April 11, 2012

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012

@alwatandaily

Issue No. 1401

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Al-Qallaf ’s interpellation ... ‘conveys message’

Staff Writers & Agencies

KUWAIT: Member of Parliament (MP) Hussein Al-Qallaf stressed during Tuesday’s Parliament session that the interpellation of the Information Minister only aims at revealing facts and achieving the principle of “justice and equality.” He said, during his request to interrogate the minister, that the Constitution stipulates “liberty, justice and equality are some of the cornerstones of the Kuwaiti society. All people are equal under the law.” He said that lawmakers are representatives of the people. “I only have appreciation and love to all sectors of this society which I consider my national duty,” the MP went on saying. He further clarified that if his words were misinterpreted in a past interview with Scope channel, then he extends apologies.

Parliamentary sources have affirmed that the MPs’ reluctance to file a no-confidence motion underpins the fact that the majority were not convinced about the matters raised by the interpellator. In addition, the MPs were uninterested in pushing the interpellation toward a no-cooperation vote. Certain members of the Parliamentary ‘Majority’ have gone as far as raising concerns that the ‘Minority’ is undermining the importance and effectiveness of interpellation, as a legislative tool.

By the contrary, MPs representing the minority argued that the interpellation had achieved its goals and conveyed the desired message to decision makers and the concerned sides.

Al-Qallaf, then, pointed out that referring Scope channel and Al-Dar newspaper to prosecution is “unjust”, especially since what was published in Al-Dar newspaper is a “historical review” that has nothing to do with any violation of the publication law.

He claimed that referring the channel and the newspaper by the Minister of Information is “wrong” and it was a move made by the minister to appease the popular majority, even thought it was against the law. This phenomenon, of breaking the law, should be prevented, the lawmaker added. He further said that there were other violations committed by satellite channels and newspapers that touched core security and stability issues of the country, but were never referred to prosecution.

“Media has played a major role in starting revolutions in Arab countries (and was) directed to achieve reform in societies,” he added. He also pointed out that media outlets voice different points of views, which should be respected equally; therefore, he questioned the legitimacy of referring one media body to investigation and not the other.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Information Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah (left) and MP Hussein Al-Qallaf during interpellation session held in National Assembly on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. (Al-Watan)

Fighting continues across Syria despite ceasefire deadline Annan urges Syria to withdraw troops, halt violence in 48 hours

A handout picture released by the Shaam News Network on April 10, 2012 shows damages in the old city of Homs, western Syria. (AFP)

All preparations done for launch, says North Korean space official

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Norway killer found sane in new psychiatric examination OSLO: The right-wing extremist who confessed to killing 77 people in a bomb and shooting rampage in Norway is not criminally insane, a psychiatric assessment found Tuesday, contradicting an earlier assessment.

The new conclusion comes just six days before Anders Behring Breivik is scheduled to go on trial on terror charges for the massacre on July 22.

It conflicts with an earlier examination that diagnosed Breivik as psychotic and prompted prosecutors to say he should be committed to a mental institution instead of prison if convicted.

The new assessment was made by psychiatrists Terje Toerrissen and Agnar Aspaas on a request from the court after widespread criticism against the first

diagnosis. “The main conclusion of the experts is that Anders Behring Breivik is found to be not psychotic during the time of his actions on July 22, 2011,” the Oslo court said in a statement.

Breivik has confessed to setting off the bomb in downtown Oslo, killing eight, and opening fire at a youth camp outside the Norwegian capital, killing 69. But he denies criminal guilt, saying the attacks were necessary in what he calls a civil war against Islam in Europe.

The court will take both psychiatric assessments into account during the trial which starts Monday and is scheduled to last 10 weeks. If Breivik is found guilty but ruled psychotic, he will subjected to compulsory psychiatric care instead of imprisonment. -AP

Staff members display the most well-preserved baby mammoth, named Lyuba, at a press preview in Hong Kong Tuesday, April 10, 2012. The onemonth old baby mammoth of the Ice Age, died 42,000 years ago and was conserved in the ice. Lyuba was found by a reindeer herder in permafrost of the Yamal Peninsula, Siberia on 2007. (AP)

Interim Mali president to be sworn in on Thursday

CAPITALS: International envoy Kofi Annan urged the Syrian government on Tuesday to withdraw its troops and halt all violence in 48 hours, saying its military operations and new conditions to implement his peace plan are putting a desperately needed ceasefire at risk.

Annan said in a letter to the UN Security Council that Syria has not pulled troops and heavy military equipment out of cities and towns - as the plan called for

by Tuesday.

He said it is essential that the Syrian government “seize the opportunity to make a fundamental change of course” in its military operations and halt all violence by 6 a.m. local time on April 12.

Annan said opposition members have indicated they would observe a ceasefire “provided Syrian forces withdraw from cities. Meanwhile, Syrian troops shelled and raided opposition strongholds across Syria on Tuesday, activists said, denying claims by the foreign minister that regime forces have begun pulling out of some More on 4 areas in compliance with a UN-brokered truce.

Egypt court blocks creation of constitutional assembly

CAIRO: An Egyptian court on Tuesday halted a move to create a new constitutional assembly pending a ruling on its legality, challenging the legitimacy of a body spurned by liberal and Christian groups because of its domination by Islamists.

The injunction slapped on the decision by parliament could delay the introduction of a constitution needed urgently to clarify the powers of Egypt’s new head of state, due to take over from ruling generals by mid-year.

Lawyers for the state say the court has no say over the move to form the constituent assembly, which has pressed ahead with its work even though dozens of non-Islamist representatives have quit, complaining that their voices are being drowned out.

The latest dent to the body’s authority drew a measured response from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement which holds most seats in parliament and chairs the assembly. “I respect all rulings and call on all national forces to sit together to reach better solutions to overcome this crisis,” Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat Al-Shater said in a statement on the movement’s website. The court’s judge, Ali Fekri, rejected legal arguments saying it was not qualified to rule on the issue and said it had decided to halt the decision that formed the assembly. He passed on the case’s documents to a judicial panel for a review.

The case, brought by lawyers and activists, follows several lawsuits demanding the dissolution of the assembly on the grounds that it fails to represent More on 4 Egypt’s diversity.

New tiny ‘factories’ aim to make cancer-killing drugs

WASHINGTON: Cancer that has spread throughout a person’s body is tough to kill without causing too much collateral damage. But tiny “protein-factory” particles could target tumors specifically by manufacturing cancer-killing drugs anywhere within the human body, reports LiveScience. MIT researchers now have created such tiny particles that could someday make cancer-killing proteins on demand. Such nanoparticles - materials that range roughly in size from 1/1000 to 1/100000 the diameter of a human hair contain a mixture of biological machinery needed to make proteins based on DNA sequences. “This is the first proof of concept that you can actually synthesize new compounds from inert starting materials inside the body,” said Avi Schroeder, a postdoctoral researcher in MIT’s David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and lead author of a paper detailed in the journal NanoLetters. Schroeder and his colleagues also showed how to activate such tiny factories on demand through tests with mice. They used ultraviolet lighting to trigger the nanoparticles to release the DNA that would begin the manufacturing of proteins. More on 15

Several hundred people rally in Bamako on April 10, 2012, chanting: “Down with the separatists,” and calling for the “liberation” of northern Mali. (AFP)

BAMAKO: Mali’s parliament speaker, Dioncounda Traore, will be sworn in as interim president on Thursday, ending a brief period of military rule, a source close to the Constitutional Court said.

The court met Tuesday morning to officially register the resignation of President Amadou Toumani Toure, following a deal brokered between the ruling junta and West African mediators to restore constitutional order in troubled Mali, where rebels now control most of the north. Once the junta steps down, it would mark a key achievement for a transition deal hammered out by mediators from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The junta’s leader, Captain Amadou Sanago, said Monday he would show “zero tolerance” to anyone who tried to derail the transition deal.

Traore will be tasked with organizing elections, if possible within 40 days.

An interim prime minister will also be appointed to head “a government of national unity”, according to the terms of the deal that ECOWAS forced on Mali’s military rulers in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

Some observers have suggested the junta will try to install their loyalists in key ministries linked to security, as the army strives to combat the Tuareg rebels, outlaws and Islamic extremists who have overrun an area in the north that is roughly the size of France.

ECOWAS has also threatened to intervene militarily in the north to help chase out the rebels, but it was not yet clear if the bloc will be able to mobilize the needed troops, according to security sources.

The Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA), a key Tuareg rebel group, last week proclaimed the independence of the northern region they call Azawad, a move rejected by the international community as well as by the Islamist Ansar Dine, which controls some towns. -AFP

Anti-poverty group ONE pushes for G8 food deal

WASHINGTON: Leaders of the world’s industrial powers should commit to boost agriculture investments in poor countries and end hunger and malnutrition among the poor when they meet outside Washington in May, a group co-founded by anti-poverty campaigners and rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof said on Tuesday.

A new report by ONE Campaign said increased donor support for agricultural investment plans in 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Central America could lift about 50 million people out of extreme poverty.

Leaders from the wealthy Group of Eight - the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia meet near Washington on May 18-19 where global food security is one of the main development issues to be discussed.

The global food price crisis in 2008, which led to increased hunger, malnutrition and social unrest, highlighted the years of under investment in agriculture in developing countries. Food prices have remained high and volatile since then, raising the food bills of the world’s poor countries.

ONE said it would launch its “Thrive” campaign in France, Germany, Britain and the United States to highlight the need to tackle the causes of hunger. -Reuters

Activists of the association “One” hold plants in pots bearing the picture of the candidates for the 2012 French presidential election, on April 10, 2012 near the Eiffel tower in Paris, as part of the worldwide action “Plant a seed of change in the G8” aimed at increasing the world’s leaders’ awareness of hunger and poverty. (AFP)

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ALWATAN DAILY

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wednesDAY, april 11, 2012

Al-Qallaf’s interpellation ... ‘conveys message’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

His interpellation also focused on the shortcomings of the Information Minister on applying the law against violations committed by satellites channels and newspapers.

He added that the money laundering conducted by some media outlets are unforgivable and should be put under the microscope. “There is a questionable and suspicious increase of bank statements of some of the smaller employees at the Ministry of Information,” he pointed out.

Al-Qallaf said, while commenting on the response of Minister of Information during the latter’s refutation on the interpellation, that the number of referrals to the Attorney General by the Minister amounted to 426 cases, and demanded to minister to reveal the number of referrals during his tenure. He asked the Minister why he abstained from referring a local daily to the general Prosecution although it recently published “tougher and stronger comments” than other newspapers, wondering “Why didn’t the minister take an action in this regard?” He urged Sheikh Mohammed to work actively to achieve equal application of law to everyone without exception.

Earlier on, Al-Qallaf engaged in heated exchanges with MP Al-Dallal who asked him to restrict himself to the issues he highlighted in the interpellation, rather than waste MPs time. The comments infuriated Al-Qallaf who reacted by telling Al-Dallal he became an MP before “the latter was even born.”

The goal from the interrogation is to give the Minister of Information some warnings towards the violations that are happening under his management. The minister’s role obliges him to pursue these wrong doings and achieve the principle of equality and justice on all.

Meanwhile, Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah stressed that he is fully responsible and committed to achieving justice and equality to serve and protect the Kuwaiti society.

The minister said that an interpellation request is a constitutional right and a vital tool that should be used to correct misdoings. However, he questioned the validity of MP Al-Qallaf’s interpellation, since it did not name any specific details nor did it contain political questioning of his task as the current Information Minister.

Sheikh Al-Abdullah emphasized that the country’s national unity is a “red line” that no one should cross in order to sustain the solidarity of the community. He said that when he was appointed as a Minister of Information,

Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah (right) and lawmaker Hussein Al-Qallaf prior to the interpellation session held on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. (Al Watan)

he requested all media bodies to raise the level of their performance and to enhance the meaning of national unity. The minister promised to refer to prosecution without “favoritism” any media body that touches on national unity. He added that the reason behind referring Scope channel to prosecution was due to the channel’s “call for hatred and discrimination among members of the society.” In addition, the minister said that the accusation of money laundering being conducted by some satellite channels was invalid since there was nothing to prove such accusation. However, the Ministry is obligated, under the publications law, to appoint

financial monitors that would check the suspicious increase of some of the ministry’s employees’ paychecks to ensure the integrity of the ministry’s financial system, he said.

Moreover, MP Ahmad Mutee said in a statement that Kuwaitis refuse any act that can lead to degrading any faction of society.

In objection to MP Al-Qallaf interpellation against the Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad, the lawmaker said that the interpellation aimed at protecting a television channel that wants to “break the factions of society.” He said that the Kuwaiti people are against such acts, express-

ing support to the Interior Minister’s right to refer violating media outlets to the law.

On his part, MP Adnan Al-Mutawa had a different opinion on the questioning, saying that the right for speech and freedom of choice was secured by the Constitution.

He said that free media was part of the democratic equation and showcased support to the motion to grill the Information Minister. MP Osama Al-Menawer said that the purpose of the interpellation of Information Minister was to hamper development, calling on the minister to work to stop the sectarian strife.

Al-Menawer, as an opponent of the interpellation, praised the steps taken by the minister to refer a number of satellite channels and newspapers to the public prosecution as a result of violating audio-visual, print and publishing laws. He urged the minister to take tougher measures against violators in order to put an end to sedition, adding that the people of Kuwait had not known such sedition until after the emergence of “these types of channels”.

For his part, MP Nabeel Al-Fadhl stressed the importance of the role of the Minister of Information in protecting young people and the Kuwaiti identity by applying the law on all media organizations.

Al-Fadhl, as a supporter of the interpellation, added that the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and the “Minister of Information plays an important role in protecting young people from political and religious trends that affect our youth.” He called on the Minister to apply the law to all media organizations to ensure the protection of Kuwaiti identity and address the irregularities that marred it.

In another development, the ‘Minority’ Bloc met and decided that the interpellation Al-Qallaf plans to file against the prime minister should be expedited.

Moreover, Al Watan was informed that the ‘Majority’ Bloc met with the Minister of Awqaf Jamal Al-Shehab and informed him of the serious issues contained in the interpellation of MP Mohammad Hayef, who later joined the meeting. The minister was urged to address the issues highlighted in the interpellation motion or else he will face questioning.

Sources have disclosed that Minister Al-Shehab had reassured those present at the meeting that he will consider the points they have brought up and that he will keep them informed about the measures to be taken. Commenting on the meeting, MP Jamaan Al-Harbash noted that the minister has already initiated practical measures in terms of ensuring the rule of law and its application on all mosques.

Questioning adds weight to Kuwait’s democracy: Info Minister

KUWAIT: Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah welcomed the outcome of his grilling at the National Assembly earlier Tuesday by MP Hussein Al-Qallaf, saying it added weight to the country’s democratization and Kuwait is the sole winner.

Speaking to reporters after the parliament session, Sheikh Mohammad said he explained the punitive measures being adopted by his ministry against any law violators.

“The results we have reached have added value to democracy. There is neither winner nor loser in the process

whether on the proponents or the opponents of the interpellation; Kuwait is the sole winner,” he stressed.

“Whatever the political differences inside the Abdullah Al-Salem hall might be, we come out with an amicable agreement to work together for the national interests and better future for the country,” he pointed out.

Sheikh Mohammad voiced hope that everybody will realize the significance of the national unity and understand the spirit of the speeches of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in this regard.

Asked about the efficacy of the laws and regulations

Kuwait Transparency supports 42 MPs, 39 public welfare societies, unions

of his ministry, he said: “The audiovisual law is being reviewed by an ad hoc committee and the ministry is ready to open all files and receive any constructive suggestion in order to reach truth.”

“The Ministry puts all its resources at the disposal of the state-run and private mass media in order to help them deliver their noble national message, “ Sheikh Mohammad went on.

Asked why he took the floor although he believes the interpellation is unconstitutional, Sheikh Mohammad said: “I sought to explain my point of view to the MPs

MPs propose term limits for senior officials Staff Writer

KUWAIT: A group of lawmakers have proposed a law calling for term limits for senior government officials, whereby they will be allowed to remain in their positions for four years, which can be renewed only once.

Lawmakers Mohammad Al-Khalifa, Ali Al-Diqbasi, Khaled Al-Tahous and Al-Saifi AlSaifi who put forth the proposal, suggested that senior officials’ tenure does not exceed eight

KISR sings MoU for treating learning difficulties Head of Kuwait Transparency society Salah Al-Ghazali giving a speech during a meeting held Tuesday, April 10, 2012. (Al Watan) Mervat Abdul Dayem Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Kuwait Transparency Society announced that it supports 42 members of Parliament (MPs) and 39 public welfare societies and unions. The campaign aims to fight corruption through approving transparency draft law that was prepared by the society. The society asked the rest of the MPs and ministers to support the approval of the draft law during the coming legislative term.

Head of the society Salah Al-Ghazali noted during his meeting with the representatives of 39 public welfare societies and labor unions, that was held two days ago to demonstrate the objectives of the campaign, that corruption is rampant in Kuwait, although Kuwait had signed anti-corruption agreement with the United Nations in 2003.

He pointed out that there are several corruption cases in Kuwait, such as multi million bank account deposits, overseas money transfer, smuggling of diesel, other scandals in the oil sector, and suspicions in several ministries and governmental authorities.

Al-Ghazali said that a civil alliance was formed to approve anti-corruption draft laws, and in 2009, the society prepared a draft law about reporter protection and conflict of interests. In 2010, the Minister of Justice was assigned to handle this issue, and the Legislative and Legal Committee asked to merge the four laws into one law, which prompted the society to submit the Public Authority for Transparency draft law.

He went on to say that in 2011, the govern-

ment asked to postpone the financial disclosure chapter for two or three years, but approved the rest of the law. However, the civil society rejected that. The government proposed anti-corruption and financial disclosure draft laws, but did not propose the conflict of interests and reporter protection draft laws, which prompted the civil society to reject that. At the end of 2011, the Legislative and Legal Committee attempted to approve the draft law, but failed due to the crises that the legislative authority had witnessed, in addition to the placing of obstacles to hinder the Legislative Committee.

Moreover, he said that after the National Assembly was dissolved in 2011, the government approved a law that is similar to the law of the society, which prompted societies and unions to issue a statement to announce their approval of this law.

He applauded the efforts exerted by former Minister of Justice Ahmad Al-Milaifi for shouldering the responsibility of issuing and approving the law by the Cabinet.

However, the arguments that occurred during that time distracted the government and the elections were held before the approval of the law. He hoped that the government of 2012 would manage to approve the anticorruption laws, and mentioned that they had met His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak who vowed to issue the law.

Meanwhile, the representative of the Kuwaiti Society for Engineering Humoud Al-Zoabi said that the society supports the draft law, and has a long history of fighting corruption.

and then let them judge on the matter; I’m just one of the 64 MPs.” “I did so in order not to let anybody to accuse the Minister of Information later of violating the statutes of the Parliament or the provisions of the constitution,” he said.

Sheikh Mohammad appreciated the efforts being made by the professional and dedicated personnel of KUNA and Kuwait Radio and TV in addressing all national causes impartially. He added that he takes pride in leading the 8,000-strong workforce of the media institution of the country. -KUNA

Mervat Abduldayem Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Researches (KISR) and the Child Evaluation Center signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for exchanging information in the field of scientific research, learning difficulties and information technology for special need students.

On his part, the Director of KISR Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi said in a press statement that the institute will dedicate all scientific and technical experiences to treat and evaluate some learning difficulties in Reading, Math and other fields. He added saying that learning difficulties affect educational progress of students and the Center will cooperate with the Ministry of Education to assess such cases, then it will adopt an intensive program to treat learning difficulties cases.

Al-Mutairi disclosed that the memo will be for five years and it could be renewed after completing the assigned period. During this period the progress of students will be observed well to follow up results of the program.

The director of the center Abdullah Al-Sharhan said that the memo aims at enhancing cooperation between the two sides as well as exchanging experiences in the field of learning difficulties and reviewing the latest developments in such field.

years, and should not be redeployed to top posts afterward.

The lawmakers also proposed that any minister who desires to extend the tenure of a senior official must submit a comprehensive report to the Civil Service Commission detailing the achievements of the official in question.

The proposal also stipulates that senior officials such as undersecretaries and assistant undersecretaries or those in equivalent posts should be picked from within the ministries or

corporations where the government holds 25 percent of shares where they are serving. According to the lawmakers, nobody should be appointed outside these institutions unless the concerned minister proves that he doesn’t have eligible candidates therein.

Furthermore, the MPs have proposed that an extra pension of 500 Kuwaiti dinars be allocated to any senior official who offers to quit within one year of the issuance of the draft law.

Officers await promotion for past 8 years Abdullah Al-Najjar Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud AlSabah has approved the request made by the Director of the General Directorate of the State Security Major General Abdulrahman Al-Basheer to retire.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud approved the request adding that Al-Basheer would be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. He also said that the retirement would be effective by July 1 of this year.

Meanwhile, the newly-appointed Director of the General Directorate of the Administrative Affairs in the Ministry of Interior Colonel Turki Al-Hinaidi has started his work Sunday morning. He met with the

heads of departments in his office in Farwaniya to discuss various issues of concern.

Similarly, the newly-appointed Director of the General Directorate of the Financial Affairs in the Ministry of Interior Abdullah Al-Asem has started his work Sunday morning. He met with the heads of departments in his office in Al-Ardiya to discuss various issues of concern. Meanwhile, scores of the staff within the ministry of interior are waiting for their promotion especially that many have been maintaining the same rank for the past eight years and are therefore keen to see themselves being promoted.

There are also nearly 45 posts remain vacant ranging from Director to Assistant Directors in various security departments. Similar vacancies are also available at Undersecretary and Assistant Undersecretaries.

Dusty weather to subside: Meteorologist

Photo showing dusty weather in Kuwait on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. (Al Watan)

KUWAIT: Horizontal vision will improve and the dusty weather will subside in Kuwait through the wind coming from the southeastern region, said a meteorologist here Tuesday.

Osama Al-Methn, of the Kuwaiti Metrological Center, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the forecast for Wednesday’s weather show a possibil-

ity of a thunderstorm, adding that wind movement would be unstable during the weekend.

He noted that earlier this morning the weather in Kuwait experienced low visibility with horizontal vision reaching 500 meters in Kuwait city, its suburbs, and Kuwait International Airport.

-KUNA

ALWATAN DAILY

KUWAIT

wednesdAY, april 11, 2012

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Iraq must honor international obligations Kuwait, Vietnam discuss boosting relations towards Kuwait as soon as possible: Ban BAGHDAD: “I feel optimism because Iraq and Kuwait are still committed to the normalization of relations and to solving all outstanding issues,” Ban said in a report distributed by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI). The report was issued in compliance with UN resolution 2001 of 2011.

Ban welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s recent visit to Kuwait, during which both sides discussed how Iraq should honor its remaining obligations towards Kuwait, like maintenance of border signs, returning of national archives and identifying whereabouts of Kuwaiti citizens missing.

The meeting of the Kuwait-Iraq committee this month, said Ban, was “an important opportunity” to addressing all sticky issues and to ensure appropriate implementation of the agreements.

“Iraq’s decisive steps to honor all remaining obligations in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions are necessary to guarantee the return of Iraq” to the international fold, said Ban. Ban’s representative in Baghdad Martin Kobler is ready to help Iraq and Kuwait reach compromising solutions for their thorny matters, he added.

Despite Al-Maliki’s positive visit to Kuwait, Ban asserted, Iraq “still needs to implement, as soon as possible, what has long been waiting to be implemented towards Kuwait in line with Chapter VII, and these obligations include UNSC resolutions related to the maintenance of the Iraq-Kuwait border signs.” Meanwhile, Mar-

tin Kobler, the Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) and Iraqi Ambassador to the UN Hamid Al-Bayati informed the Security Council (UNSC) of the recent strides both Kuwait and Iraq made to normalize their relations.

Addressing the Council as it examined UNAMI’s activities during the last four months, Kobler said the “historic presence” of the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, at the Arab Summit in Baghdad late last month “highlights the significant improvement in relations between Iraq and Kuwait”.

He said the steps both countries took recently to normalize their relations and to resolve all remaining issues were “encouraging”.

He further expressed hope that “this willingness to work together and the practical steps already taken by the Government of Iraq to fulfill its outstanding obligations under Chapter VII of the UN Charter will help bring to closure this long-standing issue”.

Among those steps, Iraq agreed to proceed with the pending Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Maintenance Project, pursuant to UNSC resolution 833, and to transfer its share of funds allocated for the completion of this project to the UN immediately.

He said the upcoming meeting later this month of the high-level bilateral talks and the holding of the second Iraq-Kuwait high-level Cooperation Committee meeting “should provide the two sides with the invaluable opportunity to review all pending bilateral issues, as well as Iraq’s outstanding obligations under Chapter VII”.

He said he would continue to assist in expediting the process of normalizing relations between the two countries, “including by further visits to Kuwait”.

He said Iraq “now stands to play a positive role in the region as it assumes the chairmanship of the Arab League as a fully independent and sovereign state.

This is an important opportunity to exercise a leading role in addressing some of the pressing issues of concern to Arab states and to improving cooperation among them”.

On the situation in neighboring Syria, he said violence there is “fraught with risks that could have dangerous spill over effects on Iraq”.

“It could affect the fragile balance of power and increase communal tensions in Iraq. In addition, the violence in Syria has already started to affect the Iraqi refugees in Syria,” he said.

Kobler said water and the environment remain “critical issues” for Iraq’s development, and called on Baghdad and its neighboring countries to “work together on finding a durable solution to managing their shared water resources”.

He noted that after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq last December 31st, “there are now greater expectations” from UNAMI to assist the government and people to address the major challenges facing their nation.

He expressed regret that this comes at a time when “resources made available to UNAMI have been shrinking”.

“I firmly believe that UN assistance at this critical juncture in Iraq’s history remains essential,” he stressed. -KUNA

Kuwait’s Consul General Omar Suleiman Al-Qenai and Chairman of the People’s Committee of the City Le Hoang Quan after talks held on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 to boost relations with top officials in Ho Chi Minh City. (KUNA)

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait’s Consul General in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City Omar Suleiman Al-Qenai held talks Tuesday with Chairman of the People’s Committee of the City Le Hoang Quan on enhancing cooperation between the two states.

The meeting comes as part of efforts to boost relations with top officials in Ho Chi Minh City, Al-Qenai told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in a statement.

Brutality, harassment against bus drivers surge in alarming numbers

Al-Qenai expressed satisfaction for serving in Ho Chi Min city, which witnesses growth and advancement in fields of economy and investment.

He also affirmed strengthening bilateral relations with Vietnam and particularly in Ho Chi Minh city in all areas, such as economic, trade and investment.

For his part, Chairman of People’s Committee asserted his support to ease the works for Kuwaiti consul. -KUNA

Kuwait, Oman discuss

issue of illegal residents

MUSCAT: Visiting Kuwaiti Executive Director of the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents Affairs, Yousef Saleh Al-Fadalah, held talks on Tuesday with Oman’s Interior Undersecretary Khaled Al-Busaidi on security cooperation between Kuwait and Oman. Al-Fadalah told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that his mission in the Sultanate was part of a Gulf tour, aimed at discussing the issue of the illegal residents, noting that he was presenting the GCC states’ officials with a Kuwaiti government-devised plan on prospected methods for tackling this issue.

The official also indicated that a number of these residents were originally natives of GCC countries, and that there was need to consult with the leaders of the regional states to tackle their status. Kuwaiti Ambassador to Oman Salem Al-Zamanan attended the meeting. -KUNA

Terminal bus in Kuwait City.

(Agencies)

Punched, kicked, beaten bloodied and endlessly harassed, bus drivers are exposed targets to young Arab’s brutal acts.

Ricky Laxa Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Bus commuters urge police authorities to look into the concern of the alarming increase in the number of reported and unreported cases of bus drivers being beaten and left bruised if not bloodied from blows and attacks inflicted by high school Arab students who board their buses and terrorize passengers verbally and physically. Passengers express dismay over police authorities’ apathy in solving the issues despite repetitive calls to resolve and protect passengers and drivers.

In series of news published in local dailies described four Arab teenagers attacked an Indian bus driver when he asked for their fares.

He claimed that the passengers watched in horror as they dragged him out of the bus, where he was beaten repeatedly, the teenagers escaped immediately after the assault. The driver was brought to the Adan Hospital for treatment.

Until this day his attackers have not been identified.

In a similar situation, local news daily published that an Asian bus driver was attacked by young students when he refused to let them board the bus. Police authorities arrived in the scene and paramedics reported that the driver suffered multiple bruises and head trauma. The driver claimed that he refused to let the students board his vehicle as they vandalize, scare and insult passengers and in a few cases, physically attack. Till today his assailants have not been identified.

An Asian bus driver shows his torn clothes as a result of assault caused by young teenagers on him when he refused to stop the vehicle in a no-stop spot.

(Al Watan Daily)

In an interview with the bus driver Ramesh, he said that most bus drivers have complained about the harsh and offending actions young Arab passengers have displayed while inside the buses thus, many have refused to let them in their buses. “I was hit on the head by a stone and four windows of the bus broke due to stones being thrown by teenage students because we refuse to let them board. There has to be a system in such a way that drivers will have a link to the nearest police station should such incident arise. Many suggested that a glass box should be built around the driver for protection, but what about the safety of the passengers who often are preys to these thugs?” questioned Ramesh.

Bus drivers complain about loud voices such as singing, dancing and smoking inside the buses and in many occasions seat covers were torn and bus interiors were vandalized.”I was attacked once by these students as I stopped the bus and requested them to refrain from smoking and not to disturb the women. In seconds as I turned my back, I was repeatedly hit on the back and as I drove away, two of my windows were smashed. I try to avoid them in many occasions and have recommended our bus company be given authority not to allow students inside our buses,” complained bus driver Vijay.

Most of these incidences are some of the minor actions done by students inside the buses and drivers appeal to proper authorities to find appropriate solutions to discipline unmannered students or commuters. Similarly, passengers complain that all these incidences have been going on and yet no one bothered to raise the issues. Bus companies should assist in working out solutions to protect their own drivers and maintain comfort and safety among their passengers.

“I don’t know how they can go to school and come out of it at the end of the day with these attitudes. In several instances, drivers find themselves helpless. I have witnessed some of them being hit on the face and disturbed while driving. Some even demanded drivers to stop on the road regardless of bus stops and if he refused to comply they stepped on the break,” added bus driver Subramaniam. To add, Subramaniam added that several drivers admit that they are helpless as they watch these

students harass commuters inside their buses. “They step in the bus and start to act wildly and uncontrollably and cause uneasiness, which often force passengers to get off the vehicle,” added the bus driver. Subramaniam complained that most of these students for some reasons do not respect anyone regardless of age or gender. He has witnessed rude actions such as pouring soft drinks and tipping-off cigarette ashes over passenger’s head as well as sitting with women in front and disturbs them.

Subramaniam added that these unruly acts often occur after school hours and at times during busy hours in the evening.

“We are aware of the problems and have witnessed the seriousness of the issues raised by our drivers, we are in fact considering banning students from our buses after school hours and will consult with public transport authorities to find appropriate solutions to these problems,” stated a representative from private bus company who requests anonymity.

“The issue is not whether these students should be allowed to use the bus or not, but proper authorities and bus companies should come to terms and work together to educate students the importance of these public transportations on their daily routines,” added source from public transportation company.

Al Watan Daily interviewed a few students who shared disgust over the attitudes of some bullies that generally affect reputations of students who simply want to get home. “I have witnessed such brutality in the bus and took pity on the driver and some passengers who were helpless from insults and vulgar acts being performed against them. These young brats simply want to show off and brag and unfortunately Asian passengers are easy preys. I have seen these boys kick the door repeatedly and hit drivers with their books or bags as they get off, then they run off and escape from the place, leaving local authorities with no head or tail as to who caused such commotion.

I don’t blame drivers as to why they refuse to let high school and young passengers in their buses, who would anyway, if what they bring is problems to passengers and drivers?” commented high school student Sharif.

Official praises Saudi services offered to pilgrims JEDDAH: Kuwait’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ Undersecretary Adel Al-Falah praised on Tuesday effort exerted by the Saudi government in serving the pilgrims this year, doing their best for success of the Great pilgrimage-Hajj season.

He met with the Undersecretary of Hajj Affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Hajj Hatem bin Hasan Qadhi, discussing preparations of Great pilgrimage-Hajj season this year, and facilities offered to pilgrims. Qadhi

hailed the proper organization of the Kuwaiti Hajj mission, and affiliated missions, besides their abidance by instructions, and cooperation with the Saudi specialized bodies this season.

Saudi authorities stressed on the importance of carrying Hajj permission in order to perform the pilgrimage rituals, Al-Falah said.

This permission cannot be duplicated, while the Saudi authorities are putting strict punishment on

any pilgrim who violates the rules, with possibility of increasing fines by 10 times.

Al-Falah later met the chairman of the Arab Pilgrims Guides Foundation Faisal Nouh to discuss Hajj season preparations.

He emphasized importance of coordinating with the Saudi authorities for spreading awareness between pilgrims on safety measures, health tips, beside other matters. -KUNA

Kuwait halts sea navigation due to dust storm, airport traffic normal KUWAIT: Navigation to and from the national sea ports came to a halt on Tuesday due to the prevailing dust storm that resulted in low visibility across the country, the Kuwait Ports Authority said.

Captain Suliman Al-Yahya, in charge of naval operations at Shuwaikh Port, said in a statement that the two-way navigation of ships and vessels was stopped to avert possible accidents, amid the current dust, distinguished with low visibility.

Departure schedule of two container vessels and docking of two incoming ships was delayed. The ships have been stopped at their current locations, pending further notifications.

Navigation schedule of other ships was also altered.

Meanwhile, outgoing and incoming flights at Kuwait International Airport are normal despite a dust storm overwhelming the country on Tuesday, Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

Manger of Operations Department at Civil Aviation Essam AlZamil told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that incoming flights to the airport went back to normal after they stopped for few hours.

He also noted that some of Kuwait Airways incoming flights were diverted to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Fly Dubai incoming flights changed their course to Saudi Arabia as well due to bad weather conditions.

Emirates Airways fights coming from Dubai did not make it to the country and decided to go back to Dubai, Al-Zamil noted.

He further said that despite this diversion, flights movement at the airport is normal. He also said that visibility has currently reached 600 meters. Kuwait is now gripped with a major dust storm that ebbed visibility levels. -KUNA

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ALWATAN DAILY

regional The Black Box

By Hossam Fathi Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The journalist Amro Adeeb said that the Major General Omar Sulaiman phoned him saying that if the parliament endorses a decision to ban candidates who worked with the Mubarak regime from running in the coming presidential election, then he would open the black box!!

However, the Complaint and Suggestions Committee at the parliament has approved a draft law which stipulates banning the icons of the former regime from running in the coming presidential elections for 10 years, and this law has been referred to the parliament for final approval. The law bans anyone who has worked with the former president for more than 5 years from running in the election.

If this law is approved then it will ban Sulaiman and Lt. General Shafiq from running in the presidential election. Back to the black box! If the major general has evidence against certain individuals then why did he not expose them until now?! And how did he even obtain such evidence, even if he was the chief of intelligence?! Why did he not submit all documents to his friend the Field Marshal Hussein Tatawi or the Public Prosecutor?!

We are waiting for the opening of the black box, to enable the Egyptian people to unveil facts and expose the corrupt officials in the previous government and current one! hossam@alwatan.com.kw Twitter:@hossamfathy66

wednesDAY, april 11, 2012

Syria opposition committed to cease-fire, deny withdrawal BEIRUT: Syrian troops shelled and raided opposition strongholds across Syria on Tuesday, activists said, denying claims by the foreign minister that regime forces have begun pulling out of some areas in compliance with a UNbrokered truce.

The main Syrian opposition group estimated that some 1,000 people have been killed in escalating regime attacks in the week leading up to Tuesday’s withdrawal deadline, though such figures cannot be verified independently.

France and Britain accused Syria of deception and even Damascus ally Russia seemed critical of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov complaining that Syria’s “efforts to implement the plan could have been more active and resolute.”

Syrian opposition leaders said Tuesday they remain committed to the cease-fire brokered

by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, which requires Syrian forces to withdraw from towns and villages on Tuesday and both sides to cease all hostilities by 6 a.m. Thursday.

The truce is widely seen as the last chance for diplomacy, and its collapse could push Syria even closer to an all-out civil war.

The opposition as well as the US and its allies have been deeply skeptical that the regime would comply with the cease-fire because it has violated previous agreements and stepped up attacks in recent weeks.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Ber-

nard Valero on Tuesday dismissed Syria’s claims of a withdrawal as “a new expression of this flagrant and unacceptable lie.” British Foreign Secretary William Hague accused Damascus of using the cease-fire deadline “as a cover for intensified military efforts to crush Syria’s opposition.”

No signs of pullback

Opposition activists said Tuesday they’ve seen no signs of a troop pullback. “Soldiers are not being withdrawn from towns and villages,” said Fadi Al-Yassin, an activist in the Idlib province close to Turkey. “On the contrary, reinforcements are being sent.”

Regime forces have used heavy weapons including anti-aircraft guns against civilians, Bassma Kodmani, a spokeswoman for the largest opposition group, the Syrian National Council, told reporters in Geneva.

Kodmani estimated that some 1,000 people were killed since Annan announced the ceasefire timeline on April 2. “So every day is a very, very painful time that is given to the Assad regime,” she said, adding the death toll was based on figures provided by various groups, including the Syrian Arab Human Rights Network.

Burhan Ghalioun, head of the Syrian National Council, called for UN protection for civilians in Syria.

Syria restricts the access of foreign journalists, and claims about casualties cannot be veri-

Egypt court blocks creation of constitutional assembly CAIRO: An Egyptian court on Tuesday halted a move to create a new constitutional assembly pending a ruling on its legality, challenging the legitimacy of a body spurned by liberal and Christian groups because of its domination by Islamists.

The injunction slapped on the decision by parliament could delay the introduction of a constitution needed urgently to clarify the powers of Egypt’s new head of state, due to take over from ruling generals by mid-year.

Lawyers for the state say the court has no say over the move to form the constituent assembly, which has pressed ahead with its work even though dozens of non-Islamist representatives have quit, complaining that their voices are being drowned out.

The latest dent to the body’s authority drew a measured response from the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement which holds most seats in parliament and chairs the assembly.

“I respect all rulings and call on all national forces to sit together to reach better solutions to overcome this crisis,” Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat Al-Shater said in a statement on the movement’s website.

The court’s judge, Ali Fekri, rejected legal arguments saying it was not qualified to rule on the issue and said it had decided to halt the decision that formed the assembly. He passed on the case’s documents to a judicial panel for a review.

The case, brought by lawyers and activists, follows several lawsuits demanding the dissolution of the assembly on the grounds that it fails to represent Egypt’s diversity.

“We expect parliament to appeal the verdict before the supreme administrative court but until the appeal gets ruled on, the current constitutional committee has no existence,” said the main lawyer in the team who filed the case, Essam AlIslamboly.

Egyptian Salafist presidential candidate Hazem Abu Ismail (center) is flanked by security guards (left) as hundreds of supporters approach him during a rally outside the State Council court in Cairo on April 10, 2012. (AFP)

Selected by parliament, the 100-member constitutional assembly is composed mostly of Islamists, who won the majority of seats in Egypt’s first free parliamentary vote in decades.

Only a handful of seats were reserved for youth groups, women and for Christian Copts, who said they plan to boycott the assembly, following the example of liberal groups and the country’s highest Sunni Islamic institution AlAzhar, who all withdrew from the assembly.

A representative of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court also withdrew in protest.

UN convoy targeted in explosion in east Libya: Spokeswoman

BENGHAZI: A bomb was thrown at a convoy carrying the head of the United Nations mission to Libya on Tuesday, a UN spokeswoman said, but no one was hurt in the explosion. The attack in the eastern city of Benghazi is the first of its kind targeting a foreign mission since last year’s revolt overthrew Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, and is likely to raise concerns about instability in the country.

“While on a visit to Benghazi the head of the UN support mission in Libya had what appeared to be an explosive device thrown at his convoy. No one has been hurt and the authorizes are investigating,” said the UN’s Hua Jiang.

A security official who was traveling with the convoy, but declined to give his name, said the home-made device was thrown while the convoy’s five armored vehicles was pulling into the parking area of the Supreme Security Commitee’s building where they had a meeting.

The attacker missed the convoy and the device exploded about four meters away from the convoy, a Libyan intelligence source told Reuters, leaving a small hole in the road.

It was unclear who had thrown the bomb, but security analysts have warned that in the security vacuum left by Muammar Gadhafi’s fall, there is a risk that loyalists of the former leadership or Islamist militants could mount an insurgency along the lines of the one in Iraq after the United States invaded and toppled Saddam Hussein.

The attack on the UN head of mission could have an impact on plans by international oil companies to re-start their operations in Libya.

They have been sending out teams to inspect the oil fields they abandoned during the revolt last year, and are preparing to send expatriate staff back in.

If there is a heightened risk of attacks on Western targets, they might have to reconsider those plans. -Reuters

“This ruling will allow the Egyptian people to protect the Jan. 25 revolution from the hegemony of the Islamist current and from the Muslim Brotherhood that seeks to polarize and bar civilian politicians who participated in the revolution,” rights activist Youssef Abdel Khalek.

A top judge, Zaghloul Al-Balshy, vice chairman of the Court of the Cassation, told Reuters that Tuesday’s court decision meant “the makeup of the assembly has to be reconsidered and the new representation has to represent the entire society.” -Reuters

fied independently. The UN has said previously it believes more than 9,000 people have been killed in the 13-month uprising against Assad.

Annan has not commented on the apparent breakdown of his plan, and his spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, would only say Tuesday that it’s up to the UN Security Council to decide what to do next. As claims and counterclaims about Syrian truce violations flew across the region Tuesday, Annan toured a camp in Turkey, near the Syrian border where hundreds of Syrian refugees greeted him with chants of “Syria, Syria, Syria!”

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, reported shelling attacks and raids in several locations in the north, center and south of the country.

In the northern province of Aleppo, troops fired shells at the town of Mareh, said local activist Mohammed Saeed, adding that earlier in the week several residents of Tal Rifaat, another town in the area, were killed by shelling. A video posted by activist online showed about a dozen charred bodies inside a room said to be in Tal Rifaat.

In northern Idlib and central Hama province, troops backed by helicopters were firing heavy machine guns to try to flush out opposition fighters, said al-Yassin, the activist from Idlib. Regime forces detained residents and set four homes on fire in Idlib’s Ariha village and a contingent of 50 army vehicles entered the

TEHRAN: Iran will defend its rights and has enough cash to survive Western economic sanctions, a defiant President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday, ahead of crucial talks with world powers over its disputed nuclear drive.

“Whoever wants to violate the rights of the Iranian nation will be dealt a blow to the mouth so bad they will forget the path to their homes,” he said to the cheers of thousands in the southern province of Hormuzgan in a televised speech.

Iran is to meet the P5+1 group - the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany - in Istanbul on Saturday. Discussions are expected to focus on Tehran’s nuclear program and severe Western sanctions which are to be toughened by an EU oil embargo coming into force in July.

Ahmadinejad said Iran would overcome the obstacles the West has put in its way and had an economy able to withstand the sanctions.

“We have enough foreign currency so that, even if one barrel of oil is not sold for two or even three years, the country will be managed well and the enemies will not see their wishes (come true),” he added.

The United States and its allies fear Iran’s program mask a drive towards atomic weapons capability, despite strenuous denials from Tehran.

The White House said Monday Iran needs to take “concrete steps” to assure the world it is not pursuing nuclear weapons.

“We need concrete steps taken by the Iranians to assure that they will forsake their nuclear weapons ambitions,” said Jay Carney, spokesman for US President Barack Obama.

The US and Israel have threatened to resort to a military option if diplomacy on the issue fails. Obama has warned the window of diplo-

A soldier riding at the back of a pick-up truck mans a weapon as soldiers secure a street, where barricades are being dismantled in Sanaa April 10, 2012. (Reuters)

gain their foothold.

For the militants, Lawder is a strategic city. It lies along a major highway that links Abyan’s provincial capital of Zinjibar, an Al-Qaeda stronghold, to the provinces of Hadramawt, Bayda and Shabwa where the group is active.

The area is now a patchwork of government- and militant-controlled towns.

Inspired by Arab revolts elsewhere, Yemen’s popular uprising forced Saleh out of office in February. His successor and for-

Stalling for time

In Moscow, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem claimed the regime is complying with the truce deal.

“We have already withdrawn forces and army units from several Syrian provinces,” he said in a joint news conference with Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister.

There were signs that the regime was stalling for time when it made new, last-minute demands over the weekend, saying it could not withdraw troops from towns without written guarantees that the rebels would lay down their arms.

Mouallem appeared to raise another new demand, saying that the cease-fire must start simultaneously with the deployment of the international observer mission. The deployment of observers was one of the terms of Annan’s plan.

And in another apparent shift, Mouallem said Syria wants the truce guarantees to be issued

by Annan, not by the opposition fighters. -AP

Iran vows to defend ‘rights’ ahead of nuclear talks

127 killed in 2 days of clashes in southern Yemen SANAA: Heavy clashes overnight between Al-Qaeda-linked militants and the Yemeni military in the country’s south have killed 63 people, bringing the twoday death toll in the fighting to 127, army officials said Tuesday.

The latest fighting points to escalating hostilities between the government and militants linked to the terror network who have sought to take advantage of the turmoil roiling the country since a popular uprising began early last year against longtime authoritarian leader Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The militants seized control of towns in the lawless south and staged attacks against government troops there and elsewhere in the impoverished Arab nation.

The military officials said the fighting that broke out in the town of Lawder in Abyan province early Monday spilled over into Tuesday, with the army shelling militant hideouts in an effort to prevent them from sending reinforcements.

They said 56 militants, four soldiers and three tribal fighters were killed overnight and early Tuesday.

Fighting also erupted Tuesday along the border of Shabwa and Marib provinces, where militants ambushed an army post.

Eight soldiers and three militants were killed in that attack, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Al-Qaeda was once present in Lawder, but in July residents drove them out. A few months later Al-Qaeda was blamed for planting a roadside bomb that killed two civilians there, and, as Monday’s attack demonstrates, they continue to try to re-

town of Kfar Zeita in Hama province, he said.

The Observatory said troops also fired shells at two neighborhoods in the central city of Homs. Additional raids were reported in two southern villages, the group said. An activist in the Damascus suburb of Douma, said tanks were patrolling the streets, as they have in recent days. Some tanks bore graffiti reading “Assad’s shield,” he said.

mer deputy, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, was later rubber-stamped as president in a single-candidate nationwide vote that was part of a power transfer deal backed by the US and Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia.

Washington hopes that Hadi can bolster the government’s authority and make good on his pledges to fight Al-Qaeda. But in addition to his war with the militants, he also faces a challenge from Saleh loyalists and a crippled economy. -AP

macy is closing.

In related news, a top Iranian military commander on Tuesday denied a US news report that the CIA has been successfully sending spy drones over Iran over the past three years.

“No unmanned or manned (surveillance) aircraft have entered Iran’s air space” apart from one US stealth drone that was captured last December, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili of the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense command told the official IRNA news agency.

He was reacting to a story in The Washington Post newspaper last weekend that said the Central Intelligence Agency sent its first surveillance drone over Iran three years ago with “never even a ripple” detected in Iran’s air defenses.

The report said CIA drones subsequently scoured dozens of sites in Iran, making hundreds of passes over suspicious facilities before the stealth drone - an RQ-170 model - crashed inside Iran’s borders in December.

The expanded intelligence collection reinforced the view within the White House that it will have early warning of any move by Iran to assemble a nuclear bomb within its disputed nuclear activities, the report said.

But Esmaili was quoted as saying: “No surveillance unmanned aircraft has passed over Iran, and published photos were been (taken) by satellite systems.”

He said “you witnessed what happened” when the captured RQ-170 tried to make its flight in December.

But while the Iranian commander insisted that US drones had been unable to fly over Iran, he asserted that “drones operated by the Guards and the (Iranian) military have flown over American ships (in the Gulf) and have taken photos of them.” -AFP

Tunis in shock after ‘Black Monday’ crackdown

TUNIS: Tunisia was in shock Tuesday after riot police brutally clamped down on protesters defying a demonstration ban in the capital, with even President Moncef Marzouki denouncing “unacceptable violence”.

“Black Monday”, “fascist behavior”, “savagery” were among the harsh comments after some of the worst violence since last year’s revolution that led to the downfall of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. At least 15 civilians and eight policemen were hurt as riot police on Monday fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters who had turned out in their hundreds on a main avenue in Tunis despite a ban on demonstrations there. Security officials said six people were arrested.

Many people at Monday’s rally in Tunis were protesting at the ban and against Ennahda, which emerged as the biggest party after an October election, the first democratic vote since the Arab Spring uprising that ousted Ben Ali. “We are all in shock, what happened is horrible, a point of no return has been reached,” said Sadoua Elleuch of the Doustourna network, a civil society group.

Doustourna leader Jawar Ben Mbarek was roughed up when he was stopped for questioning during the demonstration, while members of the Constituent Assembly were pushed around and journalists harassed. “To see prominent people, officials being treated like that is unbelievable,” Elleuch said. The journalists’ union on Monday called on its members to boycott Interior Minister Ali Larayedh for a week over the crackdown.

“Police officers were very, very brutal,” lawyer Radhia Nasraoui told AFP. “I had the impression we were reliving the situation under Ben Ali. This government does not solve Tunisians’ problems but it knows how to clamp down.” Many demonstrators voiced outrage at what they saw as authorities’ double standards as they would not rein in hard-line Muslim Salafists but cracked down on left-leaning protesters. -AFP

ALWATAN DAILY

WORLD

wednesdAY, april 11, 2012

All preparations done for launch, says North Korean space official PYONGYANG: North Korean space officials said Tuesday that all assembly and preparations for this week’s planned satellite launch have been completed, and denied it is a cover for a missile test.

Space officials told reporters at a news conference in Pyongyang that the launch of the three-stage rocket is on target to take place sometime between April 12-16 as part of centennial birthday commemorations for late President Kim Il Sung, the country’s founder.

The Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, equipped with a camera designed to capture images of North Korea’s terrain and send back data about weather conditions, was being mounted on the rocket Tuesday, said Ryu Kum Chol, deputy director of the Space Development Department of the Korean Committee for Space Technology.

“All the assembly and preparations of the satellite launch are done,” including fueling of the rocket, he said.

The United States, Britain, Japan and others have urged North Korea to cancel the launch, saying it would be considered a violation of UN resolutions prohibiting the country from nuclear and ballistic missile activity.

Experts say the Unha-3 carrier is the same type of rocket that would be used to launch a long-range missile aimed at the US and other targets. North Korea has tested two atomic devices but is not believed to have mastered the technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.

Ryu acknowledged similarities between the rockets used for launching a satellite and a ballistic missile. However, he noted that solid fuel is used to launch ballistic missiles, while the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite will be sent using liquid fuel.

Also, in order to be a success, a ballistic missile would require a large payload, he said.

“Our satellite weighs 100 kilograms. For a weapon, a 100kilogram payload wouldn’t be very effective,” he said, dismissing assertions that the launch is a cover for developing missile technology as “nonsense.”

Ryu also said a missile launch would require more sophisticated technology, and would not take place from a fixed, openly visible station.

“No country in the world would want to launch a ballistic missile from such an open site,” he said.

NEWS IN BRIEF Six arrests in North Ireland over masked man’s threats BELFAST: Northern Irish police said Tuesday it had arrested six people after a man threatened attacks against police and soldiers by republican dissidents opposed to the British province’s peace process. The balaclava-clad spokesman for the Real IRA group pledged the attacks at an event Monday in the province’s second city, Londonderry, marking the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule in Ireland. “The IRA will continue to attack Crown Force personnel, their installations, as well as British interests and infrastructure,” the spokesman, wearing black combat gear, said at the wreath-laying ceremony. -AFP

Suicide attacks kill 19 in Afghanistan

Ryu Kum-Cho (center), North Korean deputy director of the space development department at the communist state’s Committee for Space Technology, speaks during a press conference in Pyongyang on April 10. (AFP)

Ryu said he could not provide any answers to questions about whether North Korea is planning a third nuclear test.

None of Ryu’s points rule out the use of the launch, with or without a satellite on top, as a test for developing missiles. The United States and its allies suggest that even though the North may launch a satellite this time, the rocket technologies involved can easily be applied to missiles.

Effective long-range ballistic missiles do tend to use solid fuel, particularly when launched from mobile units, but that does not rule out using a liquid-fuel launch vehicle for a ballistic missile. The first ballistic missiles, Nazi Germany’s V-2, were liquid

fuel and several countries developing ballistic missiles, including Iran, still use liquids.

This week’s satellite launch from a new facility in the hamlet of Tongchang-ri on North Korea’s west coast would be the country’s third attempt since 1998. Two previous rockets, also named Unha, were mounted with experimental communications satellites and sent from an east coast site.

North Korean officials say the 2009 satellite reached orbit, citing Russian confirmation, but the US North American Aerospace Defense Command said Kwangmyongsong-2 did not make it into space. -AP

UK’s Cameron to visit Myanmar as EU mulls sanctions lift YANGON: British Prime Minister David Cameron will meet pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar on Friday, the first major Western leader to visit the long-isolated country since a 1962 coup began a half century of military rule.

His visit, confirmed by local sources, comes nearly two weeks after Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won historic April 1 by-elections by a landslide, convincing the United States and European Union to consider relaxing economic sanctions imposed years ago in response to human rights abuses.

Just days after the vote, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the EU may lift some sanctions, but it would carry on pushing for the release of remaining political prisoners.

British firms are among those seeking access to what could be huge opportunities in energy, mining, financial services, telecoms and tourism in Myanmar.

Big businesses across Europe want the EU to lift sanctions in the coming weeks, a move which would allow them into the country ahead of their US rivals. A formal European decision is expected on April 23.

The British government declined to confirm Cameron’s travel plans.

Suu Kyi’s party said Cameron will meet the Nobel Peace Prize laureate on Friday at her lake-

UK Prime Minister David Cameron (Reuters)

China tightens ‘land grab’ rules to defuse unrest BEIJING: Authorities have for years tried to address the issue of government-backed “land grabs”, which regularly trigger protests as residents complain of poor compensation for homes that have been demolished to make way for new buildings.

In January 2011, new rules were issued stipulating among other things that violence cannot be used to force homeowners to leave and that compensation must not be lower than the market price, but these regulations are often flouted.

The Supreme People’s Court on Monday

5

clarified and tightened these rules in a bid to “protect the public interest and guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of expropriated home owners.”

Under the tightened rules, government authorities that want to expropriate land but cannot reach an agreement with residents and apply to a local court for approval, must provide additional documents to prove their case.

These include a “social stability risk assessment” as well as “feedback from homeowners and the party which enjoys the direct benefits”

side villa where she had been kept under house arrest until November 2010, and the two would dine together that evening at the British ambassador’s residence.

Cameron is also visiting Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia, accompanied by a delegation of 35 business representatives from defense, energy, construction and other industries.

He will visit Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, on Wednesday and travel to Malaysia on Thursday, the first official visit to that country by a British leader in nearly 20 years.

His visit to Myanmar would be the first by a British prime minister since 1955, seven years after the end of British colonial rule of the former Burma.

He will also be the first major Western leader to step foot in Myanmar since a 1962 coup ushered in 49 year of unbroken military rule that ended last year, when a junta handed power to a quasi-civilian government stacked with former generals.

The government has since freed hundreds of political prisoners, begun peace talks with ethnic rebels, relaxed some media censorship, allowed trade unions, and showed signs of pulling back from the powerful economic and political orbit of its giant neighbor China.

It was rewarded last November when Hillary Clinton made the first visit to the country by a U.S. secretary of state since 1955. -Reuters

from the land expropriation.

In addition, the amended rules - which come into force on Tuesday - lay out a series of reasons for local courts to reject authorities’ applications for land expropriations.

These include situations when “compensation is obviously not in line with the principle of fairness... or when the people’s basic living and working conditions are not guaranteed.”

China faces increasing pressure from public discontent over forced and illegal land grabs, which have in the past few months sparked pro-

tests against authorities in various areas.

Last week hundreds of ethnic Mongols living in the northern region of Inner Mongolia tried to stop a vehicle belonging to a forestry firm that they claim had illegally occupied their land.

Authorities arrested 22 people amid accusations of police brutality, rights groups say. Land grabs also triggered a huge revolt against authorities in the southern village of Wukan in December, in a case that attracted international media attention and eventually led to rare concessions by the provincial government. -AFP

Malaysia to ease grip with new security law

Protesters hold placards as they march to the Parliament House during a protest against the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 9. (AP)

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will no longer allow indefinite detention without trial or detain people for their political beliefs under a new law to be presented in parliament Tuesday.

The legislation would take the place of the Internal Security Act (ISA), which was used to detain a range of people including terror suspects and dissidents for extended periods and was heavily criticized by rights groups.

Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in September he would scrap the ISA in a drive to improve civil liberties in a country long known for authoritarian rule.

Najib has been courting voters ahead of polls expected to be called soon and which will likely be a tight battle against a resurgent opposition.

The new Security Offences (Special Measures) Act would allow the government to detain those deemed a security threat for a maximum of 28 days, after which they must be released or charged, according to a copy of the law seen by AFP. It also singles out offenders such as document forgers and those who “excite disaffection” toward

the country’s monarchy as being subject to the same stipulations.

It says the law cannot be used to punish people solely for their political beliefs.

“No person shall be arrested and detained under this section solely for his political belief or political activity,” the law reads.

Opposition politicians complain, however, that other laws such as a sedition law have been used recently against government critics and remain on the books.

The new law states that if a person is acquitted by a trial court, the public prosecutor can apply for the person to remain in prison until “all appeals are disposed of”.

The law is expected to be presented in parliament later Tuesday and be approved at a later date owing to the simply majority held by Najib’s Barisan Nasional coalition government.

Critics have slammed Najib’s reform pledges as insincere ploys to garner voter support after Barisan Nasional suffered its worst performance ever at the last polls in 2008 amid corruption, high-handedness and other complaints. -AFP

HEART: Suicide bombers killed at least nineteen people in attacks across Afghanistan on Tuesday, including 11 Afghan police, as insurgents ramped up violence ahead of the traditional summer fighting months. Two bombers, including one wearing a head-to-toe covering burqa, blew up a car laden with explosives on the airport road outside the western city of Herat, killing eight civilians and three police, provincial governor spokesman Mohiddin Noori said. Twenty-three people were wounded in the attack, which took place in a usually peaceful part of the country near the border with Iran. -AP

Refugees demand Indonesian passage to Australia JAKARTA: Around 120 asylum seekers demanded Tuesday that Indonesia provide a vessel to allow them to continue to Australia, refusing to leave a tanker that rescued them at sea, an official said. The tanker sailing from Australia to Singapore picked up the asylum seekers, all males and mostly Afghans and some Iranians, in Indonesian waters on Sunday. “Until now, the asylum seekers are still refusing to get off the tanker before their requests are fulfilled,” said Yanuar, an immigration official in Indonesia’s Cilegon city, where the boat is docked at the port of Merak. -AFP

UK can extradite five terror suspects to US, says court STRASBOURG: The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Britain had the right to extradite five suspected terrorists to the United States but only after all court procedures had been exhausted. The court, based in the French city of Strasbourg, had been considering the cases of six people indicted in the United States between 1999 and 2006 on terrorism charges related to hostage taking in Yemen and attacks on US embassies in Africa. One of the five suspects whose extradition was approved is Abu Hamza, a militant cleric who faces 11 charges relating to the taking of 16 hostages in Yemen in 1998, advocating a Jihad (Islamic holy war) uprising in Afghanistan and trying to set up a jihad training camp in the United States in 2000-2001. -AP

Protest in PNG draws thousands calling for polls PORT MORTESBY: Thousands of Papua New Guineans rallied in the capital Port Moresby on Tuesday to protest at any delays to elections, seen as crucial as the country rests on the cusp of a resources boom. At least 4,000 students, union members and church members, some carrying placards saying “Give me back my right to vote”, converged on a central stadium to vent their anger at Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, reports said. Papua New Guinea’s parliament voted on Thursday to postpone national polls for six months, sparking public outrage, but O’Neill later backtracked, saying he wanted the elections held in June as planned. -AFP

6

ALWATAN DAILY

OPINION

wednesDAY, april 11, 2012

Law applicable to all is a forgone conclusion Interior Minister!

Fuad Al-Hashem

I

n an interview with the Al-Jarida newspaper, the Head of Good Deeds and Anti-profanity Mubarak Al-Badhali, which remains an unofficial religious body, said that he visited Kubbar Island along with a member of the Al-Sabah family.

My point here is not related to the trip or the purpose of the trip. Or even the statements made by Mubarak AlBadhali to the newspaper. For me what really matters is the identity of the Sheikh who happens to be a member of the ruling family in the company of a former inmate. This particular member of the ruling family has abandoned the councils and gatherings of the cultured people, poets, ambassadors, politicians and people of science and literature in favor of this character. It would be interesting to see if this particular Sheikh would assume certain power positions of sensitive nature. We need to know if this particular Sheikh has been supporting Mubarak Al-Badhali to create for him a state within a state so that he gives us lessons and lectures on the decent and righteous society we should live in.

In a different issue, the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Nayef Al-Hajraf has responded to the appeal I had made earlier this week when I raised the issue of a student who is studying in the United States and at the same time suffers from cancer and pointed out that his family were no longer able to cover all expenses related to the child’s medication as well as the school fees. The Minister has expressed his willingness to cover all expenses both education and medication fees. Thank you minister!

Another local news occurrence I am to also discuss but related this time to a statement made by the Minister of

The government submits further concessions

The yachts owners said that the decision to reduce the membership fees was highly appreciated by them and that they now seek another request and that is to re-divert the dock yard.

Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah which I found thoroughly amusing. The minister of Interior made a statement on Monday which was passed around by the Al Watan News saying that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah has instructed him that the law would be and should applied to all regardless. This is good news no doubt but the issue here is not whether the law should be applied to all or otherwise. The issue here is that this is a maxim that no one would argue about or against. Therefore, it doesn’t need instruction from the highest authority. This is a foregone conclusion. You only need to apply it yourself without referring to anyone. After all you are the minister of interior who is in charge of doing exactly the job. Unless of course, you think they have brought you to the ministry in the capacity of an advisor!

Another advertisement which I saw and which I believe was immensely interesting was one ad related to the Yachts Club. The owners of the yachts and members of the club expressed their deepest gratitude to His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. The yachts owners said that the decision to reduce the member-

ship fees was highly appreciated by them and that they now seek another request and that is to re-divert the dock yard.

I like that yachts owners are appealing for the reduction of membership fees because they find the fees extremely over their reach. I really feel sorry for the yachts owners because they are going through serious financial difficulties. More discounts and reduction in fees should be in order.

One final observation which I thought I need to make before I move on regional issues. I have noticed that if someone was working in the private sector and for some one reason or another decided to join the public sector this employee must wait three months before he or she can make an application in the Civil Service Bureau. It is understandable if this employee decided to resign and join the public sector but the issue is that the same law is applied if he or she were terminated. Is there any reasonable justification for such regulations?

Moving away from local news to the Syrian front, a Syrian intelligent officer sent me a note to Twitter account commenting on a document published by the Al Watan on the first page last Sunday. The document was related to the pres-

ence of foreign elements in Syria supporting the regime.

According to the Syrian intelligent officer the document published by Al Watan is a forged one because the Islamic date of Hejra was written on the top left side of the document and that the Baathist regime believes in no religion whatsoever and therefore it would be bizarre to include the Islamic date of all the dates.

The note sent by this intelligence officer has an element of truth in it. It is a fact that the Baathist regime has neither appreciation nor belief in religions whatsoever. On the other hand, I believe that one of the Baathist tactics is to misinform and misinform the public. I strongly believe that the document was deliberately leaked using Islamic Hejra for the obvious reason. Let us not forget that back in 1981 the Baathist and former president of Iraq Saddam Hussein made similar tactics when he declared war under the false slogans of Glory Qadisiya Battle.

Finally, it would be fitting to end the article with Egypt.

The Muslim Brotherhood whose experience doesn’t go beyond the prisons and jails are seeking to rule the country. I wonder how they would rule the country when they have no experience in politics whatsoever. They are revolutionaries but not politicians. The founder of the group was Hasan Al-Banna. His brother Jamal Al-Banna, interviewed by the Egyptian Rose Al-Yusuf magazine, has this warning message to us: The mastermind of the Brotherhood has ceased to function and to see them in power would be an absolute disaster.”

I say that if they find themselves failing to control the country as they wish, they would certainly create civil war, or wouldn’t they?

BU QUTADA & BU NABIL The minister looks confident .......

He is answering the questions

The extremist MPs still insist to file interpellation motions, therefore concessions did not lead to positive results for the government!

You insulted me ....

With the articles you Thenewspapers minister is answering publish in the items of the grill

Mmmm ......

Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-Esa

A

pparently our government could not understand any lesson from the Arab Spring Revolutions wherein political Islam movements exploited the sacrifice and efforts of youths for reaching power in different Arab countries such as Tunisia and Egypt and the very movements could dominate the Moroccan and Kuwaiti parliaments through fair parliamentary elections.

What concerns us in this field is that the Kuwaiti government has supported the political Islamic movements in the previous stage and the government submits more concessions to those movements after they obtained the majority of the parliamentary seats.

When the MP Mohammad Hayef Al-Metairie announced that he would file an interpellation motion against the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Jamal Shahab the minister issued instructions immediately to the undersecretary then the latter ordered for halting the process of recording preaching ceremonies during Fridays’ prayers as well as opening mosques for longer time and allowing callers for prayers to open microphones while prayers.

All these decisions serve the political Islam movements like the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi one.

These movements exerted hard efforts to dominate the mosques of the country and the government’s decision helped them to achieve their target of politicizing mosques. The movements will exploit mosques to achieve more targets.

The government endorsed such steps under the pretext of equalizing the Sunni mosques with the Shiite ones through observing all mosques and Husainiyas.

Some Sunni people also ask about the Zakat the Shiite mosques collect from the Shiite people and how they spend such funds.

The sectarian problems that the Sunni MPs created aim at just giving the Sunni preachers an opportunity to say anything they want about the Shiite doctrine.

They do not aim at observing mosques or Husainiyas as much as they want to give Sunni preachers full freedom for saying anything they want about Shiites and then the Friday ceremonies will not be recorded as before and preachers can’t be brought to account.

The problem that the government could not understand is that we have MPs such as Mohammad Hayef and Osama Al-Munawer who don’t believe in pluralism of religious doctrines therefore they attempt to impose their doctrine instructions on the Shiite minority by the government itself.

The question is: what did the government benefit from concessions that it had submitted to the political Islamic movements? The extremist MPs still insist to file interpellation motions, therefore concessions did not lead to positive results for the government!

You’re kidding!!

Apparently, the minister is planning to vote for no confidence against the MP

So who grills the other!!

Oh man.... The minister is just joking and drinking water

Mohmmed Thallab

mthallab@alwatan.com.kw

Promising education decisions Dr. Esam Abdulatif Al-Fulaij

T

he parents of students are still afraid of the exams of high schools as their sons suffered from difficultexams last semester wherein the rate of passing had decreased from 90 percent to 60 percent. If the previous national assembly and the government were not dissolved then 60 percent of the high school graduates would not be able to join colleges and high schools will not accommodate the big number of students who fail to pass the exam!

The new minister of education could make us more optimistic as well as the entire educational institution due to the positive decisions he took. The minister adopted good educational decisions in addition to good administrative stands towards teachers. Despite all those positive points the parents are still afraid of difficult exams that their sons might face at the end of the current semester especially that certain figures might attempt to foil the educational process at the public schools in order to urge the government to privatize this important sector.

We do not doubt the availability of sincere personalities who exert all possible efforts to develop the educational process.

We do not doubt the availability of sincere personalities who exert all possible efforts to develop the educational process. We are also sure that the ministry has plenty of qualified personalities and others who have good intentions but the policy of the old guard- who dominate the ministry since a long time ago- should be changed in the ministry and the different educational zones because they interrupt creativity and the sincere efforts for developing education.

I believe that we really need an Arab Spring to sweep the ministry of education and change all old officials with new young ones to purse the development of the educational process.

The personalities who changed the curriculum and prepared very hard exams do not deserve to lead such an important ministry and those who are interest in just preparing false reports to show the educational process as dis-

tinguished and going well although the reports don’t reflect the real image of the work which will never be able to develop the educational process!

I have a final question, Ahmad Al-Adwani School was the sole school where attendance rate estimated 90 percent two days for the National and Liberation Day holiday in which students got absent from most schools!!!

Did the ministry attempt to benefit from such a distinguished attendance to attract the attention of other students and schools which might help them to urge students not to get absent before such time periods. Did the educational experts at the ministry study this phenomena well and why did they fail to solve issues within the last years although the headmaster of Al-Adwani school succeeded to do that!!

If you- the officials of the ministry- know the answer then you will succeed to diagnose the problem well!

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views

wednesDAY, april 11, 2012

Disarmament wars Jonathan Schell Project Syndicate

O

n April 13, Iran is scheduled meet with representatives of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States - the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - plus Germany (the so-called “P5+1”) in an effort to decide the fate of Iran’s nuclear program.

Meanwhile, North Korea is reportedly preparing its third nuclear test, as if to provide a discordant sound track for the talks.

If the talks fail, and military action against Iran becomes more likely, no one should be surprised. Over the past decade, a new kind of war has been invented: a war designed to stop a country from obtaining nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The first “disarmament war” was the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Its goal, spelled out plainly by US President George W. Bush’s administration to the Security Council and the US Congress, was to destroy Iraq’s WMD stockpiles and production facilities. Of course, as it turned out, no such stockpiles or facilities were found, and the war proved to be an exercise in bloody futility.

This experience illustrates one of the great drawbacks of the use of force as a tool of disarmament. An attack must be timed to perfection, and it must be launched after the WMD programs are in operation and evident, but before they have produced any weapons.

If the attack comes too early - or if, as in Iraq, the programs are not there at all - people will die for nothing. But if the weapons have already been produced, the attack could prompt their use and, possibly, counter-use by the invading party, leading, conceivably, to the world’s first two-sided nuclear war.

Although the invasion of Iraq was a debacle, the policy underlying it has survived.

Curiously, that policy may have escaped discredit in part precisely because its target was a mirage. Is a military action a true test of a disarmament war’s efficacy if the arms in question are missing?

Now another disarmament war - this time against Iran - is taking shape. Once again, the intelligence is at best fuzzy.There is much talk of “red lines” - some technical or other step that Iran might take to turn its nuclear-fuel program into a nuclear-bomb program - that must not be crossed. But what are these red lines? Would research on an explosive lens suitable for detonating an atomic bomb be a red line? Would further dispersal of Iran’s

FILE- In this photo, provided by the Iranian President’s Office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (right), is escorted by technicians during a tour of Tehran’s research reactor center, Feb. 15, 2012. (AP)

To achieve lasting disarmament, military action would also have to be lasting, beginning with regime change and continuing with a long occupation. nuclear facilities be one? Would a report of a “decision” by someone in the Iranian government count?

In short, how can we be sure that a red line has been crossed? No one knows, and no one is saying. But it appears that upon such obscure determinations a decision between

Cyber war and peace Joseph S. Nye Project Syndicate

T

wo years ago, a piece of faulty computer code infected Iran’s nuclear program and destroyed many of the centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Some observers declared this apparent sabotage to be the harbinger of a new form of warfare, and United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has warned Americans of the danger of a “cyber Pearl Harbor” attack on the US. But what do we really know about cyber conflict?

The cyber domain of computers and related electronic activities is a complex man-made environment, and human adversaries are purposeful and intelligent. Mountains and oceans are hard to move, but portions of cyberspace can be turned on and off by throwing a switch. It is far cheaper and quicker to move electrons across the globe than to move large ships long distances.

The costs of developing those vessels - multiple carrier task forces and submarine fleets - create enormous barriers to entry, enabling US naval dominance. But the barriers to entry in the cyber domain are so low that nonstate actors and small states can play a significant role at low cost.

In my book The Future of Power, I argue that the diffusion of power away from governments is one of this century’s great political shifts. Cyberspace is a perfect example.

Large countries like the US, Russia, Britain, France, and China have greater capacity than other states and nonstate actors to control the sea, air, or space, but it makes little sense to speak of dominance in cyberspace.

If anything, dependence on complex cyber systems for support of military and economic activities creates new vulnerabilities in large states that can be exploited by nonstate actors. Four decades ago, the US Department of Defense created the Internet; today, by most accounts, the US remains the leading country in terms of its military and societal use.

But greater dependence on networked computers and communication leaves the US more vulnerable to attack than many other countries, and cyberspace has become a major source of insecurity, because, at this stage of technological development, offense prevails over defense there.

The term “cyber attack” covers a wide variety of actions, ranging from simple probes to defacing Web sites, denial of service, espionage, and destruction. Similarly, the term “cyber war” is used loosely to cover a wide range of behaviors, reflecting dictionary definitions of war that range from armed conflict to any hostile contest. For example, “war between the sexes” or “war on drugs”).

At the other extreme, some experts use a narrow definition of cyber war: a “bloodless war” among states that consists solely of electronic conflict in cyberspace.

But this avoids the important interconnections between the physical and virtual layers of cyberspace. As the Stuxnet virus that infected Iran’s nuclear program showed, software attacks can have very real physical effects.

A more useful definition of cyber war is hostile action in cyberspace whose effects amplify or are equivalent to major physical violence. In the physical world, governments have a near-monopoly on large-scale use of force, the defender has an intimate knowledge of the terrain, and attacks end because of attrition or exhaustion. Both resources and mobility are costly.

In the cyber world, by contrast, actors are diverse (and

war and peace will depend.

The Iran crisis raises new issues as well. To achieve lasting disarmament, military action would also have to be lasting, beginning with regime change and continuing with a long occupation. But, while President Barack Obama has said of Iran that “all options are on the

Cyber war, though only incipient at this stage, is the most dramatic of the potential threats.

sometimes anonymous), physical distance is immaterial, and some forms of offense are cheap. Because the Internet was designed for ease of use rather than security, attackers currently have the advantage over defenders. Technological evolution, including efforts to “reengineer” some systems for greater security, might eventually change that, but, for now, it remains the case. The larger party has limited ability to disarm or destroy the enemy, occupy territory, or use counterforce strategies effectively.

Cyber war, though only incipient at this stage, is the most dramatic of the potential threats. Major states with elaborate technical and human resources could, in principle, create massive disruption and physical destruction through cyber attacks on military and civilian targets.

Responses to cyber war include a form of interstate deterrence through denial and entanglement, offensive capabilities, and designs for rapid network and infrastructure recovery if deterrence fails. At some point, it may be possible to reinforce these steps with certain rudimentary norms and arms control, but the world is at an early stage in this process.

If one treats so-called “hacktivism” by ideological groups as mostly a disruptive nuisance at this stage, there remain four major categories of cyber threats to national security, each with a different time horizon: cyber war and economic espionage are largely associated with states, and cyber crime and cyber terrorism are mostly associated with non-state actors. For the US, the highest costs currently stem from espionage and crime, but over the next decade or so, war and terrorism could become greater threats than they are today. Moreover, as alliances and tactics evolve, the categories may increasingly overlap. In the view of Admiral Mike McConnell, America’s former director of national intelligence, “Sooner or later, terror groups will achieve cyber-sophistication. It’s like nuclear proliferation, only far easier.”

The world is only just beginning to see glimpses of cyber war - in the denial-of-service attacks that accompanied the conventional war in Georgia in 2008, or the recent sabotage of Iranian centrifuges. States have the greatest capabilities, but non-state actors are more likely to initiate a catastrophic attack.

A “cyber 9/11” may be more likely than the oftenmentioned “cyber Pearl Harbor.” It is time for states to sit down and discuss how to limit this threat to world peace.

Joseph S. Nye, a former assistant US secretary of defense, is a professor at Harvard University and author, most recently, of The Future of Power.

table,” occupation clearly is not among them.

The American public has lost its appetite for occupying Middle Eastern countries, which means that only air power is available. But air power alone cannot impede Iran’s nuclear program for more than a year or two.

What an air attack can do - and is likely

7

to do - is to goad Iran, which may or may not want to acquire nuclear arms, to launch a crash program to accomplish just that. Would other Middle Eastern countries not follow suit?

The aim of a disarmament war is to prevent proliferation, locally and regionally.

Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons is one route to proliferation. But a war to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear arms is probably a quicker and surer route to the same destination.

Fortunately, there may still be a way out of the impasse. Obama has called an Iranian atomic arsenal “unacceptable.” Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly stated that holding such arms is a sin, as well as “useless, harmful, and dangerous.”

So the two leaders agree. In this, there may be the basis for a deal.

The bone of contention is uranium enrichment, which the P5+1 have so far insisted that Iran suspend, at least provisionally. Iran claims the right to enrich under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The P5+1 reply that Iran lost that right by concealing nuclear programs from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has declared Iran to be in non-compliance with the NPT. It has been suggested that the US will demand dismantlement of an enrichment facility in the mountain stronghold of Fordow.

But the essence of a deal lies in permitting Iran to continue uranium enrichment for civilian purposes, in exchange for full disclosure of all programs, including any that were or are devoted to nuclear-weapons research.

To facilitate the process, Pierre Goldschmidt, a former IAEA deputy director-general, has proposed “a grace period during which Iran would not be penalized should it voluntarily disclose the existence of undeclared nuclear material and activities, and/or acknowledge any past violations of the NPT or of its safeguards agreement.”

When the cause of peace makes justice impossible, forgiveness is never easy. But, like South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or the Catholic sacrament of confession, Goldschmidt’s plan would prevent the perfect from becoming the enemy of the good.

Jonathan Schell is a Fellow at The Nation Institute and is a visiting fellow at Yale University. He is the author of The Seventh Decade: The New Shape of Nuclear Danger.

Switzerland’s line in the sand James Saft Reuters

T

hings are getting sticky for the Swiss and their franc.

Twice in the past week the market, that nebulous but inexorable force, took a run at the cap on the value of the franc established by the Swiss National Bank last September.

Last Thursday, amid low pre-holiday volume, the franc actually pierced the 1.20 per euro line the Swiss central bank had drawn in the sand. Suspected intervention soon drove the franc lower but then once again over the weekend the franc came within a hairsbreadth of that line.

“We won’t accept any exchange rate below 1.20.

We are committed to buying foreign exchange in unlimited quantities to defend this level,” a spokesman for the SNB said, re-enunciating a policy intended to insulate Swiss exporters and fend off deflation.

“Unlimited” is a lot, as they say in the backwoods, but it is an undertaking that depends not on the SNB’s ability to create francs - they after all have a printing press - but rather on its nerve to continue doing so no matter how painful and apparently risky that operation becomes.

While some suspect that the line was only pierced through small trades with banks which are, for bureaucratic reasons, not parties to standing-order credit arrangements with the SNB, the fact remains that the market loves a target and sees a big fat one.

The issue really isn’t how the trades got through the supposed barrier, but why traders were willing to go so close to it even though they knew it should be there.

They did so for two reasons, one contributory and mostly Swiss and one major one that is entirely euro zone. Since the policy is intended to keep deflation at bay - after all local prices of imported goods fall as the franc strengthens - news of a bit of Swiss inflation last week perhaps gave traders courage. Swiss consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in March from February. Switzerland also has a track record of rowing back on market-bucking and expensive policies, something that perhaps makes investors more aggressive.

It may not help that the SNB is now helmed by an interim chairman, Thomas Jordan, who has been caretaker since Phillipp Hildebrand was forced to step down in January when his wife was found to be speculating on the franc.

Tied To Euro Zone’s Parachute

The fundamental reason for franc strength, though, is really concern about the euro zone and a growing, but still minority, view that the measures taken near the turn of the year to bring debt markets in line simply won’t be enough.

Doubts that Spain will be able to reach its budget goals were fanned last week when Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned it faced “extreme difficulty” and may need an international bailout. The yield on 10-year Spanish bonds rose by about 8 percent in the past week to 5.76 percent. Italy too is under the microscope and its funding costs have

The euro zone crisis has demonstrated the great value of a country having a central bank with the remit and freedom to act. isen sharply in recent days.

Though the SNB drew its line for domestic reasons, in doing so it tied its fate and that of Switzerland even more closely to the out-turn of events around the euro. People want francs partly because the Swiss economy has been reasonably conservatively managed and is thus robust, but mostly because a franc has the cardinal virtue of not being a euro.

If you are a Greek you may well be worried that at some point in the future your Euros will be forcibly exchanged for new drachmas, units that will immediately and sharply fall in value.

Holding francs then is simply a bit of insurance.

If you are Spanish or Italian and you share the same fear the situation will be exactly the same, except there are more of you and you have far more money.

What Switzerland has done then is to perhaps fend off speculators for a time but leave themselves hugely vulnerable to events. If the fear becomes enough people won’t care about the cap and won’t believe it will hold. While the SNB is supposed to have sold some of the billions in Euros it has acquired defending the cap and bought other currencies, they will still face a huge loss if events in the euro zone turn nasty.

Money will come flooding in to take them at their “unlimited” word and the SNB, sooner or later, will decide enough is enough.

This does not have to happen, and maybe it won’t.

The euro zone crisis has demonstrated the great value of a country having a central bank with the remit and freedom to act.

Switzerland’s mistake is in acting as if that power is somehow sovereign to all ills. Central banks, like the rest of us, are hostages to events, all the more if they pretend they are not.

James Saft is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own

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Chevrolet Lumina V6 2008 model done 80000 km in good condition for KD 2800, single used. Tel: 99962456

Volkswagen Touareg 2005, navy exterior in a very good condition, KD 2500.Tel: 94404405

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China’s crude oil imports up 8.7%

BUSINESS

wednesdAY, april 11, 2012

m ar ket watc h KUWAIT

DUBAI

QATAR

OMAN

ABU DHABI

0.47% 6149

1.26% 1678

0.16% 8771

0.9% 5883

0.01% 2547

BAHRAIN

EGYPT

SAUDI

0.42% 1135

0.76% 4559

1.89% 7552

US Crude $102.20 $0.26 London Brent $121.37 $1.30 Kuwait Crude $119.50 $1.06 Information Courtesy: KAMCO

Brent slips below $122 on soft China import data

CAPITALS: Price of Kuwaiti crude dropped 1.06 US dollars to settle at $119.5 per barrel (pb) on Monday, in comparison to $120.11 pb the day before, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said on Tuesday.

The drop of oil prices was due to economic reports showing an increase of employment in US, but at proportions less than expected.

US oil slips

A man touches a screen on a Bharti Airtel advertisement billboard during the launch ceremony for 4G services in Kolkata April 10, 2012. Bharti Airtel plans to launch its 4G services in Bangalore within 30 days, an executive said, after the country’s largest mobile phone carrier launched the service in Kolkata earlier on Tuesday. (Reuters)

98 cents at $121.69 a barrel at 1030 GMT, having fallen more than $1 earlier. The contract slipped as low as $121.02 on Monday, the lowest since March 15.

US oil fell 68 US cents to $101.78.

Investors are watching for signs that China can avoid a hard landing as it tweaks monetary and fiscal policies to cut rising costs and help small businesses hit by a global downturn.

Overall imports grew 5.3 percent, lagging expectations for growth of nine percent.

China’s exports grew 8.9 percent compared with a consensus call for 7.2 percent, but the slide in imports suggested soggy domestic demand in the first quarter.

Asia shares slipped along with base metals on worries about the demand outlook for the leading importer of raw materials. Oil and European shares also fell as investors returning from the Easter holiday weekend in Europe cut their exposure to risky assets after surprisingly weak March US jobs data late last week. -Agencies

Mabanee approves capital increase through 10% bonus shares, 10 fils dividend KUWAIT: The Ordinary and Extraordinary General Assembly of Mabanee Co. convened on Tuesday, April 10. The General Assembly approved all of the articles, including the distribution of 10 percent of the nominal share value in cash dividend (10 Kuwaiti fils per share) and 10 percent bonus shares of the paid-up capital (10 shares for every 100 shares) for all shareholders registered on the company’s roaster on the date of the General Assembly meeting. This was mentioned in a press release on Tuesday.

Commenting on this occasion, Mabanee’s Chairman and Managing Director Mohammad Abdulaziz Alshaya said, “Mabanee’s net profit for 2011 came to 20.78 million Kuwaiti dinars compared to KD 18.67 million in 2010, at an increase of 11 percent. The share profit came to 37.62 fils compared to 33.79 fills in 2010.”

The company’s financial data indicated that its operational revenue came to KD 37.7 million, and that it succeeded in increasing shareholder equity to KD 146.72 million. Total assets grew 20 percent to stand at KD 307.18 million.

Alshaya noted that the selection of Mabanee Co. by the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) for the ‘Kuwait 15’ index - which includes the largest companies in terms of liquidity and market value with the aim of measuring market performance - is a strong indication of the prominent position that the company holds in the Kuwaiti market.

With regard to the activities of the Extraordinary General Assembly, approval was given for increasing the company’s capital through 10 percent bonus shares allocated to shareholders listed in the company’s roaster on the date that the General Assembly convened.

BMCE works with Royal Ranches Marrakech towards development of project MANAMA: Royal Ranches Marrakech (RRM), one of the flagship projects of Bahrain based Islamic investment bank, Gulf Finance House (GFH), has announced in a press release on Tuesday that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed with the consortium of banks led by Banque Marocaine de Commerce Exteriur (BMCE) to receive the second tranche of an existing facility to resume works on the development.

The MOU sees the banking consortium release the remainder of the facility’s amount as progress continues on RRM gradually. Infrastructure works on Royal Ranches Marrakech began earlier, with 45% of the infrastructure work already completed.

RRM will now focus on completing a revised time schedule for the completion of the entire necessary infrastructure work, which will be submitted to the banking consortium while working on attracting investors and developers to complete the project.

Esam Janahi, President of RRM and Chairman of GFH, commented, “Morocco is seeing steady recovery of its economy, and tourism represents a major source of the national income. GFH is now seeking strategic partnerships with developers to develop RRM vertically. Once completed, RRM will attract significant annual revenues for the country. We expect RRM to positively impact the local economy, as well as the larger Moroccan economy, creating a significant number of local jobs and attracting thousands of visitors annually.”

The Royal Ranches Marrakech project is set to further catalyse the burgeoning tourism market in the country once it is completed. The development sits on a total area of approximately 380 hectares

CURRENCIES US Dollar

British Pound

Saudi Riyal

Qatari Riyal

Indian Rupee

Euro

Japanese Yen

UAE Dirham

Bahraini Dinar

Philippine Peso

Buy 0.2781 Sell 0.2786 Buy 0.3645 Sell 0.3653

Buy 0.441 Sell 0.4419

Buy 0.003425 Sell 0.003433

Buy 0.0742 Sell 0.0743

Buy 0.07574 Sell 0.07578

Buy 0.07653 Sell 0.07637 Buy 0.7379 Sell 0.73834

Buy 0.005423 Sell 0.005419 Buy 0.006504 Sell 0.006487

Prices in Kuwaiti fils As of April 10, 2012 Courtesy: KAMCO

KIPCO shareholders approve proposed dividend of 20% at general assembly

Expects 21st year of profitability in 2012

Main oil port closes to tanker arrivals

Meanwhile, oil slipped below $122 on Tuesday as soft Chinese import data raised concerns about oil demand growth in the world’s second-biggest consumer.

Front-month Brent crude futures were down

See page 10

OIL MARKETS

Kuwaiti oil price drops $1.06 to $119.50

In more news, Kuwait’s main oil export port stopped allowing tankers to dock in a thick dust storm on Tuesday, but those already loading at the terminal will be allowed to leave, a Kuwait Oil Tanker Company spokesman said.

“As of 2 a.m. there are no new berthing operations. But whatever vessels that are already berthed have been loading,” the spokesman said.

“Once they complete loading they can sail out.

These are decisions from the port authorities. New vessels that are arriving will have to wait.”

Kuwait is one of the world’s leading crude oil exporters, with production running at about three million barrels per day (bpd).

Traffic at the nearby commercial port of Shuwaikh was also disrupted, its head of marine operations said.

Visibility in Kuwait fell to around 500 meters in the city center due to the dust storm.

TOKYO: China’s crude oil imports rose 8.7 percent in March from a year earlier to 23.55 million tons, or 5.57 million barrels a day (bpd), the Chinese government said Tuesday. However, imports declined 8.6 percent from February’s record of 23.64 million tons (5.98 million bpd), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs. In the first three months of this year, China imported 70.61 million tons (5.69 million bpd), up 11.4 percent from the same period of 2011. The import-dependency rate of China, the world’s second-biggest energy importer after the US, reached a new high of 56.3 percent last year, the state-run China Daily reported earlier this year, adding that domestic oil demand would grow five percent in 2012.

It also approved the amendments of Article Five of the statute and Article Six of the establishment contract of the company to read the following: The company’s capital is KD 55,562,595 (fiftyfive million, five hundred and sixty-two thousand, five hundred and ninety Kuwaiti dinars) distributed among 555,625,950 shares (five hundred and fiftyfive million, six hundred and twenty-five thousand, nine hundred and fifty shares), with each share valued at 100 fills and all shares being in cash.

The company’s capital is KD 61,118,855 (sixtyone million, one hundred and eighteen thousand, eight hundred and fifty-five Kuwaiti dinars) distributed among 611,188,545 shares (six hundred and eleven million, one hundred and eighty-eight thousand, five hundred and forty-five shares), with each share valued at 100 fills and all shares being in cash.

and is located in a green oasis at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. The development is comprised of four districts including equestrian, residential, leisure and tourist areas. Additionally, the development will include an equestrian school with professional instructors, a professional 18-hole golf course with spectacular views of the Atlas Mountains, a 5-star hotel and 6-star boutique hotel, luxury residential units and a shopping area where winding streets will recall a traditional Moroccan souk.

Mohammed El Halaissi, General Manager of BMCE also commented, “We are very pleased to be a part of this project which will contribute positively to the development of the tourism industry in Morocco which represents 10% of the country’s total annual GDP. Royal Ranches is one of the biggest and most impactful projects in the Kingdom, and Gulf Finance House’s interest to complete it indicates its trust in the sector and the country. BMCE’s involvement reflects our commitment to investments such as this one that support the people and the economy of the country.”

Hassan Alami, Financial Advisor to RRM, said, “Morocco has devised a strategic plan to join the world’s top 20 holiday destinations and having a unique project such as Royal Ranches Marrakech supports this imitative. RRM is unique to other developments in the area due to its focus on Equestrian and Golf themes. At the same time, it enjoys being located on prime land, in close proximity to the city centre, as well as strategically located near to other large tourism and real estate development projects. I am honoured to be associated with RRM and be part of this value addition to my country and its economy.”

Egypt government launches CD sale to citizens abroad CAIRO: Egypt’s government will begin selling three-year certificates of deposit (CDs) to Egyptians living abroad on Tuesday in a bid to reduce the country’s balance of payments and help fund its budget deficit.

A year of political turmoil has eaten into key sources of foreign exchange for Egypt by weakening tourism and inflows of investment, generating a balance of payments deficit for the fourth quarter of 2011 of $5.65 billion versus a surplus a year earlier.

The CDs will carry an interest rate of four percent paid semi-annually and will be denominated in multiples of 1,000 US dollars.

They will be issued by the National Bank of Egypt and secured by the Egyptian government, the central bank said.

“The National Bank of Egypt has concluded its preparations to launch the diaspora CDs on behalf of the Egyptian Government,” the central bank said in an emailed statement.

“The marketing campaign will kick off today and all the participating banks will be ready to issue the CD for subscribers.”

The CDs will be renewed automatically unless the holder notifies the National Bank of Egypt at least one month before they mature. -Reuters

KUWAIT: At its annual Investors Forum, Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO) said it expected to maintain its strong financial position and deliver its twenty-first consecutive year of profitability in 2012. This was mentioned in a press release on Tuesday.

The announcement was made at the company’s annual Shafafiyah (transparency) Investors Forum where KIPCO presented a review of 2011 and guidance for 2012 to an audience of shareholders, financial analysts and institutional investors.

The Investors Forum followed the company’s General Assembly meeting where KIPCO shareholders approved a proposed dividend of 20 percent (20 fils per share) and a stock dividend of five percent.

As part of its review of the last 12 months, KIPCO said 2011 was its twentieth consecutive year of profitability and the tenth consecutive year of paying dividends. The company added that over the last ten years it had achieved a cumulative profit of 796 million Kuwaiti dinars (2.9 billion US dollars), distributed KD 331 million ($1.2 billion) in shareholder dividends and delivered a cumulative annual shareholder return of 30 percent.

At the Forum, KIPCO also outlined its plans for 2012. The company said that over the next 12 months it intends to deleverage some of its operating companies with debt repayments totaling KD 174 million ($625 million). KIPCO also plans cost reductions at subsidiary level during the year.

The company also outlined its expectations for its core operating companies for 2012. The company expects Burgan Bank Group to increase its operating profits and market share during the year. KIPCO said that OSN - the region’s leading satellite TV broadcaster - would enhance its Arabic content and increase its market share through growth in its subscriber base. KIPCO also expects its regional insurance group - Gulf Insurance Company - to increase its market share and continue its development of products and distribution channels. The company also said both Burgan and Gulf Insurance will be evaluating further acquisitions during the year to extend their regional networks.

Speaking at the Forum, KIPCO’s Vice Chairman, Faisal Al-Ayyar, said, “2011 was another landmark year in our history because it was our twentieth consecutive year of profitability and our tenth consecutive year of dividend distribution. Over the last ten and twenty years, we have consistently delivered double-digit returns for our shareholders. This very impressive track record underlines our ability to create shareholder value, even in hard times.”

“In stark contrast to many other companies in Kuwait, we have not only weathered the financial crisis, but have emerged from it stronger. By managing our funding, maintaining financial discipline and strengthening the financial structure of our operating companies, we have built solid foundations for future growth. We have met and exceeded the expectations of our shareholders in the past and we intend to continue to do so in the years to come.”

Commenting on the outlook for 2012, Al-Ayyar said, “Overall, we are optimistic for 2012 because we expect our market share in financial services and media to grow. We also plan to consolidate our market leadership, maintain our healthy cash position and deliver our twenty-first consecutive year of profitability. Our focus for the coming year will be to pay down debt, cut costs at subsidiary level and improve the performance of our operating companies. We are taking these measures in 2012, so that in future years, our shareholders will continue to see the level of results they have come to expect from us.”

Kuwait bourse to launch Nasdaq-backed trading system KSE gains 28.7 points at closing, both indices in green

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s bourse will launch a new trading system on May 13, backed

by The Nasdaq OMX Group Inc, to help trading of financial instruments such as derivatives and Islamic bonds, it said on Tuesday. The new “X-stream” trading system costs 18.3 million Kuwaiti dinars (65.6 million US dollars) and will help modernize the exchange which is planning an initial public offering, officials said. “This will make the stock exchange more flexible,” Kuwait bourse’s President Faleh Al-Roqobah told a news conference.

Officials said the new platform would enable the trade of products such as international futures, options, exchange-traded funds, fixed income and Sukuks, perhaps as early as next year for some of them. It will also allow trades of as little as one share at a time, the exchange said in a statement. Kuwait’s stock market suffered heavy losses during the global financial crisis. The country’s new markets watchdog, Capital Markets Authority (CMA),

ordered several, mainly financial, companies to delist recently after they failed to report earnings on time. The CMA hired HSBC Holdings early this year to advice on plans to privatize the Gulf Arab state’s stock exchange and sell a stake in an initial public offering (IPO). The privatization plan, if completed, would make the Kuwaiti exchange the second listed bourse in the region after the Dubai Financial Market (DFM). Kuwaiti investment houses were hit especially hard during the financial crisis, which prompted the government to approve a rescue package worth KD 1.5 billion in 2009. Kuwait is home to some of the largest investment groups in the Gulf region such as Kuwait Projects Co (KIPCO) and Global Investment House. In more news, main indices of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) rose at closing of Tuesday’s session with the price index gaining 28.7 points, reaching 6,148.7 points. Weighted index increased 3.9 points to the level of 410 points.

Number of trades reached 5,566 with a value of traded stocks at 46,469,050 Kuwaiti dinars and the volume of deals touched 369,892,500. -Agencies

NBK gets CBK nod to raise Boubyan stake to 60% DUBAI: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) said on Tuesday it received the Kuwaiti central bank’s approval to increase its stake in Boubyan Bank to 60 percent from 47.29 percent. The approval is valid for three months starting April 8, the statement added. NBK, the country’s largest lender, has been building its Islamic banking business and in April last year raised its stake in Islamic lender Boubyan Bank to 47 percent. Boubyan bank, which complies with Islam’s ban on interest, competes with Kuwait Finance House (KFH) and Kuwait International Bank (KIB). -Reuters

10

ALWATAN DAILY

BUSINESS

wednesDAY, april 11, 2012

China’s crude oil imports up 8.7%

Lebanon delays gas tenders, sets up administrator

Swings back to trade surplus in March

TOKYO: China’s crude oil imports rose 8.7 percent in March from a year earlier to 23.55 million tons, or 5.57 million barrels a day (bpd), the Chinese government said Tuesday.

However, imports declined 8.6 percent from February’s record of 23.64 million tons (5.98 million bpd), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs.

In the first three months of this year, China imported 70.61 million tons (5.69 million bpd), up 11.4 percent from the same period of 2011.

The import-dependency rate of China, the world’s second-biggest energy importer after the US, reached a new high of 56.3 percent last year, the state-run China Daily reported earlier this year, adding that domestic oil demand would grow five percent in 2012.

China’s leading oil companies are expanding their reach overseas to tap more oil resources. In addition, China will finish building the second phase of its strategic oil reserve project this year, providing a total storage capacity of 170 million barrels, it said.

The second phase will have eight storage bases. The first phase was completed in 2009, with a capacity of 103 million barrels at four facilities in coastal areas.

The third phase is scheduled for completion by 2020, which will take the total reserve capacity to 500 million barrels.

The reserves are intended to reduce the risks that arise from volatile crude oil prices and a growing reliance on imports.

China posted a trade surplus of $5.35 billion in March following February’s $31.48 billion deficit, official data showed Tuesday. Exports rose 8.9 percent yearon-year to $165.66 billion last month, compared with an 18.4 percent growth in February, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on its Website.

Imports expanded 7.3 percent from a year earlier to $160.31 billion, also down from a 39.6 percent gain in February.

For the year’s first quarter, the world’s number two economy posted a trade surplus of $670 million, up sharply from a $1.02 billion deficit posted in the same period of 2011.

The European Union remained China’s largest trading partner in the first quarter, followed by the US. The Chinese government last month set its economic growth target at 7.5 percent this year, the first time to lower the target after keeping it around 8 percent for seven consecutive years.

China’s economy expanded 9.2 percent in 2011 and 10.4 percent in 2010, well above the government-set target.

Sinopec not processed Iranian crude this year In more news, China’s Sinopec

BEIRUT: Lebanon is delaying tenders for offshore exploratory drilling as it sets up an oil and gas oversight committee, but seismic tests suggest increasingly large potential gas reserves, Energy and Water Minister Gebran Bassil said.

Interest in drilling in the eastern Mediterranean has grown since two natural gas fields were discovered off the coast of Israel, Lebanon’s southern neighbor. Estimates value those reserves at tens of billions of dollars.

Lebanon had aimed to launch tenders for exploration drilling by the end of March, but oil industry sources recently said the licensing round was expected around mid-year.

Bassil told Reuters in a telephone interview that delays in establishing an administrative state oil body were holding up the plans but did not set a new target date for the licensing round.

“Before we form the committee, we can’t talk about tenders,” he said.

Twenty-seven companies have bought seismic surveys of the coastal waters, and several have expressed interest in drilling including British oil explorer Cairn Energy and London-listed Genel, he said. Cairn’s local partner is CC Energy Development S.A.I, an associated company of CCC, a Lebanese private company.

Cove Energy, currently subject to a bid battle between Royal Dutch Shell and Thailand’s PTT, has also said it is mulling entering the licensing round with Cairn and CCC.

FILE - In a Monday, March 26, 2012 photo, a customer prepares to pay for gas at a PetroChina gas station in Suining in southwestern China’s Sichuan province.

China’s crude oil imports rose 8.7 percent in March from a year earlier to 23.55 million tons, or 5.57 million barrels a day (bpd), the Chinese government said Tuesday, April 10, 2012. (AP)

Shanghai Petrochemicals has processed no Iranian crude this year, a top official said on Tuesday, after its parent company cut imports from the Islamic Republic in a dispute over annual contract terms.

China, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, is Iran’s top crude importer, buying 20 percent of the Islamic Republic’s exports. Iran is China’s No. 3 oil supplier after the Saudi Arabia and Angola.

Last year, Sinopec Shanghai refined about 22,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian oil, accounting for about 10 percent of its total throughput of 220,000 bpd, Ye Guohua, the company’s chief financial officer, told reporters at an earnings briefing. China, India, Japan and South Korea are the four biggest buyers of Iranian crude in Asia, and all of them have cut imports as the United States and Eu-

Abraaj Capital, Kuwait Energy sign strategic investment agreement

DUBAI: Abraaj Capital, a leading private equity manager investing in high growth markets, and Kuwait Energy, one of the fastest growing independent upstream oil and gas exploration and production companies in the Middle East, announced in a press release on Tuesday an agreement in which Abraaj Capital’s APEF IV Fund would support a strategic investment in Kuwait Energy. Abraaj Capital’s investment, through APEF IV, will enable Kuwait Energy’s ongoing growth and development plans and facilitate its emergence as a regional independent exploration and production (E&P) pioneer with world-class expertise. This was mentioned in a press release on Tuesday.

Established in 2005, Kuwait Energy currently has a diverse portfolio of oil and gas assets across production, development and exploration phases, with MENA operations in Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and Oman. In addition to covering the MENA region, the Company is focused on exploration, production and development of oil and gas reserves in Ukraine, Latvia and Russia. The Company has a proven track record in growing annual production and reserves while being profitable every year since inception.

Dr. Mansour Aboukhamseem, Executive Chairman, Kuwait Energy, commented, “At Kuwait Energy, we play an important role in supporting national economies and meeting global energy demand.

Through this new partnership with Abraaj Capital, we will be strongly positioned to realize our growth plans, which we are confident, will help us emerge as the leading independent E&P Company in the region.”

Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, Chief Executive Officer, Abraaj Capital Limited, said, “We are very pleased to announce the investment in Kuwait Energy, a regional leader in exploration and production. This investment is the latest to be made through the Abraaj Private Equity Fund IV (APEF IV), which announced its inaugural transaction in December 2010, and has subsequently announced a number of additional transactions across diverse geographies and sectors which speaks to the strength of the pipeline and our ability to execute on our access to businesses benefiting from the region’s increasingly positive economic environment. Given the continuing strong regional fundamentals, we see a very robust deal pipeline, across a range of high growth sectors moving ahead in 2012 and beyond.”

Commenting on the transaction, Ahmed Badreldin, Senior Partner and Co-Head of Large Cap Private Equity, Abraaj Capital, said, “The growing E&P sector presents unique opportunities in the MENA region and the potential of independent sector champions such as Kuwait Energy has not been fully exploited. Through this investment, Abraaj Capital will support Kuwait Energy’s growth and expansion, working alongside the Company’s strong management team, which has an established track record of success across the markets in which it operates.”

rope tighten sanctions to force the Islamic Republic to abandon its nuclear program.

That is making it hard for refiners to find shippers, insurers to underwrite trade and banks to clear payments.

China, Japan and South Korea have together cut imports from Tehran by 22 percent, or 279,000 bpd, to 940,000 bpd, in the first two months of the year, according to data compiled by Reuters.

China’s crude imports from Iran fell 21.5 percent in the first two months to 395,000, according to customs data.

Of the total amount of crude the company processed last year, 52 percent was from the Middle East, nearly 20 percent from Africa, 11.6 percent from China, 9.69 percent from Russia, 5.7 percent from Latin America and the remaining from Indonesia. -Agencies

Analysis of three-dimensional seismic data is continuing and has showed increasingly encouraging prospects, Bassil said.

“We can’t talk today about expected (quantities of gas), but every time (we review the data) it gets better,” he said. “Between the 2D and the 3D surveys we confirmed additional quantities three to five times higher in the survey areas.”

“There is a high possibility of very promising commercial quantities of gas,” he said.

Any sizeable gas discovery and production could help Lebanon tackle chronic power shortages, which result in daily power cuts across the country of between three to 10 hours.

Bassil plans to lease two electricity generating boats, possibly from Turkey, to meet some of the shortfall, while the government addresses plans to build new power plants or expand existing ones.

Lebanon remains in dispute with Israel over an 850-square-km stretch of sea off their coast, but Bassil has dismissed concerns over possible delays to drilling because of the disagreement.

The disputed region lies near to a region where US and Israeli firms discovered the two massive natural gas fields.

Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah, a Shi’ite Muslim political party and militant group that fought a war with Israel in 2006, has warned it will defend the country’s natural resources, but United Nations officials said last year the two countries were working to avoid conflict. -Reuters

EQUATE supported Kuwait downstream industry’s 13-year-growth by 300% KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company said in a press release on Tuesday that its annual sales to local Kuwaiti plastic manufacturers have increased by over 300 percent from 1998 to 2011.

During ‘EQUATE’s Annual Local Customers Gathering’, EQUATE President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammad Husain said, “Local customers have EQUATE’s unwavering commitment and dedication to ensure the success of their endeavors to reflect EQUATE’s tagline of ‘Partners in Success’.”

Husain noted, “The plastic conversion industry is projected to have great prospects if it is positioned properly within the value-chain and optimized its operations to be more export oriented.”

On his part, Polyethylene Business Director Muayad Al-Faresi said, “Throughout 1998 to 2011, the volume of local sales has increased from 11,000 Metric Tons Annually (MTA) to over 40,000 MTA in 2011 with a value of over 30 million US dollars,” lauding the overall cooperation and business growth with local customers Al-Faresi stressed, “As you play a critical role in

Kuwait’s overall sustainability and industrial growth, EQUATE has special interest in local customers through extending all necessary support to ensure the development of Kuwaiti downstream industries for an even brighter future and sustainable growth.”

As part of the event, EQUATE presented attendees with a market overview of the petrochemical industry’s, trends and developments.

Hosting over 30 local customers, the gathering was also attended by senior members of EQUATE management.

Established in 1995, EQUATE is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated world-scale manufacturing facility producing over five million tons annually of high-quality petrochemical products which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

New passenger cars, crossovers drive GM Q1 sales up in Middle East Crossover sales increase 75% year-on-year

DUBAI: General Motors’ dealers in the Middle East reported total sales of 31,154 vehicles in the first quarter (Q1) of 2012, up four percent compared to the same period last year.

The strong sales result represented GM Middle East’s highest first quarter sales period since 2008 due to growing demand for the company’s rejuvenated line-up of passenger cars and crossovers.

Sales of GM’s new passenger cars, comprising the

Chevrolet Spark, Sonic and Cruze, more than doubled in the first quarter. The line-up was strengthened in March with the launch of the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu midsize sedan, which will further grow passenger car sales during the remainder of 2012.

Crossover sales increased 75 percent year-overyear in the first quarter, driven by sales of the recently launched Chevrolet Captiva (up 221 percent), Cadillac SRX (up 76 percent) and GMC Terrain, which achieved its highest ever sales month in March since its launch a year ago.

Sales of GM’s full-size SUVs and pickups increased by 39 percent and 51 percent, respectively. These sales were driven by the Chevrolet Tahoe full-size SUV (up

Jordan to import more fuel oil due to pipeline disruption CAPITALS: Jordan Petroleum Refinery Co, the country’s sole refinery, is importing more fuel oil and gasoil for power generation, as continued attacks on a pipeline running through Egypt, Israel and Jordan disrupt natural gas supply, industry sources said on Tuesday.The refiner is expected to buy all 210,000 tons of fuel oil it sought via tender in mid-March from various sellers, though details will only be available after the tender is awarded on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter said. In addition to fuel oil, the refiner is also seeking 500,000 tons of gasoil, with the tender closing at the end of April. The increased demand for fuel oil that meets Jordan’s power utility specifications has prompted at least one seller to pull volumes from East Asia, a rare move as fuel oil normally flows from the Middle East to the East.

Sahara Energy International has arranged a ship to move 80,000 tons of fuel oil from Singapore to Aqaba around April 16, a shipping report showed. “Their specifications, which require very low metal content, make it difficult to source

for supplies,” a trader said. Jordan’s monthly fuel oil import requirement before the pipeline explosions had been just the occasional 40,000 tons to meet its summer power generation demand, the same trader added. The country also normally exports high-sulphur fuel oil from its Aqaba port, but the volumes actually originate from Iraq, traders said.

“Jordan does not export its own fuel oil, they lease out tankage to Iraqi exporters instead. But Iraqi fuel oil does not meet the power utilities’ specifications, that’s why they get exported,” another trader said. An explosion hit the Egyptian pipeline carrying gas to Israel and Jordan on Monday for the 14th time since the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak began last year. The installation is run by Gasco, a subsidiary of Egypt’s national gas company EGAS, and has been shut since Feb. 5 after an explosion. The disruption of natural gas supplies has not only affected Jordan but its neighbor Israel as well. The Jewish state had sought up to a million tons of gasoil on the international market in November. -Reuters

50 percent) and the GMC Sierra full-size pickup (up 67 percent).

Other first quarter highlights include a 44 percent year-over-year sales increase for GMC and a 37 percent sales gain for Cadillac. Sales of GM’s luxury brand were driven by the new Cadillac SRX (up 76 percent), CTS (up 54 percent) and the region’s most popular full-size luxury SUV, the Escalade (up 36 percent).

“Within a short period of time we have revamped almost our entire passenger car and crossover lineups. With more vehicles planned for launch this year, we are confident that we will continue grow sales in the region,” said John Stadwick, President and Managing Director of GM Middle East Operations.

Iran can stand 2-3 year oil blockade, says Ahmadinejad DUBAI: Iran has enough funds to withstand a total embargo on its oil sales for two to three years, Iranian media quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying days before the resumption of talks with world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program. The European Union is set to impose a total embargo on Iranian crude oil from July following similar measures imposed by the United States to try to force Iran to abandon uranium enrichment. “We must say to them that we have that much saved that even if we didn’t sell oil for two to three years, the country would manage easily,” a report on Tuesday from Fars news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying during a visit to Hormuzgan province.

The United States and its allies hope the sanctions on Iran’s energy and financial sectors will force it to abandon uranium enrichment which they suspect is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its goals are entirely peaceful. Iran is due to resume talks this week with Western countries plus Russia and China on its nuclear program. The International Energy Agency recently said that the wide-ranging sanctions against Iran could reduce its oil exports by as much as one million barrels per day, or 40 percent, from the middle of the year.

European member states, including Greece, Spain and Italy have been significant customers to Iran and are scrambling to find alternative supplies before the ban is introduced. Ahmadinejad accused Western countries of being solely interested in plunder, Fars reported.

“Whoever wishes to abuse Iran’s rights, the young people of Hormuzgan will punch them in the mouth to the extent that they won’t be able to find their way home,” he said. -Reuters

(PACI). The population grew by 3.2% from a year ago. The number of Kuwaiti nationals reached nearly 1.18 million, or 32% of the total population. Growth was slightly higher than in recent years, as the population grew at an annual average of 2.9% in the previous five years. The expatriate population BUSINESS represented 68% of Kuwait’s population at the end of 2011. Their numbers increased by roughly 80 thousand (3.3%) over the previous year, in part reflecting a pick up in economic activity. GrowthKuwait in the Economic expatriate population Brief | 10 December 2011 peaked four years ago at 8.6% before dropping to around 0.5% during 2008 and 2009. It has since recovered to a more moderate pace.

0

0

ALWATAN DAILY

Kuwait’s population, labor employment grows 6% in 2011

0

0

0

0

Table 1: Population

Population ('000)

0

Percent Growth

Kuwaiti

Kuwaiti

NonKuwaiti

Total

Kuwaiti

NonKuwaiti

Total

478.7 1,483.4

2006

285.3

42.3

327.5

96.9

1,010.5

501.0 1,608.4

2007

255.3

49.1

304.4

103.7

1,104.5

544.3 1,752.5

2008

262.7

57.0

319.7

111.8

1,120.6

501.1 1,733.5

2009

270.6

68.2

338.8

114.8

1,086.0

519.3 1,720.1

2.8

2010

279.4

75.6

355.0

118.9

1,070.0

569.5 1,758.5

3.2

2011

296.5

80.1

376.6

124.4

1,113.3

566.9 1,804.6

8.0

6.4

0

2007

1,055

2,345.0

3,399.6

3.1

8.6

6.8

0

2008

1,088

2,354.3

3,441.8

3.1

0.4

1.2

0

2009

1,119

2,366.0

3,484.9

2.9

0.5

1.3

2010

1,148

2,433.7

3,582.1

2.6

2.9

2011

1,183

2,514.1

3,697.3

3.0

3.3

Public Authority for Civil Information (www.paci.gov.kw).

Source:

to a more moderate pace.

• Kuwait’s total labor force grew by 3.2 percent in 2011 to reach 2.18 million. Growth among Kuwaiti nationals was strong, exceeding six percent year-on-year. For expatriates, the numbers were up in both the public and private sectors, though they fell for domestic workers. Growth for expat workers was slower at 3.4 percent.

• The number of employed Kuwaitis at the end of 2011 rose by over 21,500, better than the 16,200 gain in the previous year. Seventeen thousand of the new jobs were in the public sector, roughly twice the increase in public sector employment of Kuwaitis a year ago.

• Of the new jobs for Kuwaitis, 21 percent were in the private sector, keeping the public/ private shares little changed from previous years. New employment in the private sector among Kuwaiti nationals in 2011 was 4,400.

About half of the new jobs in this sector went

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s total population  Kuwait’s reached total labor forceat grew 3.2% in 2011 to reach 2.18 million.

3.69 million the endby of December

2011 according to figures published by the Growth among Kuwaitifornationals was strong, Public Authority Civil Information (PACI). exceeding 6% year-on-year.

The population grew by 3.2 percent from a For expatriates, thenumber numbers were nationals up in both the public and private year ago. The of Kuwaiti reached nearly 1.18 million, or 32 percent sectors, ofthough they fell forGrowth domestic workers. Growth for expat workers the total population. was slightly higher than in recent years, as the population Non-Kuwaiti was slower grewatat3.4%. an annual average of 2.9 percent in the Private Domestic

501.0

1,086.0

previous five years. The expatriate population represented 68 percent of Kuwait’s population at the end of 2011. Their numbers increased 1,483.4 by roughly 80 thousand (3.3 percent) over the previous year, in part reflecting a pick up in 1,608.4 economic activity. Growth in the expatriate 1,752.5 population peaked four years ago at 8.6 percent before dropping to around 0.5 percent 1,733.5 during 2008 and 2009. It has since recovered

better than the 16,200 gain in the previous year. Seventeen thousand of 544.3 the new jobs were in the public sector, roughly twice the increase in public 501.1 sector1,720.1 employment of Kuwaitis a year ago.

519.3

1,070.0

569.5

1,758.5

Sector 911.4

1,010.5

1,104.5

1,120.6

1,113.3

Sector

Total

 The number of employed Kuwaitis at the end of 2011 rose by over 21,500, 478.7

Date of Closing Prices: 10 / 04 / 2012 For more information please contact “Global” at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net Global General Index KSE Price Index Company

National Bank Gulf Bank Commercial Bank Ahli Bank Ahli United Bank International Bank Burgan Bank Kw Finance House Boubyan Bank

Ÿ Ÿ

High

Low

1,080

1,040 430 820 265 415 720 570

435 830 270 420 740 580

ar before; that figure was mance for Kuwaitis in the val of salary hikes in the Indexprivate - Banking workers Global from the Kw Investment 104 jobs, somewhat stronger 285 Commercial Facilit.

Int'L Financial Adv. National Invest.

Kw Projects Ahlia Holding Coast Invest.

Int'L Investor Securities House Ind. & Fin. Inv. Securities Group Int'L Finance MARKAZ KMIFIC Aref Inv. Group Al AMAN Inv. ALOLA Inv. ALMAL Inv. Gulf Inv. House A'ayan Leasing Bayan Inv. GLOBAL Inv. Osoul Inv. KFIC KAMCO Nat. Int'l Holding Housing Finance MADAR Al Deera Holding Al Safat Inv. Al Salam Group Ekttitab Holding Al Qurain Holding Sokouk Holding Al-Madina Finance NOOR Tamdeen Inv. Int'll Exch KW BH Int Exch.

160 335 114 144 51 36.5 64 280 38.5 -

work force has steadily ns are in part linked to 61% of women aged 25 gree, compared with 39%

ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

104 285 144 335 114 140 48 35.0 64 280 37.5 232.0 102.0 70.0 65 50 118

ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ŷ Ÿ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ź Ÿ ŷ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ Ÿ

1060 435 790 610 830 270 420 730 580 316.09

104 285 52 148 335 13.0 55 25.0 130 25.0 230 99 114 102 52 26.0 142 49 26.5 71 36.0 48.5 64 26.0 280 61 38.5 51 37.5 100 236.0 106.0 22.0 22.5 75.0 29.0 180 285 114 28.00 80 65 51 50 64 42.50 122 82.45

Table 2: Labor Force by sector

en has risen from 41% in le the gain in this sector ar more dramatic shift in employees in the private e years.

uding domestic workers) or hiring of non-Kuwaitis 238.0 106.0 or hired 43,200.

-

Taiba Kuwaiti Holding

Kuwait Syrian Strategia Kuwait China Inv. Manafae Inv. Gulf North Africa Amwal Al Masar Al-Imtiaz

77.0 65 50 124

Global Index - Investment

Kuwait Insurance Gulf Insurance Ahlia Insurance Warba Insurance Kuwait Re-Ins. First Takaful Ins. Wethaq Insurance

-

-

Global Index - Insurance

Kuwait R.E. United R.E. National R.E. Salhia R.E. Pearl R.E. Tamdeen R.E. Ajial R.E. Massaleh R.E. Arab R.E. Union R.E. ERESCO Mabani INJAZZAT RE Inv. Holding Grp Int'L Resorts Commercial R.E Sanam R.E. Aa'yan R.E Aqar Kuwait R.E Holding AL Mazaya Al Dar National R.E Themar Int'L Holding Grand R.E Projects Tijara & R.E Invest Al Tameer Arkan Al-Kuwait R.E Al Argan Int'L Abyaar Munshaat First Dubai KBT Manazel REAM Mena Real Estate Al Moudon Intl. R.E Markaz Real Estate Kuwait Remal R.E

56 112 124 226 240 36.0 97

1,100

74 17.0 62.0 92 60 66 80 85 18.5 36.5 69 166 40.5 36.5 20.5 31 51 350

Global Index - Real Estate

Nationl Ind. Group Pipes Ind. & Oil Kuwait Cement Refrigeration Ind. Gulf Cables & Elec.

Heavy eng. & Ship.

Marine Services Portland Cement Shuaiba Industrial Metal Collecting Kuwait Foundry

228 120 122

1,280

295 140 890 -

Ÿ

-

-

ŷ

ŷ ŷ ŷ

55 110 116 220 232 35.0 95 1,060 72 15.0 60.0 90 58 66 76 84 18.0 35.0 69 166 39.5 35.5 20.0 31 51 340

Ÿ ŷ Ÿ ź ŷ ź ŷ ŷ Ÿ ŷ Ÿ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ź ŷ Ÿ Ÿ ŷ Ÿ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ŷ Ÿ Ÿ

222 116 122 1,280 295 140 850 -

Ÿ Ÿ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ

300 560 500 148 220 122 40.50 44.17

56 112 122 226 32.5 238 118 91 35.5 110 97 1,060 73 15.0 62.0 92 59 66 80 36.0 84 18.0 87 17.5 35.5 69 80 166 40.5 28.5 35.5 17.5 20.0 134 134 220 51 350 56.85 226 118 450 122 1,280 295 140 880 216 106 315

1060 435 790 610 820 270 420 720 560 314.20

104 285 52 154 335 13.0 55 25.0 130 25.0 230 99 112 102 52 26.0 140 48 26.5 71 36.0 48.5 64 26.0 242 61 38.5 51 38.5 100 242.0 102.0 22.0 22.5 74.0 29.0 180.0 285 114 28.00 80 65 51 48.5 64 42.50 118 82.02

Previous Close Change 175.21 1.71 28.70 6,120.00 Trading Activity Tran. Value(KD) Chng Volume 1,945,000 50,000 30,000 1,470,000 590,000 1,290,000 3,770,000 9,145,000

74 5 3 35 22 95 74 308

2,053,750 21,550 24,800 390,000 245,450 940,300 2,167,200 5,843,050

120,000 1,010,000 13,180,000 920,000 20,000 2 2 10,420,000 1 4,080,000 640,000 40,000 38 200,000 2,720,000 1.06,880,000 6.013,900,000 4.0 1.0 42,040,000 200,000 2 240,000 4 8,520,000 0.43 105,130,000

4 28 307 33 1 105 48 8 1 9 28 188 216 528 3 3 227

10 10 20 1.88

Ex-D Ex-D Ex-D Ex-D -

54 112 116 234 32.5 240 118 91 34.5 110 95 1,060 72 15.0 62.0 91 57 65 75 36.0 84 18.0 87 17.5 36.0 70 80 164 40.0 28.5 34.5 17.5 19.5 134 134 220 51 345 56.56

2 6 -8 2.01.0 2 1 1 2 1 5 0.5-1 2 1 1.0 0.5 Ex-D 5 0.29

222 116 450 124 1,280 295 140 890 216 106 315

4 2 -2 -10 -

Last Bid

Last Ask

Kuwaiti work force has steadily increased, from 35 percent to nearly 46 percent. These For Kuwaitis employed in the public sector, growth accelerated during 2011 gains are in part linked to women’s educa• For Kuwaitis employed in the public sectional much as 61 percent as the government created the most jobs inachievements. more than As a decade.

The tor, growth accelerated during 2011 as the govof women aged 25 and older have received a public sector added jobsor for nationals 2011. In ernment created the mostmore jobs inthan more 17 thanthousand a diploma a higher degree,in compared with 39 decade.

The public sector added more than 17 percent of men. fact, the number of Kuwaitis entrants to the public sector nearly doubled thousand jobs for nationals in 2011. In fact, • In the public sector, the proportion of the number oftoKuwaitis entrantswere to theover pub-17,000 Kuwaiti risen from 41 percent in compared 2010. There newwomen publichassector employees lic sector nearly doubled compared to 2010. 2005 to 45 percent at the end of December compared to 17,000 8,800 new during thesector same a While year before; There were over public em-period 2011. the gain that in thisfigure sectorwas has been ployees compared to 8,800 during the same gradual, the private sector has seen a far more the highest ever. The strong employmentdramatic performance for Kuwaitis in the period a year before; that figure was the highshift in women’s participation. The est ever. The strong employment performanceby the proportion of women employees public sector was likely encouraged approval of salary hikes ininthetheprivate for Kuwaitis in the public sector was likely sector has risen from 39 percent to 51 percent government sector thatofare perhaps workers from the private encouraged by the approval salary hikes inluring oversome the last five years. the government sector that are perhaps • The net in the expatriate sector.

The public sector added luring 5,500 expatriate jobs,change somewhat stronger labor some workers from the private sector.The pubforce (excluding domestic workers) reached lic sector 5,500two expatriate than theadded previous years.jobs, some- 48,700 at the end of 2011. Public sector hiring what stronger than the previous two years. of non-Kuwaitis was a relatively small 5,400 • Since 2000, the share of women of the while the private sector hired 43,200.

 Since 2000, the share of women of the Kuwaiti work force has steadily

MTD YTD -3.43% -1.33% 5.75% -0.26% Div. Annual Close High Low P/E Yield

ACICO

218

Global United General IndustriesIndex 84 Boubyan 620 KSE PricePetroch.

Index

212 82 610 Low 1,120 490 770 640 100 800 248 455 880 214 580 198 74

Ÿ źź źŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷŷ ŷ ŷŷ źŷ Ÿŷ ŷ ŷ ź

Last Close Previous Close DTD 218 6 40,000 2 Change8,600 212 212 218 -0.40% 177.24 -0.7076,320 82 176.5383 -1 920,000 20 81 82 226,250 6205,726.90 620 365,000 15 -27.30 - 5,754.20 610 -0.47% 630 1,100 1,100 1,000 Last Prev.

Trading Activity Last Last 216 216 224 Close Close Ask Chng - Volume -Tran. - Value(KD) - Bid 415 415 3,796,050 - 1,120 - 1120 1120 69 3,377,500 1,140 275 275 20 495 495 830,000 407,950 490 495 224 Ex-D 224 234 770 770 10,000 1 7,700 770 780 300 300 300 310 640 -20 230 6,400 660 10,000 640 660 109,360 100 100 1,080,000 100 102 800 50 850 350,000 23 282,700 840 850 33 33 16 248 248 700,000 173,600 246 248 102 102 460 465 -5 500,000 10 229,750 460 465 128 128 Ex-D 890 -10 880 1,280,000 66 1,127,050 880 870 20 214 278,200 212 2 1,300,000 214 212 590 590 607,850 1,035,000 33 590 580 44 44 319.37 319.54 8,092,500 6,639,050 0.17240 198 60,000 2 11,920 -4 202 198 204 106 106 -6 -4 102 106 74 70 280,000 20,960 74 70 260 265 5 250,000 14 65,750 260 265 165.82 0.45 166.27 9,832,500 238 1,963,140

 In the public sector, the proportion of Kuwaiti women has risen from 41% in Gulf Glass Hilal Cement Company High Al Kout Ind. Project 1,140 National K-PAK Bank Gulf Bank Material 495 Building Commercial Bank 770 Nat. Ind.Co. Ahli Bank 640 Equipment Holding 102 Ahli United Bank 850 Mena Holding International Bank Consumer Industries 248 460 Burgan Bank Kuwait Gypsum 890 Kw Finance House 214 Qurain Boubyan Bank 590 Salbookh Trading Global Index - Banking200 IKARUS Kw Investment Boubyan Int'L Ind. 75

2005 to 45% at the end of December 2011. While the gain in this sector has been gradual, the private sector has seen a far more dramatic shift in women’s participation. The proportion of women employees in the private sector has risen from 39% to 51% over the last five years.

1,040 425 600 830 265 415 720 570

1,060 435 610 840 270 420 730 580

3.8% 0.0% 1.9% 3.3% 1.7% 0.0% 0.0% 2.7% 0.0% 2.0%

1,220 510 800 680 920 285 480 900 590 326.42

1,737

12,480 287,850 2,005,040 308,200 2,280 1,492,320 203,000 23,200 2,560 56,000 102,720 1,608,360 1,441,640 3,083,160 13,000 11,960 1,032,120 11,685,890

104 280 146 330 112 140 49 35.5 60.0 280 37.5 236.0 104.0 74.0 176 260 27 75 65 48 50 122.0

106 285 148 335 230 114 96 142 50 36.5 69.0 61 38.0 238.0 106.0 75.0 184 305 31 85 66 55 51 124.0

0.0% 7.7% 0.0% 0.0% 6.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.3% 4 6% 4.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.4%

112 285 67 182 345 18.5 69 25.0 130 36.0 230 122 120 102 52 35.5 144 65 35 71 44.0 48.5 70.0 26.0 280 62 39 51 47.5 104 270.0 130.0 25.0 33.5 96.0 29.0 190 310 114 32 89 73 60 59 64 42.5 140.0 85.99

-

-

-

255 480 500 30.0

300 520 520 148 43.0

6.7% 4.5% 5.0% 6.8% 2.7% 0.0% 0.0% 4.7%

325 610 540 148 220 134 40.5 44.91

280 550 450 102 220 102 40.5 42.22

15.67 12.90 10.21 23.37 296.83

3,000,000 1,820,000 4,500,000 40,000 80,000 1,440,000 640,000 2,510,000 160,000 25,600,000 3,680,000 5,360,000 1,840,000 40,000 320,000 560,000 2,000,000 480,000 600,000 100,000 19,360,000 1,440,000 1,200,000 160,000 80,000 8,180,000 85,190,000

27 25 104 2 3 17 9 84 4 192 65 36 42 1 8 13 20 6 2 1 103 11 13 2 2 93 885

165,160 203,640 542,560 8,920 19,000 51,160 61,760 2,737,650 11,640 408,320 225,360 487,120 109,000 2,640 25,240 47,240 36,040 17,200 41,400 16,600 777,360 52,080 24,120 4,960 4,080 2,851,150 8,931,400

55 110 120 222 232 88 35.0 96 1,060 72 15.0 61.0 92 58 64 80 84 18.0 87 36.0 75 160 40.0 35.5 20.0 31 51 345

56 112 122 226 238 138 36.0 97 1,080 74 15.5 62.0 93 59 66 85 18.5 89 36.5 70 85 170 40.5 36.0 20.5 130 34 52 350

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.8% 0.0% 4.2% 0.0% 5.5% 0.0% 6.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.0%

63 118 152 246 37.5 250 130 100 52.0 120 104 1,080 85 20.0 67.0 94 75 73 90 38.0 92 23.0 91 17.5 45.0 70 80 174 52.0 39.5 39.0 28.5 25.5 134 34 220 70 480 57.93

47 97 108 200 32.5 224 114 77 27.0 108 94 840 62 11.0 35.0 77 56 52 74 33.0 59 13.5 87 17.5 31.0 57 64 116 27.5 22.0 25.0 17.5 15.0 134 31 220 49 270 49.06

43.40 14.37 21.85 20.15

4,080,000 1,520,000 20,000 2,500 10,000 20,000 135,000 -

75 58 1 1 1 1 6 -

920,840 180,600 2,440 3,200 2,950 2,800 118,700 -

224 116 440 122 1,260 290 134 880 106 290

226 118 450 134 1,280 300 144 890 214 110 330

0.0% 0.0% 2.2% 4.1% 5.1% 3.4% 3.6% 11.4% 4.6% 0.0% 6.3%

260 136 470 158 1,480 345 222 920 216 120 495

214 116 415 122 1,280 295 140 660 180 102 315

-6 -

300 560 500 148 220 122 40.50 44.17

DTD 0.98% 0.47%

to women. The number of Kuwaitis employed in the private sector rose to 80 thousand.

For more Information please contact "Global" at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net

For more Information please contact "Global" at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net Last Close 176.92 6,148.70 Last Prev.

Close Close



Public Authority for Civil Information (www.paci.gov.kw).

increased, from 35% to nearly 46%. These gains are in part linked to Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange of Closig Prices: 10/04/2012 women's educational achievements. As much as 61% ofDate women aged 25 Date of Closing Prices: and older have received a diploma or a higher degree, compared with 39% 05 / 01 / 2012 of men.

 Of the new jobs for Kuwaitis, 21% were in the private sector, keeping the

566.9 Prices 1,804.6 Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange Trading of Kuwait Stock Exchange

public/private shares little changed from previous years. New employment the private accelerated in during 2011 sector among Kuwaiti nationals in 2011 was 4,400. About half ore than a decade. The of the new jobs in this sector went to women. The number of Kuwaitis for nationals in 2011. In ic sector nearly doubledin the private sector rose to 80 thousand. employed public sector employees

w ).

Total

911.4

3.1

NBK- Kuwait Economic Brief

Private Domestic Sector Sector

93.4

3,183.0

Source:

Total

Public Sector

308.0

2,159.6

TOKYO: Japan’s central bank decided on Tuesday to leave its key interest rate unchanged at a range of zero percent to 0.1 percent to support the world’s thirdbiggest economy, but refrained from additional monetary easing measures. At the end of two-day policy meeting, Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) Governor Masaaki Shirakawa and his six board colleagues voted unanimously to keep the unsecured overnight call loan rate on hold. “Japan’s economic activity has shown some signs of picking up, although it has remained more or less flat,” the central bank said in a statement after the meeting, adding that financial conditions in the country have continued to ease.

“Japan’s economy faces the critical challenge of overcoming deflation and returning to a sustainable growth path with price stability,” and the central bank will “pursue powerful monetary easing, and will support private financial institutions in their efforts to strengthen the foundations for Japan’s economic growth,” the statement said. However, despite expectations for further monetary easing amid increasing pressure from lawmakers, the BOJ held off on additional stimulus. The BOJ in February expanded its asset purchase program by 10 trillion Japanese yen (122.4 billion US dollars) to 65 trillion yen ($795.3 billion).

As for the outlook, the central bank said Japan’s economy is expected to return to a moderate recovery path as the pace of recovery in overseas economies picks up, and as reconstruction-related demand after the earthquake disaster last year gradually strengthens. However, it pointed out risks to the economic outlook. “There remains a high degree of uncertainty about the global economy, including the prospects for the European debt problem, developments in international commodity prices, and the likelihood of emerging and commodityexporting economies simultaneously achieving price stability and economic growth. -KUNA

Non-Kuwaiti

31.9

1,023

0

(in thousands)

276.1

2006

0

Public Private Sector Sector

Japan keeps zero-0.1% rate, no new monetary easing

2005

0

11

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012

1,060 425 700 600 790 236 410 720 530 314.20

15.34 31.33 90.92 17.36 30.43 25.68 11.76 22.46 110.34 18.37

104 255 40 148 295 11.5 50 25.0 130 21.0 230 99 102 50 52 24.0 106 47 21 71 28.5 48.5 64.0 26.0 242 51 36 51 26.0 61 99.0 19.5 19.0 16.0 38.0 29.0 154 255 114 26 58 50 51 47 64 42.5 112.0 74.96

39.80 13.26

ź Ÿ ŷ ŷ ź ź ŷŸ 265 260 źŸ Commercial Facilit.

Global Index - Industrial 41 40 ź Int'L Financial Adv. National Cinema 960 źŸ 960 170 174 National Invest.

Kw Hotels Kw Projects 300 - 300 - Ÿŷ 390 ŷŸ Agility 400 12.5 Ahlia Holding 13.5 Market Complexes Coast Invest.

53 52 - źŷ ZAIN - 740 - 690 ŷŸ Int'L Investor Securities House - ŷŸ 75.0 74.0 Safat Energy Ind. & Fin. Inv. Group Educational - ŷŷ - Securities Group - - ŷŷ Indep. Petroleum Int'L Finance - ŷŸ National Cleaning 150 144 110 MARKAZ 106 108 Sultan Center 102 ŷŸ KMIFIC - ŷŷ Arabi Group 104 100 Int'L Group CityInv. Group - ŷŷ Aref Inv. Group 2,200 2,180 ŷź Wataniya Tele.

Investment Dar 116 Kw Gulf Link 112 ŷŸ Al AMAN Inv. ŷ - ŷ Kw Cable Vision ALOLA Inv. 110 108 ŷ Automated System - ŷ ALMAL Inv. 50 49 ź NAPESCO - Gulf Inv. House - -ŷ KCPCLeasing 305 290 - ŷŸ A'ayan K.S.HInv. 32.5 - 31.0 - ŷŷ Bayan Eyas - ŷŷ GLOBAL Inv. Hits Telecom - 106 - 99 ŷŸ Osoul Inv. Al Safwa Holding -16.5 ŷŸ GULFINVEST -18.0 - ŷŷ Human Soft KFIC 77 Privatization Holding 79 KAMCO - ŷŷ Int'l Leasing & Inv. - - - ŷŷ Nafaaes Holding - - ŷŷ Nat. Int'l Holding - National Slaughter - ŷŷ Housing Finance 102 104 Aref energy MADAR - - - ŷŷ Safwan 26.5 AlGulf Deera Holding 73.0 ŷŸ 76.0 26.5 Petroleum AlGulf Safat Inv. - ŷź 23.0 Franchising 23.0 AlCredit Salam&Group Collection 122.0 - 114.0 - Ÿŷ 41.0 Ekttitab Holding 17.5 źź 18.5 39.0 National Ranges Al Qurain Holding - ŷŷ Burgan Well Drilling 16.5 Sokouk Holding 16.5 ŷ - ŷ IFA H&R Al-Madina Finance 40.0 38.5 ź 1,740 1,720 ź Combinted Group NOOR ŷ Jeeran Holding Tamdeen Inv. 160 158 źŷ 114 114 Palms Agro KW BH Int'l Exch.

- ŷŷ 76.0 76.0 Safat TEC Holding Taiba Kuwaiti - ŷŸ 87 85 Mushrif Trading Kuwait Syrian - ŷŷ UPAC Strategia - - ŷŷ ALAFCO 300 ŷŷ 305 53 53 Kuwait China Inv. Al-Muwasat - - - ŷŷ Manafae Inv. Mashaer Holding 295 280 Gulf North Africa - ŷŸ Amwal - ŷŷ Oula Fuel 275 275 AlFuture MasarComm.

- ŷŷ Al-Imtiaz 132 102 źŸ 108 124 Hayat Comm.

61 60 źŸ Mubarrad Transport Global Index - Investment 49.0 49.0 Kuwait Resorts Kuwait Insurance - ŷŸ Advanced Technolgy - - ŷŷ Gulf Insurance - Yiaco Medical - - - ŷŷ Ahlia Insurance Al Jazeera Airways 112 - 108 - źŷ Warba Insurance Al Soor Fuel 242 242 ŷ Kuwait Re-Ins. Future Kid Ins. First Takaful - - - ŷŷ K G L Insurance Wethaq - 305 - 280 ŷź

40 960 170 280 300 400 12.5 52 52 730 25.0 130 75.0 31.0 110 230 340 102 150 108 104 50 102 44.0 550 52 2,180 74 114 28.5 58 108 300 49 370 23 300 71 255 31.0 260 48.5 104 68 18.0 20.5 270 26.0 77 244 94 84 51 154 36 104 51 600 26.5 76.0 75 23.0 120.0 120 39.5 18.0 19.0 260 16.5 400 38.5 1,720 29.0 80 158 114 255 76.0 114 85 26.00 325 68 300 53 160 60 295 46.5 64 275 42.50 285 128 108 60 75.90

41 910 172 280 295 395 12.5 5352 690 25.0 130 74.0 31.0 110 230 340 102 148 112 102 50 102 44.0 550 52 2,220 74 112 28.5 58 108 300 49.5 370 23 290 71 255 31.0 260 48.5 102 68 17.0 20.5 270 26.0 77 244 94 84 51 154 36 104 51 600 26.5 75.0 75 23.5 112.0 120 41.5 18.5 19.0 260 16.5 400 39.0 1,740 29.0 80 160 114 255 74.0 114 85 26.00 325 68 300 53 160 60 280 46.5 64 275 42.50 285 130 102 59 76.02

1,680,000 13 5,000 1,040,000 20 1 110,000 5 900,000 5 7,040,000 4644 1,280,000 22 -1 308 7,065,000 - 40 1.0 20 1,080,000 - - -- - -2.0 60 3,240,000 -2 680,000 1839 980,000 - 220,000 10 - - -40 13 77,500 2 48 1,800,000 14 500,000 -1 320,000 4 Ex-D - - 10 1,400,000 63 1,840,000 22 - - - 2 35,740,000 530 1 8,080,000 60 - - 2,120,000 24 - - - - - - - - -6 120,000 - - - 285 - 1.0 240,000 5,360,000 -1 0.580,000 8.0 - 11,180,000 - 212 2.024 14,080,000 101 0.5- 1,920,000 5 480,000 0.510,640,000 93 -20 115,000 21 2.080,000 4 20,000 -1 2.0 40,000 -1 10 400,000 --- 910,000 - 200,000 242 - 2,940,000 15 98 - -1 10,000 - - - -6.0 2 1,240,000 3851 1,260,000 760,000 55815 0.12-1 40,720,000 -1 -250 5 -

 The net change in the expatriate labor force (excluding domestic workers) 77.42 13.55 1.39

reached 48,700 at the end of 2011. Public sector hiring of non-Kuwaitis was a relatively small 5,400 while the private sector hired 43,200.

0.00

0.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.41 0.00 139.70 0.00 0.00 0.00

0.00 9.44 25 44 25.44 11.92 50.59

0.00 4.95 13.70

12.81

17.22 5.87 15.57 39.65 26.74 0.00 17.18 32.16

5.33 22.26 12.99 7.21 40.94

23.07 18.82 0.00 0.00 18.95 68.75 18.38 5.85 7.06 128.01 117.52 13.09 23.59 20.17

Al Nawadi Global Index - Insurance Alrai Media

-

-ź - ŷ 48 ź - ŷ 100

Kuwait R.E. 48 Zima Holding United R.E. 100 GlobalR.E. Index - Services 118 National 126 Salhia R.E. 204 LiveStock Trans.

184 200 184 - 95 Pearl R.E. - 99 Dana Al-Safat 224 Tamdeen R.E. United Poultry 136 136 224 Ajial 1,420 Kw R.E. FoodStuff 1,420 Massaleh R.E. United Food Arab R.E. 30.0 30.0 Kout Food Union R.E. Global Index Food 98 96 ERESCO 860 - 840 Mabani Sharjah Cement 7598 7495 INJAZZAT RE Gulf Cement Inv. Holding Grp Um Quwain Cement 12.070 11.569 Int'L Resorts 87 Fujaira Cement 88 78 77 Commercial R.E 122 Ras AlKheimah 122 70 65 Sanam ARIG R.E. 54 53 Aa'yan R.E United Gulf Bank 172 170 Aqar Egypt Kw Holding Kuwait R.E Holding Bahrain Kw Ins. 59 AL Mazaya 60 Gulf Fin. House 58.0 55.0 14.0 Al Dar National R.E 14.0 63 InovestInt'L Holding 65 Themar - 166 Grand R.E Projects - 166 Ahli United Bank -24.5 Tijara & R.E Invest -26.0 Ithmaar Bank AlGlobal TameerIndex - Non-Kuwaiti Arkan Al-Kuwait R.E 70 70 Markaz Real Estate Safat Global AlInvestment Argan Int'L Funds 28.5 28.0 Abyaar Al-Bareeq Holding 23.5 - 23.5 Munshaat AFAQ First Dubai 26.0 Al-Shamel - 25.5 KBT 27.0 27.0 Al-Safat Real Estate Manazel 16.5 15.5 31 31 Ajwan Real Estate REAM Specialities Group 385 395 Mena Real Estate Masaken Inter.

Al Moudon Intl. R.E - Dulaqan R.E Markaz Real Estate 57 56 Eid Food Kuwait Remal R.E 295 285 -

MaidanIndex Clinic - Real Estate Global Flex

-

-

-

Ÿ ŸŸ źź ŷŸ ź ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ źŸ Ÿŷ Ÿź źŷ ŷź Ÿŷ ź ŷ ź ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ź Ÿ ź ŷź ŷŷ ŷŸ ŷŸ ź ŷŷ ŷ źŷ ź ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ź ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ źŷ Ÿŷ źŷ

49.0 325 770 560 370 485 460 110 242 220 98 114 285 40.50 78 43.43 120

48 98 100 722.46 124 200 184 37.5 96 224 136 120 1,420 82 340 30.0 580 108 347.53 97 860 85 75 95 11.5 69 38.0 88 78 122 65 112 54 172 90 300 38.0 455 59 58.0 14.0 63 91 17.5 166 31.0 25.0 59 41.61 70 122 48.5 124 28.0 144 23.5 106 25.5 250 27.0 22.0 15.5 31 134 395 134 51 220 345 57 106 295 2,260 49.73

40.5

232 Nationl Ind. GroupReal E242 232 źŷ 93.0 Dar Al-Thuraya 128 Pipes Ind. & Oil Kw Medical Services 128 - 126 - ŷŷ 65 450 Kuwait Cement 455 450 ź Amar For Fin. & Leas.

60 ŷ 150 - ŷ Refrigeration Ind. Total Parallel Market 1,420 1,420 1,420 ź Gulf Cables & Elec.

335 - ŷ Heavy eng. & Ship.

Total Market 212 Marine Services - ŷ 720 720 ŷ Portland 720 GlobalCement Special Indices 180 - ŷ Shuaiba Ÿ GlobalIndustrial Index - Kuwaiti Co.'s 104 104 ź Metal Collecting 110 Ÿ Cap. Global Index 10 Large 460 - ŷ Kuwait Foundry -

Global Index - Islamic

Ÿ

48.0 325 770 560 370 485 460 118 242 220 98 114 300 40.50 78 43.63

120 49 98 99 705.36 120

204 188 37.5 95 234 130 120 1,400 82 340 30.5 580 108 343.53 98 850 85 73 97 12.0 69 38.0 90 77 122 70 112 55 176 90 300 38.0 455 63 55.0 14.5 9164 17.5 166 31.024.0 59 41.60 74 122 48.5 124 28.5 144 24.5 106 26.0 250 27.0 22.0 16.5 33 134 395 134 51 220 345 58 106 290 2,260 49.75

40.5

1.0 -- -8 Ex-D - -15 Ex-D 0.19-1 1 17.10 4 -4-4 -1 10.0Ex-D 20 0.54.00 -1 10 2-2 0.5- - -2 1 -5 -1 -4 Ex-D -4 3 0.5- -1 1 0.01 -4 0.5- 1.0- 0.5Ex-D 1.0-3 - -1 5 0.02- -

Ex-D

160,000 -2 - - - - 120,000 6 20,000 -1 - 138 4,570,000 120,000 6 1 80,000 9 920,000 1,794 93,552,500 105 3,100,000 12 520,000 1 20,000 51 3,000,000 31 100,000 20,000 -1 2,500 1 80,000 3,042,500 320,000 854

1,935,000 57 28 120,000 400,000 1513 2,000,000 920,000 -12 640,000 34 240,000 280,000 17 1,000,000 4 200,000 60,000 3 11 440,000 44,080,000 334 1 80,000 58 3,800,000 -3 60,000 13,760,000 115 64,000,000 550 320,000 2 - - - - 12 2,720,000 80,000 1 240,000 3 35,040,000 4 1,200,000 8 160,000 2 30,000 -3 - - 240,000 6 47 2,110,000 53,085,000 - 332 -

-

-

242 -10 13,220,000 - 154 93.0 128 140,000 6 65 470 -20 50,000 2 60 150 - - - 190,000 1,460 -40 2,500 15 335 369,892,500 5,566 212 720 Close 230,000 19 Prev Close Prev.

180 186.67 184.76 106 80,000 178.273 180.73-2 460 -

554.90

546.47

67,160 40 4,800 910 177,720 168 33,000 295 357,650 395 90,920 12.5 67,280 51 5,082,550 - 720 80,400 74.0 - - - 477,440 148 73,920 106 102,760 104 22,560 102 - 170,000 2,140 207,120 112 27.0 54,920 108 290 15,840 49 345 - 21 420,200 295 58,760 31.0 3,669,000 104 64.0 139,960 -17.5 - 165,160 77 - 79 - - 12,440 102 - - 6,360 26.0 399,320 75.0 1,840 21.0 1,305,280 - 118.0 77,080 -18.0 254,120 18.0 7,920 16.0 375 419,440 38.5 198,100 1,720 77 12,680 156 2,280 110 3,040 74.0 34,440 85 315 - 63 273,050 295 10,600 52 - - 845,200 290 2,750 265 - 157,920 133,120 124.0 100 46,040 2,702,550 59

40 172 300 400 13.0 52 - 730 75.0 33.5 345 150 110 106 104 - 530 2,180 116 29.5 55 110 325 50 24 300 32.5 - 106 -18.0 - 285 78 238 88 54 184 104 590 27.0 76.0 23.5 120.0 39.0 18.5 20.0 260 16.5 400 39.0 1,740 85 160 122 270 76.0 86 27 335 73 300 53 170 61 295 47 69 275 - 275 128.0 108

77 112 48 99

81 122 49 106 100

7,840 - - 13,200 4,840 - 1,335,200 13,200 3,840 92,000 14,453,220 383,920

104,680 3,680 289,600 22,400 2,720 3,550 2,400 299,550 31,160 1,656,950 8,960 38,400 23,960 64,280 56,160 18,520 34,160 67,400 10,720 10,240 26,160 2,487,200 1,120 243,080 9,960 349,320 3,292,800 22,400 - - 76,880 1,880 6,160 946,080 19,240 4,880 11,750 - 13,520 610,850 4,151,200 -

-

300 510 350 460 445 108 240 93 - 285

122 200 - 96 126 110 1,380 540 112 95 860 82 71 82 11.5 95 35.5 69 77 87 120 53 112 172 285 13.5 57 90 - 63 30.0 166.0 70 116 28.0 23.5 25.0 24.5 15.5 390 29 218 55 290 -

38.0

3,111,120 -17,800 122 22,550 455 - 150 16,630 1,420 3,550 310 46,469,050 165,600 Change 710 178 1.91 8,480 2.46 104 435

8.44

61

49.0 325 750 610 385 500 455 114 242 110 290 43.0

126 202 37.5 97 224 130 1,400 85 360 31.5 600 118 98 870 85 76 85 12.0 96 37.0 70 79 89 65 122 54 118 91 178 40.5 300 60 14.5 58 94 - 64 33.5 168.0 57 74 126 28.5 25.0 25.5 255 28.0 24.0 16.0 33 130 395 32 50 320 57 295 -

43.0

MTD YTD 25.14 4.6% 224 196 -1.55% 102 -1.55% 0.0% 82 29.80 5.6% 550 88.41 -1.50% -1.50% 630 1,400 1,100 16.54 3.6% Div. Annual Close 216 206 11.21 4.6% Yield High Low P/E9.20 415 340 4.8% 3.6% 1,120 14.74 300 1,100 275 13.23 7.3% 0.0% 510 490 33.95 228 224 27.09 0.0% 1.9% 790 770 88.62 325 260 19.25 2.7% 3.1% 660 640 17.34 110 51 47.93 0.0% 1.6% 850 790 29.68 33 33 0.00 0.0% 0.0% 255 248 23.59 102 93 0.0% 0.0% 475 460 12.26 128 128 17.06 9.4% 2.3% 900 880 25.07 222 210 8.63 0.0% 0.0% 590 590 112.24 51 41 0.0% 2.0% 319.54 318.41 18.61 214 162 11.63 0.0% 0.0% 106 106 40.56 0.0% 88 70 8.5% 265 260 12.09 174.76 163.04 10.60 2.8%

0.0% 4.2% 0.0% 0.0% 6.7% 10.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 27.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.8% 0.0% 0.0% 9.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.3% 0.0% 5.4% 0.0% 1.7% 0.0% 6.1% 0.0% 3.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4.1% 0.0% % 0.0% 3.8% 7.0% 5.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 9 2% 9.2% 0.0% 3.3% 0.0% 4.4% 0.0% 0.0% 10.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.8% 0.0% 9.3% 2.4% 0.0%

0.0% 6.2% 0.0% 4.5% 2.7% 5.2% 0.0% 9.1% 0.0% 2.7% 0.0% 0.0% 1.8% 0.0% 6.4% 4.7%

0.0%

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 12.5% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.2% 4.5% 0.0% 0.0% 4.6% 6.1% 1.5% 0.0% 3.4% 6.5% 4.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.9% 0.0% 10.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.2% 0.0% 6.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10.0% 0.0% 7.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.5% 0.0% 6.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.7% 1.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.1%

0.0%

232 0.0% 94.0 0.0% 130 0.0% 70 0.0% 465 2.2% 8.3% 3.3% 0.7% 1,440 4.6% 340 3.0% 4.79% 216 2.4% 720 DTD 13.9% 190 5.6% 1.03% 108 0.0% 1.38% 4.3%

1.54%

42

40

910 1,120 174 170 280 280 305 295 430 340 13.5 12.5 65 41 54 52 900 690 25.0 25.0 130 130 81.0 45.0 36.0 31.0 110 110 230 230 295 345 102 102 154 110 116 108 102 136 50 50 84 110 44.0 44.0 530 550 52 52 1,920 2,280 74 74 95 126 28.5 28.5 68 58 112 108 230 350 51 49 340 395 23 22 260 305 71 71 255 260 31.5 31.0 260 260 48.5 48.5 54 132 68.0 68.0 14.0 23.5 20.5 20.5 270 280 26.0 26.0 61 84 244 244 94 94 84 104 51 51 154 154 36 36 91 120 51 51 520 710 26.5 27.5 30.0 78.0 75 75 16.0 28.5 99.0 120.0 120 140 19.5 41.5 19.5 12.0 19.0 19.0 275 198 17.0 16.5 490 380 39.0 38.0 1,740 1,500 29.0 29.0 89 73 156 162 124 86 255 255 78.0 57.0 114 114 104 80 26 28 340 270 68 68 280 315 53 55 130 160 60 60 172 295 47 47 64 64 305 265 42.5 42.5 300 265 132.0 70 108 128.0 76.3272 75.9051 44.0 62.0 325 325 770 640 560 560 345 390 520 485 410 485 118 110 270 236 220 220 98 114 134 114 300 218 40.5 40.5 44.8092 43.4377 114 156 49 48 94 110 100 99 791.90 705.36 120 128 208 222 37.5 114 234 136 130 1,500 82 390 30.5 610 108 365.22 100 860 95 76 108 12.5 73 38.0 122 78 126 75 132 55 232 90 330 38.0 455 63 74.0 14.5 91 17.5 31.0 59 47.16 78 1,220 48.5 144 29.0 24.5 26.0 28.5 16.5 134 32 220 60 295 49.86

-

200 182 37.5 90 224 126 120 1,380 82 340 30.0 500 108 340.30 96 840 44 73 55 11.5 43 38.0 46 77 118 65 102 54 172 90 250 38.0 455 59 40.5 14.0 91 17.5 31.0 59 40.74 70 1,220 48.5 124 28.0 23.5 25.5 27.0 15.5 134 32 220 57 270 49.73

-

232 260 130 128 470 450 158 150 1,460 1,420 340 335 212 222 710 740 MTD 180 180 -3.37% 104 116 -5.02% 460 460

-0.84%

16.44 88.93 12.13 13.32 1.33 11.18 0.00 23.89 0.00 20.20 0.00 25.21 0.00 55.09 0.00 14.11 0.00 0.00 0.00

14.98 7.04 10.44 0.00 11.74 9.19 383.98 32.31 13.80 0.00

12.64

0.00 116.80 9.60 0.00 0.00 14.91

7.00

0.00

0.00 73.05 87.26 18.81 0.00 3.31 8.28 9.75 22.77 11.92

9.59

60 55 60.55 43.00

5.01 9.60 9.74 23.31 0.00 17.39

5.19 10.01

3.43 16.97 30.14 12.90 11.90 9.91 8.20 17.37 16.90 296.83 10.92 7.52

5.89 12.60

10.71

37.20 12.83 11.47 22.21 17.83 16.20 5.98

11.24 22.14 10.76 15.28 11.07 39.65 5.29

21.70

0.00 14.56 9.76 26.32

26.87 6.82 8.10 38.62 4.15 8.89

19.44 78.58

9.33

11.37 0.00 5.38 27.28

20.67 9.93 23.07

13.56

18.82 63.06 0.00 11.03 0.00 16.27

16.24

70.58 18.38

12.81 6.49 8.02 14.17 193.84 96.15 YTD 10.91 -1.52% 23.15 -4.92% 26.77

-1.26%

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

12

ALWATAN DAILY wednesday, april 11, 2012

April 21, 2009 April 10, 2012

2% 6%

2% 6% Oman

4%

1%

Dubai Qatar

Dubai

95 100

Abu Dhabi Bahrain

-4%

-2%

Bahrain

90

-6%

GCC Best Performers

Saudi

95 10-Jan-12 85

10-Feb-12

10-Mar-12

-6% -2

S&P Pan 3-Feb-09 Arab Large/ 18-Feb-09 Mid Composite S&P 20-Mar-09 GCC Large/ Mid Composite 19-Jan-09 5-Mar-09 4-Apr-09 19-Apr-0

MENA Best Performers

Saudi

-2%

10-Apr-12

1

MENA Indices Highlights Country (Index)

Index Level

% Chg.

YTD

Sa Saudi Arabia (Tadawul All Share Index) Country (Index)

Index 7,552 Level

UASa UAE (ADX Index) Saudi Arabia (Tadawul All Share Index)

2,547 5,250

0.0% -4.0%

QaUAUAE Qatar (DSM Index) (ADSM Index)

8,771 2,695

0.2% 0.6%

Ku Kuwait (KSE Weighted Index)

UAE (DFM(KSE Index) Ku Kuwait Weighted Index)

OmOman UAE(MSM (DFMIndex) Index)

410

1,678 406

5,883 1,745

%-1.9% Chg.

1.0%

1,996

-0.3%

Ba Bahrain (BSE Index)

M Morocco (Casa All Shares Index)

Eg Egypt (Hermes Egypt Index (HFI))*

Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index)

Jo Jordan (Amman General Index)

Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index)

M Morocco (Casa All Shares Index)*

Tu Tunisia (Tunis SE Index)

Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index)* *Market Closed

Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index)

5,478

1,681

10,569

463

1,200

2,825 468

10,621

5,002

1,094 546

Tu TunisiaClosed (Tunis SE Index)* * Market

3,282

5.1% 0.4%

0.1%

-0.2%

-

2.2%

-0.1%

-0.7%

-

-

0.9% -

396

Turnover 3,192 USD million

Mkt.390,042 Cap. USD million

167

Trailing

13.09

8,071 2,137

76 122

126,123 69,783

11.68 7.29

0 196

17,001 65,352

9.16 8.85

6,406 5,860

-0.8% -18.8%

1,419 12,627

25.8%

5,628

0.7%

12,109

0.2%

2,228

-6.8%

2,903

-4.9%

8.5%

2.0%

23 305

3,587

65

1,129 4,230

4,224

2,551

513

1,164 465

14,635 5,036

4,091

23.6%

739

407

-7.2%

2,119

13.6%

3,418

-

9,406

13.46

63,640

7.67

18,727

1

33,782

10

9,913

-

1,043

-

2,837

-

0

1.60

1.29

3.33

1.56

6.38

0.86

12.71

2,459

2.15

9.14

59,990

1.15

18.36

3.95

15.48

8,507

2

1.68

15.61

10,663

67

1.27

8.07

57,701

1.76

6.47

2,079

0.86

8.67

6,576

MENA Worst Performers

2.50

13.85

1.92

SAUDI ARABIA *Market Closed

114 Bank AlBilad

225 Saudi Industrial Inv. Grp.

119

101 Riyad Bank

115

-6.4%

291,470,754 240,292,438

422 Emaar the Economic City (KSA)

Turnover (USD)

200,125,982

201 Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (KSA)

343,553,085 190,613,438

201 Basic Industries Corp.Dev. (KSA) 430Saudi Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Co. (KSA)

119,955,261 109,744,906

115 235Alinma Saudi Bank Kayan(KSA) Petrochemical Co. (KSA)

97,126,838

NBKNational Bank of Kuwait (KUW)

1,462,775,254

Market Cap. (SAR '000)

114

88,742,222

#N/A

20Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

43Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co.

10-Apr-12

% Chg.

49.30

0.4%

66.75

0.4%

40.00

#N/A

0.0%

#N/A

4190.SSE Jarir Marketing Co.

#N/A

154.00

Turnover (SAR) 1,093,102,770 1020.SSE Bank Al Jazira 901,168,731 1140.SSE Bank AlBilad 750,532,470 1211.SSE Saudi Arabian Mining Co. 714,857,576 1150.SSE Alinma Bank

42Emaar the Economic City

10-Mar-12

Close

-0.2%

Worst Performers

1 Alinma Bank

10-Feb-12

64,280,166

7020.SSE Etihad Etisalat Co.

Highest Turnover

105

95 10-Jan-12

SAR 24.70

-6.8%

Turnover (USD)

MENA Highest Turnover

11,970,218

Turnover (SAR '000)

-4.8% -8.9%

-3.9% -8.6%

115 Alinma Bank (KSA)

7,931 / 5,916 7010.SSE Saudi Telecom Co.

Tadawul Index 52 week High / Low

-8.3%

KWD 0.148 SAR 48.00

SAR 13.70

GCC Highest Turnover

0.07

Advance/Decline Ratio

% Chg.

BHD 0.400 SAR 22.95

88% 3020.SSE Yamama Saudi Cement Co.

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

5.2%

8.0%

SAR 34.40 -13.1% -5.0% KWD 0.265

7,552 (-1.9%)

Tadawul Index (% Chg.)

125

5.8% 8.6%

SAR 30.30% Chg. -5.9% Close

EMAEmaar Properties (UAE) Best Performers

Summary

6.8% 8.8%

SAR 28.70

KFI Kuwait Finance House (KUW)

Rebased Performance

10.0% 9.8%

8.0%

Close

102 Bank Al Jazira

0.87 201 NINNational Investments Company 1.74 Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

9.50

27,384

OMR 0.720

GCC Worst Performers

1.90 FAC 121Commercial Saudi Arabian MiningCo. Co. 1.37 Facilities 1.60 BBK BBK 0.88 238 Rabigh Petrochem.

9.17

15,024

4

1.05 1.77

10.74 6.87

54,242

10

328

-3.3%

5.1%

18,171 37,413

13

1,572

5,044

35,127 98,547

46

1,921

10,512

1,414

2.4%

96 718

5,419 1,433

12,203

1,033

-1.8%

1,301 316

2.01

0.80 1.52

8,892 5,148

QAR 21.60

BKMBankMuscat

PB

10.81 9.99

0.0% 12.8%

1,754 787

8.87 10.24

KWD 0.122

QGTQatar Gas Transport Co.

PB1.40

67,280 264,263

KWD 0.730 QAR 6.35

NR National Real Estate Co.

PE 13.91

30 2,183

3.16 OMRAED 0.703

ZAI Zain Kuwait KCB Al Khaliji Commercial Bank

PE

99,484

QAR 8.84 SAR 5.60

DUGalfar du Engineering & Contracting GEC

Trailing

Mkt. Cap. USD million

2,293 4,130

3.3% 6.6%

Jo Jordan (Amman General Index)

525,916 Wk Low

Turnover USD million

2,775 10,090

0.9% 1.9%

-0.8%

467

52 Wk Low

6.0% 9.3%

24.0% -0.2%

-0.4% 3.9%

OmOman (MSM Index)

1.1%

1.3% 1.8%

1,135 5,590 4,559

52 Wk 7,931 High

17.7% YTD

BaQa Bahrain Qatar (BSE (DSMIndex) Index)

Eg Egypt (EGX 30 Index)

52 Wk High

% Chg.

KWD 0.280% Chg. 15.7% Close

VFQ Vodafone Qatar 3 428 Kingdom Hldg.

Co.

Period's Liquidity Ratio (PLR x)*

MENA Indices Highlights

Close

4 KAMKIPCO Asset Management Co.

Period's Liquidity 1 Ratio (PLR x)

-1

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi

0%

-2% -1%

Palestine

Abu Dhabi

0%

100

105

Kuwait

Qatar

Dubai

Return DailyDaily Return (%)(%)

110

0%

0%

Palestine

111

Saudi Dubai

105

2%

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar Saudi

111 114

Oman Qatar

115110

Kuwait Oman

113

Jordan Kuwait

113

DailyIndex Index Performance Snapshot Daily Performance Snapshot

Jordan Egypt

120115

Bull/Bear Indicator Bull/Bear Indicator

Bahrain Bahrain

Rebased RebasedPerformance Performance

411,576,320

23Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co.

Close

% Chg.

28.70

-8.3%

34.40

-5.0%

30.30

2290.SSE Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co.

15.00

51.00

-5.9% -3.5%

-3.3%

Saudi SE

Quotes Company Name 1 Al Rajhi Bank

Close 76.25

Daily % Chg. -2.2%

High 78.50

Low 76.00

Turnover (SAR '000) 127,966

1 Alinma Bank

15.00

-3.5%

15.75

14.90

1,093,103

1 Arab National Bank

31.20

-1.0%

31.80

31.20

2,705

2 Almarai Co.

1 Bank AlBilad

1 Bank Al Jazira

64.75

30.30

28.70

-3.0%

-5.9%

-8.3%

67.00

32.40

31.50

64.50

71,823

29.80

95,522 21,464

28.60

69,880

12.40

714,858

66.00

85,867

154.00

6,905

Volume ('000) 1,678

52-Week High

% Change

Low

on high

82.75

67.25

-7.9%

1,109

114.50

66.75

-43.5%

-34.6%

3,153

32.90

17.20

-7.9%

52.6%

72,874 87

2,435

16.25

34.90

31.90

9.05

-7.7%

26.60

-10.6%

15.75 6.05

901,169

18.30

74,784

12.10

38,443

3,125

24.70

71,565

2,868

29.80

21.20

-16.3%

53.25

17,272

321

56.75

42.40

-5.3%

33.60

170,834

87.00

6,935

4 Jabal Omar Development Co. 4 Jarir Marketing Co.

4 Kingdom Holding Co.

2 National Industrialization Co.

0.4%

18.30

-3.2%

12.30

-0.8%

154.00 38.30

2 Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co.

24.95

1 Samba Financial Grp.

53.75

-0.2%

-2.5%

-2.5%

67.50

18.95

156.00 12.70

39.40

25.90

38.10

24,668

24.85

-0.2%

24.95

24.85

11,969

2 Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co.

193.75

-1.7%

197.00

192.75

37,529

2 Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

102.50

-2.6%

105.25

102.50

750,532

-1.4%

15.00

14.50

101,711

22.85

22,343

19.25

5,332

1 Riyad Bank

1 Saudi Arabian Mining Co. 3 Saudi Cement Co.

34.40

-0.5%

-5.0%

54.00

35.40

87.25

-0.3%

1 Saudi Hollandi Bank

28.60

-0.7%

28.80

28.10

2 1 Saudi Investment Bank 2 Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. 7 Saudi Telecom Co. 2

23.00

-1.5%

23.65

22.85

62,447

18.70

411,576

34.50

12,448

35.00

6,379

5 Saudi Electricity Co.

22 Saudi Industrial Investment Grp.

Saudi International Petrochemical Co.

Savola Group Co. 0 3 Southern Province Cement Co. 0 1 SABB 3 Yamama Saudi Cement Co.

2 Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co. 7 Zain - Saudi Arabia

14.60

23.15 19.30

18.95 40.00

-1.3% -3.0%

-1.0%

19.60

39.80

33,843

0.0%

99.00

97.50

2,759

0.4%

49.70

49.00

40,309

9.70

324,761

35.70

-2.2%

51.00

-3.3%

9.75

19.80

40.30

-1.1%

49.30

23.45

526

0.0%

34.60

98.00

88.50

-2.5%

35.10

36.50

53.25

10.10

50.75

55,717

6.20

30.2%

12.80

66.75

13.60

27.1%

13.65

7 Etihad Etisalat Co.

69,588

30.7%

-1.5%

1,286

4,087 45

644

482

13.85

68.25

50.00

155.50

100.67

20.15

13.10

50.75

26.90

11.10 7.05

34.70

23.10

194

200.00

165.00

7,322

112.50

87.75

6,967

16.30

4,966

-5.5%

-4.8%

-2.2%

-9.2%

-1.0%

-6.1%

-24.5% -7.6%

-3.1%

12.2%

76.2%

50.6%

10.6%

39.0% -5.9%

7.3%

55.4%

34.3%

53.0%

2.2

10.6%

60,832,270

15.2%

11.8%

2,715

24.45

17.75

21,719

21.30

15.50

-8.1%

1.7

-8.2%

14.0%

59.4%

13,720,000

15.3

5.2

-29.6%

5.25

-15.2%

75.7%

11.50

1.5

10.5

-40.8%

33,309

11.2

-2.5%

-22.9% -8.9%

20.6%

0.2% 3.6%

29.6%

11.9

1.5

28,425,000

nmf

1.9

17,300,000

-20.5%

35,700,000

15.9%

0.0%

28,687,500

39.3%

1.7

8,433,333

-12.3%

-9.5%

19.7

1.2

80,000,000

47.50

41.60

11,351,340

27.4

3.1%

83.25

56.00

4.1

18.3%

8.9%

818

1,092

16.1

-3.1%

-11.0%

61.25

34.20

13,349,250

10,615,000

106.75 46.30

1.9

-4.0%

28

179

1.7

19.5%

33.00

23.70

nmf

1.2

10,417,500

16.8%

41.30

35.50

31,820,000

11.2

-4.9%

-5.9%

846

360

1.9

2.7

10.5

-2.4%

15.55

8.7

nmf

1.8

307,500,000

21.42

21.00

nmf

1.9

10.2

-4.7%

29.30

276

18.0

2.5

5.9

18

21.8%

nmf

1.5

11.8

65.4%

-14.9%

21,349,510

9.2

48,437,500

21.2%

18.55

9,240,000

nmf

1.7

11.8

-11.0%

27.20

17,008,020

48,375,000

52.75

965

46,725,000

11.7

37,275,000

98.00

5.0%

0.9

-4.9%

37.1%

-10.4%

2.7

12.5

21,856,200

36.0%

12.85

2.2

1.6

13,554,000

4.8%

6.7%

27.8

1.4

1.8

45,582,352

10.1%

12.2

3.5

31.8

33.7% 10.4%

nmf

8,610,000

11,007,500

-4.4%

6.5%

9,090,000

89.1%

-8.3%

-8.9%

26,520,000

34,171,876

6.7%

15.3%

22,500,000

-3.6%

24.25

79

37.50

13.1

73.1%

12.95

56,961

14,892,500

-9.4%

4 Emaar the Economic City

13.05

30.00

-30.6%

50.0%

41.4%

37.50

PB

15.5

69.3%

39.00

Trailing PE

114,375,000

-10.0%

-2.8%

-2.7%

40.00

60.4%

Market Cap. (SAR '000)

0.0%

-10.6%

37.80

12.55

568

9.7%

12 mths

13.5%

1 Banque Saudi Fransi

4 Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co.

YTD

15.0

14.5

12.4

9,983,250

13.6

13,650,000

nmf

9.0

1.2

2.2

2.1

3.0

2.7

3.2

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

13

ALWATAN DAILY wednesday, april 11, 2012

KUWAIT Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 6,149 (0.5%)

KSE General Index (% Chg.)

120

410 (1.0%)

KSE Weighted Index (% Chg.)

48%

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

115

1.57

Advance/Decline Ratio

114

Highest Turnover

103

10-Mar-12

10-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

0.122

5.2%

0.104

2.0%

5.8%

0.580

3.6%

Worst Performers Turnover (KWD) 5,082,550

Zain Kuwait ZA

100

15.7%

27,696,410

Market Cap. (KWD '000)

10-Feb-12

National Real Estate Co.

46,478

Turnover (KWD '000)

95 10-Jan-12

NRE.KSE

% Chg.

0.280

0.730

467 / 396 SULTAN.KSSultan Center Food Products Co.

KSE Weighted Index 52 week High / Low

105

ZAIN.KSE Zain Kuwait

6,523 / 5,694 BOUBYAN. Boubyan Bank

KSE General Index 52 week High / Low

110

Close KAMCO.KSKIPCO Asset Management Co.

MMabanee Co.

2,737,650

N National Bank of Kuwait

2,053,750

B Boubyan Bank

2,167,200

N National Investments Company

2,005,040

Close

% Chg.

NINV.KSE National Investments Company

0.148

IKARUS.KSIkarus Petroleum Industries Co.

0.198

-2.0%

CGC.KSE

1.720

-1.2%

SRE.KSE

Salhia Real Estate Co.

-3.9%

0.226

NMTC.KSE Wataniya

-3.4%

2.180

Combined Grp Contracting Co.

-1.8%

KSE Weighted Index

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily % Chg.

High

A Agility

0.400

1.3%

T Al Themar Intl. Holding Co.

0.087

-

A AREF Energy Holding Co.

0.104

A Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait

0.610

A Alafco Aviation Lease and Fin. Co. B Boubyan Bank

B Boubyan Petrochemical Co. B Burgan Bank

0.248

-8.0%

-

0.104

0.079

-16.3%

-

-

0.657

0.590

-7.2%

Trailing

Market Cap. (KWD '000)

PE

6.7%

418,735

15.5

-4.4%

-13.0%

88,088

nmf

-3.0%

5.0%

923,076

-21.1%

-4.8%

-17.8%

233,931

0.580

3.6%

0.580

0.570

2,167

3,770

0.620

0.530

-6.5%

-1.7%

0.0%

1,013,976

0.415

245

590

0.524

0.410

-19.8%

-7.1%

-11.8%

1.300

-11.6%

8.9%

-3.5%

0.0%

0.620

0.0%

0.420

0.0% -

0.104

0.102

0.620

0.610

0.420 -

-

12

226

-1.2%

1.740

1.720

198

0.285

0.0%

0.285

0.285

288

0.435

0.0%

0.435

0.430

22

0.400

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

0.198

-2.0%

JAJazeera Airways

0.460

-

0.099 0.280

0.0%

-

15.7%

0.450

-

-

-

-

-

1.280

1.280

-

-

-

-

-

0.280

0.280

-

0.520

0.420

0.198

1.945

-

0.940

0.700

-16.1%

-1.9%

-1.6%

10.7%

-38.1%

22.6%

-16.0%

0.0%

-14.8%

0.395

0.255

-27.8%

9.6%

-27.8%

50

0.552

0.425

-21.2%

-10.5%

0.495

0.285

-19.2%

-15.8%

0.096

-59.1%

-2.9%

0.236

-1.8%

-

-

0.055

3

1.700

60

1.280

0.214

0.136

0.242

-

56

0.019

0.485

200

0.118

0.285

-

0.630

0.415

-10.9%

-24.7% -7.5% -5.2%

-28.6%

0.0%

648,886

12.8

1.5

166,205

16.7

4.1

34.3

-10.5%

1,145,393

37.4

2.7

-12.1%

181,553

nmf

16.5%

45.6%

64,309

268,712

-61.2% -3.4%

1.6

148,500

17.7

1.0

101,200

9.6

3.9

286,945

1,290

1.019

0.720

-28.4%

-12.4%

-24.2%

2,120,040

35.2

K Kuwait International Bank

0.270

0.0%

0.270

0.265

390

1,470

0.350

0.236

-22.9%

5.9%

-15.6%

280,078

25.8

K Kuwait Projects Co. (Holding)

0.335

0.0%

0.335

0.335

308

920

0.425

0.295

-21.2%

9.8%

-17.3%

426,431

14.2

P Kuwait Portland Cement Co.

1.100

1.060

2,738

2,510

1.080

0.700

0.0%

1.080

1.040

2,054

1,945

1.145

0.909

1.8%

0.228

0.222

921

4,080

0.285

5.2%

0.124

0.116

543

4,500

0.9%

0.214

0.214

278

1.060

0.0%

1.060

N National Industries Grp. Holding

0.226

N National Real Estate Co.

0.122

0.033

N National Bank of Kuwait N National Industries Co.

N National Investments Company O Oula Fuel Marketing Co.

A Qurain Petrochemicals Industries Co. S Salhia Real Estate Co.

S Sultan Center Food Products Co. T Tamdeen Real Estate Co.

A The Commercial Real Estate Co. S The Securities House N Wataniya

0.148

-

-3.9%

0.275 0.214

0.0%

0.226

-3.4%

0.238

-0.8%

0.130

-

0.104 0.092 2.180

Z Zain Kuwait

-

0.300

0.730

1.380

119

-1.1%

M Mena Holding

1.620

0.850

0.880

M Mabanee Co.

3

0.890

-

-

-

-

0.160

0.144

0.275

0.275

0.226

0.220

-

0.102

1.1%

0.092

0.090

487

-1.8%

2.200

2.180

170

5.8%

0.232

-

-

0.740

0.690

-1.9%

23.3%

-7.4%

0.192

0.168

1,300

0.226

980

0.136

0.093

5,360

0.094

0.067

78

2.280

1.800

-

40

19

80

-

-

5,083

7,065

0.7

4,614,707

15.2

2.1

-20.7%

-13.1%

-11.4%

292,693

nmf

0.7

0.056

-27.4%

-4.7%

19.6%

0.186

-5.3%

-

1.380

1.3

-1.2%

0.216

-

31.5

4.1%

0.200

0.270

79,996

2.0

1.3

4.0

0.265

0.246

-39.5%

11.9

28.3

0.148

0.360

570,843

588,964

0.260

0.295

-4.1%

1.9

1.2

51.4%

-

0.340

10

9

0.106

23.9%

13,180

3

0.660

-4.1%

-44.3%

-

2,005

2.0%

1.580

-

-

103

0.240

135

-12.3%

0.9

20.1

940 4

0.7

nmf

0.720 1.420

3.8

nmf

73,724

-26.2%

3.1

7.4

79,485

265.1%

nmf

0.740 1.420

1.9

0.9

1.4% 1.4%

1.0

nmf

0.730

1.420

1.2

37.2

K Kuwait Finance House F Kuwait Food Co.

1.1

10.8

-24.7%

-2.2%

4.2

nmf

152,978

-9.9%

14.8%

nmf

1,004,898

36.1%

1.1%

1.0

1.5

54,503

-15.1%

1.9

5.9

300,762

-44.7%

0.5

18.3

78,000

19.2%

1,010

12

0.198

-

-

3

0.200

0.085

0.630

115

-

-

0.124

365

-

1.720

-

120

PB

6.7%

0.280

IK Ikarus Petroleum Industries Co.

K Kuwait Cement Co.

0.435

12 mths

0.380

1.280

K KIPCO Asset Management Co.

900

YTD

910

C Gulf Cable and Electrical Industries Co.

IF International Finance Co.

-

on high

273

0.049

IF IFA Hotels & Resorts

-

-

% Change

Low

0.300

0.790

G Gulf Bank

-

-

358

High

0.305

C Commercial Bank of Kuwait G Global Investment House

0.390

52-Week

Volume ('000)

0.0%

0.260

F Commercial Facilities Co.

0.400

Turnover (KWD '000)

0.300

A Burgan Co. for Well Drilling

C Combined Grp Contracting Co.

-

Low

0.690

0.0%

-11.8% -49.8%

-23.6%

0.0%

0.0%

7.1%

21,780

-9.1%

-14.0%

103,861

-49.0%

-8.3%

2.3

24.5

129,680

1.3

nmf

0.7

nmf

0.6

13.0

1.1

-

-5.5%

0.1

90,667

22.3

115,875

16.2

2.1

0.0%

11.5%

235,400

-23.5%

-13.3%

-16.1%

60,198

-2.1%

19.5%

24.3%

168,803

16.0

0.7

-4.4%

12.4%

21.1%

1,098,791

3.0

1.4

-8.1%

-11.9% 0.0%

-47.1%

8.7%

-0.9%

3.5%

-6.7%

0.0%

88,803

0.0%

-18.9%

88,400

-46.3%

3,144,500

0.9

nmf

0.9

23.2

0.9

nmf

7.0

11.0

1.5

UAE Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 1,678 (1.3%)

DFM Index (% Chg.)

135

2,547 (0.0%)

ADSM Index (% Chg.)

Advance/Decline Ratio

125

DFM Index 52 week High / Low

Highest Turnover

108

105

Turnover (AED) 66,092,247 DANA.ADS Dana Gas 59,476,344 DIB.DFM Dubai Islamic Bank 55,195,306 ETISALAT.AEtisalat

E Emaar Properties

A Air Arabia 10-Feb-12 S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

10-Mar-12 Abu Dhabi SE

35,744,142

A ALDAR Properties

10-Apr-12

4.2%

3.45

3.0%

4.4%

3.4%

Worst Performers

A Arabtec Holding

95 10-Jan-12

1.00

404,861,381

Market Cap. (AED '000)

114

6.8%

1.21

463,983

Turnover (AED '000)

% Chg.

3.16 0.48

2,775 / 2,293 ARTC.DFM Arabtec Holding

ADSM Index 52 week High / Low

115

du

73% UPP.DFM Union Properties 6.33 ARKAN.AD Arkan Building Materials Co. 1,754 / 1,301 DFM.DFM Dubai Financial Market

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

125

Close DU.DFM

32,381,326

D Dubai Financial Market

Close

% Chg.

0.49

-1.5%

9.51

0.1%

8.67

FGB.ADSM First Gulf Bank

NBAD.ADS National Bank of Abu Dhabi

-2.0%

1.98

8.70

-1.0%

0.2%

Dubai FM

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily % Chg.

High

Low

Turnover (AED '000)

A Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

3.29

1.2%

3.30

3.25

4,259

T Abu Dhabi National Energy Co.

1.36

0.7%

1.36

1.35

A Air Arabia

0.72

1.8%

0.75

0.72

1.02

-

A Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

A Abu Dhabi National Hotels A ALDAR Properties A Amlak Finance

3.45

2.19

1.20

0.9% -

2.6%

3.47 -

1.22 -

3.43 -

0.8

3,485

2,563

1.63

1.14

-16.6%

13.3%

-11.1%

8,466,000

13.0

1.1

55,195

74,974

-6.9%

22.5%

-3.0%

3,350,691

12.5

0.0%

1,530,000

nmf

284 -

-

1.00

4.2%

1.02

0.93

595

D Dana Gas

0.49

-2.0%

0.50

0.49

3,504

0.40

3,570

D Deyaar Development Co. D du

2.90 0.42

3.16

-

3.0% 6.8%

D Dubai Financial Market

1.21

3.4%

D Dubai Islamic Bank

1.98

-1.5%

E Emirates NBD

2.85

E Emaar Properties E Etisalat

F First Gulf Bank

G Gulf Cement Co. M Mashreq

N National Bank of Abu Dhabi N National Bank of Fujairah

N National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain S Sharjah Islamic Bank

S Sorouh Real Estate Co. T Tamweel

3.25

2.97

22,731 32,381

2.03

1.98

10,297

2.87

2.84

-1.0%

8.75

9.51

0.1%

91.45

-

1.18

-

8.70

0.2%

1.78

-

4.51

-

-

1.18

3.17

8.67

0.7%

-

2,936

1.22

3.28

9.60 -

-

8.88 -

3.21

59,476

8.62

17,100

9.46 -

-

8.61 -

3,954

2,798 -

1,850 -

366

0.89

1.1%

0.89

0.87

1.35

0.8%

1.40

1.32

29,223

0.46

17,982

1.20 3.00

U United Arab Bank

3.95

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

0.42

0.9%

U Union National Bank U Union Properties

-

0.48

2.6% -

4.4% -

1.22 -

0.48 -

1.17 -

-

PB 6.1

A Arkan Building Materials Co. C Commercial Bank of Dubai

PE

18,409,515

35,744

1.78

Trailing

Market Cap. (AED '000)

26.5%

66,092

1.80

12 mths

18.3%

3.35

0.6%

YTD

-0.9%

3.54

1.80

on high

2.59

3.0%

A Aramex

% Change

Low

3.32

3.45

A Arabtec Holding

52-Week High

1,295

1.16 -

Volume ('000)

23,346 -

82

-

29,819 -

3.55

2.92

-2.8%

2.94

2.02

-25.5%

1.68

0.76

0.77 -

0.57 -

9.2%

14.6%

-0.5%

-19.8%

-28.6%

30.4%

-20.5%

0.0%

0.0%

8,158,235

2,190,000 4,902,155

7.1

8.7 7.6

1.2

0.3

0.6

0.7

1.1

18,993

3.63

1.24

-5.0%

117.0%

145.0%

5,157,750

20.3

1.7

596

1.74

0.71

-42.5%

-1.0%

-42.5%

1,750,000

nmf

1.1

-31.0%

8.9%

-25.8%

1,631

1.96

1.69

-8.2%

-

3.24

2.76

-10.4%

8,644

0.46

0.20

-8.8%

7,091

7,414

26,951 5,123

0.71

3.30

1.46

2.31

0.34

2.80

-4.2%

0.68

-17.1%

1.88

-14.3%

18,272

3.49

2.41

1,972

11.20

8.64

2.65

-38.4%

294

10.75

6.98

-11.5%

-

102.00

74.70

-

4.70

2.91

413

1.02

0.80

1,387

-

213 -

4.63

1.56

9.00

2.39

0.67

7.38

-24.4%

-10.3% -3.3%

-4.0%

1.9%

-7.5%

-3.1%

-21.5%

23.1%

13.9%

-9.9%

7.3%

-0.9%

3.28

-21.0%

0.24

123.9%

-3.0%

86.0% 8.5%

0.6

14,445,714

13.2

9,680,000

7,518,167

nmf

7.4

0.4

2.3 1.3 0.8

11.7

1.7

28,530,000

7.7

1.1

18.8

1.3

-16.3%

22.4%

15,839,658

968,894 -

10.8%

33,708,658 2,848,000

55.0%

-3.2%

-9.4%

nmf

68,546,234

3.8%

-23.1%

2,397,870

-15.0%

-12.4%

2.82

0.9

6.4

0.6

41.2%

0.53

7.2

3,234,981

11.0

-22.6%

6.0%

1.4

19,796,525

-1.7%

-12.7%

12.5

0.3%

-25.5%

3.90 5.00

70.1%

1.63

-

5,911,221

2.1%

66.2%

2,635,380

1.5%

-7.6%

-5.0%

-22.1%

0.50

9.3%

-5.3%

44.0%

-22.6%

0.67

37,855

94.8%

26.5%

1.54 1.49

5.0%

-6.9%

19,483 21,352

0.0%

1.1%

6.3

nmf

1.3

8.9

0.9

17.7

2,158,695

8.6

9.4

36.4%

1,350,000

13.3

63.8%

1,616,091

nmf

-25.5%

7,486,875 3,935,785

0.8

9.1

4,961,000

3,150,000

0.5

5.0

11.9

2.4

0.5

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.7

1.9

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

14

ALWATAN DAILY wednesday, april 11, 2012

QATAR Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 8,771 (0.2%)

DSM Index (% Chg.)

120

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price Advance/Decline Ratio

114

Turnover (QAR '000)

459,251,368

Market Cap. (QAR '000)

13,541,370

Q Qatar Gas Transport Co. 10-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

13,458,075

IQIndustries Qatar

10-Apr-12

0.9%

19.95

0.8%

17.72

0.7%

77.40

Turnover (QAR) 40,723,362 QEWS.DSMQatar Electricity & Water Co. 14,393,101 DHBK.DSMDoha Bank

MMasraf Al Rayan

10-Feb-12

10.0%

0.7%

Worst Performers

V Vodafone Qatar

90 10-Jan-12

8.84

QIBK.DSM Qatar Islamic Bank

Highest Turnover

102

100

% Chg.

17.30

8,892 / 8,071 ERES.DSMEzdan Real Estate Co. 275,827 QGTS.DSMQatar Gas Transport Co.

DSM 52 week High / Low

110

Close

56% VFQS.DSM Vodafone Qatar 2.50 AHCS.DSMAamal Co.

10,516,995

B Barwa Real Estate Co.

Close

-0.3%

75.40

-0.3%

59.80

CBQK.DSMThe Commercial Bank of Qatar

QIIK.DSM Qatar International Islamic Bank #N/A

% Chg.

145.50

#N/A

-0.3%

51.70

-0.2%

#N/A

#N/A

Doha SM

Quotes Company Name

Close

A Aamal Co.

Daily % Chg.

High

0.9%

17.47

17.02

420

28.20

0.2%

28.30

28.10

10,517

59.60

2,415

16.53

C The Commercial Bank of Qatar

75.40

-0.3%

E Ezdan Real Estate Co.

19.95

0.8%

D Doha Bank

Low

17.30

K Al Khalij Commercial Bank B Barwa Real Estate Co.

Turnover (QAR '000)

59.80

0.2%

-0.3%

16.53 75.90

60.00

19.99

75.30

6,953

19.62

529

17.55

13,541

767

77.00

5,404

70

75.20

1,951

7.95

40,723

145.50

-0.3%

146.00

145.50

5,872

51.70

-0.2%

Q Qatar National Bank

134.50

0.1%

Q Qatar Telecom

129.00

0.0%

17.72

Q Qatar International Islamic Bank Q Qatar Islamic Bank

77.40

Q Qatar Navigation V Vodafone Qatar

0.7% 0.7%

75.50

0.0%

8.84

10.0%

17.75

51.60

4,804

134.90

134.00

5,985

130.00

128.60

3,969

52.20

77.40 75.70 8.84

-20.2%

14,393

Q Qatar Electricity & Water Co. Q Qatar Gas Transport Co.

28.00

27.00

140.00

27.35

35.35

18.95

24.97

141.20

0.4%

373

19

19

0.1%

27.30

-28.2%

387

140.60

on high

15.40

85.50

IQIndustries Qatar

Low

24.09

92

13,458

M Masraf Al Rayan

High

% Change

24

318

16.50

52-Week

Volume ('000)

40

16.06

2.7%

12,360,529

10.0

1.7

-13.9%

52,917,309

22.50

-2.8%

-2.0%

12.5%

20,475,000

14.5

16.59

-9.5%

1.2%

-7.6%

9,814,116

11.8

6.7

76.30

-9.3%

-8.2%

18,289,094

13.4

1.6

69.90

-13.7%

-1.3%

-11.5%

7.24

0.0%

17.1%

8.9%

-10.7% -5.3%

-5.2%

45.50

141.73

122.24

31

168.50

128.50

8.84

0.9

-10.1%

45

4,747

9.1

-20.1%

129.50

87.50

10,973,315

18.60

153.50

26

-19.7% -1.4%

40

56.20

1.5

-10.2%

118.80

85.30

17.4

-11.8%

148.50

93

PB

8,563,500

-12.8%

96

19.58

PE

-4.1%

-3.7%

50.00

28.10

12 mths

8.8%

Trailing

-12.8%

68.00

67.00

YTD

Market Cap. (QAR '000)

-8.0% -5.1%

-23.4%

-5.8%

-6.7%

5.7%

5,950,800

18,657,456

-1.1%

4.2%

77,330,000

3.2%

-4.3%

10.4%

-2.7%

10.0%

14,550,000 7,825,764

-8.9%

-8.4%

94,113,609

-13.3%

12.2

1.1

9.9

1.3

nmf

1.9

9.8

2.9

2.4

11.2

4.8

12.0

1.6

12.5

2.2

8,646,653

12.3

0.8

7,473,336

nmf

1.1

29,515,200

11.4

1.4

OMAN Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 5,883 (0.9%)

MSM Index (% Chg.)

120

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price Advance/Decline Ratio

114

Turnover (OMR '000)

6,995,650

Market Cap (OMR '000) 103

135,442

O Oman Cement Co. 10-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

73,764

N National Bank of Oman

10-Apr-12

0.63

0.8%

1.29

0.2%

0.29

Turnover (OMR) 855,987 NBOB.MSMNational Bank of Oman 232,401 OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co.

O Oman Telecommunications Co.

10-Feb-12

2.4%

1.1%

0.0%

Worst Performers

B Bank Muscat

90 10-Jan-12

0.59

NBOB.MSMNational Bank of Oman

Highest Turnover

100

% Chg.

0.48

6,406 / 5,419 BKMB.MSMBank Muscat 8,831 OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co.

MSM 52 week High / Low

110

Close

47% OCOI.MSM Oman Cement Co. - BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar

21,636

B Bank Dhofar

Close

% Chg.

0.29

0.0%

1.29

BKMB.MSMBank Muscat

0.2%

0.63

BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar

0.8%

0.48

OCOI.MSM Oman Cement Co.

1.1%

0.59

2.4%

Muscat SM

Quotes Company Name

Close

B Bank Dhofar

0.478

N National Bank of Oman

0.292

O Oman Telecommunications Co.

1.289

R Renaissance Services

0.588

B Bank Muscat

O Oman Cement Co.

R Raysut Cement Co.

Daily % Chg.

High

1.1%

Turnover (OMR '000)

Low

0.480

22

0.476

0.633

0.8%

0.635

0.630

856

0.589

2.4%

0.606

0.580

135

0.991

0.0%

0.2% -

0.0%

0.293

1.290 -

1.283

232

0.588

1

-

-

0.588

High

45

74

0.292

52-Week

Volume ('000)

% Change

Low

0.549

on high

0.423

-12.9%

0.291

-9.9%

1,352

0.679

0.572

230

0.608

0.416

253

0.324

180 -

1.425

1.041

1.099

2

1.094

0.458

-10.5%

-6.4%

-3.3%

-5.0%

-3.1%

36.3%

-9.8%

30.4%

-46.3%

12 mths

5.1%

-6.8%

-9.5%

0.711

YTD

Market Cap. (OMR '000)

323,543

9.5

2.4%

7.9%

-41.3%

2.3

9.7

1.3

194,884

15.2

1.3

198,200

13.2

966,750

-9.8%

PB

13.1

1,137,370

16.7%

PE

525,856

-5.1%

-1.5%

Trailing

165,872

1.2

8.7

2.0

1.9

nmf

1.0

BAHRAIN Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 1,135 (-0.4%)

BSE Index (% Chg.)

120

21% BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co. 0.50 NBB.BSE National Bank of Bahrain

% of stocks trading above 1 yr avg. price

Advance/Decline Ratio

114

1,419 / 1,129 BBK.BSE 182 #N/A

BSE 52 week High / Low Turnover (BHD '000)

110

6,409,280

Market Cap. (BHD '000)

Highest Turnover

100

100

Turnover (BHD) 86,460 BBK.BSE 23,606 NBB.BSE

N National Bank of Bahrain

6,061

B Bahrain Telecommunications Co.

10-Feb-12

10-Mar-12

A Ahli United Bank

10-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

#

#N/A

% Chg.

0.46

1.3%

0.55

-3.5%

0.40

-4.8%

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

Worst Performers

B BBK

90 10-Jan-12

#N/A

BBK

Close

#N/A

#N/A

-

Close BBK

National Bank of Bahrain

BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co.

AUB.BSE #N/A

Ahli United Bank #N/A

% Chg.

0.40

-4.8%

0.46

1.3%

0.55

0.60 #N/A

-3.5%

#N/A

Bahrain SE

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily % Chg.

High

Low

Turnover (BHD '000)

A Ahli United Bank*

0.600

-

-

-

-

A Arab Banking Corp.*

0.420

-

-

-

-

B Albaraka Banking Grp.* B Bahrain Islamic Bank

B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. B BBK

IN Investcorp Bank*

IT Ithmaar Bank*

N National Bank of Bahrain U United Gulf Bank

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

0.930 0.090

0.456

0.400 797

0.090

0.550

0.304

-

1.3%

-4.8% -

-3.5% -

-

-

-

-

-

0.456

0.456

-

-

0.400 -

0.550 -

0.400

-

-

-

-

-

0.545

Volume ('000)

86

on high

YTD

12 mths

Market Cap. (BHD '000)

0.680

0.599

-11.8%

-0.5%

-11.8%

3,140,133

-

0.570

0.420

-26.3%

0.0%

-26.3%

1,306,200

-5.4%

656,640

-

1.089

13

216 -

24

% Change

Low

-

6

52-Week High

-

43

0.116 0.492

0.428 797

0.857 0.082 0.380

0.390 797

-14.6% -22.4%

-0.4%

0.0%

nmf

0.8

340,542

10.7

-30.0%

637,560

-4.3%

-10.6%

470,448

-14.3%

38.5%

0.424

0.270

-28.3%

1.3%

-12.0%

-21.7%

-25.1%

1.2

84,571

0.0%

-4.8%

10.1

0.8

0.0%

-3.4%

PB 8.0

16.3%

-6.5%

0.065

0.550

-22.4%

943,462

-7.3%

0.105

0.625

-14.6%

Trailing PE

240,999

253,707

6.4

0.4

8.2

1.3

4.5

0.6

10.3

1.7

nmf

nmf

1.4 0.4

1.2

LIFE

Prevent periodontal disease

Periodontal disease occurs when the tissues that protect and stabilize your teeth become infected.

The American Dental Association suggests how to help prevent periodontal disease: • Give your teeth a thorough brushing at least twice daily.

• Floss daily. And if your dentist approves, use a mouth rinse containing fluoride.

• Eat a nutritious, balanced and healthy diet.

• Have dental checkups and cleanings at least twice annually.

wednESDAY, april 11, 2012

New tiny ‘factories’ aim to make cancer-killing drugs WASHINGTON: Cancer that has spread throughout a person’s body is tough to kill without causing too much collateral damage. But tiny “protein-factory” particles could target tumors specifically by manufacturing cancer-killing drugs anywhere within the human body, reports LiveScience.

MIT researchers now have created such tiny particles that could someday make cancer-killing proteins on demand. Such nanoparticles - materials that range roughly in size from 1/1000 to 1/100000 the diameter of a human hair - contain a mixture of biological machinery needed to make proteins based on DNA sequences.

“This is the first proof of concept that you can actually synthesize new compounds from inert starting materials inside the body,” said Avi Schroeder, a postdoctoral researcher in MIT’s David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and lead author of a paper detailed in the journal NanoLetters.

Schroeder and his colleagues also showed how to activate such tiny factories on demand through tests with mice. They used ultraviolet lighting to trigger the nanoparticles to release the DNA that would begin the manufacturing of proteins.

Making drugs on demand at specific sites within the body could prevent side effects from especially toxic cancer drugs, said James Heath, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology who did not participate in the study. He added that the MIT team now has to show that it can successfully deliver such drugs in humans.

“There are lots of details left to be worked out for this to be a viable therapeutic approach, but it is a really terrific and innovative concept,

Cholesterol levels vary widely by country: Study

MIT researchers designed these particles that can produce proteins when ultraviolet light is shone on them. In this case, the protein is green fluorescent protein. (Agencies)

and it certainly gets one’s imagination going,” said Heath, who was not part of the research team.

The MIT team programmed its new nanoparticles to make either green fluorescent protein (GFP) or luciferase - both easily detectable - to prove how the drug-delivery concept could work.

Next, it plans to work on different ways to trigger the nanoparticles based on acidity level or other

specific biological conditions inside the human body.

Such nanoparticle success could also prove encouraging for the US military. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently announced its futuristic vision for tiny nanosensors capable of monitoring soldiers’ health and even treating them on right on the battlefield.

CAPITALS: People’s average cholesterol levels seem to rise and fall along with their countries’ economies and ease of access to quality health care, according to a new study, reports HealthDay News.

Researchers examined data from thousands of patients with a history of high cholesterol (more than 200 milligrams per deciliter) in 36 countries, including the United States.

The analysis revealed that countries with higher overall income levels, lower out-of-pocket health care costs, and high-performing and efficient health systems tend to have lower rates of high cholesterol among people who’d had a history of high cholesterol.

For patients with no history of high cholesterol, there was no association between a country’s economy and health care system and the risk of high cholesterol.

Among the specific findings: •Rates of total high cholesterol varied widely, ranging from 73 percent in Bulgaria to 24 percent in Finland.

•Rates of elevated cholesterol levels in patients were particularly high in the following Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary and Russia. These countries also scored relatively low in terms of their economies and health systems.

•The United States’ rate of people with elevated cholesterol levels was similar to that of other developed countries -- such as Australia, Canada, Finland, Israel and the United Kingdom -- but US spending on health care was considerably higher than other developed countries.

The study appears April 9 in the journal Circulation.

The optimum management of heart disease is difficult, and differences in rates of high cholesterol between nations “may be due to differences in clinical guidelines, as well as whether and the extent to which guidelines are followed and specific initiatives are effectively implemented,” lead author Elizabeth Magnuson, director of the Health Economics and Technology Assessment at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., said in a journal news release.

She added that the association between high out-of-pocket health care costs for patients and their higher cholesterol levels “may reflect an inability or unwillingness” among these patients to take the medicines they’ve been prescribed. However, “the recent availability of generic cholesterol-lowering therapy should make out-of-pocket expense less of a barrier,” Magnuson noted.

Niceness is in your DNA, scientists find WASHINGTON: Many times, two siblings raised by the same parents, and subject to similar environmental influences, can turn out to be polar opposites: one kind and generous, the other meanspirited. A new study reveals that the latter might simply have been dealt the wrong hormone receptor genes, reports LiveScience.

Oxytocin and vasopressin, two hormones that inspire feelings of love and generosity when they flood our brains, bind to neurons by attaching to molecules called receptors, which can come in different forms. The new research, led by psychologist Michel Poulin of the University of Buffalo, suggests that if you have the genes that give you certain versions of those hormone receptors, you’re more likely to be a nice person than if you have the genes for one of the other versions. However, the researchers found that the genes work in concert with a person’s upbringing and life experiences to determine how sociable - or anti-social - he or she becomes.

As detailed in a new article in the journal Psychological Science, hundreds of people were surveyed about their attitudes toward civic duty, their charitable activities and their worldview. They were asked, for example, whether people have an obligation to report crimes, sit on juries or pay taxes, whether they themselves engage in charitable activities such as giving blood or volunteering, and whether people - and the world as a whole - are basically good, or are threatening and dangerous. Of those surveyed, 711 people provided a sample of their saliva for DNA analysis, which showed which version of the oxytocin and vasopressin receptors they had.

Study participants who saw the world as a

threatening place, and the people in it as inherently bad, were nonetheless nice, dutiful and charitable as long as they had the versions of the receptor genes associated with niceness. These “nicer” versions of the genes, Poulin said, “allow you to overcome feelings of the world being threatening and help other people in spite of those fears.”

With the other types of receptor genes, however, a negative worldview resulted in anti-social behavior.

“The fact that the genes predicted behavior only in combination with people’s experiences and feelings about the world isn’t surprising,” Poulin said in a press release, “because most connections between DNA and social behavior are complex.”

For oxytocin, the difference between having the “nicer” hormone receptor and the “less nice” receptor lies in a single DNA base pair located on the third chromosome. If you inherit two guanine base pairs - one from each parent - giving you a genotype represented by the letters GG, your cells build the “nicer” receptor. If you inherit an adenine base pair from either one or both parents, and have a genotype represented by either AA or AG, you land the “less nice” oxytocin receptor.

The percentage of people with each genotype varies greatly between ethnicities. “In EuropeanAmerican samples - so, white people in the US what you see is that the GG genotype represents about half of people, or a small majority. That’s the population we studied in this paper,” Poulin told Life’s Little Mysteries. “Other research ... indicates that the rates of GG or the so-called ‘nice’ genotype are much lower in East Asian populations.

This is sparking an interesting discussion among psychologists about the roots of pro-social behav-

Radiation from Japan found in kelp off US West Coast

FRANCE: Radioactive iodine was found in kelp off the US West Coast following last year’s earthquake-triggered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown, according to a new study.

It was already known that radioactive iodine 131 (131-I), carried in the atmosphere, made it across the Pacific within days of the March 11, 2011 tsunami disaster, albeit in minuscule amounts.

But marine biologists at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) discovered the radioactive isotope in ocean kelp, which is “one of the strongest plant accumulators of iodine,” within a month of the accident.

“We measured significant, although most likely non-harmful levels of radioactive iodine in tissue of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera,” said Steven L. Manley, author of the study with Christopher G. Lowe “Although it is probably not harmful for humans because it was relatively low levels, it may have affected certain

fish that graze on the tissue because fish have a thyroid system that utilizes iodine.”

The study, “Canopy-Forming Kelps as California’s Coastal Dosimeter: 131I from Damaged Japanese Reactor Measured in Macrocystis pyrifera,” appears in the online edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

The Fukushima Daiichi plant, 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo was crippled by meltdowns and explosions after the quake and tsunami, which killed more than 19,000 people.

Radiation was scattered over a large area and made its way into the sea, air and food chain in the weeks and months after the disaster.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes around the plant and swathes of this zone remain badly polluted. The clean-up is proceeding slowly, amid warnings that some towns could be uninhabitable for three decades. -AFP

ior. We know East Asian cultures are much more communal than other cultures. How do we explain that distinction?”

It could be that other genes, or other cultural factors, play a more significant role in molding communal behavior among East Asian people than their oxytocin receptors, Poulin said. “These are early days in figuring out the association between genes and pro-social behavior.”

But the evidence is converging to point to a greater influence of genes on niceness than was previous assumed. For example, another study performed last year by scientists at the University of Edinburgh showed that identical twins, who share 100 percent of their genes, had much more similar attitudes toward civic duty and charitable activities than did fraternal twins, who had parallel upbringings but who share only 50 percent of their genes. With the new study, Poulin and his colleagues have identified the genes that they say “may lie at the core of the caregiving behavioral system.”

“We aren’t saying we’ve found the niceness gene,” he said. “But we have found a gene that makes a contribution. What I find so interesting is the fact that it only makes a contribution in the presence of certain feelings people have about the world around them.”

Having the “nicer” genes may benefit you, as well as those around you. According to the scientists, “Some research has indicated that behavior aimed at helping other people is a better predictor of health and well-being than are social engagements or received social support.” In other words, helping others makes you healthier - even more so than being helped yourself.

This observation highlights Martian terrain that looks like an elephant. Actually, this image covers the margin of a lava flow in Elysium Planitia, the youngest flood-lava province on Mars. Flood lavas cover extensive areas, and were once thought to be emplaced extremely rapidly, like a flood of water. (NASA)

Bat-killer fungus likely came from Europe: Study FRANCE: A deadly fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in North America is likely caused by a pathogen that came from Europe, international researchers said on Monday.

White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by a pathogen Geomyces destructans, was first observed to be killing bats in a cave in upstate New York in 2006, and has since killed some 6.7 million bats in the United States and Canada.

But the epidemic has not been seen in Europe, leading researchers to wonder if the disease may have been introduced from abroad by tourists who unwittingly brought the fungus into US bat caves.

A research team decided to test this idea by exposing a population of little brown bats from the Canadian province of Manitoba, where WNS has not afflicted the population, to strains originating from the United States and Germany.

One group was exposed to the US strain of the fungus, while another group was exposed to the German type.

The European type was first seen to start killing bats after 71 days, while the North American type began killing bats on day 88, according to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The results of this experiment are really quite strong evidence of that invasive pathogen idea,” said lead author Craig Willis, an associate professor of biology at the University of Winnipeg, in an interview with AFP.

“If anything the European version was a little bit nastier.”

European bats have likely evolved some resistance to the pathogen over time, Willis explained. Recent research has shown that some hibernating bats in Europe are infected with the pathogen but that it does not kill them.

North American bats have not evolved that same level of protection and are more vulnerable to the disease, which causes them to wake frequently during hibernation and subsequently waste needed body fat reserves.

The disease gets its name from the lightcolored fungus that clusters around the bats’ ears, nose and wings.

In some ways, the finding is good news because it suggests that European bats are not at risk from a North American strain of the disease, though a study next year testing the US-Canada strain on European bats should provide more data.

However, the disease continues to wipe out bat populations -- so far afflicting four Canadian provinces and 16 US states -- with no end in sight.

Willis said researchers think the fungus was likely introduced by someone from abroad going into caves in New York state, because the disease was first documented in 2006 an area called Howe’s Caverns that receives tens of thousands of visitors each year.

The outbreak of WNS has since spread 2,000 kilometers across the United States and into Canada.

“We know the fungus can survive and persist in the environment on climbing equipment and on boots and shoes and those types of things, so it is possible that someone tracked it into this cave,” he said.

“We will probably never know for sure how it arrived but we know where it did arrive.”

Now that scientists believe they are dealing with an invasive disease, efforts to control it may focus more intensely on how and when it spreads.

Bats tend to die from the disease during or after their hibernation period, but it is unclear if they spread the fungus as they move from cave to cave in the fall, or if survivors spread it when they emerge in the spring, or if it lives on during the summer only to turn lethal in the cold months.

“Managing the agents that spread the disease is the critical priority for bats and that is really hard to do because they travel so far and they are totally uncooperative -- they won’t do what you tell them and they are really cryptic and hard to study,” said Willis.

Bats are valuable to the economy because they provide natural pest control for forests and farms, with some research showing they are worth as much as $3.7 billion dollars per year to farmers.

The syndrome is particularly lethal for winter colonies of species that hibernate, including little brown bats, northern long-eared bats and the endangered Indiana bat, and wipes out up to 97 percent of colonies affected according to the United States Geological Survey. -AFP

16

ALWATAN DAILY

CULTURE

wednesDAY, april 11, 2012

Remembering the 1991 French Air Force attack on Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base KUWAIT: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 1991, at midnight ended the ultimatum to Iraq taken by resolution 678 passed on Nov. 29 by the Security Council of the UN. The UN members are now authorized to use their military forces to remove Iraqi troops still occupying Kuwait.

Wednesday, Jan. 16, 1991, the French Parliament (both national assembly and senate) voted for the French military engagement in the Gulf with a huge majority of members being in favor of military actions to free Kuwait (around 92%). At 8 pm, the French President François Mitterrand talked on all radio and television channels about “the seriousness of the situation created by the stubborn refusal of Iraq to evacuate Kuwait and respect international law”. Further he said “Thus, I ask my fellow French citizens to rally around our troops and for the ideals which inspired our action to free Kuwait” because “weapons will kick-in”...

The Gulf crisis and war of high intensity that followed was a new and unique moment for the “Armée de l’Air” (French Air Force), facing an operation on a scale that it had not known since the Suez Crisis of 1956.

The air campaign began on Jan. 17, 1991, at 2:10 am, Baghdad time, when a group of US Army helicopters destroyed Iraqi radar sites near the Iraqi-Saudi Arabian border which could have warned Iraq of an upcoming attack, thus opening the door to more in depth attacks.

Among all the allied forces, 12 French Jaguar have received the order to attack the Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, located in Kuwait, where Saddam Hussein has concealed Scud missiles, combat aircraft, and chemical weapons. The French fighter aircraft, 40 Jaguar and 30 Mirage, were stationed in Al Ahsa Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Early in the morning on January 17, 1991, the 12 pilots performed their final checks before flight. The Jaguar have been repainted in a yellow camouflage color and were all fitted with four 250kg bombs, one electronic warfare jamming pods and air-to-air self-protection missiles.

Divided in two different groups of 6 Jaguar, the 12 fighters joined the French Air Force tankers for air-to-air refueling twenty minutes after take-off and just before crossing the Kuwait border. They crossed the border at 8:46 am spread in a wide attack formation aiming to Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base.

The pilots first picked up visual on a division command post with its large white tents.

Suddenly, slightly to the right of the route followed by the Jaguar, an armored vehicle equipped with four 23mm guns (type ZSU23-4) opened fire, then another on the left and then twin-guns ZPU-30-2 30mm joined the attack against the French aircraft. “Head in the shoulders ... fly very low and very fast, it’s our only chance” thought Captain Mahagne, Jupiter 11, when seeing the lightning out of the guns. Suddenly, a white smoke trail appeared in front of him. This was a “Strela” portable infrared guided missile. It had been fired from the

Colonel Franck Mollard, Mirage 2000-5 pilot in the French Air Force and Advisor and liaison officer in the Kuwait Air Force.

The Jaguar A 108, the aircraft flown by Captain Mahagne during this first attack on Iraqi forces.

The canopy of the Jaguar A 108 after the attack on Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base.

shoulder of a soldier and was going straight to the plane of the second group leader (Jupiter 7). “Missile Left” one pilot said, “Don’t move, continue straight ahead” ordered the captain Pacorel, second group leader. The missile range was too short and it fell to the ground before hitting the Jaguar. “Visual on target” called the leader. But suddenly “I’m hit!

And I have an oil emergency light on” screamed the lieutenant Bonnafoux. He had felt like a shock in his Jaguar, hit by a SA-7, which did not explode, but it had a fire alarm on his right engine. He tried to keep his position among the others Jaguar but his aircraft was slowing down and losing altitude. He thought “I will have to bail out”, but the Jaguar found little power. He decided to try to save the jet,

Pulitzer prize-winning novelist 96-year-old Herman Wouk sells new novel

LONDON: Ably proving that age is no boundary to literary success, the 96-year-old Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Herman Wouk has just sold his new novel to Simon & Schuster, reports The Guardian.

Wouk’s ‘The Lawgiver’, which is likely to be one of the hits of next week’s London Book Fair, was sent exclusively to Simon & Schuster after his agent, Amy Rennert, learned that publisher Jonathan Karp wrote his master’s thesis on Wouk’s novels while at New York University. Karp said that he was “captivated” by the book within a few pages, “once again in the thrall of Wouk’s sharply conceived characters, amusing narration, irresistible command of story, and the wisdom of a lifetime”.

Wouk said that he had known Dick Simon and Max Schuster, who founded the publishing house in 1924, well.

“Few of my contemporaries can make that statement,” said the author. “They brought out my first novel, ‘Aurora Dawn’, in 1947, and returning to their imprint after 64 years is an uncommon pleasure.” Wouk had previously been published

by Little, Brown.

An epistolary novel in which the story emerges from letters, emails, tweets, Skype transcripts, text messages, memos, news articles and recorded talk, ‘The Lawgiver’ is an account of a group of people making a film about Moses in the present day. “The insights into Moses have remarkable vitality and depth. His heroine, Margo (“Mashie”) is a 21stcentury incarnation of one of my favorite literary characters of all time, Marjorie Morningstar,” said Karp. “I found myself marveling at the verve and wit of this great American storyteller, now 96.”

Wouk, who is 97 next month, took the Pulitzer for his 1951 novel of life on a navy warship in the Pacific during the second world war, ‘The Caine Mutiny’. The novel was later filmed starring Humphrey Bogart. A legendary name in American letters, Wouk is also known for his novels ‘Marjorie Morningstar’, ‘The Winds of War’ and ‘War and Remembrance’, with his most recent work of fiction, ‘A Hole in Texas’, published in 2004. He won America’s first Library of Congress fiction award, later renamed the Herman Wouk award for lifetime achievement in the writing of fiction, and last year his name accurately featured in the title of a short story by Stephen King, ‘Herman Wouk Is Still Alive’.

‘The Lawgiver’ is due out this autumn, and will be featured by Simon & Schuster at next week’s London Book Fair, the publisher said.

dropped its external loads and turned back to the south.

It was 8:49 am; the 11 remaining aircrafts were close to the target, less than one minute.

Jupiter 7, leader of the second group was still searching visual of the air base and of the smoke due to the attack of the first group of Jaguar. Suddenly they saw the target on the left; they are slightly south of Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base. “hard break left” called the leader.

One by one the Jaguar turned and aimed to their respective targets. Meanwhile the Iraqi air defense continued to shoot. Jaguars are surrounded by tracer bullets. Captain Mahagne looked to the right and left, it is a veritable fire barrage. “There! It must be a division command post” he thought. But it was too late, flying too

Colonel Mahagne today at home presenting the helmet he was wearing and his book.

low and too fast the pilot did not have time to adjust his shot. Then, in front of him appeared the dark mass of tanks semi-buried into the sand. The young captain pulled on his stick and dropped his four 250kg bombs. A SA-7 missile tore the sky, soon followed by a second close to his left wing. “Hit, I’m hit” yelled Jupiter No. 12, Captain Hummel.

Instinctively, Captain Mahagne, huddled in his cockpit. Suddenly the canopy broke under the impact of a bullet; the pilot felt a terrible blow to the head that threw him backward. - “I am blind. It’s horrible” screamed Mahagne. The phenomenon lasted only 3 or 4 seconds. He recovered vision. Stunned but conscious, he was gradually getting back to his senses. “Damn it

is painful. I feel that my head will explode” he said. Despite his headache the pilot began to dive again toward the ground, flying 20 feet above it.

Aboard the jet, Captain Mahagne was now silent. Outside all was quiet, because they were no more flying over the Iraqi forces. “Oh, shit, I’m hurt,” he said, feeling a hot and sticky liquid dribbling down his neck.

On board the USAF E-3 Sentry, the controllers did not lose anything about what happened. They were doing their best to support the pilots; they gave a course to the Lieutenant Bonnafoux to join the Captain Hummel, both being in trouble. They succeeded to join together, took a course to Jubail Air Base, the nearest appropriate airfield.Within minutes the two aircrafts were flying together, side by side, Captain Hummel was dragging behind him a thick black smoke. They finally both succeeded in landing safely in Jubail.

In between, Jupiter 7, captain Pacorel had joined the Captain Mahagne and was guiding him slowly back to Al Ahsa Air Base.

Mahagne despite his headache, lowered the landing gear and flaps, and then made a final turn to line up. The touchdown was perfect. The captain had the strength to cut the engines before collapsing, unconscious, nose in his cockpit. A ladder had been brought. An ambulance and a doctor were already there.

Mahagne was treated with 10 stitches and he had a fracture of the skull. Doctors supposed that the bullet had ricocheted off the skull of the pilot, after crossing the helmet. If he had been flying two inches higher, he would certainly be dead. Mahagne was the first French wounded soldier of the Gulf War. After this first attack, the French Air Force reconsidered the tactics to be used for the next attacks and continued to bomb the Iraqi forces, but from medium altitude, avoiding this kind of risky low level attack, until final victory.

Captain Mahagn is a retired Colonel of the French Air Force. He is living in the south of France and he wrote a book called “Jaguar on Al Jaber”. This book was reedited last year for the 20th anniversary of the Gulf War.

Raf Simons takes over for Galliano at Dior PARIS: Belgian designer Raf Simons is taking over as artistic director at Christian Dior, the Paris fashion house announced on Monday, ending months of speculation over who would replace his disgraced predecessor, John Galliano.

The top design post at Dior, the parent company of luxury conglomerate LVMH, has been vacant for more than a year after Galliano was fired after a drunken anti-Semitic outburst in Paris.

Simons, who previously worked for fashion house Jil Sander and is known for his understated looks, was long considered an unlikely candidate as Dior conducted exploratory talks with more high-profile rivals ranging from Marc Jacobs, head designer at Louis Vuitton, to Alber Elbaz of Lanvin. In a statement, the 44-year-old Belgian paid homage to the history of Dior and said he would present his first Haute Couture collection for Dior in July 2012.

“It is with the utmost respect for its tremendous history, its unparalleled knowledge and craftsmanship that I am joining the magnificent house of Dior,” he said.

For the past year, Dior Chief Executive Sid-

ney Toledano has faced constant questioning about succession for Galliano after his shock ouster from the brand last year, to which he always responded by saying Dior would take its time.

In the absence of Galliano - who apologized for his outburst in early 2011 and has yet to resurface in a new position - his former aide Bill Gaytten took over as Dior’s artistic director and presented several pret-a-porter and Haute Couture collections.

But Gaytten’s work came under criticism in fashion circles for lacking his predecessor’s flair, and Dior never hid its intention of filling the top position with a designer of equal or greater stature to Galliano.

Simons developed a strong international reputation at Jil Sander, which is majority owned by the Prada Group, earning credit for a trend toward bright colors that permeated more modestly priced markets. “I’m someone who takes responsibility,” Simons told the New York Times, which first reported his hiring. “I’m not an isolated person. The more I connect to people, the more I have the feeling that things work.”-Reuters

FILE - Belgian designer Raf Simons acknowledges the applause of the audience at the end of the Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2012 women’s collection in Milan, in this Saturday, Sept. 25, 2011 file photo. (AP)

Trier braces for pilgrims coming to see Christ’s tunic BERLIN: Catholic pilgrims from as far away as Bolivia and India are expected in the western German city of Trier this month, when a tunic believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ just before his crucifixion, goes on display. The relic, known as “the holy tunic,” is a wrinkled, brown, woolen shirt with long sleeves. It has not been on public view since 1996 and it may be decades before it goes on view again.

At least 500,000 pilgrims are expected in Trier, near the French border, from April 13 to May 13, when the relic is displayed in the city’s cathedral.

The vast majority will arrive at the cathedral square by coach. But a few thousand are expected to arrive on foot, the old-fashioned way, along seven designated routes leading through country lanes from cities up to 190 kilometers away, organizers said. The longest route would take eight days by foot, or half as long by bicycle.

Small hotels are located along the way.

The pilgrimage marks the 500th anniversary of the first public display of the relic, in 1512. Such displays have in the past caused deep sectarian divisions, with Catholics defending the garment as a genuine link to Jesus and Protestants and atheists calling it a fraud.

The Catholic Church is circumspect nowadays about

whether the Trier garment really is the seamless robe Jesus wore before his crucifixion, leaving pilgrims to make up their own minds. The cathedral website says: “The question of the genuineness... cannot be answered with certainty,” and what is important is its “symbolism.”

Georg Baetzing, the priest in charge of organizing the pilgrimage organization, simply says, “It doesn’t have any owner’s label saying ‘Jesus Christ’ on it.” The earliest documentation of the relic is from 1196, when it was sealed inside an altar in Trier.

According to legend, the Roman dowager empress Helena discovered the tunic on a visit to Palestine in the year 327 or 328 and took it to Trier.

Earlier custodians repaired, relined and refaced the tunic with silk to such an extent that only a fragile pad of felted wool threads on the inside are believed to come from the original.

The garment measures 150 by 110 centimeters.

Unlike the shroud of Turin, a cloth in Italy alleged to have been used to wrap the body of Jesus following his death, the tunic has been so altered that there is little left in it to scientifically analyze.

The shroud was seen by more than 2 million people during a display in the cathedral in Turin two years ago.

Refula Schorta, Swiss-based archaeologist specializing who checks the tunic and examined it extra closely in February, says there is no way to determine its origin.

Markus Gross-Morgen, a Catholic theologian and art historian who heads the diocesan museum in Trier, is nevertheless urging a fresh scientific analysis.

He says he does not want to prove the garment belonged to Jesus, but only to establish whether its extensive reworking was in 1196 or 1512.

Baetzing said 500 groups had registered to take part in the pilgrimage. A group from the Philippines will have come the furthest. In 1996, some 700,000 people travelled to Trier to see the tunic.

Tourism officials say that it will be hard to obtain a regular hotel bed in the city during the pilgrimage. Trier, the site of extensive Roman-era ruins, receives 4 million tourists every year. Artists and satirists are also expected in Trier during the pilgrimage. An exhibition titled Relics and Fetishes, which ridicules the pilgrimage, is to be held at the city’s Tufa art space.

One group plans to stage a repeat of the 1996 mock ceremony in honor of the “holy underpants of Karl Marx.” Trier is the birthplace of Marx, considered the father of Communism.-dpa

ALWATAN DAILY

entertainment Song Of The Day

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012

First ever French Short Movie Festival launched in Kuwait

Rapper’s trial in 1993 NYC shooting to open Tuesday

Jameel W. Karaki Staff Writer

Fahad AlSabah Staff Writer

Song: Tell Me ‘Bout It Artist: Joss Stone Album: Introducing... Joss Stone Genre: Soul In short: Can we all just ignore how many times Joss Stone tried to reboot her career and enjoy the great songs that came from each attempt? Good. Introducing was solely produced by Raphael Saadiq and his influence is heavy on all the tracks; the lead single “Tell Me ‘Bout It” failed to make an impact worthy of Stone’s status, but it hasn’t lost its magic since its release back in 2007.

To listen to the song visit www.alwatandaily.com E-mail your feedback to falsabah@alwatandaily.com

The Buzz Jolie’s wicked turn in Maleficent gets 2014 date Angelina Jolie is turning wicked as one of Disney’s most-famous villains in “Maleficent,” a live-action twist on “Sleeping Beauty” that’s set for release just under two years from now. Walt Disney Studios announced Monday that “Maleficent” is due in theaters on March 14, 2014. The film will spell out the back story of the evil enchantress in Disney’s animated classic “Sleeping Beauty.” Production designer Robert Stromberg, a two-time Academy Award winner for “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland,” is set to direct. -AP

Fox renews Glee, New Girl, Raising Hope Fox has renewed “Glee,” “New Girl” and “Raising Hope” for next season, the network announced Monday; according to TV Guide. “Over the past season, “New Girl” has become the hottest new appointment series for young adults; “Raising Hope” has established itself as one of the smartest and most unique offbeat comedies on television; and “Glee” has continued its success as a genre-defying, global cultural phenomenon,” Fox President Kevin Reilly said in a statement.

“All three of these comedies add a fresh and distinctive flavor to our Tuesday nights, and I’m really happy to bring them back to our air next season.” “Glee” will return for its fourth season; “Raising Hope,” its third; and “New Girl,” its second.

Lindsay Lohan says club battery claim ‘one big lie’ Lindsay Lohan, on the comeback trail after being released from formal probation last month, on Monday strongly denied a claim that she had shoved a woman in a West Hollywood nightclub. Lohan’s spokesman said the 25 year-old “Freaky Friday” actress was never at the nightclub in question and called the allegations “malicious and unfounded.”

Police in West Hollywood said they were investigating a battery report filed by a woman who claimed that Lohan had pushed and shoved her in an argument over a man at a nightclub at the Standard hotel last Thursday. -Reuters

Green Day to induct Guns N’ Roses into Rock Hall

KUWAIT: France is the birthplace of cinema and, responsible for many of its early significant contributions and the cinema of foreign nations. The French film industry in the late 19th Century and was among the world’s most important. Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the cinématographe and their L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat in Paris in 1895 is considered by many historians as the official birth of cinematography.

To cement the cultural relationships between Kuwait and France, the French Institute in Kuwait previously known as “Voltaire,” launched the “French Short Movie Festival in Kuwait,” at Cinescape Laila on Tuesday, April 9, 2012, where a crowd of Kuwaiti young film makers, journalists and diplomats attended the opening and six movies were displayed and varied from fiction and animation.

Nada Yafi, French Ambassador to Kuwait shed the light on the flourishing short film industry in France and major festivals such as Clermont festival and Cannes Film Festival for long movies. Yafi also praised the efforts of organizers from the embassy, and the French cultural Center and Cinescape, General Manager Hisham Fahad Al Ghanim as well as encouraged Kuwaiti young film makers who some of them won awards in Doha and Dubai film festivals to participate in these French festivals.

Julian Clech, Cultural Counselor at the French embassy told AlWatan Daily that this event is to promote the French culture and strengthen the relationships between the two nations and to open the gates of talented Kuwaiti young film makers to enter participate in French film festivals.

When asked about the cultural relationships between Kuwait and France he described them as excellent, where a lot of Kuwaitis are visiting France for education, healthcare, tourism and business trips.

On his part Abdul Sattar Naji, a Kuwaiti cinematic said in a side talk that the French cinema is the cinema of tolerance, openness, transparency and diversity. According to Naji, the French Cinema plays a major part in supporting Lebanese, Algerian, Moroccan and Egyptian movies.

Naji also called for receiving more French movies, and accept their ideas for more cultural exchange.

The “French Short Movie Festival,” continued until Tuesday April 10, 2012 in Cinescape Laila with nine more short films.

Handout poster art for the “French Short Movie Festival” held in Kuwait.

NEW YORK: Opening statements are set for Tuesday in the murder trial of a once-rising rapper who reopened a nearly 20-year-old case by suddenly telling police he was the gunman. G. Dep, who made headway with a hit rap single and a video that helped popularize a clubgoers’ dance in the early 2000s, has acknowledged confessing to the 1993 shooting but has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has suggested he may focus on the effects of years of drug use on the rapper’s admission. A jury was chosen Monday.

The victim, 32-year-old John Henkel, was shot three times in the chest on a Harlem street in October 1993.

The case had long been cold by the time the rapper, born Trevell Coleman, went to a police station to confess in December 2010. He told authorities he had shot a stranger while trying to mug him at gunpoint more than 15 years before giving the location, the caliber of the gun and a few other details, police said. Detectives matched G. Dep’s account with Henkel’s death. The rapper, now 37, has told interviewers he hadn’t known the shooting had been deadly until police told him so.

G. Dep could face a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison if he’s convicted. Prosecutors offered a 15-year-tolife sentence if he’d plead guilty, but he wasn’t interested, his lawyer has said.

The rapper was part of rap impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs’ roster of up-andcomers in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

G. Dep scored a rap-chart hit with “Special Delivery,” and the video for his “Let’s Get It” helped popularize a dance called the Harlem shake. But the spotlight on him faded. -AP

Canadian woman charged with stalking Alec Baldwin NEW YORK: A Canadian woman was charged on Monday with stalking actor Alec Baldwin after appearing outside his New York City apartment over the weekend following a series of e-mails and messages that in some cases referred to the bachelor as her husband. Genevieve Sabourin, 40, of Montreal was charged with five misdemeanor offenses including aggravated harassment and stalking, and she was released on her own recognizance. New York City criminal court Judge Richard Weinberg also ordered Sabourin to stay away from Baldwin, and have “no contact whatsoever, direct or indirect,” with the “30 Rock” actor.

The charges and Sabourin’s arrest on Sunday stem from a series of text messages and emails she sent Baldwin since the two met for dinner in Fall 2010, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case.

In court, Baldwin’s attorney said the actor, who just last week announced his engagement to girlfriend Hilaria Thomas, had agreed to meet with Sabourin as a favor to a friend.

Initially, the e-mails and texts following that meeting were simply “annoying” to Baldwin, and he asked Sabourin to stop, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Last week, the volume and intensity of the e-mails increased and included one that said, in part, “I NEED TO START MY NEW LIFE, WITH MY NEW NAME, WITH MY NEW CARRIER IN MY NEW COUNTRY

Canadian actress Genevieve Sabourin leaves Manhattan Criminal Court after being arraigned in New York April 9, 2012. (Reuters)

HELP MY NEWLY HUSBAND, YOU!,” according to the complaint.

It said the e-mails caused Baldwin “anxiety, annoyance and fear” for his safety and

business.

A court-appointed attorney for Sabourin, a petite woman who appeared in court wearing all black, told Judge Weinberg she

FILE - Actor Alec Baldwin. (AFP)

and Baldwin “had a mutual relationship with texts, emails going in both directions” and added “there is not a single threat here.” A new court date was set for May 14. -Reuters

Spears asks judge to add fiance to conservatorship

Ronnie Wood: Rolling Stones to go into studio soon

FILE - In this May 11, 2011 file photo, singer Britney Spears (right) and Jason Trawick arrive at an Evening of “Southern Style” in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP)

Ronnie Wood, Rolling Stones guitarist, at the opening of an exhibition of his artwork, “Faces, Time and Places” at the Symbolic Collection April 9, 2012 in New York. (AFP)

Green Day will welcome fellow hard rockers Guns N’ Roses into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rock Hall spokesman Todd Mesek said Monday that Green Day members Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool will induct Guns N’ Roses at Saturday’s ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall.

Mesek says it’s not yet known if the original Guns N’ Roses lineup will reunite and perform. Mesek say he believes frontman Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and other band members plan to attend. The group split in 1996. Guns N’ Roses stormed onto the music scene in the mid-1980s, awakening an industry then dominated by pop and dance music. -AP

Ukraine freezes release of Russian war movie Ukraine is freezing the release of a controversial Russian movie depicting a legendary match between Soviet soccer players and Nazi soldiers, saying it could aggravate tensions.

“The Match” is based upon a 1942 game in which top Kiev football players defeated a team of Nazis and, some say, paid for it with their lives.The movie was set to premiere in Kiev in May, just weeks before Ukraine co-hosts the Euro 2012 soccer championship. But the Ukrainian film agency said Tuesday it will take another month to decide whether to release the movie. Some officials say the film portrays Ukrainians as Nazi collaborators. They also fear it may stoke anti-German sentiments ahead of the championship. -AP

Lion King takes Broadway crown from Phantom Broadway has a new ruler, and its name is “The Lion King.”

The musical over the weekend ousted long-standing boxoffice hit “The Phantom of the Opera” from the top of the list of all-time Broadway box office hits, a Disney spokeswoman said on Monday. “The Lion King” has generated a cumulative gross of just over $853,800,000 on Broadway, pulling ahead of “Phantom” which has grossed slightly more than $853,100,000. “The Lion King,” based on the 1994 animated Disney film of the same name, follows the journey of Simba, a young lion born into animal royalty. -Reuters

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LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears has requested that her fiance join her father in decision-making duties involving the pop superstar’s conservatorship, court filings show. The request was made by Spears’ court-appointed attorney on Friday and will be considered by a judge later this month.

If approved, Jason Trawick would join Jamie Spears in having control over the singer’s major personal decisions, including medical care.

Trawick has served as an agent for Spears, 30, and appeared in court with his future wife last month.

Superior Court Judge Reva Goetz closed the proceedings after attorneys handling the conservatorship said they intended to discuss the singer’s medical care and trade secrets.

Jamie Spears also attended the hourlong hearing and hugged his daughter in the courtroom after it concluded.

The filing by Spears’ court-appointed attorney, Samuel Ingham III, offers few details. According to the petition, Spears will attend the April 25 hearing during which the request to appoint Trawick as co-conservator will be considered.

Spears has been under court supervision since February 2008 after Jamie Spears stepped in after months of erratic behavior by his daughter.

He and an attorney have had control over the singer’s personal and financial affairs since then, and Goetz held several hearings a year to get updates on Spears’ health, finances and other issues. Spears rarely attends the hearings but has met several times with the judge.

The Grammy-winning singer and Trawick have been dating since 2009 and announced in December that they are engaged. No wedding date has been announced. -AP

NEW YORK: Ronnie Wood says the Rolling Stones will meet in a recording studio later this month “to just throw some ideas around.”

The guitarist for the legendary rock group said Monday that he and the band just want “to get the feel again.”

He also added that the Rolling Stones 50th anniversary is like training for something big.

“It’s like working out for the Olympics or something,” Wood said. “You’ve got to go into training. So we’re going to go into training.”

Wood made the comments Monday in an interview following a press conference for his exhibition, “Faces, Time and Places,” which features his own paintings.

It includes pieces of him and his band mates, as well as Muhammad Ali and Al Pacino.

Wood, who said he first started painting at age 3, enjoys doing it because it’s a reflection of his own ideas, unlike music, which he calls “a group effort.”

The exhibit launched Monday and will close June 30.

Wood’s week will get busier when he is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday as a member of The Faces, along with Rod Stewart. It will be the second induction for the 64-year-old Wood. The Rolling Stones were inducted in 1989.

He’ll also perform a solo show at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City, N.J., on April 21. When asked what fans should expect, he said: “Lots of surprises because I’m going to surprise myself. I don’t know what the hell is coming next. The whole set list is going to be made up. I’m making it up every day now.” -AP

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ALWATAN DAILY

AROUND TOWN / TIME OUT

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012

If you have an event you wish to include, please email: aroundtown@alwatandaily.com

Feature o f

graffiti

the day

moderately confused

Ali Abdulwahab Sons & Co organizes two-day Pringles event at the Marina Crescent

KUWAIT: Ali Abdulwahab Sons & Co., the exclusive distributor of Pringles in Kuwait, recently organized a two-day event at the Marina Crescent in an effort to launch the all new Pringles campaign entitled, ‘Pringles - Bursting with more flavor’.

The event which took place over two days in an interactive and energetic ambiance included several exciting contests, great entertainment and amazing prizes. From great giveaways to 40-inch LEDs, the attendees and participants all went home feeling the burst of the new Pringles flavors!

Commenting on this was Brand Manager of Pringles Sherihan Bastawi at Ali Abdulwahab Sons & Co, “This event comes in line with the Pringles strategy and its objective to interact with its target audience, in the midst of creative and young activities that reflect the brand’s energy and legacy. The contests offered at the event communicated this message in such a manner that even onlookers were enticed to come and participate or try the new Pringles flavors.”

She added, “The fun with Pringles doesn’t end here. All Pringles lovers, families, and friends can

Month a t

Sudoku

Intermediate join the fun in the two upcoming Pringles events taking place at the Marina Crescent once again and at the Kout Mall on the two consecutive weekends to follow.”

The contests that left everyone waiting for more included a construction contest, a cooking contest, a jingle contest, and many other entertaining and challenging activities, bringing together those with talents and hobbies and those who have a taste for fun!

Advanced

Elementary

Ali Abdulwahab Sons & Co. gave a special thanks to the organizers of the event, TRIUMPH for media services, and the sponsors which included Ice-Watch and Nestle -Toll.

It is worth mentioning that the Pringles events are taking place at the Marina Crescent once again on April 13 and 14 and at the Kout Mall on April 20 and 21. Come join the fun and win great prizes with Pringles!

General A n n o u n c e m e n t s

a glance countries. His body of work consists of a central iconic image that of a finger imprint, within each thumb impression he has formulated a pseudo-calligraphic narrative of life experiences on luminous and luxurious enamel weaves.

Classical music recital by young Kuwaiti musicians April 12/ 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. / Bayt Lothan: Bayt Lothan has a treat for you this Thursday. A musical recital by young aspiring Kuwaiti musicians!

Come enjoy a night of classical music and help support these young talents and show that music matters! Everyone is welcome. Call: +96525755866 or +96525727388 for more details.

Golden era club

K’S PATH’s last Shelter Open Day April 14/ 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. / Wafra: This is a great opportunity for visitors to interact and socialize with our dogs and cats for adoption, get acquainted with K’S PATH’s work in animal welfare and habitat protection through a shelter tour, and meet K’S PATH’s growing team of volunteers and staff. We will also hold an educational session for children on Kuwait’s desert and marine species followed by a crafts session to build a model desert and marine habitat.

Arabic course March 11-April 19/ TIES Center: TIES Center is glad to announce the start of Arabic courses. We offer classes for all levels, from beginners to advance and also introduced new classes called Kuwait dialect. TIES Arabic classes are intended for all expatriates who wish to learn Arabic for whatever purposebusiness, basic communication, as a second language or simply as a hobby. For more information/registration, contact 97228860/97793440.

Dar Al Funoon hosts artist Karim Ghidinelli April 2- 19/ 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. / Dar Al Funoon: Born in Italy in 1976, Karim spent his childhood in this city; he went to middle school and high school in African

K’S PATH invites applicants for the adoption of pets Sepp is a Domestic Long Haired (DLH) male cat. He will be 2-years-old April 2012. This friendly, laid-back boy loves a good cuddle and likes a high vantage point in a cat tree or ledge to look out from. He would do best in a home with children over 12 years of age.

To adopt, contact +965 67006122 or visit the website www.kspath.org

April 13/ 5 p.m. -7 p.m. /Rumaithiya: Join the Golden Era club for a fascinating Earth Day activity. Come armed with old newspapers, a pair of scissors and a bottle of glue. You also get to join Dr. Leos on a fascinating journey through a jewel nestled in central Europe, ranking high in human development. Seniors (60+) don’t miss out on the adventure! Venue- House #34, next to Abu-Tammam Intermediate School for Boys, Sate Alhusari St., Block 2, Rumaithiya. For details call 97172788/ 66208183 or drop a line to goldenera60@yahoo.com

Mario is a gentle and affectionate 6-years-young Spitz male. This friendly boy does great with people and dogs of all ages.

New Toastmasters Club Second and fourth Tuesday/ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. / Jabriya: A new Toastmasters Club is being formed and encouraging new members to join. Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. It is a non-profit international organization dedicated to improve member’s communication and leadership skills by attending and participating toastmasters meetings. For more information, please contact Khaled Al-Hashem at 65588824.

Brainbang session October 7-April/ 11:45 a.m. -1:45 p.m. /Salmiya: BRAINBANG, the creative arm of Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) invites all students aged 11 and above, to join us fortnightly on Fridays.

The areas of development are: Creativity in learning, tools and techniques to empower your mind, profile based learning, activity, fun, games and worksheet based assignments, practical experiments, mind gymnastics and application of learning techniques to conventional study. E-mail: brainbang@focckwt.org or call 25660835/25618471/97677820.

Dilbert

Open House for Indian Citizens Ambassador of India would be holding an Open House for Indian citizens to address their problems\grievances on Wednesdays of the second and the fourth weeks of every month between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs in the Embassy. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day. To ensure timely action/follow-up by the Embassy, it is requested that, wherever possible, Indian citizens should exhaust the existing channels of interaction/grievance redressal and bring their problems/issues in writing with supporting documents.

Royal Thai Embassy The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuwait wishes to invite Kuwaiti companies that deal business with Thai companies or those agencies of Thai commercial companies to visit the Embassy’s Commercial Office to register their relevant information to be part of the embassy’s business and trade database. The Royal Thai Embassy is located in Jabriya, Block 6, Street 8, Villa No. 1, Telephone No. 25317530 -25317531, Ext: 14.

Nancy

Horoscopes Aries: March 21 - April 19

You might have planned to make a particular purchase today, Aries, but a quick check of your financial situation could reveal that it would be better if you waited until your next payday. This could prove disappointing and frustrating, but look at it this way - you’ve waited this long for this item. It isn’t urgent, so waiting a little longer certainly won’t hurt. Do something else today.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

A lack of physical and mental energy as well as motivation could have you in a lethargic mood today, Taurus. You won’t feel like doing much of anything.

You might get extremely irritated at the thought of having to work in any way. It might be a good idea to go to a movie in the evening, preferably a thriller or action movie. This will get your juices flowing again.

Gemini: May 21- June 21

Usually you enjoy talking with others, Gemini, but today you won’t even want to answer the phone.

Your physical stamina and mental energy are low, and you could feel out of sorts. It might help if you go for a walk sometime in the afternoon. You won’t want to waste your evening lying around the house.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

A group of friends might want you to go out with them today, Cancer, but you probably won’t feel up to it. Your financial situation could also require a little belt-tightening now, so you may not feel you can justify the expense. In any case, you aren’t going to want to spend the evening alone. Invite a friend or love partner over to watch a movie with you.

Leo: July 23 - August 22

Today you could feel full of energy and eager to get out for some exercise, Leo, but other responsibilities might threaten to keep you from doing it. The resulting frustration could zap all your energy and put you in a lethargic mood. Don’t fall into this trap! Get the most urgent tasks done and then get the exercise you need. This way, you can recoup both your physical and mental energy.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

Your energy is probably pretty low today, Virgo.

You won’t feel like socializing, nor will you feel like staying in and reading or watching TV. Chances are you won’t know what to do with yourself all day.

Under these circumstances, the best thing to do is find a distraction. Go work out, read a thrilling book, go to a funny movie.

Libra: September 23 - October 22

Career and financial goals could seem completely stalled, Libra, and this could have you depressed, frustrated, and in something of a panic. Don’t fall into this trap. This isn’t a permanent condition.

You’ll be back on track in a few days. In the meantime, be good to yourself. Go to your favorite restaurant, buy yourself a present, or spend the afternoon in a bookstore.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21

A colleague could be in a very bad mood, Scorpio, and therefore not the easiest person in the world to deal with. In fact, today he or she could resist working at all, and you might feel obligated to take up the slack. Only do it if the tasks are urgent. It isn’t fair to you to have to do someone else’s job. Don’t feel guilty if you leave it unfinished.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

Plans to go away on vacation or perhaps a business trip could be put on hold today, Sagittarius. Events you might have been scheduled to attend could be temporarily postponed. This could leave you feeling somewhat at a loss because you’d planned to be away and now you don’t know what to do with yourself in the meantime.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

This isn’t a good day to visit the racetrack, Las Vegas, or any store that sells lottery tickets. Stay away from the stock market, too, Capricorn. Speculation of any kind now could be risky at best and disastrous at worst. Romance is also likely to be blocked today, since you’re probably feeling a bit lethargic and not very sociable. Read a good book. That’s the most productive thing you could do today!

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Aquarius, you’re likely to want to retreat into your bedroom and slam the door today. You won’t feel like talking or socializing with anyone, not even those closest to you. Too much work could have you in a state of near exhaustion and almost total burnout, which means that getting some rest is probably the best thing you could do right now. Relax now, and get yourself going again tomorrow.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

This might prove to be one of those days in which it’s very hard to get anything related to work or communication off the ground, Pisces. You could find excuses to stop working more often than usual, particularly if it involves calling people on the phone. Don’t fight it. Take care of the most urgent tasks.

ALWATAN DAILY

SPORTS

wednesDAY, april 11, 2012

19

Basketball

Gasol leads Lakers past Hornets, 93-91 NEW ORLEANS: Pau Gasol had 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame Kobe Bryant’s absence to beat the New Orleans Hornets, 93-91 on Monday night.

Bryant missed his second straight game with a sore left shin, but Ramon Sessions helped pick up the slack with 17 points, including a 3-pointer that put the Lakers ahead by six with 26 seconds left.

Andrew Bynum added 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who snapped a two-game skid.

Carl Landry had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Marco Belinelli scored 20 points for New Orleans, which led by as much as eight points in the fourth quarter, before the Lakers stormed back.

Greivis Vasquez added 18 points and 11 assists for the Hornets, hitting a careerhigh five 3-pointers on six attempts.

Chris Kaman had 16 points and five blocked shots, but committed his fifth foul with 6:04 left and had to sit for nearly four crucial minutes as New Orleans lost to the Lakers by six or fewer points for the third time in three meetings.

Gasol and Bynum helped the Lakers control the paint, as Los Angeles outscored New Orleans 42-28 inside and outrebounded the Hornets 46-35.New Orleans stayed closed thanks in part to 9 of 15 shooting from deep, with Belinelli hitting four 3s.

After trailing by as much as nine points in the second quarter, the Hornets surged ahead by nine in the third period after a 12-4 run that included a 3 by Vasquez and a three-point play by Al-Farouq Aminu on a driving layup.

Chris Kaman (35) of the New Orleans Hornets shoots the ball over Andrew Bynum (17) of the Los Angeles Lakers at New Orleans Arena, April 9, 2012. (AFP)

The lead was still at nine after Jason Smith’s floater late in the third quarter, but the Lakers quickly cut it to 72-68 on Sessions’ driving layup shortly before the end of the period and Metta World Peace’s 3 to open the fourth.

The Hornets did not wilt right away as they often have this season, thanks

to Belinelli, who scored seven straight Hornets points on a bail-out jumper at the shot clock buzzer, a double-pump jumper and a 29-foot 3 late in the shot clock to make it 79-71.

Gasol had 15 points in the first half, when the Lakers led by as much as nine on Troy Murphy’s jumper that made it

Cricket

West Indies bowlers keep pressure on Aussies BARBADOS: West Indies kept the pressure on Australia on day three of the first test in Bridgetown, Barbados on Monday with the tourists restricted at the close to 248 for five in 95 overs. Skipper Michael Clarke (73) was the backbone of the Australian batting as they labored in reply to West Indies’ 449 for nine declared.

Resuming on their overnight total of 44-0, Australia suffered an early setback when West Indies skipper Darren Sammy struck twice to remove both openers.

Sammy’s nagging line outside off stump finally teased Ed Cowan (14) into an edge to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh and then Sammy struck again with a similar delivery to Dave Warner (42)who found Darren Bravo at second slip.

The home team certainly smelt blood when Ricky Ponting was run out for four after Shane Watson hesitated while calling his partner for a second and left the former Australia captain stranded. At 84 for three, Australia needed to get their heads down and Watson and Clarke ground out 49 runs in 18.2 overs before lunch.

That set a possible foundation for the experienced pairing but Watson needlessly chased the second ball from Kemar Roach after lunch, gifting Baugh another

catch as he departed for 39. Sammy was disappointed when Clarke, on 27, was given out caught behind off Devendra Bishoo but had the decision overturned on a review showing little of a conclusive nature.

Clarke took advantage of the reprieve and put on a patient 82 run partnership with Mike Hussey for the fifth wicket but the hard work was undone when the Clarke unwisely tried to go over the top against Bishoo and found Narsingh Deonarine in the deep.

It was a needless shot and although Hussey (47 not out) and Matthew Wade (19 not out) saw it through to an early close because of bad light, Australia have plenty of work to do on the fourth day. Clarke, was disappointed with the way he got out but believes his team can still win the test.

Clarke said his batsmen had been restricted by some smart bowling from their opponents on a surface which was starting to help the bowlers. For the West Indians, looking an improved unit so far in this series, the key is clearly to try to finish off Australia quickly.

“Early wickets will be crucial tomorrow,” said Sammy, “Five wickets today was good but there is still a lot of work to do”. -Reuters

Australia’s Mike Hussey (right) falls over the crease after driving a delivery off West Indies’ Narsingh Deonarine as the wicket keeper Carlton Baugh and Darren Sammy look on, April 9, 2012. (AP)

40-31. Vasquez then hit the first of his 3-pointers and Kaman followed with a jumper, igniting a 12-2 run that included a second 3 by Vasquez and Kaman’s jumper, The surge briefly put the Hornets in the lead before Gasol’s jumper, which beat the halftime horn, put the Lakers back in front 44-43. -AP

Jazz end star-less Spurs’ 11-game win streak SALT LAKE CITY: Devin Harris scored 25 points, including 11 straight in the fourth quarter, and the Utah Jazz halted the San Antonio Spurs’ 11-game winning streak and boosted their own playoff hopes with a 91-84 victory Monday night. Paul Millsap added 18 points for the Jazz, who avenged a 114-104 road loss Sunday to the Spurs.

Utah (30-28) is injury riddled but the Spurs (40-15) were short-handed in a different way, choosing not to bring stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the rematch. Coach Gregg Popovich wanted that trio, averaging 46.8 points, to rest. Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter scored 14 points apiece, and DeJuan Blair added 13 in San Antonio’s first loss since March 17. The Jazz were down eight, and pulled within two before Harris scored 11 straight, including a pair of 3-pointers. Millsap’s follow dunk sealed it for the Jazz, who won despite 20 turnovers.

Utah had lost its three previous meetings this season to San Antonio by nearly a 10-point margin and went 0-3 against the Spurs last season. The Spurs play three games in four days starting with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. They have 11 games remaining in the condensed season and already have locked up a playoff spot.

The Jazz are trying to do the same, as they entered Monday’s game in 10th place, 1 1/2 games out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. Both teams looked out of sorts early, with the Jazz starting 1 of 7 with a pair of turnovers and the Spurs starting 1 of 6. Much of it could be attributed to makeshift lineups both teams put together.

The Jazz took a 23-19 lead into the second quarter and bumped it to 30-23 on a spin move inside by Derrick Favors. Neal, Mills and Splitter brought San Antonio back with seven points apiece in the second quarter as the Spurs pulled within 47-44 at the break.

The Spurs looked in control in the fourth, when they surged ahead 75-67 on a free throw by Splitter.

But Jamaal Tinsley hit a jumper, then Harris took over.

He finished 7 of 17, but 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, and made 8 of 12 free throws. Gordon Hayward added 16 points, and Jefferson had 12 points and 10 rebounds. -AP

Formula one

F1 chief powerless to force teams to Bahrain LONDON: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone admitted on Tuesday that he was unable to force teams to participate in this month’s Bahrain Grand Prix following a fresh outbreak of violence in the Gulf state.

Formula One teams are reportedly reluctant to race in Bahrain this season amid ongoing concerns over security in the country.

Last year’s event was postponed following violent anti-government protests before eventually being removed from the schedule altogether.

Now Ecclestone has confirmed that the fate of this year’s event on April 22 could be decided by the teams as authorities in Bahrain confirmed seven policeman were injured late on Monday in a bomb attack.

“We’ve no way we can force people to go there,” Ecclestone said. “We can’t say, ‘You’ve got to go’ -- although they would be in breach of their agreement with us if they didn’t go, but it doesn’t help. Commercially, they have to go, but whether they decide to or not is up to them. I’ve had no-one say anything other than, ‘We’re going to be racing in Bahrain.’”

Ecclestone added that, as far as he was concerned, this year’s race was still on.

“Yes. If the people in Bahrain are happy that they can run the event,” he said. “We’re not involved in any of the politics in Bahrain, over who is right or wrong. When you go to somebody’s country you have to respect exactly how they run their country and the laws of that country. The National Sporting Authority in that country are the people who can say, ‘Well, we think we’d prefer not to run the event. The promoter can also say they don’t want it because there is too much risk. We’ve an agreement with the

FILE - Bernie Ecclestone, CEO and president of F1’s governing body. (AFP)

FIA that Bahrain is a round of the world championship, and we’ve a contract with the promoters, but I want to make clear it’s nothing to do with finance.” -AFP

Football

Coach Guardiola continues to write off Barca title chances

International-starved Pakistan eyes T20 league PAKISTAN: Deprived of hosting international matches since a deadly attack on the Sri Lankan team bus three years ago, Pakistan hopes a high-profile new Twenty20 league can lure back overseas players.

No international team has played in Pakistan since the March 2009 attack in Lahore, which left eight people dead and several visiting players wounded, and the national team has had to play its “home” matches abroad, mostly in the United Arab Emirates. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is still waiting for Bangladesh’s response to an invitation to play a limited-overs series later this month. If Bangladesh are reluctant to come, it is inevitable that bigger-name teams like Australia, India, England and South Africa will continue to stay away while any doubts linger over players’ safety.

Passion for cricket in Pakistan remains undiminished, however, and corporate interest has reignited the PCB’s efforts to start a Pakistan Premier League (PPL), modelled on the megabucks Indian Premier League.

Nine teams are competing in this year’s IPL, the fifth edition of the tournament, with defending champions Chennai Super Kings led by Indian captain M.S. Dhoni

again emerging as one of the sides to beat.

But Pakistani players, who are usually a major draw in India, have been kept out of the tournament since the second edition, reportedly due to security fears.

Four companies, including one from India, are expected to give a presentation to the PCB this week on how to stage the PPL, with a UAE-based bank and two telecoms companies interested in taking up team franchises. It is not the first time the PPL idea has been floated. Former PCB chairman Naseem Ashraf wanted to launch a league to rival the IPL, but he had to quit after military ruler Pervez Musharraf was ousted and the idea was dropped.

“We gave a detailed plan about PPL and shared it with the top brass of PCB in 2009 and they expressed great interest and took our business model, but it was not pursued,” said Salman Ahmed, the co-partner in Portfolio World, a company which also deals with managing players. Ahmed pointed to the success of the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League earlier this year as evidence that there is room for more than one Twenty20 league in South Asia. -AFP

MADRID: Seeing Real Madrid’s lead slashed from 10 points to four in the space of three weeks has failed to convince Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola that his side can overhaul Jose Mourinho’s to win La Liga.

The champions, who are chasing a fourth consecutive league title, host Getafe on Tuesday on the back of nine consecutive victories.

A tenth would put them on 78 points from 32 matches, one behind the leaders, who visit city rivals Atletico Madrid on Wednesday after three draws in their last five matches.

“In the history of the league no one has ever overturned a ten-point advantage,” Guardiola told a news conference on Monday. “It is almost impossible for us to be champions. Now everyone seems to think we have them beaten, a team that will break the league goal-scoring record...but four points is still a lot. People seem to take it for given we will beat them when they come here. Madrid will come here knowing if they beat us they will be champions.” Local media have tagged Real’s last seven games of the season, which includes trips to Atletico, Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona, as tougher, but Guardiola dismissed such talk.

“To be champions, we have to win our last seven games, which will be difficult because it means winning 16 in a row,” Guardiola said. “People think it is easy to beat Getafe. I don’t want us to go into the Getafe game thinking Real are scared and will not stand the pressure. They will be able to stand it because they have great players.”

In an attempt to dampen any sense of euphoria, Guardiola fired out a warning to his own players, who have said they believed it possible they could win the title.

“The players know what they have to do between now and the end of the season,” he added. “Smile less and run more.”

Defenders Dani Alves and Gerard Pique are injury doubts while Barca are awaiting a decision on an appeal over a fifth yellow card for Cesc Fabregas from the weekend, which if unsuccessful means he will be suspended. - Reuters

FILE - Barcelona’s coach Josep Guardiola (right) looks on in front of Real Madrid’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho during the Spanish Cup ‘El clasico’ football match, Jan. 18, 2012. (AFP)

wednesday, april 11, 2012

SPORTS

Sports Editors Highlight

RIO DE JANIERO: A FIFA delegation is to visit Brazil this month to assess four of the six stadiums that will host the 2013 Confederations Cup, the local organizing committee said on Monday. The Confederations Cup, seen as dress-rehearsal for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, takes place from June 15-30 next year. Four cities have so far been confirmed as hosts: Rio, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza. Recife and Salvador could be added to that list depending on the progress of work on match venues. Other than Spain, winners at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2010, and the hosts Brazil, six other countries will take part in the tournament: CONCACAF champions Mexico, Copa America holders Uruguay and Asian Cup winners Japan. -AFP

Football

United head for happy hunting ground as title beckons LONDON: Manchester United make the short journey to a happy hunting ground at Wigan Athletic where they have won every time they have played and where they are likely to take another step to retaining their Premier League title on Wednesday.

Manchester City, who have fallen eight points behind United and now have a near impossible task of regaining the lead they held in the title race for five months, are at home to West Bromwich Albion.

The only thing certain thing about that match is that disgraced Italian Mario Balotelli will not be playing for City after being sent off in the defeat at Arsenal on Sunday with his coach Roberto Mancini saying he will probably sell him once the season is over.

Arsenal, meanwhile, can firm up their grip on third place if they inflict a sixth successive defeat on relegation-bound and bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

The night’s other match sees two of last season’s promoted sides, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City, meet at Loftus Road with QPR still battling against an immediate return to the Championship and mid-table Swansea looking ahead to a second season in the Premier League.

With six matches to play United have 79 points, City 71 and third placed Arsenal are on 61, two clear of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Even allowing for Wigan’s recent improve-

ment which has seen them unbeaten in seven of their last nine matches, Roberto Martinez’s side are still one from bottom and deep in trouble one off the bottom of the table.

Wigan have also lost all of their 13 previous League meetings against United since they first met in the 2005-06 season with that dismal run including six successive home league defeats.

United also beat Wigan 5-0 at Old Trafford in December and their last five matches have produced a goal tally of 21-0 in United’s favour.

With United in blistering form having won their last eight League games and 11 of their last 12, Wigan would create the upset of the season with a victory.

United could even win the title as early as Sunday, although that is unlikely. However, if United win on Wednesday and City lose to West Brom and then lose to Norwich City on Saturday, United would be champions again if they beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

City will be doing all they can to delay the inevitable by beating West Brom on Wednesday although Balotelli will not be playing following his red card at Arsenal. He is facing a lengthy ban as a result, but City are also likely to be without their influential midfielder Yaya Toure who went off with a knee injury on Sunday and is expected to be out.

Arsenal will take a firm grip of third place if they beat Wolves as expected to go five points clear of their arch-rivals Spurs and Newcastle United and seven ahead of Chelsea. -Reuters

Gunners look to consolidate their push for Champions League

LONDON: Arsenal will look to consolidate their push for Champions League football next season when they play bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Wednesday. The Gunners claimed their seventh win in eight league matches when they beat title-chasing Manchester City 1-0 at the Emirates on Sunday. Mikel Arteta scored the winner with a long-range drive three minutes from time to serious dent City’s championship hopes.

“I always felt the goal would come, but it was very tight and in the end you feel it is important not to lose,” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. “We kept going and at home recently we have produced some outstanding performances against any team. I am very happy we got the win and the team continues to grow in quality.” Arsenal are in third place on 61 points and Wenger expects his players to maintain their focus against struggling Wolves.

“You have to deal now with a team that will fight not to go down, so it will demand the same commitment as against Manchester City,” he said. “Wolves will fight for their survival and are dangerous as well.”

The Gunners will be without French defender Laurent Koscielny who picked up a 10th yellow card of the season against City and now serves a two-match ban.Wolves looked doomed to relegation with six matches to play.

They remain six points adrift at the bottom of the table after a miserable run of results dating back to early December that has seen them claim just one victory in 18 league matches. They have picked up only one point out of a possible 21 since Terry Connor replaced Mick McCarthy as manager in February. Wolves suffered their eighth straight league defeat when were beaten 2-1 at Stoke on Saturday despite taking the lead through Michael Kightly.

Wolves have not kept a clean sheet in 29 games and the last time they prevented the opposition from scoring in a league match this season was in a goalless draw at Aston Villa on August 27. -AP

Manchester United’s Ashley Young is mobbed by jubilant teammates after scoring against Blackburn Rovers during their English Premier League soccer match at Ewood Park Stadium, April 2, 2012. (AP)

Chelsea boss predicts hard fight for fourth spot LONDON: Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo believes the race for fourth spot in the Premier League will go to the final game of the season after their 1-1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Di Matteo’s men could have gone above fourth-placed Tottenham, who lost to Norwich earlier on Monday, had they beaten their west London rivals.

But Frank Lampard’s penalty on the stroke of half-time was cancelled out

by Clint Dempsey’s late header for Fulham.

The top three teams in the Premier League at the end of the season gain direct entry into the Champions League group stages, with the fourth-placed side set for the qualifying round.

This draw left Chelsea two points behind Tottenham, their opponents in an all-London FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.

After the FA Cup semi-final, Chelsea face holders Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final first leg tie at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, April 18.

Di Matteo is likely to be without Branislav Ivanovic for the Spurs game at Wembley, as he faces a misconduct charge over an off-the-ball clash with Wigan’s Shaun Maloney on Saturday.

Full-back Ashley Cole could miss both matches with an ankle injury while fellow England defender John Terry is not at full fitness after suffering cracked ribs in Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-final win over Benfica.

But Di Matteo added his side could cope with the strain, saying: “We’ve got

City look to keep Premier League hopes alive LONDON: Manchester City must beat West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium onWednesday to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive. Second-placed City lost 1-0 at Arsenal on Sunday to leave Manchester United eight points clear at the top of the table with just six matches to play.

City manager Roberto Mancini’s misery was compounded when controversial Italian striker Mario Balotelli was sent off in the last minute after being shown a second yellow card for fouling Bacary Sagna.

Mancini’s side have the best home record in

FILE - West Bromwich Albion’s Gareth McAuley (right) and team mates appeal against Manchester City’s David Silva, during their English Premier League soccer match, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP)

the Premier League, with 15 wins, one draw and no defeats, but their away that has let them down.

The defeat at Arsenal was their fifth loss on the road this term and overall they have picked up 25 points from a possible 48 away from the Etihad.

“We have played well for the majority of the season, but have come unstuck for whatever reason over the past few weeks, most of the time away from home,” said City midfielder James Milner.

“We have been very strong at home, but away have not got the results we want. It is about having that ruthlessness on the road which we can learn from.

Chelsea’s midfielder Frank Lampard reacts at the final whistle after their 1-1 draw in the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Chelsea, April 9, 2012. (AFP)

a good squad, a squad full of good players. We will utilize them.”

Fulham caused Chelsea problems throughout the first half and would have considered themselves unlucky to go in at half time a goal down.

The penalty appeared to have been given for Danny Murphy’s tackle on

Everyone has good days and bad days.” added Milner. “We did not keep the ball as well as we can.

We were still in the game going into the final 10 minutes, which is what the good teams do. When you are under pressure, it is about staying tight, restricting their chances and hoping you can nick one at the other end, but that just did not happen. As a team, we have set standards throughout the season, but we have not met them. We knew it would be a tough game, but we did not perform how we know we can for whatever reason, loss of confidence, fatigue. We have given everything we can, and it was not good enough. But we have another game in a couple of days and have to pick ourselves up and go again.”

West Brom won for the first time in five matches on Saturday when they beat relegation-threatened Blackburn 3-0 at The Hawthorns.

Martin Olsson gave the Baggies an early lead when he turned the ball into his own net before second-half goals from Liam Ridgewell and Marc- Antoine Fortune secured all three points for Albion.

West Brom are 13th in the table, 11 points above the drop zone with just six matches to play.

“Three-nil makes it seem more comfortable than it actually was,” said West Brom manager Roy Hodgson after Saturday’s victory. “All credit to Blackburn. I thought they did well and will feel aggrieved not to get something from the game. We needed some good defensive work and a fantastic save which would have put them on level terms. I think we can relax now in terms of being safe from relegation but I hope we don’t relax.” -AP

Salomon Kalou, but replays suggested it was Stephen Kelly’s challenge on the same player that saw referee Mark Clattenburg point to the spot.

Fulham had chances to equalize before United States international Dempsey’s 16th goal of the season gained a point for the Cottagers. -AFP

Balotelli could face Euro snub

ROME: Coach Cesare Prandelli has admitted that talented but troubled striker Mario Balotelli could be excluded from the Italy squad following his sending off at the end of Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal on Sunday. City manager Roberto Mancini said afterwards he would not use the controversial 21-year-old again this season and would probably sell the Italian.

And Balotelli could also be left out of Italy’s Euro 2012 squad as Prandelli is a stickler for discipline. “I will watch his sending off before deciding whether or not to apply the code of ethics for Balotelli,” said Prandelli. The former Fiorentina coach has a no-tolerance policy towards ill discipline and has always excluded players if they are serving a club ban for violent conduct.

Italy have only two friendlies on May 29 and June 1 before they head to Poland for the European Championships.

Balotelli has courted much controversy since his move to England a little under two years ago. He has been sent off four times and has twice been involved in a training ground bust-up with a teammate while he allegedly also had a scrap with Yaya Toure at half-time during the 3-3 draw at home to Sunderland, although the Ivory Coast midfielder denied that.

Balotelli was in the news again last week after crashing his Bentley while Mancini jokingly said before the Arsenal game that he would have punched the son of Ghanaian immigrants had he been a team-mate of Balotelli. Balotelli was also in trouble earlier this season after he and some friends set off fireworks in his bathroom, causing severe damage to the property while in pre-season he was hauled off before half-time during a friendly in the United States because Mancini felt he wasn’t taking it seriously. -AFP

Norwich damage Spurs’ top-four bid ENGLAND: Tottenham’s bid to qualify for the Champions League suffered another setback as Norwich clinched a shock 2-1 win at White Hart Lane on Monday.

Harry Redknapp’s side were well below their best as Norwich took an early lead through Anthony Pilkington and, although Jermain Defoe equalised before the break, it was the Canaries who deservedly took the points thanks to Elliott Bennett’s second half winner. Spurs have now won only one of their last eight Premier League matches after a lacklustre performance which raised doubts about their ability to hold off Newcastle and Chelsea in the race to finish in the top four. Fourth placed Tottenham are ahead of Newcastle only on goal difference.

While Redknapp continues to deny that the speculation linking him with the vacant England job has proved a distraction, there is no denying that Tottenham’s results have taken a major nosedive since Fabio Capello quit as England coach.

Paul Lambert’s team, only the third team to win at White Hart Lane this season, were in charge from the start and Grant Holt beat Ledley King to a Pilkington cross, only to prod wide. The Canaries were ahead in the 12th minute after some shambolic defending by Tottenham.

Younes Kaboul blocked Aaron Wilbraham’s shot and Kyle Walker went to clear, but his attempt ricocheted off King into

the path of Pilkington, who calmly fired past Brad Friedel.

Norwich thought they should have been given a penalty when King tangled with Holt in the Norwich box, but referee Michael Oliver waved play on much to the fury of Lambert on the touchline.

To add insult to injury for Lambert, Spurs then raced up the other end and equalised in the 33rd minute. Defoe latched on to a sublime pass from Jake Livermore and produced a fine, chipped finish over Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.

Spurs were forced into a substitution when French defender Younes Kaboul hobbled off and was replaced by Ryan Nelsen just before half-time, while Redknapp also sent on Emmanuel Adebayor for Louis Saha at the interval.

Adebayor nearly made an immediate impact as he burst into the Norwich penalty area and drove in a powerful shot that forced Ruddy to tip over.

Lambert was angry with Oliver again on the hour when Adebayor pushed Aaron Wilbraham in the Tottenham area but no penalty was given.

Gareth Bale went close to putting Spurs ahead with a long-range effort that cannoned off the woodwork. But Norwich regained the lead through Bennett’s first Premier League goal as the former Brighton midfielder thumped a 20-yard strike beyond Friedel. -AFP