1. law, govt and politics
2. law enforcement
3. police

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SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Pro-Russian
rebels down
two Ukraine
helicopters
Mideast peace
talks dead, no
resumption
on horizon
10
9
150 Fils
RAJAB 4, 1435 AH
No: 16154
Sevilla and
Benfica
face off in
Europa final
48
How to lift subsidies
without hitting hard
Panel to devise implementation mechanism
ALEPPO: The burnt remains of victims lie on the ground following reported air strikes by government forces in the
Halak neighborhood in northeastern Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 33
civilians were killed in the attack. — AFP
In Iraq, Syria; a resurgence
of foreign suicide bombers
Max 38º
Min 24º
KUWAIT: A government committee tasked with devising a
new mechanism to slash subsidies of expatriates will meet
this week to discuss options for implementing the decision
without hitting the expats hard. The discussions will focus on
evolving a pragmatic mechanism that could save up the state
exchequer KD2.4 billion annually through rationalizing subsidies. At the same time, it should also ensure that foreigners
living in Kuwait will not experience any serious adverse
impact as a result of the new measure, said sources within the
Finance Ministry.
The sources quoted by Annahar daily were saying yesterday that the plans are still in discussion stages. One option
suggests that the government reduces subsidization in a
phased manner so as to avert any immediate social impact by
setting specific quotas of subsidized services for Kuwaitis. This
option is likely to be adopted in future in order to rationalize
subsidization of fuel and energy, according to discussions featured in previous meetings. Another option calls for increasing the value of non-basic services, while another discusses
ways by which the government increases the quality of certain services to justify increasing their value. The committee
also plans to discuss methods to curb budget waste through a
long-term strategy, the sources said.
The main objective is to reduce subsidization from KD 5.4
billion annually to KD3 billion, through mechanisms that do
not leave a serious effect on consumers including expatriates,
the sources said. The government also hopes that reducing
subsidization would help alleviate pressure on public services
such as energy that has been suffering from overconsumption
in recent years. Mohammad Bushehri, the Assistant
Undersecretary for Water Operation and Maintenance at the
Ministry of Electricity and Water, was recently quoted as saying that rationalizing water between 20 to 25 percent can
save up to KD 300 million a year, an amount he says is
“enough to build 50 schools in the country.” — Agencies
Fighters coming from Kuwait, Mideast, West
WASHINGTON: Shortly before Abdul Waheed Majeed, a 41year-old British truck driver, blew himself up in an attack on a
Syrian prison, he brushed aside a question in Arabic. “I’m sorry, I can’t speak it,” he said in a video. “My tongue bro’... it’s got
like a knot in it.” That suicide-bomb attack on Feb. 6 by the
Pakistani-born Majeed, appeared to be part of a resurgence of
such attacks that represented a disturbing shift in tactics
among radical jihadists in the sectarian killing grounds of
Syria and Iraq.
Many of them have been carried out by foreigners drawn
to the conflicts from across the region and from Europe, US
and European security and intelligence officials say. Will
McCants, an expert at the Brookings Institution think tank in
Washington, said given the rapid increase of foreign fighters
in Syria “if the war drags on, the number of fighters will far
eclipse those we saw in Afghanistan.” The security officials
estimated that several thousand foreign nationals are active
in the two countries.
Most are with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),
an ultra-conservative militant group reconstituted from an
earlier incarnation of Al-Qaeda and is active in Syria and Iraq
and with Jabhat Al Nusrah, an Al-Qaeda affiliate which is one
of the most powerful rebel forces in Syria. In the last year the
rate of suicide bomb attacks in Iraq has risen sharply, back to
levels not seen since 2007, US officials said. The officials said
they did not have precise data on the number of foreign
fighters involved in the violence.
But in March and April alone, at least 14 Tunisians fighting
with ISIL blew themselves up at various locations in Iraq,
according to postings on social media sites affiliated with ISIL,
which US and European authorities monitor. That is about
half of the total number of foreign suicide bombers identified
with ISIL on social media who blew themselves up during the
two-month period, said Laith Alkhouri, a senior analyst with
Flashpoint Partners, a group which monitors militant social
media postings.
Other suicide bombers in Iraq in March and April included
fighters from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the
group’s most lethal wings based mostly in Yemen. Alkhouri
said many of them appeared to be Saudis, Libyans, Egyptians,
Moroccans and Jordanians. A Danish citizen and a Tadjik were
also reported by the group to have blown themselves up.
Resurgence of bombers
During the 2006-2007 civil war in Iraq, when the use of suicide bombings were rampant, foreigners made up the largest
proportion of the militants carrying them out.
Continued on Page 14
Saudis get Internet
hotline to the king
RIYADH: Saudi citizens can now petition 90-year-old
King Abdullah directly and lodge complaints through
an Internet site set up at the initiative of the monarch
himself. The portal tawasol.royalcourt.gov.sa, named
after the Arabic word for communication, was launched
on an experimental basis on Wednesday. All messages
are to be forwarded to the king.
“People will be able to inform the king about any
shortcomings in the services offered by government
agencies, and to take suitable action for the benefit of
all citizens,” the website says. More and more Saudis in
the ultra-conservative Muslim state are turning to social
networking sites to demand improved living conditions. However, the authorities, who block access to
politically sensitive or pornographic websites, made
several arrests in March for tweets deemed offensive to
the king. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy where
protests are banned. — AFP
LOCAL
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Major shipment of liquor seized at Shuwaikh port
KUWAIT: Customs officials at the Shuwaikh Port
seized 11,400 liquor bottles smuggled in a shipment of spare-parts’ that arrived on March 12,
2014. The officials also discovered that the documents stating the shipment was imported by the
United States Army troops in Kuwait were forged.
The customs department contacted the US Army
officials after many weeks, but no one claimed the
shipment. US Army officials said that they know
nothing about the shipment, which confirmed
customs personnel’s earlier suspicions that it
might contain contrabands. Customs officials
waited for 48 hours before a decision was made to
open the shipment on Thursday in the presence
of US Army representatives. They discovered that
the shipment contained 1,000 cardboard boxes
filled with Red Label bottles worth at least KD 1
million. The boxes were taken to the Drug Control
General Department, while investigations are
going on to identify and arrest those who imported the shipment. —Rai
12 held in gambling den raid
Twelve men were arrested inside an apartment
in Shaab that was turned into a casino according
to police discoveries. Detectives had obtained a
warrant to raid the apartment after investigations
confirmed that it was used for gambling and other illegal practices. The operation took place
Wednesday night, and police arrested 12 Kuwaiti
men who were inside at the time. A poker table,
chips and other material used in gambling were
found inside. The suspects were taken to the
proper authorities to face charges. —Rai
Foul play in old man’s death
A homicide investigation opened in a senior
citizen’s death after evidence of foul play was
found on the scene. Police and paramedics headed to the man’s apartment in Mahboulah after a
relative reported that the man was not answering
the door. They broke the door open and discovered that the man was dead. They summoned
criminal investigators who found bruises across
the man’s body, which led them to speculate that
he might have been killed. The man was in his sixties at the time of death. —Rai
MP questioned
A lawmaker was held briefly for questioning
after he accidently hit a pedestrian at the Jamal
Abdul-Nasser Road recently. MP Mohammad AlEnizy reportedly waited until an ambulance
arrived at the scene in response to an emergency
call he made after the accident occurred. The lawmaker accompanied the Iranian man to the hospital and later left after he was told that the man’s
injuries were not severe. MP Al-Enizy headed to
Roudha police station later and filed a case. —Rai
Fugitive nabbed
Jahra police arrested a fugitive who has 35
arrest warrants issued against him during a recent
crackdown in the area. Patrol officers had gone in
the pursuit of the suspect after he ignored orders
to pull over. The man, Kuwaiti in his seventies, was
eventually forced to stop and placed under arrest.
An identity check revealed that the man is wanted
for corruption charges and has 35 arrest warrant
issued in his name. He was taken to authorities for
further action. —Rai
Work mishap
A worker died after he fell from the 20th floor
of a building under construction in Mirqab recently. Paramedics and police arrived at the scene
shortly after the incident was reported, but discovered that the Egyptian man had already died.
The impact reportedly left the man decapitated,
according to the investigations report.
Criminal investigators took the body to the
forensic department after they examined the
scene. A case has been registered. —Watan
Poisoning attempt
A domestic helper was held at the Andalus
police station after her employer accused her of
trying to poison his family. In his statements to
police, the Kuwaiti man said that he caught his
maid with the help of CCTV cameras putting pesticides in food she was about to serve to his family.
The Ethiopian woman was held pending investigations. —Watan
The vehicle that was set ablaze by unknown assailants.
Armed robbers ransack
Ishbiliya co-op branches
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
ple was still heavily involved.
KUWAIT: Four unknown armed robbers
entered two branches of a co-op society and
escaped with goods, according to a security
source. This Ishbiliya area incident followed
earlier crimes in Khaldiya during which an
Egyptian expat was stabbed while attempting
to fend off the thieves.
Girls missing
A citizen told Abdallah Al-Salem police that
his daughter, born in 1989, went missing since
April 24, while another citizen in Salwa said
that her daughter was also missing since
Tuesday.
‘Romantic’ couple arrested
A citizen and an Arab expat were arrested
and placed under arrest in Maidan Hawally
police station, when a citizen called them
about the two being involved in a hot romantic act. When police went to the site, the cou-
Vehicle fire
In Salam area, firemen battled fire in two
vehicles and determined that the fire was deliberate. Meanwhile, three Arab children were taken to the intensive care unit in Adan Hospital
following a fire in an Agaila house. The children
are stated to be in a highly critical condition.
Police raid Sulaibiya tent, nab 3 Saudis, 2 bedoons
By Hanan Al-Saadoun
out of ammunition.
KUWAIT: Police raided a tent in Sulaibiya and
arrested five people — three Saudis and two
bedoons —and seized a quarter kilo of
hashish, a Kalashnikov rifle and an air pressure
rifle. The police, acting on a tip-off they
received from Saudi Arabia, rushed to the area
hoping that they could catch the assailants
involved in the gunning down of security
guards last week. However, interrogating the
five suspects, detectives found out that they
had nothing to do with last Friday’s ghastly
killings.
Commenting on the extensive shooting
incidents reported from Suliabiya on the early
hours of yesterday, well-informed security
sources said that police operations had
received a call from Saudi Arabia where someone expressed suspicions that his cousin
might be involved in the recent robbery of a
security vehicle. The man said that his cousin
went suddenly on a spending spree. The
sources added that on checking up on the
man, police found out that he is a criminal.
When police arrived at the scene in Sulaibiya, a
number of people were sitting in a tent
pitched outside the suspect’s house. Seeing
the police, they fled the scene while one of
them started shooting at the force until he ran
Hot chase
In a related event, security sources said that
detectives were chasing a few young people
who are thought to be connected with the
recent security cash robbery in Sulaibiya. The
sources added that the suspects also
exchanged fire with the police. Armed robbers
had attacked a security cash transport vehicle
at the vegetable market killing two Asian security men and stealing KD 13,000.
collision between his vehicle and another
belonging to Kuwait Municipality in Subhan.
Injured
A citizen sustained various injuries when
he lost control of his vehicle while driving
along Jahra road without paying attention to
the construction works going on there.
Fire breaks out
A fire broke out in the first floor apartment
of a building in Sabah Al-Salem, said security
sources noting that both Mishref and Qurain
firefighters rushed to the scene and managed
to contain the fire. Two injuries were reported;
one of the tenants broke his foot jumping
from the first floor to escape the flames and a
fireman who suffered dehydration.
Egyptian arrested
An Egyptian was arrested in Hawalli with
the possession of ICE and hashish, said security sources noting that the suspect also carried
a civil ID of a famous female ruling family
member with which he used to threaten
police. However, checking on him, detectives
found out that he did not work for her. Still
criminal investigators refused to take him
under custody. Eventually, the public security
manager, Col Mohammed Al-Mutairi ordered
his arrest. A case was filed and further investigations are in progress to know the secret of
the royalty’s ID.
Citizen dies in crash
A young citizen was instantly killed in a
KUWAIT: The building in Sabah Al-Salem where a fire broke out yesterday.
LOCAL
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
School maintenance
contracts expire in
September: Al-Mulaifi
KUWAIT: The Ministry of Education (MOE) could face a
major setback in its school maintenance program by fall
along with the beginning of the school year.
Minister Ahmad Al-Mulaifi announced recently that air
conditioning maintenance contracts were extended after
several public schools complained of AC breakdowns since
the beginning of summer.
But the contracts were only extended until September,
which could put the ministry in a new dilemma as students
prepare to return to school,
according to ministry insiders
quoted by Al-Qabas yesterday.
The sources who spoke on
the condition of anonymity
blamed the Finance Ministry
‘who rejected MOE proposals
to sign 14 maintenance contracts.’
More powers
In other news, Minister AlMulaifi announced ‘absolute
and unlimited powers’ to
directors of educational direcMinister Ahmad
torates to take whatever deciAl-Mulaifi
sions they deem necessary in
order to end the AC maintenance crisis. The minister urged directors to file reports
detailing all obstacles faced in providing necessary requirements for the current and next school years, so that they
can be eliminated, the sources noted.
Miscommunication
The issue of miscommunication cropped up this year
within the Hawally governorate but soon expanded to other
parts of the country. Miscommunication between the MOE’s
financial department and officials at the six educational
directorates has led to a failure in adopting the required
maintenance budgets, and contacting the Finance Ministry
to approve them.
According to sources, the contracts are valued at KD 10
million for each directorate, bringing the total to KD 60 million. However, only one contract, for the Capital Educational
Directorate, was signed.
Even so, the financial department only started communicating with the Finance ministry about it after a recent
meeting of the ministry’s undersecretaries attended by the
minister saw heated discussions. — Al-Qabas
7,000 faulty landlines
restored in Shuwaikh
KUWAIT: Over 7,000 land telephone lines were repaired in
Shuwaikh after a malfunction in their main cable put them
out of services since Wednesday night.
In this regard, official sources at the subscribers’ services department at MOC said that both private contractor
and ministry employees had worked hard to repair the
malfunction. —Al-Rai
CTC lets MEW directly
negotiate with bidders
KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) officially asked the Central Tenders Committee (CTC)’s permission to allow it to directly negotiate with the lowest bidders, be it contractors or companies, to execute its future
tenders. The sources added that the permission was granted on condition of informing CTC with all procedures taken throughout the whole process.
Informed sources noted that this step would help
speed up accomplishment of projects by avoiding procedural delays and paper work that used to be mandatory
on each tender. “It is a very significant step because MEW
projects are so importantly needed to improve and
upgrade power and water grids”, said the source expressing appreciation of the amount of understanding shown
by CTC. — Al-Watan
‘Journey of Hope’ reaches Bahrain
MANAMA: The Journey of Hope vessel reached Bahrain yesterday,
the first of 19 countries of a voyage organized with the main objective of spreading awareness regarding mental disabilities. Sheikh
Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah, the Dean of Diplomatic Corps,
Ambassador of Kuwait at the Kingdom of Bahrain, led a team of
embassy staff which welcomed the vessel. The expedition sailed off
Kuwait’s shores on Thursday in a ceremony attended by His
Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. The
88-foot vessel and its crew of 16 head to Doha today in its second
lap of a 210-day trip that includes stopovers at 37 ports. — KUNA
Parliament cannot reject
MPs’ resignation: Expert
By-election likely on June 28
KUWAIT: The parliament can delay
making a decision on a member’s resignation for a certain amount of time, but
it has no right to reject it and force the
lawmaker to continue, a constitutional
expert said.
The National Assembly’s internal
regulations state that a written resignation letter must be forwarded to the
parliament, but do not give lawmakers
the right to reject a colleague’s resignation, said Dr Mohammad Al-Feeli, a constitutional law professor at the Kuwait
University.
This means that convincing MPs
Riyadh Al-Adasani, Abdulkareem AlKandari and Hussein Al-Quwai’an to
withdraw resignations they officially
submitted last Thursday, is the only
option that the parliament has if it
wanted to retain the three lawmakers.
The regulations stipulate that the
parliament must vote on resignation of
one of its members within 10 days after
it is submitted. Parliament Speaker
Marzouq Al-Ghanim hoped during a
press conference Thursday that the
three MPs would change their minds
and withdraw their resignations.
But if they do not, then by-elections
will have to be announced in order to
fill the three spots that they are vacating. The parliament is likely to vote on
the resignations during a regular session on May 13, according to the regulations.
The resignations would be sent to
the cabinet later and it would review it
during its weekly session on May 19.
That would pave the way for a decision to hold by-elections by notifying
it in the national gazette on June 1. If
the procedures go on as planned, the
elections would take place on June 28
in the second, third and fourth constituencies.
Payroll alternative
In other news, head of the parliament’s human resources committee
Yaqoub Al-Sane’a announced that the
panel received a study from the Civil
Service Commission containing a proposal on a new payroll system for the
public sector.
MP Al-Sane’a did not provide details
about the project - known as the
‘strategic alternative payroll’ project
through which the government seeks
to unify salaries, allowances, end of
service indemnities and other payments
based on job classifications, not on
workplace. The parliament is not
expected to vote on the project before
the end of the current term. — Al-Rai
Kuwait made KD 2.7bn
from free gas fields
KUWAIT: KOC’s deputy CEO for gas
and explorations, Menahi AL-Enezi
said that KOC was currently working
on phase two of developing free gas
and that it was currently dealing with
some commercial and technical obstacles the project had been facing.
Speaking in an interview Al-Anbaa
made with him through Twitter, AlEnezi said that the produced gas
amount was enough to cover the
increasing demand for gas to be used
in generating electricity.
Responding to a question about
the Jurassic free gas fields discovered
in the north, Al-Enezi sad that they
produce 212 billion cubic meters of
free gas in addition to 88 million barrels of light oil that have collectively
made the state’s budget extra KD 2.7
billion. He added that daily production of these fields would multiply to
one billion cubic meters a day by
2020.
Further, Al-Enezi added that ever
since discovering gas in 2006, KOC
had been facing many problems but
noted that it usually takes 15 years
before full production capacity could
be reached in any field. —Al-Anbaa
LOCAL
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary for Television Affairs at the Ministry of Information
Yousef Mustafa addresses the workshop. — Photos by Joseph Shagra
KUWAIT: Delegates attend the workshop hosted by UNHCR.
UNHCR, media work in tandem
Kuwait has become a humanitarian center: Mustafa
By Nawara Fattahova
KUWAIT: The United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) held a workshop on the role
of the media in the humanitarian responses to
crises at the UN House. Journalists from various
media, employees of the Ministry of Information
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives of NGOs participated in this workshop that
aims to strengthen strategic cooperation between
the media and UN organizations.
Assistant Undersecretary for Television Affairs
at the Ministry of Information Yousef Mustafa stated that Kuwait has become a humanitarian center.
“This is clear from the fact that most countries aim
to hold important humanitarian conferences in
Kuwait, as the country is a source of humanitarian
and financial aid. The media plays a key role in
spreading humanitarian culture and awareness
and encouraging charity. Kuwait has always been
known for systematically supporting charity and
humanitarian issues,” he noted.
Dr Hanan Hamdan, Director of the UNHCR
office, noted that this is the first workshop of a
series of workshops held by UNHCR as part of its
information strategy. “Today’s workshop aims to
provide more information about UNHCR and to
strengthen the partnership with institutions that
are present in Kuwait. It also focuses on the effect
of Kuwaiti aid in securing the humanitarian needs
of refugees during emergencies and crises regionally and internationally,” she pointed out.
The UNHCR in cooperation with the Ministry of
Information and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
prepared a documentary titled ‘Kuwait is
Responding’. “This documentary highlights the
leading humanitarian role of Kuwait through its
generous humanitarian aid donated to UNHCR
during the first Donors for Syria Conference held
in January 2013. Our office cooperated with the
Kuwait Journalist Association to choose journalists
from different fields and media to go on a field visit to Jordan in December 2013 to review the latest
situation of the Syrian refugees inside the camps
and how the programs and projects executed by
UNHCR through Kuwaiti donations have affected
their daily life,” added Hamdan.
“Kuwait always leads in providing humanitarian
aid to various countries over the globe. Kuwait
provided aid to victims in Philippines, Sudan and
Japan to relieve their suffering and improve their
lives. Over 1.5 million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries have benefited from Kuwaiti donations collected during the second Donors for Syria
Conference held in January 2014,” she concluded.
Role of media
Mohammed Abu Al-Asaker, Media Coordinator
of UNHCR in Abu Dhabi, spoke about the historical
partnership between the media and UNHCR, and
the role of media during humanitarian crises. “The
role of media during crises is important, especially
that people during a crisis need to be informed
about what is happening. They especially need
information about the size of the crisis and how to
deal with it, and here comes the role of media,
which can be either positive or negative, especially since the lack of information may cause another
disaster,” he explained.
According to him, the intervention by the
media may save lives of people and aid workers.
“The media can also provide moral support to the
public and shape their expectations, as well as
provide people an outlet to voice their concerns.
The media also simplifies the path for aid workers
to reach people in need. The media connects all
parties. UNHCR is focusing on the media and frequently holds press conferences as part of its strategy,” Asaker said.
He also highlighted that UNHCR is currently
dealing with the biggest crisis in the world, as it is
supplying registered Syrian refugees in Al-Zaatari
camp in Jordan with 43,000 liters of water daily, in
a country that is already suffering from shortage of
water of up to 70 percent.
The Head of the Media Awareness at the
Ministry of Information Saleh Al-Otaibi said that
Kuwaiti aid programs are not new, as they started
in early 1950s with the Palestinian crisis when
Kuwait was the first country to provide aid.
“Kuwaiti aid then spread to all of Africa, Indonesia,
Japan, USA, Somalia, Syria and many other
nations. The ministry always responds to humanitarian calls by sending reporters to cover the situation in the disaster or crisis zones,” he noted.
Dr Musaed Al-Anezi, Head of Youth and
Volunteers Department at the Kuwait Red
Crescent Society, stressed the important role of
the media in highlighting the humanitarian role of
Kuwait abroad. “The receivers of aid abroad do not
know the source of the aid apart from the humanitarian organizations, and this is the role of media
to inform them. This will reassure the donors that
their donations have reached people in need,” he
said.
At the end of the workshop, the participants
came up with recommendations on how to
improve the role of media during the crisis and to
strengthen cooperation between humanitarian
organizations, media and the NGOs.
Kuwait to participate
in Venice exhibition
KUWAIT: Kuwait will participate in
the 14th International Architecture
Exhibition (fundamentals) of the la
Biennale di Venezia, Italy,
announced the National Council for
Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL)
on Thursday.
The six-month exhibition will see
the participation of 21 NCCAL
members, said Alya Abdulaal, the
exhibition’s coordinator in a press
conference. She added that the aim
of the participation is to shed light
on the concept of modernization in
Kuwait through the display of a
number of buildings, such as the
Kuwait National Museum, which
was designed in 1960 and finished
in 1983. “Clarifying the impact of
modernization concepts on local
culture and measuring the level of
its interaction with society components, whether integrated, interchangeable, neglected or rejected
within the Kuwaiti society, is the
major objective of the participation,” she added.
By telling the history of the last
100 years cumulatively, the exhibition will generate a global overview
of architecture’s evolution into a
single, modern aesthetic, and at the
same time uncover within globalization the survival of unique
national features and mentalities
that continue to exist and flourish
even as international collaboration
and exchange intensify. The exhibition will kick off on June 7 and lasts
until November 23. —KUNA
GCC touts Kuwaiti support
to Red Crescent societies
KUWAIT: A senior humanitarian
relief aid official of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) appreciated here the Kuwaiti political leadership’s support for GCC Red
Crescent societies. Speaking at the
final session of the 10th meeting of
chiefs of GCC Red Crescent societies,
Assistant Secretary-General of the
GCC for Humanitarian and
Environmental Affairs Abdullah AlHashem thanked Gulf Red Crescent
societies for their keenness to promote and develop joint cooperation.
He said the GCC Secretariat is
proud of the role played by all the
GCC Red Crescent societies in the
field of relief and humanitarian activities in Somalia and Sudan as well as
other disaster-hit countries. He congratulated the Saudi Arabia Red
Crescent Authority on becoming an
International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
board member, and also congratulated Kuwait Red Crescent Society
Chairman Barjas Al-Barjas on winning Henry Dunant Medal, which is
the highest award of the Red Cross
Movement.
On his part, Al-Barjas made several significant recommendations,
especially those related to Syria,
Yemen and Somalia, which were
approved during the 10th meeting
of chiefs of GCC Red Crescent societies. Speaking to KUNA, he said the
meeting had stressed the significance of coordination among the
GCC Red Crescent societies about
relief and humanitarian activities in
order to ensure ease and fast access
to all disaster-hit countries. —KUNA
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Mideast peace talks dead,
no resumption on horizon
9
19 dead as car bomb
rocks Nigeria capital
10
Pro-Russian rebels down
two Ukraine helicopters
10
PYONGYANG: A man believed to be Choe Ryong-Hae (left) talking with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attends a military parade in Pyongyang. — AFP
N Korea’s new ‘number two’?
North Korea signals a key leadership change
SEOUL: North Korea signaled a key leadership
change with the announcement yesterday that
the man seen as supreme leader Kim Jong-Un’s
number two had been replaced as political chief
of the military. In a report on May Day celebrations in Pyongyang, the North’s official KCNA
news agency named Hwang Pyong-So as the
director of the Korean People’s Army (KPA)
General Political Bureau, not Choe Ryong-Hae,
who previously held the position. The post is
generally viewed as the second most important
in the military after Kim, who is supreme commander.
The leadership change comes amid growing
concerns that the North is preparing to conduct
a fourth nuclear test in the face of stern international opposition after satellite images showed a
recent increase in activity at the country’s main
test site. “To all intents and purposes, this makes
Hwang, who also has close personal ties to Kim
Jong-Un, the second most powerful man in the
country,” said Michael Madden, author and editor of the NK Leadership Watch website.
Hwang’s appointment came just days after
KCNA reported his promotion to the rank of vice
marshall on April 28 - a rank shared with Choe
and just four others. It was not immediately clear
what had become of Choe, who was widely
believed to have moved into the role of North
Korea’s unofficial number two following the execution in December of Kim’s uncle and political
mentor, Jang Song-Thaek. Choe holds a number
of other top positions as a politburo standing
committee member and a vice chairman of both
the Central Military Commission and the
National Defense Commission.
There were multiple reports earlier this year
that Choe had been arrested and possibly purged
after he dropped from public view for three
weeks-an unusually long absence for such a senior figure. His reappearance in March, alongside
Kim, led to speculation that his disappearance
might have been due to health problems. “I don’t
think we can say Choe has been purged, but he’s
clearly been moved aside, possibly for health or
other reasons,” said Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at
the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
Yang agreed that Hwang was now effectively
number two in the country, given his military rank,
position and personal access to the supreme
leader. Hwang, 64, was a top official in the ruling
party’s Organization Guidance Department (OGD)
with a portfolio that included the physical and
political protection of Kim Jong-Un.
An emerging mentor
According to Madden, his name started to
emerge in the mid-2000s around the time Kim
Jong-Un’s father Kim Jong-Il was finalizing
arrangements for who would succeed him as
leader. “He became one of Kim Jong-Un’s mentors and has been close to him for around 10
years, so he’s been groomed for this role,”
Madden said. Hwang was said in the KCNA
report Friday to have addressed a banquet in
Pyongyang held for workers at a textile mill,
attended by KPA commanding officers.
A report on KCNA earlier in the week said
Hwang accompanied Kim on a tour of a newly
built workers’ hostel at the mill but made no
mention of Choe, sparking initial speculation of
the leadership shuffle. Rumors about changes at
the top of the Pyongyang regime intensified following Jang Song-Thaek’s execution. In
February, North Korea promoted a host of key
military officials including the chief of its rocket
unit, the Strategic Rocket Force Command,
which is in charge of the country’s mid and longrange missiles program.
Ranking the leadership is North Korea is often
a matter of educated guesswork, and some analysts warned that the “number two” label could
be misleading, given the complex, opaque workings of the official and personal networks that
determine genuine power in Pyongyang. “In one
way, there is no real ‘number two’,” said Dan
Pinkston, North East Asia Deputy Project Director
with the International Crisis Group in Seoul.
“There’s the number one, and then there’s everybody else, some of whom get closer to the seat
of power than others for certain periods of time,”
Pinkston said. — AFP
INTERNATIONAL
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Iraqi Kurds face uncertainty over presidency
SULAIMANIYAH: Iraqi Kurds face uncertainty over whether
they will retain the presidency, an important symbol after
decades of central government oppression and a link between
their autonomous region and Baghdad. Whether they keep
the post after this week’s parliamentary elections is an issue
that could deepen the disconnect between Baghdad and the
three-province Kurdish region, which are at odds over a string
of long-running disputes. President Jalal Talabani, a revered
figure for many Kurds, has held the post since 2006, helping to
mediate conflicts between Iraq’s religious and ethnic groups.
But he has been abroad for medical treatment for more
than a year, and his final term is at its end, leaving the question
of his successor in doubt. For Qubad Talabani, a senior Kurdish
official and one of the outgoing president’s sons, having a
Kurd as president is a “step in recreating an Iraq that is for
everybody.” “It’s a very important position, and it’s a position
that the Kurds would like to maintain; it’s a position that the
PUK would like to maintain,” he said in the city of
Sulaimaniyah, referring to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, which his father heads.
Oppressed
While the presidency is largely ceremonial, having a Kurd
as head of state is important to many Kurds after years of government oppression that saw tens of thousands of Kurds killed
by now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime, including
in infamous chemical weapons attacks such as Halabja. “It
means everything to me,” Aram Abdulkarim, a 29-year-old
member of the Kurdish peshmerga security forces dressed in
civilian clothes, said at a school in Sulaimaniyah serving as a
voting centre. “For years, the president has been Arab and we
have been oppressed,” he said. Wahid Hamedamin, an ageing
man wearing traditional Kurdish clothing who walked with the
aid of a cane, agreed. “I don’t care who the president is, as long
as they are Kurdish,” said Hamedamin, speaking at another
Sulaimaniyah polling centre. He explained that an area where
he lived was one of those targeted with chemical weapons,
killing dozens.
There are three top posts in Iraq’s federal government, and
under a de facto agreement the prime minister is typically a
Shiite Arab, the president a Kurd and the speaker of parliament
a Sunni Arab. The new premier is all but guaranteed to be
drawn from Iraq’s Shiite majority again, but who will fill the
other two positions is still undecided, with a Sunni Arab or a
Kurd potential options for both. Kirk Sowell, an Amman-based
political risk analyst and the publisher of Inside Iraqi Politics,
said the division of the top posts “will not be an all-in negotiating process,” and instead will stem from who becomes the
next prime minister.
‘At helm of Iraq’
Some Kurds say that obtaining one of the top three government posts is more important than holding the presidency
specifically, and that they would be open to a Kurd taking the
post of parliament speaker instead. “It is very important for us
that one... should go to the Kurds,” said Aram Shekh
Muhammed, a parliamentary candidate from the Kurdish
Goran movement and the head of its election office. Michael
Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East
Policy, said “there is still a sense that a Kurd must either be
president or speaker. —AFP
Mideast peace talks dead,
no resumption on horizon
JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State John Kerry’s nine-month
effort to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal formally collapsed this week, with no revival on the horizon because each
side appears firmly entrenched in its positions. Kerry said
Thursday it was time for Washington to “pause, take a hard
look at these things, and find out what is possible and what is
not possible in the days ahead.”
He was speaking two days after the expiration of a Tuesday
deadline by which the sides had committed themselves to
seek a peace deal. But the talks had already unraveled last
week when Israel suspended them after Hamas, which is
sworn to the Jewish state’s destruction, and president
Mahmud Abbas’s Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO),
dominated by the Fatah movement, reached a reconciliation
deal. Despite that, Abbas has said he would be ready to
resume dialogue if a discussion on borders was a top priority,
along with a settlement freeze.
But Israel says it will only return to the table if Abbas
renounces the pact with Hamas. “Either Hamas disavows the
destruction of Israel and embraces peace and denounces terror, or president Abbas renounces Hamas,” Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week. But chief
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said Israel’s argument that
the talks had collapsed because of the reconciliation deal was
“completely disingenuous.” “Netanyahu’s government has
refused to recognise the 1967 border or even put a map on
the table proposing Israel’s idea of its final borders,” he said in
an opinion piece in TIME magazine.
The Hamas-PLO deal gave the sides five weeks to agree on a
transitional government which would organize presidential and
parliamentary elections. Palestinian analyst George Giacaman
said that deal, alongside a Palestinian diplomatic offensive in
the United Nations, were Abbas’s trump cards. “There are five
weeks in which to form a government, which will be an indicator of the success of the Palestinian leadership’s domestic policy,” he said. Israeli defense analyst Alex Fishman, writing
Thursday in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily, said Abbas’s
tactics had plunged the Netanyahu government into “a confused, passive and mainly reactive state.”—AFP
JERUSALEM: Palestinian Muslim worshipers walk in
Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound following Friday
prayers yesterday in Jerusalem’s Old City. — AFP
BENGHAZI: Libyan security forces are seen advancing during clashes with anti-government forces following an attack on
a Benghazi police station yesterday. — AFP
8 killed as Islamists
attack security HQ
Police, soldiers killed in Benghazi attack
BENGHAZI: Eight people were killed and up to 15 wounded
when suspected Islamist militants tried to storm the Libyan government security headquarters in Benghazi yesterday, army officials and medics said. The dead were soldiers and police officers,
army officials said. Huge explosions could be heard during a firefight in the early morning that lasted more than an hour. Special
forces later secured the headquarters, near the city centre.
The bodies of two soldiers, kidnapped by militants during the
attack, were found later bearing signs of torture, a medical source
said. Libya’s central government is struggling to control armed
groups, militias and brigades of former rebels who helped oust
longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and refuse to disarm.
Special forces have often clashed with Islamist militants in
Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city that dominates the volatile
eastern region, including from Ansar Al-Sharia, listed as a terrorist
organization by the United States.
Armed men also attacked the apartment of Benghazi’s security
chief Colonol Ramadan al-Wahishi. He was not hurt, a security
official said. Car bombings and assassinations of soldiers and
police officers have become common in Benghazi, where a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed minibus outside a
Special Forces camp on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding two. Most countries have closed their consulates in the city
and some foreign airlines have stopped flying there since the US
ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an Islamist
militant attack in September 2012.
In December, a suicide bomber killed 13 outside an army
camp on the outskirts of Benghazi, in the first suicide attack since
the 2011 NATO-backed civil war that toppled Gaddafi. Western
diplomats worry the violence will spill over to the capital Tripoli
where the security situation has also worsened. Kidnappings of
foreign diplomats have been on the rise as well as nightly
shootouts near the airport road. Western and Arab allies are training Libya’s fledgling armed forces but the military is still no match
for the heavily armed former rebels and militias who often use
the threat of force to make demands on the state. — Reuters
INTERNATIONAL
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Rebels down Ukraine helicopters
Separatists using heavy weapons; 2 killed
SLAVIANSK: Pro-Russian rebels shot down two
Ukrainian helicopters yesterday, killing two
crew, as troops tightened their siege of separatist-held Slaviansk and Moscow accused Kiev
of launching a “criminal” assault that wrecked
hopes of peace. Though Ukrainian forces
appeared to be carrying out one of their most
concerted military operations yet, their
advance on the ground was limited.
Nevertheless, President Vladimir Putin’s
spokesman accused Kiev of firing on civilians
from the air in a “punitive operation” that
destroyed an international peace plan.
Russia was “extremely worried” about the
fate of Russians in the city, including an envoy
sent to help free German and other foreign
hostages, the Kremlin spokesman said. The dramatic language seems to raise the stakes, as
Moscow has tens of thousands of troops
massed on the border and claims the right to
invade if needed to protect Russian speakers.
Reuters journalists in Slaviansk, the most heavily fortified bastion of pro-Russian separatists in
eastern Ukraine, heard shooting break out and
saw one helicopter opening fire before dawn.
Ten hours later, the city was largely quiet, with
shops shut and armed separatists in control of
the streets.
Advancing Ukrainian forces in armored
vehicles took up positions closer in to the sub-
urbs, but rebels still controlled most of the city
of 130,000. The separatist pro-Russian militants
also made more moves on Thursday, seizing a
rail control centre for the Donetsk region, a railway official said. By cutting off power, they had
all but paralyzed train traffic. Kiev said the firing
of missiles that brought down its helicopters
was evidence that Russian forces were present
in the town. Moscow denies that its troops are
on the ground.
Nonetheless, Kremlin accounts of grave
threats to civilians highlight the risk of a
Russian move to seize territory ahead of a vote
the rebels aim to hold on May 11 seeking a
mandate to break with Kiev, like one held in the
Crimea region before Moscow annexed it in
March. For Russians, the Kremlin’s rhetoric of
“fascists” in Kiev launching a “punitive operation” evokes the depredations of Nazi German
invaders in World War Two, being given extensive state media coverage as next week’s
anniversary of the Soviet victory is used to foster national pride and nostalgia.
Sound of cannon
On the square outside city hall in Slaviansk,
about 100 people gathered yesterday and said
they were appealing to Putin to send troops to
help them. Businesswoman Tamara
Voshchanaya said: “What can you think when
SLOVYANSK: In this TV image, an injured Ukrainian military helicopter pilot is assisted
by pro-Russian activists after he was shot down in Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine yesterday. —AP
the sound of cannon makes you jump out of
bed, when helicopters are flying over and
shooting at our guys? “We are ready to stand
firm, we will not abandon the guys. Give us
weapons, and we too will go against the Right
Sector,” she said, referring to a Ukrainian
nationalist group, which Moscow says is menacing Russian speakers across Ukraine.
On the town’s southern outskirts, eight
Ukrainian armored personnel carriers cut off
the road but faced a cordon two deep of local
residents shouting at them to go home. Some
rebels threw up new barricades of felled trees.
Putin’s popularity has soared with the seizure
of Crimea and talk of restoring Moscow’s former empire.—Reuters
Adams arrest raises
tensions in N Ireland
Arrest sparks legal questions
ABUJA: A burnt car is seen at the scene of a blast at the
Nyanya bus station in Abuja late on May 1, 2014. — AFP
19 dead as car bomb
rocks Nigeria capital
ABUJA: A car bombing at a bus station on the outskirts of Nigeria’s
capital killed at least 19 people and injured 80, officials said yesterday, just weeks after Boko Haram Islamists attacked the same spot.
The explosion rocked the crowded Nyanya bus terminal just a few
kilometers from central Abuja at roughly 8:00 pm on Thursday, 50
meters from the site of an April 14 bombing that killed at least 75
people. The April attack was the deadliest ever in Nigeria’s capital
and raised security concerns about a World Economic Forum (WEF)
summit set for Abuja next week, which includes a visit from Chinese
Premier Li Keqiang. “Our existing security arrangements are robust,”
WEF said in a statement about the conference dubbed the “African
Davos”. “There are no plans to make any changes to the program or
content of the meeting,” it added, offering sympathy for the victims.
Rescue agencies struggled to reach the blast site late Thursday due
to choking traffic that built up after the blast and emergency work
was complicated by darkness at the station, which was very poorly lit
after sundown. Police spokesman Frank Mba told journalists that 19
people had been confirmed dead, while the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Manzo Ezekiel told AFP
that 80 others were injured.
Three undetonated explosive devices were discovered at the
scene, Mba said, suggesting the toll could have been much higher
had the other bombs gone off. NEMA chief Muhammad Sani Sidi
has said that victims were being treated at several Abuja area hospitals and complete casualty figures were still being gathered. Boko
Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau, wanted as a global terrorist by the
United States, has claimed responsibility for the April 14 bombing
and suspicion for Thursday’s blast immediately fell on the extremist
group which has killed thousands in a five-year uprising. —AFP
ANTRIM: The British and Irish governments have denied that the arrest of
republican leader Gerry Adams was
politically motivated, as Northern
Ireland police questioned him over a
notorious IRA murder. The Sinn Fein
president, who played a leading role in
the peace process in the troubled British
province, was arrested on Wednesday
night over the killing of mother-of-10
Jean McConville in 1972. Adams, 65,
strongly denied involvement in one of
the most infamous incidents of the socalled Troubles in Northern Ireland, and
questioned the timing of the arrest
before local and European elections.
“While I have never disassociated
myself from the IRA and I never will, I am
innocent of any part in the abduction,
killing or burial of Mrs McConville,”
Adams said. Police must charge or
release him by Friday night. McConville,
37, was snatched from her home in west
Belfast in front of her screaming children, becoming one of more than a
dozen so-called “disappeared” of the
conflict. Her body was found, shot in the
back of the head, in 2003. Her daughter
Helen McKendry on Friday insisted she
was prepared to identify the assailants.
Sinn Fein was once the political arm
of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the
now disbanded paramilitary group
which waged a bloody campaign over
three decades for Northern Ireland to
become part of Ireland. The party now
shares power with its old foe, the proBritish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),
in a devolved government in Belfast,
and Sinn Fein member Martin
McGuinness is deputy first minister.
McGuinness, a former IRA commander,
accused a section of the police of trying
to undermine the party with the “malicious” allegations. The arrest was a
“deliberate attempt to influence the
outcome of the elections in three weeks
time”, said McGuinness.
The British and Irish governments,
which worked together on the 1998
Good Friday peace accords that largely
ended the violence, tried to calm rising
tensions. “There has been absolutely no
political interference in this issue,”
British Prime Minister David Cameron
said. His Irish counterpart, Enda Kenny,
added: “All I can say is that I hope the
president of Sinn Fein answers in the
best way he can, to the fullest extent
that he can, questions that are being
asked about a live murder investigation.” Northern Ireland First Minister
Peter Robinson, leader of the DUP, said
the arrest proved that “no one is above
the law”. A police spokesman insisted
they would “conduct a thorough and
professional investigation...subject to
the full rigors of scrutiny provided in the
criminal justice system”.
Interviews with republicans
The IRA had wrongly accused
McConville of being an informer for the
British army. The group finally admitted
her murder in 1999 and her remains
were found four years later on a beach.
Eldest daughter McKendry told Friday’s
Guardian that she was ready to identify
the attackers, hours after her brother
said in a BBC interview that he was still
too afraid to talk. “I spent the first 20
years of my life being afraid of these
people, of fearing to speak out, but now
I am no longer afraid,” she said.
“If full cooperation into the murder of
my mother includes naming those who I
saw bursting into our flat, who dragged
my mother away from us at gunpoint,
and who were directly involved in her
disappearance and murder, then yes-I
would be prepared to name names,” she
added. Nobody has been convicted of
McConville’s murder, but former IRA
leader Ivor Bell, 77, was last month
charged with aiding and abetting those
involved. Five others in addition to
Adams have also been questioned.
Detectives are using evidence given to
researchers at Boston College in the
United States, who interviewed a number of former paramilitaries.
A US court last year ordered that the
tapes should be handed over to police
despite promises by the researchers that
they would not be released until after
the former militants’ deaths. Two of the
interviewees fingered Adams for
McConville’s death. The Sinn Fein leadership say the claims are part of an
attempt to discredit them and derail the
peace process. Adams, who has led Sinn
Fein since 1983, says he was never an
official IRA member although he was
detained several times in the 1970s. He
remains a controversial figure but he
won respect for his work on the Good
Friday accords and for helping persuade
the IRA to renounce violence in 2005. In
recent years, Adams has taken on the
role of elder statesman.— AFP
Available
at The Sultan
Centre
&
Carrefour
INTERNATIONAL
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Manila to give US access
to five military bases
American forces to return to Subic Bay facility
KOKRAJHAR, India: Indian security personnel are pictured as villagers look on
following an overnight attack by suspected tribal militants on a village in
Kokrajhar, India’s northeastern state of Assam yesterday. — AFP
11 Muslim villagers die
in India rebel attack
GAUHATI, India: Separatist rebels wearing black masks opened fire on Muslim
villagers in remote northeastern India,
killing at least 11 people, mostly women
and children, in two overnight attacks,
police said yesterday. The gunmen are
members of the Bodo tribe and belong to
a faction of the National Democratic
Front of Bodoland, said regional police
inspector general L R Bishnoi. Bodo
tribesmen have long accused Muslims of
sneaking into India illegally from
Bangladesh and encroaching on their
ancestral land in Assam state.
The dead included six women and
three children, police said. The violence
comes at a time of heightened security
during the country’s general election,
with the voting taking place over six
weeks.
Tensions have been high since a Bodo
lawmaker for the federal Parliament criticized Muslims for not voting for the Bodo
candidate, said Lafikul Islam Ahmed,
leader of a Muslim youth organization
called the All Bodoland Muslim Students’
Union. In 2012, weekslong violence
between Bodo people and Muslims killed
as many as 100 people in the same area.
Police said the first attack took place
in western Assam, when at least eight
rebels opened fire on a group of villagers
sitting in a courtyard. Four people were
killed and two others wounded, Bishnoi
said. The second attack happened in
Kokrajhar district when more than 20
armed men, their faces covered with
black hoods, broke open the doors of two
homes and sprayed them with bullets,
killing seven people, witnesses said.
Crying inconsolably, 28-year-old
Mohammed Sheikh Ali said his mother,
wife and daughter were killed in the
attack. “I will curse myself forever
because I failed to save them,” Ali said in
a telephone interview from the hospital,
where he was waiting for doctors to complete the autopsies on his family. “I am
left all alone in this world ... I want justice.”
The National Democratic Front of
Bodoland has been fighting for a separate homeland for the region’s ethnic
Bodo people for decades. The Bodos are
an indigenous tribe in Assam, making up
10 percent of the state’s 33 million people.—AP
Dozens held in Philippines
over ‘sextortion’ ring
MANILA: Dozens of people have been arrested in the Philippines in a multinational crackdown on the exploding global menace of Internet “sextortion”,
Interpol and local police announced yesterday. Industrial-style businesses run
out of the Philippines have blackmailed hundreds of people around the
world, luring them on social media before extracting sexually explicit information or images, they said. Interpol cybercrime chief Sanjay Virmani said 58
people were arrested this week in the Philippines, but emphasized they were
only a small part of a fast-growing phenomenon with similar operations in
many other parts of the world. “The scale of these sextortion networks is massive, and run with just one goal in mind: to make money regardless of the terrible emotional damage they inflict on their victims,” said Virmani, director of
Interpol’s Digital Crime Centre.
Virmani said “sextortion” had emerged as a major concern in recent years
as criminals took advantage of more people using social media and greater
mobile Internet access via smartphones. “This is just a taste of things to come,”
Virmani said. “These type of criminal acts have gone on for a long time but
they are using a new infrastructure... all the traditional crimes that you see
that have a cyber component are taken to a new level and criminals have an
increased capability to target new victims.” In one case highlighted by
Interpol, a 17-year-old boy in Scotland who lived with his parents committed
suicide after being blackmailed. Three Filipinos linked to that scam were
among those arrested this week. Philippine police chief Alan Purisima said the
58 people detained would be charged over a range of crimes, including
engaging in child pornography, extortion and using technologies to commit
fraud.—AFP
MANILA: The Philippines said yesterday it plans to give the
United States access to five military bases under a deal that
could see US forces return to their giant former facility at
Subic Bay. An access deal signed last week would allow the
US to rotate more aircraft, ships, equipment and troops over
the next 10 years at unspecified bases in the territory of the
Asian ally strategically facing the South China Sea.
The two countries are now in follow-up talks to select the
Filipino bases, said defense undersecretary Pio Batino, the
chief Filipino negotiator. “Right now, the discussions would
be ranging from three to five (Filipino military) bases,” he
told reporters. “That’s not the final, but that is the starting
discussion point.” The Philippines is offering Fort Magsaysay,
a sprawling army base about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north
of Manila that regularly hosts annual large-scale US-Filipino
military exercises, Batino said. He added “limited portions of
Subic” would also be offered, but declined to identify the
three other bases under consideration. The Philippines
intends to conclude the discussions not later than
September 30, Batino added.
The deal for increased US access is part of Philippine
efforts to boost its weak military capabilities at a time of
deep tensions with China over competing claims to parts of
the South China Sea. China claims most of the sea, even
waters close to the Philippines and other countries in the
region. Subic, facing the South China Sea, was the former
repair yard of the Japan-based US Pacific fleet. American
forces vacated it in 1992, along with nearby Clark Air Base,
after the Philippine Senate refused to extend a bases treaty,
ending nearly a century of major US military presence.
It is now a civilian free port, but maintains a US-era military runway and a deep harbor that is still used by
American warships stopping over for military exercises or
for regular provisioning. Bound by a mutual defense pact,
the US and the Philippines engage in regular war games
that see thousands of US troops and state-of-the-art
American military hardware brought to the Philippines. The
Philippines signed the bases access deal last week, hours
ahead of a state visit to Manila by American President
Barack Obama. The deal also allows the US to build structures inside the bases for use by its forces, as well as to
store supplies and equipment. — AFP
Funerals planned
for Australian
passengers on
missing Malaysia jet
SYDNEY: The first funeral service for passengers
from a missing Malaysian jetliner will be held in
Australia this weekend, nearly eight weeks after
the plane disappeared and apparently crashed in
the remote southern Indian Ocean.
Despite the most intensive air, sea and underwater search in commercial aviation history, no
trace of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been
found since it vanished on a flight from Kuala
Lumpur to Beijing on March 8. Family and friends
of Rod and Mary Burrows, two of six Australians
on board the flight, will be holding a formal
memorial in Brisbane on Sunday, according to a
statement on behalf of the family released by
police yesterday.
“Family and friends send their appreciation for
the well wishes from the media and public but ask
for privacy and request their solitude be respected during this difficult time.” Relatives of those on
board, mostly from China, have repeatedly
expressed their anger and frustration at the lack
of information and evidence about the loss of
their loved ones. Malaysia Airlines this week urged
families who have remained in Kuala Lumpur to
return home, saying they would be kept
informed, and pledged to pay early compensation
to those who qualified.
On Thursday, Malaysia released its most comprehensive account yet of what happened to
missing Flight MH370, detailing the route the
plane probably took as it veered off course and
the confusion that followed. The preliminary
report, however, left many key questions unanswered, including whether the aircraft was deliberately diverted after communications were disabled.
Using groundbreaking analysis of satellite
data, experts narrowed down the search area to a
large arc of the Indian Ocean some 1,600 km
(1,040 miles) northwest of the west Australian
city of Perth. But after weeks of scouring millions
of square kilometers (miles) without finding any
sign of debris, Australian authorities have called
off the air and surface search. Australia now plans
to contract commercial companies to undertake
a sonar search of a 60,000 sq km (24,000 sq mile)
area of seabed that could take eight months or
more at a cost of about A$60 million ($55.61 million). — Reuters
SEOUL: Investigators inspect the site where two subway
trains collided at Sangwangshipri subway station in Seoul
yesterday. A subway train ran into another train at the station yesterday, causing minor injuries for scores of people, a
city official said. — AP
Subway trains crash in
Seoul, 170 people hurt
SEOUL: A subway train in the South Korean capital Seoul crashed
into another one at a station yesterday, injuring about 170 people,
news reports and the emergency services said, although no one
appeared to be seriously hurt. The accident came just over two
weeks after a South Korean ferry capsized and sank leaving 300
dead or missing in the submerged hull of the ship in the country’s
worst disaster in 20 years.
Witnesses said one train was leaving Sangwangsimni station in
the east of the capital when it was hit from the rear by an incoming
train. One subway car was derailed and passengers walked a short
distance along the tracks to the station, YTN television said.
Many of the injuries were caused by passengers jumping
from the subway cars onto the tracks, a government emergency
official said. A doctor at a hospital near the station said injured
people were walking in for treatment and did not appear to be
seriously hurt.
A witness who said he was a passenger in one of the trains said
it rammed into a train in front of it as it approached a station. He
said he saw blood on the floor of a train car.
An onboard announcement initially told passengers to stay
inside, but most people ignored it and forced the doors open to
escape, he said. Most those who died in the ferry sinking off the
southwest coast on April 16 were schoolchildren who were told by
the crew to stay inside the vessel, even as the crew left. The sinking
and the deaths of hundreds of schoolchildren have hit President
Park Geun-hye’s approval rating. A Gallup Korea poll issued yesterday showed her rating had plunged by 11 percentage points in the
past two weeks to 48 percent. — Reuters
INTERNATIONAL
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
In Iraq, Syria...
Continued from Page 1
After the US “surge” in 2007, when it rapidly built up its forces,
the number of attacks dropped as sectarian violence as a whole
waned. Militant attacks are now increasing sharply again in Iraq as
the powerful ISIL seeks to impose strict sharia law in the Sunni
majority populated regions of the country. In Syria, the conflict took
on a regional dimension and attracted foreign fighters soon after it
began with an outbreak of a mostly Sunni popular uprising in 2011
against President Bashar Al-Assad.
Iran, the main Shiite power, and Saudi Arabia, its Sunni rival wedded to the Wahhabi puritanism that inspires jihadis, used Syria as
the front line in their Shiite-Sunni war for supremacy in the Arab
world. Foreign Sunni fighters have converged on Syria to fight
alongside Sunni rebel forces, while Shiites from Iraq and Lebanon
have joined Assad’s forces. Foreign fighters are coming from Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Kuwait, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Morocco,
Jordan, Bosnia, other Arab states, Chechnya, Pakistan, Afghanistan
and Western countries, according to several US and European security officials. With Assad using his full firepower against rebels who
lack sophisticated arms, the military balance tipped against the
rebels last year, driving foreign fighters to carry out suicide attacks
to make up for losses on the battleground.
English-speakers play a prominent role among foreign fighters.
British security sources estimate that at least 400 British nationals
have moved in and out of the Syrian conflict, with as many as 250
Britons on the battlefield at any one time. The video of the British
suicide bomber shows what appears to be a truck elaborately
rigged as a suicide bomb. Standing nearby is a person who investigators identified as Majeed posing and talking with what appear to
be fellow militant fighters. While the video does not show him driving the truck into the prison, investigators say they believe he was
the driver and that the video is authentic.
Perhaps fewer than a hundred Canadians and Americans have
also joined Syria-based militant groups, say US intelligence officials.
They estimate the number of Americans who have joined the conflict in the “dozens”. In an April 23 report, the Dutch AIVD intelligence service said it was aware of two Dutch nationals who became
suicide bombers in the last year while fighting with militants. One
blew himself up in Syria and the other in Iraq, said a European security official briefed on the matter. Another European official said
that at least one or two German nationals were believed to have
been involved in recent suicide attacks. — Reuters
Suicide bombers
unleash wave of
attacks in Egypt
CAIRO: Bombers killed a policeman and a soldier in Egypt yesterday, hours before campaigning starts in presidential polls which
the former army chief who deposed the elected Islamist leader is
expected to win. Militants have unleashed a wave of attacks targeting security forces since presidential frontrunner Abdel Fattah
Al-Sisi ousted Mohamed Morsi in July. The army led by the now
retired Field Marshall also installed an interim government that
has waged a deadly crackdown on Morsi’s supporters and his
Muslim Brotherhood movement.
A bomb struck a traffic police kiosk near a courthouse in the
north Cairo district of Heliopolis, killing one policeman and
wounding four others, Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel
Latif said.
The Interior Ministry later said the bomb had been concealed
in a traffic light. The attack came just hours after two suicide
bombers attacked a checkpoint and a nearby bus outside the
South Sinai provincial capital Al-Tur, security officials said.
A soldier was killed and six policemen wounded by the first
bomber, and five civilians wounded by the second, the officials
said. Security forces have deployed in strength to protect the
resorts along the South Sinai coast that are a major plank of the
country’s battered tourism sector. Yesterday’s bombings came a
day before the start of official campaigning in the May 26-27 presidential election which will see leftist leader Hamdeen Sabbahi as
Sisi’s sole rival.
Sabbahi came third in the 2012 election which Morsi won, and
is seen by supporters as the only leader representing the aspirations of those who revolted against longtime strongman Hosni
Mubarak in 2011. A statement from the prime minister’s officer
said, meanwhile, that yesterday’s violence would not undermine
Egypt’s determination to hold “fair presidential and parliamentary
polls”. Morsi’s Brotherhood, which swept all elections since
Mubarak’s fall, is blacklisted as a “terrorist” organization and said it
will boycott the polls. — AFP
ALEXANDRIA: Members of a Federal Bureau of Investigation SWAT team arrive during an FBI field training exercise at
the Landmark Mall yesterday in Alexandria, Virginia. The law enforcement agency held the training to practice responding to a terrorist attack in a public venue. — AFP
Europe faces ‘bracing
new realities’: Hagel
NATO official says Russia undermining global security
WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says Russia’s military
moves in Ukraine “shatter the myth” that the end of the Cold War
meant an end to insecurity, at least in Europe. Hagel spoke yesterday
at a Washington think tank amid growing concern in Europe about
the implications for NATO of Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine.
Hagel said the European members of NATO need to boost their
defense investment because over the long run Russia will test the purpose, stamina and commitment of the 28-nation US-led alliance. He
called for the inclusion of budget officials at a future NATO defense
ministers meeting focused on ways to break the pattern of steadily
declining defense budgets among European member states.
Meanwhile, the United States and some of its NATO allies see
Russia’s intervention in Ukraine as a post-Cold War turning point, possibly ending two decades of hope that Moscow could be made a lasting security partner. NATO’s deputy secretary general, Alexander
Vershbow, said that the alliance is compelled to view Russia as an
adversary in light of its annexation of Crimea and its apparent efforts
to further destabilize eastern Ukraine. Vershbow, a former US ambassador to NATO and onetime Pentagon official, said Russia’s interventionist stance of late poses “grave challenges” to global security
arrangements that have developed since the end of World War II.
“What the Russians have done ... is effectively overturned a lot of the
pillars of the international security system that we’ve come to know
and be comfortable with,” he said. With the Ukraine crisis and NATO’s
deteriorating relations with Moscow as a backdrop, Defense Secretary
Chuck Hagel was to deliver a speech Friday on the future of the
Western alliance and how it can maintain its relevance.
Hagel was expected to argue that the crisis in Ukraine represents a
“coalescing moment” for the alliance that should be used to improve
NATO defense capabilities, according to an official familiar with his
speech preparation. Fear of Russian aggression is most acute among
newer NATO members such as Poland and other Eastern European
states that once were part of the Soviet sphere of influence but chose
to join the Western alliance after the breakup of the Soviet Union in
1991. Some older NATO members in Europe are less alarmed and see
less urgency in trying to punish Moscow for its moves in Ukraine.
In his speech, Hagel also was expected to draw linkages between
military security and economic security, in Europe and more broadly,
the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because
the remarks were still being prepared.
Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
said Thursday that after a recent trip to Ukraine he believes
Washington needs to stiffen its support for the Ukrainian government
in its confrontation with Moscow.
“Russia’s effort to dismember their country through the threat of
force, if allowed to succeed, could undermine decades of stability and
a peaceful, democratic and united Europe,” Levin, D-Mich., said. In his
remarks to reporters Thursday, Vershbow said Russia now is a NATO
adversary. “Clearly the Russians have declared NATO as an adversary,
so we have to begin to view Russia no longer as a partner but as more
of an adversary than a partner,” he said. “In central Europe, clearly we
have two different visions of what European security should be like,”
Vershbow said. “We still would defend the sovereignty and freedom of
choice of Russia’s neighbors, and Russia clearly is trying to reimpose
hegemony and limit their sovereignty under the guise of a defense of
the Russian world.”
In April, NATO suspended all “practical civilian and military cooperation” with Russia, although Russia has maintained a diplomatic mission to NATO it established in 1998.
NATO, created 65 years ago as a bulwark against the former Soviet
Union, is considering new defensive measures aimed at deterring
Russia from any aggression against NATO members along its border,
such as the Baltic states that once were part of the Soviet Union,
Vershbow said. —AP
Relatives of miners missing under tons of mud wait as rescued workers remove sludge in a gold mine that collapsed in
San Antonio, in the rural area of Santander de Quilichao,
department of Cauca, Colombia, yesterday where independent mine workers were excavating the mine without authorization. — AFP
Royal Bank of Scotland
profits triple in Q1
16
Asian shares mixed as
dealers return from break
18
Business
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
World Bank approves
$1b loan to Pakistan
AstraZeneca rejects
Pfizer’s bid of $106b
19
17
DETROIT: In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 photo, Jesus Rodriguez grinds steel at the IDEAL Group in Detroit. The Commerce Department releases factory orders for March yesterday. — AP
US jobless rate hits 5-1/2 year low
Nonfarm payrolls increase 288,000 in April
WASHINGTON: US job growth increased at its fastest pace in
more than two years in April, suggesting a sharp rebound in
economic activity early in the second quarter.
Nonfarm payrolls surged 288,000 last month, the Labor
Department said yesterday. That was the largest gain since
January 2012 and beat Wall Street’s expectations for an
increase of 210,000. March and February data were revised to
show 36,000 more jobs than previously reported.
“The economy really has strong underlying fundamentals
supporting its growth. Temporary headwinds such as the bad
weather can be certainly managed,” said Russell Price, senior
economist at Ameriprise Financial in Troy, Michigan.
Still, the report did give some worrisome signals on the
economy’s health. While the unemployment rate dived 0.4
percentage point to a 5-1/2 year low of 6.3 percent, part of the
decline was because hundreds of thousands of people left the
labor force. Overall, however, the data suggested the economy was gathering strength and led investors to pull forward
their bets on when the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates.
US Treasury debt yields soared after the report, while the
dollar jumped to session highs against the euro and the yen.
US stock prices rose marginally. Bets on US short-term interest
rates suggested Wall Street is now pricing in a Fed rate hike in
June 2015, based on CME FedWatch, which tracks rate hike
expectations using its Fed funds futures contracts. Before the
jobs data was released, the Fed was seen raising rates in July
of that year.
The employment report joins other upbeat data such as
consumer spending and industrial production in suggesting
that sputtering growth in the first quarter was an aberration,
weighed down by an unusually cold and disruptive winter.
The Fed on Wednesday shrugged off the dismal first quarter performance. The U.S. central bank, which announced further reductions to the amount of money it is pumping into the
economy through monthly bond purchases, said indications
were that “growth in economic activity has picked up recently.” Economists expect second-quarter growth to top a 3 percent pace.
Household survey mixed
While details of the bigger survey of employers were
robust, the smaller and volatile household survey from which
the unemployment rate is calculated was mixed, with household employment falling slightly.
The labor force also declined by 806,000 people. “That is
gargantuan decline,” said Tom Porcelli, an
economist at RBC Capital Markets in New York. The labor
force participation rate, or the share of working-age
Americans who are employed and unemployed but looking
for a job, fell 0.4 percentage point to 62.8 percent. That was
the lowest level since last December.
Some of the 1.35 million people who lost their longer-term
unemployment benefits at the end of last December may
have dropped out of the labor force last month.
But a broad measure of unemployment, which includes
people who want to work but have stopped looking and
those working only part time but who want more work, fell to
a 20-year low of 12.3 percent in April. It was at 12.7 percent in
March. Employment gains in April were broad-based, with the
private sector adding 273,000 jobs and government payrolls
rising 15,000. Manufacturing employment increased 12,000
after rising by 7,000 in March.
Construction payrolls gained 32,000. That followed an
increase of 17,000 jobs in March. The hiring trend could
slow in the months ahead as residential construction loses
some steam. Average hourly earnings were flat in April. The
length of the workweek held steady at 34.5 hours last
month after bouncing back in March from its winterdepressed levels. — Reuters
BUSINESS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Gold set for weekly drop on funds selling
LONDON: Gold steadied yesterday after
two losing sessions but was headed for its
second week of losses in three on expectations of a robust US jobs number and continued selling in the top bullion-backed
exchange-traded fund.
Holdings in the SPDR Gold Trust dropped
2.39 tonnes to 785.55 tonnes on Thursday,
after losing 4.19 tonnes on Wednesday.
The fund saw an outflow of 25 tonnes in
April, the first monthly outflow after two
months of inflows and worst since
December. Its movements are a good measure of underlying investor sentiment.
Spot gold was up 0.2 percent at $1,285.90
an ounce by 1219 GMT, ranging in the narrowest trade for four months. It was down
about 1.3 percent for the week. US gold
futures for June delivery rose 0.7 percent to
$1,284.20 an ounce.
Investors were eyeing the US April nonfarm payrolls report, due to be published at
1230 GMT, for further clues on the economy,
which has shown strength in recent weeks
after a severe winter hurt the first quarter.
Gold prices would come under pressure if
growth exceeded economists’ expectations
for a 210,000 increase in jobs and a fall in the
unemployment rate to 6.6 percent.
Earlier in the week, the Federal Reserve
looked past a dismal reading on first-quarter
U.S. growth and gave a mostly upbeat
assessment of the economy’s prospects as it
announced another cut in its massive bondbuying stimulus.
“For gold, the salience of the nonfarm
payrolls seems somewhat reduced by the
Fed seemingly being on auto pilot with
regards to its tapering activity,” Macquarie
analyst Matthew Turner said.
“A bad number, given the GDP data earlier this week, would call into question the
strength of the economy, but seems unlikely
to change the Fed’s policy.”
In wider markets, the dollar inched up
from three-week lows against a basket of
currencies on expectations of a robust US
jobs number, while 10-year US Treasury
yields held above two-month lows of 2.6
percent hit in the previous session.
Returns from US bonds are closely
watched by the gold market, given that the
metal pays no interest. “The inability of gold
to rally despite US Treasury 10-year yields
falling highlights that there is little conviction in the gold market at present, and we
maintain the view that prices could retrace
further,” ANZ said in a report.
Gold, often seen as an insurance against
geopolitical risks, failed to be lifted by safehaven buying after violence escalated in
eastern Ukraine between government forces
and pro-Russian separatists.
In the physical markets, demand has
picked up slightly this week but was still
lower than last year’s levels. With markets in
top buyer China closed for a holiday,
investors are looking to India, the second
biggest consumer, for support. India is celebrating Akshaya Tritiya on Friday, the second-biggest gold buying festival when it is
considered auspicious to buy gold.—Reuters
French union calls off
damaging pilots’ strike
ROISSY: A potentially damaging French pilots’ strike has been
called off at the last minute, the union organising the work stoppage said yesterday, just days after Air France warned it risked
hampering the airline’s painstaking recovery.
The strike from May 3 to 30, which was called by the country’s
main SNPL pilots’ union, would have seen pilots stop work at specific times every day, which Air France said would severely disrupt its medium and long-haul flights.
On Friday, SNPL head Yves Deshayes said the union had
decided to call off the strike “on the basis of (government) proposals” after representatives met with Transport Minister Frederic
Cuvillier-a move welcomed by Air France chief Frederic Gagey.
The pilots had planned to protest against a law stipulating
that those who strike must declare their intention to do so 48
hours before the start of a work stoppage.
The regulation was put in place to give airlines more time to
warn passengers about flight disruptions, but the SNPL says it
actually allows them to hire temporary replacement pilots from
other European countries. “The government recognised for the
first time that these practices were not acceptable,” Deshayes
told reporters yesterday, adding the government had made “a
strong commitment” on looking to modify the law, although “no
guarantees” had been given to the union.
Earlier this week, Air France chief Gagey had warned that the
strike-which had nothing to do with the airline itself-was “taking
place at a crucial time in Air France’s recovery”.
After six years of financial losses that led to radical cost-cutting measures including thousands of job cuts, the airline is aiming to generate a positive operating income this year-a target it
said could have been damaged by the strike. Yesterday, Gagey
welcomed the cancellation of the strike, saying it was “excellent
news for Air France clients and employees”. “Air France can now
devote all its energy to pursuing its recovery.” —AFP
NEW YORK: Traders Neil Cantania, left, and Frederick
Reimer work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Global markets were mixed yesterday ahead of a release
of key US jobs data, with the benchmark for the Tokyo
Stock Exchange closing little changed. — AP
LONDON: A pedestrian walks past a Royal Bank of Scotland sign in central London yesterday. Britain’s state-rescued
Royal Bank of Scotland said yesterday that net profits tripled to 1.2 billion GBP (2.0 billion USD, 1.5 billion euros) in the
first quarter, buoyed by lower costs and falling impairments. — AFP
Royal Bank of Scotland
profits triple in Q1
LONDON: Britain’s state-rescued Royal
Bank of Scotland said yesterday that
net profits tripled to £1.2 billion ($2.0
billion, 1.5 billion euros) in the first
quarter, buoyed by lower costs and
falling impairments.
RBS, based in Edinburgh, Scotland,
remains 81-percent state-owned after it
was rescued with £45.5 billion of taxpayers’ cash during the 2008 global
financial crisis, making it the world’s
biggest-ever banking bailout.
Earnings after taxation surged in the
three months to the end of March
2014, compared with £393 million in
the same part of 2013, RBS said in a
results statement.
Market expectations had been for a
net loss of £200 million and revenues of
£4.7 billion, according to analysts
polled by Dow Jones Newswires.
Revenues declined two percent to
£5.05 billion, as the bank’s markets divi-
sion continued to shrink.
Pre-tax profits meanwhile doubled
to £1.64 billion from £826 million a year
earlier, but the troubled bank warned
that it still faced “plenty” of issues to
deal with.
“Just over two months ago, I set out
our plan for making RBS the most trusted bank in the UK,” said chief executive
Ross McEwan, who was appointed last
year to help strengthen the lender’s
turnaround strategy and help guide it
back to private ownership.
“Today’s results show that in steady
state, RBS will be a bank that does a
great job for customers while delivering good returns for our shareholders.
“But we still have a lot of work to do
and plenty of issues from the past to
reckon with. Everyone at RBS is focused
squarely on doing everything we can to
earn the trust of our customers and in
the process change the banking sector
for the benefit of the UK.”
The first-quarter results were lifted
by the absence of any provision for
misconduct issues that have haunted
the bank since the global financial crisis. And in another major boost, RBS
revealed that impairments across its
loan book tumbled by 65 percent in the
reporting period. Operating expenses
meanwhile fell six percent to £191 million, as the group shed about 6,300
jobs mostly at its retail and markets
division.
The RBS results were published one
day after state-rescued rival Lloyds
Banking Group revealed that its underlying profits improved in the first quarter, boosted by falling impairments,
cost-cutting and the broader economic
recovery. However, LBG-which is 25percent state-owned-added that its net
profit sank by almost a quarter to £1.15
billion. — AFP
BUSINESS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Spain’s 10-year borrowing rate dips to 2005 level
PARIS: Spain’s interest rate for borrowing 10year funds fell below 3.0 percent yesterday for
the first time since 2005, in a further sign that
the eurozone debt crisis is fading. On the secondary market, where debt already issued is
traded, the interest rate or yield indicated by
the rising value of the bonds fell to 2.996 percent briefly during morning trading, but then
rose to 3.0 percent.
The yield on existing debt is a baseline indicator of what a country must offer to raise
funds the next time it issues equivalent bonds.
Ten-year bonds are considered to be the main
barometer of a country’s standing on the eurozone bond market. As confidence in the creditworthiness and general state of an economy
rises, in this case regarding eurozone member
Spain, investors become more inclined to buy
the bonds for the fixed income stream they carry. As the price of the bond rises, the fixed
interest falls automatically relative to the new
higher value of the bond. Spain, the eurozone’s
fourth-biggest economy, emerged from its
downturn last year after a decade-long property bubble burst in 2008, tipping the economy
into a double-dip recession and wiping out mil-
lions of jobs. At Credit Agricole CIB bank, economist Frederick Ducrozet said: “In general, in
terms of macroeconomics and of capital flows,
everything is going in the direction of an easing of rates for eurozone peripheral countries.”
As economic data for the eurozone
improves, investors have been moving large
amounts of funds for several months into buying bonds issued by eurozone countries which
had been regarded as high risk because of their
overloaded public finances.
The head of the French central bank,
Christian Noyer, said recently that this inflow of
capital was largely why the value of the euro
was strong.
In the last year, investors have also reduced
their exposure to many emerging economies,
pulling funds back to where risk appears less
and the opportunities for gain greater.
Ducrozet said that the trend of flows into
weaker eurozone countries was likely to continue because “either the improvement continues,
which is the case in Spain regarding the public
deficit and unemployment in particular, or it is
not the case but the European Central Bank is a
back-stop.”—AFP
Bund yield at 1-yr low on
Ukraine, payrolls caution
LONDON: Global markets traded cautiously yesterday as uncertainty ahead of US
employment figures and tensions in Ukraine pushed the yield on 10-year German
Bunds to their lowest in a year.
The move into the relative safety of government bonds, also including higheryielding peripheral euro zone paper that pushed returns on Spanish 10-year debt
to a multi-year low, came despite upbeat corporate merger and acquisition activity
and earnings. The big data focus is the US April nonfarm payrolls report.
Economists predict jobs growth of 210,000 and a fall in the unemployment rate to
6.6 percent. But first quarter US growth estimates are being cut following weak
construction data on Thursday to the point that the world’s largest economy
might actually have contracted.
That, and an escalation in violence in eastern Ukraine between government
forces and pro-Russian separatists, weighed on investor sentiment. European
stocks failed to get a boost from US drugmaker Pfizer raising its offer for Britain’s
AstraZeneca or a forecast-busting profit from Royal Bank of Scotland that lifted
shares in the 81 percent state-controlled bank by 11 percent.
“People are a bit nervous about payrolls. Last month there was so much hype
about it and it came out below expectations. They don’t want to get caught out
twice, so they are hedging their positions,” said Michael Hewson, senior markets
strategist at CMC Markets in London.
Hewson also noted that many European and U.S. indices are at or close to
record highs so investors are reluctant to chase them higher, especially ahead of a
long holiday weekend in Britain. At 0800 GMT, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 index of leading European shares was down 0.1 percent at 1353 points and Germany’s DAX was
down 0.2 percent at 9585 points. Britain’s FTSE 100 index was flat at 6807 points
and France’s CAC 40 down a third of one percent at 4471.
In Asia, the MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up
0.4 percent. China’s markets were closed yesterday. US stock futures pointed to a
flat open on Wall Street . Two corporate stories grabbed the headlines in Europe.
Pfizer raised its bid for AstraZeneca to 50 pounds a share, valuing the UK drugmaker at 63 billion pounds ($106 billion), and RBS posted a 1.6 billion pounds profit in
the first quarter.
Calmer currencies
Germany’s 10-year government bond yield slipped to 1.45 percent and the 30year U.S. bond yield was 3.43 percent. Late on Thursday it fell as low as 3.4 percent.
Spain’s 10-year yields fell as low as 3 percent, their lowest since September
2005 and close to the lowest ever. Currency markets were calmer, with the dollar
well supported ahead of the U.S. payrolls report but major currency pairs trading in
tight ranges. The euro slipped 0.1 percent to $1.3853, and the dollar rose 0.1 percent against the yen to 102.45 yen. In the commodities markets, oil remained topheavy after slipping Thursday on disappointing Chinese manufacturing activity
and data showing U.S. crude stocks rose last week to their highest level since 1982.
US crude futures brushed that aside, however, and rose 0.4 percent to $99.487 a
barrel.—Reuters
ATHENS: A Greek market vendor holding a black flag shouts slogans during a protest in Athens, yesterday, after their trading association
launched an indefinite strike Monday. — AP
LONDON: An exterior view of the Two Kingdom Street building which houses the headquarters of
AstraZeneca, in the Paddington area of London, yesterday. The board of pharmaceutical company
AstraZeneca yesterday rejected drug maker Pfizer’s sweetened takeover offer. Pfizer earlier in the day
said it is offering 50 pounds ($84) a share in cash and stock, a 7.3 increase on a previous bid. — AP
AstraZeneca rejects
Pfizer’s bid of $106b
R&D jobs to be in Britain
LONDON: US drugmaker Pfizer Inc
increased its offer for AstraZeneca Plc
to 63 billion pounds ($106 billion) yesterday, but the British company
promptly rejected the proposal, which
would create the world’s biggest pharmaceuticals company.
AstraZeneca’s board said the offer
undervalued the company “substantially” and was not an adequate basis
on which to engage with its suitor.
Industry analysts and investors said
that raised the possibility that Pfizer
would now take the takeover plan,
which would boost its pipeline of cancer drugs and create significant tax
and cost savings, direct to AstraZeneca
shareholders.
The US group would much prefer
an agreed deal, since hostile takeovers
typically take longer, require a higher
final price and carry more risks
because the bidder cannot access the
target’s books to assess its business.
One AstraZeneca investor said
Pfizer management had made clear in
meetings this week that it wanted a
friendly deal but it was determined to
the see the transaction completed and
a hostile bid was a potential “tool”.
While Pfizer has given assurances to
the British government on retaining
drug research in Britain, a spokesman
for Prime Minister David Cameron said
AstraZeneca’s fate would be determined by shareholders, not the state.
Yesterd’s 50 pounds ($84.47) a
share indicative offer followed
AstraZeneca’s decision to rebuff an
earlier proposal that valued it at 58.8
billion pounds, or 46.61 pounds per
share. Some investors and analysts
had expected that the sweetened
offer would be enough to bring
AstraZeneca’s board to the negotiating table, even if it was not accepted,
and the swift rejection suggests Pfizer
may now go over the board’s head.
“I think it’s making it increasingly
likely that Pfizer is going to come back
with a hostile bid,” said Mick Cooper,
analyst at Edison Investment Research.
Leading investors have met with
Pfizer Chief Executive Ian Read this
week in London and some feel that an
offer of 50 pounds or above is certainly
worth discussing.
“Given where the shares have
come from, this doesn’t look unreasonable,” one of AstraZeneca’s 10
largest shareholders said of the latest
Pfizer offer.
AstraZeneca shares were trading
at around 30 pounds a year ago, but
confidence in the company’s cancer
drug pipeline has built up strongly
since then.
“We expect Pfizer ultimately to
have to sweeten its offer based on discussions we have had with investors,
many citing a price within the 52-55
pounds range and some above this,
and our analysis of the EPS accretion
for Pfizer,” said Mark Clark, an analyst
at Deutsche Bank.
Investors had previously said they
were looking for at least 50 pounds a
share and also wanted more cash in
the mix. The new offer would have given them 32 percent cash and 68 percent shares, little different from the 3070 split offered originally.
Many analysts are convinced Pfizer
will raise its offer again, not least
because it wants to get the deal done
before any possible change in US tax
rules that might prevent it moving its
tax base to Britain.
Pfizer’s latest proposal would have
seen shareholders receiving, for each
AstraZeneca share, 1.845 shares in the
combined company and 15.98 pounds
in cash. Commenting on the offer,
AstraZeneca Chairman Leif Johansson
said: “Pfizer’s proposal would dramatically dilute AstraZeneca shareholders’
exposure to our unique pipeline and
would create risks around its delivery.”— Reuters
BUSINESS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
US anti-money laundering authority faces hiring probe
NEW YORK/ST LOUIS: The US Treasury
Department has frozen all recruitment by its
anti-money laundering arm and forced the
agency to rescind 11 job offers, after an investigation found it violated the federal employment code during an aggressive hiring push,
according to several government officials.
The Office of Personnel Management, a federal agency that governs labor practices in the
government, determined that the Treasury’s
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known
as FinCEN, illegally screened candidates in a
quest to hire only lawyers for certain jobs, the
officials said. It has recommended further
investigations by two other federal agencies
into FinCEN’s practices, they added.
Rules for hiring at government agencies
make it illegal to screen candidates for qualifications that aren’t stipulated in the job description, and the jobs FinCEN had posted weren’t
designated as being only for lawyers, the officials said.
Some senior Treasury officials knew about
FinCEN’s practice but it was not halted until
OPM identified the problem, two of the sources
said. A Treasury spokeswoman said that FinCEN
is “committed to complying with all relevant
federal rules and regulations regarding federal
hiring.”
OPM did not return calls and emails seeking
comment. The hiring freeze at FinCEN and further investigations into its practices could deal
at least a short-term setback to its push to
aggressively crack down on money laundering.
ACAMS moneylaundering.com, a compliance trade publication, previously reported
that FinCEN was under scrutiny and that
Treasury officials were considering suspending
its hiring authority. However, the actual hiring
freeze, the rescinded job offers, the investigations, and why OPM intervened have not been
previously reported.
Remaking agency
The hires were being done as part of a drive
by FinCEN’s director, Jennifer Shasky Calvery, to
remake her agency, the formerly sleepy steward of US anti-money laundering laws, into a
powerful organization capable of standing up
to big banks and other financial firms where
violations are discovered.
FinCEN has taken part in several of the highest-profile actions against banks over the past
three years, including a record $875 million set-
tlement with HSBC Holdings Plc for helping
Mexican drug traffickers launder money in US
accounts. Earlier this year, the agency also participated in an investigation into JPMorgan
Chase & Co. That probe resulted in the bank
agreeing to $1.9 billion in penalties and forfeitures for failing to alert regulators to suspicions
about convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard
Madoff.
FinCEN can issue civil penalties but lacks
prosecutorial power. The positions at FinCEN
where the illegal hiring took place were in the
agency’s recently revamped enforcement division, according to the officials. One of the officials said several of the people whose job offers
were revoked are currently prosecutors at the
US Department of Justice, where Shasky served
as the chief of the DOJ’s Asset Forfeiture and
Money Laundering Section before moving to
FinCEN in September 2012.
It is unclear whether any of the people who
had job offers revoked suffered damage to
their careers as a result. At an ACAMS conference in March, Shasky talked about her hiring
strategy. “We needed people that understood,
‘How do you do enforcement? How do you
issue a summons? How do you do a deposi-
tion? How do you negotiate a settlement? How
do you draft the charging documents?’ Just
kind of the nuts and bolts of doing enforcement,” she said.
FinCEN ranked 296 of 300 in the 2013 list of
the best places to work in the federal government, according to the non-profit Partnership
for Public Service, based on data collected by
OPM in an employee survey. The agency scored
low on categories such as effective leadership,
teamwork and employee skills-mission match.
In 2012, FinCEN was ranked 147 out of 292.
Inflexible system
Federal employment experts said the incident highlights the antiquated system that dictates hiring procedures inside the federal government, making the task of recruiting new
government employees far more complicated
and cumbersome than it is in the private sector.
Debra D’Agostino, a founding partner of the
Federal Practice Group, which specializes in
labor laws for government employees, said hiring managers at government agencies frequently have more specific requirements in
mind than they are permitted to display in
some job postings. —Reuters
For new Ford CEO
Fields, aluminum
truck is key
DETROIT: For all the miracles Alan Mulally pulled off at Ford
Motor Co., one eluded him. He couldn’t make the stock price
leap. Soon, the problem of boosting Ford’s stock will fall to
Mark Fields. On Thursday, Ford officially announced that
Mulally would retire on July 1 and Fields would replace him as
CEO. Fields was widely seen as the heir apparent after being
named chief operating officer late in 2012.
Under Mulally, Ford underwent a massive restructuring,
resumed paying a dividend and ran off a string of highly profitable quarters. While the stock has doubled from around $8
when Mulally took over in 2006, it hasn’t closed above $18 for
more than two years. For the past three months, it’s been
stuck between $14.50 and $16.50 as harsh winter weather
kept buyers away from showrooms.
The stock could stay in limbo for a while. Ford has warned
that pretax profit will fall to between $7 billion and $8 billion
this year from $8.5 billion in 2013, as it launches a record 23
vehicles worldwide and builds seven plants, including four in
China. Investors don’t often embrace reports of lower profits.
Analysts don’t see much upside for the stock until Ford
starts selling a revolutionary new aluminum-body F-150 pickup late this year. The truck, which will be 700 pounds lighter
than the current version, could get close to 30 miles per gallon of gas on the highway, far better than its competition.
But Ford faces the gargantuan tasks of retooling factories
to produce such a large body out of something other than
steel, and of convincing skeptical buyers that an alloy version
of the nation’s top-selling vehicle is just as tough as the old
one.
“If they can pull it off, I think it could sure be good for Ford,
and that stock will take off and go,” said Gary Bradshaw, a
portfolio manager with Hodges Capital in Dallas. “I guess if
you get 30 miles per gallon, we’ll all be driving one.”
Many analysts say Ford’s stock is now undervalued. The
dividend yields just over 3 percent per year, better than 10year US Treasury bills, and the company’s balance sheet has
been cleaned up. Its debt is now investment grade.
Standard & Poors analyst Efriam Levy put an $18 price target on the stock and reiterated his “Buy” opinion. Ford shares
closed Thursday down 24 cents at $15.91.
For the stock to grow, many think that Fields has to move
forward with Mulally’s plans for key new vehicles, reverse losses in Europe and South America and keep growing the business in Asia. “Ford is set up for a really nice 2015. The table’s
being set for a really strong performance in the US, Europe
and China next year,” said Morningstar analyst David Whiston.
He thinks Fields should buy back shares because they’re
cheap at the moment. But Whiston doesn’t expect that to
happen because Ford is investing in future vehicles and
growth overseas.—AP
TOKYO: Pedestrians walk in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district yesterday. Japan’s household spending jumped in March
ahead of a sales tax rise while the jobless rate remained at its lowest level in more than six years, official data showed
yesterday. — AFP
Asian shares mixed as
dealers return from break
Traders keeping an eye on US jobs figures
HONG KONG: Asia’s markets were mixed
yesterday as dealers returned from the
May Day break to healthy manufacturing
data from the United States and China as
well as an upbeat assessment of the US
economy.
Traders were keeping an eye on the
release of US jobs figures due later in the
day, while a recent batch of strong indicators helped the dollar edge up against the
yen.
Tokyo eased 0.19 percent, after rallying
1.27 percent on Thursday. The Nikkei gave
up 27.62 points to finish at 14,457.51,
while Seoul slipped 0.12 percent, or 2.35
points, to 1,959.44.
Sydney added 0.17 percent, or 9.3
points, to 5,458.1 and Hong Kong rose
0.57 percent, or 126.70 points, to
22,260.67. Shanghai was closed for a pub-
lic holiday. The US Federal Reserve on
Wednesday said the world’s number one
economy was picking up after a severe
winter that saw growth slow to just 0.1
percent in the first quarter of the year.
The central bank said that with the cold
weather now behind it, the country would
likely enjoy a recovery, adding that it
would further reduce its stimulus programme by $10 billion a month to $45 billion.
On Thursday China said its official
measurement of manufacturing activity
improved in April for a second straight
month. The official purchasing managers
index (PMI) came in at 50.4, the National
Bureau of Statistics said, up from 50.3 in
March.
A reading above 50 indicates growth
and anything below points to contraction.
That was followed later in the day by a
report from the US Institute for Supply
Management that showed its PMI at 54.9
last month from 53.7 in March, beating
analysts’ consensus estimate of 54.5.
Dollar edges up against yen
Other data from Washington on
Thursday showed a jump in consumer
spending. The focus is now on Friday’s
non-farm payrolls figures for April, with
tentative expectations that they will show
the economy is rebounding after the nearstall in the first quarter.
On Wall Street the Dow slipped 0.13
percent after hitting a record high following the Fed announcement on
Wednesday, while the S&P 500 was flat
and the tech-rich Nasdaq rose 0.31 percent.—AFP
BUSINESS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
India threatens
WTO action over
EU mango ban
NEW DELHI: India yesterday threatened to drag the
European Union to the World Trade Organization over its ban
on mango imports. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma
warned the EU’s decision to slap the ban on import of the
highly prized Alphonso mangoes, known as the “king of
fruits”, could have “very negative fallout” on trade ties.
Sharma said he had written to EU Trade Commissioner
Karel De Gucht urging him to overturn the “arbitrary” import
ban on mangoes as well as four vegetables from India including bitter gourd and eggplant.
“We do hope that the EU will see sense,” Sharma told
reporters in New Delhi. He urged the 28-nation EU not to
“precipitate the situation any further, which would lead us to
go to the WTO”.
The Geneva-based WTO deals with trade disputes. In
March, the EU plant health care committee said it would
impose the ban after finding pests in 207 Indian consignments of fruits and vegetables. The EU said it was acting to
tackle what it called “significant shortcomings” in India’s certification system.
It noted that a high number of Indian consignments contained “pests, mainly insects, like non-European fruit flies”.
India, the world’s largest mango exporter, sells up to 70,000
tonnes of the fruit globally.
The ban, which came into effect Thursday, has led to a
mango surplus in Indian markets, driving down prices to fruit
lovers’ delight.
However, dismayed agricultural officials have warned of a
“supply glut” and the effect of the fall in prices on poor farmers. The mango ban further sours faltering India-EU free trade
talks which began in 2007. The negotiations have been beset
by differences over intellectual property rights and other
issues. —AFP
WB approves $1b
loan to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The World Bank said yesterday it had approved
a $1 billion loan for Pakistan and “envisages” another $11 billion package spanning five years.
The loans are meant to support Pakistan’s struggling energy sector and bolster its efforts to increase growth and investment and arrest poverty. “The World Bank Group approved a
package of assistance worth US$1 billion to support Pakistan’s
economic reforms on Thursday,” the bank said in a statement.
“The assistance package consists of two development policy credits (DPCs) to support the government of Pakistan’s
efforts to improve the power sector, and reinvigorate growth
and investment for reducing poverty and building shared
prosperity,” it said.
The bank also said it was “envisaging” $11 billion worth of
loans under a new country partnership strategy for Pakistan
over the next five years, covering fiscal years 2015 to 2019.
The government, however, said the World Bank had
approved the $11 billion partnership strategy to tackle its four
main challenges of energy, economy, education and fighting
extremism.
“The other landmark achievement of the day was the
approval of country partnership strategy under which
Pakistan will get US$11 billion in the shape of project loans
and budgetary support,” it said.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has “congratulated the whole
nation on this success and observed that the country partnership strategy is aligned fully with the vision of Pakistan’s
development challenges around the four Es ‘Energy,
Economy, Extremism and Education’, based on the manifesto
of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and its commitment to the
nation,” it said.
Philippe Le Houerou, vice president for the Bank’s South
Asia region, praised Pakistan for stabilising its economy and
starting reforms in the power sector. “The government of
Pakistan deserves appreciation for stabilising the economy,
initiating reforms in the power sector as well as revenue
mobilisation and drawing in the private sector for spurring
growth”, Le Houerou said in a statement.—AFP
PHOENIX: Shoppers walk in front of stores at the outdoor Biltmore Fashion Park yesterday, in Phoenix. Consumers are
ramping up spending, businesses are ordering more goods and manufacturers are expanding. The strengthening numbers show that harsh snowstorms and frigid cold in January and February were largely to blame for the economy’s scant
growth at the start of the year. — AP
BoE to take early but cautious
action on UK housing market
Tighter mortgage rules, higher capital charges in view
LONDON: The Bank of England’s starkest
warning so far about Britain’s booming
house prices is likely to be followed by
cautious measures, possibly as soon as
next month, as policymakers test out their
new powers.
Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe told
bankers late on Thursday that it would be
“dangerous” to ignore the rapid rise in
house prices, which are up nearly 11 percent over the past year - the kind of
increase last seen on the eve of the financial crisis.
Two other senior BoE officials
expressed similar worries when quizzed
on Wednesday by lawmakers. The focus is
squarely on the June 17 meeting of the
central bank’s Financial Policy Committee,
which was set up to prevent a repeat of
the kind of recklessness in the banking
sector that helped push Britain into a damaging recession.
A year ago, the FPC gained sweeping
but largely untried powers to curb excesses in the financial sector. One option that
has been ruled out for now is a rise in
interest rates by the BoE, which does not
want to derail a recovery that is more fragile in other parts of the economy.
Instead, the Bank, via the FPC, may
require banks to check that new borrowers could cope with much higher interest
rates; make banks hold more capital
against certain types of mortgages; or
urge caps on how large mortgages can be
compared to a borrower’s income.
The country has a history of boom and
bust in its housing market, and while
Switzerland, New Zealand, Sweden and
others have also taken steps to cool property prices, Britain will be the largest economy to do so thus far.
As the Bank of England gets to grips
with its new ‘macroprudential’ tools, it
probably wants to start gradually, and one
piece of data released by the BoE on
Thursday helps explain why. Mortgage
approvals in March sank to a six-month
low, having hit their highest level since
late 2007 in January.
Banks were already starting to implement rules which came into force last
week requiring them to make much more
detailed checks on prospective borrowers’
income and spending than before the crisis.
“In effect we saw an interest rate
increase last weekend with the mortgage
market reforms,” said Andrew Milligan,
head of strategy at Standard Life
Investments which manages 184 billion
pounds ($311 billion) of funds, including
10 billion in property.
Banks now need to spend around two
hours interviewing each mortgage applicant - far longer than was common before
- likely creating a bottleneck in approvals
as well as restricting the number of eligible borrowers, he said.
But the scale of the impact is something that neither Milligan nor the BoE can
judge easily. This means the central bank
is likely to want to take more action soon
to stop the housing market running away
with itself, but of a relatively limited scale
so that it can get a sense of the impact of
its new tools.
“The BoE is unlikely to stamp a size-10
boot down on the housing market,” said
Rob Wood, chief UK economist at
Berenberg. “If the central bank does not
know how powerful its tools are, it is
unlikely to start with them on full power.
Rather, it will gradually ratchet up the
pressure.”
Prices outside London are still several
percent below pre-crisis peaks, even
before adjusting for inflation, and transaction levels have not recovered either.
Macroprudential measures also will not
solve Britain’s underlying shortage of new
homes.
Trail-blazer
The BoE is acting as a trail-blazer for
other major central banks, which see the
need to keep a grip on lending as one of
the lessons of the financial crisis.
The European Central Bank is slowly
getting drawn into bank regulation as the
euro zone creates a banking union.
Regulatory responsibilities in the United
States are spread across many more bodies than just the Federal Reserve.
In setting policy, the BoE is likely to
look past eye-catching headlines such as
yesterday’s news that a single apartment
in London sold for a record 140 million
pounds. It is less worried about cash purchases in central London by the world’s
super-rich than about preventing a rapid
growth in the exposure of British lenders
to mortgages, which in a worst-case scneario could put at risk banks’ ability to
lend to businesses and require further taxpayer bailouts.
For now, net mortgage lending growth
has been modest - at around 1.5 percent a
year. A 40 percent rise in gross lending has
been largely cancelled out by mortgage
repayments.
The central bank’s preferred outcome
would be for affordability constraints to
cause house price growth to level off, and
for prices to rise in the long run at a level
close to earnings growth - which has averaged 5 percent in the past.
But looser mortgage lending standards
could extend the recent run-up in prices,
so one of the steps the BoE is most likely
to take in June would be to make banks
ensure that borrowers can afford a rise in
mortgage rates greater than the 3.5 percentage points required now.
Another would be to limit the proportion of high loan-to-value mortgages on
banks’ books, or further increase capital
requirements as insurance against loans
going bad.— Reuters
BUSINESS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
PHILADELPHIA: In this March 25, 2014 photo, a pedestrian passes a CVS store in Philadelphia. CVS reports quarterly earnings yesterday. — AP
‘African Davos’ will focus minds on problems
Host is a microcosm of challenges to African nation states
ABUJA: Delegates to the World Economic Forum on Africa next
week in the Nigerian capital Abuja will be in the right place to reflect
on the rising continent’s problems, as well as its undoubted potential. Participants, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and African
leaders, meet as the continent’s largest economy grapples with a
surging Islamist revolt and inter-communal clashes that highlight
poverty, ethnic and religious schisms, and battles over power and
resources in many parts of Africa.
“If people want to take a look at a dynamic, high-potential place
in Africa, Nigeria is that place, but it also has a whole host of issues
that are not going away anytime soon,” said Mark Shroeder, head of
Sub-Saharan Africa analysis at business and security consultancy
STATFOR. Policymakers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists attending
the 24th World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA), a replica of the
flagship annual WEF held in Davos, Switzerland, will be ensconced in
the concrete fortress of the Abuja Hilton, protected by 6,000 police
and soldiers - the largest security operation Nigeria has ever mounted for a summit.
An April 14 bomb blast on Abuja’s outskirts, which killed at least
75 people and was claimed by the radical Islamist group Boko
Haram, triggered the big security shield for an event which is normally the setting for convivial and relaxed discussions.
The Hilton’s air-conditioned marble interior may also not drown
out the desperate public appeals of parents of some 200 teenage
schoolgirls snatched by suspected Boko Haram militants from a
northeast school in a mass abduction last month.
The incident has shocked Nigeria, triggered protests in Abuja and
embarrassed President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, showing up the military’s inability to contain a ruthless anti-government
insurgency whose targets also include Christian churches and civilians of all races and creeds. Nigeria’s combustible ethnic, religious
and regional faultlines, fanned by the political winds of an upcoming
election 10 months away, are the legacy of its artificial creation by
former colonial masters.
In this, the West African giant, which recently replaced South
Africa as the continent’s biggest economy through a rebasing of its
GDP, can be seen as a microcosm of the post-independence pains
and trauma of other struggling African nation states - such as South
Sudan and Central African Republic.
The World Economic Forum on May 7-9 will include a session on
emerging security threats which are casting a pall on Sub-Saharan
Africa’s otherwise ebullient economic promise as it snaps at the heels
of Asia as the world’s second fastest-growing region.
Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters that
the meeting’s chosen theme - “Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating
Jobs” - was as relevant to Nigeria as to the rest of Africa.
‘Inclusion problem’
The continent’s most populous nation, Nigeria has tens of millions of poor, many of them unemployed, restless youth, who could
pose a real threat to stability if neglected and left without a future.
These masses of underprivileged and excluded from Africa’s natural wealth, such as Nigeria’s oil, offer potential recruits to Boko Haram
and other radical or insurgent groups which often arise from, or take
advantage of, these social inequalities.
Okonjo-Iweala has acknowledged “an inclusion problem” as one
contributing factor behind Boko Haram. So while Jim O’Neill, the former Goldman Sachs analyst who coined the BRICs (Brazil, Russia,
India, China), sees Nigeria as a “fantastic story” and has included it as
one of the most powerful newly emerging MINTs (Mexico, Indonesia,
Nigeria and Turkey), others like West Africa expert Gilles Yabi fear it
could be a “giant with feet of clay”.
Former International Crisis Group analyst Yabi wrote in recent
blogs that Boko Haram was a monstrous product of bad governance
illustrating “the failure of the attempt to construct a Nigerian society
founded on common values”. WEFA’s Nigerian hosts are keen to
keep the focus positive. “We’ve not had any cancellations, which is
amazing to us,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
Delegates are also expected to include former Brazilian President
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown,
former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. Trade
Representative Michael Froman.
Participants will swap views of Table Mountain and the azure sea
in Cape Town, South Africa, the venue for most previous WEFs on
Africa, for the sight of Aso Rock - a stark erosion-streaked outcrop
that dominates the surrounding African bush and stands guard over
the Nigerian presidential complex.
“Participants will not have a problem with security during the
summit,” President Jonathan said in a statement aimed at reassuring
WEFA attendees. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had a chillingly different message in a video released to some media in which
he claimed responsibility for last month’s bombing of the bus station
on the edge of the federal capital of Africa’s No. 1 oil producer.
“Look at us, we are right within your city, and you don’t even
know how to find us,” Shekau taunted Jonathan.
‘Failing state’
One figure who will be absent next week will be Nigerian central
bank governor Lamido Sanusi, suspended by Jonathan in February
after he denounced that up to $20 billion of state oil revenues had
failed to be paid into the national treasury.
Widely respected internationally as an anti-corruption reformer,
the urbane northern aristocrat had been a regular at Davos. He told
Reuters in Abuja this week he would be staying away from the
“African Davos” in his own country. Nigeria’s presidency, which has
disputed his denunciations of missing oil revenues as exaggerated,
said he was suspended for “recklessness” at the central bank. Sanusi
has a different story: “It’s all about shooting the messenger,” he said.
“If you were to look at objective criteria, you would say that
Nigeria is a failing state,” he said. Finance Minister Okonjo-Iweala
prefers to talk about “democracy in raw form”.
That may be small comfort to the relatives of the abducted
schoolgirls, who want the military to do more to find them. “We’re
talking about the lives of 200 innocent girls,” said Lawan Abana, who
has a sister and two nieces among the missing. — Reuters
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
www.kuwaittimes.net
Tears of joy: Pharrell
‘happy’ at awards show
Pages 22-23
Posthumous
Michael
Jackson
album due
out May 13
PAGE 24
A Palestinian model
displays an outfit on
the first day of the
Palestinian Fashion
Week on May 1, 2014,
in an upscale hotel in
the West Bank city of
Ramallah. — AFP
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Pharrell Williams accepts the award for iHeartRadio innovator at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium
on Thursday in Los Angeles. — AP photos
Rihanna accepts the award for artist of the year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Tears of joy: Pharrell
‘happy’ at awards show
harrell is still full of tears of joy - even after that viral interview with Oprah Winfrey. The producer-rapper-singer was
teary-eyed after he performed a medley of his hits at the
iHeartRadio Music Awards and earned the innovator award for his
contributions to music. “I never dreamt in a million, million, million years as a producer that I would be standing here as an
artist,” the 41-year-old told the crowd Thursday at the Shrine
Auditorium in Los Angeles. “All I did was write the songs and you
guys did all the heavy lifting, all the hard work.”
Pharrell performed his songs “Happy” and “Come Get It Bae,”
as well as two of last year’s biggest hits that he was a part of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” “I gotta thank my savior, I gotta thank God ... my wife and my son,
Rocket,” said Pharrell, who rarely acknowledges his personal life.
Pharrell famously cried in an interview with Winfrey last
month. She appeared in a video, which included Beyonce and
P
Pitbull presents the award for hip hop/R&B song of the year.
Ariana Grande performs at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Lady Gaga, praising Pharrell’s talent. But Pharrell wasn’t the only
star in happy mood: Rihanna was the night’s big winner, taking
home four trophies including artist and song of the year for the
slow tune, “Stay.”
“It’s not easy what we do. It’s very difficult at times. It’s a lot of
pressure to be a lot of things, and I’ve never felt comfortable
being anything other than myself - and I just thank my fans for
being supportive,” said Rihanna. The pop star also won best fan
army and hip-hop/R&B song of the year for the anthemic “Pour It
Up.” Pitbull kicked off the first iHeartRadio Music Awards with a
colorful performance - and words for Los Angeles Clippers owner
Donald Sterling. “I want to welcome the world to the first
iHeartRadio Music Awards. Now everyone that’s here is a who’s
who, a what’s what, the anybody’s of all anybody’s - except of
course for Donald Sterling,” he told the crowd after his performance.
Jennifer Lopez left, and Ryan Seacrest present the award for artist of the year.
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Usher performs during the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s song ‘Love Never Felt So
Good’.
“So, with that said, you can take a picture with whoever you
want tonight - even Magic Johnson,” he said to cheers. Sterling
was banned for life from the NBA and fined $2.5 million Tuesday
for making racist comments. Pitbull, who won best collaboration
for the No. 1 hit “Timber” with Kesha, performed that song and
“Wild Wild Love” with girl group G.R.L. and female background
dancers who wore white and gold. Usher also enticed the crowd
when he danced slickly to the new Michael Jackson single, “Love
Never Felt This Good,” and 20-year-old Ariana Grande performed
her new jam “Problem” in a mini black dress and white knee-high
boots that even had Rihanna blushing.
Love and support to Miley
The three-hour awards show paid tribute to music roots in Los
Angeles with acts from Katy Perry to Steven Tyler to the Black
Keys talking in videos about establishing their sound in the city.
Compton-born Kendrick Lamar brought the theme to life with a
performance of Tupac and mentor Dr Dre’s “California Love.”
Pitbull and from left, Paula Van Oppen, Emmalyn Estrada, Lauren Bennett and Natasha
Slayton, of G.R.L., perform at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Some of the top nominees Thursday didn’t attend the awards
show, including Justin Timberlake, Jay Z and Macklemore & Ryan
Lewis. Miley Cyrus, who is recovering from a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics, won best lyrics for her No. 1 hit, “Wrecking
Ball.” Her father picked up her award. “As a dad, I can’t begin to
tell you how much your thoughts, your love, your support for my
family and Miley mean to all of us,” Billy Ray Cyrus said.
Lorde was also recovering from being sick, and she thanked
fans in a video for her win for best new artist. Performers during
the fan-voted show, which aired live on NBC, included Shakira,
Luke Bryan, 30 Seconds to Mars, Bastille and Blake Shelton, who
won country song of the year. Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, Selena
Gomez, Lionel Richie and Gwen Stefani made appearances.
Imagine Dragons’ “Demons” and Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” won the
trophies for alternative rock and EDM song of the year, respectively. — AP
Ariana Grande speaks at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Blake Shelton accepts the award for country song of the year
for ‘Boys ‘Round Here’.
Shakira performs at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Lionel Richie, right, presents the award for best lyrics to Billy
Ray Cyrus, who accepts on behalf of Miley Cyrus.
Jared Leto presents the award for best new artist at the
iHeartRadio Music Awards.
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Posthumous Michael Jackson
album due out May 13
hen Michael Jackson’s record label
released his first posthumous
album in 2010, a year after the
King of Pop’s sudden death, producer
Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins was asked to
W
In this May 31, 1997 file photo, US Popstar
Michael Jackson performs during the opening
concert of his ‘HIStory Tour Part II’ across
Germany and Europe at the Weserstadion in
Bremen, North Germany.
work on the project. He declined. “I was
asked to be on that album and to produce
like five songs, but I turned it down,” he
said. “I just felt like it wasn’t time.”
Years later, the hitmaker for Destiny’s
Child and Whitney Houston - who worked
heavily on Jackson’s 2001 comeback album
“Invincible” - says he now feels comfortable
producing Jackson’s music again. He produced the title track from the upcoming
album, “Xscape,” out May 13. “For me it
wasn’t about the label, it wasn’t about the
estate’s approval; it wasn’t about all of
that,” he said. “I had a personal relationship
with Michael, (so) it was about, ‘What
would he want from this? What would he
want it to sound like now?’”
“Xscape” was executive produced by
Timbaland and includes songs Jackson
recorded in the 1980s and 1990s. Some of
the tracks are taken from early recording
sessions for successful albums such as
“Bad” and “Dangerous.” The first single,
“Love Never Felt So Good,” was written
with Paul Anka. A bonus version of the
track features Justin Timberlake. Jerkins
said he and Jackson originally started work
on the song “Xscape” in 1999 when they
recorded the “Invincible” album. He revisited the track in 2003 and retouched it this
year for the new 8- track album.
“Even when Michael was alive, we never
stopped working on the song ‘Xscape,’” he
said. “It was one of those songs where he
specifically said to me, ‘It has to see the
light of day one day.’” Jerkins said he visited
Jackson in 2007 in Ireland where they were
File photo shows Michael Jackson waves to crowds gathered to see him at his first
ever in-store appearance to celebrate his new album ‘Invincible’ in New Yorkís Times
Square. — AP photos
“vibing out,” but didn’t focus on creating nervous about including “Xscape” on the
music exclusively. “And I then I spoke to Jackson album, which also includes a song
him - I would say 2008, 2009, something produced by StarGate, who Jackson initially
like that - and he was telling me, ‘I’m get- wanted to collaborate with in 2007 because
ting ready to do another album. You gotta of the Swedish team’s work with Ne-Yo. “I
get to work. Start working on ideas,’” he was like, ‘What’s the other stuff going to
sound like?’ I don’t even know if I want my
recalled. “And then he passed away.”
Jerkins, who has produced hits for song to be on there if the other stuff ain’t
Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Brandy, is cur- right,” Jerkins said. But after the hearing the
rently working on new music with Rihanna full record, he relaxed. “Everyone did a realand Ariana Grande. He said he was initially ly great job on this project,” he said. — AP
Singer Chris Brown in jail for at
‘Godzilla’ in IMAX least another week, judge says
Filmmakers unveil anticipated
This photo
released by
Warner Bros
Pictures shows
Aaron
Taylor-Johnson
as Ford Brody in
Warner Bros.
odzilla lives. Sixty years after his
introduction and a decade after his
last cinematic appearance, the massive monster filled an IMAX screen at
Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre on
Thursday. The new film, titled simply
“Godzilla,” brings the aquatic creature out
of Japan and into the United States, with
Honolulu, Las Vegas and San Francisco
among his destinations. And he’s not the
only monster in the mix. Two other
Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms
- MUTOs - threaten the planet. Starring
Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olson and Aaron
Taylor-Johnson, the film was made by lifelong Godzilla fans. It’s a realistic take on
how the world and its military might
respond to an invasion by larger-than-life
creatures.
“We were trying to put more into it
than just a simple monster movie,” director
Gareth Edwards said after the screening.
G
“Because the original was definitely a
metaphor for Hiroshima and Nagasaki and
a very serious film, so we were inspired to
try and reflect that.” In the 1954 original,
Godzilla represented the destructive threat
of nuclear power after the United States
unleashed it on Japan during World War II.
In 2014, Godzilla and the other monsters
feed on radiation, so nations with nuclear
arms are targets.
“The West ... we police the world and
go, ‘You can’t have nuclear power. You
can’t have it. But we can have it, and we
have nuclear weapons,’ “ Edwards said.
“And what if there were a creature that
existed, creatures that were attracted to
radiation? Suddenly the tables would be
turned, and we’d be desperately trying
to get rid of that stuff.”Edwards first
introduced the film at Comic-Con, the
annual San Diego pop-culture festival,
two years ago. —AP
Los Angeles judge on Thursday said R&B
singer Chris Brown will remain in jail for at
least another week as the pop star deals with
dual cases on both sides of the country. Brown, who
will now spend his 25th birthday on May 5 behind
bars, has been held since March 14 after his dismissal
from a rehabilitation center violated the terms of his
court-ordered treatment related to his 2009 assault
of his then-girlfriend, the pop singer Rihanna.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James
Brandlin said Brown would remain incarcerated
unless a resolution on the terms of his probation in
the Rihanna case could be agreed to between the
prosecutor and Brown’s attorney by a scheduled
hearing on May 9. Brown’s attorney, Mark Geragos,
A
R&B singer
Chris Brown
appears in
court with his
attorney Mark
Geragos, right,
on Thursday,
May 1, 2014,
in Los
Angeles. — AP
said if he cannot resolve the case with prosecutor,
Mary Murray, by next week, he will ask the court to
release Brown on certain terms and conditions.
Geragos’ past requests to have Brown placed
under house arrest instead of jail have so far been
denied. The “Turn Up the Music,” singer also faces a
misdemeanor assault trial in Washington, DC, after
he allegedly punched and broke the nose of a man
who was trying to get a picture with him last year.
The Washington trial, which could complicate
matters in Brown’s probation case in Los Angeles,
has been delayed so his defense could arrange testimony of Brown’s bodyguard, who was convicted
last month of misdemeanor assault in the same
case. — Reuters
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
A man touches his hand on one of the fossilized dinosaur tracks on
Turkmenistan’s Plateau of the Dinosaurs in the country’s eastern corner on the
border with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. — AFP photos
A matchbox lies near one of the fossilized dinosaur tracks on Turkmenistanís
Plateau of the Dinosaurs in the country’s eastern corner on the border with
Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
Walking with dinosaurs in
Turkmenistan’s ‘Jurassic Park’
ome eight hours dusty drive from the
nearest major settlement, tucked into
the eastern corner of Turkmenistan and
unknown to the outside world until the second half of the last century, lies one of the
most mythical yet least visited spots in the
former Soviet Union. Turkmenistan’s Plateau
of the Dinosaurs is the location of one of the
most magnificent collections of fossilized
dinosaur tracks anywhere on Planet Earth,
which only became known to Soviet paleontologists in the 1950s.
“Steven Spielberg should have shot
‘Jurassic Park’ here. Here the tracks of the
dinosaurs are real and not made by computers,” said Aman, 35, an inhabitant of the village of Khodja Pil at the foot of the plateau.
On the plateau, some 2,500 dinosaur tracks
have been discovered. Some are 40 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide, others
even bigger, measuring 70 by 60.
A dinosaur five to six meters (16 to 20 feet)
tall could take a stride of up to two meters.
S
The plateau is renowned for having the
longest track ways-continuous lines of footprints made as a dinosaur walked or ran-anywhere in the world. In places they reach up to
200 meters. It seems improbable that what is
now an arid mountain zone could sustain
such life but 150 million years ago when these
creatures reigned supreme on Earth the ecosystem was completely different. “Some 145150 million years ago, there were lakes and
marshes and herds of dinosaurs strode along
the banks. There were both vegetarian and
carnivorous dinosaurs.
“This sandy marshland quickly silted up
and so these prehistoric tracks left their mark
forever,” said Anatoly Bushmakin, a Turkmen
scientist specializing in the plateau. Still one
of the most isolated countries in the world
almost two-and-a-half decades after the fall of
the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan sees only a
trickle of tourists and most visitors who make
it out to the Plateau of the Dinosaurs are
locals. “It is like the dinosaurs were here just
recently and if you go up the mountain you
can imagine that they are walking away into
the distance,” said Gulya, 27, a visitor from the
nearest large town of Turkmenabat. “It’s
amazing how everyone of us can somehow
touch eternity,” she added.
‘Unique in the world’
The Plateau is located deep in
Turkmenistan’s eastern corner on the border
with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Visiting the
border region requires a permit. A visitor
from the capital Ashgabat on the other side of
the country needs to fly to Turkmenabat
before then travelling south by road some
450 kilometres (280 miles), a bumpy eighthour journey. It was only confirmed in the
1950s that dinosaur tracks existed here,
although locals have known about them for
much longer, even if they were not quite sure
of the origin.
The name of the nearby village of Khodja
Pil means “Miracle of the Elephants” in
Turkmen. Of course elephants have never
existed in Turkmenistan but local legend long
had it that the tracks were left by elephants
taken by Alexander the Great in his campaigns. “What is so unique about this plateau
is that here precise tracks of dinosaurs have
been preserved and you can even make out
the toes and then follow the track even,” said
Bushmakin.
“Such a huge number of prints has not
been found anywhere else on the planet,” he
added. For all its remoteness, Turkmen officials have some hope of making the area a
major draw. The plateau is located in the
heart of the Koytendag National Park which is
the location of Turkmenistan’s highest mountain (Airybaba at 3,319 meters) as well as
waterfalls, lakes and caves. “Because of this
the ministry of tourism in Turkmenistan is
preparing a dossier to apply for the
Koytendag national park to be declared part
of UNESCO world heritage,” said the head of
the reserve, Mukhamet Imamov. — AFP
Monaco royals slam Grace
biopic ahead of Cannes opening
onaco’s royals yesterday accused those
behind a biopic starring Nicole Kidman as
their mother Grace of hijacking their family history, just days before the film premieres at the
Cannes Film Festival. In a statement, Prince Albert II
and Princesses Caroline and Stephanie said the film
did not accurately portray events involving their
mother, the Hollywood actress who married
Monaco’s Prince Rainier III in 1956. “Grace of
Monaco”, directed by France’s Olivier Dahan, will
officially open the 67th Cannes festival on May 14,
when it will be simultaneously released in France
and several cities around the world.
But even before its release, the film has been
mired in controversy, with Dahan locked in a standoff with the film’s US producer Harvey Weinstein
and the Monaco royals slamming it as pure fantasy.
“The Prince’s Palace would like to reiterate that this
feature film cannot under any circumstances be
classified as a biopic,” the Monaco royals said yesterday.
“The trailer appears to be a farce and confirms
M
the totally fictional nature of this film. It reinforces
the certainty, left after reading the script that this
production, a page of the Principality’s history, is
based on erroneous and dubious historical references. “The Princely Family does not in any way
wish to be associated with this film which reflects
no reality and regrets that its history has been misappropriated for purely commercial purposes.”
The Monaco royals occasionally attend the
opening of the Cannes Film Festival, but it is unlikely that they will do so this year. The film also stars
British actor Tim Roth as Prince Rainier, and focuses
on a six-month period in 1962 when Alfred
Hitchcock offered Grace of Monaco a chance to
return to acting-an opportunity she eventually
turned down. The Cannes festival defended the
film yesterday, saying it would add positively to the
“Monaco legend”. “The film is not a biopic in the
strictest sense, from life to death,” Thierry Fremaux,
the festival’s artistic director, told AFP. “It’s the
expression of the right of every artist to poetic
license.” — AFP
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
A cyclist pedals by a street art mural and a storefront church, Tuesday in Brooklyn’s Bushwick
neighborhood in New York. — AP photos
Jermaine McGriff, 20, a Bedford Stuyvesant-based rapper whose rap name is Flispy Flexin,
records a music video in front of a street art portrait of the late rapper Biggie Smalls, also
known as Notorious B.I.G. in Brooklynís cutting-edge Bushwick neighborhood in New York.
Street art and trendy cafes
in Bushwick, Brooklyn
F
or the last few years, a neighborhood called Williamsburg has
been the epicenter of Brooklyn cool. But with prices for
Williamsburg condos hitting $4 million and up, young creative types are migrating to trendier - and less expensive - ground.
They seem to have found it in nearby Bushwick, known for colorful
street art (please don’t call it graffiti!) and kale pizza at a place called
Roberta’s.
A customer enjoys a slice of ‘Tanya Charding’ thin-crust pizza, featuring Swiss chard, speck, a cured meat, and Robiola
cheese at Roberta’s, the most-well-known of many new
restaurants in emerging Brooklyn’s cutting-edge Bushwick
neighborhood.
A small tribute to the power of street art adorns a wall in the
cutting edge Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Yet Bushwick’s emergence as part of cutting-edge Brooklyn has
not completely erased memories of the bad old days, when the
working-class neighborhood was notorious for crime. Maria
Hernandez Park is named for a woman who was killed in 1989 after
standing up against drug dealers. Today the park is filled with flowers, skateboarders, dog-walkers and families. “No more shootings,”
said Elvin Alvarado, sitting on a park bench. “It used to be at 8 pm,
you could not pass. People were waiting for you.”
Joe Ficalora grew up in the neighborhood; his father was killed
by a crackhead here in 1991. But Bushwick’s murder rate has
dropped 90 percent since then, and Ficalora is thrilled with the
transformation. He points to an old warehouse, now renting out
gleaming apartments, as proof that the neighborhood will not
“turn into Detroit.”
“No one wanted to live here before,” said Ficalora, who promotes street art through a group called the Bushwick Collective.
“No one wanted the beast. Now everyone loves the beast!” Where
the hipsters of New York City go, tourists are sure to follow. So for
out-of-towners willing to explore Bushwick, take the L subway line
to Jefferson Street and start wandering. You’ll find great eats and
great art.
Street art
Along Troutman, Starr, Wyckoff and other streets, artwork decorates old factories, warehouses and even small apartment buildings. There’s everything from a portrait of Pakistani education
Proprieter Archie Broady adjusts the wick on a ‘courtship
candle,’ one of the unusual items for sale in his tiny gift shop,
named for his mother Iola, situated in a hallway at the Shops
at the Loom, a converted textile mill that houses retail space
and rentals in Bushwick, an emerging Brooklyn neighborhood in New York.
The Bushwick Food Cooperative is located at the Shops of the
Loom, on the site of a former textile mill in Brooklyn’s
Bushwick neighborhood in New York.
activist Malala Yousafzai to a picture of a flotation device with the
words: “Street art saved my life.” On a recent afternoon, several
young men chose a mural of the late rapper Biggie Smalls as a
backdrop for filming a music video. “I was looking for good artwork
and this caught my eye,” said the video’s 20-year-old star, who goes
by the name Flispy Flexin.
You may see artists at work with spray paint, stencils, ladders
and other tools of the trade, and you can sign up for a Bushwick
street art tour through http://FreeToursbyFoot.com , where participants pay what they wish for tours. Organizers estimate some 500
people have taken the two-hour “New York Graffiti and Street Art
Tour” since it launched March 1.
Ficalora also organizes an annual street festival showcasing
artists, musicians and others contributing to the neighborhood’s
renaissance. It’s planned for June 1, 11 am -7 pm, on Troutman
between Wyckoff and St Nicholas.
Shops
Ficalora’s family operates a steel products company that’s one
of a number of manufacturers still located in Bushwick. But some
industrial buildings have been repurposed for residential and retail
use, like Shops at the Loom, which houses 20 stores in a renovated
textile mill at 1087 Flushing Ave, including Gnostic Tattoo, the
Bushwick Food Cooperative, Brooklyn Yarn Cafe, Loom Yoga
Center, and Kave, a coffee bar that offers nut-milk lattes and Wi-Fi.
Archie Broady owns a boutique at Shops at the Loom named for
his mother, Iola. In his store, he says, “anybody should be able to
find something beautiful.” His eclectic wares and “found objects”
range from hand-cranked candles wound around a coil, to bandages designed to match various skin colors.
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Customers dine at cozy Dear Bushwick restaurant in Brooklyn’s edgy Bushwick neighborhood
in New York.
Patrons sit in an industrial-style courtyard where the walls are formed from pieces of metal
shipping containers at Roberta’s, the most popular of a crop of trendy restaurants in
Brooklyn’s cutting-edge Bushwick neighborhood.
Passing through Shops at the Loom on a recent day was Laura
De Marco, an Italian visitor scoping out loft space for a photography workshop. “A lot of young artists live here,” explained De
Marco. “We’re looking for a big space with light. Brooklyn is the
place to do photography. This is the real Brooklyn.”
Even folks from other parts of Brooklyn are intrigued by
Bushwick’s newfound trendiness. “I’m from Williamsburg but I’m
here for a few days to explore the neighborhood,” explained Jodi
Jones, a fashion photographer stopping by the Kave cafe. “I keep
hearing the hipster scene is in Bushwick.”
A young woman stands at the intersection of Wyckoff and
Troutman streets against the backdrop of bold and colorful
street art.
Eating and drinking
Bushwick is an increasingly important player in Brooklyn’s foodie scene. A tiny, upscale restaurant called Dear Bushwick at 41
Wilson Ave. offers a sumptuous “English Country Kitchen” menu
with entrees in the $22 range like stuffed bass and roast chicken.
Intriguing vegetable sides include roasted carrots with “medieval
nut pesto”. Try Dear Bushwick’s version of Pimm’s, a refreshing
cocktail that originated in 19th century London. And enjoy the
quirky decor: A picture of a caped damsel on a white horse sits next
to a handwritten nursery rhyme, “Ride a horse to Banbury Cross, to
see a fine lady upon a white horse.”
Ficalora recommends Northeast Kingdom, 18 Wyckoff Ave.
“Awesome place, comfort food,” he says. Menu offerings include
“This Morning’s Farm Egg”, seared local scallops, and maple walnut
Danielle Mastrion’s portrait of education activist and heroine Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who stood up to
the Taliban and defended her right to an education.
bread pudding. Other area bars, nightspots and cafes include
Bodega drink Bar, 24 St Nicholas Ave.; The Rookery, 425 Troutman
St; and Pearl’s Social & Billy Club, 40 St Nicholas Ave.
No description of Bushwick would be complete without
Roberta’s, 261 Moore St. The industrial-zoned block can seem
deserted even when there’s an hour-long wait for a table.
Sometimes you can snag a seat at the bar and order food from
there; additional tables are located in an atrium inside converted
shipping containers, a hipster dreamscape of corrugated industrialchic green. In warm weather, there are outdoor tents and a tiki bar.
Food critics rightly laud Roberta’s fabulous thin-crust pizza. Kale
is a favorite topping but an excellent option is “Tonya Charding”
pizza with robiola cheese, speck (cured meat), chard and green garlic. Roberta’s co-owner Brandon Hoy says “there weren’t a lot of
people with their eyes on what was happening here” when they
opened in 2008. “There’s a fine line between dangerous and wildness, and the neighborhood still has this very art-centric feeling of
wildness,” he said. “That’s what drew us here and that’s the foundation that created this art scene and culture. Craziness happens here
in a fun way.”
Argentine street artist Santiago Spirito, who also goes by
the street name ‘Cabaio,’ works on a mural in the cuttingedge Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick.
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Egypt opens
replica of King Tut’s tomb
Photo shows mountains illuminated by colorful lights on the west bank of the Nile River in Luxor, Egypt. — AP photos
E
gypt on Wednesday inaugurated an exact replica of the
tomb of King Tutankhamun in the desert valley where
many of its ancient pharaohs were buried, aiming to protect the 3,300-year-old original from deterioration caused by
visiting tourists. The facsimile, in an underground chamber
not far from the original in the Valley of the Kings, recreates
the tomb down to minute detail. Spanish and Swiss experts
recreated the elaborate wall murals using a 3D scanning technology. In the middle of the burial chamber stands a rectangular rock setting where in the original King Tut’s sarcophagus
and mummy once rested.
In a hall between the burial chamber and an antechamber
hang photos and explanations of the discovery of the tomb
and its treasures in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard
Tourists visit Luxor
Temple, a large ancient
Egyptian temple complex
on the east bank of the
Nile River in Luxor, Egypt.
Carter. Egyptian tourism officials, who unveiled the replica
Wednesday alongside foreign dignitaries, are hoping the
exhibit will help revive a tourism industry that has been heavily battered by the country’s unrest since the 2011 uprising
that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
A pillar of the Egyptian economy, tourism plunged by more
than 30 percent in 2011 and, after slowly building back the following year, was heavily hit again by a wave of violence surrounding the military’s ouster last summer of Islamist
President Mohammed Morsi. Tourism officials have said revenues in the first three months of this year fell 43 percent from
the same period in 2013, down to around $1.3 billion.
The 18th Dynasty King Tut has long been a major draw of
tourists to Egypt - both his tomb in the Valley of the Kings on
the western bank of the Nile opposite the southern city of
Luxor, and the golden treasures uncovered in it, most of which
are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. But the tomb has
suffered from the crowds of tourists descending into it over
the years. Tourists’ breath damages the ancient stone and
murals, and its walls expand and contract with changing temperatures, causing paint to flake off and opening fractures that
dust enters, experts say.
“These tombs were never built to be visited, they were built
to last for eternity,” said Adam Lowe, of the Factum
Foundation, a Madrid-based conservation organization that
created the facsimile in collaboration with Zurich-based
Society of the Friends of the Royal Tombs in Egypt and the
Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities ministries.
Sending a message
“They lasted very successfully for 3,300 and in the 90 years
since it has been open, it suffered a great deal,” Lowe told The
Associated Press. “All of the attempts to try and conserve it
create more problems.” For the time being, the original Tut
tomb will remain open, but tourism authorities are aiming to
reduce visitors and steer them toward the replica, said
Mohammed Osman, vice president of the Chamber of Tourist
Companies. Ticket prices for the replica will be 50 Egyptian
pounds, around $7, half the price for visiting the original, he
said.
Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim and
Lowe said facsimiles will also be made of the tombs of the
pharaoh Seti I and Nefertari, a wife of the pharaoh Ramses the
Great, both currently closed to the general public.
Experts carried out the copying work on the original in
2009 and the building of the replica in Madrid was finished in
2011, but delivery was delayed several times by Egypt’s tumultuous political conditions, Lowe said. “We are here to celebrate but also to send a message that this area is a wonderful
place to visit, and now with this tomb in place, it becomes an
even more interesting place to visit for tourists,” James Moran,
ambassador of the European Union, said at the opening ceremony. The EU helped in transport of the replica to Egypt.
Osman said he hoped the ceremony - which was attended by
20 ambassadors - will send “a reassuring message that Egypt is
safe” and encourage a return of tourists. — AP
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Tourists visit Luxor Temple, a large ancient Egyptian temple complex on the east bank of the
Nile River in Luxor, Egypt.
Tourists visit Luxor Temple, a large ancient Egyptian temple complex on the east bank of the Nile River in Luxor.
Photo shows the Luxor Temple, a large ancient Egyptian temple complex on the east bank of
the Nile River in Luxor.
A tourist visits Luxor Temple, a large ancient Egyptian temple complex on the east bank of the
Nile River in Luxor, Egypt.
TECHNOLOGY
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
As Facebook matures, it looks to grow mobile reach
SAN FRANCISCO: Mark Zuckerberg, like
Facebook, is maturing. The soon-to-be 30year-old CEO of the decade-old social networking company grew reflective as he stood
before hundreds of app developers to
announce a host of mobile features designed
to put “people first.” “We used to have this
famous mantra, ‘move fast and break things,’”
Zuckerberg said at Facebook’s f8 developer
conference in San Francisco. But moving
quickly was sometimes so important that
Facebook’s engineers would tolerate a few
bugs, or push out products that were not
always fully baked. Fixing the bugs,
Zuckerberg said, “was slowing us down.”
Backpedaling on features that didn’t work - or
that users didn’t like - slowed things, too,
though Zuckerberg did not mention that.
Facebook’s new mantra may not be as
sexy. Zuckerberg pointed to a new sign that
read “Move fast with stable infra,” as in infrastructure, and the audience laughed. Stability,
it turns out, is the new maxim, and the era of
breaking things is over. In a rare bit of onstage
rumination reflecting on the past decade,
Zuckerberg said he and other Facebook
employees realized they had created a culture
of quick-witted, fast-moving engineers who
took pride in being “hackers” who consistently put the company’s best interests ahead of
what users wanted.
Culture of loving
Now, Zuckerberg says, the goal is “to build
a culture of loving the people we serve that is
as strong if not stronger than our culture of
hacking at Facebook. I hope you can see the
seeds of some of this today in what we are
talking about.” The last time Facebook held a
conference for app developers was in 2011.
That was before the company attracted 1.28
billion users, before it went public, before it
began showing mobile advertisements and
before it paid eye-popping amounts of money to acquire popular apps like Instagram and
WhatsApp.
In the tech world, three years can be a life-
time. Facebook’s focus is now squarely on the
mobile space, not just its own applications
but those built by outside developers. “As you
get older you do gain perspective, and
Facebook has,” said David Kirkpatrick, author
of “The Facebook Effect,” a chronicle of the
company’s early years. “It’s astonishing that a
10-year-old company should be in a position
to have as much influence in so many things
in society as they do,” he said. “And I think
they are starting to take a much more serious
allows apps to access information related to
the Facebook user’s identity. With the anonymous login, Facebook will have information
about users but the apps won’t.
Zuckerberg said the feature will let more
people to try out new apps that they may not
trust yet with their personal information. App
developers have the option of including the
anonymous login as a feature, but they won’t
have to. The company is also launching more
granular controls that let people determine
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the opening keynote at the
Facebook f8 conference in San Francisco, California. — AFP
approach to the opportunity and responsibility that goes along with their scale.”
People-first focus
As part of its mobile, people-first focus,
Facebook says it will let users log in to apps
anonymously, without sharing their identities
and personal information with mobile applications they don’t trust. Facebook’s users can
already use a “log in with Facebook” button
to sign up for apps that let them listen to
music, play games, read the news and monitor fitness activities. But using the button
White House seeks
privacy balance in
‘Big Data’ world
WASHINGTON: The White House on Thursday suggested
updates to laws and other measures to enhance privacy
and prevent discrimination based on the data trail left by
consumers on their phones and computers that companies and researchers collect and analyze. Both privacy
advocates and tech groups found something to like within
the 90-day “Big Data” review, led by John Podesta, a top
advisor to President Barack Obama. The review consulted
internet companies such as Google Inc and Facebook Inc,
data miners like Acxiom Corp , as well as academics,
advertising agencies, legal experts, civil rights groups and
intelligence agencies.
The White House threw its support behind a legislative
update to a privacy law for email, the Electronic Privacy
Communications Act. The bill, which protects email and
other data stored in the cloud, has stalled in Congress, but
is backed by privacy groups and the tech sector. The
review also recommended legislation to create a national
standard for telling consumers when their data has been
hacked to improve upon a patchwork of state laws for
data breaches, such as the December breach at retailer
Target Corp. The Commerce Department also said it
would look at how to codify a “Consumer Privacy Bill of
Rights” that calls for consumers to have more say in how
their data is used, first drafted by White House in 2012.
The emphasis on data protections pleased Marc
Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy
Information Center. —Reuters
the types of information they share with apps
when they want to use their Facebook identity to log in. Previously, apps could decide
what information they wanted to access on
people’s Facebook pages - such as people’s
birthday, friends list or email address. Now,
people can uncheck each, or all of these
things.
Analysts suspect Facebook’s evolution isn’t
as much an epiphany about privacy as it is
about Zuckerberg’ realization that the company has to take steps to ensure it holds on to its
users and grapples with more competition. “If
Facebook has some sense that they are going
to walk away because they don’t feel like they
are being put first, then they have a real problem on their hands. So, they are giving users
some new features that they have been looking for a long time,” said Gartner analyst Brian
Blau.
‘Audience Network’
Facebook also took the wraps off its longawaited mobile advertising network, called
“Audience Network,” a product that enables
Facebook to sell ads in mobile applications
besides its own. For example, Coca Cola can
show ads on a mobile game that a Facebook
user has downloaded on his or her phone.
The service will increase its competition with
Google, which dominates the mobile advertising market and has its own ad network.
Twitter is expected to announce its own, too.
“Everything is going mobile right now, so in
order to compete with companies like Google,
it needs to have a strong mobile app, which it
already does, and a strong way of delivering
mobile advertising - not just within Facebook
but across a network of mobile apps,” said
Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst with
research firm eMarketer. Williamson believes
Facebook’s ad network will help improve the
health of the overall advertising business.
Many mobile apps will likely be eager to work
with Facebook because its social network
already has relationships with more than 1
million advertisers and has accumulated valuable insights into people’s interests.
“It’s going to make it so that advertisers
don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time
that they advertise,” she said. “They will be
able to go to just one source, one network
and distribute it widely.” Facebook’s share of
the $9.7 billion US mobile advertising market
was 16 percent last year, according to
eMarketer, compared with 41 percent for
Google. This year, Google’s share is expected
to slide to under 38 percent, while Facebook’s
should increase to nearly 18 percent, according to the research firm. —AP
US police use new
tools for evidence
New online and mobile app launched
LOS ANGELES: An annual spring party in a Southern
California beach town devolved into a riot last month when
revelers turned violent, rocking cars, smashing windows and
throwing rocks. Dozens were injured and about 50 people
ended up in the hospital, including several police officers.
Today, as authorities seek help with the investigation in Isla
Vista, they’re employing a new online and mobile app that
designers say was created specifically for this type of situation.
“When the public really wants to catch these bad guys as badly as we do, this is the mechanism,” said Los Angeles Sheriff’s
Cmdr. Scott Edson, who helped conceptualize the system in
the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. “They can
help us by sending us pictures and video.”
The innovation, known as LEEDIR, the Large Emergency
Event Digital Information Repository, pairs an app with cloud
storage to help police use smartphones as tools to gather evidence. Proponents say the crowdsourcing system gives
authorities a secure, central repository for the countless electronic tips that can come in during a crisis. And since it uses
remote database servers that police access online, floods of
data won’t cause system crashes or be expensive to store.
Most agencies, Edson said, “don’t have lots of bandwidth lying
around.”
Privacy advocates criticize the app as overly broad, saying it
subjects innocent people to police scrutiny and probably
won’t produce much good evidence. “There’s a reason that we
pay professionals to work in police departments,” said Nate
Cardozo, a civil liberties attorney with the Electronic Frontier
Foundation. “And there’s a reason we don’t crowdsource photo lineups and the like - crowds aren’t good at it,” he said.
Edson says he took note during the aftermath of the
Boston attacks last year when authorities were inundated with
videos and photos from people at the scene of the blasts. He
figured a new tool could help streamline digital evidence
gathering. “It seemed like the perfect opportunity to go to the
private sector,” he said. Edson connected with Culver City,
California-based tech startup CitizenGlobal Inc. and Amazon
Web Services to design the system as a public-private partnership offered free to authorities and members of the public.
“With tens of millions of smartphones in use in the U.S., it’s
a virtual certainty that citizens will be taking videos and photos at any terrorist attack, large-scale emergency or natural
disaster,” CitizenGlobal co-CEO George D Crowley Jr said in a
statement when the system was announced in November. He
said “real-time access to such content has, too often, been a
matter of luck or chance” and this system will improve that
process. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office became the
first agency to try out the technology after the Deltopia violence, though results have been mixed. Spokeswoman Kelly
Hoover said the system has been easy to navigate. —AP
TECHNOLOGY
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Today’s advice
to graduates:
No selfies
TAMPA: Toss your cap. Turn your tassel. Just don’t snap that
selfie. Graduates at the University of South Florida and Bryant
University in Smithfield, RI, have been asked to refrain from taking self-portraits with their cell phones as they collect their
diplomas. The seemingly simple directive is standing out for
placing the slightest curtailment on a collective societal march
toward sharing every waking moment on Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook and the like. Kyra Ciotti, a 22-year-old mass communication major at USF, has taken selfies lying in bed, riding in a car,
posing with her dog, taking a shot of tequila and whenever she
feels her hair is having a particularly good day. She had planned
to keep her arm extended as she walked across the stage at a
ceremony Friday, capturing the moment for a sister in Australia.
Now, chastened by the university’s admonition that it’s
improper and fearful of a threat to withhold diplomas, she’ll
keep her phone away. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,”
she said as she posed on campus in her cap and gown for some
early graduation pictures. “But I don’t want to be disrespectful.”
For others, the simple act of outlawing selfies may have sparked
the desire for one. Anthony Sanchez, a 22-year-old microbiology
major at USF, said he’s only taken a few selfies in his life. But he’s
not ruling out another at this weekend’s ceremony. “It put the
idea in my head,” he said. “I wouldn’t have thought of it until
they said don’t do it.”
Self-portraits have been around since the early days of photography, but it was the growth of cellphone cameras that made
them into a pop cultural phenomenon. A selfie host Ellen
DeGeneres took at the Oscars this year became the most
retweeted item in history, but the snapshots have become so
widespread that they’ve been taken by everyone from President
Barack Obama (who was criticized for one with other world leaders at the funeral of Nelson Mandela) to Japanese astronaut Aki
Hoshide (who took an other-worldly shot outside the
International Space Station.) Selfie was even declared the 2013
word of the year by Oxford University Press.
Administrators at both USF and Bryant said their intentions
were far less dramatic than making a statement about a generation often accused of oversharing. They said they were simply
trying to keep already long ceremonies from dragging on even
longer. “It’s your moment in the sun right next to everyone else’s
moment in the sun,” said Michael Freeman, the USF dean of students who issued the guidelines saying selfies were banned
along with marching, strolling and other fanciful methods of
accepting a diploma.
Freeman said a handful of graduates took on-stage selfies
during the December commencement and he has noticed students growing more and more cavalier as they approach the
university president. Aside from keeping the ceremony on time,
he wanted to maintain decorum. “I don’t have an anti-selfie
bent,” he said. “I would just caution students to think there’s a
time and place.” Neither USF nor Bryant has issued a blanket ban
on selfies. Students are free to take them throughout the ceremony, just not on stage. Sheila Guay, the special events director
at Bryant, said selfies would take away from the ceremony and
ruin photos that family members try to capture. She echoed
Freeman, saying: “There is a time and place for them, and here is
not one of them.”
Most schools have taken no stance on the selfie craze, but
some are staking a position opposite to USF and Bryant. At
Ripon College in Ripon, Wis., all of this year’s graduation festivities are built around a theme of new media. The school is circulating a hashtag they’re encouraging students to use to tweet
throughout the celebrations. They’re setting up a selfie booth
with props, but also have no problem if students take one on
stage, too. “The college will not limit that kind of self-expression,” said Melissa Anderson, the school’s executive director of
marketing and communications. “As a point of pride, we hope
students take a lot of selfies.”
Similarly, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is also eager to
see its graduates’ selfies. Kelly Bennett, the school’s social media
coordinator, said Miami would share students’ selfies on Twitter
and Instagram. She said graduates were just exhibiting their
excitement and that other colleges should embrace it. “I’ve never seen it disruptive,” she said. “I think when you make a big deal
out of it, then most people want to push the line.” Whether students will push the line remains to be seen. USF’s warning that it
might keep violators’ diplomas has gotten the attention of many
seniors on campus, but Freeman, the dean, had a confession.
“Between you, me and the wall, that’s basically an empty threat,”
he said. — AP
TAMPA: University of South Florida graduating seniors Kyra Ciotti, 22, of Tampa, Fla (left) and Rita Sibaja, 24, of Winter
Haven look at photos that Rita took of Kyra in her cap and gown. The university has banned all self portraits, also known
as “selfies,” during their 2014 graduation exercises. — AP
TV terrifies and compels
with viruses and robots
PARIS: Retroviruses that quietly multiply unnoticed, spread
through communities and threaten humanity. Robots that
mutate into semi-conscious beings and go on the run from
their human masters. Television screenwriters all over the
world are taking our darkest fears and turning them into popular entertainment. From the American series “Helix” and
South Korea’s “The End of the World” to Sweden’s “Real
Humans”, these dramas explore anxieties generated by a technologically inter-connected world in which medical science is
constantly being outstripped by new threats. Biotech is even
edging out terrorism as a theme of choice for television writers, after a post-9/11 decade marked by pulse-raising dramas
in the vein of the hit action series “24”.
“We have many strong trends this year including... contamination by a virus that spreads and is going to have an impact
on society,” said Laurence Herszberg, from the Forum des
Images cultural centre in Paris, during the forum’s annual television drama festival. “What is interesting, is that we find these
themes in television series that have nothing to do with each
other from very different parts of the world,” she added. In
“Helix”, one of a string of series shown at the “Series Mania”
festival in Paris which ended earlier this week, a team of scientists investigate the outbreak of a retrovirus with potentially
catastrophic consequences for humanity at a research centre
in the Arctic.
Fear of contagion is also the theme of “The End of the
World” in which a researcher battles to find the source of a
mysterious epidemic. And Belgium’s “Cordon” tackles the
same subject in a drama in which part of the city of Antwerp is
sealed off to prevent the spread of a deadly virus. “The virus is
a very interesting way of tackling a number of themes... The
human virus has a strong metaphorical power,” said Pierre
Langlais, a journalist for French television listings magazine
Telerama, adding that the series were “trying to reflect contemporary anxieties”.
‘Fragile frontier’
In a twist on the contamination theme, “Real Humans”
throws in technological developments that run of control. Set in
modern-day Sweden, it depicts a world in which humanoid
robot workers and servants are commonplace. Known as
“hubots” they are programmed via a USB-type port in the back
of their necks, although some form a group of “free hubots” after
being reprogrammed to enable them to experience human
emotions.
“Today we have the feeling that information technologies,
computers, the Internet, are difficult to control, and are almost
living their own life. It’s something that didn’t used to exist 15
years ago,” said the series creator Lars Lundstroem, adding that
it was both a potential “dream and a nightmare”. Britain’s “Black
Mirror”, meanwhile, explores the possible consequences of an
addiction to technology, from implants to playback memories,
forced exposure to advertising and relatives brought back from
the dead using synthetic flesh and computer-generated personalities. Creator Charlie Brooker has described it as being “about
the way we live now-and the way we might be living in 10 minutes’ time if we’re clumsy”. The drama won an International
Emmy for best mini-series in 2012. But if all this sounds a bit too
bleak, British director Danny Boyle has managed to inject some
humor. In his police comedy-drama “Babylon”, the action alternates between police and the force’s “ultra-connected” alltweeting public relations department. “The fragile frontier
between man and machine is a strong theme at the moment,”
added Langlais. “We are starting to take notice of the dangers of
our addiction to new technologies and the pitfalls into which
they could lead us,” he said. —AFP
TV listings
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
00:45 Monsters Inside Me
01:35 Untamed & Uncut
02:25 Lion Man: One World African
Safari
02:50 Lion Man: One World African
Safari
03:15 Tanked
04:05 Treehouse Masters
04:55 Animal Cops Phoenix
05:45 Animal Clinic
06:35 Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors
07:00 Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors
07:25 My Cat From Hell
08:15 Too Cute!
09:10 Gator Boys
10:05 Call Of The Wildman
10:30 Swamp Brothers
11:00 Tanked
11:55 Treehouse Masters
12:50 Animal Heroes
13:45 Animal Heroes
14:40 Animal Heroes
15:35 Extreme Animals
16:30 Extreme Animals
17:25 Extreme Animals
18:20 Tanked
19:15 My Wild Affair: The Seal Who
Came Home
20:10 Animal Maternity Ward
21:05 Jaws Comes Home
22:00 My Wild Affair: The Seal Who
Came Home
22:55 Animal Maternity Ward
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
00:30
01:20
02:10
03:00
03:50
04:15
04:40
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06:00
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15:20
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17:00
17:50
18:40
19:30
20:20
21:10
22:00
22:25
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
Fast N’ Loud
Wheeler Dealers
Extreme Car Hoarders
You Have Been Warned
Border Security
Baggage Battles
The Liquidator
How It’s Made
How Stuff’s Made
Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell
You Have Been Warned
Treehouse Masters
Head Games
Bear Grylls: A Day In...
Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell
Dual Survival
Fast N’ Loud
Fast N’ Loud
Fast N’ Loud
Fast N’ Loud
Fast N’ Loud
Fast N’ Loud
Gold Rush
Klondike
Gold Divers
Bear Grylls: A Day In...
Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell
Dual Survival
The Liquidator
The Liquidator
00:00 Chelsea Lately
00:30 The Dance Scene
00:55 The Dance Scene
01:25 THS
03:15 E!ES
04:10 THS
05:05 Extreme Close-Up
05:30 Extreme Close-Up
06:00 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body
Bouncebacks
07:50 Style Star
08:20 E! News
09:15 Fashion Police
09:45 The Fabulist
10:15 The E! True Hollywood Story
11:10 E!ES
12:05 E! News
13:05 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
14:05 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
14:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
15:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
15:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
16:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
16:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
17:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
17:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
18:00 E! News
19:00 E!ES
20:00 Fashion Police
20:30 Keeping Up With The
Kardashians
21:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills
22:30 E! News
23:30 The Soup
00:20 The Gadget Show
00:45 How Do They Do It?
01:10 Powering The Future
02:00 Brave New World
02:45 Mythbusters
03:35 Sci-Trek
04:30 Through The Wormhole With
Morgan Freeman
05:20 Scrapheap Challenge
06:10 Strangest Weather On Earth
06:35 Strangest Weather On Earth
07:00 Human Body: Ultimate Machine
07:55 Freaks Of Nature
08:20 Freaks Of Nature
08:45 Strangest Weather On Earth
09:10 Strangest Weather On Earth
09:40 Strangest Weather On Earth
10:05 Strangest Weather On Earth
10:30 Strangest Weather On Earth
10:55 Strangest Weather On Earth
11:20 Strangest Weather On Earth
11:45 Strangest Weather On Earth
12:10 Strangest Weather On Earth
12:35 Strangest Weather On Earth
13:00 How Do They Do It?
13:30 Sci-Trek
14:20 Sci-Trek
15:10 Rocket City Rednecks
15:35 Rocket City Rednecks
16:00 Kings Of Construction
16:50 Freaks Of Nature
17:15 Freaks Of Nature
17:40 Brave New World
18:30 Powering The Future
19:20 Penn & Teller Tell A Lie
20:10 You Have Been Warned
00:05 Doctors
00:35 Casualty
01:25 Bedlam
02:10 Incredible Journeys With Steve
Leonard
03:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man
03:45 The Vicar Of Dibley
04:15 The Weakest Link
05:00 Me Too!
05:20 The Green Balloon Club
05:45 Poetry Pie
05:50 Gigglebiz
06:05 Bobinogs
06:15 Me Too!
06:35 The Green Balloon Club
07:00 Poetry Pie
07:05 Gigglebiz
07:20 The Weakest Link
08:05 Doctor Who
08:50 Rev.
09:20 The Vicar Of Dibley
09:50 Absolutely Fabulous
10:20 My Hero
10:50 Lorna Doone
11:40 The Weakest Link
12:25 Doctor Who
13:10 Casualty
14:00 Eastenders
14:30 Eastenders
15:00 Eastenders
15:30 Eastenders
16:00 Eastenders
16:25 The Vicar Of Dibley
16:55 The Vicar Of Dibley
17:25 Lorna Doone
18:15 Doctor Who
19:00 Being Erica
19:45 Alan Carr: Chatty Man
20:30 Mad Dogs
21:20 Pramface
21:50 Threesome
22:15 Me & Mrs Jones
22:45 Ideal
23:15 Incredible Journeys With Steve
Leonard
00:00
01:00
02:00
03:00
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06:00
07:00
08:00
09:00
10:00
11:00
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14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BBC World
BAIT ON OSN MOVIES HD ACTION
21:00
21:25
21:50
22:40
23:05
23:30
Freaks Of Nature
Freaks Of Nature
Storm Chasers
Squeamish
Squeamish
The Long March Into Space
00:00
00:30
01:00
02:00
03:00
04:00
05:00
06:00
07:00
Planets
08:00
08:30
09:00
10:00
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11:30
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
Planets
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
Nat Geo’s Most Amazing Photos
Nat Geo’s Most Amazing Photos
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Nordic Wild
Doomsday Preppers
Situation Critical
Doomsday Preppers
Doomsday Preppers
A Traveler’s Guide To The
00:20
01:10
02:00
02:50
03:45
04:40
05:35
06:30
07:25
08:20
09:15
10:10
11:05
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12:55
13:50
14:45
15:40
16:35
17:30
18:25
19:20
20:10
21:00
21:50
22:40
23:30
Secret Life of Predators
Hooked
Going Wild
Outback Wrangler
America The Wild
World’s Weirdest
Alaska Fish Wars
Monster Fish
Mystery Gorilla
Warrior Bees
The Lady With 700 Cats
World’s Wildest Encounters
World’s Creepiest Killers
Monster Fish
Going Wild
Outback Wrangler
Wild Gabon
Nordic Wild
Africa’s Blood River
I, Predator
Monster Jellyfish
Monster Fish
Going Wild
Outback Wrangler
Wild Gabon
Nordic Wild
Africa’s Blood River
Nat Geo’s Most Amazing Photos
Nat Geo’s Most Amazing Photos
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Nordic Wild
Science of Stupid
Science of Stupid
Situation Critical
Doomsday Preppers
Doomsday Preppers
A Traveler’s Guide To The
Nat Geo’s Top 10 Photos
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Among The Great Apes
Sea Patrol
Inside Combat Rescue
The Border
Sea Patrol
Wild Russia
00:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
01:00 The Colbert Report
01:30 It’s Always Sunny In
Philadelphia
02:00 The League
02:30 Weeds
03:00 Last Man Standing
03:30 New Girl
04:00 Seinfeld
04:30 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
05:30 My Boys
06:00 Breaking In
06:30 Friends
07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers
08:00 Seinfeld
08:30 My Boys
09:00 Last Man Standing
09:30 Enlisted
10:00 The Michael J. Fox Show
10:30 Friends
11:00 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
12:00 Breaking In
12:30 Seinfeld
13:00 My Boys
13:30 Friends
14:00 New Girl
14:30 Enlisted
15:00 The Michael J. Fox Show
15:30 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
16:00 The Colbert Report
16:30 Breaking In
17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers
18:00 Dads
18:30 The Neighbors
19:00 Cougar Town
19:30 Two And A Half Men
20:00 The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon
21:00 The Daily Show With Jon
Stewart
22:00 Saturday Night Live
23:00 Weeds
23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers
00:00
01:00
02:00
03:00
04:00
05:00
06:00
07:00
08:00
09:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
Almost Human
The Client List
Survivor: Cagayan
Nip/Tuck
American Idol
Survivor: Cagayan
Almost Human
Betrayal
Zero Hour
Glee
American Idol
Survivor: Cagayan
Betrayal
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Zero Hour
Almost Human
Betrayal
American Idol
Bones
Criminal Minds
Castle
Sons Of Anarchy
Nip/Tuck
00:00
02:00
04:00
06:00
08:00
09:30
11:30
16:00
18:00
22:00
Grave Encounters
Bait
Shaft
Drop Zone
Abandoned
Men In Black 3
Armageddon
Men In Black 3
Dick Tracy
The Howling: Reborn
00:00
02:00
04:00
06:00
07:30
09:30
14:00
16:00
20:00
22:00
Bait-PG15
Shaft-18
Drop Zone-PG
Abandoned-PG15
Men In Black 3-PG
Armageddon-PG15
Men In Black 3-PG
Dick Tracy-PG15
The Howling: Reborn-PG15
Total Recall-18
00:00
02:00
04:00
06:00
08:00
10:00
12:00
14:00
16:00
18:00
20:00
22:15
Fatal Instinct-PG15
Superbad-18
A Kiss For Jed Wood-PG15
Problem Child-PG
Rookie Of The Year-PG
Frankenweenie-PG
A Kiss For Jed Wood-PG15
Dark Shadows-PG15
Frankenweenie-PG
The First Wives Club-PG
The Five-Year Engagement-18
Kissing Jessica Stein-18
01:00 Hyde Park On Hudson
02:45 Straight A’s
04:15 Quiet Flows The Don
07:15 Carnage
09:00 Hyde Park On Hudson
11:00 Straight A’s
13:00 Centre Place
15:00 The Words
17:00 Someday This Pain Will Be
Useful To You
19:00 Flying Lessons
21:00 Trishna
23:00 On The Road
TV listings
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
01:15 The Mortician-18
03:00 Breaking And Entering-18
05:00 Angels Crest-18
07:00 Underground: The Julian
Assange Story-PG15
09:00 Here On Earth-PG15
10:45 Ed Wood-PG15
13:00 Twist Of Fate-PG15
15:00 Beasts Of The Southern WildPG15
16:45 Ed Wood-PG15
19:00 Life Happens-PG15
20:45 The Door In The Floor-18
22:45 Schindler’s List-18
01:00 Mike Tyson: Undisputed TruthPG15
03:00 Arthur 3: And The War Of Two
Worlds-PG
05:00 Midnight In Paris-PG15
06:45 Anna Karenina-PG15
09:00 Salmon Fishing In The YemenPG15
11:00 Five-PG15
13:00 White House Down-PG15
15:15 Moonrise Kingdom-PG15
17:00 Salmon Fishing In The YemenPG15
19:00 G.I. Joe: Retaliation-PG15
21:00 The Mortal Instruments: City Of
Bones-PG15
23:15 The Raven-18
00:00
02:00
04:00
The Expatriate-PG15
Sky Force-FAM
Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away-PG
06:00 The Expatriate-PG15
08:00 Steel Magnolias-PG15
10:00 Fun Size-PG15
12:00 Hitchcock-PG15
14:00 Frankenweenie-PG
16:00 Steel Magnolias-PG15
18:00 What To Expect When You’re
Expecting-PG15
20:00 Colombiana-PG15
22:00 Evil Dead-R
01:00
01:30
04:00
04:30
07:00
09:00
09:35
11:40
13:30
15:30
16:00
18:05
20:10
22:00
PGA European Tour Weekly
Live ITU World Triathlon Series
PGA European Tour Weekly
Live ITU World Triathlon Series
Live NRL Premiership
Total Rugby
Live Super rugby
Live Super rugby
NRL Premiership
Total Rugby
Live Super rugby
Live Super rugby
Live Super rugby
Bellator MMA
00:00
02:00
04:00
06:00
07:00
09:00
09:30
11:30
13:30
14:00
17:30
18:00
20:00
Super Rugby
WWE SmackDown
Live Bellator MMA 2014
Trans World Sport
Amlin Challenge Cup
Sevens World Series Highlights
Live NRL Premiership
Live NRL Premiership
Total Rugby
PGA Tour
Inside The PGA Tour
NHL
Live PGA Tour
00:00
00:30
01:00
01:30
02:00
02:30
03:00
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23:00
23:30
Storage Wars
Pawn Stars
Storage Wars: New York
Storage Wars: New York
Shipping Wars
Shipping Wars
Storage Wars
Storage Wars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Ancient Aliens
Storage Wars Texas
Counting Cars
Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens
Ancient Aliens
Mountain Men
Mountain Men
Mountain Men
Mountain Men
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
American Restoration
American Restoration
Duck Dynasty
Duck Dynasty
Storage Wars: New York
Storage Wars: New York
Storage Wars Texas
Storage Wars Texas
Pawn Stars
Pawn Stars
This image released by Donna Daniels Public Relations shows actor Kevin Spacey
from the documentary, ‘NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage,’ that captures Spacey
and his troupe of 20 British and American actors during their 10-month international tour of ‘Richard II’ from 2011-2012. — AP
Kevin Spacey takes us
behind the curtain in film
K
evin Spacey put his body through
a lot playing “Richard III” for over
200 shows and across three continents. Tumbling down a massive sand
dune in Qatar didn’t help. The “House of
Cards” star found himself uncontrollably
flipping over and over down a dune outside Doha during a fun day trip with the
rest of the cast of the Shakespeare play.
“I had no idea I was going to go at that
speed. It was literally like a barrel rolling
down a hill. It was a very funny
moment,” he said. “I’m still trying to get
that sand out.”
Thankfully, someone got it all on
tape: The Academy Award-winner’s silly
plummet is one of the lighter moments
in a new feature documentary that captures Spacey and his troupe of 20 British
and American actors during their 10month international tour from 20112012. The film starts with rehearsals at
The Old Vic in London and follows the
company to nine of the 12 cities on the
tour, including stops at the ancient
Greek amphitheater in Epidaurus, then
on to Beijing, Istanbul, Sydney, Naples,
San Francisco and winding up in New
York City.
Director Jeremy Whelehan says the
movie is as much for fans of the stage as
it is for newcomers. “We wanted the film
to relate to people who have never
been to the theater and may roll their
eyes at the thought of seeing a
Shakespeare play,” he said. Whelehan
and his team captured the actors exploring their roles, joking and laughing
backstage, missing home and being
excited by the cities they visit. They are
seen walking along the Great Wall of
China and visiting Qatar and Turkey during the Arab Spring with a suddenly
very relevant story about a power-mad
dictator.
“It is a very intimate, behind-thescenes look. You get to go places that
you don’t normally ever get to go with a
camera,” said Spacey of the 90-minute
THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY
film, called “NOW: In the Wings on a
World Stage.”
The documentary, which will be
available to download in the US and 209
countries starting Friday, grew out of
the three-year Bridge Project, a transAtlantic partnership that united The Old
Vic, The Brooklyn Academy of Music and
Sam Mendes’ Neal Street Productions.
The project included “The Winter’s Tale,”
“The Cherry Orchard,” “The Tempest”
and “As You Like It,” all directed by
Mendes. In its final act, Spacey played
the humpbacked Richard III for Mendes
and took the evil king on tour.
Discreet and deferential
Spacey and Mendes batted around
ideas about how best to commemorate
the company. “We both felt it was so
unique that there had to be some way
we could maybe capture it,” says
Spacey. They settled on a documentary,
but not a self-congratulatory one. “I really didn’t want to set out to make a kind
of inside, lovely, aren’t-we-fabulous
thing, but more a real examination for
people who just don’t know what the
process of doing theater is really like, a
chance to peek behind that curtain,” he
said.
Whelehan said he and his crew tried
to capture the three layers of each of the
performers - as characters onstage, as
working actors behind the scenes, and
also as people. The company members
offered full access in exchange for veto
rights of anything embarrassing. “They
were so disarming and actually discreet
and deferential that we just got used to
it after a while,” said Gemma Jones, who
played Queen Margaret. “It was fairly
honest, so I can’t really complain.”
Nathan Darrow, who played Lord Grey
and the Earl of Richmond in the play, was
happy the cameras showed that actors
are just regular folks. “That people will
get a window into the backstage is kind
of beautiful and special,” he said. — AP
WHAT’S ON
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Kuwait Tamilosai conducts 96th monthly meet
K
uwait Tamilosai Poets Association (KTPA) convened
their 96th monthly literary meeting on April 4, at
Kohinoor Hail, Souk Sabha area, Fahaheel. The meet
commenced with the recitation of Tamil Anthem at 10:30. In
the auditorium named as “Arunthondaatriya Athlkaarikal
Arankam” to honour the late legendary Indian bureaucrats
cum scholars, “Bharat Ratna” Dr B.R. Ambedkar and
Educationist N.D Sundaravadivelu for their precious services
rendered to Indian society. KTPA’s General Secretary Vittukatti
Masthan presided over the function keeping the Treasurer
Ajizuddin as front stager on the dais.
Dr Ilankovan the founder of “Aravanaippu” Association
catering to poor children’s education, graced the occasion as
the chief guest. KTPA’s President Dr Kumar delivered the welcome address in which he also quoted briefly about the biography of Sundaravadivelu and his contributions to the Tamil
community in India. Poets Yaqoob Ali, writer Vidhyasagar
offered their mind provoking poems, the singers Mrs
Chellamma Vidhyasagar, Messrs Pandlan, Nelson, Marutham
Raja and Ganesh entertained the audience by singing sweet
melodies and folk songs.
Anbarasan delivered a scintillating speech on the biography and works of Dr. Ambedkar in the event. Brief notes on
the people of remembrance for the month of April, the late
veteran Tamil Scholars Adikalasiriyar, “Mahavidhvan”
Meenatchl Sundaram Pillai, “Manonmaniyam” Sundaram Pillai,
G Subramaniyam Pillai, “Thavathiru” Kundrakudl Adikalar
“Puratchikavi” Bharathidasan and “Makkai KavrPattukkottai
Kalyana Sundaram, were delivered by KTPA’s orators, one
minute silence of homage was observed by KTPA to express
condolence for the recently deceased Tamil writer cum laureate of Sakitya Academy award, T.K. Sivasankaran and the passengers of the collapsed flight of Malaysian Airlines. The chief
guest, Dr Ilankovan was honoured by KIPA members. He
expressed his wishes, assuring continuous support for KTPA in
his acknowledging address.
An interesting debate on the topic-which does supersede
out of the literary works of Puratchikavi & Makkalkavi
whether their linguistic obsessions or societal concerns was
organized during the function. Poet Pattukkottai Sathya
served as the jury for the debate. Singers Kallbullah and Mrs
Rani Mohan argued solidly for societal concerns while poets
Eezham Ganesan and Makizhan defended well their stance
for linguistic feelings. Tamil quiz competition was conducted by KTPA’s Guardian U.K Sivakumar. Honorary PresidentPoet Sadhiq Baftha delivered a literary note “Thamizhal
Thamizh Kell” was applauded by all. Tamilosai congratulated
the program sponsors Mr & Mrs. Gangai Gopal for their
wedding anniversary, thanked Singer Ganesh and
Anbarasan. The vote of thanks was delivered by KTPAs VicePresident Anbazhakan. Deputy Treasurer Mannai Raja and
Master Thalib Rehman effectively made all the arrangements for the program. The gathering concluded with a
delicious lunch served to the attendees.
EMBASSY OF INDIA
The Embassy of India will remain closed on 14th MAY,
2014 Wednesday, on account of Buddha Purnima.
What to do in Kuwait this summer?
Visit the Sadu House
Al-Sadu Society is dedicated to preserving, documenting and
promoting the rich and diverse textile heritage of the Kuwaiti
Bedouin, from the nomadic weaving of the desert to the urban
weaving of the town. Sadu is a traditional Bedouin art that
involves weaving geometric designs on dyed and colored wool
that is spun by hand to create magnificent carpets, rugs, and
Bedouin tent screens. Inside the Sadu House, visitors have the
opportunity to see Bedouin women weaving. Sadu House is
located near the National Museum. It is considered to be the
center of Bedouin art aiming at presenting Kuwait’s roots and
protecting Bedouin crafts from eradication.
Address: Arabian Gulf Street, Next to the National Museum
of Kuwait, Kuwait City
Opening Hours: Saturdays to Thursdays: Mornings from 08
am to 1 pm. Evenings from 4 pm to 8 pm.
Contact: 22432395
E-mail: info@alsadu.org.kw
Website: www.alsadu.org.kw
View Boushahri Gallery
The Boushahri Art Gallery was established in 1982 by Jawad
Boushahri, the Chairman of the Boushahri group who is also an
acclaimed Kuwaiti sculptor. It is one of the oldest private art galleries in the Middle East. This long established gallery showcases contemporary regional work. In order to create an awareness
toward art in Kuwait as a community service, the Boushahri Art
Gallery educates, supports and sponsors local and international
artists, displaying their paintings, potteries, ceramic portraitures, designs, photographers, sculptures and much more. To
encourage the Art lovers and educate society, Boushahri Art
Gallery offers many courses, seminars and lectures about Art.
Address: Salmiya, Baghdad St., Building Number: 36, in front
of Al- Laheeb Mosque
Opening Hours: 10 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm. The museum is closed on Friday and Thursday afternoons.
Contact: 25621119/99770607
Website:
www.boushahrigroup.com/client/PhotoandArt.aspx
Take a break at Al-Khiran Resort
The Al-Khiran resort is a relaxing “get-away” from the mayhem of stressful city life. The resort provides a soothing tranquil
environment that includes beautiful green lawns, wide, welldefined roads, ample parking spaces, and clean well-maintained beaches. It has many chalets that are beautifully furnished and air-conditioned. The resort also offers a variety of
other facilities such as football and basketball courts, luxurious
restaurants, yacht clubs, an amusement park for children, electronic computer arcade and the ‘Duza’ ballroom. The resort also
provides variety in food as it includes a fast-food counter, and a
counter that offers seafood, Italian and oriental food.
Address: Gulf Street, Al-Khiran district
Contact: 23951122
E-mail: mailbox@khiranresort.com
Website: www.khiranresort.com
Stop at the Tareq Rajab Museum
The Tareq Rajab Museum houses an anthology of over thirty
thousand items collected over the last fifty years, of which
approximately ten thousand are on permanent display. Tareq
Sayed Rajab was the first Kuwaiti to be sent abroad to study art
and archaeology and his collection includes Islamic arts, ceramic, gold and silver jewelry, English manuscripts, metal and glass
works, old English costumes, and musical instruments. His personal collection includes over thirty thousand Islamic treasures
that were gathered over the years. The Museum is divided into
two parts: in Area A, calligraphy, manuscripts, ceramics, metalwork, glass, jade, wood and stone carvings are exhibited. Area B
contains objects such as costumes, textiles, jewellery and musical instruments produced in the Islamic world.
Address: Jabriya, near the intersection of the Fifth Ring
Motorway and the Abdulaziz Bin Abdilrahman al-Saud
Expressway (Fahaheel Expressway); Street 5; Block12; House 16
Opening Hours: Weekdays from 9 am to 12 pm; Evenings:
From 4 pm to 7 pm; Fridays: From 9 am to 12 pm.
Contact: 25317358/25354916
Website: www.trmkt.com
The Scientific Center, Kuwait
The Scientific Center is designed to reflect the Islamic arts
and culture. It has three main fascinating attractions: Aquarium,
Discovery Place and IMAX Cinema. The Aquarium presents an
ecosystem of desert, sea, and coastal edge. Visitors of the
Aquarium explore the lives of beings and animals in their environments. When entering the Discovery Place, visitors gain scientific experience through educational games. Highly specialized trainers are assigned to guide visitors through hand-on
playful training. On entering the IMAX Cinema, one can watch
3D movies played on the giant screen. Visitors can enjoy watching educational and documentary presentations and get
engaged into a highly imaginative experience.
Address: The Scientific Center, Gulf Road
Contact: 1848888
E-mail: info@tsck.org.kw
Website: www.tsck.org.kw
WHAT’S ON
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Anjali School of Dance conducts ‘arangettam’
A
njali School of Dance, a well known classical dance institute
in Kuwait, has organized another spell binding
Bharathanatyam recital, which was held at Cambridge
English School, Mangaf on April 11. A bunch of talented and well
trained disciples of Guru Sindhu Madhuraj performed full-fledged
Bharathanatyam dances to the complete amazement and applause
of the crowded audience. The program, ‘Natyanjali 2014 Season 2’
was inaugurated by Shyamala Divakaran, Principal of Gulf Indian
School and the chief guest was Dr. P. Nandakumar, Master Trainer
and Coach in spoken Sanskrit.
The program consisted of beautifully choreographed 16
Bharathanatyam items which manifested almost all the aspects
interwoven in this aesthetically complicated dance form. The participants had long years of dedicated training under Sindhu
Madhuraj, the teacher and the founder of Anjali school of Dance.
The participants of the evening were Durga P Gopakumar,
Meghana Jayachandran, Aishwarya Mariam Ambi, Priyanka Anna
Ambi, Varsha Elizabeth George, Suhaana Sriram, Thanushri
Greetings
Madhuraj, Vaishnavi Venugopal Warrier, Esther Nina Thomas, Rinnu
Benny, Rajalaxmi Palavesa Muthu, Saranya Muthumaran, Sowmiya
Nedunchezhian, Shreyashi Bharadwaj, Anakha Amal Siddique,
Oviya Srinivasan, Abithaa Sree Venkatesh, Sruthi Suresh, Alivia
Grace Mathews and Akshaya Babu Mampilly.
The program was compered by the senior students of Anjali
School of Dance. The grand evening of this Indian classical dance
program concluded with memento presentation to performers and
vote of thanks by Sindhu Madhuraj.
Embassy of India
T
H
appy birthday to
Sheren
Nasser. Greetings
and best wishes
come from baba
Nasser, mama
Dalia, dada Tareq,
ang tita Juvy and
sisters and brothers Sarah, Heba,
Ahmad and
Samee.
he Embassy of India Kuwait has been issuing 5-year and
one-year multiple entry Business Visas for Kuwaiti businesspersons to promote business activities between the two
friendly countries and 6-month multiple entry Tourist Visas to promote further tourism in India. In addition to this, Embassy also
issues 1-year Medical visas and Student & Employment visas of the
required duration. All expatriates living in Kuwait and having residency of Kuwait, are treated at par with Kuwaiti nationals with
regard to time taken in visa processing.
To obtain Indian visa, please fill Visa Application Form online at
www.indianvisaonline.gov.in. The printed copy of duly filled Visa
application form along with original passport, copy of Passport,
two recent passport size photographs with white background,
copy of Civil ID card and other relevant documents along with the
Visa Fees can be submitted at following two outsource centers:
(i) M/s. BLS International Services, Emad Commercial Centre,
Basement floor Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Sharq, Kuwait City
(Telephone: 22986607 - Fax: 22470006) and
(ii) M/s. BLS International Services, Mujamma Unood, 4th floor,
Office No.25-26 Makka Street, Entrance 5, Fahaheel, Kuwait
(Telephone: 22986607 - Fax: 22470006).
Timing of the outsource centers are - Sunday to Thursday:
08:00 hrs - 11:30 hrs and 16:00 hrs - 19:30 hrs; Saturday: 16:00 hrs 19:30 hrs. The outsource centers also provide assistance in filling
the online visa application form by charging a nominal fee.
The processing of Visa Application Form require 2 working
days (excluding any closed holidays) and Visas from the outsource
centers can be collected on the 3rd working day.
In case of emergency, the printed copy of duly filled Visa application form along with Passport, photographs, relevant documents, and Visa fee along with emergency charges can be
deposited directly at the Embassy Reception at 9:00 hrs - 12:00 hrs
on all working days and the visa can be collected from the
Embassy on the same working day at 15:00 hrs - 17:00 hrs.
However, processing of visa application for foreign nationals, who
are not resident in Kuwait, requires 5 working days. For additional
information, please contact on Ph no. 22550171 and 22530600 Ext
no. 292, 235 and 279; and e-mail political@indembkwt.org.
HEALTH
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
More vets turn to prosthetics to help legless pets
LOS ANGELES: A 9-month-old boxer pup named Duncan
barreled down a beach in Oregon, running full tilt on soft
sand into YouTube history and showing more than 4 million
viewers that he can revel in a good romp despite lacking
back legs. “It’s a heartwarming, wonderful thing to see,” said
Dr Bonnie Beaver, a professor at Texas A&M University’s
College of Veterinary Medicine and executive director of the
American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. “These animals
generally look to us as if they are very happy. We don’t
know that they are, but they are excited and jumping
around and doing things that are wonderful to watch.”
More veterinarians are using wheelchairs, orthotics and
prosthetics to improve the lives of dogs that have lost limbs
to deformity, infection or accident, experts say. The move is
driven by persistent pet owners who embrace their animals
as family and aren’t deterred by the cost and commitment
of outfitting disabled dogs with the devices. At the same
time, there have been great strides in technology to keep
up with US soldiers returning wounded from war, and veterinarians have adapted the materials and know-how for
the rising demand from clients. “There are so many things
we can do to solve mechanical problems. ... If you have broken parts, we can replace them,” said Martin Kaufmann, coowner of Veterinary Orthotics and Prosthetics in Denver,
also known as OrthoPets, which helps about 2,000 animals a
year.
Most devices range from $150 to $2,000 but can cost
more, Kaufmann said. Besides commercial manufacturers,
there are likely thousands of backyard builders who have
created carts, slings or other devices to help their pets get
around. The number of pets using artificial limbs will never
be huge, Beaver said. It takes a dedicated person willing to
take the prosthetic on and off, clean it and teach the animal
to use it. It will likely mean a lifestyle choice for pet owners.
With the time and cost required, many wonder why people
spend time on disabled animals when there are so many
healthy dogs and cats awaiting homes. The answer, Beaver
said, is “some people want to.”
No one knows that better than Duncan’s owners,
Amanda Giese and Gary Walters, co-founders of Panda Paws
Rescue for special needs and hospice dogs in Vancouver,
Washington. Of the 3,500 dogs they have placed in the last
19 months, 10 were two-legged. Nine of them adapted to
wheelchairs and found homes. Only 19-pound (8.6-kilogram) Duncan, whose deformed back legs were amputated,
refused to take to wheels. Prosthetic legs aren’t an option
for him because there are no partial limbs strong enough to
attach them to. The couple often carry Duncan to ease the
pressure on his front legs. “We are his prosthetics,” Giese
said.
There have seen successes even in challenging cases,
Kaufmann said. Orthopets helped mixed-breed puppy
Naki’o after his four legs and tail were frozen in ice. What
frostbite didn’t do, a surgeon did, amputating all four legs.
Then, Kaufmann outfitted him with four prosthetics. “To
see Naki’o at the beginning, he was protective and guarded,” he said. “Six months after all this was done, he was just
a fun-loving guy who likes to socialize.” Now, Naki’o lives
with the Nebraska couple that found him. Another dog
teaches kids what it means to be different. The Labradorgolden retriever mix named Pirelli was destined to be a
service dog at Canine Assistants, a training school in
Atlanta, but one back paw never developed.
Pirelli uses a prosthetic limb, and with it is a “happy,
expressive dog, able to run and play, retrieve things and eat
his food,” said Dudley Arnold, Pirelli’s handler. Together,
they have visited about 80 schools. “The goal was to help
kids understand that just because your body doesn’t work,
doesn’t mean you aren’t a good person inside,” Arnold said.
The rarity of dogs missing limbs varies. Three-legged
pooches aren’t too uncommon and often make it through
life without help. But a dog shouldn’t have to do fine on
three legs when it can thrive pain-free with a prosthetic,
Kaufmann said.
Dogs missing two limbs are still rare, but rescues and
prosthetists are seeing more of them. Giese said she doesn’t know what’s changed - if more dogs are being born
without legs or if the animal welfare movement has
helped them get turned over to rescues more often. After
Duncan’s video went viral, 300 people emailed asking to
adopt the dog that has a home with Giese. And her Panda
Paws Rescue got a boost in donations and Facebook followers. “He put a smile on people’s faces and was an
inspiration to others,” she said. “That’s quite a lot for a
two-legged dog.”— AP
Scientists vexed
in probe of
N American
starfish deaths
ANAHEIM: Torry a one year old chihuahua sits on the head of his friend Duke a
6 year old Mastiff in Anaheim, Calif. Dr Jack Stephens a veterinarian from
Boise, Idaho, who has the 2-pound, 13-year-old Chihuahua named Torrey says
that many toy dogs have genetic problems with teeth and joints. — AP
Newly arrived virus gains
foothold in the Caribbean
Virus causes an abrupt onset of high fever
KINGSTON: A recently arrived mosquitoborne virus that causes an abrupt onset of
high fever and intense joint pain is rapidly
gaining a foothold in many spots of the
Caribbean, health experts said Thursday.
There are currently more than 4,000 confirmed cases of the fast-spreading chikungunya virus in the Caribbean, most of
them in the French Caribbean islands of
Martinique, Guadeloupe and St Martin.
Another 31,000 suspected cases have
been reported across the region of scattered islands.
The often painful illness most commonly found in Asia and Africa was first
detected in December in tiny St Martin. It
was the first time that local transmission
of chikungunya had been reported in the
Americas. Since then, it has spread to
nearly a dozen other islands and French
Guiana, an overseas department of France
on the north shoulder of South America. It
is rarely fatal and most chikungunya
patients rebound within a week, but some
people experience joint pain for months
to years. There is no vaccine and it is
spread by the pervasive Aedes aegypti
mosquito that transmits dengue fever, a
similar but often more serious illness with
a deadly hemorrhagic form.
Dengue had been largely contained to
southeast Asia, but reinvaded the
Caribbean in the early 1980s and then
spread to numerous other countries
throughout the hemisphere. Since then,
health authorities have not been able to
control dengue and it is a leading cause of
serious illness and death among children
in some spots in Latin America. The US
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention is closely monitoring the
uncontrolled spread of the new vectorborne virus in the Caribbean and has been
advising travelers about how best to protect themselves, such as applying mosquito repellant and sleeping in screened
rooms. It is also closely watching for any
signs of chikungunya in the U.S.
“To help prepare the United States for
possible introduction of the virus, CDC has
been working with state health departments to increase awareness about chikungunya and to facilitate diagnostic testing
and early detection of any US cases,” said
Dr Erin Staples, a medical epidemiologist
with the CDC. In the Caribbean, concern
about chikungunya is growing as many
countries enter their wettest months. The
only way to stop the virus is to contain the
population of mosquitoes - a task that
commonly relies on individual efforts such
as installing screened windows and making sure mosquitoes are not breeding in
stagnant water.—AP
WASHINGTON: Scientists are struggling to
find the cause of a disease that is killing off
numerous species of starfish on both the
Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America,
dispatching the five-armed creatures in a particularly gruesome way. Researchers said on
Thursday they have ruled out some possible
culprits including fungi, some parasites and
certain other microorganisms and are taking
a hard look at whether viruses or bacteria
may be to blame. The starfish, also called sea
stars, are being obliterated by an unexplained
wasting disease that causes white lesions to
appear before the animal’s body sags and
ruptures and it spills out its internal organs.
“The magnitude of it is very concerning.
There’s the potential that some of these
species could actually go extinct,” said Cornell
University ecologist Drew Harvell, one of the
scientists involved in the loosely organized
search for a cause. Harvell said she is concerned because the mysterious pathogen is
affecting 18 different West Coast species
along their entire range. Pathogens that
affect an animal’s range in such a way like a
fungus that has targeted frogs can be particularly damaging, she said. The disease
appeared last year and is showing no indication of abating. “I wish we had a sign that it
was petering out, but believe me it definitely
is not,” Harvell said.
The scientists seem to have more questions than answers. “What is it that has
caused this? Where did it come from? If it’s
exotic, how did it get here? Is it something
that’s likely to be repeated?” asked Pete
Raimondi, chairman of the Department of
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the
University of California, Santa Cruz. Raimondi
expressed concern that the disease that is
killing the starfish could be a harbinger of bad
things to come for other marine species. “This
is a really difficult disease in lots of ways
because it’s very virulent,” Raimondi said.
The researchers noted that starfish were
the victims of previous diseases in past
decades that reduced their numbers, but the
current one is more serious. The scientists are
wondering whether the starfish have been
infected by a virus, bacterium or something
else unwittingly imported to the region or
whether a pathogen already present somehow became more dangerous, Raimondi
added. Scientists prefer to call the animal a
sea star rather than a starfish because these
marine creatures are not fish but rather
echinoderms, cousins of sand dollars, sea
cucumbers and sea urchins. Most have five
arms, although some have many more.
They are remarkably durable creatures,
and when healthy are able to regenerate lost
limbs. They are predators and use suction to
pull shells apart to get at the soft body
inside. When the shells are pried opened,
the starfish pushes its stomach out of its
body and into the prey, secreting enzymes
that digest the victim’s soft body parts. They
are significant predators in their ecosystems,
the scientists said. “These animals are really
important ecologically. If they do go extinct,
or at least ecologically extinct for some period of time, there undoubtedly would be
some really huge impacts on the ecosystems that they live in,” said Bruce Menge, a
marine community ecologist at Oregon
State University.— Reuters
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
health & science
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Kuwait
SHARQIA-1
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
BRICK MANSIONS (DIG)
SUN+TUE+WED
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
BRICK MANSIONS (DIG)
KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY
(01/05/2014 TO 07/05/2014)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
1:00 PM
3:00 PM
3:45 PM
5:45 PM
8:00 PM
10:15 PM
12:45 AM
MARINA-2
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
1:30 PM
3:30 PM
5:30 PM
7:30 PM
9:45 PM
12:05 AM
MARINA-3
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG-3D)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG-3D)
RIO 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG-3D)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG-3D)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
1:00 PM
2:45 PM
4:30 PM
6:45 PM
9:30 PM
12:15 AM
AVENUES-1
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
2:30 PM
5:30 PM
8:30 PM
11:30 PM
SHARQIA-2
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG-3D)
RIO 2 (DIG-3D)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG-3D)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
2:00 PM
4:45 PM
7:00 PM
9:45 PM
12:30 AM
SHARQIA-3
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
1:30 PM
3:15 PM
5:15 PM
7:00 PM
9:00 PM
11:00 PM
1:00 AM
MUHALAB-1
BRICK MANSIONS (DIG)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
BRICK MANSIONS (DIG)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
12:30 PM
2:45 PM
4:30 PM
6:30 PM
8:15 PM
10:15 PM
12:15 AM
AVENUES-2
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
12:45 PM
3:00 PM
5:00 PM
7:15 PM
9:30 PM
11:45 PM
AVENUES-3
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
THE QUIET ONES (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
1:15 PM
3:30 PM
5:45 PM
8:00 PM
10:15 PM
12:30 AM
360º- 1
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
1:30 PM
3:45 PM
6:00 PM
8:15 PM
10:30 PM
12:45 AM
MUHALAB-2
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
MUHALAB-3
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
RIO 2 (DIG-3D)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG-3D)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG-3D)
1:30 PM
4:15 PM
6:30 PM
9:15 PM
12:05 AM
FANAR-1
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
1:00 PM
3:30 PM
5:45 PM
8:00 PM
10:15 PM
12:30 AM
FANAR-2
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
SUN+TUE+WED
RIO 2 (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
SNOWPIERCER (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
FANAR-3
BRICK MANSIONS (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
BRICK MANSIONS (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
MARINA-1
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
THE BAG MAN (DIG)
1:30 PM
3:15 PM
3:30 PM
5:15 PM
7:30 PM
9:30 PM
12:05 AM
1:00 PM
3:00 PM
5:45 PM
7:45 PM
9:45 PM
11:45 PM
12:45 PM
3:45 PM
6:30 PM
8:30 PM
10:30 PM
12:30 AM
360º- 2
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
IN THE BLOOD (DIG)
2:15 PM
4:45 PM
7:00 PM
9:30 PM
11:45 PM
1:45 PM
4:15 PM
6:45 PM
9:00 PM
11:15 PM
360º- 3
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG-3D)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG)
TINKER BELL AND THE PIRATE FAIRY (DIG-3D)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
2:00 PM
4:00 PM
6:00 PM
8:15 PM
10:00 PM
12:45 AM
AL-KOUT.1
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
1:30 PM
4:15 PM
7:00 PM
9:45 PM
12:30 AM
AL-KOUT.2
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SNOWPIERCER (DIG)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
SALEM ABO OKHTO (DIG) (Arabic)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (DIG)
NO SUN+TUE+WED
12:30 PM
2:45 PM
5:00 PM
7:15 PM
9:30 PM
11:45 PM
ACCOMMODATION
Khaitan - sharing spacious
bed space available for
decent Goan bachelor, from
June beside the main road
and bus stop in C/AC building with internet and kitchen
facility. Call
97523316/22474516.
(C 4710)
1-5-2014
CHANGE OF NAME
to change my name to Kabir
Taher Yusuf. Address:
Najampura, Sagwara,
Dungarpur. Raj.
(C 4711)
1-5-2014
FOR SALE
Sofa sets, center table, showcase, TV stand, bed room
sets, dressing table, fridge 4
months old, dining table with
chairs, other items. Contact:
99402377. (C 4712)
I, Kabir Taher Ali Yusuf,
Passport No: H8467312 want
Hospitals
Sabah Hospital
24812000
Amiri Hospital
22450005
Maternity Hospital
24843100
Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital
25312700
Chest Hospital
24849400
Farwaniya Hospital
24892010
Adan Hospital
23940620
Ibn Sina Hospital
24840300
Al-Razi Hospital
24846000
Physiotherapy Hospital
24874330/9
Clinics
Rabiya
24732263
Rawdha
22517733
Adailiya
22517144
Khaldiya
24848075
Khaifan
24849807
Shamiya
24848913
Shuwaikh
24814507
Abdullah Salim
22549134
Al-Nuzha
22526804
Industrial Shuwaikh
24814764
information
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION
In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation
of bookings will help other passengers use seats
Airlines
QTR
JZR
JZR
JZR
DLH
JZR
SAI
THY
RJA
GFA
UAE
ETD
JAI
PIA
FDB
MSR
OMA
QTR
MSC
THY
DHX
KAC
BAW
JZR
KAC
FDB
KAC
KAC
JZR
KAC
KAC
QTR
KAC
KAC
UAE
KAC
ABY
KAC
IRM
ETD
FDB
QTR
GFA
IAW
MSC
JZR
IRM
JZR
SYR
FDB
JZR
UAE
FDB
MRJ
MSR
MSR
THY
IRM
QTR
MSR
KAC
GFA
JZR
SVA
IRC
KNE
JZR
KAC
KAC
ABY
KNE
KNE
TBZ
RJA
KNE
KAC
KAC
JZR
QTR
JZR
FDB
ETD
UAE
SVA
UAL
Arrival Flights on Saturday 3/5/2014
Flt
Route
1084
Doha
239
Amman
267
Beirut
539
Cairo
637
Dammam
555
Alexandria
441
Lahore
764
Istanbul
642
Amman
211
Bahrain
853
Dubai
305
Abu Dhabi
576
Kochi/Abu Dhabi
239
Lahore
067
Dubai
612
Cairo
643
Muscat
1076
Doha
401
Alexandria
770
Istanbul
170
Bahrain
412
Manila/Bangkok
157
London
529
Asyut
416
Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur
053
Dubai
382
Delhi
204
Lahore
503
Luxor
302
Mumbai
206
Islamabad
1086
Doha
352
Kochi
344
Chennai
855
Dubai
362
Colombo
125
Sharjah
284
Dhaka
1186
Tehran
301
Abu Dhabi
055
Dubai
1070
Doha
213
Bahrain
157
Baghdad/Al Najaf
405
Sohag
325
Al Najaf
1188
Mashhad
151
Dubai
341
Damascus
055
Dubai
241
Amman
871
Dubai
057
Dubai
4815
Mashhad
610
Cairo
579
Sohag
766
Istanbul
1184
Shiraz
1078
Doha
575
Sharm el-Sheikh
546
Alexandria
221
Bahrain
779
Jeddah
500
Jeddah
526
Mashhad
472
Jeddah
357
Mashhad
522
Al Najaf
788
Jeddah
127
Sharjah
470
Jeddah
462
Madinah
5483
Mashhad
640
Amman
460
Riyadh
672
Dubai
118
New York
535
Cairo
1072
Doha
125
Bahrain
051
Dubai
303
Abu Dhabi
857
Dubai
510
Riyadh
982
IAD
Time
00:05
00:20
00:25
00:30
00:35
01:25
01:35
01:40
01:45
01:55
02:25
02:30
02:35
03:05
03:05
03:15
03:20
03:25
04:00
04:35
05:10
06:15
06:35
06:35
06:40
07:00
07:30
07:35
07:40
07:50
07:50
07:55
08:05
08:20
08:25
08:45
08:50
08:55
09:10
09:30
09:35
10:00
10:40
11:00
11:20
11:25
11:50
11:50
12:05
12:40
12:40
12:45
12:55
12:55
13:00
13:05
13:10
13:30
13:45
14:15
14:15
14:20
14:20
14:30
14:30
14:40
14:50
14:55
15:00
15:35
15:35
15:45
15:50
15:55
15:55
16:00
16:00
16:05
16:15
16:25
16:40
16:45
16:55
17:15
17:25
GFA
JZR
KAC
JZR
IZG
KAC
QTR
FDB
KAC
JAV
IRA
ABY
KAC
GFA
KAC
KAC
KAC
KAC
JAI
KAC
OMA
KNE
KAC
FDB
DLH
MEA
JZR
MSR
AXB
KLM
ALK
UAE
ETD
QTR
FDB
GFA
KNE
SVA
AIC
UAL
KAC
JZR
JAI
THY
215
177
176
777
4161
542
1080
063
104
621
669
129
618
217
774
502
674
742
572
614
647
474
562
5061
634
402
189
618
489
415
229
859
307
1074
059
219
480
2820
975
981
786
185
574
772
Bahrain
Dubai
Geneva/Frankfurt
Jeddah
Mashhad
Cairo
Doha
Dubai
London
Amman
Mashhad
Sharjah
Doha
Bahrain
Riyadh
Beirut
Dubai
Dammam
Mumbai
Bahrain
Muscat
Jeddah
Amman
Dubai
Frankfurt
Beirut
Dubai
Alexandria
Kochi/Mangalore
Amsterdam
Colombo
Dubai
Abu Dhabi
Doha
Dubai
Bahrain
Taif
Jeddah
Chennai/Goa
Bahrain
Jeddah
Dubai
Mumbai
Istanbul
Airlines
AIC
JAI
KLM
JZR
DLH
THY
SAI
FDB
MSR
ETD
OMA
QTR
PIA
MSC
QTR
UAE
THY
JAI
RJA
THY
GFA
JZR
JZR
KAC
FDB
JZR
BAW
JZR
QTR
JZR
JZR
ABY
KAC
UAE
ETD
FDB
IRM
KAC
QTR
KAC
Departure Flights on Saturday 3/5/2014
Flt
Route
976
Goa/Chennai
573
Mumbai
413
Amsterdam
502
Luxor
637
Frankfurt
773
Istanbul
442
Lahore
068
Dubai
613
Cairo
306
Abu Dhabi
644
Muscat
1077
Doha
240
Sialkot/Islamabad
406
Sohag
1085
Doha
854
Dubai
765
Istanbul
575
Abu Dhabi/Kochi
643
Amman
771
Istanbul
212
Bahrain
240
Amman
150
Dubai
545
Alexandria
054
Dubai
324
Al Najaf
156
London
778
Jeddah
1087
Doha
356
Mashhad
534
Cairo
126
Sharjah
787
Jeddah
856
Dubai
302
Abu Dhabi
056
Dubai
1185
Shiraz
101
London/New York
1071
Doha
521
Al Najaf
17:30
17:45
17:45
17:50
18:00
18:15
18:25
18:35
18:45
18:50
18:50
18:55
19:00
19:05
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19:25
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19:35
19:55
20:00
20:00
20:05
20:15
20:15
20:25
20:30
20:35
21:05
21:10
21:15
21:30
21:30
21:40
21:45
22:00
22:05
22:25
22:40
22:40
22:55
23:20
23:45
Time
00:05
00:20
00:55
01:30
01:35
02:20
02:35
03:45
04:15
04:20
04:20
04:25
04:35
05:00
05:20
05:30
06:00
06:30
06:35
06:50
07:00
07:05
07:15
07:20
07:50
08:05
08:25
08:45
08:55
09:00
09:15
09:30
09:35
09:50
10:15
10:15
10:20
10:25
11:00
11:15
KAC
KAC
GFA
KAC
KAC
IAW
JZR
MSC
SYR
JZR
IRM
FDB
JZR
FDB
MSR
MRJ
MSR
THY
UAE
IRM
KAC
QTR
MSR
GFA
KAC
IRC
KAC
KNE
KAC
JZR
SVA
ABY
KNE
KNE
KAC
KAC
KNE
RJA
KAC
JZR
QTR
TBZ
FDB
JZR
ETD
UAE
SVA
GFA
JZR
UAL
JZR
IZG
QTR
ABY
FDB
GFA
IRA
JAV
KAC
JAI
KNE
FDB
KAC
KAC
OMA
KAC
MEA
JZR
MSR
KAC
AXB
DHX
KLM
ETD
ALK
UAE
KAC
QTR
KAC
GFA
KNE
FDB
SVA
KAC
KAC
671
541
214
501
165
158
776
402
342
176
1189
056
124
058
580
4814
611
767
872
1187
561
1079
576
222
673
527
617
473
773
188
505
128
471
463
741
613
481
641
785
266
1073
5484
052
538
304
858
511
216
184
982
238
4162
1081
120
064
218
666
622
285
571
475
5062
361
331
648
351
403
552
607
543
490
171
415
308
230
860
381
1075
301
220
461
060
9321
205
411
Dubai
Cairo
Bahrain
Beirut
Rome/Paris
Al Najaf/Baghdad
Jeddah
Alexandria
Damascus
Dubai
Mashhad
Dubai
Bahrain
Dubai
Sohag
Mashhad
Cairo
Istanbul
Dubai
Tehran
Amman
Doha
Sharm el-Sheikh
Bahrain
Dubai
Mashhad
Doha
Jeddah
Riyadh
Dubai
Jeddah
Sharjah
Jeddah
Madinah
Dammam
Bahrain
Taif
Amman
Jeddah
Beirut
Doha
Mashhad
Dubai
Cairo
Abu Dhabi
Dubai
Riyadh
Bahrain
Dubai
Bahrain
Amman
Mashhad
Doha
Sharjah
Dubai
Bahrain
Esfahan
Amman
Dhaka
Mumbai
Jeddah
Dubai
Colombo
Trivandrum
Muscat
Kochi
Beirut
Alexandria
Luxor
Cairo
Mangalore/Kochi
Bahrain
Dammam/Amsterdam
Abu Dhabi
Colombo
Dubai
Delhi
Doha
Mumbai
Bahrain
Riyadh
Dubai
Jeddah
Islamabad
Bangkok/Manila
Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)
11:20
11:30
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23:00
23:25
23:35
23:40
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
C R O S S W O R D 5 3 6
Yesterday’s Solution
ACROSS
1. (British) Colloquial terms for an umbrella.
5. Brown-speckled European lark noted for singing while hovering at a great height.
12. Wild and domestic cattle.
15. Little known Kamarupan languages.
16. Alternatively, a member of the family Nymphaeaceae.
17. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.
18. Slender east African antelope with slim neck and backward-curving horns.
19. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.
20. A Nilotic language.
22. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.
23. A state in New England.
24. Searching for or buying goods or services.
26. Being one more than fifty.
27. A bachelor's degree in music.
29. A port city and resort in Andalusia in southern Spain on the Mediterranean.
30. A complete metric system of units of measurement for scientists.
32. Cut off from a whole.
34. An inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others.
36. (in Scotland or Ireland) A mountain or tall hill.
41. A sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain
disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure.
43. Port city on southern Honshu on Osaka Bay.
45. Serving as or forming a base.
46. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd
and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.
49. (informal) Of the highest quality.
50. A long projecting or anterior elongation of an animal's head.
51. An accessory or adjoining anatomical parts or appendages (especially of the
embryo).
52. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.
56. A correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of
the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a
sentence).
57. A long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur.
60. A colorless and odorless inert gas.
61. Harsh or corrosive in tone.
62. A Russian prison camp for political prisoners.
66. Formerly the basic unit of money in Hungary until it was replaced by the forint in
1946.
69. A state in the western United States.
73. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).
74. Canna grown especially for its edible rootstock from which arrowroot starch is
obtained.
77. In or of the month preceding the present one.
78. A cut of pork ribs with much of the meat trimmed off.
80. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.
81. Small cubes with 1 to 6 spots on the faces.
82. Low stingless nettle of Central and South America having velvety brownish-green
toothed leaves and clusters of small green flowers.
83. A master's degree in education.
Daily SuDoku
DOWN
1. Mentally or physically infirm with age.
2. In bed.
3. Relating to principles of right and wrong.
4. An infant that is born prior to 37 weeks of gestation.
5. The application of very thin coat of color over the surface of a picture.
6. A Japanese (paper or silk) wall hanging.
7. A soft silvery metallic element.
8. A fine-grained unstratified accumulation of clay and silt deposited by the wind.
9. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.
10. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali metal group.
11. The capital and largest city of Uganda on the north shore of Lake Victoria.
12. An oil port in southern Iraq.
13. Large long-armed ape of Borneo and Sumatra having arboreal habits.
14. Goat-like antelope of central Eurasia having a stubby nose like a proboscis.
21. Great coolness and composure under strain.
25. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE
Nebraska.
28. Being or moving higher in position or greater in some value.
31. Large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spiny crest along the
back.
33. A British peer of the highest rank.
35. A university town in east central Maine on the Penobscot River north of Bangor.
37. (trademark) A liquid that temporarily disables a person.
38. A member of a nomadic people of the northern Ural mountains.
39. An association of nations dedicated to economic and political cooperation in
southeastern Asia.
40. Locate and correct errors in a computer program code.
42. Any of various deciduous or evergreen ornamental shrubs of the genus Abelia
having opposite simple leaves and cymes of small white or pink or purplish flowers.
44. A island in the Netherlands Antilles that is the top of an extinct volcano.
47. An edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle.
48. A small cake leavened with yeast.
53. A city in east central Texas.
54. Black tropical American cuckoo.
55. Not yet payable.
58. Deprived of parents by death or desertion.
59. A syllabic script used in writing Sanskrit and Hindi.
63. Large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerine and grapefruit having a thick wrinkled
skin.
64. Being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time.
65. A short labored intake of breath with the mouth open.
67. A genus of Mustelidae.
68. A recurring sleep state during which rapid eye movements do not occur and
dreaming does not occur.
70. Thin and fit.
71. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.
72. (of persons) Highest in rank or authority or office.
75. An accountant certified by the state.
76. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.
79. Being nine more than ninety.
Yesterdayʼs Solution
Yesterday’s Solution
SPORTS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Orioles beat Pirates 6-5 for doubleheader sweep
BALTIMORE: Matt Wieters led off the 10th inning with a
home run off Stolmy Pimentel to give the Baltimore
Orioles a 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a
doubleheader sweep Thursday night. In the opener,
Steve Pearce had three hits and two RBIs in his return to
the Orioles, who got a home run from Nick Markakis in a
5-1 win. The single-admission doubleheader followed
consecutive rainouts on Tuesday and Wednesday. The
rain lingered long enough to delay the fifth inning of
the opener by 21 minutes, and the start of the nightcap
was stalled 46 minutes by rain. The second game
marked the season debut of Orioles third baseman
Manny Machado, who had left knee surgery in October.
After sitting out the opener, Machado received a warm
ovation from the crowd of 28,290 before the second
game and went 0 for 5.
MARINERS 4, YANKEES 2
Robinson Cano doubled and drove in two runs,
Roenis Elias struck out 10 in seven impressive innings
and Seattle beat New York. Michael Saunders had three
hits, including an RBI double, to help the Mariners win
for the fifth time in six games following an eight-game
skid. Seattle won both games in a rain-shortened series
that marked Cano’s return to New York after signing a
$240 million, 10-year contract with the Mariners during
the offseason. The All-Star second baseman was booed
again and finished the series 2 for 9 with three RBIs.
Seattle has won four straight at Yankee Stadium dating
to last season.
RAYS 2, RED SOX 1, GAME 1;
RAYS 6, RED SOX 5, GAME 2
Yunel Escobar homered off closer Koji Uehara leading off the ninth inning to propel Tampa Bay to a 6-5
win and a day-night doubleheader sweep of Boston.
Escobar crushed the second pitch from Uehara (0-1)
over the Green Monster in left field for his second
homer of the year, and Grant Balfour recorded the final
three outs for his second save of the day and sixth of the
season. Sean Rodriguez and Desmond Jennings also
went deep for Tampa Bay, which won for just the third
time in nine games. Jake McGee (2-0) earned the win
with one inning of scoreless relief. Tampa Bay won the
opener, 2-1. David DeJesus had a homer and drew a
bases-loaded walk, and the Rays’ bullpen pitched 4 1-3
scoreless innings.
BLUE JAYS 7, ROYALS 3
Mark Buehrle pitched into the seventh inning, Juan
Francisco and Colby Rasmus each went deep and
Toronto avoided a series sweep. Francisco and Rasmus
each drove in a pair of runs for the Blue Jays, as did
Anthony Gose, who was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo
to start in place of injured outfielder Melky Cabrera.
Buehrle (5-1) worked through plenty of trouble to last 6
2-3 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and
a pair of walks. It was a solid bounce-back performance
after the left-hander was hammered for seven runs last
Friday night against Boston. Aaron Loup pitched 2 1-3
shutout innings for his third career save. The Royals’
Jeremy Guthrie (2-2) left trailing 4-3 after six innings.
INTERLEAGUE GAME
DODGERS 9, TWINS 4
Scott Van Slyke and Drew Butera homered in the
12th inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers held on to
beat the Minnesota Twins to earn a sweep of the daynight doubleheader on Thursday night. Adrian Gonzalez
also homered for the Dodgers, who stranded 16 runners
in the 5 hour, 11-minute game. Yasiel Puig tied a career
high with four hits in Los Angeles’ Game 1 win and
added two more in the nightcap. Before grounding out
in the fifth, Puig had reached base in nine consecutive
plate appearances. Joe Mauer had three hits for the
Twins, who walked 12 in the second game and 18 in
both games. Van Slyke led off the 12th and lined a 2-1
pitch from Brian Duensing (0-1) into the bullpen in leftcenter field. Butera hit his first homer since July 12,
2012, two batters later. Jamey Wright (2-1) didn’t allow
a run in three innings of relief. Kenley Jansen loaded
the bases in the 12th and allowed a Mauer sacrifice fly,
but got Chris Colabello to line out to first for his 11th
save in 13 chances.— AP
MINNEAPOLIS: Dee Gordon #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets Chris Colabello #20 of the Minnesota Twins out at second base
as Gordon turns a double-play during the sixth inning in game two of a doubleheader on May 1, 2014. —AFP
Marlins down Braves
for three-game sweep
MIAMI: Giancarlo Stanton and Casey
McGehee hit consecutive run-scoring singles off David Carpenter during a two-run
rally in the seventh inning as the Miami
Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4
Thursday for a three-game sweep of the
National League East leader. Miami has
won six straight home games for the first
time at Marlins Park, which opened in
2012. It is the longest home winning
streak for the team since the Marlins won
eight in a row from June 20 to July 1, 2009.
With the Marlins trailing 4-3, pinch-hitter
Reed Johnson singled off Ian Thomas (1-1)
leading off the seventh and took second
on Christian Yelich’s single. Derek Dietrich
lined out, and Carpenter relieved and
gave up the back-to-back hits. Mike Dunn
(3-3) pitched a hitless seventh, and Steve
Cishek got four outs for his sixth save.
REDS 8, BREWERS 3
Brayan Pena’s second career pinchhomer started Cincinnati’s five-run, eighthinning rally. Tucker Barnhart led off the fifth
with his first career homer and Todd Frazier
added a two-run drive in the sixth off Marco
Estrada, who gave up six hits and four walks
in six innings. Pena had homered during a
9-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday
night. He hit for Bailey with the score tied at
3 in the eighth and connected on the first
pitch from Jim Henderson (2-1) for a tworun homer. Homer Bailey (2-2) allowed
eight hits in a season-high eight innings.
ROCKIES 7, METS 4
Carlos Gonzalez homered before leav-
ing with a finger injury, Juan Nicasio
pitched seven scoreless innings and drove
in three runs, and Colorado beat New York.
Corey Dickerson had three hits, including
an RBI triple and Nolan Arenado singled
leading off the third to extend the majors’
longest active streak to 21 games. He’s tied
for the fourth-longest hitting streak in
Rockies team history. Gonzalez connected
for his sixth home run of the season in the
first inning, driving a 3-2 offering from
Bartolo Colon (2-4) off the right-center field
facing just below the second deck.
Gonzalez was lifted in the fourth inning,
replaced by pinch hitter Brandon Barnes,
because of what the team said was a
bruised left index finger. His playing status
was listed as day to day. Nicasio (3-1) got
the win.—AP
SPORTS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Mayweather’s best offence is clever defense
LAS VEGAS: Pound-for-pound king
Floyd Mayweather has what he considers the ideal strategy when he puts
his perfect record on the line today
against power-puncher Marcos
Maidana. “The game plan is to stay in
the pocket. Make the guy miss and
make the guy pay,” says Mayweather,
who is the highest paid athlete in
North American sports, earning an
estimated $85 million year according
to Forbes Magazine.
The 37-year-old undefeated
American will be a 12-1 favorite when
he defends his World Boxing Council
147-pound crown against the World
Boxing Association champ Maidana in
a unification bout at the MGM Grand
Hotel and Casino. Mayweather has
won championship belts in five divisions and remained undefeated in 45
career fights. He is a defensive-minded
fighter who beats his opponents with
Olympic-style tactics-racking up
points with the judges.
His counterpunching strategy may
not make for exciting knockouts, but it
has served him well during his 18-year
career. “Is Marcos Maidana one of the
best in the sport? Absolutely,”
Mayweather said. “But I am the best
there is. We are still wondering who’s
going to solve the ‘MayVinci’ Code?
But come today I will find a way to
win.” The fight is the third of the 30month, six-fight deal worth $200 million-plus that Mayweather signed with
pay-per-view outlet Showtime.
In his last fight, Mayweather
became the unified super welterweight world champ by dominating
Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez on
September 14, 2013. His fight against
Alvarez was the highest grossing payper-view bout of all-time with revenues of more than $150 million. For
today’s contest, Mayweather is guaranteed a purse of $32 million while
Maidana will receive $1.5 million. The
30-year-old Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs)
will be making the first defense of his
belt.
Some boxing purists have a hard
time getting excited for today’s fight.
Journeyman Maidana earned this shot
by beating Adrien Broner for the WBA
title in December. But the heavy
underdog has also lost to one of the
fighters on the undercard, Amir Khan,
who stopped Maidana in December of
2010. “Maidana is a predictable fighter,” said Floyd Mayweather Sr., who
trains his son. “When I see Maidana. I
see someone that Floyd can easily pick
apart. Maidana may be able to punch
strong, but here’s the thing-how you
going to hit something you can’t
catch.”
Today’s undercard features British
superstar Khan squaring off against
American Luis Collazo in a non-title
fight that could put the winner in line
to fight Mayweather in the fall. Khan
had thought he was on course to fight
Mayweather on this card, but
Mayweather plumped for Maidana
instead. The 27-year-old Khan will end
a 12-month hiatus today when he
moves up to the welterweight division
to face Collazo. “He will be bigger than
me on the night of the fight and at
times I will have to dig deep,” Khan
said. There is also a non-title super
lightweight fight between Americans
Broner and Carlos Molina.— AFP
LAS VEGAS: Undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr, gets the crowd laughing during his speech at the AEG and MGM Resorts
International ground breaking VIP/media event on Thursday, May 1, 2014. —AP
California Chrome buffed to
sparkle at Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE: California Chrome, winner of his
last four races, is primed to shine today as the
140th Kentucky Derby kicks off US flat racing’s
Triple Crown. The chestnut colt trained by Art
Sherman was installed as the early 5-2 favorite for
the $2 million, 1 1/4-mile race at Churchill Downs,
where he will break from the fifth post under
jockey Victor Espinoza.
“I think it’s a perfect spot,” said Sherman. “I
think if we break clean, he’ll get out of a lot of
trouble.” At 77, Sherman could become the oldest trainer to condition a Derby winner. Hall of
Famer Charlie Whittingham, another Californian,
won the race at 76. The week in Kentucky has had
Sherman recalling his only prior trip to the Derby
59 years ago-as a stable hand for legendary 1955
winner Swaps. Despite the pressures that come
with saddling a Kentucky Derby favorite,
Sherman was enjoying the experience. “I’m going
to go to the parties, relax and have a good time,”
he said.
The 5-2 odds on California Chrome make him
one of the strongest pre-race favorites of recent
years. Orb won as 7-2 early favorite last year.
Hoppertunity, the colt trained by Hall of Famer
Bob Baffert that was made the early second
choice at 6-1, was taken out of the running with a
left front hoof issue on Thursday, Baffert saying
he’d point the horse at the Preakness, second leg
of the Triple Crown, on May 17. The series concludes with the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes on
June 7. The last horse to achieve the coveted treble was Affirmed in 1978.
Hoppertunity knocks
California Chrome established himself as the
stand-out among this year’s crop of three-yearolds with dominant victories in the Grade Two
San Felipe and the Grade One Santa Anita Derby,
dominating fields that included graded stakes
winners by a combined 12 lengths. With
Hoppertunity out, the main threats to California
Chrome include Wicked Strong and Danza.
Wicked Strong had been widely expected to be
priced as the second choice, but was out at 8-1
after drawing the outside 20th post. “I’m trying to
convince myself that it’s not a bad post,” trainer
Jimmy Jerkens said. “But I don’t know if I can.”
The outside post in the crowded field isn’t all
bad news. Big Brown won from the 20 hole in
2008 and Orb won from the 16th post last year.
Danza, trained by Todd Pletcher, is a question
mark, but was priced at 10-1 on the strength of
his stunning victory in the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas
Derby as a 41-1 underdog. Pletcher was happy
with the number four post drawn by Danza, who
will be ridden by Joe Bravo. “He has some experience from inside, so I don’t think it’s a big disadvantage,” said Pletcher, who also saddles the 121 Intense Holiday-an unlucky second in the
Louisiana Derby in his last start.
The unfancied first post was drawn by Vicar’s
in Trouble, who finished second behind
California Chrome in the race for Derby qualifying points but was priced at 30-1 after drawing
the rail. The last horse to win from the number
one spot was Ferdinand in 1986. “I was kind of
shocked,” jockey Rosie Napravnik said of the
draw. “It’s not ideal for anyone, but if I had to
have a horse coming out at number one it would
be Vicar. He’s sharp coming out of the hole.”
Napravnik, who piloted Vicar’s in Trouble to victory in the Louisiana Derby on March 29, will be
out to make history as the first woman jockey to
win the Kentucky Derby. Her fifth-placed finish
on Mylute last year was the best ever for a female
rider.—AFP
KENTUCKY: Kentucky Derby contender
California Chrome stands while being bathed
after working out on the track during early
morning workouts at Churchill Downs. —AFP
Khan ‘hungrier
than ever’ to step
back into the ring
LAS VEGAS: Amir Khan is hungrier than
ever to step back into the ring, saying he
didn’t want to come off the longest break of
his career against an easy opponent. The
27-year-old Briton will end a 12-month hiatus today when he moves up in weight to
face American Luis Collazo in a non-title
fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. “I
fight everyone,” Khan says. “Collazo is a mixture of a boxer and a fighter. He is slick and
he knows how to fight. I am a similar style
so that is what is going to make this fight
exciting.”
Khan and Collazo’s 12-round welterweight fight is on the undercard of the
Floyd Mayweather-Marcos Maidana 147pound (67 kg) world title fight. “He is going
to give it 100 percent and he is in great
shape,” Khan said Thursday at a news conference Thursday at the Hollywood Theatre
in the MGM Grand. “He will be bigger than
me on the night of the fight and at times I
will have to dig deep.” Size and weight will
be crucial for Khan in his first welterweight
bout.
‘Trained my way up’
“I have not ate my way up to this weight.
I trained my way up to this weight,” Khan
said, adding that he’s more comfortable at
147 pounds because he doesn’t have to
starve himself to get down to 140 ahead of
Friday’s weigh-in. “I feel so much stronger
and happier at this weight,” he said. “That
seven pounds makes a big difference and I
have kept all my power and speed.” Khan’s
last fight was in April of last year when he
won a 12-round decision over Julio Diaz in
Sheffield, England.
Just over a month later Khan got married
and now the couple are expecting a baby.
After the win over Diaz, Khan took four
months off from boxing to spend time with
his bride. Khan (28-3, 19 knockouts) says the
time away was good for him mentally and
physically. “My body needed a break,” he
said. —AFP
SPORTS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Cook laments ‘tough’ Gooch call
LONDON: Alastair Cook said he’d made one of
the hardest telephone calls of his career to tell
boyhood hero Graham Gooch he was no longer
needed by England. Cook, the England captain,
was mentored through the ranks at Essex by
Gooch, one of the county’s greatest players and
England’s record Test run-scorer, before working alongside him at international level. But
Thursday saw Gooch become one of the first
backroom casualties of Peter Moores’s second
spell as England coach when he was dismissed
as batting coach. It appeared the 60-year-old
former captain, like Cook an opening batsman,
was paying the price for England having failed
to make the benchmark total of 400 in a Test
innings since March 2013 - a key factor in their
recent 5-0 Ashes whitewash in Australia.
Cook, who will captain England in a one-day
international away to Scotland next week, said
his most recent conversation with Gooch had
been one of the most difficult he’d known.
“Everyone knows how close we are-and we’ve
been through quite a lot together,” said Cook.
“To make a decision on a guy I’ve had so much
respect for, and the whole of England has, was
tough. “I was telling a man, who I used to go
and queue up to get his autograph and hope
he’d score runs, that it’s time to move on. I’ll
remember that for a long time.” “But the calibre
of Goochie especially, as a person, he was
telling me: ‘I totally understand’. “For him to say
that, when a 29-year-old is telling him ‘we want
to move on’, shows just why I hold him in such
high regard.”
Greatest strength
However, Cook insisted he would be happy
for anyone in the England side to continue to
use Gooch as a personal batting coach. “I hope
that relationship will continue - not just with
me,” the left-hander said. “I know Belly (Ian
Bell) has used him a hell of a lot, and has had
great rewards, and we hope we can continue
doing that on a one-to-one basis. “I’ve worked
with him for 11 years like that, and I know that’s
his greatest strength.” And Cook said being the
bearer of bad news had not damaged his relationship with Gooch.
“We were both very clear we want to remain
friends,” he said. “He was immediately talking
about other stuff ... how I can go on in my
game. That was quite humbling. “This is professionalism, and will not affect how we feel about
each other.” Meanwhile Gooch told BBC Radio
Five: “I’m not going to think bad of Alastair
about this. “Playing for England is bigger than
the individual and what’s right for England is
the way forward. “I think it’s a joint decision-the
captain and coach’s decisions have to be pretty
much as one. Alastair was in favor of the deci-
sion and I respect that.
“He knows he needs to look at the way he
handles a side and stamp authority on a team
and making a decision like this is good for him.
He has to believe in the decisions he makes.
“We’ll still be friends forever and hopefully I’ll
still be involved in his game in some way.”
Since the Ashes, the only player whose international career has been terminated definitively is
one-time star batsman Kevin Pietersen,
England’s leading run-scorer across all formats.
Pietersen, however, remains an active player
and on Thursday, somewhat sarcastically, volunteered via Twitter to succeed Gooch as
England batting coach. Cook, who was a party
to the decision to ditch Pietersen, said: “The
Kevin stuff is always going to linger on,
because of social media and the way that
works. “As a side, we have to move on. The
decision has been made.”—AFP
Brinkmanship,
pragmatism
behind SANZAR
expansion
Cabrera in control
at Quail Hollow
CHARLOTTE: Twice major champion Angel Cabrera conjured up some of his old magic to seize the first round lead
with a six-under-par 66 in the first round of the $6.9 million
Wells Fargo Championship on Thursday. The long-hitting
veteran from Argentina reeled off four successive birdies
around the turn to end the day one stroke in front of
Americans Phil Mickelson and Martin Flores. German Martin
Kaymer, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy and Englishman
Justin Rose are among a group of nine players a further two
shots back on an impressive leaderboard. Cabrera, 44, has
made few headlines since losing a playoff to Adam Scott at
last year’s Masters but he is still capable of matching it with
the game’s best on any given day.
“I played very well on the greens and saved myself on the
holes that I didn’t play so well,” Cabrera, whose only two
PGA Tour victories came at the highest level with the 2007
U.S. Open and the 2009 Masters, told reporters. He had two
birdies and one bogey in the first five holes at Quail Hollow
before kickstarting his move up the leaderboard with a fivefoot birdie putt at the par-five seventh. Cabrera then recorded four consecutive birdies from the ninth, three of them
from close range, along with a monster 42-foot putt from
the fringe at the 11th.
Successive eagles
Kaymer, who had consecutive eagles in his round, was
unable to remember even having previously notched the
rare feat. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that before,” said
Kaymer, who sank a 15-footer at the seventh hole and then
holed out from 65 yards from the rough at the par-four
eighth. He considered his two eagles, which were bookended with bogeys, just reward for an otherwise frustrating day
on the greens. “I missed a lot of short putts today,” he said.
“I stayed in the tournament but overall it would have been
nice to get a couple more shots here and there.” Kaymer
was ranked number one in the world barely three years ago,
but has since slipped to 63rd. He has not been playing badly, missing only two cuts worldwide since this event last
year, but has not often contended for victory.
McIlroy, returning after a two-week post-Masters break,
looked sharp apart from a couple of wayward drives. “I gave
myself chances for birdies and putted a little better than I
have in the last few weeks, so that’s a positive,” said the
2010 champion, who birdied three of the four par-fives. “I
played the par fives well, which I wanted to do (because) at
Augusta I didn’t.” This week’s event has attracted a highquality field, although not quite as strong as it did in its first
few years at Quail Hollow. The course received rave reviews
when the event was first held in 2003, but the greens were
in poor condition last year which perhaps scared off a few
players from returning. The greens were subsequently dug
up and replanted and early reports by the players suggest
they are in better condition this year.— Reuters
CHARLOTTE: Angel Cabrera of Argentina hits his tee shot on the 17th hole
during the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club
on May 1, 2014. — AFP
WELLINGTON: The location of Super
Rugby’s 18th team when the competition
expands in two years time should provoke
some robust debate given the brinkmanship and pragmatic compromise behind
SANZAR’s realignment plans announced
earlier this week. The expansion was hastily unveiled on Thursday after Australian
Rugby Union chief executive Bill Pulver
appeared to jump the gun by telling local
media about the details before his SANZAR partners were ready to release them.
The competition will expand from 15
teams to 18 in 2016, with South Africa
being given a sixth team and a side from
Argentina also joining. An as yet unnamed
18th team will be added after outside
interest is gauged. Pulver’s release of the
details caused some consternation for his
New Zealand Rugby counterpart Steve
Tew, who said the news prompted a flurry
of “quite short” emails between the two
organizations.
Relations between the two unions
soured in the past decade over World Cup
hosting rights in 2003 and Australia backing Japan’s bid for the 2011 tournament
but Tew denied there was any of the same
bitterness that existed when John O’Neill
was in charge of the ARU. “Bill is fine,” Tew
said. “I think there is a big difference
between Bill and John so I wouldn’t see
anything in the history.” While Tew played
down any talk of enmity between the two
organizations, they are likely to find themselves at loggerheads concerning where
the 18th team are based. Both want the
team to be placed in a ‘non-traditional’
rugby market mindful of the commercial
opportunities that exist in Asia, North
America and southern Europe.
Tew says he has an open mind about
the location, though the NZRU’s strategic
alliance with USA Rugby and sponsorship
deal with insurance giant AIG could influence their thinking. Pulver, however, has
already said his organization’s preferred
option is Asia. Japan is an established rugby nation while the Hong Kong stop is
considered the jewel in the crown on the
IRB’s sevens circuit. Matches in Asia would
also fall into Australia’s prime time television viewing hours. — Reuters
SPORTS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Talaat hopes to fulfill NFL dream
MARTINSVILLE: A little trash talk and some crowd noise
can be big distractions on a football field. Not for Adham
Talaat. The talented defensive end is deaf, though he
hears just fine with hearing aids. But he didn’t wear them
on the field while he played at Gallaudet University, a
school for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington,
DC. Talaat, a late bloomer in high school, was a standout
player in college. Now he’s hoping for a chance in the
NFL in next week’s draft and wants teams to ignore his
hearing problem.
“I don’t view my hearing loss as any detriment or hindrance at all. I actually feel that it is an advantage for me,”
Talaat said in an email to The Associated Press. “Crowd
noise and trash talk does not faze me. An important point
to consider is that NFL stadiums are loud. Players can’t
always hear each other, so they use signals or signs on
the sidelines, which is non-verbal communication. That
happens to be my specialty.” Talaat has dreamed of playing in the NFL since watching John Elway lead the Denver
Broncos to consecutive Super Bowl titles when he was a
kid. Dominating at the Division III level helped Talaat
draw attention from scouts. More than 25 NFL teams
have met with him or watched him play.
Now comes the hard part: waiting for a phone call
when the draft kicks off next week. “The odds were
stacked against me since I was born,” Talaat said.
“Hypothetically, if I went to a BCS school and performed
the way I have at Gallaudet, I would be in contention for a
first-to-third round pick. It seems fitting because my
entire life, nothing has ever been handed to me; I’ve
always been snubbed and overlooked, and every time I
have made those people regret it. My message to the NFL
office personnel is this: Don’t be the one to overlook me
here, or I WILL make you sorry! All I need is the opportunity to be coached and compete. I will not disappoint!”
Talaat, who is 6-foot-6, and a lean 271 pounds, had
five sacks and 46 tackles while facing mostly double-and
triple-teams during his senior season. He spent 13 weeks
training at TEST Sports Clubs this winter to improve his
all-around skills. The hard work paid off when Talaat posted impressive numbers at Gallaudet’s first-ever Pro Day
last month. Talaat ran a 4.94 40-yard dash, had a 30-inch
vertical jump and benched 225 pounds 23 times. That’s
two more reps than Jadeveon Clowney, the South
Carolina defensive end who might be the No. 1 overall
pick. Talaat’s time of 7.28 seconds in the three-cone drill
was only .01 seconds slower than Clowney.
“His size, speed and wingspan are all NFL-caliber
traits,” said Kevin Dunn, owner and CEO of TEST Parisi
Football Academy. “If you could tangibly measure
Adham’s will to win, desire to get better and the passion
and purpose that is inside his heart, it would fill a stadium
and add a tremendous amount of good character to any
market in the NFL.” Talaat has a strong work ethic, a quality evident on a Friday afternoon in February when he
stayed after practice to get more instruction on running
the 40. He doesn’t consider his hearing a handicap and
never uses it as an excuse.
“We didn’t give him any special treatment, made sure
to treat him like everyone else, and I know he appreciated
that,” said Geir Gudmundsen, the academy’s director of
football operations. “He’s the type of kid that will be the
first one to the facility, and the last one to leave. He’s certain that he was born to play football. When you hear him
talk, you can feel his passion for the game. When you
observe his workouts, you can see that he will not get
outworked.” Talaat’s journey has been filled with obstacles. He was diagnosed with profound to severe hearing
loss at 18 months old. After being fitted with hearing aids,
he started preschool early to learn how to speak. It didn’t
hold him back: He took regular classes and did well academically.—AP
Cryogenic freezing? ‘Yeah,
baby!’ says Date-Krumm
TOKYO: Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm has no
plans to quit tennis at the ripe old age of 43 but
told AFP she would have to be cryogenically
frozen to carry on for too much longer. The former world number four joked that going into a
deep freeze like spoof spy Austin Powers and
being defrosted in time for the 2020 Tokyo
Olympics would appeal to her as she battles
minor injuries in the run-up to the French
Open. “If I’d just have to sleep and then when I
wake up it’s like it’s yesterday, that might work,”
Date-Krumm said in an interview ahead of a
workout at a Tokyo gym. “I’m not getting any
younger.” “I did this in Mexico, this in Malaysia
and this in Korea,” she adds, pointing to various
minor niggles on both legs. “It gets harder with
age.”
TOKYO: Japanese tennis player Kimiko DateKrumm poses for a photo in Tokyo. — AFP
But the evergreen Date-Krumm, who
reached her career-high ranking in 1995, ruled
out retirement, for now, even if she confessed
to doubts sometimes creeping in as to how
long she can continue. “Next year? That’s still a
long way away,” said the world number 84,
bursting into a laugh. “I have thought at times
that enough is enough and wrestled with the
idea (of quitting), but I’ve managed to overcome those feelings so far. “I don’t have any
problem with people mentioning my age. Of
course my recovery time after matches is slower
and I feel the fatigue more the next day. On the
way back to the hotel, you feel sore and sometimes the ice baths don’t work.”
‘Few wrinkles’
Dressed in a designer blouse, blue jeans and
heels, Date-Krumm is brutally honest about the
future. “When I came back at 37 I was way
stronger than I am now,” said the Kyoto native,
who walked away from tennis in 1996, the year
she suffered a controversial defeat by Steffi Graf
in the Wimbledon semi-finals. “But I’m not
thinking about stopping yet.” There have been
fairytale moments since Date-Krumm’s return
to the sport in 2008. In 2009 she became the
second-oldest player in the modern era to win a
WTA singles title after Billie Jean King when she
claimed the Korea Open, and last year reached
the third round at Wimbledon, the oldest
woman to do so. “There’s no special secret,”
said Date-Krumm. “Tennis has become more
scientific since the 90s. Strengthening core and
back muscles helps maximize my power.”
However, the appliance of science can only
do so much. “If the Tokyo Olympics were in
2016, my motivation would be right up there,”
said the eight-times tour singles champion. “It
might be possible.” When talk turns to her gutwrenching Wimbledon loss to Graf, when the
German’s protests about bad light led to play
being suspended with Date-Krumm clearly on
top, the Japanese gave a polite shrug. “I could
see the ball and wanted to keep playing, and
maybe I could have won. But it was fate,” she
said before once more breaking into laughter.
“What strikes me more than anything when I
see re-runs on TV is how few wrinkles I had back
then.” — AFP
Ronnie OíSullivan
Snooker - O’Sullivan stays
on course for another title
LONDON: Ronnie O’Sullivan maintained his
charge towards a third successive World
Championship title as he established a 6-2 lead
over Barry Hawkins in the first session of their
semi-final on Thursday. O’Sullivan has been in
fine form during his pursuit of a sixth world
crown of his career since coming from behind to
defeat Joe Perry in the second round at
Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.
O’Sullivan swept past Shaun Murphy, himself
a former world champion, in the quarter-finals
with a session to spare and, in a repeat of last
year’s final, wasted little time in establishing a
four-frame lead in the best of 33 contest. He took
the first of the semi-final with a break of 63
before Hawkins levelled with a contribution of
96 and briefly went ahead with a break of 76. But
it was one-way traffic from then on, Hawkins’s
mistakes and O’Sullivan’s skill seeing the champion, who made a break of 108 in the seventh
frame before a missed red from his opponent let
him take the next, pull ahead.
The second semi-final was an AngloAustralian clash between Mark Selby and
Melbourne-born Neil Robertson, the 2010 world
champion, who in his quarter-final win over Judd
Trump became the first player to make 100 competitive century breaks in a tour season. Selby
established a 5-3 overnight lead after world
number one Robertson made a break of 130 in
the final frame of the day. Robertson came from
5-1 down to beat Selby 10-7 in the final of the UK
Championship, snooker’s second-most important tournament, in December. — AFP
SPORTS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
NBA launches bid to oust Clippers owner
NEW YORK: The National Basketball Association has
launched its bid to oust Donald Sterling as owner of the
Los Angeles Clippers for racist comments as a panel of
10 fellow team owners or their proxies unanimously
agreed to proceed “as expeditiously as possible,” the
NBA said. The decision, reached during a telephone
conference call of the NBA Board of Governors’ advisory-finance committee, seemed to indicate a strong base
of support among Sterling’s fellow owners for his
removal, as urged by league Commissioner Adam
Silver.
Silver on Tuesday declared Sterling banned from the
NBA for life, fined him $2.5 million - the league maximum - and called on the 29 other club owners who
make up the governing board to exercise their authority
to force Sterling to sell the Clippers. The unprecedented
move would require a three-fourths majority vote under
the league’s constitution and bylaws. If approved, the
board could then go further still and vote to seize ownership of the team for the NBA itself to sell, cutting
Sterling out of the negotiations.
The decision came hours before sports network
ESPN and other media reported Sterling has been battling prostate cancer. Reuters could not independently
confirm the reports. Silver and at least two of the owners, including the interim chairman of the board, Glen
Taylor of the Minnesota Timberwolves, have expressed
confidence they could muster the votes necessary to
force a sale. The teams represented in Thursday’s initial
strategy session were Minnesota Timberwolves, the
Miami Heat, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los
Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics,
the San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns, the Indiana
Pacers and the Toronto Raptors.
In a brief statement, the NBA said the panel discussed terminating Sterling’s ownership and “unanimously agreed to move forward as expeditiously as possible.” It said the panel would reconvene next week. The
committee’s decision was in line with an outpouring of
support expressed by the owners as a whole for Silver
following Tuesday’s announcement of a ban. But
experts have suggested that some of Sterling’s fellow
owners might be hesitant to support action they felt
could set a precedent weakening their own future property rights.
Collision course seen
Sterling, who bought the Clippers in 1981 for $13
million when the team was based in San Diego, has not
indicated whether he would relinquish ownership without putting up a fight. Experts have estimated that the
franchise, which moved to Los Angeles in 1984, could
now be worth as much as $1 billion, posing an enormous potential capital gains tax liability on Sterling if he
were to sell the team. A number of legal scholars and
sports business analysts have said they expect Sterling
and the NBA to be on a collision course that will be
fought out in court.
“The guy has a reputation for being highly litigious. I
just can’t possibly imagine him rolling over and handing
the team over and not fighting back,” said Adam
Schlatner, a sports business attorney and commercial
litigator. Schlatner, who handles legal matters for the
National Hockey League’s New York Islanders’ owner
Charles Wang and has had dealings with clients involving the NBA, said the league might consider allowing
Sterling to sell the team himself by a prescribed deadline. But he predicted that, one way or another, Sterling
would end up severed from the Clippers and would
realize that “the franchise would not be economically
viable if he continues to own it.”
The scandal sparked outrage from fans and players,
and numerous commercial sponsors pulled their support from the team before and after the NBA moved to
expel Sterling. Sterling was banned from any further ties
with his team or professional basketball, and stripped of
his seat on the NBA governing board, days after two
websites released audio recordings in which a voice
said to be Sterling’s is heard criticizing a female friend
for “associating with black people.” Silver said Tuesday
that Sterling has acknowledged to the NBA that the
recording was authentic but did not apologize.
The sale of the Clippers could take weeks. According
to NBA bylaws, Silver must present Sterling a written
copy of any allegations justifying a forced sale within
three days, and Sterling would have five days to answer.
A special hearing of the Board of Governors, consisting
of all the owners, would then be held on a date no more
than 10 days after Sterling’s reply. The prospect of
Sterling’s ouster led several luminaries of sports and
show business to signal interest in buying the team.
Among them were talk show host turned media mogul
Oprah Winfrey, Hollywood executive David Geffen,
computer technology titan Larry Ellison, former Los
Angeles Lakers star Earvin “Magic” Johnson and boxing
promoter Oscar De La Hoya.— Reuters
Pacers rally to
extend series
Durant shines as Thunder stay alive
ATLANTA: David West led Indiana on a 16-4 run to end the game, extending
the season for the top-seeded Pacers with a 95-88 victory over the Atlanta
Hawks on Thursday. Trailing 3-2 after losing at home for the second time in
the Eastern Conference series, Indiana was poised for an early summer when
the Hawks pushed out to an 84-79 lead with just over 3 minutes remaining,
cheered on by a raucous crowd. But, for the fourth time in this back-and-forth
affair, the road team won. West seemed to make every big play down the
stretch, scoring four straight points and forcing a huge turnover to begin the
turnaround. West hit two more baskets in the final minute to wrap things up,
finishing with 24 points. Game 7 is today in Indianapolis. Paul George also
scored 24 points for the Pacers, making four straight free throws to help finish
off the Hawks, trying to become only the sixth No 8 seed to knock off a No 1
seed. Jeff Teague scored 29 points for Atlanta.
THUNDER 104, GRIZZLIES 84
Kevin Durant scored 36 points to break out of a slump as Oklahoma City
routed Memphis to force a deciding seventh game in the first-round Western
Conference series. Russell Westbrook added 25 points for the Thunder, who
haven’t been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs since 2010. They
took control early with Durant scoring 14 points in the first quarter, led by 15
at halftime and never let Memphis get closer in the second half in the first
game in the series ended in regulation since the opener. Durant also had 10
rebounds and made 14 of 15 free throws. Game 7 is Saturday night in
Oklahoma City.
Marc Gasol had 17 points and Zach Randolph 16 for Memphis. Guard Mike
Conley strained his right hamstring, briefly returned and left for good with
8:48 left.
OAKLAND: Golden State Warriors’ David Lee (right) shoots next to Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan
during the second half in Game 6 of an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series on Thursday, May 1,
2014. — AP
WARRIORS 100, CLIPPERS 99
Stephen Curry scored 24 points and dished out nine assists, and the
Warriors forced a decisive Game 7 by outlasting the Clippers. Andre Iguodala
added 15 points and Draymond Green had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the
Warriors, handing Los Angeles one more obstacle to overcome in a week full
of them after Clippers owner Donald Sterling earned a lifetime ban from the
NBA for his racist remarks. The Warriors limited big men Blake Griffin and
DeAndre Jordan even after center Jermaine O’Neal left with a sprained right
knee in the second quarter. The Clippers simply ran out of time in the closing
minute, missing three shots before Matt Barnes made a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to play. Game 7 is Saturday in Los Angeles. — Agencies
SPORTS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
FRENCH CUP PREVIEW
Rennes gunning for Cup final revenge
PARIS: French football’s great underachievers Rennes will look to end a major
trophy drought of more than four decades
when they face Brittany rivals Guingamp in
today’s Cup final at the Stade de France.
Rennes’ recent history has been peppered
with draining disappointment, none
greater than their defeat in the 2009
French Cup final against the same
Guingamp side, albeit one who were then
in the second tier. On that occasion,
Rennes took a second-half lead only for a
brace of goals by Brazilian forward Eduardo
to give Guingamp the first, and to date
only, major trophy success in their history.
Rennes were also beaten by Saint-Etienne
in last season’s League Cup final, leaving
them still without a major title since beating Lyon to lift the Cup back in 1971.
Such a record is not good enough for a
club from the capital of the prosperous
region of Brittany and owned by the billionaire Francois Pinault, and a second final
defeat to Guingamp - the club where
Didier Drogba shot to prominence from a
town with a population of little more than
7,000 - five years later is unthinkable.
However, Rennes coach Philippe
Montanier has played down talk of revenge
and also insisted that his team should not
feel under too much pressure, pointing to
the fact that Guingamp are now a top-division side and have already won both
league meetings of the teams this season.
“It’s 15th in the league against 16th,”
said Montanier, who is hoping skipper
Romain Danze will be fit in time to feature.
“There is no favorite especially as a final is a
one-off occasion. Guingamp maybe have
the psychological advantage because they
have beaten us twice in the league this season. But it will be an evenly-matched final.”
When asked whether the 2009 final
between the teams would have any bearing, the former Real Sociedad coach
replied: “I don’t think so. Only Danze is left
from that game and it was five years ago.
‘Context is different’
“The context is different and so are the
teams - Guingamp were in Ligue 2 at the
time. For us it’s more about focusing on a
final than worrying about revenge or what
happened five years or 35 years ago. “We
have nothing to lose because if we lose
people will continue to say that we are a
team that always loses in finals. And if we
win we will have ended a wait of 43 years.
“It would be a huge disappointment if we
lost, but brilliant if we won.” Both clubs
remain in danger of relegation to Ligue 2
with just three games left in the league
campaign, but for Guingamp - coached by
former Rennes playmaker Jocelyn
Gourvennec - the knockout competition
has proved to be a welcome distraction.
Inspired by the goals of Malian international striker Mustapha Yatabare, who has netted seven in the competition so far,
SPANISH LEAGUE PREVIEW
GERMAN LEAGUE PREVIEW
Real rout boosts
Hamburg hopes
BERLIN: Rafael van der Vaart says Real Madrid’s 4-0 drubbing
of Bayern Munich in the Champions League will boost relegation-threatened Hamburg against the Bavarian giants in
today’s Bundesliga clash. Hamburg, the only club in
Germany’s top flight to have never gone down, sit third from
bottom in the table and at risk of an historic relegation. A
thousand fans watched the team go through their paces on
Thursday and shouts of “never in the second division!”
echoed around the training ground.
Hamburg are five points from safety with two games left
and desperately need points against champions Bayern to
climb out of the bottom three. If they finish 16th, they will
face a last chance play-off against the third-placed side in the
second division to try to maintain their Bundesliga place. But
Bayern’s Champions League exit in Tuesday’s 4-0 semi-final,
second-leg drubbing at home to Real has given Hamburg
hope, says Netherlands star Van der Vaart. “It’s a matter of
survival and honor for us. If we give our all, then we also have
a chance against Bayern,” said the 31-year-old, who is hoping
to play after recovering from a calf injury.
But the Dutch playmaker says Hamburg must be confident against Bayern. “We need to show some balls, Bayern
won’t give anything away and it would be really bad for them
to lose two games in a row,” he said. Since being confirmed
Bundesliga champions with a record seven games to spare at
the end of last month, Bayern have produced some belowpar performances which culminated in their drubbing at the
hands of Real. “After the defeat to Real, Bayern are sure to
have no great desire to get on the plane to Hamburg. We
want to annoy them,” said director of sport Oliver Kreuzer in a
radio interview.
The Bavarian giants have wounded pride and will be looking to bounce back at Hamburg ahead of their German Cup
final against arch rivals Borussia Dortmund in Berlin on May
17. “We need to quickly lick our wounds so we put in a better
performance in the Cup final against Dortmund,” insisted
chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Hamburg have suffered
some heavy losses to Bayern recently, being routed 5-0 at
home in February’s German Cup quarter-finals and humbled
9-2 in Munich in the league in March 2013.
Hamburg, for whom Mirko Slomka is their third coach this
season after Thorsten Fink and Bert van Marwijk were both
fired, are low on confidence after six defeats in their last ten
games. Even Kreuzer has voiced doubts they will survive.
“There are legitimate doubts about a positive outcome. I
have been waiting for weeks to see a reaction from the players,” he fumed after Hamburg’s lacklustre 3-1 defeat at home
to mid-table Augsburg last Sunday, their third loss in a row.
Hamburg have a few personnel worries with Germany pair
Heiko Westermann, Marcell Jansen and Turkey midfielder
Hakan Calhanoglu all struggling with injuries or illness. —AFP
Guingamp’s run to the Stade de France
included a 3-1 extra-time victory against
Monaco in the semi-finals.
With Rennes beating second-tier
Angers 3-2 in the other semi-final tie, that
set up a Breton derby at the national stadium and French Football Association president Noel Le Graet, who hails from
Guingamp, is certain the sell-out 80,000
crowd will make it an occasion to remember. “This final is for the people of Brittany
who are coming back to Paris, and I’m sure
we will see the same spectacular show that
we saw in 2009,” said Le Graet. “The clubs
have agreed to both provide traditional
Brittany music, with 50 musicians each.
After that, long live the sport, nothing
more.” If Danze does play, the only absentee for Rennes will be left-back Cheik
M’Bengue, who has a thigh problem.
Guingamp have a fully-fit squad with
Lionel Mathis - their only survivor from
2009 - available after injury. — AFP
Atletico and Real out
to seal perfect week
LONDON: Atletico Madrid’s Turkish midfielder Arda Turan
celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA
Champions League semi-final second leg football match
between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge
in London. — AFP
MADRID: Fresh from reaching a first Champions League final in 40
years on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid insist they are already focussed
on their La Liga title run-in, starting with a trip to Levante tomorrow.
Atletico will face bitter neighbours Real Madrid in a historic
Champions League final in Lisbon next month but in the meantime
they are in the driving seat as they need just two wins from their last
three games to seal their first La Liga title for 18 years.
Diego Simeone’s men are on a run of nine straight league wins
and another victory away to mid-table Levante will give Los
Rojiblancos the chance to wrap up the championship at home to
Malaga next weekend and avoid needing to get something from
their daunting visit to Barcelona on the final day of the campaign.
Even in the wake of his side’s famous 3-1 win over Chelsea, Simeone
insisted he was immediately “preparing and focusing on the objective of beating Levante.” Full-back Filipe Luis echoed his coach’s sentiments and believes they will have beaten “the best team in Europe”
if they go on to win La Liga or the Champions League. “This team
never gives up. There are a lot of very important games before Lisbon
and we are going to try and win them all,” said the Brazilian.
“Real Madrid are the most difficult opponent you can face, they
are the best team in Europe in my opinion, but we always approach
games with humility and try our best to win. There is a long way to
go though and now Levante is the most important game.” Simeone
is expected to make a few changes to the side that started at
Stamford Bridge with captain Gabi back from suspension and the
likes of Raul Garcia and David Villa set to feature. However, top scorer
Diego Costa should be fit to start despite being withdrawn late on in
midweek due to a knee injury. Real Madrid could be nine points adrift
of Atletico, albeit with two games in hand, by the time they kick-off
later tomorrow at home to Valencia.
Los Blancos enjoyed a fantastic win in midweek themselves as
they hammered European champions Bayern Munich 4-0 at the
Allianz Arena to qualify for their first European final for 12 years.
Having already lifted the Copa del Rey, Real could still win an historic
treble this season should Atletico stumble in their final few league
games. And coach Carlo Ancelotti is savoring the success of his first
season in charge. “Obviously I am very happy, you have to enjoy the
good moments because, sooner or later, the bad moments will
come,” he told Sky Italia. “It gives me great satisfaction to take Real
Madrid to the final 12 years later.” Barcelona also maintain a slight
chance of retaining the title, although they need both Atletico and
Real to slip up as well as winning their three remaining games. The
Catalans can close the gap on Atletico to one point when they host
relegation-threatened Getafe earlier tomorrow and, despite looking
like they will miss out on a major trophy for the first time in six years,
midfielder Sergio Busquets insists they have to put the pressure on
both sides from the capital. “We still have the end of La Liga to come,
but it has not been a good season when it comes to results,” he said
on Thursday. “We know that we don’t depend on ourselves and that
makes it more difficult, but we still have hope. We need to exhaust all
the possibilities.” — AFP
SPORTS
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Giggs relaxed about Old Trafford future
MANCHESTER: Manchester United caretaker manager
Ryan Giggs admitted yesterday that his future role at
Old Trafford will be reviewed at the end of the season.
Giggs has taken temporary control of first-team affairs
at United after David Moyes was sacked last month following less than a season in charge. There has been
speculation that current Netherlands coach Louis van
Gaal will be installed as the new United manager after
the World Cup, something which left question marks
over Giggs’ long-term position at the club. However,
the 40-year-old veteran midfielder remained relaxed
over his future and admitted he had not yet decided
whether he will carry on playing. “Nothing’s changed.
It’s just until the end of the season,” Giggs said.
“We’ll chat when that’s over and that’s all. “The way
I’m thinking is I’m enjoying it. My concentration is the
match against Sunderland today and the remaining
two games.
“We’ll see what happens at the end of the season I’ve got to decide whether I’m going to play or not.
There is no point in thinking if I want to be an assistant
or a manager somewhere else. “There’s so many things
to think about. Like I just said, I’m just concentrating on
what I am doing at the moment. “We’ll have to wait
and see. My concentration isn’t on next season - it’s on
this season.”
Concern for Rooney
Giggs’ immediate priority is the visit of relegation
battlers Sunderland to Old Trafford today and he confirmed that he will check on the fitness of striker Wayne
Rooney, who has been struggling with a bout of illness
and a tight groin. “A few of the lads have had a bug,”
Giggs said. “(Goalkeeper) Anders Lindegaard and
Wayne have both had a bug. Wayne’s also got a tight
groin. “And obviously with a bug you have to be careful with that because the immune system is down a bit.
Wayne, being Wayne, wants to play and be involved so
we’ll just monitor him over the next 24 hours.” The
Welshman also revealed that Netherlands striker Robin
van Persie had returned to training after a knee injury,
although the match against Gus Poyet’s side could
come too soon for him as United aim to steal a top-six
finish.
“Robin has been back training this week and he’s
looked good,” Giggs said. “Whether today is too early
for him we’ll just see how he goes. But he’s looked really good this week.” Giggs also admitted that despite
the extra responsibilities of interim management he
would still consider playing in the rest of the campaign.The winger, who has made 11 Premier League
appearances this season, did not name himself among
the matchday squad for his first game in charge - a 4-0
win over Norwich City last weekend. He added: “I’m
still training and doing bits and pieces so I’m still in the
frame of maybe playing the remaining games or being
involved in the remaining games. “It’s just a case of
keeping myself fit (but) win every game and I might
not get back in because the lads are doing well. I’ll just
have to wait and see.”— AFP
EPL PREVIEW
MATCHES ON TV
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
West Ham v Tottenham
14:45
beIN SPORTS 9 HD
Man United v Sunderland 17:00
beIN SPORTS 9 HD
Everton v Man City
19:30
beIN SPORTS 9 HD
SPANISH LEAGUE
Barcelona v Getafe
17:00
beIN SPORTS 2
beIN SPORTS 2 HD
Malaga v Elche
19:00
beIN SPORTS 3
beIN SPORTS 3 HD
Osasuna v Celta de Vigo
21:00
beIN SPORTS 2
beIN SPORTS 2 HD
Real Valladolid v Espanyol 23:00
beIN SPORTS 2
beIN SPORTS 2 HD
GERMAN LEAGUE
Stuttgart v Wolfsburg
16:30
Dubai Sports
Freiburg v Schalke 04
16:30
Dubai Sports
Nuremberg v Hannover 96 16:30
Dubai sports
Eintracht Frankfurt v Bayer 04 16:30
Dubai Sports
E Braunschweig v Augsburg 16:30
Dubai Sports
Borussia M’bach v Mainz
16:30
Dubai Sports
Dortmund v Hoffenheim
16:30
Dubai Sports
Hamburger v Bayern Munich16:30
Dubai Sports
Werder Bremen v Hertha Berlin 16:30
Dubai Sports
Magath fears for
Fulham’s future
LONDON: Felix Magath admits the
thought of relegation is scaring him
ahead of Fulham’s trip to Stoke City yesterday. The second-bottom Cottagers
must win their penultimate match of
the season at the Britannia Stadium,
according to their German manager, if
they are to avoid bowing out of the
Premier League. Magath, who has never
dropped down a division in his career,
was brought on board by Fulham with
just 12 games of the season left in a
desperate bid to preserve the London
club’s top-flight status after they sacked
former Manchester United coach Rene
Meulensteen as their manager.Now former Bayern Munich boss Magath finds
himself in a charge of a Fulham side
who are in 19th place, one point from
safety.
But one of their relegation rivals,
Sunderland, are one point in front with
the added bonus of a game in hand.
And Magath is worried what slipping
out of the Premier League would do to
west London side Fulham. “I have never
been relegated and I am a bit afraid of
the situation, I don’t know how it feels
to be relegated,” he said. “I’m afraid for
the club not for my personal record. I
have nothing to prove in my career. I
knew it was a difficult situation when I
came here. “I’m confident I can manage
it. I worry a little bit about the last
matches but I’m confident. We can
make it better today. “We need three
points to have the chance to not be relegated. That is the situation. We know
Stoke is a very good team at home, but
we are confident that we have developed in the last weeks and we have
shown against Hull.”
‘Not careful enough’
Magath added his side had learnt
important lessons from drawing 2-2
with Hull a week ago, despite racing
into a 2-0 lead. “Things worked well
against, we were 2-0 ahead and had
control over the game and there was
maybe one situation that we are not
careful enough. “Because I had the feeling that today the players are excited
about the result, the crowd and the
feeling to lead that they tried to play
more offensive and score more, but the
best thing was to avoid a goal. “We conceded a goal from nothing then you see
that we are not confident enough to
cope with the situation. We let go of the
control of the game, for us it was terrible and not necessary. —AFP
Man City lead charge as
title race nears climax
LONDON: The closest English top-flight title race in 33
years speeds towards its conclusion this weekend, with
Manchester City carrying the advantage ahead of a
thorny trip to Everton today. Leaders Liverpool’s 2-0 loss
at home to second-place Chelsea last weekend means
that City will probably be assured of a second title in
three seasons if they win their three remaining matches.
City trail Liverpool by three points but have a game in
hand and a superior goal difference (+58 to +50), and yet
with the teams so tightly bunched, the race is far from
run. Not since 1981 have the top three been so close
together at this stage of the season and only twice in the
Premier League era (1999 and 2008) have three teams
been in mathematical title contention at this point. With
Chelsea not hosting Norwich City until Sunday and
Liverpool visiting Crystal Palace on Monday, City can take
over at the top by prevailing at Goodison Park.
However, while Everton now trail Arsenal by four
points in the race for the fourth and final Champions
League place, they have lost at home only twice this season. “They are at home in front of their fans, and they are
always good at home,” City’s Brazilian midfielder
Fernandinho told the club website. “The atmosphere is
also good there, and they will play with a lot of intensity.
We have to be ready for that. It will be a very tough
game.”Chelsea saw their hopes of a trophy double
dashed last Wednesday when they lost 3-1 at home to
Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.
Two points off the summit, Jose Mourinho’s side need
both Liverpool and City to slip up if they are to claim the
title, but goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer says that they have
no option but to keep on fighting. “We need to put the
others under pressure,” said the Australian, whose side
will go top if they overcome third-bottom Norwich. “We
have to pick ourselves up from this disappointment and
realise we must keep banging on the door with the game
against Norwich on Sunday. We must make sure we pick
up three points so we can capitalise on any slip-ups.”
‘We are still alive’
Having stretched their lead over Everton with a breezy
3-0 success against Newcastle United on Monday, Arsenal
can rubber-stamp a top-four finish if they win at home to
West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Manchester United’s
Champions League ambitions have long faded, but they
will look to build on last weekend’s 4-0 win over Norwich
in interim manager Ryan Giggs’s first game in charge
when they host Sunderland. Sunderland, however, are
on a run of back-to-back victories that have lifted them
out of the bottom three, and having already beaten both
City and Chelsea this season, they have pedigree against
the top sides. “We haven’t played to the level that we’re
capable of this season, but we did that against Norwich,”
said Giggs. “It can’t just be for one game. It has to be for
longer than that. Every time you play for Manchester
United you have to stay at that level, and they have to
keep to these standards against Sunderland.” While
Sunderland also have a game in hand to fulfil, at home to
West Brom on Wednesday, time is running out for bottom club Cardiff City, who are two points from safety
ahead of today’s trip to Newcastle.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side could be relegated this
weekend if results go against them, while Fulham are also
in a perilous position, just a point better off and facing a
trip to Stoke City. With an away game at Palace awaiting
on the season’s final day, Fulham manager Felix Magath
has urged his players to take responsibility for their destiny
by winning their last two matches. “I still believe two wins
will be enough,” he said “There is no doubt, we need three
points to have the chance to not be relegated. That is the
situation. “The atmosphere is very good and the players
want to show people we are still alive.”— AFP
English Premier League table
LONDON: English Premier League table ahead of
the weekend’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost,
goals for, goals against, points):
Liverpool
Chelsea
Man City
Arsenal
Everton
Tottenham
Man Utd
Southampton
Newcastle
Stoke
Crystal Palace
Swansea
Hull
West Ham
West Brom
Aston Villa
Sunderland
Norwich
Fulham
Cardiff
36
36
35
36
36
36
35
36
36
36
36
36
35
36
35
35
35
36
36
36
25
24
24
22
20
20
18
14
14
11
13
10
10
10
7
9
8
8
9
7
5
6
5
7
9
6
6
10
4
11
4
9
7
7
15
8
8
8
4
9
6
6
6
7
7
10
11
12
18
14
19
17
18
19
13
18
19
20
23
20
96
69
93
65
57
52
60
52
39
39
28
51
36
38
42
36
37
28
37
31
46
26
35
41
36
49
40
45
57
50
43
52
45
49
54
53
57
60
79
69
80
78
77
73
69
66
60
52
46
44
43
39
37
37
36
35
32
32
31
30
Note: Top four teams qualify for next season’s
Champions League; fifth-place team qualifies for
Europa League; bottom three teams relegated to
Championship.
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014
Sports
Durant shines
as Thunder
stay alive
45
VALENCIA: Sevilla’s goalkeeper Beto from Portugal (center) and Fernando Navarro (right) celebrates at the end their Europa League semifinal second leg soccer match against
Valencia at the Mestalla stadium on Thursday. — AP
Sevilla, Benfica face off in Europa final
Mbia’s late strike sinks Valencia
VALENCIA: Sevilla snatched a last-gasp place
in the Europa League final when a 94thminute Stephane Mbia header put them
through on away goals after their semi-final
against Valencia ended 3-3 on aggregate on
Thursday. Despite going down 3-1 in their
second leg at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium,
Mbia’s dramatic late strike set up a final showdown with Benfica on May 14 after the
Portuguese club eliminated Italian side
Juventus 2-1 on aggregate following a 0-0
draw in Turin.
Sevilla were favourites to advance against
their La Liga rivals after winning last week’s
first leg 2-0 at home but a 14th-minute
Sofiane Feghouli effort, an own goal from
goalkeeper Beto in the 26th and a Jeremy
Mathieu blast 21 minutes from time put
Valencia 3-0 ahead on the night and 3-2
ahead overall. They were just over a minute
away from going through to the final when
Federico Fazio flicked on a long throw and
Cameroon midfielder Mbia rose to crash a
header into the net and silence the Valencia
fans packed into the Mestalla. It was a triumph for Sevilla coach Unai Emery, who never completely won over the Valencia fans
when he was in charge there from 2008 to
2012, and he celebrated Mbia’s goal wildly on
the side of the pitch.
“This is a unique experience,” Emery said in
an interview with Spanish television. “We
don’t care who we are playing in the final, we
just have to enjoy this,” added the 42-year-old
former Real Sociedad midfielder. “Now we
have to beat a great team (Benfica) because
they have beaten Juve, who are also a great
club.” Valencia forward Pablo Piatti struggled
for words in a TV interview immediately after
the whistle and said he and his team mates
were “feeling the pain” and “in a bad way”.
“We tried, we gave it everything and they
scored against us in the last minute,” added
the Argentine. “We are happy with the work
we put in but it was pointless in the end.”
Powerful header
Valencia made an energetic start in front of
their vociferous supporters while Sevilla had
clearly opted to play a more patient game
and wait for a chance on the break. The home
side forced themselves back into the tie when
Feghouli received the ball inside the area and
cut inside his marker and his left-foot strike
took a slight deflection off a defender on its
way into the net.
Valencia were level on aggregate in the
26th minute when Jonas made the most of
slack marking to send a powerful header
towards goal from a Juan Bernat centre. Beto
could only palm the ball onto the underside
of the crossbar and then watch helplessly as it
bounced off his back and into the net for
what UEFA ruled was an own goal by the
Sevilla goalkeeper. The visitors managed to
survive the early onslaught without conceding again and came close to a goal in the 36th
when Jose Antonio Reyes met a clever Carlos
Bacca backheel at the far post but his closerange effort was blocked superbly by Valencia
keeper Diego Alves.
Both sides showed attacking intent in the
early stages of the second half before defender Mathieu was quickest to react when the
ball ran loose at a corner and the Frenchman
left Beto no chance with a powerful shot.
Valencia were moments away from going
through when Mbia struck to keep alive
Sevilla’s chances of repeating their successes
in Europe’s second-tier club competition from
2006 and 2007, when it was known as the
UEFA Cup. Juve, Inter Milan and Liverpool are
the only three sides to have won the UEFA
Cup/Europa League three times. — Reuters