Saudi Arabia lists 'terrorist groups' - Kuwait Times

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SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014 JAMADA ALAWWAL 7, 1435 AH No: 16098

Saudi Arabia lists ‘terrorist groups’

Brotherhood, Hezbollah on Riyadh’s terror list

KUWAIT: (From left to right) Marzouq Nasser Al-Khorafi, Fasial Nasser Al-Khorafi, HealthMinister Dr Ali Al-Obaidi and Dr Mohammed Al-Zubeid, cardiologist pictured during theinauguration of the new state-of-the-art cardiac and pediatric ICUs at Mubarak Hospitalon Thursday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Health minister Dr Ali Al-Obaidiopened new state-of-the-art cardiac and pedi-atric ICUs at Mubarak Hospital on Thursday.Al-Obaidi said the Ministry of Health spares noeffort in developing health services by provid-ing various medical facilities and units withthe latest medical equipment, best medicaland nursing staffs.

Expressing appreciation to the heirs of thelate Nasser Mohammed Abdul Mohsen Al-Khorafi for their generous donation to refur-bish the cardiac diseases ICU, Al-Obaidi saidthat the unit annually receives around 1,400patients. “The same number gets hospitalizedin cardiac diseases wards,” he underlined,explaining that the cardiac diseases depart-ment also conducts 5,500 ultrasounds, 1,600electrocardiograms and 1,000 Holter ECGsannually. “The unit also examines 1,700patients in other departments and provides

consultancy on their treatment in addition toexamining 1,300 patients in morning OPDs,2,500 patients in afternoon OPDs and referring500 patients to the chest diseases hospital forcardiac catheterizations,” he elaborated.

In addition, Al- Obaidi stressed that thepediatrics ICU has been designed according tohighest quality standards in order to reduceinfections among patients; provide the latestand most advanced diagnoses and therapiesfor cases such as acute pneumonia, epilepsyand others. “The fatality rate in the pediatricICU unit is 7 percent, which is far less thanglobal rates,” he underlined, noting that theunit includes 11 rooms and a small operationtheatre manned with 14 doctors and 48 nurs-es. Finally, Al-Obaidi urged everybody to takepart in the 5th ‘Walkathon of Heart Friends’organized by the chest diseases hospitaltoday. — KUNA

Mubarak Hospital’s cardiac, pediatric ICUs inaugurated

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has formally desig-nated the Muslim Brotherhood as a ter-rorist organization, in a move that couldincrease pressure on Qatar whose back-ing for the group has sparked a row withfellow Gulf monarchies. The US-alliedkingdom has also designated as terroristthe Nusra Front and the Islamic State inIraq and the Levant, whose fighters arebattling Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad,the Interior Ministry said in a statementpublished by state media.

Yesterday’s move appeared to enforcea royal decree last month in which Riyadh,which backs some rebel groups in Syriawith money and arms, said it would jailfor between three and 20 years any citi-zen found guilty of fighting in conflictsabroad. It underscored concern aboutyoung Saudis hardened by battle againstAssad coming home to target the rulingAl Saud royal family - as has happenedafter the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Saudi Arabia’s Islamic religious author-ities have spoken out against Saudi fight-ers going to Syria, but the Interior Ministryestimates that around 1,200 Saudis havegone nonetheless. Last month’s decreesaid a committee would be set up todetermine the groups to be outlawed.The ministry’s statement on Friday saidthe groups mentioned were those thecommittee had agreed on and that hadbeen approved by the authorities.

Riyadh fears the Brotherhood, whose

Sunni Islamist doctrines challenge theSaudi principle of dynastic rule, has triedto build support inside the kingdom sincethe Arab Spring revolutions. In anunprecedented move, Saudi Arabia, theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrainrecalled their ambassadors from Qatar onWednesday, saying Doha had failed toabide by an accord not to interfere in

each others’ internal affairs.

Gulf disputeSaudi Arabia and the UAE are fuming

over Qatar’s support for the MuslimBrotherhood, and resent the way Dohahas sheltered influential cleric YusufQaradawi, a critic of the Saudi authorities,

Continued on Page10

RAWDAT KHURAYIM: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah speaks during a meeting inRawdat Khurayim - a secluded royal hunting retreat in Saudi Arabia. SaudiArabia has identified the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group along withAl-Qaeda and other groups, warning those who join them or support themthey could face five to 30 years in prison. — AP

KUWAIT: The Gulf region eagerly awaits the return ofKuwait’s Amir who is currently undergoing medical treat-ment in US, with hope that his long career in diplomacycould help defuse the diplomatic crisis in GCC. Qatarbelieves that His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah could have helped contain the situation beforeSaudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain tookthe decision to withdraw their ambassadors from Doha.

Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported Wednesday thatthe Amir was discharged from the hospital late Tuesdayafter undergoing minor surgery, but there is still no datefor his return. There is high hope in the Arab World and onthe international scene that the Amir could spearheadsuccessful diplomatic efforts to calm the situation.“Diplomatic efforts behind the scene are currently focus-ing on limiting media instigation,” senior Gulf sources saidyesterday.

Kuwait, along with Oman are yet to release an officialstatement to comment on the latest development that isconsidered ‘the most serious threat’ against the six-mem-ber Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) since its creation in1981. The sources who spoke on the condition of anonymi-ty believe that the ‘silent’ policy is part of the road map forthe reconciliation effort. But if those efforts fail, prepara-tions have already been made by Riyadh, Abu Dhabi andManama to go ahead with ‘stage two’ against Qatar.

Continued on Page 10

High hopes on Amir as GCC

crisis worsens

L O C A LSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

KUWAIT: Vice police raided several cafes inMirqab and arrested 17 women and 52 men forviolating residency and vice laws, said securitysources. Detectives were tipped off aboutimmoral practices being carried out in somedowntown cafes. Raiding the suspected places,several Asian women were arrested for violatingresidency laws and indulging in immoral activi-ties. When the police raided, they were in inde-cent dresses with the aim of luring customers.The sources added that several Arab womenwere also arrested for dancing in indecent outfits.

GCC national granted bailFollowing up the case in which a GCC nation-

al had been arrested on entry for attempting tosmuggle in a gun and some ammunitionthrough the Southern land border exit ofNuwaisseb, the suspect was released on a KD500 bail after being cross-examined by prosecu-tion. Security sources revealed that the culpritescaped with the help of a senior MOI official,but the suspect’s family managed to convincehim to return to Kuwait and turn himself in.

Trespasser arrestedA 28-year-old Iranian was recently arrested

for trespassing into Ali Al-Salem Air Base whilemurmuring strange words and claiming to be aprophet. The man is initially thought to be men-tally disturbed. Further investigations are still inprogress.

Burglars arrestedTwo citizens and four Arab expats were

recently arrested for burglary, said securitysources noting that the gang had specialized inbreaking into mobile phone stores and stealingelectronic gadgets. Case papers indicate that fol-lowing a report on burglary at a mobile phone

store in Reqai in which several mobile phones,iPads and KD 3,400 in cash, were stolen, detec-tives managed to trace one of the stolen phonesand arrest a citizen using it. The suspect pleadedguilty as charged and led the police to his fiveother accomplices who included another a citi-zen, a GCC national, an Iraqi, a Yemeni and aSyrian.

Citizen with drugs heldA citizen was arrested for possessing a variety

of drugs, resisting arrest and threatening police-men with a gun, said security sources. A Jahrapatrol inspected a vehicle on suspicion in theindustrial area and asked the driver to pull over.The driver refused and tried to drive away. Afterbeing chased and stopped, policemen searchedhis vehicle to find 380 psychotropic pills, sevenbars of hashish, half a kilo of ICE, a bottle ofliquor, 6 Viagra pills and KD 334 in cash. The sus-pect managed to run away during the search ofthe vehicle. When he was chased and overpow-ered, he threatened a policeman with a 9 mmgun. A case was filed.

Mortar shells recoveredTwenty one mortar shells were recently

found in Kuwait City opposite to the Sheratonroundabout, said security sources. According toreport, construction laborers working in the areafound the shells while digging on site. A bombsquad was dispatched to the scene to handle theshells that turned out to be left behind by theretreating Iraqi forces.

Scorpion attackA 23-year-old citizen was recently rushed to

Jahra hospital when he was stung by a scorpion10 kilometers away from the Northern land bor-der exit of Abdali.

17 women, 52 men held in raids on Mirqab ‘vice cafes’

Mobile store burglars arrested

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: An expatriate juvenile,16, wasrecently arrested with the possession of 5,000tramadol pills, said security sources notingthat narcotics detectives had been tipped offabout the suspect’s activities. The suspectwas arrested red-handed as he tried to sellnarcotic pills to an undercover agent. A casewas filed and the suspect was referred to rele-

vant authorities.

Fire at hospitalA fire broke out at Mubarak Al-Kabeer

Hospital last week, said security sources not-ing that the fire started in an air-conditionedunit at the doctors’ break lounge. The sourcesadded that the fire started in the ceiling-fittedunit then spread to some sofas underneath.No casualties were reported.

Juvenile held with narcotic pills

KUWAIT: A pedestrian was killed and anotherwas injured in two separate accidents at onestreet in Fahaheel Thursday night. The 53-year-old Indian man died of severe head and backinjuries after he was run over by a speedingvehicle at the Makkah Street. Paramedics andpolice rushed to the scene in response to anemergency call made at 8.30 pm. An hour and ahalf earlier, an 18-year-old Jordanian womansustained back bruises after she took a car hitthough managed to shelter her 6-month-oldbaby who was unharmed. The mother was tak-en to the Adan Hospital where her condition isstated to be stable.

Suicide attemptA man was hospitalized following attempted

suicide inside an apartment in the Farwaniyagovernorate recently. The Kuwaiti national wastaken in an ambulance to the FarwaniyaHospital where doctors treated him for a self-inflicted stab wound on his abdomen.Paramedics and police had rushed to the scenein response to an emergency call made by theman’s friend. Preliminary investigations indicatethat the man stabbed himself during a mentalseizure prompted by psychological reasons. Acase was filed.

Addict with gunJahra police are waiting for a drug addict to

be released from the hospital to put charges onhim for possession of an unlicensed firearm. The38-year-old Kuwaiti man was hospitalized after

patrol police found him unconscious inside a carparked in Mutlaa. Medical staff at the JahraHospital confirmed that the man passed out as aresult of a drug overdose. A gun was reportedlyfound inside the man’s car in police search afterhe was put inside the ambulance.

Beggar heldA woman was arrested inside the Amiri

Hospital where she practiced begging and usedher disabled son to lure almsgivers. Policearrested the 35-year-old Arab woman afterreporting to the medical facilities in response tomultiple emergency calls. She used her disabledson to collect money. She was taken along withher 15-year-old son to the proper authorities,before police summoned her 40-year-old hus-band who reportedly entered Kuwait recentlywith a visit visa.

Jleeb fightAt least 20 people were recently arrested fol-

lowing a fight in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. Accordingto police report, the fight ensued following adispute between two neighbors; a Syrian whoopened a diwaniya outside his house and abedoon man who complained that the diwaniyavisitors are restricting movement outside hishouse. Both foes reportedly summoned hisfriends and a fight ensued before police cameover and put the situation under control.Several people reportedly suffered injuries as aresult of the use of knives and batons during thefight.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Oil Tankers Co (KOTC) announcedon Thursday it had officially got delivery of two newoil tankers as part of its revamping of its currentfleet, a company statement said. The delivery of thetankers “Fintas” and “Burgan” comes to fulfill thethird phase inaugurated by the company towardthe acquisition of a new fleet of at least nine newtankers, said a press statement by the company.

Al-Fintas is the first of five tankers which theSouth Korean company Daewoo Shipbuilding andMarine Engineering (DSME) is building for KOTC.The new tanker has a capacity of 2.2 million barrelsof oil whereas Burgan’s capacity is approximately340,000 barrels, said the statement.

KOTC Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah signed for today’s deliv-ery for the Kuwaiti side and S.K. Han for the Korean

side. With the addition of the two new tankers,KOTC’s total fleet size will be 23. The company indi-cated in its statement that the revamping process ofits fleet had begun with the first phase in 2003when the average age of a fleet was set at 16 years.With the completion of phases one and two and thecurrent three, that age has been constricted to onlysix and a half years, said the statement. With thecompletion of phase three of the revamping, thetotal capacity of the entire fleet is likely to stand atabout five million tons, including crude oil, LPG, andoil products, indicated the statement.

It added that the fourth phase of the revampingis to begin soon and will take into consideration notonly technical upgrading but environmentalrequirements to deal with such things as globalwarming and ozone depletion. — KUNA

Man dies, mom saves baby in Fahaheel car accidents

KUWAIT: The gutted air-conditioned unit of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital.

20 arrested for Jleeb brawl

KOTC takes delivery of two new tankers

The new ‘Al-Fintas’ oil vessel is being officially received at a ceremony.


KUWAIT: A team of senior Ministry of Social Affairsand Labor officials is currently working on devising anew testing system to scrutinize the entry of laborforces into Kuwait in order to regulate unskilled man-power in the state.

Recruitments in the private sector are currentlyclosed and the plan is to reopen it by April 1 after thecurrent system is put in place. A foreigner can enterKuwait on a commercial visit visa which can be trans-ferred into a work visa or ‘iqama’ (residency).

But currently there are no effective controls thatregulate the transferring process that will ensure thata worker is recruited to work in their field of specialty,giving room for assumptions that the present system

helps unhindered entry of unskilled labor forces intoKuwait. In a bid to address this problem, the govern-ment has considered several measures to controlrecruitment such as a university degree and workexperience as mandatory requirements.

The next step, according to recent reports, is theidea of passing job tests as a requirement for issuanceof work visas in Kuwait. For example, a worker wouldbe required to pass a test on accounting in order to beissued a visa to work as an accountant for a privatecompany in Kuwait.

In this regard, Minister of Social Affairs and LaborHind Al-Subaih released a decree recently that callsfor forming a work team whose job is to put together

the plan to execute the job tests systems.The plan, according to Al-Jarida daily yesterday,

sets the standards for making the ‘obligatory tests’that expatriate labor forces will have to take beforebeing issued a work permit.

The team will also study the possibility of prepar-ing training centers for workers who fail the tests, inorder to have a second chance to enter the labor mar-ket. Furthermore, there is a talk also of finding criteriato test Kuwaiti labor forces who enter the public andprivate sector in order to improve the quality ofnational labor forces, according to the report.

The team has a six-month timeframe to submit thereport. — Al-Jarida

Labor tests to regulate unskilled manpowerMSAL team working on new system

Bu Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of InteriorSheikh Mohammed Al-Khaled Al-Sabah stressed that the

National Guard and MOI’s special forces were the ‘eyes thatnever sleep in protecting Kuwait and the arms readilyavailable to defend it ’ . Speaking on concluding the‘Decisive Shield 4’ drill jointly held between MOI’s special

forces and the National Guards yesterday at Failaka island,Al-Khaled expressed the need to coordinate and join theefforts of both establishments to face any possible threatsand dangers.

National Guard, special forces hold drill

VIENNA: Kuwait reaffirmed here yester-day that it is the right of all countries toproduce, develop and use peacefulnuclear energy in line with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NBT).

Third Secretary at the KuwaitiEmbassy in Austria and PermanentDelegate at International Organizationsin Vienna Yaseen Al-Majid addressed anInternational Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) Board of Governors meeting onthe agreement of safeguards by sayingthat Kuwait believes in diplomacy anddialogue as the only way to bring diver-gent views closer and to settle out-standing issues pertinent to Iran’s con-troversial nuclear program.

He reminded that his country hadwelcomed practical arrangementsreached between the IAEA and Iran onNovember 11, 2013, together with theagreement reached by both sides onFebruary 9, 2014.

Kuwait looks forward to maintainingcooperation between the IAEA and Iranin order to settle relevant unresolvedmatters, thus ensuring a peacefulIranian nuclear program, he pointedout. The Kuwaiti ambassador went on tosay that Kuwait is closely monitoring thepositive development of the dealreached in November 2013, and wel-comes the outcomes of recent bilateralnegotiations in Vienna. — KUNA

DOHA: Acting Chairman of the Public Authority forYouth and Sports (PAYS) Sami Fahad Al-Ibrahim saidhere on Thursday that his Gulf tour was aimed atgetting acquainted with the successful sports expe-riences and to strengthen the bonds of sports andyouth relations between Kuwait and the Gulf states.

Al-Ibrahim added in an interview before leavingDoha to the United Arab Emirates at the end of avisit to Qatar that his delegation’s program hasbeen full of meetings and discussions with officialsin the Gulf states.

He explained that the delegation, which includ-ed a number of members of the Board of Directorsand the executive organ of the Public Authority forYouth and Sports began its Gulf tour by visiting theSaudi capital Riyadh and will conclude it in the

United Arab Emirates after Qatar.He pointed out that in spite of the short duration

of the visit to Saudi Arabia, which lasted two days,the delegation sought to achieve the greatest bene-fit from it through a program full of encounters,meetings and field visits to some facilities, addingthat the outstanding reception reflected the spirit ofbrotherhood between the GCC states.

As for the Qatar visit, Al-Ibrahim said the delega-tion’s itinerary included field visits to modern sportsfacilities in Qatar, which is a source of pride, notingthat the delegation was briefed on the future planfuture that reflects the ambitious program of thecountry and the clear-cut systematic work as well asthe state’s willingness to host all sorts of sportingactivities. —KUNA

Kuwait urges dialogueto solve Iran N-issue

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Firemen put out a fire that broke in the basement of a building in Salmiyaon Thursday evening after smoke was detected from the five-storey building. Thefire was in the basement which contained clothes and sewing accessories. Thebuilding was evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Food stores closedThe capital municipality closed five food stores in industrial Shuwaikh because

of opening and operating before obtaining health licenses. The closure took placeduring the campaign of inspectors that included several stores as part of the effortsof supervisory authorities at the municipality.

Fire breaks out in Salmiya building

PAYS Gulf tour ‘successful’: Ibrahim

DOHA: Acting Chairman of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) Sami Fahad Al-Ibrahimwith delegation members. — KUNA

Availableat The Sultan

Centre &

Carrefour


KUWAIT: Kuwait has become a cheaperplace to live according to a recent costof living survey ranking over 130 coun-tries around the world. Kuwait sharesthe 115th rank with Doha in the 2014Worldwide Cost of Living survey pub-lished by Economist Intelligence Unitthis week. Compared to the previousyear’s survey Kuwait dropped sevenspots.

According to the survey, Tokyo whichtopped the list in 2013 was dethronedby Singapore as the world’s most expen-sive city to live in. Jeddah and Riyadh,on the other hand are ranked as two ofthe least expensive cities to live in.Dubai, on the other hand, has become atad more expensive than the previousyear with a cost of living rank climbingtwo spots from 94 to 96. Compared to2011 Dubai ranked Number 78 mostexpensive city in the world.

The Worldwide Cost of Living surveyalso found that Tokyo has fallen to sixthplace from top spot in its ranking fromlast year. Paris, with a score of 129, wasranked the world’s second most-expen-

sive city, while Oslo (128), Zurich (125)and Sydney (120) ranked third throughfifth. Tokyo ranked 118, as did Caracas,Geneva and Melbourne. Copenhagen,the last city in the top 10, scored 117.

According to the index, ‘Within Asiathe best value for money is in the Indiansubcontinent (defined as India, Pakistan,Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka).Mumbai is the cheapest location in thesurvey and three of the four cheapestcities surveyed hail from Pakistan, Indiaand Nepal. Mumbai’s title as the world’scheapest city and is a reflection of thestructural factors that define price with-in the Indian subcontinent.’

The Worldwide Cost of Living surveyis released twice a year by theEconomist Intelligence Unit. It comparesmore than 400 individual prices across160 products and services in 131 cities,including food, drink, clothing, house-hold supplies and personal care items,home rents, transport, utility bills, pri-vate schools, domestic help and recre-ational costs. Over 50,000 individualprices are collected in each survey.

The survey itself is a purpose-builtinternet tool designed to help humanresources and finance managers calcu-late cost-of-living allowances and buildcompensation packages for expatriatesand business travellers. The surveyincorporates easy-to-understand com-parative cost-of-living indices betweencities. The survey allows for city-to-citycomparisons, but for the purpose of thisreport all cities are compared to a basecity of New York, which has an index setat 100. The survey has been carried outfor more than 30 years.

The biannual report compares theprice of products and services such asfood, clothing, transport, private schoolsand domestic help between 131 cities.The Worldwide Cost of Living is a twiceyearly Economist Intelligence Unit sur-vey that compares more than 400 indi-vidual prices across 160 products andservices. These include food, drink,clothing, household supplies and per-sonal care items, home rents, transport,utility bills, private schools, domestichelp and recreational costs.

Kuwait ranks 115th in global cost of living Dubai becomes more expensive city: Survey

Las Vegas Eiffel tower.

KUWAIT: In an attempt to offer residents across Kuwait increasedopportunities to travel and visit friends and loved ones, BritishAirways has announced a special fares campaign running until 10March allowing for travel until the end of July.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, there has never been a bet-ter time for residents in Kuwait to give their mum the gift of a sur-prise holiday! According to a recent survey commissioned by BritishAirways, over 40 percent of the respondents in Kuwait have not tak-en a long haul trip in the last year, so now is the perfect opportunityto take advantage of the discounted fares British Airways is offeringto cities across the UK, Europe, the US and Canada. “The timely spe-cial fares campaign allows families to plan an unexpected holiday atthe end of a very busy first quarter” said Paolo De Renzis, AreaCommercial Manager, Middle East and Central Asia. “With an influx ofvisitors from Kuwait into London each year, we are offering thesespecial fares, so that travellers can have an easy, convenient way tofly while enjoying the best of British hospitality.”

The Middle East is at the cross roads to multiple continents,making it possible to take frequent short trips - including tripsback home due to convenient travel times and flight routes -making home feel closer and more accessible. British Airwaysoffers daily flights to London from Kuwait with convenient con-nections to onward destinations for those looking to travel fur-ther than London. The discounted air fares will be available acrossClub World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller cabins until10 March 2014, and allows for travel until 31 July 2014. Fares startfrom as little as 216 KD to the UK and Europe, and 338 KD to theUSA and Canada. A full timetable of British Airways’ flights toLondon and beyond is available online at ba.com, where cus-tomers can find the lowest fares and book, pay and check-inonline for their flights.

Enjoy unexpected travel options this monthwith British Airways

Kuwait marks Int’l Women’s Day

KUWAIT: March 8th of each year marks International Women’sDay (IWD) where organizations, governments, charities, educa-tional institutions, women’s groups, corporations and the mediacelebrate the economic, political and social achievements ofwomen. Even though history is a witness of a long and hard strug-gle in making gains in women’s equality by the adaptation ofmany international agreements on women’s rights, gender equal-ity and violence against women yet the world is still unequal.Therefore IWD is celebrated every year to steer world attention onareas of women’s rights that require further focus.

Joining a global celebration, Kuwait also commemorates thisinternational occasion by identifying Kuwaiti women’s achieve-ments in the political, the social and the economic fronts.

Professor at the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait UniversityDr Siham Al-Qabandi said yesterday, that IWD is an opportunitywhere women can jointly voice out their opinions, aspirations anddesires to further their advancement in many walks of life. Al-Qabandi, a social activist, pointed out that Kuwaiti women havefought hard to gain their constitutional rights of equality; hence,they can be seen in many leading posts in governmental institu-tions. Kuwaiti women have also competed to seize the housespeaker post in the 2009 parliament. Nonetheless, they still striveto gain more of their rights, she added. Another Professor atKuwait University’s Psychological College, Dr Amthal Al-Huwailah,told KUNA that this international celebration sheds focus on vio-lence against women worldwide.

Dr Al-Huwailah, who is also head of the family center for socialand psychological counselling, said that women face domestic abusethat needs to be put an end to it. Women not only battle physicalabuse inside their household by their male partners but also psycho-logical one where they are being looked down on. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait(NBK) concluded its environmentalawareness campaign ‘Help Keep KuwaitClean and Safe’ that aimed to clean thecampsites. The campaign covered morethan hundreds of camps in differentareas in Kuwait such as Bnaider, Julaiaand Mina Abdullah. Volunteers distrib-uted more than 200 waste bins and5000 pamphlets on security precautionsand safety and how to maintain theenvironment during this campaign.

“The environment is one of our mostprecious resources and NBK appreciatesall the support and positive feedbackfrom the community,” said Yaqoub Al-Baqer, NBK Public Relations Officer. “Wewere delighted with the high numbersof NBK volunteers and the support wereceived on social networks l ikeFacebook and Twitter.”

Very well received, the campaignattracted a large number of employeeswho visited desert camps and help clean

up. The campaign was divided intothree phases. NBK volunteers visitedcampsites and cleaned up litter and oth-er waste. Volunteers also spoke withcampers and provided them with safetyand security tips.

As part of its dedication to corporatesocial responsibility, NBK supports arange of initiatives -including electricityconservation and paper recycling- aim-ing at promoting environmental aware-ness.

NBK concludes ‘Clean and Safe Camping’ campaign

9 Malaysia’s Anwar convicted of sodomy 1313

SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

N Korea set to elect

Turkish prez rejects Facebook, YouTube ban

CHONGAR: Pro-Kremlin gunmen kept foreign observers fromentering Crimea yesterday as Russia welcomed the prospect ofthe Ukrainian peninsula joining the country amid the worstEast-West crisis since the Cold War. A convoy of vehicles fromthe Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE) — led by a police car and followed by two buses carry-ing the observers and a large number of cars waving Ukrainianflags-were stopped at a checkpoint manned by armed men asthey tried to enter Crimea for a second day.

The observer mission is a crucial part of the so-called “off-ramp” US President Barack Obama is pushing to de-escalate acrisis in Ukraine that threatens to splinter the ex-Soviet nationof 46 million along its cultural divides. The heads of Russia’stwo houses of parliament meanwhile said they would respecta decision by lawmakers in the flashpoint Black Sea region torenounce ties with Kiev and stage a March 16 referendum onswitching over to Kremlin rule.

“Should the people of Crimea decide to join Russia in a ref-erendum, we will unquestionably back this choice,” saidspeaker of the upper house Valentina Matviyenko. “We willrespect the historic choice of the people of Crimea,” said herlower house counterpart Sergei Naryshkin.

Moscow police said more than 65,000 people attended arally outside the Kremlin supporting Russia’s full annexation ofthe region of two million people. The escalating threat ofUkraine being partitioned between its pro-European west andmore Russified southeast prompted Obama to place an hour-long call to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

It marked the leaders’ second lengthy phone call in fivedays and both sides described it as tough. The White House

said Obama “emphasized that Russia’s actions are in violationof Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which has ledus to take several steps in response, in coordination with ourEuropean partners.”

The European Union earlier firmed its resolve to imposestiff sanctions on Russia while also vowing to sign an historictrade pact aimed at pulling Kiev out of Moscow’s orbit beforeUkraine holds snap presidential polls on May 25. The Russianforeign ministry said in a firm statement yesterday that “it willnot accept the language of sanctions and threats” and wouldnot leave any EU punitive measures “without a response”.

Yet with Russian forces in effective control of Crimea-a pre-dominantly ethnic Russian peninsula roughly the size ofBelgium and the base of the Kremlin’s Black Sea Fleet-thethreat of Ukraine’s division seemed more real than at anypoint since Putin won parliamentary approval to use forceagainst his western neighbor. Western allies have been grap-pling with a response to Putin’s seeming ambition to recreatevestiges of the Russian empire without regard to the damagethis does to Moscow’s foreign relations or instability it creates.

Moscow argues it needs to defend ethnic Russians fromcoming under attack from ultra-nationalists who have backingfrom the new pro-EU team in Kiev. Putin has previouslydenounced the interim leaders’ rise to power as an “unconsti-tutional coup”. The new leaders in Kiev-swept to power on theback of three months of protests against a Kremlin-backedregime that claimed nearly 100 lives-immediately took stepsto disband Crimea’s parliament. Ukraine’s interim PrimeMinister Arseniy Yatsenyuk also appealed for EU powers andthe United States to rise to his nation’s defence. Yatsenyuk

yesterday called Crimea’s pro-Kremlin leaders “traitors” andsaid “no part of Ukraine will ever be a part of Russia”.

US, EU sanction Russia Washington announced visa bans on targeted Russians and

Ukrainians in the latest in a series of moves by the US adminis-tration to punish Moscow for what the White Housedenounced as “Russia’s ongoing violation of Ukraine’s sover-eignty and territorial integrity”. Obama also authorized freez-ing the assets of officials involved in ordering Russia’s militarymaneuvers in Crimea.

European leaders-split between hawkish eastern Europeanstates that were under Kremlin’s zone of influence during theCold War and big western European powers that want to limitthe damage to their economic relations with Russia-renewed acommitment to sign an EU association accord with Ukraine byMay. Ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych’s decisionto ditch that pact in November in favour of closer ties withRussia sparked the initial wave of protests that led to hisregime’s downfall and the rise of the new pro-EU government.

The EU agreed after six hours of tense discussions to sus-pend visa and economic talks with Russia-a blow for Moscow’syears-long efforts to win open European travel rights. Andthey adopted a tough statement demanding Russia enter intonegotiations in the next few days to produce “results” on cool-ing the crisis-threatening travel bans and asset freezes alongwith the cancellation of an EU-Russia summit in June if not. EUleaders also froze the assets of Yanukovych-now living inRussia-and his prime minister Mykola Azarov along with 16other former ministers.—AFP

KIEV: People hold banners and shout during a rally against the conflict between Russia and Ukraine near the Russian embassy yesterday. — AP

Gunmen block monitors in CrimeaPutin brushes aside Obama’s warnings

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2013

AQABA: US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Jordan yes-terday for talks with King Abdullah II on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, a US spokeswoman said. The briefstop in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, where the talks were held,was not previously announced. State Department spokes-woman Marie Harf said Kerry, who arrived from Rome fromwhere he also brought back his Jordanian counterpartNasser Judeh, was to discuss the Middle East peace processwith the monarch.

“We are arriving in Aqaba, Jordan, with Foreign MinisterJudeh today to see King Abdullah to talk about the peaceprocess,” Harf said. Following Kerry’s departure, the palaceissued a short statement saying that he “briefed the king onthe latest developments in the peace talks between Israeland the Palestinians”. “Kerry also briefed the king on talksbetween US President Barack Obama and Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu in Washington” this week, it said.

“The king stressed the need for achieving comprehensivepeace in line with a two-state solution...” He insisted that“Jordanian high interest, particularly in final status issues,tops Jordan’s priorities”, the statement said without elabo-rating. Jordan is one of only two Arab states to have signed apeace treaty with Israel, and King Abdullah holds a specialposition because the 1994 accord recognizes his country’s“historic” role in caring for Muslim holy sites in eastJerusalem. Last month, Jordan warned that it might reviewthe peace treaty after Israeli MPs debated allowing Jewishprayers at Jerusalem’s sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound,saying the kingdom’s custodianship was “not a privilegegranted by Israel”. Israel and the Palestinians remain dead-locked in ongoing peace talks that Kerry helped to launchlast July.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urgedPalestinian president Mahmud Abbas to recognize Israel as aJewish state and to “abandon the fantasy” of flooding it withreturning Palestinian refugees. His remarks sparked a furiousreaction from the Palestinians, who denounced his demandand said it had effectively put the final nail in the coffin ofthe talks.

Kerry’s Herculean task The spat threw a harsh spotlight on the divide between

the two sides and the Herculean task faced by Kerry, who istrying to get them to agree on a framework for extendingdirect peace talks beyond an April 29 deadline. Israel hasrepeatedly insisted there will be no peace deal withoutaddressing the issue of recognition, and a clause relating tothis has been inserted into Kerry’s as-yet-unpublished frame-work proposal.

For the Palestinians, the issue is intimately entwined withthe fate of their refugees who were forced out of their homesor fled in 1948 when Israel became a state. They seeNetanyahu’s demand as a way of sidestepping a negotiatedsolution to the refugee issue.—AFP

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s president yesterdayruled out any ban on Facebook andYouTube after Prime Minister TayyipErdogan said the sites could be shut to stophis foes anonymously posting audiorecordings purportedly exposing corrup-tion in his inner circle. In the latest record-ing, released on YouTube late on Thursday,Erdogan is purportedly heard berating anewspaper owner over the telephoneabout an article and suggesting the jour-nalists be sacked, in comments that will fur-ther stoke concerns over media freedomand Erdogan’s authoritarian style of leader-ship.

Erdogan, who rejects any accusations ofcorruption, blames US-based TurkishMuslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, a formerally, for the wiretaps which he says havebeen “fabricated”. Gulen, who denies anyinvolvement, has many followers in Turkey,especially in the police and judiciary.President Abdullah Gul, a co-founder ofErdogan’s ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party,said freedom of expression was an impor-tant value buttressed by the government’sown reforms.

“Closure (of the social media sites) is outof the question,” Gul said when askedabout Erdogan’s threat, adding that undera recent law authorities could block accessto material on the sites if a person’s privacywere violated. “We are always proud of thereforms we have made regarding thebroadening of freedoms,” said Gul, who hascome under fire from liberal-minded Turksover the past year for not contesting somegovernment measures they see as curtail-ing basic freedoms.

As president, Gul can veto laws onceand send them back to parliament for fur-ther work. In a TV interview on Thursday,Erdogan raised the option of a ban onYouTube and Facebook after March 30local elections, saying: “We will take thenecessary steps in the strongest way ...because these people (Gulen’s followers)...encourage every kind of immorality andespionage for their own ends.” Erdogan,Turkey’s most popular politician, says thepostings are part of a campaign to discredithim and his government, which has

presided over more than a decade ofstrong economic growth and rising livingstandards.

“Montage”He says fragments of tapped conversa-

tions have been fitted together in a ‘mon-tage’ giving a false and misleading impres-sion of their content - a claim he repeatedat a packed election rally yesterday in thewestern city of Eskisehir. There was noimmediate reaction from Facebook orYouTube to Erdogan’s threat. Turkey ranksamong the top 15 countries amongFacebook’s nearly 1 billion users, with some34 million active users on a monthly basis ina population of 77 million.

Turkey banned YouTube for more thantwo years until 2010 after users postedvideos the government deemed insultingto the republic’s founder, Mustafa KemalAtaturk. Turkey recently tightened govern-ment control of the Internet saying it want-ed to defend privacy. Erdogan’s critics saidthe new law was a further bid to hush upallegations of high-level corruption flood-ing social media and video sharing sites.

Five more recordings have appeared on

YouTube this week, part of what Erdogansees as a systematic campaign orchestratedby Gulen’s followers to sully his AK Partybefore the local elections and a presidentialpoll due later this year. Reuters has notbeen able to verify the authenticity of therecordings. In Thursday’s audio posting,Erdogan is portrayed taking to task busi-nessman Erdogan Demiroren after hisnewspaper Milliyet published on its frontpage about a year ago an article on the sen-sitive issue of peace talks with Turkey’sKurdish rebels. “Would you keep someonewho would do something dishonorable inyour office...?” the voice presented by theanonymous poster as that of the primeminister asks. “No, we wouldn’t,” repliesDemiroren, who later in the conversationbursts into tears, apparently upset at com-ing under pressure from the prime ministerto sack two of his journalists. The AK Party,which remains far ahead of its rivals in opin-ion polls despite the corruption scandal,denies exerting undue influence over themedia, but journalists, rights groups andthe European Union - which Turkey aspiresto join - have long accused the governmentof curtailing press freedoms.— Reuters

Turkish leader rejects Facebook, YouTube ban

PM purportedly urges sacking of reporters

BEIRUT: This International Women’sDay, we are highlighting the impor-tance of achieving equality for womenand girls not simply because it is amatter of fairness and fundamentalhuman rights, but because progress inso many other areas depends on it.Countries with more gender equalityhave better economic growth.Companies with more women leadersperform better. Peace agreementsthat include women are more durable.Parliaments with more women enactmore legislation on key social issuessuch as health, education, anti-discrim-ination and child support. The evi-dence is clear: equality for womenmeans progress for all. This simpletruth must be central as we work to

accelerate progress towards theMillennium Development Goals bynext year’s deadline and craft an agen-da for the years beyond 2015.

Important gains have been made inaccess to primary education for girlsand political representation bywomen. But progress remains far tooslow and uneven. A baby girl borntoday will still face inequality and dis-crimination, no matter where hermother lives. We have a common obli-gation to ensure her right to live freefrom the violence that affects one inthree women globally; to earn equalpay for equal work; to be free of thediscrimination that prevents her fromparticipating in the economy; to havean equal say in the decisions that

affect her life; and to decide if andwhen she will have children, and howmany she will have.

I have a message for every girl borntoday, and to every woman and girl onthe planet: Realizing human rights andequality is not a dream, it is a duty ofgovernments, the United Nations andevery human being. I also have a mes-sage for my fellowmen and boys: playyour part. All of us benefit whenwomen and girls - your mothers, sis-ters, friends and colleagues-can reachtheir full potential. Together, let uswork for women’s rights, empower-ment and gender equality as we striveto eliminate poverty and promote sus-tainable development. Equality forwomen is progress for all!

Equality for women is progress for allBan Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General’s message on Intl Women’s Day

Ban Ki-moon

ELAZIG: In this photo, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressesa rally of his Justice and Development Party in Elazig, Turkey. — AP

Kerry, Jordanking focus onMideast talks

n e w sSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

Continued from Page 1

and given him regular airtime on its pan-Arabsatellite channel Al Jazeera. The Interior Ministrysaid on Friday the royal decree would apply toboth Saudis and foreign residents who joined,endorsed or gave moral or material aid to groupsit classifies as terrorist or extremist, whetherinside or outside the country.

The statement also said “those who insult oth-er countries and their leaders” or “attended con-ferences or gatherings inside and outside (thecountry) that aim to target the security and stabil-ity and spread sedition in the society”, would bepunished by law. In Egypt, the Brotherhood,which won every election following the topplingof veteran leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011, hasbeen driven underground since the army

deposed President Mohamed Morsi, a memberof the group that also endured repression in theMubarak era.

The army-backed government in Cairo desig-nated the Brotherhood as a terrorist group inDecember after accusing it of carrying out a sui-cide bomb attack on a police station that killed 16people. The Brotherhood condemned that attackand denies using violence. Yesterday, EgyptianForeign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty saidCairo approved of Riyadh’s move to declare theBrotherhood a terrorist organization. “We hail it,we welcome it,” he said. “It is in the right direc-tion.” The Saudi Interior Ministry also listed as ter-rorist Yemen’s Shiite Houthi movement andHezbollah, a radical Shiite group in Saudi Arabia’seastern province which authorities say is linked toIran and Lebanese Hezbollah. — Reuters

Saudi Arabia lists ‘terrorist...Continued from Page 1

“The next step includes complete boycott,” saidinformed sources’ quoted by Al-Qabas. This meansthat Qatar would no longer be invited to confer-ences, events, or forums hosted in these states.” Thestep could also include banning Qatar Airwaysflights from flying over Saudi Arabia, UAE andBahrain - which would cost the Qatari airline hugelosses. Qatar, which had expressed regret for thesesteps, is in turn appreciative of Kuwait’s stand - notto follow the other GCC states.

“Despite being outside the region, the stepmade by the ‘Sheikh of Diplomats’ (referring to amoniker Sheikh Sabah earned during his politicalcareer) influenced Kuwait’s decision to avoid takinga similar step, which reflects a great deal of politicalwisdom,” said sources in the Qatari government. HH

Sheikh Sabah was credited for ‘extreme efforts’ thathelped the relationship between the UAE andOman stabilize in 2011, and one year after relationsbecame strained following the discovery of analleged UAE-linked spying network in the Sultanate.

While Kuwait is considered the ‘country mostlycapable’ of ending the recent crisis, there is also a lotof hope put on Oman. Kuwait is set to host the nextArab Summit on the 25th and 26th of this month -providing a good stage for potential reconciliationtalks. Diplomatic sources quoted by Al-Qabas yes-terday support that notion, as opposed to fears thatthe crisis could negatively impact the summit. “Ibelieve that the current times and hard situationsnecessitate holding the summit in order to restoreArab unity and solidarity,” said Ahmed Ben Helli, theAssistant Secretary - General of the Arab Leaguesaid on Thursday.-— Agencies

KUWAIT: Breitling Wingwalker Freya Paterson, from Liverpool, UK, flies above Kuwait City with pilots David Barrell and Martyn Carrington on Thursday,March 6, 2014. The team loop and roll up to 160 mph enduring G-forces of 4-5g. Crowds are expected to line the Kuwaiti coastline to catch a glimpse of theWingwalking team today, to mark the opening of the first dedicated boutique in the city for the prestigious watch brand. — AP

High hopes on Amir as GCC...

CAIRO: Egypt has welcomed the decision of three Gulfstates to withdraw their envoys to Qatar and said its ownambassador “will not return” to the Gulf emirate. Theunprecedented decision this week by Saudi Arabia, Bahrainand the United Arab Emirates was seen as closely linked toQatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood of deposedEgyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrownby the military in July.

In a statement posted online late Thursday, the Egyptiangovernment said it hoped the withdrawal of the envoyswould mark “the beginning of a correction of the coursetaken by the Qatari government, which is contrary to ourbrothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council”. “The Egyptian

ambassador to Doha, who has been in Cairo since thebeginning of February, will not return to Qatar at the pres-ent time, and his remaining (in Egypt) is a sovereign politi-cal decision,” the government said.

“It is for Qatar to clearly determine its position, whetherit will stand on the side of Arab solidarity, unified ranks andprotection of national security... or on the other side, andbear the consequences and responsibility for that.”Relations between Egypt and Qatar have deteriorated asCairo has carried out a sweeping crackdown on the MuslimBrotherhood, which it has labeled a terrorist organizationand blamed for a spate of bombings and other attacks. TheBrotherhood, which renounced violence decades ago, has

denied any involvement. Several Brotherhood leaders, andallied Islamists, fled to Doha following Morsi’s ouster lastJuly 3. Some are wanted for trial in Egypt.

The conservative Gulf monarchies have long viewed theMuslim Brotherhood as a threat because of its grass-rootspolitical advocacy and calls for Islamic governance, andmost Gulf states welcomed the military’s ouster of Morsi,pledging billions in aid. Qatar, however, was a staunch allyof Morsi and has supported other branches of the MuslimBrotherhood elsewhere in the region, including thePalestinian Hamas movement ruling Gaza. The GulfCooperation Council groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. — AFP

Egypt govt welcomes actions against Qatar


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan could launch a full-scale military opera-tion against Pakistani Taleban insurgents in the tribal areas nearthe Afghan border as early as this month, the defense ministersaid, warning insurgents against violating a ceasefire. Dashingchances of a peace deal with the Pakistani Taleban, gunmenburst into a courtroom in Islamabad on Monday, killing 11 peo-ple in a broad daylight attack in the heart of the heavily guardedcapital.

The Pakistani Taleban denied any role in the assault and asplinter group accepted responsibility. Defence MinisterKhawaja Asif told Reuters in an interview that the governmentwould not hesitate to bomb militant hideouts or send forcesinto the tribal areas if the Taleban did not abide by the ceasefireannounced last weekend. “It will not take months now. We’llhave to march in the month of March,” Asif said, describing thegovernment’s response if insurgent attacks continued.

“If there is a ceasefire, it has to be complete. Without that, we

just can’t afford to have talks with the Taleban.” Asif, long con-sidered a pro-talks politician, is now one of a growing number ofmembers of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet who believeit is time for tougher military action against Pakistani Talebanstrongholds.

Sharif has been under pressure from the United States andhawks within the Pakistani army to send troops into NorthWaziristan, a tribal region along the Afghan border that is hometo a complex web of Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups. Since2007, the military has mounted a number of offensives againstmilitant strongholds in the northwest, largely clearing severalareas, including their bastion of South Waziristan.

But North Waziristan has not been tackled, even thoughPakistani Taleban members have taken refuge with alliedAfghan factions based there that are not fighting the Pakistanistate. In February, Pakistan launched talks with the Taleban tofind a negotiated settlement. But hopes of a peace deal have

been crushed by a series of attacks and counter-attacks by bothsides.

“We won’t just take this lying down,” the defense ministersaid. “If we are attacked, the state is attacked, civilians areattacked, military personal are attacked, we will retaliate. We willretaliate in kind.” For a government long considered soft forpursuing peace talks, Asif said there were now very few takersfor the argument that the Taleban are truly committed to dia-logue.

“The Taleban have not even condemned this so-called splin-ter group four days after the attack. They are saying, ‘We havenot violated a ceasefire, these are peripheral groups, they arenot under our control,’” Asif said. “But we cannot believe this.”When asked about reports that talks may be re-launched, thistime with Pakistan’s powerful military in the driving seat, hesaid: “The army’s input is very valuable. They are the people onthe frontlines. They have to execute our decisions.”—Reuters

Navy officer dies in Indian ship accident

MUMBAI: An Indian naval officer was killed and “some” dockworkers were injured yesterday in a gas leak aboard a yet-to-becommissioned naval ship, the defense ministry said. The accidentwas the latest in a string to hit the navy. “Commander KuntalWadhwa has died,” Commander Rahul Sinha, chief defense min-istry spokesman, told AFP.

A statement by the defense ministry said “some” dock workerswere injured but did not say how many or disclose the nature ofthe injuries. The accident occurred aboard the ship called Yard701 by its builders, the Mazagaon Dock Ltd, in Mumbai, head-quarters of India’s Western Naval Command.

The ship was undergoing trials at the Mumbai Port Trust whenits carbon dioxide unit developed a problem, causing the gasleakage and injuries, the defense ministry said in the statement.“It is a destroyer with stealth features and we were hoping tohand it over to the navy in a month’s time,” Parvez Panthanky, aspokesman for the Mazagaon Dock, told reporters.

The ship is set to be the first in a new class of destroyers. Thenaval spokesman said the accident would cause a delay in com-missioning of the ship. More details about the cause of the acci-dent would only be available after talking to the shipbuilders, thespokesman said.—AFP

Pakistan to start military operation against Taleban

Army’s input on any talks ‘very valuable’

Karzai welcomes third child at the age of 56

NEW DELHI: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has become a fatheragain at the age of 56 after his wife gave birth to their third childin India, according to an embassy statement sent to AFP yester-day. A baby girl was delivered at a private hospital in the NewDelhi satellite town of Gurgaon earlier this week, the statementsaid. Karzai paid a brief visit to the Fortis Hospital on Wednesdayto see his wife, 44, and new child as he flew on to Sri Lanka wherehe is on a two-day trip.

The leader, who has close ties with New Delhi, is set to retirefrom office after elections set for April 5 having led his war-wracked country since 2001. Both of his other children-a son anda daughter-were born in Afghanistan, but due to an unspecified“medical complication” Karzai’s wife Zinat was advised to travelto seek specialized care in India.

The child was born on Tuesday at around 9:30 am (0400 GMT),the Afghan embassy in New Delhi said in the statement. In aninterview last year to the BBC, Zinat explained that her husbandof 15 years doted on his young family but often found it difficultto find time for them due to demands on his time.

“Sometimes, perhaps on Fridays, he might be free for an houror so, so he will go for a walk with me and the children. We all goout together - once in a while,” she said. She also stressed that forthem, despite deep-rooted cultural preferences for boys inAfghanistan, they were equally happy to have a daughter. “Forus... there is no difference between a boy and a girl,” she said. “Adaughter is the best gift from God.” — AFP


Malaysia’s Anwarconvicted of sodomy

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’sacquittal on sodomy charges was overturned yesterday, in a freshthreat to the career of a charismatic politician who helped turnaround the country’s once-hapless opposition. A Court ofAppeals panel sided with a government challenge to Anwar’s2012 acquittal on charges he sodomized a male former aide, say-ing a lower court had misjudged evidence. Anwar, 66, was sen-tenced to five years in jail, but freed pending appeal.

Once a rising star in Malaysia’s long-ruling party until his spec-tacular ouster in the late 1990s, Anwar has alleged a long-runningcampaign by the ruling regime to destroy his political career withfalse charges. He bitterly rebuked the judges after the ruling. “It isa travesty of justice. I would have thought you would have somecourage,” he said to the panel.The ruling sparked an uproar in acourtroom filled with Anwar’s opposition colleagues and sup-porters, as his wife and three daughters burst into tears. About150 Anwar supporters demonstrated outside the appeals court inthe administrative capital of Putrajaya after the announcement,chanting the opposition’s battle cry of “Reformasi” (Reform), as aheavy police presence ringed the building.

Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia and punishableby up to 20 years in jail. Anwar plans to appeal to the FederalCourt, Malaysia’s highest. If that fails, besides being jailed, hewould also be stripped of his parliament seat, disqualifying himfrom leading the opposition. Anwar denounced Prime MinisterNajib Razak and the “arrogant” United Malays NationalOrganization (UMNO), the authoritarian ruling party that has gov-erned tightly since independence from Britain in 1957.

“They want to end Anwar’s political career but they underesti-mated the wrath of the people and I believe in the wisdom of thepeople,” he said. Anwar’s legal ups and downs have rivetedMalaysia since the 1990s. A charismatic campaigner and speaker,Anwar had climbed to UMNO’s pinnacle in the 1990s, reaching ashigh as deputy prime minister. He was considered next in line totake the nation’s leadership but was felled in a 1998 power strug-gle with then-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar was ousted, beaten, and jailed on sodomy and corrup-tion charges. His stunning fall was widely seen both at home andabroad as politically motivated and triggered massive protests ina country where dissent is suppressed. He spent six years inprison until his 2004 release. But his downfall had a profoundimpact on politics, thrusting him into the formerly pushoveropposition. Under Anwar, the opposition has united, rejuvenatedand now has UMNO against the wall.—AFP

TOKYO: North Korean voters will make achoice tomorrow when they elect a newnational legislature, but not for a candidate.The ruling elite have already done that forthem, and there’s only one per district. Theyget to vote “yes” or “no.” Virtually all pick“yes.” One thing they don’t get to decide iswhether to bother voting. Going to the pollsis expected of all eligible voters, which effec-tively makes North Korean elections a power-ful tool for checking up on the people.

For outsiders trying to figure out what’sgoing on in North Korean politics, tomor-row’s elections for the Supreme People’sAssembly may shed some light on what per-sonalities are currently in favor and likely todominate in the years ahead. For NorthKorean authorities, the elections provideboth a veneer of democracy and a means ofmonitoring the whereabouts and loyalties ofaverage citizens.

Colorful posters urging citizens to go tothe polls line the streets in Pyongyang andother cities. Along with nearly 700 other‘deputies” expected to be seated in the newassembly, supreme leader Kim Jong Un him-self has announced his candidacy - in District111 on sacred Mount Paekdu. Official turnoutrates in North Korean elections are generallyreported at over 99 percent, a practiceinspired by the tradition of Stalin’s SovietUnion. Tomorrow’s will likely be the same.

Fictitious as that may sound, MichaelMadden, editor of the NK Leadership Watchwebsite and a contributor to the 38 Northnews bulletin, said it reflects one reason theautocratic North has elections at all: Theyprovide “the most comprehensive assess-ment of the population.” Mustering thenation every so often is a chance for theauthorities to hone their mobilization skills,check up on the efficiency of local leaders

and get a snapshot of internal movements.“The DPRK is very good about mobilizing

the population for events,” Madden said,referring to North Korea by its official name,the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.He said legislative elections “are celebratoryevents with various activities. According tovarious North Korean migrants and defec-tors, it is very difficult for a voter to get ahardship dispensation from participating.”

Madden said North Korean security offi-cials will review data on nonvoters to gleaninformation on suspicious activity - sinceabsentees could be workers who have snuckoff to China for higher pay, people travelinginside the country without formal permis-sion, or military personnel who have goneAWOL. Officials use the data to conduct fur-ther investigations, make arrests and gaugethe effectiveness of their social control appa-ratus at the local level. Neighborhood associ-ations, student groups, workplaces and otherlocal authorities see to it that participation is

enforced, according to Seo Jae Pyoung, a 45-year-old North Korean defector who nowworks for a Seoul-based civic group calledthe Committee for the Democratization ofNorth Korea. Not going to polls would be“unimaginable,” said Seo, who voted in threeSupreme People’s Assembly elections beforehe fled North Korea in 2000. “If we didn’t goto polls, we thought we would become reac-tionary forces and would be sent to prisoncamps.”

Everyone voted “yes,” he said, and heknows that because there was no privacy.“We went inside the voting booth so closelyone after another that we could see wherethe others had marked their ballots,” he said.The polls - usually held every five years - willbe the first since Kim took power after thedeath of his father, Kim Jong Il, in late 2011.They will take place about three months aftera stunning purge in which Kim had his once-powerful uncle, Jang Song Thaek, executedon treason charges.—AP

N Korea set to elect0% drama, 100% mandatory

PYONGYANG: In this photo, North Koreans walk past an election poster that reads:“March 9 is the election of the 13th Supreme People’s Assembly, Let’s all vote inagreement!”. — AP


PUERTO TRIUNFO: In this file photo, Ramon Isaza (center) commander of the Magdalena Medio Bloc, speaks with his menbefore turning in their weapons during a disarmament ceremony. — AP

Conservative alternatives make their case at CPACNATIONAL HARBOR: Traditional Republicans, stand aside-orat least make room under your tent. Renewable energy con-servatives, Tea Party faithful opposed to the death penalty,and GOP loyalists who support legalizing marijuana areamong new bands of Republicans seeking political inclusionat CPAC, America’s top conservative confab. Even conserva-tive atheists-”Pro gun rights, pro small government!”-handedout pamphlets at this year’s event, where many are known toequate Christian values with American values.

The Conservative Political Action Conference, hosted bythe American Conservative Union (ACU), is part familyreunion with a cast of familiar characters, part political bac-chanalia, and part therapy session as the Republican basecontends with deep divisions and plots strategy in a mid-term election year.

Luminaries like Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul,Governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Chris Christie ofNew Jersey, and far-right darling Sarah Palin all make theirpilgrimage to the closely-watched event. But beyond theheadline-grabbing speeches, or acts that baldly pandered toconservatives such as Senator Mitch McConnell walking onstage brandishing a rifle, a youthful exuberance is coursingthrough the 10,000 participants clogging a Maryland con-vention center through today to exchange business cardsand plot their next political revolution.

Sure, many of them bashed President Barack Obama, andreal estate mogul Donald Trump was on hand to callDemocratic leaders “pathetic.” But this is no longer yourfather’s Republican core; a new generation of broad-minded,pragmatic and more socially open conservatives is musclingin on traditional turf. Take Shannon Smith. The head ofAbundant Power Group is a dyed-in-the-wool fiscal conser-vative who expressed disdain for the government’s environ-mental regulations and doubts about human responsibilityfor global warming. But he recognizes that the renewableenergy industry is here to stay. “We conservatives need toown the non-carbon energy economy,” he said in a sessionon global warming.

Peddling something newIn CPAC’s cavernous exhibition hall, college students

snapped selfies with “Star Wars” Stormtroopers or posedwith cardboard cutouts of conservative icon presidentRonald Reagan. Others took target practice with an infra-redshotgun at the National Rifle Association’s booth, or gentlycradled the size- and weight-accurate fetus models dis-played by the National Right to Life Committee.

But Jon Crane was peddling something new to CPAC:opposition to the death penalty. He was extremely nervousabout the reception that a cause more associated with liber-als might get here. “We didn’t know if we’d be eaten alive,but actually we’ve been warmly received,” Crane told AFPabout his group Conservatives Concerned About the DeathPenalty.

Supporters latch on to how anti-execution argumentsmerge with conservative principles: respect for human life,the need to reduce costs, and prevention of governmentabuse. “We’re convincing people one conservative at a time,”Crane said. Retired cop Howard Wooldridge, who wears acowboy hat and a shirt with his message advocating marijua-na legalization, does little arm-twisting at CPAC.

Republicans traditionally backed tough drug laws fordecades, but that appears to be changing. He frames hisargument about the absurdity of the nation’s pot laws instrict conservative principles-personal responsibility and lim-ited government-and CPAC attendees are almost 100 per-cent behind him, he said. This year saw two states, Coloradoand Washington, legalized recreational marijuana use, and“I’m a pig in slop,” Wooldridge said.

Not all movements got their due. Gay conservative groupGOProud tried to squeeze in to the event, after the organiza-tion was reportedly prevented from sponsoring CPAC likethey did in 2010 and 2011. A push-back led to their exclusionin 2012 and 2013, and one of GOProud’s founders quit thegroup last month, saying its members were being used as“stooges” by the ACU over this year’s compromise thatallowed them to attend only as individuals. — AFP

BOGOTA: One veteran of Colombia’s disbanded far-right militiasadmitted to ordering or taking part in at least 3,000 killings, mostlytargeting leftists, and incinerating many of the corpses to destroyevidence. Another ordered a hit on a prominent intellectual whohad been unjustly accused of backing insurgents and whose laptopheld evidence that helped convict Colombia’s then-national spychief in the killing. Those two men and about 400 other right-wingparamilitaries are due to walk free this year after serving eight-yearsentences for crimes that normally carry more than triple the prisonterms. The first is expected to be released within days.

Their lenient sentences were enshrined in a 2005 “Justice andPeace” law that provided a legal framework for the militias’ sup-posed dismantling under a peace deal with the government of thenPresident Alvaro Uribe. Human rights activists say the releases,expected to begin this month, are both premature and perilous fora country that many believe is on the cusp of making peace withleftist rebels. Activists also say prosecutors failed the nation byneglecting to completely investigate the paramilitaries’ crimes andensure that they paid just restitution to their victims, as the law stip-ulates.

Victims of the paramilitaries fear they won’t just go back to com-mitting nonpolitical crimes such as drug trafficking and extortionbut will also resume killing displaced peasants who are trying toreclaim land that was stolen from, most often, by far-right militias.“They’ve told us they are afraid of the paramilitaries getting out,”Ivan Cepeda, a leftist congressman and longtime victims’ rightsadvocate said of the victims. “It’s a feeling of great concern and anxi-ety.”

There are also fears that, with 14-month-old peace talks with theFARC progressing, right-wing death squads could re-emerge andtarget guerrillas who put down their guns and take up electoral poli-tics. Prosecutors say the releases will be gradual and vow to keep aclose eye on the newly freed and throw them back in jail if theybreak a single law. Formed by ranchers and drug traffickers tocounter rebel kidnapping and extortion, far-right paramilitarieskilled at least 156,000 people between 1980 and 2004, prosecutorsestimate. They also violently stole land, which President JuanManuel Santos’ government is trying to restore. Many of those dueto be released this year were second-tier militia commanders.Several were top honchos. — AP

Violence against women is ‘pandemic’ in Mexico

Corruption, incompetence rampant in police forcesECATEPEC: So many teenage girls turned up dead in a vacantfield on the outskirts of Mexico City that people nicknamed it the“women’s dumping ground.” They began showing up in 2006,usually left among piles of garbage. Some were victims of domes-tic violence, others of drug gangs that have seized control ofentire neighborhoods in the gritty town of Ecatepec, northeast ofthe capital. The lot has since been cleared and declared an eco-logical reserve. But its grisly past is not forgotten and the killingshave only accelerated. Dulce Cristina Payan, 17, was one of thevictims. Two years ago, armed men pulled up in a pickup truckand dragged her and her boyfriend away from the porch of herhome. He was tossed from the truck within a few blocks but shewas taken away and murdered, stabbed repeatedly in the faceand stomach.

Her father, Pedro Payan, believes the killers belonged to LaFamilia, a violent drug gang operating in Ecatepec, and thatDulce Cristina was murdered when she resisted rape. “I think mydaughter defended herself, because her nails were broken, andher knuckles were scraped,” sobbed Payan, a former police officerwho now sells pirated DVDs from his home to get by. “She had astrong character.” As drug violence has escalated across Mexico inthe past seven years, the rule of law has collapsed in some of thetoughest cities and neighborhoods. When that happens, localgangs take control, imposing their will on residents and feeding aculture of extreme violence. Abductions, rapes and murders ofwomen have all soared with more women being killed in Mexicothan ever before.

Since former President Felipe Calderon launched a militaryoffensive on the drug cartels at the end of 2006, over 85,000 peo-ple have died. Between 2007 and 2012, total murders rose 112percent. Most are young men but the number of women killed

shot up 155 percent to 2,764 in 2012, official data shows.Corruption and incompetence are rampant in under-fundedpolice forces across Mexico and the vast majority of murders arenever solved. Families routinely complain that police show littleinterest in the cases of missing women. The parents of BarbaraReyes spent 18 months looking for her after she disappeared inAugust 2011 from Cuautitlan Izcalli, near Ecatepec. They finallydiscovered that their daughter’s body had been found by authori-ties within two months of her disappearance and was dumpedinto a mass grave with other unidentified corpses at a cemetery.“To this day we really don’t know what happened to our daugh-ter,” her father, Alejandro Reyes, said in the living room of theirhome, sitting next to a photograph of Barbara smiling.

‘Pandemic’President Enrique Pena Nieto, who took office in December

2012, has pledged to reduce drugs war violence but has notmade major changes to the security policies pursued byCalderon. Nor has he done much to tackle murders of women,experts say. Before becoming president, he was governor of theState of Mexico, which encircles much of Mexico City and is hometo Ecatepec. In the second half of his 2005-2011 term as governor,the murders of women doubled in the state.

“Violence against women isn’t an epidemic, it’s a pandemic inMexico,” said Ana Guezmez, Mexico’s representative for UnitedNations Women, the UN entity for gender equality. “We still don’tsee it as a central theme of the current administration. You haveto send a much stronger message.” Experts say the spike in vio-lence against women is worst in areas hit hard by the drugs war,similar to what happens during civil wars like those in Colombia,Guatemala and El Salvador.—Reuetrs

Colombian paramilitaries set for release

19Business


1816 20Entrepreneurship grows in Egypt’s flailing economy

Europe’s gas supply at risk as Gazprom warns Ukraine

India’s Bharti linked withCarrefour in new tie-up

Sony to sell its Tokyo ‘birthplace’

PASADENA: A sign posted on a shopfront window offers employment opportunity to happy and creative people in this October 22, 2013 file photo in Pasadena, California. The USeconomy generated a firm 175,000 jobs in February, data showed yesterday, a modest rebound from two poor months when weakness was blamed on harsh winter weather. Theunemployment rate ticked up a notch to 6.7 percent last month, the Labor Department said. — AFP

WASHINGTON: US job growth acceleratedsharply in February despite the icy weather thatgripped much of the nation, easing fears of anabrupt economic slowdown and keeping theFederal Reserve on track to continue reducing itsmonetary stimulus. Employers added 175,000jobs to their payrolls last month after creating129,000 new positions in January, the LaborDepartment said yesterday. The unemploymentrate, however, rose to 6.7 percent from a five-yearlow of 6.6 percent, as Americans flooded into thelabor market to search for work.

“It reinforces the case for the economy beingstronger than it’s looked for the last couple ofmonths,” said Bill Cheney, chief economist atJohn Hancock Financial Services in Boston. “Itmakes life easier for the Fed and feeds into con-tinuing the tapering process.” The report alsoshowed the largest increase in average hourlyearnings in eight months and the payrolls countfor December and January was revised up toshow 25,000 more jobs created during thosemonths than previously reported.

Investors on Wall Street cheered the reportand the Standard & Poor’s 500 index reached afresh intraday record high before falling back totrade little changed. The dollar lifted off a four-month low against a basket of currencies, whilethe yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasurynote jumped to a six-week high, putting it oncourse for its biggest weekly rise in three months.

Interest rate futures showed that tradersramped up bets on the Fed hiking rates a bit

sooner than had been previously thought. Theynow point to a 53 percent probability of a ratehike in June 2015. Unusually cold and snowyweather has disrupted activity in much of theUnited States for months, and a few economistshad begun to speculate that the US central bankcould reconsider its plan to wind down its bond-buying stimulus.

With snow and ice covering densely populat-ed areas during the week employers were sur-veyed for February payrolls, Wall Street hadbraced for a much weaker report. Economists hadforecast nonfarm payrolls rising by only 149,000jobs.

The weather, however, did have an impact. Itcut into the length of the average workweek,which hit its lowest level since January 2011 andled to a drop in a measure of total work effort. Buteconomists expect a reversal as soon as thismonth. “The economy will defrost in the springand heat up in the summer,” said Michelle Meyer,a senior economist at Bank of America MerrillLynch in New York. “We should see solid gains injob growth in coming months.”

The smaller survey of households from whichthe unemployment rate is derived showed 6.9million people with jobs reported they wereworking part-time because of the weather. Thatwas the highest reading for February since theseries started in 1978.

It also showed 601,000 people could not getto work because of the weather, the highest levelfor February since 2010. Economists said job

growth in February would have been as high as200,000 if not for the weather. Payrolls averagedabout 205,000 new jobs per month in the first 11months of 2013, but that figure dropped to just129,000 for December, January and February.

Growth slowdown temporaryFed officials, from Chair Janet Yellen on down,

view the recent economic weakness as largelyweather-related and temporary, and have sug-gested it does not meet the high bar they haveset in terms of what it would take for them tostop scaling back their bond-buying stimulus.

The Fed has already reduced its monthly bondpurchases by $10 billion at each of its last twomeetings, and a similar reduction is expectedwhen officials next meet on March 18-19.

But the weather is not the only factor behindthe lull in activity. Businesses are workingthrough a huge pile of unsold goods accumulat-ed in the second half of 2013, which means theyhave no incentive to place new orders with man-ufacturers.

In addition, the expiration of long-term unem-ployment benefits for more than one millionAmericans in December and cuts to food stampsare also hurting spending. As a result of thesetemporary factors, growth in the first quarter isexpected to slow to an annual rate below 2 per-cent. The economy grew at a 2.4 percent rate inthe final quarter of 2013. Economists welcomedthe rise in the unemployment rate as a sign oflabor market strength, since it was driven by

Americans taking up the hunt for work.“Evidently, the potential employees think theeconomy is improving and there are more jobs tobe had,” said Sung Won Sohn, an economics pro-fessor at California State University ChannelIslands in Camarillo, Calif.

A measure of underemployment that includespeople who want a job but who have given upsearching and those working part-time becausethey cannot find full-time jobs dropped to 12.6percent, its lowest level since November 2008.

Despite the improvement, the labor market isstill far from a full recovery. The percentage ofworking-age Americans with a job, a broad gaugeof labor market health, was steady at 58.8 percentlast month. It has not risen much since the reces-sion ended nearly five years ago.

Job gains last month were fairly broad-based,with private sector payrolls rising 162,000 andgovernment adding 13,000 jobs. Manufacturingsaw a seventh straight month of gains in employ-ment, matching the 6,000 jobs gained in January.

Construction payrolls, which surprised inJanuary by logging hefty gains, increased by15,000 last month. There were, however, declinesin retail, information and transportation andwarehousing employment. Average hourly earn-ings rose nine cents in February. “This gain, alongwith a rise in jobs, supports our case for betterreal incomes in 2014 and, thereby, a better out-look for consumer spending,” said John Silvia,chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities inCharlotte, North Carolina. — Reuters

US job growth offers upbeat signNonfarm payrolls rise 175,000 in February

B U S I N E S SSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

NEW YORK: Visa Inc and MasterCard Inc ,the world’s two largest payment networks,have formed a new cross-industry groupto improve payment system security fol-lowing a number of high-profile databreaches.

The new group, which will includebanks, credit unions, retailers and industrytrade groups, will initially focus on theadoption of the safer ‘EMV’ chip technolo-gy in the United States, MasterCard andVisa said yester.

EMV chip technology, already used inEurope and Asia, stores information on

computer chips rather than on traditionalmagnetic strips. EMV stands for Europay,MasterCard and Visa, the companies thatlaunched the technology.

The move follows several data breach-es at US retailers, including one at TargetCorp late last year involving the theft ofabout 40 million credit and debit cardrecords.

“We remain insistent that US retailers’customers be given the same protectionsas consumers in more than 80 countrieswho have both a chip and a PIN securingtheir credit and debit cards,” National

Retai l Federation General CounselMallory Duncan said in a statement.MasterCard and Visa had already set adeadline of October 2015 for US retailersto adopt the new payment technology.But banks and retailers have been drag-ging their feet over the required upgrade,at odds over who should bear the cost,which experts say could be as much as$10 billion.

Target said last month it was acceler-ating a $100 million program to imple-ment the use of chip-enabled smart cardsto protect against cyber threat, with a

goal to have the technology in place byearly 2015. EMV cards are harder to coun-terfeit and better protect sensitive datathrough encryption.

They can also require users to enter apersonal identification number, or PIN,to make purchases, adding an extra lay-er of security. “The recent high-profilebreaches have served as a catalyst formuch needed collaboration betweenthe retail and financial services industryon the issue of payment security,” VisaPresident Ryan McInerney said in thestatement. — Reuters

MasterCard, Visa form group to enhance payment security

WASHINGTON: The US trade deficitwidened slightly in January as a rise inimports of oil and other foreign goods off-set a solid increase in exports. The tradedeficit increased to $39.1 billion, up 0.3percent from December’s revised $39 bil-lion deficit, the Commerce Departmentreported yesterday.

Exports climbed 0.6 percent to $192.8billion, led by increased sales of US-mademachinery, aircraft and medical equip-ment. Imports also rose 0.6 percent to$231.6 billion, reflecting a 9 percent jumpin imports of petroleum. Imports of foodand machinery also rose.

The trade deficit is the differencebetween imports and exports. A highertrade deficit acts as a drag on economicgrowth because it means US companiesare making less overseas then their foreigncompetitors are earning in US sales.

In 2013, the trade deficit dropped 11.2percent to $474.9 billion, providing a smallboost to overall growth. Economistsbelieve that trade will contribute to growthagain this year but only by a modest

amount. They are forecasting that USexports will keep rising, but that this will beoffset somewhat by gains in imports as astronger US and higher consumer spend-ing attracts more foreign goods.

In the October-December quarter, theeconomy grew at an annual rate of 2.4 per-cent and a full percentage point of thatgrowth came from a shrinking trade deficit.For the whole year, the falling trade deficitcontributed a smaller 0.1 percentage pointto growth. One bright spot for trade:America’s increased energy production isexpected to continue. A domestic energyboom has boosted exports and reducedAmerica’s dependence on foreign oil. USpetroleum exports rose to an all-time highof $137.2 billion last year, up 11 percentfrom 2012. Imports were down 10.9 per-cent to $369.4 billion as domestic produc-tion took the place of the need for someimports.

Trade imbalanceFor January, petroleum imports jumped

9 percent to $31.7 billion, reflecting an

increased volume of shipments. The aver-age price for a barrel of crude oil fell to$90.21, the lowest level since February2011. America’s energy exports dropped8.4 percent to $12.4 billion.

As usual, the highest country tradeimbalance was with China, a deficit of$27.8 billion, up 13.5 percent fromDecember. The deficit with the 28-nationEuropean Union fell 22.2 percent inJanuary to $8.9 billion as US exports to thatregion increased while imports fromEurope to the United States declined.

The United States recorded anotherrecord annual trade deficit with China in 2013and the expectation is that the deficit will risefurther in 2014. That has led to increased pres-sure on the Obama administration andCongress to take a tougher line on what crit-ics see as unfair trade practices that China isusing to gain trade advantages.The chief cul-prit, the critics say, is China’s manipulation ofits currency to keep it undervalued againstthe US dollar. That makes Chinese goodscheaper in the United States and Americaproducts more expensive in China. — AP

US trade deficit rose to $39.1 billion in January‘Trade will contribute to growth again’

NEW YORK: In this file photo, Trader Ryan O’Day works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. World stock mar-kets were muted yesterday as investors turned cautious ahead of the release of a key US employment report andChinese economic indicators. — AP

Entrepreneurship grows in Egypt’s

flailing economyCAIRO: In Egypt’s newest reality television show, contestants soldfruit juice from push carts in Cairo’s busiest market and later organ-ized a desert safari for tourists, hustling to make sales in the capital’scrowded streets.

The program, called “The Project” in Arabic, highlights entrepre-neurship and small business acumen - something experts say is morecrucial than ever as Egypt tries to claw its way out of tough economictimes. With youth unemployment upward of 30 percent and its econ-omy only now back to levels seen before its 2011 uprising, Egypt’ssalvation may lie in the small, informal businesses run by those scrap-ing out a living in the Arab world’s most populous country. “There isnot even a word for entrepreneurship in Arabic,” said Anna Elliot,executive producer of “The Project” and founder of Bamyan Media.“But there is this hunger for it.”

Egypt’s economic landscape is largely controlled by its govern-ment, the country’s No. 1 employer. However, the government isgrappling with large budget deficit and has had to seek billions ofdollars in financial bailout cash from Gulf nations since a July 3 mili-tary overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. But outside ofgovernment-owned companies and large multinational corpora-tions, there are thousands of small, largely informal businesses, fromstreet vendors to small shops. Most of those don’t pay taxes andoperate in small towns and informal areas outside the capital.

Taxing exportersExperts believe that gray economy truly powers Egypt. Ghada

Fathi Waly, managing director of Egypt’s Social Fund forDevelopment, estimated that at least two-thirds of the country’seconomy rides on the informal businesses. Waly, who was last weekalso appointed a government minister, recommended allowing thebusinesses to run outside of government control to allow them toflourish, while registering and taxing only potential exporters.

“I think we should definitely be very optimistic about small busi-nesses in Egypt,” Waly said. “We have seen that this sector has shownresilience and has been able to change course.”

One company that received aid from the social fund isTrustpack, which makes the foil backing for sheets of pills. OwnerAdel Abd ElSadk, who ran the machines himself in lean times, saidhe now employs 84 people from his two-room shop on the out-skirts of Cairo. —AP

CAIRO: In this Monday, March 3, 2014 photo, Adel AbdElSadk, owner of the pharmaceutical packaging companyTrustpack, second right, talks with an employee manningone of the machines at his factory which has beenfinanced in part by loans from the Social DevelopmentFund, located just outside Cairo, Egypt. — AP


LONDON: Gold edged lower yesterday, as investors markedtime ahead of a US jobs report, but the metal was on track fora fifth straight week of gains on support from a weaker dollarand tensions in Ukraine.

The US nonfarm payroll figures later in the day should helpgauge the strength of the labour market in the world’s topeconomy and the implications for the pace of the FederalReserve’s stimulus reduction.

A Reuters poll of economists found employers wereexpected to have added 149,000 workers to their payrolls lastmonth, a small improvement from levels of 113,000 in Januarygiven the unrelentingly harsh winter weather.

Analysts said investors may be bracing for a weaker readingfollowing soft data on US private hiring and services sectorgrowth released earlier this week.

Spot gold was down 0.1 percent at $1,349.10 an ounce by1031 GMT, after rising 1 percent on Thursday. It has risen near-ly 2 percent for the week, its biggest weekly gain since mid-February.Gold futures for April delivery were down 0.2 percentat $1,348.90 an ounce. “When we look at the consensus on thepayrolls, it is actually quite optimistic because the really coldweather conditions in the US lasted throughout February aswell,” Credit Suisse analyst Karim Cherif said.

“So there could be some disappointment, which wouldprobably give a last mini-push to gold,” he added. “However,as we move to the second quarter, we don’t see why investorswould begin to build heavy gold positions, given expectationsof an improvement in the global economy and a possible sta-

bilisation in Ukraine.”Gold hit a four-month high on Monday at $1,354.80 an

ounce on escalation in tensions between the West and Russiaover Ukraine’s mainly Russian speaking Crimea peninsula.

“If the situation in Ukraine gets worse, prices will go higher.However, if the crisis is resolved, gold could fall back to$1,320,” said Yuichi Ikemizu, branch manager for StandardBank in Tokyo. Physical demand for gold has been subduedsince prices crossed $1,300. In top consumer China, premiumsover spot prices were below $1 an ounce on Friday, comparedwith over $20 an ounce earlier in the year.

Platinum group metals shinePalladium, with a 5 percent increase, was headed for its

biggest weekly gain in nearly eight months. It was tradingdown 0.6 percent to $772.50 an ounce, having hit a one year-high of $781.50 an ounce on Thursday.

Political tensions in top producer Russia and union strikesin second-biggest producer South Africa have triggered fearsof supply constraints. Platinum was on track for its secondstraight weekly gain, up 2.2 percent. It was unchanged at$1,477.00 on the day.

Thousands of South African platinum miners from theAMCU union marched through Pretoria to protest againstwhat it says are state and company efforts to break its six-week old wage strike against the world’s three top producersof the precious metal. Silver fell 0.7 percent to $21.29 anounce. — Reuters

Gold marks time ahead of US data

Heads for 2% weekly gain on Ukraine

Alliance Trust sets up English companies

ahead of Scotland voteLONDON: Alliance Trust Plc, a Scotland-based investment man-ager, has begun preparations for a possible move to Englandahead of the Scottish independence referendum, adding to evi-dence of corporate unease over the looming vote.

Alliance said yesterday it was creating companies in Englandinto which it could transfer activities, in a precautionary movebecause of uncertainty over the implications of a pro-indepen-dence vote on tax, financial regulation, currency and EU member-ship. “We are extremely proud of our 126 year Scottish heritagebut I think the reality is you have to be very aware of the risks thatyour customers are facing and ensure you can provide certaintyand continuity of services,” Chief Executive Katherine Garrett-Coxtold Reuters in an interview.

The comments by Alliance Trust, based in Dundee onScotland’s east coast and which employs around 250 staff, comeafter similar plans by larger Edinburgh-based peer Standard LifePlc announced last month.

Scots will vote in September in a referendum on whether theywant to split from the rest of the United Kingdom, ahead ofwhich a political row has erupted over whether an autonomousScotland will be able to keep the pound.

Scottish leader Alex Salmond wants to share the currency withthe rest of the UK, but the major British parties have rejected thisidea. It is also unclear how easy it would be for Scotland to jointhe European Union, since European Commission President JoseManuel Barroso has said states breaking away from existing EUcountries would struggle to gain membership.

Garrett-Cox said Alliance Trusts’ clients, 80 percent based inEngland, had become increasingly concerned about the impactindependence would have on money invested with the firm. Thefirm has gross assets of more than 3.2 billion pounds ($5.4 bil-lion), according to its website.

“What is very clear from conversations and communicationswe’ve had with our customers is that this is at the top of their listof risks, and that’s why we felt that we needed to be completelytransparent about what’s happening here,” she said. HoweverAlliance Trust did not say if it envisaged moving all its operationsor just its legal domicile in the event of a “yes” vote.

Independence implicationsAmong other Scotland-based financial firms, Royal Bank of

Scotland Group Plc has also warned independence could affectits credit ratings, impacting its costs.

Such comments are important given Scotland is home to thesecond-largest financial services centre in the United Kingdomafter London, accounting for about 150,000 jobs.

Some other companies have also voiced disquiet over theimplications of independence. In the energy sector - also crucialfor Scotland given the oil and gas reserves in the North Sea -Royal Dutch Shell Plc has urged Scotland to stay in the UK.

Among other major Scottish companies, Aggreko Plc, aprovider of temporary power generators, said independencewould likely add significantly to its administration costs, thoughtwo airlines - British Airways and Ryanair Holdings Plc - have saidScottish independence could be good for them due to proposalsto abolish air passenger tax.

Alliance Trust’s comments on Scotland were included in itsfull-year earnings statement, which showed a net asset value of516.5 pence per share, reflecting a total return of 18.4 percent.The group also announced a 12.5 percent increase in its yearlydividend to 10.83 pence. —Reuters

SAVANNAH: In this Monday, Jan 27, 2014, file photo, ship-ping containers prepare to be loaded and unloaded at theGeorgia Ports Authority Garden City terminal, inSavannah, Ga. The commerce department releases inter-national trade data for January, yesterday. — AP

LONDON: European Union lawmakers willconsider toughening up the bloc’s cap onbankers’ bonuses after lenders have begunsoftening its impact by awarding extra“allowances” to top up fixed pay.

The cap is one of the most high-profilerules from the 28-country bloc after publicanger over high pay at banks, many of whichwere propped up by taxpayers in the 2007-09 financial crisis.

The rule limits a bonus to no more thanfixed salary, or twice that level if approved bythe bank’s shareholders, and will affect 2014awards to be handed out early next year.Sharon Bowles, the British Liberal Democratchair of the European Parliament’s influentialEconomic Affairs Committee, said that somelawmakers have complained that the rule isnot strict enough. “We are going to have adiscussion on this in committee on Mondaynight,” Bowles told Reuters yesterday.

Britain’s HSBC has said it will give new“allowances” - expected to take the form ofmonthly or quarterly payments in cash orshares - to senior staff to boost their fixedpay, meaning that higher bonuses couldthen be awarded. UK peers Lloyds andBarclays this week indicated that they wouldfollow suit.

Rewrite possibleThe European Banking Authority (EBA)

wrote the rule, but the European Parliamenthas the power to veto it and force a rewrite.“In one sense it does not help if peoplebelieve that what they have done is beingcircumvented,” Bowles said, adding that theonly option may be to reject the rule. TheEBA watchdog is already reviewing plannedallowances to see if they comply with the

new law and the Economic AffairsCommittee will meet on the sidelines of a fullparliament session in Strasbourg, France.Britain, meanwhile, is challenging the bonuscap in the European Union’s top court, argu-ing that the rule will make it more difficult forlenders to cut costs when required because itencourages higher levels of fixed pay.Bonuses, meanwhile, can be cut or with-drawn easily.

The European Parliament will have tovote on any proposal by mid-April, afterwhich it goes into recess ahead of its May

elections. Bowles said that if the new rulesare rejected, it could mean that nothingwould be in place before bonuses are dishedout early next year.

“The UK would be able to apply a lighterregime if it wishes,” Bowles said. Whileacknowledging that the banks’ extraallowances “are going to be be paid comehell or high water”, Bowles added that theyshould be viewed as fixed overheads thatneed to be covered by capital reserves andthat shareholders should consider whetherthey are too high. — Reuters

EU lawmakers to study bankers’ bonus rule

GENEVA: A view of the inside of a Carlsson CS50 Versailles edition car model atthe stand of the German car tuning company during the Geneva Motor Showyesterday. For extravagance, luxury and bling-bling lovers, the German manu-facturer Carlsson presents the World’s first car decorated with gold leaf. — AFP


KUWAIT: Arabian Motors Group (AMG),the Ford and Lincoln importer-dealer inKuwait, emerged a winner as it compet-ed in Ford Middle East’s ServiceExcellence World Cup, securing the titlefor Best Technician in a tough challengethat brought together some of the besttalents from Ford dealerships aroundthe region. This is the second consecu-tive year where AMG wins the BestTechnician title for the region.

“The Service Excellence competitionis a great opportunity not only to getour dealer after-sales teams to competefor the title, but also to ensure they allhave the best skills in the industry acrossthe Middle East,” said Chris Noel, FordMiddle East’s director of CustomerService. “We congratulate the AMGteam for this outstanding achievement.They have done a great job and stoodout among the region’s top techniciansthanks to their commitment to provid-ing some of the highest levels of after-

sales services in the region. We com-mend them for demonstrating theirexpertise and skills acquired throughthe Ford Motor Company certificationprogramme. The Ford ServiceExcellence Cup is an incentive to helpsharpen the skills of service advisors,technicians as well as parts counterclerks and help them better serve theircustomers and achieve higher levels ofsatisfaction.

And taking part in this regional chal-lenge is quite challenging, where all par-ticipants must be certified through theFord Motor Company Certification pro-gramme and go through a series ofinternal challenges where only the bestwould be chosen to represent theirdealership in the regional finals.Regional finalists initially would demon-strate their skills at the dealership level,and advance to the regional contest tocompete among the best of the Forddealerships in the Middle East.

“We are very proud of this achieve-ment and winning the Best Techniciantitle,” said Martin Aherne, AMG’s generalmanager for After Sales. “AMG takesafter sales and customer satisfaction

very seriously, and our teams undergocontinued training and development aswe work to deliver some of the bestafter sales experiences in Kuwait. Thisshows our efforts are well on track.”

AMG snatches ‘Best Technician’ title in Ford ME’s regional service excellence challenge

MOSCOW: Gazprom issued a thinly veiledwarning yesterday that it could stop ship-ping gas to Ukraine over unpaid bills,increasing pressure on the new govern-ment in Kiev and its supporters in Europe,which gets half its Russian gas throughUkraine.

“Either Ukraine makes good on its debtand pays for current supplies, or there isrisk of returning to the situation of early2009,” Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said.

Gazprom halted gas supplies toUkraine over unpaid bills at the beginningof 2009, which led to reductions in sup-plies of Russian gas to Europe during acold winter.

Ukraine’s desperate financial positionhas deteriorated further in the two weekssince pro-Western protestors in Kievbrought down Moscow-backed presidentViktor Yanukovich, which promptedRussian forces to seize control of Ukraine’sCrimea peninsular in response.

Naftogas, Ukraine’s state energy com-pany, was not immediately available forcomment. The 2009 standoff resulted inthe revision of Ukraine’s contract with

Gazprom and a deal enabling Russia’sBlack Sea naval fleet to remain at a base inUkraine’s Crimea region for decades.

The turmoil in Ukraine has opened upthe biggest rift between Russia and theWest since the Cold War. A pro-Westerngovernment is in place in Kiev, but Russiahas said it has the right to invade Ukraineto protect its citizens - and even Russianspeakers, who are in the majority in theeast of Ukraine.

In December, Russia had agreed to cutgas prices for Ukraine to $268.50 per 1,000cubic metres from around $400, part of abailout package seen in the West asreward for Kiev’s decision to reject closerties with the EU and turn to Russia instead.

Russian President Vladimir Putin andGazprom have said already that Russia willabandon the price discounts for Ukraine asof April because Kiev has failed to pay forgas on time.

“Today, March 7, was the deadline forpayments for gas supplies to Ukraine inFebruary. Gazprom has not received pay-ments for the debt,” Miller said, addingthat Ukraine’s overdue gas debt to Russia

now stands at $1.89 billion.“Essentially, this means that Ukraine

has stopped paying for gas. This totallycontradicts the provisions of the contractand international trade practices. For ourpart, we have always fulfilled and will fulfilour contractual obligations,” Miller said.“But we cannot supply gas free of charge.”

Last year, Gazprom supplied theEuropean Union and Turkey with 162 bil-lion cubic metres of gas, a historic record,of which 86 bcm went via Ukraine. TheKremlin-controlled company has been cut-ting gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine asit has built a pipeline called Nord Streamunder the bed of the Baltic Sea directly toGermany.

It also plans to build the 63 bcm a yearSouth Stream pipeline via the Black Sea toEurope. Norwegian gas exports surged tothe highest levels since January 2013 yes-terday as demand rose in continentalEurope due to fears that Russia may cutgas supplies via Ukraine. Earlier yesterday,a Gazprom spokesman said Russian gastransit via Ukraine to Europe remained sta-ble. — Reuters

Europe’s gas supply at risk as Gazprom warns Ukraine Failed to pay for Feb gas supplies on time

China’s first-evercorporate defaultsparks legal action

SHANGHAI: China’s first-ever default on a domestic corporatebond yesterday has sparked legal action by investors owedinterest payments from a solar company, their lawyer said.

Shanghai-based Chaori Solar Energy Science & TechnologyCo. said Tuesday it was unable to make full bond interest pay-ments of 89.8 million yuan ($14.7 million). Chaori’s board sec-retary, Liu Tielong, confirmed yesterday that the company wasin default, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

The development is being widely described as China’s firstever corporate bond default, but analysts say that it couldbenefit the market in the long term by raising awareness ofrisk and making investors more selective.

“The default today is already an established fact,” saidlawyer Gan Guolong, who represents investors. “We will defi-nitely help recover bondholders’ interests through relevantlegal action.” Investors had already asked the Higher Court ofGuangdong province to order payment from the company, itslisting exchange and the lead underwriter for the bond’s ini-tial issue in 2012, he said, but the case was still pending.

Chaori lists both shares and bonds on the Shenzhenexchange in Guangdong. A commentary issued by China’sofficial Xinhua news agency late Thursday suggested the gov-ernment could send a signal by allowing the company todefault. “The episode should help reduce the moral hazardcaused by the widespread assumption that an almighty gov-ernment will always bail out underwater investments withtaxpayers’ money,” the commentary said. “That, after all, is themarket playing its own decisive role,” it said, using a catch-phrase for economic reforms pledged at a key CommunistParty meeting last year.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said yester-day: “No matter if it is the securities market or the bonds mar-ket, it is only natural for there to be some fluctuations.”

‘No warning’ of risk Analysts said bond buyers, who are largely retail investors

in China, would be hurt but a default would have a positiveimpact on the country’s corporate debt market.

“Municipal governments and banks in China have steppedin to help distressed companies meet their bond paymentobligations during the past few years,” ratings agencyMoody’s said in a report on Friday. “These bailouts have ledsome investors to overlook the fundamental credit risks inbonds.” Chaori investors said representatives had also askedthe district government in Shanghai, where the firm is locat-ed, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission marketwatchdog to act. Wang Yong, who invested 1.28 million yuanof his parents’ retirement funds in the Chaori bond, told AFPhe was not aware of the risks-but placed the blame on oth-ers.—AFP

BEIJING: Workers changing a business signboard in downtown Beijing, China, yesterday. China yesterday expressedconfidence over achieving its GDP target of 7.5 per cent this year, citing the expected recovery of the world economyand strong fundamentals of emerging markets. — AP


NEW DELHI: Indian mobile giant Bhartisaid yesterday it was scouting for a newpartner to replace Walmart in a retailjoint venture with reports saying it wasin talks with France’s Carrefour andJapan’s AEON.

The new partner would replaceWalmart, the world’s biggest retailer,with which Bharti had a strategic alliancethat fell apart last October. “There aretalks (for a new venture) but nothing iscompleted until the last dot is signed,” aBharti source told AFP.

Nothing will be decided until aftergeneral elections conclude in May incase there is a change in policy, the

source added. A Bharti spokesmandeclined to comment on media reportsthat the group, controlled by billionaireSunil Mittal, was in talks with CarrefourSA, the world’s second-largest retailerand Japan’s biggest retailer, AEON CoLtd. Discussions with Carrefour were atan advanced stage but were put on holddue to AEON’s interest in an alliance,India’s Economic Times newspaper said.“Some of the senior officials of BhartiRetail are in favour of tying up with theFrench major as it has an existing foot-print in India’s cash-and-carry space thatwould be a perfect match for BhartiRetail,” the Economic Times quoted a

source close to the negotiations as say-ing. Carrefour, which has five wholesalestores in India, would fold them into ajoint venture with Bharti if it emerges asthe company’s retail partner. TheEconomic Times quoted an AEONspokesman as saying “we will not beable to disclose or comment.” Carrefouralso declined to comment.

Aside from its mobile phone empireBharti Airtel, Bharti also runs 212 EasyDay convenience stores. Opinion pollssuggest that forthcoming elections willbe won by the right-wing BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) which stronglyopposed the entry of foreign supermar-

kets into India while in opposition.However, recently the BJP’s prime

ministerial candidate Narendra Modiraised speculation about a change ofheart when he said small retailers mustlearn to cope with bigger rivals.

Foreign players such as Carrefour,Britain’s Tesco and Walmart have beeneyeing India’s $500-billion retail marketsince the government relaxed invest-ment rules in 2012. Walmart, which hasits own wholesale operation in India,pulled out of the Bharti tie-up amid aninternal bribery probe and worries overthe country’s still evolving retail land-scape. —AFP

India’s Bharti linked with Carrefour in new tie-up

HONG KONG: Asian markets mostly roseyesterday and the dollar held on to its NewYork gains after better-than-expected jobsdata raised hopes for a strong payrollsreport later in the day.

While the crisis in Ukraine is still to beresolved, investors are focused on economicfundamentals, with confidence boosted byupbeat comments on the eurozone fromthe European Central Bank (ECB), while WallStreet saw another record close. Tokyo rose0.92 percent, or 139.32 points, to 15,274.07and Sydney added 0.30 percent, or 16.4points, to 5,462.3 while Seoul finish flat,edging down 0.94 points to 1974.68 owingto a late sell-off. Shanghai edged a touchlower, dipping 1.67 points to end at2,057.91 while Hong Kong eased 0.19 per-cent, or 42.48 points, to 22,660.49.

In the United States, the LaborDepartment said first-time claims for unem-ployment benefits fell last week to a three-month low of 323,000 from the prior week’srevised reading of 349,000. Analysts hadexpected the claims to fall to just 338,000.The figure was a “sign companies are holdingon to their staff even as cold weather threat-ens to slow the world’s largest economy”,said Spreadex analyst Lee Mumford. It alsoprovided hope that yesterday’s closelywatched non-farm payrolls report forFebruary will show a sharp improvementfrom the previous two months, which camein well below forecasts owing to a severewinter snap across most of the country. TheS&P 500 rose 0.17 percent to a record highand the Dow added 0.38 percent, but theNasdaq dipped 0.13 percent.

Draghi upbeat on eurozone The dollar also rallied to 102.98 yen late

Thursday in New York, from 102.72 yen ear-lier in Tokyo.In afternoon Asian trade, thegreenback was at 102.95 yen. However, USshares lost much of the gains after PresidentBarack Obama laid

down a tough challenge to Moscow’ssupport for a referendum in Ukraine’sCrimea on joining Russia.“The proposed ref-erendum on the future of Crimea would vio-late the Ukrainian constitution and violateinternational law,” Obama said. His com-ments come as the United States and Russiatry to resolve the crisis in Eastern Europe,which flared when Russian lawmakersagreed to sending troops into the mainlyRussian-speaking Crimean peninsula afterthe ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Moscow gov-ernment. The ex-Soviet state is in danger ofbreaking apart after Crimea’s parliament

unanimously voted to join Russia, in a sharpescalation of the worst East-West securitycrisis since the Cold War. Washington hasslapped visa bans on Russians andUkrainians involved in the Crimean incur-sion, the latest series of moves by the USadministration to punish Moscow, while theEuropean Union has also imposed punitivemeasures including freezing visa and finan-cial talks. However, global investors remainupbeat, and buying sentiment was givenfurther support after the ECB held interestrates unchanged and its head, Mario Draghi,gave an optimistic appraisal of the econo-my. “A gradual recovery in domestic andexternal demand is expected to be the driv-ing factor behind the projected increase inactivity,” Draghi said, after the ECB raised its2014 growth forecast by 0.1 percentagepoint to 1.2 percent.

The euro surged in US trade and onFriday maintained those gains, sitting at$1.3869 and 142.75 yen compared with$1.3861 and 142.88 yen late in New York. Oilprices were slightly higher. New York’s maincontract, West Texas Intermediate for Aprildelivery, rose 12 cents to $101.68 in after-noon Asian trade. Brent North Sea crude forApril was flat at $108.10. Gold fetched$1,348.20 an ounce at 0820 GMT comparedwith $1,335.26.

In other marketsTaiwan edged up 0.17 points to

8,713.96. Taiwan SemiconductorManufacturing Co. rose 1.33 percent toTw$114.5 while Hon Hai was 0.36 percent

higher at Tw$84.7. Wellington advanced 0.21 percent, or

10.86 points to a record high of 5,125.65. Kathmandu jumped 4.66 percent to

NZ$3.59 and Fletcher Building gained 1.02percent to NZ$9.90.

Manila closed 0.54 percent lower, givingup 34.99 points to 6,481.83. Philippine LongDistance Telephone eased 0.14 percent to2,800.00 pesos, Bank of the PhilippineIslands gave up 0.33 percent to 92.00 pesosand BDO Unibank ended 0.30 percent downat 84.25 pesos.

Bangkok gained 0.21 percent or 2.87points to close at 1,355.08. Coal producerBanpu closed unchanged at 26.50 bahtwhile energy gaint PTT Plc lost 1.35 percentor 4.00 baht to close at 292.00 baht.

Kuala Lumpur dipped 0.35 percent, or6.43 points, to 1,832.26. Telekom ended 1.7percent lower at 5.80 ringgit while GentingMalaysia lost 1.4 percent to 4.29.

Jakarta ended down 0.04 percent, or1.97 points, at 4,685.89. Palm oil firm WilmarCahaya Indonesia fell 2.29 percent to 1,710rupiah, while tin producer Timah gained5.70 percent to 1,855 rupiah.

Singapore closed up 0.23 percent, or7.09 points, at 3,136.26. DBS bank eased0.55 percent to Sg$16.23 while oil rig makerKeppel Corporation gained 0.57 percent toSg$10.65.

Mumbai surged 1.89 percent or 405.92points to end at 21,919.79. AdaniEnterprises rose 10.13 percent to 301.80rupees and real estate firm DLF increased9.87 percent to 167.00 rupees. —AFP

Asian shares broadly up on hopes for US jobs

TOKYO: People walk by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo.Shares were mostly higher in Asia as the standoff over Ukraine between Russiaand the West continued to ease and the yen weakened. —AP

TOKYO: Sony said yesterday it would sell properties at a pres-tigious Tokyo site where it had its headquarters for sixdecades, as the once-world beating firm struggles to repair itsbottom line.

The company’s 16.1 billion yen ($157 million) deal to sellthe real estate to Sumitomo Realty and Development will becompleted next month, it said.

The properties are in the Gotenyama area near the city’sShinagawa railway station, where land prices have been onthe rise recently. In 2007, the firm sold a portion of the site,moving its headquarters to the opposite side of Shinagawastation.

Sony started as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo in 1946, the year afterJapan’s defeat in World War II. The following year it movedfrom a different site in the capital to the Gotenyama area,where it grew into a global player built on its groundbreakingWalkman and popular televisions.

A museum archiving Sony’s epoch-making products will beone of its few remaining properties there. The deal yesterdaycomes after Sony said last year it was selling its US headquar-ters in Manhattan for $1.1 billion as it looks to recoup fromfour consecutive years of losses.

Sony and domestic rivals Panasonic and Sharp have facedsevere competition from abroad in their hard-hit consumerelectronics units and have been undergoing painful restruc-turings to move past years of losses.

Despite returning to profit in its latest fiscal year, Sony isbraced for a $1.08 billion loss in the 12 months to March as itplans to cut 5,000 jobs and exit the stagnant PC market.Yesterday, Sony said the real-estate sale would not affect itsearnings forecast for the current fiscal year. — AFP

TOKYO: This file picture taken on February 28, 2014 showsa general view of the former headquarter’s of the Sonycorporation in Tokyo. Sony will sell properties at a presti-gious Tokyo site where it had its headquarters for sixdecades, as the once-world beating firm struggles toimprove its bottom line. — AFP

Sony to sell its Tokyo ‘birthplace’


NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court yes-terday rejected another proposal by theSahara conglomerate to secure therelease of its jailed chairman by refund-ing billions of dollars the company hadraised from investors in a now outlawedbond scheme.

Sahara Chairman Subrata Roy, 65,was arrested last Friday for failing toappear at a hearing in the long-runningcase that pits the unlisted group againstthe securities regulator, the Securitiesand Exchange Board of India (SEBI). SEBI

had brought contempt proceedingsagainst Roy and Sahara for failure tocomply with a 2012 Supreme Courtorder to repay billions of dollars toinvestors. Sahara has said it repaid mostinvestors and that its remaining liabilitywas less than the 51.2 billion rupees($836 million) it deposited with SEBI, aclaim that has been disputed by the reg-ulator and the court.

Roy was sent to jail on Tuesday. OnFriday, lawyers for Sahara told the courtthe company was ready to pay 25 billion

rupees initially, and then an additional149 billion rupees in five instalmentsthrough July 2015, to secure Roy’srelease. The court rejected the proposalas unsatisfactory and told Sahara tocome up with another plan at the nexthearing on March 11, Keshav Mohan,one of the lawyers representing Saharain the case, told Reuters. The final figureowed by Sahara is unclear because ofinterest accrued, as well as a disputebetween the group and the regulatorover the veracity of investors. The court

had on Tuesday rejected an offer by thelawyers to give bank guarantees for 225billion rupees within three to sixmonths. Sahara is best known as the for-mer main sponsor of India’s nationalcricket team, as well as owner of NewYork’s Plaza Hotel and London’sGrosvenor House. It has a net worth of$11 billion and more than 36,000 acresof real estate, according to its website. Italso co-owns the Sahara Force IndiaFormula One auto racing team withliquor baron Vijay Mallya. — Reuters

India court again rejects Sahara bid to release chief

NEW DELHI: Indian opposition politi-cian Narendra Modi, who leads opinionpolls ahead of next month’s generalelection, faces pressure from a smallanti-graft party attacking his economicmodel on his home turf, the thrivingstate of Gujarat.

The pro-business leader has presidedover rapid economic growth duringmore than 12 years as the chief ministerof the coastal state, and slashed red tapeto attract companies such as Ford,Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors.

Now, Modi promises to replicate hisstate’s development model nationwideif he becomes prime minister. ButArvind Kejriwal, the leader of the AamAadmi Party, yesterday said small busi-nesses in the state were being shut-tered, public schools and health serviceswere in poor shape and claims of regularsupplies of electricity were not true.

“What is your development model?”Kejriwal asked as he tore into the heartof Modi’s campaign, saying that 400,000of the state’s farmers who had appliedfor electricity connections years ago hadyet to receive them.

“If you haven’t even given a connec-tion, how will you give them electricity?”India’s western state of Gujarat has beenhailed for rapid measures to developinfrastructure and provide stable powersupply, but critics often say it lagsbehind other states in social develop-

ment. “What we’ve seen in the last twodays is quite shocking,” Kejriwal toldreporters at a meeting on the edge ofthe state’s commercial capital ofAhmedabad. Kejriwal, who was deniedan audience with Modi, questioned theGujarat chief minister’s claims on farmgrowth, job creation and clean gover-nance, and suggested he was too closeto big business.

He was on a tour to study conditionsin Gujarat, as part of his party’s firstnational campaign since bursting ontothe political scene with a stunning victo-ry in Delhi’s local election in December.

Leaders of Modi’s Hindu nationalistBharatiya Janata Party condemnedKejriwal’s remarks. “The Aam AadmiParty’s politics now includes the right togate crash, the right to a violent protestand the right to take liberties with thetruth,” the BJP’s Arun Jaitley said onTwitter.

Kejriwal was chief minister of theIndian capital for 49 chaotic days beforeresigning, saying the country’sentrenched political parties were notletting him govern. The former tax col-lector, who has described himself as ananarchist, seems more comfortable incampaign mode.

Street fighting between supportersof Kejriwal and Modi broke out in threestates on Wednesday when Gujaratpolice briefly stopped his convoy, hours

after the announcement of a month-long national election, to be held fromApril 7. Opinion polls put Modi far aheadof his main rival, Rahul Gandhi of thegoverning Congress party, but short of amajority. Kejriwal says both Congressand the BJP are beholden to corporateinterests, and yesterday questionedModi’s relationship to India’s richestbusiness families.

His party is expected to win few seatsin upcoming polls, but has tapped into avein of public anger over a culture ofentitlement among politicians, risingprices and endemic graft - issues it hashelped push to the top of the electionagenda.

Gujarat, famed as the birthplace ofIndian independence icon MahatmaGandhi, is now at the centre of thenational poll campaign. Modi’s support-ers often cite the state’s economic suc-cess as the key reason they back him.

Opponents and some economists sayGujarat’s good image owes much to along tradition of entrepreneurship andpoint out the seafaring state was doingwell before Modi took charge.

Other states, ranging from Delhi andthe western state of Maharashtra to thesouthern states of Karnataka, AndhraPradesh and Tamil Nadu, attracted moreforeign investment than Gujarat overthe three years to 2012, the central banksays. — Reuters

India’s anti-graft party takes aim at Modi’s economic model

Modi questioned on farm growth, job creation

MUMBAI: An Indian onlooker watches the digital broadcast on the facade of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) duringintra-day trade in Mumbai yesterday. Indian share prices surged to a record high as the BSE benchmark Sensex indexreached 21,866.51 points for the first time. — AFP

Foreigners to bekept out of China’s

privatisationsSHANGHAI: As China embarks on a new wave of opening upstate-dominated industries to private capital, foreign firms willlargely be kept out and authorities are likely to look to institu-tions like domestic pension funds and insurers.

State giants China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC),Sinopec Corp and China Railway Corporation have said theywere seeking investments from private capital and also socialcapital, or funds sourced from pension funds and insurancecompanies. “I think those are going to be the key groups thatthe SOEs (state-owned enterprises) will first partner up with,”said Sun Lijian, deputy director of the School of Economics atFudan University.

“It will also fit in with Beijing’s strategy to diversify invest-ment channels for its vast, locally managed pension funds.”The move reflects China’s desire to avoid adding further debton to the federal government’s books while injecting much-needed cash into vital sectors, but without ceding control.

On Wednesday, Premier Li Keqiang said on the openingday of the annual parliament session that the fiscal deficitwould be maintained at 2.1 percent of GDP in 2014, the sameas last year. Analysts said recent announcements by some ofChina’s largest state-owned enterprises to diversify ownershipprovides a hint of Beijing’s public-private partnership modelas it opens up its petroleum, railway, finance, power and tele-com sectors to private investors for the first time.

Investments by local insurers and pension funds will notonly allow Beijing to tap into massive savings to fund invest-ments as economic growth slows, but it will also allow theseinstitutions to diversify their portfolio away from a depend-ence on bonds and other fixed income products.

Assets under management in China’s pension systemtotalled $1.2 trillion at the end of 2012, according to newspa-per reports. Insurance companies had assets of 8.289 trillionyuan ($1.36 trillion) at the end of 2013, official data shows.Invested funds totalled 7.687 trillion yuan, of which 29 per-cent was in bank deposits, 43 percent in bonds, and 10 per-cent in stocks and related securities.

Opportunities in energyFor the energy sector, however, analysts said there would

be more opportunities for foreign players in areas where theyhave technological advantages, particularly in the develop-ment of unconventional gas resources.

“In areas where the SOEs lack the technological know-how,they will open the doors to foreign companies, otherwise thepriority is still local companies,” said Michael Yuk, a seniorenergy analyst at China Merchants Securities.

Sinopec, Asia’s biggest oil refiner, said last month that itwould sell up to 30 percent of its marketing arm, which ownsmore than 30,000 petrol stations, in a multi-billion dollar assetrestructuring.

While analysts said Sinopec could bring in strategic foreignplayers, such as Royal Dutch Shell or BP, executives at over-seas energy firms are less sanguine.

“None (of the international energy companies) have theillusion that Sinopec will reach out to us in its divestment ...there’s no such possibility,” said an official with a global ener-gy firm, adding that fuel retailing is a sector where Beijingwants to limit foreign participation.

State-owned China Railway Corporation plans to seek pri-vate investment for a railway development fund that could belaunched this year, the Shanghai Securities News reported onThursday.—Reuters

www.kuwaittimes.net

‘Japan’s Beethoven’ says sorrybut claims deafness no act

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A dancer with the ChinaNingbo Performance & ArtsGroup performs a scene from‘The Red Dress’ during adress rehearsal before opening night March 6, 2014at the David H Koch Theaterat the Lincoln Center. Theshow which runs March 6-9 isthe first time has been per-formed in a major city out-side of Asia. —AFP


Mamoru Samuragochi, dubbed ‘Japan’s Beethoven’, bows in apology at a press conference room in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP photos

The fraudulent composer dubbed “Japan’sBeethoven” made his first public apologyyesterday, but insisted he has hearing prob-

lems and threatened to sue the ghost writer whoouted his decades-long deception. Ditching histrademark long hair and sunglasses, a clean-cutMamoru Samuragochi repeatedly bowed inshame before a packed press conference in aTokyo hotel, where some dubious reportersdragged along hearing-impairment experts toassess the mock maestro.

“Sounds get distorted, so I hardly recognizewords. It’s no lie that I still need a sign-languageinterpreter,” he said, with an interpreter by hisside. The carnival-like atmosphere also saw somejournalists demand that the disgraced composerprove his sign-language abilities. Japan’s oftensentimental media once lapped up

Samuragochi’s story, feasting on the narrative ofa tortured genius robbed of the ability to hear thebeautiful music he made.

The scandal broke last month whenSamuragochi, who is credited with composing ananthemic tribute to the tenacity of Japan’s tsuna-mi survivors, admitted he had been paying some-one else to write his music for nearly twodecades. His ghost writer, a music school teachernamed Takashi Niigaki, also claimed his boss wasnot deaf and couldn’t even write sheet music.Yesterday, the 50-year-old Samuragochi insistedthat he remains hearing impaired, but his prob-lem has improved over the years. He handed outcopies of a recent hearing diagnosis, while somereporters demanded he write phrases on a pieceof paper to see if his handwriting matchedinstructional notes that supposedly proved his

musical abilities. The hearing checkup revealedthat his problems would not merit him the dis-ability certificate that he has been forced toreturn to officials in the nearby city of Yokohama.“I am very sorry for causing all this trouble,” hemeekly told the hundreds of assembled journal-ists. “I apologize for those who bought my CDs,listened to the music and came to my concerts.”

Legal threat The disjointed press conference, which

dragged on for nearly three hours, also saw thedisgraced composer go on the offensive, threat-ening to sue his accomplice for defamation,despite previously apologizing to him. “(Theghost writer) said he had suggested that we stopthis many times, but it’s a complete lie,”Samuragochi said, adding that “whenever I came

up with a new concept for a piece of music, hewould come to meet me with no problem”. Theghost writer would always insist on a biggercheque for his work, he added. “That is the realityof the 18 years,” Samuragochi said. The fallencomposer’s star burned all the brighter after adocumentary entitled “Melody of the Soul”, wasshown on public broadcaster NHK last year.Cameras followed him as he toured the tsunami-battered Tohoku region to meet survivors andthose who lost relatives in the 2011 catastrophe.The film showed the musical genius playing witha small girl whose mother was killed in the disas-ter and apparently composing a requiem for thedead woman. “I was constantly scared that some-day the truth would be revealed,” he said yester-day. “I was going to put an end to this after 10years.” — AFP

‘Japan’s Beethoven’ says sorry but claims deafness no act

Awoman found sleeping in a bedroom ofan Atlanta-area home rented by popstar Justin Bieber told officers that she

had come to the house for the singer’s birth-day party and realized she was too late for it,according to a police report. Qianying Zhao,23, of nearby Doraville was found at the homeshortly after 5 pm. Wednesday and chargedwith criminal trespass, Sandy Springs policesaid. The house is owned by music producerDallas Austin and is being rented by Bieber,police said. Ashley Austin, 20, lives there andcame home to find Zhao in one of the bed-rooms.

“Austin said that she did not know Zhao,and had no idea how she got into her house,”the report states. Police say Zhao told officersthat she claimed to be a friend of Bieber’s, andhad entered through an unlocked door of thehome on Northside Drive, just north of

Atlanta. No one was home. “She said that shemet him on the Internet ‘Twitter’ and was visit-ing him for a birthday party,” the police reportstates. “She realized that she was too late forthe party, so she decided to wait there forhim.” Police say Bieber’s party had been heldearlier in the week at another place. Zhao washandcuffed and taken to an Alpharetta jail. Itwasn’t immediately known whether she hasan attorney. It was the second time in just overa week that police have responded to a prob-lem related to the pop star. On Feb 25, policepulled over an SUV being used by the singerand his entourage after a photographer saidhis camera was stolen as he tried to take pic-tures of Bieber at the Sandy Springs Funhousefamily entertainment complex. A Bieber body-guard, Hugo Hesny, faces a felony charge inthat case. Bieber was not involved in thealleged theft, police said. — AP

Woman asleep in Bieber’s rented Ga home arrested

Justin Bieberperforms during a concert atBercy Arena inParis. —AP

Even Batman deals with confidence issues.Ben Affleck, who testified last week beforeCongress on behalf of the Congo, revealed

to NPR’s Morning Edition’s David Greeneon Thursday that he briefly struggledwith feelings of insecurity beforestepping up as a celebrity advocatefor the region. “It seemed to me thatwhat I had to offer at the time couldbe better used in theCongo and after that, in

my sort of insecurity about not wanting to besomebody who does it without understanding it,led me to go,” Affleck explained.

While Affleck’s Hollywood friendspushed the “Batman vs Superman” star

toward other causes, he was ultimate-ly able to use his clout to draw moreattention to the often-ignored region.“Being an actor afforded me access,”

Affleck began, “and the more I gotinvolved and looked around in theCongo, the more I was drawn there.

Not because of the suffering butbecause of the will and the energy and

the determination of the Congolese peo-ple and the face of that suffering to over-

come.” Despite his initial doubts,Affleck made sure he was able to

contribute more than just acelebrity mouthpiece. “I would-n’t be a credible advocate if Iwasn’t taken seriously, if Ihadn’t done my homework,”

Affleck revealed. “So inorder to do it, I had to do

it properly.”— Reuters

I was insecure about taking on the Congo - at first

Ben Affleck:


Queen, Adam Lambertto embark on summer tour

Adam Lambert has never paid attention to the haters,and he won’t start now as the lead singer for the rockband Queen on their upcoming summer tour. “You just

can’t focus on that crap, especially in today’s day and age, theInternet, and everybody has an opinion and a comment.That’s not why we do this,” Lambert told The Associated Press.Lambert first performed with Queen in 2009 when he was acontestant on “American Idol,” where he placed second. Theband and Lambert have since performed together, includinglast year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas and aEuropean tour in 2012. They sang such hits as “We Are theChampions” and “We Will Rock You.”

Still, Lambert has to stand in the shadow of the singermany regard as one of the greatest to front a rock band. “Atfirst it was a little daunting when we did our first incarnationof this. I definitely felt apprehensive. Freddie Mercury is one ofthe greatest singers that ever lived,” Lambert said. “It’s such atreat for me to get on stage and pay my respects, and pay trib-ute to one of my favorite singers ever, and to sing some of thegreatest music ever written,” Lambert added.

The 19-date US tour kicks off June 19 in Chicago. It wrapsup July 20 in Washington, DC Tickets went on sale yesterday.Original members Brian May and Roger Taylor flankedLambert for the news conference Thursday and, in the inter-views that followed, defended their choice as Mercury’s suc-cessor. “‘American Idol’ is a long way in the past for Adamnow. He’s a solo artist and well-established. And also we areestablished as a partnership ... if you concentrate on the nega-tive you’re not going to get anywhere. It’s very important tohave focus, and you play to people who want to hear us,” Maysaid.

“Good is good, and quality is quality,” Taylor added onLambert’s ability. May said the band will pay tribute toMercury in the show. But “The mere fact that we’re playingsongs that Freddie wrote is a tribute,” he said. The guitaristalso touched on releasing some old recordings of FreddieMercury, including a collaboration with Michael Jackson,recorded in 1983. Mercury died in 1991; Jackson in 2009.

“I was surprised that there was a little bit more in the canthat we had overlooked for a long time, so we have a fewsongs which we’re working on right now. Freddie songs asfresh as yesterday,” May said. “It’s really amazing. We’re allplaying together, and I think people will enjoy it. WhileMercury has been gone for 23 years, his legacy has lived on.The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in2001, has sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide, andhas a longstanding musical, celebrating the band’s catalogthat has played on London’s West End for 12 years.

“It’s been a constant reminder to people of our music,especially younger fans making us cross generational. And‘We Will Rock You: The Musical’ has played a big part in that,”May said. That prompted Lambert to add: “What’s so geniusabout the catalog is that there are so many different colors.There are huge power ballads that are really important like“Who Wants to Live Forever,” and “The Show Must Go On.”Huge, amazing dramatic songs. There are these songs that areall different vibe.” — AP

Roger Taylor, from left, Adam Lambert and Brian Mayannounce a Queen + Adam Lambert summer tour, onThursday in New York. —AP

The stage was strewn with daffodilsand a cake was wheeled out asDame Kiri te Kanawa celebrated

her 70th birthday on Thursday singingon stage at Covent Garden where theNew Zealand-born soprano first madean international splash more than 40years ago. Te Kanawa, who retired fromthe opera stage in 2004 but still singsrecitals, was misty eyed after video trib-

utes from famous singers she hasworked with, including Frederica vonStade, Jose Carreras and PlacidoDomingo, were shown on a screen atthe end of a production of Donizetti’scomic opera “La Fille du Regiment.”

“After this day... I’m going to do arunner, and there’s no more birthdays,”Te Kanawa said to laughter from thesold-out opera audience. “I thank thiswhole cast for the most wonderful per-formance and I’m so pleased that I wasable to do five minutes of this,” Te

Kanawa, who played what is usually thenon-singing role of the Duchess ofCrackentorp in the production.

A special aria, lifted from Puccini’sopera “Edgar”, was inserted for TeKanawa to sing, giving the audience aglimpse of her famous creamy highnotes. “I thank you all so much and keepup the spirit and the love of classicalmusic,” Te Kanawa said after the audi-

ence had sung “Happy Birthday to her.Domingo, with whom Te Kanawa sangin a fabled production of Puccini’s“Manon Lescaut”, in his video tributewelcomed her into her 70s where henoted he had preceded her by threeyears.

“It’s a wonderful world...it’s so beauti-ful,” the Spanish tenor said beforelaunching into “Happy Birthday” to Kiri.Te Kanawa, who is of half-Maori descentand made her reputation singing count-esses and duchesses in Mozart and

Strauss operas, told Reuters in an inter-view before the performance that shewas thrilled to be celebrating her birth-day at Covent Garden. She had her firstbig international success at CoventGarden singing the role of CountessAlmaviva in Mozart’s “The Marriage ofFigaro” in 1971.

“It is really my home house, I dideverything from here, wrong or right,right or wrong, but I had some wonder-ful experiences at the Royal OperaHouse Covent Garden and made somewonderful old friends,” she said. Sheattributed the quality of her voice tohaving been gentle with it during nearly40 years on the opera stage.

“I suppose I’m really quite surprisedthat my voice is in such good shape butI never really did it a lot of damage, I did-n’t do the wrong things,” she toldReuters in a backstage interview beforethe performance. “Sometimes I over-worked and of course you pay the pricebut my voice is still good, the high notesare still there - maybe not as high as itused to be but still at age 70 I’m notquite sure who sings top D’s anyway,”she said, referring to a note at the topend of the soprano range.

Although opera and music audiencesknow her from the stage and recordings,including singing the role of Maria in afamous “operatic” recording of LeonardBernstein’s “West Side Story”, televisionviewers saw her more recently as sopra-no Dame Nellie Melba in an episode ofthe popular British serial “DowntonAbbey” which Te Kanawa said was “awonderful experience”. She said sheHad particularly enjoyed meeting all thecast and getting “lots and lots of pic-tures”, but also got a kick out of know-ing how the show ended months aheadof time. “We just said it was going to bedramatic and that’s all we would say -we didn’t want to tell anyone aboutwhat was going on in the script,” shesaid. — Reuters

British actor Jim Carter, left, presents a cake to soprano Dame Kiri te Kanawa ofNew Zealand, as she celebrates her 70th birthday on stage. — AP

‘The Voice” coach Blake Sheltonand “American Idol” judge KeithUrban are among the first round

of performers to be announced for thisyear’s Academy of Country MusicAwards, which airs live from Las Vegason CBS on April 6. The initial slate of per-formers also includes Jason Aldean, LukeBryan, Miranda Lambert, George Straitand The Band Perry.

Shelton and Bryan are co-hostingthis year’s ceremony, which takes placeat the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Bryan will also perform with FloridaGeorgia Line for the ACM Fan Jam,which will air live via remote duringthe ceremony from the the MandalayBay Events Center. Additional perform-ers will be announced in the comingweeks.—Reuters

Blake Shelton, Keith Urban to perform at the ACM Awards

Blake Shelton and Keith Urban


Stephen Colbert is the only host in late night TV who plays acharacter. On “The Colbert Report,” he’s a self-absorbed,closed-minded caricature of a jingoistic talk show host, who

is supposed to be anything but endearing. But Americansembrace him anyway. Colbert is the most-liked late night talkshow host, according to data that the Q Scores company providedto TheWrap. The leader of Colbert Nation and host of ComedyCentral’s “Colbert Report” has the highest Positive Q Score in latenight: a 20.

Perhaps the old adage, “Just be yourself,” is not valid after 11pm. To create Q Scores, executive vice president Henry Schaferand his team provides a celebrity’s name and a brief description tomore than 1,800 viewers. The viewers are asked if they recognizethe person, and how they feel about him or her. The averagePositive Q Score for a celebrity is 15.

The company’s numbers for late night include adults surveyedfrom mid-January to early February 2014, prior to Jimmy Fallontaking on “The Tonight Show” and Seth Meyers taking over “LateNight.” No. 2 in popularity is Colbert’s fellow “Daily Show” alum,John Oliver. He has a strong 18 Positive Q Score, which he will taketo his new weekly HBO series, “Last Week Tonight.” Oliver’sacclaimed summer guest-hosting stint on “The Daily Show” musthave been fresh in viewers’ minds.

Colbert’s and Oliver’s mentor, Jon Stewart, comes in third inpopularity with a 16 Q Score, the same as new “Late Night” hostSeth Meyers. But Stewart has higher recognition. Meyers was bestknown at the time of the survey for his more than 12 years on“Saturday Night Live.” After Meyers, Jay Leno had a Positive QScore of 15. Leno’s was the most-famous name on the list, with 81percent recognition.

Next up was Andy Cohen of “Watch What Happens Live.”Cohen is not highly recognizable, but he is fairly well received witha 14 Positive Q Score. Fallon, who was transitioning from the 12:35am timeslot to 11:35 pm at the time of this survey, has a 13 Q

Score. But Fallon is scoring well in “Tonight” ratings, so don’t besurprised if his score goes up. At the bottom of our rankings isArsenio Hall, who has an 8. Carson Daly has a 9. Daly was also cov-ered in our Morning Show Personalities Q Score rankings.

Leno’s old rival, David Letterman, scored a 9. New, successfulcompetition in the late night TV landscape is forcing networks andcable channels to adapt a more hip tone in an effort to reach agrowing younger demographic. Jimmy Fallon’s “Late Night” and“Tonight Show” viral video run, as well as Kimmel’s online pres-ence has set the table for the new age of post-11 pm television.Among 18-34 year-olds, Conan O’Brien makes a nice run towardsthe top, but cannot unseat Colbert. Likewise, Hall stays in the base-ment, despite picking up an additional point. — Reuters

The most and least likedlate night talk show hosts

Stephen Colbert Jimmy Fallon

Seth Meyers

John Oliver

Andy Cohen

Jon Stewart Jay Leno

Arsenio Hall

Conan O’Brien


One of the many surprises in WesAnderson’s rich, layered and quirkilyentertaining new film, “The Grand

Budapest Hotel,” is the emergence of a newcomic actor, one with impeccable timingand just the right mix of gravitas and utterzaniness. Ladies and gents, meet RalphFiennes. You might not immediately thinkthe man who played the tragic count in“The English Patient,” an evil war criminal in“Schindler’s List,” a violent Coriolanus, andoh yes, Voldemort, would be a natural incomedy. But he proves a deft, daft partnerto Anderson in this, their first collaboration.

The film itself is a madcap caper on onelevel. On another, it’s a look at a dyingworld, and way of l ife, in the periodbetween the two world wars, with thespecter of totalitarianism looming. Just likethe fictional hotel in the title, the movie is ameticulously constructed confection, fea-turing the extreme attention to detail thatAnderson is famous for.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is set in a spa

town in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka,somewhere in Eastern Europe. It’s a placewhere wealthy older women come to bepampered. That’s where Monsieur Gustave(Fiennes) comes in. An old-schoolconcierge, Gustave lives to please his cus-tomers. And so the services he provides(wink wink) go beyond simply making surethe flowers are fresh and the wine chilled.

Gustave is persnickety, pompous andvain. But he’s committed to doing his job aswell as it can be done. He’s indeed a crea-ture of a fast-disappearing Old World. Butwe’re getting ahead of ourselves. Or rather,behind ourselves, because the film hop-scotches between three time periods. Webegin in 1985. A middle-aged writer (TomWilkinson) is recalling his stay at the GrandBudapest some 20 years earlier. Suddenlywe’re back in 1968, in the hotel, which is ashell of its former glory - it’s an ugly, post-Communist relic, with really bad furniture.That same writer (now played by Jude Law)encounters the hotel’s mysterious owner,

Mr Moustafa (F Murray Abraham), whooffers to tell him his story.

Which brings us back in time again, tothe years between the wars, when the hotellooked like a strawberry-frosted weddingcake. Mr Moustafa is now a young lobbyboy, Zero (Tony Revolori) an ambitious ladwhom Gustave takes under his wing. Theplot gets going with the death of MadameD - an 84-year-old, extremely rich dowagercountess (Tilda Swinton, barely recogniza-ble in amazing makeup) and former lover ofGustave. Turns out she’s left him a pricelesspainting. But her imperious son Dmitri(Adrien Brody, having fun here) won’t havethis smarmy concierge get a piece of thefamily fortune. Gustave swipes it anyway.

Gustave is eventually caught and sent toprison camp, where, with a fellow inmate(Harvey Keitel, no less), he plots escape.They make it out, leading to more amazingchases, involving motorcycles, a mountaincable car, a ski jump, a bobsled run, and aconfession booth in a monastery. There’s a

wild shootout across hotel balconies. Andthere’s the funniest scene in the film, amontage of old-world concierges acrossEurope, banding together to try to helpGustave.

You’ll spot Anderson regular Bill Murrayhere, as well as Jason Schwartzman and, ina quick moment, Owen Wilson. EdwardNorton is funny as a determined militarypolice chief. Willem Dafoe is Dmitri’s ultra-violent henchman, and Jeff Goldblum theunfortunate lawyer who runs afoul of him.Saoirse Ronan is young Zero’s girlfriend. Butin the end it’s Fiennes who makes thebiggest impression. His stylized, rapid-firedelivery, dry wit and cheerful profanity keepthe movie bubbling along. Here’s to furtherFiennes-Anderson collaborations. “TheGrand Budapest Hotel,” a Fox Searchlightrelease, is rated R by the Motion PictureAssociation of America for “language, somesexual content and violence.” Running time:100 minutes. Three and a half stars out offour. — AP

Fiennes shows comic chops in Anderson film

Revi

ew

This image released by Fox Searchlight shows Tony Revolori, left, and Saoirse Ronan in‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’.

Ralph Fiennes, left, and Tony Revolori in ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’. — AP photos

Tony-winning Idina Menzel - or Adele Dazeem if you’re JohnTravolta - is enjoying massive success with “Let It Go” from theanimated film “Frozen,” but the entertainer is still perplexed

that she’s finally triumphing on the pop charts with a show tune-esque track. “I’ve had a lot of self-introspection about this. This busi-ness is so hard, especially the music business, and I’ve tried so hard tocrossover, to convince people just because I was in a Broadway show Ididn’t have the street cred to be a rock or a pop singer,” she said in arecent interview. “And then the one time I have it, it’s the arrange-ment from the Disney movie.”

“I’m singing at the Oscars - I’ve never sang at the Grammys,”Menzel added, laughing. Menzel’s musical moment grew evenstronger when “Let It Go” won best original song at Sunday’sAcademy Awards (the Oscar went to the songwriters and producers,Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez). The song has sold closeto 1.5 million tracks and is a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.The “Frozen” album, a platinum success, is the soundtrack to spendthe most time at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with five weeks andcounting; it recently beat the record set by the “Titantic” soundtrack,which featured Celine Dion’s epic, Oscar-winning “My Heart Will GoOn.”

“I’ve had ups and downs ... and I’m aware of when something’shappening and has an energy of its own,” said Menzel, who voicesthe lead character Elsa in the film, which won the best animated fea-ture Oscar. “I’m aware enough to know of something special and totry and be in the moment.” Menzel is having more than a moment inmusic though, thanks to Travolta, who uttered “Adele Dazeem” at theOscars instead the singer’s name. He has since apologized. But Slatemagazine created the ultrapopular “Travoltified” tool, where you can

put in your name and see what Travolta would call you, and it hasbeen dominating on Facebook and Twitter this week (side note:Travolta would call himself “Jan Thozomas.”)

Pop culture momentBut after that fades, Menzel still has “Let It Go,” which is having a

pop culture moment because of the thousands of videos posted ofyoung girls and boys - and some adults - singing covers of the song.Cutely, Menzel took her younger sister, a second grade teacher, to the

Oscars as her date (“Frozen” is about two sisters who are best friends,but have to keep distance because of Elsa’s uncontrollable powers).Menzel’s song has even eclipsed Demi Lovato’s version of “Let It Go” -technically the “single version.” Disney Music Group president KenBunt said he’s not surprised Menzel’s song has become more success-ful commercially, and adds that the soundtrack is a winner becausethe film plays like a cartoon musical.

“The songs are part of the storytelling. They’re helping to tell thestory of the film and I think that’s different then what we’ve seen inthe last 15-plus years in animated movies,” Bunt said. Menzel, whohas released three albums, said some members of her team want herto capitalize on her recent pop star fame: “I’d like to, but also, that’sthe trap.” “Like, ‘I better get in there and oh, make an album now. Ihave some success and attention,’” she recalled.

The 42-year-old does plan to record more music, but right nowshe’s focused on “If/Then,” the new Broadway musical she stars in.She will play the role of Elizabeth, a women returning to New YorkCity to rebuild her life after a divorce, and she’s been rehearsing forweeks at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where she has nicely decorat-ed room - or mini apartment - set up to help make her comfortablesince the show begins previews Wednesday and officially opensMarch 30.”We’re hoping the show runs,” Menzel says, knocking onthe coffee table for good luck.

Triple dutyA few days before the Oscars, Menzel was doing triple duty: She

was readying her performance that would put her in front of 43 mil-lion faces; she was gearing up for the new musical; and the third - andleading - priority was motherhood. —AP

Idina Menzel, ‘Frozen’ heat up pop charts

Photo shows Tony Award winning actress, singer andsongwriter, Idina Menzel, in New York. — AP


After years of simple solids and geometric prints, the lowlyflower is making a comeback in decor. Floral patterns havebeen blooming all over fashion runways in recent months,

and they are slowly finding their way back into the world of homedecorating, too. It wasn’t long ago that any mention of floral uphol-stery or wallpaper brought back memories of 1980s cabbage roses,flowery Shabby Chic borders stenciled high on bedroom walls, andsuburban homes designed to feel like precious cottages swathed inpink and green. But today’s new patterns aren’t your grandmother’sflorals. And they can be a refreshing antidote to the minimalist pat-terns that have dominated home decorating in recent years.

“It’s what we’re all craving,” says New York-based designer JonCall, founder of Mr Call Designs. “It’s romance, it’s a softness ... and itfeels fresh again, because no one has defined it for our generation.”While brands like Laura Ashley delineated the floral look of a genera-tion ago, the new florals have no rules. Which makes them more fun -and more challenging - to use successfully. Here, Call and two otherinterior designers - Betsy Burnham of Los Angeles’ Burnham Design,and Brian Patrick Flynn, executive producer of HGTV.com’s SpringHouse series - offer advice on working with this fresh crop of floralpatterns.

What size?“Scale is the most important factor in modernizing the look and

feel of florals,” says Flynn. He suggests avoiding flowers that aredepicted at their actual size. Instead, pick patterns where the flowersare bigger - between 50 percent and 200 percent larger than life-size.

Call agrees: He’s a fan of using vintage prints in “the largest scaleyou can find,” so that the print’s eye-popping size contrasts with its

traditional style. But Call and Burnham also think floral prints can lookmodern if they’re printed on a very small scale, especially if they’reused on smaller items like throw pillows.

Which pattern?Find a floral print that really appeals to you personally, Burnham

suggests. “Nothing corny, nothing ordinary,” she says. You want“something really special.” You might try “chinoiseries that includefigures and florals,” Burnham says, “or flora and fauna... That’s a wayto do it if you’re kind of scared of just flowers.”

Another option is choosing a pattern that’s more “botanical” thanflower-filled. “Homeowners with aversions to super-girly florals fea-turing rosebuds or elaborate petals may find botanicals a better fit,”says Flynn. “While floral prints include shapes and silhouettes of actu-al flowers, botanicals rely more on stems and leaves.”

Call points out that designers like Vivienne Westwood have creat-ed digitized, pixilated floral prints that mix traditional and modernstyle. But, he says, even the most classic chintz fabrics can look greatin a modern home if they’re handmade and high quality.

Flynn encourages clients to mix floral patterns with other prints.“The floral cottage style of a decade ago was all florals and ribbons,”Flynn says. “Anytime I’m dealing with a home occupied by couplesarguing over masculine and feminine styles, I’m likely to mix botani-cals or florals with classic masculine prints such as gingham, check orplaid.” That juxtaposition of “classic girly prints with iconic patternsused for men’s spaces” creates a modern, gender-neutral room.

Where to use it?Floral patterns can work especially well on sleek, modern pieces

of furniture, Burnham says. Rather than choosing a floral sofa that’srounded and tufted, use floral upholstery on a simple sofa withstraight, clean lines.

And rather than hanging floral draperies in a bedroom or choos-ing a floral bedspread, use solid colored fabrics in those locations andthen upholster the headboard in a bold, oversize floral.

What colors?A great pattern can look dated if you pick the wrong color palette,

says Flynn. “Florals with mustard yellow and burgundy palettesinstantly feel old and stuffy. To make them fresh and fun, look forthose with unexpected color palettes, such as black and violet orspringy greens and punchy pinks. The pattern will keep its classicappeal, but with a youthful update.”

Burnham says floral patterns done in just two colors (or in twoshades of the same color) can look more modern than florals thatinclude several colors. And “if you go for something on a crisp whitebackground,” she says, it “might read more current than somethingon a tea-dye that’s more muted.”

Call’s thinks just about any color can work, though he prefers tosteer clear of pinks and purples. “It gets too sweet, too endearing,” hesays. You have to “be careful with the sentimentality,” he says, oryou’ll lose some of the modern edge. — AP

Emerging from the acrid fumes at a steelworks, artist Liu Bolininspects the progress of his latest work-a giant iron fist, poisedto punch a hole through modern China. Weighing more than

seven tones and 3.6 meters (12 feet) tall, the sculpture will go onshow in Paris later this month, as Chinese President Xi Jinping visitsthe country. “The inspiration for my ‘Iron Fist’ comes from my reflec-tions on the realities of China,” Liu told AFP.

“People are under pressure from so many things-their living con-ditions, the political situation, even the air around us.” Liu is bestknown globally for his “Invisible Man” photographs, in which he ismeticulously made up and his clothes daubed in camouflage paintso that he blends almost seamlessly into everyday backgrounds,from supermarket shelves and magazine racks to bulldozers. He is atthe forefront of China’s crowded contemporary art scene, and hisuse of consumerist subjects earned him comparisons with Warholand his Campbell soup cans. But he has a different take.

“China as a developing country will encounter a lot of problems,which become the source of artists’ inspirations,” he said. “Manyideas in my creations are from the issues.” A youthful-looking forty-something with an athletic build, he went on: “I’ve been calledChina’s answer to Andy Warhol because of the commercial images

in my work. “But I didn’t intend to focus on the consumption. Andywas maybe on the positive side, he was praising that society. I paymore attention to food safety in China.”

The country is regularly hit by food scandals, including one thatinvolved tainted baby milk formula that killed six children and sick-ened 300,000 others. “What I tried to express was my fears that,when I go to buy a drink, I don’t know if it’s safe,” Liu said. Eli Klein, aNew York gallerist who has shown Liu’s creations for more than sixyears, describes his work as creating “a beautiful aesthetic and mes-sage”.

“It shows that the artistic level of expression permitted in China ismuch greater than one would think,” he said. Nonetheless Liu is anadmirer of the works of Ai Weiwei, the dissident artist who wasdetained for 81 days in 2011, later had tax evasion charges againsthim dropped, and is currently denied a passport. “His works haveimmeasurable enlightenment and give guidance to Chinese peo-ple,” Liu said. “I think his works have a sharp reflection on society,going straight to the most unspoken point.”—AFP

Ask a designer: Florals, updated, return to decor

Art with a punch: Liu Bolin, �China?s

Photo shows Chinese Artist Liu Bolin beside one piece ofhis giant fist sculpture at a steel foundry in Tangshan, inChina’s Hebei Province. — AFP

Photo shows Industrial loft kitchen using floral wallpaperfrom Graham & Brown with modern scale and colors.

In this photo provided by courtesy of Burnham Design,traditional floral wallpaper is contrasted with modern fur-niture and unexpected accessories like a bike helmet anda vintage Japanese poster for the movie ‘Sabrina,’ to cre-ate a fresh and edgy look designed by Betsy Burnham andMax Humphrey of Burnham Design, in this residence inLos Angeles.

In this undated photo provided by Brian Patrick Flynn, theinterior designer Flynn designed this Mulholland Drivehouse in the Hollywood Hills using a style of decoratingreferred to as ‘updated traditional’ which is known forputting youthful, updated spins on classic floral patternsthrough a fresh use of color and clean, simple lines, in LosAngeles. — AP photos


Rio on Wednesday elected the Unidos da Tijuca sambaschool as its Carnival champions, a 40-strong jury crowninga program which paid homage to late Brazilian Formula

One racer Ayrton Senna. The champions chose speed as theirtheme for their Monday parade, in which their 3,600-strongtroupe honored the memory of national idol Senna, killed in acrash at the San Marino Grand Prix 20 years ago.

Unidos da Tijuca also paid tribute to Olympic sprint championUsain Bolt, featuring a runner dressed in Jamaican kit during aparade which wowed 72,000 spectators at a packedSambadrome. The elite dance school, whose routine featured aFormula One car and mini race track, just pipped nearest rivalsSalgueiro by one tenth of a point to land their third title in thepast five years.

After the jury announced the result, having judged criteriasuch as samba style, costumes and floats, some 10,000 supportersof the champions gathered at their headquarters for an all-nightcelebration party. Imperio da Tijuca were meanwhile relegatedfrom the elite section after coming last.

Although this year’s Carnival officially ended Tuesday night,the top six schools will appear again in today’s Champions’Parade. One of Rio’s oldest samba schools having been formed inDecember 1931, Unidos da Tijuca represent several slums or fave-las in the western Tijuca area. Some four million people, including918,000 tourists, participated in this year’s Rio Carnival, theworld’s biggest street party, featuring some 500 street parades aswell as the two nights of elite parades. — AFP

Carnival crown to samba champions

honoring Senna, Bolt

Revelers of the Unidos da Tijuca samba school perform during the second night of carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — AP/AFP photos


As expected, Cate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey tookhome Oscars in the lead acting categories on Sunday, whileJared Leto and Lupita Nyong’o were honored by the

Academy for supporting roles. So when will we see them again?Nyong’o, who played tormented slave Patsey in Best Picture winner“12 Years a Slave,” is already back on the big screen with a smallrole as a flight attendant in Liam Neeson thriller “Non-Stop.” Herfuture appears to be bright, but is out of focus at the moment, sinceshe isn’t officially attached to any other projects. At least those whostill haven’t gotten around to seeing her subtle, raw and painfulperformance in Steve McQueen’s acclaimed drama will get a sec-ond shot when Fox Searchlight expands “12 Years” theatrical distri-bution this weekend.Leto, the rock star who returned to acting after a long hiatus to

play a transgender HIV sufferer in “Dallas Buyers Club,” also hasn’tdecided on another film project just yet. His band, 30 Seconds toMars, announced on Tuesday that it would be embarking on a 25-city national tour with Linkin Park and AFI. The “Carnivores Tour”kicks off on Aug 8 in West Palm Beach, FL Blanchett, who won hersecond Oscar for playing an alcoholic socialite in the middle of amental breakdown in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine,” has plentyahead, including her directorial debut. Starting June 13, audiencescan hear her voice in DreamWork’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” inwhich she plays the long-lost mother of viking dragon rider Hiccup(Jay Barachel).The 44-year-old actress also has roles in two upcoming Terrence

Malick (“Tree of Life”) films: “Knight of Cups,” and an untitled dramaabout two intersecting love triangles set against the music scene inAustin. Providing she doesn’t get cut, at least. Blanchett has playedroyal Elf Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth since “The Lord ofthe Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” and she’ll be back for thefinal installment of the “Hobbit” trilogy, “There and Back Again,”which hits theaters on Dec. 17. Blanchett has a larger role in anoth-er potential blockbuster, “Cinderalla” - director Kenneth Branagh’sadaptation of the classic fairy tale about a servant girl whoenchants a prince with the help of a Fairy Godmother. Prepare forone of Blanchett’s cruelest performances yet, as she will playCinderalla’s spiteful stepmother, Lady Tremaine. Disney is releasingthe live-action film on March 13 in 2015.That’s not all for Blanchett, either. She leads the cast of David

Mamet’s “Blackbird,” a thriller about a woman who travels to LosAngeles for the funeral of her Hollywood VXF artist grandfather,whose well-kept secrets put her life in danger. She’ll also star as thetitle character in Todd Haynes’ romantic drama “Carol.” Last, butnot least, Blanchett has also decided to make her directorial debutwith a psychological thriller called “The Dinner.”Oren Moverman(“The Messenger”) is adapting Herman Koch’s bestselling 2009 nov-el, which concerns the lengths some parents will go to protect theirchildren. Blanchett has not yet decided if she’ll pull double duty as

the star of the film, as well.

‘McConaughey’ on top of his gameAfter starring in a stellar string of dramas, including “Killer Joe,”

“Mud,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” and HBO’s “True Detective,” first timeOscar winner McConaughey is on the top of his game.He’ll follow-up the best year of his career with Christopher

Nolan’s highly anticipated 2014 science fiction film, “Interstellar.”McConaughey leads a group of explorers making use of a newlydiscovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human spacetravel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellarvoyage. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Topher Grace, CaseyAffleck and Wes Bentley are among McConaughey’s co-stars,

although it’s not clear what role they all play, since plot details arevague and the first teaser was ambiguous.In a continued effort to leave his days as a shirtless rom-com

leading man behind, the 44-year-old movie star also decided toboard Gus Van Sant’s suicide drama, “Sea of Trees.” McConaugheywill star opposite Ken Watanabe as an American who wanders intothe infamous “Suicide Forest” at the foothills of Mount Fuji with theintention of taking his own life. When he is interrupted by aJapanese man (Watanabe) who has had second thoughts about hisown suicide, both begin a journey of reflection and survival as theytry to find their way out of the forest. — Reuters

What’s next for Oscar winnersBlanchett, Nyong’o, McConaughey, Leto?

(From left) Best actor Matthew McConaughey, best actress Cate Blanchett, best supporting actress Lupita Nyong’o, andbest supporting actor Jared Leto pose in the press during the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California. — AFP

Ward Shelley (top) and Alex Schweder (bottom), both professors, designers and artists, live in their artinstallation piece titled, “In Orbit” on March 5, 2014 in the Williamsburg neighborhood of the BrooklynBorough of New York City. Shelley and Schweder are in the midst of living in the hamster wheel-like envi-ronment for ten days; the wheel was designed complete with beds, desks, a kitchen and bathroom andchair for relaxing. — AFP

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp arrive at the Texas Film Awards onThursday in Austin, Texas. The Austin Film Society honored Heard, who isfrom Austin, with the Rising Star Award. — AP


Nicknamed “Old Pueblo,” Tucson, Ariz, is acity with many faces. It’s a college town.It’s an artist town. It’s even still a Wild

West town. Every February, southern Arizona’sbiggest city, located 115 miles (185 kilometers)below Phoenix, keeps schools open onPresident’s Day but closes them later in theweek for the annual Tucson Rodeo Parade.

What started out as an Indian village becamethe Tucson Presidio in 1775 and was settled bythe Spanish. It became part of the U.S. in 1854and was Arizona’s capital from 1867 to 1877.Today, the warm climate, surrounding land-scape and active downtown have made thisdesert city one giant sandbox, where freebiesabound if you want to go outside and play on abudget.

Hiking and bikingTucson residents love to boast about - with

good reason - the numerous recreation oppor-tunities in their backyard. Nestled in theSonoran Desert near five mountain ranges,Tucson doesn’t breed couch-surfers. Hard-corecyclists, backpacking hikers or people out for alittle fresh air are everywhere. Among thefavorite spots is Mount Lemmon, the uppermostpeak in the Santa Catalina Mountains north ofthe city. At 9,157 feet (2,791 meters), MountLemmon is a popular ski destination in the win-ter. Some say the temperature on the mountaincan be as much as 20 degrees cooler (7 C) thansurrounding areas, a welcome respite during thebrutal summer. Another hiking draw is SabinoCanyon, also part of the Santa Catalina moun-tain range. There are multiple trails and you cansit and listen to the creek babble at Sabino Dam.There’s a tram for people who don’t want tohike to the top but tickets range from $4-$8. Ifyou are coming by car, there is a $5 parking fee.

Downtown TucsonGet your feet planted in downtown with a

walk on historic Congress Street, where thecrown jewel is Hotel Congress. Open since 1919,previous guests include notorious criminal JohnDillinger and his gang, whose stay there in 1934led to their capture. You can find a small exhibitof memorabilia from the Dillinger days inside.

Across the street is a historic rail depot thatHotel Congress’ owners transformed intoMaynards Market + Kitchen. If your visit falls on aMonday, be sure to sign up for Meet Me atMaynards, a weekly walk that started in April2009. Participants can take a paper guide with asuggested 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) route and a listof highlighted sites. Get a brisk workout while

traversing El Presidio Park, the Old CountyCourthouse and other nooks and crannies.Participants get water, safety lights and dis-counts at local restaurants for that evening.

Next door to the historic district lies FourthAvenue, a quirkier drag filled with foot trafficfrom morning until late. Fourth Avenue’s threeblocks of densely packed stores and restaurants

are Tucson’s best source for people-watching.An independent bookstore, tattoo parlors andvintage clothing shops are among the store-fronts you can glimpse. Merchants put on astreet fair every March and December with artsand crafts booths and street performers. Butthere are smaller events happening almostevery month.

Mission San Xavier Del BacDrive 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of down-

town Tucson and you’ll spot two white towers.More than 300 years old, Mission San Xavier delBac was founded in 1692 by Father Eusebio Kinoas part of “new Spain.” Today, it’s an active placeof worship in the community of Wa:k on theTohono O’odham reservation.

Slow down when heading to the entrance totake in the entire facade. Then go in and admirethe altar. The interior murals comprised of multi-ple hues glazed over silver leaf have beenpainstakingly restored over the years. Visitorscan also check out the church’s gift shop andmuseum. Be sure to watch the 25-minute videoon the history and renovation narrated by singerand Tucson native Linda Ronstadt.

University of ArizonaBetween highly ranked sports teams and sci-

entific research, the University of Arizona is atthe heart of a lot of what makes Tucson cool andcutting edge. Fortunately, campus tours are free.There is plenty to enjoy on the grounds. TheCenter for Creative Photography, one of the fewUA museums that doesn’t charge admission,contains archives for photographers such asAnsel Adams and Edward Weston. A gallery onthe first floor consistently rotates exhibits. Also,multiple public art installations can be foundaround the 380-acre (153-hectare) campus. Ifyou’re into sports, you can see the men’s basket-ball national championship trophy and read upon past Wildcat athletes at the Jim Click Hall ofChampions.

Sunset at gates passA sunset while perched along Gates Pass in

the Tucson Mountains isn’t your average sun-set. From central Tucson, head west onSpeedway Boulevard and continue on it after itbecomes Gates Pass Road. Be cautious maneu-vering the narrow curves. The available over-looks tend to get crowded with others eager towatch the sun go down. But, the breathtakingview of saguaro cactus and rugged formationsin all directions epitomizes for many in Tucsonwhat true beauty is. — AP

Tucson, Ariz:

5 free things to see and do

The Mission San Xavier del Bac, about 12 miles from Tucson. The University of Arizona campus in Tucson.

Fourth Avenue in Tucson’s downtown in Arizona.

Pedestrians in Austin’s 2nd Street District during an event called White Linen Night.

T E C H N O L O G YSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

SYDNEY: Apple shifted billions in untaxed profits fromits Australian operations to Ireland over the past decade,a report said yesterday, as the government vowed tostop global companies from dodging their fair share oftax. An investigation by the Australian Financial Reviewobtained 10 years worth of financial accounts for AppleSales International-an arm of the organization itdescribed as the “secretive” Irish company at the heart ofthe group’s global tax arrangements.

The newspaper said the US tech giant moved an esti-mated Aus$8.9 billion (US$8.1 billion) in untaxed profitsfrom Australia to a tax haven structure in Ireland, payingjust 0.7 percent of its turnover in tax. Last year, Appledeclared pre-tax earnings in Australia of only Aus$88.5million after sending an estimated Aus$2 billion from itsAustralian sales to Ireland via Singapore, it reported.

Apple in Australia declined to comment to AFP, butthe company has previously said it has complied with thelaw and done everything required by the tax office. Thereis no suggestion it has done anything illegal. FinanceMinister Mathias Cormann said in response to the report

that the government was determined to recover tax thatcompanies have inappropriately avoided and thatCanberra was pursing the issue through the G20.

“Businesses operating around the world are not nec-essarily paying their fair share of tax where they’re earn-ing their profits,” he said, without naming any firm.

“Our view is, and that is a view that’s shared aroundthe world, businesses should pay their fair share of taxwhere they earn profits.” Trade Minister Andrew Robbadded to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “Inmost cases the companies are doing what is legal, but isit fair? “Is it what they should do as companies that arebenefiting greatly from the Australian commerce?

“No they’re not, and we’ve got to look in a globalsense at how to tackle this problem, that’s why it’s on atthe G20.” Concerns are mounting that global companies,particularly those involved in the digital and Internet sec-tors, can reduce their tax bills by shifting profits aroundthe world to areas where rates are lowest. Ahead of ameeting of G20 finance ministers in Sydney last month,IMF chief Christine Lagarde said accounting for revenues

from global businesses was a “big ongoing problem andprocess”.

She urged governments to radically rethink interna-tional tax arrangements to deal with it. The G20 meetingagreed to new measures to crack down on internationaltax evasion, including the automatic exchange of infor-mation between member nations. The Organization forEconomic Cooperation and Development is expected topresent a report looking at the increasingly digitalizedglobal environment to another G20 meeting in Cairns, innorthern Australia, in September. Apple and other multi-national US companies have also been under fire in theUS Congress, with lawmakers accusing them last year ofusing a web of foreign subsidiaries to dodge taxes.

Senators Carl Levin and John McCain held a hearinglast May that examined offshore profit shifting and taxavoidance by Apple through the use of three Irish sub-sidiaries that claimed they were not tax residents any-where, saving tax on billions of non-US income. Applechief Tim Cook told the hearing the issue was “complex”and often misunderstood.—AFP

Apple sent billions offshore to avoid Australia tax: Report

Pakistan’s gaming industry breaks culture barriers

Smartphone revolution sweeps countryLAHORE: It’s a city better known for itshistory and culture, but a new genera-tion of mobile game developers is bring-ing a slice of Silicon Valley to Pakistan’sLahore. With open plan offices, mixedgender teams, gourmet catering and anemphasis on a fun atmosphere, thesmall but growing IT industry worth anestimated $2.8 billion is being led byyoung entrepreneurs like Babar Ahmed.

Ahmed, 33, left a career as a circuitengineer in Austin, Texas to foundMindstorm Studios in the easternPakistani city in 2006 with his brotherFaraz. Today their studio employs 47people thanks to hits l ike 2010’s“Whacksy Taxi”, which shot to numberone on Apple’s AppStore in over 25countries; “Mafia Farm” in 2012 and“Cricket Power”, the official game of the2011 World Cup. “The idea was to putPakistan on the gaming world,” saidAhmed, explaining he was tired of“drawing room talk” among expatriatesin the US about how something shouldbe done for their homeland.

Mindstorm is one of several gamesdevelopment studios in Pakistan —mainly based in Lahore but also in thecapital Islamabad and Karachi — tohave prospered with the spread of thesmartphone.

“After the iPhone was launched, thedefinition of what a game is changedovernight. The definition of what agamer is changed overnight,” saidAhmed. While traditional “hardcore”games-typically played on home con-sole systems or PCs-need multi-milliondollar budgets and teams of dozens ofdevelopers, games designed for smart-phones need far less start-up capital.

That has allowed countries in easternEurope, Pakistan, and the Philippines tobecome prime destinations for softwareoutsourcing, said Jazib Zahir, chief oper-ations officer at Tintash, another Lahore-based studio that provided the back-office for “Fishing Frenzy”, another top-ten hit.

According to the government, some24,000 people are now employed in

software exports - though the figurealso includes more traditional areas likefinancial software and healthcare.

“One of the advantages that Pakistanbrings is we do have a critical mass ofpeople with training and aptitude, aninterest in developing software and artand combining them,” adds Zahir, whois also a part-time tech journalist.

Breaking boundaries At We R Play, an Islamabad-based

studio based in a converted warehouseon the outskirts of the city, rows oftwentysomethings busy themselves ontheir computers surrounded by colorfulposters, plush toys and action figures.

The company was founded in 2010by Mohsin Ali Afzal and Waqar Azim,with a major emphasis placed on a mod-ern office space. “We were sure fromwhen we started that we didn’t wantcubicles and I wouldn’t have a bigoffice,” said Afzal, who returned from UCBerkeley in 2010.

“We wanted to make sure we’re sit-ting with everyone. We encouraged

everyone to take ownership of theirspaces and gave them (money) to getstuff for their tables.”

Workspace and play is also seen askey at CaramelTech, a Lahore studiofounded in 2011 by brothers Saad andAmmar Zaeem which is responsible forcoding global 2011 mega-hit Fruit Ninja(which had over 500 million downloads)on some platforms for an Australian stu-dio. The office has a designated playroom complete with pool table, tablefootball, and X-box. “Every day at 4pmthey’re forced to leave their work and goplay upstairs. We want that culturewhere people aren’t only working butalso enjoy themselves,” Ammar said.Also notable in the games studios isnear gender-parity, a striking fact in acountry where female participation inthe workforce has lagged behind fordecades. People are dressed in every-thing from Western jeans and t-shirts tohijabs.

For some, convincing their familythey are working in a “real job” wasn’teasy. — AFP

In this picture taken on January 21, 2014, Pakistani game designers work at thegame studio “We R Play” in Islamabad. According to the government, some24,000 people are now employed in software exports - though the figure alsoincludes more traditional areas like financial software and healthcare.— AFP

TEMPLE CITY: A man walks past the reported home of“Satoshi Nakamoto” in Temple City, east of Los Angeles,California. — AFP

Bitcoin doesn’tfall under currency

category: JapanTOKYO: Bitcoin is not a currency but transactions involving itshould be “subject to taxation”, Japan’s government said yes-terday, in a move that could pave the way for formal regula-tions on the troubled virtual unit.

Tokyo also said that banks could not broker Bitcoin trans-actions or open accounts holding the virtual unit, whichlaunched just five years ago, in an apparent bid to clampdown on the digital currency. But, as regulators around theworld grapple with how to handle Bitcoin, the Japanese state-ment did not specify if Tokyo would immediately begin crack-ing down on it, or how it would do so, given the unit’s opaquenature. Bitcoin “does not fall under the category of a currency”as defined by Japanese law, the government statement said,echoing the views of central banks in other countries.

And “generally speaking it is subject to taxation if it meetsconditions laid out in income tax law, corporate tax law andsales tax law, among others”, the statement added.

If Bitcoin transactions were used for money laundering“that would constitute a crime”, it said, adding that “there areno Japanese laws that clearly define Bitcoin”.

“As a matter of common sense, if there are transactionsand subsequent gains, it is natural... for the finance ministry toconsider how it can impose taxes,” Chief Cabinet SecretaryYoshihide Suga told reporters Friday.

Asked whether Japan would become a global leader onregulating Bitcoin, Suga said: “We are now sorting things outunder the current law and mulling what the government cando.” Unlike traditional currencies backed by central banks,Bitcoinis generated by complex chains of interactions amonga huge network of computers around the planet.

Its relative anonymity and lack of regulation has beenattacked by critics who fear it could be used to finance organ-ized crime or terrorism.—AFP

T E C H N O L O G YSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

BERLIN: The German and British leaders willofficially open the world’s biggest high-techfair tomorrow, amid global debate aboutdata security following revelations of massUS and British online snooping. ChancellorAngela Merkel joins fellow conservativePrime Minister David Cameron to inauguratethe CeBIT in the northern German city ofHanover, 10 days after her high-profileLondon visit.

Berlin and London have both been caughtup in the surveillance scandal revealed byrogue US intell igence analyst EdwardSnowden, but Russia’s brinkmanship overUkraine may well be the main focus of theirbilateral talks. Britain is the partner country atthis year’s CeBIT, which opens its doors for afive-day run on Monday and is focused onthe theme of “datability”, the ability to usevast amounts of data quickly and responsibly.

About 3,400 international exhibitors willset up shop in the hangar-like halls of thesprawling IT fair, where futuristic robots andthe fresh blood of 300 start-ups will mix withcutting-edge computer technology. “Whatwe’ve learned through the disclosures by MrSnowden is that this topic of ‘datability’ is ofcourse closely tied up with the issue of secu-rity,” said Hartwig von Sass, spokesman fororganizers Deutsche Messe.

“We want this issue of data security at theCeBIT because we think that ‘big data’ usageor ‘datability’ cannot be discussed withoutthe security aspect,” he told reporters aheadof the event.

Around 500 companies will exhibit digitalsecurity solutions, he said, noting an IT indus-try trend towards protecting data throughthe use of objects such as armbands or rings,rather than passwords. After all, he stressed,many German online users still don’t knowabout securing their data with hard-to-crackand complex passwords, with the most popu-lar choices sti l l being “password” and“123456”.

Political, social dimension At last year’s CeBIT opening, Merkel

showed off her ultra-secure new smartphone,only to learn months later that US intelli-gence had allegedly eavesdropped on hermobile phone conversations, as well ashoovering vast amounts of online data andtelephone records from average citizens.

Merkel has since raised the need to bolstercitizens’ data protection by building upEuropean communication networks thatbypass US Internet giants. Sass pointed to theexponential growth of global data, sayingthat the equivalent of all data ever requiredby humans through to the year 2003 is nowproduced in 10 minutes worldwide. Againstthis backdrop, CeBIT organisers would alsoexplore the potential benefits of so-called“big data” in fields such as medicine, trafficmanagement and business.

Britain-based analyst Thomas Reuner, ofOvum’s IT Services, said the sector’s grap-pling with serious issues such as data securityshowed it had matured into handling itsresponsibilities.

“To talk about complex IT issues is notsexy, it’s not marketing,” he said. “But it’s areflection of an industry growing up.” High-tech gadgets will also be much on display atCeBIT, including “Charlie”, the first robot withan actuated spine and feet that can “feel”,developed by the German Center for ArtificialIntelligence with Bremen University.

And after the excited chatter about the 3-D printer, the fair will present the new kid onthe block-a pen that can draw 3-D objects inthe air. Microsoft, Samsung Electronics andIBM are among the big hitters expected atthe CeBIT, where China, with 500 companies,will have the biggest presence among the 70countries taking part.

Britain has tripled its presence for its yearin the l imelight. A British Embassyspokesman in Berlin said the move was “verymuch a demonstration of the strength of theUK economy at the moment and the IT sectoris an important part of developing a modern,flexible, competitive economy”.

The IT sector is worth £58 billion (70 bil-lion euros, $97 billion) for the British econo-my and employs 1.3 million people in Britain,he said. Even if CeBIT has raised exhibitornumbers by five percent from 2013, the fair isa far cry from its glory days at the height ofthe dot-com boom. It also comes on theheels of the Consumer Electronics Show inLas Vegas and Mobile World Congress inBarcelona, but Sass said CeBIT’s forte was itsbreadth. “At CeBIT it’s not just about the lat-est technology but also about a social andpolitical discussion on the relevant issues ofdigitalization,” he said. — AFP

HANNOVER: A man works on the fair grounds as preparations are under way for theCeBIT technology trade fair yesterday in Hanover, central Germany.

HANNOVER: Two men work on a wall as preparations are under way for the CeBIT tech-nology trade fair in Hanover.

HANNOVER: A technician works on a display at the booth of IBM as preparations areunder way for the CeBIT technology trade fair yesterday in Hanover.—AFP photos

Merkel, Cameron head to tech fairOnline snooping casts shadow over CeBIT

T V l i s t i n g sSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

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00:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent00:50 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition01:35 Come Dine With Me02:25 MasterChef03:20 Cash In The Attic04:05 Fantasy Homes By The Sea04:50 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition05:35 Bargain Hunt06:20 Come Dine With Me: SouthAfrica07:15 Fantasy Homes By The Sea08:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent08:50 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent09:40 Antiques Roadshow10:30 The Roux Legacy11:05 The Roux Legacy11:40 Raymond Blanc’s KitchenSecrets12:10 Raymond Blanc’s KitchenSecrets12:40 The Hairy Bikers USA13:05 Rachel Khoo’s KitchenNotebook: London13:30 Come Dine With Me: SouthAfrica14:25 Antiques Roadshow15:20 Cash In The Attic16:05 Cash In The Attic16:50 Cash In The Attic17:35 Cash In The Attic18:20 Cash In The Attic19:05 Cash In The Attic19:50 The Hairy Bikers: Mums KnowBest20:40 Come Dine With Me: Supersized22:15 Antiques Roadshow23:05 Bargain Hunt23:50 Cash In The Attic

03:15 THS04:10 E!ES05:05 Extreme Close-Up05:30 Extreme Close-Up06:00 THS07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 Fashion Police10:15 THS11:10 THS12:05 E! News13:05 The Drama Queen14:05 The Drama Queen15:00 Giuliana & Bill16:00 Giuliana & Bill17:00 Eric And Jessie: Game On17:30 Eric And Jessie: Game On18:00 E! News19:00 The E! True Hollywood Story20:00 Married To Jonas20:30 Keeping Up With TheKardashians21:30 Fashion Police22:30 E! News23:30 Chelsea Lately

00:00 21-PG1502:00 Java Heat-1803:45 Snow White And TheHuntsman-PG1506:00 Skyfall-PG1508:45 Mission: Impossible - GhostProtocol-PG1511:15 21-PG1513:30 Lords Of Dogtown-PG1515:30 The Saint-PG1517:30 Mission: Impossible - GhostProtocol-PG1520:00 Breaking Point-1822:00 The Saint-PG15

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00:30 Fast N’ Loud01:20 Classic Car Rescue02:10 Overhaulin’ 201303:00 You Have Been Warned03:50 Border Security04:15 Auction Kings04:40 Dallas Car Sharks05:05 How Do They Do It?05:30 How It’s Made06:00 Sons Of Guns07:00 The Big Brain Theory07:50 Dynamo: Magician Impossible

03:00 Nip/Tuck04:00 Rescue Me05:00 Good Morning America07:00 The Bachelor08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 2410:00 The Bachelor12:00 Castle13:00 2414:00 Fairly Legal15:00 C.S.I. New York16:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 Castle18:00 Fairly Legal19:00 2420:00 Castle21:00 Fairly Legal22:00 Rescue Me23:00 Nip/Tuck

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01:30 Bang Goes The Theory02:00 Food Factory02:25 Tech Toys 36002:50 Eco-Tech03:45 Building The Future04:35 Thunder Races05:25 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman06:15 Food Factory06:40 Tech Toys 36007:05 Engineered08:00 Storm Chasers08:50 Alien Encounters

04:00 Seinfeld04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Seinfeld06:00 Two And A Half Men06:30 Friends07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Seinfeld08:30 Seinfeld09:30 Wilfred10:00 Hot In Cleveland10:30 Friends11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 The War At Home12:30 Seinfeld13:00 Seinfeld13:30 Friends14:30 Wilfred15:00 Hot In Cleveland15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 The War At Home17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 1600 Penn18:30 1600 Penn19:00 Cougar Town19:30 Two And A Half Men20:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Saturday Night Live23:00 Enlightened23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

08:40 Mythbusters09:30 Manhunt10:20 Survive That!11:10 Yukon Men12:00 Fast N’ Loud12:50 Fast N’ Loud13:40 Fast N’ Loud14:30 Fast N’ Loud15:20 Fast N’ Loud16:10 Fast N’ Loud17:00 Gold Rush17:50 Alaska Gold Diggers18:40 Gold Divers: Under The Ice19:30 Manhunt20:20 Survive That!21:10 Yukon Men22:00 Dallas Car Sharks22:25 Dallas Car Sharks22:50 Dallas Car Sharks23:15 Dallas Car Sharks23:40 Dallas Car Sharks

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21:00 Helix22:00 Banshee23:00 The Americans

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Jeff Goldblum isn’t on Facebook, buthe knows what you crazy internet kidswere up to last month. In another

round of the endless internet warbetween pretension and ironic nihilism,Facebook users in mid-February launchedOccupy Jeff Goldblum, which entailed fill-ing their feeds with photos and videos ofthe cult favorite 60-year-old actor. It was,as usual, a reaction to another movement,which had sought to drown out inane sta-tus updates with pictures of art. It was allin good fun, of course, and only got backto Goldblum - who co-stars in this week-end’s “Grand Budapest Hotel” - becauseone enterprising fan sought him out at hisweekly jazz performance in Los Feliz, Calif.

“Somebody told me. I ’m not onFacebook, I haven’t seen it, but I play thisjazz gig at Rockwell and somebody cameup to me and said, ‘Hey let’s take a picture!I’m gonna post it and have my ownOccupy Jeff Goldblum picture!’” Goldblumtold The Wrap last week. “I know peoplewere kind of into it, what was it?” Once itwas explained, Goldblum, debonaire withstreaked grey hair, smiled.

“I’m sure it’ll come and go, just likeeverything else.” Goldblum is similarlyeasygoing about most other things in life,though he is hardly passive. Take his phi-losophy on his recent achievement of cultfavorite status, which stems in part fromappearances on “Tim & Eric” and“Portlandia,” and also the fact that a gen-eration of kids who grew up loving“Jurassic Park” are now in charge of theinternet. “I don’t know, I keep my headdown and focused,” he said, laughingagain. “Like my third grade teacher said,when taking a test, keep your eyes on yourown paper. I just try to wake up every dayand keep making stuff.”

‘Buddha of Hollywood’That’s a big part of his personal mis-

sion, constantly satisfying “a seriousappetite for getting better and doing a

variety of things and interesting things,”as he put it. And while Goldblum alsolaughs of a 2010 article in The Guardianthat called him the “Buddha ofHollywood,” his philosophical outlook onlife is similarly serene and curious.

“I’m a humble student of wise people,”Goldblum said, more than once. Off thetop of his head, he named recent collabo-rators like Wes Anderson, the “GrandBudapest” writer/director, whomGoldblum marveled, “enters what kind oflooks to be a focused transcendental stateof enjoyment” as he works on set.

Goldblum also said he spent a lot oftime picking the brains of his co-stars onthe film while they all shacked up in a hotelin Gorlitz, Germany, even if he’s been veryfamous since at least 1986, when he trans-formed for David Cronenberg’s “The Fly.” “Ilike to ask, living with everybody as we did,and hanging around, without making apest of myself, I sort of like to inquire, howdid you get this good and how did youlearn and how do you do it?” What did youdo to prepare?” he explained. “I know whatI developed and liked to do but I’m inter-ested in hearing from others about actingand about life in general. I’m a student ofhow to live.”

When it comes to managing what hasbeen a 40-year career, Goldblum keeps itsimple. “Don’t fall for the sales aspect ofsuccess,” he warned. “Offer somethingand make yourself substantial so that youcan offer something of real substance, andlive simply.” More generally, Goldblumkeeps it even more simple. “Make sure youleave more than you take,” the actoradvised. “There are movies about thatthese days, I suppose this movie hassomething to do with living in a principledand noble way for something of con-science and civility and being willing todie for it. Hopefully we never get testedlike that, but devoting your life to some-thing you believe is beautiful is prettygood.” — Reuters

06:00 Everyone’s Hero07:45 Wheelers09:15 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island11:00 Shrek The Third12:45 Fly Away Home14:30 Sinbad: Legend Of The SevenSeas16:00 Charlotte’s Web18:00 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island20:00 Dino Time22:00 Sinbad: Legend Of The SevenSeas23:30 Charlotte’s Web

03:30 ICC Cricket 36004:00 Australia v England T20I 05:00 Australia v England T20I 06:00 Australia v England T20I 07:00 ICC Cricket 36007:30 Asia Cup Highlights08:30 Asia Cup Highlights09:30 Asia Cup Highlights10:45 Live Asia Cup19:00 ICC Cricket 36019:30 ICC Under 19 World Cup 2014Highlights20:30 ICC Under 19 World Cup 2014Highlights21:30 ICC Under 19 World Cup 2014Highlights22:30 Asia Cup Highlights23:30 ICC Cricket 360

03:00 Shipping Wars03:30 Shipping Wars04:00 American Pickers05:00 Duck Dynasty05:30 Duck Dynasty06:00 Pawn Stars06:30 Pawn Stars07:00 Storage Wars07:30 Storage Wars08:00 Duck Dynasty08:30 Duck Dynasty09:00 Pawn Stars09:30 Pawn Stars10:00 Pawn Stars10:30 Pawn Stars11:00 Storage Wars11:30 Storage Wars12:00 Storage Wars12:30 Storage Wars13:00 Pawn Stars13:30 Pawn Stars14:00 Pawn Stars14:30 Pawn Stars15:00 Shipping Wars15:30 Shipping Wars16:00 Storage Wars Texas16:30 Storage Wars Texas17:00 Storage Wars Texas17:30 Storage Wars Texas18:00 Counting Cars18:30 Counting Cars19:00 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man19:30 The Legend Of Shelby TheSwamp Man20:00 Shipping Wars20:30 Shipping Wars21:00 Duck Dynasty21:30 Duck Dynasty22:00 Storage Wars Texas

Goldblum on ‘OccupyJeff Goldblum’ and how

to be like Goldblum

W H AT ’ S O NSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

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Local Hindi drama group will be performing a short play for Rajashtan Darpan Association today 8th March 2014 at the IndianEmbassy Auditorium. In this photo, Director Arif Kazi and his team during the drama rehearsals.

Fankaar Arts to perform for Rajasthan Darpan Association

On Thursday, February 27, 2014, the Indian SeniorSchool Salmiya auditorium witnessed a scintil-lating one and a half hours Bharatanatyam per-

formance by Sreeja Krishnan of Sooryagayathri Schoolof Arts. The dance recital was followed by Bhajans byKottayam Santhosh Kumar accompanied by PerunnaHarikumar on Mridangam, Ragesh Ramakrishnan onGhatom, Raj Kartha on Jalra, Sajeev Kumar on tabla andUtpal on harmonium and vocals. The evening was host-ed to celebrate the holy day of Maha Shivarathri.

The performance was inaugurated by Rajan Daniel,Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the IndiaCommunity School and graced by the presence of DrNampoori, well-known Consultant Nephrologist andTransplant Physician at Ministry of Health.Kalamandalam Sreeja Krishnan was honored with thetitle, “Natya Sree” by Vijay Karayil, (Honorary Secretary,Board of Trustees, The India Community School,Chairman, Ad-hock Committee, Kerala SangeethaNataka Academy, Kuwait Chapter & Vice President of“Soorya,” Kuwait Chapter.) for her outstanding perform-ance.

The solo Bharatanatyam presentation by SreejaKrishnan began with “Thandava Ganapathy” followedby ‘Shiva Panchakshari’ continuing to “Bho Shambho”.The highlight of the performance was her portrayal ofRamayana through the famous Krithi “BhavayamiRaghuramam” by Swati Thirunal lasting 42 minutes.Kalamandalam Sreeja Krishnan, a talented Indian classi-cal dancer hailing from Trichur, Kerala is a diplomaholder in dance from ‘Kerala Kalamandalam’ a Deemeduniversity for Arts & Culture. She is daughter of V S.Radhakrishnan and V K Bhargavi. She was a member of“Kalamandalam” troop for performing stage programsright after her ‘Arangetram’. She travelled all over Indiaperforming for ‘Kerala Kalamandalam’. She completedher dance diploma with the highest marks in dance.

Performances by Gayathri Nair and Meghna Pramodadded variety to the already rich performance. Theorganizers announced their next classical program on23rd May (Friday) 2014 6 pm at ICSK Salmiya scheduledwith Karnatic Classical Vocal Concert by PlaybackSinger, Sindhu Ramesh and Bharathanatyam by ShubhaRajesh (Mumbai).

Sreeja performs classical dances

W H AT ’ S O NSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

House of Sillage, a leader in the world of Haute Parfumerie,will debut its very Limited Edition Private Collection luxuryTravel Perfume Spray this fall at curated fragrance and lux-

ury lifestyle trade shows being held in New York, Barcelona andAbu Dhabi.

Inspired by a moment of sheer bliss during a hot tropical nighton a remote island in the South Pacific, the emerald green gecko isseen climbing a beautiful exotic flower. The first and only one often made to order House of Sillage Private Collection Travel Spraysfeatures a glorious gecko adorned with stunning bezel-set centerand round over 2 carat rare Colombian green emeralds climbing aleafy vine embellished with over 4 carat round brilliant-cut color-less diamonds for a total of 665 gem stones, all hand-set on an 18K

yellow gold cylinder. The Limited Edition Gold Travel Spray holds7.5ml and comes with one of each of the brand’s six different fra-grances along with the Certificate of authenticity, packaged in agorgeous Birdseye Maple lacquered gift box.

“Our exciting new one-off statement piece is truly the essenceof our passion for haute parfumerie created from the inside out,”said House of Sillage Founder Nicole Mather. “It’s an elegant addi-tion to the House of Sillage line and represents a synthesis ofartistry and craft, tradition and innovation.”

To see and experience House of Sillage’s exceptional fra-grances, magnificent bottles and unique packaging, please visitHarvey Nichols and Tanagra in Avenues Mall, Shuwaikh andTanagra in Salhiya Complex, Kuwait. Mrs Nicole Mather

Royal Beauty Group and House of Sillage debuts new travel spray in solid gold

Safir Hotel & Residences Kuwait - Fintas recently organized afriendly interdepartmental football match, which was spear-headed by the Human Resource Department. This is one of

several sports competitions that were hosted by the hotel’s man-agement to promote sportsmanship, team building and cama-raderie between department as well as associates. Four strongcompetitive teams from the Front Office, Housekeeping, Food &

Beverage and Accounts Departments registered for the friendlymatch which was held at the end of last month.

The football tournament was concluded by an awards ceremo-ny that included the General Manager - Saif Eddin Mohammedand department heads to celebrate the competitive spirit of thegame while also awarding the winning teams. The Food &Beverage department won the first place and received the gold

medals along with the championship trophy, followed by theFront Office team in second place with silver medals, and theHousekeeping team ranking third place with bronze medals.

The associates began the ceremony by extending their sinceregratitude to hotel’s management for this wonderful sportingevent which will be followed by a volleyball match during thismonth .

Safir Hotel & Residences - Fintas organizes friendly inter-departmental soccer match

H E A L T HSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

VIRGINIA: Sawyer Whitely, 10-yrs, and Michael Mendoza, 10-yrs, who are autistic, playselected games on a Microsoft X-box Kinect (screen to rear) at Steuart W WellerElementary School in Ashburn. — AFP photos

VIRGINIA: Sawyer Whitely who is autistic, holds the controller as he plays selected gameson a Microsoft X-box Kinect (screen to rear).

ASHBURN: The game over, a beaming Sawyerand Michael, both 10, cheer and give each othera high-five. It is a small but significant reactionthat experts say shows how children with autismcan benefit from playing some computer games.The Steuart W. Weller Ashburn ElementarySchool in Virginia is one of the specialized cen-ters in the United States testing Microsoft’s pop-ular Xbox game console, equipped with“Kinect.” With Kinect, launched by Microsoft in2010, kids can play videogames without con-trollers. Instead, they use their bodies to dictatethe action on the screen, courtesy of a motiondetector.

Kinect was not specifically designed for chil-dren with autism, but experts say the device isproving beneficial for some with the disability.“The positive high-fives, the cheering for eachother, that was something that wasn’t seen asoften, and it became a regular thing for Sawyer,”Anne-Marie Skeen, a specialist teacher at theVirginia school, told AFP. “Now, whenever wepraise him, he gives us high-fives because heknows that’s a good way to say, ‘good job.’”

Autism, a range of complex neurodevelop-ment disorders that typically appear during the

first three years of a person’s life, now affects anestimated one child in 88 in the United States. Itimpacts on a person’s ability to communicateand interact with others. With the help ofschools such as Skeen’s, autism is treatable, butchildren do not simply “outgrow” it.

‘I love boats’ Side by side, Sawyer Whitely and Michael

Mendoza bend and stoop, directing the actionon the screen-a boat careering down a rushingriver. As many children would be, they are capti-vated, and when they finish, they look exhilarat-ed. “It looks like you are in the game but you’renot,” said a breathless Michael, adding innocent-ly: “I love boats.” Ashburn’s teachers have beenworking with Kinect for two years, and are hom-ing in on the lack of communication that typical-ly characterizes autism.

“Communicating with each other, givingeach other directions, giving compliments... Ican teach social skills and communication withboard games and with other games but the stu-dents are so much more motivated to take partin games like this, and with games like theKinect we get a lot more out of them,” said Lynn

Keenan, a teacher and trainer.“It’s much easier to build the skills when they

are motivated to learn. We’ve found some prettyimpressive results. “There are many tools butthere are few that hold that kind of motivationalvalue that a tool like this does, so it’s much easi-er then to build the skills because they are moti-vated to take part in it.” Dan Stachelski headsthe Lakeside Center for Autism in Issaquah,Washington state.

“Because they are so motivated by the game,they are more likely to engage and followthrough on instructions that they might provideor they might create a situation where theyactually do it on their own, which is what wereally want to see the kids do,” he explained. Hetakes the example of “Happy Action Theater,” agame in which the avatar shoots at fireballs orkick rocks. “The cool thing about that is that itcreates an environment on the screen and youare actually projected yourself onto the screeninto this environment, and the cool thing aboutit is that the way that the kid moves and inter-acts with this environment on the screen,” hesaid. “And multiple kids can play in the samearea at the same time, so for those kids that

have social interactions challenges and have dif-ficult times sharing the same space, it gets themin the same space and it’s the very first step youwant them to achieve.”

‘Encouraging results’ Kinect could also be used to detect signs of

autism. For example, researchers at University ofMinnesota have installed it to spot signs ofhyperactivity, one of the signs of autism. The useof Kinect for children with the disorder is catch-ing on, said Andy Shih, of Autism Speaks, anautism science and advocacy organization,adding that at about $150, Kinect is an afford-able accessory that offers “encouraging results.”“Many families are exploring its potential,” hesaid, stressing: “We have a neutral position. “Weadvocate for more researches and more datas.Right now the information is very preliminary.“The population is so diverse: some kids are ver-bal, other kids are not; some children have intel-lectual disability, other do not; some childrenhave motor-skills challenges, others do not. “It’svery difficult for any one product to be the mira-cle cure, the magic bullet that will meet all theneeds of all individuals.” — AFP

Video games offer hope for autistic children

WASHINGTON: A study published on Thursdayfound an association between smoking and e-cigarette use among adolescents but didn’tanswer a pressing public-health question onwhether e-cigarettes acted as a gateway tosmoking. Published in JAMA Pediatrics, thestudy found that among those who havesmoked, adolescents who also used e-cigaretteswere less likely to have given up smoking thanthose who did not use e-cigarettes.

The authors of the study, Lauren Dutra andStanton Glantz, a prominent opponent of e-cig-arettes, concluded that the “use of e-cigarettesdoes not discourage, and may encourage, con-ventional cigarette use among US adolescents.”Critics say the results do not support such a con-clusion. Dr Michael Siegel, a professor of com-munity health sciences at Boston UniversitySchool of Public Health who has spoken publiclyin favor of e-cigarettes, said that while the studydraws a correlation between smoking and e-cig-arette use, there was no evidence to prove e-cig-arettes led to smoking.

“The authors seem to have an axe to grind,”he said. “I could equally argue that what thisstudy shows is that people who are heavy smok-ers are attracted to e-cigarettes because theyare looking to quit.” The study was funded bythe National Cancer Institute and conducted by

the University of California San Francisco’sCenter for Tobacco Control Research andEducation. It comes as the US Food and DrugAdministration prepares to gain regulatory con-trol over e-cigarettes, which generated sales ofnearly $2 billion last year, and which some ana-

lysts believe could eventually exceed the $80-billion tobacco market.

The aim of the study was to further under-stand the relationship between e-cigarette use,conventional cigarette use and quitting amongUS adolescents. It relied on data from some

40,000 adolescents who completed the 2011and 2012 National Youth Tobacco Surveys car-ried out by the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention.

The authors said that since the study did notfollow its subjects over time, they couldn’tdetermine whether most youths began smokingconventional cigarettes before moving to e-cig-arettes, or vice versa. Adult smoking rates havefallen to 18 percent from 43 percent in 1965.Even so, more than 3,200 young people a dayunder the age of 18 try their first cigarette, arecent government report found, and the use ofe-cigarettes by young people doubled between2011 and 2012. E-cigarettes are battery-pow-ered cartridges that look like cigarettes and con-tain a nicotine liquid that, when heated, createsan inhalable vapor. This vapor, advocates say, isless dangerous than traditional cigarette smokesince it does not contain lung-damaging tar.Nicotine itself is considered relatively benigncompared with cigarettes, but data on the long-term safety of e-cigarettes, which contain a vari-ety of chemicals, is limited. That uncertainty hasled a number of cities, including New York,Chicago, Boston and, most recently, LosAngeles, to restrict the use of e-cigarettes inrestaurants, bars, nightclubs and other publicspaces.— Reuters

US teens’ e-cigarette use associated with smoking


112

Fajr: 04:56Shorook 06:14Duhr: 12:01Asr: 15:19Maghrib: 17:47 Isha: 19:04

Prayer timings

Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY(06/03/2014 TO 12/03/2014)

SHARQIA-13 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 2:00 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 4:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 6:30 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 8:45 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 10:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-2300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 12:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 2:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 4:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 6:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 8:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 10:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:15 PMWER (DIG) 3:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:45 PMWER (DIG) 10:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 1:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 3:30 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 5:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 7:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 9:45 PM

MUHALAB-2MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 2:00 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 4:00 PMWER (DIG) 6:00 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 8:00 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 10:00 PMMUHALAB-3 Seats-419 12:30 PMPOMPEII (DIG-3D) 2:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 9:30 PM

FANAR-1NON-STOP (DIG) 1:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 4:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 6:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 AM

FANAR-23 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 1:30 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 3:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 5:45 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 8:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 10:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

FANAR-3MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 1:00 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 3:00 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 5:00 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 7:00 PMWER (DIG) 9:00 PMWER (DIG) 11:00 PMWER (DIG) 1:00 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

FANAR-4NON-STOP (DIG) 1:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 4:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 6:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 8:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 10:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-1REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 1:30 PM

3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3:45 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) :00 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 8:00 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 10:15 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-2300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 12:30 PMPATRICK (DIG) 2:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 4:30 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 6:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 8:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 10:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-3MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 1:30 PMFRINON-STOP (DIG) 1:00 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 3:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 5:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 9:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-1POMPEII (DIG) 2:00 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 4:15 PMPATRICK (DIG) 6:30 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 8:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 11:00 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 1:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-23 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 1:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 6:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 8:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 11:15 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-3REASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 2:30 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 4:45 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 7:00 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 9:15 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 11:30 PM

AVENUES-4NON-STOP (DIG) 1:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 4:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 6:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:30 PMNO THUSpecial Show “300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG)”8:30 PMTHUNON-STOP (DIG) 10:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 1:00 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

360º- 1300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 12:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 2:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 5:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 7:15 PMNO THUSpecial Show “300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D)”7:15 PMTHU300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 9:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 11:45 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

360º- 23 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 2:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 4:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 7:15 PM

3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 9:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

360º- 3WER (DIG) 2:30 PMWER (DIG) 4:45 PMWER (DIG) 7:00 PMWER (DIG) 9:15 PMWER (DIG) 11:30 PM

AL-KOUT.13 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 2:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 4:30 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 6:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 8:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 10:45 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.2POMPEII (DIG) 1:30 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 3:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 5:45 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 8:00 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 10:00 PMREASONABLE DOUBT (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.3NON-STOP (DIG) 12:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 2:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 9:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 11:45 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-1MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 12:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 2:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG-3D) 4:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 6:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 8:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 10:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE DIG-3D) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-2300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 1:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 3:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 5:30 PMMR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (DIG) 7:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 9:30 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 11:30 PM

BAIRAQ-3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:45 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 8:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

PLAZA1983 (DIG) (Malayalam) 6:00 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 8:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:45 PM

LAILA300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 6:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PM300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (DIG) 10:30 PM

AJIAL.11983 (DIG) (Malayalam) 6:45 PM1983 (DIG) (Malayalam) 9:45 PM

AJIAL.2TOTAL SIYAPAA (DIG) (HINDI) 5:45 PMTOTAL SIYAPAA (DIG) (HINDI) 8:00 PMTOTAL SIYAPAA (DIG) (HINDI) 10:15 PM

AJIAL.3GULAB GANG (DIG) (HINDI) 6:30 PMGULAB GANG (DIG) (HINDI) 9:30 PM

CHANGE OF NAME

FOR SALE

MATRIMONIAL

LOST

Marthomite parents invitemarriage proposal for theirdaughter 26 years, fair (MDRadiology) studying in areputed Medical college inIndia. Looking for a suitableproposal from God fearingfamily of professionally quali-fied doctors/medical student(preferably MD). Interestedmay contact at: Email:[email protected](C 4654)

4-3-2014

Christian Orthodox parentsfrom Central Travancore,residing at Tiruvalla inviteproposals for their daughter25 years, 5’7” (M.TechStructural Engineering fromNIT Calicut) from well to doand settled boys havingM.Tech/B.Tech/CA/MBA.

Original document Policy633001470/633001464/633002341/633000763/633000828 of Muhammad AfzalMughal by the State LifeInsurance Corporation ofPakistan, Gulf Zone is report-ed to have been lost. Anyonefinding the same or claimingany interest in it should com-municate with State LifeOffice Kuwait Tel: 22452208.(C 4655)4-3-2014

I, Vijaykumar B. PainginkarR/O Goa, India, holder ofPassport No. F5608432reverted to Islam, do herebychange my name to YousefVijaykumar Painginkar. (C4657)6-3-2014

Cooker Indesit gas 4 ringwith oven, Linen box, ironingboard, cloths hang rail withshelf, dining table and 4chairs, sofa 3 seats, officedesk, office chair, bookcase.Personal trainer CPS withheart monitor, dock stationfor iPod, printer HP photos-mart, safe. Tel: 94400865.(C 4656)

Preferably fromOrthodox/Jacobite family.Interested may contact emailat [email protected]

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

Arrival Flights on Saturday 8/3/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeJAI 574 Mumbai 00:10KLM 413 Amsterdam/Dammam 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40THY 772 Istanbul 00:45QTR 1084 Doha 00:55DLH 637 Dammam 01:10PGT 858 Istanbul 01:30SAI 441 Lahore 01:30GFA 211 Bahrain 02:10THY 764 Istanbul 02:15JZR 267 Beirut 02:30UAE 853 Dubai 02:35ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:45JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:50PIA 239 Lahore 03:05OMA 643 Muscat 03:05MSR 612 Cairo 03:10MSC 401 Alexandria 03:45QTR 1076 Doha 03:45FDB 067 Dubai 04:20THY 770 Istanbul 05:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40JZR 503 Luxor 05:50JZR 529 Asyut 06:20KAC 416 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur 06:25BAW 157 London 06:40KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:45KAC 206 Islamabad 07:40FDB 053 Dubai 07:50QTR 1086 Doha 07:50KAC 302 Mumbai 07:55KAC 382 Delhi 07:55KAC 352 Kochi 08:10KAC 344 Chennai 08:35UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 362 Colombo 08:45KAC 284 Dhaka 08:50ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20FDB 055 Dubai 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 09:55IRM 1186 Tehran 10:15GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IAW 157 Al Najaf/Baghdad 11:00IZG 4161 Mashhad 11:05MSC 405 Sohag 11:20JZR 165 Dubai 11:30TMA 213 Beirut 12:10MRJ 4815 Mashhad 12:25SYR 341 Damascus 12:30IRM 1188 Mashhad 12:40JZR 241 Amman 12:45UAE 871 Dubai 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00MSR 579 Sohag 13:05KAC 522 Al Najaf 13:45FDB 057 Dubai 13:50QTR 1078 Doha 13:55KAC 672 Dubai 14:00JZR 778 Jeddah 14:10MSR 575 Sharm el-Sheikh 14:15SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30KNE 472 Jeddah 14:35IRC 6692 Mashhad 14:40KAC 562 Amman 14:50GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10IRM 1184 Shiraz 15:15KNE 470 Jeddah 15:35KNE 462 Madinah 15:45NIA 251 Alexandria 15:50JZR 535 Cairo 15:50JAV 621 Amman 15:55KNE 460 Riyadh 16:00KAC 118 New York 16:35QTR 1072 Doha 16:40UAE 857 Dubai 16:40JZR 357 Mashhad 16:45ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:50JZR 787 Riyadh 16:50RJA 640 Amman 16:55KAC 538 Sohag/Sharm el-Sheikh 17:05SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15ABY 127 Sharjah 17:25GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30

JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55JZR 135 Bahrain 18:00KAC 542 Cairo 18:05JZR 177 Dubai 18:20IZG 4167 Mashhad 18:35QTR 1080 Doha 18:40KAC 774 Riyadh 18:45FDB 063 Dubai 18:45KAC 502 Beirut 18:50KAC 618 Doha 19:00KAC 176 Geneva/Frankfurt 19:15KAC 674 Dubai 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30KAC 104 London 19:35KAC 790 Madinah 19:45IRA 607 Mashhad 19:50OMA 647 Muscat 19:55KNE 474 Jeddah 20:00TBZ 5483 Mashhad 20:00MSR 618 Alexandria 20:05JAI 572 Mumbai 20:10ABY 129 Sharjah 20:20AXB 489 Kochi/Mangalore 20:35DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:55FDB 071 Dubai 21:05ALK 229 Colombo 21:10MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:35UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45KNE 480 Taif 21:45FDB 059 Dubai 22:00QTR 1074 Doha 22:00KLM 415 Amsterdam 22:05JZR 189 Dubai 22:15JZR 239 Amman 22:20JZR 181 Dubai 22:25AIC 975 Chennai/Goa 22:30KAC 786 Jeddah 22:45KAC 614 Bahrain 23:00UAL 981 Bahrain 23:10JZR 185 Dubai 23:20

Departur Flights on Saturday 8/3/2014Airlines Flt Route Time

AIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10KLM 413 Amsterdam 01:45DLH 637 Frankfurt 02:10SAI 442 Lahore 02:30THY 773 Istanbul 02:55PGT 859 Istanbul 03:20UAE 854 Dubai 03:50ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:00OMA 644 Muscat 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:10QTR 1085 Doha 04:15PIA 240 Sialkot/Islamabad 04:35MSC 406 Sohag 04:45FDB 068 Dubai 05:00QTR 1077 Doha 05:15JAI 575 Abu Dhabi/Kochi 06:45JZR 164 Dubai 06:55THY 765 Istanbul 07:05GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15JZR 240 Amman 07:20THY 771 Istanbul 07:30FDB 054 Dubai 08:30JZR 779 Jeddah 08:40BAW 156 London 08:45QTR 1087 Doha 08:50JZR 534 Cairo 09:00KAC 537 Sohag/Sharm el-Sheikh 09:05KAC 561 Amman 09:25KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25KAC 671 Dubai 09:30ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40KAC 101 London/New York 09:50UAE 856 Dubai 09:55ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:05KAC 521 Al Najaf 10:05FDB 056 Dubai 10:20JZR 356 Mashhad 10:45QTR 1071 Doha 10:55KAC 501 Beirut 11:10

GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25KAC 541 Cairo 11:30IRM 1185 Shiraz 11:35KAC 165 Rome/Paris 11:50IAW 158 Baghdad/Al Najaf 12:00MSC 402 Alexandria 12:20JZR 776 Jeddah 12:25IZG 4162 Mashhad 12:35SYR 342 Damascus 13:30JZR 786 Riyadh 13:35TMA 223 Dubai/Beirut 13:45JZR 176 Dubai 13:45MSR 580 Sohag 13:50MRJ 4814 Mashhad 13:55MSR 611 Cairo 14:00IRM 1189 Mashhad 14:05UAE 872 Dubai 14:15FDB 058 Dubai 14:30QTR 1079 Doha 14:55MSR 576 Sharm el-Sheikh 15:00JZR 134 Bahrain 15:00KAC 673 Dubai 15:05KAC 773 Riyadh 15:20KAC 789 Madinah 15:20KNE 473 Jeddah 15:30KAC 617 Doha 15:30IRC 6693 Mashhad 15:35GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45SVA 505 Jeddah 16:00IRM 1187 Tehran 16:30KNE 471 Jeddah 16:30KNE 463 Madinah 16:35KNE 481 Taif 16:45NIA 252 Alexandria 16:50JZR 238 Amman 16:55KAC 785 Jeddah 17:00JAV 622 Amman 17:15ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:35QTR 1073 Doha 17:40JZR 188 Dubai 17:40JZR 180 Dubai 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:50JZR 538 Cairo 17:50RJA 641 Amman 17:55ABY 128 Sharjah 18:05SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20JZR 184 Dubai 18:40JZR 266 Beirut 18:50UAL 982 Bahrain 19:15FDB 064 Dubai 19:25IZG 4168 Mashhad 19:35QTR 1081 Doha 19:40KAC 613 Bahrain 20:00GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 283 Dhaka 20:30TBZ 5484 Mashhad 20:45KNE 475 Jeddah 20:45IRA 604 Esfahan 20:50OMA 648 Muscat 20:55KAC 331 Trivandrum 20:55ABY 120 Sharjah 21:00KAC 361 Colombo 21:00MSR 607 Luxor 21:05JAI 571 Mumbai 21:10KAC 351 Kochi 21:10DLH 636 Dammam 21:35KAC 543 Cairo 21:40FDB 072 Dubai 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50ALK 230 Colombo 22:10MEA 403 Beirut 22:20ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:20KNE 461 Riyadh 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30KAC 301 Mumbai 22:35FDB 060 Dubai 22:40UAE 860 Dubai 22:50KAC 381 Delhi 22:50KAC 205 Islamabad 22:55JZR 552 Alexandria 23:00KLM 415 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:05QTR 1075 Doha 23:10KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:55

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i n f o r m a t i o nSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

ACROSS1. A syndrome that occurs in many women from 2 to 14 days before the onset ofmenstruation.4. An alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fillcavities in teeth.11. A discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder.15. A broad flat muscle on either side of the back.16. A tiny cavity filled with fluid in the cytoplasm of a cell.17. The capital of Western Samoa.18. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.20. Urge or force (a person) to an action.21. Precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents.22. Slanderous defamation.23. A Mid-Atlantic state.24. Being or containing or characterized by vowels.26. (Jewish cookery) A loaf of white bread containing eggs and leavened withyeast.28. The psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning.29. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.31. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia.35. A radioactive element of the actinide series.37. Type genus of the Gavidae.40. The act of hopping (jumping upward or forward (especially on one foot)).41. Money extracted as a penalty.44. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.45. A city in northern Nigeria.48. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery.49. Related by blood.51. Relating to or characteristic of the Celts.52. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.53. (Babylonian) God of wisdom and agriculture and patron of scribes and schools.55. Pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance.56. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.59. A river that rises in central Germany and flows north to join the Elbe River.61. Before noon.63. A tight-fitting headdress.64. A room equipped with toilet facilities.65. Small tropical American tree bearing edible plumlike fruit.69. Any of several ornamental shrubs with shiny mostly evergreen leaves and clus-ters of small bell-shaped flowers.71. Small free-swimming tunicates.73. Chocolate cookie with white cream filling.74. Someone who has retired from active working.77. Any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse.78. Capital city of the Apulia region on the Adriatic coast.79. A staff surmounted by a crook or cross carried by bishops as a symbol of pas-toral office.80. The compass point midway between east and southeast.81. Of or relating to near the ear.82. Not prepared or in a state of readiness.83. A fractional monetary unit of Japan and Indonesia and Cambodia.

C R O S S W O R D 4 8 0DOWN

1. The sound like water splashing.2. Molten rock in the earth's crust.3. French romantic writer (1766-1817).4. Evergreen Indian shrub with vivid yellow flowers whose bark is used in tanning.5. Informal terms for a mother.6. Harsh or corrosive in tone.7. A unit of luminous flux equal to the amount of light given out through a solidangle of 1 steradian by a point source of 1 candela intensity radiating uniformly inall directions.8. The younger of two major political parties in the United States.9. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trademarks Aleve and Anaprox andAflaxen).10. South American herb with sticky glandular foliage.11. The dialect of Malay used as the national language of the Republic of Indonesiaor of Malaysia.12. A translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color.13. Being three more than fifty.14. A fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated mag-nesium silicate.19. Stem of the rattan palm used for making canes and umbrella handles.25. Small genus of perennial herbs having deadly poisonous tuberous roots.27. An ugly evil-looking old woman.30. One who works hard at boring tasks.32. (Mexican) Ground beef and chili peppers or chili powder often with tomatoesand kidney beans.33. Containing or involving or occurring in the form of ions.34. With rapid movements.36. A three-dimensional shape with six square or rectangular sides.38. Characteristic of false pride.39. A state in northwestern North America.42. An accidental hole that allows something (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape.43. An inhabitant of ancient Thebes.46. Largest known toad species.47. Roman statesman and philosopher who was and advisor to Nero (circa 4 BC -65 AD).50. Pronounce with a lowered velum.54. A state in southwestern Germany famous for its beer.57. (of words) Formed in imitation of a natural sound.58. A short synopsis.60. Suffering from or suggesting a liver disorder or gastric distress.62. French revolutionary leader (born in Switzerland) who was a leader in over-throwing the Girondists and was stabbed to death in his bath by Charlotte Corday(1743-1793).66. Extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner forhis own use.67. (`cease' is a noun only in the phrase `without cease') End v 1.68. Of or related to or derived from oats.70. A beautiful and graceful girl.72. Tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the gen-era Arundo and Phragmites.75. Bulky grayish-brown eagle with a short wedge-shaped white tail.76. A prominent rock or pile of rocks on a hill.


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S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

TAMPA: Jhonas Enroth made 43 saves to spoilthe return of Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkosand the Buffalo Sabres beat the Lightning 3-1on Thursday night. Stamkos had been side-lined since breaking his right shin Nov 11 atBoston, causing him to miss 45 games. Thecenter received a partial standing ovation dur-ing pregame introductions, when it wasannounced that he is the new team captain.Right wing Ryan Callahan, acquiredWednesday from the New York Rangers for for-mer Tampa Bay captain Martin St. Louis, madehis Lightning debut. Tyler Myers, MarcusFoligno and Cody Hodgson scored for theSabres. Enroth stopped a combined sevenshots by Stamkos (three) and Callahan (four)through two periods.

KINGS 3, JETS 1Mike Richards scored the go-ahead goal on

a giveaway by the Winnipeg Jets to lift the LosAngeles Kings to their sixth straight victory.Dustin Brown scored Los Angeles’ first goaland Alec Martinez added a third-period power-play goal. Jonathan Quick made 17 saves forthe Kings (36-22-6). Olli Jokinen had his 15thgoal for Winnipeg (30-27-7) and OndrejPavelec stopped 38 shots. Jets defensemanTobias Enstrom was at the boards by the Kings’bench and made a pass across the ice that wassupposed to be for Jokinen, but Richards inter-cepted it halfway, crossed the blue line andthen fired a shot by Pavelec at 16:15 of the sec-ond period.

COYOTES 5, CANADIENS 2Radim Vrbata scored two goals and the

Phoenix Coyotes bounced back from a shakysecond period to beat Montreal, their first winover the Canadiens since 1998. The Coyoteswanted to jump on Montreal early after theCanadiens won a six-round shootout against

the NHL-leading Anaheim Ducks the nightbefore and did just that, scoring three goals inthe first period. The Canadiens fought back,though, holding the Coyotes to one shot in thesecond period while setting up AlexGalchenyuk’s goal on a two-man advantage.Vrbata made it a two-goal lead in the thirdperiod and Shane Doan scored less than 2 min-utes later to put it out of reach, giving Phoenixits first winning streak since Jan. 16-18. It wasthe team’s first win over Montreal since Dec. 9,1998, in Arizona. Andrei Markov had a goaland an assist, and P.K. Subban had a pair ofassists for Montreal.

BRUINS 3, CAPITALS 0Tuukka Rask got the first win of his career

against Washington, Gregory Campbell andLoui Eriksson scored second-period goals andthe Boston Bruins beat the Capitals 3-0. Rask’ssixth shutout of the season and 22nd of hiscareer came just five days after the Capitalsbeat him 4-2, also in Boston. But since thenWashington is 0-3 and Boston is 3-0. Rask was0-3-3 against the Capitals, but was rarely chal-lenged Thursday when his teammates’ tightchecking limited Washington’s opportunities.Capitals goalie Braden Holtby suffered his firstloss against the Bruins after winning the firstfour matchups of his career. Boston finishedthe scoring on Brad Marchand’s empty-netgoal with 1:34 left.

AVALANCHE 3, RED WINGS 2, OTAndre Benoit scored off an assist from rook-

ie Nathan MacKinnon with 31.4 seconds left inovertime, lifting the Colorado Avalanche overthe Detroit Red Wings. MacKinnon has a pointin 13 straight games, breaking WayneGretzky’s record for an 18-year-old NHL player.Colorado’s P A Parenteau made it a 2-all game5:49 into the third period. Detroit took leads

on Niklas Kronwall’s goal midway through thefirst period and Tomas Jurco’s score with 7:50left in the second. Matt Duchene tied it at 1midway through the second period. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 35 saves for theAvalanche, who have won four straight.Jimmy Howard stopped 22 shots for the RedWings, who retired Nicklas Lidstrom’s No. 5 jer-sey before the game.

BLACKHAWKS 6, BLUE JACKETS 1Andrew Shaw and Jonathan Toews had

two goals apiece, and the Chicago Blackhawksbeat the Columbus Blue Jackets. BrandonBollig and Bryan Bickell also scored as Chicagobounced back from a 4-2 home loss toColorado on Tuesday night. Corey Crawfordmade 22 saves for his 10th consecutive victoryagainst Columbus. Ryan Johansen scored his25th goal for the Blue Jackets, who had wonthree in a row. Sergei Bobrovsky made 14stops before he was pulled during theBlackhawks’ three-goal second period.

BLUES 2, PREDATORS 1Ian Cole had a goal and an assist to lead the

St. Louis Blues to their third straight win.Magnus Paajarvi had the other goal for theBlues, who have won all four of their gamesagainst Nashville this season. Ryan Millerstopped 20 shots to win his third game in asmany starts since being acquired from theBuffalo Sabres on Friday. Nick Spaling scoredfor the Predators, losers of six of seven.

STARS 6, CANUCKS 1Tyler Seguin had three goals and two

assists to lead the Dallas Stars to a 6-1 victoryover the Vancouver Canucks. Jamie Benn, AlexGoligoski and Ryan Garbutt also scored forDallas, which built a 5-0 lead. Kari Lehtonenmade 31 saves, and Benn and Rich Peverley

each had two assists. Seguin scored twice inthe first period, and completed his hat trick at12:53 of the third. His third three-goal gamethis season tied Bill Guerin and Mike Modanofor the Stars record. Vancouver’s Zac Dalpescored at 18:15 of the second period.

OILERS 3, ISLANDERS 2, OTTaylor Hall scored the overtime winner and

the Edmonton Oilers rebounded from a listlessstart to earn a come-from-behind victory overthe New York Islanders. The Oilers got the winafter trailing 2-0 after the second period. SamGagner stole a puck in the neutral zone andwent around defender Brian Strait before send-ing it on net, where Hall was able to slip it pastEvgeni Nabokov 2:29 into overtime. RyanSmyth and Philip Larsen also scored for theOilers, who have won two games in a row andare 7-2-2 in their past 11 games. Frans Nielsenand Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, whohave lost 10 of their past 13 games. TheIslanders have also lost 10 games this season inwhich they led heading into the third period.

SHARKS 5, PENGUINS 3Joe Thornton scored the tiebreaking goal

with 5:39 left in regulation to help the SanJose Sharks overcome a two-goal deficit tobeat the Pittsburgh Penguins. Justin Braunstarted the comeback with a goal late in thesecond and Patrick Marleau and Brent Burnsscored tying goals earlier in the third for theSharks, who have 10 wins and one tie in theirlast 11 home games against Pittsburgh. Burnsadded an empty-net goal and Antti Niemimade 19 saves for San Jose. Olli Maatta scoredtwo goals and Chris Kunitz also scored for thePenguins, who last won at the Shark Tank onOct. 22, 1997. Jeff Zatkoff made 42 saves in hisfirst appearance since beating Los Angeles onJan 30. — AP

Sabres spoil Stamkos’ return FLORIDA: Steven Stamkos #91 of the Tampa Bay Lightning (center) battles with Mike Weber #6 of the Buffalo Sabres as he’s held back by Alex Killorn #17 at the TampaBay Times Forum on March 6, 2014. — AFP


LONDON: Manchester City’s Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini (right) applauds after winning the League Cup finalfootball match between Manchester City and Sunderland at Wembley Stadium in London.— AFP

LONDON: Sergio Aguero hailed ManuelPellegrini as the perfect manager to leadManchester City’s trophy charge as hisside set their sights on FA Cup revengeagainst Wigan. Pellegrini has made a bigimpact at City since arriving from Malagalast year and he celebrated his first silver-ware in English football last weekendwhen Sunderland were beaten in theLeague Cup final. That success atWembley could be the first of many forPellegrini according to Aguero, who hasbeen impressed with the way the Chileanhas brought calmness and composure to aclub that struggled to avoid negativeheadlines under previous boss RobertoMancini.

“Every manager is different, and withManuel what he does is he talks a lot to allof us and treats every player the same,”Aguero said. “This is important. He saysthings to motivate us and that’s good. I’mpleased as the League Cup is the first tro-phy for Manuel. “We’ve adapted quitequickly to his way of playing and I’mpleased as he’s given us a lot of guidance.”Pellegrini’s next challenge is avenge oneof the most embarrassing defeats in theclub’s history. Last year’s 1-0 FA Cup finaldefeat against Wigan was one of the com-petition’s all-time great Wembley upsets

and it proved the final straw for City’sboard, who sacked Mancini in the immedi-ate aftermath. Ben Watson’s last-gasp win-ner against City was Wigan’s final fling as atop-flight club and they were relegatedjust days later.

Now a Championship club hoping tosneak into the play-offs, Wigan are unlikelyto pose a major threat to City’s ambitionsof returning to Wembley for the semi-finals. With the Premier League title alsostill within reach, City could enjoy theirgreatest ever season and Argentina striker

Aguero added: “I’d love to win the trebleand I think we can aim for that.” In the oth-er last-eight ties, most of the attention willbe focused on north London, whereArsenal host Everton looking to reach thesemi-finals for the first time since 2009.The Gunners’ Premier League title chal-lenge suffered a setback with a 1-0 defeatat Stoke last weekend, leaving the Cup astheir best hope of ending a nine-year tro-phy drought.

Everton won’t fear ArsenalBut Everton have no reason to fear

Arsene Wenger’s side after drawing 1-1 at

the Emirates earlier this season. BossRoberto Martinez doesn’t expect Arsenalto suffer a hangover from that loss atStoke, but he insists his side will go on theoffensive.

“The whole squad is ready. It’s a glam-orous tie and we want to give it our bestshot,” Martinez said. “We will have to be atour best. You have to find a way to beeffective against a team like Arsenal.“Arsenal are always ready, they can per-form without looking at what happened inthe previous game. “It’s going to be a real-ly good game of football. We just need tobe effective and have a real threat.”

Sunderland travel to Hull bidding tosecure an instant return to Wembley fol-lowing their League Cup final heartache.Gus Poyet’s team led for the first 55 min-utes before surrendering to City’s superiorfirepower and midfielder Jack Colback isdetermined to ensure that isn’t his lasttaste of Wembley. “I’m definitely hungryfor more. That’s the funny thing, if we winour next game, we will be back there inthe semi-finals, so that’s what we have gotto aim to do,” Colback said. With LeagueOne giant-killers Sheffield United hostingChampionship strugglers Charlton therewill be at least one club from outside thePremier League in the semi-finals.— AFP

Pellegrini key to Man City revenge mission

PARIS: Fresh from beating their biggest rivals last weekend,Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain are determined to avoidcomplacency when they travel to face Bastia today. LaurentBlanc’s league leaders eased to a 2-0 victory againstMarseille in the Classique at the Parc des Princes in their lastouting to move onto 64 points-a record tally at this stage ofthe season-and open up a gap of eight points to nearestrivals Monaco. Apparently too strong for their domesticopponents, the club from the capital could be forgiven forfocusing all of their attention on the Champions League, inwhich they defend a 4-0 lead against Bayer Leverkusengoing into the second leg of their last-16 tie nextWednesday.

Nevertheless, coming into the trip to Corsica to face aBastia side who are ninth in the table but have won just oneof their last five Ligue 1 outings, Blanc has refused to admitthat a second consecutive title is secure. “It’s not up to me toconfirm or deny that. I think it’s better to be in our situationthan that of our pursuers,” said the 48-year-old. “There arestill a lot of points to be taken. We have a good number ofpoints, but we need more. It’s not over. “Some people willsay that if there is too big a gap we will start to lose focus.There is no easy solution. But we have managed to distanceourselves from our rivals and we are not going to complain.”

Blanc was sweating on the safe return of many of his play-ers from international duty this week, while Edinson Cavaniwas allowed to go back to his native Uruguay for personalreasons but was expected to be available for the game.Second-placed Monaco entertain relegation-threatenedSochaux as they bid to get back to winning ways followingtheir 2-0 loss at Saint-Etienne last time out. Claudio Ranieri’sside are now hoping to secure the automatic ChampionsLeague qualification that comes with finishing runners-up assoon as possible, but they can ill afford to underestimateSochaux, who have won three and drawn two of their last sixmatches to keep alive their chances of an unlikely greatescape from the drop.

“Some people think it will be easy against Sochaux, I thinkthe opposite. I have the feeling that this team is going tostay up,” said Ranieri, before adding that captain Eric Abidalwill miss the game at the Stade Louis II having briefly beenadmitted to hospital at the start of the week after taking thewrong flu medication. “Eric Abidal is not quite ready fortoday. It’s the same for Aymen Abdennour, (but) DimitarBerbatov has improved physically and he will be able tostart.”

Lille, in third, face a stiff test at home to Montpellier, whohave not lost in nine Ligue 1 games, while Saint-Etienne,who are a point off the Champions League places, travel toLorient later tomorrow. Lyon go to Bordeaux tomorrownight, but Marseille were not happy about playing host tosouth-coast rivals Nice. The game is taking place just 48hours after a clutch of OM players were in action for theircountries in Wednesday’s card of international friendlies.Marseille are seeking revenge for a 5-4 defeat to Nice in theFrench Cup in January, but they will also have to do withouttop scorer Andre-Pierre Gignac due to suspension.—AFP

Runaway PSGlooking to avoid

complacency

Full-strength Bayern tune up for ArsenalBERLIN: Runaway leaders Bayern Munich willbe at virtually ful l strength for today’sBundesliga clash at VfL Wolfsburg as they tuneup for next week’s Champions League clashwith Arsenal. Long-term knee-injury victimHolger Badstuber is the only absentee as starsFranck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Thomas Muellerand Xherdan Shaqiri all return from recentknocks. Ribery, UEFA’s best player in Europe lastseason, has not played for Bayern in more thana month after an operation on his buttocks, butmade an appearance for France on Wednesday.

“I felt good, those few minutes against theNetherlands were good to get some matchpractice back. I’m ready,” said Ribery afterFrance enjoyed a 2-0 win over the Dutch.

Bayern are looking to extend their recordunbeaten league run to 49 matches and toclaim their 11th consecutive victory. Fifth-placed Wolfsburg were hammered 6-2 atHoffenheim last Sunday and Bayern’s directorof sport Matthias Sammer expects a backlash atthe Volkswagen Arena. “They suffered a setback

in Hoffenheim and they will try and show areaction, so we must have a few answers tothat,” said Sammer. With a 20-point lead,Bayern could even wrap up the Bundesliga titlebefore the end of the month. Coach PepGuardiola will want a convincing win before

Tuesday’s Champions League last 16, secondleg at home to Arsenal with the hosts leading 2-0 from the first-leg in London. Second-placedBorussia Dortmund head to Freiburg tomorrowwith a shortage of strikers. Poland’s RobertLewandowski sat out Wednesday’s internation-al against Scotland with a knee strain andUnder-23 striker Marvin Ducksch is out for afortnight with an ankle injury. It leavesDortmund coach Jurgen Klopp with onlyreserve striker Julian Schieber fit, but Germanywinger Marco Reus could be switched to playup front.

Hyypia’s Leverkusen crisisBayer Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia is endur-

ing the first crisis of his career after five straightdefeats as they look for a first victory in sevenyears at Hanover 96 today. “My coaching careerhas not been very long and this is the first timethat I’m in such a situation,” said the 40-year-oldex-Liverpool defender. “Of course, I have spokento many people to ask advice on what I could do.“I want to develop myself and I wouldn’t be learn-ing so fast if we weren’t in this situation.” Hyypiais hoping to have defensive midfielder SvenBender back after a dead leg. Schalke 04 are look-ing to bounce back from successive horrordefeats when they host Hoffenheim. The RoyalBlues were drubbed 6-1 by Real Madrid in theChampions League, then crashed 5-1 at Bayernlast Sunday in the Bundesliga.—AFP

FA CUP PREVIEW

GERMAN LEAGUE PREVIEW

FRENCH LEAGUE PREVIEW

S PORTSSATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014

Spanish League Preview

MADRID: Barcelona could be boosted by a return to the top of La Ligajust three days before they host Manchester City in the ChampionsLeague with a win away to Valladolid today. The Catalans trail leadersReal Madrid by a point, but with Los Blancos not in action until tomor-row evening when they host Levante, Barca can retake top spot for atleast 24 hours. The Spanish champions have had another unsettlingweek off the field as captain Carles Puyol announced he would beleaving the club at the end of the season.

Marc Bartra is one of those who stands to benefit from Puyol’sdeparture as the 23-year-old will move up the pecking order in centraldefence. However, he insisted he will miss the guidance Puyol has giv-en him as he has come through the ranks at the Camp Nou. “He hashelped me a lot on the field. After every attack he gives me advice andafter each match or training session too. He has been fundamental, notjust with me but the whole team,” he said. Bartra is expected to starttoday as Gerard Pique remains sidelined by a calf injury.

And Bartra is determined to make the most of any opportunity he ishanded by Barca boss Gerardo Martino. “I am very aware of where Iam, which is the first team at Barcelona where almost nobody is guar-anteed to start. “This year I have lived through both situations of play-ing very little and then playing a lot of games in a row. “With the coach,none of the 20 of us in the first team know whether we are going tostart or be on the sidelines. He has managed things very well becauseevery week you think you have a chance to start.”

Despite holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg of their last 16 tieagainst City, Martino is expected to continue rotating his squad withthe English side’s visit in mind as Pedro Rodriguez and Andres Iniestacould come into the side that started the 4-1 win over Almeria lastweekend. Even if Barca do emerge victorious at the Jose Zorilla,Madrid can retake top spot when Levante visit the Santiago Bernabeutomorrow.

Los Blancos remain in the fight for titles on three fronts with justover two months of the season remaining and captain Iker Casillasadmits they are targeting a first treble in the club’s history come theend of the campaign. “Right now we are in a privileged position. Weare outright leaders in the league, in the final of the Cup and, baring adisaster, we will be in the quarter-finals of the Champions League,” hetold the club’s website.Marcelo and Dani Carvajal are expected toretake their places at full-back after making a positive impression assubstitutes in Real’s 2-2 draw away to local rivals Atletico Madrid lastweekend. Otherwise, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti is likely to name anunchanged side as his team don’t return to Champions League actionuntil next week. That draw at the Vicente Calderon last weekend leftAtletico still three points adrift of Real in third place. Diego Simeone’smen have the toughest test of the title contenders on paper this week-end as they travel to Celta Vigo today. Los Rojiblancos will also have todo without top-scorer Diego Costa as he is suspended after picking uphis fifth booking of the season against Real last time out. — AFP

Barca target top spot ahead of City return MADRID: Spanish La Liga table ahead of this week-

end’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for,goals against, points):

Real Madrid 26 20 4 2 73 26 64Barcelona 26 20 3 3 74 21 63Atletico 26 19 4 3 61 21 61Bilbao 26 15 5 6 49 30 50Villarreal 26 13 5 8 47 31 44Sociedad 26 12 7 7 46 36 43Sevilla 26 10 8 8 44 41 38Levante 26 9 9 8 26 31 36Valencia 26 10 5 11 38 37 35Espanyol 26 9 6 11 29 32 33Elche 26 7 8 11 23 37 32Celta Vigo 26 8 6 12 32 37 30Osasuna 26 8 5 13 24 39 29Granada 26 8 3 15 22 36 27Getafe 26 7 6 13 23 40 27Malaga 26 6 8 12 24 35 26Almeria 26 7 5 14 25 46 26Valladolid 26 4 11 11 28 44 23Vallecano 26 7 2 17 26 59 23Real Betis 26 3 6 18 21 56 15

MILAN: Juventus host Fiorentina for the first ofthree matches between the sides in the nextfortnight with revenge firmly on their minds asthe scudetto battle with Roma enters a crucialphase. Juventus will host La Viola twice in fivedays, the sides’ first leg of a Europa League last-16 tie following tomorrow’s Serie A clash,before travelling to Florence for the second legon March 20. Antonio Conte’s champions holdan 11-point lead on Roma, who have a game inhand, and boast the league’s best strike force inCarlos Tevez (15 goals) and Fernando Llorente(11), who have scored 26 times between them.

Despite the favorable statistics, Llorente saidthe Bianconeri will be looking to their onlydefeat this season so far-a 4-2 reverse toFiorentina in October-as inspiration in the firstof their trilogy of fixtures. “We’re looking forrevenge,” said Llorente. “Fiorentina are the onlyside that have beaten us this season so we haveto show that what happened there was a flashin the pan.” Juventus have been unbeaten sincethen but will be without midfielder Andrea Pirlodue to suspension although Conte can counton a central midfield boasting Paul Pogba,Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio.

Vidal suffered a scare in midweek when hecame off early with a muscle problem whileplaying for Chile against Germany, but he isexpected to start. Juve’s bid for a third consecu-tive scudetto, meanwhile, has been given asmall boost by Napoli’s virtual abdication fromthe title race. Napoli host Roma in tomorrow’slate game but coach Rafael Benitez said theirchallenge is virtually over: “I’m not going to lie,it’s gone.” During a round table interview withthe Corriere del Mezzogiorno newspaper, theSpaniard added: “We have to keep going andlook to secure second place. Beating Roma iscrucial.”

Question mark over BalotelliRoma midfielder Kevin Strootman gave

coach Rudi Garcia a scare in midweek when hehobbled off the Netherlands’ friendly againstFrance with a suspected knee injury. Howeverthe Dutch international has been given the allclear and is set to start in Garcia’s preferred 4-3-3 alongside Miralem Pjanic and RadjaNainggolan. Roma, however, will be withoutDaniele De Rossi for the first of a three-matchsuspension handed down for punching MauroIcardi in a hotly-contested encounter with Interlast week.

Inter claimed a share of the spoils after their1-1 draw and with Parma only one point off thepace in sixth with a game in hand, WalterMazzarri’s men would welcome three points athome against Torino. Defenders Walter Samueland Juan Jesus are both serving suspensionsmeaning Hugo Campagnaro and AndreaRanocchia step in. Mazzarri is set to stick withthe front pairing of Icardi and Rodrigo Palaciowhich has added punch to his attack of late.City rivals Milan welcome Udinese looking tomake up for last week’s 2-0 reverse to Juve andwith doubts hanging over striker MarioBalotelli for the second league fixture in a row.

Balotelli is recovering from a shoulder injurysuffered in the 1-1 draw with ChampionsLeague last-16 opponents Atletico Madrid twoweeks ago. Balotelli on Thursday trained apartfrom the rest of his teammates, promptingsuggestions he could feature tomorrow in amatch Milan will be looking to win if their bidfor a Europa League place is to succeed. CoachClarence Seedorf is expected to call Japaneseinternational Keisuke Honda back into his start-ing line-up alongside fellow forwards Kaka andAdel Taarabt, with either Balotelli or GiampaoloPazzini in the lone striker’s role. — AFP

HONG KONG: Hong Kong businessman CarsonYeung was sentenced to six years in jail yesterdayfor money laundering in a high-profile case thatlaw enforcement officials hailed as an importantvictory to combat money laundering in the globalfinancial hub. Yeung, 54, who was found guilty bya Hong Kong court on five counts of money-laun-dering some HK$721 million ($93 million) overseveral years, is a flamboyant self-made million-aire and owner of British football clubBirmingham City.

In the detailed exposition of hundreds of sus-picious transactions made by Yeung and multipleparties, the trial cast a rare spotlight on some ofthe murky channels and methods used by under-ground banks and money launderers in movingillicit capital between China, Hong Kong and thegambling hub of Macau. “Maintaining the integri-ty of the banking system is of paramount impor-tance if Hong Kong is to remain an internationalfinance center,” said District Court Judge DouglasYau. “The sentence must include an element of

deterrence to discourage those who are in a posi-tion to exploit the system for their own gainsthrough money laundering and to send the mes-sage that...the law will come down on them withfull force.” Yeung, dressed in a dark suit, appearedrelaxed and waved before being taken away. Hisdefense lawyers declined to comment onwhether he would appeal.

Police investigators, who described the case asa difficult one involving analysis of financial recordsfrom as far back as 2001, welcomed the sentenceeven though it was less than the maximum 14years possible for such crimes. “We overcame a lotof hurdles to get this result,” said Gloria Yu, a policeinvestigator, to reporters outside the courthouse.“We are happy...and encouraged because fightingmoney laundering is a very arduous task.” Yeung, aformer hair stylist to Hong Kong’s rich and famous,who pleaded not guilty, had told the court heamassed his wealth through his hair salons, sharetrading, property purchases, gambling in Macauand other investments.—Reuters

Birmingham club owner Yeung jailed for 6 years

Birmingham’s owner Carson

Yeung

SPANISH LEAGUE TABLE

Juve seeking revenge in first of Viola match-ups

Italian League Preview


LONDON: With none of their PremierLeague title rivals in action this week-end, leaders Chelsea can open up a sev-en-point lead at the summit by beatingTottenham Hotspur today. Arsenal’sdefeat at Stoke City last weekend, cou-pled with Manchester City’s involve-ment in the League Cup final, sawChelsea move four points clear and vic-tory over Spurs would further galvanizetheir position. Arsenal and City bothhave commitments in the FA Cup, whileLiverpool, who stole into second placelast weekend, do not have a fixture.

While City will have three games inhand by the time the weekend is out,Chelsea forward Andre Schurrle saysthat he and his team-mates are increas-ingly sure of their title credentials. “Wehave to believe it. I think everyonebelieves it now. We have worked hardfor this,” said the Germany international,who scored a hat-trick in last weekend’s3-1 success at Fulham. “We have to keepgoing, keep winning like we did atFulham, then we will see at the end.”Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea are unbeatenin 13 league matches, winning 10 anddrawing three, but in Tottenham theyface a team with designs on aChampions League place.

Tim Sherwood’s side bounced backfrom a defeat at Norwich City by win-ning 1-0 at home to Cardiff City lastSunday and could close to within apoint of the top four if they prevail atStamford Bridge. It is 23 years since aSpurs team won at Chelsea, butSherwood believes that his side’s statusas underdogs could work in their favor.“Games against Chelsea at the Bridge,Arsenal at the Emirates and Liverpool atAnfield, perhaps the pressure’s off us alittle bit and we can cause a surprise,”said the Spurs manager. “We’re lookingto mess up as many other people’s sea-sons as we can, and enhance ours at thesame time.”

United’s Hawthorns returnAnother team looking to capitalize

on the inactivity of teams above themare Manchester United, who could drawlevel on points with sixth-place Evertonif they win at West Bromwich Albion.David Moyes’s side have not playedsince slumping to a 2-0 loss atOlympiakos in the first leg of theirChampions League last 16 tie onFebruary 25 and begin the weekend 12points below the top four.

United’s last trip to The Hawthorns

was for Alex Ferguson’s final game asmanager-a madcap 5-5 draw on thefinal day of last season-but while thatsunny May day now seems a distantmemory amid the club’s current strug-gles, record signing Juan Mata says thatthere is plenty still to play for. “A thrillingmonth is starting with five PremierLeague games against important rivalssuch as Liverpool and Manchester City,”the Spanish midfielder wrote on his per-sonal blog this week. “We do know it is acrucial month to climb up positions onthe league table and we are going togive our best to try and win every singlematch.” Today’s truncated program alsofeatures a potentially pivotal game atthe foot of the table, with second-bot-tom Cardiff hosting bottom clubFulham. The two teams are in danger ofbeing cut adrift, having played at least agame more than the three teams imme-diately above them-Sunderland, WestBrom and Crystal Palace-and defeat foreither side could have costly conse-quences. Elsewhere, Norwich hostStoke, while Southampton and theirfour England internationals-AdamLallana, Jay Rodriguez, Rickie Lambertand mid-week debutant Luke Shaw-visitfifth-bottom Palace.— AFP

Chelsea out to steal march on dormant rivals

ENGLAND FA CUPArsenal v Everton 15:45beIN SPORTS 4beIN SPORTS 4 HD

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUEWest Brom v Man United 15:45beIN SPORTS 1beIN SPORTS 1 HDCrystal v Southampton 18:00beIN SPORTS 1beIN SPORTS 1 HDChelsea v Tottenham 20:30beIN SPORTS 1beIN SPORTS 1 HD

ITALIAN LEAGUE Udinese v AC Milan 20:00beIN SPORTS 3beIN SPORTS 3 HDCalcio Catania v Cagliari 22:45beIN SPORTS 3beIN SPORTS 3 HD

SPANISH LEAGUE Real Valladolid v Barcelona 18:00beIN SPORTS 2beIN SPORTS 2 HDReal Betis v Getafe 20:00beIN SPORTS 6beIN SPORTS 6 HDCelta v Atletico de Madrid 22:00beIN SPORTS 2beIN SPORTS 2 HDGranada v Villarreal 0:00beIN SPORTS 4beIN SPORTS 4 HD

GERMAN LEAGUE Hamburger v E Frankfurt 17:30Dubai SportsWolfsburg v Bayern Munich 17:30Dubai SportsSchalke 04 v Hoffenheim 17:30Dubai SportsHannover 96 v Bayer 04 17:30Dubai SportsBorussia M v Augsburg 17:30Dubai SportsStuttgart v E Braunschweig 17:30Dubai SportsNuremberg v Werder Bremen 20:30Dubai Sports

FRENCH LEAGUE Bastia v Paris Saint-Germain 18:30beIN SPORTS 5beIN SPORTS 5 HDMonaco v Sochaux 22:00beIN SPORTS 5beIN SPORTS 5 HD

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

BIRMINGHAM: Manchester United head to West BromwichAlbion today at the start of a period that will determine if theirdisastrous season spirals completely out of control. As well asbeing knocked out of the League Cup semi-finals on penalties,David Moyes’ side have lost six games since the turn of theyear. The latest indignity came when Greek side Olympiakosswept to a 2-0 win over United in the first leg of theChampions League last 16 on February 25. United have beeninactive since then, but they face a busy period over the nextweeks and there is little margin for error for the beleagueredPremier League champions.

After today’s game at The Hawthorns they host Liverpool inthe Premier League before the return leg against Olympiakos,while a derby against Manchester City looms towards the endof March. With wins in those fixtures, the complexion of theentire campaign could change, but Moyes would face signifi-cant pressure if his team’s erratic form continued in such keycontests. Moyes’ side, who are 12 points off the ChampionsLeague places with 11 games left going into the weekend,have been relatively strong on their travels, with 24 of theirtotal of 45 points coming away from home.

But the Baggies shocked Moyes’ men with a 2-1 win at OldTrafford in September and the United manager will hope thathis injury situation has cleared up a little over the break afterthe defeat in Athens. Utility man Phil Jones has been absentwith a hip problem, while centre-back Jonny Evans has beenout with a calf injury. United’s Mexican striker JavierHernandez is doubtful with a knee problem he sustained inhis country’s goalless draw with Nigeria in midweek.Hernandez, who has started just four Premier League matchesthis season, is set for tests on the injury and is likely to beabsent. Portugal winger Nani has not played since December7 due to a hamstring problem but Spaniard Juan Mata returnsto contention after being cup-tied for the game atOlympiakos. Former Chelsea midfielder Mata has beenpleased with the way he has settled in during his first weeksafter arriving in January.

Baggies confident of safety“I feel really happy. Life in Manchester is good,” Mata said. “I

have already found a house, I have a new home and I am try-ing to know different places around the city. “It is a really nicecity to live in. It is quiet, relaxing and you can be focused onwhat is important-playing football.” West Brom defenderJonas Olsson has urged his side to follow West Ham’s example

by stringing a sequence of wins together to reach the safety ofmid-table. Albion have not played in two weeks and have heldtalks following a difference of opinion with new head coachPepe Mel, who is still without a victory at The Hawthorns.

“I think the recent performances have been good for themost part but they haven’t been good enough to see us get-ting three points,” Olsson said. “We need to perform over 90minutes. There are a lot of games where we have played wellfor one half or for 60 minutes but have switched off a little bitin other spells and got punished. “In the Premier League, youcan’t do that but there are a lot of teams down there with usalso having tough seasons. “For example, it is only recentlythat West Ham have started to pick up. “Experience is going tocount for a lot. What we have in this squad is a lot of PremierLeague experience-and a lot of experience of being in a situa-tion like this.”— AFP

United aim to rebuild after latest setback

LONDON: English Premier League table ahead of theweekend’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for,goals against, points):

Chelsea 28 19 6 3 52 22 63Liverpool 28 18 5 5 73 35 59Arsenal 28 18 5 5 52 28 59Man City 26 18 3 5 69 27 57Tottenham 28 16 5 7 37 33 53Everton 27 13 9 5 38 27 48Man Utd 27 13 6 8 43 31 45Newcastle 28 13 4 11 37 39 43Southampton 28 10 9 9 38 35 39West Ham 28 8 7 13 31 35 31Aston Villa 28 8 7 13 31 38 31Hull 28 8 6 14 30 35 30Stoke 28 7 9 12 28 42 30Swansea 28 7 8 13 37 41 29Norwich 28 7 7 14 21 43 28Crystal Palace 27 8 3 16 19 37 27West Brom 27 4 13 10 31 39 25Sunderland 26 6 6 14 26 42 24Cardiff 28 5 7 16 19 49 22Fulham 28 6 3 19 28 62 21

English Premier League table


SYDNEY: Australians have acclaimedtheir cricket team’s epic series winover South Africa, but not the mannerin which they achieved it. MichaelClarke’s team Wednesday clinched a2-1 series win over the world’s num-ber one-ranked Test side just monthsafter thrashing England 5-0 in theirhome Ashes series. But just asAustral ia dominated the SouthAfricans with their aggressive brand ofcricket under coach Darren Lehmann,the team was rebuked by sections ofthe media on Friday over their on-fieldbehavior during the final Cape TownTest.

“Darren Lehmann has guided theAustralian cricket side to the top ofthe world. His next challenge is tocontrol it,” News Ltd cricket columnistRobert Craddock said. “Australian fans

like to see their side play tough cricketbut social media in Australia yesterdayhad strong feedback from fans want-ing their side to behave better. “Thesight of Michael Clarke angrily con-fronting umpires and Australian fields-men barking like dogs at batsmen lefta lot of people cold and alienatedfrom the team and its success.”

Some Australian cricketers werepictured howling following the dis-missal of South African batsman Fafdu Plessis, in reaction to Du Plessis’scomments likening them to “a pack ofdogs” in the field. Cricket Australiachief executive James Sutherland saidthe barking dogs incident might havebeen childish, but he saw it as funny.“That’s just typical childish cricketers,but he (Du Plessis) asked for that withhis comments a few days earlier,”

Sutherland said in a radio interview.“Some people might not see thehumor in that but I did.”

David Sygall , writing in FairfaxMedia, said: “The Australian psyche ischaracterized by uncompromisingtoughness, determination and dignity.“Those traits must no longer be con-fused with boorish and bullyingbehavior. “After another significantwin by our national cricket team, toomany people are only half-celebrat-ing. Too many people feel the teamhas not spoken for them. “Judging bycommentary on websites and blogsacross the country, a chunk of peopletoo large to ignore feels disappointedby the team’s behaviour. Many feelunrepresented by Clarke’s men.”

Clarke apologized for being “out ofline” in a spat with South African Dale

Steyn during the tense finish to theseries-ending Test. Clarke had alreadybeen the subject of a lecture from thematch umpires, who were unhappywith how regularly the Australianswere letting the ball hit the pitchwhen throwing in, a scuffing tacticwhich generally aids reverse swing.The Australia captain conceded thathe had been at fault in the showdownwith Steyn that immediately followedthe wicket of Vernon Philander beingoverturned. “If anybody was out ofline it was me and I apologize to theopposition player (Steyn) I was out ofline to, a player who I have the utmostrespect for, who tries to kill me everytime I bat, who batted exceptionallywell, and I was out of line,” he said.“Let’s just say he got me at a badtime.”— AFP

Barking Aussies panned for boorish behavior

DUBAI: Reinforcing its commitment to nurture crick-eting talent in the Middle East and North Africa, OSNhas inked a milestone deal with the Emirates CricketBoard, making the region’s leading pay-TV broad-caster the first corporate sponsor of the UAE NationalCricket Teams. As team sponsor, the OSN Logo willappear on all match and training gear of the UAEMen’s National Cricket Team, for all home and awayseries in all formats including the highly anticipatedICC World Twenty20 2014, to be held in Bangladeshfrom March 16. As part of the deal, OSN will alsosupport and is the official team sponsor for the UAEWomen’s National Cricket Team, UAE Under 19Men’s Cricket Team and the UAE Under 16 Men’sCricket Team.

David Butorac, Chief Executive Officer, OSN, said:“OSN is committed to establishing its position asthe region’s home of cricket and our support of theUAE National Cricket Teams demonstrates ourefforts to truly encourage regional cricketing talenton an international scale. Over the last few monthsOSN has extended its support to a number of localand regional cricketing initiatives, and we will con-tinue to invest in young talent, at the same timebringing viewers premium cricketing action fromaround the world. “We would like to thank theEmirates Cricket Board for their continued support,and wish the UAE National Cricket Team the verybest in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20,” Butoracadded.

David East, Chief Executive Officer, EmiratesCricket Board, said: “The UAE National Cricket Teamhas made significant strides over the last year,championing the nation’s qualification into theprestigious ICC World Twenty20. We are delightedto have OSN on board with us on our ambitiousjourney to cricketing excellence.” OSN’s support willplay an integral role in providing training opportu-nities for both up and coming and established crick-eters in the UAE, enabling them to represent thecountry within the international cricketing arena.

Khurram Khan, Captain of the UAE NationalCricket Team, added: “As the first team in the UAE’shistory to receive one-day international status andqualify for the ICC World Twenty20, it is an honourto have OSN’s support, as we step out to representthe UAE in the international circuit. We will do ourbest and look forward to playing more internationaltournaments.” As the undisputed ‘home of cricket,’OSN Sports Cricket HD offers cricket fans across theregion thousands of hours of live internationalcricket in true high definition. This year, OSN cricketfans can enjoy the hugely popular Asia Cup, andlook forward to the Indian Premier League, ICCWorld Twenty20, Champions League T20, Big Bashleague and all India, England, Australia, Bangladeshand New Zealand home series.

OSN clinches UAE Cricket teams title sponsor rights

PORT ELIZABETH: South Africa and Australia will be aiming tohone their Twenty20 international skills when they start a three-match series at St George’s Park tomorrow. Coming after a high-intensity Test series, a succession of 20-overs games would notnormally have much more than entertainment value, but for bothteams it provides an opportunity to prepare for the WorldTwenty20, which starts in Bangladesh a week after the last matchof the series. Both squads show considerable changes from theTest teams, with new captains and new players in key roles. Withfast bowling spearhead Mitchell Johnson withdrawn to enablehim to rest ahead of the world event, Australia’s squad includesonly three players who appeared in the Test series.

Nine of South Africa’s 16-man squad played in the Tests butKyle Abbott, Quinton de Kock and Wayne Parnell only appearedin one Test each, while fast bowler Dale Steyn will miss at leastthe first two matches after suffering a hamstring strain during thethird Test. Abbott is not part of the World T20 squad but wascalled up as cover for Steyn. There are injury concerns over twoother fast bowlers, Parnell and newcomer Beuran Hendricks, whowill both have fitness tests ahead of the first match after sufferingrecent injuries.

It is a particularly important period for South African T20 cap-tain Faf du Plessis. Following the retirement of Graeme Smith, DuPlessis and former schoolmate AB de Villiers, the one-day interna-tional captain, are the two leading candidates to take over theTest leadership. The South African squad includes short-gamespecialists such as hard-hitting left-handed batsman David Millerand all-rounder Albie Morkel, who returns to international actionafter a two-year absence. —AFP

S Africa, Australia set for world T20DHAKA: Rampaging Shahid Afridi and prolific Kumar Sangakkara have

set the stage for a rousing contest when Pakistan face Sri Lanka in theAsia Cup one-day final in Dhaka today. Angelo Mathews’ Sri Lanka havebeen the dominant team in the five-nation event with four straight vic-tories in the league, including a 12-run win over Pakistan in the tourna-ment opener on February 25. The charge was led by Sangakkara, the 36-year-old left-hander who has been in prime form during his team’s cur-rent tour of Bangladesh which began with a bilateral series in January.Sangakkara scored 75, 319 and 105 in two Test matches and 128 in thesecond one-day international to steer Sri Lanka to series wins in all threeformats against the hosts.

The veteran has also played three match-winning innings in the AsiaCup, making 67 against Pakistan, 103 versus World Cup champions Indiaand 76 against minnows Afghanistan. He remains the leading scorer inthe tournament with 248 runs despite falling cheaply for two inThursday’s last league match against Bangladesh. “It is great to haveSangakkara in such good form, but the others will also need to step upand rally around him if we are to win,” Mathews said. “Pakistan haveshown how tough a side they are to beat. But we have our plans and areconfident of doing well if we execute them well.”

Pakistan, the defending champions, bounced back after the lossagainst Sri Lanka to qualify for the final with three successive victoriesagainst Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh. The mercurial Afridi fash-ioned two tense last-over wins, slamming an 18-ball 34 against Indiabefore making an astonishing 59 off 25 balls against Bangladesh. Shortboundaries at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium where even mis-hits land overthe fence appear tailor-made for Afridi, and skipper Misbah-ul-Haqhoped for another power-packed display in the final. “Afridi is our mainplayer,” a grateful Misbah said. “The kind of form he is in and the kind ofconfidence he shows, it’s good for the Pakistan team.— AFP

Sangakkara and Afridi set to light up Asia Cup final


By Abdellatif Sharaa

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 3rdAnnual International Shooting Grand Prix willkick off today at Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadOlympic Shooting Complex, in the presenceof Information Minister, State Minister forYouth Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, who will represent theAmir. Official trainings will start in the morn-ing for shooters of the Grand Prix and theSeventh Asian Air Gun Championship inpreparation for the competition. The ceremo-ny will begin at 6 pm today at the MartyrFahad Al-Ahmad hall.

The president of the Kuwait and ArabShooting Federations (ASF) Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi, thanked the Amir on behalf of the

higher organizing committee for his unlimit-ed support and hoped that Almighty Allahgives him good health. Al-Otaibi said theshooting sport club is honored to organizeHH the Amir International Grand Prix for thethird consecutive year, and expressed hispleasure for having the Information Minister,State Minister for Youth Affairs SheikhSalman Al-Humoud Al-Sabah as honorarypresident of the shooting club and federa-tion.

Al-Otaibi said the shooting club has com-pleted its preparations to organize the GrandPrix, which will include the Asian Air Gun andSporting Championships. He said the GrandPrix will attract 786 shooters from 51 coun-tries across the globe. Also, Al-Otaibi thankedthe Sudan government for supporting thechampionship, adding that the ASF is plan-

ning a joint program with cooperation proto-cols signed by Egypt, Jordan, Sudan andMorocco. “We are seeking the membership ofall Arab countries,” he added. Three moreArab countries have joined the ASF -(Palestine, Mauritania and Yemen).

Meanwhile, Kuwait and Arab ShootingFederations Secretary General Obaid Al-Osaimi lauded Amir’s support, which con-tributed to the development of the sport. Al-Osaimi said the KSF has organized severalactivities before the launch of HH the AmirGrand Prix - pointing out the training campthat was organized by ASC at Sheikh SabahAl-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex, where28 Asian countries participated. Al-Osaimisaid that another event was the trainingcourse for 15 new referees from Kuwait,Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

KUWAIT: President of the Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi (center) pictured with other officials during the closing ceremony of the event. — Photos by Sherif Ismail

International Shooting Grand Prix kicks off

KUWAIT: One of the new graduates receiving her certificate.

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SAN ANTONIO: Tim Duncan tallied 23 pointsand 11 rebounds to power San Antonio to a 111-87 victory over Miami in a rematch of the two NBAfinalists from last season. Tony Parker finished with17 points and four assists for the Spurs whosnapped their five game regular season losingstreak against the Heat. Miami beat the Spurs 113-101 on January 26 at home in the first meetingbetween the clubs since the Heat beat SanAntonio last season to win their second consecu-tive league title. San Antonio came close to beat-ing the Heat in the finals but Miami prevailed witha dynamic game-seven win. Boris Diaw tallied 16points, eight boards and five assists on Thursdayfor the Spurs, who have won five straight andeight of nine overall. Chris Bosh finished with 24points with seven rebounds and LeBron Jamescontributed 19 points and eight rebounds forMiami at AT&T Center.

The Spurs have now won 13 of their last 15 reg-ular season games against the Heat at home. SanAntonio will host the Orlando Magic Saturday onthis homestand, then visit Chicago on Tuesday.Miami had an eight-game winning streak haltedTuesday with a 106-103 road loss to the Houston

Rockets. It doesn’t get any easier for the Heat whovisit the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. James, who hada superb month of February, also had seven assistsagainst the Spurs after scoring 22 points againstHouston earlier in the week. It was the worst lossof the 2013-14 season for Miami, marking the firsttime they lost consecutive games since losingthree straight in mid-January. James shot six-of-18from the field and played a good portion of thesecond half in foul trouble, while Dwyane Wadefinished with 16 points on seven-of-15 shooting.Miami also shot just 44 percent from the field andcommitted 20 turnovers, including 10 in the finalquarter.

SUNS 128, THUNDER 122Gerald Green scored 25 of his career-high 41

points in the third quarter and the Suns erased a16-point deficit. Markieff Morris added 24 points,including two free throws with 24.4 seconds toplay. Goran Dragic scored 22, including six of theSuns’ final 12 points after Oklahoma City led 118-116. Russell Westbrook scored a season-high 36for the Thunder. Kevin Durant added 34. Green’soutburst fell one point shy of a Suns record for

most points in a quarter set by Stephon Marburyin 2002. It was Phoenix’s second 40-point perform-ance in four games. Dragic had 40 against NewOrleans on Friday.

CLIPPERS 142, LAKERS 94Blake Griffin had 20 points and 11 rebounds

during three thunderous quarters by the LosAngeles Clippers, who routed the Lakers again142-94 Thursday night to extend their winningstreak to a season-best six games. It was the mostlopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison hada team-high 24 points while starting at shootingguard for the injured Jamal Crawford. Chris Pauladded 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers,who apparently are trying to make up for decadesof humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in oneseason; they’ve won the last two meetings by acombined 84 points.

This was the Clippers’ largest victory marginover their longtime tormentors, and their sixth vic-tory in the last seven meetings - including a four-game sweep last season. The last time the teamsmet on Jan. 10, the Clips won 123-87. The Clippersare 35-98 against the Lakers since moving to Los

Angeles from San Diego for the 1984-85 season,including 19-39 during their 15 seasons at StaplesCenter. Pau Gasol had 21 points for the Lakers, thehome team for the third of four meetings this sea-son between the Staples Center co-tenants. Theyalso faced each other in the season opener, whichthe Lakers won 116-103.

The Clippers had a 64-33 rebounding advan-tage and increased their lead in the Pacific Divisionto 4 1-2 games over Golden State. They’re 21 1-2ahead of the last-place Lakers (21-41). The Lakersare one defeat away from clinching the franchise’sfirst losing season since 2004 05 - when newlyhired coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midwaythrough the team’s 34-48 season. This onereached blowout proportions early. The Clippersstormed to a 73-40 halftime lead with the help of a21-1. The arena started emptying after the thirdquarter ended 109-60. Griffin notched his 36thdouble-double and is riding a career-best streak of21 games with 20 or more points. Crawford (leftcalf strain) sat out for the third straight game.Forward Jared Dudley (back spasms) missed hisfirst of the season. Jordan Hill didn’t play for theLakers because of a sore right knee. — Agencies

Spurs rout Heat in finals rematchLOS ANGELES: Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin (top) fouls Los Angeles Lakers’ Kent Bazemore during the first half of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, March 6, 2014. — AP

Clippers blow out Lakers again 142-94

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