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FEBRUARY 14, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 24, 1436 AH
P19
New Zealand take on
Lanka in World Cup
opener today
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Snails Slither
Into Spa Scene
Around World
Vol. 34 No. 92 | 200 baisas | 28 pages
www.omanobserver.om
Oil tops $61 for
first time in 2015
LONDON — Brent oil prices soared
ƒ„‘˜‡̈́͸ͳ–Š‹•™‡‡ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‹‡
this year, aided by upbeat news on
Ukraine and Greece and by rebounding economic growth in eurozone
powerhouse Germany.
“Prices managed to climb...as investors reacted positively to the an‘—…‡‡– ‘ˆ ƒ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ „‡–™‡‡
Russia and Ukraine after talks mediated by Germany and France proved
successful,” said Sucden analyst Myrto Sokou.
“Appetite for risk assets was
boosted further by the progress between Greece and its creditors regarding any potential renegotiation
of the bailout package.”
European stock markets also
jumped higher Friday, with Germany’s main index breaching 11,000
’‘‹–•ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‹‡ƒ•
”‡‡…‡ƒ’peared closer to a possible overhaul
of its international bailout.
Sentiment was given another
„‘‘•– ƒ• ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ †ƒ–ƒ •Š‘™‡† –Š‡
German economy expanded surprisingly strongly in the fourth quarter
of 2014, driven by robust consumer
spending. In the period from October
to December, German gross domestic product expanded by 0.7 percent,
bringing full-year growth to 1.6 percent.
Economic activity in the eurozone
also picked up slightly, expanding by
0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter and
0.9 for all of 2014.
Crude futures had risen sharply
on Thursday, gaining almost $2.50 on
reports that leading petroleum producers are curtailing investment.
In a topsy-turvy week for the
oil market, prices fell sharply on
India glitters
in gold
consumption
[email protected]
FESTIVAL
India’s Foreign
Minister to visit
Oman from Feb 17
ENDS TODAY
Higher oil forecasts
suggest OPEC tactics
are paying off
By R A K Singh
LONDON — The world’s three
big energy agencies are forecasting higher demand for OPEC’s
crude oil this year, a sign the producing nations’ strategy to let
prices fall is starting to win them
back market share from rivals
who are cutting output.
After an oversupply of world
oil sent prices tumbling in 2014,
top OPEC exporter Saudi Arabia
urged fellow members not to
prop up the market and to try
to knock out competing sources
like US shale, which, because it
has higher production costs, had
to cut output when prices fell.
In reports this week, The
International Energy Agency
and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
have raised by at least 200,000
barrels per day (bpd) their estimates of demand for OPEC
crude in 2015, while the US government’s Energy Information
Administration forecasts OPEC
will pump 140,000 bpd more.
Wednesday with New York crude
sliding below $49, as swelling US
inventories added to the global supply glut. The US stockpiles report
showed crude reserves standing at
an 80-year high for this time of the
year. — AFP
‡‘’Ž‡™ƒ–…Šϔ‹”‡™‘”•†—”‹‰—•…ƒ–‡•–‹˜ƒŽ‹ƒ•‡‡ƒ”ǤŠ‡ˆ‡•–‹˜ƒŽ‡†•–‘†ƒ›Ǥ
NEW DELHI — India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj (pictured) will visit Oman from February 17.
She would hold talks with Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah,
Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, on key issues
pertaining to trade and security besides piracy and cyber
crimes.
Swaraj’s two-day visit to
Oman would be her third visit
to a Gulf country since she as•—‡† ‘ˆϐ‹…‡ ‹ ƒ› Žƒ•– ›‡ƒ”ǡ
said MEA External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Akbaruddin. Swaraj had visited Bahrain
in September and the UAE in November last year.
The MEA spokesperson recalled that Alawi was the
ϐ‹”•–ˆ‘”‡‹‰‹‹•–‡”ˆ”‘ƒ›…‘—–”›ǡ‹‹•–‡”™ƒ”ƒŒ
Šƒ†”‡…‡‹‡˜‡†‹†‹ƒƒˆ–‡”ƒ••—’–‹‘‘ˆ–Š‡‘ˆϐ‹…‡„›
the NDA government.
“When His Excellency Alawi had come to India on
June 3, he had extended Swaraj an invitation to visit
Oman. Swaraj’s two-day visit to Oman follows that invitation,” said Akbaruddin.
During her visit, Swaraj would also be discussing the
issues pertaining to nearly 700,000-strong Indian community residing there.
Asked about a proposal on a deep-sea gas pipeline
with both Iran and Oman, the MEA spokesperson said
‹–™ƒ•Ž‹‡Ž›–‘ϐ‹‰—”‡†—”‹‰–Š‡‡‡–‹‰‘ˆ–Š‡ˆ‘”‡‹‰
ministers.
”ƒ†‡ ™‹ŽŽ „‡ ƒ‘–Š‡” ‹••—‡ –Šƒ– ™‹ŽŽ ϐ‹‰—”‡ ’”‘‹nently during Swaraj’s visit to Oman. According to reports, bilateral trade between Oman and India was valued around $5 billion per annum, which was likely to
‹…”‡ƒ•‡–‘̈́͸„‹ŽŽ‹‘†—”‹‰–Š‡‡š–ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ›‡ƒ”Ǥ
Akbaruddin said that there more than 700,000 Indians working in Oman in various sectors. They form the
largest expatriate group in Oman. They also repatriate,
as per estimates, more than $3 billion from Oman annu Continued on page 2
ally.
Pipeline works to be completed ahead of time today
By Kabeer Yousuf
14-year-old girl Malak al Khatib is greeted by relatives after her
release from an Israeli jail on Friday in West Bank. Malak, whose
jailing six weeks ago for planning to attack Israelis became a focus
for anger over the arrest of children in the occupied territories.
Malak was arrested on her way home from school and a military
court jailed her for two months. — AFP
MUSCAT — Water woes in Muscat
will be over early today as the pipeline works are progressing on a warfooting and are expected to be completed before the scheduled time of 4
pm, according to the Public Authority
for Water and Electricity (PAEW).
Speaking to the Observerǡƒϐ‹†ŠƒŽ
Hasani, Director of Communications
at PAEW, said that more than 90 per
cent of work is complete and the rest
will be done by today.
He further stated that cooperation
with various departments has enabled the Authority to keep essential
public services uninterrupted.
“Before we started the capacity
I was totally lost to
learn that there is no
water but the vehicles
that offered free water was
of great help. We were
happy for after all it is for a
good cause
— AYMAN
boosting work on the pipelines, we
coordinated with the Ministry of Defence which provided us with many
tankers to supply water to the Royal
Oman Police and various hospitals in
the country. We are happy to say the
works will be over today and regular
water supply will resume before the
announced time”.
Various tankers were pressed to
a number of distribution points. 1.5
and 3.5 gallon capacity vehicles were
pulled back from places of less demand such as MSQ, British Council
area and Al Araimi area and were deployed to places of high demand such
as Ruwi and Al Amerat.
Continued on page 2
Inside...
UN climate blueprint agreed in Geneva
India mulls reform
of emigration laws
to protect diaspora
WITH India’s migrant workforce
facing umpteen problems rang‹‰ ˆ”‘ †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–‹‡• ‹ ‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘
clearance to their exploitation by
recruiting agents here in the country and subsequent harassment and
ill-treatment by their overseas employers, India is mulling enacting a
new law to protect their interests. A
Ministry of Oversees Indian Affairs
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ •ƒ‹† –Š‡ ‰‘˜‡”‡– ‹• …‘templating to launch a comprehensive reform of its emigration laws,
ƒ‹‡†ƒ–Dz”‡†‡ϐ‹‹‰ƒ†–”ƒ•ˆ‘”ing emigration into a simple, trans’ƒ”‡–ǡ ‡ˆϐ‹…‹‡– ƒ† Š—ƒ‡ ‡…‘nomic process.”
See page 6
A rescue worker amidst the debris after an explosion in a mosque in Peshawar on Friday. —Reuters
See page 4
NEGOTIATORS in Geneva approved a
climate-rescue blueprint on Friday, a
symbolic milestone in the fraught UN
process that must culminate in a universal pact in December.
Though described as unwieldy
ƒ† ϐ‹ŽŽ‡† ™‹–Š †”ƒ•–‹…ƒŽŽ› ‘’’‘•‹‰
views, the 86-page draft plan for limiting manmade global warming was
welcomed by parties and observers
ƒŽ‹‡ƒ•ƒ…”—…‹ƒŽ…‘ϐ‹†‡…‡Ǧ„—‹Ž†‹‰
step. But they also pointed to a heavy
workload ahead to streamline the
text without alienating any party.
“We now have a formal negotiating text, which contains the views
and concerns of all countries,” said
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
guiding the process.
“The text was constructed in full
transparency. This means that although it has become longer, countries are now fully aware of each
other’s positions.”
Assembled over the past six days,
the framework was gavelled through
to applause from delegates. It will
guide negotiations in the months
leading to the November 30-December 11 UNFCCC Conference of Parties
(COP) in Paris.
See page 16
2
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
OMAN/LATE NEWS
FROM PAGE 1
Asha Bhosle, the Indian songstress, will be performing with The Royal
Oman Symphony Orchestra at the City Amphitheatre today as a
part of the Muscat Festival. The month-long festival, organised
by the Muscat Municipality, concludes today.
Regular
water
supply
was
affected
in Al Khuwair (except
Al Khuwair 25), Al
Qurum, MSQ, Hay al
Sarooj, Madinat al Ilam,
Ministries and Embassies
District,
Watayyah,
Bausher, Muscat, Amerat
and Muttrah.
Additionally,
the
10,000 gallon tankers
provided by the Ministry of Housing were also
helpful in catering to the
increased demand, according to the Authority.
There
were
long
queues of people at the
distribution points who
said they had feared they
would run short of water
especially on a Friday.
“I was totally lost to
learn that there is no water but the vehicles that
offered free water was
of great help. We were
happy, for after all it is
for a good cause,” Ayman,
an Egyptian chef in Ruwi
told the Observer.
Meanwhile,
private
tankers were discretely
charging between RO 20
–‘ ʹͷ –‘ ϐ‹ŽŽ ƒ ƒ˜‡”ƒ‰‡
household tanker of 300
gallons.
“Public wouldn’t have
to depend on private
tankers who would be
taking the situation for
granted. We have enough
and more tankers to cater to the whole governorate’s affected places,”
ƒϐ‹†Š•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Indian Foreign
Minister due
on Feb 17
‹šǦ†ƒ›Ǧ‘Ž†„ƒ„›‰‡–•
a heart transplant
FROM PAGE 1
LOS ANGELES — A six-day old premature baby has become the youngest
infant to receive a heart transplant at
a US hospital, doctors and her proud
parents said.
Baby Oliver Crawford underwent
the operation at Phoenix Children’s
Hospital in Arizona after being born
seven weeks ahead of schedule with a
heart defect which meant her parents
didn’t expect him to survive.
“The doctors had very little hope
that he would survive the pregnancy,
and when our water broke at 33 weeks,
we were prepared to deliver a still born
baby,” said Caylyn Otto, the infant’s
mother.
Dz—–Š‡…ƒ‡‘—–ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ǡdz•Š‡ƒ††ed in a statement released by the hospital. The baby is recovering in hospital
after being born on January 5.
His mother and father Chris Crawˆ‘”† ™‡”‡ ϐ‹”•– ƒŽ‡”–‡† –‘ –Š‡ ’”‘„lem after a prenatal exam at 20 weeks
showed a defect in the tiny baby’s
heart, called dilated cardiomyopathy.
– ™ƒ• …‘ϐ‹”‡† ˆ‘—” ™‡‡• Žƒ–er. “The left ventricle was huge for a
24-week-old,” pediatric cardiologist Dr
Christopher Lindblade told the Arizona
Republic, adding: “It was massive.”
They prepared for the worst.
They even prepared for Oliver’s funeral, clearing their home of toys, diapers and other baby things.
“It was too hard for me to look at all
that stuff,” said Otto.
A hospice worker asked her if she
would want to hold her stillborn baby,
before he was taken away.
“I don’t think I can,” Otto told her
“Our trade with Oman
is on rise. It has exceeded
more than 125 per cent rise
‹Žƒ•–ϐ‹˜‡›‡ƒ”•ǡdz•ƒ‹†–Š‡
MEA spokesperson adding
–Šƒ–‹Žƒ•–ϐ‹•…ƒŽ–Š‡–”ƒ†‡
between India and Oman
had exceeded $5.7 billion.
India and Oman has
‘˜‡”ͳǡͷͲͲŒ‘‹–˜‡–—”‡
…‘’ƒ‹‡•ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰ƒ
†‹ƒ‡”–‹Ž‹•‡”‘’ƒ›
(OMIFCO) in Sur and Bharat
ƒ‡ϐ‹‡”›–†ȋȌ
ƒ–‹ƒ‹ƒ†Š›ƒ”ƒ†‡•Šǡ
•ƒ‹†–Š‡•’‘‡•’‡”•‘ǡ
highlighting the existence
‘ˆ–Š‡–™‘Žƒ†ƒ”Œ‘‹–
˜‡–—”‡•ϐ‹”•„‡–™‡‡–Š‡
two countries.
Dz†‹ƒƒ†ƒŠƒ˜‡
ƒŽ•‘”‡‰—Žƒ”ƒ˜ƒŽǡ‹”
ƒ†”›‡š‡”…‹•‡•ǡdz•ƒ‹†
Akbaruddin adding that
ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‡…—”‹–›†˜‹•‡”•
of Oman and India also
Šƒ˜‡ƒ‹•–‹–—–‹‘ƒŽ
mechanism to hold annual
†‹ƒŽ‘‰—‡•‘˜ƒ”‹‘—•
•‡…—”‹–›”‡Žƒ–‡†ƒ†
strategic matters. India
considers the Sultanate
of Oman as its strategic
partner in the Gulf and an
important interlocutor
in the bilateral and Arab
‡ƒ‰—‡…‘–‡š–•ǤƒƒŽ•‘
ƒ……‘”†•ƒŠ‹‰Š’”‹‘”‹–›–‘
its ties with India.
husband, according to the newspaper.”I
don’t think I can hold him like that.”
“We kept saying, if we just get to
hold him for one minute. That’s all we
ask. Just one minute with our son,” Otto
told the newspaper. “Every minute
more we get is a blessing,” she said.
Lindblade, the director of the hospital’s Fetal Heart Program, had recently
reviewed a major study on neonatal
babies, which gave a prognosis for infants with Oliver’s condition.
Using statistics from the study, he
told the parents that their baby had a
58 per cent chance of not dying or not
having to have a heart transplant
But while the odds were daunting,
the anxious parents knew they meant
there was still a chance — so they nicknamed their infant son Oliver Hope,
short for “all of our hope,” Crawford
told the Arizona Republic.
Doctors planned for a birth at 36
weeks, but Otto went into labour at
33 weeks. Within hours of the birth
the baby was screened to see if he was
healthy enough for a heart transplant.
He was put on a national transplant
waiting list on January 9, and two days
later a viable heart became available.
The operation lasted for 10 hours,
after which he had an incision from his
belly to his chest.
“From our understanding Oliver is
the youngest recipient in the nation.
He received his transplant at 34
weeks and 3 days gestation,” said his
mother. The baby remains in hospital
and his lungs remain weak but he is
doing “amazingly well” at 6.1 pounds,
according to the hospital. — AFP
ISM HOLDS 3rd GRADUATION CEREMONY
Indian School Muscat held the 3rd Graduation ceremony for its outgoing class 12 students on Thursday. 471
jubilant 12th graders were honoured at the function.
3
REGION
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
At least 9 more
journalists in
Egyptian jails
Yemen faces exodus of foreign diplomats
Yemeni soldiers watch as anti-Houthi protesters demonstrate in Taiz yesterday against the dissolution of parliament. Right: Security forces stand guard outside the
French Embassy in Sanaa yesterday. The US, UK and France citing security fears shut their embassies in Yemen. — Reuters/AFP
IS attacks Iraq base
housing US forces
BAGHDAD — Iraqi soldiers backed by US-led coalition
aircraft repelled an attack on Friday by the IS group on a
base where hundreds of US troops are training local se…—”‹–›ˆ‘”…‡•ǡ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ••ƒ‹†Ǥ
“The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) supported by Coalition surveillance assets defeated the attack (on the Al
Asad air base in western Iraq), killing all eight attackers,”
a US military statement said.
About 300 members of the US security forces are at
the base in the heart of Anbar province training Iraqi
troops.
”ƒ“‹ƒ”›…‘Ž‘‡Žƒ†ƒ†‡ˆ‡…‡‹‹•–”›‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ
said the botched attack involved at least seven would-be
suicide bombers using a military vehicle.
–…ƒ‡Š‘—”•ƒˆ–‡”ϐ‹‰Š–‡”•Žƒ—…Š‡†ƒ‘ˆˆ‡•‹˜‡
on the nearby town of Al Baghdadi, one of the few in the
province still under government control.
“IS gunmen launched an attack targeting the police
headquarters of Al Baghdadi and two government buildings in the town centre,” a police lieutenant colonel said.
He said the attackers were assisted by “sleeper cells”
that were already inside the town, one of a handful in
the western province of Anbar not under IS control.
An army colonel said police, army and anti-extremist
tribal forces had succeeded in repulsing the militants
from most neighbourhoods of Al Baghdadi on Friday.
‘™‡˜‡” ϐ‹‰Š–‡”• •–‹ŽŽ …‘–”‘ŽŽ‡† •‘‡ „—‹Ž†‹‰•
and positions in the centre of the town, which lies on the
Euphrates river, northwest of Baghdad, they said.
A separate Pentagon statement said a total of 15 air
strikes were carried out against IS militants since Thursday, eight in Syria and seven in Iraq.
In a statement on Friday, the Combined Joint Task
Force leading the air operations said the strikes near Al
Raqqah, Kobani and Dayr az Zawr in Syria hit numerous
armoured vehicles used by the militant group as well as
–™‘—‹–•‘ˆϐ‹‰Š–‡”•ǡƒ‘‰‘–Š‡”–ƒ”‰‡–•Ǥ
In Iraq, the air strikes near Al Asad, Mosul and SinŒƒ” Š‹– ϐ‹˜‡ —‹–• ‘ˆ ϐ‹‰Š–‡”•ǡ –Š”‡‡ „—‹Ž†‹‰•ǡ –Š”‡‡
ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰’‘•‹–‹‘•ƒ†‘–Š‡”–ƒ”‰‡–•ǡƒ……‘”†‹‰–‘–Š‡
statement. — Reuters
Displaces children attend a class inside a makeshift
school in the northern city of Tal Afar in Yeryawah,
25 km west of the northern city of Kirkuk. — AFP
UN envoy says Assad is
part of the solution
Residents of Syria’s besieged Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp, south of Damascus, gather to collect food aid
at the adjacent Jazira neighbourhood yesterday. — AFP
VIENNA — The UN envoy for Syria
said on Friday that President Bashar
al Assad must be part of the solution
for easing violence in Syria, and he
would continue discussions with him
after talks in Damascus earlier this
week.
The envoy, Staffan de Mistura, is
struggling to advance a proposal that
™‘—Ž†ˆ”‡‡œ‡ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰‹–Š‡‘”–Š‡”
city of Aleppo — one of the subjects
he has said he had discussed with
Assad.
In Vienna for talks with Austrian
Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, de
Mistura said the government still
controlled a large part of Syria, and
that Assad was “part of the solution
for the reduction of the violence”,
clarifying an earlier remark at a news
conference that Assad was part of
“the solution”.
The United States is among Western powers that say Assad’s violent
response to what began as a peaceful
pro-democracy movement has dis“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡† Š‹ –‘ Ž‡ƒ† ›”‹ƒǡ ƒŽ–Š‘—‰Š
Washington is at the same time leading a coalition of countries bombing
the militants who now dominate the
rebellion against Assad.
Dzƒ‘––ƒŽ‹‰ƒ„‘—–ƒϐ‹ƒŽ•‘lution,” de Mistura said by phone.
“That is something that only the Syrians, if you had asked me, would have
to decide upon. The main point was
he is part of the solution in reducing
violence.”
De Mistura, who was in Damascus
last week where he met with Assad,
is due to deliver a report on his mission to the UN Security Council on
February 17. If no solution to the conϐŽ‹…–‹•ˆ‘—†ǡDz–Š‡‘Ž›‘‡™Š‘–ƒ‡•
advantage of it is the IS,” de Mistura
said, referring to the extremists who
have taken over parts of Syria and
Iraq.
The group is a “monster waiting
ˆ‘”–Š‹•…‘ϐŽ‹…––‘–ƒ‡’Žƒ…‡‹‘”†‡”
to be able to take advantage,” he said.
Earlier, speaking at a news conference with Kurz, he had said: “There
is a large part of Syria which is un-
der the control of the Syrian government and I will continue having very
important discussions with him because he is part also of the solution.”
Kurz meanwhile agreed that “in
–Š‡ ϐ‹‰Š– ƒ‰ƒ‹•– ‹– …ƒ „‡ ‡…‡••ƒ”› –‘ ϐ‹‰Š– ‘ –Š‡ •ƒ‡ •‹†‡dz „—–
insisted that “Assad will never be a
friend or even a partner.”
„‘—– –‘ ‡–‡” ‹–• ϐ‹ˆ–Š ›‡ƒ”ǡ –Š‡
›”‹ƒ …‘ϐŽ‹…– Šƒ• ‹ŽŽ‡† •‘‡
200,000 people.
Human rights groups have accused Syria’s government of indiscriminate bombardment of civilians
in rebel-held areas, including with
crude “barrel bombs”.
In a poll on Thursday, 53 per cent
of residents in opposition-held areas of Syria’s second city of Aleppo —
which has seen some of the country’s
worst violence since July 2012 —
said they favoured de Mistura’s Octo„‡”’”‘’‘•ƒŽ‘ˆƒDzˆ”‡‡œ‡dz‹ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰Ǥ
But a great majority also said they
were sceptical that a truce would
hold. — Reuters
CAIRO — While two jailed Al Jazeera reporters were
freed on Friday pending a retrial, rights groups say at
least nine more journalists still languish in Egyptian
prisons.
Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were released
nearly two weeks after their Australian colleague Peter
Greste was deported under a presidential decree.
The three were arrested in late 2013 and sentenced
to between seven and 10 years in jail for aiding the
blacklisted Brotherhood. An appeals court in January ordered their retrial.
New York-based media watchdog the Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ), which in 2013 rated Egypt as
the third most dangerous country for journalists after
Syria and Iraq, says there are nine more media workers
jailed in the country.
‡’ƒ”ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• ƒ– ‰›’–ǯ• ’”‡•• •›†‹…ƒ–‡ •ƒ› ƒ–
least 15 journalists are imprisoned.
Some are facing trial on several charges including rioting and belonging to a “terrorist organisation”.
Detainees also include citizen journalists arrested in
police sweeps to quell protests backing ousted president
Mohamed Mursi.
Some prominent journalists held in Egypt’s prisons
are: - Mahmoud Abu Zeid, widely known as Shawkan
Abu Zeid, a freelance photographer who has worked
for photo agencies such as Demotix and Corbis, is one of
the longest-detained journalists in Egypt.
He was arrested on August 14, 2013 when hundreds were killed as security forces cleared two proMursi protest camps in Cairo. He has not been convicted of any crime. For some time Abu Zeid shared
a prison cell with Al Jazeera reporter Abdullah al
Shamy, who was also arrested on the same day but
released in June last year.
- Ahmed Gamal Zeyada
Online journalist Zeyada, 23, was arrested on December 28, 2013 while covering clashes between students
and security forces at the prestigious Al Azhar University in Cairo.
Zeyada, who worked for Yaqeen News Network, is
on trial with 76 students on several charges including torching the institution’s faculty of commerce
building.
Six of the remaining seven jailed journalists worked
for media that opposed Mursi’s ouster.
Mahmoud Abdel Nabi, Sami Mustafa and Abdullah
al Fakharany reported for an online citizen journalism
platform called Rassd.
Mohamed al Adly worked for Amgad television.
Abdel Rahman Shahine worked for Freedom and Jus–‹…‡‡™•
ƒ–‡ǡƒˆϐ‹Ž‹ƒ–‡†–‘—”•‹ǯ•’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ’ƒ”–›Ǥ
Ayman Saqr worked for Al Mesryoon newspaper.
Ahmed Fouad worked for an online news website
covering the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. — AFP
Police captain dies in
Cairo bomb blast
CAIRO — A roadside bomb in Cairo killed a police captain and wounded eight other people on Friday, the interior ministry said.
Later, Egyptian warplanes killed eight suspected militants in Sinai, according to security sources. It was not
clear if the air strikes were in retaliation for the blast.
ƒ‹”‘‹•ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰‹•—”‰‡–•™Š‘Šƒ˜‡‹ŽŽ‡†Š—†”‡†•
of police and soldiers since the army ousted president
Mohamed Mursi in 2013 following mass protests.
No one claimed responsibility for the bomb in the
Cairo neighbourhood of Ain Shams which wounded one
…‹˜‹Ž‹ƒƒ†•‡˜‡’‘Ž‹…‡‘ˆϐ‹…‡”•’Ž—•–Š‡’‘Ž‹…‡…ƒ’–ƒ‹
who died of his injuries in hospital.
Security sources said warplanes struck the Sinai
town of Rafah, along Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the IS claimed coordinated attacks that
killed at least 30 security personnel in the Sinai Peninsula. While most of the worst attacks have hit Sinai, a
remote but strategic region bordering Gaza, Israel and
Egypt’s Suez Canal, smaller blasts and attacks have become increasingly common in Cairo and other cities.
Alleged IS gunmen seize ‘Ž‹…‡ƒ•—•’‡†‡†ˆ‘”ˆ‘”…‹‰‘ˆϔ‹…‡”–‘’‡’’‡”•’”ƒ›†‡‘
radio station in Libya
TRIPOLI — Gunmen claiming to be members of the IS
group have seized control of a state-run radio station in
Libya’s coastal city of Sirte, residents said on Friday.
Extremist websites also posted pictures showing
armed men sitting in front of microphones in a broadcasting studio and brandishing Kalashnikov assault riϐŽ‡•Ǥ
“They took Radio Sirte yesterday. Since then they
have been broadcasting speeches by IS chief Abu Bakr
al Baghdadi,” a resident of the central city said by telephone.
The resident said speeches of IS spokesman Abu Mohammed al Adnani were also being played on the air.
ˆ‘”‡” Ž‘…ƒŽ ƒ†‹‹•–”ƒ–‹‘ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ •ƒ‹† –Š‡ ‰—men have also set up a headquarters in the centre of the
city.
The man, who declined to be named, said the gunmen
ƒ’’ƒ”‡–Ž›•‡‹œ‡†–Š‡”ƒ†‹‘Dzƒ•ƒϐ‹”•–•–‡’–‘…‘—‹cate with the population”.
“The situation in Sirte is very complex,” he said, because many radical groups have a foothold there.
Since the 2011 uprising, Sirte has become a stronghold of extremist groups. — AFP
ISTANBUL — The Turkish authorities on
”‹†ƒ›•—•’‡†‡†ƒ’‘Ž‹…‡‘ˆϐ‹…‡”ƒˆ–‡”˜‹†eo footage showed him physically forcing a
”‡Ž—…–ƒ– ˆ‡ŽŽ‘™ ’‘Ž‹…‡ƒ –‘ ϐ‹”‡ ’‡’’‡”
spray at protesters.
The images of the demonstration by
tradesmen in the southern city of Gaziantep on Thursday have gone viral on the Internet in Turkey and become a new symbol of notorious police brutality in the
country.
The pictures show that the young ofϐ‹…‡” ‡“—‹’’‡† ™‹–Š –Š‡ ’‡’’‡” •’”ƒ›
cannon was reluctant to use his equipment as police moved in during a tense
standoff.
‘™‡˜‡” ƒ •—’‡”‹‘” ‘ˆϐ‹…‡” ‹• •‡‡ ”‡monstrating with him, pushing him and
then physically forcing him to spray the
demonstration.
– ‘‡ ’‘‹– –Š‡ •‡‹‘” ‘ˆϐ‹…‡”ǡ –‡‡–Š
bared, grabs the junior policeman by the
•…”—ˆˆ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ‡… ƒ† •Š‘—–• Dzϐ‹”‡ǡ ƒǡ
ϐ‹”‡Ǩdz
The governor of the Gaziantep region
Erdal Ata said in a statement that the sen-
‹‘”’‘Ž‹…‡‘ˆϐ‹…‡”Ȅƒ‡†ƒ•
ȄŠƒ†
been relieved of his duties pending an investigation.
The reason for his removal was the
“public outcry caused by his attitude and
behaviour”, the statement said.
The statement however defended the
decision to break up the demonstration,
which was against the construction of a
new industrial zone in the city.
Turkish police have been repeatedly
accused by activists of using excessive
force against demonstrators, in particular after the 2013 protests against the
rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Police are quick to resort to the use of
pepper spray, other forms of tear gas and
water cannon to rapidly disperse protests
they deem illegal.
Activists fear that the climate will deteriorate further if a controversial new government-proposed homeland security bill
passes through parliament in the coming
weeks.
Under the bill, police would be allowed
–‘ƒ””‡•–ƒ†‡˜‡ϐ‹”‡‘–Š‘•‡•—•’‡…–‡†
Police use tear gas to disperse scores of protesters boycotting schools in the
classroom in Ankara yesterday. — Reuters
of possessing banned objects at protests
including Molotov cocktails, stones and
other sharp objects.
The deputy parliamentary chief of
the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Engin Altay said the scenes in
Gaziantep indicated there was “a civilian
dictatorship in Turkey.”
“Anyone who attempts to use his right
to react is seen as a potential criminal or
terrorist,” Altay was quoted as saying by
the Hurriyet daily. — AFP
4
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
SUBCONTINENT
Deadly attack on mosque leaves 20 dead
Pakistani relatives comfort a resident following an attack by Taliban militants in Peshawar yesterday. Right: troops take positions near a mosque after it was attacked by militants. — AFP
Ȅ – Ž‡ƒ•– ʹͲ ’‡‘’Ž‡
were killed on Friday in the Pakistani
city of Peshawar in a gun and bomb
attack on a mosque, the latest sectarian violence to hit the South Asian nation.
Police said armed men broke into
the mosque, where people were attending Friday prayers, and opened
ϐ‹”‡ǡˆ‘ŽŽ‘™‹‰™Š‹…Š–Š”‡‡‡š’Ž‘•‹‘•
were heard inside the building.
Radical armed groups often target
mosques frequented by minorities.
The Pakistani Taliban, who are
ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ƒ‰ƒ‹•––Š‡•–ƒ–‡ǡ…Žƒ‹‡†”‡sponsibility and said the attack was
revenge for Pakistan’s crackdown
on militants following a December
school massacre.
The style of the mosque attack was
similar to that of the school attack,
when gunmen arrived in a car, set it
‘ ϐ‹”‡ǡ ƒ† „”‘‡ ‹–‘ –Š‡ „—‹Ž†‹‰
using a back entrance.
‡•Šƒ™ƒ”ǯ• ƒ›ƒ–ƒ„ƒ† ‡†‹…ƒŽ
Complex said at least 20 people had
been killed in the latest attack.
™‹–‡••ǡŠƒŠ‹†—••ƒ‹ǡ•ƒ‹†–Š‡
™‘”•Š‹’’‡”•Šƒ†Œ—•–ϐ‹‹•Š‡†’”ƒ›‡”•
™Š‡ϐ‹˜‡‘”•‹š‡™‡ƒ”‹‰‹Ž‹–ƒ”›
uniforms broke into the mosque and
started shooting.
“We had no idea what was going
on. One of the attackers then blew
himself up and then there was huge
smoke and dust all around,” he said.
The attack came as Pakistan tries
to adopt new measures to tackle militants following the school massacre,
in which 134 children were among
the dead.
Last month, dozens of people were
killed in a similar attack on a mosque
in the southern town of Shikarpur.
The government has pledged to
crack down on all militant groups,
and has reintroduced the death
penalty, set up military courts to
speed convictions and widened its
offensive in northwestern areas on
the Afghan border where militants
ϐ‹†”‡ˆ—‰‡Ǥ
Yet Pakistan’s minorities say the
government is doing little to alleviate
their daily struggle against discrimination and violence.
‡ƒ™Š‹Ž‡ǡ –™‘ ‡ …‘˜‹…–‡†
of murder were hanged on Friday in
Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the
ϐ‹”•– ‡š‡…—–‹‘• ‹ –Š‡ ƒ‹•–ƒ‹ ’‘”tion of the disputed territory in more
than 10 years.
‘Šƒƒ† ‹ƒœ ƒ† ‘Šƒƒ†
Fayaz were executed for killing the
son of the then-advocate general of
Kashmir during a robbery attempt
‹ ʹͲͲͶ ‹ ‹”’—”ǡ ‘‡ ‘ˆ ƒ‹•–ƒ‹
Kashmir’s main cities.
Their deaths bring to 24 the
number of people hanged in Pakistan since the government ended a
six-year moratorium on the death
penalty in December in the wake of a
Taliban massacre at a school that left
more than 150 people dead.
Š‡› ƒ”‡ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ’‡‘’Ž‡ –‘ „‡
hanged since the resumption who
have no clear link to a terror attack or
militant group. Up to now, those executed had all been condemned by military or special anti-terrorism courts.
“They were hanged at 6:30 this
morning. Both of them were awaiting executions since 2012, when all
their appeals were dismissed,” Irshad
—••ƒ‹ ƒ””ƒŽǡ Œƒ‹Ž •—’‡”‹–‡†‡– ‹
‹”’—”ǡ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
„†—Ž ƒ‡‡† —‰ŠƒŽǡ ƒ††‹–‹‘ƒŽ
secretary for home affairs in Kashmir,
•ƒ‹† –Š‡ ‡š‡…—–‹‘• ™‡”‡ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ‹
the region since January 2005.
“There are 70 other convicts who
have been sentenced to death but
their mercy petitions are pending
™‹–Šƒ—–Š‘”‹–‹‡•ǡdz—‰ŠƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
ƒ‹•–ƒ Šƒ• •–‡’’‡† —’ ‹–• ϐ‹‰Š–
against militants since the Taliban
school massacre in the northwestern
city of Peshawar in December.
Š‡ ‹–‡† ƒ–‹‘•ǡ –Š‡ —”‘’‡ƒ
Union, Amnesty International and
—ƒ ‹‰Š–• ƒ–…Š Šƒ˜‡ …ƒŽŽ‡† ‘
Pakistan to re-impose its moratorium
on the death penalty.
The fact that Friday’s hangings had
no obvious link to terrorism is likely
to further alarm critics, who have already warned Pakistan overuses its
anti-terror laws and courts to prosecute ordinary crimes. — AFP
Bangladesh ferry
capsizes with
200 aboard
DHAKA — Rescuers in Bangladesh pulled two bodies from the
water and launched a search for
survivors among the 200 passengers aboard an overloaded
ferry that capsized on Friday in a
river 300 km south of the capital,
police said.
Low-lying Bangladesh, with
extensive inland waterways
and slack safety standards,
has an appalling record of
ferry accidents, with casualties
sometimes running into the
hundreds.
“Most of the passengers were
able to swim ashore,” Babul
Š–‡”ǡƒ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽƒ––Š‡ƒ”‰—ƒ
police station near the Paira
river, where the ferry sank, told
reporters.
There was no immediate estimate of the number of passengers unaccounted for, although
two bodies had been retrieved,
he said, adding that another
vessel was on the way to help the
rescue effort.
Most of those on board were
heading to a religious gathering
at Barguna, travelling from the
coastal town of Kuakata, some 30
km away, Akhter said.
“Cracks developed as the boat
was overloaded, and ultimately it
capsized,” he added.
Last August, Bangladesh arrested the owner of a ferry that
sank in a river, killing about 110
’‡‘’Ž‡ǡ–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‹‡•—…Šƒ…–‹‘
was taken in a country where
heavy loss of life is common in
shipping accidents. — Reuters
Lankan Tamils push for UN war
crimes report to be released
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi greets supporters as she leaves celebrations to mark the 100th
birthday of the country’s independence hero, her father Aung San, in Natmauk yesterday. — AFP
As polls loom, Suu Kyi leads mass
rally honouring hero father
Ȅ ›ƒƒ”ǯ• —‰
San Suu Kyi addressed a crowd of
thousands on Friday in the biggest
celebrations honouring her independence hero father in memory, underscoring her legacy months before
leading the opposition to momentous
elections.
In scenes reminiscent of her triumphant election campaign three
years ago, Suu Kyi addressed a
huge crowd in her father’s central
›ƒƒ” „‹”–Š’Žƒ…‡ǡ ™‹–Š ƒ›
•—’’‘”–‡”•™ƒ˜‹‰Š‡”’ƒ”–›ϐŽƒ‰‘”
portraits of Aung San as an earnest
young revolutionary in a military
cap.
“If we want to inherit from my
father, we have to build a real democratic nation,” said an emotional Suu
Kyi, adding that his “sincerity” had
ensured his legacy endured.
Known affectionately as “Bogyoke”, or General, Aung San is adored
‹ ›ƒƒ” ƒ† …”‡†‹–‡† ™‹–Š —shackling the country from colonial
rule and embracing its ethnic minorities in a vision of unity that unravelled catastrophically in the militarydominated decades that followed his
assassination.
Suu Kyi was just two at the time of
his death in 1947.
The rally marking the centenary of
Aung San’s birth in Natmauk — a remote town nestled in the dusty plains
‘ˆ…‡–”ƒŽ›ƒƒ”Ȅ‹•–Š‡…‡–”‡piece of countrywide celebrations
that are far more extensive than previous years.
People camped out overnight to
Rebels kill 47 soldiers
Ȅ‘”–›Ǧ•‡˜‡›ƒƒ”•‘Ž†‹‡”•Šƒ˜‡„‡‡‹ŽŽ‡†–Š‹•™‡‡‹
ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰™‹–Š‡–Š‹…‹‘”‹–›‹•—”‰‡–•‡ƒ”–Š‡„‘”†‡”™‹–ŠŠ‹ƒǡ–Š‡
military said in a statement issued on Friday.
Š‡ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ƒ†Š‡ƒ˜›…ƒ•—ƒŽ–‹‡•ƒ”‡ƒ•‡–„ƒ…ˆ‘”‰‘˜‡”‡–‡ˆˆ‘”–•
–‘ˆ‘”‰‡ƒƒ–‹‘™‹†‡…‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ƒ†‡†ƒ’ƒ–…Š™‘”‘ˆ‹•—”‰‡…‹‡•–Šƒ–
Šƒ˜‡„‡†‡˜‹Ž‡†›ƒƒ”•‹…‡•Š‘”–Ž›ƒˆ–‡”‹–•‹†‡’‡†‡…‡‹ͳͻͶͺǤ
The clashes in Shan State in the northeast between the army and a
‰”‘—’…ƒŽŽ‡†–Š‡›ƒƒ”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‡‘…”ƒ–‹…ŽŽ‹ƒ…‡”›ȋȌ
Šƒ˜‡ƒŽƒ”‡†Š‹ƒ™Š‹…Šˆ‡ƒ”•ƒ‹ϐŽ—š‘ˆ˜‹ŽŽƒ‰‡”•ϐŽ‡‡‹‰˜‹‘Ž‡…‡ƒ†
called this week for peace on the border.
Š‡‹Ž‹–ƒ”›•ƒ‹†͹͵•‘Ž†‹‡”•™‡”‡™‘—†‡†‹…Žƒ•Š‡•ˆ”‘‘†ƒ›–‘
Thursday.
–‰ƒ˜‡‘‘”‡†‡–ƒ‹Ž•‘ˆ–Š‡ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰„—––Š‡•–ƒ–‡Ǧ„ƒ…‡†Global New
Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that the military had carried out
ϐ‹˜‡ƒ‹”•–”‹‡•ƒ‰ƒ‹•––Š‡”‡„‡Ž•Ǥ
ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ˆ”‘–Š‡™‡”‡‘–ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡ˆ‘”…‘‡–Ǥ
›ƒƒ”ǯ•”‡ˆ‘”‹•–ǡ•‡‹Ǧ…‹˜‹Ž‹ƒ‰‘˜‡”‡–ǡ™Š‹…Š–‘‘’‘™‡”ƒˆ–‡”Ͷͻ›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ‹Ž‹–ƒ”›”—Ž‡ǡ™ƒ–•–‘‹’Ž‡‡–ƒƒ–‹‘™‹†‡…‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡
agreement with all rebel factions.
The government has struck truces with almost all of the groups but
…Žƒ•Š‡•†‘‘……ƒ•‹‘ƒŽŽ›ϐŽƒ”‡—’Ǥ
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ‹ƒƒŽŽ‹ƒ…‡‘ˆ‡–Š‹…‹‘”‹–›ˆƒ…–‹‘•™Š‹…ŠŠƒ•„‡‡†‹•…—••‹‰ –Š‡ ƒ–‹‘™‹†‡ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ‹Ž‹–ƒ”› •ƒ‹† –Š‡ …Žƒ•Š‡• ‡ƒ”
the Chinese border did not bode well for the talks. — Reuters
see “the Lady”, as Suu Kyi is known,
many sleeping on the ground in the
local pagoda, on roadsides or in their
cars in the farming town.
Š‡ …‡Ž‡„”ƒ–‹‘• …‘‡ ƒ• ›ƒmar awaits a breakthrough general
election later this year seen as a crucial test of the country’s emergence
from military rule.
Images of Aung San have been
deeply entwined with the political
rise of his Nobel laureate daughter
since her release from house arrest
over four years ago.
Suu Kyi frequently referenced her
family link while campaigning for the
2012 by-election that swept her into
’ƒ”Ž‹ƒ‡–ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‹‡Ǥ
“Being the daughter of Bogyoke
Aung San is one of the reasons that
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has reached
the position she is in today. — AFP
Ȅ ’ƒ”–› ”‡’”‡•‡–‹‰
Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils on Friday
urged the United Nations to release
as planned its report into the country’s civil war, and ignore a request
from the new government to delay
the document.
“We call on the UN to continue” as
planned, Suresh Premachandran, a
member of parliament for the Tamil
National Alliance (TNA), told reporters.
The UN report, due to be published next month, investigates allegations of war crimes during the
country’s 26-year civil war against
the Tamil separatist rebels in the
north and north-east.
Dz‡ ƒ”‡ ‘– •ƒ–‹•ϐ‹‡† ™‹–Š ƒ Ž‘…ƒŽ
investigation into allegations of war
crimes,” Premachandran said.
‡ƒ™Š‹Ž‡ǡ‘”‡‹‰‹‹•–‡”ƒgala Samaraweera said he was optimistic about securing a delay in the
release of a UN report on alleged war
crimes during his country’s civil war
until the government has had time to
establish a new judicial mechanism
to deal with the allegations.
Speaking to reporters after a
meeting with US Secretary of State
John Kerry, whose support is crucial to such a delay, Samaraweera
stressed the decision was one for
‹‰Š ‘‹••‹‘‡” ˆ‘” —ƒ
‹‰Š–•‡‹†ƒǯƒ†ƒŽ—••‡‹ƒ†–Š‡
Sri Lanka’s new
government says it
is planning a new
domestic inquiry
that would bring in
some foreign
experts if necessary
president of the UN rights council.
‘™‡˜‡”ǡ Š‡ ƒŽ•‘ •ƒ‹†ǣ Dz ƒ ‘’–‹mistic.” Samaraweera said the new
Sri Lankan government was seeking
–‘ †‡Žƒ› –Š‡ •…Š‡†—Ž‡† ƒ”…Š ʹͷ ”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡‘ˆ–Š‡—ƒ‹‰Š–•‘—cil report until “August... or so.”
Asked if he was anticipating support from the United States, Britain
and Commonwealth countries, he
said: “We hope; we anticipate the
support of all our friends in the coming months.”
Š‡ —ƒ ‹‰Š–• ‘—…‹Ž
˜‘–‡†Žƒ•–ƒ”…Š–‘Ž‘‘‹–‘”‡’‘”–•
of abuses during the civil war that
ended in 2009, saying the Sri Lankan
government had failed to investigate
properly.
The United Nations estimated
in 2011 that about 40,000 ethnic
ƒ‹Ž…‹˜‹Ž‹ƒ•™‡”‡‹ŽŽ‡†‹–Š‡ϐ‹ƒŽ
weeks of the war, most of them by the
army.
The government of the majority
Sinhalese country rejected that assertion.
Sri Lanka’s new government,
which took power last month, says it
is planning a new domestic inquiry
that would bring in some foreign experts if necessary.
It has also invited Zeid to visit to
discuss the issue.
Samaraweera has appealed for patience, saying Sri Lanka was in a period of “fragile transition” that some
extremist elements wanted to derail.
‡ •ƒ‹† –Š‡ ‡™ ƒ†‹‹•–”ƒ–‹‘
‘ˆ ”‡•‹†‡– ƒ‹–Š”‹’ƒŽƒ ‹”‹•‡ƒ
was “not in a state of denial” about
violations and would ensure those responsible were brought to justice.
Samaraweera also said Sri Lanka
would start discussions next week
™‹–Š ‘—–Š ˆ”‹…ƒ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• ‘ ‹•–‹tuting a “truth-seeking” mechanism,
which would work in parallel to the
accountability mechanism.
Speaking alongside Kerry before their talks, Samaraweera said
Sri Lanka hoped to move ties with
the United States, which had become “somewhat strained in the last
few years” under former President
ƒŠ‹†ƒ ƒŒƒ’ƒ•ƒǡ „ƒ… –‘ Dzƒ ‹””‡versible state of excellence.” — Reuters
US must learn from Afghan waste
KABUL — The United States must
learn from expensive mistakes it has
made trying to rebuild Afghanistan,
where it has spent more than anywhere else, and tighten up conditions
for aid and oversight or risk losing
much more, the head of a watchdog
agency said.
John Sopko, a pugnacious former
’”‘•‡…—–‘” ™Š‘ –‘‘ ‘ –Š‡ ƒϐ‹ƒ
in the United States, has earned notoriety in Kabul and Washington for
denouncing how much of the $107
billion the United States has spent rebuilding Afghanistan since 2001 has
been frittered away.
Among the examples of woeful
waste he has documented were a
multi-million dollar project for solarpowered bus stops and more than
̈́ʹͲͲ‹ŽŽ‹‘‘ƒ—ϐ‹‹•Š‡†”‘ƒ†Ǥ
Sopko, head of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), says the US
government has to change the way
An Afghan Kuchi resident carries a water bucket past ruins of a building
destroyed during the Afghan-Soviet war on the outskirts of Jalalabad.
it operates and must set more strict
conditions on its help and keep a
much closer eye on the money.
“We do run the risk of it being
wasted if we don’t do conditionality,
if we don’t do oversight, if we don’t
take into consideration the Afghan
situation,” Sopko in an interview
†‡‡’ ‹ –Š‡ Š‡ƒ˜‹Ž› ˆ‘”–‹ϐ‹‡† bassy in Kabul. — Reuters
5
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
ASIA
Pyongyang to hold ‘grand
style’ military parade
ȅNorth Korea will hold one of its giant displays of military muscle this year,
the ruling Workers’ Party said on Friday, stressing the need for “cutting-edge” hard™ƒ”‡–‘„‘‘•––Š‡—…Ž‡ƒ”Ǧƒ”‡†ƒ–‹‘ǯ•ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰…ƒ’ƒ…‹–›Ǥ
The “grand style” parade involving the army, navy and air force will be held to mark
the 70th anniversary of the party’s founding on October 10, according to the resolution
adopted by the party’s central committee politburo.
The last such event was held in July 2013 — an intimidating, two-hour spectacle of
military might and patriotic fervour, involving wave after wave of goose-stepping soldiers, tank batteries and missile launchers.
The parades, usually held in Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang, are closely watched
for glimpses of any new hardware that might signal a new step in the North’s military
development.
The 2013 event showed off a long-range ballistic missile, although experts debated
whether it was a genuine working model or just a mock-up.
The march-past in October will “fully demonstrate at home and abroad the might
of the service personnel and people united single-heartedly behind the respected Marshal”, the resolution said, referring to leader Kim Jong-Un.
–”‡••‹‰–Š‡‡‡†–‘‡•—”‡˜‹…–‘”›‹ƒ›Dzϐ‹ƒŽ•Š‘™†‘™dz™‹–Š–Š‡‹–‡†–ƒ–‡•ǡ
it highlighted efforts to develop the high-precision, “powerful, cutting edge military
hardware” that was needed to “cope with modern warfare”.
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests and threatened a fourth as part of
a nuclear weapons and missile programme that it has pursued through a barrage of
international sanctions.
Again there is debate among experts as to how far the isolated, secretive nation has
come in developing those weapons, especially the ability to shrink nuclear warheads so
–Šƒ––Š‡›…ƒϐ‹–‘ƒ‹••‹Ž‡Ǥ
Its progress in long-range missile technology was hammered home by the launch of
a rocket that successfully put a satellite in orbit in 2012.
Since taking over power from his late father Kim Jong-Il in 2011, Kim Jong-Un has
…‘•‘Ž‹†ƒ–‡†Š‹•‰”‹’‘’‘™‡”ǡŽƒ—…Š‹‰ƒ—„‡”‘ˆŠ‹‰ŠǦ’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡’—”‰‡•–Šƒ–‹…Ž—†ed the execution of his uncle and one-time mentor Jang Song-Thaek.
The party resolution underlined the need to impose “stringent organisational discipline” within the party to shore up the “rock-solid, single-hearted unity” behind Kim’s
leadership.
Students take part during the “One Billion Rising” dance campaign at all-girls school St Scholastica college in Manila yesterday.
……‘”†‹‰–‘ƒ•…Š‘‘Ž‘ˆϔ‹…‹ƒŽǡƒ„‘—–͹ǡͻͶͶ•–—†‡–•ǡ–‡ƒ…Š‡”•ƒ†—•ˆ”‘–Š‡ƒ–Š‘Ž‹…•…Š‘‘Ž‘”‹†ƒ›–‘‘’ƒ”–‹–Š‡’”‡Ǧ
Valentine mass dance campaign against gender violence and discrimination. — Reuters
N Korea warns diplomats
‘’‹Ž‹’‹‘ϐ‹‰Š–‡”Š—”–
under
Ebola
quarantine
in deadly January clash
ȅ A militant targeted in a deadly clash in the Philippines last month that
has jeopardised a milestone peace process between the government and rebels was
™‘—†‡†‹–Š‡ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ǡƒ‰‘˜‡”‡–‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†‘”‹†ƒ›Ǥ
Efforts to end the decades-old insurgency by rebels from the minority community in
–Š‡Žƒ”‰‡Ž›ƒ–Š‘Ž‹……‘—–”›Šƒ˜‡•–ƒŽŽ‡†•‹…‡–Š‡ƒ—ƒ”›ʹͷϐ‹”‡ϐ‹‰Š–‘–Š‡•‘—–Š‡”
island of Mindanao, in which 44 policemen and 18 rebels were killed.
Legislators drawing up a law to give minorities in the area autonomy, the next step
of the peace process, have suspended their work, demanding an investigation into the
bloodshed.
A Philippine militant called Abdul Basit Usman, a foreign-trained bomb expert with
links to al Qaeda-allied groups, was one of the targets of the January 25 raid, in which
ƒ‘–Š‡”‹Ž‹–ƒ–ǡ–Š‡ƒŽƒ›•‹ƒ—Ž‹ϐŽ‹„‹‹”ǡ‹•„‡Ž‹‡˜‡†–‘Šƒ˜‡„‡‡‹ŽŽ‡†Ǥ
Government forces are hunting for Usman who melted away after the clash. Esmael
Mangudadatu, governor of the southern province of Maguindanao, said he had been
wounded.
“Basit Usman was shot in the shoulder and he can’t move the right side of his body
because of a mild stroke,” Mangudadatu said in a television interview, citing information he said he got from several sources.
“He has aides who were also badly hit from the encounter.”
It was not clear if Usman suffered the stroke before or after the clash.
The rebels involved in the peace talks, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
said Usman and the other wanted militant were not in their camp. They said they were
‹˜‡•–‹‰ƒ–‹‰ƒ†Šƒ˜‡‘ˆˆ‡”‡†–‘Š‡Ž’‰‘˜‡”‡–ˆ‘”…‡•ϐ‹†•ƒǤȄ‰‡…‹‡•
SEOUL — North Korea has sent a
note to foreign diplomats and organisations in Pyongyang warning
them not to hold parties or meetings in violation of its strict quarantine against the deadly Ebola
virus.
North Korea, the world’s most
isolated country, is thousands of
miles from the epicentre of the
Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and
has reported no cases of the virus,
which has killed more than 9,000
people.
Nonetheless, its borders have
remained closed to foreign tourists
since last October, for fear the virus might spread, and it imposes a
strict 21-day quarantine for foreign
aid workers and diplomats, who
have been told to stay in embassy
compounds.
Vietnamese
communist
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ†‹‡•
™‘ƒ•‹Ž‡•ƒ••Š‡™‡ƒ”•ƒŠƒ–•Šƒ’‡†ƒ•ƒ•Š‡‡’ƒ–ƒŠ‹‡•‡‡™‡ƒ”
ˆƒ‹”‹‘‰‘‰ǤŠ‡Š‹‡•‡Ž—ƒ”‡™Dz›‡ƒ”‘ˆ–Š‡•Š‡‡’dz„‡‰‹•
‘‡„”—ƒ”›ͷͿǤȄ
ȅ A widely ad‹”‡† •‡‹‘” ϐ‹‰—”‡ ‹ ‹etnam’s ruling communist
party, Nguyen Ba Thanh,
who enjoyed rare personal popularity in a nation
better known for bureaucratic apparatchiks, died
on Friday from cancer, an
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
The 61-year-old was
–Š‡ ˆ‘”‡” –‘’ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ
in central Danang, and
helped transform the
coastal city into a tourism and investment hub
by cutting corruption and
red tape.
“He died on Friday of
cancer. We tried our best
but he could not make it,”
Luong Minh Sam, an ofϐ‹…‹ƒŽ ƒ– –Š‡ ƒƒ‰ ‡‘ple’s Committee said.
“The people of Danang
will always love him for
his great contributions to
this city,” he added.
Thanh had been unwell since May and had
spent much of last year
outside of Vietnam, receiving medical treatment
in Singapore and US.
After his return in January there was an explosion of online rumours
that Thanh — who headed the communist party’s
main
anti-corruption
body was poisoned with a
radioactive substances by
a political rival. — AFP
N Korea’s borders have remained closed
to foreign tourists since last October, for
fear the virus might spread, and it
imposes a strict 21-day quarantine
for foreign aid workers
“Among a very few members of
the diplomatic corps in the DPRK,
some people in quarantine continue to host or participate in a banquet, a party or a meeting,” read
the note, a copy of which was seen
by Reuters.
DPRK is the abbreviation of
‘”–Š ‘”‡ƒǯ• ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ –‹–Ž‡ǡ –Š‡
Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea. The note, dated on February
2, went to embassies and international organisations in Pyongyang,
†‹’Ž‘ƒ–‹… •‘—”…‡• …‘ϐ‹”‡† –‘
Reuters.
On Wednesday, US President
Barack Obama said he would bring
back by April 30 nearly all of the
US troops deployed in West Africa
–‘ ϐ‹‰Š– –Š‡ „‘Žƒ ‡’‹†‡‹…ǡ ƒˆ–‡”
evidence showed a drop in new
cases.
But in North Korea, even highranking Party cadres have been
quarantined.
Its titular head of state, Kim
Yong Nam, was quarantined
upon his return from a trip to
Africa last November, a South Ko”‡ƒ‰‘˜‡”‡–‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Žƒ•–
month.
The policy “will not change in
the least until the danger of Ebola
virus infection disappears”, the
note stated.
People working in North Korea’s tourism industry said they
had not yet been told when the
tourism ban would be lifted, but
expected to be able to resume
tours in time for the Pyongyang
marathon this April. — Reuters
Indonesia president to drop
police chief nominee
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s new president has decided to drop his nominee
for national police chief who is under
investigation for corruption, palace
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• •ƒ›ǡ ‹ –Š‡ „‹‰‰‡•– ’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ
–‡•–ˆ‘”–Š‡Ž‡ƒ†‡”•‹…‡–ƒ‹‰‘ˆϐ‹…‡Ǥ
Joko Widodo’s decision to nominate Budi Gunawan, who has since
been named a bribery suspect by the
anti-graft agency, has been met with
public outrage.
His month-long dithering over the
appointment has eroded the president’s popularity and left Indonesians questioning his readiness to
take on powerful vested interests in a
country riven with corruption.
Two palace sources, who were
present at private meetings where
Widodo announced he would drop
Gunawan as his nominee, told
Reuters interim chief Badrodin Haiti
and police generals Dwi Priyatno and
Budi Waseso were being considered
as replacements.
“Budi Gunawan will not be police
chief, the president has already de…‹†‡†ǡdz•ƒ‹†‘‡•‡‹‘”’ƒŽƒ…‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ
this week, who declined to be named
because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Widodo told reporters on Friday
–Šƒ– Š‡ ™‘—Ž† „‡ ƒ‹‰ ƒ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ
statement on the police chief “as soon
as possible” but declined to elaborate.
Widodo was forced to delay Gunawan’s appointment under public
pressure sparked by the decision of
the Corruption Eradication Commission to name him a suspect.
An independent team of legal ex-
”‡•‹†‡–‘‘
Widodo’s decision
to nominate Budi
Gunawan, who has
since been named
a bribery suspect
by the anti-graft
agency, has been
met with public
outrage
perts, anti-corruption activists and
”‡–‹”‡† ’‘Ž‹…‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• ƒ’’‘‹–‡† „›
Widodo to ease tensions between the
two law enforcement agencies swiftly
recommended that Gunawan’s nomi-
nation be scrapped.
But Widodo’s perceived reluctance
to anger the chief of his backing party, Megawati Sukarnoputri, to whom
Gunawan is close, has chipped away
at his poll ratings.
A survey published by a local pollster this month showed just 45 per
…‡– ‘ˆ †‘‡•‹ƒ• ™‡”‡ •ƒ–‹•ϐ‹‡†
with Widodo’s performance, down
drastically from 72 per cent in August
just after he was elected.
Analysts said backtracking on
Gunawan’s nomination would restore
some of that support.
“What this shows is that Jokowi is
the result of demand-driven movement for change rather than put in
place by certain people,” said Jakartabased political analyst Paul Rowland,
using the president’s nickname.
“People are willing to call him out
on things they don’t agree with and
ultimately he needs that backing to
go ahead with reforms.”
‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ™‹–Š‹†‘†‘ǯ•„ƒ…‹‰
party PDI-P said the decision to drop
Gunawan would be a “bump in the
road” for his relationship with political patron Megawati.
“Thanks to Jokowi, Megawati now
has a party in power after years in
opposition but they still don’t control
the majority in parliament, so they
can’t go about imposing their will
on everyone,” said the party insider,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Megawati and Jokowi need each
other, she understands that,” the par–›‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽƒ††‡†ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
6
INDIA
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
Ramlila spruced up for
Kejriwal’s oath taking
—„ƒ‹’‘Ž‹…‡ˆ—Žϔ‹Ž•–Š‡™‹•Š‘ˆƒŠƒ‹‰ŠǡƒͽǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž†…ƒ…‡”
’ƒ–‹‡–ǡ‘ˆ„‡…‘‹‰ƒ’‘Ž‹…‡‘ˆϔ‹…‡”ƒ–Š‘‹™ƒ†ƒ’‘Ž‹…‡•–ƒ–‹‘‹
Mumbai yesterday. — IANS
Stay on Setalvad’s
arrest extended
ȅ Š‡ —’”‡‡ ‘—”–
‘ ”‹†ƒ› ‡š–‡†‡† ‹–• ‹–‡”‹ ’”‘–‡…–‹‘”‡•–”ƒ‹‹‰–Š‡
—Œƒ”ƒ–‘Ž‹…‡
ˆ”‘ ƒ””‡•–‹‰ •‘…‹ƒŽ ƒ…–‹˜‹•– ‡‡•–ƒ
‡–ƒŽ˜ƒ† ƒ† Š‡” Š—•„ƒ† ƒ˜‡†
ƒ† ‹ ƒ ƒŽŽ‡‰‡† …ƒ•‡ ‘ˆ ‹•ƒ’’”‘’”‹ƒ–‹‰ ˆ—†• ˆ‘” ƒ —•‡—
ƒ”‹‰ ‘‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ™‘”•– …ƒ”ƒ‰‡•
†—”‹‰–Š‡ʹͲͲʹ”‹‘–•Ǥ
„‡…Š‘ˆ—•–‹…‡—†Šƒ•—›‘–‹
—Š‘’ƒ†Šƒ›ƒ ƒ† —•–‹…‡ ƒƒƒ ‡š–‡†‡† –Š‡ ”‡•–”ƒ‹– ‘”†‡”
’ƒ••‡† ‘ Š—”•†ƒ› „› –Š‡ „‡…Š
Š‡ƒ†‡†„›Š‹‡ˆ—•–‹…‡ƒ––—ƒ•
–Š‡›†‹”‡…–‡†–Š‡Š‡ƒ”‹‰‘ˆ–Š‡’‡–‹–‹‘„›‡–ƒŽ˜ƒ†ƒ†ƒ†‘‡„”—ƒ”›ͳͻǤ
– ƒŽ•‘ ’‡”‹––‡† –Š‡‹” …‘—•‡Ž
ƒ’‹Ž ‹„ƒŽ –‘ ϐ‹Ž‡ ƒ††‹–‹‘ƒŽ †‘…—‡–• ‹…Ž—†‹‰ –Š‡‹” ’Ž‡ƒ• „‡ˆ‘”‡
–Š‡
—Œƒ”ƒ–‹‰Š‘—”–Ǥ
• ‹„ƒŽǡ ƒ– –Š‡ Š‡ƒ”‹‰ǯ• „‡‰‹‹‰ǡ”‡ƒ”‡†–Š‡”‡™‡”‡Dz˜‡”›ˆ‡™
’‡‘’Ž‡™Š‘Šƒ˜‡–Š‡…‘—”ƒ‰‡‘ˆ–ƒ‹‰‘–Š‡•–ƒ–‡dzǡ–Š‡…‘—”–ƒ•‡†Š‹
–‘ƒ˜‘‹†’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽϐŽƒ˜‘—”•–‘Š‹••—„‹••‹‘ƒ•ˆ‘”‹–ǡ‡˜‡”›Ž‹–‹‰ƒ–™ƒ•ƒ
…‘‘…‹–‹œ‡Ǥ
––Š‹•ǡ‹„ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Š‹•…Ž‹‡–•™‡”‡
…‘‘ …‹–‹œ‡• ƒ† …ƒǯ– „‡ –”‡ƒ–‡† †‹ˆˆ‡”‡–Ž› ƒ• Š‡ …‘–‡†‡† –Š‡›
™‡”‡„‡‹‰•‹‰Ž‡†‘—–Ǥ
‡ ‘–‡† —Œƒ”ƒ– ‘Ž‹…‡ ”‡ƒ…Š‡†
‡–ƒŽ˜ƒ†ǯ• ”‡•‹†‡…‡ ‹ —„ƒ‹ –‘
ƒ””‡•–Š‡”‡˜‡„‡ˆ‘”‡–Š‡Š‹‰Š…‘—”–
˜‡”†‹…–”‡Œ‡…–‹‰–Š‡‹”’Ž‡ƒˆ‘”ƒ–‹…‹’ƒ–‘”›„ƒ‹Ž™ƒ•’”‘‘—…‡†Ǥ
ƒ’ƒ”–‹‰‘„•‡”˜ƒ–‹‘ƒˆ–‡”ƒ†Œ‘—”‹‰ –Š‡ ƒ––‡”ǡ —•–‹…‡ —Š‘’ƒ†Šƒ›ƒ•ƒ‹†–Šƒ–Dz–Š‡”‡™‹ŽŽ„‡Œ—•–‹…‡–‘„‘–Š„—–”‡Ž‹‡ˆ–‘‘‡dzǤ•–Š‡
Š‡ƒ”‹‰ „‡‰ƒǡ –Š‡ …‘—”– •ƒ‹† –Šƒ–
–Š‡›Šƒ˜‡‘–‰‘‡–Š”‘—‰Š–Š‡Š‹‰Š
…‘—”– Œ—†‰‡– ƒ† ™‘—Ž† Š‘Ž† ƒ
‹†‡’‡†‡–Š‡ƒ”‹‰‘–Š‡ˆƒ…–•ƒ•
‹–ƒ•‡†‹„ƒŽ–‘”‡ƒ†–Š‡Ǥ
••ƒ‹Ž‹‰–Š‡Š‹‰Š…‘—”–Œ—†‰‡–ǡ
ȅšƒ…–Ž›ƒ›‡ƒ”ƒˆ–‡”Š‡”‡•‹‰‡†
ƒ†™‡–‹–‘‡ƒ”‘„Ž‹˜‹‘ǡŽ‡ƒ†‡””˜‹†
‡Œ”‹™ƒŽ™‹ŽŽ–ƒ‡‘ƒ–Šƒ•‡ŽŠ‹ǯ•…Š‹‡ˆ‹‹•–‡”
ƒ‰ƒ‹Š‡”‡‘ƒ–—”†ƒ›ƒ––Š‡ƒŽ‹Žƒƒ‹†ƒ
™ƒ–…Š‡†„›–‡•‘ˆ–Š‘—•ƒ†•‘ˆ…Š‡‡”‹‰•—’’‘”–‡”•Ǥ
ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ••ƒ›–Š‡‰”‘—†ǡ‹–Š‡Š‡ƒ”–‘ˆ‡ŽŠ‹ǡ
Šƒ• „‡‡ •’”—…‡† —’ –Š‘”‘—‰ŠŽ› ˆ‘” ‡Œ”‹™ƒŽǡ
Ͷ͸ǡƒ†Š‹•‹‹•–‡”•–‘–ƒ‡–Š‡‘ƒ–Š‘ˆ‘ˆϐ‹…‡
ƒ†•‡…”‡…›Ȅˆ‘”ƒ•‡…‘†–‹‡ƒˆ–‡”‡…‡„‡”ʹͲͳ͵Ǥ
Š‡ ‡˜‡– ‹• ‡š’‡…–‡† –‘ „‡‰‹ ƒ– ͳͳ ƒ Ǥ
‡Œ”‹™ƒŽ …‘ϐ‹†ƒ– ƒ‹•Š ‹•‘†‹ƒ ‹• ‡š’‡…–‡†
–‘–ƒ‡‘ƒ–Šƒ•–Š‡†‡’—–›…Š‹‡ˆ‹‹•–‡”ƒŽ‘‰
™‹–Šϐ‹˜‡‘”‡‹‹•–‡”•Ǥ
‹–Š‡Œ”‹™ƒŽǡ™Š‘Ž‡†–Š‡ƒƒ†‹ƒ”–›
–‘ ƒ Žƒ†•Ž‹†‡ ™‹ ‹ –Š‡ ‡ŽŠ‹ ƒ••‡„Ž› ‡Ž‡…–‹‘ǡ—”‰‹‰’‡‘’Ž‡–‘ƒ––‡†–Š‡‘ƒ–Š–ƒ‹‰‹
Žƒ”‰‡—„‡”•ǡ–Š‡˜‡—‡™‹ŽŽŠƒ˜‡ŠƒŽˆƒ†‘œ‡
‡–”›‰ƒ–‡•Ǥ
‘‡ ͵ͲǡͲͲͲ …Šƒ‹”• Šƒ˜‡ „‡‡ ’Žƒ…‡† ‹
‡ƒ–…‘Ž—•ƒŽ‘•––‹ŽŽ–Š‡‡†‘ˆ–Š‡‰”‘—†ǡ
™Š‹…Š‘ˆ–‡Š‘•–•ƒŒ‘”’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ”ƒŽŽ‹‡•Ǥ
‡• ‘ˆ –Š‘—•ƒ†• ‘”‡ ƒ”‡ ‡š’‡…–‡† –‘
•–ƒ† ƒ† ™‹–‡•• ‡Œ”‹™ƒŽ ƒ† Š‹• ‹‹•–‡”•
–ƒ‡‘ƒ–ŠǤ‘”‡–ŠƒͳͲͲǡͲͲͲ’‡‘’Ž‡ƒ––‡†‡†
–Š‡ʹͲͳ͵‡˜‡–Ǥ
–
‘˜‡”‘”ƒŒ‡‡„—‰™‹ŽŽ‰‹˜‡–Š‡‘ƒ–Š–‘
–Š‡‡™‰‘˜‡”‡–‘ˆ–Š‡ǡ™Š‹…Š™‹’‡†
‘—––Š‡‘‰”‡••ƒ†Ž‡ˆ––Š‡™‹–ŠŒ—•––Š”‡‡
‘ˆ͹Ͳ•‡ƒ–•‹–Š‡Š‘—•‡Ǥ
Š‡„ƒ‰‰‡†ƒ‹…”‡†‹„Ž‡͸͹•‡ƒ–•Ǥ
Ž‘™‡”•ƒ†’Žƒ–•Šƒ˜‡„‡‡’Žƒ…‡†ƒ”‘—†
–Š‡ƒ‹•–ƒ‰‡ǡƒ††‹‰…‘Ž‘—”–‘–Š‡ƒ„‹‡…‡ǡ
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽŠ›ƒ‹‰Š•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Dz–ǯ•ƒŽŽ•‘ˆ”‡•Š–Šƒ–Œ—•–…‘—Ž†‘–„‡Ž‹‡˜‡
–Šƒ–‹–‹•–Š‡•ƒ‡‘Ž†ƒŽ‹Žƒƒ‹†ƒ•‡‡‡˜‡”›†ƒ›ǡdz‡Šƒǡƒ‡ƒ”„›”‡•‹†‡–ǡ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
”‹‹‰™ƒ–‡”™‹ŽŽ„‡ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡‹’Ž‡–›Ǥ
—•–„‹• ƒ† –‡’‘”ƒ”› –‘‹Ž‡–• Šƒ˜‡ ƒŽ•‘
„‡‡‡”‡…–‡†Ǥ‹‰•…”‡‡•Šƒ˜‡„‡‡’Žƒ…‡†‘
–Š‡‰”‘—†ˆ‘”’‡‘’Ž‡•–ƒ†‹‰ƒˆƒ”–‘™‹–‡••
–Š‡‡˜‡–Ǥ
”‘˜‹†‹‰ •‡…—”‹–› ™‹ŽŽ „‡ ‡ ˆ”‘ ‡ŽŠ‹
‘Ž‹…‡ǡ–Š‡‡–”ƒŽ†—•–”‹ƒŽ‡…—”‹–›‘”…‡ƒ†
–Š‡†‘Ǧ‹„‡–ƒ‘”†‡”‘Ž‹…‡Ǥ
Dz˜‡” ͷǡͲͲͲ •‡…—”‹–› ’‡”•‘‡Ž ™‹ŽŽ „‡ †‡’Ž‘›‡†ǡdzƒ’‘Ž‹…‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†ǤŽƒ”‰‡—„‡”‘ˆ
…ƒ‡”ƒ•Šƒ˜‡…‘‡—’Ǥ
’”‹˜ƒ–‡•‡…—”‹–›ƒ‰‡…›•ƒ‹†–Šƒ–ʹͷ…ƒ‡”ƒ•ƒ†—–‘ƒ–‹…‹…‡…‡Žƒ–‡‡ƒ†‹‰•›•–‡Šƒ†„‡‡’—–—’ǤDzŠ‹••›•–‡™‹ŽŽŠ‡Ž’—•
‹†‡–‹ˆ›˜‡Š‹…Ž‡•–”›‹‰–‘‡–‡”–Š‡˜‡—‡ƒ›
–‹‡ǡdz‘‡‘ˆ‹–•‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ••ƒ‹†Ǥƒ””‹…ƒ†‡•’ƒ‹–‡† ‰”‡‡ ™‹ŽŽ ‡‡’ ’—„Ž‹… ‹ϐŽ‘™ ƒ† ‘—–ϐŽ‘™
‹ ‘”†‡”Ǥ DzŠ‡ ™‘” ™‹ŽŽ ‰‘ ‘ –‹ŽŽ Žƒ–‡ –‘†ƒ›
‡˜‡‹‰ƒ•–Š‡”‡ǯ••–‹ŽŽƒŽ‘––‘„‡†‘‡ǡdzƒ—‹…‹’ƒŽ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
—‰‡’‘™‡”‰‡‡”ƒ–‘”•™‹ŽŽ’”‘†—…‡’‘™‡”
‹ˆ‡‡†‡†Ǥ•’‡…‹ƒŽ•–ƒ‰‡™‹ŽŽƒ……‘‘†ƒ–‡ƒ
ƒ”›‘ˆ†‹ƒƒ†ˆ‘”‡‹‰Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–•™Š‘™‹ŽŽ
…‘˜‡”–Š‡‡˜‡–Ǥ‡Œ”‹™ƒŽ–‘‘‘ƒ–Š–Š‡Žƒ•––‹‡
ƒ––Š‡•ƒ‡˜‡—‡ƒˆ–‡”Š‹•™‘ƒ•–—‹‰
ʹͺ•‡ƒ–•‹‹–•ƒ‹†‡‡Ž‡…–‹‘Ǥ
‡ƒ™Š‹Ž‡ǡ ‡Œ”‹™ƒŽ ™‹ŽŽ –”ƒ˜‡Ž „› …ƒ”ǡ ƒ……‘’ƒ‹‡†„›Š‹•ˆƒ‹Ž›ǡ–‘–Š‡˜‡—‡‘ˆ•™‡ƒ”‹‰Ǧ‹ …‡”‡‘› ƒ– ƒŽ‹Žƒ ƒ‹†ƒǡ ’ƒ”–›
•‘—”…‡••ƒ‹†‘”‹†ƒ›Ǥ
Ž‹‡ Žƒ•– –‹‡ǡ Š‡ ™‹ŽŽ ‘– „‡ –ƒ‹‰ –Š‡
‡–”‘ǡƒ‘˜‡–Šƒ–Šƒ††”ƒ™ƒŽ‘–‘ˆ…”‹–‹…‹•
ˆ”‘–Š‡’‡‘’Ž‡Ǥ
’ƒ”–› ‡„‡”ǡ ‹˜‘Ž˜‡† ‹ ’”‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘•
”‡Žƒ–‡†–‘–Š‡…‡”‡‘›ƒ–Š‹•”‡•‹†‡…‡‹ƒ—•Šƒ„‹ Š‡”‡ǡ •ƒ‹† –Šƒ– •‹…‡ ‡Œ”‹™ƒŽ ‹• †‘™
™‹–Šˆ‡˜‡”ǡŠ‡Šƒ•†‡…‹†‡†–‘‰‘„›…ƒ”ǤDz‡‹•
‘–™‡ŽŽ–‘†ƒ›ƒ†ƒ›‘–„‡™‡ŽŽ‡‘—‰Š–‘
”‹†‡‹‡–”‘–‘‘””‘™Ǥ
‘Š‡™‘—Ž†–ƒ‡”‘ƒ†”‘—–‡–‘‘””‘™ǡdz–Š‡
‡„‡”•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Ȅ‰‡…‹‡•
‘˜–—ŽŽ•‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘Žƒ™•”‡ˆ‘”
–‘•ƒˆ‡‰—ƒ”†‹‰”ƒ–•ǯ‹–‡”‡•–
By R A Kumar
‹„ƒŽ •ƒ‹† ‹– Šƒ† †”ƒ™ …‘…Ž—•‹‘•
™Š‹…Š ™‡”‡ …‘–”ƒ”› –‘ –Š‡ †‘…—‡–•–Šƒ–™‡”‡’Žƒ…‡†„‡ˆ‘”‡‹–Ǥ
• Š‡ –‘Ž† –Š‡ …‘—”– –Šƒ– ‹– Šƒ†
Š‡Ž† –Šƒ– …—•–‘†‹ƒŽ ‹–‡””‘‰ƒ–‹‘
…‘—Ž†„‡‘Ž›‹…ƒ•‡•‘ˆ—”†‡”ǡ†ƒ…‘‹–›‘”‘–Š‡”Š‡‹‘—•…”‹‡•ƒ†‘–
‹…ƒ•‡•‘ˆƒŽŽ‡‰‡†…Š‡ƒ–‹‰ƒ†‹•ƒ’’”‘’”‹ƒ–‹‘ǡ —•–‹…‡ —Š‘’ƒ†Šƒ›ƒ•ƒ‹†ƒ––Šƒ––‹‡ǡ–Š‡”‡™‡”‡‘
•…ƒ•”—‹‰‹–‘…”‘”‡•ƒ†…”‘”‡•
‘ˆ”—’‡‡•Ǥ
Š‡”‡ ™ƒ• ‘ •…ƒ Š‡”‡ ‡‹–Š‡”ǡ
‹„ƒŽ •ƒ‹†ǡ …‘–‡†‹‰ –Šƒ– ‹ˆ –Š‡”‡
ƒ”‡ ƒŽŽ‡‰ƒ–‹‘• ‘ˆ …Š‡ƒ–‹‰ ƒ† ‹•ƒ’’”‘’”‹ƒ–‹‘ǡ –Š‡ –Š‡ •ƒ‡ …‘—Ž†
‘Ž› „‡ Ž‡˜‡ŽŽ‡† „› –Š‡ ’‡‘’Ž‡ ™Š‘
Šƒ† †‘ƒ–‡† ‘‡› ˆ‘” –Š‡ •‡––‹‰
—’‘ˆ–Š‡—•‡—ƒ–
—Ž„‡”‰•‘…‹‡–›
‹Š‡†ƒ„ƒ†ƒ†‘–„›–Š‘•‡™Š‘
ƒ”‡‘–ƒ••‘…‹ƒ–‡†™‹–Š‹–Ǥ
DzŠ‘‹•–Š‡’‡”•‘™Š‘‹•…Š‡ƒ–‡†ǫ • Š‡ ƒ †‘‘”ǫ • –Š‡”‡ ƒ …‘’Žƒ‹–„›ƒ†‘‘”ǫˆȋƒ–ƒŽŽȌ–Š‡”‡‹•
ƒ„”‡ƒ…Š‘ˆ–”—•–ǡ‹–‹•–Šƒ–‘ˆ†‘‘”Ǥ
Š‡…‘’Žƒ‹–™ƒ•‘–Š‡ˆ‘”‰‡†
Ž‡––‡”‘ˆ–Š‡•‘…‹‡–›ǡdzŠ‡ƒ”‰—‡†Ǥ
‘–‹‰ –Šƒ– ‡–ƒŽ˜ƒ† Šƒ† —•‡†
–Š‡ ’Š‘–‘‰”ƒ’Š• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ˜‹…–‹• –‘
‘„‹Ž‹•‡ ˆ—†• ˆ‘” –Š‡ —•‡—ǡ –Š‡
…‘—”–•ƒ‹†–Šƒ––Š‡DzƒŽŽ‡‰ƒ–‹‘•ƒ”‡•‘
‰”ƒ˜‡dzǤȄ
Ȅ‹–Š†‹ƒǯ•‹‰”ƒ–™‘”ˆ‘”…‡
ˆƒ…‹‰ —’–‡‡ ’”‘„Ž‡• ”ƒ‰‹‰ ˆ”‘ †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–‹‡•‹‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘…Ž‡ƒ”ƒ…‡–‘–Š‡‹”‡š’Ž‘‹–ƒ–‹‘„›”‡…”—‹–‹‰ƒ‰‡–•Š‡”‡‹–Š‡…‘—–”›
ƒ† •—„•‡“—‡– Šƒ”ƒ••‡– ƒ† ‹ŽŽǦ–”‡ƒ–‡–
„› –Š‡‹” ‘˜‡”•‡ƒ• ‡’Ž‘›‡”•ǡ †‹ƒ ‹• —ŽŽ‹‰
‡ƒ…–‹‰ƒ‡™Žƒ™–‘’”‘–‡…––Š‡‹”‹–‡”‡•–•Ǥ
‹‹•–”›‘ˆ˜‡”•‡‡•†‹ƒˆˆƒ‹”•‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ
•ƒ‹†–Š‡‰‘˜‡”‡–‹•…‘–‡’Žƒ–‹‰–‘Žƒ—…Š
ƒ…‘’”‡Š‡•‹˜‡”‡ˆ‘”‘ˆ‹–•‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘Žƒ™•ǡ
ƒ‹‡†ƒ–Dz”‡†‡ϐ‹‹‰ƒ†–”ƒ•ˆ‘”‹‰‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘‹–‘ƒ•‹’Ž‡ǡ–”ƒ•’ƒ”‡–ǡ‡ˆϐ‹…‹‡–ƒ†Š—ƒ‡‡…‘‘‹…’”‘…‡••Ǥdz
Š‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• •ƒ‹† –‘ ƒ…Š‹‡˜‡ –Š‹•ǡ –Š‡ Šƒ•†”ƒˆ–‡†ƒ‡™„‹ŽŽ…ƒŽŽ‡†–Š‡Dz”ƒˆ–‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ƒƒ‰‡‡– ‹ŽŽdz ƒ† Šƒ• …‹”…—Žƒ–‡† ‹–
ƒ‘‰˜ƒ”‹‘—••–ƒ‡Š‘Ž†‡”•‘ˆ–Š‡‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘
’”‘…‡••–‘‡šƒ‹‡‹–‡šŠƒ—•–‹˜‡Ž›Ǥ
Š‡‹ŽŽǡƒˆ–‡”‹–•‡ƒ…–‡–ǡ™‘—Ž†”‡’Žƒ…‡
–Š‡‡š‹•–‹‰‹‰”ƒ–‹‘…–ǡͳͻͺ͵–Šƒ–’”‡•‡–Ž›”‡‰—Žƒ–‡•–Š‡’”‘…‡••‘ˆ‹‰”ƒ–‹‘‘—–‘ˆ–Š‡
…‘—–”›ǡ–Š‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ••ƒ‹†Ǥ
Š‡†”ƒˆ–‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ƒƒ‰‡‡–‹ŽŽ”‡…‘‰‹•‡• –Š‡ ‡‡† –‘ ‘†‡”‹•‡ –Š‡ Ž‡‰‹•Žƒ–‹˜‡
ˆ”ƒ‡™‘”—†‡”–Š‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘…–ǡͳͻͺ͵ƒ†
–Š‡ ‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ —Ž‡• —†‡” ‹–ǡ ™Š‹…Š ‰‘˜‡”•
–Š‡‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘‘ˆ†‹ƒ•ˆ‘”‘˜‡”•‡ƒ•‡’Ž‘›‡–ǡdz–Š‡›ƒ††‡†Ǥ
Š‡„‹ŽŽ‹•ƒ‹‡†ƒ–Dzˆƒ…‹Ž‹–ƒ–‹‰Ž‡‰ƒŽ‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ƒ† ’”‡˜‡–‹‰ ‹””‡‰—Žƒ” ‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ƒ†
‡’‘™‡”‡–‘ˆ‡‹‰”ƒ–•ǡdz–Š‡•–ƒ–‡‡–‘ˆ
–Š‡”‡ƒ•‘•ƒ†–Š‡‘„Œ‡…–‹˜‡•‘ˆ–Š‡„‹ŽŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
– •ƒ‹† –Š‡ ‡™ Žƒ™ ™‘—Ž† Dz”‡†‡ϐ‹‡ –Š‡
•…‘’‡ ‘ˆ ”‡‰—Žƒ–‹‘ ‘ˆ ‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ƒ† ”‡†‡•‹‰
–Š‡ ‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ’”‘…‡•• „› •‡––‹‰ •–ƒ†ƒ”†•
The Bill, after its
enactment, would
replace the existing
Emigration Act, 1983
that presently regulates
the process of migration
out of the country,
‘ˆϔ‹…‹ƒŽ••ƒ‹†
ƒ† †‡ϐ‹‹‰ –Š‡ ”‘Ž‡• ƒ† ”‡•’‘•‹„‹Ž‹–‹‡• ‘ˆ
‡› •–ƒ‡Š‘Ž†‡”• ‹ –Š‡ ‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ’”‘…‡••
™‹–Š–Š‡‘„Œ‡…–‹˜‡‘ˆƒ‹‰‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ƒ‘”†‡”Ž›‡…‘‘‹…’”‘…‡••Ǥdz
Š‡•–ƒ–‡‡–•ƒ‹†Dz–Š‡‘„Œ‡…–‹˜‡‘ˆ–Š‡’”‘’‘•‡†‡™‹ŽŽ‹•–‘–”ƒ•ˆ‘”‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘‹–‘
•‹’Ž‡ǡ–”ƒ•’ƒ”‡–ǡ‡ˆϐ‹…‹‡–ƒ†Š—ƒ‡‡…‘‘‹… ’”‘…‡••ǡ ˆƒ…‹Ž‹–ƒ–‡ Ž‡‰ƒŽ ‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ǡ ’”‡˜‡– ‹ŽŽ‡‰ƒŽ ‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ƒ† Š—ƒ •—‰‰Ž‹‰ǡ
‡ƒ„Ž‡ ‡–Š‹…ƒŽ ”‡…”—‹–‡– ’”ƒ…–‹…‡•ǡ ƒ† ‡Šƒ…‡’”‘–‡…–‹‘ƒ†™‡Žˆƒ”‡dz‘ˆ–Š‡‹‰”ƒ–•
™‘”ˆ‘”…‡Ǥ
Š‡ ‡™ Žƒ™ǡ ”‡‰—Žƒ–‹‰ ƒ† ‰‘˜‡”‹‰ –Š‡
‡‹‰”ƒ–‹‘ ’”‘…‡•• ™‘—Ž† ‘– ‘Ž› •‡‡ –‘
‡•—”‡ –Š‡ ™‡Žˆƒ”‡ ‘ˆ ‹‰”ƒ– ™‘”ˆ‘”…‡ǡ „—–
™‘—Ž†ƒŽ•‘Šƒ˜‡’”‘˜‹•‹‘•–‘‡•—”‡–Š‡•ƒˆ‡–›
‘ˆ•–—†‡–•‰‘‹‰ƒ„”‘ƒ†ˆ‘”•–—†‹‡•Ǥ
—„•–ƒ–‹ƒŽ–ƒŽ•‘…ƒ”†•
†—”‹‰‹”‹•‡ƒǯ•˜‹•‹–
ȅ †‹ƒ ‡š’‡…–• Dz•—„•–ƒ–‹ƒŽ –ƒŽ• ƒ†
‘—–…‘‡•dz †—”‹‰ ‡™ ”‹ ƒƒ ”‡•‹†‡– ƒ‹–Š”‹’ƒŽƒ ‹”‹•‡ƒǯ• ˆ‘—”Ǧ†ƒ› •–ƒ–‡ ˜‹•‹– –‘ –Š‡ …‘—–”›
ˆ”‘‡„”—ƒ”›ͳͷǤ
Š‹•™‘—Ž†„‡‹”‹•‡ƒǯ•ϐ‹”•–˜‹•‹–ƒ„”‘ƒ†•‹…‡Š‡
™‘–Š‡ƒ—ƒ”›ͺ’”‡•‹†‡–‹ƒŽ‡Ž‡…–‹‘•Ǥ
Dz†‹ƒǯ•–‹‡•™‹–Š”‹ƒƒƒ”‡—‹“—‡ƒ†„ƒ•‡†
‘ Š‹•–‘”‹…ƒŽǡ …—Ž–—”ƒŽ ƒ† …‹˜‹Ž‹•ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ „‘†•ǡdz ‡š–‡”ƒŽƒˆˆƒ‹”•‹‹•–”›•’‘‡•’‡”•‘›‡†„ƒ”—†‹
–‘Ž†–Š‡‡†‹ƒŠ‡”‡Ǥ
Dz‡ƒ”‡‡š’‡…–‹‰•—„•–ƒ–‹ƒŽ–ƒŽ•ƒ†‘—–…‘‡•
†—”‹‰Š‹•˜‹•‹–ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
‹”‹•‡ƒǡ™Š‘™‘—Ž†ƒ””‹˜‡‘‡„”—ƒ”›ͳͷƒˆ–‡”‘‘ǡ ™‹ŽŽ ‘ ‡„”—ƒ”› ͳ͸ǡ Š‡ ™‘—Ž† ˜‹•‹– ƒŒ‰Šƒ–ǡ
Š‘Ž† ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ –ƒŽ• ™‹–Š ”‹‡ ‹‹•–‡” ƒ”‡†”ƒ
‘†‹ƒ†ƒ––‡†ƒ„ƒ“—‡–Š‘•–‡†‹Š‹•Š‘‘—”„›
–Š‡’”‡•‹†‡–ƒ––Š‡ƒ•Š–”ƒ’ƒ–‹Šƒ˜ƒǤ
Dz‹•…—••‹‘•™‹–Š–Š‡’”‹‡‹‹•–‡”™‘—Ž†„‡‹
ƒ”‡•–”‹…–‡†ˆ‘”ƒ–ƒ†–Š‡”‡™‘—Ž†ƒŽ•‘„‡†‡Ž‡‰ƒ–‹‘Ž‡˜‡Ž–ƒŽ•ǡdz–Š‡•’‘‡•’‡”•‘•ƒ‹†Ǥ
 ‡„”—ƒ”› ͳ͹ǡ –Š‡ ”‹ ƒƒ ’”‡•‹†‡– ™‘—Ž†
˜‹•‹– ‘†Š ƒ›ƒ ‹ ‹Šƒ” ƒ† ‹”—’ƒ–‹ –‡’Ž‡ ‹
†Š”ƒ”ƒ†‡•ŠǤ‡™‘—Ž††‡’ƒ”–‘‡„”—ƒ”›ͳͺǤ
‹”‹•‡ƒǡ ™Š‘ †‡ˆ‡ƒ–‡† ƒŠ‹†ƒ ƒŒƒ’ƒ•ƒ Žƒ•–
‘–Šǡ Šƒ• •ƒ‹† Š‡ ™ƒ• ‡‡ –‘ ˆ—”–Š‡” „‘‘•– ”‡Žƒ–‹‘•™‹–Š†‹ƒǤ
Yaduveer new scion of
Mysuru royal family
ȅ ƒ†—˜‡‡”
‘’ƒŽƒ”ƒŒ‡ ”• (pictured)ǡ –Š‡ ʹʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž†
‰”ƒ†•‘ ‘ˆ ’”‹…‡••
ƒ›ƒ–”‹ ‡˜‹ǡ ™‹ŽŽ •‘‘
„‡ –Š‡ ‡™ •…‹‘ ‘ˆ
”‘›ƒŽ ‘†‡›ƒ” †›ƒ•–›
‘ˆ ›•—”— ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™‹‰
Š‹• Ž‡‰ƒŽ ƒ†‘’–‹‘ „›
”ƒ‘†ƒ ‡˜‹ǡ ™‹†‘™
‘ˆ ”‹ƒ–ƒ†ƒ––ƒ ƒ”ƒ•‹Šƒ”ƒŒƒ ‘†‡›ƒ”
Š‡”‡‘Š—”•†ƒ›Ǥ
DzŠ‡ ‡–‹”‡ ˆƒ‹Ž› ‹• ‘ˆ –Š‡ —ƒ‹‘—•
‘’‹‹‘ –Šƒ– ƒ†—˜‡‡”
‹• „‡•– •—‹–‡† –‘ –ƒ‡
‘˜‡” –Š‡ ƒ–Ž‡ ‘ˆ ”‹ƒ–ƒ†ƒ––ƒǡdz ”ƒ‘†ƒ
‡˜‹ –‘Ž† ”‡’‘”–‡”• ƒ–
„ƒ ‹Žƒ• ƒŽƒ…‡ ‹ –Š‹• ƒ”ƒ–ƒƒ …‹–›ǡ ƒ„‘—– ͳͷͲ
ˆ”‘‡‰ƒŽ—”—Ǥ
ƒ†—˜‡‡”‹•…—””‡–Ž›‹–Š‡ǡ•–—†›‹‰ˆ‘”‰”ƒ†—ƒ–‹‘‹‡…‘‘‹…•ƒ†‰Ž‹•ŠǤ
Dz‡ȋƒ†—˜‡‡”Ȍ‹•”‡–—”‹‰–‘†‹ƒ‘‡„”—ƒ”›
ʹͲˆ‘”–Š‡‰”ƒ†ƒ†‘’–‹‘…‡”‡‘›‘‡„”—ƒ”›ʹ͵
‹–Š‡†—”„ƒ”ŠƒŽŽ‘ˆ–Š‡”‘›ƒŽ’ƒŽƒ…‡ƒ†™‹ŽŽ„‡”‡ƒ‡† ƒ†—˜‡‡” ”‹•Šƒ†ƒ––ƒ Šƒƒ”ƒŒƒ ‘†‡›ƒ”
–‘„‡‹†‡–‹ϐ‹‡†™‹–Š–Š‡”‘›ƒŽŽ‹‡ƒ‰‡ǡdzƒ”‘›ƒŽˆƒ‹Ž›
‡„‡”•ƒ‹†Š‡”‡Ǥ
”‹ƒƒ–ƒ†ƒ––ƒ †‹‡† ‹ ‡‰ƒŽ—”— ‘ ‡…‡„‡”
ͳͲǡʹͲͳ͵ƒ––Š‡ƒ‰‡‘ˆ͸ͲǤ
Dz•”‹ƒ–ƒ†ƒ––ƒƒ†”ƒ‘†ƒ‡˜‹Šƒ˜‡‘…Š‹Ž†”‡ǡ–Š‡›ƒ”‡ƒ†‘’–‹‰ƒ†—˜‡‡”–‘„‡–Š‡‡™•…‹‘ǡdz–Š‡ˆƒ‹Ž›‡„‡”‘–‡†Ǥ
ƒ†—˜‡‡”ǡ •‘ ‘ˆ •‘ ‘ˆ ”‹’—”ƒ•—†ƒ”‹ ‡˜‹ ƒ†
™ƒ”ƒ—’
‘’ƒŽƒŒ”•ǡ„‡Ž‘‰•–‘–Š‡‡––ƒ†ƒ‘–‡
ˆƒ‹Ž› ™Š‘•‡ ƒ••‘…‹ƒ–‹‘ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ‘†‡›ƒ”• †ƒ–‡•
„ƒ…–‘–Š‡ͳͺ–Š…‡–—”›Ǥ
DzŠƒ˜‡†‡…‹†‡†–‘ƒ†‘’–Š‹ȋƒ†—˜‡‡”Ȍ„‡…ƒ—•‡
‘ˆ–Š‡•–”‘‰–‹‡•„‡–™‡‡‘—”ˆƒ‹Ž‹‡•Ǥ
ƒŠƒ”ƒ‹ ƒ•Š‹ƒƒ‹ ‘ˆ Š‹• ˆƒ‹Ž› ™ƒ• ‹•–”—‡–ƒŽ ‹ ‰‡––‹‰ –Š‡ –Š”‘‡ „ƒ… –‘ —ƒ†‹
”‹•Šƒ”ƒŒƒ‘†‡›ƒ”ǡdz”ƒ‘†ƒ‡˜‹•ƒ‹†Ǥ
ƒ›ƒ–”‹‡˜‹‹•–Š‡‡Ž†‡•–•‹•–‡”‘ˆ”‹ƒƒ–ƒ†ƒ––ƒǤ
Š‡‹” ˆƒ–Š‡” ƒ›ƒ…Šƒƒ”ƒŒ‡†”ƒ ‘†‡›ƒ” ™ƒ• –Š‡
Žƒ•–ƒŠƒ”ƒŒƒ‘ˆ–Š‡›•—”—’”‹…‡Ž›•–ƒ–‡ˆ”‘ͳͻͶͲ
–‘ͳͻͷͲǤŠ‡‘†‡›ƒ”†›ƒ•–›”—Ž‡†›•—”—ˆ‘”‘˜‡”
•‡˜‡…‡–—”‹‡•ˆ”‘ͳ͵ͻͻ–‘ͳͻͷͲǤ
Dz‡ ™‹ŽŽ …‘”‘ƒ–‡ ƒ†—˜‡‡” „‡ˆ‘”‡ …–‘„‡” –‘
…ƒ””›‘–Š‡ƒ•ƒ”ƒˆ‡•–‹˜ƒŽ–”ƒ†‹–‹‘‘ˆ‘—”†›ƒ•–›ǡdz
”ƒ‘†ƒ‡˜‹•ƒ‹†‘–Š‡‘……ƒ•‹‘Ǥ
Š‘—‰Š ƒ†—˜‡‡” Šƒ‹Ž• ˆ”‘ –Š‹• …‹–› ‘ˆ ’ƒŽƒ…‡•ǡ
Š‡†‹†Š‹••…Š‘‘Ž‹‰‹‡‰ƒŽ—”—ƒ†™‡––‘–Š‡
ˆ‘”Š‹‰Š‡”•–—†‹‡•Ǥ
ƒ†—˜‡‡”ǯ• ’ƒ”‡–• –Šƒ‡† ”ƒ‘†ƒ ‡˜‹ ˆ‘”
…Š‘‘•‹‰ –Š‡‹” •‘ –‘ •—……‡‡† ”‹ƒ–ƒ†ƒ––ƒ ƒ†
Š‘’‡† Š‡ ™‘—Ž† …‘–‹—‡ –Š‡ ‰Ž‘”‹‘—• –”ƒ†‹–‹‘ ‘ˆ
–Š‡‘†‡›ƒ”†›ƒ•–›ǤȄ
Satara schools ordered to celebrate V-Day as Mom’s Day!
All educational
institutions have also
been directed to make
the students sing a
poem dedicated to
‘Mother’. They have
been told to click
photographs and
submit them to the
district education
‘ˆϔ‹…‡”
SATARA (Maharashtra) — In a bizarre
‘˜‡ǡ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•‹ƒŠƒ”ƒ•Š–”ƒǯ•ƒ–ƒ”ƒ†‹•–”‹…–Šƒ˜‡–‘Ž†•…Š‘‘Ž•ƒ†…‘ŽŽ‡‰‡•–‘…‡Ž‡„”ƒ–‡ƒŽ‡–‹‡•ƒ›‘ƒ–—”†ƒ›ƒ•Dz‘–Š‡”•ƒ›dzǡ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ••ƒ‹†‘”‹†ƒ›Ǥ
 ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ …‹”…—Žƒ”ǡ ‹••—‡† „› –Š‡ ƒ–ƒ”ƒ
†‹•–”‹…– ƒ†‹‹•–”ƒ–‹‘ǡ Šƒ• ‹…‡† —’ ƒ
Š—‰‡”‘™Ǥ
Š‡ …‹”…—Žƒ” ™ƒ• •‡– –‘ Š—†”‡†• ‘ˆ
’—„Ž‹… ƒ† ’”‹˜ƒ–‡ ’”‹ƒ”› •…Š‘‘Ž• ƒ†
ƒ”‘—†ʹͷ…‘ŽŽ‡‰‡•‹–Š‡†‹•–”‹…–‘‡„”—ƒ”›ͳͳǡƒ•‹‰–Š‡–‘…‡Ž‡„”ƒ–‡Ǧƒ›™‹–Š
ƒ†‹ˆˆ‡”‡…‡„›†‡†‹…ƒ–‹‰‹––‘Dz‘–Š‡”dzǤ
ŽŽ ‡†—…ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ ‹•–‹–—–‹‘• Šƒ˜‡ ƒŽ•‘
„‡‡ †‹”‡…–‡† –‘ ƒ‡ –Š‡ •–—†‡–• •‹‰
ƒ ’‘‡ †‡†‹…ƒ–‡† –‘ Dz‘–Š‡”dzǤ Š‡› Šƒ˜‡
„‡‡ –‘Ž† –‘ …Ž‹… ’Š‘–‘‰”ƒ’Š• ƒ† •—„‹–
–Š‡–‘–Š‡†‹•–”‹…–‡†—…ƒ–‹‘‘ˆϐ‹…‡”Ǥ
Š‡ …‘–”‘˜‡”•‹ƒŽ …‹”…—Žƒ”ǡ ‹••—‡† „› –Š‡
‘ˆϐ‹…‡ ‘ˆ ‹•–”‹…– †—…ƒ–‹‘ ˆϐ‹…‡” ȋ”‹ƒ”›Ȍǡ…Žƒ‹‡†–Šƒ–‹”‡…‡––‹‡•–Š‡”‡Šƒ˜‡
„‡‡ ‹•–ƒ…‡• ‘ˆ „‘›…‘–– ‘” ‘’’‘•‹–‹‘ –‘
Ǧƒ›™Š‹…Š‹–•ƒ‹†”‡’”‡•‡–•‡•–‡”•‘…‹ƒŽ…—Ž–—”‡Ǥ
Š‡ ƒŠƒ”ƒ•Š–”ƒ –ƒ–‡ ƒŠ‹Žƒ
‘ƒ›‘‰ ȋȌ ‡š’”‡••‡† •–”‘‰ ’”‘–‡•–
ƒ‰ƒ‹•–™Šƒ–‹––‡”‡†ƒDz‘„‘š‹‘—•…‹”…—Žƒ”dz ”‡’”‡•‡–‹‰ –Š‡ ‹†•‡– ‘ˆ –Š‡ ”—Ž‹‰
†‹•’‡•ƒ–‹‘‹ƒŠƒ”ƒ•Š–”ƒǤ
Dz‡ Šƒ˜‡ –ƒ‡ ‹– —’ ˜‡”› •–”‘‰Ž› ™‹–Š
–Š‡…‘…‡”‡†ƒ—–Š‘”‹–‹‡•ƒ†•ŠƒŽŽ‘’’‘•‡
‹–Ǥ
‡ Šƒ˜‡ ‘ ‘„Œ‡…–‹‘ –‘ …‡Ž‡„”ƒ–‹‘• ‘ˆ
Ž‘˜‡ ˆ‘” ‘–Š‡”ǡ „—– ™Š› •‡Ž‡…– ƒŽ‡–‹‡•
ƒ›ˆ‘”–Š‹•ǫdzš‡…—–‹˜‡Šƒ‹”’‡”•‘
ƒ”•Šƒ‡•Š’ƒ†‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
‡ƒ™Š‹Ž‡ǡ ƒŠƒ”ƒ•Š–”ƒ ‘˜‡”‘” ƒ‘ ‘ ”‹†ƒ› Œ‘‹‡† –Š‡ Ǯ ‘˜‡ Ž‡ƒŽ‹‡••ǯ…ƒ’ƒ‹‰‹‹–‹ƒ–‡†„›ƒ”‘—†ͷͲͲ˜‘Ž—–‡‡”• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ƒ™‘‘†‹ ‘Š”ƒ …‘—‹–›
‹–Š‡…‹–›ǡƒ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Š‡ ’”‘Œ‡…– ™ƒ• Žƒ—…Š‡† ˆ‘—” ›‡ƒ”•
ƒ‰‘„›–Š‡…‘—‹–›„›–Š‡Žƒ–‡•’‹”‹–—ƒŽ
Š‡ƒ†ǡ ›‡†ƒ ‘Šƒ‡† —”Šƒ—††‹ǡ
™Š‘ ’ƒ••‡† ƒ™ƒ› Žƒ•– ›‡ƒ”ǡ —†‡” –Š‡ ƒ—•’‹…‡• ‘ˆ —”Šƒ‹ ‘—†ƒ–‹‘Ǧ†‹ƒ ȋȌ
ƒ†ƒœƒƒˆƒ–ǡƒ
Ǥ
Dz–‘™•—’’‘”–•–Š‡™ƒ…ŠŠŠƒ”ƒ–„Š‹›ƒƒ ƒ† ™‹ŽŽ „‡ –ƒ‡ —’ ‘˜‡” ͷͲͲ …‹–‹‡•ǡ –‘™• ƒ† ˜‹ŽŽƒ‰‡• ƒ…”‘•• –Š‡ …‘—–”›
„› –Š‡ ƒ™‘‘†‹ ‘Š”ƒ …‘—‹–› ‡„‡”• –‘‘””‘™ ‡„”—ƒ”› ͳͶǡdz •ƒ‹† –”—•–‡‡
ƒ‹Š‘‘‘Š›‹—††‹‘ˆǤ
‡ ‡š’Žƒ‹‡† –Šƒ– –‘ ƒ……‘’Ž‹•Š ƒ Š‹‰Š
’‡”…‡–ƒ‰‡ ‘ˆ Ž‘‰Ǧ–‡” •—……‡••ǡ ƒ Š‘Ž‹•–‹…
ƒ’’”‘ƒ…Š Šƒ• „‡‡ ƒ†‘’–‡† ‹ –Š‡ …Ž‡ƒŽ‹‡••†”‹˜‡ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰…‘—‹–›Š‡ƒŽ–Šƒ†
Š›‰‹‡‡ǡ •‘Ž† ™ƒ•–‡ ƒƒ‰‡‡–ǡ ˆ‘‰‰‹‰
ƒ†‡‹‰Š„‘—”Š‘‘†„‡ƒ—–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘Ǥ
”‹‘” –‘ Žƒ—…Š‹‰ –Š‡ …Ž‡ƒŽ‹‡•• …ƒ’ƒ‹‰ǡ ‘˜‡”‘” ƒ‘ ’ƒ‹† ϐŽ‘”ƒŽ –”‹„—–‡• ƒ–
ƒ—†ƒ– ƒŠ‡”ƒǡ –Š‡ –™‹ ƒ—•‘Ž‡— ‘ˆ –Š‡
Žƒ–‡ ͷͳ•– ›‡†ƒ ƒŠ‡” ƒ‹ˆ—††‹ ƒ† Š‹•
•‘ͷʹ†›‡†ƒ‘Šƒ‡†—”Šƒ—††‹
ƒ–Š‡†‹ƒœƒƒ”Ǥ
ƒ–‡” ƒ –‡ƒ ‘ˆ ’”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒŽ•ǡ ™‘‡ǡ
•–—†‡–• ƒ† ˜‘Ž—–‡‡” ‘”‰ƒ‹•ƒ–‹‘• „‡•‹†‡•‰‘˜‡”‡–‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•Œ‘‹‡†ƒ‘‹–Š‡
…Ž‡ƒŽ‹‡•• †”‹˜‡ ‹ •‘—–Š —„ƒ‹ Ž‘…ƒŽ‹–‹‡•ǤȄ
Governor C V Rao at the ‘I Love Cleanliness’
campaign initiated by around 500
volunteers of the Dawoodi Bohra
community in Mumbai. — IANS
7
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
INDIA
9 dead in train accident near Bengaluru
ȅ Nine passengers
were killed and 18 others severely injured when nine coaches of the Bengaluru-Ernakulam Inter-City Express
derailed in Karnataka early on Friday,
ƒ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Š‡ ˜‹…–‹• ‹…Ž—†‡† ϐ‹˜‡ ‡ǡ
–Š”‡‡™‘‡ƒ†ƒ‹‡Ǧ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž†„‘›Ǥ
As it was a day train with chair
cars, the zonal railway did not have
the full list of passengers travelling
in the express, especially in the two
compartments that were unreserved
ƒ†„‘”‡–Š‡„”—–Ǥ
Š‡ ‹…‹†‡– ‘……—””‡† ƒ– ͹Ǥ͵ͷ ƒ
after the train left Anekal station towards Hosur near the border with
ƒ‹Žƒ†—Ǥ
“The derailment led to two coaches (eighth and ninth) telescoping into
each other, resulting in nine fatalities
and severe injuries to 18 co-passengers during the journey,” a railway ofϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Bodies of all the victims were extricated from the twin coaches and
the injured brought to hospitals at
‡ƒŽƒ†‡‰ƒŽ—”—ˆ‘”–”‡ƒ–‡–Ǥ
“A National Disaster Relief Force
(NDRF) team conducted the rescue
and relief operations at the accident
site, while the stranded passengers
were shifted to Anekal, Hosur and
Bengaluru in state-run transport bus‡•ˆ‘”–Š‡‹”‘™ƒ”†Œ‘—”‡›ǡdz–Š‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
The express train departed from
–Š‡ƒ‹…‹–›•–ƒ–‹‘Š‡”‡ƒ–͸Ǥͳͷƒ
ƒ† …‘˜‡”‡† Ͷͷ  ™Š‡ –Š‡ †‹•ƒ•ter struck between Anekal road and
Hosur town on the Karnataka-Tamil
ƒ†—„‘”†‡”Ǥ
Even 12 hours after the incident,
”ƒ‹Ž™ƒ› ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• …‘—Ž† ‘– ƒ•…‡”–ƒ‹
the cause of derailment though an expert team rushed to the spot where
–Š‡‡‰‹‡ƒ†–Š‡ϐ‹”•–‹‡…‘ƒ…Š‡•
™‡–‘ˆˆ–Š‡•‹‰Ž‡–”ƒ…ƒ††‡”ƒ‹Ž‡†Ǥ
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu,
™Š‘ϐŽ‡™–‘‡‰ƒŽ—”—Žƒ–‡ƒˆ–‡”‘‘ǡ
visited the accident spot with Railway
Board Chairman A K Mital and senior
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• ‘ˆ ‘—–Š ‡•–‡” ƒ‹Ž™ƒ›•
‘A National Disaster
Relief Force team
conducted the
rescue and relief
operations at
the accident site,
while the stranded
passengers were
shifted in state-run
transport buses
for their onward
journey,’ the
‘ˆϔ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†
Rescuers clear the debris of a passenger train after it derailed on the outskirts of Bengaluru yesterday. — Reuters
ƒ†‹•’‡…–‡†–Š‡†‡”ƒ‹Ž‡†–”ƒ‹Ǥ
Prabhu also visited the injured in
the hospitals at Anekal and Bengaluru
and announced Rs 200,000 compensation to the families of the dead and
• ͷͲǡͲͲͲ –‘ ‡ƒ…Š ‘ˆ –Š‡ ‰”‹‡˜‘—•Ž›
‹Œ—”‡†Ǥ
The minister ordered an inquiry to
ƒ•…‡”–ƒ‹–Š‡…ƒ—•‡‘ˆ–Š‡ƒ……‹†‡–Ǥ
Anish, a passenger on the train,
told the media in Kochi over tel-
Modi anguished over
Christian school attack
The prime
minister also
directed union
Home Secretary
L C Goyal to pay
special attention
to the rising
incidents of crime
and vandalism
in the city
ȅ Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Friday expressed
his “deep concern” and “anguish”
over rising crime in the national
capital as he summoned Delhi police
commissioner B S Bassi following the
”ƒ•ƒ…‹‰‘ˆƒŠ”‹•–‹ƒ•…Š‘‘ŽŠ‡”‡Ǥ
It was the sixth such incident targeting Christian institutions in the
Žƒ•– –™‘ ‘–Š• Ȅ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ‘–Š‡”
…ƒ•‡•‹˜‘Ž˜‹‰˜ƒ†ƒŽ‹•Ǥ
“The prime minister expressed his
deep concern and anguish to Bassi
over increasing incidents in the capital in which churches and Christian
institutions have been targeted,” a
statement from the Prime Minister’s
ˆϐ‹…‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Modi asked Bassi to “speedily investigate the recent incidents of vandalism and ensure that the guilty are
„”‘—‰Š––‘„‘‘dzǡ‹–ƒ††‡†Ǥ
The prime minister also directed
union Home Secretary L C Goyal to
pay special attention to the rising
incidents of crime and vandalism in
–Š‡…‹–›Ǥ
Employees of Holy Child Auxilium
School in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar
area have told police that a few CCTV
cameras in the premises were damƒ‰‡†ǡ –Š‡ ’”‹…‹’ƒŽǯ• ‘ˆϐ‹…‡ ™ƒ• ”ƒsacked and Rs 8,000 stolen from a
†‘ƒ–‹‘„‘šǤ
The incident was condemned by
the Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya
ƒƒ–ƒƒ”–›Ǥ
Union Human Resource Minister
Smriti Irani, who has been a student of the school, visited the school
ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™‹‰–Š‡‹…‹†‡–Ǥ
Delhi chief minister-designate
Arvind Kejriwal said such incidents
™‹ŽŽ‘–„‡–‘Ž‡”ƒ–‡†Ǥ
Modi asked the home secretary
to pay special attention “to the rising
incidents of crime, and vandalism,
and work towards ensuring safety
ƒ†•‡…—”‹–›‘ˆ™‘‡‹–Š‡…ƒ’‹–ƒŽdzǤ
Bassi later told media that Friday’s
incident was related to theft, not des‡…”ƒ–‹‘Ǥ
“Our initial inquiry suggests it is
‘– ƒ …ƒ•‡ ‘ˆ †‡•‡…”ƒ–‹‘Ǥ – ™ƒ• ƒ
case of theft as Rs 8,000 was stolen
ˆ”‘ƒ†‘ƒ–‹‘„‘šǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Bassi said the culprits damaged
some CCTV cameras in the premises
of the school but religious articles
™‡”‡‘–†‹•–—”„‡†Ǥ
“The police have increased secu”‹–›ƒ”‘—†…Š—”…Š‡•‹‡ŽŠ‹Ǥ
The police are taking this case
with utter seriousness and the culprits will be brought to book,” Bassi
•ƒ‹†Ǥ ‘Ž‹…‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• •ƒ‹† –Šƒ– –™‘
people were seen in the CCTV footƒ‰‡Ǥ Š‡ …—Ž’”‹–• ‡–‡”‡† –Š‡ •…Š‘‘Ž
’”‡‹•‡•ƒ”‘—†͵Ǥ͵Ͳƒƒ†Ž‡ˆ–„›
ͷǤ͵ͲƒǤ
The school’s principal Sister Lucy
John said six CCTV cameras in the
corridor were damaged, cupboards
were ransacked and the two intrud‡”•–‘‘ƒ™ƒ›‘‡›Ǥ
The English-medium school,
meant primarily for Christian girls,
also has students from other com—‹–‹‡•ƒ†”‡Ž‹‰‹‘•Ǥ
Leaders of the Christian community blamed some members of a
group of intentionally targeting the
…‘—‹–›Ǥ
Delhi
Catholic
Archdiocese
spokesperson Father Savarimuthu
Sankar claimed that the latest incident appeared to be aimed at instilling fear among the Christian commu‹–›Ǥ
Dz‡ •‡‡ ƒ …Ž‡ƒ” ’ƒ––‡” ‹ ƒŽŽ –Š‡
ƒ––ƒ…•Ǥ ƒ”Ž‹‡”ǡ ™‡ –Š‘—‰Š– –Šƒ–
these attacks have a connection with
–Š‡‡ŽŠ‹‡Ž‡…–‹‘ǡdz•ƒ‹†ƒƒ”Ǥ
Ȅ
ephone that the rescue team had cut
open the two second class coaches to
•Š‹ˆ––Š‡‹Œ—”‡†–‘Š‘•’‹–ƒŽ•Ǥ
Another passenger, Cyriac Mathew,
•ƒ‹†Š‡Šƒ†•‡‡–Š”‡‡„‘†‹‡•Ǥ
DzŠ‡™‘”•–ƒˆˆ‡…–‡†™ƒ•…‘ƒ…ŠǦͺǤ
I could see the bodies of two men and
a woman in the coach,” said Mathew, a
”‡‰—Žƒ”–”ƒ˜‡ŽŽ‡”‘–Š‡–”ƒ‹Ǥ
“Police and the ambulance arrived
ƒŠ‘—”ƒˆ–‡”–Š‡ƒ……‹†‡–ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Š‡Šƒ••‡–—’Š‡Ž’†‡••ƒ–
the Bengaluru station and the accident site to assist the injured and the
•–”ƒ†‡† ’ƒ••‡‰‡”•Ǥ Š‹Ž‡ ‘‡ ”ƒ‹Ž™ƒ›‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ‹‡‰ƒŽ—”—…Žƒ‹‡†ϐ‹˜‡
deaths, others at the disaster site put
‹–ƒ–ͳͲǤ
But Kerala Chief Minister Oommen
Chandy said after speaking to a
Karnataka minister that 12 people
Šƒ††‹‡†Ǥ
Rescuers frantically retrieved bodies from two of the coaches which
telescoped into one another following
–Š‡ …”ƒ•ŠǤ Š‡ –”ƒ‹ ™ƒ• …Š—‰‰‹‰ ƒ–
Š‹‰Š•’‡‡†™Š‡‹–™‡–‘ˆˆ–Š‡”ƒ‹Ž•Ǥ
The train departed from the main
…‹–› •–ƒ–‹‘ Š‡”‡ ƒ– ͸Ǥͳͷ ƒ ƒ† …‘˜‡”‡† Ͷͷ  ™Š‡ –Š‡ †‹•ƒ•–‡” –‘‘
place between Anekal road and Hosur
town on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu
„‘”†‡”Ǥ
Rajnath visits Myanmar border,
reviews Manipur situation
Ȁ
ȅ Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh and his deputy Kiren Rijiju on Friday visited IndiaMyanmar border in Manipur and dis…—••‡†„‘”†‡”–”ƒ†‡™‹–Š–Š‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•Ǥ
“Rajnath Singh along with Kiren
Rijiju (Minister of State for Home Afˆƒ‹”•Ȍƒ†Š‘‡‹‹•–”›‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•˜‹•ited Moreh along the India-Myanmar
„‘”†‡”ǡdz ƒ ƒ‹’—” ‰‘˜‡”‡– ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
“They supervised the under construction integrated check post (ICP)
to boost the trade between India and
›ƒƒ”Ǥdz
‹‰Š ƒ•‡† –Š‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• –‘ •–‡’
up construction work of ICP, which
would facilitate all basic facilities, including banks, medical, immigration,
…—•–‘•ƒ†™ƒ”‡Š‘—•‡Ǥ
“The home minister at a meeting
™‹–Š •‡‹‘” ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• †‹•…—••‡† ƒ„‘—–
the possible increase of border trade
between the two countries after com’Ž‡–‹‘‘ˆ–Š‡™‘”‘ˆǡdz–Š‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ
ƒ††‡†Ǥ Š‡ Š‘‡ ‹‹•–‡” ƒŽ•‘ ‡–
public leaders in the border town of
Moreh, 170 km from Imphal, and interacted with them about their probŽ‡•Ǥ
ƒ‹’—” •Šƒ”‡• ͵ͻͺǦ —ˆ‡…‡†
„‘”†‡”™‹–Š›ƒƒ”Ǥ
Later, Singh reviewed the law and
order situation in the militancy ravƒ‰‡†‘”–Š‡ƒ•–‡”•–ƒ–‡Ǥ
State Chief Minister Okram Ibobi
‹‰Šǡ–‘’‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•‘ˆ’‘Ž‹…‡ǡƒ”›ƒ†
paramilitary forces were present at
–Š‡‡‡–‹‰Ǥ
The home minister’s visit holds
•’‡…‹ƒŽ •‹‰‹ϐ‹…ƒ…‡ •‹…‡ –Š‡”‡ Šƒ˜‡
been violent incidents and bomb
blasts recently in different parts of
Manipur, including Imphal, claiming
ƒ›Ž‹˜‡•Ǥ
From Imphal, the home minister
will visit Tripura on Saturday and
some Border Security Force posts
ƒŽ‘‰ƒ‰Žƒ†‡•ŠǤ
“He will then meet (Tripura
Chief Minister) Manik Sarkar
and (Mizoram Chief Minister) Lal
Thanhawla in Agartala to chalk out a
plan to repatriate the tribal refugees
to Mizoram,” a Tripura government
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Singh may also visit the refugee
camps in Kanchanpur in northern
Tripura to persuade the refugees to
go back to their villages in western
‹œ‘”ƒǤ
„‘—– ͵ʹǡͲͲͲ ‡ƒ‰ –”‹„ƒŽ•ǡ Ž‘cally called “Bru”, are staying in seven
camps in northern Tripura since Oc–‘„‡”ͳͻͻ͹ƒˆ–‡”ϐŽ‡‡‹‰–Š‡‹”˜‹ŽŽƒ‰‡•
in western Mizoram following ethnic
troubles after the killing of a Mizo
ˆ‘”‡•–‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽǤ
Ȅ
President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee at opening of Mughal Garden at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi. — IANS
“A disaster relief force team is at
the spot for rescue and relief opera–‹‘•Ǥ Š‡ ‹Œ—”‡† Šƒ˜‡ „‡‡ ”—•Š‡†
to private and government hospitals
ƒ–‡ƒŽƒ†‘•—”ǡdz‘‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
He said 10 of them were reported
–‘„‡‹•‡”‹‘—•…‘†‹–‹‘Ǥ
Chandy, who spoke to Karnataka
Home Minister K J George, told reporters in Kochi that a team led by
Kerala Electricity Minister Aryadan
Mohammed had left for the accident
•‹–‡Ǥ
‡ƒ™Š‹Ž‡ǡ ƒ– Ž‡ƒ•– ͳͷ –”ƒ‹• †‡layed and three rescheduled due to
light fog in the morning in New Delhi,
ƒ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
“There was shallow fog in the
‘”‹‰ƒ†–Š‡˜‹•‹„‹Ž‹–›ƒ–ͺǤ͵Ͳƒ
™ƒ• ʹǡͲͲͲ ‡–”‡•ǡdz •ƒ‹† ƒ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ ‘ˆ
–Š‡†‹ƒ‡–‡‘”‘Ž‘‰‹…ƒŽ‡’ƒ”–‡–Ǥ
……‘”†‹‰–‘‘”–Š‡”ƒ‹Ž™ƒ›ǡͳͷ
trains coming to the city were delayed
while the timing of three trains was
”‡•…Š‡†—Ž‡†ǤȄ
Foreign
secy to visit
Pakistan
ȅ India’s foreign secretary will travel to Pakistan as part
of a regional tour in coming months,
ƒ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ •ƒ‹† ‘ ”‹†ƒ›ǡ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•–
high-level visit since relations between the arch rivals soured last
›‡ƒ”Ǥ
S Jaishankar will travel to Islamabad where “India will push
its agenda” during bilateral meet‹‰• ™‹–Š ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ǡ ˆ‘”‡‹‰ ‹‹•–”›
spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said at
ƒ„”‹‡ϐ‹‰Ǥ
“The foreign secretary will visit
all Saarc countries including Pakistan,” Akbaruddin told reporters
™‹–Š‘—–‰‹˜‹‰•’‡…‹ϐ‹…†ƒ–‡•ƒ†”‡ferring to the South Asian Associa–‹‘ˆ‘”‡‰‹‘ƒŽ‘‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘Ǥ
Akbaruddin did not say whether
the visit would likely result in peace
talks resuming between the foreign
secretaries of the nuclear-armed
‡‹‰Š„‘—”• Ȅ –ƒŽ• ™Š‹…Š †‹ƒ
ƒ„”—’–Ž›…ƒ…‡ŽŽ‡†Žƒ•–›‡ƒ”Ǥ
News of the visit came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
phoned his Pakistani counterpart
to wish his cricket team good luck
ƒŠ‡ƒ† ‘ˆ ƒ ‘”Ž† —’ ƒ–…Š „‡–™‡‡–Š‡–™‘…‘—–”‹‡•Ǥ
Modi said “cricket connects people in our region and promotes
goodwill” after speaking with Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif and other
South Asian leaders whose coun–”›ǯ•–‡ƒ•ƒ”‡’Žƒ›‹‰‹–Š‡‘”Ž†
—’•–ƒ”–‹‰‘ƒ–—”†ƒ›Ǥ
“Spoke to President @ashrafghani, PM Sheikh Hasina, PM Nawaz
Šƒ”‹ˆƬ”‡•‹†‡–‹”‹•‡ƒǤ
Conveyed my best wishes for
–Š‡ ”‹…‡– ‘”Ž† —’ǡdz ‘†‹ ƒŽ•‘
–™‡‡–‡†Ǥ Dz‘’‡ ’Žƒ›‡”• ˆ”‘ ƒƒ”…
region play with passion & bring
Žƒ—”‡Ž•–‘–Š‡”‡‰‹‘Ǥdz
Millions of India and Pakistan
fans are expected to watch Sunday’s
clash on television, while thousands
‘ˆ‘–Š‡”•ƒ”‡•‡––‘ϐŽ‘…–‘–Š‡†‡Žƒ‹†‡˜ƒŽ‹—•–”ƒŽ‹ƒǤ
Modi’s government is seen taking a more assertive stance towards
its neighbour since coming to pow‡”Žƒ•–ƒ›Ǥ
Modi and Sharif failed to hold a
bilateral meeting at a Saarc summit
‹‘˜‡„‡”ǤȄ
8
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
AMERICAS
Montana
homeowner gets
70 years for killing
German student
Crowds throng US funerals
of ‘hate crime’ victims
MISSOULA — A Montana homeowner who was found guilty of
deliberate homicide last year
for fatally shooting an unarmed
17-year-old German exchange student who entered his garage was
sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Markus Kaarma will not be eligi„Ž‡ˆ‘”’ƒ”‘Ž‡ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹”•–ʹͲ›‡ƒ”•
of his sentence.
He was convicted in December
of killing Diren Dede of Hamburg
in a trial that tested Montana’s socalled “castle doctrine” self-defence
law, which allows deadly force
against a home invasion if a person
reasonably believes it is necessary
to prevent an assault.
At trial, prosecutors painted
Kaarma, 30, as an armed aggressor
who lured Dede to his death while
the student was “garage hopping”
at night in Missoula, perhaps looking for alcohol.
The Missoula County District
Court heard how Kaarma had installed motion detectors and a baby
monitor days before the shooting,
ƒ† †‡Ž‹„‡”ƒ–‡Ž› Ž‡ˆ– ƒ ’—”•‡ ϐ‹ŽŽ‡†
with cash and other items in the garage on the day he killed Dede.
Prosecutors said Kaarma lost
legal protection for his actions under the state’s law when he left his
house to corner the student in the
garage after being alerted to his
presence by the monitoring devices.
They also cast doubt throughout
the trial on whether Kaarma believed any danger existed, and said
ballistic evidence showed that, after wounding Dede, he had reposi–‹‘‡†Š‹•‡Žˆˆ‘”ƒϐ‹ƒŽ•Š‘––‘‹ŽŽ
the unarmed teen.
Defence attorneys countered
unsuccessfully that Kaarma was under no obligation to retreat from an
intruder, and that his actions were
in line with Montana law.
The defence lawyers had also
called for a new trial, making the
argument that “prejudicial” media
coverage of the case had made it
impossible to seat an impartial jury.
— Reuters
ȅ The families of three students shot dead by a neighbour in the
US said an emotional farewell to their
loved ones, reiterating calls for the
killings to be treated as a hate crime.
More than 5,000 people gathered for the funeral of Deah Shaddy
Barakat, 23, his new wife Yusor
Mohammad Abu Salha, 21, and her
19-year-old sister Razan Mohammad
Abu Salha, who authorities say were
killed by a neighbour in the North
Carolina university town of Chapel
Hill.
The alleged shooter was Craig
Stephen Hicks, 46.
Police said they were investigating Tuesday’s fatal shootings as a
parking dispute, but victims’ families
repeated their belief the attack was
religiously motivated.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had launched a parallel
probe into the killings. Federal prosecutors often look into suspected hatecrime cases — a conviction for “hate
crime” results in a tougher sentence.
Dz‡ƒ”‡†‡ϐ‹‹–‡Ž›…‡”–ƒ‹–Šƒ–‘—”
daughters were targeted for their
religion,” the father of the sisters,
Mohammad Abu Salha, said.
“This is not a parking dispute,
these children were executed with
shots in the back of the heads,” he
said, surrounded by tearful family
‡„‡”•ƒ•–Š‡›’”‡’ƒ”‡†ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹nal funeral prayer.
“This has hate crime written all
over it and I’m not going to sit down
for it,” he said later before three caskets.
He said his daughter Yusor had
complained that Hicks had harassed
her, and appeared at her door to complain about a parking space with a
gun holstered at his waist.
Neighbours recalled Hicks as troublesome, frequently squabbling with
nearby residents over parking and
seen with his gun in public, according
to local media reports.
The killings rattled the Chapel
Hill community, fuelling fears among
some Muslims in the tight-knit uni˜‡”•‹–› –‘™ǡ „—– ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• •ƒ› ‹– †‹†
not appear to be part of a broader
anti-Muslim campaign.
Students block an avenue with a truck loaded with rocks. — Reuters
Venezuelan soldiers,
students face off
CARACAS — Venezuelan troops
blocked students marching against
President Nicolas Maduro as progovernment supporters also rallied
on the anniversary of 2014 protests
that led to 43 deaths.
National Guard soldiers and poŽ‹…‡ϐ‹”‡†–‡ƒ”‰ƒ•ƒ†„—…•Š‘–‹–Š‡
volatile western city of San Cristobal
against demonstrators tossing rocks
and Molotov cocktails.
‹˜‡ •‡…—”‹–› ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• ƒ† –Š”‡‡
demonstrators were hurt in the nearly two-hour standoff, some shops
vandalized, and four students arrested, witnesses and authorities said.
In Caracas, troops cordoned off
several hundred students on an unauthorised march to a church where
they planned a mass in honour of
demonstrators who died. Instead,
a priest came out and said brief
prayers in the open-air.
Also in the capital, thousands of
red-clad supporters of Maduro, the
successor to late socialist leader
Hugo Chavez who died of cancer in
2013, held a much larger rival rally.
Mindful of nearly four months of
clashes last year, when thousands
took to the streets demanding Maduro’s resignation and protesting over
the Opec nation’s faltering economy,
some Caracas residents stayed at
home to avoid trouble.
“We are marching peacefully to
honour those who fell,” said Fabio
Valentini, 21, a pro-opposition student from Andres Bello Catholic University who was on the streets last
›‡ƒ”™Š‡–Š‡ϐ‹”•–˜‹…–‹•™‡”‡•Š‘–
dead. “Venezuela, today, is in a far
worse situation than last year. The
economy is in crisis. Crime is worse.
Our aim is not to topple the regime,
but to demand rights and changes to
failed policies.”
Maduro says opposition radicals
sought to carry out a coup in 2014,
and still harbour the same ambition.
“Where did they get the stones,
sticks, pipes and bottles to attack
‘—”‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ǫdz•ƒ‹†Ž‘…ƒŽ‹Ž‹–ƒ”›„‘••
General Jose Morantes in San Cristobal. “Once again, we see terrorist
plans to turn a peaceful march into
violence within seconds.”
Student leaders there blamed inϐ‹Ž–”ƒ–‘”•ˆ‘”–Š‡–”‘—„Ž‡Ǥ
Venezuelans are suffering shortƒ‰‡•ǡŽ‘‰•Š‘’’‹‰Ž‹‡•ǡŠ‹‰Š‹ϐŽƒtion, and a recession exacerbated by
the plunge in crude revenues. Parliamentary elections looming for the
end of 2015 are adding to national
tensions. “Oil prices will rise again
and we’ll be ok,” said Javier Castillo,
20, a student at the Bolivarian University among thousands of singing,
dancing and banner-waving Maduro
supporters at the rally in Caracas’
Plaza Venezuela. —Reuters
People watch the burial of shooting victims in North Carolina. — AFP
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation said it
had launched a parallel
probe into the killings.
Federal prosecutors
often look into
suspected hate-crime
cases — a conviction for
‘hate crime’ results in a
tougher sentence
“To be honest, it makes me more
scared because I have two babies so
I don’t even want to imagine,” said
Sarah Alhorani, a former student at
University of North Carolina, where
Barakat was a second year dentistry
student.
“I was scared to walk out my door,
but I did and I kept going and I kept
my scarf on and you keep moving on,”
said Alhorani, a friend of all three victims. Some Muslim leaders said the
•Š‘‘–‹‰ ™ƒ• ƒ ”‡ϐŽ‡…–‹‘ ‘ˆ ™‹†‡”
anti-Muslim hostility, and warned it
could sow fear among Muslim-Americans.
“People are very concerned about
what happened. They feel that this
is a premeditated hate crime,” Nihad Awad, Director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said.
But there were calls for calm and
leaders urged restraint.
“It’s time to mourn but it’s also
time to call for harmony and peace,”
the head of the Islamic Association in
neighbouring Raleigh, Mohamed Elgamal, said.
There are some 65,000 Muslims in
North Carolina, which has a population of 9.9 million, and the majority
live in the Chapel Hill area.
The killings sparked outrage
among Muslims worldwide, with the
Twitter hashtags
Mohammad Abu Salha rejected
skewed perceptions of Muslims, and
said the slain youngsters and the support they garnered were exemplars
of the faith.
Relatives and friends honoured
the trio at a traditional Muslim service. — AFP
Guantanamo hearings hit new snags
The Monument to Japanese Immigrants, created by Japanese-born naturalised Brazilian artist Tomie
Ohtake, is seen at a main avenue in Sao Paulo. — Reuters
ȅ They are slow,
expensive and messy; and more
than 13 years after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, the
Guantanamo Bay proceedings leading to trial for alleged co-conspirators continue to face hurdles.
Pre-trial hearings were delayed
again recently after defendants
‹†‡–‹ϐ‹‡† ƒ …‘—”– ‹–‡”’”‡–‡” ™Š‘
worked in one of the United States’
notorious CIA torture prisons.
The Guantanamo Bay court recessed on Thursday, until April 20,
after a few hours of hearings all
week.
It’s hard to imagine things moving more slowly, given the behaviour of the defence teams, prosecutors and the military judge
overseeing the proceedings against
ϐ‹˜‡†‡ˆ‡†ƒ–••‹…‡ƒ›ʹͲͳʹǤ
Dozens of motions remain before the court that need to be addressed before moving to a trial.
Court watchers and relatives
of people killed in the worst terror attack on US soil are frustrated
amid the sea of procedural motions
and sudden interruptions, without
the real case at hand being taken
up.
Š‡ Š‡ƒ† ‘ˆ –Š‡ ˆϐ‹…‡ ‘ˆ ‹Ž‹tary Commissions, Vaughn Ary, said
that in 2014 there had been only 33
days of hearings.
That broke down to 107 hours
and 50 minutes before the court
in Guantanamo to address four
cases including the September 11
attacks, according to a memo obtained by the Miami Herald.
Š‡ …‘•– ‹• •‹‰‹ϐ‹…ƒ–ǣ ̈́͹ͺ
‹ŽŽ‹‘ ‹ ϐ‹•…ƒŽ ʹͲͳͶǡ ‘” ̈́͹ǡ͸Ͷ͹
per minute, not including the
wages of 153 military personnel
who work at the US base in Cuba,
according to the memo dated December 9.
“I believe the status quo does
not support the pace of litigation
necessary to bring these cases to
a just conclusion,” retired general
Ary wrote in the memo.
No date has been set for the
9/11 trial, and another wrench was
thrown into the works this week.
 ‘†ƒ›ǡ –™‘ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ϐ‹˜‡ †‡fendants said that a court interpreter at the hearings had worked at a
secret CIA prison where they had
been interrogated and tortured.
Š‹•‡™•‡••‹‘ǡ–Š‡ϐ‹”•–ƒˆ–‡”ƒ
six month pause, was immediately
•—•’‡†‡†ˆ‘”ͶͺŠ‘—”•Ǥ
“I ask you to stop until we can go
to the bottom of this,” lawyer David
Nevin said on Wednesday.
Nevin, who represents alleged
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed, said the government
has acknowledged the interpreter
was a CIA employee.
“It’s not a new issue,” defence attorney Cheryl Bormann said, adding that there is “keen interest in
history of governmental interference.” — AFP
US cyber summit aims to boost defences, mend fences
SAN FRANCISCO — US President
Barack Obama seeks to rally support
for cyber security efforts and rebuild
trust eroded by leaks on surveillance
in a visit to Silicon Valley.
At the White House cyber security
summit in Palo Alto, Obama was expected to announce executive action
intended to improve how information on cyber threats is shared between companies and with the Department of Homeland Security.
The more than 1,000 people expected to attend the summit will
include technology company executives, police, academics, students and
privacy advocates, according to National Economic Council Director Jeffery Zients.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook
was to speak just ahead of the presi-
dent.
“The summit is really an opportunity to take stock of where we
have been and point toward where
we need to go, since we are at an inϐŽ‡…–‹‘ ’‘‹– ‘ˆ …‘–‹—‹‰ –‘ Šƒ˜‡
cyberspace be a strategic asset not
just for us but for the world,” White
House cyber security coordinator
‹…Šƒ‡Žƒ‹‡Ž•ƒ‹††—”‹‰ƒ„”‹‡ϐ‹‰
with the press on Thursday.
Topics targeted at the summit will
include sophisticated attacks sponsored by nation-states, and ways to
“use all the tools in the US government’s tool box” while working with
the private sector to tackle the probŽ‡ǡ ƒ……‘”†‹‰ –‘ Š‹–‡ ‘—•‡ ‘ˆϐ‹cials.
“It is not appropriate for all network security to be carried out by the
government; it is not even physically
possible,” Daniel said.
“But, that does not mean that companies are going to be left to fend for
themselves.”
Some technology companies will
use the summit to announce steps
being taken to improve online security with techniques such as multi-factor authentication that requires more
than a password to access accounts.
Joining the effort will be companies ranging from tech giants such as
–‡Ž ƒ† ’’Ž‡ǡ ƒ• ™‡ŽŽ ƒ• ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ
ϐ‹”•Ž‹‡ƒƒ†
ƒ†”‡–ƒ‹Žers including Walgreens and QVC.
Firms will also unveil steps being
taken to improve how information
about cyber attacks is shared with
other companies and the government
•‘†‡ˆ‡…‡•…ƒ„‡—‹ϐ‹‡†ǡƒ……‘”†‹‰
to Daniel.
The summit comes following
failed efforts over the past few years
to pass cyber security legislation that
would allow for better sharing of
threats without fear of liability.
Sessions will include focuses on
improving cyber security practices
at businesses, collaborating on defences, and ways to make online payments more secure.
“Cyber security is one of the most
important national issues we face,”
Zients said.
“Companies are not just protecting
networks but customers, and when
companies suffer data breaches it is
the customers who are affected.”
The US has an opportunity to use
cyber security as a competitive advantage in the global marketplace
by “getting it right” so the country is
a preferred place for banking, data
storage, smartphone technology and
more, according to Zients.
“This is really important to our position in the world economy; that we
lead in cyber security,” Zients said.
Part of the reason the White
House is holding the summit in Silicon Valley is to close a rift opened
when a massive US online surveillance programme was exposed by
former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Snowden is wanted by the United
States on espionage charges. The fugitive was granted asylum in Russia,
where he has a three-year residency
that allows him to travel abroad.
“Obviously, there have been tensions,” Daniel said. “But, I think the
only way to get at that is to continue
to have dialogue and engage — that
is part of the reason we are coming
out here.”
Points of contention include
whether people should be able to encrypt e-mail, texts, and other online
exchanges in ways that governments
or police can’t crack.
“Ultimately, encryption is one of
our most important cyber security
tools, and we can’t allow the shortsighted worries of some law enforce‡–‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•–‘—†‡”‹‡–Š‡Ž‘‰er-term goal of creating a truly secure
Internet, which in itself will help to
prevent countless crimes,” said New
America Foundation Open Technology Institute Policy Director Kevin
Bankston. — AFP
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 24, 1436 AH
P11
IAG’s CEO Walsh says
Aer Lingus might not
survive on its own
P12
US retail sales data
point to slower
economic growth
P10
China bank loans
surge in January:
Central bank
www.omanobserver.om
[email protected]
German growth vaults expectations
BERLIN/PARIS — Germany’s economy grew by a robust 0.7 per cent in
the last quarter of 2014, well above
forecasts, while French economic ac–‹˜‹–› …‘–‹—‡† –‘ Žƒ‰—‹•Šǡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ
data showed on Friday.
The revival of Europe’s largest
economy followed stagnation over
the previous two quarters.
It had been expected to expand by
0.3 per cent.
Domestic demand lifted Germany
out of its mid-year lull and allowed
it to achieve 2014 growth of 1.6 per
cent.
Š‡ –ƒ–‹•–‹…• ˆϐ‹…‡ •ƒ‹† ƒ •Ž‘™
summer had been overcome with
household spending picking up sig‹ϐ‹…ƒ–Ž›Ǥ
“This is a thunderbolt,” Unicredit
economist Andreas Rees said. “Some
spoke of possible recession after the
summer but instead Germany rebounded. The fact that the growth
comes mainly from the domestic
economy gives strong grounds for optimism.”
France could not keep pace, growing by just 0.1 per cent, meaning the
euro zone’s second largest economy
advanced by just 0.4 per cent across
the whole of 2014.
Italy fared even worse.
“It’s obviously still too weak, but
the conditions are ripe to permit a
cleaner start of activity in 2015,” said
French Finance Minister Michel Sapin,
adding that business leaders were
already beginning to increase invest-
“This is a thunderbolt. Some spoke of
possible recession after the summer
but instead Germany rebounded. The
fact that the growth comes mainly
from the domestic economy gives
strong grounds for optimism”
’Ž‘›‡‡••‡…—”‡–Š‡™‹†•Š‹‡Ž†–‘–Š‡†”‹˜‡”ǯ•…ƒ„‹‘ˆƒ‹•–‡„—ŽŽ›ͼͶͶ•‘™‰”‘‘‡”‘–Š‡’”‘†—…–‹‘
Ž‹‡ƒ––Š‡‹•–‡„—ŽŽ›ˆƒ…–‘”›ǡƒ—‹–‘ˆƒ••„‘Š”‡”
‡Žƒ†‡ˆƒŠ”œ‡—‰
ǡ‹ƒ—’Š‡‹ǡ
‡”ƒ›Ǥ
ment.
On Monday, France’s central bank
’”‡†‹…–‡† ϐ‹”•– “—ƒ”–‡” ‰”‘™–Š ‘ˆ ͲǤͶ
per cent, led by a rise in industrial
production and a slight improvement
in services activity.
The euro zone as a whole is predicted to show anaemic growth of
ͲǤʹ’‡”…‡–‹–Š‡ϐ‹ƒŽ–Š”‡‡‘–Š•
of the year although Germany’s per-
formance could lift that.
With Greece’s place in the euro
zone again uncertain, there is plenty
of turbulence for the currency bloc to
contend with.
But a halving of the price of oil
and the prospect of the European
Central Bank buying more than 1 trillion euros of government bonds with
new money over the next 18 months
should start to spur growth.
Latest data suggest a slightly more
buoyant start to the year.
The January purchasing managers
survey produced the best showing for
‡—”‘ œ‘‡ ϐ‹”• •‹…‡ ‹†ǦʹͲͳͶ ƒ†
’‘‹–‡†–‘ϐ‹”•–“—ƒ”–‡”‰”‘™–Š‘ˆͲǤ͵
per cent.
ITALIAN PAIN, SPANISH GAIN:
Italy’s economy stagnated in Q4,
marking the 14th consecutive quarter
without any growth as an increase in
exports was offset by weak domestic
demand.
Over the whole of 2014 GDP fell
0.4 per cent, the third consecutive de-
cline after contractions of 1.9 per cent
in 2013 and 2.3 per cent in 2012.
’ƒ‹ ”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡† ‹–• Ͷ ϐ‹‰—”‡• –™‘
weeks ago and boasted quarterly
growth of 0.7 per cent, the fastest in
seven years.
Economy Minister Luis de Guindos
said last week that forecasts for 2015
could soon be lifted as high as 3 per
cent.
The Dutch economy grew a
healthy 0.5 per cent in the fourth
quarter.
Greek data are due later.
The twice-bailed-out country is
forecast to post growth of 2.2 per
cent year-on-year, showing it has put
a long and savage recession behind it,
ƒ–Ž‡ƒ•–™Š‹Ž‡‹–”‡ƒ‹•ϐ‹”Ž›’ƒ”–‘ˆ
the euro zone.
— Reuters
Greece to make every
effort to reach deal
with euro zone
ATHENS — Greece will make
every effort to reach an agreement with its euro zone partners
at Monday’s meeting of euro
œ‘‡ϐ‹ƒ…‡‹‹•–‡”•‘Š‘™–‘
transition to a new support programme, its government spokesman said on Friday.
“We will do whatever we can
so that a deal is found on Monday,” Gabriel Sakellaridis told
Skai TV. ‘‘If we don’t have an
agreement on Monday, we believe that there is always time so
that there won’t be a problem.”
Athens agreed on Thursday
to talk to its creditors about the
way out of its hated international
”‡‡”‹‡‹‹•–‡”•‹’”ƒ•ƒ””‹˜‡•
bailout in a political climbdown
ƒ–ƒ—”‘’‡ƒ‹‘Ž‡ƒ†‡”••—‹–‹
that could prevent its new leftist”—••‡Ž•ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
led government running out of
money as early as next month.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras,
ƒ––‡†‹‰ Š‹• ϐ‹”•– —”‘’‡ƒ ‹‘ •—‹–ǡ ƒ‰”‡‡† ™‹–Š –Š‡ …Šƒ‹”ƒ ‘ˆ ‡—”‘
œ‘‡ϐ‹ƒ…‡‹‹•–‡”•ǡ‡”‘‡‹Œ••‡Ž„Ž‘‡ǡ–Šƒ–
”‡‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•™‘—Ž†‡‡–”‡’resentatives of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the
‘”‹†ƒ›ǤDzŠ‡ƒ‹‹•ˆ‘”–Š‡‡‰‘–‹ƒ–‹‰–‡ƒ‘–‡…Š‹…ƒŽ‹••—‡•–‘ϐ‹ƒŽ‹•‡
a proposal which will be taken to the euro working group at noon on Monday and
–Š‡‹–Š‡ƒˆ–‡”‘‘–‘–Š‡—”‘‰”‘—’–‘ϐ‹†ƒ•‘Ž—–‹‘ǡdzƒ‡ŽŽƒ”‹†‹•–‘Ž†
”‡‡
Mega TV.
He said discussions on technical issues would begin on Friday but Athens remains opposed to implementing reforms that intensify austerity and weaken the
fabric of the social state. “What we have been saying is that by February 16 (Mon†ƒ›Ȍ™‡™ƒ––‘”‡ƒ…Šƒ—–—ƒŽŽ›„‡‡ϐ‹…‹ƒŽƒ‰”‡‡‡–™‹–Š‘—”’ƒ”–‡”•ƒ†™‡
are moving in this direction,” Sakellaridis said. The timing of the review right af–‡”‡—”‘œ‘‡ϐ‹ƒ…‡‹‹•–‡”•‡‡–ƒ‰ƒ‹‡‡’•–Š‡•‘ƒ•Š‘”–Ž‡ƒ•ŠǤ
The ECB authorised the temporary expedient last week when it stopped accepting Greek government bonds in return for funding.
””‹˜‹‰ˆ‘”Š‹•ϐ‹”•–—”‘’‡ƒ‹‘•—‹–ǡ•‹’”ƒ•–‘Ž†”‡’‘”–‡”•ǣDzǯ˜‡”›
…‘ϐ‹†‡––Šƒ––‘‰‡–Š‡”™‡…ƒϐ‹†ƒ—–—ƒŽŽ›˜‹ƒ„Ž‡•‘Ž—–‹‘‹‘”†‡”–‘Š‡ƒŽ–Š‡
wounds of austerity, to tackle the humanitarian crisis across the EU and bring Europe back to the road of growth and social cohesion.”
Šƒ…‡ŽŽ‘” ‰‡Žƒ ‡”‡Žǡ ˜‹Ž‹ϐ‹‡† „› –Š‡ ”‡‡ Ž‡ˆ– ƒ• —”‘’‡ǯ• Dzƒ—•–‡”‹–›
“—‡‡dzǡ•ƒ‹†
‡”ƒ›™ƒ•’”‡’ƒ”‡†ˆ‘”ƒ…‘’”‘‹•‡ƒ†ϐ‹ƒ…‡‹‹•–‡”•Šƒ†
a few more days to consider Greece’s proposals before they meet next Monday.
Dz—”‘’‡ƒŽ™ƒ›•ƒ‹•–‘ϐ‹†ƒ…‘’”‘‹•‡ǡƒ†–Šƒ–‹•–Š‡•—……‡••‘ˆ—”‘’‡ǡdz
she said on arrival in Brussels.”Germany is ready for that.
“However, it must also be said that Europe’s credibility naturally depends on
us respecting rules and being reliable with each other.” The two leaders came
ˆƒ…‡Ǧ–‘Ǧˆƒ…‡ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‹‡‹–Š‡‘—…‹Ž…Šƒ„‡”ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
Š‡‘”†
ǡ™Š‹…Š‰‘‡•‹–‘’”‘†—…–‹‘‹͸Ͷͷͼǡ‹•†‹•’Žƒ›‡††—”‹‰–Š‡ϔ‹”•–’”‡••’”‡˜‹‡™†ƒ›‘ˆ–Š‡‘”–Š‡”‹…ƒ–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ
—–‘Š‘™‹‡–”‘‹–ǡ‹…Š‹‰ƒ‹–Š‹•ƒ—ƒ”›ͷ͸ǡ͸Ͷͷͻϔ‹Ž‡’Š‘–‘Ǥ‘”†‘–‘”‘™‹ŽŽ„—‹Ž†‹–•‡™
…ƒ”„‘ϔ‹„”‡•—’‡”…ƒ”‹
ƒ”Šƒǡ–ƒ”‹‘ǡ–Š‡…‘’ƒ›ƒ‘—…‡†ƒ––Š‡ƒƒ†‹ƒ–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ—–‘Š‘™‘Š—”•†ƒ›ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
India glitters in gold consumption
LONDON — China lost its place to India as the
world’s biggest gold consumer in 2014, sector
data showed on Thursday, hit by collapsing jewellery demand after one year in the top spot.
Indian gold demand sank 14 per cent to
842.7 tonnes last year from 2013, but Chinese
demand slumped 38 per cent to 814 tonnes, the
World Gold Council (WGC) said in a report.
Overall gold demand meanwhile dropped
four per cent last year to 3,924 tonnes compared with a record amount in 2013, pushed
lower as Chinese jewellery demand tumbled by
a third.
Šƒ–ƒ”‡†–Š‡Ž‘™‡•–‘˜‡”ƒŽŽŽ‡˜‡Ž‹ϐ‹˜‡
years and was also the third successive annual
decline for the precious metal, whose two main
drivers are jewellery and investment buying.
World jewellery demand sank 10 per cent to
2,153 tonnes last year, while China registered a
33 per cent slump to 814 tonnes, according to
the council representing leading gold producers. However, India experienced an exceptional
year for jewellery.
“India... had its strongest year for jewel-
“It was a standout year for
Indian jewellery, despite
government restrictions on
gold imports, reinforcing the
nation’s affinity with gold”
lery demand since the WGC’s records began
in 1995, up 8.0 per cent on a year ago to 662
tonnes,” the organisation added.
“This was driven by wedding and festival
buying despite the presence of government restrictions on gold imports for most of the year.”
India had imposed gold import curbs in
ʹͲͳ͵‹‘”†‡”–‘ƒ˜‡”–ƒ–”ƒ†‡†‡ϐ‹…‹–…”‹•‹•–Šƒ–
pushed the rupee to record lows. However, it
eased those restrictions last November.
“2014 was a year of stabilisation and innovation in the gold market, with annual gold
demand down by just 4.0 per cent after the
record-breaking level of buying seen in 2013,”
added Marcus Grubb, the group’s managing director of investment strategy.
“It was a standout year for Indian jewellery, despite government restrictions on gold
‹’‘”–•ǡ ”‡‹ˆ‘”…‹‰ –Š‡ ƒ–‹‘ǯ• ƒˆϐ‹‹–› ™‹–Š
gold.”
“Meanwhile Chinese gold demand returned
to those last seen in 2011/2012 as consumers
and investors took time to digest the substantial volumes accumulated in 2013.” — AFP
10
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
$55.16
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL
$1,229.90
$16.94
Omani Rial/ Euro & Dollar
RO 1
€2.2834
Expedia buys rival travel
operator Orbitz for $1.6 bn
NEW YORK — US online travel
operator Expedia announced
plans
to buy rival Orbitz
Worldwide for about $1.6 billion, in a move that further
consolidates the sector.
Expedia will pay $12 in
cash for each Orbitz share, in
the takeover approved by the
companies’ boards of directors.
Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia’s Chief Executive, said the deal is part of a strategy “to own and power the
very best travel brands in the world.” The consolidation in the industry, he
said, “is natural in a highly fragmented marketplace... this is a scale business.”
The deal which includes the Orbitz online booking site as well as brands such
as CheapTickets, ebookers and HotelClub is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.
The price represents a 29 per cent premium over the most recent share
price of Orbitz, the companies said in a statement.
Barney Harford, the CEO at Orbitz, said the tie-up would “further enhance
the offerings we provide to our customers and partners.”
The announcement comes less than a month after Expedia announced
the purchase of rival Travelocity in a $280 million deal.
The dealmaking takes place amid increased competition in the travel sector from websites such as Priceline-owned Kayak and others which scan the
Internet for the best deals.
Expedia operates other travel sites including Hotels.com and Carrentals.
com. It also holds a stake in the Chinese travel operator eLong.
……‘”†‹‰–‘–Š‡”‡•‡ƒ”…Šϐ‹”‘”‹‰•–ƒ”ǡš’‡†‹ƒƒ†”‹…‡Ž‹‡‡ƒ…Š
have around 30 per cent of the global online travel agency booking market,
followed by Orbitz’s eight per cent share, with several smaller players holding the remaining share.
Š‡”‡•‡ƒ”…Šϐ‹””‡ϐ‹••ƒ‹†š’‡†‹ƒŠƒ•ƒ”‘—†ϐ‹˜‡’‡”…‡–‘ˆƒ–”ƒ˜‡Ž
market worth some $1.3 trillion annually.
ƒŽ‡„‡ƒ—–‹ϐ‹‡•ǯ”‡ƒŽ’”‘ϐ‹–
PARIS — L’Oreal, the world’s
top cosmetics company, said
‹–• ‡– ’”‘ϐ‹– •‘ƒ”‡† „› –™‘Ǧ
thirds last year to 4.91 billion
euros ($5.59 billion) thanks
to the sale of a unit.
Without the sale of its
stake in the Galderma dermatological treatment unit to
‡•–Ž‡–Šƒ–ƒ††‡†ʹǤͳ„‹ŽŽ‹‘ǡǯ”‡ƒŽǯ•‡–’”‘ϐ‹–™‘—Ž†Šƒ˜‡…‘‡‹™‹–Šƒ
3.1 per cent gain to 3.12 billion euros, the company said in a statement.
“Despite adverse currency effects, operating margin increased once again
in 2014 highlighting the strength of our business model,” Chief Executive
Jean-Paul Agon said in a statement.
’‡”ƒ–‹‰’”‘ϐ‹–…ƒ‡‹ƒ–͵Ǥͺͻ„‹ŽŽ‹‘‡—”‘•‘•ƒŽ‡•–Šƒ––‘–ƒŽŽ‡†ʹʹǤͷ͵
„‹ŽŽ‹‘‡—”‘•ǡƒ‰ƒ‹‘ˆͳǤͺ’‡”…‡–‹ˆ
ƒŽ†‡”ƒ‹•‡š…Ž—†‡†ˆ”‘ʹͲͳ͵ϐ‹‰—”‡•Ǥ
That resulted in an operating margin of 17.3 per cent, an increase from
the previous year.
Adverse currency effects had a negative 2.3 per cent impact on sales.
‘‰‡‡”‰‹‰ƒ”‡–•ǡ–Š‡•‹ƒǦƒ…‹ϐ‹…”‡‰‹‘•ƒ™ƒͶǤͳ’‡”…‡–‹crease to 4.56 billion euros, but sales fell in both eastern Europe and
Latin America. — AFP
China bank loans surge
in January: Central bank
SHANGHAI — China’s
bank lending more than
doubled to 1.47 trillion
yuan ($235 billion) in
January from December,
the central bank said on
Friday, with analysts citing seasonal factors and
monetary easing.
In December, domestic banks extended new
loans of 697.3 billion
›—ƒǡ ’”‡˜‹‘—• ϐ‹‰—”‡•
showed. Analysts attributed the surge to the tendency of banks to lend at the beginning of the year after obtaining fresh quo–ƒ•ǤŠ‹ƒǯ•…‡–”ƒŽ„ƒƒŽŽ‘–•ƒ—ƒŽŽ‘ƒ“—‘–ƒ•–‘ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ‹•–‹–—–‹‘•‹
order to keep overall liquidity in check.
DzŠ‡ Œ—’ ˆ”‘ ‡…‡„‡” Žƒ”‰‡Ž› ”‡ϐŽ‡…–• –Š‡ —•—ƒŽ •‡ƒ•‘ƒŽ ’ƒ––‡”ǡdz
Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist for Capital Economics, said in a research note. “Bank lending is almost always strongest at the start of each
year, when banks receive fresh loan quotas.”
A “slightly more accommodative” monetary policy stance had also continued to support bank lending, he said. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC), the
central bank, cut deposit and lending rates in November to facilitate credit
expansion and boost the economy.
Last week, it lowered the reserve requirement ratio, the amount of money banks must put aside as reserves, to encourage lending. However, analysts said more monetary easing is needed to support the economy, citing
„ƒ•ǯ”‡Ž—…–ƒ…‡–‘Ž‡†–‘•ƒŽŽϐ‹”•ǤDzŠ‹‡•‡…‘‡”…‹ƒŽ„ƒ•Šƒ˜‡ƒ…celerated credit extension on monetary easing,” ANZ Bank said in a research
note.
“However, the issue remains that Chinese commercial banks are reluc–ƒ––‘Ž‡†–‘•’‡…‹ϐ‹…•‡…–‘”•ǤǤǤ‘ƒ‡–Š‡ȋ”‡•‡”˜‡”‡“—‹”‡‡–”ƒtio) cut more effective, the PBoC will need to cut interest rates further,” the
‘–‡•ƒ‹†ǤŠ‡…‡–”ƒŽ„ƒƒŽ•‘•ƒ‹†‘”‹†ƒ›–Šƒ––‘–ƒŽ•‘…‹ƒŽϐ‹ƒ…‹‰
— a broader measure of credit in the economy — hit 2.05 trillion yuan for
January, in line with a median forecast of 2.1 trillion yuan in a survey by
Bloomberg News. — AFP
MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET
$2.6008
11
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
INTERNATIONAL
Japan’s Nikkei bucks Asian trend to end lower
Pedestrians pass before a share prices board in Tokyo. — AFP
— Asian markets mostly rose on Friday after European leaders and Russia agreed a plan to end
Ukraine’s 10-month war, while conϐ‹†‡…‡ ”‡‡…‡ ™‘—Ž† ”‡ƒ…Š ƒ †‡„–
overhaul deal with its creditors boost‡†–Š‡‡—”‘ƒ‰ƒ‹•––Š‡†‘ŽŽƒ”Ǥ
The upbeat outlook for both of the
crises plaguing Europe provided a
catalyst for an equities rally in Europe
and the United States, a mantle picked
—’‹„‘—”•‡•ƒ…”‘•••‹ƒǤ
›†‡› ”ƒŽŽ‹‡† ʹǤ͵͵ ’‡” …‡–ǡ ‘”
ͳ͵͵ǤͻͲ ’‘‹–•ǡ –‘ ͷǡͺ͹͹Ǥͷ ƒ• ‡‡”‰›
ϐ‹”• ™‡”‡ „‘‘•–‡† „› ƒ ”‡„‘—† ‹
oil prices and the head of Australia’s
central bank said it was unlikely to
…—–‹–‡”‡•–”ƒ–‡•–‘œ‡”‘Ǥ
‡‘—Ž …Ž‹„‡† ͲǤͺʹ ’‡” …‡–ǡ ‘”
ͳͷǤͺ͹’‘‹–•ǡ–‘…Ž‘•‡ƒ–ͳǡͻͷ͹ǤͷͲǤ
‘‰ ‘‰ •–‘…• …Ž‹„‡† ͳǤͲ͹
per cent on Friday, buoyed by news
of an agreement to bring an end to
”ƒ‹‡ǯ• ͳͲǦ‘–Š …‘ϐŽ‹…– ƒ†
hopes Greece would reach a deal to
”‡•–”—…–—”‡‹–•†‡„–Ǥ
Š‡ „‡…Šƒ” ƒ‰ ‡‰ †‡š
Œ—’‡† ʹ͸ͲǤ͵ͻ ’‘‹–• –‘ ʹͶǡ͸ͺʹǤͷͶ
‘ –—”‘˜‡” ‘ˆ ̈́͹ͳǤ͹Ͳ „‹ŽŽ‹‘
ȋ̈́ͻǤʹͷ„‹ŽŽ‹‘ȌǤ
In mainland China, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ralŽ‹‡† ͲǤͻ͸ ’‡” …‡–ǡ ‘” ͵ͲǤͶͳ ’‘‹–•ǡ
–‘ ͵ǡʹͲ͵Ǥͺ͵ ‘ –—”‘˜‡” ‘ˆ ʹͻ͵ǤͲ „‹ŽŽ‹‘ ›—ƒ ȋ̈́Ͷ͹ǤͲ „‹ŽŽ‹‘ȌǤ Š‡ ƒ”‡–
‰ƒ‹‡†ͶǤͳ͸’‡”…‡–‘˜‡”–Š‡™‡‡Ǥ
The Shenzhen Composite Index,
which tracks stocks on China’s second
‡š…Šƒ‰‡ǡ Œ—’‡† ͳǤ͸Ͳ ’‡” …‡–ǡ ‘”
ʹͶǤ͹͸’‘‹–•ǡ–‘ͳǡͷ͸ͻǤͷ͸‘–—”‘˜‡”
‘ˆʹ͸ͲǤͲ„‹ŽŽ‹‘›—ƒǤ–”‘•‡ͶǤͻ͹’‡”
…‡–ˆ‘”–Š‡™‡‡Ǥ
‘›‘ǯ• ‹‡‹ ‹†‡š •Ž‹’’‡† ͲǤ͵͹
per cent on Friday as a stronger yen
hit exporters, a day after it hit a more
than seven-year high and despite upbeat sentiment following news of a
”ƒ‹‡…‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡†‡ƒŽǤ
The benchmark Nikkei at the To›‘ –‘… š…Šƒ‰‡ ˆ‡ŽŽ ͸͸Ǥ͵͸ ’‘‹–•
–‘…Ž‘•‡ƒ–ͳ͹ǡͻͳ͵Ǥ͵͸ǡ™Š‹Ž‡–Š‡‘’‹š
‹†‡š ‘ˆ ƒŽŽ ϐ‹”•–Ǧ•‡…–‹‘ •Šƒ”‡• ™ƒ•
ϐŽƒ–ǡ ‡†‰‹‰ †‘™ ͲǤͲͳ ’‘‹–• –‘
ͳǡͶͶͻǤ͵ͺǤ
Buffett way ahead in $1m
wager against hedge funds
— On the
‡˜‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ʹͲͲͺ ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ
crisis, a US hedge fund
chief bet $1 million that
his complex, high-cost
strategies could beat the
plodding approach of investment guru Warren
—ˆˆ‡––Ǥ ‡˜‡ ›‡ƒ”• ‹–‘
the 10-year wager, Buffett — already the world’s
second-richest man — is
winning hands-down, the
hedge fund head grudg‹‰Ž› ƒ†‹––‡†Ǥ Dz‡ •—”‡
look wrong,” wrote Ted Seides, president of Protege Partners, who
made the personal bet with Buffett, founder of the wildly successful
‡”•Š‹”‡ƒ–Šƒ™ƒ›‹˜‡•–‡–Š‘—•‡Ǥ
The two bet over whose investment approach would come out
ƒŠ‡ƒ† ‹ –Š‡ ͳͲ ›‡ƒ”• ˆ”‘ ƒ—ƒ”› ͳǡ ʹͲͲͺǤ —ˆˆ‡– •‡Ž‡…–‡† ƒguard’s conservative, S&P 500-based Admiral shares, and Seides as•‡„Ž‡†ƒ‰”‘—’‘ˆϐ‹˜‡ˆ—†•–Šƒ–‹˜‡•–‡š…Ž—•‹˜‡Ž›‹‘–Š‡”Š‡†‰‡
ˆ—†•Ǥ
Buffett’s argument was that the high management and performance fees charged by hedge funds — and especially hedge funds of
funds — wipes out the advantage they gain over more pedestrian
‹˜‡•–‹‰•–›Ž‡•ˆ”‘–Š‡‹”…‘’Ž‹…ƒ–‡†Š‡†‰‹‰•–”ƒ–‡‰‹‡•Ǥ
Š‡ ”‡•—Ž– •‘ ˆƒ”ǣ †‹”ƒŽ •Šƒ”‡• ƒ”‡ —’ ͸͵Ǥͷ ’‡” …‡– •‹…‡
2008, while after the management and performance fees are
stripped out, the Seides hedge fund of funds return to investors was
Œ—•–ͳͻǤ͸’‡”…‡–Ǥ†‡‡†ǡ„‡ˆ‘”‡–Š‡ˆ‡‡•ƒ”‡‡––‡†‘—–ǡ–Š‡‡‹†‡•
ˆ—†•‘Ž›„”‘—‰Š–„ƒ…ͶͶ’‡”…‡–Ǥ
Seides though argued in a CFA Institute blog post that the unanticipated conditions of the post-crisis period — particularly the Federal Reserve’s still-in-place zero interest rate policy — have been
‡š…‡’–‹‘ƒŽǡƒ†•‘‘–ƒ”‡ƒ•‘ƒ„Ž‡‰ƒ—‰‡Ǥ
That, combined with investment managers’ focus on the S&P
ͷͲͲǡŠƒ˜‡–‹Ž–‡†–Š‡‰ƒ„Ž‹‰–ƒ„Ž‡‹—ˆˆ‡––ǯ•ˆƒ˜‘—”ǡŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
“These factors wreaked havoc on a bet, the prospects of which
™‡‹‹–‹ƒŽŽ›ˆ‡Ž–“—‹–‡…‘ϐ‹†‡–ƒ„‘—–ǡdzŠ‡ƒ”‰—‡†Ǥ
Moreover, he argued, it was not the fees that accounted for the
poorer performance of the hedge fund of funds, so Buffett’s thesis
Šƒ•‘–„‡‡’”‘˜‡ǤDzŠ‡•‡•‡˜‡Ž‡ƒ›‡ƒ”•ˆ‘”Š‡†‰‡ˆ—†•ƒ›
go down in the annals of market history as a period driven singuŽƒ”Ž›„›…‡–”ƒŽ„ƒ•–‹—Ž—•Ǥ•‹‰–Šƒ–Ž‡•ǡ‹–„‡…‘‡•Ž‡••…Ž‡ƒ”
that the bet, if lost, proves that hedge funds are not worth an invest‡–ƒ…”‘••ƒ…›…Ž‡ǤdzȄ
On Thursday, the Nikkei ended
ƒ– ‹–• Š‹‰Š‡•– Ž‡˜‡Ž •‹…‡ —Ž› ʹͲͲ͹ǡ
boosted by a weak yen and upbeat
ƒ…Š‹‡”›‘”†‡”•†ƒ–ƒǤ
But the yen strengthened in Friday trade, which is a negative for
shares of Japanese exporters as it
erodes the value of their repatriated
‘˜‡”•‡ƒ•‹…‘‡Ǥ
“We had a big gain yesterday and
there’s a sense of accomplishment
after the Nikkei 225 reached 18,000,”
Juichi Wako, a senior strategist at
‘—”ƒ ‘Ž†‹‰•ǡ –‘Ž† Ž‘‘„‡”‰
‡™•Ǥ
“The dollar’s falling again after the
›‡Š‹–ͳʹͲƒ‰ƒ‹•–‹–Ǥ‹–Š–Š‡’”‘„lems in Ukraine and Greece yet to be
…‘’Ž‡–‡Ž› ”‡•‘Ž˜‡†ǡ ‹–ǯ• †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž– –‘
‡‡’„—›‹‰Ǥdz
ˆ–‡”ͳ͹ǦŠ‘—”–ƒŽ•–Š‡Ž‡ƒ†‡”•‘ˆ
Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany
on Thursday hammered out a blue’”‹––‘‡†–Š‡…‘ϐŽ‹…–„‡–™‡‡‹‡˜
ƒ†’”‘Ǧ‘•…‘™”‡„‡Ž•Ǥ
Š‡ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ ‹• –‘ –ƒ‡ ‡ˆˆ‡…– ƒ–
midnight Sunday (2200 GMT Satur†ƒ›Ȍ ‹ ”ƒ‹‡ ƒ† Š‡ƒ˜› ™‡ƒ’‘•
ƒ”‡–‘„‡™‹–Š†”ƒ™ˆ”‘ˆ”‘–Ž‹‡•Ǥ
But while the deal was welcomed
“People are looking at the glass half-full.
There’s general optimism around the US
economy and a little bit of relief that some of
the major international issues are not going
to impinge just yet on positive trends”
on all sides, leaders remained cautious, with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel saying “I have no illusions,
we have no illusions” and that “much
™‘”dz”‡ƒ‹‡†Ǥ
The news pushed European stocks
Š‹‰Š‡”ǡ ™‹–Š ”ƒˆ—”– —’ ͳǤͷ͸ ’‡”
…‡–ǡ ƒ”‹• ƒ††‹‰ ͳǤͲͲ ’‡” …‡– ƒ†
‘†‘ͲǤͳͷ’‡”…‡–Š‹‰Š‡”Ǥ
On Wall Street, the Dow added
ͲǤ͸ʹ ’‡” …‡–ǡ –Š‡ Ƭ ͷͲͲ Œ—’‡†
ͲǤͻ͸’‡”…‡–Ȅ„‘–Š…Ž‘•‡–‘”‡…‘”†
Š‹‰Š•Ȅƒ†–Š‡ƒ•†ƒ“•—”‰‡†ͳǤͳͺ
’‡”…‡––‘Ž‡˜‡Ž•‘–•‡‡•‹…‡ʹͲͲͲǤ
“People are looking at the glass
half-full,” John Carey, a Boston-based
fund manager at Pioneer Investment
ƒƒ‰‡‡–ǡ–‘Ž†Ž‘‘„‡”‰‡™•Ǥ
“There’s general optimism around
the US economy and a little bit of relief that some of the major international issues are not going to impinge
Œ—•–›‡–‘’‘•‹–‹˜‡–”‡†•Š‡”‡Ǥdz
‘’‡• ˆ‘” ƒ „”‡ƒ–Š”‘—‰Š ‹
Greece also provided support as the
country’s new anti-austerity Prime
Minister Alexis Tsipras presented
his case for an overhaul of its aid
programme to EU leaders including
Merkel, the strongest opponent of his
’Žƒ•Ǥ
The European Central Bank also
cheered markets when it increased
the volume of emergency cash available to Greek banks, easing concerns
over liquidity that had led to speculation of a possible run on the country’s
Ž‡†‡”•Ǥ
Š‡ ‡—”‘ „‘—‰Š– ̈́ͳǤͳͶʹ͹ ƒ†
ͳ͵ͷǤ͸ͳ ›‡ǡ …‘’ƒ”‡† ™‹–Š ̈́ͳǤͳͶͲ͸
ƒ†ͳ͵ͷǤ͹Ͳ›‡‹‡™‘”Ǥ
Š‡†‘ŽŽƒ”™ƒ•ƒ–ͳͳͺǤ͸ͺ›‡‡ƒ”Ž›
”‹†ƒ›ǡ …‘’ƒ”‡† ™‹–Š ͳͳͺǤͻ͹ ›‡ ‹
US trade, weighed down by weak US
”‡–ƒ‹Ž•ƒŽ‡•†ƒ–ƒǤ
On oil markets, prices rose, adding
to steep gains in the previous session
fuelled by planned investment cuts
by the world’s leading petroleum pro†—…‡”•Ǥ
US benchmark West Texas Inter‡†‹ƒ–‡ˆ‘”ƒ”…Š†‡Ž‹˜‡”›ƒ††‡†͹ͳ
…‡–•–‘̈́ͷͳǤͻʹ™Š‹Ž‡”‡–…”—†‡ˆ‘”
’”‹Ž™ƒ•—’͹ͻ…‡–•ƒ–̈́͸ͲǤͲ͹Ǥ
‘Ž† ˆ‡–…Š‡† ̈́ͳǡʹ͵ͲǤʹʹ ƒ ‘—…‡ǡ
ƒ‰ƒ‹•–̈́ͳǡʹʹ͵ǤʹͲ‘Š—”•†ƒ›ǤȄ
IAG’s CEO Walsh says Aer Lingus
might not survive on its own
DUBLIN — The chief executive of British Airways owner IAG told Irish politicians that Aer
Lingus would struggle to survive if they do not
„ƒ…‹–•„‹†ˆ‘”–Š‡ˆ‘”‡”ϐŽƒ‰…ƒ””‹‡”Ǥ
Dubliner Willie Walsh, who began his career
as an Aer Lingus pilot and had become the airline’s chief executive before he moved to British
Airways 10 years ago, was back this week cam’ƒ‹‰‹‰–‘™‹‘˜‡”•…‡’–‹…ƒŽ•–‘
ǯ•ͳǤ͵͸
„‹ŽŽ‹‘‡—”‘‘ˆˆ‡”ǡ™Š‹…ŠƒŽ”‡ƒ†›Šƒ•–Š‡“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡†
„ƒ…‹‰ ‘ˆ ‡” ‹‰—•ǯ• „‘ƒ”†Ǥ Š‡ „‘ƒ”†ǯ• ”‡…ommendation is subject to the Irish state selling
its 25 per cent holding and, with tough elections
just a year away, resistance has been building
among government MPs whom Walsh faced at a
parliamentary hearing on Thursday, telling them
Š‹•‹–‡–‹‘•™‡”‡Dz…‘’Ž‡–‡Ž›’‘•‹–‹˜‡dzǤ
“I spent 25 years working there, I love the
company but I have been very clear for a long
time, Aer Lingus has a tough job ahead of them
trying to survive — survive, never mind grow
— in an industry that is becoming more consoli-
“I spent 25 years working
there, I love the company
but I have been very clear for
a long time, Aer Lingus has
a tough job ahead of them
trying to survive — survive,
never mind grow — in an
industry that is becoming
more consolidated”
dated,” Walsh told the Newstalk radio station
ƒŠ‡ƒ†‘ˆ–Š‡…‘‹––‡‡Š‡ƒ”‹‰Ǥ
“To truly exploit the opportunity that exists,
‹–‡‡†•–‘„‡’ƒ”–‘ˆƒ„‹‰‰‡”‰”‘—’Ǥdz
In one of three newspaper interviews published earlier on Thursday, part of a day-long
charm offensive, Walsh said he was “nowhere
‡ƒ”dz™ƒŽ‹‰ƒ™ƒ›ˆ”‘‹–•„‹†Ǥ
Speaking to another radio station, he said he
believed the government is still open to the deal
†‡•’‹–‡ –Š‡ ’”‡••—”‡Ǥ ‡ ˆƒ…‡† …‘…‡” ”ƒ–Š‡”
–Šƒ Š‘•–‹Ž‹–› ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ʹ͸Ǧ‡„‡” …‘‹––‡‡
and afterwards two members of Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael party who Reuters
spoke to said they were open to persuasion
ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™‹‰ƒDz’‘•‹–‹˜‡dz’”‡•‡–ƒ–‹‘Ǥ
’’‘•‹–‹‘ ‹• ϐ‹”‡” ™‹–Š‹ –Š‡ …‡–”‡ǦŽ‡ˆ–
junior coalition Labour party, which is particuŽƒ”Ž›•–”—‰‰Ž‹‰‹‘’‹‹‘’‘ŽŽ•Ǥ
“Despite an impressive presentation, there
”‡ƒŽŽ›™ƒ•˜‡”›Ž‹––Ž‡ˆ—”–Š‡”•—„•–ƒ…‡Ǥ
I wouldn’t be convinced to date of what’s before us,” Labour’s Joe Costello, from a constitu‡…›‡ƒ”—„Ž‹ƒ‹”’‘”–ǡ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Aer Lingus’s main trade unions IMPACT and
ǡ™Š‹…Šƒ”‡ƒˆϐ‹Ž‹ƒ–‡†–‘ƒ„‘—”ǡ•ƒ‹†Ž‹––Ž‡
Šƒ†…Šƒ‰‡†Ǥ‡”‹‰—•ǯ••Šƒ”‡•ǡ–”ƒ†‹‰ͳ͵’‡”
…‡–„‡Ž‘™–Š‡
‘ˆˆ‡”’”‹…‡‘ˆʹǤͷͷ‡—”‘•‘
™‘””‹‡•‘˜‡”–Š‡’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ‘’’‘•‹–‹‘ǡ…Ž‘•‡†͵Ǥͳ
’‡”…‡–Š‹‰Š‡”ƒ–ʹǤʹ͵ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
”ƒ…‡…Ž‹…Š‡•‰›’–
…‘„ƒ–Œ‡–†‡ƒŽ
Business Briefs
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INTERNATIONAL
US retail sales data point to
slower economic growth
“There is a risk of a
temporary soft patch
for the economy as it is
somewhat surprising the
consumer has stopped
spending their savings
from gasoline prices”
Ȅ ”ƒ…‡ ƒ‘—…‡† ‹– ™‹ŽŽ •‡ŽŽ ʹͶ ƒˆƒŽ‡ ϐ‹‰Š–‡”• ’Ž—• ƒ
ˆ”‹‰ƒ–‡–‘‰›’–‹ƒͷǤʹ„‹ŽŽ‹‘‡—”‘ȋ̈́ͷǤͻ„‹ŽŽ‹‘Ȍ†‡ƒŽ–Šƒ–ƒ”•
–Š‡ϐ‹”•–ˆ‘”‡‹‰…‘–”ƒ…–ˆ‘”–Š‡—Ž–‹Ǧ”‘Ž‡…‘„ƒ–Œ‡–Ǥ
”‡…Š‡ˆ‡…‡‹‹•–‡”‡ƒǦ˜‡•‡”‹ƒ™‹ŽŽ–”ƒ˜‡Ž–‘ƒ‹”‘
‘‘†ƒ›–‘•‹‰–Š‡…‘–ƒ…–™‹–Š‰›’–‹ƒ”‡•‹†‡–„†‡Žƒ–Ǧ
–ƒŠƒŽǦ‹•‹ǡƒ‹‹•–”›•‘—”…‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
DzŠ‡ƒˆƒŽ‡ϐ‹‰Š–‡”Œ‡–Šƒ•™‘‹–•ϐ‹”•–‡š’‘”–…‘–”ƒ…–ǡdz”‡…Š
”‡•‹†‡– ”ƒ…‘‹• ‘ŽŽƒ†‡ •ƒ‹† ‹ ƒ •–ƒ–‡‡– ‹••—‡† „› Š‹• ‘ˆǦ
ϐ‹…‡ǤDzŠ‡•‹‰‹‰™‹ŽŽ–ƒ‡’Žƒ…‡‹ƒ‹”‘‘‡„”—ƒ”›ͳ͸Ǥ Šƒ˜‡
ƒ•‡†–Š‡‡ˆ‡…‡‹‹•–‡”ǡ‡ƒǦ˜‡•‡”‹ƒǡ–‘•‹‰‘„‡ŠƒŽˆ‘ˆ
”ƒ…‡ǡdzŠ‡ƒ††‡†Ǥ
Š‡‹Ž‹–ƒ”›Šƒ”†™ƒ”‡™‘—Ž†DzƒŽŽ‘™‰›’––‘‹…”‡ƒ•‡‹–••‡…—Ǧ
”‹–›ƒ†ƒ••—‡‹–•ˆ—ŽŽ”‘Ž‡‹–Š‡•‡”˜‹…‡‘ˆ”‡‰‹‘ƒŽ•–ƒ„‹Ž‹–›ǡdz‘ŽǦ
Žƒ†‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Š‡ƒˆƒŽ‡Œ‡–•ƒ”‡„—‹Ž–„›”‡…Šƒ—ˆƒ…–—”‡”ƒ••ƒ—Ž–˜‹ƒǦ
–‹‘ƒ†Šƒ˜‡„‡‡—•‡†„›–Š‡”‡…Šƒ‹”ˆ‘”…‡‹‹„›ƒƒ†ƒŽ‹Ǥ
”ƒ…‡Šƒ•ƒŽ•‘—•‡†–Š‡Œ‡–•‹”ƒ“ƒ•ƒ’ƒ”–‘ˆ–Š‡ǦŽ‡†ϐ‹‰Š–
ƒ‰ƒ‹•–‹Ž‹–ƒ–•ǤȄ
›‰ƒ…Ž‘•‹‰Š‹ƒ
•–—†‹‘ƒ•‡ƒ”‹‰•†”‘’
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12
Ȅ›‰ƒƒ‘—…‡†‹–‹•…Ž‘•‹‰‹–•Š‹ƒ•–—†‹‘
ƒ• –Š‡ •‘…‹ƒŽ ‰ƒ‡• ’‹‘‡‡” ”‡’‘”–‡† ‡ƒ”‹‰• –Šƒ– †‹•ƒ’’‘‹–‡†
‹˜‡•–‘”•Ǥ›‰ƒ•Šƒ”‡•†”‘’’‡†‘”‡–ŠƒͳͲ’‡”…‡––‘̈́ʹǤ͵ͻ
‹ƒˆ–‡”ƒ”‡––”ƒ†‡•–Šƒ–ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™‡†”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡‘ˆ‡™•–Šƒ–‹–Ž‘•–̈́Ͷͷ
‹ŽŽ‹‘‹–Š‡ϐ‹ƒŽ“—ƒ”–‡”‘ˆŽƒ•–›‡ƒ”†‡•’‹–‡‰ƒ‹‹‰‰”‘—†‘
‘„‹Ž‡†‡˜‹…‡•Ǥ
Ž‘•‹‰ ‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘• ‹ Š‹ƒǡ ™Š‡”‡ ›‰ƒ Šƒ• ͹ͳ ‡’Ž‘›‡‡•ǡ
™ƒ•‡š’‡…–‡†–‘•ƒ˜‡–Š‡ƒ”ƒ…‹•…‘Ǧ„ƒ•‡†…‘’ƒ›•‡˜‡‹ŽǦ
Ž‹‘†‘ŽŽƒ”•ƒ—ƒŽŽ›Ǥ
›‰ƒ Š‹‡ˆ š‡…—–‹˜‡ ‘ ƒ––”‹… ™ƒ• ‡…‘—”ƒ‰‡† „› ‹Ǧ
…”‡ƒ•‡• ‹ ‘„‹Ž‡ „‘‘‹‰• ƒ• ™‡ŽŽ ƒ• –Š‡ ”ƒ• ‘ˆ ’‡‘’Ž‡ ’Žƒ›Ǧ
‹‰ –Š‡ …‘’ƒ›ǯ• ‰ƒ‡• •—…Š ƒ• ƒ”‹ŽŽ‡ǡ ‘”†• ™‹–Š ”‹‡†•ǡ
ƒ† ”‡…‡–Ž›ǦŽƒ—…Š‡† ‘‘‡› —‡• ƒ•ŠǤ DzʹͲͳͶ ™ƒ• ƒ ›‡ƒ” ‘ˆ
’”‘‰”‡••ˆ‘”›‰ƒȄ™‡…ƒ‡–‘‰‡–Š‡”ƒ•‘‡–‡ƒƒ†ƒ’’Ž‹‡†
‘”‡†‹•…‹’Ž‹‡ƒ†”‹‰‘”–‘‘—”„—•‹‡••ǡdzƒ––”‹…•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Dz ʹͲͳͷǡ ™‡ ™‹ŽŽ ˆ‘…—• ‘ –Š”‡‡ ’”‹‘”‹–‹‡•ǣ †”‹˜‹‰ ‘„‹Ž‡
‰”‘™–Šǡ Žƒ—…Š‹‰ ‘”‡ ’”‘†—…–• ‹ ‘”‡ ‡˜‡”‰”‡‡ …ƒ–‡‰‘”‹‡•
ƒ†„—‹Ž†‹‰‘‘—”•‘…‹ƒŽŽ‡‰ƒ…›ǤdzȄ
‹”Ž‹‡•ˆ‡ƒ”ˆ‘”̈́͵Ǥ͸„
‘™‡†„›‡‡œ—‡Žƒ
Ȅ–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽƒ‹”Ž‹‡•ƒ”‡‹…”‡ƒ•‹‰Ž›ˆ‡ƒ”ˆ—Žƒ„‘—–„‹ŽǦ
Ž‹‘• ‘ˆ †‘ŽŽƒ”• –Š‡› •ƒ› –Š‡› ƒ”‡ ‘™‡† „› ”‡…‡••‹‘ǦŠ‹– ‡‡œ—‡Žƒǡ
–Š‡Š‡ƒ†‘ˆ–Š‡™‘”Ž†ǯ•ƒ‹”Ž‹‡–”ƒ†‡ƒ••‘…‹ƒ–‹‘•ƒ‹†Ǥ‡‡œ—‡Žƒǡ
ƒ‹”Ž‹‡•ƒ”‡”‡“—‹”‡†–‘•‡ŽŽ–‹…‡–•‹„‘Ž‹˜ƒ”•—†‡”ƒƒ””ƒ‰‡‡–
‹™Š‹…Š–Š‡‰‘˜‡”‡–Žƒ–‡”…‘˜‡”–•–Š‡Ž‘…ƒŽ…—””‡…›–‘†‘ŽŽƒ”•Ǥ
—––Š‡–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‹””ƒ•’‘”–••‘…‹ƒ–‹‘ȋȌ•ƒ›•–Š‡
‰‘˜‡”‡–Šƒ•ˆƒ‹Ž‡†–‘”‡‹„—”•‡ƒ‹”Ž‹‡•„‹ŽŽ‹‘•Ǥ
DzŠ‡ ƒ‹”Ž‹‡• ƒ”‡ ˜‡”› …‘…‡”‡† ƒ„‘—– –Š‡ •‹–—ƒ–‹‘ ‹ ‡Ǧ
‡œ—‡Žƒ „‡…ƒ—•‡ –Š‡› Šƒ˜‡ ͵Ǥ͸ „‹ŽŽ‹‘ †‘ŽŽƒ”• ‘ˆ –Š‡‹” ‘‡› •–—…
‹–Š‡…‘—–”›ǤŠ‡›ƒ”‡‘–ƒŽŽ‘™‡†–‘”‡‘˜‡‹–ǡdz•ƒ‹†‘››Ž‡”ǡ
ȋpicturedȌ Š‡ƒ† ‘ˆ –Š‡ Ǥ ƒ…‡† ™‹–Š ˆƒŽŽ‹‰ ’”‹…‡• ˆ‘” ‘‹Žǡ
™Š‘•‡‡š’‘”–ƒ……‘—–•ˆ‘”ƒ„‘—–ͻ͸’‡”…‡–‘ˆ–Š‡…‘—–”›ǯ•‡šǦ
’‘”–”‡˜‡—‡•ǡ‡‡œ—‡Žƒƒ—–Š‘”‹–‹‡•‹‡…‡„‡”‘„–ƒ‹‡†ƒʹͲ
’‡” …‡– ”‡†—…–‹‘ ‹ –Š‡‹” †‡„– –‘ ƒ‹”Ž‹‡•ǡ •‘‡ ‘ˆ ™Š‹…Š Šƒ˜‡
•…ƒŽ‡† „ƒ… ‘” –‘–ƒŽŽ› …—– •‡”˜‹…‡• –‘ ‡‡œ—‡ŽƒǤ Dz‡ ƒ”‡ ˜‡”›
ƒ™ƒ”‡‘ˆ–Š‡‡…‘‘‹…’”‘„Ž‡•–Š‡…‘—–”›‹•ˆƒ…‹‰ǡ™Š‹…ŠŠƒ˜‡
„‡‡ƒ†‡™‘”•‡ˆ‘”–Š‡‘‹Ž’”‹…‡ǡƒ†™‡™ƒ––‘’”‘’‘•‡•‘‡
…‘•–”—…–‹˜‡ •‘Ž—–‹‘• –‘ –Š‡ ’”‘„Ž‡ǡdz ›Ž‡” •ƒ‹†ǡ •’‡ƒ‹‰ ƒ– ƒ
‡™•…‘ˆ‡”‡…‡‹–Š‡‘Ž‘„‹ƒ…ƒ’‹–ƒŽ‘‰‘–ƒǤȄ
* Retail sales fall 0.8 per cent in January
* Core retail sales edge up 0.1 per cent
* Weekly jobless claims rise 25,000
Ȅ…‘•—‡”•’‡†‹‰„ƒ”‡Ž›
”‘•‡ ‹ ƒ—ƒ”› ƒ• Š‘—•‡Š‘Ž†• …—– „ƒ… ‘ ’—”Ǧ
…Šƒ•‡•‘ˆƒ”ƒ‰‡‘ˆ‰‘‘†•ǡ•—‰‰‡•–‹‰–Š‡‡…‘‘Ǧ
›•–ƒ”–‡†–Š‡ϐ‹”•–“—ƒ”–‡”‘ƒ•‘ˆ–‡”‘–‡Ǥ
Ž—‰‰‹•Š •’‡†‹‰ …ƒ‡ †‡•’‹–‡ …Š‡ƒ’ ‰ƒ•‘Ǧ
Ž‹‡ƒ†ƒ„—‘›ƒ–Žƒ„‘—”ƒ”‡–ǡŽ‡ƒ˜‹‰‡…‘‘Ǧ
‹•–•–‘•’‡…—Žƒ–‡–Šƒ–…‘•—‡”•™‡”‡—•‹‰–Š‡
‡š–”ƒ ‹…‘‡ –‘ ’ƒ› †‘™ †‡„– ƒ† „‘‘•– •ƒ˜Ǧ
‹‰•Ǥ
DzŠ‡”‡‹•ƒ”‹•‘ˆƒ–‡’‘”ƒ”›•‘ˆ–’ƒ–…Šˆ‘”
–Š‡ ‡…‘‘› ƒ• ‹– ‹• •‘‡™Šƒ– •—”’”‹•‹‰ –Š‡
…‘•—‡” Šƒ• •–‘’’‡† •’‡†‹‰ –Š‡‹” •ƒ˜‹‰•
ˆ”‘‰ƒ•‘Ž‹‡’”‹…‡•ǡdz•ƒ‹†Š”‹•—’‡›ǡ…Š‹‡ˆϐ‹Ǧ
ƒ…‹ƒŽ ‡…‘‘‹•– ƒ– ‹‘ ƒ ‹ ‡™
‘”Ǥ
Š‡ ‘‡”…‡ ‡’ƒ”–‡– •ƒ‹† ‘ Š—”•Ǧ
†ƒ› ”‡–ƒ‹Ž •ƒŽ‡• ‡š…Ž—†‹‰ ƒ—–‘‘„‹Ž‡•ǡ ‰ƒ•‘Ž‹‡ǡ
„—‹Ž†‹‰ ƒ–‡”‹ƒŽ• ƒ† ˆ‘‘† •‡”˜‹…‡• ‡†‰‡† —’
ͲǤͳ’‡”…‡–Žƒ•–‘–ŠǤ
Šƒ–ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™‡†ƒͲǤ͵’‡”…‡–†”‘’‹‡…‡„‡”
ƒ† ™ƒ• „‡Ž‘™ ƒŽŽ –”‡‡–ǯ• ‡š’‡…–ƒ–‹‘• ˆ‘” ƒ
ͲǤͶ’‡”…‡–‹…”‡ƒ•‡Ǥ
Š‡ •‘Ǧ…ƒŽŽ‡† …‘”‡ ”‡–ƒ‹Ž •ƒŽ‡• …‘””‡•’‘†
‘•– …Ž‘•‡Ž› ™‹–Š –Š‡ …‘•—‡” •’‡†‹‰ …‘Ǧ
’‘‡–‘ˆ‰”‘••†‘‡•–‹…’”‘†—…–Ǥ
˜‡”ƒŽŽ ”‡–ƒ‹Ž •ƒŽ‡• •Ž‹’’‡† ͲǤͺ ’‡” …‡– ‹
ƒ—ƒ”›ǡ†‡…Ž‹‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ•‡…‘†•–”ƒ‹‰Š–‘–Šƒ•
ˆƒŽŽ‹‰ ‰ƒ•‘Ž‹‡ ’”‹…‡• —†‡”…—– •ƒŽ‡• ƒ– •‡”˜‹…‡
•–ƒ–‹‘•Ǥ
Š‡ •‘ˆ– …‘”‡ ”‡–ƒ‹Ž •ƒŽ‡• ’”‘’–‡† ƒ”…Žƒ›•
–‘ Ž‘™‡” ‹–• ϐ‹”•–Ǧ“—ƒ”–‡” ‰”‘™–Š ‡•–‹ƒ–‡
„›–Š”‡‡Ǧ–‡–Š•‘ˆƒ’‡”…‡–ƒ‰‡’‘‹––‘ƒʹǤʹ’‡”
…‡–ƒ—ƒŽ”ƒ–‡Ǥ
‘”‰ƒ …—– ‹–• ‡•–‹ƒ–‡ –‘ ƒ ʹǤͷ ’‡” …‡–
”ƒ–‡ˆ”‘ƒ͵’‡”…‡–’ƒ…‡Ǥ
Š‡ ‡…‘‘› ‰”‡™ ƒ– ƒ ʹǤ͸ ’‡” …‡– ƒ—ƒŽ
’ƒ…‡‹–Š‡ˆ‘—”–Š“—ƒ”–‡”Ǥ
‘™‡˜‡”ǡ‹˜‡–‘”›ƒ†–”ƒ†‡†ƒ–ƒˆ‘”‡…‡Ǧ
„‡”™ƒ•„‡Ž‘™–Š‡‰‘˜‡”‡–ǯ•ƒ••—’–‹‘•‹
–Š‡ ”‡’‘”–ǡ •—‰‰‡•–‹‰ ‰”‘™–Š …‘—Ž† „‡ ”‡Ǧ
˜‹•‡†–‘ƒ•Ž‘™ƒ•ƒͳǤͺ’‡”…‡–”ƒ–‡Ǥ
ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ ƒ”‡–• ™‡”‡ Ž‹––Ž‡ ‘˜‡† „›
Australian interest rates
will not go to zero: RBA
Ȅ—•–”ƒŽ‹ƒ‹•—Ž‹‡Ž›–‘ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™—”‘’‡
ƒ†–Š‡‹–‡†–ƒ–‡•ƒ†•Žƒ•Š‹–•‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ‹–‡”Ǧ
‡•– ”ƒ–‡ –‘ ‡ƒ” œ‡”‘ –‘ Š‡Ž’ ’”‘’ —’ –Š‡ •–”—‰Ǧ
‰Ž‹‰‡…‘‘›ǡ–Š‡…‡–”ƒŽ„ƒ‰‘˜‡”‘”•ƒ‹†‘
”‹†ƒ›Ǥ
Š‡ ‡•‡”˜‡ ƒ ‘ˆ —•–”ƒŽ‹ƒ ȋȌ ‡ƒ•‡†
–Š‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ …ƒ•Š ”ƒ–‡ –‘ ”‡…‘”† Ž‘™ ‘ˆ ʹǤʹͷ ’‡”
…‡– Žƒ•– ™‡‡ ƒ† ‘”‡ …—–• ƒ”‡ –‹’’‡† „—–
Ž‡–‡˜‡•ȋpicturedȌ•ƒ‹†ƒ‡ƒ”Ǧœ‡”‘ϐ‹‰—”‡
‘” ˜ƒ•– „‘†Ǧ„—›‹‰ Ȅ ‘™ ƒ• “—ƒ–‹–ƒ–‹˜‡
‡ƒ•‹‰Ȅ™ƒ•—Ž‹‡Ž›Ǥ
Dz †‘ǯ– –Š‹ –Šƒ– ™‡ ™‹ŽŽ ‡† ‹ –Šƒ– ’‘•‹Ǧ
–‹‘ǡdz Š‡ –‘Ž† ƒ ‘—•‡ ‘ˆ ‡’”‡•‡–ƒ–‹˜‡• ‡…‘Ǧ
‘‹…•…‘‹––‡‡Ǥ
Dz‘„‘†› …ƒ „‡ ͳͲͲ ’‡” …‡– •—”‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡•‡
–Š‹‰•ǡ‘„˜‹‘—•Ž›ǡ„—–™‘—Ž†˜‡”›—…ŠŠ‘’‡™‡
†‘ǯ–Ǥdz
• ƒ †‡…ƒ†‡ǦŽ‘‰ ‹‹‰ ‹˜‡•–‡– „‘‘
ˆƒ†‡•ǡ —•–”ƒŽ‹ƒ ‰”‘™–Š Šƒ• •Ž‘™‡†ǡ ‹ϐŽƒ–‹‘ ‹•
Ž‘™ƒ†—‡’Ž‘›‡–Šƒ•‰”‘™ǡ”‡ƒ…Š‹‰͸ǤͶ
’‡” …‡– Žƒ•– ‘–Š Ȅ ‹–• Š‹‰Š‡•– Ž‡˜‡Ž ‹ ‘”‡
–Šƒͳʹ›‡ƒ”•Ǥ
–‡˜‡• •ƒ‹† –Š‡ ™ƒ• …‘•…‹‘—• –Šƒ– ‹Ǧ
–‡”‡•–”ƒ–‡…—–•…‘—Ž†„‡Ž‡••‡ˆˆ‡…–‹˜‡–Šƒ‹–Š‡
’ƒ•–‹•—‘‹‰ƒ††‹–‹‘ƒŽ‰”‘™–Š‹†‡ƒ†Ǥ
Dz †‡…ƒ†‡ ƒ‰‘ǡ ™Š‡ –Š‡”‡ ™ƒ•ǡ ‹– •‡‡•ǡ ƒ
—†‡”Ž›‹‰ Žƒ–‡– †‡•‹”‡ ƒ‘‰ Š‘—•‡Š‘Ž†• –‘
„‘””‘™ ƒ† •’‡†ǡ ‹– ™ƒ• ’‡”Šƒ’• ‡ƒ•‹‡” ˆ‘” ƒ
”‡†—…–‹‘‹‹–‡”‡•–”ƒ–‡•–‘•’ƒ”ƒ††‹–‹‘ƒŽ†‡Ǧ
ƒ†‹–Š‡‡…‘‘›ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
“A decade ago, when there
was, it seems, an underlying
latent desire among
households to borrow and
spend, it was perhaps easier
for a reduction in interest
rates to spark additional
demand in the economy”
—– Š‡ ƒ††‡†ǣ Dz—” Œ—†‰‡‡– ‹• –Šƒ– ‹– •–‹ŽŽ
Šƒ••‘‡ƒ„‹Ž‹–›–‘ƒ••‹•––Š‡–”ƒ•‹–‹‘–Š‡‡…‘Ǧ
‘›‹•ƒ‹‰ǡƒ†™‡”‡‰ƒ”†‡†‹–ƒ•ƒ’’”‘’”‹Ǧ
ƒ–‡–‘’”‘˜‹†‡–Šƒ–•—’’‘”–Ǥdz
–‡˜‡••ƒ‹†–Š‡„ƒǯ•”‡˜‹•‡†ƒ••‡••‡–‘ˆ
•—„Ǧ–”‡†‰”‘™–Šˆ‘”Ž‘‰‡”ǡƒŠ‹‰Š‡”’‡ƒ‹–Š‡
—‡’Ž‘›‡– ”ƒ–‡ǡ ƒ† •Ž‹‰Š–Ž› Ž‘™‡” ‹ϐŽƒ–‹‘
™ƒ””ƒ–‡†Žƒ•–™‡‡ǯ•ʹͷ„ƒ•‹•’‘‹–‹–‡”‡•–”ƒ–‡
…—–ǡ‹–•ϐ‹”•–‘˜‡‹ͳͺ‘–Š•Ǥ
‡•ƒ‹†–Š‡„‘ƒ”†…‘•‹†‡”‡†–Š‡‹’ƒ…–
–Šƒ– Ž‘™‡” ‹–‡”‡•– ”ƒ–‡•ǡ ™Š‹…Š ϐŽ‘™ –Š”‘—‰Š –‘
”‡†—…‡† ‘”–‰ƒ‰‡ ’ƒ›‡–•ǡ …‘—Ž† Šƒ˜‡ ‘ ƒ
ƒŽ”‡ƒ†›„‘‘‹‰Š‘—•‹‰ƒ”‡–Ǥ
—–Š‡•ƒ‹†‡š…Ž—†‹‰›†‡›ǡ–Š‡”‹•‡ˆ‘”—•Ǧ
–”ƒŽ‹ƒŠ‘—•‹‰ƒ•ƒ™Š‘Ž‡‘˜‡”–Š‡’ƒ•–›‡ƒ”™ƒ•
ƒ„‘—–ϐ‹˜‡’‡”…‡–Ǥ
DzŠƒ–‹•ƒŠ‡ƒŽ–Š›’ƒ…‡„—–‘–ƒŽƒ”‹‰ǡƒ†
•‘‡…‹–‹‡•Šƒ˜‡•‡‡’”‹…‡ˆƒŽŽ•ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Dz‡˜‡Ž‘’‡–•‹–Š‡›†‡›ƒ”‡–”‡ƒ‹
…‘…‡”‹‰ǡ„—–‹–Š‡‡†™‡†‹†‘–•‡‡–Š‡•‡
–”‡†•ƒ•‘˜‡”™Š‡Ž‹‰ƒ…ƒ•‡ˆ‘”ƒˆ—”–Š‡”‡ƒ•Ǧ
‹‰ ‹ ‘‡–ƒ”› ’‘Ž‹…› –Šƒ– ™ƒ• ƒ†‡ ‘ ‘”‡
‰‡‡”ƒŽ‰”‘—†•Ǥdz•‡†™Š›–Š‡„ƒ…—–”ƒ–‡•
ƒˆ–‡”‹–Šƒ†Žƒ•–›‡ƒ”ϐŽƒ‰‰‡†ƒ’‡”‹‘†‘ˆ•–ƒ„‹Ž‹–›ǡ
–‡˜‡• •ƒ‹† –Š‡ ‡˜‹†‡…‡ Šƒ† ’”‡˜‹‘—•Ž› „‡‡
–Šƒ– …‘ϐ‹†‡…‡ ™ƒ• ‹’”‘˜‹‰ ƒ† ‘Ǧ‹‹‰
ƒ…–‹˜‹–›ϐ‹”‹‰ǤȄ
Š—”•†ƒ›ǯ• †ƒ–ƒǡ ™‹–Š ƒ––‡–‹‘ ˆ‘…—•‡† ‘ †‡Ǧ
–ƒ‹Ž• ‘ˆ ƒ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ ƒ‰”‡‡‡– „‡–™‡‡ —••‹ƒ
ƒ†”ƒ‹‡ƒ†ƒ•—”’”‹•‡‹–‡”‡•–”ƒ–‡…—–ƒ†
„‘†’—”…Šƒ•‹‰’”‘‰”ƒ‡ƒ‘—…‡†„›™‡Ǧ
†‡ǯ•…‡–”ƒŽ„ƒǤ
‡•’‹–‡ ƒ ͵ͻǤͷ ’‡” …‡– †‡…Ž‹‡ ‹ ‰ƒ•‘Ž‹‡
’”‹…‡• •‹…‡ —‡ǡ …‘•—‡” •’‡†‹‰ Šƒ• „‡‡
•‘ˆ–‹–Š‡’ƒ•––™‘‘–Š•Ǥ
–‹ŽŽǡ …Š‡ƒ’‡” ‰ƒ•‘Ž‹‡ ’”‹…‡• ƒ† ”‘„—•– ‡Ǧ
’Ž‘›‡–‰ƒ‹•ƒ”‡‡š’‡…–‡†–‘’”‘˜‹†‡ƒ’‘™‡”Ǧ
ˆ—Ž•–‹—Ž—•–‘…‘•—‡”•’‡†‹‰ƒ†‡‡’–Š‡
‡…‘‘›‘ƒ‡š’ƒ•‹‘’ƒ–Šǡ†‡•’‹–‡•’—––‡”Ǧ
‹‰‰”‘™–Š‹•‹ƒƒ†—”‘’‡Ǥ
DzŠ‘—Ž†™‡„‡™‘””‹‡†ƒ„‘—––Š‡™‡ƒ‡••‘ˆ
—†‡”Ž›‹‰•ƒŽ‡•‘˜‡”–Š‡’ƒ•––™‘‘–Š•ǫ‘•Ǧ
•‹„Ž›ǡdz•ƒ‹†ƒ—Ž•Š™‘”–Šǡ…Š‹‡ˆ‡…‘‘‹•–ƒ–
ƒ’‹–ƒŽ…‘‘‹…•‹‘”‘–‘Ǥ
Dz—–ƒŽŽ–Š‡…‘†‹–‹‘•ƒ”‡‹’Žƒ…‡ˆ‘”ƒ’‡”‹‘†
‘ˆ˜‡”›•–”‘‰…‘•—’–‹‘‰”‘™–ŠǤ
‡ •–‹ŽŽ ‡š’‡…– –‘ •‡‡ –Šƒ– •–”‡‰–Š …‘‡
–Š”‘—‰Š‹–Š‡”‡–ƒ‹Ž•ƒŽ‡•†ƒ–ƒ•‘‘Ǥdz
‘•—‡”•’‡†‹‰ǡ™Š‹…Šƒ……‘—–•ˆ‘”‘”‡
–Šƒ–™‘Ǧ–Š‹”†•‘ˆ‡…‘‘‹…ƒ…–‹˜‹–›ǡ‡š’ƒ†Ǧ
‡† ƒ– ‹–• “—‹…‡•– ’ƒ…‡ •‹…‡ ʹͲͲ͸ ‹ –Š‡ ˆ‘—”–Š
“—ƒ”–‡”Ǥ
‘ˆ–‡” …‘•—‡” •’‡†‹‰ ’‘•‡† ƒ ”‹• –‘ ƒ
—…Šƒ–‹…‹’ƒ–‡†‹†Ǧ›‡ƒ”‹–‡”‡•–”ƒ–‡‹…”‡ƒ•‡
„›–Š‡‡†‡”ƒŽ‡•‡”˜‡Ǥ
Dz ’”ƒ…–‹…‡ǡ –Š‡ ‡† …ƒ”‡• ƒ Ž‘– ƒ„‘—– ‰”‘™–ŠǤ
Šƒ• †‹•ƒ’’‘‹–‡† ™Š‹Ž‡ –Š‡ Žƒ„‘—” ƒ”Ǧ
‡– Šƒ•ǯ–ǡdz •ƒ‹† ‹…Šƒ‡Ž ‡”‘Ž‹ǡ ƒ ‡…‘‘‹•– ƒ–
‘”‰ƒ‹‡™‘”ǤdzŽŽ‡Ž•‡‡“—ƒŽǡ–Š‡…‘–‹Ǧ
—‡†—‡š…‹–‹‰’ƒ…‡‘ˆ
‰”‘™–Š†‘‡•’”‡•‡–
ƒ‘†‡•–…ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡–‘‘—”—‡‡†…ƒŽŽǤdz
•‡’ƒ”ƒ–‡ ”‡’‘”– ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ƒ„‘—” ‡’ƒ”–Ǧ
‡–‘Š—”•†ƒ›•Š‘™‡†‹‹–‹ƒŽ…Žƒ‹•ˆ‘”•–ƒ–‡
—‡’Ž‘›‡–„‡‡ϐ‹–•”‘•‡ʹͷǡͲͲͲ–‘ƒ•‡ƒ•‘Ǧ
ƒŽŽ›ƒ†Œ—•–‡†͵ͲͶǡͲͲͲŽƒ•–™‡‡Ǥ
Š‡—†‡”Ž›‹‰–”‡†ǡŠ‘™‡˜‡”ǡ”‡ƒ‹‡†…‘Ǧ
•‹•–‡–™‹–Šƒ•–”‡‰–Š‡‹‰Œ‘„•ƒ”‡–Ǥ
‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–‹‡• ƒ†Œ—•–‹‰ –Š‡ …Žƒ‹• †ƒ–ƒ ˆ‘” •‡ƒǦ
•‘ƒŽ ˜ƒ”‹ƒ–‹‘• Šƒ˜‡ …ƒ—•‡† ˜‘Žƒ–‹Ž‹–› ‹ ”‡…‡–
™‡‡•ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
–‘’”‘˜‹†‡
—’–‘̈́ʹ„‹
ƒ‹†–‘”ƒ‹‡
Ȅ Š‡ ‘”Ž† ƒ •ƒ‹† ‹– ‹•
’”‡’ƒ”‡† –‘ ’”‘˜‹†‡ —’ –‘ ̈́ʹ „‹ŽŽ‹‘ ‹ ϐ‹ƒǦ
…‹ƒŽ ƒ••‹•–ƒ…‡ –‘ …‘ϐŽ‹…–Ǧ–‘” ”ƒ‹‡ –Š‹•
›‡ƒ”ǡ ’ƒ”– ‘ˆ ƒ ‹–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ ’ƒ…ƒ‰‡ ‘ˆ •—’Ǧ
’‘”–Ǥ
Dz‘†ƒ› ƒ ƒ‘—…‹‰ –Šƒ– –Š‡ ‘”Ž†
ƒ ‹• ”‡ƒ†› –‘ …‘‹– —’ –‘ ̈́ʹ „‹ŽŽ‹‘ ‹
ʹͲͳͷǡ•—’’‘”–‹‰–Š‡’‡‘’Ž‡‘ˆ”ƒ‹‡‹–Š‡
ˆƒ…‡‘ˆ…—””‡–‡…‘‘‹…ǡϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽǡƒ†‰‡‘’‘Ǧ
Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ …ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡•ǡdz •ƒ‹† ‘”Ž† ƒ ”‡•‹†‡–
‹‘‰‹‹ƒ•–ƒ–‡‡–Ǥ
Š‡ ‘”Ž† ƒ ’Ž‡†‰‡ …ƒ‡ Š‘—”• ƒˆ–‡”
ƒ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ ƒ‰”‡‡‡– „‡–™‡‡ ”ƒ‹‡ ƒ†
’”‘Ǧ—••‹ƒ •‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹•–• ™ƒ• ƒ‘—…‡† ‹
‹•Ǥ
ƒ”Ž‹‡”ǡ–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‘‡–ƒ”›—†ƒǦ
ƒ‰‹‰ ‹”‡…–‘” Š”‹•–‹‡ ƒ‰ƒ”†‡ ƒ‘—…‡†
ƒ’”‡Ž‹‹ƒ”›†‡ƒŽ‘ƒ‡™ǡˆ‘—”Ǧ›‡ƒ”„ƒ‹Ž‘—–
ˆ‘””ƒ‹‡™‘”–Š̈́ͳ͹Ǥͷ„‹ŽŽ‹‘Ǥ
ƒ‰ƒ”†‡ •ƒ‹† –Šƒ–ǡ ‹ –‘–ƒŽǡ ”ƒ‹‡ ™‘—Ž†
”‡…‡‹˜‡ ̈́ͶͲ „‹ŽŽ‹‘ ‹ ƒ••‹•–ƒ…‡ ‘˜‡” ˆ‘—”
›‡ƒ”•ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰Ž‘ƒ•ˆ”‘‘–Š‡”•‘—”…‡•Ž‹‡
–Š‡‘”Ž†ƒǤ
DzŠ‡„ƒ‹•™‘”‹‰…Ž‘•‡Ž›™‹–Š–Š‡ǡdz
–Š‡ †‡˜‡Ž‘’‡– Ž‡†‡” •ƒ‹†Ǥ ‘–Š –Š‡ ƒ†‘”Ž†ƒϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽƒ‹†‘ˆˆ‡”•”‡“—‹”‡ƒ’Ǧ
’”‘˜ƒŽ„›–Š‡‹””‡•’‡…–‹˜‡„‘ƒ”†•Ǥ
Š‡„ƒ•ƒ‹†–Š‡ˆ”‡•Šƒ‹†™‘—Ž†‹…Ž—†‡
„—†‰‡– •—’’‘”– ˆ‘” ”‡ˆ‘”•ǡ ‡•’‡…‹ƒŽŽ› ‹
–Š‡ ‰ƒ• ƒ† „ƒ‹‰ •‡…–‘”•ǡ ƒ† ‹˜‡•–‡–
’”‘Œ‡…–•–‘‹’”‘˜‡Š‡ƒŽ–Š•‡”˜‹…‡•ƒ†’—„Ž‹…
‹ˆ”ƒ•–”—…–—”‡ǡ ƒ• ™‡ŽŽ ƒ• ˆ‘…—• ‘ ’”‘–‡…–‹‰
–Š‡’‘‘”ƒ†ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰…‘””—’–‹‘Ǥ
Dz‡Š‘’‡–Šƒ––‘†ƒ›ǯ•ƒ‰”‡‡‡–‹‹•
ƒ† –Š‡ ǯ• ƒ‰”‡‡‡– ™‹–Š ”ƒ‹‡ ™‹ŽŽ
’ƒ˜‡–Š‡™ƒ›ˆ‘”ƒ‘”‡•–ƒ„Ž‡‡…‘‘‹…ƒ†
†‡˜‡Ž‘’‡–‡˜‹”‘‡––‘„‡‡ϐ‹––Š‡’‡‘Ǧ
’Ž‡‘ˆ”ƒ‹‡ǡdz‹•ƒ‹†Ǥ
ˆ–‡” ƒ”ƒ–Š‘ –ƒŽ• ‹ –Š‡ ‡Žƒ”—••‹ƒ
…ƒ’‹–ƒŽ ‹•ǡ —••‹ƒ ”‡•‹†‡– Žƒ†‹‹”
—–‹ ƒ‰”‡‡† ™‹–Š –Š‡ Ž‡ƒ†‡”• ‘ˆ ”ƒ‹‡ǡ
”ƒ…‡ ƒ† ‡”ƒ› –‘ ƒ …‡ƒ•‡Ǧϐ‹”‡ ‹ –Š‡
ͳͲǦ‘–Š™ƒ”„‡–™‡‡”ƒ‹‡ƒ†’”‘Ǧ—•Ǧ
•‹ƒ”‡„‡Ž•ǡ„‡‰‹‹‰‘—†ƒ›ǤȄ
13
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
EUROPE
Toll rises in Ukraine despite peace deal ‘Merkel mania’ as
chancellor tackles
Ukraine, Greece
ȅAt least 18 people have
been killed in eastern Ukraine in
new artillery shelling just a day after
a peace deal was signed to end the
ͳͲǦ‘–Š…‘ϐŽ‹…–Ǥ
Pro-Moscow rebels and govern‡– ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• •ƒ‹† ›‡•–‡”†ƒ› –Šƒ–
seven civilians were killed across the
…‘ϐŽ‹…–œ‘‡†—”‹‰–Š‡’ƒ•–ʹͶŠ‘—”•
while Ukraine’s military said 11 sol†‹‡”•Ž‘•––Š‡‹”Ž‹˜‡•Ǥ
The unrest came as Europe
warned Russia it risked fresh sanc–‹‘•‹ˆ–Š‡ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰†‹†‘–•–‘’Ǥ
The rebels and Kiev agreed to a
wide-ranging peace plan on Thursday
after marathon talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and
‡”ƒ›Ǥ
…‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ ƒ…”‘•• –Š‡ …‘ϐŽ‹…–
œ‘‡ ™ƒ• ‡ƒ– –‘ •–ƒ”– ƒ– ‹†‹‰Š–
Ukraine time on Sunday with both
sides supposed to begin pulling back
heavy weaponry from along the
frontline no later than two day after
–Šƒ–Ǥ
The fragile agreement was seen as
–Š‡ „‡•– Š‘’‡ ‘ˆ ‡†‹‰ –Š‡ …‘ϐŽ‹…–ǡ
™Š‹…ŠŠƒ•‹ŽŽ‡†ƒ–Ž‡ƒ•–ͷǡͶͺͲ’‡‘’Ž‡
and ratcheted East-West tensions to
highs not seen since the Cold War, but ‹”‡‡–”›–‘‡š–‹‰—‹•Šƒϔ‹”‡ƒˆ–‡”ƒ•Š‡ŽŽŠ‹–ƒŠ‘‡‹‘‡–•ǤȄ
scepticism remains high after the colŽƒ’•‡‘ˆƒ•‹‹Žƒ”’”‡˜‹‘—•’‡ƒ…‡’ŽƒǤ
Francois Hollande, Russian leader
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of
Žƒ†‹‹”—–‹ƒ†‘”‘•Š‡‘Ǥ
stoking the war in ex-Soviet Ukraine
In the run-up to the truce,
by pouring arms and troops to help
”ƒ‹‡ǯ• ‹Ž‹–ƒ”› •ƒ‹† –Šƒ– ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰
–Š‡ ’”‘Ǧ—••‹ƒ ”‡„‡Ž• ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ ‹‡˜
”‡ƒ‹‡† ϐ‹‡”…‡•– ƒ”‘—† –Š‡ •–”ƒ–‡government troops in Ukraine’s in‰‹…–‘™‘ˆ‡„ƒŽ–•‡˜‡Ǥ
†—•–”‹ƒŽ ‡ƒ•–Ǥ ‘•…‘™ †‡‹‡• –Š‡
”ƒ‹‡•ƒ‹†”‡„‡Ž•Šƒ†ϐ‹”‡†‹•…Šƒ”‰‡•Ǥ
siles at the beleaguered railway hub,
“I don’t want anyone to have any
mid-way between the main separatist
illusions or to seem like I’m naive —
„ƒ•–‹‘•‘ˆ‘‡–•ƒ†—‰ƒ•Ǥ
there is still an awful long way to go
’‘”ƒ†‹…‹••‹Ž‡•ƒŽ˜‘•ƒ††‘œ‡•
to peace,” Ukraine President Petro Poof artillery bombardments could be
”‘•Š‡‘–‘Ž†–”‘‘’•‡ƒ”‹‡˜Ǥ
Š‡ƒ”†ƒ”‘—†‘‡–•Ǥ
“Nobody is absolutely certain that
Ukraine warned the rebels could
the conditions for peace signed in
ƒ‡ƒϐ‹ƒŽ’—•Š–‘•‡‹œ‡‡„ƒŽ–•‡˜‡
‹•™‹ŽŽ„‡ˆ—Žϐ‹ŽŽ‡†Ǥdz
and the port city of Mariupol, and has
German Chancellor Angela Merkel,
accused Russia of deploying another
warned Russia that the European Un50 tanks across the border during the
ion, which has already slapped Mos–ƒŽ•‹‹•Ǥ
cow with sanctions over the crisis,
The US, which has said it could
was not ruling out further measures
supply Ukraine with weapons if the
‹ˆ–Š‡–”—…‡ˆƒ‹Ž‡†Ǥ
…‘ϐŽ‹…– …‘–‹—‡•ǡ …ƒ—–‹‘—•Ž› ™‡ŽDzˆ –Š‡”‡ ƒ”‡ †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–‹‡• ™‡
comed the peace accord, but emphawouldn’t rule out other sanctions,”
sised the work yet to be done in makshe said in Brussels, after the 17-hour
‹‰ ‹– •–‹…Ǥ DzŠ‡ –”—‡ –‡•– ‘ˆ –‘†ƒ›ǯ•
accord will be in its full and unamMinsk talks with French President
Š‡ˆ”ƒ‰‹Ž‡ƒ‰”‡‡‡–
was seen as the best
Š‘’‡‘ˆ‡†‹‰–Š‡
…‘ϔŽ‹…–ǡ™Š‹…ŠŠƒ•
‹ŽŽ‡†ƒ–Ž‡ƒ•–ͻǡͺ;Ͷ
’‡‘’Ž‡ƒ†”ƒ–…Š‡–‡†
East-West tensions to
highs not seen since
–Š‡‘Ž†ƒ”ǡ„—–
scepticism remains
Š‹‰Šƒˆ–‡”–Š‡…‘ŽŽƒ’•‡
‘ˆƒ•‹‹Žƒ”’”‡˜‹‘—•
’‡ƒ…‡’Žƒ
Questions over Hollande’s
relationship with actress
ȅIt’s the million dollar ques–‹‘Ǥ ‘”‡ –Šƒ ƒ ›‡ƒ” ƒˆ–‡” ”‡˜‡Žƒtions that French President Francois
Hollande had cheated on his partner
with actress Julie Gayet, (pictured)
are the two lovebirds still together?
News of the French leader’s affair
with Gayet, divulged by Closer magaœ‹‡ ‹ ƒ—ƒ”› Žƒ•– ›‡ƒ”ǡ ’”‘’–‡†
the 60-year-old to split with his longterm partner Valerie Trierweiler and
rumours have swirled ever since that
the president and actress are still an
‹–‡Ǥ
The glossy weekly yesterday pubŽ‹•Š‡† ’Š‘–‘• ‘ˆ ͶʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž† ƒ›‡–
travelling to the western city of
ƒ–‡• –‘ ˜‹•‹– –Š‡ •‡– ‘ˆ ƒ ϐ‹Ž •Š‡
is producing in a “state-owned car”,
accompanied by one of the French
Ž‡ƒ†‡”ǯ•„‘†›‰—ƒ”†•Ǥ
“Julie Gayet may not ever have ofϐ‹…‹ƒŽŽ› ƒ’’‡ƒ”‡† ‘ –Š‡ ƒ” ‘ˆ –Š‡
’”‡•‹†‡–ǡ „—– ‹– •‡‡• •Š‡ „‡‡ϐ‹–•
from other privileges linked to her
personal relationship with the head
‘ˆ•–ƒ–‡ǡdz–Š‡ƒ‰ƒœ‹‡™”‘–‡Ǥ
“As evidenced by her security
™‘”–Š›‘ˆƒϐ‹”•–Žƒ†›Ǥdz
Already in November, celebrity-fo…—•‡† ƒ‰ƒœ‹‡ Voici had published
pictures of the two looking cosy together inside the Elysee presidential
”‡•‹†‡…‡ǡ’”‘’–‹‰ϐ‹˜‡•–ƒˆˆ‡bers to be reassigned over what con•–‹–—–‡†ƒ†ƒƒ‰‹‰•‡…—”‹–›„”‡ƒ…ŠǤ
On about fresh revelations on Fri†ƒ› –Šƒ– ƒ›‡– ™ƒ• „‡‡ϐ‹–‹‰ ˆ”‘
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ •‡…—”‹–›ǡ ‘ŽŽƒ†‡ǯ• ‡–‘—”ƒ‰‡”‡ˆ—•‡†–‘…‘‡–Ǥ
But the main opposition UMP par-
ty latched onto claims made by the
ƒ‰ƒœ‹‡ǡ™Š‹…ŠƒŽ•‘•ƒ›•–Šƒ–
ƒ›‡–
and Hollande meet up several times
a week and that the actress regularly
walks his black Labrador puppy PhiŽƒ‡Ǥ
“Either Ms Gayet is the president’s
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ ’ƒ”–‡” ƒ† ‹ –Š‹• …ƒ•‡ǡ Š‡
says it and the state should ensure
her protection,” Sebastien Huyghe,
•’‘‡•ƒǡ–‘Ž†Ǥ
“But if that’s not the case, there is
no reason that public funds should
be used to accompany, transport and
’”‘–‡…–•
ƒ›‡–Ǥdz
Interviewed on the iTele television
channel, Finance Minister Michel
Sapin, who is close to Hollande, said
potential “threats” could justify these
‡ƒ•—”‡•Ǥ
“When one is in the public eye, and
comments are made on your personal situation, there can be threats,” he
•ƒ‹†Ǥ
But asked whether Gayet was being threatened, he said he did not
‘™Ǥ
Already the least popular president in modern French history for his
failure to revive the economy, Hollande was damaged further by the
very public way in which his affair
with Gayet and subsequent break-up
™‹–Š”‹‡”™‡‹Ž‡”’Žƒ›‡†‘—–Ǥ
Trierweiler, a glamorous journalist who had been Hollande’s partner
for the best part of a decade, went on
to write a best-selling kiss-and-tell
that savaged the president’s personal
ƒ†’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ”‡’—–ƒ–‹‘Ǥ
— AFP
Royal gatecrasher
held for not paying
restaurant bill
MADRID — A law student famous
in Spain for conning his way into
King Felipe’s swearing-in reception
ƒ†‘–Š‡”‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ‡˜‡–•™ƒ•ƒ””‡•–ed yesterday after leaving a restaurant without paying the bill, police
•ƒ‹†Ǥ
A police spokesman said Francis…‘ ‹…‘Žƒ• ‘‡œ ‰Ž‡•‹ƒ•ǡ ƒ ˆ”‡•ŠǦ
ˆƒ…‡† ʹͲǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž† †—„„‡† Dz‹––Ž‡
Nicholas”, had dinner with friends
and left without paying 500 euros
ȋ̈́ͷ͹ͲȌǤ
“The young man then went to a
nightclub were he was detained for
ˆ”ƒ—†Ǥ ‡ ™ƒ• “—‡•–‹‘‡† ƒ† ”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡†ǡdz–Š‡•’‘‡•ƒ•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Spanish media said he dined
™‹–Šƒ„‘—–ʹͲˆ”‹‡†•ƒ–ƒ—’•…ƒŽ‡
restaurant in the centre of Madrid
and the group left after paying just
1,300 euros of their bill of 1,800
‡—”‘•Ǥ
Staff then called police but the
owner of the restaurant decided
‘– –‘ ’”‡•• …Šƒ”‰‡• ƒˆ–‡” ‘‡œǯ•
friends promised to pay the outstanding amount owed, according
–‘–Š‡’”‡••”‡’‘”–•Ǥ
Dz‹––Ž‡‹…Š‘Žƒ•dzϐ‹”•–ƒ†‡Š‡ƒ†Ž‹‡•‹’ƒ‹‹…–‘„‡”ʹͲͳͶ™Š‡
he was arrested for allegedly passing himself off as a government adviser and asking a top businessman
ˆ‘” ƒ ʹͷǡͲͲͲǦ‡—”‘ …‘‹••‹‘ –‘
act as a go-between in a real estate
†‡ƒŽǤ
‘‡œ ™ƒ• „ƒ‹Ž‡† ™Š‹Ž‡ ’‘Ž‹…‡ ‹˜‡•–‹‰ƒ–‡† –Š‡ …ƒ•‡Ǥ ‡ Šƒ•
appeared in photos in the press
alongside a string of top political
ϐ‹‰—”‡•Ǥ
Among the personalities “Little Nicholas” has managed to rub
shoulders with are Spain’s conservative former prime minister Jose
ƒ”‹ƒ œƒ” ƒ† ‘†”‹‰‘ ƒ–‘ǡ –Š‡
former head of the International
‘‡–ƒ”›—†Ǥ
But his crowning exploit was
to sneak uninvited into a reception that following the swearing in
ceremony of King Felipe VI in June,
when he was photographed in suit
and tie, bowing and shaking the
‘ƒ”…Šǯ•Šƒ†ǤȄ
biguous implementation,” the White
House said, including “restoration
of Ukrainian control over its border
™‹–Š—••‹ƒǤdzŠ‡”‡Ž‹•ƒ‹†–Šƒ–‹–
had supported an immediate ceaseϐ‹”‡„—–”‡„‡Ž•Šƒ†’—•Š‡†ˆ‘”ƒ†‡Žƒ›
‹–Š‡•–ƒ”–‘ˆ–Š‡–”—…‡Ǥ
Putin “put in quite a bit of effort
to persuade the rebels to sign the
document,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the Kommersant†ƒ‹Ž›Ǥ
A Ukrainian source, however, said
that Russia initially called for the start
‘ˆ –Š‡ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ –‘ „‡ †‡Žƒ›‡† ˆ‘” ƒ
™‡‡Ǥ‡„‡ŽŽ‡ƒ†‡”•ǡ•‡‡„›–Š‡‡•–
as Kremlin puppets, have said that
the new deal raises hopes of peace
but warned there would be no more
–ƒŽ‹‰‹ˆ‹–ˆƒ‹Ž•Ǥ
The new Minsk agreement is
broadly similar to an earlier failed
deal in September, except that the
‡™Š‡ƒ˜›™‡ƒ’‘•Ǧˆ”‡‡œ‘‡™‹ŽŽ„‡
ͷͲ–‘ͳͶͲ™‹†‡Ǥ
— AFP
BERLIN — Kiev, Moscow, Munich,
Washington, Ottawa, Minsk and Brussels — all in a week’s work for Angela
Merkel, whose tireless efforts to broker peace in Ukraine and keep Greece
‹ –Š‡ ‡—”‘ œ‘‡ ™‘ ’”ƒ‹•‡ ‡˜‡
ˆ”‘ –Š‡ …Šƒ…‡ŽŽ‘”ǯ• ϐ‹‡”…‡•– …”‹–‹…•
‹
‡”ƒ›Ǥ
Dz†‘ǯ–ˆ‡‡Ž„ƒ†Ǥ†–Š‡™‡‡‹•ǯ–
‡˜‡ ‘˜‡”Ǥ ‘‘””‘™ ‹• ƒ ™‘”‹‰
day,” Merkel said after negotiating for
ͳ͸ Š‘—”• –‘ ™”‡•–Ž‡ ƒ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ †‡ƒŽ
from Russia’s Vladimir Putin before
ϐŽ›‹‰•–”ƒ‹‰Š––‘”—••‡Ž•–‘†‡ƒŽ™‹–Š
–Š‡
”‡‡•Ǥ
Beneath a photo of the haggard
60-year-old chancellor at the end of
the Ukraine talks, top-selling German
daily Bild enthused that in Minsk and
Brussels “she did in two days what
ˆ‘”‘–Š‡”•‹•ƒ™‡‡ǯ•™‘”dzǤ
But Merkel herself is cautious
about what had actually been
ƒ…Š‹‡˜‡† ƒ† ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ ‡”—’–‡† ‹
Ukraine on Friday as the agreed
…‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ƒ’’”‘ƒ…Š‡†Ǥ
Asked how Merkel manages what
conservative daily Die Welt called an
“unbelievable marathon”, one aide
said she simply has stamina and con…‡–”ƒ–‹‘Ȅƒ††”‹•Ž‘–•‘ˆ™ƒ–‡”Ǥ
Merkel once told a women’s magaœ‹‡ –Šƒ– •Š‡ •–‘”‡• —’ •Ž‡‡’ DzŽ‹‡
ƒ …ƒ‡ŽdzǤ DzŠ‡”‡ǯ• ‘ •‡…”‡–Ǥ Š‡
†‘‡•ǯ–Šƒ˜‡ƒϐ‹–‡••’”‘‰”ƒ‡‘”
†‘›‘‰ƒ‘”ƒ›–Š‹‰ǤŠ‡Œ—•–Šƒ•”‘„—•–Š‡ƒŽ–Šǡdz•ƒ‹†–Š‡ƒ‹†‡ǤDz†•Š‡ǯ•
ƒ„Ž‡–‘‰‡–„›™‹–Š‘—–•Ž‡‡’Ǥdz
Merkel’s standing as Europe’s
pre-eminent stateswoman looks unassailable, with France’s Francois
Hollande playing a solid supporting
role and Britain’s David Cameron
sidelined in the Ukraine crisis and
irrelevant, as a euro outsider, on
”‡‡…‡Ǥ
“Europe speaks Merkel,” said Bild,
barely concealing its adulation for
her efforts to convince US President
Barack Obama to fend off requests to
send arms to Kiev and Greece’s Alexis Tsipras not to burn bridges with
”—••‡Ž•Ǥ
Austria’s Die Presse said “nothing
works in Europe without Merkel”,
adding: “Who else could have got
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin
back to the negotiating table?”
Even the hardline German Left
party’s acerbic parliamentary leader
Gregor Gysi felt obliged to tip his hat
to Merkel and Hollande’s efforts, saying they “deserve recognition” for the
deal in Belarus, whose president, Alexander Lukashenko, gushed about
–Š‡ …Šƒ…‡ŽŽ‘”ǯ• Dz†ƒœœŽ‹‰dz —••‹ƒǦ
Žƒ‰—ƒ‰‡•‹ŽŽ•Ǥ
Merkel herself, whose down-toearth style is popular across the political spectrum, cautioned that the
deal between Putin and Ukraine’s
Petro Poroshenko offers only a “glim‡”‘ˆŠ‘’‡dzǤ
She has kept lines open to Putin
through the Ukraine crisis, but her
initial reluctance to impose sanctions
vanished when it became clear to her
that he was sending weapons and
–”‘‘’•–‘–Š‡”‡„‡Ž•Ǥ
“The praise for the chancellor’s
initiative with Hollande in Moscow
and Kiev is deserved but there could
still be setbacks so it would be wrong
to say the problem has been solved,”
•ƒ‹†‘‡
‡”ƒ‰‘˜‡”‡–•‘—”…‡Ǥ
— Reuters
Impunity no more for Romania’s
rich and powerful
ȅAfter a record year of
graft indictments in Romania — many
targeting the wealthy and powerful
— the impunity once enjoyed by the
country’s ruling class may be coming
–‘ƒ‡†Ǥ
The national anti-corruption pros‡…—–‘”ǯ• ‘ˆϐ‹…‡ ‹†‹…–‡† ͳǡͳ͸͹
’‡‘’Ž‡ ‹ ʹͲͳͶǡ ƒ ”‡…‘”† ‹ ‹–• ͳʹ
›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ‡š‹•–‡…‡Ǥ
The latest trophy for the prosecutors is Elena Udrea, dubbed “the president’s blonde” by the media for her
role as close advisor to former con•‡”˜ƒ–‹˜‡’”‡•‹†‡–”ƒ‹ƒƒ•‡•…—Ǥ
The unsuccessful candidate in last
year’s presidential race was locked
up late on Tuesday over her alleged
role in a corruption scandal involving
Microsoft licences that has already
‡•ƒ”‡†ƒ—„‡”‘ˆŠ‹‰ŠǦ’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡ϐ‹‰—”‡•Ǥ
DNA prosecutors have been busy
in recent weeks probing a who’s who
list of suspects that includes several
former ministers, a Constitutional
Court judge and even the head of the
ƒ–‹Ǧƒϐ‹ƒ ’”‘•‡…—–‘”ǯ• ‘ˆϐ‹…‡ ȋȌǤ
For several years now, a reform
of Romania’s legal system overseen
by Brussels has weakened the impunity that a number of political leaders
•‡‡‡†–‘‡Œ‘›Ǥ
The bellwether corruption con˜‹…–‹‘ ‹ ʹͲͳʹ ‘ˆ ‡šǦ’”‹‡ ‹‹•ter Adrian Nastase was a sign times
were changing in EU’s second-poorest
…‘—–”›Ǥ
“Judicial independence started to
manifest itself under Traian Basescu,
once even leaders from his camp
started being convicted,” said Cristina
Guseth, President of the Romanian
chapter of Freedom House, a pro-de‘…”ƒ…›‰”‘—’Ǥ
In November, voters sick of corruption elected President Klaus Iohannis,
a ethnic German former mayor of the
central city of Sibiu known as a deˆ‡†‡”‘ˆŒ—†‰‡•Ǥ
“There is no other path for Romania,” other than becoming a nation
“rid of all corruption,” Iohannis said
™Š‡ Š‡ –‘‘ ’‘™‡”Ǥ Š‹• —•– Dz„‡
understood clearly at every level of
–Š‡’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ…Žƒ••Ǥdz
Prosecutors have not only targeted
politicians, with Constitutional Court
judge Toni Grebla being forced to resign last week amid accusations of
…‘””—’–‹‘Ǥ
Media baron Adrian Sarbu, another
icon of the post-communist era, has
been behind bars for a week on tax
evasion and money laundering alle‰ƒ–‹‘•Ǥ‡˜‡”ƒŽ‘–Š‡”„—•‹‡••–‹–ƒ•ǡ
including billionaire Ioan Niculae, are
–ƒ”‰‡–‡†‹‘–Š‡”…ƒ•‡•ǤȄ
ƒ™ƒŽ•†‘™ƒ•‘™Ǧ…‘˜‡”‡†Š‹ŽŽ†—”‹‰•—›™‹–‡”™‡ƒ–Š‡”‡ƒ”–Š‡˜‹ŽŽƒ‰‡‘ˆ…Š‹†‡ŽŽ‡‰‹ǡ
•‘—–Š‘ˆ—”‹…ŠǤȄ‡—–‡”•
14
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
ANALYSIS
Saudi King shapes
contours of power
B
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron drives a new London underground train during a visit to Bombardier Transportation in Derby on Thursday.
— Reuters
Labour’s lost Green voters could
tip UK election to Conservatives
B
ritain’s resurgent Greens are
threatening the Labour Party’s hopes for election victory
in May even though the leftist environmentalists will probably capture
no new parliamentary seats and
could even lose the only one they
hold.
Ed Miliband’s main opposition
party is neck and neck with Prime
Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives, so every voter who leaves
Labour for the Greens could push
Cameron closer to a second win
—†‡” ”‹–ƒ‹ǯ• ϐ‹”•–Ǧ’ƒ•–Ǧ–Š‡Ǧ’‘•–
electoral system.
“Every vote you give to the Green
Party makes it easier for David
Cameron to stay on as prime minister,” said Sadiq Khan, a senior
Labour lawmaker who has been
specially charged with creating a
strategy to counter the Green threat.
“If you don’t vote Labour, if you
vote for the Green party in some
seats, it could mean you’re helping a
Conservative member of parliament
to be returned.”
At the last national ballot in 2010
–Š‡
”‡‡•…Žƒ‹‡†–Š‡‹”ϐ‹”•–‡•–minster seat but polled only 1 per
cent of the vote.
The party, seen as fringe activists, has never been the major political force in Britain that it is in European countries such as Germany
where, since merging with the Alliance 90 party, it has over 60 seats in
the Bundestag.
However surveys show that
might be about to change as voters turn away from the two parties
which have dominated Britain’s political system for a century and as
Labour voters become disillusioned
with their party’s commitment to
cutting public spending.
Š‹Ž‡–Š‡
”‡‡’ƒ”–›ǯ•ƒ–‹Ǧƒ—•terity message is unlikely to cause
the political earthquake of Syriza,
which won last month’s election in
Greece, one recent opinion poll put
its support as high as 11 per cent.
Over the past few months the
Greens have scored between 6 and
9 per cent, often higher than the
Liberal Democrats that are the junior coalition partner in Cameron’s
government.
The swing to Green is a major
headache for Labour, which has
already lost droves of traditional
working class supporters to the
Scottish National Party after that
country’s independence referendum last year.
–‹•ƒŽ•‘„ƒ––Ž‹‰–‘•–‡–Š‡ϐŽ‘™
of votes toward the anti-European
UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Ed Miliband’s main opposition
party is neck and neck with
Prime Minister David Cameron’s
Conservatives, so every voter who
leaves Labour for the Greens could
push Cameron closer to a second
™‹—†‡””‹–ƒ‹ǯ•ϔ‹”•–Ǧ’ƒ•–Ǧ–Š‡Ǧ
’‘•–‡Ž‡…–‘”ƒŽ•›•–‡ǡϔ‹†•
Michael Holden
which has capitalised on the resentment of an austerity-weary public
and accuses the European Union
‘ˆ ‘’‡‹‰ –Š‡ ϐŽ‘‘† ‰ƒ–‡• –‘ DzŒ‘„
stealing” immigrants.
Now another 22 constituencies
out of the 650 that Labour must
hold or capture to win the election
are under threat from the Greens,
estimates Rob Ford, a senior lecturer in politics at the University of
Manchester.
“It’s a horrible position for La„‘—” –‘ ϐ‹† –Š‡•‡Ž˜‡• ‹ǡdz ‘”†
•ƒ‹†ǤDzŠ‡›ǯ”‡„ƒ•‹…ƒŽŽ›ϐ‹†‹‰–Š‡‹”
electoral coalition being eaten away
at both ends and... can’t appeal to
one group without offending the
other.”
“If half a dozen seats don’t go to
Labour because of the Greens and
Labour are three seats behind the
Conservatives, then that matters.
Everything matters in this election.”
Three of those seats lie next to
each other on the English south
coast: Hove, Brighton Kemptown
and Brighton Pavilion which in
ʹͲͳͲ„‡…ƒ‡–Š‡ϐ‹”•–’ƒ”Ž‹ƒ‡–ƒry seat to be won by Caroline Lucas
for the Greens.
“A lot of people who are joining us are people that might have
looked at the Labour Party in the
past,” she said, adding that there
was a general sense of dissatisfaction with Labour and the Conservatives.
“People want an alternative to
believe in and none of the other
parties are giving it.”
It’s not just in the polls that the
Greens are seeing a boost.
Since the start of the year, the
party’s membership has rocketed
beyond 50,000, ahead of UKIP and
the Lib Dems.
In the 1950s, Labour and the
Conservatives, often referred to as
the Tories, together won more than
95 per cent of all votes cast.
Now polls show they attract just
65 per cent, with both the Greens
and UKIP, polling at 16 per cent, doing better than ever.
“People want to vote for change,
it’s exciting times.
I feel people are tired and the
Greens are offering something different,” said David Gillespie, 29, who
Œ‘‹‡†–Š‡’ƒ”–›‹–Š‡ϐ‹”•–™‡‡‘ˆ
January.
He has never voted before,
though his parents are Labour supporters.
“I just thought nothing would
make a difference,” he said at one
of the busy cafes lining Brighton’s
narrow lanes. “There was certainly
nobody out there that represented
me.”
Other new members voice the
same disillusionment.
Helen Dixon, 56, a writer and
aid development teacher, joined the
Greens three weeks ago despite the
fact that her sister was a Labour
councillor, her niece is a current Labour councillor and her parents met
through the party.
“I don’t want to vote for a party
I don’t believe in,” she said at her
home near Hove’s wide seafront
promenade, adding the Greens’ anti-austerity stance appealed more
than what she saw as Labour’s
“softer” version of the Conservatives’ cuts.
“They’ve abandoned a lot of their
own constituents.”
Labour are taking the threat seriously.
Khan said Labour could address
issues Green supporters cared
about such as health and inequality,
and vowed Miliband would be “the
greenest prime minister in history”.
Dzǯ …‘ϐ‹†‡– –Šƒ– ’‡‘’Ž‡ ™Š‘
ƒ”‡ …—””‡–Ž› ϐŽ‹”–‹‰ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ‹†‡ƒ
of voting Green will end up voting
Labour on election day,” he said.
Some in Labour also hope greater scrutiny of Green policies — they
are pro-immigration, want to hike
taxes on the richest, abolish Britain’s nuclear deterrent and replace
™‡Žˆƒ”‡ „‡‡ϐ‹–• ™‹–Š ƒ Dz‹–‹œ‡•ǯ
Income” for all — will deter voters
come May.
”‹‰Š–‘ǡ ”‹–ƒ‹ǯ• —‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ ‰ƒ›
capital and crammed with fashionable bars and shops, is the Green
heartland, not only returning Lucas
to parliament but with a Green-run
city council.
Not everyone has been impressed though, and many locals
mutter about the strikes by council workers last summer which left
refuse uncollected on the streets,
while waste recycling rates are
among the worst in the country.
“I think they’re the worst party
I have ever seen,” said one woman
in a charity shop in Kemptown
near a billboard for the local newspaper with the headline ‘New Bin
Strike Called’. Much of the Green
appeal lies with voters aged 18-24,
students, often highly-educated
professionals, socially liberal and
economically secure, Manchester
University’s Ford said.
He added however that young
people are less likely to vote and are
‘”‡ϐ‹…Ž‡Ǥ
There was also a false dawn in
1989 when the Greens won 15 per
cent of the vote in the European
parliament elections but then saw
their support rapidly evaporate.
This time around the party
hopes to win three seats, including
that of Caroline Lucas, who is realistic about her party’s chances and
says she would rather see Labour in
government than the Tories.
But she rejects the “vote Green,
get Cameron” message, saying a
good showing for Greens could lead
to a “rainbow alliance” of Labour,
”‡‡•ǡ‡Ž•Šƒ†…‘–ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ‹•–•ǡ
something she believes most Britons want.
Back in Hove, Helen Dixon says
that despite the risk of helping the
Conservatives to win her local seat,
she will keep voting Green as a
means to change Britain’s hitherto
two-dimensional political picture.
“I’m not in this for the shortterm,” she said. “I’m interested in
contributing to a shift to another
way of thinking about politics.”
y rapidly appointing two
heirs, Saudi Arabia’s King
Salman has pressed pause on
“succession Sudoku”, as one leading local journalist calls speculation
over whose star is rising and whose
waning in the Al Saud ruling family.
The choice of 69-year-old Muqrin for crown prince and 55-yearold Mohammed bin Nayef for deputy crown prince resolved the most
important dilemma in the dynasty’s
recent history — how to jump from
sons of its founder, King Abdulaziz,
to his grandsons.
Yet while much attention has focused on the naming of Muqrin and
bin Nayef, less noticed moves have
indicated broader changes in the
contours of how the Al Saud manage their power and which young
princes might rule the world’s top
‘‹Ž‡š’‘”–‡”ƒ†‡›‡•–‡”ƒŽŽ›‹
future.
After decades during which top
jobs were held by the same handful of people, these appointments
appear to set in place a new ruling
team to dominate Saudi politics at a
time of unprecedented regional turmoil and long-term challenges.
The most important change appears to be the creation of two new
super-committees that give Mohammed bin Nayef and the king’s
own son Mohammed bin Salman
extensive control over most aspects
of Saudi policy making.
Mohammed bin Nayef, who is
also Interior Minister, now heads a
committee on politics and security
that will develop Saudi strategy on
how to tackle Iran, IS, wars in Iraq
and Syria, the crisis in Yemen and
treatment of domestic dissidents.
Mohammed bin Salman, who
at age 35 has also been named Defence Minister and head of the Royal
Court, heads a committee on economic and development policy that
makes his voice the most important
on big long term issues confronting
the kingdom.
“Aside from those who are close
to the prince, people don’t know
that much about Mohammed bin
Salman, but he is coming very
strong.
He is in effect the prime minister
because he has so much power in
his hands,” said Saudi political scientist Khaled al Dakhil.
‘ •‘‡ ‡•–‡” ƒƒŽ›•–•ǡ ƒŽman’s moves also appeared to
stress a pendulum swing to the
so-called Sudairi block of the Al
Saud, the seven brothers born to
Abdulaziz by his favourite wife,
from a group of princes long led by
the late Abdullah.
The new king is one of those
brothers, and Mohammed bin Nayef
is the son of another.
By concentrating power in the
hands of himself, his own son, and
the son of a Sudairi brother, Salman
was seen by some as advancing his
branch of the family.
That analysis appeared to be
bolstered by the fact that unlike his
predecessors, Crown Prince Muqrin, seen as loyal to Abdullah, was
not given a large ministerial role of
his own to cement an independent
powerbase before eventually becoming king.
Salman’s rapid dismissal of two
of Abdullah’s sons as governors of
Riyadh and Mecca, two of the three
most important Saudi provinces,
was seen in the same way.
However, decades on from their
1980s heyday, it is far from clear
that the Sudairis still constitute a
coherent faction, say informed Saudis and diplomats.
The blood tie that set seven full
brothers apart from their dozens
of half siblings are less relevant
between cousins who are widely
spread out in age and who lack
the bonds their fathers and uncles
forged during a 1960s family power
struggle.
Saudi analysts say alliances and
rivalries among the leading Al Saud
now have more to do with their
own personal histories.
Questions over power blocs in
the Al Saud are all too relevant in a
kingdom where succession does not
pass directly from father to eldest
son, but by an idiosyncratic process
of royal decree, seniority, experience and family acquiescence.
Until now, the process has been
fairly smooth, with power passing
down a line of brothers, skipping
those who lacked political experience or wider family support.
But after Muqrin, the youngest of those brothers, there is no
clear mechanism to determine how
the succession should move between hundreds of cousins, or even
whether a generation has to be exhausted before power is passed to
their sons and nephews.
Salman’s appointment of his son
to top jobs, excluding two other
prominent sons whose roles have
been mostly unchanged, may have
been aimed at positioning Prince
Mohammed as the most logical successor to his namesake, the deputy
crown prince.
The new royal court chief is not
simply enjoying an extended apprenticeship to power, but is al”‡ƒ†›ƒ…‡–”ƒŽϐ‹‰—”‡Ǥ
Many of the technocratic young
ministers appointed by Salman this
month worked for Prince Mohammed’s own charity, another sign of
Š‹•‹ϐŽ—‡…‡‹‰‘˜‡”‡–Ǥ
However, in a family that still
puts a lot of emphasis on age and
generational seniority, Prince Mohammed will have to prove himself
not only as a competent administrator, but as a skilled and tactful player of palace politics.
Two earlier kingdoms established by the Al Saud collapsed in
the 18th and 19th centuries because of internal power struggles.
Avoiding that fate, in a country
where per capita oil income is starting to dwindle, is the challenge that
awaits the two Prince Mohammeds.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R) with UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-Moon. — AFP
15
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
ANALYSIS
Unlike its operation
against militias in the
Sahel, an active French
”‘Ž‡‹–Š‡ϔ‹‰Š–ƒ‰ƒ‹•–
Boko Haram would likely
require troops on the
ground as well as the air.
Paris is seeking to avoid
such scenarios by urging
international partners
to join France in helping
affected African nations
help themselves against
the extremists, reports
Cécile Feuillatre
Chadian soldiers patrolling in the Nigerian border town of Gamboru after taking control of the city from Boko Haram militants. Chad boasts by far the mightiest army
in the region, and is France’s main African military ally. — AFP
France struggles to assist Boko Haram fight from afar
F
rance has found itself the best
positioned Western nation
–‘ ƒ••‹•– ‹ –Š‡ ”‡‰‹‘ƒŽ ϐ‹‰Š–
against Boko Haram — but also the
most vulnerable to being sucked
into an open-ended war, experts say.
Despite the presence of 3,000
troops in the region under France’s
Barkhane operation battling extremist groups around the Sahel,
Paris insists it will limit itself to “indirect support” of the widening African effort to combat Boko Haram.
But as cross-border attacks and
atrocities by the Nigerian extremist group force a growing number
of countries to respond, France may
ϐ‹†‹–•‡Žˆ—ƒ„Ž‡–‘‡”‡Ž›’”‘˜‹†‡
assistance at a safe distance.
A key factor in that dilemma will
be whether the 8,700 troops that
the governments of Niger, Nigeria,
Chad, Cameroon and Benin have
…‘‹––‡† –‘ ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ ‘‘ ƒ”ƒ
in and around the group’s northern
‹‰‡”‹ƒ •–”‘‰Š‘Ž† ™‹ŽŽ •—ˆϐ‹…‡ –‘
drive back its six-year insurgency
that has left over 13,000 people
dead.
Thus far, that challenge has been
answered by the extremists increasing the frequency, violence and audacity of their strikes.
Should that collective African
effort fail, Paris would be hardpressed to continue limiting its involvement to logistical and intelligence support, air surveillance, and
military coordination — especially
if Boko Haram began occupying
wider territory outside Nigeria.
“Our role is to aid neighbouring
countries facing a mortal threat,”
said a French diplomatic source,
who nevertheless acknowledges it
™‘—Ž†„‡†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž––‘”‡ˆ—•‡”‡“—‡•–•
for air support from Niger were
Boko Haram to escalate attacks inside its border with Nigeria.
A spate of Boko Haram strikes
on the southern Niger town of Diffa
this week has already led France
to dispatch a group of military advisers to the panicked zone, the
source said. French resistance to
directly entering the battle would
wane further if experienced and
formidable Chadian forces suffered
serious losses, or otherwise proved
incapable of beating the extremist
threat down. Chad boasts by far the
mightiest army in the region, and is
France’s main African military ally.
Chadian soldiers provided irreplaceable ground help chasing
Islamist militias that had taken control of northern Mali into the desert,
as French power struck from the air.
It is now urgent to provide Chad
“support very, very fast,” the diploƒ– •ƒ‹†ǡ ‡•’‡…‹ƒŽŽ› „‡…ƒ—•‡ ϐ‹‡”…‡ǡ
war-hardened Chadian forces represent “the only rampart” against
Boko Haram in the region.
In the meantime, Paris might
™‡ŽŽ ϐ‹† ‹– ‹’‘••‹„Ž‡ –‘ …‘ϐ‹‡
its 3,000-strong regional force to
Chad, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and
Mauritania if Boko Haram continues
striking out from Nigeria into southern Niger and western Cameroon
Ȅƒ†’‡”Šƒ’•‡˜‡•–ƒ‰‡†‹–•ϐ‹”•–
incursion into Chad.
Unlike its operation against militias in the Sahel, an active French
”‘Ž‡‹–Š‡ϐ‹‰Š–ƒ‰ƒ‹•–‘‘ƒ”ƒ
would likely require troops on the
ground as well as the air.
Paris is seeking to avoid such
scenarios by urging international
partners to join France in helping
affected African nations help them-
selves against the extremists.
“France cannot settle all the
™‘”Ž†ǯ• …‘ϐŽ‹…–•ǡdz ”‡…Š ”‡•‹dent Francois Hollande said during
a February 5 press conference, at
which he scolded global powers for
‹•—ˆϐ‹…‹‡– ‹˜‘Ž˜‡‡– ‹ …‘„ƒ–ting Boko Haram.
“It’s certain that Boko Haram is
creating a major crisis, and that all
(foreign countries) are responding
to it far too slowly,” agreed a European diplomat, who nevertheless
rejected French criticism that Europe is not trying to help with reminders the European Union has offered Nigeria security assistance for
‡ƒ”Ž›ϐ‹˜‡›‡ƒ”•Ȅ™Š‹…Š„—ŒƒŠƒ•
repeatedly rejected.
Specialist Marc-Antoine Perouse
de Montclos agreed that because
‘‘ƒ”ƒ‹•ϐ‹”•–ƒ†ˆ‘”‡‘•–ƒ
Nigerian entity, the key to defeating
it must come from or through Nigeria’s government.
“Resolution to the crisis has to
come from Abuja, (which) isn’t participating,” in the regional battle,
Perouse de Monclos wrote in an
analysis published on Thursday by
the Jean Jaures Foundation.
In it, he suggests a greater role
should be played by Britain, since
the “former colonial power is main–ƒ‹‹‰ƒŽ‘™’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡ǡȋ™Š‹Ž‡Ȍ”ƒ…‡
Šƒ• Ž‹––Ž‡ ‘” ‘ †‹’Ž‘ƒ–‹… ‹ϐŽ—ence.”
But with Nigeria’s presidential
elections now postponed due to
the insecurity and chaos created by
Boko Haram, one diplomat warns
the electoral stakes may now be too
high for central powers in Abuja to
take on “an evil genie they created
themselves, and which has escaped
the bottle.”
In rare move, US played support role in Ukraine talks
W
ashington rarely shies away from seeking to
wield its heft in a world crisis, but in the tense
‡‰‘–‹ƒ–‹‘• ˆ‘” ƒ ”ƒ‹‡ …‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ ‹– Šƒ•
played a curiously behind-the-scenes role.
Š‹Ž‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• ‹•‹•– –Šƒ– ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ‰‡–Ǧ‰‘ –Š‡
Obama administration has been in lockstep with its European allies — and that’s certainly true when it comes
to the US and EU sanctions slapped on Russia — it’s
clear the diplomatic drive which sealed Thursday’s accord came from Berlin and Paris.
It was German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French
President Francois Hollande who took on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro
Poroshenko during a 17-hour negotiating marathon in
Belarus.
No US observers or negotiators were present.
“It would have actually been quite useful even if the
EU was at the negotiation table.
The absence of the Americans and the EU is actually
quite startling and quite shocking,” said Judy Dempsey a
senior associate with the Carnegie Europe think-tank.
—–•—…Š…‘…‡”•™‡”‡†‹•‹••‡†„›‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•Ǥ
“All through the night we were getting reports from
the Europeans and supporting their efforts, and obviously our role will be key in ensuring implementation,”
ƒ•‡‹‘”ƒ†‹‹•–”ƒ–‹‘‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ‹•‹•–‡†–‘”‡’‘”–‡”•
on Thursday.
•‡…‘†‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽƒ††‡†ǣDz”‘–Š‡’‡”•’‡…–‹˜‡‘ˆ
Washington, and I can speak from the perspective of the
White House, I think it would be inappropriate, or a misperception, to say that we have not been in the game.”
Washington is now working to shore up the road map
aimed at ending the 10-month war between Ukraine
and pro-Moscow rebels, perhaps by supplying more
monitors, along with drones and sensors, to enforce implementation.
Timing however, as with everything in the world of
high-stakes diplomacy, is key.
Some observers point to the fact that after months of
•–ƒŽ‡ƒ–‡ƒ•ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰™‘”•‡‡†‘–Š‡‰”‘—†ǡ†‹’Ž‘ƒ–ic moves gained impetus as calls to send US heavy weap-
France’s President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a press conference after a
summit in Minsk. — AFP
ons to the embattled Ukrainian military gained some
traction in Washington.
The threat of more weapons being poured into the
…‘ϐŽ‹…– …‘—Ž† Šƒ˜‡ ƒŽƒ”‡† „‘–Š –Š‡ ƒš‹‘—• —”‘’‡ƒ•ƒ†—–‹ǡ™Š‘ƒ……‘”†‹‰–‘‡•–‡”‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ••‡–ƒ
nine-page peace plan in Russian to Merkel and Hollande
a day before top US diplomat John Kerry left on Februƒ”›Ͷˆ‘”ƒŠ‹‰ŠǦ’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡˜‹•‹––‘‹‡˜Ǥ
Landing in Kiev, Kerry found himself trumped by the
arrival just a few hours later of Merkel and Hollande.
And thus began the intense negotiations which culminated in Thursday’s deal.
On the sidelines of the Munich security conference,
Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden held back-to-back
meetings with European, Russian and Ukrainian leaders
on the crisis.
‡”‡Ž –Š‡ ϐŽ‡™ –‘ ƒ•Š‹‰–‘ ˆ‘” ’”‡Ǧ•…Š‡†—Ž‡†
talks to consult with US President Barack Obama.
“Obama delegated this to her, he didn’t want anything
to do with Ukraine.
In some ways he wanted it off his agenda,” said
Dempsey.
Others say it was appropriate that the Europeans
took the lead.
Dz– ‹• ƒ ˆƒ…– –Šƒ– –Š‡ –”‹‰‰‡” ˆ‘” –Š‡ …‘ϐŽ‹…– ‹• ‹†‡‡†
the blow-up in the relationship between Ukraine and
Russia and the EU over the association agreement.
So it makes a lot of sense that Europe should be at the
forefront of this,” said Fiona Hill, Director of the Brookings Center on the United States and Europe.
She cautioned that Thursday’s accord was only “an
important interim step in what’s going to be a long
drawn-out negotiation process.”
“What’s happening here beyond the diplomacy is that
an awful lot of people are getting killed.
It’s been quite a carnage,” Hill said, warning “clearly
we are on the verge of heading down into the Balkans in
the 1990s here and that’s not where anybody wants it to
be” referring to the break up of the former Yugoslavia.
Should this initiative fail, Washington still has the option to step in and take a more leading role in the diplomacy.
Meanwhile, the US administration is stressing sanctions will not be rolled back until all points of the deal
Ȅ‹…Ž—†‹‰ƒ…‡ƒ•‡ϐ‹”‡ǡƒ™‹–Š†”ƒ™ƒŽ‘ˆŠ‡ƒ˜›™‡ƒ’‘•
and a closure of the Russian-Ukrainian border — are implemented.
Any more weapons transfers or violation of the deal
“would cause us and our partners to have to impose
‘”‡ …‘•–•ǡdz ™ƒ”‡† –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– •‡‹‘” ƒ†‹‹•–”ƒ–‹‘
‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽǤ
Asked if the debate and supplying US weapons would
now die down, Eugene Rumer, Director of the Russia
programme for Carnegie Endowment for International
‡ƒ…‡ǡ‰ƒ˜‡ƒ‡’Šƒ–‹…ǣDz‘Ǥdz
“The voices on the Hill in support of arming Ukraine
are likely to grow louder and more assertive if as I fear...
this agreement does not deliver on what everybody
wants it to deliver on.”
Disclaimer:7KHYLHZVDQGRSLQLRQVH[SUHVVHGLQWKHVHSDJHVDUHVROHO\WKRVHRIWKHDXWKRUVDQGGRQRWUHÀHFWWKHRSLQLRQRIWKHObserver.
16
THE WORLD
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
SA questions its democracy
after parliament brawl
South African President, Jacob Zuma, delivers the State of the Nation
address in Cape Town. — AFP
JOHANNESBURG — “State of Chaos”,
was how one South African newspaper described the images of police
and politicians trading blows at the
opening of parliament, a damning assessment of the country’s democracy
twenty years after apartheid.
President Jacob Zuma walked
down the red carpet outside parliament in Cape Town as a brass band
blasted out South Africa’s national
freedom anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAf”‹ƒǡ ƒ† …ƒ‘• ϐ‹”‡† ‘ˆˆ ƒ ʹͳǦ‰—
salute.
But the pomp and ceremony was
short-lived.
Zuma had barely started his State
of the Nation address inside parliament when lawmakers from the
far-left Economic Freedom Fighters
(EFF) interrupted him to ask about
longstanding allegations of corrup–‹‘ ‹ ƒ ̈́ʹ͵ ‹ŽŽ‹‘ •–ƒ–‡Ǧˆ—†‡†
security upgrade to his rural home in
Nkandla.
Quivering with anger, Speaker
Baleka Mbete told the EFF and its
ϐ‹”‡„”ƒ† Ž‡ƒ†‡” —Ž‹—• ƒŽ‡ƒ –‘
stop asking questions. When they
refused, she ordered them to be removed, prompting a brawl in which
several people were injured.
Zuma was eventually able to deliver his speech but not until lawmakers from the main opposition
Democratic Alliance had walked out
in protest against armed security
guards and police entering the chamber.
“It was meant to be a solemn annual event in the life of our nation...
the continuation of a journey Nelson
ƒ†‡Žƒ „‡‰ƒ ‹ ͳͻͻͶǡdz ’‘Ž‹–‹…ƒŽ
analyst Ranjeni Munusamy wrote in
a column for the Daily Maverick, a
leading online political newspaper.
“We are now forever damaged
by the people we stood in queues to
vote to represent us.”
Tensions were already running
high before Zuma arrived when
guests discovered that mobile telephone reception had been jammed
inside the chamber, prompting journalists and rowdy lawmakers to
chant: “Bring back the signal!”.
Phone reception was eventually
restored after Mbete was badgered
by lawmakers but it added to public
suspicion that the African National Congress (ANC), under Zuma’s
watch, wants to chill dissent through
censorship.
“This should not be normal in an
open democratic society,” an editorial
in Business Day newspaper said.
“Something is deeply wrong if a
country that claims to be democratic
experiences this kind of paralysis
while its citizens get used to a culture
of thuggery at the highest level.”
The incident will increase pressure on Zuma, who has been beset by
scandal throughout his career.
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela
said in a report last year that Zuma
Šƒ†Dz„‡‡ϐ‹–‡†—†—Ž›dzˆ”‘•‘‡‘ˆ
the upgrades to his home, which included a swimming pool, cattle enclosure and amphitheatre, and should
pay back some of the costs.
Zuma denies wrongdoing.
Malema and his colleague have
feasted off “Nkandla-gate” ever since
Zuma had barely
started his State of the
Nation address inside
parliament when
lawmakers from the farleft Economic Freedom
Fighters interrupted
him to ask about
longstanding allegations
of corruption in a $23
million state-funded
security upgrade to his
rural home in Nkandla
–Š‡›™‘ʹͷ•‡ƒ–•‹’ƒ”Ž‹ƒ‡–Žƒ•–
May. Many experts believe Malema,
a former ANC youth leader, is trying
to embolden Zuma’s opponents in
the ANC to launch a leadership challenge.
“Zuma sits at the centre of all of
this. The EFF are applying pressure
on him,” said political analyst Prince
Mashele, adding that the tussle did
‘–”‡ϐŽ‡…–™‡ŽŽ‘‘—–Šˆ”‹…ƒƒ•ƒ
evolving democracy.
“No one comes out of this well. If
animals wrestle in the mud, it doesn’t
matter who squeals loudest. All you
see is mud being thrown around.”
Zuma didn’t mention the fracas
during his speech but afterwards he
dismissed the disruption as the poor
behaviour of a handful of unruly
members of the EFF, praising the actions of Mbete and security personnel.
“My view was that they were behaving dishonourably,” he told reporters yesterday. He said he had no
idea why mobile phones were not
getting reception.
Many ordinary South Africans lamented the shambolic events, saying they distracted attention from
critical issues such as severe electric‹–›•Š‘”–ƒ‰‡•ǡʹͷ’‡”…‡–—‡’Ž‘›ment and widespread poverty.
“Instead of talking about South
Africa’s problems, we’re talking
about chaos in parliament,” working
mother Dipuo Tsoagong told Reuters
outside a shopping mall in Johannesburg.
“We’re turning into a banana republic.” — Reuters
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, listens during a press meet in Geneva. — Reuters
Climate pact blueprint
adopted in Geneva
GENEVA — Negotiators in Geneva
adopted a climate blueprint yesterday, a symbolic milestone in the
fraught UN process that must culminate in a universal pact in Paris in December.
Assembled over the past six days,
the 86-page draft plan for limiting
manmade global warming was gavelled through at the close of six days
of talks, prompting applause from
delegates. “The task of this session
has been achieved,” UN climate chief
Christiana Figueres told reporters
ahead of the closing.
“We have a text today..., the formal
negotiating text that will be the basis for negotiations for the next few
months until we get to Paris”, where
–Š‡ϐ‹ƒŽ’ƒ…–™‹ŽŽ„‡ƒ†‘’–‡†Ǥ
˜‡” •‹…‡ –Š‡ ʹͲͲͻ ‘’‡Šƒ‰‡
conference failed to deliver a world
ƒ‰”‡‡‡–ǡ–Š‡ͳͻͷƒ–‹‘•‰ƒ–Š‡”‡†
under the UN Framework Convention
for Climate Change (UNFCCC) have
been working on a new project for
adoption by the end of this year.
Set to be signed at the November
͵ͲǦ‡…‡„‡”ͳͳ‘ˆ‡”‡…‡
of Parties (COP) in Paris, the pact
—•–‡–‡”‹–‘ˆ‘”…‡„›ʹͲʹͲ–‘ˆ—”ther the UN goal of limiting warming
–‘ –™‘ †‡‰”‡‡• ‡Ž•‹—• ȋ͵Ǥ͸ †‡‰”‡‡•
Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.
Scientists warn that at current
greenhouse gas emission trends,
Earth is on track for double that, or
more — a recipe for catastrophic
†”‘—‰Š–•ǡ •–‘”•ǡ ϐŽ‘‘†• ƒ† ”‹•‹‰
sea levels.
Negotiators emerged from the last
COP in Lima last December, with a
hard-fought framework text that remained hotly contested.
Š‡ ‡„”—ƒ”› ͺǦͳ͵ ‡‡˜ƒ –ƒŽ•ǡ
one of three special sessions added to
–Š‹•›‡ƒ”ǯ•‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ…Ž‹ƒ–‡ƒ‰‡†ƒǡ
was tasked with “streamlining” the
Lima document.
Instead, the meeting’s mandate
was changed early on to seeking universal endorsement of the text, which
more than doubled since Sunday un–‹Ž ƒŽŽ …‘—–”‹‡• ™‡”‡ •ƒ–‹•ϐ‹‡† –Š‡‹”
views were included.
The process was widely hailed for
creating a sense of common purpose
and goodwill in a text with universal buy-in. But it also yielded a vast
document listing a variety of alternative approaches on most issues — of–‡ ”‡ϐŽ‡…–‹‰ …‘—–”› ’‘•‹–‹‘• –Šƒ–
diametrically oppose one another.
And that means hard choices will
have to be made in the months to
come, starting with the next negotiating round in Bonn in June.
“We have now agreed on a negotiating text. It provides us with
the basis for moving forward,” Elina
Bardram, head of the EU delegation,
said.
But she added, “We would have
wished for more advancement.
“The introduction of missing elements in the text is an achievement,
but it does mean that the tough negotiations lie ahead of us and we are
running out of time. “We need a step
change between now and Paris.”
“All the crunch issues are still on
the table,” added to Climate Action
Network spokeswoman Alix Mazounie. “We have options going from A to
Z”. At the core of the pact, countries
remain deeply divided on the issue
of “differentiation” — how to share
responsibility for emissions cuts between rich and poor nations. — AFP
Swedes shaken by assault
on child migrant
Carnival King Momo receives the keys to the city from Rio’s mayor Eduardo Paes (R). — AFP
Mexico rapped over disappearances
GENEVA — A UN committee yesterday accused Mexico of failing to list
how many people have disappeared
in the country, saying the lack of inˆ‘”ƒ–‹‘Šƒ•„Ž‘…‡†‡ˆˆ‘”–•–‘ϐ‹†
such people and prosecute criminals.
The UN Committee on Enforced
Disappearances asked Mexico for
•—…Šϐ‹‰—”‡•ƒˆ–‡”…‘…Ž—†‹‰ƒ’”‘„‡
into the thousands of people it sus’‡…–•Šƒ˜‡†‹•ƒ’’‡ƒ”‡†ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰Ͷ͵
students who went missing in southern Mexico in September.
“The committee noted with con-
cern the lack of precise statistical information on the number of persons
subjected to enforced disappearances,” it said in its conclusions.
The committee’s Luciano Herzon
told reporters it was essential to pro˜‹†‡ •—…Š ϐ‹‰—”‡• ‹ ‘”†‡” –‘ †‡˜‹•‡
policies to stop the problem.
“If the state party doesn’t know
how many people have been disap’‡ƒ”‡†‹–ǯ•”‡ƒŽŽ›†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž––‘‡•–ƒ„Ž‹•Š
strategies for searching and prosecuting,” Herzon said.
Herzon said the government has
given a “huge variety of numbers
in different years,” even as AFP has
“—‘–‡† ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• ‹ ‡š‹…‘ ƒ• •ƒ›‹‰
‘”‡–ŠƒʹʹǡͲͲͲ’‡‘’Ž‡Šƒ˜‡†‹•ƒ’’‡ƒ”‡†•‹…‡ʹͲͲ͸ǡ™Š‡–Š‡‰‘˜‡”ment launched the war against drug
cartels.
The committee’s Rainer Huhle
said out of the thousands of enforced
disappearances only “six persons
(had been) put to trial and sentenced
for this crime,” suggesting criminals
were acting with impunity.
— AFP
dž — Video footage of a Moroccan boy begging for mercy as a security guard bangs his head against
ƒ „”‹… ϐŽ‘‘” Šƒ• •Š‘…‡† ™‡†‡ ƒ•
the country grapples with a record
‹ϐŽ—š‘ˆ…Š‹Ž†”‡ˆ—‰‡‡•Ǥ
Several witnesses last week uploaded video clips to YouTube showing a security guard straddling the
nine-year-old boy inside the Malmoe
central station.
Crying and gasping for air, the boy
can be heard reciting a prayer that
is sometimes said when a person is
about to die.
“The clip does not do reality justice,” a witness who declined to be
named wrote in regional daily Sydsvenskan.
“You cannot capture the boy’s cry
ˆ‘” Š‡Ž’ǡ Š‹• ’”ƒ›‡” ƒ† –Š‡ —ˆϐŽ‡†
thump of the skull against the stone
ϐŽ‘‘”ǡdzŠ‡ƒ††‡†Ǥ
The security guard has been suspended pending a police investigation into the incident, which took
place after the boy boarded a train
without a ticket.
The footage has shocked Sweden,
–Š‡ ϐ‹”•– …‘—–”› ‹ –Š‡ ™‘”Ž† –‘ „ƒ
corporal punishment for children,
and a nation that prides itself on having some of Europe’s most generous
asylum policies.
After the incident the boy was returned to a care home where he had
been placed after arriving in Sweden,
but within a few hours ran away with
ƒ ͳʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž† „‘›ǡ †‡•…”‹„‡† ‹ –Š‡
media as being his half brother, from
Several witnesses
last week uploaded
video clips to YouTube
showing a security
guard straddling the
nine-year-old boy
inside the Malmoe
central station
a car taking them to local Migration
‘ƒ”†‘ˆϐ‹…‡•Ǥ
He was found by police in neighbouring Denmark yesterday, in the
midst of a national outcry over racism among security staff and police.
“The nine-year-old boy has been
found in the Jutland region of Denmark,” Malmoe police spokesman
Mats Karlsson said.
Police have been criticised for
ƒ‹‰ ϐŽ‹’’ƒ– ”‡ƒ”• ƒ„‘—– –Š‡
boys in the media — including oneliners like “He took off like a pay
cheque” — and for only stepping up
the search for them after public outrage began to build.
“Would a blond head have been
„ƒ‰‡† ƒ‰ƒ‹•– –Š‡ ϐŽ‘‘”ǫdz …‘Ž—ist Lars Lindstroem wrote in tabloid
Expressen, while author Jonas Gardell
wrote an emotional text contrasting
the boy’s fate to that of his nine-year-
old daughter.
More than a third of residents in
Malmoe, Sweden’s third largest city
™‹–Šƒ’‘’—Žƒ–‹‘‘ˆ͵ͳͷǡͲͲͲǡƒ”‡‹migrants and the area is home to one
of Scandinavia’s largest Muslim communities.
However, south Sweden is also
where the anti-immigrant Sweden
Democrats traditionally draw most
of their support and surveys consistently show that young people in the
region have a more negative view
of immigrants than in the rest of the
country.
When the immigrant-heavy neighbourhood of Rosengaard — once
home to Paris Saint-Germain striker
Zlatan Ibrahimovic — was hit by riot‹‰ ‹ ʹͲͲͺǡ ƒ ’‘Ž‹…‡ƒ ™ƒ• ϐ‹Ž‡†
using racial slurs and likening one of
the rioters to a monkey.
Malmoe police have also come
in for criticism for using derogatory
words for black people to refer to
criminals during training exercises.
Sweden welcomes more child
refugees than any other European
nation, with a record admission of
͹ǡͲͲͲ …Š‹Ž†”‡ ‹ ʹͲͳͷǡ ƒ”‹‰ ƒ
more than tenfold increase over the
past decade.
Per capita, the country takes in
more refugees than any other country in Europe but a failure to integrate immigrants in the job market
has fuelled support for the Sweden
Democrats, which garnered just un†‡” ͳ͵ ’‡” …‡– ‘ˆ –Š‡ ˜‘–‡ ‹ Žƒ•–
year’s general election. — AFP
17
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
SPORT
EPL deal could lead to Bundesliga “revolution”
BERLIN — The Premier League’s new
multi-billion pound television rights
deal is causing concern in German
football that the Bundesliga’s leading
teams will no longer be able to compete against their English rivals.
Bundesliga Chief Executive Christian Seifert says the league may now
have to consider “unpopular options”
if it is to improve marketing opportunities.
This could include changing kickoff times and spreading the weekend
league programme to cover a Monday
evening kick-off.
Bayer Leverkusen sports chief
Rudi Voeller is just one club manager
™Š‘„‡Ž‹‡˜‡•ƒ…Šƒ‰‡‹ϐ‹š–—”‡–‹‡•
could help attract more television income.
“I could imagine that Monday
evening is a possibility,” he was quoted as saying in Friday’s Bild newspa-
per.
“The time is attractive and would
be good for TV, but in principle Saturday should be our main match day.”
The new Premier League agreement is worth £5.14 billion (6.9 billion euros / $7.9 billion) for three
seasons from 2016 to 2019, with
broadcast rights shared between British broadcasters Sky and BT Sport.
Bundesliga clubs in comparison
will receive 835 million euros for the
2016-2017 season when the current four-year deal worth 2.51 billion
euros then expires.
So far German football — which
has much cheaper ticket prices than
the Premier League and has the
world’s highest match attendances
ȄŠƒ•„‡‡ƒ‰ƒ‹•–•–ƒ‰‰‡”‹‰–Š‡ϐ‹šture programme.
‹š ‘ˆ –Š‡ –‘’ǦϐŽ‹‰Š– ƒ–…Š‡• ƒ”‡
’Žƒ›‡† ‘ ƒ ƒ–—”†ƒ› ™‹–Š ϐ‹˜‡ •–ƒ”–-
ing at the traditional 3.30 pm kick-off
time, and one game played at 6.30
pm. Two matches (occasionally three)
are played on Sunday and one is on
Friday evening.
Amateur clubs, backed by the German Football Federation (DFB), had
originally opposed the Sunday afternoon kick-off, which was introduced
from the 2009-2010 season.
“There should be no more taboo
issues,” Wolfsburg General Manager
Klaus Allofs said.
“Until now we have always manƒ‰‡† –Š‡ „ƒŽƒ…‹‰ ƒ…– ‘ˆ ˆ—Žϐ‹ŽŽ‹‰
the wishes (of TV) but keeping the
match programme compact. But there
should also be compromise.”
Borussia Moenchengladbach sport
director Max Eberl said the league
would have to consider “breaking
with tradition” in order to stay competitive.
Dz‡ …ƒǯ– •–ƒ› ϐ‹š‡† ‘ ‘—” „‡loved 3.30 pm (kick-off) but have to
make concessions, otherwise the gap
to England is going to get bigger,” he
said.
The new Premier League deal
has raised the spectre for Borussia
Dortmund general Michael Zorc of a
midtable English side like Stoke City
leaving even Germany’s European
powerhouse Bayern Munich trailing.
Bild says the situation is in fact “far
worse” — relegated Premier League
side Cardiff City last season earned
34.6 million euros more than German
champions Bayern. Bundesliga bosses
are now demanding a “a match time
revolution,” the paper said.
Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Bild: “It’s said that ‘money scores goals’ — one has to fear that
from 2016 the English will score even
more goals.
Van Gaal hasn’t ‘cracked’, says Neville
SINGAPORE — Gary Neville believes
Manchester United boss Louis van
Gaal hasn’t “cracked” despite showing
signs of pressure — and insists he’ll
win the Premier League within three
years.
Neville, speaking in Singapore
ahead of the opening of his Hotel
Football project at Old Trafford, said
the Dutchman was on track and that
criticism was wide of the mark.
A frustrated Van Gaal this week issued a four-page dossier to combat
claims United were playing a “longball” game, a move seen as a sign that
the pressure was starting to tell.
“He’s quite clearly not cracked,”
former defender Neville said in an interview.
“He’s an experienced manager,
he’s probably just got to the point
where he thinks, ‘I’ve had enough, I’m
going to bite back a little bit’.
“I didn’t see it as someone who’s
cracking, personally. I thought it was
something he won’t do again, on the
other hand I didn’t think it was so
bad.
“But I understand the reaction.”
Neville said United’s league posi–‹‘‘ˆ–Š‹”†ǡƒ†™‹–Šƒ—’ϐ‹ˆ–Š
round tie this weekend, showed Van
Gaal was on course for a “sensational”
†‡„—–•‡ƒ•‘ƒˆ–‡”–Š‡›ϐ‹‹•Š‡†•‡˜enth and trophyless last year.
ROONEY ‘NEVER COMPLAINS’
“I like what he’s done. A lot of peo-
Louis Van Gaal
ple have been criticising him but he’s
been pragmatic, he’s changed his
style to suit,” Neville said.
“It’s not always been the best football in the world but then what Manchester United need this season is a
Šƒ’‹‘• ‡ƒ‰—‡ ϐ‹‹•Š ƒ† –Š‡
Daly looms large as
duo share lead
PEBBLE BEACH, United States — J
B Holmes and Justin Hicks made the
most of perfect California weather
to seize the lead at the $6.8 million
Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with John Daly
a surprising early contender just a
stroke adrift.
The red-hot Holmes, fresh off a
playoff loss to Australian Jason Day
at Torrey Pines on Sunday, opened
his round with an eagle at the parfour 10th hole on the par-72 Pebble
Beach Golf Links, one of three cours‡•‹—•‡‹–Š‡ϐ‹”•––Š”‡‡”‘—†•‘ˆ
the US PGA Tour event.
He nabbed seven birdies and one
bogey before he was done with an
eight-under 64, and Hicks joined him
atop the leaderboard with a bogeyfree round that included six birdies
and an eagle at Pebble Beach’s parϐ‹˜‡ ͳͺ–ŠǤ •–”‹‰ ‘ˆ ˆƒ‹Ž‹ƒ” ˆƒ…‡•
were lined up behind them on sevenunder — Daly perhaps the biggest
surprise among them.
The two-time major champion,
now 48 and without a US PGA Tour
win since 2004, birdied the 18th on
Pebble Beach for a 65 that put him
tied with Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker,
Chesson Hadley, Dudley Hart and J J
Henry. Hart and Henry also carded
65s on Pebble Beach, which in benign weather is typically the easiest
of the three courses in the rotation.
Furyk, Snedeker and Hadley all
posted seven-under 64s on the par71 Monterey Peninsula layout.
But Daly, as famous these days
for his colourful clothing, off-course
antics and hulking frame as his golf,
stole the show.
“They don’t come easy and they
don’t come often,” Daly said of his
‘They don’t come
easy and they
don’t come often.
I’m happy about it
and hopefully I can
just keep the same
rhythm I had today.
I don’t know how
or why I just found
something’
bogey-free round. “I’m happy about
it and hopefully I can just keep the
same rhythm I had today. I don’t
know how or why. I just found something on the range.”
Daly, who did win a 54-hole proam event in Turkey in December, averaged 322 yards off the tee.
“As long as I still hit the driver well
and hit some fairways,” he said, “I
still think I can compete.”
Furyk, making his season debut, is
•‡‡‹‰Š‹•ϐ‹”•–™‹‹ƒ–‘—”ƒ‡–
‹™Š‹…ŠŠ‹•„‡•–ϐ‹‹•Š™ƒ•ƒ–‹‡ˆ‘”
third in 1998. Snedeker won the title in 2013. Alex Prugh had the best
score at the par-72 Spyglass Hill, a
six-under 66 that earned him a share
of ninth place with Australians Rod
Pampling and Matt Jones, and fellow
Americans Nick Watney, Pat Perez
and Max Homa. — AFP
hopefully an FA Cup run and maybe
an FA Cup victory. That would be a
sensational season.”
He added: “People have been critical because he’s not playing this way
or that way (but) it takes time, he’s
only been there seven months.”
Neville said he wanted to see
former team-mate Wayne Rooney re•–‘”‡†–‘–Š‡ƒ––ƒ…ˆ”‘‹†ϐ‹‡Ž†Ȅ
but that the England forward would
not complain about his new, withdrawn role.
“I played with Wayne for many
many years and he’ll play left wing,
he’ll play right wing, he’ll play wherever you ask him to play and he never
complains,” Neville said.
“He always does the job for the
team, he’s a team man.”
He added: “Because of (Van Gaal’s)
track record and the fact that there’s
been progression already, I think that
they will win the league inside three
years.
“He’s done it everywhere that he’s
been and I’ve got no reason to doubt
Š‹ǤDzŠ‡ϐ‹”•––Š‹‰›‘—†‘™Š‡›‘—
build a house is put the foundations
in. Manchester United are tough to
beat... so he’s put in a very good foundation of resilience.
DzŠ‡ϐŽƒ‹”ǡ–Š‡‹…‡„‹–•ǡ…‘‡ƒˆ–‡”ǡ
and that’s what I think we’ll see.”
The 133-room Hotel Football,
™Š‹…Š ϐŽƒ• Ž† ”ƒˆˆ‘”†ǡ ‹• „ƒ…‡†
by former Manchester United teammates Neville, his brother Phil, Paul
Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt,
along with Singapore billionaire and
Valencia owner Peter Lim. The football-themed, four-star hotel, with a
ϐ‹˜‡ǦƒǦ•‹†‡’‹–…Š‘‹–•”‘‘ˆǡ‘’‡•ˆ‘”
business on March 2. — AFP
“This will of course have an effect
on the transfer market. Take the move
by Angel Di Maria for 75 million euros
from Real Madrid to Manchester United. These sort of transfers will in future be the norm.”
Schalke sports director Horst
Heldt also fears German clubs will no
longer be able to compete internationally.
“It is remarkable that the last club
‹‰Žƒ†‰‡–•‘”‡–Šƒ–Š‡ϐ‹”•–‹
Germany,” he said.
“We have to think about how we
can close this large gap. We have to
think about a lot of things and be
ready to make changes.”
Whether German fans, or the nation’s amateur clubs, would tolerate
having Bundesliga matches spread
out as they are in rival European
leagues remains to be tested.
At present the Premier League has
three different Saturday kick-offs, two
on Sunday and one on Monday. Under
the new English TV deal there will
also be a Friday night slot for games.
The Spanish Liga meanwhile has
10 different match times spread over
four days.
VfB Stuttgart coach Huub Stevens
says the Bundesliga should be open
to new ideas “but football is always
there for the fans and that should
never be forgotten.”
And Werder Bremen General Manager Thomas Eichin says the Bundesliga will have to be wary of alienating
supporters.
“We know some fans would not
be happy with expanding the kick-off
times. Money is not everything,” he
said. — dpa
Man United under Van
Gaal are “miserable”
LONDON — Manchester United, once
a byword for slick attacking football, are playing some “miserable”
stuff under manager Louis van Gaal,
ˆ‘”‡” ‹–‡† ‹†ϐ‹‡Ž†‡” ƒ—Ž …holes believes.
Despite Van Gaal taking United to
–Š‹”† ‹ –Š‡ –ƒ„Ž‡ ‹ Š‹• ϐ‹”•– •‡ƒ•‘
in charge, some critics have attacked
the style of play employed by the
Dutchman.
Another former United stalwart,
Gary Neville, caused a stir when he
compared them to a pub side earlier this season, while Scholes is also
scathing of their style.
Writing in the Independent newspaper, he said: “At times, United’s
football is miserable. To beat opposing teams you have to attack, and to
attack you have to take risks. Too few
of the players in the current team are
prepared to take those risks.”
He explained: “Part of being a
Manchester United player under Sir
Alex Ferguson, perhaps the most important part of being one of United’s
attacking players, was that when you
were in possession you had to take
risks in order to create goalscoring
chances. It was not an option; it was
an obligation.
“In the periods of my career when
I stopped passing the ball forward, or
when I stopped looking for the risky
pass that might open up a defence,
‘At times United’s
football is miserable.
To beat opposing
teams you have to
attack and to attack
you have to take
risks’
the consequences were the same.
“The manager stopped picking
me. I got back into the team when
I went back to doing it the way he
wanted. “United’s history was built
on attacking football, which does
not always mean that the team kept
clean sheets or did not concede
chances. Why do you think United
have had some of the best goalkeepers in the world over the years? They
needed them because the team committed so many players forward.
“It does not give me any pleasure
to say that at the moment I am struggling to watch Louis van Gaal’s team
with any great enjoyment. They beat
Burnley on Wednesday night but it
was Burnley who had by far the best
‘ˆ–Š‡ϐ‹”•–ŠƒŽˆǤdzȄ
English clubs can rule European
football, says Frenchman Wenger
LONDON — The Premier League’s
£5.136 billion ($7.90 billion)television deal will enable English clubs to
dominate European football once
again, Arsenal manager Arsene
Wenger said on Friday.
Sky Sports, the pay-TV channel,
has agreed to spend £4.2 billion to
show 126 live Premier League matches a season from 2016 to 2019, while
rival BT will pay £960 million to show
42 games a season.
Only Chelsea and Manchester United have won the Champions League
in the last 10 years, but Wenger expects Premier League clubs to splash
the extra cash far and wide as they
have the power to “attract who they
want”.
“It makes the clubs in a bigger,
•–”‘‰‡” ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ ’‘•‹–‹‘ ƒŽŽ ‘˜‡”
Europe,” the Frenchman, who became
–Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ”‡‹‡” ‡ƒ‰—‡ ƒƒ‰‡” –‘
select a team without a single English
player in 2005, told reporters.
“It will contribute to get the best
players all over the world to come
to England. The movement of the
players is always linked with the
‡…‘‘‹…ƒŽ ƒ† ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ ’‘™‡” ‹
the countries. “When I was a coach
in Monaco we bought the English
’Žƒ›‡”• „‡…ƒ—•‡ ™‡ ™‡”‡ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•–
to have the television money. Today
–Š‡ „‹‰‰‡•– ϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽ ’‘™‡” ‹• ‹
England and the best players come
to England.”
Spanish clubs might question
that, with La Liga welcoming Gareth Bale in 2013 as the world’s
most expensive player after his
100 million euro transfer from
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (right) talks to the linesman during the English Premier League match
against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in London. — AFP
Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid.
Fifa World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo is also at Real after an
£80 million move from Manchester
United in 2009, while Luis Suarez —
who Wenger tried to sign for 40 million last season — joined Barcelona
from Liverpool for around £75 million in July.
West Ham United manager Sam
Allardyce meanwhile defended the
Premier League from criticism that
not enough of the cash was being
passed on to grassroots football.
“Fingers have been pointed at the
Premier League and their commitment to grassroots football but, over
the present deal, they are donating £56 million a year to exactly that
cause,” Allardyce told the London
Evening Standard. — Reuters
18
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
SPORT
Wawrinka recovers to join Murray in quarters
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — Stan
Wawrinka joined Andy Murray as
–Š‡’ƒ‹”‘ˆ•‡‡†•‡ƒ…Š’‘•–‡††‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–
wins on Thursday to advance to the
“—ƒ”–‡”Ǧϐ‹ƒŽ• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ‘––‡”†ƒ
World Tennis event.
Wawrinka, last year’s Australian
Open winner, struggled until breaking
Ž‘‘•‡ ™‹–Š Š‹• „‹‰ ‰ƒ‡ ‹ –Š‡ ϐ‹ƒŽ
•‡– ƒ• Š‡ †‡ˆ‡ƒ–‡† —‹ŽŽ‡”‘ ƒ”…‹ƒǦ
Lopez 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-2 for his second win over the Spaniard in three
weeks.
—””ƒ› •ƒ˜‡† ϐ‹˜‡ „”‡ƒ ’‘‹–• –‘
Š‘Ž† ‘ˆˆ †‡–‡”‹‡† ƒƒ†‹ƒ ƒ•‡
‘•’‹•‹Ž ͸Ǧ͵ǡ ͹Ǧͷ ƒ† ”‡ƒ…Š –Š‡ “—ƒ”–‡”Ǧϐ‹ƒŽ•Ǥ
The Scottish top seed and 2009
…Šƒ’‹‘ ™‹ŽŽ ‡š– ‡‡– ‡‹‰Š–Š •‡‡†
‹ŽŽ‡• ‹‘ ƒˆ–‡” –Š‡ ”‡…Šƒ
‡‡†‡†Œ—•–͸͹‹—–‡•ˆ‘”ƒ͸ǦͶǡ͸Ǧ͵
†‡ˆ‡ƒ–‘ˆ‡”‡›Šƒ”†›Ǥ
—””ƒ› •–ƒ†• ƒ ‘˜‡”™Š‡Ž‹‰
ͳʹǦͳ‹–Š‡•‡”‹‡•™‹–Š™‘”Ž†—„‡”
ͳͻ‹‘Ǥ
‡…‘† •‡‡† ‹Ž‘• ƒ‘‹… …ƒ‡
–Š”‘—‰Š ‘˜‡” ‹‘‡ ‘Ž‡ŽŽ‹ ͸Ǧ͵ǡ ͹Ǧ͸
ȋ͹ȀʹȌǡ™‹–Š–Š‡™‹‡”ϐ‹”‹‰ͳ͹ƒ…‡•
in an hour and a quarter to wrap up
–Š‡†ƒ›Œ—•–„‡ˆ‘”‡‹†‹‰Š–Ǥ
Š‹”†Ǧ•‡‡†‡† Š‘Ž†‡” ‘ƒ• ‡”dych produced a defeat of Italian
†”‡ƒ• ‡’’‹ ͸ǦͲǡ ͵Ǧ͸ǡ ͸Ǧ͵Ǥ ‡”†›…Š
swept the opening set before being
ƒ†‡–‘™‘”‹–Š‡•‡…‘†ƒ•‡’’‹
levelled.
Š‡œ‡…Šϐ‹ƒŽŽ›’”‡˜ƒ‹Ž‡†–Šƒ•
–‘ ƒ „”‡ƒ ‹†™ƒ› –Š”‘—‰Š –Š‡ ϐ‹ƒŽ
set, running out the winner on his
ϐ‹”•–ƒ–…Š’‘‹–Ǥ
“Andreas played very well in the
•‡…‘†•‡–Ǥ‘”‡‹–™ƒ•ƒ„‘—––”›‹‰
–‘’Žƒ›Ž‹‡Šƒ†‹–Š‡ϐ‹”•–•‡–ǡdz•ƒ‹†
‡”†›…ŠǤDz™ƒ••–‹ŽŽƒ„Ž‡–‘ϐ‹ƒŽŽ›™‹
‹–Š‡‡†Ǥdz
ƒ™”‹ƒ Šƒ† Š‹• ’”‘„Ž‡•
ƒ‰ƒ‹•– ƒ”…‹ƒǦ‘’‡œǡ ™Š‘ Š‡ „‡ƒ–
ƒ––Š‡—•–”ƒŽ‹ƒ’‡Žƒ•–‘–ŠǤ
The Swiss fourth seed went down
badly in an opening-set tiebreaker to
‡† ƒ ͸͵Ǧ‹—–‡ ‘’‡‹‰ •‡– „‡ˆ‘”‡
”‡…‘˜‡”‹‰ –‘ •–ƒ”– ‰‡––‹‰ –Š‡ ƒ–…Š
under control.
Wawrinka won the second set and
ran away with the third to stay alive
in an event he last played a decade
ago.
Dz–™ƒ•ƒ‰‘‘†ƒ–…Š™‹–ŠƒŽ‘–‘ˆ
‹–‡•‹–›ǡdz •ƒ‹† ƒ™”‹ƒǤ Dz– ™ƒ• ƒ
tough battle.
Dzdžǯ Šƒ’’› ™‹–Š Š‘™ ǯ ’Žƒ›‹‰ǡ
‰‡‡”ƒŽŽ› ǯ ˆ‡‡Ž‹‰ ‰‘‘† Š‡”‡Ǥ Š‡
ϐ‹”•––™‘•‡–•™‡”‡˜‡”›‹–‡•‡Ǥ—–
was playing a bit passive.
“After the second set I increased
› ƒ‰‰”‡••‹‘ ƒ† ”‡Žƒš‡† ƒ „‹– ƒ†
•–ƒ”–‡†’Žƒ›‹‰„‡––‡”Ǥdz
Second seed Milos Raonic was
playing the last of the second-round
ƒ–…Š‡• Žƒ–‡” ƒ‰ƒ‹•– –ƒŽ›ǯ• ‹‘‡
‘Ž‡ŽŽ‹Ǥ
Murray battled for one and three“—ƒ”–‡” Š‘—”• ƒ‰ƒ‹•– –Š‡ ͷͻ–ŠǦ
”ƒ‡† ‘•’‹•‹Ž –‘ †‡ˆ‡ƒ– –Š‡ ƒƒ†‹ƒˆ‘”ƒ•‡…‘†–‹‡Ǥ
Š‡ •‡…‘† •‡– ™ƒ• ϐ‹ŽŽ‡† ™‹–Š
‘‡–— •Š‹ˆ–•ǡ ™‹–Š —„‡”
four Murray saving a set point which
would have taken the contest into a
–Š‹”†Ǥ ‘•’•‹Ž –‘‘ –Š‡ •‡…‘† •‡– ƒˆ–‡”ƒ͵ͲǦ’‘‹–”ƒŽŽ›™Š‹…Š”‡•—Ž–‡†‹
ƒ—””ƒ›”ƒ…“—‡–•ƒ•ŠǤ
—””ƒ› ϐ‹ƒŽŽ› ’”‡˜ƒ‹Ž‡† ™‹–Š ƒ
„”‡ƒ ‘ˆ Š‹• ‘’’‘‡– ˆ‘” ͸Ǧͷ ‹ –Š‡
ϐ‹ƒŽ •‡–ǡ ‡ƒ”‹‰ –Š‡ ™‹ ‹ –Š‡ ‡š–
‰ƒ‡ ™Š‡ ‘•’‹•‹Žǯ• ”‡–—” ™ƒ•
ruled wide.
Dz– ™ƒ• ƒ –‘—‰Š ƒ–…Š ’Š›•‹…ƒŽŽ›
ƒ†‡–ƒŽŽ›ǡdz•ƒ‹†—””ƒ›ǡ™Š‘Ž‘•–
–Š‡ —•–”ƒŽ‹ƒ ’‡ ϐ‹ƒŽ –‘ ‘˜ƒ
Djokovic less than a fortnight ago.
Dzƒ•‡ ‹• ƒ ‰‘‘† ƒ–ŠŽ‡–‡ ƒ†
gets to a lot of balls. Thanks to this
•Ž‘™ …‘—”–ǡ ™ƒ• ƒ„Ž‡ –‘ ‘˜‡ Š‹
around at the end and control the
points.
Dz‡ Šƒ† •‘‡ Ž‘‰ ‰ƒ‡• ƒ†
–‘—‰Š’‘‹–•ǡ‹–™ƒ•†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–Ǥdz
—””ƒ› ‹• ™ƒ”› ‘ˆ ’Žƒ›‹‰ ‹‘ǡ
™Š‘ Š‡ Žƒ•– „‡ƒ– ‹ …ƒ’—Ž…‘ ‹
2014.
Dz
‹ŽŽ‡• ‹• ƒ ‰”‡ƒ– ‘˜‡” ƒ† ”‡-
Swiss player Stanislas Wawrinka returns the ball to Spanish player Guillermo Garcia-Lopez during their tennis match at the ABN AMRO World Tennis
Tournament in Rotterdam. — AFP
–”‹‡˜‡”Ǥ‡ǯ•‰‘–‡š…‡ŽŽ‡––‹‹‰ǡ•‘‘ˆ
…‘—”•‡ ǯ ‡š’‡…–‹‰ ƒ †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž– …ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡Ǥdz
Š‹”†Ǧ•‡‡†‡† Š‘Ž†‡” ‘ƒ• ‡”dych reached the last eight at the
Š‘›–ƒ†‹—™‹–Šƒ†‡ˆ‡ƒ–‘ˆ–ƒŽ‹ƒ
†”‡ƒ•‡’’‹͸ǦͲǡ͵Ǧ͸ǡ͸Ǧ͵Ǥ
‡”†›…Š•™‡’––Š‡‘’‡‹‰•‡–„‡ˆ‘”‡ „‡‹‰ ƒ†‡ –‘ ™‘” ‹ –Š‡ •‡…ond as Seppi levelled.
Š‡œ‡…Šϐ‹ƒŽŽ›’”‡˜ƒ‹Ž‡†–Šƒ•
–‘ ƒ „”‡ƒ ‹†™ƒ› –Š”‘—‰Š –Š‡ ϐ‹ƒŽ
set, running out the winner on his
ϐ‹”•–ƒ–…Š’‘‹–Ǥ
‡ƒŽƒ†”‹†•‡‡”‡•’‘•‡ˆ”‘•‡–„ƒ…
MADRID Ȅ —”‘’‡ƒ …Šƒ’‹‘•
‡ƒŽƒ†”‹†ƒ›•–‹ŽŽŽ‡ƒ†ƒ‹‰ƒǡ„—–
an air of crisis has enveloped the club
after they were torn apart by local
rivals Atletico Madrid in a 4-0 defeat
last weekend.
Negative press headlines followed
‘– ‘Ž› †—‡ –‘ –Š‡ ƒ‡” ‘ˆ –Š‡
†‡ˆ‡ƒ–ǡ„—––Š‡–‹‹‰‘ˆƒ’ƒ”–›Š‡Ž†
„›”‹•–‹ƒ‘‘ƒŽ†‘–‘…‡Ž‡„”ƒ–‡Š‹•
͵Ͳ–Š „‹”–Š†ƒ› ƒŽ‘‰ ™‹–Š •‘‡ ‘ˆ
Š‹• –‡ƒǦƒ–‡• Œ—•– Š‘—”• ƒˆ–‡” –Š‡
ƒ–…ŠǤ
‘ƒŽ†‘ǯ•ˆ‘”‘–Š‡ϐ‹‡Ž†‹•ƒŽ•‘
of concern for the Madrid hierarchy:
–Š‡ ‘”–—‰—‡•‡ Šƒ• •…‘”‡† Œ—•– –Š”‡‡
–‹‡•‹•‹šƒ–…Š‡••‹…‡’‹…‹‰—’
–Š‡–Š‹”†ƒŽŽ‘†ǯ”‘ˆŠ‹•…ƒ”‡‡”Žƒ•–
‘–Šƒ†™ƒ•ƒŽ•‘•‡–Ǧ‘ˆˆˆ‘”‹…‘—– ‘—– ƒ– ‘”†‘„ƒ †‡ˆ‡†‡” †‹ƒ”
during that run.
Indeed there are fears that the
patella tendon injury in his left knee
–Šƒ– ƒˆˆ‡…–‡† Š‹• ’‡”ˆ‘”ƒ…‡• –‘wards the end of last season and
‘•–‘–ƒ„Ž›ƒ––Š‡‘”Ž†—’…‘—Ž†
Šƒ˜‡ϐŽƒ”‡†—’‘…‡‘”‡Ǥ
Ž—„ ”‡•‹†‡– Ž‘”‡–‹‘ ‡”‡œ
Š‡Ž† ƒ ‡‡–‹‰ ™‹–Š –Š‡ ’Žƒ›‡”• ƒ†
…‘ƒ…Š ƒ”Ž‘ …‡Ž‘––‹ ‘ ‘†ƒ› –‘
–‡ŽŽ –Š‡ ‹ ‘ —…‡”–ƒ‹ –‡”• –Šƒ–
–Š‡‹” ’‡”ˆ‘”ƒ…‡ ƒ– –Š‡ ‹…‡–‡
ƒŽ†‡”‘ ™ƒ• —„‡ϐ‹––‹‰ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ͳͲǦ
–‹‡—”‘’‡ƒ…Šƒ’‹‘•Ǥ
However, defeat to Atletico could
also prove a turning point in Madrid’s
season just as it did at the start of the
…ƒ’ƒ‹‰Ǥ ˆ–‡” Ž‘•‹‰ –™‘ ‘ˆ –Š‡‹”
ϐ‹”•––Š”‡‡Ž‡ƒ‰—‡‰ƒ‡•ǡƒ†”‹†–”ƒ˜‡ŽŽ‡† –‘ ˆƒ…‡ ‡’‘” —†‡” ƒ •‹‹Žƒ”
…Ž‘—† ‘Ž› –‘ ”‘’ –‘ ƒ ͺǦʹ ˜‹…–‘”›
which helped spark a club record 22‰ƒ‡™‹‹‰”—Ǥ
‘• Žƒ…‘• ƒ”‡ •–‹ŽŽ „Ž‹‰Š–‡† „›
‹Œ—”‹‡•™‹–Šƒ‹Š‡†‹”ƒ„‡…‘‹‰
the latest casalty to join Sergio Ra-
–Ž‡–‹…‘ƒ†”‹†ǯ•”†ƒ—”ƒȋŽ‡ˆ–Ȍ…ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡•‡ƒŽƒ†”‹†ǯ•”‹•–‹ƒ‘‘ƒŽ†‘†—”‹‰–Š‡‹”’ƒ‹•Šϔ‹”•–
division match at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid. — Reuters
‘•ǡ‡’‡ǡƒ‡•‘†”‹‰—‡œƒ†—ƒ
‘†”‹… ‘ –Š‡ •‹†‡Ž‹‡• ™‹–Š ƒ Šƒ•–”‹‰’”‘„Ž‡Ǥ
However, left-back Marcelo will re–—”ˆ”‘•—•’‡•‹‘ƒ†–Š‡”‡…‘—Ž†
„‡ ƒ †‡„—– ˆ‘” ”ƒœ‹Ž‹ƒ ‹†ϐ‹‡Ž†‡”
—…ƒ•‹Ž˜ƒǡ™Š‘Œ‘‹‡†ˆ”‘”—œ‡‹”‘
Žƒ•–‘–ŠǤ
Just as Real Madrid have faltered,
ƒ”…‡Ž‘ƒŠƒ˜‡Š‹––Š‡‹”„‡•–ˆ‘”‘ˆ
the season so far with 10 consecu–‹˜‡ ™‹• –‘ ‘˜‡ –‘ ™‹–Š‹ ƒ ’‘‹–
of their eternal rivals at the top of the
–ƒ„Ž‡ƒ†ͻͲ‹—–‡•‘ˆ”‡ƒ…Š‹‰–Š‡
‘’ƒ†‡Ž‡›ϐ‹ƒŽǤȄ
“Andreas played very well in the
•‡…‘†•‡–Ǥ‘”‡‹–™ƒ•ƒ„‘—––”›‹‰
–‘’Žƒ›Ž‹‡Šƒ†‹–Š‡ϐ‹”•–•‡–ǡdz•ƒ‹†
‡”†›…ŠǤDz™ƒ••–‹ŽŽƒ„Ž‡–‘ϐ‹ƒŽŽ›™‹
‹–Š‡‡†Ǥdz
‹‘‹’”‘˜‡†–‘͵ǦͲ‘˜‡”Šƒ”†›ƒˆ–‡”„‡ƒ–‹‰Š‹•…‘’ƒ–”‹‘–ƒ–‘-
land Garros in 2011 and the Madrid
ƒ•–‡”•‹ʹͲͳ͵Ǥ
‹‘ǡ Š‘Ž†‡” ‘ˆ ͳͳ …ƒ”‡‡” –‹–Ž‡•ǡ
ϐ‹‹•Š‡† Š‹• ‘†‡•– ‡ˆˆ‘”– ™‹–Š ‹‡
™‹‡”• ƒ† „”‘‡ Šƒ”†› –™‹…‡ ‹
the second set. The winner never
ˆƒ…‡†ƒ„”‡ƒ’‘‹–ǤȄ
Tomic reaches
Memphis quarters
Ȅ —•–”ƒŽ‹ƒ ‡”ƒ”†
‘‹… ϐ‹”‡† ‹‡ ƒ…‡• ’ƒ•– Ž‡šƒ†”
Dolgopolov in ousting the fourth•‡‡†‡† ”ƒ‹ƒ ͸Ǧͳǡ ͹Ǧͷ ‘ Š—”•†ƒ›–‘”‡ƒ…Š–Š‡‡’Š‹•’‡
“—ƒ”–‡”Ǧϐ‹ƒŽ•Ǥ
Š‡ ‡”ƒǦ„‘” ʹʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž†
†‹•’ƒ–…Š‡† ʹ͵”†Ǧ”ƒ‡† ‘Ž‰‘’‘Ž‘˜
‹‘Ž›͸͸‹—–‡•–‘„‘‘ƒ†ƒ–‡‹
–Š‡ϐ‹ƒŽ‡‹‰Š–ƒ‰ƒ‹•–‘ƒŽ†‘—‰ǡ
™Š‘ ‡Ž‹‹ƒ–‡† ˆ‡ŽŽ‘™ ‡”‹…ƒ
‡‹•—†Žƒ͹Ǧͷǡ͸Ǧ͵Ǥ
‘‹…ǯ•™‹™ƒ•–Š‡„‹‰‰‡•–—’•‡–
‘ˆ –Š‡ ̈́ͷͺͷǡͲͲͲ ȋͷͳʹǡͲͲͲ ‡—”‘•Ȍ ‹door hard-court event.
Second-seeded South African
‡˜‹ †‡”•‘ ƒ†˜ƒ…‡† ‘ …—‡
Š—”•†ƒ› ™‹–Š ƒ „”‹• ͸Ǧ͵ǡ ͸Ǧʹ ˜‹…–‘”›‘˜‡”—•–”ƒŽ‹ƒƒ
”‘–ŠǤ
†‡”•‘ •‡– —’ ƒ “—ƒ”–‡”Ǧϐ‹ƒŽ
‡‡–‹‰™‹–Š•‹š–ŠǦ•‡‡†‡†‡”‹…ƒ
Steve Johnson, who defeated Gerƒ›ǯ• —•–‹ ”‘™ ͶǦ͸ǡ ͹Ǧͷǡ ͹Ǧ͸
ȋ͹Ȁ͵ȌǤ
‘‹…ǡ™Š‘‘—•–‡†—–…Šƒ‰‘”
‹Œ•Ž‹‰‹–Š‡ϐ‹”•–”‘—†ǡ†‹†‘–ˆƒ…‡
a break point in ripping through the
opening set and rescued seven of
‡‹‰Š–„”‡ƒǦ’‘‹–•ƒ‰ƒ‹•–Š‹‹–Š‡
second.
Dz ’Žƒ›‡† ’”‡––› ‰‘‘† –Š‡ ϐ‹”•–
•‡–ǡdz ‘‹… •ƒ‹†Ǥ Dzˆ–‡” –Šƒ– ™ƒ• ƒ
”‘ŽŽ‡”Ǧ…‘ƒ•–‡”ǡ „—– ƒƒ‰‡† –‘ •–ƒ›
in it and winning the second set was
‹’‘”–ƒ–Ǥ ™ƒ• †‘™ ƒ „”‡ƒ ͶǦͳǤ
•ƒ‹† –‘ ›•‡Žˆǡ Ǯ–ǯ• ‘Ž› ‘‡ „”‡ƒǤ
Stay in there and have a shot’ and it
™‘”‡†ˆ‘”‡Ǥdz
‘‹…ǡ ”ƒ‡† Ͷͻ–Šǡ ‹’”‘˜‡†
–‘ ͵Ǧͷ ƒŽŽǦ–‹‡ ƒ‰ƒ‹•– ‘Ž‰‘’‘Ž‘˜Ǥ
‡ Šƒ† ™‘ –Š‡‹” ‘•– ”‡…‡– ’”‹‘”
ƒ–…Š—’ ‹ Žƒ•– ›‡ƒ”ǯ• ›†‡› “—ƒ”–‡”Ǧϐ‹ƒŽ• ƒ† ‹ ƒ ϐ‹˜‡Ǧ•‡– „ƒ––Ž‡ ‹
the third round of the 2012 Australian Open.
‘‹…Šƒ•‘™”‡ƒ…Š‡†–Š‡“—ƒ”–‡”Ǧϐ‹ƒŽ•‹–Š”‡‡‘ˆŠ‹•ˆ‘—”–‘—”ƒ‡–•‹ʹͲͳͷǤ
Dzǯˆ‘…—•‹‰ǡǯ–”›‹‰›„‡•–ǡdz
Š‡ •ƒ‹†Ǥ Dz ‡‡† –‘ ‹’”‘˜‡ ƒ Ž‘– Ȅ
ǯ”‡ƒ†›ˆ‘”–Šƒ–…ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡Ǥdz
Š‡‘–Š‡”–™‘“—ƒ”–‡”Ǧϐ‹ƒŽ•™‡”‡
•‡– ‘ ‡†‡•†ƒ›Ǥ ™‘Ǧ–‹‡ †‡ˆ‡†‹‰ …Šƒ’‹‘ ƒ† –‘’ •‡‡† ‡‹
‹•Š‹‘”‹‘ˆƒ’ƒ™‹ŽŽ–ƒ‡‘‡”‹…ƒ“—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡”—•–‹”ƒŒ‹…‡Ȅ™Š‘
–‘’’Ž‡† ϐ‹ˆ–ŠǦ•‡‡†‡† ˜‘ ƒ”Ž‘˜‹… ‹
the second round.
† –Š‹”†Ǧ•‡‡†‡† ‡”‹…ƒ ‘Š
•‡”™‹ŽŽˆƒ…‡…‘’ƒ–”‹‘–ƒ—‡””‡›ǤȄ
Bernard Tomic
Bayern target another Hamburg rout in Bundesliga as Europe looms
Ȅ—†‡•Ž‹‰ƒŽ‡ƒ†‡”•ƒ›‡”
—‹…ŠŠ‘•–ƒ„—”‰‘ƒ–—”†ƒ›‹
–Š‡‹”ϐ‹ƒŽ™ƒ”Ǧ—’„‡ˆ‘”‡—‡•†ƒ›ǯ•
Šƒ’‹‘•‡ƒ‰—‡…Žƒ•Šƒ™ƒ›–‘Šƒkhtar Donetsk.
‡•’‹–‡–Š‡‹”‡‹‰Š–Ǧ’‘‹–Ž‡ƒ†ǡƒ›‡”Šƒ˜‡•–”—‰‰Ž‡†–‘‹’”‡••‹–Š‡‹”
ϐ‹”•––Š”‡‡Ž‡ƒ‰—‡‰ƒ‡•‘ˆʹͲͳͷǡ„—–
Šƒ˜‡ƒŠƒ„‹–‘ˆŠƒ‡”‹‰ƒ„—”‰Ǥ
Their shock 4-1 thrashing at second-placed Wolfsburg was followed
„›ƒͳǦͳ†”ƒ™ƒ–Š‘‡–‘…ŠƒŽ‡ͲͶǡ
ƒŽ„‡‹– ™‹–Š ‘Ž› ͳͲ ‡ ˆ‘” ͹Ͳ ‹-
utes, before last weekend’s 2-0 win
at strugglers Stuttgart in a below-par
display.
‘ƒ…Š ‡’ —ƒ”†‹‘Žƒ ƒ†‹––‡† Š‹•
•‹†‡ǯ•†‹•’Žƒ›Dz™ƒ•‘–‘—”„‡•–dzƒ†
ƒ††‡† Dz™‡ ‡‡† –‘ ϐ‹† ‘—” ”Š›–Šdzǡ
™Š‹Ž‡ ‡”ƒ› •–ƒ” Š‘ƒ• —‡ŽŽ‡”
•ƒ‹† –Š‡ –‡ƒ ‡‡† –‘ ”ƒ‹•‡ –Š‡‹”
‰ƒ‡Ǥ Dz‘— …ƒǯ– Œ—•– ‰‡– —’ ‹ –Š‡
‘”‹‰ǡ•ƒ›ǣǮ–‘†ƒ›ǡǯ‰‘‹‰–‘’Žƒ›
outstandingly well’ and it will happen.
‘—Šƒ˜‡–‘ƒ‡‹–Šƒ’’‡ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Arjen Robben is one of the few
ƒ›‡” •–ƒ”• …—””‡–Ž› ‹ ˆ‘” ™‹–Š
–Š‡ —–…Šƒ Šƒ˜‹‰ …Žƒ‹‡† ͳʹ
Ž‡ƒ‰—‡‰‘ƒŽ•‹ͳ͸ƒ–…Š‡•Ǥ
—– ƒ›‡” Šƒ˜‡ ’‘•–‡† •‘‡ „‹‰
™‹• ‘˜‡” ƒ„—”‰ ‹ ”‡…‡– ›‡ƒ”•
including a 9-2 drubbing in March
ʹͲͳ͵ǡ „—– ™‹ŽŽ „‡ ™‹–Š‘—– •—•’‡†‡†
…‡–”‡Ǧ„ƒ…‡”‘‡‘ƒ–‡‰ǡ™Š‘™‹ŽŽ
be available to face Donetsk, though.
ƒ„—”‰ …ƒ’–ƒ‹ ƒˆƒ‡Ž ˜ƒ †‡”
ƒƒ”–‹•ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ˆ‘”Š‹•‹†ϐ‹‡Ž†’Žƒ…‡
Šƒ˜‹‰„‡‡Šƒ—Ž‡†‘ˆˆƒ–ŠƒŽˆǦ–‹‡‘ˆ
–Š‡‹”ʹǦͳŠ‘‡™‹‘˜‡”ƒ‘˜‡”ͻ͸
following a poor display.
‹••‹†‡Šƒ•…Ž‹„‡†–‘ͳʹ–Š‹–Š‡
table after back-to-back wins, but Munich’s Allianz Arena has not been a
Šƒ’’› Š—–‹‰ ‰”‘—† ˆ‘” ƒ„—”‰
”‡…‡–Ž›Ǥ Š‡› Šƒ˜‡ ƒŽ•‘ Ž‘•– ͵Ǧͳǡ ͷǦͲ
and 6-0, on their last four visits to the
ƒ˜ƒ”‹ƒ …ƒ’‹–ƒŽǡ „—– …‘ƒ…Š ‘‡ ‹nbauer will be buoyed by their goalŽ‡•• †”ƒ™ ‹ ƒ„—”‰ ‹ ‡’–‡„‡”
ȄŠ‹•ϐ‹”•–‰ƒ‡‹…Šƒ”‰‡Ǥ
REAL LOOM FOR SCHALKE
Schalke 04 will give third-choice
–‡‡ƒ‰‡ ‰‘ƒŽ‡‡’‡” ‹‘ ‡ŽŽ‡reuther only his third senior appearƒ…‡ ƒ‰ƒ‹•– ‹–”ƒ…Š– ”ƒˆ—”– ‘
ƒ–—”†ƒ› ‹‰Š– ‹ –Š‡‹” Žƒ•– ‰ƒ‡ „‡fore facing Real Madrid.
Š‡ ‘›ƒŽ Ž—‡• Š‘•– –‹–Ž‡ǦŠ‘Ž†‡”•
‡ƒŽƒ––Š‡‡Ž–‹•”‡ƒ‘‡†‡•†ƒ› ‹ –Š‡ Žƒ•– ͳ͸ǡ ϐ‹”•–ǦŽ‡‰ǡ ‘ˆ –Š‡
Šƒ’‹‘• ‡ƒ‰—‡ǡ †‡•’‡”ƒ–‡ –‘
ƒ˜‘‹† ƒ •‹‹Žƒ” •…‘”‡Ž‹‡ –‘ Žƒ•– •‡ƒson’s record 6-1 drubbing.
 ”ƒˆ—”–ǡ ‘„‡”–‘ †‹ ƒ––‡‘ǯ•
Schalke will be without suspended
•–”‹‡” Žƒƒ•Ǧƒ —–‡Žƒƒ”ǡ Žƒ•– •‡ƒ•‘ǯ• –‘’ •…‘”‡” ‹ –Š‡ —†‡•Ž‹‰ƒǡ
who is nonetheless available to face
‡ƒŽǤ ‡”ƒ› ™‹‰‡” ‹†‡› ƒ
trained on Thursday after shaking off
a leg injury, while Japan defender Atsuto Uchida also trained after recov‡”‹‰ˆ”‘ϐŽ—Ǥ
‡•—”‰‡– ‡”†‡” ”‡‡ ˆƒ…‡ ƒ
–‘—‰Š –‡•–ǡ Šƒ˜‹‰ •Š‘– —’ ˆ”‘ ͳͺ–Š
–‘ ‡‹‰Š–Š ‹ Œ—•– ˆ‘—” ‰ƒ‡•ǡ ƒ• –Š‡›
…Šƒ•‡ ƒ ϐ‹ˆ–ŠǦ•–”ƒ‹‰Š– ™‹ ƒ– Š‘‡ –‘
—‰•„—”‰‘ƒ–—”†ƒ›ǤȄ
S A T U R D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 5
19
FEBRUARY 14 TO MARCH 29
TIMINGS: ALL MATCHES AT 4.00 AM, 5.30 AM AND 7.00 AM OMAN TIME
AUSTRALIA &
NEW ZEALAND
HOW THE BIGGIES AND
MINNOWS STACK UP
Rhythm of Pakistan perform during the opening
Glenbrae Celtic dancers and the City Of Melbourne
ceremony ahead of the ICC 2015 Cricket World Cup Highland Pipe band take part in Scotland’s
at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. — AFP
performance at the opening ceremony ahead of the
ICC 2015 Cricket World Cup at the Myer Music Bowl in
Melbourne. — AFP
Scotland’s captain
Preston Mommsen (left)
looks on during the
opening ceremony of the
ICC 2015 Cricket World
Cup at the Myer Music
Bowl in Melbourne.
— AFP
By Ray Petersen
Confident New
Zealand wary of
Malinga X-factor
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND —
Camps with contrasting moods — New
‡ƒŽƒ† „”‹‹‰ ™‹–Š …‘ϐ‹†‡…‡ ƒ†
Sri Lanka searching for consistency —
launch the World Cup in Christchurch on
Saturday.
New Zealand, co-hosts with Australia, have their tails up after a 4-2 domination of Sri Lanka in a recent warm
up series followed by a resounding
warm-up win this week over tournament heavyweights South Africa.
Sri Lanka followed their New Zealand losses with a defeat to lowlyranked Zimbabwe, although throughout their period acclimatising to New
Zealand conditions they have
been without their ODI
ace Lasith Malinga.
Malinga has the X-factor and he will make the
difference, according to
Sri Lanka captain Angelo
Mathews.
Senior New Zealand
batsman Ross Taylor
rates the round-arm
quick “the best death
bowler probably who
has ever played cricket”.
But despite the spectre of Malinga, who returns after six months
sidelined by an ankle
injury, New Zealand remain favourites to set
the tournament alight
with a home win and are
widely regarded as poten–‹ƒŽϐ‹ƒŽ‹•–•Ǥ
“I don’t know if we’d
be favourites, but everyone’s saying we’re
a good shot,” said
wicketkeeper Luke
Ronchi.
“If we go in with
a positive mind frame
and we know we can
beat any side on our
day then that’s a good
thing. If we go out and
perform as we should
we’ve got a big chance.”
New Zealand have developed into a well-balanced unit
over the past year and are not
fazed by the inconsistency of the
Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum opening partnership.
Coach Mike Hesson believes if they fail
at the top then it simply provides a chance
for someone else to step up down the order. Kane Williamson and Taylor have
been in impressive form at three
and four as have Ronchi, fresh
from an unbeaten 170 against
Sri Lanka, and all-rounders Corey Anderson and Grant Elliott.
They are also laden with talent in
the bowling department, able to call on
various combinations using Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne
and Mitchell McClenaghan with Daniel
Vettori and Nathan McCullum providing
spin options.
Swing master Boult wrapped up his
‘”Ž†—’’”‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘•™‹–Šƒϐ‹˜‡™‹…et bag against South Africa on Wednesday with Brendon McCullum and Williamson both producing half centuries.
Sri Lanka have made no secret of
the fact they need Malinga with his
round-arm action and pin-point accurate yorkers to complement the
exceptional batting talents of Mahela
Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara and
Tillakaratne Dilshan.
The 1996 champions and runners up in the past two tournaments in 2007 and 2011, are formidable when everything clicks
but that has not been happening
for them without Malinga.
Mathews sees Malinga as
“probably” the difference between
Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
“You can’t write off the rest of
our bowlers, we have fairly experienced bowlers, but obviously Lasith has the X-factor,” he said.
Sri Lanka’s batting strength is
headed by Sangakkara, the leading
ODI run scorer in 2014 just shading
Mathews and both well clear of the third
highest scorer, India’s Virat Kohli.
Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal add
depth to Sri Lanka’s batting line up
although in recent times they ap’‡ƒ”—ƒ„Ž‡–‘ƒŽŽϐ‹”‡ƒ––Š‡•ƒ‡
time.
Malinga and spinner
Rangana Herath head the
bowling attack with allrounder Mathews along
with Jeevan Mendis, Thisara
Perara and Nuwan Kulasekara
sharing the middle overs.
— AFP
WOEFUL WINDIES LOOK TO FIGHT
It’s 32 years since the Windies, in “Calypso King” mode com’‡–‡† ‹ ƒ ϐ‹ƒŽǡ ƒ† ‘ –Š‡
basis of their having won the
trophy twice, should be afforded
a chance. The reality is that this
team has forgotten how to play
like the West Indian teams of old,
with a smile on their face! They
are much more likely now to have
players putting themselves ahead
of the team, and performing like,
and as, individuals on the park.
It’s so sad.
Chris Gayle may not be a oneman-band, but he does a fairly
good imitation of one, though given his stature, the appointment
of relative rookie Jason Holder
as captain is perplexing. Marlon
Samuels a veteran of nearly 150
matches, and Darren Bravo will
have to score well for their team
to be competitive. Dinesh Ramdin is probably, as wicketkeeperbatsman, the next most promi‡–ƒ†Š‡‹•˜‡”›–‹†›ǤƒŠ‡ϐ‹ŽŽ
a ‘batsman’s’ role?
As always, lots of all-rounders
in the team, which will make
the selection game interesting.
Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy,
Dwayne Smith, and to a lesser ex–‡– ‡†Ž ‹‘• …ƒ ƒŽŽ Ǯϐ‹”‡Ǧ
up’ but have been too inconsistent recently.
For the good of the global
game, the Windies need to perform. Let’s hope they can put
their recent form behind them
and trouble the more favoured
teams with their own brand of
cricket. We do want to see Gayle
at his best, as he is worth the
price of the TV package on his
own when he is hot, and for him
to perform, he needs his teammates to do the same.
CAN PAKISTAN BREAK THEIR LOSING
RUN?
Pakistan will take comfort that
the only time they have won the
CWC was in 1992, and also at the
ǡ–Š‡˜‡—‡ˆ‘”–Š‡ʹͲͳͷϐ‹ƒŽǤ
A good omen, but omens don’t
win World Cups.
There are two reasons to look
twice at this team, and the selection policies will either be shown
to be far-sighted, or a complete
hash! First, the entire batting lineup averages approximately 35,
but with only six frontline batsmen, plus wicket-keeper Umar
Akmal, and Shahid Afridi, they
have rather shown their hand,
and will be reliant upon all of the
front-liners to contribute in every
game.
The other side of the coin is
the selection of the very much
unexposed pace attack, which relies heavily on the three left-armers. This is a factor which could
greatly affect outcomes during
this tournament, especially in
the New Zealand matches given
the nature of the pitches. The giant Mohammed Irfan will lead the
attack, and his height makes him
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq (right), Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C) and Bangladesh
captain Mashrafe Mortaza attend the opening ceremony of the ICC 2015 Cricket World Cup at the
Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. — AFP
Tahir Khan will bowl his ‘leggies’ effectively, having an excellent strike rate, and this is where
SA, like the Black Caps have sig‹ϐ‹…ƒ– •–”‡‰–ŠǤ Š‡ ‡…‘‘›
rate of all of the fast bowlers is
below 5 runs an over, and Dale
Steyn and Vernon Philander have
superb strike rates as well. A double whammy! Along with Morne
Morkel, they form a lethal strike
force, and with the young strapping Aaron Phangiso to offer a
developing alternative, opposing
„ƒ–•‡™‹ŽŽ‘–ϐ‹†”—•‡ƒ•›–‘
come by.
The only thing against South
Africa
not winning this tournaPakistani fans react during the performance of Rhythm of
ment
is
history, and they have
Pakistan at the opening ceremony of the ICC 2015 Cricket World
conspired
in the past to lose
Cup at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. — AFP
games they should have won.
Those losses should provide suf†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž––‘™‘”‘—–ǤˆŠ‡‰‡–•Š‹• teams. A mixture of youth and ex- ϐ‹…‹‡– ‘–‹˜ƒ–‹‘ ˆ‘” †‡ ‹ŽŽ‹‡”ǯ•
line right he could be very awk- perience is obvious, and although team, after all, no-one in sport
ward. Fellow ‘lefties’ Wahab Riaz beaten by the Black Caps in a re- likes being called ‘chokers!’
and Rahat Ali will provide sup- cent warm-up match, they still
port, and may be busy, as right Ž‘‘ –‘ Šƒ˜‡ –Š‡ ƒŽŽǦ”‘—† ϐ‹”‡MINNOWS’ BEST PROSPECTS
arm quicks Sohail Khan, and Eh- power to win.
The CWC teams from second
AB de Villiers leads by exam- and third tier nations will all
san Adil have very little experience with only 5 and 4 matches ple, and with an average over play their part, but I would be
respectively. Yasir Shah provides ͷͲǡ Š‡ ™‹ŽŽ Šƒ˜‡ –Š‡ …‘ϐ‹†‡…‡ pretty safe in saying that none
the leg spin option, and Afridi will to play his natural game know- will progress beyond the group
not doubt bowl his usually eco- ing full well there is a wealth of stages. Rather than focus on the
nomic spells. At least they have batting to follow, especially after teams, I have chosen one player
his 31 ball hundred last month. to watch in each of the teams.
options, though inexperienced.
Misbah-ul-Haq is a canny Hashim Amla has been around
Zimbabwean Brendan Taylor
campaigner though, and with for more than 10 years, is a pro- has played an amazing 160 onethe wily Afridi is sure to be ef- Ž‹ϐ‹… ”—Ǧ•…‘”‡”ǡ ƒ† „‡•– ‘ˆ ƒŽŽǡ day matches, and is a seriously
fective with the limited experi- rarely fails. He is the rock upon hard hitting wicketkeeper-batsence, and resources he has at his which their success is built!
man, with an average of 33. He
When you factor in the solidity appeals as a player who is ‘in love
disposal. The biggest asset is the
“boom-boom” factor, and Afridi of a middle order of Faf du Ples- with the game’ and while stubhas shown that if this is to be his sis, JP Duminy, and David Miller born, determined and aggressive,
last hurrah, he will ‘go out with a who all average close to 40. Then always has a ready smile. Built
bang!’ On the face of it however, add the exciting talent of Rilee like a rugby player, he could sign
Pakistan looks under-resourced Roussow, and the baby faced as- off on a career to be proud of, on
and even at 21/1 with the book- sassin and wicket-keeper Quin- the world stage.
ies, will only attract ‘loyalty’ mon- ton de Kock you have a stacked
Can any of these teams win a
batting line up. The youth again, game? Well, stranger things have
ey.
of Kyle Abbott and Farhaan Be- happened, and Ireland, Zimbahardien among the all-rounders bwe and Bangladesh appear to
PROTEAS BATTLE CHOKERS TAG
The smart money is pouring in is exciting, and add to the enter- have the most experience, howlate for South Africa, and despite tainment factor. The experienced ever, should the Afghanistan,
never having won the coveted Wayne Parnell offers left arm Scottish, and particularly the UAE
title, they must rank as the best fast-medium options, and is also a team get into a position to win a
balanced of all of the competing handy hitter, averaging 22.
game, I’ll be rooting for them.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 24, 1436 AH
England face great Australian
barrier in World Cup opener
MELBOURNE — England face a formidable task against hosts Australia
in their World Cup opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday
as they look to end a depressing run
against the old enemy.
England, chasing a maiden World
Cup title, head into the tournament
with fresh painful memories of three
losses to the Australians, including a crushing 112-run defeat in last
‘–Šǯ•–”‹Ǧ•‡”‹‡•ϐ‹ƒŽǤ
Eoin Morgan’s team have to turn
around a wretched record of two
wins from their last 15 ODI encounters in Australia before an expected
90,000 crowd at the MCG.
The last of England’s three losing
‘”Ž† —’ ϐ‹ƒŽ• ™ƒ• ‹ —•–”ƒŽ‹ƒ ‹
1992.
Adding to their problems is that
in a tough Pool A they will also face
1996 winners Sri Lanka and the improving tournament co-hosts New
Zealand.
England are banking on home expectations getting the better of the
Australians as it proved when the
World Cup was last held Down Under
23 years ago and they knocked the
—••‹‡•‘—–‹–Š‡•‡‹ϐ‹ƒŽ•Ǥ
“It’s important to focus on what
we do best. I think a lot of times in the
past we’ve strived for a formula that
hasn’t been ours,” Morgan said.
“I think if we can produce what I
think is our best cricket on Saturday,
we’ll be able to beat Australia.”
The Australians, who will go into
the tournament opener without skipper Michael Clarke as he strives for
ˆ—ŽŽ ϐ‹–‡•• ƒˆ–‡” Šƒ•–”‹‰ •—”‰‡”›ǡ
are looking for the impetus of a commanding victory to get the country
—•–”ƒŽ‹ƒǯ•ƒ˜‹†ƒ”‡”ƒ†–‡˜‡‹–Šȋ”‹‰Š–Ȍ–ƒ‡’ƒ”–‹ϔ‹‡Ž†‹‰
practice during a team training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
(MCG). — AFP
‘It’s important to
focus on what we
do best. I think a lot
of times in the past
we’ve strived for a
formula that hasn’t
been ours. I think
if we can produce
what I think is our
best cricket, we’ll
be able to beat
Australia’
behind them for the rest of the sixweek tournament.
“There’s pressure on every team in
any World Cup, wherever you’re playing, to win,” Australia coach Darren
Lehmann said.
“For us it’s about embracing our
own country and getting the support
from the crowd, entertaining them
and playing the brand of cricket we
have over the last 18 months in the
one-day format.
“If we do that, the results will look
after themselves.
“We don’t look any further ahead
than England and looking forward to
great crowd support and putting on a
good show.”
Australia are peaking at the right
–‹‡ ˆ‘” ƒ …”ƒ… ƒ– –Š‡‹” ϐ‹ˆ–Š ‘”Ž†
scored a 100, so I don’t have to look
that far back to actually reconnect
with what works well for me.
“I took a lot out of that 100 I
scored in Sydney (last month), particularly as it was against Australia.
–ƒ‡ ƒ Ž‘– ‘ˆ …‘ϐ‹†‡…‡ ˆ”‘ –Šƒ–
game.”
Lehmann mischievously hopes
Morgan’s batting troubles continue
for a little while longer.
“He’s a good player. I’d like him to
continue that run against us on Sat—”†ƒ›ǡ „—– Š‡ǯ• ƒ ϐ‹‡ ’Žƒ›‡” •‘ ™‡ǯŽŽ
come up with our plans as we did in
the tri-series,” he said.
The highest crowd for an ODI at
the MCG of 87,789 for the 1992 Paki•–ƒǦ‰Žƒ† ‘”Ž† —’ ϐ‹ƒŽ ‹• —der threat this weekend. — AFP
Cup triumph and have only lost one
of their last 12 ODIs against all-comers.
Australia accounted for the thirdranked South Africans 4-1 in a series
at home last November and comfortably beat England and India in the
–”‹Ǧ•‡”‹‡•‹–Š‡ϐ‹ƒŽ™‡‡•„‡ˆ‘”‡–Š‡
World Cup.
Morgan has issues of his own
heading into cricket’s showpiece with
three ducks in his last four outings restricting his meaningful batting practice.
“I’m not really that concerned. I’ve
had a couple of low scores, but obviously I’m looking to cash in on Saturday if I manage to get past 10 to 20
balls,” Morgan said.
Dz‘—” ‘” ϐ‹˜‡ ‰ƒ‡• •‹…‡ Žƒ•–
History man Anderson backs England
to end World Cup drought this time
MELBOURNE — England’s swing
king James Anderson began his international career as a 20-year-old at
the Melbourne Cricket Ground and
starts out on his fourth World Cup
campaign at the same venue on Saturday.
Anderson, who is just four short
of beating Ian Botham’s England
Test record of 383 wickets, will be
his team’s star man as they set out
ƒ‰ƒ‹•– –Š‡ ‘††• –‘ Žƒ† –Š‡‹” ϐ‹”•–
World Cup title.
Much depends on the 32-year-old
Lancastrian to inspire his country
with his masterful swing bowling and
end their one-day torment against
Australia.
Anderson confessed to being
grateful of just playing for his country
back in 2002 when he appeared for
‰Žƒ†ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‹‡ƒ––Š‡
Ǥ
“The 20-year-old version of me
was that I was just happy to be there
and enjoying the occasion,” he recalled on Friday.
“I guess the abuse at the time was
a bit of a shock, and tomorrow it
won’t be.
“I know now that you just have
to enjoy occasions like these, to play
‘I think there is a
genuine belief that
we can surprise a
few teams. We feel
…‘ϔ‹†‡––Š‹•–‹‡ǯ
England’s cricketer James
Anderson speaks during a press
conference at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.
— AFP
at the MCG in front of a full house
against Australia in a World Cup is
something every player dreams of
and we’re all so excited about tomorrow, can’t wait.”
While England are not among the
pundits’ main contenders to win the
‘”Ž†—’ϐ‹ƒŽƒ––Š‡
‘ƒ”…Š
29, Anderson remains the eternal optimist that England can indeed land
the big one this time.
“Obviously, the last few World
Cups have been very unsuccessful
from our point of view, but this time
there is a real difference in the belief
that we’ve got,” he said.
“I think there is a genuine belief
that we can surprise a few teams. We
ˆ‡‡Ž …‘ϐ‹†‡– –Šƒ– ™‡ …ƒ „‡ƒ– ƒ›one if we play our best.
“In a tournament like this it’s all
ƒ„‘—–“—ƒŽ‹ˆ›‹‰ˆ‘”–Š‡“—ƒ”–‡”ϐ‹ƒŽ•
and you’re three matches away from
winning the World Cup.
“We’re really keen on getting off to
a good start tomorrow and hopefully
everything will take care of itself after
that.”
Anderson realises the huge responsibility he carries for England in
the tournament.
“My job is to start well with the
new ball, quite often bowl in the power play and at the death as well,” he
said.
“In the last three weeks I’ve
bowled reasonably well up front, got
wickets and kept the runs down, but
the game can turn really quickly.
“You have to make the most of being in form and getting the little rubs
of the green.”
Anderson has the ability to swing
the new ball both ways with no apparent change in action and along
with his impeccable control against
both right and left-handers it makes
him a handful, especially in favourable conditions.
He is among the top wicket-takers
‹–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‡‘˜‡”•‹•‘˜‡”–Š‡
last couple of years and has become
adept at bowling in a more defensive
fashion.
In 188 ODIs Anderson has captured 264 wickets at 28.84 and is
currently the ICC’s fourth-ranked
bowler. — AFP
New Zealand’s captain Brendon
McCullum (left) celebrates
South Africa’s AB de Villiers
being caught out with
team-mate Daniel Vettori and
Luke Ronchi (right) during
the World Cup one-day
warm up match.
— AFP
McCullum hails ‘bestprepared’ NZ team
CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND
ȅ Upbeat Brendon McCullum
believes the New Zealand side he
leads into the World Cup opener
against Sri Lanka in Christchurch
on Saturday is the best prepared
Kiwi team he has known.
The 33-year-old, heading into
his fourth World Cup, is not prepared to pick a tournament winner but he has no doubt New
Zealand will be in the mix at the
end despite their world ranking
of six.
After winning four of their
’ƒ•–ϐ‹˜‡•‡”‹‡•ǡ–Š‡ˆ‡‡Ž‹‰‘ˆ
hope that previous New Zealand
teams clung to has been replaced
by belief, he said.
“It’s the best prepared team,
all round team, we tick most
boxes,” he said on Friday as the
–‡ƒ Š‡ƒ†‡† ‘—– –‘ –Š‡‹” ϐ‹ƒŽ
practice at the Hagley Oval before
cricket’s 44-day glamour tournament begins. “The style of play
is something we’re comfortable
with. We’ve had different personnel come in and out over the last
little while but the game plan has
always remained the same.
“Overall we’ve got a nice mix
of youth and experience. It’s a
team I’m really comfortable taking into a World Cup and we give
ourselves a good chance.”
Heading into the tournament
New Zealand have comfortably
won series against Sri Lanka and
Pakistan in the past six weeks
and beaten highly-rated South
Africa in a warm-up game this
week. They have shown they can
win both defending and chasing a target, although McCullum
conceded they had not faced Sri
Lankan ace Lasith Malinga who
is poised to return after a lengthy
injury layoff.
Dz‡ƒ‡•ƒ•‹‰‹ϐ‹…ƒ–†‹ˆˆ‡”ence to their bowling line up, pre-
dominantly more at the back end
of the game in terms of his death
bowling,” he said.
“He’s a phenomenal death
bowler and he’s going to be a factor which we will have to overcome if we’re going to succeed in
this game.
“But if we can head into those
ϐ‹ƒŽ ‘˜‡”• ™‹–Š ƒ ‹…‡ ’Žƒ–ˆ‘”
then hopefully we can put him
under a bit of pressure. But certainly Sri Lanka is a stronger
team for Lasith Malinga’s involvement.”
New Zealand’s batting order
appears solid, particularly with
the high-scoring Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor at three and
four if the big-hitting approach
of openers McCullum and Martin
Guptill does not pay off.
Š‡‘Ž›•‡Ž‡…–‹‘†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–›‹•
choosing three from a pace attack
‘ˆϐ‹˜‡–ƒŽ‡–‡†„‘™Ž‡”•‹…Ž—†‹‰
Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle
Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan and
Adam Milne.
McCullum said the balance of
–Š‡•“—ƒ†‰ƒ˜‡Š‹ƒ…‘ϐ‹†‡…‡
he had not experienced at previous World Cups.
“You always hoped things
would work out well but did you
genuinely believe it? Maybe, maybe not. But, we believe (this) is a
good cricket team and we believe
we have a chance in this World
Cup. But he tempered his enthusiasm saying he was loath to pick
the eventual winner in a tournament that could well be decided
by one piece of individual brilliance. “I guess that’s the major
fear. When you’re dominating a
game and you’re in a position of
authority and one of those match
winners comes out and takes the
game away from you.
“It could be any one of the
eight top nations.” — AFP
FEBRUARY 14, 2015 | RABEE AL THANI 24, 1436 AH
P22
Brazilians Hoard Water,
Prepare for Drastic Rationing
www.omanobserver.om
P24
P23
Is Climate Change
Fuelling War?
Big Cats in the
Jaws of Extinction
[email protected]
BURDEN
OF LOVE
Padlocks Damage
Germany’s Bridges
By Catherine Simon und
Roland Boehm
S
ong lyrics say love turns to rust,
well, hundreds and thousands of
lovers’ padlocks rusting away on
Germany’s historic bridges are causing lots of damage.
In addition to rust, friction and uneven weight distribution are damaging the fabric of the bridges and even
destabilising some of them.
Germany’s city of romance, Heidel„‡”‰ǡ ‹• ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ „ƒ…ǣ ‹ ‘”†‡” –‘ ”‡-
each other.
In the metropolis of Cologne on
the Rhine, 20 tonnes of padlocks are
weighing down the Hohenzollern
Bridge, a railway bridge in the centre
of the cathedral city.
A spokeswoman for the city said
she found the whole thing very positive and “a nice gesture.”
“It has charm,” she said, adding
that it was very unlikely that anyone
would dare to try and remove the
padlocks and that the railway company certainly did not intend to.
There was no risk to
the stability
of the
move
the burden of padlocks
from the historic
100-year-old
Old
Bridge,
bridge
iron
bridge,
the
city’s
spokes
a railway spokesauthorities
man said.
have erected
The bridge
a Love Rock
weighs 24,000
on the shores
eve
tonnes and eveof the river
ry express train
trains
Neckar
i
that passes over it
complete
weighs 350 tonnes
tonnes,
with specialhe added.
ly designed met- a l
The padlocks have
hooks for padlocks.
prob
become a real probThe Love Rock has a
lem in the French
l
h
l iin it
i so that
h
large
hole
capital where last
young couples can gaze
year parts of the railings of the Pont
on the city’s world famous castle as
des Arts pedestrian bridge over the
they declare their undying love for
Seine collapsed under their weight.
Lovers used to carve their
initials into trees or on park
benches, but these days they like
to attach an engraved padlock
to a bridge, then throw the key
into a river. The problem is that
the sheer number of padlocks is
damaging Germany’s historic
bridges
In some German towns and cities,
the days of the small metal declarations of love are numbered.
Some 1,000 padlocks were removed from a historically listed
bridge in the northern city of Hanover
as they were damaging the leaf and
ϐŽ‘™‡”†‡…‘”ƒ–‹‘•‘ˆ–Š‡”ƒ‹Ž‹‰•Ǥ
“The bridge is a listed monument,
[so] we have to act,” city spokesman
Dennis Dix said.
Some experts, like couples therapist Oskar Holzberg from Hamburg,
have defended the practice as being
important for some relationships.
“Every marriage is a ritual,” he says.
‡ ƒ†˜‹•‡• …‘—’Ž‡• –‘ ϐ‹† ”‹–—ƒŽ•
that suit them as they can improve a
shared life.
Examples of rituals can be celebrating the anniversary of the day a couple met, or attaching a padlock to a
bridge.
But fellow therapist Ruediger
Wacker from Essen is more sceptical.
“Love is something alive and you
have to feed it every day,” he says.
“You can get more from a relationship if you care for it every day, rather
than a one-off hanging of a lock on a
bridge.”
In Nuremberg, city workers used
metal cutters to remove a large quantity of padlocks from a pedestrian
bridge in the east of the city after people complained that they found it hard
to get around them on their way into
the city, some even saying they had
been injured by them.
Next for the chop will be the 1,000
or so padlocks that are destabilising
a bridge over Nuremberg’s Pegnitz
river.
“The combined weight is huge,”
says a spokeswoman for the city.
In Heidelberg, the city regularly removes the padlocks that still keep appearing on the bridge despite the Love
Rock.
They are placed in a bucket for
couples to retrieve if they so wish.
The south-western city of Heilbron has erected a wire fence by the
‘‡–œ‡–—” „”‹†‰‡ •’‡…‹ϐ‹…ƒŽŽ› ˆ‘”
padlocks which has attracted 6,000 of
them so far.
In Munich, the love bridge is located near the zoo, but Friedrich
Spiess of the city’s works department said the padlocks would be removed if they started to damage the
„”‹†‰‡Ǥdzƒˆ‡–›…‘‡•ϐ‹”•–ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Paris is trying out a solution for
–Š‡•‡Žϐ‹‡ƒ‰‡ǣƒ™‡„’ƒ‰‡…ƒŽŽ‡†‘˜‡
Without Locks has been set up where
lovers can post pictures of themselves
on the Pont des Arts instead of attaching a padlock to it.
“Our bridges are more fragile than
your love,” part of a poem on the web
’ƒ‰‡”‡ƒ†•ǤŽ›͸ͲͲ•‡Žϐ‹‡•Šƒ˜‡„‡‡
posted since the page was set up.
Thousands more padlocks have
been attached to the bridge. — dpa
22
SPOTLIGHT
OMAN DAILY OBSERVER
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
BRAZILIANS HOARD WATER
Prepare for
Drastic Rationing
ƒ…‡Ž‹ǡͼͷǡϔ‹ŽŽ•ƒ„—…‡–™‹–Š”ƒ‹™ƒ–‡”•Š‡…‘ŽŽ‡…–•ˆ”‘ƒ™ƒ–‡”„‘šǤ
ȋ‡Ž‘™Ȍƒ”‹ƒǡͽͶǡϔ‹ŽŽ•ƒ„—…‡–™‹–Š™ƒ–‡”—•‡†ˆ‘”Žƒ—†”›ǡ–‘„‡—•‡†‹
–Š‡„ƒ–Š”‘‘ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
ƒŠ‘Ž†•ƒ
mosquito net before
placing it over a water
container
By Caroline Stauffer
B
razilians are hoarding water
in their apartments, drilling
homemade wells and taking
other emergency measures to prepare for forced rationing that appears
likely and could leave taps dry for
—’ –‘ ϐ‹˜‡ †ƒ›• ƒ ™‡‡ „‡…ƒ—•‡ ‘ˆ ƒ
drought.
In São Paulo, the country’s largest
city with a metropolitan area of 20
million people, the main reservoir is
at just 6 per cent of capacity with the
peak of the rainy season now past.
Other cities in Brazil’s heavily
populated southeast such as Rio de
ƒ‡‹”‘ ˆƒ…‡ Ž‡•• †‹”‡ •Š‘”–ƒ‰‡• „—–
could also see rationing.
Uncertainty over the drought
ƒ† ‹–• …‘•‡“—‡…‡• ‘ Œ‘„•ǡ ’—„Ž‹…
health and overall quality of life have
further darkened Brazilians’ mood
at a time when the economy is struggling.
After January rains disappointed,
and incentives to cut consumption fell
•Š‘”–ǡ ‘ƒ—Ž‘‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•™ƒ”‡†–Š‡‹”
‡š–•–‡’…‘—Ž†„‡–‘•Š—–‘ˆˆ…—•–‘‡”•ǯ ™ƒ–‡” •—’’Ž› ˆ‘” ƒ• ƒ› ƒ• ϐ‹˜‡
days a week — a measure that would
likely last until the next rainy season
•–ƒ”–•‹…–‘„‡”ǡ‹ˆ‘–Ž‘‰‡”Ǥ
–ƒ–‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ••ƒ›–Š‡›Šƒ˜‡‘–›‡–
decided whether or when to imple‡– •—…Š ”ƒ–‹‘‹‰ǡ ‹ ’ƒ”– „‡…ƒ—•‡
they are still hoping for heavy rains
‹‡„”—ƒ”›ƒ†ƒ”…ŠǤ†‡‡†ǡ–Š—derstorms in recent days have caused
Žƒ‡•–‘”‹•‡ƒ„‹–Ǥ
Still, independent projections suggest that São Paulo’s main Cantareira
reservoir could run out of water as
soon as April without drastic cuts to
consumption.
As such, the race is on to secure
water while it lasts.
Large hospitals in São Paulo are
installing in-house water treatment
and recycling centers, among other
measures, to make sure they can still
carry out surgeries and other essential tasks if regular supply stops.
‡ƒ™Š‹Ž‡ǡ …‘’ƒ‹‡• ƒ”‡ …‘peting with each other to secure
deliveries from large water tanker
–”—…•ǡ ™Š‹…Š Šƒ˜‡ ƒŽ”‡ƒ†› „‡…‘‡
a common sight on São Paulo’s gridlocked streets.
“It’s like seeing 10 litres in your
gas tank and knowing you won’t
make it to the next station,” said Stefan Rohr, Environmental Director for
industry group Ciesp in Campinas, a
metropolitan area of more than 3 million people just north of São Paulo.
ƒ›Žƒ”‰‡™ƒ–‡”Ǧ‹–‡•‹˜‡‹†—•–”‹‡•ǡ ‹…Ž—†‹‰ „‡˜‡”ƒ‰‡•ǡ …‡ŽŽ—Ž‘•‡
and steel, long ago made contingency
”ƒœ‹Ž‹ƒ•ƒ”‡Š‘ƒ”†‹‰™ƒ–‡”‹–Š‡‹”
ƒ’ƒ”–‡–•ǡ†”‹ŽŽ‹‰Š‘‡ƒ†‡™‡ŽŽ•
ƒ†–ƒ‹‰‘–Š‡”‡‡”‰‡…›‡ƒ•—”‡•–‘
’”‡’ƒ”‡ˆ‘”ˆ‘”…‡†”ƒ–‹‘‹‰–Šƒ–ƒ’’‡ƒ”•
Ž‹‡Ž›ƒ†…‘—Ž†Ž‡ƒ˜‡–ƒ’•†”›ˆ‘”—’–‘ϔ‹˜‡
†ƒ›•ƒ™‡‡„‡…ƒ—•‡‘ˆƒ†”‘—‰Š–
plans to truck in water or use underground wells, which may stave off a
ˆ—ŽŽǦϐŽ‡†‰‡†‡…‘‘‹…†‹•ƒ•–‡”Ǥ
But smaller ones, ranging from
„‡ƒ—–› •ƒŽ‘• ƒ† ”‡•–ƒ—”ƒ–• –‘ …ƒ”
washes and light industry, may have
to close or severely restrict activity.
DzŠ‡‡…‘‘‹…‹’ƒ…–™‹ŽŽ„‡Œ‘„
losses,” Rohr said.
40m could be affected
ƒ„‡•’ǡ ‘ ƒ—Ž‘ǯ• •–ƒ–‡Ǧ…‘–”‘Žled water utility, said it did not yet
‘™™Š‡‘”‹ˆ”ƒ–‹‘‹‰™‘—Ž†„‡gin. State Governor Geraldo declined
requests for an interview.
‡„‡” ‘ˆ ‘—••‡ˆˆǯ• ƒ„‹‡–
said earlier this month on condition
of anonymity that some degree of
water rationing is expected in Brazil’s three largest metropolitan areas
— São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo
‘”‹œ‘–‡ǡ ™‹–Š ƒ …‘„‹‡† ’‘’—Žƒtion of 40 million people.
Even without rationing, health
’”‘„Ž‡•ƒ”‡„‡‹‰ˆ‡Ž–Ǥ
Š‡‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ—„‡”‘ˆ†‡‰—‡ˆ‡ver cases in São Paulo tripled in January from the previous year to 120.
ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ• „Žƒ‡† –Š‡ ”‹•‡ ‹ ’ƒ”– ‘
residents collecting rainwater in open
„—…‡–•ǡ™Š‹…Šƒ––”ƒ…–•‘•“—‹–‘‡•Ǥ
ƒ›”‹…Š‡””ƒœ‹Ž‹ƒ•Šƒ˜‡Žƒ”‰‡
•–‘”ƒ‰‡ –ƒ• „—‹Ž– ‹–‘ –Š‡‹” ƒ’ƒ”–‡–„—‹Ž†‹‰•‘”Š‘—•‡•™Š‹…Šǡ…‘„‹‡†™‹–Š‘”‡…‘•…‹‘—•™ƒ–‡”—•‡ǡ
may allow them to survive severe rationing without ever seeing their taps
go dry.
But most working-class families
can’t afford such measures. Some
unions are planning demonstrations
for next month to protest the government’s handling of the crisis and deƒ† –Š‡ ’‘‘” †‘ǯ– „‡ƒ” –Š‡ „”—–
of it.
“We will not accept paying for the
‰‘˜‡”‡–ǯ• ‹””‡•’‘•‹„‹Ž‹–› ™‹–Š
‘—” Œ‘„•ǡdz •ƒ‹† †‹ †‘• ƒ–‘• ‹ƒǡ
president of the São Paulo state
„”ƒ…Š ‘ˆ ”ƒœ‹Žǯ• Žƒ”‰‡•– —„”‡ŽŽƒ
union, the CUT.
Brazil’s economy is already expected to post zero growth this year.
Worse yet, since Brazil depends on
Š›†”‘‡Ž‡…–”‹… †ƒ• ˆ‘” ƒ„‘—– –Š”‡‡
quarters of its electricity, power
•Š‘”–ƒ‰‡•ƒ”‡ƒŽ•‘’‘••‹„Ž‡†—‡–‘–Š‡
†”‘—‰Š–ǡˆ‡†‡”ƒŽ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•Šƒ˜‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
‘„‹‡† ™ƒ–‡” ƒ† ‡Ž‡…–”‹…ity rationing could lop an additional
0.5 per cent or more off of economic
growth in 2015, according to Ilan
Goldfajn, chief economist at Itaú Uni„ƒ…‘Ǥ
ϐŽƒ–‹‘ǡ™Š‹…Š‹•”—‹‰ƒ„‘˜‡͹
per cent a year, could also rise as companies face increased costs.
São Paulo’s shopping centres are
•–ƒ†‹‰ „› ˆ‘” ’‘–‡–‹ƒŽ ”ƒ–‹‘‹‰
and have signed contracts to truck in
water as soon as needed, said Glauco
Humai, who heads Brazil’s mall asso…‹ƒ–‹‘„”ƒ•…‡Ǥ
“Our plan is not to close the malls.
„˜‹‘—•Ž› –Š‹• ™‹ŽŽ ”ƒ‹•‡ …‘•–•ǡdz Š‡
said.
Some local chicken processors
and pasta makers will also likely raise
prices for those products as a result of
trucking in water, a local food workers’ union said.
Even carnival cancelled
Çƴ”‹‘ ‹„ƒ²•ǡ ‘‡ ‘ˆ ‘ ƒ—Ž‘ǯ•
premier private hospitals, said it cut
”‡Ž‹ƒ…‡ ‘ ƒ„‡•’ ˆ”‘ ͸ͷ ’‡” …‡–
‘ˆ ‹–• ™ƒ–‡” ‡‡†• –‘ ʹͷ ’‡” …‡– „›
recycling and installing its own treatment system. Another large upscale
Š‘•’‹–ƒŽǡ Ž„‡”– ‹•–‡‹ǡ •ƒ‹† ‹– Šƒ†
increased storage capacity to last four
days and would rely on trucks for
emergencies.
ƒ› ‡‹‰Š„‘—”Š‘‘†• Šƒ˜‡ ƒŽready experienced daily water outƒ‰‡• ƒ• ƒ„‡•’ –—”• †‘™ ’”‡••—”‡
in pipes to save consumption. Some
residents of the Brasilândia slum said
this week they were often without
water 13 hours a day.
– Ž‡ƒ•– –™‘ –‘™• ‹ ‹ƒ• ‡rais, a massive coffee producing state
adjacent to São Paulo, even cancelled
ƒ”‹˜ƒŽ …‡Ž‡„”ƒ–‹‘• –Š‹• ‘–Š „‡cause of the lack of water.
 ƒ —’’‡”Ǧ…Žƒ•• ‡‹‰Š„‘—”Š‘‘†
‘ˆ ‘ ƒ—Ž‘ǡ ƒ ‰”‘…‡”› †‡Ž‹˜‡”› „‘›
”‡’‘”–‡† „”‹‰‹‰ ͳ͹Ͳ –™‘ǦŽ‹–”‡ „‘–tles of water to a single apartment
over the weekend.
Ronaldo Guellen, who runs a small
construction store, recently ordered
͹Ͳ ʹͲͲǦŽ‹–”‡ –ƒ• –Šƒ– …ƒ „‡ —•‡†
to store water. They sold out in three
†ƒ›•ǡŠ‡•ƒ‹†ǡƒ†Š‡Šƒ•ǯ–„‡‡ƒ„Ž‡
–‘ ‘”†‡” ƒ› ‘”‡ „‡…ƒ—•‡ •—’’Ž‹‡•
are running short.
“People are really getting scared,”
Guellen said. — Reuters
Model with Vitiligo Inspires Fashion World
By Jennie Matthew
C
Winnie speaks during an interview in New York.
hantelle Winnie is taking the
ˆƒ•Š‹‘™‘”Ž†„›•–‘”Ǥ
The young Canadian mod‡Žǡ™Š‘Ž‘˜‡•ƒ‰Ž‹•Š„”‡ƒˆƒ•–‘ˆ
sausage and egg, is the It girl of di˜‡”•‹–›‹ƒ™‘”Ž†’‹ŽŽ‘”‹‡†ˆ‘”„”—tal uniformity.
Diagnosed with vitiligo aged
ˆ‘—”ǡ–Š‡•ƒ‡•‹†‹•‘”†‡”‹…Šƒ‡Ž
ƒ…•‘Šƒ†ǡ•Š‡‘˜‡”…ƒ‡„—ŽŽ›‹‰
and years of rejection to achieve her
†”‡ƒ‘ˆ„‡…‘‹‰ƒ‹–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ
model.
Ž—…‡† ˆ”‘ ‘„•…—”‹–› –‘ ƒ’’‡ƒ”‘Dz‡”‹…ƒǯ•‡š–‘’‘†‡Ždz
and chosen last year as the face of
ƒ”…‡Ž‘ƒ Žƒ„‡Ž ‡•‹‰—ƒŽǡ •Š‡ Ž‘˜‡•
every second of her whirlwind,
Dzƒƒœ‹‰dzŽ‹ˆ‡’—…–—ƒ–‡†„›Ž‘–•‘ˆ
•Ž‡‡’ƒ†Š‡”‘–Š‡”ǯ•„”‡ƒˆƒ•–•‹
Toronto.
The 20-year-old has crossed
†”‡ƒ•‘ˆˆ–‘Ǧ†‘Ž‹•–•ǡ„—––Š‡„‹‰‰‹‡
remains: gracing the cover of fash‹‘ „‹„Ž‡ ‡”‹…ƒ Dz‘‰—‡ǡdz ™Š‘•‡
steely editor-in-chief Anna Wintour
she has not met. Yet.
—„„Ž› ƒ† ’”‘‡ –‘ Ž‘—† ‰—ˆfaws of laughter, Winnie projects a
‰‹”Ž›‡š–‡”‹‘”–Šƒ–„‡Ž‹‡•ƒ…ƒ•–Ǧ‹”‘
determination.
Š‡ Šƒ• „‡…‘‡ ƒ •’‘‡•™‘an for vitiligo, which causes white
’ƒ–…Š‡• –‘ ƒ’’‡ƒ” ƒ…”‘•• –Š‡ „‘†›
and affects up to two million Ameri…ƒ•ǡƒ†Šƒ•Ž‡ƒ”‡†–‘„‡’”‘—†‘ˆ
who she is.
Dz …‘—Ž† ‘”‡ Žƒ„‡Ž ›•‡Žˆ ƒ•
even a spokeswoman for happi-
HER MESSAGE TO YOUNG GIRLS IS:
Dz‘…—•‘›‘—”‘’‹‹‘‘ˆ
›‘—”•‡Žˆƒ†‘––Š‡‘’‹‹‘
‘–Š‡”•Šƒ˜‡‘ˆ›‘—dz
ness!” she said in a New York hotel
overlooking a gritty, wintry skyline
‘ˆƒŠƒ––ƒǤ
—–‹–Šƒ•‘–„‡‡ƒ‡ƒ•›Œ‘—”ney to the catwalk for Desigual on
Š—”•†ƒ›ǡ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– †ƒ› ‘ˆ ˆƒŽŽȀƒ—tumn 2015 New York Fashion Week.
”‘—‰Š–—’„›•‹‰Ž‡—
”‘—‰Š– —’ „› ƒ •‹‰Ž‡ ‘–Š‡”
Šƒ‹”†”‡••‡”ǡ •Š‡ ϐŽ‡™ ”‡‰—Žƒ”Ž› –‘
see her father who comes from Jamaica and has a house in Atlanta.
“We lived on our own for a very
long time and those are my happiest
years, me and my mum,” she said.
—– •Š‡ ™ƒ• „ƒ†Ž› „—ŽŽ‹‡† ƒ–
school and as a teenager was reŒ‡…–‡†„›‡˜‡”›‘†‡ŽŽ‹‰ƒ‰‡…›‹
Toronto.
Like any self-respecting wanƒ„‡ǡ •Š‡ „—‹Ž– ƒ ’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡ ‘ •‘…‹ƒŽ
media where she was discovered
„› ‡šǦ‘†‡Ž ›”ƒ ƒ•ǡ ’”‡•‡–‡”
‘ˆ Ž‘‰Ǧ”—‹‰ ”‡ƒŽ‹–› •Š‘™
Dz‡”‹…ƒǯ•‡š–‘’‘†‡ŽǤdz
‹‹‡™ƒ•„‘‘–‡†‘ˆˆ–Š‡•Š‘™
‹ʹͲͳͶ„—–ƒ•‹•…Ž‡ƒ”Ž›ƒŠ—‰‡
inspiration and the two have re-
mained close.
“You were already a star. I just
gave you a platform to make sure
people recognised that you were.
Keep making me proud,” she says,
ϐ‹•Š‹‰‘—–Š‡”…‡ŽŽ’Š‘‡–‘”‡ƒ†ƒ
message from Banks.
“That really touched me,” she
adds.
Š‡ˆƒ•Š‹‘™‘”Ž†Šƒ•Ž‘‰„‡‡
„Žƒ‡†ˆ‘”ƒ—Ž–‹–—†‡‘ˆ•‹•ǣ‡ƒ–ing disorders, the cult of thinness,
an image of perfection that ordinary
™‘‡…ƒ‡˜‡”‘„–ƒ‹ƒ†‘ˆ„‡ing too white.
Although Winnie’s pigmented
face is striking, she has the classic
ϐ‹‰—”‡ ‘ˆ ƒ ‘†‡Ž Ȅ ϐ‹˜‡ ˆ‡‡– ͳǤ͹ͺ
‡–”‡• ™‹–Š …‘Ž–‹•Š Ž‹„•ǡ …Š‹•‡ŽŽ‡†
…Š‡‡„‘‡•ƒ†ƒ–‹›™ƒ‹•–Ǥ
A model with Downs Syndrome
features in New York this week.
Plus-size models are more common
in magazines and New York Fashion
Week has clamped down on harsh
working conditions for child models.
†—•–”›‘’‡‹‰—’
“Even the top models right now
have a lot of personality and I feel
like that’s what people are looking
for, you know, something they can
relate to, a real person,” says Winnie.
“So I feel like the industry is very
much opening up, widening their
eyes.”
Š‡†‡•…”‹„‡•‡•‹‰—ƒŽƒ•ˆƒ‹Ž›Ǥ
“It was very organic, you know.
They just met me, fell in love with
me and they were like yep we’re
keeping you, your ours now.”
Š‡ Žƒ„‡Žǯ• •‹‰ƒ–—”‡ „‘Ž† ’ƒ––‡”• ƒ† „”‹‰Š– …‘Ž‘—”• •—‹– Š‡”
’‡”•‘ƒŽ‹–› „—– ƒ– Š‡ƒ”– •Š‡ ‹• ƒ
sweatpants and sneakers kind of
‰‹”ŽǤŠ‡†‘‡•ǯ–†™‡ŽŽ‘„ƒ†–Š‹‰•
in the past and says her message to
young girls is: “Focus on your opinion of yourself and not the opinion
others have of you.”
When she visited her old middle
•…Š‘‘Ž•Š‡™ƒ•‘„„‡†ǤDzŽ‘–‘ˆ–Š‡
kids were like ‘Oh my God, you’re
her, you’re that girl!’”
She laughs again. She gives the
‹’”‡••‹‘ ‘ˆ ƒ Š‘‡„‘†› ™Š‘
Ž‘˜‡•–‘•Ž‡‡’ƒ†Ž‘˜‡•„‡‹‰…‘††Ž‡† „› Š‡” — ™Š‡ •Š‡ ‹•
home.
There she tucks into her moth‡”ǯ• ‰Ž‹•Š „”‡ƒˆƒ•– ‘ˆ –‡ƒǡ „‡ƒ•ǡ
sausage, and runny eggs — all protein — and just the occasional piece
‘ˆ„”‘™–‘ƒ•––‘†‹’‹–‘–Š‡‡‰‰•Ǥ
“The rest of the day I’ll have like
tonnes of spinach,” she laughs. “But
’”‘–‡‹ ƒ† ˜‡‰‡–ƒ„Ž‡•ǡ –Šƒ–ǯ• ‹†
of my diet.” — AFP
23
OMAN DAILY OBSERVER
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
ENVIRONMENT
Is Climate Change
FUELLING WAR?
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.
— Desmond Tutu, a South African social rights
activist and retired Anglican bishop
about drawing a causal link between
‰Ž‘„ƒŽ ™ƒ”‹‰ ƒ† …—””‡– …‘ϐŽ‹…–•
— as opposed to future ones.
“The example of Darfur is often
put forward to illustrate the effect of
…Ž‹ƒ–‡ ‘ …‘ϐŽ‹…– „‡–™‡‡ ‰”‘—’•ǡdz
French climatologist Jean Jouzel
writes in a new book.
Dz—– –Š‡ ”‡ƒŽ‹–› ‹• ‘”‡ …‘’Ž‡šǡ
and most researchers acknowledge
that the political and economic context was the prime factor.”
Mark Cane, a professor of Earth
and climate sciences at Columbia Uni˜‡”•‹–›‹‡™‘”ǡ•ƒ‹†–Š‡”‡™ƒ•Dzƒ
strong case” to link discontent in Syria to the drought which in 2007-2010
was the worst ever recorded there.
—– Š‡ ’‘‹–‡† –‘ ƒ ’”‘„Ž‡ǣ ƒ•cribing a role for climate change, usually discernible over decades, to a single weather event.
Furthermore, “it is impossible to
Ž‘‘ ƒ– ƒ› •‹‰Ž‡ …‘ϐŽ‹…– ƒ† ƒ”‰—‡
conclusively that it wouldn’t have
happened but for a drought or some
other climate anomaly,” Cane said by
email.
Governance and other factors also
™‡‹‰Š ‹ǡ Š‡ ‘–‡†Ǥ Šƒ– ƒ‰‹ϐ‹‡†
the impact of Syria’s drought, for instance, was gross waste of water and
a surge in population, other experts
have said.
Risk factor
Scientists are cautious about de…Žƒ”‹‰ ƒ Ž‹ „‡–™‡‡ …‘ϐŽ‹…– ƒ†
Storms, droughts,
ϔŽ‘‘†•ƒ†•’‡ŽŽ•
of extreme heat or
exceptional cold: all
can destroy wealth,
ravage harvests,
force people off
land, exacerbate
ancient rivalries
ƒ†—Ž‡ƒ•Šƒϔ‹‰Š–
for resources
climate change until the evidence is
overwhelming.
In the military, though, it’s different. Armed forces have to respond
swiftly and cannot wait until the
proof is all there, which is why climate is now a risk factor in their planning.
In many countries, military analysts already include climate change
‹ ”‹• ƒƒ‰‡‡–ǡ ‡‹Ž ‘”‹•‡––‹ǡ
ƒ ˆ‘”‡” ”‹–‹•Š ƒ†‹”ƒŽ ƒ† …Ž‹ƒ–‡
ƒ†˜‹•‘” –‘ –Š‡ ”‹–‹•Š ‰‘˜‡”‡–ǡ
now director of strategy at University
College London, said. — AFP
Dry banks, due to the lack of rain, are seen at Funil Hydroelectric Plant reservoir, in Resende, about 160 km west from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — AFP
By Richard Ingham
F
or years, scientists and security
analysts have warned that global warming looms as a potential source of war and unrest.
–‘”•ǡ †”‘—‰Š–•ǡ ϐŽ‘‘†• ƒ†
spells of extreme heat or exceptional
cold: all can destroy wealth, ravage
harvests, force people off land, exacerbate ancient rivalries and unleash a
ϐ‹‰Š–ˆ‘””‡•‘—”…‡•ǡ–Š‡›•ƒ›Ǥ
These factors are predicted to become more severe as carbon emissions interfere with Earth’s climate
system.
Yet some argue there is evidence
that man-made warming is already a
†”‹˜‡”‹•‘‡…‘ϐŽ‹…–•Ǥ
“In a number of African countries
–Š‡ ‹…”‡ƒ•‡ ‹ ˜‹‘Ž‡– …‘ϐŽ‹…– ‹• –Š‡
most striking feature of the cumulative effects of climate change,” South
Africa’s Institute for Security Studies
(ISS) warned in 2012.
Dz –Š‡ ƒŠ‡Ž ”‡‰‹‘ǡ †‡•‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒtion is causing clashes between herders and farmers because the availability of cultivated land is being reduced.
“Climate-related effects of this nature are already resulting in violent
…‘ϐŽ‹…–• ‹ ‘”–Š‡” ‹‰‡”‹ƒǡ —†ƒ
and Kenya,” it added.
The idea leapt to prominence in
ʹͲͲ͹ǡ ™Š‡ …Š‹‡ˆ ƒ ‹Ǧ‘‘
said violence in Sudan’s Darfur region
was sparked in part by a two-decadelong decline in rainfall that devastat-
ed cattle herds.
Arab nomads were pitched against
settled farmers in a rivalry for grazing
and water.
The tensions bloomed into full
confrontation between rival militias
— an escalation due “to some degree,
ˆ”‘ƒǦƒ†‡‰Ž‘„ƒŽ™ƒ”‹‰ǡdzƒ
argued.
Others have drawn a link between
the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and
climate change-induced heat waves in
cereal-exporting countries.
Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan
took their grain off the global market — and within four months, global
food prices hit their second record
peak in three years.
This may have lit the fuse in pow-
der-keg in countries burdened by
poverty, youth unemployment and
authoritarian rule, according to this
view.
Former US vice president Al Gore,
‘™ ƒ ‘„‡ŽǦŠ‘‘—”‡† …Ž‹ƒ–‡ …ƒpaigner, believes climate change was
a factor, among others, in the Syrian
…‘ϐŽ‹…–Ǥ
“From 2006 to 2010, there was a
climate-related historic drought that
destroyed 60 per cent of the farms in
Syria, 80 per cent of the livestock and
drove a million refugees into the cities, where they collided with another
million refugees from the Iraq war,”
Gore said in Davos last month.
Caution
A young boy from Beni Hussein tribe herds his cattle in El-Sereif, North
Climate scientists are cautious ƒ”ˆ—”ǤȄϔ‹Ž‡
PERUVIAN ICE CAP HARBOURS
Termite mounds store nutrients
and moisture, and allow water to
better penetrate the soil. — AFP
Termite
Mounds Can
Halt Desert’s
Advance
Evidence of Conquistadors’ Avarice
The north dome of the
Quelccaya Ice Cap
T
ermites, the pesky insects whose
fondness for wood makes them
the bane of homeowners, help halt
†‡•‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘‹•‡‹Ǧƒ”‹†ƒ”‡ƒ•ƒ†
protect against the effects of climate
change, a study said on Thursday.
In grasslands, savannahs and arid
areas of Africa, Latin America and
Asia, termite mounds, which store
moisture and nutrients and contain
multiple tunnels, allow water to better penetrate the ground, said the
authors of the study in the journal
Science.
Vegetation thrives on termite
mounds in ecosystems vulnerable to
†‡•‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘Ǥ
“The rain is the same everywhere,
but because termites allow water to
penetrate the soil better, the plants
grow on or near the mounds as if
there were more rain,” said lead
study author Corina Tarnita of Princeton University.
“Even when you get to such harsh
conditions where vegetation disappears from the mounds, revegetation
is still easier. As long as the mounds
are there, the ecosystem has a better
chance to recover.”
Jef Huisman, an aquatic microbiology professor and theoretical ecologist at the University of Amsterdam
who did not participate in the research, said the research shows that
‡ƒ”Ž›™ƒ”‹‰•‹‰ƒŽ•ˆ‘”†‡•‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒtion were too simple in the past, and
failed to take into account nature’s
complexities.
According to current models,
–Š‡”‡ ƒ”‡ ϐ‹˜‡ •–ƒ‰‡• ‹ –Š‡ –”ƒ•‹–‹‘ –‘ †‡•‡”–ǡ ‡ƒ…Š ™‹–Š •’‡…‹ϐ‹…
characteristics in terms of vegetation
growth, and scientists can use satellite images to determine an area’s de•‡”–‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘•–ƒ‰‡ǤȄ
By Will Dunham
A
fter vanquishing the Inca Empire with superior weapons and
a touch of treachery, the Spanish conquistadors sought to satisfy
their lust for riches by forcing multitudes of native people to toil in silver
mines in dire conditions that claimed
many lives.
Scientists on Monday described ev-
idence of this bitter chapter of South
American history preserved deep in
an ice cap in the Peruvian Andes in
the form of residue from the relentless clouds of metallic dust spewed
from the mines starting in the 16th
century.
Š‡ ‘—–ƒ‹–‘’ ‹‡• ‘ˆ ‘–‘•Çƴ
‹‘Ž‹˜‹ƒ™‡”‡–Š‡™‘”Ž†ǯ•”‹…Š‡•–•‹Žver source. While the Incas had long
extracted silver, a new processing
A section of ice core that researchers at the Ohio State University extracted
from the Quelccaya Ice Cap in Peru. — Reuters
est evidence of large-scale, humanproduced air pollution in South
America, beginning more than two
centuries before the industrial revolution.
The pollutants were reminders of
“the sad conditions and fate of tens
of thousands locals exploited in the
silver mining operations during the
colonial period,” Ohio State University
environmental scientist Paolo Gabrielli said.
“Their work conditions must have
been truly terrible. Many died because
of the strenuous physical efforts but
it was also not infrequent that underground mine galleries collapsed, burying and killing hundreds of people,”
Gabrielli said.
Ohio State earth sciences professor Lonnie Thompson called the
Quelccaya ice a “Rosetta Stone” for
studying climate history, saying the
samples also can reveal past temperatures, aridity and perhaps even the
method introduced by the Spanish in evolution of bacteria and viruses.
— Reuters
1572 greatly increased production
even as it belched lead dust and other
pollutants into the atmosphere. The
pollution blew over the entire region,
including the Quelccaya Ice Cap some
800 km northwest in southern Peru.
Š‡ ’ƒ‹•Š ”‡ϐ‹‹‰ ’”‘…‡•• ‹volved pulverising silver ore, containing both lead and silver, into powder,
which sent metallic dust into the atmosphere. The powder was mixed
with mercury. The silver was separated by heating the mixture to allow the
mercury to evaporate.
Writing in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, the scientists said they drilled into the glacier at an altitude of about 18,000 feet
(5,600 metres) to learn about past air
pollution.
The age of the ice was determined
with precision because it was laid
down in discernible layers caused by
the annual alternation between wet
and dusty dry seasons.
The pollutants spawned by the
Spanish colonial-era silver operations
from the 16th century through the
18th century consisted mostly of lead
but also arsenic and others.
The north dome of the Quelccaya Ice
The researchers called it the earli- Cap in Peru
Young Bees Try,
Fail to Support
Foundering
Colonies
W
hen honey bees die before
their time, the younger bees
among them try to forage for food
but often fail, contributing to the
worrying phenomenon of colon
collapse, researchers said on
Monday.
Scientists are studying a range of
factors — from the use of pesticides
to loss of favoured plants to disease
— as they try to understand why
these important crop pollinators are
declining worldwide.
The latest study in the Proceed‹‰•‘ˆ–Š‡ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ…ƒ†‡›‘ˆ…‹ences points to a social breakdown
in the hive as yet another contributing factor to colony collapse disorder, or CCD.
‡•‡ƒ”…Š‡”• ‹ —•–”ƒŽ‹ƒǡ ”‹–ƒ‹
and the United States attached radio trackers to thousands of bees to
study their movements.
‡‡•—•—ƒŽŽ›„‡‰‹ˆ‘”ƒ‰‹‰™Š‡
they are two to three weeks old, but
when the colony is hit by disease, a
lack of food or other chronic stress
factors, the older bees die.
Younger bees try to replace them
in their efforts, but are less likely to
…‘’Ž‡–‡ –Š‡‹” ˆ‘”ƒ‰‹‰ ϐŽ‹‰Š–•ǡ ƒ†
are far more likely to die during their
ϐ‹”•––”‹’ǡ–Š‡›ˆ‘—†Ǥ
“This younger foraging population lead to poorer performance and
quicker deaths of foragers and dramatically accelerated the decline of
the colony much like observations of
CCD seen around the world,” said the
study.
“Young bees leaving the hive
early is likely to be an adaptive
behaviour to a reduction in the
number of older foraging bees,” explained Clint Perry from the School
‘ˆ‹‘Ž‘‰‹…ƒŽƒ†Š‡‹…ƒŽ…‹‡…‡•
at Queen Mary University of London. — AFP
24
WILDLIFE
OMAN DAILY OBSERVER
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
BIG CATS
in the Jaws
of Extinction
By Neil Connor
A
fearsome tiger snarled as a
†‘‘‡† …Š‹…‡ ϐŽƒ’’‡† Š‡Ž’ut camlessly in its mouth — but
paigners say such “entertainment”
ment” in
er in the
China is putting big cats further
jaws of extinction.
“How ferocious, he doesn’t let anyone come near him,” said onee visitor
over the sound of crunching bones,
ones, as
she recorded the grisly scene on her
smartphone.
Buying chickens to feed thee exhibits at the Siberian Tiger Park in
n northeast China’s Harbin city costs 60 yuan
($10) — though the menu hass plenty
of other choices, even cows are
re available to serve up.
But wildlife protection campaignmpaigners allege such parks, along with the
dedicated tiger breeding centres
ntres or
“farms” dotted around the country,
actually make their big moneyy selling
ts when
on body parts from the big cats
otentialthey die — a practise which potentially further threatens the endangered
angered
species.
Global tiger numbers have
ave
nplummeted from 100,000 a cenild
ld
ld
tury ago to only 3,000 in the wild
natoday, according to the Internaon
n
tional Union for the Conservation
of Nature, which classes them as
endangered, with poaching and
d
habitat loss primary threats to
their survival.
China’s tiger farm industryy
isays the trade in captive aniure
mals helps to relieve the pressure
ups
on wild felines, but wildlife groups
ma
argue it reduces the stigma
around buying the animals orr
retheir body parts, and could create new markets for them.
Debbie Banks, head of the Londonbased NGO the Environmental Investigation Agency, said that such sales
of the body parts of captive tigers was
“stimulating demand and sustaining
the poaching pressure”.
“Raising a tiger to maturity in captivity costs more than poaching a tiger
in the wild,” she said.
“Wild tigers, leopards
and
snow
leopards
are targeted as a
cheaper alternative to skins of captive
bred tigers.”
Figures
from
‹„‡”‹ƒ–‹‰‡”–”›‹‰–‘…ƒ–…Šƒ
…Š‹…‡”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡†„›ƒ‰ƒ‡‡‡’‡”
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, show that from the turn
of the millennium, at least 1,590 tigers
were poached around the world up to
April 2014 — an average of two
a week.
Among the 13 countries
cou
with native tiger popul
populations,
numbers are increasing in India
and Nepal, which do not h
have tiger farms, said Banks. But in Laos,
Vietnam, Thailand and China, where
tigers can legally be bred for commercom
cial purposes, wild populations
population are
struggling.
At the same time captive
capt tii Chiger numbers are soaring in
twi the
na, with up to 6,000 — twice
global wild population — in about
200 farms across the country.
ƒ–‡††‡ƒ†‘”ƒŽ‹˜‡
ƒ–‡††‡ƒ†‘”ƒŽ‹˜‡
Used for entertainment wh
when the
tigers are alive, what happens to the
skins and bones of animals that die in
captivity is a murky issue.
Tiger bones have long been
be an
Chinese
ingredient of traditional C
supmedicine,
posedly
for
a
capacity
to
capacit
strengthen the human body.
b
China banned trade in
i tiger
bones in 1993, but the law is
”‡‰—Žƒ”Ž› ϐŽ‘—–‡†ǡ …ƒ’ƒ‹‰‡”•
…ƒ’ƒ
say. Legislation is also unclear
on
uncl
whether cats bred in captivity
captiv are
considered endangered in China,
and there is little regulation around
a
what needs to be declared when
whe they
die.
The animal is considered a symbol of prestige for many in China,
China with
tiger pelt rugs sought-after luxury
items, along with tiger bone wine —
bottles labelled with tiger images sell
END IS NIGH
for Northern White Rhinos
’ƒ””ƒ‰‡”™ƒŽ‹‰ƒŠ‡ƒ†‘ˆƒŒ‹ƒ†ƒ…‘’ƒ‹‘•‘—–Š‡”Ǧ™Š‹–‡ˆ‡ƒŽ‡
By Tristan McConnell
T
his is what extinction looks like.
No meteor from outer space,
no unstoppable pandemic, no
heroic, ultimately futile last stand.
Instead poor sperm, weak knees and
ovarian cysts mark the end of a lifeline cut short by human greed, ignorance and indifference.
‹–ŠŒ—•–ϐ‹˜‡‘”–Š‡”™Š‹–‡”Š‹nos left on earth, the animal’s end is
inevitable.
Scientists and conservationists
hope that advancements in genetics
and invitro fertilisation might allow
for its test tube resurrection in the
future, but before that the northern
whites will die, one by one, over the
next few years.
Dz‡ƒ”‡†‘™–‘ϐ‹˜‡ǡ•‘–Š‡›ƒ”‡
very close to extinction, perhaps in
a few years,” said Jan Stejskal of the
Dvur Kralove Zoo in Czech Republic
which, thanks to acquisitions in the
1970s, owns all the remaining north-
‹–ŠŒ—•–ϔ‹˜‡‘”–Š‡”
™Š‹–‡”Š‹‘•Ž‡ˆ–‘
‡ƒ”–Šǡ–Š‡ƒ‹ƒŽǯ•
‡†‹•‹‡˜‹–ƒ„Ž‡Ǥ
…‹‡–‹•–•ƒ†
…‘•‡”˜ƒ–‹‘‹•–•Š‘’‡
–Šƒ–ƒ†˜ƒ…‡‡–•‹
‰‡‡–‹…•ƒ†‹˜‹–”‘
ˆ‡”–‹Ž‹•ƒ–‹‘‹‰Š–
ƒŽŽ‘™ˆ‘”‹–•–‡•––—„‡
”‡•—””‡…–‹‘‹–Š‡
ˆ—–—”‡ǡ„—–„‡ˆ‘”‡–Šƒ–
–Š‡‘”–Š‡”™Š‹–‡•
™‹ŽŽ†‹‡ǡ‘‡„›‘‡ǡ
‘˜‡”–Š‡‡š–ˆ‡™›‡ƒ”•
ern whites.
“I still believe there is a hope we
will be able to save them. The best we
can do now is harvest sperm and egg
samples for future invitro fertilisation, and wait until the time the techniques are developed enough to give
us a good chance of reproduction,”
said Stejskal.
The last living male, named Sudan,
is found on a 90,000-acre reserve of
savannah and woodlands in central
Kenya, along with two of the remaining females. The other two females
live alone in zoos in the Czech Republic and the US. Two further males —
Angalifu and Suni — died last year.
At 43, Sudan is elderly by rhino
standards and vets say his sperm is
low quality. Nola at San Diego Zoo is
also beyond reproductive age while
Nabire at Dvur Kralove Zoo is 31 but
suffers from ovarian cysts. In Kenya,
Najin, 25, cannot mate because of her
weak hind legs, while her daughter
Fatu, 14, is infertile.
for nearly 5,000 yuan ($800) at the
park shop in Harbin.
In December, a wealthy Chinese
businessman who bought, slaughtered
and ate three tigers was jailed for 13
years.
The gang involved had killed 10 tigers in total, domestic media reported,
some of them smuggled in alive “from
Southeast Asian countries”.
The tigers cost them 200,000 to
300,000 yuan ($48,000) each, and
–Š‡› ”‡ƒ’‡† ’”‘ϐ‹–• ‘ˆ ‘”‡ –Šƒ
100,000 yuan per animal, reports said.
Chinese tiger purchases came under scrutiny at an anti-poaching conference in Nepal last week attended by
around 100 experts, government and
Žƒ™‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•ˆ”‘–‹‰‡”Šƒ„‹–ƒ–ƒ–‹‘•Ǥ
Campaigners say that the mere
availability of “farmed” tiger products
fuels the demand, which Mike Baltzer,
leader of the WWF Tigers Alive Initiative, described as “so huge that it’s
˜‡”›†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž––‘ƒ††”‡••–Š‡‹••—‡dzǤ
“When you have a cultural perception among wealthy people in China
that owning a tiger is a matter of prestige, you can’t change it overnight,” he
said.
Foreign ministry spokesman Hong
Lei insisted that Beijing was taking action to tighten laws against poaching,
adding: “We have adopted a recovery
plan on China’s wild tigers and work
to improve the habitats of wild tigers.”
‹‰…ƒ–‹ƒ„‘––Ž‡ǫ
There are only about 45 wild tigers
in China, according to EIA. But there
are more than 1,000 at the Siberian Tiger Park, which was launched in 1986
with just eight animals.
Park representatives have repeatedly been quoted saying that the trade
in captive-bred tiger products reduces
pressure on wild animals, and that
they hope to reintroduce some of their
creatures into the wild.
The Ol Pejeta rhinos were shipped
from Dvur Kralove in 2009 in the
hope that the natural environment
would encourage breeding. That hope
has faded.
“Were these free-ranging animals
out in the wild they would breed just
ϐ‹‡ǡ „—– –Š‡› ™‡”‡ ‘Ž† ƒ‹ƒŽ•ǡ –Š‡›
came from a zoo and you don’t have a
normal social situation,” said Dr Peter
Morkel, a vet and rhino expert at conservation group Back to Africa.
“There were a number of matings
and at one stage we were pretty sure
Fatu was pregnant,” said Morkel. “I
think we got pretty close.”
Fatu, the most recently born
northern white rhino, will likely be
the last.
“We are going to witness the demise of this species, that’s the reality
of what we face. They are going to die
here,” said Richard Vigne, Ol Pejeta’s
Chief Executive.
“It is an indictment of what the
human race is doing to planet earth
and it’s not just happening to rhinos.
It’s happening to all sorts of species,
big and small, across the planet,” said
Vigne, lamenting decades of inaction.
Scientists call the mass wiping out
of species by humans the “Sixth Great
š–‹…–‹‘dzȄ–Š‡ϐ‹ˆ–Š„‡‹‰–Š‡‘‡
that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The northern white
rhino’s extinction is unusual only because it is such a large, recognisable
animal.
“The northern white’s geographic
range was Central Africa and subject
to war, strife and lawlessness and that
opened the door for poachers to kill
them at will. People are absolutely to
blame,” said Vigne.
Modern rhinos have plodded
the earth for 26 million years. As recently as the mid-19th century there
were over a million in Africa. The last
northern whites disappeared from
the wild a decade ago and will soon
follow the western black rhino, declared extinct in 2011.
”‡†‰—ƒ”†•ˆ‘”–Š‡ϔ‹ƒŽˆ‡™
Assisted reproduction may yet
bring the northern white back but
if they cannot be reintroduced into
the wild then, some ask, what is the
‹„‡”‹ƒ–‹‰‡”•”‡•–‹‰
But repeated requests by AFP for
comment on whether they sell on
the dead animal parts or use them in
products went unanswered.
In the park’s souvenir shop “bone
strengthening wine” is sold in elaborate bottles adorned with tigers.
A shop assistant denied to a foreign visitor that tiger bone was an ingredient. — AFP
‹„‡”‹ƒ–‹‰‡””‡•–‹‰ƒ––Š‡‹„‡”‹ƒ‹‰‡”ƒ”‹ƒ”„‹
point?
“If they’re just to become museum
specimens in zoos then it’s perhaps
time to see them go,” said Dr Rob
Brett, regional director for Africa at
Fauna and Flora International.
Against all the evidence, park
ranger Mohammed Doyo — who
looks after Sudan, Najin and Fatu —
clings to the forlorn hope that they
will reproduce naturally.
When Doyo talks the rhinos listen,
backing away from nervous visitors
unsettled by the huge animal’s closeness, or returning to their pens to rest
or lumbering slowly towards their
food.
“To lose such an animal will be
like losing a child,” he said. A few feet
away, Fatu munched her way through
a four kilogramme pile of carrots and
bananas that Doyo had dumped on
the ground.
To deter poachers the northern
whites are escorted by armed wardens at night and their horns are
trimmed back to uneven stumps. The
horns are worth more than $65,000
a kilo on the Asian black market, and
sought after by consumers who are
falsely convinced that the ground-up
keratin — the same substance as huƒ ϐ‹‰‡”ƒ‹Ž• ƒ† –‘‡ƒ‹Ž• Ȅ …‘tains powerful medicinal properties.
Ol Pejeta is also home to nineteen
southern white rhinos and 105 black
rhinos which roam freely across a
700-acre enclosure.
At dawn one recent morning a
group of three southern white rhi‘••—ˆϐŽ‡†ƒ†‰”ƒœ‡†ƒ––Š‡ˆ‘‘–‘ˆ
a tree as, behind them, the sun rose
above the jagged peaks of Mount
Kenya. They stood quietly for a while
and then, realising they were being
watched, trudged slowly into the distance. — AFP
‘—–Š‡”™Š‹–‡”Š‹‘…‡”‘•™ƒŽ‹‰
–Š”‘—‰Š–Š‡„—•Š‡•ƒ–Ž‡Œ‡–ƒ
‘•‡”˜ƒ…›ǤȄ
’ƒ””ƒ‰‡”•–ƒ†•‡š––‘ƒ‘”–Š‡”™Š‹–‡ˆ‡ƒŽ‡”Š‹‘…‡”‘•ƒ‡†
ƒŒ‹ǤȄ
25
BOOKS
OMAN DAILY OBSERVER
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
Albania’s Ismail Kadare
Unruffled by Elusive Nobel
By Laurent Lozano
H
e has been tipped many times
as a winner of the Nobel literature prize but has never won it
— and Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare
isn’t bothered if he never does.
So often has his name been mentioned as a potential Nobel laureate
that “many people think I’ve already
won it”, the 79-year-old said in an interview recently.
Kadare, Albania’s best-known novelist and poet, was in the city to receive
the Jerusalem Prize for work which
best expresses and promotes the idea
of the freedom of the individual in society — an award previously won by
authors such as Arthur Miller, Haruki
Murakami and Ian McEwan.
The award is presented at the opening of the biennial Jerusalem International Book Fair which this year has attracted more than 200 publishers from
20 countries.
The prize is yet another accolade
for an author whose works have been
translated into dozens of languages
and who is considered to be one of the
greatest living writers in Europe.
Born in 1936 in the Albanian
mountain town of Girokaster, Kadare
has won a number of prestigious prizes
‹…Ž—†‹‰ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ‹–‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ ƒ
Booker Prize in 2005.
Surge of interest
He established an uneasy modus
vivendi with the Communist authorities until their attempts to turn his reputation to their advantage drove him in
1990 to seek asylum in France, according to a short bio on the Man Booker
Prize website.
‹•ϐ‹”•–‘˜‡ŽǡDzŠ‡
‡‡”ƒŽ‘ˆ–Š‡
A little thought and a little kindness are often
worth more than a great deal of money.
— John Ruskin, the leading English art critic of the
Victorian era, a social thinker and philanthropist.
Albanian novelist
Ismail Kadare
gestures during an
interview. — AFP
German Schoolboy Describes
Coming-of-Age at Auschwitz
The writer and journalist Thomas
Gnielka was forever haunted by what he
experienced as a 16-year-old anti-aircraft
ƒ—š‹Ž‹ƒ”›‹—•…Š™‹–œǤ—––Š‡—ϔ‹‹•Š‡†
novel he wrote shortly afterwards based
on what he experienced there has only just
been published
By Eva Krafczyk
T
Dead Army”, was published in 1963
and then translated into French in
1970, sparking a surge of European
and international interest in his work.
He has since written more than
50 novels, essays and collections of
short stories, among them “Chronicle
in Stone” (1971) and “The Palace of
Dreams” (1981) — many touching on
the historical experiences of the Albanian people and the totalitarian regime
they endured.
For Kadare, the concept of freedom
is an intrinsic part of a writer’s work.
“That goes without saying. If you
are a serious writer or just a normal
one, in one way or another you are
writing in the service of freedom. All
writers know, understand or dream
that their work will be in the service of
freedom,” he said.
But he refused to be drawn on the
question of freedom as it relates to Palestinians living in the annexed eastern
part of Jerusalem.
“I did not ask myself that question. I
am a writer. I write literature,” he said.
In an editorial in Le Monde following
last month’s deadly attacks in Paris,
Kadare spoke of Europe as the continent which had “given the most” to the
world in terms of literature and art.
“We cannot deny that 80 or even 90
per cent of the spiritual treasures from
the past 3,000 years have come from
Europe,” he said.
“There is no other Greek theatre
anywhere else in the world. There is no
other Shakespeare, Dante or Cervantes.” Although he has been tipped several times as a Nobel laureate, he has
yet to receive a call from the Swedish
Academy. But it is not something which
keeps him awake at night.
“The press has spoken about it so
much that many people think that I’ve
already won it,” he said.
“I am already part of the family of
those who have been tipped, and that is
very important. It would be petty and
silly to become resentful over that. You
won’t become divine if you win it. And
it’s not a disaster if you don’t.” — AFP
Hindustani Films’ First Superstar and
the Lucknow School of Urdu Poetry
By Vikas Datta
L
‹–‡”ƒ–—”‡Šƒ•ƒ…Ž‘•‡”‡Žƒ–‹‘•Š‹’™‹–Šϐ‹Ž•ǡ
•’‡…‹ƒŽŽ›‹†—•–ƒ‹ϐ‹Ž•ǡƒ†‹–™‘—Ž†‘–
be wrong to say that the two are intricately
‹–‡”–™‹‡†Ǥ‘”™Šƒ–ƒ”‡ϐ‹Ž•„—–ƒ•–‘”›Ž‡ƒ’ing from the printed page (or in these days, a
device screen) to be acted out on the big screen
with the same norms of narrative, plot, characters and character development, dialogue and,
yes, lyrics of course.
†‹ƒ ϐ‹Ž•ǡ ‘– ‘Ž› –Š‡ ‘ŽŽ›™‘‘† ˜ƒ”‹‡–›
but those spanning all over the country, feature
a lot of lyrics in the form of songs liberally interspersed in the narrative for which they have been
fortunate enough to draw on the rich literary heritage of the country, especially Urdu poetry.
The forerunner of this was a legendary singer
‘””ƒ–Š‡”–Š‡ϐ‹”•–•‹‰‹‰•—’‡”•–ƒ”‘ˆ‘ŽŽ›™‘‘†
ϐ‹Ž• Ȅ ƒ ‡š…Ž—•‹˜‡ ‰”‘—’ ‘ˆ ™Š‹…Š –Š‡”‡ Šƒ˜‡
been only three so far. This was KL Saigal, who
™‹–Š Š‹• ‡ŽŽ‹ϐŽ—‘—• ƒ† •‘‘”‘—• „—– ‹–‡•‡Ž›
moving voice, laid the foundations of the stillextant relationship of the Urdu ghazal and Hindi
ϐ‹Ž•Ǥ–Š‹•ǡŠ‡™ƒ•ƒ‹†‡†‹‡•‡Ž›„›–Š‡ϐŽƒ‰bearers of the Lucknow school of Urdu poetry.
Saigal’s rendition of Ghalib’s “Nukta cheen hai”
™ƒ•–Š‡ϐ‹”•–’‡”ˆ‘”ƒ…‡‘ˆ–Š‹••’Ž‡†‹†’‘‡–‹…
form in the popular sphere and his example was
the genesis for a veritable spawn of emulators
but it is some of his most marvellous music that
bears the imprint of the Lakhnavi school, a byword for the most exquisite expression of culture.
Take the most famous example — one of the
songs which is inalienably associated with his
name.
Saigal turned conventional wisdom on its head
by insisting that he would sing “Baabul mora,
ƒ‹Šƒ” …ŠŠ—–‘ Š‹ Œƒƒ›‡ǤǤǤdz ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ϐ‹Ž Dz–”‡‡–
Singer” “live” to express perfectly the persona of
the character rather than in the recording studio.
The studio heads had no choice but to agree and
Saigal, sporting a harmonium, walked like a wandering ministrel — though on a studio set only
— as he sang, while the sound crew followed on a
truck behind, being carefully kept out of the camera frame.
The song is usually credited to Syed Anwar
Hussain alias Manjhu Sahab “Arzu Lakhnavi” but
is actually the work of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah
“Akhtar”, the last nawab of Awadh and a most accomplished poet to boot — which would have
„‡‡ ϐ‹––‹‰ ˆ‘” –Š‡ ”—Ž‡” ‘ˆ ƒ ’‘’—Žƒ…‡ ™Š‡”‡ ƒ
majority of the people were connoissieurs of poetry, if not poets themselves.
However, Arzu Lakhnavi also contributed a
KL Saigal, singer
lot of lyrics Saigal made famous in his inimitable
voice. These include the famous “Karun kya aas
niraas bhayi” from “Dushman” (1939), a heartbreaking expression of pathos but resolve too.
Arzu made another contribution to “Street
Singer” (1938), a lyric totally apt for the character, and displays the virtuosity of the Lakhnavi
writer in crafting whatever is needed for the
moment with the right idioms and analogies to
ϐ‹––Š‡‘……ƒ•‹‘‘”–Š‡‘‘†ǤǤǤ‹–Š‹•…ƒ•‡ǡƒ‹strel who can be expected to use musical terms
only even when speaking about himself or his
moods...
“Jeevan been madhur na baaje jhoothe padh
gaye taar/Bigde kaath se kaam bane kya megh
baje na malhaar/Pancham chhedo madhyam bole
kharaj bane gandhaar/Been ke jhoothe padh gaye
taar/Jeevan been madhur na baaje...”
Note the use of simple Hindustani and even
Hindi words and phrases in the composition, but
Arzu — one of the most highly regarded Urdu
’‘‡–• †—”‹‰ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ˆ‡™ †‡…ƒ†‡• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ʹͲ–Š
century — was certain to return to his roots as in
this lovely ghazal for “Street Singer”, which begins
“Sukoon dil ko mayassar gul-o-samar mein nahi/
Jo aashiyaan mein hai apne vah bagh bhar men
nahi”.
Arzu, who was then employed with Kolkata’s
New Theatre as a lyricist, was not the only one of
the Lucknow school to be associated with Saigal.
When the superstar moved to Bombay in
the early 1940s for greener pastures, there was
a duo that crafted some of his memorable and
iconic songs — music director (and a good poet
himself) Naushad Ali, and the lyricist, Asrar ul
Hassan Khan “Majrooh Sultanpuri” — whose careers lasted till at least the end of the century.
The duo were behind the haunting melody
“Gham diye mustaqil, kitna naazuk hai dil, ye
na jaana/Haay haay ye zaalim zamaana” from
“Shahjehan” (1946), not to mention “Jab dil hi
toot gaya/Ham ji ke kya karenge”, another song
whose mere mention is enough to evoke Saigal.
But Naushad and Majrooh were not the only
‘‡• ‹ –Š‹• ϐ‹ŽǤ Dz‡ †‹ŽǦ‡Ǧ„‡“ƒ”ƒ” ŒŠ‘‘ǡ ‡
dil-e-beqarar jhoom/Abr-e-bahar aa gaya, doore-khiza chala gaya...” was the contribution of
Khumar Barabankvi from the same school. Then
there is a more happier song, which goes... “Mere
sapnon ki raani... ruhi ruhi ruhi... Mere sapnon ki
”ƒƒ‹ǤǤǤdzǡ™Š‹…Š‹•ƒŽ•‘•‹‰‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹–Šƒ––™‘Ž‹‡•
were sung by a young singer, who was soon to
ƒ‡Š‹•‘™ƒ”‘‹†‹ϐ‹Ž•ǤǤǤ‘Šƒƒ†
ƒϐ‹Ǥ
This was an exception. It was Majrooh who
provided the other lyrics which aptly picture the
state of mind of a monarch who is bowed down
by grief: “Chaah barbaad karegi hamen maaloom
na tha/Rote rote hi kategi hamen maaloom na
tha/Maut bhi ham pe hansegi hamen maaloom
na tha/Zindagi rog banegi hamen maaloom na
tha...”
—–‹–‹•Dzƒ„†‹ŽŠ‹–‘‘–‰ƒ›ƒǤǤǤdz–Šƒ–‹•‹†‡–‹ϐ‹‡†
with Saigal.
By the time Saigal recorded this song, he had
become addicted to producing his best effort
when strongly inebriated. Naushad pleaded with
him to sing this when sober, and Saigal said he
would sing it both ways and then decide which
version was better. So it was done. When both the
versions were played to him, Saigal picked one
and was amazed to be told that it was the “sober”
one. “Kaash tum meri zindagi mein pehle aaye
hote,” Naushad recalled the ailing singer had told
him.
Saigal was so taken with the song that he spe…‹ϐ‹…ƒŽŽ›™ƒ–‡†‹––‘„‡’Žƒ›‡††—”‹‰Š‹•ˆ—‡”ƒŽ
procession, which alas took place in January of
the following year. According to his family, his last
words were also, “Ham ji ke kya karenge, Jab dil
hi toot gaya”
What more could have tied Saigal to the Lakhnavi Urdu tradition? — IANS
hey were part of the last contingent called up to defend
the Fatherland in 1945, as
Nazi Germany desperately tried to
prevent the defeat that was looming: anti-aircraft auxiliaries, or Flakhelfer, usually around 15 or 16
years old.
Nowadays they might be called
child soldiers.
Part of a generation which had
been indoctrinated from their
childhood, at school and in their
free time, some were perhaps enthusiastic supporters of the Third
Reich. Thomas Gnielka was one
such Flakhelfer.
But his school class from Spandau, north-west Berlin, was not deployed to the local area to defend it
from bombing raids but to a notorious place in what is now Poland,
the name of which only became
known to many Germans after
World War II: Auschwitz.
Gnielka wrote about his experiences in 1952, in History of a Class.
The text is written in a succinct
style, reminiscent of the early Heinrich Boell, and not without reason — Gnielka was in contact with
Gruppe 47, a prominent literary association founded in Germany after
the war to encourage the discussion and development of democ-
racy.
But only 70 years after the liberation of Auschwitz — a concentration camp where more than a
million prisoners, most of them
Jewish, were killed by the Nazis —
Šƒ• –Š‡ ͺͲǦ’ƒ‰‡ —ϐ‹‹•Š‡† ‘˜‡Ž
been published, together with
some essays and articles by Gnielka, who became a journalist and
died in 1965 at the age of just 36.
Auschwitz always haunted Gnielka.
He interviewed Holocaust survivors and, during his research,
stumbled upon a list which made it
’‘••‹„Ž‡ˆ‘”–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‹‡–‘ƒ–…Š
Nazi war criminals to their crimes.
The list was used by prosecutors as one of the main pieces of evidence in the Frankfurt Auschwitz
trials of the 1960s, when 22 former
—•…Š™‹–œ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽ•™‡”‡–”‹‡†Ǥ
However, the horrors of Ausch™‹–œ ƒ‡ ‘Ž› ƒ ϐŽ‡‡–‹‰ ƒ’’‡ƒ”ance in Gnielke’s literary rendering
of his experience.
The main focus is disillusionment, the abrupt coming-of-age of
his classmates, some of whom perhaps at the beginning still believe
it’s a big adventure while others try
to hide their fear with dirty jokes
ƒ†…‘…‹‡••Ǧ—–‹Ž–Š‡ϐ‹”•––‡‡ager dies, and the seriousness of
the situation becomes clear to all of
them. — dpa
Decoding the Mahatma,
World Cup Trivia, Geography
A
n
original
analysis of who
was responsible for
Mahatma Gandhi’s
death, a readerfriendly
guide
spanning 40 years
of the cricket World
Cup and getting to
know the incredible
geography of India
— the IANS book
stack this weekend
is a power house of
information. Take a
look.
1. Book: The Death
and Afterlife of
Mahatma Gandhi;
Author: Makarand
R Paranjape;
Publisher: Random
House India; Pages:
331
With the cover
presenting an image
of the vast crowd
around the gun carriage bearing the
body of Mahatma
Gandhi, who was assassinated January 30, 1948, this book is an “explosive and original” analysis
of the Father of the Nation.
Penned by critic and poet Makarand R Paranjape, the book tries to answer
questions like: “Who is responsible for the Mahatma’s death?”
The author says in the prologue that the book is an attempt to understand
not only Gandhi’s life and message but also the idea of India enquiring into the
meaning of his death.
A must read for those interested in knowing about the life of the man who,
in the days leading up to his assassination by Nathuram Godse, “repeatedly declared that he would rather die than countenance the destruction of the sacred
ˆ”‡‡†‘–Šƒ–•‘ƒ›Šƒ†•ƒ…”‹ϐ‹…‡†•‘—…Šˆ‘”dzǤ
™™™™™
2. Book: The Cricket Fanatics’s Essential Guide; Author: Vimal Kumar,
Publisher: Hachette India, Pages: 202
Cricket is not just a game, it’s a religion. Every four years, new gods are creƒ–‡†‘–Š‡ϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥƒ…Š‘”Ž†—’‹…•‘ˆˆ’‹–…Š‡†„ƒ––Ž‡•ƒ†ˆƒˆ”‡œ›ǡ™‹–Š
every match, every player and every run being analysed with fervour and recorded with vigour.
This reader-friendly essential guide is full of facts, statistics and details
spanning the 40 years of the World Cup and its memorable matches and players.
With the 2015 World Cup beginning February 15, this is a must-have guide
for the lovers of the game.
™™™™™
3. Book: The Incredible History of India’s Geography, Author: Sanjeev Sanyal;
Publisher:—ˆϐ‹ǢPages: 256
Could you be related to a blonde Lithunian? What if ostriches once roamed
‹†‹ƒǫ•™‡”•–‘“—‡•–‹‘•Ž‹‡–Š‡•‡ƒ”‡‹–Š‹•„‘‘ǡ™Š‡”‡›‘—™‹ŽŽϐ‹†
things you never expected. From the time of continental drift to the sophisticated cities of the Harappan civilisation, this book delves deep into these subjects to offer information to young adults.
26
LIFESTYLE
OMAN DAILY OBSERVER
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
SNAILS
T
he last time I encountered escargots they were served up by
a French waiter, sizzling in garlic and herb butter. Now, one is slithering up the bridge of my nose while
ϐ‹˜‡‘–Š‡”•ƒ”‡„‡‹‰•–—…‘–‘‘–Š‡”
parts of my face by a Thai beautician,
all secreting snail slime to hopefully
•‘‘–Š ‘—– •‘‡ ™”‹Ž‡• ƒ† ‘–Šerwise give me a younger-than-myƒ‰‡Ž‘‘Ǥ
That this latest addition to the
global beauty and wellness craze —
snail facials — should surface in the
hills of northern Thailand is only natural. This Southeast Asian country
”ƒ•ƒ‘‰–Š‡™‘”Ž†ǯ•–‘’•’ƒ†‡•tinations, with massage treatments
of every description offered around
just about every corner. Other mem„‡”•‘ˆ–Š‡ƒ‹ƒŽ‹‰†‘ƒ”‡ƒŽ•‘
‡Ž‹•–‡†ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰ϐ‹•Šƒ–•‘‡ͶǡͲͲͲ
pedicure spas.
‡”‡Ž›ƒ‘–Š‡”ƒ”‡–‹‰’Ž‘›‘”
ƒ‡ˆˆ‡…–‹˜‡™ƒ›–‘’Ž—’—’•‹‹
need of repair or rejuvenation? Expert opinions differ. The two young
Thai women reclining next to me
ƒ– Š‹ƒ‰ ƒ‹ǯ• ƒ‹Ž ’ƒ •ƒ‰ –Š‡
praises of helix aspera muller glycoconjugates, snail mucus for short.
And when I returned home, my
wife described my face as “different,”
A RESEARCH TEAM AT
A THAI UNIVERSITY
HAVE FOUND THAT
THAI SNAIL SLIME
IS THE BEST IN THE
WORLD WHEN IT
COMES TO PRODUCING
COSMETICS. THAI
SNAILS HAVE ANTIFUNGAL PROPERTIES
NECESSITATED BY THE
TROPICAL CLIMATE
THAT MAKES THEIR
SLIME SUPERIOR TO
THAT OF COLDERCLIMATE SNAILS
FOR HUMAN SKIN
MOISTURISING
Slither Into
Spa Scene
Aroun d
World
but declined
to go into detail.
Approp r i a t e ly,
given
the
French
passion for these
gastropods, the
spa was started
last year by two
Frenchmen who had
‹’‘”–‡† ͳͲͲ ‘ˆ –Š‡
from home. The colony
‘™ „‘ƒ•–• ‘”‡ –Šƒ ͵ͲǡͲͲͲǡ
munching on chemically free carrots,
…ƒ„„ƒ‰‡ ƒ† ƒŽ‘‡ ‘ ƒ …‡”–‹ϐ‹‡† ‘”ganic farm.
Dz‡ –ƒ‡ …ƒ”‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ •ƒ‹Ž• ƒ• ‹ˆ
they were our family, our babies. You
…ƒ •‡‡ –Š‡› Ž‘‘ ˜‡”› ‰‘‘†ǡdz •ƒ›•
Luc Champeyroux, one of the partners, gently applying one to his forearm. He does confess to eating escargots (“but not mine”), plans to breed
some for the table and is currently
experimenting to produce “the perfect snail caviar.”
…Š‘•‡ ˆ‡™ ‰‡– ’Ž—…‡† ˆ”‘
the farm for duty at the spa, where I
‘’–‡†ˆ‘”–Š‡ͶͷǦ‹—–‡ƒ‹Ž’ƒ‡Ž‡„”‹–›‘—”•‡Ǥ‘”̈́͵Ͳǡ‹–ǯ•ƒ„ƒ”‰ƒ‹
…‘’ƒ”‡† –‘ –Š‡ ̈́ʹͲͲ …—•–‘‡”•
THE FAT FIGHT: Study Fuels
Row Over Diet Guidelines
By Kate Kelland
N
utrition and health specialists criticised a study
on Monday which argued that dietary fat advice
given in the United States and Britain was based
‘ ϐŽ‹•› ‡˜‹†‡…‡ ƒ† •Š‘—Ž† ‘– Šƒ˜‡ „‡‡ ‹–”‘duced.
The study, published in the Open Heart journal, said
national advice on fat consumption issued to millions
of Britons and Americans in 1977 and 1983 with the
ƒ‹‘ˆ”‡†—…‹‰Š‡ƒ”–†‹•‡ƒ•‡DzŽƒ…‡†ƒ›•‘Ž‹†–”‹ƒŽ‡˜‹†‡…‡–‘„ƒ…‹–—’dzǤ
But in the latest chapter of a long-running row about
whether fat is the true culprit in the global obesity
epidemic, independent experts said the research was
ϐŽƒ™‡†ƒ†ˆƒ‹Ž‡†Dz–‘–ƒ‡‹–‘ƒ……‘—––Š‡–‘–ƒŽ‹–›‘ˆ–Š‡
evidence”.
Both the British and US dietary guidelines recommended reducingg overall dietary fat consump–‹‘ –‘ ͵Ͳ ’‡” …‡–
– ‘ˆ –‘–ƒŽ ‹–ƒ‡ ƒ† Ž‹‹–‹‰
•ƒ–—”ƒ–‡† ˆƒ– –‘ ƒ”‘—†
ƒ†˜‹…‡
‘—† ͳͲ ’‡” …‡– Ȅ ƒ†˜‹…‡
that has remained broadly the same since
•Ǥ
–Š‡ͳͻ͹Ͳ•ƒ†ͳͻͺͲ•Ǥ
Zoe Harcombe of the University
land and James
of the West of Scotland
‹‹…‘Žƒ–‘‹‘ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ƒ‹–
—‡ǯ• ‹† ‡”‹…ƒ
ƒ ‡ƒ”– d Monstitute, who co-led
†ƒ›ǯ• •–—†› ‹ –Š‡ Open
aid
Heart journal, said
their research — a
meta-analysis of
the randomised
controlled trials
available at the
time — suggested the guidelines
were inconsistent with the evidence.
“The available did not support the introduction of dietary fat recommendations in order to reduce [coronary
Š‡ƒ”– †‹•‡ƒ•‡Ȑ ”‹• ‘” ”‡Žƒ–‡† ‘”–ƒŽ‹–›ǡdz –Š‡› ™”‘–‡ǡ
adding that it seemed “incomprehensible” that dietary
advice was given to millions of Americans and Britons
given the “contrary results”.
‡ƒŽ–Š ‡š’‡”–• Ž‘‘‹‰ ˆ‘” …Ž—‡• –‘ ’‡”•‹•–‡–Ž› ”‹•ing obesity rates around the world have recently begun
to question whether fat is the main, or only, villain, and
many are turning a spotlight on sugars and other carbohydrates instead.
‡–•‡˜‡”ƒŽ‹†‡’‡†‡–‡š’‡”–•ƒ•‡†–‘”‡˜‹‡™ƒ”…‘„‡ǯ•ƒ†‹‹…‘Žƒ–‘‹‘ǯ•™‘”…”‹–‹…‹•‡†–Š‡•–—†›ǯ•
approach and advised extreme caution in concluding the
guidelines were wrong.
“The claim that gguidelines on dietary fat intro†—…‡†‹–Š‡ͳͻ͹Ͳ•ƒ†ͺͲ•™‡
†—…‡†‹–Š‡ͳͻ͹Ͳ•ƒ†ͺͲ•™‡”‡‘–„ƒ•‡†‘
‰‘‘† •…‹‡–‹ϐ‹… ‡˜‹†‡…‡ ‹• ‹•
‹•‰—‹†‡† ƒ† ’‘tentially dangerous,” said Chr
Christine Williams,
ƒ ’”‘ˆ‡••‘” ‘ˆ Š—ƒ —–”‹–
—–”‹–‹‘ ƒ– ”‹–ƒ‹ǯ•
Reading University.
Nita Forouhi, a nutritional epid
de
miology specia
demiology
specialist and public
Š
Š‡
ƒŽ–Š …‘•—Ž–ƒ–
…‘•—Ž–ƒ ƒ– ”‹–ƒ‹ǯ•
Š‡ƒŽ–Š
Cambridge Un
Ca
University said the
’‡‡ƒ”–
’‡‡ƒ”–•–—†›ǯ•ƒ––‡’–
to apply a “retroscope”
to th
the trial-based
evide
evidence of the time
was “unhelpful for
several reasons, including
methodological
limitations
and interpretation”.
must
shell
out at
‘  › ‘ ǯ •
Ci:z.Labo,
a
beauty salon where
snail massage made its debut in
ʹͲͳ͵Ǥ’ƒ•Šƒ˜‡ƒŽ•‘‘’‡‡†‹Š‹ƒ
and London, and the French duo are
‡š’ƒ†‹‰–‘ƒ‰‘‡š–‘–ŠǤ
Given its novelty, Chiang Mai
public health inspectors last month
descended on the spa to determine
whether the treatment was safe and
‹ˆ ‹’‘”–‡† •ƒ‹Ž• Ȅ ‘ˆϐ‹…‹ƒŽŽ› …Žƒ••‹ϐ‹‡† ƒ• DzƒŽ‹‡ …”‡ƒ–—”‡•dz Ȅ ‹‰Š–
prove harmful to local species. Results of the investigation have not yet
been released.
While the facials are new, concoctions made from snail mucus are
•ƒ‹† –‘ †ƒ–‡ „ƒ… –‘ ƒ…‹‡– ”‡‡…‡ǡ
when the great physician Hippoc-
rates reportedly crushed snails and
•‘—” ‹Ž ƒ• ƒ …—”‡ ˆ‘” •‹ ‹ϐŽƒmations. In recent times, the French
have turned this essence of escargot
into assorted creams and lotions.
Š‡ϐŽ—‹†ǡ‡š—†‡†„›•ƒ‹Ž•™Š‡
—†‡” •–”‡••ǡ ‹• ‘™ –‘ …‘–ƒ‹
„‡‡ϐ‹…‹ƒŽ—–”‹‡–•ƒ†ƒ–‹‘š‹†ƒ–•ǡ
„—–ƒ‰‘Ǧ„ƒ•‡†”‹••ƒ’‘‰ƒnithaporn and other dermatologists
•ƒ›–Šƒ––Š‡”‡Šƒ•„‡‡‘•‹‰‹ϐ‹…ƒ–
•…‹‡–‹ϐ‹… ”‡•‡ƒ”…Š ‘ Š‘™ –Š‡•‡ ƒ…–—ƒŽŽ›™‘”™Š‡ƒ’’Ž‹‡†–‘–Š‡•‹Ǥ
Champeyroux, a manager in
”ƒ…‡ǯ•—…Ž‡ƒ”’‘™‡”•‡…–‘”„‡ˆ‘”‡
falling in love with Chiang Mai some
years ago, says his all-natural line of
snail products, Coquille, acts against
„—”•ǡƒ…‡ǡ•–”‡–…Šƒ”•ǡ•…ƒ”•ƒ†
aging. The two women next to me
concurred.
ƒ•ƒ’Šƒ ƒ ‘Šǡ ƒ ʹʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ
old recent university graduate,
said she had earlier tried laser and
other techno-treatments but after
some research decided that “natural
therapy” was better. She said snails
helped clear her acne when she was
stressed during her studies.
Dz›ˆƒ…‡‹•ϐ‹”‡”ƒ†•‘ˆ–‡”ǡdz•Š‡
•ƒ‹†Ǥ Dz—– ›‘— †‘ǯ– ‰‡– ‹‡†‹ƒ–‡
results. It shows gradually.”
‹‡ˆ‘”ƒ›ǡ–Š‡’”‘•’‡…–‘ˆŠƒ˜-
ing my face crawling with slimy hermaphrodites (snails are unisex) did
not immediately appeal. Although
from my own research I decided it
might be preferable to another natural therapy — “uguisu no fun,” or
nightingale faeces facial, which has
been around in Japan for centuries.
So after being slathered with one
‘ˆ Šƒ’‡›”‘—šǯ• …”‡ƒ•ǡ –Š‡ „‡ƒ—–‹…‹ƒ’Ž‘’’‡††‘™–Š‡ϐ‹”•–‘ˆŠƒŽˆƒ
†‘œ‡‘ŽŽ—••‘›ˆƒ…‡Ǥ„ƒŽ›
coolness I sensed as they proceed‡† –‘ •Ž‹†‡ ‘˜‡” › …Š‡‡•ǡ ˆ—””‘™
–Š”‘—‰Š › ‡›‡„”‘™• ƒ† –‹…Ž‡ ›
Ž‹’•ǡ –ƒ‹‰ ’ƒ”–‹…—Žƒ” Ž‹‹‰ –‘ ›
nose since snails are fond of climbing.
Opening my eyes, I got a macro
lens view of one critter perched on
› ‘•‡ –‹’Ǥ –• –™‹ǡ ƒ–‡ƒ‡ǦŽ‹‡
feelers were weaving about, possibly
•‡‡‹‰ƒ‡•…ƒ’‡”‘—–‡™‹–Š‹–•–‹›
‡›‡•Ǥ Š‡ •ƒ‹Žǯ• ͳͶǡͲͲͲ ‹…”‘•…‘’‹…
teeth produced a slight, not unpleasant, scratching when it slid towards
my nostrils.
So if truth be told, I sort of missed
my harmless, sensuous sextet when
they were dislodged, clinging to my
•‹™‹–Šƒ‰‡–Ž‡•—…–‹‘Ǥ
ƒ›„‡ ™‘ǯ– ‡ƒ– ƒ‘–Š‡” ‡•…ƒ”‰‘–ƒ‰ƒ‹ǤȄ
ARGENTINE YOUTH LONG FOR PRICEY
HIGH-TECH GADGETS
By Paula Bustamante
T
en-year-old Cloe Barrios spent a
›‡ƒ”•ƒ˜‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ‹‘†ǡƒ•–”—‰gle shared by many Argentine
›‘—–Š •…”ƒ„Ž‹‰ –‘ ‡‡’ —’ ™‹–Š
technology despite economic woes
–Šƒ– ƒ‡ •—…Š ‰ƒ†‰‡–• ‡š‘”„‹–ƒ–Ž›
pricey.
The third-largest economy in
Latin America, Argentina was one of
the most plugged-in countries in the
ͳͻͻͲ•Ǥ—–‹–•Š‹‰Š‹ϐŽƒ–‹‘ǡ†‡˜ƒŽ—‡†
currency and exchange controls have
produced infrastructure failures and a
dearth of technological gadgetry today.
Ž‘‡ǡ ™Š‘ „‘—‰Š– Š‡” ‹‘† ™‹–Š
help from her mother and an aunt in
”ƒ…‡ǡ‹•‘‡‘ˆŠ‡”‰‡‡”ƒ–‹‘ǯ•Ž—…›
ones, possessing a “toy” with the coveted Apple label. “There are only four
‘ˆ—•‹–Š‡…Žƒ••™Š‘Šƒ˜‡‹‘†•ǡdz•Š‡
said. “Six have cell phones and one has
ƒ‹Š‘‡„—–‘Ž›„‡…ƒ—•‡–Š‡‹”—
lends it,” she said of her class of 28.
‡” ’ƒ”–‹…—Žƒ” ‹‘† …ƒ‡ ˆ”‘
Chile, the Latin American country
where technology is most readily
available today.
‘”‡”• ‹ ”‰‡–‹ƒǡ ™Š‹…Š •–‹ŽŽ
Šƒ• ‘ Ͷ
‡–™‘”ǡ —•– ‡ƒ” ˆƒ”
‘”‡–Šƒ’‡‘’Ž‡‹–Š‡”‡‰‹‘ǯ•‘–Š‡”
countries — except for Venezuela — to
be able to buy the same technological
’”‘†—…–•ǡ ƒ……‘”†‹‰ –‘ ƒ”…‘ ƒ”‡–ing Consultants.
‘–‡„‘‘ …‘’—–‡” …‘•–• ʹǤʹ
times the average monthly salary in
”‰‡–‹ƒǡ ™Š‹Ž‡ ‹ Š‹Ž‡ ‹– …‘•–• ͲǤͻ͸
times below the average.
Š‡ …‘•—Ž–‹‰ ϐ‹”ǯ• ”‡’‘”–ǡ ’—„-
Ž‹•Š‡†ƒ––Š‡‡†‘ˆʹͲͳͶǡƒ”‰—‡†–Šƒ–
“the difference between the average
wages needed in Argentina and Chile
–‘„—›ƒƒ˜‡”ƒ‰‡‘–‡„‘‘…‘’—–‡”
is 129 per cent. But if high-end note„‘‘• ƒ”‡ …‘’ƒ”‡†ǡ –Š‡ ‰ƒ’ ”‹•‡• –‘
ͳ͸͸’‡”…‡–Ǥdz
“This means that for mid-range
products, the comparative situation in
Argentina is better, if still poor.”
‘Everyone reads newspapers’
While Cloe attends public school,
Candelaria Zapata lives in the uppermiddle-class Buenos Aires neighbourŠ‘‘† ‘ˆ ƒŽ‡”‘ ƒ† ‰‘‡• –‘ ’”‹˜ƒ–‡
•…Š‘‘ŽǤŠ‡Ž‘˜‡•Š‡”…‡ŽŽ’Š‘‡ǣDz–ǯ•
›„‡•–…Š—ǡ‹––ƒ‡•›•‡Žϐ‹‡•ǡ•—’plies my music videos and connects
me,” the 11-year-old said.
Ž–Š‘—‰Š ”‰‡–‹ƒǯ• ‹††Ž‡ ƒ†
—’’‡” …Žƒ••‡• ‘ˆ–‡ …‘’Žƒ‹ –Šƒ– ‹–ǯ•
“a shame” that there is not a larger
supply of Apple products, a fetish
ƒ‘‰–Š‡…‘—–”›ǯ•›‘—–Šǡƒ†‡Žƒ”‹ƒ
does not stress.
She boasts of having a Samsung
“that was made in Tierra del Fuego,”
the archipelago at the southern tip of
South America, where the South Korean tech giant was drawn by generous
–ƒš„”‡ƒ•Ǥ
‹Š‘‡•ƒ”‡‘–•‘Ž†‹”‰‡–‹ƒǤ
Stores authorised by Apple can
sell other products from the company
at prices tied to the dollar, with an
‡š…Šƒ‰‡ ”ƒ–‡ ‘ˆ ͺǤ͸Ͳ ”‰‡–‹‡ ’‡sos to the dollar — or anywhere from
ͳʹǦͳ͵Ǥ͸Ͳ ’‡•‘• ’‡” ‰”‡‡„ƒ… ‘ –Š‡
„Žƒ…ƒ”‡–Ǥ
Šƒ–ƒ‡•’’Ž‡’”‘†—…–•ƒ‡špensive purchase even for a middle…Žƒ•• ‡”‹…ƒǤ  ‹ƒ† ‹• ͳʹǡͷͻͻ
’‡•‘•‘”̈́ͳǡͶ͸ͷǡ…‘’ƒ”‡†–‘̈́Ͷͻͻ‹
‡™‘”‘”‹ƒ‹Ǥ
Š‡ ‘•– „ƒ•‹… ƒ…‘‘ ‹” Ȅ
which costs $999 in Chile, Mexico
and the United States — costs $2,813
ȋʹͶǡͳͻͻ’‡•‘•Ȍ‹—‡‘•‹”‡•Ǥ
“This explains why everyone reads
’”‹–‡† ‡™•’ƒ’‡”•ǡ –Šƒ–ǯ• ™Šƒ– ‹pressed me the most when I came to
”‰‡–‹ƒǡdz ‹‡ ‘™ǡ ƒ ‡”‹…ƒ
who arrived in the country last April,
said.
27
Peace cannot be kept by force;
it can only be achieved by understanding.
— Albert Einstein
PEOPLE
OMAN DAILY OBSERVER
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
Italy’s Feminist Mafia
Matriarch Conquers
the World
Byy Kelly Velasquez
M
aria Pia
ƒŽœ‘‡ ‹•
Œ—•–Ž‘˜‹‰
ƒŽŽ–Š‡Šƒ–‡Ǥ
Žƒ›‹‰ ƒϐ‹ƒ
ƒ–”‹ƒ”…Š ƒ
in Gomorra, a
television series
–Šƒ
–Šƒ– …Š”‘‹…Ž‡• Ž‹ˆ‡
ƒ’Ž‡• ‘„ǡ Šƒ• ƒ†‡
‹ –Š‡ ƒ’Ž‡•
–Š‡ Ͷ͸Ǧ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž† …Šƒ”ƒ…–‡” ƒ…–”‡••
‘™ƒ…”‘••–Š‡‰
‘™ƒ…”‘••–Š‡‰Ž‘„‡ƒˆ–‡”‹–•–ƒŽ‹ƒ’”‘†—…‡”••‘Ž†‹–
‹ƒ’”‘†—…‡”••‘Ž†‹––‘„”‘ƒ†…ƒ•–‡”•‹
‘”‡–Šƒ͹Ͳ…‘—–”‹
‘”‡–Šƒ͹Ͳ…‘—–”‹‡•Ǥ
†•Š‡‹•‘–…‘’
†•Š‡‹•‘–…‘’Žƒ‹‹‰–Šƒ–˜‹‡™‡”• –‡† –‘ ”‡‰ƒ”† –Š
–Š‡ ‰Žƒ‘”‘—• ƒ†
”—–ŠŽ‡••Ž‡ƒ†ˆ‡ƒŽ‡…Šƒ
”—–ŠŽ‡••Ž‡ƒ†ˆ‡ƒŽ‡…Šƒ”ƒ…–‡”™‹–Šƒ‹š–—”‡‘ˆˆƒ•…‹ƒ–‹‘ƒ†”‡
–—”‡‘ˆˆƒ•…‹ƒ–‹‘ƒ†”‡˜—Ž•‹‘Ǥ
DzŠƒ– ‹• ‡šƒ…–Ž› ™Š
™Šƒ– ™ƒ–‡† Ȅ ™ƒ–‡†’‡‘’Ž‡–‘†‡–‡•–
™ƒ–‡†’‡‘’Ž‡–‘†‡–‡•–Š‡”ǡdzƒŽœ‘‡•ƒ‹†
‹ƒ‹–‡”˜‹‡™‹‘‡
‹ƒ‹–‡”˜‹‡™‹‘‡Ǥ
Dzˆ–‡”ƒŽŽǡ„ƒ•‡†Š‡
Dzˆ–‡”ƒŽŽǡ„ƒ•‡†Š‡”‘”‡ƒŽ‹–›Ǥdz
Šƒ–”‡ƒŽ‹–›ǡ•Š‡•ƒ›
Šƒ–”‡ƒŽ‹–›ǡ•Š‡•ƒ›•‹•ƒ…‘’Ž‡š‘‡
˜‡”›ˆƒ””‡‘˜‡†ˆ”‘
˜‡”›ˆƒ””‡‘˜‡†ˆ”‘–”ƒ†‹–‹‘ƒŽ‹ƒ‰‡•‘ˆ–Š‡™‘‡‘ˆ•‘—
‡•‘ˆ–Š‡™‘‡‘ˆ•‘—–Š‡”–ƒŽ›Ǥ
DzŠ‡™‘‡‘ˆ–Š
DzŠ‡™‘‡‘ˆ–Š‡ƒ‘””ƒƒ”‡†‡˜‘–‡†–‘–Š‡‹”‡„—
˜‘–‡†–‘–Š‡‹”‡„—––Š‡›ƒ”‡‘–•—„•‡”˜‹‡–‘”’‘™‡”Ž‡••
•‡”˜‹‡–‘”’‘™‡”Ž‡••ǡdz•Š‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Dz– ‹• ƒ ˜‡”› ‘†‡”
‘†
–›’‡ ‘ˆ ˆ‡‹‹• –Šƒ– ‡š‹•–• ‹ –Š‡
–Š ‡ƒ’‘Ž‹–ƒ ƒϐ‹ƒǤdz
ƒŽœ‘‡ǯ•…ŠƒŽŽ‡
ƒŽœ‘‡ǯ•…ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡™ƒ•–‘‰‡–‹–‘
–Š‡ •‹ ‘ˆ ƒ …Šƒ”ƒ…–
…Šƒ”ƒ…–‡” ™Š‘ †‡ϐ‹‡• Š‡”
Š—•„ƒ†
Š—•„ƒ† ‹‡–”‘
‹‡–”‘ „›
„› –ƒ
–ƒ‹‰ …‘–”‘Ž ‘ˆ Š‹•
Maria Pia Calzone poses in Rome. — AFP
Calzone’s challenge was
to get into the skin of
ƒ…Šƒ”ƒ…–‡”™Š‘†‡ϔ‹‡•
her husband Pietro by
taking control of his
criminal clan when he is
in police custody. To do
so, she met with women
who had lived with the
men of the Camorra
…”‹‹ƒŽ…Žƒ™Š‡Š‡‹•‹’‘Ž‹…‡…—•–‘†›Ǥ
‘†‘•‘ǡ•Š‡‡–™‹–Š™‘‡™Š‘Šƒ†Ž‹˜‡†
™‹–Š–Š‡‡‘ˆ–Š‡ƒ‘””ƒǡ–Š‡‘–‘”‹‘—•ƒ’Ž‡•
ƒϐ‹ƒ†‹••‡…–‡†ƒ†‡š’‘•‡†‹Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–‘„‡”–‘
ƒ˜‹ƒ‘ǯ• ƒ™ƒ”†Ǧ™‹‹‰ ‘˜‡Ž Dz
‘‘””ƒŠdz ƒ†
–Š‡ƒ……Žƒ‹‡†ʹͲͲͺϐ‹Ž‘ˆ–Š‡•ƒ‡ƒ‡Ǥ
Dz– –‘‘ ‡ ‘–Š• „—– ϐ‹ƒŽŽ› •‘‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ǡ
‡šǦ™‹˜‡• ‘ˆ ƒ‘””ƒ ‡ǡ ‘’‡‡† –Š‡‹” †‘‘”• –‘
‡Ǥ – ™ƒ• ˜‡”› †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž– ƒ† ‡…‘—–‡”‡† ƒ Ž‘–
‘ˆ”‡•‹•–ƒ…‡ǡ„—–™‘—Ž†‡˜‡”Šƒ˜‡„‡‡ƒ„Ž‡–‘
—†‡”•–ƒ†…‡”–ƒ‹ƒ•’‡…–•‘ˆ–Š‡‹”‡–ƒŽ‹–›ǡ–Š‡‹”
•‡•‹„‹Ž‹–‹‡•™‹–Š‘—–Šƒ˜‹‰•’‘‡–‘–Š‡Ǥdz
This life is hell
‡‹‰ƒ„Ž‡–‘—†‡”•–ƒ†–Š‡–Š‹…Ž‘…ƒŽ†‹ƒŽ‡…–
ƒ•ƒƒ–‹˜‡‘ˆƒ’Ž‡•Š‡”•‡ŽˆŠ‡Ž’‡†ƒŽœ‘‡ƒ‡
–Š‡…‘‡…–‹‘Ǥ
Š‡ ”‡•—Ž– ‹• ƒ ƒ……Žƒ‹‡† ’‡”ˆ‘”ƒ…‡ –Šƒ–
Šƒ• „‡‡ …‡–”ƒŽ –‘ –Š‡ Š‹‰Š ’”ƒ‹•‡ –Š‡ •‡”‹‡•ǡ †‹”‡…–‡†„›–‡ˆƒ‘‘ŽŽ‹ƒǡŠƒ•”‡…‡‹˜‡†ˆ‘”‹–•—”‡Ž‡–‹‰Ž› „Ž‡ƒ ’‘”–”ƒ›ƒŽ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ”‡ƒŽ‹–‹‡• ‘ˆ ‘”‰ƒ‹•‡† …”‹‡ǯ• ‰”‹’ ‘ •‘‡ ‘ˆ ƒ’Ž‡•ǯ ’‘‘”‡•–
‡‹‰Š„‘—”Š‘‘†•Ǥ
Dzƒ‘Œ—†‰‡‘”Žƒ™›‡”ǡ‘Ž›ƒƒ…–”‡••ǡdzƒŽœ‘‡ ƒ††‡†Ǥ Dz› ’‘‹– ‘ˆ ˜‹‡™ ™ƒ• –Šƒ– ‘ˆ •‘‡‘‡™Š‘™ƒ–‡†–‘—†‡”•–ƒ†ǡ™‹–Š‘—–Œ—•–‹ˆ›‹‰ǡ
…‡”–ƒ‹™ƒ›•‘ˆ„‡Šƒ˜‹‰Ǥ
DzŠƒ–Šƒ˜‡—†‡”•–‘‘†ǡ…‡”–ƒ‹Ž›ǡ‹•–Šƒ––Š‹•
Ž‹ˆ‡ ‹• Š‡ŽŽǤ ‘™‹‰ –Š‹‰• ƒ† ’”‡–‡†‹‰ ‘– –‘
‘™–Š‡Ǥ‘™‹‰–Š‘•‡…Ž‘•‡•––‘›‘—ƒ”‡‰‘‹‰ –‘ †‹‡ǡ –Šƒ– Ž‹ˆ‡ ‹• •Š‘”– ƒ† ‘‡› …ƒǯ– Š‡Ž’
›‘—Ǥ–‹•Š‡ŽŽǤdz
ƒ˜‹ƒ‘ǡ ™Š‘ Šƒ• Ž‹˜‡† —†‡” ”‘—†Ǧ–Š‡Ǧ…Ž‘…
’‘Ž‹…‡’”‘–‡…–‹‘•‹…‡Š‡™”‘–‡Š‹•‘˜‡Žǡ‘™•
ƒŽŽ ƒ„‘—– Ž‹ˆ‡ „‡‹‰ Š‡ŽŽǤ Š‡ Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•– ƒ…–‡† ƒ• ƒ
…‘•—Ž–ƒ–‘–Š‡–‡Ž‡˜‹•‹‘•‡”‹‡•ǡ™Š‹…Š–‡ŽŽ•–Š‡
•–‘”›‘ˆ–™‘…Žƒ•„ƒ––Ž‹‰ˆ‘”…‘–”‘Ž‘ˆ–Š‡‘”–Š‡”’ƒ”–‘ˆƒ’Ž‡•ƒ†‹–•…‘…ƒ‹‡–”ƒ†‡Ǥ
Dz†‘ǯ–‘™Š‹ǡdz•ƒ‹†ƒŽœ‘‡ǤDz—–™Š‡–Š‡
•‡”‹‡•™ƒ•ϐ‹”•–•Š‘™‹–ƒŽ›ǡŠ‡•‡–‡ƒŽ‘˜‡Ž›
Ž‡––‡”ƒ†ƒ†‡•‘‡’—„Ž‹…•–ƒ–‡‡–•–Šƒ–”‡ƒŽŽ›
‘˜‡†‡Ǥ‡•ƒ‹†Šƒ†„‡‡ƒ„Ž‡–‘‹…ƒ”ƒ–‡ƒŽŽ
–Š‡ƒ‘””ƒ™‘‡Š‡Šƒ†‡–ǡ™Š‹…Š™ƒ•˜‡”›
‹…‡–‘Š‡ƒ”Ǥdz
‹š•…”‡‡™”‹–‡”•™‡”‡„”‘—‰Š–‹–‘Š‘‡–Š‡
ͳʹǦ‡’‹•‘†‡•‡”‹‡•ƒ†‡•—”‡‹–•†‡’‹…–‹‘‘ˆŠ‘™
–Š‡ƒ‘””ƒ™‘”•™ƒ•ˆƒ‹–Šˆ—Ž–‘ƒ˜‹ƒ‘ǯ•˜‹•‹‘Ǥ
Dz‡•–”‹’’‡†–Š‹•™‘”Ž††‘™ǡ™‡Ž‹–‡”ƒŽŽ›—†”‡••‡†‹–ǡdzƒŽœ‘‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
‘” –Š‡ ƒ…–”‡•• ‹– ™ƒ• ’ƒ”–‹…—Žƒ”Ž› ‹’‘”–ƒ–
–Šƒ––Š‡•‡”‹‡•™ƒ••Š‘–‹…ƒ’‹ƒǡƒ†‹•–”‹…–•‡‡
ƒ•„‡‹‰’ƒ”–‹…—Žƒ”Ž›—†‡”–Š‡–Š—„‘ˆ–Š‡…”‹‡
•›†‹…ƒ–‡ǤDz‡•Š‘™‡†‡˜‡”›–Š‹‰ˆ”‘–Š‡‹•‹†‡ǡ
™‹–Š‘—–ƒ›‹†‘ˆϐ‹Ž–‡”ǤdzȄ
ERWIANA: From Domestic Helper to Human Rights Activist
In a sign of her
F
rom a “simple village girl” too pet”‹ϐ‹‡†–‘”‡’‘”––Š‡–‘”–—”‡•Š‡™ƒ•
ˆƒ…‹‰ǡ”™‹ƒƒ—Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹ŠŠƒ•
„‡…‘‡ƒ…‘ϐ‹†‡–ƒ†˜‘…ƒ–‡‘ˆ™‘”‡”•ǯ
”‹‰Š–•‹ƒ…‹–›™Š‡”‡ƒ‹†•‘ˆ–‡Ž‹˜‡‹
•Žƒ˜‡ǦŽ‹‡…‘†‹–‹‘•Ǥ
Š‘…‹‰ ’‹…–—”‡• ‡‡”‰‡† ‘ˆ ƒ •‡˜‡”‡Ž› „‡ƒ–‡ —Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹Š Ž‘‘‹‰
ˆ”ƒ‹Ž ƒ† •‹› ƒ† ‹ ƒ …”‹–‹…ƒŽ …‘†‹–‹‘ƒ–ƒ†‘‡•‹ƒŠ‘•’‹–ƒŽ‹ƒ—ƒ”›
Žƒ•– ›‡ƒ”ǡ ƒ† ˆ‘…—•‡† –Š‡ •’‘–Ž‹‰Š– ‘
–Š‡ ”‹‰Š–• ‘ˆ †‘‡•–‹… Š‡Ž’‡”• ‹ ‘‰
‘‰Ǥ
Š‡ ’Š‘–‘• ƒ† Š‡” ƒ……‘—– ‘ˆ –Š‡
ƒ„—•‡•Š‡”‡…‡‹˜‡†•Š‘…‡†–Š‡•‹ƒϐ‹ƒ…‹ƒŽŠ—„ƒ†•’ƒ”‡†ƒ‰‡”ƒ‘‰•–
–Š‡ ‹‰”ƒ– ™‘”‡” …‘—‹–›ǡ ”‡‡™‹‰…‘…‡”•‘˜‡”–Š‡ƒ„—•‡‘ˆ†‘‡•–‹…
Š‡Ž’‡”•Ǥ
—Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹Šǡ ™Š‘ ƒ……‘”†‹‰ –‘
–Š‡Œ—†‰‡ǯ•˜‡”†‹…–Dz†‡•…”‹„‡†Š‡”•‡Žˆƒ•
a simple village girl, coming from a vilErwiana answers questions during a
Žƒ‰‡™Š‡”‡Š‡”’ƒ”‡–•ƒ”‡ˆƒ”‡”•dzǡ™ƒ•
press conference in Hong Kong. — AFP
•‡– „ƒ… –‘ †‘‡•‹ƒ „› Š‡” ˆ‘”‡”
‡’Ž‘›‡”ǡ ƒ™ ƒǦ–—‰ǡ ™Š‡ •Š‡ „‡…ƒ‡–‘‘™‡ƒ–‘™ƒŽǤ
Š‡ –‘Ž† –Š‡ …‘—”– –Šƒ– ƒ™ …‘˜‡”‡†
Š‡” ‹ ƒ‡Ǧ—’ –‘ Š‹†‡ Š‡” ‹Œ—”‹‡• ˆ‘”
–Š‡ –”‹’ –‘ –Š‡ ƒ‹”’‘”– ƒ† •–”ƒ’’‡† ƒ
ƒ’’› ‘ Š‡” ƒ• •Š‡ …‘—Ž† ‘– —•‡ –Š‡
–‘‹Ž‡–Ǥ
Ž‹––Ž‡ ‘˜‡” ƒ ›‡ƒ” Žƒ–‡”ǡ ƒ Š‡ƒŽ–Š‹‡”
Ž‘‘‹‰ —Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹Š ™ƒ• „ƒ… ‹
‘‰ ‘‰ ƒ† ™‘ ƒ Žƒ†ƒ” …ƒ•‡
ƒ‰ƒ‹•– ƒ™ǡ ™Š‘ ™ƒ• …‘˜‹…–‡† ‘
—‡•†ƒ› ˆ‘” „‡ƒ–‹‰ ƒ† •–ƒ”˜‹‰ Š‡”ǡ
ƒ†‡‡’‹‰Š‡”’”‹•‘‡”Ǥ
Dz‘ ‡’Ž‘›‡”• ‹ ‘‰ ‘‰ǡ Š‘’‡
–Š‡›™‹ŽŽ•–ƒ”––”‡ƒ–‹‰‹‰”ƒ–™‘”‡”•
ƒ• ™‘”‡”• ƒ† Š—ƒ „‡‹‰• ƒ† •–‘’
–”‡ƒ–‹‰ —• Ž‹‡ •Žƒ˜‡•ǡdz —Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹Š
–‘Ž†ƒ’”‡••…‘ˆ‡”‡…‡ƒˆ–‡”–Š‡˜‡”†‹…–Ǥ
—– –Š‡ ʹͶǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž†ǡ ™Š‘ Šƒ• „‡‡
Šƒ‹Ž‡†ƒ•ƒŠ‡”‘ǡŠƒ†‹‹–‹ƒŽŽ›™ƒ–‡†–Š‡
…ƒ•‡ƒ‰ƒ‹•–ƒ™–‘„‡Ž‘™Ǧ’”‘ϐ‹Ž‡Ǥ
Dz –Š‡ „‡‰‹‹‰ †‹†ǯ– ™ƒ– ›
…ƒ•‡–‘„‡–Š‹•„‹‰„‡…ƒ—•‡‹–ǯ•–‘‘—…Š
„—”†‡ ˆ‘” ‡ ‡‘–‹‘ƒŽŽ› ƒ† ’•›…Š‘Ž‘‰‹…ƒŽŽ›ǡdz —Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹Š –‘Ž† –Š‡ South
China Morning Post.
—”‹‰ –Š‡ •‹šǦ™‡‡ –”‹ƒŽǡ ’”‘•‡…—–‘”• •ƒ‹† ƒ™ –—”‡† Š‘—•‡Š‘Ž† ‹–‡•
•—…Š ƒ• ƒ ‘’ǡ ƒ ”—Ž‡” ƒ† ƒ …Ž‘–Š‡•
Šƒ‰‡” ‹–‘ Dz™‡ƒ’‘•dz ƒ‰ƒ‹•– Š‡”
ƒ‹†•Ǥ
—Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹Š”‡…ƒŽŽ‡†ˆ‘”–Š‡…‘—”– Erwiana waves to her supporters outside a district court in Hong Kong
transformation
from a selfdescribed “simple
village girl”, Time
magazine named
her one of the
world’s 100 most
‹ϔŽ—‡–‹ƒŽ’‡‘’Ž‡
in April last year
DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI Chief Executive Officer
ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI Editor-in-Chief
‹ ‡…‡„‡” Š‘™ •Š‡ Ž‹˜‡† ‘ ‘–Š‹‰„—–„”‡ƒ†ƒ†”‹…‡ˆ‘”‘–Š•ǡ•Ž‡’–
‘Ž›ˆ‘—”Š‘—”•ƒ†ƒ›ƒ†™ƒ•„‡ƒ–‡•‘
„ƒ†Ž›„›ƒ™–Šƒ–•Š‡™ƒ•‘…‡†—…‘•…‹‘—•Ǥ
DzŠ‡ ‘ˆ–‡ Š‹– ‡ǤǤǤ •‘‡–‹‡• •Š‡
™‘—Ž† Š‹– ‡ ˆ”‘ „‡Š‹†ǡ •‘‡–‹‡•
•Š‡Š‹–‡‹–Š‡ˆ”‘–Ǥ™ƒ•Š‹–•‘‘ˆ–‡
•‘‡–‹‡•‰‘–ƒŠ‡ƒ†ƒ…Š‡ǤǤǤŠ‡Š‹–‡
‹›‘—–Šȋ•‘ȌŠƒ††‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–›„”‡ƒ–Š‹‰ǡdz•Š‡–‘Ž†–Š‡…‘—”––Š‡Ǥ
Dz–Š‡•‡–‡…‡‘ˆ›‡šǦ‡’Ž‘›‡”
Š‘’‡–Šƒ–•Š‡™‹ŽŽ”‡…‡‹˜‡ƒš‹—•‡–‡…‡ǤǤǤ–Š‹•‹••–‹ŽŽ‘–‡‘—‰Š…‘’ƒ”‡†
–‘™Šƒ–•Š‡†‹†–‘‡ƒ†‘–Š‡”˜‹…–‹•ǡdz
•Š‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
ƒ™ …‘—Ž† ˆƒ…‡ —’ –‘ •‡˜‡ ›‡ƒ”•
‹ Œƒ‹Ž ™Š‡ •Š‡ ‹• •‡–‡…‡† Žƒ–‡” –Š‹•
‘–ŠǤ
More abuse cases exposed
Š‡ ˆ‘”‡” ƒ‹† ƒŽ•‘ •ƒ‹† •Š‡ …‘–‹—‡• –‘ Šƒ˜‡ †‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–› „”‡ƒ–Š‹‰ ƒˆ–‡”
Š‡”‘•‡™ƒ•‹Œ—”‡†ƒ†Š‡”ˆ”‘––‡‡–Š
”‡ƒ‹ˆ”ƒ…–—”‡†„›ƒ’—…Šˆ”‘ƒ™Ǥ
• –Š‡ …‘—”– …ƒ•‡ ƒ‰ƒ‹•– ƒ™ ™‡–
‘ǡ ‘”‡ †‘‡•–‹… Š‡Ž’‡”• •–‡’’‡† ˆ‘”™ƒ”† –‘ ”‡’‘”– ƒ„—•‡• –Š‡› ˆƒ…‡† ˆ”‘
ƒ™ƒ†‘–Š‡”‡’Ž‘›‡”•Ǥ
DzǯŠƒ’’›„‡…ƒ—•‡–Š”‘—‰Š›…ƒ•‡
‘–Š‡”…ƒ•‡•Šƒ˜‡„‡‡‡š’‘•‡†ǡdz—Ž‹•–›ƒ‹‰•‹Š–‘Ž†ƒ„Ž‡‡Ž‡˜‹•‹‘‡™•Ǥ
‡•’‹–‡ –Š‡ Šƒ”†•Š‹’•ǡ Š‘™‡˜‡”ǡ •Š‡
Šƒ• ‡˜‡”–Š‡Ž‡•• •ƒ‹† •Š‡ Šƒ† ˆ‘”‰‹˜‡ Š‡” ƒ„—•‡”ǡ ƒ† ‘™ ’Žƒ• –‘ •–—†›
‡…‘‘‹…• ƒ– ƒ —‹˜‡”•‹–› ‹ †‘‡•‹ƒ
ƒ† …‘–‹—‡ –ƒ‹‰ ’ƒ”– ‹ ƒ…–‹˜‹–‹‡•
•—’’‘”–‹‰ –Š‡ ”‹‰Š–• ‘ˆ ‹‰”ƒ– ™‘”‡”•Ǥ
Š‡ …‹–› ‹• Š‘‡ –‘ ‡ƒ”Ž› ͵ͲͲǡͲͲͲ
ƒ‹†•ǡ ƒ‹Ž› ˆ”‘ †‘‡•‹ƒ ƒ† –Š‡
Š‹Ž‹’’‹‡•ǡ ƒ† …”‹–‹…‹• ˆ”‘ ”‹‰Š–•
‰”‘—’•‘˜‡”–Š‡‹”–”‡ƒ–‡–‹•‰”‘™‹‰Ǥ
‡•–› –‡”ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ ‹ ‘˜‡„‡”
…‘†‡‡† –Š‡ Dz•Žƒ˜‡”›ǦŽ‹‡dz …‘†‹–‹‘• ˆƒ…‡† „› –Š‘—•ƒ†• ‘ˆ †‘‡•‹ƒ
†‘‡•–‹… Š‡Ž’‡”• ‹ ‘‰ ‘‰ ƒ† ƒ……—•‡† ƒ—–Š‘”‹–‹‡• ‘ˆ Dz‹‡š…—•ƒ„Ž‡dz ‹ƒ…–‹‘Ǥ
† ‹ ƒ •‹‰ ‘ˆ Š‡” –”ƒ•ˆ‘”ƒ–‹‘
ˆ”‘ ƒ •‡ŽˆǦ†‡•…”‹„‡† Dz•‹’Ž‡ ˜‹ŽŽƒ‰‡
girl”, Time ƒ‰ƒœ‹‡ ƒ‡† Š‡” ‘‡ ‘ˆ
–Š‡ ™‘”Ž†ǯ• ͳͲͲ ‘•– ‹ϐŽ—‡–‹ƒŽ ’‡‘’Ž‡
‹ ’”‹Ž Žƒ•– ›‡ƒ”ǡ Šƒ‹Ž‹‰ Š‡” „”ƒ˜‡”›
‹ •’‡ƒ‹‰ ‘—– ƒ† ’—•Š‹‰ ˆ‘” Žƒ™•
–Šƒ–„‡––‡”’”‘–‡…–ƒ‹†•‹‘‰‘‰Ǥ
Ȅ
Will Brian Williams
Keep His Job?
Brian Williams
He is not quite like
other celebrities. That
is because he is also a
journalist, and we place
journalists in a different
strata of celebrity.
Journalists are regarded
as authoritative. They
convey the truth. We
even have expectations
of their behaviour and
demeanour, which is
•—’’‘•‡†–‘„‡†‹‰‹ϔ‹‡†
By Neal Gabler
B
‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•ǡ–Š‡ϐŽƒ‹Ž‹‰‡™•ƒ…Š‘”ǡ
Šƒ•†—‰Š‹•‡Žˆ‹–‘ƒŠ‘Ž‡ǤŠƒ•‘’‡‡†
ƒ ‹–‡”ƒŽ ‹˜‡•–‹‰ƒ–‹‘ ‹–‘ Š‹• ”‡’‡ƒ–‡†
ˆƒŽ•‡…Žƒ‹•‘˜‡”–Š‡›‡ƒ”•–Šƒ–Š‡™ƒ••Š‘–ƒ–†—”‹‰ ƒ ʹͲͲ͵ Š‡Ž‹…‘’–‡” ”‹†‡ ™Š‡ …‘˜‡”‹‰ –Š‡ ™ƒ”
‹”ƒ“Ǥ‘™‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•ǡ™Š‘Šƒ••—•’‡†‡†Š‹•‡Žˆǡ
‹• ƒ’‘Ž‘‰‹•‹‰ǡ „› •ƒ›‹‰ Š‡ …‘ϐŽƒ–‡† ƒ Š‡Ž‹…‘’–‡”
–Šƒ–™ƒ••Š‘–ƒ–™‹–ŠŠ‹•‘™ǡ™Š‹…Š™ƒ•ǯ–ǤŠƒ–‹•
ƒ–‘—‰ŠŠ‘Ž‡–‘…Ž‹„‘—–‘ˆǤŠ‡–Š‡”Š‡…ƒ†‘‹–‹•
Ž‹‡Ž›–‘†‡’‡†‘™Š‡–Š‡”–Š‡’—„Ž‹…•‡‡•Š‹ƒ•ƒ
Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–‘”ƒ•ƒ…‡Ž‡„”‹–›Ǥ
Š‡ ’—„Ž‹… ‰‡‡”ƒŽŽ› …—–• …‡Ž‡„”‹–‹‡• ƒ „”‡ƒ
™Š‡ –Š‡› ‹•„‡Šƒ˜‡ „‡…ƒ—•‡ ™‡ ƒ”‡ ƒŽŽ ‡‰ƒ‰‡†
‹ƒ‹†‘ˆƒ””ƒ–‹˜‡…‘ŽŽƒ„‘”ƒ–‹‘™‹–Š…‡Ž‡„”‹–‹‡•
Ȅƒ†…—––‹‰–Š‡„”‡ƒ•‹•’ƒ”–‘ˆ–Š‡†‡ƒŽǤ‡Ž‡„”‹–‹‡•‰‹˜‡—•–Š‡‹”Ž‹˜‡•ǡƒ†™‡”ƒ‹•‡–Š‡—’ǡ–‡ƒ”
–Š‡†‘™ƒ†”ƒ‹•‡–Š‡—’ƒ‰ƒ‹Ǥ
Š‹• ‹• ƒ…–—ƒŽŽ› ƒ ˆ‘” ‘ˆ ‹–‹ƒ…› Ȅ ƒ ™ƒ› ‘ˆ
†‘…—‡–‹‰ ‘—” …‘‡…–‹‘ –‘ …‡Ž‡„”‹–›Ǥ —– ‹– ‹•
ƒŽ•‘ƒ™ƒ›‘ˆ†‘…—‡–‹‰–Š‡‹”†‡’‡†‡…‡‘—•Ǥ
›ƒ‹‰–Š‡ƒ†„”‡ƒ‹‰–Š‡ǡ™‡•Š‘™–Šƒ–
‘—”…‘ŽŽƒ„‘”ƒ–‹‘‹•‘—”’‘™‡”Ǥ
•ƒ‡™•ƒ…Š‘”ǡ‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•‹•ƒ…‡Ž‡„”‹–›Ǥ—–Š‡
‹•‘–“—‹–‡Ž‹‡‘–Š‡”…‡Ž‡„”‹–‹‡•ǤŠƒ–‹•„‡…ƒ—•‡Š‡
‹•ƒŽ•‘ƒŒ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–ǡƒ†™‡’Žƒ…‡Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–•‹ƒ†‹ˆˆ‡”‡–•–”ƒ–ƒ‘ˆ…‡Ž‡„”‹–›Ǥ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–•ƒ”‡”‡‰ƒ”†‡†ƒ•
ƒ—–Š‘”‹–ƒ–‹˜‡ǤŠ‡›…‘˜‡›–Š‡–”—–ŠǤ‡‡˜‡Šƒ˜‡
‡š’‡…–ƒ–‹‘• ‘ˆ –Š‡‹” „‡Šƒ˜‹‘—” ƒ† †‡‡ƒ‘—”ǡ
™Š‹…Š‹••—’’‘•‡†–‘„‡†‹‰‹ϐ‹‡†Ǥ
‡ƒ”‡•—’’‘•‡†–‘–”—•––Š‡ǡƒ†™‡‰‡‡”ƒŽŽ›
†‘Ǥˆƒ…–ǡ‹”‘‹…ƒ•‹–ƒ›‘™•‘—†ǡŠƒ•„‡‡
”—‹‰ƒƒ†–Šƒ––‘—–•‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•ǯ–”—•–™‘”–Š‹‡••Ǥ
– ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™• –Šƒ– ™Š‡ Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–• Ž‘•‡ –Š‡ ’—„Ž‹… –”—•–ǡ –Š‡› Ž‘•‡ —• Ȅ ƒ† –Š‡”‡ ƒ”‡ –›’‹…ƒŽŽ› ‘
•‡…‘†ƒ…–•ˆ‘”–Š‡ǤŠ‹‘ˆƒƒ–Š‡”ǡ™Š‘Ž‘•–
–”—•– ˆ‘” —•‹‰ —˜‡”‹ϐ‹‡† †‘…—‡–• “—‡•–‹‘‹‰
”‡•‹†‡– ‡‘”‰‡ —•Šǯ• ƒ–‹‘ƒŽ —ƒ”† •‡”˜‹…‡
†—”‹‰–Š‡‹‡–ƒƒ”Ǥƒ–Š‡”Ž‘•––Š‡‡™•
ƒ…Š‘”…Šƒ‹”ƒ†Šƒ•„‡‡…‘•‹‰‡†–‘…ƒ„Ž‡‡˜‡”
•‹…‡Ǥ”…‘””‡•’‘†‡–ƒ”ƒ‘‰ƒǡ™Š‘’‡††Ž‡†ƒ„‘‰—•”‡’‘”–‘‡‰Šƒœ‹ǡƒ†™Š‘Šƒ•Ž‘•–
Š‡”Ž—•–”‡Ǥƒ˜‹‰ƒ„‹–‘ˆ–”—•–ˆ‘”ƒŒ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–‹•Ž‹‡
–Š‡’‘’‡„‡‹‰ƒŽ‹––Ž‡„‹–ƒ–Š‘Ž‹…Ǥ–†‘‡•ǯ–’ƒ”•‡Ǥ
—– ‹ŽŽ‹ƒ• ‹•ǯ– ƒ –›’‹…ƒŽ Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–Ǥ ‡ Šƒ†
ƒ…–‹˜‡Ž› …—Ž–‹˜ƒ–‡† ƒ ˜‡”› †‹ˆˆ‡”‡– ‹† ‘ˆ ’‡”•‘ƒ
ˆ”‘–Šƒ–‘ˆ–Š‡‘”ƒ…Ž‡ˆƒ˜‘—”‡†„›Š‹•ƒ…Š‘”ˆ‘”‡„‡ƒ”•Ǥ‘—…‘—Ž†…ƒŽŽ‹–DzŠ‡‹—••‡”–›†”‘‡Ǥdz
—••‡”–ǡ–Š‡Žƒ–‡Š‘•–‘ˆǯ•Dz‡‡––Š‡”‡••dz
™Š‘ †‹‡† •—††‡Ž› ‹ ʹͲͲͺǡ ™‡– –‘ ‰”‡ƒ– Ž‡‰–Š•
–‘•Š‘™–Šƒ–Š‡™ƒ•ƒ˜‡”›ƒƒ†‘–ƒ—Ž–‹Ǧ
‹ŽŽ‹‘ƒ‹”‡ ’‡”•‘ƒŽ‹–›Ǥ ‹• —ˆˆƒŽ‘ǡ ‡™ ‘”ǡ
—’„”‹‰‹‰ǡŠ‹•…‘•–ƒ–‹˜‘…ƒ–‹‘‘ˆŠ‹•™‘”‹‰Ǧ
…Žƒ••ˆƒ–Š‡”Dz‹‰—••ǡdzŠ‹•‘™‰‹”–Šƒ†„Ž—‡Ǧ…‘ŽŽƒ”
•–›Ž‡ƒŽŽˆ‡†–Š‡‹†‡ƒ–Šƒ–Š‡™ƒ•‘‡‘ˆ—•Ǥ
ˆ™‡–”—•–‡†Š‹ǡ‹–™ƒ•ǯ–„‡…ƒ—•‡‘ˆŠ‹•Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–‹… „‘ƒ ϐ‹†‡•Ǥ – ™ƒ• „‡…ƒ—•‡ Š‡ ™ƒ• ƒ „‹‰ǡ
„‡ƒ”‹•Šǡ †‘™Ǧ–‘Ǧ‡ƒ”–Šǡ ”‡‰—Žƒ” ‘‡ ™‹–Š ™Š‘ ™‡
…‘—Ž† ‹†‡–‹ˆ›Ǥ —••‡”– ™ƒ• …‘•‹†‡”‡† ƒ †‡‹–› ƒ–
ǡ ƒ† Š‡ „‡…ƒ‡ ƒ ‘†‡Ž ˆ‘” ‘–Š‡” ”‡’‘”–‡”•
–Š‡”‡ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•ǤŠ‘—‰Šƒ––”ƒ…–‹˜‡ƒ†ƒŽ™ƒ›••Šƒ”’Ž›†”‡••‡†ǡ‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•‹•‘‡–‡”‡‹‰•
‘”‘”‘ƒ™Ȅ‘”‡˜‡ƒ–Š‡”Ǥ‹‡—••‡”–ǡŠ‡
™ƒ•‡‡–‘†‡˜‡Ž‘’ƒ’‡”•‘ƒƒ•ƒƒ……‡••‹„Ž‡ˆ‡ŽŽ‘™ƒ†”‡‰—Žƒ”‘‡Ǥ
‹ŽŽ‹ƒ• Š‘•–‡† Dzƒ–—”†ƒ› ‹‰Š– ‹˜‡ǡdz Š‡ •Ž‘™
Œƒ‡† –Š‡ ‡™• ‘ DzŠ‡ ‘‹‰Š– Š‘™ –ƒ””‹‰
‹› ƒŽŽ‘ǡdz ƒ’’‡ƒ”‡† ‘ DzŠ‡ ƒ‹Ž› Š‘™dz ƒ†
Dzƒ–‡Š‘™™‹–Šƒ˜‹†‡––‡”ƒǤdz‡’‘‡†ˆ—ƒ–
Š‹•‡Žˆƒ†–Š‡™Š‘Ž‡•–‹ˆˆƒ…Š‘”ƒƒ—”ƒǤ‡‹˜‘‡†Š‹•‡™‡”•‡›”‘‘–•Ǥ‡‡˜‡†‹†ƒˆ‡ƒ–—”‡‘
Š‹•’ƒ”‡–•ǡ–™‘•ƒŽ–•‘ˆ–Š‡‡ƒ”–Šǡ™Š‹…Š…‘—Ž†Šƒ˜‡
„‡‡”‹’’‡†”‹‰Š–‘—–‘ˆ–Š‡—••‡”–’Žƒ›„‘‘Ǥ
†ǡŽ‹‡—••‡”–ǡ‹ˆ™‡–”—•–‡†‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•ǡ‹–™ƒ•
„‡…ƒ—•‡™‡ˆ‡Ž–Š‡™ƒ•Š‘‡•–ƒ††‡…‡–ƒ†Œ—•–
‘‡‘ˆ–Š‡‰—›•Ȅ‘–‡…‡••ƒ”‹Ž›„‡…ƒ—•‡Š‡™ƒ•ƒ
™‘”Ž†Ǧ…Žƒ••”‡’‘”–‡”Ǥ
˜‡ Š‹• ‡„‡ŽŽ‹•Š‡– ‘ˆ Š‹• Š‡Ž‹…‘’–‡” Žƒ†‹‰ ‹ –Š‡ ‡ƒ”Ž› ›‡ƒ”• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ™ƒ” ‹ ”ƒ“ ƒ› ‘–
Šƒ˜‡ „‡‡ …‘’Ž‡–‡Ž› ƒ„‘—– •‡ŽˆǦƒ‰‰”ƒ†‹•‡‡–ǡ
ƒ• •‘‡ …”‹–‹…• Šƒ˜‡ ƒ……—•‡†Ǥ – ƒ› Šƒ˜‡ „‡‡ ƒ
•–”ƒ‹‡† ƒ––‡’– –‘ „‡ ‘‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ ˜‡–‡”ƒ• Š‡ •‘
…Ž‡ƒ”Ž›ƒ†‹”‡•Ȅƒ†‹™Š‘•‡„”‘–Š‡”Š‘‘†Š‡•‘
™ƒ–•–‘„‡Ǥ‡™ƒ•ǯ–’Žƒ›‹‰–Š‡†ƒ•Š‹‰”‡’‘”–‡”
—†‡” ϐ‹”‡Ǥ ‡ ™ƒ• ’Žƒ›‹‰ ‡šƒ…–Ž› –Š‡ ‘’’‘•‹–‡ Ȅ
–Š‡ Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–‹… ‰”—– ™Š‘ ™ƒ• •ƒ˜‡† „› ƒ ”›
‰”—–Ǥ ˆ–‡” ƒŽŽǡ –Š‡ ™Š‘Ž‡ •–‘”› ™ƒ• ’”‡†‹…ƒ–‡† ‘
–Š‡„‘†‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•ˆ‡Ž–ˆ‘”–Š‡•‡”‰‡ƒ–™Š‘–‡†‡†
–‘Š‹•…”‡™ǤŠ‡›™‡”‡ƒŽŽ‘‡Šƒ’’›ˆƒ‹Ž›‘ˆ‘”†‹ƒ”›‡”‹…ƒ•Ǥ
Šƒ–Ž‡ƒ†•–‘–Š‡•‡…‘†ƒ…–ǤˆŠ‹•ˆƒ„—Ž‹•Šƒ†
Œ—•–„‡‡Œ‘—”ƒŽ‹•–‹…ƒŽˆ‡ƒ•ƒ…‡Ȅ‘”ǡ‘”‡„Ž—–Ž›ǡŽ›‹‰Ȅ‹ŽŽ‹ƒ•ƒŽ‘•–…‡”–ƒ‹Ž›™‘—Ž†ǯ–„‡ƒ……‘”†‡†‘‡Ǥ‡™‘—Ž†„‡•—ŽŽ‹‡†ˆ‘”‡˜‡”ƒ†™‘—Ž†
’”‘„ƒ„Ž›ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™ƒ–Š‡”†‘™–Š‡…ƒ„Ž‡”ƒ„„‹–Š‘Ž‡ǡ
‘ƒ––‡”Š‘™—…Š–”—•–Š‡Šƒ†‰ƒ”‡”‡†„‡ˆ‘”‡
–Š‡‹…‹†‡–Ǥ
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28
OMAN DAILY OBSERVER
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
ENTERTAINMENT
Scope for Indian Actors
Widening Globally,
says NIMRAT KAUR
Dz‘•‹†‡”‹‰ –Šƒ– ‹–ǯ• –Š‡ „‡‰‹‹‰ ‘ˆ › …ƒ”‡‡”ǡ ǮŠ‡ —…Š„‘šǯ
‹• ‡š–”‡‡Ž› •’‡…‹ƒŽ ˆ‘” ‡Ǥ Š‡
kind of love it has garnered has
ƒ†‡ ‡ ˆ‡‡Ž ‰”‡ƒ– ƒ„‘—– ‹–ǡdz ‹rat said of the movie, in which she
shared screen space with versatile
actors Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin
Siddiqui.
Dz †‘ǯ– –Š‹ –Šƒ– ™‹‹‰ ‘”
losing an award matters. It’s a won†‡”ˆ—Ž –Š‹‰ –Šƒ– –Š‡ ϐ‹Ž ‰‘– ‘‹nated. It’s a great honour for such an
ƒƒœ‹‰ϐ‹Žǡƒ•‹–”‡’”‡•‡–‡††‹ƒ
at the international level. Also, the
BAFTA platform is not where India
Šƒ•–‘‘‹ƒ–‡ƒϐ‹Žˆ”‘‹–••‹†‡
(like in Oscars).
Dz– ™ƒ• ’‹…‡† „› –Š‡ ‘Ž› ƒ•
one ‘ˆ –Š‡ ϐ‹˜‡ ϐ‹Ž• ˆ‘” –Š‡ ”‡•’‡…–‹˜‡…ƒ–‡‰‘”›ǡdzƒ††‡†–Š‡͵ʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž†
who, in a ravishing pink gown with a
daring and plunging neckline, made
a style statement at the ceremony.
Before the BAFTA red carpet,
Nimrat also made an appearance
at the Screen Actors Guild Awards,
thanks to her role as Tasneem
Qureshi in the US political thriller
–‡Ž‡˜‹•‹‘•‡”‹‡•Dz‘‡Žƒ†dzǤ
Asked about the difference she
witnessed working for the TV se”‹‡• ‹ …‘’ƒ”‹•‘ –‘ DzŠ‡ —…Š„‘šdzǡ‹”ƒ–•ƒ‹†ǣDz•‡”‹‡•ƒ„”‘ƒ†
work in a way as big as for movies.
The amount of money that they use
‹”ƒ–ƒ—”ƒ””‹˜‡•ƒ––Š‡ƒ™ƒ”†•ǤȄ‡—–‡”• for producing shows is huge. Their
punctuality and their sense of time
By Sandeep Sharma
Ž‘•––‘‘Ž‹•Š†”ƒƒDz†ƒdzǤ
‹•˜‡”›„”‹ŽŽ‹ƒ–Ǥdz
But winning and losing awards
Now in India, the actress will bealented Indian actor Nimrat
doesn’t
matter
to
Nimrat,
who
es‰‹™‘”‘ƒƒ‹•–”‡ƒϐ‹ŽDz‹”Kaur, who has been rubbing
shoulders with Hollywood’s sayed a lovelorn wife named Ila in Ž‹ˆ–dzǡ ™Š‹…Š •–ƒ”• ‘ŽŽ›™‘‘†ǯ• ǮŠ‹ladi’ Akshay Kumar. — IANS
creme de la creme at foreign awards’ the movie.
galas
ga
alas since her internationally
acclaimed
a
ac
claimed and BAFTA-nomi
ƒ–
ƒ–‡† ϐ‹Ž DzŠ‡ —…Š„‘šdz ƒ†
ƒ–‡†
ƒ†
‡”‹…ƒ
Dz‘‡Žƒ†dzǡ
‡”

‡ ‹…ƒ •‡”‹‡• Dz‘‡Žƒ†dzǡ
says the scope of roles for Indian actors has widened across the globe.
DzŠ‡ •…‘’‡ ˆ‘” †‹ƒ ƒ…–‘”• ‹•
‹•
widening everywhere in the world.
The world is becoming a smaller
place. Actors are nowadays preferring to work in different places.
Dz‡•‹†‡•ǡ †‘ǯ– –Š‹ ™‘—Ž†
™‘—Ž†
have been able to make the career
that I have today, 10 years ago. A lot
‘ˆ —Ž–‹’Ž‡š‡• ƒ”‡ …‘‹‰ —’ǡ ƒ†
ƒ†
ƒ‹‰ƒϐ‹Ž‹•‘–ƒ•†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–ƒ•
ƒ‹‰ƒϐ‹Ž‹•‘–ƒ•†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–ƒ•
‹–™ƒ•‡ƒ”Ž‹‡”ǡdz‹”ƒ–•ƒ‹†ƒŠ‡ƒ†
‹–™ƒ•‡ƒ”Ž‹‡”ǡdz‹”ƒ–•ƒ‹†ƒŠ‡ƒ†
‘ˆ–Š‡’”‡‹‡”‡‘ˆDzŠ‡—…Š„‘šdzǤ
The actress was last
week at the British Academy of Film and Television
Arts (BAFTA) awards
DzŠ‡
”‡† …ƒ”’‡– ƒ• DzŠ‡
—…Š„‘šdz™ƒ•‘‹—…Š„‘šdz™ƒ•‘
 ‹nated in the Film
Not in the EngŽ‹•Šƒ‰—ƒ‰‡
Ž‹•Šƒ‰—ƒ‰‡
category.
I t
T
GONE WITH THE BULLETS
CELEBRATES SHANGHAI’S
ROARING ‘20S
Paltrow-Chris Martin
parted ways in 2012
A
ctress
Gwyneth
Paltrow
(pictured) has opened up
ƒ„‘—– Š‡” •’Ž‹– ˆ”‘ Š”‹• ƒ”–‹ǡ
•ƒ›‹‰–Šƒ–•Š‡Šƒ†Dzƒ›‡ƒ”‘ˆ“—‹‡–
•‡’ƒ”ƒ–‹‘dz ˆ”‘ –Š‡ ‘Ž†’Žƒ›
ˆ”‘–ƒ ™Š‡ •Š‡ ™ƒ• ϐ‹Ž‹‰
Dz‘”–†‡…ƒ‹dz‹ʹͲͳʹǤ
Š‡ ͶʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž† –‘Ž† –Š‡ —•tralian magazine Marie Claire in
‹–• ƒ”…Š ‹••—‡ –Šƒ– •Š‡ ƒ•‡† Š‡”
Dz‘”–†‡…ƒ‹dz…‘Ǧ•–ƒ”‘Š›‡’’ˆ‘”
break-up advice, reports aceshowbiz.com.
Dz‘„‘†› ‡™ ™Šƒ– Š”‹• ƒ† had been going through, so I didn’t
say ‘Hey, this is what’s happening.’
But I did ask him mostly childrencentric questions, like ‘How is it on
–Š‡ǫ‘™†‹†›‘—†‘‹–ǫǯdzƒŽ–”‘™
said.
––Šƒ––‹‡ǡ‡’’Œ—•–•’Ž‹–ˆ”‘
Vanessa Paradis, with whom he has
ͳͷǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž† †ƒ—‰Š–‡” ‹Ž›Ǧ‘•‡ ƒ†
ͳʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž†•‘ƒ…Ǥ
They had ended their relation•Š‹’‹—‡ʹͲͳʹƒˆ–‡”ͳͶ›‡ƒ”•–‘gether.
Paltrow announced her separa–‹‘ˆ”‘ƒ”–‹‹ƒ”…ŠʹͲͳͶǤ
At that time, the couple posted an
announcement on the former’s life•–›Ž‡„Ž‘‰
‘‘’—†‡”–Š‡–‹–Ž‡Dz‘•…‹‘—•…‘—’Ž‹‰dzǤ
ƒŽ–”‘™ ƒ† ƒ”–‹ǡ ™Š‘ Šƒ˜‡
two children together, Apple and
‘•‡•ǡŠƒ˜‡”‡ƒ‹‡†ƒ‹…ƒ„Ž‡‡š‡•
•‹…‡•’Ž‹––‹‰‹ƒ”…ŠŽƒ•–›‡ƒ”Ǥ
›•–‡”‹‘—•—”†‡”‹Šƒ‰Šƒ‹
†—”‹‰–Š‡…‹–›ǯ•”‘ƒ”‹‰ͷͿ͸Ͷ•‹•
ƒ––Š‡…‡–”‡‘ˆƒ‡™‘˜‹‡ˆ”‘
leading Chinese director Jiang
‡Ǥ‡–‡ŽŽ•™Šƒ–‹•’‹”‡†Š‹
–‘ƒ‡–Š‡ϔ‹Ž…‡Ž‡„”ƒ–‹‰–Š‡
…‹–›ǯ•…‘Ž‘—”ˆ—Ž’ƒ•–
By Andrew McCathie
T
™‡–› ›‡ƒ”• ƒ‰‘ǡ Š‹‡•‡
ƒ…–‘”Ǧ–—”‡†Ǧ†‹”‡…–‘” ‹ƒ‰
Wen was inspired to make a
ϐ‹Žƒ„‘—–Šƒ‰Šƒ‹ǯ•”‘ƒ”‹‰ǮʹͲ•
after reading a book about the city
ƒ– –Š‡ Š‡‹‰Š– ‘ˆ –Š‡ Š‹‡•‡ ‹˜‹Ž
War, fought between nationalists
and communists.
‘™ǡ–Š‡•‡…‘†’ƒ”–‘ˆ‹ƒ‰ǯ•
trilogy set in the city, Yi Bu Zhi Yao
(Gone with the Bullets), about an
infamous and mysterious murder,
is to be screened this week as part
of the Berlin Film Festival’s main
competition.
Dz˜‡”›–Š‹‰ •–ƒ”–• ‹ Šƒ‰Šƒ‹ǡdz ‹ƒ‰ •ƒ‹†Ǥdz– ™ƒ• ™Š‡”‡ –Š‡
‘†‡”‹•ƒ–‹‘ ‘ˆ Š‹ƒ „‡‰—ǡdz
he said, pointing to the nation’s
manufacturing sector, cinema and
even the birth of the communist
party.
Dz– ™ƒ• Œ—•– Ž‹‡ ‡•– ‡”Ž‹
†—”‹‰
‡”ƒ›ǯ•’‘•–Ǧ™ƒ”†ƒ›•ǡdz
he said.
In Gone with the Bulletsǡ ‹ƒ‰
tells his story in opulent style. It’s
ƒ„‘—– ƒ …‘ƒǡ ƒ ‘—”‹ǡ ƒ† ƒ
’‘Ž‹…‡ ‘ˆϐ‹…‡” ”—‹‰ ƒ •‡”‹‡• ‘ˆ
money-laundering ventures before teaming up for a new scam to
third instalment, which will once
ƒ‰ƒ‹ „‡ •‡– ‹ ͳͻʹͲ• Šƒ‰Šƒ‹
and be based on a true story but
with a female assassin as the main
character.
‹–Š ƒ ϐ‹Ž ƒ† –‡Ž‡˜‹•‹‘ …ƒreer dating back almost three
†‡…ƒ†‡•ǡ –Š‡ ͷʹǦ›‡ƒ”Ǧ‘Ž† ‹ƒ‰
has also appeared as an actor in
‘˜‹‡• ˆ”‘ •‡˜‡”ƒŽ ‘ˆ Š‹ƒǯ•
leading directors, including Zhang
‹‘—ǯ•‰”‘—†„”‡ƒ‹‰‡†‘”ghum.
‹ƒ‰ǯ•ϐ‹”•–ϐ‹Žǡ–Š‡‡ƒ–‘ˆ
the Sun, which was set against the
„ƒ…†”‘’ ‘ˆ Š‹ƒǯ• —Ž–—”ƒŽ ‡˜‘Ž—–‹‘ƒ†”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡†‹ͳͻͻͶǡ™‘
its lead actor Xia Yu the best actor
award at the Venice Film Festival
as well as a string of prizes at the
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.
‹ƒ‰ ™‡– ‘ –‘ ™‹ –Š‡
ƒ‡•‹Ž‡•–‹˜ƒŽǯ•’”‡•–‹‰‹‘—•
”ƒ† ”‹š ƒ™ƒ”† ‹ ʹͲͲͲ ˆ‘” Š‹•
•‡…‘†ˆ‡ƒ–—”‡ϐ‹Žǡ‡˜‹Ž•‘–Š‡
‘‘”•–‡’ǡ•‡–†—”‹‰–Š‡ƒ’ƒ‡•‡
‘……—’ƒ–‹‘‘ˆŠ‹ƒǤ
Gone with the Bullets‹•Š‹ƒǯ•
•–ƒ†ƒ”† „‡ƒ”‡” ‹ –Š‡ ͳͻǦ‘˜‹‡
race for top honours in Berlin, the
Berlinale’s Golden Bear for best
picture.
To tell his story in Gone with
What’s common between Orlando Bloom, Demi Moore?
A
ctors Orlando Bloom and
Demi Moore, who are said to
be casually dating, are reportedly
in awe of yoga and meditation
techniques.
“They are both deeply spiritual
characters who love yoga, meditation and new age philosophies.
They’ve both been initiated into
spiritual practise Usui Reiki and
have started to practise on each
other,” a source told Grazia magaœ‹‡ǡ”‡’‘”–•ˆ‡ƒŽ‡ϐ‹”•–Ǥ…‘Ǥ—Ǥ
Bloom, 38, who split from his
wife Miranda Kerr in 2013, is said
to be casually dating Moore, who
ended her six year marriage to
Ashton Kutcher the same year.
The source added: “At this stage
it’s a casual thing, nothing serious and it’s not yet exclusive. But
they’ve enjoyed several low-key
dates together and the potential
‹• †‡ϐ‹‹–‡Ž› –Š‡”‡ ˆ‘” •‘‡–Š‹‰
steadier.”
The brunette beauty has grown
fond of Bloom’s positive attitude
and believes he will be a good inϐŽ—‡…‡‘˜‡”Š‡”ƒ†Š‡”†ƒ—‰Š–‡”•
Rumer, 26, Scout, 23 and Tallulah,
21, whom she had from her marriage to Bruce Willis. “The thing
Demi loves the most about Orlando
is how positive he is. His uplifting
‹ϐŽ—‡…‡ ‹• Œ—•– ™Šƒ– •Š‡ ˆ‡‡Ž• •Š‡
needs, as do her daughters — particularly Tallulah,” the insider said.
Powerful Film Debut Shows Awakening
of an Albanian Sworn Virgin
By Alexandra Hudson
I
 –Š‡ ‘—–ƒ‹• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ƒ‡†
along the Kosovan/Albanian border, women seeking to escape the
•–‹ϐŽ‹‰”‘Ž‡•–”ƒ†‹–‹‘Š‘Ž†•ˆ‘”–Š‡
—•–‡‹–Š‡”ϐŽ‡‡‘”•™‡ƒ”ƒ‘ƒ–Š‘ˆ
eternal virginity, granting them the
right to live as a man.
‘—‰ –ƒŽ‹ƒ †‹”‡…–‘” ƒ—”ƒ ‹•’—”‹ǯ• ϐ‹”•– ˆ‡ƒ–—”‡ ϐ‹Žǡ Dz™‘” ‹”‰‹dz†‡’‹…–•–Š‹•–Š”‘—‰Š–Š‡…Š‘‹…‡•
of two women raised as sisters in a
village in these remote peaks, and
‡š’‘•‡•ƒŽ‹––Ž‡Ǧ‘™’Š‡‘‡‘
of rural Albanian culture.
Š‡ ϐ‹Ž ‹• „ƒ•‡† ‘ –Š‡ ‘˜‡Ž ‘ˆ
the same name by Albanian writer
Ž˜‹”ƒ‘‡•Ǥ
But it is rooted in reality —
Dz•™‘” ˜‹”‰‹•dz Šƒ˜‡ „‡‡ ƒ”‘—†
ˆ‘”•‘‡ʹͲͲ›‡ƒ”•ƒ†ƒ”‘—†ͳͲͲ
still live in the border mountains today.
This is a world where women will
die by 60, brides are taken to their
husbands so heavily veiled they can
‡˜‡”ϐ‹†–Š‡‹”™ƒ›„ƒ…Š‘‡ǡƒ†
fathers’ provide a bullet with their
daughters’ dowries, should they not
‡‡––Š‡‹”Š—•„ƒ†•ǯ‡š’‡…–ƒ–‹‘•Ǥ
Š‡ ϐ‹Žǡ ƒ‘‰ ͳͻ ˜›‹‰ ˆ‘” –Š‡
Berlin Film Festival’s top Golden
of the village men and is shown an
‘Ž†‡” Dz•™‘” ˜‹”‰‹dz ™Š‘ ‘™ Ž‹˜‡•
ƒ•ƒƒǡ„—–‹•ˆ‘”„‹††‡ƒ›•‡š—ƒŽ
relations.
A teenage Hana takes the oath
ƒ†„‡…‘‡•Dzƒ”dzǤ
She bandages her breasts and
Ž‹˜‡• ƒ• ƒ ”‹ϐŽ‡Ǧ„‡ƒ”‹‰ǡ Š‡ƒ˜› †”‹ing and smoking man, but the crushing loneliness she suffers after the
deaths of the couple who raised her,
Ž‡ƒ†Š‡”–‘Ž‡ƒ˜‡ˆ‘”–ƒŽ›–‘ϐ‹†‹Žƒǡ
where in tiny steps she gradually rediscovers her femininity.
DzŠ‹•‹•ƒϐ‹Ž™Š‡”‡–Š‡’Š›•‹…ƒŽ
is of the essence. It is a narrative of a
ˆ”‘œ‡„‘†›™Š‹…Š•Ž‘™Ž›–Šƒ™•‘—–ǡdz
Bispuri said.
Hana’s reawakening is shown
through tiny, moving gestures — in
how she touches her hair, stares at
Š‡””‡ϐŽ‡…–‹‘‹ƒ™‹†‘™ǡ‘”•Ž‘™Ž›
peels the name tag from her uniform.
‘Š”™ƒ…Š‡”ǡ ™Š‘ ™‘ ƒ „‡•–
actress award at last year’s Venice
ϐ‹Ž ˆ‡•–‹˜ƒŽ ˆ‘” Š‡” ”‘Ž‡ ‹ Dz—‰”›
Actress Flonja Kodheli, director Laura Bispuri, actress Alba Rohrwacher
‡ƒ”–•dzǡ „”‹‰• ƒ ’‘™‡”ˆ—Ž •…”‡‡
ƒ†ƒ…–‘”ƒ”•‹†‹‰‡”’‘•‡†—”‹‰ƒ’Š‘–‘…ƒŽŽ‘ˆ–Š‡ϔ‹ŽDz‡”‰‹‡
presence to the role of Hana and
giurata” in Berlin. — AFP
ƒ”ǡƒ•™‡ŽŽƒ•‰”‡ƒ–•‡•‹–‹˜‹–›Ǥ
Dz –Š‘—‰Š– ’Žƒ›‹‰ ƒ” ™‘—Ž†
Bear honour, focuses on the life of Ž„ƒ‘Š”™ƒ…Š‡”Ǥ
Hana — a strong-willed girl who
‡”•‹•–‡”‹ŽƒϐŽ‡‡•ƒŽ‘‘‹‰ƒ”- be an impossible task but actually it
™ƒ–• –‘ „‡ƒ” ƒ ”‹ϐŽ‡ǡ ˆ‡ŽŽ –”‡‡• ƒ† ranged marriage for Italy, but Hana went smoothly, once I was confrontrun free — played by Italian actress increasingly emulates the behaviour ‡†™‹–Š‹–ǡdz•Š‡•ƒ‹†ǤȄ‡—–‡”•
…–”‡••Š‘——ƒ††‹”‡…–‘”‹ƒ‰‡’‘•‡–‘’”‘‘–‡Ǯ
‘‡
with the Bullets’ in Berlin. — Reuters
stage a beauty contest for prostitutes.
Everything seems to go accord‹‰–‘’Žƒ™Š‡ƒǯ•Ž‘˜‡”ƒyan Ying duly wins.
—––Š‡ǡƒ™ƒ‡•—’‡š––‘
Wanyan’s body in a swamp.
‘–‡ŽŽŠ‹••–‘”›‘ˆŽ‹ˆ‡‹ͳͻʹͲ•
Šƒ‰Šƒ‹ǡ ‹ƒ‰ „”‘—‰Š– †ƒ…‡”•
ˆ”‘ ”‘ƒ†™ƒ› –‘ Š‹ƒ ˆ‘” –Š‡
ϐ‹Ž‹‰Ǥ
That’s another callback to
the era, when entertainers from
ƒ”‘—† –Š‡ ™‘”Ž† ϐŽ‘…‡† –‘ –Š‡
city.
The original story behind
‹ƒ‰ǯ• ϐ‹Ž ƒŽ•‘ Š‡Ž’‡† –‘ ’ƒ˜‡
–Š‡ ™ƒ› ˆ‘” ƒ ‰‘Ž†‡ ‡”ƒ ‘ˆ Š‹nese cinema.
The story of the murder was
–Š‡ „ƒ•‹• ˆ‘” Š‹ƒǯ• ϐ‹”•– ˆ‡ƒ–—”‡
ϐ‹Ž‹ͳͻʹͳǡƒ—‹•Š‡‰Ǥ
As a result, Shanghai’s booming metropolis rapidly became a
backdrop for a stream of movies
•‡– †—”‹‰ –Š‡ ˆƒ•–Ǧ’ƒ…‡† ͳͻʹͲ•ǡ
™Š‹…Š ‹ƒ‰ •ƒ‹† ™ƒ• ’ƒ”– ‘ˆ –Š‡
ƒ’’‡ƒŽ‹ƒ‹‰–Š‡ϐ‹ŽǤ
Dz Šƒ˜‡ ƒ ‹–‡”‡•– ‹ Š‹•–‘”›ǡdz
Š‡ •ƒ‹†Ǥdz ™ƒ–‡† –‘ ϐ‹† ‘—– –Š‡
–”—–Šˆ‘”›•‡ŽˆǤdz
Gone with the Bullets comes
ƒ„‘—– ϐ‹˜‡ ›‡ƒ”• ƒˆ–‡” –Š‡ ”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡
‘ˆ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ’ƒ”– ‘ˆ Š‹• –”‹Ž‘‰›ǡ ƒ
ƒ…–‹‘…‘‡†›ǡ‡––Š‡—ŽŽ‡–•Ž›ǡ
which won critical acclaim and
™ƒ•ƒ„‘š‘ˆϐ‹…‡•—……‡••‹Š‹ƒǤ
‹ƒ‰ ‹• ‘™ ™‘”‹‰ ‘ –Š‡
–Š‡ —ŽŽ‡–•ǡ ‹ƒ‰ ‹…Ž—†‡• ƒ ‡…Ž‡…–‹… ‹š ‘ˆ —•‹…ǡ ˆ”‘ ͳͻʹͲ•
Œƒœœ–‘–Š‡…Žƒ••‹…•ƒ†‡˜‡…‘–tish tunes.
DzŠ‡™”‘–‡–Š‡•…”‹’–ǡŽ‹•–‡‡†–‘ƒŽ‘––‘—•‹…ǡdz‹ƒ‰•ƒ‹†Ǥ
Dz– ™ƒ• ƒ •‘—”…‡ ‘ˆ ‹•’‹”ƒ–‹‘
ƒ†Š‡Ž’‡†™‹–Š–Š‡†‹ƒŽ‘‰—‡ǡdzŠ‡
•ƒ‹†ǤdzŠ‡ –Š‡ —•‹… Œ—•– ™‡–
‹–‘–Š‡•…”‹’–Ǥdz
‹–Š ‹–• ϐŽƒ„‘›ƒ– …‘•–—‡•
and sumptuous sets, Gone with
the Bullets also represents some–Š‹‰ ‘ˆ ƒ †‡’ƒ”–—”‡ ˆ”‘ ‹ƒ‰ǯ•
‡ƒ”Ž‹‡”ϐ‹Ž•Ǥ
But he said he was not daunted
by having to draw together such
diverse elements to produce his
ϐ‹ŽǤ DzŠ‡ •–ƒ‰‡ ‹• ‘– ƒ •–”ƒ‰‡”
–‘‡ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†Ǥ
‹ƒ‰ ‹…Ž—†‡† ƒ…–‘”• ‹ –Š‡
ϐ‹Ž™Š‘Š‡Šƒ•™‘”‡†™‹–Š‘
’”‡˜‹‘—•’”‘Œ‡…–•ǡ•—…Šƒ•
‡‘—ǡ
who plays the corrupt policeman
in the movie.
‹‡ ƒ› Š‹‡•‡ ϐ‹ŽǦƒ‡”•ǡ ‹ƒ‰ Šƒ† ‘ ’”‘„Ž‡ ”ƒ‹•‹‰
local funds for Gone with the Bullets.
Dz‘‡›‹•‘–†‹ˆϐ‹…—Ž–ǤŠ‡”‡‹•
ƒŽ‘–‘ˆŠ‘–‘‡›‹–Š‡Š‹‡•‡
ϐ‹Ž ‹†—•–”› ƒ– –Š‡ ‘‡–ǡdz Š‡
•ƒ‹†ǡ ™‹–Š „—•‹‡•• ϐ‹‰—”‡• ˆ”‘
real estate to coal mining keen to
‹˜‡•–‹Š‹ƒǯ•„—”‰‡‘‹‰‘˜ie market.
Dz˜‡”›™Š‡”‡’‡‘’Ž‡™ƒ–‡†–‘
‰‹˜‡‡‘‡›ǡdzŠ‡•ƒ‹†ǤȄ†’ƒ