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SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014 RAMADAN 29, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net

Grim discoveries; Gaza death toll tops 1,000

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More than 100 bodies buried in the rubble Ramadan Kareem

There are two Eids during the year and they con-stitute major holidays in Kuwait. The celebra-tion of Eid Al-Fitr, which follows Ramadan, usu-

ally takes place over three days. Throughout the Eid,the people will dress in their finest clothes and fami-lies will exchange visits and entertain children withoutings and monetary gifts. Eid Al-Ad’ha, which fol-lows the pilgrimage season, is celebrated in similarfashion, for three days families exchange visits, sharemeals and treat children to gifts , fun and games.

Meaning of EidIn its purest sense, the Arabic word “Eid” refers to

something that returns and is repeated. It is knownas the celebrations that follow two of the major actsthat characterize a Muslim - the fast of Ramadan andthe pilgrimage (Hajj). The Eids are unique festivalswhen Muslims celebrate their spirituals progresswith worship, charity, socialization and festivity aswell as praying to Allah (God) to accept their gooddeeds and reward them accordingly .

Eid Al-FitrEid Al-Fitr, (Festival of Breaking the Fast,) is the

celebration that follows Ramadan. Continued on Page 15

Eid in KuwaitBy Hassan Twaha Bwambale

GAZA: Israel yesterday approved a four-hour extensionof a temporary truce in Gaza, Israeli television said, afterthe Palestinian death toll topped 1,000 with theretrieval of dozens of bodies. Channel 10 said the secu-rity cabinet had agreed to prolong a 12-hour truce thatwent into effect yesterday morning by four hours,extending it until midnight local time (2100 GMT). Thedecision came after US Secretary of State John Kerryand foreign ministers from Europe and the Middle Easturged Israel and the Hamas movement to extend thefragile truce.

“We all call on parties to extend the humanitarianceasefire,” France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius toldreporters after meeting Kerry and foreign ministersfrom Britain, Germany, Italy, Qatar and Turkey, as well asan EU representative. “We all want to obtain a lastingceasefire as quickly as possible that addresses bothIsraeli requirements in terms of security and Palestinianrequirements in terms of socio-economic development.”There was no immediate response from Hamas to eitherthat call or to the Israeli cabinet decision.

After the 12-hour ceasefire went into effect at 0500GMT, medics in Gaza began digging through theremains of hundreds of homes, and uncovered morethan 100 bodies, medics said. The grim discoveriespushed the Palestinian toll in Gaza to more than 1,000as Kerry met his counterparts from Europe and theMiddle East and urged a truce extension. Israel alsoannounced the deaths of three more soldiers, raising itsmilitary toll to 40, along with two Israeli civilians and aThai worker killed in Israel.

Continued on Page 15GAZA: Two bodies of Palestinian men are pinned under the rubble of a building following an Israeli air strikeon Beit Hanun, in the northern of Gaza strip yesterday. — AFP

L O C A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

Food ofRamadan

Quaker Oats Cheesecake

Ingredients• 11⁄2 cups of Quaker Oats • 2 cups of cornflakes• 1 cup of marshmallows • 2 tbsps. of butter.

Filling• 2 packets of cream cheese (250g) • 2 packets of

whipping cream• 1/2 cup of castor sugar• 1 can of blueberry pie filling• Lemon zest• 1 tbsp. of lemon juice• 1 tbsp. of vanilla• 1/2 cup of hot water• 2 tbsps. of gelatin. You may use 3 packets of

cheese and 1 packet of whipping cream.

Preparation• Melt butter, then add marshmallows and stir, add

Quaker Oats and cornflakes, mix all together. Pressonto bottom of springform pan. Set aside.

• Soften gelatin in water, stir until fully dissolved.• Combine cream, cheese and sugar. Mix at medium

speed in electric mixer until well blended.• Gradually add gelatin, lemon zest, lemon juice,

vanilla and mix.• Beat whipping cream until fluffy. Fold in the

creamy cheese. Pour over the crust and chill untilfirm.It is better to leave it overnight.

KUWAIT: Mohammad Saleh & Reza Yousuf Behbehani - Isuzu’sdealer in Kuwait - organized its sixth consecutive RamadanGhabqa for its customers at the Marina Hotel in Salmiya.

The attendance was remarkable, with an impressive turnoutfrom major company owners and senior executives. The specialguests enjoyed a pleasant evening to the tune of the Oud,which created a charming atmosphere that was commendedby all.

A number of Isuzu’s managing executives were also present,who had especially flown in from Japan and Dubai for theevent. They took the opportunity to praise Behbehani for its dis-tinctive achievements and to celebrate a partnership of over 40years. Ikuo Ueno, Isuzu Motors’ Middle East General Manager,noted: “We have an important interest and pay close attentionto the Gulf states, including Kuwait, which have proven to bepromising markets. I think that this event is an importantopportunity to communicate closely with Isuzu’s clients and tostrengthen our relationships with them. I would also like toexpress my deepest gratitude and appreciation for Behbehanifor its success and commitment in upholding the Isuzu name inKuwait, through its sales and excellent customer service.”

Talal Behbehani, the company’s Executive Director, com-mented: “I was very pleased to meet with our valued customersand share this pleasant evening with them. This occasion hasallowed for us to get closer to our clients and strengthen ourties with them, away from the daily obligations of work.”

It is worth noting that Isuzu is one of the world’s topJapanese companies specialized in the development and man-ufacturing of commercial N-Series trucks and D-Max Pickuptrucks, which are an ideal partner for employers and individualswho are looking to maximize their business potential. Isuzucontinuously strive to raise the industry’s standard in tradingmechanisms, designed in accordance with the global standardsfor safety, economy and environment.

Behbehani Company organizes Ramadan Ghabqa for Isuzu clients

KUWAIT: Kuwait International Bank (KIB) - Best IslamicBank in Kuwait 2014- continued its Ramadan activities withvisits to various dewans by multiple groups of bankemployees.

The visits are a part of KIB’s efforts to maintain commu-nication with dewan leaders and associates during the holymonth and stem from the importance of the diwaniya inKuwaiti society.

The diwaniya visits by KIB employees reinforce a tradi-tion created long ago by the people of Kuwait a traditionwhich is intricately linked with our cultural heritage.

In the past, the Kuwaiti diwaniyah served as a meetingforum and council where people of a neighborhood couldgather and communicate as well as discuss issues relatedto their daily lives, explained Matar Al Shammari, ActingGM of KIB’s Retail Banking Department.

Al Shammari emphasized that diwaniya visits hold aneven greater significance during the holy month ofRamadan and must be continued. He noted that KIB willfully invest in such visits and work to maintain direct com-munication with attendees of these diwaniya, with specialemphasis on KIB customers who visit them.

During the diwaniya visits, bank representatives pre-sented KIB’s Shariah-compliant products and services inaddition to discussing its various offers and activities.Moreover, KIB staff used the visits as an opportunity to lis-ten to the attendees suggestions and comments in orderto further understand their needs.

KIB is implementing a yearly comprehensive Ramadanprogram encompassing numerous social, sporting, culturaland religious activities and events.

KIB employees visitdiwaniya during Ramadan

L O C A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

KUWAIT: The Coptic Church hosted its annual gabqa recently on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. Ambassadors, religious figures and other dignitaries attended the event that was held at the Sheikha Salwa Al-Sabah Hall. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Labeed Abdal

labeed.abdal@gmail.com

Flight MH17

The remains of victims of Malaysia Airlinesflight MH17 were transported by train toareas away from locations controlled by the

militia, in an important step in investigations. Thiswas done to ensure the victims’ families couldidentify their loved ones and claim compensation.

The presence of representatives from theOrganization for Security and Co-operation inEurope (OSCE) at the site was necessary because ithappened on European lands. Identifying the rea-sons behind it is something that concerns allEuropean Union members, especially since the vic-tims are of different nationalities, and the areawhere the incident happened continues to featureinstability that could affect investigations andsafety of detectives.

Transporting the remains away from areas thatfeature clashes between pro-government forcesand rebels is necessary to guarantee highest levelsof accuracy to examine the evidence and identifythe truth.

The investigations must be carried out with thehighest level of professionalism, and on lands con-trolled by the Ukrainian government in order toprotect detectives from risks they might face bythe separatists.

I wish success for the Netherlands, a countrythat is home to many international tribunals, inrevealing the truth behind this crime, with its qual-ified and experienced specialists who in my opin-ion make the country the most internationallyqualified to examine this case starting from theinvestigations process to the court.

Not only did this crime hurt the victimís familiesor the Malaysian state, but also many peoplearound the world. Since the attack happened onUkrainian land, I believe that Ukraine shouldauthorize the Netherlands to investigate whathappened, in order to reveal the truth, and bringthe perpetrators to justice.

In my view

Ido not think that anyone is against law enforce-ment. However, many people are surely againstenforcing these laws based on political moods and

circumstances. The government was in deep slumberand never bothered by forgery and favoritism whichhappened during the naturalization process of somepeople. Now, the government has decided to wakeup and examine the naturalization files very carefully;not to identify the circumstances and reasons behindhow some people obtained the Kuwaiti citizenship,but to ensure that the loyalty of naturalized citizens isstill intact.

Of course, it is possible to claim that some peopleviolated or circumvented the law to obtain citizen-ship. Maybe the individuals whose citizenships wererevoked or the ones that the government plans torevoke the citizenships of have question marks sur-rounding their naturalization process, that could easi-ly be utilized by those who harbor ill intentionstowards them. In other words, the government canuse trivial mistakes to sugarcoat its selectiveapproach for the circumstances and reasons forrevoking citizenships.

The government can do that, but it can never denythe fact that revoking the citizenships was done for

political reasons, and that it is not enforcing the lawas much as it is using these laws to humiliate citizensand select its supporters.

It does not need a genius, information, statistics orany twisted and hidden means to realize the govern-ment’s true intentions. It is not a coincidence thatthose who had their citizenships revoked are knownfor their political activity, and most importantly, theirallegiance to the opposition side of the political spec-trum. It is not a coincidence also that those who willfollow them in the future will follow in the same foot-steps of opposing the government.

I am confident that there are thousands ofKuwaitis with citizenships issued under various cate-gories who were naturalized through ‘forgery’, orthrough favoritism in an illegal manner. But as I saidmany times before, that was in the past, and the gov-ernment and all of us must accept that.

Naturalization is a complicated social issue thataffects relatives, generations and innocent peoplewho were born here and have no country to callhome but Kuwait. How can they be ‘banished’because their father or perhaps their great grandfa-ther forged his citizenship?

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Qabas

Taking responsibility for ancestors’ mistakeskuwait digest

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

Al-A

nbaa

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

ISIS and the world

ISIS militants have formally declared an “Islamic State” with anew caliphate in Syria and Iraq demanding that all Muslims“pledge allegiance” to its leader. Few weeks ago, I wrote

about the birth of ISIS and raised some doubts over its mission.Every day, it has become clear to observers that the mission ofISIS is political and not religious. It could also be time bound toits objectives and just waiting for its mission to be accom-plished.

All media channels including CNN are reporting on ISIS’ aimto create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and in Syria.I don’t agree with this as it has no basis. Let’s talk history.Through ancient and modern Islamic history, there have beenseveral movements similar to IS. I think what is happening inIraq is similar to when Al-Qaramita movement appeared.

The Qaramita stole the black stone from the House of Godin Mecca and spread fear and panic among all Muslims bymass murders. They practiced systematic guerrilla raids on pil-grimage convoys. In fact, in the year 316, no pilgrims comingfrom Iraq were able to perform the rituals of Hajj.

Worse in the year 317 ,there was a major tragedy in theform of the famous massacre in Mecca, in violation of the invi-olability and sanctity of the holy mosque and the number ofthose killed in this brutal campaign was nearly 30,000 Muslims.So according to historians, Al-Qaramita, is one of the worstthings to have happened to Muslims. With the birth of Al-Qaeda, the rise of IS was expected as they are only a branch.There is a need for such militants to carry such dirty missionson conflicts zone. In 2011, Iraqi officials began to speak of a“third generation” of Qaeda in Iraq. So IS is the new Qaeda. It isthat simple. What is IS trying to accomplish? Don’t be fooled bythose who claim that they want to have an Islamic state. Theyare already in a Muslim country, surrounded by Muslims.

Think of their two main recent missions in Iraq: female cir-cumcision and Christians of Iraq. I don’t see anything religiousin both these topics. According to UN officials, females agedfrom 11 to 46 in the northern city must undergo the procedureof female circumcision. For the record, it is an old African ritualand no Arab country practices it. The UN officials said that thisunprecedented record was of grave concern.

Now IS is targeting Christians in Iraq by forcing them out oftheir new gained territories by leaving or pay tribute. As it is,the number of Christians is very low. This is not the act of aMuslim state but a terror group that is portraying the worstimage of Islam to the world. It is clear that IS is carrying its mis-sion very successfully. It is a risky one and the humans’ rightsrisks are growing bigger and darker.

Local spotlight

L O C A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

29- Who was the first judge in Basra

- Abu Maryam Al-Hanafi

Yes No

While our Palestinian people in Gaza are facinga harsh fascist Zionist campaign, that aims atwiping the children of Palestine, we find

human rights activists in the civilized Western worldget active in defense of Gaza children through socialmedia by sending messages, speeches and films thatshows Israel’s crimes. Those who have a pure humani-tarian tendency include Jews from Israel, America andBritain, and all condemn this barbaric action. There aresome members of parliament while others are doctorsworking in Gaza, and they are from the Scandinaviancountries. They send SOS messages to people aroundthe world to rescue the people of Gaza, while weArabs, did not do a thing.

Instead, some Arabs went too far in their hatred toHamas and Muslim Brotherhood and took stands ofthe Zionists. Some writers in Egypt and Gulf countriestook shameful and regretful stands in their condemna-tion of Hamas and support of Israel, only becauseHamas is supported by the Muslim Brotherhood andIran, and they do not agree with them ideologically.

Even if we do not agree with the MuslimBrotherhood ideologically, and we do not agree withHamas’ unequal methods of resistance, today is notthe time for differences, blame and anger. It is our rightto differ with Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, butregardless of the nature of the difference, it can bepostponed to stand beside them in their currentordeal. Not all the Palestinian people of Gaza are mem-bers of the Brotherhood or Hamas, but what can thePalestinian people do while they are besieged and arebeing wiped out?

We may understand the Arabs preoccupation withtheir internal problems and their inability to help theirbrothers in Gaza, yet, regardless of the reasons for thedifferences, it is not right to stand with the Zionists

and cooperate with them by besieging and starvingour people in Gaza. Regardless of reasons and excus-es, we, in Egypt or Gulf should not be gloating againstour brothers in Gaza, as Gaza is not a Muslim brother-hood and its entire people aren’t Hamas.

The Egyptian initiative is a good attempt to stopthe bloodshed, but a ceasefire will not solve the prob-lem. The real problem is in the existence of peoplewhose land is occupied and were displaced, starvedand besieged while an illusion of people was imposedon them by Israel and America.

The current war revealed the nature of the Arabregimes that used the Palestinian cause and its people.It also uncovered the nature of the Islamist and nation-alist parties that raised slogans of liberating Palestiniansoil, and taking revenge for the Palestinian people. Wefind those parties today defending tyrant regimes, bysiding with them against their peaceful people.

Today, the political Islam movements, eitherstrongly stand against tyrant regimes, or sponsorjihadist terrorism ad practice violence and displace-ment in the name of Islam and Islamic caliphate. Asfor Hezbullah, which raised the resistance slogans, wefind it defending the tyrant regime with the excuse ofdefending the holy sites, and forget Arabs’ top cause -Palestine.

As for you, our Arab brothers, and as we said thatceasefire will not solve the problem, as America’s sec-retary of state admitted that he failed in pressuringIsrael to withdraw from occupied lands in 1967. Israeldoes not believe in peaceful solutions, and that is whyit uses Hamas’ behavior as an excuse to drop the peaceprocess. Wake up Arabs, as you are a backward, defeat-ed and weak nation. Help the Palestinian peopleinstead of stabbing them in the back.

—Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Watan

Wake up before it’s too latekuwait digest

By Dr Shamlan Y. Al-Essa

‘Where do I start?’ Many of us do not thinkabout it when we start a job or take certainaction. If each one of us prepared an action

plan before we embarked on something important byasking this question first, our plans would be differentand begin on solid ground. Where do I start? When anindividual asks himself the question to set a plan for hiswork or a program, if provides him with a key to hiswork. He will also benefit from it and be in a better placeto find solutions. This will be followed further by ideason how to serve his surroundings with his plan.

Yet today we find the majority of those who prepareplans, be it for work or daily life, working without aplan. This means that our issues today are not limitedto just searching for a solution but the majority of oursocieties are living without a plan, goal or keys thatdecide the path of our lives.

In the majority of cases, people start out with noclear cut plan or research and that’s why they don’t getthe results that they were hoping to achieve. If theyhad asked themselves the question “Where do I start?”the result of their actions would have been different.

Where do I start?kuwait digest

By Dr Nermin Alhoti

Implementation ofdevelopmentplan’s project

Bureaucratic

procedures

L O C A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry finished study-ing the file of a former fifth constituency MPand sent a recommendation to the Cabinet torevoke his citizenship. If that happens, the for-mer lawmaker will join former MP Abdullah Al-Abdullah, whose citizenship and that of threesiblings were revoked, as well as Ahmad Al-Jabr Al-Shemmari, owner of the Alam Al-Youmnewspaper and Al-Youm TV.

The recent investigations indicate that theformer MP and his siblings do not meet theconditions to obtain the Kuwaiti citizenship,Al-Watan reported yesterday. The report doesnot mention the MP’s name or the date when adecision to revoke his citizenship. Earlierreports had suggested that the Cabinet couldissue decisions to revoke the citizenship of sev-en or eight people after the Eid Al-Fitr holidays.

In other news, the Information Ministryreferred f ive media outlets to the PublicPersecution on libel and hate crimes during

the first half of 2014. The charges pressed sincethe beginning of the year until June 30, 2014include defamation, instigating hate, offendinga social category, religious sector or religiousfigure, Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah, theMinister of Information and Minister of YouthAffairs said.

Sheikh Salman added in response to MPFaisal Al-Duwaisan’s questions that two out ofsix cases filed against the five media outletsremain under investigations at the PublicProsecution, while two ended with acquittal,and one outlet was sentenced to pay a fine inone case, Al-Qabas reported.

Separately, Al-Anba reported yesterday thatthe Cabinet issued a decision to assign theForeign Ministry to receive all foreign aid appli-cations. The ministr y was also given theauthority to approve or reject the proposalsbased on certain controls and regulations,according to ‘reliable sources’ quoted in the

report.Also yesterday, Al-Rai reported that Sheikh

Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, the Ministerof Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister ofJustice, met with Supreme Judicial Councilmembers to discuss a number of issues, includ-ing a proposed amendment to theConstitutional Court’s law to allow citizens tofile cases there.

The top judges failed to give an answer tothe minister; who asked for their opinion onthe proposal that the Cabinet leans to approv-ing when it is debated in the upcoming parlia-mentary term next October, the sources said.

Al-Jarida daily meanwhile quoted YasserAbul, the Minister of State for Housing Affairs,who said that the cabinet is looking for alter-natives to a draft law that was rejected andallows Kuwaitis who sold their governmenthouses to apply again for housing welfare. —Al-Watan, Al-Qabas, Al-Anba, Al-Rai & Al-Jarida

Former MP’s citizenship may be revoked: Interior

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: The common assumption is thateverything gets more expensive during Eid. Thisis true but not entirely as some sectors witness aprice hike during this time while in other places,prices even drop.

The entertainment sector is always dividedon price hike. Airlines tickets increase dramati-cally due to the high demand with over 100,000people leaving Kuwait within five days. Almostall flights are fully booked and it’s almost impos-sible to find a ticket around this time whenthere’s a 300 percent hike.

The same applies to hotel bookings and oth-er services. “Most hotels are fully booked duringEid and the price of rooms is higher than duringregular days. This is due to visitors from the GCC.We increase the price of boat trips and rents byabout 50 percent during Eid,” Fatma Oftada,Operations Manager of Nuzha Tours told theKuwait Times.

On the other hand, there are other sectors

that don’t hike their rates. Touristic EnterprisesCompany is one amongst them and thisincludes Entertainment City (which will be openfrom 5:00 pm-1:00 am). Some other places areclubs and beaches which are open the entiremorning, swimming pools’ complex, FountainPark, Kheiran Resort and other places which willhost competitions broadcast live on TV. Thesmall rink of the Ice Skating Rink will be open forthe public during Eid for skating, as the big rinkis set to host a drama for kids. In terms of fash-ion, the majority of stores are on sales already, asit’s the sales season. People buy new outfits forEid during Ramadan, while during Eid, it’s rare tobuy outfits. Some people think the prices ofcommodities go up during Eid but various co-ops claim this isn’t true. Co-ops in Ahmadi,Kheitan, Jleeb, and Daeya assure that the pricesof commodities won’t increase after Ramadan.“The prices definitely will not increase afterRamadan. In fact, we expect the administrationto announce discounts on most items,” saidSaeid, a salesman at the Kheitan Co-op.

Entertainment sector divided on price hike during Eid

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Salmiya detectives are searching forfour suspects who left a man with a stab woundfollowing a fight in front of a restaurant in thearea on Friday night. According to eyewitnesses,one of the suspects stabbed the Kuwaiti in hisback before the four jumped inside a Japanese-made vehicle and escaped. The man was rushedto the Mubarak Hospital where he underwentemergency surgery to remove the knife thatwas stuck on his back. Preliminary investigationsindicate that the fight was sparked by a conflictbetween one of the attackers and the victimwhen one of them felt that the other stared athim in a provocative manner.

Three hurt in accidentThree people were injured in an accident

involving a dump truck and two cars onFriday at the King Fahad Highway. Firefightersarrived to the scene in response to an emer-gency call, and managed to free the victimsfrom their wrecked vehicles before para-medics took the men to the hospital. A casewas filed for investigations.

No injuries in fireFirefighters tackled a blaze that gutted a

three -storey house in Dhahar yesterdaymorning. Firemen from two fire stationsrushed to the scene in response to an emer-gency call. They worked simultaneously toevacuate people trapped behind thick smokeand tackle the flames. They were able toextinguish the fire before it could spread orcause human injuries. An investigation wasopened.

Search still on for suspects

KUWAIT: A man died of a heart attack during theQiam prayer on the 27th night of Ramadan insidethe Essa Al-Othman mosque in Khaldiya. Theman, an Egyptian in his fifties, was pronounceddead at the scene by paramedics. An ambulancearrived at the scene shortly after an emergencycall was made.

AccidentsA delivery man was killed in an accident that

left three others injured late Thursday night.Paramedics and police arrived to a location on theSixth Ring Road near the Industrial Jahra entrancewhere the accident was reported. The deliveryman, a Nepalese national in his thirties, was pro-nounced dead.

A 22-year-old Kuwaiti man was hospitalizedwith serious head injuries, and two stateless menin their twenties were rushed to the hospital withseveral injuries. A case was filed to reveal the cir-cumstances behind the accident.

Maid leaps to deathAn investigation was opened in the death of a

domestic worker who fell from a high place inHaddiya recently. The Nepalese woman was alivewhen paramedics and police arrived at the scenein response to the emergency call. She was rushedto Adan Hospital and admitted inside the inten-sive care unit. She died there a day later frombleeding. The body was taken to the forensicdepartment and an investigation was underwayto determine the circumstances behind the inci-dent.

Domestic violenceA man beat up his wife because she woke up

too late from her nap to prepare iftar meal. TheKuwaiti woman told officers at Fahad Al-Ahmadpolice station that her husband became furiouswhen she woke up only half an hour before iftartime. He used kitchenware to beat her, which lefther with a cut on her arm, she said.

Worshipper suffers heart attack during Qiam prayer

Doctors performing surgery to remove theknife.

Dump truck seen below the bridge after the accident.

Women seen shopping for clothes for Eid Al-Fitr.

L O C A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

KUWAIT: The Dubai Festivals and RetailEstablishment (DFRE), an agency of theDepar tment of Tourism and CommerceMarketing (DTCM) and organisers of DubaiSummer Surprises (DSS), announced thenames of the 17 students from across theMiddle East and North Africa, who havesecured a spot in the coveted DSSApprenticeship Program 2014.

Abdulaziz Al Sabah from the AustralianCollege of Kuwait will represent Kuwait inthe 9th edition of one of the most soughtafter destination marketing internships and ahighly prestigious component of the world-class DSS festival. This year, the program hasgrown further to welcome its largest-evergroup of apprentices from 17 markets,including the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain,Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt,Morocco, Sudan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria andfirst-time participants Libya, Yemen andTunisia.

Laila Suhail, CEO of DFRE, said: “We aredelighted to have Abdulaziz Al Sabah fromthe Australian College of Kuwait participatein this year ’s edition of the DSSApprenticeship Program. His essay was awell-researched submission that highlightedhis thoughts on further strengthening thepopularity of DSS in Kuwait. He suggestedunique collaboration opportunities withhomegrown Kuwaiti organizations to expandthe scope of the program to a specific targetmarket. We look forward to having him sharemore of his great ideas during the durationof this internship.”

Winners will each receive an all-expense-paid trip to Dubai including return flightsand a two-week stay at The EmiratesAcademy of Hospital ity Management(EAHM), strategic partners of the programfor the last three years. EAHM is one of theworld’s leading hospitality business man-agement schools and par t of JumeirahGroup, a luxury hotel company and a mem-ber of Dubai Holding.

Throughout their stay, students will beattending workshops, vis it ing key DSSevents and tourism landmarks, and meetingleading players behind the DestinationDubai brand. Winners’ itineraries in the pasthave included interactions with leadingDubai-based entities that have helped buildthe city’s world-class tourism offering andglobal brand cachet, such as Emirates,

Emaar Retai l , MBC Group, Roads andTranspor t Authority, Dubai EconomicDepartment and Dubai Cares. This year’swinners can look forward to a similarlyimpressive agenda of key visits.

Many of the interns who will be on theirmaiden trip to Dubai will also get the oppor-tunity to visit some of the city ’s iconictourism landmarks, including Burj Khalifa,Dubai Metro, Ski Dubai, Wild Wadi and lotsmore.

The selection process this year beganwith each participating university nominat-

ing its top six senior students from market-ing, business administration, travel andtourism, event management and financestreams. Each student was asked to submitan essay on a topic chosen by the DSSApprenticeship Program team. This year’stopic was: “What would you do differentlyfor DSS 2014, in terms of promoting andpositioning this event for your local market,if you were assigned the position of ChiefMarketing Officer for DSS?” A special jurycomprising key DFRE executives and othermarketing professionals evaluated all thefinal submissions before shortlisting a win-ner from each country.

In his winning essay, Abdulaziz Al Sabahsaid: “As Chief Marketing Officer for DSS, Iwould strengthen the popularity of theevent in Kuwait by collaborating with aKuwaiti non-profit organization called ‘Proudto Be Kuwaiti’ (P2BK), which aims to supportKuwaiti youth and SME projects in Kuwait.

The organization not only boasts a widereach, but also has a specific focus segment,which is the Kuwaiti youth. Additionally, DSSwill outshine and distinguish itself from itscompetitors in Kuwait, if the team creates anannual calendar of events tailored speciallyfor Kuwait, similar to those hosted by P2BK.”

Commenting on their student’s success insecuring a spot in the DSS ApprenticeshipProgram 2014, Dr Jehad Yasin, Head ofSchool of Business at the Australian Collegeof Kuwait said: “We would like to congratu-late Abdulaziz Al Sabah on this great accom-plishment. It gives us immense pleasure tohave him represent the Australian College ofKuwait, which is well-known for its uniquevocational and theoretical educationalapproach in the country. We are confidentthat Abdulaziz will make the most of thisinternship and that his performance in theprogram will bring out the best in him. Wecongratulate him and thank the DSS organiz-ers for the opportunity they provide Arabstudents to further their knowledge in theirchosen field of study.”

The internship will offer students the toolsand resources they need to gain hands-onexperience that will not only enhance theirtheoretical understanding of their chosenfield of study, but also its practical applica-tions, as they build a valuable network ofpotential future employers and corporatementors.

At the end of the two-week internship, theapprentices will be grouped into teams topresent their reflective proposals before thesenior management. The presentations will bebased on their observations and experiencesfrom the program.

Over the past editions, participating stu-dents who have successfully completed theinternship and graduated from their respec-tive universities have secured rewarding jobsat prestigious organizations and multinationalcompanies in their home countries andabroad.

Since its launch in 2006, the DSS ApprenticeshipProgram has grown successfully to its current edi-tion. More than 100 universities were invited to par-ticipate this year - a significant increase from the 80universities representing 14 markets in 2013. The2014 edition is another step forward in DFRE’sbroader strategy to take the DSS ApprenticeshipProgram global by 2015, when the program willreach its 10-year milestone.

Abdulaziz Al Sabah to represent Kuwait in DSS apprenticeship program

KUWAIT: The first consignment of relief aidfrom the Kuwait Red Crescent Society(KRCS) has been distributed amongPalestinian people in the Gaza Strip whichhas been under a nonstop Israeli aggres-sion.

The Kuwaiti humanitarian aid will behanded out in all parts of the Palestinianenclave, a KRCS official told KUNA.

A Palestinian charity and its volunteershave exerted fervent efforts in order todeliver Kuwaiti relief aid to Gazans, includ-

ing food, medicine and blankets, Saad Al-Nahed said.

Donations from Kuwaiti citizens and res-idents for the people of Gaza have hit morethan one million US dollars, he added, not-ing that the fund-raising campaign inKuwait will continue nonstop for the com-ing period.

The Kuwait i humanitar ian a id i smeant to alleviate the woes and suffer-ings of the Palestinian people, he point-ed out. —KUNA

KRCS hands out relief aid in Gaza

NBK to host Eid prayers

KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwaitannounced hosting the Eid Al-Fitr prayerinside the NBK tent near the GrandMosque. This unprecedented stepcomes as part of NBK’s commitment tothe values of cooperation with all socialcategories, said Yaqoub Al-Baqer, PublicRelations Officer at NBK.

KUWAIT: Secretary General of the GeneralSecretariat of Awqaf Abdulmohsen Al-Kharafi said that the Islamic nation mustcooperate in supporting the Jerusalemcause and the Al-Aqsa Mosque issue.

Al-Kharafi’s statement came after hismeeting with waqf al-omma (nation waqf)delegation which serves the Jerusalem andAqsa Mosque issue, headed by MohammadAl-Omari yesterday. Al-Kharafi noted thatthe General Secretariat of Awqaf works onbringing awareness toward the waqf, run itsfinancial and investment matters in accor-

dance with the Secretariat’s legal terms.Al-Omari on his part noted that the

waqf supports the Jerusalem case throughseveral programs and projects includingeducation centers, reconstruction, attract-ing visitors to the area, housing, infrastruc-ture of the mosque and social services.

The waqf works on allowing big num-bers of prayer-goers and Islamic educationseekers to reach the mosque, by providingthem with buses to easily reach their desti-nation, thus safeguarding the Islamic iden-tity of the mosque. —KUNA

Al-Kharafi calls for Islamic support

Yaqoub Al-Baqer

Kuwait banscattle imports

from TexasKUWAIT: The State of Kuwait has barredimports of horses and cattle from Texas,the United States, due to reports aboutbreak-up of Vesicular Stomatitis.

Nabila Ali Alkhalil, Chairperson andDirector General of the Public Authority forAgricultural Affairs and Fish Resources, hasissued a decision in this respect, on basisof reports by the World Organization forAnimal Health (OIE) that confirmed spreadof the virus among horses in Texas.

She confirmed that other imported ani-mals, namely birds, continue to be exam-ined by the authority as a standing proce-dure ahead of being allowed into the localmarket. Samples found infected with virus-es are sent back to the origin of their dis-patch at the authority’s expense.

The vesicular stomatitis is an acute virusdisease especially of various domesticatedanimals (as horses and cows) that resem-bles foot-and-mouth disease. It causesblisters and sores in the mouth and on thetongue, muzzle, teats, or hooves of horses,cattle, swine, sheep, goats, llamas and anumber of other animals. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwait Science Club Dive Teamwill start an exploration dive expedition inthe Red Sea on Monday as a part of theteam training activities.

Up to 21 divers will take part in theexpedition, which will start from coast ofthe Egyptian city of Hurghada, the teamchief Talal Sarhan said in a press statement

Saturday.“During the voyage, the divers will try to

discover the rubble of a sunken ship in thearea,” Sarhan pointed out. He added thatthe seven-day expedition also aims to dis-cover and get first-hand experience withnew diving locations and different marineenvironment. —KUNA

Kuwaiti divers to start Red Sea exploration expedition

Abdulaziz Al Sabah

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

85 Syriantroops diein jihadisttakeover

Page 8

GAZA: Displaced Palestinians are pictured inside a Greek Orthodox church where many Palestinians are taking shelter in Gaza City. — AFP

GAZA: For Gaza resident MahmudKhalaf, it was a bizarre new experience,prostrating himself for his daily Muslimprayers beneath the gaze of an icon ofJesus Christ. But since the war in Gazabegan, he has had no choice but to wor-ship in a

Christian house of God, where he tookrefuge after Israeli air strikes pummeledhis neighborhood in the north of thePalestinian territory. “They let us pray.This has changed my view of Christians-Ididn’t really know any before, butthey ’ve become our brothers,” saidKhalaf, 27, who admitted he neverexpected to perform his evening prayersin a church.

“We (Muslims) prayed all together lastnight,” he said. “Here, the love betweenMuslims and Christians has grown.”Walking into the Saint Porphyrius Churchcourtyard in Gaza City, visitors are greet-ed with a “marhaban” by Christianhelpers, but with a decidedly moreIslamic “peace be upon you” (Arabic: al-salamu aleikum) by most of its currentresidents-displaced Gazans who havemade it their shelter for almost twoweeks. Khalaf, who fled his home inShaaf after the area became a target forIsraeli warplanes, twirls his prayer beadsanxiously, but is relieved to have foundsanctuary alongside some 500 other dis-placed Muslims.

“The Christians took us in. We thankthem for that, for standing by our side,”he said. Khalaf has now grown accus-tomed to worshipping on the premisesof an alien religion-a particularly acutecontrast during the fast of the Muslimholy month of Ramadan. Every day hefaces Makkah, whispers Quranic pas-sages and prostrates himself, as hewould in a mosque. Pastors and parish-ioners have been respectful to theirMuslim guests during Ramadan.

“ The Christians aren’t fasting ofcourse, but they’re deliberately avoidingeating in front of us during the day. Theydon’t smoke or drink around us,” Khalafsays. But he admits it has been difficult toconcentrate on religious piety during the

bloody and indiscriminate conflict thathas killed more than 800 Palestinians,most of them civilians. “I’m normally anobservant Muslim, but I’ve been smokingduring Ramadan. I’m not fasting-I’m tooscared and tense from the war.”

Feast of martyrsMuslims will no longer have to fast, as

of the Eid festival next week that endsRamadan. But with ongoing bombard-ments, hundreds dead and thousandshomeless, the normally joyous affair is setto be rather muted. “Christians andMuslims might celebrate Eid togetherhere,” said Sabreen al-Ziyara, a Muslimwoman who has worked at the church for10 years as a cleaner. “But this year it’s notthe Feast of Breaking the Fast (Eid al-Fitr) -it ’s the feast of martyrs,” she said, inrespectful reference to the dead.

It is a harmonious and tolerant atmos-phere, but in the middle of a battle-ground, tension is still felt. As food provi-sions arrive, scuffles nearly break outwhen women and children lunge for theplastic bags containing bread and water,distributed in as orderly a fashion as possi-ble by church helpers. A pitched argu-ment between the Greek OrthodoxArchbishop Alexios and a local helper,apparently over who is allowed to enterthe premises, heats up against a cacopho-ny of loud explosions a short distanceaway. The adjacent church cemetery washit by mortar shells Tuesday, with shrap-nel peppering surrounding buildings.

The bombs do not discriminate-theMuslim cemetery opposite was also hit bya separate shell. Gaza’s Christians havedwindled in number to around 1,500 outof a predominantly Sunni Muslim popula-tion of 1.7 million. The Christian communi-ty, like elsewhere in the Middle East, hasbeen shrinking due to both conflict andunemployment. But the sheer terror of thisshared experience appears to have fos-tered the feeling of brotherhood. “Jesussaid, love your neighbor, not just your fam-ily but your colleague, your classmate-Muslim, Shiite, Hindu, Jewish,” saidChristian volunteer Tawfiq Khader. “Weopen our doors to all people.” — AFP

Muslims pray in Gaza church as bombs rain‘They let us pray. This has changed my view of Christians’

GAZA: Displaced Palestinian children pose for a picture on the stairs of a GreekOrthodox Church where many Palestinians are taking shelter in Gaza City. — AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

RAQA: An image made available by Jihadist media outlet Welayat Raqashows members of the IS (Islamic state) militant group as they loot theammunition from a Syrian army base in the northern rebel-held Syrian cityof Raqa. —AFP

KABERLI: A new map is being drawn across theplains of northern Iraq as Sunni militants of theIslamic State purge the rural landscape of reli-gious and ethnic minorities that have co-existedfor hundreds of years. More than half a millionpeople have been displaced across Iraq sinceJune, when the north’s biggest city, Mosul, fell toSunni insurgents who have harried ShiiteTurkmen and Shabaks, Yezidis and Christians.

Even before the fall of Mosul, Yezidis, who fol-low an ancient monotheistic religion with ele-ments of nature worship and are branded devilworshippers by the hardline Islamists, hardlydared set foot in the city, which has been a nervecentre for the Sunni insurgency since 2003.

Now the Islamic State’s cleansing campaignhas rid farmland and villages in the surroundingNineveh province and beyond of longtimeminority inhabitants, leaving the country’s northsegregated along clear sectarian and ethnic lines.

Much of the north is now divided betweenthe Islamic State and the Kurds, who haveexpanded their autonomous region by as muchas 40 percent as the central government’s pres-ence has crumbled. Minorities are being forcedto choose which part of Iraq they belong to, has-tening the country’s de-facto partition and trans-forming its demography, perhaps irreversibly. Formany Shiites - the majority in Iraq overall butoutnumbered by Sunnis in the north - the obvi-ous refuge is south, where their sect predomi-nates. “We want to get out of Kurdistan andSunnistan, and go to Shiistan,” said a man fromthe city of Tal Afar, 70 kilometers west of Mosul,which was overrun by insurgents last month,driving out Shiite Turkmen like him en masse.

At a camp in the disused hangar of a con-struction company on the outskirts of Arbil,thousands of Turkmen, who have close culturaland linguistic links to Turkey, wait their turn tobe bused to the airport and flown down toBaghdad and the Shiite cities of Najaf andKerbala. The flights have been chartered by Iraq’sShiite-led government because most of theroads leading south from Kurdistan run throughterritory controlled by Sunni insurgents whohave proclaimed a caliphate straddling the bor-der with Syria.

As many as 15,000 Shiite Turkmen have beentransported south by air or escorted in convoyacross the only strip of border the Kurds stillshare with federal government forces - just 15kilometers along a 1,000-km frontier. At the Arbilairport, Shiite Turkmen - carrying the fewbelongings they managed to snatch up as theyfled - wait to board a plane. One 35-year-old saidmost of his community would never come back

here: “The north will be emptied of Shiites, thesouth will be emptied of Sunnis, (and) it will leadto the partition of Iraq. This is the new map ofthe Middle East.”

Ethnic faultlineThe map is being traced through villages

such as Omarkan, until recently home to bothSunnis and Shi’ites from the country’s smallShabak minority, a group that dwells in a trian-gle bounded by the Tigris and Greater Zab riversto the east of Mosul. Besides Mosul, around 20towns and villages populated by minorities inNineveh have been seized by militants, as well asone in Kirkuk province and several more aroundthe town of Tuz Khurmato.

When Mosul fell on June 10, Iraqi soldierswithdrew from the area around Omarkan andSunni insurgents took over. Initially, the militantsreassured Omarkan’s Shiite residents they meantno harm, but one dawn early this month theyawoke to find the village surrounded and sectar-ian slurs daubed on their walls. Young Shiitemen were rounded up and taken away. Sunniswere allowed to stay, whilst Shiite women, chil-dren and men who managed to escape fled toterritory held by Kurdish “peshmerga” forces,which have advanced deeper into Nineveh.

Bulldozers are now carving new positionsinto the earth, digging a trench through fields ofwheat that gives physical form to Iraq’s deepestethnic faultline, between Kurds and Arabs.Omarkan is one of 11 Shabak villages on theArab side of the line, which are all under insur-gent control. Leaders of the Shabak community,who mostly follow a form of Shiite Islam, thoughsome are Sunni, have asked the KurdistanRegional Government (KRG) to kick the IslamicState out and annex them. The Kurds are plan-ning to formalize the new facts on the ground ina referendum that will determine whether theseterritories join their region or remain part ofArab Iraq.

Until now, loyalties in the area have beenmixed. Some of the Shabak receive salaries fromBaghdad, others from the KRG. In elections, theirvotes are split between Shiite Arab and Kurdishparties, with which they have close historic ties.“We are with the Iraqi army, but at the same timewe are with the Kurds,” said a man from Omarkan,11 members of whose extended family wereamong those kidnapped. “We want them to uniteso they can repel those criminals.” But for thetime being, even Shabak and other minority voic-es that once opposed Kurdish expansionism nowconsider that infinitely preferable to the alterna-tive - rule by the Islamic State.

When militants threatened to invade two vil-lages in Nineveh earlier this month, Shabak resi-dents, both Sunni and Shiite, took up armsalongside the peshmerga to defend them. Aheadmaster who fled the village of Shamsiyat,just south of Mosul, after his brother and fourother Shiite Turkmen were shot dead by insur-gents in an orchard, said he would rather stay inKurdistan than go south, despite his religion. “It’strue I’m Shiite, but my faith is between me andGod, and on the ground, it’s the Kurds who pro-tect us,” he said, a poster of Shiite Imam Ali onthe wall of the house where he is staying in asun-baked village southeast of Mosul. “The(Kurdistan) region has proved it is present. Thecentral government is not present.”

Convert or dieThe future of Mosul’s ancient Christian com-

munity is also bleak after the Islamic State set adeadline for them to convert, leave the city, or beput to death. All but those who were too ill to getout have headed for Kurdistan or to Christianenclaves protected by peshmerga in the Ninevehplains, following a pattern set over the pastdecade. Many with the means have already emi-grated in recent years.

“I no longer dream of returning to Mosul,”said 39-year-old maths teacher Sarab Hazim Al-Sabbagh, who fled to the Kurdish-controlledtown of Bashiqa just before the Islamic State’sultimatum expired over the weekend. “If I getthe chance, I will go back and sell my belongingsso I can leave Iraq and go abroad, be it toSomalia, Sudan - anywhere is better than here.”The area’s minorities are now faced with impos-sible choices. Sitting on a thin mattress inside atent at a refugee camp on the road from Mosulto Arbil, Munta Kheder Qasem, a Shiite Shabak,relives the hunt for her 18-year-old son, whowent missing in the village of Gogjali severalweeks ago.

Qasem tells how she pleaded for informationwith a bearded man who was introduced as “thecommander of the faithful” in a former govern-ment office appropriated by the Islamic State inMosul. The bureaucrat wrote down her son’sname, Mahmoud, in a notepad and said hewould be home within three days. Seventy-twohours later, a relative discovered Mahmoud,mutilated beyond recognition, in the local grave-yard. Once Qasem had buried her child, identifi-able only from the color of his trousers, she fledin terror and is now staying in the north, buthopes to go south. “Our destiny is unknown,” saidone of her relatives, who declined to be named.“We are people without a destiny”. —Reuters

Purge of minorities re-draws Iraqi map

Militants harry minorities after fall of Mosul

DAMASCUS: Islamic State fighters haveseized a Syrian army base in the northernprovince of Raqa, killing scores of troopsand beheading some of them, a monitor-ing group said yesterday. The takeover ofDivision 17 base came as the UNCommission of Inquiry on Syria said Fridaythat IS fighters accused of atrocities wouldbe added to a list of war crimes indictees. Ina two-day assault on the base in Raqaprovince, an IS bastion, the jihadists killedat least 85 soldiers, said the SyrianObservatory for Human Rights.

More than 50 troops were summarilyexecuted, 19 others were killed in a doublesuicide bombing and at least 16 more diedin the assault launched early Thursday.Hundreds of troops “withdrew on Friday tosafe places-either to nearby villages whoseresidents oppose IS or to nearby Brigade 93- but the fate of some 200 remainsunknown,” said Observatory head RamiAbdel Rahman.

“Some of the executed troops werebeheaded, and their bodies and severedheads put on display in Raqa city,” an ISstronghold, he said. Video shot by jihadistsand distributed on YouTube showed ISfighters apparently inside Division 17 livingquarters burning a portrait of SyrianPresident Bashar Al-Assad. The jihadistsalso distributed photographs via Twitter ofbodies of decapitated soldiers strewn onthe pavements and strung onto railings ofRaqa city. Abdel Rahman said the publicdisplay was “a message to the people ofRaqa, to tell them it is strong, that it isn’t

going anywhere, and to terrify” any oppo-nents.

Also in northern Syria, 30 troops andpro-regime paramilitary were killed in anovernight ambush in Aleppo province, theObservatory said. IS, which first emerged inSyria’s war in spring 2013, has sinceimposed its near-total control in Raqaprovince and Deir Ezzor on the Iraq border.In June, the jihadist group proclaimed anIslamic “caliphate” straddling Syria and Iraq.Despite opposition by poorly-armed rebelsfighting both the army and IS, the jihadistshave made advances in several areas ofSyria, whose three-year war has killed morethan 170,000 people.

‘Expanding control’“There is a clear shift in the IS strategy. It

has moved from consolidating its total con-trol in areas under its grip. It is now spread-ing,” said Abdel Rahman. “For IS, fightingthe regime is not about bringing downAssad. It is about expanding its control,” hesaid. IS was emboldened by its June offen-sive in Iraq when large swathes of the northand west fell out of Iraqi government con-trol. Syrian rebels say IS transported a largeamount of heavy weapons captured fromfleeing Iraqi troops into Syria. On Friday,Brazilian Paulo Pinheiro, who heads the UNCommission of Inquiry on Syria, said IS “aregood candidates for the list” of possiblewar crime indictees. “I can assure you thatwe are collecting information on perpetra-tors from all sides,” he told reporters in NewYork.

85 Syrian troops diein jihadist takeover

MOSUL: Sunni militants from theIslamic State group that controls largeparts of Iraq have blown up a Shiiteshrine in the city of Mosul, an officialand witnesses said yesterday. Jihadistsdestroyed the Nabi Shiyt (ProphetSeth) shrine in Mosul, the de facto Iraqicapital of the “caliphate” proclaimedlast month by Islamic State (IS) leaderAbu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. “IS militantsstopped people from coming close, setexplosives in and around the shrineand then detonated them as a crowdlooked on,” one resident who wit-nessed the demolition said.

Seth is revered in Christianity, Islamand Judaism as the third son of Adamand Eve. Sami Al-Massoudi, the deputy

head of the Shiite endowment agencyoverseeing holy sites, confirmed thatmilitants blew up the Nabi Shiyt shrineand added that they took some of theartefacts to an unknown location.“These people follow this impossiblereligious doctrine according to whichthey must destroy or kill anything oranybody deviating from their views,” hesaid. “That simply has nothing to dowith Islam.” The latest destructioncomes a day after IS militants complete-ly leveled the reputed tomb of Jonah(Nabi Yunus) in Mosul, sparking an out-cry among religious officials. “This mostrecent outrage is yet another demon-stration of the terrorist group’s intentionto shatter Iraq’s shared heritage and

identity,” the top UN envoy in Iraq,Nickolay Mladenov, said.

Moqtada Sadr, a Shiite cleric whosefollowers have taken up arms to pro-tect endangered holy sites, also con-demned the demolition of the NabiYunus shrine. “He was a prophet for allreligions,” Sadr said in a statement,adding that the perpetrators of thedesecration “don’t deserve to live”.Sunni and Shiite religious officials havesaid IS militants had destroyed or dam-aged dozens of shrines and hus-seiniyas in and around Mosul sincethey overran part of the country sixweeks ago. Husseiniyas are Shiiteplaces of worship that are also used ascommunity centers. —AFP

Iraq jihadists dynamite Shiite shrine in Mosul

KIBBUTZ EIN HASHLOSHA: An Israeli colonel likens the hunt for tun-nels dug by Palestinian militants from the coastal enclave of Gaza tothe work of a detective. ”Finding these tunnels is like a detective try-ing to solve a murder with a number of clues. There are several piecesto the puzzle, including intelligence and technology,” said LieutenantColonel Max of the army engineers for the Gaza area. Israel has saiduncovering and destroying an apparently sophisticated network oftunnels is a primary goal of its assault unleashed on July 8 in Gaza,particularly its ground invasion.

For the first time, the army on Friday gave foreign media access topart of the network, including a tunnel running more than three kilo-meters from southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis to near the Israeli kibbutz ofNir-Am. Max, who declined to give his family name, said the Israeli endof the tunnel was discovered two months ago. But its entrance in KhanYunis was uncovered this week during the Israeli ground operationlaunched on July 17. The tunnel is 1.75 meters high and over 70 cen-timeters across, with its sides reinforced by closely-fitted concreteblocks and ceiling inlaid with arched concrete plates. “Big enough for aman in full body armor to go through standing up,” said Max. TheIslamist movement group Hamas which controls Gaza “could have putthrough dozens, even hundreds of terrorists through this tunnel outon the Israeli side before we would have discovered it.” Max said 26,000components were used in the construction of the tunnel, estimating itmust have cost around one million dollars to build. Along one wall is arack to string electric cables, while a metal dual track runs on the floor,similar to inside a mine shaft. Max said the track was used to removeearth during construction and could also have been designed to ferryequipment and arms into Israel. In part of the tunnel, a narrow nichehas been carved out to store equipment and weapons.

Booby traps The army is planning to completely destroy the tunnel within days

using explosives, but the process is dangerous, Max said. “You exca-vate through one of the tunnel walls and it can collapse,” he said.“Within the tunnel itself there can be booby traps, within and justaround the entrance there can be booby traps, or there can be one ofthe enemy waiting within the tunnel. “The biggest dangers thoughare not in the tunnels themselves but in the surrounding areas wherewe have to work, where you can have mines, anti-tank weapons,snipers, artillery.”

So far, the army has found 30 tunnels, and over 100 shafts lead-

ing into them. Max said the army tries to destroy the tunnels it findsfrom both ends, to ensure they cannot be reused in the future. “Youwant to reach a point where the entire tunnel, from end to end, isdestroyed, so the other side can’t come back and use it anothertime,” he said. “Each tunnel takes a couple of days for us to deal withit.” Max said the soldiers needed about another week “if we want toneutralize all the tunnels ... at least all the tunnels that we knowabout.” —AFP

Israel army in ‘detective’ hunt for tunnels in Gaza

ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER: An Israeli army officer givesexplanations to journalists during an army organ-ized tour in a tunnel said to be used by Palestinianmilitants for cross-border attacks. —AFP

I N T E R N AT ION A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

PHILADELPHIA: Investigators gather at the scene of a fatal accident in North Philadelphia on Friday July 25, 2014. Twochildren were killed and three people critically injured when a hijacked car lost control and hit a group of people neara fruit stand, according to police. — AP

PHILADELPHIA: Police are searching fortwo men who carjacked an SUV andplowed into a group of children andadults selling fruit to raise money for theirchurch, killing three kids and criticallyinjuring their mother and the carjackingvictim. Another woman was hurt but is instable condition. The men carjacked areal estate agent at gunpoint Fridaymorning, forcing her into the backseat ofher Toyota 4Runner.

The SUV sped out of control about amile from where the carjacking occurred,slamming into the children and adultsmanning the fruit stand, Philadelphiapolice said. “Three innocent children hadtheir lives taken,” Philadelphia HomicideCapt. John Clark said of the victims, ages7, 10 and 15. The suspects fled on foot.“There are no words to describe how Ifeel right now,” said police CommissionerCharles Ramsey, “but we do need to findthese two guys.”

More than $100,000 in rewards isbeing offered for the suspects’ capture.Police also asked nearby businesses forsurveillance video and pleaded with any-one with information to come forward.Police said they may have blown a tire asthey turned a corner at high speed. The

car ended up in a wooded area, its frontend smashed against a stand of trees.“Something obviously went horriblywrong,” Clark said. The victims included a15-year-old girl and her younger broth-ers. Their mother, 34, was in extremelycritical condition, police said. Their identi-ties were not immediately released. Aneighbor helping the family sell fruit, a65-year-old woman, was in stable condi-tion, police said.

The carjack victim, a 45-year-old realestate agent, was also critically injured.Witness Renee Charleston saw a carstreaking through the intersection, thennoticed children on the ground. “Nobodywas moving,” she told television stationWPVI. Employees at Education Works, aneducational nonprofit across the streetfrom the wreck, told The PhiladelphiaInquirer they ran to try to help the vic-tims. One boy had no pulse and another’swas barely there, said Karen Payne, whoruns a summer camp there. “I’m certifiedin first aid and CPR - my first instinct wasto go to them,” she said. “But I couldn’thelp.” Deputy Mayor Everett Gillisondescribed the mayor as heartbroken. “Theprayers of the city go out to this family,”he said. — AP

Police hunt for 2 who carjacked SUV, killed 3 kids

CARACAS: Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party began a six-day con-gress on Saturday with President Nicolas Maduro seeking toquite hardliners who believe the state is failing to stem corrup-tion or fix the economy. It is the party’s third congress since for-mation in 2008, but the first without its charismatic founder, for-mer president Hugo Chavez who died last year of cancer after rul-ing the South American OPEC nation for 14 years. “This congressis going to determine the future of the revolution in comingyears,” Maduro said ahead of the meeting, adding that the party’s7.6 million members had sent some 23,000 proposals to be con-sidered by 537 delegates. By sheer force of personality, Chavezwas able to hold together the ruling party’s competing factions,from Marxist ideologues to military officers and pragmatic busi-nessmen.

Maduro, 51, a former bus driver who rose to be Chavez’s vice-president, has been unable to replicate his political grip and facesa dilemma in preserving his predecessor’s political legacy whilerectifying deepening economic problems. Venezuela has thehighest inflation rate in the continent at 62 percent in the 12months to June. A Byzantine currency control system, with offi-cial rates ranging from 6.3 to 50 bolivars to the dollar and a blackmarket level of 80, is creating price distortions, stimying private

business and earning huge sums for those playing the system.Shortages of basics continue across the nation, while electrici-

ty and water cuts are also angering Venezuelans. “The daily life ofworking people has become a Calvary,” said one disgruntled‘Chavista’ group called Socialist Tide, lambasting “scandalous”graft and government policy paralysis in a paper ahead of thecongress. “There is confusion and pessimism over the future ofthe process and the conquests won,” it said. “This situation jeop-ardizes the political stability of President Nicolas Maduro’s gov-ernment.”

Political ‘bloodshed’ avertedThe frustrations and fissures in government circles came into

the open last month when Maduro pushed out of governmentJorge Giordani, a long-time Chavez minister, Marxist academicand architect of Venezuela’s economic controls. The party thensuspended a director who backed Giordani’s departing criticismof Maduro for failing to stem multi-billion-dollar fraud with thecurrency controls. Despite that high-profile affair and the grum-bling at grassroots level, Maduro appeared unlikely to face a revoltat the party congress. A low turnout at delegate elections favoredcabinet-backed candidates with superior mobilizing capacity.

“There could have been bloodshed but they’ve been able todomesticate it,” said veteran Venezuela analyst David Smilde, ofTulane University. “They are going to sidestep the difficult ques-tions. Then in August they will do what they have to. What theyhave in mind is slow change, like turning a big ship.” Maduro’svice-president for economy, Rafael Ramirez, has said the three cur-rency control levels will likely be unified. That would effectivelybring a devaluation, create further price pressure, and risk moreire from grassroots party hardliners who do not want to seeChavez’s model changed. Economists see simplifying or even end-ing currency controls as an inevitable first step towards fixing eco-nomic distortions.

Then there is the hugely sensitive move to raise gasoline pricesthat are currently the cheapest in the world. Officials have formonths been trying to prepare Venezuelans to pay more for fuel,and the government could do with the extra revenues, but theyseem to be baulking at passing the measure due to the risk ofsocial unrest. Venezuela’s opposition parties, meanwhile, are lick-ing their wounds after traumatic events earlier this year whenhardline leaders spurred three months of street protests and barri-cades that led to 43 deaths in daily clashes between demonstra-tors, government supporters and security forces. — Reuters

Venezuela’s president combats dissidence among socialists

Corruption, economic troubles on the agenda

WASHINGTON: US authorities can place Americansand foreigners on a terrorist watch list indefinitely onthe basis of vague rules without concrete evidence,according to a government document leaked yester-day. Once blacklisted, individuals have no way of find-ing out why they are deemed suspicious and evendead people’s names remain on the list, under secretguidelines set out last year by the National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC), which were published for thefirst time by The Intercept news website.

The new rules introduced by President BarackObama’s administration represent an expansion of theUS government’s power when it comes to designatingsuspected terrorists, laying out broad criteria foradding names to the blacklists, The Intercept reported.Individuals added to the watch lists can be bannedfrom flying-under the “no-fly” list-or subjected to addi-tional searches and security screening at airports andborder crossings.

The rules say government agencies can place aname on the watch list based on a “reasonable suspi-cion” but not on “unfounded suspicion or hunches,”according to the 166-page document, titled “March2013 Watchlisting Guidance.” “Although irrefutable evi-dence or concrete facts are not necessary, to be rea-sonable, suspicion should be as clear and as fullydeveloped as circumstances permit,” it said. Socialmedia postings on Twitter or elsewhere can be consid-ered as supporting evidence, and “should not auto-matically be discounted,” it said.

An agency can propose to add a person to thewatch list based on a “single source” of information,“even if that source is uncorroborated.” Under therules, a single White House official, the US president’stop counterrorism adviser, has unilateral authority tomove a person or whole “categories of people” to ahigh-priority black list reserved for the most danger-ous suspects. Such a move is referred to as a “threat-based expedited upgrade,” and it can last up to 72hours before it is reviewed by other senior officials. Itremains unclear precisely who has been the focus ofthe “upgrade” authority, and whether the criteria haveincluded American citizens or legal residents.

Tougher approachThe watch lists, which became a priority after the

attacks of September 11, 2001, have long been criti-cized as arbitrary and unwieldy. But US authoritiestook a tougher approach after Al-Qaeda militant UmarFarouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up an airlinerbound for Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, with anexplosive hidden in his underwear. The Nigerian’sname appeared on a watch list but he was able boarda passenger plane headed for the United States,prompting Obama to call for a review of the watchlists. A civil court case recently revealed that the watchlist has dramatically grown in the wake of theChristmas Day plot, with the government adding 1.5million names to the blacklist since 2009.

The court case also showed that when agencies“nominate” individuals for the watch list, other govern-ment agencies rarely reject the proposed additions.Only about one percent of more than 460,000 nomina-tions were vetoed in 2013. Human rights groupsslammed the watch list guidelines, saying the govern-ment had created an unaccountable system thatallowed authorities to label individuals permanently as“suspicious” with little proof. “Instead of a watch listlimited to actual, known terrorists, the governmenthas built a vast system based on the unproven andflawed premise that it can predict if a person will com-mit a terrorist act in the future,” said Hina Shamsi,director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s nation-al security project.

Shamsi accused the government of offering virtual-ly no recourse to someone trying to clear their name.She said the “government’s watch list ‘redress’ systemwon’t confirm or deny watchlisting, and doesn’t pro-vide reasons or a hearing to clear a person’s name ofterrorism stigma.” The NCTC, which would not confirmthe document’s authenticity, defended the watch listas a useful tool in preventing terror attacks and that itwas frequently reviewed. “Before an American may beincluded on a watch list, additional layers of scrutinyare applied to ensure that the listing is appropriate,”said a spokesperson for the center, who gave a state-ment on condition of anonymity.

Suspects who reportedly die are kept on the watchlist “to prevent the fraudulent reuse of their travel doc-uments-a demonstrated terrorist tactic,” the officialsaid. The leaked document represented a journalisticexclusive for The Intercept, a news site recentlylaunched by Glenn Greenwald, the former Guardiancolumnist. Greenwald helped break the bombshellrevelations from former intelligence contractorEdward Snowden, whose leaks exposed the US gov-ernment’s far-reaching electronic spying. The reporton the watch lists made no mention of Snowden as

US uses vaguerules for terror

watch list

SAN SALVADOR: Citizens and relatives of Noe EnriqueBonilla participate in his funeral in the town of San JoseVillanueva, 25 km south of San Salvador, on July 25, 2014.18-year-old Noe Bonilla, an special athlete with Downsyndrome was murdered by alleged gang members in aninitiation rite while he was working in a farm. — AFP

LOS ANGELES: Many immigrants flooding across the south-ern border of the US say they’re fleeing violent gangs inCentral America. Experts, however, say those gangs are actu-ally a byproduct of US policies in the 1990s that sent manyimmigrants back to Central America after they had beenindoctrinated into gang culture in this country. The violencethey took with them easily took hold and flourished in ElSalvador, Honduras and Guatemala - countries with weak,dysfunctional governments. A few things to know:

Where do gangs come from?One study estimated some 350,000 Salvadoran immi-

grants illegally came to Southern California from 1980 to1985 while trying to escape civil war and corruption in theirhome country. They arrived with few English skills and manysettled in poor neighborhoods with strong Mexican- andAfrican-American gangs. To survive and avoid bullying, theyformed gangs such as Mara Salvatruch or joined others suchas the 18th Street gang. They committed serious crimes andwere sent to prison, where they were further exposed to vio-lent gang culture.

In the 1990s, the US increased deportations of immi-grants facing criminal charges, particularly gang members.As many as 1,500 Salvadoran, Guatemalan and Honduranyouths were sent back each month to Central America. Theyarrived with the notoriety of being a Los Angeles gangster.“There’s this huge explosion in all three of these countries ofthe gangs and the number of gang members, partiallybecause it’s the way of street kids getting status and reputa-tion, and partially because it’s a way of surviving,” said TomWard, a USC associate professor who has studied the issue.

Gangs and the influx Many people fleeing Central America say they are run-

ning from violence perpetrated by the gangs. But the migra-tion is also an effort to reunify families. At least 80 percent ofyouths stopped at the border have one parent or a close rel-ative already in the United States, said Doris Meissner, for-mer commissioner of the U.S. Immigration andNaturalization Service and senior fellow for the MigrationPolicy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington.Family members already in the US have saved enough mon-ey to pay a smuggler to bring their children across the bor-der so boys won’t be forcibly recruited into gangs anddaughters won’t be subjected to sexual violence. — AP

Gang violence,fears for children

fuel rush to US

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

BAMAKO: All passengers and crew on board an AirAlgerie jetliner that crashed in Mali died in the tragedy,which completely wiped out several families, Franceannounced. As the first images emerged of the crash site,showing a charred landscape and debris scattered over awide area, French President Francois Hollande said in asomber televised address: “Sadly, there are no survivors.”

France bore the brunt of the disaster, with some 54French citizens among the overall death toll of between116 and 118, according to unexplained conflicting fig-ures given by the carrier and French authorities. Travelersfrom Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Algeria, Spain, Canada,Germany and Luxembourg also died in the crash, blamedon bad weather that forced the pilots to change course.The French army released initial images of a scene of totaldevastation, with twisted and charred fragments of theMcDonnell Douglas 83 jet littering a scorched earth inwhat is clearly a barren and remote environment.

Such was the apparent violence of the crash thatdebris was barely recognizable as parts of an aircraft. “It isdifficult to retrieve anything, even victims’ bodies,because we have only seen body parts on the ground,”said General Gilbert Diendiere, chief of staff at BurkinaFaso’s presidency. He was a member of a delegation sentto the crash site by President Blaise Compaore thatarrived in the Gossi area, about 100 kilometers from Goa,northern Mali’s main city, on Friday afternoon. “Debriswas scattered over an area of 500 meters which is due tothe fact that the plane hit the ground and then probablyrebounded,” he added.

Meanwhile, the scale of the tragedy for some commu-nities was becoming clear, as it emerged that 10 mem-bers of one French family died in the crash. “It’s brutal. Ithas wiped an entire family from the earth,” said PatriceDunard, mayor of Gex, where four of the Reynaud familylived. And the small town of Menet in central France was

left devastated when residents discovered that a localfamily of four-a couple, their 10-year-old daughter Chloeand their 14-year-old son Elno-had died. Denise Labbe ofthe local town hall said Chloe had confided to herteacher that she was scared of taking a plane, which shewas doing for the first time. Hollande’s office said hewould meet families of the victims on Saturday.

Pilots ‘very experienced’The McDonnell Douglas 83 jet, operated by Spanish

charter firm Swiftair on behalf of Air Algerie, went downshortly after take-off from Ouagadougou in Burkina Fasoon its way to Algiers. French Interior Minister BernardCazeneuve said weather conditions appeared to be the

most likely cause of the accident-the worst air tragedy forFrench nationals since the crash of the Air France A330from Rio de Janeiro to Paris in June 2009. But Hollandeinsisted that no potential cause for the accident wasbeing ruled out. Swiftair has a good safety record, and thehead of France’s civil aviation authority said Thursday thatthe MD-83 had passed through France this week andbeen given the all-clear. The Spanish pilots’ union Seplasaid the plane’s two Spanish pilots were “very experi-enced”.

Airline disaster weekThe Air Algerie crash was the third worldwide in the

space of just eight days, capping a disastrous week for

the aviation industry. On July 17, a Malaysia Airlines planewas shot down in restive eastern Ukraine, killing all 298people on board. And a Taiwanese aircraft crashed in tor-rential rain in Taiwan on Wednesday, killing 48.

France was extremely active in the search andretrieval efforts for the Air Algerie plane, dispatching mili-tary forces and crash experts to the site after one of itsdrones found the wreckage. There was already a strongFrench military presence in the area because of an offen-sive France launched in Mali last year to stop Islamistextremists and Tuareg rebels from marching onto thecapital Bamako. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian told reporters that around 180 French and Malianforces had arrived on the crash site, as had 40 Dutch sol-diers from the MINUSMA UN stabilization force in Mali.

“Their mission is to make the zone secure and to allowinformation to be gathered, which will be essential forthe investigation,” he said. To assist the investigation, 20French military police were already preparing to leavetheir base at Villacoublay for Gao in Mali. The black boxflight recorder of the plane has already been recovered,Hollande said earlier. Because of the disaster, a summit ofthe leaders of four Indian Ocean nations with Hollande inthe island nation of the Comoros was cancelled, with nonew date set.

Air Algerie flies the four-hour passenger route fromOuagadougou to Algiers four times a week. The Spanishcrew had already flown it five times with the same plane,Algeria’s transport minister said. This year has alreadyseen Algeria mourn the loss of another plane accidentwhen a C-130 military aircraft carrying 78 people crashedin February in the country’s mountainous northeast,killing more than 70 on board. Algerian PresidentAbdelaziz Bouteflika announced a three-day period ofnational mourning for the latest crash, starting fromFriday.— AFP

Air Algerie crash wipes out entire families

GOSSI: A journalist films the crash site of the Air Algerie Flight AH 5017 in Mali’s Gossi region, westof Gao yesterday. — AFP

MOSCOW: Russia reacted angrily yesterday toadditional sanctions imposed by the EuropeanUnion over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis, say-ing they would hamper cooperation on securityissues and undermine the fight against terrorismand organized crime. Russia’s Foreign Ministry alsoaccused the United States, which has alreadyimposed its own sanctions against Moscow, of con-tributing to the conflict in Ukraine through its sup-port for the pro-Western government in Kiev. The28-nation EU reached an outline agreement onFriday to impose the first economic sanctions onRussia over its behavior in Ukraine but scaled backtheir scope to exclude technology for the crucialgas sector.

The EU also imposed travel bans and assetfreezes on the chiefs of Russia’s FSB security serviceand foreign intelligence service and a number ofother top Russian officials, saying they had helpedshape Russian government policy that threatenedUkraine’s sovereignty and national integrity. “Theadditional sanction list is direct evidence that theEU countries have set a course for fully scalingdown cooperation with Russia over the issues ofinternational and regional security,” Russia’s ForeignMinistry said in a statement. “(This) includes thefight against the proliferation of weapon of massdestruction, terrorism, organized crime and othernew challenges and dangers.” “We are sure suchdecisions will be accepted with enthusiasm byglobal terrorists,” the ministry added.

Severe consequencesThe EU had already imposed asset freezes and

travel bans on dozens of senior Russian officialsover Russia’s annexation in March of Ukraine’s BlackSea peninsula of Crimea and its support for sepa-ratists battling Kiev’s forces in eastern Ukraine. Thedecision to move towards targeting sectors of

Russia’s economy came after last week’s downingof a Malaysian MH17 airliner, killing 298 people, inan area of eastern Ukraine held by the Russian-backed separatists. The United States and otherWestern countries accuse the separatists of down-ing the plane with a surface-to-air missile supplied

by Russia. The separatists deny shooting down theplane and Russia says it has provided no suchweapons.

In a second statement yesterday, Russia’sForeign Ministry said Washington shared responsi-bility for the crisis. “The United States continues topush Kiev into the forceful repression of (Ukraine’s)Russian-speaking population’s discontent. There isone conclusion - the Obama administration hassome responsibility both for the internal conflict inUkraine and its severe consequences,” it said. It wasresponding to the White House’s accusation thatRussian President Vladimir Putin was “culpable” inthe downing of the Malaysian plane.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier ofGermany, Europe’s largest economy which also hasstrong trade ties with Russia, spoke out strongly infavor of the new EU sanctions against Moscow inan interview published yesterday. “After the deathof 300 innocent people in the MH17 crash and thedisrespectful roaming around the crash site ofmarauding soldiers, the behavior of Russia leavesus no other choice.” he told Germany’sSueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. “We remain trueto our course: cleverly calibrated and mutuallyagreed measures to raise the pressure and towardsa willingness to have serious talks with Russia,” hesaid in the interview, conducted on Friday.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister NajibRazak said he would hold talks in the Netherlandsnext Wednesday with his Dutch counterpart MarkRutte on how to secure full access for internationalinvestigators to the site of the plane crash. “Thiswill require the cooperation of those in control ofthe crash site and the Ukrainian armed forces,” hesaid. The separatists remain in control of the areawhere the plane came down. A total of 193 Dutchnationals and 43 Malaysians were among the vic-tims aboard MH-17.— Reuters

Moscow slams EU sanctions, blasts US over Ukraine role

EU sanctions will harm security cooperation: Russia

MOSCOW: Russian Federal Security ServiceChief Alexander Bortnikov attends a meeting inthe Kremlin in this file photo. A EuropeanUnion document released on Friday shows thatAlexander Bortnikov, head of the RussianFederal Security is among those targeted by aEU-wide asset freeze and travel ban. — AP

GREENWOOD: In this file photo, Babar Suleman and son Haris Suleman, 17, take off froman airport in Greenwood, Ind for an around-the-world flight. On Wednesday, July 23,2014, a single-engine plane with two aboard crashed in waters off American Samoa, witha registration number matching the plane flown by the Indiana teen attempting to flyaround the world in 30 days. — AP

WASHINGTON: The deadly crash of a USteenager on an around-the-world flightbrought new attention to the dangers ofrecord-setting youth adventures, andquestions about how young is too youngto fly a plane. Pilots and flight instructorssay that while some question the abilityof children and teens to deal withunforeseen difficulties, training mattersmore than age.

They say the real danger is whenpilots push the boundaries of safety toset records for speed or youth, as 17-year-old Haris Suleman, a newly licensedpilot, was attempting when his planewent down in the Pacific Ocean onTuesday. Investigators are still trying todetermine what caused his plane tocrash as he attempted to set a record forthe fastest flight around the world in asingle -engine airplane with theyoungest pilot in command. Here aresome key questions and answers aboutthe issue:

Getting a pilot licenseThe Federal Aviation Administration

allows 16-year-old student airplanepilots to make solo flights, but they’reprohibited from having passengers andare heavily supervised by an instructorwho closely monitors their flight fromthe ground. A private airplane pilot’slicense can be obtained at 17. It oftentakes more than the required 40 hours offlight time to be ready to pass the licens-ing exam. There haven’t been any signifi-cant pushes by lawmakers or others toraise the age to obtain a pilot’s license -which in some states comes before ateenager can get a driver’s license.

Can children fly?The FAA doesn’t restrict young

teenagers or children from taking flyinglessons, and programs offer variousdegrees of experience. The ExperimentalAircraft Association runs a Young Eaglesprogram were children as young as 8 cango on flights and help maneuver somecontrols, but the pilots are always in con-trol of the plane, said spokesman DickKnapinski. For example, a pilot may allowa child to help with a gentle turn.Spencer Clark, a 15-year-old fromAtlanta, said he started flying lessons atage 11, progressing from maneuveringsome controls and contacting the trafficcontrol tower to flying the plane by him-self. Spencer said starting lessons as early

as he did gave him years to practice forthe solo flights he’s almost allowed tomake.

Long-distance adventuresSome in the aviation industry say

being a young pilot isn’t as risky as tryingto be a record-setting pilot. Many ques-tioned such efforts after 7-year-oldJessica Dubroff, her father and a flightinstructor were killed in a 1996 crash inWyoming during her attempt to becomethe youngest person to fly across thecountry. The National TransportationSafety Board later ruled that pressurefrom national media attention may havecontributed to the crash. Stephen Belt, aflight instructor, pilot and chair of theaviation science department at SaintLouis University, said that while it’s notclear what caused Suleman’s plane tocrash, generally anyone trying to set arecord “is putting a tremendous amountof pressure on themselves to achievesomething.” Guinness World Records willnot recognize attempts to break pilotingrecords by those under 16 because ofconcerns about what’s safe or appropri-ate for young people.

What’s the risk?Although Haris Suleman had only

obtained his pilot’s certificate in June,that doesn’t mean he wasn’t prepared forthe demands of an around-the-worldflight because each pilot has differentskill levels, said Bruce Landsberg, whooversees the Air Safety Institute, a non-profit educational group. Landsberg saidthe teen’s father, who had been a pilotfor more than a decade, was at his sidethroughout the journey.

“They obviously were reasonably suc-cessful because from what I understandthey had made it about three-quarters ofthe way around the world. If they hadhad an incident in the first, you know,1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of the trip,then I’d say, ‘Chalk it up to inexperience,’”he said. Experts point out recordattempts can be done safely if a pilot isprepared. Allen Guthmiller said that’sthe case with his son, 19-year-oldMatthew Guthmiller, who in July becamethe youngest person to fly solo aroundthe world. The teenager is “not the typeof kid that takes chances,” was well-trained and grew up playing flight simu-lator video games, according to hisfather.— AP

ROME: Italy’s energetic premier MatteoRenzi has staked his reputation at homeand abroad on an ambitious reform agen-da, but he may have underestimated howdifficult it would be to win over unrulyopposition parties. The 39-year-old primeminister came to power in February withpromises to boost growth in the debt-laden country and streamline Italy’s notori-ously bloated institutions. Since then hehas run into trouble with a key bid tostreamline the Senate. “We are going aheadwith the reforms whether they like it ornot,” Renzi said this week after nearly 8,000amendments were submitted to delayplans to strip the upper house of parlia-ment of much of its power.

Italy’s financial Il Sole 24 Ore daily wroteFriday of “concerns that... the stall on insti-tutional reforms could put the whole gov-ernment reform program at risk” and weak-en Renzi’s hand as he tries to negotiategreater flexibility from Brussels over thecountry’s debt levels. “A loss of credibilityon the reform front would not be a goodcalling card for Italy’s presidency of theEuropean Union, which has just begun,” itsaid. Senators are fighting to obstruct thebill to transform the body into a smallchamber of regional lawmakers withsharply reduced legal powers, a movewhich would stop bills getting boggeddown in a back-and-forth between the low-er and upper chambers.

It would also help prevent a repeat ofthe political deadlock which followed lastyear’s election, by throwing out rules thatmake it difficult for any one party to securean overall majority in both houses. Butwhile the prime minister has nominallysecured the support of former premierSilvio Berlusconi, other rivals on the rightworry the Senate bill would prove “too biga success” for Renzi, propelling him towards

victory at the next general election, LaStampa daily said Friday.

‘A meddler, stirring things up’“Matteo Renzi is the big target, a med-

dler, stirring things up... determined to callinto question privileges which are nolonger defendable,” editorialist FedericoGeremicca wrote. Senate head PietroGrasso’s decision to cut short the debatesto permit a first reading of the bill byAugust 8 sparked fury from the anti-estab-lishment Five Star Movement in particular,which accused Renzi of “killing democracy”with plans which smacked of authoritarian-ism.

The former mayor of Florence hasannounced the government will hold a ref-erendum on the bill-but only after it hasbeen before the lower and upper houses ofparliament twice, a process experts saycould take months and risks derailing thereform agenda. Despite the nickname “llRottamatore” (“The Scrapper”) for his prom-ises to scrap the political status quo, Renzihas fallen behind on his vows to impose taxreform, fight corruption and bring downthe country’s high unemployment rate,which edged up in May to 12.6 percent.

Critics on the left have accused him ofusing the Senate bill to hide his failuresto tackle poor growth in the euro-zone’sthird largest economy, which is strug-gling to emerge from its deepest reces-sion in the post-war period. “What areyou going to give Italians to eat? TheSenate reform?” said Loredana De Petris,senator for the Left Ecology Freedom par-ty, point ing to the IMF’s decis ionThursday to slash its 2014 growth fore-cast by half to just 0.3 percent. Renzi,who has promised to quit his post if thereform is blocked, for now has sworn “togo onwards and not give up”.— AFP

US evacuatesembassy staff in Libya amid

fierce clashesWASHINGTON: The United States yesterday evacuatedits embassy staff in Libya as they faced a “real risk” fromfierce fighting in Tripoli and warned all Americans in thecountry to leave “immediately.” Although the diplomaticmission had been operating on limited staffing, theremaining team, including Ambassador Anne Patterson,drove overland to Tunisia to safety in an operation aidedby the US military.

The evacuation came only hours after the Libyan gov-ernment warned the country could be torn apart byclashes between rival militias for control of Tripoli airport.US Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking during a visitto Paris, said there had been a “real risk” to personnel andinsisted that the US was “suspending” operations, but notclosing the embassy in the Libyan capital. “Due to theongoing violence resulting from clashes between Libyanmilitias in the immediate vicinity of the US embassy inTripoli, we have temporarily relocated all of our person-nel out of Libya,” deputy State Department spokes-woman Marie Harf said in a statement.

“We are committed to supporting the Libyan peopleduring this challenging time, and are currently exploringoptions for a permanent return to Tripoli as soon as thesecurity situation on the ground improves.” Pentagonspokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the “embassystaff was driven in vehicles to Tunisia” in a five-hour oper-ation which went off smoothly and was closely moni-tored from the air by “F-16’s, ISR assets and an AirborneResponse Force with MV-22 Ospreys.” The Marine securityguards based at the embassy were also evacuated andguarded the convoy, but US officials would not confirmhow many people had been pulled out for security rea-sons, and gave only a few operational details. The StateDepartment also issued an updated travel warning cau-tioning Americans against travelling to Libya, and urgingall those in the country to “depart immediately.” Thestatement cautioned that “the security situation in Libyaremains unpredictable and unstable.” —AFP

Italy’s Renzi runs into trouble on key reform

After teen pilot’s crash, how young is too young?

I N T E R N AT ION A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

ASPEN, Colorado: The US government urgedPakistan on Friday to prevent displaced Haqqanimilitants from returning to their traditional sanc-tuary after a Pakistani military offensive near theAfghanistan border. The Haqqani network,which mainly operates out of Pakistan’s borderareas, has been blamed for some of the dead-liest and most sophisticated attacks on NATOand Afghan troops in Afghanistan.

“What we’ve asked for is that the Haqqanis,yes they’ve been displaced, yes they’ve beendisrupted, but that they not be allowed toregroup and resettle back into those historicalareas,” said Jeffrey Eggers from the WhiteHouse’s National Security Council, speaking at asecurity forum in Colorado. That would break along tradition of tolerating those who did nottarget the Pakistani state. No one from theHaqqani network has been reported killed, how-ever, since the offensive began in June in theremote region of North Waziristan.

The United States has long pressed forPakistani action against the Haqqanis.Islamabad has said it would target any militants,including the Haqqanis, as they proceed withthe military operation. Pakistan’s envoy toWashington, Jalil Abbas Jilani, sitting alongsideEggers and others at the event, acknowledgedthat Haqqani fighters almost certainly fled theregion ahead of the military operation becauseit was pre-announced.

But Jilani also urged more to be done acrossthe border in Afghanistan to deal with any mili-tants who may have fled there. “We are havinggood cooperation but I think something more isrequired to be done in order to make sure thatthe successes ... are conclusive,” Jilani said.

Afghanistan’s envoy to Washington, EklilHakimi, said his information suggested thatHaqqani militants had safe passage insidePakistan and were going elsewhere insidePakistan.

John Allen, the retired four-star general wholed US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, voicedskepticism about Islamabad’s past willingness togo after the Haqqanis, even as he acknowl-edged the opportunity presented by the ongo-ing offensive. “When I was commander there,the Haqqani killed or wounded over 500 of mytroops. And the operations in Waziristan some-how missed them every time they conductedops on the eastern side of the border,” Allen saidat the event.

US lawmakers warn that Pakistan will have tocrackdown on the Haqqanis or lose millions inUS military aid. “What matters now is how this

continues and whether or not the Haqqanis areafforded a sanctuary to return to when the oper-ation gets into its terminal phase,” said Eggers,the senior director for Afghanistan and Pakistanat the NSC.

Meanwhile, gunmen intercepted twominibuses travelling through centralAfghanistan and killed at least 14 passengersovernight, officials said yesterday. Local officialsin the remote, mountainous province of Ghorsaid most of the passengers were from the eth-nic Hazara Shiite minority, but that could not beindependently verified.

“The insurgents stopped two vans and afterchecking peoples’ identifications cards, theyseparated 14 passengers from 32 others andshot them dead,” said provincial governor SayedAnwar Rahmati. At least three women and athree-year-old child were among those killed.Sediq Sediqqi, an interior ministry spokesman,accused Taleban insurgents of carrying out the

attack, saying it was “aimed at instilling fear inthe people”. The Taleban denied involvement.“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns thekillings and will try to find and punish the per-petrators,” Taleban spokesman ZabihullahMujahid said in a text message to Reuters, refer-ring to the government toppled by US-ledforces over 12 years ago. The Taleban, an austereSunni militant group that ruled Afghanistanfrom 1996 to 2001, has been fighting US-led andAfghan forces since they were removed after theSept 11, 2001 attacks on US targets. Many of theHazaras - believed to be descended fromMongol invaders - suffered enormously underTaleban rule and the Shiite minority saw manyof its communities levelled.

Many were killed and buried in mass gravesor thrown into wells. They still believe they aretreated as second-class citizens and thatPresident Hamid Karzai has done little toimprove their lot. — Reuters

US tells Pakistan: Don’t let Haqqani fighters resettle

Gunmen stop minibuses, kill 14 in Afghanistan

HEART: An Afghan policeman inspects the taxi in which two foreign women were gunneddown at the police headquarters in Herat yesterday. Two foreign female aid workers were shotdead by unknown gunmen while travelling in a taxi in the western Afghan city of Herat, offi-cials said. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: A woman supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami takes part in a demonstrationagainst the Israeli bombings in the Gaza strip, in Islamabad, yesterday. —AP

COLOMBO: Dozens of pro-governmentactivists blocked ethnic Tamil journalistsfrom holding a training program in SriLanka yesterday, marking the latest harass-ment of the minority community, a mediarights group said. Journalists from thenorthern Jaffna peninsula, a former warzone, had travelled to Colombo for an elec-tronic media workshop. “The organizerswere forced to stop the program becauseof intimidation by dozens of protesters,”said Sunil Jayasekera, spokesman for theFree Media Movement (FMM), the country’smain media rights organization.

“We were concerned about the safety ofthe journalists and that is why the trainingwas called off.”

“They carried placards saying that weare supporting (separatist) Tamil Tigers(guerrillas),” Jayasekera told reporters. TheNew York-based Committee to ProtectJournalists (CPJ) has accused Sri Lanka ofkeeping up a policy of harassing journalistsdespite the end of fighting between Tamilrebels and the largely Sinhalese army.Rights activists said the 16 Tamil journalistshad been harassed on their way toColombo as well. They were stopped by themilitary and the police at two locations anddetained for several hours after beingaccused of transporting cannabis. Tamilmedia reports quoted the journalists, in

turn, as accusing the military of planting apacket of drugs into their vehicle while itwas being checked at a military check-point in the island’s north.

Police detained the driver of the vehicleand later freed the journalists after ques-tioning them for hours. Military spokesmanbrigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya deniedsecurity forces had framed the journalistsand insisted that they searched the vehicleon a tip-off that it was transporting nar-cotics.

He also denied that the military waslinked to the demonstration outside the SriLanka Press Institute, the venue for thetraining of the ethnic minority Tamil jour-nalists.

The FMM accused the military of beingbehind a new wave of intimidation thatwas unseen even during the height offighting between the army and Tamil rebelsfrom 1972 to 2009 during Sri Lanka’s ethnicconflict.

FMM’s Jayasekera said he also receiveddeath threats over the telephone for hold-ing a press conference to denounce the lat-est harassment of Tamil journalists. Thecalls originated from numbers that cannotbe traced, he added. Murders of more thana dozen journalists and media workershave remained unsolved for the past 25years. — AFP

Sri Lanka protestersscuttle media

training for Tamils

KABUL: Afghanistan’s election commission yesterday onceagain suspended the auditing process of 8.1 million votes castin the presidential run-off poll, after the two candidates failedto agree on the procedure for invalidating fraudulent votes.“The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has decided tosuspend temporarily the vote audit until the fourth day of Eid,and we hope it is enough time for the candidates to sort outtheir differences,” the IEC chairman Ahmad Yusuf Nuristanitold a press conference yesterday.

The Muslim Eid festival expected to begin tomorrow orTuesday marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.“The votes audit goes very slowly, the representatives of thecandidates have walked out of the auditing process for thethird time in the past ten days over differences of opinion,”Nuristani said yesterday. The audit was briefly suspended aweek ago by a dispute over vote count records deemed voidby one candidate’s team as they lacked a full name and signa-ture.

Yesterday’s suspension came shortly after the UnitedNations said that both candidates had indicated they supporta UN proposal with specific criteria for invalidating fraudulentballots in the audit process.

The procedure for dealing with fraud is the primary pointof contention between the two sides, but they also disagreeon other technical aspects of the process.

Meanwhile US President Barack Obama called both can-didates on Friday night asking them to endorse their previousagreement over the outcome of the election audit and theformation of a national unity government. “Noting that theaudit is steadily progressing, the president encouraged bothcandidates to publicly endorse their previously agreed politi-cal framework and continue their dialogue,” said a readout ofthe phone call.

The inspection of all 8.1 million ballots cast in the June 14run-off was agreed by rival candidates Abdullah Abdullah and

Ashraf Ghani, following a deal brokered two weeks ago by USSecretary of State John Kerry.

Audit lagging behind The IEC had said it would take around three weeks, with

teams working in two shifts processing around 1,000 ballotboxes a day. But since the start of the process, in which hun-dreds of national and international observers have crammedinto the IEC in Kabul to separate fraudulent ballots from cleanones, the audit has been lagging behind schedule with just1,361 out of some 23,000 ballot boxes completed as of Friday.

This has raised concerns that the original timeframe forcompleting the process is unlikely to be kept, and that theaudit could take until late August to finish. That in turn wouldfurther push back the already delayed inauguration of thenew Afghan president.

Abdullah, who draws most of his support from Tajiks andother northern Afghan groups, led after the first round of vot-ing, but preliminary results of the run-off announced on July 7showed Ghani, whose support base is mainly among thePashtun tribes of the south and east, ahead by over one mil-lion votes. Abdullah rejected the result, saying that most of hisopponent’s ballots were fraudulent. The bitter impasse overthe vote to succeed President Hamid Karzai, followingAbdullah’s claims of massive fraud, had raised fears of a returnto the ethnic violence of the 1990s.

The election disputes also comes as Afghanistan is grippedby a Taleban-led insurgency, ahead of US-led NATO forceswithdrawal by the end of the year, with the militant groupstaging regular attacks targeting Afghan and foreign forces.The militants have been testing the capacity of the Afghanforces, with a major assault in the southern province ofHelmand last month which was pushed back after weeks ofheavy fighting that left hundreds of Afghan civilians as well assecurity personnel dead or injured.— AFP

Afghan vote audit suspended again over disagreement

SHIMLA: Indian people walk with umbrellas during a heavy rainfall in the northern hill town of Shimla yesterday.Weather officials have said that the momentum picked up by the southwest monsoon in July is likely to continuein August with normal rainfall expected next month. —AFP

I N T E R N AT ION A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is offering illegalIndonesians safe return home without beingprosecuted to avoid them making secretjourneys in rickety boats after several fatalaccidents ahead of the Eid Al-Fitr festival,officials said yesterday.

At least four boats have sunk since lastmonth as Indonesians, drawn to the rela-tively affluent Southeast Asian country forwork, sought to go home for Eid Al-Fitr,Islam’s biggest festival, which starts inMalaysia tomorrow.

The sinkings killed dozens and have leftscores more missing. Those wanting toreturn will be fined for being in Malaysia ille-gally, but will escape harsher prosecution,such as jail terms and caning, said a homeministry official who declined to be namedas he is not authorized to make public state-ments. Home Minister Zahid Hamidi wasquoted by The Star yesterday as saying thiswas a “golden chance” for undocumentedmigrants.

“The legal way will be safer with less has-sle, compared to risking their lives whilepaying a hefty fine to syndicates” smugglingthe migrants via sea, he told the daily news-paper. An aide confirmed the comments. Inaddition to the fine of at least 300 ringgit($95), Indonesians have to pay 100 ringgitmore for a one-way pass to return home.

The home ministry official did not say

how much the maximum fine could be. Headded the program was running from thismonth until the end of December, and couldbe extended to other nationals later.Malaysia has repeatedly offered amnesty tomigrants in the past in order to reduce itslarge population of illegal workers, estimat-ed to number two million.

But activists have warned that many willnot be able to afford high fines, in additionto processing fees charged by privateagents who are used by some migrants, tosecure safe trips.

“My concern is that we do not have avery clear policy. It’s not really service-ori-ented but rather profit-driven,” Alex Ong ofMigrant Care told AFP, adding his group hadreceived complaints by several migrants ofbeing arrested despite the offer of a safereturn.

Going back illegally costs them about1,500 ringgit. Foreigners from neighboringIndonesia and other mostly regional poorercountries are drawn by plantation, construc-tion and other jobs shunned by Malaysians.Boat accidents are common with threedead, eight missing and 10 rescued in thelatest sinking off southern Malaysia onThursday.

Both Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim-majority countries with many observing thefasting month of Ramadan. — AFP

Malaysia offers Indonesian illegals safe return

PORT KLANG: An Indonesian woman waits for a ferry as she heads home ahead of the Eid Al-Fitr festival in Port Klangoutside Kuala Lumpur yesterday. A large number of Indonesians leave Malaysia to celebrate Eid Al-fitr festival withtheir families during the last days of the fasting month of Ramadan. — AFP

HONG KONG: As skyscrapers around Hong Kongharbor erupted into a reverie of laser beams andgiant digital displays during their synchronizednightly light show, one innocuous 28-storeybuilding near the water’s edge had stayed darkfor months, clad in bamboo scaffolding for afacelift. Then, in June, the renovated tower cameto life, flashing giant Chinese characters thatsome in Hong Kong saw as a warning. “People’sLiberation Army,” it said.

Many in this prosperous city had alreadyfeared that Hong Kong’s future as an open socie-ty as well as a semiautonomous part of Chinawas in jeopardy in the face of perceived growingintervention from Beijing. Tens of thousands ofpeople had turned out days earlier for an annualvigil to commemorate victims of the 1989Tiananmen Square massacre, while an unprece-dented policy “white paper” declaring Beijing’sirrevocable control over the territory had gener-ated furious debate about Hong Kong’s future.Now, after the Chinese military building had kepta low profile for years, its brief debut in the city’sbeloved “Symphony of Lights” felt like nothingless than a show of force 17 years after the Britishhanded the territory back to Chinese control.

“It’s a logo of red Chinese colonization,” saidBilly Chiu Hin-chung, one of four people arrestedlast year after storming the army building whilewaving Hong Kong’s colonial British-era flag.Chiu’s group was angry that, near the militarybuilding, in the heart of the harbor, a prime sliceof waterfront had been fenced off for exclusiveuse as a dock by the Chinese navy’s visiting war-ships.

“If Hong Kong people don’t obey theCommunist Party,” Chiu predicted, “the army willcome and fight us.” From the bustling streets ofthis legendary port city of 7.2 million people toits air-conditioned offices in sleek towers highabove the harbor, Hong Kongers are indeed pick-ing sides in a looming battle over what’s to come.

Business thrivesPeople here have long prided themselves on

providing what they consider a stable, sophisti-cated alternative to Communist China thatdespite its small population enjoys the world’s36th-biggest economy and runs the globe’ssixth-richest stock exchange.

But now, Hong Kongers say the soul of theirsociety is coming under attack as they grow waryof the Communist Party’s rising sway with topofficials and see the flood of cross-borderChinese shoppers (dubbed “locusts” for theirvoracious buying habits and supposed bad man-ners). Hundreds of thousands of residents havebeen fighting back in street protests, while oth-ers are already mobilizing to move rather thanlive under Beijing’s influence.

All over the territory, which covers an areaslightly smaller than Los Angeles, Hong Kongerssee evidence pointing to historic changes to theirliberal-minded way of life.

Much of the battle centers on democraticreform, with Beijing having promised to allowvoters to elect their leader for the first time start-ing in 2017. But the lack of details about thatplan has fed demands for genuine democracyrather than what many say will be a Beijing-manipulated government more worried aboutmainland approval than the well-being of HongKongers.

Media in the throesLast week, the city’s leader, Leung Chun-ying,

who was hand-picked by a committee of mostlypro-Beijing elites, kicked off the electoral over-haul by formally asking China’s legislature forconstitutional changes to allow residents to electthe next chief executive. However, his report said“mainstream opinion” wanted the elite commit-tee to again pick candidates, setting the stage fora confrontation with democracy groups, whovow to freeze the financial district with protests ifthe public isn’t allowed to choose candidates freeof China’s vetting. Already, the pro-Beijing influ-ence is threatening a disciplined civil servicecorps that had long upheld transparency and therule of law, rather than political-mindedfavoritism, says Anson Chan, a democracy activistwho was Hong Kong’s chief secretary and No. 2official from 1993 to 2001.

“If the government gives the community theimpression that it doesn’t listen,” she says, “thenthe community feels that the only way of making

this government listen is to take to the streets.” Inthe eyes of Chan and others, Beijing’s influencehas also hit the city’s thriving private media. Mostnewspapers no longer run stories critical of theChinese government, and even multinationalbanks HSBC and Standard Chartered recentlyraised suspicions by pulling advertising from thecity’s sole pro-democracy newspaper, the AppleDaily. HSBC said in a statement that the advertis-ing decision was purely commercial, andStandard Chartered said it came after a review oftheir advertising strategy.

In a report released this month, Hong Kong’sjournalists’ association called the past 12 months“the darkest for press freedom for severaldecades,” citing among other events a cleaverattack in February that left an outspoken formereditor at the Ming Pao newspaper in critical con-dition. Last year, the French press watchdoggroup Reporters Without Borders ranked HongKong 61st in press freedom, a steep fall from No18 in 2002.

“For someone who is used to an open society,that is something really alarming and concern-ing,” says Shirley Yam, the journalists’ association’svice chairwoman. “Hong Kong is a major financialcenter, and the reason that Hong Kong has beenable to become a major financial center is free-dom of information and press freedom.”

Autonomy issuesFor many, the most troubling blow came last

month with the white paper. It argued that HongKong’s autonomy was entirely at Beijing’s discre-tion and that “loving the country is the basicpolitical requirement for Hong Kong’s administra-tors,” including its judges. In the view of Chan andother critics of Beijing, that policy violatedChinese promises to respect Hong Kong’s highdegree of autonomy, which mainland leadersfamously dubbed “one country, two systems.”

The expressions of outrage were immediate.Even Hong Kong’s lawyers, a typically reservedgroup who dress for court in wigs and blackrobes in a system based on English common law,hit the streets by the hundreds to protest thewhite paper.

“We are definitely at a crossroads,” Chan says.“Hong Kong people are growing increasinglyangry and frustrated, and I think something hasto give.” Trying to calm the lawyers’ concerns,Hong Kong Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung said the white paper wouldn’t requirejudges to make any “political or other inappropri-ate” considerations while deciding cases.

Pro-government Hong Kong legislators alsosay critics are overdramatizing the Chinese threatto the city’s way of life. Instead, they warn thatprotesters who plan to shut down the city center

are the real danger.“Democrats should not use fighting means to

achieve their own purposes,” says ChristopherCheung Wah-fung, a legislator and businessmanwho runs a stock brokerage firm.

“Keeping the dialogue,” he says, “is better thanconfrontation.” In the face of growing turmoil,some in the city say they’re looking to use British,Canadian or American passports and move away.That evokes the chaotic scene before the 1997handover when hundreds of thousands left infear of the Chinese government after its troopskilled hundreds, perhaps thousands, of democra-cy protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989. WithChinese President Xi Jinping’s hard-line approachin China and the region, those fears havereturned. Domestic opponents have been arrest-ed and silenced, and neighboring Asian countriesare on the defensive over Chinese territorialclaims. “One country, two systems is collapsing,”says Ray Kwan, a 23-year old engineering gradu-ate from Hong Kong University who wants toemigrate - to the United States, he hopes.Property prices in Hong Kong have doubled since2009 amid an influx of wealthy mainland Chinese,raising Kwan’s doubts that he can ever afford toraise a family in his native city. “You have to com-pete with 1.3 billion people, with all of China,”Kwan says. “So my way of helping myself is just toleave.” That pessimism is spreading even amongthose who barely remember the days of Britishrule, according to a Hong Kong University surveyconducted last month. The poll found that theshare of adults who said they felt proud to be aChinese citizen sank to only a third, while the pro-portion who had a negative view of the centralgovernment’s policies on Hong Kong rose to itshighest level since the survey started in 1999.“The younger the respondent, the less proud onefeels of becoming a Chinese national citizen, andalso more negative about the central govern-ment’s policies on Hong Kong,” says pollsterRobert Chung. Yet amid the despair, thousands ofyoung people as well as veterans like Chan aretaking action to demand more democracy. Asmany as 800,000 Hong Kongers voted in anactivist-sponsored online referendum last monthabout the future of the city’s government, despitevocal displeasure from Beijing, which called thevote illegal. Massive protests filled the city dayslater in the biggest march in years marking thecity’s July 1, 1997, return to Chinese rule. “I think Iwill stay in Hong Kong until the last minute,” saidJoshua Wong, a 17-year-old who helps lead thegroup Scholarism, which formed in 2011 todenounce plans to introduce pro-Beijing “moraland national” education in Hong Kong’s schools.“This is the place I was born, and I love it. But if westay silent, the situation will only get worse.” — AP

In Chinese shadow, Hong Kong fights for its futureGrowing intervention from Beijing unsettles residents

HONG KONG: Tens of thousands of residents gather to march in downtown streets during anannual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong to push for greater democracy. Many in this pros-perous city had already feared that Hong Kong’s future as an open society as well as a semiau-tonomous part of China was in jeopardy in the face of perceived growing intervention fromBeijing. —AP

BEIJING: China has told retired militaryofficers to return non-essential publichousing after an investigation found“irregularities”, state media said yester-day, as Beijing steps up efforts tostamp out official corruption andexcess. Abnormalities were revealed inan inspection into “housing and infra-structure construction” that began lastyear as part of a wider crackdown intocorruption in the Chinese military,Xinhua news agency said.

It also said the new measures wereendorsed by the chairman of China’sCentral Military Commission, PresidentXi Jinping, who has launched a much-publicized war on graft since takingoffice last year. They will involve offi-cers and their families only beingallowed to “occupy one public housingunit in a single city, and its size must beappropriate for the official’s rank,”Xinhua said, citing a military circularthat appeared in Friday ’s People’sLiberation Army Daily newspaper.

“Officials were ordered to give backextra properties if they have more thanone military-owned apartment or theircombined size exceeds the allowancefor their ranks,” the news agencyadded.

Families of deceased officers werealso being told to leave military prop-erties if they already owned housing,

Xinhua added. China last yearlaunched a crackdown on a widely-abused system of privileges for driversof military vehicles. Cars with militarylicense plates receive a range of bene-fits driving on Chinese roads, such asnot having to pay toll fees.

Observers said the military clamp-down stemmed from systematic abuseof privileges by some officers, who ille-gally occupied houses or exchangedlicense plates for favors. “(The circular)admitted some retired officials havefailed to hand over extra public hous-ing and official cars, which has ‘ham-pered the overall progress of the work’,”Xinhua said.

Welfare and bonuses will be sus-pended for officials not complyingwith the measures, Xinhua said, butthere was no mention of further pun-ishments for those who occupiedhouses or abused the license plate sys-tem. President Xi has made fightingcorruption a top priority, and urgedthe ruling Communist Party to “opposehedonism and flamboyant lifestyles”.He said corruption could “kill the party”that has ruled China and its army since1949. However, his high-profile anti-graft campaign has been criticized insome quarters for a lack of transparen-cy and for not introducing systemicreforms. — AFP

Retired China military told to ‘return houses’

TOKYO: Children enjoy bathing in the fountain at a park in Tokyo yesterday. A heat-wave swept over Japan on the second weekend of school summer vacation. —AFP

I N T E R N AT I O N A LSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razaksaid yesterday he would meet his Dutch counterpartMark Rutte next week to discuss how to secure full accessfor investigators to the site in Ukraine where a Malaysianairliner was downed. Pro-Russian separatists remain incontrol of the area in eastern Ukraine where the MalaysiaAirlines Boeing 777 was brought down last week on aflight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 onboard. Najib helped clinch a deal with separatist leadersto secure the return of the victims’ remains as well as theaircraft’s two “black boxes”, critical to determining whathappened to the flight. It was now time, he said, to pro-

ceed with the full investigation.“My priority now is to ensure the third part of the deal

is honored, and that international investigators are givenfull and secure access to the site,” he said in a statement.

“This will require the cooperation of those in controlof the crash site and the Ukrainian armed forces.” Thestatement said Najib would fly to the Netherlands fortalks on Wednesday, after Malaysia has marked the endof the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Malaysian experts believe at least 30 investigators willbe required to cover the full site of the crash, the state-ment said, in addition to Dutch investigators and an

expert from the United Nations’ civil aviation body, theICAO. “Unfortunately events on the ground - includingongoing fighting between Ukrainian and separatistforces - prevent such a large contingent of investigatorsbeing deployed,” it said. Ukraine’s armed forces havebeen trying to dislodge separatists from towns in easternUkraine since April. The United States and other Westerncountries suggest the separatists downed the plane witha surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. The separatistsdeny shooting down the plane and Russia says it has pro-vided no such weapons.

A total of 193 Dutch nationals and 43 Malaysians were

among the victims aboard MH-17. The Dutch SafetyBoard said this week it had taken control of an investiga-tion into the crash and would coordinate a team of inves-tigators from Ukraine, Malaysia, Germany, the UnitedStates, Britain, Russia and the ICAO. The European Unionreached an outline agreement on Friday to impose thefirst economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation ofUkraine’s Crimea peninsula in March and suspicions thatit is actively involved in destablising eastern Ukraine. The28-nation EU also imposed travel bans and asset freezeson Russian intelligence chiefs and other officials accusedof undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty.—Reuters

Malaysia, Dutch PMs to discuss access to plane crash site

TAIPEI: International experts were examining thesite of the fatal TransAsia Airways crash in Taiwanyesterday, as new evidence surfaced that the planemay have collided with nearby trees before plung-ing to the ground. Seven French and one Canadianexpert representing France’s Bureau of Enquiry andAnalysis for Civil Aviation Safety, the French-Italianaircraft maker ATR as well as aircraft engine makerPratt & Whitney Canada arrived in Taiwan lateFriday to help investigate the crash that killed 48people.

One expert stayed in Taipei to help examine theblack boxes-which record cockpit voice and otherin-flight data-while the rest flew to Magong earlieryesterday to examine the wreckage that wasmoved to an air force base and inspect the crashsite, officials said. “ATR manufactured the plane andthey know it the best, the structural engineer andtechnical specialists will provide us the informationneeded for the investigation,” said Thomas Wang,director of Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council.

TransAsia Airways Flight GE222 carrying 54 pas-

sengers and four crew plunged into houses nearthe airport in Magong in the Penghu islandsWednesday, leaving just 10 survivors, some ofthem badly injured. Two French medical studentswere among the dead.

The ATR 72-500 propeller plane was attemptingto land for the second time after aborting the firstattempt during thunder and heavy rain as TyphoonMatmo pounded Taiwan. It was on a domesticflight. Taiwanese television footage on Saturdayshowed fragments of the wreckage being removedby local workers from woods located a few hun-dred metres (feet) from the crash site. The foreignexperts were also seen inspecting the woods andthe crash site.

Local media speculated the pilot might havetried to pull the plane up over the treetops afterskimming them before the fatal crash.

Wang confirmed that pieces of wreckage werefound in the wooded area but said it was too earlyto determine whether the plane had impacted thetrees, adding the information contained in the

black boxes would give a clearer picture when itwas released in the coming week.

Angry relatives have blamed the authorities andTransAsia for the worst air disaster in a decade inTaiwan, questioning why the plane was cleared tofly in stormy weather. Some vented their anger atPenghu county chief Wang Chien-fa yesterday, as aman confronted Wang in front of TV cameras fornot doing enough to assist the relatives.

The airline ran an apology on the front pages offive major newspapers Friday, pledging to shoulderthe “utmost responsibility” while making everyeffort to deal with the aftermath and provide thebest compensation. Taiwanese officials havedefended the decision to allow the flight to goahead, saying the meteorology data showed thataviation safety requirements were met when theplane was cleared to fly.

So far 46 victims were identified, including thetwo French nationals, while DNA samples of theothers were collected to help with the identifica-tion. — AFP

Foreign experts inspect Taiwan plane crash site

Plane may have collided with nearby trees

Members from France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety for theFrench-Italian aircraft maker ATR and aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney from Canadahelp investigate the crash that killed 48 people on July 23 in poor weather near the air-port at Magong on the Penghu island chain yesterday. — AFP

Dr James J Zogby

Press coverage of this ugly war on Gaza hasonly served to remind us of the fundamentalproblem that has plagued the Israeli-

Palestinian conflict since the very beginning: Israelisare seen as real individual people; while Palestiniansare an abstraction- objects of contempt, scorn, orpity-but not real people with whom we can relate.Because Israel knows how important it is to main-tain this unbalanced equation, in any battle theyrely on their ability to dominate and shape mediamessages and images to the same extent that theydepend on their military to win battles. Andbecause the Israelis have cultivated all too compli-ant partners in the press and in politics, their narra-tive of events often trumps reality.

This past week’s coverage of the war in Gaza bythe Washington Post, can serve as a case in point.Each day, in addition to the reporting of events asthey unfold, we have been presented with movingstories of Israelis who have lost their lives or thosewho are living in fear. On Sunday, for example, asthe Israeli ground offensive was beginning, the Postfeatured a front page headline, in large type, read-ing “Two Israelis Killed in Gaza Clash.”In smaller typethere was a subhead, “Death toll tops 330 as Hamasmilitants step up attacks.” The story began, “Hamasmilitants intensified their attacks on Israeli forces...”

The impact of this presentation is quite clear. Inthe first place, the loss of the two Israelis trumps thedeaths of 330 Palestinians. While the Israelis are“killed”, the 330 dead are presented as a body-count- we are not even told that they arePalestinians. To add to the confusion, the 330 died“as Hamas militants stepped up attacks”- makingHamas appear as the sole responsible agent. Andbecause the story begins with “Hamas militantsintensified their attacks on Israeli forces...”, unless thereader had another source of information and knewthat the Israelis had just invaded Gaza, it wouldappear that Hamas was on the offensive.

Then on Wednesday, as the casualty toll grew,on two facing pages the Post featured stories thatadded insult to this injury. Page 9 featured two

moving human interest stories. The first was about agrieving mother whose son, an Israeli soldier, hadperished in battle. The headline for this piece was“You fought the battle for us”. It was accompaniedby two pictures, the largest showing the weepingmother embraced by family members. Below thisappeared profiles of two young Israeli-Americans,both soldiers who died fighting in Gaza. Theaccounts were personal and touching. With the sto-ry were two photos of the two clean-cut boy sol-diers.

On the facing page, the Post provided a diagramof the war’s total casualties, using little stick figures-one for each person who died. Adults were present-ed in black, while children and babies were in red.Not only did the 406 Palestinians figures dwarf the 2Israeli figures, but especially poignant were the

number of tiny little red figures (129 in all). Therewere no pictures, no names, no personal stories,and no interviews with sobbing Palestinian moth-ers, just little stick figures in red and black.

Above this obscene chart there was an accountof the difficulties Gazans were having finding placesto bury their dead. Again no touching stories to putflesh on the bones of the stick figures. The story hada picture of a man, who was said to be “overcomeby emotion”- but whose face looked more like hewas shouting in anger.

This is the way the Israeli-Palestinian conflict hasalways been presented- the Israelis are real peoplewhom you can see and know, as individual stories,versus an amorphous Palestinian mass, whom youdo not know and with whom you cannot identify. Indefending themselves, reporters will argue that

while the Israelis provide them access to the storiesand will bring them to the grieving families, theydon’t have the same access to the Palestinian side ofthe story. But that simply won’t wash. There are anumber of courageous souls covering the situationwithin Gaza.

The remarkable media website Al-Monitor, forexample, features daily reporting from Asmaa al-Ghoul. Every day, at great personal risk, Asmaawalks the streets of Gaza telling, in heart-breakingdetail, the personal stories of families who’ve lostloved ones or survivors whose homes weredestroyed. Her writing deserves a wider audience-as do the tales told by the victims she has uncov-ered in her relentless pursuit of the truth. And NBCand CNN’s international team have also been on theground in Gaza showing the suffering ofPalestinians in Gaza.

The Washington Post and too many other newsoutlets have also failed to bring home for their read-ers the impact of Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s infra-structure. I have read stories in Al-Monitor, andreports from humanitarian relief groups like theAmerican organization, ANERA, or the UNWRA. ButUS readers have not been told that Israel hasbombed much of Gaza’s power plant facilities leav-ing most of the Strip with only about 3 hours ofelectricity each day.

And because the delivery of Gaza’s limited drink-able water supply requires electricity, 600,000Palestinians are now without water, while much ofthe rest of the population is making due withimpure water sources. Reading from the reports ofthe international relief agencies still operating, wealso learn of deplorable living conditions in over-crowded shelters, of traumatized children in need ofcounseling, or the severe shortages of basic medi-cines. These stories have not been given the atten-tion they deserve. Instead we are provided withgripping tales of Israelis in shelters or the inconven-iences caused by the cancellation of some flights inand out of Ben Gurion Airport or the scenes ofIsraelis in lawn chairs sitting outside of the GazaStrip cheering the bombs falling on Gaza City, asthey might a firework display.

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When air travel goes wrong, the modern world hasgiven us a script to follow. Forensic workers in cov-eralls descend on the crash scene. Police tape seals

off the site and keeps the full horror at a distance. There is anorderly numbering of the dead and gathering of the evi-dence. Bodies are repatriated, funerals are held. Eventually,there is explanation. The bereaved, and the rest of us, takesolace in science, logic, investigation, the gradual restorationof order. It’s a process that organizes tragedy into a shape themind can process and the heart can grieve.

Whether it was mechanical failure, human error or terror-ism, we are reassured by the notion that knowledge bringsthe power to stop it from happening again. But 2014 hasbeen different. Twice this year, when disaster struck twoMalaysia Airlines planes, fate has torn up the script. One planedisappeared, leaving investigators combing a vast ocean, adisaster with no wreckage and no bodies. Another scatteredits remains across a vast field, where political unrest made anorderly process impossible. We have been cast adrift,unmoored from the familiar rituals that say: Despite thetragedy, we are still in control.

Cary Cooper, professor of psychology at LancasterUniversity in northern England, says we are forced to face thething we hate the most: chaos. “It’s very unsettling for peopleto feel there’s not a system, a process.” Usually, to keep horrorat bay, we watch the news and slot it into boxes: a war here, adisaster there (and the farther away the better). But twoworlds collided when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, filled withholidaymakers and AIDS researchers, was taken down by amissile fired from a war in eastern Ukraine. None of the 298people aboard was a citizen of Ukraine or Russia.

With the crash site in a war zone, all the usual rules andprocedures evaporated. Confusion about who was in charge,and hostile militiamen, kept international investigators away,and the disaster scene stood largely unsecured. Internationalmonitors said debris had been tampered with. There werereports of looting. While investigators were kept out, journal-ists made their way in. They produced a stream of scarcelycomprehensible images.

Bodies and body parts where they shouldn’t be - in some-one’s house, in a field, still buckled into a seat. The scorchedand damaged detritus of family holidays: guidebooks, duty-free bags, teddy bears and toys. For many watching on televi-sion and computer screens, the images produced a sense ofmesmerizing dread, as horrified fascination battled the urgeto look away. It felt - as Shakespeare’s Macduff says in“Macbeth” - “beyond words and beyond belief.” You could seeit in the faces of the television journalists.

They sometimes seemed adrift, unsure how to behave, orhow much of the horror they could or should convey. SkyNews correspondent Colin Brazier drew condemnation - andquickly apologized - for briefly picking up personal effectsfrom the wreckage during a live television report. He said ithad been a momentary lapse of judgment “in a place withoutrules.” Meanwhile, around the world, families of the victimslooked on aghast, wondering who would impose order,uncertain when they could bury their dead.

“When I am in my bed at night, I see my son lying on theground,” said Silene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son Bryceand his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers died on their way to a vaca-tion in Bali - two of almost 200 Dutch passengers killed. “Theyhave to come home, not only those two. Everybody has tocome home.” She was expressing a near-universal humanwish: to bring home the remains, observe the rituals ofmourning, give grief a shape and a focus. The bereaved rela-tives’ wish is, slowly and partially, being fulfilled. Days after thecrash, the majority of the bodies were removed in a refrigerat-ed train, and began to be flown to the Netherlands.

But while the remains have begun their journey home,the investigation is still a long way off. The Dutch prime minis-ter has said identifying all the bodies could take months. Foranother set of families there is no wreckage, no bodies andno answers. Flight 17 was shot down less than five monthsafter the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, whichwas carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing whenit veered off course and vanished. It is believed to havecrashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but an Australian-ledsearch has found no trace of the jet.

There’s a mind-bending possibility that it may never befound. In a world of high-tech surveillance and instant infor-mation, where we worry about governments reading ouremails and companies knowing our innermost secrets, howcan a passenger jet simply disappear? For the loved ones ofthe dead in both disasters, the agony and uncertainty maynever end. They may never get complete closure. For the mil-lions of others, fascination with Flight 370 faded as life rolledon, reduced to the occasional nagging thought: Where is thatplane? The more recent crash is fresher, still fills us with horrorand fascination - and an undercurrent of unease as weacknowledge that we will look away. Life will go on. —AP

By Jill Lawless

Issues

Air tragedies bring grief without order

A N A L Y S I SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

The Washington Post fails in Gaza

By Felice Friedson and Abdullah H Erakat

Aphotograph of a wounded Israeli soldier lying on agurney appeared on a Facebook page above the com-ment reading, “I hope all Israeli soldiers come back this

way if not at all,” followed by a smiley face computer symbol.As disturbing as the apparent message was, the subtext wasequally troubling. The post came from a student atJerusalem’s Hadassah College, an institution that boasts astudent body that is 20% Arab Israeli or Palestinian and a his-tory of positive relations between its varied ethnicities.

Students responded with posters affixed to walls through-out the campus declaring, “Racism. Not in our School!”Hadassah College administration reacted swiftly with a sum-mons to the office of the president who expelled the studentand rescinded her scholarship. To many familiar with the inci-dent, more troubling than its occurrence is the growingbelief that it symbolizes something far more insidious: a rap-idly increasing toxicity of the environment shared by Jewsand Muslims; Israelis and Palestinians facilitated by a potentweapon new to the theater of war: social media.

Gershon Baskin of the Israeli Palestinian Center forResearch and Information (IPCRI) rues “the level of hatred byIsraelis and Palestinians in social media and those who sup-port them.” Baskin says, “The pro-Israel and pro-Palestinianmovements have reached a level [of hatred] I haven’t everseen before in my life...I’ve done things I have never done inmy life and removed people from my Facebook and twitter. Iposted instructions on my wall stating my Facebook wall ismy home; you should respect my home and each other. Wecan argue here but respectfully, but if you can’t follow thoserules, you are out of here.”

Senior Israeli journalist Danny Rubinstein agrees that new-found angst is spreading at an alarming speed. “An outcomeof the war has been a dangerous sense of hatred, wheremeetings between Israelis and Palestinians are being can-celled. I also do not see either side interviewing the other.You barely see an Arab on Israeli television,” he said.

Before Israel launched its current military incursion intothe Gaza Strip, Facebook was, as advertised, “social” media. Itwas used by Palestinians primarily as a means to inform

about engagements, weddings and baby arrivals. But in 2014,social media is arguably the weapon of choice with which todefend the respective narratives of both Israel is andPalestinians. Since the outbreak of the latest hostilities inGaza, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are as important to theflow of information and opinion as are newspapers, radio andtelevision.

“In the old days, media used to feed the public with news.In today ’s world of advanced technology, the people,through social networks, feed the media with news,” said EliasZananiri, vice chairman of The Palestinian Committee forInteraction with the Israeli Society. The organization wasfounded in 2012 to convey the Palestinian message toIsraelis, in ways that includes bringing Israelis on visits toRamallah to meet with the Palestinian leadership.

“Obviously after the war on Gaza, things have changed alittle bit because every side is busy with its own problems,” hetold The Media Line. Despite this, he says the message of thecommittee has not changed as they “try to emphasize to ourIsraeli interlocutors that at the end of the day, there has to bea political solution to the current war and nothing elsebecause no military force can solve the Arab Israeli conflict,”he said.

Karmel Khaled is also trying to get what she sees as thePalestinian message out, and uses social media to do so. Shesays she was “inspired by the pain” to create a YouTube videoabout Gaza to not only “spread the message of what’s reallygoing on, but to get someone to do something about it.” InKhaled’s online video, “Believe it or Not: Gaza”, Palestinianshold up signs which read, “Gaza Under Attack”; “ChildrenHave a Right to Live”; “Injustice”; “Protect Gaza” and “WestBank and Gaza are One” before displaying still photos of men,women and children in Gaza.

“What is important now is to tell others in the West thatthere is a Palestine since most of them are not familiar withPalestine and think it is Pakistan,” said Khaled, a fourth-yearmedia student at Al-Quds Bard Honors College for LiberalArts and Sciences. She told The Media Line that she wantsIsraelis and Jews who see her video “to believe in our rightsto live and have freedom.” Anger characterizes many debatesbetween Israeli and Palestinian partisans that fill Facebook

pages. A Palestinian recently posted on a photograph ofIsraeli soldiers crying at a funeral for one of their fallen,adding a caption reading, “Good to see the love being sharedfor a change. May your tears and pain never stop.”

While the social network was created to allow friends toconnect with one another, the recent violence in Gaza hasput many friendships on the fringe. Ibtesam Humiedan is notusually an active Facebook member, “but with what is hap-pening today in Gaza, I find myself always checking myFacebook for updates, news, and sharing and creating posts,”the Bethlehem resident told The Media Line, saying “it hasbecome a duty to speak up and tell the truth.” One of herFacebook friends is an Israeli, who also happens to be a for-mer colleague. She explains that “under better circumstances,we would never comment on each other’s posts.

Now, we do when it has to do with Gaza.” And it’s notpleasant. “Conversations become very heated very fast. Whatstarted out as comments quickly become attacks.” Describingthe phenomenon as “unbearable” and “senseless,” Humiedansaid that all of her friends have urged her to remove herIsraeli colleague from her Facebook page, or to at least stopresponding to his comments. “But I keep him on my listbecause I want to know how average Israelis like him thinkand how they can justify their government’s action.”

@tweet_palestine is a pro-Palestinian on-line activist whosays she “can relate.” Out of fear, she gave The Media Line onlyher Twitter name, explaining that she’s “been attacked by thePalestinian Authority; the Israeli army spokesman; and right-wing politicians,” and sees herself in danger. She’s been toldthings like, “We hope you’ll get bombed along with thePalestinians”; and “You should be one of the people killed inGaza.” She says it’s crucial that Palestinians use all of thetechnology available to them in order to show the truth.Using the Hebrew word for public awareness, @tweet_pales-tine says, “This means posting images to ‘fight the Israelipropaganda machine and Israel i ‘hasbara.” ‘ ProfessorMohammad S Dajani Daoudi says that, “sending creative buttruthful messages through the social media enhance theeffectiveness of the Palestinian cause; while cursing the otherand sending death threats only backfires and alienates thosesearching for the truth.” —The Media Line

Israel-Hamas war’s toxic tweets

PARIS: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators climb on the Republic monument, onthe Republique square in Paris, during a banned demonstration againstIsrael’s military operation in Gaza and in support of the Palestinian peopleyesterday. —AFP

N E W SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

Continued from Page 1

On the ground, Palestinian ambulances sped intoGaza neighborhoods that have been too dangerous toenter for days. Palestinians ventured onto Gaza’s streetsafter the truce began, some eager to check homes theyhad fled, others to stock up on supplies while it was safeto do so. In many places they found astonishing devas-tation: buildings leveled, entire blocks of homes com-pletely wiped out by Israeli bombardment. In northernBeit Hanun, even the hospital was badly damaged byshelling, and AFP correspondents came across thecharred body of a paramedic as emergency workerssearched for more dead. There were similar scenes inShejaiya, where stiff bodies lay on the floor of a room inone building, one caked in dried blood, all of them cov-ered in dust.

‘Humanitarian window’ East of southern Khan Yunis, residents hesitated to

enter the Khuzaa neighborhood, saying Israeli forcesremained inside the border area. And in nearby BaniSuheila, where 20 people were killed in a single Israeliair strike shortly before the truce began, women andchildren wept as they discovered their homesdestroyed. Hamas and Israel agreed to the “humanitari-an window” early yesterday, after Israel’s security cabi-net on Friday night rejected a US proposal for a seven-day truce during which the two sides would negotiate alonger-term deal.

Speaking after the rejection, at a news conference inCairo with UN chief Ban Ki-moon, Kerry said Israel andHamas “still have some terminology” to agree to on a

ceasefire, but added they had “fundamental framework”on a truce. The two sides remain at odds over the shapeof a final deal to end the fighting, however. Hamas saysany truce must include a guaranteed end to Israel’seight-year blockade of Gaza, while in Israel there arecalls for any deal to include the demilitarization of theGaza Strip.

West Bank tensionsThe situation in Gaza has created tensions in the

West Bank, where protests against Israel’s role in theconflict erupted after Friday prayers. Troops shot deadtwo Palestinian teenagers yesterday in separate clashesin the north and south of the West Bank. That followedthe deaths of six Palestinians on Friday-five shot deadby Israeli troops and one killed by an Israeli settler.International concern has mounted over the number ofcivilians killed in Gaza, including in a Thursday attack inwhich at least 15 people were killed in alleged Israelishelling of a UN school.

The facility was sheltering some of the 100,000Palestinians who have fled their homes during thefighting. Rights groups say about 80 percent of thecasualties have been civilians, and the UN agency forchildren UNICEF said on Friday that 192 children hadbeen kil led during the conflict. The Israeli armyannounced the deaths of three soldiers in Gaza killedyesterday morning before the truce began. Rocket firefrom Gaza continued yesterday before the truce, withthree shot down by anti-missile defenses and one hit-ting open ground, the army said. It said militants fired60 rockets into southern Israel on Friday, with another15 intercepted. — AFP

Grim discoveries; Gaza death toll tops 1,000

Continued from Page 1

After a month of abstaining from food, drink, smokingand conjugal relations from dawn to sunset, Muslims cele-brate with congregational prayer, charity and joyful socialexchanges. Eid begins on the first day of Shawwal, the10th month of the Islamic calendar. Following the dawnprayer, the Muslim prepares for the Eid prayer which takesplace shortly after sunrise. He showers, wears his bestclothes and has a bite to eat to begin celebrating. All thewhile, he may hear around him the people repeating the“takbeer”, (praises of God), on their way to the Eid prayer.Then he goes to a large open area of congregationalprayers followed by a short sermon. He is joined by men,women and children from his neighborhood. There is agreat joy in Eid Al-Fitr.

RemembranceThe celebration of Eid begins with remembering God

first and foremost. The congregational Eid prayer is a timeto glorify Him, remember His blessings and generosity,

and pray for forgiveness for any shortcomings in one’s fast.

AchievementEvery Muslim who completed the fast of Ramadan has

a tremendous sense of achievement. When he abstainsfrom satisfying the most basic needs and powerful urgesof life all day, each day for an entire month, both in publicand in private, he develops a level of patience and self-dis-cipline that cannot be achieved easily. After the fast, hefeels he can meet any challenge with resolve, patience andfaith.

Peace The discipline and spirituality of Ramadan leave in the

Muslim a profound feeling of peace and satisfaction. Thiscomes from the willful submission to God’s Law and fromthe blessing which emanate from that submission.Courtesy of the TIES Center, the social and educational hubfor English Speaking Muslims in Kuwait. For more informa-tion, please call 25231015 or e-mail info@tiescenter.net orvisit www.tiescenter.net.

Eid in Kuwait

GAZA: Photo shows the rubble of destroyed buildings and homes in the Shejaiya residential district of Gaza City, as families returned to find their homes ground into rubble by relentless Israeli tankfire and air strikes. The death toll in Gaza soared to more than 1,000 as bodies were pulled from the rubble during a 12-hour truce which top diplomats urged Israel and Hamas to extend. — AFP

GAZA: Using tunnels, mines, boobytraps and snipers, Hamas fighters haveinflicted record casualties on Israelitroops waging an offensive in the GazaStrip, applying years of training in urbanwarfare with a new tactical acumen andsuicidal resolve. The Israelis sayweapons and know-how supplied byIran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollahmake Hamas a more formidable foe.Four days after Israel launched a wither-ing ground assault on the PalestinianIslamist militants in their stronghold ofShejaia following intensive air strikes,the army still does not have completecontrol of the area.

Smoke from shelled homes and thebuzz of Israeli drones clog the sky abovethe wrecked district on Gaza’s easternborder. The thud of a buried explosiveaimed at a troop carrier is met with anhour-long rain of Israeli artillery fire thatshakes the width of the coastal strip,sending the deafening sound bouncingoff buildings as far as the shore.Exploiting a vast network of secret tun-nels to snipe at enemy troops and blasttheir vehicles even inside Israel, Hamashas killed 32 Israeli soldiers-almost threetimes as many as in the last majorground clashes in a 2008-9 conflict.

“The Al-Qassam brigades continueto give repeated surprises, and everyday the holy warriors arise from wherethe (Israeli) occupation could not fore-see,” the group said last week. “Theyfight... face to face with the enemy in

retaliation for the blood of the martyrsthat the occupier spills daily.” The actionhas lived up to the fierce rhetoric.Hamas has far outstripped fellow mili-tants in Islamic Jihad and other groupsin sending drones, scuba commandosand tunnel raiders to take the fight intoIsrael.

In one such infiltration, Hamas fight-ers emerged wearing full Israeli uniform,but were let down by one key detail -they were carrying Kalashnikov rifles,not standard issue M16s or Tavor assaultrifles. In the most deadly incident forIsrael yet, on the first day of its incursionto begin destroying the tunnels onSunday, Hamas says its fighters watchedas an enemy armored personnel carrierlurched into a web of booby traps theyhad laid. “Our holy warriors detonatedthe minefield with such force that (thecarrier) was destroyed. They advancedon it, opened its doors and finished offall left inside,” the group said.

Israel offered a different account, say-ing the vehicle was part of a convoy andwas hit my multiple anti-tank missiles.Israel said six soldiers were killed, whileanother thought to have been in thevehicle is missing, believed dead. Hamassaid it captured him but has notreleased his picture. The Israeli militaryacknowledges Hamas’ increased skill.“They have undergone extensive train-ing, they are well supplied, well motivat-ed and disciplined. We have met a moreformidable enemy on the battlefield,”

said Israeli military spokesmanLieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner. Israelsays it has so far killed more than 200Palestinian fighters. “We are not sur-prised about it because we knew thatthey were preparing for this battle. Theydidn’t just invest in the tunnels for thelast two or three years,” he added.

Underground GazaSpeaking off the record, another

army official said: “They have throwneverything at us. Missiles, ambushes,even (bomb-laden) donkeys and dogs.It’s proving a real challenge ... We haveto break their motivation, show them itis not worth it. “We hope that if we breakShejaia, then that will show them ourdetermination. That is a real commandcentre for them... What is remarkable isthat in the past eight years they havebasically built an underground Gaza. It’sastonishing,” he said.

Confined in the crowded sandy coastenclave of 1.8 million, where povertyand unemployment hover around 40percent, weary Gazans say they hopethe battle will break the blockade thatIsrael and Egypt impose on them. Theyhave very little to lose. Hamas leadershope to achieve that goal through theprowess of their men at the front,trained to inflict casualties and grab sol-diers to gain political leverage.

Morale was high and Hamas fighterswere preparing for a fight during a visitby Reuters in April to a training camp of

its military wing on a vast sandyexpanse in northern Gaza. Kitted up infull Israeli battle gear, young cadets satin classrooms taking notes on lessons incombat tactics. They showed offmanoeuvres where they simulated rain-ing down mortars on mock-up tanks, onwhich two groups of fighters thenpounced from nearby tunnels, with onecombatant hoisting over his shoulder alimp volunteer posing as an Israeli sol-dier.

Not a huge lossIn addition to increasing the range

and payload of more than 1,000 mostlyhomemade rockets it has hurled at Israelin two weeks, Hamas has stepped up itsweapons procurement. “Hamas leadershave tried to say through their state-ments that everything Israel’s been hitwith so far was completely and purelyGaza-made. (But) Hamas did not denybenefiting from foreign imports,” saidGaza analyst Adnan Abu Amer. TheIslamist movement is unlikely to bedeterred by the losses its has suffered atthe hands of a stronger enemy.

“There are conflicting reports aboutHamas’s losses in terms of fighters. SinceIsrael has claimed Hamas’s armed wingnumbers 20,000 men, the martyrdom of60 or 70 can not be described as a hugeloss,” Abu Amer said. Videos distributedby al-Qassam’s media arm appear toshow the strength of the group’s arsenal.“The demonstrated use of anti-tankguided missiles against small IDF unitson foot, rather than against armoredvehicles, shows a clear intent to simplyinflict casualties and a recognition of the(Israeli army’s) superior armor defense,”said Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at theBrookings Center in Doha told Reuters.

A senior Israeli intelligence officialbriefing foreign reporters onWednesday said “radical axis” countries -Iran, Syria or Hezbollah guerrillas inLebanon - had provided Hamas with anew generation of ground weapons. Hecited the Russian-made cornet and the

shoulder-fired RPG-29 which is “more ofa rocket than a missile. You can use it inan urban area when you have to fightagainst very close forces. This is some-thing you don’t make by yourself.”

Ceasefire?In 22-days of fighting during a 2008-

9 conflict, Hamas and other militantgroups largely melted away, allowingIsraeli tanks to approach the outskirts ofGaza City. The militants killed just six sol-diers then, and two more in an eight-day round of battle in 2012, which didnot escalate into an Israeli ground incur-sion. Israel’s Lerner cited outside aid fortheir new strength. “(They were trained)by Iran. Mostly Iran. It is the school ofIran. It is the thought process of Iran. It isIran with Hezbollah. It is the same typeof tactics that we have seen.” Israel’s lossof 12 soldiers on Sunday was the largestsingle-day toll since its forces pushedinto South Lebanon in an attempt to dis-lodge Hezbollah militants there in 2006.

The Israeli intelligence officer saidSyria, Iran and Hezbollah could havetaught Hamas new tactics over theInternet. Nobody from the Israeli sideexpected an easy push into Gaza, Israeli

military affairs analyst Ehud Yaari toldReuters, but its stated aim of destroyingthe tunnels remains difficult. “It’s verypainful, but I don’t think anybodyassumed that it could be a ‘no casualties’operation ... It seems they’ve been ableto systematically uncover more andmore tunnels, with the caveat that I’mnot sure the Israelis are prepared to sus-tain the damage to uncover many more,”he said.

Subterranean warfare may beHamas’s most potent innovation. Afterspending years and possibly hundredsof millions of dollars on building the net-work, Hamas may be keen to preservesome of its tunnels by stopping thefighting soon. “They’re popping upmore and more from underground totry and hit something in hopes that aceasefire will be established as soon aspossible,” Yaari said. Abu Amer, the Gazaanalyst, believes both sides are smartingand the military gains may encourageHamas toward a ceasefire. “Hamas real-izes that the time factor is painful forboth sides. Hamas has made achieve-ments and my guess that neither Hamasnor Israel are willing today to prolongthe confrontation,” he said. — Reuters

Hamas tactics cause high toll in Israel Israel says tactics, kit from Iran and Hezbollah

GAZA: Palestinians try to dig a body out of the rubble of a destroyedhouse hit by an Israeli strike during a 12-hour cease-fire in Gaza City’sShijaiyah neighborhood yesterday. — AP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

SA appoint Mashaba to coach Bafana Bafana

CAPE TOWN: Ephraim Mashaba was re-appointed as coach of South Africa’s nationalteam yesterday, the fourth time he has taken the helm of Bafana Bafana. Mashaba,more commonly known as ‘Shakes’, has had two previous caretaker spells with the sen-ior team and was the permanent coach between Aug. 2002 and Nov. 2003.

His most recent role was in charge of the national Under-20 side and iscurrently on a west African tour with the team. The cash-strapped

South African Football Association (SAFA) opted for a local coachhaving also received interest in the post from Carlos Queiroz, who

led Iran at the World Cup in Brazil, and Stephen Keshi of Nigeria.The Dutch duo of Frank Rijkaard and Dick Advocaat were

also in the running. The 63-year-old Mashaba had a tempestu-ous relationship with his SAFA bosses during his first spell in

charge of the side and was sacked after refusing to recall over-seas based players Quinton Fortune and Hans Vonk whenthey asked to be excused from a training camp ahead ofthe 2004 Africa Cup of Nations.

He was also axed from the bench in the middle of thatspell for a high-profile friendly against England in 2003

when he also refused to call on the country’s top playersin Europe.—Reuters

WWE champ nabs burglarPHOENIX: A hapless burglar in Arizona learned a hard lesson when he broke into thePhoenix home of former World Wrestling Entertainment heavyweight champion DanielBryan, police said on Friday. Bryan, 33, was returning home with his wife late onThursday when he saw two suspects running out of a rear door, authorities said. The ex-professional grappler gave chase and was able to catch 22-year-old Cesar Sosa.

Sergeant Tommy Thompson, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department, said astruggle ensued and that Bryan, whose real name is Bryan Danielson, was able to detainthe suspect until police officers could take him into custody. The secondsuspect managed to get away, Thompson said.

The former champ said he was angry when he realized that some-one had broken into the home they had moved into only 10 days ear-lier, and that he was worried for their two-year-old French bulldog,Josie. He said he chased Sosa about 400 feet before grabbing him andshouting some “bad words.” And he said he used a rear naked chokehold to subdue him, rather than his trademark “Yes!” lock. “He was very,very tired and it literally took zero effort to take him down,” Bryan told anews conference at police headquarters, seated next to his wifewith the dog in her lap.

“He put up very little resistance.” He said he felt “borderlineashamed” for taking matters into his own hands,and was glad that nothing bad happened. Sosa was bookedinto jail on suspicion of one count of burglary. —Reuters

Tavecchio in racism rowROME: Carlo Tavecchio, the favorite to become the next Italian FootballFederation (FIGC) president, has been caught up in a racism storm afterreferring to African players as “banana eaters”.

The influx of foreign players has been a hot topic since the nationalteam crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage and 71-year-oldTavecchio suggested Italy should replicate England’s stringent require-ments for non-EU players. “In England, they identify the players coming inand, if they are professional, they are allowed to play,” Tavecchio said at thesummer assembly of Italy’s amateur leagues (LND). “Here instead we get‘Opti Pob‡’, who previously ate bananas and then suddenly becomes a firstteam player with Lazio.

“That’s how it is here. In England, you need to demonstrate what youhave on your CV and your pedigree.” Questioned by reporters about thecomments afterwards, Tavecchio claimed that he could not rememberwhat he had said in his own speech. “I can’t remember if I said the word‘banana’ but I was referring to the CV and professionalism required byEnglish football for players who come from Africa or other countries.” heexplained. “If anyone has interpreted my speech as offensive, I offer myapologies.” Tavecchio, the head of the LND, is expected to beat former ACMilan and Italy midfielder Demetrio Albertini to the top job in the Aug. 11vote. The pair are both currently vice-presidents of the FIGC.—Reuters

Chicago Cubs 7, St. Louis 6; Ny Yankees 6, Toronto 4;Philadelphia 9, Arizona 5; Washington 4, Cincinnati 1;Tampa Bay 6, Boston 4; San Diego 5, Atlanta 2; Texas 4,Oakland 1; Kansas City 6, Cleveland 4; NY Mets 3,Milwaukee 2; Chicago White Sox 9, Minnesota 5; Miami 2,Houston 0; Colorado 8, Pittsburgh 1; LA Angels 2, Detroit 1;Baltimore 2, Seattle 1 (10 Innings); LA Dodgers 8, SanFrancisco 1.

American LeagueEastern Division

W L PCT GB Baltimore 57 45 .559 - NY Yankees 54 48 .529 3 Toronto 54 50 .519 4 Tampa Bay 50 53 .485 7.5 Boston 47 56 .456 10.5

Central DivisionDetroit 57 43 .570 - Kansas City 52 50 .510 6 Cleveland 51 52 .495 7.5 Chicago White Sox 50 54 .481 9 Minnesota 46 56 .451 12

Western DivisionOakland 63 39 .618 - LA Angels 61 41 .598 2 Seattle 53 50 .515 10.5 Houston 42 61 .408 21.5 Texas 41 62 .398 22.5

National LeagueEastern Division

Washington 56 44 .560 - Atlanta 55 48 .534 2.5 Miami 49 53 .480 8 NY Mets 49 54 .476 8.5 Philadelphia 45 58 .437 12.5

Central DivisionMilwaukee 58 46 .558 - Pittsburgh 54 48 .529 3 St. Louis 54 48 .529 3 Cincinnati 51 51 .500 6 Chicago Cubs 42 59 .416 14.5

Western DivisionSan Francisco 57 46 .553 - LA Dodgers 57 47 .548 0.5 San Diego 46 56 .451 10.5 Arizona 44 59 .427 13 Colorado 42 60 .412 14.5

MLB results/standings

ST PETERSBURG: Brandon Guyer No. 5 of the Tampa Bay Rays slides safely past David Ross No. 3 of the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. — AFP

ST. PETERSBURG: David Price won his sixth start in a rowand Evan Longoria hit a three-run double as the Tampa BayRays earned their eighth straight victory, beating the BostonRed Sox 6-4 in Major League Baseball on Friday.

The Red Sox lost their fourth consecutive game. Price (11-7) struck out 10 over eight innings. He matched the teamrecord shared by Matt Moore and Scott Kazmir for victoriesin consecutive starts. Ben Zobrist got his fourth hit, an RBIdouble that made it 3-all in the Rays’ seventh. Later in theinning, Longoria delivered his go-ahead hit off JunichiTazawa (1-2). Jake McGee gave up a run in the ninth and gothis 10th save.

ORIOLES 2, MARINERS 1Chris Davis hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning and

Nelson Cruz also went deep as Baltimore overcame a record-tying start by Seattle ace Felix Hernandez. Hernandez struckout 10 in seven innings and left with the score tied 1 all. Itwas his 13th consecutive start with at least seven inningsand no more than two runs allowed, matching Tom Seaver’sMLB mark set for the New York Mets in 1971. Chief Benderheld the previous American League record of 12 in a rowestablished in 1907.

Left-fielder Steve Pearce threw out a runner at the platefor Baltimore, which remained three games in front of thesecond-place Yankees in the AL East. Darren O’Day (3-1)worked the ninth and Zach Britton earned his 19th save.

DODGERS 8, GIANTS 1Yasiel Puig tied a club record with three triples and added

a double and two RBIs as Los Angeles moved within a half-game of NL West-leading San Francisco.

The Dodgers matched a team record with five triples,including three during a five-run fifth inning that chased TimLincecum (9-7). It was the most triples in a game for the clubsince 1921 and Puig had the most by a Dodgers player sinceBrooklyn’s Jimmy Sheckard had three in 1901. Zack Greinke(12-6) tossed seven innings of shutout ball, striking out 10.

ANGELS 2, TIGERS 1Efren Navarro and Kole Calhoun drove in runs in the sixth

inning as Los Angeles overcame Drew Smyly’s early domi-nance for a victory over Detroit.

Tyler Skaggs yielded five hits in 5 2-3 resourceful inningsfor the Angels, who have won 14 of 19. Los Angelesimproved the second-best record in MLB to 61-41 andpulled within two games of AL West-leading Oakland.

Miguel Cabrera homered and Smyly (6-9) had a career-high 11 strikeouts while pitching into the sixth for the Tigers,who have lost seven of eight in Anaheim.

Navarro had two hits after replacing Josh Hamilton (leftknee) in the fourth as the Angels earned their MLB-leading36th home victory by beating the league’s best road team.

NATIONALS 4, REDS 1Tanner Roark allowed only three singles over seven

innings and Denard Span got four hits as Washington keptCincinnati winless since the MLB All-Star break.

The Reds have dropped seven straight games for theirlongest losing streak in five years. The Nationals have wonseven of nine. Roark (10-6) became Washington’s first 10-game winner and improved to 3-0 in his last three starts.Rafael Soriano got his 24th save.

Alfredo Simon (12-5) has lost both starts since his first All-Star selection. He gave up three runs on nine hits and twowalks in only 4 1-3 innings.

YANKEES 6, BLUE JAYS 4Ichiro Suzuki homered for the first time since last August

as New York beat Toronto for the 17th straight time atYankee Stadium. Jose Bautista hit two homers, doubled anddrove in four runs for Toronto. Suzuki hit a go-ahead, three-run shot in the third inning off Mark Buehrle (10-7), whodropped to 1-12 against the Yankees, including 10 straightlosses over the past decade. New York won for the seventhtime in eight games since the All-Star break. Hiroki Kuroda(7-6) got the victory and David Robertson pitched the ninthfor his 26th save in 28 chances.

WHITE SOX 9, TWINS 5Jose Abreu hit his MLB-leading 30th homer and drove in

three runs, leading the Chicago White Sox past Minnesota.Abreu had two hits and scored twice. The Cuban rookie nowhas 77 RBIs on the season. Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowersalso homered for the White Sox, while Dayan Viciedo tied acareer high with four of Chicago’s 17 hits. John Danks (9-6)gave up four runs over seven innings.

RANGERS 4, ATHLETICS 1Jerome Williams pitched six solid innings while becoming

the team-record 31st pitcher used this season by Texas.Neftali Feliz worked a scoreless ninth while giving up a hitand a walk for his first regular-season save since 2011.

Williams (2-4) allowed one run while striking out fourwithout a walk. The 32-year-old right-hander was releasedby Houston earlier this month. Texas led for good on J.P.Arencibia’s RBI single after Jim Adduci doubled in the sec-ond off Jason Hammel (0-3).

ROYALS 6, INDIANS 4Pinch-hitter Billy Butler’s two-run homer with two outs in

the eighth inning sent Kansas City past Cleveland for itsfourth straight win. Carlos Santana homered twice for theIndians, who have lost five of six. Butler connected against

John Axford, sending a drive over the Royals’ bullpen in leftfield. He was hitting just .200 in his previous 20 games withtwo RBIs. Kelvin Herrera (2-2) pitched a scoreless eighth andAaron Crow worked around a leadoff double in the ninth toearn his second save in four chances.

MARLINS 2, ASTROS 0Brad Hand pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning

and Jeff Mathis hit a two-run double for Miami. Hand (2-2)struck out four and walked two in a career-high 7 1/3innings to earn his second straight win. Donovan Solano andGiancarlo Stanton each had two hits for the Marlins, whowon their fifth in sixth games. Bryan Morris got two outs inthe eighth, and Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth for his25th save.

CUBS 7, CARDINALS 6Luis Valbuena hit a decisive two-run homer in the sev-

enth inning as the Chicago Cubs rallied to hand St. Louis itsfourth straight loss.

The Cardinals tied it at 5-all on solo homers by MattCarpenter and Matt Holliday in the fifth. Kevin Siegrist (1-2)hit Anthony Rizzo with a full-count pitch to lead off the sev-enth. One batter later, Valbuena sent hit a first-pitch homerinto the bleachers in center field. Justin Grimm (3-2) pitcheda scoreless inning for the win.

PADRES 3, BRAVES 2Rookie Jesse Hahn allowed only three hits in six innings

to remain unbeaten on the road for San Diego.Hahn (6-2) allowed one run as he improved to 4-0 in four

road starts. The Padres had 12 singles on 13 hits to beat AlexWood (7-8). Tommy Medica drove in a run and had a career-high four hits. Joaquin Benoit earned his second save.

METS 3, BREWERS 2Lucas Duda hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning as

the New York Mets rallied to end Milwaukee’s four-gamewinning streak.

The Mets trailed 2-0 entering the ninth inning, but DanielMurphy led off with a double off closer Francisco Rodriguez(4-4), who blew his fourth save of the season. David Wrightfollowed with an RBI single. Duda hit the first pitch he sawfrom Rodriguez into the Mets’ bullpen in right field. It was hiscareer-high 17th home run of the season and his third in thelast four games. Carlos Torres (5-4) pitched the eighth inningto get the win.

PHILLIES 9, DIAMONDBACKS 5Domonic Brown homered, doubled and drove in three

runs to lead Philadelphia. Grady Sizemore had three hits,including the 1,000th of his career, with a double and an RBIfor the Phillies. Kyle Kendrick (5-10) posted his first win ineight career starts against the Diamondbacks. Alfredo Martehit his first career homer, a grand slam, and Aaron Hill hadthree hits for Arizona.

ROCKIES 8, PIRATES 1Brett Anderson pitched effectively into the seventh

inning for his first win in more than a year as Colorado beatPittsburgh. Carlos Gonzalez homered and Josh Rutledge hadtwo hits and drove in four runs for Colorado, which has wonconsecutive games for just the second time in the last sixweeks. Anderson (1-3) had not won since beating Houstonon April 7, 2013, in his last start for Oakland. He spent fourmonths on the disabled list and moved to the A’s bullpenwhen he returned. — AP

Lynx seeoff Stars

MINNEAPOLIS: Seimone Augustus scored 17points in her return from a knee injury as theMinnesota Lynx beat the San Antonio Stars 88-78 in the WNBA on Friday for their sixth straightvictory.

After missing eight games and the All-StarGame because of bursitis in her left knee,Augustus fueled a 12-0 run in the fourth quarterthat put the game out of reach.

Lindsey Whalen added 14 points to helpMinnesota beat San Antonio for the 10th straighttime at home. Maya Moore had 12 points threenights after scoring a career-high 48 againstAtlanta.

Danielle Robinson led the Stars with 15points. Minnesota led by 10 points in the thirdquarter before San Antonio used a 13-6 run tocut the Lynx’s lead to 52-51 with 5:15 to play inthe period.

SKY 79, DREAM 75Epiphanny Prince scored 21 points as Chicago

held off Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta.Jessica Breland added 15 points, Allie Quigleyhad 13, and Sylvia Fowles finished with 12 pointsand 12 rebounds for the Sky.

Sancho Lyttle and Tiffany Hayes each had 15points for the Dream, who have lost threestraight for the first time this season.

MYSTICS 82, SHOCK 77Ivory Latta scored 17 points as Washington

beat Tulsa despite making only one field goal inthe fourth quarter. Monique Currie scored 16points — all on free throws — for Washington.The Mystics have won three in a row and five ofsix. Skylar Diggins led Tulsa with 19 points. — AP

Rays down Red Sox

SEATTLE: Robinson Cano No. 22 of the Seattle Marinerstriples in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Oriolesat Safeco Field. — AFP

S P ORTSSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

Photo of the day

Soul Flyers Fred Fugen and Vincent Reffet perform during training in Austria for The Ultimate Skydiving Combo,skydiving from 33,000 feet (10 km) above the Mont Blanc, in Austria — www.redbull.com

Waratahs win Sydney showdown to reach final

WELLINGTON: The Canterbury Crusaders methodicallyground down the Sharks to score four second half triesand canter to a 38-6 victory in Christchurch yesterdaythat propelled them to their first Super Rugby final inthree years.

Crusaders captain Kieran Read, wingers NemaniNadolo and Johnny McNicholl, scrumhalf Willi Heinzand flanker Matt Todd all scored tries for the home side,who dominated throughout and held the visitors score-less in the second half.

All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter kicked two conversionsand three penalties for the Crusaders, while Sharks fly-half Patrick Lambie slotted two first half penalties.

The Crusaders advanced to their 11th final with thevictory and will meet New South Wales Waratahs. Thevictory also released some of the pressure on coachTodd Blackadder, whose side had not reached the finalsince 2011 and have not won the title since he succeed-ed Robbie Deans in 2008.

“Extremely satisfied, knowing we are going to the bigstage next week is an awesome feeling,” Read said in atelevised interview. “We are really pleased with that per-formance.

“We started well, played at a high tempo early onand put them under pressure.” The Sharks’ kicking-based territory game was executed badly with the balleither finding Crusaders’ players in plenty of space torun it back, going out on the full or in one case byLambie, rolling dead in goal.

Israel Dagg, Carter and Colin Slade capitalised by pin-ning the Sharks inside their own half or by playing atpace and stretching the visitors across the field, withRead prominent in his characteristic bursts down thewide channels. Carter duly converted their opportuni-ties with three first half penalties, while Read scored a17th-minute try.

The Sharks worked back into the game by capi-talising on a charged down kick and dropped passto set up field position that allowed Lambie to slothis two penalties.

Lambie missed a late penalty right on the half-time hooter, to allow the home side to go into thebreak with a 16-6 lead.

Nadolo got more involved in the second half asthe Crusaders continued their high-paced game,though it took some initiative by scrumhalf AndyEllis to set up the Fijian international’s 49th minutetry. Already awarded a penalty advantage, Ell isappeared to be waiting for the whistle then seizedon the Sharks’ hesitation, scampered through a gapto feed Carter, who then passed to Nadolo to goover and give the home side a 21-6 lead.

Carter and Lambie then both missed penaltiesbefore the game turned definitively in the homeside’s favour when the ball squirted out of a Sharks’defensive scrum that Heinz snaffled up and sprint-ed 15 metres to score with 15 minutes remaining.

McNicholl’s 70th-minute try ultimately summedup the pattern of the match as the Crusadersseized on a poor kick from the Sharks and withbacks and forwards spreading the ball wide andbacking each other up, were able to sweep downfield.

Todd then rubbed salt into the wound when theCrusaders pack executed a per fect rolling maulfrom an attacking lineout with about two minutesremaining to blow the score out.

“Everything we worked on the last two weeks...we just couldn’t do... we are extremely disappoint-ed with our performance,” Sharks captain Bismarckdu Plessis said. “We didn’t play in the right areasand couldn’t do what we worked on.” — Reuters

SYDNEY: Waratahs’ Kurtley Beale (center with ball) breaks away on his way to scoring a try during their Super Rugby semifinal match againstthe Brumbies. — AP

SYDNEY: Flyhalf Bernard Foley scored a brilliantlate try and kicked 11 points to fire the NewSouth Wales Waratahs to a 26-8 victory over theACT Brumbies and into their third Super Rugbyfinal yesterday. Foley finished off a breakawaymove that started deep inside the Waratahs ownhalf four minutes from time to seal the win and ahome final next weekend against theCanterbury Crusaders, who beat South Africa’sSharks 38-6 in the earlier semi-final.

The Waratahs, who lost both their previousfinals to the Crusaders in 2005 and 2008, hadbeen set on the path to victory by opportunis-tic tries from winger Alofa Alofa and centreKurtley Beale at the start of each half.

The Brumbies, beaten finalists last year,played a full part in a hugely physical contestbut were only able to cross once throughwinger Henry Speight in the 31st minute andfailed to score after the break despite dominat-ing possession.

“Fantastic,” said Waratahs captain MichaelFoley. “We spoke before the match about tak-ing our chances but we had to make themtonight.

“They are a tough team but we’re in the final

and I’m psyched. It’s new territory for us butvery exciting territory.” The Brumbies were stillpounding away at the home defence in the75th minute when the Waratahs snapped up awild inside pass from winger Joe Tomane about15 metres from their line. Hulking second rowWill Skelton came into the move in midfieldand bulldozed 20 metres through the defencewith tacklers hanging off him before offloadingto Foley, who took the ball at pace to touchdown and delight most of the 38,800 crowd.

It was a sparkling finish to an all-Australiansemi-final that had promised attacking flair butdelivered crushing tackles and doggeddefence.

With less than three minutes on the board,winger Alofa seized on a loose Brumbies passand raced 60 metres to touch down despitefullback Jesse Mogg’s despairing tackle.

Foley extended the lead with the first of hispenalties after 21 minutes but the malfunction-ing New South Wales l ineout ensured theBrumbies would have plenty of possession andSpeight had them right back in the contestafter half an hour.

The Brumbies kicked for the corner from

penalties three times in four minutes and thepressure ultimately told with the big wingerable to score in the corner on the overlap.

Brumbies centre Christian Lealiifano andFoley traded penalties in the minute beforehalftime and the teams turned around with theWaratahs 11-8 ahead.

Lealiifano should have levelled up the scorestwo minutes after the break but screwed hispenalty kick wide from in front of the posts.

The big hits continued from the big men onboth sides but it was the wrestling skills of oneof the slightest players on the park that pro-duced the next score after 46 minutes.

Mogg safely gathered an Adam Ashley-Cooper grubber kick inside his own half butBeale stripped the ball off him and raced awayto score in the corner.

Brumbies winger Robbie Coleman shouldhave replied immediately but spilled the ballwith the line at his mercy and that proved to bethe last clear-cut chance the Waratahs allowed.

“We had more than enough opportunitiesdown in their half but you have to give credit tothe New South Wales boys, they held on,” saidBrumbies skipper Ben Mowen. — Reuters

DeLaet intends to end Canadian title drought

Crusaders rout Sharks

MONTREAL: Canada’s Graham DeLaethas his sights set on ending one of golf’soldest title droughts, and was in “a greatposition” just two shots behind leadersJim Furyk and Tim Petrovic after theCanadian Open second round inMontreal.

No Canadian has won the country’snational open since Pat Fletcher in 1954,and DeLaet will start the weekend withinstriking distance after reeling off ninebirdies in a seven-under-par 63 on RoyalMontreal’s Blue Course on Friday.

Not since Mike Weir led at the halfwaymark 10 years ago has a Canadian beenso well-placed after two rounds. Left-han-der Weir went on to lose to Vijay Singh ina playoff.

The 32-year-old DeLaet is not planninghis victory speech just yet but is confi-dent that his broad shoulders can handlethe weighty expectations of a partisanhome gallery.

“I know there are a lot of hopes andexpectations but I’m in a great positionafter two rounds and happy and excitedabout the weekend,” he told PGATour.comafter posting an eight-under 132 total.

“I would love to win this golf tourna-ment. It would mean more to me thananything but I’m only halfway there.”Veterans Furyk (63) and Petrovic (66) ledon 10-under 130, while DeLaet sharedthird place with American Kyle Stanley(67).

David Hearn (70) was the next bestCanadian, seven strokes off the lead,which suggests DeLaet is the only playerwith a realistic chance of ending hiscountry’s 60-year title drought at theevent.

DeLaet has never won on the PGATour, but two runner-up finishes early thisyear suggest he is on the verge of a long-expected breakthrough.

The native of Weyburn inSaskatchewan has established himself ashis country’s premier player with a worldranking of 38th. Hearn, ranked 93rd, isthe only other Canadian ranked amongthe top 200.

“It was a great start,” said DeLaet,who brushed the sleep from his eyesafter his 7.50am ET (1150 GMT) tee timeto pick up five birdies in his first eightholes.

“I putted really well all day, even(sinking) a couple of big bogey putts toavoid the double, and to birdie the lasttwo (holes) was just icing on the cake.”

DeLaet was part of an impressivethreesome with Furyk and world num-ber seven Matt Kuchar (65) which madea combined total of 22 birdies.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever played in agroup (shooting) 63, 63, 65,” said Furyk.“It’s nice to see the other guys makingbirdies - as long as you are.

“Sometimes when your two partnersare making a bunch of birdies and you’renot seeing putts go in it makes you morefrustrated.”

Furyk made his move early with fourconsecutive birdies from his second hole(the par-four 11th), where he jump-start-ed his day by sinking a 45-foot putt thatbroke “about three separate ways”before crashing into the centre of thecup.

“I missed a couple of putts but youcan’t make them all and I made a bunchmore putts today,” said the 44-year-old.“That was the difference between 67yesterday and 63 today.”

Furyk, who finished fourth at lastweek’s British Open, has piled up 16PGA Tour v ic tor ies , inc luding theCanadian Open in 2006 and 2007,though neither of those wins came atRoyal Montreal. — Reuters

MONTREAL: Graham DeLaet of Canada tees off on the 18th hole during the RBC CanadianOpen at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. — AFP

ATLANTA: Top seed John Isner has forgedahead into the semi-finals at the AtlantaOpen after disposing of Australian eighthseed Marinko Matosevic in straight sets onFriday.

The towering defending champion wasbroken in the first game of the match butresponded well to claim the contest 7-6 6-4,blasting 17 aces with his first serve on fire.

Matosevic blew a chance to claim thefirst set but Isner ultimately sealed thetiebreak 8-6. World number 12 Isner brokeMatosevic in the seventh game of the sec-ond set and closed the match with a thun-derbolt ace. “I knew he was struggling outthere a little bit and he knew I was strug-gling out there a little bit,” Isner toldreporters.

“A lot of times those situations are a big

advantage for me because I can muster upenough energy to pop some big serves in.

“The beginning of the second set it feltlike someone put us in the oven. It wasrough. There’s only one option for me there,play big and play aggressive. A lot of timesit works out.”

The 21-year-old Jack Sock booked asemi-final with Isner with a 7-6 6-2 winover Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko, assuring thehome nation of someone to cheer in thefinal.

The other semi-final will be fought outbetween German Benjamin Becker andIsrael’s Dudi Sela. Becker took out ThiemoDe Bakker of the Netherlands in straightsets, winning 6-4 6-2 in just over an hour.Sela upset fourth seeded Canadian VasekPospisil 7-5 1-6 6-2. — Reuters

Isner defeats Aussie to reach semis

ATLANTA: John Isner returns a forehand to MarinkoMatosevic of Australia during the BB&T AtlantaOpen. —AFP

S P O RT SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

Preview

SOUTHAMPTON: England won’t just be looking toend a sequence of 10 Tests without a win whenthey face India in the third Test at Southamptontoday, they will be aiming to restore their pride.

Monday’s 95-run defeat in the second Test atLord’s, a result that put the tourists 1-0 up in thefive-match series, came after England had won thetoss on a pitch that might have been made to cap-tain Alastair Cook’s specific instructions andagainst an India side who had not won away fromhome in 16 previous Tests. Whether it wasBhuvneshwar Kumar bowling like a classic seameror opener Murali Vijay’s invaluable second-innings95, India excelled in disciplines that were oncecommon to every county, let alone England, team.

And then compounding the ‘role reversal’ wasthe way the match ended, when several Englandbatsmen succumbed to a bouncer-trap baited byIshant Sharma who promptly took seven for 74 asIndia won only their sixth Test in England.

It was somehow typical of England’s present

plight the only player who was actually droppedfrom the squad for the third Test was left-arm spin-ner Simon Kerrigan, who didn’t play at Lord’s.

By then, experienced wicketkeeper Matt Priorhad withdrawn, citing quad, Achilles and righthand injuries, to be replaced by 23-year-old JosButtler, uncapped at Test level but alreadyEngland’s limited overs gloveman.

Given England’s extensive backroom staff, howwas it that Prior, who dropped six catches of vary-ing difficulty this season, had been selected to bebehind the stumps for four straight Tests-with onlyone Championship match as a keeper behind himthis season-when he was so clearly unfit? His inclu-sion revived accusations the England set-up was a‘cosy club’ where even basic fitness issues could beoverlooked.

Significantly, the only player who was told therewas no way back at international level afterEngland’s 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia wasKevin Pietersen, England’s all-time leading interna-

tional run-scorer. But if bringing back Pietersenwon’t be a cure-all for England’s ills, what the pre-ceding 1-0 series defeat at home to Sri Lanka andthe ongoing campaign with India have bothdemonstrated is that he is not the sole source oftheir woes.

Cook and Ian Bell, the two senior batsmen in anotherwise inexperienced top-order are both in themiddle of a run-drought.

Left-handed opener Cook has gone 27 inningswithout adding to his England record of 25 Testhundreds, while it is 19 innings since Bell lastreached three figures at this level. Cook, for all thatseveral ex-England skippers have told him toresign the captaincy, is determined to carry on. “Ihaven’t had any tougher times in my career than atthe moment,” said Cook. “It gets harder and harderthe longer it goes on. “But I don’t think walkingaway from it would be the way to go,” he said.

Meanwhile new-ball duo James Anderson andStuart Broad have both looked physically and men-

tally tired, with Anderson not helped by a row withIndia’s Ravindra Jadeja during the drawn first Testin Nottingham.

Friday saw Jadeja fined but not banned for hispart in the alleged incident by the InternationalCricket Council, while Anderson could yet miss thefinal two Tests of this series if a separate August 1hearing finds against him.

Yet the man most likely to be dropped from theteam is Ben Stokes, one of the infamous ‘happyhookers’ at Lord’s, who has six ducks in his last 10international innings.

Fellow all-rounders Chris Jordan and ChrisWoakes will be eyeing Stokes’ spot. For India cap-tain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the unexpected butwelcome problem is how to guard against compla-cency.

“We don’t have too many experienced playersbut it is important to seize our chances and put theopposition away, said Dhoni. “Being humble incricket is very important.” — AFP

England seek self-respect against India

COLOMBO: Captain Hashim Amla struck a gritty 139 not outbut failed to stop Sri Lanka from taking the driver’s seat inthe second and final Test against South Africa yesterday.

Amla, 31, batted for more than eight hours to frustratethe Sri Lankan spinners who shared nine wickets betweenthem to bowl out South Africa for 282 in their first innings.

Sri Lanka, who made 421 in their first essay, were 11-0 atstumps in their second innings on the third day for an over-all lead of 150.

Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera (5-69) grabbed a five-wickethaul, his second in five Tests, while left-armer RanganaHerath chipped in with 4-71.

South Africa’s weaknesses against spin were exposed asnone of the batsmen, barring Amla, could even make a half-century despite the fact the wicket was no minefield.

“There were phases when the runs dried up, it was toughscoring runs,” said South African coach Russell Domingoafter the day’s play.

“It wasn’t easy for us because of the consistency of theirspinners. It would have been great if we had scored 100more runs. 140-odd is a big lead, it’s a substantial lead. SriLanka are obviously in a very good position,” he said.

For Amla, it was his first century as South Africa’s Test cap-tain. He faced 382 balls and hit 12 fours in his marathoneffort.

It was also the first by a South African captain in SriLanka, and proved crucial to help the visitors avoid theembarrassment of a follow-on.

The South African innings was wrapped up in the finalsession with Herath having Dale Steyn (30) caught by KumarSangakkara and Imran Tahir (15) by Upul Tharanga at deepmid-off. Perera then sent back Morne Morkel for a duck tobowl out the Proteas with five overs remaining in the day.Sri Lankan openers Kaushal Silva (five) and Upul Tharanga(six) saw off the overs without any hiccups.

South Africa lost Jean-Paul Duminy and Vernon Philander(nine) to spin in the second session that saw them put on 71runs at less than three runs an over.

Duminy (three) fiddled around for more than an hourbefore he was stumped by Niroshan Dickwella off Herathwhile Philander was bowled by Perera.

Perera said the defensive approach by the South Africanshad boomeranged on them. “We thought they were tryingto play for a draw. We managed to get a good lead becausethey batted defensively.

“At the moment, we do not have a target in mind. But ifwe get about 200 runs more, we will be in a very good posi-tion,” he said.

Amla, dropped on 93 at short cover by Silva, completedhis 22nd Test hundred with a single off Herath, a fittingreward for his lonely toil on the crease.

The bearded batting wizard is leading the side for thefirst time in this two-Test series after being named skipperlast month following the retirement of Graeme Smith.

The first session saw Herath get rid of AB de Villiers (37)and Quinton de Kock for a duck in the space of three ballsafter South Africa had resumed at their overnight 98-3.

Amla and De Villiers had started off positively and saw offthe first hour without harm. Amla broke the shackles withtwo consecutive fours off unorthodox spinner AjanthaMendis and De Villiers followed suit, hitting pacemanSuranga Lakmal (1-54) for three boundaries in the same over.

De Villiers had a scare on 30 when he gloved Lakmal tothe wicketkeeper but TV replays showed the ball hadbounced just inches short of Dickwella.

But just when the partnership was building upbetween Amla and De Villiers, Perera’s double-strikereduced South Africa to 150-5. He first had De Villierstrapped plumb in front off the fourth ball and thenknocked the off-stump of De Kock off the last ball of theover. South Africa lead the series 1-0 after winning theopener in Galle by 153 runs. — AFP

Sri Lanka on top despite Amla ton

COLOMBO: South African cricket captain Hashim Amlaraises his bat in celebration after scoring a century (100runs) during the third day of the second cricket Testmatch against Sri Lanka. — AFP

Sri Lanka first innings 421South Africa first innings (overnight 98-3)A. Petersen c and b Herath 2D. Elgar c Silva b Perera 1F. de Plessis c Dickwella b Lakmal 36H. Amla not out 139AB de Villiers lbw b Perera 37Q de Kock b Perera 0JP Duminy st Dickwella b Herath 3V. Philander b Perera 9D. Steyn c Sangakkara b Herath 30I. Tahir c Tharanga b Herath 15M. Morkel c Silva b Perera 0Extras (lb-3, nb-6, w-1) 10Total (all out, 134.5 overs) 282Fall of wickets: 1-3 2-13 3-71 4-150 5-150 6-175 7-204 8-251 9-279Bowling: Lakmal 23-7-54-1 (4nb, 1w), Herath 45-17-71-4,Perera 41.5-11-69-5, Mendis 21-1-68-0 (2nb), Vithanage 4-0-17-0.

Sri Lanka second inningsU. Tharanga not out 6K. Silva not out 5Total: (no wickets, 5 overs) 11Still to bat: K. Sangakkara, M. Jayawardene, A. Mathews, N.Dickwella, K. Vithanage, D. Perera, R. Herath, S. Lakmal, A.Mendis.Bowling (to date): Steyn 3-1-7-0, Philander 2-1-4-0.

SCOREBOARDCOLOMBO: Scoreboard at the close of the third day of thesecond test between Sri Lanka and South Africa yesterday.

England’s Captain Alastair Cook

SOUTHAMPTON: Alastair Cook shrugged off calls fromKevin Pietersen to resign as England captain ahead of thethird Test against India at Southampton.

Pietersen used his Daily Telegraph column publishedSaturday to say he was only still in the job because itwould be “yet another PR disaster” for the England andWales Cricket Board to sack him now. Cook has facedrepeated calls to resign the captaincy from the likes ofMichael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain during a run thathas seen England go 10 Tests without a win.

Meanwhile Cook’s form with the bat has also declined.It is now 27 innings since he scored the last of hisEngland record 25 Test hundreds, and the left-handedopener’s last nine Test innings have yielded just 129 runs.

But Cook speaking at Southampton, where Englandwill start Sunday’s match 1-0 down in the five-Test series,following India’s 95-run win at Lord’s on Monday, insistedonce again he would not resign.

“The last three or four weeks, everyone’s been sayingthat. It is no different who else says it,” Cook toldreporters at Southampton on Saturday when askedabout Pietersen’s comments.

“I’ve just got to stay true to myself and say how goodit would be if I could get through this as a person, as aplayer, as a leader and take huge strides from it,” the 29-year-old added.

“I’m desperate to carry on because I love beingEngland captain, it’s a huge honor. “I said when I firsttook over ‘I just want to throw everything into it’ anduntil that time where I don’t feel as if I can carry on doingit or someone taps me on the shoulder then that’s whatI’m going to to do.”

If England lose the third Test, they will be unable towin the series against India, having already been beaten1-0 in a two-Test contest this season at home to SriLanka.

Not since 2001, when they drew with Pakistan and

lost to Australia, have England failed to win either of theirseries in a home season.

Cook insisted England could recover againstIndia.”The good news in a five Test match series is you’vegot a chance to bounce back.”

“The frustrating thing has been that we’ve been get-ting ourselves into situations, especially in the four Testmatches where we’ve been ahead of the game by quite along way and haven’t been able to force that result.

“It’s bubbling under but the longer it goes without awin, it becomes harder and harder.” Pietersen, despitebeing England’s all-time leading run scorer and their topcontributor with the bat during their 5-0 Ashes thrashingin Australia, was the only player to be axed by Englandafter their return home in February. At the time, the ECBcited the need to support Cook’s captaincy as a reasonfor ditching Pietersen.

And South Africa-born Pietersen said “At the momentonly politics are keeping Cook in a job because theEngland and Wales Cricket Board backed him so muchthat it would be yet another PR disaster if it sacked himnow.

“But the ECB needs his runs back more than anythingelse so a big decision has to be made,” he added.”He(Cook) should do what is right for England and resign thecaptaincy. He has shown he does not have the tacticalbrain to lead the side,” Pietersen insisted.

“England badly miss Cook the opening batsman scor-ing 150 to set games up at the top of the order and,relieved of the captaincy, I don’t think it is too late for himto rediscover this form.”

Pietersen urged Cook to seek advice from one of themany former England players now working as a televi-sion pundit.

“How many ex-international players have England hadrecently working with them? None. “There is so muchknowledge in English cricket going to waste.” — AFP

Cook brushes aside Pietersen quit call

India’s Ravindra Jadeja bowls in this file photo

SOUTHAMPTON: India captain Mahendra SinghDhoni has criticised the “hurtful” decision to fineRavindra Jadeja, saying the all-rounder had been theinnocent party in an incident involving England’sJames Anderson.

Dhoni said Jadeja had been on the receiving endof “foul langauge” and physical assault and, althoughthe India skipper did not name Anderson on Saturday,it was clear he was referring to the England pacemanduring a news conference in Southampton ahead ofSunday’s third Test match.

Jadeja was fined 50 percent of his match fee, butnot banned, by the International Cricket Council afterbeing found guilty Friday of “conduct contrary to thespirit of the game”, for an incident with Anderson thattook place when walking off as a batsman during thelunch break on the second day of the drawn first Testin Nottingham on July 10.

“To me, it’s a very hurtful decision,” said Dhoni. “Ifyou see what exactly happened...the umpire called‘lunch’, and we started walking.

“I don’t want to take any individual’s name, butone used foul language against Jadeja. “I had to stepin the middle. By that time, we had reached the ropes,and I thought the thing was defused.

“Then, when we were going through the members’area, I was ahead of Jadeja, who was a couple of yardsbehind me. “Again, something happened. Somethingwas told to him and he turned across to the individual.

“After that, he was pushed and he barely gainedhis balance. Then, he turned to see what was happen-ing. “On the basis of that, he is fined. We were told itwas against the spirit of the game.”

“But we can’t ignore whatever has happened...Thebat was under his armpit throughout, and right fromthe call for lunch till the time he entered the dressingroom, not one word was spoken by him (Jadeja). “Idon’t think there was even a bit of aggression in thatand that’s the reason I’m very hurt by the verdict giv-en.” Wicketkeeper-batsman Dnoni added: “Tomorrow(Sunday), if I ask one of my players to not say a word,and that we’ll report it to the match referee, he mightbe like: ‘Whatever happens, we’ll get fined 50 percent.I’m better off abusing the guy’.”

England charged Jadeja with a Level Two offenceunder the ICC’s code of conduct in retaliation for Indiabringing a more serious Level Three charge againstAnderson for allegedly “abused and pushing” Jadeja.However, ICC match referee David Boon, who heardJadeja’s case downgraded the offence to Level One.

India responded to the former Australia batsman’s ver-dict by saying they reserved their right of appealalthough, according to ICC regulations, there can beno appeal against a Level One punishment. “Thebeauty of Level One is you cannot appeal against it,”Dhoni said. “But the BCCI (Board of Control forCricket in India) and the legals are working thingsout. “We are definitely not at all happy with the ver-dict.” India lead the five-match series with England 1-0 after a 95-run win in the second Test at Lord’s onMonday-a match that ended with Jadeja running outAnderson, after which the two players were pho-tographed shaking hands.

Anderson’s case will be dealt with by ICC code ofconduct commissioner Gordon Lewis on August 1 —the day after the third Test is due to end. If foundguilty of a Level Three offence, Anderson faces a banof between two to four Tests that could rule him outof the remainder of the series

However, Lewis-like Boon-can downgrade thecharge facing Anderson. The row involving Jadejaand Anderson comes after a recent revamp of theICC where the ‘Big Three’ nations of India, Englandand Australia took charge of the global governingbody. — AFP

Dhoni slams Jadeja fine

S P O RT SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

ASCOT: Telescope, hugely impressive at RoyalAscot last month, heads an intriguing renewal ofthe King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes,Saturday’s showpiece pitting established starsagainst those brimming with potential.

The Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old faces amaximum seven rivals in the mid-season show-piece after out-of-sorts French raider Flintshire waswithdrawn Friday running a temperature.

Telescope’s spread-eagling seven length suc-cess - the widest winning margin at Royal Ascotthis season - left a strong impression that he hasthe quality to lift a race that Stoute has previouslyclaimed with Harbinger, Conduit, Golan, OperaHouse, and the brilliant but ill-fated Shergar.

Telescope was all the rage for last year’s Epsom

Derby before a setback robbed him of the chanceof glory in the Epsom blue riband.

Patiently handled, the son of Galileo is nowready to fulfil his exciting promise, says the owner’sracing manager Harry Herbert.

“Given the size and pedigree of him, there wasevery chance he would be reaching his peak aboutnow. It is what Sir Michael excels at and Telescopeticks a lot of those boxes,” Herbert said.

Telescope’s first appearance at this exalted levelsees him likely being taken on by another who leftan indelible impression at Royal Ascot in Eagle Top.

The year younger winner of the King Edward VIIStakes was added to the King George mix as a sup-plementary entry at a cost of 75,000 pounds.

Yet his trainer John Gosden has voiced concerns

over the fast ground, and plans to walk the coursebefore giving his colt the go ahead. “He’s a verynice horse, but I didn’t really want to run him twiceon too fast a ground,” Gosden told At The Races tel-evision. “He did it well at Royal Ascot, but he’s bredmore for good, good to soft ground.” Establishedclassic form is represented by Taghrooda, theGosden-trained winner of the Epsom Oaks, andRomsdal, third in the Epsom Derby.

Taghrooda’s connections are hoping to berewarded for their bold plan in running hereagainst their smart filly’s elders rather than lastweekend’s Irish Oaks.

In a wide-open contest another with a strongchance is Mukhadram, who won the Eclipse Stakesover a mile and a quarter this month and steps up

in trip to a mile and a half for the first time.Master Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, who last won

the King George in 2008 with Duke of Marmalade,holds a strong hand with Magician, last season’sBreeders Cup Turf hero and second in the Prince ofWales’s Stakes. O’Brien commented: “I thinkMagician will improve a bit from Sandown. I thinkhe’ll come on for the run and I think there’s a bitmore there, so I’m expecting a big run onSaturday.”

Ireland has two more representative in theshape of Trading Leather, runner-up in the Eclipse,and his stablemate Leitir Mor. “He’s going there ingood shape and I’m looking forward to riding him.I think he’ll put up a big show,” said the latter’s jock-ey, Kevin Manning. — AFP

Stoute targets King George race with Telescope

LONDON: As the Premier League’s leading clubs stepup their preparations for the 2014-15 season, some oftheir most promising young talents are stepping outinto the unknown.

With teams like Chelsea and champions ManchesterCity boasting huge, star-studded squads, theiryounger players have no option but to go out on loanin search of the playing time vital to their develop-ment. For some players it can prove a richly rewardingexperience.

Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois has returned to Chelseaafter a three-year period at Atletico Madrid that sawhim emerge as one of the world’s finest goalkeepers.

Courtois’s club and international colleague RomeluLukaku has also benefited from time on loan, excellingat West Bromwich Albion and Everton, although itseems he has yet to convince manager Jose Mourinhoof his worth.

Joel Campbell harbours hopes of breaking into thefirst team at Arsenal, meanwhile, after an impressiveseason with Olympiakos that provided a launchpad foran excellent World Cup with Costa Rica. For others,however, the loan system can feel like being trappedin a revolving door.

Gael Kakuta, a precociously skilful attacking mid-fielder, joined Chelsea from French club Lens at theage of 16 in 2007, sparking a row that momentarilysaw the English side banned from signing players.

After he made an eye-catching debut againstWolverhampton Wanderers in November 2009, thencoach Carlo Ancelotti was moved to declare: “At thatage I have never seen a player with this talent.”However, with established players such as Joe Coleand Florent Malouda cemented in Chelsea’s starting XI,Kakuta found his route to the first team blocked. Therefollowed a succession of underwhelming loan moves-to Fulham, Bolton Wanderers, French club Dijon, Dutchside Vitesse Arnhem, and Lazio-and at 23, his career isstill awaiting take-off.

“I don’t dream about Chelsea anymore. I used to,

but now I know better,” Kakuta complained last year.“Chelsea have far too many players. At my age, I needto play regularly, but if I go back I’ll just get 10 minutesa month, and I don’t want that.”

Chelsea loaned out 27 players last season-with sixgoing to Dutch side Vitesse, with whom the Londonclub have a strategic partnership-but technical direc-tor Michael Emenalo says the policy is well-inten-tioned. “The loan process at Chelsea has become veryprofessional and a good deal of thought has gone intoit,” he told the club’s website.

“We don’t send players out because we are trying torecover some money. We send them because we wantthem to play and develop and we want to monitorthem.”

Eight Chelsea youngsters have already agreed loanmoves for the coming season. They include the Nigeriainternational Kenneth Omeruo, who has returned toMiddlesbrough, and Thorgan Hazard, younger brotherof first-team star Eden, who has joined BorussiaMoenchengladbach.

At Arsenal, 21-year-old forward Wellington Silva-who played alongside Neymar for Brazil’s under-17s-isgearing up for a fifth consecutive loan spell, this timeat Spanish side Almeria.

It is a path similar to the one trodden by Mexicanforward Carlos Vela, who was successively loaned outto four clubs by Arsenal before finally leaving for RealSociedad in 2012.

Andros Townsend knows more than most aboutbeing a perpetual loanee, having played for nine dif-ferent clubs before finally getting a chance to shine atTottenham Hotspur, but he says the experience wasworthwhile.

“At a massive club like Tottenham opportunities willcome, but not straight away,” he told The DailyTelegraph earlier this year. “You have to get out thereand prove that you deserve to have them coming yourway. The only way that’s going to happen is if peoplesee you playing. It makes you.” — AFP

BRAZIL: In this file picture taken on July 5, 2014 Belgium’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois dives for the ball. As thePremier League’s leading clubs step up their preparations for the 2014-15 season, some of their most promisingyoung talents are stepping out into the unknown. — AP

EPL youngsters face loan lottery

JOHANNESBURG: Algerians EntenteSetif moved closer to a first CAFChampions League semi-finalsappearance by defeating Libyans Al-Ahly Benghazi 2-0 in Tunisia this week-end.

El-Hedi Belameiri scored for the‘Black Eagles’ after 18 minutes at StadeChedli Zouiten and Sofiane Younisclaimed the other goal in stoppagetime.

Victory lifted unbeaten Setif to

eight points from four Group B match-es-four points more than Tunisians CSSfaxien and Benghazi. AnotherTunisian club, Esperance, are bottomof the table with three points but canclimb to second by winning at Sfaxienlate yesterday.

Group winners and runners-upqualify for the semi-finals of a compe-tition offering a $1.5 million (1.1 mil-lion euros) first prize and a ticket tothe FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.

Belameiri notched his sixthChampions League goal this seasonwith a low shot across goalkeeperWissem El-Boudi from just inside thepenalty area.

Zimbabwe-born Edward Sadombawasted several chances for Ahly beforeYounis struck on 93 minutes with alooping header off a Lyes Boukriacross. Post-Moamer Kadhafi regimelawlessness in Libya forced Benghazito play in neighboring Tunisia. — AFP

Setif move closer to CAF semis

LONDON: Manchester United play-maker Juan Mata yesterday gave hisseal of approval to the new tacticalsystem introduced by incoming man-ager Louis van Gaal.

Having set United out in a 3-4-1-2formation for their opening pre-sea-son friendly against Los AngelesGalaxy on Wednesday, with Mata play-ing in support of the two strikers, VanGaal saw his new charges stroll to a 7-0win. The 62-year-old coach used a sim-ilar formation with the Netherlands atthe World Cup, where he guided hiscountry to a third-place finish, andMata believes it could bring out thebest in him.

“If I play behind the two strikers it’sa good position,” the Spain interna-tional told BBC Sport. “I can look forthe ball, I can try to assist or score, so Iwill try my best. I will try to score asmuch as I can and try to help the teamfrom that position.

“If I have to play on the wing I willtry my best as well, but I feel comfort-able in this role.” Only a handful ofsides deployed a three-man defencein the Premier League last season, andMata feels it could give United anedge. “It can be very dangerous for theopponent,” he said. “It is difficult forthem to play against us in this forma-tion.”

Van Gaal has made a strongimpression since succeeding thesacked David Moyes, upbraiding hisplayers during public training sessionsand openly criticising the club’s heavy

pre-season schedule.Mata revealed that the Dutchman

is also making his presence felt in thechanging room by forcing all of theclub’s players to communicate only inEnglish. “We only speak in English,”said the former Chelsea player. “Hesays we have to speak in English.” Mataadded: “He is very good, on and off thepitch. He is a good man and a greatmanager.

“He has a lot of experience, he haswon trophies in previous teams too, soit’s a good chance for me to learn fromhim and for us to improve as a team.

“He is demanding. He is very hon-est, straight, speaks with everyone tohis face. I think this is good, a perfectway to do it: saying what you thinkabout the players in front of them.”

Meanwhile, Portuguese championsBenfica have signed striker Bebe fromManchester United on a four-yeardeal, the club announced on Friday.

The 24-year-old, whose full name isTiago Manuel Dias Correia, signedwith United in 2010 but spent much ofhis career with the English club onloan. After spells with Turkish sideBesiktas and Rio Ave, he spent last sea-son at Pacos de Ferreira before finallyagreeing terms with Benfica, ahead ofthe upcoming campaign.

Benfica were guided by coachJorge Jesus to the Portuguese title,domestic Cup and domestic LeagueCup last season, while they narrowlylost the Europa League final againstSevilla on penalties. -— AFP

Mata warms to Van Gaal tactics

PASADENA: Manchester United’s Juan Mata (left) look on during atraining session. — AFP

FRANCE: Stage winner Germany’s Tony Martin celebrates on the podium after win-ning the twentieth stage, a 54 km individual time trial, as part of the 101st edition ofthe Tour de France cycling race. — AFP

PERIGUEUX: Three-time world time trialchampion Tony Martin won the 20thstage 54km individual race against theclock at the Tour de France yesterday.

Vincenzo Nibali finished fourth on thestage to ensure he will win the Tour afterSunday ’s final stage finish on theChamps Elysees in Paris.

On a great day for the French, Jean-Christophe Peraud took seventh on thestage to finish second overall while com-patriot Thibaut Pinot ended up third andalso on the podium.

Dutch time trial champion TomDumoulin was second on the stage at1min 39sec of the irrepressible Martin,with Czech Jan Barta third at 1:47.Martin, who finished in 1hr 06min 21sec,was always expected to win this and hedidn’t disappoint.

But behind him the true drama wasseeing who would join Nibali on the final

podium. Pinot started the day secondbut was only 13sec ahead of Peraud and15sec ahead of Spanish time trial cham-pion Alejandro Valverde.

But already by the first time check itwas obvious Valverde wasn’t having agood day as he had lost 43sec to Pinotand more than a minute to Peraud.

Pinot was supposed to be the weakestof the three in the race against the clockbut he put in a stunning performance tofinish 12th on the stage and secure thirdplace overall.

Peraud, 37, had a scare after 33kmwhen he punctured but it didn’t stophim and by the end he had finished44sec quicker than Pinot to claim secondstop. But there was disappointment foranother Frenchman, Romain Bardet, wholost fifth place by 2sec to American TejayVan Garderen after puncturing like hisAG2R teammate Peraud. — AFP

Martin winsTour time trial

STAAD: Argentine Juan Monaco claimed aplace in his first final in almost a year yester-day as he defeated Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)at the Swiss Open, setting up a showdownwith Spain’s Pablo Andujar. Monaco, whoseranking has plummeted to 105 after a seriesof injuries going back to late 2013, recoveredfrom breaks down in both sets to claim victo-ry over Dutch seventh seed Haase, a losingfinalist here a year ago to Mikhail Youzhny.

It will be a first-ever meeting for Monacoin the f inal against world number 71Andujar, who profited from seven double-faults off the racquet of four th seedFernando Verdasco in a 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-1upset.

Verdasco, treated for a shoulder problemafter losing the opening set, broke in thesecond set as his opponent served for astraight-sets win. Verdasco then stayed alive

by claiming the second set in a tiebreakbefore collapsing in the third to exit as hisserve was broken seven times.

Earlier, the 30-year-old Monaco wentthrough to his first final since Kitzbuehel 51weeks ago after playing his first semi-final of2014.

“At the star t I didn’t play well , hedeserved his 3-0 lead. But I began playingbetter and got into the match,” Monaco saidof a contest which began four hours late dueto rain.

“We had no time to really warm up but itwas the same for both. I got some rhythmand hit the ball harder than him. I was ableto get into control.

“In the second set I had some opportuni-ties that I didn’t take, I was a bit nervous, I’venot played a semi-final this season. “But atthe end I just relaxed and played my tennis.”

The South American has been botheredby three different injuries this season-hisback, wrist and foot. His victory took his2014 record to 13-14 and 5-1 at this alpinevillage whose clay stands 1,050m above sealevel.

Monaco came from 2-0 down in the sec-ond set after trailing 3-0 in the first. He waseventually able to overpower a frustratedHaase, who has won two claycourt trophiesat altitude in Kitzbuehel, Austria. Monacocarried the second set into a tie-breaker andadvanced to the title match on the secondof three match points after one and three-quarter hours. “I’m glad to be playing again.I’m just trying to be happy on court,” saidMonaco, who won with four breaks of serve.“I’m happy now to reach the final and I’mlooking forward to doing something goodtomorrow.” — AFP

Monaco mounts comeback to reach final

BUDAPEST: Formula One world championship leader NicoRosberg took pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix yes-terday while Mercedes team mate and title rival LewisHamilton saw his hopes go up in flames.

Hamilton, 14 points behind Rosberg after 10 races, haswon in Hungary for the past two years and four times in totaland was the favorite for pole and the race after setting thepace in practice.

Instead, the Briton was set to start last and from the pitlaneafter his car caught fire with the session barely started. RedBull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel qualifiedsecond, equalling his best grid placing of the season, on anall-German front row.

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas starts third in a Williams withAustralian Daniel Ricciardo fourth for Red Bull on an overcastafternoon that saw light rain fall between the second andfinal phase of qualifying.

For the second race in a row, Rosberg was left with mixedemotions - happy to be in the top slot with every chance ofextending his overall lead - but saying also that he felt cheat-ed of a battle with his team mate. “It’s a pity for the team, nota goood thing...I would prefer to be out there battling Lewis,”he told reporters. “That would have been the maximumadrenalin rush.”

Hamilton, winner of five races to Rosberg’s four, has had arun of bad luck with two retirements to the German’s soleblank and has also endured a string of qualifying setbacksgoing back six races.

At Hockenheim last Saturday, he crashed out of qualifyingat the same point when a front brake disc failed and had tostart in 20th place.

That triggered a thrilling charge through the field on

Sunday to third place but the slow and twisty Hungaroring isa far more difficult track to overtake on.

“There’s a lot going through my mind, but I just have to tryto turn it into positives until tomorrow,” Hamilton, whose carwill need a change of engine and gearbox with accompany-ing five place penalty, told the BBC.

“I think it’s getting to the point beyond bad luck - it’ssomething else. We just need to do better,” added the 2008world champion.

While Hamilton’s blaze - caused by a suspected fuel leak -was the main talking point, there were other shocks in aneventful session that ended with Mercedes’ 10th pole in 11races. Frenchman Jules Bianchi, a Ferrari academy driver whoraces for struggling Marussia, qualified 16th and ahead ofFerrari’s 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen at one of the Finn’s

strongest circuits.Ferrari had mistakenly assumed both their drivers were

safely through the first phase and did not send them out forsecond runs - and then saw Bianchi pip Raikkonen whenthere was nothing they could do about it. Raikkonen’s doubleworld champion team mate Fernando Alonso will start fifthand with Brazilian Felipe Massa, who was replaced byRaikkonen at the Italian team, alongside.

The final phase was halted for some eight minutes afterDanish rookie Kevin Magnussen crashed his McLaren heavilyinto the barriers on a surface made slippery by the suddenshower.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, who has not scored a pointso far this season, was the first out of qualifying after parkingup his Lotus. — Reuters

17Waratahs winSydney showdownto reach final

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 201418Sri Lanka on top despite Amla ton

Stoute targets King George race with Telescope Page 19

GLASGOW: South Africa’s Chad le Clos swims to gold in the Men’s 200m Butterfly Final at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. — AFP

GLASGOW: England’s Francesca Halsall celebrates taking gold in the Women’s 50mFreestyle Final at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre during the 2014Commonwealth Games. — AFP

GLASGOW: Zoe Smith of England leaps for joy as she wins the gold medal inthe women’s 58 kg weightlifting competition the Commonwealth Games2014. — AP

GLASGOW: Canada’s Patricia Bezzoubenko kisses her three individual goldmedals and one bronze medal after the finals of the women’s rhythmic gym-nastics individual ribbon, hoop, ball and clubs. — AFP

GLASGOW: Australia became the first country towin 200 Commonwealth Games cycling medalsyesterday as Olympic and world sprint king UsainBolt arrived to a predictable media scrum.

Australia’s Annette Edmondson won thewomen’s 10km scratch race gold before KieranModra and Jason Niblett grabbed silver in themen’s sprint tandem and compatriots PaulKennedy and Thomas Clarke captured bronze totake their country to the 200-medal mark.

Edmondson’s gold came just a day after brotherAlex had won the 4,000m individual pursuit. “FinallyI’ve matched Alex. I’ve never come home with thegold, it’s always been silver or bronze, so it reallymeans a lot to me,” said Annette Edmondson.

The action on the third day of the Games wasovershadowed in the afternoon by the arrival ofJamaican sprint superstar Bolt who will race in the4x100m relay heats in what will be his first outing

of an injury-hit season.“Yes I’m here to run. I’ll be running, definitely,”

said Bolt. “I finally get the chance to compete in one(Commonwealth Games) so I’m very happy to behere.”

Bolt, world record holder in both the 100 and200m as well as double Olympic and world cham-pion, said he had not felt under pressure fromsponsors to make an appearance in Scotland, andsaid he would run in the heats of the relay.

Should he not, and his teammates drop thebaton, the Jamaican would face the prospect of noteven making an appearance on the track atHampden Park.

“I’ll be running the heats,” Bolt stressed. “I think Ineed to run because it’s the first race of the seasonso I really need to get it going.”

Canada’s Patricia Bezzoubenko was crownedqueen of the Commonwealth Games, completing a

five gold medal haul in rhythmic gymnastics.Bezzoubenko had already won two golds in the

team and all-around events and she added threemore on Saturday in the clubs, ball and hoop indi-vidual disciplines.

The one gold that escaped her grasp was in theribbon which went to Francesca Jones giving Walestheir first gold medal of the Games.

“I was expecting a good performance but that’sit, no medals, I didn’t think about it. It just worked. Itis amazing it is my first Commonwealth Games. Iam so proud of my country,” said 27-year-oldBezzoubenko who trains in Russia.

Australian shooter Daniel Repacholi won themen’s 10m air pistol but the toast of the town inthat event was third-placed Mick Gault of Englandwho at 60 won a record-equalling 18thCommonwealth Games medal.

“Job done, finished, don’t care anymore. I got

the record and I can just relax now,” said Gault.England swept the triathlon gold medals with vic-tory in the team relay while four-time rugby sevenschampion New Zealand crushed Canada 39-0 andthen edged Scotland 17-14 to get their titledefence under way.

In netball, the two title favourites, Australia andEngland, played out a group stage thriller whichthe Australians edged 49-48.

In the morning qualifying session in the swim-ming pool there was more success for Scotland asCameron Broady went faster that Olympic champi-on Chad le Clos in the 100m butterfly after beinginspired by fellow Scots Ross Murdoch and DanWallace.

Broady qualified fastest ahead of reigningCommonwealth champion Le Clos in a time of1min 57:28sec. There will be another Scotlandagainst South Africa clash later on Saturday when

Murdoch goes for a second gold in the 100mbreaststroke against Olympic champion Cameronvan der Burgh.

England’s Adam Peaty is also expected to have asay, though, as he broke the CommonwealthGames record in qualifying fastest for the final.

It was a more comfortable morning for thefavourites in the men’s 100m freestyle as worldchampion James Magnussen eased into the semi-finals with the fastest time ahead of teammateCameron McEvoy.

England’s Fran Halsall continued her fine start tothe meet with another Commonwealth Gamesrecord of 25:64 sec as the defending championcruised into the semi-finals of the 50m butterfly.

In weightlifting, England’s Zoe Smith beatNigeria’s Ndidi Winifred and Welsh veteranMichaela Breeze to claim gold in the women’s58kg. — AFP

Aussies win medals, Bolt breezes in

BUDAPEST: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany steers his car during the qualifying of the Hungarian Formula OneGrand Prix in Budapest.The Hungarian Grand Prix will be held today. — AP

Rosberg on pole, Hamilton on fire

BUDAPEST: Kimi Raikkonen told Ferrari to get their act togetherafter a qualifying gaffe by his Italian team left the Finn languish-ing down the starting grid at the Hungarian Grand Prix yester-day.

Raikkonen has a great record at the Hungaroring, finishingsecond in the last two years with Lotus and winning withMcLaren back in 2005.

His chances of getting back on the podium in Sunday’s racetook a huge hit however when he failed to get out of the firstphase of qualifying after the team assured him he had doneenough to do so. He will start 16th.

“The plan was to go out, but the team said ‘no, you are fine,you do not need to go out’,” the 2007 world champion toldreporters.

“I questioned it a few times, but they said no need, and wecan see the end result. “A mistake has been made. It’s alreadybeen a difficult year, so I don’t see the point to shout. The mis-take is done,” he added. Raikkonen, who returned to Ferrari thisseason in what was supposed to be a dream team of championswith Fernando Alonso, has had a miserable year.

He has so far failed to finish higher than seventh in 10 races,scoring a mere 19 points to his double world champion teammate’s 97.

To make matters worse, he was outqualified on Saturday byMarussia’s Jules Bianchi - a Ferrari young driver academy gradu-ate in a Ferrari-powered car with a steadily growing reputation.

Bianchi has been talked about in paddock gossip as a possi-ble replacement for the Finn, even if Raikkonen has a contractfor next season and is adamant that he is not going anywhere.

“People make mistakes, but there are things we have tochange to improve,” said Raikkonen. “As a team in Formula One,as Ferrari, we should not be doing these kind of things. None ofus are in our first year. These are not easy times. — Reuters

Raikkonen blamesFerrari for gaffe

BusinessSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

GCC equity marketsexperience correction

Page 22

Argentine default looms as time runs out for deal

Page 23Enjoy a North Americanholiday thanks to British Airways

Page 25Zain Kuwait offers unlimited free calls, SMS, MMS to Gaza

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DUBAI: Glitzy billboards in the Middle Eastand postage stamps in the US Advertisementsfor lingerie and sales on modest skirts. Lavishbuffets and cellphone apps. Ramadan, Islam’sholiest month, is a boon for retailers in theMiddle East, South Asia and beyond. Andwhile some Muslims welcome it as a positivesign, others see it as commercialization of asacred time of year. Intended to be a month-long spiritual cleansing, Ramadan - whichends this weekend - is an exercise in self-restraint that commands Muslims to abstainfrom food and water from sunrise to sunset.

But for businesses, from California toCairo, Dubai to Dhaka, Ramadan is also a timeto sell.

US fashion house DKNY launched aRamadan collection aimed at wealthy Arabshoppers. The collection was carried in DKNYoutlets throughout the Gulf. Tamara Al-Gabbani, a model and stylist for the collection,said she is glad DKNY took a risk with themodest outfits that include loose skirts anddresses. “I think it is really, really important theworld come together as one and the fact thatan American, New York-based brand is comingto us and saying, ‘Hey, we acknowledge thisbeautiful time of year that you have, and wehave made this just for you.’ I love that,” shesaid.

Al-Gabbani also has a clothing line thatcaters to Gulf Arab women. More than 50 elab-orately designed kaftans, which cost up to$550, sold out in the first week of Ramadan. AMacy’s department store in California wel-comed Muslim shoppers with a display at theentrance that said “Happy Ramadan.” The USPostal Service issues special commemorativestamps for Eid Al-Fitr, the three-day celebra-tion that marks the end of Ramadan.

Google has gotten in on the action with aspecial Ramadan portal featuring photos ofpeople around the world breaking their fast atsunset, as well as popular recipes. Several cell-phone companies offer Ramadan apps to helppeople track their prayer and acts of worship.

A marketing study released by theAmerican Muslim Consumer Consortium inconjunction with DinarStandard found that ofthe 2 billion Muslims worldwide, approximate-ly 9 million are in North America and 60 mil-lion are in Europe.

According to AMCC co-founder SabihaAnsari, Muslim spending power in the US ismeasured at more than $100 billion. She said

she knew of at least one Starbucks in the USthat stayed open later during Ramadan forcustomers fasting during the day.

“We’re hoping it’s the start for other retail-ers to recognize Muslims as a group that is astrong economic force,” she said. “AmericanMuslims are educated, trendy and economi-cally well-off. They want to integrate the val-ues of their faith with the values of being anAmerican, and this can be a very positiveaspect.”

ChallengingRamadan is meant to be challenging to the

mind, body and spirit. Many Muslims are con-cerned that Ramadan’s aim to draw worship-pers away from indulging in the materialworld is being eroded. Many took to Twitter toexpress their confusion over a lingerie ad in amall in Durban, South Africa, that featured amodel looking seductively at the camera. Onlyher bra strap and shoulder show, with the restof her décolletage blacked out under thewords “Ramadan Kareem,” or “HappyRamadan,” written in gold.

The biggest commercialization of Ramadanis concentrated in countries where Muslimsare in the majority. The streets of major citiesin the Middle East and South Asia are filledwith billboards about Ramadan. OneMcDonald’s ad in Islamabad shows a mosquecalling on people to “Dine Divine.”

Carmudi, a website for buying and sellingcars, said it is offering a variety of deals for resi-dents of the United Arab Emirates “to cele-brate the holy spirit of the season. So dig intoyour pockets.”

Luxury brand Montblanc urged customersto “celebrate Ramadan in its true spirit with anexciting range of gifts.” The trendy Sauce bou-tique in the Emirates sells bejeweledRamadan-themed purses. One evening clutchcleverly takes the shape of a can of fava beans,or ful - a staple of pre-dawn meals.

Another Dubai boutique has Ramadan-inspired T-shirts that cheekily say “Bad GirlGone Good.”

Cairo supermarkets also carry Ramadan-themed towels and a range of lanterns, orfawanees, used to decorate the home. Thisyear’s Ramadan comes at an especially difficulttime for millions in the Middle East. Wars areraging in the Gaza Strip, Syria and Iraq, andpeople are struggling to make ends meetacross much of the Muslim world.

In Bangladesh, where annual per capitaincome is just $1,190 - among the lowest inthe world upscale buffets during Ramadan canrun up to $80 per person. That cost is wildlyout of reach for most in the Muslim-majoritycountry of 160 million.

“So many parties are around daily as if weare born to eat and eat,” complained SabinaYasmine, an insurance agent in Bangladesh.“People get crazy during Ramadan.” That senti-ment was echoed in Cairo, where 24-year-oldRouchane Al-Rashidi was dining with friends.She says a lot of people are losing touch withthe meaning behind the month.

“It’s a fact that Ramadan now is more aboutoutings, where we go for iftar and sohourinstead of focusing on religion,” she said, refer-

ring to the sunset and pre-dawn meals.Glitzy Arabian Nights-inspired tents have

become a staple of Ramadan across the Gulf,with hotel buffets offering fountains of hum-mus and pyramids of deserts. Fozeya IbrahimAl-Mahmoud of Abu Dhabi’s EnvironmentAgency said people are supposed to consumeand waste less in Ramadan, but the oppositeseems to be happening. Of the total wasteproduced during the entire year in the smallcountry, 39 percent is of organic materials.During Ramadan, however, the percentage oforganic waste rises to 55 percent, he said.

Abdur Rashid, who heads a mosque inBangladesh, said such consumption does notrepresent the tenets of his faith. “Islam has nottaught us this,” he said.

Scholars also are disturbed by the prolifer-ation of evening TV shows during Ramadan. In

Pakistan, live game shows give away giftspromoting their sponsors. In the Arab world,soap operas starring Egypt’s top actors rake inhundreds of millions of dollars in advertising.

Shaikh Abdullah Roshdi, who heads aCairo mosque, said Ramadan should heightenfeelings of patience, empathy and compassionfor others. He said people should be spendingtheir time doing acts of charity, and removethemselves from that which is unnecessary toattain the ultimate prize of heaven in the after-life. “Now the month of Ramadan has beentransformed from a season of spiritual ascen-sion ... into following desires and luxuries, andwe totally oppose this,” he said. — AP

Ramadan a big boon for retailersDUBAI: Fashion designer Tamara Al-Gabbani looks at one of her designs in the Jalabiya collection at the Be You boutique in Dubai. Ramadan is a boon for retailers in the Middle East, South Asia and beyond. — AP

Muslims emerging a strong economic force: Specialist

DUBAI: Exhibition hall contractors fix the Ramadan Night Market banner at the entrance of the market hall in Dubai. About 75,000 to100,000 visitors over 11 days attend the Ramadan Night Market which brings retailers from all over the world. —AP

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

EXCHANGE RATES

Bahrain Exchange Company

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ASIAN COUNTRIESJapanese Yen 2.791Indian Rupees 4.709Pakistani Rupees 2.865Srilankan Rupees 2.168Nepali Rupees 2.954Singapore Dollar 229.360Hongkong Dollar 36.491Bangladesh Taka 3.636Philippine Peso 6.501Thai Baht 8.811Irani Riyal transfer 0.271Irani Riyal cash 0.273

GCC COUNTRIESSaudi Riyal 75.444Qatari Riyal 77.735Omani Riyal 734.930Bahraini Dinar 751.430UAE Dirham 77.074

ARAB COUNTRIESEgyptian Pound - Cash 39.850Egyptian Pound - Transfer 39.467Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.320Tunisian Dinar 167.540Jordanian Dinar 399.520Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.898Syrian Lira 2.016Morocco Dirham 34.699

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIESUS Dollar Transfer 282.800Euro 387.290Sterling Pound 486.560Canadian dollar 267.680Turkish lira 133.020Swiss Franc 319.910Australian Dollar 267.810US Dollar Buying 281.600

GOLD20 Gram 245.00010 Gram 124.0005 Gram 64.000

CURRENCY BUY SELL

EuropeBelgian Franc 0.007353 0.008353British Pound 0.476110 0.485110Czech Korune 0.006008 0.018008Danish Krone 0.047536 0.052536Euro 0.379356 0.387356Norwegian Krone 0.041660 0.046860Romanian Leu 0.086935 0.086935Slovakia 0.008101 0.018101Swedish Krona 0.037543 0.042543Swiss Franc 0.310332 0.320532Turkish Lira 0.134490 0.141490

AustralasiaAustralian Dollar 0.257014 0.268514New Zealand Dollar 0.242477 0.251977

AmericaCanadian Dollar 0.258001 0.266501US Dollars 0.278800 0.283150US Dollars Mint 0.279300 0.283150

AsiaBangladesh Taka 0.003296 0.003896Chinese Yuan 0.044200 0.047700Hong Kong Dollar 0.034412 0.037162Indian Rupee 0.004469 0.004870Indonesian Rupiah 0.000020 0.000026Japanese Yen 0.002698 0.002878Kenyan Shilling 0.003220 0.003220Korean Won 0.000265 0.000280Malaysian Ringgit 0.085022 0.091022Nepalese Rupee 0.002967 0.003137Pakistan Rupee 0.002663 0.002943

Philippine Peso 0.006418 0.006698Sierra Leone 0.000069 0.000075Singapore Dollar 0.223995 0.229995South African Rand 0.020364 0.028864Sri Lankan Rupee 0.001871 0.002451Taiwan 0.009305 0.009485Thai Baht 0.008447 0.008997

ArabBahraini Dinar 0.743942 0.751942Egyptian Pound 0.036594 0.039694Iranian Riyal 0.000078 0.000080Iraqi Dinar 0.000179 0.000239Jordanian Dinar 0.394793 0.402293Kuwaiti Dinar 1.0000000 1.0000000Lebanese Pound 0.000137 0.000237Moroccan Dirhams 0.022206 0.046206Nigerian Naira 0.001140 0.001775Omani Riyal 0.728773 0.734453Qatar Riyal 0.076996 0.078209Saudi Riyal 0.074803 0.075503Syrian Pound 0.001754 0.001974Tunisian Dinar 0.162976 0.170976Turkish Lira 0.134490 0.141490UAE Dirhams 0.076041 0.077190Yemeni Riyal 0.001276 0.001356

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar 253.58 250.58Canadian Dollar 267.38 268.38Swiss Franc 322.39 320.39Euro 388.50 389.50US Dollar 282.30 285.30Sterling Pound 487.31 490.31Japanese Yen 2.83 2.85Bangladesh Taka 3.638 3.908Indian Rupee 4.703 5.003Sri Lankan Rupee 2.171 2.606Nepali Rupee 2.957 3.492Pakistani Rupee 2.864 2.790UAE Dirhams 76.93 77.39Bahraini Dinar 751.37 753.44Egyptian Pound 39.47 40.07Jordanian Dinar 401.78 407.43Omani Riyal 734.16 741.46Qatari Riyal 77.96 78.51Saudi Riyal 75.41 75.81

Rate for Transfer Selling RateUS Dollar 282.650Canadian Dollar 267.935Sterling Pound 483.335Euro 386.070Swiss Frank 317.135Bahrain Dinar 752.300UAE Dirhams 76.930Qatari Riyals 78.515Saudi Riyals 75.645Jordanian Dinar 399.240Egyptian Pound 39.477Sri Lankan Rupees 2.171Indian Rupees 4.700Pakistani Rupees 2.863Bangladesh Taka 3.639Philippines Pesso 6.477Cyprus pound 694.245Japanese Yen 3.780

Syrian Pound 2.885Nepalese Rupees 3.935Malaysian Ringgit 89.785Chinese Yuan Renminbi 45.955Thai Bhat 9.775Turkish Lira 133.510

Al Mulla Exchange

Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000)US Dollar 282.250Euro 386.900Pound Sterlng 484.850Canadian Dollar 264.700Indian Rupee 4.702Egyptian Pound 39.465Sri Lankan Rupee 2.167Bangladesh Taka 3.634Philippines Peso 6.488Pakistan Rupee 2.860Bahraini Dinar 751.800UAE Dirham 76.900Saudi Riyal 75.400*Rates are subject to change

B U S I N E S S

Six ways to make yournext performance

review a resoundingsuccess

Let’s face it. Performance reviews aren’t fun. You’re forcedto sit in front of one (or a roomful) of your managers asthey pick apart your weaknesses and highlight the

things you’ve done wrong throughout the year. But no mat-ter how nerve-wrecking a performance review is, it can alsobe an eye-opening learning experience and a chance toshow your boss what an indispensable asset you are to thecompany. A strong performance review can enhance yourjob security and boost your odds of financial success. Here,the career experts at Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site,offer six tips to reduce your anxiety and get you well-pre-pared for your next performance review:

1. Perform regular ‘self-assessments’Take an objective look at your performance about once a

month to determine whether you are on track to meetyour goals. Also, ask your colleagues for some honestfeedback. If you detect a problem, talk to your boss abouthow you might resolve it.

2. Do your homeworkWe recommend starting the process two months before your

review. Write a memo detailing your achievements. Whathave you done to increase revenues, to decrease expens-es, to save time, to reinvent your department in light ofthe company’s changing needs? Make sure you track theentire year since your last review. You could also considerassembling a portfolio of work samples and complimen-tary memos from your boss, clients or peers.

3. Speak in numbers In your self-review and in the performance review itself,

speak plainly. For example, do not mention somethinglike, “I was able to leverage strategic resources.” Speak inspecifics, not generalities. It’s important to spell out howyour work is contributing to the bottom line (which ulti-mately means how essential you are to the company).Don’t expect that your evaluators will connect the dotsthemselves.

4. Ask for supportSpell out what support and/or resources you need from your

boss. According to the Bayt.com ‘Employee Engagementin the MENA’ poll (March 2014), 34.6 percent of MENAprofessionals claim to still need the resources that wouldhelp them do a better job. Also, detail your goals for thenext year. The same Bayt.com poll shows that 93 percentof professionals in the MENA are involved in decisionsthat impact their work. What sort of measurable out-comes are you shooting for? A review isn’t just a time toreflect on the past six to 12 months on the job - it’s alsothe perfect opportunity to share your professional goals,both short-term and big picture. Looking for a promo-tion? Want more managing experience? Let them knowwhat you’re after and discuss what you’ll need to getthere.

5. Be strategic with your weaknesses Everyone has something they can improve upon, so when

you’re asked to list what you can do better, provide anhonest assessment. It takes a little pride-swallowing, but itdemonstrates that you’re easy to work with. Offer a solu-tion after each weakness on your part to show initiative.

6. Don’t get defensiveReacting to something with tears or anger is one of the worst

things you could do in a review. If something upsets you,remain polite and professional and save your venting fora friend or family member later. An emotional outburstwill reflect poorly on you - and likely be all your managerwill remember later on (rather than the subject that gotyou upset).

Performance reviews are an investment in your careerdevelopment. These conversations are the place to find out ifyou’re on the same page as your manager - and if not, whatyou can do differently in order to do your job well andadvance your career. Nail down these six steps and you canturn any dreaded review into your time to shine!

NBK ECONOMIC REPORT

Bayt.com report

KUWAIT: GCC equity markets experienceda correction in 2Q14 following a verystrong performance earlier in the year. TheS&P GCC index was off by 1.8 percent dur-ing the quarter, reducing gains from thebeginning of the year to 8 percent. Themuch anticipated correction appeared tobe triggered in part by the deterioratingsituation in neighboring Iraq. While region-al markets underperformed their interna-tional counterparts in 2Q14, they contin-ued to fare relatively better year-to-date,thanks to their strong performance duringthe first five months of the year. As of theend of June, GCC markets’ capitalizationstood at $1.06 trillion, having shed $21 bil-lion in 2Q14.

The recent political developments inIraq have been the main factor behind theretreat of regional markets. However, othercountry and stock specific factors helpedfuel what has been seen as an overdue cor-rection. Markets in the UAE saw the selloffbegin when the central bank warned inearly June of a possible bubble in the resi-dential real estate markets in Dubai andAbu Dhabi. In Dubai, this was exacerbatedwhen a surprise resignation at a major bluechip company triggered further selloff. InQatar, talk related to the hosting of theWorld Cup event planned for 2022 encour-aged the correction on the Qatar Exchange.

GCC markets had seen strong rallies inthe first five months of 2014, led especiallyby gains in UAE and Qatar. The decision byMSCI to upgrade the UAE and Qatar to“emerging market” status from “frontiermarkets”, which took effect in June, gave a

strong boost to regional markets. In addi-tion to that, the outlook for the GCCeconomies remained favorable especiallywhen compared to emerging markets thatcontinued to show signs of weakness. Solidfiscal positions supported by high oil pricesalso promised a solid base for continuedstrong development spending. Strong cor-porate profitability, which picked up and isexpected to continue to improve, also fedinto the regional rally.

Among regional markets, the DubaiFinancial Market (DFM) saw the biggestcorrection in 2Q14, declining 11.4 percent.Even with this decline, DFM remained thebest performing market in the region ytd.By contrast, Bahrain Stock Exchange (BSE)was the best performing market in 2Q14,gaining 5.2 percent, followed by Oman’sstock market with a 2.2 percent gain. TheSaudi market was flat on the quarter whileall remaining GCC markets were off.

Liquidity in the market continued toimprove in 2Q14. GCC daily traded volumesaveraged $3.9 billion in 2Q14, up 51 per-cent from the 1Q14 average. The rise in vol-umes was particularly significant in UAEand Qatar as fresh liquidity entered thesemarkets in anticipation of the MSCIupgrade.

GCC markets have been quite volatilesince the end of 2Q14. Particularly, Dubai’smarket gained 16 percent in the first weekof July. Investors remain quite optimisticabout the region despite the strongdeclines seen in June as the GCC continuesto have a positive outlook in the mediumterm.

GCC equity marketsexperience correction

LONDON: UK shares edged lower in early trading onFriday, ahead of second quarter GDP data, as investorsdigested a raft of corporate results and Royal Bank ofScotland enjoyed an unexpected pop from earnings.

Investor sentiment was muted across Europe, heldback by disappointing earnings on both sides of theAtlantic and by a third consecutive monthly fall in thewidely followed German Ifo survey of business senti-ment. Merger activity also dominated early trading,with BSkyB agreeing to pay 4.9 billion pounds ($8.3 bil-lion) in cash to buy Rupert Murdoch’s pay-TV assets inGermany and Italy. Construction companies BalfourBeatty and Carillion rallied after confirming mergertalks. The FTSE 100 index was down 0.1 percent, slightlybetter than Germany’s DAX and the French CAC 40,while the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 was down 0.2percent.

A preliminary reading of second quarter British gross

domestic product was in focus after the InternationalMonetary Fund this week upgraded its forecasts for theUK economy. “Today’s first iteration of Q2 GDP could wellbe a good indicator of how well the UK economy is shap-ing up for the rest of the year,” CMC Markets analystMichael Hewson said.

Shares of RBS soared 14.5 percent, their biggest intra-day gain in at least four years, after the lender releasedearnings a week early that were much better thanexpected. Network operator Vodafone was also up 2.2percent after saying its performance had begun to stabi-lize in several European markets even as a slowdown inSpain and South Africa led to another heavy drop in itskey revenue measure. Meanwhile, BSkyB fell 2.4 percent,the worst performer on the FTSE 100, with traders citingthe placement of shares representing around 10 percentof the company’s capital to help pay for its announcedasset purchases.—Reuters

Top 1% controla third of

China’s wealthBEIJING: The top one percent of households inCommunist-ruled China control more than one thirdof the country’s wealth, while the bottom 25 percentcontrol just one hundredth, official media said, citingan academic report. The 2012 figures contained in aPeking University report released late Friday revealthe massive breadth of China’s social inequality, awidespread source of anger in the country.

The wealth gap is also of significant concern for theruling Communist Party, which places huge impor-tance on preserving social stability to avoid any chal-lenge to its grasp on power.

“One percent of households at the top level nation-wide control more than one third of the country’swealth. Twenty-five percent of families at the bottomlevel only own one percent of the country’s wealth,”the website of the People’s Daily newspaper said lateFriday in a report on the university’s statistics. “The dif-ference between wages in the cities and the ruralareas is the main reason behind China’s unequalwealth,” the newspaper added.

The report includes an alarmingly high Gini coeffi-cient, a measure of inequality with 0 representingtotal equality and 1 representing total inequality.Government statistics claim the figure stood at 0.47 in2012, which would put it close to the US, which hadan index figure of 0.56 in 2009, according to the WorldBank. The Peking University report puts the figure for“family households” in China in 2012 at 0.73, thePeople’s Daily said. It is unclear if the social groupsanalyzed in the report are different to those surveyedby authorities.

Since taking office as president last year, Xi Jinpinghas touted the catchphrase “Chinese dream” which,though vaguely defined, is meant to encourage unity,national rejuvenation and pride. — AFP

FTSE edges down ahead of growth data, RBS soars

MADRID: A family walk in the staircase of the occupied building Jaramillo Corrala in Sanlucar de Barrameda,near Cadiz. Some 80 families affected by evictions and unemployment now occupy six buildings dubbed ‘Lascorralas of Dignidad’, ‘Courtyards of Dignity’, in Sanlucar de Barrameda in southern Spain echoing the move-ment of the ‘courtyard of Utopia’ in Seville, a building symbol of a nationwide crisis where evictions of indebt-ed families have increased since 2008 following the explosion of the housing bubble. — AFP

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

MEXICO CITY: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) shakes hands withMexican President Enrique Pena Nieto during a meeting with Japanese busi-nessmen at the Industrials Club in Mexico City on Friday. —AFP

A sign is posted on a wall at the Argentine Economy Ministry reading in Spanish "Together we will fight against the loan shark vul-tures", referring to an unresolved dispute over $1.5 billion in unpaid debts after its record $100 billion default in 2001, known locallyas ‘vulture funds’, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, July 25, 2014. Argentina will default for the second time in 13 years if it cannotreach a deal with the US hedge funds before July 30.—AP

DOHA: The Commercial Bank of QatarQSC. (“Commercial Bank” or “the Bank”)and its subsidiaries and associates(together “the Group”) announced yester-day its financial results for the six monthsto 30 June 2014. The Bank delivered a netprofit of QAR 1,051 million for the first halfof 2014, a 3 percent increase in profitabili-ty compared to the first half of 2013.

Key financial highlights * Net Operating income up25 percent

to QAR 1,995 million * Net profit up 3 percent to QAR 1,051

million * Total assets up 32 percent to QAR

112.4 billion* Customer loans and advances up 33

percent at QAR 69.4 billion* Customers’ deposits up 28 percent to

QAR 59.8 billion * Successful $750 million EMTN

issuance in June 2014 * Earnings per share of QAR 3.45Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali bin Jabor Al-

Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directorsof Commercial Bank said, “Qatar’s econo-

my has seen significant local demanddrive forecast annual GDP figures up to6.3 percent from 4.6 percent for 2014.Growth is being driven by the govern-ment’s expenditure on infrastructure todeliver Qatar’s National Vision as well asthe positive performance of growth mar-kets in the private sector. The Group alsocontinues to benefit from the buoyantmarket conditions in our operations inTurkey, the UAE and Oman. CommercialBank’s first half performance gives us con-fidence for our full year performance.”

Financial performanceHussain Alfardan, Commercial Bank’s

Vice Chairman and Managing Director,added, “Our continued investment in thebusiness has seen a strong set of half yearresults for Commercial Bank. We havedelivered good growth in our profitabilitywith a 3 percent increase in our half yearperformance to QAR 1,051 million.”

Net operating income increased by25percent to QAR1,995 million in the firsthalf of 2014, up from QAR 1,598 millionachieved in the same period in

2013.ABank delivered net operatingincome of QAR434 million for the first halfof 2014.

Net interest income was QAR 1,273million for the half-year ended 30 June2014, 39 percent higher than in the sameperiod in 2013, reflecting strong growthin lending activities and the consolida-tion of ABank. ABank contributed QAR305 million, 24 percent of the total netinterest income. Net interest marginincreased to 2.7 percent as compared tothe first quarter of 2014 at 2.6 percent.

Non-interest income was up5.6 per-cent to QAR722 million in the first half of2014 compared with QAR 684 million forthe same period in 2013 with ABank con-tributing QAR128 million. The overallincrease in non-interest income was dueto higher net fee and commissionincome and was partially offset by lowerincome from investments securities.

Total operating expenses were up65percent to QAR828 million in the first halfof 2014 compared with QAR 503 millionfor the same period in 2013.ExcludingABank, expenses increased by 11.6 per-

cent for the first half of 2014 compared tothe same period in 2013 as CommercialBank continued to invest in its peopleand infrastructure.

The Bank’s net provisions for loansand advances were QAR 257 million forthe six months ended 30 June 2014, upfrom QAR 194 million provided in thesame period for 2013. The non-perform-ing loan ratio has increased to 3.82 per-cent at 30 June 2014 compared with 3.55percent at the end of March 2014and thecoverage ratio has increased to 67.3 per-cent as at June 2014 compared to 65.2percent in March 2014.

ProvisionsImpairment provisions on the Bank’s

investment portfolio increased to QAR29 million for the half year ended 30June 2014 compared with QAR 21millionfor the same period in 2013.

Commercial Bank delivered strongbalance sheet growth at the end of thefirst half of 2014 increasing by 31.5 per-cent with total assets at QAR 112.4 bil-lion, which includes QAR 18.8 billion of

assets from ABank, compared to QAR85.4 bill ion at the same period in2013.Balance sheet growth was drivenmainly by an increase of QAR 17.4 billionin lending to customers combined withan increase of QAR 4.1 bill ion inInvestment securities.

Loans and advances to customerswere up by 33 percent to QAR 69.4 bil-lion at 30 June 2014 compared with QAR52 billion at the end of June 2013, andup by 4 percent from QAR 66.9 billion at31 December 2013. The growth in lend-ing since 30 June 2013 has been gener-ated, mainly, in the Government,Industry and Real Estate Sectors.Loansand advances to customers of QAR 12.6billion at ABank were included at 30June 2014.

Investment securities were up by 37.5percent to QAR 14.9 billion at 30 June2014 compared with QAR 10.8 billion atthe end of June 2013. The growth ininvestment securities is mainly in QARbonds issued by QCB.Investment securi-ties of QAR 2.7 billion at ABank wereincluded at 30 June 2014.

Commercial Bank of Qatar increases half year profit by 3%

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina looks set to defaulton its debt for the second time in 12 years nextThursday as negotiations with “holdout”investors seemingly go nowhere and neither sideshows signs of blinking first, though a lastminute deal can’t be discounted.

Latin America’s No. 3 economy has for yearsfought the holdout hedge funds which snappedup its junk bonds after its $100 billion default in2002 and then refused the restructuring terms,suing for repayment in full. But time is up. After aslew of legal setbacks for Argentina in US courts,the country has just days to comply with a 2012ruling by US District Judge Thomas Griesa to pay$1.33 billion plus interest to the funds it calls “vul-tures.”

If the deadlock persists, Griesa will preventArgentina from making a July 30 deadline for acoupon payment on exchanged bonds, trigger-ing a new default just as the economy struggleswith recession, dwindling reserves and soaringinflation. “The outcome is still uncertain, with justdays before a technical default is triggered,” saidanalyst Mauro Roca of Goldman Sachs. “A dealnow seems unlikely.”

Unlike Argentina’s 2001-2 debt crisis when itwas broke and could not pay its civil servants,this time around the country is solvent but pre-vented by Griesa from servicing its bonds untilthe battle with the holdouts is resolved.Argentina’s combative stance has upped theodds of a default. Efforts to find a solutionthrough a mediator have made scant progress,with one of the lead holdouts saying the govern-ment had made clear “it will be choosing default”.

Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernandez, hasnot minced words, branding the holdouts extor-tionists and lambasting the judge for a ruling shesays is unjust.

The government argues a deal with the hold-outs would leave it at risk of breaking the so-called RUFO clause which bars it from voluntarilyoffering better terms to investors than what itgave in the bond swaps accepted by 92.4 per-cent of creditors. RUFO stands for “rights uponfuture offers.”

With the RUFO clause set to expire on Dec. 31,Argentina wants a stay on Griesa’s ruling to allownegotiations without risking claims fromexchange bondholders that the governmentestimates could hit $400 billion. So far, the judgehas refused.

Messy or clean A high-stakes game of poker is playing out.

Griesa’s ruling prohibits Argentina from servic-ing its restructured debt until it settles withthe holdouts. I f neither s ide f l inches,Argentina will default as of July 31. Althoughit will have sufficient finances to service its for-eign currency restructured debt, worth $35billion, it will be unable to get payments tocreditors outside Argentina.

A default won’t send shockwaves throughthe global economy: Argentina is already iso-lated from international capital markets. Howmuch pain it causes at home will depend onhow quickly Argentina can extricate itself fromthe mess.

That will largely be determined by whetherArgentina persuades bondholders it is readyto negotiate a swift settlement after the Dec.31 expiration of the RUFO clause. If it can,there is less chance of a so-called “accelera-tion” demand by bondholders for early pay-ment. Bondholders might then simply have towait a few months for their payments.

In this scenario, Argentina’s banishmentfrom global markets would remain and bor-rowing costs for Argentine companies andprovinces would rise. “We’d likely see higheryields, which is bad for the investment envi-ronment, and a default could spark some capi-tal outflows which would start putting a strainon the currency again,” said David Rees atLondon-based Capital Economics.

That would l ikely push Argentines toincrease their dollar holdings, weakening apeso already down 20 percent so far this yearon the official rate and putting more pressureon foreign reserves that are at five months’import cover.

Siobhan Morden, head of Latin Americastrategy at Jefferies in New York, said therewas the “risk of worse stagflation”. Inflation isprivately estimated at above 30 percent.

Farmers in the world ’s No 3 soybeanexporter say they will hoard the oilseed in theevent of a default, potentially pushing globalfood prices higher in the short run.

However, if more than 25 percent of hold-ers of exchanged bonds call on Argentina to“accelerate” the payments, the country willbecome mired in a far messier default that willtake longer to clean up.

Argentina could restruc ture i ts bondsunder local legislation to circumvent the UScourt ruling, though this is seen as unlikely,analysts say. Alternatively, it could offer a newbond swap, still under foreign legislations - a

scenario that would likely have to includeholdouts if Argentina ever hopes to tap inter-national markets again.

In the interim, financial pressure wouldgrow as debt servicing costs more than dou-ble in 2015 and reserves fall to critically lowlevels. “If this stretches into next year whenyou have a $6 bi l l ion maturity on theBoden15s .. . that becomes problematic tofinance,” said Stuart Culverhouse, head ofresearch at Exotix, a frontier markets broker inLondon.

Culverhouse est imated that reser ves,already at eight-year lows of about $29 billion,could sink to about $10 billion. “That’s wherethey were in 2001 at one point. It’s a bad placeto be.”

Deal remote, still no panaceaAnalysts said Argentina could still pull a rab-

bit out the hat. Griesa could still suspend hisrul ing to aver t a default - a scenario hedescribed as “the worse thing I can envision”.

Holdouts would need to request the stayand would likely ask Argentina for a guarantee,possibly financial, it would negotiate fromJanuary once the RUFO clause had expired.“There is probably more for plaintiffs to losethan to gain from a default,” said Alejo Costa,strategy chief at local investment bank Puente.“If Argentina defaults, they don’t know what ishappening and might have to go throughanother lengthy legal process.”

How the holdouts act may depended onhow many credit default swaps protectingthem against default they hold. They couldelect to cash in on those now and hunkerdown for an even longer legal fight, or take anegotiated deal and move on.

A stay is seen having little effect on aneconomy analysts already forecast to contractby about 1 percent. On Friday, Argentine debtnegotiators left mediator Daniel Pollack’s officeafter just one hour, pouring more cold wateron hopes for a deal, which now seems the leastlikely outcome.

Even if Argentina does pull off a deal, it willcome too late to haul the economy out ofrecession this year. “But maybe it makes for astronger growth prospect next year, if anythingbecause you’re lifting consumer confidence,you’re easing some of the exchange rate pres-sures,” said Culverhouse of Exotix. “But therewill be a delay in getting this resolved and newforeign investment.” —Reuters

Argentine default looms as time runs out for deal

Talks with investors go nowhere

SEATTLE: Shares of Amazon.com Inc fell onThursday after the e-commerce retailerreported a deeper-than-expected secondquarter loss as expenses outpaced a surgein revenue.

Amazon has long focused on spendingthe money it makes to grow and expandinto new areas. In one of its most high-pro-file moves, Amazon is introducing its ownsmartphone, the Fire, which starts sellingFriday.

The company has been heavily investingin services for its loyalty program, Prime,which costs $99 a year, and includes freetwo-day shipping on many items. It hasadded a grocery delivery services andmusic streaming for Prime Members as wellas offering original TV shows and apps. Italso expanded Sunday deliveries andrecently began offering a set-top videostreaming box.

Amazon doesn’t disclose how manyPrime members there are but it said itadded more Prime members in the secondquarter than it did in the second quarterlast year, despite the fact that it raised thecost for Prime by $20 earlier this year.

Investors are usually accepting of Amazon’sthin profit and focus on strong revenuegrowth. But not this quarter.

The Seattle-based company’s shares fell$35.17, or 9.8 percent, to $323.44 inThursday’s aftermarket trading. Amazonposted a loss of $126 million, or 27 centsper share, compared with $7 million, or 2cents per share, in the same quarter a yearearlier. The average estimate of analystssurveyed by Zacks Investment Researchwas for a loss of 13 cents per share.

The company said revenue rose 23 per-cent to $19.34 billion from $15.7 billion inthe same quarter a year earlier. Analystsexpected $19.33 billion, according to Zacks.

Looking forward, the company expectsthird-quarter revenue between $19.7 bil-lion and $21.5 billion. Analysts expect$20.81 billion, according to FactSet.

Amazon’s results come as the companyis in a public squabble with publisherHachette, reportedly over e-book prices.Amazon did not give an update about thetalks. Amazon shares have dropped 10 per-cent in 2014, while the Standard & Poor’s500 index has climbed 7.6 percent. —AP

Amazon shares fall on Q2 loss

MEXICO CITY: Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe struck a series of energy dealsFriday with Mexican President EnriquePena Nieto at the start of a five-countryLatin American tour.

Abe, whose visit to the region comes onthe heels of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s,met Pena Nieto at the presidential palacefor talks that ended with the signing of araft of deals. The new agreements includedone between Mexican state oil firm Pemexand Japan’s development bank, and anoth-er between Pemex and the Japan Oil, Gasand Metals National Corporation.

With Japan on the lookout for new pow-er sources after the Fukushima disasterforced the shutdown of its nuclear reactors,energy is high on the prime minister ’sagenda for the trip.

Mexico is undergoing sweepingchanges in its energy sector, with Congresspoised to end struggling Pemex’s 75-yearmonopoly and open up the oil and gas sec-tors to foreign investment. The two leaders,both elected in 2012, took turns praisingeach other for the reforms they have imple-mented.

Pena Nieto hailed the “bold transforma-tions” of Abe’s fiscal stimulus and monetaryeasing programs, while Abe drew parallelsbetween their leadership styles, sayingboth saw reform as a growth strategy.

Traveling with a delegation of Japaneseexecutives and his wife Akie, Abe receiveda red-carpet greeting at Mexico City airportfrom Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Meade.Pena Nieto and first lady Angelica Riverathen threw a welcome ceremony for themat the presidential palace.

Kenko Sone, an official traveling withAbe, mentioned the “special interest” of

Japanese companies in Mexico’s shale gas,though he said there were no firm invest-ment plans yet. Sone said that it would becheaper for Japan to import gas fromMexico than from the United states. TheAmerican gas Japan currently buys comesfrom the eastern United States, and must beshipped through the busy Panama Canal.

Japan is Mexico’s fourth trade partner,with total trade of $19.3 billion last year.There are some 800 Japanese companiesthat have investments in Mexico, especiallyautomobile giants like Nissan, Mazda andHonda. Abe is the first Japanese leader tovisit Mexico since Prime Minister JunichiroKoizumi in 2004.

Natural resources Abe’s nine-day trip-which will also take

him to Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia,Chile and Brazil-comes two days afterChina’s Xi wrapped up his own four-coun-try tour.

The interest of the rival powers under-lines Asia’s growing interest in the region’sfast-growing economies and vast naturalresources. Announcing Abe’s trip earlierthis month, government spokesmanYoshihide Suga said Latin American coun-tries “are increasingly important for theJapanese economy because of their grow-ing economies and natural resources.”

Japan, long one of the world’s topexporting countries, has registered twoconsecutive years of trade deficits since theMarch 2011 earthquake and tsunami trig-gered the Fukushima disaster.

With its emerging economies, LatinAmerica holds promise as a relativelyuntapped market for Japanese exports, inaddition to its coveted raw materials. —AFP

Japan PM opens LatAm tour with Mexico energy deals

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange(KSE) ended last week in the greenzone. The Price Index closed at7,130.89 points, up by 0.48 percentfrom the week before closing, theWeighted Index increased by 0.88percent after closing at 481.77points, whereas the KSX-15 Indexclosed 1,176.59 points up by 1.07percent. Furthermore, last week’saverage daily turnover decreased by31.48 percent, compared to the pre-ceding week, reaching KD12.26 mil-lion, whereas trading volume aver-age was 110.82 mil l ion shares,recording a decrease of 39.56 per-cent.

The stock market indicators wereable to close in the green zone thisweek, supported by the active pur-chasing power and the collectionoperations that included a widerange of stocks, especially the large-cap ones; worth to mention thatthe purchasing operations concen-trated on stocks of some large-capand operational listed companies,and came after the positive resultsdisclosed by such companies, whichpushed the market indices toincrease, especially the Weightedand KSX-15 indices, the mostresponding indices to such stocksactivity.

In addition, the sale for profitoperations were not absent to affectthe stock market indices perform-ance last week, despite the gains itrealized during the week as a resultto the purchasing operations thatincluded many stocks, whereasmost of the daily sessions witnessedpartial selling operations, includedsome large -cap and small-capstocks, which explains the marketindices’ fluctuation during such ses-sions.

On the other hand, the tradingindices declined during last week’s

trading compared to the precededweek, and came as a result to thecautious state lived by some traderswaiting for the listed companies dis-

closure to its half year financialresults. For the annual perform-ance, the price index ended lastweek recording 5.55 percent annual

loss compared to its closing in 2013,while the weighted index increasedby 6.38 percent, and the KSX-1510.12 percent growth.

Sectors’ indicesSeven of KSE’s sectors ended last

week in the green zone, while the

other Five recorded declines. Lastweek ’s highest gainer was theIndustrial sector, achieving 1.54 per-cent growth rate as its index closedat 1,127.11 points. Whereas, in thesecond place, the Health Care sec-tor’s index closed at 1,027.35 pointsrecording 1.45 percent increase. TheConsumer Services sector came inthird as its index achieved 1.21 per-cent growth, ending the week at1,118.60 points.

On the other hand, theTechnology sector headed the los-ers list as its index declined by 2.05percent to end the week’s activity at948.67 points. The Consumer Goodssector was second on the losers’ list,which index declined by 0.49 per-cent, closing at 1,294.68 points, fol-lowed by the Real Estate sector, asits index closed at 1,221.07 points ata loss of 0.45 percent.

Sectors’ activityThe Financial ser vices sector

dominated total trade volume dur-ing last week with 332.24 millionshares changing hands, represent-ing 59.96 percent of the total mar-ket trading volume. The Real Estatesector was second in terms of trad-ing volume as the sector’s tradedshares were 12.91 percent of lastweek’s total trading volume, with atotal of 71.52 million shares.

On the other hand, the FinancialServices sector’s stocks were thehighest traded in terms of value;with a turnover of KD 18.73 millionor 30.56 percent of last week’s totalmarket trading value. The Bankingsector took the second place as thesector’s last week turnover was KD17.19 million represented 28.05 per-cent of the total market trading val-ue. —Prepared by the Studies &Research Depar tment, BayanInvestment Co.

Renewed buying interest buoys KSEBAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

NEW YORK: Even if data next week shows amediocre rebound in US economic growth,that might be enough to keep the stock mar-ket aloft at record highs and the FederalReserve steadfast in its winding down of stim-ulus through bond purchases.

US gross domestic product for the secondquarter, due to be released Wednesday, is fore-cast to have grown 3.2 percent. Growth hadshrunk 2.9 percent in the first quarter due to aharsh winter and spending cuts tied to thefederal Affordable Care Act. Still, some lacklus-ter recent data on housing and capital spend-ing, plus a mixed bag of second-quarter earn-ings, have raised the risk that even a moderateGDP bounce may fall short of expectations.

Indeed, Friday’s disappointing report ondurable goods orders in June spurredJPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to shave theirsecond-quarter outlook by 0.1 percentagepoint to 2.6 percent and 3.0 percent growth,

respectively. While recent anxiety over conflictin Ukraine and Middle East has somewhat kepta lid on stock prices, it has not spookedinvestors enough to prompt them to dumpequities for bonds and cash.

“The market has been resilient to these set-backs. They have taken bad news in stride,”said Steve Weiting, global chief investmentstrategist with Citi Private Bank in New York.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 0.4 per-cent on Friday after closing at a record high of1987.98 on Thursday, while benchmark 10-year Treasuries yield was little changed on theweek at 2.48 percent.

There has been steady improvement on thejob front. Domestic jobless claims in the latestweek fell to their lowest since early 2006, whilemonthly jobs gains have jumped by morethan 200,000 in each of past five months, a lev-el of strength last seen in the late 1990s. Whilemore Americans have returned to work,

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told twoCongressional panels earlier this month sheremained worried about stagnant wagegrowth and a low inflation rate that is belowthe Fed’s 2 percent target.

Those concerns have supported a notionthat the Fed is in no hurry to move away fromits near-zero interest rate policy.

On Friday, US short-term interest ratefutures implied that traders priced in a 53 per-cent chance of a Fed rate hike in June 2015and a 75 percent chance of such a move amonth later. “We expect very little new infor-mation from the Fed next week. We have beengiven a clear map going into October,” Wietingsaid.

The Federal Open Market Committee, theFed’s policy-setting group, is scheduled toannounce whether it will further pare itsbond purchases - currently at $35 billion amonth - at 2:00 pm. —Reuters

Even modest GDP bounce may support market

NEW YORK: Some disappointing USearnings, including Amazon.com, andweak German economic data pres-sured world stock markets on Friday,while the euro hit an eight-monthlow against the US dollar. Amazonwas the biggest drag on the S&P 500.Its shares sank 9.6 percent to $324.01a day after the online retailer report-ed an unexpectedly big loss for thesecond quarter. Visa’s results also dis-appointed and its shares endeddown 3.6 percent at $214.77.

“The earnings season overall hasbeen in line but when companieswith rich valuations disappoint,you’re going to get crucified,” saidLawrence Glazer, managing partnerat Mayflower Advisors in Boston.Signs emerged that tensionsbetween the West and Russia arestarting to hurt confidence inGermany, Europe’s largest economyand the driver of its recovery.Germany’s Ifo survey showed a heftyfall in business confidence over thelast few weeks, prompting concernsGermany could be stuttering.

MSCI’s All-World Index was down0.4 percent, and European stocksended 0.7 percent lower. The DowJones industrial average fell 123.23points or 0.72 percent, to 16,960.57.The S&P 500 lost 9.64 points or 0.48percent, to 1,978.34, after closing atrecord highs for two straight days.

The Nasdaq Composite dropped22.54 points or 0.5 percent, to4,449.56. Goldman Sachs downgrad-ed its global allocation to equities toneutral on a short-term basisalthough the brokerage remained

overweight stocks for the longerterm. Equity markets worldwide haverallied steadily through the year, withthe MSCI All-World Index hitting arecord high in early July. By region,Goldman is overweight in Europe andJapan and underweight in the UnitedStates.

The euro was last down 0.27 per-cent against the dollar at $1.3429after falling to an eight-month low of$1.3421 on the weak German busi-ness data.

“US data has been good or betterthan expected, whereas Europeandata continues to point to a slow-down,” said Boris Schlossberg, man-aging director in FX strategy at BKAsset Management in New York.European officials are to continuetalks over plans to squeeze Russiawith further sanctions following thedowning of a Malaysia Airlines planethat killed almost 300 people.

Dollar-traded Russian stocks fell1.6 percent. Russian bonds also fell asthe country’s central bank unexpect-edly raised interest rates. USTreasuries prices jumped, with 10-year Treasuries up 11/32 to yield2.469 percent. Gold edged up asspeculators bought back bearish betsahead of the weekend. US COMEXgold futures for August delivery set-tled up $12.50 at $1,303.30 an ounce.

Brent oil prices climbed as deterio-rating relations between Russia andthe United States fanned concernsabout supply disruptions. Brent cruderose $1.32 to settle at $108.39 a barrelwhile US crude gained 2 cents to set-tle at $102.09. —Reuters

Stocks and euro pressured by German

data, US results

NEW YORK: Michael Buffer attends the closing bell at the NASDAQ MarketSite on Friday in New York City. —AFP

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

There’s nothing better than jetting off on holiday to anew destination and North America has the perfectcombination of metropolitan, quirky and laid backcities to appeal to every sort of traveller. Cruise on oneof British Airways’ ultramodern aircraft to the land

across the pond and experience a trip of a lifetime. Flying to 25destinations in North America, British Airways has the largestoffering out of all international carriers. On route, travellers cantake advantage of a stopover in London, a city that is home tosome of the UK’s most thrilling experiences.

More than half of the British Airways passengers flying fromKuwait are heading to North American destinations and with adaily flight from Kuwait International Airport including astopover in London Heathrow, passengers have the perfectopportunity to explore the British capital. The short layover givestravellers time to briefly explore the famous stores such asHarrods, and pick up something special for friends or familywaiting on the other side of the Atlantic.

For those flying either First or Club World to North Americawho prefer to relax while in London, the Elemis travel spas avail-able in select lounges in Heathrow’s T5 provide a chance to restand rejuvenate before boarding the transatlantic flight. Whethera ‘shoulder to scalp’ massage to relieve stress, a facial to combatthe dehydrating effects of being in the air, or a warming foot

massage to ease travelling aches and pains, each fifteen minutesession is specially geared towards pampering passengers to thehighest degree. All the comfortable First and Business loungesalso offer complimentary food, drinks and WiFi, making them theperfect pit stop before boarding onto the final leg of a journey.

The Land of Opportunity, the Melting Pot, the Land of Milkand Honey; the US has many nicknames all representing differ-ent parts of its vastly diverse cultures and traditions. New Yorkon the East coast is home to some of the world’s most impres-sive museums and galleries, unsurpassable shopping experi-ences and fantastic restaurants. It’s ideal for the chic, urban trav-eller who wants to experience the heartbeat of the city, whichattracts millions ever year. With Central Park located in the mid-dle of bustling Manhattan, New York is a city that is best experi-enced by foot. For those looking for glitz and glamour, BritishAirways offers a direct Airbus A380 flight from London to LosAngeles in sunny California, where Hollywood and the home ofmovies awaits. Arriving on this comfortable aircraft is the perfectway to start your stay in the sprawling west coast haven thatoffers both lazy beach days and entertainment galore. LosAngeles gets over 200 days of sunshine every year, and theentertainment capital of the world offers everything from artexhibitions to celebrity-spotting all with a cool Pacific breeze,providing the perfect prerequisites for creating everlastingmemories.

Music fans must not miss out on Austin, the self-proclaimedlive music capital of the world. Austin has more music venuesper capita than any other US city and an impressive theatre cul-ture, both of which contribute to the relaxed and eccentric vibeof the Texan state capital. British Airways recently became thefirst airline to operate direct flights from Europe to Austin’sBergstrom International airport when the Boeing 787Dreamliner was launched on the London to Austin route inMarch 2014.

For those who love a holiday off the beaten track,Albuquerque in New Mexico is a must visit destination. BritishAirways has daily flights from London - with a stopover inChicago or Dallas -to the dry, sunny city that is the home of cultseries Breaking Bad. In addition to guided tours of the filminglocations, visitors can enjoy luxury spas, golf courses and adreamy hot air balloon festival.

Fantastic destinationsIt is not only the US that offers fantastic destinations for

British Airways travellers. Its northern neighbor Canada is hometo exquisite cities that are well worth a visit. British Airways fliesdirect daily from London Heathrow to four of the most vibrantdestinations in the country. French-speaking Montreal in theprovince of Quebec is not only the second largest city in thecountry but also the eighth largest in all of North America. Thismulticultural metropolis has an old world charm that keeps visi-tors coming back time and time again. A dream for the culturebuff, Montreal has everything from an Olympic Stadium to theMontreal Biosphere, a futuristic dome-shaped environmentalmuseum made entirely from steel and transparent acrylic. If thecamera runs out of battery, there’s always the opportunity toexperience a live hockey game or catch the F1 Canadian GrandPrix.

The coastal city of Vancouver is a popular tourism destina-tion, and the big film production studios located in the city haveearned it the nickname Hollywood North. Calgary is located onthe inland prairies of Canada, and settlements in the area dateback several thousand years, making it a destination rich in his-tory. Toronto is perhaps one of the most famous places inCanada, with its sprawling skyline defined by the CN tower,which at its height of 553 metres was the tallest freestandingstructure in the world until the Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai in2010.

“We pride ourselves on offering the ‘best of British hospitality’by providing a smooth, discreet, attentive and seamless servicefrom start to finish to all our passengers.” says Paolo De Renzis,British Airways’ Commercial Manager for the Middle East andCentral Asia.

“As so many of our customers from Kuwait fly to NorthAmerican destinations after stopping over in London, our dailymorning departure time from Kuwaitat8.25ammeans that cus-tomers who are travelling to New York for example, arrive in thelate afternoon allowing them to enjoy the rest of the evening inthe city.” adds Paolo De Renzis.

A full timetable of British Airways’ flights is available online atba.com, where customers can find the lowest fares and book,pay and check-in online for their flights.

Enjoy a North American holiday

thanks to British Airways The Land of Opportunity, the Melting Pot, the Land of Milk and Honey; the US has many

nicknames all representing different parts of its vastly diverse cultures and traditions

B U S I N E S SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

KUWAIT: Zain Group, a pioneer of mobile commu-nications in eight markets in the Middle East andAfrica, has today detailed a range of humanitarianactivities it has and continues to undertaketowards bettering the conditions of beleagueredPalestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

At a Group level, Zain in close coordination withits operation in Jordan has pledged a much-need-ed amount of half a million US dollar that will beput towards alleviating some of the misery beingfelt by inhabitants in Gaza, with the amount ear-marked for food and medical supplies for theneedy.

So moved by the human suffering taking placein Gaza, other operational entities within the ZainGroup have also been inspired to organize theirown humanitarian support including complimen-tary communication services to contact loved onesas well as fundraising efforts and campaigns tosupply much needed financial and materialresources to the people of Gaza.

Zain Kuwait is offering free calls, SMS toPalestine for a week starting Saturday 26 July anduntil Saturday 2 August. In addition it is providingan opportunity for customers to donate by sendingan empty text message or any text to 99997whereby one Kuwaiti Dinar goes fully to humani-tarian aid to the people of Gaza.

On the ground, Zain Jordan due to its proximityto Gaza is supporting Zain Group’s efforts in han-dling all the logistic in distributing the much need-ed supplies. The relief will be distributed withthrough a local charitable organization and otherrelief agencies working on the ground in Gaza.

Zain Bahrain organized an employee fundrais-ing campaign and the company has pledged tomatch the amount raised by employees anddonate an additional amount towards the plight ofPalestinians in Gaza through the Royal CharityOrganization and will offer 50 percent discount oncalls to Palestine until the third day of Eid.

Meanwhile, Zain Sudan has to date donated inthe vicinity of US$20,000 for food and medical sup-plies to Gaza and designated the number 5110 forcustomers wishing to donate further amounts. Afurther fundraising campaign has also been estab-lished involving Zain Group employees, and a fur-ther substantial cash amount is expected from thisexercise.

These activities are reflective of Zain Group’sintense sense of corporate social responsibility andits tireless efforts to improve the lives of the peoplein the markets in which it operates; its region; andthe wider world. Furthermore and inspirational isthe participation in these humanitarian efforts andfund raisers by individual Zain personnel, who havefelt a deep sympathy of the conditions underwhich Palestinians in Gaza are currently livingunder.

Zain Group CEO, Scott Gegenheimer said, “Whatis happening in Gaza is of grave concern to theregion, and ought to be for the world. Ourthoughts and prayers go out to the inhabitantsthere, and we hope there will be a quick resolutionto the conflict.”

Gegenheimer continued, “Zain is committed tothe people of the Middle East region, and throughour primary commercial activities as well as oursocial engagements, we look to build the basis onwhich societies can develop and prosper. We willcontinue to support humanitarian efforts to ease

the plight of people in Gaza as we would do anycommunity in our region facing similar difficulties.”

Zain Kuwait CEO, Omar Al Omar said: “ZainKuwait’s initiative in coordination with the Groupcame to show our full support to the Palestinianpeople and to ease communication betweenPalestinians residing in Kuwait and their loved onesin Gaza during the harsh circumstances they arefacing”.

Al Omar added: “Zain’s CSR initiatives alwaysspring out of the company’s belief in being part ofthe communities it operates in. A big part of ourCSR strategy focuses on the wellbeing of individu-als, and offering this initiative reconfirms Zain’scommitment of utilizing vital telecommunicationsto provide an important human service.”

Al Omar stressed that Zain believes in trans-parency and accountability in the activities itundertakes, be they corporate or social, and areflection of this is the company’s swift and effec-tive response to current events in which people arein most need of being in touch with those theycare about.

Zain Kuwait offers unlimited free calls, SMS, MMS to GazaZain Group pledges half million dollar in Gaza aid

Zain Group CEO, Scott Gegenheimer Zain Kuwait CEO, Omar Al-Omar

KUWAIT: Mohamad Naser Al-Sayer & SonsCo. held the first draw to select the win-ners for “Summer is cool with Yokohama”promotion at the Yokohama Center inCanada Dry, on 20 July 2014. The event wasattended by Abdul Aziz Ishkenani -Representative from the Ministry ofCommerce & Industry - for Consumer pro-tection affairs, Krishna Kumar - GM Al-SayerTires, Oil, Paints, Inderpal Singh - SeniorManager, Tire Sales from Al-SayerYokohama and Mohammad Amin Nasimi -Manager Aftersales Marketing.

The Yokohama Tires promotion cam-paign commenced on the 15th of June andwill run for 3 months ending on 14thSeptember 2014. During the promotionperiod for every KD 40 spent on purchasingYokohama tires from the authorized partici-pating outlets, customers qualify to enterthe draw and get a chance to win goldcoins . All Al-Sayer Yokoama tires outletswill be running this promotion along with20 other tire shops located around Kuwaitat Shuwaikh, Jahra, Fahaheel, Sharq, Alraiand Ahmadi.

The success of Yokohama promotions isbacked by the high quality and durabilityof Yokohama tires. They are designed withsuperior Japanese technology resulting in asafe, stable and almost salient drive at alltimes. Yokohama is protected against the

extreme summer heat and remains coolthroughout the season.

In the first raffle draw, 33 gold coins aredistributed among 10 winners. The firstwinner of the draw is awarded 10 goldcoins while the second winner gets 5, thethird winner gets 4 and the rest of the win-ners get 2 gold coins each. List of winnersof the first draw of the Yokohama “Summeris cool with Yokohama” promotion are:

1st - Ibrahim Mohamed Al Ajmi2nd - Liokul Thoturalith3rd - Bader Eissa Hilal4th - Bngang5th - Abdullah Farhan Al Enezi6th - Rahaf Faisal Mubarak Al Azmi7th - Faheed Daif Al Ajmi8th - Salem Eid Mohamed Al Rawai9th - Souod Mater Homoud Al Azmi10th - Ahmad Nabil Al Manaai

Al-Sayer Group hereby congratulates allthe winners from the first draw. The 2remaining draws of this summer promotionwill be conducted during the months ofAugust and September respectively.

Yokohama Tires ‘SummerPromotion’ Selects 10 winners

from the first raffle draw in July

KUWAIT: Italian luxury car manufacturer Maseraticontinues its global expansion strategy andreports that sales in the Middle East and Africaregion have increased by 152 percent in the firsthalf of 2014 compared to last year’s result of thesame period. In fact, the result of the first sixmonths of 2014 exceeds the sales of 2013 overall.Globally, Maserati aims to achieve an annual salesvolume of 50,000 units over the coming years, pri-marily through new products and entering newmarkets.

The most successful model of the first half isthe new Maserati Ghibli, which was launched earli-er in the year and received a very warm welcomeby customers wanting to realize their dream ofowning a Maserati.

Maserati’s flagship, the Quattroporte, grew by afurther 79 percent following its introduction in2013, driven largely by the UAE and Saudi Arabia.The introduction of a further engine variant, a 330hp V6, is expected in the third quarter of this year.

At the same time, the legendary GranTurismoand GranCabrio will experience a revival with thearrival of the limited Centennial Edition. The fur-

ther development of its network infrastructure,including a new showroom in Lebanon amongothers, allows Maserati to be closer to its exclusiveclientele in the region.

“The MEA region and the emerging markets ingeneral allow us to grow while maintaining ourexclusivity in the existing markets. With the newQuattroporte and Ghibli we have a very strongproduct portfolio complementing theGranTurismo and GranCabrio. Over the comingyears we look forward to a new introduction in theSUV segment and the Maserati Alfieri, which wasfirst presented at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show,”explains Umberto Cini, Managing Director ofMaserati Global Overseas Markets.

Maserati celebrates its centennial this year - anauspicious occasion as Maserati is at a turningpoint in its history. The luxury brand celebrates itscentenary with an event at its headquarters inModena, Italy, in September for which thousandsof Maserati fans and owners from around theworld will gather for a succession of races, exhibi-tions, parades, visits to the two Maserati factoriesand a concours d’elegance.

One of the world’s leading retail jew-eller, Malabar Gold & Diamonds wasselected for this year’s ‘Regional

retail chain award” at the Retail JewellerIndia Awards- 2014. HRD Antwerp CEOSerge Couvreur gave away the award toMalabar Group Chairman M.P. Ahammed ata grand function in Mumbai, India on July19.

The exclusive brands of Malabar Gold &Diamonds: Mine - Diamonds Unlimited, Era- Uncut Diamond Jewellery, Precia -Precious Gem Jewellery, Divine - IndianHeritage Jewellery, Ethnix - Handcrafteddesigner Jewellery and Starlet - Kids’Jewellery have set trends in fashion worldas well as the jewellery industry. Apart from

gold and diamonds, the jeweller is alsofamed for an impressive stock of platinumjewellery.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds’ value-addedservices include lifelong free maintenanceand buyback guarantee for all its orna-ments.

Apart from being a successful corporateentity, Malabar Group earmarks a distinctshare of its profit for medical aid, housingcharity, woman empowerment, educationand environment conservation as part ofCorporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is amongstthe most trusted jewellery brands with 116retail outlets across GCC, India andSingapore.

Al-Zayani: Maserati exceeds2013 MEA sales in H1 of 2014

Regional Retail Chain of the year 2014 award for

Malabar Gold & Diamonds

WASHINGTON: Moody’s on Friday raised thedebt rating of Portugal one notch to Ba1 andsaid it had a stable outlook, despite troublesat a major banking group. Moody’s cited thePortuguese government’s “comfortable liq-uidity position, with regained access to thepublic debt markets and sizeable cashbuffers” as a factor in making the upgrade.

The rating firm said it expected that thecountry’s fiscal consolidation would remainon track despite unfavorable rulings byPortugal’s constitutional court. “This shouldsupport a gradual reduction in the very highpublic debt burden in the coming years,” itsaid in a statement.

“The first driver behind the upgrade isMoody’s view of the government’s strongcommitment to fiscal consolidation, despite

repeated setbacks stemming from theadverse rulings of the country’s constitution-al court.” In May, Portugal’s constitutionalcourt rejected austerity measures included inLisbon’s 2014 budget as part of the center-right government’s ongoing cutbacks, as ithopes to reduce its deficit to four percent ofgross domestic product (GDP).

Portugal exited a three-year internationalbailout program in May, after receiving 78bil l ion euros ($106 bil l ion) from theEuropean Union and the InternationalMonetary Fund in exchange for a series ofstringent reforms.

Moody ’s noted that the governmentalready has announced measures to “com-pensate” for the court ’s adverse rulings.Moody’s, which had lifted Portugal’s rating

by one notch in May, highlighted that thecountry’s public debt ratio stands at around120 percent of gross domestic product, “avery high debt burden that severely restricts”Portugal’s room for fiscal maneuver.

“Moody’s does not expect that the currentuncertainties surrounding Banco EspiritoSanto will have a material impact on the gov-ernment’s balance sheet,” it added. BancoEspirito Santo, the biggest in Portugal bycapitalization, has been hit by suspicion thatthe bank’s main holding company coveredup a 1.3 billion euro ($1.7 billion) hole in theaccounts.

The crisis surrounding BES has renewedconcern that Portugal’s banks remain vulner-able after the country emerged from itsbailout in May. — AFP

Moody’s upgrades Portugal’s debt rating by a notch

Umberto Cini, Managing Director, MaseratiGlobal Overseas Markets

t e c hnolo g ySUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO: Personal data including textmessages, contact lists and photos can beextracted from iPhones through previouslyunpublicized techniques by Apple Inc employ-ees, the company acknowledged this week.

The same techniques to circumvent backupencryption could be used by law enforcementor others with access to the “trusted” computersto which the devices have been connected,according to the security expert who promptedApple’s admission.

In a conference presentation this week,researcher Jonathan Zdziarski showed howthe services take a surprising amount ofdata for what Apple now says are diag-nostic services meant to help engineers.Users are not notified that the servicesare running and cannot disable them,Zdziarski said. There is no way for iPhoneusers to know what computers have previ-ously been granted trusted status via thebackup process or block future connections.

“There’s no way to ‘unpair’ except to wipeyour phone,” he said in a video demonstrationhe posted Friday showing what he could extractfrom an unlocked phone through a trustedcomputer.

As word spread about Zdziarski’s initial pres-

entation at the Hackers on Planet Earth confer-ence, some cited it as evidence of Apple collab-oration with the National Security Agency.

Apple denied creating any “back doors” forintelligence agencies. “We have designed iOSso that its diagnostic functions do notcompromise user privacy andsecurity, but still providesneeded informa-tion to

enterprise IT departments, developers andApple for trou-

bleshootingtechni-

cal

issues,”Apple said. “A

user must haveunlocked their device

and agreed to trust anothercomputer before that computer is

able to access this limited diagnosticdata.”But Apple also posted its first descriptions of

the tools on its own website, and Zdziarski andothers who spoke with the company said theyexpected it to make at least some changes tothe programs in the future. Zdziarski said he did

not believe that the services were aimed atspies. But he said that they extracted muchmore information than was needed, with too lit-tle disclosure.

Security industry analyst Rich Mogull saidZdziarski’s work was overhyped but technically

accurate. “They are collecting more than theyshould be, and the only way to get it is tocompromise security,” said Mogull, chiefexecutive officer of Securosis.

Mogull also agreed with Zdziarski thatsince the tools exist, law enforcement will

use them in cases where the desktop com-puters of targeted individuals can be confiscat-ed, hacked or reached via their employers.“They’ll take advantage of every legal tool thatthey have and maybe more,” Mogull said ofgovernment investigators. Asked if Apple hadused the tools to fulfill law enforcementrequests, Apple did not immediately respond.For all the attention to the previously unknowntools and other occasional bugs, Apple’sphones are widely considered more securethan those using Google Inc’s rival Androidoperating system, in part because Google doesnot have the power to send software fixesdirectly to those devices. — Reuters

Apple iPhones allow extraction ofdeep personal data, text messages

DUESSELDORF: Uber, whose smartphoneapp summons rides at the touch of a but-ton, won a new lease of life in the Germancity of Hamburg on Friday when a courtsuspended a ban imposed by local regula-tors. Hamburg traffic authorities told Uberearlier this week to stop operating in thenorthern port city on the grounds that itsdrivers lacked passenger transport licenses,one of a number of challenges to the SanFrancisco-based company from regulatorsand traditional taxi services across theglobe. Uber retaliated with a complaintagainst the ban and a Hamburg court onFriday allowed it to continue operationswhile the court deliberates on the merits ofthe case.

The process could take several weeksand may still result in a ban, a courtspokesman said. Uber said in a statementon Friday it welcomed the court’s decision.

Uber Technologies Inc, valued at $18.2

billion just four years since its 2010launch, calls itself a platform connectingprivate car owners with people seeking aride, not a commercial car service. UberPop customers order and pay for ridesusing its smartphone application insteadof having to hail one on the street. Theservice has touched a raw nerve by threat-ening to open up a traditionally tightlycontrolled and licensed market.

Uber and similar companies have facedlawsuits from taxi companies hoping tokeep out the competition in Chicago, SanFrancisco and Washington, DC. Taxi driv-ers last month created traffic chaos inLondon and Paris when they protestedagainst the app, and South Korea’s capitalSeoul came out this week saying it want-ed to impose a ban. German dailySueddeutsche Zeitung daily said onFriday Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich arealso considering a ban. — Reuters

Ride app Uber getsrespite in German city of Hamburg

SAN FRANCISCO: Audio technology veteran Bose Corporation on Fridaysued Beats Electronics over patented technology for canceling noise inearphones.

The suit filed in federal court in the US state of Delaware pits the 50-year-old firm against an Internet Age youngster being bought by Apple ina deal valued at $3 billion.

“Bose brings this action against Beats to protect its valuable patentedtechnology for noise-canceling headphones,” lawyers for the company saidin a copy of the suit obtained by AFP.

Attorneys said they had also filed a complaint with the US InternationalTrade Commission, which has the power to block imports of headsetsfound to infringe on patented technology.

Bose accused Beats of infringing on five of its patents for cutting outunwanted noise in headphones, particularly by cancelling it out with othersound waves.

The technology is referred to as active noise reduction. “Beats hasdesigned the infringing noise canceling functionality to be used automati-cally when a user is listening to music, and Beats instructs users on how toimplement noise canceling functionality when a user only desires noisereduction,” the lawsuit maintained.

Bose called on the court to order Beats to stop using the patented tech-nology and to pay unspecified damages. The suit comes at a time whenBeats is being bought by a technology titan well experience in patent liti-gation.

Apple has been waging battles in courts around the world withSamsung over patented technology in iPhones and iPads.

Apple in May said it is buying Beats Music and Beats Electronics in amuch-hyped deal worth $3 billion. The acquisition has yet to close. Buying

Beats was expected to help Cupertino, California-based Apple, a pioneerin digital music with its wildly popular iTunes platform, ramp up its effortsto counter successful models of streaming services like Pandora, Spotifyand others.

The deal for the maker of high-end audio equipment and operator of asubscription streaming music service is Apple’s largest acquisition ever.

It calls for Beats co-founders Dr. Dre, a Grammy-winning hip-hop pio-neer, and Jimmy Iovine, a veteran music executive, to join the Californiacompany.

Since launching five years ago, Beats has become a popular brand foraudio equipment and has attracted the likes of Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne andNicki Minaj, who have designed their own customized Beats headphonesand speakers. Fashion designers and street artists such as Alexander Wang,Futura and Snarkitecture have collaborated on some products.

The deal, which has been rumored for weeks, is subject to regulatoryapprovals and is expected to be completed later this year. Beats wasreported to have claimed 60 percent of the billion dollars spent on top-end earphones in the US last year. -— AFP

Bose sues Beats over headphone patents

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon.com Inc’s messageto investors has always been clear: trust infounder and CEO Jeff Bezos. But after morethan a year of mostly disappointing quarterlyresults, that faith is being tested. Some on WallStreet wonder if Amazon may have bitten offmore than it can chew. After an unusually busyfirst half of the year that saw the online retailerspend on developing everything from mobilephones and Hollywood-style production togrocery deliveries, investors are ready to see itcurtail its ambitions and start delivering sus-tainable profits.

Or at least offer evidence that Bezos’ ever-increasing investments are going to soon gen-erate appealing returns for its main onlineretailing business. “It does get frustrating whenthey continue to spend quarter after quarterand they don’t let the revenue flow through,”said Michael Scanlon, who manages $3.5 billionat Manulife Asset Management and holdsshares of Amazon. “I’m definitely ready for prof-its.” Others argue that easing off on the throttlenow may thwart its goal of becoming the Wal-Mart of online retail. That is particularly the caseas China’s Alibaba - which handles more ecom-merce than Amazon and eBay Inc combined -slowly develops a US consumer presence andprepares for an initial public offering in the US.

BIG SELLING POINTBezos insists on taking the long view. In his

letter to shareholders last year, he responded tocriticism about spending by saying investing ina “just-in-time fashion would be too clever byhalf.” Its increasing share of the retail dollar isstill a big selling point for investors. “You have totake a long-term perspective and you have tobuy in that you’re going to see solid toplinegrowth,” said Needham & Co analyst Kerry Rice.

But that market share grab comes at a pricea price that was highlighted in its second-quar-ter results issued on Thursday. Amazon report-ed its largest quarterly loss since 2012 as oper-ating expenses rose 24 percent, led by a 40 per-cent surge in spending on technology and con-tent. Its shares fell 9.6 percent on Friday, wipingout about $16 billion of value. The company hasnow fallen short of Wall Street’s earnings expec-tations in seven of the past nine quarters.

Perhaps worse, it predicted an operating lossof up to $810 million for the current third quar-ter, the biggest quarter-on-quarter reversal inprofitability since 2003, B. Riley analysts esti-mated. Included is $410 million in stock-basedcompensation in the third quarter, but exclud-ed are “acquisitions, investments, restructur-ings.” Investors say they are concerned aboutnot only Amazon spending every dollar thatcomes in the door but also the lack of disclo-sure about where it is being spent.

“Most companies with the kind of gross rev-

enue Amazon has are not posting these kind oflosses,” said Michael Yoshikami, CEO ofDestination Wealth Management, which sold itsstake in Amazon last year. “You’ve got to givemore information to justify faith in the name.”But Amazon has always kept its data close, evenbasic details such as how many Kindle tablets ithas sold or the precise number of subscribers toits Amazon Prime free shipping and media serv-ice, citing competitive reasons. Scanlon saidthat greater disclosure “would help you dothings like measure return on investments. Youcan start to get your arms around more whatthe duration of the spending will be.”

TOUGH TO SWALLOWTwo areas that have proven hard for some

to swallow are a panoply of new devices basedon a heavily modified and less-established ver-sion of Google’s Android, and Amazon’s moveinto program production. This week, Amazonlaunched the $649 Fire Phone, but it failed toimpress reviewers. The phone joins a Firestreaming box and a line of tablets and e-read-ers - most sold at prices close to their cost toproduce and get to market - in its drive to gal-vanize sales of digital books and media.Amazon’s foray into TV - from “Alpha House”starring John Goodman to just-announced kidsshow “Annedroids” - has never garneredNetflix-like acclaim. Yet it intends to devotemore than $100 million to original video con-tent this quarter.

“There’s a lot of stuff they’re doing that’squestionable,” said S&P Capital IQ analyst TunaAmobi, who has a “sell” rating on Amazon, refer-ring in particular to Amazon’s content and hard-ware endeavors. Investors might be soothed ifAmazon did a share buyback, Scanlon said,adding it was unlikely. While Amazon has morethan $5 billion of cash and cash equivalents asof June, analysts say there’s little percentage inAmazon buying its own shares, given their loftyvaluation even after a slump this year. Someassessments tag Amazon’s shares with a highly-overvalued warning sign.

According to Thomson Reuters StarMine,Amazon’s shares carry an intrinsic worth of$36.37 - or about a tenth of its current price -making the stock one of the most overvaluednames in its universe of more than 4,000 UScompanies. StarMine calculates its intrinsic val-ue figure using growth expectations for thecoming decade, and it suggests that at its cur-rent price, investors are discounting a muchfaster growth rate than Amazon could hope toachieve in coming years. B Riley, which down-graded Amazon to neutral from buy on Friday,argued it was hard to justify its valuation given“compromised cash flows.” “There’s nothingwrong with spending to diversify your busi-ness, but it has to be a focused manner asopposed to throwing spaghetti on the wall andseeing what sticks,” Amobi said. “They’re a pub-lic company, they need some sensitivity” toshareholders. — Reuters

Amazon’s far-reaching ambitions, lack of profits, unnerve investors

CALIFORNIA: An AT&T worker holds the new Amazon Fire phone at an AT&T store on July 25,2014 in San Francisco, California. Amazon’s Fire phone went on sale yesterday at AT&T storesfor $199 with a two-year AT&T contract or $649 without a contract. — AFP

CALIFORNIA: An AT&T worker demonstrates Firefly scanning software on the newAmazon Fire phone at an AT&T store in San Francisco, California. — AFP

LOS ANGELES: The state of Florida hassued Digital Domain Florida and its topexecutives, claiming the visual effects firmcheated taxpayers out of $82 million. Thestate claims that John Textor, a Floridanative “turned wannabe Hollywood moviemogul,” was the point man on what itcalled a “de facto ponzi scheme” that hasbeen operating since 2007. The allegationscame in a civil suit filed earlier this week inSt Lucie County, which granted the sup-posed start-up $60 million in a bid to pro-mote job growth. The suit charges that theFlorida company used the name of DigitalDomain California, the company foundedin 1993 by James Cameron and behindthe effects on blockbusters like “Titanic”and “Transformers,” to convince then-GovCharles Christ to make an end run andapprove a $20 million grant over theobjections of state officials.

Cameron’s involvement in DigitalDomain ended years before the Californiacompany filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcyin 2012 and sold many of its prime assetsto Galloping Horse America. (The latestiteration of the company, Digital Domain3.0, the VFX successor company nowmajority-owned by Hong Kong-basedDigital Domain Holdings, is not a target ofthe suit.) The suit claims that contrary towhat its executives told Florida officials,Digital Domain Florida still had ties - andshared million of dollars in debt - with theCalifornia company.

“Digital Domain California hatched a

new plan to rid itself of debt: (1) Start abrand new company with no debt on itsbooks; 2) use Digital Domain California’scredentials, together with promises ofnew high paying jobs for Floridians, assecurity to obtain grant money for DigitalDomain Florida; and 3) use the grant topartially bail out Digital Domain California,”the complaint states. The California com-pany then planned to merge with itsFlorida counterpart, the suit alleges.

Enterprise Florida, the state agencythat checked the credentials of grantapplicants, initially rejected the company’srequest after researching the Californiacompany, which had lost more than $35million between 2005-2008. But Textor,the suit claims, made an end-run aroundEnterprise Florida by wooing then-Governor Crist and the Legislature, partic-ularly Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa, whosponsored the bill and was named toDigital Domain Florida’s board as a “suc-cess bonus.”

Digital Domain eventually obtained a$20 million special budget appropriationJune 30, 2009. Textor and others on behalfof Digital Domain then used the grant aspolitical clout to obtain an additional $62million from St. Lucie and Palm Beach coun-ties, the complaint alleges. Digital Domainwas to have created 500 new jobs payingan average salary of $64,233, and to haveinvested $50 million in real estate improve-ments in St. Lucie County, neither of whichhappened, the suit states. — Reuters

Digital Domain accused of cheating taxpayers

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

OSTRAVA: In a jumble of bicycle frames,six burly men in drab grey overalls tinkerwith blue, purple and pink children’s bikes,checking brakes and gears to make sureall will be in order for their future ownersin Africa. These inmates at the Hermaniceprison in the eastern Czech city of Ostravahave volunteered to fix old bicycles for acharity serving rural Gambia, where kidsuse them to reach distant schools.Surrounded by tools and air pumps, theinmates spin wheels, bicycle chains andgears in two prison workshops under thewatchful eye of armed guards.

Vaclav, a bearded 35-year-old serving20 months for theft, expertly fastensbrake pads on a blue BMX-type bike withthick, black tyres. “I’m here to learn some-thing, to perfect my skills,” says the for-mer soldier who was homeless before heended up in prison. “It’s good to knowsomeone will use these bikes-they’re notthe newest,” he said. Karel, a tall, tattooedconstruction worker who looks mucholder than his 46 years, is also servingtime for theft. “If it helps people, it’s agood thing,” he says bashfully. Unlike oth-er inmates who sort scrap metal or dis-mantle old cars for cash, the bike crewwork for free.

Aside from a sense of satisfaction,they receive small perks including coffee,tea or cigarettes and a good word tocourts ordering their probation, saysdeputy prison chief Petr Cejka. SinceSeptember 2013, prisoners have repairedmore than 1,600 bikes-four container

loads that were then shipped to Gambia.“It costs about 100,000 koruna (3,650euros; $5,000) to ship one container,” saysRoman Posolda, head of the Bikes forAfrica charity, now starting its third yearin the Czech Republic. Tall, thin andsporting a pony tail, the 42-year-old oncecycled around the globe. He drew inspi-ration for the charity from a similar proj-ect in Britain, where he spent six yearsworking with at-risk youths.

Free-wheeling charity Speaking from the Gambian capital

Banjul, coordinator Babucarr Touray toldAFP the bikes are a treasure for local chil-dren who must travel up to nine kilome-ters (5.5 miles) to school every day.“Transport in some parts of the Gambia isimpossible,” he said, calling the program“really helpful”. The kids use the bikes“purely to acquire education. We haveholidays now and all the bicycles had tocome back to school.”

Participating schools have a teacherand student trained to do repairs usingtools also supplied by the charity andspare parts from bikes broken downbeyond repair. So far, Czechs have hand-ed over some 15,000 bikes to the charity,which operates 120 collection pointsnationwide. “We get bikes ranging fromvery good and new to very old. Only halfare suitable for the African terrain,”Posolda said. Mountain bikes prevail, buthe says that simple single-speed Czech-made bicycles with coaster brakes able to

stand up well to sand and dust are ideal.The last shipment in May delivered

more than 800 bikes to nine schools inGambia, a west African country that wasa British colony until 1965. A charity shopin Ostrava, charity runs and sales of col-

lector bicycles as well as private donorscover shipment costs. Bikes for Africa isalso renting out bicycles at a mid-Julyrock festival in Ostrava, which this yearfeatures Led Zeppelin legend RobertPlant and French songstress Zaz. Despite

having cycled the globe, Posolda has giv-en up long-distance bike trips for themoment as he waits for his “small kids togrow up”. “I rather help others ride. Andthat makes me as happy as if I would becycling myself.” —AFP

Czech convicts fix bikes for kids in Africa

OSTRAVA: Prisoners mend an old bikes in Hermanice prison in Ostrava city. —AFP

BRUSSELS: Google’s handling of “right to be for-gotten” requests from European citizens will comeunder fire from the continent’s privacy watchdogsyesterday, after the search engine restricted theremoval of Internet links to European sites only.European data protection authorities are meetingrepresentatives of Google, Microsoft, which oper-ates the Bing search engine, and Yahoo to discussthe implementation of the landmark ruling fromEurope’s top court upholding people’s right torequest that outdated links be removed fromInternet search results.

European Union privacy watchdogs have sev-eral concerns on the way the ruling, which has pit-ted privacy advocates against free speech defend-ers, is being implemented, particularly by Google,according to a person familiar with the matter.Regulators can take Google to court if it refuses tomeet their demands, as happened in Spain wherethe “right to be forgotten” ruling originated.

Under particular scrutiny is Google’s decision toonly remove results from its European searchengines, such as google.co.uk, meaning anyonecan easily access the hidden information byswitching to the widely used google.com. Expertshave said this effectively defeats the purpose ofthe ruling, which gives people the right to asksearch engines to stop links to informationdeemed “inadequate, irrelevant or no longer rele-vant, or excessive” from appearing in searches fortheir name. “Google has claimed that the decisionis restricted to localized versions of Google,” saidAshley Hurst, a partner at Olswang, a law firm.“There appears to be no basis for that claim at all.”

Google declined to comment ahead of Thursday’smeeting.

Transparency versus privacyAnother issue likely to be raised by the EU

watchdogs is Google’s decision to notify the own-ers of the websites that have been removed fromsearch results. This sparked controversy threeweeks ago when Europe’s most popular searchengine removed links to an article by a well-known BBC journalist about an ex-Wall Streetbanker and several links to stories in Britain’sGuardian newspaper. The authors of the storiespromptly wrote about the removal, thereby draw-ing attention to the issue and feeding speculationabout who requested the removal. Google even-tually reinstated a few links to the Guardian arti-cles. EU privacy watchdogs are concerned aboutthe effect the notification process could have onpeople making the requests, according to a per-son familiar with the matter.

Google already notifies the owners of websitesthat are removed from search results due to copy-right infringements. Privacy advocates and legalexperts said the backlash over the newspaper arti-cles showed the difficulty of implementing theprivacy ruling given the broad criteria laid downby the court for information that is inadequate orirrelevant. “We are likely to see complainantsdressing up libel complaints as data protectioncomplaints as it is easier to prove that data is inac-curate than it is to prove that it is libelous,” Hurstsaid. “This will lead to some difficult decisions forGoogle.”

European privacy tourCalifornia-based Google faces a number of pri-

vacy headaches in Europe, where rules protectingpeople’s personal data are much stricter than inthe United States. While the EU has been dis-cussing a major overhaul of its pre-Internet eradata protection laws for over two years, thedebate heated up last year after revelations thatthe United States had been conducting mass sur-veillance programs involving European citizensand some heads of state.

US web companies, including Google,Microsoft, and Facebook, came under increasedscrutiny over their handling of swathes of personaldata in Europe. In a sign of the importance Googleis attaching to the privacy debate in Europe, it hasrecruited a panel of high profile academics, policy-makers and civil society experts to advise it onhow to implement the ruling as it ploughsthrough the over 70,000 requests it has receivedso far.

Separately, a group consisting of representa-tives from the EU’s 28 data protection regulatorsare developing guidelines to help them deal withcomplaints against Google in a coherent manner,given the differences in national data protectionlegislation. Thursday’s meeting will feed into thatprocess. Complaints from people whose requestshave been refused by Google have begun to trick-le in. The British privacy regulator had received 23complaints by Tuesday afternoon, a spokesmansaid, while complaints to the French and Italianauthorities were still in single figures.—Reuters

Google under fire Watchdogs meet over ‘right to be forgotten’

BERLIN: Demonstrators hold a placard reading “Google Israel - did you mean Palestine” during a rally for Al-Quds Day, an eventintended to express solidarity with the Palestinian people in Berlin, Germany. —AFP

SYDNEY: Nestled among the bars and stripclubs of Sydney’s Kings Cross is a servicewhich not only saves lives, but continuesthe pragmatic approach which prevented aHIV epidemic among drug-users inAustralia. Behind a nondescript shopfrontis the Sydney Medically SupervisedInjecting Centre-the only place in thesouthern hemisphere where users caninject heroin and other drugs under thecare of registered nurses.

Those who use the injecting room-typi-cally people who have taken drugs for morethan a decade-are given a plastic spoon, atourniquet and a clean syringe as well as astainless steel cubicle in which to inject. “Weknow the evidence behind needle syringeprograms and the benefits they have interms of prevention,” says the centre’s med-ical director Marianne Jauncey. “In Australia,for instance, they have very clearly prevent-ed an epidemic of HIV among people whoinject drugs. And they are important inongoing prevention for hepatitis C.”

Global AIDS-related deaths and new HIVinfections have fallen by over a third in adecade, according to figures released bythe United Nations before this week’s 20thInternational AIDS Conference inMelbourne. But concerns are mountingthat vulnerable and marginalized groupscould miss out on treatment and educa-tion, with the situation particularly seriousamong people who inject drugs in south-west Asia and eastern Europe.

Needle and syringe programs are seenas among the most important harm reduc-tion services for avoiding HIV infection, andin Australia where these are widely avail-able transmission of the virus among drugusers is low. Australia recorded 1,236 newcases of HIV infection in 2013, meaninginfections remain at a 20-year high, butexperts say transmission is more commonlythrough unsafe sex. “Australia is lauded forits efforts in preventing an epidemic of HIV,specifically among people who injectdrugs,” Jauncey says. “As a doctor whoworks in drugs and alcohol, I’m not anexpert in HIV, I don’t have to be becausewe’ve prevented this epidemic amongst

the people I see.”

No deaths since opening Jauncey remembers the days before

Australia opened its first, and so far only,medically supervised injecting centre inKings Cross in 2001 - drug use was com-mon, needles littered the streets and over-doses were all too regular. “It was expectedup and down the streets of Kings Cross,”she said, explaining that in the 1990s, hero-in was cheap and widely available inAustralia, and more young people wereusing and dying.

While clean needles had been availablefor years, the centre was the first placewhere users could legally take drugs undermedical supervision; avoiding the possibili-ty of an accidental overdose. The first suchcentre was opened in Switzerland in 1986and dozens more have followed, but theSydney operation was the first in theEnglish speaking world and remains theonly one in the southern hemisphere. Sinceit opened, its staff have dealt with 4,937overdoses but like at the other 90-plusmedically supervised injecting centresaround the world, none have resulted in adeath, says Jauncey. “If this service wasn’there we would go back to those days ofseeing a lot more issues with drug use inpublic,” she adds.

Jauncey also cites the success of thecentre in simply engaging with its clients,who are often homeless, or suffering frommental illness, and of helping them withother health services, including rehab.“Anything we can do to start the conversa-tion is a good thing. This is about makingcontact with marginalized people,” shesays. Tony Trimingham’s 23-year-old sonDamien died 18 years ago from a heroinoverdose, in a deserted stairwell not farfrom the Kings Cross service. He’ll neverknow whether the centre could have kepthis son alive, but he says families are gener-ally supportive of harm-minimizing strate-gies such as medically supervised injectingrooms. “What we know for sure is that thiscentre has saved lives, no question aboutthat,” he says. —AFP

Australian injecting room upholds fight against AIDS

CHICAGO: Childhood traumas are morecommon among military members and vet-erans than among civilians, according to anew study. Researchers say the results sup-port the notion that for some, enlistmentserves as an escape from troubled upbring-ings. The study is the largest to examine howcommon bad childhood experiences areamong military men and women. Disparitieswere most striking among men during thevolunteer era: More than 25 percent hadexperienced at least four childhood traumas,versus about 13 percent of civilian men.

“These results suggest that, since thebeginning of the all-volunteer US military in1973, there has been a meaningful shift inchildhood experiences among men whohave served in the military,” said lead authorJohn Blosnich, a researcher at the VeteransAffairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Hesaid research is needed “to explore whetherthe differences in adverse childhood experi-ences are associated with health outcomesamong men and women with military serv-ice history.”

Nearly 10,000 current and former servicemembers - mostly men - were included, plusabout 51,000 civilians. The authors note theresults came from government surveys in 10states and Washington, DC, and may not benationally representative. The events studiedincluded unwanted sexual contact, exposureto domestic violence, household drug use,incarcerated family members and parents’divorce. Sexual abuse and other bad child-hood experiences can increase risks fordepression, anxiety, drug use and suicide lat-er on.

The study results thus might offer insightinto troubling rates of some of these prob-lems that have been found in active service

members, although the new report lacksinformation on the adults’ current mentalhealth. Previous research has found thatescape from troubles was among reasonssome enlisted, and has linked traumaticchildhood experiences with post-traumaticstress in service members. David Rudd, scien-tific director of the nonprofit National Centerfor Veterans Studies, said the study suggeststhere may be a need to improve screeningand placement of service members.

Current screening involves questionsabout mental illness, not childhood trauma,he said. But, for example, those with a histo-ry of childhood sexual abuse may be partic-ularly vulnerable to post-traumatic stress ifplaced in combat, said Rudd, a psychologistand president of the University of Memphis.Maj James Brindle, a Defense Departmentspokesman, said the department is review-ing the study “but it is too early to speculateon any possible future changes to depart-ment policies.” That agency wasn’t involvedin the research, which was funded partly bythe Department of Veterans Affairs.

The study was published onlineWednesday in JAMA Psychiatry. The authorsnote that most people with bad childhoodscan lead healthy lives, and that most peoplewho enlist in the military “do so for positivereasons, including patriotism, altruism andself-improvement.” The authors analyzed2010 behavioral health surveys sponsoredby the federal Center for Disease Controland Prevention and conducted by statehealth departments. The telephone surveysinclude a core set of questions and optionalones states can add. The study involvedadults in 10 states and Washington, DC thatadded questions about bad childhoodexperiences. —AP

Childhood traumas are more common in military members

CALIFORNIA: Dogs are a man’s bestfriend, and research released onWednesday says canines want tokeep it that way. Dogs are capable offeeling a basic form of jealousy,according to a study published in thePLOS ONE scientific journal. Theresearch, said to be the first experi-ment on canine jealousy, could rede-fine the view that the complex emo-tion of envy is a human construct,said Christine Harris, University ofCalifornia, San Diego psychologistand an author of the study. The own-ers of 36 small dogs were asked to do

three things in the test - showeraffection on a plush animatronic dog,shower affection on a plastic jack-o-lantern pail and read a children’sbook aloud - while ignoring their pet.

Researchers then watched howthe dogs reacted. Roughly 80 per-cent of the dogs pushed or touchedtheir owner when they were cod-dling the toy, almost twice as oftenas when the owner played with thepail and about four times as often aswhen the owner was reading. Aquarter of the dogs even snapped atthe toy, which barked, whined and

wagged its tail, while the owner wasplaying with it . Only one dogsnapped at the pail and the book.“We can’t really speak to the dog’ssubjective experiences, of course,but it looks as though they weremotivated to protect an importantsocial relationship,” Harris said in astatement accompanying the study.

The research, based on a similarstudy to gauge jealousy in infants,suggests dogs and possibly otheranimals exhibit a primordial form ofthe emotion, the study said.Researchers said jealousy may have

evolved as a way for paired animalsto protect their sexual relationshipsor for baby animals to compete forfood and affection from their par-ents. They said it also may havedeveloped in dogs during their longdomestication by humans. “Humans,after all, have been rich resourceproviders over our coevolution,”they wrote in the study.Understanding jealousy is an impor-tant scientific task, they wrote, not-ing that jealousy is often considereda cause of homicides across cul-tures. —Reuters

Dogs ‘are capable’ of feeling jealous

H E A LT H & S C I E N C ESUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

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WASHINGTON: In rapid succession, six federal judgeson two appeals courts weighed in on a key compo-nent of President Barack Obama’s health care law. Theirvotes lined up precisely with the party of the presidentwho appointed them. It was the latest illustration thatpresidents help shape their legacies by stocking thefederal bench with judges whose views are more likelyto align with their own.

The legal drama played out Tuesday in Washington,DC, and Richmond, Virginia, on two appeals courts thatObama has transformed through 10 appointments in51/2 years. In the first ruling, a divided three-judgepanel of the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Districtof Columbia called into question the subsidies thathelp millions of low- and middle-income people affordtheir health care premiums, saying financial aid can beprovided only in states that have set up their owninsurance markets, or exchanges.

Two judges nominated by Republican presidentsformed the majority over a dissent from a Democraticappointee. Less than two hours later, a three-judgepanel of the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals inRichmond made up entirely of Democratic appointeesunanimously came to the opposite conclusion, rulingthat the Internal Revenue Service correctly interpretedthe will of Congress when it issued regulations allow-ing health insurance tax credits for consumers in all 50states.

Whatever the final outcome of the legal fight,White House spokesman Josh Earnest said nothing

would change in the near term. Millions of consumerswill keep getting financial aid for their premiums,totaling billions of dollars, as the administrationappeals the Washington court ruling, Earnest said. Thenext stop for the administration is to ask the full courtin Washington to hear the case. This is where Obama’sappointments could come into play. The president hasnamed four of the 11 full-time judges on the court,turning what had been a Republican edge into a 7-4advantage for Democratic appointees.

In Richmond, Obama has named six judges sincetaking office in 2009, with another nomination pend-ing to a court formerly among the nation’s most con-servative. It is unlikely that the businesses challengingthe IRS regulations will take their case to the full 4thCircuit. It’s no accident when judges tend to vote withthe interests of the political party of the presidentwho named them, said law professor Richard Hasen ofthe University of California at Irvine. “Judges are notchosen at random,” he said, noting that both partiesput a lot of effort into identifying lawyers for life-tenured judgeships who are likely to reflect their inter-ests. Looking at the prospect at review of Tuesday’sruling by the full court in Washington, “Democrats aremuch more relaxed than they otherwise might be,”Hasen said.

Tuesday’s decisions are part of a long-runningpolitical and legal campaign to overturn Obama’s sig-nature domestic legislation by Republicans and otheropponents of the law. The two judges who accepted

the challengers’ argument are Thomas Griffith andRaymond Randolph, named by Presidents George WBush and George HW Bush, respectively. Of the fourjudges who sided with the administration, AndreDavis and Stephanie Thacker were appointed byObama, Roger Gregory was originally put on thebench by President Bill Clinton and Harry Edwardswas a nominee of President Jimmy Carter.

The provision of the health law at issue “unambigu-ously” restricts subsides to consumers in exchangesestablished by states, Griffith wrote for the Washingtoncourt, joined by Randolph. Looking at the same lan-guage and legal arguments, “we find that the applica-ble statutory language is ambiguous and subject tomultiple interpretations,” Gregory wrote for theRichmond panel. Whether this issue ever gets in frontof the Supreme Court could rest on the outcome of theadministration’s appeal to the full Washington court.

A loss for the administration would present thecourt with conflicting appellate rulings, which oftencatch the justices’ attention, especially when a federallaw or regulation is at stake. If the Supreme Courtgets involved in the subsidies issue, a decision proba-bly would not come before late June of next year andcould push into the court’s next term. As with thelower courts that ruled Tuesday, party affiliation andideology also align on the Supreme Court.Republican presidents appointed the court’s fivemore conservative justices and Democrats appointedthe four liberals. —AP

Judges in health care rulings vote party line

NEW DELHI: An Indian pharmacist swiftlypulls white boxes of powerful antibioticsfrom neatly stacked shelves behind him, andhands them over the counter without askingfor a doctor’s prescription. Faronem andLinospan, drugs used to fight acute bacterialinfections such as severe pneumonia andbronchitis, are supposed to be remedies oflast resort. Their sale is illegal without a pre-scription under a law introduced last year. Butan AFP reporter easily bought them this weekfor about 700 rupees ($12) from a busy phar-macy in an upmarket New Delhi suburb.

Doctors and other health experts say sucheasy access to antibiotics in India, home to1.2 billion people, is stoking bacterial resist-ance to drugs, a global problem that couldsee long-treatable diseases become killersonce again. “Growing resistance to antibioticsis a terror for the health of our people,” thecountry’s chief drugs regulator GN Singh said.“Misuse, overuse should not happen, elsethere will come a time when the simplest ill-nesses will be hard to cure,” said Singh, theDrugs Controller General of India.

But he was “not surprised” the drugs wereeasy to obtain, saying cracking down on

chemists and over-prescribing doctors andeducating patients about the dangers ofoverusing them was an uphill battle. A studypublished this month by Princeton Universitysaid India and other major developing coun-tries were largely to blame for overuse ofantibiotics. India’s $12.4 billion pharmaceuti-cal industry manufactures almost a third ofthe world’s antibiotics.

Drug-resistant superbugsThe country’s growing middle class is

increasingly popping antibiotics as a quick-fix rather than allowing their immune sys-tems to fight common illnesses. Doctors alsowrongly prescribe antibiotics for viral infec-tions against which they are wholly ineffec-tive, said Sudeep Khanna, a Delhi-based gas-troenterologist. “There is often a lot of pres-sure from the patients because they wantimmediate relief and even doctors tend toover-treat in hopes that the patient willrecover quickly,” Khanna said. The studycalled “Global Trends in AntibioticConsumption 2000-2010” found antibioticuse worldwide had risen 36 percent in thattime period. —AFP

Lax antibiotic controls raise killer disease fears in India

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

The Avenues Mall’s campaign to collect gifts and toys for children in need will continue during and after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, the mall’s management announced. The campaign kicked off with the begin-ning of the holy month of Ramadan, and is done in cooperation with Kuwait Red Crescent Society.

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has taken all necessarymeasures to ensure providing customers with thebest services during Eid Al Fitr holiday throughout

NBK Call Center, Mobile Banking (Android, BlackBerry,iPhone and iPad), Online and ATM services.

All NBK branches will be closed starting from Monday28th of July 2014 and will resume work after the Eid holi-days. NBK Call Center, NBK Online and ATM will be avail-able 24 hours and ready to serve customers. Customers canalso conduct all their transactions through NBK Mobile

Banking application. Customers may call 1801801 or visitwww.nbk.com for further information.

For customers outside Kuwait, NBK the largest interna-tional presence with more than 170 branches worldwide.NBK’s international presence spans many of the world’sleading financial centers including London, Paris, Geneva,New York and Singapore, as well as China (Shanghai).Meanwhile, regional coverage extends to Lebanon, Jordan,Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, andTurkey.

NBK’s mobile banking, ATM and online services available during holidays

Holiday Inn Salmiya has announcedEid Al Adha special offers which isdesigned to suite the people needs

during the holidays and also to assure thatthey spend an unforgettable time duringtheir stay in Holiday Inn Salmiya.

Mr. Monjed Salha the General Managerof Holiday Inn Salmiya announced that thehotel started to promote for a very specialEid package which will be exclusive for thelocals and GCC countries. The package willinclude a number of unique features thatguests could benefit from at competitiveprices. Also he announced that the HolidayInn’s 6 restaurants started to set up theirexclusive Eid Menus which will offer to the

guests a variety of world class deliciousdishes.

Holiday Inn Kuwait Salmiya is consid-ered as one of the most popular destina-tion for business and leisure travellers dueto it’s prime location which is located in theheart of Salmiya, the area where Kuwait’stop shopping malls and entertainmentfacilities are nearby, also the hotel is only 25Minutes from Kuwait International Airport.Holiday Inn Salmiya offers its guests anexceptional dining experience with 6 spe-cialty restaurants that suits all tastes rangesfrom Lebanese, American, AuthenticChinese, Authentic Indian, Japanese&International cuisines.

A Happy Eid at Holiday Inn Salmiya

The Ritz-Carlton, DubaiInternational Financial Centre willoffer two new packages this

summer, specially created with familytravelers in mind, as well as the luxuryhotel company’s new global Ritz Kidsprogramme, providing an array ofmemorable experiences for the wholefamily to enjoy. Located in DIFC, justminutes from many of Dubai’s mostpopular family attractions, includingDubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, the hotel isperfectly placed to provide the ulti-mate family getaway this summer.

‘Intrigue You’Designed to intrigue, surprise and

delight the ‘Intrigue You’ packageincludes two exclusive offers. Guestscan reserve a three nights’ hotel stayand pay for just two nights in a DeluxeRoom, Premier Room, Junior Suite orExecutive Suite, with the option of aconnecting room and suite for thosetraveling with young children.

Alternatively, families looking for a

‘home from home’ experience with allthe luxuries of a Ritz-Carlton, canchoose to stay for five nights and payfor just four in the ExecutiveResidences, in a luxury one, two orthree bedroom apartment. In addition,guests will also receive an array ofadded value benefits, including break-fast, Wi-Fi, and complimentary accom-modation and dining for childrenunder 12 years old1, as well as savingsfor the whole family on dining and spatreatments.

Ritz KidsThe hotel’s youngest guests will

also enjoy access to The Ritz-Carlton’snew Ritz Kids programme, created toengage children to explore the worldaround them. Activities are basedaround four key pillars; water, land,environmental responsibility and cul-ture. On arrival at The Ritz-Carlton,DIFC children under 12 years old willreceive a Ritz Kids pack containing ascavenger hunt to encourage them to

explore the hotel. The Ritz Kidz Clubwill be active throughout the summerand will include fun and engagingactivities such as ‘Trash Bash’; a recy-cling and arts & crafts activity, and ‘Be aLittle Gardener’, where kids learn toplant flowers and herbs, providingyoung guests with memories they willtreasure long after their stay.

As well as visiting the plethora ofnearby attractions, The Ritz-Carlton,DIFC offers plenty of entertainmentinside the hotel, with three restaurantsand three lounges. Choices includenewly opened Belgian Grand CafÈ,CafÈ Belge, Blue Rain Thai restaurant,stylish steakhouse Center Cut, and No.5 Lounge & Bar offering, casual ele-gance and a stunning terrace withshisha and a DJ. Guests can also enjoyholistic and customized treatments inThe Ritz-Carlton Spa(r), or take a dip inthe indoor or rooftop swimming pools.

The ‘Intrigue You’ packages areavailable from 14 May to 15 September2014.

The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre unveils summer packages

South African Embassy

On the auspicious occasion of Eid-Al-Fitr, and in accordance withthe Eid holidays announced by

the Government of Kuwait, the Embassyof the Republic of South Africa will beclosed from 28 - 30 July, 2014 (Mondayto Wednesday) if the first day of Eid is onMonday, and will reopen on Thursday, 31July 2014. In case Eid falls on Tuesday,the Embassy will be closed from 29 - 31July (Tuesday to Thursday), and willreopen with its routine office timingsfrom 8h00 to 16h00 & the ConsularSection operation hours will be from

8h30 to 12h30 work on Sunday, 3 August2014. For emergencies, please contact:94924895.

British Embassy

The British Embassy will be closedfrom Monday 28 July untilWednesday 30 July 2014 on the

occasion of Eid Al Fitr. The embassy willreopen on Thursday 31 July 2014. TheConsular Section will also be closed onthe same dates above.

Visa ServicesThe Visa Application Centre (VAC) will

be closed on the same dates above. It willreopen on Thursday 31 July 2014. In addi-tion, The VAC will open on Saturday 26July, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.Application forms remain available onlinefrom the Visa Application Centre’s web-site: www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk. The VisaApplication Centre is located at: TijariaTower, 25th Floor, Soor Street, KuwaitCity. For any further inquiries about visaprocedures and appointments, pleasecontact the Visa Application Centre:

Website: https://ukvi-international.faq-help.com

Telephone: +973 16195142

W H AT ’ S ONSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

As the holy month of Ramadan comes toan end, a colourful celebration awaitsguests at Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al

Bida’a Kuwait.Guests can enjoy a city break at the

Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a during Eidand take advantage of discounted room rates,complimentary breakfast and a wide range ofkids’ activities including kids dance, wateractivities, cooking classes, cartoon charactersand a lot more.

Guests can also tantalise their taste budswith diverse sumptuous buffets ranging fromthe colourful freshly caught seafood, the deli-cious cuts prepared at the live cooking sta-

tions and the rich assortment of internationalbuffets with gourmet choices followed bymouth-watering selection of Arabic sweetsand the tempting crepe corner.

Children can enjoy the spirit and joy of Eidwith a variety of exciting activities such as facepainting, thrilling magic shows, DJ, kids danceand many more.

“Offering special packages and discounts tocelebrate Eid Al Fitr is our token of apprecia-tion for the continuous support of our valuedguests. We traditionally partake to this joyfulseason because life is better when shared.”Said Maged Gubr, the hotel’s GeneralManager.

Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a Kuwait gears up for Eid Al Fitr

Major General Mohammad Ashab Uddin, ndc, psc,Ambassador of Bangladesh to Kuwait hosted an Iftar par-ty for the team of Radio Kuwait Bangla Service, who are

involved in broadcasting Bangla programs in Kuwait Radio, on 21July at Bangladesh House, the official residence of theAmbassador, in Qurtoba area. Around 100 guests includingembassy officials were present for the Iftar program. Before theIftar Dua and Munataz was offered seeking the divine blessing ofAlmighty Allah for the success of the Bangla service in RadioKuwait, betterment and progress of the Bangladesh community inKuwait, friendly and brotherly people of the State of Kuwait, andthe Muslim Umma in general.

It is to be noted that the Kuwait Radio started broadcastingBangla programs for Bengali speaking expatriates in Kuwait from18 April 2014. The programs are being broadcasted on Friday,Monday and Wednesday from 6 pm to 7 pm on medium wave 963Kilohertz and FM band 93.3 Megahertz. In the programs mostlysongs of various genres, reports on general health and hygieneissues, history, heritage and rules and laws of Kuwait are beingbroadcasted. The Bangla Radio program is highly appreciated bythe Bengali speaking community in Kuwait and meanwhile it hasbecome popular among the community members.

Bangladesh Ambassador hosts Iftar for Radio Kuwait Bangla service team

Costa Coffee celebrates last 10 days of Ramadan

This week Costa Coffee gave mosque-goers a pick me up to celebrate the last 10 days of Ramadan. As a way to give back this holy month, the popular UK Coffee chain set up a kiosknext to Al Rashid mosque in Adailiya and Jaber Al Ali mosque in Zahra and gave away drinks to people heading in for their nightly prayers. Since coming under new managementin the summer of 2013 Costa Coffee has made an effort to become more involved in the local community. This Ramadan initiative goes alongside the line of Kuwaiti inspired

flavours that the Costa has introduced this Ramadan including a Baithan drinks range as well as Rangina and Mamool cheese cakes.

ABK extends warmest greetings for Eid

On the occasion of Eid Al Fitr, Al Ahli Bank of Kuwaitextends a warm greeting to His Highness the Amir,His Highness the Crown Prince, Speaker of the

National Assembly, His Highness the Prime Minister, ABKcustomers and the people of Kuwait.

During the Eid holidays our branches will close onMonday 28th July and will resume business as normal onSunday 3rd August.

Burgan Bank yesterday announced that its air-port branch will resume its normal workinghours during the Eid Al Fitr holidays. The

branch will commence operations from 8:00 am to

10:30 pm, in an effort to accommodate bankingrequirements for travellers’ and customers duringthe public holiday.

For more information on any products or servic-

es, customers are required to contact BurganBank’s call center 1804080 during the holiday. Onthis occasion, Burgan Bank extends its best wishesand greetings to the public.

Burgan Bank’s Airport Branch Resumes Normal Working Hours during Eid

T V PR O G R A M SSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

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00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 Seinfeld02:00 Seinfeld02:30 Two And A Half Men03:00 The Simpsons03:30 Parks And Recreation04:00 My Boys04:30 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon05:30 Back In The Game06:00 The War At Home06:30 Melissa & Joey07:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers08:00 My Boys08:30 Back In The Game09:00 The Simpsons09:30 Trophy Wife10:00 Modern Family10:30 Melissa & Joey11:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon12:00 The War At Home12:30 My Boys13:00 Back In The Game13:30 Melissa & Joey14:00 Parks And Recreation14:30 Trophy Wife15:00 Modern Family15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 The War At Home17:00 Late Night With Seth Meyers18:00 The Simpsons18:30 Parks And Recreation19:00 Trophy Wife19:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine20:00 The Tonight Show StarringJimmy Fallon21:00 The Daily Show With Jon

00:45 Human Prey01:35 Untamed & Uncut02:25 Wildest Africa03:15 World’s Wildest Cities:Manaus03:40 World’s Wildest Cities:Manaus04:05 Natural World04:55 Animal Cops Miami05:45 Outback Rangers06:05 Outback Rangers06:35 Breed All About It07:00 Animal Airport07:25 Weird Creatures With NickBaker08:15 My Pet’s Gone Viral08:45 My Pet’s Gone Viral09:10 Pandamonium10:05 Penguin Safari11:00 Animal Precinct11:55 Animal Airport12:20 Breed All About It12:50 Bizarre Animal ER13:15 Bizarre Animal ER13:45 Gator Boys14:40 Wildest Africa15:30 Weird Creatures With NickBaker16:30 My Pet’s Gone Viral17:00 My Pet’s Gone Viral17:25 Animal Planet ’s MostOutrageous18:20 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner18:45 The Wild Life Of Tim Faulkner19:15 Gator Boys20:10 Deadly Islands21:05 Wildest Africa22:00 Gator Boys22:55 Deadly Islands23:50 Animal Cops Miami

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01:30 A Kiss Before Dying-PG1503:15 Down The Shore-PG1505:00 Hide Away-PG1507:00 My Kid Could Paint That-PG1509:00 Falling In Love-PG1511:00 Crazy / Beautiful-PG1513:00 Down The Shore-PG1515:00 Bobby Fischer Against TheWorld-PG1517:00 Crazy / Beautiful-PG1519:00 Seven Pounds-PG1521:00 The Beach-PG1523:00 The Lady-PG15

00:00 Violetta00:45 The Hive00:50 Art Attack01:15 Art Attack01:40 Wolfblood02:05 Wolfblood02:30 Violetta03:10 The Hive03:20 Art Attack03:45 Art Attack04:10 Jungle Junction04:20 Jungle Junction04:35 Jungle Junction04:50 Jungle Junction05:00 Art Attack05:25 Art Attack05:50 Mouk06:00 Austin & Ally06:25 Dog With A Blog06:45 Mako Mermaids07:10 Liv And Maddie07:35 Austin & Ally07:55 Austin & Ally08:20 Jessie08:45 Dog With A Blog09:05 Dog With A Blog09:30 Good Luck Charlie09:55 Good Luck Charlie10:15 Suite Life On Deck10:40 Suite Life On Deck11:05 That’s So Raven11:25 That’s So Raven11:50 A.N.T. Farm12:15 A.N.T. Farm12:35 Good Luck Charlie13:00 Good Luck Charlie13:25 Dog With A Blog13:45 Dog With A Blog14:10 The Adventures Of DisneyFairies14:35 Austin & Ally15:00 Austin & Ally15:25 Liv And Maddie15:45 Mako Mermaids16:10 Mako Mermaids16:35 Win, Lose Or Draw17:00 Get Frozen17:10 Prank Stars17:20 Jessie17:45 Dog With A Blog18:10 Liv And Maddie18:30 Mako Mermaids18:55 Mako Mermaids19:20 Violetta20:05 Liv And Maddie20:30 Jessie20:50 Dog With A Blog21:15 Mako Mermaids21:40 Austin & Ally22:00 Good Luck Charlie22:25 A.N.T. Farm22:50 Shake It Up23:10 Wolfblood23:35 Wolfblood

00:05 Fast Food Gone Global00:55 Grill It! With Bobby Flay01:20 Roadtrip With G. Garvin01:45 Guy’s Big Bite02:10 Guy’s Big Bite02:35 Roadtrip With G. Garvin03:00 Roadtrip With G. Garvin03:25 Guy’s Big Bite03:50 Iron Chef America04:40 Chopped05:30 Unwrapped05:50 Tastiest Places To Chowdown06:10 Chopped07:00 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam07:25 Roadtrip With G. Garvin07:50 Guy’s Big Bite08:15 Iron Chef America09:05 Barefoot Contessa09:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes10:20 Easy Chinese: San Francisco10:45 Chopped11:35 Grill It! With Bobby Flay12:00 Reza, Spice Prince Of India12:25 Charly’s Cake Angels12:50 Siba’s Table13:15 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera13:40 Guy’s Big Bite14:05 The Next Food Network Star14:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin15:20 Guy’s Big Bite15:45 Chopped16:35 Fast Food Gone Global17:25 Jenny Morris Cooks TheRiviera17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives18:40 Siba’s Table19:05 Reza’s African Kitchen19:30 Guy’s Big Bite19:55 Roadtrip With G. Garvin20:20 Chopped21:10 Chopped22:00 Mexican Made Easy22:25 Mexican Made Easy22:50 Siba’s Table23:15 Siba’s Table23:40 Guy’s Big Bite

01:00 Run For Your Wife-PG1503:00 Lovestruck: The Musical-PG1505:00 Despicable Me 2-PG06:45 Mud-PG1509:00 Battle Of The Year-PG1511:00 Hyde Park On Hudson-PG1512:45 Oz The Great And Powerful-PG15:00 Gnomeo & Juliet-PG16:45 Battle Of The Year-PG1518:45 Jobs-PG1521:00 Ice Soldiers-1823:00 G.I. Joe: Retaliation-PG15

00:30 Treehouse Masters01:20 Futurescape With JamesWoods02:10 Mythbusters03:00 Fast N’ Loud03:50 Storage Hunters04:15 Dallas Car Sharks04:40 Storage Wars Canada05:05 How Does It Work05:30 How Do They Do It?06:00 Gold Rush07:00 Dual Survival07:50 Yukon Men08:40 Fast N’ Loud09:30 Storage Hunters09:55 Dallas Car Sharks10:20 Storage Wars Canada10:45 How Does It Work11:10 How Do They Do It?11:35 Treehouse Masters13:15 Mythbusters14:05 Storage Hunters14:30 Dallas Car Sharks14:55 Storage Wars Canada15:20 Dual Survival16:10 Yukon Men17:00 Fast N’ Loud17:50 Sons Of Guns18:40 Sons Of Guns19:30 Gold Rush20:20 How Does It Work20:45 How Do They Do It?21:10 Dallas Car Sharks21:35 Storage Wars Canada22:00 Street Outlaws22:50 Secret Bodyguards23:15 Secret Bodyguards23:40 Shadow Ops

00:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines01:00 Helicopter Wars02:00 Hunter Hunted03:00 Situation Critical04:00 Mad Scientists04:30 Mad Scientists05:00 Naked Science 2.506:00 Dubai Mega Mall07:00 World’s Toughest Fixes08:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines09:00 Helicopter Wars10:00 Hunter Hunted11:00 Situation Critical12:00 Mad Scientists12:30 Mad Scientists13:00 Crime Lab

14:00 Megastructures15:00 World’s Toughest Fixes16:00 Britain’s Greatest Machines17:00 Helicopter Wars18:00 Hunter Hunted19:00 Predator CSI20:00 A Traveler ’s Guide To ThePlanets21:00 Air Crash Investigation22:00 Battleground Brothers23:00 Brain Games23:30 Brain Games

12:05 E! News13:05 Extreme Close-Up13:35 THS14:30 Style Star15:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:00 Keeping Up With TheKardashians17:00 Giuliana & Bill18:00 E! News19:00 Beyond Candid With Giuliana20:00 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills20:30 #RichKids Of Beverly Hills21:00 Fashion Police21:30 Escape Club22:30 E! News23:30 Chelsea Lately

Stewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Family Guy22:30 2 Broke Girls23:00 Two And A Half Men23:30 Late Night With Seth Meyers

18:20 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent19:10 Simply Italian19:35 Nordic Cookery With TareqTaylor20:00 Cash In The Attic20:45 Cash In The Attic21:30 Cash In The Attic22:15 Bargain Hunt23:00 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent23:50 Simply Italian

13:30 The Producers-PG1515:45 Splash-PG18:00 From Prada To Nada-PG1520:00 Think Like A Man-PG1522:15 Mrs. Doubtfire-PG

00:00 Golfing World 01:00 V8 Supercars Highlights02:00 V8 Supercars Highlights03:00 Darts World Match play07:00 NRL Full Time07:30 Total Rugby 08:00 NRL Premiership 10:00 Golfing World 11:00 IndyCar Highlights 13:00 V8 Supercars Highlights14:00 V8 Supercars Highlights15:00 Live PGA European Tour18:00 Trans World Sport19:00 WWE NXT20:00 Golfing World 21:00 Live Darts World Match play

09:30 Caribbean Premier LeaueHighlights10:30 Caribbean Premier LeaueHighlights11:30 IPL Highlights12:30 ICC Cricket 36013:00 ICC World T20 Highlights14:00 ICC World T20 Highlights15:00 ICC World T20 Highlights16:00 IPL Highlights17:00 Caribbean Premier LeaueHighlights18:00 Caribbean Premier LeaueHighlights19:00 ICC Cricket 36019:30 Bangladesh v India ODIHighlights20:30 Bangladesh v India ODIHighlights21:30 Bangladesh v India ODIHighlights22:30 ICC Cricket 36023:00 Caribbean Premier LeaueHighlights

SHARQIA-1PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 11:30 AMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 1:30 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 3:30 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 5:15 PMKAN RAFEEJI (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film) 8:00 PMA LONG WAY DOWN (DIG) 10:15 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 & 06/08/2014)

SHARQIA-2SONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 11:15 AMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 1:30 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 3:45 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 6:00 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 8:15 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 10:30 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED(03, 05 & 06/08/2014)

SHARQIA-3TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 11:00 AMA LONG WAY DOWN (DIG) 2:15 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 4:15 PMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 7:30 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 9:45 PMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 1:00 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 & 06/08/2014)Last Day of Ramadan, No Show before 9.00 pmOn Friday & 1st day of Eid no show before 1.30 pm

MUHALAB-1DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 12:45 PMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 3:30 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 5:45 PMA LONG WAY DOWN (DIG) 8:30 PMKAN RAFEEJI (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film) 10:30 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 & 06/08/2014)

MUHALAB-2TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 11:15 AMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 2:30 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 4:30 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 6:30 PMNO MON+TUE ( 28 & 29/07/2014)KICK (DIG) (HINDI) 6:30 PMMON+TUE ( 28 & 29/07/2014)SONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 9:45 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

MUHALAB-3PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE (DIG-3D) 11:00 AMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 1:00 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 3:15 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 5:30 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 7:45 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 10:00 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)Last Day of Ramadan, No Show before 9.00 pmOn Friday & 1st day of Eid no show before 1.30 pm

FANAR-1DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 12:15 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 3:00 PMA LONG WAY DOWN (DIG) 5:45 PMKAN RAFEEJI (Kuwaiti Film) 7:45 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 10:00 PMKAN RAFEEJI (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

FANAR-2TAMMY (DIG) 11:15 AMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 1:30 PMTAMMY (DIG) 4:45 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 6:45 PMTAMMY (DIG) 10:00 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 12:15 AM

NO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

FANAR-3PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 11:00 AMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 1:00 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 3:30 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 5:30 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 7:30 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 9:45 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 12:05 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

FANAR-4SONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 11:30 AMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 1:45 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 4:00 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 6:15 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 8:30 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 10:45 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 1:00 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

FANAR-5TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 11:00 AMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 2:15 PMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 4:15 PMKICK (DIG) (HINDI) 6:30 PMKICK (DIG) (HINDI) 9:30 PMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)Last Day of Ramadan, No Show before 9.00 pmOn Friday & 1st day of Eid no show before 1.30 pm

MARINA-1PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 12:15 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 2:15 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 4:15 PMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 6:15 PMA LONG WAY DOWN (DIG) 8:30 PMKAN RAFEEJI (DIG) (Kuwaiti Film) 10:30 PMTHE PURGE: ANARCHY (DIG) 12:45 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

MARINA-2SONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 11:00 AMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 1:15 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 3:30 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 5:45 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 8:00 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 10:15 PMSONE3A FI MASR (DIG) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

MARINA-3DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG-3D) 12:00 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG-3D) 3:00 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 6:15 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG-3D) 9:00 PMDAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (DIG) 12:15 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)Last Day of Ramadan, No Show before 9.00 pmOn Friday & 1st day of Eid no show before 1.30 pm

AVENUES-1KAN RAFEEJI DIG) Kuwaiti Film) 1:00 PMKAN RAFEEJI DIG) Kuwaiti Film) 3:15 PMKAN RAFEEJI DIG) Kuwaiti Film) 5:30 PMKAN RAFEEJI DIG) Kuwaiti Film) 7:45 PMKAN RAFEEJI DIG) Kuwaiti Film) 10:00 PMKAN RAFEEJI DIG) Kuwaiti Film) 12:30 AMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

AVENUES-2PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 12:15 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 2:15 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 4:15 PMPLANES: FIRE & RESCUE(DIG) 6:15 PMKICK (DIG) (HINDI) 8:15 PMTRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION (DIG) 11:15 PMNO SUN+TUE+WED( 03, 05 &06/08/2014)

Kuwait

ClassifiedsSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

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

DIAL161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Fajr: 03:31

Shorook 05:03

Duhr: 11:54

Asr: 15:29

Maghrib: 18:46

Isha: 20:15

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM LAST DAY OFRAMADAN TO WEDNESDAY (06/08/2014)

Prayer timings

Arrival Flights on Sunday 27/7/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeQTR 1084 Doha 00:05SYR 1291 Damascus 00:10JZR 239 Amman 00:20JZR 267 Beirut 00:25JZR 539 Cairo 00:30MEA 410 Beirut 00:40PIA 239 Lahore 01:20PGT 858 Istanbul 01:25KKK 6702 Istanbul 01:30THY 764 Istanbul 01:40RJA 642 Amman 01:45ETH 620 Addis Ababa 01:45GFA 211 Bahrain 02:00KKK 6700 Istanbul 02:20UAE 853 Dubai 02:25MSC 403 Sohag 02:30JAI 576 Kochi/Abu Dhabi 02:35ETD 305 Abu Dhabi 02:45THY 768 Istanbul 02:50FDB 067 Dubai 03:05RJA 644 Amman 03:10MSR 612 Cairo 03:15QTR 1076 Doha 03:25MSC 401 Alexandria 04:00KAC 544 Cairo 04:10JZR 555 Alexandria 04:10THY 770 Istanbul 04:35DHX 170 Bahrain 05:10QTR 8632 Doha 05:55KAC 412 Manila/Bangkok 06:15BAW 157 London 06:35JZR 563 Sohag 06:35KAC 382 Delhi 07:30FDB 053 Dubai 07:45KAC 288 Dhaka 07:45KAC 206 Islamabad 07:50KAC 302 Mumbai 07:50QTR 1086 Doha 07:55SVA 512 Riyadh 07:55KAC 364 Colombo 08:00ABY 221 Sharjah 08:00KAC 332 Trivandrum 08:00KAC 352 Kochi 08:05UAE 855 Dubai 08:25ABY 125 Sharjah 08:50IRA 665 Shiraz 09:25ETD 301 Abu Dhabi 09:30FDB 055 Dubai 09:40MEA 406 Beirut 09:40QTR 1070 Doha 10:00GFA 213 Bahrain 10:40MEA 404 Beirut 10:55MSC 405 Sohag 11:20FDB 8051 Dubai 11:20JZR 561 Sohag 12:00SYR 341 Latakia 12:20UAE 871 Dubai 12:45IRC 528 Ahwaz 12:50MSR 610 Cairo 13:00THY 766 Istanbul 13:10KAC 742 Dammam 13:30KAC 672 Dubai 13:40FDB 057 Dubai 13:45QTR 1078 Doha 13:45GFA 221 Bahrain 14:20SVA 500 Jeddah 14:30JZR 359 Mashhad 14:50KAC 788 Jeddah 15:00FDB 8053 Dubai 15:15ABY 127 Sharjah 15:35KAC 802 Cairo 15:40RJA 640 Amman 15:55QTR 1072 Doha 16:15JZR 787 Riyadh 16:15NIA 251 Alexandria 16:20FDB 051 Dubai 16:25ETD 303 Abu Dhabi 16:45UAE 857 Dubai 16:45SVA 510 Riyadh 17:15UAL 982 IAD 17:25GFA 215 Bahrain 17:30JZR 177 Dubai 17:45JZR 777 Jeddah 17:50JZR 483 Istanbul 17:55KAC 542 Cairo 18:15QTR 1080 Doha 18:25KAC 786 Jeddah 18:30KAC 166 Paris/Rome 18:40FDB 063 Dubai 18:45RBG 553 Alexandria 18:55AXB 393 Kozhikode 18:55KAC 618 Doha 19:00ABY 129 Sharjah 19:00GFA 217 Bahrain 19:00KAC 774 Riyadh 19:15KAC 502 Beirut 19:20KAC 674 Dubai 19:25MSR 606 Luxor 19:30KAC 102 New York/London 19:35JAI 572 Mumbai 19:35OMA 647 Muscat 19:55KAC 562 Amman 20:00FDB 061 Dubai 20:05

AFG 415 Kabul 20:10DLH 636 Frankfurt 20:15MEA 402 Beirut 20:15JZR 189 Dubai 20:25KAC 514 Tehran 20:50JZR 243 Amman 20:50KLM 417 Amsterdam 21:05ALK 229 Colombo 21:10KAC 172 Frankfurt 21:15SYR 441 Damascus 21:15UAE 859 Dubai 21:15ETD 307 Abu Dhabi 21:30QTR 1074 Doha 21:30GFA 219 Bahrain 21:45FDB 059 Dubai 22:10ETD 309 Abu Dhabi 22:15AIC 981 Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad 22:25UAL 981 Bahrain 22:40ABY 123 Sharjah 22:45BBC 043 Dhaka 23:10JAI 574 Mumbai 23:20LZB 7787 Varna 23:25FDB 8055 Dubai 23:30MSR 614 Cairo 23:30THY 772 Istanbul 23:45PIA 205 Lahore 23:50

Departure Flights on Sunday 27/7/2014Airlines Flt Route TimeMSR 611 Cairo 14:00THY 767 Istanbul 14:10UAE 872 Dubai 14:15FDB 058 Dubai 14:35KAC 561 Amman 14:45IRC 6508 Shiraz 14:50QTR 1079 Doha 14:55MSR 576 Sharm el-Sheikh 15:00KAC 673 Dubai 15:05GFA 222 Bahrain 15:05JZR 242 Amman 15:15KAC 617 Doha 15:30IRC 527 Mashhad 15:30KAC 773 Riyadh 15:50JZR 188 Dubai 15:50FDB 8054 Dubai 15:50SVA 505 Jeddah 16:00ABY 128 Sharjah 16:15KAC 741 Dammam 16:30KNE 471 Jeddah 16:30KNE 463 Madinah 16:30KAC 613 Bahrain 16:35KNE 481 Taif 16:40RJA 641 Amman 16:55KAC 785 Jeddah 17:00IRM 1187 Tehran 17:00JZR 266 Beirut 17:05FDB 052 Dubai 17:10QTR 1073 Doha 17:20NIA 252 Alexandria 17:20TBZ 5484 Mashhad 17:30JZR 538 Cairo 17:40ETD 304 Abu Dhabi 17:45SVA 511 Riyadh 18:15GFA 216 Bahrain 18:20UAE 858 Dubai 18:25JZR 156 Dubai 18:35UAL 982 Bahrain 18:40JZR 238 Amman 18:45IZG 4162 Mashhad 19:00MSC 408 HRG 19:20QTR 1081 Doha 19:25FDB 064 Dubai 19:25KAC 287 Dhaka 19:30ABY 120 Sharjah 19:40GFA 218 Bahrain 19:45JAV 622 Amman 19:55IRA 666 Esfahan 19:55KAC 363 Colombo 20:05CLX 732 Hong Kong 20:20JAI 571 Mumbai 20:35FDB 062 Dubai 20:45KAC 331 Trivandrum 20:50OMA 648 Muscat 20:55ABY 122 Sharjah 21:00JZR 554 Alexandria 21:15MEA 403 Beirut 21:15MSR 607 Luxor 21:25KAC 543 Cairo 21:30DHX 171 Bahrain 21:50FDB 8064 Dubai 22:00KLM 415 Dammam/Amsterdam 22:05ETD 308 Abu Dhabi 22:15ALK 230 Colombo 22:20UAE 860 Dubai 22:25KAC 381 Delhi 22:30KAC 301 Mumbai 22:40QTR 1075 Doha 22:40GFA 220 Bahrain 22:45KNE 461 Riyadh 22:50FDB 060 Dubai 22:50ETD 310 Abu Dhabi 23:00MEA 409 Beirut 23:05ABY 124 Sharjah 23:25KAC 205 Islamabad 23:35KAC 411 Bangkok/Manila 23:40

112

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Ibrahim Navabjan holderof Indian Passport No.F0497541 hereby changemy name to IbrahimNawabjaan ShaikhThiruchirapalle T.N.Mumbai. A-Sector C-LineR.No. 11. Cheeta camp,Trombay Mumbai 400088MS. (C 4815)17-7-2014

MISCELLANEOUS

Looking for a 3-4 years oldautomatic car in Kerala.Interested please call :69080683. (C 4816)22-7-2014

NOTICE

P.O. Box 1450-Safat13015 Kuwait.E-mail: sscons@indembkwt.org

July 15, 2014

(S. K. Dudeja) Second Secretary

Embassy of India, Kuwait

Mr. Rammohan Markapuram son of Mr. MarkapuramChinna Venkataramana, resident of Mittavandlapaui,Kalicherla Peddamandyam, Chittoor, Andhra Pradeshand Miss Chilakamma Mudhusetti daughter of Mr.Mudhusetti Adhinarayana, resident of Musti Makalapalli,Sibyala Rayachoty, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, both Indiannationals, presently residing in Kuwait, have givennotice of intended marriage between them under theForeign Marriage Act, 1969. If anyone has any objectionto the proposed marriage, he/she may file the samewith the undersigned according to the procedure laiddown under the Act/Rule within thirty days from thedate of publication of this notice.

Real insight into your own inner workings or psychology could surface today,and in a manageable form. You may be in the mood for deep and penetrating conversations.You are a good family member, always thinking and caring for others. You are naturally serv-ice-oriented and enjoy taking care of the needs of others. You can sort out most problemsand help others to solve problems. You may also find yourself lecturing, guiding or teachingtoday. Your sense of life and the wonder of the whole creation subject are felt in your attitudeand in your curiosity of everything and the way you communicate. You love a good story andare at home in the world of myths and dreams. You may find the difficulty of writing easy toovercome with a recorder.

Obtaining and exchanging information is important to you. This could meanthat you will be putting the finishing touches on family vacation plans or some other travelplans. There is a lot of physical energy available now. You and your family may decide toattend some social affair before your vacation begins. This social function is important to youand your family because there are old friends to visit. Everyone wants to be included in funactivities with enjoyable people. A family person at heart, you find that a family businessmight work well in the future-you enjoy discovering the personality and talents of your ownoffspring. Research the type of business you want to conduct before you invest. You appreci-ate futuristic ideas.

You may find that your ideas and thoughts are similar to the people aroundyou, which may mean you are attending an art fair or some other event where

everyone has the same thing in common. Fun conversations are easy to find but you maywant to be stimulated by something unusual and separate from your regular routine. Considera visit to a new shop or an art show or some little area of town where you know there will beunusual art displayed. You could take in a professional massage with a friend later this after-noon. This is a great way to relax and a good healing tool. You enjoy meeting new people andthe day just seems to automatically provide opportunities to share a story. Tonight you cansurprise your family with an unusual

You expect perfection and you have a difficult time with your work when theresults are not what you would like to achieve. You never give up and eventually you arepleased with the extra time you have contributed to the end result. Relaxing this afternoon youuse your vivid imagination to experiment with some color on a wall that needs painting.Sometime this evening you make your plans to paint the wall this weekend . . . Perhaps a lightcolor with some type of art pattern in the corners. You have a vivid imagination and areextremely perceptive to colors and visual balance. Many people like your artistic talent. Yourability probably revealed itself at an early age and you seem to express it naturally now. Newmusic brings about a relaxing evening.

Your home environment, friends and surroundings in general may becomemore enjoyable now. There is encouragement in personal matters. Your work or career is in realharmony with the rest of your life. There is a tendency to be too strict with yourself however, toinsist that whatever does not contribute to security and other long-term goals is trivial. Payattention-outer circumstances are good for whatever projects need attention now. Things mayseem almost magical in the way they work for you. This is a great time to set your life to a bal-ance in time, work, play, eat, sleep, relationships and spiritual matters. Your mind tends to bevery imaginative this evening. Ideas and writing of a mystical or poetic nature may appeal toyou now.

You are powerfully motivated, even driven, and tend to be impulsive. You areseldom very reflective when it comes to doing something-you just move forward with the ideaand get things accomplished. You could be more tempted to act first and ask questions later.You have blind courage and sheer guts. You may be a bit aggressive, but in positive ways.Emotional seriousness and a sober orientation are keynotes of your deepest feelings now.Rushing through the day can only cause mistakes-take breaks even when you are working ona hobby and do not forget healthy eating. Slow and easy moves will get you into the fast lanejust as quickly as the reckless moves-the difference is in the endurance. A friend invites you toplay; enjoy.

This is a time of great mental activity and heightened communication withothers. Intellectualism, the exchange of ideas and the idea of being smart as a fox are thethings that have special appeal and importance. You are full of wit and sharp insights.This could be a time for real breakthroughs in the idea department. You are in top formwhen it comes to mental activity. This is a great time for writing, studying and research.You may have opportunities this afternoon to be with young people-perhaps guidingyoung people. You could be teaching young people about science or art. There is achance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone youlove this evening. There are good feelings and harmony this day.

There are several opportunities for in-depth discussions and probing con-versations. Others will find you at your mental best today. This may mean a competitionof some sort. Sports or educational competition is the stimulation you need from time totime. Time flies! Your perceptive abilities are at a peak as well. This day seems to accentyour own ideas and expectations. Of course, winning or earning money could be part ofthe incentive to your high energy. This evening you may be feeling more inward andmore like sharing some time with your lover or with close friends. This evening is a goodtime for propping your feet up and enjoying some good communication between your-self and those you love.

Gut level is the way you think, speak and perceive in the cycle you have justbegun. You are not interested in the superficial; instead, you want to get

right to the root of things. You do not care about the universal, only about how thingsimpact you and yours. Your intellect and emotions are mixed to the point of inseparabili-ty. An instinctive imperative to be powerful and in control-pulling the strings-may lead togreater interest in investing. There is a tendency to be too strict with yourself today. Youcannot solve your and all the world’s problems in one day. You can get the most out ofthose that work under you. All of this intensity and you still display a conservative person-ality. Allow music to enter your life this evening.

Someone around you is continuing his or her education and someone else isgetting a coveted job-another friend or relative is going into his or her own busi-

ness. You catch the bug and have a yearning to broaden horizons. You have always wanted tosing or paint or create the best website-now could be the time. Law, politics, education, traveland religion are some other areas in which an emotionally charged drama will be played. Whatis needed now is a plan, especially since your interests are so varied. You are sensitive and canbecome lost in thought on occasion. Although there is much dedication when you do choose agoal, you can sometimes change your mind in the middle of the course.

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

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 621

ACROSS1. Piece of solid food for dipping in a liquid.4. Strictly parasitic protozoans that are usual-ly immobile.12. A unit of pressure.15. A loose sleeveless outer garment madefrom aba cloth.16. Outstanding United States athlete (1914-1956).17. An affirmative.18. A tenant in someone's house.20. The act of fighting.21. Title for a civil or military leader (especial-ly in Turkey).22. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).23. A member of a Turkic people of ChineseTurkestan and neighboring areas (formerlyof Mongolia and eastern Turkestan).25. A condition (mostly in boys) character-ized by behavioral and learning disorders.28. An intensely radioactive metallic elementthat occurs in minute amounts in uraniumores.29. A white metallic element that burns witha brilliant light.31. An overwhelming feeling of wonder oradmiration.32. Material used to daub walls.34. Derive or receive pleasure from.38. The capital and largest city of Ghana witha deep-water port.39. Metamorphic rock with approximatelythe same composition as marl.41. A white soft metallic element that tar-nishes readily.42. Remaining after all deductions.46. Harsh or corrosive in tone.49. Hungarian choreographer who devel-oped Labanotation (1879-1958).51. Conforming to an ultimate standard ofperfection or excellence.52. Large genus of tropical subshrubs orherbs some of which yield fibers of mucilagi-nous substances.53. A mountain range in western Russiaextending from the arctic to the Caspian Sea.54. Small cubes with 1 to 6 spots on thefaces.55. Type genus of the Haemulidae.57. A trivial lie.59. A yellow trivalent metallic element of therare earth group.60. A river in north central Switzerland thatruns northeast into the Rhine.62. Tag the base runner to get him out.64. (Norse mythology) One of the Aesirknown for his beauty and skill with bow andskis.72. Of or relating to or characteristic ofThailand of its people.75. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.76. A transuranic element that has not beenfound in nature.77. An area of ground used for some particu-lar purpose (such as building or farming).78. A United Nations agency created by amultinational treaty to promote trade by thereduction of tariffs and import quotas.79. A unit of force equal to the force exertedby gravity.80. A proposition deducible from basic pos-tulates.81. Pale gray.

DOWN1. Minute floating marine tunicate having atransparent body with an opening at each

end.2. A slender double-reed instrument.3. A genus of Ploceidae.4. A populous province of south centralChina.5. A ceremonial procession including peoplemarching.6. A midwestern state in north central UnitedStates in the Great Lakes region.7. The airforce of Great Britain.8. State in eastern India on the Bay of Bengal.9. An angular shape characterized by sharpturns in alternating directions.10. An island of central Hawaii (betweenMolokai and Kauai).11. Out of bed.12. An Indian nursemaid who looks after chil-dren.13. A city in southeastern South Korea.14. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that wasformed by an explosion.19. A Chadic language spoken south of LakeChad.24. (of a roof) Constructed with a single slopeon each side of the ridge supported at theend by a gable or vertical triangular portionof an end wall.26. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruitjuice.27. All of the inhabitants of the earth.30. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of thegenus Acacia.33. A flexible container with a single open-ing.35. Open to or abounding in fresh air.36. (physics) Deformation of a physical bodyunder the action of applied forces.37. Having a ridge or shaped like a ridge orthe keel of a ship.40. Destruction achieved by wrecking some-thing.43. The twelfth month of the civil year.44. Edible starchy tuberous root of taroplants.45. A metric unit of volume or capacity equalto 10 liters.47. Consider as ideal.48. Any of various hard resins from trees ofthe family Dipterocarpaceae and of thegenus Agathis.50. An unofficial association of people orgroups.56. An ancient city of Sumer located on a for-mer channel of the Euphrates River.58. A member of an agricultural people ofsouthern India.61. An iconic mental representation.63. A pale rose-colored variety of the rubyspinel.65. A narrow way or road.66. German bacteriologist who isolated theanthrax bacillus and the tubercle bacillus andthe cholera bacillus (1843-1910).67. A medicine or therapy that cures diseaseor relieve pain.68. The sixth month of the civil year.69. (cosmology) The original matter that(according to the big bang theory) existedbefore the formation of the chemical ele-ments.70. A narrow thin strip of wood used as back-ing for plaster or to make latticework.71. Showily imitative of art or artists.73. Having only superficial plausibility.74. (used as a combining form) Recent ornew.

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WORD SEARCH PUZZLE

34s t a r s

Daily SuDoku

Reading about psychology, behavior of adults and the study of the family inter-actions is a fun and enthralling study for you. You even get into the study of gorilla families inWest Africa. You are easy to get along with and easygoing and if offended, unlike many, youcan rise above the problems or learn from them. It is a rare individual that sees difficulties asopportunities to learn and excel. This afternoon you have a better opportunity to remove yournose from a book and enjoy a group gathering with friends, neighbors or family members.Radio talk shows are a big subject of conversation this evening and you should not be sur-prised to find friends or family suggesting that you have your own radio show.

You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing and working with oth-ers. You know just what to do and can act without any frustration. You are called

on to make use of your natural abilities. Yes, this means you could be called on to work today.After spending a little time in the office you may look for ways to relax. Intellect and emotionmix to the point of inseparability. Remember that to have a balance in your life you mustinclude laughter and relaxation. Tonight you will be able to do just that. There are opportuni-ties to attend a watermelon party or some other get-together with friends, neighbors or fami-ly-perhaps it is already in process.

inf or m at ionSUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

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

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SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

G o s s i p

l if e st yle

The 38-year-old actress - who has been romancing the‘Milk’ star for eight months - was spotted in LosAngeles International airport on Wednesday sporting

a huge diamond ring on her engagement !nger, prompt-ing speculation her 53-year-old beau has proposed. Thesighting of the ring comes just a week after it was claimedthe pair are planning to tie the knot in the ‘Snow White andthe Huntsman’ star’s native South Africa in the comingmonths. A source said: “They want to get married verysoon.” And Charlize - who has two-year-old adopted sonJackson - is reportedly keen to adopt a child with Seanshortly after they’ve exchanged vows. The insider added:“Charlize always intended to have another child.” Sean -

who already has 23-year-old daughter Dylan and 20-year-old son Hopper with his ex-wife Robin Wright - has alsobeen bonding with Charlize’s young son. The insideradded: “He is a father !gure to him.” Meanwhile, the loved-up pair - who have known each other for 18 years - havewatched each other change over the years and are lookingforward to a positive future together as a couple. Thesource explained: “Charlize has seen Sean grow up. He’s awiser soul and much more patient. They’re looking to thefuture with a lot of hope.”

Charlize Theron, SeanPenn set to wed?

Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon have sold their Bel Air mansion for over$10 million. The superstar singer and her TV presenter spousehave earned a cool $3 million pro!t by selling their lavish estate,

according to TMZ. The couple - who have three-year-old twins Moroccanand Monroe - bought the house for $7 million in 2009, a year after theywed, but are now planning to uproot from the West Coast permanentlyand live in New York City. The $10 million payday is signi!cantly lowerthan the stars’ asking price as they initially put the pad on the market for$13 million. The sprawling Californian home boasts its own cinema room,a gym, an indoor basketball court and a putting green. The mansion alsoboasts a luxury outdoor swimming pool, the bottom of which is mono-

grammed with Mariah’s initials, MC. Nick, 33, recently revealed he doesn’twant his twin children to follow in their parents’ famous footsteps and ishoping they pursue careers as scientists. He said: “I don’t want my kids tobe on TV, that’s the only thing [I don’t want them to do]. “I just want themto shoot for something else, because it’s already in them - like, if you wan-na act, be in the school choir. [And] if you wanna sing, be in the schoolchoir. “A nuclear scientist - can I get one of those? Can I get a heart sur-geon in the family?”

Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon sell mansion for $10m

‘The Leftovers’ actress - the daughter of Aerosmith rocker StevenTyler - has reportedly struck up a romance with Dave Gardner,who previously dated Rita Ora, after being set up by mutual friend

Kate Moss. A source told The Sun newspaper: “This is the real deal. Daveand Liv are madly in love. “They mix in the same circles because Davehangs out a lot with a group that includes Kate and Stella McCartney. “Kateended up bigging up Dave to Liv as she thought they’d make a great cou-ple. “Liv trusts Kate so was prepared to give things a go but everyone issurprised by how serious they’ve become so quickly.” It’s thought Liv, 37,and Dave bonded over their shared experiences of divorce and both have

children around the same age. The insider added: “They’ve actually beenan item for quite a long time but have gone to great lengths to keep it asecret so they can just go about and do normal things together. “Theyhave a child the same age which is ideal. They’re at a similar place in theirlives and ready to settle down with the right person.” Liv split from hus-band Royston Langdon in 2008, while Dave divorced actress Davinia Taylorin 2010.

Liv Tyler is dating DavidBeckham’s best friend

The ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’star, 28, has bounced back intoshape after giving birth to her sec-

ond child Bodhi !ve months ago, but sheadmits getting her pre-baby !gure backwas a lot harder this time around.Speaking to E! News, she said: “Well, letme tell you, the !rst time I didn’t do any-thing, I was just lucky and I was younger,and then the second time it wasn’t com-ing o" the same way and I had to elimi-nate bread from my diet. It’s typical butI’m on that high-protein, low-carbohy-drate, very low-sugar diet. “It’s kind ofawful but it’s what I’m doing.” Meanwhile,

the brunette beauty - who also has 22-month-old son Noah with husband BrianAustin Green - believes her sons willgrow up to “hate” her because shedoesn’t want them to date until they aremuch older. She said recently: “My kidsaren’t going to go to dances wherethey’re next to girls. Are you kidding me?No girls! Not until they’re 25 or some-thing. I’m going to try and keep them inthe house - they’re going to hate me!”

Megan Fox cut out bread to lose baby weight

Demi Moor!approves of daughter’s

new love

The ‘Ghost’ actress has given the “seal of approval” to Britishactor Ricky Whittle after Rumer Willis brought him to hermother’s Los Angeles home, and the 51-year-old star has

even invited him on a family holiday. A source told The Sunnewspaper: “Ricky got the seal of approval after he met Demi athome in Hollywood. She admired his six-pack and invited himon a family holiday in the Turks and Caicos islands.” Rumer, 25,now plans to introduce 32-year-old Ricky - who she has beendating for three months - to her father, Hollywood hardmanBruce Willis, with a meeting planned for next week. The sourceadded: “Things are really serious between Rumer and Ricky.”Though the couple have only been dating for three months, the‘House Bunny’ star is said to be “inseparable” from her new lover.A source said recently: “They are inseparable and using the ‘L’word already. “Rumer sees him as a permanent !xture in herlife.” Since moving to Los Angeles, ‘Mistresses’ actor Ricky hasbeen romantically linked with actresses Jessica Szohr andSandra Hinojosa, while Rumer previously dated actor JaysonBlair.

Kanye Westkeeps an eye ondaughter North

Kanye West has installed cameras throughout hishome so he can keep an eye on his daughter. The 37-year-old singer has reportedly angered wife Kim

Kardashian after installing surveillance devices in everyroom in their Los Angeles home - including the bathroom -to keep track on 13-month-old North. A source said: “Kanyeis very protective of North and he likes the idea of beingable to check up on her while he’s away touring. “So heasked LA-based tech company VIA international to installhigh-tech cameras all over his house. “He can then have alive link to their home and watch what North is doingwherever he is in the world. “Kanye has a clear idea in hismind of the way his daughter should be brought up, andwants to check his ideas are being put into action” “But Kimisn’t happy about the whole arrangement. She hates theidea of being watched all the time. She’s told him that shefeels he’s being critical of her parenting.” The 37-year-oldrapper has insisted to the ‘Keeping Up with theKardashians’ star that he isn’t worried about her parenting,but wants to see his daughter as much as possible. Thesource said: “He’s reassured Kim that he’s just installed thecameras because he misses North so much but it’s alreadycausing a rift between them.” The ‘Bound 2’ rapper is said tohave clear ideas on how North should be spending herdays and wants to ensure his “influence” is present evenwhen he is on the road. The source added to the Daily Starnewspaper: “Kanye is insisting that North has structure androutine in her life. He wants her to play with educationaltoys and do baby yoga or swimming every day. “He’s eventold Kim to make sure that she’s playing with other chil-dren at least four times a week. “Kanyejust likes the idea of being able tohave an influence on her life,even when he is thousands ofmiles away. “He’ll be awayworking a lot for the rest ofthe year and worries aboutnot being kept in the loop.”

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

l if e s t y l e

G o s s i p

The ‘Hundred-Foot Journey’ actress -who is married to director TaylorHackford - thinks websites like Twitter

can be useful for marketing and as a politi-cal “tool”, but she won’t use them herself.When asked if she is on Twitter or anotherform of social media, the 68-year-oldactress replied: “No, I’m not a social mediaperson. It’s not that it upsets me, that’s notthe right word, but I find it distasteful. But Isee it as a great tool politically and obvi-ously it’s a great marketing tool.” However,the ‘Queen’ star admitted she once signedup for a Facebook account to keep in touchwith her family - but deleted her profile

after just a day. She added to Britain’s HEL-LO! magazine: “Well, I did - I went onFacebook for about 24 hours because Ihave young members of my family and Itravel a lot and I wanted to be in touch.“But I found very rapidly - literally within 24hours - that I just found it so intrusive and Ididn’t want strangers wanting to becomemy friends. I just didn’t want that. Therewas something really scary about it and Ididn’t like it at all.”

The ‘Glee’ actress tied the knot with friend Ryan Dorsey at theLas Ventanas al Paraiso resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, earli-er this month and the groom’s father Arnold Dorsey says the

“beautiful” ceremony was very intimate. Among the group wereNaya’s mother Yolanda and her stepfather, but not her father,Arnold and his wife Rhonda, Ryan’s mother, his ex-wife Cheryl andher husband David and Ryan’s brother Aaron. And after the “strictlyfamily” wedding - which saw guests dine on a feast of steak,shrimp, seabass, lobster and flatbreads - friends of the couplejoined them for a celebration. Arnold admitted the wedding alsocame as a shock to family members, and they only knew it was hap-pening six weeks ago. He told the MailOnline website: “We knewabout the wedding six weeks ago, still, it was a bit of a shock! “I metNaya a couple of weeks ago, I was working in California and I drove

up to her house. She’s very tiny, real petite, but real down to earth,not with her nose stuck up in the air.” Naya - who was due to marryformer boyfriend Big Sean on July 19, the day she tied the knotwith Ryan - first met her new spouse in a nightclub four years agoand they became friends, but Arnold says his son wasn’t interestedin a relationship back then. He said: “I knew she met him at somekind of a party, she saw him across a dance club and she went totalk to him. “He was a playboy, he didn’t want to settle down, hewanted to concentrate on his work. But they remained friends and Iguess they hooked up after the engagement from Big Sean wasdropped.”

Naya Rivera’s wedding had just 12 guests

The 31-year-old singer has had a con-sultation with US artist Nikko Hurtadoabout getting rid of the inking on the

back of her neck - which pays tribute to herex-husband Ashley Cole - following her sur-prise wedding to Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, 33, earlier this month. A source toldthe Daily Star newspaper: “Cheryl wantsNikko to fly over soon and remove thepesky tatt. “It’s been on her to-do list for along time but now she’s a married ≠womanagain the “Mrs C” inking feels even more≠inappropriate. Of course, the rush toremove it is as much out of respect for hernew husband as it is for ≠herself. She wantsJean to know that she has moved on fromher past, especially where Ashley’s con-cerned.” The ‘Crazy, Stupid Love’ hitmaker iskeen for Nikko - who etched Cheryl’s huge

rose tattoo onto her backside last year - tocarry out the procedure as she’s built up abond with him and feels she can trust him.The source explained: “Not only did shelove the results, but it also meant a lot toher that he never opened his mouth aboutit. So she knows he will be discreet aboutthis, too, which is very important to her.”Cheryl - who was married to soccer starAshley from 2006 until 2010 - tied the knotwith Jean-Bernard in a secret ceremony onthe Caribbean island of Mustique on July 7following a whirlwind three-monthromance.

Cheryl Cole is getting

‘Mrs C’ tattoo removed

The ‘9 to 5’ hitmaker admits her Tennessee touristattraction Dollywood was something she wanted toestablish very early in her career as she thought it

would be a “wonderful” thing for local residents. Askedwhat made her want to open a theme park, she said:“Actually, I had thought about that early on. The park willbe celebrating our 30th anniversary this year and we’reopening our resort, but it was a dream of mine, even earlyon. “I thought, if I do become as successful as I hope then Iwould love to go back home and create something in thatarea, which is really one of the biggest tourist areas in theUnited States - the Great Smoky Mountains is the most vis-ited national park in America. A lot of people don’t realizethat. I just thought it would be a wonderful thing for thelocal folks, and for my family.” The 68-year-old singer hasachieved a lot in her career, but still has a number of goalsand ambitions. She explained to The Guardian newspaper:“I still have all my music to do. I’m working on my life storyas a musical, and I also would like to see my life story onfilm, so I’ve been working on that. “I’d like my own cosmeticcompany, to do with the makeup and the clothes and thejewelry, that sort of thing. “So I wake up with new dreamsevery day, and I hope to live long enough to see a lot ofthose dreams come true.”

Dolly Parton always ‘dreamed’ of opening a theme park

Dame Helen Mirren brands

social media ‘distasteful’

The Coldplay frontman, 37, insists heand his ex-wife are still “very close”following their split earlier this year

but claims they haven’t got back together,despite rumors, even though there are feel-ings between them. Speaking on radioshow ‘Valentine in the Morning’ yesterday,he said: “The truth is ... well, I don’t reallylove talking about this stuff. But the thingwe told everyone at the beginning of theyear is true. “We are very close. We are nottogether. But we’re, you know, that’s thetruth and that’s it. There’s a lot of love. Noscandal, I’m afraid. I wish I could give youscandal.” The former couple - whoannounced they were “consciously uncou-

pling” in March after 10 years of marriage -have remained amicable since the split byregularly dining together as a family withtheir children Apple, 10, and Moses, nine.However, Chris previously suggested thathis “issues” were partly to blame for thebreakdown of his marriage. He said: “Abouttwo years ago I was a mess really because Ican’t enjoy the thing that we are good atand I can’t enjoy the great things aroundme because I’m burdened by this - I’ve gotto not blame anyone else and make somechanges.”

Chris Martin admits ‘lot of love’between him and Paltrow

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 20

l if e s t y l e

Shakespeare’s 16th-century Padua is a far cry from Jean-Christophe Maillot’s scintillating new “Taming of theShrew” at the Moscow Bolshoi. Instead, for his debut this

month at the scandal-hit theatre, the French-born choreogra-pher has devised a sensual and modern version of the come-dy, with a minimalist stage set and music woven togetherfrom film scores. Maillot’s bold new production has been wel-comed by a company still reeling from the events of last year,when bitter infighting culminated in an acid attack on the bal-let company’s artistic director, Sergei Filin.

For Filin, who is still convalescing from the horrific burns hereceived during the attack, Maillot’s arrival at the theatre issomething of a coup: before now, the former top dancerturned renowned choreographer had spent two decadesworking exclusively with his troupe at Les Ballets de MonteCarlo. His first ballet at the historic Bolshoi offers a new inter-pretation of Shakespeare’s famous comedy, turning a playoften denounced by feminists as misogynistic into an ode toan “extraordinary woman”.

“It is not the story of a woman who is being schooled by aman,” Maillot said after a rehearsal earlier this month, beforethe troupe went on a much-awaited tour to New York show-casing company classics such as “Swan Lake” and “DonQuixote”. “This is a story of an extraordinary woman who can-not stand the idea of being in love with a man who is no lessextraordinary,” Maillot said. In his version, the headstrong“shrew” Katharina is danced by a playful Ekaterina Krysanova,while Vladislav Lantratov dances the part of Petruchio, thesuitor who eventually “tames” her.

Olga Smirnova, one of the Bolshoi’s rising stars, lends ele-gance and delicate lyricism to the character of Katharina’smeek younger sister, Bianca. The ballet takes place on a stark,modern set, to music composed of 25 fragments-mostly filmscores-written by Soviet composer Dmitry Shostakovich.Onstage, dancers fight and caress, punch and kiss each otherand-in a fairly daring scene for the Bolshoi, a theatre knownprimarily for classical fare danced with technical precision-even appear to have sex on stage. “The show would not existwithout these dancers,” Maillot said. “Going for the easymetaphor, I would say they are like Ferraris. In Monaco, I seethem driving confined to a small area, and here I had a hugecircuit, and I made them drive very fast.”

‘For the first time’ Known for giving a contemporary personal twist to clas-

sics, Maillot was first invited to be the chief choreographer atthe Monte Carlo company by Princess Caroline of Monaco in1993. Many of his productions starred his longtime museBernice Coppieters, who retired earlier this year. “If one didn’tdo something for 20 years and does it for the first time, whereelse do it if not in the Bolshoi!” Maillot told journalists after therehearsal.

“And I must say that I was not surprised, but extremelypleased to ascertain that it is probably if not the best, thendefinitely one of the finest companies in the world,” he said. Ina challenge for both the choreographer and the troupe,Maillot only had 13 weeks to create the ballet with dancerswho were also working on other productions. But Moscow’s

critics hailed the two-act work as “charming” and praised its“delicate psychoanalysis”. The success of the ballet is a symbol-ic victory for the Bolshoi which suffered a devastating blow toits image as a result of the last year’s scandals. Soloist PavelDmitrichenko was convicted of masterminding the attack onFilin and sentenced to five and a half years in jail.

But the ensuing trial also exposed bitter infighting at thecompany and led to a shakeup in the theatre. Principal dancerNikolai Tsiskaridze was dismissed after he conducted a highlypublic feud against Filin. The Bolshoi’s then-director, AnatolyIksanov, was also sacked, and the chief conductor VasilySinaisky opted to resign. Filin, himself a former dancer, contin-ues to battle with the consequences of his injuries, and washospitalized for several days last month with a complication.However he was released in time to oversee the premiere,telling journalists he was “very happy with the new and origi-nal work made for and by the Bolshoi dancers.”

Maillot, too, said he hoped this might be the start of a newera for the world-famous Bolshoi. “There is a wonderful spiritin this company, despite what we have heard,” he said. Afterthe troupe finishes its program in New York and takes a sum-mer break, “Shrew” will resume in October for several perform-ances. — AFP

New archives shine

light on history of

black Britons

The first archive dedicated to the culture and experi-ences of black people in Britain opened onThursday, with the aim of shining a light on a long

overlooked history. The £7-million ($11.9-million, 8.8-mil-lion euro) Black Cultural Archives houses books, diaries,newspapers, photographs and artifacts dating backalmost 2,000 years, as well as an exhibition space andlearning tools for schools. It is the culmination of threedecades of campaigning and fundraising, and thosebehind the project hope it will increase awareness of thelong history of people of African and Caribbean roots inBritain.

“It’s very much a hidden history,” Paul Reid, the directorof the archives, told AFP at a launch event filled with per-formances of music, poetry and dance. The goal is to “col-lect, preserve and celebrate the history of people ofAfrican descent in the UK”, he said, adding that this was“critically important” to people’s sense of identity. “Whenyou know that we’ve always been here, it gives you a dif-ferent sense of belonging,” he said.

Black African or Black Caribbean people currentlymake up 3.3 percent of the population of England andWales, according to the 2011 census, the second largestethnic minority after South Asians. Many communitieswere established after World War II when large numbersof immigrants from the Caribbean-many of them soldierswho fought for the British empire-arrived to start a newlife.

But historians argue the story began much furtherback, noting the African-born Roman emperor SeptimusSeverus, who died in York in the year 211 and is remem-bered on a coin held in the archive. Throughout history,black Britons were not just servants brought over as partof the slave trade, but were soldiers, sailors and successfulbusiness people-although their contribution was for along time ignored.

“There’s a tradition in Britain of a history of the rich,great, white men of property, and a history which is relat-ed to empire,” said Dr Hakim Adi, a reader in the history ofAfrica and the African diaspora at the University ofChichester. “That tends to look down upon the history ofwomen, of working people, of minorities, or think it isunimportant.”

‘History of everybody’ Reid, a tall, sharply dressed figure with long dreadlocks

tied back from his face, said black Britons themselves werealso to blame for failing to grasp the scale of their own his-tory. “The Americas, the Caribbean, Africa-that’s where weoften look for history. We’ve completely overlooked thepresence of people of African descent in these shores,” hesaid. “It’s always an emphasis that looks primarily at theCaribbean experience, of coming here in 1948, andbehind that the grand narrative of enslavement.”

The new building in Brixton, an occasionally troubleddistrict of south London home to a large West Indian com-munity, is primarily a place for researchers. Organizershope it will persuade communities across Britain to thinkabout how to preserve their own histories for future gen-erations.

Russian ballet dancers OlgaSmirnova and Artemy Belyakov(right) perform during the pre-

miere of “The Taming of theShrew”.

This image shows Russian balletdancer Artemy Belyakov (center)performing with dancers during thepremiere of “The Taming of theShrew” in Moscow. — AFP photos

Maillot brings sexy ‘Shrew’to scandal-hit Bolshoi

Young tourists shelter from the falling rain under ahandrail beside steps before the start of a thunder-storm, in Trafalgar Square, London, Friday, July 25,2014. — AP

Bates Motel Party

Actress Maitland Ward attends Playboy andA&E “Bates Motel” Comic-Con Party in SanDiego, California. — AFP photos

TV personality Kyle Keller Actress Christina Ochoa Lauren Francesca Jennifer Morrison

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014

l if e s t y l e

Tango has found a lasting home in Finland, andevery summer the Finns’ love affair with thedance breaks out into the open, showing that

under their cool North exterior beats a warm, Latinheart. For many practitioners of “tangotanssi”, thedance offers an opportunity to give free rein to emo-tions that social mores usually require them to keep incheck.

“Dancing tango gives us space for emotions thatwe find it hard to express otherwise,” said OutiSuoninen, her brow beading with sweat after an houron the dance floor at Tangomarkinnat, the year’sbiggest tango festival, held in the western city ofSeinaejoki. Her partner, Heikki Kyroelaeinen, noddedin agreement: “We can be intimate. It strengthens ourrelationship.”

This year the annual July festival, one of the world’sbiggest, celebrated its 30th anniversary and attracted116,000 visitors-or, in a population of 5.4 million,roughly one in every 50 Finns. The climax: crowningthe tango “king” and “queen”, who become instantsuperstars in tango-dancing circles.”It’s about main-taining and strengthening the Finnish tradition oftango,” said the festival’s artistic director MarttiHaapamaeki. “Besides, the festival provides a kick ofenergy for the entire nation.”

Getting close to the other sex First-time visitors to Finland are usually surprised

to find that tango has a massive following an oceanaway from its Argentinian home, but to the Finnsthemselves it makes perfect sense. “Tango is an idealway to approach the opposite sex for a Finn,”Haapamaeki said. Tango came to Finland in 1913 —when the country was still a part of the Russianempire-introduced by Toivo Niskanen, a ballet dancerwho had warmed to the exotic fad while visiting Paris.

Modern Finnish tango, which evolved in the 1950sand 1960s, has departed from its South American ori-gin in ways discernible even to untrained eyes andears. The dance looks different-the couples pressing

themselves closer together than in the Latin version-and the music has a distinctive local ring to it. “Finnishtango is a bit like military music with its strikingrhythm, whereas Argentine tango is more fluid andgives more opportunities for dancing,” said MarkkuLindroos, who takes tango lessons in Helsinki.Tangoin every part of the world is a mixture of joie de vivreand sadness, but the Finns, some say, place theemphasis decidedly on the “sad” part. Minor keys-tra-ditionally associated with sorrow-are used often.According to historians, the melancholy mood reflectsthe atmosphere during and after World War II, whenFinland twice fought against the Soviet Union andhad to cede large parts of its territory to the numeri-cally superior foe. “After the war, tango helped uscome to terms with our grief. The loss described in thetango tunes attained a wider meaning,” YrjoeHeinonen, a professor of contemporary cultural stud-ies at University of Turku, told AFP.

Competing with Elvis Since then, tango has had to compete with other

forms of popular music, from Elvis Presley to rap andheavy metal, and as it enters its second century inFinland, skeptics wonder how long it can last. Theoptimists see little reason for concern, noting that theopportunity for physical intimacy is a permanentattraction that will appeal to future generations aswell. “Today people are always handling electronicdevices, and all communication is done electronically,”said Kaisa Saarinen, organiser of the annual Frostbitetango festival in Helsinki.

“There’s no physical contact. Tango brings us veryclose physically.” Argentina’s Martin Alvarado, an inter-nationally known tango singer who performed inHelsinki in February, said he was surprised by thevibrancy of Finland’s tango scene. “I know Russian tan-go and German tango,” he told AFP, “but a tradition asstrong as Finnish tango you find nowhere else.” —AFP

Finns dance ‘tangotanssi’ to find their inner Latino

Couples dance at the Tango Dancing Festival in Seinajoki, Finland. — AFP

Renaissance artist Piero di Cosimo’s career inpainting will be examined next year in amajor exhibition being planned for

Washington and Florence, Italy. The NationalGallery of Art will announce Friday that it is organiz-ing the first major retrospective of Piero’s paintingswith the Uffizi museum in Florence. Curators said“Piero di Cosimo:

The Poetry of Painting in Renaissance Florence”will include about 40 of the artist’s most compellingworks. Some are borrowed from churches in Italy,while others come from museum collections. Piero

began his career around 1480 and was a contempo-rary of Michelangelo, Leonardo and Botticelli. Hispaintings included altarpieces, portraits and scenesof fables and mythological fantasies.

The show will include one of Piero’s greatestmasterpieces, “Madonna and Child Enthroned withSaints Elizabeth of Hungary, Catherine ofAlexandria, Peter, and John the Evangelist withAngels,” curators said. It was completed in 1493 andis held by the Museo degli Innocenti in Florence.This is the first collaboration between the NationalGallery and the Uffizi. The show will be on view in

Washington from February to May 2015. A differentversion of the exhibit will be shown in Florence toinclude works by Piero’s contemporaries from June23 through September 2015. The only other exhibi-tion on Piero di Cosimo in the United States washeld in 1938 in New York City and included just sev-en paintings, curators said. — AP

The past week for “Weird Al”Yankovic has been a little weirdby the standards of the curly-

haired, accordion-playing, oddballmaster of pop music parody. The 54-year-old singer of such songs as “EatIt,” a culinary spoof on MichaelJackson’s 1983 hit “Beat It” and “AmishParadise,” the send-up of rapperCoolio’s 1995 sensation “Gangsta’sParadise,” scored his first No. 1 albumon the U.S. Billboard chart with“Mandatory Fun”, following a week-long rollout of music videos.

“It’s still hard for me to wrap myhead around that,” Yankovic said in aninterview. “It means a lot to me.”Seemingly eclipsed at his own gameby the rise of parody and fan-generat-ed music videos online over the pastdecade and shut out from MTV whenthe network largely gave up musicvideos for original programming,Yankovic has survived by tapping intosocial media. “I realized that theInternet was pretty much where mybread was buttered,” said the three-time Grammy winner, whose three-decade career has been due largely inpart to the success of his humorousmusic videos.

“I wanted to do something thatwould appeal to the online communi-ty and things on the Internet go viral

quick,” he added. Yankovic releasedeight new songs each day beginningon July 14 with “Tacky,” a celebrity-filled video of Pharrell’s internationalhit “Happy,” which itself has spawnedcountless fan videos.

“There was always the danger peo-ple would get tired of it, by the thirdday I was wondering if people wouldbe going, ‘Oh no, more Al,’” saidYankovic of the eight videos that haveso far racked up more than 40 millionviews. “Mandatory Fun” sold 104,000copies in its first week, according tofigures compiled by NielsenSoundScan. It also became the firstcomedy album to reach No. 1 since1963’s “My Son, the Nut” by AllanSherman.

“It kind of had a snowball effect,”the three-time Grammy winner said ofthe videos. “By the end of the eightdays there was a little bit of aPavlovian effect as well, because whenit ended, people were like, ‘Where’sthe “Weird Al” video?’” The singer,whose new fare about aluminum foilparodies poor grammar to the tune ofRobin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” andLorde’s “Royals”, said it took about twoyears to complete the album andvideos.—Reuters

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic still trying towrap head around No. 1 album

This image shows Piero di Cosimo’s “Construction of a Palace.”

Museums plan Piero di Cosimo exhibit in US, Italy

Models present creations by various designers on the second day of the Cape Town Fashion Week, on July 25, 2014, in Cape Town. — AFP photos

cAPE

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Captain America is now black, Thor becomes awoman, and comic character Archie Andrews is shotand killed while saving his gay friend. The annual

pop-culture carnival that is the Comic-Con Festival gotunder way in San Diego on Thursday with fans welcomingthe world of change facing so many beloved characters.

An estimated 150,000 devotees of comics, video games,fantasy and action movies are expected to throng the four-day extravaganza in southern California, many opting todon costumes of their favorite characters. The streets sur-rounding the festival resemble a surreal bazaar: a miniatureDarth Vader asleep on the shoulders of his father, dressedas Bart Simpson, or Princess Elsa from “Frozen” posing with“Avengers” heroine Black Widow. Blonde-haired blue-eyedEric Jensen came dressed as Captain America, accompa-nied by his seven-year-old son, a hammer-wielding miniThor. “I relate a lot with Captain America,” Jensen explained.“He was in the Navy and so was I, he is patriotic, me too. Hekeeps strong values in the face of adversity,” the insuranceagent added.

But Jensen was surprised to learn of the seismic shift indirection that Captain America’s creators at Marvelannounced last week, namely that the iconic superherowould become black. In another tilt away from white, malearchetypes, Thor is being reimagined as a female Norsegoddess. “I wonder what context this is, why are they doingthat,” Jensen said. Marvel has explained that the changewill come when Steve Rogers, aka Captain America,becomes weakened and passes his shield and duties totrusty black sidekick Sam Wilson, previously known as “TheFalcon.” “It’s fantastic, I like that,” Jensen told AFP. A shortdistance away, 21-year-old graphic designer Daniela

Applegate caused a sensation with her pyramid-shapedwarrior costume inspired by a video game.

‘Sexist archetypes’ She also welcomed the changes facing so many iconic

characters from the world of pop culture. “It is about timethis world gets rid of its sexist archetypes,” she said. WhileThor’s metamorphosis into a Norse goddess may haveraised eyebrows, strong female characters are legion atComic-Con such as Lux, from the game “League ofLegends.”

Shannon Sorensen, a student dressed as purple-hairedcartoon character Pyrrha Nikos, echoed Applegate’s views.“It is time the superheroes stop reflecting archetypes andan ethnicity of the past,” she said. Sorensen was skeptical,

however, about the “honesty” of Marvel, owned by Disney.“Disney sells princesses to little girls and they boughtMarvel and its characters for boys,” she said, even allowingfor the fact that the heroine of Disney’s “Frozen” has capti-vated both boys and girls on its way to becoming the mostsuccessful animated movie of all time.

Brian Jordan, who organizes an alternative comic andfilm festival specializing in homosexual and transgendercharacters, is also tired of stories about “a boy that falls inlove with a girl who gets in trouble and he rescues her.”

But the 47-year-old welcomed Marvel’s decision to turnThor into a woman. He was also impressed by the decisionof the creators of Archie Andrews to kill off the character,heroically taking a bullet to save the life of his gay friend.“It’s a start,” said Jordan, citing other gay characters inshows such as “The Venture Bros” and “Superjail!”

Sorensen cited a recent gay marriage in “Green Lantern”and a kiss between Superman and Batman. Dina Mills,dressed as a character from “Mysterious Ways,” came toComic-Con with her son. She reveled in the escapism ofthe event. “I’m a stay at home mom. It gives me an escapeand let me become somebody else,” she said. But she wasless certain about the gender shift for “Thor.” “I’m a big fanof Thor as it is but you know how it goes, people complainand then they get used to it,” she said. — AFP

38Maillot brings ‘Shrew’ toscandal-hit Bolshoi

SUNDAY, JULY 27 , 2014

Dressed as Champions from the League of Legends online video game, Melanie Delia(left) as Lulu, Justin LaTorre (center) as Ezrela, Jason Williams as Ashe, pose.

Chuy Mendoza dressed as The Joker, runs across the streeton stilts outside the San Diego Convention Center on thesecond day of the 45th annual Comic-Con, in San Diego.

Costumed attendees walk outside the San Diego Convention Center.

Robert Ayatte portrays the Batman villain “Two-Face”.

Piper Rhodes (right) and Rosana Olson joke with a creation from Legacy Effects (behind) during Comic-Con.

Christine and Justin Skolek walk outside during Comic-Con.

Fanboys and girls grapple with change at Comic Con

The trailer for the next film in the popular “HungerGames” series is making its premiere at Comic-Con.Fans gathered Friday at the Capitol Gallery in down-

town San Diego, where holographic versions of two char-acters from the film offered visitors a silent welcome beforethe minute-long teaser trailer was shown. The trailer openswith a hovership landing and a meeting between leadersof the rebellion, where Phillip Seymour Hoffman and agray-haired Julianne Moore discuss Katniss Everdeen’s role.Meanwhile, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) declaresthe Mockingjay symbol illegal. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence)

is shown entering the underground bunker whererefugees of Panem are hiding, and she agrees to take uptheir cause.

Being the first to see the trailer for “The Hunger Games:Mockingjay Part I” was only part of the Capitol Galleryexperience, which occupied part of the Hard Rock Hotel. Inan all-white setting inspired by President Snow’s Capitolcolor scheme, visitors could enjoy treats from Peeta’s bak-ery, witness colorful Capitol fashions, design souvenir T-shirts and have their photo taken with the holographiccharacters.

Even the trailer-viewing experience seemed designedby the Capitol: In an all-white room, fans were offered all-white candies and snacks before being shown into pod-likechairs, where they watched the trailer on personalSamsung tablets. The trailer also can be seen on Samsungdevices at Best Buy stores before it’s released widely nextweek. — AP

Comic-Con gets first look at ‘Mockingjay’ trailer