June 10, 2012

SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 2012

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Issue No. 1459

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Disagreements threaten unity within Majority Bloc

Mohammed Al-Khaldi, Osama Al-Qatari & Ahmed Al-Shemmari

Staff Writers

KUWAIT: Cracks have been emerging in the Majority Bloc on the heels of MP Al-Saifi Al-Saifi’s interpellation against the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Ahmad Al-Rujaib. The motion has sparked a firestorm of uproar among members of the majority, as some voiced support for the interpellation, while others called for dialogue with the government on the condition that the latter addresses the core issues highlighted in the motion.

MP Mohammad Al-Kandari affirmed that the threats being made by certain members of the majority against ministers do not represent the Majority Bloc, saying that the concerned MPs are only expressing their personal views.

Speaking to Al Watan, the lawmaker revealed that the Bloc is currently facing disunity over Al-Saifi’s interpellation.

Al-Kandari, a member of the Majority Bloc, went on to describe the items contained in Al-Saifi’s interpella-

tion as unconstitutional, and stressed that the issues highlighted therein only represent the interpellator’s standpoints, rather than the Bloc’s.

In the same vein, a parliamentary source affirmed that the Majority is going through a state of anticipation in light of the three interpellations which have been included in the Parliament’s agenda for the upcoming session. The source, however, noted that the Majority Bloc does not intend to convene soon until such a time that the political scene becomes lucid.

In another development, the new motion that MP Mohammad Al-Juwaihel filed to grill the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah has apparently prompted three MPs to target the minister. Three MPs addressed a total of about 40 questions to Al-Humoud on Saturday on a wide range of issues, including a decision by the Immigration Department to reject the processing of transactions meant for individuals facing legal cases. MP Abdulhameed Dashti asked the minister to explain the legal basis for not processing those transactions.

Meanwhile, informed sources have revealed that MP

Egypt Islamist MP caught in ‘indecent’ act

Russia says is not against Assad’s departure

Killings continue in Syria as massacre outcry grows MOSCOW: Russia will not oppose the departure of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad if that is the result of a dialogue between Syrians themselves and is not imposed from outside, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.

Lavrov spoke one day after his deputies held consultations with US special envoy Fred Hof, in Moscow to push for a political transition in Syria that would see Assad leave power. “If the Syrians agree (about Assad’s departure) between each other, we will only be happy to support such a solution,” Lavrov told reporters. “But we believe it is unacceptable to impose the conditions for such a dialogue from outside.”

Eager to maintain its firmest Middle East foothold and stop the West pushing governments from power, Russia has used its UN Security Council veto and other tools to protect Assad from coordinated condemnation and sanctions.

Moscow insists there must be no “preconditions” in any discussion of Syria’s future, including the departure of Assad, an outcome which would suit many countries in the West as well as the many Sunni Muslim Arab states that dislike the Syrian government and its ally Iran.

Lavrov cited the power transition in Yemen, where President Ali Abdullah Saleh was eventually pushed out, saying that was a result of an internal process without any conditions being set by external parties.

Lavrov reiterated his call for an international conference in support of the envoy Kofi Annan’s failing peace plan and said “there was no outright rejection” of this initiative from the United States expressed during the Moscow talks, despite Russia’s recommendation that Iran take part. -Reuters See also 3

People watch the Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft which moves to the launch pad at the Jiuquan launch center in Jiuquan, China’s northwest Gansu province, Saturday, June 9, 2012. China will launch three astronauts this month to dock with an orbiting experimental module, and the crew might include its first female space traveler, a government news agency said Saturday. A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was moved to a launch pad in China’s desert northwest on Saturday for the mid-June flight, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing an space program spokesman. The three-member crew will dock with and live in the Tiangong 1 orbital module launched last year, Xinhua said. The government has not said how long the mission will last. China’s space program has made steady progress since a 2003 launch that made it only the third nation to put a man in space on its own. Two more manned missions have followed, one including a space walk. (AP)

Organic meat may have higher parasite risk

Al-Juwaihel will hold a press conference at the National Assembly during this week ahead of the discussion of the interpellations on June 19. The MP is expected to reveal all the documents he attached to his interpellation motion.

In other news, the former Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah renewed his refusal to appear before the parliamentary panel which has been probing allegations that he had illicitly transferred public funds abroad. In a letter he forwarded to the National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun, Sheikh Nasser was adamant that the panel has diverted constitutionally and politically, and that it has usurped the jurisdictions of the judicial authority.

The former Prime Minister further explained that the ruling of the Court for the Trial of Ministers, which acquitted him of the charges leveled against him, is final.

He added that the verdict should not be appealed and that the case should not be reopened. The former premier accused the panel of flouting Article 114 of the Constitution, in the sense that it has positioned itself as a judicial authority.

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CAIRO: Egyptian prosecutors asked parliament on Saturday for permission to investigate an Islamist MP police say was caught performing an “indecent” act with a woman in public, official media reported. The official MENA news agency quoted a police report saying that Ali Wanis, a cleric and MP for the ultra-conservative Al-Nur party, was found engaged in an “indecent” act with a 22-year-old woman in a car parked on a highway on Thursday.

Wanis has issued a public statement denying the allegation and said in a video posted in his website that he had parked along the side of the road because his pas-

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Attack on UN came from Liberia, Ivory Coast says

ABIDJAN: Gunmen who killed seven United Nations peacekeepers, two civilians and at least one soldier in Ivory Coast came from neighboring Liberia, the Ivorian defense minister said on Saturday.

Paul Koffi Koffi said the raid, on Friday afternoon, highlighted the need for Ivorian troops to carry out cross-border operations in Liberia to improve security.

There was no immediate comment from Liberia but the U.N. said it was reshuffling some of its several thousand troops deployed in the zone as a result of the incident.

The attack highlights simmering tensions and security threats in the west of the world’s top cocoa grower despite a year of progress stabilizing much of the

rest of the country since months of postelection violence last year.

“These people came from the other side of the border. They are militias and mercenaries,” Koffi Koffi said, confirming two civilians and “one or two” Ivorian soldiers were killed.

“We must go to the other side of the border to establish a security zone. We will clean up and secure the zone. This will be done, of course, with the agreement of the two countries.”

Alassane Ouattara won a 2010 election but only came to power after months of violence that killed thousands after incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede. -Reuters See also 5

Universe’s first objects after big bang possibly seen: NASA

WASHINGTON: New observations from a NASA space telescope have spotted what may be the very first objects created in the universe in unprecedented detail, scientists say according to SPACE. The faint objects, imaged in infrared light by NASA’s Spitzer space telescope, might be hugely massive stars or black holes, but are too distant to see individually.

The Big Bang is thought to have kickstarted the universe about 13.7 billion years ago.

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senger “became sick.”

Judicial sources told AFP that the prosecution’s request in such cases, when someone is caught in the act, is a formality and the prosecution has summoned Wanis for questioning.

Al-Nur party, which represents the more conservative brand of Salafi Islam, won the second largest number of seats in parliamentary elections last winter.

It was hit with a scandal in March when another lawmaker was forced to resign from parliament and from his party after claiming he was injured in a carjacking -- to explain bandages on his face -when in fact he had had a nose job. -AFP

Sharapova downs Errani to claim Roland Garros crown

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US failed to consult Afghans on airstrike: Karzai

Afghan burqa bomber kills four French troops

KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s president said Saturday that the United States failed to consult Afghan forces when calling in an airstrike that killed 18 civilians, and warned that in the future his government will consider such actions as violating the country’s pact with Washington.

In the east, meanwhile, a Taliban suicide bomber disguised as a woman wearing a burqa killed four French soldiers when he blew himself up in a market.

Both Karzai’s condemnation of the US operation and the French deaths as that country rushes to pull out its combat forces were reminders that the international exit from Afghanistan is going to be far from orderly. As more agreements are signed promising Afghan sovereignty and more NATO troops are assigned the role of train-

ers or advisers, the international mission in the county is becoming increasingly muddled.

Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said that President Hamid Karzai met with investigators earlier in the day and concluded that US troops had called in Wednesday’s strike without coordinating with Afghan units.

The incident occurred during a nighttime raid on militants taking cover in a village. These raids are a major irritant in Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s relationship with the international military coalition.

Karzai says the raids put civilians at risk of injury or death. Military officials say such operations are key to capturing and killing Taliban leaders.

The US and Afghanistan signed an agreement in April that put the Afghan government in charge of most such “special operations” - a move designed to resolve some of the longstanding tensions. -AP

LinkedIn breach puts site’s reputation on the line

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Spain will make formal request for bank aid

PARIS: Spain will formally request aid for its troubled banks which will be approved by eurozone ministers, according to sources with knowledge of emergency talks held by the bloc’s finance ministers Saturday.

The International Monetary Fund will provide oversight of the aid’s use and the total amount to be made available could reach as much as 100 billion euros ($125 billion), the sources told AFP. Eurozone finance ministers agreed to back Spanish banks in exchange for conditions “focused on the financial sector,”

one source said.

The IMF will only have an oversight role, separate sources added.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde participated in the eurozone telephone conference on the crisis.

In Brussels, a European government source told AFP the eurozone would not require that Spain draw up austerity measures in exchange for the aid.

“There is no macro-economic program because this is unnecessary,” the source said, though the question was a matter of debate. -AFP

At first, the universe was too hot and dense for particles to be stable, but then the first quarks formed, which then grouped together to make protons and neutrons, and eventually the first atoms were created.

After about 500 million years, the first stars, galaxies and black holes began to take shape.

The scientists can’t confirm for sure that the objects they see date from the early universe, but say that’s the most likely explanation.

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US ‘disappointed’ by Iran-IAEA atom talks failure VIENNA: Lack of progress in talks between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency is disappointing and it shows Tehran’s continued failure to abide by its commitment to the UN nuclear watchdog, a US envoy said on Saturday.

The IAEA and Iran failed at talks on Friday to unblock an investigation into suspected atom bomb research by the Islamic state, a setback dimming any chances for success in higher-level negotiations between Tehran and major powers later this month.

The IAEA, a Vienna-based UN agency, said no progress had been made in the meeting aimed at sealing a framework deal on resuming its long-stalled investigation. Six world powers were scrutinizing the IAEA-Iran meeting to judge whether the Iranians were ready to make concessions before a resumption of wider-ranging negotiations with them in Moscow on June 18-19 on the decade-old nuclear dispute.

“We’re disappointed,” Robert Wood, the acting US envoy to the IAEA, told Reuters in an emailed comment.

“Yesterday’s outcome highlights Iran’s continued failure to abide by its commitment to the IAEA, and further underscores the need for it to work with the IAEA to address international community’s real concerns,” he said.

The IAEA had been pressing Tehran for an accord that would give its inspectors immediate access to the Parchin military complex, where it believes explosives tests relevant for the development of nuclear arms have taken place, and suspects Iran may now be cleaning the site of any incriminating evidence. -Reuters

A girl stands at La Chureca, Managua’s municipal garbage dump, which is located near Lake Managua June 9, 2012. According to a study carried out by the NGO International Foundation for Global Economic Challenge (FIDEG), Nicaragua reduced extreme poverty by one percent during 2010 to 2011. (Reuters)

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ALWATAN DAILY

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sunday, JUNE 10, 2012

Kuwait takes part in World Bank’s anti-corruption meeting WASHINGTON: The World Bank Group hosted in the American capital the second biennial meeting of the International Corruption Hunters Alliance (ICHA) to engage members on new technological tools and resources that can support the collective fight against global corruption.

Over 300 senior anti-corruption officials and heads of enforcement organizations from across the world participated in the meeting at the World Bank headquarters, including the Kuwait Audit Bureau, which was represented

by Director of the Second Department for Companies Auditing Fahad Al-Mubaraki.

The meeting this year, which was entitled “Leading with Integrity: Innovations and New Frontiers” had two objectives; to demonstrate

and discuss progress on the priority actions and to advance global fight against corruption with a focus on technological innovations.”

This year’s meeting focused on three themes, which were “international cooperation, national enforcement and innovations in the uses of technology in the fight against corruption.” In his opening address in the event, World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick said that “technology can help us move faster and with greater accuracy to detect and catch fraud and corruption.”

He stressed that “we could develop a compendium of resources that support integrity in financial centers which could serve as a useful information resource for all members of the Alliance.” The ICHA 2012 program focused

KD 526.7 million spent on construction projects KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Works had invested around KD 526.7 million in construction projects from the allocated budget of KD 562 million, around 94 percent, said an official here Saturday.

Undersecretary at the Ministry of Public Works Abdulaziz Al-Kulaib told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the ministry’s

budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which ended on March 31st, was spent on six sectors involving the development of roads, construction, healthcare and maintenance projects. He noted that the current expenses showcased the ministry’s efforts in supporting the state’s development plan with the construction projects domain. -KUNA

on the introduction of new approaches such as “crowd sourcing and citizen engagement, the use of open source data to support forensic investigations and evidence gathering, as well as bringing a corruption prevention perspective through the experiences of a number of countries and international organizations.”

The program this year was structured to ensure that groups with similar profiles have the opportunity to discuss shared interests and future commitments.

The participants were also given the opportunity to meet with counterparts from the same region to discuss local priorities. Parallel sessions, workshops and panels were also held on the sidelines of the event. Also the George Washington University (GWU) Law

School co-hosted along with the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) a two-day training workshop on “operational skills for international corruption hunters.” This workshop is considered an “active learning” exercise that focuses upon enforcement capabilities and requires countries affected by corruption to work together with financial-center countries to resolve obstacles commonly encountered in tracing and recovering the assets of corruption.

Building on the network of corruption fighters that was launched in 2010, ICHA 2012 is “driving the fight against corruption to a new level defined by technological tools, new bilateral and multilateral partnerships, a broader range of enforcement action and a

wealth of investigative, forensic and preventive knowledge that is now accessible to all Alliance members.”

“Our focus this week was to learn from each other and prioritize the challenges and opportunities that can trigger collective action against global corruption,” said Stephen Zimmermann, Director of Operations at the World Bank Integrity Vice Presidency. He added “our work with members of the Alliance will continue to ensure that we are one step ahead and that our progress in fighting crime is not undermined.” In conjunction with the core program, the World Bank Group also hosted a Technology EXPO to showcase technology that can be tailored to the specific needs of corruption fighters. -KUNA

OWWA marks 30th Anniversary, 17th Migrant Workers Day

GUANGZHOU, China: Director of the Information Office of the Guangdong Provincial Government, Mo Gaoyi, praised Kuwait as a state of distinguished achievements in the Arab Gulf region.

Gaoyi, the head of a media delegation due to visit Kuwait, on June 18-22, expressed hope that his mission to the North Gulf State would be crowned with success.

He was speaking during a luncheon, held in his honor, by Kuwaiti Consul General to Guangzhou City Abdulwahab AlSager.

The Chinese official expressed hope the visit would lay basis for future cooperation between the information authorities of the two countries.

For his part, the Kuwaiti diplomat expressed hope that the planned mission by the Chinese officials would realize its aspired objectives for greater interaction with the great Asian nation. The two sides exchanged memorial awards.

The Chinese delegation, including the head of the News Center in Guangzhou, representatives of the state-run press and media in the province, would pay the visit to Kuwait in response to an invitation by the Ministry of Information.

The delegation, during the planned visit, will examine the Kuwaiti informa-

tion experience. The mission is expected to result in boosting the friendly relationship bounding the Chinese and Kuwaiti peoples and contribute in boosting mutual economic and business cooperation between the two sides.

Last April, Guangzhou and Kuwait City signed a twinning agreement, during a visit by Kuwait Capital Sheikh Ali Al-Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to the Asian nation.

Moreover, efforts were being exerted to bound the Chinese city of Zhanjiang with Al-Ahmadi in a twining accord.

Zhanjiang is currently witnessing construction of a joint oil refinery and a petrochemical complex.

State-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and China Petrochemical Corp., known as Sinopec, have recently agreed on execution of the USD nine billion joint ventures to build a refinery and the petrochemical complex.

The project with Asia’s top refiner Sinopec, potentially to be the largest Sinoforeign joint venture in China, involves a 300,000 barrel-per-day refinery, a one million-ton-a-year ethylene plant and retail network in the southern Guangdong Province. A Kuwaiti delegation of leading eminent media figures visited Guangzhou, in 2010, in response to an official invitation. -KUNA

(Photo by Jobz Torres)

China pins hopes on forecast visit to Kuwait

Official from Operation Hope receives a plaque of recognition from Labor Attaché David Des Dicang with Assistant Labor Attaché Ching Ardevilla, Vice Consul Sheila Monedero, Ambassador of the Philippines Shulan Primavera, and Welfare Officer Norlita Lugtu.

“I look forward to another thirty years from today to celebrate this significant occasion and when deployment of our Filipino workers will not be a matter of necessity but choice,” Ricky Laxa Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) of the Philippines in Kuwait celebrated its 30th year anniversary in conjunction with 17th Migrant Workers Day Thursday. The event was attended by different community leaders representing their organizations and graced by the Philippines’ Ambassador to Kuwait Shulan Primavera and Vice Consul Sheila Monedero, Labor Attaché David Des Dicang, Assistant Labor Attaché Ching Ardevilla, Welfare Officer Norlita Lugtu and officials of OWWA and POLO in Kuwait.

In a brief, but inspirational message delivered by the Ambassador Primavera, he noted that OWWA is a welfare institution that promotes and cares for the interest of its registered members.

Dive team removes three ships out off Doha seashore

One of the sunken ships successfully lifted by Kuwait’s Diving team. (KUNA)

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team at the Environmental Voluntary Foundation has successfully lifted three sunken ships off Doha seashore as part of its ongoing endeavors to protect the marine environment and secure marine passages.

Marine operational chief Waleed Al-Shatti said on Saturday that the operation was completed with the help of Kuwait Ports Authority, Marine Pollution De-

partment, Kuwait Coast Guard and the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources.

During the past two years, more than 50 ships were removed and tons of harmful waste were cleared.

Al-Shatti called on sea goers and ships owners to help the voluntary team in keeping the environment clean and secure. -KUNA

Zakat House supported 20 destinations last year

KUWAIT: The head of The Local Institutions Department in the Zakat House Shouroq Fares Almutiran confirm that the House is supporting a number of agencies and local institutions, which include charity associations, committees, authorities of the government ministries and civil society institutions working in the field of charitable and humanitarian work.

Almutiran said that the aim of establishing the Local Institutions Department in the Zakat House is to support the cooperation bonds between Zakat

and these authorities. Zakat believes in the importance of the role played by these entities, which provides its services in the field of charitable and humanitarian work in the community in order to spread the spirit of jointly and severally between different classes and groups.

She added that Zakat supports the most relevant authorities to his work as it provides support for some of these authorities based on the request of the donors to the house according to the conditional donation system.

It also develops and implements responsiveprograms and services for the social protection of its members. The envoy added that in Kuwait, OWWA’s remarkable performance is evident with the end results of its works. Aside from managing the resource center and ensuring the welfare of distressed workers, also involve visits to hospitals and jails and repatriation of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).

“We laud the determination and passion of the OWWA and Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) to help our distressed workers although its team is understaffed. In 2011 showed the lowest number of run-away workers registered in the resource center. All these achievements were made possible because of OWWA’s partners, support units and organizations. To my knowledge, this is the first time that OWWA celebrated its 30th year anniversary and Migrant Workers Day

Kuwaiti health program accredited internationally

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti researcher and academician made an unprecedented international accomplishment; his nutrition and diet program was accredited by a renowned international journal for treatment of obesity.

Dr. Ahmad Rashed Al-Haifi, a consultant at the health sciences college of the Public Authority for Applied Sciences and Training, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that his television program, the “sound diet,” after being transformed into a scientific paper, was accepted by the international journal, Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity.

The thesis will be promoted by the journal as an international reference for specialized television programs on nutrition and physical exercise, prescribed for losing weight.

His screened program involves a sample of 14 obese teenagers who are subject to a six-month supervision to aid them lose weight, through changing eating habits, increasing activity and acquiring new behaviors that contribute in reaching this purpose.

It has succeeded in enabling some members of team who suffer from 6-26 kg of extra weight to shed some 10 percent of fat in a specific short period of time and minimum effort.

The program involves boosting power will, organizing recreational trips and activities and hosting celebrities.

According to figures of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, more than 80 percent of adult women suffer from extra weight, and 45 percent of the teenagers aged between 14 and 20 have the same condition. -KUNA

and all made possible because of our Welfare Officer Norlita Lugtu,” commented Ambassador Primavera. He added; “I look forward to another thirty years from today to celebrate this significant occasion and when deployment of our Filipino workers will not be a matter of necessity but choice,” concluded the Philippine Envoy.

Among the highlights of the event were Vice Consul Monedero sharing her own personal experience with OWWA’s wards, Welfare Officer Lugtu conveying the message of the OWWA Administrator and Labor Attaché David Des Dicang reading the message of Secretary Baldoz for the Migrant Workers’ Day celebration. An audiovisual presentation and awarding of plaques of recognition to selected organizations was held followed by personal testimonies from OWWA members. The event concluded with dinner and musical presentation from Filipino vocalists.

Diplomat signs accords with Italian universities

Head of the Kuwaiti cultural office in Paris Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Radwan (right) after signing cooperation and cultural accords with two Italian universities. (KUNA)

ROME: Head of the Kuwaiti cultural office in Paris Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Radwan signed scientific cooperation and cultural accords with two Italian universities.

The diplomat told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in an exclusive interview that during his four-day visit to Italy, he managed to sign the accords with the second Naples and Tor Vergata universities.

The official affirmed that the accords would help Kuwaiti students seeking education in Europe, excluding students

in Great Britain and Ireland, adding that the signed documents would also help in boosting cultural and educational ties with Italy.

The accords would enable Kuwaiti students to seek education in Italian universities via studying the Italian language which in turn would help Kuwaitis enormously, said the official. He also said that the deals would help exchange visits between Kuwaiti and Italian educational staff and students. -KUNA

ALWATAN DAILY

WORLD The presidential competition

By Hossam Fathi

May God award Egyptians for their persistent patience which has extended for 60 years! May God protect Egypt and Egyptians and assist them in leading decent lives. I used to pray for God to help Egyptians especially after hearing statements made by the presidential candidates.

However, I enjoy hearing the comments and statements of the two candidates Dr. Mohammad Morsi and Dr. Ahmad Shafiq. At the same time, we have noticed a big difference between the written statements of candidates and those which they release live on TV. The candidate Shafiq committed several mistakes, for example saying “my supreme example in life follows that of the former president Mohammad Hosni Mubarak”.

He also said that the Muslim Brotherhood Movement plans to sell the Suez Canal in order to finance their projects! He promised youths to maintain freedom and the right of youths to gather in certain areas including Tahrir Square, after organizing such gatherings in a way where they would not influence the owners of shops and malls which are located in the vicinity.

The other candidate Morsi said that exorbitant amounts of money were stolen from Egypt, worth 36 trillion US dollars! Such a great sum equals the debts of all European States and the United States combined!

Morsi has also pledged to form a presidential council to participate in ruling the country regardless of gender or faith of the council members. This can be considered as a commitment and the candidate will not be able to ignore it if he wins the presidential elections. hossam@alwatan.com.kw Twitter:@hossamfathy66

Rebels say will free Lebanese hostages in new state BEIRUT: Syrian rebels holding 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims hostage said they would release the men when their country had established a new “civil state” but left room for negotiations, a video obtained by Al Jazeera television showed.

The hostages said in the video they were in good health and being treated well.

“The guests will be released by the Syrian civil state when their case is reviewed by a new democratic parliament,” the rebels said in a written statement on the video. “But given the current conditions it may be possible to negotiate their release with neighboring countries.”

Rebels have previously kidnapped men from Syria’s Shiite ally Iran, who said they were pilgrims but who rebels said were fighting with Al-Assad’s forces. The men were later released. The Lebanese hostages were on a bus that was stopped by gunmen as it crossed into northern Syria from Turkey on its way home from a pilgrimage to Iran. The gunmen released the women and kept the men. The kidnappers have accused some of the hostages of helping to put down their uprising. They previously said talks for the men’s release would not start until they received an apology from Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, head of Lebanon’s Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has remained a staunch supporter of Al-Assad who is from a minority Alawite sect considered an offshoot of Shiite Islam. The revolt against him has been led mostly by Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority, who complain that Alawite elites and their Shiite allies dominate the country.

A video obtained by Al Jazeera briefly showed all 11 hostages on film, apparently in good health. They said had not been ill-treated or forced to speak, but it was not possible to verify their statements. “I want to assure my family that I am well and in good health and that we are being treated as guests,” says one grey-haired man in the video, smiling. -Reuters

Al-Shabaab mock US bounty, offer camels for Obama

MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-allied AlShabaab rebels Saturday mocked a US offer of up to 33 million US dollars for tip-offs enabling the arrest of its top leaders, saying they would give 10 camels to anyone who helped locate Barack Obama.

The highest price put up by the US State Department on Thursday was for Al-Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi aw-Mohamed - more commonly known as Godane or Abu Zubayr - with a $7 million bounty for information on where he is hiding.

“I can assure you that these kind of things will never dissuade us from continuing the holy war against them,” said another senior Al-Shabaab leader, Fuad Mohamed Khalaf, or “Shongole”, in a message carried on several websites.

“There is nothing new in the fact that infidels pay to have Muslim leaders killed. They already did that by offering camels for the head of Prophet Mohammed, and the dollar is the camel of today,” he said.

He was referring to an offer of 100 camels made for Mohammed when he was fleeing Mecca for Medina, according to the Koran.

Khalaf added: “Whoever informs the mujahideen fighters of the place where Obama can be found will get 10 camels and for (US Secretary of State Hillary) Clinton, we will offer 10 roosters and 10 hens.”

The State Department said in a statement announcing the bounty for seven Al-Shabaab leaders that “the group is responsible for the killing of thousands of Somali civilians, Somali peace activists, international aid workers, journalists and African Union peacekeepers”. -AFP

SUNdAY, June 10, 2012

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Killings continue in Syria as massacre outcry grows DAMASCUS: The Syrian army killed at least 23 civilians in two protest cities on Saturday, a watchdog said, as an international outcry mounted over a massacre in a central village. UN observers who visited the village of Al-Kubeir, near Hama, said they witnessed blood on the walls and “a strong stench of burnt flesh,” prompting Western governments to launch a push for tough new sanctions against Damascus.

Nine women and three children were among 18 people killed in a pre-dawn bombardment of a residential neighborhood of the southern city of Deraa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Dozens more were wounded, some of them seriously, in the city which was the birthplace of the uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad’s rule which erupted in March last year, the British-based watchdog said.

In nearby Jordan, hundreds of Syrian refugees demonstrated at dawn in the border town of Ramtha to protest against the deaths in Deraa, Jordan’s official Petra news agency reported. Protesters marched to the Omari mosque in Ramtha, home to around 20,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom hail from Deraa province, Petra said. In central Syria, government forces pounded several rebel neighborhoods of the flashpoint city of Homs with artillery and mortars, killing six civilians, the Observatory said.

Renewed sanctions

Diplomats in New York said Britain, France and the United States would quickly draw up a Security Council resolution proposing sanctions against Syria following a grim report from UN monitors on their visit to the village of Al-Kubeir following Wednesday’s assault.

“We will move fast to press for a resolution,” one UN diplomat told AFP. More than 20 unarmed UN observers were allowed into Al-Kubeir on Friday, a day after they were shot at and prevented from entering the village.

“Inside some of the houses, blood was visible across the walls and floors. Fire was still burning outside houses and there was a strong stench of burnt flesh,” UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said in New York, delivering a grisly account of the visit.

At least 55 people were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory. UN officials were unable to confirm the death toll but made clear they believe government forces and their allies were behind the attack on the mainly Sunni

A handout image released by the Syrian opposition’s Shaam News Network shows Syrians waving pre-Baath flags adopted by the revolution during an anti-regime demonstration in Binnish on June 8, 2012. (AFP)

Muslim village surrounded by an Alawite population loyal to Al-Assad.

“Armored vehicle tracks were visible in the vicinity. Some homes were damaged by rockets from armored vehicles, grenades and a range of caliber weapons,” Nesirky said. UN chief Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council that according to preliminary evidence, troops had surrounded Al-Kubeir and militia entered the village and killed civilians with “barbarity”.

Damascus denied responsibility and blamed foreign-backed “terrorists,” as it has done repeatedly in the past. Violence on Friday killed at least 68 people nationwide - 36 civilians, 25 soldiers and seven rebel fighters, the Observatory said.

More than 13,500 people have been killed since the start of the uprising.

Opposition regroups

Leaders of the exiled Syrian National Council met in Turkey on Saturday to pick a new leader after the resignation of Burhan Ghalioun last month to avert divisions in the opposition bloc.

Ghalioun resigned on May 17 after activists accused him of ignoring the Local Coordination Committees, which spearhead anti-government protests on the ground, and of allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to play a leading role within the bloc. Sources in the group said the aim was to pick a “consensus” candidate who would be acceptable to Islamists, liberals and nationalists.

“There is a consensus inside the council that there should be a rotating presidency, so we are now changing the president for the coming three months,” said Bassma Kodmani, the SNC spokeswoman for external relations.

The new leader will face the challenge of

Egypt to have second go at constitution assembly

Protesters take part in a demonstration at Tahrir square in Cairo June 8, 2012. (Reuters)

CAIRO: Egypt will try again on Tuesday to set up an assembly to write a new constitution, the parliament speaker said on Saturday, after the previous such body was dissolved for failing to represent all interests following the fall of Hosni Mubarak’s government.

The make-up of the constitutional committee has been in deadlock since April after a court ordered a previous body dissolved for being dominated by Islamists and failing to fairly represent Egypt’s diverse society.

Islamists control around 70 percent of parliament. “We have invited the elected parliament members to a joint meeting at 11 am on Tuesday...to elect a 100-member assembly to prepare a new constitution for the state,” Parliamentary speaker Saad Al-Katatni said.

“All the political parties and powers have agreed that a full balance and representation of all powers and interests will be taken into consideration while forming the assembly,” he added.

Al-Katatni, who heads the parliamentary committee in charge of choosing the assembly’s members and belongs to

the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, the biggest parliamentary party, had asked public institutes, courts, syndicates and religious bodies on Friday for their nominations for the new assembly. The new constitution is expected to define the president’s powers and citizen rights. The delay in picking the panel has left Egypt in a constitutional vacuum one week before a final stage of a presidential vote on June 16-17.

The military council that took over after Mubarak was toppled last year has promised to hand over to a newly elected president by July 1, but it is unclear what authority the new head of state will have.

The military council on Tuesday gave political parties a 48-hour deadline to agree on the make-up of the new constitution-drafting assembly.

Parties indicated during a meeting with the military council on Thursday that the assembly would be made up of 39 members of political parties and 61 public figures including union members, lawyers, judges and religious leaders. -Reuters

boosting the SNC’s credibility with activists and rebel fighters inside Syria as well as the international community. Prior to the meeting, leaders of the armed opposition called on the international community to provide them with better weaponry and support.

“Those who claim to support the Syrian opposition should begin by supporting people on the inside of Syria,” said Hussein Sayyed, head of the Supreme Council for the Leadership of the Syrian Revolution, speaking by telephone to a meeting in Washington. Sayyed denied that the opposition was too divided to merit foreign support. “It is unacceptable for the international community to claim that it is withholding its support because of the fracturing of the opposition while the Syrian people continue to be slaughtered,” he told the meeting organized by the Rethink Institute. -AFP

Australian ICC lawyer ‘arrested’ in Libya

TRIPOLI: Libya has arrested a female Australian lawyer from the International Criminal Court for trying to pass “dangerous” documents to Seif Al-Islam, detained son of slain leader Muammar Gadhafi, the ICC’s Libyan representative said on Saturday.

“During a visit (to Seif on Friday), the lawyer tried to deliver documents to the accused, documents that have nothing to do with his case and that represent a danger to the security of Libya,” Ahmed Al-Jehani said.

The lawyer, named as Melinda Taylor, was part of a four-member ICC delegation that received permission from Libya’s chief prosecutor to visit Seif in Zintan, southwest of Tripoli, where he is being detained.

Jehani said she is “under house arrest in Zintan, not in prison,” and is being questioned by the authorities. The ICC’s spokesman in The Hague could not be reached for comment.

Seif, 39, has been in custody in Zintan since his arrest on Nov. 19 in the wake of the uprising that toppled his father rule after more than 40 years in power. The ICC wants both Seif and his late father’s spymaster, Abdullah Al-Senoussi, for crimes against humanity committed while trying to put down last year’s bloody revolt.

Jehani did not say what the documents were, except that they had been sent by Mohammed Ismail, Seif’s former right-hand man, who has been on the run since the revolt. Tripoli and the ICC have been at loggerheads since Seif Al-Islam’s capture over where he should be tried, with Libya arguing it could put him in the dock before a local court.

On May 1, officials asked the court’s judges to quash a surrender request and throw out the case.

“Denying the Libyan state and its people the opportunity to carry out national proceedings, in accordance... with Libyan law, would likely mean no state emerging from conflict could ever benefit from the complementary principle,” Libya’s lawyers said.

That was a reference to the ICC’s jurisdiction, which is complementary to that of national courts, enabling it to act only when member states are unable or unwilling to do so.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Seif and Al-Senoussi in June 2011, and wants to see them tried in The Hague. A third warrant for the late Libyan strongman was nullified after Gadhafi was killed by rebel forces on Oct. 20, 2011. -AFP

Libya army clashes with southern militia, 2 killed TRIPOLI: Two people were killed and several injured in clashes between Libyan soldiers and tribesmen in the remote southeast, a local doctor and tribal representative said, underlining the unrest still raging seven months after Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow.

Violence erupted in the early hours of Saturday in the city of Al Kufra, near Libya’s borders with Chad and Sudan, where armed forces were sent to in February to quell fighting in a long-standing rivalry between the Tibu and Zwai tribes.

Bouts of violence in the southern Sahara and in the mountainous west have shown how volatile Libya remains following the demise of Gaddafi, who had long played off one tribe or clan against the other to weaken their power.

“The Tibu launched an attack on the city, the army responded and fighting is continuing,” Muftah Abukhalil, a member of the local council, said by phone, without giving details. He said two people were injured in the violence.

Hussein Shakai, a Tibu representative, said it was the Tibu who had come under attack in the city, around 1,100

kms (680 miles) southeast of the capital Tripoli.

“One Tibu was killed and five were injured,” he said.

Taher Abubark, a doctor at the local hospital, said one person was killed and five injured. “At a clinic in Gadervi, there are four injured,” he said referring to a Tibu area.

National army official Sharif Al-Mayar confirmed the fighting but said he did not have full details. “We are looking into this,” he said. “The state should be doing its job and carrying out an investigation.”

Long-standing rivalries, divided communities and plentiful weapons are plaguing Libya as the interim government struggles to impose its authority and secure peace among the vast oil-producing country’s ethnic groups.

The Tibu tribe lives mainly in Chad but also inhabits parts of southern Libya. In February, the Zwai tribe accused the Tibu of attacking Kufra, backed by mercenaries from Chad. The Tibu said it was they who had come under attack. The remote southeast has a history of violence involving tribes. A tribal rebellion in 2009 was suppressed only after Gaddafi sent in helicopter gunships. -Reuters

Lajami Ali Al-Ateri, commander of the Libyan brigade in charge of Seif Al-Islam detention, gives a press conference in Zintan on June 9, 2012. (Reuters)

4

ALWATAN DAILY

OPINION / VIEWS

SUNdAY, June 10, 2012

Egypt’s innocent murderers

Muslims flourishing across the globe despite horrid massacres

The objectives of those protesting the verdicts in Tahrir and other squares include: a judicial purge; a law that would ban Mubarak’s senior officials from holding political posts for ten years.

Omar Ashour

Project Syndicate

A

friend, referring to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, told me as we watched former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s trial in the Police Academy’s criminal court: “Bashar should abandon power and retire safely in Egypt.

The general-prosecutor is murder-friendly.” Although Mubarak and his Interior (security) Minister, Habib Al-Adly, were handed life sentences at the conclusion of their trials, the generals who ran Egypt’s apparatus of repression as deputy interior ministers were acquitted.

Hasan Abd Al-Rahman, Head of the notorious, Stasi-like State Security Investigations (SSI); Ahmad Ramzi, Head of the Central Security Forces (CSF); Adly Fayyid, the Head of Public Security; Ismail Al-Shaer, who led the Cairo Security Directorate (CSD); Osama Youssef, the Head of the Giza Security Directorate; and Omar Faramawy, who oversaw of the 6th of October Security Directorate, were all cleared of any wrongdoing. Lawyers for Mubarak and Al-Adly will appeal their life-sentences, and many Egyptians believe that they will receive lighter sentences.

The verdicts sent an unmistakable message, one with serious consequences for Egypt’s political transition. A spontaneous cry was heard from the lawyers and the families of victims when they were announced: “The people want to cleanse the judiciary.” Indeed, many Egyptians - including senior judges - do not view the judiciary as an independent institution. “This is a major professional mistake. Those generals should have been handed lifesentences like Mubarak,” said Zakaria Abd Al-Aziz, the former elected head of the Judges Club. “The killing went on for days, and they did not order anyone to stop it. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) is not the only place that should be cleansed.The judiciary needs that” as well.

The verdicts certainly reinforce a culture of impunity within the security services. The SSI and its departments were responsible for many human-rights violations, including mass-torture and extra-judicial killings, throughout Mubarak’s 30year rule. When protestors stormed the SSI headquarters and other governorates in March 2011, torture rooms and equipment were found in every building. Unlawful detentions, kidnappings, disappearances, systematic torture, rape, and inhuman prison conditions have all been documented since the 1980s by human-rights organizations and a few Egyptian courts.

Acquitting the heads of the SSI and the CSF (the 300,000-strong institution that acted as the “muscle” of Mubarak’s regime), after a revolution sparked by police brutality, led directly to renewed protests in Tahrir Square. “We either get the rights of the martyrs, or die like them,” chanted hundreds of thousands in Tahrir and other Egyptian squares.

Sit-ins, reminiscent of the 18 days of January and February 2011 that ended Mubarak’s rule, have already started. A third consequence of the verdicts concerns the empowerment of an anti-reform faction within the MOI. Based on my year-long research on Egyptian security-sector reform, this faction is already the most powerful.

Following the revolution, factional struggle within the MOI became public. “We have to save face,” said General Abd Al-Latif Badiny, a deputy interior minister who was fired under Al-Adly.

“Many officers and commanders refused to torture detainees and were against corruption, but we need a revolutionary president to empower us and clean the ministry.” Badiny was reappointed after the revolution, but then reprimanded in November 2011, following clashes between demonstrators and police that left more than 40 protesters dead. “He was advocating dialogue with protesters, whereas Al-Adly’s men wanted a harsh crackdown. They got their way in the end,” says Major Ahmad Ragab, the spokesperson of the reformist General Coalition of Police Officers (GCPO), which seeks to establish an official police syndicate and reform the security services along apolitical, professional lines.

The verdicts will significantly affect two other processes: revolutionary forces’ capacity to mobilize, and thus to place pressure on the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), and the presidential elections. The objectives of those protesting the verdicts in Tahrir and other squares include: a judicial purge; a law that would ban Mubarak’s senior officials from holding political posts for ten years; new trials for Al-Aldy’s generals; and removal of the general prosecutor (who was appointed by Mubarak).

There are also calls, still undeveloped, for greater unity ahead of the presidential run-off election on June 16-17. Such appeals range from demanding an immediate transfer of power to a coalition of revolutionary presidential candidates (although the mechanism is vague) to the formation of a united presidential front in the runoff, with Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as President and left-leaning Nasserist Hamadin Sabahi and liberal-leaning moderate-Islamist Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh as Vice-Presidents. MPs have already called on the three figures to come to the parliament and negotiate a coalition.

The verdicts are likely to boost support in the runoff for Morsi, who split the Islamist vote with two other candidates in the election’s first round.

Moreover, a significant share of the non-Islamist revolutionary vote will go to Morsi, owing to the absence of other revolutionary alternatives. The common saying in Tahrir is: “We’ve got differences with Morsi, but we’ve got blood with (Ahmed) Shafiq,” Mubarak’s last prime minister and Morsi’s opponent in the runoff. Pro-revolution, non-Islamist, and non-MB candidates received almost 9.7 million votes in the first round of the presidential election.

The majority of these voters will probably now support Morsi, as opposed to staying home (the general drift before the verdicts). The MB must still decide for inclusiveness if it wants to attract the support of Aboul Fotouh and Sabahi voters in the runoff against Shafiq. But, for now, Tahrir and other squares are once again uniting the pro-change forces, whether Islamist or not. The key challenge for Egyptian revolutionaries is to sustain that unity, establish a leadership coalition, translate their chants into concrete demands, and maintain the pressure during implementation. Egypt’s revolution continues.

I

t is indeed a miraculous occurrence that despite innocent Muslims being massacred on an almost daily basis, Muslims across the globe are witnessing a sharp increase in their numbers as is evident in the fact people belonging to various nationalities in countries across the world are embracing Islam as their new religion. It is surely the Will of God Almighty that people from various ethnic, cultural and intellectual diversities are, of their own free will, embracing Islam as the religion of their choice despite having practiced their own respective religions over the past several years.

In fact, it is not uncommon to find most of those converts who embrace Islam actually hail from diverse and professional backgrounds like; models, singers, diplomats, athletes, atheists, and even priests. This surely goes to prove that Islam is a universal religion and one which welcomes all those who truly believe in God Almighty and the teachings that He deemed on Prophet Mohammed (Peace be Upon Him) to preach to Muslims all over the world.

In fact, I have even heard and read about the activities of several renowned Western scholars who waste no precious time in trying to convince tens of people to embrace Islam every week, in addition to volunteers at several other Islamic centers that persuade people to embrace Islam on a daily basis. It could also be highly probable that a series of global developments that were directed against Islam must have surely prompted thousands of people of different nationalities and religions to embrace Islam without a trace of hesitance; such as the September 11 attacks, the offensive and blasphemous caricatures that were drawn of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in Denmark, coupled with various other reasons.

However, what is of utmost importance here; lies in the fact that it is common knowledge that Muslims across the world treat fellow Muslims and those that belong to other religions in a very humane and positive way and I am absolutely certain that it is this trait that actually attracts non-Muslims towards Islam and change the misconceptions that people nurse about Islam. On the other hand, Muslims over the centuries had also been compelled to flee their own homes and countries and migrate to Europe in desperate attempts to escape the wrath of unjust and dictatorial regimes or to improve their otherwise pathetic and miserable standards of living. Muslims are renowned for their sense of humility and this is also another trait which actually encourages them to adhere to and promulgate the true identity of Islam.

A brief statistical report that was compiled by my friend Abdulaziz Al-Musallam with regards to the numbers of people, who embraced Islam, indicated that 400 people in Germany embraced Islam between 20042005, 5,000 in Denmark in 2005 and an overwhelming 100,000 in France and Britain during the last decade. Newspapers in the West have published comments about Islam on the lines of: “Islam is flourishing in Russia and the country’s demography will change,” “Europe will be dominated by Arabs in less than 50 years and Muslims will surely have the upper hand in the formations of Euro-

pean governments,” “Islam attracts more Spanish people living in the United States as people who embraced Islam have increased by 30 percent since 1999,” and “German citizens are witnessed seeking answers in the Holy Quran.”

During my recent visit to Sheffield a week ago, some supervisors employed at Islamic centers told me that the city was the preferred capital city for all new Muslims entrants in Britain prompted by the increasing number of people in Sheffield who embrace Islam. I certainly hope that such positive developments can at least give us a faint glimmer of hope that despite all the massacres of Muslims that are gaining traction worldwide, this religion will surely rise and prosper taking into consideration the underlying fact that Islam is currently the second most practiced religion - even in non-Islamic countries, and will soon gain worldwide recognition as the leading religion.

I urge all peace-loving and religiously devout Muslims across the world to be generous and donate freely towards the Islamic cause. In doing so, they can financially support all those Islamic centers and media, in order to convey the true image of Islam that has been distorted and mutilated by our own Muslim brothers and others. Only then will we be granted mercy and salvation from God Almighty and subsequently be deemed to enter the paradise that He has promised all of us in the hereafter.

CONCESSIONS

Ali Farzat

* Omar Ashour is the Director of the Middle East Graduate Studies Program at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, and Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.

Is global financial reform possible?

Paul Volcker Project Syndicate

N

Muslims are renowned for their sense of humility and this is also another trait; which actually encourages them to adhere to and promulgate the true identity of Islam.

Essam Al-Fulaij

owadays there is ample evidence that financial systems, whether in Asia in the 1990s or a decade later in the United States and Europe, are vulnerable to breakdowns. The cost in interrupted growth and unemployment has been intolerably large. But, in the absence of international consensus on some key points, reform will be greatly weakened, if not aborted. The freedom of money, financial markets, and people to move - and thus to escape regulation and taxation - might be an acceptable, even constructive, brake on excessive official intervention, but not if a deregulatory race to the bottom prevents adoption of needed ethical and prudential standards.

Perhaps most important is a coherent, consistent approach to dealing with the imminent failure of “systemically important” institutions. Taxpayers and governments alike are tired of bailing out creditors for fear of the destructive contagious effects of failure - even as bailouts encourage excessive risk taking. By law in the US, new approaches superseding established bankruptcy procedures dictate the demise rather than the rescue of failing firms, whether by sale, merger, or liquidation. But such efforts’ success will depend

If approaches that build on past failure do not seem sufficiently effective, perhaps a new approach toward currency fluctuations would be more promising.

on complementary approaches elsewhere, most importantly in the United Kingdom and other key financial centers.

Strict uniformity of regulatory practices may not be necessary. For example, the UK and the US may be adopting approaches that differ with respect to protecting commercial banks from more speculative, proprietary trading, but the policy concerns are broadly similar - and may not be so pressing elsewhere, where banking traditions are different and trading is more restrained. But other jurisdictions should not act to undercut the restrictions imposed by home authorities. Closely related to these reforms is reform of the international monetary system. Indeed, one might legitimately question whether we have a “system” at all, at least compared to the Bretton Woods arrangements and, before that, the seeming simplicity of the gold standard. No one today has been able to exert authority systematically and consistently, and there is no officially sanctified and controlled international currency.

Arguably, the ideal of a well-defined and effective international monetary regime has become more difficult to realize as markets and capital flows have become vastly larger and more capricious. Indeed, the global economy, it is said,

has grown - and emerging countries have flourished - without a more organized system. But what is too often overlooked is that international monetary disorder lay at the root of the successive financial crises of the 1990s, and played an even more striking role in the crisis that erupted in 2008. The sustained and, in a sense, complementary imbalances in the US and Asia stand out.

From 2000 to 2007, the US ran a cumulative currentaccount deficit of roughly 5.5 trillion US dollars, with nearly symmetrical offsetting increases in reserves in China and Japan. China found it useful to run a large trade surplus, using a very high rate of internal savings and inward foreign investment to support its industrialization and rapid growth.

By contrast, the US, in the face of slow growth, was content to sustain exceptionally high levels of consumption at the expense of personal savings, inflating a massive housing bubble that burst with a very large and deeply disturbing bang.

The practical and inescapable lesson is that when any country is left to its own policy devices, its preferences may lead to prolonged and ultimately unsustainable imbalances.

Sooner or later, adjustment will be necessary - if not by considered domestic policy or a well-functioning international

monetary system, then by financial crisis. Not so long ago, we were comforted by theorizing that floating exchange rates would mediate international adjustments in a timely and orderly way. But, in the real world, many countries, particularly but not limited to small, open economies, simply find it impractical or undesirable to permit their currency to float. But, if approaches that build on past failure do not seem sufficiently effective, perhaps a new approach toward currency fluctuations would be more promising. That would require some agreement about appropriate “equilibrium” exchange rates, with a fairly wide band that would allow for uncertainty and permit the market to exert its own discipline. But individual countries would orient intervention and economic policies toward defending the equilibrium rate, or, more radically, an international authority might authorize aggressive intervention by trading partners to promote consistency.

An appropriate reserve currency and adequate international liquidity represent another central concern. For years, the pragmatic answer has been the dollar, and to some extent other national currencies, giving rise to complaints of an “inordinate privilege” for the US. But it is not in America’s interest to accentuate and extend its payment deficits at the expense of an internationally competitive economy with strong industry and restrained consumption. And the rest of the world wants the flexibility afforded by the currency of the largest, strongest, and most stable economy. * Paul Volcker is a former chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board.

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ALWATAN DAILY

WORLD

SUNdAY, June 10, 2012

UN soldiers killed in Ivory Coast ambush ABIDJAN: The United Nations has confirmed that seven peacekeepers have been killed in an ambush in the Ivory Coast, the first attack of its kind in the country.

“This attack cost the lives of seven UNOCI peacekeeping soldiers from Niger,” the peacekeeping mission said in a statement. “These soldiers were on patrol in the region of Tai, in a zone where UNOCI recently increased its presence due to a threat of civilian operations being attacked.”

A UN source told the AFP news agency that the peacekeepers were patrolling near two villages, Para and Tai. A resident of Para said that villagers were fleeing from fighting in the area.

“There’s panic in the villages, many are fleeing into the forest, others are heading for Liberia,” the resident said. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “outraged” by the killing and that more troops remained in danger.

“Even tonight, after the attack, more than 40 peacekeepers remain with the villagers in this remote region to protect them from this armed group,” Ban told reporters.

The mission, called UNOCI, was started in

2003 in the midst of the country’s years-long civil war. It saw extensive action following the presidential election in 2010, after the incumbent president, Laurent Gbagbo, proclaimed himself the winner.

It took months for forces loyal to the opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara, to dislodge Gbagbo; UN troops fired on Gbagbo’s troops and took control of the airport in the capital Abidjan during that time.

The western part of Ivory Coast remains deeply unstable, and has been plagued by deadly attacks since the post-election crisis abated. In a report published Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said at least 40 people have been killed since July 2011 in raids the group blamed on fighters loyal to Gbagbo.

Gbagbo was captured on April 11, 2011 and has been in custody in The Hague since November on allegations of crimes against humanity.

UNOCI has about 11,000 troops, military observers and police in Ivory Coast. Up to Friday, 60 troops, 15 police, one military observer and 14 international and local civilian staff have been killed. -Reuters

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is informed by his spokesperson Martin Nesirky of the killing of seven UN peacekeepers in Para, Cote d’Ivoire, at the UN headquarters in New York June 9. (Reuters)

US assistant defense secretary Peter Lavoy has arrived in Islamabad in a fresh attempt to bring an end to a sixmonth blockade on NATO supplies crossing into Afghanistan. (Reuters)

ISLAMABAD: US assistant defense secretary Peter Lavoy has arrived in Islamabad in a fresh attempt to bring an end to a six-month blockade on NATO supplies crossing into Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.

Lavoy’s visit comes days after US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan that the United States was running out of patience over Islamabad’s refusal to do more to eliminate safe havens for insurgents.

“The US assistant defense secretary arrived here Friday to meet with a broad spectrum of people,” acting US embassy spokesman Robert Raines told AFP. “He will be discussing bilateral issues with the officials,” he said without elaborating on the agenda for the two-day visit.

A Pakistani government official told AFP ahead of the trip that “talks will focus on reopening the NATO supply route, ways to promote border coordination and settle the issue of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF)”.

Pakistan-US relations hit a new low six months ago when US air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the Afghan border.

Islamabad responded by imposing a blockade

on NATO supplies crossing overland into Afghanistan.

Analysts believe there is little chance of a breakthrough during Lavoy’s trip.

“He will try and persuade Pakistan to reopen the route but it seems Pakistan wants to play tough at this stage,” analyst Hasan Askari told AFP. “I am not very hopeful that the US and Pakistan will agree to re-open the route in the near future despite the fact that Washington wants a middle way solution to the issue.”

Askari said Panetta’s strong remarks, which came after talks with Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak on Thursday, were designed to put pressure on Pakistan.

Panetta singled out the Haqqani network, a Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked faction that has bases in Pakistan’s lawless tribal district of North Waziristan and which has been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks of the 10year war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan sits on the frontline of the US-led war on Al-Qaeda and since July 2007 has been gripped by a local Taliban-led insurgency, concentrated largely in the northwest. -AFP

Flashlight bombs puzzle Malawi cancels AU summit over Sudan’s Bashir Phoenix authorities Flick the switch on these flashlights and they don’t light up. They blow up

PHOENIX: Flick the switch on these flashlights and they don’t light up. They blow up. Three of these bombs have exploded within the last month in the Phoenix area, causing minor injuries to five people and raising fears of more serious ones.

Police still have no idea who is behind them and have taken the unusual step of putting up 22 billboards across the sprawling metro area to warn residents about discarded flashlights.

“The nature of the bombings are so random,” said Tom Mangan, a special agent at the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix.

Mangan said the agency has ruled out any connection to terrorism because the targets have been random and there have been no messages or demands. The ATF said the bombs appear to have been made by the same person or people because their design was identical. An explosive was placed inside the flashlights with a smaller battery and rigged so that turning it on would send an electrical current that triggered the blast, Mangan said. He declined to identify the explosive material.

The first bomb was spotted by a passerby on May 13 in a suburb just west of Phoenix. It was sitting behind a palm tree in a strip mall and blew up when it was clicked on.

The next day, about 10 miles away, a landscaper found a flashlight in an irrigation ditch. It, too, exploded when he flicked the switch, authorities said. The third bomb exploded on May 24 at a Salvation Army distribution center near downtown Phoenix and about 11 miles from the first one.

An employee detonated the device while sorting through donations, forcing 120 people in the store to evacuate. Jon Bierd, production manager at the facility, said the worker suffered a small abrasion to his forehead.

The Salvation Army stopped accepting donations of flashlights. Since the explosion, employees have not seen any flashlights matching the yellow one seen on the billboards.

“If we have a flashlight that’s heavy or is not empty, then I’d call the Phoenix Police Department. No matter where it is, we do not touch it,” said Bierd, who is setting aside any flashlight that is donated. In addition to the billboards, police are offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest or conviction.

Police have received dozens of calls reporting possible flashlight bombs that either turned out to be false alarms or hoaxes, including one from a Goodwill store.

Meanwhile, the bombings have stopped, though it is unclear whether there are more flashlights out there.

The attention may have scared them off or they may gain confidence and strike again as the investigation stretches on without an arrest, criminal profiler Gregg McCrary said.

Details of the case lead the former FBI agent to think the culprit is either a man or two men, with one of them being a dominant leader and the other a follower. As for motive, whoever is responsible may be bombing at random for various reasons, said McCrary, who teaches at Marymount University in Virginia. “Typically these things are about wanting to feel superior and smarter than other people,” he said, adding that they also might revel in the news coverage. “There’ll be a vicarious thrill or excitement watching news coverage, and it’s kind of like: ‘Look what I’ve done.’ It’s a sense of empowerment that ‘I made all this happen,’” he said. Mangan said the remnants of the bombs are at a laboratory and being studied for fingerprints and other DNA evidence. The ATF said it will try to trace the materials used in the bombs to see where they were bought.

Mangan said his agency and others are concerned that the bombings will resume, possibly in a different container. They’re also worried that the injuries won’t be so minor next time.

“Anytime any individual uses a bomb, their purpose is to create fear in the community and also to inflict serious injury or death,” he said. -AP

NEWS IN BRIEF Gunmen kill four policemen in southwest Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Gunmen killed four policemen in a drive-by shooting on the outskirts of Pakistan’s troubled southwestern city of Quetta Saturday, police said. The shooting comes two days after 15 people were killed by a bomb explosion outside the gates of the Sunni Muslim seminary in the city. “Unidentified gunmen shot dead four policemen, who were on a routine patrol in the Saryab road area,” local police official Abdul Rahim told AFP. “We picked up the bodies from the site and shifted them to hospital.” -AFP

Mugabe asks ANC to prevent torture probes

US official in Islamabad for border blockade talks

LILONGWE: Malawi will not be hosting the African Union summit next month in a dispute over the bloc’s insistence on inviting Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan’s president.

The southern African country said on Friday that it had refused to bow to the 54member group’s condition that Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, attend the meeting in Lilongwe.

Malawi recognizes The Hague-based ICC, under whose rules signatories have a duty to arrest Bashir.

“After considering the interests of Malawians, I want to inform Malawians that the cabinet met today and decided it was not interested to accept the conditions by the African Union, therefore Malawi is not hosting the summit,” Vice President Khumbo Kachali told journalists.

Kachali said the country had received a communication from the AU commission that as a host country Malawi was required to in-

5

vite all the continent’s presidents, including Bashir.

“The commission said if Malawi was not willing to host Al-Bashir, the venue should be shifted to another country,” he said, adding that the summit would be hosted by Ethiopia.

Joyce Banda, Malawi’s new president, said last month that she wanted Bashir to stay away to avoid straining ties with key donors for her impoverished country.

Banda has embarked on a major drive to smooth ties with the international community which were soured under her predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika and has taken a number of bold steps to steer the country into donorfriendly waters.

Foreign aid once provided roughly 40 per cent of Malawi’s development budget but funding was slashed amid an economic crisis and governance concerns under Mutharika’s rule.

Earlier this week, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the UN Security Council that failure to detain him and other Sudanese officials accused of war crimes and genocide

was “a direct challenge to the council’s authority”.

He said the council should consider calling on all 193 UN member states and regional organizations to carry out the arrest warrants.

The Sudanese leader is the first sitting president indicted by the court and his visits spark diplomatic headaches for African nations, with some signatories vowing his arrest on their soil while others flout the court’s rules.

Malawi was reported to the council in December for refusing to arrest Bashir after Mutharika gave him a red carpet welcome at a regional trade summit.

In 2009, the AU said it would not respect the ICC warrant and urged the United Nations to suspend the arrest order.

Last month, the foreign minister of Benin, which is the current chair, said the group had no reason to bar Bashir from the summit.

The meeting, meant to end with a heads of state summit from July 15-16, was set to elect a new commission chair after a deadlock in January. -AFP

HARARE: Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Friday asked South Africa’s ruling African National Congress to stop probes into human rights abuses by Zimbabwean officials against activists. The 88-year-old slammed a South African high court judgment last month that authorities in South Africa can probe and prosecute high-level crimes committed in neighboring Zimbabwe. Mugabe charged that the court’s Judge Hans Fabricius, a white South African, hankered after the apartheid regime and called him a Boer, a pejorative term for white South Africans of Dutch origin. -AFP

Calm restored after rioting that killed seven in Myanmar YANGON: Security forces in western Myanmar had to open fire on rioters who burned hundreds of homes in sectarian violence that killed at least seven people, state-controlled media reported Saturday, adding that calm had been restored. The rioting reflected long-standing tensions between Buddhist residents and Muslims, many of whom are considered to be illegal settlers from neighboring Bangladesh. Although the root of the problem is localized - centering on resentment of the alleged cross-border outsiders - there is fear that the trouble could spread elsewhere because the split also runs along religious lines. Saturday’s television report announced that troops reinforced police in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships in Rakhine state, where the mobs rampaged. The state-run newspaper Myanma Ahlin said security forces opened fire to restore order. A dusk-to-dawn curfew was applied and public gatherings of more than five people banned. -AP

China punishes 12 police officers over 11 murders BEIJING: Authorities have fired or disciplined 12 police officers - including two police chiefs - for inadequately investigating a series of murders in southwest China in which victims were dismembered and buried, state media reported Saturday. Last month, authorities arrested Zhang Yongming on suspicions that he had killed 11 people since 2008 in Yunnan province. The 56-year-old also is accused of dismembering, burning and burying their bodies to destroy evidence.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency said that the officers were punished for failing to meet their responsibilities.

Among them were Jinning county police chief Da Qiming and Jincheng township police chief Zhao Huiyun, who were sacked last month, according to a statement posted on Yunnan Police’s official website. -AP

BUSINESS

Kuwaiti crude price falls, settles at $94.57 Seals term naphtha at record premiums

CAPITALS: Price of Kuwaiti crude oil dropped 1.71 US dollars per barrel in Friday’s trading settling at the level of $94.57 pb compared with $96.28 pb on Thursday. Prices of the crude oil dropped on international markets, on Friday, following suit of the euro and European stocks, due to deepening Spanish banking crisis, amid forecast Spain will ask for European financial bailout, early next week, to become the fourth European country to seek such aid since flare-up of the euro zone crisis.

The prices of oil were also affected with fresh remarks by US President Barack Obama expressing dissatisfaction at condition of the US economy.

Meanwhile, forward contracts for the Brent, for the July delivery, dropped $2.34 to $97.59 pb. It had fallen $97 pb, earlier, while the prices of the light American crude dropped $2.45 pb to $82.37 pb.

In more news, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has sealed its full-range naphtha for August 2012 to July 2013 lifting with some of its Asian buyers at record premiums of $24.00 a ton to Middle East quotes on a freeon-board (FOB) basis, traders said on Friday.

The high premiums were agreed despite a weak market in which a persistently bleak economic outlook had weighed on spot demand.

But buyers had limited options if they wanted the cargoes as two other Middle Eastern suppliers - ADNOC and Saudi Aramco - have also commanded record premiums recently.

KPC had already shaved $4 off its initial offers of $28.00 a ton and some traders said petrochemical makers in general preferred to buy cargoes directly from Middle Eastern refiners instead of trading houses.

This was because the buyers can nominate the delivery dates and have better control over their inventory levels. Other traders were surprised that some buyers went for the high price. “This is surprising given the run cuts in some of the petrochemical units because of bad margins,” a North Asian trader said.

KPC is still in talks with buyers for its light naphtha grade for the same lifting period.

The highest premiums buyers paid in the past to KPC were $22 a ton for full-range naphtha lifting from April 2012 to March 2013 and April 2010 to March 2011.

The lowest was $2.00 a ton for cargoes lifting December 2008 to November 2009 as that was when the global financial crisis struck.

Oil lower on euro zone woes, fading fed hopes

Oil prices slipped on Friday as the euro zone’s debt crisis and dimming hopes for US monetary stimulus reinforced concern about petroleum demand, but disappointing talks between Iran and the UN’s nuclear agency limited losses.

Oil prices in the danger red zone Kamel Al-Harami Independent energy analyst Exclusive to Al Watan Daily

A vendor arranges watermelons as he waits for customers at his stall in a market in Huaibei, Anhui province June 9, 2012. China’s annual consumer inflation cooled faster than forecast to two-year lows of 3 percent in May, helping explain the central bank’s move to cut interest rates this week for the first time since the depths of the 2008/09 financial crisis. Food inflation, the top concern for shoppers and policymakers, moderated to 6.4 percent in May from April’s 7 percent, as falling fruit and pork prices offset a jump in vegetable prices. (Reuters)

The intraday recovery allowed both Brent and US crude to post weekly gains, snapping a string of five straight weekly losses.

The euro recovered from lows and was on track to end five weeks of losses versus the dollar, but the single currency felt pressure after Thursday’s downgrade to Spain’s credit rating and on the signs of economic weakness in Italy and Germany. The stronger dollar added pressure to dollar-denominated oil prices.

Another round of disappointing talks between the UN International Atomic Energy Agency and a fire at Shell’s oil sands upgrader in Alberta helped oil prices recover from session lows. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s Thursday appearance before a congressional committee offered little encouragement to investors hoping the Fed would launch a third round of bond buying, or quantitative easing.

“The oil market faces an uncertain weekend, especially with respect to the expected bailout request for the Spanish bank and key economic data from China,” said John Kilduff, partner at hedge fund Again Capital LLC in New York.

“An almost worse-case scenario was priced in this morning, but dimmed prospects surrounding the Iran

Iran LNG delays export start to summer 2013 KUALA LUMPUR: Iran LNG expects to export the country’s first liquefied natural gas cargo in September next year, a spokesman for the company said on Friday, a further delay of several months to a project that has been hindered by sanctions.

International sanctions against the Islamic Republic aimed at putting pressure on Tehran to curb its nuclear program have prevented it from gaining access to the technology needed to super chill gas for export.

The West suspects Iran is using its nuclear program to develop weapons, while Tehran says it needs reactors to generate electricity.

“We are expecting to have our first cargo in

SUNdAY, June 10, 2012

the market by the end of next summer,” Mostafa Eftekhari, a spokesman for Iran LNG told Reuters on the sidelines of an international gas conference here. “We also hope by then the sanction problem would be resolved.” That was later than the previous date given by Iran LNG president Ali Khayrandish in September last year for an export start in early 2013. Iran officials insist that sanctions have not impacted plans for the plant, but construction is making slow progress.

Eftekhari said 60 percent of the $5 billion Iran project was complete, up slightly from the 53-54 percent completion rate the company gave last September. -Reuters

nuclear talks and the fire at a Shell upgrader in Alberta reminded everyone of the risk of going into the weekend aggressively short the market.”

Brent July crude fell a second day, dipping 46 cents to settle at $99.47 a barrel, well above its $97.19 intraday low. A 1.06 percent gain for the week avoided a sixth consecutive weekly loss, which would have been the longest string of weekly declines since 2002.

Brent prices had recovered above the $100 level during the week after slumping to a 16-month low of $95.63 on Monday.

US July crude slipped 72 cents to settle at $84.10, after falling as low as $82.

OPEC basket down

OPEC’s reference crude oil basket price eased to $97.70 a barrel on Thursday from $97.89 the previous day, OPEC said on Friday.

The reference basket comprises 12 crudes: Algeria’s Saharan Blend, Angola’s Girassol, Iran Heavy, Iraq’s Basra Light, Kuwait Export, Es Sider from Libya, Nigeria’s Bonny Light, Qatar Marine, Saudi Arabia’s Arab Light, Murban from the UAE, Venezuela’s Merey and Oriente from Ecuador. -Agencies

Saudi cement capacity to hit 66 million tons

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s cement production capacity is expected to jump above 66 million tons annually by 2015 from 47 million tons this year as the country gears up to meet demand for big infrastructure projects, a report from Al Rajhi Capital said.

“Construction activities have accelerated in 2011 and should continue in the same vein in 2012 and 2013. Consequently, the Saudi cement market has a positive undertone to it in terms of near to medium-term demand growth,” said the report, dated late May. “Total cement capacity has risen from 31 million tons in 2008 to 47 million tons currently and is expected to increase to over 66 million tons by 2015.”

Saudi Arabia has rolled out three consecutive state budgets of record size as it aims to meet growing demand for housing and improve roads, ports, railways and bridges.

“Overall, we expect demand to rise gradually over the next three years from 41 million tonnes in 2010 to 57 million tons by 2015,” Al Rajhi said. It predicted cement prices would cool during the month of Ramadan, between mid-July and mid-August, a time when demand usually slowed, but would overall remain stable for the rest of 2012, ending the year at 249 riyals per ton ($66.40).

Saudi Arabia is the cheapest cement producer in the Gulf Cooperation Council and has a competitive advantage over global rivals as it benefits from subsidized fuel. Its cement production cost is around $30 per ton against $44 in other GCC countries, the research report said.

There are 11 cement companies listed on the Saudi stock exchange. Al Rajhi’s top three picks are Arabian Cement Co , Al Jouf Cement Co and Yamamah Saudi Cement because of expectations for strong profit growth.

“Arabian Cement is our top pick owing to its robust revenue and earnings growth, proximity to the western region (which is growing rapidly) as well as open investor relations,” it said. -Reuters

KUWAIT: The decline in oil prices to its lowest level since October 2011 is leading them to touching the danger zone. Certainly, it is coming so gently and in accordance to the price set by the leading producer: Saudi Arabia. It has been asking for a fair oil price level within the $100 limit and today, it is getting slightly below it as well. They did it in a very professional way by just pumping and continuing to pump more barrels of oil into the market. Saudi stated very clearly that it is producing 10 million barrels and it has the capacity to produce 12 million and if you don’t believe me.

Try me!! They were blunt about it and they did it for some months but it was done.

So this present peace was good for the oil producers in The Arabian Gulf since they had been asking for fair oil price and for some time. The daily hit and request of lower oil finally became a reality. Are satisfied now? What if oil prices slide below the $90 level then what? As soon as oil dipped below $100 a barrel, the governments of oil producing countries began to complain and started to raise the alarm that we are reaching critical level and any level below it means we have to borrow or will face deficits in annual budgets.

So what is the red zone, or the red figure, that really will hurt the economy of the OPEC countries? Frankly, any thing below $95 a barrel could trigger the alarm and will oil incur deficits in their budgets but not serious ones and will not cause any harm to their on going projects.

Oil prices dropped below $100 despite some political tension in the Middle East and the boycott of Iranian crude is appearing on the horizon; however oil consumers don’t seem to care. They are facing awkward economic crises and just can’t afford to pay higher oil prices.

The real test will come in the next few days when OPEC meets to decide its production level and to elect new secretary general. Reaching a decision on the production level is much easier now and it’s most likely outcome will be ‘status quo’; meaning leaving each of its member to produce according to their capacity, which means free for all as the main player is Saudi Arabia and will take will play its normal role of ‘swing producer’.

It will manage global oil supply positions according to oil price level and will keep to maintain it closer to $100 and not above it for the coming months, or until the end of the year.

On announcing and appointing new secretary general neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran will agree to their candidates and will leave it pending for some long time.

So far oil consuming countries are satisfy to the current oil level and OPEC may be forced to keep its oil price for long time and until the world economy can sense the direction and road to recovery, certainly not in the near future.

The author of this article can be reached at naftikuwaiti@yahoo.com Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions presented in the column are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Al Watan Daily and its staff.

Oman launches its $3.40 billion DryDock MUSCAT: Sultanate of Oman has officially launched, on Saturday, Oman DryDock (ODC), one of the biggest and most modern ship repair yards in the Middle East, with a cost of 1.31 billion Omani Riyal (3.40 billion US dollars).

Chairman of Oman Drydock Company and undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications for ports and maritime affairs Said bin Hamdoon Al-Harthy told the press that ODC is currently working in its fullest capacity and it is one of the biggest projects that would provide diversity of recourses to the country as well as great employment opportunities for the public.

The project, located in Duqm state in the Wusta region of Oman, has achieved success during its initial operational stages which started in April of 2011, he noted. He further added that ODC have received more than 80 ships of all sizes and nationalities, with more focus on handling, with greater care, giant oil and gas vessels.

ODC yard stretches over 1,277,000 square meters of land and 1,139,000 square meters of sea surface with 2,800 meters length of quays.

ODC is equipped to discharge treated wastewater at the rate of 30 cubic meters per hour, making it capable of handling the waste streams of even Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC).

The ODC zone is not only a ship yard but also a free zone, an airport and a seaport facility. It aims at reducing dependence on oil revenues and improving its labor skills in compliance with the country’s vision 2020. -KUNA

Tanzania invites UAE to explore for oil, gas

FILE- A general view of Iran’s first offshore oil platform, Iran-Alborz, in the Caspian Sea near city of Neka, about 392 km (245 miles) north of Tehran is shown in this July 23, 2009 file photo. Iran LNG expects to export the country’s first liquefied natural gas cargo in September next year, a spokesman for the company said on Friday, a further delay of several months to a project that has been hindered by sanctions. (Reuters)

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania: Tanzania’s president has invited investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join the rush for oil and gas in the east African nation, after recent gas discoveries along its coastline, the president’s office said on Saturday.

Together with oil finds in neighboring Kenya and Uganda, significant gas finds in southern Tanzania have raised the profile of the region in the global energy industry.

“We invite investors to come work with us in oil and gas exploration ... and even in investing in industries that will add more value by producing gas-related products,” a statement from President Jakaya Kikwete’s office quoted him telling a delegation from the UAE. The delegation, which met the president on Friday, was led by the country’s assistant foreign minister for economic affairs Khaled Ghanem Al-Ghaith, the statement said.

Executives from state-controlled Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. (TAQA), investment fund Mubadala, budget carrier Flydubai and UAE telecom firm Etisalat, which is the majority

shareholder in Tanzanian mobile phone operator Zantel, were also present.

Tanzania has licensed at least 18 international companies to carry out exploration of offshore and onshore energy reserves.

British gas producer BG Group and explorer Ophir Energy said in May they had found gas off the coast. Norwegian oil and gas firm Statoil also announced in February it had found natural gas offshore.

Brazil’s state-controlled oil company Petrobras, Artumas Group Inc (AGI), France’s Maurel & Prom, Royal Dutch Shell and Aminex also hold exploration licenses.

The government signed a one billion US dollars loan agreement with China in September to build a 532-km (320-mile) gas pipeline from the south of the country to its commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

The World Bank expects gas revenues to generate $2-$3 billion a year for the aid-dependent nation over the coming years. -Reuters

ALWATAN DAILY

BUSINESS

7

SUNdAY, June 10, 2012

Top oil executives say market coping with Iran exit Saudi cuts oil output in May to at 9.8 million bpd

KUALA LUMPUR: The global oil market is well supplied and can cope with the loss of Iranian crude to Western sanctions, oil officials and executives, including the heads of Total and Royal Dutch Shell, said this week.

An increase in global crude supplies and falling crude prices have helped cushion the impact of sanctions targeting Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

“The market is well supplied. There is no shortage,” the head of French oil firm Total said at a conference in Malaysia when asked if he was concerned about the loss of Iranian supply on the oil market.

Total’s Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie added that Brent crude prices had seen “a very important decrease.”

Brent crude was trading just under $99 per barrel on Friday after dropping to a 16-month low below $96 a barrel earlier this week.

Troubles in the euro zone have overshadowed the tensions between the West and Iran, OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, after Brent prices hit a record high of $128 a barrel in March. Speaking at the same conference, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser said oil prices will weaken further in the second half of this year as demand reacts to a slowing global

Chief Operating Officer of Gas & Power at ENI, Umberto Vergine (L), speaks as Total chief executive Christophe de Margerie (C) and Executive Vice President of GDF SUEZ Jean-Marie Dauger listen during the World Gas Conference 2012 in Kuala Lumpur June 8, 2012. The head of French oil firm Total said on Friday oil markets were balanced and there was no shortage of supplies, despite concerns over the impact of Western sanctions targeting Iranian oil exports over its nuclear program.

economy, while international political tensions were fading.

“Global demand is softening, we have got recessionary elements in Europe, a small slowdown in Asia Pacific,” Voser told Reuters in an interview earlier this week.

“At the same time, some of the geopolitical elements of price volatility over the past few months have kind of receded, and therefore we

see a softening of prices which I expect to go well into the second half of this year.”

More supply

Ahead of a meeting of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) next week, Algerian Oil Minister Youcef Yousfi also said the market could cope with a drop in Iranian supply. “Yes, there is enough oil in the market,”

the minister said when asked whether there is sufficient crude to offset the impact of Western sanctions on Iranian exports.

An increase in global crude supplies and falling prices put the market in a better position, said Daniel Yergin, IHS CERA chairman and author of the pulitzer winning work “The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, & Power”. “This is a very powerful flotilla of sanctions that are heading towards Iran, it’s never been this powerful,” he said.

“What makes a big difference is that there is alternative oil in the market. There is a very concerted effort to ensure that alternative supply that will come into the market to enable the sanctions to work.” Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has boosted output to the highest level in decades to cool global oil prices and cover any supply disruption. Increased US supplies have made more oil available to the world’s top consumer, cutting its import needs, and more supply was also coming from Iraq as international oil companies develop giant fields there and from Libya as the country recovers from civil war, he added.

of countries that will receive exceptions from sanctions as soon as early next week, a government official had said, although it may withhold waivers for China and Singapore.

Time is running out for Asian buyers to come up with ways to keep imports flowing without falling foul of the toughest Western sanctions to date against Tehran’s oil trade. Solutions have proved elusive so far.

Malaysia’s Petronas, one of the smaller Iranian crude buyers, is buying alternative grades from West Africa and other Gulf suppliers.

“We’ve got our sources. As long as we can get the right quality, the right type of oil for our refineries we’re okay,” said Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, Petronas’s chief operating officer and executive vice president of downstream.

Petronas stopped importing some 50,00060,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude for its Malacca refinery and the majority-owned Engen refinery in South Africa in April, company officials had said. In more news, top oil exporter Saudi Arabia pumped 9.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in May, an industry source said on Saturday.

May’s oil production was lower by 300,000 bpd from April when the Saudi kingdom pumped 10.1 million bpd, its highest for more than 30 years, as it bids to meet growing demand and curb oil prices.

Members of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet on June 14 in Vienna to review output policy. -Reuters

Asia cuts Iran imports

China, Japan, India and South Korea have already cut their imports by about a fifth from the 1.45 million barrels per day (bpd) they were buying a year ago as they prepare for the US financial sanctions to come into effect.

The United States will announce a new list

Manufacturing slows in China, but more fiscal measures ahead Why is this graph important?

CN: PMI Manufacturing

Concerns over China’s growth have been plaguing investors once again, after the two barometers of China’s manufacturing sector indicated a sharper than expected deceleration. The first is called the Flash HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers Index (HSBC PMI); it’s designed to give the first reading of the state of China’s industrial sector before the official PMI. The early release declined to 48.7 (later revised to 48.4 in the final revision) in May from prior’s 49.3, below the 50 mark, which indicates a month-onmonth (MoM) contraction.

The official Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), declined to 50.4 from 53.3 in April. The decline was sharper than the analysts’ 52.0 estimate. Still, the NBS reading is close to 50, which indicates that the MoM growth in the sector is almost stagnant but not yet contracting. Manufacturing activity in China has decelerated in response to weak global demand and easing domestic consumption. The difference in the two PMI’s is attributed to the difference in the respective survey’s samples. The proportion of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the HSBC PMI survey is larger than that of the NBS sample, and these companies tend to be located in the east-coast provinces, making the HSBC PMI more representative of the trade industry.

The export sector is slowing the most because the debt crisis in the Eurozone and weak US growth is hurting demand. The components

Since 2009

Index Value

58 57

NBS Mfg. PMI (Official)

55 54 53 52 51 50

Benchmark

ź KSE - Price Index

Closing

6,099.3 401.7

ź KSE - Weighted Index ź KSE - KAMCO TRW Index ź Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL) ź Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange ź Dubai Financial Market ź Qatar Exchange ź Bahrain Bourse Ÿ Muscat Securities Market Total GCC Equity Markets

2,578.2

6,661.3

2,439.7

1,463.7

8,316.1

1,132.3 5,785.2

Weekly

(USD Mln)

2,940,293

675,236

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(0.64%) 0.53%

ő 7- United Ahli Bank

3.8%

1,676,908

9,686,877

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258,930

93,487

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467,545

134,688

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61,434

376,770

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4,188 57,330

4,628 39,896

5,466,627

11,011,581

Ÿ 5- Al-Etihad Etisalat Co. Ÿ 6- Saudi Arabia Fertilizers Co. ő 7- Samba Financial Group ő 8- Kingdom Holding Co. ő 9- Riyad Bank ź 10- SABB

ź 5- Abu Dhabi National Energy ź 6- Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank ź 7- Union National Bank ź 8- National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah ő 9- National Bank of Fujairah Ÿ 10- AL DAR Properties Co.

(1.21%)

(93) 732

(0.56%) 4.34%

(19,085)

(2.57%)

P/B (X)

Yield (%)

4,528

2,996

7,406

7,634

15.0

1.9

3.5%

4,949

3,432

10.5

1.4

8.4%

3,852

26.7

1.7

1.8%

0.740

(1.3%)

2,149

5,261 1,324

797

NM

4.4

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0.405

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1,066

2,504

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34.8

2.5

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472

962

2.9

1.1

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0.870

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160

141

32.6

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99

74

NM

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67 1,543

37 258

16.2 9.2

1.7 1.0

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103.00

78.00

42.30

13.60

69.25

184.50

50.75

12.15

24.90 36.20

Return (%)

0.5%

0.0%

(0.7%)

(1.1%) 0.7%

2.5%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0% (0.8%)

Market Cap.

(SAR Mln)

309,000

Volume

(000's shrs)

Value

(000's SAR)

8.82

8.40

8.46

3.14 1.17

3.06

2.80

4.15 4.95 1.11

Weekly

Return (%)

0.5%

(6.3%)

(1.9%) 5.4%

(0.8%)

(1.3%)

(1.8%)

(1.4%) 0.0% 6.7%

Trailing

P/E (X)

Trailing

P/B (X)

Dividend

Yield (%)

13,387

1,380,525

10.6

2.2

4.9%

3,934

308,107

15.9

3.6

4.2%

5,466

230,638

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1.8

4.7%

13,552

185,614

25.5

1.1

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48,475

2,571

177,103

9.5

2.6

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107,062

11.2

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39,325 24,550

11.9 12.5

1.2 2.1

5.2% 1.6%

117,000

84,600

56,666

46,125

44,841

37,350 36,200

Market Cap.

(AED Mln)

69,702

32,546

25,380

17,570

7,283

7,236

6,988

6,324

5,445 4,534

Volume

Value

Trailing

P/E (X)

Trailing

P/B (X)

JunͲ12

AprͲ12

MayͲ12

MarͲ12

JanͲ12

FebͲ12

DecͲ11

OctͲ11

NovͲ11

SepͲ11

JulͲ11

AugͲ11

JunͲ11

AprͲ11

MayͲ11

1.84

3.9%

31.09

0.89

2.8%

8.97

11.71

10.34 12.81 13.76

0.98

5.3%

1.76

(AED)

ź 1- EMAAR Properties

0.90 1.60

Beta

1.49

3.8%

ź 9- Air Arabia Co. ź 10- Aramex

ROE YTD Price

12.9%

(14.9%)

1.48

6.2%

(9.5%)

3.3%

3.4%

0.88

7.1%

(16.5%)

1.21

39.6%

8.8%

1.03

12.0%

18.0%

0.2%

(5.1%)

0.73 0.59

10.3% 10.6%

(11.8%) (2.6%)

0.81

Beta

1.23

1.06

0.83 0.76

0.99

1.08

0.68

0.82

0.74 0.73

Dividend

(000's shrs)

(000's AED)

Yield (%)

7,640

67,117

11.9

1.8

7.9%

1,878

15,869

8.8

1.2

2.6%

2,304

19,548

6.8

1.0

5.9%

3,230

9,688

5.8

0.8

6.4%

1,124

1,312

9.7

0.6

8.5%

594

1,809

6.3

0.8

8.0%

2,562

7,184

4.6

0.5

5.4%

106

435

5.3

1.3

5.5%

0 92,715

0 99,658

19.4 7.1

2.6 0.6

2.0% 4.5%

Beta

1.00

1.17

1.31

1.31 1.34

1.24

1.13

0.14

NA 1.52

(2.1%)

2.800

3.7%

3.04

1.7%

67.000

0.0%

0.953

0.8%

1.870

(1.6%)

2.770

(3.1%)

2.830

(2.7%)

0.575 1.770

(0.2%) (1.7%)

(AED Mln)

Volume

Value

Price

142,980

9.7

0.6

4.5%

1,341

3,710

6.1

0.4

7.1%

4,057

12,174

12.7

2.2

4.9%

11,328

0

0

13.8

0.9

3.0%

20,238

18,874

NM

1.0

0.0%

7,100

11,801

22,076

7.0

0.8

6.7%

100

277

6.9

0.9

6.9%

14,095

39,673

17.1

1.5

1.7%

41,281 1,834

23,068 3,235

8.8 12.3

0.5 1.4

7.8% 2.8%

15,562

13,897

7,624

5,646

4,442

2,683 2,591

(QAR)

ź 1- Qatar National Bank ź 2- Industries Qatar ź 3- Ezdan Real Estate Co. ź 4- Qatar Telecom. (Q-Tel) Ÿ 5- Masraf Al Rayan Ÿ 6- Qatar Islamic Bank ź 7- Commercial Bank of Qatar ź 8- Qatar Electricity & Water Co. Ÿ 9- Qatar Fuel Co. (Wokod) ź 10- Doha Bank

132.00

Return (%)

(0.6%)

132.10

(3.5%)

19.55

(0.9%)

112.60

(0.8%)

27.00

1.1%

77.60

0.5%

Market Cap.

(QAR Mln)

12.3

2.2

2.8%

1,069

141,944

9.2

2.8

5.7%

51,856

56

1,106

150.1

1.9

0.8%

241

27,158

9.9

1.2

2.0%

20,250

3,434

92,603

14.4

2.4

4.1%

198

15,350

13.4

1.6

5.8%

546

37,966

9.1

1.2

8.6%

69

9,359

10.4

4.5

4.8%

48 254

11,133 14,094

10.6 9.3

2.5 1.6

3.4% 8.1%

25,763

18,336

17,198

235.40 55.60

0.1% (1.6%)

12,235 11,492

13,550

Top 10 Largest Bahraini Companies by Market Cap Price

Chg. (%)

(BHD)

21.2%

7.0%

22.5%

12.2%

ź 2- Aluminum Bahrain

16.7%

25.1%

Ÿ 3- Bahrain Telecommunications Co.

4.3%

(2.2%)

ő 4- Arab Banking Corp. (Price in USD)

27.6%

31.9%

ź 5- National Bank of Bahrain

50.1%

4.8%

ő 6- Al Baraka Banking (Price in USD)

15.3%

8.9%

ő 7- Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait

2.5%

36.7%

ő 8- Investcorp Bank (Price in USD)

10.4% 16.8%

6.9% (11.1%)

ő 9- United Gulf Bank ź 10- ITHMAR Bank (Price in USD)

ź 1- Ahli United Bank (Price in USD)

0.590

Return (%)

(1.7%)

0.540

(0.9%)

0.474

0.4%

0.460

0.0%

Market Cap.

(BHD Mln)

1,164 767

683 539

0.530

(1.9%)

453

0.398

0.0%

339

0.950

0.0%

796.950

0.0%

0.23 0.150

0.0% (6.3%)

363

240

195 159

Volume

Value

ROE YTD Price

Price

Chg. (%)

(OMR)

14.8%

(3.7%)

14.0%

3.6%

Ÿ 2- Oman Telecom Co.

13.9%

9.6%

Ÿ 3- HSBC Bank Oman

13.7%

10.8%

ź 4- Bank Dhofar

6.0%

(2.5%)

ź 5- Omani Qatari Telecom (NAWRAS)

13.5%

(4.1%)

Ÿ 6- National Bank of Oman

11.7%

(3.1%)

Ÿ 7- Raysut Cement

25.6%

8.5%

13.6% 9.1%

8.8% 69.5%

ź 1- Bank Muscat

Ÿ 8- Shell Oman Marketing ő 9- Oman Cement Co. Ÿ 10- Ahli Bank

0.566

1.337 0.249

0.437 0.515

0.289

Return (%)

(11.4%) 1.3% 5.5%

(0.5%) (0.6%) 0.7%

Market Cap.

(OMR Mln)

1,017

1,003

P/B (X)

97

9.9

1.2

4.8%

1,086

586

3.6

0.9

12.4%

139

66

8.5

1.3

8.4%

0

0

7.0

0.4

0.0%

250

133

9.9

1.7

5.7%

4

1

8.1

0.8

8.4%

2

1

10.7

1.4

6.3%

0

0

121.3

0.6

0.0%

0 150

0 8

352.1 NM

0.9 0.7

0.0% 0.0%

Yield (%)

(000's shrs)

(000's OMR)

5,021

2,781

Trailing

P/E (X)

Trailing

P/B (X)

Dividend

Yield (%)

8.7

1.2

3.8%

479

638

9.0

2.0

7.5%

498

488

121.3

27.7

2.9

2.2%

65

29

34.4

2.1

1.3%

335

1,621

832

7.1

3.0

7.4%

881

254

9.4

1.1

5.9%

1,018

17.9

2.6

3.7%

481

320

1.341

2.4%

268

769 36

90

19.9

8.4

4.7%

0.678 0.200

0.0% 0.5%

224 191

774 151

525 30

17.5 10.5

1.5 1.6

4.4% 0.0%

2.510

2.4%

251

1.40

5.7%

10.9%

7.2%

(4.8%)

0.61

0.98

Chg. (%)

17.6%

5.2%

0.06

6.7%

(34.0%)

-0.1%

13.5%

1.14

11.1%

(3.6%)

13.0%

(4.5%)

8.8%

78.0%

5.8% 11.2%

(1.9%) (1.7%)

1.61

0.27

1.31

1.01 1.10

Beta

0.85

1.07

0.53

0.64

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

17.9%

(3.9%)

30.2%

0.3%

1.2%

(11.9%)

12.4%

3.9%

0.85

16.6%

(2.7%)

12.2%

(8.2%)

1.14

13.2%

(17.3%)

1.03

0.79

0.71 1.04

42.9%

(2.6%)

24.0% 17.5%

19.1% (13.1%)

Beta

2.10 0.22

0.93

0.76

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

12.2%

(11.3%)

26.2%

(18.2%)

15.8%

20.9%

5.7%

9.5%

0.57

16.6%

(7.8%)

9.8%

(12.8%)

0.34

13.4%

(3.9%)

0.77 0.48

0.51 1.20

0.5% 0.3% NM

0.0% (22.0%) 130.8%

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Value

ROE YTD Price

Risk & Return

Dividend

436

Volume

P/E (X)

Trailing

(000's BHD)

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Trailing

(000's shrs)

Muscat Securities Market (MSM)

Top 10 Largest Omani Companies by Market Cap

Yield (%)

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

P/B (X)

Dividend

51,971

72,655

P/E (X)

Trailing

392

92,364

Bahrain Bourse

ROE YTD Price

Trailing

Beta

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Value

(000's QAR)

(1.8%) (3.1%)

Yield (%)

(000's shrs)

69.50

135.50

Volume

P/B (X)

Dividend

50,964

17,360

P/E (X)

Trailing

(000's AED)

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Trailing

(000's shrs)

Top 10 Largest Qatari Companies by Market Cap

Chg. (%)

5.9%

1.50

ź 8- Arabtec Holding P.J.S.C.

2.850

Return (%)

Market Cap.

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Qatar Exchange (QE)

13.0%

1.58

Ÿ 5- Dubai Financial Market ź 6- Dubai Islamic Bank ź 7- Commercial Bank of Dubai

5.2% 4.3%

1.47

ő 4- Mashreq Bank

3.8%

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

13.87

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

3.1%

Risk & Return

P/E (X)

(AED)

Ÿ 4- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

(1,499)

(000's KD)

Price

ź 3- First Gulf Bank

724,805

0.16%

(000's shrs)

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)

ź 2- National Bank Of Abu Dhabi

16,518 17,604

(0.05%)

76

(KD Mln)

Top 10 Largest Companies by Market Cap in Abu Dhabi

Ÿ 1- Emirates Telecom. Co.

122,460

(35)

Return (%)

(SAR)

ź 4- Saudi Electricity Co.

46,748

(3.86%)

(KWD)

Price

ź 3- Saudi Telecom

71,322

(14,087)

Valuation Multiples

Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL)

ő 2- Al-Rajhi Bank

350,960

Dividend

1.7%

1.26

Yield (%)

Ÿ 3- Emirates Integrated Telecom.

Trailing

0.0%

22.55

P/B (X)

Price

(0.3%)

Weekly Trading Indicators

0.0%

P/E (X)

Dividend

Dubai Financial Market (DFM)

Top 10 Largest Companies by Market Cap in Dubai

Ÿ 2- Emirates NBD

Top 10 Largest Saudi Companies by Market Cap

Ÿ 1- Saudi Basic Industries Corp

(4.04%)

Trailing

0.540 0.166

ź 9- Ahli Bank ź 10- Ahli United Bank

(4,179)

Value

0.750

ź 8- Commercial Bank of Kuwait

(%)

Volume

2.060

ő 6- National Mobile Co.

(USD Mln)

Market Cap.

0.610

Ÿ 4- Boubyan Bank ź 5- Gulf Bank

Trailing Trailing

Weekly

0.700

ź 3- Kuwait Finance House

Weekly Chg.

Price

1.040

ő 2- Zain

99,193

Valuation Multiples

(1.0%)

Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE)

Top 10 Largest Kuwaiti Companies by Market Cap

ő 1- National Bank of Kuwait

Market Cap.

(000's USD)

(0.53%)

MarͲ11

7-June-2012

(000's shrs)

(0.06%)

What does the indicator tell us?

The PMI is an index composed from data based on monthly questionnaires answered by purchasing executives in different sectors. The index monitors seasonally adjusted month-onmonth changes in the managers’ views on business conditions (i.e. business conditions are better, the same, or worse than last month). A reading of above 50 means that more than 50

Important Disclaimer: The information contained in this report is prepared by the Research Department of the Kuwait China Investment Company (KCIC) and is believed to be reliable, but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted. Research recommendations do not constitute financial advice nor extend offers to participate in any specific investment on any particular terms. Investors should consider this material as only a single factor in making their decisions.

7-Jun-12

Return (%) YTD-12 Return

(4.50%)

ing. The government has expressed that it will pursue growth stabilization measures, which means increased fiscal spending in certain sectors so that growth does not fall below target.

The precarious situation of the Eurozone debt crisis dampens the global economic outlook. For a global economy that is in desperate need of support from the industrial powerhouse of the world, slowing economic activity in China is worrying. However, risks of a sharp decline in economic growth in China are low.

The official PMI has been easing, but the pace is steady enough to guarantee a “soft landing” of the economy, hence easing market fears of a crash. The government is weighed with the responsibility to protect its economy from the adverse affects of slowing global economy and to keep inflation under control. Inflation has eased from its highs, it is now below the central bank’s target rate, thereby low enough to start loosening credit conditions; but the government will not loosen the liquidity too fast, otherwise inflation will shoot up once again. We believe

KAMCO Research

Current

(0.50%)

Prepared by Fatema Akashah - For more information please visit: www.kcic-asia.com or email: research@kcicasia.com. KCIC is an Asia-focused investment company. Licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Kuwait, it facilitates capital flows between the Middle East and emerging Asia by providing financial and advisory services, and managing third party capital.

KAMCO Research Value

(0.73%)

JanͲ11

www.kcicͲasia.com/research /

of the NBS PMI showed that managers are witnessing a very sharp decline in new orders, as this component recorded a 49.8 in May, down from 54.5 in April.The employment component is softening as well, but, on a positive note for China’s domestic consumption, the input prices index improved; the materials used are getting cheaper and could translate to lower consumer prices, hence easing inflation. The PMIs results are in line with China’s slowing growth trend; the fears of slowdown are unwarranted because China is expected to experience a robust growth of 7.5%-8% in 2012 due to resilient domestic consumption and government spend-

Volume

4.9%

FebͲ11

DecͲ10

OctͲ10

NovͲ10

SepͲ10

JulͲ10

AugͲ10

JunͲ10

AprͲ10

MayͲ10

MarͲ10

JanͲ10

FebͲ10

DecͲ09

NovͲ09

Source: KCIC Research on NBS and HSBC, 2011.

Benchmark

(1.53%)

What are the economic and financial implications?

48

Weekly Trading Indicators

Index

that China will continue to tweak its policy towards easing monetary conditions for SMEs that, according to HSBC, employ a majority of Chinese workers in the industrial sector, and may ease the requirements on bank’s reserves.

We believe the chance of an interest rate cut is higher towards the end of the year, but the monetary authority in China will remain cautious until it is sure that inflation is fully under control. Investors awaiting market rallies based on massive stimulus from China will probably not witness such an event this year.

49

GCC Week No.23 GCC Equity EquityMarkets MarketsReport Reportforfor Week No. 23 GCC Equity Markets Weekly Performance

HSBC Mfg. PMI

56

percent of managers see conditions as better than last month, hence an expansionary business environment.

The HSBC flash estimate is released a week before the beginning of the month, when official and final HSBC PMI are released, and it covers 85 to 90 percent of the data included in the final HSBC PMI reading. The manufacturing PMI is often used as a lead indicator on the condition of the economy, since China’s industrial sector is approximately half of the economy.

Beta

1.21 0.88

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

13.5%

(26.1%)

22.6%

2.1%

1.00

10.4%

(11.1%)

6.1%

(20.1%)

1.29

28.4%

(20.8%)

0.66 1.02

0.97

0.38

0.99 0.81

12.2%

(9.7%)

14.6%

76.4%

42.1%

4.9%

8.6% 10.9%

56.9% (24.5%)

LIFE

sundAY, June 10, 2012

Universe’s first objects after big bang possibly seen: NASA WASHINGTON: New observations from a NASA space telescope have spotted what may be the very first objects created in the universe in unprecedented detail, scientists say according to SPACE. The faint objects, imaged in infrared light

by NASA’s Spitzer space telescope, might be hugely massive stars or black holes, but are too distant to see individually.

The Big Bang is thought to have kick-started the universe about 13.7 billion years ago.

At first, the universe was too hot and dense for particles to be stable, but then the first quarks formed, which then grouped together to make protons and neutrons, and eventually the first atoms were created. After about 500 million years, the first stars, galaxies and black holes began to take shape.

The scientists can’t confirm for sure that the objects they see date from the early universe, but say that’s the most likely explanation.

“These objects would have been tremendously bright,” Alexander “Sasha” Kashlinsky of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said in a statement last weekend “We can’t yet directly rule out mysterious sources for this light that could be coming from our nearby universe, but it is now becoming increasingly likely that we are catching a glimpse of an ancient epoch.”

Spitzer spotted these ancient structures af-

ter observing two patches of sky for more than 400 hours each. The telescope sees in infrared light, the long-wavelength range of the electromagnetic spectrum that’s less energetic than optical light.

The researchers first removed all known stars and galaxies from the images. What was left over showed lumps of structure in a pattern consistent with how very distant objects are thought to cluster together.

The light spied by Spitzer has probably traveled for billions of years to reach us. It would have started out as optical or ultraviolet light, but over time stretched until it became infrared.

While Spitzer, which launched in 2003 and orbits the sun in an unusual Earth-trailing path, has made inroads in observing these objects, scientists are waiting for the James Webb Space Telescope to make major progress in understanding them.

James Webb, billed as the successor to the Hubble telescope, is an $8.8 billion infrared observatory due to launch in 2018.

“This is one of the reasons we are building the James Webb Space Telescope,” said Glenn Wahlgren, Spitzer program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC “Spitzer is giving us tantalizing clues, but James Webb will tell us what really lies at the era where stars first ignited.”

Futuristic computer program arrives ahead of computer NEW YORK: Quantum computers don’t exist yet, but physicists already have a software program ready for them to use according to LiveScience. A group of scientists has designed an algorithm that they say could run on any future quantum computer to simulate all the possible interactions between two colliding particles. The program could be used to model how the universe evolved after the Big Bang, when conditions cooled enough for the formation of subatomic particles called quarks, which then collided with each other to form protons and neutrons. Eventually, the first atoms were born. The complexity of a particle’s quantum properties makes these post-Big Bang interactions far too complicated for existing computers to simulate.

Scientists are hoping for the eventual creation of computers based on the principles of quantum physics. Such computers would use quantum processor switches that could exist in both “on” and “off” states simultaneously, enabling them to consider all possible solutions to a problem at once.

Quantum computers should be able to perform incredibly complex calculations at a small fraction of the time required by current technology.

“We have this theoretical model of the quantum computer, and one of the big questions is: What physical processes that occur in nature can that model represent efficiently?”

Stephen Jordan of the National Institute of Standards and Technology said in a statement. “Maybe particle collisions, maybe the early universe after the Big Bang? Can we use a quantum computer to simulate them and tell us what to expect?”

Jordan, a theorist in the institute’s applied and computational mathematics division, and his colleagues detail their algorithm in a paper published in the June 1 issue of the journal Science. Experts say quantum computers could be decades away but it’s not too soon to think about what they can do. “Universal quantum computers in the strict sense do not yet exist, but it is still of fundamental importance to know which problems they can solve more efficiently than classical computers,” wrote scientists, led by Philipp Hauke of Spain’s Institute of Photonic Sciences, in an accompanying essay in the same issue of Science.

The idea for quantum computers relies on the principles of quantum mechanics, the strange set of rules governing the physics of subatomic particles. In the quantum realm, particles don’t firmly exist in a single place or time but hover in an uncertain cloud of possibility until forced by a measurement to take a stand. Particles also can become connected to each other through a spooky process called entanglement that allows them to share a connection even when they are separated by vast distances.

Amazon tribe urges end to logging of its land PARIS: A tribe that calls the Amazon rainforest home is urging the Brazilian government to stop the illegal logging of its land, a watchdog said Friday. In a statement, Survival International said the Awa tribe has made a “desperate appeal” to Brazil’s justice minister to “evict loggers from our land immediately... before they come back and destroy everything.”

Consisting of just 450 people, the Awa tribe suffers the fastest rate of deforestation in the Amazon, according to the group.

The appeal is part of a campaign launched on April 25 with the help of British actor Colin Firth, who won an Academy Award in 2011 for his performance in “The King’s Speech.”

It calls on the public to show their support for the Awa by sending protest messages to the justice minister, Jose Eduardo Cardozo.

So far, more than 27,000 people have done so, Survival said.

“Brazil’s government must stop ignoring the Awa, and put them at the top of its agenda,” said Survival’s director, Stephen Corry.

“The start of the logging season is a critical time. Pressure must not cease.” Brazil’s indigenous population makes up less than one percent of the country’s 191 million people and lives on 12 percent of the country’s territory, mostly in the Amazon rainforest.

Later this month, more than 100 heads of state and tens of thousands of participants from governments, the private sector and NGOs will converge on the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro for the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

Ahead of the June 20-22 gathering, Brazil announced this week it planned to preserve an additional 10,000 square kilometers (3,860 square miles) of land and pledged not to let economic woes stop it from implementing other measures to protect the environment. -AFP

Astronomers have uncovered patterns of light that appear to be from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe.

The light patterns were hidden within a strip of sky observed by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.

(AFP)

Neutrino researchers admit Einstein was right Nine months after its results caused a furore, experiment that suggested neutrinos could travel faster than light declared faulty

LONDON: Nine months and hundreds of frenzied news reports since scientists in Italy found hints that a type of subatomic particle might have been travelling faster than light, researchers have finally put the anomalous result down to a case of faulty wiring according to The Guardian.

In September last year, scientists found that a beam of neutrinos fired through the ground from Cern near Geneva to a lab in Gran Sasso, Italy, 450 miles (720km) away seemed to arrive sixty billionths of a second earlier than they should if travelling at the speed of light in a vacuum. The result, from the Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus experiment (Opera), shocked scientists.

Travelling faster than the speed of light goes against Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity.

If it were possible, it would open up the troubling possibility of being able to send information back in time, blurring the line between past and present and wreaking havoc with the fundamental principle of cause and effect.

When the anomalous results at Opera were an-

nounced, the physicist and TV presenter Professor Jim Al-Khalili of the University of Surrey expressed the incredulity of many in the field when he said that if the findings proved correct and neutrinos had broken the speed of light “I will eat my boxer shorts on live TV.” Since September, physicists around the world have been trying to find reasons why the experiment might have been faulty or else trying to develop new hypotheses that could account for the anomalous result.

On Friday, at the 25th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics in Kyoto, Cern’s research director, Sergio Bertolucci, presented data on behalf of four separate instruments at Gran Sasso (Borexino, Icarus, LVD and Opera) that had tried to replicate the anomalous result. All of them had failed to do so, finding that the neutrinos respected the universal speed limit.

“Although this result isn’t as exciting as some would have liked, it is what we all expected deep down,” said Bertolucci. “The story captured the public imagination, and has given people the opportunity to see the scientific method in action - an unexpected result was put up for scrutiny, thoroughly investigated and resolved in part thanks to collaboration between normally competing experiments. That’s how science moves forward.”

Researchers had suspected in February that the faster-than-light result might be down to faulty wiring in the experiment’s fibre-optic timing system - Bertolucci’s announcements confirmed those suspicions.

India boosts sanctuaries for endangered tiger PARIS: India has approved four new tiger sanctuaries and a “tiger corridor” in the latest of a series of measures designed to stem the decline of the threatened species.

Prithviraj Chavan, chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra, announced the steps that will add more than 500 square kilometers (200 square miles) to the state’s protected forest area.

“Many do move from one forest to another.

That’s why tiger corridors are crucial. These new sanctuaries will help in strengthening tiger corridors,” Chavan told reporters late Thursday.

About 170-180 tigers are believed to remain

in Maharashtra state. In an effort to crack down on poaching, the state’s forest minister said last month that action would not be taken against officials who fire on poachers caught hunting tigers.

India is home to half of the world’s rapidly shrinking wild tiger population but has been struggling to halt the big cat’s decline in the face of poachers, international smuggling networks and loss of habitat.

The country has seen its tiger population plummet from an estimated 40,000 animals in 1947, when it gained independence from British colonial rule, to just 1,706 in 2011. -AFP

Organic meat may have higher parasite risk

NEW YORK: A food-borne illness known as toxoplasmosis doesn’t grab the headlines the way salmonella or E.coli outbreaks do, but new research suggests that some organic meats may be more likely to carry this parasite, which can then be transmitted to consumers who eat these meats, if undercooked according to LiveScience.

“The new trend in the production of free-range, organically raised meat could increase the risk of Toxoplasma gondii contamination of meat,” the authors wrote.

The researchers point out that eating undercooked meat whether organic or conventionally raised - especially pork, lamb and wild game such as venison, is one of the main ways people become infected with the toxoplasma parasite. People can also contract the infection by not washing raw fruits and vegetables, which may have come in contact with soil contaminated by cat feces.

Cats can spread toxoplasmosis after eating other infected animals and then passing the parasite along in their feces. This can contaminate not only home litter boxes, but the soil or water if a cat goes outside.

Although perhaps as many as one in five Americans carry the parasite, few people have symptoms because the immune system in healthy people does a good job of preventing T. gondii from causing illness. Toxoplasmosis presents more of a threat to pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system, especially if they change cat litter boxes or touch contaminated soil when gardening.

In its earliest stages, the illness causes flulike symptoms, and if severe, can cause damage to the brain, eyes and other organs.

Organic meat risks

The new research reviews the foods most likely to carry the parasite, and how people can prevent becoming sickened by it. The foods with the greatest chance of carrying toxoplasmosis parasites in the US include raw ground beef or rare lamb; unpasteurized goat’s milk; locally produced cured, dried or smoked meat; and raw oysters, clams or mussels.

Growing consumer demand for “free-range” and “organically raised” meats, especially pork and poultry, will probably increase the prevalence of T. gondii when people undercook and eat these foods, according to the study’s authors, Dr. Jeffrey Jones, of the parasitic diseases branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and J.P. Dubey, of the USDA’s Animal Parasitic Disease Laboratory.

That’s because as more pigs or chickens are raised in less confined, more animal- friendly environments, they have greater access to grass, soil, feed or water that may be in contact with infected cat feces, or to rodents or wildlife infected with T. gondii.

Compared with chickens raised indoors, the prevalence of the parasite in free-range chickens is much higher, anywhere from 17 percent up to 100 percent, in some estimates. (But the risk is low for chicken eggs, the authors noted.)

Other research has shown that more organically raised pigs have tested positive forT. gondii than conventionally raised pigs.

Sheep also have a higher likelihood of being contaminated with toxoplasma, as do game meats such as deer, elk, moose and wild pig. Beef and dairy products have not yet played a main role in transmitting the infection, except for eating raw or undercooked ground beef.

Keys to prevention

FILE - A Bengal tiger is hosed by a spray of water from a zookeeper on a hot summer’s day at the Birsa Munda Zoological Park in Ranchi on May 30. (AFP)

“Toxoplasmosis in an under-recognized source of foodborne illness and attracts little public attention,” said Douglas Powell, a professor of food safety at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. “People are not as familiar with this parasite, so we think it doesn’t happen much,” he explained.

Yet, toxoplasmosis is one of five “neglected parasitic diseases” targeted by the CDC as a public health priority.

By one recent US estimate, toxoplasmosis was the secondleading cause of food-borne illness deaths (salmonella is first), claiming more than 300 lives a year. The parasite was also responsible for more than 4,000 hospitalizations annually, ranking it fourth among food pathogens.

Cooking meat thoroughly should reduce the risk of becoming infected, Powell said, because parasites are usually found on the insides of animals, not on the meat’s surface. He said people should be very careful when eating rare meat, and always verify cooking temperatures with a tip-sensitive digital thermometer placed in the meat’s thickest part.

To prevent getting sickened by toxoplasmosis, the researchers recommended cooking whole cuts of pork, lamb, veal or beef to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and resting the meat for three minutes before eating it. Ground meat and wild game should be cooked to 160 F or higher, and poultry to 165 F. Microwave cooking may not kill the parasite.

As consumers shift their eating preferences, whether it’s to organic foods or to less-processed foods, the microbial risks are altered, Powell said. “Whatever food- production system we come up with, some ‘bugs’ will find a way to adapt and flourish.

So the key is continual vigilance.”

ALWATAN DAILY

Technology APP OF THE WEEK

Jumanah Al-Ghadban Staff Writer

App: Songza Category: Music Price: Free Platform: iOS Works with: iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Briefly: Ever felt a need to have the right kind of music being played at a specific time, for example you’re working out at the gym and you want something to push you further into your workouts? Well ‘Songza’ does this and more, it’s 100% free with no audio advertisements and no monthly subscription, you can even let the app’s “Music Conceirge” to find the right music for your different moments.

Among other features you can browse curated playlists organized by activity, genre, decade; as well as save and share them via Facebook, Twitter or email. Simply a musthave music app.

TECH TALK Flame virus prompts Microsoft to boost Windows security: Discovery of the Flame virus that mainly affected computers in the Middle East, has prompted Microsoft Corp to strengthen the security of a Windows program that helps customers secure their PCs and update software.

-Reuters Google wins Swiss Street View privacy appeal: Google welcomed on Friday a ruling by Switzerland’s highest court that it does not have to blur all faces and car registrations on its Street View service in the country. The Federal Court found in favor of the Internet giant which had appealed an order by a lower court last year to ensure all people and cars pictured on Street View were unidentifiable.-AFP Twitter unveils new bird trademark: Twitter has redesigned and simplified its trademark little blue bird logo and revealed its plans to scrap the “Twitter” branding. The new Larry the Bird design is much simpler than before and visually represents some of Twitter’s core strategies. “Our new bird grows out of love for ornithology, design within creative constraints, and simple geometry. This bird is crafted purely from three sets of overlapping circles -- similar to how your networks, interests and ideas connect and intersect with peers and friends,” explains Doug Bowman, Creative Director at Twitter, in a post on the company’s blog. -AFP

SUNDAY, june 10, 2012

LinkedIn breach puts site’s reputation on the line LONDON: LinkedIn Corp’s silence on the extent of a security breach that exposed millions of user passwords has damaged its reputation among some business professionals, and may slow the growing company’s rise if the breach turns out to be more serious than disclosed.

Several days after news of the theft of the passwords emerged, the site with more than 160 million members still says it has yet to determine the full extent of the breach.

Some cyber security experts say LinkedIn did not have adequate protections in place, and warn that the company could uncover further datalosses over coming days as it tries to figure out what happened.

LinkedIn has hired outside forensics experts to assist as company engineers and the FBI seek to determine how more than 6 million customer passwords turned up on underground sites frequented by criminal hackers.

Company spokesman Hani Durzy said LinkedIn has invalidated the stolen passwords, even though it does not know if any other account information was stolen besides passwords.

The dearth of information has left some security professionals and customers worried that LinkedIn’s computer systems may have suffered a more serious breach.

“There is going to be more to come,” said Jeffrey Carr, chief executive of security firm Taia Global. “As long as they don’t know what happened here, there is a good chance that it is more widespread than originally thought.”

Customers whose passwords were among those stolen were still getting notified by LinkedIn as of Friday afternoon, days after news of the breach first surfaced.

FILE - LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner speaks to the audience prior to a town hall meeting with US President Barack Obama at the Computer History Museum on Sept. 26, 2011 in Mountain View, California. (AFP) Scrutinizing Practices

Some security experts say the company’s data security practices were not as sophisticated as one would typically expect from a major Internet company. For example, they noted that LinkedIn does not have a chief information officer or chief information security officer. Company spokes-

LOS ANGELES: Nintendo Co Ltd will launch a console with a dedicated “Super Mario” game title for the first time in 16 years as the struggling Japanese company hopes its new Wii U will score the rave reviews that helped make its predecessor the world’s biggest gaming hit.

Nintendo hopes the Wii will appeal to families as well as traditional gamers, global president Satoru Iwata said in an interview in Japanese on the sidelines of the E3 entertainment expo in Los Angeles.

Nintendo, which was knocked off its perch at the pinnacle of gaming industry hardware by Microsoft Corp’s Xbox in recent years, formally unveiled a white con-

sole on Tuesday, saying it will support two “GamePad” controllers designed to look and function like tablets.

The Wii U, which will carry video content from Netflix, Amazon, Google’s YouTube and Hulu, will hit stores in time for the holidays. The Japanese gaming company, however, left many in the audience at its presentation on Tuesday wanting more information, especially on the cost, given that Nintendo is playing catch-up with Microsoft and Sony Corp’s heavily discounted hardware.

The new console may face a challenge in appealing to core gamers who like to play shooter games as well as those that bowl

Facebook explores access for kids under 13: Facebook is working on technology that would permit children under the age of 13 to use the social network site with parental supervision, people familiar with the effort said Monday. -AFP

EA plans to offer part of Star Wars game for free LOS ANGELES: Electronic Arts Inc plans to offer a big part of its “Star Wars: The Old Republic” online game for free and licensed the rights to produce videogames with the “Ultimate Fighting Championship” brand, hoping to breathe life into efforts to secure steady long-term revenue.

EA announced the licensing agreement with Zuffa LLC on Monday. The licensing rights were previously held byTHQ Inc, which received an undisclosed cash payment, Zuffa and THQ said. EA has struggled to get “Star Wars: The Old Republic”, the massively multiplayer role-playing game based on George Lucas’ science-fiction movie, off the ground since its December launch.

Video game companies have been trying to turn gamers from one-time purchasers into subscribers who generate a steady and predictable revenue stream.

From July, EA will offer 15 “levels” for free, meaning gamers will be able to join and play the beginning phases of the game without paying. That might be the jumpstart the game needs, analysts say. -Reuters

woman Erin O’Hara said the company did not have managers with those titles, but that its senior vice president for operations, David Henke, oversees LinkedIn’s security team.

Several experts said the company fell down in the way it encrypted, or scrambled, the passwords that were stored in the database.

Nintendo pins hopes on holiday-ready ‘Wii U’

YouTube to live stream Olympics in Asia, Africa: YouTube will provide live webcasts of the upcoming London Olympic Games to viewers in Asia and Africa, the video website’s latest step to position itself as a prime media destination with marquee content. -Reuters

RIM discards 16 GB PlayBook tablet: BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd will no longer produce the cheapest version of its poorly selling PlayBook tablet, but it said it remains committed to a tablet computer market it has struggled to break into. RIM said it would phase out the 16 GB model of the PlayBook once stock currently with retailers is depleted. The company will continue to produce 32 and 64 GB versions of the device. -Reuters

9

Nintendo Senior Managing Director Shigeru Miyamoto (left) introduces the new Wii U video game console at the Nintendo E3 2012 media briefing in Los Angeles, California, June 5, 2012. (AFP)

in their living rooms and swing virtual golf clubs.

The first console from Nintendo in six years will come with a social-gaming network dubbed “Miiverse”. But it will need a vast library of software titles, including the star of its stable, “Super Mario”, to have any hope of matching the Wii’s success.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s famed video game designer and producer, said making deeper games is important “in this era when consumers are said to be moving to lighter games.”

To protect its position, Nintendo is coming out with a new “Super Mario” game featuring its namesake plumber traversing different adventure scenarios. It spearheaded Tuesday’s presentation of a batch of games intended for the Wii U, including “Nintendo Land”. While investor reaction has so far been lukewarm on the Wii U, the videogame industry is embracing the first console to hit the market in years. Ubisoft said this week it is developing eight games for the Wii U’s launch.

Executives at Ubisoft said the company was lured by the chance to have players use two screens in one game. “The Wii U is really interesting in terms of asymmetrical game play, with one player doing something and one other player doing something at the same time,” Xavier Poix, studio director of Ubisoft France, said in an interview.

But after seeing Nintendo’s presentation on Tuesday, M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon said Nintendo will need to work hard to explain why a second screen is necessary.

The new Wii U tablet controller will also have a headphone jack, a camera in the front allowing for video chat, and a microphone and motion gaming capabilities and trigger buttons on the back of the tablet for shooter games. -Reuters

Carr of Taia Global said LinkedIn did not follow an industry standard for encryption, which requires use of a technique known as “salting” that greatly increases the amount of time and computer power needed to crack an encrypted password. There could be legal repercussions for that failure to comply with industry standards, said Gerald Ferguson, an attorney at Baker Hostetler who is an expert on privacy and intellectual property law. He said that LinkedIn could face lawsuits if accounts had been breached since its terms of use say it employs the industry standard for security.

Company representatives declined to respond to the criticism of their techniques for protecting passwords or any potential legal implications.

Their user statement spells out the steps it will take to protect customer data and the risks customers face. “Personal information you provide will be secured in accordance with industry standards and technology,” according to the privacy policy on linkedin.com.

“Since the Internet is not a 100 percent secure environment, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to LinkedIn,” it cautions. “There is no guarantee that information may not be accessed, copied, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or managerial safeguards.” LinkedIn is a natural target for data thieves because the site stores valuable information about millions of professionals, including well-known business leaders. The way that the company responds to the theft will play a critical role in determining the extent to which the incident damages LinkedIn’s reputation, experts said. -Reuters

First Apple computer heads to Sotheby’s auction

The Apple l, the first Apple computer made by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976, is seen on display at Sotheby’s on June 8, 2012 in New York City. (AFP)

PARIS: There’s no screen, it was built in 1976, and the clunky design does not exactly recall today’s iPads, but the first Apple computer is expected to fetch up to $180,000 in New York.

Sotheby’s in New York is auctioning the rare piece of computer history, which actually still works, on June 15.

The Apple I computer was designed and hand-built

by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and marketed by Steve Jobs at the birth of Jobs’s career as the world’s computer design guru.

Sotheby’s called the computer “an exceptionally rare, working example with original Apple cassette interface, operation manuals and a rare BASIC Users’ Manual.” “As the first ready-made personal computer, the Apple I signaled a new age in which computing became accessible to the masses,” Sotheby’s said.

The computer first went on sale in July 1976 for $666.66. -AFP

Samsung Introduces the GALAXY S III in Kuwait KUWAIT: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced today the official launch of the third generation GALAXY S, the GALAXY SIII in Kuwait, according to press release. Designed for humans and inspired by nature, the GALAXY S III is a smartphone that recognizes your voice, understands your intention, and lets you share a moment instantly and easily.

This sleek and innovative smartphone has the enhanced intelligence to make everyday life easier. With Samsung GALAXY S III, you can view the content like never before on the device’s 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display. An 8MP camera and a 1.9MP front camera offer users a variety of intelligent camera features and face recognition related options that ensure all moments are captured easily and instantly. Samsung GALAXY S III is powered by Android(tm) 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, with greatly enhanced usability and practicality to make life easier.

Packed with intuitive technology, the GALAXY S III delivers a uniquely personalized mobile experience that refuses to be compromised.

“The Samsung GALAXY S III is the best in class smartphone that provides an enhanced smartphone experience to its users.

It incorporates superior hardware, intuitive and interactive features in a nature inspired design making the device truly effortlessly smart and intuitively simple,” said Mr. Ashraf Fawakherji, General Manager of Telecommunication Group at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

“We’ve received an overwhelming response from our consumers for the device and we are positive that with this launch we will further cement our leadership position.” The Samsung

GALAXY S III is currently available in leading retail stores across the Kuwait for KWD 189.

Natural Interaction

The GALAXY S III enhances the interaction experience between the device and user. Smart enough to detect your face, voice and motions, the GALAXY S III adapts to the individual user to provide a more convenient and natural experience. With the innovative ‘Smart stay’ feature, the GALAXY S III recognizes how you are using your phone.

Human-centric Design

The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options.

Instant Sharing

The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user - it wants you to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of where you are. With the new ‘S Beam,’ the GALAXY S III expands upon Android(tm) Beam(tm), allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone.

Mobile payment is also accessible with the device through advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Handout image of the Samsung GALAXY SIII.

10

ALWATAN DAILY

ENTERTAINMENT

Song Of The Day

Fahad AlSabah Staff Writer

Song: Call My Maybe Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen Album: Curiosity - EP Genre: Pop In short: There’s no escaping this song. It drills itself in the back of your head and stays there for a good week, at the very least.

To listen to the song visit www.alwatandaily.com E-mail your feedback to falsabah@alwatandaily.com

The Buzz Prince Philip leaves hospital before birthday Prince Philip, the husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, left hospital on the eve of his 91st birthday on Saturday, five days after he was taken ill during celebrations to mark the monarch’s 60 years on the throne. Looking relaxed and in good spirits, the Duke of Edinburgh smiled and shook hands with staff outside the central London hospital where he has been treated for a bladder infection since Monday. Wearing a tweed jacket, white shirt and red tie, Philip waved at well-wishers and the media outside the King Edward VII Hospital before being driven away in a black Land Rover. He nodded when asked if he was feeling better and looking forward to his birthday. He will celebrate with his family on Sunday, the palace said. But the longest serving consort in British history has also won admirers for his charity work and loyal support to the queen. She has described him as her “strength and stay” and once said she owes him “a debt greater than he would ever claim”. -Reuters

Fire at De Niro’s NYC apartment; no injuries

sunday, JUNE 10, 2012

Miss Universe pageant fights back on rigging claim PHILADELPHIA: The Miss Universe Organization says a former contestant should be made to pay for her “defamatory” claims that this year’s Miss USA pageant was a sham.

The New York-based organization made a filing with a dispute resolution company over the former Miss Pennsylvania USA’s assertion that another contestant spotted the list of finalists on a planning sheet hours before the event was even held Sunday, its lawyer Scott Balber said Friday.A statement from the organization said it was seeking compensation for her “ongoing defamatory statements,” but Balber wouldn’t say how much money the Miss Universe Organization was seeking. The pageant also released a statement from Miss Florida USA - the contestant Sheena Monnin claims saw the list - in which she disputes Miss Pennsylvania’s version of the events that prompted her to step down.

Monnin gave up her crown Monday, claiming in a Facebook post that the pageant had been rigged, with the top five finishers selected before the show was broadcast Sunday night from Las Vegas. Pageant organizers immediately denied Monnin’s allegation and claimed she had actually stepped down because she disagreed with the pageant’s decision to allow transgender contestants.

Earlier Friday, Monnin told NBC’s “Today” show that she was standing by her claim that Miss Florida USA confided in her that she’d seen a list of finalists Sunday morning. “I know what I heard, and I know what I in turn witnessed come true based on what the contestant said she saw,” Monnin said.

Monnin claimed Miss Florida USA Karina Brez named the top five contestants in the same order they were called during the broadcast.

“That’s just too coincidental to not be true,” she said.

But a statement released Friday by Brez disputes Monnin’s account, saying Brez was only making a joke about a list of contestants that she saw. “The list I saw didn’t even have the eventual winner on it,” the statement read. This year’s Miss USA winner was Olivia Culpo, of Rhode Island. Pageant officials maintain the judging was done fairly and under the watchful eye of auditor Ernst & Young.“(The) tabulation of the judges’ votes which determined the final five contestants did not occur until after the evening gown competition had been completed,” Ernst & Young said in a statement released Friday evening.

A group of preliminary judges selects 15 top contestants before the telecast along with a 16th picked by fan vote. Those contestants are then whittled down by the telecast judges, who this year included celebrity chef Cat Cora and Arsenio Hall.

Monnin does not have a listed phone number and did not respond to Facebook messages seeking comment. Attorneys for the pageant said they forwarded her the arbitration action directly because they did not know whether she’d retained a lawyer.

Balber said the action filed with the private arbitration company is confidential under the terms of the contestant contract,

Isaac Newton set to become the next Hollywood action hero

A proposed film about Sir Isaac Newton promises to present the 17th-century scientist in a fresh light. (Agencies)

FILE-In this photo provided by the Miss Universe Organization, Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin competes during the 2012 Miss USA Presentation Show on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 in Las Vegas. (AP)

but that Monnin could release it if she wished.

Earlier this week, pageant organizers released the text of Monnin’s resignation email; it doesn’t specifically mention rigging, but does mention organizers’ decision to allow transgender contestants into the competition.

In the “Today” interview, Monnin did not deny the transgender contestant issue played a role in her resignation.

“There are a myriad of reasons why I’m resigning,” Monnin said. She went on to point out that same email mentioned “fair play,” but didn’t elaborate what she meant at the time. -AP

LONDON: He is known as the visionary English physicist, mathematician and astronomer - not to mention wannabe alchemist, theologian and natural philosopher - who laid the foundations for classical mechanics and developed the theory of gravity.

But in the eyes of one LA-based production team, Sir Isaac Newton is the perfect historical figure to be Hollywood’s next action hero, reports The Guardian.

BiteSize Entertainment, which recently raised eyebrows with plans for a project based on the travails of one Rebekah Brooks, aims to base a new film franchise around the 17th-century icon considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived.

Rob Cohen, of ‘The Fast and the Furious’ and ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ fame, is working on a screenplay for the untitled project with an eye to directing, and will also oversee an associated graphic novel.

Both will focus on Newton’s role as warden (and later master) of the Royal Mint, where he worked from 1696 until his death in 1727.

Such jobs were intended to be mostly ceremonial, but the mathematician is said to have taken his duties to protect King William III’s currency rather seriously.

He often pursued counterfeiters, and has been called one of the first detectives by historical biographers.

Surviving Bee Gee mourns Robin Gibb’s loss at funeral

A fire that broke out in Robert De Niro’s Manhattan apartment has been extinguished. A Fire Department spokesman said no residents were injured in the Friday afternoon fire on Central Park West. The fire was contained within an hour, and the cause was under investigation. A spokesman for De Niro confirmed that the actor lives in the building.

The spokesman, Stan Rosenfield, said De Niro is out of the country. Residents of the building told The New York Times the fire started in the laundry room of De Niro’s apartment. The newspaper said 95-year-old actress Celeste Holm and her husband, Frank Basile, who live in the building, were in their apartment as firefighters fought to contain the flames. -AP

New trial requested in Hudson family killings A judge in Chicago says he’ll decide next month on the request for a new trial for the man convicted of killing three members of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson’s family. Judge Charles Burns on Friday set a July 24 date to rule on the request from William Balfour’s attorneys. Cook County prosecutors and defense attorneys are expected to argue the motion that day. If the judge lets Balfour’s conviction stand, sentencing is expected to follow. Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were killed in October 2008. Balfour was married to Hudson’s sister, and prosecutors contend he shot the family members in a jealous rage because she was dating another man. A jury convicted him last month of first-degree murder and other charges. -AP

Charlize Theron sells Hatfields & McCoys project to NBC Charlize Theron is ready to go a-feuding with NBC. The “Snow White and the Huntsman” actress has sold a modern-day version of the Hatfields and McCoys saga to the network, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. Theron will serve as producer on the project, which is being produced by ABC Studios via her Denver and Delilah production shingle. “Prison Break” executive producer Dawn Olmstead and “Requiem for a Dream” producer Beau Flynn are also on board to produce, with “Eagle Eye” scribe John Glenn writing. The pickup follows on History Channel’s successful “Hatfields & McCoys” miniseries, which set viewership records for ad-supported cable, raking in 14.3 million total viewers with its May 30 finale. -Reuters

President Obama meets with Hollywood’s younger set President Obama was already in Hollywood, so he took the opportunity early on Thursday to squeeze in a little extra face time with some of his biggest supporters: celebrities. This time, Obama held a morning meeting with 25 members of Hollywood’s younger set - including Jessica Alba, “Glee’s” Dianna Agron, Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Renner, Zach Braff and Ian Somerhalder - to talk politics at the Beverly Hilton hotel. And they didn’t hesitate to pose for photo-ops with POTUS while they were at it.

Several from among the president’s famous guests took to Twitter to spread the word about the meeting later that day, thus doing their part to help his re-election campaign while counting themselves among the invited few. “Got up bright & early to hear @BarackObama speak w an awesome group,” Alba tweeted, along with a photo and a link steering her followers to the Young Americans for Obama web hub. “Glee’s” Agron sounded a bit like a fan, tweeting, “Maybe the only man I truly get nervous around.

Worth the early wake up call.” -Reuters

Barry Gibb, center, and Robin Gibb’s wife Dwina Gibb, right, who holds an order of service, react at the graveside during the burial of Robin Gibb outside St Mary’s Church in Thame, England, Friday, June 8, 2012. (AP)

A horse drawn carriage takes the coffin of Bee Gee Robin Gibb through the High Street in Thame in central England, on June 8, 2012. (AFP)

THAME, England: Surviving Bee Gee Barry Gibb lamented the loss of his brother, telling mourners on Friday that he would miss Robin Gibb’s “magnificent mind and his beautiful heart.” He said Robin’s death from cancer last month at age 62 means that he would now be reunited with his late twin brother Maurice, who died in 2003. “They were both beautiful,” Barry Gibb said. “And now they’re together.

They’re actually together.”

Many mourners at St. Mary’s Church wept as Robin’s coffin was brought into the church while the Bee Gees classic “How Deep is Your Love” was played.

Robin’s widow Dwina and his elderly mother Barbara were close behind.

Barbara Gibb has outlived three of her four sons. Singer Andy Gibb, who had a successful solo career, died in 1988.

The Bee Gees, known for soaring harmonies and disco tunes, were one of the most popular bands in history. Robin Gibb also enjoyed success as a solo artist and as a songwriter.

A man holds an order of service before the funeral of Bee Gees star Robin Gibb at St. Mary’s Church in Thame, central England June 8, 2012. (Reuters)

Crowds of mourners lined the streets of the southern English town before the service as a glass-sided horse-drawn carriage pulled Robin Gibb’s coffin to the church. The cortege was followed by Robin’s two Irish wolfhounds, Ollie and Missy, along with friends and family.

Barry Gibb told the congregation that his late brother Robin’s humor was always present, even in times of tension between the two.

“We were laughing all the way,” Barry Gibb said. “Sometimes crying. God knows how much we argued. Even right up to the end we found conflict with each other, which now means nothing.”Guests filed out of the church to the sound of the Bee Gees’ song “I Started A Joke,” which includes the line: “Till I finally died, which started the whole world living.”

Gibb was then buried in the churchyard, with a piper playing “Ellan Vannin,” the unofficial anthem of the Isle of Man, where the Bee Gees were born. Mourners tossed red roses into the grave. A memorial service is scheduled for a later date. -AP

Lindsay Lohan escapes injury after major car crash

LOS ANGELES: Actress Lindsay Lohan escaped injury in a major car crash on Friday after her Porsche collided with a dump truck on a Southern California highway.

Police said Lohan was driving her black Porsche with an unidentified male passenger on the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica on her way to the set of her latest movie project, and collided with a dump truck.

The actress and her passenger were taken to the hospital as a precaution, and released shortly after. Neither Lohan or the driver of the truck were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, police said.

“Lindsay was involved in an automobile accident today on her way to the set....She is fine and was released less than two hours later and is already

headed back to the set to resume work.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the accident,” Lohan’s publicist, Steve Honig, said in a statement.

Celebrity news website TMZ posted pictures of Lohan’s Porsche following the incident, showing a crushed front and smashed windows.

Lohan, 26, is forging ahead with a comeback after a string of legal and personal troubles since 2007, including stints in jail, rehab and court. She was released in March from almost five years of formal probation stemming from a 2007 drunken driving and cocaine possession arrest.

The actress is currently playing late screen legend Elizabeth Taylor for a Lifetime TV movie “Liz & Dick,” based on Taylor’s love affair with actor Richard Burton. -Reuters

Lindsay Lohan’s crashed Porsche lies on a flatbed tow truck, after it collided with a truck on Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, Calif., Friday, June 8, 2012.

(AP)

ALWATAN DAILY

SPORTS

sunDAY, june 10, 2012

Tennis

Djokovic faces ultimate challenge against Nadal PARIS: Novak Djokovic is the world number one, holds three major titles and is on a 27match grand slam winning streak. Yet practically no one is giving him a chance of stopping Rafa Nadal in the French Open final on Sunday.

“How discouraging it is to play Nadal on this surface?” asked American tennis great John McEnroe. “It’s going to be unbelievably tough to beat this guy.”

“I know when Bjorn Borg played in my day he was like the human backboard. He was faster than everyone, fitter than everyone, and you couldn’t get a ball by the guy.”

If Djokovic wants to avoid a panic attack or tie himself up in knots just 24 hours before the men’s final, he will have to find a way to wipe out the memory bank labeled “Nadal”.

The Serbian has already admitted he was “really not good with numbers” and even thought Nadal “has lost what, two matches in his career here?”. For the record Nadal has lost just once since his 2005 debut, to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, and will be going for a seventh title on Sunday.

The other numbers make grim reading for Djokovic.

Nadal has a 51-1 win-loss record at Roland Garros and has dropped just 35 games to reach the final here, which is the fewest games he has ever lost en route to a grand slam final He is the first man since tennis turned professional in 1968 to reach five grand slam finals

without dropping a set. Ominously, on each occasion he has gone on to win the title.

Nadal leads Djokovic 11-2 on clay and has won every set they have contested on the most famous claycourt stage.

Once he steps on to red clay, Nadal is like the ultimate playground bully who makes worldclass clay-courters look like toddlers taking their first tentative steps on red dirt - battering them into submission time and again.

“I’m sure the guys, thank God they’re not playing all the tournaments on clay. He’s amazing,” said 18-times grand slam champion Martina Navratilova.

“Nobody can be counted as a favorite against Nadal on clay, no matter what the ranking is.”

As if winning six Roland Garros titles in seven years were not awe-inspiring enough, the 2012 version of Nadal is even more lethal than the ones who left opponents feeling bruised and bloodied.

“The way he’s improved his game, like his serve, the parts of his game where he can move forward, his volley, the defensive ability he’s got, to track down balls and just make you play extra shots and the way he sort of slides into balls and puts away a shot - shots that seem like impossible when I was playing - it was unheard of,” said McEnroe.

Nadal, who allowed sixth seed David Ferrer just five games in his semi-final, said: “I’ve improved since last year, and things have turned

FILE- Andy Murray of Britain serves to Tatsuma Ito of Japan during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris May 29, 2012.

(Reuters)

LONDON: World number four Andy Murray confirmed he is fit to defend his Queen’s title next week after practicing at the venue for the Wimbledon warm-up event in London on Saturday.

Murray struggled with a back injury at times during his French Open campaign, which ended with a quarter-final defeat against David Ferrer on Wednesday.

But the Scot is keen to get as much practice as possible on grass courts before Wimbledon, which starts on June

25, and he will put his back to the test at Queen’s, where he has won the title twice in the last three years.

“It’s great to be back on the grass at the Queen’s Club today and I’m looking forward to the tournament next week,” Murray said on Saturday. “It’s meant a lot to win the title two out of the last three years and to do well here is always the best possible preparation for me in the lead-up to Wimbledon.”

Murray’s path to retaining the title

Sharapova downs Errani to claim Roland Garros crown

out quite positively for me since the beginning of the year.

“That’s the reason I’m probably playing one of my best levels on clay the last couple of matches.”

But what Djokovic lacks in tactics, he more than makes up with his heart and sheer belief that he is the world’s best.

It was that belief that allowed him to escape two matchpoints against Roger Federer in the U.S. Open semi-finals last September. It was that belief that allowed him to dodge four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals here.

It is that belief that he hopes will make him the first man in 43 years to win four majors in a row, and condemn Nadal to an unwanted record as the first man to lose four consecutive grand slam finals in the professional era.

“I have this golden opportunity to make history. This motivates me. It really inspires me,” Djokovic said after dispatching Federer in straight sets in Friday’s semis.

“I believe I’m at the peak of my career. I’m playing the best tennis of my life in the last year and a half, and I should use that. I should use that as a confidence boost and try to get my hands on the title.

“I know that I have to be consistently playing consistently well on very high level in order to win best-of-five against Nadal here. It’s the ultimate challenge.” -Reuters

Murray fit to defend Queen’s title

was made a little easier on Saturday when Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro, a quarter-finalist at this year’s French Open, withdrew from the tournament due to a knee injury.

“I am very disappointed not to be able to play at Queen’s this year, but unfortunately I am not going to be fit enough,” Del Potro said.

“It is a fantastic event and I wish everyone there a successful tournament. I hope to be back again next year.” -AFP

Olympics

11

Maria Sharapova of Russia raises the trophy as she poses during the ceremony after defeating Sara Errani of Italy during their women’s singles final match at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris June 9, 2012. (Reuters)

PARIS: Maria Sharapova kept her poise to outwit and out-power diminutive Italian Sara Errani and win her first French Open with a 6-3 6-2 victory on Saturday.

Despite the one-sided score-line, Italian Errani troubled Sharapova with some cute volleys, sliced forehands, daring dropshots but still found the Russian to be an insurmountable obstacle.

With Errani standing at just 1.64 meters, the statuesque Russian used her 24

centimeters advantage and wider wingspan to great effect as she chased down everything the Italian could throw at her.

She wrapped up victory when Errani ended a prolonged rally by dumping a backhand into the net, allowing Sharapova to become the 10th woman to complete a career grand slam after she added the Paris title to her triumphs at Wimbledon (2004), the US Open (2006) and the Australian Open (2008). -Reuters

Cricket

Barath steadies West Indies after early wicket BIRMINGHAM, England: West Indies rallied to 85 for one at lunch in their first innings on the third day of the rain-affected third test on Saturday after England pace bowler Tim Bresnan claimed the wicket of Kieran Powell.

After the first two days were completely washed out, England won the toss and bowled in cloudy conditions under the floodlights.

They took the field without their leading opening bowlers James Anderson, who has been rested, and Stuart Broad, left out on Saturday morning, in line with the team’s rotation policy.

Although Broad had a cold he was fit to play and his omission gave an opportunity to Graham Onions and Steven Finn.

Opener Adrian Barath was unbeaten on 40 at the interval with debutant Assad Fudadin, who came in for the out-of-form Kirk Edwards, on 15. Powell was caught at second slip by Graeme Swann off Bresnan for 24 in an opening partnership of 49.

England are seeking to sweep the series 3-0 but with 172 overs lost on the first two days, they may struggle to force a result in the limited time available.

Onions, playing his first test in 30 months, took the new ball and was unfortunate not to have dismissed Barath when he was on four. Barath edged the Durham seamer to third slip, but Ian Bell dropped a straightforward chance at knee height. Bell was standing in for Anderson in an unaccustomed position.

Barath looked to play his shots the longer he stayed at the crease, lofted off-spinner Swann over mid-on for a six in the spinner’s first over. Lefthander Fudadin played watchfully in the 43 minutes he spent at the crease before lunch and would have gained confidence form his cover driven boundary off Finn.

Fudadin was one of four changes for West Indies

with off-spinner Sunil Narine handed a debut in place of Shane Shillingford, Narsingh Deonarine replaced the injured Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Tino Best came in for his first test in three years in place of the injured Kemar Roach.

England won the first two tests at Lord’s and Trent Bridge. -Reuters

West Indies Adrian Barath bats during the third day of the third cricket Test match between England and West Indies at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England, on June 9, 2012. (AFP)

IOC: Athletes shouldn’t discriminate at Olympics Bangladesh rest Shakib for Zimbabwe T20s LAUSANNE, Switzerland: Refusing to compete against a fellow athlete at the London Games because of nationality or religion would be a “serious breach” of the Olympic code of ethics, the IOC said Friday. The International Olympic Committee said athletes and teams should “stay at home” if they are not prepared to compete without discrimination.

The IOC comment came after an Algerian kayaker withdrew from a World

FILE- Students dance at the “Power Of The Games” festival, which is part of Big Dance 2012, ahead of the London 2012 Olympics at a school in Hanoi, May 26, 2012.

(Reuters)

Cup last month in which an Israeli was entered. Without commenting specifically on that incident, the IOC condemned such a “hypothetical scenario” at the London Olympics.

“Refusing to participate in an Olympic event because of a fellow athlete/ team’s religion or nationality, would not only be unsporting behavior but a serious breach of the IOC’s code of ethics, the principles of the Olympic Charter and the athletes oath,” IOC spokes-

woman Emmanuelle Moreau said in a statement.

Iran was criticized after some of its athletes withdrew from events against Israelis at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“If an athlete/team is unable to come to the games in spirit of friendship and fair play, then they should stay at home,” Moreau said. “There can be no discrimination for any reason between participants at the Olympic Games.”

Algerian kayaker Nasreddine Baghdadi stopped paddling and returned to the dock during a recent 1,000-meter heat at a World Cup in Germany that included an Israeli competitor.

The head of the Algerian Olympic Committee, Rachid Hanifi, was quoted in the Times of London as saying it was “up to the Algerian government” to decide whether Algerians should compete against Israelis.

“I know it’s a very sensitive question and this is why I said that I will discuss it with the Algerian government, conforming to the recommendations of the IOC which advocates harmonious cooperation between national Olympic committees and their government,” Hanifi told The Associated Press on Friday.

Asked specifically whether Algerian athletes would compete against Israelis, he said: “In this case, the opinion of the Algerian government must be asked, to conform to the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee.” -AP

DHAKA: Bangladesh have rested former captain Shakib Al Hasan for the forthcoming Zimbabwe tour following a request from the player, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Saturday. Shakib was in Bangladesh’s 15man squad for the trip, which features an unofficial triseries Twenty20 tournament involving hosts Zimbabwe and South Africa from June 18-27 in Harare.

Bangladesh were added as the third team at the last minute to what was originally a five-match series between Zimbabwe and South Africa. The all-rounder has been playing domestic and international cricket for the

last two years without a real break.

He was involved in a domestic league last week after returning from India where he played in the Indian Premier League for champions Kolkata Knight Riders until May 27. “”The break was approved considering the continuous cricket Shakib has played over the last two years,” the BCB said in statement. “The Board is hopeful that the rest will allow the world’s number one ranked test and ODI all-rounder to return for the next assignments of the national team refreshed.” Batsman Jahirul Islam was added as replacement of Shakib. -Reuters

FILE- Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir (right) and wicket keeper Manvinder Bisla (left) congratulate fielder Shakib Al Hassan (center) on May 27, 2012. (AFP)

SPORTS

Football Germany 1

VS

sunDAY, JUNE 10, 2012

Denmark 1

Portugal 0

Gomez gives Germany 1-0 win over Portugal

VS

Netherlands 0

Denmark stuns Netherlands 1-0 at Euro 2012

KHARKIV, Ukraine: Denmark pulled off the first big surprise of the European Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands on Saturday in Group B. Michael Krohn-Dehli provided the finishing touch that the Dutch inexplicably lacked. He scored against the run of play when he picked up a loose ball close to the penalty area in the 24th minute, left two defenders standing and shot through the legs of Maarten Stekelenburg from a tight angle. It was something Premier League top scorer Robin van Persienever got close to as he came to symbolize Dutch futility with a couple of bad mistakes. Denmark goalkeeper Stephan Andersen made several clutch saves to secure the most important Danish victory over the Netherlands since the Euro 1992 semifinals.

“It was the only dangerous action of Denmark,” Dutch captain Mark van Bommel complained. “I’m speechless, because these three points are very important.”

The Dutch had their best chance of the match when Andersen gave away the ball to Arjen Robben just outside the area in the 36th minute, but the Bayern Munich winger curled his left-footer onto the far post and out of danger.

“Five of us had chances, once we hit the post, so many good opportunities,” said Van Bommel. The frustration came to symbolize the sticky night in eastern Ukraine and leaves the World Cup runners-up with two clutch games against top10 ranked teams, Germany and Portugal. Late in the match, a penalty appeal for handball was denied when the Dutch were running out of time. Lars Jacobsen appeared to touch the ball with his upper arm in the box.

Denmark, seen as outsider in the toughest group of the championship, can already take a huge step to the quarterfinals by beating Portugal in their second game. “We know the Dutch, they can be very dominating. If you get scared of them, they play really good football. I think we played them in the right way,” Denmark coach Morten Olsen said.

From the start, the tactics of the match were laid out for all 35,932 fans at the Metalist Stadium. The Dutch started with furious attacking and the Danes counted on a solid attack and a dose of luck to keep out of danger. The creative skills of Robben, Van Persie and Ibrahim Afellay created plenty of chances, but finishing was off and Andersen would not budge. With one counter, Krohn-Dehli showed some of Europe’s best players how it should be done with his welltaken strike.

The Netherlands came into the tournament without key defender Joris Mathijsen and a questionable left defensive flank. Ron Vlaar and Jetro Willems confirmed the concerns as the back line did not look at ease when the Danes came pushing forward around the half-hour mark. Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk even had to come to the sideline to shout and wave his players forward. And on a difficult day, luck was not with the Dutch either, when Robben’s shot bounced free. Van Marwijk’s decision to pick Van Persie over Bundesliga top scorer Klaas-Jan Huntelaar came into sharp focus. Two minutes from halftime, Wesley Sneijder set up the Arsenal striker in the center with only the goalkeeper to beat. Uncharacteristically, Van Persie had a bad first touch and was forced too wide and shot at the goalkeeper instead of scoring an easy goal. Early in the second half, too, he made a miss step on another great chance for goal as the Dutch pushed forward from the second half whistle. They forced Andersen into two fine saves on a half dozen occasions. The thousands of orange-clad fans filled the air with shouts of “Holland, Holland,” but to no avail. The Danes didn’t fully lock themselves up but showed poise by patiently pushing forward again. Still, the Dutch kept piling up the misses and Van Marwijk brought in both Huntelaar and attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart for defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong with 20 minutes to go. -AP

Germany’s Mario Gomez (center) scores against Portugal’s goalkeeper Rui Patricio during their Group B Euro 2012 soccer match at the New Lviv stadium in Lviv June 9, 2012. (Reuters)

LVIV: Mario Gomez thumped in a superb 72ndminute header to give Germany a 1-0 victory over Portugal after they had been frustrated for long periods of a cagey Euro 2012 Group B match on Saturday.

Germany were the more attacking side throughout but were kept at long range by some well-drilled defending by Portugal, who almost snatched the lead in the last minute of the first half when Pepe curled a precise shot against the bar but saw the ball bounce onto the line and away to safety.

The Germans continued to press and got their reward when Sami Khedira swung in a deep cross from the right and Gomes, preferred up front to Miroslav Klose, rose to power home his 23rd international goal.

Earlier on Saturday Denmark snatched a surprise 1-0 win over Netherlands in the other game in the group considered the toughest of the tournament.

Gomez’s goal lit up a largely uneventful affair, dominated by packed defenses and stalemate in midfield. Germany did well to stifle Portugal’s rocketheeled wingers Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, who both had frustrating evenings as a disappointing Portugal threatened sporadically.

German fans caused almost as much excitement

off the pitch, throwing what appeared to be rolled up pieces of paper at the Portuguese players on several occasions in the first half.

Authorities warned supporters three times that such behavior could force the match to be abandoned.

One of Germany’s best chances fell to midfielder Thomas Mueller, who fired wide from a good position in the 40th minute.

The miss prompted German manager Joachim Loew to spring from the bench and shout in frustration at his players.

Germany twice tested Rui Patricio in the first 10 minutes through a header from Gomez and a Lukas Podolski shot that the keeper grabbed at the second attempt. Podolski later skied an effort well over the bar from just outside the box.

Portugal, who have scored just once in their last four matches, poured forward in the closing minutes with substitute Silvestre Varela denied by keeper Manuel Neuer.

Perhaps just as worrying for coach Paolo Bento was another subdued performance from Ronaldo, who shines for his club Real Madrid but rarely produces a truly memorable performance in big games for Portugal. -Reuters

Czechs shake off Russia loss, remain hopeful

Michael Krohn-Dehli of Denmark (left) shoots past Nigel de Jong of Netherlands during their Group B Euro 2012 soccer match in Kharkiv June 9, 2012. (Reuters)

Goal-shy Ukraine cannot shoot or tackle, says Blokhin

WROCLAW: Disappointed Czech Republic players shook off their 4-1 Euro 2012 defeat by Russia and said on Saturday they would refocus for their remaining Group A matches. Russia produced an inspired display of counter-attacking football to overwhelm their

opponents in Wroclaw on Friday.

Captain Tomas Rosicky said the Czechs could not afford to panic and would draw inspiration from door-die qualifying matches that put them through to the tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

“It was a huge loss for us but this is no time to panic,” Rosicky said after training. “The team know the situation we are in and have a similar experience from qualifying.” Rosicky, who appeared to limp during the game but said his injured calf was fine, said Russia’s decision to sit back and wait to counter-attack caught the Czechs by surprise. The Czechs started the game the better, controlling possession until a quick break after 15 minutes gave Russia a the lead.

“Defensively we were poor and we didn’t react to the counter-attack,” he said. “It was a good tactic.”

Other players said the team would have to play more intelligently and not lose possession so often, but echoed Rosicky’s view they could reach the knockout stage. “Today we are disappointed and will try to forget about the game with Russia,” said midfielder Tomas Huebschman. “This is not the first time we have been Czech Republic’s coach Michal Bilek gives instructions in this position.”

The Czechs face Greece in Wroclaw on Tuesday to his players during their Group A Euro 2012 soccer match against Russia at the City Stadium in Wroclaw, and face co-hosts Poland in the same city on June 16.

-Reuters June 8, 2012. (Reuters)

Beckham on provisional Olympic list LONDON: English football icon David Beckham’s dream of Olympic participation was given a boost after he was included in Britain’s 35-man provisional squad on Friday.

The announcement of Stuart Pearce’s final 18-man squad will be made on July 6 and Beckham, if confirmed in the final squad, would appear as one of three permitted overage players.

Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard have also been mentioned as potential candidates.

Beckham’s name has been a constant though, mainly due to the influential role he played in getting the Olympics to London in the first place.

The 37-year-old is still hugely popular despite not having played club football in England for nine years.

It is yet to be decided whether the Football Association will formally announce the 35-man squad. -AFP

FILE- England’s former captain David Beckham applauds before being presented a special cap in a half-time ceremony during the international friendly soccer match between England and Belgium at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday, June 2, 2012. (AP)

Ukraine’s coach Oleg Blokhin (right) gestures during the team’s friendly soccer match against Turkey in Ingolstadt June 5, 2012. (Reuters)

KIEV: Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin has a couple of problems at Euro 2012 he is worried his forwards do not score enough goals and his defenders cannot tackle.

Brought in to lead the side just over a year ago, he regrets he did not have more time to prepare the co-hosts for the finals in which they face Sweden in Group D on Monday, before taking on England and France.

“I was short of a few months,” the 59year-old coach said in an interview posted on Ukraine’s official Euro 2012 website on Saturday.

He said strikers of other nationalities had banged in plenty of goals across Europe this season but the top goal-scorer in Ukraine’s championship, Evhen Seleznyov, had managed only 14.

“Excuse me, but this level is very low for our championship,” Blokhin said. “If a forward can’t create a situation where he’s able to poke the ball home, then he’s not a forward for me.”

Listing some of the foreigners who

line up regularly for teams in Ukraine, he said: “In our case, it’s difficult even to find a forward playing permanently for his club.”

Blokhin, who led Ukraine to the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup and is a former European footballer of the year, said there were long-running problems with Ukraine’s defense.

“We have problems related to both the central defenders and full-backs,” he said. “Figuratively speaking, our defenders do not even tackle properly.”

Despite this, Blokhin, who returned to the post in April 2011, said it was not a bad thing to be seen as outsiders.

“I think the fact that we are not regarded as favorites is good. There will be less pressure on the team,” he said.

“Our first task is to qualify from the group. Then we shall see. We have the example of Greece at the European Championship in Portugal in 2004: the national team which was not the strongest became the winner.”

Andriy Yarmolenko, dropped for

Ukraine’s 2-0 defeat by Turkey in a friendly on Tuesday, said after training that he had recovered from a stomach muscle injury in time for Monday’s match against Sweden.

“I don’t know what happened. I just felt a pain in my leg. The scan showed nothing serious,” he said. “The game against Sweden will be significant in terms of psychology. Victory would let us feel more at ease in the next matches.”

Taras Mykhalyk, who is expected to partner his Dynamo Kiev colleague Evhen Khacheridi in the center of defense, said it would be vital to smother the threat of tall Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“Yes, he loves working with his elbows but it doesn’t matter. The most important thing is not to back down to him physically,” Mykhalyk said.

President Viktor Yanukovich visited the Ukrainian players on Friday to try to inspire them, and veteran Andriy Shevchenko presented him with a team T-shirt with the number 12. -Reuters