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To: FJB who wrote (712014)	4/26/2013 2:34:02 AM
From: joseffy	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1575191

Exiled Muslim Brotherhood plans return to Syria ......................................................................... By Roula Khalaf and Abigail Fielding-Smith in Istanbul April 25, 2013 ft.com ©AFP The Muslim Brotherhood is set to open offices inside Syria for the first time since the organisation was crushed there decades ago, in an apparent effort to capitalise on the increasingly Islamised rebellion. Riad al-Shaqfa, the movement’s exiled leader, said in an interview with the Financial Times that a decision was recently taken to revive organisational structures inside Syria and followers have been asked to start opening party offices in rebel-held areas. “In the beginning we said this is a time for revolution, not ideology. Now there are many groups inside so we feel we should reorganise,” he said, adding that the Brotherhood – a similar movement to its Egyptian counterpart – was hoping to promote a more moderate brand of Islamist thinking at a time of growing radicalisation. The decision comes amid heated controversy over the Brotherhood’s behind-the-scenes influence on the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, and it is likely to be treated with suspicion by many of the group’s secular and liberal critics. At the same time, some in the opposition fear the Brotherhood’s efficiency, strong organisation and superior fundraising networks could enable them to dominate a fractured Syrian opposition. The opening of the offices follows the launch of a twice-monthly newspaper that the group says is now distributing 10,000 copies in liberated areas of the country. Speaking at the Brotherhood’s offices in Istanbul, a Syrian revolution flag wrapped around his neck, Mr Shaqfa denounced what he said was a campaign against the group backed by “outside” forces. He countered widespread accusations that his organisation, which has existed only in exile since a bloody 1980s crackdown by Mr Assad’s father Hafez, has been trying to control the fractious Syrian opposition. The World blog Gideon Rachman and his FT colleagues debate international affairs “Those who attack us have no influence on the ground – they are media personalities and are trying through their attacks to create influence for themselves,” he said. The regional context, and the questions raised over the commitment to democracy of its sister organisations which have taken power elsewhere in the region is not helping the Syrian Brotherhood’s case. “The fact that the Brotherhood won in Egypt and Tunisia raised fears about the Brotherhood in Syria,” said Mr Shaqfa. The Brotherhood is not thought to have significant support on the ground, where membership in the organisation has been a capital offence under the Assad regime. It is difficult to gauge the extent to which it will be able to reassert itself, especially at a time when armed groups and not political parties hold sway. Many of the rebel groups are puritanical Salafis, espousing a stricter interpretation of Islam than the Brotherhood. Perhaps in an attempt to pave the way for a more official political comeback, the Brotherhood now has armed rebels affiliated with it. Dozens of small brigades calling themselves shields of the revolution emerged over the past year and are supported by the organisation. Mr Shaqfa said these groups were formed not by members but by people with a political leaning close to the Brotherhood. They came together in a meeting in Istanbul last May and are now part of the supreme military command, the nominal rebel leadership backed by western and Arab governments. “These groups have their own commands and agreed to give back their weapons after the revolution,” he claimed. Although the Brotherhood is believed to be backed by Qatar and Turkey, Mr Shaqfa insisted that all the help it has given on the ground, including the humanitarian support it has provided, comes from exiled members, many of them working in the Gulf. Those who attack us have no influence on the ground - Riad al-Shaqfa Within the political opposition, which is based outside Syria, the Brotherhood has operated through the Syrian National Council, the first opposition front formed after the eruption of the revolt in 2011. Accusations that it was imposing its will on the SNC, however, drove other opposition groups and western states to promote the creation of a broader body, the Syrian National Coalition, which is now recognised as the representative of Syrians. This, however, did not put an end to the controversy over the Brotherhood’s dominance. The infighting escalated last month when the Brotherhood backed the formation of an interim opposition government and its choice for prime minister won the internal Coalition election. Secular activists in the Coalition were livid, some suspended their membership and stepped up their denunciations of the Brotherhood. Discussions are under way between various factions to contain the quarrel and the Coalition might be expanded to bring in more liberal and minority voices. Mr Shaqfa said the Brotherhood has only 10 per cent of the seats on the Syrian National Council, which is now part of the Coalition, and had followed others, rather than led, in the election of Ghassan Hitto as interim prime minister. Though Mr Shaqfa is not opposed to expanding the Coalition, he said: “There is a group outside the coalition which wants to get in and so they say we control the coalition which isn’t true.” The Brotherhood, however, is more organised than others, and it is also flexible in its positions, which creates suspicion over its motives. “If we haven’t pushed to form the Syrian National Council it would not have been formed, because there were no other parties. Others were not organised or strong,” said Mr Shaqfa.

To: FJB who wrote (712014)	4/26/2013 2:44:42 AM
From: joseffy	Respond to of 1575191

NY TIMES continues ad slide ...................................................................................... NY Times to roll out new products in search of revenue ................................................................................. By Jennifer Saba Thu Apr 25, 2013 reuters.com (Reuters) - New York Times Co reported a decline in quarterly revenue on weak advertising sales but said it would try to grow out of the slump by expanding its suite of digital products. The 11.2 percent drop in advertising revenue in the first quarter underscores the pressure that the New York Times faces to increase its subscription revenue, especially for its digital products, and find new veins of income. The company plans to roll out a line of lower-priced products - including an expansion into e-commerce and games - to attract more readers around the world. "We want to deepen our relationship with our existing loyal customers, but we also want to use a wider family of New York Times products to reach new customers both here and around the world," Chief Executive Officer Mark Thompson said in a statement. Paid subscriptions to digital products at the company's namesake paper and The Boston Globe totaled 708,000 in the first quarter, a 45 percent increase from a year earlier. Still, the growth in subscriptions slowed compared to the prior quarter. Paid digital subscriptions were up 6 percent in the first quarter from the fourth quarter, after growing 13 percent in the fourth quarter from the third. "The rate of increase was less than in the last quarter of 2012, though that is at least in part attributable to the volume of news, including the presidential election in that quarter," Thompson said on a call with analysts. Compounding the challenge is a surprise slip in digital advertising revenue - once a bright spot for the industry. At the New York Times, digital ad revenue dropped 4 percent in the quarter. "I don't expect the new products to grow as fast as the paywall but at least it will add another revenue line which did not exist earlier," said Kannan Venkateshwar, an analyst with Barclays. The "paywall" refers to the Times' existing online subscription platform for its website. Part of the new strategy, which will be introduced later this year, includes lower price access to the New York Times' "most important and interesting stories." The Times introduced its digital pay model more than two years ago in an experiment closely watched by newspapers across the U.S. The move to charge for some digital content was one way to become less dependent on advertising revenue, which is dwindling fast for the industry. DIVIDEND STILL SUSPENDED At the Times, the company has narrowed its focus, selling off assets - The Boston Globe and its sister properties in New England are currently on the block - in order to sharpen the flagship. Earlier this year, it renamed the International Herald Tribune the International New York Times. As a much smaller company, executives signaled the Times needs to keep its almost $900 million cash coffer to guard against its debt levels and make future investments for growth. That means no dividend, putting to rest at least for now a much discussed topic among investors and analysts. The family-controlled company run by the Ochs/Sulzbergers suspended its dividend in 2009 at the height of a revenue crisis for the newspaper industry. "Given the continuing challenges faced in the advertising environment and our desire to retain maximum flexibility, we feel that maintaining a conservative balance sheet remains appropriate," Times Chief Financial Officer James Follo said on a call with analysts. Total revenue for the company fell 2 percent to $465.9 million, below analysts' expectations of $470.5 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Excluding severance, earnings per share for the quarter was 4 cents, in line with analysts' forecast. Shares of New York Times whipsawed on Thursday, gaining as much as 5 percent before falling on the news that the company does not plan to restore its dividend. Shares were almost flat in noon trading at $8.97. (Reporting by Jennifer Saba in New York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Lisa Von Ahn, Sofina Mirza-Reid and Phil Berlowitz)