LONDON: The unmasking of Islamic State militant“Jihadi John” as a Londoner who had repeatedly beenquestioned by security services sent shockwavesthrough Britain, with Prime Minister David Cameronstepping in to defend British spy craft. Cameron tried todefuse criticism of Britain’s intelligence community,which had “Jihadi John” on its list of potential terror sus-pects for years but was unableto prevent him from travelingto Syria, where he has played aprominent role in grislybeheading videos.

Cameron did not mention“Jihadi John” or refer to his realidentity: Mohammed Emwazi,a Kuwait-born computer sci-ence graduate raised and edu-cated in Britain. But he said thecountry’s spies make “incredi-bly difficult judgments” dailyabout how to pursue threatsto national security and havebroken up plots that wouldhave caused immense dam-age. Emwazi had been known to the British intelligenceservices since at least 2009, initially in connection withinvestigations into terrorism in Somalia.

David Anderson, who is in charge of reviewingBritain’s terrorism legislation, said intelligence agenciesmay have dropped the ball, but faced a big challenge toidentify real threats from “hundreds, probably thou-sands” of suspects.

Continued on Page 13

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in for Nimoy,

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in ‘Star Trek’ 2Kuwait honors

vows on money

laundering,

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SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015 JAMADA ALAWWAL 10, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

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Kuwait reopens embassy

in Aden instead of Sanaa

Kuwait seeking extradition treaty with UK

KUWAIT/LONDON: Kuwait has joined its Gulf partnersSaudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates and decided toreopen its Yemeni embassy in Aden, instead of the militia-controlled capital Sanaa. “In the framework of supportingconstitutional legitimacy in Yemen represented inPresident Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi... the state of Kuwaithas decided to reopen its embassy in the city of Aden,” theforeign ministry said, quoted by the official KUNA newsagency. The ministry said the decision was in accordancewith an agreement by the foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE also announced last weekthat they would reopen their Yemen embassies in Aden.Hadi fled to the southern coastal city a week ago afterescaping house arrest in Sanaa, which the Shiite Houthimilitia overran in September before seizing power thismonth. The three Gulf nations were among many coun-tries, including Britain and the United States, that shut-tered their embassies in Sanaa this month over securityfears.

Western-backed Hadi, who rescinded a resignation heoffered last month and has declared all actions by theHouthis to be illegitimate, has said he hopes to make Adensecure for foreign diplomatic missions. Aden was the capi-tal of an independent south Yemen before the two Yemenswere united in 1990.

Separately, Kuwait is seeking to sign a memorandum ofunderstanding with the United Kingdom on extradition ofcriminals, namely public fund embezzlers, a senior Kuwaitiofficial announced. Due to a lack of such an accordbetween Kuwait and the UK, “some embezzlers of publicfunds have taken refuge in Britain”, revealed KuwaitiMinister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and IslamicAffairs Yaqoub Al-Sane in a statement to KUNA.

The Kuwaiti government is keen on sparing no effort totackle such legal shortcomings in coordination with theBritish authorities, stressed Sane as he emerged from ameeting with UK Secretary of State for Justice ChrisGrayling, held on the sidelines of the recent Global LawSummit in Britain.

Sane said the British official assured him during themeeting that the Kuwaiti request in this regard would bereferred to relevant justice departments, adding that theKuwaiti and British sides agreed on forming a contactgroup for information swaps as a preliminary step towardcrafting a full-fledged agreement in this regard.

Kuwaiti-UK relationship at the political and economiclevels is distinguished; however there is need to improvethe cooperation in the judicial realm, particularly regarding

Continued on Page 13

By Bader Nasser Al-KharafiVice Chairman, Zain Group

My recent sailing adventure withZain’s admirable team has giv-en me and the participants a

grander perception of the importanceof teamwork. My experience in the racewas met with a lot of hard work anddetermination. I have witnessedthrough an all new perspective just howdependent the success of the team ison the way it’s operated and managed.Teamwork is as essential in sailing as it iswithin a company’s workforce. The rightleadership coupled with a proper hier-archy is vital to the performance of bothcompanies and sailing teams in striking-ly similar ways.

Being the captain of my own busi-nesses, I was looking forward to be ableto put myself in the position of a teamplayer and receive instructions ratherthan give them. Much like the CEO of acompany, the captain of the boat givesthe orders to the team and assigns cer-tain members to take on certain dutiesthat the captain deems fit given theirrespective skills and abilities. Thisrecruiting process is crucial to ensurethat the right person is chosen for eachjob and in turn creates efficiency anddrives performance.

My objective was clear; throughstrategic teamwork our aim was to excelin the race. This task isn’t as easy as onewould presume since winning alone isnot the entire purpose; teambuildingwas our main focus. In line with what Ihave learned from business school, aleader is to make sure that his team per-forms the tactics and strategies he hasset but with a commendable level ofrespect to the rules and ethics that gov-

ern us all. Without moral guidance, thestructure of any team or company willsurely topple with time. It comes as nosurprise that Ernesto Bertarelli from theAlinghi team is as triumphant a sailingcaptain as he is an entrepreneur.

The captain has the most demandingjob and the qualities that make a goodcaptain are the same attributes thatmake a good CEO. Foresight, leadership,credibility and competence are butsome traits that are essential for a cap-

tain to command his team ahead. Theheart and strength of the team, howev-er, comes from the combined individualefforts of all the players. Moreover, theteam’s ability to interact with each otherprofessionally and in unity whether it’sin the comfort of the workplace or inthe harshest sailing conditions is thekey driver to success.

I am genuinely pleased with theteamwork in the race and my unforget-table experience has confirmed that

the values needed to excel and per-form, be it in a race or in a company, areone and the same. Every contributingmember of the team plays a pivotal roleto its success and with this synergy thewhole is much greater than the sum ofits parts. Vince Lombardi, the AmericanFootball player, wisely noted that“Individual commitment to a groupeffort - that is what makes a team work,a company work, a society work, a civi-lization work.”

Zain claims 2nd place in Sailing Arabia leg

Unmasking of ‘Jihadi

John’ shocks BritainEmwazi a Kuwait-born IT graduate

‘Jihadi John’

CAIRO: An Egyptian court yesterdaybranded the Palestinian Islamist move-ment Hamas a “terrorist” group over itsalleged links with jihadists behinddeadly attacks on security forces in theSinai Peninsula. The ruling took tiesbetween Hamas and the authoritieswhich ousted Egypt’s elected Islamistpresident Mohamed Morsi in 2013 to a

new low. Hamas condemned what itcalled “a great disgrace which soils thereputation of Egypt”.

It came almost a month after a courton Jan 31 designated Hamas’s armedwing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades,a “terrorist” group. In a separate caseearlier in the day, a court sentenced the

Continued on Page 13

Egypt brands Hamas

as ‘terrorist’ group

Badie handed life in jail

Eight dead in US

shooting spree

PAGEAwesome Federer

floors Djokovic

PAGE

WASHINGTON: It’s the dress that’s beat-ing the Internet black and blue. Or shouldthat be gold and white? Friends and co-workers worldwide are debating the truehues of a royal blue dress with black lacethat, to many an eye, transforms in onephotograph into gold and white. Expertsare calling the photo a one-in-a-millionshot that perfectly captures how people’sbrains perceive color and process contrastin dramatically different ways.

“This photo provides the best test I’veever seen for how the process of colorcorrection works in the brain,” said DanielHardiman-McCartney, the clinical adviserto Britain’s College of Optometrists. “I’venever seen a photo like ths before whereso many people look at the same photoand see two sets of such dramatically dif-ferent colors.”

The photo, taken earlier this monthbefore a wedding on the remote Scottishisland of Colonsay, also illustrates thedynamics of a perfect social-media storm.

Continued on Page 13

Debate on dress

color goes viral MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putinyesterday vowed to punish the killers ofKremlin critic Boris Nemtsov as Russianopposition figures denounced whatthey called a “political murder”and Western leaders called fora full probe. The 55-year-oldformer deputy premier, a vocalPutin critic prominent at oppo-sition rallies, was shot in theback several times shortlybefore midnight Friday as hewalked across a bridge astone’s throw from the Kremlinwalls.

The brazen assassination is the latestin a string of murders of opposition fig-ures in Putin’s 15 years in power andrecalls the shooting of anti-Kremlinreporter Anna Politkovskaya, gunneddown on Putin’s birthday in Oct 2006.Putin blamed the assassination on foestrying to discredit the Kremlin, but saidin a message to the victim’s mother

that “everything will be done so thatthe organizers and perpetrators of avile and cynical murder get the punish-ment they deserve.”

Allies of Nemtsov, a long-time anti-corruption crusaderwho served as deputy premierunder Boris Yeltsin, linked hisdeath to his political activities.Hours before the killing, hewent on air to urge Russians tojoin an opposition rally todayagainst the Kremlin stance inUkraine. “There is already a listof unsolved political murders

and attack in Russia,” AmnestyInternational said. “We cannot allowBoris Nemtsov to become just anothername on this list.”

Yesterday, a steady stream ofmourners, many in tears, filed acrossthe bridge, heaping flowers and photosof Nemtsov at the spot where he fell.

Continued on Page 13

Vocal critic of Putin

killed near Kremlin

Boris Nemtsov

Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi, Vice Chairman of Zain Group, is seen on the Zain Sailing Team boat. ( See Page 19)

LICHFIELD, England: Shop managerDebbie Armstrong adjusts the now-famous two-tone dress in a windowdisplay of a shop on Friday. — AP

L O C A L

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

By A Saleh and Agencies

KUWAIT: South Korean President Park Geun-hyeaccompanied by a large delegation of seniorofficials is set to start an official three-day visit toKuwait today. During her visit, President Geun-hye is expected to present an offer to buildnuclear power plants in Kuwait, akin to similarplants that South Korean companies built in theUnited Arab Emirates, well informed sourcessaid. Kuwait had discussed building similarplants during earlier talks with Russia, but noprogress has been made, said the sources whospoke on the condition of anonymity.

“South Korean companies are seeking topush those projects taking into considerationthe growing demand on nuclear power plants,”the sources said. They further stressed that theKorean offer provides assurances that thenuclear power plants to be built are completelysafe, environment-friendly and save gas con-sumption.

Bilateral relationsPresident Geun-hye is expected to meet with

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad

Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during her visit.The upcoming three-day visit, which comes

following an invitation by HH the Amir, aims atboosting bilateral relations, said KuwaitiAmbassador to Seoul Jassem Mohammad Al-Bdaiwi yesterday.

The visit by the Korean President reflects thestrong relations linking the two countries sincethe arrival of the first shipment of Kuwaiti oil toKorea in 1963 and the subsequent involvementof Korean companies in Kuwait from thenonwards, Bdaiwi told Kuwait News Agency(KUNA). The Kuwaiti diplomat affirmed that bothnations were looking into means to further bol-ster bilateral relations in all possible spheres.

On the chances of partaking in Kuwait’sdevelopment plans for 2015-2020, Bdaiwi saidthat there was a high possibility for Korean com-panies to participate in Kuwait’s development.He noted Kuwait’s long-term development strat-egy would aim at making his country a regionalfinancial center by 2035.

A number of agreements and memos areexpected to be signed during the KoreanPresident’s visit to Kuwait especially within thehealth and transportation sectors, Bdaiwi said.

South Korea to offer buildingnuclear power plants in KuwaitSouth Korean President Park Geun-hye in Kuwait today

South Korean President Park Geun-hye

KUWAIT: The State of Kuwait has fulfilled itsearlier undertakings to promote the mecha-nisms of fighting money laundering and terror-ist financing, Minister of Finance Anas Al-Salehsaid yesterday citing a recent internationalreport.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), whichis charged with fighting money laundering andterrorist financing, had recently issued a reportconfirming Kuwait’s fulfillment of 2012 commit-ments against money laundering and financingof terrorism, the minister said in a statement.

“It is deemed a significant achievement thatreflects the international community’s reassur-ance about the availability of an integrated leg-islative atmosphere for fighting money launder-ing and financing of terrorism primarily basedon Law 106/2013 on money laundering and ter-rorist finance,” he noted.

Kuwait was in the forefront of the region’scountries which applied international criteriafor combating money laundering, terroristfinance and proliferation of weapons, whichwere adopted by the FATF in 2012, he indicated.

Healthy atmosphereThe minister voiced satisfaction with this

achievement which he said came in line withthe directives of His Highness the Amir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for creatinga healthy investment atmosphere for transfer-ring Kuwait into a financial hub.

During the second plenary meeting under

the Australian Presidency, the FATF issued astatement on FATF action on terrorist finance,and adopted a report on the financing of theIslamic State (IS) group. The FATF recognizedthat Albania, Cambodia, Kuwait, Namibia,Nicaragua, Pakistan and Zimbabwe have madesignificant progress in improving their AML/CFT

regime and will therefore no longer be subjectto the FATF’s monitoring process.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is aninter-governmental body established in 1989 bythe Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. Theobjectives of the FATF are to set standards andpromote effective implementation of legal, reg-

ulatory and operational measures for combat-ing money laundering, terrorist financing andother related threats to the integrity of theinternational financial system. The FATF istherefore a “policy-making body” which worksto generate the necessary political will to bringabout national legislative and regulatoryreforms in these areas.

International standardsThe FATF has developed a series of recom-

mendations that are recognized as the interna-tional standard for combating of money laun-dering and the financing of terrorism and prolif-eration of weapons of mass destruction. Theyform the basis for a coordinated response tothese threats to the integrity of the financial sys-tem and help ensure a level playing field. Firstissued in 1990, the FATF Recommendationswere revised in 1996, 2001, 2003, and mostrecently in 2012 to ensure that they remain upto date and relevant, and they are intended tobe of universal application.

The FATF monitors the progress of its mem-bers in implementing necessary measures,reviews money laundering and terrorist financ-ing techniques and counter-measures, and pro-motes the adoption and implementation ofappropriate measures globally. In collaborationwith other international stakeholders, the FATFworks to identify national-level vulnerabilitieswith the aim of protecting the internationalfinancial system from misuse. — KUNA

Kuwait honors anti money laundering,terror finance obligations: MinisterFATF confirms Kuwait’s fulfillment of 2012 commitments

Minister of Finance Anas Al-Saleh

BEIRUT: KRCS’ envoy Mosaed Al-Enzi gives candy to children at a Syrian refugees’camp in Lebanon. — KUNA

Relief aid delivered to Syrianrefugees in Lebanon, Jordan

BEIRUT/AMMAN: Kuwait Red CrescentSociety (KRCS) delivered urgent relief aid to1,000 Syrian refugees in border-areas insouthern Lebanon, the KRCS announcedyesterday.

Relief aid, including food packages,cleaning equipment, and heating materials,have been distributed to displaced Syrianfamilies in Shabaa, Aersal, Baalbak, andBent Jabil, said Mosaed Al-Enzi, KRCS’envoy to Lebanon.

Enzi stressed the importance of provid-ing such aid at this time to alleviate the suf-fering of refugees, whose living conditionhave been tragic and difficult due to politi-cal turmoil and instability in Syria amid cur-rent severe weather condition.

He also reiterated the supportive stanceof His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti govern-ment, and people by the Syrian people,affirming KRCS’ keenness in deliveringhumanitarian aid directly to Syrianrefugees in various Lebanese cities and vil-lages despite all difficulties.

Al-Bunnyan campaignMeanwhile, Kuwait’s Al-Bunnyan cam-

paign, along with the Kuwaiti diplomaticmission in Amman as well as Jordaniancharitable organizations, handed in 12 tonsworth of relief aid to some 500 Syrianrefugee families in Jordan yesterday.

The relief aid campaign provided neces-sities to the Syrian families as part of the

ongoing mission to ease the suffering ofthe refugees fleeing violence in Syria since2011, Head of the campaign Dr SuleimanAl-Shatti said. He added that Al-Bunnyanwill continue its campaign for the Syrianrefugees in Jordan as well as other coun-tries in the region. — KUNA

UNSC awaits Kuwaitpledging conference

AMMAN: A volunteer delivers aid to aSyrian woman in Jordan. — KUNA

Members urged to end ‘barbaric warfare’ in Syria

NEW YORK: Kuwait has generouslyagreed to host a third pledgingconference for Syrians in need inMarch, a high-level representationat that conference and meaningfulpledges that will make a differenceon the ground are needed, OCHArepresentative told the UN SecurityCouncil (UNSC).

Assistant Secretary General forHumanitarian Affairs Kyung-WhaKang urged the members to showleadership to end the “barbaric andbrutal warfare” in Syria. “We are run-ning out of words to describe theterrible human and humanitarianconsequences,” she expressed whilespeaking before the SecurityCouncil on behalf of EmergencyRelief Coordinator Valerie Amos.

Kang, who is also the DeputyEmergency Relief Coordinator, not-ed that Syria enters its fifth year ofconflict, violence and brutality con-tinue unabated and with totalimpunity. The indiscriminate use ofexplosive weapons in populatedareas, by all parties, claimed morelives this month and displacedthousands, she confirmed.

She told the Council that theGovernment aerial bombardments,including the use of barrel bombs,and attacks by armed oppositiongroups have intensified in manyareas - including Aleppo, Dar’a andRural Damascus.

The parties to the conflict, shesaid, continue to kill civilians andtarget civilians and civilian infra-

structure, including vital publicservices such as water and electrici-ty, in blatant disregard of resolution2139, and international humanitari-an law, condemning people to fur-ther unnecessary suffering.

Willful denialOver two million people in

Aleppo and Dar’a Governorateshave been affected by willful denialof water and electricity by partiesto the conflict this month, she sadlyconfirmed.

Every month OCHA reports onthe same violations, yet, the num-bers change, but the patternremains the same, she said. Theparties to the conflict continue toact with impunity : k ill ing andabducting civilians; denying access;removing vital supplies from con-voys. “This pattern must be broken,”she added.

To be specific, Kang said thesieges that currently affect 212,000people must be lifted. Everyone inall parts of Syria must have accessto medical supplies, including sur-gical supplies. The use of blockadesof humanitarian aid, and of basicservices including water and elec-tricity, must stop, she voiced. Asmust the indiscriminate attacks oncivilians, including through barrelbombs, which have come to char-acterize this conflict, she said.

Determining roleOn his part, UN High

Commissioner for RefugeesAntonio Guterres, who flew in tobrief the Council, stressed that theupcoming Kuwait III conference willplay a determining role in stabiliz-ing the situation in the refugee

hosting countries.Beyond the immediate humani-

tarian priorities, he said, it is crucialthat development actors fund theRegional Refugee and ResiliencePlan. Countries like Lebanon andJordan need much more financialassistance - not only to localrefugee hosting communities, butalso through government budgetsupport for necessary structuralinvestments in health systems, edu-

cation, water supply, electricity andother public infrastructure crackingunder the huge pressure, he con-firmed.

Syrians are now the biggestrefugee population under UNHCR’smandate, where 3.8 million are reg-istered in the neighboring coun-tries, he said. As their numberkeeps growing and they becomemore vulnerable, the serious reper-cussions this has across the regiononly highlight the obvious - theurgent need for the internationalcommunity to bring together allkey actors and put an end to theconflict in Syria, Guterres added.“There are no winners in this war;everyone is losing.”

Promoting extremismFurthermore, the French

Permanent Representative to theUN Francois Delattre said thatAssad’s brutal repression andrefusal of any transition in the lastfour years promoted extremismand chaos. “As long as Assad willremain in power, IS will continue tostrengthen,” he said.

The United Nations rapid reen-gagement to re-launch the politicalprocess in Syria is primordial. TheUK, US, Jordan as well as othermember states of the Council com-mended Kuwait’s leadership for theupcoming humanitarian pledgingconference, and called on donorsto make generous commitments.—KUNA

OCHA’s Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian AffairsKyung-Wha Kang

KUWAIT: Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to Kuwait Pengiran Aliuddin hosted areception recently on the occasion of his country’s National Day. State officials, diplo-mats and other dignitaries attended the event. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

KUWAIT: Kuwait will host a summit titled‘International Women Day: Towards Empowerment’for the first time on March 8, under the auspices ofHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The summit will discuss challenges,problems and issues related to women around theworld and ways of addressing them. Bashayer Al-

Awad, President of the Women’s Committee in theKuwaiti Society of Engineers (KSE), said yesterday.

The summit, she added, is co-organized by aninternational committee for women, affiliate toWorld Federation of Engineering Organizations,and the Kuwaiti Society of Engineers in collabora-tion with Ministry of State for Youth Affairs,

Women’s Research and Studies Center andVoluntary Action Center.

The event will focus on raising women’s aware-ness about their significant role in society and giv-ing them top posts to help them contribute topushing ahead the wheel of production and devel-oping their countries, she noted.—KUNA

Kuwait to host summit on women’s issues in March

L O C A LSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The public relations and mediadepartment of the Kuwait Fire ServiceDirectorate (KFSD) is a vital body responsiblefor many important issues, especially thoserelated to public awareness. Kuwait Times metthe director of the department to find outmore.

Col Khalil Al-Ameer started his career withKFSD in 1989 as a civilian in the planningdepartment, and in 1992, became an officerafter graduating as a first lieutenant. “I wasworking in another department, but my direc-tor told me one day that this is not my placeand that I was a better fit for the PR depart-ment. In 2010, I became the director of thisdepartment, and since then I am working onlaunching more awareness campaigns,” hetold Kuwait Times.

Ameer’s first objective was to reduce fireand rescue cases. “We cooperated with theprevention sector and succeeded in reducingthe number of fire and rescue accidents inmost places. But the number of fires in resi-dential areas is still high, with short circuitsand child hazards being the main reasons. It isthe latter that I care most about, which is usu-ally caused by the negligence of parents. So Ithought of the best way to reach out to thesepeople, and this was through awareness pro-grams,” Ameer stated.

“We produced several short films that wereshown in cinemas and broadcast on TV forabout three months. It cost us about KD10,000. Now we are preparing more films andbrochures in four or five different languages tobe published within two months and distrib-uted in areas such as Salmiya, Jleeb and otherareas with a high concentration of expatriates,”he added.

Awareness is keyOne of the primary responsibilities of the

public relations department is to promoteawareness among all Kuwait’s communities.KFSD has also created programs in coopera-tion with various companies. “One of thesewas the ‘Giving and Sacrifice’ documentary of13 episodes that was shown on Al-Watan TV.This program portrayed the lives of firefight-ers, their responsibilities, the equipment theyuse and more. After the success of this pro-gram, we decided to produce another filmtitled ‘Call of Duty’. This mostly targets non-Arab expats and is aired on KTV 2 in English, asmany of them watch this channel. Our aim isto reach out to expats and make them aware

too. We received great feedback,” Ameer said.“The third program is in cooperation with

Al-Rai TV called ‘Firefighting and Rescue’. It’sbroadcast every Thursday night and consistsof 26 episodes, each about 15 to 20 minuteslong in Arabic. It talks about the latest casesincluding rescue, the prevention sector, licens-es for commercial buildings and some prob-lems with the ways of solving them. The suc-cess of these programs is reflected in thereduction of fire accidents by 3 percent lastyear, according to our statistics. And we aim tominimize them even more,” Ameer said.

This success encouraged the KFSD to plan

other similar programs. “This season we willhave another program of 30 episodes. Wealways try to come with new ideas and theobjective is to bridge the gap between us andthe public. These programs also signify thelong cooperation with both the public and pri-vate sectors,” he remarked.

Awareness Campaigns First Lt Ali Qali spoke about some cam-

paigns that he worked on with Ameer. “KFSDhas held many awareness campaigns includ-ing ‘Salem’ in cooperation with Equate, ‘KuwaitGreen Oasis’ in cooperation with volunteersand the ‘Fireman in Every House’, which is atraining course that is held every 3 monthswith 50 participants. We teach them how todeal with fire and rescue. It’s held for one week

in cooperation with paramedics, and the par-ticipants then receive a certificate that theypassed this course. They learn the basics ofhow to deal with children in case of health orfire emergencies. People can register throughour website www.kfsd.gov.kw. This is our basiccourse and we plan to hold a level 2 coursewith more details,” he pointed out.

The department hasn’t ignored awarenessin desert areas. “We go to the north and southof Kuwait to distribute free fire extinguishersto people who camp in desert and let themkeep them. We also present talks on how todeal with fires and give them awareness

brochures. We noticed that deaths decreasedfrom 6 in 2011 to 3 in 2012, and one only in2013, so we will repeat this campaign everyyear. This awareness drive includes informa-tion on the layout of the camps, as theyshould leave a distance between the camps,and warnings to leave burning charcoal out-side the tent as it produces carbon monoxide,which may slowly kill them. It’s held every yearfrom Nov 1 to April 1,” Qali added.

RecordsThe fire incidents that the firefighters deal

with are documented by KFSD. Ali Al-Rasheedfrom the photography and film sector at KFSDstated that they film all fires and use the mate-rial to make montages and documents thatcan be used later for awareness.

“We also take photos and record the cele-brations and carnivals the firefighters partici-pate in. These materials are then used in TV,social media and other programs. Sometimesthe investigation department of the Ministry ofInterior demands these records for their inves-

tigations,” Qali noted. The KFSD has severalsocial media accounts to reach the new gener-ation as they realize that young people usethese frequently. It can be found on Instagram@officialKFSD, Twitter @official_KFSD and onYouTube as KFSDchannel.

Fire Directorate’s PR department

plays key role in spreading awarenessDepartment chief speaks on role, how they help protect Kuwait

KUWAIT: (From left) First Lieutenant Ali Qali, Colonel Khalil Al-Ameer, and Ali Al-Rasheed at the KuwaitFire Service Directorate in Salmiya.

Firefighters tackle a blaze at an Abdullah Port warehouse last year.

KUWAIT: Fire trucks put on display during a previous event held by the KFSD tomark the Firefighter’s Day. —KUNA

KFSD rescue jet boats, first introduced in 2011.

Kuwaiti Justice Minister

concludes Netherlands visitTHE HAGUE: Kuwaiti Minister of Justice andMinister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs YaqoubAl-Sane concluded yesterday his visit to theNetherlands which was aimed at strength-ening security, judicial, and counterterrorismcooperation between the two countries. Histwo-day visit also focused on ways to deep-en cooperation between Kuwait and theinternational judicial organizations based inThe Hague.

Sane Friday visited the Peace Palacewhich is home to a number of internationaljudicial institutions, including theInternational Court of Justice (ICJ), thePermanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), therenowned Peace Palace Library, as well asThe Hague Academy of International Law.

The head of the international depart-ment and first secretary of ICJ, AndreyPuskakukhin briefed the Kuwaiti delegationon the history and the function of the worldcourt. Later, the Secretary General of the

PCA Hugo Siblesz gave a presentation onthe court followed by an in-depth discussionon ways to boost cooperation with Kuwait.

Kuwait representativesSane said that the PCA has proposed to

them to choose four members of the PCAwho would be the arbitrators and represen-tatives of Kuwait. It also proposed the possi-bility of a representation of PCA in Kuwait. “Iwill put forward all these issues to theKuwaiti government and other issues cov-ered by the constructive meeting,” he said.

The two sides also discussed the possibili-ty of sending judges, lawyers and studentsfrom Kuwait to gain more experience ininternational law, arbitration and humanrights. “This shows that the Kuwaiti diploma-cy is a strong diplomacy and the PCA officialsshowed great interest in Kuwait,” he said.

On his part, Siblesz said the “PCA haswelcomed Kuwait as a member state someyears ago and we have been helped tremen-

dously by the important contribution by Al-Shumaimri in our financial committee.”

“We are grateful for the State of Kuwaitto have put Shumaimri at our disposal,” hesaid. “Today we discussed various options ofenhancing cooperation between PCA andState of Kuwait including the possibility ofan host country agreement which wouldallow the PCA to conduct its hearing in aparticular case in Kuwait city under the sameconditions that we conduct the hearings inthe Peace Palace here in the Netherlands,”he added.

Law conferenceAfter his visit to London, Sane came to

The Hague where he on Thursday met withthe Dutch Minister of Justice and SecurityIvo Opstelten and discussed ways tostrengthen cooperation between the twocountries in the fields of justice, security andfight against terrorism. —KUNA

KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company,Kuwait’s first international joint-venture in thisindustry, participated in Kuwait’s National andLiberation Days parade which took place onthe Gulf Road.

Under the patronage of His Highness thePrime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the parade included theparticipation of several EQUATE employees ona float that was especially designed for thisjoyous occasion.

EQUATE Corporate Communication LeaderKholoud Al-Feeli said, “Our participation inKuwait’s festivities during its 54th NationalDay and 24th Liberation Day spurs fromEQUATE’s responsibility and dedication toKuwait and its people. We are honored andproud to take part in this national celebrationwhich reflects EQUATE’s role in supporting thedevelopment of Kuwait and the petrochemi-cals sector. This is a gathering of our society’smembers, nationals and expatriates alike, tocommemorate our national days as ‘Partnersin Success’ in all relevant fields for this won-derful land.”

Especially designed for this parade, thefloat carried the images of His Highness theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown PrinceSheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad A-Jaber Al-Sabah.The design highlighted different parts ofKuwait’s history and landmarks, as well asEQUATE’s industrial facilities, such as theSeawater Cooling Towers, which are the firstof their kind in Kuwait, and production units.

THE HAGUE: Minister Yaqoub Al Sane with the head of the international department of ICJ, AndreyPuskakukhin. —KUNA

EQUATE participates in Gulf

Road’s National Days parade

LO C A L

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

ABU DHABI: Vehicles pass by a giant billboard carrying a picture of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at a highway in Abu Dhabi.

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s diplomatic missions abroadheld further receptions celebrating theNational Days and congratulating the topleaders on the anniversaries. Ambassador toSerbia Yousef Ahmad Abdulsamad held, lateon Friday a ceremony that was attended byofficials, lawmakers and diplomats.

He expressed congratulations in a state-ment during the gathering to His Highnessthe Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince SheikhNawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and thepeople of Kuwait, hoping Kuwait may witnessfurther progress and prosperity.

Ambassador Abdulsamad, whose remarkswere broadcast by the official Serb media,hoped the existing economic cooperationbetween the two countries would be backedup with coordination at the political level. Healso noted significance of the forecast meet-ing of the Serb-Kuwaiti commission, due inKuwait during course of the year.

AlbaniaElsewhere in Europe, the mission to

Albania held a similar activity, during whichAmbassador Najib Al-Bader stated that thisyear ’s national celebrations were distin-guished with the United Nations honoring ofHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as a HumanitarianLeader and Kuwait as a Humanitarian Center.These gestures by the international organiza-tion were made to express gratitude forKuwait’s abundant contributions to reliefefforts to help nations in need worldwide.

IndonesiaIn Indonesia, the Kuwaiti diplomats fol-

lowed suit, hosting dignitaries on the occa-sion. Ambassador Nasser Al-Enezi, reached bytelephone, congratulated the top leaders onthe anniversaries. The Kuwaiti missions world-wide have held formal receptions celebratingKuwait’s 54th National Day, which fell onFebruary 25th, and its 24th Liberation Day, onFebruary 26th.

MexicoMeanwhile, the Kuwaiti Embassy in Mexico

has held a ceremony marking the occasion.The embassy said in a statement on Fridaythat Ambassador Sameeh Jawhar Hayatreceived congratulations from Mexican seniorofficials on the occasion of naming of HisHighness the Amir as a Humanitarian Leaderand Kuwait as a Humanitarian Center by theUN last year.

Ambassador Hayat stated His Highness theAmir spares no effort in supporting vulnera-ble and needy people across the world, not-ing that His Highness the Amir ordered dona-tions for children treatment suffering fromcancer in Mexico.

He extended congratulations on behalf ofthe embassy’s staff to His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh NawafAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness thePrime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and all Kuwaiti people onthe national events, the statement added.

Hayat commended the Kuwait-Mexico dis-tinguished relations, noting the two leadersare keen on cementing them on all levels. Hesaid that Mexican President Enrique Pena

Nieto, accompanied by a high-level delega-tion, is set to visit Kuwait this year, addingsome deals would be inked in the fields ofeducation, trade, health and investment.

GreeceIn Athens, Kuwait’s embassy held a glitter-

ing reception on the national days andAmbassador Raed Abdullah Al-Rifai as well asembassy’s staff welcomed guests. Greece’sdeputies of ministers of Interior, and Defense,representatives of political parties and MPs aswell as members of diplomatic missions ofArab and foreign countries were present inthe event.

Rifai conveyed congratulations to HisHighness the Amir Sheikh, His Highness theCrown Prince, His Highness the Prime Ministerand all Kuwaiti people on these occasions.The ambassador wished Kuwait continuousstability and further prosperity under the wiseleadership of His Highness the Amir. Theembassy last year celebrated the 50 anniver-sary of the establishment of their diplomaticrelations.

South AfricaMeanwhile, the Kuwaiti embassy to South

Africa held a ceremony in Pretoria markingthe national events in the presence of seniorofficials of the government, police and armyas well media people and members of diplo-matic missions.

VenezuelaKuwait’s Embassy to Venezuela also held a

reception marking the February 25-26National Day and Liberation Day, which had alarge turnout. In a speech to attendeesAmbassador Mohammad Al-Shabo referred tothe strength of the 50-year bilateral relationsbetween the two oil-producing nations,according to an embassy statement. Theambassador also pointed out to Kuwait’s “con-structive and peace-encouraging role” amidthe tragic circumstances sweeping the MiddleEast region.

Kuwait continues to make a huge contribu-tion to the Syrian crisis, particularly on thehumanitarian scale, whereby it has already

hosted two international donor conferencesfor refugees and is set to host a third in March,he mentioned.

“This has been highly regarded by theUnited Nations,” he said, “and this is portrayedin the awarding of His Highness the AmirSheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah thetitle of ‘Humanitarian Leader’.” Attending theproceedings were senior local state officials,lawmakers, military officers, foreign diplo-mats, representatives of the Muslim andChristian communities, academics and busi-nessmen, the statement read

UAEIn the United Arab Emirates, local authori-

ties and citizens shared the Kuwaitis the joyfulevent with various activities and public deco-rations. At the UAE border exits and airports,UAE citizens are greeting Kuwaitis with rosesand congratulatory cards on the 54th KuwaitNational Day and the 24th LiberationAnniversary. And in the cities, public locationsand main streets are adorned with the KuwaitiFlags and large photos of His Highness theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Television stations broadcast celebratoryactivities in Kuwait, while several poeticsoirees and concerts were held. Pictures andvideos of the Kuwaitis’ celebrations have beenviral on the electronic social media, involvingUAE citizens expressing solidarity and cordialfeelings toward Kuwait and its people.

Kuwaiti Ambassador to the UAE SalahMohammad Al-Buaijan expressed deep grati-tude for the warm sentiments expressed bythe UAE brothers, noting the solid ties thathave been bonding the peoples of Kuwaitand the UAE.

The HagueElsewhere, Kuwait’s embassy in The Hague,

the Netherlands, held a glittering receptionon the occasions. The visiting Kuwaiti Ministerof Justice, Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, YaqoubAl-Sane, was present to welcome the guestsalong with Kuwait’s Ambassador Hafeez AlAjmi. “Today is a distinguished event and ahappy event for all Kuwaitis and in every

Kuwaiti heart. This big gathering includingambassadors and officials from Holland andall parts of the world shows the place Kuwaitoccupies in its leading role in cooperationwith the countries around the world,” Sanesaid.

He expressed his heartfelt congratulationsto the UN-acclaimed Humanitarian Leader, HisHighness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-AhmadAl-Jaber Al-Sabah, to the wise leadership andto the government and the people of Kuwaiton the national events.

“I am very happy to see with my own eyesthis big gathering and by God’s blessings Iwas able be present in Holland following aninvitation by the Dutch minister of justice,” headded. Sane said he was also happy to meetthe “brothers working in Q8” who had set up aspecial stall at the sidelines of the reception toshowcase their products.

Q8 HQHe noted that Q8 headquarters in Europe

is based at the Hague and said “we saw manyof their works that we as Kuwaitis are proud ofand in particular of the capabilities of theKuwaitis.” “This administration shows thatKuwait is really a country that produces com-petence and capabilities,” he added.

Kuwait’s ambassador to the NetherlandsHafeez Al Ajmi warmly congratulated HisHighness the Amir, His Highness the CrownPrince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the government and the people ofKuwait. “I am very happy that for the fifth timeI am celebrating the national day and the lib-eration of our nation here in this beautiful cityof the Hague and in this friendly country,” hesaid.

“I am happy over the big progress in thedevelopment of Dutch-Kuwaiti relations andalso over the presence of His Excellency theJustice, Al Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, YaqoubAl-Sane, and his accompanying delegation,”said Al Ajmi adding that “we discussed bilater-al ties with the Dutch minister of justice andsecurity yesterday.”

He cited a number of visits by Kuwaiti min-isters such as those of the foreign ministerand the oil minister to Holland and exchange

of visits by high officials between the twocountries in recent years as a clear sign ofexcellent bilateral ties.

Dutch-Kuwaiti economic ties are growingand trade exchanges have reached to threebill ion euro annually, he noted. KuwaitPetroleum Corporation has a huge refinery atthe port of Rotterdam.

Big roleUS ambassador to the Netherlands,

Timothy Broas, wished Kuwait a happyanniversary of independence and for 24 yearssince the county was liberated. “We obviouslythe US played a big role in that and we arehappy to be here as Kuwait’s friend,” he said.

Birgitta Tazelaar, Director of North Africaand Middle East department in the DutchForeign Ministry, said “we congratulate thisgreat occasion of Kuwait.” “The Netherlandsand Kuwait have very good relations alreadyfor a very long time. There is lot of tradebetween us, lot of friendship between us andwe look forward to continuing that,” sheadded.

Dr M K Bouchahda, President of the Arabwriters and journalists in Europe Foundation,wished progress and prosperity to Kuwait.“Kuwait has been known internationally for itsmedia and secondly for its development fundand these are great things,” said the Tunisianintellectual and writer.

He noted that Kuwait has a long history ofdemocratic development and is an exampleof democracy even before the revolutions andthe Arab Spring.” Kuwait is also quiteadvanced in the freedom of expression andfreedom for women,” he added.

Cordial sentiments Kuwait National Day marks Kuwait’s inde-

pendence from Britain and the other occasionis observed in remembrance of the liberationfrom the Iraqi occupation that began with awide-scale aggression by troops of the oustedBaathist regime in August 1990. Many leaders,officials and decision makers, hosted by themissions, expressed cordial sentimentstoward Kuwait and re-affirmed their countries’solid support for the Gulf state. —KUNA

Kuwaiti missions hold furtherceremonies on national occasions

Officials, decision makers re-affirm solid support for Kuwait

TIRANA: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Albania Najib Al-Bader during the embassy’s celebration.JAKARTA: Kuwait’s embassy in Indonesia celebrating the National Days.

BELGRADE: Ambassador to Serbia Yousef Abdulsamadwith Serbian Minister of Trade, Telecommunicationsand Tourism Rasim Ljajic. —KUNA photos

MEXICO CITY: Kuwait’s Ambassador Sameeh Hayat seen during a reception at theembassy in Mexico City. PRETORIA: Kuwait’s embassy in South Africa celebrations the national occasions.

L O C A LSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Transplant Society (KTS) concludedtheir awareness campaign ‘Gift of Life’ with a talk on organdonation at the KTS headquarters yesterday. It was present-ed by Catholic Priest Father Davis Sharma, who is visitingKuwait. The campaign included activities in schools andchurches. The lecture was mostly attended by nurses anddoctors from various hospitals in Kuwait.

Donors’ numbers2014 was a good year for KTS. “Last year we had the

largest number of donors. We also established a mobileteam of doctors. We depend on Intensive Care Unit (ICU)doctors to refer patients to us. We should have one dedicat-ed doctor in every ICU, but there is a shortage of doctors inKuwait, so to solve this problem, we came up with an idea.Instead of having a doctor in each hospital, we have a teamthat visits ICUs daily. We have to diagnose and stabilize thepatients, as maintaining brain-dead patients is not an easyjob as they are very critical and unstable, and we can losethem. This year we lost many cases as the care was notenough for them,” said Dr Mustafa Al-Musawi, Chairman ofKTS.

According to him, doctors provide to living patients, butthese are dead people. “So we organized the mobile teamwhose only job is to look after these patients and sustainthem. It needs effort to talk to their families to convincethem, and some have to go and discuss the issue with therest of the family members. So we need to keep them onmachines for several days to allow the family to think itover. We don’t force them to make a quick decision. We tellthem to think about it and then take a decision. Manyrefuse and then agree, and vice versa. They can changetheir mind at the last minute just before the surgery. Wehad such a case at Mubarak Hospital when a team of sur-geons came from Saudi Arabia, but the family changed itsmind at the last minute, so we told the team to go back. Thedecision should come from the bottom of their hearts,”Musawi said.

121 referralsKTS had 121 referrals last year. “We are covering 7 major

hospitals including Adan, Amiri, Jahra, Farwaniya, Mubarak,Sabah and Ibn Sina. A majority of our referrals are mostlyold people, so their organs are old and they may have dia-

betes or hypertension. Also, not all referrals are brain dead -in fact only 60 percent were diagnosed as brain dead, 17percent were not and 18 percent were unstable. Sometimesthe family doesn’t accept a brain death diagnosis. Also,some refuse due to religious reasons,” Musawi explained.

Last year, 110 people benefitted from 24 donors. “Theseincluded 42 kidneys and 18 livers that were transplanted inSaudi Arabia, 4 lungs and 9 hearts, also transplanted inSaudi Arabia, 2 pancreases and 35 corneas. We hope thatwe can soon take corneas from normal deaths, and wehope we will soon be able to perform liver, lung and hearttransplants in Kuwait,” stressed Musawi.

The donated organs are transplanted serially, no matterthe nationality. “The organs don’t only go to Kuwaitis - allpatients who live in Kuwait are entitled to receive organsand we follow the waiting list. Those who carry organ donorcards or their family members who hold it have an advan-tage in the list,” he concluded.

Saving livesFr Sharma has himself donated a kidney. He is visiting

various countries with the same mission - to convince peo-ple to donate their organs and save the lives of others.“There are people waiting for organ transplants. When wegive something, only then we get satisfaction. The personwho gives is the one who gets satisfaction. I’m satisfied as Igave my kidney and I saved the life of somebody. We haveto share, and it’s our responsibility as human beings toshare our organs after use. There is no charity if a persondonates his organs after death. The charity is if he shares hisorgans while alive. This is a noble action. Those who receivethe organs receive life,” he said.

“You as nurses have more responsibility, as you have theopportunity to speak to patients and their relatives. Thenoble thing as a nurse is to save a life of a dying person. I’mliving happiness as somebody else is living with my kidneyand I don’t need any other happiness. Even after my death,my family will proudly say that I donated my organs. Whenyou share your body, that’s the greatest sharing in all reli-gions,” stated Sharma.

A large number of patients in Kuwait are in need fororgans. “These patients ask God to make people donatetheir organs. After death, we won’t take anything with us,but we can take happiness in the heart. If you speak aboutorgan donation every day for 10 minutes, when at work orwhen traveling, it will help,” he pointed out.

Kuwait Transplant Society

concludes awareness campaign

Largest number of organ donors in 2014

KUWAIT: KTS Chairman Dr Mustafa Al-Musawi (left) and Catholic Priest Father Davis Sharma at the seminar. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

Local Spotlight

“Jihadi John” or “IS Slaughterer”, this man caused a lotof panic by butchering innocents. When heappeared with his covered face in black, it was hard

for many to identify him, but the British authorities usedsome techniques and methods to reveal the identity of“Jihadist John”, including audio analyses and interviews withformer hostages, which confirmed his true identity.

The Washington Post published a full report about the “ISSlaughterer”. According to the paper, this man is MohammedEmwazi, a British citizen born in Kuwait, and is well-known toBritish security services. His place of birth was a subject ofdiscussion here. But the fact that he was born in Kuwaitdoesn’t mean he is a Kuwaiti citizen. He grew up and waseducated in UK. The Interior Ministry has to clear this pointbecause it has created some fuss here. Some information inthe report is indeed disturbing, and it should be a wakeupcall for governments to put extra efforts in combating terror.

For those who are not aware of this man’s crimes againsthumanity, let me tell you what he did and how he appearedto the public. “Jihadist John” has slaughtered foreignhostages in videos broadcast by IS. He appeared for the firsttime in a video in August, when he slaughtered Americanhostage James Foley, then in a similar videos slaughteringAmerican journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid workers DavidHaines and Alan Henning and US relief worker AbdulRahman (Peter) Kassig. In January, he killed two Japanesehostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. This man has donegreat damage to Islam and millions of Muslims, and peoplelike him are a true threat to humanity and not only civil soci-eties.

Here is what I think. His appearance in the media may bea means to convince some gullible people, especially theyouth, that this is Islam and they might try to imitate him ortrust IS’ call, and this is the real danger to everyone. Also,there is a lot of intolerance and extremism in the worldtoday, even in Western societies, and this can be used as anexcuse to tarnish the image of Islam and moderate Muslims,as if we are all involved in these crimes, which is undoubtedlyan injustice.

I am a Muslim, but I reject any justifications or calls madeby IS. I understand that extremism has no religion. But so far,we Muslims seem to be the prime suspects in any crime inthe world due to IS. Any Muslim that rejects acts of terrorismhas to clearly express his rejection to extremism and intoler-ance and any ideas that encourage terrorism, including con-servative private religious channels. The problem of thesereligious channels is that young people are the target audi-ence and their calls are suspicious.

The newspaper mentioned some remarks made by thejihadist’s friends, that he suffered from harassment by UKauthorities and this led him to join IS. Frustration can neverbe an excuse to justify brutal murders.

This man has offended the Islamic religion, which pro-hibits the killing of innocents and distorted the image ofMuslims. So prosecuting this man and others like him whoare preparing to join this organization is inevitable and aduty of all Arab and Western governments, to prevent themfrom causing further harm to innocents, whether they areMuslims, Christians or others. The West’s policies of naturaliz-ing extremists were wrong and must be corrected.

IS slaughterer

Newsi n b r i e f

GCC railway to

start from Kuwait

Project to conclude by 2018By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: GCC ministerial sources said that the first leg ofthe GCC railway would start from Kuwait to Bahrain viaSaudi Arabia. A bridge connecting Doha and Bahrain isdue to be built between the two countries. A line fromSaudi Arabia to Abdu Dhabi and Al-Ain and another fromMuscat to Sahar also are in the offing covering an esti-mated total distance of 2,117 kilometers. The sourcesadded that project’s estimated total cost would be $15.4billion and that, according to the GCC supreme council,the project would be concluded by 2018.

Bachelors out of family areas Well-informed sources at Kuwait municipality said thatjoint inspections were likely to be launched in collabora-tion with the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and the Ministry ofSocial Affairs and Labor (MSAL) to make sure no bache-lors live in areas allocated for families.

Water consumptionThe Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) recentlyurged both citizens and expatriates to rationalizetheir water consumption rates. The MEW stated thatwater consumption rates during February 25 and 26were reportedly equal to consumption of 14,000houses, with 10 people each, during a whole month.

Poet accused of indecencyA female citizen recently filed a complaint withFarwaniya police against a famous poet accusinghim of inviting her to indecent practices throughposts he made on Instagram. The complainantdemanded arresting of the poet and holding himlegally accountable.

‘March 10 session will

be unprecedented’

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: MP Faisal Al-Kandari stressed that parliamentarysessions on March 10, 11 and 12 are set to be ‘historic andunprecedented’ in Kuwait’s parliamentary history as, forthe first time, each minister would be separately askedabout the measures he took to handle financial violationscommitted within his jurisdiction as per the audit bureaureport. “It will be a collective inquiry and open for grillingministers who fail to take proper measures to prevent suchviolations,” he underscored.

Kandari explained that the inquiries ministers wouldhave to respond to include government litigations as gov-ernment had only won 60 cases and lost 85,000 otherscausing the state treasury KD 692 million. He added thatthere are 11 cases still to be trialed in court and that theyare expected to cost KDD 575 million if lost.

Further, Kandari added that most of the violations men-tioned in the audit bureau report had been detected inbodies subjected to oil minister, Ali Al-Omair.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) security mediarecently reconfirmed the continuation of the four-monthgrace period (effective since February 22, 2015) given to own-ers of unlicensed weapons to hand them over without beinglegally held accountable for possessing them. MoI alsostressed that there were 38 centers allocated to receive thoseweapons in addition to launching a wide scale media cam-paign to boost public awareness concerning the grace periodgiven using posters, banners, TV and radio flashes in additionto SMS and messages through various social media networks.

Four arrested with drugsTwo citizens and a bedoon (stateless) were arrested with thepossession of meth and other drugs at a checkpoint along

the Gulf Road, said security sources. In another case, a SriLankan national was arrested with the possession of 120grams of heroin, 30 grams of meth and 800 Roach pills, saidsecurity sources. Case papers indicate that narcotics policehad been tipped off concerning the suspect’s activity.Detectives stormed and searched his house where theyfound the drugs. The suspect admitted to possessing thedrugs for trade.

Bedoon stabbed Two citizens were arrested for stabbing a bedoon (stateless)during a fight at Khairan Resort, said security sources notingthat the bedoon was stabbed in the back and arm and thatthe suspects were found heavily drunk when arrested later on.

Man arrested with phonesA 16-year old citizen was arrested for attempted armed rob-bery in Mangaf, said security sources noting that the suspectwas arrested with the possession of a knife, a screwdriver, aniPhone and mobile phone accessories he had stolen from vari-ous vehicles.

Police assaultedTwo citizens were arrested for drinking, insulting and assault-ing a police officer on duty, said security sources. The policeofficer reported that on approaching a group of fightingyoung men along the Gulf Road to stop the fight, the two sus-pects and five others who are still at large, insulted andassaulted him.

Unlicensed weapons hand

over in four months

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading telecommunications companyin Kuwait, unveiled the newest centralized gaming plat-form named Wakti, which means “My Time” in Arabic, incollaboration with Huawei; a leading global ICT solutionsprovider and strategic partner of Zain. The platform offerscustomers a new interface for remarkable gaming experi-ences in the world of multimedia.

The inauguration of the gaming platform was held inZain and Huawei’s Joint Innovation Center at ZainHeadquarters in Shuwaikh, in the presence of the compa-ny’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mariam Ali and ValueAdded Services Director, Nadia Al Saif, as well as executiverepresentatives from both Zain and Huawei. Zain’s objec-tive behind the launch of the gaming center is to providethe most innovative solutions and value-added services toits customers, as part of its customer-centric strategy.

Through the Wakti platform, which was developed byHuawei, Zain will house a variety of services that seeks toshorten the time-to-market of newly-created entertain-ment services for consumers in the Middle East. The plat-form includes more than 160,000 mobile applicationsavailable for Android devices.

Zain prepaid and post-paid customers will be able todownload the Wakti app and purchase online contentusing their existing accounts. Additionally, and in an effortto reduce customers’ purchase time, Zain customers willbe able to purchase the chosen online content through adirect payment method; a newly developed paymentmethod offered by Zain, without the need to use banking

cards. Nadia Al Saif, Zain’s Value Added Services Director,said: “We are pleased to have partnered with Huawei tolaunch the latest Wakti gaming platform. The introductionof this tool comes as part of our in-depth understandingof customers’ high demand for online multimedia content,and thus, we are keen to provide our customers with whatthey aspire to have.”

Saif continued, “Nowadays, many application develop-ers are inventing and submitting an array of multimediaapplications, and as a leading telecommunications com-pany, we are committed to offering our customers the ide-al platform that provides guaranteed security levels todownload the software of their choice.”

The new platform offers a variety of substantial valueadded services including entertainment services such asonline gaming, ringtones, video, and music content,which Zain customers will be able to receive first-hand.The Wakti program has a number of signed agreementswith partners such as Rockville, MT2, Anghami, andGamePower7.

Zain has been eager to strengthen its cooperation withits strategic partner Huawei in various technological fieldsto provide customers’ with an out-of-this-world communi-cations experience. In June 2014, Zain and Huaweilaunched the first-of-its-kind Joint Innovation Centerbased in Kuwait, which serves as a research hub fromwhich Zain is able to advance its mobile broadband net-work, services, and applications offered to customers inKuwait and across the region.

Zain launches ‘Wakti’ Gaming

Center hosting platformCollaboration with Huawei to offer remarkable gaming experience

Detainees set cell ablazeTwo young citizens, arrested for robbing their aunt’shouse while she was out of the country, stealing her vehi-cle, jewelry and accessories, were also charged with arsonas they set fire to Nugra police station detention cellwhere they were held after arrest. No casualties werereported and all prisoners were moved to others cells.

Man trapped in carMangaf Rescue Forces were dispatched to rescue a driverwho was trapped inside his vehicle when a tree collapsedand fell on it in Abu Halifa, said security sources. No casu-alties were reported.

Drunkard hits several carsA citizen was arrested for damaging four vehicles in Salwawhen he lost control over his own as he was heavilydrunk, said security sources. In another case, a drunkenbedoon (stateless) was arrested when a police patrolspotted him fighting with a citizen opposite Salwa House,said security sources.

Purses stolen from vehiclesA Palestinian woman reported that unidentified robbersbroke open her vehicle and stole a purse including KD200, IDs and ATM cards. In a similar case, a Canadianreported that someone stole her purse after breaking hervehicle. She added that the purse includes a mobilephone and a credit card the suspect used to withdraw KD2,000 from her account.

F r o m t he A r a bic pr e s sSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Following a period in which the Kuwaiti peopletook initiatives to collect donations for benevo-lent reasons, now is the time they are becoming

very skeptic about collecting donations for anycause.

For instance, Kuwaitis have repeatedly donated forthe Palestinian resistance. Some Kuwaiti womendonated their jewelry in 1930s. The Kuwaiti peoplewere the first to donate for the Algerian revolutionand I remember back in the 1960s cinema ticket fareswere deducted to support the Algerian and thePalestinian revolutions. Kuwaitis are brought up tothe love of benevolence and charity.

However, ever since the Taleban war against theSoviets in Afghanistan, when US intelligence sup-plied them with stinger missiles, donations started totake political Islamic nature and many political Islamcharity organizations appeared even after Al-Qaedaorganization was formed. In fact, many Arab citizensjoined Al-Qaeda and started seeing donation boxeseverywhere; in coops, stores and restaurants. SomeArab communities even utilized Kuwaitis’ love forbenevolence and published endless ads aboutdonating old furniture and clothes and many Kuwaitifamilies ended up seeing the very same furniturethey had donated offered for sale in second hand fur-niture stores. Donations have become a source of liv-ing for some people though one cannot deny therole played by many respectable charity organiza-tions in various poor countries.

Now, a new phase has started by collecting dona-tions for the Syrian people. But much of those fundshad been sent to terrorist groups like Al-Nusra and ISinstead of the poor people displaced within theirhome country or living as refugees abroad. Thosewere irregular donations collected away from theMinistry of Social Affairs’ authority in local diwaniyasand some mosques. US and Western intelligenceexerted endless efforts to indentify terrorism fundingsources in Kuwait, which made people lose trust inthe sources, destinations and purposes of such funds.

However, I happened to attend a fair for sellingsecond hand books in Kuwait Writers’ Associationsupervised by a group of young Kuwaitis under thename of ‘White Hands’. Speaking to some of themabout their purpose of collecting such small amountsof money, they told me that they were collectingthem for the benefit of the Syrian people and thatlosing trust and faith in many charities, they pre-ferred sending them through Kuwait Red CrescentSociety (KRCS). At that point, I realized that theKuwaiti people, namely the youth, can now tell thedifference between whom to trust and whom not to.I also gladly realized that the Kuwaitis are still innate-ly benevolent. So, thank you to those young men andladies in the ‘White Hands’ group for such a humaneactivity!

White Hands’

benevolence!

Al-Rai

By Waleed Al-Rujaib

The plot to divide regional countries has beensupported by the latest developments in manymajor Arab countries like Iraq, Syria, Libya and

Yemen. The armed militants of IS are still easily roam-ing the Arab region despite allegations about intensi-fying the air strikes of the 40-member state interna-tional alliance.

Regional political incidents are heading towards anew division similar to that of the Sykes-Picot underthe supervision and patronage of the US and itsWestern allies in order to protect their interests andareas of influence worldwide in a way that re-dividesthe states formed after the Sykes-Picot according tosects, races, religions and doctrines with the ultimategoal of creating smaller states fighting each otherleaving the Zionist entity as the largest and mightiestregional military power!

This plot to divide has found its support by the ISgangs despite the air strikes of the internationalalliance. In fact, IS has been demonstrating its powersusing modern technology despite the internationalalliance countries capability to cut and prevent itscommunications!

Taking into consideration that IS militants are mereterrorists moving around using primitive and barbar-ian methods and propaganda to display its brutalcrimes, it is most likely, that this terrorist group isbeing used by the international and regional powersto impede democratization and social progress, divid-ing Arab states just like Al-Qaeda, Taleban and otherterrorist groups have been used.

Yes indeed, because the rapid and sometimes con-tradicting political changes indicate that the region ismoving towards major changes and that IS is but atool used to make those changes happen. Thosedevelopments are so rapid and can only be deterredby peoples’ awareness and rejection of the new colo-nial division schemes on the one hand, and by theresistance of the Egyptian army and people andEgypt’s political stability on the other. Egypt plays animportant strategic role in the region, which made itface severe terrorist attacks and systematic media criti-cism, namely since the June 30, 2013 revolution.

Within the same scheme, it is noticeable that GCCstates, namely KSA, are under pressure and attemptsto get them busy with domestic concerns and ruintheir relations with Egypt in desperate attempts to foilthe formation of a strong regional axis against otherregional ones, namely the Turkish one with some Arabstates who fanaticize about rebuilding the OttomanEmpire in addition to the Iranian axis led by Iran, whichseems to be making progress in Iraq, Syria, Lebanonand Yemen and is supported by effective Westerncountries despite being publically criticized in themedia because of its nuclear project!

IS and the division

of the region

Al-Jarida

By Dr Bader Al-Daihani

Al-Jarida

CrimeR e p o r t

Drugs Control Dept

makes several arrests

KUWAIT: The Drugs Control General Department(DCGD) arrested a man with 250 grams of hashish and10 gram of ICE for trade and use. He was arrested athis home where the drugs were found. He is beingsent to concerned authorities. Meanwhile, SouthernRoads Patrols arrested a citizen and his girlfrienddrunk and in the possession of two imported liquorbottles. Both were sent to the DCGD for further action.In a similar case, a Farwaniya police patrol stopped acar in Riqa for erratic driving, and found out that thedriver and the co-passenger were under the influenceof drugs. After a search on them the police foundthree shabu envelopes, 44 narcotic tablets, six darkpieces (suspected of being hashish) and drugs para-phernalia. They were sent to the DCGD.

Soldier with narcotic pillsSalmy customs officers sent a solider to theDrugs Control General Department (DCGD), ashe was arrested with narcotic pills. The soldieralso handed them a civil ID of a different personhe was carrying.

Fraudster found Police found the driver of a zigzagging car inMubarak Al-Kabeer with a bloody face when theyasked to pull over. The driver said that the bleed-ing was caused by his in-law who beat him.Police, noticing the smell of liquor from him,checked on him to find that he was in the want-ed list over a bank fraud case of over KD 500,000.He was sent to the concerned authorities.

Kidnapper twists rape storyAn African expat attempted to throw herself from acar in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh when she saw a policepatrol. The police found that she was being kid-napped by the driver who she alleged of raping her.She said she was waiting for a ride to her sister’shouse, and the alleged kidnapper offered her a ride,taking her against her will to a flat, raped her andoffered money which she said she refused. The driv-er denied her claims adding that the ride and theaftermath were with her consent. The source saidpolicemen arrested the suspect, a Syrian national.Investigations are ongoing.

KUWAIT: Official sources at the Manpower PublicAuthority said that once Minister of Social Affairs andLabor Hind Al-Subaih had reported to the Cabinetabout Kuwait’s demography, the manpower authoritywould set the procedures needed to bring new laborforce from outside Kuwait. This would be according toactual needs provided a bank warranty of KD 250 isdeposited per laborer. The sources added that needsof national laborers would also be subjected to actualneeds before the authority reopens for issuing new

work permits. In addition, the sources highlighted that those who

bring laborers from outside Kuwait without providingjob opportunities for them would be subjected tostrict penal measures.

Meanwhile, the sources said that a study conductedabout Kuwait’s demography pending a report to be sub-mitted to the Cabinet in this regard showed that over1,400,000 worked for the private sector and that only80,000 of them were citizens. —Al-Anbaa, Al-Watan

New plan for work

permits: Manpower1.4 million employees in private sector

21-year old girl missingA security source said that a girl (21) who was withher family in a chalet went missing after she hadgone to the grocery store. Her father reportedlyinformed the police after his own search for herfailed and when her phone was switched off. Thepolice are looking for her.

Qurain incidentAccording to a source, an expat under the influ-ence of drugs stripped his clothes in Qurainmarket. A police patrol noticed a person with-out clothes. After a search, police found that hedid not have an ID with him. He was sent toconcerned authorities.

KUWAIT: Informed sources said that acommittee will be set up to review thedetails of banning coeducation lawespecially that the ban in its presentstatus hinders the ShaddadiyaUniversity premises and increasesfinancial cost.

Sources said the law 24/1996includes in its details that the currentbuildings of Kuwait University, its col-leges and institutes, as well as PAAET,should be adjusted in a way that seg-regate students by designating placesfor female students in buildings, lec-ture halls, laboratories, libraries, edu-cational and administrative servicesand all facilities.

The sources added that the law onspecial places means that it is possibleto put a barrier between male andfemale students during the lecture,and not necessarily to have a separateclassroom for each gender. - Al-Rai

Diesel prices standKUWAIT: Sources said that the subsi-dies committee concerned with set-ting prices for diesel and keroseneproducers at retail stations decided tokeep prices as they are (110 fils perliter for diesel and kerosene) duringMarch.

Sources said the committee’s deci-

sion was based on oil prices develop-ments and rate of consumption, andthat consumption rates during thecurrent month are low.

Diesel prices are reviewed month-ly, after the council of ministersadjusted its decision to lift diesel sub-sidies and set the price of one liter at170 fils, to having the price at 170 filsor less according to the internationalprice. - Al-Qabas

Parliamentary inquiriesKUWAIT: In implementation of theparliament’s chart and the constitu-tional court rulings in a bid to achievecooperation with lawmakers, the gov-ernment recently set a new legalmechanism that aims at respondingto parliamentary inquiries in recordtimes.

In this regard, high-ranking minis-terial sources said that the new mech-anism involves unifying ministers’answers and replies to similarinquiries and committing all ministersto such responses due to be set byconstitutional and legal experts whowill be officially assigned to do so.The sources added that the experts’team would review all questions andin inquiries before responding tothem to make sure all the elements

mentioned in answers were constitu-tional.

Moreover, the sources added thatall ministers were asked to providethe office of the State Minister forCabinet Affairs and Oil Minister, Dr AliAl-Omair, with copies of the inquiriesmade to them pending study andmaking the right decision aboutthem. - Al-Anbaa

Co-ops privatization KUWAIT: Social Affairs and LaborMinister and State Minister forDevelopment Affairs Hind Al-Subaihsaid the Higher Planning Council didnot complete the study of privatizingco-ops, adding that coops privatiza-tion has several concepts, as it caninclude privatization of management,or changing its systems.

Subaih who was speaking duringthe opening of the super market atMubarak Al-Abdallah which belongsto Mishref co-op, said the issue isstill under study to come out withthe best solution to serve share-holders and consumers. She saidthe preliminary study was present-ed, and the council has asked forextra time to study that the councilwi l l get the result within t womonths from now. —Al-Qabas

Coeducation ban reviewed

Fight over cookingHawally police brought a fight between threeEgyptians under control in Nugra, and found outthat the fight was over the turn of cooking as thethree were living together and took turns to cook.The three were arrested and sent to the concernedauthorities.

Cross-dresser arrestedHawally police arrested an 18-year old man ashe was found gender cross dressing in Salmiya.He was sent to the criminal detectives. The sus-pect was caught walking between girls while ina woman’s attire.

Customer beats salesmanAn Indian expat who works at a mobile shop inSalhiya reported to police that he was beaten by anunidentified person. He said a man entered hismobile shop and asked him for a telephone andreportedly turned violent when he was told aboutthe price of the phone. The report specified that theman accused the victim of being a cheater, beat himon the head with the phone, before fleeing.

‘Imposter’ actor caughtDirector of Criminal Investigations DepartmentMajor General Mahmoud Al-Tabbakh orderedthe deportation of a Syrian who posted his pho-to as a policeman in uniform over the socialmedia. Upon questioning he said he made thephotos to show it to producers in the hope ofbecoming an actor.

Man hits patrol car Police arrested a Gulf national who deliberately hit apatrol car and allowed his three friends to escapefrom his car. A police source said that a patrol teamsuspected a car with four men in it. When they wereordered to stop the driver made a maneuver toescape, but failed. He hit the patrol car and stoppedat a distance, allowing his friends to escape on foot.Police arrested the driver after a stiff resistance fromhim. He was sent to Farwaniya detectives for ques-tioning.

Car thief caught on cameraA house monitoring camera helped in catch-ing a thief who broke into a car. The Kuwaitijuvenile said he committed 10 similar crimes.At the time of the arrest, the suspect hadequipment which he said he used to breakand an iPhone 6, he said he stole from a car.The arrest was made when a house owner sawthe suspect stealing from his car on cameraand called police who went to the house andarrested the Kuwaiti juvenile. He was sent toAhmadi detectives.

Farwaniya detectives are looking for cleaning workers whocut electric cables and wires from the Infectious DiseasesHospital’s transformers. The police also found out that theworkers were using the electrical room as residence. Thecables, liquor bottles and cable cutting equipment werefound in the room.

The sources added that police received a call about per-son cutting the cable. When they arrived the suspectsescaped with the cleaners’ uniforms.

In another such incident, Capital detectives arrested twoEgyptians and a Pakistani who stole electric cables and construc-tion equipment from Sulaibkhat and Doha bridges projects.

The supervisor of the project called police about twoEgyptians stealing wire and equipment and loading them ondump trucks. They said one of the supervisors on site allowedthem to enter, steal the equipment and sell them. They saidthat a fourth Egyptian planned the theft. The Pakistani wasarrested meanwhile the Egyptian is still at large.

Wanted bedoon arrestedPolice arrested a wanted bedoon (stateless) man to serveprison sentences as he committed 20 robberies from Asianbachelors’ residences in Jahra and Farwaniya Governorates.The bedoon had two swords, a knife, keys, and shabu. He wassent for concerned authorities.

Lebanese found dead in flatThe body of a Lebanese national was sent to the criminal evi-dence department, as he died in a daily rental flat, to deter-mine the cause of death whether it is a homicide or afterdrug use. A police source said the haris of the building inHawally reported the death.

Divorced woman saved on the roadTwo citizens contributed to preventing a crime by an army

soldier, when they chased him and caught him with thehelp of police when he escaped on foot. The two citizenstold police that they are monitoring a woman calling forhelp inside a car. The source said police asked the two citi-zens to remain behind the car until patrols arrive. Uponarrival the patrol chased the car forcing it to stop but theman ran on foot. Investigations revealed that the driverallegedly kidnapped his divorced wife, who said she wassurprised by him inside the room, and pulled a knife ask-ing her to go with him, then kidnapped her.

Filipino diplomat attackedA Filipino diplomat told Riqa police a man pulled him andtrapped him in his car when he went to the residence of aFilipina who accused her sponsor of beating her, to takeher to the embassy. Police are investigating.

Grocer loses legJahra detectives are looking for an unidentified man and awoman who allegedly severed the leg of an Asian expatbecause of a pack of cigarettes. A security source said theAsian arrived at Jahra Hospital with severe injuries in hisright foot, to a point that made doctors decide to ampu-tate it. The Asian who works as a grocer said a man and awoman stopped by and asked him for a pack of cigarettes.When he handed them the pack they drove off at a highspeed. When the grocer hung on to the car the driverincreased his speed, making the Asian to fall and his footwas run over.

Fight at the embassyTwo Syrians nationals were sent to Bayan police stationafter they exchanged blows inside the Syrian embassy,continued fighting as they left, using tools, prompting theembassy security officer to interfere. —Al-Rai, Al-Anbaa

Cable thieves on the run

With unitedfront, Arab Israelis seekmore clout

Page 8

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

In Algeria, women ‘imams’ battle radicalization

ALGIERS: Mourshidates, female religious guides appointed by the Algerian religious affairs ministry to spread the good word of Islam and a message of tolerance, read the Quran at the Ennidal mosque in the Algerian capital,Algiers. — AFP

ALGIERS: Hundreds of female religious guides have been atthe forefront of Algeria’s battle against Islamic radicalizationsince the civil war that devastated the North African countryin the 1990s. Their aim is to steer women away from falsepreachers promoting radical forms of Islam. The surge of theIslamic State group in Syria and Iraq, and even in Libya nextdoor, as well as the growing influence of Al-Qaeda-linkedmilitants and Salafists, has them working around the clock.

Known as “mourshidates,” their goal is to spread the goodword of Islam and a message of tolerance, helping those whohave strayed from it. “Killing is a capital sin, so how is it thatpeople can kill innocent ones in the name of Islam,” asksFatma Zohra, who is in her mid-40s, her hair and neck con-cealed under a matching purple veil and a hijab. Like the oth-er 300 mourshidates appointed by the religious affairs min-istry, Zohra holds a degree in Islam and has learned theKoran by heart. She said she was “motivated to know Islambetter in order to teach the religion” following the traditional-ly moderate Muslim country’s civil war in the 1990s, whichkilled at least 200,000 people.

The war erupted after authorities cancelled the 1991 elec-tions, Algeria’s first democratic vote, which the Islamic ActionFront was poised to win. Zohra, who was a student at thetime, recalled bitterly as she met a group of women in amosque, that “Algerians killed Algerians in the name of Islam.”For the past 17 years she has been “listening to women,advising them and referring them to specialists” when theirproblems are not directly linked to religion. The mourshi-dates use skills borrowed from psychology and sociology,working in mosques, prisons, youth centres, hospitals andschools. Unlike imams, who are men, they are not allowed tolead prayers.

‘Vigilance’ neededWhen the first mourshida was licensed in 1993 to teach

and guide women, only housewives showed up, but theaudience has grown over the years to include university stu-dents and professionals. “Imams are good but it is much bet-ter to confide in a woman,” says Aisha, in her 60s. Meriem, ahigh school mathematics teacher, said the rise of “fakeprophets,” who seek to indoctrinate young people, persuad-ed her to attend meetings with the likes of Zohra only a fewmonths ago. “I wanted to learn the true Islam,” she said.Samia, another mourshida who decline to give her surname,says she has been working for the past 15 years in a region ofAlgeria where youths, both boys and girls, have been increas-ingly radicalized.

“Their mothers suffer to see them become radicalized andconfide in me so that together, and with the help of others,we can de-radicalize them,” she said. Samia warns thatAlgerians must be alert. “Even if very few Algerians havejoined the ranks of the Islamic State group, vigilance is neces-sary because radicalization takes many forms,” she said.“Pseudo-imams, who know nothing about the teachings ofthe Koran,” are trying to indoctrinate people through televi-sion programs and the Internet, she said. “Adolescents in par-ticular must be monitored because they are impressionableand can easily be swayed.”

She recalls how she worked hard to help save a 17-year-old girl after her parents complained that she had begunadopting radical Islamist behavior. The girl’s mother toldSamia her daughter “had been indoctrinated and had begunwearing the full Islamic veil” and would admonish the familyabout attending weddings or watching television. “Formonths we counseled the girl and listened to what she hadto say. Finally she went back to school and resumed her nor-mal life,” Samia said. Like Samia, many mourshidates say theyare proud to have contributed to help youths from fallinginto the grips of radical Islamists. “It is the biggest reward ofour work,” one of them said. — AFP

Mourshidates steer women away from false preachers

ALGIERS: Fatma Zohra, one of the female religious guides reads the Quran at the Ennidal mosque in the Algeriancapital. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

BEIRUT: Backed by US-led coalition airstrikes,Kurdish fighters fought their way into a north-eastern Syrian town that was a key strongholdof Islamic State militants, only days after thegroup abducted dozens of Christians in thevolatile region, Syrian activists and Kurdish offi-cials said. The victory marks a second blow tothe extremist IS group in a month, highlightingthe growing role of Syria’s Kurds as the mosteffective fighting force against the Islamic State.In January, Kurdish forces drove IS militants from

the town of Kobani near the Turkish border aftera months-long fight, dealing a very publicdefeat to the extremists.

But it is also tempered by this week’s horrificabductions by IS militants of more than 220Christian Assyrians in the same area, along thefluid and fast shifting front line in Syria. Thetown of Tel Hamees in Syria’s northeasternHassakeh province is strategically importantbecause it links territory controlled by IS in Syriaand Iraq. The province, which borders Turkey

and Iraq, is predominantly Kurdish but also haspopulations of Arabs and predominantlyChristian Assyrians and Armenians. “We are nowcombing the town for explosives and remnantsof terrorists,” said Redur Khalil, a spokesman forthe Kurdish fighters, known as the People’sProtection Units or YPG.

Cutting supply lineSpeaking to The Associated Press over the

phone from the outskirts of Tel Hamees, he saidthe town was a key stronghold for IS and hadserved as a staging ground for the group’s oper-ations in the Iraqi town of Sinjar and the city ofMosul. Dislodging the group from Tel Hameescuts a supply line from Iraq, Khalil said. The pushon the town’s eastern and southeastern edgescame after the Kurdish troops, working withChristian militias and Arab tribal fighters, seizeddozens of nearby villages from the Islamic Stateextremists. US-led coalition forces provided cov-er, striking at IS infrastructure in the region fordays.

More than 200 militants died in the fighting,and at least eight troops fighting alongside YPG,including an Australian national who has beenwith the Kurdish forces for three months, Khalilsaid. The British-based Syrian Observatory forHuman Rights, which relies on a network ofactivists inside Syria, said IS defenses collapsedand the militants fled after Kurdish fightersbroke into Tel Hamees from the east and south.The Observatory’s director, Rami Abdurrahman,said the Kurds seized more than 100 villagesaround Tel Hamees and that ground battles and

air strikes around the town have killed at least175 IS fighters in the past several days in someof the latest losses for the group since Kobani.

Villagers fleeSome 15,000 villagers have fled the fighting,

he added. The Kurds in Syria and Iraq haveemerged as the most effective force fighting IS,which controls about a third of Iraq and Syria -much of it captured in a lighting blitz last springand summer, as Iraqi army forces melted away inthe face of the militant onslaught. In Syria, theyhave teamed up with moderate rebels for terri-torial gains against the group.

IS fighters capture dozensElsewhere in Hassakeh, IS fighters this week

captured dozens of mostly Christian villages tothe west of Tel Hamees - taking at least 220Assyrian Christians hostage, according toactivists. The fate of those abducted was stillunknown. On Thursday, video emerged of ISmilitants smashing ancient Mesopotamian arti-facts in a museum in Mosul, Iraq’s second largestcity. The UN Security Council strongly con-demned the ongoing “barbaric terrorist acts” bythe Islamic State group including attacks “andthe deliberate destruction of irreplaceable reli-gious and cultural artifacts housed in the MosulMuseum and burning of thousands of booksand rare manuscripts from the Mosul Library.”

A council statement said income from loot-ed cultural items in Iraq and Syria is being usedto support the group’s recruitment efforts andstrengthen its ability to organize and carry out

terrorism acts. “The members of the SecurityCouncil stressed again that ISIL must be defeat-ed and that the intolerance, violence, and hatredit espouses must be stamped out,” the state-ment said, using one of several alternativeacronyms for the group. Irina Bokova, the headof the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, denouncedthe group’s destruction of ancient statues andartifacts as “cultural cleansing” and a war crimethat the world must punish.

From Paris, where the agency is based,Bokova said she could not watch to the end theIslamic State video posted Thursday that showsmen using sledgehammers to smashMesopotamian artworks in Iraq’s northern cityof Mosul. She called the video “a real shock.” TheLouvre Museum in Paris said the destruction“marks a new stage in the violence and horror,because all of humanity’s memory is being tar-geted in this region that was the cradle of civi-lization, the written word, and history.”

French President Francois Hollande also con-demned the “barbarity” of the destructions.“What the terrorists want is to destroy all thatmakes humanity,” he said Friday during a visit tothe Philippines. Elsewhere in Syria, at least eightcivilians were killed in a car bomb that explodedoutside the Bilal Mosque in the rebel-held townof Dumeir, east of Damascus. Many others werewounded in the blast, which occurred as wor-shippers were leaving the mosque followingFriday prayers. Another car bomb went off out-side a mosque in Nasseriya, near Dumeir, alsocausing multiple casualties. It was not immedi-ately clear who was behind the bombings. —AP

Kurdish fighters rout IS militants from town near Iraq

IRBIL: Gunsmith Bahktiyar Sadr-Aldeen repairs a weapon at his shop, in Irbil,northern Iraq. Sadr-Aldeen, an Iraqi Kurd, has seen his business shoot up by50 percent since last June, when the Islamic State took over the Iraqi city ofMosul. —AP

NAZARETH: Israel’s once-squabbling Arab partiesaim to bolster their influence in parliament todefend the rights of their minority with anunprecedented alliance forged ahead of snapelections. The parties hope their show of unitywill encourage a higher turnout among the 1.3million Arab-Israelis who make up 20 percent ofthe population. “Israeli law does not guaranteeour rights,” said Ayman Odeh, the leader of theunified Arab list. “By forming a single list, we hopeto (win more seats and) weigh in more heavily onpolitical decisions taken in this country.”

The united slate, announced in January,includes representatives from across the politicalspectrum, from Communists to Islamists. ArabIsraelis-the descendents of about 160,000Palestinians who stayed in Israel after its creationin 1948 - are optimistic about its chances of suc-cess. “Before, I would boycott the Arab partiesbecause they’d fall into the trap of division overinternal squabbles,” said Rabiee, 38, who did notwant to give his full name. “This time I will give myvote to the united list,” said the resident ofNazareth, Israel’s biggest Arab city.

The Arab list, which polls show could win 12seats in the March 17 election, one more thantheir combined total now, includes Muslim,Christian, Druze and even Jewish Communist can-didates. It comprises the Balad party, the IslamicMovement, the Arab Movement for Change, andHadash, an Arab-Jewish socialist party. While it isunlikely to be part of any coalition government,“the very fact that the ticket was put together,even if under duress, offers hope for a renewedpositive momentum in Jewish-Arab relations,”Israel Shrenzel, of Tel Aviv University’s departmentof Arabic and Islamic studies, wrote in a commen-tary published on the Haaretz daily’s website.

“If the Joint List continues to remains intactafter the election as well an important conditionfor promoting genuine change-and if the spirit ofHadash will dominate the slate, we can hope thatlarge sections of the Jewish public and its repre-sentatives will extend a hand and be ready to bat-

tle attitudes of exclusion and discrimination.”

Anti-Arab hateA law penned by hardline Israeli Foreign

Minister Avigdor Lieberman last year raised thepercentage of votes needed for representation inthe 120-member parliament from 2.0 to 3.25 per-

cent. The formation of the united list was a moveto ensure no parties were thrown out of theKnesset because of the new threshold law, and tocounter the extreme right of Israeli politics, Odehsaid. “Incitement and anti-Arab hatred increasedsignificantly during the Gaza conflict,” he said,referring to Israel’s military campaign last July andAugust against Hamas militants who fired rocketsover the border.

Alleged racism even by cabinet ministers hasincensed the Arab list candidates. Lieberman hassupported the idea of land swaps that would seeArab towns incorporated into an eventualPalestinian state in exchange for Jewish WestBank settlements-which are illegal under interna-tional law-becoming part of Israel. Odeh, who isfrom the Hadash party, says this aims purely toseparate Arabs from Jews, and “kick us out of thecountry”. Many Arab Israelis are happy livinginside the Jewish state, but complain they are sec-ond-class citizens.

How to garner votes?Another factor in the decision to unite the par-

ties was a 2014 bill, supported by rightwing PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu, that sought to fullyenshrine in law Israel’s status as the nationalJewish homeland-a move minorities said coulderode their rights, and which rights groupsslammed as undemocratic. Netanyahu’s Likudparty and centre-left coalition the Zionist Unionare predicted to win 22 and 24, seats, respectively,on March 17.

Netanyahu would have little trouble forming arightwing coalition with other hardline partiesthat could hand him a third consecutive term inoffice. Many Arab Israelis have boycotted generalelections in the past, but the list hopes that couldchange. Polls show there could be a 66-percentArab Israeli turnout, 10 percent higher than in thelast vote in 2012. “By making the decision to joinforces, we are responding to the call from theArab street,” said Ahmed Tibi, a lawmaker fromthe Arab Movement for Change. —AFP

With united front, Arab Israelis seek more cloutArab parties aim to bolster influence in parliament

NAZARETH: Israeli Arab member of parlia-ment Hanin Zuabi poses for photo in thenorthern Israeli city of Nazareth. Love heror loathe her, Zuabi leaves few peopleindifferent. Opponents see her as the ene-my within, but for others she’s a passionatedefender of the Palestinian cause. —AFP

BAGHDAD: Car bombs targeting a crowded mar-ket and Shiite militia checkpoints north of Iraq’scapital killed 27 people yesterday, authorities said,as the country’s prime minister vowed to punishIslamic State militants who smashed ancient arti-facts in a northern city. The first bombs explodednear the market in the town of Balad Ruz, 70 kilo-meters northeast of Baghdad, killing 11 peopleand wounding 50, police and hospital officialssaid. A suicide car bomber later attacked a check-point manned by Shiite militiamen near the city ofSamarra, killing eight Shiite fighters and wounding15, authorities said.

Samarra and surrounding areas have beenunder constant attacks by the Islamic State group,which holds about a third of Iraq and neighboringSyria in its self-declared caliphate. Clashesbetween Iraqi security forces and Islamic State mil-itants followed the attack around Samarra, 95 kilo-meters north of Baghdad. A second suicidebomber attacked another Shiite militia checkpointjust south of Samarra, killing eight fighters andwounding 16, police and hospital officials said.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymitybecause they were not authorized to talk to jour-nalists. No one immediately claimed the attacks,though Iraq sees near-daily attacks often claimedby the Islamic State group. Meanwhile in Baghdad,Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi vowed totrack down and punish those who smashed rareancient artifacts in the northern city of Mosul. OnThursday, the Islamic State group released a videopurportedly showing militants using sledgeham-mers to smash the statues, describing them asidols. The vandalism drew global condemnation.

The destruction is part of a campaign by theextremists, who have destroyed a number ofshrines since last summer. They are also believedto have sold ancient artifacts on the black market

to finance their bloody campaign. “Those barbaric,criminal terrorists are trying to destroy the her-itage of the mankind and Iraq’s civilization,” Al-Abadi said. “We will chase them in order to makethem pay for every drop of blood shed in Iraq andfor the destruction of Iraq’s civilization.” The mili-tants hold Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, and thesurrounding Nineveh province.

Samarra attacked In another development, Islamic State suicide

bombers and fighters struck targets yesterday inthe northern Iraqi city of Samarra, where securityforces and their Shiite militia allies have been gath-ering for an offensive against the radical militants.Security sources and residents said the attack onSamarra was launched at 5.30 am when twoIslamic State suicide bombers blew up their cars inthe northern area of Sur Shnas. At the same time aman drove a Humvee rigged with explosives intothe south of the city and detonated it, whileIslamic State fighters attacked security forces tothe west with sniper fire, mortars and rocket pro-pelled grenades.

Thousands of troops and fighters from Shiitemilitias known as Hashid Shaabi (PopularMobilization) have gathered around Samarra for acampaign to drive Islamic State out of nearbystrongholds on the Tigris River, including the cityof Tikrit 50 km to the north. Medical sources saidSamarra hospital had received the bodies of threeHashid Shaabi fighters, and was treating sixwounded people. Residents reported seeing blacksmoke over parts of the city and hearing powerfulexplosions, as clashes continued. In the town ofIshaaqi, about 20 km southeast of Samarra, snipersshot dead two Hashid Shaabi men as they tried toset up a sand barrier on the main highway linkingSamarra to the capital Baghdad. —Agencies

Car bombs kill 27 Islamic State fighters attack Samarra

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu takes his long-run-ning campaign to deny Iran nuclear armsto Washington next week, askingCongress to torpedo an emerging USnuclear deal with Tehran. Netanyahu hasinfuriated the White House andDemocrat lawmakers by accepting theinvitation by Republicans to speak onCapitol Hill, in what Israel’s Haaretz news-paper calls “the speech of his life”. Israelicommentators and US officials are sayingTuesday’s speech, two weeks beforeNetanyahu fights an election for a thirdconsecutive term in office, endangerswhat has historically been bipartisan USpolitical support.

A string of Democratic lawmakers arevoting with their feet, announcing theywill not attend. “The chances of shootingdown the (emerging Iran) agreementdepend on enlisting a majority of two-thirds of the members of Congress, whichcould overcome President (Barack)Obama’s expected veto and impose newsanctions on Iran,” columnist Ben Caspitwrote in the Maariv daily. “After the dirtytrick came to light, the number of mem-bers of Congress who retracted and whowill not support this course of actionagainst their president has grown andthe chances of success have dropped,” hewrote.

US National Security Advisor SusanRice slammed the politicization of theissue. “What has happened over the lastseveral weeks by virtue of the invitationthat was issued by the Speaker and the

acceptance of it by Prime MinisterNetanyahu, two weeks in advance of hiselection, is that on both sides there hasnow been injected a degree of partisan-ship,” she said in an interview with publicbroadcaster PBS. “I think it is destructive ofthe fabric of the relationship,” she added.

‘Understand America’Mark Heller, a political analyst at Israel’s

Institute for National Security Studies toldAFP the entire speech issue has been inter-preted as partisan. “It’s not surprising thatthe Republicans would try to do that; a littlebit more surprising I think that Netanyahu

would allow himself to be used that waybecause he has a reputation as being some-one who’s supposed to understand Americaand someone who’s supposed to under-stand the importance of bipartisanship inthe American-Israeli relationship,” Heller said.Obama has refused to meet Netanyahu dur-

ing his visit, and Vice President Joe Bidenand Secretary of State John Kerry will bothbe abroad.

Caspit said Netanyahu’s gambit wouldbe ineffectual. “Does he really think that onespeech will stop the process that the worldpowers have been maintaining with Iran,

will persuade the president, conquerCongress, force China, Russia, Germany andall the others to toe the line with him andimmediately cancel these negotiations?”Even Netanyahu’s coalition partner and cab-inet colleague, Foreign Minister AvigdorLieberman, described the speech as “of nogreat importance”. “No agreement will pre-vent Iran from obtaining nuclear weaponsand that is why we must decide on our ownand act accordingly,” he said in a televisioninterview. For most of his political careerNetanyahu has warned Tehran wants toacquire nuclear weapons. In 1996, duringhis first term as premier, in a speech toCongress he spoke of “unreconstructed dic-tatorships whose governmental creed isbased on tyranny and intimidation”. Henamed Iran as “the most dangerous of theseregimes”. “If this regime, or its despoticneighbor Iraq, were to acquire nuclearweapons, this could presage catastrophicconsequences, not only for my country, andnot only for the Middle East, but for allmankind.”

In 2012 he warned in a Washingtonspeech to pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC,which had in the past opposed new sanc-tions on Iran, against backing Obama’snegotiation strategy. “Iran calls for Israel’sdestruction and they work for its destruc-tion each day, every day, relentlessly,” hesaid. “This is how Iran behaves today, with-out nuclear weapons. Think of how they willbehave tomorrow, with nuclear weapons.”Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he hadno choice but to fight his corner on CapitolHill. —AFP

Defiant Netanyahu takes anti-Iran campaign to US

NAJAF: An Iraqi man prepares a candlelight vigil at the shrine of ImamAli in Iraq’s central city of Najaf in memory of Muslim and Christian vic-tims killed by the Islamic State (IS) group. IS is accused of multiple abus-es against minorities in the areas under its control in Iraq, Syria andelsewhere.—AFP

JALJULIA: An artist works on an effigy of Israeli PM BenjaminNetanyahu to be used in a parade float during preparations forthe Jewish festivities of Purim in the central Israeli town ofJaljulia. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The US military has insisted itwas not pressurizing Iraq to launch an offensiveto recapture Mosul from Islamic State extremistsin the next few months, saying the timing was upto Baghdad. Previous comments by senior USofficials suggesting the Iraqi army would stage acounter-attack against the IS group in the north-ern city as soon as April or May have provoked anangry response in Baghdad.

But Pentagon press secretary Rear AdmiralJohn Kirby said Washington was not out to forcethe hand of the Iraqi army before it was ready tolaunch such a major undertaking. “I don’t thinkit’s fair to say that the Pentagon or the militaryhas been pushing the Iraqis on any specific time-line,” Kirby told reporters. “We haven’t laid a datecertain down here at the Pentagon... we’re notpushing or aggressively trying to nudge themtowards a faster timeline than they’re going to beready.” General Lloyd Austin, who as head of USCentral Command oversees the internationalcampaign against the IS jihadists, recently saidthat Iraqi and Kurdish forces would be ready by

the spring or early summer to start an offensiveto grab back Mosul-Iraq’s second-largest city,seized by the IS group last June.

And an official with Central Command toldreporters last week that “the mark on the wall weare still shooting for is the April-May timeframe.”The idea was to stage the operation before theMuslim fasting month of Ramadan, which startsin mid-June, and before the summer heat kicksin, the official said. A few days later, Iraq’s defenseminister, Khaled Obeidi, expressed irritation thatthe Pentagon would publicly announce a datefor the battle of Mosul. “A military official shouldnot disclose the date and time of an attack,”Obeidi said.

Analysts and former military officers said thePentagon might be trying to sow fear among theIS group and to build an aura of inevitabilityabout a future operation. The former supremeallied commander of NATO, James Stavridis, toldCNN that Washington may be seeking to “build anarrative” by forecasting the timing of an opera-tion. But he called the move “a mistake.” —AFP

US army denies pushing Iraq on Mosul offensive

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

MISSOURI: A man armed with a handgunwent on a house-to-house shooting spree ina rural Missouri town, killing seven relativesand neighbors before taking his own life, offi-cials said yesterday. Seven people werefound dead in four different homes in thesleepy Bible Belt village of Tyrone, in thesouth-central Ozarks section of theMidwestern state. The shooter, Joseph JesseAldridge, 36, was later found slumped overinside a pickup truck, apparently from a self-inflicted fatal handgun wound.

His mother Alice Aldridge, 74, was mean-while found dead in a fifth house in Tyrone“from natural causes,” the Missouri StateHighway Patrol said. “A motive for the killinghas yet to be determined,” said State HighwayPatrol spokesman Sergeant Jeff Kinder. Fourof the named victims, aged 47 through 52,two male and two female, were all surnamedAldridge. Investigators believed the shooterwas a cousin of theirs. An autopsy onAldridge’s mother is scheduled for today.

Woman survives One person survived the massacre and

“she is expected to be okay,” said SheriffJames Sigman of Texas County, whichincludes Tyrone. “A crime like this in any com-munity is major. It’s not something we’reused to seeing,” Sigman told reporters.Sigman said the shooter, who was armedonly with a handgun, had “a minor criminalhistory,” with no serious offenses to his name.Texas County coroner Tom Whittaker suspect-ed Aldridge may have become angry upondiscovering that his ailing mother had passedaway, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

“We’re speculating that he came homeand found her deceased and then, for what-ever reason, went on a rampage and startedkilling people,” he told the newspaper. “Rightnow, with the shooter dead, we don’t know...We’re in the information-gathering stage.”Tyrone is home to about 50 people, Sigmansaid, in a 97 percent white county near theArkansas border in which one in five inhabi-tants live under the poverty line.

Snowy murder sceneYellow police tape on Friday surrounded

one of the crime scenes, a simple one-story

white house with a small front porch, sittingamid a blanket of snow under a blue sky.First word about the shootings came at10:30 pm Thursday (0430 GMT Friday) whena juvenile female called the Texas CountySheriff’s Office. She reported hearing gun-shots in one of the houses, and fled to aneighbor’s home to notify the authorities,Kinder said.

“Responding deputies found twodeceased persons” at that first house, headded, then five other victims in three otherresidences. “Another (fifth) residencerevealed the body of a deceased elderlyfemale who appeared to have died from nat-ural causes,” he added, referring to a victimbelieved to be the shooter’s mother. Policevisited other Tyrone homes in the earlyhours of Friday, telling residents to stayinside and not to open their doors tostrangers, the Herald newspaper in the coun-ty seat of Houston, Missouri reported. “This isa horrific tragedy and our hearts go out tothe victims of these senseless acts and theirfamilies,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said ina statement.— AFP

8 dead in door-to-door Missouri shooting spree

MISSOURI: Police tape surrounds one of five crime scenes near Tyrone, Mo, on Fridaymorning, Feb 27, 2015. A gunman killed seven people and wounded an eighth person inan overnight house-to-house rampage in the small town in the Missouri Ozarks beforeapparently committing suicide in a vehicle. — AP

MONTREAL: Concerned about a growing num-ber of Canadian youths traveling overseas to joinjihadists, and lacking an immediate alternative,political leaders have asked parents to keep amore watchful eye on their children for signs ofextremism. “These situations are disastrous,”Quebec premier Philippe Couillard said Friday, aday after Canadians learned that six of their own,aged 18 and 19, including two young women,had left for Syria via Turkey mid-January.

All of them were born in Canada to immi-grant parents who said they sought to instillWestern values in their offspring. One fathereven confiscated his son’s passport to try tokeep him from taking a flight. They are not thefirst to venture abroad to join Islamic Statejihadists. On Wednesday, an Alberta familyrevealed that their 23-year-old daughter hadflown to Syria.

She had taken an online course to study theKoran but instead learned from her teacher-asuspected IS recruiter-how to get to the IS-con-trolled city of Raqa in Syria to join the extremistgroup. Others left months earlier, and some have

since died, such as a former University of Ottawastudent John Maguire, who was reportedly killedin December near Kobane, and four cousinsfrom Calgary whose deaths devastated theirfamilies, which had fled conflict in Somalia tostart new lives in Canada.

New legislation Pending the passing of new legislation grant-

ing sweeping new powers to Canada’s spyagency to thwart terror plots and disrupt sus-pected extremists’ travel plans, such as prevent-ing them from boarding a plane to join abanned group abroad, Ottawa has called onCanadians to simply remain vigilant against radi-calization of friends and family.

“We all have a duty” to act to prevent themfrom leaving, Public Safety Minister StevenBlaney said Thursday. “When an individual wish-es to travel for terrorist purposes, the family isaware of it,” he said. “So it is important to reportthis information to authorities to avoid the situa-tion becoming a criminal one and also to savelives.”

In Quebec City, Blaney’s provincial counter-part, Lise Theriault, offered a toll-free number tocall to report suspected cases. Most of the sixyouths attended the same high school in aMontreal suburb, which immediately suspend-ed its weekend lease of classrooms to a Muslimassociation that taught Arabic and religion. Thatmove was decried Friday by the association’shead, Adil Charkaoui, a Moroccan-bornCanadian who years ago successfully challengedhis detention without trial under a controversialsecurity measure over suspicions that he was anAl-Qaeda sleeper agent.

At a press conference in Montreal, he accusedthe government of using terror scares to bring inlegislation that critics argue will trample individ-uals’ rights. Ottawa, he said, is “using terrorismand radicalization to bring in Bill C-51,” whichwill give the Canadian Security IntelligenceService a new mandate to disrupt terror threats.It is being fast-tracked in the wake of two lonewolf attacks in Canada last year and is expectedto be passed by the end of June whenParliament breaks for the summer.— AFP

Canada worried as growing

number of youths join jihad

6 Canadians leave for Syria via Turkey

WASHINGTON: The US Capitol is seen at dusk as the US Congress struggles to find a solution to fund the Department of Homeland Security onFebruary 27, 2015 in Washington, DC. —AFP

US Congress narrowly averts

Homeland Security shutdownWASHINGTON: Feuding US lawmakers narrow-ly avoided a Department of Homeland Securityshutdown Friday at the 11th hour, but fundedthe agency only until March 6, forcing Congressto revisit the issue next week. House and Senatemembers scrambled to prevent the premieragency securing the United States against terrorthreats from running out of money at midnight,as DHS became a battleground for lawmakers

clashing over President Barack Obama’s contro-versial immigration reforms. The presidentsigned the temporary measure into law shortlybefore midnight, despite his preference for fullDHS funding through the end of the fiscal yearon September 30.

Earlier attempts to secure comprehensivefunding failed spectacularly Friday, with conser-vative Republicans balking because amend-

ments they had inserted to repealObama’s immigration executiveorders had been stripped out. Withthe clock ticking, the House ofRepresentatives passed the seven-day measure 357 to 60, with just twohours to spare. The Senate approvedit earlier by voice vote. Top HouseDemocrat Nancy Pelosi suggestedcongressional leaders agreed to adeal that would see Democrats helpget the one-week stopgap over thefinish line, in return for a vote nextweek on full funding. “Your votetonight will assure that we will votefor full funding next week,” Pelosiwrote in a letter to colleagues.

If Congress did not pass legislationthat allows money to flow, 30,000DHS employees would be furloughed,while some 200,000 agency staff,including border agents, airportscreeners and Secret Service agentswould be ordered to work withoutpay. “It’s the 11th hour, and we mustact” to fund the agency that defends“our home turf,” Republican HaroldRogers, the top House appropriator,told his colleagues. The Senateapproved a “clean” DHS funding bill

Friday free of controversial amendments soughtby House Republicans to block Obama’s immi-gration executive orders. But House SpeakerJohn Boehner, under pressure from his party’sright wing, refused to put the measure to a vote.

‘Bite the bullet’ Then, in one of the harshest rebukes of

Boehner’s four-year tenure as speaker, morethan 50 House conservatives joined Democratsin rejecting a three-week extension. Republicanleaders kept that 15-minute vote open for near-ly an hour as they sought to corral support, butconservatives were not budging. They wantedBoehner and others to stand firm by demandingthe amendments repealing the immigrationplan, which would provide deportation relief formillions of illegal immigrants, be kept in theDHS funding measure. Many have sought to useCongress’s power of the purse to rein in whatthey see as Obama’s executive overreach.“Please. I know party divisions run deep, butstand with us for the Constitution,” RepublicanLouie Gohmert pleaded to his House col-leagues.

But Pelosi shot back that it was time forRepublicans to “grow up, bite the bullet,” andagree to responsibly debate immigration at adifferent time. The near-fiasco over DHS fund-ing marked a blow to the Republican leaderswho control both chambers of Congress andwho pledged when they took over in January torun Capitol Hil l more efficiently. “ TheRepublican Congress has shown that it simplycannot govern,” top Senate Democrat HarryReid said. “Two months into the RepublicanCongress, we are already staring a homelandsecurity shutdown square in the face, even asterrorists around the world threaten to strikeAmerica.”—AFP

NATIONAL HARBOR: Golden Isles Tea Party activist William Temple from Brunswick,Ga, dressed as Button Gwinnett turns with his flag and leaves in protest as formerFlorida Gov Jeb Bush arrives on stage with Sean Hannity of Fox News during theConservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). — AP

Jeb Bush cheered, jeered

at conservative confab

OXON HILL: Jeb Bush courted rightwingAmerican voters at a crucial political testingground Friday, but the presumedRepublican presidential frontrunner for2016 received a mixed reception-includingheckles-from wary conservatives. The for-mer Florida governor has work to do toconvince some of the Republican Partyfaithful crowding the annual talk shopknown as CPAC at Oxon Hill, close toWashington, where several competingpresidential hopefuls are attempting to getcore conservatives on side.

It is not necessarily as a member of thecontroversial Bush dynasty-a hurdle that initself may be a heavy lift-but rather as anestablishment favorite whom some heresee as a sellout to billionaire donors andObama-backed policies like immigrationreform and education standards. “I knowthere is disagreement here,” Bush, 62, toldthe convention, acknowledging hecklers as

he discussed his gently-gently position onimmigration. “If I run for president I have toshow what’s in my heart. I have to showthat I care about people and their future.“It can’t be about the past. It can’t be aboutmy mom and dad, or my brother (presi-dents George HW and George W).”

When pressed, Bush said he opposesPresident Barack Obama’s executive over-reach shielding millions from deportation.But he stressed that for those living in theshadows, “we should give them a path tolegal status where they work, they don’treceive government benefits... and theymake a contribution to our society.” It was ahard sell at the Conservative PoliticalAction Conference, where attendees wereeyeing their conservative pick for winningthe White House. “You suck!” a protesteryelled. The Republican Party has repeatedlysaid it aims to include more minoritiesunder its tent. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

MOSCOW: Boris Nemtsov, who wasmurdered Friday just meters from theKremlin walls, ser ved as a deputyprime minister under Boris Yeltsinbefore becoming one of the mostprominent opponents of PresidentVladimir Putin. Nemtsov, 55, was anaccomplished orator and was one ofthe key speakers at mass oppositionrallies against Putin’s return to theKremlin in 2012. He began his politicallife as a young reformer working in theindustrial centre of Nizhny Novgorod,where he became regional governor atthe age of just 32.

After serving in the post for six years,he moved up the career ladder duringYeltsin’s presidency, coming to Moscowto serve as first deputy prime ministerin 1997-98. Yeltsin had reportedly con-sidered Nemtsov as a successor in 1999,as he prepared to stand down due topoor health, but eventually pickedthen-prime minister Putin instead,believing him to be the moderate thatRussia needed. While Nemtsov initiallybacked Putin’s presidential run, callinghim “responsible and honest”, he swiftlychanged his mind and became one ofhis bitterest foes.

He was one of the founders ofRussia’s Union of Right Forces liberalparty, and its leader in the early 2000s,serving as an opposition lawmaker inthe parliament where he criticisedPutin’s initial steps to curb politicalfreedoms. Always tanned and flashingsmiles, Nemtsov had a quasi rock-starimage, wearing designer jeans andoften wearing his shirt with an extrabutton open. He was known for hiscolorful love life and popularity withwomen. Along with other oppositionleaders, Nemtsov unsuccessfully suedPutin after he said Nemtsov and others“wreaked havoc” in Russia during the1990s, pillaging it of billions of dollars.

A hate figure With the Kremlin’s rhetoric focused

on discrediting the political climate ofthe 1990s, Nemtsov became one of themost reviled faces among the opposi-tion and pro-Kremlin groups routinelyput him on their lists of “traitors” inrecent years. He had been a victim ofhacking and wiretapping, and pro-Kremlin websites had written reportsabout his personal life and allegedaffairs. A physicist by education,

Nemtsov worked in a research institutein the late Soviet era as a young manand was among a wave of academicsand scientists to be swept up by thepolitical upheaval of the perestroikareform movement, becoming a deputyin Russia’s first post-Soviet lawmakingbody.

Like most others in the opposition,Nemtsov was a prolific user of socialnetworks, calling on Muscovites toattend an opposition rally on Sunday inhis most recent blog entry. In recentyears he compiled a series of pam-phlets exposing corruption underPutin, zooming in on the gas behe-moth Gazprom, the residences alleged-ly owned by Putin, and most recentlythe misappropriations and graft duringpreparations for Russia’s OlympicGames in Sochi last year. Though hecontinued to be a key figure in opposi-tion events in Moscow, Nemtsov grad-ually withdrew over the past decade asa younger generation of oppositionleaders such as charismatic lawyerAlexei Navalny appeared. His mostrecent post was as a regional lawmakerin the city of Yaroslavl north of the cap-ital.— AFP

Nemtsov: Yeltsin reformer turned Putin foe

KIEV: People lay flowers to pay their respect to Boris Nemtsov, a charismaticRussian opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, inIndependence Square in Kiev, Ukraine yesterday. Nemtsov was gunned downyesterday in Moscow near the Kremlin, just a day before a planned protestagainst the government. — AP

VICTORIA FALLS: Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe (centre) is flanked by his daughter Bona, (left) and wife Grace during celebrations tomark his 91st birthday in the resort town of Victoria Falls yesterday. — AP

VICTORIA FALLS: Zimbabwe’s President RobertMugabe celebrated his 91st birthday with a lav-ish party by the spectacular Victoria Falls yester-day, prompting many Zimbabweans to questiononce again when he would leave office and whowould succeed him. Thousands of supporterssat in large white tents during the $1 millionbirthday celebration on a rolling golf coursenear the waterfalls, organized by his ZANU-PFparty. His party has said the money was raisedfrom individual and company donations.

Mugabe is a deeply divisive figure at homeand abroad and is the only leader the southernAfrican country has known since declaring inde-pendence from colonial power Britain in 1980.He is one of a handful of African leaders remain-ing from a generation that fought white domi-nation, which included South Africa’s NelsonMandela. But while Mandela served one presi-dential term and then retired, Mugabe tight-ened his grip on power and shows no sign of

departing from the political scene.On Friday night Mugabe told state television

in an interview, the final of a two-part series,that he would not anoint a successor to takeover ruling the ZANU-PF party. “I don’t choosemy successor, never. I was not appointed suc-cessor by anyone,” Mugabe said. “The successorcan come from any level of the party. It may beeither of the vice presidents, but it’s up to thepeople.” Last December ZANU-PF re-electedMugabe, making him candidate in the nextelection in 2018 when he will be 94.

Mugabe denies media reports he is sufferingfrom prostate cancer and maintains his severaltrips to Singapore are for routine medicalchecks and to fix a recurring eye problem. At hisparty in Victoria Falls Mugabe, who donned astriped black suit and red tie, showed no signsof ill health as he spoke for more than an hour,during which he attacked Western powers forimposing sanctions on Zimbabwe. He was

flanked by his two deputies, senior party andgovernment officials, his children and wifeGrace. A local farmer, who runs a wildlife farm inVictoria Falls told a state-owned newspaper lastmonth that he had donated wildlife meat,including crocodile and elephant, to be part ofthe menu for the party.

Mugabe was feted with poetry, song anddance by local musicians and one of his favoriteZimbabwean gospel singers performed for him,having travelled from the United States. Criticssay Mugabe is a dictator who wants to ruleuntil he dies. They accuse him of human rightsabuses, rigging elections and running one ofAfrica’s most economically promising nationsinto the ground. But in some corners, Mugabeis feted as a nationalist hero who triumphedover colonial power Britain on the battlefieldand at the ballot box, and who remained stead-fast in his commitment to the promotion ofblack African power.— Reuters

Zimbabwe’s leader holds lavish 91st birthday bash

$1 million celebration financed with ‘donations’

MADRID: The wealthy Catalonia region isstrengthening its tax office and expandingits network of foreign missions in defianceof the central government, as it prepares forpossible secession from Spain. Nationalistleaders in the rich region in northeasternSpain have called a snap regional vote forSeptember 27 centered on independenceafter Spanish authorities blocked their bidfor a referendum on the issue in the courts.Catalan president Artur Mas went aheadwith a symbolic vote on independence lastNovember organized by volunteers. Theoutcome, however, was mixed-about 80percent of the 2.3 million people who votedbacked secession, but the turnout was littlemore than 40 percent.

His government is building the structureof an independent state in areas such asdiplomacy, taxes and social security to beready in case the pro-independence campwins September’s elections. It has enlisteda former Spanish tax inspector, JoanIglesias, to prepare the Catalan govern-ment to collect its own taxes. The Catalantax authority currently collects about fivepercent of the total amount of taxes raisedin the region, which has a population of 7.5million people and accounts for one-fifth ofSpain’s economic output. Catalonia couldcollect around 100 billion euros ($113 bil-lion) in taxes each year, much more thanthe 65 billion euros that an independentCatalan state would need, he added.

“Everyone knows that Catalonia wouldbe viable economically,” Iglesias told AFP,rejecting critics who argue an independentCatalan state would have a hard timefinancing itself and could not ask forEuropean Union aid. “It is the most eco-nomically productive territory in Spain,” headded. Disagreements over tax income area key source of tension between Cataloniaand Madrid. The Catalan officials complainthat the central government collects farmore in taxes in the region than it spendsin public sector expenditure. It puts the dif-ference at around 15 billion euros per year.

The central government says the figure ismuch lower.

‘Work advancing too slowly’An independent Catalonia would also

need to set up its own central bank, hiremore civil servants and improve computersystems-a gargantuan task. “Work isadvancing too slowly, we need to stream-line our efforts so we arrive at the electionsin September at a much more advancedstate,” said Lluis Salvador, a lawmaker inCatalonia’s regional parliament with theseparatist Esquerra Republicana deCatalunya (ERC) party. Mas set up a com-mission in February that is charged withsupervising the creation of the structuresneeded by an independent state.

The Catalan government’s draft budgetfor 2015 increases the spending on thetreasury department to 54.4 million eurosfrom 35 million euros last year, whichwould allow it to boost hiring by 50 per-cent. Mas has also ordered a study to deter-mine what steps Catalonia needs to take toensure that services such as telecommuni-cations, energy distribution and transportthat currently depend on the central gov-ernment would continue to run smoothlyafter independence. Catalonia recentlyopened two more offices representing itsinterests abroad in Austria and Italy andplans to open up to three more this year.

The region already has seven foreignmissions, including in Britain, France,Germany and the United States. TheCatalan body charged with ensuring theconstitutionality of Catalan laws, theCouncil for Statutory Guarantees, warnedThursday that the regional government didnot have the authority to adopt some ofthe measures, in line with Madrid’s argu-ment. “We feel that is it completely out ofplace that the creation of a parallel state isbeing promoted,” Jose Antonio Coto, a law-maker with Spain’s ruling conservativePopular Party in the regional Catalan parlia-ment said. —AFP

Spain’s Catalonia prepares for independence ahead of vote

LONDON: Prime Minister DavidCameron has defended Britain’ssecurity services after Islamic Stateexecutioner “Jihadi John” wasunmasked as London graduateMohammed Emwazi, a man previ-ously monitored by spy agencyMI5. As more details emergedabout Emwazi, named by mediaand experts as the man whobeheaded at least five Westernhostages held by the IS group inSyria and Iraq, questions wereasked about whether he could havebeen stopped.

Civil rights group Cage, whichhad been in touch with the Kuwaiti-born computing graduate beforehe left Britain, said MI5 had beentracking Emwazi since at least 2009.Officials have not confirmedEmwazi’s identity, but Cameronsaid Friday: “We will do everythingwe can with the police, the securityservices, with all that we have atour disposal, to find these peopleand put them out of action.” Headded: “All of the time they (thesecurity services) are having tomake incredibly difficult judgmentsand I think basically they make very

good judgments on our behalf.”Olivier Guitta, managing direc-

tor of security and risk consultancyGlobalStrat, warned the securityforces lacked the resources to trackall those who crossed their radar.“To monitor one person you need30 officers, so if you have inEngland 1,000 people that are onyour list, you need 30,000 officers.We don’t have that,” he said. Butsenior lawmaker David Davis, amember of Cameron’s ConservativeParty, said Emwazi was known toassociate with fanatics and was ona terror watchlist. “How many morepeople must die before we start tolook more closely at the strategy ofour intelligence services?” he wrotein The Guardian newspaper onSaturday.

‘Apology for terror’Further criticism came from

Cage, a group which supports peo-ple impacted by the so-called waron terror, which said Emwazi hadbeen radicalized because of“harassment” by British intelligenceagents. The group said this beganfollowing a post-graduation trip to

Tanzania in 2009 when Emwazi wasaccused of seeking to join militantsin Somalia.

Cage also alleged that MI5 triedto recruit the graduate, who itdescribed as a “beautiful youngman”. Cameron’s office said it was“reprehensible” to suggest MI5 wasto blame for Emwazi’s actions,

while London mayor Boris Johnsonaccused Cage of an “apology forterror”. John Sawers, the formerhead of Britain’s MI6 foreign intelli-gence agency, told the BBC: “Theidea that somehow being spokento by a member of MI5 is a radical-izing act, I think this is very falseand very transparent.”—AFP

UK PM defends security services after media unmask ‘Jihadi John’

KIEV: International monitors said the con-flict in Ukraine was at a “crossroads” as fur-ther losses among government forces rat-tled a two-week-old truce just as it seemedto be gaining traction. The deaths of threeUkrainian soldiers after a two-day lull inclashes with pro-Russian separatists high-lighted the fragility of the ceasefire as theUN said some five million people neededhumanitarian aid due to the conflict.

The envoy to Ukraine for theOrganization for Security and Cooperationin Europe (OSCE), which is monitoring thepeace deal, told the UN Security Councilthat while there were encouraging signs,the country still risked all-out war.

“We seem to be at the crossroads, wherewe are facing the risk of a further escalationof the conflict or where common sense,responsibility, and humanity shall prevailand we may be able to walk on the road topeace,” envoy Heidi Tagliavini told the 15-member council. The Security Council’smeeting on the conflict came a year to theday after Russian and pro-Moscow forcesbegan occupying strategic sites on theBlack Sea peninsula of Crimea. Russia for-

mally annexed the territory in March 2014,triggering an international furor. The upris-ing in Ukraine’s east began the followingmonth.

‘Humanitarian crisis’The UN said Friday there was a crisis in

rebel-held areas, where people were livingin “extraordinarily difficult circumstances”.“We really do have a humanitarian crisis inthe separatist-held areas,” UN aid coordina-tor in Ukraine Neal Walker said in Brussels.“We’ve been really hoping that the cease-fire will hold over time and that that willenable us to respond more rapidly to thosecritical humanitarian needs,” said Walker, asthe UN this week launched an appeal for$316 million in humanitarian aid. The UNestimates 4.7 million people in or near thecombat zones need help while another300,000 people have fled to other parts ofthe country and a million overseas toescape the conflict which has claimed atleast 5,800 lives. Ukrainian militaryspokesman Andriy Lysenko said Friday thatthree soldiers were killed and sevenwounded in the past 24 hours.—AFP

LONDON: An arrangement of British daily newspapers photographedin London shows the front-page headlines and stories regarding theidentification of the masked Islamic State group militant dubbed“Jihadi John”. —AFP

Ukraine conflict at ‘crossroads’ as troop deaths shake truce

DONETSK: The bodies of 14 Ukrainian servicemen killed in fighting in theDebaltseve area, are placed on a truck as a Russia-backed rebel walks by inDonetsk, Ukraine. —AP

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I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

KABUL: Afghanistan says it has executed one of thecountry’s most dangerous criminals, a man who wascharged with a string of armed robberies, kidnap-pings and killings of Afghans and foreigners acrossthe country. The national intelligence service said thatRaees Khudaidad was hanged at Kabul’s main prisonyesterday morning in the presence of senior officialsfrom the country’s judiciary and attorney general’soffice. Officials say Khudaidad operated a crime ringthat operated in several countries, and that he hadlived in Pakistan, Tajikistan and the United ArabEmirates under different identities. He was believedresponsible for dozens of killings. Khudaidad wasarrested during a special security force operation inKabul last year.

In another development, Afghan President AshrafGhani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah are tovisit the White House next month, and Ghani hasaccepted an invitation to speak to a joint meeting ofCongress at a time when the Obama administration isweighing whether to slow the pace of US troop with-drawals from the country. The White House saidFriday that Ghani and Abdullah will visit March 24. It’sthe leaders’ first visit since they formed a unity gov-ernment after an election to replace former PresidentHamid Karzai, whose relations with the US grewincreasingly strained.

Abdullah’s post is similar to that of a prime minis-ter. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said thatduring a working lunch the leaders will discuss securi-ty, economic development and reconciliation effortsbetween the Taliban and the Afghan government.Ghani will also meet with Secretary of State JohnKerry at the Camp David presidential retreat inMaryland.

Ghani will address Congress on March 25. FormerPresident Hamid Karzai appeared before a joint meet-ing of Congress on June 15, 2004. “Afghanistan is animportant friend and ally to the United States,” saidRepublican House Speaker John Boehner, who invitedGhani to speak. “This joint address presents an impor-

tant opportunity to hear from the newly-elected pres-ident on how the United States can continue to worktogether to promote our shared goals and reaffirmsour commitment to the Afghan people.”

Ghani’s appearance is not expected to spur thecontroversy Boehner has faced since inviting Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak toCongress next Tuesday. Boehner invited Netanyahuwithout consulting with the White House orDemocratic leaders in Congress, and some Democratsplan to skip the speech. The Israeli leader argues thatIran is not negotiating with the U.S. and its partners in

good faith to reach an agreement to curb its nuclearprogram and is actively working to develop nuclearweapons. White House spokeswoman BernadetteMeehan said both Boehner’s office and the Afghangovernment consulted with the Obama administra-tion in arranging Ghani’s speech. — Agencies

Afghan most dangerous criminals executedObama to host new Afghan leaders

DHAKA: Hundreds of protesters rallied in Dhaka todenounce the murder of a prominent American blogger ofBangladeshi origin hacked to death with machetes after heallegedly received threats from Islamists. Demonstrators-including teachers, publishers and fellow writers-met nearthe spot where Avijit Roy, founder of Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog, was attacked by unknown assailants as hereturned home from a book fair with his wife on Thursdayevening. As they chanted slogans including “we want jus-tice” and “raise your voice against militants”, the head of theBangladesh bloggers’ association said the protests wouldcontinue until those responsible were caught. “Avijit’skilling once again proved that there is a culture of impuni-ty in the country,” Imran Sarker told AFP at the rally.

“The government must arrest the killers in 24 hours orface non-stop protests.” No one has yet claimed responsi-bility for the attack, which also seriously wounded the 44-year-old’s wife and has shocked many in a country alreadyreeling from weeks of violent political protest. Roy, a US cit-izen, is the second Bangladeshi atheist blogger to havebeen murdered in two years and the fourth writer to havebeen attacked since 2004. Washington on Friday con-demned the killing as a “shocking act of violence” and anassault on the country’s “proud tradition” of free speech.

“This was not just an attack against a person, but a cow-ardly assault on the universal principles enshrined inBangladesh’s constitution,” State Department spokes-woman Jen Psaki told reporters. Roy’s father, Ajay, said hehad warned his son he could face problems in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where secular activists haveexpressed concern about the rise of Islamism. “I told Avijitthat the Bangladeshi situation would not be comfortablefor him. But he came to Bangladesh to see his mother andbecause two of his books were published at the bookfair,”he said. Ajay Roy said his son had received numerousthreats from Islamists before he arrived in Bangladesh onFebruary 16.

Hardline Islamist groups have long demanded the pub-lic execution of atheist bloggers and sought new laws tocombat writing critical on Islam. Police have launched aninvestigation and recovered the machetes used in theattack, which they compared to a fatal assault on atheistblogger Ahmed Rajib Haider in 2013. Haider was hacked todeath by members of a little-known Islamist militantgroup, triggering nationwide protests by tens of thou-sands of secular activists. “The pattern of the killingappeared to be the same as that of previous attack on acelebrated writer,” assistant commissioner of Dhaka policeShiblee Noman said. “It seems it was carried out by a reac-tionary fundamentalist group.”

Atheists the ‘easiest target’After Haider’s death, Bangladesh’s hardline Islamist

groups started to protest against other campaigning blog-gers, accusing them of blasphemy and calling a series ofnationwide strikes to demand their execution. The seculargovernment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reacted byarresting some atheist bloggers.

The government also blocked about a dozen websitesand blogs to stem the furor over blasphemy, as well asstepping up security for the bloggers. “Communal and mil-itant groups have threatened the very spirit of our nation.Yet instead of crushing them, the government was keen onappeasing them by arresting secular bloggers,” Sarker saidon Friday. Noman said police were investigating a tweet bythe pro-Islamist group Ansar Bangla Seven that appearedto celebrate Roy ’s murder. “ Target Down here in#Bangladesh,” the group tweeted from the @AnsarBn7handle. Roy’s wife, who is also a blogger, was moved to aclinic for further treatment on Friday.

Roy had written about 10 books, including the best-sell-ing “Biswasher Virus” (Virus of Faith), as well as his blog,which championed liberal secular writing in the Muslim-majority nation. Pinaki Bhattacharya, a fellow blogger andfriend of Roy, said one of the country’s largest online bookretailers was being openly threatened for selling Roy’sbooks. “In Bangladesh the easiest target is an atheist. Anatheist can be attacked and murdered,” he wrote onFacebook. Muslims make up some 90 per cent ofBangladesh’s 160 million people. A tribunal has recentlyhanded down a series of verdicts against leading Islamistsand others for crimes committed during the war of inde-pendence from Pakistan in 1971. — AFP

PANJSHIR: Survivors wait to receive food donations near the site of an avalanche in the Paryan district of Panjshir province, north of Kabul,Afghanistan. The death toll from severe weather that caused avalanches and flooding across much of Afghanistan has jumped to more than 200 peo-ple, and the number is expected to climb with cold weather and difficult conditions hampering rescue efforts. — AP

KATHMANDU: Nepalese supporters of the 30-party alliance led by the UnifiedCommunist Party of Nepal (Maoist) shout slogans during mass-demonstrations inKathmandu yesterday. Nepalese police fired teargas and water cannon at thousandsof opposition supporters who converged on the capital to protest controversialplans to vote on a disputed new national constitution. — AFP

DHAKA: Photo shows the dead body of Avijit Roy, a US blogger of Bangladeshi originwho was hacked to death, at Dhaka Medical Collage hospital morgue in Dhaka. — AFP

Bangladesh activists protest against US blogger’s murder

American blogger hacked to death with machetes

KATHMANDU: Nepalese police yesterday firedteargas and water cannon at thousands ofopposition supporters who converged on thecapital to protest controversial plans to vote on adisputed new national constitution. As angermounts over the planned vote, protesters threwbricks and stones in brief clashes with securityforces who responded with about 20 rounds ofteargas, police and an AFP reporter on the scenesaid. “We estimate that around 35,000 peopleare participating in today’s rally,” Kathmandupolice spokesman Dinesh Acharya said, whileanother officer said 4,000 police were lining theroute through Kathmandu. Years of squabblinghave seen Nepal’s politicians miss a series ofdeadlines to draft the charter which wasdesigned to draw a line under a decade of civilwar. The government’s push last month to holda vote, rather than seek agreement on disputedterms of the constitution, sparked protestsincluding inside parliament itself, deepening dis-cord between ruling parties and the oppositionled by former Maoist rebels.

Yesterday, flag-waving demonstrators, ridingmotorcycles and travelling on foot, packedKathmandu’s narrow streets and shouted slo-gans calling for a constitution based on consen-sus. An AFP reporter said the situation briefly

turned violent when protesters tried to enter arestricted area near parliament and policemoved in to disperse them. Gopal KC, a doctorat Kathmandu’s Civil Service Hospital, said “24people have been admitted here, all with minorinjuries”. Acharya told AFP that four officers werealso wounded after protestors threw stones atthem. Man Bahadur Khadka, a 52-year-oldfarmer from eastern Nepal, took an overnightbus to the capital to join the protest and pres-sure lawmakers to draft a charter that is “friendlyto the poor”. “I don’t think the ruling partiesshould push through a constitution based on amajority vote,” Khadka said. “They should realizethat many sons of poor farmers lost their livesfighting for a better future for people like us,” hesaid. A key sticking point concerns internal bor-ders, with the opposition pushing for provincesto be created along lines that could favor histori-cally marginalized communities, handing thema majority and therefore more influence in thoseareas. Other parties have attacked this model,calling it too divisive and a threat to national uni-ty. No date has been set for the vote on the char-ter, which was intended to conclude a peaceprocess begun in 2006 when Maoist guerrillasentered politics, ending an insurgency that leftan estimated 16,000 people dead. —AFP

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s most wanted druglord Servando Gomez, whose KnightsTemplar cartel smuggled drugs to the US andiron ore to China, was finally captured Friday,without a shot fired. The former teacher nick-named “La Tuta” was detained by federalpolice as he left a house in Morelia, capital ofwestern Michoacan state, hiding his face witha scarf and cap, officials said. Gomez, 49, wastaken to Mexico City and frog-marched infront of television cameras, wearing a blacksweater and jeans as two masked federalpolice officers held him down by the neckand led him into a helicopter.

The balding, goateed kingpin had eludedauthorities last year despite a massive man-hunt in the mountains of Michoacan withhelp from a “rural defense” force comprised offormer vigilantes, who had taken up armsagainst the Knights Templar. With his arrest,the authorities have now taken down all thetop leaders of the cult-like cartel, dealing ahuge blow to a group that once dominatedthe agricultural and mining state throughmurder, kidnappings and extortion. “Todaywe have achieved the most important objec-tive in the fight against organized crime: thedetention of the most wanted criminal in allof Mexico,” Interior Minister Miguel AngelOsorio Chong said before Gomez was pre-sented outside an airport hangar for federalprosecutors.

The capture is a much-needed victory forPresident Enrique Pena Nieto amid publicanger over his handling of violence in theneighboring state of Guerrero, where 43 stu-dents were allegedly killed by a gang inleague with local police. His much-malignedattorney general, Jesus Murillo Karam,stepped down on Friday to take a more low-key cabinet job. Pena Nieto said the arrest“strengthens the rule of law and we continuemarching toward a peaceful Mexico.” US DrugEnforcement Administration chief MicheleLeonhart applauded “another win for Mexicoin the fight against brutal criminal cartels likethe Knights Templar.”

But violence has continued to afflict sever-al regions despite the arrests of several king-pins since Pena Nieto took office in 2012.Alejandro Hope, a former Mexican intelli-gence official, told AFP that Gomez’s capturewas symbolic and would “not majorly changethe criminal scene.” Hope said Michoacan isstruggling with the emergence of new armed

groups and infighting among vigilantes,whom the authorities want to disband.

Birthday cakeAt the height of its power, the cartel

imported precursors from Asia to manufac-ture crystal meth before exporting the potentdrug to the United States. The organizationalso tapped iron ore mines, exporting themineral to China until the military took overthe Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas in late2013. Authorities had a $2 million reward forGomez’s capture, seeking him for kidnap-pings, extortion, murder and drug trafficking,said National Security Commissioner MonteAlejandro Rubido.

Police captured him and eight other peo-ple, seizing a grenade launcher and 11 guns,he said. His brother Flavio was simultaneouslydetained in Yucatan peninsula. The arrest fol-lowed months of tracking accomplices,including a messenger in Morelia who deliv-ered food and clothes. His allies gatheredsomewhere in Morelia with cake for hisFebruary 6 birthday. The raid was launchedafter police saw “unusual activity” near theresidence, with an increase in cartel memberswho placed vehicles at access points, Rubidosaid.

Publicity seekerGomez became the de facto boss after the

group’s founder, Nazario “El Chayo” Moreno,was killed by marines in March 2014. Morenohad been wrongly declared dead by officialsin 2010. Unlike the more shadowy gangstersof Mexico’s underworld, Gomez was a publici-ty seeker who appeared in online videos andtelevision interviews. He nurtured a RobinHood image in his mountain hometown ofArteaga, where Gomez threw parties andgave out cash.

The gangster always wore a baseball cap,jeans and a gun holstered to his belt. Some ofhis videos ensnared local politicians caughtcasually chatting with him around a table,including a former interim governor who waslater arrested. Surrounded by masked gun-men, he railed against his rivals, but claimedthat his gang wanted “peace and calm” inMichoacan. Gomez told Britain’s Channel 4News in a January 2014 interview that being ateacher was “a very healthy and honest job,but due to my aspirations and my hyperactivenature, it didn’t satisfy me.”— AFP

Nepal police and protesters clash

Knights Templar drug cartel leader nabbed

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s much-maligned attor-ney general, who has faced public anger overthe investigation into the presumed slaughter of43 students, stepped down Friday and was giv-en a more low-key cabinet post. Jesus MurilloKaram was sworn in as the new minister of rural,territorial and urban development at a ceremo-ny presided by President Enrique Pena Nieto,who praised his longtime friend for his “intelli-gence” and “love and commitment for Mexico.”Murillo Karam’s exit was widely expected undera reform that will turn the federal prosecutor’soffice into an autonomous department.

But he was also heavily criticized by humanrights groups, protestors and parents of the 43students over his handling of the case. MurilloKaram concluded that the students wereabducted by corrupt local police officers in thecity of Iguala, who handed them over to a druggang that killed the young men and incineratedtheir bodies in September. But Human RightsWatch, Amnesty International and an independ-ent team of Argentine forensic experts havequestioned his conclusions, saying it was toosoon to declare the students dead without more

physical evidence. Parents of the students refuseto believe the young men are dead. Only onebody has been identified among charredremains.

‘I’m tired now’Murillo Karam also drew public scorn when

he declared “I’m tired now” to wrap up a pressconference in November in which he first indi-cated the students were probably dead. Hiswords became a trending topic on Twitter inMexico and a rallying cry for protestors, with theSpanish hashtag #YaMeCanse. The case hasturned into a political headache for Pena Nieto,who is facing the biggest challenge of hisadministration amid relentless drug violence.Felipe de la Cruz, spokesman for the families ofthe 43 students, said Murillo Karam “never didwhat he was supposed to do” and that “his his-toric lie was discovered.” The comment cameafter Murillo Karam said he gave the “historictruth” on the case. “The fact that he has movedto a minor ministry is (a tactic) that the Mexicangovernment has always used to avoid responsi-bility,” de la Cruz said.—AFP

Mexico’s ‘I’m tired now’ attorney general quits

I N T E R N AT ION A LSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

MANILA: Seventy years have not dulledthe memories of survivors of the month-long Battle of Manila. The mass killingsby Japanese forces, the loved ones lostand the desperation are etched in theirminds, as is the elation when Americanforces finally rescued them in the closingmonths of World War II. The US liberatedthe Philippine capital from the Japanese,but not before Manila was destroyedand more than 100,000 civilians killed.About 16,000 Japanese soldiers and1,000 US troops also died in the fightingfrom Feb 3 to March 3, 1945. Manila wasthe second-most devastated city inWorld War II after Warsaw, Poland, saidhistorian Ricardo Jose of the Universityof the Philippines. He called the city “oneof the worst battlefields in the world.”

When the Japanese invaded thePhilippines, then an American colony, in1941, Gen Douglas MacArthur, com-mander of the US forces there, declaredManila an “open city” to spare it fromdestruction. But when the Americansreturned, the Japanese decided to fightto the last man, from building to build-ing, and burned entire city blocks.Civilians died from malnutrition andAmerican shelling, but mostly, historiansagree, at the hands of Japanese troops.Four survivors shared their stories withThe Associated Press: Roderick Hall was9 when the Japanese occupied Manila.The British boy and his family lived in ahome in the Malate district, though hisfather was interned with thousands offoreigners at the University of SantoTomas.

In late January 1945, before Americanforces closed in on the capital, theJapanese barged into the family home,searched every room and found whatthe raiders claimed was an illegal radiotransmitter. Hall, now a business

investor, said it was just a short-waveradio the family listened to for news out-side Manila. All members of the house-hold - including Hall and his brother, hismother, his grandmother, an uncle, and

aunt and the family’s helpers - werebrought to Manila’s Masonic Temple.Hall, then 12, and his brother and thehouse helpers were later released. Theywere allowed to bring food to theirmother and the others for several days.Then the Japanese stopped the visits.

200 people massacredAbout 200 people were massacred at

the temple, but Hall learned only recent-ly from a war document that his motherwas listed among dozens executed at

Fort Santiago, a centuries-old Spanishgarrison used by occupation troops totorture and kill suspected guerrillas. Fora while, Hall had hoped that his mothersomehow escaped and was safe with the

guerrillas. “About two years later, I wasaway in school. My father wrote andsaid, ‘I am going to marry again.’ Andthat’s when I started to cry and brokedown and had to admit to myself thatthis hope that my mother was alivesomewhere was no longer the case.”

For someone who was 4 when theJapanese began bombing raids onManila in December 1941, Juan “Johnny”Rocha remembers a lot from the war.Perhaps because, when those firstbombs were falling, he was being

rushed for an appendectomy - not in theoperating room, but to the hospitalbasement, where it was safer. Rocha,who later would become the Philippineambassador to Spain, once saw a manhanging dead from a telephone pole,with a sign that said he was a thief. Heremembers his family using huge wadsof devalued Japanese wartime currencyto buy basic commodities, and privatelysinging “God Bless America,” and “I LoveMy Own, My Native Land” at home.

“ The most remarkable thing waswhenever we passed in front of aJapanese sentry we had to all bow, and ifwe didn’t bow, he would slap us or kickus or whatever,” he said. As fighting inManila intensified, his family decided toflee, but tragedy struck before theycould. When a shell landed on a neigh-bor’s house, shrapnel cut through anadobe wall and sliced off the top of hismother’s head, killing her. Rocha’s fatherlost 13 relatives when the Japaneseherded them inside the German Clubwith hundreds of others, then torchedthem all alive, Rocha said.

We cannot forgetRocha saw Japanese soldiers shoot a

man because he didn’t raise his hands,and a woman screaming as she was bay-oneted against a tree. “Christians aretaught to forgive, but we are nevertaught to forget. We cannot forget,” hesaid. “All we need is that they recognizewhat they did and apologize.” JoanBennett Chapman, a Philippine-bornAmerican, remembers being so deprivedat the Santo Tomas prison camp thatpowdered milk was a special treat. Whenher mother was able to give her aspoonful, she would nibble on it on thesteps of the large staircase in the mainbuilding. Chapman’s father, Roy Bennett,

was the first editor-in-chief of the pre-war Manila Daily Bulletin. He was tor-tured by the Japanese before he and hisfamily were interned.

Chapman, an 80-year-old formerlawyer, said internees looked like “walk-ing skeletons” and starvation deathswere routine. When American tankscrashed through the university gates onFeb 3, 1945, she heard “people beinghysterically happy.” “The soldiers wereout throwing candy bars down to thepeople, and the people who were starv-ing were scrambling for them. It was thehappiest kind of chaos you can imagine,”she said. The Japanese camp comman-dant refused to surrender and was shotas he tried to reach for what wasbelieved to be a grenade in his back-pack, she said. His body was dragged tothe main building, where someinternees spat and urinated on it, shesaid.

Chapman wanted to spit on the body,too. Her father, who was abused by theoccupiers for years and would be tor-mented by the war for the rest of his life,forbade it. James Litton, then 11, heardthunderous explosions the day after theAmericans reached Manila. The Japanesewere blowing up bridges to keep UStroops from advancing. Days later, theJapanese began burning houses in theMalate district, where his family lived.Litton’s four-story home was made ofconcrete, so it became an emergencyshelter for about 120 homeless neigh-bors.

Japanese land mineThen the Japanese ordered everyone

to leave. As civilians hurried toward thenearby Philippine General Hospital forshelter, a 15-year-old girl stepped on aJapanese land mine. —AP

70 years on, survivors keep memory of Battle of Manila

MANILA: Visitors check a map during an exhibit at a commemorative event forthe 70th year of the Battle for Manila at the Ayala Museum in suburban Makati,south of Manila, Philippines. — AP

HEILONGJIANG: Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers train in the snow in Heihe, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province. China’smilitary training this year will focus on “improving fighting capacity” to win “local wars”, the defense ministry said, with Beijing embroiled inseveral territorial disputes. — AFP

BEIJING: A former senior Chinese provincial offi-cial was sentenced yesterday to 17 years in jail fortaking around 13 million yuan ($2.1 million) inbribes consisting largely of precious stones, acourt said. Ni Fake, a former deputy governor ofthe eastern province of Anhui, is the latest officialto fall in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s much-tout-ed campaign against corruption.

The Intermediate People’s Court in DongyingCity said in a statement on its official microblogthat Ni was also stripped of personal propertyworth one million yuan ($160,000). The court is inAnhui’s neighboring province of Shandong. Chinatypically holds corruption trials outside the geo-graphical area where the alleged crimes tookplace, to separate officials from their local powerbases. According to the court statement, the 60-year-old was found to have accepted “cash, jadeartefacts and precious stones” from companyexecutives on 49 occasions over the course of 12years.

The bribes amounted to nearly 13 million yuan,the court said. Jade has been used in Chinese artfor millennia, and has long been as valued as goldis in the West, but it carries loftier moral connota-tions including purity and longevity. Corrupt offi-cials have in recent years turned to taking bribes inthe form of art and precious stones rather thanmoney, according to state media. The rulingCommunist Party’s top anti-graft body said Ni was“obsessed with collecting jade” and had appointedhimself honorary chairman of the provincial jewel-ry industry association, according to an earlierreport by the state-run Shanghai Daily.

The official wore jade accessories every day andwent to jade stores every weekend, the reportquoted the Party ’s Central Commission forDiscipline Inspection (CCDI) as saying. Ni will notappeal, according to the court statement. Xi’s anti-graft campaign has ensnared a number of seniorfigures including Zhou Yongkang, a former mem-ber of China’s all-powerful Politburo StandingCommittee. But critics say the Communist Partyhas resisted introducing reforms seen as key meas-

ures against graft, such as publishing officials’assets, relaxing controls on media and establishingan independent legal system.

Disgraced senior aideIn another development, China expelled a dis-

graced senior aide to former President Hu Jintaofrom a high-profile advisory body yesterday, theofficial Xinhua news agency reported on its web-site, marking the latest step in a significant politi-cal scandal. Ling Jihua heads a Communist Partybody charged with reaching out to non-Communists and holds a rank equivalent to vicepremier. The largely ceremonial advisory councilalso dismissed former spy boss Ma Jian and Zhu

Mingguo, once a senior official in the southernexport powerhouse province of Guangdong,according to media reports. Both have beenaccused of graft.

Ling was demoted in September 2012 aftersources said his son was involved in a deadly crashinvolving an expensive sports car in an embarrass-ment to the party, which is sensitive to public criti-cism that its officials and their families leadlifestyles of excess. Ling was dropped from hispost as head of the party’s General Office of theCentral Committee, a powerful post similar to cab-inet secretary in governments modeled after thepolitics of the United Kingdom, such as Australiaand Canada.— Agencies

Chinese official jailed for 17 years over jade bribes

Advisory body ousts former top Hu Jintao’s aide

WASHINGTON: The United States andCuba said they made progress Friday intalks on restoring diplomatic ties andWashington could reopen its Havanaembassy before a key April summit if differ-ences are overcome. After a second roundof historic meetings, negotiators from bothcountries appeared optimistic about theroad ahead, but cautioned there were stilloutstanding issues to resolve in order torestore diplomatic ties frozen for half a cen-tury.

“Today was productive and encourag-ing. In open, honest and sometimes chal-lenging...conversation we addressed therequirements of each side and the differ-ences we identified in our first discussion inHavana a month ago,” said top US diplomatfor Latin America, Roberta Jacobson. “Andwe made meaningful progress in resolvingthem,” she said, cautioning that “serious dis-agreements remain.” The head of the Cubandelegation, Josefina Vidal, at a press confer-ence at the State Department, also said shebelieved progress had been made. But sherenewed a call for Havana to be removedfrom the US blacklist of state sponsors ofterrorism and urged that provisions befound to enable Cuba’s interests section inWashington to have access to the US bank-ing system.

Vidal stressed that while it was “not aprecondition” that Havana be removedfrom the blacklist in order to restore diplo-matic relations, it should happen beforeties can be renewed. “It would be very diffi-cult to explain that Cuba and the UnitedStates have established normal diplomaticrelations when Cuba is kept on this list thatwe believe we have never belonged to,” shesaid. Secretary of State John Kerry earlierrebuffed communist Cuba’s demand tohave the designation-in place since 1982— lifted immediately, saying the currentreview would run its course.

“The state-sponsored terrorism designa-tion is a separate process, it is not a negoti-ation,” Kerry said. “And that evaluation willbe made appropriately and nothing will bedone with respect to the list until the evalu-ation is completed.” Friday’s talks were only

the second between the Cold War foessince President Barack Obama and Cuba’sPresident Raul Castro surprised the world inDecember with their decision to restoreties after more than a half century of enmi-ty. The hope is that within the comingmonths both nations will agree to reopenembassies in each other’s capitals andappoint full-fledged ambassadors.

Permanent contactAn initial round of talks in Havana last

month-the highest level since US-Cubanrelations were severed in 1961 - broke theice but ended with little sign of a break-through. Obama is due to attend theSummit of the Americas in Panama on April10-11, which Cuba will also be at for thefirst time. “I do think that we can get thisdone in time for the Summit of theAmericas,” Jacobson said, when asked if theembassies could be reopened by then, butshe stressed much depended on whether“we can get things done in time.”

Washington has insisted that its diplo-mats and embassy be granted full powersunder the Vienna Convention to operatefreely, including meeting with Cuban dissi-dents. Although no new date for the nextround of talks has been set, Vidal said thetwo delegations had promised to be in“permanent” contact. Jacobson revealedthat more diplomatic exchanges wereplanned-including a first US-Cuba humanrights dialogue, due to be held sometimein late March.

Next week two separate Cuban teamswill visit Washington to discuss human traf-ficking and civil aviation, and then earlynext month a US delegation will travel toHavana to work on greater Internet con-nectivity “to better support access to infor-mation for the Cuban people.” Obama hascalled on the US Congress to lift thedecades-old biting economic embargo ofCuba. But some lawmakers-as well as partsof the Cuban dissident community-remainwary of the diplomatic demarche, arguingObama has failed to secure guaranteesabout progress on human rights on theisland.— AFP

US ‘could reopen’ embassy in Cuba

WASHINGTON: Members of the US and Cuba delegations are seen at the start ofCuba talks at the State Department in Washington on Friday, Feb 27, 2015.— AP

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Unhas urged his army to prepare for war withthe United States and its allies, state mediasaid yesterday, as Pyongyang ramps up therhetoric ahead of US-South Korea militarydrills. Kim’s comments came after SouthKorea and the United States Friday conduct-ed a joint naval drill involving 10 SouthKorean warships and a US Aegis destroyer,ahead of the launch of large-scale militaryexercises that have enraged the North. “Theprevailing situation where a great war fornational reunification is at hand requires allthe KPA (Korean People’s Army) units tobecome (elite) Guard Units fully prepared forwar politically and ideologically, in militarytechnique and materially”, he was quoted bythe official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) as saying.

North Korea regularly ratchets up hostilerhetoric at times of joint US-South Korea mili-tary exercises that spark a sharp surge in ten-sions on the divided peninsula. Kim called on

the military to train hard in order “to tear topieces the Stars and Stripes”, in commentsmade while opening a new hall at theVictorious Fatherland Liberation War Museumin Pyongyang, KCNA said. The drill Friday wasa prelude to an eight-week exercise, FoalEagle, involving air, ground and naval fieldtraining, with around 200,000 Korean and3,700 US troops that begins on Monday.

A week-long, largely computer-simulatedjoint drill, Key Resolve, will also get under way.Seoul and Washington insist the exercises aredefense-based in nature, but they are con-demned by Pyongyang as provocativerehearsals for invasion. North Korea hadoffered a moratorium on carrying out nucleartests if this year’s joint drills were cancelled-aproposal rejected by Washington as an“implicit threat” to carry out a fourth atomicdrill. North Korea claims it won the 1950-53Korean War, which ended in an armisticeinstead of a peace treaty, leaving the twoKoreas still technically at war.— AFP

North Korean leader tells army to ‘prepare for war’

N E W SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Continued from Page 1

extradition of those wanted in public funds cases, he said,adding that he discussed this with the British official in thepresence of Kuwait’s Public Prosecutor Dherar Al-Asousimutual cooperation in legal prosecution. Grayling expressedunderstanding and keenness on endorsing such an MoU, aswell as on exchanging information in money laundering cas-es and terrorism combating, Sane said.

Grayling described his talks with Sane as positive and can-did, affirming that the meeting would contribute to cement-

ing the Kuwaiti-UK relations and serving common interests.Other key topics concerning the bilateral ties were discussedduring the meeting, he said, labelling the relationshipbetween Kuwait and the UK as quite significant and express-ing desire to bolster the mutual cooperation continuously.These topics will be referred to specialized technical commit-tees for further examination and studying means of takingrelevant action at this level, he said. Britain is a key partner forKuwait in the face of numerous international challenges,Grayling said, hoping that such accords would pave way forstronger partnership between the two countries. — Agencies

Kuwait reopens embassy in Aden instead...

Continued from Page 1

“Perhaps they did slip up in this case but one won’tknow until there’s been an inquiry or a report of somekind,” he told the BBC. The first photograph of Emwazi asan adult was published late Friday by Sky News, report-edly taken from his university records and showing himwith a goatee beard and wearing a Pittsburgh Piratesbaseball cap.

The case has some parallels to that of two Al-Qaeda-inspired extremists who murdered a British soldier in aLondon street in May 2013. A report by lawmakers con-cluded that delays and other failings by the agencieshad contributed to that tragedy. However, it is not clearwhat laws could have been used to prevent Emwazifrom leaving Britain at the time, since he had not beencharged with any terrorist-related offenses. It is notknown if police or security services had any evidence hewas planning to join extremists in Syria.

His identification as the front man in IS murder videoshas raised questions about how a soccer-playingLondon youngster who liked smart clothes became oneof the world’s most wanted men. Authorities were work-ing to piece together the path to radicalization ofEmwazi, who came to Britain from Kuwait as a smallchild and attended state schools in London beforestudying computer science at the University ofWestminster.

Court documents from 2011 obtained by the BBC listEmwazi as part of a network of west London men sus-pected by MI5 of sending funds, equipment and recruitsto Al-Shabab militants in Somalia. The group includedBilail Al-Berjawi, a Lebanese-British militant who waskilled in a US drone strike in Somalia in Jan 2012. Emailsthat Emwazi sent to a Muslim advocacy group reveal ayoung man increasingly frustrated by the attentions ofBritish spies and angry at the plight of Muslims aroundthe world.

Emwazi approached the group, CAGE, after he andtwo friends were arrested and deported on a trip toTanzania in Aug 2009. They said they were going on apost-university safari. But Emwazi said he was grilled bya British intelligence officer who accused him of tryingto travel to Somalia to link up with terrorists there. Hesaid the agent, who identified himself as Nick, suggestedEmwazi “work for us” before saying “life will be harder foryou” if he did not cooperate.

It is clear that Emwazi was unnerved after his unwant-ed interrogation. “He knew everything about me; whereI lived, what I did, the people I hanged around with,” hewrote in one of the emails that CAGE made publicThursday. “He even said that he would try to visit me. ButI refused and told him that I did not want him to pay mea visit.” The following year Emwazi accused British agentsof preventing him from going to Kuwait, where he had a

job and planned to marry. He wrote in one email that his“‘life’ is kind of on a ‘pause’.”

Like many British Muslims who have become radical-ized in recent years, he seemed to feel that Muslims wereincreasingly under attack in many parts of the world andcomplained to CAGE of the plight of his fellow believersin Chechnya, Iraq and elsewhere. CAGE said that Emwazieven changed his name in a bid to escape the attentionsof the security services, but still was barred from goingto Kuwait. His family reported him missing early in 2013.Four months later, police told them Emwazi was in Syria,CAGE said.

London mayor Boris Johnson, a member ofCameron’s Conservative party, accused Cage of an “apol-ogy for terror”. John Sawers, the former head of Britain’sMI6 foreign spy agency, also condemned the group’sarguments as “specious”. “The idea that somehow beingspoken to by a member of MI5 is a radicalising act, Ithink this is very false and very transparent,” Sawers toldBBC radio.

Emwazi appeared in a video released in August show-ing the slaying of American journalist James Foley,denouncing the West before the killing. A man with simi-lar stature and voice was also featured in videos of the ISkillings of American journalist Steven Sotloff, BritonsDavid Haines and Alan Hemming, and US aid workerAbdul-Rahman Kassig. He also appeared in a video withJapanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Gotoshortly before they were killed.

Foley’s parents in Arizona on Thursday expressed sur-prise that “Jihadi John” was an educated man who hadreal prospects in life. “So he, in a sense, had a privilegedupbringing, so to me that makes that even more sadthat he’d want to use his gifts for such evil and suchhatred. It’s very frightening to me,” Diane Foley said. “Weneed to forgive him for not having a clue what he wasdoing,” she said.

The widow of Haines, a British aid worker, said Fridayshe would like to see “Jihadi John” captured and put ontrial. Dragana Haines told AP in a phone interview fromher home in Croatia that “I really hope he will be caught,I think it would be a good lesson for all.” Haines, whosehusband was killed in September, said she would rathersee Emwazi judged in a court of law than killed by ene-my action. “People of his kind believe that death in com-bat is an honor, something special,” she said.

In the modest west London neighborhood whereEmwazi’s family lived, citizens were shocked after hisidentify was revealed. Sharaft Ullah, who worships at theHarrow Road Mosque near the family home, remem-bered Emwazi as a strict Muslim who prayed severaltimes a day. He said Emwazi was “a very good local guyand polite with everybody”. “I feel angry because he waseducated in this country and he graduated fromWestminster,” Ullah said. — Agencies

Unmasking of ‘Jihadi John’ shocks Britain

Continued from Page 1

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s top leader MohamedBadie to life in prison while other members received thedeath penalty.

Since the military toppled Morsi, the authorities in Egypthave accused Hamas of aiding jihadists who have staged astring of bloody attacks on security forces in the Sinai. Egyptalso accuses Hamas, which controls the neighbouring GazaStrip, of supporting the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood. LastMarch, Egypt banned all Hamas activities on its soil and frozeits assets.

Yesterday’s court ruling came after two complaints werefiled against Hamas implicating it in deadly attacks on thepolice and army in the Sinai, a judicial source said. “It wasproven that the movement has committed acts of sabotageon Egyptian territory and killed innocent people, civilians andmembers of the police and army,” the ruling said. The courtcited coordinated attacks in the northern Sinai at the end ofJanuary in which at least 25 soldiers were killed, saying that“the rockets used in this operation are found only in the GazaStrip”.

Jihadists in the peninsula have killed scores of policemenand soldiers since Morsi’s overthrow, vowing revenge for acrackdown on his supporters that has left more than 1,400people dead. The militant organisation Ansar Beit al-Maqdis(Partisans of Jerusalem), which has pledged allegiance to theIslamic State group, has claimed most of the attacks.Yesterday’s ruling comes just days after Egypt adopted a newanti-terrorism law allowing the authorities to close the prem-ises of any declared “terrorist” organisation and freeze itsassets and those of its members.

Sami Abu Zuhri, the Hamas spokesman in Gaza City,denounced the ruling as “a desperate attempt to exportEgypt’s crises”. It amounted to “a dangerous escalationagainst the Palestinian people and the forces of Palestinianresistance” against Israel. But it would have “no impact onHamas which treats with respect all the sons and leaders ofthe Arab world, except for some influential persons in Egypt”,Abu Zuhri said.

Israel and the United States view Hamas as a “terrorist”organisation, and the European Union decided in January toappeal a European court ruling ordering Hamas’s removalfrom the EU’s list of terror groups. Egypt has accused Hamasmilitants of infiltrating through tunnels used by smugglers.The army regularly announces the destruction of such tun-nels, and is creating a buffer zone on the border with Gaza tocounter the threat.

But despite this, Cairo has continued to play its traditionalrole of mediator between Hamas and Israel, as it did in themost recent Gaza war last July and August. Gaza political pro-fessor Mukhaimer Abu Saada also described yesterday’s rul-ing as a “dangerous escalation”. “Egypt may freeze the assetsand investments in the country of Hamas individuals,” butwould not go as far as to jail members of the movement whohave settled in Cairo, he added.

In the other case, Badie, the top leader of the now-bannedMuslim Brotherhood, was among 14 who were sentenced tolife, alongside deputy leader Khairat Al-Shater and leading fig-ure Mohamed Al-Beltagy. Four lower-level members were sen-tenced to death for inciting violence that led to the killing ofprotesters demonstrating outside a Brotherhood office daysbefore Morsi’s ouster. Two of those sentenced to death andthree sentenced to life were tried in absentia. — Agencies

Egypt brands Hamas as ‘terrorist’ group

Continued from Page 1

Guests at the wedding could not understand why, inone photo of the dress being worn by the mother of thebride, the clearly blue and black-striped garment trans-formed into gold and white. But only in that single pho-to, and only for around half of the viewers.

The debate spread from the wedding to the Internet,initially from friend to perplexed friend on Facebook.

One such wedding guest, musician and singerCaitlin McNeill, posted the photo Thursday night to herTumblr account with the question: “Guys please helpme. Is this dress white and gold, or blue and black? Meand my friends can’t agree and we are freaking the(expletive) out.” She’s consistently seen gold. One of herfriends, Alana MacInnes, saw gold and white for the firsthour, then black and blue.

Buzzfeed sensed clickbait heaven and, amid its ownnewsroom argument, was among the first to callMcNeill. It posted more than a half-dozen stories on theimage and the tsunami of reaction. On Twitter,#TheDress and variants surged to the top of trendinglists globally within hours. The entertainment elite thenchimed in. Taylor Swift saw the dress was “obviously”blue and black. “What’s the matter with u guys, it’s whiteand gold,” countered Julianne Moore. Kim Kardashian,never one to miss a trending topic, reported she wasseeing gold but to husband Kanye West, it was solidlyblack and blue. “Who is color blind?” Kardashian askedthe twitterati.

The answer, says Hardiman-McCartney, is that everyviewer seeing either set of colors is right. He says theexceptional bar-code style of the dress, combined withthe strongly yellow-toned backlighting in the one pho-to, provides the brain a rare chance to “choose” which ofthe dress’ two primary colors should be seen in detail.Those who subconsciously seek detail in the many hori-zontal black lines convert them to a golden hue, so theblue disappears into a blown-out white, he said.

Others whose brains focus on the blue part of thedress see the photo as the black-and-blue reality.“There’s no correct way to perceive this photograph. Itsits right on the cusp, or balance, of how we perceivethe color of a subject versus the surrounding area,” hesaid. “And this color consistency illusion that we’re expe-riencing doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with youreyes. It just shows how your brain chooses to see the

image, to process this luminescence confusion.”The photo produced a deluge of media calls Friday

to the Tumblr reporter, 21-year-old McNeill, who callsthe seemingly endless phone calls “more than I’vereceived in the entirety of the rest of my life combined”.She says the photographer, who is also the mother ofthe bride, never wanted the publicity.

There’s one clear winner: English dress retailerRoman Originals, which has reported a million hits onits sales site in the first 18 hours following the photo’sworldwide distribution. “I can officially say that thisdress is royal blue with black lace trimming,” saidMichele Bastock, design director at Roman Originals.She said staff members had no idea that the dress,when shot in that singularly peculiar light, might beperceived in a totally different color scheme. Not untilFriday anyway, when they arrived at work to field hun-dreds of emails, calls and social media posts. They, too,split almost 50-50 on the photo’s true colors.

All agreed, however, the dress for the Birmingham,England-based retailer was likely to become their great-est-ever seller. The chain’s website Friday headlined itsproduct as “#TheDress now back in stock - debate now.”“Straightaway we went to the computers and had alook. And some members of the team saw ivory andgold. I see a royal blue all the time,” she said. “It’s anenigma ... but we are grateful.” The dress sells for £50($77).

There may be a scientific explanation for all themadness. According to British physicist Isaac Newton,color is not inherent to objects. Humans perceive thecolors reflected on the surface of objects throughlight that hits the retina in the back of the eye. ReenaGarg, an assistant professor at the New York Eye andEar Infirmary of Mount Sinai in New York, said the var-ied reactions can be explained by how we understandcolor, noting that the poorly exposed photograph waslikely taken with a cell phone camera.

“If you see the dress as black and blue, you’re prob-ably seeing the photo as over-exposed, meaningthere is too much light, so the colors in the dressappear darker to you after the retina has compensat-ed,” Garg told AFP. “If you see the dress as white andgold, you’re probably seeing the photo as under-exposed, meaning there is too little light and the col-ors in the dress appear lighter to you after the retinahas compensated.” — Agencies

Debate on dress color goes viral Continued from Page 1

Russian state television - which in recent years hasdenied Nemtsov airtime - gave lavish coverage to hismurder. Investigators said gunmen fired at least eightshots from a moving car as Nemtsov walked with awoman who was not injured. Russian televisionnamed her as 23-year-old Ukrainian model AnnaDuritskaya.

Opposition figures said his death was linked to hisoutspoken opposition to Putin and in particular hiscriticism of Russia’s stand on the Ukraine conflict. Theypointed the finger at a climate of hatred whipped upby the Kremlin. “The political responsibility for thismurder l ies with the authorities and personallyPresident Putin - those who started and are fighting awar and are running a propaganda campaign ofhatred in its support,” former Yabloko liberal partyleader Grigory Yavlinsky wrote on Facebook.

“If a few days ago, people were walking round witha placard saying ‘let’s finish off the fifth column’, andtoday Nemtsov is killed, then let’s think what will hap-pen tomorrow,” said a fellow deputy prime ministerunder Yeltsin, Anatoly Chubais, referring to a pro-Kremlin rally. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny ques-tioned how Nemtsov could have been killed, sayinghe would have been under surveillance ahead oftoday’s planned rally. “I can’t believe that yesterdaynight he could have strolled towards the Kremlinwithout being watched,” he wrote in his blog.

US President Barack Obama condemned a “brutal”and “vicious murder” and urged a probe while BritishPrime Minister David Cameron said the “callous mur-der” must be investigated “fully, rapidly and transpar-ently”. Putin suggested the crime was aimed at smear-ing the authorities. It “had all the hallmarks of a con-tract killing and is entirely provocative in nature,” hewas quoted as saying by the Kremlin. The last Soviet

leader Mikhail Gorbachev also claimed the killing wasaimed at “destabilising the situation in the country, atheightening confrontation” with the West.

The powerful Investigative Committee leading theprobe said it was looking into a possible “provocationto destabilise the political situation in the country.” Itlisted as initial hypotheses a link to the Charlie Hebdomassacre, noting that Nemtsov had received threatsafter he condemned the killings in Paris, as well as the“situation inside Ukraine”.

Hours before his murder, Nemtsov urged Russiansto show up for a rally today calling for “an immediateend to the Ukraine war,” he said on popular Echo ofMoscow radio, adding that Putin should quit .Opposition activists scrapped the rally after news ofhis death while the authorities gave permission for amarch in memory of Nemtsov through the city centretoday afternoon. Uk rainian President PetroPoroshenko cal led Nemtsov a “bridge betweenUk raine and Russia”. “ The murderers’ shot hasdestroyed it. I think it is not by accident.”

The former researcher rose to prominence as gov-ernor of the Nizhny Novgorod region in central Russiabefore serving in Yeltsin’s team. After leaving parlia-ment in 2003, he led several opposition parties andgroups. A passionate orator with a rock star imageand popular with women, Nemtsov was a key speakerat mass opposition rallies against Putin’s return to theKremlin in 2012. He wrote a series of reports critical ofcorruption and misspending under Putin. In 2013, hesaid up to $30 billion of the estimated $50 billionassigned to the Olympic Games that Russia was tohost in Sochi had gone missing. The Kremlin hasdenied the claims. Alexei Venediktov, editor-in-chiefof Echo of Moscow radio, wrote that Nemtsov knewhe was taking risks by openly criticizing Putin. “But Iwill not leave Russia, who would fight then?” he quot-ed the veteran politician as saying. — AFP

Vocal critic of Putin killed near Kremlin

Skiers sit on a ski lift over the Darbandsar ski resort, 60 km northeast of Tehran, yesterday. Darbandsar ski resort is one of the newest resorts around Tehran attracting many Iranian and foreignskiers from November till late April. — AFP

By Dr James J Zogby

In a few days, Israel’s Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu will mount the podium of the USCongress to speak before a joint session of

the House and Senate. He will use the occasionto blast Iran and issue dire warnings about thecurrent US-led negotiations designed to limitIran’s nuclear program.

Having successfully used his two previousappearances before Congress to announce hisintent to scuttle the Oslo peace process (1996)and to sabotage President Obama’s plan torestart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks (2011),Netanyahu apparently hopes to use this addressto stiffen the resolve of those in Congress whoare opposed to the current negotiations withIran. The ever-cocky prime minister, no doubt,believes he will once again be successful.

That this speech occurs a scant two weeksbefore Israelis go to the polls is, for Netanyahu,the “icing on the cake” since it will display forvoters back home his supreme mastery ofAmerica. It will also, he hopes, divert attentionfrom his recent financial scandals and his failureto establish a secure peace or to provide for thewell-being of his people.

What the prime minister did not expect wasthe firestorm his appearance would produce.Since he has repeatedly asserted that “I knowAmerica”, he should have anticipated that hisdeliberate effort to embarrass the US presidentwould not sit well with the White House or itsallies. By having his ambassador to Washington,a former Republican Party operative, conspirewith the speaker of the House to arrange thisspeech, the Israeli leader displayed remarkablyshort-sighted arrogance. But then, this is one ofthe draw-backs of cockiness.

Since the speech was announced, negativereaction has been growing. At first criticized as a“breach of protocol” and an “unseemly partisanmove”, the response has developed into anincreasingly hostile war of words and action.The While House has charged that the primeminister’s behavior is “destructive of the fabric ofthe [US-Israeli] relationship”. Secretary of StateJohn Kerry chided Netanyahu’s critique of theIran negotiations as uninformed. And, as ofFriday, 36 members of Congress had announcedtheir intention to boycott the speech. OneRepresentative told me he expected the num-ber of boycotters to grow in the coming days.

Equally significant has been the reaction inIsrael, where not only Netanyahu’s opponentshave accused him of the risky business of “play-ing politics inside American politics”. A formerhead of Mossad charged that the speech was“pointless and counterproductive”. And evenIsrael’s President recently weighed-in criticizingthe Netanyahu gambit.

ParalysisThere have been those who suggest that this

is but “a tempest in a teapot” that will soon set-tle down once the Israeli elections are over. Ithink not. Netanyahu may still be reelected,although polls are showing that he will have toscramble to cobble together the 60+ Knessetmembers he will need to form a government.Since the announcement of his speech toCongress, Netanyahu’s slight lead over his “cen-ter-left” opponents in the Zionist Union hasevaporated. The two parties now appear to berunning dead even - with each garnering 23 or24 seats in the next Knesset. Given the fragmen-tation of Israel’s right wing parties, Netanyahumay be able to forge a coalition of 60+, but it

will be a grouping of aggressive ego-drivenhardliners who will only serve to exacerbate ten-sions with the US.

As of now, it appears that even if the ZionistUnion edges out Netanyahu’s party, they willhave no chance of forming a cohesive coalitionthat will be able to effectively govern andadvance peace. This is so for two reasons. Forone, the left is too weak. While the positions ofthe Zionist Union are closely aligned to thoseespoused by Washington, it is unlikely that theywill be able to find enough like-minded Knessetmembers to establish a ruling majority. Becausethey will need to include rightist groupings toreach the 60+ threshold, the government theyform will be hamstrung from the beginning.

An additional issue is the fact that what willlikely emerge as the third or fourth largest blocin the Knesset is the Arab Union - a first evergrouping of smaller Arab parties. Since they areexpected to win between 12 to 15 seats in thenext Knesset, it will be impossible for the “cen-ter-left” to amass 60+ seats without the agree-ment of the Arab bloc. However, it is unlikelythat the Arab group will be included in any gov-ernment formation. Thus, they will be reducedto the same “silent partner” status they had dur-ing Rabin’s tenure in the early 1990’s. This willserve to create a dysfunctional situation inwhich the government can only be sustained bythe acquiescence of the Arab bloc. But this will,in turn, inhibit such a government from takingany dramatic steps toward peace lest it beattacked by the right for acting without the sup-port of the “Jewish majority”. The result will beparalysis.

Legacy This will be Netanyahu’s legacy: A deeply

divided Israel which will have either a hard-line government that will continue to takehostile steps provoking Palestinians and fur-ther frustrating peacemaking efforts or aweak and dysfunctional centrist governmentthat will be incapable of acting decisively forpeace.

A further impact of Netanyahu’s behaviorwill be seen here in the US. Israelis consolethemselves that polls continue to show that amajority of Americans support their state.What they ignore are the follow up questionswhich show Americans increasingly frustrat-ed by and deeply divided over Israeli policies.Majorities oppose settlements and opposeIsrael actions that conflict with American pol-icy. And when asked whether the US shouldside with Israel, the Palestinians, or “not takeeither side”, two-thirds consistently choosethe last option. More striking is the fact that76 percent and 70 percent of Democrats andIndependents, respectively, say “not takeeither side” - as do 75 percent of those under50 years of age, 76 percent of non-whites,and 72 percent of women. Only Republicansbelieve that the US should take Israel’s side -49 percent of whom feel this way, against 47percent who say “not take either side”.

It may very well be that when Netanyahu isfinished his big Washington adventure, plentyof officials in Washington will insist that “theUS-Israel bonds are unbreakable”. And manyin Congress will still jump, when asked, to doIsrael’s bidding. But that’s not the whole story,since he will leave in his wake a fracturedIsrael and a deeply divided America. Such willbe the master manipulator’s legacy.

NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President ofthe Arab American Institute

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A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Gingerly treading between its anti-austeritypromises to voters and its pledges to scepticalinternational creditors, Greece’s new radical

government is resorting to doublespeak to keepeveryone happy, analysts say. After persuadingBrussels last week to chew on its reform proposalsover the next two months, the Syriza-led governmenthas touted the agreement to its weary domestic audi-ence as one that ends painful austerity. “Greece andEurope have both turned a page,” Finance MinisterYanis Varoufakis said on Tuesday in announcing theagreement.

After two abortive eurozone finance minister meet-ings, Greece on Feb 20 pledged to work “in closeagreement” with its European partners and theInternational Monetary Fund to “strengthen fiscal sus-tainability, guarantee financial stability and promoteeconomic recovery”. To secure bargaining room untilJune to work out a new four-year reform plan, Athens’new radical team had to pledge to respect privatisa-tions completed by the previous government, andrefrain from one-sided reform rollbacks.

At a closed-door meeting of Syriza lawmakerscalled to evaluate the deal, hardline Energy MinisterPanagiotis Lafazanis complained that the governmentwas “adopting language reminiscent of its creditors,”media reports said. Other Greek government officialshave argued that there is “constructive ambiguity” inthe agreement which leaves Athens room for manoeu-vre. One notable example is the rehiring of laid-off civ-il servants, a key Syriza campaign promise which thegovernment still intends to carry out. This measurewas left out of the agreement after the Greek govern-ment argued that it constituted internal policy andwas non-negotiable.

Another example is the government’s pledge toraise the minimum wage. The deal agreed withBrussels said wages will be raised “in a manner thatsafeguards competitiveness and employmentprospects”. This reference was conspicuously absentfrom a government summary of the deal released toGreek media.

‘Perilous’ Divide “The Tsipras government is trying to bridge an

incredibly perilous divide,” said Susanna Vogt, a politi-cal analyst and director of the Greek branch of theKonrad Adenauer Foundation, a think tank close to theruling German conservatives. “By playing with words,it is trying to satisfy the expectations it raised duringthe electoral campaign and following its arrival topower,” she told AFP. Greek government spokesmanGabriel Sakellaridis said Wednesday the deal “leftroom” for Athens to apply its own policy.

But privately, some government officials are lesssanguine. “Clearly we will be under supervision,” onesenior official conceded last week, adding that thegovernment now had to “outdo” itself to fulfil pledgesto combat corruption and tax evasion. The Greek offi-cial added that the instructions from Athens for thethird and final Eurogroup meeting were to “negotiatewith an agreement in mind, not a rupture. Clearly thismaking a compromise”.

“At the end of the day, most people understandthat it’s all they could do at the moment,” said ManolisSpourdalakis, a political scientist at Athens University.“Syriza was elected on a program whose prelude wasto negotiate a better deal ... a good part of it wasaccepted. Even accepting the notion (of humanitariancrisis) is a change,” he said.

According to a poll in leftist daily Avgi, conductedbefore Tuesday’s agreement, 80 percent of respon-dents applauded the government’s handling of thetalks. But one of Syriza’s best-known activists, 92-year-old wartime resistance hero Manolis Glezos, was notone of them. In a scathing blog entry, Glezos calledthe deal an “illusion” and apologised to the party’s vot-ers for being part of it. “There can be no compromise...between a slave and a conqueror, the only solution isfreedom,” Glezos said. Vogt noted that in last month’selections, 36 percent of Greeks voted for Syriza“because they wanted real change”. But Athens’ EUpeers are now waiting for concrete results and in thisrespect “doublespeak is not going to be very helpful,”she noted. —AFP

Issues

Having it both

ways: Greece’s

doublespeak

Bibi’s legacy: Fractured Israel, Divided US

By Marianne Barriaux

Faced with a seemingly unendingbloody conflict in Syria and the riseof the Islamic State group, is

President Bashar Al-Assad the lesser of thecountry’s evils and should the West re-engage with him? While world powerssuch as the United States, France andBritain refuse to have anything to do with aleader the French prime minister describedas a “butcher”, the question is increasinglybeing raised within these countries.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy forSyria, echoed this feeling last month whenhe said Assad was “part of the solution” toend a conflict that has killed more than210,000 people, displaced nearly half thecountry’s population and spilled over intoneighbouring nations. And this week, a pri-vate trip to Damascus by French lawmak-ers who met Assad for talks drew an angryresponse from the French governmentwhich cut diplomatic ties with Syria in2012 - but was feted by media in the con-flict-torn country.

“The Assad regime is trying to give theimpression of unstoppable momentumtowards normalisation of ties,” saidShashank Joshi, senior research fellow atBritain’s Royal United Services Institutedefence and security think-tank. But hesaid this was “exaggerated” and that whileWestern and Syrian intelligence agenciesmay have had low- to mid-level contacts,there had been no formal coordination.

A Softening Stance? Officially, the United States - like France

and Britain - remain steadfast in theirdemandthat

the Syrian leader quit power. But repeateddiplomatic attempts at a solution to the con-flict have failed, and Western governmentsare coming under increasing pressure fromintelligence services who are worried aboutthe number of nationals joining the ranks ofIS. International coalition strikes against thejihadist group that controls swathes of Iraqand Syria, meanwhile, have produced mixedresults and some countries appear to be

softening their stance towards Assad.In the United States, experts say

there have been signs thatWashington may be considering

abandoning efforts to unseat theSyrian leader in any future transition.

Yezid Sayigh, senior associate at theCarnegie Middle East Centre, said

recent consultations with Russia - a fer-vent Assad ally - “suggest an effort to

devise a new diplomatic framework jointlywith Russia that would allow the US a face-

saving means to accommodate Assad’s sur-vival more formally.”

In a joint statement published Friday bynewspapers Le Monde and Al-Hayat, theFrench and British foreign ministers stressedAssad could not “credibly” be part of any

future government fighting IS. ButFrench Senator Francois Zocchetto,one of the lawmakers who met with

Assad, argued Friday that it was impos-sible to fight against extremism in France

while ignoring what was going on in Syria.“This secular state could disappear tomor-row... because right now there is no longer

any moderate Syrian opposition,” he said.Syria Opposition Roadmap As if on cue, though, Syria’s main domes-

tic and exiled opposition groups said Fridaythey had for the first time agreed a draft crisisroadmap that incorporates a call for a transi-tional governing body. But while the exiledSyrian National Coalition insists Assad muststep down in any peace deal, the domesticNational Coordination Committee forDemocratic Change (NCCDC) has been morecircumspect. One of the documents onwhich the roadmap is based calls for anytransitional governing body to have full exec-utive powers, but does not specify Assad’srole.

Nevertheless, Petra Becker, a Syria expertat the German Institute for International andSecurity Affairs think-tank, said the mere factthat both opposition groups were talkingwas positive. She said IS had “put pressure onthe opposition to come to an agreement”.Many experts say that formally re-engagingwith Assad would be a mistake. “Westerncountries have cobbled together a very suc-cessful Arab coalition (to fight IS) and thatcoalition would fall apart,” said Joshi.

He added that much of the focus was onthe Sunni community in Syria, which formsthe backbone of the rebellion against Assadand is widely considered as key to tackling ISfrom within. “If you join hands with the pri-mary persecutor and tormentor of Syria’sSunni community, you jeopardise thatchance and you encourage people to joinISIS (IS) in greater numbers,” he said. —AFP

Assad or no Assad, West asks

By Mathilde Richter

Washington Watch

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

HAMILTON: The Chiefs sent an ominous reminder to their rivals why theyare favorites to win this year’s Super Rugby title with a 40-16 thrashing ofthe Canterbury Crusaders in Hamilton yesterday.

Chasing their third championship in four seasons, the Chiefs flexed theirmuscles with a five-tries-to-one romp against a Crusaders team that madethe final last year but has struggled to reproduce their best form.

The Chiefs have won all three matches they haveplayed this year, each with more conviction than the last,while the Crusaders have managed just one victory from

three and suffered one of their heaviest losses in thesouthern hemisphere competition.

Sonny Bill Williams, back with the Chiefs afterspending the last two seasons playing rugbyleague in Australia, had another big game. Hescored his team’s first try and had a hand in twoothers as the Chiefs went to the break leading 22-9.—Reuters

Chiefs thrash Crusaders

MEXICO CITY: A stomach virus caused world number two Maria Sharapovato pull out of the Acapulco International in Mexico just hours before hersemi-final on Friday.

“I’m really sorry to have to withdraw,” the top-seeded Russian said on herwebsite (www.mariasharapova.com). “I had a great start to the event andwas hoping I could recover in time for tonight’s match but unfortunately itwas not enough time.

“I want to thank the tournament for organising such a greatevent and most importantly the fans who were so passionate dur-ing all my matches.”

French Open champion Sharapova, winner of five grand slamtitles, reached the last four of the hardcourt tournament with a6-1 4-6 6-2 win over Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova onThursday.

Sharapova, who will next play at Indian Wells, Californiafrom March 11, was due to meet Caroline Garcia ofFrance in the semi-finals. —Reuters

BELGRADE: Fenerbahce moved a step closer to the Euroleague playoffswith a shock 81-75 win at CSKA Moscow on Friday, handing the six-timechampions their first home loss this season and stalwart Andrei Kirilenko asour return home. Former NBA All-Star forward Kirilenko, who rejoinedCSKA on Tuesday for a third stint with the Russian giants, made a cameoappearance but scored only two points in five minutes on court.

Roared on by several hundred noisy away fans, the Turkish side racedinto a 10-0 lead and held the upper hand throughout a physical contest,which boiled over in the closing stages when CSKA’s Serbia playmakerMilos Teodosic was ejected for dissent.

Cool free-throw shooting by Teodosic’s compatriots Nemanja Bjelicaand Bogdan Bogdanovic allowed Fenerbahce to pull away in the last twominutes. “I think we did a great job rebounding at both ends and we had tobecause we were up against one of the best teams in Europe,” Fenerbahce’sCzech forward Jan Vesely told Euroleague television. “It was a tough gameand a great team effort so we are all very happy,” added the former DenverNuggets and Washington Wizards campaigner.—Reuters

Fenerbahce beat CSKA

S P O RT S

Sharapova out with bug virus

Eastern ConferenceAtlantic DivisionW L PCT GB

Toronto 37 21 .638 - Boston 23 33 .411 13 Brooklyn 23 33 .411 13 Philadelphia 13 45 .224 24 NY Knicks 11 46 .193 25.5

Central DivisionChicago 37 22 .627 - Cleveland 37 23 .617 0.5 Milwaukee 32 26 .552 4.5 Indiana 24 34 .414 12.5 Detroit 23 35 .397 13.5

Southeast DivisionAtlanta 46 12 .793 - Washington 33 26 .559 13.5 Miami 25 32 .439 20.5 Charlotte 23 33 .411 22 Orlando 19 41 .317 28

Western ConferenceNorthwest Division

Portland 38 19 .667 - Oklahoma City 32 27 .542 7 Utah 22 35 .386 16 Denver 20 38 .345 18.5 Minnesota 13 44 .228 25

Pacific DivisionGolden State 45 11 .804 - LA Clippers 38 21 .644 8.5 Phoenix 31 28 .525 15.5 Sacramento 20 36 .357 25 LA Lakers 16 41 .281 29.5

Southwest DivisionMemphis 41 16 .719 - Houston 40 18 .690 1.5 Dallas 39 21 .650 3.5 San Antonio 35 23 .603 6.5 New Orleans 31 27 .534 10.5

NBA results/standings

Indiana 93, Cleveland 86; Philadelphia 89, Washington 81; Atlanta95, Orlando 88; Boston 106, Charlotte 98; NY Knicks 121, Detroit 115(OT); Golden State 113, Toronto 89; Chicago 96, Minnesota 89;Houston 102, Brooklyn 98; LA Clippers 97, Memphis 79; NewOrleans 104, Miami 102; Utah 104, Denver 82; San Antonio 107,Sacramento 96; LA Lakers 101, Milwaukee 93; Portland 115,Oklahoma City 112.

PORTLAND: Oklahoma City Thunder center Serge Ibaka drives on Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge during the first half of an NBA basketball game. —AP

PORTLAND: LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 pointsand 16 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazersrallied to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-112 Friday night, spoiling Russell Westbrook’sthird straight triple-double.

Westbrook, who fell and hit his face on team-mate Andre Roberson’s knee in the final seconds,had 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Hebecame the first player to string together threetriple-doubles since LeBron James in 2009. TheBlazers overcame a 15-point, third-quarterdeficit and tied it on a tip shot by Aldridge with4:33 to go. Rookie Mitch McGary came off thebench for a season-high 20 points - 12 in thethird quarter - for the Thunder.

WARRIORS 113, RAPTORS 89Klay Thompson scored 25 points, Stephen

Curry had 22 and Golden State never trailedagainst Toronto. Draymond Green had 17 pointsand nine rebounds for the Warriors. Theybounced back from a loss Thursday night inCleveland to improve to 10-2 in the secondgame of back-to-backs.

Tempers flared after Golden State’s FestusEzeli pushed Toronto’s Tyler Hansbrough in thethroat after they tangled under the basket in thethird. Hansbrough responded by chasing afterEzeli, shoving him and throwing a punch thatfailed to connect. Both players received doubletechnical fouls and were ejected. Terrence Rossscored 18 points for Toronto. They have lost fourstraight.

PACERS 93, CAVALIERS 86With LeBron James and Kyrie Irving sidelined,

Rodney Stuckey scored 19 points and GeorgeHill had his first career triple-double in Indiana’svictory over Cleveland.

Hill had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assiststo help Indiana win for the seventh time in ninegames - including twice over the Cavaliers in thepast three weeks.

James sat out with soreness in his lower back,while Irving stayed home after hurting his leftshoulder. J.R. Smith had 21 points and KevinLove finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

BULLS 96, TIMBERWOLVES 89Jimmy Butler had 28 points and 12 rebounds

and Chicago beat Minnesota for its seventh vic-tory in its last nine games. Mike Dunleavy madefive 3-pointers on his way to 21 points, andJoakim Noah finished with 11 points, 12rebounds and eight assists. The Bulls trailed 85-84 before Kirk Hinrich drove inside for a layupwith 4:29 remaining, and then Tony Snell made asmart pass to Dunleavy for an open 3 that madeit 89-85. Butler added a clutch bank shot to helpChicago improve to 10-1 in its last 11 gamesagainst Minnesota.

Kevin Martin scored 18 points for theTimberwolves. Minnesota coach Flip Saundersrested Kevin Garnett in the first part of back-to-back games.

HAWKS 95, MAGIC 88Paul Millsap scored 14 of his 20 points in the

first quarter and Atlanta recovered after losingan early 16-point lead to beat Orlando.

Led by Millsap’s 3-point shooting, the Hawkssprinted to a 19-3 lead. The Hawks hit their firsteight shots before Orlando rallied to finish thehalf up 45-42. Atlanta regained the lead with astrong third quarter and stretched the advan-tage to 10 points in the final. Nikola Vucevic had21 points for Orlando.

PELICANS 104, HEAT 102Alexis Ajinca made the go-ahead layup with

26 seconds left and scored a career-high 24points to help New Orleans win its fourthstraight. Hassan Whiteside appeared to be goingup for a tying dunk when he was blocked by fel-low 7-footer Omer Asik, who secured therebound, but his hasty outlet pass went off EricGordon’s hands and out of bounds. That gaveMiami one more shot, but Dwyane Wade’s 3-point attempt bounced out as time expired,dropping the Heat to its first loss in three games.

Gordon scored 20 points and Tyreke Evanshad 19 points and 11 assists for New Orleans.Luol Deng had 22 points for the Heat, and GoranDragic added 20.

CLIPPERS 97, GRIZZLIES 79Chris Paul had 19 points and 13 assists, and

DeAndre Jordan added 15 points and 22rebounds to lead Los Angeles past Memphis.

Jamal Crawford also had 19 points, and J.J.Redick finished with 18. Matt Barnes added 13for the Clippers. Zach Randolph led Memphiswith 20 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan helpedthe Clippers to a 47-41 advantage in rebounds.

SPURS 107, KINGS 96Tony Parker scored 19 points, Kawhi Leonard

had 17 points and seven rebounds, and SanAntonio snapped a four-game losing streak witha victory over short-handed Sacramento.

The Spurs avoided their first five-game skidsince late in the 2010-11 season with an efficientand aggressive performance. They had just sixturnovers and made 29 of 32 free throws, offset-ting a night they shot below 40 percent from thefloor. Kings center DeMarcus Cousins sat outwith a sprained left ankle and bruised left hip,and point guard Darren Collison missed hiseighth consecutive game as he prepares to havesurgery on a core muscle injury that will sidelinehim at least another month. Sacramento is 2-11without Cousins.

ROCKETS 102, NETS 98Terrence Jones scored a season-high 26

points, James Harden made the tiebreaking freethrow with 43 seconds left and followed thatwith a jumper in Houston’s victory overBrooklyn. Harden, who played after spraining hisright ankle on Wednesday night, shot just 4 for15 for 15 points, but had 12 assists. The Rockets

have won four straight. Mason Plumlee andDeron Williams had 15 points apiece for theNets.

LAKERS 101, BUCKS 93Wayne Ellington scored 11 straight points in

the final 6 minutes, helping Los Angeles beatMilwaukee for its season high-tying thirdstraight victory. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakerswith 16 points. Ellington finished with 14 - all inthe final period - and Jordan Hill and Jeremy Linadded 14 points apiece. Ersan Ilyasova had 17points and 12 rebounds for the Bucks. MichaelCarter-Williams scored eight points in his secondgame for Milwaukee as the starting point guard.

KNICKS 121, PISTONS 115Shane Larkin’s three-point play in the final

minute of the second overtime helped New Yorksnap an eight-game losing streak.

Larkin put the Knicks ahead by four with 28seconds remaining, and they held on to win agame that Detroit appeared to have control ofafter two quarters. The Pistons led by 18 in thesecond and by 12 at the half but blew whatlooked to be an easy game against the teamwith the NBA’s worst record.

Detroit squandered a five-point lead in thefinal minute of regulation, allowing the Knicks totie it at 95 it on a pull-up 3-pointer by LangstonGalloway with 6.3 seconds remaining.

JAZZ 104, NUGGETS 82Derrick Favors had 21 points, 10 rebounds

and three blocks, Trey Burke came off the benchto score 19 points and Utah beat strugglingDenver. Gordon Hayward added 15 points forthe Jazz. Utah has won five of its last seven. WillBarton had 22 points for the Nuggets. They havelost nine straight at home and 18 of 20 overall.Denver was in the playoff conversation after afive-game winning streak in mid-January, buthas fallen into 13th place in the WesternConference.

76ERS 89, WIZARDS 81Nerlens Noel had 14 points and 13 rebounds

for Philadelphia. Robert Covington added 13points and Jason Richardson had 12 to helpPhiladelphia snap a five-game winning streakand win for the first time since trading MichaelCarter-Williams.

John Wall scored 21 points on 7-of-26 shoot-ing for Washington. Otto Porter added 19 andRamon Sessions had 14. The Wizards have lostsix in a row and 11 of 13.

CELTICS 106, HORNETS 98Isaiah Thomas scored 28 points and Boston

overcame a 16-point third-quarter deficit to beatCharlotte for its third straight victory.

Thomas scored 21 points in the second half.Fellow newcomer Jonas Jerebko had 16 pointsand 10 rebounds. Mo Williams had 31 points forCharlotte. —AP

T’Blazers silence Thunder

BUENOS AIRES: Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Federico Delbonis ofArgentina at the ATP Argentina Open. Nadal won the match 6-1 6-1. —AP

Nadal strolls into semi-final

BUENOS AIRES: Rafael Nadal, working hisway back to top form after wrist problemslast year, screamed with delight on reachingthe Argentine Open semi-finals with a 6-1 6-1 rout of Federico Delbonis on Friday.

Nadal, who went down to a first defeat in53 consecutive semi-finals on clay at the RioOpen last weekend, pumped his fist afterwinning a superb rally in the fifth game ofthe second set and again when theArgentine hit the ball wide on second matchpoint. “It was very important for me to reachthe semi-finals here in Argentina,” saidNadal, who overwhelmed Delbonis in animpressive battering lasting one hour and

four minutes. “Now the next step is to reachthe final to improve on ... Rio de Janeiro lastweek and I hope to do it,” he added in acourtside interview after the quarter-final atthe Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.

The Spaniard, who dropped to worldnumber four with his loss to Italian FabioFognini in R io de Janeiro, meetsArgentine Carlos Berlocq in Saturday’ssecond semi-final with a 65th title andGuillermo Vilas’s record of 46 claycourtcrowns in his sights. Juan Monaco, tour-nament winner in 2007, faces 2011 cham-pion Nicolas Almagro in the otherArgentine-Spanish semi-final. —Reuters

DUBLIN: I reland coach Joe Schmidtbelieves if Six Nations champions Irelanddefeat England at Lansdowne Road todayit will be the team’s biggest win since hetook over in 2013.

Victory would also equal the best everwin sequence of an Irish side at 10 tests.However, the 49-year-old New Zealander-who has guided the Irish to eyecatchingvictories over southern hemisphere giantsSouth Africa and Australia-added he isunder no illusions how difficult it will be tobeat the only other unbeaten side in thetournament after two matches.

England are on a good run of theirown, having won four tests on the trot,and have in recent times been a bogey

side for Ireland, inflicting their only loss ofthe last Six Nations their fourth successivevictory over the Irish.

Schmidt admitted to being excitedahead of the game which if the Irish winwould set them fair for a third ever GrandSlam and also only the second time theywill have successfully defended the title-the last occasion being the old FiveNations back in 1949. “It would be thebiggest win we’ve had so far,” saidSchmidt. “Not only because of the yearthat is in it (the World Cup which begins inSeptember) but also for the players whohave come into the squad, it would begreat to give those players that confidencewhich comes with such a win.”—AFP

Schmidt looks to claim

big win over England

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S P O RT SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

NEWARK: Carl Soderberg No. 34 of the Boston Bruins skates against Marek Zidlicky No. 2 of the New Jersey Devils during their game at thePrudential Center. —AFP

Bruins beat Devils in OTNEWARK: Ryan Spooner scored his first NHLgoal with 2:14 left in overtime and the BostonBruins defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 onFriday night after blowing a two-goal third-peri-od lead.

Daniel Paille and David Pastrnak scored forBoston, which won for only the second time innine games (2-5-2). Niklas Svedberg had 29saves starting for the ailing Tuukka Rask, whohad played in the last 18 games for Boston.

Travis Zajac and Jordin Tootoo tallied for NewJersey. Cory Schneider made 31 saves as theDevils lost their second straight and fell ninepoints behind Boston in the race for the lastwild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. TheBruins, who swept the three-game season series,are four points ahead of idle Florida for the finalwild-card position.

ISLANDERS 2, FLAMES 1Jaroslav Halak set the Islanders’ team record

with his 33rd win of the season, and RyanStrome scored a power-play goal in the first-period.

Halak stopped 26 shots, but lost his shutoutbid with 20.9 seconds left on Josh Jooris’ goalthat cut Calgary’s deficit in half. The Islandersmade it 2-0 with 41.3 seconds remaining on CalClutterbuck’s empty-net goal. New York movedtwo points ahead of the rival Rangers for firstplace in the Metropolitan Division.

Karri Ramo stopped 37 shots for the Flames,who without injured leading scorer MarkGiordano missed a chance to move into a wild-card position in the Western Conference playoffrace. Calgary dropped to 1-2 on its seven-gameroad trip.

HURRICANES 3, CAPITALS 0Anton Khudobin stopped 28 shots to earn

his first shutout of the season. Brett Bellemoreand Jeff Skinner scored, and Nathan Gerbeadded an empty-netter with 10.4 seconds leftas the Hurricanes won for the fourth time insix games. Carolina, last in the MetropolitanDivision, moved three points behind seventh-place Columbus in the div is ion. BradenHoltby stopped 35 shots for the Capitals, whohave lost three straight since winning four ina row. Khudobin had 10 saves in the thirdperiod to complete his fourth career shutout.It was just the second of the season for theHurricanes and their first since Nov. 1, when

Cam Ward blanked Arizona 3-0.

LIGHTNING 4, BLACKHAWKS 0Ben Bishop made 28 saves for his second

shutout, while Steven Stamkos scored two goals.Brian Boyle and Ryan Callahan also scored forthe Lightning, who returned home after a 3-2road trip against Western Conference teams.

Stamkos has 11 goals and 17 points in ninegames against Chicago. Chicago backup goalieScott Darling stopped 25 shots. The Blackhawksbeat Florida 3-0 Thursday in their first gamesince losing leading scorer Patrick Kane, placedon long-term injured reserve Wednesday with abroken left collarbone suffered in Tuesday’s 3-2shootout win over the Panthers.

AVALANCHE 5, STARS 4Ryan O’Reilly scored on the first shot of a

shootout. Colorado’s Semyon Varlamov stoppedall three Stars shots in the shootout after O’Reillylifted the puck over Dallas’ Kari Lehtonen and inoff the crossbar. The teams began the night tiedfor sixth place in the Central Division with 63points each, but out of playoff position.Colorado won all five games between the teams.

Nate Guenin had a career-high three pointswith a goal and two assists for the Avalanche.

They rallied from deficits of 3-1 and 4-3 in thethird period.

Cody Eakin had two goals and an assist, butthe Stars lost their fifth straight game (0-3-2)They also were 0-3-2 against Colorado this sea-son.

For Colorado, Tyson Barrie also had a goal andtwo assists. Gabriel Landeskog had one of each,Matt Duchene assisted twice and Jarome Iginlascored a goal.

DUCKS 4, KINGS 2Corey Perry scored the tiebreaking goal with

8:39 to play, and the Ducks furiously rallied froma two-goal deficit in the third period.

Ryan Kesler and Emerson Etem scored 90 sec-onds apart early in the third period for theDucks, who beat the defending Stanley Cupchampions for the third time in four lively meet-ings this season.

Perry secured the seventh 25-goal season ofhis NHL career when he slipped past two Kingsto put home a bouncing puck in the slot. Hethen added an empty-net goal with 23.6 sec-onds left on a high-arcing shot. Trevor Lewisand Brayden McNabb scored for the Kings, whohave lost two straight after an eight-gamesurge.—AP

Western ConferencePacific Division

W L OTL GF GA PTS Anaheim 39 17 7 186 176 85 Vancouver 35 23 3 174 162 73 Los Angeles 29 20 12 164 157 70 Calgary 33 25 4 175 160 70 San Jose 30 24 8 173 177 68 Arizona 20 35 7 137 210 47 Edmonton 18 34 10 142 206 46

Central DivisionNashville 41 14 7 188 147 89 St. Louis 39 18 4 190 152 82 Chicago 37 21 5 183 150 79 Winnipeg 31 20 12 174 170 74 Minnesota 32 22 7 173 160 71 Colorado 27 24 11 166 179 65 Dallas 27 25 10 195 207 64

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Montreal 40 16 5 167 135 85

Tampa Bay 38 19 6 207 167 82 Detroit 34 15 11 176 156 79 Boston 30 22 9 161 160 69 Florida 26 22 13 145 172 65 Ottawa 26 23 10 167 161 62 Toronto 25 31 5 170 185 55 Buffalo 19 38 5 120 207 43

Metropolitan Division

NY Islanders 41 20 2 202 174 84 NY Rangers 38 16 6 190 148 82 Pittsburgh 35 17 9 176 152 79 Washington 33 20 10 184 159 76 Philadelphia 26 25 11 164 181 63 New Jersey 25 27 10 139 164 60 Columbus 26 30 4 157 189 56 Carolina 23 30 7 137 159 53 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in thestandings and are not included in the loss column (L).

NHL results/standings

Boston 3, New Jersey 2 (OT); NY Islanders 2, Calgary 1; Carolina 3, Washington 0; Tampa Bay 4, Chicago 0; Colorado 5,Dallas 4 (SO); Anaheim 4, Los Angeles 2.

RIO DE JANEIRO: The International OlympicCommittee executive board on Friday gave thegreenlight to organizers of the Tokyo 2020Games to move three competition venues aspart of a plan to trim more than $1 billion fromthe budget.

The IOC board meeting in Rio de Janeirofocused on preparations for the Tokyo games infive years time as well as the next WinterOlympics in the South Korean city ofPyeongchang in 2018.

Tokyo Games CEO Toshiro Muto said theJapanese had submitted three venue changes aspart of a plan to cut costs of the sporting extrav-aganza.

“It is a year since we established the organiz-ing committee and we are putting together ourvision,” said Muto, who said organizers proposedmoving basketball outside Tokyo to Saitama anhour away. Rising labor and construction costshave also prompted Japan to rein back plans fornew sites for canoe slalom-moving from a parkto allay environmental concerns-and equestrianevents, to be hosted at Baji Park, a 1964 venue.

IOC executive director Christoph Dubi calledSaitama’s 37,000 arena Super Arena a “fantasticvenue” and forecast “considerable savings” fromthe proposals.

Tokyo organizers earlier Friday submittedtheir Games Foundation Plan to the IOC asJapan’s capital prepares to become the firstAsian city to stage a second Summer Gameshaving hosted in 1964.

Like Rio, Tokyo has not escaped controversyon budgets. The city has seen public protests inrecent months over plans to demolish theNational Stadium and replace it with a huge80,000-seater stadium designed by British-Iraqiarchitect Zaha Hadid.

Campaigners say the new design, standing

some 70 meters high and with initial cost ofsome $3 billion before a revised plan was sub-mitted costing around 40 percent less, is too bigfor its local environment. Muto said the stadi-um’s size and cost is “an issue for the govern-ment. We will just operate the stadium.”

The Tokyo team initially pledged to havesome 80 percent of venues within eight kilome-ters (five miles) radius of the Olympic Village, butsome events will now move to existing facilitiesfurther afield as part of plans to lop around $1.7billion off the overall budget.

PyeongChang organizers and the IOC mean-while announced the creation of a special task-

force to speed up preparations for 2018.Gunilla Lindberg, who chair’s the 2018 Games

coordination commission, had earlier met withPyeongchang organizing committee chief ChoYang-ho to propose the creation of the 10-strong group, which will meet monthly.

Rio CEO Carlos Nuzman meanwhile toldreporters there was “no decision as yet” onwhether next year’s Games will have one flameor two, saying the question of having one flameat the iconic Maracana football stadium-whichwill host the opening ceremony-and another atthe stadium hosting track and field was beingaddressed. —AFP

IOC approves Tokyo 2020 venue changes

TOKYO: International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President John Coates, speaks during ajoint press conference with Yoshiro Mori, president of Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee ofOlympic and Paralympic Games. —AP

PALM BEACH GARDENS: World numberone Rory McIlroy was set to miss the cutafter shooting a four-over par 74 in his sec-ond round of the Honda Classic on Fridayto go seven-over for the tournament.Heavy rain wiped out most of the morningand at the close, Californian BrendanSteele led by two strokes over TexanPatrick Reed after shooting birdies on eachof his first four holes before darkness fell.Reed had an impressive 67 to move six-under and has the advantage of not need-ing to finish his round late yesterday.

Overnight leader Jim Herman, the jour-neyman American who shot a 65 onThursday, managed just three holes, mak-ing par on all to stand five-under.

England’s Luke Donald shot a 67 tomove four shots off the lead alongsidecompatriot Ian Poulter and Ireland’sPadraig Harrington, who had not finishedtheir rounds.

McIlroy found it hard going in theChampion Course’s notorious winds. TheNorthern Irishman, playing in his first PGATour event this year, bogeyed his first hole,the par-4 10th, and then made anotherbogey after finding water on the 18th.After a birdie on the par-3 fifth hole he

closed with three bogeys from the last fourholes. The cut is projected for three over-par and while it may change before theleaders finish their rain-delayed round onSaturday, McIlroy can safely pack his bagsfor the short journey to his home inJupiter, Florida. “I’m pissed off. I don’t likemissing cuts. You want to be playing onthe weekend, and I’m not going to be play-ing which is not nice,” he said.

McIlroy had not missed a cut since the2014 Irish Open and his last missed cut inthe U.S. was at the 2012 US Open. He hasbeen in outstanding form, finishing in thetop two in five of his last six tournamentsincluding victory in Dubai.

“I guess after coming off a three-weekbreak, I felt, I wouldn’t say rusty, but justnot quite on top of my game yesterday,”McIlroy said.

“And then today I felt like I was trying toget something going and couldn’t.Coming off three weeks off and playing inconditions like these, it sort of shows youwhere your game’s at. I ’ve just got toregroup and get ready for Miami nextweek.” He will be assured four rounds inthe l imited field at the WGC-CadillacChampionship.—Reuters

McIlroy set to miss cut at Honda Classic

DUBAI/DOHA: Roger Federer’s enduringclass shone through again as the Swissmaestro beat world number one NovakDjokovic 6-3 7-5 to win the DubaiChampionships for a seventh time yester-day. The 33-year-old’s serve is the leastpraised of his repertoire but it was his awe-some delivery that blunted Djokovic’sbaseline game, taking his career ace haulpast the 9,000 barrier with 12 more, severalat vital moments. Federer went into thematch with a 19-17 winning record againstDjokovic, although the Serb beat him inlast year’s gripping Wimbledon final.

The match proved to be a tale ofchances taken and chances missed -Federer converting his two break pointswith clinical efficiency, while Djokovicfailed on all seven of his. “We get the bestout of each other,” Federer said in a court-

side interview after winning an 84th toursingles crown. “I’m pleased I did some goodserving when I had to. I definitely won thebig points tonight.” The 17-time grand slamchampion began with the same tactics thathelped trounce teenager Borna Coric in the

semi-finals, charging the net at everyopportunity.

Djokovic was wise to that, passingFederer in successive points, first with a loband then with a forehand that arrowed intothe corner. The Serb, for his part, draggedFederer from side to side, seeking to pinthe Swiss to the baseline. Djokovic had twobreak chances with Federer serving at 1-1in the first. The Swiss saved both, yet stilllooked the more vulnerable. From thedeuce court, Federer regularly sliced hisserve wide to pull eight-times grand slamchampion Djokovic out of position beforeskipping forward to dispatch any shortreturn.

The first set’s decisive moment camewith Djokovic serving at 3-4. Federeradvanced to blast a forehand down the linefor the Swiss’s first break point, which heconverted when Djokovic clubbed a fore-hand long. That put Federer 5-3 up and heserved out to clinch the set. In the second,both players became more comfortable onserve, the score racing to 3-3 without a sin-gle deuce. Serving at 3-4 and 15-40 down,Federer despatched two aces and two serv-ice winners to hold.

The Swiss world number two repeatedthe trick again, serving at 15-40 and 4-5down, he made another two aces and aservice winner to save two set points andsquare the set. A cross-court winner gaveFederer a break and 6-5 lead and althoughhe fluffed his first match point on serve, heset up another with a second serve ace thathe converted with a powerful forehand offa weak Djokovic return.

In Doha, Lucie Safarova beat VictoriaAzarenka in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to clinchthe Qatar Open yesterday. It was her sixthcareer title and first since Quebec City in2013. “It’s an amazing feeling. I’m so happyto win the title. It’s been a long time. I’mhappy at the way season has progressed,”said Safarova. The Czech snapped wild cardAzarenka’s 14-match winning streak inDoha and also foiled the Belarusian’sattempt to clinch a record third Qatar Opentitle.

Contesting their first final of the sea-son, Safarova broke Azarenka in the veryfirst game and asserted her supremacygradually. Having lost all her six previousencounters to Azarenka, Safarova raisedher game to a new level, in the matchwhich lasted one hour and twenty six min-utes. —Agencies

Awesome Federer floors Djokovic Safarova wins Qatar Open

DUBAI: Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the trophy after defeating worldnumber one Novak Djokovic of Serbia during their final match on the fifth day of theATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships yesterday. — AFP

DOHA: Lucie Safarova of the CzechRepublic celebrates with the QatarOpen trophy after defeating VictoriaAzarenka of Belarus in the final of thewomenís singles yesterday. — AFP

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SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

SYDNEY: South Africa’s AB De Villiers celebrates after scoring a 150 runs during their Cricket World Cup Pool B match against the West Indies. —AP

SYDNEY: South Africa captain AB de Villiershammered the second-fastest century in WorldCup history as he led his side to a crushing 257-run victory over the West Indies at the SydneyCricket Ground on Friday. De Villiers finished onan unbeaten 162 off just 66 balls as South Africaraced to the second-highest World Cup total of408 for five, behind only the 413 for for fivemade by India against Bermuda, a non-Testnation, in Trinidad in 2007.

The Proteas’ skipper’s innings was also thefastest 150 in ODIs and de Villiers now has thefastest fifty, hundred and 150 in ODI cricket-allcoming against the West Indies.

South Africa’s second win of the tournamentput them firmly back on track for the quarter-finals after their abject 130-run loss to India andrevived their bid for a maiden World Cup title.

On a night for the statisticians, this result alsoequalled the biggest winning margin, in termsof runs, at a World Cup match set when Indiabeat Bermuda by 257 runs in 2007.

De Villiers demolished the West Indians witheight sixes and 17 fours and was particularly sav-age on West Indies captain Jason Holder, clout-ing four sixes off the pace bowler’s final over.

The fastest-ever World Cup century was madeby Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien, off 50 balls, againstEngland in Bangalore during the 2011 tourna-ment.

It was a miserable effort in reply by the WestIndies as they tumbled to 151 all out off 33.1overs, with their big guns Chris Gayle andMarlon Samuels succumbing early on to KyleAbbott.

Gayle, who blasted a World Cup record 215with 16 sixes in his last innings againstZimbabwe, exposed his stumps, swung his batand was bowled middle stump by Abbott forthree in the second over. Samuels, who made anunbeaten 133 in the same match, got an outside

edge and was caught behind for a duck.The West Indies lost any remote chance they

had with the pair’s exit. Jonathan Carter (10),Dwayne Smith (31) and Lendl Simmons (nought)all fell in the space of seven balls to leave theirside at 53 for five. Leg-spinner Imran Tahir trig-gered the collapse and finished with five for 45from 10 overs. De Villiers, who made his centuryoff 52 balls, teed off late on, plundering 34 offHolder’s penultimate over-two sixes, three foursand a two-and then 30 off his last over. Holderfinished with one for 104 off 10 overs.

Apart from the spectacular de Villiers show,there was a solid supporting cast from the SouthAfrican top order with Hashim Amla contribut-ing 65 off 88 balls, Faf du Plessis 62 off 70 andRilee Rossouw slamming 61 off 39 balls.

Off-spinner Gayle struck in the 30th over with

two wickets in three balls, removing du Plessiscaught behind for 62 attempting a shot throughextra cover and then trapping Amla leg beforefor 65.

But de Villiers and Rossouw began to dramat-ically up the tempo, raising their hundred standoff 60 balls. The skipper brought up his 50 off 30balls and Rossouw’s half-century came off 31balls.

De Villiers unfurled some remarkable shots inthe closing overs, easily clearing the ropes. In thelast 10 overs the Proteas piled on 150 runs.

Rossouw was caught behind off AndreRussell, having struck six fours and a six. JeromeTaylor claimed the catch of the day to dismissDavid Miller for 20 with a splendid one-handedeffort on the boundary that prevented whatseemed a certain six. —AFP

De Villiers blasts 162 as SA demolish Windies

South AfricaQ. de Kock c Russell b Holder 12H. Amla lbw b Gayle 65F. du Plessis c Ramdin b Gayle 62 R. Rossouw c Ramdin b Russell 61AB de Villiers not out 162 D. Miller c Taylor b Russell 20F. Behardien not out 10Extras (lb2, w11, nb3) 16Total (5 wkts, 50 overs) 408Did not bat: D Steyn, K Abbott, M Morkel, I TahirFall of wickets: 1-18 (de Kock), 2-145 (du Plessis), 3-146(Amla), 4-280 (Rossouw), 5-328 (Miller)Bowling: Taylor 8-1-64-0 (1nb, 4w); Holder 10-2-104-1(2nb, 2w), Russell 9-0-74-2 (1w); Samuels 2-0-14-0; Benn10-0-79-0 (1w); Sammy 7-0-50-0; Gayle 4-0-21-2 (3w)

West IndiesD. Smith c Miller b Tahir 31

C. Gayle b Abbott 3M. Samuels c de Kock b Abbott 0J. Carter c de Villiers b Morkel 10 D. Ramdin b Tahir 22L. Simmons lbw b Tahir 0D. Sammy st Ramdin b Tahir 5A. Russell c Abbott b Tahir 0J. Holder c Amla b Steyn 56J. Taylor not out 15S. Benn c Amla b Morkel 1Extras (lb5, w3) 8Total (all out, 33.1 overs) 151Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Gayle), 2-16 (Samuels), 3-52(Carter), 4-52 (Smith), 5-53 (Simmons), 6-63 (Sammy), 7-63 (Russell), 8-108 (Ramdin), 9-150 (Holder), 10-151(Benn) Bowling: Steyn 7-0-24-1 (2w); Abbott 8-0-37-2 (1w);Morkel 5.1-0-23-2; Tahir 10-2-45-5; Du Plessis 3-0-17-0.Result: South Africa won by 257 runs.

SCOREBOARD

SYDNEY: Completed scoreboard in the World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and the West Indies at theSydney Cricket Ground yesterday:

SYDNEY: The number of teams taking part inthe 2019 World Cup hasn’t been finalised, theInternational Cricket Council told AFP on Fridayas it responded to growing criticism that its pro-posed cut risked damaging the sport’s develop-ment.

Cricket chiefs have come under fire for theirplan to reduce the number of teams involved inEngland in four years’ time to 10 from the 14 tak-ing part in the ongoing tournament in Australiaand New Zealand.

But ICC chief executive David Richardson, in atelephone interview with AFP, said Friday: “I’velearnt never to say never to anything. I’m surethe format of the next World Cup will be debat-ed after this one has finished.” Ireland beat oneof the elite Test match nations for the third suc-cessive World Cup when they defeated the WestIndies by four wickets in their 2015 opener, whileThursday saw tournament debutantsAfghanistan’s astonishingly rapid progress con-tinue when they defeated Scotland by just onewicket to record their first World Cup win.

“I’m pleased with the performances of thequalifiers so far, but the bigger tests are still tocome,” said Richardson. “The question is what doyou want the World Cup to be? Do you want it tobe a jamboree of world cricket or the pinnacle ofthe one-day game?”

“Heading into this tournament there was crit-icism that the format (where 14 teams are splitinto two groups of seven, with the top four ineach pool qualifying for the quarter-finals)

would leave us with a long group stage, at theend of which the eight teams everyone thoughtwould get through had made it into the quarter-finals.”

Asked what his feelings were following theinitially improved showing by the four Associatesides-Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and theUAE-at the World Cup, Richardson said: “There’s asense of relief. Our biggest concern before thetournament was that these teams would beuncompetitive.”

An online petition calling for the ICC to aban-don its plan to reduce the number of teams in2019 has already gathered more than 13,000 sig-natures.

But Richardson said the thinking in reducingthe number of teams had been motivated bytrying to get as near to the “best format” 1992World Cup The nine sides taking part in Australiaand New Zealand 23 years ago all played eachother, with the top four going straight into thesemi-finals.

“The best format was 1992,” said Richardson,South Africa’s wicketkeeper at that World Cup.“You had nine teams, then the semi-finals. Therewas something up for grabs in every match.” ButRichardson denied the 2019 World Cup wouldbe a ‘closed shop’ of the elite Test-playingnations.

As things stand, the eight top-ranked one-day sides as of September 30, 2017, will qualifyautomatically with the final two spots to bedecided by a qualifying tournament in

Bangladesh in 2018.Although they are both members of the 10-

strong Test ‘elite’, Zimbabwe and Bangladeshhave generally been ninth and tenth in the rank-ings and could well find themselves involved ina qualifying event featuring the likes of Irelandand Afghanistan.

“We didn’t want to go to 10 nations withoutproviding a pathway where you could have theleading associates and the lower-ranked Testnations scrapping it out,” said Richardson. “Allwill have an opportunity to qualify.”

The best way to improve a ranking is to beathigher-ranked teams, yet the Test nations are notobliged to play Associate or junior teams such asIreland, who beat the West Indies in their WorldCup opener, outside of major tournaments.

“It’s a good point about the rankings. We areworking with the full (Test) members to makesure they play as much as possible against theAssociates,” Richardson said.

“We are looking at upwards of six ODIs eachyear for the Associates, although some of thesemay be against each other. But the fixture sched-ule is congested.” Steve Waugh, Australia’s for-mer World Cup-winning captain, is among thosewho believe the emerging nations deserve theirplace. “It is definitely important to have the min-now countries to grow the game in differentmarkets,” Waugh told Friday’s Sydney MorningHerald: “ “The World Cup of soccer has 32 coun-tries. Cricket needs more than eight teams play-ing.” —AFP

Size of 2019 World Cup still to decided — ICC

England out to silence critics against Sri Lanka

WELLINGTON: England are determined torestore their World Cup credibility in acrunch Pool A match Sunday against animproving Sri Lanka.

Eoin Morgan’s men return toWellington’s Westpac stadium for the fix-ture, scene of a humiliating eight-wicketloss to New Zealand on February 20.

That defeat, a day-nighter in whichEngland folded so quickly that ground staffdid not need to turn on the floodlights, fol-lowed a 111-run drubbing by Australia intheir opening match.

A subsequent win over minnowsScotland was greeted with relief ratherthan jubilation, and opening batsmanMoeen Ali said England needed to make astatement against Sri Lanka.

Ali said victory against the 1996 champi-ons would restore the battered self-beliefof the team, which has been flayed in theBritish media. “(It’s) a very important game,if we can win that it will give the team a lotmore confidence of being a very good one-day side and a major side in the competi-tion.” he said. Sri Lanka made a shaky startto their own campaign, suffering a 98-runloss to New Zealand and a real scareagainst Afghanistan.

But they clicked in a 92-run win overBangladesh last Thursday which includedcenturies for Tillakaratne Dilshan andKumar Sangakkara.

Sri Lanka defeated England 5-2 on homesoil late last year in a series that promptedMorgan’s predecessor Alastair Cook to beaxed as one-day captain.

But paceman Steve Finn said England

would not be dwelling on that series asconditions in Wellington would be com-pletely different.

“We got beat by Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka soit’s important we go out there and try tostamp our authority in conditions thatshould favor us,” he said.

Finn said England’s poor start meantthey were treating all their remaining poolfixtures-against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh andAfghanistan-as must wins.

“It’s very important for us and thesethree games are almost each like a quarter-final, but we thrive on that sort of pressureand hopefully it will bring the best out ofus.”

After three matches, England are placedbeneath Bangladesh and Afghanistan onthe Pool A table.

A loss to Sri Lanka would leave themfacing an early exit if the group throws upany upset results.

Today’s match will be Sri Lanka’s third ineight days, having played Afghanistan lastSunday and Bangladesh on Thursday.Former Sri Lanka great MuttiahMuralitharan said the schedule was “notideal” preparation for a dangerousencounter against an England side keen toprove a point.

But he said Sri Lanka’s batting looked“ominous” against Bangladesh and sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga finallyappeared to be finding form.

“He looked much more like his old self,his bowling had some of that old zip aboutit and that is a great sign for a team thatreally needs him to fire,” he said. —AFP

WELLINGTON: England batsman Moeen Ali catches a rugby ball during trainingahead of their 2015 Cricket World Cup Group A match against Sri Lanka. —AFP

Preview

Pakistan look to rescue World Cup campaign

BRISBANE: Pakistan’s calamity-hit WorldCup campaign stops off at Brisbane onSunday where they will look to get theirfirst points on the board and so keep theirquarter-final hopes alive against a bruisedand battered Zimbabwe.

On the field, 1992 champions Pakistanhave been mauled by 76 runs by bitterrivals India and suffered a 150-run rout atthe hands of the West Indies.

Off it, the squad have been in turmoilwith eight players fined for breaking a cur-few, reports of a bust-up in training andchief selector Moin Khan being sent homein disgrace for visiting a casino.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, go into thegame on the back of a four-wicket win overthe UAE, a 62-run loss to South Africa and a73-run defeat by the West Indies in a gamewhere Chris Gayle made the first doublecentury in World Cup history.

The African side have found it hard torestrict opposition batsmen-West Indiesfeasted on their bowlers to the tune of 372for two while South Africa helped them-selves to 339 for four.

Pakistan haven’t played since February21 but despite the break, giving them plen-ty of time to chew over over their prob-lems, they will be buoyed by knowing theytraditionally hold the upper hand againstZimbabwe.

They have won 27 of their 30 ODI meet-ings, taking their most recent series 2-1 inHarare in 2013, although they did lose the

opener by seven wickets with HamiltonMasakadza (85 in that game), BrendanTaylor (43) and Sean Williams (39) all likelyto play at the Gabba today. Zimbabwe’sonly other two wins came way back in 1995in Harare and 1999 in Sheikhupura.

Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, whoenjoyed innings of 83 and 67 in the 2013series in Zimbabwe, said it was crucial toget the defeat against the West Indies outof their system and concentrate on reboot-ing their faltering World Cup campaign.

“We must forget it and learn from it. Wejust need to improve our performances,”said the veteran. “If you got tapped in theprevious two games, then you can’t per-form. Every game is a new game, and nowwe have to leave it behind and prepare forthe next one and try to win all other games.That is the only way.”

Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad hasbeen cleared to play in the game despitesuffering an ankle injury, an official saidFriday. The 23-year-old right-hander wassent for an MRI scan after team practice inBrisbane, complaining of pain in his leftankle but has been judged fit to play.

Shehzad scored 47 in the openingdefeat by India but managed just one inPakistan’s thrashing at the hands of theWest Indies in Christchurch. Zimbabwehave two points from three Pool B gameswith skipper Elton Chigumbura demandinghis bowlers match the promising form ofthe team’s batsmen.—AFP

BRISBANE: Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi (left) and Yasir Shah prepare to bowlduring their training session ahead of the 2015 Cricket World Cup Pool B matchagainst Zimbabwe. —AFP

p17 2_Layout 1 2/28/15 8:37 PM Page 1

World Cup results and standingsPool A

At AucklandAustralia 151 (Trent Boult 5-27) v New Zealand 152-9 (Brendon McCullum 50; Mitchell Starc 6-28)New Zealand won by one wicket

Pool BAt PerthUAE 102 v India 104-1 (Rohit Sharma 57 not out)India won by nine wickets

Played won lost tied N/R points run ratePool A

New Zealand 4 4 0 0 0 8 +3.589 Sri Lanka 3 2 1 0 0 4 -0.063Bangladesh 3 1 1 0 1 3 +0.287Australia 3 1 1 0 1 3 -0.305 Afghanistan 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.760England 3 1 2 0 0 2 -1.415Scotland 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.735

Pool BIndia 3 3 0 0 0 6 +2.630South Africa 3 2 1 0 0 4 +1.260Ireland 2 2 0 0 0 4 +0.338West Indies 4 2 2 0 0 4 -0.313Zimbabwe 3 1 2 0 0 2 -0.827UAE 3 0 3 0 0 0 -1.326Pakistan 2 0 2 0 0 0 -2.260

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

United Arab EmiratesAmjad Ali c Dhoni b Kumar 4A. Berenger c Dhoni b Yadav 4K. Chandran c Raina b Ashwin 4Khurram Khan c Raina b Ashwin 14S. Patil c Dhawan b Ashwin 7Shaiman Anwar b Yadav 35R. Mustafa lbw b Sharma 2Amjad Javed c Raina b Jadeja 2Mohammad Naveed b Ashwin 6Mohammad Tauqir b Jadeja 1M. Guruge not out 10Extras: (lb4, w9) 13Total: (all out, 31.3 overs) 102Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Berenger), 2-13 (Ali),3-28 (Chandran), 4-41 (Patil), 5-44 (Khan),6-52 (Mustafa), 7-61 (Javed), 8-68(Naveed), 9-71 (Tauqir), 10-102 (Anwar).

Bowling: Kumar 5-0-19-1 (2w); Yadav 6.3-2-15-2 (3w); Ashwin 10-1-25-4 (1w);Sharma 5-1-16-1 (2w); Jadeja 5-0-23-2;

IndiaR. Sharma not out 57S. Dhawan c Mustafa b Naveed 14V. Kohli not out 33Extras 0Total (1 wkt, 18.5 overs) 104Did not bat: A Rahane, S Raina, MS Dhoni,R Jadeja, R Ashwin, B Kumar, U Yadav, MSharmaFall of wicket: 1-29 (Dhawan)Bowling: Naveed 5-0-35-1; Guruge 6-1-19-0; Javed 2-0-12-0; Chandran 3-0-17-0;Tauqir 2.5-0-21-0.Result: India won by nine wickets.

SCOREBOARDPERTH, Australia: Completed scoreboard in the World Cup Pool B match betweenIndia and the United Arab Emirates at Perth’s WACA Ground yesterday:

PERTH: India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (center) celebrates with teammates after tak-ing the wicket of United Arab Emirates batsmen K Karate during the 2015 CricketWorld Cup Pool B match. —AFP

India rout UAEby nine wkts

New Zealand edge Australia in thriller

PERTH: India’s World Cup confidence contin-ued to climb as they thrashed the UnitedArab Emirates by nine wickets in their Pool Bmatch at Perth’s WACA Ground yesterday.

The UAE managed just 102 after winningthe toss and electing to bat, the lowest evertotal against India at a World Cup. Thedefending champions then made it threewins from as many matches in the tourna-ment when they cruised to their meagre vic-tory target in just 18.5 overs.

Although opener Shikhar Dhawan fellcheaply to a brilliant catch in gully, RohitSharma (57 not out) and Virat Kohli (33 notout) enjoyed some batting practice out in themiddle as they guided India to the win. India’simpeccable form is a far cry from their indif-ferent efforts leading into the World Cup.

The Indians were at long odds to defendthe title they won in 2011 after failing to reachthe final of the triangular one-day seriesagainst Australia and England just prior to thistournament. However, their title defence hasbeen flawless so far, with emphatic wins overPakistan and South Africa prior to beating theUAE. While they weren’t expected to be trou-bled by the amateurs from the Middle East onSaturday, even on a pitch that has rarely beenkind to Indian teams, the way they dismantledthe UAE batting line-up was impressive. UAEskipper Mohammad Tauqir won the toss andbatted, hoping his side could set India a com-petitive target.

However, that rarely looked likely from thetime they lost opener Andri Berenger in justthe second over. Berenger failed to cope withthe typical WACA bounce and top-edged ashort ball from Umesh Yadav through to wick-etkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to fall forjust four. Amjad Ali and Krishna Chandran,the other two batsmen in the UAE top three,both fell for the same score as their sideslumped to 28 for three in the 11th over. Ali,like Berenger, fell victim to a short ball,caught behind by India captain Dhoni offBhuvneshwar Kumar, who replaced injuredfellow seamer Mohammed Shami (knee).

Just when it seemed pace would be theundoing of the UAE, off-spinner RavichandranAshwin tore the heart out of their battingorder. Spin rarely plays a significant role at theWACA, but man-of-the-match Ashwinclaimed the wickets of Chandran, KhurramKhan (14) and Swapnil Patil (7) in quick suc-cession as the UAE collapsed to 44 for five, aposition from which they could not recover.Ashwin finished with career-best figures offour for 25 from his 10 overs as the UAEadded at least a hint of respectability to theirbatting performance with an innings-highlast wicket stand of 31. Dhawan, coming off ablazing century against South Africa, madejust 14 before he was brilliantly caught withone hand by Rohan Mustafa off MohammadNaveed in a lone match highlight for theUAE.—AFP

AUCKLAND: New Zealand booked their place inthe World Cup quarter-finals with a narrow one-wicket win over Australia in a sensational finishto their Pool A match in Auckland yesterday.

With six needed for win and just one wicketin hand, Kane Williamson (45 not out) hit PatCummins for a straight six to seal the victory, tothe delight of most of a packed 40,000 crowd atEden Park, who saw their side almost snatchdefeat from the jaws of victory.

Australia fought back through a career-bestsix for 28 from Mitchell Starc who almost sealedan unexpected win for the four-times formerchampions.

Earlier, Trent Boultólike Starc a left-arm seam-erótook a career-best five for 27 saw Australiadismissed for just 151 all out in 32.2 overs beforeNew Zealand struggled to reach their victory tar-get in 23.1 overs, despite skipper BrendonMcCullumís 24-ball 50.

New Zealand now have four wins in as manygroup games and on course to claim top spot inPool A, while fellow co-hosts Australia havethree from their first three fixtures following a111-run win over England and a no result wash-out with Bangladesh.

The Black Caps were crusing at 131 for fourbut lost their next five wickets for 15 runs in thespace of 19 balls. The slide started with GlennMaxwell dismissed Corey Anderson for 26 afterthe left-hander and Williamson put on 52 for thefifth wicket.

Starc then dismissed Luke Ronch (six), DanielVettori (two), Adam Milne (nought) and TimSouthee (nought) to give Australia a sniff of anunexpected win before Williamson held hisnerve.

Earlier, McCullum hit three sixes and sevenfours to give New Zealand an ideal start to theirrun-chase. But it was Boult who derailedAustralia after the visitors won the toss and bat-ted on a flat pitch.

Boult triggered Australiaís slump to 106 fornine, having been well-set at 80 for one. It wasonly thanks to a last-wicket stand of 45 betweenBrad Haddin (43) and Cummins (seven not out)that Australia got past their lowest World Cuptotal of 129 against India at Chelmsford in 1983.

Haddin was the last man out, caught ofAnderson after hitting four boundaries and twosixes off 41 balls. Southee took two for 65 whileleft-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who did a superbjob in slowing Australiaís early run-rate, finishedwith two for 41.

Australiaís batting was in a state of chaos asthey lost eight wickets for 26 runs in nine overs,with left-arm seamer Boult taking three for fivein his second five-over spell. David Warner, whomade 34, gave Australia a confident start in anopening stand of 30 with Aaron Finch (14). Butonce Warner and Shane Watson (23) fell off suc-cessive deliveries, the innings fell apart.

Warner and Watson looked well set duringtheir 50-run stand for the second wicket butWatson holed out off Vettoriís last ball of the 13over.

Southee removed Warner leg-before off the

first ball of the next over. Boult, who had figuresof 5-0-24-0 in his first spell, removed GlenMaxwell (one) off the inside inside edge andthen, two balls later, had Mitchell Marsh playingon for a second-ball duck.

Australia captain Michael Clarke, playing hisfirst international since December following a

hamstring injury, drove stright into the hands ofshort cover in Boultís next over and was out for12.

Boult then bowled Mitchell Johnson andStarc in his next over to better his previous ODIbest of four for 44 against Sri Lanka at Dunedinlast month. —AFP

AUCKLAND: Sir Richard Hadlee presents New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum with the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy after beating Australia during their 2015 Cricket World Cup Pool A match atEden Park. —AFP

AustraliaA. Finch b Southee 14D. Warner lbw b Southee 34S. Watson c Southee b Vettori 23M. Clarke c Williamson b Boult 12S. Smith c Ronchi b Vettori 4G. Maxwell b Boult 1M. Marsh b Boult 0B. Haddin c Taylor b Anderson 43M. Johnson c Williamson b Boult 1M. Starc b Boult 0P. Cummins not out 7Extras: (b4, lb2, w6) 12Total: (all out, 32.2 overs) 151Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Finch), 2-80 (Watson), 3-80(Warner), 4-95 (Smith), 5-96 (Maxwell), 6-97 (Marsh),7-104 (Clarke), 8-106 (Johnson) 9-106 (Starc), 10-151(Haddin)Bowling: Southee 9-0-65-2 (4w); Boult 10-3-27-5(2w); Vettori 10-0-41-2; Milne 3-0-6-0, Anderson 0.2-0-6-1.

New ZealandM. Guptill c Cummin s b Starc 11B. McCullum c Starcb Cummins 50K. Williamson not out 45R. Taylor b Starc 1G. Elliott b Starc 0C. Anderson c Cummins b Maxwell 26L. Ronchi c Haddin b Starc 6D. Vettori c Warner b Cummins 2A. Milne b Starc 0T. Southee b Starc 0T. Boult not out 0Extras:(w10, nb1) 11 Total (9 wkts, 23.1 overs) 152Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Guptill), 2-78 (McCullum), 3-79(Taylor), 4-79 (Elliott), 5-131 (Anderson), 6-139(Ronchi), 7-145 ( Vettori), 8-146 (Milne), 9-146(Southee)Bowling: Johnson 6-1-68-0 (1nb); Starc 9-0-28-6(4w); Cummins 6.1-0-38-2 (6w); Marsh 1-0-11-0;Maxwell 1-0-7-0.Result: New Zealand won by one wicket.

SCOREBOARDAUCKLAND: Completed scoreboard in the World Cup Pool A match between New Zealand and Australia atAuckland’s Eden Park yesterday.

NEW ZEALAND: The toe-crusher is hitting the target, the bouncer iscoming out well and, most importantly, the wicket column is swellingagain. Three games into the World Cup and Sri Lanka’s calculatedgamble on Lasith Malinga appears to be paying off. Sanath Jayasuriaknew exactly what he and his colleagues on the selection committeewere doing when they picked the paceman with bleached, straw-coloured hair in the World Cup squad even though he was still recov-ering from ankle surgery.

“A player like Malinga, we have to take a gamble because he is amatch-winner,” Jayasuriya explained after naming the 15-strongsquad. The 31-year-old pacer with a weird low-slung action has not lethim down and three games into the campaign, Jayasuriya hasgrounds for feeling some vindication.

True, the rust showed in Sri Lanka’s tournament opener againstNew Zealand in which Malinga bled 84 runs in his 10 wicketless overs.Against Afghanistan, while not the strongest of opponents, Malingatook 3-41 and looked more in control of his craft.

The three wickets he claimed against Bangladesh on Thursday,however, suggested a return to his once devastating best was not thatfar away. “He’s getting there. He and Sri Lanka will be encouraged bywhat he did,” Sunil Gavaskar told STAR Sports channel.

Gavaskar was impressed by Malinga’s last few overs, particularlythe way he sealed Sri Lanka’s comprehensive win by trapping TaskinAhmed plumb lbw, leaving the tail-ender with some sore toes in theprocess. “Towards the end, he was really bowling quick, he was get-ting those yorkers on target as we saw with the poor, hapless number11,” the former India captain said. The bouncer is also coming out ofhand nicely, one of them accounting for the wicket of Sabbir Rahman,Bangladesh’s topscorer at Melbourne on Thursday.

“He does get those number 9-10-11 just like that. So it’s comingback and it’s good news for Sri Lanka,” added Gavaskar.

TURNAROUNDAngelo Mathews has seen the toil behind the turnaround from

close quarters. “If you watch Malinga in the nets, he’s the one who isworking the hardest,” Mathews said on Wednesday of his pace spear-head, whose performance is crucial to Sri Lanka’s bid for a second 50-over World Cup title.

“He bowls for hours so he can get his rhythm back. He tries veryhard to do his best for the team. We all know how good a bowler he is,because the things he does when in form are immense.”

Malinga’s pace has undoubtedly dropped, the rigour of 30 testsand 180 one-day internationals has taken its toll on his body andsince spin-bowling great Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement, the pres-sure on him to perform has also grown. The right-arm paceman him-self, however, is just focusing on fine-tuning the toe-crushers andbouncers which England’s batsmen can expect to face in Wellingtonon Sunday.

“He bowls three types of deliveries. The bouncer, the fast yorkerand then the slow yorker. It’s very, very difficult to pick up,” formerAustralia batsman Dean Jones said. “He bowls two lengths-it’s very fullor very, very short. Brilliant bowler, best in the world bowling in thedeath.” —Reuters

Malinga gamble starting to pay dividends for Sri Lanka

AUSTRALIA: Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga bowls during the Pool A 2015Cricket World Cup match in this file photo. —AFP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP Chelsea v Tottenham 19:00beIN SPORTS 1 HDbeIN SPORTS 14 HDbeIN SPORTS 2 HD FRbeIN SPORTS 2 FR

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUELiverpool v Manchester City 15:00beIN SPORTS 1 HD Arsenal v Everton 17:05beIN SPORTS 8 HD

SPANISH LEAGUE Malaga v Getafe 0:00beIN SPORTS 2 HDbeIN SPORTS 14 HDbeIN SPORTS 2 HD FRbeIN SPORTS 2 FRValencia v Real Sociedad 14:00beIN SPORTS 2 HDbeIN SPORTS 14 HDbeIN SPORTS 2 HD FRbeIN SPORTS 2 FREibar v Athletic de Bilbao 19:00beIN SPORTS 6 HDSevilla v Atletico de Madrid 21:00beIN SPORTS 2 HDbeIN SPORTS 14 HDbeIN Sports Max 5Real Madrid v Villarreal 23:00beIN SPORTS 2 HDbeIN SPORTS 13 HDbeIN SPORTS 1 HD FRbeIN SPORTS 1 FR

ITALIAN LEAGUE Cagliari v Hellas Verona 14:30beIN SPORTS 3 HDUS Citta di Palermo v Empoli 17:00beIN SPORTS 3 HDUS Sassuolo v Lazio 17:00beIN SPORTS 7 HDGenoa v Parma 17:00Atalanta v Sampdoria 17:00beIN SPORTS 6 HDbeIN Sports Max 4Internazionale v Fiorentina 20:00beIN SPORTS 3 HDbeIN Sports Max 4Torino v Napoli 22:45beIN SPORTS 3 HDbeIN SPORTS 14 HDbeIN Sports Max 4

GERMAN LEAGUE Borussia M v Paderborn 17:30 beIN SPORTS 4 HD Werder Bremen v Wolfsburg 19:30beIN SPORTS 4 HD

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

Zain celebrates the victory Zain Team facing off against the wavesBader Al Kharafi with Zain Team on Leg 4

from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

KUWAIT: The Zain Sailing Team, representing Kuwait, have surprisedmany during their debut at this year’s EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour.With just one leg of the race remaining, and two impressive secondplace finishes already secured in the third and fourth legs, the ZainTeam continued to showcase their talents in the most challenging legof the race so far. The leg 5 route from Abu Dhabi to Doha saw blus-tery winds and tough waves for the teams with Zain Team finishingsixth. Skippered by CÈdric Pouligny, one of France’s leading racingsailors and member of Sidney Gavignet’s winning EFG team last year,and experienced navigator GÈrald VÈniard, the multinational team isformed mainly from employees from Zain, who are more used toworking at one of the Middle East’s leading mobile telecoms opera-tors.

For Zain, their sailing aspirations extend far beyond this race andthe company aims to mirror Tour organiser Oman Sail’s achievementsin the Sultanate by following its successful formula and powerfulvision to rekindle its maritime heritage. The company has fullyembraced the challenging 720 nautical-mile race, having brought on

board Deputy Chairman of Zain and Head of the MAK Group inKuwait, Bader Al-Kharafi for the Dubai to Abu Dhabi leg (Leg 4), andMichael Miller, Zain Group Treasury Executive Director, for the first twolegs.

Just before setting off on the challenging 60 nautical-mile legBader Al-Khafari - recently named 66th in Arabian Business’s Top 500Most Powerful Arabs in the World - an enthusiastic sailor, said: “It wasinteresting and challenging, and the rough sea made it tough, but wemade it, enjoyed it and got a top result. It was all down to teamwork. Ienjoyed being part of it and actually helped to sail the boat, includinga stint at the helm.”

Michael Miller has been impressed with Zain’s performance so far.Commenting before Leg 5, he said: “Every time we go out on thewater we surprise ourselves. We’ve been able to handle the manoeu-vres well, and the team has developed this incredible will to win. It isamazing. I really hope this is the start of a long association with theTour for Zain and we’ve done so much better than expected. Zain isvery keen to promote the values of sailing and the cultural legacy of

the sport in Kuwait. We need to build on our participation this year toincrease the reach of sailing across the region.”

Ends-Schedule (remaining Legs):Leg 6 - 27th February, Doha - Manama

Teams: 1. Delft Challenge (Netherlands) - Wouter Sonnema2. Bienne Voile (Switzerland) - Lorenz M¸ller3. EFG Bank (Oman) - Sidney Gavignet4. Team Averda (Oman) - Marcel Herrera5. Al Thuraya (Oman) - Mary Rook6. Zain Sailing Team (Kuwait) - CÈdric Pouligny7. GAC powered by Dongfeng Race Team (China) - Nick Moloney8. Oman International Maritime College IMCO (Oman) - MathijsWagemans9. OMIFCO (Oman) - Ahmed Al Mamari10. Renaissance Services (Oman) - Fahd Al Hasni 11. Royal Navy of Oman (Oman) - Ali Al Rahbi (Retired after Leg 4)

Zain Team showcases their talents in most challenging leg

LONDON: Glenn Murray netted twice to fireCrystal Palace to a 3-1 win against West Hambefore his memorable afternoon ended with ared card at Upton Park yesterday. Alan Pardew’sside swept into a three-goal lead as Murrayopened the scoring in the first half and struckagain after Scott Dann had increased Palace’slead after the break. Murray was then sent off fora second booking and Hammers striker EnnerValencia reduced the deficit, but Palace surviveda late barrage to secure a sweet result for

Pardew, who had been sacked by West Ham in2006.

The fifth successive away win of Pardew’sPalace reign lifted the south London club furtheraway from the relegation zone, while West Hamare without a victory in their six matches in allcompetitions. Sam Allardyce’s men went close totaking the lead when Mark Noble’s 20-yard free-kick cannoned off the woodwork with Palacegoalkeeper Julian Speroni rooted to the spot.But Palace were soon in the ascendency andMurray fired straight at Hammers goalkeeperAdrian after running onto Jason Puncheon’spass.

Murray didn’t need to rue that miss for longas he put Palace ahead in the 41st minute whenhe met Puncheon’s corner with a header whichHammers defender Aaron Cresswell divertedinto his own net with a woefully mistimedattempt to hack clear. Murray’s second goal inhis last two appearances was even more frustrat-

ing for West Ham as he had escaped a red cardearlier in the half after a crude challenge justmoments after being booked by referee MikeDean. Palace doubled their lead six minutesafter the interval when centre-back Dannclimbed above Winston Reid to meet Puncheon’scorner with a header that was too powerful forAdrian to keep out.

Allardyce sent on Brazilian winger Nene forhis debut after an hour, but within three minutesMurray had ended the contest as he dived fulllength to head Puncheon’s free-kick into the farcorner. Nene hit a post with a curling strikebefore Murray’s day reached an unwanted con-clusion when he was sent off for a second book-ing after lunging in on Reid in the 69th minute.The Hammers got one back in the 76th minuteas Valencia smashed home from the edge of thepenalty area, but it was way too late to prevent achorus of boos from the home fans at full-time.—AFP

Murray bags brace and sees red in Palace romp

West Ham 1

Palace 3

STOKE-ON-TRENT: Stoke City’s Jonathan Walters (front) and Hull City’s Paul McShanebattle for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at the BritanniaStadium, Stoke-on-Trent, England yesterday. — AFP

STOKE-ON-TRENT: A solitary second-half goalby substitute Peter Crouch gave Stoke City a 1-0 victory at home to relegation-threatened HullCity at the Britannia Stadium yesterday. Crouchhad only been on the field a matter of secondswhen he headed home a Charlie Adam cross inthe 71st minute. It was a fourth goal in as manygames for Crouch and it gave the Potters adeserved three points against a Hull side whooffered next to no threat going forward.

Mark Hughes’s Stoke side have now lost justonce in their last six league outings and thisvictory cements their place in the top half ofthe table. They lie in 10th place, four pointsclear of Newcastle United in 11th, while Hullremain four points clear of the relegation zoneafter none of the sides below them managed towin yesterday. That will come as a relief forTigers manager Steve Bruce, who sent out astarting line-up shorn of in-form attacking duoNikica Jelavic and Dame N’Doye.

Eight-goal top scorer Jelavic was not evenon the bench after he reportedly hurt his kneeon Friday, while N’Doye was only a substituteafter travelling to Russia and Senegal duringthe week. Those absences seriously under-mined Hull’s chances of claiming a third succes-sive win to follow victories against fellow strug-glers Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers.Buoyed by his late winner against Aston Villa aweek ago, Stoke’s Victor Moses looked lively forthe hosts in the early stages, but even he couldnot produce a chance of note in a poor open-ing period.

Hughes brought on Charlie Adam forStephen Ireland at the start of the second peri-od in an attempt to breathe some life into hisside. The Scottish midfielder had several effortsbut all were off-target, and the game lookedcertain to end in a goalless stalemate until heturned provider with just under 20 minutesremaining, crossing for Crouch to convert justmoments after his introduction in place ofMame Biram Diouf. Hull had not won in Stokein nine years, and they were denied an equaliz-er in injury time when Paul McShane’s effortwas blocked by a superb sliding challenge fromErik Pieters.— AFP

Crouch comes off bench to sink Hull

Stoke 1

Hull 0 WEST BROMWICH:Saido Berahino put adent inSouthampton’s bid toqualify for theChampions League asthe West BromwichAlbion striker’s earlygoal clinched a 1-0win at the Hawthornsyesterday. Berahino struck in the second minute toextend Albion’s impressive since Tony Pulis took over asmanager to one defeat in 10 matches.

The result lifted Albion eight points clear of thePremier League relegation zone and left fifth placedSouthampton in danger of losing ground in the race for atop four finish after their second successive defeat.Southampton boss Ronald Koeman had made fivechanges to the side beaten by Liverpool, including arecall for Sadio Mane after the Senegal winger wasdropped last weekend as punishment for arriving late tothe match. But Albion made the perfect start as theytook the lead through England Under-21 forwardBerahino, who blasted a fine finish into the top corner forhis 17th goal of the season after Chris Brunt’s free kickwas only half cleared by Maya Yoshida.

Berahino turned provider when he burst towardsSouthampton’s goal and slipped Brown Ideye in, but theNigerian striker’s shot was blocked by two Saints defend-ers. Another chance was spurned by West Brom whenMichael Dawson headed straight into the hands ofSouthampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Koeman hadseen enough of his side’s slow start and he ditched his 3-5-2 formation, bringing on winger Eljero Elia in place ofcentre-back Florin Gardos. There was no immediateimprovement as Albion midfielder Craig Gardner wentthrough on goal, forcing Saints defender Jose Fonte tomake a last-ditch challenge.

Injured referee Phil Dowd was replaced at half time byreserve official Graham Scott and there was injury frus-tration for Albion as well when Berahino limped off earlyin the second half. Southampton should have equalizedwhen Ryan Bertrand drilled across the face of goal toGraziano Pelle, but the Italian striker produced a remark-able miss as he somehow failed to find the finishingtouch with the goal at his mercy. The hosts threatened asecond when Yoshida’s clearance fell invitingly to DarrenFletcher inside the penalty area, yet the formerManchester United midfielder smashed over. There wasone last chance for Pelle to level, but again he couldn’thit the target from close-range.— AFP

Berahino’s faststart dents Saints

Euro bidBERLIN: Gabon star Pierre-EmerickAubameyang was happy to play BorussiaDortmund’s ‘superhero’ yesterday by net-ting in their 3-0 home win over Schalke 04in the Ruhr Valley derby. Dortmundclimbed to ninth in the table after pickingup their fourth consecutive league winafter starting February bottom of the table.After going close with a string of chances,Dortmund finally got the breakthroughwhen Aubameyang-who had comparedwinning the derby to ‘an orgasm’ in mid-week-pounced on a mistake in the visitors’defense to roll the ball home on 78 min-utes. It was his fifth goal in as many leaguegames and the 25-year-old celebrated bydonning a ‘Batman’ hat, playing up to his‘caped crusader’ nickname, while team-mate Marco Reus wore a ‘Robin’ mask toplay his side-kick. Henrikh Mkhitaryanmade it 2-0 a minute later when he slidhome Ilkay Gundogan’s cross to claim hisfirst goal of the season. Reus, who hadcrashed a shot against the crossbar, firedwide and had a shot blocked in the firsthalf, finally got on the scoresheet by poach-ing Borussia’s third on 86 minutes to scorefor the fifth match running in all competi-tions.

Schalke’s 19-year-old goalkeeper TimonWellenreuther paused too long over aback-pass and Reus simply tapped the ballinto the empty net behind the despairingteenager. The defeat drops Schalke, whowere missing several stars with injury, tofifth while neighbors Dortmund are now

just seven points adrift of the Europeanplaces. Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen builton their shock Champions League win overAtletico Madrid on Wednesday with a 1-0win at home to strugglers Freiburg to gofourth.

Veteran midfielder Simon Rolfes, whowill retire at the end of the season, grabbeda first-half winner to give Leverkusen theirfirst league win in four games. Augsburgdropped to sixth after their 1-0 defeat atHertha Berlin as ex-Chelsea striker SalomonKalou scored a late winner at the OlympicStadium to claim his sixth goal of the sea-son. Stuttgart stay bottom after their 1-1draw at Hanover 96 while Hoffenheim arejust two points short of the Europeanplaces for next season after their 2-0 win athome to Mainz.

On Friday, Bayern Munich celebratedtheir 115th birthday with a 4-1 win overCologne to go 11 points clear before sec-ond-placed Wolfsburg go to resurgentWerder Bremen today. Arjen Robben net-ted his 17th goal in 19 league matches thisseason with a crisp header with 20 minutesleft to remain the league’s top scorer.Earlier, captain Bastian Schweinsteiger gavehosts Bayern an early lead at the AllianzArena before Franck Ribery added a secondinside 10 minutes. Cologne fought backwhen Nigeria international Anthony Ujahscored right on the stroke of half-time butBayern roared back as Robben then Polandstriker Robert Lewandowski extended theirlead.— AFP

West Brom 1

Southampton 0

Caped Aubameyang strikes as Dortmund down Schalke

Swansea down Burnley

BURNLEY: Swansea beat relegation-threat-ened Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor yesterday toregister back-to-back Premier League winsfor the first time since December. Burnley

defender Kieran Trippier put through hisown net in the 64th minute, moving GaryMonk’s side up into eighth place. Swanseastrike Bafetimbi Gomis could have had afirst-half double, but after his first attemptwas foiled by goalkeeper Tom Heaton inthe 39th he shot high over the bar afterbeing played through by Jonjo Shelvey.Ashley Barnes was denied from close rangein the 23rd with Sean Dyche’s side unableto find a breakthrough after the interval.The defeat leaves Burnley in 18th place on22 points, four clear of bottom-placedLeicester.— AP

Burnley 0

Swansea 1

17De Villiers blasts 162 as South Africa demolish West Indies

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 201519

Murray bags brace and sees red in Palace romp

Trail Blazers silence Thunder 115-112 Page 15

GRANADA: Barcelona’s forward Pedro Rodriguez (right) vies with Granada’s French defender Jean Sylvain Babin during the Spanish league football match Granada CF vs FC Barcelona at the Nuevo Los Carmenes stadiumin Granada yesterday. — AFP

MADRID: Barcelona cut Real Madrid’s lead at the top ofLa Liga to one point when in-form forward Luis Suarezplayed a part in all three of their goals in a scrappy 3-1victory at Granada yesterday. Barca struggled to findtheir rhythm in the early stages at the Nuevo LosCarmenes stadium but took the lead in the 25th minutewhen Ivan Rakitic smashed the ball in from close rangeafter Granada defender Cala failed to clear a Suarez cen-tre.

Lionel Messi twice went close before Suarez ran on

to a chipped Rakitic pass and slipped the ball pasthome goalkeeper Oier to make it 2-0 three minutes intothe second half. Barca appeared to be cruising againsttheir second from bottom opponents but Granadapulled a goal back five minutes later when Marc Bartrafelled Lassane Bangoura in the penalty area and FranRico stroked the spot kick past Claudio Bravo.

Suarez proved too much for the hosts though and hesped clear in the 70th minute, left Oier floundering andunselfishly set up Messi to find the empty net. It capped

another fine performance from Uruguay internationalSuarez who struck twice in Tuesday’s 2-1 ChampionsLeague victory at Manchester City after Barca had beenbeaten 1-0 at home by Malaga last weekend. Messifluffed two good chances in the closing stages whentwice sent clear by Neymar, leaving the Argentina cap-tain on 27 La Liga goals for the season, two behind topscorer Cristiano Ronaldo of Real.

“I think it was important for us to keep racking uppoints after a tough game against Malaga,” Rakitic told

Spanish television. “It’s always a difficult challenge herebut I think we worked really hard and deserved the win.”“What was really impressive was the intensity of theteam from the kickoff and we have to continue in thesame way,” added the Croatia midfielder. Barca have 59points from 25 matches with Real on 60 from 24 aheadof their game at home to sixth-placed Villarreal onSunday. Champions Atletico Madrid are six points adriftof Barca in third and visit Sevilla, who are fifth, onSunday. — Reuters

Barcelona hot on Real Madrid’s heels

MANCHESTER: Wayne Rooneyscored twice as ManchesterUnited beat Sunderland 2-0 yes-terday in a game notable for ref-eree Roger East’s error in sendingoff the wrong visiting player.Sunderland kept the hosts at bayuntil the 64th minute, when Eastcorrectly adjudged that RadamelFalcao had been brought down inthe area by former Uniteddefender John O’Shea. But thereferee inexplicably decided thatfellow centre-back Wes Brownhad made the telling foul andshowed him a straight red cardbefore Rooney clinically convert-ed the penalty low into the bot-tom-left corner.

The England forward’s secondgoal came six minutes from timewhen a shot by substitute AdnanJanuzaj was parried by CostelPantilimon and Rooney stoopedto head in, unopposed, from sixyards. Victory sent United up tothird place in the Premier Leaguetable, two points above Arsenal,having played a game more.Rooney’s goals, his 10th and 11th

of the season, were particularlywelcome given another sub-parperformance by Louis van Gaal’sside, and particularly record sign-ing Angel di Maria.

The first half was one of frus-tration for United and their sup-porters, seeking to bounce backafter defeat at Swansea City lastweekend, with the hosts perhapsable to count themselves luckynot to have fallen behind. Just sixminutes had gone when Di Mariawas dispossessed by Patrick vanAanholt, whose pass allowedConnor Wickham to advancefrom just inside the United half.He reached the edge of the areabefore shooting and his low shotwas well saved by United goal-keeper David de Gea. Momentslater, Rooney was caught in pos-session by Lee Cattermole, lead-ing to an 18-yard Jermain Defoeshot that flew just over.

Young hits barIn similar fashion, Falcao lost

the ball to Brown to set anotherSunderland counter-attack inmotion, this time ending in aDefoe shot that De Gea savedcomfortably. It was an uninspir-ing start from United, althoughRooney threatened early, headingwide from eight yards at a DiMaria corner, and O’Shea mighthave been punished after tan-gling in the area with Falcao.

By the mid-point of the first

half, a badly aimed Ashley Youngcorner ended with United pass-ing the ball all the way back totheir own goalkeeper, causingconsternation and jeers amongtheir supporters. But Unitedbegan to threaten, with Youngcontrolling an Antonio Valenciacross on his chest and turning apowerful shot towards goal thatwas deflected onto the crossbarby O’Shea. Rooney also had afree-kick punched over byPantilimon and Marcos Rojo sawa scrambled attempt blockednear the line by SebastianLarsson.

Di Maria had endured a miser-able first half and it was no sur-prise that Van Gaal opted to

replace him at the interval, withyoung winger Januzaj thrown onin an attempt to enliven proceed-ings. Soon after the restart, ChrisSmalling’s driven cross was head-ed back by Falcao for Rojo, whoseshot flashed just over and Januzajwas on hand, after AnthonyReveillere headed clear, to drivean effort high. The penalty andred card drama naturally reducedSunderland’s ambition and hopesof taking anything home withthem from their visit to OldTrafford. Januzaj, in particular,seemed eager to take advantageof their fatigue and after twiceforcing Pantilimon into action, helet fly with the shot that yieldedRooney’s second goal. — AFP

Rooney fires United as Brown goes red

Man United 2

Sunderland 0

MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooneycelebrates scoring a penalty during the English Premier Leaguefootball match between Manchester United and Sunderland atOld Trafford in Manchester yesterday. — AFP

WEST BROMWICH: Saido Berahino put adent in Southampton’s bid to qualify forthe Champions League as the WestBromwich Albion striker ’s early goalclinched a 1-0 win at the Hawthorns yes-terday. Berahino struck in the secondminute to extend Albion’s impressivesince Tony Pulis took over as manager toone defeat in 10 matches.

The result lifted Albion eight pointsclear of the Premier League relegationzone and left fifth placed Southamptonin danger of losing ground in the race fora top four finish after their second suc-cessive defeat. Southampton bossRonald Koeman had made five changesto the side beaten by Liverpool, includ-ing a recall for Sadio Mane after theSenegal winger was dropped last week-end as punishment for arriving late tothe match. But Albion made the perfectstart as they took the lead throughEngland Under-21 forward Berahino,who blasted a fine finish into the top cor-ner for his 17th goal of the season afterChris Brunt’s free kick was only halfcleared by Maya Yoshida.

Berahino turned provider when heburst towards Southampton’s goal andslipped Brown Ideye in, but the Nigerianstriker’s shot was blocked by two Saintsdefenders. Another chance was spurnedby West Brom when Michael Dawsonheaded straight into the hands ofSouthampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster.Koeman had seen enough of his side’sslow start and he ditched his 3-5-2 for-mation, bringing on winger Eljero Elia inplace of centre-back Florin Gardos. Therewas no immediate improvement asAlbion midfielder Craig Gardner wentthrough on goal, forcing Saints defenderJose Fonte to make a last-ditch chal-lenge.

Injured referee Phil Dowd wasreplaced at half time by reserve officialGraham Scott and there was injury frus-tration for Albion as well whenBerahino limped off early in the secondhalf. Southampton should have equal-ized when Ryan Bertrand drilled acrossthe face of goal to Graziano Pelle, butthe Italian striker produced a remark-able miss as he somehow failed to findthe finishing touch with the goal at hismercy. The hosts threatened a secondwhen Yoshida’s clearance fell invitinglyto Darren Fletcher inside the penaltyarea, yet the former Manchester Unitedmidfielder smashed over. There wasone last chance for Pelle to level, butagain he couldn’t hit the target fromclose-range. — AFP

Berahino’s fast start dents Saints Euro bid

West Brom 1

Southampton 0

BusinessSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

China cuts rates again in face of weak demand

Page 22

Germany okays Greek bailout extension despite unease

Page 23Dynamics unveils association with Paganiat Concours d’Elegance

Page 253M will continue to focus on oil & gas sector in Kuwait

Page 26

MUMBAI: A digital screen shows Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley delivering his budget speech at Parliament in New Delhi, at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai yesterday. — AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterdayannounced a budget that put boosting growth beforepainful reforms, slowing the pace of fiscal deficit cuts andseeking to put domestic and foreign capital to work. In hisfirst full-year budget since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’slandslide election victory last May, Jaitley said India’s econo-my was about to take off. Modi tweeted that the budgetwould “further reignite our growth engine”.

Billed as a test of the nationalist premier’s willingness toreform a $2 trillion economy with a bloated public sector andweak private investment, the budget was short on structuralreforms and contained revenue targets some called unrealis-tic.

It drew a mixed reception from economists, with somecalling it a path to an investor-friendly India, but others see-ing a missed opportunity to tackle deep-seated structuralproblems.

“Definitely far from what some were hoping would be anevent similar to the game-changing budget of 1991 whichushered in India’s economic liberalization,” said DevikaMehndiratta, senior economist at ANZ research.

Apparently anticipating such barbs, Jaitley, 62, said hisgovernment had acted “rapidly” to right the course of Asia’sthird-largest economy. “People who urged us to undertake

‘big bang’ reforms also say the Indian economy is a supergiant, which moves slowly but surely,” Jaitley told parliamentas he wrapped up a 90-minute speech.

Jaitley promised higher investment in India’s decrepitroads and railways, offered the carrot of tax cuts to globalcompanies and the stick of tighter rules to get Indian tycoonsto invest at home rather than stash wealth abroad. Taxevaders face jail sentences of up to 10 years, he warned.

The tax changes and tougher enforcement would raise$2.5 billion next year, he said. Tax receipts overall would rise15 percent and government asset sales would raise $11 bil-lion - goals that past experience shows may be hard to meet.

Although Jaitley forecast that growth would accelerate to8-8.5 percent in the fiscal year starting in April, up from 7.4percent this year, the budget contained little obvious sup-port for Modi’s call to “Make in India”.

“It assumes a questionable growth rate, relies too heavilyon divestment to meet fiscal targets, does not address therevenue deficit issue head on and leaves the good things forthe future,” said Arvind Sethi, CEO of Tata Asset Management.Capitalizing on windfall savings stemming from cheaper oilimports, Jaitley was able to ramp up infrastructure invest-ment without slashing spending on politically sensitive sub-sidies and welfare schemes.

Jaitley forecast inflation at 5 percent by the end of the fis-cal year ending March 2016, undershooting the Reserve Bankof India’s 6 percent target and creating room to cut interestrates. Annual inflation was 5.1 percent in January. But hepushed back by a year, to 2017/18, a deadline for cutting thefiscal deficit to 3 percent of gross domestic product. In2015/16, the deficit will be 3.9 percent of GDP, above the 3.6percent target inherited from the last government.

In volatile trading, India’s NSE share index ended 0.7 per-cent higher after having briefly fallen into the red on his com-ment that the fiscal deficit would slip.

Ratings agency Moody’s gave the budget a cool recep-tion, saying it was neutral for India’s credit and left stabilizinggovernment finances at the mercy of economic growth.Moody’s rates India at the lowest notch of investment grade.“We were not expecting big bang reforms,” said Atsi Sheth, aMoody’s sovereign ratings analyst. “The big bang reforms arealso not desirable because they have a higher chance of roll-back. “

CARROTS AND STICKSIndia’s budget concentrates a year’s economic policy-

making into a single speech, and the range of measuresJaitley announced included a monetary policy overhaul, a

bankruptcy code and the creation of a public debt manage-ment agency.

In a key passage, Jaitley said he would cut the tax oncompany profits to 25 percent over four years from the cur-rent 30 percent, high by international standards.

A national goods and services tax would enter force, asplanned, in April 2016 and a controversial set of new rulesto fight tax avoidance would be delayed by two years, hesaid. Jaitley scrapped a distinction between direct and port-folio investors, in a move to encourage foreign investors totake strategic stakes in Indian firms. He also simplified regu-lation of financial markets. “This clear statement of intentshould bring cheer to industry,” said Krupa Venkatesh, apartner at Deloitte. The government shied away from politi-cally sensitive cuts in its $37 billion subsidy bill, seekinginstead to boost efficiency of a rural jobs scheme that isIndia’s costliest welfare program. It will also boost directwelfare payments into bank accounts, and graduallyreplace benefits in kind.

“My proposals... lay down the roadmap for acceleratinggrowth, enhancing investment, passing on the benefit ofgrowth process to the common man, woman, youth andchild,” said Jaitley. “This is the path we will doggedly andrelentlessly pursue.” — Reuters

India budget goes for growth, investment

Economy seen growing 8% — 8.5% • Corporate tax cut to 25%

ATHENS: Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (left) speaks to Deputy Prime MinisterGiannis Dragasakis (right) before delivering a speech at the Syriza party headquar-ters, in Athens yesterday. — AFP

ATHENS: Greece’s prime minister vowed yesterdaynot to back down in his “battle” with the country’screditors, in line with his election promise to aban-don austerity and avoid a third bailout.

“The battle will continue,” Prime Minister AlexisTsipras told the central committee of his hard-leftSyriza party. “Anybody thinking that we are going togo away will be disappointed.” Tsipras said that in thetalks that landed Greece a four-month extension toits 240-billion-euro ($270-billion) bailout Tuesday, thepressure from other European countries “had thecharacter of blackmail”.

“Conservative forces (in Europe) tried to set a trapfor us, to drive us into budgetary asphyxia,” the 40-year-old said. “We will not retreat from the difficultiesor from our own principles.”

Syriza swept to power in January on a promise toease the hardship caused by past governmentspending cuts imposed in return for the euro-zonecountry’s two bailouts in 2010 and 2012.

Tsipras reiterated Friday that once the currentbailout expires on June 30 there would be no “thirdmemorandum” as the previous agreements tying aidto spending cuts are known. “Memorandums are fin-ished,” he said.

Is it unclear however whether Tsipras can avoidanother rescue package. His self-declared “govern-ment of social salvation” faces a major challenge inkeeping both voters and Greece’s international credi-tors happy by providing relief for the poor while alsokeeping government spending in check.

Thursday saw the first protests in Athens since thebailout extension, with several hundred anti-capital-ists and anarchists taking to the streets, some smash-ing shop windows and setting fire to rubbish bins.Greece must also repay billions of euros in debt inthe coming months.

Tsipras has said he wants to renegotiate the coun-try’s 320-billion-euro debt pile, despite fierce opposi-tion, particularly in Germany, to any new debt “hair-cut”. Meanwhile, Greece’s nascent recovery from sixstraight years of recession also looks in trouble, withofficial data on Friday showing a contraction of 0.4percent in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Initial estimates had forecast a 0.2 percent drop ingross domestic product. After winning four monthsof breathing space from its creditors, the govern-ment now has until the end of April to provide themwith more details of its reform program in order toreceive the final bailout tranche.

A list of reforms submitted by Athens this week,which focused on tackling tax evasion and excessivebureaucracy, was described by German ChancellorAngela Merkel as just a “starting point”.

Germany’s parliament nonetheless overwhelm-ingly approved the bailout extension Friday, despitea minor rebellion by members of Merkel’s party, sur-veys suggesting German voter unease and the coun-try’s Bild daily saying “greedy” Greece should get nomore money.

Yesterday, Yanis Varoufakis, Greece’s mavericknew finance minister, promised “no pity” in tacklingtax evasion and said that the government mightimpose a one-off levy on the rich to help fill govern-ment coffers. “What interests us is those who havemoney but who have never paid (tax). They are ourtarget and we will show no pity,” Varoufakis told theTV channel Skai. Varoufakis assured such a levywould “only be for those who can pay.” We are notgoing to take money off people who are suffering,”he said.

Tsipras said Friday the government would tablelegislation early next week aimed at alleviatingpoverty and putting the country of 11 million on amore equitable road to recovery. — AFP

Greek PM vows no retreat

in ‘battle’ with creditors

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

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AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003509 0.004109Chinese Yuan 0.046072 0.049572Hong Kong Dollar 0.036148 0.038898Indian Rupee 0.004523 0.004924Indonesian Rupiah 0.000019 0.000025Japanese Yen 0.002406 0.002586Kenyan Shilling 0.003236 0.003236Korean Won 0.000257 0.000272Malaysian Ringgit 0.078654 0.084654Nepalese Rupee 0.002995 0.003165Pakistan Rupee 0.002699 0.002979

Philippine Peso 0.006591 0.006871Sierra Leone 0.000065 0.000071Singapore Dollar 0.214542 0.220542South African Rand 0.019371 0.027871Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001848 0.002428Taiwan 0.009270 0.009450Thai Baht 0.008766 0.009316

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.780277 0.788277Egyptian Pound 0.037449 0.040549Iranian Riyal 0.000082 0.000083Iraqi Dinar 0.000191 0.000251Jordanian Dinar 0.414290 0.421790Kuwaiti Dinar 1.000000 1.000000Lebanese Pound 0.000147 0.000247Moroccan Dirhams 0.022011 0.046011Nigerian Naira 0.001211 0.001846Omani Riyal 0.7634371 0.770051Qatar Riyal 0.080758 0.081971Saudi Riyal 0.078457 0.079157Syrian Pound 0.001255 0.001475Tunisian Dinar 0.150125 0.158125Turkish Lira 0.119270 0.126270UAE Dirhams 0.079772 0.080921Yemeni Riyal 0.001339 0.001419

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

CURRENCIES TELEX TRANSFER PER 1000Australian Dollar 227.72Canadian Dollar 243.15Swiss Franc 322.91Euro 341.15US Dollar 296.50Sterling Pound 458.91Japanese Yen 2.53Bangladesh Taka 3.811Indian Rupee 4.766Sri Lankan Rupee 2.221Nepali Rupee 2.980Pakistani Rupee 2.930UAE Dirhams 80.57Bahraini Dinar 786.95Egyptian Pound 38.76Jordanian Dinar 421.29Omani Riyal 768.93Qatari Riyal 81.65

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 296.550Canadian Dollar 239.300Sterling Pound 459.125Euro 362.290Swiss Frank 283.230Bahrain Dinar 788.825UAE Dirhams 81.115Qatari Riyals 82.280Saudi Riyals 79.270Jordanian Dinar 418.575Egyptian Pound 38.790Sri Lankan Rupees 2.223Indian Rupees 4.793Pakistani Rupees 2.910Bangladesh Taka 3.810Philippines Pesso 6.721Cyprus pound 727.905Japanese Yen 3.475

Syrian Pound 2.570Nepalese Rupees 3.995Malaysian Ringgit 82.875Chinese Yuan Renminbi 47.695Thai Bhat 10.150Turkish Lira 118.715

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 295.600Euro 334.700Pound Sterlng 450.800Canadian Dollar 236.700Indian Rupee 4.765Egyptian Pound 38.710Sri Lankan Rupee 2.219Bangladesh Taka 3.796Philippines Peso 6.685Pakistan Rupee 2.925Bahraini Dinar 787.100UAE Dirham 80.450Saudi Riyal 79.000*Rates are subject to change

Why C-suiterecruitment

has moved online

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Senior talents are online. The C-suite talent poolhas become incredibly IT and web savvy and mostsenior professionals have active online profiles. Theseprofiles give a recruiter a better idea of a candidateíspersonality, achievements, knowledge, and hands-on experience. In many cases, highly establishedexecutives have their own blogs and nearly all ofthem are on social media. These online activities canassist companies in gauging potential candidateswhile avoiding the costs of hiring the wrong person.

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Top†executives†engage in active†online†conver-sations.†Professional networking forums are the newfrontier in online recruitment and a top choice foridentifying leaders, especially at the senior end of thespectrum. This could be attributed to the fact that 81percent of professionals feel that professional onlineplatforms, such as†Bayt.com Specialties, are a goodway for employers and candidates to engage togeth-er through industry-related comments, discussionsand questions.†Bayt.com Specialties†invites special-ists from all over the world to come together andengage in industry-related discussions. Specialistswith the best content are endorsed by their peersand get badges and ranks on their CV.†Bayt.comSpecialties†has proven to be a great tool for compa-nies to pick the best amongst top executives in theirindustry. This indirect approach to hiring, whichrelies on networking and relationship building, isnecessary to get to know a candidate well beyondthe limits of a traditional CV.

The global economy. C-suite talent is scarce. Thisis why sourcing C-suite executives has become anintensive global process. Companies want to takeadvantage of the vast executive talent pool acrossthe world. As the workforce is becoming increasinglyglobal, employers are looking to hire individuals whocan lead a multicultural organization and craft practi-cal strategies that will ensure long-term profitability.Recruiting online greatly reduces the distancebetween global companies and job seekers, ensuringthat these companies make the best C-suite hires.

BEIJING: China’s central bank cut interest rates yesterday, justdays before the annual meeting of the country’s parliament, inthe latest effort to support the world’s second-largest econo-my as its momentum slows and deflation risks rise. The centralbank said the 25 basis point cut in the benchmark interest rateto 5.35 percent - its second cut in just over three months - anda 25 basis point cut in the benchmark saving rate to 2.5 per-cent would be effective from today.

“The focus of the interest rate cut is to keep real interestrate levels suitable for fundamental trends in economicgrowth, prices and employment,” the People’s Bank of China(PBOC) said in a statement on its website.

“This does not represent a change in the direction of mone-tary policy.” However, using new language to describe the poli-cy setting, the PBOC said the latest rate cut would create a“neutral and appropriate” monetary environment for China.The move came four weeks after the bank had lowered the lev-el of cash banks must set aside as reserves, known as thereserve requirement ratio or RRR, leading some to believe thePBOC was growing increasingly worried about deflationaryrisk. The reference to “real interest rates” in yesterday’s state-ment also implied that sliding prices were an important factorin its decision. An article in the central bank’s official newspa-per on Feb. 25 had warned that deflationary risks were higherthan many thought.

“The rate cut happened in the first week after the LunarNew Year holiday, underscoring the government’s hope toboost corporate confidence,” said Li Huiyong, an economist atShenyin & Wanguo Securities in Shanghai. “Deflation is the topenemy. Only through continuous easing (rate and RRR cuts),we can ease the vicious cycle of economic contraction.”

Globally around 20 central banks have eased policy thisyear to counter deflationary pressures driven in part by theplunge in oil prices.

Reducing real rates In its last round of rate cuts in November, the PBOC reduced

one-year benchmark lending rates by 40 basis points to 5.6percent and lowered one-year benchmark deposit rates by 25basis points to 2.75 percent. Beijing has been trying to stimu-late investment to reinvigorate an economy that expanded atits slowest rate for 24 years in 2014, but it is questionablewhether the cuts alone will be able to revive appetite for pro-ductive investment.

That might not be the primary goal of this cut, said AndrewPolk, economist at the Conference Board in Beijing. He andother economists pointed out that many Chinese companiesare carrying staggering debt burdens, so allowing them to refi-nance at lower rates is seen as a way to put more cash in their

pockets. “I think most of the loan demand is still pretty weak,so what this does is (to) lower primarily the cost of financingfor people who can borrow at the benchmark; the big stateborrowers and local governments, those heavily indebted enti-ties,” Polk said. “But it’s not likely to spur private sector borrow-ing.”

The surprise interest rate cut in November, followed up by aFebruary reduction in the RRR that poured fresh cash into thefinancial system, had little apparent effect on business confi-dence, although the liquidity was welcomed by the stock mar-ket. China’s annual consumer inflation hit a five-year low inJanuary while factory deflation worsened, underscoring deep-ening weakness in the economy. Export and import growthhad also tanked in the same month, performing worse thanexpected.

Although January and February data is considered unreli-

able due to the week-long lunar new year festival holiday, mosteconomists predicted the central bank would have to followup with further cuts to guidance lending rates and the RRR thisyear if it wanted to gain policy traction. Deflationary cycles,once entrenched, can stall investment for years or evendecades, as the case of Japan highlights, and is considered anightmare scenario by many economists in China. “The econo-my is unlikely to stabilise immediately after the rate cut,” wroteMinsheng Securities economists in a research note reacting tothe news.

“Expectations of loose monetary policy and renminbidepreciation will persist.” China is due to release official facto-ry and services Purchasing Managers’ Index surveys forFebruary on Sunday, the last data release before the NationalPeople’s Congress, the rubber-stamp legislature, convenesnext week. — Reuters

China cuts rates again in face of weak demand

Regulators signal increased concern about deflation

BEIJING: A Chinese family walk past a China Dream billboard, showing messages pushed by Chinese President XiJinping’s administration on display in Beijing. China yesterday cut interest rates for the second time in three months,adding to signs that Chinese leaders are worried that the economic slowdown is deepening too sharply. — AP

Kuwaitcrude up

by 89 centsto $54.95pbKUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiticrude oil went up Friday by 89cents to $54.95 per barrel com-pared to $54.06 pb Thursday, said astatement by Kuwait PetroleumCorporation (KPC) yesterday.

In the global markets, prices forfuture oil contracts went up yester-day due to shortage in productionand supplies from Libya and Iraq inthe last few weeks. Global forecastsregarding the increase of demandfor crude oil had led to a hike inBrent Mix price by 15 percent in thebeginning of this month.

Meanwhile, the price for theBrent mix at the London stockexchange Friday had increased by$1.27 to reach $61.32 pb. At theNew York Mercantile Exchange(NYMEX), the price for Americancrude went up by 63 cents, reach-ing $48.80 pb. — KUNA

AMMAN: Jordan and Israel signed anagreement to go ahead with a World Bank-sponsored project to build a desalinationplant in the Gulf of Aqaba and a pipelinelinking the Red Sea with the Dead Sea. Theplant will be built in the southernJordanian port of Aqaba on the Red Seaand will desalinate water to be shared byIsraelis and Palestinians. The brine that is abyproduct of the process will be sentnorth in a 112-mile (180-km) pipeline tothe Dead Sea. The project will cost around$900 million. It will take nearly three yearsto complete. Jordanian officials said thetwo projects were crucial to providing asource of fresh water to the kingdom,which faces a severe water deficit, and toreviving the shrinking Dead Sea.

“The deal will help satisfy Jordan’sincreasing water needs for development,”Jordan’s water minister, Hazem Al-Nasser,said after the agreement was signed. Thedesalination plant will produce at least 80million cubic metres annually. Israel willbuy at cost up to 40 million cubic metres.The rest will go to Aqaba.

Nasser said the pipeline will pump 300million cubic metres annually of Red Seawater to the Dead Sea. As much as 2 billion

cubic metres are envisioned in a futureexpansion. The idea of linking the twobodies of water has been around for morethan a century. The Dead Sea has beenfound to be receding at a rate of morethan 3.3 feet (1 meter) every year.

Under the agreement, Nasser said,Israel would also release 50 million cubicmetres more water from the Sea of Galilee,its largest reservoir, to Jordan, beyondwater-sharing stipulated in a 1994 peaceagreement. Israeli National Infrastructures,Energy and Water Resources MinisterSilvan Shalom said the project would bringwater from the desalination plant for farm-ers in southern Israel and drinking water tothe north. The Palestinians who have longcomplained about Israeli restrictions onconstructing new water infrastructure andwhat they say is illegal pumping from theirunderground aquifers in the West Bank willalso get water from the plant, Nasser said.The project began to move ahead twoyears ago after the World Bank determinedit is possible to use the Red Sea to replen-ish the shrinking Dead Sea after years ofstudying whether such a connecting life-line could work. - Reuters

Jordan, Israel agree on $900m Red Sea-Dead Sea project

Egypt could raise up to $2bn in

Eurobond issueLONDON: Egypt could raise as much as $2 billion through aEurobond this year and expects economic growth of close to 7percent in three years’ time, Finance Minister Hany KadryDimian said on Friday.

The Arab world’s most populous country is in the process ofrebuilding its battered finances after the uprising that toppledHosni Mubarak four years ago hit the country’s economy, dis-couraging investors and tourists, and slashing growth. “I amgetting advice on between $1.5-2 billion - we will see (what)our roadshow will reveal and then we will decide, but I think itwill be in that region,” Dimian said in an interview with Reuters.

Clarifying comments made earlier in the day in a speech toinvestors, he said the dollar-denominated Eurobond would belaunched in June at the latest, but could come earlier.

Dimian said he expected the issue to come in differentmaturities, with possible combinations of 3, 5 and 7 years, butwould expect them to be less than 10 years. Egypt has mostlyrelied on local money markets to finance its budget deficitsince being effectively frozen out of international marketsafter the uprising that toppled autocrat Mubarak in 2011.

Talking about growth prospects, Dimian confirmed heexpected growth of at least 4 percent in the fiscal year end-ing in June, and predicted a return to higher growth in themedium term. “In three years’ time we will be north of 6.5percent, approaching 7 percent,” he said, citing manufactur-ing, energy, construction, telecommunications and housingas drivers.—Reuters

BERLIN: German lawmakers approved a hard-won bailout exten-sion for Greece’s new anti-austerity government in a move Berlin’sfinance chief called “not easy” but necessary, keeping a crucial life-line open to Athens. Greece’s left-wing Prime Minister AlexisTsipras welcomed the German vote Friday as “a political act ofcommon sense and democracy”, saying there would be no thirdbailout for his country and pledging to get to work on reforms. Hepromised that now his month-old government would “start work-ing hard, in order to change Greece within a Europe that changesdirection”. The four-month bailout extension for Greece, approvedby euro-zone finance ministers Tuesday, averts a potentiallycalamitous end-February deadline that could have seen Athensdefault and exit from the euro.

With worsening Greek economic data heightening the pres-sure, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble had vigorous-ly urged MPs to support giving Athens the additional breathingspace. “I’d like to ask parliament, each lawmaker, not to reject therequest by the ministry of finance, which wasn’t easy for meeither, because this would do great harm to our people and ourfuture,” Schaeuble told parliament.

‘Turned a new page’ Schaeuble, who has traded barbs with Athens in recent weeks,

sought to reassure lawmakers Germany would not have to stumpup “new billions” or change the bailout conditions but merelygrant “more time to successfully conclude” the plan adopted forAthens in 2012. As expected, the extension won overwhelmingsupport in the lower house where Chancellor Angela Merkel’s left-right coalition has a commanding majority. While Schaeubledescribed the extension as an act of “solidarity” toward an EUmember in need, Tsipras said that “Europe has now recognizedthat Greece has turned a new page”. “This is the time for thereforms that our country needs and which no government eversought, because there were commitments with powerful inter-ests,” he told Euronews in an interview.

In Athens Tsipras announced that the first legislation by his“government of social salvation” aimed at easing the “humanitari-an crisis” caused by years of cuts would be put to parliament earlynext week. This will include providing free electricity for 300,000poor families and housing for 30,000 people, debt relief, measuresto protect “hundreds of thousands” at risk at losing their homesand scrapping a controversial goldmine project, he said. He addedthere would be no more agreements of austerity cuts in exchangefor further financial support.

“The ‘memoranda’ are finished,” he said, referring to the inter-national bailouts Greece received in 2010 and 2012.

To help replenish state coffers, a bill will also be tabled nextweek to encourage taxpayers to pay part of their arrears, whichcurrently stand at 76 billion euros ($85 billion) and rising. The newGreek government has walked a fine line between pledging tomeet the demands of international creditors and maintaining thesupport of voters who swept them to power on promises of end-ing years of hated austerity.

An anti-government protest involving several hundred anti-capitalists and anarchists in Athens, following the deal Tuesdaywith euro-zone ministers for the bailout extensions, deterioratedinto street violence Thursday. In another protest Friday evening,around 7,000-8,000 people demonstrated outside parliament asTsipras chaired a cabinet meeting inside.

‘No more billions’ On Friday the government faced more bad news when official

data showed Greece’s economy shrank by 0.4 percent in thefourth quarter of 2014, more than previously thought, and thefirst quarter-on-quarter contraction since the country exited a six-year recession last year. With a more than 1.5-billion-euro ($1.7-bil-lion) repayment deadline to the International Monetary Fund

looming in March, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis acknowl-edged that “at this moment the coffers are empty”. Greece’s debtof 320 billion euros is equivalent to 175 percent of its annual eco-nomic output. To secure the extra time for its bailout lifeline,Tsipras’s government has agreed to refrain from one-sided reformrollbacks and published a list of proposed reforms focused ontackling tax evasion and corruption and improving governmentefficiency. But Varoufakis on Friday told Antenna TV that the dealsealed after gruelling negotiations with creditors was worded in a“deliberately” vague way to ensure its approval by European par-liaments. The mixed message has fanned scepticism aboutGreece’s ability and willingness to pay back the money, especiallyin Germany, Europe’s biggest economy and effective paymaster.Seventy-one percent of Germans doubt that Athens will imple-ment the savings and reforms it has announced, a poll for ZDFpublic broadcaster showed Friday.

Schaeuble starkly warned this week that Greece would notreceive “a single euro” until it meets the pledges of its existing 240-billion-euro ($270-billion) bailout program. Top-selling tabloid-style newspaper Bild fanned public sentiment with a front-pageheadline Friday that said “Bild readers say Nein (no)!”. It publishedphotos of readers holding up signs that read “Nein-no more bil-lions for the greedy Greeks”. — AFP

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

B U S I N E S S

EU sets France deficit targets

BRUSSELS: The EU set France tough new targets on Friday toget its budget deficit back within Brussels rules, keeping upthe pressure after giving Paris two more years until 2017 totoe the line. The benchmarks were announced by theEuropean Commission just two days after it extended thedeadline for France, the bloc’s second biggest economy afterGermany, to meet the EU’s deficit ceiling of 3.0 percent ofeconomic output.

It said France must use the extra breathing room to reacha deficit-the difference between government spending andrevenue-equal to 4.0 percent of annual Gross DomesticProduct in 2015, 3.4 percent in 2016 and 2.8 percent in 2017.France in December had set its own targets at 4.1 percent, 3.6percent and 2.7 percent for the coming three years, but theCommission said Paris had not explained how it wouldachieve them, prompting Brussels to lay down the law.

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, speaking during avisit to Slovenia, said the country would be able to meet whathe described as “demanding” but “realistic” targets.

The European Union had disappointed fiscal hardlinerswhen it said Wednesday France would escape possible finesfor now and get two more years to get its house in order,while Italy and Belgium were let off the deficit hook becauseboth were making adequate progress towards their targets.

France must find savings To hit the EU’s new targets France will have to find addi-

tional savings in a weak economy, putting the governmenton the spot as it tries to boost growth. For 2015, theCommission, the EU’s executive arm, estimated the savingsrequired at 0.5 percent of GDP, up from the current 0.3 per-cent-that means additional savings worth at least 4.0 billioneuros ($4.5 billion). But for 2016, Paris must find an eventougher 0.8 percent and then 0.9 percent in 2017, theCommission said in a series of recommendations. “Franceshould step up efforts to identify savings opportunitiesacross all sub-sectors of general government, including atsocial security and local government level and use all windfallgains for deficit reduction,” it said in a statement.

The European Union polices member state deficits andhas the authority to impose large fines if they break the rules,although it has never actually done so. Diplomatic sourcessaid the EU’s euro commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis haddemanded Wednesday that Brussel begin infringement pro-ceedings against France, laying it open to an initial fine equalto 0.2 percent of GDP. German newsweekly Der Spiegel saidLatvian Dombrovskis had some support, but EU EconomicAffairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, a former Frenchfinance minister, argued instead that Paris should get threemore years to sort out its finances.—AFP

TOKYO: Japan’s inflation rate has dropped to its low-est level since just after Tokyo launched a high-profileoffensive in 2013 to battle years of falling prices andtepid growth, data showed Friday.

The disappointing figures challenge Bank of Japanchief Haruhiko Kuroda’s persistent claim that inflationis on the upswing, two years after Tokyo kicked off awar on the deflation that has been widely blamed forholding back growth and denting company expan-sion plans.

The data may also aggravate doubts over the gov-ernment’s wider bid to lift the world’s number threeeconomy out of two-decades of stagnation.Sustained inflation is a key measure of Prime MinisterShinzo Abe’s growth blueprint, dubbed Abenomics,which was set into motion following his late 2012election victory.

The government data on Friday showed thatJapan’s inflation rate last month came in at 2.2 per-cent, down from 2.5 percent in December.

But stripping out the effect of a sales tax hike lastyear, it rose just 0.2 percent from a year earlier, thelowest since a zero percent rate in May 2013. The slipmakes the Bank of Japan’s much-touted 2.0 percentinflation goal a cornerstone of Abenomics-lookincreasingly unrealistic.

Prices had been on the rise, largely due to Japanhaving to import pricey fossil fuels to plug an energygap left by the shutdown of atomic reactors in the

wake of the 2011 Fukushima accident.But plunging oil prices have dealt another blow to

the BoJ’s inflation goals, and doubts are growing overthe ambitious target-even among policymakersthemselves.

Minutes from the central bank’s January meetingshowed that three of nine BoJ board membersdoubted the chances of reaching the price target.Kuroda has said the bank would further expand itsunprecedented monetary easing campaign-launchedin April 2013 — if necessary.

Sluggish spending On Friday, Kuroda insisted that an expected recov-

ery in oil prices-they have dropped by about halfsince the summer-will help the BoJ get its inflationtarget back on track. “As the effects of declining crudeprices dissipate, the two-percent inflation target islikely to be achieved,” the BoJ chief told the NationalPress Club. The perennially optimistic central banker-who signed a press club guestbook with a Japanesesaying about making good on one’s promises-addedthat Japan’s annual labour negotiations were likely tousher in pay hikes.

That, in turn, would lead to a boost in spendingand price hikes, Kuroda said. Still, the data on Fridaywere certain to boost speculation that the BoJ will beforced to expand its monetary easing campaignsooner than later to counter the downturn. “Currently,

80 percent of private-sector economists expect addi-tional easing by the end of the year,” SMBC NikkoSecurities said in a note.

“We expect additional easing will come in lateApril.” The inflation data were among a mixed bag offigures published Friday including a better-than-expected expansion in factory activity, but analystswarned that the uptick was likely to fizzle in the com-ing months. Separately, the internal affairs ministrysaid household spending fell a greater-than-expect-ed 5.1 percent from a year ago, as the sales tax hike to8.0 percent from 5.0 percent weighed on shoppingnationwide. The jobless rate last month ticked up to3.6 percent from 3.4 percent in December. Followingthe levy rise in April, Japan’s economy fell into reces-sion, prompting Abe to put off a second sales tax hikethis year, which was aimed at taming Japan’s enor-mous national debt.

Japan limped out of recession in the last quarter of2014, with a weak 0.6 percent expansion betweenOctober and December. But over the full year the pre-liminary data showed zero growth. And even Friday’supbeat industrial output figure-a 4.0 percent on-month expansion-did not warrant much optimism,said Marcel Thieliant from London-based CapitalEconomics. “While industrial production surged inJanuary, firms are predicting a renewed decline incoming months as consumer spending remains slug-gish,” he said. —AFP

Japan inflation at new low since war on falling prices began

TOKYO: People watch an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo Friday.Asian stocks were lackluster Friday after US markets drifted lower. — AP

Germany OKs Greek bailout extension despite unease

Greece has turned a new page: Schaeuble

MUMBAI: An Indian vendor waits alongside his cart filled with vegetables at the whole sale market in Mumbai yester-day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing government unveiled its first full budget, a day after announcing thetime was ripe for long-awaited reforms to kickstart the economy. — AFP

DUBAI: Bank Dhofar, Oman’s second-largest bank by assets,won shareholder approval for plans to raise its capital by asmuch as $300 million, including through the issuance of capi-tal-boosting bonds, it said yesterday. The lender said share-holders attending a meeting on Feb. 26 unanimously backedplans to issue bonds with a perpetual tenor which wouldenhance the bank’s Tier 1, or core, capital.

Should Bank Dhofar sell a Tier 1 bond, it would be the firstsuch issue by an Omani bank. However, the format still needsapproval from the sultanate’s central bank and Bank Dhofarsaid that should regulatory assent not be received by March31, it would instead look to issue convertible bonds worth upto 100 million omani rials ($260 million).

Bank Dhofar is working with National Bank of Abu Dhabi

and Standard Chartered about its capital-raising plans,sources told Reuters earlier this month. The bank had a totalcapital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 12.93 percent at the end ofSeptember, down from 13.17 percent at the same point of2013, according to its third-quarter financial statement. Incomparison, Bank Muscat, Oman’s largest bank, had a CAR of15.6 percent, while National Bank of Oman, the country’sthird-largest bank by assets, had a CAR of 13.8 percent at theend of September.

Bank Dhofar also said shareholders approved setting up aeuro medium term note (EMTN) program worth $500 millionin the next 12 months, which would allow the bank to issuenon-convertible bonds with a likely tenor of five years, subjectto regulatory approval. — Reuters

Oman’s Bank Dhofar gets assent for capital plans

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Kuwait bourse advances on buying interestBAYAN MONTHLY REPORT

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended Februaryin the green zone. The Price Index closed at 6,601.43points, up by 0.44 percent compared to the closings ofthe month before, the Weighted Index increased by3.60 percent after closing at 457.73 points, whereas theKSX-15 Index closed at 1,116.86 points increasing by4.12 percent. Furthermore, last month’s averageturnover decreased by 2.99 percent, compared to thepreceding month, reaching KD 25.61 million, whereastrading volume average was 219.26 million shares,recording decrease of 23.56 percent.

The stock market positive performance enabled it torealize good gains for its three indices, especially theWeighted and KSX-15 indices. This performance wassupported by the purchasing power and the quickspeculative operations that the traders executed in themarket, and concentrated on many large-cap stocks,especially in the Telecommunications and Oil & Gas sec-tors.

Also, the stock market was affected by the profit col-lection operations that pushed it to the red zone in fewdaily sessions during the month, whereas it concentrat-ed on some large-cap stocks on one hand, and manysmall-cap stocks on the other hand, especially that ofprevious noticeable price gains, which caused to limitthe monthly gains of the stock indicators.

On the other hand, most of the listed companies stilldid not disclose its last year financial results, althoughtwo-third of the legal disclosure period have passed, asthe number of the disclosed companies reached 65 asat end of February, forming 33.85 percent of the total192 listed companies, with approximately KD 1.19 bil-lion and an increase of 3.31 percent for the results of the

same companies for 2013 financial year, which was KD1.15 billion.

For the annual performance, the price index endedlast month recording 1.01 percent annual gain com-pared to its closing in 2014, while the weighted indexincreased by 4.30 percent, and the KSX-15 recorded 5.37percent increase.

Sectors’ IndicesEight of KSE’s sectors ended last month in the green

zone, while the other four recorded declines. Lastmonth’s highest gainer was the Telecommunicationssector, achieving 14.03 percent growth rate as its indexclosed at 665.72 points. Whereas, in the second place,the Industrial sector’s index closed at 1,139.65 pointsrecording 2.79 percent increase. The Consumer Goodssector came in third as its index achieved 2.10 percentgrowth, ending the month at 1,238.87 points.

On the other hand, the Health Care sector headedthe losers list as its index declined by 5.69 percent toend the month’s activity at 869.70 points. The RealEstate sector was second on the losers’ list, which indexdeclined by 2.37 percent, closing at 1,102.87 points, fol-lowed by the Insurance sector, as its index closed at1,165.06 points at a loss of 1.12 percent.

Sectors’ activityThe Financial Services sector dominated total trade

volume during last month with 1.59 billion shareschanging hands, representing 40.39 percent of the totalmarket trading volume. The Real Estate sector was sec-ond in terms of trading volume as the sector’s tradedshares were 25.15 percent of last month’s total trading

volume, with a total of 992.55 million shares. On the other hand, the Telecommunications sec-

tor’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of val-ue; with a turnover of KD 107.81 million or 23.39 per-cent of last month’s total market trading value. The

Banking sector took the second place as the sectorslast month turnover of KD 101.98 million represented22.12 percent of the total market trading value.

—Prepared by the Studies & Research DepartmentBayan Investment Co.

US stocks slip after weaker growth WALL STREERT WEEKLY REPORT

February proved to be a strong month forUS stocks, even though it ended in down-beat fashion. Major stock indexes closed

lower on Friday, capping a week of subduedtrading that still delivered a couple of newhighs for the Dow Jones industrial average andStandard & Poor’s 500 index. It also brought theNasdaq composite within striking distance ofits March 2000 high.

The Nasdaq notched the biggest monthlygain at 7.1 percent. But the S&P 500’s 5.5 per-cent performance marked its best monthlyincrease since October 2011, and a turnaroundfrom its 3.1 percent slide in January. The Dowrose 5.6 percent for the month.

Trading was listless for much of Friday asinvestors balanced encouraging reports onhousing and consumer confidence againstdata showing that the US economy grew at aslower annual rate in the final months of 2014than previously estimated. Oil rose, recoupingsome of its losses from a day earlier.Technology stocks were among the biggestdecliners. “Many people are trying to figure outwhat to do, taking some profits when they can.We saw that over the past couple of days withtech stocks,” said JJ Kinahan, TD Ameritrade’schief strategist. “It’s a wait-and-see attitude.”

The Dow ended down 81.72 points, or 0.5percent, to 18,132.70. That’s 0.5 percent belowits most-recent high of 18,224.57 onWednesday. The S&P 500 slid 6.24 points, or 0.3percent, to 2,104.50. The index is down 0.5 froma high of 2,115.48 on Tuesday.

The Nasdaq fell 24.36 points, or 0.5 percent,to 4,963.53. The index has been inching closerto crossing the 5,000-point mark, something ithasn’t done since March 2000 at the height ofthe dot-com era. It’s now within 86 points ofthat peak. The three main US stock indexes areall up for the year. The current bull market, nowin its sixth year, has been powered by strongcorporate earnings growth and low interestrates, which make stocks more attractive rela-tive to bonds. Strong job growth and improv-ing consumer confidence have also encour-aged traders, despite signs of sluggishness inEurope and elsewhere.

Some of that confidence appeared shakenon Friday, when the Commerce Departmentreported that the US economy grew at anannual rate of 2.2 percent in the October-December quarter, weaker than the 2.6 percentestimate last month. The latest growth projec-tion represents a major slowdown from theprevious quarter, which produced thestrongest growth in 11 years.

Other economic bellwethers were moreupbeat: An index of pending home sales, anindicator of potentially completed sales, rose inJanuary and the December figure was revisedhigher to show a smaller decline. Separately,the University of Michigan’s index of consumersentiment slipped this month. It remains at thehighest level in eight years.

“The market does not have a clear catalystto either cause it to sell off or to surge forward,and we’re getting a little expensive from a valu-ation perspective,” said David Heidel, regionalinvestment director at U.S. Bank WealthManagement.

Investors should get a better sense of theeconomy and consumers’ willingness to spendnext week, when automakers report theirFebruary sales figures and the governmentissues its monthly update on hiring. All told,eight of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 endedlower, with technology stocks notching thebiggest decline. The sector is up 4.2 percentthis year. Consumer staples rose the most.Those stocks are up 2.9 percent this year.

Several energy companies were among the

biggest decliners in the S&P 500. SouthwesternEnergy fell $1.27, or 4.8 percent, to $25.08,while NRG Energy lost 79 cents, or 3.2 percent,to $23.98. Chesapeake Energy slid 52 cents, or 3percent, to $16.68. Benchmark US crude rose$1.59 to $49.76 a barrel on the New YorkMercantile Exchange.

Brent crude rose $2.53 to $62.58 a barrel inLondon. US oil prices appeared to stabilize inFebruary around the $50 a barrel mark. That’smade a key variable of business more pre-dictable for investors, Kinahan said. “That’sreally the kind of thing that gives stability tothe stock market,” Kinahan said. US govern-ment bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 1.99 percentfrom 2.03 percent late Thursday. In metals trad-ing, gold edged up $3 to $1,213.10 an ounce,silver fell seven cents to $16.51 an ounce andcopper was flat at $2.72 a pound. In otherenergy futures trading, wholesale gasolinerose 6 cents to $1.768 a gallon, heating oiljumped 16.3 cents to $2.30 a gallon and natu-ral gas rose 3.7 cents to $2.734 per 1,000 cubicfeet. — AP

NEW YORK: The facade of the New York Stock Exchange. US stock indexes edgedslightly lower in early trading Friday after the US economy slowed more sharply thanexpected in the final three months of 2014. Utilities stocks were among the biggestdecliners. — AP

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE)began the last week trading bearishly withthe price index dropping 10.3 points to6,601 while the weighted index rose 0.12points and Kuwait 15 index 1.63 points atTuesday’s closing.

While most of the Gulf market droppedin Monday’s session, following oil prices’decline, the Kuwaiti bourse rallied, buoyedby all market indices, amid corporate reve-lations about cash dividends’ distributionand decline of pressure on blue-chips, wit-nessed in the week’s first session, accord-ing to a report released by Al-Oula financialbrokerage company, yesterday. Limited

activity by market leaders relatively helpedin maintaining stability of the weightedindex and Kuwait 15 index. The sessionswere dominated by speculations, withsome blue-chips luring investors seekingadvantages from the cash distributions.

The report indicated at noticeable“comeback” of cheap chips, namely thoselower than 100 fils, along with “slowness”by portfolios and the main market mak-ers, except for selective trades in someblue-chips. The National Days’ vacationhas also contributed to creating the gen-eral lackluster atmosphere that grippedthe market. — KUNA

KSE stocks move up and down: Report

ROME: Pope Francis launched a freshattack on economic injustice yesterday,condemning the “throw-away culture” ofglobalization and calling for new ways ofthinking about poverty, welfare, employ-ment and society.

In a speech to the association ofItalian cooperative movements, he point-ed to the “dizzying rise in unemployment”and the problems that existing welfaresystems had in meeting healthcareneeds.

For those living “at the existentialmargins” the current social and politicalsystem “seems fatally destined to suffo-cate hope and increase risks and threats,”he said. The Argentinian-born pope, whohas often criticised orthodox market eco-nomics for fostering unfairness andinequality, said people were forced towork long hours, sometimes in the blackeconomy, for a few hundred euros amonth because they were seen as easilyreplaceable.

“‘You don’t like it? Go home then’.What can you do in a world that workslike this? Because there’s a queue of peo-ple looking for work. If you don’t like it,someone else will,” he said in an unscript-ed change from the text of his speech.“It’s hunger, hunger that makes us acceptwhat they give us,” he said.

His remarks have a special resonance

in Italy, where unemployment, particular-ly among young people, is running atrecord levels after years of economicrecession.

The cooperative movement in Italy,whose roots go back to 19th centuryworkers’ associations, have long had closeties to the Catholic Church, with creditservices, agricultural and building co-opsforming an important part of the overalleconomy.

Pope Francis said they could helpfind new models and methods that couldbe an alternative model to the “throw-away culture created by the powers thatcontrol the economic and financial poli-cies of the globalised world.”

Perhaps mindful of a wide-rangingcorruption scandal linked to some coop-eratives in Rome last year, he attackedthose who “prostitute the cooperativename”. But his overall message was thateconomic rationale had to be secondaryto the wider needs of human society.

“When money becomes an idol, itcommands the choices of man. And thusit ruins man and condemns him. It makeshim a slave,” he said. “Money at the serv-ice of life can be managed in the rightway by cooperatives, on condition that itis a real cooperative where capital doesnot have command over men but menover capital,” he said. — Reuters

Pope attacks ‘throwaway’ economicglobalization

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

On Feb 6, Pagani Automobili, world-renowned Italian supercar maker,opened its Middle East tour with an

exclusive invitation-only, first-of-a-kind eventshowcasing the PaganiHuayra hyper-car to aselect group of VIP guests and motoring andlifestyle journalists from across the region atthe Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, followedby the official launch of the PaganiAutomobili brand in Kuwait.

The launch of the Pagani Huayra tookplace at Concours d ’E legance, Mar inaCrescent in Salmiya on Feb 11. The car waslaunched at the Pagani stand under thepatronage and presence of former PrimeMinister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed AlSabah, who was highly impressed by the carand its features.

The exhibition closed with a press confer-ence by Ahmad Sager Al-Maousherji, CEO ofDynamics, together with Horacio Pagani,Founder and Chief Designer of PaganiAutomobili. “The Middle East has always beena key market for us where our legend enjoys atremendous fan following,” explained Pagani.“With the Pagani Huayra, the company’s mostambitious project so far, we have developed ahigh performance supercar from scratch tocater to a global audience and at the sametime one that is compliant with the toughestsafety requirements.”

The two-door Huayra coupe is personallydesigned by Horacio Pagani and is built in thetown of Modena, Italy. The vehicle is poweredby a bespoke Mercedes-AMG 6.0-liter V12twinturbo engine that develops 730 PS (537kW) and 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft) of torque. It ismated to a seven-speed sequential transmis-sion which enables the 1,350 kg (2,975 lbs)supercar to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62mph) in 3.3 seconds and hit a top speed of370 km/h (230 mph). The car costs Ä1,195,000+ local taxes.

“With Kuwait’s booming luxury car salesmarket and fast growing pool of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, it is only opportune tohost a prestigious international brand like

Pagani,” noted Al-Maousherji. “We are proudto be a part of this event, which is consideredthe premiere event for priceless classic andluxury cars in the world,” explained Al-Maousherji.

“Kuwait, despite its small market size, hasa large number of Pagani car lovers and luxu-ry car collectors. The value of the PaganiHuayra lies in its beauty, state-of-the-artmaterials and design. It the true example ofthe marriage between art and science at itsbest,” added Al-Maousherji. “Words are notenough to explain our deep thanks toMrAbdulazizIshaq who made the impossiblepossible from logistics to premium hospitali-ty, and finally a very wonderful and success-ful show”.

Pagani AutomobiliPagani is a privately-owned Italian sports

car manufacturer. The company was foundedin 1991 by Horacio Pagani and is based in SanCesariosul Panaro, near Modena, Italy. Paganiis known for its extensive experience inadvanced composite materials and crafting.Art and science mixed together for the world’smost exclusive supercar. The Pagani Huayrareceived, during 2012, the most importantEuropean car awards. It was also named “Carof the Year” for 2013 by British performancecar magazine Evo; the 2013 “Performance Carof the Year” award from Car magazine and2013 “HyperCar of the Year” from the worldfamous magazine Top Gear. In 2013 thePagani Huayra was able to further reaffirm itsreputation as one of the world’s premier high-performance cars by beating the Top Gear cir-cuit record for road homologated cars with alap time of 1:13.8.

Dynamics Company Dynamics Company represents luxury

vehicles including Pagani, among one of themost prestigious cars in the world. No matterwhat industry, the mission is to provide luxuryseekers top class products and services asthey are expected from Dynamics Co.

Dynamics unveils association with

Pagani at Concours d’Elegance

WASHINGTON: US economic growth braked moresharply than initially thought in the fourth quarter as busi-nesses slowed their pace of stock accumulation and thetrade deficit widened, but the underlying fundamentalsremained solid. Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.2percent annual pace, revised down from the 2.6 percentpace estimated last month, the Commerce Departmentsaid on Friday. The economy grew at a 5 percent rate inthe third quarter. With consumer spending accelerating atits quickest pace since the first quarter of 2006 and sturdygains in other measures of domestic demand, the slow-down in growth is likely to be temporary.

“There is every reason to believe that domesticdemand will grow at a rapid clip over the first half of thisyear too,” said Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at

Capital Economics in Toronto.Growth in consumer spending, which accounts for

more than two-thirds of US economic activity, was reviseddown by one-tenth of a percentage point to a 4.2 percentpace in the fourth quarter, still the fastest since the firstquarter of 2006. A tightening labor market and lowergasoline prices are likely to keep supporting domesticdemand and help the economy navigate a turbulentglobal economy.

Improved employment prospects and cheaper gaso-line also are keeping consumers in a buoyant mood. Asecond report showed the University of Michigan’s finalFebruary reading on the overall index on consumer senti-ment was 95.4, higher than the initial reading of 93.6. Thedata pointed to sturdy consumer spending growth this

year. “We continue to expect consumer spending to kickthe year off on a robust foot after the drop in energyprices gave consumers a substantial windfall,” said BricklinDwyer, an economist at BNP Paribas in New York. Businessspending on equipment in the fourth quarter was revisedto show it rising at a 0.9 percent rate instead of the previ-ously reported 1.9 percent contraction.

A first-quarter acceleration is now in the cards, withdata on Thursday showing a rebound in business spend-ing intentions in January after four straight months ofdeclines.

STURDY DOMESTIC DEMANDThe Commerce Department data showed that growth

in final sales to domestic purchasers, a key measure ofdomestic demand, was revised to a 3.2 percent pace forthe fourth quarter from the previous 2.8 percent rate. TheGDP growth revision was generally in line with expecta-tions. Prices for most US Treasury debt rose, while USstocks were trading marginally lower. The US dollar fellagainst a basket of currencies.

Businesses accumulated $88.4 billion worth of inven-tory in the fourth quarter, far less than the $113.1 billionthe government had estimated last month. That resultedin the GDP growth contribution from inventories beingrevised down to one-tenth of a percentage point from 0.8percentage point previously.

The slower pace of inventory accumulation, however,will be a boost to GDP growth this quarter. Current esti-mates put the first-quarter growth pace at between 2.4percent and 3 percent.

Strong domestic demand sucked in more importsthan previously reported in the fourth quarter, resulting ina trade deficit, which subtracted 1.15 percentage pointsfrom GDP growth instead of the previously reported 1.02percentage point drag. Despite the strong consumption,inflation pressures were muted, with the personal con-sumption expenditures price index falling at a 0.4 percentrate - the weakest reading since early 2009. The PCE indexwas previously reported to have declined at a 0.5 percentpace. Excluding food and energy, prices rose at an unre-vised 1.1 percent pace, the slowest since the second quar-ter of 2013. —Reuters

US economy slowed in Q4,

growth outlook favorable Inventories, trade drag on growth; inflation muted

NEW YORK: A man dresses up as “Statue of Liberty” at Times Square in New York onFriday. Dozens of men and women earn their livelihood dressing up as cartoon char-acters and super heroes every day to pose with customers, mostly tourists, and thencoax them for tips at Manhattan’s Times Square. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The US economy grew at a modestannual rate of 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter, lessthan half the third quarter’s torrid 5 percent rateand weaker than the government first reported.While the sharp slowdown seems troubling on thesurface, economists say it’s actually nothing to wor-ry about. They remain optimistic that the country isfinally emerging from years of sub-par activity andis on course this year for the strongest growth in adecade. Here are five reasons why Friday’s grossdomestic product report showed that the economyis doing just fine:

* REALISTIC GROWTHThe sizzling growth rate in the July-September

quarter was never going to last. One-time factors,such as a 16 percent surge in federal defensespending, fueled the strongest acceleration inalmost a dozen years. The third quarter growth fol-lowed a 4.6 percent jump in the second quarter,which was also misleading. That was credited to arobust rebound after harsh winter weather sent theeconomy into reverse in the first quarter. After suchbig swings, it’s natural that economic growth wouldsettle into a more sustainable pace.

* CONSUMER STILL KINGThe centerpiece of the fourth quarter’s growth

was consumer spending, which expanded at a 4.2percent rate. That was the strongest quarterlygrowth since early 2006. Consumers benefited fromfalling gas prices, which gave them more to spendon other items. Consumer spending accounts for 70percent of economic activity, and economists saidthe solid performance in the final three months ofthe year was an encouraging sign going into 2015.

* BUSINESS SPENDINGAnother promising sign emerged from compa-

nies. Friday’s report revealed that they increasedinvestment spending to expand and modernizetheir facilities at a solid 4.8 percent rate in the fourthquarter. While that was down from the pace overthe previous six months, it was a marked improve-ment over the government’s first estimate thatbusiness investment had only risen at a 1.9 percentpace during the three-month period.

The robust upward revision eased concerns thatbusinesses might cut back sharply on investment in

the face of global economic weakness and a risingdollar, which hurts export sales. Moreover, one areaof weakness in the government’s report Friday - aslowdown in business stockpiling - may turn out tobe a good thing for the future. Slower inventorybuilding in the fourth quarter will mean that busi-nesses will spend more in the coming months asthey respond to rising demand. That should thenlead to stronger factory production and ultimately,economic growth.

* JOB GROWTHWhile GDP growth slowed in the fourth quarter,

the job market was on a roll. The surge continuedinto January, giving the country the strongest paceof job creation in 17 years - job gains of 423,00 inNovember, 329,000 in December and 257,000 inJanuary. Hopes for 2015 stem from the theory thatstrong job growth and falling unemployment willforce employers to start boosting salaries to attractworkers. The combination of more jobs and risingsalaries is likely to fuel strong consumer spendingthis year.

* THE ROAD AHEADTo be sure, not all the signals are flashing green.

The GDP report showed that trade will likely weighon the economy this year. Imports shot up at amuch faster rate than exports, and the wider deficitsubtracted 1.1 percentage points from fourth quar-ter growth. The stronger dollar makes importscheaper and more attractive to US consumers butdampens demand for US exports. Housing has alsolagged in the recovery, though it is expected tostrengthen this year. A separate report Friday fromthe National Association of Realtors showed thatthe number of Americans signing contracts to buyhomes rose at a healthy pace in January.

For the current January-March quarter, econo-mists forecast GDP to grow at a pace of about 2.5percent. They expect further strengthening as theyear progresses. Many analysts believe growth forall of 2015 will top 3 percent, giving the country thestrongest year since GDP grew 3.3 percent in 2005.That would represent a significant acceleration afteraverage growth of just 2.2 percent over the past fiveyears. Analysts expect the Federal Reserve torespond later this year by raising rates from recordlows near zero. —AP

5 reasons US economy is stronger

than Q4 GDP suggests

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah dailydraws on February 22, 2015, announcing thenames of its winners for the week ofFebruary 15 to February 19. The Al-Danahdaily draws include draws each working dayfor two prizes of KD1000 per winner.

The winners are: (Sunday 15/2): Samer Eliya Asaad,

Mohammed Shrhan Ramdan Al-Shammiri(Monday 16/2): Mustafa Sayed Hassan Al-

Zelzela, Abdullah Fares Mohammed Al-Mutairan

(Tuesday 17/2): Hussain Hassan HussainAl-Khawaja, Mnahi Saud Fahad Al-Shammari

(Wednesday 18/2): Nemshan SaodNemshan Al-Nemshan, Saleh Aidha Ali

(Thursday 19/2): Mohammed FayyadAbdalghafar, Namshan Mekhlaf Al-Jenfawi

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah 2015 draw lineupincludes daily draws (2 winners per workingday each receive KD1000). Al-Danah’s 1stquarterly draw will be held on 26 March(KD200,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000), 2ndquarter - 25 June (KD250,000, KD125,000,and KD25,000), 3rd Quarter - 17 September(KD500,000, KD125,000, and KD25,000). Thefinal Al-Danah draw for the Million Dinarswill be held on 7 January, 2016 whereby theAl-Danah millionaire will be announcedalongside winners of KD250,000 andKD50,000.

Al-Danah allows customers to win cashprizes and simultaneously encourages them

to save. Each KD100 gives the customer 1chance daily which accumulates day by day.The more money saved and the longer it isin the account, the more chances individu-als stand to win. Every

Al-Danah prize draws will automaticallybe deposited into the winner’s accountwithin two working days. Open an accountand Deposit now to Win Big, Live big, withAl-Danah 2015.

Al-Danah also offers a number of uniqueservices including the Al-Danah DepositOnly ATM card which helps account holdersdeposit their money at their convenience;as well as the Al Danah calculator to helpcustomers calculate their chances ofbecoming an Al-Danah winner.

Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah account is open toKuwaitis and all residents of Kuwait.Customers who open an account and/ ordeposit more will enter the draw withintwo days. To take part in the Al-Danah2015 upcoming yearly draw, customersmust have an Al-Danah account contain-ing at least KD 200. To be part of the Al-Danah draws, customers can visit one ofGulf Bank’s 59 branches, transfer on line, orcall the Customer Contact Center on1805805 for assistance and guidance.Customers can also log on to www.e-gulf-bank.com/aldanahwinners, to find outmore about Al-Danah and who the win-ners are.

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

By Islam Al-Shara’a

KUWAIT: 3M, the well-known technology solutions com-pany, will continue to bring innovative solutions and prod-ucts to Kuwait as it is focused on creating value for its cus-tomers through the 40+ technology platforms it owns in3M, said Martin Parsons, Country Manager - Kuwait andQatar, 3M Gulf, in an interview with Kuwait Times.

Over the years, 3M has made some inroads into specificareas of safety and drilling in Kuwait. With the acceleratedinvestment - both ongoing and planned - 3M sees a hugepotential for many of its products/solutions and has plansto address the same through a more focused approach, heexplains. Excerpts:

KT: Tell us a bit about 3M’s presence in Kuwait.Parsons: 3M has been operating in Kuwait for many

years, as part of 3M Gulf’s operations based out of Dubai.Over the years, we have built strong presence throughfocusing on the primary market segments, thus drivingend-user focus and creating value for our customers inmultiple segments.

KT: Do you offer your entire product range to theKuwaiti market?

Parsons: 3M produces over 65,000 products globally.What brings our focus to a particular country is based sole-ly on the various opportunities that this country can offerus. The primary market segments for us in Kuwait areConsumer, Healthcare, as well as Oil & Gas. Opportunitiesare also arising in Infrastructure. Our aim is to continuebringing innovative solutions and products to every mar-ket that we serve and are focused on creating value for ourcustomers, through the 40+ technology platforms that weown in 3M.

KT: What are the main areas/divisions which you focuson priority in Kuwait?

Parsons: The Oil & Gas sector is of high significance toKuwait, and is a primary market segment for us. Kuwait hasbeen heavily investing in the oil and gas industry for manyyears. The sector currently accounts for about 60 per centof the country’s GDP, and about 95 per cent of its exportrevenues.

Although we have been serving this market for sometime now, we believe that there are still plenty of opportu-nities that have arisen in this segment. We have madesome inroads into specific areas of safety and drilling areas.However, with the accelerated investment - both on-goingand planned - we see a huge potential for many of our

products/solutions and have plans to address the same,through a more focused approach.

KT: How strong is 3M’s presence in the oil & gas sectorin Kuwait given the fact that this industry is of high signifi-cance to the Kuwaiti market?

In order to complement our objectives to accelerate ourpenetration and expansion in the region by leveraging theenormous opportunities that it offers, we opened a Mining,

Oil & Gas division unit within 3M Gulf in September of lastyear. We have since been investing with front endresources for managing key accounts /stake holders, andproviding technical support in the field - factors that are allcritical for long-term success in the segment.

KT: What are 3M’s contributions to the Oil & Gas sector?What are the main products/solutions which 3M provides?

Parsons: 3M supplies thousands of innovative products

to the global oil and gas industry and its applications. Fromeveryday essentials - such as respirators, abrasives andelectrical connects - to advanced materials for preventingcorrosion and reducing the density of down hole cements,3M technologies offer a wealth of ingenious solutions tomany of today’s toughest challenges.

3M Oil & Gas products are divided into three categories- Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream. Upstream seg-ment helps improve drilling efficiency, maintain pipelineintegrity and protect valuable equipment and personnel.3M Midstream solutions protect pipelines against corro-sion, manage underground assets and ensure reliableproduct flow - even under extreme conditions. 3MDownstream solutions are designed for refining and stor-age applications to promoting brand image. Our technolo-gies help improve productivity, promote safety, and, mostimportantly, keep businesses up and running.

KT: Give us a few details of key projects handled in thepast in Kuwait?

Parsons: There are various projects and opportunitiesthat we have been working on in Kuwait, both with thegovernment and private sectors, whether in improvingsafety at the workplace, productivity, efficiency, bordermanagement solutions or in providing the latest technolo-gies for the Intelligent Traffic management systems.

KT: What are 3M’s latest innovations for the oil & gassector?

Parsons: We have recently expanded our line of prod-ucts in our Personal Protection Equipment division toinclude 3M Fall Protection products. It provides safe andsecure solutions that can be trusted by a company’semployees who work at height. We also have the technicalresources to help with the Competent Person Training, aprogram in which 3M Fall Protection Trainers can help pro-tect workers from injuries or death - and avoid costly safetyviolations, and on site fall hazard evaluations.

KT: What are 3M’s future plans and investments forKuwait?

Parsons: We currently have a strong presence in Kuwait,with a focus on key markets, with support from the 3M Gulfoperations team in Dubai. We will continue to evaluateopportunities for growth in the Kuwaiti market, and pro-vide innovative solutions to different segments of the mar-ket. With Kuwait being a primary focus for the Gulf region,we do see an opportunity for further penetration in someof the key segments, such us Consumer, Healthcare and Oil& Gas industries.

3M will continue to focus on oil & gas sector in Kuwait

Huge potential for innovative products, solutions in Kuwait: Parsons

Martin ParsonsCountry Manager - Kuwait and Qatar

KUWAIT: NBK Capital held the first of an annualseries of investment forums entitled “ TheInsight”. The event outlined the views of variousinvestment professionals at NBK and NBK Capitalrelating to the current investment environmentin the MENA region.

Coinciding with NBK Capital’s tenth anniver-sary, “The Insight” comes as a new initiative byNBK Capital to share with its clients andinvestors updates on business operations, offerexpert opinion on major trends and observa-tions in the world of finance, as well as provideinvestment insights that could help stakeholdersmake informed investment decisions.

Chief Executive Officer of NBK Capital FaisalAl-Hamad commented, “We are delighted tohost the first annual economic forum, “TheInsight”. As NBK Capital heads towards its sec-ond decade of operation, we believe it is vital tocontinue to foster close working partnershipwith our clients and investors through transpar-ent communications and open dialogue.Augmented by our clients and investors’ trust inus, NBK Capital formulates creative financialsolutions that address the specific investmentneeds of clients, institutional customers andhigh-net-worth individuals”.

Key highlights of the event included a pres-entation on current macro-economic analysisand business observations of local and regionalmarkets. It was noted that, “In the GCC markets,there are good growth anticipations in 2015-2016; business and consumer sentiment shouldstabilize with more stable oil markets”.Subsequent interactive presentations by a num-

ber of financial professionals at NBK Capital alsoexhibited valuable business insights. The MENAEquities-Asset Management Division providedinternational and regional historical evidencethat “equities are rewarding over the long-termdespite their significant volatility”. Meanwhile,representatives from NBK Capital’s Brokerage

Division examined the performance of stockmarket operation in local and regional markets;“We believe that Kuwait is on the right track toachieve the qualifications needed to be classi-fied as an emerging market by MSCI. The CMA islaying the groundwork to enhance custody, set-

tlements, corporate governance and the addi-tion of trading products, which are all requiredto have Kuwait upgraded to emerging status,”the Brokerage Division observed. The forumconcluded with a roundtable discussion hostedby senior members of the Research Division atNBK Capital on the topic of ‘Key Trends in the

Banking, Petrochemicals and the TransportationSectors’. Since its inception in 2005, NBK Capitalprides itself on a reach and scale that is global, afocus that is regional and a service level thatalways remains personal. For more information,visit our website www.nbkcapital.com

MANAMA: The Kingdom of Bahrain’snational carrier, Gulf Air as part of itsFalconflyer program’s 20th anniversary cel-ebrations recently awarded InayatullahQureshi with 20,000 complimentaryFalconflyer miles.

The Gulf Air FalconflyerProgram’s 20thanniversary celebrations will see the airlineover the course of 2015 give Falconflyermembers who fly with Gulf Air (a minimumof one flight in any given promotionalmonth) the chance to win 20,000Falconflyer miles each. The monthly pro-motion is running for one year fromJanuary 2015 to December 2015 and isvalid for those Falconflyer members travel-ling throughout 2015 with one lucky win-ner chosen via a monthly raffle (June andDecember will have 5 winners each) and atotal of 20 lucky winners winning400,000Falconflyermiles, overall.

Kavita Al-Jassim, Gulf Air SeniorManager Customer Experience congratu-lated Qureshi at a ceremony held at the air-line’s headquarters: “We are delighted, 20years into our Falconflyer program, to con-tinue to find new and innovative ways toreward our loyal members. This year sees uscelebrate a milestone in our history as wecontinue to pursue our longstanding mis-sion of recognizing and celebrating ourpassengers across the Gulf Air network.Congratulations to Qureshi and, on behalfof Gulf Air, I look forward to celebrating

alongside our remaining 19 winners!” Gulf Air’s Falconflyer loyalty program,

pioneered by the airline two decades ago,boasts over a million members across 100countries around the globe. Further detailsof the airline’s Falconflyer loyalty programcan be found by visiting the airline’s web-site gulfair.com where you can also enroll inthe Gulf Air FalconFlyerProgram.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of theKingdom of Bahrain, commenced opera-tions in 1950, becoming one of the firstcommercial airlines established in theMiddle East. Today, Gulf Air is a major inter-national carrier serving 43 cities in 24 coun-tries spanning three continents. The airlineoperates one of the largest networks in theMiddle East, with double daily flights toover 10 regional cities, from its hub atBahrain International Airport. Gulf Airserves all its destinations with a combina-tion wide and narrow body fleet totaling 28modern aircraft. Renowned for its tradition-al Arabian hospitality, evidenced by the air-line’s signature family and business friendlyproducts, Gulf Air is committed to being anindustry leader and developing productsand services that reflect the evolving needsand aspirations of its passengers.

Gulf Air connects Bahrain to the worldand, as such, is a key national infrastructureasset, serving as a powerful driver for theeconomy and supporting the Kingdom’son-going economic growth.

UGB announcesresults for 2014

MANAMA: United Gulf Bank BSC (UGB), yesterday announced itsfinancial results for 2014.

Key Financial Highlights for 2014:* Net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent of $18.8mil-

lion (2013: $ 2.6 million)* Net consolidated profit of $ 1.8 million (Net profit 2013: $ 4.2 mil-

lion)* Basic earnings per share of2.31cents(2013:0.32 cents)* Net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent in Q4 2014 of

$ 3.1 million (Q4 2013: $ 0.4 million)* Total income before interest and other expenses $ 169.1 million

(2013:$ 64.3 million)* Total assets for 2014 of $ 2.78billion (2013: $ 1.26 billion)* Capital adequacy ratio of 15 percent (2013:17 percent) which

exceeds the minimum regulatory requirement of 12.5 percent

Financial performanceUGB’s profit attributable to shareholders of the parent for

2014increased to $18.8million compared to $2.6 million in 2013, witha similar increase in basic earnings per share to2.31 cents from 0.32

cents in 2013.UGB consolidated FIMBank - Malta from 31

March 2014 in which equity ownership wasincreased to 60.5 percent from 30 percentthrough voluntary bid acquisition.

UGB’s total assets stood at $2.78billion asat 31December 2014, compared to US$1.26billion in 2013.

UGB balance sheet remains strong withtotal equity of $580.4million (2013: $459.6 mil-lion) and a capital adequacy ratio in excess of15 percent, above the Central Bank of Bahrain’sminimum level of 12.5 percent. UGB’s Board

of Directors will not be recommending any dividends for 2014.Masaud Hayat, Chairman of UGB said: “Net profit attributable to

shareholders of the parent registered more than 600 percent increaseduring 2014,and we are well placed for 2015. I take this opportunityto express our gratitude to all the Bahraini regulatory authorities,especially the Central Bank of Bahrain as well as the Bahrain Boursefor their longstanding support and collaboration and to thank all ourshareholders, mainly our mother company KIPCO for their trust andconfidence”

UGB is the merchant banking subsidiary of KIPCO Group. Its pro-prietary investments include assets in commercial banking, realestate, private equity, and quoted securities. As of 31December 2014assets under management exceeded $ 11.6 billion (31 December2013: $ 9.7 billion). UGB’s core subsidiaries, associates and joint ven-ture include: Burgan Bank, KAMCO Investment Company K.S.C.P.(KAMCO), FIMBank - Malta, North Africa Holding Company, UnitedGulf Financial Services - North Africa, Takaud Savings & PensionCompany, FIM Bank Plc, United Capital Transport Company andUnited Real Estate Company.

NBK Capital holds first ‘The Insight’ Investment Forum

Gulf Air celebrates 20th anniversary of its Falconflyer program

Burgan Bankannounces seventh

youth draw account winner

KUWAIT: Burgan Bank recently announced KHALEDFAISAL NAHAR ALMUTAIRI as the seventh winner ofthe new Youth Account draw that entitles youngcustomers to double their student allowances andwin an additional KD 200 every month after trans-ferring their allowance to the “Youth” account.

With the introduction of the Youth Account draw,customers transferring their student allowances tothe bank will be automatically enrolled into a draw,whereby for every KD 20 in their Youth Account,customers will be given a chance to win a cash prizeof KD 200 every month. Customers wishing to takepart in this draw are advised to transfer their educa-tional allowance to Burgan Bank’s Youth accountand enjoy their multiple chances of winning.

The bank’s Youth Account was launched foryoung individuals, around the ages of 15 to 25, whoseek to attain a successful future. There is no KD lim-it to open an account, and no minimum balancerequired to maintain it. Furthermore, account hold-ers receive free prepaid card and an ATM card whichentitles them to discounts at selected merchants.

To find out more about Burgan Bank’s YouthAccount as well as the latest promotions, customersare required to visit their nearest Burgan Bankbranch or contact the call center on 1804080.

UGB Chairman Masaud Hayat

KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced thatit is partnering with CLASS Big & Elegantto offer its Priority Banking clients exclu-sive benefits when they shop with theirGulf Bank credit cards.

Through this partnership with CLASSBig & Elegant, Priority Banking clientsbenefit from a 15 percent discount whenshopping at their store in Arraya Mall.This offer is valid until 14 December2015.

Gulf Bank is committed to offering itsPriority clients with new promotions inaddition to an exceptional range of

financial products and banking services.To take advantage of this latest exclusiveoffer, customers can identify themselvesand use their Gulf Bank Visa Infinite,World MasterCard, Platinum MasterCard,and Platinum Visa when making a pur-chase from CLASS Big & Elegant andenjoy the 15 percent discount. To findout more about Gulf Bank’s promotionsand offers, customers can visit one ofGulf Bank’s 59 branches; contact theCustomer Contact Center on 1805805, orlog on to the Bank’s bilingual website atwww.e-gulfbank.com.

Gulf Bank’s priority clients to enjoy 15% exclusive

discount at CLASS Big & Elegant

Gulf Bank announces winners of Al-Danah daily draws

t e c hnolo g ySUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

SEWARD: A floating Arctic laboratory four decadesin the making has arrived at its home port andstands poised to begin unlocking mysteries of oneof the wildest places on Earth. The 261-foot Sikuliaq(see-KOO’-lee-ak) next month will leave Seward, sailaround the Aleutian Islands and tuck into sea ice inthe Bering Sea. The voyage will be the final trial forits reinforced hull, propulsion system and array ofcranes and booms that will deploy instrumentsranging from small submarines and plankton netsto buoys that weigh a ton. “Knock on wood, I’mhoping that’s it’s going to be something that peo-ple like over the next 30, 40 years,” said TerryWhitledge, a University of Alaska Fairbanks chemi-cal oceanographer who has worked since 1999 tosee the vessel built.

The Sikuliaq is named for the Inupiat Eskimoword for young sea ice. The ship is owned by theNational Science Foundation and will be operatedby UA Fairbanks. It replaces the Alpha Helix, whichwas taken out of service in 2004. At just 125 feetlong, the Alpha Helix could carry only 15 scientistsand was undersized for the waters where crab fish-ermen of “Deadliest Catch” earn their money. TheSikuliaq, built by Marinette Marine Corp. inMarinette, Wisconsin, has berths for 26 researchers,a crew of 20, and features lacking on the AlphaHelix.

The vessel has nearly 100 feet of stern deck.Researchers can fill a modular container and have itloaded with one of the Sikuliaq’s cranes, said MikeHoshlyk, the ship’s captain. The cranes can put peo-ple as well as equipment on sea ice. For heavy lift-ing, scientists can turn to the double articulated A-

frame crane off the stern. The crane can rotatedown almost flush with the water for towing or tohelp hoist a sediment corer sunk 70 feet into theocean floor, Whitledge said. “To pull that back outrequires many, many tons of pull,” Whitledge said.Just forward from the stern deck is the Baltic Room.It looks like a garage but provides headed space for

researchers to stage gear, such as CTDs, devicesthat measure conductivity, temperature and depth.

“You don’t want this stuff iced up and frozenwhen you’re trying to deploy it and have it workproperly,” Hoshlyk said. “You’re just wasting timesending something down that’s not going to work.”A door on the Baltic Room slides out of the way to

let its load-handling system extend a boom down45 degrees to release equipment that can descendto 10,000 meters or more. The ship has acoustic sys-tems designed to map the ocean bottom and pro-file sediment 70 meters deep, Whitledge said. Butit’s the ice capability and its extreme maneuverabili-ty that makes it stand out.

The vessel’s reinforced double hull can bepushed through ice 3 feet thick. It’s powered by twothrusters and scalloped propeller blades that can berotated 360 degrees to either pull or push the ves-sel. Reinforced propellers can grind ice. It can besteered by a joystick in the captain’s chair, the swipeof a computer screen, or controls on stations on thestarboard or stern. The $200 million-plus vessel isdesigned to conduct research 24 hours per day. Itwill cost about $45,000 per day to operate. Thereare always issues with new vessels, Hoshlyk said,and it can up to three years to detect problems.That’s been the case with the Sikuliaq.

After trials on Lake Michigan, a lubrication prob-lem was discovered in the propulsion units andthey had to be replaced, costing more than $1 mil-lion. On the transit across the North Pacific, cracksdeveloped in the base foundations of winches hold-ing 36 tons of cable. The A-frame crane will bereplaced. Carbon steel was used in places it shouldnot have been, Hoshlyk said, such as the drainsgoing over the side. “Now you have a light-blueboat with rust streaks,” he said. “That piping is goingto deteriorate and it’s going to have to be replaced.”The Sikuliaq will spend about a month in Bering Seaice and then head to dry dock for repairs. Sciencemissions could resume in July. — AP

Arctic research vessel Sikuliaq prepares for final trials

ALASKA: The National Science Foundation research ship Sikuliaq is moored in Seward, Alaska. — AP

CALIFORNIA: Facebook users who don’t fit any ofthe 58 gender identity options offered by the socialmedia giant are now being given a rather big 59thoption: fill in the blank. “Now, if you do not identifywith the pre-populated list of gender identities,you are able to add your own,” said a Facebookannouncement published online Thursday morn-ing and shared in advance with The AssociatedPress. Facebook software engineer Ari Chivukula,who identifies as transgender and was part of theteam that made the free-form option, thinks thechange will lead to more widespread acceptance ofpeople who don’t identify themselves as a man orwoman. “We’re hoping this will open up the dia-logue,” Chivukula said.

Alison CK Fogarty, a gender identity researcherat Stanford University, said giving users controlover the words describing their gender is a signifi-cant step in social recognition of a growing transcommunity, especially coming from the world’slargest social media company. “People are stillfighting to make room for gender identity withinthe socially constructed binary of male and female,”Fogarty said. “Labels and identities are powerful inthat they give a sense of community, a way of artic-ulating one’s experience.” In February 2014,Facebook expanded gender identity from male andfemale to a list of dozens of options, includingAndrogyne, Gender Fluid, Intersex, Neither andTransgender. Those choices will all still be available.

People who choose a custom gender can alsochoose the pronoun they would like to be referredto publicly: he/his, she/her or they/their. Facebookhas a setting for users to control the audience who

sees their gender. Last year’s changes created anonline stir, with thousands of comments - somegrateful, others confused or hostile. But staff atFacebook said there was full support to take it evenfurther this year, from CEO Mark Zuckerberg ondown. As of Thursday, the free-form option rolledout to US users, while the custom gender identityoption with a list of words was available in theUnited Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Spain,Italy, Germany, Argentina and Denmark.

One thing that has not changed is an “interestedin” option for Facebook users to define whom theymight want to date. That option still only allowsmen or women, but users can click both options,one option or neither option. They can also hide itentirely. Facebook, which has 1.23 billion activemonthly users around the world, would not releasehow many users have chosen gender identityoptions beyond man or woman, citing privacy con-cerns and a general practice of not sharing userinformation.

The Williams Institute, a think tank based at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, estimatesthere are at least 700,000 people in the U.S. whoidentify as transgender, an umbrella term thatincludes people who live as a gender different fromthe one assigned to them at birth. Sarah Kate Ellis,CEO and president of the advocacy group GLAAD,said that the past few years have brought “realmovement in trans visibility” and that Facebookhas been a leader in making that happen. “Thishelps to accelerate trans acceptance in our coun-try,” Ellis said. “I’m excited about the future for gen-der identity.”— AP

Fill in the blankFacebook adds new gender option for users

WASHINGTON: Google has unveiled plans for a new campus head-quarters integrating wildlife and sweeping waterways, aiming tomake a big statement in Silicon Valley-which is already seeing ambi-tious projects from Apple and Facebook. The design also includeslush public gardens, looping covered bikeways and futuristic-lookingbuildings that can be moved about like toy blocks. The redesign onthe Google property in Mountain View, California, by Danish architectBjarke Ingels and London-based Thomas Heatherwick, was submit-ted to local officials Friday, with details released on the company’sofficial blog.

The latest huge design project in Silicon Valley comes as Apple isin the midst of building its “spaceship” campus and Facebook is usingrenowned architect Frank Gehry for its campus expansion. Google-which has faced opposition from locals-said its new design is aimedat “rethinking office space.” “As we’ve inhabited a variety of work-places-including a garage in Menlo Park (California), a farmhouse inDenmark and an entire New York city block-we’ve learned somethingabout what makes an office space great,” Google vice president forreal estate David Radcliffe said in a blog post. Radcliffe said the newcampus will “lead to a better way of working.”

He added that “instead of constructing immoveable concretebuildings, we’ll create lightweight block-like structures which can bemoved around easily as we invest in new product areas.” The planincludes large canopies over the campus which “regulate climate,pollution, and sound, while freeing spaces from traditional architec-tural limitations like walls, windows and roofs.” It aims “to blur the dis-tinction between our buildings and nature,” added Radcliffe. Onerendering shows a loop for bicycles and pedestrians going through

the center of one building, connecting with cafes and local shops.Tensions in the ValleyThe New York Times, which first reported on the Google campus

plan this week, said the project has raised concerns in the once-sleepy community of Mountain View about being overrun by thetechnology behemoth. The expansion of the wealthy tech giants inthe region has led to increased congestion as well as an explosion inthe area’s real estate prices.

Radcliffe said the new Google campus will see it do “more withthe local community.” “We’re adding lots of bike paths and retailopportunities, like restaurants, for local businesses,” he noted. “Wealso hope to bring new life to the unique local environment, fromenhancing burrowing owl habitats to widening creek beds.” In near-by Cupertino, Apple won approval in 2013 for a shimmering flying-saucer-shaped headquarters after a tax break granted the technolo-gy titan was trimmed. “Apple Campus 2” is described as a 21stCentury creation designed for research, collaboration, and innova-tion.

Apple enlisted world-famous architect Norman Foster to trans-form a 176-acre site dominated by asphalt and old buildings into“sustainable, state-of-the-art office, research and development facili-ties.” Facebook meanwhile is upgrading its Menlo Park campus at theformer headquarters of Sun Microsystems. Gehry, known for hisdeconstructive style and buildings that sometimes appear unfin-ished, also designed the Stata Center at the Massachusetts Instituteof Technology and the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris. Facebook’snew hub has been described as “a large, one-room building thatsomewhat resembles a warehouse.”— AFP

WASHINGTON: Internet activists have declaredvictory over the nation’s big cable companies,after the Federal Communications Commissionvoted to impose the toughest rules yet onbroadband service to prevent companies likeComcast, Verizon and AT&T from creating paidfast lanes and slowing or blocking web traffic.The 3-2 vote ushered in a new era of govern-ment oversight for an industry that has seen rel-atively little. It represents the biggest regulatoryshake-up to telecommunications providers inalmost two decades.

The new rules require that any companyproviding a broadband connection to yourhome or phone must act in the “public interest”and refrain from using “unjust or unreasonable”business practices. The goal is to preventproviders from striking deals with contentproviders like Google, Netflix or Twitter to movetheir data faster. “Today is a red-letter day forInternet freedom,” said FCC Chairman TomWheeler, whose remarks at Thursday’s meetingfrequently prompted applause by Internetactivists in the audience.

President Barack Obama, who had come outin favor of net neutrality in the fall, portrayedthe decision as a victory for democracy in thedigital age. In an online letter, he thanked the

millions who wrote to the FCC and spoke out onsocial media in support of the change. “Today’sFCC decision will protect innovation and createa level playing field for the next generation ofentrepreneurs - and it wouldn’t have happenedwithout Americans like you,” he wrote. Verizonsaw it differently, using the Twitter hashtag#ThrowbackThursday to draw attention to theFCC’s reliance on 1934 legislation to regulatethe Internet. Likewise, AT&T suggested the FCChad damaged its reputation as an independentfederal regulator by embracing such a liberalpolicy.

Net neutrality“Does anyone really think Washington needs

yet another partisan fight? Particularly a fightaround the Internet, one of the greatest enginesof economic growth, investment and innova-tion in history?” said Jim Cicconi, AT&T’s seniorexecutive vice president for external and legisla-tive affairs. Net neutrality is the idea that web-sites or videos load at about the same speed.That means you won’t be more inclined towatch a particular show on Amazon Primeinstead of on Netflix because Amazon hasstruck a deal with your service provider to loadits data faster.—AP

CALIFORNIA: This architectural rendering by BIG & Heatherwick Studio and released by Google, shows the company’s plan for anew headquarters campus in Mountain View, California. — AFP

Google aims to make a big

statement in Silicon ValleyGoogle hits back at rivals with futuristic HQ plan

DUBAI: RSA Conference (www.rsaconference.com),the world’s leading information security confer-ences and expositions has announced it intends toexpand to Abu Dhabi in November of 2015. Withsuccessful events throughout the world, this will bethe first new event added to the RSAC landscapesince the introduction of RSA Conference Asia-Pacific and Japan in 2013. RSA Conference is in dis-cussions with the UAE National Electronic SecurityAuthority (NESA), about the launch of the event.NESA is responsible for establishing cybersecuritystrategies, policies and standards to create a CyberSecure environment, further enabling the UAE’sunimpeded progress.

Targeting 800 information security profession-als from Europe, Middle East and African regions,RSA Conference Abu Dhabi 2015plans to offerkeynotes, track sessions and sponsors, like its otherevents. “Cyber security is a global concern critical tobusinesses and regions around the globe. NESA iscommitted to protecting our national infrastruc-ture from all cyber threats, utilizing the latest inno-vative technologies and setting cybersecuritystrategies and policies,” said a NESA spokesperson.“In order to stay ahead of threats, the industry’sgreatest minds need to continue to share informa-tion and provide lessons learned.

As a past attendee of RSA Conference events, Ihave seen first-hand the countless opportunities

RSA Conferences offer attendees; to network andlearn, and I am excited to see the event expandinto Abu Dhabi.” “The Middle East has rapidlyemerged as an information security market whose

influence extends well beyond its borders,” said ArtCoviello, RSA Executive Chairman. “Ourplans tolaunch RSA Conference Abu Dhabi 2015 provides avenue for the larger information security industryto tap into the burgeoning vitality and creativity ofthe Middle East and North African markets.

We look forward to facilitating the same level ofindustry interaction and advancement in AbuDhabi that has long characterized the RSAConference experience.” “As Internet penetrationand investments in advanced technologies contin-ue to surge in the Middle East, the need for enter-prises and governments to deploy advanced secu-rity technologies and proactive policies grow evenfurther.” said Mohammed Amin, Senior VicePresident, EMC Turkey, Eastern Europe, Africa andMiddle East region.

“In recent months, we have seen frequentinstances of advanced cyber-attacks and espi-onage campaigns targeting critical industries,enterprises and governments across the regionmaking cyber security a core focus area for bothenterprises and governments. The RSA ConferenceAbu Dhabi is aimed at highlighting the importanceof adopting an “Intelligence Driven Approach” tosecurity while fostering an environment of learningand awareness for both public and private sectorentities to better understand the wider threat land-scape and outlook for the future.”

RSA Conference plans to expand Regulators approve tougher

rules for Internet providers

Mohammed Amin, SVP and Regional ManagerTEEAM region

WASHINGTON: Photo shows a view of and Apple iPhone displaying the Facebook app’s splashscreen in front of the login page on a computer. Facebook said it has boosted the number of adver-tisers on the social network to two million as it launched a mobile app for those managing theircommercial pitches. — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

WASHINGTON: People who drink four to sixcups of coffee daily may be less likely to getmultiple sclerosis, according to internationalresearch.

“Caffeine intake has been associated witha reduced risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’sdiseases,” said lead author Ellen Mowry of theJohns Hopkins University School of Medicinein Baltimore, Maryland.

“Our study shows that coffee intake may

also protect against MS, supporting the ideathat the drug may have protective effects forthe brain,” she added.

The findings of a US and Swedish study-released ahead of the American Academy ofNeurology annual meeting in Washington-each compared more than 1,000 MS patientsto a similar number of healthy people.

Researchers tracked how much coffeethe subjects drank in the one, five and 10

years before symptoms began for thoseafflicted with MS.

After accounting for other factors such asage, sex, smoking, body mass index and sunexposure, the Swedish study found that“compared to people who drank at least sixcups of coffee per day during the year beforesymptoms appeared, those who did notdrink coffee had about a one and a half timesincreased risk of developing MS.”

Similar protective effects were seenamong those who drank lots of coffee five to10 years before symptoms appeared.

The US study found that “people who did-n’t drink coffee were also about one and ahalf times more likely to develop the diseasethan those who drank four or more cups ofcoffee per day in the year before symptomsstarted to develop.”

More research is needed to determine if

caffeine in coffee has any impact on relapseor long-term disability due to MS, an incur-able disease of the central nervous systemthat affects 2.3 million people worldwide.

The study was funded by the SwedishMedical Research Council, the US NationalInstitute of Neurological Disorders andStroke, the National Institute ofEnvironmental Health Sciences and theNational Institute on Aging. —AFP

Drinking coffee may lower risk of multiple sclerosis

A handout photo realesed on February 24, 2015 by the European Southern Observatory shows NASA/ESA Hubble SpaceTelescope image of the region known as the Hubble Deep Field South. New observations using the MUSE (Multi UnitSpectroscopic Explorer) instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have detected remote galaxies that are not visible toHubble, its operators said yesterday. —AFP

PARIS: A new instrument on Europe’s VeryLarge Telescope (VLT) has produced the mostdetailed 3-D view yet of the deep Universe, dis-covering 26 distant galaxies in just 27 hours ofscanning, its operators said Friday.

MUSE, for Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer,captures high-resolution images of deep space,and breaks the light observed from distantobjects down into its component colours inorder to study the composition, distance andmovement of galaxies.

The 22-million euro ($25 million) instrument,which took 10 years to design and build, start-ed operating last year as part of the EuropeanSouthern Observatory’s VLT array based inChile’s Atacama desert.

Its first results have “given astronomers thebest ever three-dimensional view of the deepUniverse,” an ESO statement said.

“The new observations reveal the distances,motions and other properties of far more galax-ies than ever before in this tiny piece of thesky.”

MUSE has allowed the team to study objects

that even Hubble, the powerful orbiting tele-scope, have not been able to spot.

A joint project of the American andEuropean space agencies, Hubble has capturediconic long exposure pictures that taught usmuch about the young Universe.

But to find out more about the galaxies inthese “deep field” images, astronomers have tostudy them with other instruments-a difficultand time-consuming job, said the ESO state-ment.

“But now, for the first time, the new MUSEinstrument can do both jobs at once-and farmore quickly,” it added.

In 20 years, astronomers have been able toanalyse 18 of some 500 objects discovered byHubble in a part of the sky known as HubbleDeep Field South, for example.

Opens new avenuesThe MUSE team, on the other hand, was able

to study and determine the distances to 189galaxies in the same area, the instrument’s prin-cipal investigator Roland Bacon of France’s

Lyon Centre for Astrophysics Research told AFP.In 27 hours over four nights, MUSE found 26

galaxies that had been too far and too faint tobe included in Hubble’s map.

“This opens many new avenues,” said Bacon,hailing the “fantastic” results.

“It shows that we have built a machine thatperforms extremely well and will allow us tolearn many things.”

The results allowed astronomers to lookback about 12 billion years — not long afterthe Big Bang that formed the Universe some13.7 billion years ago.

MUSE studies the mechanism by whichgalaxies form, how they move and what theyare composed of, in order to better understandour world.

The team, said Bacon, is looking specificallyfor young systems giving birth to bright, newstars, and were less concerned with massiveclusters which can be spotted more “but don’tresemble our own galaxy.”

The results were published in the journalAstronomy & Astrophysics. —AFP

Sky-scanning instrument on VLT finds new galaxiesResults give astronomers best three-dimensional view

WASHINGTON: Chronic fatigue syndromeis a disease with distinct stages that can beidentified through biomarkers in theblood, researchers said Friday, offeringhope that earlier diagnosis may improvetreatment.

Scientists at Columbia University’sMailman School of Public Health said theirfindings represent “the first robust physicalevidence” that the syndrome is “a biologicalillness as opposed to a psychological disor-der, and the first evidence that the diseasehas distinct stages.”

The report was published in the journalScience Advances.

With no known cause or cure, chronicfatigue syndrome-known formally asencephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) — has longpuzzled the medical community. It cancause extreme tiredness, headaches, diffi-culty concentrating and muscle pain.

“We now have evidence confirmingwhat millions of people with this diseasealready know, that ME/CFS isn’t psycholog-ical,” said lead author Mady Hornig, associ-ate professor of epidemiology atColumbia’s Mailman School.

“Our results should accelerate theprocess of establishing the diagnosis afterindividuals first fall ill as well as discovery ofnew treatment strategies focusing onthese early blood markers.”

Plasma samplesResearchers tested levels of 51 immune

biomarkers in blood plasma samples from298 patients and 348 healthy controls.Specific patterns appeared in patients whohad the disease three years or less.

These patterns were not visible inhealthy controls or patients who had the

disease for more than three years. Thosewho had been sick for less than three yearshad higher levels of immune moleculescalled cytokines.

“The association was unusually strongwith a cytokine called interferon gammathat has been linked to the fatigue that fol-lows many viral infections, includingEpstein-Barr virus,” said the study.

However, cytokine levels did not explainsymptom severity, which often fluctuates.Patients may have good days and baddays.

“It appears that ME/CFS patients areflush with cytokines until around the three-year mark, at which point the immune sys-tem shows evidence of exhaustion andcytokine levels drop,” said Hornig.

Researchers said the findings supportthe theory that the disease may strikewhen vulnerable patients fall ill with acommon virus like Epstein-Barr, whichcauses mononucleosis, and they areunable to recover.

“The immune response becomes like acar stuck in high gear,” the university said ina statement.

Previous research has ruled out twoviruses thought to be causing ME/CFS,including xenotropic murine leukemiavirus and murine retrovirus-like sequences.

“This study delivers what has eluded usfor so long: unequivocal evidence ofimmunological dysfunction in ME/CFS anddiagnostic biomarkers for disease,” saidsenior author W. Ian Lipkin, professor ofepidemiology at Columbia’s MailmanSchool.

“The question we are trying to addressin a parallel microbiome project is whattriggers this dysfunction.” —AFP

Blood biomarkers found for chronic fatigue syndrome

MONROVIA: A man walks past an ebola campaign banner with the new slo-gan “Ebola Must GO” in Monrovia on February 23, 2015. The country of fourmillion is slowly emerging from the epidemic, with infections at a fraction ofthe peak, borders reopening, children back at school and now the night-time lockdown lifted. —AFP

TULALIP: The Justice Department’sannouncement in December that itwould allow the nation’s Indiantribes to legalize and regulate mari-juana on their reservations broughtnotes of caution - if not silence oropposition - from many tribes. Theywere reluctant given the sub-stance-abuse problems thatalready plague many reservations.But the attendance at a conferenceon the topic Friday gave an earlyindication of just how many mightbe weighing it, even if a thicket of

potential legal issues remain.Representatives of about 75

tribes from around the countryconverged on the Tulalip IndianTribes’ resort and casino for a $605-a-head seminar on the regulatory,legal and social issues related to potlegalization. That’s a small fractionof the nation’s 566 recognizedtribes. Many attendees were fromsmaller tribes looking for a poten-tial economic edge. “A great dealmore are considering this than Ithought would be considering it,”

said Ken Meshigaud, chairman ofthe Hannahville Indian Community,a band of the Potawatomi Tribe onMichigan’s Upper Peninsula. “Froman economic standpoint, it may bea good venture the tribes can getinto.”

Self-sufficiencyTulalip Vice Chairman Les Parks

called it “a dream of another pointof self-sufficiency on our reserva-tions.” “That’s what marijuana cando for us,” he said. Tribes have been

wrestling with the idea since the USJustice Department announcedthat it wouldn’t stand in their way ifthey want to approve pot for med-ical or recreational use. The agencysaid tribes must follow the samelaw enforcement priorities laid outfor states that legalize the drug,including keeping marijuana out ofthe hands of children and criminalelements.

The discussions are heating up:On Monday, about 200 tribal lead-ers attended a meeting of theNational Congress of AmericanIndians, which included a closed-to-the-press panel discussion withJustice Department officials onmarijuana legalization, said DemitriDowning, a former prosecutor forthe Tohono O’odham tribe insouthern Arizona who now advisestribes on regulatory issues relatedto pot. The topic also is on theagenda of a major tribal economicsummit in Las Vegas next month.“We have to take a look at it,” saidSeth Pearman, an attorney for theFlandreau Santee Sioux Tribe inSouth Dakota. “The economicopportunity is just astronomical - itwould be almost negligent to missout on this.”

He said tribal leaders already aredrafting regulations for a marijuanaindustry, and they toured someWashington state dispensaries ontheir trip. The conference wasorganized by Robert Odawi Porter,a former president of the SenecaNation in New York, and Seattlemarijuana business attorneysHilary Bricken and Robert McVay.Porter noted that difficult legalissues remain, especially related totribal sovereignty. About 17 stateshave some criminal jurisdiction

over tribal lands. If tribes are inthose states, and those states pro-hibit marijuana, tribal memberscould face state criminal prosecu-tion if they legalize or regulatemarijuana, he said.

Great business modelSeveral tribes stressed they are

proceeding cautiously and reluc-tant to outpace changes in statemarijuana laws. For example, tribesmight not want to legalize forrecreational use if it’s illegal off-reservation, said Chris Stearns, aNavajo and the chairman of theWashington State GamblingCommission. “They can sell to non-Indians, but the second they leavethe reservation they get arrested,”Stearns said. “That’s not a greatbusiness model.”

The tribal council of the 3,200-member Hoopa Valley Tribe, inNorthern California’s famedEmerald Triangle, has requestedrecommendations from health, lawenforcement and other tribal offi-cials to consider the consequencesof marijuana legalization, includingwhether it might jeopardize federalaid for health care, fire services orhousing, said Councilman BradMarshall. Some tribes said theywould first consider regulatingcannabis for medical use. They saidthey were intrigued about the ideathat making pot more accessiblemight help cut down on abuse ofmethamphetamine or prescriptiondrugs among tribal members.“We’re looking at what the benefitsare, not only with revenue but withthe medical relief we can give toour elders,” said Lewis Taylor, chair-man of the St Croix Tribe ofWisconsin. —AP

China’s survey finds increase

in giant pandasBEIJING: Wild giant pandas in China are doing well.The latest census by China’s State ForestryAdministration shows the panda population hasgrown by 268 to a total of 1,864 since the last surveyending in 2003.

Nearly three quarters of the pandas live in thesouthwestern province of Sichuan. The remainingpandas have been found in the neighboring Shaanxiand Gansu provinces.

“The rise in the population of wild giant pandas isa victory for conservation and definitely one to cele-brate,” said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president ofwildlife conservation for World Wildlife Fund.

Hemley credited efforts by the Chinese govern-ment for the increase. The survey shows 1,246 wildgiant pandas live within nature reserves. There are 67panda reserves in China, an increase of 27 since thelast survey.

“The survey result demonstrates the effectivenessof nature reserves in boosting wild giant panda num-bers,” said Xiaohai Liu, executive program director forWWF-China.

But the survey also points to economic develop-ment as a main threat to the rare animal. It says 319hydropower stations and 1,339 kilometers (832miles) of roads have been built in the giant panda’shabitat.

WWF said it is the first time that large-scale infra-structure projects such as mining and railroads getreferenced in the survey. Traditional threats such aspoaching are on the decline, WWF noted.

China began surveying its giant pandas in the1970s. The latest census began in 2011 and tookthree years to complete.

The number of giant pandas in captivity grew by211, more than double the previous survey figure,according to the census released yesterday. —AP

Tribes from around US gather to discuss legal marijuana

BENTIU: IDP’s (Internally displaced persons) queue to register at the UNMISS Protection ofCivilian (POC) site in Bentiu, Unity State, on Friday. The camp receives up to 200 new IDPeach day, due to lack of services in the town. The World Health Organization today appealedfor 1.0 billion USD in additional funds to help provide life-saving health services to millionsin need in conflict-ravaged Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic and South Sudan. —AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

NEW DELHI: India’s federal government yesterdaykept its healthcare budget for 2015-16 on a tightleash and asked states to contribute more funds forrunning the country’s flagship health programmes.

The government announced 297 billion rupees($4.81 billion) for its main health department,roughly 2 percent higher than current year ’srevised budget of 290 billion rupees.

I t had been expected that Prime MinisterNarendra Modi would ramp up federal healthspending in a bid to achieve his goal of universal

health coverage. He has also vowed to revamp thesector and make medical services more affordablefor the poor.

“Health has not received adequate attentionand allocation in the budget. The promise of uni-versal health coverage will remain unfulfilled unlesshealth is prioritised,” K. Srinath Reddy, President ofthe Public Health Foundation of India, told Reuters.

Asia’s third-largest economy spends about 1percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) onpublic health, compared with 3 percent in China

and 8.3 percent in the United States. Indian statesmanage their health budgets separately.

Despite rapid economic growth over the pasttwo decades, successive federal governments havefailed to invest generously in health. An inadequatenumber of doctors and a poor network of publichospitals, coupled with bureaucratic bungling,means India often struggles to spend its allocatedbudgets.

The budget documents said states will be askedto increase their share in funding for the National

Health Mission, the country’s main health pro-gramme that provides basic medical services tomillions of poor people.

While the government said it will open six newlarge public hospitals across the country, thefinancing left many disappointed.

“This budget allocation is not a significantincrease to boost Indian public health stan-dards,” said a health ministry official in NewDelhi who described the budget figures as “dis-couraging”. —Reuters

India keeps tight rein on public health spending

WASHINGTON: It’s not uncommon to feel sometrepidation around tax-filing season. But there’san added hassle this year for nearly a million con-sumers who got financial help with health insur-ance premiums under President Barack Obama’slaw.

The government sent consumers erroneousinformation on forms that they need to completetheir 2014 tax returns. Now they’re getting robo-calls and emails advising them to delay filing untilthe mistakes get fixed.

Some are taking it in stride. Others wonderwhat else could go wrong. “It’s been a comedy oferrors from the start,” said K.C. Crafts, a freelancefinancial writer from South Berwick, Maine.

The mistake the government made affected800,000 customers receiving subsidized healthcoverage through the federal insurance market.Some states running their own insuranceexchanges also have had tax-form troubles.

In the federal case, 2015 premiums were sub-stituted for what should have been 2014 num-bers on new tax forms called 1095-As. Thoseforms are like W-2s for people who got subsidizedhealth insurance - building blocks for filing anaccurate tax return.

Crafts said her form has another error as well,potentially more serious. The coverage dates arewrong, and the result makes it appear as if sheand her husband got much more in subsidiesthan they actually received. Maine is one of the 37states served by HealthCare.gov, which is run bythe Department of Health and Human Services.

Unfavorable interaction“This is not just an aggravation, it’s a financial

issue, because I could end up paying for a clericalerror,” she said. The Obama administration saysit’s trying to figure out what caused the broadermistake, even as it rushes corrected informationto affected taxpayers.

Asked for an explanation at a recent Househearing, HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan putit this way: “It appears there was an unfavorableinteraction between two pieces of softwarecode.”

Translation: The administration is still techno-logically challenged by health insurance pro-grams.

“This is an unforced error,” scolded Rep. MattCartwright, D-Pa. “It provides fodder for thosewho want to tear down” the law. Donna Brown ofAustin, Texas, said she thinks it’s about on par forthe government.

“I never am too surprised when the federalgovernment makes mistakes like this,” saidBrown, a former executive administrative assis-tant for a tech company. Taking a break from theindustry’s pressures, she said she’s relieved thatshe was able to get health insurance as a result ofObama’s law. Brown usually files her taxes at thelast minute, so the error notices haven’t affectedher routine.

“Whoever implemented this, there wouldhave been problems,” said Brown. “It’s new. Eventhough it’s the second year of coverage, it’s thefirst time these statements are coming out.”

Tax penaltiesThe health care law offers subsidized private

insurance to people who do not have access tocoverage on the job. Because those subsidies aredelivered as tax credits, recipients have to accountfor them each year on their tax returns. That’s whatthe 1095-A tax form is supposed to help them do.

For John Stephens of Littleton, Colorado, it’sturned to vexation. An audio recording and edit-ing specialist, Stephens said his 1095-A indicateshe was only insured for the last two months of2014, when in fact he had coverage sinceFebruary. Such a mistake could expose him to taxpenalties that the law levies on people whoremain uninsured if they can otherwise afford cov-erage.

Stephens said he’s spent a lot of time on thephone with his insurer and the Colorado healthinsurance exchange, which is run by that state. “It’sreally easy for them to bounce the ball back to theother.” Last year, insurers said many of the enroll-ment records they got from the then-new insur-ance markets had errors.

Spokesman Curtis Hubbard said the Coloradoexchange is reviewing its records and workingwith Stephens’ insurer to resolve the situation.

Stephens said he suspects his situation is anearly indicator of more problems. “It’s the pointyend of the spear,” he said. “It’s going to be a big,big problem.”

Hubbard said Colorado sent out about 107,000of the forms to consumers. So far, the exchangehas gotten about 170 calls with questions. —AP

Annoyance arises from govt

error on health care tax formsGovernment mistake affects 800,000 customers

MIAMI: Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell talks about our community’s preparedness ahead of the secondopen enrollment in the Health Insurance Marketplace during a visit at Florida International University College of Law in Miami.Droves of people signing up for health insurance this weekend may not realize it, but their coverage under President BarackObama’s law could be short lived. —AP

ATLANTA: A federal panel recommendedthat two new meningitis vaccines only beused for rare outbreaks, resisting tearfulpleas to give it routinely to teens and col-lege students.

The vaccines target B strain meningo-coccal disease, which comes on like the fluat first but can rapidly develop into dan-gerous meningitis or blood infections. Butit is very rare and students already getanother meningitis vaccine that protectsagainst four more common strains.

So the Advisory Committee onImmunization Practices declined to recom-mend routine shots for all adolescents andcollege students. The panel is to considerthat later this year. It only recommendedthe vaccine be used in emergencies or forpeople at unusually high risk.

Before the unanimous vote, the com-mittee heard pleas for broader support forthe vaccine. With quivering voices andteary eyes, many told personal storiesabout the disease’s personal impact. Onewoman, Patti Wukovits from New York’sLong Island, said her 17-year-old daughterdied in 2012, shortly before her highschool graduation.

“We buried her in her prom dress,” saidWukovits, a nurse. “Kimberly would bealive today if she’d had the opportunity tobe protected by the B vaccines.”

Meningococcal (mehn-ihn-joh-KAHK’-ul) disease is caused by a bacteria spreadby coughing, sneezing and kissing, andmost cases occur in previously healthychildren and young adults. College dormi-tories are considered potential launching

pads for outbreaks.Even with antibiotic treatment, 10 to 15

percent of people who get it die, andabout 15 percent of survivors have long-term disabilities, including loss of limbs orbrain damage. Illnesses caused by the Bstrain are very rare and have not beenincreasing, but the disease grabbed atten-tion in 2013 with small outbreaks atPrinceton University and the University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara. At that time,there was no B strain vaccine available inthe US; special permission was granted tobring it from Europe where it wasapproved for students at the two schools.

This year, there have been two out-breaks - at the University of Oregon and atProvidence College in Rhode Island. InOregon, one student died last week andthree others were sickened.

The strain B vaccines for ages 10 to 25were licensed in the US in the past fewmonths: Bexsero, by Novartis, wasapproved last month. It’s given in two dos-es, at a retail price of $160 a dose.

Pfizer ’s Trumenba was l icensed inOctober. It’s a three-dose series at $115 ashot. The panel’s advice - if adopted by thegovernment - would influence doctor useof the new vaccines and insurance cover-age.

Illnesses from the other four bacterialmeningitis strains have fallen to historiclows, with fewer than a dozen casesreported each year. The vaccine againstthose strains is recommended for ages 11through 18 years. It’s standard for mostkids entering college. —AP

Panel: Use new meningitis

vaccines only for outbreaks

PARIS: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls (C) and French minister for SocialAffairs, Health and Women’s Rights Marisol Touraine (L) visit La Pitie-Salpetriere hospital on Friday in Paris, as France is facing the worst flu epi-demic of the past five years. —AFP

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

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Lu&Lu Hypermarket gifts winners a trip to Incredible India Lu&Lu Hypermarket, the country’s largest retail chain, held their much awaited prize distribution on 26 February, 2015 at their Al-Rai outlet. Organized as a part of their ‘Incredible India’ promotion, the raffle

draw offered customers a lucky coupon for every KD5 worth of purchase that gave them the opportunity to win one of 26 free air tickets to India. The start of the prize distribution ceremony was excitingwith a large turnout and applause rang out as the winners were announced and received their prizes. The winners expressed appreciation to Lu&Lu Hypermarket for providing great deals and rewards for

shopping at their outlets. Lu&Lu Hypermarket, which brings world class shopping to Kuwait, offers a vast selection of products at competitive prices to serve the diverse population of this cosmopolitan country.

‘Keli 2015’, a two-day theater festivalorganized by the Kuwait Chapter ofthe Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi

(KSNA) for Gulf Malayalai Diaspora on February25 and 26, 2015 at the Indian CommunitySchool (Senior), Salmiya, turned out to be ahuge success. A large number of theatre enthu-siasts and art lovers overwhelmingly participat-ed in the two-day event watched the four playsstaged during the festival.

The inaugural ceremony opened with aprayer song by Reshma Mariam John, ShreyaSajeev and Maria Nixon. Indian Ambassador

Sunil Jain inaugurated the festival by lightingthe traditional lamp in the presence of threejudges and renowned theatre personalitiesfrom India, Sreejith Ramanan, SudheerParameswaran and C K Haridasan and KSNAoffice-bearers.

Former Kerala Minister Surendran Pillai andveteran South Indian film director I V Sasi alsograced the occasion. The ambassador congrat-ulated the chapter for taking the unprecedent-ed initiative by holding the drama festival forthe diaspora. Ad-Hoc Committee memberJohney Kunnil presented a memento to honor

the Ambassador.KSNA Kuwait Chapter Chairman Vijay Karayil

in his presidential address outlined the vision ofthe chapter in promoting pravasi theatre andtheatre artists in Kuwait. KSNA Kuwait Chapterand Gulf Coordinator Sajeev K Peter in his wel-come address informed that this year, in addi-tion to Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain will host the-atre festivals.

‘Keli 2015’ program convener ChessilRamapuram introduced the judges to the audi-ence. Ad-Hoc Committee member B S Pillai pre-sented mementos to Shreejith Ramanan and

Haridasan as a token appreciation and grati-tude. Ad-Hoc Committee member T V Jayanpresented a memento to SudheerParameswaran. Ad-Hoc committee memberand Kalshri Award winner K P Balakrishnan washonored with a ‘ponnada’ by Vijay Karayil.

In his brief speech Sreejith Ramanantouched on the changing face of Indian theatreand urged theatre people to update them-selves with the cotemporary trends in globaltheatre.

Ad-Hoc Committee member IqbalKuttamangalam handed over the first copy of

‘Keli 2015’ souvenir to the ambassador whoreleased it and presented it to Ad-HocCommittee member Babu Chakola. Ad-HocCommittee member Nixon George proposed avote of thanks. Rajeshwari Subbaraman andMurali S Nair anchored the inaugural ceremony.

On the first day of ‘Keli 2015’ two plays werestaged. Nirbhaya Theatre Kuwait presented ‘EeeChoottonnu Kathichu Tharuo’, followed byAyanam Open Forum’s ‘Guantanamo’. On thesecond day, Kalpak Kuwait staged‘Papasangeerthanam’ and Sruti School of Musicpresented ‘Kolangal’.

KSNA Kuwait Chapter holds ‘Keli 2015’

IDAK holdskids’ day

The IDAK council 2014-2015organized a kids’ day out on14th February 2015. More

than 50 children with ages rang-ing from 4-14 years to spent a funfilled, action packed day atKidzania. The entire program wasably marshaled by IDAK volun-teers Dr Devipriya, Dr Aji, DrJoshin, Dr Gincy, Dr Lini, Regina,Dr Nadia and Dr Rithna. IDAK alsotakes this opportunity to thankRania Eladem, Kidzania.

Bangladesh Military

Contingentobserves

Martyrs’ Day

Bangladesh MilitaryContingent observedMartyrs’ and International

Mother Language Day with duerespect and solemnity at SubhanCamp on 21 February 2015. Agood number of guests fromBangladesh community ofKuwait and all members of BMCattended a “Probhat Feri” on thisoccasion. The “Probhat Feri” end-ed with wreath laying byBrigadier General S M Shamim-Uz-Zaman, BSP, ndc, psc,Commander BMC on the‘Shaheed Minar’ of BMCCommand Headquarters.

Indian Embassy notice

The Indian Embassy would like to inform thatthe EdCIL (India) Limited, a Government ofIndia Enterprise, formerly known as

Educational Consultants India Limited (Ed.CIL), hasbeen designated as the “Nodal Agency” to promoteIndian education abroad. EdCIL has been assistingNRIs, PIOs and foreign nationals for pursuing Under-graduate courses, Post-Graduate Courses andDoctoral Programs in Indian Institutions. Details ofassistance provided by EdCIL to Indian Diaspora aswell as foreign nationals are available on their web-site ‘www.edcilindia.co.in’. Those interested mayplease contact Dr Shaik Suleman, Head, Placementand Secondment, EdCIL (India) Ltd, EdCIL House-18-A, Sector-16-A, NOIDA - 201301, UP (Tel 0091-120-2515281, Fax: 0091-120-2515372, E-mail: ssule-man@edcil.co.in, placement@edcil.co.in), for furtherinformation.

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Jaber Al-Ali honors outstanding students Jaber Al-Ali Secondary School of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Area held a ceremony recently to honor students with outstanding performance during the first semester of the school year 2014-2015. The

ceremony was attended by School Director Khalid Abdul Rahman Al-Sager, his assistant Mohammed Al-Hudhainah, social workers Hani Hassan and Ahmed Al-Najjar, a number of the honored students’parents and teaching staff members. The ceremony also featured poems recited in classical Arabic and Kuwaiti dialect, in addition to a musical performance by the school’s music activity team.

The Jahra Schools Club hosted a ceremony at the Umayma Bint Khalaf Elementary School for girls to celebrate Kuwait’s National and Liberation Days.

NECK Conducted National, Liberation day celebrationsNational Evangelical Church of Kuwait conducted National and Liberation day celebrations. NECK Chairman Rev Emmanuel Ghareeb inaugurated the meeting. Dr Mustafa Al Mousawi, chairman of Kuwait

Organ Transplantation Organization, inaugurated the official consent for the organ transplantation. Hundreds of consent handed over to Rev Fr Davis Chiramel - Chairman Kidney Federation of India.Rev Dr Joseph Marthoma Metropolitan was the main speaker. Fadila Abdul Nour Michael, Jackie Zanstr, and M Mathews were honored for their excellent service in NECK. Rev Warren Reeve, Pr Keith, Dr

Mustafa Al Mousawi, Rev Fr Davis Chiramel, Rev Samji. K Sam, Gigi M Thomas, Rev Sameh Hanna, K P Koshy, and Roy K Yohannan were felicitated. NECK’s website was officially inaugurated by Rev EmmanuelGhareeb. More than 580 people from 83 congregations with more than 100 languages attended the meeting.

Author and Columnist Abdullah Abbas Buwair met recently with MajorGeneral Abdulfattah Al-Ali, the Interior Ministry’s AssistantUndersecretary for General Security, and gifted him a copy of his lat-

est book ‘His Highness the Amir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah: Leaderof Humanitarian Work.’

The honored students on stage. Students, parents, and school administration members in a group photo.

Social Workers Hani Hassan and Ahmed Al-Najjar with the honoredstudents.

Honored students, Saif, Hussein and Murtadha. Honoring Saif Rabee’.

Al-Sager honoring Abdul Aziz Essam School teaching staff.

03:35 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari04:00 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari04:25 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari04:50 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari05:15 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari05:38 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari06:02 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari06:25 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari06:49 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari07:12 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari07:36 The Wild Life Of TimFaulkner08:00 The Wild Life Of TimFaulkner08:25 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari08:50 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari09:15 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari09:40 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari10:10 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari10:35 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari11:05 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari11:30 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari12:00 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari12:25 Lion Man: One WorldAfrican Safari12:55 Lion Battlefield13:50 Into The Pride14:45 Into The Pride15:40 Into The Pride16:35 Into The Pride17:30 Into The Pride18:25 Lion Battlefield19:20 The Last Lion Of Liuwa20:15 Sharkageddon21:10 The Real Lion Queen22:05 Killer Iq: Lion vs Hyena23:00 Shark Rampage 1916

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

03:20 Antiques Roadshow04:15 Antiques Roadshow05:10 Bargain Hunt05:55 Bargain Hunt06:40 Bargain Hunt07:25 The Roux Legacy08:00 Come Dine With Me08:25 Come Dine With Me08:50 Come Dine With Me09:15 Come Dine With Me09:40 Come Dine With Me10:05 Antiques Roadshow11:00 Antiques Roadshow11:50 Masterchef: TheProfessionals12:20 Masterchef: TheProfessionals13:10 Masterchef: TheProfessionals14:05 Masterchef: TheProfessionals14:55 Masterchef: TheProfessionals15:20 Masterchef: TheProfessionals15:45 Come Dine With Me16:10 Come Dine With Me16:35 Come Dine With Me17:00 Come Dine With Me17:25 Come Dine With Me17:45 Bargain Hunt18:30 Bargain Hunt19:15 Antiques Roadshow20:05 Come Dine With Me20:55 Food Glorious Food21:45 The Roux Legacy22:20 Homes Under The Hammer23:10 Homes Under The Hammer

THE COUNSELOR ON OSN MOVIES HD

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03:15 Eric And Jessie: Game On03:40 Eric And Jessie: Game On04:10 THS05:05 THS06:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians06:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians07:50 Style Star08:20 E! News09:15 House Of DVF10:15 House Of DVF11:10 Fashion Bloggers11:35 Fashion Bloggers12:05 E! News13:05 E!ES14:05 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons15:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons16:00 Giuliana & Bill17:00 Giuliana & Bill18:00 E! News19:00 House Of DVF20:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons21:00 Kourtney And Khloe TakeThe Hamptons22:00 Christina Milian Turned Up22:30 Christina Milian Turned Up23:00 Fashion Bloggers23:30 Fashion Bloggers

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04:00 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit-PG1506:00 Grace Unplugged-PG08:00 The Philly Kid-PG1509:45 Live Free Or Die Hard-PG1512:00 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit-PG1514:00 Run For Your Wife-PG1516:00 The Philly Kid-PG1517:45 Snitch-PG1519:45 About Time-PG1522:00 Machete Kills-18

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Biography20:30 Deadliest Space Weather20:55 NASA’s Unexplained Files21:45 Alien Mysteries22:35 Close Encounters23:00 Alien Encounters23:50 How The Universe Works

03:25 Charly’s Cake Angels03:50 Siba’s Table04:15 Siba’s Table04:40 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics05:05 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics05:30 Reza Spice Prince OfVietnam05:50 Siba’s Table06:10 Have Cake, Will Travel06:35 Have Cake, Will Travel07:00 Tastiest Places ToChowdown07:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives07:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives08:15 Chopped09:05 Siba’s Table09:30 Have Cake, Will Travel09:55 Have Cake, Will Travel10:20 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics10:45 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics11:10 Siba’s Table11:35 Siba’s Table12:00 Guy’s Big Bite12:25 Unique Eats12:50 Unique Eats13:15 Hungry Girl13:40 Hungry Girl14:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives15:45 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics16:10 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics16:35 Siba’s Table17:00 Siba’s Table17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:40 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics19:05 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics19:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives19:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives20:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives20:45 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives21:10 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics21:35 Barefoot Contessa - BackTo Basics22:00 Chopped SA22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

03:00 Apocalypse World War I04:00 Expedition Wild05:00 Animal Autopsy 06:00 Car SOS07:00 Science of Stupid07:30 Science of Stupid08:00 Mad Scientists08:30 Mad Scientists09:00 Big, Bigger, Biggest10:00 Perilous Journeys11:00 Last War Heroes12:00 Sea Patrol13:00 Dangerous Encounters14:00 Situation Critical15:00 Air Crash Investigation16:00 Wild Sri Lanka17:00 Swamp Men18:00 Human Ape19:00 Air Crash Investigation20:00 Wild Sri Lanka21:00 Swamp Men22:00 Human Ape23:00 Last War Heroes

03:00 Enlisted03:30 Baby Daddy04:00 Back In The Game04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 My Name Is Earl06:00 Welcome To The Family06:30 Dads07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 Back In The Game08:30 My Name Is Earl09:00 Enlisted09:30 2 Broke Girls10:00 Cougar Town10:30 Dads11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 Welcome To The Family12:30 Back In The Game13:00 My Name Is Earl13:30 Dads14:00 Baby Daddy14:30 2 Broke Girls15:00 Cougar Town15:30 The Daily Show GlobalEdition16:00 Mystery Girls16:30 Welcome To The Family17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 Enlisted18:30 Melissa & Joey19:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine19:30 Men At Work20:00 The Mindy Project20:30 Veep21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 Mystery Girls22:00 Married22:30 Married

03:00 The Assets04:00 The Blacklist05:00 Graceland06:00 Crisis08:00 Franklin & Bash09:00 Graceland10:00 The Blacklist12:00 Emmerdale12:30 Coronation Street14:00 Franklin & Bash15:00 Crisis16:00 Emmerdale16:30 Coronation Street18:00 Franklin & Bash19:00 Castle20:00 How To Get Away WithMurder20:45 How To Get Away WithMurder21:30 Better Call Saul22:20 House Of Cards23:30 Top Gear (UK)

03:00 Supernatural04:00 Sons Of Anarchy06:00 Good Morning America07:00 Emmerdale07:30 Coronation Street08:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show09:00 Switched At Birth10:00 Emmerdale10:30 Coronation Street12:00 Intelligence13:00 Downton Abbey14:00 Switched At Birth16:00 Live Good Morning America17:00 Intelligence18:00 Downton Abbey19:00 Switched At Birth20:00 Intelligence21:00 Downton Abbey22:00 Supernatural23:00 Sons Of Anarchy

04:00 Europa Report06:00 500 mph Storm08:00 Alex Cross10:00 Star Trek Into Darkness12:15 Hellboy: Blood & Iron14:00 Shanghai Noon16:00 Alex Cross18:00 A Common Man19:45 Star Trek Into Darkness22:00 Mission To Mars

04:00 500 mph Storm-PG1506:00 Alex Cross-PG1508:00 Star Trek Into Darkness-PG1510:15 Hellboy: Blood & Iron-PG1512:00 Shanghai Noon-PG1514:00 Alex Cross-PG1516:00 A Common Man-PG1517:45 Star Trek Into Darkness-PG1520:00 Mission To Mars-PG1522:00 22 Bullets-PG15

04:00 Friends With Kids-PG1506:00 Held Up (1999)-PG1508:00 Free Samples-PG1510:00 Article 99-PG1512:00 Straight Talk-PG1514:00 Hope Springs-PG1516:00 Free Samples-PG1518:00 It’s A Disaster-PG1520:00 The World’s End-PG1522:00 Breathless-PG15

03:00 Every Day-PG1505:00 Seven Days In Utopia-PG1506:45 Mud-PG1509:00 I Will Follow You Into TheDark-PG1511:00 Seven Days In Utopia-PG1513:00 Christmas Magic-PG1515:00 Mirror Mirror-PG1517:00 I Will Follow You Into TheDark-PG1519:00 Hateship Loveship-PG1521:00 The Letter-PG1523:00 Killing Season-18

03:00 Silent Victim-PG1505:00 A Cool Dry Place-PG1507:00 The French Minister-PG1509:00 My Last Day Without You-PG1510:45 The Last Harbor-PG1512:30 Quiz Show-PG1514:45 The Prestige-PG1517:00 My Last Day Without You19:00 Dangerous Minds-PG1521:00 Sense And Sensibility-PG23:30 Born On The Fourth Of July

1803:15 Muppets MostWanted-PG05:15 Walk Of Shame-PG1507:00 Gravity-PG1509:00 The Twilight Saga: BreakingDawn Pt. 2-PG1511:00 The Company You Keep-PG1513:00 Khumba-PG15:00 The Way Way Back-PG1517:00 The Twilight Saga: BreakingDawn Pt. 2-PG1519:00 Homefront-PG1521:00 We Are What We Are-1823:00 The Counselor-18

09:00 ICC Cricket 36009:30 Super Rugby 13:00 Live PGA European Tour 17:30 Inside The PGA Tour18:00 Super Rugby Highlights20:00 Golfing World21:00 Live PGA European Tour

03:00 Live NHL 06:00 Top 14 Highlights06:30 Volvo Ocean RaceHighlights08:30 Live AFL Nab Challenge 11:30 Dubai World Cup Carnival 15:00 ICC Cricket 36015:30 PGA Tour 21:00 World Rugby 21:30 AFL Nab Challenge

03:15 Extreme Couponing03:40 Extreme Couponing04:05 What Not To Wear05:00 What Not To Wear06:00 18 Kids And Counting06:25 Super Soul Sunday07:15 Say Yes To The Dress07:40 Little People, Big World08:05 Bakery Boss08:55 Extreme Cheapskates09:20 Extreme Cheapskates09:45 Cake Boss10:10 Sister Wives10:35 Say Yes To The Dress11:00 What Not To Wear11:50 Oprah’s Master Class12:40 Super Soul Sunday13:30 Say Yes To The Dress: TheBig Day14:20 Say Yes To The Dress ‚ÄìBridesmaids14:45 Curvy Brides15:10 Cake Boss15:35 Little People, Big World16:00 Hoarding: Buried Alive16:50 Say Yes To The Dress17:15 18 Kids And Counting17:40 Sister Wives18:30 Craft Wars19:20 Cake Boss

00:35 Jungle Junction00:50 Art Attack01:15 Julius Jr.01:25 Calimero01:40 Henry Hugglemonster01:50 Zou02:05 Mouk02:15 Jungle Junction02:25 Art Attack02:50 Julius Jr.03:00 Calimero03:15 Henry Hugglemonster03:25 Zou03:40 Mouk03:50 Jungle Junction04:00 Art Attack04:25 Julius Jr.04:35 Calimero04:50 Henry Hugglemonster05:00 Zou05:15 Mouk05:25 Jungle Junction05:35 Art Attack06:00 Julius Jr.06:10 Calimero06:25 Henry Hugglemonster06:35 Zou06:50 Mouk07:00 Jungle Junction07:10 Art Attack07:35 Julius Jr.07:45 Calimero08:00 Jungle Junction08:10 Zou08:25 Henry Hugglemonster08:35 Julius Jr.08:50 Mouk09:00 Calimero09:15 Art Attack09:40 Henry Hugglemonster09:50 Doc McStuffins10:05 Special Agent Oso: 3Healthy Steps10:10 Special Agent Oso10:20 Special Agent Oso: 3Healthy Steps10:25 Special Agent Oso10:40 Special Agent Oso: 3Healthy Steps10:45 Special Agent Oso11:00 Sofia The First11:25 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West11:50 Calimero12:05 Jake And The Never LandPirates12:30 Julius Jr.12:40 Henry Hugglemonster12:55 Handy Manny13:05 Justin Time13:20 Sofia The First13:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse14:10 New Adventures OfWinnie The Pooh14:35 Henry Hugglemonster14:45 Zou15:00 Special Agent Oso: 3Healthy Steps15:05 Special Agent Oso15:15 Special Agent Oso: 3Healthy Steps

15:20 Special Agent Oso15:35 Special Agent Oso: 3Healthy Steps15:40 Special Agent Oso15:55 Handy Manny16:05 Justin Time16:20 Sofia The First16:45 Minnie’s Bow-Toons16:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse17:15 Lilo & Stitch17:40 Adventures Of TheGummi Bears18:05 Chip n Dale RescueRangers18:30 Ducktales18:55 Art Attack19:20 Sofia The First19:45 Calimero20:00 Doc McStuffins20:10 Jake And The Never LandPirates20:25 Sheriff Callie’s Wild West20:35 Zou20:50 Minnie’s Bow-Toons20:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse21:20 Sofia The First21:45 Adventures Of TheGummi Bears22:10 Chip n Dale RescueRangers22:35 Ducktales23:00 Minnie’s Bow-Toons23:05 Art Attack23:30 Julius Jr.23:40 Calimero23:55 Henry Hugglemonster

00:00 Programmes Start At7:00am KSA07:00 Phineas And Ferb07:25 Phineas And Ferb07:50 Supa Strikas08:15 The 7D08:40 Boyster09:05 Lab Rats09:30 Kickin’ It09:55 Ultimate Spider-Man10:20 Phineas And Ferb10:45 Zeke & Luther11:10 I’m In The Band11:35 Camp Lakebottom12:00 Mighty Med12:25 Lab Rats12:50 Marvel AvengersAssemble13:15 Phineas And Ferb13:40 Japaneezi Going GoingGong14:05 Zeke & Luther14:30 Pair Of Kings14:55 Pokemon The Series: XY15:20 Ultimate Spider-Man15:45 Phineas And Ferb16:10 Supa Strikas16:35 Pair Of Kings17:00 Lab Rats17:30 Mighty Med18:00 Kickin’ It18:25 Phineas And Ferb18:50 The 7D19:20 Lanfeust Quest19:45 Supa Strikas20:10 Hulk And The Agents OfS.M.A.S.H.20:35 Ultimate Spider-Man21:00 Phineas And Ferb21:25 Boyster21:55 Marvel AvengersAssemble22:20 Kickin’ It22:45 Japaneezi Going GoingGong23:10 Pair Of Kings23:35 Phineas And Ferb0:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Art Attack01:15 Art Attack01:40 Jungle Junction01:50 Jungle Junction02:05 Jungle Junction02:15 Jungle Junction02:30 Violetta03:10 The Hive03:20 Art Attack03:45 Art Attack04:10 Jungle Junction04:20 Jungle Junction04:35 Jungle Junction04:45 Jungle Junction05:00 Art Attack05:25 Art Attack05:50 Mouk06:00 Kim Possible06:25 Austin & Ally06:50 Girl Meets World07:15 Liv And Maddie07:40 Jessie08:05 Dog With A Blog08:30 Good Luck Charlie08:55 Good Luck Charlie09:20 Sonny With A Chance09:45 Sonny With A Chance10:10 Suite Life On Deck10:35 Suite Life On Deck

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Prayer timingsTHE PUBLIC AUTHORITYFOR CIVIL INFORMATION

Automated enquiry aboutthe Civil ID card is

1889988

112

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Arrival Flights on Sunday 1/3/2015Airlines Flt Route TimeUAE 3855 Dubai 00:05JAI 574 Mumbai 00:10FDB 8063 Dubai 00:20JZR 239 Amman 00:25JZR 267 Beirut 00:30JZR 539 Cairo 00:40JZR 513 Sharm el-Sheikh 00:45THY 772 Istanbul 00:45MEA 406 Beirut 00:45FDB 069 Dubai 00:55QTR 1084 Doha 01:00RJA 642 Amman 01:05MSC 1401 Sharm el-Sheikh 01:15IAW 157C Al Najaf 01:20MSR 3002 Sharm el-Sheikh 01:30PGT 858 Istanbul 01:35THY 5412 Istanbul 01:40ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45IAW 157E Al Najaf 02:00KKK 712 Istanbul 02:05KKK 714 Istanbul 02:10JZR 331 Al Najaf 02:15GFA 211 Bahrain 02:30UAE 853 Dubai 02:35JAI 526 Chennai/Abu Dhabi 02:50FDB 067 Dubai 02:55SYR 1525 Latakia/Damascus 03:00MEA 400 Beirut 03:05CEB 7694 Manila 03:10ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:10KKK 6507 Istanbul 03:20OMA 643 Muscat 03:25JZR 333 Al Najaf 03:40QTR 1076 Doha 03:45KKK 716 Istanbul 04:00MSC 401 Alexandria 04:05JZR 555 Alexandria 04:25THY 770 Istanbul 05:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:40QTR 8632 Doha 06:25BAW 157 London 06:40KAC 544 Cairo 06:40KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 07:10FDB 053 Dubai 07:45QTR 1086 Doha 07:50SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55KAC 352 Kochi 08:10KAC 382 Delhi 08:15KAC 302 Mumbai 08:20KAC 206 Islamabad 08:25KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:30UAE 855 Dubai 08:40KAC 362 Colombo 08:45KAC 284 Dhaka 08:50ABY 125 Sharjah 09:00ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:20FDB 055 Dubai 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 10:00GFA 943 Bahrain 10:15GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40IRA 665 Shiraz 10:50UAE 873 Dubai 11:00SYR 341 Latakia 11:10MSC 405 Sohag 11:25JZR 165 Dubai 11:30FDB 8057 Dubai 11:50MEA 404 Beirut 11:55UAE 871 Dubai 12:50

MSR 610 Cairo 13:00IRC 528 Ahwaz 13:15FDB 8053 Dubai 13:15JZR 561 Sohag 13:45KAC 672 Dubai 13:55QTR 1078 Doha 14:05KNE 472 Jeddah 14:25SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30FDB 057 Dubai 14:30KAC 742 Dammam 14:45IRC 6507 Shiraz 14:50GFA 221 Bahrain 15:00KAC 788 Jeddah 15:10JZR 175 Dubai 15:20OMA 645 Muscat 15:25UAE 857 Dubai 15:45ABY 127 Sharjah 15:45FDB 051 Dubai 16:00KAC 562 Amman 16:20JZR 787 Riyadh 16:25QTR 1072 Doha 16:40RJA 640 Amman 16:55ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:55SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15FDB 8055 Dubai 17:25GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30GFA 944 LCA 17:50JZR 777 Jeddah 17:55UAL 982 IAD 17:55UAE 875 Dubai 18:00JZR 177 Dubai 18:20KAC 542 Cairo 18:25ABY 121 Sharjah 18:40FDB 063 Dubai 18:40KAC 786 Jeddah 18:45QTR 1080 Doha 18:50KAC 618 Doha 19:15AXB 393 Kozhikode 19:15KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15KAC 674 Dubai 19:25GFA 217 Bahrain 19:30JZR 483 Istanbul 19:35KAC 166 Paris/Rome 19:40KAC 514 Tehran 19:45KAC 502 Beirut 19:50KAC 102 New York/London 19:55JAI 572 Mumbai 20:00OMA 647 Muscat 20:05FDB 061 Dubai 20:20MSR 606 Luxor 20:45DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:50ALK 229 Colombo 21:10FDB 8051 Dubai 21:10MEA 402 Beirut 21:20ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30FDB 073 Dubai 21:35UAE 859 Dubai 21:40GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45QTR 1074 Doha 21:55JZR 135 Bahrain 22:05KLM 417 Amsterdam 22:15ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 172 Frankfurt 22:20FDB 059 Dubai 22:30AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:30BBC 043 Dhaka 23:10UAL 981 Bahrain 23:10JZR 185 Dubai 23:15THY 764 Istanbul 23:35PIA 205 Lahore 23:40FDB 071 Dubai 23:45

Departure Flights on Sunday 1/3/2015Airlines Flt Route TimeAIC 976 Goa/Chennai 00:05AGY 681 Alexandria 00:15JZR 332 Al Najaf 00:15FDB 072 Dubai 00:45UAL 981 IAD 00:55FDB 8064 Dubai 01:00JAI 573 Mumbai 01:10UAE 3856 Dubai 01:35MEA 407 Beirut 01:45MSC 1402 Sharm el-Sheikh 02:00DLH 635 Frankfurt 02:15IAW 158C Al Najaf 02:20MSR 3003 Sharm el-Sheikh 02:30THY 5413 Istanbul 02:40KKK 713 Istanbul 02:45ETH 621 Addis Ababa 02:45KKK 715 Madinah 02:50THY 773 Istanbul 02:55IAW 158E Al Najaf 03:00PGT 859 Istanbul 03:25UAE 854 Dubai 03:50FDB 068 Dubai 03:55SYR 1526 Latakia 04:00MEA 401 Beirut 04:05ETD 306 Abu Dhabi 04:05MSR 613 Cairo 04:10KKK 6508 Istanbul 04:10OMA 644 Muscat 04:25QTR 1085 Doha 04:30CEB 7695 Manila 04:40KKK 717 Jeddah 05:05MSC 406 Sohag 05:05QTR 1077 Doha 05:15THY 765 Istanbul 05:40FDB 070 Dubai 06:30JAI 525 Abu Dhabi/Chennai 06:35JZR 164 Dubai 06:55RJA 643 Amman 07:05JZR 560 Sohag 07:10GFA 212 Bahrain 07:15THY 771 Istanbul 07:30QTR 8632 Lahore/Doha 07:55FDB 054 Dubai 08:25BAW 156 London 08:45QTR 1087 Doha 08:50SVA 513 Riyadh 08:55KAC 171 Frankfurt 09:05KAC 671 Dubai 09:25KAC 787 Jeddah 09:25ABY 126 Sharjah 09:40UAE 856 Dubai 09:55KAC 117 New York 10:05ETD 302 Abu Dhabi 10:20KAC 561 Amman 10:25FDB 056 Dubai 10:35JZR 482 Istanbul 10:35JZR 174 Dubai 10:45QTR 1071 Doha 11:00GFA 943 LCA 11:00KAC 541 Cairo 11:05GFA 214 Bahrain 11:25KAC 741 Dammam 11:45IRA 664 Shiraz 11:50KAC 501 Beirut 12:00SYR 342 Latakia 12:10KAC 103 London 12:20JZR 776 Jeddah 12:20MSC 402 Alexandria 12:25

UAE 874 Dubai 12:30FDB 8058 Dubai 12:35MEA 405 Beirut 12:55KAC 785 Jeddah 13:00JZR 786 Riyadh 13:10JZR 176 Dubai 13:45FDB 8054 Dubai 13:55MSR 611 Cairo 14:00UAE 872 Dubai 14:15IRC 529 Ahwaz 14:15KAC 673 Dubai 15:00KAC 617 Doha 15:00QTR 1079 Doha 15:05FDB 058 Dubai 15:10KNE 473 Jeddah 15:20FDB 8056 Dubai 15:25KAC 513 Tehran 15:30SVA 503 Jeddah/Madinah 15:45GFA 222 Bahrain 15:45KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50IRC 6508 Shiraz 15:50OMA 646 Muscat 16:25ABY 128 Sharjah 16:25FDB 052 Dubai 17:00JZR 266 Beirut 17:05QTR 1073 Doha 17:40UAE 858 Dubai 17:45JZR 538 Cairo 17:45ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:50RJA 641 Amman 17:55SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20GFA 944 Bahrain 18:35JZR 184 Dubai 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:50JZR 134 Bahrain 19:10UAL 982 Bahrain 19:15ABY 122 Sharjah 19:20UAE 876 Dubai 19:40QTR 1081 Doha 19:50FDB 064 Dubai 19:55AXB 393 Kozhikode 20:15GFA 218 Bahrain 20:15KAC 361 Colombo 20:50KAC 281 Dhaka 20:55KAC 343 Chennai 20:55JAI 571 Mumbai 21:00OMA 648 Muscat 21:05KAC 351 Kochi 21:15FDB 062 Dubai 21:20DLH 636 Dammam 21:35MSR 619 Alexandria 21:45DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50FDB 8052 Dubai 21:55ALK 230 Colombo 22:10ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15KAC 301 Mumbai 22:15MEA 403 Beirut 22:20FDB 074 Dubai 22:30GFA 220 Bahrain 22:30UAE 860 Dubai 22:50KAC 205 Islamabad 22:55ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00QTR 1075 Doha 23:05JZR 502 Luxor 23:05KLM 417 Dammam/Amsterdam 23:15KAC 415 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur 23:25KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:30FDB 060 Dubai 23:55

SHARQIA-1FOCUS 1:00 PMSERENA 3:00 PMTHE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER 5:15 PMFOCUS 7:00 PMSERENA 9:00 PMFOCUS 11:15 PMFOCUS 1:15 AM

SHARQIA-2THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER 11:45 AMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 1:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 3:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 6:00 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 8:15 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 10:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 12:45 AM

SHARQIA-3KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 11:30 AMTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 1:30 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 1:15 PMSUN+MON+TUE+WEDTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 3:15 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 5:00 PMDRAGON BLADE 7:15 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 9:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 11:45 PM

MUHALAB-1FOCUS 12:00 PMTHE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER 2:00 PMSERENA 3:45 PMFOCUS 6:00 PMSERENA 8:00 PMFOCUS 10:15 PMFOCUS 12:15 AM

MUHALAB-2TOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 1:00 PMTHU+SATKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 1:00 PMSUN+MON+TUE+WEDTHE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER 3:00 PMTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 4:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 6:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 8:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 10:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-3YOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 12:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 2:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 5:00 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 7:15 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 9:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 11:45 PM

FANAR-1FOCUS 12:00 PMFOCUS 2:00 PMFOCUS 4:00 PMFOCUS 6:00 PMFOCUS 8:00 PMFOCUS 10:00 PMFOCUS 12:05 AM

FANAR-2KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 11:45 AMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 1:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 3:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 5:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 7:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 9:45 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 11:45 PM

FANAR-3THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER 12:15 PMDRAGON BLADE 2:00 PM

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER 4:30 PMDRAGON BLADE 6:30 PMDRAGON BLADE 9:00 PMDRAGON BLADE 11:30 PM

FANAR-4YOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 1:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 3:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 6:00 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 8:15 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 10:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 12:45 AM

FANAR-5TOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 1:15 PMTHU+SATSERENA 12:45 PMSUN+MON+TUE+WEDSERENA 3:00 PMTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 5:15 PMSERENA 7:00 PMSERENA 9:15 PMKINGSMAN: The Secret Service 11:30 PM

MARINA-1TOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 12:15 PMTHU+SATKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 12:15 PMSUN+MON+TUE+WEDSERENA 2:15 PMTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 4:30 PMTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 6:30 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 8:15 PMSERENA 10:15 PMKIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN 12:30 AM

MARINA-2YOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 12:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 2:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 5:15 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 7:30 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 9:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 12:05 AM

MARINA-3THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER (3D) 1:00 PMFOCUS 3:00 PMTHE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER (3D) 5:00 PMFOCUS 7:00 PMFOCUS 9:00 PMFOCUS 11:00 PMFOCUS 1:00 AM

AVENUES-1YOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 12:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 3:15 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 5:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 8:15 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 10:45 PMYOUM MALOUSH LASMA (Arabic) 1:00 AM

AVENUES-2TOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 11:45 AMTHU+SATTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 1:45 PMTHU+FRI+SATKINGSMAN: The Secret Service 1:15 PMSUN+MON+TUE+WEDTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 3:45 PMTOM LITTLE AND THE MAGIC MIRROR 5:45 PMTHE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER 7:45 PMKINGSMAN: The Secret Service 9:45 PMKINGSMAN: The Secret Service 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3SERENA 12:30 PMSERENA 3:00 PMSERENA 5:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (26/02/2015 TO 04/03/2015)

FOR SALE

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

ACCOMMODATION

DENON 7.2 AV receiver forsale. Model AVR 3311. RMS125 x 7, HDMI x 7, 3D ready,network ready. iPod/iPhonesocket, brand new condi-tion, Carton pack. If inter-ested, please call 99725095.(C 4933)21-2-2015

12 years experienced pro-fessional looking for seniorposition in finance /accounts. Qualification: CFALevel1/CMA (IMA-USA),BCom. Oracle Financials,Microsoft Dynamics GP.Contact: 60320220. (C 4932)18-2-2014

CHANGE OF NAME

Thiru Ganesan (Hindu),son of Thiru Rengaiah, bornon 10th August 1982(native district:Pudukkottai), residing atNo. 674, Kummankulam,Pudukkottai Veduthi,Alangudi Post, Pudukkottai-622301, holder of IndianPassport No. F6077280, hasconverted to Islam with thename of Abdul Rahman. (C 4931)18-2-2015

Required Indian (preferGoan) male houseboy, cookand driver with Kuwaitlicense for a Kuwaiti family.With good English speakingand expert in cookingKuwaiti foods. Contact:22450617/8. (C 4934)24-2-2015

Sharing accommodation inMaidan Hawally, room andpartition, Filipino/Indian.Call 65020905.24-2-2015

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

Has the vacancies for the coming school year:• Vice Principals - Native speakers English or bilingual• Discipline Office, Male for middle and High School, bilingual

- English/Arabic - preferably Kuwaiti• Classroom teacher, Native Speakers of English• High School English teacher - Native Speakers of English• Arabic Teachers• P.E. female teacher• KG Classroom Teachers Native Speaker of English or Bilingual• Islamic Studies and Quran Teachers• Math Teacher for High School Native Speakers of English or

bilingual• Business studies teacher• Teacher assistants

All application must have an appropriate universitydegrees, and 3 years of relevant experience.

v a c a n c i e sA Major Private School in Kuwait

Bilingual program

Interested candidate should send their CV, to the following email:

careers.sch@gmai1.com

Business dealings may be particularly fruitful now–particularly as you put yourheart into helping each customer. This is a good day for thinking and ideas. The rules of employ-ee and customer may be on override today as a customer may want to know more about someparticular product. Maybe the customer wants to try to create a similar product or he or she has asimilar item at home and wants to know how much to charge as a garage sale item. You are care-ful not to say anything that you might regret later but this is not easy. Good luck surrounds youthis afternoon. There are lots of possibilities for making extra money and for meeting new people.This evening you are pleased as a loved one shows you special appreciation.

You are apt to spend a considerable amount of time and effort to improvefinances, principally through physical or manual activity. You have plenty of energy totackle any problem or project that you want to accomplish. You are disposed to enjoyingthe company of friends more than just about anything. Complete unfinished work,before taking it easy. Mental stimulation from others is invited later today. You are physi-cally attractive to others and this aspect increases your chances of being invited to manysocial activities. Today promises positive emotional relationships, particularly if you taketime to nurture them. Be careful not to overspend your budget when shopping later.Diet, exercise and work are uppermost on your mind these days.

Your sensitivity is heightened when you listen to someone else’s problems.You could be most persuasive and clear in your communications. Your self-

assertiveness is strong. Working on some unfinished project could prove beneficial. This isa period of optimism and emotional stability, making it a good time to evaluate and mod-ify existing relationships; or perhaps to start a new relationship. Professional advance-ment is possible and your frame of mind can be focused toward writing an excellentrequest for a promotion. You may find yourself settling an argument or bringing somesense into an otherwise confused conversation. The situation is a natural for self-expres-sion and lends itself to your particular ideas and thoughts.

This is a time during which you are at your best in regard to practical and work-related affairs. Events may line up in your favor and push you over the top to new discoveries.Your personality and mode of living will be changeable each day. This is good, as it takes a personthat can go with the flow of the day for business to succeed. You may be a bit itchy for somethingnew and different and your mind is open to almost anything. A new love interest could suddenlyappear from an unexpected quarter. It could be quite exciting, though not particularly stable. Atleast you are not afraid to experiment within reason. Increase your activity levels to build yourstrength and lift your spirits. A lover or child brings about much laughter.

This is a great time to work in groups or on a team. Gathering and exchanginginformation becomes a more important part of your life just now. Networking with people thathave your same interests is a priority. You grab as many ideas as you can to get a focus, move for-ward and advertise your name for others to hear. Just how closely do you relate to your own emo-tionstoday could be a test. If you are listening closely, you will communicate with logic and empa-thy. Your path of self-development and expression becomes more and more unusual–setting youapart from the crowd and from all that is traditional. In changing the world through new ideas,you may be helping people live better financially, with new job opportunities.

Today you may feel like a character in a murder mystery or spy novel, except thatyou are not sure whether you are the hero, the bad guy or the victim. In negotiations, you couldbe fooled. Try keeping your feet planted as firmly in truth and open negotiations as you can. Buytime to think through decisions and you will see some positive results. After a morning of exasper-ating negotiations, you will enjoy a more productive afternoon. There are plenty of people to helpyou, if you need them. There are temptations while shopping and if you have not been shoppingin a while, you could find that you are magnetically pulled in many different directions. You maybe a little gullible or impressionable–be wise and say no to the fast-sell.

Collisions of powerful energies enter into your life today. The decisions andactions of today will have permanent effects. Fears and self-doubts about your abilities maycreep into your mind but you are the only one that can create the encouragement that you need,so stop your worries and focus your thinking on your job. Your directional abilities will automati-cally take over as they are in high focus. This is a good time to write and communicate with realoriginality. Inventions and breakthroughs are possible. Loved ones, children and other people orthings dear to your heart are emphasized in your life now. You enjoy expressing an interest infamily matters, for the most part concerning the general living environment in the home.

Your energy is high and your creative mind is ready to be applied to the work athand. Giving your best effort now will bring you considerable success. You are full of confidenceand should succeed at any project you attempt. Others value you for your ability to make practicaldecisions with group issues. You have a natural sense of what the public wants. Companionshipsare most important to you and you take every opportunity to be with friends this afternoon. Nowis the time for imagination and creativity. This, coupled with the ability to put your thoughts intowords, allows you to enchant others. There are exciting changes in your romantic life. An intimategetaway just may be the way to enjoy some special time with that favorite someone.

This should be one of those wonderful days when you have the feeling that every-thing is good! Working with others this morning, you are at your mental best with sharp ideas andclear thoughts. You could not be mad even if someone should mistreat you–although it is veryunlikely that anyone would. If you have to deal with the public today, you will have them eatingright out of your hand. The practical use of your time and energy will bring good times to all. Yourability to effectively communicate with both friends and colleagues is positive. Your mood thisevening is powerfully romantic. There may be a new face on the scene to stir up a number of for-gotten feelings. If you want to play it safe, keep your feelings to yourself; if not . . . Flirt.

Criticism happens when we are brave enough to be expressive. Manage the criti-cism through a listening ear. Stand by your ideas, some changes may be in order and that may bedifficult but time will be the secret of success. This could also be a test of your inner strength inproblem-solving abilities. This afternoon you will be pleased at the amount of progress you make.You find your way around most obstacles and are in control and able to guide yourself with ease.Your sense of inner direction is good. You are at ease with the opposite sex and may decide toaccept an after-work-coffee-date. You will be pleased. At home this evening, do not put off to thenext day what you can do today–for then you can be truly relaxed when it comes to visitors.

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Aries (March 21-April 19)

STAR TRACK

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Aquarius (January 20- February 18)

CROSSWORD 828

ACROSS1. Czechoslovakian religious reformer whoanticipated the Reformation.4. Natural nitrogen-containing bases foundin plants.12. A period marked by distinctive charac-ter or reckoned from a fixed point or event.15. Antibacterial drug (trade nameNydrazid) used to treat tuberculosis.16. Improved garden variety of black night-shade having small edible orange or blackberries.17. The last (12th) month of the year.18. A long steep slope or cliff at the edge ofa plateau or ridge.20. A radioactive element of the actinideseries.21. Given to merry frolicking.23. In some unspecified way or manner.25. A state of lawlessness and disorder (usu-ally resulting from a failure of government).26. Submerged freshwater perennials.28. King of Denmark and Norway whoforced Edmund II to divide England withhim.29. Informal terms for a mother.31. A public promotion of some product orservice.32. A deep prolonged sound (as of thunderor large bells).37. Make less active or intense.40. The complete duration of something.42. A row of unravelled stitches.43. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfec-tions of the skin.44. The rate at which energy is drawn froma source that produces a flow of electricityin a circuit.45. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruitjuice.49. Free of trouble and worry and care.51. 1 species.52. (prefix) Opposite or opposing or neu-tralizing.53. Either of two folds of skin that can bemoved to cover or open the eye.56. Port city in northwestern Belgium andindustrial center.58. Nonresinous wood of a fir tree.59. A white soft metallic element that tar-nishes readily.60. Relating to or lying near the palate.64. North American republic containing 50states - 48 conterminous states in NorthAmerica plus Alaska in northwest NorthAmerica and the Hawaiian Islands in thePacific Ocean.69. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.70. Any of four pairs of muscles extendingfrom the cervical vertebrae to the secondrib.73. An implement used to propel or steer aboat.74. United States architect (born in China in1917).75. (zoology) Of or resembling a goose.76. Blood cells that engulf and digest bacte-ria and fungi.77. A condition (mostly in boys) character-ized by behavioral and learning disorders.78. A great raja.79. Title for a civil or military leader (espe-cially in Turkey).

DOWN1. A fricative sound (especially as an expres-sion of disapproval).2. Beyond what is natural.3. A painful emotion resulting from anawareness of inadequacy or guilt.4. Any of various chiefly Mediterraneanplants of the genera Asphodeline andAsphodelus having linear leaves andracemes of white or pink or yellow flowers.5. A trivalent metallic element of the rareearth group.6. Widely distributed low-growing Eurasianherb having narrow leaves and inconspicu-ous green flowers.7. The elementary stages of any subject(usually plural).8. A chronic inflammatory collagen diseaseaffecting connective tissue (skin or joints).9. Predatory black-and-white toothedwhale with large dorsal fin.10. Inflexibly entrenched and unchange-able.11. United States songwriter noted for hisprotest songs (born in 1941).12. A legally binding command or decisionentered on the court record (as if issued bya court or judge).13. The 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.14. Causing a dull and steady pain.19. Make a logical or causal connection.22. (medical) A bandage consisting of a padand belt.24. A doctor's degree in optometry.27. Any member of Athapaskan tribes thatmigrated to the southwestern desert (fromArizona to Texas and south into Mexico).30. A port city in southwestern Iran.33. An inactive volcano in Sicily.34. Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonder-ment or reverence.35. Norwegian writer of novels (1859-1952).36. Invade in great numbers, as of pests.38. Prevent the occurrence of.39. Having a face or facing especially of aspecified kind or number.41. The state prevailing during the absenceof war.46. Type genus of the family Tridacnidae.47. An island northwest of Wales.48. A state of northeastern India.50. The floating wreckage of a ship.54. The branch of computer science thatdeal with writing computer programs thatcan solve problems creatively.55. (Greek mythology) The Muse of astron-omy.57. A soft silvery metallic element of thealkali earth group.61. In bed.62. Set down according to a plan.63. Any of the short curved hairs that growfrom the edges of the eyelids.65. Tough Asiatic grass whose culms areused for ropes and baskets.66. A member of the Siouan people former-ly living in Iowa and Minnesota andMissouri.67. Open-heart surgery in which the ribcage is opened and a section of a bloodvessel is grafted from the aorta to the coro-nary artery to bypass the blocked section ofthe coronary artery and improve the bloodsupply to the heart.68. Type genus of the family Arcidae.71. A unit of length of thread or yarn.72. To make a mistake or be incorrect.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

Events and circumstances today may conspire to block your sense of freedom.Someone challenges your ideas. It may not be easy to find suitable solutions to problems justnow. You are wise to leave the discussion on the table for another time as with further investiga-tion, someone’s thinking could change. There is the successful culmination of an ambitious proj-ect this afternoon. If new projects present themselves, plot your course and do not act on theprocess until next week’s work continues. When you come into work next week, you will have aplan. Volunteering your services to a friend this afternoon can be most rewarding. Also, love is infull bloom this evening . . . It is a good time to let this special loved one know just how you feel.

Although a sense of challenge creeps up from time to time, you can use your cre-ative mind to turn the blocked situations into doorways of change. Remember, most of theobstacles you encounter are temporary. After the noon break you will find foggy thinking fromthe morning has miraculously dissolved–clear decisions become available. Knowing things with-out knowing how you know them is typical at a time like this. Mind, body and finances play a bigpart of your activities. Facing facts, creating a healthier body and finding the right secure financialinvestments are important issues that need attention this evening. You and a loved one can han-dle investment issues together–successfully. Balance and moderation are key words now.

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St 23915883Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd 23715414Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd 23726558

Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 24575518Madina Munawara Jahra-Block 92 24566622

Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St 22436184Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop 24833967

Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block 40 24734000Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop 24881201Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block 11 24726638

Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25726265Hana Salmiya-Amman St 25647075Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St 22625999Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop 22564549Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A 25340559Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B 25326554Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St 25721264Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop 25380581Salwa Coop Salwa Coop 25628241

OphthalmologistsDr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426

General PractitionersDr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501

UrologistsDr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427

For labor-related inquiries and complaints:

Call MSAL hotline 128

Sabah Hospital 24812000

Amiri Hospital 22450005

Maternity Hospital 24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital 25312700

Chest Hospital 24849400

Farwaniya Hospital 24892010

Adan Hospital 23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital 24840300

Al-Razi Hospital 24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital 24874330/9

Kaizen center 25716707

Rawda 22517733

Adaliya 22517144

Khaldiya 24848075

Kaifan 24849807

Shamiya 24848913

Shuwaikh 24814507

Abdullah Salem 22549134

Nuzha 22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh 24814764

Qadsiya 22515088

Dasmah 22532265

Bneid Al-Gar 22531908

Shaab 22518752

Qibla 22459381

Ayoun Al-Qibla 22451082

Mirqab 22456536

Sharq 22465401

Salmiya 25746401

Jabriya 25316254

Maidan Hawally 25623444

Bayan 25388462

Mishref 25381200

W Hawally 22630786

Sabah 24810221

Jahra 24770319

New Jahra 24575755

West Jahra 24772608

South Jahra 24775066

North Jahra 24775992

North Jleeb 24311795

Ardhiya 24884079

Firdous 24892674

Omariya 24719048

N Khaitan 24710044

Fintas 23900322

GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE

Plastic Surgeons

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari 22617700

Dr. Abdel Quttainah 25625030/60

Family Doctor

Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists

Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians

DrAdrian arbe 23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272

Dr. Salem soso 22618787

General Surgeons

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart

Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Paediatricians

Dr. Khaled Hamadi 25665898

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar 22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof 25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare 23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew 24334282

Dermatology

Dr. Mohammed Salam Bern University 23845955

Dentists

Dr Anil Thomas 3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar 22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed 22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer 22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan 22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash 22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan 25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari 25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 25345875

Gastrologists

Dr. Sami Aman 22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 22633135

Endocrinologist

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924

Physiotherapists & VD

Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart

DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital 25339667

Consultant Cardiologist

Dr. Farida Al-Habib 2611555-2622555 MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Soor CenterTel: 2290-1677Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.comwww.soorcenter.com

Psychologists/Psychotherapists

PRIVATE CLINICS

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Kaizen center25716707

Noor Clinic23845955

INTERNATIONALCALLS

Afghanistan 0093

Albania 00355

Algeria 00213

Andorra 00376

Angola 00244

Anguilla 001264

Antiga 001268

Argentina 0054

Armenia 00374

Australia 0061

Austria 0043

Bahamas 001242

Bahrain 00973

Bangladesh 00880

Barbados 001246

Belarus 00375

Belgium 0032

Belize 00501

Benin 00229

Bermuda 001441

Bhutan 00975

Bolivia 00591

Bosnia 00387

Botswana 00267

Brazil 0055

Brunei 00673

Bulgaria 00359

Burkina 00226

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Cameroon 00237

Canada 001

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China 0086

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Comoros 00269

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Cook Islands 00682

Costa Rica 00506

Croatia 00385

Cuba 0053

Cyprus 00357

Cyprus (Northern) 0090392

Czech Republic 00420

Denmark 0045

Diego Garcia 00246

Djibouti 00253

Dominica 001767

Dominican Republic 001809

Ecuador 00593

Egypt 0020

El Salvador 00503

England (UK) 0044

Equatorial Guinea 00240

Eritrea 00291

Estonia 00372

Ethiopia 00251

Falkland Islands 00500

Faroe Islands 00298

Fiji 00679

Finland 00358

France 0033

French Guiana 00594

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Gabon 00241

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Georgia 00995

Germany 0049

Ghana 00233

Gibraltar 00350

Greece 0030

Greenland 00299

Grenada 001473

Guadeloupe 00590

Guam 001671

Guatemala 00502

Guinea 00224

Guyana 00592

Haiti 00509

Holland (Netherlands) 0031

Honduras 00504

Hong Kong 00852

Hungary 0036

Ibiza (Spain) 0034

Iceland 00354

India 0091

Indian Ocean 00873

Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098

Iraq 00964

Ireland 00353

Italy 0039

Ivory Coast 00225

Jamaica 001876

Japan 0081

Jordan 00962

Kazakhstan 007

Kenya 00254

Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965

Kyrgyzstan 00996

Laos 00856

Latvia 00371

Lebanon 00961

Liberia 00231

Libya 00218

Lithuania 00370

Luxembourg 00352

Macau 00853

Macedonia 00389

Madagascar 00261

Majorca 0034

Malawi 00265

Malaysia 0060

Maldives 00960

Mali 00223

Malta 00356

Marshall Islands 00692

Martinique 00596

Mauritania 00222

Mauritius 00230

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Mexico 0052

Micronesia 00691

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Mongolia 00976

Montserrat 001664

Morocco 00212

Mozambique 00258

Myanmar (Burma) 0095

Namibia 00264

Nepal 00977

Netherlands 0031

Netherlands Antilles 00599

New Caledonia 00687

New Zealand 0064

Nicaragua 00505

Nigar 00227

Nigeria 00234

Niue 00683

Norfolk Island 00672

N. Ireland (UK) 0044

North Korea 00850

Norway 0047

Oman 00968

Pakistan 0092

Palau 00680

Panama 00507

Papua New Guinea 00675

Paraguay 00595

Peru 0051

Philippines 0063

Poland 0048

Portugal 00351

Puerto Rico 001787

Qatar 00974

Romania 0040

Russian Federation 007

Rwanda 00250

Saint Helena 00290

Saint Kitts 001869

Saint Lucia 001758

Saint Pierre 00508

Saint Vincent 001784

Samoa US 00684

Samoa West 00685

San Marino 00378

Sao Tone 00239

Saudi Arabia 00966

Scotland (UK) 0044

Senegal 00221

Seychelles 00284

Sierra Leone 00232

Singapore 0065

Slovakia 00421

Slovenia 00386

Solomon Islands 00677

Somalia 00252

South Africa 0027

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Spain 0034

Sri Lanka 0094

Sudan 00249

Suriname 00597

Swaziland 00268

Sweden 0046

Switzerland 0041

Syria 00963

Serbia 00381

Taiwan 00886

Tanzania 00255

Thailand 0066

Toga 00228

Tonga 00676

Tokelau 00690

Trinidad 001868

Tunisia 00216

Turkey 0090

Tuvalu 00688

Uganda 00256

Ukraine 00380

United Arab Emirates 00976

United Kingdom 0044

Uruguay 00598

USA 001

Uzbekistan 00998

Vanuatu 00678

Venezuela 00582

Vietnam 0084

Virgin Islands UK 001284

Virgin Islands US 001340

Wales (UK) 0044

Yemen 00967

Yugoslavia 00381

Zambia 00260

Zimbabwe 00263

The 39-year-old star, who has 17-month-old son Axl withhusband Josh Duhamel, admits she was forced to moveback in with her mother, Theresa Ferguson, before the

group released their first single ‘Where Is The Love’ in 2003.She said: “I remember when I ran out of money in the early2000s - I moved back to my mom’s, and she was my angel for aperiod of time.” The ‘LA Love’ now lends her support to low-income women interviewing for jobs via the organisation,

Dress for Success, because she says it “touches a nerve” withher. Speaking to PEOPLE magazine, she explained: “Dress forSuccess is an angel to women who need, but can’t afford busi-ness-appropriate clothing. I’ve met some of the women whohave been helped to get a suit - and a week’s worth of profes-sional attire when they get a job - and their stories are sotouching.” The pop star, who also designs shoes, recentlymade a large donation to the charity. She said: “This year, 100

per cent of the proceeds from thelimited edition Fergie Footwear holi-day shoe, the Regan, went to Dress forSuccess. I’m so proud to partner with an organi-sation that builds self-esteem and helpswomen make improvements in their lives.”

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

l if e s t y l eG o s s i p

Fergie was completely broke before she found fame with Black Eyed Peas

The 30-year-old star, who has worked on the E!series since 2011, has walked away from theshow just days after co-host Giuliana Rancic was

forced to apologise to Disney star Zendaya Colemanfor making an “outrageously offensive” commentabout her dreadlocks. The network confirmed thenews in a statement on Friday (27.02.15), saying: “KellyOsbourne is departing E!’s ‘Fashion Police’ to pursueother opportunities, and we would like to thank herfor her many contributions to the series over the pastfive years, during which time the show became a hitwith viewers. ‘Fashion Police’ will return, as scheduled,on Friday, March 30th at 9:00 p.m. and no decisionshave been made on her replacement.” The lilac-haired

star threatened to quit on Twitter earlier this weekafter Giuliana’s controversial comments about herfriend Zendaya, 18. But a source claims she doesn’tthink the show has been the same since Kathy Griffintook over from the late Joan Rivers. The insider toldthe MailOnline: “Kelly stayed on the show after thebeloved Joan Rivers passed away, but nothing hasbeen the same since. “The chemistry has not been thesame between the hosts since the show came back onair and Kelly knows it’s time to move on. “This hasnothing to do Giuliana. Zendaya accepted Giuliana’sapology and she’s already moved on to a new hairstyle! Even Kelly tweeted ‘this too shall pass’ and wasover it. “Joan was the mama bear, she stopped all the

quarrels and held the show together, even when Kellywas being testy.” News of Kelly’s departure comesshortly after her father Ozzy Osbourne threatened‘Access Hollywood Live’ host Billy Bush, who is friendswith Giuliana, on Twitter after he blasted rumoursKelly warned her not to joke she thought Zendaya’sdreadlocks would “smell of patchouli or maybe weed.”The British rocker tweeted: “@BillyBush stop actinglike a b****. Act like a man. Lay off Kelly or we’ll begoing to hospital to get my foot out of your a**. GodBless.”

Kelly Osbourne has quit ‘Fashion Police’

The 24-year-old actress has hit back atrumours she got into a heated argu-ment with the director on the set of

their upcoming movie, ‘Joy,’ in Boston onTuesday. The Oscar winner addressed the“terrible” speculation in a rare message on herFacebook page on Friday, writing: “David O.Russell is one of my closest friends and wehave an amazing collaborative working rela-tionship. I adore this man and he does notdeserve this tabloid malarkey. This movie isgoing great and I’m having a blast making it!”The blonde beauty also admitted she doesn’tuse social media on a regular basis becauseshe can “barely work email.” A source told gos-sip website TMZ.com that the 56-year-oldfilmmaker, who has previously worked on

‘Silver Linings Playbook’ and ‘American Hustle’with Jennifer, allegedly screamed at her onset and later ordered producer HarveyWeinstein to leave when showed up unan-nounced. But a spokesperson for the movie’sstudio, Fox 2000, insisted David was merelyhelping Jennifer to get into the right frame ofmind for an intense scene. Bradley Cooper isalso starring in the upcoming film. Molly Simshas given herself gastritis by eating citrusfruits. The 41-year-old ‘Yes Man’ actress, whois set to give birth to her second child immi-nently with husband Scott Stuber, admits herhealthy cravings have caused some “reallypainful” side effects, including inflammationof the lining of her stomach. She said: “Withmy first pregnancy it was apples, but this timearound I’ve had so many mandarin orangesand grapefruits to the point where I got gas-tritis. It ’s really painful, but I can’t stop!Normally I don’t even drink OJ, but this morn-ing I drank it straight from the jug. It’s soweird.” The former Sports Illustrated model,who is expecting a baby girl, says she hasgained less weight this time around after put-ting on 80 pounds while pregnant with sonBrooks, two. She told The Bump magazine:“With baby number two, I’ve only gainedabout half of that and I’ve felt much moreenergetic.” But the blonde beauty admits shehas done a lot less exercise. She explained: “Idid a lot less cardio and a lot more Pilates. Istill did Tracy Anderson and spinning, but Itook it much easier. My body just didn’t feellike I needed it, especially in the middlemonths, and I didn’t want to push it as hard.Some days you have energy, and some daysyou feel like you’ve been hit by a bus. It’s soimportant to really listen to what your body istelling you and go with it.”

Jennifer Lawrence insists David Russell is her ‘closest friends’

The ‘Drive’ star, whose welcomed six-month-old babygirl, Esmeralda Amada, into the world with girlfriendEva Mendes last September, has sparked rumours he

recently got the shortened version of her first name ‘Esme’inked on the knuckles of his left hand. The 34-year-oldheartthrob made no attempt to hide the letters after enjoy-ing a lunch date with friends at Little Dom’s in Los Feliz, LosAngeles on Friday. It is not yet if the markings are perma-nent or whether they were drawn on with pen. But Ryanpreviously admitted all of his tattoos look “homemade” and“ridiculous.” Speaking in 2007, the actor, who also has a tat-too of a barcode on his left wrist and a picture of a mon-ster’s hand dropping a bloody heart on his left forearm,also said: “A tattoo should never be meaningful, because ata certain point you’re going to hate it, and it might as wellmake you laugh.” A source recently revealed ‘ TheNotebook’ star has formed a very close bond withEsmeralda and loves singing to her. The insider said: “Ryansings to the baby. He loves it. Sometimes he’ll make up hisown songs and include her name in them. It’s very sweet.”

Ryan Gosling had daughter’s name tattooed on his hand

The ‘Glee’ actress says her late co-star, who died in July 2013 from a heroin and alcohol overdose,was “one of the best guys I’ve known” and she will miss seeing the rest of the cast regularly afterrecently filming the final episode of the series. She said: “We all still remember and love him

every day. I love the whole cast and I’ll see them in life, but when the show ends you won’t see themlike you used to. Everyone is going to go on with their lives. I’ll miss it.” The two-hour finale is set topay a small tribute to Cory when it airs in the US on March 20.Meanwhile, Jane admits she was more emotional than she had pre-dicted when they wrapped up shooting earlier this month. The 54-year-old star told UsMagazine.com: “It’s been really sad, it’s all overnow. I wasn’t expecting it to be what it was, it felt very right that itwas over and we really celebrated it. We celebrated every castmember one at a time.” Jane will always be proud of what theseries accomplished. She explained: “[The show has] been mind-blowing for forward-thinking. It’s nice to not get up on a soap box,[but] to do it through the show. It’s good to have really hated char-acters that you love at the end and characters that are so goodyou want to spank them! Matt Morrison’s character is like that,he’s so lovely and he’s just like that in real life.”

Jane Lynch still remembers

Cory Monteith ‘every day’

Molly Sims give herself gastritis by eating citrus fruits

The 41-year-old ‘Yes Man’ actress, who is set to give birthto her second child imminently with husband ScottStuber, admits her healthy cravings have caused some

“really painful” side effects, including inflammation of the lin-ing of her stomach. She said: “With my first pregnancy it wasapples, but this time around I’ve had so many mandarinoranges and grapefruits to the point where I got gastritis. It’sreally painful, but I can’t stop! Normally I don’t even drink OJ,but this morning I drank it straight from the jug. It’s so weird.”The former Sports Illustrated model, who is expecting a babygirl, says she has gained less weight this time around afterputting on 80 pounds while pregnant with son Brooks, two.She told The Bump magazine: “With baby number two, I’veonly gained about half of that and I’ve felt much more ener-getic.” But the blonde beauty admits she has done a lot lessexercise. She explained: “I did a lot less cardio and a lot morePilates. I still did Tracy Anderson and spinning, but I took itmuch easier. My body just didn’t feel like I needed it, especial-ly in the middle months, and I didn’t want to push it as hard.Some days you have energy, and some days you feel likeyou’ve been hit by a bus. It’s so important to really listen towhat your body is telling you and go with it.”

Selena Gomez ‘declined’to take part in Justin’s

upcoming roast

The ‘Boyfriend’ hitmaker will be the focus of a ComedyCentral Roast in honour of his 21st birthday today, but hisex-girlfriend wants doesn’t want to join in with the jokey

evening, which will be hosted by Kevin Hart, because she is nowdating DJ Zedd. A source told In Touch Weekly magazine: “Selenadeclined. Now that she’s dating DJ Zedd, she thinks it would beincredibly disrespectful to him if she were to do it.” But theCanadian singer, who split from the brunette beauty in Octoberafter four years of on/off dating, is upset that she won’t be amongthose poking fun at him during the TV special, which is beingfilmed on March 7. The source said: “Justin is hurt. He really want-ed her there. He’s hoping he can change her mind.” But the‘Rudderless’ actress has no plans to even watch the show when itis aired on Comedy Central on March 30. The source added:“Selena is really happy right now.” Another insider recentlyclaimed Justin is upset the ‘Slow Down’ hitmaker isn’t pining overhim. The source said: “Seeing her happy with Zedd and the factthat she’s not pining for him are bitter blows to his ego. Justin

wants to have his fun, and know hehas Selena in his back pocket

whenever he needs her.”

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

l if e s t y l e

The ‘Living For Love’ hitmaker, who has a house inLondon and spends much of her time there,claims France currently feels like “Nazi Germany”

because of “the level of intolerance that’s going on.”While discussing her new song ‘Ghosttown’ from herupcoming album, ‘Rebel Heart,’ the 56-year-old singersaid: “France was once a country that accepted peopleof colour. It was once a place that artists escaped to,whether it was Josephine Baker or Charlie Parker orwriters, painters, whatever. It was a country thatembraced everyone and that encouraged freedom inevery way, shape, or form-freedom of expression, artis-

tic freedom, for example. “Now, it’s completely gone.It’s like, to me, you know, I said this two years ago, it’slike we’re living in a crazy time. It feels like, you know,Nazi Germany. All of these people... the intolerance, thelevel of intolerance that’s going on is really scary. It’s notjust happening in France, it’s all over Europe, but it’sspecifically in France. Anti-Semitism, I think, is at an all-time high, people are becoming, behaving, and react-ing in extremely fearful ways, so it’s scary.” The singeralso believes we are headed towards an apocalypseunless things change. She told Europe 1 Radio:“‘Ghosttown’ is like, for me, a kind of foreshadowing of

two people living like the only lovers left alive in apost-apocalyptic world. I feel like that’s where we’reheading for if we continue to behave the way webehave, to treat one another the way we’re treat-ing one another, to maintain this level of intoler-ance and discriminatory prejudice... hatefulbehaviour towards other human beings who aredifferent than you are.”

Madonna thinks Europe has

become a ‘scary place’

Kelly Clarkson says

Brandon Blackstock

is her first love

The ‘Heartbeat Song’ admits, who married the musicmanager in October 2013 after two years of dating,admits he is the only person she has ever professed

her love to and meant it. The 32-year-old star, who haseight-month-old daughter River Rose with Brandon, said:“He was the first guy I ...said it [to] - and wanted to say it. Ididn’t feel like I had to. Because, like, ‘Oh, that’s what youhave to do when you say it.’ “ The blonde beauty has noregrets about not opening her heart to her ex-boyfriendseven though she thinks it probably hurt their feelings. Shetold ‘CBS Sunday Morning With Charles Osgood’ in anupcoming interview that will air tomorrow: “That’s horrible.But it’s true. And that’s how - what it is.” But Kelly admitsshe never thought she would find long-lasting lovebecause she has witnessed a lot of divorces, including herown parents’ split. She explained: “I never thought honestlyI would get married or fall in ‘love’, like they say in themovies. You know, I never thought that would happen.And, not so because I didn’t think it was true.”

The 33-year-old ‘Celebrity Juice’ panellist - who already hastwo-year-old son Rex with husband Jesse Wood - revealed thenews in a statement on her website, although did not reveal

when they are expecting the baby to be born. She wrote: “Jesse andI are very happy to announce we are having another baby. I feelextremely blessed and happy that Rex will be a big brother, and weget to welcome another Wood into the world.” Along with theannouncement, the BBC Radio 1 DJ confirmed she has decided toleave the station - on which she presents the 10am-1pm weekdayshow - after 10 years. She continued: “It has also been a time of bigdecisions and one I want to share with you now. After much timeand careful thought I have decided to leave Radio 1 after ten amaz-ing years.” “I have had the most incredible decade broadcasting onRadio 1, meeting wonderful people, helping break artists and

watching live music from the world’s best.” The star - who marriedthe son of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood last July - addedher departure from the station marks a “new chapter” in her life, andshe will be leaving with positive memories. She explained:“However it is now time for a new chapter. “I would like to thankRadio 1 for being such a great home and most of all to the listenerswho have been on this journey with me. It’s such a kick to know youheard a band on my show first, or that the songs I’ve played havehelped you through the day, so thank you. “I will leave with thebest memories and many great friends. “Here’s to family and newadventures.” Replacing the blonde beauty on her weekday showwill be current Official Charts Show host Clara Amfo, who said she is“thrilled” to have secured the slot. She said: “I am honoured andthrilled to be presenting such a huge show on Radio 1. The broad-

casters who have gone before me have left an impressivetrail and I hope to carry that on. Doing this job is anabsolute joy and to now have the opportunity to broad-cast Monday to Friday is something that I am so gratefulfor. I can’t wait to introduce a Live Lounge artist for thefirst time!”

Fearne Cotton pregnant with her second child

The 21-year-old chart-topper was performing at the opening night ofher ‘The Honeymoon Tour’ in Kansas City on Wednesday eveningwhen a wooden platform which was supposed to take her onto the

stage snapped, causing her to narrowly avoid getting “crushed”. Speakingin a ‘Honeymoon Diaries’ video update titled “that time i almost died during(but actually this time) (sic),” she explained: “I almost died. I can’t stop think-ing about this, because it was literally the craziest. So the wooden thingbreaks and goes like this! (sic)” The 22-year-old star - who is dating rapperBig Sean - then gestured how the panel had snapped from a horizontal to avertical position, and went on to explain the terrifying moments which fol-lowed, during which she clung onto a beam until she was saved by crewmembers. She continued: “I’m about to be crushed by mechanical, by metals**t and by wood and stuff, and I go like this and grab this thing.” However,the near-death experience, which happened during a performance of hersingle ‘Love Me Harder’, didn’t faze her and she managed to continuesinging the hit. She added: “I didn’t drop the mic. I was like, ‘Oh I gotta keepsinging.’ “Following the show, the ‘Problem’ hitmaker vented about thefreaky incident on her Twitter account, confessing she still enjoyed the per-formance. She wrote: “We did it!!!! I ALMOST DIED ONCE BUT OTHER THANTHAT IT FELT PRETTY GOOD! i love u kansas city. so much. thank u for put-ting up w my nerves. “Anyway... i’m so proud of / thankful for my honey-moon crew / friends. today was a dream (little f ups included). only gets bet-ter from here. A

riana G

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in a

lift

Kerry Washingtondoesn’t feel guilty aboutbeing a working mother

The ‘Scandal’ star has eight-month-old daughterIsabelle with husband Nnamdi Asomugha and she is“grateful” that her own mother was “such a powerful

role model as a working mom” to her. Speaking to the newissue of InStyle magazine, she said: “Women use this ‘guilt’word a lot, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. I know whyit’s the word that keeps coming up, but I can’t co-sign on ityet. There has got to be a better way. You can’t be allthings to all people all the time, you have to experienceyour humanity, you have to know you are a limited vessel,and you can only do so much.” The 38-year-old star alsoisn’t sure whether becoming a parent has changed her.She said: “It’s too early to tell. Maybe later I’ll look back andhave some of that figured out. But when you’re in it, you’rein it! And I’m so in it right now.” Kerry feels lucky to havelots of famous friends to ask for parenting advice if sheever needs it. She said: “I called up Connie Britton, whoadopted her son when she started ‘Nashville’. I emailedJessica Alba. I have all these girls I have known for a longtime. now we have a new chapter in our lives we can shareideas about.”

The ‘Focus’ actress admitted to tak-ing rolls of the household goodfrom a hotel in New York where

her friend was staying but insisted itwas only “one time”. She shared: “It wasone time and it was when I was living inNew York. I was busy, I was working on‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ and I didn’t havetime. Every time I got home, I thought‘Damn, I forgot to buy toilet paperagain.’ “So I was saying goodbye to afriend who was staying at a hotel. Andshe was like, ‘I’m getting on a plane toAustralia so take whatever we’ve got leftover.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, great.’ So Ipacked up a bag and I was like, ‘Toiletpaper, yes!’ “And then I walked out andgot papped outside the hotel and mymum called me and she was like, ‘Ohwhat did you buy from Ralph Lauren?Did you buy something really nice from

Ralph Lauren?’ And I was like, ‘I’ve neverbought anything from Ralph Lauren,what are you talking about?’ The bag myfriend had given me that I’d put all mystolen goods in was a Ralph Lauren bag.”And the 24-year-old actress, who nowrents a place in London with five friends,has blamed her male housemates foralways ensuring their home is low ontoilet paper. Speaking on The TonightShow with Jimmy Fallon, she said: “I livewith three boys and I can’t tell you howhard it is to get your hands on toiletpaper. They steal it. “We’ve got a girls’bathroom and a boys’ bathroom fortu-nately but they sneak on up and steal allour toilet paper.”

Margot Robbie stole toilet paper from hotel

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

l if e s t y l e

Iraq’s national museum officially reopened yesterday after 12 years ofpainstaking efforts during which close to a third of 15,000 pieceslooted during the US-led invasion were recovered. The reopening

was brought forward in what officials said was a response to thedestruction of priceless artefacts by Islamic State group jihadists in thenorthern city of Mosul.

“We have been preparing to reopen for the past couple of months,the museum should be open to everyone,” Qais Hussein Rashid, thedeputy tourism and antiquities minister, told AFP.

“The events in Mosul led us to speed up our work and we wanted toopen it today as a response to what the gangs of Daesh did,” he said,using an Arabic acronym for the IS group.

On Thursday, the jihadists who have occupied Iraq’s second city ofMosul since June last year released a video in which militants smashancient statues with sledgehammers in the city’s museum.

Militants are also seen using a jackhammer to deface a colossal 40-tonne Assyrian winged bull in an archaeological park in Mosul.

The destruction sparked global outrage, calls for an emergencymeeting of the UN Security Council and fears over the fate of othermajor heritage sites in areas under IS control.

The Mosul destruction was the worst disaster to strike Iraq’s treasuressince the national museum in Baghdad was looted in the chaos that fol-lowed the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

The pictures of jihadists gleefully hacking away at treasures datingback several centuries before Christ drew comparisons with the 2001dynamiting by the Taleban of the Bamiyan buddhas in Afghanistan.

One jihadist speaking to the camera claims they are destroying themon religious grounds because the statues are symbols of idolatry. Butofficials and experts argue the IS militants are seen destroying thepieces that are too bulky to be smuggled and sold to finance their self-proclaimed “caliphate”.

Hunt continues The 2003 plundering of the Baghdad museum, footage of which was

beamed around the world at the time, has been compared to the 13thcentury Mongol sack of the city’s library.

The museum was considered to host one of the world’s greatestarcheological collections. Officials said yesterday that about 15,000pieces were looted in 2003, of which 4,300 have been recovered.

“We are still tracking down more than 10,000 artefacts in marketsand auctions. What we got back were the most important,” Rashid said.

After cutting a red ribbon at an official ceremony, Prime MinisterHaider al-Abadi said: “Today the message is clear from Baghdad, fromthe land of Mesopotamia.

“We will preserve civilisation and we will track down those who wantto destroy it,” he said. Rashid said the reopening would help heal thewounds of the Mosul looting.

“We don’t want February 26 to be a day of sadness and gloom...reopening the museum sends a message at home and abroad that itshould be restored as a touristic and cultural institution,” he said.

The museum is due to reopen to the public today. Tickets will cost

1,500 Iraqi dinars (just over a dollar), 10 US dollars for Arabs and 20 forother foreigners.

The Mosul museum, which UNESCO museology expert Stuart Gibsondescribed as “a small jewel” constructed on the gardens of the formerpalace of King Faisal of Iraq, was also pillaged in 2003.

Archaeologists have expressed fears the jihadists would go on todestroy more heritage in the areas they control, possibly the Assyriansite of Nimrud and the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Hatra. Abadiwarned traffickers and buyers that Iraq and its partners would not relentin its hunt for looted artefacts. “We have details on every artefact inMosul, every piece is marked, and we will track down all the piecessmuggled by Daesh and the terrorist groups, we will track them downand all the world is with us.” — AFP

Bill Cosby’s lawyers asked a federal judge on Friday tothrow out a defamation lawsuit filed by three womenaccusing the comedian of decades-old sexual offenses.

The women, all of whom have stepped forward in recentyears, say Cosby’s representatives publicly branded them asliars while trying to defend his innocence.

But Cosby’s lawyers say the actor was merely acting in self-defense as his character was under attack.

“The law does not require that one stand idly by while he ispublicly attacked,” the lawyers argue in their 38-page filing.“Instead the law entitles an individual who is accused of seri-ous wrongdoing to rebut the allegations without facingdefamation claims.”

Joseph Cammarata, a lawyer for the three accusers, said hisclients disagree with that position. “We believe that the lawprovides that when you make a public statement about anindividual, it must be truthful,” he said. “We look forward to anopportunity to have the truth tried by a jury who can ultimate-ly determine which of the parties was being truthful.”

Cosby’s lawyers say their client denies all of the allegationsof sexual misconduct. Cosby, who starred as Dr. Cliff Huxtableon the beloved sitcom “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992,hasn’t been charged with any crime. At least 15 women havestepped forward in recent years to level various assault accusa-tions.

Tamara Green, a California lawyer, says Cosby drugged andsexually assaulted her in her Los Angeles-area apartment in theearly 1970s. Therese Serignese says Cosby drugged and rapedher in a dressing room after a show in Las Vegas around 1976.And Linda Traitz alleges he tried to drug her and then gropedher on a Southern California beach in about 1970.

Cosby’s lawyers say his representatives were responding tothe accusations in strongly-worded rebukes. One November2014 statement references Traitz’s “extensive” criminal record,which includes larceny, fraud and drug possession charges.

“As the old saying goes, ‘consider the source,’” wrote Cosbyattorney Martin Singer, who also attached copies of Traitz’sFlorida criminal and prison records with the statement.

Punitive damagesAnother November 2014 statement cited by Cosby’s accus-

ers offers “general comments” on the allegations and does notspecifically name any of the accusers, his lawyers say.

“The new, never-before-heard claims from women whohave come forward in the past two weeks with unsubstantiat-ed, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40, oreven 50 years ago have escalated far past the point of absurdi-ty,” Singer wrote at the time. “It is long past time for this mediavilification of Mr. Cosby to stop.”

The three women seek an unspecified amount of money forcompensatory and punitive damages. Many of the accusationsagainst him exceed the statute of limitations for criminal pros-ecution. But the scandal has taken its toll on the 77-year-oldactor and comedian as he has sought to revive his career witha national stand-up comedy tour.

Cosby has canceled or postponed more than a dozen per-formances as more accusers have come forward, and women’sgroups have protested or threatened to rally at many of hispublic appearances.

Lawyers for the three accusers have until March 20 to file areply to Cosby’s motion to dismiss the suit. Green originallyfiled the defamation lawsuit in December 2014 and Serigneseand Traitz joined later. The suit is filed in US District Court inSpringfield, in western Massachusetts. Cosby has a home near-by in Shelburne Falls. — AP

Alan Cumming,Lena Hall heading

to Cafe Carlyle

Tony Award winners Alan Cumming and Lena Hall areleaving their Broadway shows, but you can still catchthem live.

The Cafe Carlyle said Friday that Hall will make her debut atthe legendary lounge April 7-18. Hall is leaving “Hedwig andthe Angry Inch” on April 4. Cumming is a star of “Cabaret” and“The Good Wife.” He will play at the cafe June 2-13 after hisBroadway revival ends. His show - “Alan Cumming Sings SappySongs” - will feature a cellist.

The spring season will also mark the return of “Smash” starMegan Hilty, who will sing “Songs for My Daughter” on May19-30; singer-songwriter Judy Collins on May 5-16; and“Strictly Bossa Nova” star John Pizzarelli with pianist DanielJobim on April 21-May 2. — AP

Bill Cosby asks judge to dismiss three accusers’ defamation suit

Alan Cumming

A statue dating back to the eighth century BC is displayed at the entrance of Iraq’s national museum during its officialreopening yesterday in the capital Baghdad. The national museum reopened after 12 years of painstaking efforts dur-ing which close to a third of 15,000 stolen pieces were recovered. — AFP photos

An artefact coming from the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and dating back to 1227 AD is displayed.

Artefacts coming from the area of Mosul and dating back to the second century BC is dis-played.

Bill Cosby salutes the crowd as he begins a performance at the Buell Theater in Denver. Cosby’s lawyers asked a federaljudge on Friday, to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed by three women accusing the comedian of decades-old sexualoffenses. — AP

An artefact is displayed during the reopening of Iraq’s nationalmuseum yesterday.

A man walks past an artefact displayed during the official reopening of Iraq’s nationalmuseum.

Baghdad museum reopens 12 years after looting‘Destruction sparked global outrage’

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

l if e s t y l e

It’s Milan fashion week, you’ve got tickets to thecatwalk shows and an outfit to die for, but whichwatch to wear? A chunky smartwatch or chic tick-

er that can’t tell the time?Ahead of the hotly-anticipated Apple Watch

launch this year, expected to revolutionise techwearables, there are already watches you can use tocheck emails, Facebook or the weather, play gamesor even get your kettle to boil.

Purists might say such a gadget would only dis-tract from the delights of watching Prada, Versace orArmani, but critics and buyers are notoriously badmannered anyway, often texting or taking selfies inshows, so they might as well be on their watches.

Bare wrists have been all the rage at Milan’sautumn-winter 2015 shows, but an accessory thefashion world had dropped as one less thing to wor-ry about is now making a comeback.

With the rise of the smartphone a decade or soago came the demise of the ordinary watch-itsrebirth is said to have begun nearly three years agowith Pebble, which created one of the world’s firstofficial smartwatches.

That sparked a flurry of activity which will resultthis year in items on the must-have geek list such asthe Puls, built on the Android system, and theActivite Pop for exercise fiends.

But smart watches have already drawn criticismfor being bulky and, with no serious fashionista will-ing to look nerdy, watchmakers and technologydevelopers have been racing to find a way to winover the female market.

Side-stepping the techno race Successes so far have been thin on the ground,

the most notable attempt coming from Ornate,whose Lutetia smartwatch claims to be just the tick-et for women but which boasts raffish beaded wrist-bands which risk falling flat with high-end cus-tomers.

Some companies, like Italian start-up D1 Milano,have decided to side-step the techno race and sal-vage the watch by transforming it into a purely aes-thetic accessory.

Amid the bustle of shows, D1 unveiled what itclaims is the world’s first thermochromic watch,which changes colour as the room temperatureinches up.

A sleek black which transforms into a green orgrey camouflage pattern, the watch-the brainchildof 22-year old designer Alessandro Pedersoli and histhree co-founders-is selling well in the Middle East inparticular.

Thermochromic inks first appeared on the fash-ion scene in the 1970s with mood rings-whichclaimed to show the wearer’s emotional state byreading their body heat-before the technologymoved to T-shirts and shorts in the 1990s.

Having the world know you were sweatingbecause blotchy patches appeared under your arms,back and crotch proved a trend-killer however.

Instead of ink, D1 is using resin-the stuff usuallyused on factory pipes as a warning system againstoverheating-which it has adjusted to react at 27degrees Celsius, when it becomes transparent toreveal the pattern beneath.

The company’s next project will be to bring outnew versions of their octagonal-faced tickers twice ayear, in line with both the spring/summer andautumn/winter shows-ideally anticipating some ofthe trends on the catwalks.

It is too soon to say whether fashion’s finest willbe hooked, but they will still have to rely on theirphones, because these watches may be pretty butthey’re not designed to tell you the time. — AFP

Fashionable orgeeky - the

modern watchdilemma

Models present a creation for fashion house Ermanno Scervino at the women Fall / Winter 2015/16 Milan’s Fashion Week yesterday. — AFP Photos

38Baghdad museum

reopens 12 years after looting

SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015

Flowers adorn the Hollywood Walk of Fame star of Leonard Nimoy in Los Angeles. — AP

President Barack Obama joined Leonard Nimoy’s co-stars from “Star Trek” to bid adieu to the actor whodied Friday aged 83 after making his name as “Mr

Spock.” “Long before being nerdy was cool, there wasLeonard Nimoy,” said Obama, who recalled meeting theBoston-born Nimoy with the Vulcan salute in 2007.

More than a household name, Nimoy was a “lifelonglover of the arts and humanities, a supporter of the sciences,generous with his talent and his time,” the president added.

“I loved Spock,” said Obama.William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Kirk on

“Star Trek,” was similarly effusive in his praise. “I loved himlike a brother. We will all miss his humor, his talent, and hiscapacity to love,” Shatner said on Twitter and Facebook.

“RIP Leonard Nimoy. So many of us at NASA wereinspired by Star Trek. Boldly go...” echoed the US space

agency on Twitter, under a photo of the Star Trek cast visit-ing the space shuttle Enterprise in 1976.

“To boldly go where no man has gone before” was acatchphrase from the opening credits of the original StarTrek TV episodes.

‘I will miss you’ George Takei, 77, who played the helmsman of the

Starship Enterprise on “Star Trek,” told CNN how he andNimoy had been good friends for half a century.

“When discussing a scene, he had a remarkable talent foranalyzing the scene very quickly, in terms of its point, itsdrive,” Takei recalled. “But he was also able to guide otheractors. He was really a company actor... A real leader and abrilliant actor.” Zachary Quinto, who played Spock in the twomost recent Star Trek films, said he was heartbroken.

“I love you profoundly my dear friend and I will miss youeveryday,” he said on Instagram, alongside a portrait ofNimoy. “Today we salute the legendary Leonard Nimoy#LiveLongAndProsper,” tweeted the nerdy hit CBS sitcom“The Big Bang Theory,” on which Nimoy once made a mem-orable cameo appearance, voicing a Spock doll.

Veteran Hollywood comedian Carl Reiner asked, viaTwitter, if Spock “could not find a way to stay, what chancehave we earthlings? ‘May flights of angels sing him to hisrest’.” “Leonard, you lived long and prospered, and were aninspiration to me and to millions. Rest in peace,” tweetedCanadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, whose use of socialmedia from the International Space Station helped rebootpublic interest in “the final frontier.” — AFP

Leonard Nimoy didn’t just leave a lasting impression onthe science-fiction world, he also left his mark on scienceitself. Seth Shostak, who researches the possibility of real-

world extraterrestrial life as the senior astronomer at SETIResearch, recalled that Nimoy was regularly willing to lend theorganization a helping hand. When he was asked to narrate aplanetarium introduction or appear as a guest at an event,Nimoy did so graciously and never charged. “That struck methen, and it strikes me now,” said Shostak. “If you play a famousalien, you might have little interest in how science is searchingfor real aliens, but Nimoy was actually interested in the science- and he was always willing to help us out.”

Remembrances poured in from beyond the entertainmentspectrum after news spread Friday about the death of the 83-year-old actor, who played the half-alien, half-human Spock in“Star Trek” films, TV shows and video games. NASA, VirginGalactic, Intel and Google all sent messages, as did othergroups motivated by Nimoy and his role as the truth-seekingscience officer.

“Leonard Nimoy was an inspiration to multiple generationsof engineers, scientists, astronauts and other space explorers,”said NASA administrator Charles Bolden. “As Mr. Spock, hemade science and technology important to the story, whilenever failing to show, by example, that it is the people aroundus who matter most.” NASA posted a photo online taken in1976 of Nimoy and his “Trek” cast mates in front of NASA’s real-life space shuttle Enterprise, parked outside the agency’s man-ufacturing facilities in Palmdale, California.

Astronaut tweetsSamantha Cristoforetti, an Italian astronaut aboard the

International Space Station, similarly tweeted her condolencesfrom space. “Live Long and Prosper, Mr. #Spock!” she wrote.

Don Lincoln, a senior physicist at Fermilab, said he wasinspired to go into science not just because Nimoy’s portrayalof the logical Mr. Spock but also because of “In Search of...,” thecurious 1970s TV series hosted by Nimoy that was dedicatedto mysterious phenomena.

“Despite the fact he worked in fiction, anyone who caninspire that many people to look into the sky and wonder hasdone something really important for mankind,” he said.

Lincoln noted that “Trek” and the character of Spock, armedwith his Vulcan nerve pinch and phase set to stun, providedthe world with a dynamic look at someone interested in sci-ence. “The fact is that Spock was a cool geek,” said Lincoln.“Scientists are not always portrayed as being very strong.Usually, they’re the guy with the tape on their glasses and theirpants too high. He was clearly a person who had desirablecomponents beyond just being smart.”

Nimoy’s commitment to astronomy frequently warpedfrom beyond the Alpha Quadrant and into the real world. Heand his wife, Susan, donated $1 million to the renovation ofthe iconic Griffith Park observatory complex overlooking LosAngeles. The observatory’s theater is named after Nimoy.

“Mr. Nimoy was committed to people, community and theenlarged perspective conferred by science, the arts and theplaces where they meet,” the observatory said in a statement.“The theater honors Nimoy’s expansive and inclusiveapproach to public astronomy and artful inspiration.”

The actor, director and photographer narrated several filmsfocusing on astronomy, including a 2012 short film aboutNASA’s Dawn mission and the 1994 IMAX documentary film“Destiny in Space.” “All I can say is if and when we pick up a sig-nal, it’ll be wonderful if the real aliens are half as appealing asMr. Nimoy was as Spock,” said Shostak of SETI Research. — AP

Tributes pour in for Mr Spock

Galaxies mourn the death of Mr SpockLegendary actor Leonard Nimoy dies at 83

In this Aug. 9, 2006 file photo, actor Leonard Nimoy poses for a photograph in LosAngeles. Nimoy, famous for playing officer Mr Spock in “Star Trek” died Friday in LosAngeles of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 83. — AP

Actor Leonard Nimoy and his wife, actress Susan Bay, arrive at Grauman’s Chinese Theatrein Hollywood for the premiere of the movie “Star Trek” in Los Angeles in this April 30,2009, file photo. — AFP

William Shatner (R) and Leonard Nimoy (L), the actors who portrayed Capt James T. Kirkand Science Officer Mr. Spock respectively in the original Star Trek television series, recallmemories of filming the show 40 years ago. — AFP

Flowers are placed in memory of actor Leonard Nimoy. — AFP