March 5, 2012 - Al Watan Daily

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012

@alwatandaily

Issue No. 1364

20 PAGES

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150 Fils with IHT

Opposition support MP Ashour’s interpellation Mohammed Al-Salman, Mohammed Al-Khaldi, Ahmed Al-Shemmari Staff Writers

KUWAIT: Opposition has voiced support for the interpellation that MP Saleh Ashour plans to file against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah (in principle).

However, it left declaring its stance on the motion till the day the motion will it will be discussed.

This comes at a time when an official source argued that any interpellation regarding the actions of previous governments will be considered unconstitutional. The source added that the prime minister or any other minister should not be interpolated over past actions.

Additionally, the source pointed out that the government will examine the interpellation motion immediately after it is submitted, and that it

will be referred to a legal team to determine the proper decision concerning the issues to be raised.

It has been gathered that the government will assess the motion’s conformity to the Constitution before taking a stance over it. Further, the source noted that it is premature to determine whether the government will go to the Constitutional Court or the Parliament’s Legislative Committee. “Nevertheless, we believe that it’s inappropriate and untimely to file an interpellation barely one month after the new Cabinet was formed over previous cases,” the official source was quoted as saying.

MP Ashour reiterated his previous statement to Al Watan that he will submit a request to interpellate the premier tomorrow (Tuesday), containing four issues. He noted that the planned interpellation will be centered on the multimillion deposits, allegations of illicit financial transfers abroad and government’s perceived leniency in the enforce-

ment of law. The lawmaker noted that the fourth issue is still being drafted and will be finalized today (Monday). Ashour called on his fellow MPs to shoulder their political responsibilities in order for the people of Kuwait to know the truth.

Moreover, the MP announced that he will ask the PM to refer all those who have served as ministers or MPs from 2006 up to date to the public prosecution to investigate financial irregularities, in accordance with the instructions of the Central Bank of Kuwait.

He went on to state the importance of his interpellation lies in the fact that the matter has already been referred to the prosecution, while urging all MPs and anyone with evidence to come forth. “I have nothing be afraid of. If you don’t steal you have nothing to fear. An accused person is innocent until proven otherwise,” Ashour stated.

For his part, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie affirmed

At least 61 dead in Al-Qaeda attack on Yemen base

SANAA: Al-Qaeda militants overran an army base in southern Yemen on Sunday, capturing heavy weapons and turning them on soldiers in intense clashes that left at least 61 dead, a military official said.

The battle near the town of Zinjibar in the southern province of Abyan killed 36 government troops and 25 of the militants, he said. A medical official confirmed the death toll. Scores were wounded from both sides, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The official said the fighting was taking place west of Abyan’s provincial capital of Zinjibar. Militants seized control of the town in May, taking advantage of political turmoil linked to the uprising against then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh stepped down last month in a US-backed power transfer deal that Washington hoped would al-

low Yemen’s new leaders to move against Al-Qaeda.

But the fighting highlights the difficulties faced by his successor Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in combatting the militant movement and restoring state authority in the lawless south.

The military officials said the militants were able to seize armored vehicles, artillery pieces, assault rifles and rockets from the stores of an army base they attacked. Some of the heavy weapons were later used against the troops, causing most of the casualties.

A Defense Ministry statement confirmed that the clashes had occurred, saying the fighting began when militants detonated “booby trapped vehicles” at an army base in the region of Koud near Zinjibar. The wording of the statement suggested that the base had been occupied by the militants before army forces regrouped and took it back.

It said there were casualties on both sides but More on 4 gave no figures.

Chelsea sack manager Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas. (AP)

LONDON: Andre Villas-Boas’s tortured spell as Chelsea manager came to an end on Sunday when the Premier League club sacked the Portuguese after less than nine months in charge. Speculation over the 34-year-old’s future had been swirling in the British media for weeks after a series of poor results and his dismissal came after Saturday’s 1-0 league defeat by West Bromwich Albion.

“Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season,” the London club said in a statement on their website (www.chelseafc.com).

The Stamford Bridge outfit have won three of their last 12 Premier League games and are in danger of missing out on qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. They are trailing 3-1 in their round-of-16 Champions League tie against Napoli ahead of the March 14 second leg, while they sit fifth in the Premier League More on 20 table with 46 points from 27 games.

Congo arms depot blasts kill up to 200, injure 1,500

KINSHASA: About 200 people have been killed in a fire and a subsequent series of blasts at an arms depot in the east of the Republic of Congo’s capital, Brazzaville.

Up to 1,500 have been seriously injured.

The explosions, which were caused by the fire, took place in the Regiment Blinde base in the riverside Mpila neighborhood, state radio station reported, citing Defense Minister Charles Zacharie Bowao. There have been no official statements about the cause of the fire.

“According to sources at the central hospital we’re talking of around 200 dead and many injured,” said Betu Bangana, an official from the president’s office. “Some people are still trapped in their houses... They’re saying

the entire neighborhood of Mpila has been destroyed,” he added. At least three Chinese workers were among those killed, Xinhua news agency reports. Dozens were injured, with some in a serious condition.

There were about 140 Chinese workers of the Beijing Construction Engineering Group at the construction site when the blasts occurred, according to the report.

Eyewitnesses at the scene reported that houses in the area had been flattened. The Russian Embassy in Brazzaville, which is one kilometer from the depot, was partly damaged by the explosion. Windows were shattered and one of the walls was partially destroyed by the force of the blasts. -AFP

Residents sift through the ruins of their houses for reusable materials after a fire in Pasay city, metro Manila March 4, 2012. The fire, which burned 90 shanties shortly before midnight on Saturday, caused the death of at least three children, with six people injured and leaving 150 families homeless. Fire officials had repeatedly reminded the public to take precautions against fires especially now that summer has arrived, with March being designated as a national Fire Prevention Month, added local media. (Reuters)

that the planned interpellation is a constitutionally preserved right, hence it should not be denied regardless of the motive behind it.

Speaking to Al Watan, the MP said that the interpellation should not be postponed, or referred to the Constitutional Court or the Parliamentary Legislative Committee. He also stressed that the interpellation must not be taken out of the Parliament’s agenda. Al-Tabtabaie called on His Highness the Prime Minister to step up to the podium and face the interpellation. “Our position will be determined on the day the interpellation will be discussed,” the lawmaker explained.

Asked whether the interpellation has been announced at this time to cause tension, Al-Tabtabaie replied by saying that, “any interpellator has motives, but we don’t judge intentions.”

He added, “There are those out there who seek to create tension in the National Assembly with the

aim of stalling all the achievements. We will not allow this, because we came to introduce reforms.”

For his part, the official spokesperson for the Popular Action Bloc Musallam Al-Barrak asserted the commitment of the bloc members to the preservation of MPs’ right to file interpellations so that ministers can face them. “The supporters of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad used to agree on closed-door sessions and the referral of interpellations to the Constitutional court or the Legislative Committee, or the scrapping them off. But we are against deferral, referral or deletion,” the outspoken MP stated.

In the meantime, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Interior and Defense Committee MP Nayef Al-Merdas questioned MP Ashour’s decision to file a request to grill the premier, particularly in regards to the multimillion dinar issue and alleged illicit financial transfers abroad.

Israeli minister: Israel to decide alone on Iran JERUSALEM: Israel will decide on what to do about Iran’s nuclear activities as an “independent state,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday, on the eve of a US-Israel summit in Washington.

“Clearly, the United States is the biggest world power and the biggest and most important country that is a friend of Israel, but we are an independent state,” Lieberman told Israeli public radio.

“Ultimately, the state of Israel will make the decisions that are most appropriate based on its evaluation of the situation,” he said. Lieberman’s comments came shortly before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with US President Barack Obama on Monday, a meeting expected to focus heavily on Iran’s nuclear activities.

Israel, Washington and much of the international community believes that Iran’s nuclear program masks a weapons drive, a charge Tehran denies.

US intelligence is said to believe that Iran does not currently intend to produce nuclear weapons, though it may be seeking the capacity to do so, and Washington has emphasized the importance of deterrent sanctions More on 4 and diplomacy.

Putin wins poll in landslide victory

MOSCOW: Russian leader Vladimir Putin was set Sunday to return to the Kremlin after crushing his opponents in a presidential election which the opposition said was marred by serial violations. Putin would win the polls in the first round with a score approaching 60 percent of the vote followed by his main rival the Communist Gennady Zyuganov and tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov in third, exit polls and initial results showed.

If confirmed, the results mean that Putin will reclaim the Kremlin post he occupied for two terms from 2000-2008 after his four-year stint as prime minister under the presidency of his protege Dmitry Medvedev. But Putin is facing a major new challenge to his rule that comes not from the candidates who stood against him but from a protest movement that has staged mass rallies in the last three months against his rule. Early results based on 14.5 percent of Russia’s polling stations said he had won 61.8 percent of the vote, the central election commission said.

The early results - gathered mainly from the Far East and Siberia where polls closed several hours ago - showed Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov trailing in second with 17.8 More on 5 percent.

Rescue workers try to enter a wagon at the train crash site in Szczekociny, Poland, Sunday, March 4, 2012. Two trains running on the same track collided head-on in southern Poland late Saturday, leaving at least 15 people dead and 56 injured in the country’s worst train disaster in more than 20 More on 5 years. (AP)

Pakistan seeks Interpol help over Musharraf arrest ISLAMABAD: Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik Sunday said he had formally asked Interpol to issue an arrest warrant for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over the murder of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto. “We have sent a request to the Interpol for the arrest of Pervez Musharraf,” Malik told reporters in the capital Islamabad.

Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, while leaving an election rally in Rawalpindi, the headquarters of Pakistan’s army. Musharraf, who has lived in self-imposed exile in London and Dubai since August 2008, has indefinitely delayed plans to return home to contest elections after the government warned he would be arrested upon arrival.

Pakistani courts have issued warrants for his arrest over the 2006 death of Akbar Bugti, a Baluch rebel leader in

the southwest Pakistan, and the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, whose widower is Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Malik, who was a close aide of Bhutto, has accused Musharraf of refusing to provide her with adequate security and of threatening her by telephone when she was in Washington before returning to Pakistan in October 2007.

Bhutto, who served two terms as prime minister, returned from exile two months before she was assassinated. Her widower, Asif Ali Zardari, led her Pakistan People’s Party to election victory in 2008 and is now president.

At the time of Bhutto’s death, Musharraf’s government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement and was subsequently killed in a US drone attack. -AFP

YouTube phenomenon has girls asking: Am I pretty?

NEW YORK: The young girl shows off her big, comfy koala hat and forms playful hearts with her fingers as she drops the question on YouTube: “Am I pretty or ugly?”

“A lot of people call me ugly, and I think I am ugly. I think I’m ugly, and fat,” she confesses in a tiny voice as she invites the world to decide. And the world did. The video, posted Dec. 17, 2010, has more than 4 million views and more than 107,000 anonymous, often hateful responses in a troubling phenomenon that has girls as young as 10 - and some boys - asking the same question on YouTube with similar results. Some experts in child psychology and online safety wonder whether the videos, with anywhere from 300 to 1,000 posted, represent a new wave of distress rather than simple self-questioning or pleas for affirmation or attention.

How could the creators not anticipate the nasty responses, even the tender tweens uploading videos in violation of YouTube’s 13-and-over age policy? Their directness, playful but steadfast, grips even those accustomed to life’s open Internet channel, where revolutions and executions play out alongside the ramblings of anyMore on 15 body with digital access.

The coffin of Italian singer Lucio Dalla is carried through the crowd as it arrives at the cathedral of San Petronio in Bologna on March 4, 2012 for the funeral mass. Dalla, who started out as a jazz clarinettist in the 1960s and went on to perform with opera star Luciano Pavarotti, has died on March 1, 2012, of a heart attack in Switzerland at the age of 68. (AFP)

Indian college turns rural women into engineers

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ALWATAN DAILY

kuwait

monDAY, march 5, 2012

MP Ashour threats to refer all ministers, MPs from 2006 to prosecution, to probe bank accounts Mohammed Al-Salman Staff Writer

KUWAIT: MP Saleh Ashour announced that he will file an interpellation against His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah on Tuesday and explained that this interpellation will discuss bank deposits, overseas financial transactions, and loopholes in shouldering Constitutional rights.

He asked the MPs to shoulder their political responsibilities, in order to reveal the truth behind the deposits and overseas transactions.

In addition, Ashour stated that he needs to clarify the fact that he was referred to the Public Prosecution by the previous National Assembly to undergo an investigation concerning a deposit from the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), but was rather asked about all his deposits from 2006 until present in

all banks. He said that his referral to the prosecution was not triggered by any complaints or cases filed against him by any bank concerning the 2006 deposits. As a result of that, Ashour revealed that he plans to ask the premier and the government to refer all ministers and MPs from 2006 until present to prosecution in order to determine those who have violated the terms and conditions of the Central Bank of Kuwait. He added that the proposal regarding the formation of a

No point delaying bedouns’ files: MP Al-Barrak Wafa Qansour Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The spokesman for the Popular Action Bloc MP Musallam AlBarrak stressed his bloc’s commitment to provide complete protection to the interpellation tools and to ensure that the minister in question would stand on the podium to face the questions.

Asked about the interpellation in-

tended to be made by MP Saleh Ashour against His Highness the Prime Minister over the multi-million deposits, he said that the MPs who supported former Prime Minister Nasser Al-Mohammad approved the element of discretion and the postponement of the questioning while referring the matter to the legislative or Constitutional court and even calling off the issue.

“As for us, there would be no can-

Spokesman for the Popular Action Bloc MP Musallam Al-Barrak speaking during National assembly’s Sunday session, March 4, 2012. (Al Watan)

cellation or referral as the interpellation has its own value and protection.”

MP Al-Barrak said that Popular Action Bloc is currently occupied with the last stages of finalizing the terms and conditions for the leading positions in judiciary and public prosecution, so that it would be then passed to Parliamentary Coordination for the Majority. He added that the proposal is based on the democratic principle.

He noted that the proposal will guarantee granting them full rights after retirement which has been extended to the age of 65. He also said that his bloc is working on new mechanism to resolve the issue of bedouns regarding those who deserve nationalization as well as the social, humane and civil rights for the rest.

The MP explained that the issue has been lingering around for the past 50 years and that the country is now dealing with fourth generation bedouns, some of whom had died for the country, others are children of Kuwaitis mothers while some are registered in 1965 registration.

He wondered why the 35, 000 which have been officially accepted by the body which deals with the bedouns, adding that if their nationalization had been approved on grounds that they meet the requirements, then surely such matter should be implemented, pointing out that there is no point juggling with the bedouns files for such a long period of time because the matter is over and done with.

Peninsula Shield has proven to be formidable force: Prince Salman

KUWAIT: The Peninsula Shield Force, the joint army of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, has proven its capacity to take action for defense of the member states of the council, affirmed the Defense Minister of Saudi Arabia.

Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, in an interview published by the Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Seyassah and its sisterly English-language issue, the Arab Times, on Sunday, affirmed that joint GCC army was no longer a dream, but a force that had proven capable of carrying out military and combat action during the 1990 Iraqi aggression on Kuwait and against Iranian intervention in Bahrain.

“A dream is usually the beginning of something new.

Actually, a unified Gulf Army already exists, meaning the dream has been realized through the Peninsula Shield Force that made its existence known during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, in addition to its contributions to previous efforts to stop the interference of Iran in Bahrain. These scenarios prove that the Peninsula Shield Force is the nucleus of a Gulf military authority which protects the GCC countries from any danger surrounding them,” said the minister.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, since its establishment, is regarded as the big sister of other GCC countries, an image that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz maintains, like his ancestors who led the country in the past. “We should affirm that we live in a country which God has showered with all kinds of blessings, in addition to its strategic geographical location.

Therefore, we do not envy anyone and we hope to see the Peninsula Shield Force having the expected power in case a unified Gulf Army is formed in the future,” Prince Salman added.

Asked whether he foresaw realization of King Abdullah’s dream of having a Gulf confederation, he said “The GCC is the most cohesive Arab and regional union, the best manifestation of the fraternal understanding between brotherly nations. In spite of the past challenges, the GCC, 31 years after its establishment, has become stronger and has numerous achievements.

Execution of some projects may be delayed, some are in progress, and others have been completed, including the free movement of GCC nationals in member-countries through the unified card, as well as establishment of the customs union and electronic connection. The GCC has remained steadfast for more than 30 years, and it is growing stronger and stronger every day. Its steadfastness is firmly established in an unprecedented manner, may it be Arab,

regional or perhaps international; the council has started paying off.” Voicing optimism on the future through cooperation, Prince Salman wondered, “Why is the Gulf confederation impossible considering the GCC countries share common traditions, norms, religion, language and geography, in addition to many pacts that led to idea presented by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques? We also have a nucleus for the unified Gulf military known as the Peninsula Shield Force, which has been tested as a capable force in protecting the GCC countries.” Prince Salman pointed out, “The GCC countries’ traditions, social norms, language, religion and geography are one. They are close-knit countries with a strong financial power, which is helpful in realizing the confederation dream. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, when he presented this idea, realized the effect as leader of the big brother nation.

“He understands the positive effects of the proposal on the member states as a single entity during maneuvers within the international community or the region, in addition to the impact on citizens. I am one of the keen followers of developments in the GCC countries, so we see it moving from better to best, while it has never turned backwards despite the challenges.”

Asked about reasons for the weakening of the Arab Spring winds upon reaching the frontiers of the region, “if it was pure luck or a political tactic,” Prince Salman pointed out the time has not come yet for the region to practice democracy away from the social culture. He said, “Democracy is justice, which is available in our countries.

We do not deal with any life crisis similar to what we have seen in some nations that witnessed a political movement due to this issue.” On regional security and stability, Prince Salman stated, “There is no cause for alarm with regards to the situation in the region, because we have a clear vision for our national security, while we fully understand the concept of stability, independence and protection of rights of our citizens.” On Iran and its nuclear file, Prince Salman said, “Iran is our neighbor, but we draw a line when it comes to intervention in our internal affairs as ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’ countries. Whenever we feel that anybody is interfering in our internal affairs through internal mercenaries or people from outside, we will resist it appropriately.” In what seems to be a general observation that the huge financial revolution in the Arabian Gulf attracts foreign interest, Prince Salman affirms, “That is not the source of worry for GCC countries since we are alert about what goes around us.” -KUNA

parliamentary investigations committee concerning those deposits needs to be amended, where the family members of those MPs and ministers need to be added to the list of people whose bank accounts must be checked; especially after he received tips from several sources that the brothers of some MPs have inflated bank accounts and portfolios. He stressed that the government is responsible for referring the ministers and MPs regarding the 2006 deposits to investigation, since he

underwent a personal investigation regarding his financial matters although there were no complaints or cases filed against him.

Moreover, he said that some MPs were wondering how a person who was referred to the Public Prosecution and accused of illegal bank deposits can file an interpellation against the premier. He challenged NBK officials to submit any documents against him to prove that he has an inflated bank account as others claim.

Cabinet briefed on letters sent by Benin, Kyrgyzstan presidents to Amir KUWAIT: The Cabinet of Ministers held at Sief Palace on Sunday its weekly meeting chaired

by Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Following the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said in a statement that the Cabinet was briefed with letters sent to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from President of Benin Yayi Boni, Kyrgyzstan’s President Almazbek Atambayev and Head of the Libyan Transitional National Council Mustafa Abduljalil. All letters dealt with bilateral relations with Kuwait and means to develop them at all levels.

The Cabinet was also briefed with the invitation addressed to His Highness the Amir to attend

Istanbul World Political Forum, to be held May 1718, 2012. It was also notified with the Amir’s order of tasking Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah to represent the Amir in the Arab Connect Summit, to be held in Doha, Qatar on March 5-7, 2012.

Meanwhile, and upon a presentation by Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Khaled Al-Saleh, the Cabinet approved a draft decree to assign Basel Al-Haroun, Dr. Faisal Al-Fahad and Mishaal AlOseimi for the Capital Market Authority commission membership for its remaining period. It also ratified resolutions numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 by the higher council for planning and development during its session on July 3, 2011.It then discussed latest political developments on local, regional and international levels. -KUNA

Al-Badran denies eavesdropping on mobiles Hamad Al-Azmi Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The Chief Executive Officer of Telecommunications Company VIVA, Salman Al-Badran, denied rumors that claim the company has been eavesdropping on customers’ calls outgoing byVIVA clients or incoming by any other telecommunication companies operating in Kuwait. He stressed that such an operation requires special electronic devices, which could be available in some neighboring countries, but they are not available in Kuwait. In a meeting organized by National Unity Diwaniya Saturday in the diwaniya of Saad Al-Meatish, Al-Badran added that telecommunication companies in Kuwait, including VIVA, Zain or Wataniya, and even the government bodies do not possess such technology to eavesdrop on calls. He said that the network built in Kuwait is designed in a way that doesn’t allow the use of such technologies.

Al-Badran said that telecommunication companies operating in Kuwait can locate the cell phone when used by clients, as it happens in anywhere in the world, upon an official request from the Ministry of Interior.

He added that suspending services, also known as short code, with some websites and TV channels only happens upon a request by the Ministry of Communication, noting that the decision is such case is binding. He noted that Kuwait has no authority for regulating communications and monitoring the market except for the Ministry of Communication, adding that such an authority exists in most of Gulf States.

Al-Badran said that the establishment of an authority for communications in Kuwait will encourage competition among companies, and VIVA clients, for example, where the clients can use their mobiles in Kuwait and

The Chief Executive Officer of VIVA Salman Al-Badran (left) at the diwaniya of Saad Al-Meatish (right) on March 3, 2012. Al-Badran denied rumors that claim the company has been eavesdropping on customers’ calls. (Al Watan)

Saudi Arabia without paying extra fees.

Regarding the evaluation of the performance of VIVA in Kuwaiti market, Al-Badran said that 2011 results were higher than the expected. He explained that the company managed to acquire about 60 percent of the market share, although it is a new company. He added that VIVA encountered a lot of difficulties and challenges when it first began its operations in Kuwaiti, but it managed to gain the largest subscription in country’s history. He added that the company gained 25 percent of market share and 40 percent of internet services due to the outstanding services provided by the company.

Al-Badran said that the company will implement a number of important projects during the coming period including building 250 towers.

Government will consider parliament recommendations on Syria: Al-Jarallah

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Government will consider recommendations tabled by the National Assembly regarding the situation in Syria, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary KhaledAl-Jarallah said Sunday.“We appreciate the recommendations taken by the Assembly in its last session, as they will be reviewed by the Government,” Al-Jarallah told reporters after attending a meeting of the Assembly’s foreign affairs committee Sunday.

“We listened to members of Parliaments’ (MPs) ‘valuable’ comments, as well as ideas on the issue... We would benefit from this discussion in our diplomatic action, either on regional or international levels,” he said.

Al-Jarallah asserted that the discussions were “clear and frank”, hoping for such meetings to continue “for Kuwait’s best interests.”

As for whether there were any reservations on the side of the Government on the matter, he said “there

was no notion tabled to be reserved over... Au contraire, everyone interacted with what has been said.”

On March 1, and before the Assembly’s session to address the distressful situation in Syria, Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled AlSabah said that Kuwait has shown its adherence to its regional and international obligations, always seeking peaceful resolutions to momentous problems threatening world peace.

On the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Russia meeting, he said “it has been postponed and the Russian side was informed about it... GCC foreign ministers saw the meeting’s timing ‘inconvenient’ due to their current appointments. A new date will be set after contacts.”

The second ministerial GCC-Russia meeting on strategic dialogue was due to take place in Moscow. The first was hosted by Abu Dhabi in November 2011. -KUNA

Room view of Parliament’s Sunday’s session, March 4, 2012. (KUNA)

ALWATAN DAILY

KUWAIT

monDAY, march 5, 2012

Kuwait to host 18th Arab parliament conference Monday KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will inaugurate Monday the 18th Arab Inter-parliamentary Union (AIPU) conference here.

Speakers of more than 18 Arab parliaments and scores of prominent Arab parliamentarians will take part in the annual meeting of the AIPU. The two-day conference will tackle several key Arab issues at forefront of which the Arab Spring and its consequences.

The opening session will include speeches from Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretary General Noureddine Bou Kachouj and President Mohammad Mubarak Al-Khalifa, Interim Arab Parliament Speaker Ali Al-Deqbasi, Inter-Parliamentary Union chief Abdelwahad Al-Radi and Kuwait National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun.

The conference is to convene with participa-

tion of speakers of parliaments of 18 Arab countries. The agenda covers items including election of the conference bureau, which means elections of a chairman and a vice-chairman, as well as approving articles on the agenda. The conferees are also to discuss the chairman’s report on the union’s activities and the activities of the executive committee since the previous conference, as well as review the secretary general’s report on the state of affairs of the union. The conference also tackles a study by the Arab Labor Organization (ALO) on job seekers in the Arab World and the role of parliamentarians in efforts to solve the unemployment problem.

There would also be discussion of the union’s plan for 2012, its regional and international activities, its 2011 final accounts, and its 2012 budget.

Standing committees would be formed during the sessions, namely the Political and Parliamenta-

ry Relations Affairs Committee, the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, Social Affairs Committee, and Women and Child Affairs Committee.

The Omani official was seen off upon his departure by the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait Salem Al-Zamanan heading to Kuwait on Sunday.

The conference will touch upon the role of parliaments in fighting unemployment and supporting development. The participants will review the activities of the Arab parliament on the regional and international levels. The meeting agenda also includes the election of a president to the conference, secretary general and approving the conference agenda.

The conferees will elect members of the Arab Parliament’s political affairs, parliamentary relations, financial and economic affairs, social issues and women and children committees. -KUNA

Kuwait to build school in Indonesia KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait Red Cross Society (KRCS) and the Indonesian province of Banda Aceh signed on Sunday an accord for building a

school in the village of the late Sheikh Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah.

The school will be built in the village, located

Kuwait Red Cross Society and the Indonesian province of Banda Aceh during the signing on Sunday of an accord for building a school in the village of the late Sheikh Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah, March 4, 2012.

(KUNA)

in the region that was ravaged by the 2004 destructive tsunami, confirmed Chairman of the KRCS Barjas Homoud Al-Barjas, who attended the signing ceremony with the Kuwaiti ambassador to Indonesia Nasser Al-Enezi, the honorary treasurer of the society, Saad Al-Nahed, and the secretary general of the province, Saeed Mustafa.

The society will continue aiding the Indonesian people and helping in the execution of development projects for the nation, he added.

It has already executed several ventures, since the destructive tsunami, namely Sheikh Jaber village, including the construction of water desalination plants and the rebuilding of infrastructure in damaged regions.

Nasser Al-Enezi, the Kuwaiti ambassador to the nation, praised the noticeable humanitarian efforts by the society for helping the Indonesian people.

The Kuwaiti society has been generous in aiding nations in need across the world, in line with the guidelines of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Such relief assistance to peoples throughout the world constitutes the best means of portraying a positive image of the State of Kuwait, Al-Enezi said.

For his part, Mustafa praised Kuwait for being the first country to have swiftly dispatched aid since the deadly tsunami. -KUNA

Eminent journalists arrive in Turkey on ties’ boosting mission ANKARA: A delegation grouping senior and veteran Kuwaiti journalists and media figures arrived in the Turkish capital on Sunday starting a scheduled visit during which they will hold talks with ranking leaders on bilateral issues and topics of joint interest.

The mission, the first of its kind on record to Turkey by such a high-profile media delegation from the Gulf country, coincides with unprecedented improvement of the bilateral relations between Ankara and Kuwait, said Ahmad Behbehani, Chairman of the Kuwaiti Journalists Association (KJA) and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), in remarks to KUNA. It will boost efforts for mutual media cooperation between the two countries, he said, indicating that the eminent visitors will examine Tur-

key’s modernization at the political, cultural and economic levels. They will hold talks, during the six-day visit, with senior leaders on means of enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries and to listen to local media pioneers’ views on various crucial regional affairs.

The Kuwaiti delegation includes KUNA Chief Editor Rashed Al-Ruweished, Editor-in-Chief of the daily newspaper Al-Anbaa Yousef Khaled AlMarzoug, Chief Editor of Al-Rai daily Majed AlAli and his counterpart in An-Nahar newspaper Imad Bou-Khamseen.

It also includes Chief Editor of the English language daily newspaper Kuwait Times, Abdul-Rahman Al-Olayan, Deputy Chief Editor of Al-Anbaa and coordinator of the mission, Adnan Al-Rashed, Deputy Chief Editor of Al-Jarida Saud Al-Enezi, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al-Yaqaza magazine

Dalia Bebehani and the photographer, Majed AlSabej. Such meetings between Kuwaiti and Turkish figures pave the way for coordinating the two sides’ stances at the regional level, Behbehani added in the remarks to the Kuwaiti news agency.

For his part, Abdullah Al-Thuwaikh, the dean of the diplomatic corps in Turkey and the Kuwaiti ambassador to the nation, said the visit was organized within the framework of boosting the bilateral relations between the two sides at the official and private levels, namely in the media field, noting that the two countries have been bound with a cultural cooperation accord.

Concurring with Behbehani, the diplomat affirmed that the mission would help in strengthening the relations between Turkey and Kuwait. The diplomat was at the airport upon arrival of the delegation. -KUNA

Kuwait, Algeria discuss promoting trade cooperation ALGIERS: A Kuwaiti-Algerian joint team has started preparing for a draft agreement on trade cooperation between the two countries, in its second meeting on the matter held Sunday.

During the meeting in Algiers, the team will discuss a number of files on the economy and commerce of mutual interest and in order to reach a

final draft to be signed at the next meeting of the Kuwaiti-Algerian ministerial committee.

Director of the Gulf and Arab World Department at the Ministry of Commerce Dr. Abdullah Al-Ewaisi said, during the meeting, that trade ties have been notably thriving in the past few years as a result of the effort exerted by the two countries’

joint committee. Noting to the tremendous job accomplished by the joint committee, the head of the Kuwaiti side said that the trade volume between Kuwait and Algeria amounted to 29 million US dollars in 2010, compared to $6 million in 2005.

The Algerian side includes a number of officials from the trade and commerce ministry. -KUNA

3

Accessibility law for handicapped should be enforced

KUWAIT: People with disabilities need access to facilities and services that are guaranteed by International Law and agreements, Secretary-General of the Kuwait Society of the Handicapped Munira Al-Mutawa stressed on Sunday.

In a press statement, Al-Mutawa carified that article 9 of UN Enable, concerned with people with special needs, stresses the importance of enabling “persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life. Appropriate measures should be taken to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public.” Al-Mutawa noted that a committee has been formed to fund and set up such project in Kuwait to implement this accessibility law to make life easier for people with disabilities.

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Ministry of Public Works, and Kuwait and Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development will be part of this project, she noted. -KUNA

Minister Al-Othaina to attend Connect Arab Summit 2012 in Doha KUWAIT: Minister of Communications Salem Al-Othaina will leave to the Qatari capital, Doha, tomorrow, heading an official delegation to the Connect Arab Summit 2012. The Summit, to be held from March 5-7, aims at mobilizing human, financial and technical resources required to close Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gaps in the Middle East region, a ministry statement said. It will be the gathering point of heads of state and government, ministers, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Arab League and UN senior officials, as well as representatives of regional and international financial institutions and media companies among others, the statement noted. The Summit will also feature discussion panels and roundtables focusing on challenges posed to emerging and transition economies in harnessing the full potential of ICTs. Bold decisions and commitments will be announced on multi-stakeholder partnerships to meet these challenges, it concluded. The Summit is organized by the International Telecommunication Union in partnership with the League of Arab States, and is hosted by Qatar’s Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology, ICTQatar. -KUNA

MoI affirms keenness on facilitating crossing border checkpoints KUWAIT: Personnel of the Ministry of Interior posted at the border checkpoints secured easy movement of travelers in February, a ranking ministry official said on Sunday. The personnel accomplished the mission of securing orderly and easy crossing of people through the exits, according to regulations, and in line with guidelines of the First Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Homoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Undersecretary, Lieutenant General Ghazi Abdul Rahman Al-Omar, said Major General Mohammed Al-Dosari, the Director General of the General Directorate of Land crossings, in a statement. Procedures for the passing of the travelers were done quickly and effectively due to installment of technological systems and assignment of welltrained and qualified cadres, he added.

Number of travelers who crossed Al-Salmi and Al-Nuwaiseeb border points, in February, ranged between 3,500 and 2,000.

Major General Al-Dosari affirmed keenness on further upgrading services at the border checkpoints. -KUNA

Illegal residents committee receive British official KUWAIT: The Chairman of the Executive Committee for Addressing the Status of Illegal Residents Saleh Al-Fedhala discussed on Sunday with a visiting delegation from the British Interior Ministry ways to bolster cooperation between both sides. The British delegates asked for assistance with regard to determining the identity of those who enter the UK claiming to be illegal residents (Bedoun) from Kuwait, Al-Fedhala said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) after the meeting. The Chairman added that the number of such cases has witnessed an increase in recent months, noting that around 450 people entered Britain and fit this criteria in the past two years. Al-Fedhala said that the British delegation explained that once the nationality of these illegal residents is determined they would be formally contacting their respective countries, amid joint agreements approved with these countries. Furthermore, the British delegation expressed hope the Kuwaiti side would sign the agreement, the Kuwaiti official noted. Al-Fedhala explained further that his committee is ready to assist British authorities and to provide them with the necessary information they need, noting that the signing of such an agreement is the task of the foreign or interior ministry, in charge of such matters. -KUNA

Defense Minister meets with Italian counterpart KUWAIT: Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah on Sunday met with Italian Defense Minister Giampola Di Paola to discuss several topics of common interest.

During the meeting, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled

Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah met with Italian Defense Minister Giampola Di Paola on Sunday, March 4, 2012. (KUNA)

mentioned to the Italian minister and his accompanying delegation the exchange of military expertise and means to boost cooperation, as well as the latest developments on the regional and international arenas. The meeting was attended by the newly-appointed Kuwaiti Army Chief of

Staff, Lieut-General Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, Italian ambassador to Kuwait Fabrizio Nicoletti, Major General Abdulrahman Al-Othman, Assistant Chief-of-Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces for Operations, and a number of senior military officers. -KUNA

The Chairman of the Executive Committee for Addressing the Status of Illegal Residents Saleh Al-Fedhala during a meeting with the visiting delegation from the British Interior Ministry on Sunday, March 4, 2012. (KUNA)

Khaled Al-Jarrah sworn in as new army Chief of Staff KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Defense Ministry held a swearing in ceremony for the new Army Chief of Staff, Lieut-General Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, implementing a decree issued by His Highness the Amir and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Also in attendance was the First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Sheikh Ahmad AlKhaled Al-Sabah, who expressed his wishes of success for the newly-appointed senior officer. The ceremony was also attended by Undersecretary for the Ministry of Defense Jasser Al-Jassar and members of the defense and military council as well as army officers. -KUNA

4

ALWATAN DAILY

regional

Enough is enough, Amshir

By Hossam Fathi

KUWAIT: I strongly apologize for some expressions that I have used in my previous article and I hope all readers will accept my apology, as I feel very bad because of the month of Amshir where the weather is dusty and horrible. During this month people suffer highly from the dust and pollution, especially during the last days of this hated season.

This month usually interrupts work progress at different institution, especially ports and airports, save for the military plane that carried the 16 American citizens who were detained recently. This is the sole thing that Amshir could not interrupt, due to American influence!!

Please, forgive me and forgive the fact that I am angry with Amshir, the month which is driving my ire as a result of what it is doing in Egypt now. Amshir filled the noses of people with dust and it is responsible for all other disasters that the Egyptian people are suffering from. We hope the remaining days of Amshir will pass by peacefully.

I hope that you will accept my apology for the reasons that I have just mentioned and other reasons which I cannot mention, as they are not for polite company.

May God protect Egypt against all evils and against her submissive officials. hossam@alwatan.com.kw Twitter:@hossamfathy66

Israel will decide on Iran for itself says FM

JERUSALEM: Israel will decide on what to do about Iran’s nuclear activities as an “independent state,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday, on the eve of a US-Israel summit in Washington. “Clearly, the United States is the biggest world power and the biggest and most important country that is a friend of Israel, but we are an independent state,” Lieberman told Israeli public radio.

“Ultimately, the state of Israel will make the decisions that are most appropriate based on its evaluation of the situation,” he said.

Lieberman’s comments came shortly before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with US President Barack Obama on Monday, a meeting expected to focus heavily on Iran’s nuclear activities. Israel,Washington and much of the international community believes that Iran’s nuclear program masks a weapons drive, a charge Tehran denies. US intelligence is said to believe that Iran does not currently intend to produce nuclear weapons, though it may be seeking the capacity to do so, and Washington has emphasized the importance of deterrent sanctions and diplomacy.

But Israel is reportedly eager to move more quickly and decisively against Iran’s nuclear activities, using a military strike to prevent it from obtaining even the capacity to take a decision to produce nuclear weapons. “The Iranian file is well-known,” Lieberman said. “The direction taken by Iran is clear.”

But he added that any decisions should be made “calmly, weighing the pros and cons. All this chatter doesn’t help anyone.”

Lieberman also warned that the international community’s failure to deal with the bloodshed in Syria, where a crackdown on anti-regime protesters has killed thousands, showed Israel could rely only on itself for protection.

“If the international community is incapable of stopping the massacres in Syria, what is the value of its promises to protect the security of Israel?” -AFP

MONDAY, march 5, 2012

Red Cross blocked from Baba Amro as Syria boils BEIRUT: The Red Cross delivered aid to areas around the battered Baba Amro district of the Syrian city of Homs on Sunday, but was blocked from entering the former rebel stronghold itself, three days after anti-government fighters fled a month-long siege.

In a further indication civilians were being caught up in the conflict, up to 2,000 Syrians fled into neighboring Lebanon, the UN Refugee Agency said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had been prevented from entering Baba Amro by Syrian ground forces despite receiving government permission, a move activists said was to prevent aid workers witnessing army “massacres”.

“We have the green light, we hope to enter, we hope today is the day,” said the ICRC’s Damascus-based spokesman Saleh Dabbakeh, declining to give further details about what he said were sensitive talks with Syrian officials.

“We are very concerned about the people in Baba Amro.”

After a month of bombardment by President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, concerns mounted for freezing, hungry and wounded civilians in Homs, which on Saturday had come under renewed shelling by government troops, antiAssad activists said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday he had received “grisly reports” troops were executing and torturing people in Homs after insurgents abandoned their positions.

Aid workers began delivering supplies to areas near Baba Amro where people had fled, the ICRC said.

“It is a positive step. But we want to enter Baba Amro today,” ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan told Reuters in Geneva.

South of Homs, the border town of Qusair came under shelling by government troops, forcing residents to flee on foot to neighboring Lebanon, a Reuters witness said.

“The people said they were sat at home and suddenly the shelling started and they fled.

They said it was tank shelling and gunfire,” said Reuters reporter Afif Diab.

He spoke at the border to what he said were mainly women fleeing with their children.

since the revolt against the Assad family’s fourdecade rule began in March last year.

The Syrian government said in December that “armed terrorists” had killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police during the unrest.

Beirut protests

A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows a boy standing in a demolished house after a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle in the Syrian city of Daraa on March 3, 2012, killing two people and wounding 20 including security force personnel, according to the SANA news agency. (AFP)

Blasts could be heard from the Lebanese border, which is some 12 km (7 miles) from Qusair.

Other Lebanese border sources spoke of attacks in Syria by aircraft, but reports could not immediately be verified.

“Between 1,000 and 2,000 (Syrians) are in the process of coming from Syria to Lebanon,” the UNHCR’s deputy representative in Lebanon, Jean-Paul Cavalieri, told Reuters.

Clashes

The outside world has proved powerless to halt the killing in Syria, where repression of initially peaceful protests against Assad’s rule sparked an insurrection by army deserters and others. The government says it is fighting foreign-backed “terrorists” it blames for killing hundreds of soldiers and police across the country. Activists reported government raids in Hama in which one young man was shot dead,

and heavy shelling in the town of Rastan, north of Homs, where rebels have been hiding.

“Residents told me that shelling started early this morning shortly after helicopters and spotter planes were seen above the town,” said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Clashes between Free Syrian Army defectors and Syrian troops were reported in Jebel al-Zawiya in Syria’s north, and activists said government forces had used tear gas to disperse an anti-Assad protest in the northern city of Aleppo. Abdelrahamn also reported an attack on a Syrian army weapons depot by rebels near Homs on Saturday, killing and wounding up to 50 Syrian troops. Activists’ reports are difficult to verify independently due to Syrian reporting restrictions.

The United Nations says Syrian security forces have killed more than 7,500 civilians

Iranian opposition group eyes Jordan relocation

PARIS: An exiled Iranian opposition group being forced to relocate from its paramilitary base in eastern Iraq proposed on Saturday to temporarily move to the Jordanian border instead of Camp Liberty near Baghdad.

Last month, the Obama administration offered to move the group temporarily to Camp Liberty, which once was a base for US soldiers.

Iraq wants Camp Ashraf, with more than 3,000 residents, shut down. The Mujahedeene-Khalq, or MEK, guerrilla group was disarmed

by US soldiers during the Iraq invasion in 2003, and have since become an irritant to Iraq’s Shiite-led government, which is trying to bolster ties with its Shiite-ruled neighbor.

The group, whose political wing is based outside Paris, is seeking removal from the US list of terrorist organizations and in February US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that one way to get off it was to cooperate in a relocation plan. She said the United States will help ensure the safety and security of the Camp Ashraf residents, near the Iraq-Iran border, as they are moved to another site - Camp Liberty.

The MEK members fear a massacre if they remain at Camp Ashraf. An Iraqi raid last year left 34 exiles dead.

However, the group insisted in its statement Saturday that “minimum assurances” must be met such as removal of Iraqi guards from seven

positions in Camp Liberty where women would reside for a relocation to take place. Among other assurances sought are acess to medical services, freedom of movement and transfer of vehicles and other moveable property.

So far, “none of the minimum assurances that Ashraf residents had sought has been met,” the statement said. It claimed those living there have two options: “massacre and death atAshraf or gradual death in a place called Liberty, under the name and supervision of the UN” Already, 397 Camp Ashraf residents have relocated to Camp Liberty.

Maryam Rajavi, co-leader of the MEK, said that camp residents are ready to relocate tem-

Libya army graduates first Tripoli-trained troops

Khamenei allies trounce Ahmadinejad in Iran election

TEHRAN: Loyalists of Iran’s paramount clerical leader have won over 75 percent of seats in parliamentary elections, a near-complete count showed, largely reducing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a lame duck in a contest between conservative hardline factions.

The outcome of Friday’s vote, largely shunned by reformists whose leaders are under house arrest, will have no major impact on Iran’s foreign policy including its nuclear dispute with the West. But it will give Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s camp a significant edge in the 2013 presidential election.

The widespread defeat of Ahmadinejad’s supporters was likely to erode the authority of the president, under fire from Khamenei’s allies for challenging the utmost authority of the supreme leader in Iran’s multi-layered ruling hierarchy. With 90 percent of ballot boxes counted, Khamenei acolytes were expected to occupy more than three-quarters of the 290 seats in the Majlis (parliament), according to a list published by the interior ministry.

In the race for the 30 seats in the Islamic Republic’s capital Tehran, a Reuters tally of unofficial preliminary returns showed Khamenei supporters had taken 19 and pro-Ahmadinejad candidates the rest.

Pro-Khamenei candidates won in the Shi’ite Muslim holy cities of Qom and Mashhad and were leading in other major provincial cities like Isfahan and Tabriz, where over 90 percent of voters backed Ahmadinejad in the 2009 parliamentary poll.

Even in rural areas that have been strongholds of Ahmadinejad’s and his populist brand of non-clerical nationalism, Khamenei loyalists appeared to have swept around 70 percent of the seats.

Independents and women candidates fared relatively well in many provincial towns, where they campaigned on the immediate concerns - generally economic -- of their constituents.

Iran’s energy-driven economy is suffering badly from Western sanctions - now expanding to block its lucrative oil exports -- imposed over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear activity and open up to UN nuclear inspectors. Final election returns are expected by Monday. -Reuters

Lebanon deployed more troops to its northern border in response to the violence in Syrian towns nearby, a Reuters witness said, part of a conflict that risks dragging in regional powers with rival sectarian interests.

In the Lebanese capital Beirut, hundreds of soldiers and scores of military trucks and jeeps blocked off the city centre on Sunday during protests for and against Assad, whose ruling clan are Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Lebanon is mainly made up of Shiites, Sunnis and Christians, and is home to the powerful Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Shiite Iran. Sunni Arab states Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been among the loudest calling for Assad’s downfall, and have even suggested arming his opponents.

“We sacrifice our blood and souls for you Bashar,” chanted a pro-Assad crowd of some 500 people. Some stepped on photos of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and threw shoes at a poster of him.

A similar sized anti-Assad crowd sang: “We sacrifice our blood and souls for you, Homs.”

Former Syrian ally Turkey said Assad was guilty of “war crimes” while China said it was “deeply worrying that the situation in Syria remains grave”. China, which along with Russia has twice vetoed UN Security Council resolutions condemning Damascus, urged government and rebels to end the violence and start talks, but reiterated its opposition to foreign military intervention.

“We oppose anyone interfering in Syria’s internal affairs under the pretext of ‘humanitarian’ issues,” said a foreign ministry statement carried by Xinhua news agency. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will join Arab counterparts at a meeting in Cairo this month to discuss the Syrian crisis, the Arab League said on Sunday, a move that could indicate Moscow is shifting its stance on the issue. -Reuters

Soldiers give a demonstration at a military parade in Tripoli during the graduation of the first batch of cadets from the 23 of October brigade in the Libyan national army on March 4, 2012. (AFP)

TRIPOLI: The Libyan national army on Sunday graduated its first batch of soldiers drawn from the ranks of former rebels in the capital of Tripoli, a military officer said.

“This is the first military unit formed by the national army in Tripoli,” Colonel Omar Abdullah said of the graduating class of 225 troops.

“It is a symbol of revolutionaries being streamlined into a system with a mission of protecting the state,” he added, gesturing to the men in khaki.

The national army in Libya, which has been refashioning itself after the toppling of slain dictator Muammar Gadhafi’s regime in October, is trying to recruit and train former rebel fighters.

“Our doors are open to all revolutionaries,” the colonel told AFP. The newly established 23 of October brigade takes its name from the date when the now ruling National Transitional Council of Libya declared “libera-

tion” of the country from Gadhafi’s 42-year-old rule.

The unit received four months of training in military drills and security measures, including the protection of important personalities, self-defense and disarming opponents, a graduate said.

“This is a big chance for us to protect a country which is finally ours,” said Ala Naser Al-Din, 31, a resident of Souk Al-Jumaa neighborhood, scene of clashes when Tripoli was overrun by anti-Gadhafi fighters in August.

Libyan authorities have repeatedly urged former rebels across Libya to return to civilian life or fall under the authority of the interior or defense ministries.

However, in the eastern city of Benghazi, revolutionary brigades this week staged two days of protests in front of the Ouzu hotel demanding payment and calling for the interior minister’s resignation, an AFP correspondent said. -AFP

porarily to the Jordanian border this month in an area once set up as a tent city to house asylum seekers after the outbreak of the Iraq war in 2003.

The MEK said the relocation would have to take place under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UNHCR refugee agency.

“As such there will be no need for (the) Liberty detention center and the chain of problems and difficulties,” the statement said, adding that residents would not leave the premises until acceptance for resettlement in third countries.

It said the group would handle expenses for the move. -AP

At least 61 dead in Al-Qaeda attack on Yemen base

SANAA: Al-Qaeda militants overran an army base in southern Yemen on Sunday, capturing heavy weapons and turning them on soldiers in intense clashes that left at least 61 dead, a military official said.

The battle near the town of Zinjibar in the southern province of Abyan killed 36 government troops and 25 of the militants, he said. A medical official confirmed the death toll. Scores were wounded from both sides, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media. The official said the fighting was taking place west of Abyan’s provincial capital of Zinjibar. Militants seized control of the town in May, taking advantage of political turmoil linked to the uprising against then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh stepped down last month in a US-backed power transfer deal that Washington hoped would allow Yemen’s new leaders to move against Al-Qaeda.

But the fighting highlights the difficulties faced by his successor Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in combatting the militant movement and restoring state authority in the lawless south.

The military officials said the militants were able to seize armored vehicles, artillery pieces, assault rifles and rockets from the stores of an army base

they attacked. Some of the heavy weapons were later used against the troops, causing most of the casualties.

A Defense Ministry statement confirmed that the clashes had occurred, saying the fighting began when militants detonated “booby trapped vehicles” at an army base in the region of Koud near Zinjibar. The wording of the statement suggested that the base had been occupied by the militants before army forces regrouped and took it back.

It said there were casualties on both sides but gave no figures.

Hadi meanwhile said in televised comments that fighting Al-Qaeda and restoring security in the impoverished Arab nation were among his top priorities. He spoke during a meeting with leaders of Yemen’s political parties.

Saleh during his more than 30 years in power tolerated radical Islamic groups as part of a delicate balancing act that kept at bay threats to his authority in the fractured nation.

There has been a surge in attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda after Hadi’s inauguration.

Sunday’s fighting followed the dismissal last week by Hadi’s government of the military commander of the southern region, to which Abyan belongs, along with other security officials from the province. -AP

Iraq ministry says vice-president may flee

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi interior ministry on Sunday asked Kurdish authorities to arrest fugitive Sunni Vice President Tareq Al-Hashemi saying he was planning to flee the country. Al-Hashemi, a member of the secular Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, has been accused by Baghdad of running a death squad. He fled to the autonomous Kurdistan region in December, but authorities there have so far declined to hand him over.

“The (Iraqi) interior ministry requested that the interior ministry of the Kurdistan regional government carry out the arrest warrant issued against him and hand him over to judicial authorities,” a statement said.

The ministry has reliable information that Al-Hashemi intends “to flee from the (Kurdistan) region to outside Iraq,” it said. The December accusations against the vice president came amid a wider row between Iraqiya and the Shiite-led government.

Iraqiya began a boycott of parliament and the cabinet in December to protest against what it charged was Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s centralization of power, and called for Al-Maliki to respect a power-sharing deal or quit.

But the bloc’s members have since returned to parliament and the cabinet, as the dispute between Iraqiya and the government has cooled off. -AFP

ALWATAN DAILY

WORLD

mondAY, march 5, 2012

Two trains collide in Poland killing 15, 56 injured WARSAW: Two trains running on the same track collided head-on in southern Poland late Saturday, leaving 15 people dead and 56 injured - the country’s worst train disaster in more than 20 years.

Several of the passengers were foreigners, including people from Ukraine, Spain and France, but none of them appeared to be among the dead or badly injured, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

An unnamed passenger interviewed on the all-news station TVN24 said he felt the force of the collision.

“I hit the person in front of me. The lights went out. Everything flew,” he said. “We flew over the compartment like bags. We could hear screams. We prayed.”

Rescue workers were bringing in heavy equipment Sunday to try and free a corpse from the mangled wreckage of the train, while the injured are being treated in several area hospitals.

A doctor in one, Szymon Nowak, said many of the injured were in a serious condition, with some in artificially induced comas.

“It’s a very, very sad day and night in the history of Polish railways and for all of us,” Tusk said. The accident in the southern town of Szczekociny comes less than three months before millions of football fans will start crisscrossing the country - many by train - to watch matches

at the Euro 2012 football championships, which is being co-hosted by Ukraine.

Poland, which is still recovering from decades of communist rule, doesn’t have the highspeed trains of Western Europe. However, it does offer fairly speedy service between some key cities, and trains are generally seen as safe and used by many in the country of 38 million.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into how one of the trains ended up on the wrong track, but Tusk said it was too soon to draw any conclusions.

One train was traveling from the eastern city of Przemysl to Warsaw, while the other on the wrong track - was heading south from Warsaw to Krakow. Maintenance work was being done on the tracks before the accident happened, officials said.

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski also visited the site on Sunday.

The tragedy was the worst involving trains since 1990, when 16 people were killed in a collision involving two trains in the Warsaw suburb of Ursus. Since then, the most serious Polish rail accident was in 1997, when 12 people were killed in Reptowo.

The country’s most deadly train disaster dates back to 1980, when 65 people were killed when a freight train collided with a passenger train near Otloczyn. -AFP

Rescuers work at the scene of a train crash in Szczekociny near Zawiercie (Silesia) in Poland, on March 3. Two passenger trains collided injuring 56 passengers. At least 15 people died.

(AFP)

or three months ago. The question was the figure. Early results of 61 percent are a pleasant surprise. We were expecting 58 percent,” said Putin’s campaign chief Stanislav Govorukhin.

“There will be no second round.”

But opposition parties said there were clear signs of foul play in the election, including mul-

tiple voting, despite the installation on Putin’s orders of webcams to ensure transparency.

The opposition raised concerns about so called “carousel” voting where people cast multiple ballots at different polling stations using absentee voting documents. “These elections cannot be considered legitimate in any way,” said Vladimir Ryzhkov, one of the leaders of the protest movement, told state television after the results were announced. Zyuganov also blasted the elections as “crooked and absolutely unfair”, in comments on state television.

An AFP correspondent saw a fleet of 100 buses had arrived in the capital carrying workers from outlying regions to vote in Moscow, an action organised by the Nashi (Ours) pro-Kremlin youth group but which the opposition said was aimed at multiple voting. In a tense contest of rival protests, Nashi will try and seize the initiative with a rock concert-style mass rally on Manezh Square outside the Kremlin walls on Sunday night that is expected to gather 20,000 people. But this will be followed on Monday night by an opposition demonstration of at least 30,000 on the central Pushkin Square for “Russia without Putin”. That rally has been sanctioned by the authorities but police - who have brought in 6,300 extra officers from across Russia - have warned they will break up any unauthorised gatherings. -AFP

KABUL: The burning of Korans at a NATO base in Afghanistan advanced the Taliban’s cause and any repeat of similar “negligence” by Western forces would be disastrous, the Afghan army chief of staff has warned.

The destruction of the holy books, which the United States described as unintentional, triggered widespread protests and fatal attacks on US troops by Afghan security forces and heavily strained ties between Kabul and Washington.

“The enemy (Taliban) will enlarge it and make use of it in such a way to instigate everybody,” General Sher Mohammad Karimi told Reuters in an interview. “They took advantage of this incident. They will take advantage.”

Karimi, sitting in his office at the heavily guarded Ministry of Defense, lamented NATO’s failure to grasp the sensitivities regarding Afghanistan’s culture and religion during the United States’ longest war, now in its eleventh year.

“Those friends who have come here to help us are not doing it the way we asked them too,” said Karimi, adding he was “very concerned” by the burning of a truckload of Korans at Bagram air base about an hour’s drive north of Kabul.

“God forbid if this mistake is repeated there will be a lot of trouble next time.”

The Koran burnings set back the Western campaign to win the hearts and minds of Afghans in order to weaken the Taliban and force it to negotiate an end to the war. Instead, the Taliban urged Afghans to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners.

Violence spread across the country despite an apology

from President Barack Obama - from street demonstrations to Afghan security forces turning their weapons on US soldiers.

Two high-ranking US officers working as advisers in the Interior Ministry were shot at point blank range in their foreheads at their desks, reinforcing fears of infiltration by the Taliban, who claimed responsibility.

The attack cast doubt on NATO’s plan to shift from large combat formations to an advisory role as the alliance tries to wind down the war and pull out troops by the end of 2014.

US officials have said that the Qurans were confiscated from prisoners on the base and mistakenly discarded in an incinerator. Afghan laborers found charred remains.

Many Afghans complained the United States and NATO had repeatedly insulted their religion over the years. Muslims consider the Koran the literal word of God and treat each copy with deep reverence.

Afghans will never accept US justice for five American soldiers involved in the burning of the Koran and could rise up in a “storm of fury” if there is no public trial, a senior cleric said Saturday.

Karimi said the United States was not expected to hand over the men to Afghanistan. But he called for a trial and insisted that American military leaders ensure that similar incidents never take place again.

The Quran burning incident was the latest blunder for Washington in Afghanistan. In February, the Pentagon grappled with fallout from a photo showing Marines with what looked like a Nazi SS flag. -Reuters

North Koreans decry South’s leader at huge rally

PYONGYANG: Thousands of North Korean troops and citizens rallied Sunday to slam the South Korean leader as Pyongyang again ramped up its hostile rhetoric against Seoul despite a surprise nuclear deal with the US. The rally in the capital Pyongyang, which was broadcast live on North Korean television, saw protesters chant slogans inciting violence against the South Korean president including “Let’s tear Lee Myung-Bak to death!”.

Participants, led by top military and communist party cadres, criticized Seoul for allegedly slandering the ruling Kim family and its perceived lack of respect during mourning for Kim Jong-Il who died in December.

Kim’s son and successor Kim Jong-Un was not at the rally, which lasted for an hour.

The North’s supreme military command threatened Friday to launch a “sacred war” against Seoul, accusing South Korean troops of displaying slogans or placards slandering the North’s top leaders at military facilities.

“We again declare to the world that we will launch indiscriminate and sacred war to wipe out the enemy

traitors!” the North’s military chief Ri Yong-Ho said in a speech during Sunday’s rally.

Ri called the South’s officials “mad dogs” and “psychos” and repeated a pledge to protect the North’s new leader Kim Jong-Un, who took over from his late father, from potential attacks.

TV footage showed people marching at the vast Kim Il-Sung square, pumping fists in the air, chanting and holding giant portraits of Kim Jong-Il and his father the North’s founding president after whom the square is named.

Many held red flags and banners vowing “Merciless retaliation!” against the South and urging North Koreans to become “human bombs” to protect Jong-Un’s regime.

The rally follows a rare move last week by Pyongyang to engage with the US over its nuclear ambitions.

The impoverished communist state said last Thursday it would freeze some nuclear and missile activities in return for massive US food aid, in a breakthrough less than three months after the death of Jong-Il. Following talks with US officials earlier this month,

BRAZZAVILLE: An official and witnesses say strong blasts have rocked the capital of the Republic of Congo. A top military official says a weapons depot exploded Sunday morning in Brazzaville. He asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Witnesses say the explosions came from the north of the city and that the impact of the blasts threw open doors of houses in the city center. It was not immediately possible to obtain further information from officials or witnesses, partly because phone networks were overloaded. -AFP

Rebel Chinese village in second day of voting

Afghan army chief warns against another NATO blunder

Activists of Tanzeem e Islami demonstrate during an anti-US protest following last month’s Quran desecration incident in Afghanistan, in Karachi on March 3. (AFP)

Six dead in Kathmandu market fire

Strong explosions heard in Republic of Congo

Russia’s Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin speaks with journalists in a polling station in Moscow, on March 4. (AFP)

Mironov was fifth with 3.7 percent, the early results showed. Putin would win 58.3 percent of the vote, an exit poll survey by the state-run VTsIOM polling institute projected with Zyuganov second with 17.7 percent, while Prokhorov was to finish third with 9.2 percent.

“This first-round victory was obvious two

NEWS IN BRIEF

KATHMANDU: Six people were killed as a fire tore through the main vegetable market in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu destroying more than 100 stalls, police said. Firefighters and residents battled for seven hours to contain the blaze on Saturday night, which was caused by an electrical fault, deputy superintendent of Kathmandu Police Dhiraj Pratap Singh told AFP. “Six people, including a guard and a woman, are dead from the massive fire in Kalimati. Now the situation is under control,” he said. The 400-stall market is the main wholesale supplier for fruit and vegetables to traders in the city. -AFP

Putin wins poll in landslide victory MOSCOW: Russian leader Vladimir Putin was set Sunday to return to the Kremlin after crushing his opponents in a presidential election which the opposition said was marred by serial violations. Putin would win the polls in the first round with a score approaching 60 percent of the vote followed by his main rival the Communist Gennady Zyuganov and tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov in third, exit polls and initial results showed. If confirmed, the results mean that Putin will reclaim the Kremlin post he occupied for two terms from 2000-2008 after his fouryear stint as prime minister under the presidency of his protege Dmitry Medvedev.

But Putin is facing a major new challenge to his rule that comes not from the candidates who stood against him but from a protest movement that has staged mass rallies in the last three months against his rule. Early results based on 14.5 percent of Russia’s polling stations said he had won 61.8 percent of the vote, the central election commission said. The early results gathered mainly from the Far East and Siberia where polls closed several hours ago - showed Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov trailing in second with 17.8 percent.

The firebrand nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky was scoring 8.0 percent, tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov 7.6 percent, while the leftleaning former upper house speaker Sergei

5

the regime also promised to allow UN nuclear inspectors to return, raising cautious hopes of eased tensions under its new young leader.

But Pyongyang has since late last week issued a series of fiery statements towards Seoul, showing little change from its hostile tone since Jong-Un took power.

The North has vowed never to deal with the South’s conservative leaders, accusing them of trying to spark a war and rejecting appeals for dialogue.

The North’s foreign ministry said on Sunday the North’s people were “full of hatred resentment” at the South’s leader amid Seoul’s ongoing joint military exercises with the US, which it says are war games for an invasion.

The state-run KCNA said more than 1.7 million young North Korean men have volunteered to join the army since Friday in a bid for “all-people revenge on South Korean human scum.” A spokesman of the South’s unification ministry that handles cross-border affairs said Seoul had no official comment on the rally, adding that responding to criticism from Pyongyang does little to improve ties. -AFP

LUFENG: Chinese villagers who rebelled against their corrupt Communist leaders began a second round of voting Sunday, in a two-day election seen as a landmark in the authoritarian, one-party state. The weekend vote for a committee governing Wukan village has created a stir in China - where dissent is not normally tolerated - as it comes after residents staged protests and overthrew leaders they accused of stealing land. But after a protracted stand-off in December between villagers and police, authorities in the southern province of Guangdong - where Wukan is located - unexpectedly backed down and granted residents concessions, including the right to hold free polls. -AFP

Police suspect Abu Sayyaf in Philippine bombing ZAMBOANGA CITY: Islamic extremists with links to the Al-Qaeda network are suspected of carrying out a deadly bomb attack that left two dead and 13 wounded in the southern Philippines, according to police.

The Abu Sayyaf group likely planted the bomb that exploded in a commercial district of the southern island of Jolo late Saturday, said provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra.

A street vendor and a schoolteacher were killed and 13 others were wounded when the home-made bomb exploded in Jolo, which has been a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf for over a decade, police said.

“Our initial report is that the Abu Sayyaf was behind the bombing. It is possible that this was in retaliation for the killing by the police of an Abu Sayyaf member last week,” Freyra said.

The bomb went off in the same commercial area where the Abu Sayyaf member was shot dead when police caught him extorting money from shop-owners, Freyra said.

Security has been tightened on the heavily-forested island to prevent future attacks from the group, which has long used kidnappings for ransom and extortion to raise funds, Freyra said. The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of Islamic militants founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

It has been blamed for the worst extremist attacks in Philippine history including a ferry bombing in Manila in 2004 that killed more than 100 people. -AFP

6

ALWATAN DAILY

OPINION

monDAY, march 5, 2012

No need for national unity law Dr. Shamlan Yousef Al-Esa

T

he government has discussed the two draft laws of national unity and integrity in order to refer the two drafts to the National Assembly to get the final approval. We appreciate this government stance which aims at making laws for strengthening national unity but in the mean time we believe that such an issue doesn’t depend just on making laws because the sectarian and tribal issues are deeply-rooted problems which can`t be treated by making laws. The sectarian and tribal issues require different solutions because they can be considered as political problems as well.

Our Arabian and Muslim history proves that such issues are deeply-rooted and each religious movement has different perspectives from the others and each faction has different perspectives from the other too.

Therefore our history has to be looked at as having

Tolerance in Islam Fuad Al-Hashem

W

hen MP Osama Al Menawer requested the demolition of churches in Kuwait, many people asked me to publish texts of the Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) pact to the Christians of Najran.

This is the text of the pact of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to the Christians of Najran, which reflects the greatness and the tolerance of Islam, which guarantees the right to worship and citizenship for all under its banner 14 centuries before the occurrence of international conventions and declarations on human rights.

First: Najran has the protection of God and the pledges of Mohammad, the Prophet, to protect their lives, faith, land, property, those who are absent and those who are present, and their clan and allies.

Second: They shall be helped against such an enemy who invades them outrageously Third: They need not change anything of their past customs. No rights of theirs or their religion shall be altered. No bishop, monk or church guard shall be removed from his position.

Fourth: No Usquf (Bishop) Rahib or Waqa, shall be removed from his office. The intention being that no change in whatever state everyone is; shall be made (status quo shall be maintained).

Fifth: These people shall not be exiled from their homes Sixth: Monks, Bishops and those who worship Allah in deserted areas do not have to pay Jizyah or Kharag (tax).

Seventh: Not one of Christians shall be forced to convert to Islam unwillingly “And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation)”. They are to be treated well with mercy and protected from any harm wherever they were.

Eighth: If any Christian committed a crime, Muslims should provide him protection and try to reach reconciliation with the family of the victim.

Ninth: The People of Najran should not be abandoned because I gave them the covenant of God that they are treated like Muslims.

Tenth: Muslims are required to defend the Christians of Najran the same as they defend themselves.

Eleventh: If they want to repair any of their places of worship, Muslims should provide them support and help and not to give them money as loan but as a gift.

A document from the era of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to Christians:

According to the teachings of Islam, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave pact to ensure the safety of the Christians’ lives, money and lands.

This pact is known as Prophet’s Pact where a copy of which is saved in the Library of Monastery of St. Catherine, after Sultan Selim I, took the original copy when he conquered Egypt in 1517 and moved it to Astana and left a certified copy for the monks of the monastery with the Turkish translation.

“This is a message from Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Anyone who disobeys

The other question is how we can achieve national unity while the majority of civil society institutions, political parties and movements depend on religious and tribal principles. been full of sectarian disputes and conflicts. Sectarianism has increased rapidly in the last stage due to political reasons as well as the reasons as community belonging or loyalties such as tribal and sectarian belonging that increased due to the weakness of the state and the government.

Sectarianism and tribalism have become an easy way for reaching the parliament, municipal council, sport

clubs and cooperative societies. The responsible sides for such deterioration is the government and society because the government did not enhance the concept of citizenship while society exploited the government`s weakness.

As a result of this, we can`t solve a problem between society and the government by endorsing a law!

The other question is how we can achieve national unity while the majority of civil society institutions, po-

Military confrontation in Syria is the sole solution

BU QUTADA & BU NABIL the covenant shall deserve curse as he did not respect his religion.

Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them.

Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses.

Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet.

Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they resent. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval.

She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants compromised.”

Those who prefer tribalism and sectarianism to the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) should read the words of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) again and again.

Some people want to raise doubts about our Judiciary

But they couldn’t

Arab states still hesitate to take fast and final decisions against the Syrian regime Dr. Esam Abdulatif Al-Fulaij

Some people want MPs to support them

W But they have nothing show

Messenger of A Tolerance in Islam llah (PBUH) treaty with the Christians of Geraba and Athrah:

The Messenger of God (PBUH) also wrote a pact to Christians of Geraba and Athrah and reads “This is the letter of the Prophet Mohammad to the people of Athrah. They are safe. They have to pay one hundred dinars in Rajab, and to do good to Muslims.”

Some people want to create problems between the two countries

Treaty with Christians of Aylah

This treaty was written after the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) pardoned the Christians of Al-Jandal and treated them well, where Yohana (John) Ibn Raubah, King of Ayla and its surrounding, who was a Christian, came to Tabook to meet the Messenger of God (PBUH). Jaber narrated “I saw Yohana Ibn Raubah when he met Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Raubah was wearing a cross made of gold. When he saw the Prophet (PBUH), he looked at the ground and put his hand on his chest.

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) gestured to him saying “raise your head” and reconsolidated with him and gave him a Yemeni dress”.

The good reception of the Prophet (PBUH) to Youhana confirmed his desire to conclude a peace in a way that preserves the dignity of the other. The man came wearing a cross, but Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) did not shout at him or blame him.

Ayla is a city by the sea. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) pledged to protect them and their ships. At that time, Muslims were not used to sailing as they lived in a desert. This means that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Muslims are willing to build ships to defend the people of Ayla, no matter the cost.

Some people did not know that Al-Watan Kuwaiti Newspaper was covering the event

Yeah, but they were expelled from the embassy

Oh, enough, enough Bu Qutada, I’ll die because of laughing

Dr: Ragheb Al-Sergani

I’d like to thank Dr. Ragheb Al-Sergani for this useful information. I hope that it will benefit all Muslims, including the members of the Kuwaiti National Assembly.

litical parties and movements depend on religious and tribal principles. Such parties gained popularity through sectarian conflicts with other parties wherein extremism and violence are prominent features for them.

The moderate personalities in both the Sunni and the Shiite communities could not survive politics because the whole society tends towards religious extremism.

We wonder how the Sunni and Shiite political movements claim to defend national unity and call for strengthening the ties between the different factions.

However, the national unity can`t be achieved in rentier states as citizenship gets stronger in the different countries of the world through contributions of citizens for building their country such as paying taxes and military service.

So the project of enhancing national unity in Kuwait will fail and the first sides that will break the national unity law is the side that would make it.

Mohmmed Thallab

mthallab@alwatan.com.kw

henever I meet Palestinian delegations I urge them not to waste their time through looking for the help of Arabs. I have told them many times all Arabs support you but in reality they can do nothing. Then I advised them to head to the European parliaments and media as they will reach to much better results. Such a step was taken later on and we witnessed an increasing number of western delegations, popular and media delegations visiting the Gaza Strip. An example about that is the flotilla in addition to other delegations that visited the West Bank wherein delegations have seen the suppression and oppression that the Palestinian people suffer from because of Jews.

I would like to offer the same advice about Syria as the Arabs did nothing effective for the Syrian people who have been suffering from ongoing killing for about one year.

During one year the brutal Syrian regime committed huge crimes including genocide, slaughtering people like sheep, raping women and killing kids as well.

The Arab countries could not take an effective decision against such a regime up until now. I don’t know why some Arab people blame the Secretary of the Arab League for doing nothing for Syria, as he is a member of the former Egyptian regime and a senior employee who is expected to abide by the decisions of the members of the league. I am afraid that the presidents of the Arab countries have to pay close attention to the bloodshed rather than ignoring the killing of hundreds of people every day, like what happened concerning the Palestinian cause!

Even the Security Council could not prevent the Syrian regime from using jets for shelling civilians around the clock.

The other strange thing is that the Israeli regime calls the United States and the United Nations openly for protecting the Syrian regime and making the regime survive as long as possible. So, Israel is protecting the Ba`ath Party and Hezbollah along with the Iranian regime.We wonder how the Syrian regime, Hezbollah and Iran claim to be enemies of Israel and Israel defends them now.

We and history will never forget the massacre that the former Syrian president committed in Hama city at the beginning of the 80s of the last century wherein the Arab states and the other states of the world remained silent and did nothing towards this brutal regime. The regime killed more than 50,000 people in Hama including 30,000 old men and women aside from children and 20,000 were killed inside jails by the regime later on. The very massacre led to immigration of about 100,000 Syrian people who fled to different countries.

At the present time, history repeats itself, as the latest statistics indicate that more than 10,000 people were killed aside 65,000 missing persons and 100,000 homeless people.

All these people are from the Sunni community which represents an overwhelming majority in the country.

There is an Arabian proverb which says “Iron can’t be adjusted only by Iron” and the Syrian regime lacks the simplest human decency the way the former Iraqi regime did.

The brave Libyan people could overthrow Gaddafi’s regime and so will the Syrian people especially after the Syrian Free Army achieves great victory against the regime through destroying helicopters and tanks of the regime but the Free Syrian Army just needs financial and logistic support and imposing a no-fly zone over Syria.

The military confrontation is the sole solution for the Syrian problem. The Syrian people will never forget the stance of Kuwait especially the stance of the parliament. The Syrian people will also remember the media stances of some Satellite channels, journalists and the charitable donations.

We appreciate all those who submit any kind of support for the Syrian people.

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views

monDAY, march 5, 2012

Jeremy Lin and the Political Economy of Superstars

Prosperity, autocracy and democracy Chrystia Freeland Reuters

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FILE- New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP)

Kenneth Rogoff Project Syndicate

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he biggest news around Cambridge in recent weeks has been Jeremy Lin, the Harvard economics graduate who has shocked the National Basketball Association by rising overnight from “nowhere” to become a genuine star, leading a losing New York Knicks team to an unlikely string of victories.

Lin’s success is delicious, partly because it contradicts so many cultural prejudices about Asian-American athletes. Flabbergasted experts who overlooked Lin have been saying things like “he just didn’t look the part.” Lin’s obvious integrity and graciousness has won him fans outside the sport as well. The whole world has taken note, with Lin being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for two consecutive issues. The NBA, which has been trying to build brand recognition and interest in China, is thrilled.

I confess to being a huge Lin fan. Indeed, my teenage son has been idolizing Lin’s skills and work ethic ever since Lin starred on the Harvard team. But, as an economist observing the public’s seething anger over the “one percenters,” or individuals with exceptionally high incomes, I also see a different, overlooked facet of the story.

What amazes me is the public’s blasé acceptance of the salaries of sports stars, compared to its low regard for superstars in business and finance. Half of all NBA players’ annual salaries exceed two million US dollars, more than five times the threshold for the top one percent of household incomes in the United States. Because long-time superstars like Kobe Bryant earn upwards of 25 million US dollars a year, the average annual NBA salary is more than five million US dollars.

Indeed, Lin’s salary, at 800,000 US dollars, is the NBA’s “minimum wage” for a secondseason player. Presumably, Lin will soon be earning much more, and fans will applaud.

Yet many of these same fans would almost surely argue that CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, whose median compensation is around 10 million US dollars, are ridiculously overpaid. If a star basketball player reacts a split-second faster than his competitors, no one has a problem with his earning more for every game than five factory workers do in

Do fans tolerate outsized sports incomes because players are role models? Many certainly are, but not all high-paid sports celebrities are exemplary citizens. a year. But if, say, a financial trader or a corporate executive is paid a fortune for being a shade faster than competitors, the public suspects that he or she is undeserving or, worse, a thief.

Economists have long studied the economics of superstars in fields where a company can lever enormously the decisions of a small number of individuals, making them valuable in a way that someone who can, say, chop down trees like the legendary Paul Bunyan, is not. But the political economy of what levels of income differences countries will tolerate remains uncharted territory.

Of course, there is a certain logic to the public’s disdain for superstar compensation outside of professional sports and entertainment. This is especially the case in some areas of finance that are essentially zero-sum games, in which one person’s gain is another’s loss.There are other areas, such as technology, in which someone like Apple’s late founder, Steve Jobs, arguably delivers real innovation and quality, rather than just employing lawyers and lobbyists to maintain a monopoly position.

As a basketball fan, I would not describe the sport as a zero-sum game, even though one team wins and one team loses. The best players have huge creative flair. But so do some “street ball” players who excel in slamdunk theatrics; perhaps because they are not tall enough to compete, they make almost nothing.

Do fans tolerate outsized sports incomes because players are role models? Many certainly are, but not all high-paid sports celebrities are exemplary citizens. Michael Vick, a star quarterback in the US National Football League, served time in prison for running a vicious dog-fighting operation, and arrests of players on charges ranging from illegal possession of drugs and weapons to domestic battery have been a regular occurrence.

And, back on the field or court, serious infractions occur all the time. Think of Zinedine Zidane’s infamous head butt in the

Don’t fear the Web Jack Shafer Reuters

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oes the Internet make you anxious? Do you lie awake nights worrying that Russian hackers are turning your children into sex slaves? Have you had the feeling that your iPhone is spying on you?

You’re not alone,Adam Thierer of George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, would have you know. In a working paper he posted on the Web yesterday titled “Technopanics, Threat Inflation, and the Danger of an Information Technology Precautionary Principle,” Thierer outlines the dread that many have for the Web. The fears are real, of course.

People do get robbed on the Web. Individuals have lost their privacy on the Web. Companies and governments have been hacked by thieves and foreign agents.

But surveying the hacks and rip-offs, Thierer finds that for reasons both psychological and political, the severity of most intrusions has been exaggerated. Attributing the overreactions to “moral panics” linked to new technology (“technopanics”), he writes convincingly that “there is no evidence that the Internet is leading to greater problems for society than previous technologies did.” That’s not to say that you’ve got no right to be flipped out about apps pinching your address book or your photos without your express permission, or about Facebook accessing your phone’s text messages without explicitly saying so, or about Google using a browser flaw to bypass your privacy settings, or about

2006 football World Cup. In the NBA itself, a star player, Ron Artest, was suspended for the remainder of the 2004 season after going into the stands and brawling with heckling fans during a game. (Artest has now changed his name to Metta World Peace, perhaps in response.)

Moreover, sports teams surely lobby governments as aggressively as any big business.

Professional sport is a legislated monopoly in most countries, with top teams extracting free stadiums and other privileges from host cities.

Indeed, Lin’s story, it should be remembered, grew out of a huge labor dispute between the NBA’s billionaire owners and its millionaire players over division of the league’s nearly four billion US dollars in annual revenues, more than many countries’ national income.

As the late University of Chicago economist Sherwin Rosen postulated, globalization and changing communication technologies have increasingly made the economics of superstars important in a variety of fields. That is certainly true in sports and entertainment, but it is also the case in business and finance.

I wish Lin a long and successful career as a superstar, though he will have already had a huge cultural impact even if his success proves meteoric. One can hope that, as AsianAmericans continue to break barriers in other arenas - they remain under-represented among corporate CEOs, for example - these rising superstars will be greeted with similar acclaim.

If the public is not happy about high superstar incomes, the obvious remedy is to improve the tax system, including for powerful sports-team owners, many of whom benefit from huge tax breaks in their day jobs. Who knows? With a more level playing field, superstars outside sports and entertainment might find themselves a bit better appreciated. * Kenneth Rogoff is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University, and was formerly chief economist at the IMF.

Google and 104 other companies tracking you as you pad around the Web. You have every right to be flipped out, Thierer counsels. Yet the best way to deal with these nightmares is not with Federal Trade Commission rules or new legislation but “societal learning, experimentation, resiliency, and coping strategies,” he writes.

The beating heart of Thierer’s paper is the belief which I endorse - that societies tend to twist themselves into moral panics when confronted with something new or unrecognized that they don’t understand. “A moral panic occurs when a segment of society believes that the behavior or moral choices of others within that society poses a significant risk to the society as a whole,” is how one academic quoted by Thierer defines it. The current panics over the Web are just the latest manifestation. Thierer continues: This pattern has played out for dime novels, comic books, movies, rock-and-roll music, video games, and other types of media or media platforms. While protection of youth is typically a motivating factor, some moral panics and technopanics transcend traditional ‘it’s-for-thechildren’ rationales for information control. The perceived threat may be to other segments of society or involve other values that are supposedly under threat, such as privacy or security.

The standard reaction to moral panics - and technopanics - by pundits, legislators, activists, and others is for society to “do something” to eliminate or regulate the new menace.

The calls to “do something” invariably inflate the dangers posed by a new social wrinkle or technological innovation.

The recording industry got blackmailed in 1985 into sticking warning labels on their product. Hollywood dodged the

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o understand the significance of the presidential election this weekend in Russia, read a book by two USbased academics that is being published this month. Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, respectively, is a wildly ambitious work that hopscotches through history and around the world to answer the very big question of why some countries get rich and others don’t.

Their one-word answer, as Acemoglu summed it up for me, is ‘’politics.’’

Acemoglu and Robinson divide the world into countries governed by ‘’inclusive’’ institutions and those ruled by ‘’extractive’’ ones. Inclusive societies, with England and its Glorious Revolution of 1688 in the vanguard, deliver sustainable growth and technological innovation. Extractive ones can have spurts of prosperity, but because they are ruled by a narrow elite guided by its own self-interest, their economic vigor eventually fades. ‘’It is really about societies that have a more equitable distribution of political power versus those that don’t,’’ Acemoglu told me. ‘’It is about societies where the elite, the rich, can do what they want and those where they cannot.’’

For many of us, that is a welcome conclusion. It may also seem to be an obvious one. But Acemoglu pointed out that academics, policymakers and business leaders have often advanced quite different views.

One perspective is that all that matters is economic growth and the right technocratic mix of policies necessary to deliver it.

This approach, implicit in the prescriptions of so many International Monetary Fund missions, is that if countries can get richer, everything else will fall into place.

A version of this view, which has gained particular currency since the collapse of the Soviet Union, is that the key is private property. Establish property rights, the reformers in Warsaw, Moscow and Beijing believed, and economic and social success will inevitably follow.

But Acemoglu and Robinson argue that if an extractive regime is in charge, neither wealth nor private property can save a country from eventual decline. The Russia of today, they believe, is a textbook extractive regime, and that is what makes the vote this weekend, and the unexpected protests that preceded it, so significant. ‘’Russia is ruled by a narrow clique,’’ Acemoglu said. ‘’The only thing that is keeping it going is a big boom in natural resources and a clever handling of the media.’’

The point, Acemoglu argues, is that wealth in and of itself doesn’t lead to sustained growth: ‘’Saudi Arabia can get a lot of growth, but that is not the right growth.

Take away the oil and Saudi Arabia would be like a poor African country.’’

A crucial argument Acemoglu and Robinson make - and one foreign aid donors and policy advisers too often miss - is that the leaders of extractive regimes don’t implement policies that stifle sustainable growth out of ignorance. They aren’t stupid; they are merely and rationally pursuing their own self-interest. The real ignorance is that of outsiders who fail to appreciate that in an extractive regime, the interests of the rulers and the ruled do not coincide. ‘’When you think of somebody like Chávez, you will see that his objective is not to enrich Venezuela,’’ Acemoglu said, referring to President Hugo Chávez. ‘’He is not letting markets work because his goal is something else.’’

Acemoglu and Robinson’s analytical framework helps to make sense of one of the seeming paradoxes of the past

threat of government censorship with its movie-rating system in 1968. The V-chip, which nobody uses, got installed on all new TVs to protect the kiddies from smut and violence. The broadcast TV networks get bullied into creating “family-friendly” programming in the early evening in the mid-1970s.

The Thierer paper is especially good on how “threat inflation” is used to blow genuine problems like hacking out of proportion, as allusions are made to “Digital Pearl Harbors,” “cyber Katrinas,” and “cyber 9/11s” lurking just around the corner. The best recent example of threat inflation is the overreaction to the failure of a water pump in the Midwest that the Washington Post described thusly in a headline: “Foreign hackers targeted U.S. water plant in apparent malicious cyber attack, expert says.” As it turns out, the “expert” was wrong. As it turned out, the pump wasn’t manipulated by a Russian cyber-attacker. It failed by itself and only looked like a Russian attack because a water plant contractor was logging onto the plant’s system to check it while traveling in Russia.

Thierer’s paper documents and shoots down other such Web-era technopanics: The fears that MySpace and Facebook were becoming “predator’s playgrounds”; that 85.5 percent of online images were pornographic; that RFID technologies were designed to track and control the masses; that Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of DirecTV would give him dictatorial programming power over cable companies (instead, Murdoch quickly sold DirecTV after pursuing it for years).

We fear the new for sound psychological reasons: Until you understand it adequately, something new could be a genuine danger. Inflating the threat posed by something new based on anecdotal evidence isn’t completely irratio-

Establish property rights, the reformers in Warsaw, Moscow and Beijing believed, and economic and social success will inevitably follow.

12 months - the prosperous middle-class people who have taken to the streets in the Arab world, in India and in Russia to protest crony capitalism. If you believe that economic growth today is a sufficient condition for long-term prosperity, these affluent agitators are puzzling. That leads observers to search for softer grievances, like the quest for dignity.

But Acemoglu and Robinson believe that dignity and long-term prosperity are intimately connected. The protesters, who put the demand for political rights ahead of everything else, are right; the academic consensus that argues they should simply focus on the correct economic policies is wrong.

In the early Putin era, the Acemoglu and Robinson approach was very much a minority view. As recently as 2008, an essay in Foreign Affairs by another pair of influential Western scholars laid out the ‘’conventional explanation for Vladimir Putin’s popularity’’ thus: ‘’Since 2000, under Putin, order has returned, the economy has flourished, and the average Russian is living better than ever before. As political freedom has decreased, economic growth has increased. Putin may have rolled back democratic gains, the story goes, but these were necessary sacrifices on the altar of stability and growth.’’

But in their Foreign Affairs essay those scholars strongly disagreed: ‘’This conventional narrative is wrong, based almost entirely on a spurious correlation between autocracy and growth. The emergence of Russian democracy in the 1990s did indeed coincide with state breakdown and economic decline, but it did not cause either. The reemergence of Russian autocracy under Putin, conversely, has coincided with economic growth but not caused it (high oil prices and recovery from the transition away from communism deserve most of the credit).’’

The essay’s authors concluded with a prediction about Russia’s future that fits neatly within the framework of extractive versus inclusive institutions and labels Putin’s Russia the former: ‘’The Kremlin talks about creating the next China, but Russia’s path is more likely to be something like that of Angola - an oil-dependent state that is growing now because of high oil prices but has floundered in the past when oil prices were low and whose leaders seem more intent on maintaining themselves in office to control oil revenues and other rents than on providing public goods and services to a beleaguered population.’’

Acemoglu and Robinson are pretty tough on Western experts, officials and business people who, they believe, are too easily seduced by the leaders of extractive regimes, particularly ones enjoying temporary bursts of prosperity.

But the 2008 Foreign Affairs essay highlights a very important exception. One of the authors of that devastating critique of Putinism was Michael A. McFaul, the new US ambassador to Moscow. That appointment, lauded by many inside and outside Russia for utilizing the skills of an acknowledged Russia expert, may be one reason to be hopeful about Russia today. * Chrystia Freeland is the editor of Thomson Reuters Digital.

nal: There’s probably no way the Web can hurt you or your children if you ban it from your life.

But banishment is not how we generally handle risk. We accept the small chance that we’ll be injured or killed in a car accident, or a plane flight, or crossing an intersection on foot without becoming hysterical about cars, planes, or walking.

When we’re at our best - when the press and TV aren’t scaremongering us with hysterical coverage, when self-serving advocacy groups and threatened businesses aren’t hyping the problems into menaces - we’re able to make incremental adjustments to whatever new potential perils are posed by media. Children approach new media with optimism, their elders with pessimism, forgetting that they, too, were optimistic about new media when they were young.

I shortchange Thierer’s insights with this summary. He’s no Pangloss about new media and new technology, and is probably as worried as the next guy about some hacker draining his bank account. Yet he’s right when he says that more damage can be done by prematurely straitjacketing new media with complex new laws and regulations. If smartphone owners want to share their address books and photos with app makers in exchange for a free service, there’s no reason laws and regulations can’t allow them to make that deal without a lot of bother.

Because Thierer’s paper is so good, I’ll let him have the last, unpanicked word. “Transparency and disclosure are ... the superior options for most online safety and privacy concerns,” he writes. “To the extent regulatory policies are deemed necessary, they should sunset on a regular basis unless policymakers can justify their continued existence.” * Jack Shafer is a Reuters columnist covering the press and politics. Opinions here are his own.

classifieds@alwatandaily.com

monday, march 5, 2012

Tuition available in Hawalli

Western Expat teacher certified, offering English lessons to adults or children. Preparation for exams, or Immigration, also available. Please call: 6556 7494 Convert your VIDEO CASSETTES (OLD COLLECTIONS) into DVD or in SD Card or in USB or any other formats.

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27-02/27-03

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28-02/28-03

FOR SALE

Following exercise equipment are for sale: Weight lifting set of dumbbells total 50 kg - KD 30/Exercise bench for lifting and legs - KD 25/AB King Pro W/C - KD 15/All the above equipt are sparingly used.

Also one big dinning table without chairs - KD 5/-

30-01/30-02

Laptop repairs, Formats, anti-virus program and games.

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Deluxe villa for rent in Egila, strategic location located around 3 streets, 2 floors, 7 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, 4 living rooms + 2 kitchens and 2 gardens. Tel: 55969322

Apartment in Hawalli, 2 master rooms, kitchen, balcony and living room.

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Required Sales person for men’s textiles shop with sales experience (speaks Arabic). Salary KD 160 + commission.

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Apartment in Manqaf, private entrance, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living room and kitchen along a maid room.

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Seeking qualified female Nail Technicians of Filipino Nationality. If interested please contact 99030565 or 25319812.

Apartment in Mahboula, 4 master bedrooms with baths, living room, kitchen, maids room, laundry and storage room ,swimming pool, parking.

Tel: 65563683 Studio in Hawalli with private parking.Tel:66387779

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14-02/14-03

FOR RENT

Apartment in Hawalli, duplex furnished, great location, 2 master rooms, kitchen, living.

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1. Showcase – from Home Centre (three piece – TV unit, book case and glass case)

Price: KD. 15 each

(All three pieces for KD. 35) 2. Wooden coffee table with 4 drawers (Home Centre) Price: KD. 15 3. Side table with wooden drawers (3 shelves) Price: KD. 6 4. Dark brown three door cupboard with two full length mirrors Price: KD. 30 5. Full length light brown cupboard with mirror Price: KD. 30 6. Wooden shelves Price: 500 fills each 7. Book stand Price: KD. 5 8. Ikea Wooden crib Price: KD. 15 9. Ikea changing table Price KD 8 10. Playpen Price: KD. 5 11. Baby Pram Price: KD. 8 12. Sony Trinitron TV, 29 inches Price: KD. 25 13. Queen size bed (includes mattress) Price: KD. 30 14. Wooden Master bed (King size) Price: KD. 40

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Super deluxe furniture apartment in Salmiya, 2 rooms, 2 baths, living room, kitchen and laundry room, KD500.Tel:25352200 Apartment in Jabriya, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, living and kictehen.Tel: 66256814

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Beauty salon for sale (Maidan Hawally) with all items more information plz co. 99915802

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I am an MBA holder in Finance, and currently working in a well reputed International companies head office in Kuwait since 13 years, looking part time job in sales, accountants, Administrative etc. also having a valid Kuwait Driving license. Contact No:55230926 / tikkakwt@rediffmail.com

03-01/03-02

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Fridge medium size (great condition) KD 50 Fridge small size KD 15 Cloth hanger KD 5 Stove KD 90 Washer & Dryer KD 120 Gym KD 20 Microwave KD 5

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TREADMILL excellent condition, high-tech screen, KD 35.

Tel:90989840 Billiard table for sale in great condiditon.Tel:66666168

1) GRACO Baby Stroller (designed by Laura Ashley) 2) GRACO Baby Car Seat (designed by Laura Ashley) As a Set – both Stroller & Car Seat for 3) JUNIORS Car Seat (from Birth upto 18kgs) 4) JUNIORS Baby Tub + Stand

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

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Toyota mini buss KD2900.Tel:24747418

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GMC Yukon 1999, spacious and clean. KD 1700, price is negotiable. Tel:66694310 Nissan Maxima 2008, 6VS, KD 3200. Tel: 99997494 Nissan Maxima KD1500. Tel: 66565511

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Emirates eyes hedging strategy as fuel costs bite SEATTLE: Dubai’s Emirates airline may revive its hedging program to help guard against soaring fuel costs, which forced it to pay an additional one billion US dollars in its half year results alone, its chairman said. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said in an interview that 2011 earnings for the fast-growing carrier, whose fiscal year ends March 31, may be hit by fuel expenses. “Sometimes we have to accept that higher fuel prices is less profit,” Sheikh Ahmed, who is also the uncle of Dubai’s ruler and a central figure in the emirate, said when asked about earnings expectations for 2011.

BUSINESS

mondAY, march 5, 2012

mar ket watc h

See page 10

OIL M A RKE TS

KUWAIT

DUBAI

QATAR

OMAN

ABU DHABI

BAHRAIN

0.86% 6186

3.1% 1754

0.0% 8742

0.1% 5847

0.7% 2641

0.0% 1148

EGYPT

SAUDI

0.9% 5320

0.1% 7344

US Crude $106.50 $0.20 London Brent $123.65 $2.55 Kuwait Crude $122.64 $0.52 Information Courtesy: KAMCO

CURRE NCIE S US Dollar

British Pound

Saudi Riyal

Qatari Riyal

Indian Rupee

Euro

Japanese Yen

UAE Dirham

Bahraini Dinar

Philippine Peso

Buy 0.278 Sell 0.2785 Buy 0.3668 Sell 0.3675

Greenback exchange rate rises to KD 0.278 Positive week for the US dollar, says NBK

Buy 0.4401 Sell 0.4411

Buy 0.003397 Sell 0.003406

Buy 0.0741 Sell 0.0743

Buy 0.0757 Sell 0.07584

Buy 0.07652 Sell 0.07637 Buy 0.7373 Sell 0.73904

Buy 0.005626 Sell 0.005612 Buy 0.006523 Sell 0.006496

Prices in Kuwaiti fils As of March 4, 2012 Courtesy: KAMCO

BUSINESS MATTERS

How much should you pay to acquire a customer?

Compiled by Al Watan Daily

KUWAIT: Exchange rate of the US dollar came to 0.278 Kuwaiti dinars, while the euro slipped to KD 0.366, said the daily bulletin of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) on Sunday.

The exchange rate of the Sterling pound was down to KD 0.440, while the Japanese yen remained at KD 0.003 since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, the Swiss franc went down to KD 0.304.

The euro dropped because the European Central Bank (ECB) adopted an initiative to offer banks cheap medium-term funding which could lead to a sharp contraction in corporate debt markets.

In more news, financial markets witnessed myriad events last week, from the European Central Bank’s (ECB) refinancing operation to Bernanke’s speech and testimony before the Congress, as well as the EU leaders’ meeting late last week.

The Long- Term Refinancing Operation (LTRO) conducted on Wednesday saw big demand from European banks, which boosted liquidity among the region’s banks.

On the other hand, Bernanke did not sound too optimistic about the state of the US economy, but did not hint at any possibility of further easing soon, stated the Weekly Money Market Report prepared by the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK).

Given the negative sentiment and the abundant liquidity in the market, foreign exchange (FX) markets had a lot of volatility throughout the week, with the US dollar gaining ground against most of its major counterparts, as shown by the performance of the dollar index. After

Dr. John P. Hayes Exclusive to Al Watan Daily

KUWAIT: Continuing from previous columns, which you can read in the Archives at alwatandaily.com, I told my client he had three options for maximizing the value of his business.

Once he added up all his customer acquisition costs (mostly advertising fees) he discovered he was paying 100 US dollars to capture one customer. He was then shocked to learn that his average customer paid him only nine dollars per store visit! So if a new customer came in once and never returned, my client lost 91 dollars. Unless a new customer returned at least 11 times, my client lost money. Since many customers did not return at all, how long could he remain in business?

FILE - Kuwaiti money changer Mohammed Hussein counts Kuwait dinars in his downtown Kuwait City shop May 20, 2007. Exchange rate of the US dollar came to 0.278 Kuwaiti dinars, while the euro slipped to KD 0.366, said the daily bulletin of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) on Sunday. (Reuters)

opening at 78.40 and breaking lower to the 78.10 level, the dollar index rebounded and closed near the high at 79.40. The Euro was the major loser against the dollar naturally given the size of the added liquidity in the banking system. The single currency opened the week at 1.3450 and managed to reach a high of 1.3485, but broke lower afterwards to 1.3240 and ended sessions at 1.3200.The Sterling pound had a somewhat different per-

KPC announces LNG prices for March KUWAIT: The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) announced Sunday the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices - propane and butane - for March.KPC said in a statement that the propane will be sold for 1,230 US dolls per metric ton in the current month, an increase of $220 compared to February’s $1,010 per metric ton.

The butane will be sold at $1,180 per metric ton during March, with a rise of $140 compared to $1,040 per metric ton in February.

The prices of propane and butane are affected by fluctuations of international oil prices and the rising and dropping of the US dollar compared to main currencies. The hike in gas prices is also due to the escalation of political tension in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which caused fear of gas supplies shortage from these regions to the rest of the world. The winter season, as usual, played a vital part in increasing gas prices. The propane and butane are of multi-purposes, as they are used in cooking, heating and production of petrochemical substances. -KUNA

Commercial Real Estate sells property in Saudi at KD 23.5 million KUWAIT: The Commercial Real Estate Company announced on Sunday selling a number of floors in a real estate project in Mecca to an investor in Kuwait at the value of 23.5 million Kuwaiti dinars. The company said, on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) website, that this deal resulted in a total profit of around KD 4.5 million. The company’s stock traded for KD 0.92 per share, rising five Kuwaiti fils compared to the early trading on Sunday, with 15 million shares traded, worth KD 1.3 million till 11 a.m.

The Commercial Real Estate Company was founded in 1968 at a capital of KD 183 million, and listed in Kuwait Stock Exchange since 2004. Kuwait Finance House owns a seven percent stock. -KUNA

KSE ends trading in solid green

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) price index was green at the end of Sunday’s session; it jumped up to 6,186.4 points, a good gain of 52.8 points. The weighted index meanwhile read 413.61 points, rising 3.02 points. The trading session saw 8,125 transactions worth KD 58.45 million with 743,127, 500 shares changing hands.

All of the sector indices were green. The biggest gainer of the day with an up of 135.9 points was the services index.

Top gainer share was that of Industrial

Investments Company, while top loser was Pearl of Kuwait Real Estate Company.

The trading began at Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) on Sunday with the main indices in the green zone.

By 9:38 am, the price index came to 6,149 points, an increase of 15.4 points, while the weighted index came to 410.66 points, also up by 0.09 points. Trades came to 2,368 transactions by the time of the reading, with value reaching KD 18.2 million and 224.8 million shares changing hands. -KUNA

Euromoney conference announced for March 27 Michael A. Kolarov Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Euromoney Director, Emerging Markets and Director, Digital Products Richard Banks yesterday announced at a Media Roundtable that Euromoney will host a conference on March 27, the topic of which will be ‘Kuwait and the Global Economy: Strategies for Uncertain Times’. The conference will be opened Dr. Mustafa Jassem Al-Shimali Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Sheik Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Chief of Kuwait Foreign Investment Bureau, Minister of Commerce and

RBS ends MidEast equity research tie-up with Dubai’s Rasmala DUBAI: Royal Bank of Scotland has ended a tie-up with Dubai’s Rasmala Investment Bank to provide equity research on Middle Eastern companies, the part-nationalized UK lender said on Sunday. Several global investment banks, including Credit Suisse AG and Japan’s Nomura, are cutting research staff in the Middle East to save costs amid tough global conditions and a dearth of work in the region. “There is no further requirement for the joint arrangement with Rasmala,” Simon Penney, RBS’ chief executive for Middle East and Africa, said in an email statement, adding the decision follows a move by the lender to exit its cash equities business globally. “RBS is committed to its other businesses in the UAE (United Arab Emirates),” Penney said in the statement.

RBS, 83-percent owned by the UK government, is in talks to sell its mergers and acquisitions business in the Middle East and cut some jobs as part of a global restructuring, the bank said in January.

formance in the absence of major events and economic figures. The pound started the week slowly at 1.5875 and reached a low of 1.5800, but managed to break higher afterwards to 1.5995 before closing on Friday at 1.5835.

The franc followed suit with the Euro, weakening against the greenback from an opening level of 0.8960 to 0.9150, and closed at 0.9140. The dollar-yen had a flattish week overall, opening at 81.20 and closing at 81.81.

That comes as part of a global shake up in which RBS plans to cut another 4,450 jobs.

The bank was an advisor in the sale of Aujan Industries’ 50-percent stake to Coca-Cola Co late last year. International banks had flocked to the Middle East in recent years, lured by the oil-rich region’s growth prospects and the lucrative fees available, from taking companies public to advising on sovereign fund deals.

But increased competition and the financial crisis has reduced prospects. Amid that backdrop, bankers say more staff from the region may be shifted to other locations or laid off.

Rasmala, which has around $900 million in assets, has offices in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt and operates in asset management, corporate finance and institutional brokerage. European Islamic Investment Bank plans to acquire about 35 percent stake in the Dubai bank.

-Reuters

Industry.

Speakers listed at the time of this writing will include Mohammed Al-Omar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kuwait Finance House (KFH), and Majed Al-Ajeel, Vice Chairman of the Kuwait Banking Association and Chairman of Burgan Bank. Euromoney is a prestigious and respected international publication established in 1969 to cover the re-emergence of the international cross-border capital markets, specifically the ‘euromarket’ as it was then known but has since become the global capital markets we live in today. Euromoney is available only by subscription.

How to stop the money bleed

To stop the money from walking out of his store, he had three simple options: reduce customer acquisition costs; increase customer per visit transactions; and capture and keep the ‘right’ customers.

Beginning at the top of the order, how could he reduce his acquisition costs?

He now realized that 100 US dollars was too much money to pay for a customer, and so he asked, “How much money should I budget to acquire a customer?”

Can you buy a customer for zero money?

“Zero,” I said.

By now, he knew that my blunt answers were not intended to insult him, but to get his attention. So he smiled and said, “That would be nice, but how much should I really budget?”

“I told you. Zero!”

This story occurred at a time when email and online newsletters was popular, but social media had yet to develop. Today, “zero” is an even better answer because of social media. Most independent business operators aren’t using social media. But if they knew how, they could cut their customer acquisition costs to zero, or something close to it.

Can you buy the ‘right’ customer for zero?

There was another problem. Most independent business owners, including franchisees and family operators, are so eager to “make a business” that they overlook the basics.

They just want to start selling something!

But my client had already proven that doesn’t work. Unless you’re selling to the ‘right’ customer - one who will frequently return to your business - you’re likely losing money.

You may attract customers, but if they’re the wrong customers, what have you done?

It may sound crazy, but most independent business owners don’t know that customers are not created equal. Some are better than others! Some you don’t want at all. And unless you target the ‘right’ customers, chances are you won’t get them.

Something even crazier? If you target your customers, so you know who they are, where they are, and how to attract them, you can capture them for - well, possibly zero! Think about that, and we’ll continue this story next week.

Learn how to franchise your business or acquire a franchise from abroad when you join Dr. John Hayes in Study Franchising Abroad, sponsored by Gulf University for Science & Technology. Dr. Hayes has worked with franchisors, franchisees and small business owners internationally. He is a professor in the College of Business at GUST. Contact him with questions at questions@hayesworldwide.com, or via Twitter @drjohnhayes.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions presented in the column are the authors own and do not necessarily represent those of Al Watan Daily and its staff.

Zain partners with Microsoft to bring Windows Phone to MENA region

KUWAIT: During the Mobile World Congress held last week in Barcelona, Zain Group entered into an agreement with Microsoft Middle East and Africa to bring Windows Phone devices to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The planned launch of Windows Phone software later this year, jointly with smartphone devices from selected manufacturers, will target business and consumers across Zain’s mobile operations in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. This was mentioned in a press release on Sunday.

Zain’s partnership with Microsoft complements and follows other technology ventures that Zain has recently entered into in order to enrich the company’s offering of mobile services in line with our customer’s growing appetite for smartphones and applications. This partnership with Zain across its mobile operations will allow consumers across the region to purchase a variety of the latest devices from various manufacturers of Windows Phone devices that enable and compliment their digital lifestyles.

Windows Phone offers a fresh approach to mobile device

software, distinguished by smart design and truly integrated experiences that bring to the surface the content people are most interested from the Web and applications. Individual country access to the Windows Phone devices will be rolled out with the first launch set to take place later this year.

In addition, it is envisaged that the partnership will foster the development of an applications ecosystem within Zain’s mobile network, facilitating developers to create and publish applications for the marketplace.

Nabeel Bin Salamah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zain Group noted, ‘The smartphone has become a necessary item in today’s society, and this agreement with Microsoft, one of the world’s leading technology companies, is just the beginning of yet another example of Zain delivering on its brand promise to achieve our vision of ‘A Wonderful World’. We have the utmost confidence in the capabilities of Windows smartphone technology and believe such an appealing offering will further attract, empower and enhance the lifestyles of our customers.”

BUSINESS IN REGION

10

ALWATAN DAILY monDAY, march 5, 2012

Emirates eyes hedging strategy as fuel costs bite SEATTLE: Dubai’s Emirates airline may revive its hedging program to help guard against soaring fuel costs, which forced it to pay an additional one billion US dollars in its half year results alone, its chairman said.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said in an interview that 2011 earnings for the fast-growing carrier, whose fiscal year ends March 31, may be hit by fuel expenses.

“Sometimes we have to accept that higher fuel prices is less profit,” Sheikh Ahmed, who is also the uncle of Dubai’s ruler and a central figure in the emirate, said when asked about earnings expectations for 2011.

Dubai government-owned Emirates’ profits slumped 76 percent in the first half of the 2011 fiscal year as fuel costs and currency fluctuations hit the carrier.

Fuel typically accounts for a third of an airline’s operating costs. Emirates said fuel costs took up 41 percent of total operating costs in its half-year results for the year ending March 31, 2012, up from 33 percent a year before.

“We used to have a (hedging) program,” he told Reuters in a downtown Seattle hotel after Emirates launched a nonstop flight to the US city. “We are looking at a program to see what exactly we should be doing but we didn’t take a decision yet about how we are going to go about it.”

After a turbulent 2011 partly due to unrest in the Middle East, rising fuel prices and financial turmoil in Europe signal big problems for the international airline industry in 2012 and are likely to force a cutback in flights, according to two key aviation bodies.

“It will be a good year if we take into account all ... the issue will always be related to fuel costs,” Sheikh Ahmed said of the airline’s 2011 earnings.

Emirates is the world’s largest customer of the Airbus A380 superjumbo. It ordered 90 A380 aircraft in 2010, with

Boeing delivers the 1000th Boeing 777 to Emirates Airline & Group in a ceremony at Boeing’s factory in Everett, Washington, March 2, 2012. According to Boeing, the 777 reached 1,000 deliveries faster than any other twin-aisle airplane in history, with the first 777 delivery occurring in May 1995. (Reuters)

about 70 yet to be delivered.

Last month, Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders ordered an internal investigation into how the company allowed wing cracks to develop on the A380.

Fixing the cracks involves taking the giant 525-seat plane out of service for several days, for which Airbus is

expected to have to compensate airline customers.

“They have to look at it seriously. The program which they are putting now to do all the fix on those aircraft is good ... (but they) need to be a bit quicker in resolving it,” Sheikh Ahmed said.

Emirates will receive the 1,000th delivery of Boeing’s

China boosts defense budget 11% after US ‘pivot’ BEIJING: China will boost military spending by 11.2 percent this year, the government said on Sunday, unveiling Beijing’s first defense budget since President Barack Obama launched a policy “pivot” to reinforce US influence across the Asia-Pacific.

The increase announced by parliament spokesman Li Zhaoxing will bring official outlays on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to 670.3 billion Chinese yuan (110 billion US dollars) for 2012, after a 12.7 percent increase last year and a near-unbroken string of double-digit rises across two decades .

Beijing’s public budget is widely thought by foreign experts to undercount its real spending on military modernization, which has unnerved Asian neighbors and drawn repeated calls from Washington for China to share more about its intentions.

Li said the world has nothing to fear, and the money spent on the PLA paled in comparison with the Pentagon’s outlays.

Asian neighbors, however, have been nervous about Beijing’s expanding military, and this latest double-digit rise could reinforce disquiet in Japan, India, Southeast Asia and self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.

“Eleven percent, for a Chinese defense budget, is what I would characterize as a reasonably sizeable increase,” said C. Uday Bhaskar, a former director of India’s Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.

“It also, I would say, goes beyond the normal pegging we do for inflation, and it would be noted with great interest and concern

by China’s principal interlocutors,” he said.

Obama’s proposed budget for the fiscal year of 2013 calls for a Pentagon base budget of $525.4 billion, about $5.1 billion less than approved for 2012.

The Pentagon estimated China’s real total military outlays in 2010 were over $160 bil-

lion, which would easily make it the world’s second biggest defense spender after the United States.

But China’s military modernization should be kept in perspective, said Michael Beckley, a research fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, who has studied the strength of China and the United States.

“There’s no doubt China’s new hardware has important symbolic value and, at least in the case of the ASBM, important coercive value - the US navy has to think twice now before getting too close to China’s shores,” Beckley said in emailed comments, referring to China’s anti-ship ballistic missile.

“But the PLA’s progress needs to be viewed in the context of China’s low level of economic development,” he added. “China’s economic weaknesses constrain its ability to produce cohesive military systems that link weapons and soldiers to sensors, satellites and command centers.” -Reuters

wide-body 777 this month, it was announced at an event in Seattle on Friday.

Sheikh Ahmed, who is also chairman of Dubai’s largest bank Emirates National Bank of Dubai (NBD) and heads the emirate’s financial support fund, said debt obligations by state-linked firms will be met this year.

The Gulf Arab emirate has clawed its way back from the depths of its 2009 debt crisis, helped by an economic revival in trade and tourism and its safe-haven status amid the Arab Spring revolts, but still faces the challenge of big debt repayments.

Billions of dollars in bonds owed by state-linked firms like Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority and Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) Investment are in the spotlight as investors weigh Dubai’s refinancing 2012 risks.

“I’m really happy with the restructuring in place today.

We see the performance of the business that they are in is actually good,” Sheikh Ahmed said of state-linked entities.

However, he warned that Western pressure to curb business ties with Iran, a traditional trading partner of the emirate, may have an impact on its economy.

Last week, it emerged the US government had forced Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank to stop channeling billions of dollars from Iranian oil sales through its accounts.

“Maybe not only on the banking sector ... I’m more concerned about this tradition of existing traffic between the two countries. I would say all of it had nothing to do with the nuclear program of the Iranians,” said Sheikh Ahmed.

“It’s straightforward trade between the two countries.

It’s individuals who will be affected out of this business. Or people who are really in line of business on goods between the two countries.” -Reuters

Jazeera Airways receives its 12th A-320 airbus

KUWAIT: Jazeera Airways received, on Sunday, an additional airbus A-320 to increase the number of planes in its feet to 12 aircraft.

Chairman of the public shareholding Al-Jazeera Airline Company Marwan Boudai said, in a press statement, that the new aircraft will be delivered from its German factory in Hamburg.

He noted that the company always strives to gradually expand its feet and its operations to meet the demand of the current market.

Al-Jazeera airline company now has 12 A-320 airbus planes out of 15 that have been ordered since 2005. The remaining three aircraft will be delivered in 2013 and 2014, Boudai pointed out.Jazeera Airways was established in April 2004 and launched its operations in 2005.

It was the first non-government owned airline in the Middle East and has continued to be one of the few Middle-East based non-government owned airlines to this day.

Today, Jazeera Airways is a publicly-traded company and is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

In 2011, Jazeera Airways carried 1.2 million passengers in total across its network, which includes high-demand business, leisure, family, and weekend destinations such as Dubai, Bahrain, Beirut, Alexandria, Amman, Damascus, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Luxor, Mashhad, Sohag, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Cairo. -KUNA

GCC markets surpass global equities on returns in February, reports GIC 25%

110

Returns across Asset Classes

120

GCC vs. EM Bond Returns

S&P GCC relative to MSCI World & EM

115

20%

110

15% 105

10%

105

5%

100 100

0%

95 90

Ͳ5%

85

Ͳ10%

95

S&P GCC

80

KUWAIT: The following is the GCC Market Report prepared by Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) Global macro

The largest world economy, the US, has improved somewhat in recent months as illustrated by January’s drop of unemployment rate to 8.3 percent. With the EU in recession coupled with tepid US growth by historical standards, this year’s global economic growth is likely to recede to 2.7-3 percent. Contributing to the drag is the slower economic growth of emerging economies whose gross domestic product (GDP) growth decelerated from 4.6 percent in the third quarter (Q3) of 2011 to 3.7 percent in Q4 2011. Worth noting is the differential growth among emerging markets: While GDP decelerated in Latin America and Emerging Europe, it accelerated in Asia Pacific due to sustainable growth rates in China, Indonesia, and India.

During the 2012 and possibly 2013, core inflation is likely to remain subdued in advanced economies, at 1.8 percent and 2.0 percent in the US, at 1.3 percent and 1.1 percent in the Euro area and at -0.2 percent and -0.1 percent in Japan.

China’s economy is poised for a soft landing due to slower exports growth and compressed demand for real estate. The contractionary monetary policy of earlier quarters is being revised as inflation subdued which prompted the central bank to ease its monetary stance with 50 basis points (bps) cuts in the reserve requirement in December and February to reach 20.5 percent.

GCC macro

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies continue to be the energy powerhouse of the world. While geopolitical forces triggered anxieties about the supplies from Iran, GCC oil production proved that demand for oil, especially from emerging Asia, remains adequately met. Asian and FSU oil demand are

HSBC NasdaqͲDubai GCC USD Sukuk/Bond Index

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EM Bonds

US Bonds

REIT

GCC Bonds

Global Bonds

Asia Bonds

Commodities

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US Equities

GCC Equities

Europe Equities

Asia Equities

EM Equities

Ͳ15%

MSCI EM 75

JPM EM Bond Index 90

MSCI World

70 Feb

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growing at a faster pace than markets are currently pricing in. Further, output from Sudan, Syria and Yemen at a combined total of almost 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) has been compromised. The largest GCC and global oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, produced 9.87 million barrels per day during the first month of this year. However, domestic demand amounted to two million barrels a day or 20.3 percent.

Exports absorbed the great majority of Saudi crude production, 7.87 million bpd or nearly 80 percent of total production.

One downside risk however stems from the rapidly-rising domestic demand for energy.

Domestic energy consumption has grown so quickly that some GCC countries are having difficulty meeting demand, resulting in power cuts during peak times in summer. In an effort to diversify sources of energy for the generation of electricity, Saudi has recently signed a contract with top global builders of solar energy stations to build solar-generated electricity that could meet up to 10 percent of the Kingdom’s domestic needs by 2014.

Domestic demand is increasing because of demographic pressures in the form of rapid family formations as well as from the rapid urbanization rates. The industrial structure is heavily energy-intensive. Finally, the rise in domestic energy use is buttressed by the heavilysubsidized and low prices of energy for domestic use.

With natural ga supplies becoming insufficient to meet local demand, the GCC must tap into their money-generating fuel oil reserves, impacting both local economic growth and global energy security but then there is the power of applying conservation and demand-side management techniques. The GCC continue to invest in expanding its energy capabilities. Saudi tops the region’s capital energy investment with an estimated 141 billion US dollars in the upcoming five years, led by Aramco, the biggest contractor in the Kingdom as private competitors continue to face difficulties to penetrate the market. Saudi Arabia

Jun

Jul

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continues to invest heavily in the energy sector mainly increasing oil and electricity production and building larger refineries with a capacity of 400 thousand barrel a day within Saudi Arabi.

Aramco will invest a further $90 billion in the next five years in increasing refineries capacities in Asia, mainly China.

GCC equity markets

During the month of February, global markets displayed positive performance as investor sentiment continued to improve across key markets. Equity markets reacted positively and the Euro rallied against its peers, as the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to a second bailout for indebted Greece worth 130 billion euro. GCC markets have largely mimicked the performance of global equities, with investors taking a favorable view on stocks in the early part of the year, as valuations appear attractive.

On the whole, GCC markets surpassed global equities on returns during February. The S&P GCC index posted gains of 7.59 percent while the MSCI World Index rose 4.66 percent for the month. Within the region, all markets were in the green as investor sentiment has remained positive since the start of 2012.

Dubai’s DFM index surged during the month to gain 20.53 percent, with the index coming off from a seven-year low. Saudi’s Tadawul index was the other major gainer, rising 9.06 percent on the back of positive global news and what seems to be an upturn in the fortune of the Petrochemical sector. Bahrain’s BSE index gained marginally, making it the worst performing index, rising a mere 0.77 percent.

Abu Dhabi’s ADSM index performed well to cap off a solid month for the UAE markets.

The index gained 6.40 percent, with the biggest contributors being the Real Estate and Financial Services sectors.

Following elections in Kuwait, markets have had a decent performance as the postelections optimism period led to a positive spin

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

on equities. The KSE Weighted index rose 1.06 percent, led by solid performance on the Investments and Real Estate sectors.

Qatar and Oman had robust performances, with the QE and MSM 30 indices rising by 2.09 percent and 4.97 percent respectively. In Qatar, the Services and Industrial sectors performed well, while in Oman the Services sector pushed the index up.

With oil prices remaining elevated thanks to the geopolitical tensions in the region, the short- term outlook for the GCC equity markets seems appealing. Supported by the strength in oil prices, long-term projects that were put on hold by governments seem to be back on the cards.

The fortunes of GCC equities remain dependant on global events. But with the US reflecting good economic data as of late, the outlook in the short term looks good in the GCC. Asian markets have performed well, with China taking precautionary measures to alleviate a ‘hard landing’, while Europe has bought more time to solve their never ending debt crisis with the second bailout of Greece. GCC markets may continue to perform well as long as the recent upturn in global markets continues.

GCC credit markets

The month began with negative news from Europe, as Moody’s cut the debt ratings of nine European countries and downgraded their outlook to ‘negative’. Though Greece may have dodged a default with its last minute bail-out, longer-term doubts remain over its ability to repay its staggering debts, raising questions about whether even more rescue money will eventually be needed. Oil prices remained buoyant and scaled up further amidst the backdrop of the geo-political developments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and the escalating tensions surrounding the Iran standoff.

The strong primary market activity continued its momentum from January, and the month of February began with an issuance from Dol-

Jul

Aug

Sep

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Jan

phin Energy. The initial one billion dollar issue was priced on 7 Feb with an additional $300 million tap bond priced on Feb. 9, due to strong investor demand. The issue was oversubscribed more than 8x. The two issues will be fully fungible, carrying a coupon of 5.5 percent, and slated to mature on Dec. 15, 2021.

This was followed by a mega Sukuk issuance from Qatar National Bank (QNB); the one billion dollar 2017 maturity bond was subscribed more than 4x. The pricing at MS+235 bps was tighter than expected. The first successful issue by a private corporate i.e. United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Majid Al-Futtaim (MAF) Group bodes well for the market as this will encourage more private issuers to tap the market. The $400 million February 2017 Sukuk issuance was oversubscribed more than 3x. The pricing was MS+482bps, yielding a profit rate of 5.85 percent. The demand for all the new issuances seems to be holding up as the spreads have tightened further.

The activity was more in the Sukuk market and this is expected to continue in the ST to MT. The primary market is expected to remain strong with whisperings from Goldman Sachs (GS), Almarai and DIFC Investments (DIFCI).

DIFCI is meeting banks to explore options for a $1.25 billion Islamic bond maturing in June.

The bond of the investment arm of the firm that runs Dubai’s financial free zone, along with a two billion dollar Islamic bond from Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) which matures later this year, is in the spotlight as investors weigh Dubai’s refinancing risks in 2012.

The market direction will be dictated by geopolitical risk within the region as well as general risk appetite and macro economic data from Europe and US. While Sovereign and Corporate balance sheets in the GCC are still strong, it will prove difficult for the region to decouple from the West given the strong trade and investment linkages. The primary market appears to be holding up very well and has absorbed a reasonable amount of issuance, backed by local support.

ALWATAN DAILY

MARKETS

Kuwait CMA will be robust in three years Mahmoud Abdulrazzaaq

Where does Kuwait stand in the governance arena among other advanced countries in that arena?

Staff Writer

KUWAIT: When law practitioners talk about the deterioration of financial statuses of financial companies and institutions in the private sector, their statements are based on accumulative legal expertise that they have gained at their field of work. In addition to that, legal practitioners are also aware of the fact that most law cases are strongly related to lack of competent management, and the absence of accountability. This triggers financial crises that have rattled the cage of the global economy, and negatively affected the Middle East. When those people talk about the poor level of governmental services offered at various governmental sectors, not to mention the bureaucracy and procedures that drain the public, whether people living in Kuwait or foreign investors, they highlight the loopholes that must be plugged, in order to allow Kuwait to move forward to the level of other countries. In order to shed more light on the importance of professional management in the public and private sectors, Al Watan met with lawyers Nader Al-Awadi and Abdul Aziz Al-Yaqout on the sideline of a forum that has been held in Kuwait recently.

Al-Awadi criticized the fact that Kuwait Capital Market Authority (CMA) commissioners are appointed before being trained properly to shoulder their tasks, while Al-Yaqout mentioned that the authority will be in a promising status after it matures in three years; especially after shareholders will be able to hold boards accountable. Al-Yaqout also called for including corporate governance in specialized curriculums.

The following is the interview with Al-Awadi: How do you see the developments that occurred since the issuing of the CMA law? Do you see any opportunities to apply it? When?

Al-Awadi: The problem is that we put in place the law, but we did not prepare a team to execute this law. We are still discussing the status of the authority’s commissioners, and the Cabinet decided to rule out three of them. Actually the executive committee is not complete, and I expected them to be highly trained in the field of law execution. However, what we saw was a haphazard attempt to assemble employees, which is a problem in itself, because Kuwait has many laws and never applies those laws.

Do you think it is important to determine the specifications of the members of the authority, which is what occurs in other global authorities?

Al-Awadi: It is not me who says so, but the authority’s law that has set accurate specifications that would end this issue if these criteria were followed. However, we need people who have received legal training before being assigned to any tasks. Saudi Arabia sent a team to the United States to receive three years of training before shouldering their

Al-Yaqout: We are still very late, and we have a long path to follow to accomplish what other countries have accomplished in that arena, or even part of what other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have achieved.

Dubai, for example, has implemented governance in all governmental circuits in compliance with the decision made by its ruler. Such a step is significant for Dubai, and Kuwait has a great opportunity to learn from the implementation of governance from Dubai. If we rate countries in the governance arena, Kuwait will be at the bottom of the list at point zero, which is very obvious, because Kuwait does not even apply the simple regulations concerning governance that are found in the Kuwaiti law.

Are there laws regarding governance in Kuwait?

responsibilities. In Kuwait, however, the law was issued but we have not agreed on the commissioners yet.

What prevents the enforcement of the law?

Al-Awadi: Many authorities prevent the enforcement of the law, and despite efforts exerted by the Minister of Commerce, there is strong resistance, which is normal. However, the problem lies in political decision makers who must set aside any factors that are not related to the issue while making their decision. It is understandable that those who enjoy benefits may try to affect political decision makers, but they should not yield to any social or political conflicts; especially because the decision has to be unbiased.

How do you see governance in Kuwait compared to the UAE, in light of the large delegation that came from UAE to take part in the governance forum that has been held in Kuwait recently?

Al-Awadi: Governance in the UAE is very advanced, whether we like it or not, and their wise management can be noticed; especially that the political decision making process is based on partiality and taking into consideration public welfare. We are all aware of the incident when one of the ruling family members was imprisoned after abusing his authority by granting himself an undeserved bonus.

Of course this would never happen in Kuwait, because the law is not even imposed on common citizens; especially that everyone is connected to MPs or figures of significant influence. The problem is that every official is afraid of losing his position; but in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, management was wise, before it began to gradually deteriorate. I can understand the fact that problems can surface after wars, but that does not mean that the decision maker cannot take wise

Company

Ÿ

High

Low

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

1,220

1,180 480 650 860 250 455 810 550

Kw Investment Commercial Facilit.

Int'L Financial Adv. National Invest.

Kw Projects Ahlia Holding Coast Invest.

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

Exch KW BH Int

260 65 170 345 17.0 64 26.0 114 118 36.0 134 60 35 43.5 40.0 87

480 650 920 255 465 840 560

Global Index - Banking

Ÿ

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

29.0 67.0 182 70 53 57 134

260 63 168 335 16.5 62 23.5 110 118 35.0 128 58 34 42.0 38.5 80 186.0 108.0 25.0 63.0 178 69 51 51 130

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

470 -

470 -

Taiba Kuwaiti Holding

192.0 116.0

Global Index - Investment

Global Index - Insurance

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

246 130 420 -

236 128 420 1,420 330 880 114 -

335 880 114 -

ŷ ŷ Ÿ ŷ ŷ ŷ Ÿ

57 108 150 210 35.0 80 45.5 98 920 71 17.5 59.0 86 58 63 74 22.5 87 39.0 118 47.5 31.5 32.0 24.0 32 60 300

1,420

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

60 108 154 210 35.0 80 47.5 99 940 72 18.5 62.0 92 66 66 76 23.5 87 39.5 124 50.0 36.5 32.5 26.0 34 62 310

Global Index - Real Estate

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

Heavy eng. & Ship.

Marine Services Portland Cement Shuaiba Industrial Metal Collecting Kuwait Foundry

Ÿ ŷ ŷ Ÿ ź ź Ÿ Ÿ ŷ

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

1200 480 710 650 870 250 465 840 560 321.58

108 260 64 170 340 16.5 63 25.0 130 26.0 230 114 118 50 52 35.0 130 59 35 71 43.5 48.5 64 26.0 244 51 38.5 51 39.0 86 190.0 112.0 23.0 29.0 67.0 29.0 182 255 114 31.50 68 70 51 53 64 42.50 132 83.97

300 610 470 148 220 122 40.50 44.66

60 108 152 210 35.0 234 118 80 46.5 120 99 940 72 18.5 61.0 92 66 63 80 34.0 76 22.5 87 17.5 39.0 57 75 124 50.0 36.5 32.5 27.0 24.5 134 134 220 61 310 55.48

246 130 420 138 1,420 330 172 880 190 114 420

1180 480 710 640 900 255 455 820 560 318.53 108 260 65 172 335 17.0 63 25.0 130 23.5 230 112 118 50 52 35.0 134 59 32.5 71 42.0 48.5 64 26.0 244 51 38.5 51 39.0 82 182.0 110.0 23.0 26.5 62.0 29.0 178.0 255 114 31.50 68 68 53 53 64 42.50 130 83.23 300 610 455 148 220 122 40.50 44.28

Previous Close Change 181.56 1.39 52.80 6,133.60 Trading Activity Tran. Value(KD) Chng Volume

DTD 0.77% 0.86%

Last Bid

Last Ask

MTD YTD 1.10% 2.03% 6.40% 0.97% Div. Annual Close High Low P/E Yield

52 14 2 15 15 31 102 29 260

1,566,150 417,600 16,250 154,300 297,650 933,600 2,082,350 288,150 5,756,050

1,200 475 700 640 870 250 460 830 550

1,220 480 730 650 880 255 465 840 560

3.3% 0.0% 2.1% 3.1% 1.6% 0.0% 0.0% 2.4% 0.0% 2.0%

1,200 510 790 680 920 260 475 900 590 326.42

1,100 475 710 640 790 236 450 820 560 317.17

15.79 32.92 81.72 17.62 30.38 23.78 12.40 23.93 106.53 18.98

140,000 -1 34,760,000 -2 4,600,000 5 1,610,000 20,400,000 0.54,520,000 1,680,000 3 2 1,760,000 520,000 2 1,920,000 -4 3,100,000 6,560,000 12,400,000 3 1,520,000 2 5,440,000 29,800,000 4 4,300,000 8.0 18,420,000 2.0 18,640,000 2.5 5.0 18,560,000 4.0 260,000 840,000 2 -2 200,000 6,600,000 2 4,960,000 0.74 203,510,000

4 201 103 30 146 65 14 63 8 19 61 86 90 19 56 253 83 379 143 254 11 14 5 119 126

108 255 63 168 335 16.0 63 26.0 112 118 35.0 128 59 35 43.0 65.0 36 38.5 85 188.0 110.0 22.5 29.0 67.0 182 30 64 70 53 130.0

110 260 64 170 340 16.5 64 230 114 120 35.5 130 60 35 43.5 69.0 242 56 39.0 86 192.0 112.0 24.5 184 33 71 71 54 54 64 132.0

0.0% 8.5% 0.0% 0.0% 5.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 8.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.3% 5 1% 5.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 9.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.3%

110 265 67 174 340 18.5 65 25.0 130 36.0 230 122 118 50 52 35.0 136 62 35 71 43.5 48.5 70.0 26.0 244 54 39 51 41.0 86 212.0 130.0 25.0 33.5 96.0 29.0 182 255 114 32 68 70 60 53 64 42.5 134.0 83.97

104 255 40 158 295 11.5 50 25.0 130 21.0 230 102 102 50 52 24.0 106 47 21 71 28.5 48.5 64.0 26.0 244 51 36 51 26.0 61 99.0 19.5 19.0 16.0 38.0 29.0 154 255 114 26 58 50 51 47 64 42.5 112.0 74.96

41.33 12.09

2,352

36,400 2,217,840 777,080 545,650 342,920 284,080 40,160 196,560 61,360 68,240 405,320 383,680 429,000 64,880 211,120 2,526,960 817,040 2,082,720 526,680 1,221,720 46,880 58,400 10,360 364,920 653,120 14,373,090

300 650 480 146 43.0

6.7% 4.1% 5.3% 6.8% 2.7% 0.0% 0.0% 4.6%

325 610 520 148 220 134 40.5 44.80

280 550 450 102 220 102 40.5 42.22

15.67 14.06 9.60 23.37 296.83

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 9.5% 0.0% 4.3% 0.0% 6.3% 0.0% 5.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.0%

60 118 152 210 37.5 236 130 82 52.0 120 104 940 80 20.0 61.0 92 75 64 90 38.0 76 23.0 91 17.5 40.5 59 80 144 50.0 39.5 32.5 28.5 25.5 134 34 220 70 480 55.48

47 97 108 200 35.0 224 114 77 27.0 108 94 840 62 11.0 35.0 77 56 52 80 33.0 59 13.5 87 17.5 31.0 57 64 116 27.5 22.0 25.0 25.5 15.0 134 32 220 49 270 49.06

46.50 13.86 27.23 18.72

0.0% 0.0% 2.4% 3.6% 4.6% 3.0% 2.9% 11.4% 5.3% 0.0% 4.8%

260 134 470 158 1,480 345 222 920 200 116 495

214 120 415 138 1,380 315 172 660 180 102 420

74.83

15 Ex-D 0.38

10,000 10,000

1 1

4,700 4,700

285 450 112 28.0

3 2 -3

17,640,000 1,660,000 6,100,000 100,000 160,000 40,000 8,400,000 640,000 510,000 280,000 28,080,000 29,960,000 21,640,000 2,280,000 5,320,000 2,800,000 3,600,000 40,000 560,000 1,080,000 61,280,000 10,560,000 3,200,000 7,360,000 640,000 680,000 2,270,000 216,880,000

131 9 105 5 2 1 86 8 24 7 178 223 193 49 92 58 39 1 7 40 361 121 36 60 5 14 110

1,965

1,035,640 179,280 929,640 21,000 5,600 3,200 389,120 63,320 472,700 20,040 509,160 1,809,600 1,961,160 144,280 344,960 210,520 83,520 3,480 21,880 130,160 3,001,560 363,760 103,040 183,680 21,040 41,640 695,900 12,748,880

59 108 150 208 234 116 78 45.5 99 930 72 18.0 60.0 91 65 64 79 33.0 75 22.0 87 39.0 75 122 50.0 36.5 32.0 25.0 24.0 33 61 305

60 110 152 212 37.5 238 86 46.5 130 100 940 73 18.5 61.0 92 66 65 36.0 76 22.5 39.5 58 80 124 32.5 27.5 24.5 34 62 310

13,120,000 520,000 50,000 25,000 60,000 5,000 40,000 -

188 17 5 1 5 1 2 -

3,177,640 67,000 21,000 35,500 20,050 4,400 4,560 -

244 128 415 136 1,400 325 164 880 180 110 405

246 130 430 1,420 335 180 890 200 114 420

57 108 150 210 37.5 234 118 81 48.0 120 99 910 73 17.5 60.0 87 61 64 80 34.0 75 23.0 87 17.5 40.0 57 75 118 47.5 34.0 31.5 27.0 25.5 134 134 220 64 310 54.46

-1 1.530 -1 1.0 1.0 5 5 -1 1 0.51.06 3 2.5 1.0 1.0-3 1.02

236 128 420 138 1,420 325 172 890 190 112 420

10 2 5 -10 2 -

-

Al-Yaqout: I am sure that the authority will develop and will perform as expected. It will also benefit from the experiences of other authorities that worked in the region before it, but this requires some time, which is normal. As we can see in Saudi Arabia, their authority has become very significant, but required a long time before becoming effective.

The authority in Kuwait is newly born, and lacks the necessary trained employees, since the members lack experience and a legal background, which are pivotal factors in the authority. I believe they need some time to gain experience and cement their knowledge before turning the authority into a regulator of the market.

Since you are a lawyer, do you think Kuwait requires new laws to amend the current situation, or does it need to enforce the laws it already has?

Al-Awadi: We do not need new laws at all, because through our existing laws, we can reshape the universe, but the most important factor is enforcing those laws. The law is merely ink on paper and cannot enforce itself, so it needs to be enforced in order to be effective. The concept of reward and punishment is what deters people and grants them the feeling of safety, but in Kuwait, the opposite is happening.

The Kuwaiti market is uninviting for good currencies, and if you would discuss governance two years ago, people would laugh at you. However, people are now dumbfounded and are clueless because they know nothing about the money they had paid to acquire shares in companies in the Kuwaiti market. The money they invested went down the drain, and companies declared bankruptcy. Investors could not find any help. It astonishes how the current laws and the authorities of official bodies can refer those companies to the public prosecution. Many companies lost over 90 percent of their capital, and not one of them was asked about the reasons behind such dramatic losses. If proper, unbiased investigations take place, we will discover that those companies declared bankruptcy not because of shortcomings, but because of fraud, which is punishable by law.

Do you believe that politics has a role in founding the authority and the formation of its members? What is the future that awaits the authority in your opinion?

Al-Yaqout: Of course politics have a role; especially regarding the speed of which the authority was formed. In Saudi Arabia, it took them two years to understand the laws and deliberate with the market’s main players, investors, and traders, not to mention training programs. I think forming the authority hastily has forced it to bite more than it can chew, because some segments of the economic society feared attempts to obstruct the authority’s work. Regarding the authority’s future, I simply believe that it requires some time, and I am confident that after three years, the authority will be strong and experienced enough to manage its issues and play an effective role in the Kuwaiti economy.

Al Watan’s interview with the second lawyer Abdul Aziz Al-Yaqout:

Date of Closing Prices:

1,302,500 870,000 25,000 175,000 1,190,000 2,040,000 2,520,000 515,000 8,637,500

20 10 -30 -5 10 20 3.06

What are your expectations regarding the performance of Kuwait’s CMA in the future, in light of the challenges it faced at the beginning of its founding?

05 / 01 / 2012

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

For more Information please contact "Global" at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net Last Close 182.95 6,186.40 Last Prev.

Close Close

decisions. On the contrary, the past periods of time have shown that Kuwaiti capital is ready for investments, but a large chunk of it has been transferred overseas, in search for safer and more feasible investment channels.

Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange Date of Closig Prices: 4/03/2012

Date of Closing Prices: 04 / 03 / 2012 For more information please contact “Global” at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net Ÿ

Al-Yaqout: There are mere basics and simple regulations in the commercial companies’ law, and some amendments issued by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) regarding banks. In short, when it comes to governance, we have a few regulations scattered amongst other laws.

The lawyer Nader Al-Awadi, being interviewed by Al Watan reporter Mahmoud Abdulrazzaq.

Trading Prices of Kuwait Exchange Trading Prices of Kuwait StockStock Exchange

Global General Index KSE Price Index

11

MONDAY, march 5, 2012

88.93 13.75 1.76 0.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30.41 0.00 116.80 0.00 0.00 0.00

0.00 9.54 22 77 22.77 11.92 43.00

0.00 5.36 12.68

12.97

16.93 5.16 16.98 40.46 23.72 0.00 17.18 30.70

6.67 24.45 12.18 5.38 50.54

23.07 18.82 0.00 0.00 18.23

17.16 6.49 7.90 157.27 117.52 11.52 25.37 24.44

ACICO

-

Global General Index 97 United Industries Boubyan Petroch.

610 KSE Price Index

Gulf Glass HilalCompany Cement High Al Kout Ind. Project 1,140 National K-PAK Bank Gulf BankMaterial 495 Building Commercial 770 Nat. Ind.Co.Bank Ahli Bank 640 Equipment Holding 70 Ahli United Bank 850 Mena Holding International Bank 248 Consumer Industries 460 Burgan Bank Kuwait Gypsum 890 Kw Finance House 214 Qurain Bank Boubyan 590 Salbookh Trading 52 Global Index - Banking 180 IKARUS Kw Investment Boubyan Int'L Ind. 80

96 610 Low 1,120 490 770 640 69 800 248 455 880 212 580 50 174 74

ŷ źź źŸ ŷ ŷ

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

Global Index Industrial 41 40 ź Int'L Financial Adv. NationalInvest.

Cinema 174 National 170 - źŷ KwProjects Hotels 300 - Ÿŷ Kw 300 425 ŷŸ Agility 435 12.5 Ahlia Holding 13.5 Coast Invest.

53 52 61 55 źź Market Complexes -860 -850 ŷŷ Int'L Investor ZAIN Securities House - ŷŷ 77.0 74.0 Safat Energy Ind. & Fin. Inv.Group Educational - ŷŷ -Securities Group - - ŷŷ Indep. Petroleum Int'L Finance National Cleaning 134 128 ŷŸ 110 MARKAZ 108 136 Sultan Center 130 ŷŸ KMIFIC - ŷŸ Arabi Group 94 92 Int'L Inv. Group City Group - ŷŷ Aref Inv. Group - ŷ 2,020 2,020 ŷ Wataniya Tele.

Investment Dar - ŷ 112 Kw Gulf Link 108 Ÿ Al AMAN Inv. ŷ Kw Cable ALOLA Inv.Vision 110 108 - ŷŷ Automated ALMAL Inv. System 50 49 - źŷ NAPESCO -Gulf Inv. House - - ŷŷ KCPC Leasing 280 265 - ŷŸ A'ayan K.S.HInv. 32.5 - 31.0 - ŷŷ Bayan Eyas - ŷŷ GLOBAL Inv. Hits Telecom - 85 - 82 ŷŸ Osoul Inv. Al Safwa Holding 23.5 -21.0 ŷź GULFINVEST - ŷŷ KFIC Human Soft KAMCO - ŷŸ 77 Privatization Holding 81 Int'l Leasing & Inv. -- - ŷŷ Nafaaes Holding - - ŷŷ Nat. Int'l Holding -National Slaughter - ŷŷ Housing Finance 108 108 Aref energy MADAR - ŷŸ 680 670 Safwan 26.5 Al Deera Holding 26.5 67.0 65.0 ŷź Gulf Petroleum Al Safat Inv. - ŷź 26.5 Gulf Franchising 29.5 122.0 Al Salam Credit & Group Collection - 114.0 - Ÿŷ 39.0 ź 41.0 Ekttitab Holding 18.0 ź 19.0 National Ranges Al Qurain Holding ŷ 275 275 Ÿ Burgan Well Drilling 16.5 Sokouk Holding 16.5 ŷ 460 38.5 440 ź IFA H&R Al-Madina Finance 40.0 ź 1,520 1,500 Combinted Group ź NOOR ŷ 80 80 źŸ Jeeran Holding Tamdeen Inv. 160 158 Palms KW BH Agro Int'l Exch.

-- - ŷŷ 71.0 74.0 SafatKuwaiti TEC Holding Taiba - ŷź 89 85 Mushrif Trading Kuwait Syrian - ŷŸ U it d P j t United Projects -Strategia - - ŷŷ ALAFCO 53 53 - ŷŷ Kuwait China Inv. Al-Muwasat -- - ŷŷ Manafae Inv. Gulf NorthHolding Africa - ŷŸ 228 Mashaer 224 Amwal -- - ŷŷ Oula Fuel Al MasarComm.

- ŷŷ Future 124 Al-Imtiaz 132 76 źŸ Hayat Comm.

80 Global Index - Investment 67 64 źŸ Mubarrad Transport 51.0 KuwaitInsurance Resorts 51.0 Kuwait - ŷŷ Advanced Technolgy - - ŷŷ Gulf Insurance -375 375 Yiaco Medical - ŷŷ Ahlia Insurance Al Jazeera Airways 475 470 źŷ 112 108 Warba Insurance Al Soor Fuel 238 238 ŷ Kuwait Re-Ins. First Takaful -- - ŷŷ Future Kid Ins. Wethaq -234 -228 ŷŸ K G L Insurance 85 Al Nawadi 85 źŸ Global Index - Insurance Alrai Media 136 144 48 źŸ Kuwait R.E. 48 Zima Holding 100 - Ÿŷ United R.E. 100 -

Global R.E. Index - Services 118 National 126 200 Salhia R.E. Trans.

204 LiveStock 196 190 -110 Pearl -116 DanaR.E. Al-Safat 224 224 Tamdeen R.E. United Poultry Ajial R.E. 1,500 1,500 Kw FoodStuff Massaleh R.E. United Food Arab R.E. 30.0 30.0 Kout Food 530 530 Union R.E. Global Index - Food 98 96 ERESCO 860 840 Mabani Sharjah Cement 75 74 INJAZZAT RE 102 Gulf Cement 100 Inv. 68 11.5 66 UmHolding QuwainGrp Cement 12.0 Int'L Resorts 114 Fujaira Cement 122 78 77 Commercial R.E 122 Ras AlKheimah 126 70 65 Sanam R.E. ARIG 54 53 Aa'yan R.E United Gulf Bank Aqar Egypt Kw Holding 325 325 Kuwait R.E Holding Bahrain Kw Ins. 59 AL Mazaya 60 Gulf House 70.0 14.0 64.0 Al DarFin. National R.E 14.0 45 Inovest Int'L Holding 46 Themar -188 Grand R.E Projects -188 Ahli United Bank -21.5 Tijara & R.E Invest Ithmaar Bank 22.0 Al Tameer Global Index - Non-Kuwaiti Arkan Al-Kuwait R.E 70 70 Markaz Real Estate Safat Global Al Argan Int'L Funds Investment 28.5 28.0 Abyaar Al-Bareeq Holding 23.5 23.5 Munshaat AFAQ 25.5 First Dubai 26.0 Al-Shamel KBT 27.0 27.0 Al-Safat Real Estate 16.5 Manazel 15.5 Ajwan Real Estate REAM 280 Specialities Group 280 Mena Real Estate Masaken Al Moudon Inter.

Intl. R.E --Dulaqan R.EEstate Markaz Real 57 56 Eid Food Kuwait Remal R.E 295 285 Maidan Index Clinic - Real Estate Global Flex

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-

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Nationl Ind. Group 232 Dar Al-Thuraya Real E 242 93.0 93.0 Pipes Ind. & Oil 128 126 Kw Medical Services Kuwait Cement 455 450 Amar For Fin. & Leas.

-Refrigeration Ind. 1,420 1,420 Total Parallel Market Gulf Cables & Elec.

Heavy eng. & Ship.

Total Services Market Marine 720 Portland 720 Global Cement Special Indices Shuaiba Industrial Global Index - Kuwaiti Co.'s 104 Metal Collecting 110 Global Index - 10 Large- Cap. Kuwait Foundry

Global Index - Islamic

ŸŸ źŷ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ź Ÿ ŷ źŸ Ÿŷ Ÿŷ źŸ ŷ Ÿ Ÿ ź ź ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ź źŸ ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ź ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ źŷ Ÿŷ źŷ ź Ÿ ŷ ŷ ź

ŷ ŷ ź ŷ ŷ ŷ ŷ ź ŷ

Last Close Previous Close DTD MTD YTD - Change 206 206 4.9% 224 196 23.76 206 210 -0.40% -1.55% 177.24 -0.70 -1.55% -1 2,760,000 36 265,280 96 176.5397 0.0% 102 94 34.89 95 96 600 2,555,000 37 -27.30 1,558,550 6105,726.90 10 5,754.20 5.7% 610 550 86.98 600 -1.50% -0.47% 610 -1.50% 1,400 1,400 1,400 1,220 21.05 1,400 2.9% Last Prev.

Trading Activity Div. Annual Close Last Last 216 216 216 206 11.21 224 4.6% Close Close Volume Tran. Value(KD) Bid Ask Yield High Low P/E Chng 350 350 Ex-D 350 350 7.76 5.7% 375 3,796,050 1120 1120 69 3,377,500 1,140 1,120 14.74 275 275 - 1,120 300 1,100 275 13.23 300 3.6% 7.3% 255 20 495 495 830,000 407,950 490 495 - 0.0% 510 490 33.95 224 Ex-D 228 228 224 27.09 0.0% 770 770 10,000 1 7,700 - 770 780 790 770 88.62 295 295 320 260 18.93 275 310 1.9% 2.7% 640 -20-1 211 6,400 660 10,000 64069 66070 3.1% 66070 64051 17.34 44,200 70 69 640,000 33.07 0.0% 800 50 850 350,000 23 282,700 840 850 1.6% 850 790 29.68 33 33 33 33 0.00 0.0% 16 248 248 700,000 173,600 246 248 0.0% 255 248 23.59 102 102 102 93 0.0% 460 465 -5 500,000 10 229,750 460 465 0.0% 475 460 12.26 128 128 128 128 17.06 9.4% 890 -10 880 1,280,000 66 1,127,050 880 2.3% 900 880 25.07 870 214 820,000 212 174,240 222 210 112.24 8.55 214 0.0% 0.0% 210 590 590 607,850 --2 1,035,000 3324 590 580 590 590 212,080 51 49 83 3 4,120,000 51 41 51 50 0.0% 319.37 319.54 8,092,500 6,639,050 2.0% 319.54 318.41 18.61 0.17240 180 114,480 174 640,000 22 6 180 162 10.57 180 176 0.0% 106 106 -3 10279 10680 0.0% 10688 10670 40.56 79 50,200 76 640,000 12 0.0% 260 265 -5 250,000 14 65,750 260 265 8.5% 265 260 12.09 1.62 170.09 168.46 170.09 163.04 10.70 5,749,180 25,995,000 444 2.7% 40 1,020 170 280 300 430 12.5 52 55 25.0 860 130 75.0 31.0 110 230 310 102 132 108 136 50 94 44.0 530 52 2,020 74 112 28.5 63 108 238 49 375 23 270 71 260 31.0 260 48.5 85 68 21.5 20.5 270 26.0 244 81 94 92 51 154 36 108 51 670 26.5 65.0 75 27.0 120.0 120 39.5 18.5 19.0 275 16.5 455 38.5 1,520 29.0 80 158 86 255 72.0 114 88 26.00 325 68 305 53 130 60 46.5 226 64 270 42.50 265 128 80 75.90 67

51.0 325 640 560 375 485 475 110 238 220 114 104 40.50 234 85 43.43

144 48 110 100 772.72 124 200 190 37.5 114 224 130 120 1,500 82 390 30.0 530 108 365.22 97 860 84 75 102 11.5 68 38.0 122 78 122 65 132 54 230 90 325 38.0 455 59 69.0 14.0 91 45 17.5 188 31.0 22.0 59 46.46 70 122 48.5 124 28.0 144 23.5 106 25.5 250 27.0 30.0 15.5 40 134 280 134 57 220 345 57 106 295 1,860 49.73 36.0

232 93.0 128 65 450 65 150 1,420 335 212 720 180 Ÿ 104 Ÿ 460 Ÿ

41 1,020 172 280 295 420 12.5 53 58 25.0 860 130 75.0 31.0 110 230 310 102 128 112 132 50 89 44.0 530 52 2,020 74 108 28.5 63 108 238 49.5 375 23 265 71 260 31.0 260 48.5 80 68 23.0 20.5 26.0 270 244 76 94 92 51 154 36 108 51 640 26.5 66.0 75 28.0 112.0 120 41.5 19.0 19.0 255 16.5 465 39.0 1,520 29.0 76 160 86 255 74.0 114 85 26.00 325 68 305 53 130 60 46.5 224 64 270 42.50 265 130 76 76.02 62

51.0 325 640 560 375 485 475 118 238 220 114 104 40.50 224 80 43.63

136 49 110 99 769.88 120 204 190 37.5 114 234 130 120 1,500 82 390 30.5 500 108 364.14 98 850 84 73 102 12.0 63 38.0 120 77 124 70 132 55 230 90 325 38.0 455 63 67.0 14.5 91 45 17.5 190 31.022.0 59 46.61 74 122 48.5 124 28.5 144 24.5 106 26.0 250 27.0 30.0 16.5 40 134 280 134 57 220 345 58 106 290 1,860 49.75 36.0

-1 -2 5 -

- 10 -1-3 ---4.0 -4 -5 4 - -1 - -5 - 5 - -2 -5 - - - 30 - 1.01.08.0 2.00.520 10 0.5- -10 2.0-4 2.03.0 - - - -2 - - -4.0 2 0.12-5

---

- -8 Ex-D - 10 0.19-5

1,680,000 1,040,000 110,000 3,320,000 7,040,000 1,280,000 7,520,000 1,490,000 22,880,000 - - 2,680,000 680,000 2,940,000 80,000 32,500 2,520,000 500,000 320,000 - 290,000 1,840,000 - 16,320,000 71,120,000 - 23,960,000 - - 320,000 10,000 240,000 5,480,000 4,000,000 11,180,000 1,920,000 25,040,000 10,000 480,000 110,000 10,640,000 15,000 40,000 80,000 - 6,960,000 1,640,000 - 200,000 - 1,860,000 - - 1,240,000 720,000 40,720,000 7,000,000

13 20 5 4673 22 146 74 183 - - 63 1875 -2 3 73 14 4 - 25 22 - 155 391 - 218 - - -9 -2 299 44 212 24 122 1 5 11 93 -4 41 - 96 31 - 2 - 51 - - 3817 558 122

40,000 -1 - - 30,000 -1 350,000 120,000 616 20,000 -1 - - 49 1,460,000 40,000 120,000 61 50 2,420,000 1 80,000 9 920,000 2,210 212,717,500 105 3,100,000 12 520,000 4 180,000 120 7,280,000 3 100,000 2,500 1 1 80,000 45,000 2 7,507,500 127 320,000 8

-1 8 1 2.84 4 -4 - 10.00.530 1.08 -1 10 1,935,000 57 241 120,000 2 2,640,000 15 0.5-5 2,000,000 10,640,000 113 -24 2 700,000 3 1 240,000 -2 100,000 4 17 1,000,000 -5 4 -1 200,000 90,000 3 Ex-D 11 440,000 -4 49,200,000 529 1 80,000 0.5-2 22 2,000,000 - -2 -1 20,000 -29 2,480,000 67,870,000 766 0.15-4 320,000 2 - - - - 12 0.5- 2,720,000 1.080,000 1 0.5240,000 3 Ex-D 35,040,000 4 1,200,000 8 1.0- 50,000 -3 - - - -1 240,000 6 47 5 2,110,000 0.02- - 53,085,000 - 332 -

Ex-D

-

-

242 -10 89.0 4.0 13,220,000 40,000 154 1 128 140,000 6 65 470 -20 50,000 2 65 150 - - - 90,000 1,460 -40 2,500 14 335 8,125 212 - 743,127,500720 Close 230,000 19 Prev. Close 180 192.11 190.52 106 -2 80,000 3 187.14 460 188.53 -

565.66

562.26

67,160 40 960 177,720 168 33,000 295 1,421,550 90,920 425 12.5 67,280 438,440 5154 - 850 1,266,550 1,721,280 74.0 - - - 350,080 132 73,920 106 390,280 134 -90 7,440 65,650 2,020 276,280 110 27.0 54,920 108 228 15,840 49 - 21 78,700 270 58,760 31.0 - - 240 1,371,120 64.085 1,578,400 -21.0 - -80 1,914,360 - -92 - - 34,560 108 - 6,750 6,360 26.0 358,880 64.0 114,000 27.0 1,305,280 - 118.0 77,080 458,520 18.5 18.0 2,750 7,920 16.0 49,200 445 419,440 38.5 22,700 1,520 3,200 12,680 15673 - -81 506,040 71.0 144,280 -88 315 - 63 300 10,600 52 - - 419,280 224 - 265 - - 250 157,920 56,160 124.078 2,702,550 458,640 67

2,040 - 11,250 164,600 13,200 4,760 - 336,720 3,400 13,200 335,320 3,840 92,000 14,373,180 383,920

104,680 34,320 827,000 22,400 3,750 2,400 23,850 888,920 31,160 1,656,950 8,960 264,640 23,960 722,800 82,640 18,520 12,400 67,400 10,720 29,250 26,160 3,299,600 1,120 90,640 3,760 54,040 4,559,770 22,400 - - 76,880 1,880 6,160 946,080 19,240 - 14,000 - 13,520 610,850 4,151,200 -

-

48.0 300 510 370 460 465 108 236 - - 234 85 142 48 99 -

122 200 188 - 112 126 110 1,460 510 112 95 860 71 11.599 35.568 77 120 122 53 325 13.5 9068 - 44 30.0 186.0 70 116 28.0 23.5 110 25.0 24.5 15.5 260 29 21849 55 290 -

-

-

3,111,120 3,720 -17,800 122 22,550 455 - 150 17,720 1,420 3,550 310 58,453,770 165,600 Change 710 178 1.60 8,480 104 1.39 435

3.40

40

0.0%

3.9% 1,080 172 0.0% 0.0% 300 - 6.7% 430 0.0% 9.3% 13.0 5255 0.0% 0.0% - 860 0.0% 23.3% 0.0% 0.0% 75.0 33.5 - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 330 9.7% 0.0% 134 0.0% 110 136 9.3% 0.0% -94 0.0% 0.0% - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2,040 2.5% 0.0% 112 0.0% 29.5 0.0% 0.0% 11068 0.0% 10.5% 50 - 0.0% 5.3% 370 0.0% 24 1.9% 275 0.0% 6.0% 32.5 - 0.0% - 0.0% 3.8% - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% -22.0 0.0% - 0.0% 0.0% 23881 0.0% 0.0% -96 0.0% 0.0% 54 - 0.0% 5.2% 0.0% 110 0.0% 0.0% 650 3.3% 0.0% 27.0 65.0 0.0% 0.0% 28.5 0.0% 120.0 130 0.0% 0.0% 39.0 0.0% 19.0 0.0% 20.0 0.0% 280 0.0% 16.5 0.0% 0.0% 455 0.0% 39.0 4.6% 1,540 0.0% % 0.0% 16078 3.8% 9.3% 27091 5.1% 0.0% 73.0 0.0% 0.0% 2789 0.0% 9 2% 340 0.0% 9.2% 73 3.3% 305 0.0% 53 5.4% 61 - 0.0% 47 226 10.8% 0.0% 69 270 0.0% 0.0% - 280 0.0% 9.4% 128.080 0.0% 12.5% - 2.4% 0.0% 52.0 6.2% 0.0% 325 0.0% 610 4.5% 380 5.2% 2.7% 500 470 9.1% 0.0% 114 240 0.0% 2.7% 110 106 0.0% 0.0% 43.0 - 0.0% 2.1% - 4.7% 5.9% 146 0.0% 49 0.0% 120 0.0% 0.0% 100 11.7% 126 0.0% 202 190 10.0% 0.0% 37.5 4.4% 114 0.0% 224 130 4.5% 0.0% 0.0% 130 1,500 4.3% 6.1% 85 400 1.3% 0.0% 31.5 3.8% 550 6.5% 118 3.8% 0.0% 98 870 - 0.0% 6.0% 76 - 0.0% 9.8% 12.0 102 0.0% 0.0% 37.0 - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 79 122 8.2% 0.0% 65 124 5.7% 0.0% 54 140 0.0% 0.0% 91 230 9.2% 0.0% 40.5 330 0.0% 7.7% 60 0.0% 14.5 0.0% 0.0% 9469 5.5% - 45 0.0% 5.3% 33.5 188.0 0.0% 0.0% 57 0.0% 3.9% 74 0.0% - 0.0% 126 0.0% 28.5 - 0.0% 0.0% 25.0 0.0% 0.0% 25.5 0.0% 255 3.2% 28.0 0.0% 0.0% 27.5 0.0% 16.0 0.0% 3.7% 130 280 0.0% 2.5% 32 62 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 57 - 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 295 - 1.1% 0.0%

48.5

232 93.0 130 70 465 -70 1,440 340 216 720 DTD 190 0.84% 108 0.74% -

0.60%

0.0%

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.2% 7.7% 3.3% 0.8% 4.6% 3.0% 4.63% 2.4% 13.9% 5.6% 0.0% 4.3%

42 40 990 1,100 174 170 280 280 305 295 430 340 13.5 12.5 5458 5241 25.0 25.0 900 840 130 130 75.0 45.0 36.0 31.0 110 110 230 230 295 345 102 102 134 110 116 108 108 136 5097 5084 44.0 44.0 530 530 52 52 1,920 2,040 74 74 95 112 28.5 28.5 11268 10863 230 238 51 49 340 395 23 22 260 305 71 71 260 260 31.5 31.0 260 260 48.5 48.5 132 68.0 68.054 14.0 23.5 20.5 20.5 26.0 26.0 270 280 24481 24461 94 9490 104 51 51 154 154 36 3691 110 51 51 520 670 26.5 27.5 30.0 74.0 75 75 16.0 28.0 99.0 120.0 120 140 19.5 41.5 19.5 12.0 19.0 19.0 275 198 17.0 16.5 490 425 39.0 38.0 1,580 1,500 29.0 29.0 89 15674 162 25586 25591 74.0 57.0 114 114 104 2680 28 335 270 68 68 280 315 53 55 130 130 60 60 47 47 172 226 64 64 265 305 42.5 42.5 300 265 132.081 128.070 76.32 67 75.90 51

44.0 51.0 325 325 640 640 560 560 345 390 520 485 410 480 118 110 270 238 220 220 134 114 104 114 40.5 40.5 246 218 44.80 92 43.43 80

116 156 49 48 110 110 100 99 772.72 744.62 120 128 200 208 182 222 37.5 37.590 114 234 224 126 130 130 120 1,420 1,500 82 82 340 390 30.5 30.0 500 570 108 108 365.22 345.74 100 96 86095 84044 76 7355 108 12.568 11.543 38.0 38.0 122 46 78 77 126 118 75 65 132 132 54 55 232 188 90 90 330 250 38.0 38.0 455 455 63 59 74.0 40.5 14.5 14.0 91 91 17.5 17.5 31.0 31.0 59 59 47.16 40.74 78 70 1,220 1,220 48.5 48.5 144 124 29.0 28.0 24.5 23.5 26.0 25.5 28.5 27.0 16.5 15.5 134 134 32 32 220 220 57 60 295 270 49.8649.73-

-

232 260 130 128 470 450 158 150 1,460 1,420 340 335 212 222 710 740 MTD 180 1.18% 180 104 116 1.11% 460 460

0.58%

17.46 88.93 12.13 14.31 1.33 0.00 13.17

23.89 0.00 17.77 0.00 23.23 0.00 53.09 0.00 13.08 0.00 0.00 0.00

11.89 7.13 9.40 0.00 11.97 9.19 313.83 32.31 0.00 13.80

13.30

0.00 116.80 9.60 0.00 0.00 16.65

5.99

0.00

0.00 77.26 99.25 16.62 0.00 3.31 8.28 7.35 22.77 11.92

9.93

60 55 60.55 43.00

5.09 7.80 7.46 22.89 0.00 16.17

5.19 10.01

3.57 16.97 25.05 12.90 12.06 9.91 8.47 17.37 16.62 296.83 11.59 6.18

6.11 12.60

12.86 37.20 12.83 12.30 22.21 17.83 16.20

5.72 11.88 25.40 9.84 15.28 11.59 39.65 5.29

21.70

0.00 14.56

9.76

26.32

35.93 7.39 8.10 45.94 4.15 10.07

19.44 69.15

10.63

11.37 0.00 5.38 27.28

20.67 9.93 23.07

9.61

18.82 63.06 0.00 11.03 0.00 16.27

14.44

70.58 18.38

10.34 6.49 8.02 14.72 193.84 96.15 YTD 10.91 1.35% 23.15 -0.82% 26.77

0.65%

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

12

ALWATAN DAILY monday, march 5, 2012

April 21, 2009 March 04, 2012

4% 6%

4% 6%

Qatar

Dubai

100

0%

Saudi

0%

95

-2%

Abu Dhabi BahrainBahrainOman

0%

100

1%

Kuwait

Abu Dhabi

Return DailyDaily Return (%)(%)

105

0%

Kuwait

-4%

-1%

-6%

-2%

90

GCC Best Performers

Saudi

95 4-Dec-11 85

4-Jan-12

4-Feb-12

MENA Best Performers

-4%

4-Mar-12

-6% -2

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

1

MENA Indices Highlights

MENA Indices Highlights Country (Index)

Index Level

% Chg.

YTD

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

Index 7,344 Level

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

2,641 5,250

0.7% -4.0%

QaUAUAE Qatar (DSM Index)* (ADSM Index)

8,742 2,695

0.6%

BaQa Bahrain Qatar (BSE (DSMIndex) Index)

1,148 5,590

Jo Jordan (Amman General Index)

1,960

Ku Kuwait (KSE Weighted Index)

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

OmOman UAE(MSM (DFMIndex) Index)

414

1,754 406

5,847 1,745

Eg Egypt (EGX 30 Index)

OmOman (MSM Index)

Ba Bahrain (BSE Index)

M Morocco (Casa All Shares Index)*

Eg Egypt (Hermes Egypt Index (HFI))*

Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index)*

Jo Jordan (Amman General Index)

Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index)

M Morocco (Casa All Shares Index)*

Tu Tunisia (Tunis SE Index)*

Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index)* *Market Closed

Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index) * Market Closed

5,320

5,478

1,681

11,414

463

1,201

2,825 482

10,621

4,754

1,094 546

Tu TunisiaClosed (Tunis SE Index)* * Market

3,282

52 Wk High

0.1% % Chg.

0.7%

2.0%

5.1% 0.4% -

-

2.2%

-0.1% -

-

-

0.9% -

Mkt.383,720 Cap. USD million

210

69,824 264,263

-0.4% 12.8%

8,892 5,148

7,682 2,137

122

124,813 69,783

1 196

17,190 65,352

1,754 787

6,416 5,860

0.3% -18.8%

46.9%

0.7%

-6.8%

8.5%

84

1,921

4,224

10,785

5,044

2,551

1,425

2.4%

1.1%

513

4,785

4,059

23.6%

739

407

2,119

13.6%

3,418

-

465

14,635

-7.2%

-

1,164

-3.3%

-0.1%

-

328

9,406

-

-

1,043

-

2,837

-

4

9.21 8.85

7.67

1.68

1.58

8.07

10,365

1.29

3.65

1.56

6.37

0.88

12.71

2,529

2.15

9.43

59,990

1.18

18.36

9,624

3.95

14.75

8,507

2

1.42

16.59

33,782

1.68

6.47

2,079

0.86

8.67

6,576

MENA Worst Performers

2.50

13.85

1.92

SAUDI ARABIA *Market Closed

120

SAR 32.10 SAR 22.95

225 Saudi Industrial Inv. Grp.

101 Riyad Bank

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

115

SAR 24.70

-6.4%

158,467,385 154,694,093

201 Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (KSA)

343,553,085 83,374,474 119,955,261 71,587,622

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

97,126,838

NBKNational Bank of Kuwait (KUW)

110

1,439,063,647

88,742,222

20Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

4-Feb-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

43Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co.

4-Mar-12

33.50

% Chg.

5.0%

145.75

2.6%

93.00

5110.SSE Saudi Electricity Co.

2.2%

14.40

4220.SSE Emaar the Economic City

1.4%

9.75

Turnover (SAR) 925,079,602 1140.SSE Bank AlBilad 594,300,234 1040.SSE Saudi Hollandi Bank 580,149,256 3020.SSE Yamama Saudi Cement Co. 312,679,291 1020.SSE Bank Al Jazira

70Zain - Saudi Arabia

4-Jan-12

Close

1.0%

Worst Performers

1 Alinma Bank

100

64,280,166

4190.SSE Jarir Marketing Co.

Highest Turnover

105

-6.8%

Turnover (USD)

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

12,705,928

Turnover (SAR '000)

Market Cap. (SAR '000)

111

-1.5% -8.9%

246,668,160

703 Zain - Saudi Arabia (KSA)

7,336 / 5,710 3030.SSE Saudi Cement Co.

Tadawul Index 52 week High / Low

-2.2%

Turnover (USD)

MENA Highest Turnover

0.93

% Chg.

-1.5% -8.6%

115 Alinma Bank (KSA)

92% 1211.SSE Saudi Arabian Mining Co.

Advance/Decline Ratio

6.8%

8.0%

2.02 SARAED 48.00

SAR 13.70

GCC Highest Turnover

7,344 (0.1%)

Tadawul Index (% Chg.)

119

7.8% 8.6%

SAR 26.20 -13.1% -1.9% KWD 0.265

EMAEmaar Properties (UAE) Best Performers

Summary

8.5% 8.8%

KWD 0.250% Chg. -2.0% Close

KFI Kuwait Finance House (KUW)

Rebased Performance

95 4-Dec-11

KWD 0.455

KIB Kuwait International Bank

14.4% 9.8%

8.0%

Close

IFA IFA Hotels & Resorts

0.88 201 ADN Abu Dhabi 1.74 Saudi Basic National IndustriesHotels Corp.

9.50

63,640

OMR 0.720

GCC Worst Performers

1.90 FAC 114Commercial Bank AlBilad 1.37 Facilities Co. 1.62 104 Saudi Hollandi Bank 0.88 238 Rabigh Petrochem.

10.41

62,336

1

0.82 1.52

1.11 1.77

10.89 6.87

18,727

67

1.98

10.46 9.99

13.60

QAR 21.60

BKMBankMuscat

PB

PB1.45

26,695

AED 1.26

QGTQatar Gas Transport Co.

11.64 7.29

15,024

KWD 0.275 QAR 6.35

ALDALDAR Properties

PE 14.07 9.03 10.24

62,300

9

Trailing

12.99

18,342 37,413

1.41 OMRAED 0.703

ABABurgan Co. for Well Drilling KCB Al Khaliji Commercial Bank

Trailing

36,542 98,547

46

1,572

12,800

1,033

2.1%

3,587

2,246

2,903

2.6%

12 305

1,129 4,230

12,109

225 718

5,419 1,433

1,433 12,627 5,628

-1.6%

1,301 316

PE

101,757

70 2,183

2.7% 6.6%

0.0%

Turnover 3,388 USD million

2,293 4,130

0.1% 1.9%

0.0% 3.9%

396

Mkt. Cap. USD million

2,775 10,090

29.6% -0.2%

-0.9%

467

525,710 Wk Low

Turnover USD million

9.9% 9.3%

3.1% 1.8%

-

52 Wk 7,336 High

14.4% YTD

52 Wk Low

AED 1.19 SAR 5.60

GCGalfar Gulf Cement Co. & Contracting GEC Engineering

Period's Liquidity Ratio (PLR x)*

% Chg.

AED 1.15% Chg. 15.0% Close

DFM Dubai Financial Market 3 428 Kingdom Hldg. Co.

Period's Liquidity 1 Ratio (PLR x)*

-1

Close

4 TAMTamweel

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi

105

2% 2%

Palestine Palestine

2%

Dubai Dubai

111

Saudi Saudi

111

110

4% 3%

Qatar Oman

110

Oman

Dubai

Oman Kuwait

113

111

Kuwait Jordan

113

DailyIndex Index Performance Snapshot Daily Performance Snapshot

Jordan Egypt

115115

Bull/Bear Indicator Bull/Bear Indicator

Bahrain Bahrain

Rebased RebasedPerformance Performance

268,475,059

23Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co.

Close

26.20

% Chg.

32.10

56.00

2380.SSE Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co.

24.30

24.45

-1.9%

-1.5% -1.3%

-1.0%

-1.0%

Saudi SE

Quotes Company Name 1 Al Rajhi Bank

1 Alinma Bank 2 Almarai Co.

1 Arab National Bank 1 Bank AlBilad

1 Bank Al Jazira

1 Banque Saudi Fransi

4 Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co. 4 Emaar the Economic City 7 Etihad Etisalat Co.

4 Jabal Omar Development Co. 4 Jarir Marketing Co.

4 Kingdom Holding Co.

2 National Industrialization Co.

2 Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co.

1 Riyad Bank

1 Samba Financial Grp.

2 Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co.

1 Saudi Arabian Mining Co.

2 Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

3 Saudi Cement Co.

5 Saudi Electricity Co.

1 Saudi Hollandi Bank

22 Saudi Industrial Investment Grp.

2 Saudi International Petrochemical Co. 1 Saudi Investment Bank 2 Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. 7 Saudi Telecom Co. 2 Savola Group Co. 0 3 Southern Province Cement Co. 0 1 SABB 3 Yamama Saudi Cement Co.

2 Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co. 7 Zain - Saudi Arabia

Close 80.50

12.90

104.75

% Chg.

-0.3%

0.0%

63.25

16.30

145.75

10,841

0.5%

1.0%

0.0%

0.3%

9.45

9.85

63.75

16.40

24.05

23,247

9.15

312,679

62.50

65,207

91.00

13,497

0.0%

102.25

101.00

1.4%

14.45

14.10

261,039

32.70

31.90

13,075

22.25

56,759

17.00

268,475

33.10

11,147

45.60

10,917

50.00

70,803

0.2%

23.20

22.70

30,493

-0.5%

19.25

18.90

7,249

0.2%

17.10

-0.3%

33.40

-0.3%

0.5%

22.65

17.25

38.80

33.50

38.20

30,281 2,791

99.75

-0.5%

100.00

98.25

56.00

-1.3%

56.50

55.50

31,069

8.15

594,300

46.20

51.25 8.35

0.4%

-1.0%

0.0%

46.20

52.00 8.60

33,520

182,663 580,149

-1.5%

236

31.70

39,365

32.10

958

30,607

185.25

93.25

-3.7%

50.50

189.00

2.2%

16.95

47,475

0.3%

33.60

27.20

24.25

16,476

0.0%

847

1,799

25.60

9.05

-0.3%

-0.9%

19,826

26.10

12.90

67.25

on high

83.75

10.95

0.0%

80.75

Low

105.75

179

4,203

28,555

52-Week

High

122

68,049

42.70

52.75

71,476

16.00

43.20

24.60

2,156

255,389

0.5%

11.10

Volume ('000)

9.50

142.00

93.00

38.80

46.20

147.00

5.0%

19.15

24.60

2.6%

33.50

22.50

32.20

19,165

-1.0%

23.00

5,731

45.50

-0.7%

51.50

14.40

31.60

22,277

-1.0%

101.50

925,080

26.00

24.45

187.25

12.75

26.60

-0.9%

25.90

173,441

-1.9%

11.00

43.10

80.00

103.00

-1.0%

9.75

13.05

Turnover (SAR '000)

105.25

24.30 9.40

81.00

Low

0.2%

-0.3%

45.90

High

12,708

31.90

26.20

Daily

26,345 1,032

35.18

24.55

50.00 9.70

9.65

63.25

15.75

37.50 6.05

5.90

46.00

16.0%

-1.0%

43.4%

-8.2%

32.0% 9.0%

-3.1%

29.7%

0.0%

20.5%

1.0%

32.7%

120,750,000

24.0%

24,092,500

45.8%

21.3%

58.3%

19,350,000

27,115,000

72.6%

8,287,500

nmf nmf

27.0% 47.1%

10,152,000 44,275,000

210

192.75

5,715

112.50

18,238

14.75

56.75

31.90

-18.0%

5.2%

-2.3%

11.2%

162.25

-2.9%

6.4%

87.75

-9.8%

12.85

-2.4%

42.40

21.85

91.00

49.10

32.60

25.70

-9.3%

10.5%

22.7%

16.8%

25.7%

5.0%

32.4%

67.9%

2.2%

29.2%

94.6%

-1.5%

7.7%

23.5%

5.5%

3.6%

9.6

24,025,167

9.8

46,812,500

11.4

5.7

46,350,000

30,987,500

19.1%

304,500,000

16.1%

59,998,951

10.5

1.4

24.60

15.55

-22.2%

18.6%

1.9%

10,532,500

-1.3%

12.5%

77,600,000

15.50

-10.7%

-1.7%

785

39.30

33.00

28

100.25

59.50

555

83.25

46.90

-32.7%

-20.0%

5.25

0.0%

50.5%

335

237

1,383

70,950

33.50

46.50

53.25 8.35

23.70

36.00

41.50

-0.3%

-0.5%

-0.6%

-3.8%

14.8%

16.4%

16.0%

13.5%

16.5%

17.5% 54.3%

71.2%

36.3%

27.0%

29.4%

51.8%

2.2

10,617,075

380

19.15

10.4

1.8

4.3

10,350,000

15,702

nmf

1.6

17.1

42.4%

36.0%

10.8

14,229,000

21.1%

14.2%

2.6

1.3

-15.4% -3.0%

nmf

1.6

2.2

12.3

17.30 17.75

nmf

1.7

38,850,000

27.20 23.20

1.1

17.0

1,327 2,528

0.7

8,745,000

21,418,200

20.10

22.20

62.9%

9.3

1.6

2.4

33.6%

29.80

78.1%

nmf

8.7

40,764,705

26.50

1.6

1.7

58.3%

5.9%

3.6

11.4

7,290,000

24.3%

-4.4%

12.5

1.2

33,195,536

-3.5%

28.82

21.1

3.7

28.9%

62.0%

7.05

4.7%

44.9

PB

2.3

11.40

-0.6%

16.4

24.0

15,149,220

85.50

Trailing

PE

7,860,000

33.6%

637

408

5.8%

-9.3%

22.4%

34.2%

45.10

146

38.0%

Market Cap. (SAR '000)

-0.9%

664

5,595

15.8%

12 mths

11.10

146.67

596

YTD

16.45

132

1,940

26.60

% Change

27.0

19.6

1.7

14.9

1.2

8,250,000

11.7

25,650,000

nmf

16,700,000

13,965,000

34,650,000

10.2

14.0

15.6

12.0

11,340,000

15.4

11,690,000

nmf

28,828,125

1.2

9.1

1.5

1.7

1.7

2.2

5.3

2.0

3.4

2.7

2.7

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

13

ALWATAN DAILY monday, march 5, 2012

KUWAIT Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 6,186 (0.9%)

KSE General Index (% Chg.)

115

414 (0.7%)

KSE Weighted Index (% Chg.)

56%

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

KSE General Index 52 week High / Low

ALTIJARIA The Commercial Real Estate Co.

Highest Turnover 99

95 4-Dec-11

4-Jan-12

4-Feb-12

4.2%

0.940

3.3%

3.5%

Worst Performers Turnover (KWD) 3,177,640

N National Industries Grp. Holding

4-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

0.246

28,390,287

Market Cap. (KWD '000)

100

7.8%

5.8%

0.180

58,469

Turnover (KWD '000)

% Chg.

0.092

467 / 396 MABANEE. Mabanee Co.

KSE Weighted Index 52 week High / Low

105

0.275

3.00 NIND.KSE National Industries Grp. Holding 6,523 / 5,694 IKARUS.KSIkarus Petroleum Industries Co.

Advance/Decline Ratio

111

110

Close

ABAR.KSE Burgan Co. for Well Drilling

K Kuwait Finance House

2,082,350

N National Bank of Kuwait

1,566,150

A The Commercial Real Estate Co.

1,961,160

B Boubyan Petrochemical Co.

1,558,550

Close

IFAHR.KSEIFA Hotels & Resorts KIB.KSE

0.455

Kuwait International Bank

% Chg.

-2.2%

0.250

NINV.KSE National Investments Company

-2.0%

0.170

PCEM.KSE Kuwait Portland Cement Co.

ALQURAIN Qurain Petrochemicals Industries Co.

-1.2%

0.880

-1.1%

0.212

-0.9%

KSE Weighted Index

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily

% Chg.

0.430

T Al Themar Intl. Holding Co.

0.087

0.0%

0.087

0.087

A AREF Energy Holding Co.

0.108

0.0%

0.108

0.108

0.610

1.7%

0.610

0.650

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

1.6%

0.305

-

0.560

B Boubyan Petrochemical Co. B Burgan Bank

0.0%

0.465

A Burgan Co. for Well Drilling

0.275

C Commercial Bank of Kuwait

0.710

C Combined Grp Contracting Co. F Commercial Facilities Co. G Global Investment House

2.2% 7.8%

1.520

0.0% -

0.420

0.840

K Kuwait International Bank

0.250

K Kuwait Projects Co. (Holding)

0.340

1.500

0.880

1.500

23

-

2,040

-

0.560

0.550

15

0.410

-15.5%

1.300

-21.9%

0.198

1.945

0.960

0.710

49

110

0.500

0.285

-9.0%

-4.2%

36

0.420

0.0%

1.500

1.500

25

1.700

640

197

1.380

0.180

0.132

-

0.315

0.236

-22.5%

0.0%

21

50

0.630

0.415

0.425

0.295

-20.0%

-3.4%

432,795

1.580

0.660

930

6,100

0.212

-0.9%

0.214

0.212

174

820

0.136

3.0%

0.130

390

N Wataniya

Z Zain Kuwait

-

0.210

-

-

5.8%

0.092

0.086

1,961

2.020

0.0%

2.020

2.020

66

0.860

0.0%

0.860

-

-

0.850

1,267

-45.0%

13.6

1.3

522,288

26.6

3.7

-1.5%

4,749,270

15.7

2.2

-0.8%

318,595

nmf

69.4%

-1.2%

-42.4%

0.226

0.172

21,780

102,112

52.0%

11.5

0.8

2.3

0.1

35.6

1.3

0.8

148,956

nmf

0.8

89,019

24.5

2.1

-

nmf

0.6

-25.0%

-10.0%

0.200

-12.5%

1.0%

-12.5%

107,672

20.8

0.8

0.216

-13.3%

1.7%

3.5%

87,310

17.6

0.9

21,640

0.092

0.067

33

2.060

1.600

-

0.840

-6.2%

-0.9%

-2.5%

1.3

0.265

0.093

1.420

79,996

-38.7%

-22.4%

18.8%

-

2.1

5.4%

-9.5%

-46.9%

603,003

1.9

1.2

12.6

-49.2%

0.056

-16.9%

8.7%

0.0%

0.168

0.158

0.270

1,490

9.3%

11.5%

-5.4%

0.146

-

0.0%

-13.7%

0.260

0.240

-

23.9%

0.192

2,940

-

-44.3%

7.1%

0.360

100

1.4%

-4.8%

0.320

-

21

0.033

0.355

4,600

-

0.564

0.060

-

777

0.092

0.940

-

-

-

0.210

510

-7.4%

0.8

19.4

1,610

0.168

-

267,815

546

5

0.150

-

-33.2%

0.8

nmf

0.335

4

0.154

0.130

64,246

22.0

1.3%

S The Securities House

4.3

-22.5%

nmf

259,332

0.152

A The Commercial Real Estate Co.

9.2

91,529

-10.7%

-

0.136

104,500

-55.3%

-2.0%

N National Real Estate Co.

-

309.5%

-28.6%

0.285

0.234

1.0

0.236

13,120

T Tamdeen Real Estate Co.

14.0

0.350

1.340

4.3

135,000

1,190

1.620

1.7

32.4%

298

3

3.1

8.2

0.250

4

1.7

nmf

37.5

3,178

S Sultan Center Food Products Co.

298,102

4.0

nmf

2,258,794

0.236

0.0%

1.1

1.5

18.4

-14.4%

0.246

0.210

28.2

4.2

13.5

-6.7%

4.2%

S Salhia Real Estate Co.

57,647

-23.6%

0.246

-

1.3

nmf

0.820

N National Industries Grp. Holding

-

12.0

1.100

1.000

0.270

-8.7%

295,911

2,520

1.260

A Qurain Petrochemicals Industries Co.

-33.3%

4.4%

1.1

2,082

1,303

O Oula Fuel Marketing Co.

-1.0%

1.6

nmf

64,309

-5.3%

1.0

81,000

903,136

11.4%

1.9

nmf

0.810

-

0.170

5.9%

11.8%

1,566

-1.2%

0.0%

0.0%

-60.0%

0.112

1.180

0.170

-16.5%

0.0%

0.096

0.480

1.220

N National Investments Company

-10.9%

0.285

350

-

0.880

-

-34.2%

1,760

1.7% -

nmf

-23.7%

0.440

1.420

0.019

1.200 0.295

206,516

-10.1%

-5.9%

0.055

473

N National Industries Co.

-10.8%

-26.0%

-3.8%

-17.2%

0.420

-

2.8

-41.5%

0.470

0.0%

-

39.3

29.7%

0.580

-

0.920

0.033

1,203,697

-2.1%

88,088

24.5%

-34.5%

870

-

0.940

N National Bank of Kuwait

3.2%

8.9%

418

3.3%

M Mena Holding

0.9

-5.1%

0.480

0.255

0.940

M Mabanee Co.

-9.7%

0.395

-

0.345

0.620

140

165

1.5%

515

-3.2%

36

0.110

0.880

12.8

0.420

0.470

-1.1%

139,559

10

0.475

0.255

-29.7%

3

934

0.0%

-2.0%

0.0%

0.275

0.455

114

0.840

146,879

-1.6%

0.174

2.4%

-15.6%

0.480

1.8%

K Kuwait Finance House

684,200

0.620

0.180

-

12.3%

2,555

3.5%

-

979,012

1,559

0.114 0.244

-1.8%

0.610

0.460

0.114

6.0

3.8%

288

0.5

237,830

1.9%

-19.7%

PB

-7.6%

-23.9%

0.280

nmf

18.6

0.085

0.380

PE

936,767

0.142

-

450,140

0.0%

320

-

1.420

-1.5%

Trailing

Market Cap. (KWD '000)

32.3%

35

-2.2%

0.0%

-5.8%

14.7%

12 mths

-13.0%

-

-

0.610

YTD

-4.4%

0.455

0.475

P Kuwait Portland Cement Co.

-

0.690

-1.1%

% Change

-16.3%

0.480

JAJazeera Airways

F Kuwait Food Co.

1.520

0.248

on high

0.079

0.0%

0.180

K Kuwait Cement Co.

0.275

0.435

25

3

Low

0.104

-

0.550

0.465

High

40

0.480

IK Ikarus Petroleum Industries Co.

K KIPCO Asset Management Co.

0.560

3,320

16

-

0.260

1.420

IF International Finance Co.

-

52-Week

Volume ('000)

1,422

0.650

0.260

C Gulf Cable and Electrical Industries Co.

IF IFA Hotels & Resorts

0.650

0.0% -

Turnover (KWD '000)

0.425

0.260 0.049

G Gulf Bank

0.435

Low

A Agility

A Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait

2.4%

High

26.2%

233,200

13.3%

0.0%

19.5%

43.8%

168,803

19.6

0.7

-1.9%

4.1%

26.3%

1,018,146

2.8

1.3

-39.4%

0.0%

-4.4%

78,721

1.1

-6.8%

0.0%

0.0%

12.9

0.0%

88,400

-35.8%

3,704,480

nmf

1.2

nmf

7.0

13.0

1.8

UAE Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 1,754 (3.1%)

DFM Index (% Chg.)

130 125

125

2,641 (0.7%)

ADSM Index (% Chg.)

Advance/Decline Ratio

DFM Index 52 week High / Low

107

105

Highest Turnover

100

E Emaar Properties

90 4-Dec-11

A Arabtec Holding

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

4-Feb-12

4-Mar-12

Abu Dhabi SE

6.8%

1.29

Turnover (AED) 100,593,087 ADNH.ADS Abu Dhabi National Hotels 100,513,992 ETISALAT.AEtisalat 64,651,722

D du

4-Jan-12

8.5%

1.26

6.6%

Worst Performers

D Dubai Financial Market

95

14.4%

419,915,911

Market Cap. (AED '000)

111

110

15.0%

1.41

1,081,885

Turnover (AED '000)

% Chg.

1.19

2,775 / 2,293 SOROUH.A Sorouh Real Estate Co.

ADSM Index 52 week High / Low

115

1.15

86% DFM.DFM Dubai Financial Market 7.00 GCEM.ADS Gulf Cement Co. 1,754 / 1,301 ALDAR.AD ALDAR Properties

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

120

Close

TAMWEEL Tamweel

57,137,512 50,207,570

F First Gulf Bank

Close

2.02

9.34

NBAD.ADS National Bank of Abu Dhabi -

% Chg.

11.60

#N/A

-

ADIB.ADSM Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

3.50

-1.5%

-1.0% -0.4%

0.0%

0.3%

Dubai FM

Quotes Company Name

Close

A Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

3.32

T Abu Dhabi National Energy Co.

1.29

A Air Arabia

0.76

A Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

A Abu Dhabi National Hotels A ALDAR Properties A Amlak Finance

A Arabtec Holding A Aramex

A Arkan Building Materials Co. C Commercial Bank of Dubai D Dana Gas

D Deyaar Development Co. D du

3.50

Daily

% Chg.

2.8%

0.3%

3.36

3.51

Low

3.23

4,691

3.50

1.25

1,307

2.2%

0.78

0.74

35,839

-1.5%

1.26

6.8% -

2.15 1.28 -

2.00

48,958

-

-

1.68 -

2.02

-31.5%

0.76

0.57 -

7.5%

54.4%

18,577,383

-8.5%

8,030,250

15.1%

-8.2%

-25.2%

-25.0%

37.0%

-3.1%

-9.8%

0.0%

28.8% 0.0%

8,276,471

2,020,000

PE

6.1 7.9 5.2

12.2

-1.6%

3,523,359

13.1

0.0%

1,530,000

nmf

5,147,263

8.0

-1.7%

124.5%

284.7%

5,337,150

38.6

1.15

3.6%

1.18

1.11

993

863

1.77

0.71

-35.0%

13.9%

9.5%

2,012,500

nmf

0.50

13,331

0.34

-26.8%

1.94

3.40

0.52

0.46

3.21

0.5% -

4.0%

4.8%

3.6%

1.94 -

0.52

0.46

3.26

1.87 -

0.43

3.14

E Emirates NBD

3.30

0.0%

3.37

3.30

3.12

1.6%

9.34

-1.0%

1.41

8.5%

F First Gulf Bank

21.50

M Mashreq

91.45

11.60 4.10 1.81

1.9% -

-0.4% -

3.16

9.44

1,725 -

48,480 64,652

100,593 18,237

14,674,286

14.4%

7.2%

9.9%

9,520,000

8,429,460

0.6

8.2

9.3

nmf

8.3

0.4

2.5

1.3

0.9

8.64

-18.1%

2.3%

-13.1%

73,843,348

12.6

1.9

1.30

338

240

1.56

98.6%

15.6%

1,157,747

nmf

11.50

4,570

-

-

178

0.50

2.3%

0.48

43,966

-

13.8%

nmf

11.40

39,708

-

11.1%

41.7%

3,433,041

2,668

957

1.04

3.85

2,628,990

-8.8%

24,911

1.15

U United Arab Bank

116.7%

15.6%

1.0

9.30

15.0%

0.52

-3.9%

113.6%

1.2

8.0

0.6

-

3.21

1.88

-2.7%

-18.5%

6,600,378

10.6

1.15

0.6%

2.31

2.80

0.68

11.5%

1.5

19,004,664

0.98

3.17

3.30

1.46

0.0%

17.2%

13.4

29.5%

-

1.32

0.20

0.71

2,840,354

1.1

1.9

21.4%

1.05

6.6%

0.46

-1.4%

22.0%

0.7

-10.6%

4.1%

1.29

8,170

2.90

7.8%

0.7

2.41

-

-

20,188

87,791

3.45

-1.0%

1.1

0.3

3.49

50,208

-

25,795

106,640

1.60

1.3

32,064

21.00

11.70

-

1.96

0.8

100,514

21.95 1.43

901

PB

3.10

1.02

U Union National Bank

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

0.84

38,802

2.95

-20.9%

10.8%

Trailing

Market Cap. (AED '000)

0.95

2.19

U Union Properties

47,236

78

1.14

19.4%

12 mths

3.63

2.26

T Tamweel

1.63

-1.4%

YTD

15,756

1.4%

S Sorouh Real Estate Co.

1,012

2.92

0.0%

% Change

57,138

2.22

S Sharjah Islamic Bank

3.55

2.20

on high

3.55

D Dubai Islamic Bank

N National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain

207

3.32

Low

3.70

1.06

N National Bank of Fujairah

1,413

52-Week

High

2.0%

1.19

N National Bank of Abu Dhabi

-

Volume ('000)

3.57

14.4%

G Gulf Cement Co.

158

1.21

1.19

E Etisalat

725

1.31

D Dubai Financial Market

E Emaar Properties

Turnover (AED '000)

3.2%

2.02

1.02

High

1.23

34,577

3.12

1,638

-

-

289

2,337

4.63

2.65

21.50

13.95

-

102.00

-

394 -

175

-28.7%

12.2%

0.0%

39.2%

74.70

-10.3%

-9.9%

4.70

2.91

-12.8%

-9.9%

1.02

0.80

0.0%

21.4%

11.90 2.39

0.67

9.33

1.63

-9.6%

-2.5%

-24.3%

5.9%

9.3%

43.3%

22.4%

0.0%

-16.8%

2,896,000

13.3%

0.67

-16.2%

51.8%

27.7%

517

3.90

2.82

-18.7%

9.7%

12.1%

3.28

-27.4%

5.8%

-31.9%

87,149 -

0.50 5.30

0.53

0.24

0.0% 0.0%

-

33,292,502

-5.7%

1.54 1.15

32,250,000

24.8%

26,835 35,710

18,340,657

90.7% 91.9%

16.2% 95.7%

7.2

8.7

18.8 9.0

0.5

1.2

0.9

1.3

1.3

4,510,000

16.1

2.2

2,474,010

9.9

0.6

9.0

3,386,250

10.1

7,911,131

5.2

1,150,000

1,666,594

3,836,145

11.3 nmf

11.6

0.9 0.5 0.5 0.7

0.7

1.9

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

14

ALWATAN DAILY monday, march 5, 2012

QATAR Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 8,742 (0.0%)

DSM Index (% Chg.)

115

56%

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price 111

110

-

Advance/Decline Ratio

DSM 52 week High / Low

8,892 / 7,682

Market Cap. (QAR '000)

454,357,658

-

Turnover (QAR '000)

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

Close

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

% Chg.

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

105

Highest Turnover 100

100

4-Jan-12

4-Feb-12

4-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

Turnover (QAR) QNBK.DSMQatar National Bank #N/A #N/A #N/A

A Aamal Co.

#

#N/A

#

#N/A

#

95 4-Dec-11

Worst Performers

#

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

Close

133.90 -

% Chg.

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

Doha SM

Quotes Company Name

Close

A Aamal Co.

15.56

% Chg.

Daily -

K Al Khalij Commercial Bank

17.05

C The Commercial Bank of Qatar

76.90

-

E Ezdan Real Estate Co.

19.00

-

B Barwa Real Estate Co.

-

30.55

D Doha Bank

-

61.50

-

High

Turnover (QAR '000)

Low

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

52-Week

Volume ('000)

High

-

24.09

-

Low

15.40

19.15

-

16.40

35.90

28.10

18.60

-23.9%

-14.4%

-15.6%

50,397,437

nmf

-5.7%

-4.8%

16.59

-11.2%

-0.7%

76.30

-8.4%

-7.4%

69.90

-21.5%

7.24

-9.6%

46.15

Q Qatar Electricity & Water Co.

147.00

-

-

-

-

-

153.50

125.50

55.30

-

-

-

-

-

56.20

44.90

-

-

-

-

Q Qatar Islamic Bank

78.10

Q Qatar National Bank

133.90

Q Qatar Telecom

164.90

Q Qatar Navigation

-

74.00

V Vodafone Qatar

-

-

7.34

-

-

-

-

-

28.10

-

20.20

19.58

-

85.30

-

141.73

109.59

-

164.90

118.50

-

94.30

-

8.12

-8.2%

-4.8%

-4.2% -1.6% -5.5%

0.0%

-4.1%

6.3%

34.9%

12,711,915

20.9%

77,770,000

5.3%

23.3%

14,700,000

2.4%

26.0%

8,370,692

34.2%

19,875,000

5.9%

9,631,347

3.3%

18,454,499

-3.3%

-16.0%

8,474,865

-2.8%

0.4%

-3.1%

17.1%

24.2%

93,693,772

39.4%

29,022,400 6,205,236

1.1

7.6

24.97

67.00

PB

1.4

12.6

-

-

118.80

-

11,887,758

6,138,000

14.3

10.1

148.50

-

11.5%

-6.3%

PE

19,028,626

-

17.39

7,702,200

19.2%

-

Q Qatar International Islamic Bank

2.0%

-9.4%

-8.5%

-

Q Qatar Gas Transport Co.

-0.7%

12 mths

-10.1%

-

-

-14.9%

-2.1%

68.00

-

-

-11.0%

YTD

Trailing

85.50

141.40 26.50

-35.4%

Market Cap. (QAR '000)

-

IQIndustries Qatar

M Masraf Al Rayan

on high

% Change

1.0

1.3

10.2

1.8 1.8

9.8

3.0

11.3

4.9

14.1

2.3

12.2

7.9

13.5

1.6

12.8

1.7

12.5

2.2

15.7

0.8

nmf

0.9

12.0

1.4

OMAN Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 5,847 (0.1%)

MSM Index (% Chg.)

115

42% BKMB.MSMBank Muscat

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

0.67

Advance/Decline Ratio

111

110

105

MSM 52 week High / Low

7,063,362

Market Cap (OMR '000)

368,532

O Oman Telecommunications Co. 4-Feb-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

252,908

R Renaissance Services

4-Mar-12

0.2%

0.54

0.0%

#N/A

#N/A

0.50

Turnover (OMR) 439,822 RNSS.MSMRenaissance Services 377,389 NBOB.MSMNational Bank of Oman

N National Bank of Oman

4-Jan-12

0.4%

-0.8%

Worst Performers

B Bank Muscat

95 4-Dec-11

% Chg.

1.40

OCOI.MSM Oman Cement Co.

Highest Turnover 100

0.74

OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co.

6,416 / 5,419 BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar 4,480 #N/A #N/A

Turnover (OMR '000) 106

Close

175,681

R Raysut Cement Co.

Close

0.62

-1.1%

0.32

OCOI.MSM Oman Cement Co. #N/A

% Chg.

-0.9%

0.50

#N/A

-0.8%

#N/A

BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar

#N/A

0.54

0.0%

Muscat SM

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily

% Chg.

B Bank Dhofar

0.541

N National Bank of Oman

0.317

-0.9%

O Oman Telecommunications Co.

1.404

0.2%

R Renaissance Services

0.620

-1.1%

B Bank Muscat

0.737

O Oman Cement Co.

0.501

R Raysut Cement Co.

0.870

0.0%

0.4%

-0.8%

0.0%

High

Turnover (OMR '000)

Low

52-Week

Volume ('000)

High

Low

6

10

0.317

377

1,191

0.332

1.409

1.400

369

262

1.407

1.041

0.625

0.615

253

408

1.197

0.458

0.550

0.541

0.739

440

0.735

0.318

0.505

96

0.500

0.870

176

0.860

0.680

597

0.781

192

0.608

202

1.190

0.509

0.658 0.302

on high

-20.4% -5.6% -4.5%

% Change YTD

-1.1% -3.8% -0.9%

12 mths

-19.0%

4.4%

-0.6%

9.7

PB

2.2

1.3

17.2%

1,053,000

9.4

2.1

-38.5%

174,899

12.9

1.0

-12.4%

0.711

-26.9%

14.5%

-23.5%

13.8%

12.9

1.2

16.0%

-48.2%

1,141,156

PE

10.0

-17.6%

7.3%

495,144

Trailing

342,677

0.416

-0.2%

Market Cap. (OMR '000)

165,767

174,000

13.0

11.6

1.1

1.7

BAHRAIN Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers

BSE Index (% Chg.)

115

% of stocks trading above 1 yr avg. price

BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co.

Advance/Decline Ratio

BSE 52 week High / Low

111

110

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

Turnover (BHD '000)

Market Cap. (BHD '000)

#N/A

#N/A

Close

0.39

0.0%

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

% Chg.

#N/A

#N/A #N/A

105

Highest Turnover 100

99

Worst Performers Turnover (BHD)

N National Bank of Bahrain

B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. 95 4-Dec-11

A Ahli United Bank

4-Jan-12

4-Feb-12

#

4-Mar-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

#

BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co.

AUB.BSE #N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

Ahli United Bank #N/A #N/A

Close

0.39

0.68 -

0.0%

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

% Chg.

#N/A

Bahrain SE

Quotes

A Ahli United Bank*

0.680

A Arab Banking Corp.*

0.420

B Albaraka Banking Grp.* B Bahrain Islamic Bank

B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. B BBK

IN Investcorp Bank* IT Ithmaar Bank*

N National Bank of Bahrain U United Gulf Bank

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

1.060 0.082

% Chg.

-

0.390

0.0%

797

-

0.412 0.090

0.570

0.304

-

0.0% -

High

Low

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

0.390

0.390

-

-

0.570

0.570

-

-

-

-

High

0.770

-

1.280 0.570 4

-

-

150 -

0.116

0.492

0.436

1,139

Low

0.660 1.000 0.420 0.082 0.380 0.390 797

0.115

0.065

0.424

0.270

0.700

0.560

on high

-11.7%

YTD

2.3%

12 mths

7.9%

3,390,250

-26.3%

1,306,547

-13.3%

561,600

-17.2%

-2.8%

-16.7%

-29.3%

-8.9%

-30.5%

-5.5%

-0.5%

-21.7%

38.5%

-28.3%

1.3%

-26.3% -20.7%

-30.0%

-18.6%

0.0%

-0.5% 0.0%

-0.9%

921,968

PE

10.9 7.8 6.4

77,053

nmf

-8.4%

350,759

11.0

-21.7%

241,063

nmf

-25.9%

253,707

-37.0%

-12.3%

637,729 487,555

7.0

PB

1.3

0.8 0.4

0.8

1.1

1.5

4.5

0.6

10.7

1.8

nmf

0.4

1.2

LIFE

Appreciate your body image while pregnant

Some women have a difficult time accepting their changing, growing bodies while they are pregnant. The womenshealth.gov website suggests how to help women better appreciate their bodies during pregnancy: •Understand that your body is changing to help you care for your growing baby. •Talk to friends, family and loved ones about what you’re feeling. •Enjoy some light exercise or take a prenatal yoga class. This should help you feel better emotionally and physically.

•Learn self-massage techniques. •Seek help from a mental health professional if you have serious problems accepting your changing body.

monDAY, march 5, 2012

YouTube phenomenon has girls asking: Am I pretty?

Ask the Doctor Dr. Atorina Benjamin Clinical Psychologist

‘These videos could be read as a new form of self-mutilation in line with cutting and eating disorders’

NEW YORK: The young girl shows off her big, comfy koala hat and forms playful hearts with her fingers as she drops the question on YouTube: “Am I pretty or ugly?”

“A lot of people call me ugly, and I think I am ugly. I think I’m ugly, and fat,” she confesses in a tiny voice as she invites the world to decide.

And the world did.

The video, posted Dec. 17, 2010, has more than 4 million views and more than 107,000 anonymous, often hateful responses in a troubling phenomenon that has girls as young as 10 - and some boys - asking the same question on YouTube with similar results. Some experts in child psychology and online safety wonder whether the videos, with anywhere from 300 to 1,000 posted, represent a new wave of distress rather than simple self-questioning or pleas for affirmation or attention.

How could the creators not anticipate the nasty responses, even the tender tweens uploading videos in violation of YouTube’s 13-and-over age policy? Their directness, playful but steadfast, grips even those accustomed to life’s open Internet channel, where revolutions and executions play out alongside the ramblings of anybody with digital access.

Commenters on YouTube curse and declare the young video creators “attention whores,” ask for sex and to see them naked. They wonder where their parents are and call them “fugly” and worse. “Y do you live, and kids in Africa die?” one responder tells the girl in the koala hat who uses the name Kendal and lists her age as 15 in her YouTube profile, though her demeanor suggests she was far younger at the time. Another commenter posts: “You need a hug.. around your neck.. with a rope..”

Some offer support and beg Kendal and the other young faces to take down their “Am I Pretty?” and “Am I Ugly?” videos and feel good about themselves instead.

Much has been made of cyberbullying and pedophiles who cruise the Internet, and of low self-esteem among pre-adolescents and adolescents, especially girls, as their brains continue to develop. There have been similar “hot or not” memes in the past, but as more young people live their lives online, they’re clearly more aware of the potential for negative consequences.

“Negative feedback that is personal is rarely easy to hear at any age, but to tweens and teens who value as well as incorporate feedback into their own sense of worth, it can be devastating,” said Elizabeth Dowdell, a nursing professor at Villanova University in suburban Philadelphia. She has researched child Internet safety and risk behavior in adolescents in partnership with the Justice Department. In another video posted by Kendal, she offers to “do two dares” on camera, inviting her open-channel audience to come up with some as she holds a little white stuffed monkey.

In heavy eye makeup and neon orange nail polish, a girl who calls herself Faye not only asks the pretty/ugly

Bullying may raise risk of suicidal thoughts: Study

CONNECTICUT: Children involved in bullying are more likely than their peers to consider suicide by the time they are 11, a new study indicates according to HealthDay News. These thoughts of self-harm are not limited to victims of bullying, however. The study also revealed that bullies themselves are much more prone to suicidal thoughts or some other form of self-harm. For the study, investigators analyzed bullying among more than 6,000 children ranging in age from 4 to 10, and the prevalence of suicidal thoughts when the same children were 11 and 12. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Warwick in England and published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, found that children who were bullied over a long period of time were six times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than children who weren’t bullied.

Bullies also were at increased risk for selfharm and suicidal thoughts – even those who were never victimized themselves, the researchers found. The findings were not as consistent among this group, however, the study authors noted in a university news release.

Even after taking into account other factors, such as family circumstances or preexisting emotional problems, the researchers were unable to find other reasons for the increased instance of suicidal thoughts among children involved in bullying. Although the study found an association between bullying and suicidal thoughts or self-harming behavior, however, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. “Our study findings suggest that suicide-related behavior is a serious problem for pre-adolescent youth: 4.8 percent of this community population reported suicidal thoughts and 4.6 percent reported suicidal or self-injurious behavior,” study co-author Dieter Wolke, a professor of psychology at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, said in the news release.

“Health practitioners should be aware of the relationship between bullying and suicide, and should recognize the very real risks that may be evident earlier in development than commonly thought,” Wolke said.

Dear Dr. Atorina, I am becoming increasingly concerned about my sister who is 23 years-old. I believe that she is obsessed with plastic surgery and her face.

She has already had 5 cosmetic surgeries and 4 of them are on her nose. She also has done so many other non-surgical procedures on her face. I think that she is too young to be doing all of this to her face. I try to tell her and my family that something is wrong with her and they don’t think that it is a big deal. Do I have a right to be worried?

Thanks, Worried Sister Dear Worried Sister,

This image made on Friday, March 2, 2012 from video posted on the YouTube website on Dec. 17, 2010 shows a girl with a koala hat asking “Am I pretty or ugly?” (AP)

question but tells in other videos of being bullied at school, suffering migraines that have sent her to the hospital and coping with the divorce of her parents.

“My friends tell me that I’m pretty,” she says. “It doesn’t seem like I’m pretty, though, because, I don’t know, it just doesn’t, because people at school, they’re like, ‘Faye you’re not pretty at all.’”

She narrates a slideshow of still close-ups of herself to make the judging easier (she’s had more than 112,000 views) and joins other girls who have posted videos on another theme, “My Perfect Imperfection,” that have them noting what they hate and love about the way they look.

“I just don’t like my body at all,” says Faye as she pulls up her sweat shirt to bare her midriff.

Faye’s profile lists her age as 13. Tracked down in suburban Denver, her mom, Naomi Gibson, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” she knew nothing of the video until reporters started to call. “I was floored,” she said.

Faye told ABC she has been called names and gossiped about behind her back. “Deep down inside, all girls know that other people’s opinions don’t matter,” she said. “But we still go to other people for help because we don’t believe what people say.”

YouTube would not comment directly about the “Am I Pretty?” controversy, but it issued a statement advising

parents to visit the site’s safety center for tips on how to protect their kids online. The site’s posting policy prohibits videos and comments “containing harassment, threats or hate speech” and encourages users to flag such material for review, the statement said. Emilie Zaslow, a media studies professor at Pace University in New York, said today’s online world for young people is only just beginning to be understood by researchers.

When the Internet is your diary and your audience is global, she said, “The public posting of questions such as “Am I ugly?” which might previously have been personal makes sense within this shift in culture.”

Add to that the unattainable pressures of the beauty industry, a dose of reality TV, where ordinary people can be famous, and superstars who are discovered via viral video on YouTube, she said. “These videos could be read as a new form of self-mutilation in line with cutting and eating disorders,” Zaslow said.

That potential is real, added Nadine Kaslow, a family psychologist and professor of behavioral sciences at Emory University in Atlanta. “There’s this constant messaging about looks and beauty,” she said. “Their world is taking it to a new level. It can be humiliating, there may be a lot of shame, and you start to become public objects instead of being your own person.” -AP

Caffeine disrupts sleep for morning people but not night owls NEW YORK: Caffeine will get you going during the day but could leave you tossing and turning at night - unless you’re a “night owl” to begin with, a new study suggests according to LiveScience.

In the study, “morning people” who consumed caffeine during the day appeared more likely than late risers to awaken in the middle of their nighttime sleep.

The researchers said this is the first study to link caffeine intake with “chronotype,” the categorizing of people by the time of day they are most alert and active. The findings are preliminary and more research is needed to confirm them, the researchers added.

Fifty college students were asked to

record their caffeine consumption and their sleeping and waking times for a week. The students wore wrist devices that monitored their movements, to assess whether they had periods of wakefulness after they had fallen asleep. The researchers also measured caffeine levels in the students’ saliva over the week.

As college students, they tended to be so sleep-deprived that, for most, “it didn’t matter how much caffeine they had” - they slept well whenever they finally hit the sack, said study researcher Jamie Zeitzer, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. However, for the early risers, the more caffeine in their bodies,

the more time they spent awake during the night after initially falling asleep. This was not seen in the night owls. The next step is to see whether this effect applies to people other than college students, Zeitzer said.

The amount of caffeine in a person at bedtime can vary widely, Zeitzer said.

Some people’s bodies clear caffeine within a few hours, but lunchtime coffee may still be in the system of other people even late at night.

Therefore it’s hard to say whether any particular person could avoid the effects of caffeine on sleep by simply steering clear of coffee (or tea) in the afternoon or evening, Zeitzer said.

Spain wilts in driest winter for 70 years PARIS: February is barely past but already Spanish farmers are on drought alert as reservoirs shrink, crops wilt and brush fires crackle after the country’s driest winter in 70 years. Spain is used to fires in the summer, but this year they have come early, ravaging woodland, while the general dryness stunts crops and leaves farm animals without grass for grazing. Brush fires have already swept across 400 hectares in the wooded northwestern region of Galicia. Near the Galician village of Brocos, the Portodemouros reservoir has visibly shrunk and egg-shell cracks have appeared in the mud.

“We have a very hard drought, spectacularly intense in some territories,” said agriculture minister Miguel Aras Canete. “The water reserves are not at alarming levels, but we are beginning to have a lot of forest fires.”

Spaniards emerged from their usual choking summer last year gasping for rain, but over the past three winter months Spain has had average precipitation of just 55 liters per square meter, far below the average of 200 liters.

“We have experienced three winter months with minimal levels of rain in all of Spain – December, January and February have been the driest since at least the 1940s,” state weather service spokesman Angel Rivera told AFP. “Previously the driest winter had been in 1980-81,” Rivera said. “Then it rained 30 liters more per square meter than it is now.”

The latest official drought report on February 22 said Spain’s reservoirs were only two-thirds full, meaning less water for the fields where crops grow and animals graze.

“Leafy plants, vegetables and cereals are suffering the most,” said Gregorio Juarez, a spokesman for the young farmer’s association ASAJA, warning that olives, vines and almonds may be next. “There is a large part of southern Andalucia and Aragon

It sounds to me like you may have a valid reason to be concerned with your sister’s preoccupation with her face. It is not normal for someone to undergo 4 surgical procedures on the nose, let alone at that young age. It may be possible that your sister has a condition called Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

Individuals with this disorder are preoccupied with an imagined defect in their bodies. Even if there may be a slight abnormality in the person’s physical appearance, their concern and preoccupation is excessive.They go to great lengths to try to conceal or “fix” that presumed defect. Often times, you will find individuals with BDD at the plastic surgeon’s office, the dermatologist, or any other provider. However, these individuals need to be treated by a mental health professional because no amount of surgery or medical intervention will make them satisfied with that body part. It is important to note that most people have been unhappy with a particular part of their appearance at some time in their lives. However, those with BDD take this unhappiness and discontent to an extreme, which often impairs various aspects of their lives. You will see them missing social and occupational functions due to feelings of shame and embarrassment over their imagined defect. I encourage you and your family to try to get your sister to seek a psychological consultation in order to determine if she has BDD or any other mental health condition.

Warm Regards, Dr. Atorina Dear Dr. Atorina, I am a mother with 2 children. I have a 4 yearold daughter and a 2 year-old daughter. In my opinion, my 2 year-old daughter is too attached to her nanny. Anytime I try to do anything for her, she rejects me and calls for her nanny. It really breaks my heart and I am unsure of what I can do. My husband tells me that I shouldn’t worry because our daughter knows who her mother is. I am not so sure of this. Do you have any suggestions of what I can do to help my situation?

Thanks, KR Dear KR,

Your concern about your daughter being more attached to her nanny than to you is an increasingly common situation in households that have hired help for their family. I encourage you to take a more active role in your daughter’s life and utilize your nanny’s help in childcare only when you are unavailable.

Also, it is essential that you schedule frequent oneto-one quality time with each of your daughters. This should be fun and pleasurable time with each other.

You could read to her, play with her, take a walk with her, or simply watch a cartoon together. While it is must be difficult to feel “rejected” by your daughter, do not allow your frustration to get the best of you.

Instead, reassure your daughter that you are there for her and that you want to help her with whatever it is that you were attempting to do. The best fix for this situation is for you to take a more hands on approach with your daughters as much as possible.

Best Wishes, Dr. Atorina

Photo taken on March 1 shows the Portodemouros reservoir’s low level of water due to a prolonged drought. (AFP)

where there is land that has already been lost, where there is now no solution whether it rains or not,” he added. “The fields in Granada could lose 35 percent of olive production and are counting on the loss of 50 percent of plant crops.”

In the southern province of Malaga farmers are calculating their losses at 14 million euros, he added. The little water that has fallen “has not soaked through to the earth,” said Alejandro Garcia of the farmers’ association COAG. He and other officials warn the drought is also threatening livestock, which cannot graze and must eat expensive feed instead. -AFP

Dr. Atorina Benjamin is a Clinical Psychologist at Al Seef Hospital.

Please note that the responses given

by Dr. Atorina are based only on the limited information provided with each question submitted. This should not serve as a substitution for a consultation with a mental health professional.

Send your enquiries and concerns directly and confidentially to Dr. Atorina Benjamin for her weekly column to DrAtorina@AlWatanDaily.com.

16

ALWATAN DAILY

CULTURE

monDAY, MARCH 5, 2012

Soul and Spice traces back deep origins of Indian culinary spirit

Chef Raj with the staff of Soul and Spice Restaurant. (Al Watan Daily)

Ricky Laxa Staff Writer

KUWAIT: What does it take to call a restaurant perfect? Or at least close to being perfect?

The answer is simple and uncontested; it has to be “authentic” and not a product of media hype and publicity tricks. High quality ingredients sourced locally and overseas essential to capture the real taste of traditional Indian dishes paired with a world-class Chef that can only bring to diners’ table time-honored dishes, make up what a year-old Indian restaurant at Marriott Courtyard Soul and Spice offers.

Al Watan Daily spoke to the Executive Chef of Soul and Spice Chef Raj who shared his passion for serving no more than authentic Indian cuisine perked with elegance and flamboyance.

Below is the excerpt of the interview.

What makes Soul and Spice different from the rest of other South Asian restaurants?

Chef Raj: Soul and Spice is not just a restaurant, we go beyond what diners commonly know of an Indian restaurant. We provide personalized services and cater to our clients’ needs. Such services include dishes based on

A signature appetizer of Soul and Spice, Trio of King scallops served with grape chutney. (Al Watan Daily)

dietary requirements and calorie counts, specially designed menus for public and private occasions and hopefully within the year we will launch menu based on a fifteen days diet cycle. Soul and Spice is the only restaurant that places its clients on top of everything. The only satisfaction we have is those warm smiles diners return as they live the experience of dining at Soul and Spice.

Kindly talk about the menu

Chef Raj: Soul and Spice offers same pattern of menus with other restaurants, for simple reason that we do not want to complicate diners as they make their choices. The menu comprises selections of appetizer, soups main course and dessert.

We also offer set menus designed for particular occasions and events but we don’t restrict our menus to such, we keep the options open for our diners at all times. The menu changes or revises as per standard of Marriot Hotels every six months, although almost every week we come up with a new dish. Kuwait is a great place and the people are adventurous with food and beverages. Soul and Spice has a good year and we look forward to a great culinary journey ahead.

The “45 Minutes Business Lunch” is distinctive, what is it all about?

Chef Raj: The 45 Minutes Business Lunch combines time and exceptional dining. The hotel is in the midst of a busy commercial area where businessmen and office workers are constantly battling with time constraint, thus we designed an hour lunch break that can maximize the minutes spent from the time the food is ordered to the time they leave the restaurant.

We estimate that fifteen minutes is spent by diners as they make their way to the restaurant and the remaining forty five minutes is for dining with a little bit of relaxation. Soul and Spice knows how important time is with people on the go and want to leave the restaurant refreshed and invigorated. We offer shooter, a combination of “Ayurvedic” food before they start their meal. It is something to cleanse the palate and sets its taste buds to appreciate the flavors the food offer and after the meal, something to cleanse the palate and arrive in their offices with feeling refreshed.

What are the specialties of the house or Chef’s choices?

Chef Raj: It is difficult to pinpoint and iden-

Indian college turns rural women into engineers FRANCE: It gives no degrees and the teachers and pupils often do not share a common language, but India’s Barefoot College has been transforming the lives of rural women for four decades.

Located in Tilonia village, 100 kilometers from the capital of the western desert state of Rajasthan, Barefoot is a collection of environmentally friendly dome-shape buildings. Inside, about a dozen teachers give classes in subjects ranging from the basics of solar engineering, dentistry, mechanics or public health, to radio DJing.

All the pupils sitting on the floor or leaning on old desks are women, some of them illiterate grandmothers from remote villages. Almost everyone is poor, many are unable to read or write, and some come from as far away as Tanzania. Barefoot was started by social entrepreneur Sanjit “Bunker” Roy in 1972 and has been breaking taboos ever since, educating women who are often second-class citizens discouraged from getting an education. Magan Kanwar, who teaches solar engineering, remembers being told by her father-in-law she should focus on knitting sweaters rather than dreaming of attending the school.

“But I just wanted to do something more than cooking and producing babies. This college gave me a chance to find the purpose of my life,” she told AFP. Lots of the women at the school have heavy-drinking and abusive husbands, she says, meaning their studies give them some independence and crucially can secure an income and a future for their children. “If there’s no food for their kids at least the women can work and look after them, educate them, run the household,” she explained. One of her pupils, 47-year-old Masamba Hameez Makami from Tanzania, will return home to install solar-powered lanterns in her village, which has no electricity, giving her neighbors lights at night for the first time. Her stay at Barefoot is funded by the Indian government, which provided 28 scholarships last year for women from Africa to do the six-month solar engineering training program.

“Very soon I will be able to electrify my whole village,” says the mother of seven from Zanzibar. To overcome the language barrier, Kanwar uses sign language and color-coded circuits to explain the solar process to Makami, who speaks Swahili, an east African language. “We women have our own code words,” Kanwar says wryly as she solders electric wires to a circuit board. Barefoot’s founder Roy, named as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2010, believes that the key to improving living conditions in poor areas is empowering rural women – the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day on Thursday. Training older women rather than focusing on men is the key, he said.

“Men are very restless, compulsively mobile. The moment you give them a certificate they leave their villages,” Bhagwat Nandan,

Exceptional dish Samundari Khazana (Mixed seafood cooked in a coconut flavored sauce) (Al Watan Daily)

FILE-This photo taken on Nov. 10, 2011 shows women of African origin learning how to integrate circuit boards for solar lights at the Barefoot College in Tilonia town, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. (AFP)

a senior coordinator at the college, told AFP. “We deliberately confer no degrees,” he explained. “People are obsessed with the idea of getting degrees, certificates and recognition but we recognize the hands-on, learning-by-doing process.” The model has been copied in 17 states across India and emulated in 15 countries in Africa and several more in Asia and South America. Courses typically last between six to nine months and are free for students, thanks to funding from a range of donors including the Indian government, international agencies, and private and corporate foundations.

An estimated 10,000 women students have passed through the college’s doors, while alumni are running more than 800 night schools across India providing a multiplier effect as knowledge gets passed on by word of mouth. The establishment is a model of grass-roots cooperation and frugality.

No one working there earns more than $150 a month but everyone receives a living wage. Living conditions are simple, with many classes taken on the floor. The institution, powered entirely by solar energy, also makes sure nothing is wasted.

Bhanwar Gopal, an artist, prepares colorful masks for plays and puppet shows by recycling World Bank reports. “We keep getting these reports that no one reads, so we decided to put them to some use,” Gopal said. “We use the World Bank paper to fight poverty and social problems in our own style.” -AFP

tify the most ordered dishes because; Soul and Spice’s diners are of mixed nationalities. Each prefers different dishes, but in general, Europeans choose meat and chicken, while Kuwaitis prefer seafood and Asians favor buttered fry items. To name some dishes; The Three scallops flavored with chili, sesame and freshly cracked coriander with chutney and mint ginger sauces and Seafood trio of Prawns for appetizers and Buttered Chicken Tikka Masala, and Biryanis for main course are most popular but again. We have diners who come to the restaurant and leave their orders to the chef’s choices, this trust is the product of great relationship between a diner and the chef and such is vital.

Your activities for the year?

Chef Raj: We will be celebrating our 1st year anniversary in April, Radustani Food Festival, Festival of Lights of Diwali and Eid celebrations but this is all in a nut shell, almost every week we celebrate occasions and introduce new dishes.

Your message to diners who have not tried Soul and Spice?

Chef Raj: They are missing something and

they should try and experience a different culinary experience which we offer. Renowned for the spice mixes, I always try to adhere to the origins of each recipe. The presentation of my food here in Kuwait is served with a modern European twist, but at the heart of every dish, is an element that can be traced back to the deep origins of the Indian culinary spirit. I use only the finest ingredients sourced both locally and from across the world to unleash my creativity in bringing out the right flavor and food design.

Soul and Spice, which is my most ambitious venture to date, reflects the passion I have for food from all areas across India, and is amongst the most elegant restaurants here in Kuwait.

Chef Raj was born in Rourkela, India. His culinary career began at the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (O.C.L.D.), one of the worlds’s most recognized institutes for training professionals.

He further began working as a senior chef across top 5-star hotel chains that include Taj, Hyatt, Radisson, PARK and many more. During the last eight years, Raj continued to travel around the world and gained valuable culinary experience.

Fewer women in parliaments after Arab Spring: Study

UNITED NATIONS: Opportunities from the Arab Spring to boost the low number of women in parliaments are being missed, while globally the average number of female politicians inched up half a point last year to 19.5 percent, an organization of parliaments said on Friday. Despite pro-democracy protests toppling leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the Arab region was the only area in the world without a parliament of at least 30 percent women, according to the InterParliamentary Union’s “Women in Parliament 2011” study. “Countries in transition can very effectively take advantage of reforms to guarantee strong participation of women in politics,” Abdelwahad Radi, president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, told a news conference in New York. But he said those opportunities were not being seized in the Arab regions, where women made up 10.7 percent of parliamentarians in 2011, unchanged from 2010. “On the contrary, we can even see setbacks have occurred, particularly in Egypt where the percentage of women parliamentarians has fallen from 12 to 2 percent,” Radi said.

The report found that more than a third of parliaments with about 30 percent female parliamentarians are in countries in transition or emerging from conflict. Radi cited Africa’s youngest nation, South Sudan, where the implementation of quotas had led to a parliament with 26.5 percent women.

Parliamentary elections were held in Egypt over the past four months, the first since the overthrow of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, and voters headed to the polls in Tunisia - the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings - in October. No date has yet been set for elections in Libya. While the study noted a “strong affirmative measure”

by Tunisia that required parties to list women alternately with men on ballots, in practice because most of the more than 80 parties were competing

for one seat in any one constituency it went to the man topping the list. “As a result, two fewer women were elected in 2011 than in the previous election in 2009,” the report found. “(The election of women) doesn’t happen by accident,” said Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile and executive director of UN Women, which focuses on gender equality.

“Temporary or transitional measures, such as quotas ... it’s necessary to include those kinds of measures if we want to accelerate women’s participation in politics,” Bachelet said. She said some progress was being made with the number of female heads of state and heads of government around the world doubling since 2005 to 17, while the number of women ministers edged up by 2.5 points to 16.7 percent.

Women won 21.8 percent of seats up for renewal last year in 69 legislative chambers across 59 countries, a similar proportion to previous years, the study said. In many countries, it said, too few women were running for parliament to have an impact. “Challenges for women candidates include insufficient funds to run a campaign, high expectations from the electorate and the antagonistic nature of competitive political parties,” the report found.

“In addition, women tend to have fewer resources at their disposal, less experience in running for office and in public speaking, and a lack of support from spouses and family,” it said. “Women also have multiple roles, and balancing them all can very difficult.” Of 188 countries, the report found 20 had parliaments where women made up at least a third of the representation. Rwanda and Andorra were the only countries with more than 50 percent.At the other end of the scale were seven countries with no female representation: Belize, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Solomon Islands. -Reuters

Models present creations by Singaporean designer Andrew GN during the Fall/Winter 2012-2013 ready-to-wear collection show, on March 4, 2012 in Paris. (AFP)

ALWATAN DAILY

entertainment Song Of The Day

Fahad AlSabah Staff Writer

Song: Cruisin’ Artist: D’Angelo Album: Brown Sugar Genre: Soul In short: D’Angelo’s voice is like honey, like melted dark chocolate, the way it drips over the melody is unlike any other male vocalist out there. “Cruisin’” was first released

by Smokey Robinson in 1979, where peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, but unlike most covers, D’Angelo’s is far more superior to the original.

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

The Buzz Clooney and Pitt in live-streamed play March 3 Brad Pitt and George Clooney took part in a benefit reading of ‘8’. George Clooney and Brat Pitt re-team after 2007’s Oceans Thirteen on stage March 3 for a live-streamed reading of the drama 8 by Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar) about the legal battle in California over gay marriage. The play is directed by Rob Reiner (The Bucket List, Spinal Tap) and being performed at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. It premiered in New York City last September. Proceeds from the benefit event will go toward the cause of marriage equality in the US. Based on the effort to overturn the controversial Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, the reading will also feature Martin Sheen (West Wing), Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly as well as Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison and Chris Coffer of Glee. The play is based on trial transcripts and first-hand courtroom observations, with Pitt playing US District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who ruled that Prop 8, which was approved in 2008 by voters, was unconstitutional. -AFP

monDAY, march 5, 2012

Reba reveals painful past, lessons in OWN special NASHVILLE: More than 20 years after a plane crash killed seven members of her band and her tour manager, Reba McEntire can still clearly see the hotel room she was in when she got the news.

The emotion comes flooding back when she revisits that tragic day in 1991 on “Oprah’s Master Class” on the OWN network Sunday night. It’s a rare break in composure from the queen of country music. “I don’t guess it ever quits hurting,” she says on the show, recalling how she tearfully followed husband-manager Narvel Blackstock room to room as he called people to let them know. “It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in my life.”

From that tragedy, she learned to make each day count and not to put anything off until tomorrow. However, McEntire said after the crash, she built up a wall so she would not get close to anybody, and it took time for her to open up to members of her touring family again. She accepted support from industry friends like Dolly Parton, who helped her put a new band together, and she took solace in her strong work ethic.

“I had a huge organization, and I needed to continue working, because that’s their paycheck also,” she told The Associated Press in a phone interview from just outside Dublin on Thursday. “I had to take care of the people who are still here. So it wasn’t a thing where I could quit. I had to go on with my life, my career for them, for my family, for my sanity.”

Hard work is a defining theme in McEntire’s life, and it has served her “tremendously” throughout her career.

It’s something she learned early on from her father, Clark, when she was put to work as a kid on the family’s ranch in Oklahoma.

“If you do that in any job, if you can take direction, if you’re coachable, and you give it all, you’re going to be successful,” she said on the phone.

McEntire is now a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and has sold more than 55 million albums worldwide.

She also runs a successful fashion and merchandise line.

In 2001, she performed in the Broadway revival of “Annie Get Your Gun” and she starred in the hit TV show “Reba” for six seasons before it was taken off the air. “I didn’t want

File - Singer Reba McEntire arrives prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week Awards Ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas on Dec. 2, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (AFP)

to leave the sitcom business in the first place. Our show was canceled in December of 2006, not by our choice by any shape, form or fashion,” she said. “We had a lot more stories to tell, and we were having a blast.”

This year, McEntire is going back to television. ABC has picked up a pilot for the show “Malibu Country.” McEntire plays a woman who divorces her rock-star husband and

MC5’s Wayne Kramer returns to jail with guitars

Cougar Town’s Dan Byrd joins Louis C.K. comedy Another member of “Cougar Town’s” cul-de-sac crew may fly the coop. Dan Byrd, who plays Courteney Cox’s son on the ABC comedy, has signed on to star in Louis C.K.’s untitled CBS comedy, Deadline reports; according to TV Guide.

The pilot tells the story of a group of young people trying to follow their creative dreams despite the tough current economic climate. Byrd will play Fred, a smart film editor who serves as a sardonic observer of other people and their weaknesses. Byrd’s casting is in second position to “Cougar Town,” which means if the ABC comedy is renewed for Season 3, Byrd would have to be recast in the new project.

Byrd’s co-star, Josh Hopkins, also signed on for a comedy pilot in second position.

Yoko Ono wins top Austrian prize Yoko Ono, the widow of Beatle John Lennon, on Thursday won the 2012 Oscar Kokoschka prize, Austria’s highest award for applied contemporary art. Tokyo-born Yoko Ono, 79, is an avant-garde artist who has shot a number of experimental films and has been involved in writing music and singing. The Oskar Kokoschka prize, named after an Austrian painter who died in 1980, is awarded every two years to a contemporary artist and is worth 20,000 euros (26,600 dollars). -AFP

NBC picks up Erica Durance medical drama for summer NBC has picked up the Canadian medical drama “Saving Hope” in what will be Erica Durance’s first series role since “Smallville;” according to TV Guide. “Saving Hope,” from “Rookie Blue” producers Ilana Frank and David Wellington, follows surgeon Alex Reid (Durance) whose personal and professional life is turned upside down when her fiancé Charlie - who is also the chief of surgery at her hospital - ends up in a coma. Just as Alex and new surgeon Joel (“Vampire Diaries’” Daniel Gillies) rush to save his life, Charlie roams the halls of the hospital unsure of whether he’s now a ghost or just a figment of his imagination. Meanwhile, his fiancée and the other doctors continue to try to revive him, as well as treat their other patients throughout the series. “Stargate Atlantis’” Michael Shanks will also star as Charlie. NBC will air all the 13-episode first season sometime this summer.

Hawaii Five-0 star takes break from show: Report A representative for Alex O’Loughlin says the “Hawaii Five-0” star is taking time away from the show to get treated for problems related to pain medication. Rachael Wesolowski says in a report by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that O’Loughlin “ is taking a short break to receive supervised treatment for prescription pain medication due to a recent shoulder injury.” Series producer CBS Television Studios and O’Loughlin representatives declined to comment on the nature of O’Loughlin’s injuries or his treatment. -AP

House’s Jesse Spencer reports for duty on Chicago Fire Jesse Spencer is wasting no time plotting his post-”House” career. Spencer, who has been on the Fox medical drama for the last eight seasons, will star in Dick Wolf’s “Chicago Fire” pilot at NBC, Deadline reports; according to TV Guide.

Spencer, 33, will play Matthew Casey, a natural leader at Firehouse 55 who is struggling in his personal life after recently separating from his wife. Taylor Kinney is also starring in the pilot.

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FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2012 photo, guitarist Wayne Kramer, founder of the rock band the MC5, plays one of the guitars that will be provided to jail inmates as part of the Jail Guitar Doors USA initiative at his recording studio in Los Angeles. (AP)

LOS ANGELES: He spent two years in a federal lockup for trying to sell cocaine to undercover agents, and all Wayne Kramer can think about these days is trying to find a way to get back behind bars.

This time, though, the guitar god for rock music’s seminal pre-punk band, the MC5, wants to bring his ax with him - and a few dozen others for the inmates to play.

With a little help from friends like the Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett, former Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and others, Kramer has formed Jail Guitar Doors USA. He runs the nonprofit charitable organization with his wife, Margaret, out of the Hollywood studio where he makes a comfortable living these days composing music for movies and television. Over the past two years, Jail Guitar Doors USA has delivered scores of instruments to prisons and jails in Nevada, California and Texas.

“He’s a great man. He’s taken his skill, his talent and he’s putting it to use, giving back to society,” says Deputy David Bates, who has worked with Kramer in bringing guitars to several jails run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Bates, who calls music “the universal language,” says he’s seen the positive impact it has had on inmates.

So, Kramer says, has he. In his case, first hand.

“When I played music in prison, I wasn’t in prison anymore,” he says, as he sits in his studio over a lunch of vegetarian Thai food.

“And that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with the instrument donations,” he continues. “That this is a way that you can get through this time, that you can go someplace else, you can get involved in your guitar.”

Kramer, who is 63, is dressed in blue jeans and a plaid flannel shirt over a white T. Although he still looks about as thin as he did in the days when he was tearing up tunes like “Kick Out the Jams,” the huge white-guy Afro that once nearly defined him as much as his guitar has given way to thinning close-cropped hair.

He was still in his 20s when he arrived at the federal prison in Lexington, Ky., in the 1970s, scheduled

to do four years for trying to sell $10,000 worth of cocaine.

The place was bleak and dispiriting; especially for someone who had been a rock star just a few years before. But Kramer would soon discover there was a music class there. It was taught by the legendary jazz trumpeter Red Rodney, who was doing time himself for a heroin bust.

The guitarist studied with him and, after he was paroled early, returned to the music business. But he still struggled for years to keep from going back.

The MC5, which had helped define punk rock with its screaming guitar chords and intense lyrics, had long since broken up, and Detroit’s music scene had died along with the city’s economy. Kramer, meanwhile, was still drinking heavily and associating with drug users, a prescription for violating parole.

So he moved to LA, got sober and began to do music for films like “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”

He also put together a reconstituted MC5 and took it on a world tour, subbing in people like Clarke and Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators for founding members “Fred “Sonic” Smith and Rob Tyner, who had died of heart attacks in their mid-40s.

Throughout the tours and other projects, however, Kramer kept yearning to give something back to those he’d left behind in prison. Many of them, he says, were similar to him: young guys looking at years behind bars for doing something stupid involving drugs.

He told Kramer he’d recently formed a group to help prisoners in his native England, taking the name for it from an old Clash song.

He began rounding up others to help. Finding them turned out to be relatively easy for a guy who had influenced a generation of guitarists.

Two years after its founding, Kramer would like to take Jail Guitar Doors USA nationwide. He knows that will take much more time, money and phone calls to people like Clarke and Shiflett. But it’s something he’s committed to.

“I figure if maybe I can get a guitar in a kid’s hand he can start to see himself as more than just a kid from the ‘hood in trouble,” he says. -AP

moves her three kids from Nashville to Malibu to resurrect her singing career.

As much as she’s accomplished, McEntire believes she still has a lot to learn. “No matter how old you are or what you’ve been doing in life, you can always learn either a better way of doing things or just a better way of treating people,” she said. -AP

Whitney Houston death jokes spark changes at radio station

LOS ANGELES: Whitney Houston’s death -- or rather, the crude comments made about Whitney Houston’s death by on-air personalities John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou -- have prompted a number of changes at Los Angeles radio station KFI AM 640.

In a memo “to the Los Angeles Community” issued Thursday, the radio station noted that it has enacted new policies – and will continue to enact new policies following public criticism over the comments.

According to the memo, the station said that Kobylt and Chiampou – of KFI’s “The John and Ken Show” – will undergo cultural sensitivity training, along with “key staff and management.” The station said that the training will further Kobylt and Chiampou’s “awareness of the cultural melting pot that is Southern California.”

On a broader scale, the station said it is reviewing its talk formats and “will find a platform for auditioning a diverse group of local hosts and guests.

“While our plans are still developing, we anticipate creating unique programming to reflect important issues to our multi-cultural community.

This will be a great launching pad for identifying talent for future opportunities,” the memo reads.

The station also said it will be working with members of the community to “update guidelines for our on-air hosts in a way that is helpful in a live unscripted environment,” and will “expand on its successful internship program to target minority students.”

Kobylt and Chiampou sparked outrage -- and earned a weekand-a-half suspension -- in February when, days after Houston’s death, they made a number of on-air comments that many considered inappropriate. Among the comments, the pair called Houston a “crack ho,” said she had been “cracked out for 20 years,” and wondered of her death, “Really? took this long?”

The pair apologized in a statement issued by the station that also announced the pair’s suspension.

“We made a mistake, and we accept the station’s,” Kobylt said.

“We used language that was inappropriate, and we sincerely apologize to our listeners and to the family of Ms. Houston.” -Reuters

Kardashians named in $5 million QuickTrim lawsuit

LOS ANGELES: Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and two of her sisters have been slapped with a $5 million lawsuit alleging they and the makers of QuickTrim diet pills falsely touted the product’s effectiveness for losing weight.

The proposed class action lawsuit takes aim at the sisters’ endorsement deal with the weight loss company.

It was filed on Thursday in federal court in New York on behalf of four plaintiffs who used the product.

The plaintiffs, who live in New York, California and Florida, stated in their lawsuit that the claims made by QuickTrim and by the Kardashians marketing it were “false, misleading, and unsubstantiated.”

They added there was “no competent and reliable scientific evidence supporting any of these claims.”

The main ingredient in the pills is a large dose of caffeine, mixed with herbal ingredients never clinically proven as effective, the lawsuit stated.

The lawsuit, which was filed by the law firm of Bursor & Fisher, must be certified by a judge as a class action complaint before it can cover a wider field of consumers than the four plaintiffs. The suit seeks over $5 million in damages.

A representative for the Kardashians and officials from QuickTrim could not be reached for comment about the lawsuit.

This is not the first time the stars of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” on cable network E! have been at the center of litigation over their marketing endorsements.

Early last year, all three Kardashian sisters and their mother Kris Jenner successfully fended off a $75 million lawsuit from a credit card company after they walked away from a debit card endorsement, “Kardashian Kard,” amid complaints about high consumer fees. -Reuters

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ALWATAN DAILY

AROUND TOWN / TIME OUT

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012

If you have an event you wish to include, please email: aroundtown@alwatandaily.com

Feature o f

graffiti

the day

moderately confused

Baby B celebrates 6th anniversary with opening of third boutique KUWAIT: Directly after the National Day and Liberation Day weekend on Thursday March 1, a highly anticipated store opening in the Al-Ghunaim Building (across from The Seef Palace) helped in marking Baby B’s 6th anniversary. In recognition with the anniversary, Baby B distributed gifts to the first 30 customers.

Baby B will be debuting the new Spring/Summer 2012 collections as well as a new line of accessories designed instore.

We continue to support and carry Organic and Free-Trade Brands. Baby B does its best to stay socially aware and environmentally friendly.

Baby B provides a variety of choices for those searching for unique and exclusive items for babies and children (Newborn to 14 years).

Our multi-brand boutique carries clothes, accessories, toys, and books from the United Kingdom, United States, France, Netherlands, Lebanon, Germany, and Australia.

Month a t

Sudoku

Elementary

Advanced

Intermediate

General A n n o u n c e m e n t s

a glance business, basic communication, as a second language or simply as a hobby. For more information/registration, contact 97228860/97793440.

Quiz night for ladies March 14/ 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. / TIES Center: Ties Center Ladies Club invites all ladies to the educative and entertaining session. You can come with your family and enjoy the quiz night together. Refreshments will be provided. For more information/registration, contact 25231015/6 or 97228860/97793440.

Kuwaiti cuisine

K’S PATH invites applicants for the adoption of pets Lana is a very affectionate and sweet female puppy of mixed breed. She was born in October 2011. Lana is a happy girl who loves to play and go for long walks. She will be a great addition to a family with children over 10 years of age.

March 15-April 5/6 p.m. - 8 p.m./TIES Center: TIES Ladies Club invites you to our Kuwaiti cuisine classes which will start soon. Join us for a one month cooking program where you will learn to cook real Kuwaiti food. All ladies are invited to join our classes and let your family enjoy the mouth watering Kuwaiti cuisine. For more information/registration, contact 25231015/6.

Diwaniya presentation March 6/ 7 p.m. / AWARE Center: You are invited to a diwaniya presentation entitled, “Business Survival Guide” by An Swinnen. In 2010, An decided to write “The Business Survival Guide (because it is a jungle out there)” which gives top tips on how to run your own business, business skills, management skills and social skills. The book was written in Kuwait and summarizes some of An’s experiences of doing business in Kuwait and the GCC countries. For more information, call 25335260 ext 0.

Second and fourth Tuesday/ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. / Jabriya: A new Toastmasters Club is being formed and encouraging new members to join. Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. It is a non-profit international organization dedicated to improve member’s communication and leadership skills by attending and participating toastmasters meetings. For more information, please contact Khaled Al-Hashem at 65588824.

Art exhibition

Waist Watchers

Royal Thai Embassy

March 5-15/ 7 p.m. / Dar Al Funoon: Mohammed Abou El Naga is a multidisciplinary visual artist, art professor, curator and developer. Throughout his colorful career, he created award winning art projects, fulfilled his responsibility towards his community and brought up new generation of young artists with his teaching, workshop and his multitude of practices.

Every Tuesday/ 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. / British Ladies Society: Meetings are based on the world’s most successful healthy eating plan. Weekly meetings include private weigh in, motivational talks, recipes to try, and cooking demonstrations.

Fee of KD 2.500 is required to cover for the cost of course material. For more info contact; Danielle desertdanny@hotmail.com.

Arabic course

Hip Hop at BAIA

March 11-April 19/ TIES Center: TIES Center is glad to announce the start of Arabic courses. We offer classes for all levels, from beginners to advance and also introduced new classes called Kuwait dialect. TIES Arabic classes are intended for all expatriates who wish to learn Arabic for whatever purpose-

Fiona is a beautiful female SemiLong Haired cat born in May 2008.

She loves being cuddled and a good belly rub! She enjoys being held and likes to play. Fiona would be a lovely new family member in a household with children over 5 years of age. To adopt, call (+965) 6700 1622.

New Toastmasters Club

EducationUSA

Every week/ Salmiya: BAIA offers weekly Hip Hop classes for students aged five and up. These “just for fun” classes are a great work-out. For more information visit www.thebaia.com or contact: info@thebaia.com. Telephone: 2562 3604 ext.154, 2562 0706 ext.154. Mobile: 6005 2087.

Dilbert

The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuwait wishes to invite Kuwaiti companies that deal business with Thai companies or those agencies of Thai commercial companies to visit the Embassy’s Commercial Office to register their relevant information to be part of the embassy’s business and trade database. The Royal Thai Embassy is located in Jabriya, Block 6, Street 8, Villa No. 1, Telephone No. 25317530 -25317531, Ext: 14.

Do you have questions regarding studying at a university in the US? AMIDEAST can help.

Please visit our EducationUSA Advising Center in Sharq, and attend one of our weekly free group advising sessions, held every Monday, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. For further information, visit: www.amideast.org, telephone us at 2247-0091, ext. 6819, or E-mail us at: kuwait@ amideast.org.

Nancy

Horoscopes Aries: March 21 - April 19

The energy that has propelled you forward for the past several weeks might seem to lag a bit today, causing you momentary panic that your progress won’t continue. As a result, you could be feeling a bit blue. Don’t fall into this trap, Aries. The pace has been so fast that it had to slow down sometime. It will pick up again, and you’ll have had time to catch your breath. Hang in there!

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Today you might experience a slight (and very temporary) dark night of the soul,Taurus.You could take a long look at your life and, even though you’re doing well, still feel that you aren’t yet where you want to be. Spiritually, you might doubt the traditional views you’ve questioned and still wonder about new concepts you’ve adopted.

Try to distract yourself through reading or perhaps a movie.

Gemini: May 21- June 21

A group with which you’re affiliated could be excited about a course of action that you might not feel is wise now, Gemini. You might inform them of your reservations, but they’re probably too charged up to listen. You could begin to have doubts about goals of your own that may be taking a long time to manifest. Hang in there.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

Plans for getting together with friends or a romantic partner might have to be postponed because of professional responsibilities that need attention.

This could prove upsetting, Cancer, especially since you have to disappoint others, but these things happen. Don’t let it get to you. This will have no lasting effect on any of your relationships.

Leo: July 23 - August 22

Your health has been glowing over the past few weeks, Leo, but today you’re likely to feel a little under the weather. This is probably due to nothing more exotic than stress. You’ve been working hard and concentrating on little else, so your body is now rebelling.

You need some rest. Take time off and relax a little, and don’t feel guilty about it. Even the President needs alone time occasionally.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

You might have planned an exciting evening with friends or your current love interest, but you have to postpone it due to forces beyond your control.

This could prove both disappointing and frustrating, Virgo, but there won’t be much you can do about it. Just reschedule and plan something else for tonight.

Libra: September 23 - October 22

Upsetting events in the neighborhood might have family members in a funk. This could be something major like construction crews tearing up the streets, or something as minor as a bout of bad weather. No matter, Libra, it’s going to make your lives a bit more difficult for a while, but you’ll have to bear with it. In the meantime, try to cheer everyone up by throwing an impromptu party. This always works!

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21

Today you might hear a rather distressing rumor about one or more people you know or perhaps about your working situation. Don’t be surprised if more than one person phones or emails to fill you in on this. However, Scorpio, this information might not be dependable. It could be based on innuendo or even outright lies. Try to track down the facts before you make yourself crazy over it.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

Personal or professional projects you’ve been working on might be moving a bit more slowly than you’re comfortable with today, Sagittarius.

You may wonder if this is because you aren’t doing something right. This probably isn’t the case. It’s no doubt just a normal lag in the energy, which should pick up again tomorrow.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

Today you might feel stifled by your current situation. Perhaps you’re thinking of changing jobs or professions, or maybe you’re considering moving to a more exotic place. These all might be good ideas, Capricorn, but today isn’t the day to make any definite decisions or even consider your options. You aren’t in an objective frame of mind. Wait a few days and then think about this some more.

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Attempts to master a new computer program or other form of high-tech equipment could seem to be going nowhere, Aquarius. You might tend to doubt your ability and thus feel very frustrated. However, keep at it. You aren’t beyond all help! Nothing more than a little focus, concentration, and dogged persistence is required. It might also pay to ask someone’s help who knows more about it.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

The rapid level of growth that you’ve probably been experiencing could suddenly prove too much for you today, Pisces. You might need to take a little breather to grasp what’s happening in your life. New friends, new knowledge, and new opportunities have appeared in profusion, but you could still be feeling a bit down.

ALWATAN DAILY

SPORTS

monDAY, march 5, 2012

19

Cricket

Warner ton drives Australia to victory over Sri Lanka BRISBANE: David Warner smacked a swashbuckling 163 before Australia weathered a fierce fight back to secure a 15-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first final of the one-day international Tri-series in Brisbane on Sunday.

Warner’s 157-ball knock propelled the hosts to a 50-over total of 321-6, a mountain that ultimately proved too high for Sri Lanka despite late half-centuries from Nuwan Kulasekara and Upal Tharanga that threatened a comeback.

The victory on a drizzly night at the Gabba gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three final series, with the teams heading to Adelaide on Tuesday for the second final.

Warner belted two sixes and 13 boundaries in his ton, Australia’s sixth largest in one-dayers, and teamed up with wicketkeeper Matt Wade for a 136-run opening stand that set up the platform for the win.

Wade was out for 64 attempting to slog over the rope at long-on where Rangana Herath dived backwards to take a spectacular catch with his left hand.

Warner continued pillaging the Sri Lankan attack until he was bowled on the last ball by paceman Dhammika Prasad. Prasad had Dan Christian caught behind for 10 and Dave Hussey was out for one in the following over, caught and bowled by Herath, to leave Aus-

tralia on 224-4 and give Sri Lanka hope of restricting them to an achievable total.

Michael Clarke righted the ship with a quickfire 37 on his return from injury, however, before Mike Hussey took over for an unbeaten 19 to see out the full quota of overs.

Sri Lanka’s chase started brightly, with openers Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan belting Australia’s pacemen to all corners of the ground, but Brett Lee removed both of them in successive overs to halt the charge.

Paceman Lee and part-time spinner David Hussey combined to reduce Sri Lanka to 144-6 in the 31st over before Kulasekara (73) and Tharanga (60) gave Australia a scare, firing the tourists to 248 with eight overs to spare. Kulasekara smashed three sixes and seven fours to leave Sri Lankan fans jumping for joy in the stands, but was out swiping straight to extra cover for Hussey’s fourth wicket.

Hussey had a hand in the eighth wicket, snaffling a slogged shot in the deep to dismiss Tharanga for 60 off the bowling of Watson.

Dhammika Prasad battled on with an unbeaten 31 but ran out of partners, with Lasith Malinga smashing straight to Mike Hussey at deep square leg on the second ball of the last over to concede defeat. -Reuters

Australian batsman David Warner (right) flicks a ball in the first international one-day cricket final at the Gabba in Brisbane, March 4, 2012. (AFP)

TACK sees successful end of T-20 tournament KUWAIT: After a compelling and a thrilling four months of competitive cricket, the finals of the TACK (Teams Association for Cricket in Kuwait) TDL Edition 3 were played on Friday the 17th of Feb between the Young Srilankan Sports club and AL Sayer group of which The Younng Srilankan . It was for the very first time that a T-20 cricket tournament was played in Kuwait’s History comprising of 36 teams.

The finals were witnessed by a diverse crowd from all walks of life that only built up as the day

progressed and varied from former cricketers to the present ones and from families to friends, a sight that has become increasingly common during TACK cricket tournaments.

The Young Srilankan Sports Club took the trophy.

The highlight of the day, however, was the presence of the Ambassador of India Mr Satish Mehta and the Ambassador of Srilanka Mr. C.A.H. Wijeratne along with the ever passionate and true promoter of cricket, the platinum sponsor of all 3

The Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, Mr. Satish Mehta presents the trophy to a member of the Future Stars Cricket Club.

TDL Editions Mr. Mahmoud Abdullah.

As part of honoring past cricketers who have contributed towards this wonderful game in Kuwait, TACK recognized them with life time achievement awards: Mr. Nigel Tatham ( British Community), Mr. Andrew Pinno ( Indian Community), Mr. Ejaz Ahmad (Pakistan Community) & Mr. Cecil Jude Paiva ( Srilankan Community).

The finals of TACK left an everlasting memory on all those present on the ground and to all those who heard what happened, as TACK managed to achieve many milestones in a matter of four months that few have witnessed over the past decade in Kuwait. The entire TDL- Edition 3 saw the participation from top 36 teams in Kuwait who were accordingly divided into A, B , and C divisions depending on their past performance and their overall ranking in other various tournaments in Kuwait. A total of 220 matches were played in four months that not only had a prize money for each and every man of the match, but also prize money for the winners and runners up team only seen in the tournaments conducted by TACK in Kuwait. It was only with the immense support of Mr. Mahmoud Abdullah (TACK’s regular Platinum Sponsor), and the sheer efforts of TACK committee that enabled the 3rd edition of T-20 tournament to be conducted professionally and successfully where regular update of all the matches and analysis were available on TACK’s highly praised website www.tac-kuwait.com. The dedicated website also has the team profiles along with player’s individual profiles and statistics, latest scores, report on every match and the ongoing team standings that is updated on a weekly basis. -Agencies

Howard helps Magic finish sweep of Bucks

Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard (12) dunks the ball in front of Milwaukee Bucks’ Larry Sanders (8) during an NBA basketball game, March 3, 2012. (AP)

Formula one

Roll on Melbourne, says Webber after final F1 test BARCELONA, Spain: Mark Webber completed his last day of pre-season Formula One testing in Barcelona on Saturday with champions Red Bull handing him an upgraded car to try out before his home Australian Grand Prix on March 18.

With rivals suspecting Red Bull were keeping their powder dry for Melbourne, the Australian was eighth fastest of 10 drivers on track and played down the importance of the new chassis and changes that included a revised exhaust layout and new front wing.

“The thing that everyone’s obviously asking about is the changes we made to the car but I have to say the car was not massively different to the one I drove on Thursday,” he declared.

“We went through the normal programme, nothing drastic happened and we just keep working away,” he said, adding that he was looking forward to Melbourne.

Webber, who has never stood on the podium at his home race but won the final grand prix of 2011 in Brazil, hands over to double world champion Sebastian Vettel for Sunday’s last session in Barcelona.

The Australian suggested McLaren, Mercedes and Lotus could be Red Bull’s closest rivals with Ferrari something of a mystery.

The Italian team declared their drivers would not be available to the media at the test, in what some saw as a bad omen despite Ferrari’s assurances that was not the case.

Sauber’s Mexican Sergio Perez finished day three with the quickest lap after Lotus had set the pace on the previous two. McLaren’s Jenson But-

ton was second and Australian Daniel Ricciardo third for Toro Rosso.

Button, the 2009 world champion, said he had a good feeling about the new package for Melbourne although he needed more time to find

the right balance with a hydraulics problem in the morning and then rain in the afternoon. “The car is feeling good. Whether we’re fastest, second fastest, not fast, I don’t know. But it feels we’ve made a good step,” he told reporters. -Reuters

ORLANDO: The Orlando Magic needed barely three weeks for a season sweep of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Behind 28 points and 14 rebounds from Dwight Howard, the Magic defeated the Bucks 114-98 on Saturday night, their fourth win over the Bucks in the past 22 days. Jason Richardson had 18 points, and Hedo Turkoglu and Ryan Anderson added 16 points apiece to lead six Magic players in double figures.

The bizarre scheduling setup pitted the teams against each other three times in nine days before the All-Star break, with the Magic coming from behind in the fourth quarter in each one of their victories.

Saturday night’s win was a little more comfortable, as the Magic pulled away in the fourth quarter thanks to some hot 3-point shooting and dominant play from Howard. The Magic were 14 of 27 (51.7 percent) from 3-point range on their way to their second-highest scoring output of the season.

“We’re a tough team to guard, because you have to pick your poison,” said

Anderson, who made three shots from behind the arc. “If you want to doubleteam on Dwight and take him out of the game, you’re going to leave open one of our shooters.” Brandon Jennings led Milwaukee with 27 points, and Ersan Ilyasova added 18. But the Bucks had very little to be happy about after the sweep.

The Magic jumped out to a 17-point first-quarter lead on the back of Howard, who scored 12 points, including five dunks. But a monster second quarter from Milwaukee, cut the halftime deficit to one. That led to Magic coach Stan Van Gundy getting on his team about its defense at halftime.

The Bucks scored only 38 points in the entire second half and the Magic went 11 for 18 from the field in the fourth quarter to put away the win. Both teams emptied their benches in the game’s final minutes.

J.J. Redick (14 points) and Chris Duhon (12) also scored in double figures for Orlando.

It was the third straight loss for the Bucks, but the good news is they don’t have to play Orlando again. -AP

Nowitzki scores 40 as Mavs beat Jazz 102-96

FILE - Mark Webber of Australia and Red Bull Racing prepares to drive during day three of Formula One winter testing at Circuit de Catalunya, Feb. 23, 2012. (AFP)

New HRT is a step up, says Karthikeyan

LONDON: HRT hope to run their new Formula One car for the first time on Monday after failing to make the final pre-season test in Spain this weekend, Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan said on Saturday.

Karthikeyan told Reuters by telephone from Spain that the Spanish-based team had sought permission for a filming day at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya so they could get at least 100km of running.

He said mechanics at the factory in Inningen, near Augsburg, were working around the clock to meet the deadline.

Basketball

“I’ve seen the car and it looks a lot better than last year’s,” said India’s first grand prix driver and the only one to have scored points, albeit a fourth place with Jordan in the six-car US Grand Prix of 2005.

“We have a lot of experienced people in the team and everyone knows what they are doing. This is not a Mickey Mouse team. We are definitely in a better position than last year,” added the 35-year-old. The team have yet to score a point after two seasons and finished 11th out of 12 last year.

HRT had hoped to take part in the final Barce-

lona test after passing mandatory crash checks last month but Karthikeyan said there had been just too much work to cram into the time available. The session ends on Sunday with no further testing allowed until a three-day spell scheduled for Italy’s Mugello circuit in August. The season starts in Australia on March 18.

The team, who are now under new Spanish ownership after the departure of previous team principal Colin Kolles, did not race in Australia last year after failing to set the required qualifying time with an untested car. They also failed to test in 2010. - Reuters

DALLAS: Dirk Nowitzki scored a season-high 40 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 102-96 on Saturday night to snap a four-game losing streak. Nowitzki scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Mavericks turned away a late rally by the Jazz, who sliced a 23-point deficit down to five points. Dallas forward Lamar Odom played for the first time after missing four games because of a family matter and personal reasons.

Odom was supposed to play Saturday night in the NBA Development League. Instead, he was recalled to play against the Jazz and scored nine points in 18 minutes. Paul Millsap scored 24 points and Derrick Favors added 14 points for Utah, which beat the Miami Heat 99-98 on Friday night. Jason Terry scored 22 points as the Mavericks won the first time since Feb. 20. Dallas had been in an offensive slump before Saturday night. The Mavs had averaged less than 90 points over their last seven games. Nowitzki responded by making his first three shots of the game and scoring 13 in a row at one point during the second quarter. He finished 14 for 21 from the floor and 9 for 10 from the line.

The Jazz outscored the Mavericks 41-28 in the fourth quarter and went on a 24-8 run to cut Dallas’ lead to 93-88 with 1:41 left. Terry answered with a layup and Nowitzki hit four free throws to help Dallas push ahead 99-90 with 19.4 seconds left. CJ Miles scored 13 points and Al Jefferson had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost seven in a row to the Mavericks. Utah was down 53-47 in the third quarter when Dallas broke the game open. Nowitzki sparked a 21-8 run by banking in an off-balance 3-pointer. The 2011 NBA finals MVP then hit another from long distance to stretch the lead to 12.

Odom drove for a layup and made a 3-pointer from the corner to put Dallas on top 69-55, and Terry scored the final five points of the third quarter. -AP

MONdAY, MARCH 5, 2012

SPORTS

Sports Editors Highlight LONDON: The Premier League is considering using goal-line technology in matches from the start of next season in August, with feasibility studies taking place even before the definitive decision by football’s rule-makers in July. The International Football Association Board on Saturday rejected six devices and approved two for a final round of testing in match scenarios before either can be sanctioned for use in competitive fixtures. If IFAB is satisfied with the speed and accuracy of Hawk-Eye or GoalRef to serve as aids for referees when it meets on July 2, the Premier League’s 20 grounds would have just six weeks to install the technology. The English Football Association, which is one of eight IFAB members, said that timeframe would likely be too short for the teams to test and calibrate a system for use in competitive matches. -AP

Football

Chelsea part company with manager Villas-Boas ENGLAND: Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked by Chelsea after less than a season in charge at Stamford Bridge, the Premier League club announced in a statement on their website on Sunday.

Former Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo, who had been working as Villas-Boas’s assistant, has been appointed interim manager until the end of the season.

Villas-Boas, who arrived from Porto in June 2011, has paid the price for a dismal run of results that left Chelsea in fifth place and on the verge of elimination from this season’s Champions League after a 3-1 defeat at Napoli in the last 16 first leg.

The 34-year-old also had strained relationships with several of Chelsea’s senior stars, including England midfielder Frank Lampard, and a woeful sequence -- including just one win in their last seven matches and only three from their last 12 in the League -- forced owner Roman Abramovich to act.

The final straw came on Saturday as the Blues suffered a lacklustre 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion thanks to a late winner from Garth McAuley.

“Andre Villa-Boas has parted company with Chelsea Football Club today,” the Chelsea statement read. “The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early. Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season. The club is still competing in the latter stages of the Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League, and we aim to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts. With that in mind we felt our only option was to make a change at this time.With immediate effect Roberto Di Matteo has been appointed first team coach on an interim basis until the end of the season.”

Villas-Boas is the sixth manager to be sacked

by Abramovich since the Russian billionaire bought the west London club in 2003, with only Guus Hiddink leaving on his own terms after a spell as interim boss.

Abramovich had made several visits to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground in recent weeks as

FILE - Chelsea’s Andre Villas-Boas (right) watches on as Chelsea’s Ramires (left) gestures during an English Premier League football match, Nov. 20, 2011. (Reuters)

the pressure mounted on Villas-Boas.

He was reported to have held an inquest with the manager and his players following a defeat at Everton, which was said to have included attacks on Villas-Boas’s tactics from several of Chelsea’s stars.

The decision to sack Villas-Boas is a clear sign of Abramovich’s concern that Chelsea would miss out on a spot in the Champions League and reflected the growing belief that the young Portuguese coach was out of his depth.

Abramovich had taken a big gamble when he paid Porto #13.3 million to activate the release clause in Villas-Boas’s contract last year.

Although he had earned rave reviews after winning the Portuguese title and Europa League in entertaining fashion in 2011, he had been a manager for less than two years and lacked expe-

rience in the spotlight at a European superpower like Chelsea.

His only previous Premier League experience came during a spell as Chelsea’s opposition scout under Jose Mourinho.

That lack of know-how was quickly exposed as Villas-Boas struggled to change the team’s style of play, while also making a clumsy attempt to begin the process of rebuilding an aging team.

Di Matteo’s appointment on a caretaker basis ended speculation Rafael Benitez was in line to take over until the summer.

The Italian will have to act quickly to rebuild morale at Chelsea ahead of Tuesday’s FA Cup fifth round replay at Championship club Birmingham.

Chelsea then host Stoke in the Premier League next weekend before the crucial second leg against Napoli on March 14. -AFP

Bayern refuse to concede title race to Dortmund

BERLIN: Despite his side lagging seven points behind leaders Dortmund, Bayern Munich director of sport Christian Nerlinger is not writing off the German league title, but admits the race is out of their hands.

Bayern suffered a 2-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, their sixth reversal of the season, as Dortmund claimed their eighth straight win to set a new club record.

Goals by Bayer’s ex-Germany striker Stefan Kiessling and midfielder Karim Bellarabi in Leverkusen caught the Bayern defence cold on the counter-attack.

It also gave Leverkusen a confidence boost ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona.

Munich face a make-or-break few weeks and must overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their last-16 tie against FC Basel on March 13 in the Champions League at home before a German Cup semi-final at Gladbach on March 21.

The Bavarians are bidding to avoid a repeat of last season, when they finished in the rare position of having won no silverware.

Worryingly for Nerlinger, there is clear evidence of disharmony in the team as defender Jerome Boateng and midfielder Thomas Mueller engaged in a second-half shouting match on the pitch.

“We won’t be talking about winning the league,” said Nerlinger, after his side were punished for failing to convert a string of first-half chances.

“I’m not writing off the title, but it’s not something which need concern us now. Somehow, we have to get a grip on our weakness away from home. We’re

deeply disappointed. In the first half, we made enough chances for three games.

We have to take one of those chances, it would have completely changed the course of the match. We were too impatient in the second half, we lost our shape and gave Leverkusen space to counter attack - which they did twice.”

In contrast, Dortmund are flying high as Japan winger Shinji Kagawa scored the late winner in their 2-1 victory over Mainz.

Kagawa’s 77th-minute strike capped a fine display after he had also set up Dortmund’s first goal for Poland captain Jakub Blaszczykowski on 26 minutes.

“After a brief period when we didn’t play so well, we are now as good as we were last year,” insisted Dortmund defender Mats Hummels.

Mainz striker Mohamed Zidan, who only left Dortmund in January, scored in his fifth consecutive game for his new club when he found the net from a tight angle on 74 minutes to beat Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller.

“When they play like this, they are almost impossible to stop,” said Zidan, who admitted only celebrating quietly against his former club out of respect.

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was refusing to get carried away by the sevenpoint lead with two months of the season still to play.

“I haven’t really thought about what the seven points mean, so I could only babble some rubbish about it,” he said.

“What impressed me was that we reacted quickly after they equalized, even if we hadn’t taken the chances we had already created earlier.” -AFP

Ameobi salvages draw for Newcastle against Sunderland Compiled by Al Watan Daily

NEWCASTLE, England: Shola Ameobi came to Newcastle’s rescue in stoppage time Sunday, salvaging a 1-1 draw against Sunderland in the northeast derby.

The substitute leveled after Demba Ba had an 83rd-minute penalty saved by Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

“It has been a mad week,” Ameobi said. “I have had the flu and didn’t expect to be involved

today. It is just one of those games I tend to score in. It is such a fantastic feeling for me, the fans and the club.They made it tough for us but the manager said to me ‘Go and get a goal’ and I duly obliged.”

Nicklas Bendtner had put Sunderland ahead from the penalty spot in the 24th minute and the visitors managed to hang on until stoppage time despite having Stephane Sessegnon sent off in the 58th for lashing out at Cheick Tiote.

“I am very proud of the team and very disappointed to have dropped the points so late in the

Shola Ameobi of Newcastle United scores the equalizing goal past Simon Mignolet of Sunderland during a Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Sunderland, March 4, 2012. (AFP)

game,” Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill said.

“We played brilliantly first half and deserved to be in front. But it is difficult to win a game with 10 men. We defended resolutely and it was a terrific effort.”

Six yellow cards were shown in the first halfhour as rash challenges flew and tempers flared and Sunderland’s 24th-minute goal was in keeping with that atmosphere.

Newcastle defender Mike Williamson pulled Sunderland’s Michael Turner by the shirt and referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot with on-loan striker Nicklas Bendtner then striking the penalty into the bottom left corner.

Tension spilled over among backroom staff too with Newcastle’s goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman sent to the stands after an altercation in the tunnel at halftime, television reports on ESPN said.

Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole was also dismissed after the final whistle for arguing with referee Mike Dean using foul and abusive language.

“I have gone in to see the referee and you can’t be abusing the referee and therefore it has to be merited,” O’Neill said. “There were plenty of mitigating circumstances though.”

Newcastle waited until the first minute of stoppage time to make their man advantage count with Ameobi stabbing the ball into the right-hand corner to snatch a point for his sixth-placed team against their bitter local rivals.

City went five points clear on Saturday with a 2-0 win at home to relegation candidates Bolton Wanderers. They have 66 points from 27 games, while United are on 61 and Spurs on 53.

Man City boss to speak to Balotelli over latest antics

FILE - Manchester City’s manager Roberto Mancini (right) issues instructions to Mario Balotelli during the team’s 3-0 win over Stoke, Dec. 21, 2011. (AP)

LONDON: Mario Balotelli could face the wrath of Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini after media reported the controversial striker visited a Liverpool nightclub in the early hours of Friday morning.

The Italian player scored the second goal in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League but Mancini hinted that if he had been aware of the incident plastered across the back of The Sun newspaper he would have left him out.

“Missing four or five chances because he went to sleep very late,” Mancini told Sky Sports when asked about Balotelli’s performance against second from bottom Bolton.

“I have not read the newspaper. Tomorrow I will speak with him. I am disappointed. If it is true I will fine him the maximum

we can. We prepared the game with Mario, he was fresh, but the next time he will go in the stands. I don’t like it because it is not correct, professional behavior.”

Saturday’s fixture was the first game back for Balotelli after serving a threematch ban. The striker has been involved in a series of on and off the field troubles since joining City in August 2010. Mancini, though, was happy with a 19th consecutive home league win that put the leaders five points clear of second-placed Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.

“Today was important because we have taken three points and we need to keep winning because Manchester United are very good,” said the manager. “If we could win the next 10 games we would win the title.

We just need to keep playing the way we are and we will have a very good chance.”

-Reuters

FILE- Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery (right) is challenged by Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Goetze during their German Bundesliga first division soccer match, Nov. 19, 2011. (Reuters)

Late Lavezzi goal sees Napoli beat Parma 2-1 MILAN: Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani scored yet again to help Napoli to a controversial 2-1 victory at Parma in the Italian league on Sunday and extended the club’s winning streak to five matches.

Cavani gave Napoli the lead in the 39th minute, slotting home the rebound after his initial penalty was saved.

Cristian Zaccardo looked to have given Parma a deserved share of the points when he leveled in the 76th but Lavezzi pounced four minutes from time despite replays showing the Argentine was offside. Lavezzi and Cavani have scored 10 goals between them in the past five matches. Napoli remains fifth in the Serie A standings, provisionally two points behind Udinese and Lazio in the race for third place.

Parma had only won two of its past 14 games but it started brightly against in-form Napoli and could have taken the lead with less than a minute gone when Morgan De Sanctis did well to keep Daniele Galloppa’s effort from going into the top left corner.

Napoli thought it had gone in front but Cavani’s effort was ruled out as Andrea Dossena was in an offside position.

Lavezzi almost scored in the 25th when a snapshot from just inside the area flew narrowly wide of the right post.

Parma looked dangerous but finishing let it down and the team went close again on the half hour mark only for McDonald Mariga to fire over the bar. Napoli won a penalty in the 39th minute when Gianluca Musacci clipped Cavani’s ankles in the area. Cavani took the kick himself, tapping in the rebound after Antonio Mirante’s save. Parma should have leveled two minutes from half time but Gabriel Paletta controlled a good cross from Sebastian Giovinco badly and his diagonal shot scraped the outside of the right post.

The home side appealed for a penalty immediately after the break when Dossena batted a corner away with his hand.

Another good Parma move, involving Giovinco, Jonathan Biabiany and Mariga, ended with the Kenya midfielder blazing over from a dangerous position in the middle of the area.

Parma leveled in the 76th minute when De Sanctis managed to save Paletta’s strike following a corner but could not hold onto the shot and Zaccardo tapped it home from practically on the line. -AP

Napoli’s Ezequiel Ivan Lavezzi (left) viesfor the ball with Parma’s Cristian Zaccardo during their Italian Serie A football match, March 4, 2012. (AFP)