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7Qaeda plots comeback in Afghanistan 14

US nuke leak raises questions about cleanup 46

Spurs restore English pride in Europa league

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014 RABI ALTHANI 29, 1435 AH No: 16091

Trapped refugees

starving to deathBesieged Palestinians cry for help

BEIRUT: Gaunt, ragged figures fill the streets for as far as the eyecan see in the besieged Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk out-side Damascus, where some 40,000 are said to be slowly starving todeath. The United Nations distributed shocking images this week ofthousands of people, their faces emaciated, desperately flocking toreceive food aid that only a few were lucky enough to collect.

“We live in a big prison,” said Rami Al-Sayed, a Syrian activist liv-ing in Yarmuk, speaking to AFP via the Internet. “But at least, in aprison, you have food. Here, there’s nothing. We are slowly dying.”“Sometimes, crowds of children stop me on the streets, beggingme: ‘For the love of God, we want to eat, give us food.’ But ofcourse, I have no food to give them,” Sayed said. After months ofshelling and fierce fighting in and around Yarmuk between rebelsand President Bashar Al-Assad’s troops, the camp’s population hasshrunk from more than 150,000 to 40,000. Among them are 18,000Palestinians.

Since last summer, the area has been under choking army siege,creating inhumane conditions for its inhabitants. “We’ve been liv-ing off herbs, but these herbs are bitter. Even animals won’t eatthem,” said Sayed. “And if you go to the orchards to pick herbsfrom there, to use them to cook soup, you’ll get sniped.” “The situa-tion is really tragic. On the streets, all you see are emaciated peo-ple, their faces drained of any life. Sadness is everywhere,” saidSayed. Even the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) forPalestinians was overwhelmed by the drama. Since January, theagency has only been able to carry out limited, intermittent fooddistribution in the camp.

‘Let us out, or let us die’“Gaunt, ragged figures of all ages fill the streets of the devastat-

ed camp for as far as the eye can see,” UNRWA said, adding thatsuch scenes were the agency’s “daily reality.” “Humanitarian needhas reached profound levels of desperation. Hunger and anxietyare etched on the faces of the waiting multitudes.” Since January,UNRWA has distributed only 7,500 food parcels in Yarmuk, describ-ing that as “a drop in the ocean compared with the rising tide ofneed.” One parcel feeds a family of between five and eight for 10days. “Yesterday only 10 percent of people here received assis-tance,” said Sayed.

Ali Zoya, a Palestinian living in Yarmuk, said “the aid will onlylast a few days.” Much of the camp has been reduced to rubble byshelling, fighting and occasional aerial bombardment. The distribu-tion only began after rebels from outside the camp agreed to with-draw, following a deal reached with Palestinian factions. The lack offood in Yarmuk is compounded by medical shortages. “In the hos-pitals, there are wounded people who cannot be treated becausethere are no doctors or medicines,” said Sayed. “I saw a young manwith a shrapnel wound to his leg. He won’t get better until he isable to leave the camp,” which is still under siege even though therebels have withdrawn.

Since October, more than 100 people have died from food andmedical shortages, says to the Syrian Observatory for HumanRights. After a visit on Tuesday, UNRWA chief Filippo Grandidescribed the “shocking” conditions of life he witnessed in Yarmuk.He compared the people flocking to the distribution point as “theappearance of ghosts.” Their despair echoes that of families whowere trapped in rebel-held areas of the central city of Homs formore than 18 months, also under a tight army siege imposed toturn people against Syria’s nearly three-year revolt. “People hereare completely exhausted,” said Sayed. “They feel tortured. Theysay: ‘Let us out, or let us die.’” — AFP

ALEPPO: A Syrian rebel fighter Tawfiq Hassan, 23, a former butcher, pos-es for a picture, after returning from fighting against Syrian army forcesin Aleppo. After years of turning a blind eye, Saudi Arabia is enactingnew laws and backing a nationwide campaign to keep its citizens fromjoining Syria’s civil war - sending a clear message they are not welcomehome if they do. (Inset) A woman cries as residents wait to receive foodparcels from the UN agency in Syria’s besieged Yarmuk Palestinianrefugee camp. — AP\ AFP

SIMFEROPOL: Armed men took con-trol of two airports in the Crimearegion yesterday in what the newUkrainian leadership described as aninvasion and occupation by Moscow’sforces, and ousted President ViktorYanukovich reappeared in Russia aftera week on the run. Yanukovich saidRussia should use all means at its dis-posal to stop the chaos in Ukraine astension rose on the Black Sea peninsu-

la of Crimea, the only region with anethnic Russian majority and the lastmajor bastion of resistance to the over-throw of the Moscow-backed leader.

More than 10 Russian military heli-copters flew into Ukrainian airspaceyesterday over Crimea, Kiev’s borderguard service said, accusing Russianservicemen of blockading one of itsunits in the port city of Sevastopol,where part of Moscow’s Black Sea fleet

is based. A serviceman at the sceneconfirmed to Reuters he was from theBlack Sea Fleet and said they werethere to stop the kind of protests thatousted Yanukovich in Kiev. The fleetdenied its forces were involved in seiz-ing one of the airports, Interfax newsagency reported, while a supporterdescribed the armed group at the oth-er site as Crimean militiamen.

Continued on Page 8

Moscow, West face

off as Ukraine boils

Gunmen seize airports

L O C A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Nugra criminal detectives recentlyarrested a non-Kuwait and an Arab nationalfor selling stolen golden jewelry, said securitysources yesterday. Case papers indicate that anon-Kuwaiti was arrested while he was tryingto sell stolen golden jewelry at a Salmiya jew-elry shop. He led the police to his accomplice;an Arab national. Both suspects confessedthat they had committed seven robberies andstolen many valuable items such as diamonds,golden jewelry and expensive watches. Theyalso said that they sold some of the items andused the money for buying two vehicles anddrugs. A case was filed and the suspects werereferred to relevant authorities.

Murder attemptA bedoon was arrested and detained at

Taima police station for attempted murder,said security sources yesterday. Case papersindicate that a bedoon sustained several seri-ous bone fractures when he was run over atKhuwaisat desert. The injured accusedanother bedoon of deliberately running him

over and the latter was accordingly arrested.

Drug tradersThree citizens were arrested with the pos-

session of drugs, said security sources notingthat one of them was found already wantedfor a five-year jail sentences.

Infiltration attemptBorder security forces recently arrested 19

people for cutting through the border barbedwires at the northern and southern borderareas.

Naval exerciseWith two interception speedboats

onboard, Coastguard vessel ‘Warba’ recentlysailed out of Sabah Al-Ahmed CoastguardBase heading to King Abdul Aziz port, SaudiArabia to take part in the Gulf Peace 4 drillthat is due to be held jointly with KSA andBahrain from March 2 to 6. The delegation,headed by Abdul Rahamn Al-Rasheedi, wasseen off by MOI’s assistant undersecretary forborder security, Maj Gen Sheikh MohammedAl-Yousif Al-Sabah.

BEIRUT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society is planninga new relief operation to aid hundreds of thou-sands of Syrians taking up refuge in Lebanon,announced the society delegate here.

The KRCS will launch, very soon, a new reliefcampaign to secure for the refugees food pack-ages, clothing and housing, said Dr Musaed Al-Enezi, the society delegate to Lebanon in a state-ment.

Al-Enezi has just concluded a visit to Lebanon

during which the society has distributed bread tothe refugees and has offered kidney dialysis forthose in need for the treatment among them.

He affirmed that the Kuwaiti philanthropicassociation would do its best and carry on withthe relief action to help those who fled the vio-lence in Syria. The KRCS, along with Kuwaiti chari-ties and donors, has been aiding the Syrianrefugees in Lebanon and other countries neigh-boring Syria.—KUNA

Duo in police net for jewelry theft

Bedoon held for murder attempt

KUWAIT: The stolen items confiscated from the duo yesterday.

KRCS pledges more aid for Syrian refugees

L O C A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

KUWAIT: Hawally municipality officials had removed24 truckloads of wastes after the national celebra-tions over the weekend in addition to the confisca-tion of two truckloads of fireworks.

—By Hanan Al-Saadoun

DUBAI: ‘What Makes a Company anAttractive Place to Work?’, a poll recentlyconducted by Bayt.com, the region’snumber one job site, has revealed thatcompanies should market themselves tojobseekers as great places to work. Infact, 90% of the poll’s respondents areattracted to companies that offer sup-portive and great work environments,and seven out of 10 of them will onlywork for a company they’re proud of.

Three quarters of the poll’s respon-dents (76.4%) will always turn to theinternet to research a company whenconsidering a job opportunity. Thisemphasises the fact that an online pres-ence is essential for employers, and theyshould especially tailor their online mar-keting position towards jobseekers asgreat places to work in order to attractthe best talent.

When looking up a company on theinternet, jobseekers would most like tosee a description of all job vacancieswithin the company. This is followed bya description of all company activities;culture video and/or description; com-pany testimonials from clients andemployees, and company awards. Fourin 10 respondents (42.5%) would like tosee all of these, equally.

A company’s brand is important to61.3% of respondents, who state thatworking for a great brand looks good ontheir CV. The majority (60.1%) feel thatthe most harmful thing a company cando for its brand is to not follow up orcommunicate after a job application,though errors on a job posting is also abig turn-off. Negative word-of-mouthfrom existing employees is also consid-ered to be bad for a brand.

“The results of our latest poll showthat it’s more important than ever for acompany to maintain a strong onlinepresence with an appealing brandethos,” said Suhail Al-Masri, VP of Sales,Bayt.com. “Bayt.com offers a state-of-the-art environment for companies topromote their brand and job openings,with comprehensive tools that not onlymake finding the right candidate quick

and simple, but also promote a positivebrand image. The recently-launchedBayt.com Company Profiles is a greatway for employers to increase theirattractiveness among jobseekers.Company Profiles offers employers theopportunity to increase brand aware-ness by sharing their job vacancies, pho-tos and stories, and thus better positionthemselves as an employer of choice.”

The ideal company that respondentswould like to work for has a supportiveand great work environment, accordingto 36.4% of polled professionals.Companies that are admired (28%) orthat are big or with global operations(20.1%) are also favorable. Innovativeorganizations are also popular with12.9% of respondents.

For seven out of 10 respondents(70%), working for a company they’renot proud of is out of the question. Afifth (19.3%) doesn’t consider companypride to be as important as other things,and for 10.7%, it’s not important at all.Nine out of 10 (92.8%) professionals inthe region prefer to refer to their organi-zation as ‘we’ when talking about it; anda further 65.8% of respondents take it asa personal compliment when someonepraises their company. Almost threequarters (71.6%) would recommend thecompany they currently work for tofriends and family looking for employ-ment.

Half of the poll’s respondents wouldrather work at a company where theyfeel the work they do is part of a greaterpurpose, with 22.6% wanting to believein the company’s mission, vision and/orvalues. For a smaller group of 20.1%,being paid a high salary is the biggestdraw.

When it comes to company manage-ment, it’s most important to 60.1% ofrespondents that they know what isexpected of them at work. Gettingrecognition and praise for good work ismost important to 23.6%, while frequentdiscussions about performance are mostvalued by 16.3%.

A company that provides opportuni-

ties for professionals to do their bestwhile leading them on a successfulcareer path is most appealing to 19.7%of polled professionals; companies thatprovide training and developmentopportunities, and also companies thatencourage new ideas and innovationsappeal most to one out of 10 respon-dents, respectively. For seven out of 10respondents (65.6%), all of the afore-mentioned criteria are equally impor-tant.

“It is critical to note that while salariesare important for attracting and retain-ing top talent, many other criteria alsocome into play and employer brandingplays a key role in communicating theunique dimensions of a company as agreat place to work,” continues Al-Masri.

Data for the Bayt.com ‘What Makes aCompany an Attractive Place to Work?’poll was collected online from 20December 2013 - 30 January 2014, with8,853 respondents from the UAE, KSA,Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon,Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco,and Tunisia.

Bayt.com is the leading online recruit-ment website in the MENA region today.With more than 13,750,000 million regis-tered job seekers and over 8 million visitseach month (November 2013), we rep-resent all career levels, industries, jobroles and nationalities in the region. Thejobsite operates in three different lan-guages Arabic, English, and French tocater to our diverse demographic.

Bayt.com works with over 40,000employer companies, from small busi-nesses to large multi-nationals and gov-ernments, and helps them to success-fully attract and recruit qualified profes-sionals and executives every day. Fromour 12 offices in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan,Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,Pakistan and the UAE, Bayt.com main-tains an ongoing, dedicated customersupport staff that is able to work direct-ly with our recruiting employer cus-tomers to ensure their goals areachieved most efficiently and cost-effectively.—Bayt.com

Jobseekers attracted to

strong brands’ companies

Strong online presence needed

ROME: Kuwait has held talks with the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) in preparation of open-ing a bureau of the organization in Kuwait and employ-ing Kuwaiti nationals.

The discussions, held here, involved Chairman ofKuwait’s Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs andFish Resources Jassem Al-Bader, accompanied by theKuwaiti Ambassador to Italy Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, with FAO Director General José Graziano daSilva. The meeting was held on sidelines of a FAO minis-terial conference that convened in Rome late onThursday.

Al-Bader said he discussed with the FAO Chairmanresults of his successful visit to Kuwait, last January, andthe agreement that had been inked, stipulating estab-lishment of the first Kuwait-FAO partnership and con-tact office in the country.

The accord was signed by the two sides in 2013, withaim of regulating mutual technical cooperation and

employment of the international agency expertise.PAAAFR completed, according to up-to-date criteria,

constructing and equipping the FAO bureau in Kuwaitand the authority dispatched six national cadres to theFAO headquarters in Rome to train on operating it andworking as coordinators with the diverse departmentsof the organization.

Al-Bader said the FAO chief has expressed admirationfor “speedy and qualitative accomplishment” of estab-lishing the bureau and affirmed readiness to inaugurateit during his planned visit to Kuwait in November.

He indicated that a five-year action plan, encompass-ing 33 projects, is to be executed, in the preliminaryphase of the bureau tasks.

The PAAAFR chief added that he agreed with da Silvato select a number of skilled Kuwaiti citizens to work inthe FAO headquarters, the regional offices in Cairo andAbu Dhabi-the first such accord to be reached sinceKuwait joined the organization. —KUNA

FAO to open bureau in KuwaitKuwait asserts need

for achieving

food security

ROME: Board Chairman and Director General of Kuwait’s PublicAuthority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources, Jassem Al-Bader,called yesterday on the importance of achieving regional food securi-ty, a key pillar of Kuwait’s policy.

Al-Bader, addressing the Ministerial Meeting of Near East RegionConference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), wishedthe meeting would meet aspirations of “our countries and peoples.”

Al-Bader, who thanked FAO for the organization of the confer-ence, said Kuwait’s agriculture and food policy was in harmony withFAO’s objectives to ultimately achieve food security at the nationallevel. Kuwait, he added, “is looking forward for the unification of allefforts to achieve this objective” coupled with FAO’s expertise to sup-porting sustainable agriculture, addressing of poverty and hunger, aswell as developing human resources.

Al-Bader said Kuwait believed in the importance of tackling chal-lenges related to food security, sustainable development, difficult cli-mate, malnutrition and shortage of natural resources. —KUNA

L O C A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

CAPITALS: Kuwaiti embassies in Philippines and Azerbaijan celebrate the national day yesterday.

CAPITALS: The Kuwaiti diplomatic missions around the world con-tinued celebration of Kuwait’s 53rd National Day and 23rd LiberationDay yesterday. In Manila, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Philippines WaleedAl-Kanderi hosted a reception to mark the national days, which gath-ered a number of senior official and political attendants in the coun-try.

During the reception, Ambassador Al-Kanderi congratulated HisHighness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HisHighness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the Kuwaiti government and people on this occasion,lauding at the same time close Kuwaiti-Filipino ties in various levels ofbilateral cooperation.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Consulate-General of Kuwait in Vietnam host-ed a reception to mark the national days and was attended by a num-ber of significant figures and senior officials in the country. For hispart, Kuwait’s Consul General Omar Suleiman Al-Qenai congratulatedHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HisHighness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-MubarakAl-Sabah, as well as the Kuwaiti people and all residents in Kuwait onthis occasion.

Kuwait’s Ambassador in Moscow Abdulaziz Al-Adwani held areception attended by head of the Middle East and North AfricaDepartment at the Foreign Ministry, Director of InternationalRelations Department at the Federal Council and Chairman of theMedia Committee at the Duma, the lower house of parliament.

The reception was also attended by Arab and Western diplomats,journalists, religious figures and businessmen.

Al-Adwani congratulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince SheikhNawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime MinisterSheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the Kuwaiti people onthe occasion of these national days.

Al-Adwani, at a news conference on this occasion, said Kuwait andRussia enjoyed good relations at the political, economic, trade andinvestment levels. He said the two countries, who celebrated the 50thanniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations last year,have cultural and academic potentials in common.

He said the recent strategic dialogue session between Russia andthe GCC was important and constructive.

Al-Adwani underlined the role of Russia in international affairs,and also said Kuwait was playing a key role in spreading the culture ofpeace and narrowing gaps between the conflicting parties in manyareas. He congratulated Russia for organizing the winter olympicgames in Sochi. Meanwhile, Kuwait’s embassy in Baghdad congratu-lated His Highness the Amir on the occasion of the national days.

In a statement, the embassy also congratulated the Kuwaiti peo-ple, wishing lasting stability and security in Kuwait.

Kuwait’s embassy in Brazil also held a reception to mark thenational days. The reception, held last night, was attended by govern-ment officials, lawmakers, diplomats and public figures.

Ambassador Ayada Al-Saeedi congratulated His Highness the Amir,His Highness the Crown Prince and the Kuwaiti people on these occa-sions. Al-Saeedi commended the bilateral relations with Brazil, sayingthe two countries were keen on developing these ties in all domainsparticularly in economy and trade. — KUNA

Kuwaiti embassies continuenational days celebrations

Praise for good relations

KES organizes public seminar on

administrative reforms KUWAIT: Extending the efforts of Kuwait EconomicSociety on the topic of administrative reform in the pub-lic sector in the State of Kuwait, Manaf Al-Hajeri, Head ofPolicy Committee in Kuwait Economic Society,announced holding a public lecture on Monday in thesociety premises in Shuwaikh which will be presented byProf Giacomo Luciani.

The topic of the lecture will be on issues in the gover-nance in the state administrative sector. Specific focus

will be on the situationin Kuwait throughdrawing parallels inorder to understandwhat lessons may bederived for Kuwaitfrom the discussion ofother cases such asRussia, Mexico,Venezuela, Abu Dhabi,Saudi Arabia andAlgeria. The lecture willhighlight the necessityfor a resource-richcountry to have a long-

term vision of its ownfuture, and engage in

strategic economic planning. A strategic economic planbased on a well-defined vision is a tool to create consen-sus and converge efforts in society. Among topics to be

presented: Separationof strategic policy mak-ing from the day-to-day exercise of powerin government.Establishment ofautonomous agencies- or granting of greaterautonomy to existingagencies - whichwould be separatefrom the bureaucracy,yet maintain a publiccharacter.

Prof GiacomoLuciani is a renowned

political economic scholar with extensive work on devel-oping countries, with an emphasis on the Middle East.Since 2012, Adjunct Professor at the Graduate Institute ofInternational and Development Studies, Geneva; Directorof the Executive Master in International Oil and GasLeadership. Since 2010, Scientific Director of the Masterin International Energy, Paris School of InternationalAffairs, Sciences Po, Paris; he is also a PrincetonUniversity Global Scholar.

The lecture will be in English with the availability ofinstant translation to Arabic.

Manaf Al-Hajeri

Prof Giacomo Luciani

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait’s (NBK)National Song initiative entitled “Watani Al-Kuwait” attracted hundreds of thousands offollowers on social media.

“Watani Al-Kuwait” was aired via all audio,visual and social media channels and cine-mas in Kuwait. NBK has launched this song incelebration of Kuwait’s 53rd anniversary ofindependence and the 23rd anniversary ofliberation.

This unprecedented musical work featur-ing numerous cultural, community and socialactivities and charities carried by Kuwaitiyouth volunteers to be presented as a com-memorative gift for Kuwait and to raiseawareness towards social responsibility andto encourage youth to volunteer.

“Watani Al-Kuwait” is a piece of art that isrich in connotations and invokes remarkablyvivid community-related associations. It is apart of NBK’s social program on the occasionof national Day that includes a host of activi-ties and functions that highlight the spirit of

the celebration. NBK reinforced its positionas a lead contributor to the development ofthe Kuwaiti society through its commitmentto corporate social responsibility. This com-mitment became evident in the numerous

social and philanthropic initiatives andnational responsibilities including the specialmusical operetta “Habibityi ya Kuwait” thatwas launched on the occasion of Kuwait’sindependence Golden Jubilee.

NBK song attracts hundreds of thousands on social media

‘Watani Al-Kuwait’ initiative

148 Tea Party Patriots‘alive and kicking’10

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Fleeing Christians return to their Turkish homeland

Israel lobby seeks to regain footing

Qaeda plots comeback in AfghanistanGHAZNI: Afghan men watch a dog fight in Ghazni province yesterday. Dog fighting is held in vacant lots and though betting is done, matches are stopped as soon as one dog showsabsolute domination. Dog fighting was banned during the Taleban regime. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Al-Qaeda’s Afghanistan leader is lay-ing the groundwork to relaunch his war-shatteredorganization once the United States and internation-al forces withdraw from the country, as they havewarned they will do without a security agreementfrom the Afghan government, US officials say. FarouqAl-Qahtani Al-Qatari has been cementing local tiesand bringing in small numbers of experienced mili-tants to train a new generation of fighters, and USmilitary and intelligence officials say they havestepped up drone and jet missile strikes against himand his followers in the mountainous easternprovinces of Kunar and Nuristan.

The objective is to keep him from restarting thelarge training camps that once drew hundreds of fol-lowers before the US-led war began. The officials saythe counterterrorism campaign - a key reason theObama administration agreed to keep any troops inAfghanistan after 2014 - could be jeopardized by thepossibility of a total pullout. House IntelligenceCommittee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said thenumber of Al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan hasrisen but not much higher than as many as the sever-al hundred or so the US has identified in the past. “Ithink most are waiting for the US to fully pull out by2014,” he said.

The administration would like to leave up to10,000 troops in Afghanistan after combat opera-tions end on Dec 31, to continue training Afghanforces and conduct counterterrorism missions. Butwithout the agreement that would authorize interna-tional forces to stay in Afghanistan, President BarackObama has threatened to pull all troops out, andNATO forces would follow suit. After talking toAfghan President Hamid Karzai this week, Obamaordered the Pentagon to begin planning for the so-called zero option. US military and intelligence offi-cials say unless they can continue to fly drones andjets from at least one air base in Afghanistan - eitherBagram in the north or Jalalabad in the east - Al-Qahtani and his followers could eventually plan newattacks against US targets, although experts do notconsider him one of the most dangerous Al-Qaedaleaders. The officials spoke on condition of anonymi-ty because they were not authorized to discuss pub-licly the secret counterterrorism campaign or intelli-gence. Administration officials have hoped that theUS could eventually wind down counterterrorismoperations like drone strikes in the region afterreducing the Al-Qaeda network, leaving local forcesin Afghanistan and Pakistan to control the remnants.But Al-Qaeda is not weakened enough yet, and US

officials have testified that the inexperienced Afghanforces aren’t ready to take over the task unaided.

National Security Council spokeswoman CaitlinHayden said this week that “as the possibility of a fullwithdrawal has grown in Afghanistan,” the adminis-tration was “undertaking a methodical review of anyUS capabilities that may be affected and developingstrategies to mitigate impacts.” “The United Stateswill take the steps necessary to combat terrorism andprotect our interests,” she added. Some administra-tion officials have said Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan is lessof a threat than when the war began, estimated to beas many as several hundred forced to shelter in theremotest part of the country.

They say Al-Qahtani is so far off the beaten path,he is nearly irrelevant to the larger Al-Qaeda move-ment. Two US intelligence officials say his group hasbeen so cut off that it has been forced to rely on theTaleban for funding and weapons at times, where itused to be the other way around. Those officials arefar more concerned about Al-Qaeda’s new offshootsfighting in the Syrian civil war. “It’s really hard to getto New York City from northern Kunar or southernNuristan” where Al-Qahtani is based, said DouglasOllivant, a former senior US military adviser in easternAfghanistan, now with the New American

Foundation. “We do want to keep them bottled upthere,” but he said that’s something Afghan forcescan do on their own. “The Afghan forces are notcapable of going up there and hunting them, butthey are capable of containing them,” the former USmilitary officer said.

Other experts see Al-Qahtani and his ilk as themain reason to push for at least a skeleton securityforce in Afghanistan. “There’s an influx of Jihadistgroups - not massive - now active in Afghanistan,”said Seth Jones of the Washington-based RANDCorp, who once worked for US Special OperationsCommand in Afghanistan. He listed the most danger-ous as Al-Qaeda, the Pakistan Taleban, Lashkar-eTaiba, blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks,and Harkat-ul-Jihad-Al-Islami, which has strong linksto Al-Qaeda.

“Not having US forces in Afghanistan wouldembolden these groups and be counterproductivefor US national security,” he said. Those tracking Al-Qahtani say he has survived by following some of thesame rules that helped Osama bin Laden avoid cap-ture for so many years: He stays off cellphones andradios to hide from spy satellites and airborne radars,instead using couriers or face-to-face meetings, andhe stays on the move. —AP

Militia leader warming up for US pullout

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

WASHINGTON: For years, Israeli leaders visiting Washingtonhave been boosted by America’s main pro-Israel lobby, itsinfluence on US Middle East policy long accepted as a matterof conventional wisdom. But when Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu addresses an annual convention of Israel’s USsupporters next week, he will find the group trying to show ithas not lost its touch after the White House blocked its pushfor Congress to impose new Iran sanctions. While no onedoubts the American Israel Public Affairs Committee remainsa potent political force, AIPAC - and the Israeli government itseeks to bolster in Washington - can ill afford any perceptionsof weakness in advancing its agenda at such a critical junc-ture in US-Israeli relations. The largest pro-Israel lobbyinggroup will gather at a time when its conservative leadership -not unlike the right-wing Israeli premier - are at odds withPresident Barack Obama over his diplomatic strategy forresolving the West’s nuclear standoff with Iran, Israel’s arch-foe. AIPAC also faces questions about how it can move pastits biggest legislative setback in years. The stakes are especial-ly high on the Iran issue, the top security priority for bothNetanyahu’s government and America’s pro-Israel communi-ty. Scoffing at the notion that the group is on the ropes, anAIPAC source insisted its critics have “lost all perspective” andthat differences with the administration are being managed.AIPAC, which amassed about 100,000 members in its 60-yearhistory, is widely credited with helping to ensure Israelremains a top recipient of US foreign aid, this year exceeding$3 billion, mostly military-related.

Mocked on cable TVAfter AIPAC lobbyists helped enlist 59 US senators from

both major parties to co-sponsor legislation that wouldimpose new sanctions on Iran if negotiations failed, the bill -which had Netanyahu’s blessing - stalled earlier this month.“They came up against realities on Capitol Hill,” a formeradministration official said, suggesting that going toe-to-toeon Iran with a Democratic president in a Democratic-ledSenate was always a losing proposition. “The question now iswhether this will affect AIPAC’s ability to get things done thatrelate specifically to Israel.”

AIPAC typically works behind the scenes and picks its bat-tles well. Most measures it favors pass Congress with littleopposition. But this time it found itself mocked on cable tele-

vision by popular talk-show comedian Jon Stewart, whoaccused US lawmakers of behaving like senators “from thegreat state of Israel.” The White House cast the sanctionseffort as a “march toward war” and Obama threatened a veto,spurring some fellow Democrats behind the bill to peel off.AIPAC still believes if it bides its time, it will have a chance torevive the sanctions drive, a senior AIPAC official said. It wasthe second blow to AIPAC in recent months. In September,when Obama sought congressional authorization to strikeSyria over chemical weapons use, the group lobbied lawmak-ers at the White House’s behest. But then Obama back-tracked from military action.

While AIPAC’s legislative stumbles have been rare, it hastripped up before. It failed to block President Ronald Reagan’ssale of planes with advanced radar to Saudi Arabia in 1981,and, a decade later, President George HW Bush delayed $10billion in loan guarantees to Israel in a dispute over settle-ment-building in occupied territories. AIPAC is predicting arecord turnout of 14,000 members and attendance by “morethan two-thirds of Congress” at its three-day annual bash.Even at a time of friction with AIPAC, the White House is dis-patching Secretary of State John Kerry, who is trying to craft aframework deal to keep Israeli-Palestinian peace talks going,and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to address the group.

“We have an open line of communication with the admin-istration,” the AIPAC source said. The Obama administrationhas made clear it hopes Netanyahu as well as his AIPAC allieswill tone down their opposition while negotiations proceedwith Tehran. But the administration is resigned to takingsome flak from Netanyahu. “We don’t dictate his talkingpoints,” said a senior US official, who also insisted that differ-ences with Netanyahu are about tactics, not the shared goalof preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. WendySherman, a senior State Department official who heads theUS negotiating team in talks between Iran and world powers,left little doubt that the administration is keeping AIPAC on itsradar screen. “I’ve spoken quite directly to AIPAC. I’ve metwith AIPAC,” Sherman told a roundtable of Israeli journalistsin Jerusalem last weekend when asked about the group’srole. “We need to create the space for this diplomacy. And Iwould urge AIPAC to create this space.” Despite such appeals,AIPAC appears intent on keeping the heat on the administra-tion over Iran. —Reuters

Israel lobby seeks

to regain footing

GAZA: Actor Mahmoud Karira, who plays Gilad Schalit, has makeupapplied by an assistant during the shooting of a 90-minute film entitled“Fleeting Illusion” in Gaza City. — AFP

GAZA: A young Israeli soldier capturedby Gaza militants and held for five yearsbefore being traded for hundreds ofPalestinian prisoners is the subject of anambitious low-budget film being madeby his captors. The fate of Gilad Shalit, acorporal captured in a deadly cross-bor-der raid when he was just 19, transfixedIsrael for years as his captivity in anunknown location challenged what mostIsraelis see as the state’s sacred duty tobring its soldiers home.

But for the Islamist Hamas movementruling Gaza, his capture and eventualexchange for more than 1,000 prisonerswas a triumph for the “resistance,” anepic worthy of a blockbuster feature-even if produced on a shoestring budg-et. A shortage of funds has drasticallyslowed the production, and even itsdirector said it may not live up to thehigh-quality epic envisioned. Entitled“Fleeting Illusion,” the 90-minute filmpromises revelations about Shalit’s cap-

ture and top-secret captivity “aboutwhich neither Shalit nor the resistancehave spoken before,” director andscreenwriter Majed Jundiyeh told AFP.

Jundiyeh, who says he is not a mem-ber of Hamas, made the 2009 biopic“Emad Akel” about a commander ofHamas’s military wing who headedIsrael’s hit list until he was killed in 1993.Filming on his latest work began inDecember, and the first of the film’s twoparts was to have been ready for theeighth anniversary of Shalit’s June 2006capture by Hamas and two other militantgroups, whose fighters tunneled intoIsrael and attacked a border post. Shalitwas eventually released in October 2011in exchange for 1,027 Palestinians.Gilad’s father Noam Shalit, who was longthe public face of the campaign for hisrelease, declined to speak about the film,saying he did not want to “engage in adialogue with Hamas.” “The story isbehind us,” he said. —AFP

Hamas making feature film

on Israeli soldier’s captivity

Continued from Page 1

Moscow has promised to defend the interests of its citizens inUkraine. While it has said it will not intervene by force, its rhetoricsince the removal of Yanukovich a week ago has echoed the run-upto its invasion of Georgia in 2008. Any armed confrontation in Crimeawould have major global repercussions, with tensions already height-ened between Russia and the West over the change of power inUkraine and supporting opposite sides in Syria’s civil war. They have,however, pledged to cooperate to prop up Ukraine’s faltering econo-my.

Ukraine’s top security official, Andriy Paruby, said the armed menwere taking their orders from the top in Russia. “These are separategroups ... commanded by the Kremlin,” Paruby, secretary of theNational Security and Defence Council, told a televised briefing inKiev. One of the options being considered was declaring a state ofemergency in Crimea, he added. The foreign ministers of France,Germany and Poland, who negotiated a peace deal to end violence inKiev earlier this month, urged all parties to refrain from any actionendangering Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Asset freezeRussia announced war games on Wednesday near the Ukrainian

border, putting 150,000 troops on high alert, although US Secretary ofState John Kerry said his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had toldhim the exercises were pre-planned. Yanukovich - who is wanted bythe new government for mass murder after the deaths of protesters inKiev last week - resurfaced in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don yes-terday. He said he had not seen Russian President Vladimir Putin buthad spoken to him on the telephone and was surprised the Russianleader was not more vocal over Ukraine. “Russia cannot be indifferent,

cannot be a bystander watching the fate of as close a partner asUkraine,” Yanukovich told a news conference. “Russia must use allmeans at its disposal to end the chaos and terror gripping Ukraine.”

He denied he had run away, saying he had been forced to leaveKiev due to threats and and denounced “lawlessness, terror, anarchyand chaos” in the country. Switzerland, Austria and Liechtensteinmoved yesterday to freeze assets and bank accounts of up to 20Ukrainians including Yanukovich and his son. Yanukovich said talk offoreign bank accounts was “empty chatter”. Ukraine’s new rulers havesaid loans worth $37 billion went missing from state accounts duringYanukovich’s three years in power - a jaw-dropping sum even for apopulation now used to tales of a lavish lifestyle and opulent resi-dence outside Kiev.

The new Ukrainian leadership has said the country needs almostas much as that - $35 billion - over the next two years to stave offbankruptcy. It said yesterday it hoped to get financial aid soon andwas prepared to fulfil the reform criteria of the International MonetaryFund to get it. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said she did not see any-thing on the economic front worthy of panic and urged the leader-ship to refrain from throwing numbers about she said were meaning-less until properly assessed.

Armed invasionInterior Minister Arsen Avakov accused Russian naval forces of tak-

ing over a military airport near the port of Sevastopol, where the BlackSea fleet has a base, and other Russian forces of seizing Simferopol’scivilian international airport. “I consider what has happened to be anarmed invasion and occupation in violation of all international agree-ments and norms,” Avakov said on his Facebook page, describing it asa “provocation” and calling for talks.

This met with a Russian naval denial of involvement in the military

airport action. “No Black Sea Fleet units have moved toward (the air-port), let alone taking any part in blockading it,” Interfax quoted aspokesman for the fleet as saying. Near the military airport, half adozen men in camouflage uniforms with automatic rifles were block-ing the road using a truck with no license plates. Reporters were keptfrom approaching them by volunteer militia, who formed a secondroad block about 150 meters away.

“Of course they are Russian,” said Maxim Lovinetsky, 23, one of thevolunteers who manned the post. “They came last night.” FirebrandRussian nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky appeared in Sevastopolwhere a crowd outside the city administration gave him a hero’s wel-come, shouting “Russia, thank you”. “If the people have a right to riseup in a revolt and overthrow the authorities, why doesn’t Sevastopolhave a right to do that?” he told them. Although nominally part of theRussian opposition, he is widely seen as a servant of Kremlin policy,used to float radical opinions to test public reaction.

Avoiding provocationsThe United States has told Russia to show in the next few days that

it is sincere about a promise not to intervene in Ukraine, saying usingforce would be a grave mistake. The Kremlin said Putin had orderedhis government to continue talks with Ukraine on economic andtrade relations and to consult foreign partners including theInternational Monetary Fund on financial aid. Yanukovich provokedprotests in Ukraine in November by backing out of plans to sign land-mark deals with the European Union and instead saying Kiev wouldseek closer economic and trade ties with its former Soviet masterRussia. In December, Putin promised Yanukovich a $15 billion bailout,but Russia has put the deal on hold after releasing an initial instal-ment, saying it wants more clarity about the new government and itspolicies.—Reuters

Moscow, West face off as Ukraine boils

AIPAC remains a potent political force

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

15 killed in Thai school bus crash

BANGKOK: At least 15 people, including 13 children, werekilled when a bus carrying students on a trip to the seasidecollided with a lorry in eastern Thailand yesterday, policesaid. The smash is the latest in a series of deadly accidentsinvolving buses in Thailand, where roads are among themost dangerous in the world. Forty-seven others wereinjured in the pre-dawn accident in Prachinburi provinceinvolving a double-decker bus and an 18-wheel truck, theauthorities said. The students, aged around 10 to 14 yearsold, were heading to the resort city of Pattaya from thenortheastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Twenty-threeof those hurt are in hospital with injuries including brokenarms and legs, the Public Health Ministry said. A row of bod-ies covered by sheets was seen laid out by the side of thewreckage of the bus, whose top deck was crushed on oneside. Police said the bus driver had fled the scene of thecrash-a relatively common occurrence in Thailand, wheresafety standards are generally poor. The cause of the acci-dent has not yet been established but the authorities suspecthuman error or a mechanical problem. “The bus’s brakes mayhave failed or the driver might have fallen asleep,” PoliceLieutenant Colonel Anukarn Thamvijarn said by telephone. Arecent report by the World Health Organization said Thailandsaw some 38.1 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2010 -behind only the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean andthe South Pacific island of Niue.

Maoist rebels kill six police in India

RAIPUR: Maoist rebels opened fire and triggered landminesin India’s restive Chhattisgarh state yesterday, killing sixpolicemen in the latest in a string of deadly attacks on secu-rity forces. The insurgents attacked the policemen as theywere on a combing operation near Shyamgiri jungle inDantewada district, about 263 kilometers from state capitalRaipur. “A team of 12 policemen was trying to secure anarea when the Maoists detonated landmines and started fir-ing indiscriminately at them,” police director generalAmarnath Upadhyay said. “Six policemen died on the spot.We have rushed reinforcements and are awaiting furtherdetails,” he added. The Dantewada district witnessed one ofthe worst-ever incidents involving security forces in April2010 when guerrillas killed at least 60 policemen in anambush. The Maoists have become a potent insurgentforce, demanding land and jobs for the poor and fighting fora communist society by toppling what they call India’s“semi-colonial, semi-feudal” form of rule. The insurgency isbelieved to have cost tens of thousands of lives, with muchaction focused around the insurgent-dominated, so-called“Red Corridor” stretching through central and eastern India.Critics believe military action is not enough to stem theunrest, saying the real solution is better governance anddevelopment.

China busts baby trafficking ring

BEIJING: China this month arrested more than 1,000 peoplesuspected of involvement in baby-trafficking, in a policeoperation which also rescued 382 infants, local mediareported yesterday. A total of 1,094 suspects involved infour baby trafficking rings were detained in a nationwideoperation which began on February 19, the Beijing Newsdaily said, citing a police statement. China has a flourishingunderground child trafficking industry, for which tens ofthousands of children are believed to be stolen each year,with demand fuelled by a one-child limit combined with atraditional preference for sons. Police were alerted afterinvestigating a series of adoption websites which werefound to be fronts for child traffickers, the Beijing Newsreport said. China’s state-run Xinhua news agency addedthat the use of such websites was an emerging trendamongst traffickers. It was unclear whether the rescuedinfants would be reunited with their parents. Last monthChina gave a suspended death sentence-generally commut-ed to life in prison-to a doctor who abducted and sold new-born babies in a case that drew widespread outrage. ZhangShuxia, an obstetrician, was found guilty of stealing sevenchildren, the court said, adding that she tricked parents intogiving up their babies by telling them the newborns weresick or had died.

Newsin brief

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday denounced what itsaid was the growing use of security forces by repressive regimes tocrackdown on a worldwide groundswell of pro-democracy protests.“The fundamental struggle for dignity, for decency in the treatment ofhuman beings... is a driving force in all of human history,” Secretary ofState John Kerry said as he released his department’s annual humanrights report.

But 2013 was “one of the most momentous years in the strugglefor greater rights and freedoms in modern history,” the top US diplo-mat told reporters. Kerry lamented what he said were the hundreds“murdered in the dead of night” in Syria in a chemical weapons attack.He also denounced the rolling back of gay rights in almost 80 coun-tries around the world, which he dubbed “an affront to every reason-able conscience.” The US, he said, promotes global human rights tobuild a world “where marching peacefully in the street does not getyou beaten up in a blind alley, or even killed in plain sight.”

From Sudan in the Horn of Africa, to the streets of Ukraine, thebombed-out neighborhoods of Syria and remote areas of Myanmar,security forces must be held to account for human rights abuses ifdemocratic transitions are to succeed, the report insisted. “This isabout accountability,” Kerry insisted. “It’s about ending impunity.” In2013, “transitioning democracies dealt with predictable setbacks intheir quest for political change, and new democracies struggled todeliver effective governance and uphold rule of law,” the report said.

Authoritarian ruleThe State Department’s annual country-by-country index was

released as the world marks the 65th anniversary of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights. But six decades later “more than onethird of the world’s population still lives under authoritarian rule,” the

report found. “A widening gap persists between the rights conferredby law and the daily realities for many around the globe.”

The report also highlighted how new and fragile democracies,emerging out of the Arab Spring, are cracking down on civil society. InBahrain where campaigners have urged the monarchy to bring inconstitutional reforms the report denounced the “arrest and deten-tion of protesters on vague charges, in some cases leading to their tor-ture in detention.” But while rights groups welcomed the US assess-ment, they demanded more than words.

“The US State Department showed once again today it is not lack-ing information about the repression happening in Bahrain, just shortof the will to do much about it,” said Brian Dooley, from Human RightsFirst. “The US policy of muted public criticism over the last three yearsclearly hasn’t worked.” In Tehran, where a new more open leadershipcame to power in August, US officials said “our conclusion is thatwe’ve seen little meaningful improvement in human rights in Iranunder the new government.” The report also threw a spotlight on alack of labor rights in countries such as Bangladesh, where more than1,000 garment workers were killed in a factory building collapse inApril.

“Dangerous and exploitive” working conditions in other nationssuch as the gold mines in Nigeria and migrant workers in the Gulf alsocame in for criticism. The use of military might to suppress dissent wasparticularly egregious in Syria, where President Bashar Al-Assad’sregime was accused of unleashing a sarin gas attack in August thatallegedly killed some 1,429 civilians, including 426 children. Egypt wasalso heavily criticized for “the removal of an elected civilian govern-ment and excessive use of force by security forces, including unlawfulkillings and torture,” among the Arab nation’s most significant humanrights abuses.—AFP

US slams crackdown on

pro-democracy protests

GCC slammed over dangerous, exploitive working conditions

BANGUI: French President Francois Hollande urged unity in theCentral African Republic yesterday, nearly three months into a toughmilitary mission to stop religious bloodshed. His high-security visit toBangui caps a week that saw the French parliament extend OperationSangaris and another 400 extra troops arrive in the deeply unstableformer French colony, taking their number to 2,000. Hollande wentstraight to the airport base of Operation Sangaris for a briefing with hisDefense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the commander of theFrench mission, General Francisco Soriano, journalists at the scene said.One aim of the intervention is “to avoid at any price the partition of thecountry”, Hollande said while he reviewed French troops, adding that“thousands of lives have been saved thanks to you”. “The stakes of thisvisit are to assess what has been accomplished in three months and todecide on the next missions,” the French leader said. Faced with relent-less bloodshed in which armed extremist Christian militias haveslaughtered Muslim civilians in revenge for atrocities by a mainly

Muslim rebel alliance that seized power for 10 months last year, Francehas been forced to change its objectives. “Francois Hollande thoughtthat the mission of the Sangaris troops would be over in a few months.A mistake,” the Bangui daily Le Quotidien declared yesterday.

‘We’re already dead’Hollande was set to meet interim President Catherine Samba

Panza, who has urged France and the 6,000 troops deployed by theAfrican Union to make full use of their UN mandate to “wipe out theseunchecked elements that poison our lives”. France sought to help“reestablish the authority of the state, renew dialogue” and preventpartition, Hollande said. Paris has acknowledged that its troops faceconsiderable difficulties in halting the conflict, but Soriano stressedThursday that the Central African people needed to start doing theirshare. “Central Africans need to participate in the reconstruction oftheir own country. We already do a lot,” the general said.—AFP

Hollande seeks C Africa

unity as France digs in

BANGUI: A convoy of French troops, around fifty armored tanks and trucks, arrives in Bangui from Chad to reinforce the Frenchtroops of operation Sangaris. — AFP

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

MIDYAT: When Louis Bandak fled the violencein Syria, he sought refuge in the country hisgrandfather was forced to abandon exactly 90years ago this week. Bandak, his wife and twodaughters are part of a small but growing trick-le of Christians arriving in Turkey after threeyears of civil war in Syria killed more than140,000 people. “Although I had never beenhere before, it does not feel strange. This too ismy homeland,” says Bandak, sitting in warmwinter sun outside the 5th Century MorAbrohom Monastery in Midyat, 30 miles northof the border.

While most Christian refugees are in Lebanonor Jordan, countries with which they share lin-guistic or cultural ties, several thousand havecome to Turkey. For many it is a reversal of theirancestors’ flight around a century ago, whenWorld War One and the subsequent building ofthe post-Ottoman Turkish state made Turkey ahostile land for millions of Christians. The sectar-ian strife that has rent apart Syria’s delicate mul-ti-ethnic fabric has spawned a severe humanitar-ian crisis and driven 2.5 million refugees intoneighboring countries.

Turkey has taken in 700,000 mostly SunniMuslim refugees. The United Nations does notregister Syrian refugees by religion so cannotgive an exact figure for Christians who have left,but estimates vary between 300,000 and500,000, says Mark Ohanian, director of pro-grams of the International Orthodox ChristianCharities, which works inside Syria. Their flighthas been driven in part because Christians, seenas largely supportive of President Bashar Al-Assad, have been targeted by rebels in someparts of Syria and feel threatened by increasing-ly hardline Islamist fighters.

Some have sought safety in mountain vil-lages in Iraq’s stable Kurdish-run north, andabout 20,000 ethnic Armenians have resettled inArmenia, Ohanian said. Syria’s total Christianminority, which made up about 10 percent ofthe pre-war population of 22 million, has gener-ally kept to the sidelines of the war, which pitsmainly Sunni Muslim rebels against Assad, whois from the minority Alawite sect, and his foreignShiite allies. Bandak is Syriac, a people whonumber about 180,000 in Syria and survive inpockets of Iraq, Iran and Turkey. Many still speaka dialect of Aramaic, the language of Christ.

Smuggled to EuropeChristians are exiting through Turkey

because its border with Europe offers a betterchance of eventual asylum there, says Sait Susin,chairman of the Syriac Orthodox Foundation inIstanbul, which relies on donations from thelocal community to house and feed 500 of itsSyrian brethren at a time. He estimates morethan 5,000 Syriacs have passed through Turkeybut the precise number is unknown, becausemost arrive informally and spend anywherefrom 10 days to more than a year before movingon. Since late 2012, their numbers haveincreased steadily as Christians feel a greaterthreat from an uprising that has grown moreradical in outlook, he said.

In a working-class district in Istanbul, about55 people dwell in a former three-storey homerun by Susin’s foundation. Another 150 peopleare on a waiting list for beds. Entire familiescram into small bedrooms, and about 20 or soyoung men sleep on bunk beds in spartan dor-mitories. They gather once a day at a nearbyCatholic church to share a meal. Some have

applied for visas to European countries, but feware optimistic their paperwork will comethrough as governments tighten restrictions onasylum seekers from Syria.

Instead, many are scratching together the10,000 euro ($13,700) fee traffickers demand tosmuggle them across the sea to Greece beforethey unite with relatives further north inGermany or Sweden. This treacherous route isnot an option for the elderly and the 13 childrenstaying at the Istanbul house. Milad, a 24-year-old former conscript who deserted Assad’s armyafter he was seriously wounded last year, isgloomy about his chances of raising the fundsfor passage to Europe. Hit by shrapnel last June,he passes his time asleep or strengthening awithered right arm pockmarked with scars,embedded shards of metal and wounds stilloozing pus. “I was caught between two fires in a

war that is not mine,” says Milad, asking that hissurname not be used. “I never wanted to leavemy country. Now I can never go back.”

Empty campIn Midyat, an ancient town of conjoined

sandstone houses, the Bandaks are among 500or so Syrians staying in private homes belongingto Turkish Syriacs who left the area years ago. Allbut two Syrian families have snubbed a campopened last year for Christian Syrians on thegrounds of Mor Abrohom. Gleaming whitetents, a hospital and a market stand behindbarbed wire in a hollow where monks onceraised barley, ready for up to 4,000 peopleshould violence escalate in north Syria. TheBandaks have languished in Midyat for ninemonths, their girls unable to attend school.Living off savings and help from the localchurch, the family awaits visas for Germanywhere Bandak’s wife, Ninorta, has relatives.

Bandak, 48, a bespectacled goldsmith fromAleppo, said he had been determined to stay inSyria’s largest city even after its Ottoman-era

souk was destroyed and medieval citadel dam-aged. The decision to leave came last springwhen foreign fighters stopped a bus he had tak-en to Damascus and lingered over his ID cardand his non-Muslim name, then accused him ofcollaborating with the state. “I said I was a poorelectrician, they let me go. I could not stop shak-ing. I thought of my daughters without a father.”He locked the family’s possessions into oneroom of their apartment and hired a car to takethem to the border with a few suitcases ofclothes and a computer hard drive of familyphotos. “We have had enough of war. Next timeI go to Syria, I’ll go as a tourist,” Ninorta says.

Hardline Islamists are said to be behindattacks on Christians, spurred by politics ormoney. In December, fighters abducted 12Greek Orthodox nuns from the Christian strong-hold of Maaloula. Earlier in 2013, a Syriac

Orthodox bishop and a Greek Orthodox bishopdisappeared outside of Aleppo. “Christians aretargeted because they are perceived as beingallied with Assad, but also because they are nat-ural targets for religious fundamentalists,” sayshistorian William Dalrymple, who has writtenextensively about imperiled Christian communi-ties in the Middle East, home still to 14 millionChristians who trace their roots back two millen-nia. Until the war, Syria was a relatively freeplace for Christian expression, a vestige of awider Middle East that was more tolerant 50years ago, Dalrymple says. “Middle EasternChristians are going through the period of theirbiggest decline, and it is irreversible,” he said,pointing to the nearly 70 percent drop in Iraq’sChristian population since the US invasion of2003. Erol Dora, a Syriac and Turkey’s firstChristian lawmaker in a half-century, says thosewho leave the region are doing so as a lastresort, after they have parted with property. “Bythe time they leave, they have usually lost every-thing, even hope. Their trust that they can besafe again is gone.”

Holy MountainAmid the region’s upheaval, Turkey has

become a safe haven. Tur Abdin, or Mountain ofthe Servants of God, is a high plateau situatedbetween the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Syriacs’second-holiest site after Jerusalem. The centre ofone of the world’s oldest Christian traditions,some 80 monasteries, most in ruins, dot the land-scape of dry scrubland and outcrops. The arrivalof Bandak and other Syriacs has helped swellchurch pews at Midyat’s 1,600-year-old churches.

Poverty and violence between Turks andKurds in the 1980s and 1990s reduced an alreadydwindling Syriac population in Tur Abdin to2,500 from about 50,000 in 1950, said HeidiArmbruster, an anthropologist at the Universityof Southampton. Istanbul is home to 15,000Syriacs. In recent years, Turkey has sought toimprove the plight of Syriacs, pledging to return

confiscated monastic land and allowing thecommunity to open its first school in 86 years.Community leaders say Prime Minister TayyipErdogan has even extended an invitation to theSyriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Damascus, nowin exile in Beirut, to return to Turkey, its seatsince 37 AD before Turkey expelled it to Syria in1925.

Bandak speaks a smattering of Turkish taughtby his grandfather, Barsom, who abandoned hisfarm in the Turkish town of Siverek after hisfather was murdered by Muslim neighbors.Bandak still recalls the exact date Barsom fled:Feb. 24, 1924. On the wall of the home whereBandak stays is a simple oil painting, a triptych ofa charred landscape with ghost-like figures. Itdepicts “Seyfo,” the Year of the Sword in 1915,when historians say 250,000 Syriacs were slaugh-tered by Ottoman Turks during World War One.Far greater numbers of Armenian Christians werealso killed during that war in what both groupscall genocide. “Sometimes it seems as if it’s onelong, unending war,” Bandak says. “We are likeskeletons passing through this land.”— Reuters

Generations on, Christians fleeingSyria return to Turkish homelandA reversal of their ancestors’ flight around a century ago

DAMASCUS: Photo shows damage and debris on one of the main streets of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk, in Damascus. — AP

Availableat The Sultan

Centre &

Carrefour

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

RAWALPINDI: After 2,000 grueling kilome-ters on the road, a band of families led by a72-year-old are due to reach the end of theirprotest march over missing relatives in thePakistani capital yesterday. They are the rel-atives of people who have disappeared inPakistan’s troubled southwestern provinceBaluchistan, allegedly at the hands of thecountry’s security services. The marchers,led by a retired banker known as Mama(uncle) Qadir, hope to present a petition toUN officials in Islamabad and meet foreigndiplomats to raise awareness of their cause.

“We want to tell (the world) that people

are being kidnapped every day inBaluchistan, districts are being bombardedand almost every day we are receiving muti-lated bodies,” Qadir said on the road closeto Rawalpindi, Islamabad’s twin city. “Wehave no more hope in the Pakistani govern-ment, which is why we want to talk to inter-national organizations, so they can applypressure.”

Qadir’s son Jalil Reki, a member of theBaloch Republican Party which is suspectedof links to the armed insurgency, was foundshot dead in 2011 after going missing. Themarchers set out from the Baluchistan capi-

tal Quetta last October, walking first 700kilometers to Karachi, on the shores of theArabian Sea, before turning their stepsnorthwards to Islamabad, nestling in thefoothills of the Himalayas. Baluchistan, thesize of Italy and rich in copper, gold and nat-ural gas, is Pakistan’s largest but least popu-lous province. It is also the least developed,which has exacerbated a long-running eth-nic Baluch separatist movement that wantsmore autonomy and a greater share of itsmineral wealth.

The latest armed insurgency rose up in2004 and separatist groups still regularly

attack Pakistani forces. Rights groups accusethe military and intelligence agencies of kid-napping and killing suspected Baluch rebelsbefore leaving their bodies by the roadside.According to Human Rights Watch, morethan 300 people have suffered this fate-known as “kill and dump”-in Baluchistansince January 2011. The security servicesdeny the allegations and say they are bat-tling a fierce rebellion in the province. TheSupreme Court has also been investigatingcases of missing people in Baluchistan, issu-ing warnings to the government to recoverthese people. — AFP

2,000-km march for ‘missing’ nears end in Pakistan

ST LOUIS: When Wissam Akiki wasordained as a Maronite Catholic priestThursday night in St Louis, he was wel-comed by hundreds of supporters, includ-ing his wife and daughter. For the firsttime in nearly a century, the MaroniteCatholic Church in the United Statesordained a married priest in a ceremony atSt Raymond’s Maronite Cathedral neardowntown St Louis. Akiki, 41, speaking atthe end of the two-hour ceremony, calledit a “historic day” and said he had beengiven two great blessings - marriage to hiswife of 10 years, Manal, and “the dream toserve the Lord and church as a priest.”

Eastern Catholic churches in the MiddleEast and Europe ordain married men.However, the Vatican banned the practicein America in the 1920s after Latin-ritebishops complained it was confusing forparishioners. But Pope John Paul II calledfor greater acceptance of Eastern Catholictraditions, and over the years, popes havemade exceptions on a case-by-case basisfor married men to become EasternCatholic priests in America. Pope Francisgave permission for Akiki to be ordained.Maronites are among more than a dozenEastern Catholic church groups in the USEastern Catholics accept the authority of

the pope but have many of their own ritu-als and liturgy.

“Almost half of our priests in Lebanonare married, so it’s not an unusual event inthe life of the Maronite church, though inthe United States it is,” Deacon LouisPeters, chancellor at St Raymond’s, said.The ordination ceremony featured severalbishops from within the Maronite rite.Many members of the St Raymond’s con-gregation are of Lebanese descent, andmany of the prayers, hymns and readingswere in Arabic. Members of the churchsaid they were ready to welcome the newpriest. “He’ll be a wonderful priest,” LindaHill, 54, said. “The fact that he’s marriedwill be exciting for the church. It’s tradi-tion in the old country. I guess we’re finallycatching up to the old country.” StephanieBaker, 57 and a lifelong member, agreed.

“I really think it sets a precedent,” Bakersaid. “There are a lot of people who have it(the priesthood) in their hearts. This opensit up for other people.” That remains to beseen. Peters said the pope’s action doesnot lift the ban on married priests in theUS. It is simply an exception. Experts, too,cautioned against reading too much intoit. “This is certainly not an automatic indi-cation that the mandate of celibacy within

Roman rite will be overturned,” said RandyRosenberg, a theological studies professorat Saint Louis University. Akiki emigratedfrom Lebanon in 2002, and almost imme-diately became a subdeacon at StRaymond’s, ascending to deacon in 2009.It was about a year-and-a-half ago that heand the church petitioned the Vatican toallow him to enter the priesthood.

Akiki completed seminary studies atHoly Spirit University in Lebanon, Our Ladyof Lebanon Maronite Seminary inWashington, DC, and the Aquinas Instituteof Theology in St Louis.

He and his wife have one daughter, 8-year-old Perla. She read a brief prayer ather father’s ordination. Peters said that inthe most recent Maronite PatriarchalSynod, the church reaffirmed its positionin support of allowing married priests, atradition that, worldwide, dates back cen-turies. In a statement, the Archdiocese ofSt Louis congratulated Akiki. “TheArchdiocese of St Louis values its strongrelationship with the Maronite communityin St Louis,” the statement read in part.Those attending the ordination applaudedthe new priest several times, which clearlyleft him moved. “It is a day of grace and ofjoy,” he said.— AP

Married man becomes a

Maronite Catholic priest

Singapore court

overturns sex-for

favors conviction

‘It takes two hands to clap’SINGAPORE: Singapore’s High Court has overturned the convic-tion of a law professor jailed for obtaining sexual favors and giftsfrom a female student in exchange for better grades, his lawyersaid yesterday. Former National University of Singapore (NUS)law professor Tey Tsun Hang, 42, served a five-month sentencelast year after he was found guilty by a district court of sixcharges of corruption over his relationship with his then-studentDarinne Ko in 2010. The district court ruled that he had “exploit-ed” the female student by obtaining sexual favors from her andalso receiving gifts that included tailored shirts and a limited-edi-tion pen.

But Tey’s lawyer Peter Low said Friday that High Court JusticeWoo Bih Li “allowed an appeal and overturned the conviction”,five months after he completed his prison sentence. “The crux ofit is that the court found that it takes two hands to clap eventhough he exploited her and that she was in love with him,” Lowsaid. “I am glad that Professor Tey has been vindicated by a courtof law and acquitted of all six corruption charges,” he said. TheNUS, which announced last year that it had terminated Tey’semployment after his conviction, said Friday he may “petition forreinstatement” at the university.

However, “he would remain liable for any acts contrary to theNUS Staff Code of Conduct,” the school said in a statement sentto AFP. “In the event that he does seek to return to NUS, the uni-versity would first appoint its own Committee of Inquiry to deter-mine whether Mr Tey is guilty of any misconduct and, if so, whatsanctions are warranted,” it said. In handing down the sentencelast year, Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye said Tey “abusedhis position and power” while in the relationship with Ko andchastised him for his “ulterior motives and corrupt intention”.

The court had heard during the trial that Ko got pregnantduring their affair and paid for her own abortion. It is the secondhigh-profile corruption case to be overturned in Singapore in thepast year. Ng Boon Gay, a former head of Singapore’s narcoticspolice, was cleared of corruption in February 2013 after a courtrejected charges that he demanded oral sex from a female con-tractor to help her win government deals. — AFP

ST LOUIS: Wissam Akiki, who is married, serves his daughter, Perla, communion after being ordained to the priesthoodduring a ceremony at St Raymond’s Maronite Cathedral on Thursday, Feb 27, 2014. — AP

Beijing hits back at

US on rights report

BEIJING: China yesterday issued a report on human rights in the US,denouncing it for foreign drone strikes, state-sponsored spying and“rampant” gun crime after Washington criticized its rights record. Beijingsaid the US “concealed and avoided mentioning its own human rightsproblems”, such as a government-run intelligence program known asPRISM which it said “seriously infringes on human rights”. The documentcame after the State Department issued its annual global human rightsreport Thursday. China regularly produces a statement on the US inresponse. It does not release rights reports aimed at other countries.

The report, released by China’s State Council, or cabinet, singledout the US for criticism for drone strikes in countries such as Pakistan,which it said have caused “heavy civilian casualties”. It also said the USsuffers from “rampant gun violence”, while its agricultural sectoremploys a “large amount of child laborers”. Washington’s reportreleased on Thursday praised China for some successes in humanrights, such as the abolition of some labor camps and a change to theone-child policy. — AFP

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

ATHENS: With each passing generation, thesqualid and overcrowded maximum-securityKorydallos prison on the outskirts of Athenswelcomes a new breed of high-profile crimi-nal-its roll-call of inmates serving as a windowon Greece’s tumultuous recent past. Frommembers of the brutal military junta thatruled the country half a century ago, to left-wing rebels and neo-Nazi thugs-Korydalloshas seen them all. But the latest twist inGreece’s fortunes has brought a new type ofcriminal to the prison’s cells: corrupt politi-cians. Chief among them is AkisTsochatzopoulos, 73, a founding member ofthe Greek socialist party and a senior ministerfor nearly two decades. He was sentenced inOctober to 20 years in prison over kickbacksreceived in connection with arms purchasesduring his tenure as defense minister.Tsochatzopoulos and other white-collar crimi-nals are jailed in a section nicknamed the“VIP” ward by the Greek press, away from themurderers and rapists in the general popula-tion. Their ward has filled up as public outrageover decades of graft and financial malprac-tice has reached boiling point, forcing investi-gators to take action.

The former defense minister shares theward with several of his former aides, a starbanker whose institution was bailed out in2011 and a football boss convicted of match-fixing. “Korydallos is considered the mostsecure prison in the country, which is why youget all these different groups in one place,”said Tsochatzopoulos’ lawyer, YiannisPagoropoulos. “It’s an explosive mix, especial-ly given the pitiful conditions of inmates.” Theprison is certainly a step down from the luxu-ry enjoyed by some of its new elite residents.Korydallos currently holds 2,500 inmates,twice its intended capacity.

The situation is worst in the prison hospi-tal, where patients complain that overcrowd-ing has led to the spread of tuberculosis, sca-bies and other infectious diseases. In mid-

February, a group of inmates started a hungerstrike to protest “hellish” conditions at thehospital, which they called a “human dump-ing ground”.It holds around 200 patients-three times the number it was designed toaccommodate. Many are HIV positive and saycare is rudimentary. The outcry forced thejustice ministry into an extraordinary pledgeto release all those suffering from terminal ordebilitating diseases such as cancer, multiplesclerosis and AIDS, provided they are servingsentences of 10 years or less.

Extremists and neo-NazisNot all the new entrants to the VIP ward

could be considered white-collar. In October,the leader of Greece’s neo-Nazi party GoldenDawn, Nikos Michaloliakos, arrived with sever-al of his party’s members of parliament. Thegroup is accused of orchestrating attacks onimmigrants and political opponents. A crack-down was finally ordered after the killing of a

well-known anti-fascist rapper in Septemberby a Golden Dawn cadre. A third of the party’sparliamentarians are now behind bars, await-ing trial. They are just the latest in a roll-call ofhigh-profile radicals to grace the cells ofKorydallos. Originally conceived in the 1960sas a simple holding facility for those awaitingtrial, the site half an hour west of Athens soonbecame home to a who’s who of Greece’smost notorious criminals, from mobsters tomurderers to deadly extremists. “Korydallos isthe metropolis of the Greek correctional sys-

tem-all criminals have passed through here atsome point,” said Spyros Karakitsos, head ofthe association of Greek prison staff Osye.

Among its most famous inmates were thesenior officers of the 1967-1974 military dicta-torship, who spent the rest of their lives insideits walls. The last passed away last year. Theprison acquired new notoriety in the early2000s when more than a dozen members of

the deadly extremist group November 17were tried and convicted on the premises,inside a makeshift court created specially forthe occasion.

A second-generation extremist outfitcalled Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, that sentparcel bombs to embassies and politicalleaders, followed suit in 2009. Some havequestioned the wisdom of housing criminalsand extremists side by side. “The cohabita-tion of common criminals and extremists is amajor problem and contrary to Europeanregulations,” a security source said on condi-tion of anonymity.

Helicopter breakoutTo deal with the overpopulation, which is a

chronic feature in most of Greece’s prisons,the prison operators bend the rules to keepthe situation under control. Last month, thewarden was sacked after it emerged that oneof November 17’s top hitmen had beenallowed to mix with members of theConspiracy outfit in a different section of theprison, and hang out in their cells. TheNovember 17 shooter, Christodoulos Xiros,was then given a nine-day furlough in Januaryand promptly disappeared, only to resurfacetwo weeks later with a self-made video callingfor anti-government attacks.

Karakitsos, the guard unionist, says staffcuts have compromised security at the prison.“I am ashamed about conditions atKorydallos,” he said. “There are so manyinmates that at this rate, we’ll have to lodgethem in the courtyard.” As well as the hungerstrikes, hostage situations and jailbreaks arenot uncommon at Korydallos. The most spec-tacular breakout occurred in 2009, when aGreek bank robber and an Albanian hitmanescaped from the prison courtyard using ahijacked helicopter. It was an embarrassingdeja vu for the prison authorities, as the pairhad previously pulled the same airborne stuntin 2006, before being recaptured. — AFP

Korydallos prison: A window on Greece recent past

ATHENS: Prisoners in Korydallos Prison, Greece’s biggest, stand at windows during aprotest by left-wing groups in support of inmates at the overcrowded prison hospital inwestern Athens. — AP

WASHINGTON: The foot soldiers of the teaparty movement dismiss the chatter about itsdemise and stand ready to use their unbend-ing political force against both PresidentBarack Obama and the Republican establish-ment this election year. The Tea PartyPatriots, one of the major grass-roots groups,marked the fifth anniversary of the move-ment Thursday, attracting hundreds of mem-bers and plenty of speakers to a Washingtoncelebration in which they directed their ani-mosity at the Washington establishment.

Keli Carender, national grass-roots coordi-nator, said the strength of the group wasreflected in the $1.2 million and countingthat it raised in 10 days. To the “establish-ment and permanent political class,”Carender said, “we don’t need their millions,we’ve got our own.” Republican primariesthis election year will be a crucial test for themovement as the GOP establishment hasaggressively challenged tea party-backedcandidates in Kentucky, Kansas, Idaho,Mississippi, Michigan and elsewhere.Republicans blame the tea party for losses inwinnable races in 2010 and 2012 that manybelieve cost the GOP a Senate majority.

The tactics were on display this week inColorado. Tea party-affiliated Ken Buck, wholost a close Senate race in 2010, stepped

aside to run for the House while more main-stream Rep. Cory Gardner launched a Senatebid in a political deal. Tea partyers, whohelped Republicans capture control of theHouse in 2010, made clear they don’t likewhat the GOP establishment has done totheir conservative agenda of limited govern-ment, free-market policies and what theyconsider fidelity to the Constitution. They sig-naled they will work hard to elect theiruncompromising candidates no matter whatthe establishment does.

In Kansas, the Tea Party Express endorsedMilton Wolf, who is opposing three-term Sen.Pat Roberts in the Republican primary.Addressing the event, Rep Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan, was interrupted by the crowd, whichstood and cheered when he said, “It’s hightime we retire (House Speaker) JohnBoehner.” When the applause died down,Huelskamp completed his sentence that itwas “high time to retire John Boehner’sbiggest excuse that we only control one-thirdof the government.” Viveca Stoneberry ofSpotsylvania, Va., said she was disillusionedwith the Republican leadership becauseBoehner and others “pretend to be on theside of conservatives.” Irene Conklin ofGainesville, Va., said Boehner needs to “take asolid stand.”

The frustration isn’t limited to Houseleaders. Steve Gibson of Columbus, Ohio,said he had offered to help Matt Bevin, theRepublican businessman challengingSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,R-Ky McConnell, according to Gibson, isconservative 70 percent of the time, butthen “throwing in the towel every time.”Gibson was particularly upset withMcConnell’s recent votes on allowing thenation to borrow more money. Boehner,for his part, said Thursday that he has“great respect for the tea party and theenergy they brought to the electoralprocess.

My gripe is with some Washingtonorganizations who feel like they’ve got togo raise money by beating on me and oth-ers.” If Boehner and McConnell were draw-ing the movement’s ire, Sen Ted Cruz wascollecting praise. The Texas freshman andpotential 2016 presidential candidate got astanding ovation and wild applause whenhe addressed the event, cheered for hisfight last fall against Obama’s health carelaw that precipitated the 16-day partialgovernment shutdown. He offered noregrets and argued that the effort hasproved successful in the long run, con-tributing to Obama’s low approval ratings

and the law’s unpopularity.Cruz drew a rousing response when he

told the crowd he was “absolutely con-vinced we are going to repeal every singleword” of the health care law. Cruz, who hashelped raise money for groups targetingincumbent Republicans, has refused toendorse his state’s senior senator, JohnCornyn, the Senate’s second-rankingRepublican, in Tuesday’s primary. Cornynfaces Rep Steve Stockman. Another tea par-ty favorite and possible 2016 candidate,Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, told the group itneeds to offer a happy message.

Support for the tea party has declinedslightly since 2010, when members ralliedaround opposition to the health care law.Just ahead of the 2010 elections, anAssociated Press-GfK poll found that 30percent of adults considered themselvessupporters of the tea party movement. ByOctober 2013, that figure had dipped to 17percent, then rebounded to 27 percent lastmonth. Separately, aCBS News-New YorkTimes poll this week found that 50 percentof Republicans who say they back the teaparty complain that the party’s candidatesare not conservative enough, while just 19percent of non-tea party Republicans saidthe same. —AP

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

US Tea Party ‘alive and kicking’Tea Party Patriots mark fifth anniversary

CARLSBAD: Back-to-back accidents andan above-ground radiation release haveclosed the US government’s only deepunderground nuclear waste dump indefi-nitely, raising questions about a corner-stone of the Department of Energy’s $5-billion-a-year program for cleaning upwaste scattered across the country fromdecades of nuclear bomb making. On Feb5, the mine was shut and six workers sentto the hospital for treatment of smokeinhalation after a truck hauling salt caughtfire. Nine days later, a radiation alert acti-vated in the area where newly arrivedwaste was being stored. Preliminary testsshow 13 workers suffered some radiationexposure, and monitors have since detect-

ed elevated levels of plutonium andamericium in the air. Ground and watersamples are being analyzed.

Officials said they’re confident the inci-dents are unrelated. The Waste IsolationPilot Plant is the nation’s only deep under-ground geological repository for anythingcontaminated by more than the lowestlevels of radiation. And opponents will cer-tainly use the case to fight against anyexpansion of WIPP’s mission, which is totake only transuranic waste from federalnuclear sites. The closure highlights a lackof alternatives for disposing of taintedmaterials like tools, gloves, glasses andprotective suits from national labs inIdaho, Illinois, South Carolina and New

Mexico.With operations at the plant on hold,

so are all shipments, including the last ofnearly 4,000 barrels of toxic waste that LosAlamos National Laboratories has beenordered to remove from its campus by theend of June. That waste is now stored out-side with little protection. Also on hold aretests to see if the dump can expand itsmission to take more than so-called lowerlevel transuranic waste from the nation’sresearch facilities, including hopes by DOEthat it can ship hotter, liquid waste fromleaking tanks at Washington state’sHanford nuclear waste site. New MexicoEnvironment Secretary Ryan Flynn saidthe state will be looking closely at whatcaused the leak that exposed the workersbefore deciding whether to back plans toallow the repository to bring in waste fromnew sources.

“Events like this should never occur,”he said at a news conference last weekwhere officials confirmed the leak.Government officials, politicians, the con-tractors that run the mine and local offi-cials all say it is too soon to speculate onwhat the short- or long-term impacts ofthe of the shutdown might be, or whereelse the toxic waste would go. And theyemphasize that all the safety systemsdesigned to react to worst-case scenariosworked. “A lot of people are just jumpingup and down and wanting us to shutdown,” said Farok Sharif, president of theNuclear Waste Partnership that runs WIPP.“But that’s not the case here.” Still, no oneyet knows what caused the first-knownradiation release from the massive roomsthat have been dug out of the ancientPermian Sea bed. —AP

US nuke dump leak raises questions about cleanup

Big storm brings new worries to S California

LOS ANGELES: Homes were evacuated as a swift storm withexpected heavy rain moved toward drought plagued SouthernCalifornia, bringing worries of mudslides where recent wildfires leftmountainsides exposed. The storm’s full force was expected to befelt in the morning, with possible thunderstorms and rains up to aninch per hour, the National Weather Service said. A 10-mile stretchof the Pacific Coast Highway was closed overnight in VenturaCounty because of a high likelihood of rock slides in an area madebare by last year’s Springs Fire in Camarillo, the California HighwayPatrol said.

On Thursday, mandatory evacuation orders were issued forabout 1,000 homes in Glendora and Azusa, eastern foothill suburbsof Los Angeles that sit beneath nearly 2,000 acres of steep mountainslopes stripped by another fire in January. “We have an hour to getevacuated,” said Dana Waldusky as she hurried to evacuate the fam-ily home next to the burn area in Glendora. “We’re just boarding upall our doors.” Waldusky, 22, said she, her parents and sister madesure they had important documents, photos, medicines and theirtoothbrushes packed. “Last time, at the fire, we had 15 minutes, sothis time we made sure we were prepared,” she said.

The home survived the fire, which firefighters stopped 15 feetfrom their back fence. “This time there’s nothing you can do. Youcan’t stop water,” she said. As a lighter storm moved through thearea earlier in the week, residents built barriers of wood and sand-bags to keep debris flows in streets and out of homes. While con-cern was highest in the Glendora-Azusa area, meteorologists alsoposted flood watches for many other areas denuded by fires overthe past two years. Cities in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispocounties were handing out sandbags in anticipation of heavy rain.

Even waterspouts offshore and small tornados were possible,the NWS said. Strong winds and snow down to elevations of 7,000feet were expected in the mountains of San Bernardino andRiverside counties, and at lower elevations today. California’s raintotals are far below normal and it will take a series of drenchingstorms to make a dent in a statewide drought that is among theworst in recent history. The state Department of Water Resourcestook a new survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack and found thewater content at only 24 percent of average for the date.

The northern and central Sierra snowpack normally providesabout a third of the water used by California’s cities and farms. Backin Glendora, City Manager Chris Jeffers said he understood that noone wants to leave their home but the city had to take an importantlesson from history. —APCARLSBAD: This undated file aerial photo shows the Waste Isolation

Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, NM. —AP

Business16Ukraine currency

rebounds from record low

Japan economy steady ahead of sales tax hike

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

TOKYO: Mark Karpeles (second right), president of MtGox bitcoin exchange speaks during a press conference in Tokyo yesterday. —AFP

17 19Spain makes small profit on first Bankia stake sale

Euro-zone jobless rate steady, inflation flat

18

Tokyo bitcoin exchange files for bankruptcy

Bitcoins worth several hundred million dollars unaccounted forTOKYO: The Mt Gox bitcoin exchange in Tokyo filed forbankruptcy protection yesterday and its chief executive said850,000 bitcoins, worth several hundred million dollars, areunaccounted for.

The exchange’s CEO Mark Karpeles appeared beforeJapanese TV news cameras, bowing deeply. He said a weak-ness in the exchange’s systems was behind a massive loss ofthe virtual currency involving 750,000 bitcoins from usersand 100,000 of the company’s own bitcoins. That wouldamount to about $425 million at recent prices. The onlineexchange’s unplugging earlier this week and accusations ithad suffered a catastrophic theft have drawn renewed regu-latory attention to a currency created in 2009 as a way tomake transactions across borders without third parties suchas banks.

It remains unclear if the missing bitcoins were stolen,voided by technological flaws or both.

“I am sorry for the troubles I have caused all the people,”Karpeles, a Frenchman, said in Japanese at a Tokyo court.Karpeles had not made a public appearance since rumors ofthe exchange’s insolvency surfaced last month. He said in aweb post Wednesday that he was working to resolve Mt.

Gox’s problems.The loss is a giant setback to the currency’s image

because its boosters have promoted bitcoin’s cryptographyas protecting it from counterfeiting and theft. Bitcoin propo-nents have insisted that Mt. Gox is an isolated case, causedby the company’s technological failures, and the potential ofvirtual currencies remains great.

Debts at Mt. Gox totaled more than 6.5 billion yen ($65million), surpassing its assets, according to TeikokuDatabank, which monitors bankruptcies. Just hours beforethe bankruptcy filing, Japanese Finance Minister Taro Asohad scoffed that a collapse was only inevitable.

“No one recognizes them as a real currency,” he toldreporters. “I expected such a thing to collapse.”

Japan’s financial regulators have been reluctant to inter-vene in the Mt. Gox situation, saying they don’t have jurisdic-tion over something that’s not a real currency. They pointedto the Consumer Affairs Agency, which deals with productsafety, as one possible place where disgruntled users may gofor help. The agency’s minister Masako Mori urged extremecaution about using or investing in bitcoins. The agency hasbeen deluged with calls about bitcoins since earlier this year.

“We’re at a loss for how to help them,” said Yuko Otsuki,who works in the agency’s counseling department.

It’s hard to know how many people around the worldown bitcoins, but the currency has attracted outsize mediaattention and the fascination of millions as an increasingnumber of large retailers such as Overstock.com begin toaccept it.

Speculative investors have jumped into the bitcoin fray,too, sending the currency’s value fluctuating wildly in recentmonths. In December, the value of a single bitcoin hit an all-time high of $1,200. One bitcoin has cost about $500 lately.

Roger Ver, a Tokyo resident who has provided seed capi-tal for bitcoin ventures such as Blockchain.info, a registry ofbitcoin transactions, said he believes bitcoin will survive,possibly emerging with better technology that’s safer forusers. He said Mt. Gox people were likely sincere but hadfailed to run their business properly. “Mt. Gox is a horribletragedy. A lot of people lost a lot of money there, myselfincluded,” he said ahead of the bankruptcy filing. “I hope wecan use this as a learning experience.” Some countries havereacted sternly to bitcoin’s emergence, but many peopleremain fans of its potential.

B U S I N E S SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

LONDON: Ukraine’s hryvnia currencyrebounded yesterday from record dol-lar lows after the crisis-hit nation’s cen-tral bank slapped a daily limit on cashwithdrawals and reached out to the IMFamid simmering international tensions.The fast-moving Ukrainian crisisweighed on many European stock mar-kets, which pulled lower amid fears of apotential wider conflict in the region.

Investors also digested a mixed ses-sion in Asia after Federal Reserve chiefJanet Yellen provided an upbeat viewof the US economy-and hinted the cen-tral bank could ease up on its stimulustaper if the growth outlook weakens. Ina crisis measure, Ukraine’s central bankcapped cash withdrawals to 15,000hryvnia (1,095 euros, $1,400) per day, inthe latest sign of the desperate state ofnational finances and a run on bankaccounts.

The news came one day afterUkraine requested financial supportfrom the International Monetary Fund(IMF), as Kiev struggles to emerge froma bloody political crisis amid height-ened tensions with Russia. The nationalhryvnia currency rose to 9.1800 againstthe dollar, having plunged to a historiclow of 11.3075 on Thursday.

“Although the move by the centralbank to limit foreign currency with-drawal seems to have propped up thecurrency, we think that the global showof support for Ukraine, especially from

the US, and the IMF loan request are thebigger drivers of hryvnia strengthtoday,” said analyst Kathleen Brooks attrading site Forex.com.

“Capital controls tend to be currencynegative, while having the US on yourside when you face a formidable forcelike Russia is likely to have a biggerimpact. “A pullback from record lowsversus the dollar is to be expected,especially now that imminent bank-ruptcy looks like it has been avoided.”

‘Russian invasion’ Kiev meanwhile yesterday accused

Russia of staging an “armed invasion” ofCrimea and appealed to the West toguarantee its territorial integrity afterpro-Kremlin gunmen took control of thepeninsula’s main airport. With this inmind, London’s benchmark FTSE 100stocks index fell 0.13 percent to stand at6,801.10 points in midday deals.Frankfurt’s DAX 30 shed 0.10 percent to9,579.36 points and the Paris CAC 40

dipped 0.52 percent to 4,373.63.“European markets are still in a con-

solidation pattern as optimism over thean accelerating global economy is cur-rently being neutralized by uncertaintycoming out of the Ukraine,” said traderMarkus Huber at London-based broker-age Peregrine & Black. “In the UnitedStates, focus will be on revised Q4 GDPfigures expected to be coming in muchweaker than the first reading.” He added:“Towards the end of trading todayahead of the weekend it will be interest-ing to see who will keep the upper hand,with some (investors) possibly reducingtheir risk exposure due to the unrest inthe Ukraine.”

Euro hits 2014 high Elsewhere, the euro jumped to

$1.3813 — its highest level so far thisyear as stronger-than-expected euro-zone inflation dampened talk of a ratehike next week from the EuropeanCentral Bank (ECB). That compared witha level of $1.3710 late in New York onThursday. Euro-zone inflation stood at0.8 percent in February from a year earli-er, official data showed yesterday.Market expectations had been for areading of 0.7 percent. “The higher-than-expected inflation numbers reduce thechances of an ECB rate cut at next week’smeeting and we maintain the view thaton balance the central bank will keeprates on hold,” said ABN Amro econo-mist Nick Kounis. — AFP

Ukraine currency rebounds from record low

KIEV: People walk past a board of an exchange counter in central Kiev yesterday.Ukraine’s central bank limited bank withdrawals to about 1,000 euros a day yes-terday in the latest sign of the desperate state of national finances. — AFP

It’s music on your ears at Malabar

Gold & Diamonds

Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the prominent retailjeweller announced the details of its unique cam-paign- ‘Stud & Drops Festival’ in the entire GCC

countries & Singapore showcasing an extensive collectionof studs and drops from over 20 countries in gold, dia-mond and platinum. The festival ran from 20 February to25 March 2014.

A woman’s jewellery collection is incomplete withoutthe right pair of earrings, which speaks about her person-

ality. The biggest hasslethe customers gothrough during jewellerypurchase is with thechoice of studs anddrops that suits them.This exclusive festivalgives their customers aunique chance to choosefrom a stunning collec-tion of earrings designedand handcrafted byskilled artisans aroundthe world, ranging fromlightweight daily wear to

heavy party wear in traditional as well as internationaldesigns to suit every occasion.

Their branded jewellery, Era- uncut diamond jewellery,Ethnix- hand crafted designer jewellery, Mine- diamondsunlimited, Divine- Heritage jewellery, Precia- preciousgem jewellery, Starlet- kids jewellery and D’VA- the youthcollection will also be on display during the festival.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is always at the forefrontwhen it comes to promotions and festivals. The immacu-late collection of studs and drops are available at theiroutlets in Singapore, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, SaudiArabia and Oman with their unique exchange offers andbuyback policies. The jewellery chain offers lifetime freerepair and maintenance service for all its products.

MUMBAI: India’s growth decelerated to4.7 percent in the October-Decemberquarter last year, the government saidyesterday, showing that a return to therobust economic expansion of a fewyears ago remains far from reach. It wasthe fifth quarter in a row that year-on-year GDP growth was below 5 percentin Asia’s third-largest economy. Thegrowth rate was down from 4.8 percentfor the previous quarter ending inSeptember.

India’s government has struggled tobring back the 8 percent growth ratethe country averaged for a decade. Thatlevel is what the government says isneeded to provide jobs for the 13 mil-lion people entering the workforce eachyear out of a population of 1.2 billion.

Growth in the latest quarter wasdragged down by a year-on-year con-traction of 1.8 percent in manufacturingand a 1.6 percent drop in mining. Just afew years ago, India was touted as a ris-ing economic power that could evenoutdo China. But both growth andenthusiasm began to fade starting in2012 as shortages of electricity forindustry discouraged investment andthe decrepit state of roads and portshampered trade in goods. A tangledbureaucracy to approve new projectsand delays in economic reforms addedto the disillusion, while high inflationand weak Indian consumer spendinghave also hurt the economy. WhileIndia’s has managed to bring down itsworrisome fiscal and trade deficits in thelast year, it has been unable to spurgrowth. While the government andbusinesses might like the central bankto cut interest rates to try to stimulatespending, the country’s high inflation

makes that difficult because any drop ininterest rates could push prices evenhigher, hurting the hundreds of millionsof poor Indians who spend half theirincome on food and basic necessities.

“There is little on the horizon to liftthe economy in 2014,” economist GlennLevine wrote in a report for Moody’sAnalytics. “Business confidence is low

and the government budget is justabout all gone.” Elections to be held bythe end of May could produce a changein the government and possibly openthe door for reforms to make the econo-my more productive and competitive,but regardless of which party wins,Levine said, “it will be a long road backfor the Indian economy.” — AP

India’s anemic growth slows to 4.7%

JAMSHEDPUR: India’s Tata Steel Plant in Jamshedpur. India posted slightlylower-than-expected growth of 4.7 percent in the last quarter of 2013, datashowed yesterday, marking more bad news for the ruling Congress partyahead of looming elections. — AFP

B U S I N E S SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

NEW DELHI: Seemanto Roy, Sahara group ExecutiveDirector, addresses a press conference following hisfather and Sahara group chairman Subrata Roy’ssurrender to the police in New Delhi yesterday. Thehead of India’s giant Sahara group Subrata Roy sur-rendered to police yesterday two days after theSupreme Court ordered his arrest over delays inrepaying billions of dollars illegally collected fromsmall investors. —AFP

MADRID: Portuguese Prime Minister and leader ofcentre-right Social Democratic Party (PSD) PedroPassos Coelho (center) speaks during the interna-tional conference Project Europe in Madrid yester-day. The two-day conference brings together arange of European leaders from public and privatesectors and the media to discuss Europe’s currentchallenges and opportunities with key themes beingyouth unemployment, investment and jobs. — AFP

Spain makes small

profit on first

Bankia stake sale

MADRID: Spain is making a 301 million euro ($412 million)profit on the sale of a 7.5 percent stake in Bankia, the lender’sparent company BFA said, as the government started toreturn the country’s biggest bailed-out bank to private owner-ship. The shares were sold at 1.51 euros each yesterday, a dis-count of around 4 percent to their closing price on Thursdaybut 12 percent higher than the 1.35 euros the governmentbought them at last year. Bankia said the demand for theshares topped 2.5 billion euros, almost twice the amount onoffer, with international institutional investors showing thebiggest interest. While the sale is a powerful argument for thegovernment as it struggles to convince angry Spaniards thatthe cleanup of the banking system has been a success, Spainis still a long way from recouping the more than 22 billioneuros it injected into Bankia, a merger of seven failed regionalsavings banks.

Bankia became a symbol of Spain’s financial crisis afterthe huge losses it and other banks suffered due to a propertymarket collapse forced the government to take 41.3 billioneuros in European aid to rescue its weakest lenders. Based onthe Bankia’s current market capitalisation, the remaining 60.9percent stake of the state in the lender is worth around 11.1billion euros.

Bankia shares were down 3.8 percent at 1.52 euros ataround 1000 GMT. Senior government sources have toldReuters the state could sell its stake in several stages this yearbut would keep control of the bank until its Europe-agreedrestructuring is fully completed.

The economy ministry closely followed the successful saleby the British government of a 6 percent stake in part-nation-alized Lloyds last September. Another Lloyds share offering isset to take place in March or April, with possibly a small num-ber of shares being offered to retail investors. —Reuters

EU-US trade talks face

growing hostility

Ministers warn against mistrustATHENS: Free-trade talks between theUnited States and the European Unionare in danger of being derailed by pop-ulist groups opposing everything fromglobalization to multinationals, EU minis-ters and business leaders said yesterday.

The rise of anti-EU parties, reports ofUS spying in Europe and accusations thata trade pact would pander to big compa-nies have combined to erode public sup-port for a deal that proponents say woulddramatically increase economic growth.

“We are grappling with people whoare anti-European, who are anti-American, who are anti-free trade, whoare anti-globalization and who are anti-multinational corporations,” Finland’sminister for Europe and trade, AlexanderStubb, told his EU counterparts and busi-ness leaders at a meeting in Athens. “Wehave an uphill battle to make the argu-ment that this EU-US free-trade agree-ment is a good one,” he said in remarksthat were broadcast to reporters. Withthe euro zone’s economy barely out of atwo-year recession, EU governments seea trade deal with the United States as thebest way to create jobs. They say a pactencompassing almost half the world’seconomy could generate $100 billion inadditional economic output a year onboth sides of the Atlantic.

The European Union and the UnitedStates already trade almost $3 billion in

goods and services each day, and bydeepening economic ties, the pact couldcreate a market of 800 million peoplewhere business could be done freely. TheEU’s trade chief Karel De Gucht concededthat, outside business circles, there waslittle public awareness about the pro-posed Transatlantic Trade andInvestment Partnership, which is oftenknown by its initials as “T-TIP”.

“When we talk about T-TIP, some peo-ple think it is an extraterrestrial,” De Guchtsaid.

Nils Andersen of Danish shipper A.P.Moller-Maersk , who was among chiefexecutives invited to the debate, saidthere was a danger of voters being“hijacked by populist statements”.

Yes or no?Public support is crucial because the

European Parliament and the US Congressmust ratify the agreement once it is made.EU lawmakers have already shown a will-ingness to reject deals they think do nothave enough public support - for examplethe global Anti-Counterfiting TradeAgreement (ACTA) thrown out in 2012.US-EU trade talks initially enjoyed a warmreception when they were launched inJuly last year. But European consumer andgreen groups said a deal letting firmsoperate freely in both the EU and theUnited states might let companies bypass

EU safety and environmental standards.The talks have also been overshad-

owed by widespread distrust ofWashington caused by reports the UnitedStates bugged EU offices and GermanChancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone.

In the United States, President BarackObama’s efforts to speed up agreementon the deal, by renewing a ‘fast-track’trade promotion authority, have facedresistance from members of his ownDemocratic party, some of them scepticalabout the benefits of unfettered freetrade.

The ‘fast track’ authority, which expiredin 2007, would allow Obama to presentthe trade to Congress for a simple ‘yes/no’vote, avoiding the risk of lawmakers pick-ing it apart clause by clause and delayingits chances of becoming law indefinitely.

De Gucht said the EU’s tight regula-tion in the sensitive issue of geneticallymodified food would not change, even ifBrussels and Washington did sign anaccord.

Some Europeans are worried aboutwhat impact GM crops and products -often dubbed “Frankenstein Food” - mighthave on health and the environment. “Weare not dumping down our standards,” DeGucht said. “I will not agree to put hor-mone beef on the European market orchange our laws on genetically modifiedorganisms.” —Reuters

Portugal vows to

stick to austerity

as bailout endsMADRID: Portugal will stick to its austerity course after its finan-cial bailout program of 78 billion euros ($106 billion) ends in May,Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said yesterday.

The country has been living under the strict rules of the rescueprogram agreed in May 2011 with the so-called troika of the EU,the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.In exchange for rescue loans, Portugal agreed to push throughausterity measures and deep reforms that have sparked reces-sion, pushed up unemployment and encountered increasingresistance from unions and voters. Passos Coelho said Portugalwould “enter into a new phase” after the bailout package expireson May 17.

“This new phase will not signify a return to fiscal indiscipline,to a loss of competitiveness, to the accumulation of debt and ofeconomic stagnation,” he said during a speech at conference inMadrid on the future of the European Union. “Portugal has experi-enced with great suffering where that path leads us. Believe methe Portuguese know very well the price we pay for irresponsibili-ty and shortsightedness in political choices. We say no to irre-sponsibility.”

Portugal’s international creditors on Wednesday called on allparties and citizens in the country to back austerity measures for“a few more years” after its financial bailout package ends in May.

“The troika have let it be known that it will be good to have abigger consensus, not only with the PS (opposition Socialist Party)but also with the whole of Portuguese society,” said MiguelFrasquilho of the ruling centre-right PSD, following a meetingwith representatives from the creditor institutions.

Troika representatives arrived Wednesday in Lisbon to look atthe country’s accounts before it leaves the program. ThePortuguese economy emerged from recession last year andunemployment has begun to fall from record levels as the gov-ernment has worked to squeeze down the country’s publicdeficit. Despite Portugal’s efforts the main ratings agencies stillclassify the country’s bonds as junk. —AFP

Building services and construction companyInterserve Plc is buying a maintenance businessfrom Rentokil Initial Plc for 250 million pounds($417 million), in pursuit of double-digit growth inearnings next year. The FTSE-250 company, whoseservices range from cleaning Sainsbury’s supermar-kets to building shopping malls in the Middle East,said buying Initial Facilities adds maintenance con-tracts at JP Morgan, the London Underground,Debenhams and others to its business.

The deal will add double-digit percentagegrowth to earnings next year and a little less in2014, probably mid-single digits, Interserve ChiefExecutive Adrian Ringrose told Reuters.

He said there was “definitely a more optimisticoutlook” for 2014, based on the uptick in Britain’sconstruction sector at the end of last year.Interserve shares jumped as much as 6 percentafter the announcement of the deal and annualresults showing an 8 percent rise in profit last year.Initial Facilities provide services including cleaning,catering, security, and mechanical and energymanagement.

Interserve said it planned a share placement ofup to 9.9 percent of its ordinary shares to part fundthe deal, with the rest coming from a new bankfacility. The sale comes as Rentokil, whose servicesrange from pest control to catering and security,

nears the end of a major restructuring program tofocus on core businesses. It said proceeds from thesale would be used primarily to pay down debt.

The 8 percent rise in profit for the year to Dec31, 2013 was led by Interserve’s maintenance unitand an early recovery in the British property sectorthat offset weak international construction in thefirst half of last year. Its London-listed shares tradedas high as 609 pence on Friday morning. This wasstill far below the company’s intrinsic value of1,077.2 pence, according to Thomson ReutersStarMine’s model of how much a stock should beworth when considering expected growth ratesover the next 15 years. —Reuters

Interserve buys Rentokil unit

B U S I N E S SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

TOKYO: Japan’s recovery is holding steadyahead of a looming sales tax hike, economicindicators showed yesterday though weak-ness in wages and spending suggest itremains vulnerable to a reversal.

The consumer price index rose 1.3 per-cent in January and factory production alsoclimbed. Past experience suggests Japanwill see a big plunge in demand after the 3percentage point tax hike to 8 percent onApril 1, said economist Masamichi Adachi ofJP Morgan in Tokyo. “It is a very difficulttime to gauge the underlying strength ofthe economy,” he said. As manufacturersand retailers raise prices to compensate forhigher costs they are passing them on toconsumers, who already appear to be tight-ening their belts to compensate. Japaneseawoke yesterday to front-page reports ofplans for hikes in the prices paid for vend-ing machine soft drinks and plans for fur-ther increases in gas and electricity rates.

Contrary to earlier expectations, manu-facturers are forecasting that factory outputwill fall in March, following a 4 percentincrease in January to about the level it wasat before a massive earthquake and tsuna-mi hit northeastern Japan in March 2011,the Ministry of Economy, Trade andIndustry reported.

Japan’s financial industry and banks arerelatively sound, compared with the 1990s.Its companies have much less debt andthere is no reason to expect a major region-al crisis similar to the one that slammed theeconomy in 1997, plunging the economyinto recession. By coincidence, that periodof economic trauma followed a tax hike inJapan. The government and central bankhave unleashed a flood of monetary and fis-cal stimulus aimed at breaking Japan freefrom a long spell of deflation, or fallingprices, that is thought to discourage invest-ment and spending.

But the central bank needs to ensurefinancial markets remain stable and PrimeMinister Shinzo Abe needs to deliver onpromises for reforms to help make theeconomy more competitive, Adachi said.“Confidence matters a lot for Abenomics,”he said. “More stimulus is necessary and

more structural change, so people willbelieve things will change.” In a rare cau-tionary remark Thursday, a Bank of Japanvice governor, Takehori Sato, emphasizedthat the central bank must focus on a fulland sustainable recovery, rather than justachieving the government’s inflation targetof 2 percent. “What the price stability targetaims to achieve after all is not simply a risein prices. Rather, it aims to achieve a situa-tion in which a rise in prices is accompaniedby a rise in wages, coupled with animprovement in the overall economy,” Satosaid. Given the expected impact of the taxhike, “we have to avoid leaving an impres-sion that the Bank has been solely pursuinga pick-up in prices without due attention tothe economy.”

Jobless rate steadyMarch is labor negotiation season in

Japan, and some of the biggest compa-nies have indicated they are open to rais-ing base wages, rather than just bonuses

or other payments, for the first time inyears. But such increases are likely to bemodest at less than the equivalent of $100a month and will affect only a fraction ofthe work force. For most workers, realincomes will continue to fall as prices rise.January’s 1.3 percent rise in core inflationmarked the eighth straight month of priceincreases and matched the increase inDecember. Excluding both food and ener-gy, prices rose 0.7 percent, also on a parwith the month before. The “‘core’ and‘core-core’ measures have started to leveloff at levels well short of the target,”Capital Economics said in a commentary.It said that suggests the Bank of Japanneeds to do more to hit its eventual infla-tion target of 2 percent.

The jobless rate remained steady at 3.7percent, with 104 job offers for every 100job seekers. Companies generally havestepped up use of overtime and hiring ofpart-time workers to handle higherdemand. —AP

Japan economy steadyahead of sales tax hike Recovery still vulnerable to reversal

TOKYO: People look around a clothing store in Tokyo. Japan’s consumer priceindex rose 1.3 percent in January and factory production also climbed, sug-gesting the recovery in the world’s third-largest economy is holding steadyahead of an April 1 tax hike. — AP

A customer checks fish for sale at Sittwe market, Rakhinestate western Myanmar yesterday. — AFP

Pearson earnings to fall in year

of restructuringLONDON: Britain’s Pearson warned its earnings would fallsharply again in 2014 as the publisher entered the secondyear of a restructuring sparked by the deterioration in itsmain US education market.

Pearson, the 170-year-old world leader in educationwhich is under new leadership after years of good growth,suffered a tough 2013 and downgraded its outlook twice.The weaker-than-expected outlook for this year wipedanother 700 million pounds off its market value in earlyFriday trading, to take the fall in the share price since thebeginning of the year to more than 25 percent.

“This is the biggest restructuring in Pearson’s historyand we’re doing it at a time when our biggest business,North America, is facing the most difficult trading condi-tions it has in a decade,” Chief Executive John Fallon saidyesterday. “It is going to pay off and we will start to see itpay off in 2015.”

Pearson shares were down 7.1 percent, the biggest fall-er on the FTSE 100 index of blue-chip shares. “Results fromPearson have kicked investor hopes of quick recovery intothe long grass,” said Jonathan Helliwell, analyst at EdisonInvestment Research.

Pearson, which also owns the Financial Times and a 47percent stake in the Random House Penguin book group,for years beat market expectations as it rolled out its edu-cation and testing business around the world. But it washit by a string of managerial changes and slowing growthin 2013. Fallon took over from the 16-year veteranMarjorie Scardino last year and, faced with stalling earn-ings growth, embarked on a 150 million pound restructur-ing program to boost margins and counter tighter educa-tional budgets. It has been hit particularly in the UnitedStates where fewer people are enrolling in college coursesas the economy recovers, and where states have put offspending on school books as they wait for a new CommonCore education program to roll out.

The British group warned in January that its 2013 earn-ings would be lower than expected due to higher restruc-turing costs and poor demand for its North America edu-cation business in its key selling period, the fourth quarter.

Prior to Pearson’s 2013 results published yesterday,Reuters data showed that of 25 analysts covering the com-pany, 18 recommend investors to either hold or sell itsshares.

Pearson’s restructuring program is designed to acceler-ate the move from print to digital services, and increase itspresence in fast-growing emerging markets such as China,Brazil and India to tap into the rise in spending by a bur-geoning and aspirational middle class.

The 2013 results showed that North American educa-tion made up more than 53 percent of the 5.2 billionpounds of group sales, while international educationmade up 30 percent.

Adjusted earnings per share fell to 70.1 pence, afterrestructuring charges, from 82.6 pence in 2012. The com-pany said at current exchange rates, adjusted EPS shouldbe between 62 pence and 67 pence this year. The onlybright spot in the numbers was a 7 percent rise in the divi-dend, which the group said reflected its confidence that itwould return to growth in 2015. — Reuters

LONDON: Oil eased below $109 a barrel yesterday as tensionin Ukraine dampened risk appetite and easing winter weatherraised expectations of weaker demand. A severe winter in theUnited States supported oil prices in the early part of the year,helping oil avoid the weakness of other risk assets such asbase metals, as have supply losses in Libya and South Sudan.

Brent crude fell 55 cents to $108.41 a barrel by 0955 GMT,after dropping 56 cents in the previous session. US oildeclined 42 cents to $101.98. “Oil is not reacting like other riskmarkets because of the winter and geopolitical tensions in theMiddle East,” said Jonathan Barratt, chief executive of com-modity research firm Barratt’s Bulletin in Sydney.

“As the weather improves, some shine on that will comeoff. China’s slowdown will compound it even more. The mar-kets shouldn’t be here.” Brent is set to end the week down 1percent, the biggest drop in four weeks. US crude is set to endthe week slightly lower, snapping six straight weeks of gains -the longest period of weekly rises in a year.

Rising tension in Ukraine was also in focus. Armed men

took control of two airports in the Crimea region yesterday inwhat Ukraine’s government described as an invasion andoccupation by Russian forces. “The current situation is morebearish than bullish for oil prices as oil supply has not beenaffected so far and the dollar is strengthening against theUkrainian currency and the euro as risk appetite is hit,” said oilbrokers PVM in a report.

Concern about the demand outlook for the US and China,the world’s largest and second-largest oil consumers, alsoweighed on prices. China’s yuan looked set for its biggest dailyloss on record yesterday. The US government is set to cut itsestimate of fourth-quarter growth as exports and restockingby businesses were less robust than previously thought. TheCommerce Department will release its fresh estimate offourth-quarter GDP at 1330 GMT. Oil supplies appear to bemore plentiful. Iranian exports have increased so far this year.Global spare production capacity inched higher in Januaryand February the US government’s Energy InformationAdministration said on Thursday. — Reuters

Oil slips below $109 on demand concerns

B U S I N E S SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

PARIS: French unions and employ-ers started talks yesterday over howto cut social charges weighing oncompanies, though both sidesdoubted the cuts could be linked tohiring targets as President FrancoisHollande first promised.

The government hopes the par-ties will agree by early April on theterms of Hollande’s so-called“responsibility pact”, which aims torestore French corporate margins -the lowest in the euro zone - by cut-ting what they pay in social chargesby some 30 billion euros ($41.00 bil-lion).

Jobless data for January showed anew rise, after the Socialist-led gov-ernment failed to keep a promise toget unemployment coming down bythe end of 2013. Unveiling the planlast month as part of a shift to morebusiness-friendly policies, Hollandesaid business would in exchangehave to commit to “clear, precise,measurable and verifiable” hiringtargets.

But employers and even someunion leaders agree such goalswould be unworkable. “From amacroeconomic point of view it’sabsurd to think that we can set anumerical (hiring) target,” LaurentBerger, head of the CFDT, France’slargest union by membership, toldLes Echos business daily.

Pierre Gattaz, the head of France’smain employers group Medef, haspreviously cited a target of creatingone million extra jobs. But since thenhe has said he would reject anylegally-binding hiring targets. Talksare due to conclude shortly afterlocal elections in late March with adraft law based on the deal to besent to parliament aroundSeptember, delaying any potentialboost to job creation until the finalquarter of 2014.

“The pact will take effect overtime, but nobody is able to say that itwill start to create jobs in six or eightmonths,” said Joseph Thouvenel,vice president of the CFTC union.

Thouvenel said unions were likely tosee hiring goals per professional sec-tor, not on a national level, and thatthey may be defined in qualitativeterms rather than numerically. “Ofcourse you can’t have set the sameobjectives for the automotive sector,which is in decline, and the aeronau-tic sector, which is expanding,” headded.

Hollande is relying on lower laborcosts to kick-start hiring and eco-nomic growth quickly after he failedlast year to start bringing downunemployment, currently above 11percent.

Despite billions of euros spent onsubsidized jobs, a reform looseningrules on hiring and firing and a majortax break for companies, joblessnesshit a record in January with the num-ber of people out of work up by8,900. Sapin said this week the job-less total should start to fall this year.But the European Commission fore-cast that France’s jobless rate to stayat 11 percent in 2014. —Reuters

Hollande’s hiring targets in

doubt as reform talks begin

PARIS: A producer from Brittany gives a piece of cheese toFrench Interior Minister Manuel Valls (left) while FrenchAgriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll (right) looks on duringtheir visit to the Paris International Agricultural Show yester-day in Paris. The 51st edition of the Paris InternationalAgricultural Show is taking place until March 2. —AFP

Euro-zone jobless rate

steady, inflation flat

Draghi sees no deflation threatBRUSSELS: The euro-zone unemployment ratewas steady at a near-record 12 percent inJanuary, with a modest economic recovery yetto produce any sharp headline improvement,while February inflation was also flat, datashowed yesterday.

The official figures suggest the bloc contin-ues to make slow progress after exiting arecord 18-month recession in second quarter2013 but growth since then has been far fromstellar, reflected in the high jobless figures andlow inflation. Analysts said the economy seemsto be stabilizing but the European Central Bankwill have to be on guard and ready to takemore stimulus measures if need be.

Inflation is muted while the “jobs problemis far from over as the unemployment rateremains damagingly high at 12 percent,” saidHoward Archer of IHS Global Insight. TheJanuary outcome meant the jobless rate hasbeen flat at 12 percent since hitting a record12.1 percent in September. For the 28-memberEuropean Union, the January unemploymentrate was also unchanged at 10.8 percent. Theeuro-zone jobless total in January was 19.18million, with 26.23 million out of work in theEU, representing falls of 67,000 and 449,000compared with January 2013.

Compared with December 2013, however,both totals were up by 17,000. By country, thelowest January unemployment rates were inAustria, on 4.9 percent, with 5.0 percent inGermany, Europe’s biggest economy. Twice-bailed out Greece was hardest hit with 28 per-cent (based on November figures) followed bySpain on 25.8 percent.

Low inflation, deflation concerns Inflation in the 18-nation currency bloc was

flat at 0.8 percent in February, Eurostat said. By

component, food, alcohol and tobacco pricesrose 1.5 percent in February, a slower rate thanthe 1.7 percent reported in January whileenergy costs were down 2.2 percent after a fallof 1.2 percent, Eurostat said. Inflation hastrended steadily lower in recent months, com-ing in well below the ECB target of close to butjust under 2.0 percent and stoking concernsabout a risk of deflation, or falling prices inabsolute terms.

Deflation is dangerous because if con-sumers believe prices will fall they put off pur-chases, which forces companies to delayinvestment, hitting salaries and jobs, and so

setting up a vicious downward circle.ECB chief Mario Draghi insisted again

Thursday that he saw no danger of deflationas there was no “evidence of consumers post-poning expenditure plans.” Even though cur-rent inflation rates “can clearly not be consid-ered close to 2.0 percent... we are clearly not indeflation, which is defined as a self-reinforcingfall in prices that is broad-based across itemsand across countries,” Draghi said.

Archer said inflation may have bottomedout but it “is still markedly lower than the ECBwould like,” a concern when coupled withfalling bank lending to businesses. —AFP

IAG confident on

2015 profit target LONDON: British Airways-owner International Airlines Groupsaid it was on track to more than double profit over the nexttwo years, as a turnaround at its Iberia unit gains traction and itdrives down costs across its business. IAG swung to a profit lastyear, boosted by a strong performance at British Airways andon revenue from newly acquired low-cost carrier Vueling,which competes with Ryanair and easyJet in European short-haul. Operating profit was 770 million euros ($1 billion) beforeexceptional items last year, beating an analysts’ consensusforecast of 765 million from a 23 million loss in 2012. IAG’s tar-get, which it raised by 12.5 percent in November, is to lift oper-ating profit to 1.8 billion euros for 2015, through cost cuts atBA, Iberia’s recovery and Vueling growth.

Shares in IAG, which have doubled over the last twelvemonths, fell 3 percent to 438 pence by 1106 GMT. “They’re inline with consensus but one got the impression that there wasan expectation that given their cost measures and the strengthof North Atlantic that they could have beaten consensus,” RBCanalyst Damian Brewer said.

Reconfirming its 2015 profit target yesterday, IAG said itexpected to make steady progress this year by cutting costs.“They’re still guiding to a 2015 figure of 1.8 billion euros, sothey obviously have a lot of work to do this year. In that con-text with the stock having doubled, and these numbers onlybeing in line, you’re going to get some profit taking,” Cantoranalyst Robin Byde said.

Chief Executive Willie Walsh said the company was headingin the right direction to be able to reinstate its dividend. “Ourintention is to get the business to a position where it can pay adividend and sustain the significant capital expenditure pro-gram that we have embarked on,” he said.

“Clearly with the progress we’ve made in 2013 over 2012,and our restatement of our goal for 2015, we’re certainly ontrack to achieve that situation,” he told reporters on a call.

Iberia, which has dragged on group earnings since themerger with BA in 2011, narrowed its operating loss by 185million euros to 166 million euros in the year.

“Iberia’s making good progress. It’s ahead of where webelieved it would be in 2013 and is on line to be profitable in2014,” Walsh said. IAG has agreed with Spanish pilots on cut-ting labor costs. That and new capacity at BA would drivedown units costs and lift profits, he said, noting that perform-ance was good across its markets, except in the Spanishdomestic market. —Reuters

KABUL: Afghan laborers work at a construction site in Kabul yesterday.Afghanistan’s economy is recovering from decades of conflict butdespite the significant improvement in the last decade it is extremelypoor, and highly dependent on foreign aid. — AFP

B U S I N E S SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

NICOSIA: Cyprus was to put an amend-ed privatization bill before parliamentyesterday in a bid to meet a loomingdeadline from lenders to release thenext tranche of a 10-billion-euro loan.MPs failed to adopt a first version of thecontroversial bill in a tied vote onThursday evening which threw thebailout deal with international creditorsinto disarray.

The government has said it needs topass the legislation for the sale of stateutilities by Wednesday to meet the con-ditions set by the European CentralBank, the European Commission andthe International Monetary Fund. MPswill convene in emergency session onTuesday to debate the amended text,state radio reported. Governmentspokesman Christos Stylianides said itwas critical that parliament pass thelegislation to avoid jeopardizing thecredibility of Cyprus’s efforts to restorestability after the March 2013 bailoutdeal which was accompanied by asevere banking crisis and plunged theisland into deep recession. He said thenew bill would contain amendments toreflect the concerns of the centre-rightDIKO party, five of whose MPs abstainedin Thursday’s cliffhanger vote.

“The new bill to be tabled by thegovernment today (Friday) incorporatesmany of the amendments that were dis-cussed (with MPs) and consented to bythe minister of finance, so we hope tohave a vote in favor of the bill,”Stylianides said.

“It is a very critical issue. We hope tohave the consent of the House so thatwe do not have a regrettable incidentthat affects the reliability and validity ofthe Republic at a time when it hasrecovered its credibility and stabilized

the situation.”

Tight timetable Conservative President Nicos

Anastasiades, who just last week wasboasting of a “new economic miracle”on the island following last year’s near-meltdown, echoed the point in a tweet.

“I am determined to keep the coun-try on the path of stabilization andrecovery,” he said. Stylianides said theamendments would safeguard therights of staff of the island’s ports, pow-er and telecoms utilities which are ear-marked for privatization.

Workers of all three have held strikesin the past week, drawing condemna-tion from employers who warned thatthe unions were dealing a death knell toa recession-hit economy already on itsknees. Around 200 police in riot gear

kept protesters at a distance duringThursday’s debate after hundreds ofelectricity authority workers laid siege toparliament on Monday and scufflesbroke out with police.

Staff fear there will be layoffs tomake the utilities attractive to buyerswhich will throw them onto the jobmarket at a time of record unemploy-ment. “Workers’ rights are safeguarded,as they currently stand in each semi-governmental organization which is inthe process of being privatized,”Stylianides said.

The troika of international lenders isdemanding Cyprus raise 1.4 billioneuros ($1.9 billion) through a two-yearprogram of privatizations. But critics fearthe government will underprice the util-ities and that the move will damageworkers and consumers alike. — AFP

Cyprus to put amended

sell-off bill to MPs

Deadline from lenders looms

Turkish Cypriot farmer Mehmet Eligon picks hay with a pitchfork on his farm inthe village of Kirni in the breakaway northern, Turkish Cypriot part of ethnical-ly split Cyprus. — AP

FRANKFURT: German retailers reported a surprisinglystrong increase in business at the start of the year, officialdata showed yesterday.

Retail sales, a closely watched measure of household con-fidence, increased by 2.5 percent in January compared withDecember, the federal statistics office Destatis said in a state-ment. That was the strongest increase since February 2007,the statisticians said. Retail sales had dropped by 2.0 percentin December and analysts had been forecasting a muchmore modest increase for January.

On a 12-month basis, business increased by 0.9 percentin January compared with the same month last year, thestatisticians calculated. Retail sales data are subsequent tofrequent revision, but following a rise in a key consumer con-fidence index earlier this week, analysts said the outlook forhousehold spending in Germany looks positive. “Germanhouseholds began the new year 2014 on an optimistic noteaccording to confidence surveys and the hard data reflectthat,” said Berenberg Bank economist Christian Schulz. TheGfK consumer confidence barometer rose in February and isprojected to rise again in March.

“The outlook for consumption in Germany is bright andthe January data hint at the potential. A strong labor market,low inflation and an improving economic outlook givehouseholds the confidence and means to spend more,”Schulz said.

“We expect private consumption to be a robust driver ofeconomic growth this year, which could make a strong startinto 2014 according to the data received so far,” the expertsaid.

Natixis economist Johannes Gareis agreed. The data“underline our scenario that private consumption continuesto play a prominent role in Germany’s economy this year,after it lost steam in the fourth quarter,” he said. “All in all,upbeat consumer confidence, lower unemployment, lowerprice inflation, and record-low interest rates should clearlytranslate into more consumer spending in Germany thisyear,” Gareis said.

Annalisa Piazza at Newedge Strategy said that house-holds were seeing the benefit of a resilient labor market andsome improvement in their disposable income. “Lower infla-tion, coupled with rising employment and rising incomegrowth, represent solid pre-conditions for a rebound in con-sumer spending in the first quarter,” she said. “That said, werule out that German retail sales will continue to rise at thesame pace in the remainder of the quarter. Indeed, the seriesremains very volatile and the January increase might beseen also as a technical correction after the dismal pre-Christmas retail activity,” Piazza said. — AFP

German retail

sales surprise to

upside in January

KARACHI: Pakistan recorded five per-cent growth in the first quarter of thecurrent fiscal year, the central banksaid yesterday, beating its target andalmost doubling the figure for thesame period last year. The State Bankof Pakistan data for the early months ofthe financial year began in July, 2013said GDP grew by 5.0 percent, com-pared with only 2.9 percent in the firstquarter of the last fiscal year.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan, plagued bya bloody, destabilizing Islamist insur-gency and chronic power shortages,has struggled to energize its economyin recent years. Growth has bumpedalong well below the level experts sayis needed to absorb new entrants tothe workforce from Pakistan’s growing,youthful population. “Since the macro-economic indicators were favorable atthe start of the year, the increase in real

GDP growth in fiscal year 2014 was dis-cernible,” the bank said. Pakistan’seconomists had set a growth target forthe current financial year of 4.4 per-cent, and the central bank in earlierreports had forecast growth of fourpercent.

The upbeat first quarter perform-ance came on the back of good per-formances by the industrial and servic-es sectors, the report said. However thebank warned that inflation swelled to8.1 percent in the first quarter com-pared with 5.6 percent in the corre-sponding period last year.

The IMF approved a $6.7 billionbailout loan package for Pakistan inSeptember last year to help the coun-try achieve economic reforms, particu-larly in its troubled energy sector. Thefund also observed that Pakistan’seconomy was picking up. — AFP

Pakistan economy

grows beyond targets

RAWALPINDI: A Pakistani vendor cranks a manual ferris wheel ridden by children by the side of astreet in Rawalpindi yesterday. Pakistan was on track to receive a third loan tranche worth $550million from the International Fund this year, the Washington-based lender indicated February 10,saying the nation’s economic recovery was gathering pace. — AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

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This picture released by theBowen Tourism Center showsa man standing next to a 10-metre and seven-ton mangomonument in the statue’shometown of Bowen, inQueensland. — AFP

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Shakira opens new school for underprivileged kids

The ‘Can’t Remember To Forget You’ singerwent back to her home country Colombia toopen the new facility on Monday which has

been funded by her Pies Descalzos charity. She toldBillboard.com: “This is part of my advocacy: Promoteaccess to universal education. “I want to demon-strate through the Pies Descalzos model how we canchange the lives, not only of the children who cometo school, but also their families. Entire communitiescan be transformed when you have a school thatfunct ions properly .” The school , located in

Cartagena, will educate 1,700 needy children rang-ing from toddlers to teenagers. Shakira brought 13-month-old Milan, her son with soccer star GerardPiquÈ, with her for his first visit to Columbia, and gothim a passport while they were there. Talking abouther hopes for the students of the school, she added:“I’m so happy to see so many joyful faces in thesestudents. “They’ l l have the tools necessary tobecome good citizens, far from violence and drugs.We dream of the day in which there will be no childwithout an education in Colombia.”

The N-Dubz singer and reality TV star has been chargedover an alleged incident in the early hours yesterdaymorning after a performance at Chicago’s Nightclub in

Essex, Southern England. A police source said Dappy willface allegations of “assault by beating” under his real name,Costadinos Contostavlos. The spokesperson added to theDaily Mirror newspaper: “He has been released on bail priorto his appearance at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on March19.” The singer and rapper had earlier said he enjoyed hisnight at the club, writing on Twitter: “Had a great night inChicagos. Crowd was amazing.” A source close to the 26-year-old star - who was recently a runner-up on ‘CelebrityBig Brother’ - denied he was responsible for the altercation.The friend said: “He acted in complete self defense.” InDecember 2008 Dappy pleaded guilty to two accounts ofassault after reportedly spitting in a girl’s face during a nightout. In 2013 he was also convicted of affray and assault by

beating over a fight on a petrolstation forecourt, for

which hereceived a six-month sen-tence, sus-pended for 18months aswell asbeingordered todo 150hourscommuni-ty serviceand pay£4,500

compen-sation and

£2,000 incosts. Outside

of court afterreceiving the

charges he toldthe BBC: “I

thought it was theend. Everything I’d

worked so hard forall these years. I can’t

lie, I dropped a tear inthat dock.”

—Bangshowbiz

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The German supermodel wasoffered the huge amount by anArab prince, but didn’t take him up

on it as she thought it was “strange”.Asked by talk show host Jonathan Rosswhat requests she had during her hugesuccess in the 90s, she replied: “Loadsof weird ones, but the strangest onewas from an Arab prince. “He askedif he could hire me for a dinner fora million pounds. I declined, andsome other supermodel took it.”Claudia - who is married to filmdirector Matthew Vaughn -declined to say which princemade her the offer. She alsoclaimed she was a “loser”at school. She said:“Everyone called me Duckbecause my bum stuckout and I walked kind offunny because my legsare a bit funny, and Iwas really tall. I didn’thave any friends.”Although she’s nowused to being pho-tographed for mag-azines and appear-ing in adverts in justher underwear, themodel claims she isnaturally shy. Sheadded: “I am just shywhen there are lots ofpeople. I’m OK whenwe’re just one on one,or maybe four people.I’m a really, really shy per-son. Once I put the make-up on I’d go ‘OK, I cancope’.”

Claudia Schiffer turns down £1m dinner date

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

The British royal is said to be dating theCroatian beauty - an ex-girlfriend ofGeorge Clooney - after they were intro-

duced by friends, celebrating his 54th birth-day together last week a Cecconi’s restaurantin London. A source told UsMagazine.com:“They sat next to each other at an intimatetable by the front of the restaurant and werecuddling up to each other. Andrew was mak-ing Monika laugh and kissing her hand.” Theeyewitness added during the dinner “Monikagave him a birthday card and the serverbrought out a white birthday cake fordessert.” Days later they were spotted at TheArts Club in Mayfair, where Andrew wrapped

his arms around Monika and kissed her.Another source said: “It was obvious they area couple, they looked like two lovebirds.”Andrew, the Duke of York, was previouslymarried to Sarah Ferguson from 1986 to 1996,and they have two daughters, PrincessBeatrice, 25, and Princess Eugenie, 23, togeth-er. Although they are no longer married,Andrew and Sarah maintain a good relation-ship and even holiday as a family with theirdaughters. Monika, 33, first dated George in2004 and they have had an on-off relation-ship since, and were said to be seeing eachother again briefly last year after the ‘Gravity’star’s relationship with Stacy Keibler ended.

Prince Andrew dating Monika Jakisic?

The ‘Girl, Interrupted’ star is an avid bar-gain hunter and lover of vintage clothes,and is also not afraid to recycle outfits

she has previously worn to events. She toldRed magazine: “Most of my wardrobe is vin-tage and I’ve worn dresses to the Oscars that Igot for $10. “At Sean Penn’s last Haiti gala Iwore this vintage dress that I’d worn to a filmpremiere in 2005. I know that’s kind of a no-noin the fashion world, but why wear somethingjust once if you love it?” The 42-year-oldactress rose to fame in the mid 80s while shewas still a teenager and had continuing suc-

cess in her 20s, which she says made her 30shard, as her young looks meant she didn’talways get picked for the roles she wanted. Sheadded: “My early thirties were rough. I wentthrough stuff that I would have gone through,and probably should have gone through muchyounger, but I had spent my twenties working.Even when I was the right age for older roles,people thought of me as being younger. It wastough because I’d had so much success in myearly twenties.” In the same interview Winonaalso said she one day hopes to work with ‘TheWire’ writer David Simon.

Winona Ryder once wore a $10 dress to Oscars

The ‘Glee’ actress,who was left devas-tated when her

boyfriend and co-star wasfound dead in his hotelroom in Vancouver,Canada, after a drug andalcohol overdose in July2013, claims they wantedto start a family together.She told the new editionof UK’s Glamour maga-zine: “We talked aboutchildren and what wewould look like when wegrew old.” The 27-year-old star dated Cory, 31, fortwo years after meetingon set, and she finallyfeels “a bit more backtogether” after losing theactor, who she thinkswould like to see her tofall in love again. She said:“It’s so important to makesure I’m 100 percent OKbefore I get into a rela-tionship. “People have tounderstand that I can’t bealone forever. Corywouldn’t want that.” The‘Cannonball’ hitmaker will

release her debut album, ‘Louder’ on March 17, and one of the tracks, ‘IfYou Say So’, represents the last words Cory ever said to her. The heart-wrenching ballad, which Lea co-wrote with Australian singer-song-writer Sia Furler, sees her sing about the week after Cory’s tragic death.Lyrics include: ‘It’s just a week ago, you said I love you girl. I said I loveyou more. And a breath, a pause, you said, if you say so.

Lea Michele wanted kids with Cory Monteith

RobinThicke

is trying to win Paula Patton back

The ‘Blurred Lines’ singer and his wifeannounced they have split after almostnine years of marriage earlier this

week, but as he landed in Washington DCthis ahead of a show, he said he is hopingthey will get back together. He toldTMZ.com: “I’m just trying to get herback.”When questioned further, he added:“You know, [I’m] just trying to figure it out,man.” Robin - who has a three-year-old son,Julian, with Paula - cancelled two concertsahead of announcing the couple’s split, butposted a message thanking his fans for theirsupport and saying he’s looking forward toresuming his tour on his website. He wrote:“I want to thank everyone for the well wishesthese last few days. My fans mean every-thing to me. I’m looking forward to gettingback on out on the road and performing inWashington, DC this Thursday, and the restof the tour. Looking forward to seeing every-one out there!” Meanwhile it has emergedPaula had a huge argument with the‘Blurred Lines’ singer following his appear-ance with Miley Cyrus at the MTV VideoMusic Awards (VMAs) last year, which fea-tured the 21-year-old star Twerking againsthim. Paula is said to have found the incidentinsulting, particularly as it took place in frontof a huge national TV audience. She is alsosaid to be furious with Robin’s insistence oncontinuing to party at clubs and frequentlybeing pictured with various women.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Until last year, the few tourists who visit-ed the small west African town ofOuidah were likely headed to the

Gateway of No Return, a massive monumentto the area’s bleak history as a slave tradinghub. But the town may soon become knownfor an attraction of an entirely different sort:the first sub-Saharan Africa museum dedicat-ed exclusively to contemporary African art.The Zinsou Museum, installed in an ornate100-year-old villa, has attracted 13,000 visi-tors since its launch in November-an impres-sive tally for an out-of-the-way town in thesparsely visited nation of Benin.

The reputation-and monetary value-ofcontemporary African art has steadily risen inrecent years. Curators and collectors fromNorth America and Europe frequently fly in toartistic hubs like Lagos, Nigeria seeking newtalent and new work by established names.But for Marie-Celine Zinsou, who spearhead-ed the creation of the museum, better notori-ety for African artists abroad was not enough.

While on a trip to Benin with a Frenchbased children’s charity in 2005 she wantedto take a group of youths to an art museum. “Ifound that there wasn’t any structure to show(the children) work from their own continent,”she told AFP. Zinsou, the grandniece of one ofBenin’s first presidents, secured an invest-ment from her father Lionel, a businessmenwith duel French and Benin nationality whopreviously worked for France’s ForeignMinister Laurent Fabius.

The Zinsou foundation opened in 2005 ata building in Benin’s largest city of Cotonou,where access was free to view both Africanand foreign art. The foundation attracted fourmillion visitors in eight years, mostly studentsunder the age of 15. As it became more estab-lished, the Zinsou Foundation began acquir-ing a diverse collection of contemporaryAfrican art, with the goal of opening a perma-nent museum.

The perfect location The Villa Ajavon, an expansive cream-col-

ored home built in 1922 by a Togolese trader,drew Zinsou to Ouidah, a town of 60,000 peo-ple some 40 kilometers (25 miles) fromCotonou. “When we found out this sublimebuilding was available, we jumped at thechance,” said Zinsou. “Its style is very symbol-ic, very specific to this region,” she said. Theslave trade monument in Ouidah is a massivearchway with two long lines of naked,chained men in bas-relief along the top, tosuggest the group is being marched into theAtlantic Ocean.

Hundreds of thousands of Africans werebelieved to have been condemned to slaveryfrom the beach below the archway. The VillaAjavon in a sense defies that history, havingbeen built by the descendants of slaves whoreturned from the Brazilian city of Bahia in astyle influenced by both Brazilian and Africanarchitecture, said Zinsou.

The villa falls along a quiet dirt road linedwith run-down bungalows and is just a fewhundred meters from the Temple of Pythons,a major centre of voodoo worship whichretains powerful influence in Benin. While thevilla needed to be renovated to host a muse-um, Zinsou said the priority was to preserveits original structure.

Air conditioning in main hall was thereforeforbidden so as to not disfigure the exterior,so those who wants to see the museum’s col-lection must be prepared to sweat. Air circu-lates through sunlight corridors where theworks of leading African artists are on display,including: Ethiopia’s Mickael Bethe-Selassie,Frederic Bruly-Bouabre of Ivory Coast andCheri Samba of the Democratic Republic ofCongo.

Like in Cotonou, the entrance in Ouidah isfree and the visitors are typically very young.Eight-year-old Achmine Atindehou said shewas on her second visit to the ZinsouMuseum and had already grown very confi-dent in her arguably peculiar tastes. “I like thedrawing ‘Living Memory’ (by the British-SouthAfrican artist Bruce Clarke) because it is nice.It is about death,” she said.

Museum director Claude Aktome saidoften children come with their school classesand then persuade their parents to bringthem back. Romuald Hazoume has exhibitedhis paintings, sculptures and photographs inLondon and New York, but became emotion-al when recalling his first showing in Benin,the country of his birth. “It was the first timethat I saw young people from Benin comingto admire my work,” he told AFP. “I cried thatday. I was so moved.” — AFP

Amonument to the Soviet Army in Bulgariareceived a pro-Ukrainian makeover asanonymous artists showed their support

for the anti-government protests in Kiev. A largeUkrainian flag was planted on the monumentovernight in the centre of Bulgaria’s capitalSofia, along with slogans including “Glory toUkraine!” The statue of a Soviet soldier from theSecond World War was turned blue and yellow-Ukraine’s national colors-and the phrase“Caputin” written on its pedestal, an apparentpun on the name of Russian President VladimirPutin. Like Ukraine, Bulgaria is a former Sovietstate and has faced its own spate of anti-gov-ernment protests in the past year. Russia’s influ-ence is far less strong in Bulgaria, which joinedthe European Union in 2007, although protest-ers complain of continued interference byRussian interests.

This is not the first time the Soviet monu-ment has been defaced. In 2011, unknownartists turned the soldiers into US pop cultureicons, including Superman, Captain Americaand fast-food mascot Ronald McDonald. It wasalso painted pink last year in an anonymouscommemoration of the Warsaw Pact invasionof Czechoslovakia in 1968. Their creationshave never lasted long thanks to complaintsfrom the Russian embassy in Sofia and rapidclean-up work by pro-Russian groups. The RedArmy monument has been a constant bone ofcontention between Russophiles and anti-communists in Bulgaria, who want it demol-ished. — AFP

Bulgaria artists defaceSoviet monument

A combo picture taken in Sofia, on February 23, 2014 (top) on August 21, 2013 (second fromtop), on June 17, 2011 (center) and March 15, 2012 shows the figures of Soviet soldiers at thebase of the Soviet Army monument, painted by an unknown artist and the same monumentafter it was cleaned. — AFP

Former slave trade town seeks to become African art hub

Benin artist Romuald Hazoume poses for a photograph at home in Cotonou, Benin. — AFP

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

A worker walks before a giant Oscar statue outside the DolbyTheater on Hollywood Boulevard February 27, 2014 inHollywood, California, during preparations for the upcoming86th Academy Awards to take place on March 2. — AFP

Hollywood is ready for its close-up tomorrow as stars gatherfor the most fiercely contested Oscars show in decades, butorganizers hope the weather doesn’t rain on their glam-

orous red carpet parade. Forecasters predict Los Angeles couldhave its biggest storm for two years potentially through the week-end, when the movie industry’s finest come together for the cli-max of the annual awards season. Three movies-harrowing histori-cal drama “12 Years a Slave,” 3D space thriller “Gravity” and 1970scrime caper “American Hustle”-are leading a packed field for thetop prizes.

On the acting front, Cate Blanchett is the hot favorite for herturn in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine,” while MatthewMcConaughey is widely tipped to strike Oscars gold for his por-trayal of homophobic AIDS activist Ron Woodroof in “DallasBuyers Club.” Jared Leto’s role as Woodroof’s unlikely transgenderbusiness partner has put him ahead of the field for best support-ing actor, and Lupita Nyong’o could take home a statuette for herbig-screen debut in “12 Years a Slave.”

‘Genuine suspense’ But all bets are off for the big prize of the night, the best picture

Oscar, which will be handed out at the end of the 86th AcademyAwards ceremony hosted by US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.“There’s going to be genuine suspense this year when that finalenvelope is opened,” awards consultant Tony Angellotti told theLos Angeles Times. The 6,000 or so voting members of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences cast their ballotsover 12 days starting on Valentine’s Day and ending on Tuesday.

But the best picture race is so close that the winner could comedown to only a few votes, under the Academy’s preferential votingsystem. Under the rules, voters rank all nine nominated films. Theyare: “American Hustle,” “Captain Phillips,” “Dallas Buyers Club,”“Gravity,” “Her,” “Nebraska,” “Philomena,” “12 Years A Slave” andMartin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Those with the least first-place votes are dropped, and theirvotes given to the next highest-ranked nominees. This continuesuntil one movie has 50 percent plus one vote. It has been a longawards season-extended by the Sochi Winter Olympics, whichbumped the Oscars from February into March. And it has alsobeen among the most grueling, partly due to the bumper crop offilms vying for glory.

Topping nominations are “American Hustle” and Mexicandirector Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity,” with 10 nods apiece, followedby “12 Years a Slave,” a true story of a black man sold into slavery,with nine. Cuaron is the frontrunner for the best director prize, andhis star Sandra Bullock earned high praise for her work in the spec-tacular space drama, prompting some to suggest she could causean upset in the best actress race. But Australia’s Blanchett remainsthe firm favorite in that category, despite a strong field also con-taining Meryl Streep (“August: Osage County”), Judi Dench(“Philomena”) and Amy Adams (“American Hustle”).

Star-studded night The star-studded Oscars broadcast will feature performances

by Irish rockers U2, playing their nominated song from “Mandela:Long Walk To Freedom,” and a first Oscars turn by veteran BetteMidler. Tomorrow night’s show will be preceded by the usual fash-ion extravaganza on the red carpet, as Tinseltown’s finest paradealong Hollywood Boulevard and into the Dolby Theatre.Organizers hope rain doesn’t affect the parade; they hastilyrescheduled the carpet roll-out to avoid forecast rain earlier in theweek, and said Thursday they were reviewing some camera posi-tions, partly due to the weather. The storm clouds come as a reliefto many locals, as California has been suffering its worst droughtfor a century over the last few months, threatening farmers andcattle ranchers. But for organizers of Tinseltown’s biggest night, itis probably one headache they could do without. — AFP

Hollywood primed for

(possibly soggy) Oscars night

From winners sobbing uncontrollably to shocking political out-bursts, bizarre snubs and streakers, the Oscars have seen it all-and tomorrow’s Academy Awards ceremony could provide

fresh drama. Organizers of Hollywood’s biggest night are white-knuckled as they brace for more unscripted moments that couldanger television viewers or throw the finely calibrated global telecastoff schedule.

With a worldwide television audience in the hundreds of millions,the temptation to use the event as a platform for political statementshas proved irresistible for past winners. Boos rang out around theKodak Theater in 2003 when maverick filmmaker Michael Moorelaunched a vitriolic attack on then-US president George W Bush for

waging war in Iraq. But Moore was only following the tradition ofturning the Oscars podium into a bully pulpit. Arguably, the mostfamous example came in 1973, when a woman calling herselfSacheen Littlefeather stood before the stunned audience to collectMarlon Brando’s best actor Oscar for “The Godfather.”

Littlefeather promptly refused to collect the award on Brando’sbehalf to protest the movie industry’s treatment of native Americans.Four years later, Vanessa Redgrave drew gasps and boos from theOscars faithful when she thanked the Academy for honoring her in“Julia” despite “the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums.”

Oscars presenter Paddy Chayefsky chastised her to muchapplause: “I am sick and tired of people exploiting the Academy

Awards for the propagation of their own personal propaganda. “Iwould like to suggest to Miss Redgrave that her winning an AcademyAward is not a pivotal moment in history, does not require a procla-mation, and a simple ‘thank you’ would have sufficed.” Sometimes,the choice of awards recipients can stoke controversy. The decisionto grant director Elia Kazan a lifetime achievement award in 1999divided the glitterati, with dozens of stars refusing to rise or applaud,in protest at the filmmaker’s decision to cooperate with the authori-ties during the 1950s communist witch-hunts. —AFP

And the winner is... memorable Oscars moments

Rumer Willis arrives at the Hollywood Domino & Bovet 1822’s7th Annual Pre-Oscar Hollywood Domino Gala & Tournamentat Sunset Tower Hotel on February 27, 2014 in WestHollywood, California. — AFP photos

Actress Vanessa Hudgens arrives. Amy Adams arrives.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Winter-weary gardeners and painters alikemay find inspiration in the colorfulpalette of the Philadelphia Flower Show,

which uses plants and petals to pay homage towork by artists like Matisse, Calder and Kandinsky.The main exhibitors partnered with major USmuseums to produce “ARTiculture,” this year’sfloral extravaganza which opens today and runsthrough March 9.

A perennial harbinger of spring, the flowershow will be perhaps more fervently welcomedthis season after the toll of an unusually cold andsnowy winter along the Eastern Seaboard. “Livingin the Northeast ... everyone is so sick of snowthat coming in and seeing color, and seeing theflower show, it’s going to be a welcome respitethis year,” said Drew Becher, president of theshow’s sponsor, the Pennsylvania HorticulturalSociety.

Previous themes for the 10-acre show havebeen places: England, Hawaii, Paris. But this year’smuseum-related theme is more abstract, in somecases literally. Schaffer Designs of Philadelphiapartnered with the Guggenheim Museum in NewYork to come up with “Kandinsky’s Canvas,” a flo-ral representation of three abstract paintings byWassily Kandinsky: “Circles in a Circle,” “LittleAccents” and “Dominant Curve.”

The “circles,” for instance, have been trans-formed into colorful balls of carnations and otherplant material. They look randomly placed untilviewers stand on a premarked spot and see thema through an empty picture frame. “They willactually see the painting come to life as it wasoriginally meant to be,” said designer BillSchaffer.—AP

Reeanne Frantz with Flowers by David places roses in prepa-ration for the annual Philadelphia Flower Show at thePennsylvania Convention Center, Thursday, Feb 27, 2014, inPhiladelphia. — AP photos

Rita Stanton with Robertson’s Flowers is seen working.

Assorted flowers are showcased at the annual PhiladelphiaFlower Show.

Sunflowers are displayed.

Philly Flower Showbrings art canvases to life

Nyong’o admitscomplexion was

‘obstacle’ in youth

Best supporting actress Oscar nom-inee Lupita Nyong’o says whenshe was a young girl, she wished

her dark-hued skin would becomelighter. The “12 Years a Slave” star deliv-ered an emotional speech while accept-ing her honor for best breakout per-formance at Essence magazine’s seventhannual Women in Hollywood luncheonThursday. She confessed that she triedto bargain with God to see a change inher skin tone. It wasn’t until she discov-ered supermodel Alek Wek that shebegan to believe in her own beauty.Essence also paid tribute to CherylBoone Isaacs, the first black president ofthe Academy of Motion Picture Arts andSciences. Also honored were AvaDuVernay, the first black woman to winbest director at the Sundance FilmFestival, and the champions of the CivilRights Act of 1964. — AP

Lupita Nyong’o arrives at the 71st annual Golden GlobeAwards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills,Calif. — AP

One year after his film, “Argo,” tookhome the Best Picture Oscar, BenAffleck said he finds the real US

State Department “quite intimidating.”“It’s just a pleasure to be back here in theState Department after - the real StateDepartment. I had to fake it for ‘Argo,’”Affleck told reporters in Washington, DCWednesday. “I get to see the real thinghere, so it’s quite intimidating.”

The actor-director was in the nation’scapital to testify at a Senate committeehearing about peace efforts in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo.Affleck founded the Eastern CongoInitiative and recently appeared in afundraising video for the charity withfriend and “Good Will Hunting” co-writerMatt Damon.

Affleck appeared alongside Secretaryof State John Kerry and Special Envoy forthe Great Lakes and the DemocraticRepublic, former senator Russ Feingold,at the State Department to thank Kerryfor making the Congo region - which alsoincludes the Republic of the Congo - apriority. Affleck was asked by a reporterhow the real State Department measuredup to what he depicted in “Argo.”

“Well, this part’s much better,” Afflecksaid about the ceremonial room inwhich the men appeared for remarks. “Infact, this was - this area was too fancy to

try to recreate so we just recreated whitehallways with colored stripes,” he added.At the committee hearing, Affleck saidthat while the dire situation in theCongo has improved from when he lasttestified to Congress 14 months ago, theUS needs to do more to ensure thatprogress continues.

“I am working to do my part for acountry and a people I believe in and caredeeply about,” he said. “I am thankful thatI can tell a more hopeful story one ofsmall but powerful victories. It reinforcesour belief that when the internationalcommunity acts and the Congolese gov-ernment rises to the moment, theseproblems are indeed solvable.”

However, the Oscar-winner stillargued that now is not the time to stepout. “People view the fire as having gonedown now. We cannot start to walk away.This is the critical moment.” Affleck wenton to say: “I am also here with an urgentmessage. Our work is not done. We can-not risk diminished us leadership at atime lasting stability and peace are withinreach. Accomplishments over the pastyear were hard fought. They are fragile.They are reversible.” Senators praisedAffleck’s commitment to the cause. “Yourcredibility is remarkable because of thedepth of your commitment,” said Sen.John McCain, R-Ariz. — Reuters

‘Batman vs Superman’s’Ben Affleck visits Washington

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Members of the all-female group ‘The Camel Toe Lady Steppers’ march. Krewe members throw beads from floats during the Krewe of Muses Mardi Gras parade inNew Orleans, Thursday, Feb 27, 2014. — AP photos

Parade of women with a signature float in the shape of a gianthigh heel had a different kind of glow this year. AmongThursday night’s Krewe of Muses floats and marching bands

was the group of women carrying tall, T-shaped torches known inNew Orleans as flambeaux. Calling themselves “Glambeaux,” thewomen shook and shimmied their way down city streets, paving theway for a new take on a Carnival tradition more than a century old.

Historically, flambeaux carriers hoisted torches to illuminateparades in the decades before floats carried their own electricallighting sources. In the early days, carriers were often slaves. Thoughstarted out of necessity, many parade clubs continued to featureflambeaux carriers for aesthetic reasons - and as a nod to Carnivaltradition. The 14-year-old Muses parade, one of the city’s youngest,has become an unofficial kickoff to the big Carnival weekend lead-ing up to Fat Tuesday. It’s followed by days of star-studded parades,including Endymion, Bacchus and Orpheus, which will lure hun-dreds of thousands of revelers to the city and pack downtownhotels.

“We’re pretty much sold out for Saturday and Sunday andthere’s strong occupancy on Monday and Tuesday too,” said KellySchulz, spokeswoman for the New Orleans Convention and VisitorsBureau. The Glambeaux were a new addition to Muses this year.While they are not the first to break barriers in carrying flambeaux,they are the first all-female troupe of choreographed dancers tocarry the torches.

“I thought they were a perfect fit for Muses,” said StaciRosenberg, the parade’s founder and captain. “It’s all about empow-ering women but also respecting tradition and heritage, and we do.”

Although Muses is a parade of all female riders, men are allowedto participate on the ground, so traditional flambeaux carriers -some second- and third-generation - marched with the Glambeaux

and in other sections of the parade.“It’s exciting, to have these beautiful ladies walking with us,” said

Lloyd Hickman, a New Orleans flambeaux carrier. “It’s Mardi Gras. It’sall good. Everybody gets to kind of do their own thing.” The torchesare heavy and a bit awkward, so being a Glambeaux required asmuch gut as glam, said Dani Johnson, the group’s founder and cap-tain.

Johnson said members had weekly boot camp-style workouts tobuild up strength to dance with the 5-foot-tall torches. They comewith a row of four burners across the top, backed with a reflectiveflash plate and propane tanks the women wear strapped to theirbacks. “I told them, you don’t get to punk out halfway through theparade,” Johnson said. “This is a commitment, and we’re going to beready for it.”

‘Ready to wear you out’The Glambeaux fit right in with this year’s parade theme, “Ready

to Wear You Out.” Celebrating fashion, the krewe’s more than 1,000members wore teal satin gowns as they tossed makeup brushes, fin-gernail buffers, ear buds, Muses dolls, rings that blink and beads thatsparkle to hundreds of thousands of revelers waiting along theroughly five-mile parade route. “It’s one of my favorite parades,” saidPaula Scheidt, a New Orleans resident wearing a bright purple wig,glittery hot pink shirt and a gold hair bow, belt and boots. She yelledfor throws, hoping to land a coveted shoe. “I love all the beautifulladies. They’ve got great throws, and the floats are comedic andexciting.”

A favorite was the float of sirens luring sailors to their deaths withtheir beauty and song. The float was followed by a group of zombie-like marchers dressed as sailors. The revelry continues Friday nightwith Grammy Award-winner Patti LaBelle scheduled to headline the

Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club’s annual Mardi Gras ball. MintCondition and The Rebirth Brass Band All Star Reunion, featuringIrvin Mayfield and Trombone Shorty, also will perform. Saturdaynight, country music superstar Carrie Underwood is scheduled toperform at the Superdome, where the Krewe of Endymion holds itsball after its parade.

British actor Hugh Laurie, who starred for eight years in Fox’shospital mystery drama “House,” will serve as the Krewe of Bacchus’celebrity monarch when that parade rolls Sunday evening, andactor-director Quentin Tarantino will reign as the Krewe of Orpheus’celebrity monarch Monday night. Also riding in Orpheus are actorsJohn Schneider and James Roday. Schneider is known for his role on“Dukes of Hazzard” and stars in OWN Network’s “The Haves and TheHave Nots.” Roday is star of USA Networks’ “Psych.”

This year the Orpheus parade will include a tribute float to rock‘n’ roll Hall of Fame performer Fats Domino. Although Domino, 85,won’t be riding, he has been named honorary grand marshal, andhis music will be played as family members throw coaster-size, gold-record doubloons and other Fats Domino-themed trinkets from thefloat. The 1970s rock band Cheap Trick is scheduled to perform atthe Orpheuscapade gala held after the parade. Cheap Trick’s biggesthits include “Surrender,” “I Want You to Want Me” and “The Flame.”The Zulu parade is the first to roll on Mardi Gras, followed by Rexand two other parades. — AP

Muses parade kicks off big Carnival weekend

AChristian ministry’s long-stalled plans tobuild Noah’s Ark in the hills of Kentuckyhave been revived. Creation Museum

founder Ken Ham announced Thursday that amunicipal bond offering has raised enough mon-ey to begin construction on the Ark Encounterproject, estimated to cost about $73 million.Groundbreaking is planned for May and the ark isexpected to be finished by the summer of 2016.

Ham said a high-profile evolution debate hehad with “Science Guy” Bill Nye on Feb 4 helpedboost support for the project. Nye said he was“heartbroken and sickened for theCommonwealth of Kentucky” after learning thatthe project would move forward. He said the arkwould eventually draw more attention to thebeliefs of Ham’s ministry, which preaches thatthe Bible’s creation story is a true account, andas a result, “voters and taxpayers in Kentucky

will eventually see that this is not in their bestinterest.”

Ham’s Answers in Genesis ministry and theCreation Museum enjoyed an avalanche of newsmedia attention during the debate, whichfocused on science and the Bible’s explanations ofthe origins of the universe. Answers in Genesisunveiled the proposal in 2010 for a $150 milliontheme park that would include the ark. But privatedonations to the project did not keep pace withthe construction timeline, forcing its backers todelay the ark’s construction and divide the parkdevelopment into phases. The bonds wereoffered last year by the city of Williamstown, siteof the planned ark about 40 miles south ofCincinnati.—AP

Noah’s ark projectto move forward

In this file photo, Ken Ham, founder of the nonprofit ministry Answers in Genesis, poses with one ofhis favorite animatronic dinosaurs during a tour of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky. — AP

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

She may sing “Please Don’t Stop TheMusic,” but the music at the Balmainshow had well and truly stopped when

seven-time Grammy Award-winner Rihannasneaked in the back door, after everyonehad left. That is, apart from a handful of peo-ple. Here are the highlights of Thursday’s fall-winter ready-to-wear shows.

Rihanna’s surprise visit at BalmainThe singer, who had plum lips and wore

a revealingly plunging terre verte beltedBalmain jacket, arrived at Paris’ Hotel de Villewith heavy security, and was greeted byfriend and designer Olivier Rousteign, whohugged her and gushed: “She’s the hottestgirl in the world.” The well-dressedBarbadian superstar has her eyes set on thefashion industry - and not just as the face ofBalmain. She caused a stir earlier this monthwhen she said wants to launch her own fash-ion label. And when asked Thursday if shewas here to get inspiration for her ownbrand, she hinted she’s attending ParisFashion Week to get ideas. “I love Balmainand can be inspired by (Rousteign’s) clothes.I’m inspired by everything here (in Paris),”she told the Associated Press, her only com-ments before being whisked away. Rihannais no stranger to the industry: she’s createdcollections for two fashion labels before forArmani in 2011, and for high-street brandRiver Island. She may hope to tread a pathsimilar to rapper Kanye West, who now hashis own fashion brand, shows in Paris and isa regular attendee at runway shows. Couldthis be a reconnaissance mission?

Zebra stripes, leopard print, beaded jack-ets mixed with khaki colors, flak pockets andsafari pants. Yes, this was Africa - at least,Balmain’s opulent and decadent version ofit. And the exotic musing helped Rousteign

produce a subtler collection than usual. Thebrashness was still there of course in a citrusyellow fleece sweater or in the waists whichwere cinched to within an inch of life. Butthe fall-winter collection saw some of thebest looks seen so far this season, like apetrol blue knotted rope sheath with a regal-feel twinned with beige cuffs that resembledAfrican bracelets. L’afrique, c’est chic!

Rihanna upstages Catherine DeneuveRihanna caused a media scrum as she

entered the Lanvin show in a beige trilbyhat. With the sort of fame the pop star pos-sesses, it’s inevitable that even the mosticonic of vintage stars will be upstaged. Itwas the case with Catherine Deneuve, amain fixture at Paris Fashion Week, wholooked nonplussed in her front row seat aspeople busied around the singer. Onething’s certain: the “Belle de Jour” star won’t

be too bothered, since at 70, she’s seen it allbefore.

Lanvin uses fur like cottonTo the set of an age-old movie studio

with flood lighting Alber Elbaz produced yetanother symphony of excitement, nostalgiaand innovation for Lanvin. The show in theLeft bank Ecole des Beaux-Arts was varied -Elbaz famously designs to give women asmuch choice as possible. The first aria: feath-ered riding hats alongside black, brown andwhite asymmetrical tweed coats had a swag-ger of the 18th century, with horizontal linesand fringing that was so loose it lookedfeathered. The conclusion was 1930s satindress nostalgia. But the best segment wasthe fur climax. Elbaz used fur as if it were tobe found on trees: in skirts, jackets, dresses -and even a black fur rucksack that had fash-ion insiders gasping. Then he had buttondown fur bands and lapels - and one modelcapped it all by sporting a gray fur bust.

Nina RicciThe Nina Ricci show progressed from

covered up chic to complete see-through ina feminine show that channeled designerPeter Copping’s fascination with the vintageand romantic. And, of course, the signatureflowers. Nostalgic colors like silvery purple,deep plum and burgundy mixed up withsequined dresses with hints of the 1930s.Elsewhere, there were some dropped waistsand one great black and white flying jacketwith huge 1970s lapels. The use of fur wasnotable, appearing inventively as luxuriantstreaks or insets on capes and jackets. Thefinal series of high, sheer gowns had a feel ofa sensual prude that might have been bor-rowed from Valentino. — AP

Rihannaeyes Paris fashion industry

Rihanna arrives at the Paris FashionWeek in Paris. — AP/AFP photos

Models present creations for Lanvin during the 2014/2015 Autumn/Winter ready-to-wear collection fashion show, on February27, 2014 in Paris.

Models present creations for Balmain.

Models present creations for Nina Ricci.

T E C H N O L O G YSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

BARCELONA: Bigger than a telephoneyet smaller than a personal computer,tablets were supposed to usher in anew world of mobility; yet they havehardly budged off the couch. Four yearsafter their launch, tablets remain over-whelmingly stuck at home and connect-ed by Wi-Fi, frustrating mobile opera-tors who are deprived of a potentialnew source of revenue.

At the February 24-27 Mobile WorldCongress in Barcelona, Spain, manufac-

turers such as Japan’s Sony, China’sLenovo and Taiwan’s Asus againunveiled a range of new tablet models,now considered essential to theirmobile device offerings. Sony Mobilerevealed its Xperia Z2, proudly describ-ing it as “the world’s slimmest and light-est waterproof tablet”.

“It is perfect if you want to take it intothe bathtub, to the beach, to the pool,”Sony Mobile official Almos Szabo said atthe Japanese manufacturer’s stand inthe world’s largest mobile industry fair.The ease with which tablets can be usedoutside is always stressed by manufac-turers, said Julian Jest, analyst at the

technology research house Informa.“During the last iPad launch, Appleshowed a promotional video with thou-sands of different ways that people canuse their iPad including mountain bik-ers, surfers, doctors,” Jest said.

“I think that is how they would liketo show the iPad is being used, but it ismainly in the home, streaming media,streaming movies.” According toInforma, only 20 percent of tablets areconnected to the mobile network, the

rest relying on Wi-Fi. The classic profileof a tablet user, is actually a personlounging on the sofa watching videosor playing electronic games. In 2012, apoll by Google showed that only 21percent of users took their tablets outof the home.

It comes down to costs Technology research group Gartner

Inc. found in a September 2013 surveythat people use their tablets mostlybetween 7pm and 10pm, probablywhile watching television. Tablets arenot typically used as a mobile accessorycarried around by owners, said

Lawrence Lundy, analyst at Frost &Sullivan technology consultants. “Wesee that a lot of the tablets are beingused for video consumption because itis mainly at home and it does not havea 3G connection,” Lundy said. Formobile operators, that means signifi-cantly less revenue than they hadhoped for.

“It primarily comes down to costs, Ithink,” said Nick Dillon, analyst at theresearch group, Ovum. “For the cus-tomers, there are two costs involved:the cellular-enabled tablets are moreexpensive, there is a kind of cost premi-um in terms of acquisition, and then ontop of that, there is obviously the costof data.”

Analysts said the operators have notbeen sufficiently creative, often propos-ing plans that are as costly as those forsmartphones. “I am not sure if opera-tors see it as a challenge or a blessing,”said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at con-sumer research group KantarWorldpanel. “It seems clear that tabletsare mostly used as entertainmentdevices which would suggest a poten-tial bandwidth drain on video con-sumption,” she said. In other words, ifall the tablets were connected, 3G net-works would be quickly overloaded.

Tablets may finally break free ofthe home, however, as sales grow ofmini tablets, which are easier to carryaround. Manufacturers launched astring of such devices in Barcelona.Chinese manufacturer Huaweishowed off its MediaPad X1 andFinnish maker Nokia revealed its XL,for example, both of which will allowusers to make telephone calls, too.The latest, super-fast, fourth-genera-tion network will also help, analystssaid. “More 4G connectable tabletswill probably mean less use of Wi-Fi,”said Jean-Laurent Pitou, head of com-munications, media and technologyat research group Accenture. But thiswould also require network costs toadapt, with cheaper plans for con-sumers, Pitou cautioned. —AFP

Mobile world prods tablets to do more

Sony unveils ‘world’s slimmest waterproof tablet’

BARCELONA: Visitors look at Xperia tablet Z2 by Sony. —AFP

BROOKLINE: The spirited sport known as parkour that treatsthe world as one big obstacle course is gaining traction out-side of the urban enthusiasts whose YouTube-worthy acro-batics spread its popularity. Once the domain of the outdooranti-athlete, it’s becoming the go-to sport for people who justwant a good workout.

Jessamyn Hodge, a 32-year-old software and informationengineer from South Boston, recently prepped for her firstparkour class at a high school gym in suburban Brookline. Shewas hoping to learn the kind of wall-scaling, fence-vaulting,obstacle-conquering moves she’d already seen in onlinevideos shared by her rock-climbing friends.

“It’s like dancing at high speed,” she said. “It reminds me ofbeing a kid again, like monkeying around on anything andeverything, clambering about, generally having fun while get-ting around.” Parkour, developed in France in the 1980s, bor-rows elements from martial arts, gymnastics, rock climbingand other athletic fields to enable participants to turn obsta-

cles like park benches, trees, guardrails, and buildings intotools they can use to nimbly propel themselves forward.

Parkour’s developers were influenced by military trainingprinciples. Since then, some of the sport’s most spectacularmoves have been featured in movie sequences, video gamesand advertisements. One of the most recognizable is a chasescene in the 2006 James Bond movie “Casino Royale.”Beginners who want to hit the ground running - but maybenot by running up a construction crane, James Bond-style -have the option of classes like those offered by London-BasedParkour Generations, a business with affiliates in California,Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin, and that offers instructionin several countries including Thailand, Singapore and Brazil.

Classes include a warm-up, technical drills to learn thebasics of safety and games to teach and reinforce parkourtechniques. At the Brookline class, instructors set up metalbars they called scaffolding and vault boxes in the gym,teaching students how to walk on or hurtle over balance

beams and lift, leap or weave their way through whateverelse was in their path. Both newcomers and advanced learn-ers trained together, but those with more experience weregiven more challenging training.

Instructor Blake Evitt said many of the new students hesees view parkour as a functional way to get fit. But parkouroffers more than flashy stunts - it’s a way for people to testtheir physical and mental limits. “It’s almost a way of life,” saidEvitt, a director of the US branch of Parkour Generations. JulioSepulveda, a climate-change researcher, who takes classes inthe Boston suburb of Somerville, Mass, said parkour is veryaccessible because learners don’t need access to fancy,expensive gear to get into it. They can simply walk to a nearbypark and use the existing environment to practice. “And it’sreally all about your flow . the flow of your movements and .your mind, which is really cool,” Sepulveda said after catchinghis breath. “So it’s a nice connection between your mind andyour body.” —AP

Gadget Watch: Fastlane in Nokia X shows promise

By Anick Jesdanun

BARCELONA: By design, Nokia’s new Android smart-phones will underwhelm users of high-end phones.The Nokia X line was created with emerging markets inmind, so the company emphasized keeping prices low,meaning the user interface is relatively simple. Thehome screen resembles the one on Nokia’s Windows-based Lumia phones, even though it’s Android under-neath. But Nokia Corp added a Fastlane feature, ascreen with quick access to your most-used apps. Youget to it by swiping from the left or right edge of thehome screen or tapping the back button at the bot-tom.

The basic Nokia X phone costs 89 euros ($122) andhas a 4-inch screen, measured diagonally, and a 3megapixel camera. A X+ version with an SD storagecard costs 99 euros, while an XL with a 5-inch screenand 5 megapixel camera goes for 109 euros. In thebrief time I’ve had with the Nokia X at this week’sMobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona,Spain, I have found the Fastlane feature to be a goodstart . I t ’s something I would l ike to see on morephones, including Nokia’s Windows devices.

I hate to spend time customizing gadgets, gettingthe icons for the most-used apps on the main homescreen. The nice thing about Fastlane is that you don’thave to spend any time on that. Your favorite apps arejust one swipe away - sort of. The top of Fastlaneshows you what’s coming up, whether that’s alarmsabout to ring or future events in your calendar. Belowthat are your recently used apps. The ones you justused will be at the top, so you don’t have to scrolldown.

For some apps, you get information that normallycomes with notifications, such as previews of text mes-sages or alerts that three people have tried to reachyou on WeChat, a Chinese social network. You seesmall versions of recent photos and can tap for thelarger version in the photo gallery app. You see callsyou missed, songs you heard and websites you visited.

It could get overwhelming, so you can block certainapps and certain notif ications from appearing inFastlane. In the settings, you can also add a shortcut toone social network, such as Facebook or Twitter. That’swhere Fastlane can improve - understanding betterwhich apps I use most over a period of days or monthsand creating a section at the top for those.

This week, for example, I was too busy to checkFacebook, but that doesn’t mean I don’t use it regular-ly. But in Fastlane, Facebook would drop toward thebottom in a matter of days, unless I happen to chooseit as my one shortcut. Why not make sure the most-used apps are stored as favorites at the top of thescreen? Nokia says it’s considering that.—AP

Parkour goes from YouTube fad to fitness craze

T E C H N O L O G YSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

UK, US spies stored millions

of Yahoo web-camera images

Yahoo outraged at surveillanceWASHINGTON: US senators said Britishand US spy agencies showed a “breath-taking lack of respect” for privacy afterreports they had intercepted and storedimages from webcams used by millionsof Yahoo users. Files from Britain’s com-munications spy agency GCHQ leakedby former US National Security Agencycontractor Edward Snowden revealedhow the Optic Nerve program collectedstill images of webcam chats regardlessof whether individual users were sus-pects or not, the Guardian newspaperreported.

In one six-month period in 2008, theBritish spy agency collected webcamimagery from more than 1.8 millionYahoo user accounts around the world,the Guardian said. The data collected,which was available to NSA analyststhrough routine information sharing,contained a significant amount of sexualcontent. “We are extremely troubled bytoday’s press report that a very largenumber of individuals-including law-abiding Americans-may have had pri-vate videos of themselves and their fam-ilies intercepted and stored without anysuspicion of wrongdoing,” Democratic

US Senators Ron Wyden, Mark Udall andMartin Heinrich said in a joint statement.

“If this report is accurate, it wouldshow a breathtaking lack of respect forthe privacy and civil liberties of law-abiding citizens.” They promised toinvestigate the activity as part of anongoing comprehensive review of sur-veillance programs, with close scrutinyto any role US agencies may haveplayed. “It is becoming clearer and clear-er that more needs to be done to ensurethat ‘foreign’ intelligence collectiondoes not intrude unnecessarily on therights of law-abiding people or need-lessly undermine the competitiveness ofAmerica’s leading industries,” the sena-tors added.

Yahoo, which was apparently chosenbecause its webcam system was knownto be used by GCHQ targets, expressedoutrage at the reported surveillance.“We were not aware of nor would wecondone this reported activity,” aspokeswoman for the US technologyfirm told AFP in an email statement.“This report, if true, represents a wholenew level of violation of our users’ priva-cy that is completely unacceptable. “We

are committed to preserving our users’trust and security and continue ourefforts to expand encryption across allof our services.”

Leaked GCHQ documents from 2008to 2010 explicitly refer to the surveil-lance program, although the Guardiansaid later information suggested it wasstill active in 2012. The data was used forexperiments in automated facial recog-nition, as well as to monitor existingGCHQ targets and discover new ones,the British paper said.

The program reportedly saved oneimage every five minutes from a webcamuser’s feed, partly to comply with humanrights legislation and partly to cut downthe sheer amount of data being collect-ed. GCHQ analysts were able to searchthe metadata, such as location andlength of webcam chat, and they couldview the actual images where the user-name was similar to a surveillance target.In a statement to the Guardian, GCHQsaid all of its work was “carried out inaccordance with a strict legal and policyframework which ensures that our activi-ties are authorized, necessary and pro-portionate”. —AFP

Push for Web

addresses in era

of search, appsBARCELONA: In the early days, you typed in a domain nameaddress to reach a website. Then came the ability to reachwebsites directly through a search engine. The mobile erabrought us phone apps for accessing services without either.Yet the organization in charge of Internet addresses is push-ing a major expansion in domain name suffixes. At least 160suffixes have been added since October to join the ranks of“.com,” “.org” and scores of country-specific ones such as“.uk” for the United Kingdom. Hundreds of other proposalsare being reviewed. Why bother in this mobile-heavy era?“Finding what you need on the Web will take many paths,”said Fadi Chehade, head of the Internet Corporation forAssigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN.

Even if you’re using search, domain names might makesearch engines smarter, Chehade said in an interview at theMobile World Congress wireless show, which endedThursday in Barcelona, Spain. For instance, a search enginemight be able to classify something as a dating site becauseit carries the suffix “.dating.” Before, it would have to inferfrom text on the site, and search results might inadvertentlyinclude general discussions on dating.

Likewise, a search engine might favor restaurants endingin “.berlin” when you’re looking for food options there,rather than bloggers discussing what they ate during visitsto Berlin. He said domain names will also be useful for mar-keting and branding: An Internet address is easier to includeon a business card or advertisement.

Companies can give different services distinctive address-es, such as “sales.samsung” and “repairs.samsung,” so thatcustomers don’t have to hunt for that on the main website.Neighborhoods can form around suffixes such as “.berlin”and “.tokyo.” Restaurants, florists and transit systems woulduse city suffixes rather than a generic “.com.” There are somany sites already under “.com” that getting an easy-to-remember name is difficult. With some of the new ones, con-gestion isn’t a problem.

There have been nearly 2,000 proposals for new domainnames, though about 150 have been withdrawn for variousreasons. More than 1,000 have been approved and are eitherin the system already or are awaiting signed contractsbetween their backers and ICANN. More than 600 are beingheld up because of multiple bids for the same suffix.

The ones in the system include “.dating,” “.berlin” and“.tokyo.” Samsung’s new suffix is in Korean, one of 18 addi-tions to use non-English characters. Others include “.cab,”“.ceo,” “.dance,” “.futbol,” “.mango” and “.sexy.” Chehadesaid websites using these suffixes could start appearing inApril. Jay Sullivan, chief operating officer of the groupbehind the Firefox Web browser and operating system forphones, said the new suffixes might push even more peopleto search.

Right now, he said, people can often guess whether a siteends in “.com” (if it’s a business) or “.org” (if it’s a non-profitorganization). With lots more to choose from, he said, it willbe harder to guess and easier to use a search engine. GregSullivan, marketing director for Microsoft’s Windows Phonebusiness, said people have indeed gravitated toward searchand apps when using phones. But he said there will alwaysbe a need for domain names because some companies havebuilt businesses around the moniker. He said phones willadapt as their users adapt. —AP

NEW YORK: Facebook has been on a year-long push to persuade television networks it isvital to the success of their programming. CEOMark Zuckerberg wants networks to treatFacebook as a cornerstone of their marketingcampaigns, spending money earmarked forradio or magazine advertisements on itinstead. And his social network has madeheadway by showing networks compellingdata to prove it can increase viewership of anew show.

“We see TV networks embracing us inways they didn’t 6 months ago,” DavidLawenda, Facebook’s head of U.S. advertisingsales, told TheWrap at Digital EntertainmentWorld last week. “They are already eager toplace big investments around the fall season.We’ve proven results.” Lawenda, who joinedFacebook after more than two decades work-ing in television, has a favorite example: the“White Queen,” a Starz show that debuted lastyear. Starz and Facebook collaborated on amarketing campaign, pushing trailers andimages toward specific audiences Starzthought would be most likely to tune in - prin-cipally women between the ages of 25 and 54.

The ads, which reached 41 percent of USfemales between the ages of 25 and 54,increased awareness by 25 points andprompted 9 percent more people to tune in,according to Starz. “It was a shock to a lot ofus,” network digital-marketing executive ErinDwyer told TheWrap. “We didn’t knowFacebook could deliver those kinds of num-bers.”

Those kinds of case studies have fueledFacebook’s courtship of TV ad money, givingLawenda hard data to prove networks canspend less for more efficient targeting ofpotential viewers. Facebook also wants to per-suade the networks that viewers are on thesocial network while they watch their favoriteshows, partnering with Fox recently to hostlive stats about voting on “American Idol.”That brings it into direct conflict with Twitter,

which has already established itself as a popu-lar platform for talking about TV as shows air.The Palo Alto-based company has partneredwith Nielsen to measure how much conversa-tion occurs around shows as they air, andmost TV networks encourage their talent totweet during shows.

For its part, Facebook has partnered withSecondSync, an analytics company, to docu-ment the extensive use of Facebook duringshows as they are originally aired. “The factthat people talk about TV on Facebook hasnever been in doubt,” SecondSync found in astudy. “However, it has often been assumedthat TV-related Facebook interactions happenoutside the show airing and not in real-time.Our analysis challenges this assumption.”

How much conversation takes place onFacebook relative to Twitter remains up fordebate. Facebook argues it has far more thananywhere else, but that’s if you count by num-ber of interactions - and every “like” on a par-ticular comment about TV would fit into thatbox. If you just look at comments, the num-bers are much closer, and as those close toTwitter point out, metrics are comparable -even though Twitter is a fraction of the size.

“I’ve always thought there was an intenseamount of competition between Facebookand Twitter, but in the early days the plat-forms weren’t as well defined and the compe-tition was more nebulous,” Gartner analystBrian Blau told TheWrap. “Today the competi-tion is different. They are clearly staking outsimilar territories and going after the sametype of advertisers.”

Twitter loves to trumpet how much con-versation happens during live events sinceconversation during a show demonstrates anengaged audience. But monetizing that audi-ence is more important than volume of chat-ter, and Twitter is ahead of Facebook in target-ing networks. The two camps now shareadvertising revenue generated throughTwitter’s Amplify program, which helps adver-

tisers synchronize advertisements on televi-sion and Twitter to broaden the message. LoriSchwartz, a former executive at McCann whoconsults with myriad TV networks, pointed toTwitter’s Amplify deal as one of many exam-ples where Facebook is late to the game.

“They have been really strategic, earlierthan Facebook has, in saying, ‘We know we’repart of your social media strategy and we canalso be part of your reporting revenue,’”Schwartz told TheWrap. “Facebook is impor-tant, but Twitter has gotten so far ahead inaudience development, which is more impor-tant than during the show engagement.”

Live engagement is central to Twitter’s TVstrategy, which emphasizes its public nature,but Facebook has an advantage in the userdata it gathers based on profiles and privateconversations. The two companies satisfy dif-ferent needs.

Though the social media rivals are still tar-geting many of the same potential advertis-ers, it is not a zero sum game: More spendingon Facebook can help Twitter - and vice versa.Both are trying to convince networks thatsocial media is a more effective means ofreaching new viewers than print, billboards or,yes, television. They have more data on poten-tial viewers than almost anyone, and they cantarget them effectively.

Starz, for instance, spent 57 percent moremoney marketing on social media in 2013than 2012. That expenditure is expected togrow in 2014. TV networks are adjusting theirad dollars to better target potential viewersacross an increasingly fragmented medialandscape where social media is only growingin popularity. “They have no choice,”Gartner’s Blau said. “Advertisers are slowlymoving out of this mode where they arethrowing money against the wall and hope-fully it works out for them. They want to tar-get users they know will be interested.” Or, asSchwartz put it, “the smart person right nowplays everywhere.” —Reuters

Facebook, Twitter rivalry heats up

BARCELONA: A visitor checks his phone at theMobile World Congress. —AP

T V l i s t i n g sSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

THE MARINE ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION

03:00 Last Man Standing03:50 Friday Night Dinner04:15 The Weakest Link05:00 Mr Bloom’s Nursery05:20 Balamory05:40 Nina And The Neurons05:50 Bobinogs06:00 The Large Family06:15 Mr Bloom’s Nursery06:30 Balamory06:50 Nina And The Neurons07:05 Bobinogs07:15 The Weakest Link08:00 Tough Guy Or Chicken?08:55 Only Fools And Horses09:25 Friday Night Dinner09:45 The Omid Djalili Show10:15 Extras10:45 A Farmer’s Life For Me11:40 The Vicar Of Dibley12:10 Tough Guy Or Chicken?13:00 Casualty13:50 Eastenders14:20 Eastenders14:50 Eastenders15:20 Eastenders15:45 My Family16:15 My Family16:45 My Family17:15 A Farmer’s Life For Me18:10 Tough Guy Or Chicken?19:00 Live At The Apollo19:45 Alan Carr: Chatty Man20:30 DCI Banks21:20 Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle21:50 Pramface22:20 The Vicar Of Dibley22:50 Last Man Standing23:40 Tough Guy Or Chicken?

03:20 Extreme Makeover: HomeEdition04:05 Bargain Hunt04:50 Come Dine With Me: SouthAfrica05:40 Ty Pennington’s Homes For TheBrave06:25 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow07:15 Fantasy Homes By The Sea08:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent08:50 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent09:40 The Roux Legacy10:15 The Roux Legacy10:50 Rick Stein’s Spain11:45 Raymond Blanc’s KitchenSecrets12:15 Raymond Blanc’s KitchenSecrets12:45 The Hairy Bikers USA13:10 Rachel Khoo’s KitchenNotebook: London13:35 Come Dine With Me: SouthAfrica14:30 Antiques Roadshow15:25 Antiques Roadshow16:20 Antiques Roadshow17:15 Antiques Roadshow18:10 Antiques Roadshow19:05 Antiques Roadshow20:00 The Hairy Bikers: Mums KnowBest

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

03:30 Transformers-PG1506:00 Skyline-PG1507:45 Snow White And TheHuntsman-PG1510:00 Batman: The Dark KnightReturns Part Two-PG1512:00 Battlestar Galactica: Blood &Chrome-PG1513:45 Snow White And TheHuntsman-PG1516:00 Paycheck-PG1518:00 Battlestar Galactica: Blood &Chrome-PG1520:00 15 Minutes-PG1522:00 The Marine-PG15

03:00 Nobody Walks-PG1505:00 Why Did I Get Married Too?-PG1507:00 Virtual Lies-PG1509:00 Last Dance-PG1511:00 Stardust-PG13:15 Mutum-PG1515:00 Ties That Bind-PG1517:00 Stardust-PG19:15 Young Adult-PG1521:00 Bel Ami-1823:00 Switchback-PG15

03:00 Car vs Wild03:50 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 Impossible08:40 Mythbusters09:30 Manhunt10:20 Survive That!11:10 Bear Grylls: Extreme...11:35 Bear Grylls: Extreme...12:00 Bear Grylls: Extreme...12:25 Bear Grylls: Extreme...12:50 Bear Grylls: Extreme...13:15 Bear Grylls: Extreme...13:40 Bear Grylls: Extreme...14:05 Bear Grylls: Extreme...14:30 Bear Grylls: Extreme...14:55 Bear Grylls: Extreme...15:20 Bear Grylls: Extreme...15:45 Bear Grylls: Extreme...16:10 Bear Grylls: Extreme...

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

03:00 The Adventures Of Scooter ThePenguin04:30 Cinderella

04:00 American Idol05:00 Survivor: Brawn vs. Brain vs.Beauty07:00 Parenthood08:00 Switched At Birth09:00 Glee10:00 American Idol11:00 Graceland12:00 Parenthood13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show14:00 Switched At Birth15:00 Warehouse 1316:00 Parenthood17:00 American Idol19:00 Bones20:00 Almost Human

03:00 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody03:20 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody03:45 Sonny With A Chance04:05 Sonny With A Chance04:30 Suite Life On Deck04:50 Suite Life On Deck05:15 Wizards Of Waverly Place05:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place06:00 Austin & Ally06:25 Dog With A Blog06:45 Suite Life On Deck07:10 A.N.T. Farm07:35 That’s So Raven07:55 Shake It Up08:20 Good Luck Charlie08:45 Dog With A Blog09:05 Mako Mermaids09:30 Jessie09:55 Austin & Ally10:15 A.N.T. Farm10:40 The Haunted Mansion12:05 Prank Stars12:15 That’s So Raven

12:35 Dog With A Blog13:00 A.N.T. Farm13:25 Jessie13:45 Austin & Ally14:10 Good Luck Charlie14:35 Mako Mermaids15:00 Phineas & Ferb: Across TheSecond Dimension16:10 Austin & Ally16:35 A.N.T. Farm17:00 Shake It Up17:20 Jessie17:45 Dog With A Blog18:10 Gravity Falls18:30 Prank Stars18:55 Good Luck Charlie19:20 Mako Mermaids19:40 Jessie20:05 Austin & Ally20:30 Good Luck Charlie20:50 Dog With A Blog21:15 Gravity Falls21:40 Shake It Up22:00 Austin & Ally22:25 A.N.T. Farm22:50 Good Luck Charlie23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place

03:45 Building The Future04:35 Da Vinci’s Machines05:25 Mars: The Quest For Life06:15 The Gadget Show06:40 Tech Toys 36007:05 Engineering Thrills08:00 Storm Chasers08:50 Alien Encounters09:40 The Gadget Show10:05 Tech Toys 36010:30 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman11:25 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman12:20 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman13:10 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman14:00 Through The Wormhole WithMorgan Freeman14:50 Weird Connections15:20 The Gadget Show

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

16:35 Bear Grylls: Extreme...17:00 Gold Rush17:50 Alaska Gold Diggers18:40 Gold Divers: Under The Ice19:30 Manhunt20:20 Survive That!21:10 Bear Grylls: Extreme...21:35 Bear Grylls: Extreme...22:00 Dallas Car Sharks22:25 Dallas Car Sharks22:50 Dallas Car Sharks23:15 Dallas Car Sharks23:40 Dallas Car Sharks

15:45 Tech Toys 36016:10 Eco-Tech17:00 Deadliest Space Weather17:25 Deadliest Space Weather17:55 Nyc: Inside Out18:45 Man-Made Marvels China19:35 Joe Rogan Questions Everything20:30 Alien Encounters21:20 Storm Chasers22:10 The Gadget Show22:35 Tech Toys 36023:00 Alien Encounters23:50 Storm Chasers

05:00 Coronation Street07:05 How To Find Love Online08:00 Paul Ogrady: For The Love OfDogs08:25 Agatha Christie’s Poirot10:15 Ant And Decs Saturday Night

Takeaway11:30 The Hungry Sailors12:25 William And Kate: The First Year13:20 Please Marry My Boy14:10 The Jonathan Ross Show15:00 White Van Man15:30 How To Find Love Online16:25 Dancing On Ice18:10 Four Weddings UK19:00 Paul O’grady: For The Love OfDogs19:30 How To Find Love Online20:25 Please Marry My Boy21:25 Four Weddings UK22:20 The Jonathan Ross Show23:15 Coronation Street

21:00 Helix22:00 Banshee23:00 The Americans

03:00 The Iron Lady-PG1505:00 StreetDance 2-PG1507:00 Arbitrage-PG1509:00 The Words-PG1511:00 Hyde Park On Hudson-PG1513:00 The Woman In The Fifth-PG1515:00 Arctic Blast-PG1517:00 Resistance-PG1518:45 The Host-PG1521:00 360-1823:00 Lawless-18

03:00 Gnomeo & Juliet-PG05:00 Bernie-PG1507:00 Beastly-PG1509:00 Hotel Transylvania-PG10:45 Jack Reacher-PG1513:00 Madagascar 3: Europe’s MostWanted-PG15:00 Like Crazy-PG1517:00 Hotel Transylvania-PG19:00 Beautiful Creatures-PG1521:00 Django Unchained-1823:45 Resident Evil: Retribution-18

T V l i s t i n g sSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

ARCTIC BLAST ON OSN MOVIES DRAMA

06:00 Trans World Sport07:00 Super Rugby09:00 Total Rugby09:35 Live Super Rugby11:40 Live Super Rugby13:30 Total Rugby14:00 Live Super Rugby16:00 Super Rugby18:00 Live Super Rugby20:00 Total Rugby

20:30 Inside The PGA Tour21:00 Live PGA Tour

04:00 The Odd Life Of Timothy Green-PG06:00 Three Investigators And TheSecret Of Terror...-PG08:00 The Cold Light Of Day-PG1510:00 The Legend Of Sarila-PG11:45 Oz The Great And Powerful-PG14:00 Interview With A Hitman-PG1516:00 The Cold Light Of Day-PG1518:00 You Will Meet A Tall DarkStranger-PG1520:00 Small Apartments-1822:00 The Sweeney-18

03:00 Futbol Mundial03:30 PGA European Tour Weekly04:00 WWE Bottom Line05:00 Live Bellator MMA 201407:00 Trans World Sport08:00 Futbol Mundial08:40 Live AFL Nab Challenge12:00 Trans World Sport13:00 PGA European Tour Weekly13:30 Live PGA European Tour17:30 Live Dubai World Cup Carnival 21:00 Bellator MMA 201423:00 Trans World Sport

Two days before attention shifts tothe Academy Awards ceremony inLos Angeles, the White House is

trying to create a little buzz for America’sfuture filmmakers. At a film festival,President Barack Obama will recognizethe best of nearly 2,500 films - 16 to beexact - that were submitted by K-12 stu-dents after the White House put out thecall for short videos on the role technolo-gy plays in their education. It’s one of thepresident’s favorite subjects.

Obama recently set a goal of wiringvirtually every classroom with high-speed Internet by sometime in 2018.Lastmonth, he announced $750 million incommitments from US companies tohelp move the project along, including$100 million in iPads, computers and oth-er tools from Apple, $100 million in cashand in-kind contributions from Verizon,and discounted Windows software fromMicrosoft. The Federal CommunicationsCommission also pledged $2 billion toconnect 20 million students in 15,000schools over the next two years.

At the White House, Obama wasannouncing an additional $400 million inprivate-sector pledges for the ConnectEdinitiative, bringing to more than $1 bil-lion the total value of cash and goodscommitted to the project. Adobe isdonating $300 million worth of its soft-ware products to teachers and students.The Hungarian software company Prezi isproviding $100 million worth of its prod-ucts.

“In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our coffee, we should definitelydemand it in our schools,” Obama saidlast month at a Maryland school wherestudents are assigned iPads for use inclass and at home. He even borrowed astudent’s tablet to make a short film ofhis own. Obama says the average schoolhas the same Internet speed as the aver-age home but serves 200 times as manypeople. He laments that just 30 percentof US students have true high-speedInternet in their classrooms, comparedwith 100 percent of South Korean stu-dents.

Yesterday’s festival was dreamed upas a way to showcase the many ways stu-dents use technology and the president’sproposal. The videos could be no longerthan 3 minutes. Each was viewed multi-ple times by an “academy” of judges thatwas made up of White House officialsand others. The 16 films chosen as final-ists - no winners will be declared - will bescreened in the East Room in collabora-tion with the American Film Institute.They are separated into four categories:Young Visionaries, Future Innovators,World of Tomorrow and Building Bridges,and will be presented by actor Kal Penn,astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, BillNye the Science Guy and AFI Presidentand CEO Bob Gazzale. Late-night come-

dian Conan O’Brien will address the gath-ering by video.

The young filmmakers range in agefrom first-graders to 17-year-old highschool students and come from 12 statesand the District of Columbia. A group offirst-grade friends from Silver Spring, Md,collaborated on “Technology and Me,” inwhich they offer their take on the past,present and future of classroom technol-ogy. One boy declares chalkboards “oldschool” while a girl explains that “nowthere are computers and it’s more easi-er.” Another girl predicts a future class-room with robots.

In the film, “Alex,” 11th-grader MitchBuangsuwon of California entered avideo about his brother, Alex, who suffersfrom dyslexia and dysgraphia, whichaffect his reading and writing skills. Alextalks about feeling left behind becausehe didn’t read as well as the other kids.But after switching to a new school,where he was given a tablet for researchand writing, the seventh-grader says hisreading went from a third-grade level toa sixth-grade level in a year. “Not feelingleft behind feels really nice,” Alex says.“My school is a good example of howeverybody can benefit from technologybecause everybody learns differently.”

No thank-you speeches will be given.No gold-toned statuettes will be handedout. The budding filmmakers instead willhead out knowing that they helped high-light an Obama policy goal. “It’s a cele-bration of the way they’re already usingtechnology and the importance of thepresident’s initiative for increasing thatover time,” said Nate Lubin, acting direc-tor of the White House Office of DigitalStrategy. Beyond that, the finalists willalso be given an exclusive look at the firstepisode of “Cosmos: A SpacetimeOdyssey,” a new TV series by Fox and theNational Geographic Channel on theimportance of science, technology, engi-neering and math that is set to premiereon March 9. — AP

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

White House hosts 1st student film festival

W H A T ’ S O NSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Write to us

Announcements

NCCAL hosts Iranian

blind art fair

The National Council of Culture, Arts and Lettersannounced hosting an exhibition for blind Iranianfemale artists, starting from March 2, 2014. The

event takes place at the Ahmad Al-Adwani Hall inAbdullah Al-Salem, and lasts through March 6, 2014. It isset to inaugurate at 7 pm, while visiting hours areannounced on two periods, the first from 9 am to 12 pm,and the second from 5 pm to 9 pm. The exhibition, titled‘Beauty in our Eyes’, is organized in cooperation with thecultural attaché in the Iranian embassy in Kuwait.

CRYcket 2014

tournament

Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) will hold 17th CRY (Child Rights& You) cricket tournament for children will be held at theGC grounds at Fahaheel Sports Club on Friday, 27th Mar

2014 from 6:30 am to 6 pm. The one day “CRYcket” tournament participated by children

under 14 (born on or after 01.01.2000), is a very popular annualfamily event. The children are grouped into teams in two agecategories and play softball cricket while spectators, parents andwell-wishers enjoy a carnival atmosphere. 12 teams each are setto participate in the Under-12 and Under-14 divisions initially infour groups in round robin fashion leading to 4 winners who willclash in the semifinals. The 7-over matches will be played simul-taneously on two playgrounds. Apart from the winners’ tro-phies, medals and certificates from CRY-India will be given toeach player.

The third Islamic seminar organizedby Kuwait Kerala Islahi Center(KKIC) was inaugurated by Sheikh

Dawood Al-Asousi, AssistantUndersecretary, Ministry of Awqaf atthe Farwaniya Garden Ground Tuesday.

The quadrennial seminar, under thepatronage of the Ministry of Awqaf con-cluded yesterday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony,Sheikh Dawood Al-Asousi, shared thegood wishes of the Minister of Awqaf,Sheikh Naif Al-Ajmi and congratulatedthe organizers for the “great servicethey have been doing for theMalayalam speaking Indian communityin Kuwait.”

The deputy undersecretary furtheradded that KKIC is noted for the propa-

gation of Islam and other charitableworks, “exemplifying itself as a rolemodel for other organizations.”

An exhibition presenting variousaspects of the faith and highlighting thenegative aspects of social evils wasinaugurated by Indian AmbassadorSunil Jain.

Speaking at the opening ceremony,the ambassador said the exhibition ishighly educative and undercuts societalproblems such drinking and smokingamong others. The ambassador com-pared the moral teachings in variousfaiths stressing the importance of thesevalues in human life.

The ceremony also saw the launch ofthe souvenir presented by Khalid FalahAl-Mutairi of revival of Islamic Heritage

Society to the Deputy GM of Al-MuzainiExchange, Ali Fajhan.

President of KKIC, Abdul LateefMadani, for his part said the seminarintends to drive home the importanceof adhering to divine laws for the moraluplift of the society. Based on the over-whelming response in the previousyears, the organizers decided to holdthe exhibition for five days. Other mainevents during the seminar had 4 ses-sions, with special programs for chil-dren, teenagers and women, and afriendly interaction between leaders ofdifferent faiths. The highlight of theevening was the speech by renownedIndian scholar and orator Hussain Salafi,who spoke on the topic “Religion forHuman Good.”

KKIC holds Islamic seminar

The Premier Goal Academy, sponsored by Porsche Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company, playedhost to the ladies of Fatat Football Club recently. The Everton Girls team aged from 12 to 16 years gavea good account of themselves in a match full of effort, enthusiasm and fine skills, but it was the

strength and experience of the Fatat Ladies that finally triumphed. Girls football coaching takes place atBayan Block 7, adjacent to Abdullah Al-Rujaib High School every Sunday and Tuesday from 5 - 6.30pm andall girls aged 11 years and above are welcome to attend for a free trial.

W H A T ’ S O NSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

PGA Everton Under 14s

The Premier Goal Academy Everton Under 14s team, sponsored by Porsche Centre Kuwait, Behbehani Motors Company, reached the final of the Ministry of Defence Academies Football tour-nament during the National and Liberation holiday. Two wins and a draw from their three matches sent the Everton boys through to the final where they were narrowly defeated by 2-0. Allthe boys along with coaches Sam and Omar received their medals and prizes from Ministry of Defence officials and impressed with their skilful football, sportsmanship and team play. The

new P.G.A. coaching course begins this weekend - 28th February/1st March at Bayan Block 7, next to Abdullah Al-Rujaib High School. There are coaching groups available for all ability levels fromage 3 to 18 years with weekly matches for the Centre of Excellence teams. For further details see http://www.pga-kuwait.com.kw/

Curtains came down on ‘Keli 2014’, a spectacular theatrefestival of Gulf Malayali Diaspora, organized by theKuwait Chapter of the Kerala Sangeetha

NatakaAkademi(KSNA) on Wednesday at Khaitan IndianCommunity School Auditorium. A packed crowd comprisingtheatre lovers and community members watched the fiveplays that were staged during the two days making ‘Keli 2014’a roaring success.

At a glittering opening ceremony on Tuesday evening,Indian Ambassador Sunil Jain lighted the traditional lamp andofficially inaugurated the festival. He congratulated KSNAKuwait Chapter for taking the initiative to hold the festivaland wished that ‘Keli 2014’ would help promote India’s artand culture in Kuwait further.

KSNA Kuwait Chapter Chairman Vijay Karayil presided overthe function and delivered the presidential speech. KSNA ViceChairman T M Abraham, KSNA Secretary Dr P V Krishnan Nair,KSNA member and theatre director Meenambalam Satnhosh,who arrived from Kerala as judges of the festival, attendedthe ceremony. Well-known South Indian film and theatreactress Valsala Menon attended the ceremony as guest ofhonour.

Earlier, KSNA Kuwait Chapter Coordinator Sajeev K Peterwelcomed the gathering while Program Convener B S Pillairead out of the profiles of the guests. Ad-Hoc committeemember Sunil P Antony handed over the first copy of ‘Keli2014’ souvenir and Raj Shekhar and K N S Das jointly releasedit. Ad-Hoc Committee members Babuji Bathery, Nixon George

and Shemejkumar K K presented mementos to the guestswhile Thomas Mathew Kadavil and Varghese Puthukulangaradelivered felicitation speeches. Vijay Karayil presented amemento to the Ambassador while Sajeev K Peter honoredValsala Menon. Adv Johney Kunnil proposed a vote of thanks.Rajashree Nair anchored the event.

On the first day of the festival, ‘AmmeMappu’ by KalpakKuwait and ‘Pashu’ by Nirbhaya Theatre, were performed. Onday two, ‘Kottukaranum Kure Thullakkarum’ by ThanimaKuwait, ‘Ushna Mekhalayile Penkutty’ by Future Eye Theatreand ‘Randam Bhavam’ by Kala Kuwait were presented. ‘Keli2014’ gave a new experience to theatre and art lovers inKuwait who overwhelmingly supported and greeted the two-day festival.

‘Keli 2014’, a spectacular show

H E A L T HSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

MANILA: Students from the country’s state university, the Polytechnic University of thePhilippines, queue up with their “lifeline forms” indicating their willingness to donate theirinternal organs during a nationwide campaign in Manila yesterday. — AP

WASHINGTON: First the teenager sur-vived a rare cancer. Then she wanted tostudy it, spurring a study that helped sci-entists find a weird gene flaw that mightplay a role in how the tumor strikes. Age18 is pretty young to be listed as anauthor of a study in the prestigious jour-nal Science. But the industrious highschool student’s efforts are bringingnew attention to this mysterious dis-ease.

“It’s crazy that I’ve been able to dothis,” said Elana Simon of New York City,describing her idea to study theextremely rare form of liver cancer thatmostly hits adolescents and youngadults.

Making that idea work required a lotof help from real scientists: Her father,who runs a cellular biophysics lab at theRockefeller University; her surgeon atMemorial Sloan-Kettering CancerCenter; and gene specialists at the NewYork Genome Center. A second survivor

of this cancer, who the journal saiddidn’t want to be identified, also co-authored the study.

Together, the team reportedThursday that they uncovered an oddity:A break in genetic material that left the“head” of one gene fused to the “body”of another. That results in an abnormalprotein that forms inside the tumors butnot in normal liver tissue, suggesting itmight fuel cancer growth, theresearchers wrote. They’ve found theevidence in all 15 of the tumors testedso far.

It’s a small study, and more researchis needed to see what this gene flawreally does, cautioned Dr. SanfordSimon, the teen’s father and the study’ssenior author.

But the teen-spurred project hasgrown into work to get more patientsinvolved in scientific research. Scientistsat the National Institutes of Health areadvising the Simons on how to set up a

patient registry, and NIH’s Office of RareDiseases Research has posted on its website a YouTube video in which ElanaSimon and a fellow survivor explain whyto get involved.

“Fibrolamellar HepatocellularCarcinoma. Not easy to pronounce. Noteasily understood,” it says.

Simon was diagnosed at age 12.Surgery is the only effective treatment,and her tumor was caught in time that itworked. But there are few options if thecancer spreads, and Simon knows otherpatients who weren’t so lucky.

Genetic mutations A high school internship during her

sophomore year let Simon use her com-puter science skills to help researcherssort data on genetic mutations in a labo-ratory studying another type of cancer.

Simon wondered, why not try thesame approach with the liver cancershe’d survived?

The hurdle: Finding enough tumorsto test. Only about 200 people a yearworldwide are diagnosed, according tothe Fibrolamellar Cancer Foundation,which helped fund the new study. Therewas no registry that kept tissue samplesafter surgery.

But Simon’s pediatric cancer surgeon,Sloan-Kettering’s Dr. Michael LaQuaglia,agreed to help, and Simon spread theword to patient groups. Finally, samplestrickled in, and Sanford Simon said hisdaughter was back on the computerhelping to analyze what was different inthe tumor cells.

At the collaborating New YorkGenome Center, which geneticallymapped the samples, co-author NicolasRobine said a program calledFusionCatcher ultimately zeroed in onthe weird mutation.

Sanford Simon said other researchersthen conducted laboratory experimentsto show the abnormal protein really isactive inside tumor cells.

He calls it “an exciting time for kids togo into science,” because there’s somuch they can research via computer.

As for Elana Simon, she plans tostudy computer science at Harvard nextfall. —- AP

MANILA: The Philippines has broken India’srecord of gathering the most organ donorpledges in an hour at a single site, health offi-cials said yesterday. The feat awaits theGuinness World Records’ official confirmation.

Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said thecampaign gathered 3,548 pledges at an eventheld at the Polytechnic University of thePhilippines’ Manila campus, beating India’s pre-vious record of 2,755.

At the event, aimed at raising awarenessabout organ donation, volunteers filled outforms with a checklist of organs they are willingto donate upon death. Those forms were thenchecked and recorded by organizers.

“We have a lot of countrymen who are in dire

need of organs and this is part of the goal of theDepartment of Health to remove the stigmaattached to donating organs,” Tayag said.

He said the record was still unofficial becausethere were no Guinness adjudicators present.Documented results will be sent to the recordsbody.

The Philippines also hopes to top India’srecord of 10,450 pledges in a single site in eighthours, and to set new records for the most num-ber of donors signing up in one hour and eighthours in multiple sites.

Aside from Manila, simultaneous registrationof donors was held in five other cities.

The results for the other record attemptswere not yet available. — AP

Philippines claims record in organ donor pledges

‘Park bison canbe transferred’

BILLINGS: A government-funded experiment on diseasedbison herds in Yellowstone National Park shows non-infect-ed animals can be safely removed and used to start newherds, researchers from the US Department of Agricultureand a wildlife group said Thursday.

The results bolster arguments that a species driven tothe brink of extinction last century could be restored toparts of its once-vast territory without threatening livestockwith disease. Yellowstone’s bison are prized for their puregenetics. About half of them test positive for exposure tobrucellosis, which causes pregnant animals to prematurelyabort their young.

Government workers captured and slaughtered thou-sands of migrating bison over the past two decades to pre-vent them from coming into contact with cattle herds inMontana. The practice has resumed this winter under astate-federal agreement that calls for controlling the migra-tion and maintaining their population at about 3,000 ani-mals.

By capturing and putting park bison into quarantine, theanimals could be declared brucellosis-free within threeyears, or even sooner with calves and male animals, accord-ing to researchers from the US Department of Agriculture’sAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the WildlifeConservation Society.

Advocates say that means Yellowstone could be used asa supply source for establishing bison herds on public andtribal lands across the West.

More than 200 bison were captured and used in theexperiment, which was carried out in partnership withMontana wildlife and livestock officials.

Some bison were killed for testing or after infectionsappeared. About 60 animals and their offspring remaineddisease-free and were transferred to tribes on the Fort Peckand Fort Belknap Indian Reservations. The remaining bisonare being held on a ranch near Bozeman owned by mediamogul Ted Turner until a permanent home is found.

“This will help defuse the argument about brucellosis,that the animals are carrying brucellosis and will give it tocattle around them,” said wildlife pathologist Jack Rhyan ofthe health inspection service. “I’ll feel more positive after1,000 animals have gone through. That’s just cautionbecause this disease sometimes crops up where you neverthink it can.”

Efforts to relocate or provide new habitat for the park’ssurplus bison have stalled recently in the face of livestockindustry opposition. Besides concerns over disease, ranch-ers complain that the animals knock over fencing and eatgrass that could otherwise go to cattle.

Yellowstone biologists counted 4,600 bison in the parklast summer. More than 200 have been killed this winter byhunters, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Another 145 animals have been sent to slaughter, and33 were transferred into another health inspection serviceexperiment dealing with animal contraception, Yellowstonespokesman Al-Nash said.—AP

Teen helps scientistsstudy her rare disease

More research needed

NEW YORK: This handout photo provided by The Rockefeller University, showsElana Simon, 18, of New York, pictured in a laboratory at The RockefellerUniversity in New York. — AP

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

HospitalsSabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

ClinicsRabiya 24732263

Rawdha 22517733

Adailiya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Khaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salim 22549134

Al-Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Kuwait KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY(27/02/2014 TO 05/03/2014)

112

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

Prayer timings

SHARQIA-1POMPEII (DIG) 12:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3:00 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 5:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 7:30 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 9:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-2THE LEGO MOVIE (DIG-3D) 1:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:30 PMROBOCOP (DIG) 5:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3WER (DIG) 12:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 2:45 PMWER (DIG) 4:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 6:45 PMWER (DIG) 8:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 10:45 PMWER (DIG) 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-13 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 1:00 PMTHE LEGO MOVIE (DIG) 3:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 5:15 PMNO THU+FRI+MONBHIMAVARAM BULLODU (DIG) (Telugu) 5:15 PMTHU+FRI+MONKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 8:00 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 10:00 PM

MUHALAB-2WER (DIG) 2:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 4:00 PMWER (DIG) 6:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 8:00 PMWER (DIG) 10:00 PM

MUHALAB-3POMPEII (DIG-3D) 12:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:15 PMPOMPEII (DIG-3D) 7:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 9:45 PM

FANAR-1PATRICK (DIG) 12:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 3:15 PMWINTER’S TALE (DIG) 5:15 PMPATRICK (DIG) 7:30 PMPATRICK (DIG) 9:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 12:05 AM

FANAR-23 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 1:30 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 4:00 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 6:00 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 8:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 10:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:30 AM

FANAR-3WER (DIG) 1:00 PMROBOCOP (DIG) 3:15 PMGUNDAY (DIG) (HINDI) 5:45 PMWER (DIG) 8:45 PMWER (DIG) 10:45 PMWER (DIG) 12:45 AM

FANAR-4NON-STOP (DIG) 1:15 PMTHE LEGO MOVIE (DIG-3D) 3:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 5:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 7:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

FANAR-5POMPEII (DIG) 12:30 PMCODE RED (DIG) 2:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 4:45 PMTHE MONUMENTS MEN (DIG) 7:00 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 9:30 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 11:45 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-13 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 1:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 4:00 PMWER (DIG) 6:30 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 8:30 PMWER (DIG) 11:00 PMWER (DIG) 1:00 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-2ROBOCOP (DIG) 1:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 3:30 PMPATRICK (DIG) 5:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 7:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 9:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

MARINA-3POMPEII (DIG-3D) 1:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG-3D) 6:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-1OGGY AND THE COCKROACHES: THE MOVIE (DIG) 1:00 PMOGGY AND THE COCKROACHES: THE MOVIE (DIG) 3:00 PMOGGY AND THE COCKROACHES: THE MOVIE (DIG) 5:00 PMROBOCOP (DIG) 7:00 PMROBOCOP (DIG) 9:30 PMROBOCOP (DIG) 12:05 AM

AVENUES-2THE MONUMENTS MEN (DIG) 2:15 PMAMERICAN HUSTLE (DIG) 4:45 PMTHE MONUMENTS MEN (DIG) 7:15 PMTHE MONUMENTS MEN (DIG) 9:45 PMTHE MONUMENTS MEN (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-33 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 PM

AVENUES-4NON-STOP (DIG) 1:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 6:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 AM

AVENUES-53 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 3:00 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 5:15 PMPOMPEII (DIG-3D) 7:30 PMNO THUSpecial Show “3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG)” 7:30 PMTHU3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 9:45 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED360º- 1PATRICK (DIG) 2:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 4:15 PMPATRICK (DIG) 6:30 PMPATRICK (DIG) 8:45 PMPATRICK (DIG) 11:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 1:15 AMNO 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 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 9:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

360º- 3OGGY AND THE COCKROACHES:

THE MOVIE (DIG) 2:00 PMOGGY AND THE COCKROACHES:THE MOVIE (DIG) 4:00 PMOGGY AND THE COCKROACHES: THE MOVIE (DIG) 6:00 PMAMERICAN HUSTLE (DIG) 8:15 PMAMERICAN HUSTLE (DIG) 10:45 PMWER (DIG) 1:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.1POMPEII (DIG) 12:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 3:00 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 5:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 7:30 PMPOMPEII (DIG) 9:45 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.2PATRICK (DIG) 2:00 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 4:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 6:00 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 8:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 10:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:00 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:30 PMTHE MONUMENTS MEN (DIG) 5:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

AL-KOUT.4WER (DIG) 1:00 PMWER (DIG) 3:00 PMWER (DIG) 5:00 PMCODE RED (DIG) 7:00 PMWER (DIG) 9:00 PMWER (DIG) 11:00 PMWER (DIG) 1:00 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-1THE LEGO MOVIE (DIG-3D) 1:00 PMPOMPEII (DIG-3D) 3:00 PMWER (DIG) 5:15 PMPOMPEII (DIG-3D) 7:15 PMWER (DIG) 9:30 PMWER (DIG) 11:30 PM

BAIRAQ-23 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 1:45 PMTHE LEGO MOVIE (DIG) 4:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 6:00 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 8:00 PMPATRICK (DIG) 10:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-3NON-STOP (DIG) 1:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 3:45 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 6:15 PMKHOUTAT GIMI (DIG) 8:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 10:30 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED

PLAZABHIMAVARAM BULLODU (DIG) (Telugu) 6:30 PMBHIMAVARAM BULLODU (DIG) (Telugu) 9:30 PM

LAILAPATRICK (DIG) 6:15 PMNON-STOP (DIG) 8:15 PM3 DAYS TO KILL (DIG) 10:30 PM

AJIAL.1THEGIDI (DIG) (Tamil) 7:00 PMTHEGIDI (DIG) (Tamil) 10:00 PM

AJIAL.2BHIMAVARAM BULLODU (DIG) (Telugu) 6:45 PMBHIMAVARAM BULLODU (DIG) (Telugu) 9:45 PM

FOR SALE

LOST

Nissan Altima - 2008, silvercolor, full options (sunroof)excellent conditions. KD1950. Tel: 66729295. (C 4652)

Mitsubishi Lancer 2010 GLX(CC 1800) golden colour,excellent conditions, KD1650. Tel: 50994848. (C 4653)1-3-2014

Hyundai Azera 2008. Fulloptions, sun roof, navigation,leather seats. KD. 2500/-negotiable. Call: 65860200

Toyota Yaris, model 2013,mileage 3,500 white exterior,price KD 2,550. Phone:

It is notified for the informa-tion that my original qualify-ing examination certificate ofmain secondary examinationof year 2010-2012 and roll no.8106150 issued by CBSE,India has been actually lost.Name of candidate:Mohamed Muzammil, AbuHalifa, Block-1, Street-1,Building 1, Flat 25, Kuwait.Mob: 66823168. (C 4651)23-2-2014

99240654. (C 4649)19-2-2014

Nissan Pathfinder 2003model, good condition. Call97277135.

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

Arrival Flights on Saturday 1/3/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeJAI 574 MUMBAI 00:10KLM 413 AMSTERDAM 00:30THY 772 ISTANBUL 00:45QTR 1084 DOHA 00:55DLH 637 DAMMAM 01:10JZR 539 CAIRO 00:40SAI 441 LAHORE 01:30GFA 211 BAHRAIN 02:10THY 764 SABIHA 02:15UAE 853 DUBAI 02:35ETD 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 02:45JAI 576 COCHIN 02:50OMA 643 MUSCAT 03:05JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 02:25PIA 239 LAHORE 03:05MSR 612 CAIRO 03:10QTR 1076 DOHA 03:45MSC 401 ALEXANDRIA 03:45FDB 67 DUBAI 04:20THY 770 ISTANBUL 05:35DHX 170 BAHRAIN 05:40BAW 157 LONDON 06:40QTR 1086 DOHA 07:50FDB 53 DUBAI 07:50JZR 529 ASYUT 06:20JZR 503 LUXOR 05:50KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 07:40KAC 412 MANILA 06:45KAC 416 JAKARTA 06:25UAE 855 DUBAI 08:40KAC 352 COCHIN 08:10KAC 302 MUMBAI 07:55KAC 362 COLOMBO 08:45ABY 125 SHARJAH 09:00ETD 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 09:20FDB 55 DUBAI 09:40QTR 1070 DOHA 09:55IRM 1186 TEHRAN 10:15GFA 213 BAHRAIN 10:40IAW 157 NAJAF 11:00IZG 4161 MASHAD 11:05MSC 405 SOHAG 11:20TMA 213 BEIRUT 12:10KAC 284 DHAKA 8:50KAC 382 DELHI 7:55KAC 344 CHENNAI 8:35JZR 165 DUBAI 11:30ABY 121 SHARJAH 9:30DHX 870 BAHRAIN 11:15GBG 942 BAGHDAD 11:00MRJ 4815 MASHAD 12:25SYR 341 DAMASCUS 12:30IRM 1188 MASHAD 12:40UAE 871 DUBAI 12:50MSR 610 CAIRO 13:00MSR 579 SOHAG 13:05FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50QTR 1078 DOHA 13:55MSR 575 SHARM EL SHEIKH 14:15SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30KNE 472 JEDDAH 14:35IRC 6692 MASHAD 14:40GFA 221 BAHRAIN 15:00IRM 1184 SHIRAZ 15:15KNE 470 JEDDAH 15:35KNE 462 MEDINAH 15:45NIA 251 ALEXANDRIA 15:50JAV 621 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 15:55KNE 460 RIYADH 16:00UAE 857 DUBAI 16:40QTR 1072 DOHA 16:40ETD 303 ABU DHABI-INTL 16:50RJA 640 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 16:55SVA 510 RIYADH 17:15ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:25KAC 538 SOHAG 17:05KAC 774 RIYADH 18:45JZR 325 NAJAF 12:55JZR 357 MASHAD 16:45JZR 535 CAIRO 15:50JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:55JZR 778 JEDDAH 14:10JZR 787 RIYADH 17:00JZR 257 BEIRUT 15:40JZR 135 BAHRAIN 18:00JZR 241 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 12:45JZR 177 DUBAI 18:20

GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:30UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 18:00IZG 4167 MASHAD 18:35QTR 1080 DOHA 18:40FDB 63 DUBAI 18:45GFA 217 BAHRAIN 19:30IRA 607 MASHAD 19:50OMA 647 MUSCAT 19:55FDB 8053 DUBAI 17:40KAC 618 DOHA 19:00KAC 562 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 14:50KAC 672 DUBAI 14:00KAC 790 MEDINAH 19:45KAC 502 BEIRUT 18:50KAC 176 GENEVA 19:15KAC 788 JEDDAH 15:10KAC 118 NEW YORK 16:35KAC 104 LONDON 19:35KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25KAC 542 CAIRO 18:05KAC 522 NAJAF 13:45KAC 614 BAHRAIN 23:00JZR 189 DUBAI 21:00JZR 185 DUBAI 23:20JZR 239 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 22:20JZR 181 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATI 22:25KNE 474 JEDDAH 20:00TBZ 5483 MASHAD 20:00MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:05JAI 572 MUMBAI 20:10ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:20AXB 489 COCHIN 20:35DLH 636 FRANKFURT 20:55FDB 71 DUBAI 21:05ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10MEA 402 BEIRUT 21:20ETD 307 ABU DHABI-INTL 21:35UAE 859 DUBAI 21:40KNE 480 TAIF 21:45GFA 219 BAHRAIN 21:45QTR 1074 DOHA 22:00FDB 59 DUBAI 22:00KLM 415 AMSTERDAM 22:05AIC 975 CHENNAI 22:30UAL 981 BAHRAIN 23:10KAC 786 JEDDAH 23:05

Departure Flights on Saturday 1/3/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 GOA 00:05JAI 573 MUMBAI 01:10KLM 413 AMSTERDAM 01:45DLH 637 FRANKFURT 02:10SAI 442 LAHORE 02:30THY 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 02:55UAE 854 DUBAI 03:50ETD 306 ABU DHABI 04:00OMA 644 MUSCAT 04:05MSR 613 CAIRO 04:10QTR 1085 DOHA 04:15PIA 240 SIALKOT 04:35MSC 406 SOHAG 04:45FDB 68 DUBAI 05:00THY 5465 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 05:05QTR 1077 DOHA 05:15JAI 575 ABU DHABI 06:45JZR 164 DUBAI 06:55THY 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 07:05GFA 212 BAHRAIN 07:15JZR 240 AMMAN 07:20THY 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 07:30FDB 54 DUBAI 08:30JZR 779 JEDDAH 08:40BAW 156 LONDON 08:45QTR 1087 DOHA 08:50JZR 256 BEIRUT 08:55JZR 534 CAIRO 09:00KAC 537 SOHAG 09:05KAC 787 JEDDAH 09:25KAC 561 AMMAN 09:25KAC 671 DUBAI 09:30JZR 324 AL NAJAF 09:35ABY 126 SHARJAH 09:40KAC 101 LONDON 09:50UAE 856 DUBAI 09:55ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:05KAC 521 AL NAJAF 10:05ABY 122 SHARJAH 10:10FDB 56 DUBAI 10:20

JZR 356 MASHHAD 10:45QTR 1071 DOHA 10:55KAC 501 BEIRUT 11:10GFA 214 BAHRAIN 11:25KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30IRM 1185 SHIRAZ 11:35KAC 165 ROME 11:50IAW 158 BAGHDAD 12:00MSC 402 ALEXANDRIA 12:20JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25IZG 4162 MASHHAD 12:35DHX 521 BAGRAM 13:00GBG 943 SHARJAH 13:00SYR 342 DAMASCUS 13:30JZR 786 RIYADH 13:35TMA 223 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATIONAL 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 58 DUBAI 14:30QTR 1079 DOHA 14:55MSR 576 SHARM EL SHEIKH 15:00JZR 134 BAHRAIN 15:00KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05KAC 789 MADINAH 15:20KAC 773 RIYADH 15:20KAC 617 DOHA 15:30KNE 473 JEDDAH 15:30IRC 6693 MASHHAD 15:35GFA 222 BAHRAIN 15:45SVA 505 JEDDAH 16:00IRM 1187 TEHRAN 16:30KNE 471 JEDDAH 16:30JZR 188 DUBAI 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 17:35JZR 180 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATIONAL 17:40QTR 1073 DOHA 17:40JZR 538 CAIRO 17:50UAE 858 DUBAI 17:50RJA 641 AMMAN 17:55ABY 128 SHARJAH 18:05SVA 511 RIYADH 18:15GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:20FDB 8054 DUBAI 18:20JZR 184 DUBAI 18:40JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:50UAL 982 BAHRAIN 19:15JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 19:20FDB 64 DUBAI 19:25IZG 4168 MASHHAD 19:35QTR 1081 DOHA 19:40KAC 613 BAHRAIN 20:00GFA 218 BAHRAIN 20:15KAC 283 DHAKA 20:30KNE 475 JEDDAH 20:45TBZ 5484 MASHHAD 20:45IRA 604 ISFAHAN 20:50OMA 648 MUSCAT 20:55KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 20:55KAC 361 COLOMBO 21:00ABY 120 SHARJAH 21:00MSR 607 LUXOR 21:05JAI 571 MUMBAI 21:10KAC 351 KOCHI 21:10DLH 636 DAMMAM 21:35KAC 543 CAIRO 21:40FDB 72 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 60 DUBAI 22:40UAE 860 DUBAI 22:50KAC 381 DELHI 22:50KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 22:55JZR 552 ALEXANDRIA 23:00KLM 415 DAMMAM 23:05QTR 1075 DOHA 23:10KAC 411 BANGKOK 23:55

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellationof bookings will help other passengers use seats

i n f o r m a t i o nSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

ACROSS1. A pilgrimage to Mecca.4. Illusory auditory perception of strange nonverbal sounds.11. A fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval).15. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.16. A stiff protective garment worn by hockey players or a catcher in baseball toprotect the shins.17. (Old Testament) The eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited theCovenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac.18. The smallest multiple that is exactly divisible by every member of a set of num-bers.19. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men inTurkey and Iran and the Caucasus.20. A fragment broken off from the edge or face of stone or ore and having at leastone thin edge.21. A sock with a separation for the big toe.23. Israeli statesman (born in Russia) (1898-1978).24. An official language of the Republic of South Africa.25. English playwright (1929-1994).29. A member of the Algonquian people of Maine and southern Quebec.31. Torn down and broken up.33. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group.34. A whistling sound when breathing (usually heard on inspiration).39. Emit a cry intended to attract other animals.42. Napoleon defeated the Russians in a pitched battle at Borodino in 1812, butirreparably weakened his army.43. Bleeding into the interior chamber of the eye.45. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.46. Mythical bird of prey having enormous size and strength.47. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.48. A ductile gray metallic element of the lanthanide series.52. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NENebraska.54. Kamarupan languages spoken in northeastern India and western Burma.57. (India) Absolutely first class and genuine.58. Fleshy spore-bearing inner mass of e.g. a puffball or stinkhorn.62. Cheap showy jewelry or ornament or clothing.69. The content of cognition.70. (anatomy) Opposite to or away from the mouth.73. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.74. (the feminine of raja) A Hindu princess or the wife of a raja.75. A transmission from Earth to a spacecraft or the path of such a transmission.76. A notable achievement.77. Tropical starchy tuberous root.78. A drink made of beer and lemonade.79. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

C R O S S W O R D 4 7 3DOWN

1. Disabled in the feet or legs.2. Type genus of the family Arcidae.3. Thigh of a hog (usually smoked).4. Inquire about.5. A soft suede leather formerly from the sheep of the chamois antelope but nowfrom sheepskin.6. A worker who oils engines or machinery.7. Remove the pins from.8. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat trimmed off.9. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.10. A public promotion of some product or service.11. The cardinal number that is the sum of six and one.12. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.13. East Indian tree yielding a resin used medicinally and burned as incense.14. Perennial of southern Europe cultivated for forage and for its nectar-rich pinkflowers that make it an important honey crop.22. (Old Testament) The first of the major Hebrew prophets (8th century BC).26. A radioactive transuranic element.27. Islands in the Atlantic Ocean belonging to Portugal.28. Large edible mackerel of temperate United States coastal Atlantic waters.30. Any of several compounds of barium.32. (Philippine) A dish of marinated vegetables and meat or fish.35. A beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water.36. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechan-ics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).37. The sound of knocking (as on a door or in an engine or bearing).38. Soft suede glove leather from goatskin.40. Large elliptical brightly colored deep-sea fish of Atlantic and Pacific andMediterranean.41. A police officer who investigates crimes.44. (Greek mythology) The king of Sparta at the time of the Trojan War.49. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts inuranium ores.50. A detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work.51. A state of Uganda and site of a former Bantu kingdom.53. (Greek mythology) One of the three Graces.55. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.56. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element.59. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.60. Any of various organs that synthesize substances needed by the body andrelease it through ducts or directly into the bloodstream.61. Of great size and bulk.63. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.64. Of a quality, as in.65. A facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth.66. A Gaelic-speaking Celt in Ireland or Scotland or the Isle of Man.67. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy forthe sale of petroleum.68. A quantity of no importance.71. Enlarged prostate.72. Leaf or strip from a leaf of the talipot palm used in India for writing paper.

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

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S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) will hold thefirst draw in its campaign “win 32 travel packages fortwo to the 2014 FIFA World Cup” on Tuesday 4th ofMarch 2014. There will be 10 winners rewarded withtravel packages for two to attend the games of the2014 FIFA World Cup that will be held in Brazil.

NBK is the only official non-host retail bankingpartner of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Kuwait, in asso-ciation with Visa, the official FIFA partner.

In an exclusive campaign valid until 30 April, 2014,new and current NBK Visa Cardholders and customerstransferring their salaries or student allowances toNBK still have a chance to win 32 travel packages fortwo to attend the games of one of the world’s biggest

sporting extravaganza. Each travel package includestwo match tickets, round trip airline tickets, hotelaccommodation for four nights, and transfer servicefor both winner and guest.

NBK Visa Cardholders (prepaid, credit cards) willget one chance to enter the draw for every KD 20spent locally using their NBK Visa Cards for all pur-chases during the promotion period. NBK VisaCardholders (debit, prepaid and credit cards) can alsotriple their chances to win while spending overseasduring traveling or on the internet.

All current and new NBK customers who have theirsalary transferred to NBK will be eligible to get 10chances to win in each draw for every transfer, while

all current and new Al Shahab customers who trans-fer their student allowance to NBK will get 5 chancesto win in each draw.

NBK and Visa Worldwide have once again part-nered to bring the thrill and enthusiasm of the 2014FIFA World Cup to Kuwait. NBK is privileged to be thefirst and only bank in Kuwait to reward its customerswith this exclusive offer.

FIFA World Cup is one of the world’s most popularsporting events. NBK hosted the 2014 FIFA WorldCup(tm) Winner’s Trophy on its first visit to Kuwaitlast April. NBK Credit Cards are accepted worldwideand are the safest, most convenient and rewardingway to pay.

Three days for first draw of NBK’s campaign

‘Win 32 travel packages to FIFA World Cup Brazil’

ACAPULCO: Top-seeded David Ferrerwithdrew from his Mexican Open quarter-final against South Africa’ Kevin Andersonin the second set on Thursday due to aleft thigh strain.

Ferrer’s exit leaves Andy Murray as thebig favorite to win the Mexican Open 500.The Scot overcame a poor start to beatFrenchmen Gilles Simon 1-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

“It’s tough to win matches when youget down like that, I’ve been strugglingwith my service in the first two matches”,said Murray, who will play against thewinner of the match between Latvia’sErnests Gulbis and Bulgarian GrigorDimitrov.

Murray has beaten Simon 12 straighttimes. Third-ranked Ferrer was leading 6-4, 2-2 when he suffered an inner thigh

strain in his left leg. After seeking treat-ment in the locker room, the Spaniardreturned to the court but lost the nexttwo points before retiring.

Ferrer said he will have scans on Fridayand then assess his recovery. “I’m verysad because I was playing great”, Ferrersaid. “I still do not know the extent of theinjury. “I’ll have to wait and see before tak-ing a determination. The day was goingso well for me and then this happened”.Anderson will next play Ukraine’sAlexandr Dolgopolov, who defeated IvoKarlovic of Croatia, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Anderson,who last week lost the Delray Beach final,will be playing in his first semifinals of anOpen 500.

“It’s unfortunate to win a match likethis, but hopefully he gets better”,

Anderson said after the match. “I talked tohim and he said that it happened whenhe was trying to go for a ball and felt hisleg tweak a little bit”.

On the women’s side of the tourna-ment, top-seeded Dominika Cibulkova ofSlovakia defeated New Zealand’s MarinaErakovic 6-4, 7-5 to set up semifinalagainst China’s Shuai Zhang.

Zhang, the eighth seed, ousted AjlaTomljanovic of Croatia 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard suffered asurprise 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 loss to France’sCaroline Garcia.

Garcia, 89th in the WTA rankings, willplay in the semifinals against AmericanChristina McHale, who defeated third-seeded Kai Kanepi from Estonia 6-1, 2-6,6-4. —AP

Murray into semis,

Ferrer retires

ACAPULCO: Spain’s David Ferrer serves to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson at the Mexican Tennis Open inAcapulco, Mexico, Thursday. —AP

More to come from

me, vows Federer

DUBAI: Roger Federer uttered the astounding revelation afterreaching the semi-finals of the Dubai Open on Thursday that hecould conceivably remain on tour for another decade.

The 32-year-old appeared to dismiss the idea when it was firstput to him by the on-court interviewer, Chris Bradnam, but furtherquestioning revealed that he did not rule out going on almost aslong as Jimmy Connors.

The American was still performing at a high level on tour pastthe age of 40, back in the early 1990’s.

In Dubai, the Swiss legend was presented with a fan’s requestthat ‘win or lose, please would you keep playing another ten years?’

“No problem with that - the question is whether it would be onthe tour or not!” answered Federer light-heartedly. Then he becamea little more serious. “Clearly the goal is to play as long as I can, andto enjoy myself,” he said, knocking back critics’ suggestions that heshould quit when he no longer has a chance of winning anotherGrand Slam title, which may be quite soon.

“Playing is not a problem: the question is (whether it is) on thetour or not,” he repeated, and then offered one important insight asto why it is no problem. “The family love it on tour,” Federer empha-sised, referring to his wife Mirka, a former tour player, and to his twotwin daughters, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva. It was a remark whichprompted him to a slight rethink.

Popularity“So ten years, maybe,” he concluded, only half smilingly. “Ask it

again and we will see. Let’s talk in ten years.” Part of the enduringdynamic is that much of Federer’s popularity is unrelated to justwinning the biggest titles. It appears not to have waned at all, eventhough he slipped from top spot in the rankings 15 months ago toworld number eight now.

He has won frequent accolades for sportsmanship and charita-ble works, and his public relations efforts are famously and modest-ly generous. He also enjoys promoting many of the ATP Tour tour-naments, at whatever level.

But the biggest ingredient of his future is probably the welfare ofhis twin daughters, and on a separate occasion here this weekFederer explained how well the lives of his two 4-year-olds appearto fit with his schedule on tour. “They’re coming to matches fromtime to time,” he said. “You depend on the stadiums, and some areeasier and some are harder to come to. It’s fun for them to come tothe site sometimes, you know.

“They play a little bit of tennis themselves now. They can relate alittle bit to what I am doing, and it’s not a bad thing. “Yeah, it’senjoyable and I like it when they come to the courts, and I’m warm-ing up and they’re running around too.

“Then I come back after the matches, and they help me take mytape off and it’s really cute. It’s nice,” he said.

These emotional vibrations are what the longevity of Federer’sATP Tour career - already 18 years, and perhaps capable of continu-ing till more records are broken - may hinge upon.

Connors did not officially retire until he was 44, thus playing ontour for 24 years, and reaching more Grand Slam quarter-finals (41)than any other male until Federer equalled it at this year’s AustralianOpen.

The American eventually played 1,532 tournament matches andwon 110 titles, which will take some beating, although Federer hasalready played 1,150 matches, and has won 77 titles.

His 302 weeks as world number one compares favourably toConnors’ 268, and he has won many more Grand Slam titles (17)than Connors (8). —AFP

S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

LOS ANGELES: Former football starDarren Sharper, wanted by New Orleanspolice as a suspect in two rapes, wasarrested on Thursday in Los Angeles,where he pleaded not guilty a week agoto charges of drugging four otherwomen and raping two of them.

The two women accusing him in NewOrleans say Sharper, 38, and an acquain-tance, Erik Nunez, 26, each raped themboth at the same location on the night ofSept. 23, 2013, according to a NewOrleans Police Department statement onThursday.

No other details of the allegedassaults were disclosed. Sharper’s attor-ney, Nandi Campbell, said neither she

nor her client had any comment.Sharper, who resides in Miami Beach,

Florida, was taken into custody on a fugi-tive warrant on Thursday evening in LosAngeles, though additional details of hisarrest were not available, Los AngelesPolice Department spokeswoman NuriaVanegas said.

Authorities did not disclose any infor-mation on the possible whereabouts ofNunez. Sharper, a defensive back whoplayed 14 years in the National FootballLeague and helped the New OrleansSaints to a Super Bowl title in 2010,pleaded not guilty to sexual assault anddrug charges in Los Angeles on Feb. 20.

According to Los Angeles prosecu-

tors, Sharper drugged two women withspiked drinks and raped one of them in ahotel room in October, then druggedtwo more women and raped one of themat the same hotel in January.

He pleaded not guilty last Thursday totwo counts of rape by use of drugs, fourcounts of furnishing a controlled sub-stance and one count of possession of acontrolled substance. The five-time ProBowl player, suspended from his job asan NFL Network on-air commentatorafter his arrest in January, was releasedon $1 million bail in Los Angeles.

Prosecutors had wanted to raise thebail amount to $10 million, citing sexcrime investigations against him in

Louisiana, Nevada, Arizona and Florida.On the same day that Sharper appearedin Los Angeles court, police in MiamiBeach released a report detailing awoman’s allegation that the football starhad also raped her.

The woman told investigators she wasintoxicated when she went to Sharper’scondo in 2012 and fell asleep. When shewoke up, she realized Sharper was hav-ing sex with her and left, according tothe police report.

The woman reported the 2012 inci-dent to Miami Beach police two daysafter Sharper was arrested in Los Angeleson Jan. 17, police said. No charges in thecase have been filed. — Reuters

Ex-NFL star arrested in LA on New Orleans rape warrant

LA Angels reward

young Trout with

million-dollar salary

LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Angelsagreed to a record $1 million, one-year con-tract for 22-year-old center fielder MikeTrout on Wednesday, setting a positive tonefor their ongoing conversations regarding amassive long-term deal.

The $1 million figure is the most for aMajor League Baseball player who has notyet qualified for arbitration, according to theMajor League Baseball’s website (mlb.com).

Trout, with just two full seasons in themajors, is considered by some already to bethe best all-around player in the game. “Ithink Mike’s earned that,” Angels generalmanager Jerry Dipoto said about the salaryfor Trout. “He’s certainly been an extraordi-nary player, and we have no doubt that he’llcontinue to be that player.”

The previous high-salary mark for playerswho have yet to qualify for arbitration was$900,000, received by Phillies first basemanRyan Howard in 2007 and then-Cardinalsfirst baseman Albert Pujols in 2003.

Players with less than four seasons in themajors can have their contracts renewed bytheir clubs at a minimal increase, potentiallysaving the team considerable money.

For most players with less than threeyears of Major League Baseball service time,clubs can determine their salaries, as long asit’s at least the 2014 minimum of $500,000.

Trout, however, has been so sensational,the Angels were running the risk of alienat-ing the power-hitting speedster, who theyhope to lock up with a long term contract. Arecent report by Yahoo! Sports said theAngels and Trout’s representatives wereworking on a possible six-year, $150 millioncontract.

Last spring, the Angels gave Trout only a$20,000 increase from his American LeagueRookie of the Year season in 2012, in a con-tract totaling $510,000. Asked why theAngels paid above and beyond what wasrequired this time, Dipoto said: “Honestly,because I think we felt like his performancewas exceptional.

“There are players that force you to breaka rule, and what Trout just did for two con-secutive years forced us to break our ownrule.” Trout finished second to Tigers slug-ger Miguel Cabrera for the American LeagueMost Valuable Player Award in each of thepast two years. Last season, he batted .323with 27 home runs, 97 runs batted in and 33stolen bases. — Reuters

PALM BEACH GARDENS: Rory McIlroy pro-duced a barnstorming back nine, charginghome with five birdies, to take the first-round lead at the $6 million Honda Classicin Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on Thursday.

A year after quitting the tournamentmid-round with his game in a shambles,McIlroy cut a contrasting figure on his wayto a flawless seven-under-par 63 in relativelybenign afternoon conditions at PGANational.

“I made a great par save on nine whichkept that bogey-free round alive,” the 24-year-old Northern Irishman told GolfChannel after seizing a one-shot lead overAmerican Russell Henley.

Buoyed by that 10-foot par putt at theninth, McIlroy birdied the next three holesand added further birdies on his last twoholes, much to the delight of his parentsGerry and Rosie, who were in the gallery.

“It’s a good ball-striker’s course,” saidMcIlroy, who looked ominously close toregaining the form that made him theworld’s top-ranked player at the time of hismeltdown 12 months ago.

“If you can keep your ball in play andgive yourself plenty of birdie chances, that’sthe name of the game here.”

McIlroy’s sizzling start against thestrongest field in the world so far this yearovershadowed Australian Adam Scott, oneof his playing partners on the day.

Not that Scott, gearing up to defend hisMasters title in April, started badly as heopened with a 68 to sit five strokes off thepace. However the Australian’s move up theleaderboard stalled when he drowned histee shot at the par-three 15th, the first ofthree dangerous holes in a stretch known asthe “Bear Trap”, in honour of course design-er Jack Nicklaus.

Inconsistent WoodsFive-times major champion Phil

Mickelson did not do a lot wrong whilecarding a 70 in the afternoon while worldnumber one Tiger Woods had an inconsis-tent 71 in the morning and ended the daytied for 81st in a field of 144.

Second-placed Henley started with fourconsecutive birdies and was five under

through six holes but it was a par on his12th hole, the par-five third, that mostimpressed. He pulled his second shot, an“horrendous” six-iron that ended partly sub-merged in a water hazard, with a bunkerbetween his ball and the hole.

Henley then removed his right shoe andsock and conjured up an outstanding thirdshot to inside 10 feet, only to miss the birdieputt. “I’ve never had that shot in my life,” hesaid. “I tried to treat it like a bunker shot.”

Mickelson, meanwhile, was not at hisbest in his first competitive round as a pro-fessional on the course, but he soundedmildly satisfied.

“I did some things really well and somethings poorly,” the American left-handersaid, citing a need to improve his distancecontrol with his irons. “I’ve just got to getthat fine-tuning down. It’s a very difficultcourse but when you hit good shots you getrewarded with good birdie opportunities.”

Fifty-six players broke par on a day whenplayers were allowed preferred lies due toheavy pre-tournament rain that left the fair-ways damp. — Reuters

McIlroy takes charge at

Honda with opening 63

PALM BEACH GARDENS: Josh Teater plays a shot on the third hole during the second round of The Honda Classic at PGA NationalResort and Spa yesterday in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. — AFP

S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

PITTSBURGH: Montreal took soleposition of third place in the NHLEastern Conference with a 6-5shootout victory over conference-leading Pittsburgh on Thursday,with David Desharnais scoring thelone goal in the shootout. TheCanadiens moved two points clearof divisional rivals Toronto andTampa Bay, which both lost.

Rangers 2, Blackhawks 1The New York Rangers shut

down the NHL’s most explosiveteam with a 2-1 victory over theChicago Blackhawks.

Center Derick Brassard and leftwing Rick Nash scored for New York,while Chicago center Peter Reginscored his third goal of the seasonwith 12 seconds left in the game.

Devils 5, Blue Jackets 2Center Adam Henrique scored

twice as the New Jersey Devils usedan early three-goal barrage todefeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2.

Left wingers Ryane Clowe andPatrik Elias and right winger JaromirJagr added goals for the Devils.Right winger Marian Gaborik andleft winger Artem Anisimov scoredfor the Blue Jackets. The Devilsscored three goals in 2:45 of the firstperiod to jump to a 3-0 lead.

Islanders 5, Maple Leafs 4 (OT)Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky

scored with 3:05 left in overtime tocap a comeback 5-4 win by the NewYork Islanders over the TorontoMaple Leafs. Visnovsky picked up aloose puck and fired it past Torontogoaltender Jonathan Bernier to enda 22-minute period in which sixgoals were scored.

Center Anders Lee, who wasrecalled from AHL Bridgeport earlierthis week to replace the injuredJohn Taveras, scored a two game-tying goals in the third period.

Right winger Michael Grabnerscored two short-handed goals onthe same power play in the firstperiod for the Islanders.

Sharks 7, Flyers 3Center Joe Pavelski scored a hat

trick while left wing Raffi Torres andcenter Logan Couture both scoredtwo goals as the San Jose Sharksbeat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3.Defenseman Andrej Meszaros, cen-ter Brayden Schenn and right wingMatt Read scored for the Flyers.

Capitals 5, Panthers 4Washington captain Alex

Ovechkin scored the go-ahead goalwith 4:17 remaining to give theCapitals a 5-4 victory over theFlorida Panthers.

It was Ovechkin’s 41st goal of theseason and third point of the gamefor Washington, who twice allowed

the Panthers to overcome two-goaldeficits.

Red Wings 6, Senators 1Detroit Red Wings winger Johan

Franzen scored three times to leadhis team to a 6-1 victory over theOttawa Senators.

Franzen, who missed 27 gamesdue to concussion, completed hishat trick by the 3:49 mark of the sec-ond period, giving him 12 goals onthe season. Center Riley Sheahan,winger Tomas Jurco and centerTomas Tartar also scored for Detroit.

Predators 3, Lightning 2The Nashville Predators fell

behind 2-0 midway through the firstperiod but got two second-periodpower-play goals and another on athird-period man-advantage in a 3-2victory over the Tampa BayLightning.

Nashville (26-24-10) center CraigSmith and defenseman Roman Josiscored in the second period andright winger Patric Hornqvist gotthe winner with 6:04 remaining.

Right winger Martin St. Louisscored twice for the Lightning.

Jets 3, Coyotes 2 (shootout)Center Olli Jokinen’s shootout

goal lifted the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Jets’ right winger DevinSetoguchi and Coyotes centerAntoine Vermette traded goals inthe shootout before Jokinen dekedgoalie Mike Smith for the eventualwinner.

Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelecstopped center Mike Ribeiro on thefinal shot to give his side the win.

Stars 4, Hurricanes 1Dallas Stars head coach Lindy

Ruff’s fears that his club might berusty after the 19-day Olympic breakwere allayed as Dallas jumped to anearly 2-0 lead and cruised to a 4-1victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Stars center and captain JamieBenn contributed a goal and twoassists and goalie Kari Lehtonenmade 29 saves for Dallas.

Wild 3, Oilers 0Mikael Granlund, stephane

Veilleux and Dany Heatley all scoredgoals in the first, second and thirdperiods as the Minnesota Wildsecured a 3-0 victory over theEdmonton Oilers. Wild goaltenderDarcy Kuemper picked up theshutout, stopping 21 shots.

Kings 2, Flames 0Los Angeles Kings goalie

Jonathan Quick delivered a 25-save shutout to lead the Kings to a2-0 victory over the CalgaryFlames. Left wingers Dustin Brownand Dwight King scored for theKings. —Reuters

Canadiens strengthen playoff, win at Penguins

Western ConferencePacific Division

W L OTL GF GA PTS Anaheim 41 14 5 196 147 87 San Jose 38 16 6 182 145 82 Los Angeles 33 22 6 147 132 72 Phoenix 27 21 11 165 172 65 Vancouver 28 24 9 147 160 65 Calgary 22 30 7 137 181 51 Edmonton 20 34 7 153 202 47

Central DivisionSt. Louis 39 13 6 196 136 84 Chicago 35 12 14 208 165 84 Colorado 37 17 5 178 159 79 Minnesota 32 21 7 148 147 71 Dallas 28 21 10 168 165 66 Winnipeg 29 26 6 171 177 64 Nashville 26 24 10 149 182 62

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

Boston 37 16 5 180 130 79 Montreal 33 21 7 155 149 73 Tampa Bay 33 21 5 170 148 71 Toronto 32 22 7 182 187 71 Detroit 28 20 12 159 165 68 Ottawa 26 23 11 170 197 63 Florida 22 30 7 143 188 51 Buffalo 17 34 8 118 178 42

Metropolitan DivisionPittsburgh 40 15 4 191 144 84 NY Rangers 33 24 3 157 147 69 Philadelphia 30 24 6 165 174 66 Washington 28 23 9 176 179 65 Columbus 29 25 5 172 166 63 New Jersey 25 22 13 140 148 63 Carolina 26 24 9 147 165 61 NY Islanders 23 30 8 169 204 54 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point inthe standings and are not included in the loss col-umn (L).

NHL results/standingsNew Jersey 5, Columbus 2; NY Islanders 5, Toronto 4 (OT); NY Rangers 2, Chicago 1; San Jose 7, Philadelphia 3;Montreal 6, Pittsburgh 5 (SO); Detroit 6, Ottawa 1; Washington 5, Florida 4; Nashville 3, Tampa Bay 2; Winnipeg3, Phoenix 2 (So); Dallas 4, Carolina 1; Minnesota 3, Edmonton 0.

CALGARY: Kevin Westgarth (L) of the Calgary Flames pushes Dustin Brown of the Los AngelesKings away from the puck during the first period of their NHL hockey game at the ScotiabankSaddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. —AFP

S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

N E W Y O R K : Former Formula Oneworld champion Jacques Villeneuveis taking a crack at winning anotherIndianapolis 500 by joining SchmidtPeterson Motorsports to race in thefamed event he won in 1995, theteam announced.

Villeneuve, 42, left the circuit afterwinning his f irst Indy 500 and theCART championship that year and has

not started an IndyCar race since.“We started talking not long ago,

actually a few weeks ago,” said theCanadian of the May 25 race. “It allwent fast. “The discussions happenedat the right time because I ’d beenwatching the IndyCars last year, andit looked extremely exciting with thenew cars, to the point where I wasangry and jealous that I wasn’t rac-

ing. So that got me going again.”The Quebec native left for F1 after

his triumphant 1995 season and com-peted from 1996 through 2006, win-n i n g t h e w o r l d c h a m p i o n s h i p i n1997. Villeneuve moved to stock carsin 2007 and has run in a variety ofseries including NASCAR’s Sprint Cup,Nationwide and Le Mans as well assports cars. Villeneuve said the new-

style IndyCars and the aggressive rac-ing style got him itching to return.

“When I started seeing that lastyear, I started getting excited again,just because the racing was amaz-ing, the cars looked fast and aggres-sive, it looked hard on the drivers,and the battles were fierce, which isa l l w h a t I l o v e a b o u t r a c i n g , ” h esaid. — Reuters

Villeneuve returning to Indy 500

MIAMI: Miami’s LeBron James, clad in a face-covering black mask to protect a broken nose,scored 31 points to lead the Heat to a 108-82blowout win over New York on Thursday.

The Heat maintained a yawning 12-1/2game lead in the Southeast Division ahead ofWashington, which had a triple-overtime roadwin against Atlantic Division leader Toronto.

James was clearly unencumbered by themask, hitting 13 of 19 shots and topping 30points for the fifth consecutive game.

Dwyane Wade added 23, shooting 10 of 13from the field, for the Heat, which outscoredNew York 23-3 over the final 7:02 of the thirdand won its sixth straight game. Miami shot61 percent, while the Knicks shot 37 percent.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points forNew York, but none in the final 21:38. TheKnicks won only two games in February.

Washington’s Trevor Ariza scored the go-ahead basket on a fast-break layup with 1:20left in the third overtime to secure a 134-129win at Toronto.Marcin Gortat fouled out with31 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards,who have won five straight.

DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points in 58minutes for Toronto. In the day’s othergames, league-leading Indiana beatMilwaukee 101-96, with Roy Hibbert scoring24 points and adding 12 rebounds, whileBrooklyn won 112-89 over Denver, to recordtheir first win in Colorado for seven years.

Pacers 101, Bucks 96Center Roy Hibbert scored a game-high 24

points and had 12 rebounds to power thePacers to a hard-fought 101-96 win over theMilwaukee Bucks.

The Pacers, who lead the Central Division

by 13 games, rallied from a six-point deficit inthe third quarter as forward Paul Georgeadded 18 points and a game-high six assists.Guard Brandon Knight led the Bucks with 23points.

Wizards 134, Raptors 129 (3 OT)Guard John Wall scored 31 points while

center Marcin Gortat also scored 31 pointsand added 12 rebounds as the WashingtonWizards defeated the Toronto Raptors 134-129 in triple overtime.

Wall, who scored eight of his points inovertime, made a driving layup in the finalminute of the third extra period to give theWizards a four-point lead.

Guard DeMar DeRozan led the Raptorswith 34 points.

Nets 112, Nuggets 89Forward Paul Pierce scored 18 points

before sitting out the entire fourth quarter asthe Brooklyn Nets raced out to a big lead ear-ly and never relented in a 112-89 win over theDenver Nuggets.

Guard Marcus Thornton scored 10 pointsin his second game since joining Brooklyn atthe trade deadline last week.

The Nets are 27-29 and within reach ofToronto for first place in the Atlantic Division.

The Nets embarrassed the now-woefulNuggets despite solid games from forwardKenneth Faried (14 points, eight rebounds)and guard Randy Foye (15 points).

Their efforts were not nearly enough toovercome Denver’s worst period of the sea-son. The Nuggets were just 3-for-18 from thefield in the first quarter and had as manypoints as turnovers, eight. — Agencies

Masked James leads Heat past Knicks

MIAMI: Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) prepares to shoot over New YorkKnicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) during the second half of an NBA basketball gamein Miami, Thursday. The Heat won 108-82. — AP

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic Division

W L PCT GBToronto 32 26 .552 - Brooklyn 27 29 .482 4 NY Knicks 21 37 .362 11 Boston 20 39 .339 12.5 Philadelphia 15 43 .259 17

Central DivisionIndiana 44 13 .772 - Chicago 31 26 .544 13 Detroit 23 35 .397 21.5 Cleveland 23 36 .390 22 Milwaukee 11 46 .193 33

Southeast DivisionMiami 41 14 .745 - Washington 30 28 .517 12.5 Charlotte 27 30 .474 15 Atlanta 26 31 .456 16 Orlando 18 42 .300 2.5

Western conferenceNorthwest division

Oklahoma City 43 15 .741 - Portland 40 18 .690 3 Minnesota 28 29 .491 14.5 Denver 25 32 .439 17.5 Utah 21 36 .368 21.5

Pacific DivisionLA Clippers 40 20 .667 - Golden State 35 23 .603 4 Phoenix 33 24 .579 5.5 Sacramento 20 37 .351 18.5 LA Lakers 19 39 .328 20

Southwest DivisionSan Antonio 41 16 .719 - Houston 39 19 .672 2.5 Dallas 36 23 .610 6 Memphis 32 24 .571 8.5 New Orleans 23 34 .404 18

NBA results/standingsIndiana 101, Milwaukee 96; Washington 134, Toronto 129 (OT); Miami 108, NY Knicks 82;Brooklyn 112, Denver 89.

S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

LONDON: Controversial Cardiff City ownerVincent Tan has criticised “a little bit racist” Britishmedia for projecting him as a villain and ruled outthe possibility of the Premier League club chang-ing its team colours back to blue.

The 62-year-old Malaysian businessmanhelped finance the team into the top tier ofEnglish soccer for the first time in half a centurythis season before his leadership style cameunder increasingly scrutiny.

Tan, who once operated Malaysia’s most prof-itable lottery and gambling business, changedthe club colours from its traditional blue to red atthe start of the 2012-13 season and sacked popu-lar manager Malky Mackay last December to fur-ther irk the fans.

Criticism of his leadership approach hasonly grown but the Malaysian made it clearthat he was not stepping down despite theside struggling down in 19th place and threepoints adrift of safety with a significantly inferi-

or goal difference.“Without me, Cardiff would have gone bust.

Because of my investment, we got promoted,”Tan said in an interview with BBC Sport yesterday.I am now more involved and under my leadershipthe club will be in good shape.

“Some of my family members really want meto leave. They think it’s not worth it. They thinkno-one is grateful. But you have to be patient,accept the criticism and sometimes the insults.”

No villainOften seen wearing dark glasses and gloves at

Cardiff games, Tan said he was not the villain hewas made out to be.

“I wear sunglasses because of the glare of thespotlights,” he said. “I wear gloves because it isvery cold in the UK. Frankly, sometimes I thinkthey are nuts making all these comments.

“The British press is unfair... maybe because wedidn’t tell our side of the story that well. When the

time is right, I will tell my story. Sometimes theBritish press is maybe a little bit racist.”

Tan said Mackay had been lucky to land thejob at Cardiff in July 2011 and felt he should havebeen more hands-on earlier.

“Earlier on I was generous enough to give ourfootball management too much authority andthey went berserk. They went and did bad busi-ness. That was a mistake.

“But now I’m involved, I know the value and Istudy. Every business I don’t know, if I spendenough time - a couple of months - I will know alot. I know quite a lot about football now. I knowthe value of players and we won’t do stupidthings.”

Tan said he had abandoned plans to listCardiff on the Singapore stock exchange andhoped new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaerwould guide the team out of relegation zonedespite winning just one of their last 11 leaguegames. —Reuters

Tan flays ‘racist’ media, says Cardiff in safe hands

M A D R I D : Atlet ico Madr id st r ikerDiego Costa could make his debut forSpain after being named in Vicentedel Bosque’s 22-man squad for theworld champions’ friendly at home toItaly on March 5.

Costa completed the nationalisa-t ion process that a l lowed him toswitch allegiances from Brazil to Spainin time for La Roja’s friendlies againstEquatorial Guinea and South Africalast November, but was forced to missboth games due to injury.

He is now expected to make hisbow on home soi l at the V icenteCalderon after scoring 27 times in allcompetitions this season. “His is a sin-gular case, he was born in Brazil buthe has formed into a footballer inSpain and has shown in his club thathe deserves to come into the squad,that is why we have called him up.”

Gerard Pique is the only significantabsentee through injury from the finalmatch Spain wi l l p lay before DelBosque names his squad to defendthe World Cup in Brazil later this year.

There was d isappointment forDavid Villa, Fernando Torres and JuanMata as a l l three were lef t out .However, Del Bosque insisted thatthere was still plenty of time for thoseleft out of the squad to make theircase for a World Cup berth betweennow and the end of the season.

“This is a l ist exclusively for thegame against Italy. We have practical-ly three months of the season in frontof us which could ratify those in thisl i s t or inc lude others . ” BayernMunich’s Thiago Alcantara is reward-ed for his impressive form for theBundesliga champions with a call-upto the senior squad for the first timethis season.

Competivive clashTorres’ Chelsea teammate Cesar

Azpilicueta is also included for thefirst time since the ConfederationsCup ahead of Real Madrid’s AlvaroArbeloa. The match will be a rematch

of the 2012 European Championsipfinal, which Spain won 4-0.

However, both sides played out afar more competit ive c lash in thesemi- f inals of last year ’sConfederations Cup semi-final withSpain only progressing on penaltiesafter a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes.

And the former Real Madrid boss isexpecting another stiff test as prepa-ration for a demanding start to theirWorld Cup campaign as they faceagainst Holland and Chile in their firsttwo games in Brazil.

“Italy is one of the best teams inthe wor ld . They have a base ofJuventus players and we have hadtough meetings with them.

“The Confederations Cup gamewas agonising and the final of theEuros was one of the best games wehave played.”

Spain squadGoalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real

Madrid), Victor Valdes (Barcelona),Pepe Reina (Napoli/ITA)

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (RealMadrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), JaviMartinez (Bayern Munich/GER), CesarAzpilicueta (Chelsea/ENG), JuanfranTorres (Atletico Madrid), Raul Albiol(Napoli/ITA)

M i d f i e l d e r s : X a v i H e r n a n d e z ,S e r g i o B u s q u e t s , A n d r e s I n i e s t a ,Cesc Fabregas (all Barcelona), XabiAlonso (Real Madrid) , David Si lva( M a n c h e s t e r C i t y / E N G ) , T h i a g oA l c a n t a r a ( B a y e r n M u n i c h / G E R ) ,Koke (Atletico Madrid), Santi Cazorla(Arsenal/ENG)

F o r w a r d s : P e d r o R o d r i g u e z( B a r c e l o n a ) , J e s u s N a v a s , A l v a r oNegredo (both Manchester City/ENG),Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid). —AFP

FLORENCE: Fiorentina’s David Pizarro, left, vies for the ball withEsbjerg’s Martin Bergvold during an Europa League, round of 32, sec-ond leg match between Fiorentina and Esbjerg at the Artemio Franchistadium in Florence, Italy, Thursday. —AP

Diego Costa set to make Spain debut against Italy

Drogba life story told in cartoon form

PARIS: Didier Drogba walked at six months, left home at five and fellin love with the woman who was to become his wife at the tenderage of 17.

Those are some of the landmark events covered in an account of theIvorian footballer’s extraordinary life about to be published in cartoonform in France.

Editions are also plannedfor Britain, where Drogba isstill idolised by supporters ofhis former club Chelsea;Brazil, where he is due toplay in the World Cup laterthis year, and Turkey, wherehe currently stars forGalatasaray.

Entitled “From Tito toDrogba”, the album tracesthe 35-year-old’s journeyfrom modest roots inAbidjan to the summit ofworld football. The Tito in the title refers to his childhood nickname.

It was first published in 2012 in Ivory Coast, where Drogba is reveredboth as a lynchpin of the national team, the Elephants, and a symbol ofnational unity-thanks to his detour into peacemaking diplomacy whenthe country was teetering on the brink of civil war in 2006.

Born on March 11, 1978, Drogba first moved to France at the age offive to live with his uncle, Michel Goba, a professional footballer, his par-ents calculating that it would give him a better chance in life.

He has often spoken of how difficult he found his childhood years, thelong spells spent apart from his parents and the upheaval of movingaround as his uncle regularly changed clubs. His parents finally joinedhim in France when he was 13 and the family settled in the Paris suburbs,where Drogba began what was to be an illustrious career at Levallois SC.

‘Too perfect? He’s like that’ “The book goes into a lot of detail,” Drogba recently told sports daily

L’Equipe. “It is a fun way to learn lots of things about me and to showyoung people that, if they do what I did, they can achieve their objec-tives.”

“The most important thing is to show you can exceed your dreams.For me football has become my job, my way of making a living, and thatin turn has allowed me to meet many famous people, to be a UNICEFambassador.”

The man responsible for the album is Gabin Bao, a 36-year-old Ivorianwho has spent years on the project, finally convincing the player’s advi-sors it was a good idea.

“I met him several times after we did the deal and he really liked theidea of sending a message to young Africans,” Bao told AFP.

Bao’s script for the book flirts with caricature at times in its emphasison the role of hard work in Drogba’s ascent.

“Some people say I’ve made him too perfect. But he is like that,” Baosaid. “He is very careful about his image because he has a lot of responsi-bility on his shoulders.” Part of the proceeds from the book sales will go tothe Didier Drogba Foundation, which finances health and education proj-ects in Africa. —AFP

PARIS: A young man reads a com-ic book in Paris entitled “DidierDrogba”. —AFP

S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

English Premier League

Stoke City v Arsenal 18:00beIN SPORTS 11 HDbeIN SPORTS 1 HD

Southampton v Liverpool 20:30 beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 11 HD

Italian Calcio League

AS Roma v Internazionale 22:45beIN SPORTS 3 HD

Spanish League Primera

Malaga v Valladolid 18:00 beIN SPORTS 2 HDbeIN SPORTS 13 HDLevante v Osasuna 20:00 beIN SPORTS 6 HDGetafe v Espanyol 22:00beIN SPORTS 2 HD beIN SPORTS 12 HDbeIN SPORTS 14 HD

German Bundesliga

FC Augsburg v Hannover 17:30Dubai Sports Dortmund v Nuremberg 17:30 Dubai SportsBayer 04 v Mainz 05 17:30Dubai SportsBraunschweig v Borussia 17:30Dubai SportsBremen v Hamburger 17:30Dubai SprotsBayern Munich v Schalke 10:30Dubai Sports

French League

Saint Etienne v Monaco 19:00 beIN SPORTS 5 HDStade Reims v Valenciennes 22:00beIN SPORTS 8 HDStade Rennes v Guingamp 22:00 beIN SPORTS 9 HDSochaux v Girondins 22:00beIN SPORTS 10 HD

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

LONDON: West Bromwich Albion forward NicolasAnelka has been banned for five matches and fined80,000 pounds ($133,400) for making an alleged anti-Semitic gesture in a match in December, the FootballAssociation said on Thursday.

The Frenchman, who made a “quenelle” salute afterscoring in a 3-3 draw against West Ham United on Dec.28, has also been ordered to complete a compulsoryeducation course. “An Independent RegulatoryCommission has found an aggravated breach of FARule E3 against Nicolas Anelka proven and has issued afive-match suspension and a fine of 80,000 pounds,pending appeal,” the FA said in a statement.

The punishment will not be implemented until theoutcome of any appeal or until the player informs the

FA of his decision not to appeal. West Brom, however,have suspended the player immediately until the con-clusion of the governing body’s disciplinary processand will carry out their own internal investigation, theysaid in a statement.

“The club cannot ignore the offence that his actionshave caused, particularly to the Jewish community, northe potential damage to the club’s reputation,” theyadded. The FA found Anelka guilty of making a gesturethat “was abusive and/or indecent and/or insultingand/or improper.” They also found it to be an “aggra-vated breach” in that it included “a reference to ethnicorigin and/or race and/or religion or belief.”

The FA added in their statement that they “did notfind that Nicolas Anelka is an anti-Semite or that he

intended to express or promote anti-Semitism by hisuse of the quenelle”.

Anelka had denied he was anti-Semitic or racist andclaimed the gesture, which has been described as aninverted Nazi salute, was a tribute to his French come-dian friend Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala who invented it.

West Brom said they were now awaiting the writtenreasons for the panel’s decision, from which timeAnelka has seven days to decide whether to appeal.

The gesture has already had repercussions for theclub. Zoopla, a property market search engine co-owned by Jewish businessman Alex Chesterman, hassaid it would not renew its three million pounds ($4.93million) West Brom shirt sponsorship deal after this sea-son because of Anelka’s actions. — Reuters

Anelka handed five-match ban for ‘quenelle’ salute

LONDON: Emmanuel Adebayor scoredtwice in four minutes as Tottenham Hotspuroverturned a two-goal aggregate deficit tobeat 10-man Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3-2over two legs on Thursday to reach the last16 of the Europa League.

It was a painful return to London forTottenham’s former coach Juande Ramoswhose side took the lead on the nightthrough Roman Zozulya.

Forward Zozulya was then sent off in the62nd minute, six minutes after ChristianEriksen had levelled, and Adebayor grabbedhis quickfire double to give twice UEFA Cupwinners Spurs a 3-1 second-leg victory.

Nabil Ghilas, of twice former championsPorto, netted in the 86th minute to secure a3-3 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt, thePortuguese side going through on awaygoals after the tie ended 5-5 on aggregate.

Napoli, with coach Rafa Benitez attempt-ing to win back-to-back Europa Leaguesafter picking up the trophy with Chelsea lastseason, and Ludogorets also came out ontop in thrilling second-leg matches.

The Serie A team scored two late goalsto beat Swansea City 3-1 on the night andon aggregate while Bulgarians Ludogoretsousted Lazio after an 88th-minute goal fromJuninho Quixada gave them a 3-3 homedraw and a 4-3 win overall.

Ramos looked on course for revengeover the club that sacked him five years ago

when his Dnipro team took the lead on thenight through Zozulya who headed inunmarked early in the second half.

Joy soon turned to despair for theSpanish coach, who led Tottenham to theirlast trophy when they won the EnglishLeague Cup in 2008, as Eriksen scored witha free kick and Zozulya saw red for appear-ing to head-butt defender Jan Vertonghen.

Tottenham were then firmly in com-mand and Adebayor converted an Eriksencross from close range on 65 minutes beforegrabbing his second after collecting a long-ball and finishing with a clever flick.

The Togo striker now has 11 goals fromhis last 15 games, making it harder to seewhy he was left out earlier in the seasonunder former manager Andre-Villas Boasbefore being brought back into the fold bynew boss Tim Sherwood. “I’m very glad tobe back scoring goals and happy with myteam,” Adebayor told ITV Sport.

I have to keep focused and keep going. Iwant to say thank you to the new managerwho came in and gave me my stage to per-form.”

Meier doublePorto looked to be heading out when

they trailed 2-0 in Frankfurt, Stefan Aignerprodding the German side ahead from closerange and Alexander Meier converting across to double the lead.

Two second-half headers from defenderEliaquim Mangala made it 2-2 and levelledthe tie 4-4 on aggregate.

Eintracht regained the advantagethrough Meier but Ghilas latched on to aloose ball when keeper Kevin Trapp couldonly parry a shot and slid the ball into theempty net to give the visitors an away-goalvictory.

Ludogorets had won the first leg againstLazio 1-0 but were quickly behind in thereturn game when Balde Diao Keita bun-dled the ball into the net after a minute andBrayan Perea converted an Ogenyi Onazipass to make it 2-0 on the night early in thesecond half.

Goals from Roman Bezjak and HristoZlatinski made it 2-2 but the Italians againlooked set to advance when Miroslav Klosepoked in a rebound with eight minutesremaining.

Quixada then pounced on a long pass toflick the ball over the on-rushing Lazio keep-er and put the hosts into the last 16.

Napoli scored early through LorenzoInsigne’s dinked finish but Swanseaequalised through Jonathan de Guzman.Gonzalo Higuain’s predatory instincts thencame to Benitez’s rescue as the Argentineswivelled and volleyed home with 12 min-utes remaining before Napoli keeper JoseReina pulled off a remarkable reflex savefrom Dwight Tiendalli’s header.

Gokhan Inler netted deep into injurytime to take the tie out of Swansea’s reach.Serie A champions Juventus comfortablybeat Trabzonspor 2-0 in Turkey to progressafter winning by the same scoreline in Italylast week while Benfica scored three goalsin nine second-half minutes to beat PAOKSalonika 3-0 on the night, 4-0 overall.

Salzburg, who won all six group matchesearlier in the competition, thrashed AjaxAmsterdam 6-1 on aggregate after winning3-1 in Austria in the second leg.

Spanish club Real Betis secured a 3-1aggregate victory over Russians RubinKazan, winning 2-0 away with Nono andRuben Castro on target.

Sevilla beat Slovenians Maribor 2-1 withgoals from Jose Antonio Reyes and KevinGameiro to go through 4-3 on aggregatewhile Viktoria Plzen defeated ShakhtarDonetsk 2-1 to advance 3-2 overall. AlexandreLacazette scored in the 80th minute forOlympique Lyon against ChernomoretsOdessa to progress 1-0 on aggregate andFiorentina drew 1-1 at home to Esbjerg butwent through 4-2 overall. — Reuters

Spurs restore English

pride in Europa league

LONDON: Dnipro’s Ukrainian midfielder Yevhen Cheberyachko (R) looks on asTottenham Hotspur’s Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor (2nd L) scorestheir second goal during the UEFA Europa League round of 32, 2nd leg, foot-ball match between Tottenham Hotspur and FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk atWhite Hart Lane in north London on Thursday. Adebayor scored twice asTottenham won the game 3-1, (3-2 on aggregate). — AFP

S P O R T SSATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

FATULLAH: Kumar Sangakkara hit a brilliant103 as Sri Lanka survived anxious moments toovercome India by two wickets in a thrillinglast-over finish yesterday, securing their sec-ond win in the Asia Cup.

The victory was set up by spinners AjanthaMendis and Sachithra Senanayake, whoshared seven wickets to restrict the reigningworld champions to 264-9 in the day-nightmatch in Fatullah.

But Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular inter-vals and were reduced to 216-7 in the 44thover when Thisara Perera helped Sangakkaraadd 42 crucial runs for the eighth wicket.

Left-handed Sangakkara, who hit 12boundaries and a six in his 18th one-day cen-tury, fell in the penultimate over when justseven runs were needed for victory. ButMendis and Perera saw Sri Lanka throughwith four deliveries to spare in a nail-bitingfinish, giving their team a second win afterthey beat Pakistan in the tournament opener.

India, who won against Bangladesh, mustdefeat arch-rivals Pakistan in Dhaka onSunday to stay in contention for a place in thefinal. Opener Shikhar Dhawan scored 94 asIndia, sent in to bat, moved to 175-2 in 35overs before losing five wickets for 40 runs toslide to 215-7.

Big hitting by the lower order, includingtwo sixes by last man Mohammed Shami offMendis, lifted India past the 250-run mark.

Mendis, who replaced seamer Suranga

Lakmal for the match, justified his selectionwith four for 60, including the key scalps ofDhawan and stand-in captain Virat Kohli.

Off-spinner Senanayake finished with hisbest one-day figures of three for 41 as theIndians struggled against the turning ball onthe slow wicket.

Kohli, leading India in the absence of theinjured Mahendra Singh Dhoni, put on 97 forthe second wicket with Dhawan after RohitSharma had been trapped leg-before bySenanayake for 13.

Kusal Perera and Lahiru Thirimanne gaveSri Lanka a flying start with a 80-run partner-ship for the first wicket by the 18th over.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwinremoved both openers, trapping Thirimanneleg-before for 38 and then having KusalPerera caught behind for 64.

India bounced back strongly when left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja dismissedMahela Jayawardene and Dinesh Chandimalwith consecutive deliveries to reduce SriLanka to 148-4 in the 32nd over.

Seamer Mohammad Shami, who conceded42 runs in his first six overs, returned for aspell and trapped skipper Angelo Mathewsleg-before with his second ball. Shami alsohad Senanayake caught at mid-wicket andJadeja had Chaturanga de Silva leg-before asSri Lanka slumped to 216-7.

Afghanistan will take on hosts Bangladeshin the next match in Fatullah today. —AFP

Sangakkara steers Sri Lanka to dramatic win over India

CAPE TOWN: Shane Warne’s vast testexperience has been well utilised bythe Australian squad in the lead-up tothe series-deciding third test againstSouth Africa at Newlands in CapeTown today.

Captain Michael Clarke says the vet-eran of 145 test matches and arguablythe greatest leg-spinner of all time hasplayed a leading role in mentoring theteam in his role as a consultant.

Clarke believes Warne’s cricketingbrain and infectious personality willhelp lift the squad after the demoralis-ing 231-run loss in the second test inPort Elizabeth last Sunday.

“It’s been fantastic having himaround and great for me personally,”Clarke told reporters on Friday. “I havea wonderful relationship with Warneyand it’s always nice to have himaround, especially for those players

that have not spent a lot of time withhim, they have had their eyes opened.

“The spinners really enjoyed thework he did with them yesterday(Thursday). He will do whatever it takesto get the players to bring the best outof themselves.

“I have said for a long time he isprobably the best captain I haveplayed under and his knowledge is likeno other, He played 145 test matches

and knows the game very well.” Clarkeadmits he is at a loss to explain why hisbowlers failed to get the same reverse-swing as South Africa in the secondtest and expects it to be a factor againin Cape Town.

After claiming a 281-run win in thefirst test, Australia were on track for suc-cess in the second before paceman DaleSteyn took advantage of the conditionsto fire his side to victory. —Reuters

Warne factor big as Australia seek answers

India:R. Sharma lbw b Senanayake 13S. Dhawan b Mendis 94V. Kohli b Mendis 48A. Rahane c Thirimanne b Senanayake 22A. Rayudu c K. Perera b de Silva 18D. Karthik c de Silva b Mendis 4R. Jadeja not out 22S. Binny lbw b Senanayake 0R. Ashwin b Malinga 18B. Kumar st Sangakkara b Mendis 0Mohammad Shami not out 14Extras: (b4 lb1, w6) 11Total (for nine wickets, 50 overs) 264Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Sharma), 2-130(Kohli), 3-175 (Rahane), 4-196 (Dhawan),5-200 (Karthik), 6-214 (Rayudu), 7-215(Binny), 8-245 (Ashwin), 9-247 (Kumar). Bowling: Malinga 10-0-58-1 (w1),Mathews 3.2-1-9-0, Senanayake 10-0-41-3, T. Perera 6.4-0-40-0, Mendis 10-0-60-4(w4), de Silva 10-0-51-1 (w1).(Note: Mathews was injured after bowlingtwo balls of his fourth over. Thisara Perera completed the over)

Sri Lanka:

K. Perera c Karthik b Ashwin 64

L. Thirimanne lbw b Ashwin 38

K. Sangakkara c Ashwin b Shami 103

M. Jayawardene c Sharma b Jadeja 9

D. Chandimal b Jadeja 0

A. Mathews lbw b Shami 6

S. Senanayake c Sharma b Shami 12

C. de Silva lbw b Jadeja 9

T. Perera not out 11

A. Mendis not out 5

Extras: (lb7, w1) 8

Total (for eight wickets, 49.2 overs) 265

Fall of wickets: 1-80 (Thirimanne), 2-134

(K. Perera), 3-148 (Jayawardene), 4-148

(Chandimal), 5-165 (Mathews), 6-183

(Senanayake), 7-216 (de Silva), 8-258

(Sangakkara).

Bowling: Kumar 9.2-1-45-0, Shami 10-0-

81-3, Ashwin 10-0-42-2, Binny 4-0-22-0,

Jadeja 10-1-30-3 (w1), Rayadu 1-0-9-0,

Sharma 5-0-29-0.

Sri Lanka won by two wickets.

SCOREBOARD

FATULLAH: Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara plays a shot as Indian wick-etkeeper Dinesh Karthik looks on during the fourth match of the Asia Cup one-day cricket tournament between India and Sri Lanka at the Khan Shaheb OsmanAli Stadium in Fatullah, on the outskirts of Dhaka yesterday. —AFP

FATULLAH, Bangladesh: Full scoreboard of the Asia Cup one-day tournamentbetween India and Sri Lanka in Fatullah yesterday:

46Spurs restore English

pride in Europa leagueSportsSportsSA

TU

RD

AY,

MA

RC

H 1

, 201

4

DUBAI: World number six Tomas Berdychcontinued his new-found run of good formwhen he reached the final of the DubaiOpen for the second successive year.

Roger Federer battled back from a a setdown to beat top-seeded Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the Dubai Open final yes-terday. The Swiss five-time champion tookhis career head-to-head record overDjokovic to 17-15.

Yesterday’s win, built on a double breakin the final set, stopped a run of three suc-cessive losses against the Serb. Fourth-seed-ed Federer will face Czech third seed TomasBerdych in today’s final.

Berdych had not won an ATP Tour title for16 months until he won Rotterdam thismonth, but the 7-5, 7-5 victory over Philipp

Kohlschreiber, the seventh-seeded Germanwas his 16th win in 17 matches.

Equally crucially Berdych was able toimpose breaks of serve when it matteredmost, at the end of each set, leaving his flu-ent but lighter-weight opponent with nochance to repair the damage.

“It feels absolutely great,” he said “I ampleased with today because it was a reallytough win. It’s a pleasure getting to the finalagain here, a tournament which has such astrong field. “My rhythm is much better thanit was. It is important for me to be hitting theball nicely and then my game really works.”

Kohlschreiber knew well the powerBerdych can generate when allowed to, andvolunteered before the match that he wouldaim to do something different to stop that.

He had only ever prevailed once in theireight matches. The plan involved dictatingthe patterns more, and trying to preventBerdych from pushing him around. Foralmost a set, with his well-constructedorthodoxies, Kohlschreiber made it workeffectively.

He was aided by Berdych’s laboured start,double-faulting on the third point, anddropping his first service game. Neverthelessthe German consolidated that break fourtimes smartly.

Then, in trying to close out the set, hisresolve appeared to waver. Three timesKohlschreiber allowed Berdych to get bigblows into the rally, and after the Czech hadbroken back for 5-5 he began to strike theball much more freely.

Another break, and the first set, followedfor Berdych, and in the second he becameeven more fluent and relaxed. It took a whileto finish the job though.

Kohlschreiber again began to play moreenterprisingly, and hung on well when hewent break point down in the fourth game,averting the danger with a rasping firstserve. But again, in the big moments, he fal-tered. Serving to save the match at 5-6, hetwice allowed Berdych to attack secondserves, and twice drove forehands long, onthe second occasion on match point.

Berdych was due to play the winner oftwo legends in the other semi-final, whichwas between Novak Djokovic, the titlehold-er, and Roger Federer, who holds a recordfive titles here. — Agencies (See Page 41)

Berdych, Federer reach Dubai final DUBAI: Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic serves the ball to Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany during a semi final match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai,United Arab Emirates, yesterday. — AP