in economic policy in Europe as wellas Spain”. “The policies of 2012 have been a resound-ing failure in tackling the crisis and have only madeall our problems worse,” it said.

The Spanish unions held yesterday’s demonstra-tions ahead of a Europe Union-wide protest calledby the European Trade Union Confederation onMarch 13 and 14. — AFP

Spaniards hold mass

street protests

against hardship

DUBAI: Iran’s parliament has passed athree-month stop-gap budget while itdebates President MahmoudAhmadinejad’s full-year spending propos-als, delivered nearly 90 days late at a timewhen economic sanctions have cast doubtover future revenue. This year will be thethird in a row that parliament has beenunable to pass a full-year budget in timefor the March 21 start of the Iranian calen-dar and fiscal year. Western sanctions overits disputed nuclear program have cut oilexports by more than half over the pastyear, sharply reducing Iran’s income. “Thisshort-term budget shows that planningbeyond 90 days has become impossiblebecause of sanctions,” said Iranian-borneconomist Mehrdad Emadi of theBetamatrix consultancy in London. “Thegovernment faces huge uncertainties.” Thetemporary “three -twelfths” budgetauthorizes spending of 450,000 billionrials total for the first quarter of the year,Fars news agency reported. That is rough-ly equivalent to a single month’s spendingin rial terms in last year’s budget, or $13bill ion at the current open market

exchange rate. Ahmadinejad proposedthe temporary budget as a stop-gap lastmonth when he asked lawmakers to con-sider his long overdue draft for the fullyear.

His full-year budget foresees a 31 per-cent increase in spending in domestic cur-rency, amounting to a cut in dollar termsas the rial has halved in value over thepast year on the open market.

Ahmadinejad, coming to the end of asecond and final four-year term, has oftenquarreled with parliament over economicpolicies, including cuts in subsidies forfood and fuel. Iranian state media quotedlawmakers who saw the temporary spend-ing bill as a necessity but expressed frus-tration with the need to resort to suchbills. Parliament needed a two-monthstop-gap before it passed last year’s budg-et.

“Last year the government presentedtwo-twelfths to parliament and this year itis three-twelfths. Maybe next year it willbe four-twelfths,” said member of parlia-ment Mehdi Sanaei, according to statenews agency IRNA reported. “This sort of

budget-writing is incorrect and it must bereformed.” The International EnergyAgency, which advises rich countries, esti-mated last week that Iran’s oil exports mayhave dropped below 1 million barrels perday in January, from 2.2 million bpd in late2011. New sanctions imposed by theUnited States and European Union sincethe start of 2012 banned Iranian oil salesto Europe, and made it difficult for othercountries to pay for Iranian oil or for shipsthat carry it to get insurance. Westerncountries accuse Iran of seeking a nuclearweapon. Tehran says its nuclear programis peaceful and the sanctions are a form ofeconomic warfare.

The temporary budget must be ratifiedby the parliamentary Planning andBudget Committee and the 12-memberveto-wielding Guardian Council of juristsand clerics, Fars reported.

Dependence on oilThe full draft budget amounts to

7,305,000 billion rials - $595 billion at theofficial exchange rate, but only around$200 billion at the free market rate. The

2012 budget was 5,560,000 billion rials.In a television interview before the

budget draft was presented, Ahmadinejadsaid it would reduce Iran’s dependence onoil income and boost non-oil exports, tolimit the impact of “heavy factors activefrom outside”. He said non-oil exports ofgoods and services could reach $75 billionin the coming year, a 50 percent increasecompared to estimated figures for thisyear.

The draft budget did not give an esti-mate for oil exports for the forthcomingyear. Iranian media said it was based on anaverage oil price of $95 per barrel. Brentcrude oil is now at about $110 a barrel.The approval process for the budget islikely to be hampered by the deep politi-cal divisions between the president and amainly hostile parliament who accuse himof reckless financial management they seeas a major cause of Iran’s economic pain.

The president also drew parliamentari-ans’ ire by proposing to increase fundingfor the executive branch while cutting thebudgets of other state bodies, includingparliament. — Reuters

Iran passes stop-gap budgetSanctions hit revenues • Rial loses half its value

MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS

ATHENS: International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission chief Poul Thomsen (right)arrives at the Greek finance ministry for a meeting with Finance Minister YiannisStournaras in Athens yesterday.— AFP (See Page 22)

Qatar CB issues 4bn riyals of debt bondsDUBAI: Qatar’s central bank yesterday issued 1 bil-lion riyals ($300 million) of local currency sukuk and3 billion riyals of local currency conventional bonds,as part of an adjustment of monetary policy and inorder to help commercial banks meet Basel III liquid-ity requirements. Local currency debt will be issuedevery quarter, half with three-year maturities andhalf with five-year, the central bank said in a state-ment. It did not give specific dates or sizes for futureissues, saying they would be announced later.

“The aim of issuing these bonds is to developmonetary policy and the implementation of a mech-anism of coordination between monetary and fiscal

policy and support the strength of the banking sys-tem and financial and market tools,” it said.

A senior commercial banker in Qatar said yester-day’s issuance was allocated directly to local banks.Pricing was not immediately known. In January, theInternational Monetary Fund’s mission chief forQatar told Reuters that authorities planned debtissues to build a domestic sovereign yield curve, aspart of the country’s efforts to develop a local cur-rency debt market. The issues will help the world’stop liquefied natural gas exporter manage excessliquidity in the banking sector that has been createdby rapid economic growth; liquidity may be boosted

further by the country’s massive infrastructure build-ing program, which is due to accelerate this year.

Qatar has issued local currency bonds before.In January 2011, the central bank issued a 50 bil-lion riyal, three-year bond directly to local banks asa step to drain excess money from the bankingsystem. In addition, the central bank launchedmonthly auctions of 91-, 182- and 273-dayTreasury bills in May and August that year to soakup excess funds. As a result, available liquiditydropped to a mere 5.8 billion riyals at the end of2011 from 73.2 billion riyals a year before, the cen-tral bank has said.— Reuters

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

EXCHANGE RATES

Commercial Bank of Kuwait

US Dollar/KD .2760000 .2880000GB Pound/KD .4210000 .4380000Euro .3670000 .3800000Swiss francs .2960000 .3130000Canadian Dollar .2740000 .2880000Australian DLR .2890000 .2990000Indian rupees .0040000 .0068000Sri Lanka Rupee .0020000 .0035000UAE dirhams .0770830 .0778580Bahraini dinars .7510010 .7585480Jordanian dinar .3920000 .4100000Saudi riyals .0720000 .0770000Omani riyals .7362240 .7436230Egyptian pounds .0420000 .0480000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATESUS Dollar/KD .2839500 .2860500GB Pound/KD .4235820 .4267150Euro .3691630 .3718940Swiss francs .2982820 .3004880Canadian dollars .2760410 .2780830Danish Kroner .0495340 .0499010Swedish Kroner .0443330 .0446610Australian dlr .2905520 .2927010Hong Kong dlr .0366060 .0368770Singapore dlr .2275790 .2292620Japanese yen .0029570 .0029790Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0052930Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0022680Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0029380Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036460UAE dirhams .0773390 .0779110Bahraini dinars .7534830 .7590550Jordanian dinar .0000000 .4045970Saudi Riyal/KD .0757400 .0763000Omani riyals .7378200 .7432770Philippine Peso .0000000 .0070860

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 3.055Indian Rupees 5.192Pakistani Rupees 2.896Srilankan Rupees 2.230Nepali Rupees 3.255Singapore Dollar 229.030Hongkong Dollar 36.690Bangladesh Taka 3.593Philippine Peso 6.992

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 284.700Euro 373.650Pound Sterling 427.550Canadian Dollar 279.150Japanese Yen 3.000Indian Rupee 5.241Egyptian Pound 41.600Sri Lankan Rupee 2.250Bangladesh Taka 3.610Philippines Peso 6.988Pakistan Rupee 2.912Bahraini Dinar 758.250UAE Dirham 77.525Saudi Riyal 76.050*Rates are subject to change

COUNTRY SELL CASH SELLDRAFTEurope

British Pound 0.4187510 0.4277510Czech Korune 0.0061617 0.0181617Danish Krone 0.0456771 0.0506771Euro 0.3665029 0.3663529Norwegian Krone 0.0457640 0.0509640Scottish Pound 0.4191285 0.4266285Swedish Krona 0.0405462 0.0455462Swiss Franc 0.2949473 0.3019473

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.2817663 0.2937663New Zealand Dollar 0.2261246 0.2381246Uganda Shilling 0.0001095 0.0001095

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.2703015 0.2793015Colombian Peso 0.0001485 0.0001665US Dollars 0.2830000 0.2851500

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.0035723 0.0036273Cape Vrde Escudo 0.0031633 0.0033933Chinese Yuan 0.0448005 0.0498005Eritrea-Nakfa 0.0164767 0.0195767

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 296.34 295.000Canadian Dollar 281.50 280.000Swiss Franc 304.64 305.000Euro 374.12 372.600US Dollar 284.75 285.500Sterling Pound 428.65 429.000Japanese Yen 3.04 3.300Bangladesh Taka 3.625 3.740Indian Rupee 5.244 5.350Sri Lankan Rupee 2.253 2.480Nepali Rupee 3.286 3.420Pakistani Rupee 2.919 2.880UAE Dirhams 77.59 78.000Bahraini Dinar 758.18 756.000Egyptian Pound 41.61 41.600Jordanian Dinar 405.66 410.000

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 285.100Canadian Dollar 280.570Sterling Pound 428.970Euro 371.410Swiss Frank 300.075Bahrain Dinar 754.810UAE Dirhams 77.600Qatari Riyals 78.255Saudi Riyals 75.990Jordanian Dinar 401.895Egyptian Pound 41.644Sri Lankan Rupees 2.243Indian Rupees 5.248Pakistani Rupees 2.914Bangladesh Taka 3.617Philippines Pesso 6.995Cyprus pound 699.365Japanese Yen 3.970Thai Bhat 9.670Syrian Pound 4.030Nepalese Rupees 3.375Malaysian Ringgit 91.730

Guinea Franc 0.0000443 0.0000503Hong Kong Dollar 0.0342172 0.0373172Indian Rupee 0.0051802 0.0052502Indonesian Rupiah 0.0000245 0.0000296Jamaican Dollars 0.0028488 0.0038488Japanese Yen 0.0028913 0.0030713Kenyan Shilling 0.0032521 0.0034821Malaysian Ringgit 0.0879318 0.0949318Nepalese Rupee 0.0031226 0.0033226Pakistan Rupee 0.0028871 0.0029271Philippine Peso 0.0065456 0.0070156Sierra Leone 0.0000728 0.0000758Singapore Dollar 0.2246345 0.2306345Sri Lankan Rupee 0.0019511 0.0022561Thai Baht 0.0091842 0.0097842

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.7499397 0.7584397Egyptian Pound 0.0395760 0.0416060Ethiopeanbirr 0.0130154 0.0195154Ghanaian Cedi 0.1484326 0.1502226Iranian Riyal 0.0000793 0.0000798Iraqi Dinar 0.0001834 0.0002434Jordanian Dinar 0.3966167 0.4041167Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.0001749 0.0001949Moroccan Dirhams 0.0218169 0.0458169Nigerian Naira 0.0012120 0.0018470Omani Riyal 0.7296388 0.7406388Qatar Riyal 0.0776683 0.0784513Saudi Riyal 0.0755067 O.0761467Sudanese Pounds 0.0500805 0.0506305Syrian Pound 0.0031818 0.0034018Tunisian Dinar 0.1800547 0.1860547UAE Dirhams 0.0762085 0.0776585Yemeni Riyal 0.0012864 0.0013864

Thai Baht 9.571Irani Riyal - transfer 0.271Irani Riyal - cash 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 75.910Qatari Riyal 78.216Omani Riyal 739.380Bahraini Dinar 756.080UAE Dirham 77.513

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 41.950Egyptian Pound - Transfer 41.550Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.328Tunisian Dinar 180.780Jordanian Dinar 401.990Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.910Syrian Lier 3.092Morocco Dirham 33.875

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 284.550Euro 373.190Sterling Pound 432.230Canadian dollar 278.420Swiss Franc 303.520US Dollar Buying 283.350

GOLD20 Gram 298.00010 Gram 150.0005 Gram 77.500

Omani Riyal 741.08 738.000Qatari Riyal 78.63 78.500Saudi Riyal 76.06 76.500

By Hayder Tawfik

Global stock markets continue theupward trend that started lastyear unabated and ignoring eco-

nomic, financial and geopolitical turbu-

lences around the world. The big ques-tion for equity investors is what invest-ment style they should follow. Investingin value stocks or chasing growthstocks? I think for the first time in manyyears the investment environment isvery encouraging for value and growthinvestors. One of the fundamental rea-son for this is the very low interest ratesand the plenty supply of cheap moneyaround the world. In recent months val-ue stocks have been outperforminggrowth stocks in some part of the world.This is quite justified because of the highdividends yields they offer relative toshort and long interest rates but indeedthe outlook for them is not as bright asthose for growth stocks. Every style ofinvestment has its own followers andthis indeed is a pure investment judg-ment or clients investment guidelines.

The stock markets always offer theopportunity for both style of investment

managers. It is for those smart investorsto decide which one to go for. One way isto try to combine both investment styleswhen they are searching for stocks.Indeed, some stocks offer both poten-tials. Growths in their future earnings andat the same time are priced cheaply rela-tive to their competitors and to the mar-ket. Some will disagree with thisapproach. I think some investment man-agers are very good in analyzing equityfundamentals but at the same time can-not grasp the economic cycle and hencejust stay with equity valuation and ratherthan try to position themselves for thenext economic cycle. At the early stagesof the changes in any economic cyclesvalue and growth stocks start behavingquite differently regardless how cheap orhow expensive they are. At the sametime investors should work hard in tryingto identify the right price of any stocktaking into account the present value ofany future cash flow and discount themat existing rate.

Value investors should look for stocksthat are out of favor in those unfashion-able sectors, such as utilities, telecoms,and energy. These industries have suf-fered a lot in the past years. They couldstill suffer under pressure from competi-tion, extra capital spending, regulationand margin squeeze. In my opinion,investors who are looking to pick growthstocks should focus on companies thathave very good and promising potentialfuture but have been ignored by themarket. Here, I find plenty of those with-in the small and midcap stocks.

Regardless, if it is the value or growthstocks driving the upward trend in glob-al stock markets, it is the increase in cor-porate profits, easy monetary policy andinvestors return to the markets withhigh optimism which I think will takethese markets much higher in the com-ing months.

—Hayder Tawfik is Executive Vice Presidentof Asset Management, at Dimah Capital.

Global equity investment style: Value or growth!

DUBAI: National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) and alocal pension fund will buy a 51.6-percentstake in Bahrain Islamic Bank from its Kuwaitiowner in the latest consolidation move in the

island kingdom’s banking sector. Bahrain’s cen-tral bank has encouraged its lenders to consol-idate as it seeks to rebuild the sector which hasbeen hit by two years of social unrest.

Central bank Governor Rasheed Al-Maraj

said last week that he expected to see at leastone merger in the non-OPEC country withoutdisclosing any names. Maraj, speaking at a con-ference, said the regulator would also require

domestic banks to take more steps to ensuretheir soundness.

As par t of the deal, NBB and SocialInsurance Organization Asset ManagementCompany, a unit of pension fund Social

Insurance Organization, will each take a 25.8-percent stake in Bahrain Islamic for 72 fils pershare, according to an NBB statement.

They are buying the stake from Kuwait’sInvestment Dar and associated companies. Daris selling assets as part of its debt restructur-ing. It sold a 37.5 percent stake in luxury car-maker Aston Martin to Italian private equityfund Investindustrial late in December.

The deal is at a near 3-percent premium toBahrain Islamic’s closing share price of 70 filson Thursday. There are 1000 fils in a Bahrainidinar. Based on Bahrain Islamic’s total out-standing shares, the value of the deal is about34.9 million dinars ($92.57 million).

The transaction will provide NBB, the sec-ond largest lender by market value in thecountry, an opportunity to expand into Islamicbanking.

“We have been looking for an appropriateopportunity to establish a footprint in theIslamic banking industry and BisB represents asuitable vehicle for us,” Abdul Razak Hassan AlQassim, NBB’s chief executive said in a state-ment.

NBB operates 25 branches in the country.Bahrain Islamic is the oldest Islamic lender inthe island kingdom. Among other deals in thecountry’s banking sector, Al Salam Bank said inJanuar y it was in merger talks with anunnamed regional bank, while Gulf FinanceHouse said it was studying options to mergeits unit, Khaleeji Commercial Bank, with otherBahraini banks. —Reuters

NBB, pension fund to buy 51.6% in Islamic lender

Bahrain encouraging banks to consolidate

ATHENS: Greece’s finance minister was lined upfor talks yesterday with the country’s internation-al creditors, hours after the Greek reform teamwas hit by the resignation of two top officials.

The meeting-mainly focused on job cuts-willdetermine whether Athens will claim a loan sliceof 2.8 billion euros ($3.6 billion) due at the end ofMarch. Thorny issues that Greece still needs toaddress include shrinking the number of jobs inthe public sector, speeding up privatization plansand recapitalizing four of its main banks.

“There are open issues, there are differencesbut the climate is good,” Finance Minister YannisStournaras told Mega television. On Saturday,Greece’s privatization chief and the finance min-istry general secretary both stepped down overan investigation into alleged breach of duty atthe country’s main power group PPC where bothwere previously members of the board.

The blow came as the troubled Greek privati-zation drive was beginning to hit a stride afteryears of delays.

In January, the privatization agency complet-ed Greece’s first public land international deal in

15 years with a 99-year lease of a plot on thepopular tourist island of Corfu for 23 millioneuros ($30 million). A month later, Greece man-aged to lure back Qatar’s investment authority ina public tender for its top asset, the formerAthens airport of Hellinikon.

In an interview with financial weekly Axia onSaturday, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras hadforecast a solid privatization drive for 2013. “Wewill meet this year’s target of around 2.6 billioneuros. We might even exceed it,” the PM said.

He added that the government was expect-ing binding offers for gas operator DEPA andgaming monopoly OPAP before summer andwould also divest state oil refiner HELPE withinthe year. A replacement to head the privatizationagency is to be nominated to parliament today.

Under the bailout conditions adopted lastyear, Greece needs to cut public sector workersby 25,000 in 2013 and a total of 150,000 by theend of 2015. Facing a sixth consecutive year ofrecession, the heavily-indebted country hasbeen relying on international rescue packages toavoid bankruptcy. —AFP

Creditor talks in Athens after resignations blow

Egypt’s urban inflation jumps as pound slides

CAIRO: Egypt’s urban consumer inflation shot up to 8.2percent in the 12 months to February, statistics agencyCAPMAS said yesterday, as a sliding Egyptian poundpushed up food prices.

The rate jumped from an annual 6.3 percent in January,putting inflation at the highest since May last year as aneconomic crisis erodes living standards and deepensanger among Egyptians at a time of political and socialturmoil. February’s month-on-month rate also leapt to 2.5percent from 1.7 the previous month.

Food and drink prices - a major spending item particu-larly for Egypt’s poor - rose 9.3 percent year-on-year lastmonth, CAPMAS said in a bulletin posted on its website.

EFG Hermes economist Mohamed Abu Basha blamedthe sharply higher inflation rate on the Egyptian pound’sfall, which has pushed up the price of imported food andfuel.

“It could rise more given the ongoing unrest and hugelosses in the value of the Egyptian pound of around 10percent of its value since the start of the year,” he toldReuters.

Abu Basha also cited higher prices of low-octane fuelused by bakeries and trucks that deliver goods “whichusually have a direct impact on the prices of food and oth-er products”.

Egypt has been rocked by frequent eruptions of streetviolence provoked by a variety of grievances. Two peopledied in Cairo on Saturday as local people protestedabout the acquittal of seven policemen over their han-dling of a soccer stadium riot last year. More than 70people, mostly fans from Cairo, died in the Suez Canalcity of Port Said during the riot. Analysts say heavy pres-sure on living standards since the 2011 uprising thatoverthrew Hosni Mubarak has deepened social unrestand discontent with the Is lamist government ofPresident Mohammed Morsi. —Reuters

DUBAI: Emirates NBD (ENBD), Dubai’slargest lender, has hired six banks tohelp arrange a benchmark-sized subor-dinated bond sale, four sources familiarwith the plan said, as it seeks to reducegovernment suppor t for its capitalratios. ENBD has hired HSBC Holdings,National Bank of Abu Dhabi, CitigroupInc, J .P. Morgan Chase, SocieteGenerale and itself for the plannedsale, two of the sources said, speakingon condition of anonymity as the mat-ter is not public.

ENBD declined to comment. A suc-cessful sale will help the lender, 55.6-percent owned by state fundInvestment Corp of Dubai, repay partof the 12.6 billion dirhams ($3.43 bil-lion) it received from the governmentin 2008. The bank said in January thatit was looking to begin repayment ofthe funds. The bond is not expected tobe launched immediately given thatt wo other Dubai ent i t ies - DubaiIslamic Bank and Emirates airline - arecurrently meeting investors ahead ofpotential issues.

Benchmark size transactions are atleast $500 million. Banks in the UnitedArab Emirates will aim to repay Tier 2capital placed with them at the heightof the global financial crisis this year,with some turning to the bond marketto avoid servicing expensive debt.

The country’s Ministry of Financeplaced 70 billion dirhams ($19.1 billion)with banks to shore up their balance

sheets after the collapse of LehmanBrothers in September 2008 triggered aseizure of the world’s financial system.The price difference between govern-ment bonds, which contribute to Tier 2capital, and market prices for new debtis prompting many lenders to sel lbonds to replace the more expensiveobligations.

ENBD’s planned sale follows a similarmove by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bankwhich raised $1.5 billion from a two-tranche bond last month, with a subor-dinated tranche raising $750 million forthe Abu Dhabi lender. While the govern-ment bonds have a 5-percent couponthis year, rising to 5.25 percent for thefinal three years, ADCB’s ten-year Tier 2note carried a 4.5 percent coupon.

ENBD sold a $50 million subordinat-ed bond in a privately placed debt sale,IFR Markets, a unit of Thomson Reuters,reported on Wednesday.

The ten-year, non-call f ive deal,which followed an investor request tosole bookrunner Commerzbank for Tier2 paper from a Middle Eastern or Asianbank, was priced roughly 75 basis pointsabove where a standard ENBD bondwould come.

Other UAE banks have chosen to useinternal cash resources - at a time of lim-ited loan growth in the country - to payoff the government cash: ADCB, FirstGulf Bank and Union National Bankrepaid a combined 10 billion dirhamslast week. —Reuters

ENBD eyes bond sale to repay govt funds

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

WASHINGTON: The American job market isn’tjust growing. It’s accelerating. Employers added236,000 jobs in February and drove down theunemployment rate to 7.7 percent, its lowestlevel in more than four years. The gains signalthat companies are confident enough in theeconomy to intensify hiring even in the face oftax increases and government spending cuts.

Last month capped a fourth-month hiringspree in which employers have added an aver-age of 205,000 jobs a month. The hiring hasbeen fueled by steady improvement in housing,auto sales, manufacturing and corporate profits,along with record-low borrowing rates. Beforethe spree, employers added an average of154,000 jobs from July through October andonly 108,000 from April through June.

“The recovery is gathering momentum,” PaulAshworth, an economist at Capital Economics,said in a note to clients. The gains could boostconsumer spending, adding momentum to theUS recovery and helping troubled economies inEurope and Asia.

The US economy is forecast to grow a modest2 percent this year. Growth will likely be heldback by uncertainty about the federal budget,higher Social Security taxes and across-the-board government spending cuts that kicked inMarch 1. And unemployment remains high near-ly four years after the end of the Great Recession.Roughly 12 million people remain out of work.

The unemployment rate declined in Februaryfrom 7.9 percent in January mostly becausemore people found work. Another factor wasthat 130,000 people without jobs stopped look-ing for work last month. The governmentdoesn’t count them as unemployed.

The last time unemployment was lower wasDecember 2008, when it was 7.3 percent. Theunemployment rate is calculated from a surveyof households. The number of jobs gained isderived from a separate survey of employers.Hiring would be rising even faster if govern-ments weren’t shrinking their workforces, asthey have been for nearly four years.Governments cut 10,000 jobs in February.

Some $44 billion in spending cuts kicked inlast week after Congress failed to reach a budgetdeal. The cuts are expected to shave about ahalf-point from economic growth this year andlower total hiring by about 30,000 jobs a monthfrom April through September, according toMoody’s Analytics.

And most workers have had to absorb higherSocial Security taxes this year. Someone earning$50,000 has about $1,000 less to spend in 2013.A household with two high-paid workers has up

to $4,500 less.Stock prices rose after the report was

released and strengthened later in the day. TheDow Jones industrial average rose 67 points to14,397, its fourth straight record close.

Robust auto sales and a steady housingrecovery are spurring more hiring, which willtrigger more consumer spending and could leadto stronger economic growth. The constructionindustry added 48,000 jobs in February; it’sadded 151,000 since September. Manufacturinggained 14,000 jobs last month and 39,000 sinceNovember.

Among industry categories, the biggest jobgrowth in February was in professional and busi-ness services, which added 73,000. This categoryincludes higher-paying jobs in accounting, engi-neering and information technology as well astemporary positions that typically pay less.

Retailers added 24,000 jobs. Education andhealth services gained 24,000. And the informa-tion industry, which includes publishing,telecommunications and film, added 20,000,mostly in the movie industry.

The economy is generating more higher-pay-ing jobs. That trend is raising average pay, whichwill help offset the hit that Americans took fromhigher Social Security taxes and gas prices.

Hourly wages rose 4 cents to $23.82 lastmonth. Wages have risen 2.1 percent over thepast year, slightly ahead of inflation. Higher payis vital to the economy because consumerspending drives 70 percent of economic activity.

Hotel chain Cambria Suites expects businesstravel to rise 5 percent this year and next.

Cambria, a unit of Choice HotelsInternational, is building nearly 20 hotels aroundthe country, doubling its total. It plans to add110 jobs this year and 400 next year to its work-force of 600. The improved job market can alsobenefit countries that sell goods and services toUS consumers and businesses. “All you have todo is look at the trade numbers,” says BernardBaumohl, chief global economist at theEconomic Outlook Group. “The strength in theUS economy is leading to faster growth inimports.” Imports rose 2 percent in January fromDecember. Those from China surged 7 percent.

A stronger US economy, Baumohl says, willalso help a battered Europe, which is contendingwith high unemployment and a debt crisis. TheUnited States is the No. 1 market for exportsfrom the 27-country European Union.

“The extent to which the US is recovering andpotentially the labor market is improving ispotentially an important dynamic that Europewould welcome,” said Nick Matthews, an econo-

mist at Nomura in London. The US economy isbenefiting from the Federal Reserve’s drive tokeep interest rates at record lows. Lower borrow-ing rates have made it easier for Americans tobuy homes and cars and for companies toexpand.

The Fed and key central banks overseas havetaken extraordinary steps to pump money intotheir financial systems to try to spur borrowingand spending, boost stock prices and stimulategrowth.

The Fed has said it plans to keep the bench-mark rate it controls near zero at least until theunemployment rate has fallen to 6.5 percent, aslong as the inflation outlook remains mild.

Friday’s jobs report isn’t expected to move upthe Fed’s timetable for any rate increase.

The brighter hiring picture has yet to cause aflood of out-of-work people who aren’t lookingfor a job to start seeking one. The proportion ofAmericans either working or looking for workdipped one-tenth of a percentage point inFebruary to 63.5 percent, matching a 30-yearlow. Even though the recession officially endedin June 2009, many Americans have remaineddiscouraged about their job prospects and havegiven up looking. Others have returned to, orstayed in, school. And the vast generation ofbaby boomers has begun to retire; the oldest arenow 67. Their exodus reduces the percentage ofadults working or looking for work.

The pickup in hiring hasn’t yet benefited thelong-term unemployed. Nearly 4.8 millionAmericans have been out of work for six monthsor longer, nearly 100,000 more than in January.

Further strong hiring gains will hinge, in part,on healthy consumer spending. So far, highergas prices and a Jan. 1 increase in Social Securitytaxes haven’t caused Americans to sharply cutback on spending. But if the economy can con-tinue to add 200,000 or more jobs a month, itmeans that many more people will have dispos-able income to spend.

A big source of strength has been home salesand residential construction: New-home salesjumped 16 percent in January to the highest lev-el since July 2008. And builders started work onthe most homes last year since 2008.

The year-over-year increase in home prices inJanuary was the biggest in six years. Higherprices tend to make homeowners feel wealthierand more likely to spend. So do record-highstock prices. “If my house is worth a little more,my 401(k) is going up ... maybe I can afford to gobuy that car, or continue to spend,” says EdHyland, investment specialist at JPMorganPrivate Bank. — AP

American job gains cut unemployment to 7.7%

Jobless rate hits 4-year low

BAODING, Hebei: A general view shows the skyline of Baoding, Hebei province, some140 km south of Beijing early yesterday.—AFP

KATHMANDU: China’s ambassador toKathmandu was recently pictured in a tra-ditional Nepali cap and silk scarf, diggingwith a spade to symbolize the laying of thefoundations of a new dry port near theTibet border.

The photo opportunity marked the lat-est in a series of major projects that under-score China’s growing economic influencein Nepal, where it is building roads andinvesting billions of dollars in hydropowerand telecommunications.

Other Chinese projects in its impover-ished, electricity-starved Himalayan neigh-bor include a $1.6 billion hydropower plantwhich is expected finally to end power out-ages which extend to 14 hours a day inwinter. Meanwhile China recently complet-ed a 22-kilometre (14-mile) stretch of roadin central Nepal connecting the country’ssouthern plains with the Tibetan county ofKyirong, to form the shortest motorableoverland route between China and India.

Analysts have questioned whetherBeijing’s largesse is a gesture to a neighborin need, or the result of a foreign policywhich increasingly sees Nepal’s roads anddry ports as a doorway to the huge marketsof India. “I am sure that these infrastructureprojects will help win influence in Nepalbut they will serve a dual purpose,” saidPurna Basnet, a Nepalese political com-mentator who frequently writes on Chineseinfluence in Nepal.

“It will be easier for China to supplygoods to India via Nepal. There is even atalk of connecting Kathmandu with theirrail networks in Tibet. “The Shigatse-Lhasarailway will be completed in a couple ofyears. From Shigatse, they have plans toconnect Kathmandu through railways.”

Nepal has always been in the shadow ofits southern neighbor India, which has tra-ditionally exerted huge political influenceand is Kathmandu’s biggest trading partnerand sole provider of fuel.

Since the end of a bloody decade-longcivil war in 2006 and the emergence of theMaoist rebels who fought the state as thelargest political party, China has been grad-

ually-and literally-making inroads as acounterweight to India. Chinese ambassa-dor Yang Houlan outlined his country’svision of Kathmandu as a trade gateway toNew Delhi in a recent op-ed article inNepal’s English-language Republica news-paper.

“From an economic viewpoint, Nepallinks China (with 1.3 billion people) withSouth Asia (with 1.5 billion). The huge com-mon market provides great opportunitiesfor both China and South Asia,” he wrote.“China is pushing its ‘Develop West’ strate-gy, and South Asia represents one of themain overseas investment opportunities.Nepal could provide China the much-need-ed overland channel to South Asia.”

China’s commitment to Nepal is out-lined by its construction of a further fivedry ports in the Himalayan region wherethe treacherous terrain marks the 1,414-kilometre long border. It has also offered tofund an international airport in the touristhub of Pokhara. On top of infrastructuredevelopment, around two dozen Chinesecompanies have invested $100 million inhousing, hotels, restaurants and otherareas of tourism in Nepal. By the end of2013 annual trade between the two coun-tries is expected to hit $1.5 billion, a 25-per-cent rise on an annual basis.

But it’s not just about getting rich, saymany observers who see China’s invest-ment in Nepal as a vital part of its strategyfor quelling unrest in a country of 55 ethnicgroups where poverty remains a majorthreat to security. “In Tibet, unrest has sig-nificantly increased, so Chinese investmentin Nepal should be understood in the con-text of China’s integrity, which is veryimportant for the giant nation,” saidKathmandu-based strategic affairs analystLekhnath Paudel.

“Some Indian analysts repeatedly warnthat China has built these ports to preparefor a war with India,” he added. “It will defi-nitely provide China with an edge but atheart, its goal is to expand the economicopportunity to its workforce and makethem loyal to the state.” — AFP

China eyes India trade by boosting spending in Nepal

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin will inthe next weeks choose a new head ofRussia’s central bank, with economistshoping he picks a dependable figure andnot a wild card to head one of its fewtrusted institutions.

The Bank Rossii (Bank of Russia) is fac-ing key policy choices as it tries to keep alid on resurgent inflation without harmingeconomic growth. The bank’s relativelyhawkish recent stance has frustrated someof Putin’s allies who want looser monetarypolicy. Putin will be presenting to parlia-ment a successor to outgoing chairmanSergei Ignatyev, 65, a dignified economistrespected by markets who has turned thebank’s policy priority towards keepinginflation in check at a time of high oilprices.

The choice of continuity could be a fig-ure like deputy central bank chairmanAlexei Ulyukayev. However a more radicalchoice like Kremlin economic adviserSergei Glazyev could upset market andintensify Russia’s problems with capitalflight.

Speaking in the city of Vologda onThursday, Putin in typically tantalizingstyle hinted that his mind was alreadymade up and the appointment couldcome as a surprise to some. “It’s going tobe an unexpected figure. You are going tolike it,” the RIA Novosti news agency quot-ed him as saying without giving furtherdetails. The Bank of Russia won respectduring the 2008-2009 financial crisis withwell-calculated injections of liquidity intothe economy and finely-judged currencyinterventions to support the ruble thatsaved Russia from an even deeper crisis.

“Everyone gives them a lot of recogni-tion, everyone says it’s a properly workinginstitution. Obviously, you don’t havemany such examples in Russia,” said IvanTchkarov, chief economist at RenaissanceCapital. “It will be very difficult for the suc-cessor whoever he is, given this environ-ment of economic growth which is noteven close to what Russia was seeing inthe pre-crisis years,” he added.

Russia’s main refinancing rate currentlystands at 8.25 percent with the centralbank resisting pressure to begin a cuttingcycle to support lagging growth, pointingto the risk from inflation that stood at 7.3percent in February. “The central bank isnot to blame for the economic slowdownor the acceleration in inflation but it is theone who must take the difficult decisions,”said Julia Tsepliaeva, the head of Russiaand CIS market economics at BNP Paribas.

Markets skittishThe independence of the Bank of

Russia is written into the Russian constitu-tion and its chiefs would hardly have beencomforted by the growing pressure frompoliticians to loosen monetary policy.

With his choice of successor toIgnatyev, Putin will show how inclined heis to respect the bank’s independence andhow tempted he is politically by a short-term dash for growth that could have dan-

gerous consequences. “ The market isalready skittish about Russia, and is wait-ing to see how committed the bank is tocontroll ing inflation,” said AlexanderKliment of the Eurasia Group researchfirm.

“If Putin appoints a weak or dovishhead, investors will lose faith entirely andit will take years to regain credibility,” headded. Kl iment predicted that Putinwould still appoint a “strong, hawkish

figure”, saying he believed Putin is“aware that destroying the bank’s tenuouscredibility with the market would be a dis-aster.” The choice of Ulyukayev would bethe most predictable and would reassuremarkets that Ignatyev’s policies and inde-pendence would be preserved.

Another pro-market choice would beliberal former Russian finance ministerAlexei Kudrin but he appears to have ruledhimself out of the running. A differentkind of choice would be figures like AndreiKostin, the chief executive of Russian statebank V TB and its retai l chief MikhailZadornov, who would be expected toadopt less hawkish policies at the helm ofthe central bank.

But the biggest bete noire for the mar-kets would be Glazyev, who has arguedthat Russia is in danger of an economictakeover by the West and would beexpected to let the economy heat up toreach the government’s growth targets.

Given Putin’s track record of causingsurprises, perhaps his “unexpected” can-didate is someone who is not being men-tioned in the pre-appointment specula-tion at all. “President Putin likes surprisesand he could, as in the past, surpriseeveryone by proposing a candidate thatno-one has thought of,” said Tsepliaeva ofBNP Paribas. — AFP

Anxiety as Putin picks new Russia CB chief

Sergei Ignatyev

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama’spledge to raise the minimum wage by 24percent has divided economists and busi-nesses who warn it could threaten recentimprovements in jobless numbers. Obamahas stated that his administration plans toincrease the existing minimum hourly ratefrom $7.25 to $9, vowing to press aheadwith the initiative despite the sequesterbudget crisis.

“There are other areas where we canstill make progress even with thesequester unresolved,” Obama said, refer-ring to $85 billion of drastic budget cutsthat went into effect on March 1.

“I’m gonna keep pushing to make surethat we raise the minimum wage so that itis one American families can live on.”Unlike other developed nations such asFrance, where the minimum wage isindexed to inflation and adjusted auto-matically each year, the rate in the UnitedStates often remains unchanged for yearsat a time.

The last increase, to the current level of$7.25 an hour, was introduced nearly fouryears ago in July 2009. “Taking action onthe minimum wage is long overdue,” USDeputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris toldAFP. The United States has one of the low-est minimum wages of major industrialnations.

According to figures from theInternational Labor Organization, the US isonly 38 percent of the median wage, com-pared with 46 percent in Britain and 60percent in France. For Democratic lawmak-ers, Obama’s proposals do not go farenough. Democrats in Congress havelaunched a bill hoping to raise the rate to$10.10. Democratic House Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi said the increase-stronglyopposed by Republicans-was necessary toprotect middle class Americans.

“We have a situation where if we are tohonor our commitment to the middleclass, which is the backbone of ourdemocracy, we have to reflect that in... ourpublic policy,” Pelosi said.

Proposals to increase the minimumwage are broadly popular, with 71 percentof people backing the move, according toa Gallup poll. Former Obama administra-tion adviser William Spriggs, the chiefeconomist of the American Federation ofLabor and Congress of IndustrialOrganizations (AFL-CIO), said the hike wasessential.

“The gap between the average wage ofthe American worker and the minimumwage is very high,” Spriggs said. He saidthe current minimum wage also exposed agender divide in the workforce, notingthat those on the minimum wage werepredominantly women. “We think it wouldalso help close the gender gap betweenmen and women in terms of salary,” hesaid. But other economists and businessgroups are sharply divided over the pro-posals.

The US Chamber of Commerce hasargued the burden of any increase will befelt most by small businesses. “The USChamber continues to believe thatincreases in the minimum wage fall dis-proportionately on small businesses whoare the least able to absorb such a dramat-ic increase in their labor costs,” it said.

“Accordingly, the US Chamber contin-ues to oppose increases in the minimumwage and believes that any increase mustbe coupled with provisions that recognizethe impact this will have on small busi-nesses.” Michael Saltsman, research direc-tor at the conservative EmploymentPolicies Institute, questioned whether awage increase could be effective.

“Will it do what President Obama wantsto do, which is help to reduce poverty?”Saltsman asked. “On that question, theminimum wage has been a disappoint-ment too,” he said, adding that poor peo-ple “need a job, not a wage increase.”

Any increase in the minimum wage islikely to be mitigated by the complexity ofthe American system. Many states alreadyhave their own minimum wage, with sev-eral already above the current level of$7.25, while certain employees, such asthose paid tips, work under a differentscale. But Ioana Marinescu, an economistat the University of Chicago Harris Schoolof Public Policy Studies was adamant thatan increased minimum wage will “boostconsumption” without adversely affectingbusinesses.

“Underpaid employees will often even-tually find a better paid job elsewhere,” shesaid. “By paying more, employees are morelikely to stay, which will mean businessesare saving money spent recruiting andtraining new employees.”

Obama’s minimum wage push has alsofound support from an unexpected quar-ter, with the budget retail giant Costcobacking the move. — AFP

Obama’s minimum wage plan splits analysts, business

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

LONDON: The prospect of an oil bonanzaaround the Falkland Islands is heightening ten-sions between Britain and Argentina, but com-mercial exploitation of reserves remains a dis-tant possibility, industry experts say. Diplomaticfriction between London and Buenos Aires hasintensified since 2010, when London firstauthorized oil prospecting in the waters aroundthe South Atlantic archipelago.

Islanders suspect Argentine President Cristina

Kirchner’s often-emotional pursuit of BuenosAires’ sovereignty claim over the Falklands isdesigned to distract domestic attention from thecountry’s mounting economic woes.

Amid the tension, residents of the islandswere voting in a referendum yesterday andtoday, aimed at sending an unambiguous mes-sage about their desire to remain a self-govern-ing British overseas territory. The discovery of oilaround the Falklands in 1998 transformed the

inhospitable archipelago into a valuable eco-nomic asset. But at that stage, world oil priceslanguished at just $10 per barrel.

The global oil market subsequently spiked toa record high above $147 per barrel in 2008amid tight supplies, demand growth and geopo-litical jitters. And in early 2010, with oil pricesremaining at elevated levels, five British compa-nies-including Desire Petroleum andRockhopper Exploration-began hunting for

WASHINGTON: Retrofits of F-35 fighterplanes to fix problems found in flighttesting will likely top $1.7 billion, a USgovernment watchdog said in the draftof a new report about the Pentagon’sJoint Strike Fighter program.

Extensive restructuring efforts andprogress on technical issues have putthe Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 programon a more solid footing, but the plane’slong-term affordability remains a bigconcern, the Government AccountabilityOffice said in the draft, a copy of whichwas obtained by Reuters.

It said the F-35 program, which hasbeen subject to massive delays and costoverruns and now has a price tag closeto $400 billion, met most of its manage-ment objectives in 2012. But it still facedbig costs because of earlier decisions tostart building planes before develop-ment and testing were further along. Afinal report is due out next week.

The F-35 is an advanced “fifth genera-tion” fighter meant to serve the US AirForce, Navy and Marines for decades tocome. But the program’s soaring costsand technical complications have nowput it in a critical position, where anynew setbacks or cuts in orders from theUS military and its allies would drive thecost-per-plane up still further.

The GAO draft report offers theagency’s most positive outlook yet forthe Pentagon’s most expensive weaponsprogram, which has seen a spate of neg-ative news in recent weeks, includingtwo engine-related groundings this year.

But it also underscores concernsabout the long-term future of the pro-gram given budget reductions in theUnited States and other countries thatplan to buy the radar-evading warplane.

“Overall, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighterprogram is now moving in the rightdirection after a long, expensive andarduous learning process,” GAO said.“Going forward, ensuring affordability -the ability to acquire aircraft in quantityand to sustain aircraft going over the lifecycle - is of paramount concern.”

No comment was immediately avail-able from the Pentagon’s F-35 programoffice or Lockheed.

The program faces substantial coststo retrofit planes to address problemsdiscovered in flight testing, GAO said.

Such “rework” would add $900 millionto the cost of the first four batches of jetsbuild by Lockheed, GAO said, plus about$827 million over the next six batchesfor a total of $1.7 billion.

Last June, GAO had forecast reworkcosts of $373 million for the first fourbatches of jets, but gave no estimate forthe remaining batches.

Lockheed agreed in its contract for afifth batch of jets to pay for 55 percent ofany cost overruns up to a certain ceiling,and all cost overruns beyond that.Retrofit costs are now shared equally bythe Pentagon and the contractor.

GAO said cost overruns on 63 planesbuilt by Lockheed in the first four pro-duction batches were now expected toreach $1.2 billion, of which the govern-ment will have to pay about $756 mil-lion. That marks an increase from GAO’slast estimate in June 2012, which fore-cast a cost overrun of $1.04 billion.

Lockheed is building 58 planes forthe US military under those first fourproduction contracts, plus five for inter-national partners who helped fund theplane’s development.

The report said cost overruns weredeclining as production costs were com-ing down, and Lockheed was deliveringjets faster. Lockheed signed a contractwith the Pentagon at the end ofDecember for a fifth batch of planes, andboth sides hope to reach a deal for thesixth and seventh batches this summer.

The GAO report reiterated theagency’s concerns about the long-termprocurement and sustainment cost ofthe F-35. It said current plans wouldrequire the Pentagon to spend $10.6 bil-lion each year through 2037 on the pro-gram, putting “an unprecedenteddemand on the defense procurementbudget.”

It said the cost of each plane wouldrise if the Pentagon cut its plans to buy2,443 F-35s or the eight foreign partners- Britain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway,Turkey, Denmark and the Netherlands -reduced their plans to buy 697 aircraft.

Industry executives and military offi-cials say US moves to defer orders for410 aircraft in recent years have alreadyjacked up the cost per plane, and costswill rise further unless Congress averts$500 bill ion in mandatory defensespending cuts slated to take effect overthe next decade. Those cuts began toroll in last week. GAO said thePentagon’s Cost Analysis and ProgramEvaluation office had calculated that theaverage cost of the plane, which hasalready nearly doubled to $137 millionfrom $69 million originally estimated,would rise by 6 percent if all 697 foreignorders vanished. — Reuters

Falklands oil bonanza still a pipedreamTensions between Britain, Argentina rise

hydrocarbons in Falklands exclusive eco-nomic zone waters. “There have only beentwo major discoveries of so far: one inRockhopper’s Sea Lion field, and anotherone by Borders & Southern, with gas con-densates, and it seems that the develop-ment at Sea Lion has gone ahead,” IHSGlobal Insight analyst Juliette Kerr told AFP.“They would not be able to build a pipelineto Argentina, which would be a naturalmarket.”

Kerr said this would inevitably make oilproduction more expensive as they “wouldhave to ship it” to Europe or other region.Rockhopper, which takes its name fromone of the species of penguin so emblem-atic of the islands, estimates there are 321million barrels accessible within the SeaLion field.

The London-listed firm expects toextract the first drops of refined petroleumby 2017 and to begin pumping 30,000 bar-

rels a day in 2019. With much of the regionstill largely unexplored and the forecastsvolatile, some experts estimate that morethan eight billion barrels may exist aroundthe Falklands, almost three times theamount currently in Britain’s sector of theNorth Sea.

However much the industry might beeventually be worth, the proceeds areunlikely to flow towards Argentina, some400 kilometres from the Falklands, withBuenos Aires claiming the drilling is an ille-gal exploitation of their continental shelf.

The five fledgling British oil explorationcompanies, shrugging off the legal warn-ings from Argentina, have meanwhilesought to forge alliances with larger, moremature operators.

“We are often looking at larger compa-nies to give independent validation ofsmaller companies’ positions, so their entrywas seen as very positive,” Laura Loppacher,markets analyst at US investment bank

Jefferies, told AFP. “It was always clear thatas the industry matured in the Falklands,the type of companies leading the chargewould need to mature as well, so seeingthese companies come in is certainly a stepin the right direction,” she added. In July,London-listed firm Premier Oil took a 60-percent stake in Rockhopper operationsnorth of the islands with a total investmentof $1.0 billion.

Also last year, British peer Falkland Oil &Gas handed leasing contracts to US firmNoble Group and Italian energy companyEdison, which is controlled by French ener-gy giant EDF.

Together, Noble and Edison havepledged to invest up to $320 million in theregion. Noble’s arrival may tempt otherinternational companies to follow suit.Analyst Kerr meanwhile added that, giventhe legal threats from Argentina, “tensionsare likely to remain high between the two

countries”, although this “would not haveany practical impact on the companies.”“We do not anticipate a return to the hostil-ities we saw in the 1980s, but they havetaken steps to make it more difficult forcompanies, like threatening of law suits,inspections of ships (docking in Argentina)— but the options are limited.”

Meanwhile, Sukey Cameron, who repre-sents the Falklands government in London,told AFP that the islands could not counton oil. The Falklands currently rely on theirfishing industry, a growing tourism sectorand traditional sheep farming.

“It’s looking good, but it’s certainly not acertainty. We always say we have to be asprepared for oil as for not having oil. Eitherwill present us with challenges,” she said.“We have got lots of other things we couldbe doing to make sure that we continue tokeep the islands developing and economi-cally self-sufficient for many generations tocome.” — AFP

Retrofits to add $1.7bn

to cost of F-35: Report

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

KUWAIT: The United States economy gainedtraction in the midst of a post-crisis environ-ment, leading the financial markets towardsrecovery, as better than expected economicindicators bloom markets with positive senti-ment, and pushing global indices on to thegreen side, with the Dow Jones reachingrecord highs. The economy in the US is in agrowing phase, in which it created greatmomentum towards recovery. Better economicfigures raised the question whether theFederal Reserve will alter its accommodativepolicy of quantitative easing. Moreover, senti-ment on the Euro remained supported, afterECB President Draghi said monetary policywould remain firmly accommodative andadded that confidence was returning to finan-cial markets. In addition, the Bank of Englandhave refrained from any further easing, whilekeeping the interest rate unchanged.

The euro started the week at 1.3022, as pos-itive sentiments overwhelmed the financialmarkets. The single currency rose to 1.3075 lev-els, after a report showed that manufacturingand services in the euro-zone contracted lessthan economists forecast last month. The Eurothen plummeted to 1.2965 after a reportshowed that euro area exports fell in the fourthquarter for the first time in 3-years. The Eurosurged following the ECB’s decision to keepinterest rates unchanged. The single currencycontinued to rise to touch a high of 1.3134, asPresident Mario Draghi held to his view thatthe euro-zone will gradually recover later thisyear and then closed the week at 1.3010. TheSterling Pound endured a volatile week. Cableopened the week at 1.5038, only to rise to1.5199, ahead of the UK’s services report,which proved to be better than expected. TheSterling Pound plunged against the US Dollar,ahead of the Bank of England 2-day meeting toa low of 1.4967 as more easing measures werepriced in the market. The currency thenclimbed to 1.5083, after the BoE refrained fromboosting its asset purchase target. The Pound

closed the week at 1.4920. The Japanese Yenopened the week at 93.59, weakening againstthe US Dollar throughout the week. The JPYcontinued to weaken ahead of the US payrollreport, as expectation of an improving labormarket will convince the Federal Reserve toend its program of asset purchases. TheJapanese Yen touched a high of 96.55, as thegreenback strengthens to its highest levelsince August. The Swiss Franc weakenedagainst the greenback after a better thanexpected jobs report from the US. The CHFopened the week at 0.9429, weakening to ahigh of 0.9489 on Thursday, in tandem with theeuro, against a stronger US dollar. The Swissfranc closed the week at 0.9528.

Manufacturing industry in the United Statesexpanded in February, at the fastest pace in ayear, an indication that financiers, shieldedwith market optimism, are dwarfing concernsand disagreements over the nation’s budgetdeficit in Washington. The US service industry,which equates to almost 90% of the county’seconomy, is being supported by a sustainedlevel of consumer spending. The Institute forSupply Management’s factory index increasedto 56.0, ahead of January’s figure of 55.2. As thenumber above 50 signals expansion, the indexsurpassed an expected slip to 55.0. A continu-ous hike in the manufacturing industries willmake-up for three straight months of contrac-tion, and will create more jobs.

Jobless claims dropFewer Americans filed for first-time claims

for unemployment last week, indicating thatdemand is still resilient enough to maintaincurrent employment levels. Unemploymentbenefits unexpectedly dropped last week to asix week low. The number of Americans filingapplications for unemployment benefits fell by7,000 to 340,000, lower than the expected354,000. Advancing stock prices and housingrecovery are fueling a wave of good sentimentin US households, making it easier for

Americans to endure higher payroll taxes andlook beyond the nation’s debt disagreementsin Washington.

Change in non-farm payrolls came muchbetter than expected. The US economy payrollsincreased by 246,000, against a forecasted165,000, and better by 79,000 from the previ-ous figure.

ECB rate unchangedTo no one’s surprise, the European Central

Bank have kept the key benchmark interestrate unchanged at 0.75%. The Euro regainedground across major currencies after the deci-sion outcome of no immediate need for furthereasing. “We always think and study and reflect,but we are not committing to or planning any-thing special,” said Mario Draghi. “Yes, we havediscussed the possibility. We wouldn’t pre-commit to anything as specific as a rate cut inthe future”, the ECB President said over the pos-sibility of an interest rate cut. Moreover, Draghi

has stated that inflation has declined below 2%in February as expected, and that inflationarypressures should remain contained over thecoming months, while “the underlying pace ofmonetary expansion continues to be subdued”,indicating that the ECB will continue with itsaccommodative monetary policy stance. ECBPresident reiterated that the “medium term

risks for inflation remained balanced and thatthe positive impact from improving financialconditions on economic fundamentals mayneed time to materialize”. After dismissingcomments over the existence of a “currencywar”, Draghi said on the matter “that theexchange rate is not a policy target for the ECB.The nominal and real exchange rates are by,and large continue to be near their long termaverages. The exchange rate is very importantfor growth and price stability. The central bankwill stick with the G20 consensus”. The ECBPresident added that the central bank “will

continue to look at the exchange rate as part ofthe overall assessment of the current situation”.After some turbulence in the markets followingthe Italian elections, Draghi stated that Italy“should continue on the structural reformpath”.

German production fallsGerman industrial production unexpectedly

stagnated in January, as spending and invest-ments by German companies was hamperedby the European debt crisis. Industrial produc-tion fell to 0.0%, below the expected 0.4%, andthe previous months’ 0.6%.

The Bank of England policymakers left thekey benchmark interest rate unchanged at0.5%. The Monetary Policy Committee, led byGovernor Mervyn King, said the target for itsbond purchases will remain at GBP 375 billion.Several economists have stated that anincrease in the policy program is possiblydelayed rather than totally abandoned, andthat an expansion is foreseen in the next twoto three months. Policy makers outvotedGovernor Mervyn King for a second time, afterFebruary’s meeting where he suggested toincrease the Asset Purchase Program by GBP25 billion, to GBP 400 billion, as they are keenon monitoring the impact of their Funding forLending Scheme, which started in August,before approving anymore stimulus.

Commodities Gold erased earlier losses after central

banks in Europe and Asia left monetary policyunchanged, dimming some prospects for fur-ther stimulus measures. The precious metaltraded between a low 1,567.48 and a high of1,586.50 during the week. Gold ended theweek at 1,577.95.

KuwaitKuwaiti dinar at 0.28450

The USDKWD opened at 0.28450 yesterdaymorning.

Improvements in US economy boost marketsNBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKETS REPORT

LONDON: Compensation at the world’s biggestbanks rose last year, with 35 of them spending acombined 10 billion euros ($13.1 billion) moreon staff than in 2011, figures compiled byReuters show. Bankers’ remuneration has rarelybeen out of the spotlight over the last five years,as the industry’s powerhouses were rescuedfrom the brink during the financial crisis withhundreds of billions of taxpayers’ dollars.

Policymakers have since fought to curb thebonuses they say encouraged excessive - andsometimes catastrophic - risk-taking. Cappingabsolute pay levels is off-limits for regulators,but banks have talked a lot about cutting staffcosts. Reuters analyzed the 2012 results report-ed by banks in the benchmark EuroStoxx 600index and their US competitors and found staffcosts rose to 275 billion euros across the group.

Two thirds of the banks analyzed increasedcompensation per person, though several attrib-uted this at least in part to redundancy issues.The compensation ratio - the industry’s pre-ferred yardstick, which measures staff expensesagainst revenue - was up for 18 of the 35 banks.

Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian MEP who hasalso been outspoken on bank pay and support-ed a cap on bank bonuses recently agreed bymembers of the European Parliament, says thefigures prove that, left to their own devices,banks do not reduce pay. “To me it confirms thatwhat we are doing on the remuneration front isnecessary,” said Lamberts, referring to efforts torestrict remuneration through bonus rules andother provisions in a European Union package ofbank regulations.

A recent survey from recruitment agencyMorgan McKinley showed that bank staff whochanged jobs in London in January enjoyedaverage pay rises of 23 percent. But banks baulkat the suggestion they are paying staff more,saying things are more complex than the figuressuggest. US retail banking giant Wells Fargo,however, was comfortable with the fact that per-person compensation went up about 2 percentlast year and stands at the equivalent of 83,000euros, placing the bank at the middle of thecompensation table. “We support our teammembers as a competitive advantage and arecommitted to compensating them based onperformance,” a spokeswoman said. The bank

recorded pretax earnings of 28.5 billion euros in2012, up from 23.7 billion euros in 2011.

Among other banks, it was not uncommonfor per-person compensation to outstrip the risein pretax profits. In eight of those where per-per-son compensation rose, pretax profit fell.

In another three cases, per-capita compensa-tion went up, even though the banks actuallyrecorded losses.

Job cuts Banks say the figures can be deceptive. They

have been cutting jobs, with 93,000 shed acrossthe group in 2012, falling heaviest on some ofthe loss makers. The lay-offs incur redundancycosts that are grouped in with overall staff com-pensation, which also includes pensions andpayroll taxes. The per-head figures used arebased on year-end headcount, since severalbanks have not released average headcount fig-ures and declined to provide them to Reuters.

That means that if a significant number ofstaff left in the year, the per-person staff costsare overstated. Since year-end headcount is alsoused to calculate per-person costs for 2011,however, when banks also mostly laid off staff,the broad figures provide a consistent basis forcomparison.

Where average headcount figures are avail-able, these can show material differences. Bankof Ireland, still 15 percent state-owned, does dis-close them, showing the bank’s per-person com-pensation rose just under 4 percent. Year-endfigures overstate it at 9.5 percent. Even so, it wasa year when the bank’s losses rose more thantenfold to 2.1 billion euros.

The highest per-head rise using year-end fig-ures is Danske Bank, where Reuters figures showan 11 percent rise. “The figures do not reflectactual developments in pay for Danske Bankemployees,” said Bent Jespersen, senior vicepresident at the Danish bank.

Jespersen said a union deal to increase wages1 percent, plus “minor individual adjustments”,pushed pay up. Staff departures also hit head-count, the bank said, a factor also cited bySwitzerland’s Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, whichhad the fourth highest increase in compensationper capita. At Deutsche Bank, where per-headcosts rose 5.9 percent, a spokeswoman said the

figures included an element of deferred bonusesgranted in 2009. Deutsche Bank also booked sig-nificant severance payments over the year, shesaid. Investment banking giant Goldman Sachs,which saw an 8.8 percent rise, had the third-highest increase in per-head payroll costs.Goldman, which declined comment, also topsthe table for highest average pay, at the equiva-lent of 310,000 euros, based on averageeuro/dollar exchange rates for 2012. A source atanother investment bank included in the analy-sis pointed out that their average staff costswere not comparable with banks that had largeretail operations, where staff costs are lower. Itsaid compensation ratios were more revealing.

For Goldman, pretax profit growth of 82 per-cent easily beat the rise in average compensa-tion, and its compensation ratio actually fell to38 percent in 2012 from 42 percent in 2011.

But across all the banks analyzed, the com-pensation ratio came in at just under 36 percent,up from 34 percent in 2011.

Sony Kapoor, managing director of think-tankRe-Define, which advises lawmakers on issuesincluding banks, said European policymakershad examined restricting compensation ratios.

“It was very hard to apply at an aggregatelevel,” he said, pointing out that it was difficult toset a level that would capture the diverse opera-tions of different kinds of banks.

Though some will admit to enjoying the fruitsof an improved remuneration climate, the feel-ing that they are being hard done by is hangingover the bank towers of London’s Canary Wharf.

On New York’s Wall Street it is a similar story.A senior executive at one of the biggest US

banks said traders and bankers have been com-paring their pay packages to 2009, a banner yearfor Wall Street profits and bonuses.

Even those who performed well and got big-ger bonuses last year feel they are not beingcompensated adequately, he said. Policymakerssay bankers are being paid too much based onthe levels shown in the Reuters data, whereaverage compensation costs per head were87,400 euros across 3.25 million staff.Shareholders are pushing for more of banks’returns to be channelled to them, and less tostaff. MEP Lamberts said governments that havebailed out banks should force pay cuts. —

KUWAIT: Alghanim Travel (ATA) receivedthe Certificate of Excellence Award fromthe British Business Forum (BBF) at anawards ceremony held at Holiday Inn,Salmiya.

Lord Mayor of London, Roger Gifford,and Frank Baker, British Ambassador ofKuwait, presented Zaid Al-Khubazi, GM -Alghanim Travel, with the Certificate ofExcellence Award from the British BusinessForum (BBF). The award was presented toATA for their long-standing relationshipwith British clients and businesses. ATA hasbeen representing British Airways in Kuwaitsince 1948, one of the longest partnershipsseen in the travel business. In addition, ATAhas serviced British corporate clients andmembers of the British community.

BBF is a non-profit organization in

Kuwait that encourages the developmentof British business links by delivering pre-mier events and services through a profes-sional community of individual companies.The British Excellence Awards ceremony isan annual event held to recognize and hon-or business professionals in the private andpublic sector who help support Britishbusinesses in Kuwait.

The Certificate of Excellence Award isyet another recognition for the ATA team in2012 as they were also awarded the BAExcellence in Partnership and one of theBest 25 Travel and Tours Agents Award inGGC and Middle East. Alghanim Travel isproud to have received these prestigiousawards and would like to thank all ATAemployees for their continuous efforts andhard work.

SHARJAH: Air Arabia, the first andlargest low-cost carrier in the Middle Eastand North Africa, yesterday announcedthat it has taken delivery of its secondSharklet equipped Airbus A320 aircraft in2013. This new delivery also coincideswith the 26th anniversary of the AirbusA320 aircraft.

Last month, Air Arabia took delivery ofA320 equipped with Sharklet wing tipdevices, becoming the first carrier in theMiddle East to do so. Sharklets are anoption on new-build Airbus A320 familyaircraft, which are equipped with fuel-saving large wing tip devices.

Air Arabia has now received 16 of the44 A320 aircraft it has ordered fromAirbus in 2007. Once completed in 2016,the order will more than double the sizeof Air Arabia’s existing fleet. The low-costpioneer expects four more aircraft to bedelivered in 2013.

The carrier took delivery of its latest

A320 at the Airbus facility in Tolouse, andthe new aircraft has gone straight intoservice across Air Arabia’s global networkof 84 destinations, which it serves fromthree hubs in UAE, Morocco and Egypt.

“Barely a month after receiving theregion’s first sharklet equipped aircraft,we are pleased to take delivery of thesecond aircraft as per the fleet planschedule,” said, Adel Ali, Group ChiefExecutive Officer, Air Arabia. “The deliv-ery of the new aircraft marks yet anotherstep in Air Arabia’s fleet expansion strate-gy, while creating the industry’s mostmodern fleet. We look forward to thedelivery of four more aircraft this year aswe continue to expand our footprint inthe wider Arab world and beyond.”

Air Arabia aircraft cabin interiors areconfigured to provide high comfort topassengers, featuring the highest seatpitch of any economy cabin across theglobe.

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwaitheld the Al-Najma Account Daily drawyesterday. The draw was held under thesupervision of the Ministry of Commerce& Industry represented by AbdulazizAshkanani.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait

announces the biggest daily draw inKuwait with the launch of the newNajma account. Customers of the bankcan now enjoy a KD7,000 daily prizewhich is the highest in the country andanother 4 mega prizes during the yearworth KD 100,000 each on differentoccasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr,Eid Al-Adha and on the 19th of June

which is the date of the bank’s establish-ment. With a minimum balance of KD500, customers will be eligible for thedaily draw provided that the money is inthe account one week prior to the dailydraw or 2 months prior to the megadraw.

In addition, for each KD 25 a customercan get one chance for winning insteadof KD 50. Commercial Bank of Kuwaittakes this opportunity to congratulate alllucky winners and also extends apprecia-tion to the Ministry of Commerce andIndustry for their effective supervision ofthe draws which were conducted in anorderly and organized manner.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) announced thewinner for February’s KD 125,000 Al-Jawhara monthlyprize, Rajaa Abdulrahim Ibrahim Maaroof. The draw washeld under the supervision of the Ministry of Trade andIndustry. NBK re-launched Al-Jawhara account offeringcustomers more chances to win bigger prizes; KD 5,000weekly, KD 125,000 monthly and a grand prize of KD250,000 quarterly draw.

Rajaa Abdulrahim Ibrahim Maaroof, the winner ofFebruary’s KD 125,000 draw expressed her happiness inwinning Al Jawhara monthly prize. “Winning KD 125,000came as a complete surprise. I truly thank NBK for its greatservices and offers and for always being number one in themarket,” she said. Al-Jawhara account offers numerous ben-efits to NBK customers. Not only is it an interest-freeaccount with regular deposit and withdrawal privileges,but also entitles account holders to enter the weekly,monthly and quarterly Al-Jawhara draws. Each KD 50 in anAl-Jawhara account entitles the customer to one chance inany of the draws. All prizes are automatically credited tothe winners’ accounts the day after the draw. The moremoney held in your Al-Jawhara account, the greater yourchances of winning. Al-Jawhara accounts are available toboth Kuwaitis and Expats and can be opened at any one ofNBK’s branches around Kuwait.

Al-Tijari announces winners

of Najma Account draw

The winners of the Najma daily draw are:-Al-Sayed Ismael Mohammed Jamal KD 7000, Nourah Saoud Matar Al-Mutiri KD 7000, Mejbel Mejbas Faleh KD 7000, Sheikha Nashmia Faisal Nawaf Al Sabah KD 7000, Emaad Shawqy Bekheit Obaid KD 7000.

Rajaa Maaroof wins

KD 125,000 in NBK

Al-Jawhara draw

Alghanim Travel receives

excellence award from BBF

Air Arabia takes delivery

of second aircraft in 2013

Airline to receive 4 more Sharklet equipped A320s

Bank compensation up

in 2012 despite cutbacksEU policymakers powerless to regulate total pay

B U S I N E S SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

DUBAI: With a staggering 50,000 examples sold, theLEAF is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle - butNissan isn’t a company to rest on its laurels and thenew LEAF has benefited from a raft of changesincluding an improved range of 199km and cut-in-half charging time* that will only boost its popularity.

Making its debut at Geneva the new LEAF will beproduced at Nissan’s Sunderland factory in the UK.Built in Europe and re-engineered for Europeanbuyers, it has received more than 100 updates,many as a result of direct feedback from loyal cus-tomers. It all adds up to a car that will spread the

electric word even wider. New LEAF’s real-world driving range has been

improved by the only visual change to the car: asubtly revised front grille helps reduce the aerody-namic drag coefficient Cd figure from an alreadyimpressive 0.29 to 0.28. The new LEAF’s drivingrange is certified at 199km under the NewEuropean Driving Cycle (NEDC), which is an increasefrom 175km in the previous model.

By moving the charger from the rear of the LEAFto under the bonnet, it has been possible toincrease the luggage area by as much as 40 litres...

o rt o

put that another way, about the size of a typical air-plane ‘carry-on’ suitcase. Overall boot capacity hasincreased to a massive 370 litres.

Another area where Nissan has made everydaylife even easier is in the charging port area at thefront of the car. Thanks to the introduction of a newLED inspection light, drivers no longer have to relyon street lighting to connect their cars to an elec-tric source at night. The charging port has beenreworked to improve usability and security and itsrelease mechanism now uses an electric switch.Additionally, the charge cable now features an

electro-mechanical locking mechanism thatremoves the requirement to lock the cable to thecar manually.

Other detail enhancements include a new i-Keythat also controls the charging port cover and cablelock. These significant updates are incorporated aspart of a major range expansion that sees LEAFadopt the familiar Nissan three-tier trim line-up ofVisia, Acenta and Tekna to broaden its appeal stillfurther. The Visia version offers a lower price entrypoint while Tekna models feature even more stan-dard equipment than the original model.

The new Nissan Leaf arrives in Geneva Note and LEAF taking centre-stage at Motor Show

KUWAIT: Commercial Facilities Company (CFC)carries on expanding its communication chan-nels with its clients by putting up a booth atThe Avenues. Present during the entire month,the booth is set up tomeet clients’ needs andenjoy its diverse facili-ties, given its outstand-ing convenience andunparallel speed.

Mohammed BaderAl- Qattan, ManagerSer vice Development,said, “For the fifth yearin a row the companyallocates a booth in TheAvenues to promote theservices of CFC for themall’s visitors.’

He added, “The boothhas always been wellreceived by clients inter-ested to deal with CFC and enjoy its diversefacilities. We strive to bring innovative deals forall our customers and are committed to servethem with the highest standards. Hence, weencourage our customers to visit our booth toknow more about our services. Moreover, byvisiting the booth, clients can know moreabout the offered loans, required documents,installment methods and their balance, in addi-

tion to the credit policy by CFC.”The CFC booth at The Avenues is open daily

during the mall’s working hours, from 10:30 amto 10:30 pm, allowing a number of visitors anopportunity to avail of all the services availablewhich best suits them. CFC staff are always pro-viding the best services and facilities to com-

plete transactions submitted in a period not toexceed 24 hours. CFC, the first leading financecompany with strong presence in the marketfor the past 34 years, has gained a strongerposition thanks to its uniqueness in best serv-ing its clients, quick processing of transactionsand remarkable convenience.

Commercial Facilities Co present at The Avenues

Mohammed Al-Qattan,Manager of ServicesDevelopment

Terrace Mix Project

KUWAIT: Top Real Estate Groupannounced the offering of latest realestate projects in Istanbul City, which areexecuted and developed by “InanlarConstruction Co”, established in 1965,adopting the principle of “Design forHumans” as its key philosophy through-out its 48 year journey, which enabledthe company to be one of leading anddistinguished firms in construction indus-try in Turkey.

Waleed Al-Qadoumi, Group’sManaging Director, said that the Group isproud of its well-established relationshipwith Inanlar, which we exclusively repre-sent in Kuwait and Qatar. Al-Qadoumiadded that the Group, during the last

year, offered a number of projects execut-ed by Inanlar in Istanbul City, which real-ized significantly positive results. Suchprojects attracted a good group of buy-ers and investors. Al-Qadoumi indicatedthat Terrace Tema was the most attractiveproject due to its excellent location andpromising future that the area has.

Al-Qadoumi added that the Groupnow offers the latest project of theCompany in Istanbul, “Terrace Mix” proj-ect, which is a key project implementedby Inanlar Company in a strategically dis-tinguished location in Istanbul City. Theproject is located in a dynamic area withmany commercial and residential com-plexes and universities in addition to alarge number of businesses. Al-Qadoumiconfirmed that Terrace Mix is a real

opportunity for successful investment.Regarding the Project, Al-Qadoumi

said that it consists of 5 multistory build-ings up to 15 floors, out of which thereare 3 residential buildings and 2 officeresidential buildings. Apartments in suchbuildings vary from studio, 1, 2 and 3bedrooms with high quality finishing. Heindicated that the Project provides inte-grated services including parks, play-grounds, health spa, car parking, mainte-nance and security services round theclock. With respect to the residential unitprices, Al-Qadoumi stated that theirprices are suitable for different categoriesstarting from KD18,000 with paymentfacilities up to 30 months.

Al-Qadoumi indicated that the Projectis located about 18 km from AtaturkAirport and about 31 km from Taksimarea and Istqlal Street. In addition, theProject is adjacent to main road networkin the City and also accessible throughthe metro bus, which is the easiest trans-port means in the City, which is neveraffected by crowd. Al-Qadoumi addedthat the project is under constructionand delivery will be in October 2014explaining that upon completion of theproject and handover of the residentialunits to the owners, the Developer willlease such units from their owners fortwo years in consideration for annualrental net return of 7% of the unit value.

On the other hand, Al-Qadoumi statedthat the Group and Inanlar Company arecurrently considering the incorporationof a company specialized in propertymanagement in Turkey to undertake, inthe future, the management of proper-ties owned by buyers and investors fromthe region, who are interested in thesame. This step aims at facilitating thenew owners’ affairs, following up andmaintaining their properties and ensur-ing that they realize distinct returns inthe future.

Al-Qadoumi confirmed that the realestate sector in Istanbul is one of thepromising investments that yield highreturns and realize great benefits forinvestors. Al-Qadoumi encouraged thepeople interested in investment to seizethe opportunity at the present time toinvest in Istanbul, specifically in real estatesector as it is the most feasible and safestsector at all times.

Top Real Estate offersprojects in Istanbul

Waleed Al-Qaddoumi

KUWAIT: Warba Bank, the most recently openedIslamic bank in Kuwait, yesterday announcednew competitive rates for personal finance prod-ucts, having fully considered the market and therates offered by competitive banks.

Warba Bank has reduced the rates of con-sumer and housing personal finance products tocope with market trends and compete with localbanks.

Waleed Al-Mosallam, Head of PersonalFinance - Warba Bank, said: “We at Warba bankare keen to provide our customers with anadded value by means of offering additionalservices that cater for their needs. Customerslooking for consumer and housing finance cantake the advantage of our new competitiverates.”

“Warba finance products can be availed easilyand promptly in the event where the required

documents are complete. Customers can alsoenjoy the flexible repayment period. Offeringsuch competitive rates emphasizes the bankmanagement’s strategy to provide the financeproducts that cater for the needs of the all cus-tomer at competitive rates,” added Al- Mosallam.

Warba Bank reoffers personal finance prod-ucts at competitive rates to satisfy the needs ofall customers and pay them more attention. Thisalso highlights the bank’s supporting role of thesale process throughout the market, which ingeneral serves economy and individuals by pro-viding the required finance at smooth condi-tions and procedures.

Customers of 21 years old and above are eli-gible for Warba Bank’s personal finance productswhich cover the necessary and luxury aspects oflife at competitive rates, while promoting thequality of customer service.

Warba Bank offers personal finance at competitive rates

Waleed Al-Mosallam

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced the namesof the five winners of its Yawmi account draw,each taking home a prize of KD 5,000.

The lucky winners for the daily draws tookhome a cash-prize of KD 5000 each, and theyare:

1. Mohammed Hameed Al-dein Moha-mmed Qeyas Aldein

2. Mohammed Bader Abdulla Al-farhan 3. Hanan Mohammed Swayed Alajmi4. Hoor Salem Haji Alfarhan 5. Ahmad Hamed Abdullah AlnouriWith its new and enhanced features, the

Yawmi Account has become more convenient,

easier, and faster for customers to benefitfrom. Now, customers will be eligible to enterthe draw after 48 hours only from openingthe account. Customers are also required todeposit KD 100 or equivalent only to enter thedaily draw, and the coupon value to enter thedraw stands at KD 10.

The newly designed Yawmi account hasbeen launched to provide a highly innovativeoffering along with a higher frequency andincentive of winning for everyone. Today, theYawmi account is a well understood product,where its popularity can be seen from thenumber of increasing account holders.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone to opena Yawmi account and/or increase their depositto maximize their chances to becoming a dai-ly winner. The more customers deposit, thehigher the chances they receive of winningthe draw.

Opening a Yawmi account is simple, cus-tomers are urged to visit their nearest BurganBank branch and receive all the details, or sim-ply call the bank’s Call Center at 1804080where customer service representatives willbe delighted to assist with any questions onthe Yawmi account or any of the bank’s prod-ucts and services.

Burgan Bank announces names of winners of Yawmi Account

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s leading e-commerce portalwww.xcite.com welcomes the spring season witha promotion on a large variety of electronics andhome furnishing products that are exclusivelychosen based on customers’ favorite products,X-cite’s bestsellers and the latest in the world ofelectronics.

The promotion includes discounts on prod-ucts such as computers, tablets, mobiles, air con-

ditioning, televisions, home appliances, cameras,home furniture and much more. The SpringFestival Promotion starts today (March 11) andends on March 17, 2013 giving a chance to every-one in Kuwait to visit the website, find their per-fect deal and purchase it.

The online portal has recently beenredesigned to cater to the growing customerbase and the increase in interest in online shop-

ping in Kuwait. Xcite.com offers customers dailybargain deals and exclusive prices that are onlyfound on the website. A full-fledged bilingualonline store makes it easier for both English andArabic speakers to search the website and readthe editorial reviews that are especially providedto guide customers to find the product that bestmatches their needs.

X-cite is the largest consumer electronics

retailer in Kuwait and the Middle East.Headquartered in Kuwait, the award winningretailer delivers a modern, dynamic and conven-ient shopping experience with the primaryobjective of delighting its customers. With touchand feel displays, cash and carry shopping, ahighly trained multilingual sales staff and the lat-est gadgets and gizmos, shopping at X-cite is anunforgettable experience.

Xcite.com launches Spring Fest promoDiscounts on electronics and home furnishing

t e c h n o l o g yMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

ZAGREB: A Croatian car buff has briefly setaside his day job of building demining andfirefighting robots to satisfy his childhooddream of making a high-end electric autohe hopes will be a global hit with eco-con-scious customers. The first model, a pinkishviolet three-seater with gullwing doors,proudly dominates the workshop of Dok-Ing, a company run by Vjekoslav Majetic inone of Zagreb’s industrial suburbs. Morethan two decades of experience producingrobotic systems for use in extreme condi-tions have provided the know-how thatpropelled Majetic’s company into a sophis-ticated but risky car-making adventure.

“We had the knowledge, technologyand desire to make such a car, on top of

our other products,” Majetic told AFP. The57-year old transport engineer begandeveloping his idea five years ago and pre-sented the first “Loox” prototype at theGeneva Auto Show in 2010. Apart frombatteries and windows, most parts for the2.9-meter (nine-foot) long vehicle aremade in Croatia, which currently has no carindustry at all.

Dok-Ing engineers were tasked withdesigning a luxury city car defined by “finecurves, elegant wheels and a stunninginterior,” Majetic said. “It is a status symbol,an expensive small city car that is easy topark, with high performance and all possi-ble electronic comforts,” he added. Highquality components such as a reinforced-

aluminium chassis and carbon-kevlarbody, as well as cutting-edge technologiesused in Loox’s production might well givea buyer sticker shock however.

At 50,000 euros ($68,000), the car isconsiderably more expensive than similarvehicles. Majetic knows the Loox is “notprofitable,” contrary to his other products,like the MV-4, a portable, highly manuev-erable mine clearance system. “Loox’sfuture will depend on the market: if it isinteresting for European or global market,we will start a mass production,” he con-cluded.

“If not, it will become a tailor-madevehicle in line with client’s wishes.” Expertssay the price is too high for Croatian driv-

ers whose average monthly salary is 730euros. “It is hard to imagine that someonewould pay such a price for a no-name car,”auto journalist Marin Galic said. Althoughit is primarily an urban vehicle, Looxboasts the performance of a sports car.

With synchronized 45 kW electricmotors front and rear, it can reach 100kilometres per hour (63 mph) in just 7.5seconds. A 32 kWh battery provides rangeof up to 250 kilometres (155 miles) at anaverage speed of 40 kilometres per hour(25 mph), and charging the Loox takesthree to eight hours from an ordinarypower socket.

The company is planning to producefive vehicles by the end of this year, to be

driven by its employees. Majetic said hiscompany could build up to 100 cars a yearwhile maintaining its core business, butGalic believes the best way forward wouldbe to hook up with a powerful, strategicpartner. Croatia, which is set to join theEuropean Union in July, has only a fewhundred electric and hybrid vehicles of atotal 1.4 million cars, a small market thatVolkswagen leads with a share of 14 per-cent. One potential customer said thatLoox’s chances for success would dependon how electric cars fare in general. “Dok-Ing should turn towards the local businesssector as well as the foreign market,”advised Nenad Tonkovic, a 45-year-oldlawyer from Zagreb. —AFP

Croatian eyes high-end with electric city car

Electric cars back into shadows at Geneva showHybrid Air technology uses petrol and compressed air

GENEVA: After being the starringact for several years, the electric carbacked into the shadows at thisyear’s International Geneva MotorShow as carmakers grow weary ofwaiting for sales to take off. Electricvehicles were not completelyabsent from the showrooms as the83rd edition of the Geneva showkicked off, but no new models wereunveiled and car company execu-tives on site for the media daystomorrow and Wednesday barelymentioned them. “Public confi-dence (in electric) has really fallensince its peak at the Paris show in2010, when we only talked electric,”BIPE analyst Clement Dupont-Roctold AFP.

Back then, French carmakerRenault, which leads the electricmarket, opened the order books forits first electric models and chiefexecutive Carlos Ghosn said heexpected the cars to represent 10percent of the market by 2020.Renault ’s compatriot PSA alsoplunged into the space, as didJapan’s Nissan with its Leaf. But asthings stand today, sales have fall-en far short of expectations.

In France, which claims to be theleading market in Europe for elec-tric, less than 6,000 new such vehi-cles were registered last year. Thelow volumes are part of the expla-nation for the weak offering on dis-play in Geneva, but there are otherissues as well. “There are three taskswe have to overcome when itcomes to electric vehicles. One ispricing, second is the milage theycan cover and the third is infra-structure,” Osamu Masuko, the pres-ident of Japanese Mitsubishi, toldAFP at the show.

Mitsubishi has been providingPSA with electric cars, but lastAugust the French carmaker haltedthe influx since it was unable tounload the ones it already had. “Wehad weak forecasts for electric, andnow, we’re selling even less thanthose weak forecasts,” acknowl-

edged Maxime Picat, in charge ofPSA’s Peugeot brand. Nissan hasalso been unable to meet its objec-tive of selling 9,000 Leafs in Europe.As a result, it was showing a newversion in Geneva offering betterrange and especially a lower price,according to industry media.

Chevrolet, which already has theVolt electric car and is preparing tolaunch a new, smaller one calledSpark, is also not betting on aEuropean boom in the segmentany time soon. “I don’t see (electric)growing in a down market,” SusanDocherty, who heads the compa-ny’s European operations, said atthe Geneva show. Analyst Dupont-Roc agreed that growth in the seg-ment will likely be a few years off.

“A turn-around could come in2016, 2017, when the electric vehi-cles that are today mainly boughtfor fleets arrive on the second-handmarket,” he said. In the meantime,carmakers are biding their time,offering environment-consciouscustomers low-emission-small-

engine cars, and are highlightingother greenish technologies likehybrids. The leader in the sector,Japanese Toyota, for instanceunveiled a new electric/gasolinehybrid at the Geneva show.

And PSA was pushing its HybridAir technology, which uses petroland compressed air. “We want toshow that electric hybrids are notthe only possible solution,”explained Karim Mokaddem, who is

working on the project and promis-es coming cars will use just threelitres of gasoline to drive 100 kilo-metres. German Volkswagen mean-while unveiled its lightweight plug-in hybrid XL1 at the show, which itsays consumes less than one litre ofpetrol per 100 kilometres and

weighs less than 800 kilos. ButVolkswagen is only planning onmaking 250 units, and is unlikely toimmediately take the market bystorm. Nissan, German Daimler andUS carmaker Ford are meanwhileaiming to hit the accelerator intheir development of affordablefuel-cell vehicles-a technology thatis taking a while to get rolling butthat they hope to get on the roadsby 2017. —AFP

GENEVA: The booth of German car maker Volkswagen is seen at the Geneva International MotorShow. —AFP

KANSAS: Jennifer Hudson, the head athletic trainer for the Wichita schooldistrict, uses the “Sway Balance” app at Wichita East High School in Wichita,Kansas. —MCT

app can assist with concussion detection

WICHITA: An entrepreneur with close ties toWichita State University has developed aniPhone application that researchers say couldrevolutionize how a key symptom of concus-sions can be quickly and accurately detectedwithin minutes. The “Sway Balance” app, devel-oped by WSU alumnus Chase Curtiss of Tulsa hasbeen approved by the Food and DrugAdministration. It was tested for two years inWichita, both at WSU and among hundreds ofathletes at Wichita East and Andover Centralhigh schools, and in schools in Oklahoma andCalifornia. “It’s a very cool tool,” said JenniferHudson, the head athletic trainer for the Wichitaschool district who helped test the app for twoyears with East High athletes.

What Curtiss did, said Jeremy Patterson, theWSU scientist who studied and tested it, wasdevelop a cheap, fast, accurate tool that trainersand other health care specialists have never hadbefore. It gathers measurable evidence inmoments, showing that a person has probablysuffered a concussion. “A lot of the initial assess-ments by trainers on the sidelines have had to bemuch more subjective, much of them based onhow the athlete is feeling,” said Hudson, who alsoteaches in the athletic training program at WSU.“A concussion until now has not necessarily beenan injury that you can ‘see,’ like a fat (swollen)sprained ankle.

“But this app shows real numbers and givesyou a better assessment.” It doesn’t “prove” a per-son has a concussion, she said, because someconcussions don’t affect the area of the brainthat controls balance. But it gives a better assess-ment than she’s seen before. How the app worksis simple, said Curtiss, who earned a master’sdegree in exercise science at WSU in 2008 whileworking under Patterson. “We’re not diagnosingconcussions,” Curtiss said. “We’re screening bal-ance as a key symptom of a possible head injury.”

The app works like this:Trainers like Hudson ask an athlete to hold

the iPhone or iPad on his or her own chest. Thenshe tells them to close their eyes. She puts themthrough three tests that take about 10 secondsapiece: With your eyes closed, put your feettogether. Then put your dominant foot in front ofthe other, heel to toe. Then lift the dominantfoot, and stand on the non-dominant foot. Theapp then gives an indication of numbers.

Athletes will be tested at the beginning of aseason, when everyone is healthy and un-injured. That gives the trainer a recorded base-line of how much balance the athlete has whenhealthy. That recorded baseline is then com-pared with whatever the app might show next ifthe athlete is ever injured in a practice or compe-tition.

Hudson said the app, within minutes, gives areading about whether an injury victim hasdeveloped a new problem with balance. This canbe done on the field or court right after an injury.

Currently, researchers said, athletes, teamtrainers and coaches don’t know for sure that anathlete has developed a concussion until exten-sive physical tests and expensive medical scan-ner tests are done. They also rely more heavilynow on how the athlete tells them he or shefeels. Some of those same tests will still need tobe done, but the advantage of the new technol-ogy is that trainers won’t have to guess when aplayer needs to sit down, or go to a doctor.

Concussion dangersPatterson, an associate professor and director

of the human performance laboratory at WSU,said the app is an important innovation not onlyfor National Football League players but for chil-dren and adults who play sports of any kind.“Most people think concussions are when an NFLlinebacker hits a quarterback helmet to helmet,”Patterson said. “The dangers are more extensivethan that.” Thousands of high school and collegefootball players suffer concussions every year.Concussions, Patterson said, are a significantproblem for soccer players, for basketball players,for tennis players diving for balls, for any sport.

Soccer enthusiasts have become increasinglyconcerned. Most concussions in soccer do notinvolve head-to-head but rather head-to-kneecollisions, or a “shaking” injury to the brain insidethe skull during collisions or falls where the headis whiplashed. Medical people have even begunto ponder the safety of baseball catchers who gethit in the protective mask with a foul tip or anerrant pitch. Another good thing this app will dois help sort out when an athlete is ready to return,first to practice, then to competition, Pattersonsaid. The real danger of concussions is not thefirst head injury, Patterson said. It’s “second-impact syndrome,” a dangerous outcome. “It’svery important that the first injury gets picked upand identified,” he said. “You get a second injury,and you are really cooked.” Brain damage andrecovery can be more extensive after a secondinjury, he said.

Other usesBecause the new tool measures balance,

researchers also said this tool will almost certain-ly become a key feature in seemingly unrelatedprofessions. “The possibilities are pretty astound-ing, really,” Hudson said. Police officers can usethis kind of tool to accurately find balance prob-lems in drunk drivers or impaired drivers,researchers said. Physical therapists could use itto cheaply and quickly track the progress ordeterioration of nursing-home patients, whomust exercise to prolong their lives or recoverfrom injuries.

Curtiss said that under the Affordable CareAct, physical therapists treating elderly clientsmust now assess and put a value on functionlimitations for every patient who comes for treat-ment; the new app could help speed thatprocess, he said.—MCT

Over the past few years, consolidation has been thename of the game, we are now seeing a clear trendtowards increasing numbers of IT devices in compa-nies. In addition to traditional workplace PCs, moreand more employees are using mobile devices, suchas netbooks, smartphones and tablets.

Optimum security with increasing numbers ofdevices

The number of IT devices in corporations is trend-ing in just one direction-straight up. At the sametime, however, IT departments are being stream-lined, with administrators juggling numerous proj-ects in addition to their daily duties. Combined man-agement and security software makes everythingmanageable.

Whether or not their company uses a “Bring YourOwn Device” policy, employees today are using moreIT devices than ever before. According to a surveycarried out by Kaspersky Lab of 3300 companiesworldwide, almost 80 percent of companies expectto see an increase in the number of IT devices usedby their employees over the next year. Around 44percent expect up to 10 percent more devices; 27percent expect an increase of 10 to over 50 percent,and 8 percent of the companies surveyed expect alarge increase of more than 50 percent. A further 16percent of companies expect their device count toremain stable, while just 4% assume that the numberof IT devices will decrease over the next year. Nodoubt, administrators understand this means morework for them as all these additional devices mustnot only be managed, but also incorporated into cor-porate security strategies.

Additional requirementsOnly rarely does adding more IT devices mean

setting up more on-site workstations. In most cases,the devices used are laptops, tablets or smart-phones. As these are used not just at employees’desks, but also on the road, at customers’ premisesand at home, they place additional demands on ITsecurity. If something goes wrong, administratorsoften find themselves having to provide remoteassistance. Only a small percentage of the devices forwhich administrators are responsible are actually

inside company walls. The rest may be scatteredaround the globe. A few years ago, only globallyactive companies with multiple branches in differentcountries had to deal with these issues. Today, how-ever, even small companies, particularly SMEs, areaffected by them.

Counteract loss of controlIf companies in this category, that is rather com-

mon, find large enterprise management solutions toocomplex, they cannot, however, allow control overtheir devices to slip out of their hands. The situation isfurther complicated by the fact that very few compa-nies are increasing their IT budgets-quite the oppo-site. Looking at human resources development for ITadministrators shows that cuts are being made inmultiple areas. Whereas, in 2011, 24 percent of thecompanies surveyed by Kaspersky had 250 (or more)IT employees, in 2012 this figure was just 15 percent.This consolidation is affecting companies of all sizes,meaning that fewer and fewer employees must keepever-increasing numbers of IT devices runningsmoothly and securely. To prevent this task fromspelling disaster for companies, IT administratorsmust become more productive. A combination ofmanagement and security software is recommended.

Simple management, perfect securityThe words “system management” tend to send

shivers down administrators’ spines, with manyassuming that they refer to complex and overblownsoftware for major corporations. This is, however,not necessarily the case. The perfect solution forsmall and medium-sized companies combinesdevice management with the latest security tech-nology and features a unified interface to enable themanagement of workstations, laptops and smart-phones. Solutions which allow administrators toadjust devices’ security configurations directly fromthis interface, when applying patches or checkingmalware warnings, for example, provide added val-ue. The software should support administrators inthese areas by providing automation and templates.These features allow recurring tasks to be complet-ed with minimal effort, thus freeing up time for oth-er duties.

How to run growing number of endpoints

wilderness skills with

iPhoneSAN FRANCISCO: Chuck La Tournouswas about two minutes into his pres-entation this week at Macworld 2013,“Tech vs. Wild,” when a Boy Scoutish-looking kid in the audience shot up hishand. “I go camping a lot,” he said, “butthey won’t let us take our tech into thewoods.” That sort of anti-geek out-doorsman mentality may soon begoing the way of analog television. Atthe 29th annual Macworld, the mes-sage was that when the going getstough, the tough get even techier.

“The idea is that tech can be usefulin the great outdoors,” said LaTournous, a 50-year-old blogger fromwestern New Jersey and founder ofTrailCamper.com. “As a kid, you maybecould have taken your Walkman on acampout, but today there’s a lot ofgood reasons to take tech with you. Itdoesn’t distract from the outdoorsexperience, it enhances it.” The SanJose Mercury News decided to take ahike with La Tournous, along withsome of the survival products he’sreviewed on his website. But instead ofheading for the trails, we joined himon a walk through the urban wilder-ness just a few blocks from SanFrancisco’s Moscone Center.

We left Macworld and headedtoward Market and Sixth streets, wherethe drug-dealing, Dumpster-diving,panhandling denizens can make anout-of-towner feel like a babe in thewoods. While some of La Tournous’ techtools, like stargazing apps and water-proof smartphone cases, are clearlymore suited for the wilderness, he saidothers would come in handy in anurban environment gone bad. Thatwould include terrorist attacks, civilunrest, earthquakes or other naturaldisasters. He got to personally test thistheory recently after Hurricane Sandyknocked out power in his hometownfor more than a week. —MCT

H E A LT H & S C I E N C EMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

WASHINGTON: An implant devicedesigned by US firm BostonScientific to prevent strokes in highrisk people helps avert blood clot-ting, a new study said. The umbrella-shaped device called “Watchman”can also serve as an alternative totreatment with anticoagulants of

patients suffering from arterial fibril-lation, a study by the manufacturersaid. The trials involved 407 patientsat 41 sites and compared the“Watchman” to warfarin, an antico-agulant medication, said the study,which was presented on Saturday.

Of the people surveyed, 269 used

“Watchman” and 138 took the bloodthinner warfarin. The results showthat “the device performed similar towarfarin with a rate ratio of 1.07”, saidthe report, presented at an annualconference of the American Collegeof Cardiology. “The results ... add tothe wealth of previously published

data confirming the utility of the‘Watchmen’ device as an option forthe reduction of stroke in high riskpatients,” said Kenneth Stein, chiefmedical officer with the cardiacrhythm management department ofBoston Scientific. “‘Watchman’ is theonly device-based alternative to anti-

coagulation that has undergone rig-orous scientific study,” he added.“Watchman” is introduced into theheart via a catheter that goesthrough a vein in the groin. Atrial fib-rillation affects approximately 15 mil-lion patients worldwide. Patientshave a five times greater risk of stroke.

“Watchman” was approved for sale inEurope in 2005 and some countries inAsia in 2009, according to BostonScientific. The results of the study willbe submitted to the US Food andDrug Administration as part of aprocess to obtain approval for itsmarketing in the United States.—AFP

US implant device helps stop clotting

KRUGERSDORP: This file picture shows a rhinoceros grazing in the privateRhino and Lion Nature Reserve in Krugersdorp, north of Johannesburg.South Africa’s white rhino population will begin to decline by 2016 if thecurrent rate of poaching continues, authorities warned, following the killingof scores of the creatures this year. —AFP

SAN JOSE: Henry James weaves between legsand roller bags at Mineta San Jose InternationalAirport, but he’s in no rush. Around him, peoplescurry to their gates, but for the 4-year-old goldenretriever, being calm is his job. “Do you want tosee him?” his owner Kyra Hubis asked two passen-gers waiting to board a plane home to Atlanta.“This is Henry James, he’s a therapy dog.” Elliot

Willard was at the airport with his sister-in-law,Ashley Willard, because his grandfather, who livedin San Jose, recently passed away. As they tousledHenry James’ long, shaggy fur, smiles spreadacross their faces. It was exactly the result hopedfor. Every Monday, Henry James and Hubis walkthe terminals to comfort passengers who may bestressed, grieving or feeling the jitters of flying.

Hubis, a retired critical care nurse for 30 years,runs the therapy dog program as a volunteer. She

finds that many passengers are in need of a dog’swagging tail, wet nose and unconditional love.“Traveling is a stressful experience,” said RosemaryBarnes, the airport’s public information manager.“You may be going to a job interview. You mayhave lost a loved one. There are so many reasonsthat people come to airports.”

The program began after 9/11, when an air-

port pastor brought in her own dog to helpsoothe stressed and frightened passengers. Theeffort has since grown to include 11 volunteerswho walk their therapy dogs - including aGerman shepherd, miniature schnauzer and bor-deaux mastiff - up and down the terminals, a fewhours a week. The program runs on donations,which pay for the uniforms of the furry coun-selors: red vests covered in patches embroideredwith slogans like “Pet me I’m friendly.”

“We know from a whole body of research thatblood rate, heart rate and respiratory ratedecrease when a person interacts with an ani-mal,” said Rebecca Johnson, researcher at theUniversity of Missouri. For people who like dogsand are not extremely allergic, these animalshave a proven calming effect, said Johnson. Justas people soften with the smile of a stranger,dogs can lighten a heavy mood. “These dogs aregoing to be perpetually smiling and engagingpeople and making eye contact. That’s a positiveforce,” Johnson said.

Back in Terminal B, Joe Truckey of California’sOrange County reached down to pet HenryJames. Truckey, whose leg was injured by a fork-lift when he was 18, has mingled with therapydogs in the past. At age 45, he had an operationon his leg that left him bed ridden in the hospi-tal. Bored and anxious, the hospital’s therapydogs helped to calm him. “They looked just likehim,” said Truckey, as Henry James panted andwagged his long, fluffy tail. Each dog must betested and certified to be part of the program.The dogs must remain calm amid frenziedcrowds, rolling wheelchairs and screaming chil-dren.

“They have to handle people touching themand people crying into them,” said Hubis, whohas visited with grieving family members andnervous flyers. Hubis only approaches peoplewho are interested in visiting with a 90-poundenergetic hound. She never asks people theirnames or where they are going, but often whenpassengers begin to pet Henry James, they openup about their lives.

After a half-hour of walking the gates andgreeting at least two dozen people, includingwaddling toddlers, Hubis leads Henry James intothe airport meditation room for a drink of waterand a quick snack. By the time they leave twohours later, they might visit with more than a hun-dred passengers. Los Angeles International Airportplans to start a similar program, modeled after theprogram run in San Jose, to make their passengersmore comfortable. Miami International Airport hasalso implemented a therapy dog program. “I’m adog person, and I know if I were upset, I’d want adog,” said Hubis, who is hoping to grow the pro-gram with more dogs walking the San Jose’s ter-minals more often. —MCT

Airport tries therapy dogs to ease passengers’ fears

Heart rate decreases on interaction with animals

SAN JOSE: Kyra Hubis and her “therapy dog” Henry James stop to visit Joe Truckey atMineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California. —MCT

FRESNO: The California wildlife sanctuarywhere an African lion attacked and killed a24-year-old intern last week is reopened tothe public yesterday, four days after thewoman’s death. The Cat Haven preserve,which has been shut since Dianna Hanson’sdeath on Wednesday, will resume regularoperations, including offering guided toursto visitors, Cat Haven officials said. Shortlybefore it opens its gates, Fresno CountySheriff Margaret Mims is scheduled to briefreporters on the latest findings from theinvestigation.

Hanson, who was on a six-month intern-ship at Cat Haven that began in January andhad previously worked in Kenya on a wildfeline reserve, will be honored yesterdaywith a moment of silence at the sanctuary.The big cat center, which is located 40 miles(64 km) east of Fresno, will resume regularoperations, including guided tours for visi-tors, Cat Haven officials said.

“It is important that we attend to (theanimals’) health and well-being, and webelieve returning to a state of normal opera-tions is a part of that process,” Cat Havenfounder Dale Anderson said in a statement.Hanson was attacked while cleaning anempty cat enclosure.

A four-year-old male lion named CousCous escaped from his feeding pen, appar-ently by prodding open an improperly

secured gate, and pounced on Hanson, frac-turing her neck and killing her almostinstantly, according to Fresno CountyCoroner David Hadden. Sheriff’s deputieslater shot and killed the lion, which weighedat least 400 pounds (181 kgs), after failedefforts to coax him away from Hanson’sbody.

Cous Cous and his mate, Pely, wereBarbary lions, a species from the regionbetween Morocco and Egypt that is extinctin the wild. He had been handled byhumans since he was weeks old. Cat Haven,a 100-acre (40-hectare) sanctuary run by thegroup Project Survival and located about 40miles (64 km) east of Fresno, is still home to29 large cats. State and local agencies areinvestigating whether Cat Haven violatedany safety procedures that could have safe-guarded against the attack.

Anderson said the sanctuary was cooper-ating with the investigation. Hanson earneda biology degree in 2011 from WesternWashington University. Her family says theyconsider the incident a tragic accident. “Weknow that first and foremost, Dianna wouldwant the work that Cat Haven is doing tocontinue,” her mother, Donna Hanson, saidin a statement. The Hanson family has set upa fund in Dianna’s honor that will benefit herfavorite charitable organizations, includingCat Haven. —Reuters

Big cat sanctuary to reopen to public after lion attack

WASHINGTON: A combination drug contain-ing niacin failed to lower the risk of heartattacks or strokes and even proved harmfulfor some with vascular disease, a studyreleased Saturday reported. Niacin, alsoknown as vitamin B3, has for years been wide-ly prescribed to lower “bad” LDL cholesteroland raise levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.

The link between high levels of LDL cho-lesterol and heart disease is well-document-ed, and doctors work to mitigate that riskwith diet and lifestyle changes as well as avariety of medications. But even with theseprotocols in place, heart disease and stroke

claim lives and cause damage, so scientistscontinue searching for ways to improve thetreatment.

Niacin-in doses about 100 times higherthan the recommended amount from food-was thought to be helpful. Indeed, the com-bination drug used in the study-made by USpharmaceutical giant Merck and combiningextended release niacin with laropiprant-isalready approved in 70 countries, though notthe US. But when tested against a placebo inmore than 25,000 patients, it failed to reducethe numbers of heart attacks, strokes or otherserious cardiovascular problems. —AFP

Niacin therapy unhelpfulSACRAMENTO: Two dentists-turned-entrepreneurs say they’re part of themost revolutionary development in chil-dren’s dental care “since fluoride.” JeffreyFisher and John Hansen, of Sacramento,Calif., started EZ-Pedo Inc in 2010, andtoday their relatively small manufactur-ing site in Loomis, Calif, produces thou-sands of ceramic dental crowns for chil-dren. The crowns are made of zirconia,colored and polished to resemble nor-mal, healthy teeth. That’s a departurefrom the long-standing industry norm -metal crowns, typically made of stainlesssteel.

Last year, EZ-Pedo sold nearly 40,000crowns to about 650 pediatric dentiststhroughout the United States, and to var-ious international locales. It’s ramping upan office in Germany to handle manufac-turing and distribution throughoutEurope. The partners guess that theyhave about 10 percent of the nation’spediatric crown market (there are morethan 6,500 pediatric dentists nation-wide). In five years, Hansen and Fisherhope to claim 50 percent.

The new business has not yet pro-duced riches for the partners. Fisher andHansen said they only recently beganpaying themselves. Both still maintainprivate practices. Fisher, 39, providesoffice-based general anesthesia for pedi-atric dentistry throughout theSacramento region. Hansen, 45, is a spe-cialist in cosmetic dentistry, with anoffice in Roseville. Their venture beganwith a nasty fall.

In 2004, Hansen’s 3-year-old son,John Paul, fell in the bathtub and seri-ously injured four of his front teeth.Hansen sent his son to a pediatric dentistto have the boy’s smile reconstructedand was stunned to learn that there wereno aesthetically pleasing crowns likethose typically custom-crafted for adults.Hansen said the crowns placed on hisson’s teeth were bulky, didn’t match incolor and presented a smile that showedmetal at the gumline.

When John Paul needed more workdone, he confided to his father that hewas fearful of more treatments. Hansencalled Fisher, with whom he had previ-ously worked, to see if he would providethe anesthesia for John Paul. From there,Hansen and Fisher got to talking aboutthe seemingly unfilled niche-betterrestorative options for children’s teeth.

In 2006, they began an exhaustiveprocess that included interviews withscores of pediatric dentists and numer-ous tests of potential ceramic materials.They went through 15 design revisionsin three years. Ultimately, they filed anapplication with the US Food and DrugAdministration for pre-market clearanceof their crowns. The FDA cleared themfor use in 2009. “The FDA process is verylong and complicated. There are veryspecific requirements for this,” Fishernoted.

The process of making the crowns inLoomis is likewise exacting. The zirconiacrowns are first milled in an exotic-look-ing, custom-made machine. About 35to 50 crowns placed in a disc can beshaped simultaneously. From there, thecrowns are smoothed, polished, putthrough a staining solution, hardenedin a 4,000-degree chamber, microblast-ed and glazed. Much of the final shad-

ing is done by hand by mask-wearingemployees in library-quiet rooms.Workers also do a final visual inspection.Every crown gets a label, which can bescratched off by a dentist before place-ment. There are 96 shapes and up to sixsizes for each specific tooth. Thatreflects a wide range of teeth, frombaby to preteen. Hansen said thatbesides giving children visually normalteeth, EZ-Pedo’s crowns are designed toguarantee proper spacing in the ever-changing mouths of growing kids.

Roseville, Calif, dentist Joelle Speed,who has specialized in pediatric dentistryfor 10 years, said ceramic crowns haveopened up numerous possibilities. “For awhile, stainless steel was always the stan-dard, but aesthetics-wise, self-esteemissues would come up,” she said.“(Children) would not have many optionsif they had a large cavity.” With ceramiccrowns, Speed said he believes pediatric

dentistry is undergoing a major shift thatwill continue for years.

Brian Banks, completing his residencyat Primary Children’s Medical Center inSalt Lake City before moving on to apediatric dentistry practice in Phoenix,believes ceramic crowns are helping par-ents make better decisions. “A lot of par-ents didn’t like the silver option andwould sometimes decide on extractioninstead,” Banks said. “Taking teeth outcreates other problems, like (kids) havinga hard time eating and (improper tooth)spacing. “With more aesthetic options,it’s easier.”

EZ-Pedo’s growth has promptedFisher and Hansen to keep moving intolarger and larger offices. They say theyare committed to keeping operationslocal and have resisted offers to out-source manufacturing to reduce costs.“After all the work we’ve done, we’restarting to see more competitors sud-denly coming on,” Hansen said. “Thereare a lot of temptations to do things dif-ferently, but we like where we are. Welike the area.”

Demand for the pair’s professionalservices and for their new business mak-ing crowns is not likely to ebb. Despitethe proliferation of fluoride and dentalsealants over the years, tooth decayamong children has proved a stubbornfoe. As recently as 2007, a US Centers forDisease Control and Prevention reportwarned that tooth decay in baby teethwas increasing among children ages 2 to5 years.

Tooth decay related to extended useof baby bottles is still common. Researchalso shows widespread tooth decay insome cultures, with dental care accessand affordability playing roles. Toothdecay “remains a problem for some racialand ethnic groups, many of whom havemore treated and untreated tooth decaycompared with other groups,” said BruceDye, an epidemiologist and lead authorof the 2007 CDC report. In a separatereport released in May 2012, Dye said 20percent of American children ages 5 to11 had untreated cavities. And a just-released report by the Pew Center on theStates said most states are not doingenough to provide children with accessto dental sealants to prevent toothdecay, driving up health care costs.Twenty states received “D” or “F” gradesfrom Pew. —MCT

California dentists develop restorative crowns for kids

Technician Antonina Mykhailenko applies a glaze on a mono-lithic zirconia pediatric dental crown. —MCT

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO: The future is unclear for apromising heart device aimed at preventingstrokes in people at high risk of thembecause of an irregular heartbeat. Earlyresults from a key study of Boston ScientificCorp.’s Watchman device suggested it is saferthan previous testing found, but may not bebetter than a drug that is used now for pre-venting strokes, heart-related deaths andblood clots in people with atrial fibrillationover the long term. More than 2.7 millionAmericans and 15 million people worldwidehave atrial fibrillation.

The upper chambers of the heart quiverinstead of beating properly. That lets bloodpool in a small pouch. Clots can form and

travel to the brain, causing a stroke.The usual treatment is blood thinners

such as warfarin, sold as Coumadin and oth-er brands. But they have problems of theirown and some are very expensive. TheWatchman is intended to be a permanentsolution that would not require people totake medications for the rest of their lives.It’s a tiny expandable umbrella that plugsthe pouch, and is inserted without surgery,through a tube pushed into a vein. A studyfour years ago suggested the device was atleast as good at preventing strokes as war-farin is, but the procedure to implant it ledto strokes in some patients. Advisers to theUS Food and Drug Administration narrowly

recommended approving the Watchmanbut the federal agency required a secondtest of its safety and effectiveness. The newstudy was to be the top presentationSaturday at an American College ofCardiology conference in San Francisco. Butthe group took the unprecedented step ofpulling it from the program just before itwas to go on because Boston Scientificreleased results early to investors. The studywas led by Dr David Holmes Jr of the MayoClinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He and theclinic have a financial stake in the device.

The study involved 407 patients - 269assigned to get the device and 138 to getwarfarin. It had three main goals, and it

clearly met the first on safety - strokes,heart-related deaths, blood clots and seri-ous complications a week after implant orrelease from the hospital.”The early con-cerns about safety of the device ... havebeen alleviated,” Holmes said. The other twogoals were estimated based on just 88patients who have been tracked for 18months after treatment. Strokes and bloodclots occurred no more often with thedevice in those patients. However, theresults suggest the device will not provebetter than warfarin at 18 months on awider measure - a combination of strokes,heart-related deaths or clots.

Whether that will be enough to win

FDA approval remains to be seen. Dr.Gordon Tomaselli, a Johns HopkinsUniversity heart specialist and former pres-ident of the American Heart Association,said he was reassured that the deviceseems safer, and said it might be approvedjust for people who cannot tolerate bloodthinners long term. “It’s a mixed result,” hesaid. “There still are complications” but few-er of them in the new study. Dr HadleyWilson, cardiology chief at CarolinasHealthCare System in Charlotte, enrolledpatients in the new study and predicts theFDA will require even more testing. “Itwould be difficult for approvability withoutfurther study,” he said. —AFP

Stroke prevention device misses key goal in study

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W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Announcements

KIFF to host Blood Donation Camp and launch Blood Donors Network

The Kuwait India Fraternity Forum, a socio culturalorganization of Indians residing in Kuwait continuesits effort to increase awareness on the importance of

blood donation aiming to foster lifelong blood donorswith a kick-off blood donation camp and inauguration ofKIFF Blood donors Network. Aims to promote “DonateBlood, Save Life”, the Mass Voluntary Blood Donation Campwill be held on Friday, 15th March 2013 at Ministry ofEducation for private schools Hall, Salmiya, Kuwait. TheKIFF with its co-organizer Kuwait Central Blood Bank andevent sponsor Noor Clinic, a first of its kind polyclinic locat-ed in Al-Ahmadi governorate which provides services dedi-cated to women and their family in the field ofDermatology, Dental Care & lab services are pleased toorganize this event, a noble cause in aid of the KuwaitCentral Blood Bank. “The Need for blood in Kuwait isincreasing day by day. To meet this demand, KIFF with itsco-organizers realize that, this camp is essential becausethe blood cannot be manufactured; it can only come as avoluntary donation by the people. As many as three peo-ple’s lives can be saved as a result of just one donation”said Shamsheer Aman, President of KIFF KarnatakaChapter. KIFF encourages young people above the age of18 to donate blood. The organizers hope to welcome morethan 200 on that day. The event is open for Blood dona-tions from 2.00PM to 7.00PM

New Indian business forum to be launched

Introducing a new world of business networking and com-mercial synergy, a world all set to open fresh contours in theemerging global economic scenario. A forum comprising of

Indian businessmen and professionals will soon be launched inKuwait to promote business and trade. The forum will primarilyaim to provide an interactive platform of networking for Indianbusinessmen and professionals with their Kuwaiti counterpartsthrough regular interface, meetings and even workshops. Thenew forum, which plans to engage with all trade and commercebodies across India and also in Kuwait, intends to act as a unifiedforum for exchange of information related to current or expect-ed business or professional opportunities in India and Kuwait.Not merely confined to business exchanges, this forum will alsoenable Indian businessmen and professionals to make sugges-tions to the government on matters of policy matters, proce-dures pertaining to the business activities. The forum plans topromote Indian businesses in Kuwait by providing severalopportunities between businesses, dissemination of informationthrough seminars and interaction with local and governmentcounterparts. In brief, the Forum intends to revolutionise anddevelop new business and professional relationships while con-solidating existing ties.

Kasarkode district champions

Inter district tournament organized by KEFAK (KeralaFootball Association Kuwait) Kasarkode district teamcruised into the final by overwhelming Palaghat by

3-0 and Eranakulam district team secured final berth byconvincingly beating Wayanad district team by 2-0. AlJazeera Public relation Manager Faisal Hamza handedover winner’s trophy to Champions Kasarkode team.Runner up trophy to Eranakulam team was presentedby KEFAK president Mohammad Shabeer. Third placewinner Wayanad team received trophy from Shifa AlJazeera marketing manager Neethi Menon. The scorerof first goal in the final was won by Rahim, strikerKasarkode that was presented by ChammannorJewellery manager Shabu Anthony. Niyas of Kasarkodewon man of the match award that was sponsored Iblackelectronics and presented by Iblack sales executiveShameer. Best of player of tournament was deservedlywon by Prince Puthussery of Eranakulam for his allround and consistent performance that was presentedby KEFAK G.S Sameeullah. Best goal keeper award waswon by Noufal Kasarkode and was presented by C.OJohn V.P KEFAK. Top scorer award was shared byJamnaz Eranakulam and Jagadish Kasarkode with threegoals each and award was presented by Safarulla ñsports secretary KEFAK. KEFAK executive members O.KAbdul Razak, Mubarak Yusuf, Pradeep Kumar, Biju Johnyand Siddique presented awards to individual players ofeach team. Most senior player award was deservedlywon by Aashique Cadiri that was presented by AbdullaQadiri. Final ceremony was chaired by KEFAK presidentMohammad Shabeer. Ksarkode district expats associa-tion president Salam Kalanad, Eranakulam district asso-ciation President Roy Yoyaki, and Media representativeSathar Kunnil appreciated KEFAK efforts in their felicita-tion speech to organize this prestigious tournament.KEFAK General Secretary Sameeullah offered welcomespeech and Media secretary Rafeeq Babu expressedgratitude. V.S Najeeb compered the event. Indian foot-ball referee association (IFRA) referees Julio Cardozo,Sarto Baptista and Sharma ably officiated the finalmatch.

St Patrick’s Day

Kuwait Irish Society presents our St Patrick’s Day cel-ebration at Hilton Hotel, Al-Dorra Ballroom, FridayMarch 15, 2013. Dress Code: Black tie.

Mohammed Al-Qadiri and hiswife, renowned

Kuwaiti writer and forma-tive artist Thuraya Al-Baqsami held a receptionat their residence inMishref in honor of theGreek Ambassador andConstantin Drakakis, tocommemorate the com-pletion of his term inKuwait. On this occasion,Al-Baqsami gifted a paint-ing to the ambassadorand his wife, and wishedthe couple success. Thereception was attendedby many ambassadors,diplomats and friends.

Al-Qadiri, Al-Baqsami honor

Greek Ambassador

McDonald’s Arabia hasannounced imports of Halalchicken, to its 369 restaurants

across the GCC region recorded morethan 12,000 tons in 2012. The supply isup by 12.3 percent from the previousyear due to the growth of demand forchicken meals. Chickens are preparedthrough strict halal procedures daily inMalaysia, the main exporter of high qual-ity halal chicken to all McDonald’s restau-rant in the region.

The information was revealed follow-ing Kuwaiti delegation’s visit to Malaysiato observe the sophisticated systemsthat McDonald’s implies on suppliers inthe preparation food by halal proce-dures. The delegation included theKuwaiti Director of Commercial Fraudand accompanied by executives fromMcDonald’s. The trip included visits toJabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia(JAKIM), an official Malaysian authoritythat supervises Halal procedures; theMac Food factory; and two certified Halalslaughter houses, where chickens areprepared daily - under the supervision ofJAKIM. Approximately 1,200 employeeswork at both slaughter houses, and areall holders of certificates provided by theauthority. “Ensuring that all ingredientsand produce are halal is McDonald’s toppriority,” said Yousif Abdulghani, the

Managing Director of McDonald’s MiddleEast and Africa. “All products served at allMcDonald’s restaurants in the MiddleEast are Halal, as they all ingredients areinspected and approved by local authori-ties and Halal officers at the countries ofexport and customs officials at the portof entry. Our customers can be assuredthat the food that they enjoy is halal andhas the same world-famous taste.”

Since the first launch of McDonald’s inthe GCC in 1993, the company hasoffered high quality halal food to all cus-tomers through qualified suppliers.McDonald’s ensures 100 percent suppliereligibility before adding any source to itsdatabase of approved suppliers. To quali-fy as a McDonald’s supplier, they mustadhere to social responsibility policies onaspects concerning animal welfare, ani-mal feed, as well as prohibition of defor-estation and use of antibiotics as growthpromoters and above all, Halal.McDonalds halal certificates are dis-played at its restaurants and on the web-site www.McDonaldsArabia.com.McDonald’s also offers an ‘Open-Door’program, open to the public, to take acloser look at the quality standards of theproducts and procedures implementedat the restaurants. More information onthe program and registrations can befound on the McDonald’s Arabia website.

McDonald’s halal chicken GCC

imports exceed 12,000 tons in 2012

British Council Kuwait celebrated thelaunch of the selector radio pro-gramme, an international radio show

bringing the best new music from the UK,on Friday 8 March at Marina Crescent withlive music performances. The crowd enjoyedlive music by talented local bands through-out the day that included City Jazz Trio,Light Touch and Kalendi. Podcasts from theSelector radio show were also part of theday’s musical program.

The launch event attracted more than1,000 visitors to the British Council standand listeners enjoyed a day full of music.Keith, one of the visitors who stayed for themusic show states “I was here for the jazzshow earlier and it was great. It is great tohear live music in Kuwait.”

The Selector is a weekly program that

covers all styles of contemporary music. Italso features interviews, guest DJ mixes andexclusive sessions with some of the bestartists as well as a mix of UK’s best hits. Allmusic lovers are invited to tune in everyWednesday from 16:00-17:00 to SuperStation 99.7 to listen to this world-knownshow presented by global DJ and TV/Radiopresenter DJ Goldierocks. The program is ahit in 33 countries around the world includ-ing Egypt, Jordan, Oman and soon Qatarwith over 3 million listeners worldwide.

Andrew Glass, British Council KuwaitCountry Director, said “the goal of this cul-tural collaboration with Radio Kuwait 99.6FM is to introduce the best new Britishmusic to Kuwait, music they might not oth-erwise get the chance to hear. More widelyit lets young people explore our culture and

practise their English. We are working withlocal musicians too and the launch eventwith local bands is all about two way rela-tions.” He explained, “The Selector is anaward winning music show and has beenacknowledged by the Sony Radio AcademyAwards in 2005 with a gold award. It alsowon an award at the International RadioFestival in Zurich in 2011 and we are veryexcited to listen to it in Kuwait on 99.7”.

Aiming at bringing the best of what theUK has to offer and sharing British culture,arts and education and the English lan-guage, British Council works closely withboth public and private sectors. It collabo-rates with public institutions todeveloptheeducation systemand enhance English lan-guage skills in order to give young peoplethe skills they need for study, work and to

be part of a global community. BritishCouncil also works closely with private insti-tutions from different sectors to create newopportunities and projects with potentialcollaboration with their counterparts in theUK. British Council’s role isto enhance cul-tural relations between Kuwait and the UKwith a positive impact on both countries.Itteaches English, supports young studentswho wish to pursue their studies in the UKwith language qualifications and connectsKuwaiti and British professionals to pro-motean exchange of expertise in educationand the arts. Tune in every Wednesday at 4pm to Super Station 99.7 for the Selectorradio show. British Council also offers manyevents throughout the year as well as freeresources for English language develop-ment.

British Council launches Selector radio program

Information

Embassy

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIAThe Australian Embassy Kuwait does nothave a visa or immigration department.All processing of visas and immigrationmatters in conducted by The AustralianConsulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.aus-dxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS)immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel:+971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (VisaOffice); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). InKuwait applications can be lodged at theAustralian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor,Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-SalemStreet, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait,Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days:09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit theirwebsite www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more informa-tion. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visason-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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EMBASSY OF CANADAThe Embassy of Canada in Kuwait doesnot have a visa or immigration depart-ment. All processing of visa and immi-gration matters including enquiries is conduct-ed by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi,UAE. Individuals who are interested in working,studying, visiting or immigrating to Canadashould contact the Canadian Embassy in AbuDhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.going-tocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy ofCanada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St,Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website atwww.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada isopen from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday throughThursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizensare provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sundaythrough Wednesday.

Embassy of MexicoThe Embassy of Mexico presents itscompliments and has the pleasure toannounce the opening of the ConsularSection in the Embassy and that the Embassyhas already proceeded on the procudures forissuing entry visas to Mexico from 2nd January2013. The Embassy of Mexico has further thehonor to inform that the working hours of theConsular Section is from 09:00 - 12:00 hours.

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EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidencyin the State of Kuwait, the Embassy ofthe Republic of Cyprus, on behalf ofthe Member States of the EU and associatedStates participating in the Schengen cooper-ation, would like to announce that as from2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’Consulates in Kuwait will use the VisaInformation System (VIS). The VIS is a centraldatabase for the exchange of data on short-stay (up to three months) visas betweenSchengen States. The main objectives of theVIS are to facilitate visa application proce-dures and checks at external border as wellas to enhance security. The VIS will containall the Schengen visa applications lodged byan applicant over five years and the deci-sions taken by any Schengen State’s con-sulate. This will allow applicants to establishmore easily the lawful use of previous visasand their bona fide status. For the purpose ofthe VIS, applicants will be required to pro-vide their biometric data (fingerprints anddigital photos) when applying for aSchengen visa. It is a simple and discreetprocedure that only takes a few minutes.Biometric data, along with the data providedin the Schengen visa application form, willbe recorded in the VIS central database.Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in personwhen lodging the application, in order toprovide their fingerprints. For subsequentapplications within 5 years the fingerprintscan be copied from the previous applicationfile in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency wouldlike to assure the people of Kuwait and all itspermanent citizens that the Member Statesand associated States participating in theSchengen cooperation, have taken all neces-sary technical measures to facilitate the rap-id examination and the efficient processingof visa applications and to ensure a quickand discreet procedure for the implementa-tion of the new VIS.

EMBASSY OF KENYAThe Embassy of the Republic of Kenyawishes to inform the Kenyan communityresidents throughout Kuwait and thegeneral public that the Embassy has acquirednew office telephone numbers as follows:25353982, 25353985 - Consular’s enquiries25353987 - Fax Our Email address:info@kenyaembkuwait.com.

EMBASSY OF TURKEYThe Embassy of the Republic of Turkeyannounces that a new classes of Turkish lan-guage for beginners will start at theEmbassy’s Tourism, Culture and Information Officeon 17 February 2013. The lessons will be two timesin a week for six weeks, for further details and regis-tration please contact. Or fill the application formon http://kuveyt.bemfa.gov.tr and send it to the e-mail: embassy.Kuwait@mfa.gov.tr

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIAThe Nigerian embassy has its new office inMishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. Forenquires please call 25379541. Fax-25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.comor nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk.

W H AT ’ S ONMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

McDonald’s Kuwait and the BOCAJuniors football academy, heldthe Yellow League football

finals on March, Friday 8 at the SportsGrounds in Mishref, the major event ofthe “The Yellow Alliance”. The top fourteams that qualified into the semi- finalsout of all 12 schools were Al-JameelPrivate School, Najat , Fajr Al-Jadeed andIndian Public. The four schools compet-ed head to head for first and secondplace as well as third place.

The Final match for first place wasbetween Al-Jameel Private School andFajr Al-Jadeed school and was won byAl-Jameel by the score of 1-0 . Thematch for the third place also took placeduring the evening and was won byNajat. The “Yellow League” was endorsedby the Public Authority of Youth and

Sports and was conducted by profes-sionals from the BOCA Juniors Academyand refereed by officials from the KuwaitFootball Association.

“The league was a huge success! Allthe teams worked hard for the win. Iwould like to thank all the participantsand the coaches for their dedication anddevotion. As well as the families that gottogether to cheer the kids during thematches.” commented Ruben Lineiro,Managing Partner of Boca JuniorsAcademy Kuwait.

The final match was attended by anumber of prominent representativesand figures, including the ArgentineAmbassador and Consul, Youssef Nasser,forward player from the Kuwait NationalTeam, and top mangament from Arganand Maousherji. The event was also

attended by a number of journalists andrenowned media representatives, alongwith the school administration staff, par-ents and members of the Kuwaiti com-munity. Mothers and fathers also par-took in a fun penalty shootout beforethe team awardings. Ronald McDonaldalso visited team players on the fieldand cheered them on during the finalmatch.

“The Yellow League’s record successmarks the beginning of a fruitful collab-oration between McDonald’s and BOCAJuniors within the Yellow Alliance. Withthe support of our partners, we man-aged to start the year with a strong,engaging and fun series of activities forchildren and we are pleased with thegenerated hype of the Yellow League.We hope to build upon these successes

by organizing more events and activitiesfor the children of the Kuwaiti commu-nity.” Stated George Khawam, MarketingDirector, McDonald’s Kuwait.

The “Yellow Alliance” betweenMcDonald’s Kuwait and BOCA Juniors isbased on bringing the family togetherthrough the love of football, and part ofMcDonald’s ongoing commitment ofencouraging and promoting an activeand balanced lifestyle. McDonald’sKuwait continuously supports localyouth sports program and is a sponsorof major sports events and focuses onpromoting and encouraging an activeand balanced lifestyle. McDonald’s hasbeen a proud supporter of the Olympicmovement for the past 40 years and isan official partner of the FIFA World Cupsince 1994.

McDonald’s, BOCA Juniors organize

‘The Yellow League’ final match

An opening ceremony of DialysisCenter of Friends Hospital washeld on Thursday February21,

2013.Chief Guest was Dr MohammadAhmed Al-Sharhan President PatientHelping Fund Society. He was accom-panied by Faisal Aljeeran General

Manager Kuwait Society for Relief andNassir Alsyed member of InternationalIslamic Charitable Organisation (IICO),Kuwait. These guests were welcomedby Vice president Friends WelfareTrust (FWT) Sheikh Bashir Ahmed andother FWT executive and Friends

Hospital staff. The Friends hospital has80 beds with 20 beds for Dialysis anddiagnostic Center giving low cost andhigh quality medical services to theinhabitant of poor community ofRawalpindi Pakistan. Friends WelfareTrust is also running four health cen-

ters in different areas of Pakistan.Other projects of FWT are free med-ical camps in Kuwait and Pakistan,public health awareness program.Teenage health education programand help the poor and needy inPakistan.

Dialysis center of Friends Hospital opens

Kuwait Bilingual School

to hold Jahra culture fest

The Student Government Association atAUK will hold a public evening under thetitle “Scratcher of Syria” next Saturday,

March 16. The event will host a lecture for therenowned Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat, in addi-tion to a student play and an art gallery. Thetheme of the event will be “Representation ofSyria’s humanitarian status through art”. Theevent will run from 6-8 pm at the AUKAuditorium as well as the central AUK hallway.Attendance is open to public and free of charge.

‘Scratcher of

Syria’ hosts Ali

Farzat at AUKKuwait Bilingual School, a reputededucational institution in Jahra,plans to hold a Jahra Cultural

Festival next month. Ghassan Al-Jilani,the school director said, “We want toshow and promote the culture of Jahranot only to our students and their par-ents but to all people in Kuwait”.

Spread over several days by end ofApril, the festival will have folklores,dances, artifacts and a poetry sessionpresented by poets. The school will pres-ent its annual musical production ‘Aladin’directed by Dennis. There will also be ahealth day where parents and other visi-

tors can come, learn about health issuesfrom experts. There will be many boothswhere doctors and nurses will do freeprimary tests and check-ups.

A family day consisting of games, foodand fun has also been planned at afavorite spot in Jahra for parents makingentertainment part of the festival.Various committees are formed to ensurethe smooth running of the festival that isfirst of its kind in Jahra Governorate. Ateam of 30 teaching and non-teachingstaff is set up to coordinate the program.“Organizing a festival like this is part ofour mission in education”, said Al-Jilani. Ghassan Al-Jilani

00:00 Super League02:00 Trans World Sport03:00 Total Rugby03:30 Premier League Darts07:00 Golfing World08:00 Top 14 Highlight 08:30 ICC Cricket 36009:00 World Pool Masters10:00 World Cup of Pool11:00 Pro 1213:00 Trans World Sport14:00 Golfing World15:00 World Pool Masters16:00 World Cup of Pool17:00 Trans World Sport18:00 Golfing World19:00 Pro 1221:00 Top 14 Highlight 21:30 Futbol Mundial22:00 World Pool Masters23:00 World Cup of Pool

LEAVES OF GRASS ON OSN CINEMA

THE CRAZIES ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

00:15 One Man & His Campervan00:45 Adventure Wanted01:40 Bondi Rescue: Bali02:05 On Surfari02:35 Danger Beach03:00 On Surfari03:30 Racing To America04:25 Market Values04:50 The Best Job In The World05:20 A World Apart06:15 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 206:40 Food Lover ’s Guide To ThePlanet07:10 One Man & His Campervan08:05 Adventure Wanted09:00 Bondi Rescue: Bali09:25 On Surfari09:55 Danger Beach10:20 On Surfari10:50 Racing To America11:45 Market Values12:10 The Best Job In The World12:40 A World Apart13:35 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 314:00 Food Lover ’s Guide To ThePlanet14:30 Delinquent Gourmet15:25 Adventure Wanted16:20 Bondi Rescue: Bali16:45 On Surfari17:15 Cycling Home From SiberiaWith Rob Lilwall

00:00 Disturbing Behavior-1802:00 The Crazies-1804:00 Walled In-PG1506:00 Restitution-PG1508:00 Tank Girl-PG1510:00 Batman: Year One-PG1512:00 Hackers-PG1514:00 Tank Girl-PG1516:00 The Stool Pigeon-PG1518:00 Hackers-PG1520:00 Seventh Moon-1822:00 Ronin-18

01:00 Soldier Love Story-PG1503:00 Princess Lillifee-FAM05:00 Blank Slate-PG1507:00 The Dragon Chronicles: Fire &Ice-PG1509:00 Soldier Love Story-PG1511:00 Water For Elephants-PG1513:00 The Deep End Of The Ocean-PG1515:00 Certain Prey-PG1517:00 Love Finds A Home-PG1519:00 We Bought A Zoo-PG21:15 Leaves Of Grass-PG15

00:00 Breaking In00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 Saturday Night Live02:30 Eastbound & Down03:00 The Simpsons03:30 Baby Daddy04:00 Less Than Perfect04:30 The Tonight Show With JayLeno05:30 Til Death06:00 Seinfeld06:30 Hope & Faith07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon08:00 Less Than Perfect09:00 The Simpsons09:30 Two And A Half Men10:00 Hot In Cleveland10:30 Hope & Faith11:00 The Tonight Show With JayLeno12:00 Seinfeld12:30 Less Than Perfect13:00 Less Than Perfect13:30 Hope & Faith14:00 Baby Daddy14:30 Hot In Cleveland15:00 Two And A Half Men15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 Seinfeld17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon18:00 The Simpsons18:30 Raising Hope19:00 How I Met Your Mother19:30 Modern Family20:00 The Cleveland Show20:30 Wilfred21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition21:30 The Colbert Report GlobalEdition22:00 The League

01:00 Fish Tank-PG1503:00 Road To Perdition-1805:00 Cruel Intentions-1807:00 Paws-PG09:00 Certified Copy-PG1510:45 Film Socialisme-PG1512:30 Hindenburg-PG1515:30 Certified Copy-PG1517:15 Quiz Show-PG1519:30 The Roommate-PG1521:00 Master And Commander-PG1523:15 Somewhere-18 01:30 WWE SmackDown

03:00 WWE Bottom Line04:30 WWE This Week 05:00 NHL07:00 WWE Bottom Line08:00 WWE Experience09:00 Ping Pong WorldChampionships10:00 US Bass Fishing 11:00 NHL13:00 Mobil 1 The Grid13:30 Mobil 1 The Grid14:00 WWE NXT15:00 WWE SmackDown17:00 Ping Pong WorldChampionships18:00 US Bass Fishing 19:00 UFC TUF 20:00 UFC 156 Prelims 22:00 UFC 156

00:00 The Secret Of My Success-PG1502:00 Paul-PG1504:00 The Ladykillers-PG1506:00 Despicable Me-FAM08:00 Elf-PG10:00 The Breakfast Club-PG1512:00 The Ladykillers-PG1514:00 Robots-PG16:00 The Breakfast Club-PG1518:00 Zathura: A Space Adventure20:00 Spread-R22:00 The Switch-18

01:45 A Fall From Grace-PG1503:15 I Don’t Know How She DoesIt-PG1505:00 I Don’t Know How She DoesIt-PG1507:00 Glee: The Concert Movie-PG1509:00 The Artist-PG11:00 I Don’t Know How She DoesIt-PG1513:00 A Cinderella Story : OnceUpon A Song-PG15:00 33 Postcards-PG1517:00 The Artist-PG18:45 X-Men: First Class-PG1521:00 The Woman In Black-PG1523:00 Hall Pass-18

00:50 Untamed & Uncut01:45 Squid Invasion02:35 Animal Cops Houston03:25 Wildest Arctic04:15 Untamed China With NigelMarven05:05 Wild Things With DominicMonaghan05:55 Animal Cops Houston06:45 Wildest Arctic07:35 Wildlife SOS08:00 The Really Wild Show08:25 Bad Dog09:15 Dogs 101: Specials10:10 Baby Planet11:05 Wildest Africa12:00 Animal Cops Phoenix12:55 Call Of The Wildman13:20 Wildlife SOS13:50 Clinically Wild: Alaska14:45 Animal Precinct15:40 Wildest Africa16:35 Escape To Chimp Eden17:00 The Really Wild Show17:30 Dogs 101: Specials18:25 Crocodile Hunter19:20 Too Cute!20:15 Bondi Vet20:40 Safari Vet School21:10 Call Of The Wildman21:35 Escape To Chimp Eden22:05 Wildest Africa23:00 Karina: Wild On Safari

00:00 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition Specials01:25 Gok’s Fashion Fix02:15 Design Rules03:05 MasterChef07:05 Design Rules08:05 Homes Under The Hammer08:55 Bargain Hunt09:40 Antiques Roadshow10:30 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition Specials11:50 Come Dine With Me:Supersize13:25 Come Dine With Me: SouthAfrica14:20 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow15:05 Bargain Hunt15:50 Antiques Roadshow16:40 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition Specials18:00 Homes Under The Hammer18:50 The Hairy Bikers USA19:15 Home Cooking Made Easy20:10 New Scandinavian Cooking20:35 Come Dine With Me: SouthAfrica21:30 Fantasy Homes By The Sea22:20 Antiques Roadshow

00:20 Yogi’s Treasure Hunt00:45 Duck Dodgers01:10 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries01:35 Dastardly And Muttley02:00 Popeye02:25 Wacky Races02:50 Scooby Doo Where Are You!03:15 The Flintstones03:40 The Jetsons04:00 What’s New Scooby Doo?04:20 Taz-Mania04:45 The Looney Tunes Show05:10 Tom & Jerry Tales05:35 Dexter’s Laboratory06:00 Bananas In Pyjamas06:25 Jelly Jamm07:00 Ha Ha Hairies07:25 Baby Looney Tunes07:50 Lazy Town08:15 Krypto The Superdog08:40 Jelly Jamm09:05 Gerald McBoing Boing09:30 Cartoonito Tales09:55 Bananas In Pyjamas10:20 Ha Ha Hairies10:45 Lazy Town11:10 Krypto The Superdog11:35 Baby Looney Tunes12:00 Jelly Jamm12:25 Gerald McBoing Boing12:50 Cartoonito Tales13:15 Krypto The Superdog13:40 Lazy Town14:00 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo14:25 Tom And Jerry Tales14:50 Sylvester And TweetyMysteries15:20 Johnny Bravo15:45 Tom & Jerry16:10 Pink Panther And Pals16:35 The Garfield Show17:00 What’s New Scooby-Doo?17:25 Sylvester And TweetyMysteries17:50 Tom And Jerry Tales18:15 The Looney Tunes Show18:40 Taz-Mania19:05 Moomins19:30 Pink Panther & Pals19:45 The Garfield Show20:00 Sylvester And TweetyMysteries20:20 Tom And Jerry Tales20:45 Moomins21:10 Dexters Laboratory21:20 Johnny Bravo21:35 Puppy In My Pocket

00:40 Chowder01:30 Bakugan Battle Brawlers02:20 Foster’s Home For...03:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog04:00 The Amazing World OfGumball04:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien04:50 Adventure Time05:15 The Powerpuff Girls05:40 Generator Rex06:05 Ben 1006:30 Ben 1006:55 Angelo Rules07:00 Casper’s Scare School08:00 Mucha Lucha08:25 Johnny Test08:45 Adventure Time

00:40 World’s Top 507:00 Mythbusters07:50 The Will : Family SecretsRevealed08:45 Finding Bigfoot09:40 Border Security10:05 Auction Kings10:30 Auction Kings10:55 How Do They Do It?11:25 How It’s Made11:50 Fast N’ Loud12:45 Jesse James: Outlaw Garage13:40 American Chopper14:35 Border Security15:05 Auction Kings16:00 Life On A Wire16:55 Finding Bigfoot17:50 Mythbusters18:45 American Guns19:40 How Do They Do It?20:05 How It’s Made20:35 Auction Kings21:30 Gold Rush22:25 Gold Divers23:20 Around The World In 80 Ways

00:40 Deadly Affairs01:30 Ghost Lab02:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner03:05 Reel Crime/Real Story03:55 Fatal Encounters04:45 Deadly Affairs05:30 Ghost Lab06:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner07:10 Disappeared08:00 Mystery Diagnosis08:50 Street Patrol09:40 Real Emergency Calls10:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry?10:30 True Crime With AphroditeJones11:20 Murder Shift12:10 Disappeared13:00 Mystery Diagnosis13:50 Street Patrol14:15 Street Patrol14:40 Forensic Detectives15:30 True Crime With AphroditeJones16:20 Real Emergency Calls16:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry?17:10 Disappeared18:00 Murder Shift18:50 Forensic Detectives19:40 True Crime With AphroditeJones20:30 Disappeared21:20 Nightmare Next Door22:10 Couples Who Kill23:00 I Married A Mobster

00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives01:30 Andy Bates American StreetFeasts02:20 Unwrapped02:45 Iron Chef America04:20 Kid In A Candy Store04:50 Unique Sweets05:15 Charly’s Cake Angels05:40 Chopped06:30 Iron Chef America07:10 Unwrapped07:35 Unwrapped08:00 Food Network Challenge08:50 Kid In A Candy Store09:15 Unwrapped09:40 Food Crafters10:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics10:55 Cooking For Real11:20 Easy Chinese: San Francisco11:45 Easy Chinese12:10 Mexican Made Easy13:00 Iron Chef America13:50 Tyler’s Ultimate14:15 Unique Sweets15:05 World Cafe Asia15:30 Easy Chinese: San Francisco15:55 Easy Chinese16:20 Food Crafters16:45 Chopped17:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics18:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives19:15 Andy Bates American StreetFeasts19:40 Charly’s Cake Angels20:05 Guy’s Big Bite20:30 Chopped22:10 Iron Chef America23:00 Andy Bates American StreetFeasts23:25 Andy Bates American StreetFeasts23:50 World Cafe Asia

00:00 Newsday00:30 Asia Business Report00:45 Sport Today01:00 BBC World News01:30 Asia Business Report01:45 Sport Today02:00 BBC World News02:30 Asia Business Report02:45 Sport Today03:00 BBC World News03:30 Hardtalk04:00 BBC World News04:30 World Business Report04:45 BBC World News05:30 World Business Report05:45 BBC World News06:30 World Business Report06:45 BBC World News07:30 World Business Report07:45 BBC World News08:30 Hardtalk09:00 BBC World News09:30 World Business Report09:45 Sport Today10:00 BBC World News11:00 GMT With George Alagiah12:00 Impact With Mishal Husain13:30 Hardtalk14:00 BBC World News15:30 World Business Report15:45 Sport Today

16:00 BBC World News16:30 BBC Focus On Africa17:00 BBC World News17:30 World Business Report17:45 Sport Today18:00 World News Today WithZeinab Badawi19:30 World Business Report19:45 Sport Today20:00 Business Edition With TanyaBeckett20:30 Hardtalk21:00 BBC World News America22:00 Newsday22:30 Asia Business Report22:45 Sport Today23:00 Newsday23:30 Asia Business Report23:45 Sport Today

00:00 Programmes Start At 7:00amKSA07:00 Kickin It07:25 Phineas And Ferb07:50 Almost Naked Animals08:15 Pokemon: BW Rival Destinies08:40 Slugterra09:05 Scaredy Squirrel09:30 Ultimate Spider-Man09:55 Zeke & Luther10:20 Kick Buttowski10:45 I’m In The Band11:10 Rekkit Rabbit11:35 Rated A For Awesome12:00 Iron Man ArmoredAdventures12:25 American Dragon12:50 Kick Buttowski13:20 Pair Of Kings13:45 Zeke & Luther14:10 Rekkit Rabbit14:35 I’m In The Band15:00 Kick Buttowski15:25 Pair Of Kings15:50 Phineas And Ferb16:40 Kickin It17:05 Crash & Bernstein17:30 Slugterra18:00 Kickin It18:25 Scaredy Squirrel18:50 Phineas And Ferb19:00 Phineas And Ferb19:15 Phineas And Ferb19:40 Mr. Young20:05 Slugterra20:30 Zeke & Luther20:55 I’m In The Band21:20 Rated A For Awesome21:45 Rekkit Rabbit22:10 Phineas And Ferb22:35 Ultimate Spider-Man23:05 Kick Buttowski23:30 Scaredy Squirrel

T V PR O G R A M SMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

00:10 Stitch00:35 A Kind Of Magic01:25 Replacements02:15 Emperor’s New School03:05 A Kind Of Magic03:55 Replacements04:45 Emperor’s New School05:35 A Kind Of Magic06:00 Phineas And Ferb06:15 Suite Life On Deck06:40 My Babysitter’s A Vampire07:05 Phineas And Ferb07:55 Jessie08:20 Good Luck Charlie08:45 Doc McStuffins09:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse09:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates09:35 The Hive09:45 Mouk10:00 Jonas10:25 So Random10:50 Hannah Montana11:15 Sonny With A Chance11:40 Kim Possible12:05 Shake It Up12:30 Wizards Of Waverly Place12:55 Phineas And Ferb13:20 Austin And Ally13:45 Suite Life On Deck14:10 A.N.T. Farm14:35 Phineas And Ferb15:25 Shake It Up15:50 Austin And Ally16:15 Jessie16:40 A.N.T. Farm17:00 Good Luck Charlie17:30 Gravity Falls

00:30 Scouted01:30 E!es

02:00 Live From The Red Carpet04:00 THS08:00 E! News08:55 Married To Jonas09:45 E!es10:15 15 Remarkable Celebrity BodyBouncebacks12:05 30 Best & Worst Beach Bodies14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take NewYork15:00 Style Star15:30 E!es16:30 Behind The Scenes17:00 THS20:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:00 Live From The Red Carpet23:00 THS

01:00 The Nimbols: Part II-FAM02:45 Mickey ’s Twice Upon AChristmas-FAM04:30 The Three Bears: The AmazingAdventurers-FAM06:00 The Nimbols: Part II-FAM08:00 The Ugly Duckling In Tales OfMystery-FAM10:00 A Very Fairy Christmas-FAM11:30 Alpha And Omega-PG13:00 Micropolis-FAM14:30 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: RodrickRules-PG16:15 Puss In Boots-PG18:00 A Very Fairy Christmas-FAM20:00 Twigson-PG22:00 Micropolis-FAM23:30 The Ugly Duckling In Tales OfMystery-FAM

00:00 Ancient Aliens01:00 Nazi Britain02:00 Ancient Aliens04:00 Nazi Britain05:00 Mankind The Story Of All Of Us07:00 Ancient Aliens08:00 Pawn Stars08:30 Storage Wars09:00 Seeking Salvage10:00 Pawn Stars10:30 American Restoration11:00 Pawn Stars11:30 Storage Wars12:00 Soviet Storm: WWII In The East13:00 Ancient Aliens14:00 Ancient Aliens15:00 Pawn Stars15:30 American Restoration16:00 Seeking Salvage

09:05 Total Drama World Tour09:55 Ben 10: Omniverse10:20 Young Justice10:45 Thundercats11:10 Regular Show12:00 The Amazing World OfGumball12:50 Foster’s Home For...13:40 Courage The Cowardly Dog14:30 Powerpuff Girls15:20 Angelo Rules16:10 Batman: The Brave And TheBold16:35 Young Justice17:00 Ben 10: Omniverse17:20 Transformers Prime17:40 Johnny Test18:00 Level Up18:25 The Amazing World OfGumball18:50 Adventure Time19:15 Regular Show19:40 Mucha Lucha20:05 Total Drama World Tour20:30 Total Drama World Tour20:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien21:20 Hero 10821:45 Bakugan: Mechtanium Surge22:10 Grim Adventures Of...23:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien23:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien23:50 The Powerpuff Girls

00:00 World’s Deadliest GPU01:00 Kenny And Zoltan’s VenomQuest01:55 Journey Into Amazonia02:50 Night Stalkers03:45 Caught In The Act04:40 Strike Force05:35 Untamed Americas06:30 Journey Into Amazonia07:25 Night Stalkers08:20 Caught In The Act09:15 Big Cat Wars (aka Lion vsCheetah)10:10 Kenny And Zoltan’s VenomQuest11:05 Striker!12:00 Planet Carnivore13:00 Journey Into Amazonia14:00 Kenny And Zoltan’s Venom

Quest15:00 Secrets Of The King Cobra16:00 Crocodile King17:00 Hippo Hell18:00 Crimes Against Nature19:00 Fish Warrior20:00 Night Stalkers21:00 Caught In The Act22:00 Big Cat Wars (aka Lion vsCheetah)

00:00 Eureka01:00 Grimm02:00 Scandal03:00 Top Gear (UK)04:00 Six Feet Under05:00 Jane By Design06:00 Good Morning America08:00 Emmerdale08:30 Coronation Street10:00 Jane By Design12:00 Eureka13:00 Top Gear (UK)14:00 Jane By Design15:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show

01:20 Some Came Running-PG03:35 April In Paris-FAM05:10 Lovely To Look At-FAM06:55 TCM Presents Under...-U07:25 TCM Presents Under The...-U08:00 ...Tick...Tick...Tick-PG09:35 Some Came Running-PG11:50 April In Paris-FAM13:25 Gone With The Wind-PG17:00 The Fighting 69th-PG18:20 Clash By Night-PG20:05 The Rounders-PG21:30 Postman’s Knock-FAM

02:00 ICC Cricket 36002:30 Top 1404:30 Super League06:30 Futbol Mundial07:00 PGA Tour 08:30 PGA Tour 11:30 Rugby League13:30 ICC Cricket 36014:00 Live Snooker The Welsh Open21:30 ICC Cricket 36022:00 Live Snooker The Welsh Open

00:20 Little Einsteins00:50 Special Agent Oso01:00 Special Agent Oso01:15 Lazytown01:40 Jungle Junction01:55 Jungle Junction02:10 Handy Manny02:20 Handy Manny02:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse03:00 Lazytown03:25 Special Agent Oso03:40 Special Agent Oso03:50 Imagination Movers04:20 Handy Manny04:30 Handy Manny04:40 Special Agent Oso04:50 Special Agent Oso05:00 Timmy Time05:10 Lazytown05:35 Little Einsteins06:00 Jungle Junction06:15 Jungle Junction06:30 Little Einsteins06:50 Special Agent Oso07:05 Special Agent Oso07:15 Jungle Junction07:30 Jungle Junction07:45 Handy Manny08:00 Special Agent Oso08:15 Imagination Movers08:40 Cars Toons08:45 Handy Manny09:00 The Hive09:10 New Adventures Of WinnieThe Pooh09:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates09:50 Jake & The Neverland Pirates10:05 Doc McStuffins10:20 Doc McStuffins10:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse11:00 Lilo And Stitch11:30 Cars Toons11:35 Mouk11:45 Art Attack12:10 The Adventures Of DisneyFairies12:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse13:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales OfFriendship13:10 Doc McStuffins13:25 Handy Manny13:40 Jungle Junction13:55 Timmy Time14:05 The Hive14:15 Mouk14:30 Little Einsteins14:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse15:20 New Adventures Of WinnieThe Pooh15:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates16:00 The Little Mermaid16:25 Lilo And Stitch16:55 Imagination Movers17:20 Handy Manny17:35 The Hive17:45 Lilo And Stitch18:10 Doc McStuffins18:25 Doc McStuffins18:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates19:10 The Adventures Of DisneyFairies19:35 New Adventures Of WinnieThe Pooh20:05 Timmy Time20:15 Winnie The Pooh: Tales OfFriendship20:25 Doc McStuffins20:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates20:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates21:10 The Hive21:20 Timmy Time21:30 Mouk21:45 Handy Manny22:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse22:25 The Hive22:35 New Adventures Of WinnieThe Pooh23:00 Timmy Time23:10 Animated Stories23:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales OfFriendship23:30 Jungle Junction23:45 Handy Manny23:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

17:55 Suite Life On Deck18:20 Austin And Ally18:45 Lemonade Mouth20:30 That’s So Raven20:50 Cory In The House21:40 Hannah Montana22:05 Good Luck Charlie22:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place23:20 Wizards Of Waverly Place23:45 Hannah Montana Forever

00:00 Disturbing Behavior-1802:00 The Crazies-1804:00 Walled In-PG1506:00 Restitution-PG1508:00 Tank Girl-PG1510:00 Batman: Year One-PG1512:00 Hackers-PG1514:00 Tank Girl-PG1516:00 The Stool Pigeon-PG1518:00 Hackers-PG1520:00 Seventh Moon-1822:00 Ronin-18

00:00 PGA European Tour04:30 Inside The PGA Tour05:00 NFL Game Day05:30 Trans World Sport06:30 ICC Cricket 36007:00 PGA European Tour11:30 Premier League Darts15:00 ICC Cricket 36015:30 NFL Game Day16:00 Super League18:00 Trans World Sport19:00 PGA European TourHighlights20:00 PGA Tour Highlights21:00 NFL Game Day21:30 Super League23:30 Inside The PGA Tour

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

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Monday 11/3/2013Airlines Flt Route TimeJAI 574 MUMBAI 0:05PIA 205 LAHORE 0:15THY 772 ISTANBUL 0:35JZR 267 BEIRUT 0:45JZR 539 CAIRO 0:50QTR 148 DOHA 1:00QTR 6130 DOHA 1:50GFA 211 BAHRAIN 1:50UAE 853 DUBAI 2:35ETD 305 ABU DHABI 2:45AFG 416 JEDDAH 2:55FDB 67 DUBAI 3:05MSR 612 CAIRO 3:10ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 3:25QTR 138 DOHA 3:45DHX 170 BAHRAIN 5:15THY 770 ISTANBUL 5:30JZR 503 LUXOR 5:55BAW 157 LONDON 6:40KAC 412 MANILA 6:45KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 7:40FDB 53 DUBAI 7:45KAC 302 MUMBAI 7:55UAE 855 DUBAI 8:40ABY 121 SHARJAH 9:05QTR 132 DOHA 9:10FDB 55 DUBAI 9:15ETD 301 ABU DHABI 9:20KAC 352 COCHIN 9:50GFA 213 BAHRAIN 9:55KAC 344 CHENNAI 10:40JZR 165 DUBAI 11:20MSC 403 ASSIUT 11:30IRC 6521 LAMERD 11:45MPH 97 AMSTERDAM 11:50MEA 404 BEIRUT 11:55KNE 482 TAIF 12:00MSR 610 CAIRO 12:45UAE 871 DUBAI 12:50KAC 284 DHAKA 12:55FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50KAC 672 DUBAI 14:10KNE 472 JEDDAH 14:15KAC 546 ALEXANDRIA 14:30SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30QTR 140 DOHA 14:35JZR 561 SOHAG 14:50

KAC 788 JEDDAH 14:55QTR 134 DOHA 15:30OMA 645 MUSCAT 15:40JZR 535 CAIRO 16:25KAC 118 NEW YORK 16:35UAE 857 DUBAI 16:40ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:50RJA 640 AMMAN 16:55UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:10GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:15SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:45QTR 144 DOHA 17:50ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:55KAC 542 CAIRO 18:05JZR 177 DUBAI 18:15KAC 786 JEDDAH 18:30FDB 63 DUBAI 18:45MSC 405 SOHAG 19:15KAC 618 DOHA 19:20KAC 742 DAMMAM 19:30KAC 104 LONDON 19:35KAC 674 DUBAI 19:35KAC 774 RIYADH 19:50OMA 647 MUSCAT 19:55FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00JAI 572 MUMBAI 20:10AXB 389 MANGALORE 20:20MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:25ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:35QTR 146 DOHA 20:45MSC 401 ALEXANDRIA 20:50ALK 229 COLOMBO 20:55MEA 402 BEIRUT 21:20QTR 136 DOHA 21:25GFA 221 BAHRAIN 21:30ETD 307 ABU DHABI 21:35UAE 859 DUBAI 21:40JZR 135 BAHRAIN 21:50DHX 372 BAHRAIN 22:00FDB 59 DUBAI 22:00UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:25AIC 975 CHENNAI 22:30JZR 239 AMMAN 22:45TAR 327 TUNIS 22:45GFA 217 BAHRAIN 22:50PIA 205 LAHORE 23:00JZR 185 DUBAI 23:05BBC 43 DHAKA 23:45DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:55

Departure Flights on Monday 11/3/2013Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 982 AHMEDABAD 0:05KAC 283 DHAKA 0:10UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 0:55JAI 573 MUMBAI 1:05DLH 637 FRANKFURT 1:20PIA 206 PESHAWAR 1:35THY 773 ISTANBUL 2:55QTR 6131 DOHA 3:20FDB 68 DUBAI 3:45UAE 854 DUBAI 3:50ETD 306 ABU DHABI 4:00AFG 416 JEDDAH 4:00ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 4:10MSR 613 CAIRO 4:10QTR 139 DOHA 4:50QTR 149 DOHA 6:05JZR 164 DUBAI 6:55GFA 212 BAHRAIN 7:00THY 771 ISTANBUL 7:35KAC 545 ALEXANDRIA 7:45JZR 560 SOHAG 8:15FDB 54 DUBAI 8:25BAW 156 LONDON 8:45JZR 534 CAIRO 9:15KAC 787 JEDDAH 9:25KAC 671 DUBAI 9:35ABY 122 SHARJAH 9:45UAE 856 DUBAI 9:55FDB 56 DUBAI 10:00ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:05QTR 133 DOHA 10:10GFA 214 BAHRAIN 10:40KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30KAC 165 ROME 11:50JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:15KAC 103 LONDON 12:20MSC 406 SOHAG 12:30IRC 6522 LAMERD 12:35MEA 405 BEIRUT 12:55KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:00MPH 97 AL MAKTOUM 13:20KNE 483 TAIF 13:40MSR 611 CAIRO 13:45JZR 176 DUBAI 13:50UAE 872 DUBAI 14:15FDB 58 DUBAI 14:30

KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05KNE 473 JEDDAH 15:10SVA 501 JEDDAH 15:45KAC 617 DOHA 15:45QTR 141 DOHA 16:15KAC 773 RIYADH 16:25KAC 741 DAMMAM 16:30OMA 646 MUSCAT 16:40JZR 238 AMMAN 17:15ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:35JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40QTR 135 DOHA 17:45UAE 858 DUBAI 17:50RJA 641 AMMAN 17:55GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:15UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:25JZR 184 DUBAI 18:30SVA 511 RIYADH 18:35ABY 128 SHARJAH 18:40JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:45QTR 145 DOHA 18:50JZR 134 BAHRAIN 19:05FDB 64 DUBAI 19:25MSC 404 ASSIUT 20:15FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40OMA 648 MUSCAT 20:55KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 20:55KAC 361 COLOMBO 21:00KAC 351 KOCHI 21:10JAI 571 MUMBAI 21:10ABY 120 SHARJAH 21:15MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 21:25MSC 402 ALEXANDRIA 21:50DHX 171 BAHRAIN 21:50ALK 230 COLOMBO 21:55MEA 403 BEIRUT 22:20ETD 308 ABU DHABI 22:20QTR 137 DOHA 22:25GFA 222 BAHRAIN 22:30KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:35FDB 60 DUBAI 22:40UAE 860 DUBAI 22:50DHX 373 BAHRAIN 23:00KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00QTR 147 DOHA 23:10JZR 502 LUXOR 23:35TAR 328 DUBAI 23:45GFA 218 BAHRAIN 23:50KAC 411 BANGKOK 23:55

ClassifiedsMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Fajr: 04:44

Shorook 06:03

Duhr: 11:58

Asr: 15:21

Maghrib: 17:54

Isha: 19:10

Prayer timings

Ministry of Interior

website: www.moi.gov.kw

Automated enquiry aboutthe Civil ID card is

1889988

SHARQIA-1PARKER (DIG) 1:45 PMPARKER (DIG) 4:00 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 6:15 PMPARKER (DIG) 8:15 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 10:30 PMPARKER (DIG) 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2APARTMENT 1303 (DIG-3D) 12:30 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 3:00 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 5:30 PMSNITCH (DIG) 8:00 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 10:15 PMSNITCH (DIG) 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-3SNITCH (DIG) 1:30 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 3:45 PMVEHICLE 19 (DIG) 6:00 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 7:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 9:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1PLAYBACK (DIG) 1:30 PMPARKER (DIG) 3:30 PMPARKER (DIG) 5:45 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 8:00 PMPARKER (DIG) 10:00 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

MUHALAB-2VEHICLE 19 (DIG) 1:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 3:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 6:00 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 8:15 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 10:30 PMVEHICLE 19 (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

FANAR-1MAMA (DIG) 1:30 PMPARKER (DIG) 3:30 PMMAMA (DIG) 5:45 PMPARKER (DIG) 7:45 PMPARKER (DIG) 10:00 PMPARKER (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

FANAR-2PLAYBACK (DIG) 12:30 PMA GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (DIG) 2:45 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 5:00 PMVEHICLE 19 (DIG) 7:00 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 9:00 PMVEHICLE 19 (DIG) 11:00 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED=FANAR-3SNITCH (DIG) 12:45 PMSNITCH (DIG) 3:00 PMSNITCH (DIG) 5:15 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 7:30 PMSNITCH (DIG) 9:30 PMSNITCH (DIG) 11:45 PM

MARINA-1

PLAYBACK (DIG) 1:30 PMPARKER (DIG) 3:30 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 5:45 PMPARKER (DIG) 7:45 PMPARKER (DIG) 10:00 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

MARINA-2AL HAFLA (DIG) 1:00 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 3:15 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 5:15 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 7:30 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 9:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 12:05 AM

MARINA-3OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 12:30 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 3:00 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 5:30 PMSNITCH (DIG) 8:00 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 10:15 PMSNITCH (DIG) 12:45 AM

AVENUES-13ALA GOSETY (DIG) 1:00 PM3ALA GOSETY (DIG) 3:15 PM3ALA GOSETY (DIG) 5:30 PM3ALA GOSETY (DIG) 7:45 PM3ALA GOSETY (DIG) 10:00 PM3ALA GOSETY (DIG) 12:15 AM

AVENUES-2SNITCH (DIG) 12:45 PMSNITCH (DIG) 3:00 PMSNITCH (DIG) 5:15 PMSNITCH (DIG) 7:30 PMSNITCH (DIG) 9:45 PMSNITCH (DIG) 12:05 AM

360º- 1OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 12:45 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 3:30 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 6:15 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 9:00 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 11:45 PMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

360º- 2MAMA (DIG) 12:45 PMMAMA (DIG) 3:00 PMMAMA (DIG) 5:15 PMMAMA (DIG) 7:30 PMMAMA (DIG) 9:45 PMMAMA (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

360º- 3AL HAFLA (DIG) 2:00 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 4:15 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 6:30 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 8:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 11:00 PM

AL-KOUT.1APARTMENT 1303 (DIG-3D) 12:45 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 2:45 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 5:15 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 7:45 PM

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 10:15 PMAPARTMENT 1303 (DIG-3D) 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.2PARKER (DIG) 1:45 PMPARKER (DIG) 4:00 PMPARKER (DIG) 6:15 PMPARKER (DIG) 8:30 PMVEHICLE 19 (DIG) 10:45 PMPARKER (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-1OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 12:30 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 3:00 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 5:00 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 7:30 PMOZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (DIG-3D) 10:00 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-2SNITCH (DIG) 12:30 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 2:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 5:00 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 7:15 PMSNITCH (DIG) 9:30 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 11:45 PMNO SUN+ TUE+WED

PLAZAAL HAFLA (DIG) 5:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 8:00 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 10:30 PM

AJIAL.1SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS (DIG) (HINDI)6:30 PM9:00 PMSAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER RETURNS (DIG) (HINDI)9:30 PM12:00 AM

AJIAL.2PLAYBACK (DIG) 5:30 PMAADHIBHAGAVAN (DIG) (TAMIL) 7:30 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 10:30 PM

AJIAL.3MAMA (DIG) 5:45 PMMAMA (DIG) 7:45 PMMAMA (DIG) 9:45 PM

AJIAL.4AL HAFLA (DIG) 5:30 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 7:45 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 10:00 PM

METRO-1PLAYBACK (DIG) 6:00 PMPLAYBACK (DIG) 8:00 PMMR. PELLIKODUKKU (DIG) (TELUGU) 10:00 PM

METRO-2AL HAFLA (DIG) 6:15 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 8:15 PMAL HAFLA (DIG) 10:30 PM

Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TOWEDNESDAY (07/03/2013 TO 13/03/2013)

FOR SALE

ACCOMMODATION

CHANGE OF NAME

Maxima car model 2000,navy blue for sale, singlehand driven, very goodcondition, all new tires,owner leaving Kuwait, reg-istration up to Dec., 2013.Serious buyers contact66772656, Khaitan.

(C 4339)6-3-2013

Mitsubishi Galant 2009,black color (4 clr) excellentcondition, 33000 km, KD2,250/-. Contact: 66729295.

(C 4334)

I, Mrs. Annie CristineKuriakose, holder ofPassport No. F5417121have changed my name toMrs. Annie Cristine Pinto.

(C 4336)9-3-2013

I, Ayub Khan Abdul ShakurKhan, holder of PassportNo. E5265742, issued atPune, have changed myname to Ayub ShakoorKhan for all purposes.

(C 4341)

Sharing accommodationavailable in Salmiya nearGhndar Clinic, BahrainStreet. Contact: 69664598 /66792392. (C 4342)

11-3-2012

Lancer - car for sale 2010model, GLX, 1600 cc, beigecolor, 4 cylinder, engine,gear, chassis very goodcondition, interior & exteri-or neat and clean, 105,000km run, price KD 2,200/-.Broker excuse. Contact:99072651.

(C 4335)

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

You are very congenial and cooperative now and more inter-ested in the similarities than in the differences between yourself and others.This is a very good time to let people know you care about them: send a card,write a note of appreciation or even a love letter! Feeling cared for and neededis what makes you most comfortable. The lack of these things can cause aninstinctive feeling of uneasiness. You may have to put yourself out there on anemotional level to start attracting someone of like mind into your life.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Travel plans and long journeys may be spotlighted. Great opportunitieswill likely require some travel. If you’ve had any legal problems or bureaucratic blundersyou may find they can be favorably resolved at this time. Your desire for love and affec-tion, as well as beauty and pleasure, are strong now and you can act on feelings and cre-ative impulses more easily than usual. If you are not happy with some aspect of your per-sonal life, these issues arise at this time and there may be disagreements or tension in aclose relationship. You can easily discuss your personal needs and desires, but only if youmake the effort.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Your idealism, creative imagination, and sense of awe and wonder aboutlife are stirred now. The child in you is strong. You are likely to encounter fasci-

nating information on the latest scientific technologies and progressive social movementsin the world that stir your imagination and idealism. Use some of that charm today as you’llget farther than if you push your way into situations. This especially applies to love, but italso applies to any competitive interests you may have, anything where you want to comeout a winner. This is an excellent time to investigate a complex problem you may have in arelationship that means a great deal to you and also to learn more about your own self.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

A family member may display a lack of emotional control with regardto their habits, desires, and objectives. You may have to take an authoritative positionand set limits on their demands. On the other hand, you may personally have to addressyour career aspirations and your status in the real world. This day has the potential to givebirth to all kinds of positive ideas and feelings. Emotions burst out like spring flowers,playfulness abounds, and it can seem like there is no limit to what’s out there for you.Take the initiative and run with it now and you’ll go far.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Relationships with the public at large (and women in particular) giverise to challenges now. A lack of support or understanding can feed feelings of insecurity.It’s important to keep the lines of communication open in close relationships, whereemotional differences could arise that might create difficulties. Excellent cooperation inpartnerships and friendships is highlighted now. The astrological energy today canextend to virtually all relationships, including romantic and personal relationships, friend-ships, family groups. Take advantage of this and propose some type of group activity.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

An instinctive urge to get serious about taking care of yourselfat many levels is emphasized now. Diet, exercise, and work somehow meanmore now: you want to feel good about yourself and the way you do things.Verbal battles, disputes, and heated debates are very likely at this time becauseyou speak your mind without much thought or consideration. Unless you slowyour pace down a bit, this time period can be quite a headache and may takemore time to mend than it took to break.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Until you know the real reason why you haven’t heard fromsomeone that you placed so much faith in, try not to jump to conclusions. Afterall, being aware that things can occur unexpectedly, this person does deservethe benefit of the doubt. Pay more attention to your inner voice. Talk betweenyou and your romantic interest is likely to be frequent and rewarding at thistime. Verbally the two of you are so in sync that sharing ideas can lead todreams and goals worth chasing. Lighthearted flirting with one another shouldlead to more romantic moments later.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Though you may have the best of intentions, you tend to actvery compulsively, working boldly toward some goal which you may not evenbe completely aware of. Your secret need for power, or control, emerges now,and power struggles are very possible. You may be highly attracted to some-one new, simply because of the novelty and possibilities for adventure. Also,your friends or love partner may behave in unexpected ways which may throwyou off emotionally. Being flexible and open minded in your relationships iscalled for now.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

You want to investigate everything but do you have the time?Establish which area suits your personality and temperament if you have athirst for knowledge and your curiosity is getting the better of you. You mayneed to seek out a teacher or mentor who could help you in the first instancedetermine precisely what areas you are best suited to. A vocational or careercounselor or even astrologer can set you straight and give you a sense of whenthis knowledge will blossom.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Your energy level is high now, and you work very enthusiastically.You also are able to manage and motivate others very effectively, and

you may find yourself involved in a successful and productive team effort. At themoment it may be easier to see what is wrong with your personal relationships thanit is to see what is right. If so, you’re likely to fall into such a funk that you find yourselfdoing so much whining resolving your problems seems impossible. Shake yourdown mood off and confront any issues in your personal life head on and with opti-mism. If you do you may find that most of what is bothering you quickly vanishes.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Your ability to concentrate and focus on your work is very good now.This is a time to attend to details, take care of practical business, and to make your lifemore stable and secure. It would be beneficial to consult advisors on investments andlong-range plans, and to put your affairs in order. The urge to break away from the yournormal routine and do something radical may have to be resisted but it shouldn’t beignored. Perhaps it’s just what you need, but only if you do it with decisiveness and clari-ty, as you probably won’t be able to take it back. A peek into the unusual can be bothentertaining and gratifying.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

If you have taken the time to plan ahead, you could be reapingthe rewards by as early as today. You’ll be pleased with the way the communi-cation is shaping up between yourself and a hard-to-please relative or friend. Acomplicated project will come to fruition soon. You have a strong desire forlove and affection and the pleasure that comes with them. Your feelings maylead you to act impulsively and without regard to consequences. While you cer-tainly deserve to have your passions fulfilled, a little prudence in choosing whoyou share them with will avoid trouble later.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 125

ACROSS1. Inquire about.4. A metal helmet worn by common sol-diers in the 16th century.12. System of measurement based on cen-timeters and grams and seconds.15. Aircraft landing in bad weather in whichthe pilot is talked down by ground controlusing precision approach radar.16. Failing to accomplish an intendedresult.17. A flat wing-shaped process or winglikepart of an organism.18. Thigh of a hog (usually smoked).19. Dutch navigator who was the firstEuropean to discover Tasmania and NewZealand (1603-1659).20. American professional baseball playerwho hit more home runs than Babe Ruth(born in 1934).22. Lower in esteem.24. Wine and hot water with sugar andlemon juice and nutmeg.26. Avatar of Vishnu.27. Strong and sharp.29. Egyptian statesman who (as Presidentof Egypt) negotiated a peace treaty withMenachem Begin of Israel (1918-1981).31. An ancient country in Asia on theCaspian Sea.34. Tag the base runner to get him out.37. The third compartment of the stomachof a ruminant.41. Large (to 3 feet) blackish yellow-bandedSouth American lizard.42. The capital of Western Samoa.44. A South American shrub whose leavesare chewed by natives of the Andes.45. A unit of current equal to 10 amperes.47. Two items of the same kind.48. A former monetary unit in Great Britain.49. A region of Malaysia in northeasternBorneo.50. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.53. A colorless explosive liquid that isvolatile and poisonous and foul-smelling.54. Treated with oil.57. A card game for 2 players.61. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfec-tions of the skin.62. Music composed for dancing the sara-band.65. (Greek mythology) The Muse of astrono-my.69. One of the five major classes ofimmunoglobulins.70. The taste experience when a savourycondiment is taken into the mouth.73. A republic in the Middle East in westernAsia.74. Any of various strong liquors distilledfrom the fermented sap of toddy palms orfrom fermented molasses.78. The basic unit of money in Albania.79. A quantity of no importance.80. A genus of Paridae.81. The cry made by sheep.

DOWN1. Title for a civil or military leader (especial-ly in Turkey).2. Someone who works (or provides work-

ers) during a strike.3. God of love and erotic desire.4. Extract of the heartwood of Acacia cate-chu used for dying and tanning and pre-serving fishnets and sails.5. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.6. A mountainous republic of south-centralEurope.7. (used of persons or the military)Characterized by having or bearing arms.8. Male red deer.9. An abnormal passage leading from asuppurating cavity to the body surface.10. A unit of energy equal to the work doneby an electron accelerated through apotential difference of 1 volt.11. A beverage made by steeping tealeaves in water.12. A unit of weight for precious stones =200 mg.13. Take by theft.14. The capital and largest city of Yemen.21. Relating to or characteristic of Arabs.23. A variety of mandarin orange.25. The capital and largest city of Yemen.28. Tall New Zealand timber tree.30. Any of several small ungulate mammalsof Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisorsand feet with hooflike toes.32. Pertaining to or resembling amoebae.33. The seventh month of the Moslem cal-endar.35. (in India and Burma) A member of anarmed gang of robbers.36. (of farmland) Capable of being farmedproductively.38. A person to whom money is paid.39. The capital and chief port of Qatar.40. Of or relating to or affecting a lobe.43. A genus of Ploceidae.46. The cardinal number that is the sum offour and one.51. Lyrebirds and scrubbirds.52. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spo-ken in southeastern Asia.55. One of the most common of the fivemajor classes of immunoglobulins.56. East Indian tart yellow berrylike fruit.58. An emotional response that has beenacquired by conditioning.59. (Greek mythology) One of the mountainnymphs.60. Informal terms for a mother.63. A city in northern India.64. An informal term for a father.66. Agency of the United States govern-ment charged with mediating disputesbetween management and labor.67. The United Nations agency concernedwith atomic energy.68. A town and port in northwestern Israelin the eastern Mediterranean.71. A healthy capacity for vigorous activity.72. South American wood sorrel cultivatedfor its edible tubers.75. Unknown god.76. A small digital computer based on amicroprocessor and designed to be used byone person at a time.77. A soft silvery metallic element of thealkali earth group.

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informat ionMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

Al-Madeena 22418714

Al-Shuhada 22545171

Al-Shuwaikh 24810598

Al-Nuzha 22545171

Sabhan 24742838

Al-Helaly 22434853

Al-Faiha 22545051

Al-Farwaniya 24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983

Al-Fahaheel 23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983

Ahmadi 23980088

Al-Mangaf 23711183

Al-Shuaiba 23262845

Al-Jahra 25610011

Al-Salmiya 25616368

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada) 25655535

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Afghanistan 0093Albania 00355Algeria 00213Andorra 00376Angola 00244Anguilla 001264Antiga 001268Argentina 0054Armenia 00374Australia 0061Austria 0043Bahamas 001242Bahrain 00973Bangladesh 00880Barbados 001246Belarus 00375Belgium 0032Belize 00501Benin 00229Bermuda 001441Bhutan 00975Bolivia 00591Bosnia 00387Botswana 00267Brazil 0055Brunei 00673Bulgaria 00359Burkina 00226Burundi 00257Cambodia 00855Cameroon 00237Canada 001Cape Verde 00238Cayman Islands 001345Central African 00236Chad 00235Chile 0056China 0086Colombia 0057Comoros 00269Congo 00242Cook Islands 00682Costa Rica 00506Croatia 00385Cuba 0053Cyprus 00357Cyprus (Northern) 0090392Czech Republic 00420Denmark 0045Diego Garcia 00246Djibouti 00253Dominica 001767Dominican Republic 001809Ecuador 00593Egypt 0020El Salvador 00503England (UK) 0044Equatorial Guinea 00240Eritrea 00291Estonia 00372Ethiopia 00251Falkland Islands 00500Faroe Islands 00298Fiji 00679Finland 00358France 0033French Guiana 00594French Polynesia 00689Gabon 00241Gambia 00220Georgia 00995Germany 0049Ghana 00233Gibraltar 00350Greece 0030Greenland 00299Grenada 001473Guadeloupe 00590Guam 001671Guatemala 00502Guinea 00224Guyana 00592Haiti 00509Holland (Netherlands) 0031Honduras 00504Hong Kong 00852Hungary 0036Ibiza (Spain) 0034Iceland 00354India 0091Indian Ocean 00873Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098Iraq 00964Ireland 00353Italy 0039Ivory Coast 00225Jamaica 001876Japan 0081Jordan 00962Kazakhstan 007Kenya 00254Kiribati 00686Kuwait 00965Kyrgyzstan 00996Laos 00856Latvia 00371Lebanon 00961Liberia 00231Libya 00218Lithuania 00370Luxembourg 00352Macau 00853Macedonia 00389Madagascar 00261Majorca 0034Malawi 00265Malaysia 0060Maldives 00960Mali 00223Malta 00356Marshall Islands 00692Martinique 00596Mauritania 00222Mauritius 00230Mayotte 00269Mexico 0052Micronesia 00691Moldova 00373Monaco 00377Mongolia 00976Montserrat 001664Morocco 00212Mozambique 00258Myanmar (Burma) 0095Namibia 00264Nepal 00977Netherlands (Holland)0031Netherlands Antilles 00599New Caledonia 00687New Zealand 0064Nicaragua 00505Nigar 00227Nigeria 00234Niue 00683Norfolk Island 00672Northern Ireland (UK)0044North Korea 00850Norway 0047Oman 00968Pakistan 0092Palau 00680Panama 00507Papua New Guinea 00675Paraguay 00595Peru 0051Philippines 0063Poland 0048Portugal 00351Puerto Rico 001787Qatar 00974Romania 0040Russian Federation 007Rwanda 00250Saint Helena 00290Saint Kitts 001869Saint Lucia 001758Saint Pierre 00508Saint Vincent 001784Samoa US 00684Samoa West 00685San Marino 00378Sao Tone 00239Saudi Arabia 00966Scotland (UK) 0044Senegal 00221Seychelles 00284Sierra Leone 00232Singapore 0065Slovakia 00421Slovenia 00386Solomon Islands 00677

INTERNATIONALCALLS

TE OF KAATSTTA

TE GENEORAATDIRECT DEPMETEOROLOGICAL

AITKUWWA

TIONVIAATAAV OF CIVILTE GENERALARTMENTDEPPA

el.: 161 Ext.: 262TTe

Fax: 24348714

.KW.GOVV..METWWW

el.: 161 Ext.: 2627 - 2630

.KW

Partly cloudy with moderate to fresh south easterly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust with a chance for rain that might be thundery at times

Sunday

:YDAAYBYY

:NIGHTBYY Cool with light to moderate freshening gradually south easterly changing to north westerly wind, with speed of 15 - 40 km/h with a chance for raising dust

YDAAY:

eWWeExpected Partly cloudy with moderate to fresh south easterly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust with a chance for rain that might be thundery at times

10/03/2013

Cool with light to moderate freshening gradually south easterly changing to north westerly wind, with speed of 15 - 40 km/h with a chance for raising dust

the Next 24 Hours foreatherPartly cloudy with moderate to fresh south easterly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust with a chance for rain that might be thundery at times

Cool with light to moderate freshening gradually south easterly changing to north westerly wind, with speed of 15 - 40 km/h with a chance for raising dust

the Next 24 HoursPartly cloudy with moderate to fresh south easterly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust

Cool with light to moderate freshening gradually south easterly changing to north westerly wind, with speed

imeTIssue

Partly cloudy with moderate to fresh south easterly wind, with speed of 20 - 45 km/h causing raising dust

07:00

Cool with light to moderate freshening gradually south easterly changing to north westerly wind, with speed

TIONAATSTTA

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AISEEBNUWWA

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ARNINGWWA

. MAX. EXPP. MIN. REC.

24 18

26 18

25 18

°C

°C

°C

of 15 - 40 km/h with a chance for raising dust

Unstable weather

MIN. REC. TSFC. CHAR

°C

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T 10/03/2013 0000 UTC

10/03/2013 0000 UTC

AISEEBNUWWA

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25 18

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36L I F E S T Y L EMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

G o s s i p

Cooper did ‘stupid’ things

Bradley Cooper used to do “stupid” things when he was growing up. The ‘Hangover’ star got involved with a “badcrowd” during his teenage years in a bid to find “self-worth”. He explained: “There was always this duality with me. Onone hand, my father use to call me Two Shoes, because I was always the goodie-two-shoes. “Then puberty hit and I

fell in with a bad crowd and I seemed to find a sense of self-worth by hanging out with these older kids and doing whateverthese older kids thought was cool. From the age of 12 I did a lot of stupid s**t.” One of the incidents which took place wasbeing caught drinking underage at 15, which postponed him from being able to get his driving license. He continued:“What a drag, man. It meant I couldn’t get my driving license until I was 17 - talk about a buzzkill with the ladies. “Imagineall your buddies are driving around, picking up their women, and there’s little old me having to wait for a lift from my mom.Or saying to some girl, ‘Hey, you want to get a train ride? It’s romantic!’ “ Despite his run in with the law, Bradley, 38, contin-ued drinking heavily until 2009 until he realised his life was getting out of control and he didn’t want to let down his par-ents. He told Britain’s GQ magazine: “My life was going in one direction and that terrified me. It scared me. I knew I had tomake some changes if I ever wanted to fulfil whatever potential I had as a human being. “I felt a huge sense of responsibilityto my parents, especially to my father. When I took out a loan to go to grad school to act I could see that deep down he wasso terrified. He didn’t think I had it in me.”

LeAnn Rimesblessed by stepsons

LeAnn Rimes feels “blessed” to have herstepsons in her life. The singer loves beingaround husband Eddie Cibrian’s children,

Mason, nine, and five-year-old Jake - his kidswith ex-wife Brandi Glanville - and although it’snot always easy, she wouldn’t change it for theworld. She said: “I love them to death and wehave a great relationship. I’m blessed to havethem in my life; broken families are not easy, ittakes a while to get your footing, but they’vealways been very accepting of me. I met themwhen they were two and six so they’ve knownme a while now and we’re finally finding our wayas a family. I love hanging out with them, they’rea lot of fun. I play referee a lot - a five year oldplaying baseball is the cutest thing in the world.”While she loves the boys, LeAnn says she andEddie would also like children of their own. Sheadmitted to Britain’s OK! magazine: “We’vetalked about having kids of our own. I’ve alwaysadmired working moms because they have ittough. I already have two children around halfthe time so we have our hands full but we talkabout it often so we’ll see what happens. Wewould love to, but it’s all about the right timing.”

Justin Bieber’s grandparents want him to make amends to his fans with afree concert. The 19-year-old singer’s recent time in the UK has beenmarred by a public meltdown which included turning up two hours late for

a show at London’s O2 Arena andtrying to attack a photographer.While his grandmother Kathy, 56,doesn’t believe he is a “bad boy” shedoes feel he has fallen in with thewrong crowd and needs to make itup to his fans in a big way. She toldthe Daily Star Sunday newspaper: “Idon’t think for one moment this isall about him being a bad boy. He’sonly just turned 19 and he’s stilllearning to cope with the pressuresof fame. “But it’s worrying. You readall sorts of things about him party-ing and he needs to understandsome of those so-called friendsprobably don’t have his best inter-ests at heart. “I know he will be feel-ing depressed about the way thingshave gone in London, so maybe itwould be a good idea if he were togo back there later and perform freefor the fans who feel let down byhim.” Meanwhile, the Sunday Peoplenewspaper has reported his melt-down is because of his split fromSelena Gomez in January afteraround two years together. A sourcetold the publication: “He simply has-n’t been the same since he splitfrom Selena. It really broke him.“They were together for such a long

time for two people so young. He hasn’t quite known what to do without her.“He is lonely. They kept each other very grounded and understood the level offame that they both had. Now his friends know he needs their support morethan ever.”

Bieber’s grandparents suggest free London show

Keibler loves to vacation in Cabo

San LucasThe 33-year-old former wrestler - who is in a relationship with

Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney - is a huge fan of theMexican hotspot and tries to get away whenever she can.

She said: “It sounds so cheesy because it’s probably everyone’sfavorite but I love Cabo San Lucas. It’s a quick trip and just the ulti-mate paradise. I could live there forever.” Stacy also loves exercis-ing and says spinning - grueling workouts on stationary bikes - isher favorite way of keeping in shape. She explained to America’sStar magazine: “I love Spinning. I’m hooked - and I always feelamazing when I’m done. It’s my stress reliever. I also do a ton oflunges regularly to tone up. “I usually like to finish my workoutswith a 30-minute run to finish strong. It’s tough but feels awesomeafter.” Stacy recently spoke of her belief it is important to look afterher emotional wellbeing through meditation. She said: “I’m a bigbeliever in maintaining a balance between body, mind and spirit.Take some time to meditate and restore your mind, even if it’s justfive minutes a day. It’s so good for your overall being! “You arewhat you eat. This is a major rule I live by and it’s true. I’ve learned alot experimenting with food and different cleanses.”

Global traveler Nicholas Hoult

Nicholas Hoult is running out of pages in his passport because he travels so much. The 23-year-old actor mainly divides his time between London and Los Angeles, and also regularly jets offon film shoots, but insists he doesn’t mind because he is so used to taking airplanes. He said:

“I’m in England but I’m shooting in South Africa and then coming back to Los Angeles, I’m running outof passport pages. It’s a lot of flying but my dad was a pilot so I’m pretty good on planes.” Nicholas -who previously dated Jennifer Lawrence - likes to spend him downtime reading up on the internet butsays he never reads anything about himself. He told People magazine: “I read stuff on the internet [torelax]. The last thing I looked up was how to pick a lock because it’s a good thing to know. But I don’tread gossip and I try to be private. Otherwise when people watch you onscreen, they think about whatthey know about you.”

The ‘Fashion Police’ host admits mother Sharon Osbourne used to ask when she wasready to start a family, but she is relieved the pressure is now off after her brotherJack and his wife Lisa welcomed their daughter Pearl into the world last April. Kelly

- who is dating Matthew Mosshart - said: “Mum’s besotted with her first grandchild - it’staken the pressure off me. I’d love kids in the future, but I’m in no rush.” And despitebeing blissfully happy with Matthew, Kelly insists she is in no rush to get married. Sheadded to Closer magazine: “I love being with Matthew but I’m not going to push himinto proposing. These things have to happen naturally - I’m a romantic.” However, lastmonth Kelly appeared to be keen for Matthew to pop the question. She said: “Isn’t thaton every girl’s radar? You’re born, and you’re like ‘I want to get married.’ Honestly, when ithappens, it happens, and if I’m lucky enough, maybe you actually won’t see me single.”

Osbourne is ‘in no rush’ to have children

Eva Longoria loves cats

Eva Longoria thinks she has a lot in common with cats. Theformer ‘Desperate Housewives’ star - who recently admit-ted she hasn’t given up on finding love - has revealed she

is a “pretty passionate” cat lover and thinks they are very similarto women. The 37-year-old actress told People.com: “I alwaysfound that I identified with them. Cats are feminine and inde-pendent and playful, much like a woman.” The actress - who haspartnered with Sheba cat food in the US to kick off the FeedYour Passion campaign, which encourages cat lovers to visit thebrand’s website and share a photo of themselves and their pet,or a video of their greatest passion in a bid to win $5,000 -revealed she grew up with a huge amount of cats and her moth-er hid the death of her favourite feline from her to protect her.She said: “I grew up with a lot of cats, but one in particular, hername was Cindy. She was like a member of our family. I swearshe lived for 20, 25 years because every childhood photo, she’sin it with all my sisters and me. “My mom didn’t even tell me shedied. She told me she ran away ... I believed her in college.” Evahas recently been spotted spending time with her ex-boyfriendEduardo Cruz but previously revealed she doesn’t think she onlyhas one soul mate. She said: “I’m hopelessly romantic and I thinkthere are a lot of people who could be a good match. I don’thave to find a soul mate.” Eva and Eduardo split in June last yearafter which she enjoyed a brief relationship with Mark Sanchez,before going their separate ways in October. —Bang Showbiz

37L I F E S T Y L EMONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

F a s h i o n

I’m a Catholic, but I’ll admit it (or should Isay “confess” it?): When Pope Benedict XVIannounced his pending resignation, my

first thought wasn’t religious. It was in factdownright superficial. “There goes the best-dressed pontiff ever!” During his nearly eightyears on the throne of St. Peter, Benedict hasalways looked absolutely perfect, sartoriallyspeaking, whether garbed in elaborate vest-ments for an Easter liturgy or clad in the sim-ple but meticulously tailored white caped cas-sock (it’s called a “simar” in church lingo) thathe wears on more ordinary occasions. He’sbeen the Duke of Windsor of popes.

My own fashion sense is nearly nonexist-ent, but that only makes me more apprecia-tive of Benedict’s. Some highlights: Benedictsaying Mass in 2008 at Washington’s NationalsPark stadium in a billowing scarlet satin chas-uble (a priest’s outermost liturgical garment)trimmed with crimson velvet and delicategold piping. Benedict greeting worshipers inRome, his chasuble this time woven of emer-ald-green watered silk with a pattern of gold-en stars. Benedict on Oct. 21 canonizingKateri Tekakwitha, the first Native Americansaint, while attired in a fanon, a gold-and-white striped shoulder covering, dating to the8th century, that only popes may wear.

Benedict’s immediate predecessor, PopeJohn Paul II, was a saintly figure and a com-manding intellectual presence, but he had lit-tle interest in clothes, tending to wear what-ever was handed to him and shunning elabo-rate adornments. Pope Paul VI, who reignedfrom 1963 to 1978, started out dressing fancy,but he gradually simplified his attire, aban-doning, for example, the papal tiara, the hightriple crown that popes had worn since theearly Middle Ages.

Benedict didn’t bring back the tiara, but hehas revived many other traditional papal gar-ments and accessories. For his public appear-ances he almost always wears the bright redshoes that popes have worn since Romantimes (John Paul preferred brown or blackfootwear). Benedict also began wearing themozzetta, a waist-length cape, and the

camauro, a red velvet cap with a white furborder that reminded Americans of a SantaClaus hat. Neither of those items had beenseen much on popes since the end of theSecond Vatican Council in 1965.

Benedict’s sartorial revivals have offendedmany liberal Catholics, who argue that he hasbeen trying to “turn back the clock,” as theyoften put it, on the churchly reforms of VaticanII. The cattiest critic was Hans Kung, the dissi-dent German priest who had once been a col-league of Benedict, or Josef Ratzinger as hewas then called, on the faculty of theUniversity of Tubingen. In a 2008 op-ed articlefor the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Kungcalled Benedict’s style of dress “pompous” andcompared him to Pope Leo X of the 16th cen-tury, notorious for selling indulgences andfamously painted by Raphael in fur-trimmedmozzetta and camauro.

Others have used the phrases “over the

top” and “major bling” to describe Benedict’staste in vestments, deeming the pope a fop-pish aesthete. Still others, such as the gayblogger Andrew Sullivan, have speculatedthat Benedict is himself gay. Catholic conser-vatives counter that Benedict’s attire exempli-fies a “hermeneutic of continuity,” a deliberatesymbolic effort to link his 21st century papacyto centuries of Catholic tradition.

My own take on Benedict’s wardrobe issomewhat different. I don’t believe that aes-thetics is mere window-dressing. In her 2005book “The Substance of Style,” economicspundit Virginia Postrel wrote: “Aesthetics isthe way we communicate through the sens-es.... Aesthetics shows rather than tells,delights rather than instructs. The effects areimmediate, perceptual and emotional.” Platoargued that the beautiful, while not exactlythe same as the good, is a kind of comple-ment to the good that points to the good and

shows off the good via sensory media.That is what I believe is exactly Benedict’s

aim. Over the last couple of decades, theRoman Catholic Church has been besmirchedwith ugliness, scarred by clerical sexual preda-tion abetted by clueless and self-promotingbishops. Benedict has used beauty to demon-strate tangibly that the Catholic faith that heand the members of his church share is itselfbeautiful and indestructible, and that it shinesthrough despite all human efforts to wreck it.

It is especially fitting for our time that thepope has chosen his own liturgical apparel asan aesthetic medium. In the world of whatpasses for sophisticated culture these days,beauty and art have become nearlyunmoored from each other. Art is supposed tobe transgressive, while beauty is judgedmerely ornamental. Paint a Madonna, andyou’ve got calendar kitsch. Paint a Madonna,and add some elephant dung and pictures of

female genitalia cut out from porn magazines,and you’ve got a work to be exhibited in anexclusive gallery. Only in the decorative anduseful arts-jewelry, fabrics, home furnishings,clothing, the design of cars, machines, andeven humble objects-are beauty and finecraftsmanship still the criteria by which wejudge value.

Pope Benedict XVI has been the pope ofaesthetics, the pope who plays Mozart on thepiano for his own private entertainment andwho can write theological books in such lucid,limpid prose that ordinary people can readthem for pleasure. He has reminded a worldthat looks increasingly ugly and debased thatthere is such a thing as the beautiful-whetherit’s embodied in a sonata or an altarpiece oran embroidered cope or the cut of a cassock-and that earthly beauty ultimately communi-cates a beauty that is beyond earthlythings.—MCT

Benedict XVI, the best-dressed pope

Pope Benedict XVI waves faithfuls and pilgrims during a meetingwith youths at the Santa Maria Degli Angeli Basilica on June 17,2007 in Assisi, Italy.

Pope Benedict XVI wearing green robe visits delSanto Padre a San Giovanni Rotondo in Italy, June20, 2009. —MCT photos

Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd at a Mass inYankee Stadium in New York City, April 20, 2008.

After taking the name Pope Benedict XVI, GermanCardinal Joseph Ratzinger greets the crowd in St.Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Italy, April 19, 2005.

Pope Benedict the XVI in his white robes during anaudience, January 4, 2006.

Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd during a welcoming ceremonyon the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 16,2008.

Pope Benedict XVI with the hat called “saturno” during his publicaudience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, June 15, 2011.

Pope Benedict XVI meets Romanianpresident Traian Basescu at Vatican City,February 15, 2013.

In this April 24, 2005 file photograph,Pope Benedict XVI blesses a nun duringhis Ceremony of Investiture on St Peter’sSquare in Vatican City.

Pope Benedict XVI wears his red shoes ashe walks down the gangway upon hisarrival at the International airport ofZagreb in Croatia, June 4, 2011.

Pope Benedict XVI with the hat called“saturno”.

Tokyo Sweets Collection

Models display hair ornaments and accessories made of sweets designed by Japanese patissiers during the Tokyo Sweets Collection in Tokyo. Nine Japanese patissiers showed off their fashion creations, madeof confectionery and fruits. —AFP

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

l if e s t y l eF E A T U R E S

Musicians, take note: Next time youtravel abroad, you might need a pass-port - for your instrument. Delegates

attending a global biodiversity conference inBangkok this week are debating a US proposalto streamline international customs checks fortravelers with musical instruments that legallycontain endangered wildlife products likeexotic hardwoods, ivory or tortoise shell.

The goal is not to burden musicians, but tomake foreign travel easier by doing away withcumbersome import and export permits andensuring legal instruments aren’t confiscated,said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director DanAshe, who is leading Washington’s delegationto the 178-nation Convention on InternationalTrade in Endangered Species in Thailand’s cap-ital, Bangkok. The proposal is expected to bevoted on as early as Friday. If approved, travel-ers would be able to carry a “musical instru-ment passport” valid for three years.

The CITES framework was signed in 1973 toensure the survival of the world’s flora and fau-na by regulating international trade in threat-ened species. About 35,000 species arepresently protected.

Ashe said he was not aware of any cases ofinternational customs agents seizing instru-ments, and if it has happened, it ’s been

extremely rare. But concern over the issuewithin the US music industry rose sharply in2011, when federal agents raided the factoriesand offices of Gibson Guitar to seize what theysaid was illegal ebony wood shipped to theguitar maker from India. Gibson was the sub-ject of a similar raid in 2009 for using woodallegedly exported illegally from Madagascar.

After the raids, “people started raising seri-ous questions about their instruments,” Ashetold The Associated Press in an interview inBangkok this week. “They said, ‘If my guitarcontains Brazilian rosewood ... if my violin bowis made of exotic hardwood, is it going to betaken away from me when I travel?’”

Violin bows are a major concern. Some areworth hundreds of thousands of dollars, andthe last thing their owners want is to risk hav-ing them confiscated. “What we want to do ismake sure people can comply with the law,and do so easily,” Ashe said. “So we came upwith this idea of the musical instrument pass-port that would allow people to have one doc-ument to move through multiple countries.”

Ashe said his department had consultedwith musicians’ organizations including theInternational Music Products Association. Thatgroup, along with the League of AmericanOrchestras, has called for CITES to protect the

ability of musicians to travel abroad with theirinstruments and appealed for exemptions forthose traveling with instruments that can bedeclared as personal effects.

At present, musicians whose instruments

contain internationally regulated wildlifeproducts - many of them built long beforeCITES was established - are supposed to getexport permits or certifications from everycountry they visit.

“Understanding how to navigate the cur-rent international and domestic permitrequirements - which vary from country tocountry - is very complicated and confusing,”said Heather Noonan, vice president for advo-cacy at the League of American Orchestras.

“Streamlining the permit process through apassport of some kind could be quite helpful,but it is essential that a passport be voluntary,and take into account the time, expense, andpractical realities of traveling with instru-ments,” Noonan said. “It is key that steps aretaken ... to educate the music communityabout how to navigate the permit rules - boththose existing CITES requirements, and thevarying domestic endangered species permitrules for each country.”

In the U.S., the passport-like documentswould be issued by the Fish and WildlifeService and could be obtained by mail, Ashesaid. They would be issued by the relevantauthority in other nations.

The passport issue is one of 70 proposalsunder discussion at the CITES conference,which began Sunday and lasts two weeks.Most of the proposals will determine whethermember nations increase or lower the level ofprotection for various species, including polarbears, sharks, rays and timber. — AP

US proposes ‘musical instrument passports’

A shop assistant picks up a cello out of the show window for customers.

By Mary Ann Anderson

The azaleas and dogwoods are beginning toblossom in Georgia, their captivating colorand sweeter-than-sweet fragrance signaling

the Masters aren’t far behind. There’s just some-thing about the flowers and tall, gracious pines onthe world’s most iconic golf tournament that castsa magical spell on Augusta National and trans-forms it into more garden than golf course.

The Masters may indeed be the main event inAugusta, but long after the last prayers areuttered at Amen Corner, long after the roars of thecrowd grow faint, and long after the gloriousspring flowers fade, the historic city is abuzz withfestivals, events and excellent restaurants.

Augusta just loves a party, so on the first Fridayof every month, the town kicks up its heels forFirst Friday. Held on Artists Row in downtown, thefree event is a gathering of artists and craft ven-dors coming together to sell their creations in afestive atmosphere with live music, food, and per-formances. Lots of boutiques and restaurants stayopen late to accommodate the crowds.

• March goes I r ish green, as green as aMasters jacket, on St Patrick’s Day with a free fes-tival and parade celebrating the heritage of theEmerald Isle.

• April is for more than the Masters. Augusta’sbeautiful homes, many of the antebellum, meanbeautiful gardens-it’s why it’s nicknamed theGarden City. The Sacred Heart Garden Festivalpays homage to these large, private gardens.Tours of the gardens, horticultural lectures andexhibits, and a popular plant market draw garden-ers from across the South.

• May brings Thunder Over Augusta, a festivalcelebrating Armed Forces Day with skydivers,extreme stunt performers, and fireworks. And alsoin May is A Day in the Country, which hosts big-name country music stars and draws thousands ofmusic lovers to Augusta Riverfront Marina. PapaJoe’s Banjo-B-Que is in May, too, and featuresbluegrass music and a Kansas City BarbecueSociety-sanctioned cook-off.

• In June, Pride Augusta hosts a two -day festi-

val of performances, speakers, vendors and theannual Pride Parade celebrating Augusta’s LGBTcommunity.

• When summer temperatures rise in August,get cool and wet on the serene and historicSavannah River with Paddlefest, a fun-filled racewith canoeing, kayaking, and paddle-boarding. Orbetter yet, get in on the action with a homemaderaft of your own. After crossing the finish line,head to the Augusta Riverfront Marina for foodand games.

• September brings Arts in the Heart ofAugusta, a festival that celebrates Augusta’sdiverse cultural heritage with ethnic foods, origi-nal art, pottery, and jewelry frm more than 30countries.

• The Westobou Festival in October takes placeover five days in locations around Augusta andNorth Augusta, just over the state line in SouthCarolina. The festival, only a few years old, has

grown to one of the South’s premier cultural cele-brations of film, music, words, dance and visualarts.

• The Oliver Hardy Festival, also in October,honors Georgia native Oliver Hardy and his come-dy partner Stan Laurel. Held in tiny Harlem, just onthe outskirts of Augusta, its highlight is a don’tmiss Look-A-Like contest. The Greek Festival, heldat the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, is inOctober, too, and so is the Hispanic Festival atAugusta Common, an events park in downtown.And Boshears SkyFest rounds out the month withone of Georgia’s biggest air shows.

• To end the year in December, the ChristmasLight-Up Spectacular, also at Augusta Common,scores with a parade, holiday market, fireworks,and the lighting of the Christmas tree.

Like food? Just as hotdogs and pretzels are tobaseball, pimento cheese and egg salad sand-wiches are to the Masters. As fresh and delicious

as they are, no one can live on bread alone. Thefare at Augusta’s restaurants runs the gamut fromsimple Southern favorites like grandmother-inspired fried chicken and collard greens to spe-cial-occasion gourmet fare.

“I love the Masters,” says Emma Newsome,who, between bites of catfish-filled taco at theRooster’s Beak, one of Augusta’s trendy down-

town restaurants, says she makes the trek to thetournament every year from her home inTennessee. “I’m from a small town, so when I comehere, I’m always a little overwhelmed by the widerange of restaurants here. Who knew that Augustahad such great food?”

The Rooster’s Beak specializes in tacos filledwith Southern-inspired ingredients like catfish,chicken, and pulled meat-sort of where Mexicomeets the South-and is more on the casual side.For more upscale dining, think five- and seven-course dinners, an Augusta favorite is La Maisonon Telfair, located in an elegant 1853 mansion inthe historic district.

The Bee’s Knees takes Augusta around theworld with Thai, Spanish, Cajun, Mediterranean,Japanese, and French cuisine, while Frog HollowTavern incorporates uniquely Georgia ingredientslike Sapelo Island Clams, Georgia Wild Shrimp, andVidalia Onions into their dishes.

The menu choices and desserts at the BollWeevil Cafe and Sweetery are as Southern as thecafe’s name: Fried Green Tomatoes, Bubba Nachosand 7th Heaven Cake. Manuel’s Bread Cafe inNorth Augusta mixes up traditional French disheswith rich European-style desserts.

Sconyers Bar-B-Que is a Georgia institutionsince 1956 and was featured in People magazineas one of the top 10 barbecue joints in theUnited States. The favorite is ribs, which are oftenshipped to official Georgia event and once eventhe White House, but everything else is good,too. And try the P.I. Bar and Grill, located insidethe Old South-style Partridge Inn, where theverandah overlooks the leafy Summerville his-toric district. — MCT

Georgia’sAugusta offers

much more than just the Masters

Public parks and private gardens abound in Augusta. Spring brings a kaleidoscope of col-or with Augusta’s iconic azaleas.

The Rooster’s Beak in downtown Augusta is but one of the city’s uniquely-named restau-rants.

Visitors enjoy the many craft and art offerings at the Arts in the Heart ofAugusta festival.

Galleries along Artists Row in downtown Augusta welcome patrons on First Friday,a lively, festive event held on the first Friday of each month throughout the year.

Springtime in Georgia means azaleas in a kaleidoscope of color.

The plant market at the Sacred HeartGarden Festival in April brings in guestsfrom all across the South.

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

l if e s t y l eF E A T U R E S

Purple and orange. Mottled and speckled.Blue kernels dangling from silver chains.Show Debra Groat a seed, and she’ll show

you a wonder. “Without those seeds,” she says, “Iwould just be one of the hundreds of thousandsof people who make jewelry.” The heirloom seedsthat Groat grows and crafts into art representmore than a hobby to her. They represent 10,000years of women’s toil and farmers’ sweat. Theyrepresent outrage at the loss of precious heir-loom crops in an industrialized world.

She is not amused when people ask sillyquestions that disrespect the bean and its sistervegetable, corn. “I’ve been at craft shows wherepeople ask questions like, ‘If I’m outside, willsquirrels chase me?’ and ‘If I get it wet, will mynecklace sprout?’” says Groat, 58. “One time thislady said to me, ‘If it’s really hot outside, will thecorn on my necklace pop?’ And I thought tomyself, lady, if it’s that hot outside, the necklacewill be the last thing you’ll worry about.”

Jewelry usually does not have a subtext ofagricultural urgency. So if people fail to properlyappreciate the seeds, perhaps it is because sofew people understand what Groat actually does.It is technically difficult to attach seeds to jewelryprongs, much less organically grow heirloombeans and corn, harvest it by hand, then spendat least 7 months drying, freezing and preparingseeds before they can be used.

It has been 11 years of trial and error to per-fect her secret process of drilling a seed, but leav-ing it perfectly undamaged. She is also ruthlessabout the seeds she uses in her art. Misfits thatare misshapen or imperfect go straight into hersoup pot.

And she has figured out that she can’t buyother people’s seeds. Commercial heirloom seedcompanies tend to harvest by machine, whichleaves chips and cracks. So she needs to growher own. In her second-floor workshop in herrural home in Rhodes, Mich, northwest ofPinconning, Groat works amid glass jars brim-ming with bean and corn seeds. They have exoticand folksy names-Indian Woman, Red Calypso,Tigers Eye, Black Good Mother, Mayflower,Jacob’s Cattle, Hopi Blue and Oaxacan (wa-Hawk-an) Green Dent.

Plain-spoken and plainly dressed, Groat pourseverything she’s got into the beauty of her jewel-ry “It is exceptional,” says Michelle Holmes, man-ager of the Dow Gardens gift shop in Midland,Mich, which has carried Groat’s work for threeyears. Holmes has seen a lot of other jewelry butnothing that surprises shoppers so much.

“They say, ‘Are those seeds?’” she says. “It’s agreat conversation piece.” Debra Groat is the sis-ter, daughter, granddaughter and great-grand-daughter of Michigan farmers. Her family hasworked the land and raised dairy cattle inStandish since the 1880s. Her passion for seedsmay seem strange to city dwellers, but in everysmall, modest, overlooked bean seed she sees atrail of glory.

“People who immigrated to America broughttheir seeds with them, and if they didn’t save

those seeds and plant them, they didn’t eat,” shesays. She holds some shiny black seeds in thepalm of her hand. “I look at these seeds, and I canfeel I might start crying. The thought that theCherokees carried them on the Trail of Tears, thatthey carried the exact same bean I have here, itjust gives me the shivers.” At least 93 percent ofvegetable seed varieties planted in the US havegone extinct since the early 1900s, according tothe Rural Advancement FoundationInternational, which advocates for environmen-tally sound farming practices. Those seeds werereplaced by a handful of commercial hybrids andgenetically modified seeds.

So pardon Groat if she feels protective of herhumble heirloom seeds. Her company, SaverineCreek Heirlooms, is named after a river that runsthrough the family farm. Her earrings, braceletsand necklaces are for sale online for $24 to $136,and at a few gift shops, and once she came pret-ty close to being featured in Paula DeenMagazine. But 11 years in, “I’ve never turned aprofit,” she says.

On the other hand, it’s better than working atthe auto parts store. Groat grew up on the familyfarm, now called Hagley Farms and run by herbrother, Tim Hagley, and their parents. After highschool, she briefly attended Central MichiganUniversity, quit, got married, had two children

and went to work. First, she toiled in an autoparts store. Her specialty was mixing automotivepaint. That was followed by 13 years as a stockclerk for the Arenac County Road Commission.

During the summers, her older brother, DougHagley, a master gardener who lives in the UpperPeninsula, would come to the family farm. There,he would grow half an acre of the most exoticheirloom crops he could find, sometimes soexotic the family didn’t even eat them. Elevenyears ago, Groat noticed how beautiful some ofthe seeds were.

“I was working full time, and who pays atten-tion to beans or thinks about them?” she says.“But, oh, my gosh, these were beautiful. I won-dered if I could make jewelry out of them.” Shebegan experimenting, avoiding seeds that wereplain white. Instead, “I looked for the beauty ofthe seed and whether it had a documented his-tory.” Gradually, Doug grew more and more heir-looms for her. When she and her husband, GregGroat, built a house in Rhodes seven years ago,she started an heirloom garden there. She quither job with the county, and her life intertwinedeven more with the beans.

This February, Groat’s garden is fallow, its

rough ground surrounded by lonely wire fenc-ing. The land is windswept with snow. In winter,she still shells dried beans while watching TV.She is home-schooling an 18-year-old grandsonat her house. She exhibits her work when andwhere she can, avoiding craft shows and theirdumb questions, preferring master gardeningshows and their wiser patrons. Five years ago ona cold March day, Groat fell while alone, carryingwood in front of her house. She broke her legand shoulder. She lay outside for more than fourhours until her husband found her.

She recovered, but still has two brackets andnine bolts in her left leg. She doesn’t have asmuch stamina as she used to. She is not sup-posed to sit for hours, because that makes herstiff, but she can’t walk too quickly, either. Ithumbles her. But perhaps she should not be sohumble. Her work, though not famous, containsa strength and character that speaks to her pas-sion for the objects used in it. Beans are plain.But beans feed the world.

“For her, it’s a cause. It’s a lifestyle, using theseheirloom seeds that are almost forgotten. Andshe’s very fine technically,” says friend NelsonYoder. “It is very rare, very unusual, what she

does. I don’t know how she promotes it, but theright person would be overjoyed by such a gift.”But she certainly won’t share her techniques orsupplies with other jewelry makers. “When peo-ple call and ask if they can buy my seeds, I sayno,” she says. “I grow just enough to make myjewelry, have some for eating and to replant. Ifpeople want seeds for jewelry, they should growtheir own for 10 years first.

“People want to copy me, and it gets undermy skin.” One thing Groat has in her workshop isa basket of old seed jewelry that people havegiven her over the years. One strange necklacehas some kind of unknown white round seeds,plus a long, white razor-edged bone the lengthof a finger. Yet another necklace is crafted of tinysquash seeds, hundreds of them, dyed orangeand a deeper orange to create a pattern. It’sstrung on plain string. The end has a safety pinon it. She touches the necklace reverently. “Thisis old. You can tell it is authentic NativeAmerican,” she says. “I should have it restored.”There is one piece of good news about this oldseed necklace. It did not sprout, nor did squirrelschase it. You might even be tempted to call it awonder.

What is an heirloom seed?Heirloom seeds are what fed the pioneers.

What Cherokee women carried on the forcedTrail of Tears march west. What farmers all overthe world planted until the mid-20th Century.Seeds from true heirlooms are self-reproducing,coming up exactly the same each generation.But almost all modern seeds at the store arehybrids, which grow true only for one season (ifyou harvest the seeds and replant, they eitherwon’t sprout or will revert to look like one par-ent.)

Debra Groat and her brother Doug Hagley arealarmed by the disappearance of heirloom veg-etable and grain seeds-and even more so by theadvent of genetically modified crops that cancross-pollinate and contaminate older varieties.“The diversity of crops, which we will need as dif-ferent diseases and pests arise, is beingdestroyed,” Hagley says. See a stark illustration ofthe decline in vegetable seed types over the past80 years at

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/food-variety-graphic.—MCT

Debra Groat of Rhodes, Michigan, useshand-sown and harvested organic heir-loom seeds and beans to create artisan jew-elry she sells through her business,Saverine Creek Heirlooms.— MCT photos

Jewelry-maker turns love of heirloom seeds into wearable art

Convince me that youhave a seed there, and Iam prepared to expectwonders

— Henry David Thoreau

Danny Boyle gave the South by Southwest(SXSW) festival a sneak preview of hisnew movie Saturday, a dark thriller in

which the director says you won’t know thegood guy until the end of the story.”Trance,”which opens March 27 in Europe and nextmonth in North America, stars James McAvoy,Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel in a tale thatblends the world of fine art with criminal gangsand hypnotherapy.

In conversation with New York Times writerDavid Carr, the Oscar-winning director of“Slumdog Millionaire” said he recently noticeda common thread in his genre-jumping proj-ects-a character with incredible odds to over-come. “The difference in this film is that youdon’t know which character it is,” he said. “Youdon’t know until the end.”

Besides the trailer already up for viewingonline, Boyle presented a harrowing segment,set at night on harbor docks, in which Cassel istrapped inside a car that McAvoy soaks withgasoline and then sets on fire.

Boyle, 56, affably dismissed suggestions hewas spoiling the plot for the SXSW crowd, not-ing that “Trance”-befitting of its title-openswith “an amnesia effect” that should work onfilmgoers.

“At first you’re absolutely certain youshould root for James McAvoy,” said Boyle,whose other crowd-pleasing efforts include“Trainspotting, “127 Hours” and the openingceremony of the 2012 London OlympicGames. “But then it kind of shifts... and that’s

one of the appeals of the film.”Speaking to an audience filled with inde-

pendent filmmakers with dreams of Hollywoodsuccess, Boyle said he has been blessed to workwith major studios that give him a “cap”-aspending limit-but trust him with full creativecontrol. Joining Boyle on stage at SXSW wasRick Smith, his longtime soundtrack collabora-tor since “Trainspotting” in 1996, which promi-nently featured music from Smith’s electronicdance music group Underworld.

Smith noted that Underworld was reluctantat first to contribute to “Trainspotting” afterBoyle told him it was about a group of heroinaddicts in a grim corner of Scotland’s otherwisepicturesque capital Edinburgh. “Then Dannysaid, ‘Come along and I’ll show you 15 minutes,’”Smith recalled. He then viewed a scene in whichEwan McGregor dives into a sordid toilet bowlthen swims through tropical waters to recoversome lost suppositories.

That same clip was screened at Saturday’sdiscussion-along with a segment from Boyle’s1994 directorial film debut “Shallow Grave”-andSmith said he immediately saw humor, intelli-gence and compassion in the project.

“And at the end of the clip, it became thecomplete opposite: ‘You can use anything ofours thatyou want in your film,’” the musicianremembered telling Boyle. Boyle, who grew upwith late 1970s punk and then frequented ravesin the 1990s, cited music as a powerful influ-ence. “I see my life in pop music... and you tellyour stories through that prism,” he said. — AFP

Danny Boyle lifts veil on upcoming ‘Trance’

Public parks and private gardens

abound in Augusta.Spring brings a

kaleidoscope of colorwith Augusta’s iconic azaleas.

Camels rather than locomotives lumberover the railway tracks in this remotedesert, famously traversed by storied

French adventurers Arthur Rimbaud andHenry de Monfreid in the early 20th century.The old French-built railway that connectedAddis Ababa, the capital of landlockedEthiopia, to the Red Sea port of Djibouti, isnow being replaced by a Chinese-built electri-fied railway, a bold project that seeks to boostEthiopia’s commercial exports.

The new project also symbolizes a shift inEthiopia’s international relations. “You seenowadays that the dice are thrown differently.Chinese, Indian (and) Turkish interests are nowtaking over.. . times have changed,” saidHugues Fontaine, author of the recently pub-lished book “Un Train en Afrique”, or AfricanTrain, about the historic Ethiopian train.Indeed, Ethiopia is casting its dice eastward-seeking investors to help it achieve itsgrandiose Growth and Transformation Plan(GTP), which seeks to boost economic growthand achieve middle income status by 2025.The construction of the railway is a key com-ponent of the GTP: a series of eight rail corri-dors totaling 4,744 kilometers (2,948 miles),creating a series of key trade routes to neigh-boring Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan and-cru-cially-to Djibouti’s port.

Two Chinese companies are contracted tobuild the $2.8 billion (2.15 billion euro) lineconnecting Addis Ababa to the Djiboutianborder by 2016, and Turkish and Braziliancompanies are slated to construct other seg-ments of the nation-wide rail network. “We areworking day and night,” said Zacharia Jemal,project manager working for the EthiopianRailways Corporation. Zacharia said the proj-ect will create 5,000 local jobs, and allowEthiopia

to boost exports of key commodities suchas coffee and sesame. It also offers the oppor-tunity to get Ethiopian workers trained byengineers from the Chinese Civil EngineeringConstruction Corporation.

The company is building the line fromMieso to the Djibouti border at a cost of $1.2

billion (923 million euros), of which 70 percentis financed by the Export-Import Bank ofChina and 30 percent by the Ethiopian gov-ernment. Another Chinese company will buildthe Addis Ababa to Mieso segment.

While the economic benefits of the train-which will be used for both freight and pas-senger transport, replacing slow and costlytruck transport-is widely recognized, somelament the seemingly inevitable death of thehistoric French-built diesel-powered train,which went out of service in 2008 after yearsof neglect.

“In terms of the economy, the (new) traincould be very profitable for Ethiopia, onemachine could replace 10 trucks... and (main-tenance) is easier and more cost-effective,”said Josef Petros, who worked for the Frenchrailway company for more than 30 years. Buthe said that if the old train ceases to operate, itwill be a great loss for Ethiopia and for DireDawa, the commercial town in northeasternEthiopia where the main train station andworkshops were headquartered. The new sta-

tion is slated to be built just outside DireDawa, a town renowned for its French atmos-phere.

“Dire Dawa will suffer,” said Josef, who isnow the director of the French cultural centrein the city. The train station-known locally as“la gare”-and the workshops stil l stand,unused for years. Employees still arrive at workdiligently just after dawn every day, only to sitamong the abandoned train cars and import-ed French machinery, seemingly frozen intime. They still receive a monthly stipend fromthe company, which is now run by theEthiopian government. They hold out hopethat the diesel train will be revived one day,but the European Commission-funded projectto rehabilitate the old railway at a cost of $55million has stalled due to a contractual dis-pute. Nonetheless, the 750 employees-downfrom 2,000 — of the old line maintain a senseof pride at having worked for the French com-pany. Many speak French and retain anextraordinary technical knowledge of theancient trains. —AFP

Chinese railway in Ethiopiato replace historic French line

Abandoned train cars sit idle at the French-built train station, or ‘la gare,’ in Dire Dawa,north eastern Ethiopia. — AFP

39Jewelry-makerturns love ofheirloom seedsinto wearable art

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

An Indian Sikh devotee holds a snake in a procession during the Maha Shivaratri festival in Amritsar yesterday, on the occasion of the festival dedicated to the Hindu God, Lord Shiva, Maha Shivaratri.The festival of Maha Shivaratri is marked by Hindus through fasting and offering prayers in a night long vigil. —AFP

It isn’t easy sometimes to be an ordinary person in LosAngeles, so near to and yet so far from the city’s glam-orous events. You hear about the grand Oscar parties,

but you will never be invited. The award ceremony may betaking place minutes from where you live, but you watch itat home, on TV, in your sweat pants-and you might as wellbe in Dubuque.

Rodeo Drive too can make you feel like a scrap on thecutting room floor. As you stroll the wide and immaculatesidewalks of Beverly Hills’ iconic shopping street, you passby boutiques you’d feel self-conscious walking into. In thewindows are baubles and trinkets you could never in threelifetimes afford. Which is why it is rather nice to be invited tomake a private appointment at the house of Bulgari, thefine Italian jeweler that opened its doors in 1884.

Elizabeth Taylor loved Bulgari jewels. Richard Burton,whose torrid affair with her began during the filming of“Cleopatra” in Rome, accompanied her often to the flagshipshop on the Via Condotti. He liked to joke that the nameBulgari was all the Italian she knew. So it is fitting that, start-ing Oscar week, the jeweler is celebrating the Oscar-win-ning star with an exhibit of eight of her most treasuredBulgari pieces. They are heavy on diamonds and emeralds-of rare size, gleam and value.

And Bulgari knows their value well. After Taylor’s death,it reacquired some of the gems at a Christie’s auction. Onepiece, an emerald-and-diamond brooch that also can beworn as a pendant, sold for $6,578,500 - breaking recordsboth for sales price of an emerald and for emerald price percarat ($280,000). That brooch, whose centerpiece is anoctagonal step-cut emerald weighing 23.44 carats, was

Burton’s engagement present to Taylor. He followed it upontheir marriage (his second, her fifth) with a matching neck-lace whose 16 Colombian emeralds weigh in at 60.5 carats.Bulgari bought the necklace back too, for $6,130,500.

They are in the exhibit, along with Burton’s engagementring to Taylor and a delicate brooch-given to her by hus-band No. 4, Eddie Fisher-whose emerald and diamond flow-ers were set en tremblant so that they gently fluttered asTaylor moved. The jewels are not for sale.

On Tuesday night, actress Julianne Moore wore theBurton necklace, with pendant attached, at a gala forBulgari’s top clients. At the dinner hour, guests were escort-ed along a lavender-colored carpet to a nearby rooftop thathad been transformed into a Roman terrace.

Those honored guests, of course, got private viewings ofTaylor’s jewels. But so did Amanda Perry, a healer from WestHollywood who arrived the next morning for one of the firstappointments available to the public. Someone had e-mailed news of the collection to the 35-year-old Taylor fan.She walked in off the street Tuesday, when the exhibit wasopen only to press-and Sabina Pelli, Bulgari’s glamorousexecutive vice president, fresh from Rome, was taking sipsof San Pellegrino brought to her on a silver tray betweenback-to-back interviews that started at 5 am. The cameracrews were long gone when Perry came back Wednesday.She had the exhibit, and handsome sales associate TimothyMorzenti of Milan, entirely to herself.

In a black suit, still wearing on his left hand the blackglove he dons to handle fine jewels, Morzenti whisked Perryoff via a private elevator to the exhibit on the second floor.The jewels stood in vitrines mounted high off the ground.Behind them were photos and a slide show of Taylor, bejew-

eled. “Which piece would you like to see first?” Morzentiasked her as a security guard stood by. “I personally love theemerald ring.” Then he proceeded at leisure to explainBulgari-signature sugar-loaf cuts and trombino ring set-tings, while tossing in occasional Taylor stories. The best,however, was yet to come. Back in the hushed showroom,where nary a price tag is visible, he sat Perry down before ajewelry case, which he carefully unlocked. Gently, he liftedout a pair of diamond earrings, set in platinum with fancyintense yellow drops. “Would you like to try them on?” heasked as she beamed. Their price, he told her, was $1.7 mil-lion. Stars have their Cinderella moments too-when theyarrive at the Governors Ball wearing loaner jewels that soonmust be returned. Perry, however, didn’t mind when it cametime to take the earrings off. Asked how she’d spend therest of her day, she said, “Walking on a cloud. And I’ll staywith it for a while.” — MCT

Bulgari shows off Liz Taylor’sgems at its Beverly Hills store

Amanda Perry, left, gets a close up view of a sautoir in platinum with sapphires and diamonds, on display at Bulgari on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. — MCT photos

A gold hand mirror decorated with an Egyptianinspired raptor set with calibrated cut turquoise is ondisplay.

A ring in platinum with emerald and diamonds, part ofan 8-piece collection of Bulgari jewels once owned byElizabeth Taylor.

A necklace in platinum and emeralds.

A poster outside the store promotes an 8-piece collec-tion of Bulgari jewels once owned by Elizabeth Taylor.