May 27, 2012

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012

@alwatandaily

Issue No. 1447

16 PAGES

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150 Fils with IHT

MP Al-Mutawa predicts Cabinet resignation

Government to dispatch legal delegation to handle Dow Chemical issue: Source Staff Writers

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah is expected to meet today with the outgoing Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali, to discuss the resignation which he tendered on Thursday, following a marathon and heated interpellation at Parliament. Al-Shamali is also due to have an audience with His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlSabah for the same purpose.

An official source affirmed that the political leadership will ask Al-Shamali to stay in the Cabinet lineup, as he will be redeployed to another portfolio. However, a source close to the outgoing minister asserted that the latter has no desire to remain in government and that he is firm on his decision to quit. The source further indicated that Al-Shamali will express regret over the performance of the Cabinet in the said session for abandoning him to the extent that none of the ministers showed intention to defend him despite

the unprecedented stinging criticisms he endured.

Meanwhile, the source explained that Al-Shamali is willing to attend Cabinet’s session tomorrow (Monday) to explain to the ministers the verbal assault launched against him during the questioning . The outgoing minister will also offer advice to the government, as well as thank the premier and his aides for supporting him.

In addition, informed sources have expressed concern that the departure of the finance minister has the potential to weaken government’s position amid hints at further interpellations against the ministers of defense, social affairs and interior. An MP warned that “these interpellations may force Cabinet resignation at any moment.”

In this vein, MP Adnan Al-Mutawa affirmed that he does not rule out the prospect of mass Cabinet resignation in solidarity with the outgoing finance minister.

“Political dispensation is edging toward a critical and terrifying juncture,” the lawmaker sternly warned. For his part, MP Mohammad Al-

Flavor of tomatoes lie in chemicals

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Syrian activists decry ‘massacre’ in Houla

BEIRUT: At least 90 people have been killed in an attack by Syrian government forces and loyalists on Houla, a town in Homs province, activists say.

The victims of Friday’s assault included at least dead 25 children, killed after government forces tried to break into the town, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Houla has been the scene of frequent anti-government protests since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad began in March last year. The town has also become a hub for opposition fighters.

Syria’s main opposition bloc put the toll at more than 100 and urged the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to examine the massacre.

“More than 110 people were killed (half of whom are children) by the Syrian regime’s forces”, the Syrian National Council said in a statement.

“Some of the victims were hit by heavy artillery while others, entire families, were massacred,” said the statement by Bassma Kodmani, the council’s head of foreign relations. A team of UN observers visited the area to assess the situation on Saturday, but some activists complained that they just visited the village of Taldou, at the edge of Houla, rather than entering the town.

Videos posted online by activists showed more than a dozen bodies lined up More on 4 inside a room.

Dancers perform during the 342nd celebration of the anniversary of Makati City Saturday, May 26, 2012 south of Manila, Philippines. (AP)

Kandari has denounced the derogatory language used during the interpellation, saying that they deviated from public morale.

In other news, the government appears increasingly puzzled over the best way to overcome the payment of 2.16 billion US dollars to the Dow Chemical Company, in compensation from Kuwait for pulling out of a multi-billiondollar joint venture in 2008. An informed official source reported that the government is seriously considering dispatching a legal delegation to hammer out a mechanism for dealing with this issue at the lowest possible costs. Correspondently, the government is likely to hold all those behind the deal accountable. The source went on to state that the “disaster” paves the way for the formation of a specialized international legal team to be tasked with scrutinizing all the contracts and agreements that all the sectors, including the oil industry, intend to sign to ensure that there are no flaws that may incur losses for public funds.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Facebook market makers’ losses at least $100 million

CAPITALS: Claims by four of Wall Street’s main market makers against Nasdaq over Facebook’s botched initial public offer (IPO) are likely to exceed 100 million US dollars, as they and other traders continue to deal with thousands of problems with customer orders.

A technical glitch delayed the social networking company’s market debut by 30 minutes on Friday and many client orders were delayed, giving some investors and traders significant losses as the stock price dropped. The exchange operator is facing lawsuits from investors and threats of legal action from brokers.

Four of the top market makers in the Facebook IPO - Knight Capital, Citadel Securities, UBS AG and Citi’s Automated Trading Desk – collectively have probably lost more than $100 million from problems arising from the deal, said a senior executive at one of the firms. Knight and Citadel are each claiming losses of $30 million to $35 million, potentially overwhelming a $13 million fund the exchange set up to deal with potential claims.

Nasdaq also has to contend with the outside prospect that it could lose the Facebook listing entirely after having just obtained it. Facebook shares ended regular trading on Thursday up 3.2 percent at $33.03, about $5 short of their offering price.

Action on the stock, however, has essentially become secondary to the fallout from the IPO – its price, its size, its execution and questions about selective disclosure of its financial More on 9 prospects.

Prince Ali stunned by FIFA experts’ hijab knock back BUDAPEST: Evidence from FIFA’s medical experts on why the ban on Muslim women footballers wearing the Islamic headscarf or hijab should remain in place was deeply flawed and had no foundation, the campaign’s principal supporter said on Friday. Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, whose presentation to soccer’s law-making body IFAB six weeks ago saw the approval of the headscarf pending health and safety checks, said he was “shocked and disturbed” by the evidence presented on Thursday. “If it is true, I would accept it, but I believe it was without foundation,” he told reporters.

The IFAB, or International Football Association Board, comprises FIFA and the four British Home Associations. Michel D’Hooghe of Belgium, the head of FIFA’s medical committee, said he would only recommend to the extraordinary IFAB meeting on July 5 in Zurich that extra tests should be carried out on the headscarf which is crucial to millions of Muslim women playing the game all over the world. Prince Ali, the youngest member of FIFA’s executive committee, declined to comment when asked if he faced opposition from the committee’s older, more conservative officials but there was no hiding his anger when he spoke on Friday. “I was shocked when I heard about Dr D’Hooghe’s press conference on Thursday. We covered all the issues raised including heat coming out of the head, breathable material, the More on 16 neck issue.

Bosnian Muslims toss 3000 roses in the River Drina, each representing people killed in the 199295 war, after a mass funeral in Visegrad, May 26, 2012. The remains of 66 Bosnian Muslims, murdered and dumped in the River Drina 20 years ago, were buried in Visegrad on Saturday in a solemn ceremony marred by a march through the eastern town by Serb veterans of the 1992-95 war. Visegrad is indicative of Bosnia’s unhealed wounds 20 years since its war began; the town’s majority before the war, just a few hundred Muslims driven out by Bosnian Serb forces and paramilitaries in the first weeks of the war have since returned. (Reuters)

Kuwaiti crude continues upward trend, settles at $102.91 per barrel

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Final polls show Irish set to pass referendum

DUBLIN: Final opinion polls show that Irish voters are likely to give the green light to the European Union’s new fiscal treaty, with the ‘Yes’ campaign leading comfortably ahead of the referendum on Thursday. Ireland will hold what is likely to be the only popular vote on the socalled “fiscal compact”, a German-inspired pact for stricter budget discipline.

The ‘Yes’ campaign, supported by the three largest political parties who have warned a rejection would undermine the country’s position in the euro zone, has been ahead in the polls since the vote was called three months ago.

While opponents have tried to tap growing anger at the government’s austerity drive to defeat the treaty, 49 percent of voters plan to vote in favor, with 35 percent against and 16 percent undecided, according to a Sunday Business Post/ Red C poll. If undecided voters are excluded, the treaty is backed by 58 percent of voters, with 42 percent against.

Debate in Dublin has focused mainly on a clause that allows access to Europe’s new bailout fund only to states that ratify the treaty something the government has described as an essential backstop to its plans to return to bond markets. But as voters go to the polls on Thursday, Irish politicians are mindful that voters have

twice rejected European treaties in recent years before reversing course in repeat votes.

Those who have yet to make up their minds could also cause a late swing.

More than one-in-four said they are yet to make up their minds according to the Sunday Independent/Millward Brown Lansdowne poll, while 42 percent supported the treaty and 28 percent were opposed. The ‘undecided’ figure has lowered from 35 percent a week ago.

A Sunday Times poll also supported a likely victory for the ‘Yes’ camp with some 45 percent of voters saying they would support the treaty, 30 percent were opposed and 20 percent yet to decide or unlikely to vote.

Opponents, led by the increasingly popular Sinn Fein party, have seized on a push by newly elected French President Francois Hollande to do more to stimulate growth and not only focus on cost-cutting measures.

The Irish government has rejected calls for the referendum to be postponed to allow the treaty to be changed. While the treaty needs the approval of only 12 of the 17 euro zone countries to be ratified, an Irish rejection would undermine Europe’s strategy for overcoming a debt crisis thrown sharply into focus by political disarray in Greece. -Reuters

Afghan parliament approves US-Afghan security pact

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Islamist, ex-PM vie for mantle of Egypt’s revolt

CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood and a military man close to ousted leader Hosni Mubarak courted defeated first-round candidates in Egypt’s presidential election on Saturday, each trying to claim the mantle of the uprising before a run-off next month. State television said the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi led this week’s vote with 26.4 percent, against 23 percent for ex-air force chief Ahmed Shafiq, according to preliminary results. Hamdeen Sabahy, a secular leftist came a close third with 21.5 percent, followed by independent Islamist Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh. Only the top two go to the deciding vote on June 16 and 17. Official first-round results are expected on Tuesday.

But Sabahy’s lawyer said he would demand that the electoral committee halt the election until alleged voting irregularities had been investigated and until the constitutional court rules on whether Shafiq was legally eligible to stand. “There are several irregularities that must be looked into before official results are announced and before the run-off starts,” the lawyer, Essam El-Islamboly, told Reuters.

The choice between Mursi and Shafiq, representing forces that have wrestled for the past six decades, has dismayed many Egyptians who voted for candidates offering a middle ground.

They fear a victory for the 70-year-old Shafiq, Mubarak’s last prime minister, would snuff out hopes for change ignited by last year’s uprising, while a win for Mursi would pitch Egypt into the uncertainties of experimenting with Islamic rule.

The Brotherhood invited Sabahy, Abol Fotouh and other politicians for talks to canvas their support before the runoff, but a source in Abol Fotouh’s campaign said he would not attend. Warning of “determined efforts to recreate the old regime”, it said parties that supported the uprising against Mubarak must unite “so that the revolution is not stolen from us”.

The Brotherhood already holds the biggest bloc in parliament after an election completed in January, but has been unable to assert itself against an armyappointed interim government.

Shafiq used strikingly similar language at a news conference in which he addressed youth groups that spearheaded last year’s revolt. For many, he represents everything they want changed.

“Your revolution was stolen,” Shafiq told them. “I pledge to return its fruits to your hands.”

He said “the clock cannot be turned back”, but that he would not let Egypt “drown in chaos”.

Much of his rhetoric indirectly targeted the Broth-

erhood, playing on fears among Egypt’s minority Christians and secular liberals that a Mursi presidency would threaten their freedoms. “No exclusion of anyone or distancing of anyone,” Shafiq declared. “Everyone has a right to be a part of this nation.”

On Friday he told Egyptian television he saw no problem with the idea of a Muslim Brotherhood-led government if he were elected president.

The generals who took over when Mubarak quit on Feb. 11, 2011, have promised to make way for a new president by July 1, formally ending a messy and often bloody political transition.

But the military, the source of all Egypt’s past presidents, is keen to keep its privileges and influence, preferably enshrined in a new constitution. Political wrangling has held up the drafting process, so the next president will take office not knowing his powers or those of parliament and government.

Shafiq has won support among Egyptians who see him as the kind of strongman they feel the country needs to end 15 months of political instability, economic failure and rising crime. Although Mursi topped the poll, his score was unimpressive compared to the Brotherhood’s performance in the parliamentary election in which it gained nearly half the seats. -Reuters

Jordanians gather in support of Jordan’s King Abdullah during a rally in Amman May 26, 2012. Thousands of Jordanians took to the streets on Saturday to express support for King Abdullah on Jordan’s 66th Independence Day. (Reuters)

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ALWATAN DAILY

kuwait

sunDAY, may 27, 2012

Jordan diplomat says to resolve Civil Service Commission problems facing Kuwaiti investors announces new recruitment phase to begin on June 15 Khalifa Al-Rabeea Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The relevant authorities at the Civil Service Commission are bracing for a new phase of recruitment which will begin from June 15 through June 29. At least 3,000 graduates are expected to apply for the jobs. It is worth mentioning that government quarters usually request needed jobs through the Civil Service Commis-

sion with particular emphasis on various technical jobs including nursing and teaching staff for the ministries of health and education respectively.

The move is in line with the commission’s efforts to provide job opportunities for job seekers in accordance with available vacancies.

The commission normally makes exceptional openings for the Ministry of Education in order to hire teachers as the need arises.

Foreign ministry welcomes Albanian leader’s visit

The Jordanian community in Kuwait is seen celebrating the country’s 66th Independence Day on Friday, May 25, 2012.

(Al Watan) Mohammed Khaled Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Jordanian Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammed Al-Kayed stressed that the Jordanian government is looking into some problems that have faced Kuwaiti investors in Jordan, by establishing direct communications channels, and through coordinating with the concerned Jordanian authorities and businessmen. He added that the Jordanian government prefers to solve problems away from the media, and asserted that Kuwaiti investments in Jordan are pro-

tected by the government. The Kuwaiti investments reach 10 billion US dollars.

He went on to say that the Jordanian government is keen to ensure that the investments prosper, since successful investments will lead to more investments. He revealed that the government is keen to overcome bureaucracy and enact other laws that support investments, in order to spread investments in all Jordanian sectors.

The ambassador highlighted the strong relationships between Kuwait and Jordan, and thanked Kuwait for hosting Jordanians who are working

relentlessly to develop their second homeland, Kuwait. He added that under the current political leadership, Jordan has made paradigm shifts in the fields of economy, education, culture, medicine, and constructions.

He noted that Jordan has also managed to offer investors a safe investment environment, and boosted the standard of living of Jordanian people. He remarked that despite its limited resources and capabilities Jordan has become a model for the countries of the region.

He mentioned that Kuwait hosts 70,000 Jordanians.

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Saturday a planned visit by Albanian President Bamir Topi to Kuwait on May 27-29.

Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on the visit, the Ministry’s Undersecretary Khalid Al-Jarallah stressed the significance of the Albanian leader’s tour to a further development and consolidation of relations between Kuwait and Albania in political, investment and cultural domains. During his stay here, Topi is expected to hold talks with His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and several other officials on regional and international issues of mutual interest, he said.

Al-Jarallah hailed Kuwaiti-Albanian relations as being historic and distinguished, and marking a model for cooperation between small countries.

He recalled to memory Kuwait’s appreciation of Albania’s principled position supporting the Gulf nation during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Relations between both friendly countries have been witnessing tangible positive development since Kuwait opened a resident embassy in Tirana in September 2011 and Albania opened a resident embassy in Kuwait, he said.

Kuwait attaches much importance to southeast Europe out of its belief in the role of Albania on both regional and international levels, he said, adding that Kuwait’s recent recognition of Kosovo reflects willingness to shore up security and stability in the Balkans.

Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has extended six loans worth a total of 75 million US dollars to infrastructure, transport, irrigation and drainage development projects in Albania, he said.

Al-Jarallah pointed to the successful visit by a Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation to Albania on Oct. 6-8, 2011, which has contributed to cementing parliamentto-parliament ties between both nations. -KUNA

Judiciary, civil society delegation visits Netherlands THE HAGUE, Holland: An 11-member delegation from Kuwait comprising judiciary officials, lawyers, academics, and representatives of civil society concluded a week-long visit to Netherlands Saturday which was aimed at promoting cooperation between the judiciary and civil society of the two countries. The Kuwait delegation got acquainted with the Dutch judicial system and exchanged views and experiences on the working of the judicial system and civil societies in the two countries, members of the delegation told the Kuwait news agency (KUNA).

The Kuwaiti delegation was invited by an NGO called “Bridging the Gulf” which is based in the Netherlands, Hajir Jasim Al-Hajri, a public prosecutor told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

She has compiled a working paper on the role of women in judiciary a copy of which she presented to the NGO. They visited various institutions in the Netherlands including the supreme judiciary council as well as administrative and appeals courts and also attended a number of sittings in different courts.

“We profited a lot from this visit in the fields of judiciary, culture and academics and will convey this to the responsible authorities in Kuwait,” AlHajri noted.

They also held a photo session in one of the courts in the Hague in which Al-Hajri sat as the first Kuwaiti and Arab public prosecutor.

Dr. Mohammad Al-Faili, professor of constitu-

tional law at Kuwait University said that the NGO “Bridging the Gulf” is focusing on ties between Europe and the Gulf. “The visit has various aims.

The first aim is to get acquainted with the experiences of the Dutch side in the fields of law, human rights, development of international relations which allows the Kuwaiti side to determine cooperation in more practical terms,” he said.

But also the Dutch side was informed about the views of the Kuwaiti side in the fields of cooperation. Moreover, it also helped in determining the programs of cooperation between the two sides, said the Kuwait professor.

What is important here is that the initiative came from civil society from the Dutch and Kuwaiti side, he added.

Judge Jasim Al-Dashti said the visit was “a great success” in gathering experience.

He said they learnt about the latest and important developments in the Dutch judiciary through the visits to the courts and to the training institutes in particular the one focusing on cooperation in international judiciary.

The Dutch side presented their experiences and views and it was proposed that through the Kuwait ambassador in the Hague the judiciary cooperation between Netherlands and Kuwait would be promoted, he said. Meanwhile, Kuwait’s ambassador to the Netherlands Hafeez Al-Ajmi hosted a lunch in honor of the visiting Kuwaiti delegation at his residence. -KUNA

MP Al-Mutawa predicts Cabinet resignation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Further, the source affirmed that the officials who signed the deal overlooked the safe arbitration approach and chose the worst one, which makes it impossible for the local courts to interfere with the matter.

Additionally, the source indicated that the government is mulling over the referral of the Oil Minister Hani Hussein, being a member of the negotiation team for the said deal, to the tribunal in charge of the trial of ministers. Other members may be referred to the public prosecution for interrogation over the circumstances surrounding the deal.

The government is also inclined toward the formation of an investigatory committee for the same purpose in order to reach the bottom of the case and pinpoint those who are primarily responsible for signing the letter of intent.

In this context, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah will hold another meeting today with the oil minister and top oil officials, in an effort to contain the Dow crisis. The official will review the latest correspondence that took place between Dow and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and the proposed mechanism to contain the crisis with the least losses to the public funds.

MPs have urged a parliamentary investigation into the case which caused a loss of $2.16 billion and that the matter be raised in a public session. The lawmakers called on the government to provide the whole truth and to present all the documents pertaining to the deal, while proposing consultation between the executive and legislative authorities to find a proper exit for the case, particularly since the legislature is a partner with the government in fateful decisions.

Commenting on the issue, MP Abdulhameed Dashti pointed accusing fingers to the government, the Islamic Constitutional Movement and the Popular Action Bloc, alleging their responsibility for the huge financial loss.

Group photo of the 11-member delegation from Kuwait comprising judiciary officials, lawyers, academics, and representatives of civil society during visit to Netherlands. (KUNA)

Project Abdul Nasser St. shifts away from residential areas Mervat Abdul Dayem Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary for Roads Sector at the Ministry of Public Works Saoud AlNaqi announced that the contractor responsible for the development of Jamal Abdul Nasser Street has

begun to prepare the project’s site away from residential areas. He added that the municipality has agreed to allocate 100,000 square meters of land for the project at Al-Doha City.

Al-Naqi said that the project’s contractor is preparing and moving all the necessary equipment to the site. He added that the project is located at the

west of Kuwait City, and extends from Jahra Gate to Grenada from the east.

He mentioned that this is one of the most important projects of the development plan that the ministry is executing to develop roads and highway roads network, in an attempt to ease traffic congestions and improve general safety.

Saudi officials meet Kuwaiti Parliamentary delegation in Riyadh JEDDAH: Saudi ministers met Saturday with visiting Kuwaiti Parliamentary delegation headed by Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammad Jassem Al-Saqer.

Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal both met separately with the delegation. The meetings focused on

issues of mutual interests, bilateral relations and developments in the region and world. The delegation will conclude their official visit to the Kingdom today. -KUNA

Group photo of Saudi officials with visiting Kuwaiti Parliamentary delegation Saturday, May 26, 2012.

(KUNA)

ALWATAN DAILY

KUWAIT

sundAY, may 27, 2012

Kuwait reviews anti-tobacco experience in WHO assembly GENEVA: The Kuwaiti delegation to the sixty-fifth session of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) general assembly has offered a presentation about the Kuwaiti efforts to reduce smoking and counter tobacco promotion.

“Kuwait was pioneering in taking practical moves to control tobacco addiction,” the delegation member Dr. Sami Al-Nasser told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

Al-Nasser, chief of Kuwait National Program for Tobacco Control, said an Amiri decree was issued in 1995 to protect the society from tobacco products.

“Kuwaiti Health, Commerce and Industry ministers have also imposed a ban on public areas,” he said.

Al-Nasser pointed out that Kuwait is dealing with the smoking problems from its different angels and perspectives.

“This included taking legal actions, launching awareness campaigns, conducting relative studies and offering help and treatment to tobacco addicts,” he expounded. He added that the Health Ministry has formed the Higher Committee for Countering Tobacco and launched the National Program for Tobacco Control.

“Kuwait has also increased duties and customs tariffs on tobacco products, and will impose a ban on publishing or displaying tobacco commercials in media,” AlNasser revealed.

He went on to say that “the state of Kuwait had built seven clinic specializing treating and offering psychological support for tobacco addicts who want to quit the deadly habit.”

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Leading Kuwaiti legislator affirms significance of inter-GCC cooperation JEDDAH: The chairman of the external affairs of Kuwait’s National Assembly, Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammad Al-Sager, affirmed necessity of supporting all forms of cooperation among member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at the foreign and defense levels.

External and defense policies of the GCC states should be unified, said Al-Sager, affirming that the solid ties bounding the member states of the council enabled them survive turbulent regional conditions.

He made the remarks to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) following a banquet held, on Friday, by the deputy chairman of the Saudi Shura Council, Dr. Mohammad Al-Jifri, honoring Al-Sager and other members of the Kuwaiti Parliament, currently on a visit to the kingdom. The delegation includes MP Hamad AlMutar, MP Ali Al-Deqbasi, MP Mubarak Al-Waalan and MP Ammar Al-Ajmi.

On Kuwaiti-Saudi relations, Al-Sager said the kingdom “constitutes the strategic humanitarian and regional dimension of the State of Kuwait and the other GCC states,” indicating at substantial harmony of the foreign policies of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Regarding objective of the Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation, he said that it was aimed at holding talks with Saudi counterparts on various issues namely Syria, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.

The delegation is also visiting Qatar and Bahrain, he said, regarding its current schedule, indicating that the MPs would later visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

On question of establishing federation among the GCC states, Al-Sager said the delegation would listen to views of the Saudis about this issue, noting some opposition to the proposal in the Kuwaiti parliament.

The delegation arrived in Jeddah on Friday. -KUNA

Ambassador Tuwaijri mulls prospects of co-op with Cambodian official The delegation member Dr. Sami Al-Nasser. (KUNA)

According to the World Health Organization, Tobacco use is the second cause of death globally (after hypertension) and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

Tobacco use is one of the biggest contributors to the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases - such as heart attack, stroke, cancer and emphysema - which accounts for 63 percent of all deaths, nearly 80 percent of which occur in low- and middleincome countries.

Up to half of all tobacco users will even-

tually die of a tobacco-related disease.

The Sixty-fifth session of the World Health Assembly took place in Geneva during May 21th-26th.

At this session, the Health Assembly is discussing a number of public health issues such as universal health coverage, noncommunicable diseases, mental disorders, nutrition, Millennium Development Goals, adolescent pregnancy, polio eradication, research and development, International Health Regulations, and the WHO reform process. -KUNA

Kuwait-Saudi ties ‘are of one country, people’: Saudi Shura

JEDDAH: Saudi Chairman of Foreign Affairs committee in the Shura Council Dr. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Askar said Friday that bilateral relations between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were those of a one country and people.

Al-Askar remarks to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) came upon receiving the Kuwaiti parliament delegation.

The Saudi official added that such ties between the two countries were deeply rooted in history, since the Late Amir Sheikh Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Saudi Arabia founder late

Kuwait’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia Dhrar Nasser Al-Tuwaijri (left) with Cambodian Minister of Cults and Religious Affairs Min Khin (right) Saturday, May 26, 2012. (KUNA)

King Abdulaziz.

Al-Askar added that the leaderships of both countries Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah - were also keen to maintain such strong ties, stressing that such ties are currently blossoming. The Saudi official also expressed comfort that such ties were heading in good direction, noting that such unity or any form union could take place any time in the future, under the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) umbrella. -KUNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuwait’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia Dhrar Nasser Al-Tuwaijri has held talks with Cambodian Minister of Cults and Religious Affairs Min Khin on prospects of cooperation between the two Asian nations. In statements to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) Saturday, Tuwaijri said the meeting is a part of a series of official activities and meetings to discuss with senior Cambodian officials means to strengthen mutual relations in various fields. He unveiled that the Cambodian minister has praised the State of Kuwait’s support to charitable projects in his country, particularly the recent project

of building a big Islamic center for the sizable Muslim minority at the capital. The Cambodian minister also spoke highly of the Islamic and charitable projects carried out by Kuwaiti charities in the Kingdom of Cambodia, he added.

Tuwaijri praised religious freedom enjoyed by the Cambodian people under the wise leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Ambassador conveyed to Min Khin the greetings of Kuwaiti Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Jamal Shihab and his wishes for the Kingdom of Cambodia for further progress and prosperity. -KUNA

THIS WEEK IN KUWAIT’S HISTORY May 27:

1991: Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issues decree by law 6/91 on foundation of the Public Authority for Assessment of Compensation for Damages resulting from the Iraqi Aggression (PAAC). It is the authority responsible for all aspects of the UNCC claims process in Kuwait. PAAC is an independent governmental body, subordinate only to the Cabinet.

1993: The UN Security Council unanimously approves resolution 833 on approval of the report of the specialist committee on demarcation of Kuwaiti-Iraqi borders.

1994: Kuwait exports its first shipment of liquid ammonia, some 15040 metric tons, to India through National Petroleum Company docks in Industrial Shuaiba area. This comes after reconstruction of the area and its facilities which suffered great damage as a result of the Iraqi occupation of the state.

1996: Health Minister Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mhailan is elected as first deputy chairman of the executive council of the World Health Organization. The post is a one-year tenure.

2001: Dr. Khaled Al-Mathkour is chosen to represent the State of Kuwait as member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Islamic World League in Mekkah and the International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Jeddah.

2003: Qadsiyyah Sports club nabs Amir’s 41st cup, the tenth time in its history.

2006: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issues decree 151/2006 to assign Sheikh Mubarak Al-Duaij Al-Ibrahim Al-Sabah as Chairman and Director General of Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

2008: Kuwait wins the first Arab cities prize for the best architectural design for Al-Kout seafront in Fahaheel. Kuwait Municipality receives the award at a ceremony in Qatar. Al-Kout project consists of 11 buildings, a mall, fish, vegetable, and fruit markets, restaurants, a cinema, and a hotel.

May 28:

1985: The Kuwaiti Squash Tennis union was established.

1986: An Amiri decree was issued for the establishment of a Council for Nutrition Affairs, to be charged with mapping out the general nutrition policy in Kuwait and work out plans aimed at healthy diets for the citizens.

1996: The National Assembly approved a bill to ban coeducation at Kuwait University, the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, and the private schools, giving the government a five-year grace period for implementation.

1997: The International Epidemics Office elected Kuwait’s representative Dr. Sultan Al-Khalaf as chairman of the regional committee of the bureau. Kuwait became the first Arab Gulf country that chaired this commission.

2008: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issues Decree 133/2008 forming Kuwait’s 25th Cabinet. It is headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and includes 15 ministers,

including two women.

May 29:

1940: The late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, issued a law for divers regulating their profession and setting punitive measures against violators.

1997: Stock trading posted the second highest rise in the history of the bourse in terms of both volume and value. As much as 419.7 million shares were traded for a value that amounted to 118.29 million Kuwaiti Dinars, leading to a 19.9 points hike in the KSE index.

1997: Kuwait became the 91st country to sign the agreement of banning chemical weapons.

2000: The International Organization for Epidemics elected the state of Kuwait as permanent representative and chair-state of the regional committee of the Middle East.

2000: Kuwait Municipality ordered the removal of the fishermen village in Oshairej.

2003: The executive board of the World Health Organization (WHO) elected Kuwait’s Health Minister Dr. Mohammed Al-Jarallah as deputy board chairman.

May 30:

1971: Nigeria opens its first Embassy in Kuwait.

1985: Kuwait Tennis Federation is established.

1998: The Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, receives heads of Kuwaiti diplomatic missions abroad and stresses the state’s keenness on promoting peace and co-existence among all peoples. He urges more effort to truly and rightly represent the state’s policies and humanitarian and peaceful stances at international conventions.

1998: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry signs a contract to begin the construction of the Free Trade Zone at Shuwaikh Port with the National Real Estate Company.

1998: The National Assembly approves a draft law to prohibit candidates and voters contesting candidacy in their constituency on the basis of dispute over possible candidacy or voting in the wrong constituency.

They are still allowed to object in cases where votes of military personnel or deceased individuals are suspected or detected.

2006: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurates the 31st Meeting of Governors of the Islamic Development Bank.

May 31:

1949: The Amir, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, arrives at Manama Port on an official visit in response to an invitation by Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.

1964: Turkey’s first ambassador to the State of Kuwait presents his credentials to the Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

1966: The Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem, issues a decree appointing Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as the Crown Prince.

1969: The Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem, issues law 21/69 approving Kuwait’s membership in the International Convention for the Unification of certain Rules relating to Bills of Lading, signed at Brussels on 25

August, 1924.

1969: The Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem, issues law 22/69 approving Kuwait’s membership in Arab League’s Agreement on Diplomatic Immunity of Arab Organizations.

1969: The Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem, issues law 23/69 approving Kuwait’s membership in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

1994: The State of Kuwait joins the standing committee of the International Petroleum Conference Organization.

1998: The Cabinet approves the central tenders draft law designed to plug loopholes in law 37/1964.

1998: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor issues a regulation which allows expatriate workers to switch sponsors after completing two years of work at one place.

2000: The State of Kuwait assumes the first senior post at the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consultancy.

Eid Al-Daihani is appointed assistant secretary general of the organization.

2003: The Court of Cassation, headed by Counselor Abdullah Al-Essa, issues a sentence over an appeal disputing a public authority which consists of 11 counselors. This is the first such sentence since establishment of the court in 1972.

2005: Chairman of the Public Authority for Youth and Sports Affairs Sheikh Fahad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurates Sheikh Ali Al-Salem Stadium at Al-Nasr Sports Club. The state of the art facility has Olympic race tracks, a 40-meter television broadcast tower that cost around a million KD, and room for over 15,000 people in the stands.

June 1:

1947: The Amir Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah visits Saudi Arabia and hold talks with King Abdulaziz AlSaud on the two countries’ relations.

1957: The Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah decided to enforce the 1955 amended Indian currency law in Kuwait.

1961: Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) takes the responsibility, from the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), of distributing petroleum products at the 10 petrol stations in the country.

1971: Kuwait signs an agreement with the Arabian Oil Company, increasing the income tax to 62 percent from 57 percent and raising the price of an oil barrel by nine cents with immediate effect.

1980: A bomb explodes at Kuwait Oil Company’s London offices without causing casualties.

1985: The Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah resumes his official duty at Bayan Palace after surviving an attack on his motorcade. Sheikh Jaber said in a statement that “for the sake of Kuwait and its progress, we shall continue work, unimpeded by what has happened.”

1988: Decree law 33/1988 is issued, allowing citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to own shares in Kuwaiti shareholding companies.

1992: Decree law 82/1988 issued to establish a Diwan to follow administrative body work and citizens’ complaints.

1994: The Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah inaugurates the new headquarters of Kuwait Red Crescent Society in Shuwaikh.

1996: The Ministry of Finance announces launching the first investment fund, with the participation of many private and public local investors and foreign companies committed to the offset program. The fund, with a capital of KD 50-100 million, is designed to invest in new companies and to upgrade existing ones.

2002: Kuwait Red Crescent Society is ranked first on the Arab level and second on the Asian level as classified by the International Committee of the Red Cross among the largest 20 national volunteer societies that contributed to those in need around the world in 2001.

2003: Kuwait and Italy sign a security agreement on Italian forces in Kuwait.

2003: After a 21-day ban, due to the phenomenon of fish death, fish is provided at the fish market.

2004: Kuwait becomes the head of board of trustees of the Islamic Culture Centre in New York, assigned by Kuwait’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Ambassador Nabeela Al-Mulla.

2005: The National Assembly approves a bill on pension.

2008: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurates the first regular session of the 12 legislative term of the National Assembly and stresses that no one will be allowed to harm the national interest. MP Jassim Al-Kharafi is elected as speaker and Fahad Al-Mai’ is elected deputy speaker.

June 2:

1960: The Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issues the penal code, and procedural criminal trial law.

1960: The Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issues a decree on Kuwait Municipality law.

1974: The Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issues a law approving an agreement on establishing the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY).

1991: The Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah issues an Amiri decree for the end of tenure of the National Council and calling on voters to elect members of parliament (National Assembly).

1991: The Amir Sheikh Jaber issues an Amiri decree appointing five ministers as members of the National Council.

1993: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) records a tremor in Al-Manageesh area southwest of the country, measuring 4.7 points on the Richter Scale.

1998: The National Assembly approves a government bill to support the employment of nationals and to encourage them to work in the private sector, with the majority 39 MPs in favor.

2002: The UN officially recognizes the Kuwait Environment Protection Society and registers it as a Kuwaiti NGO in the UN. 2005: Kuwaiti voters head to the polls to elect 10 out of 54 candidates running in the Municipal Council elections. For the first time in the history of Kuwait, two ladies, Fatma Saud Al-Sabah and Foziya Mohammd Al-Bahar, were appointed as members in the council. -KUNA

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ALWATAN DAILY

regional

Yes, I will vote for Shafiq

By Hossam Fathi Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Yes, I will vote for Shafiq who I have fiercely attacked in the past, if the Muslim Brotherhood, represented by Mohammed Mursi, refuses to cooperate with Hamdeen Sabbahi, Abol Fotouh, Khaled Ali, Hazem Abo ismail, Amro Moussa, and AlBaradei and form an ally in the face of the reproduction of an improved version of Mubarak’s regime.

Yes, I will vote for Shafiq, if Mursi and Muslim Brotherhood insist on sidelining Abo Ismail, Khaled Ali, and Al-Baradei, and not grant them the opportunity to be partners of the regime during the coming four years.

Yes, I will vote for Shafiq if all the previous names I mentioned do not realize the brutality of the stab they have received. The national symbols must realize that if they do not unite and work together, they have no chance of defeating the remnants of the former regime.

Yes, I will bitterly vote for Shafiq, if those who claim to be revolutionists do not swallow their pride and get rid of the concept that they are the sole saviors of Egypt, and its remedy from all the pain and sufferings.

All national and political currents must unite, for now it is a matter of life and death. hossam@alwatan.com.kw Twitter:@hossamfathy66

Militants post appeal of kidnapped Saudi diplomat

CAIRO: Militants have posted online a video in which a man identifying himself as a Saudi diplomat kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in Yemen appeals to Saudi Arabia’s rulers to respond to his captors’ demands and save his life.

In the four-minute clip that appeared on a militant Web site late Friday, a man saying he is Abdullah Al-Khaldi asks King Abdullah to grant the kidnappers’ demands, including the release of detained women. The video bore the logo of Al-Qaeda’s media arm, Al-Malahem.

Al-Khaldi, who is Saudi Arabia’s deputy consul in the Yemeni port city of Aden, was abducted in late March. Al-Qaida’s Yemen branch claimed responsibility.

“I appeal to King Abdullah, the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques and the Saudi government, to save me and get me out of (captivity by) the AlQaeda organization in exchange for releasing the detained sisters .. and the rest of the demands,” alKhaldi said. He did not say what those other demands were, but Saudi officials say the abductors also asked for a ransom.

Al-Khaldi said in the video that his colleagues had worked as spies helping the Americans. He said three Saudi security officials were involved in “gathering information and data as well as monitoring AlQaeda’s sites and commanders .. and the information is being relayed to the American forces to send a plane to these targets.”

Al-Khaldi, who appeared dressed in a Saudistyle white Arab robe and checkered headdress, begged the king to return him to his family.

Saudi Interior Ministry has confirmed the kidnapping and said that a Saudi citizen on the kingdom’s most-wanted list of terror suspects, Mashaal Rasheed Al-Shawdakhi, relayed the demands by telephone to their embassy in Yemen. The Saudis say that Al-Qaeda’s demands included paying a ransom and releasing top Al-Qaeda prisoners, both Saudi and Yemeni, currently in Saudi jails, as well as half a dozen women prisoners held there.

The Interior Ministry said Al-Shawdakhi warned that the diplomat could be killed if the demands were not met.

Yemen’s political turmoil has caused a security vacuum in the country, giving Al-Qaeda the chance to seize large swaths of territory across the restive south. Government forces have recently launched several offensives on militant-held towns.

The United States has thrown its support behind Yemen’s new president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has vowed to combat Al-Qaeda as a top priority. -AP

sunDAY, MAY 27, 2012

Syrian activists decry ‘massacre’ in Houla Children among scores of people reportedly killed in Homs province, as UN chief calls violence “unacceptable”

BEIRUT: At least 90 people have been killed in an attack by Syrian government forces and loyalists on Houla, a town in Homs province, activists say.

The victims of Friday’s assault included at least dead 25 children, killed after government forces tried to break into the town, the UKbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Houla has been the scene of frequent antigovernment protests since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad began in March last year. The town has also become a hub for opposition fighters.

Syria’s main opposition bloc put the toll at more than 100 and urged the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting to examine the massacre.

“More than 110 people were killed (half of whom are children) by the Syrian regime’s forces”, the Syrian National Council said in a statement.

“Some of the victims were hit by heavy artillery while others, entire families, were massacred,” said the statement by Bassma Kodmani, the council’s head of foreign relations.

A team of UN observers visited the area to assess the situation on Saturday, but some activists complained that they just visited the village of Taldou, at the edge of Houla, rather than entering the town.

Videos posted online by activists showed more than a dozen bodies lined up inside a room. They included about 10 children who were covered with sheets that only showed their bloodied faces.

Amer Al-Sadeq of the Syrian Revolution Co-ordinators Union blamed the killings on

The bodies of people whom anti-government protesters say were killed by government security forces lie on the ground in Houla, near Homs, May 26. (Reuters)

Assad loyalists from surrounding villages who he said “have been armed systematically by the regime since the beginning of the uprising”.

“In the face of horror, the international community must mobilize still further to stop the martyrdom of the Syrian people.”

The Local Co-ordination Committees activist network said government forces had shelled the town before “armed militias slaughtered entire families in cold blood”.

Activists told Al Jazeera that the town came under shelling again on Saturday.

Hadi Al-Abdallah, speaking from Homs, said Houla is under the control of the Free Syrian Army, which means government troops can-

not enter the town. Instead, they are launching shells from a distance in a bid to defeat the rebels.

Syrians turned out in several locations around the country on Saturday to protest against the killings.

In Kafr Nabel, in the northern province of Idlib, scores took to the streets to honor the dead, chanting: “We sacrifice our soul and life for you, O people of Houla,” according to a video posted on YouTube.

In a Damascus neighborhood, women filmed hiding their faces were carrying papers that read: “The Syrian regime kills us under supervision of the UN observers” and ‘Banish the

Iran has enough uranium for five bombs, says expert VIENNA: Iran has significantly stepped up its output of low-enriched uranium and total production in the last five years would be enough for at least five nuclear weapons if refined much further, a US security institute said.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a think-tank which tracks Iran’s nuclear program closely, based the analysis on data in the latest report by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which was issued on Friday.

Progress in Iran’s nuclear activities is closely watched by the West and Israel as it could determine how long it could take Tehran to build atomic bombs, if it decided to do so. Iran denies any plan to and says its aims are entirely peaceful.

During talks in Baghdad this week, six world powers failed to convince Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment program. They will meet again in Moscow next month to try to defuse a decade-old standoff that has raised fears of a new war in the Middle East that could disrupt oil supplies.

Friday’s report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a Viennabased U.N. body, showed Iran was pressing ahead with its uranium enrichment work in defiance of UN resolutions calling on it to suspend the activity.

It said Iran had produced almost 6.2 tons of uranium enriched to a level of 3.5 percent since it began the work in 2007 - some of which has subsequently been further processed into higher-grade material.

This is nearly 750 kg more than in the previous IAEA report issued in February, and ISIS said Iran’s monthly production had risen by roughly a third.

“This total amount of 3.5 percent low enriched uranium hexafluoride, if further enriched to weapon grade, is enough to make over five nuclear weapons,” ISIS said in its analysis.

It added, however, that some of Iran’s

EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, (left), poses for a photo with Iran’s Chief Nuclear Negotiator Saeed Jalili in Baghdad, Iraq, May 23. (AP)

higher-grade uranium had been converted into reactor fuel and would not be available for nuclear weapons, at least not quickly.

Friday’s IAEA report also said environmental samples taken in February at Iran’s Fordow facility - buried deep beneath rock and soil to protect it from air strikes - showed the presence of particles with enrichment levels of up to 27 percent.

Iran’s permanent representative to the body played down the findings, saying some western media sought to turn a technical issue into a political one.

“This matter is a routine technical discussion that is currently being reviewed by experts,” IRNA quoted Ali Asghar Sol-

tanieh, as saying.

The IAEA report suggested it was possible that particles of uranium enriched to higher-than-declared levels could be the result of a technical phenomenon. Experts say that while it is embarrassing for Iran, there is no real cause for concern.

The UN agency also said satellite images showed “extensive activities” at the Parchin military complex which inspectors want to check over suspicions that research relevant to nuclear weapons was done there. After talks in Tehran earlier this week, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said the two sides were close to an agreement to let inspectors resume investigations into suspected nuclear explosive experiments in Iran. -Reuters

Yemen army, Qaeda clashes leave 33 dead

Yemeni soldiers pose for a picture on a tank in the restive southern Abyan province on May 25. (AFP)

SANA’A: Thirty-three people, including six soldiers, were killed in Saturday clashes between Al-Qaeda and the army in southern Yemen as troops advanced towards the Abyan provincial capital Zinjibar, military and local sources said.

Soldiers from the 25th Mechanised Brigade “managed early on Saturday to deal heavy blows to terrorists in Maraqid and Mashqasa ... killing 20 terrorist elements, most of them Somalis,” Brigadier General Mohammed Al-Sawmali told defense ministry news website 26sep.net.

“Two soldiers were killed and four others were wounded,” 26sep.net quoted him as saying.

Troops “cleansed” Maraqi and Mashqasa, located on the northeastern outskirts of Zinjibar, and seized machineguns, rockets, and rocket propelled grenades, the same source said.

Meanwhile, at Jaar, a major Al-Qaeda stronghold in Abyan, four soldiers were killed in battles on the town’s outskirts, a military official told AFP. A source there said seven militants also died.

Yemeni forces launched an offensive on May 12 to capture Al-Qaeda controlled areas in Abyan.

Since the offensive began, 332 people have been killed, according to a tally compiled by AFP, including 242 Al-Qaeda fighters, 55 military personnel, 18 local militiamen and 17 civilians. -AFP

UN tourists’.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned the assault and called for greater international action.

“In the face of horror, the international community must mobilize still further to stop the martyrdom of the Syrian people,” he said in a statement.

“I am making immediate arrangements for a Friends of Syria group meeting in Paris.”

The US, France, Britain, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are leading members of the group, which has held several meetings calling for tougher action against the Assad government.

The latest flare-up of violence came as Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, blamed the government for much of the “unacceptable levels of violence and abuses” occurring every day in the 14-month-long crisis in Syria.

In a report to the UN Security Council, Ban cited the government’s continued use of heavy weapons, reports of shelling and “a steppedup security crackdown by the authorities that has led to massive violations of human rights by government forces and pro-government militias”.

Ban said there had only been “small progress” on implementing the six-point joint UNArab League plan brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan.

The UN chief called on the government to keep its pledge to immediately stop the violence, pull heavy weapons and troops out of populated areas, allow humanitarian workers to help civilians in need and end human rights abuses.

Ban also called on all elements of the opposition to stop the violence and respect human rights.

The secretary-general said 271 of 300 unarmed UN military observers authorized by the council to help end the conflict were on the ground and appeared to have had a “calming effect” in key cities. -Agencies

Ex-Mubarak PM praises ‘glorious’ Egyptian uprising

CAIRO: Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq paid tribute Saturday to the “glorious revolution” that toppled Hosni Mubarak, a dramatic turn-around for the former regime official who fought his way into the runoff elections by appealing to public disenchantment with last year’s uprising.

Shafiq, the last prime minister to serve under Mubarak, vowed there would be no “recreation of the old regime” as he prepared to face off against Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in a runoff on June 16-17.

“I am fed up with being labeled ‘old regime,’” Shafiq told a news conference in his campaign headquarters. “This talk is no longer valid after seven million people voted for me.” When pressed on the issue, he said: “All Egyptians are part of the old regime. Why do you keep saying the same thing over and over again?”

Shafiq and Morsi were the top vote-getters after a two-day election on Wednesday and Thursday which none of the 13 candidates could win outright. Now, both must appeal to the roughly 50 percent of voters who cast ballots for someone else.

Shafiq appeared to use the news conference to try and cast off his image as an anti-revolution candidate who spoke disparagingly about the youth groups that engineered the anti-Mubarak uprising, reaching out to all segments of society in a bid to rally voters who favored his rivals during the first-round.

A former air force commander and a personal friend of Mubarak’s, Shafiq was booted out of office by a wave of street protests shortly after Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11, 2011.

The 15 months since Mubarak’s ouster have seen a surge in crime, a faltering economy and seemingly endless street protests, work stoppages and sit-ins. The disorder has fed disenchantment with the revolutionary groups, and may have played to Shafiq’s advantage. However, ex-officer Shafiq is also associated with Egypt’s military leadership. The generals who took over from Mubarak, say critics, have mismanaged the transitional period and failed to reform corrupt institutions or to provide security.

Furthermore, they are blamed for the death of more than a hundred protesters, torturing detainees and trying before military tribunals at least 12,000 civilians.

“I pledge to every Egyptian that there will be no turning back and no recreation of the old regime,” said Shafiq, 70. “Egypt has changed and there will be no turning back the clock. We have had a glorious revolution. I pay tribute to this glorious revolution and pledge to be faithful to its call for justice and freedom.”

Shafiq also tried to enlist the support of youth groups, singling out the large associations of soccer fans known as “ultras” and April 6, both of which played a key role in the uprising.

His outreach was swiftly rejected by April 6, whose spokesman Ahmed Maher told a news conference that his group will never talk to the former prime minister, whom it considers as a pillar of the Mubarak regime. He paid special tribute to Hamdeen Sabahi, a socialist and a champion of the poor who finished in third place. He held out the possibility of naming him as his deputy if elected president. -AP

Roadside bomb kills three Iraqi soldiers BAGHDAD: Officials say a roadside bombing in northern Iraq has killed three soldiers.

Two security officials say the bomb exploded at noon Saturday, hitting an Iraqi army patrol in Badoush.

The town is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city and a former AlQaeda stronghold.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

The level of violence has dropped dramatically in Iraq, although deadly attacks on security forces and civilians are still common. -AP

ALWATAN DAILY

WORLD

sundAY, may 27, 2012

US Navy Russia ruling party picks warship visits Hong Kong Medvedev to reverse slide

Harrier jump jets are seen on the deck of the USS Makin Island, a large Wasp-class amphibious assault ship after arriving in Hong Kong waters for a port call, May 25. (AFP)

HONG KONG: A US Navy assault ship has sailed into Hong Kong harbor for a visit described as routine amid rising regional tensions.

The captain of the USS Makin Island, which carries columns of tanks and attack helicopters, said he was ready to “ensure peace in the region” if necessary amid a dispute between China and the Philip-

step aside in April after announcing that leading the party is inappropriate for the president.

However Medvedev this week formally joined the party, vowing to reform it from the inside.

He said during the congress the party should undergo “revolutionary” changes in order be “more understandable to people” rather than seem “imposed from above” and vowed to cleanse it of unworthy members.

“United Russia has been in power for a considerable amount of time,” Medvedev said. “There is a factor of tiredness beginning to play out against it.”

Dominating the Russian parliament since 2003, the party supported Vladimir Putin in his second election into the presidency in 2004 and has essentially been a rubber-stamping tool of the Kremlin.

Last year the opposition waged a campaign ahead of the parliamentary polls asking voters to cast their ballots for any party but United Russia, dubbing it the “party of crooks and thieves” and inundating Internet blogs with videos and posters discrediting the faction. As a result United Russia received only 49.3 percent of the popular vote, hanging on to more than half of the parliament seats only by a quirk of Russia’s electoral law. -AFP

pines over the resource-rich Scarborough Shoal islands.

Dozens of US Navy ships visit Hong Kong every year, according to a press release on the US 7th Fleet website.

But the latest visit was seen by some analysts as a show of force as the country tries to expand its Asia-Pacific influence. -AFP

Afghan parliament approves US-Afghan security pact KABUL: Afghanistan’s parliament approved on Saturday a strategic pact between Kabul and Washington, clearing the way for a US presence in the country for at least a decade after most foreign combat troops leave in 2014.

“This was done for the interest of Afghanistan,” said Daoud Kalakani, an MP from Kabul. Around 180 MPs were present and only four voted against, Kalakani said. The deal, signed by US President

MOSCOW: Russia’s ruling party United Russia on Saturday confirmed Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as its new chief in a bid to reverse flagging popularity that stoked opposition protests against the Kremlin.

A party congress in Moscow overwhelmingly approved by a show of hands Medvedev’s candidacy to take over from President Vladimir Putin as party leader, with no apparent opposition and no other candidate contesting the post.

Medvedev’s move to become a card-carrying party leader is a key plank in Russia’s new power structure that saw him cede the Kremlin to Putin earlier this month after serving four years as president.

In a high-orchestrated congress, Putin formally announced Medvedev’s candidacy at central Manezh hall next to the Kremlin to the crowd of 3,000 guests and delegates.

“I consider United Russia my key ally and partner,” said Putin, dispelling speculation that the party has been sidelined by the Kremlin and may even be disbanded after it lost support in December parliamentary elections.

Putin has been the leader of the party since 2007, although curiously never joined. He decided to fully

Barack Obama and Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai in Kabul on May 2, sets out a longterm US role in Afghanistan, including aid and advisers.

Most of the contentious parts of the pact, which could have seen the obstructive parliament reject the deal, had earlier been removed and dealt with separately, including giving Afghans control of controversial night raids on homes and prisons used to detain insurgents. -Reuters

Soldiers from the US Army’s 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, Task Force Bulldog look at a Taliban position after they attacked the Combat Outpost (COP) Boston in Kherwar district in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan.

(Reuters)

China cancels Britain visit ‘over Dalai Lama meet’ BEIJING: The head of China’s parliament and nominally number two in the political system, has cancelled a visit to Britain in anger over a meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, according to a source.

China’s top legislator cancelled a visit to Britain in anger over a meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, a source said.

Wu Bangguo, the head of China’s parliament and nominally number two in the political system, was to have travelled to Britain this month, but the Dalai Lama meeting put an end to those plans, according to the source.

The British government “was told that Wu Bangguo wasn’t coming because they were unhappy with the Dalai Lama meeting,” the source told AFP on Saturday, asking not to be identified.

The Dalai Lama - a Nobel Peace Prize laureate - was in London earlier this month to receive the £1.1 million (1.8 million US dollars) Templeton Prize, which he said he would donate to charity.

His meeting with Cameron and with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was described as “private” and was not held at the prime minister’s Downing Street residence.

Even so, it triggered immediate criticism from China, which called it an “affront to the Chinese people”, and launched “solemn representations” with London.

The Tibetan leader, who fled his homeland for India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, announced last year that he was giving up his political role and would focus on spiritual duties.

Nonetheless, Beijing has repeatedly accused him of trying to split Tibet from the rest of China and encouraging Tibetan protesters in the vast Himalayan region to set fire to themselves -- a charge he denies.

A total of 34 Tibetans, many of them Buddhist monks and nuns, are reported to have set themselves on fire in China’s Tibetan-inhabited areas since the start of 2011 to protest against Beijing.

The Chinese foreign ministry was not immediately available for comment when approached by AFP Saturday. -AFP

5

NEWS IN BRIEF US reporter detained in Ethiopia ‘to be released’ ADDIS ABABA: A Voice of America (VOA) reporter detained while covering a protest in the Ethiopian capital will be released from jail Saturday, a government spokesperson said. “We decided to secure his release,” Shimeles Kemal told AFP, adding that he is expected to be released “soon.” VOA said reporter Peter Heinlein was arrested Friday while trying to interview members of Ethiopia’s Muslim minority, who have been protesting alleged government interference in their affairs. Shimeles said Heinlein was detained because he failed to produce his identity card when approached by police. -AFP

Lesotho votes in tight three-way race MASERU: Lesotho’s one million voters head to the polls Saturday in a tight general election where bitter personal rivalries among the three main party leaders have overshadowed worries about jobs and poverty. Polls opened at 7:00am (0500 GMT) for 10 hours of voting in this mountainous nation where many people walked or rode horses on the cold, early winter morning to reach voting stations in schools and churches. The three main party leaders were all once allies whose falling out centered on the refusal of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili to hand over the reins of power. -AFP

Finland gunman who killed 2, wounded 7 is arrested

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (right) and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (left) arrive for a congress of the ruling party United Russia in Moscow, May 26. (AFP)

Singapore votes in by-election seen as test of reforms SINGAPORE: Singapore voters were casting their ballots Saturday in a by-election seen as a referendum on reforms initiated by the ruling party to address rising discontent.

The People’s Action Party (PAP), which has ruled the city-state since before independence, is hoping to capture the opposition bastion of Hougang, which has been held by the Workers’ Party for the past 21 years. The Hougang seat was left vacant in February after the Workers’ Party sacked its representative over allegations of extramarital affairs, giving the PAP an opportunity to redeem itself if it takes the seat.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has put his reputation on the line by campaigning all-out for PAP candidate, Desmond Choo, 34, who up against the Workers’ Party’s Png Eng Huat, 50.

It is Singapore’s first by-election since the PAP suffered its worst showing yet in a general election 12 months ago. The PAP was jolted when it

got an all-time low of 60 percent of all votes cast and the opposition grabbed an unprecedented six seats in the 87-member parliament. The PAP, in power for 53 years, holds the rest.

Issues such as a liberal immigration policy, a growing income gap, high salaries of cabinet ministers and overcrowding in public transport were seen to have frayed the PAP vote, analysts said.

The PAP-led government swung into action after the election rebuke, stepping up construction of public housing flats, budgeting hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade public transport as well as reducing the foreign worker intake.

Cabinet ministers also took a pay cut but they remain the highest-paid politicians in the world, with the prime minister still getting a basic annual salary of Sg$2.2 million (1.73 million US dollars). Singapore says the high salaries are designed to deter corruption and attract talented people from the private sector. -AFP

HELSINKI: An 18-year-old gunman killed two people and wounded seven others in what appeared to be a random shooting in a southern Finnish town, police said Saturday. Officers arrested the suspect near Hyvinkaa, some five hours after he fired several shots from a low rooftop at people gathered outside a restaurant just before 2 a.m. (2300 GMT Friday), said Detective Chief Inspector Markku Tuominen. The suspect, a local man from Hyvinkaa, 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the capital, Helsinki, did not resist arrest, Tuominen said. -AP

Clinton to visit Scandinavia, Caucasus, Turkey WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves next week on an eight-day trip to Scandinavia, the Caucasus and Turkey that will cover security issues such as Iran and Syria as well as the environment and health. The State Department said Clinton begins her May 31-June 7 trip with visits to Denmark, Norway and Sweden that will largely concentrate on the environment. Her visit to Norway will include speaking at a conference on global health in Oslo on June 1 as well as visiting Tromso, north of the Arctic Circle, for June 2 talks on climate change and developing the region’s untapped resources. -AP

US missile attack kills four in northwest PESHAWAR: An American drone fired two missiles at a bakery in northwest Pakistan Saturday and killed four suspected militants, officials said, as the US pushed on with its drone campaign despite Pakistani demands to stop. This was the third such strike in the country in less than a week. Reuters

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ALWATAN DAILY

OPINION

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012

A country steeped deep in chaos and turmoil Shamlan Yousef Al-Esa

I

t is now evidently clear and out in the open that the cocalled mutual agreement that we witnessed, albeit for a brief period of time (three months to be precise) between members of the government and parliament has come to an abrupt end last Wednesday after the government staged an unexpected walkout in the midst of a stormy and thunderous session. The government’s walkout was prompted soon after members of parliament violated the bylaws of the National Assembly through attempting to merge the two interpellation motions against the finance minister into one.

It is important to note here that the government was keen on attending the session; taking into consideration the underlying fact that the finance minister had already announced his intention of facing the interpellation motion on grounds that that had nothing to hide. However, soon after the furor created on parliament with regards to merging the interpellation motions, the issue might now be referred to the parliamentary legislative committee for a final decision over merging the motions.

A lot of people are now questioning the very motives behind merging the motions and are now wondering what the next step would be! They are now contemplating the probability of the ministers and parliamentarians setting their differences aside while there are those that are absolutely certain that members of the various blocs will surely insist on going ahead with grilling the ministers during the upcoming stage. It is common knowledge that members of at least one bloc have censured the government staging a walkout despite assurances from members of both; the government and parliament that would cooperate with each other in the near future.

In fact members of one particular bloc went one step

They are not only discouraging the citizens but actually putting a damper on all their dreams, hopes and aspirations that they have been nursing over the years.

further and indicated that the premier, deputy prime minister and the information minister had already taken the initiative and faced interpellation motions in the past despite claiming that the motions that were filed against them were unconstitutional.

It now seems pretty obvious that the age of maintaining a sense of wisdom and rationality at the National Assembly is surely a thing of the past as is evident in the fact that the Speaker of the House Ahmad Al-Saadoun recently announced that the very act of merging interpellation motions is a step in the right direction; bearing in mind the fact that it is his legal right; in his capacity as speaker to persuade both parties to overcome their differences and come to an agreement.

He also added that the government is just looking for a pretext to walk out of sessions in desperate attempts to conceal all the violations that it engages in and cautioned that if members of both the authorities escalate the issue any further, it could lead to the dissolution of the National Assembly! He further affirmed that incase the National Assembly is dissolved; then members of the Majority Bloc will surely take to the streets and stage protests at the Determination Square! MP Musallam Al-Barrak, on the other hand, reiterated his stand saying he would never retreat while MP Obaid Al-Wasmi stated that since the decision of merging the motions was announced by members of the Majority

Bloc, it is up to them to announce whether they are willing to reconsider their decision.

MP Khalid Al-Tahous, on the other hand, stated that he would welcome the dissolution of the National Assembly with open arms! Such contradictory statements will surely give anyone the impression that those good old days of meaningful dialogue and negotiations are over and hence; members of the parliament and government alike will never ever agree to sit down at the negotiating table to compromise or come to terms over any issue under the sun. It now seems only too likely that members of both the parliament and government are left with two options namely; either the government has to surrender to the demands of members of the Majority Bloc or seek the dissolution of the parliament.

There is however, an important aspect to be noted here which is: members of the Majority Bloc have stated in no uncertain terms that are simply not concerned about the parliament’s dissolution; further implying that they are also not concerned about the general welfare of the nation or its citizens. And if that is how they feel about the situation; one will surely be prompted to question in what way are they representing the citizens of the country.

It is indeed pathetic that they actually have the nerve to issue such derogatory statements; little realizing that they are not only discouraging the citizens but actually putting

Media’s positive role in society is extremely crucial Salwa Abdullah Al-Jassar

I

t goes without saying that good and benevolent media can indeed contribute towards the construction, working and the establishment of a strong and positive state and one which can further contribute towards its development and provide an excellent message to national aspirations and excellent civil society, peaceful in nature yet voracious in terms of national unity away from all the usual heinous conflicts that are usually engaged in by those that are enemies of the state; be they sectarian, tribal, political or otherwise.

An exemplar and constructive media should always not only play it well, but conform to the rules and regulations that are set for it by the state in every sense of the word. It should always calm matters, issues and disputes down whenever they tend to escalate beyond parameters and spiral out of control. Media persons, on the other hand, should always bear in mind the underlying fact that whenever circumstances warrant their unconditional assistance; especially when the country is going through a series of unfortunate complications and challenges; whether internal or external, they should also be at hand and offer whatever assistance they can to help the country weather those storms as best as they possibly can.

An exemplar and constructive media should always be aware of such challenges and try to mend any loose ends that are existent in society’s delicate fabric rather than escalate issues to an extent that it devastates the people’s mindsets and endangers the country’s basic existence. There cannot be an iota of doubt in our minds that our country is indeed going through a rough patch which in turn; can shatter the peace and tranquility that we have been enjoying all these years. We must also bear in mind the underlying fact that it is during these difficult and trying times that the general public needs to be educated and updated on the basic nature of the problems faced by the country and its citizens. And here; we are not just talking about citizens of the country; but also the expatriates who have always played a pivotal role in the society’s well being and in fact are still playing that role without a fraction of hesitation.

The need of the hour at this crucial point of time is that the people must be made aware of their rights and duties, what exactly is the right thing to do, what exactly is wrong and most importantly; need to respect each other regardless of their religion, sect, tribe and political affiliations. The media should always encourage such principles and educate people in society to engage themselves in collective duties. It should focus on development and growth; underline the citizens’ roles in society and work extremely hard to achieve all the goals that the citizens have set for themselves. Stability, security and prosperity are among some of the aims and goals that the media should

a damper on all their dreams, hopes and aspirations that they have been nursing all these years in the hope that those very representatives that they elected to office would realize them. It is just not right for those representatives to let the citizens down; especially since they have placed their faith and trust in them through electing them to office in the first place.

How can we ever expect both the authorities first manage and then overcome the crisis while particularly bearing in mind the underlying fact that our MPs have actually made it crystal clear that they are simply not concerned if the National Assembly is dissolved or not? They issue such horrid statements bearing in mind the fact that even in the event that the parliament is dissolved, they will surely gain access to the green seats in parliament during the upcoming parliamentary elections. Finding an effective solution for this problem is surely not an easy one; until and unless the ruling institution reconsiders every single aspect that is leading the country down a steep and dangerous path; a path from which there will be no return.

All that is transpiring in this country at this current point of time has got nothing to do with the concepts of democracy and all the chaos and commotion that we are witnessing now will influence the future of the country in a negative way.

The need of the hour is to focus on events during the upcoming stage in the event that the National Assembly is dissolved like deciding on the number of constituencies required. I personally feel that in the event that the number of constituencies is increased to 50; then each citizen will have the right to vote just for one candidate and that will surely be a positive feature in the electoral process. Even if 10 electoral constituencies are assigned; it will surely lead to a refreshing change in the current parliamentary structure.

citizen

focus on and try to encourage the people to work hard towards achieving them at the slightest given opportunity.

It must be noted here that in recent years, there have been some noticeable positive and rapid changes in this regard but we must ensure that we do not sit back on our laurels but forge farther ahead in our quest to achieve more than we already have. To achieve those goals, the government had set up several satellite channels and we had then assumed that a positive and competitive media would take due advantage of all those media outlets and benefit from it.

However, it was indeed unfortunate and disappointing that the independency that we had hoped for; and the objectivity that we had expected from those outlets simply failed to materialize for reasons that are beyond anyone’s comprehension.

I personally think that the main reason for this deterioration can surely be attributed to the fact that most of the media outlets were busy serving their own vested agendas with little regard for the best interests of the country and its citizens. The situation deteriorated even further when some serious issues that needed to be tackled immediately were simply put on the backburner; causing them to fester over a period of time until they literally got out of hand and exploded in the faces of all those that sought the country’s devastation. Suddenly everyone seemed to be at each others’ throats with hate, envy, slander, exploitation and avarice ruling the roost. In fact, I am certain that there is more to come in the near future as there are also those that have amassed fortunes through evil and crooked means and this will surely create a deep schism within the society. We have only ourselves to blame for this state of affairs since we have all worked together to attain our outrageous goals coupled with the fact that the media to fueled such disagreements day in and night out.

We are now in desperate need for an exemplar and constructive media; a media that only works in the best interests of the country and its citizens and exerts great efforts to achieve all national aims, goals and and aspirations. We need a media which highlights the truth of the matter without subjectivity; we need a media which pays attention to human rights and the issue of violations committed against citizenship; which cause further drifts within the realm of society. We need a media which emphasizes on the need to respect people’s opinions regardless irrespective if they are compatible with a majority of the people or not. We need a media which encourages us to respect the opinions of others and guarantee freedom of speech. We need a media which enlightens our way of thinking and which sets us on the right track whenever we tend to stray in the wrong direction. We must expect the media to play an exemplary and constructive role in society as it is the media which is the strong backbone of any society.

Ali Farzat

National Assembly

Government

When the sanctity of marriage is compromised Khaled Sultan Al-Sultan

W

ords of love, compassion and pledging their lifelong commitment to one another are usually exchanged between husbands and wives when they are united as one through the holy union of matrimony. During this particular union of hearts and minds, the lovely couple is usually surrounded by family members, friends and relatives who shower their blessings on the newly married couple as they undertake their journey through life. I recently went through that beautiful experience when my own son and his beautiful bride walked down the aisle and exchanged their vows together in the wonderful company of all those that loved and cared for them. Those times are really precious and in many ways simply unforgettable. People will remember and cherish that day forever and ever for obvious reasons.

On the other hand, there are also those people who want to be different and plan their wedding receptions in an entirely different way from conventional kind of weddings.

They want to be “different” in all that they do. I was literally taken aback when I was told that some people actually involve themselves in discreet marriages and then religiously try to endorse it as a matter of fact. In fact, in attempts to have some light shed on this issue, I had even sent a letter to Sheikh Salem Al-Taweel to try to

The union between a man and a woman is deemed by God Almighty and hence it is only His prerogative to shower blessings and consecrate that union.

get some useful and convincing answers on that particular issue but to no avail. I then went a step further and decided to search for answers myself. In my quest to find answers, I came across a PhD thesis that was written on the subject. I went through every single page in attempts to come across any sort of justifications behind engaging in such strange kinds of marriages.

In one particular passage, the author argues that the reason why people go through such discreet marriages is because of their urge to engage in physical contact but fear that they would be committing adultery since they are not married.

However such marriages have, since long, been shunned by the Saudi authorities due to their discreet nature.

He pointed out that the Saudi laws regarding marriages insist on having marriages conducted as publicly as possible while all those engage in such discreet marriages are severely penalized by law.

Even here in Kuwait; we have similar arrangements like the Saudis, but for some reason such laws are never activated and therefore people are never caught nor are they penalized.

In fact a strange incident was brought to light when one of the sheikhs who presided over one of those ceremonies was caught red handed. Now one would surely assume that his license would be revoked for engaging in illegal activities but to our surprise; the man was not even asked to produce his license; leave aside being fined or referred to the court.

It is only too obvious that since there are no deterrents; it is little wonder that people continue doing what they have been practicing for as long as the long arm of the law does not catch up with them.

I firmly believe that it is high time someone does something to preserve the sanctity of marriage by ensuring that discreet marriages are not permitted by law. The sanctity of marriage is not something that we can play with or even deal with it lightly as if it really doesn’t matter. It is also worth mentioning here that fake marriages are indeed a disgrace not only to religion but to society as well since a union between a man and a woman is deemed by God Almighty and hence it is only His prerogative to shower blessings and consecrate that union.

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views

sunDAY, may 27, 2012

The Nixon option for Iran?

Who truly speaks for small businesses?

William H. Luers Thomas R. Pickering Project Syndicate

R

earranging the deck chairs would not have saved the Titanic. Nor did the endless debates on the shape of the table in the Vietnam negotiations advance the effort to end that malign conflict. Nevertheless, many American presidents have successfully redesigned talks with adversaries in bold new ways to strengthen national security without war. Such boldness is now needed in the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt negotiated personally with Soviet Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinov to open diplomatic relations between the two countries. Dwight D. Eisenhower invited Nikita Khrushchev to the United States in 1959 to open the eyes of the first Soviet leader ever to visit America.

The bilateral US-China talks in Warsaw in the 1960s were fruitless until Richard M. Nixon and National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger opened a different, more direct discussion through the auspices of Pakistan. International negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program also need a new concept and broader agenda.

The Istanbul meeting last month concluded on a positive note. Both sides decided to find a way to avoid the pattern of mutual recrimination and sterile exchanges. The door is now open to an initial agreement with modest goals.

But don’t count on a new era without some form of direct US-Iran discussions. The talks with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) are formulaic, stagnant, and not likely to achieve any breakthrough on their own. The Iranians feel out-numbered by diverse participants with varying agendas. The US needs to reshape the environment to make it easier for Iran to compromise. The US should press for bilateral talks.

One lesson provided by former American presidents is the value of direct, high-level contacts with key adversaries.

Of course, a face-to-face meeting between President Barack Obama and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seems absurd to imagine - now. But could any meeting have seemed more absurd in 1969 than the 1971 meeting between Nixon and Mao Zedong? The US and Iran need to set a path toward broad bilateral discussions on worldviews, regional security, and plans to improve mutual understanding in order to minimize differences. Even without direct US-Iran talks now, the current negotiations need reshaping. The P5+1 should continue to negotiate with Iran on its uranium-enrichment program, while the International Atomic Energy Agency should negotiate with Iran on strengthening the transparency of its nuclear program.

The Iranians want to resolve their problems directly with the IAEA, and to avoid negotiating under the cloud of UN Security Council resolutions, which impose sanctions on Iran to force suspension of enrichment. This situation suggests a phased approach. First, during the talks in Baghdad, the P5+1 might seek an early confidence-building agreement by which Iran voluntarily ceases enriching to 20 percent content in the U-235 fissile isotope and blends down or ships out their stockpile of such uranium, which is closer to weapons grade. They might also seek a standstill on the deep underground enrichment facility at Fordow in exchange for provision of fuel rods for Iran’s research reactor and a freeze on some sanctions.

Second, the P5+1 could then agree to agree to some Iranian enrichment as an incentive for Iran to conclude a parallel agreement with the

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John Stoehr Reuters

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A handout picture shows representatives of the P5+1 -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- during a meeting with Iran’s chief negotiator Saeed Jalili (right) in Baghdad May 23, 2012. World powers sought to pave the way to ending the decade-old Iran nuclear crisis by laying out a new package of proposals “of interest” to Tehran. (AFP)

The P5+1 should continue to negotiate with Iran on its uranium-enrichment program, while the International Atomic Energy Agency should negotiate on strengthening the transparency of its nuclear program.

IAEA on greater transparency. These parallel steps would reshape the process to achieve a key US objective: ensuring that Iran abides by Khamenei’s own fatwa (religious decree) against nuclear weapons. Third, both sides will need to outline the long-term objectives of the negotiations. As the IAEA presses Iran for agreements on greater transparency, Iran wants to know where such agreements might lead, particularly regarding sanctions.

Iranians claim that each time they move toward cooperation with the US, a new problem emerges to block improved relations. Iran wants to know which sanctions might be delayed, frozen, or lifted in exchange for current and future concessions, fearing that the US will continue to impose sanctions on human-rights, security, or other grounds. The US, for its part, views Iran as a duplicitous and unreliable negotiator that is committed to nuclear weapons and unserious about talks. The time has come to test Iran’s intentions by reaching something like the two-phased agreements outlined here - a longerterm, step-by-step process with reciprocal actions, in which each side must give something to get what it needs.

Finally, even with step-by-step progress on Iran’s nuclear program, broader discussions are needed to address the many non-nuclear issues that threaten regional stability.There is currently

no forum to discuss Afghanistan, Iraq, drug trafficking, Persian Gulf security, emergency communications to avoid accidental conflict, and the sources of deep distrust and misunderstanding.

Some of these discussions might involve representatives of states that are not part of the P5+1, including governments that have closer relations with Iran.

To organize discussion of these broader issues, the US and others should explore the possibility of appointing a special envoy - perhaps a former Chief of State under UN auspices - to engage Iran in new ways. If Obama were to take the lead in reshaping the setting and the process by which the US and others talk with Iran, progress could become easier. The Istanbul talks opened the door to an initial - if incremental breakthrough agreement. The US now has an opportunity to establish new ways to explore common ground and reach a more durable political solution. * William H. Luers served as US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia and Venezuela, and President of the United Nations Association from 1999 to 2009. * Thomas R. Pickering, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the Clinton administration, served as US Ambassador to Russia, Israel, Jordan, and the United Nations.

veryone knows that small businesses hate President Obama’s historic healthcare reform law, right?

At least that’s what the nation’s leading small-business advocacy group would have you believe. Joining 26 states, the National Federation of Independent Business challenged the law all the way to the US Supreme Court in March. It claimed the “individual mandate” is unconstitutional and would bankrupt small businesses with unnecessary costs. Yet while the NFIB claims its multimilliondollar lawsuit is on behalf of job creators and small businesses everywhere, it’s unclear whether small businesses genuinely support the NFIB position.

A close look at its record suggests that the NFIB uses the politically valuable mantle of small business to pursue an agenda that may take its cues from elsewhere. For one thing, many of its 340,000 members, most of whom employ 20 or fewer workers, have already benefited from the law. According to a March report in the Wall Street Journal, members have seen costs go down thanks to tax credits that were built into the law. Small firms in industries like advertising have also been able to compete with large national companies for talented employees. As one member told the WSJ: “(The NFIB is) doing a very big disservice to their members” by opposing the healthcare law.

For another, the NFIB has a record of lobbying for issues that benefit big businesses, not necessarily small ones. Consider a widespread state tax loophole that lets big-box retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot transfer income to out-of-state subsidiaries. This loophole often allows the chain retailers to pay no state income tax, while small businesses do. Yet the NFIB has fought against closing such loopholes. Moreover, small businesses generally favor some kind of regulation, because such standards often make them more competitive with big companies.

The NFIB is opposed to regulation on principle, but it also claims, as many Republicans do, that the threat of regulation on entrepreneurs and job creators - they have a habit of calling it “regulatory uncertainty” - has kept businesses from hiring and thus from stimulating the economy. But observers across the political spectrum say this is a canard.

Regulation isn’t preventing businesses from hiring. Poor sales are. Perhaps it is no surprise that the NFIB fights for issues that the Republican Party as well as big corporations also fight for: deregulation, lower taxes and tort reform.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the NFIB’s political action committee has raised over 20 million US dollars since 1998. In 2010, nearly 94 percent of contributions went to Republicans. This year it’s 98 percent.

What’s more certain is that calling yourself a small-business group while serving the interests of big business has political advantages.

It spent $9.5 million lobbying against the healthcare reform bill in 2010. And last year, the NFIB received $3.7 million from Crossroads GPS, according to Bloomberg. Crossroads GPS is a nonprofit with close ties to Karl Rove, the political adviser of George W. Bush. Given the partisan affiliations and positions, it’s unsurprising that other groups who claim to speak for small business, such as Family Values at Work, cast a gimleteye at the NFIB. So do small-business owners and small-business advocacy groups.

Frank Knapp, president of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, called the NFIB a “smallbusiness pretender” and “lapdog” of the US Chamber of Commerce. In April, J. Kelly Conklin, a New Jersey cabinetmaker, wrote in the Hill: “Whether we’re talking about healthcare or taxes (or both at the same time), NFIB always seems to side with the big fellas - big insurance, big banking, big business - not little guys like me. Why? I don’t know.”

Perhaps few do. What’s more certain is that calling yourself a small-business group while serving the interests of big business has political advantages.

A Gallup poll showed most Americans trust small business to create jobs, more than they do large corporations or the US Congress. That kind of public opinion explains why the major parties can’t agree on anything unless it has something to do with small business.

And it explains why the NFIB, in speaking for small business, hopes to be seen as speaking for the American people - even though, if the Supreme Court overturns the healthcare law, it’s the American people and their trusted small business who may suffer most. * John Stoehr is a Reuters correspondent. The views expressed here are his own.

Is the euro ending or beginning?

Jean Pisani-Ferry Project Syndicate

W

hen the architects of the euro started drawing up plans for its creation in the late 1980s, economists warned them that a viable monetary union required more than an independent central bank and a framework for budgetary discipline. Study after study emphasized asymmetries within the future common-currency area, the possible inadequacy of a one-size-fits-all monetary policy, the weakness of adjustment channels in the absence of cross-border labor mobility, and the need for some sort of fiscal union involving insurance-type mechanisms to assist countries in trouble.

Beyond economics, many observers noted that European Union citizens would accept tight monetary bonds only if they were participating in a shared political community. The former president of the Bundesbank, Hans Tietmeyer, liked to quote a medieval French philosopher, Nicolas Oresme, who wrote that money does not belong to the prince, but to the community. The question was, which political community would support the euro?

Some of these warnings were inspired by deep-seated doubts about European monetary unification. But others merely wanted to emphasize that Europeans needed a better-equipped and stronger vessel for the journey that they were contemplating. Their message was simple: national governments must make their economies fit for the strictures of monetary union; the euro must be supported by deeper economic integration; and a common currency needs political legitimacy - that is, a polity.

In the end, the leaders at that time - especially German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and French President François Mitterrand and his successor, Jacques Chirac - set forth to sea in a light vessel. On the economic front, they agreed on only a bare-bones Economic and Monetary Union built around monetary rectitude and an unenforceable promise of fiscal discipline. On the political front, they did not agree at all, so the creation of a European polity remained stillborn.

Some at the time, like then-European Commission President Jacques Delors, openly deplored this narrow approach.

Though political constraints prevailed, the euro’s architects were however not naive. They knew that their brainchild was incomplete. But they assumed that, over time, monetary unification would create momentum for national reforms,

A family photo after a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels on May 23, 2012. Europe’s leaders shifted their focus from austerity to growth at the summit held on Wednesday amid accelerating worries over Greece’s eurozone future and Spain’s troubled banks. (AFP)

further economic integration, and some form of political unification. After all, that piecemeal approach is what had helped to build the EU ever since its origins in the coal and steel community of the 1950s. Few among the euro’s proponents expected that there would be no significant change after its launch. But this assumption was mistaken. From the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 to the tenth anniversary of the euro in 2009, the expected momentum for creating a common European polity was nowhere in sight.

Indeed, very few countries have bothered to spell out, let alone implement, a euro-inspired economic-reform agenda.

Having agreed to delegate responsibility for monetary policy to the European Central Bank, most governments put up fierce resistance to any further transfer of sovereignty.

In 2005, a timid attempt to foster political integration by adopting a constitutional treaty was defeated in popular referenda in France and the Netherlands.

So, contrary to expectations, things stayed put. Soon after the introduction of the euro in 1999, it became clear that the scenario favored by the common currency’s architects would not be realized. Everybody accepted - if grudgingly -

that the bare-bones EMU was the only game in town. Now, however, what did not happen through smooth evolution has started to happen through crisis. Since 2009, the Europeans have already put in place the crisis-management and resolution apparatus that they initially refused even to discuss. Simultaneously, governments, under merciless pressure from the bond markets, are introducing labor- and product-market reforms that they deemed politically inconceivable only a few quarters ago.

But the bond markets want more. The questions that they are asking more loudly with each passing day demand answers. Will Europeans agree to mutualize part of the cost of the crisis? Greece’s creditors (mostly eurozone residents) have already accepted some of the burden by accepting a “haircut” on their assets. But, if another country finds itself unable to bear the fiscal cost of the crisis, will it also shift the burden to its external creditors in some form or another?

And, beyond transfers, will Europeans, or some of them, agree to create a banking union (that is, Europeanization of banking supervision, deposit insurance, and crisis resolution)? Will they agree to pool tax revenues so that EU-level

institutions can credibly take charge of financial stability?

These questions are vital for the future of the common European currency. In spite of their desire not to raise them, European leaders face the uncomfortable prospect of having to answer them - and without much delay. The historical irony is that an environment of crisis is forcing Europeans to make choices that they did not want to envisage, much less confront, in quieter times. The Greek debt crisis forced them to create an assistance mechanism. The Spanish crisis may well force them to create a banking union. And the threat of a Greek exit from the euro may force them to decide how far-reaching a fiscal union they are prepared to embrace.

For many, recent developments mark the beginning of the end for the euro architects’ bold creation. But, depending on how Europeans answer these questions, today’s crises might one day be remembered as the end of the beginning. * Jean Pisani-Ferry is Director of Bruegel, an international economics think tank, Professor of Economics at Université Paris-Dauphine, and a member of the French Prime Minister’s Council of Economic Analysis.

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Sharq Sharq Mirgab Mirgab Mirgab Jahra Gate Sharq Mirgab Sharq Mirgab Sharq Mirgab Mirgab Jabriya Sharq Mirgab Sharq Sharq Sharq Salmiyah Jahra Gate Sharq Sharq UN Circle Mirgab Mirgab Mirgab Mirgab Mirgab Al-Jleeb Fahaheel Mirgab Mirgab Jahra Gate Sharq Fahaheel

Via

Shuwaikh 4th Ring Rd Airport Rd Ras Salmiyah 4th Ring Rd 4th Ring Rd Hawalli Shuwaikh Kheitan Farwaniyah 3rd Ring Rd King Faisal Rd Hawalli Hawalli Andalus Shuwaikh Shamiyah Nuzha Farwaniyah Farwaniyah Bayan Shuwaikh Shuwaikh Al Rai 6th Ring Rd Al Hasawi Sabah Salem 3rd Ring Rd Jahra Rd Shuwaikh UN Circle Jahra Rd Fahaheel Rd Hawalli Shuwaikh Ahmadi

KD 70 KD 140 KD 40 KD 40 KD 40 KD 40 KD 40

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Abu Halifa 2371 7656 Ahmadi 2398 0304 Ardiya 2488 1273 Bayan 2538 7762 Dahar 2383 0500 Dahiya 2256 0855 Dasma 2253 1917 Fahaheel 2391 2959 Faiha 2255 2693 Farwaniya 2471 1977 Ferdous 2489 0583 Fintas 2390 4388 Hawalli 2264 1116 Jabriya 2531 5855 Jahra Ind. Area 2457 5565 / 2458 7392 Jahra North 2455 2295 Jleeb Al Shouyoukh 2431 1234 Keifan 2483 2839 Kheitan 2472 2590 Mina Abdullah 2326 1144 Nugra 2261 6662 Omariya 2474 2160

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Central Adan Amiri Hospital Da’iya Fahaheel Farwaniya Farwaniya Jahra Mubarak Al Kabir Sabah Salmiya Shuaiba

23940600 / 23941455 22422366 22510854 23919098 24883000 24725149 24570583 25311437 24815000 25739011 23261927

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Adan General Hospital Al-Sabah Chest Hospital Al-Sabah Maternity Hospital Amiri General Hospital As’ad Al-Hamad Dermatology Center

Farwaniya General Hospital Ibn Sina Hospital Jahra General Hospital Mubarak Al-Kabeer General Hospital Subhan Renal Hospital Sulaibikhat Orthopedic Hospital

25624000 22802555 1828282 1883883 25726666 22533177

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cons u l a tes

Fax 2532 6274 2251 9497 2537 9212 2256 3052 2232 2430 2535 5246 2533 0882 2531 6041 2574 8389 2251 6550 2539 2106 2532 8613 2532 1453 2256 4167 2533 3341 2254 9360 2240 2971 2252 9021 2534 1007 2256 3877 2533 1179 2531 7429 2532 4198 2257 1058 2252 0763 2481 7103 2535 4707 2532 3904 2257 1192 2481 9250 2252 9868 2535 6030 2530 9401 25353316 2257 2182

centr a l 4 7 2 2 0 0 0

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Dasman Clinic Faiha Polyclinic Farwaniya Polyclinic Hawalli Polyclinic Inaya Germen Medical Center Sabah Al-Salem Clinic Salmiya Polyclinic Shamiya Clinic Shuwaikh Clinic Yarmouk Clinic

24832067 24883000 24840300 24575300 25312700 24840027 24874240

22447602 22545188 24726033 22611645 25750777 25524821 25723500 25610660 24848913 25336482

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I N PR I VAT E PR AC T ICE

Andrology, Male Infertility and Impotence Specialist Abdullatif A. Al Salim 2533 4438

Dermatologist & Venereologists Fahad I. Al Othman 2266 5166 Taibah M. Almonayes 2573 7477 Dr. Mohamed Bo Hamra 2266 5166

Dentists & Oral Surgeons Ahmed Al Balool 2262 2211 Badri K. Al Rayes 2574 2557 Duha Al Shaqan 2264 4614 Ebraheem Behbehani 2573 0000 Farida Al Herz 2257 3883 Maria Blanaru 2573 0000 Najat Essa-Bahman 2262 4595 Najeeb Kassim 2573 9277 Salwa A. Abdulsalam 2573 0000 Kuwait Medical Center 2575 9044 / 5 Endocrinologists Latifa Al Dowaisan Kamal Abdulaziz Al Shome

Gastroenterologist Mohamed A. Al Shimali 2532 2030 - 2263 9955 Urologist Fawzi Taher Abul Ali Yousef Mehdi

2565 0064 2533 3501

General Practitioner Dina Al Rifai 2533 3501 - 2533 3502 Obstetricians & Gynecologists Samira Al Awadi 2573 8055 Ma’asouma Maksheed 2573 1275 Mohamed Gamal 2534 9077 Mai Al Snan 2532 1171

2572 8004 2532 9924

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RESTAURANT • Café Library Lounge Al-Manshar Rotana Hotel Tel: 23931000 Hang.Out Lounge Galleria 2000 Tel: 25755588 Song Bird Café Hilton Kuwait Resort Tel: 23725500 Chit Chat Café Restaurant Safir Hotel & Residences -Fintas Tel: 25455555 Lounge Café Safir Hotel & Residences -Fintas Tel: 25455555 The English Tea Room Sheraton Hotel Tel: 1835555 Waterlemon Al-Raya Tel: 22244797 Marina Mall Tel: 22997666 Le Pain Quotidien Palms Beach Hotel Tel: 25633684 Marina Crescent Tel: 22244942 Avenues Tel: 24954632 • Casual Dining Applebee’s Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22407536 Fintas Tel: 23714559 Burgerhub Gulf road Tel: 22464818 Chili’s Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22452200 Chili’s Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253120/1 Hard Rock Café Salmiya Tel: 25710004 Ruby Tuesdays Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22444454 T.G.I. Fridays Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22544300

• Chinese China Hut Tel: 25656226 China Express Jabriya Tel: 25342399 Salwa Tel: 25653230 China House Salmiya Tel: 25713339 / 60 China Lake Al-Blajat St. Tel: 25713072 / 3 China Town Salmiya Tel: 25652541 Greens Al-Wafra Complex Tel: 22516031

Tel: 1815050 • French Le Notre Gulf Road Tel: 25758888 • Indian Dawat Restaurant Bneid Al Gar Tel: 22411728 Abu Halifa Tel: 23724251 Al Alamia Mall, Jahra Tel: 24554642 Taal Restaurant Salmiya Beda’ Tel: 22253142 Winner’s Salmiya Tel: 25739954 Abu Halifa Tel: 23711374 / 5 Riggae Tel: 24895501 / 2 Jahra Tel: 24560088/8800

Gulf Royal Tel: 23925390-Fintas 22622556-Hawalli 25710448-Salmiya 22244795-Marina

Asha’s Tel: 22244502/3/9 Marina Crescent Tel: 24954700

Noodles Salmiya Tel: 25712233

Bukhara Sheraton Hotel Tel: 22422055

The Peacock Radisson Blu Hotel Tel: 25673000

Tourist Restaurant Kuwait City Tel: 22411702

Noodle Factory Avenues Tel: 24954751

Mugal Mahal Farwaniya Tel: 24726126/7 Fintas Tel: 23915588 Salmiya Tel: 25722223/4 Sharq Tel: 22425132

• Continental Casper & Gambini’s Kuwait City Tel: 22430054 La Marina Sharq Mall Tel: 22426672 • Fast Food Burger King Tel: 22444466 Domino’s Pizza Tel: 1800800 Hardees Tel: 1888333 KFC Tel: 1888666 Little Caesar’s Tel: 1888855 Pizza Hut

Tikka Tel: 1822833 • International Al-Bustan Radisson Blu Hotel Tel: 25673000 Al-Hamra Sheraton Hotel Tel: 22422055 Al-Marsa Restaurant Le Meridien Tel: 22510999 Atrium Restaurant Courtyard Marriott Hotel

Tel: 22997000

L I S T I N G S

Beit 7 Kuwait City Tel: 22450871 Café Rio Al-Fanar Tel: 25732226 Dunes Ritz Hotel Tel: 22499911 Failaka Al-Manshar Rotana Hotel Tel: 23931000 La Brasserie JW Marriott Tel: 22455550 Ritz Shamiya Tel: 24820184 Shuwaikh Tel: 24844350 Square International Tel: 22437681 Test n’ Taste Villa Moda Tel: 24827010 Teatro Hilton Kuwait Resort Tel: 23725500

Kuwait City Tel: 22400737

Nino Gulf Road Tel: 22541900 Pizza Express Abdullah Al-Salem Tel: 22560273 Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253166 Airport Tel: 24342681 Tel: 23725500 Ricardo Sheraton Hotel Tel: 22422055 • Japanese Edo Shaab Tel: 22659590 Kei JW Marriott Hotel Tel: 22422650 Korea & Japan Restaurant New Park Hotel Tel: 25634200

Sakura Crowne Plaza Hotel Tel: 24742000

AlRoshinah Restaurant Safir Hotel & Residences -Fintas Tel: 25455555

Shogun The Palms Hotel Tel: 27070022

Il Forno Restaurant Courtyard Marriot Hotel Tel: 22997000 Johnny Carino’s Salmiya Tel: 22667050 La Piazza Kuwait City Tel: 24246639 Lorenzo

Manousha Salmiya Tel: 25722607 / 8

Al-Noukhaza Crowne Plaza Hotel Tel: 24742000

Fakhr Al-Din Restaurant Kuwait City Tel: 22423180

Villa Fairouz Shaab Tel: 22652030

Shrimpy Gulf Road Tel: 22563118 Totally Fish Marina Crescent Tel: 22244960/1

Garden New Park Hotel Tel: 25634200

Yeldes Palace Kuwait City Tel: 22455212

Kabab-Ji Tel: 1861616

Zahrat Tunis Hawalli Tel: 22662444/333

Mais Al-Ghanim Kuwait City Tel: 22402590

• Persian Kabab Al-Hijja Bnaid Al-Gar Tel: 22517512

Palm Palace Salmiya Tel: 25756331 Saj Express Kuwait City Tel: 22497822 Sarai Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253180/1 Shisha &

Sushi Club Al-Blajat St. Tel: 25712144 Wasabi Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253112 Kuwait City Tel: 22494000 • Lebanese Al-Berdawny Palace Tel: 25661117 Ayam Zaman Holiday Inn Tel: 18477777 Burg Al-Hamam Gulf Road Tel: 22529095

• Steak House Relais De L’Entrecote Al-Fanar Complex Tel: 25729600 Terrace Grill JW Marriott Hotel Tel: 22455550

Shabistan Crowne Plaza Hotel Tel: 24742000

The Gaucho Grill The Palms Hotel Tel: 25667370 -

• Seafood Al-Ahmadi Crowne Plaza Hotel Tel: 24742000

• Tex-Mex Chi Chi’s Salmiya Tel: 25625811

Al-Boom Radisson Blu Hotel Tel: 25756000

Tumbleweed Southern Grill Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253154/5

Maki Al-Blajat St. Tel: 25733561 Marina Waves Tel: 22244560

Flavors Restaurant Safir Hotel & Residences -Fintas Tel: 25455555

• Italian Ciro’s Pomodoro Kuwait City Tel: 22424004

Saj Express Kuwait City Tel: 22497822

Te l : 1 8 3 9 0 9 0

Salmiya - Jabriya - Keifan www.healthstop.com.kw

HOTELS

FIVE STAR Al-Manshar Rotana Hotel Crowne Plaza Kuwait Hilton Kuwait Resort JW Marriot Kuwait City Hotel Kempinski Julai’a Hotel & Resort The Regency Hotel & Resort Le Meridien Le Meridien Tower Marina Hotel Kuwait Movenpick Albid’a Movenpick Palms Beach Hotel & Spa Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts Refad Palace Safir International Hotel Kuwait Sheraton Kuwait Hotel & Towers Safir Hotel & Residences Kuwait

23931000 24772000 23725500 22455550 1 844 444 25766666 22510999 22831831 22244970 22253100 24610033 22824060 25673000 23908630 22530000 22422055 25455555

FOUR STAR Carlton Tower Hotel The Courtyard by Marriott Kuwait El Joan Resort Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait

22452740 22997000 23281897 22415001

Ghani Palace Hotel Holiday Inn Khalifa Resort Kuwait Continental Hotel New Park Hotel Al Bastaki Hotel Al Dana Hotel Heritage Village Palace Hotel Shiik Flamingo Hotel & Resort Swiss-Belhotel Plaza Kuwait

25710301 1 847 777 23280144 22527300 25634200 22555081 23902760 22520600 1 821 111 25725050 22436686

THREE STAR Imperial Hotel Oasis Hotel Safari House Hotel Second Home Hotel Spring Continental Hotel Ibis Hotel Salmiya Ibis Hotel Sharq

22528766 22465489 22443136 22532100 25742410 25713872 22928080

TWO STAR International Hotel Kuwait Residence Hotel

25741788 22467560

KSE drops 1.40% at close of week, KSX-15 jumps 0.63%

BUSINESS

sundAY, may 27, 2012

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week with two of its indices in the green zone. The price index ended last week with a decrease amounted to 1.40 percent, while the weighted index increased by 0.06 percent compared to the closings of the week before, where KSX-15 Index raised by 0.63 percent. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover increased by 35.83 percent, compared to the preceding week, reaching 23.36 million Kuwaiti dinars, whereas trading volume average was 293.41 million shares, recording decrease of 72.26 percent. KSE whitened different effects during last week, as selective buying operations were present, especially on Banking and Technology sectors, while profit taking operations were more concentrated on the small stocks.

Kuwaiti crude continues upward trend, settles at $102.91 per barrel Compiled by Al Watan Daily

KUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiti crude oil went up to 102.91 US dollars per barrel (pb) in transactions on Friday, compared with $101.47 on Thursday, reported Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on Saturday. Price of the Kuwaiti crude oil rose for the second consecutive day, following a bearish phase that had lasted for weeks, during which it shed 15 percent, compared to the level in the first quarter of the current year due to fears of economic recession in the euro zone and speculations over the Iranian nuclear file.

Meanwhile, global oil demand is expected to rise one percent this year, despite high prices and pessimism over the world economy, analysts with the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) said in a new report. The bank said it expects oil demand to be resilient and said growth would be driven by a projected 2.9 percent increase in consumption this year by non-members of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). OECD demand in 2012 is expected to decline by 0.9 percent, the analysts said.

In addition, the report said that based on recent trends, non-OECD demand could exceed that of OECD nations as early as 2013. Middle East supply, the report said, would be expected to provide 20 percent of the non-OECD crude supply.

Global oil supply should increase by about two million barrels per day (bpd) or more in 2012, about double the increase seen last year, in part because of the fact that Libyan output (up a projected 800,000 bpd year-on-year) had returned to the market sooner than had been expected.

The report stated that the Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ and Iraqi output (up a projected 600,000 bpd year-on-year) also remain high, with an expected further boost from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) NGL production, which is expected to rise by 500,000 bpd from 2011.

The report predicted that natural declines in output from non-OPEC countries, production losses for other reasons, including attacks on facilities,

Chinese one yuan coins are placed on 100 yuan banknotes in this illustrative file photograph taken in Beijing. Japan and China plan to start direct trading of the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan as early as June, aiming to make trade and financial transactions between the countries easier, Japanese media reported on May 26, 2012. The step follows an agreement between the leaders of Asia’s two largest economies in December to promote direct trading of their currencies without the interim step of using dollars to set exchange rates. The establishment of direct trading between the currencies should lower risks tied to fluctuations in the dollar and reduce transaction costs, media said. (Reuters)

and talk of an International Energy Agency (IEA) oil release, could combine to “generate the first significant increase in global stocks” in six years. In more news, in April, Kuwaiti crude oil exports to China rose 79 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) to 1.3 tons in April, equivalent to 308,000 bpd, while in March,

exports to Japan rose to their highest level in three years - 1.67 million barrels - as the country bought more fossil fuels to meet electricity demand after the closure of its nuclear reactors following the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Exports to South Korea also increased by 41 percent in March.

Spain’s Bankia asks for $24 billion in state aid MADRID: Spain’s troubled bank, Bankia, has asked the Spanish government for 19 billion euros (23.8 billion US dollars) in financial support just as a leading credit rating agency downgraded it to junk status. Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri, the bank’s president, said late Friday that the bailout would “reinforced the solvency, liquidity and solidity of the bank.” The request came as Standard & Poor’s downgraded Bankia and four other Spanish banks to junk status because of uncertainty over restructuring and recapitalization plans.

Trading in Bankia shares was suspended Friday while its board determined how much new aid was needed. The bank’s shares have experienced turbulent trading in recent weeks on fears it would not be able to cover the massive losses it has built up in bad loans to the country’s collapsed real estate sector.

Concern about the health of Europe’s banks is a key

constituent of the region’s financial crisis. Spanish banks are seen as particularly shaky because they were heavily exposed to the country’s collapsed real estate bubble and now hold massive amounts of soured investments, such as defaulted mortgage loans or devalued property. Bankia has been the worst-hit and holds 32 billion euros ($40 billion) in such toxic assets.

Bankia S.A. was created from the merger of seven regional banks, or cajas, that were deemed too weak to stand alone. But financial concerns continued to plague it - its shares have lost almost half their value since the lender went public last July.

The government decided to intervene earlier this month, effectively nationalizing Bankia, and injected 4.5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) in aid. Its shares closed at 1.6 euros ($2.01) on Thursday after shedding more than seven percent.

The Spanish government is trying to shore up the banking sector to get credit flowing to the ailing economy. But the cost of rescuing banks could overwhelm government finances, which are strained by a recession and an unemployment rate of nearly 25 percent.

The possibility that the Spanish government might eventually need an international rescue package - like the ones Greece, Ireland and Portugal sought - has kept investors on edge for months.

The big fear is that if Greece eventually leaves the euro, confidence in other financially weak countries like Spain and Italy could fall, causing the value of their bonds to drop. Ultimately, the worry is that could undermine confidence in the system and create bank runs. To avert such a disastrous scenario, financial experts are increasingly calling for a Europe-wide support system for the banks. -AP

See Page 10

Dow: Time to talk Kamel Al-Harami Independent energy analyst Exclusive to Al Watan Daily

KUWAIT: There is no doubt that everyone of us in Kuwait was shocked to read about the 2.2 billion US dollar compensation in favor of our long-term strategic partner Dow Chemical. This was certainly bad news for us and good news for Dow. The bad news was expected but no one was ready or prepared to accept such an amount of compensation.

This is making everyone in Kuwait talk about how to overcome and avoid paying such a huge penalty.

The decision of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) verdict is clear to compensate Dow for a case against Kuwait Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC). Now Dow has received the good news and has won and been awarded $2.16 billion as compensation for the cancellation of the K-Dow joint venture in 2008. Dow has also benefited from the ruling with its share prices which went up by 2.8 percent to become $31.37. We wonder how much Dow gained in one day.

Now that the ruling is clear it is time to talk with Dow and find out the best possible way to continue our long-term relationship and how to overcome or avoid paying the compensation promptly. We urge Dow not to go ahead with implementing its $2.2 billion award and to take positive measure to assist Kuwait and its industry to work out amicable solutions. It shouldn’t be pay now and we will talk later. It should be a mutual agreement with great understanding as we both could gain and lose together.

Now let’s translate what we want from Dow in assisting us in Kuwait to accept them again with open arms despite winning the number. The doors of negotiation shouldn’t be closed and we doubt if ever it has been closed, and whether the negotiation is still on or not.We want from Dow to freeze its demand on immediate remittance of $2.2 for quite a long time - beyond 10 years for example - in goodwill towards Kuwait Petrochemical Industry - as Dow is one of its founders, and has been in a 40 year relationship. Knowing well that the Kuwaiti government has assisted Dow in buying Rohm & Haas through a one billion dollar long-term loan from KIO, the relationship is there to be preserved and to continue its strategic business partnership with Kuwait.

Our current oil minster is the top official who can take the lead of the negotiation team with Dow. He is known to them and he served on the board of one of Dow’s company, additionally he negotiated several deals with Dow and is familiar with the geochemical business. The end result should be focused on preserving the current partnership with Kuwait, as we both have common interests that move farther than obtaining compensation and causing harm top the relationship we have with each other. The stake is high and the pressure is on everyone and the local press and media will be looking for any news to blame anyone, in addition to the domestic pressure on how to avoid paying the compensation. We are not here to blame anybody and it’s not the time for it.

Who did this and that and why we signed or didn’t sign the arbitration clause and why it included high figure for compensation?

Dow should act in accordance with its chairman’s statement that “It has been doing business with Kuwait for 40 years, and its partnership should remain close.”

We need to translate the last statement into actions for both parties to become stronger and come out winners. Dow is already making gains from winning its case and if we calculate the gain of 2.8 percent in its share price it must be transferred into some good lumps of monies. Perhaps Kuwait should have some of it or should be credited.

We wish to see Dow and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) both come out winners. This is a hard task to achieve knowing the environments that surrounds it but we must never lose focus of their main objective of keeping the strong partnership intact. It will take long hours of hard work which will certainly be worth it as long as no pre-conditions are set. It’s time to talk and not to lose focus as everybody in Kuwait is now a legal expert.

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

Facebook market makers’ losses at least $100 million

CAPITALS: Claims by four of Wall Street’s main market makers against Nasdaq over Facebook’s botched initial public offer (IPO) are likely to exceed 100 million US dollars, as they and other traders continue to deal with thousands of problems with customer orders.

A technical glitch delayed the social networking company’s market debut by 30 minutes on Friday and many client orders were delayed, giving some investors and traders significant losses as the stock price dropped.

The exchange operator is facing lawsuits from investors and threats of legal action from brokers.

Four of the top market makers in the Facebook IPO - Knight Capital, Citadel Securities, UBS AG and Citi’s Automated Trading Desk – collectively have probably lost more than $100 million from problems arising from the deal, said a senior executive at one of the firms.

Knight and Citadel are each claiming losses of $30 million to $35 million, potentially overwhelming a $13 million fund the exchange set up to deal with potential claims. Nasdaq also has to contend with the outside prospect that it could lose the Facebook listing entirely after having just obtained it. Facebook shares ended regular trading on Thursday up 3.2 percent at $33.03, about $5 short of their offering price. Action on the stock, however, has essentially become secondary to the fallout from the IPO -- its price, its size, its execution and questions about selective disclosure of its financial prospects. Regulators including the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin are now looking into how the IPO was handled. The US Senate Banking Committee is also reviewing the matter.

Brokers up in arms

Advisers familiar with the situation said many investors are now finding out, nearly a week after the fact, that their orders were not executed at the prices they thought. Fidelity, in a statement, said it was working with regulators and market makers on its clients’ issues “and we will continue to do so until we are confident that Nasdaq has done everything it can to mitigate the impact to our customers.”

Morgan Stanley is also still tending to trade orders placed by brokerage customers on Friday, two people familiar with the situation said. Nasdaq has said all orders were returned by 1:50 p.m. EDT last Friday, but a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney source said it did not get trade information in a “systemic, orderly way.

Late Thursday, the company held a call with its brokers and told them adjustments would be made to thousands of trades so that no limit orders would be filled at more than $43 a share for stock from the IPO day, a person familiar with the call said.While brokerages may have received confirmation of trades made on Friday, many were still handling customer disputes over what price they received on the trades, officials said.

The question is “who is going to eat the cost” of compensating those investors, said Alan Haft, a financial adviser with California-based Kings Point Capital LLC, which has $200 million in assets.

One prominent plaintiffs lawyer said what happened with Facebook was reminiscent of the dot-com bubble. “This is just another spin on the same game of unfair treatment of individual investors,” said Stanley Bernstein of Bernstein Liebhard. He chaired the plaintiffs’ committee in an IPO class-action suit challenging the role of investment banks in more than 300 IPOs between 1998 and 2000. The litigation ended in a $586 million settlement in favor of the plaintiffs.

Market makers loom

The claims by market makers Knight and Citadel could end up dwarfing some of the brokerage issues, though. “They are certainly facing the specter of some significant lawsuits if this pool is not enough,” a source familiar with Knight’s situation said of the Nasdaq claims pool. Citadel has sent its losses to Nasdaq for potential compensation, a source familiar with the matter said. Citadel’s hedge fund was not affected.

The head of trading at Instinet said it still had no idea when Nasdaq would respond to requests for accommodation - essentially, compensation for the order problems -- or if those requests would be honored.

Citadel and Knight, as market makers to the Nasdaq, honor their clients’ buy, sell and cancellation or-

ders. The orders are supposed to be processed by the exchange within milliseconds, but there was a nearly two-hour delay in processing Facebook orders at the Nasdaq. During that time, market makers had no idea where their orders stood. And in reality, the price clients bought or sold at was sometimes different than the price they actually got.

For example, Facebook shares began trading with an opening cross price - the first price at which those not in on the IPO could buy or sell - of $42 per share. If an order to sell 10,000 shares at $42 went in at that time, but wasn’t filled until later in the day when shares were trading at around $39, a market maker like Citadel or Knight would make up the difference - in this case, at a cost of $30,000.

Fewer problems elsewhere

Several analysts who cover exchanges said Nasdaq’s legal liability should be limited, though. According to the analysts, securities rules give Nasdaq wide discretion in determining what, if any, compensation it should pay to customers who claim that they suffered losses due to trading execution. Under exchange rules, Nasdaq’s liability regarding client losses from certain trading issues is limited to $3 million a month. Market makers will be arguing that Nasdaq was so grossly negligent that its actions during the IPO opening override the limits, said a source with knowledge of Knight’s situation.

Other firms said they did not have similar problems to those of Knight, raising questions about the scope of the losses. “The problems were where people were trying to cancel orders; we didn’t have that,” said Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak & Co in New York. “Because we didn’t have a problem doesn’t mean there weren’t problems.” Shares of Nasdaq fell one US cent to $21.80 on Thursday. As of Thursday’s close the stock was down 5.2 percent from its last close before the Facebook debacle. Over the same period NYSE Euronext is down just 0.1 percent. The slide in the shares is adding to the pressure on Nasdaq Chief Executive Robert Greifeld, who defended the exchange’s performance at its annual meeting last Tuesday. -Reuters

Oman’s bank Nizwa attracts $1.77 billion in IPO

MUSCAT: Omani lender Bank Nizwa, the sultanate’s first Islamic bank, attracted 681 million Omani rials (1.77 billion US dollars) of bids in its initial public offer of shares, 11 times the sum which it was raising, the lead manager for the initial public offer (IPO) said on Saturday. The bank will be listed on the Muscat Securities Market on June 12, Oman Arab Bank said. Bank Nizwa raised 60 million rials by selling 40 percent of its capital.

Oman reversed its prohibition on Islamic finance last year and now intends to develop the industry, seeing economic and political benefits. Bank Nizwa is not yet operational and has only a representative office; three branch openings are planned after the IPO. Another Islamic bank under formation, Al Izz International Bank, is expected to conduct an IPO of 40 percent of its 100 million rial capital by June, the central bank said earlier this year. -Reuters

10

ALWATAN DAILY

BUSINESS

sunDAY, may 27, 2012

KSE drops 1.40% at close of week, KSX-15 jumps 0.63% KSE weekly activity, May 24, 2011

points at a loss of 2.29 percent. On the other hand, highest gainer was the Health Care sector, achieving 17.15 percent growth rate as its index closed at 1,152.23 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Technology sector’s index closed at 1,145.44 points recording 7.39 percent increase. The Insurance sector came in third as its index achieved 5.63 percent growth, ending the week at 1,095.18 points.

Sectors’ activity

panies, realizing approximately KD 624.42 million, with a decline of 22.15 percent compared to same companies’ results for 2011.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 6,339.4 points, down by 1.40 percent from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 0.06 percent weekly loss after closing at 409.7 points. Moreover, the KSX-15 index recorded 0.63 percent weekly loss after closing at 976.1 points.

Sectors’ indices

With the end of last week, most sectors of the Kuwait Stock Exchange closed decline. The Telecommunications sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 3.96 percent to end the week’s activity at 923.59 points. The Financial Services sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 3.49 percent, closing at 964.78 points, followed by the Industrials sector, as its index closed at 962.57

Indian rupee weakening to record lows

What does the indicator tell us?

The weak external balance of payments, which consists of the current account and the financial account, has been a long-standing issue in India, and has worsened in the last few quarters. The current account - which comprises the trade of goods and services, income and transfers - has traditionally been in deficit. This situation is exacerbated by the high oil price and the weak rupee, which makes goods abroad more expensive. This trend particularly hits India’s oil companies that buy oil overseas and sell fuel at state-controlled prices. India finds itself spending more for the same quantity of goods and services, consequently hurting the currency as more rupees are sold to purchase US dollars.

The financial account, which takes into ac-

Benchmark

ź KSE - Price Index

Closing

6,339.4 409.7

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

2,612.7

Weekly

Current

Return (%) YTD-12 Return

(000's shrs)

(000's USD)

(USD Mln)

2,940,293

697,710

0.03%

7,061.4

(0.54%)

1,479.7

0.28%

2,464.7

8,462.9

1,145.4 5,708.4

(0.13%) 0.09%

(0.53%) 0.91%

10.0%

1,676,908

9,686,877

2.6%

359,779

163,217

9.3%

456,584

149,619

(3.6%)

75,641

415,843

0.1% 0.2%

30,577 45,905

17,724 31,282

5,585,687

11,162,272

Ÿ 9- Ahli Bank ź 10- Ahli United Bank

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

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

(70) 140

(0.42%) 0.84%

(1,869)

(0.25%)

P/B (X)

Yield (%)

5.8%

(4.3%)

4,528

3,798

3,988

15.0

1.9

3.5%

15,457

10,944

10.7

1.4

8.3%

2,120

11,439

8,087

26.4

1.6

1.9%

626

1,412

3.1

1.2

2.3%

3,102

1,265

35.3

2.5

0.0%

3,039

1,109

0.410

(2.4%)

1,080

3,403

2,067

NM

4.4

0.0%

0.890

1.1%

1,053

202

178

33.4

4.0

1.4%

167

130

NM

1.9

0.0%

0.590 0.168

3.5% (1.2%)

893 795

3,180 2,109

1,877 358

17.7 9.3

1.8 1.0

2.4% 5.3%

0.0%

1.3%

1,066 992

103.00

78.00

42.30

13.60

69.25

184.50

50.75

12.15

24.90 36.20

Return (%)

0.5%

0.0%

(0.7%)

(1.1%) 0.7%

2.5%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0% (0.8%)

Market Cap.

(SAR Mln)

309,000

Volume

(000's shrs)

Value

(000's SAR)

8.82

8.71

8.77

3.07

3.15

1.18

2.89

4.16

4.95 1.07

Weekly

Return (%)

0.5%

(2.8%) 0.1%

(2.5%) 1.6%

0.9%

(0.7%) 0.0%

0.0% 8.1%

Trailing

P/E (X)

Trailing

P/B (X)

Dividend

Yield (%)

13,387

1,380,525

10.6

2.2

4.9%

117,000

3,934

308,107

15.9

3.6

4.2%

5,466

230,638

10.8

1.8

4.7%

56,666

13,552

185,614

25.5

1.1

5.1%

48,475

2,571

177,103

9.5

2.6

4.7%

582

107,062

11.2

5.6

7.0%

45,675

1,025

52,704

10.6

1.6

3.3%

2,378

28,999

70.1

1.8

1.0%

1,574 671

39,325 24,550

11.9 12.5

1.2 2.1

5.2% 1.6%

84,600

46,125

44,841

37,350 36,200

1.28

2.9%

(AED Mln)

69,702

33,747

26,310

17,178

7,449

7,346

7,212

6,339

5,445 4,371

Volume

Value

(000's shrs)

(000's AED)

7,941

69,876

Trailing

P/E (X)

11.9

Trailing

P/B (X)

1.8

14.69

1.94

3.6%

31.22

0.89

2.8%

9.15

11.93

10.44 12.24 14.28

1.00

5.2%

1.79

3.7%

0.91 1.53

5.2% 4.5%

1.52

3.7%

48

50

Ͳ1.0 Ͳ1.5

52

Ͳ2.0 Balance of Payments

Ͳ2.5

USD:INR (rhs)

54

56

Source: KCIC Research on DataStream, 2012.

AprͲ12

MarͲ12

JanͲ12

FebͲ12

DecͲ11

NovͲ11

OctͲ11

SepͲ11

JulͲ11

JunͲ11

AprͲ11

MayͲ11

FebͲ11

MarͲ11

JanͲ11

DecͲ10

NovͲ10

OctͲ10

SepͲ10

Ͳ3.5

www.kcicͲasia.com/research

competitive and help reduce the trade deficit.

Also, the weak currency could attract investors, by both holding the oversold currency expecting future appreciation and buying cheaper rupeedenominated capital. Excluding any major euro zone collapse, RBI’s actions, as well as investor interest in distressed assets, are likely to bring the Rupee back to stronger levels, which could gradually become a supporting factor to curb inflation and reinvigorate the Indian market.

Licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Kuwait, it facilitates capital flows between the Middle East and emerging Asia by providing financial and advisory services, and managing third party capital.

Important Disclaimer: The information contained in this report is prepared by the Research Department of KCIC Investments and is believed to be reliable, but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted. Research recommendations do not constitute financial advice nor extend offers to participate in any specific investment on any particular terms.

Investors should consider this material as only a single factor in making their decisions.

Prepared by Camille Accad - For more information please visit: www.kcic-asia.com / www.asiyainvestments.com or email research@asiyainvestments.com. KCIC Investments is an Asia-focused investment company.

Dubai Financial Market (DFM)

Price

(AED)

ź 1- EMAAR Properties

Beta

1.49

1.59

1.48

1.21

ROE YTD Price

13.0%

5.9%

12.9%

(13.8%)

6.2%

(10.7%)

39.6%

16.0%

7.1%

(15.5%)

3.3%

3.4%

1.03

12.0%

20.7%

0.2%

(1.3%)

0.72 0.59

10.3% 10.6%

(3.8%) (1.5%)

0.81

Beta

1.23

1.06

0.83 0.76

0.99

1.08

0.68

0.82

0.74 0.73

Dividend

Yield (%)

7.9%

1,740

15,188

9.1

1.3

2.6%

21,055

182,754

7.1

1.0

5.7%

5,296

16,389

5.7

0.8

6.5%

328

1,030

6.4

0.9

7.8%

2,678

3,129

9.8

0.6

8.5%

984

2,858

4.8

0.6

5.2%

0

0

5.3

1.3

5.5%

0 102,315

0 109,549

19.4 6.8

2.6 0.6

2.0% 4.7%

Beta

ő 4- Mashreq Bank Ÿ 5- Dubai Financial Market Ÿ 6- Dubai Islamic Bank ź 7- Commercial Bank of Dubai ź 8- Arabtec Holding P.J.S.C. Ÿ 9- Air Arabia Co. ź 10- Aramex

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

67.000

0.0%

0.971

1.3%

1.910

1.1%

2.850

(0.3%)

2.890

(1.0%)

0.598 1.780

0.5% (1.7%)

15,228

13,851

11,328

7,768

7,252

5,809

4,537

2,791 2,606

Volume

Value

133.90

Return (%)

0.2%

138.10

0.4%

20.31

2.6%

114.00

(2.7%)

26.90

0.7%

77.40

0.1%

71.00

1.4%

139.50

(1.1%)

237.00 57.20

2.9% (1.4%)

Market Cap.

(QAR Mln)

ROE YTD Price

Price

99,171

9.8

0.6

4.4%

2,280

6,240

6.0

0.4

7.3%

5,643

16,973

12.6

2.2

5.0%

0

0

13.8

0.9

3.0%

31,011

30,113

NM

1.0

0.0%

7,616

14,474

7.2

0.8

6.5%

15

43

7.1

0.9

6.7%

34,116

99,771

17.4

1.5

1.6%

17,013 3,696

10,181 6,636

9.1 12.3

0.5 1.4

7.5% 2.8%

Chg. (%)

(BHD)

21.2%

7.0%

22.5%

12.2%

ő 2- Aluminum Bahrain

16.7%

25.1%

Ÿ 3- Bahrain Telecommunications Co.

4.3%

(2.2%)

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

27.6%

31.9%

Ÿ 5- National Bank of Bahrain

50.1%

4.8%

Ÿ 6- Al Baraka Banking (Price in USD)

15.3%

8.9%

ź 7- Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait

2.5%

36.7%

ő 8- Investcorp Bank (Price in USD)

10.4% 16.8%

6.9% (11.1%)

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

ź 1- Ahli United Bank (Price in USD)

0.600

Return (%)

(1.6%)

0.550

0.0%

0.476

1.7%

0.460

0.0%

0.560

0.9%

0.950

4.4%

0.390

(1.5%)

796.950

0.0%

0.23 0.155

0.0% (18.4%)

79,701

12.5

2.2

2.7%

508

69,967

9.6

2.9

5.4%

53,872

209

4,207

156.0

1.9

0.7%

365

42,147

10.0

1.2

2.0%

20,175

3,421

91,354

14.3

2.4

4.1%

396

30,800

13.4

1.6

5.8%

17,569

611

42,915

9.3

1.2

8.5%

108

15,095

10.7

4.6

4.7%

48 114

11,318 6,527

10.7 9.5

2.6 1.7

3.4% 7.9%

75,955

26,083

18,289

13,950

12,318 11,823

Market Cap.

(BHD Mln)

1,184 781 685 539 479 363

332

240

195 164

Volume

(OMR)

Chg. (%)

14.0%

7.4% 13.5%

Ÿ 3- Bank Dhofar

13.7%

10.4%

Ÿ 4- Omani Qatari Telecom (NAWRAS)

1.24

13.5%

(0.3%)

Ÿ 5- National Bank of Oman

1.34

6.0%

(1.7%)

Ÿ 6- Raysut Cement

11.7%

0.0%

ź 7- Shell Oman Marketing

0.14

25.6%

9.8%

ź 8- Oman International Bank

13.6% 9.1%

8.8% 64.9%

(3.4%)

ź 1- Bank Muscat Ÿ 2- Oman Telecom Co.

Ÿ 9- Oman Cement Co. ź 10- Ahli Bank

0.585

1.304

Return (%)

(8.5%) 1.2%

Market Cap.

(OMR Mln)

1,051 978

(000's shrs)

(000's BHD)

25,508

5,817

10.1

1.2

4.8%

294

162

3.7

1.0

12.2%

233

111

8.6

1.4

8.4%

0

0

7.0

0.4

0.0%

7

4

10.5

1.7

5.4%

25

9

8.1

0.8

8.4%

67

26

10.4

1.4

6.4%

0

0

121.3

0.6

0.0%

0 1,559

0 94

352.1 NM

0.9 0.8

0.0% 0.0%

0.674 0.200

(1.2%)

(0.4%)

4.0% (0.5%)

(000's shrs)

(000's OMR)

2,971

1,735

Trailing

P/E (X)

Trailing

P/B (X)

Dividend

Yield (%)

8.9

1.2

3.7%

2.0

7.7%

2.2

1.3%

877

439

6.9

3.0

7.5%

853

246

9.4

1.1

5.9%

247

536

657

16.5

2.4

4.0%

25

59

19.0

8.0

4.9%

225

840

195

12.5

1.3

4.8%

340 745

228 150

17.4 10.5

1.5 1.6

4.5% 0.0%

329

240

223 191

1.40

5.7%

12.1%

7.2%

(6.8%)

0.61

0.98

Chg. (%)

17.6%

4.8%

0.06

6.7%

(34.0%)

-0.1%

15.6%

1.14

11.1%

(1.5%)

1.61 0.27

1.31

1.01 1.10

13.0%

(1.7%)

8.8%

81.8%

5.8% 11.2%

2.0% (1.1%)

Beta

0.85

1.07 0.53

0.64

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

17.9%

(3.5%)

30.2%

4.0%

1.2%

(8.5%)

12.4%

7.0%

0.85

16.6%

(3.6%)

12.2%

(7.4%)

1.14

13.2%

(15.6%)

1.03

0.79

0.71 1.04

42.9%

(0.2%)

24.0% 17.5%

20.5% (10.1%)

Beta

2.10

0.21 0.93

0.76

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

12.2%

(9.8%)

26.2%

(16.7%)

15.8%

21.4%

5.7%

9.5%

0.57

16.6%

(2.6%)

9.8%

(12.8%)

0.34

13.4%

(5.8%)

0.77 0.48

0.51 1.20

0.5% 0.3% NM

0.0% (22.0%) 138.5%

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Value

8.8

320

0.230

Volume

35.4

1.0%

2.400

Yield (%)

734

0.289

1.2%

P/B (X)

ROE YTD Price

Risk & Return

Dividend

10.1

495

1.235

P/E (X)

Trailing

22

2.3%

0.8%

Trailing

566

0.450

0.505

Yield (%)

Valuation Multiples

Value

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

P/B (X)

Beta

Risk & Return

Dividend

598

93,694

P/E (X)

Trailing

(000's QAR)

Muscat Securities Market (MSM)

Price

Trailing

(000's shrs)

Top 10 Largest Omani Companies by Market Cap

ROE YTD Price

Yield (%)

Valuation Multiples

Value

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

P/B (X)

Dividend

34,028

Volume

P/E (X)

Trailing

(000's AED)

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Trailing

(000's shrs)

Bahrain Bourse

13.9%

NA 1.52

0.3%

17,543

Top 10 Largest Bahraini Companies by Market Cap

1.31

1.13

0.7%

3.03

(QAR)

14.8%

1.30

2.740

Price

1.00

1.17

(0.7%)

(AED Mln)

Top 10 Largest Qatari Companies by Market Cap

Chg. (%)

0.88

1.50

Ÿ 3- Emirates Integrated Telecom.

2.880

Return (%)

Market Cap.

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Qatar Exchange (QE)

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Market Cap.

0.0 Ͳ0.5

Top 10 Largest Companies by Market Cap in Dubai

Yield (%)

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

23.03

P/B (X)

Risk & Return

P/E (X)

(AED)

ź 4- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

0.44%

(000's KD)

Price

Ÿ 3- First Gulf Bank

545

(000's shrs)

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)

ź 2- National Bank Of Abu Dhabi

751,951

0.17%

(KD Mln)

Top 10 Largest Companies by Market Cap in Abu Dhabi

Ÿ 1- Emirates Telecom. Co.

16,678 16,823

(0.09%)

78

Return (%)

(SAR)

ź 4- Saudi Electricity Co.

124,772

(68)

(KWD)

Price

ź 3- Saudi Telecom

46,950

(0.69%)

Valuation Multiples

Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL)

ő 2- Al-Rajhi Bank

72,777

(2,568)

Dividend

Top 10 Largest Saudi Companies by Market Cap

Ÿ 1- Saudi Basic Industries Corp

369,293

Trailing

2.9%

P/E (X)

Dividend

1.1%

Trailing

0.780

Ÿ 8- Commercial Bank of Kuwait

0.07%

Value

0.610

ő 6- Boubyan Bank Ÿ 7- United Ahli Bank

74

(%)

Volume

2.200

ź 4- National Mobile Co. ź 5- Gulf Bank

(USD Mln)

Trailing Trailing

Market Cap.

0.730

Ÿ 3- Kuwait Finance House

104,658

Weekly Chg.

Weekly

0.710

Ÿ 2- Zain

India is one of the most domestic-oriented economies in Asia. So, in theory, the European crisis should have a less significant effect on the country than on its Asian peers. However, the nation’s strong demand for energy from abroad (80 percent of what it consumes) affects the country in its own way. As the rupee and the current account deficit fall, fuel subsidies weigh more on the government’s expenses deteriorating the fiscal deficit. In reaction to the imbalances, the financial account declines as weaker investor confidence drives the outflow of funds. Given the current fragile economic climate, a risk-off environment could spur further outflows.

Despite fundamentally adverse effects from the weakening rupee, the next few months could very well be the best time to enter India. To start with, the current level of the Rupee should help the export sector become more

Ÿ 2- Emirates NBD

Weekly Trading Indicators

0.0%

What are the economic and financial implications?

Valuation Multiples

Price

1.040

46

0.5

Ͳ3.0

1.0%

Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE)

Top 10 Largest Kuwaiti Companies by Market Cap

ő 1- National Bank of Kuwait

Market Cap.

Value

0.06%

1.0

24-May-2012

Volume

9.0%

count the economy’s foreign net capital flows (such as portfolio investments and foreign direct investment), also influences the foreign exchange of the Indian rupee: the higher the net inflows, the stronger the demand for rupees from abroad. However, India’s financial account surplus has been declining in the past few quarters, hence weakening the demand for the currency and fostering the depreciation in the rupee.

24-May-12

Benchmark

(1.40%)

INR per USD, invereted 44

1.5

KAMCO Research

Weekly Trading Indicators

Index

Since 2010 % of GDP % of GDP

KAMCO Research GCC Week No.21 GCC Equity EquityMarkets MarketsReport Reportforfor Week No. 21 GCC Equity Markets Weekly Performance

India: Rupee & balance of payments

JulͲ10

Why is this graph important?

India’s growth has been slowing down in recent quarters, and its currency has weakened.

On the domestic front, India has been plagued by persistently high inflation, requiring the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to keep interest rates at lofty levels, which has hurt investments and domestic demand. The central bank cut rates by 50 basis points a few weeks ago in an attempt to boost growth, although prices are still increasing _ a major problem RBI has been facing. The balance of payments is also hurting India: on one hand, the trade deficit continues to widen; and on the other, the fragile financial account surplus is coming down due to weaker foreign capital interest. As a result, the Indian rupee has been depreciating, reaching its current historical low, past 56 rupees per US dollar. Given that India is a strong net importer, the weak currency has been fuelling inflation, mainly through energy imports, increasing India’s dilemma of lower growth and stubborn inflation.

After a strong start of the year, the Indian Rupee already lost all its yearly gains, down five percent year-to-date, as the balance of payments continues to deteriorate. In response, the RBI and Indian authorities have taken steps to stabilize the Rupee. First, in order to boost

Market capitalization

AugͲ10

demand, RBI intervened by (a) selling dollars and (b) carrying out open market operations, as well as (c) introducing new measures such as forcing exporters to convert at least half of their US dollar holdings in rupee and increasing the interest rate on foreign currency deposits. Second, with the purpose of encouraging foreign investment inflows, authorities delayed new tax regulations, and blocked proposed tax changes from overriding any of the over 80 double tax avoidance agreements (DTAA) of the country. RBI and the government’s latest actions are expected to halt the fall of the Indian rupee.

Disclaimer: This report has been prepared and issued by the Studies & Research Department @ Bayan Investment Company on the basis of publicly available information, internal data, and other sources considered reliable. While great care has been taken to ensure that the facts stated are accurate, neither Bayan Investment Company nor any of its employees shall be in any way responsible for the contents. This report is not an offer to buy or sell any of the securities referred in the report.

KSE total market capitalization grew by 0.05 percent during last week to reach KD

JunͲ10

Central bank intervention to strengthen the rupee

The Financial Services sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 658.73 billion shares changing hands, representing 44.90 percent of the total market trading volume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 20.99 percent of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 307.96 million shares. On the other hand, the Financial Services sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 38.44 million or 32.91 percent of last week’s total market trading value. The Banks sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 25.73 million represented 22.02 percent of the total market trading value.

AugͲ11

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week with two of its indices in the green zone. The price index ended last week with a decrease amounted to 1.40 percent, while the weighted index increased by 0.06 percent compared to the closings of the week before, where KSX-15 Index raised by 0.63 percent. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover increased by 35.83 percent, compared to the preceding week, reaching 23.36 million Kuwaiti dinars, whereas trading volume average was 293.41 million shares, recording decrease of 72.26 percent.

KSE whitened different effects during last week, as selective buying operations were present, especially on Banking and Technology sectors, while profit taking operations were more concentrated on the small stocks, as a result, both of the weighted and KSX-15 indices managed to end the week in the green zone, while the price index, which is more influenced by the small stocks, recorded retreat.

In addition, more companies announced its first quarter financial results during last week, the number of declared companies reached 85 percent so far. The total number of declared companies reached 174 out of 204 listed com-

27.88 billion. With the end of last week, most sectors of the Kuwait Stock Exchange recorded a decline in value, The Oil & Gas sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization reached KD 391.53 million, decreasing by 1.81 percent. The Financial Services sector was the second in terms of recorded decline with 1.80 percent decrease after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 2.93 billion. The Insurance sector was the least declining with 0.28 percent recorded decrease after its market capitalization amounted to KD 334.21 million. On the other hand, The Health Care sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD 218.87 million, increasing by 9.55 percent. The Consumer Services sector was the least growing with 0.38 percent recorded growth after its market capitalization amounted to KD 803.31 million.

Beta

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0.88 0.66

1.29 1.02

0.97

0.38

1.00

0.99 0.81

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

13.5%

(23.6%)

22.6%

(0.4%)

6.1%

(17.7%)

28.4%

(22.3%)

12.2%

(9.7%)

14.6%

62.5%

42.1%

0.3%

10.4%

(17.9%)

8.6% 10.9%

56.0% (24.5%)

LIFE

Walk at Work There are plenty of ways to squeeze in exercise and some social time at work without sacrificing productivity. The American Council on Exercise mentions these suggestions: * Skip the coffee/smoke break and ask a co-worker to join you for a 15-minute walk. * If you have a regular one-to-one meeting with a co-worker, make it a walking meeting. * Take the stairs instead of the elevator, and see how many co-workers will join you. * Start up a workplace walking group to walk on breaks, during lunch and after work. * Visit a bookstore, gallery or museum for a stroll.

sunDAY, may 27, 2012

WHO agrees to tackle research on neglected diseases PARIS: Campaigners on Saturday welcomed a World Health Organization pledge to tackle research and funding gaps concerning some of the developing world’s biggest killer diseases.

Member countries are expected to hold talks later this year on an expert group’s recommendations that a globally binding convention is needed to address neglected tropical diseases (NTD), tuberculosis and others currently overlooked by the research industry.

It follows a meeting of the WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly in Geneva, where members adopted a resolution calling on director general Margaret Chan to set up the meeting.

The document, the result of three days of negotiations, meanwhile urges governments and the private sector to boost investment in health research for diseases which disproportionately affect the developing world.

“While there’s no doubt we are disappointed that there was not an immediate decision to move towards a research and development convention, countries have agreed to a formal process for considering the report’s recommendations and will bring these discussions back to the WHO in January,” said Michelle Childs, policy director from Medecins Sans Frontieres’ access campaign.

The WHO-appointed group said in a report published last month that public investment in health research was currently dominated by wealthy countries and their own needs.

The panel recommended a “global binding instrument” to help developing countries access the drugs and technologies they require and suggested member states commit 0.01

percent of their GDP to fund the work.

The cash could be raised through an airline tax, a financial transaction charge or a levy on tobacco products, it said.

MSF says that where drugs and technologies do exist, they often fail to meet the specific needs of developing countries and are too costly.

Lacking are more effective treatments for drug-resistant tuberculosis, child versions of HIV drugs and vaccines that do not need to be refrigerated, the group said.

In a draft resolution submitted to the WHA, Kenya urged the immediate setting-up of a negotiating body to develop a convention based on the group’s recommendations.

This was countered by a document from the United States, Japan and others supporting more informal consultations.

After about 15 hours of talks the agreed resolution requested Chan to “hold an open-ended member states meeting in order to analyse the report and the feasibility of the recommendations.”

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) said it hopes that national- and regional-level talks also requested in the resolution will pave the way for a global response.

“At this time of financial crisis, strong public commitment is needed to ensure new and adapted medical tools are made available, at an affordable price to neglected patients in developing countries,” said spokesman Jean-Francois Alesandrini.

In its 64 years just one international treaty has been negotiated under the auspices of the WHO -- the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopted in 2003. -AFP

FILE - A medical worker at a mobile testing facility for tuberculosis (TB) at Driefontein Gold Mine in Carletonville, South Africa in March 2012. (AFP)

Mystery Mars formation may be ancient volcanic ash

Kidney stone rate nearly doubles in 16 years

FILE - Medusae Fossae Formation (units outlined in red) on global geologic maps of Mars. (AFP)

WASHINTON: One of the Red Planet’s most mysterious landforms is probably 2 billion years older than has been thought, suggesting it may have had a volcanic origin, a new crater count finds, reports SPACE. Scientists studying Mars have long been perplexed by the planet’s Medusae Fossae Formation, a 620mile-long (1,000-kilometer) deposit near the equator.

Researchers aren’t sure what the formation is made of, and their efforts to find out over the years have been stymied by a thick dust layer that covers all of Medusae.

“It completely masks the surface from orbital view to spectrometers,” said Mars researcher Jim Zimbelman, of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. “So we have zero compositional constraints on it.”

Some scientists think the Medusae formation is a huge pile of compressed volcanic ash, while others suspect it’s a blanket of consolidated wind-blown dust.

Over the years, other theories have proposed an oceanic origin for Medusae, or suggested that much of it may be composed of Martian water ice.

A new study, led by Zimbelman and published recently in the journal Science, pushes the Martian oddity’s presumed origin nearly 2 billion years further back in time, lending more credence to the volcanic ash theory.

Counting craters

Estimates of Medusae Fossae’s age have changed over the years. Back in the 1980s, scientists thought the formation was very young - from a few hundred million to 1 billion years old, Zimbelman said. Studies in the mid-2000s pushed its inferred formation back, concluding that Medusae is likely about 1.6 billion years old.

Scientists arrived at these rough ages primarily by counting craters, based on observations from NASA’s Viking spacecraft and other Mars-studying probes. The more craters pocking a surface, the older it tends to be.

While some of these presumed ages differed by more than a billion years, the consensus had been that Medusae Fossae formed relatively recently in geological terms, after Mars had transitioned to the dry and dusty planet that we know today.

In the new study, Zimbelman and co-author Stephen Scheidt, also of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, did an updated crater count of the formation’s western reaches.

They analyzed images from three NASA Mars probes - Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The researchers found many previously undetected craters, suggesting that Medusae Fossae is far older than scientists had imagined. The new crater count,

Zimbelman said, pushes the Mars landform’s likely age back into the Hesperian period, a Martian epoch that dates roughly from 3.8 billion to 3.5 billion years ago.

A wetter Mars

Hesperian Mars was much warmer and wetter. If the Medusae formation was laid down in the Hesperian, that’s good news for the ash hypothesis, according to Zimbelman.

The new study is far from a smoking gun. To truly understand Medusae Fossae and its history, scientists may have to investigate the formation up-close and personal. And they might get a chance to do that soon, because Medusae’s western fringes lie close to Gale Crater, where NASA’s 1-ton Curiosity rover is due to land on the night of August 5. Curiosity’s main goal is to assess whether the Gale Crater area - including Mount Sharp, the enigmatic 3-mile-high (5 km) mound rising from the crater’s center - is, or ever was, capable of supporting microbial life.

Part of the reason for publishing the study now, he said, is “to just plant the seed in the Curiosity science team’s mind that, when they’re exploring the mound looking for their life features, if they come across any of these uniformly layered materials that represent the upper parts of the mound - that could give us the very first compositional measurement of what this stuff is.

That would be huge.”

Taking away recess bad for ADHD kids: Experts NEW YORK: Children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behave better when they exercise, recent research suggests, reports LiveScience.

Over the last few years, studies in animals and people with ADHD have shown exercise may reduce impulsivity and improve attention. The findings suggest exercise could be used as an alternative ADHD treatment, or in combination with medications, experts say.

Researchers emphasize that studies so far have been small, and much more work is needed to validate these results. And we don’t yet know what types of exercise, or what amount, might bring a benefit, experts say.

However, the findings raise concerns that taking away recess from kids with ADHD, which is a common form of punishment for acting out in class, might actually fuel more bad behavior, experts say.

“In general, kids who have ADHD need to have their gym class, need to have their recess,” said Dr. Melvin Oatis, a child psychiatrist in New York City.

Generally, if a teacher knows a child has ADHD, they should use other forms of discipline, such as encouraging good behavior, Oatis said.

Exercise benefits for ADHD

Currently, many of those who treat children with ADHD believe exercise is helpful, and some use exercise recommendations as an adjunct to, but not replacement for, medication, Oatis said. The idea is that

children with ADHD feel less restless and more focused after they expend some energy, Oatis said. However, Oatis noted that this isn’t the case for all children some kids’ energy levels are ramped up after exercise, and they can’t settle back down, he said.

Exercise and ADHD medications act on the brain in very similar ways, said Thomas Lenz, an associate pharmacy professor at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. Both are thought to increase levels of brain chemicals called dopamine and norepinephrine, which help people think, focus and control their actions, Lenz said. An imbalance of these chemicals is thought to contribute to ADHD symptoms, Lenz said.

Researchers have just begun to study exercise as a potential treatment for ADHD. Recently, Betsy Hoza, a psychology professor at the University of Vermont, and colleagues studied 17 children with ADHD, ages 5 to 8. The kids participated in 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, such as playing tag, before school. After eight weeks, children showed improvements in impulsivity and aggression, and were less likely to interrupt others, Hoza said. In addition, about two-thirds of parents and teachers said the children had improved on the whole after the program.

However, much remains unknown. Studies have not compared exercise with ADHD medications to see if one is more effective than the other, or if the two in combination have an additive benefit, Hoza said.

In addition, there may be sex differences in children’s responses, which researchers should explore, she said.

Take away recess?

It’s a common scenario for children with ADHD to have recess taken away as punishment for acting out in class, said Ruth Hughes, clinical psychologist and CEO of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), who often hears from parents about the issue. (CHADD is an ADHD support and advocacy organization.)

Lenz likened taking away recess from kids with ADHD to taking away food from a person with low blood sugar who has become irritable. The food, just like the recess, is what is needed to improve symptoms.

“You’re actually just pulling away the treatment they need to make that behavior become more in line,” Lenz said.

However, Oatis, the child psychiatrist from New York, said, for some children, taking away recess might motivate kids to change their behavior. And because children with ADHD can have other mental health issues, including anxiety, bad behavior in class may not necessarily be a result of their ADHD. “[It’s] not a onesize-fits-all,” Oatis said.

One of the best ways to help kids with ADHD behave better is to recognize and reward good behavior, Hughes said. “Find your kid doing something right, and make an example of it,” she said.

NEW YORK: Kidney stones are nearly twice as common now as they were in the early 1990s, according to a new study, according to LiveScience. In 1994, one in 20 people in the US had kidney stones, in the years between 2007 and 2010, the rate was one in 11.

“While we expected the prevalence of kidney stones to increase, the size of the increase was surprising,” says study researcher Dr. Charles Scales Jr., a urologist at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Additionally, the researchers found that people with obesity, diabetes or gout were more likely than healthy people to be diagnosed with kidney stones.While kidney stones can be treated,they can also be prevented by eating a healthy balanced dietand getting plenty of exercise, researchers said. Doctors should shift their focus to prevention, especially now that more people in the US are facing the condition, researchers said.

“People should consider the increased risk of kidney stones as another reason to maintain a healthy lifestyle and body weight,” said researcher Dr. Christopher Saigal, associate professor of urology at the UCLA medical school. The study used data on 12,000 people collected during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an ongoing study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Survey participants answer questionnaires, and undergo physical exams. The study was released online and will appear in the July issue of the journal European Urology.

Flavor of tomatoes lie in chemicals CONNECTICUT: Scientists say they’ve learned why a ripe, homegrown tomato tastes so much better than the bland supermarket variety, according to HealthDay News.

The University of Florida researchers examined chemical profiles of 278 tomato samples representing 152 heirloom varieties, most of which were bred before today’s commercial tomatoes existed. The heirloom tomatoes had an unexpectedly large chemical diversity.

The researchers than had volunteers taste a subset of heirloom tomatoes with the most chemical diversity and rated their overall liking of each variety as well as overall flavor intensity, sweetness and sourness. A statistical analysis of the chemistry and taste test results showed that flavor intensity was linked to 12 different compounds and sweetness to another 12, including eight that were also important for overall flavor. The researchers also found that some flavor volatiles (which vaporize and send scent molecules into the air) influence the perception of sweetness through the sense of smell, according to the study published online in Current Biology.

“We now know exactly what we need to do to fix the broken tomato,” and this could be the first step to restoring good flavor in commercial tomatoes, study author Harry Klee said in a journal news release.

“Consumers care deeply about tomatoes,” he noted. “Their lack of flavor is a major focus of consumer dissatisfaction with modern agriculture. One could do worse than to be known as the person who helped fix flavor.”

FILE - Tomatoes are displayed at the Australian booth in Berlin on January 20, 2012. (AFP)

12

ALWATAN DAILY

Technology

APP OF THE WEEK

Jumanah Al-Ghadban Staff Writer

App: Facebook Camera Category: Photo & Video Price: Free Platform: iOS Works with: iPhone, and iPod Touch.

Briefly: With Facebook’s recent purchase of the popular app “Instagram” comes a new application that features great photo taking and sharing tools. With this app a user can post a bunch of photos all at once, see all their friends’ latest photos in one place, play with crops and filters, tag friends, add captions, and so much more. If you are an avid Facebook user, who takes a lot of photos then be sure to check this one out.

TECH TALK RealNetworks to refund customers in online subscription dispute: Online media company RealNetworks said it will set up a $2 million compensation fund for some of its subscribers to settle a complaint filed by Washington state prosecutors over its e-commerce practices. The company, known for its Real media player and Rhapsody music streaming service, was being investigated by the Washington State Attorney General for allegedly charging customers for services they did not subscribe to. -Reuters Zynga unleashes zombies on smartphones: Zombies stalked San Francisco streets on Thursday as social game maker Zynga ghoulishly introduced a game that lets iPhone or iPod Touch users slash and hack the undead. Actors posing as the living dead were unleashed here and in Manhattan ahead of the “Zombie Swipeout” launch. The hordes enticed humans with free “blood pops” -- hibiscus and mint popsicles promising the “fleshiest” ingredients. -AFP Internet domain name project relaunches after software bug: A project to allow companies to set up a website with almost any address has relaunched after a software glitch exposed sensitive details of applications last month, forcing it to shut down. In the most ambitious expansion of the Internet so far, the body that oversees domain names has now given organizations until May 30 to apply for their own Web address endings - for example .london, .eco or .canon - provided they have a legitimate claim to the domain name and can pay a hefty fee. -Reuters Gmail hits send on improved email search: Google’s cloud-based email service, Gmail, is rolling out an improved search experience that will help users locate emails in their mailbox faster. Enhanced autocomplete predictions will be customized to reflect the titles and content contained within an individual’s mailbox, meaning Gmail users can type fewer letters to find specific emails quicker than ever before. -AFP

Microsoft sees ‘rebirth’ with new Windows 8 system PARIS: Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 series -- featuring an upgraded cloud computing service -- marks a “rebirth” of its operating systems, chief executive Steve Ballmer said.

Ballmer described Windows 8 as the “deepest, broadest and most impactful” Windows software ever created by the US tech giant, after the current Windows 7 sold at unprecedented rates to businesses.

“It’s really, in some senses, a dawning of the rebirth of MS Windows... It’s certainly the most important piece of work we’ve done,” he said in a speech to the Seoul Digital Forum.

Windows 8, whose preview version will be released in June, allows users readily to store and share personal data among various devices under the “SkyDrive” cloud computing service. Rival Apple already offers such a service.

The new Microsoft system will support a wider range of devices, including touch- and stylus-based smartphones and tablet PCs as well as desktop and laptop machines, Ballmer said.

Ballmer estimated up to 500 million users will have Windows systems next year, promising the “best economic opportunity” for device makers and app developers.

Microsoft will also soon introduce Skype powered by Windows 8, Ballmer said.

-AFP

SUNDAY, may 27, 2012

New Google data show Microsoft’s piracy problems SAN FRANCISCO: Google’s Internet search engine receives more complaints about websites believed to be infringing on Microsoft’s copyrights than it does about material produced by entertainment companies pushing for tougher online piracy laws. A snapshot of Microsoft’s apparently chronic copyright headaches emerged in new data that Google released Thursday to provide a better understanding of the intellectual property abuses on the Internet.

Google has a good vantage point on the issue because it operates the Internet’s dominant search engine with the largest index of websites. About 97 percent of the copyright removal requests sent to Google are found to be valid by the company, prompting the offending links to be blocked from its influential search results.

The new report includes a breakdown of all requests Google has received since July 2011 to remove copyright-infringing content from its search index. Google plans to update the information daily at http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright.

Google Inc. has logged more than 2.5 million requests in the past 11 months to remove links believed to be violating Microsoft’s copyrights. That ranked well above second-place NBC Universal, the operator of several television networks and a movie studio, whose copyrighted content was cited in nearly 1 million removal requests during the same period.

The data doesn’t identify the specifics of the reported infringements, but Microsoft Corp. confirmed virtually all of its complaints are about

A microphone stands in front of a Google logo during a press announcement at Google headquarters in New York, May 21, 2012. (AFP)

websites offering bogus versions of its Windows operating system and other software.

Copyright-protected content owned by major music labels also spurred a high volume of removal requests.

Google decided to share its insights on copyright abuse amid a rising outcry for a crackdown against online piracy that media companies have claimed is collectively costing them billions of dollars each year.The backlash inspired a piece of get-

tougher legislation dubbed the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, that had the backing of most major music and move studios. The proposal caused dismay among major Internet companies who feared the law would stifle free speech and innovation.

The bill was abandoned four months ago after fierce high-tech opposition that included a oneday blackout of popular websites such as Wikipedia and an online petition drive spearheaded by Google.

Microsoft also opposed SOPA, although it wasn’t as strident in its criticism as other major technology companies. The Business Software Alliance, a group that includes Microsoft, initially supported SOPA before reversing its position as the backlash to the proposal intensified.

Online infringements in the US are currently covered by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which requires the content owner to police sites for violations and then send requests to take down the material. Websites are required to respond promptly.

Google says it now responds to requests within 11 hours, despite a rising volume of complaints.

It sometimes receives more than 250,000 removal requests in a week, exceeding the total number sent to the company during the entire year of 2009. In the past month alone, Google received 1.2 million removal requests on behalf of 1,000 copyright owners who believe their content was being infringed upon at nearly 23,000 different websites, according to a blog post Thursday by Fred von Lohmann, the company’s senior copyright lawyer. -AP

Gadget Review

HTC One X, best android phone in the market more of the screen viewing area when accessing different applications and games.

Jumanah Al-Ghadban Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The introduction of the HTC One Series back in February promised beautiful designs and enhanced user experiences, and with the One X, HTC has delivered that and more. HTC has sent Al Watan Daily a review unit to put through its tracks and test out the overall experience, which will be tackled within the different categories seen below.

Camera

The camera, an 8 megapixel with backsideilluminated sensor, was dubbed, as being an “amazing camera” at the Mobile World Congress in February and HTC didn’t disappoint. Although the One X takes very good photos they can look a

bit dull in comparison to other handsets but that is simply because the One X adapts a more realistic approach to the photos maintaining a lower noise and saturation in its images. It’s one of the quickest camera phones we’ve ever seen with its burst mode. The most distinguished feature however is that there is no more distinction between photo and video modes, in short that means you can take a still image while recording a video.

Build and Quality

The moment you take the device out of its box you will feel a very well built device, one that entices its new owner with its polycarbonate unibody that’s matte on the back and glossy at the sides. In comparison to previous HTC models this design instills a new beginning for HTC while maintaining their overall look and feel of a clean and thin phone. Looking at the phone there isn’t much to see other than the speaker grill that is seen at the top front of the phone along with a 720p camera used for video calls. The most important controls are available on the sides of the phone, which include the micro-USB charging port on the left and the volume rocker on the right. One thing that is different than most HTC phone models is the micro-SIM card slot available at the top of the phone along with the power button and 3.5mm jack audio connector.

Battery Life

The biggest drawback one faces with the smartphones of this age is the battery life of the device.

Equipped with a 1,800 mAH non-replaceable battery, the phone managed to churn out 12 hours of moderate use which included checking email and social networks, making a few calls, sending some messages, taking a few pictures, and downloading a few apps. The battery life does differ from user to user and with the correct battery calibration apps one can manage to go throughout the day without having to recharge the phone.

Display

One of the strongest features of the One X happens to be its 4.7” Super IPS LCD2 capacitive touchscreen with a pixel density of 316ppi. At this resolution one sees the colors more natural than previous models. Some might argue that the 4.7” screen is too big but when it comes to the One X its perfectly balanced out and one can definitely use

The HTC One X. (Al WatanDaily)

gears

2013 Nissan Altima, features sportier design Compiled Jameel W. Karaki Staff Writer

CAPITALS: In the recent two years the sales of the Nissan Altima was higher than the sales of the Honda Accord and within spitting distance of the Toyota Camry in the hotly contested midsize sedan segment. To maintain their position in the market, Nissan has redesigned their latest 2013 model to feature a sleeker sportier styling, more horsepower, an updated interior and so much more making it a serious contender for best in its class. The fifth-generation

2013 Altima sedan has been engineered from the ground up for America in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

The standard powertrain is a 182horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Tuned here for higher mileage than ever, Nissan’s aiming for an EPA highway rating of 27 miles per gallon city, 38 miles per gallon highway, putting it on par with some hybrids and above leaders like today’s standard Hyundai Sonata, rated at 35 mpg highway. It’s plenty of power for the pointA-to-point-B school of driving, though the

FILE - The Nissan Altima 2013. (Agencies)

Performance and Software

The One X features the first Tegra 3 Quad-core chip, which promises to deliver a speedy performance along with the latest Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, and it doesn’t disappoint.

Navigating between available apps and playing games proved to be as speedy as advertised.

But the area that showed the most improvement was the browser performance, which has increased greatly than before. HTC has added their own customization to Ice Cream Sandwich within their light Sense 4.0 version, which doesn’t feel as bloated as previous models. To put it bluntly, performance wise this phone delivers and more.

drivetrain can be loud at the higher reaches of its range. Premium Altima’s will continue to offer a quick-footed 3.5-liter V-6 with 270 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, rated at 22/30 mpg. They’ll also be fitted with the CVT, but with standard paddle controls and a manual shift mode that simulates the gear ratios on a conventional automatic transmission.

The new Altima begins life with a new shape, which Nissan says comes from an emotional take on styling, and some advanced manufacturing techniques that enable some complex surfaces on the attractive new body. The front end wears some of the angled, arrowed cues of other Nissans and Infiniti’s at the headlamps and taillights, while the side glass tapers gradually to a tasteful backstop. The fenders swell out in ways that recall Nissan’s compact Juke crossover.

The interior’s a big contrast: it’s conservatively drawn, with straight lines dividing off the center stack of controls from the driver and the passenger.

There’s also more space left for larger LCD screens for more advanced infotainment systems, a selling point where the Altima’s lagged behind the Koreans and Americans.

Styling highlights, as previewed by the recent Ellure concept, include the now de rigueur coupe-like roofline, a grille shape inspired by a Shogun’s formal coat, and a rear-end shape inspired by the gate to a Shinto shrine.

In short, the HTC One X, is one of the best android phones running the latest version of its software Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC’s lighter version of their Sense customization.

If one can overlook its depleting battery life, but amazing sleek, powerful performance and build then this is the phone for you. It is currently available in the market in either a white or grey version for the price of 190 KWD.

Yahoo seeks to shake up search, Web browsing SAN FRANCISCO: Joining the battle to redefine Internet search, Yahoo is taking aim with a new browser enhancement it calls “Axis.” It alters browsers made by other companies to display search results in a more convenient and visual format. The troubled Internet company Yahoo Inc. released Axis in Apple’s app store late Wednesday. That version will work only on Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. The software also can be installed as a plug-in on most major browsers used on desktop computers and laptops. Apps for other mobile devices are in the works. A device running Axis can display search results in a panorama of visual thumbnails that can be scrolled through above a Web page. It’s a departure from search engines’ traditional presentation of a list of staid Web links that require more navigation and guesswork. “Searching through links has outlived its utility,” said Shashi Seth, a Yahoo Inc. senior vice president. “Users are demanding more now because we are all short on time.”

The biggest challenge facing Axis may be overcoming the perception that Yahoo stopped innovating in search when it joined forces with Microsoft and started relying on Bing. Yahoo is counting on Axis to reverse its steadily declining share of the Internet’s lucrative search market and bring it more traffic from among the growing number of smartphone and tablet users.

Its greatest appeal figures to be on mobile devices because users with the app installed can see their search results at the top of the screen just by flicking on whatever page is displayed. The relevant results appear in a ribbon of Web page snapshots, making it easier for users to find the right information. -AP

ALWATAN DAILY

entertainment Song Of The Day

Fahad AlSabah Staff Writer

Song: Cookieman Artist: Maxine Ashley Album: Cookieman Genre: Pop/Hip-Hop In short: Remember when Lady Sovereign first burst on the scene with “Love Me Or Hate Me”? “Cookieman” sounds a lot like that, only more tenable. Produced by Pharrell Williams, “Cookieman” is a calculated Neptunes number, from start to finish; it’s not “real music”, but it works.

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

The Buzz TV director-producer Robert Finkel dies at 94 Emmy Award-winning TV director and producer Robert Finkel has died. He was 94. Publicist Dale Olson said Friday that Finkel died April 30 of age-related complications at his home in Beverly Hills, California. In his long career, Finkel produced TV series with Andy Williams, Jerry Lewis, Phyllis Diller and other stars. Finkel won a Peabody Award for a show with Julie Andrews and directed sitcoms including “Barney Miller” and “The Bob Newhart Show.” Finkel also produced specials with Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and John Denver, among others. Finkel is survived by family members including his daughter, Terry. -AP

Katie Finneran to join cast of Broadway’s Annie Katie Finneran is about to get evil - playing Miss Hannigan in the new production of “Annie” on Broadway. Producers said Friday that the two-time Tony Award winner has been cast as the cruel head of Annie’s orphanage in the show that begins reviews Oct. 3 at the Palace Theatre. Finneran won a Tony for her performance in the recent Broadway revival of “Promises, Promises” and another in “Noises Off.” Her other Broadway credits include “Mauritius,” ‘’Cabaret” and “The Iceman Cometh.” Finneran starred this past season on Fox’s series “I Hate My Teenage Daughter.” Based on the beloved comic strip that debuted in 1924, “Annie” first opened on Broadway in 1977 and ran for almost six years, fueled by songs including “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” and “Tomorrow.”

-AP

Jenna Jameson arrested for suspected DUI in California Former adult film star Jenna Jameson has been arrested in Southern California for investigation of driving under the influence after she struck a light pole with her vehicle. Police say Jameson had driven her vehicle into a light pole early Friday in Westminster. She suffered minor injuries but refused medical treatment. A police statement says a field sobriety test was conduct and there were signs of intoxication. Jameson was booked and later cited and released. A statement issued by her website says Jameson is home and well but has no immediate comment. Jameson crossed into the mainstream after publishing a popular autobiography in 2004. She has twin sons with mixed martial arts star Tito Ortiz, who two years ago claimed Jameson was addicted to the painkiller Oxycontin. -AP

Court orders woman to stay away from Jeff Goldblum A judge on Friday granted Jeff Goldblum a temporary restraining order against a woman who has been repeatedly ordered to stay away from the actor in recent years. Goldblum’s attorneys obtained the order against Linda Ransom, 49, after she repeatedly went to the actor’s home three times this month. A previous stay-away order against Ransom from 2007 has expired and police claim she has told them that she will not stop trying to meet Goldblum unless a restraining order is in place. The filings state Ransom has been arrested three times for violating previous restraining orders. Goldblum first alerted authorities to her in 2001 after she attended one of his acting classes and then started waiting outside his home. “Over the past decade, I have experienced substantial emotional distress due to Ms. Ransom’s continuous stalking, harassing, and threatening behavior,” Goldblum wrote in a sworn court declaration. Ransom did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. -AP

Lindsay Lohan’s Liz Taylor gets her Richard Burton Lindsay Lohan’s Elizabeth Taylor has her Richard Burton: “True Blood” and “Ugly Betty” actor Grant Bowler has signed on to “Liz & Dick,” Lifetime’s movie about the couple’s tempestuous relationship. New Zealand native Bowler is best known to TV viewers as werewolf Cooter on “True Blood,” as well as the love interest of Vanessa Williams’ Wilhelmina on “Ugly Betty.” He recently guest-starred on the ABC primetime soap “GCB.” “We had seen (Bowler) on tape and liked him, but wanted to confirm the chemistry between the two,” “Liz & Dick” producer Larry Thompson told E! News. “But this morning we had Lindsay and Grant come into a room at Lifetime and the chemistry exploded. It was just Fourth of July firecrackers going off in the room. We knew from the chemistry that Liz and Dick live again.” Burton was Taylor’s fifth - and sixth - husband. The couple began an affair while filming “Cleopatra” (and while married to other people) and married for the first time in March 1964.

They divorced in June 1974, re-married in October 1975 and divorced again in July 1976. “Liz & Dick” is scheduled to begin filming June 4, for a possible fall premiere. -Reuters

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012

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Morocco hosts world’s artists, imprisons its own RABAT, Morocco: Morocco’s glittering Mawazine international music festival wraps up this weekend with performances by Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, after nine days of showcasing the North African kingdom’s cool factor - even as dissident Moroccan musicians are imprisoned for their anti-establishment lyrics.

The 11-year-old “Rhythms of the World” festival in the capital Rabat has always highlighted Morocco’s contradictions as the country spends millions to lure top world artists to perform at generally free concerts, while much the country remains mired in poverty.

In past years the festival has been attacked

by Islamists for inviting gay performer Elton John in 2010 and by activists for the cost of attracting Shakira and other high profile acts in 2011, but this year the theme of protest is freedom of expression.

Just a week before the festival began, Human Rights Watch slammed Morocco for sentencing a rapper to a year in prison for lyrics deemed insulting to police - a common theme in rap music elsewhere in the world.

“Morocco hosts one famous international music festival after another each spring, but meanwhile it imprisons one of its own singers solely because of lyrics and images that displease the authorities,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Mideast director of the group said in a statement. “Morocco should be known as a haven for world music, not for locking up singers with a political message.”

Moroccan rapper Mouad Belghouat, known as El-Haqed, or “The Enraged” was

Algerian singer Khaled performs at the 11th Mawazine World Rhythms music festival in Rabat May 21, 2012. (Reuters)

convicted on May 11 of “showing contempt” to public servants with his song “Dogs of the State” about police corruption. He is known for his political activism and vitriolic songs attacking social injustice, the monarchy and corruption.

A week later, dissident poet Youssef Belkhdim was convicted of attacking police - a charge he denies - at a sit-in he organized in support of Belghouat and sentenced to

two years in prison. The two men belonged to Morocco’s pro-democracy February 20 movement that last year brought tens of thousands into the streets protesting corruption and calling for political reform.

The extravagant sums spent on the Mawazine have been a mainstay of the movement’s slogans. Festival organizers maintain that the Mawazine’s estimated $7 million price tag is worth it because it improves Morocco’s im-

India’s Rai Bachchan ignores chatter about weight CANNES: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan says she’s is happy with herself and her weight - a rare combination in the world of celebrities.

The Indian actress was at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night, where she walked the red carpet in an elegant cream-and-gold sari to attend the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS auction.

Fans were eager to see if the former Miss World was back in shape after giving birth to her daughter Aaradhya last year, but she said she doesn’t worry about that. There have been some cruel comments made online about her weight but Rai Bachchan says she simply tries to avoid the Internet on that topic.

“An actor is in the public eye, there will be opinions,” Rai Bachchan told The Associated Press on the roof of a Riviera hotel. “I’m very thankful to everyone out there who gives me so much love and so much positivity that the negativity doesn’t come in here, it just doesn’t touch me at all.”

She laughingly says there’s no way she’s going on a diet for anyone.

“I think in life it’s important to be healthy,” she explained. “I have always enjoyed my food and I have never been one for strict diets and I’m not taking any recommendations now either!”

This is the 10th year that Rai Bachchan has appeared at Cannes as one of L’Oreal’s spokesmodels and the 38year-old actress says she is quite used to posing on the red carpet.

“It’s really been almost a part of every day for so many years now that I have never let it define me - it’s just a moment to enjoy,” she said.

She’s bracing to get back to work but would happily welcome another child with husband Abhishek Bachchan.

“Aaradhya is here and she is my angel, I mean, it’s just absolutely blissful,” she said. “If another child or children are meant to be, then God knows and I’ll receive the blessing.” The Cannes Film Festival runs until Sunday. -AP

Idol’s Phillips had 8 kidney surgeries during show LOS ANGELES: American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips had kidney surgery eight times during his journey to victory, his father revealed after Wednesday’s finale. And he’s not done with the doctors just yet.

Phillips was plagued by kidney stones as he strummed and sang his way to the “Idol” title, though his chronic health issues nearly knocked him out of the running.

His many trips under the knife over the course of the competition enabled him to stick it out and clinch the win, but he’s gearing up for yet another operation in coming days - this one to reconstruct his kidneys.

“I’ve been sick this whole show,” Phillips admitted to Kelly Ripa during a callin chat on Thursday’s “Live with Kelly,” adding that he was “getting prepared” to have the new surgery soon. “I’m ready to feel better, feel like myself,” he said.

Philips Sr. told People that his son did his best throughout the season despite the eight surgeries but clearly hadn’t been able to give 100 percent.

He said it would take “two to four weeks” for him to recover before heading out on the “Idols Live” tour. “He’s healthy, he’s good,” his dad said. “He’s going to have some fun.” -Reuters

Indian Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan poses as she arrives to attend the 2012 amfAR’s Cinema Against Aids on May 24, 2012 in Antibes, southeastern France. (AFP)

Britney Spears debuts on X Factor show AUSTIN, Texas: Britney Spears has been on the job just two days and she’s already proving to be a popular judge on “The X Factor.”

The pop queen is also growing into her role as critic on the Fox singing contest show.

“The X Factor” staged its first auditions for the upcoming season Thursday and Friday in Austin, Texas, and judging by the boisterous cheers and the “I love you Britney!” calls from the crowd, the Grammy-winning singer is already a hit in her new role.

She’s also showing she’s not afraid to vote against contestants or disagree occasionally with show creator Simon Cowell and fellow

age abroad and gives people at home access to music from around the world. The festival is funded largely by corporate sponsors with strong ties to the state.

“It’s a celebration. It’s a celebration of the city, a celebration of Morocco and it reflects a bit Morocco’s good life to the world,” said program director Mahmoud Lemseffer. “It is a vehicle to present the image of our country, of its hospitality and tolerance.” Tens of thousands attend each of the festival’s eight venues which present Arabic music, Moroccan music, music from sub-Saharan Africa as well as international acts, which this year included Evanescence, the Scorpions, Gloria Gaynor, Nigel Kennedy and Jimmy Cliff. Most of the acts have free sections open to the public and on Tuesday, families strolling along Rabat’s Bouregreg river stopped to listen to Beninian songstress Angelique Kidjo belt out classics from South African diva Mariam Makebe and talk about the struggle against apartheid.

But for critics, there is irony in punishing artists at home while hosting international ones known for their support of freedom of expression. Lenny Kravitz, for instance, has striven in song after song to confront America’s tortured attitude about race.

As millions are being spent to lure in big name acts, local theaters and dance schools around the country are closing down because of a lack of funding. “A country which puts its artists in prison simply for expressing themselves with their voice or their instruments cannot pretend to support culture,” he said.

“That’s impossible.” -AP

Producer of The Waltons and Dallas Lee Rich dies

NEW YORK: Lee Rich, the Emmy-winning TV and film executive who produced such shows as “The Waltons,” “Eight Is Enough” and “Dallas,” has died. He was 85.

Rich, who was also the former chairman and chief executive of MGM/UA Communications, said he considered his greatest accomplishment to be co-founding Lorimar, which produced the shows. It went on to produce “Family Matters,” “Full House” and “Perfect Strangers,” among other series.

Rich started in television at the advertising agency Benton & Bowles, where he helped package and sell both “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Danny Thomas Show.” In 1965 he left to start his own production company, Mirisch-Rich Productions, which produced such shows as “The Rat Patrol” and one of the first Garry Marshall/ Jerry Belson shows, “Hey, Landlord.”

He co-founded Lorimar in 1969, which also produced television movies including “Sybil” and “Helter Skelter.” He talked about the company’s early days in a 1999 interview for the Archive of American Television.

Gesturing toward his wife, he said, “She and I took it from the beginning and built it to... the largest supplier of network television that there was, just for a little independent company.”

He said he saw it as a place where creative people could be happy. “That gave me a great deal of joy,” he said.

He was nominated for five Emmys and won for producing “The Waltons” in 1973.

Rich left Lorimar in 1986 and presided over MGM-UA from then until to 1988. He later produced films including “Passenger 57” and “The Score.” -Reuters

judges Demi Lovato and L.A. Reid.

“I feel like your song was just in the wrong key,” Spears told a contestant Friday, adding that choosing a different song would have been “more interesting.”

She told another contestant, “Your voice is really sweet, but I feel like you need a little more training.”

Spears has yet to develop the chattiness that Lovato, also a new judge, had with the often nervous contestants. While Spears was direct but brief with her opinions, Lovato demonstrated a more casual rapport with the singers, even when it was clear they weren’t going

to be cut.

Spears, 30, was brought in to help boost ratings for “The X Factor” after its debut season fell short of Cowell’s predictions. The former child performer became an international star with her 1999 debut album, “... Baby One More Time.” Other hits have come (“Oops!...

I Did It Again,” “Toxic”) but her personal life has been difficult, with rehab spells and time in a psychiatric ward.

For her judging debut, Spears wore a bright neon pink dress and she sat next to Cowell during Friday’s auditions. The two routinely chatted during the breaks between singers. -AP

This May 24, 2012 photo released by Fox shows judges, from left, L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and Simon Cowell from the singing competition series, “The X Factor,” in Austin, Texas. (AP)

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ALWATAN DAILY

AROUND TOWN / TIME OUT

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012

If you have an event you wish to include, please email: aroundtown@alwatandaily.com

Feature o f

graffiti

the day

moderately confused

TROPFEST Arabia to offer short film workshop in Kuwait

KUWAIT: On behalf of TROPFEST Arabia, Arab film analyst Alaa Karkouti will host a workshop on short filmmaking and provide tips on how to make a successful TROPFEST Arabia short film in Kuwait City on May 29, supported by multi award-winning Kuwaiti Director Amer Al Zuhair.

The two hour workshop on short film creation for aspiring filmmakers will be held at Cinescape on Tuesday May 29 from 7.00 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. The workshop will outline how to successfully submit a film for TROPFEST Arabia 2012, the short film festival that supports first time and emerging filmmakers. The aim of TROPFEST Arabia is to contribute to the development of the Arab film industry by providing an opportunity for the region’s filmmakers to bring their short films to the community. The second edition of TROPFEST Arabia will take place in Abu Dhabi in October 2012.

Director Amer Al Zuhair has won numerous awards throughout his career, including the Bronze Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival 1984 for the short narrative ‘A Matter of Choice’; the Best Documentary award at Gulf Film Festival 2008, for the documentary film ‘When the People Spoke- part 2’; and the Special Jury Prize at Gulf Film Festival 2009, for ‘When the People Spokepart 3’. Previous film credits include ‘Oil on Canvas’, ‘A Profile of a Martyr’, and ‘Love Potion’.

The workshop will cover the short filmmaking process and expose participants to submissions from TROPFEST Arabia 2011 as well as the TROPFEST Arabia signature item, which this year is ‘2’ and must be used as a creative part of all TROPFEST Arabia submissions. It will also give participants the opportunity to raise questions and gain further insight into the TROP-

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FEST Arabia festival, and the role that short films are increasingly playing in the region’s rapidly growing media industry.

In order to be eligible to participate in the TROPFEST Arabia workshops and submit a film entry, participants must be a citizen of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region including Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

To register for TROPEST Arabia workshops or to get further details on how to submit a film, visit: www. tropfest.com/arabia

General A n n o u n c e m e n t s

a glance Arts presents Carnevale, an extravaganza of dance and celebrations from across the Globe.

The event will take place starting June 8th until June 9th on the British School of Kuwait Campus at Salwa Block 1, Street 1, Villa 32. For more information please contact 60052087/25623604.

New Toastmasters Club Second and fourth Tuesday/ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. / Jabriya: A new Toastmasters Club is being formed and encouraging new members to join. Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. It is a non-profit international organization dedicated to improve member’s communication and leadership skills by attending and participating toastmasters meetings.

For more information, please contact Khaled Al-Hashem at 65588824.

K’S PATH invites applicants for the adoption of pets Lilly is a gentle and gorgeous two-year-old female Tiffany cat. She is confident and loves being the center of attention. Lilly will be a wonderful addition to a family with children aged 5 and above. To adopt contact K’S PATH at (+965) 67001622 or visit the website www. kspath.org

Waist Watchers Sadu House Tour May 28/ 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m./Sadu House: The Sadu House is a place to discover the Bedouin art of weaving, it’s styles and history. Established in 1979 and now renovated it exhibits a wonderful collection of textiles. Souvenirs are also available for purchase in it’s on site shop. The event is available for public (registration needed) and costs 2KD for admission. It will be held in Sadu House, Gulf Road, in front of the National Museum. For more info contact 25335280.

AUB Annual Gala Dinner June 1/ 8:00 p.m./Sheraton Hotel: AUB Alumini in Kuwait hold a Charity Gala dinner each eyar to raise money for students on financial aid at the university.

This year, the event will take place on June 1st with the Comedy Night from Lebanon as the main attraction of the night. The event will commence at 8:00 p.m., at the Diamond Ballroom in the Sheraton Hotel. The event is available for public and is free of charge.

BAIA Carnevale June 8 - 9/ 1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m./Salwa: The British Academy of International

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.

Cissi is a pretty and friendly 6-month-old mix-breed female dog who loves to play and run. She is very affectionate and enjoys a cuddle. Cissi will do great in a family with children aged 8 and above.

Hip Hop at BAIA 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.

Brainbang session October 7-April/ 11:45 a.m. -1:45 p.m. /Salmiya: BRAINBANG, the creative arm of Friends of CRY Club (FOCC) invites all students aged 11 and above, to join us fortnightly on Fridays.

The areas of development are: Creativity in learning, tools and techniques to empower your mind, profile based learning, activity, fun, games and worksheet based assignments, practical experiments, mind gymnastics and application of learning techniques to conventional study. E-mail: brainbang@focckwt.org or call 25660835/25618471/97677820.

Dilbert

Ugandans in Kuwait (UIK) Are you a Ugandan living and working in Kuwait? Would you like to get in touch with other Ugandans in Kuwait both socially and professionally? We would like to invite you to register with the Ugandans in Kuwait (UIK) association, an informal organization of Ugandans living and working in Kuwait. This association is voluntary. It is designed to create a forum for Ugandans in Kuwait to foster a sense of community, to communicate more effectively with each other and to encourage Ugandans out here to work together.We are also planning a celebration to mark 50 years of Ugandan’s Independence this year. If you have any questions regarding this then please send an email at ugandansinkuwait@gmail.com.

Embassy of Korea The Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishes to inform that it has moved to Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2, Plot 6. Contact: 25378621/2/3/4/5. The embassy also wishes to inform that it will be opened to the public on the following office hours: Morning: 8 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Lunch break: 12:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. Afternoon: 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Nancy

Horoscopes Aries: March 21 - April 19

Today is an excellent day for you to say exactly how you feel, Aries. Your thinking is so sharp and clear. You’ll find that once you start talking, you may never stop. People will listen extra carefully to your words. You have a great deal of influence on others. If you realize just how much impact you have on the people around you, you’ll be able to accomplish a great deal.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

You might find that your brain is chugging along in the slow lane today, Taurus. It could even be gradually creeping over to the breakdown lane! It may be more difficult to come up with your quick, witty rebuttals in conversations. Take your time and make sure you choose your words very carefully. Communicating with others might be a bit like pulling teeth out today.

Gemini: May 21- June 21

You might find that words aren’t the best way to communicate, Gemini. Body language and the sense of touch and taste are much more effective. You’ll find your senses heightened overall. The smell of the restaurant several blocks away could make your taste buds water. Give in to your senses and let your feet follow the nose.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

Things are apt to get intense for you today, Cancer.

There will be a lot of information coming your way, but it all won’t be great. It seems someone is putting a block in your path, making it difficult for you to pass. Don’t let this stop you. Use all your creative ability and resolute nature to find ways around any obstacles. Experiences like this will only make you stronger.

Leo: July 23 - August 22

Your head may be buzzing with activity, Leo. It seems like the spotlight suddenly has been turned on. Your mind is on stage and your brainpower is being tested. Are you prepared for the challenge?

Remember the importance of individuality. Don’t become just another typical cookie from the same old cookie cutter. Be your own smart person and think for yourself.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

Focus on the simple pleasures today, Virgo. Don’t feel like you have to search far-off lands or engage in expensive recreational activities to find happiness and peace. Realize that all you need is all inside you. Find your happiness in delighting in nature. Smile at the Sun, Moon and even the trees.

Libra: September 23 - October 22

Focus on your creative mind, Libra. This is a very fertile time for planting hearty seeds that will be sure to grow up healthy and strong. You have the ability to be very prosperous, but it certainly won’t come easily. The key for you is to maintain cool. Don’t react to annoyances that come your way. You’re above petty squabbles, so just don’t waste your time on them.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21

Motivation must come from within, Scorpio. The only thing that can pull you out of bed is your inner drive and determination. Too much partying could leave you drained to the point that you don’t want to move. Remember moderation. Be good to your body. Go outside and let your thoughts radiate outward like rays of sunshine.

Feel the ground beneath your feet.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

If you’re in love, Sagittarius, you’ll love today. You could plan almost anything from a little trip together to a lifetime full of children and grandchildren.

Even though your foresight at times overcomes your spontaneity, yield to the unexpected; a little bit. The future will be a bright contrast after the comparative gloom of past few weeks.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

Strong forces may be acting up and asking you to stand up a little straighter than usual, Capricorn.

Keep your shoulders back and be proud. Don’t think of yourself as any less of a person because there is disagreement between you and the people around you.

Maintain respect for yourself and your opinions. Say things with confidence. Don’t back down, fight!

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Feel free to take the lazy route today, Aquarius.

Don’t lift a finger if you don’t really have to. It may be hard to get others moving as well. You can prod all you want, but, if people don’t want to go, they aren’t going to. Your flexible nature might be put to test. More than likely, you’ll find that you need to adapt to the whims of others rather than the other way around.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

Your thinking is steady and reserved today, Pisces.

You’ll find that your mind is right in line with your ego, and you’ll be able to accurately verbalize what’s going on inside. You might be guarded about how much you tell people. It could be that others are holding information from you.

ALWATAN DAILY

SPORTS

SUNDAY, may 27, 2012

15

Formula one

Schumacher hands Monaco pole to Webber MONACO: Michael Schumacher rolled back the years in electrifying fashion to qualify fastest for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday, only to be deprived of a sensational pole position by a five place grid penalty.

Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber, who was second, inherited the top slot - which will make it the second time in two races that the quickest driver on Saturday has not started first on Sunday.

Schumacher, 43 and in the third season of his comeback with Mercedes, had picked up his penalty at the previous Spanish Grand Prix for a collision with Brazilian Bruno Senna’s Williams in Barcelona.

Without it, the German would have been on pole for the first time since the 2006 French Grand Prix and 69th time in his extraordinary career.

Saturday’s qualifying was still a triumph for the seven-times world champion and winner of 91 races including five in Monaco, who has yet to stand on the podium since he retired from Ferrari in 2006.

Schumacher’s team mate and fellow-German Nico Rosberg will line up alongside Webber on the front row with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Frenchman Romain Grosjean, driving a Lotus, behind the front pair.

“I saw my time on the dashboard and thought it shouldn’t be too bad,” grinned Schumacher, who has had some of his greatest and worst moments on the Mediterranean principality’s tight street circuit. “It’s beautiful.”

Ironically, the last time Schumacher took pole in Monaco he was also stripped of it - with Ferrari in 2006 in scandalous circumstances.

That time he was sent to the back by stewards who, after lengthy deliberation, ruled that he had deliberately stopped his car at the Rascasse corner to stop the session and deny Renault’s Fernando Alonso the pole.

That was all ancient history on Saturday, with genuine applause for the German instead of the boos and catcalls of six years ago.

Webber, a Monaco winner in 2010 but also yet to appear on the podium this season, recognized that it was Schumacher’s day in the sunshine but was also

Mercedes Formula One driver Michael Schumacher (left) of Germany reacts being the fastest in qualifying at the Monaco F1 Grand Prix May 26, 2012. (Reuters)

delighted with his lap.

“It’s nice to move up a position, of all places it’s good to start towards the front here,” he said of a track where passing is rarely easy or straightforward even with the boost of KERS and moveable rear wing. His team mate, double world champion Sebastian Vettel who won last year, qualified 10th.

Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, winner in Spain after inheriting pole from a penalized Hamilton, saw his hopes of a second win in a row virtually disappear after he was handed a 10 place penalty for causing a collision with Sauber’s Mexican Sergio Perez in final practice. Maldonado will start 19th.

Tennis

Serbia beats Czech Republic to win Team World Cup DUESSELDORF, Germany: Serbia overcame the Czech Republic in the final of the World Team Cup on Saturday to clinch the title for the second time.

Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki won their singles matches to give Serbia an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series at the Rochus Club.

The No. 8-ranked Tipsarevic was first off the mark

when he snapped a three-match losing streak against the No. 7-ranked Tomas Berdych with a 7-5, 7-6 (8) victory.

Then Troicki recovered from a terrible opening set to beat Radek Stepanek 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. The doubles match to be played later Saturday will have no bearing on the final result, leaving Serbia to celebrate its first title since 2009. -AP

Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia returns to his opponent Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic during the final of the World Team Cup tennis tournament at the Rochusclub in Duesseldorf, Germany, Saturday, May 26, 2012. (AP)

MONACO: France’s sole Formula One champion Alain Prost fears the chances of the country hosting a grand prix again in the near future have receded.

“I am not optimistic,” he told reporters at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Lotus driver Romain Grosjean has a real shot at becoming the first French winner since Olivier Panis in 1996. “I think it’s going to be difficult.

“It’s not only a money problem...it’s more the signal that with the election of Mr Hollande it’s going to be quite tough to take the decision,” said the four times world champion.

France, whose language permeates the paddock from chassis to parc ferme, last hosted a grand prix at Magny-Cours in 2008 after an unbroken run on the calendar since 1956.

Hopes for reinstatement at Le Castellet, a track in the south of France owned by a family trust set up by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, rose after financial terms were agreed earlier in the year.

They appear to have receded with political change in France after the election of Socialist Francois Hollande as president this month.

Ecclestone has opposed any return to Magny-Cours, which is in an area of rural, central France where jobs are scarce and is likely to be more favored by the new administration for economic reasons.

Prost was heavily involved in previous attempts to take the race to Disneyland Paris and then at a planned new circuit in Flins-SurSeine to the northwest of the capital.

“Flins was a fantastic project, really good and with no public money. Everything was set up and the French government decided to stop it,” said Prost.

France currently has three drivers on the Formula One starting grid, with Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso and Charles Pic at Marussia. Carmaker Renault supplies engines to four teams, including champions Red Bull. -Reuters

Basketball

Celtics, minus G Bradley, set for Sixers, Game 7

WALTHAM, Massachusetts: Kevin Garnett won’t be posting any comments from the 76ers owners on his mental bulletin board.

The Philadelphia fans won’t be getting all riled up over comments deriding their loyalty. “It’s Game 7. There’s no tomorrow,” Celtics captain Paul Pierce said before practice on Friday. “If this is not the most important thing to you right now, there is no way to motivate you as a basketball player.”

The Celtics and Sixers will play Saturday night for a spot in the Eastern Conference finals, where one of them will face the Miami Heat for the right to play for the NBA title. The 76ers forced the series to a decisive game by beating Boston 82-75 on Wednesday, keeping alive a surprising run that started when they knocked out top-seeded Chicago in the first round.

“I think they’re excited about the chance to go in there and have this Game 7 and see what we can do,” Philadelphia coach Doug Collins said. “I don’t think we have any fear. I haven’t felt that in our guys at all. When we have played poorly, it’s not out of being fearful. I think sometimes we don’t execute well. That to me has nothing to do with whether or not the guys believe they can do it.” The Sixers have not been to a Game 7 since 2001, and Collins said he was relying on the energy of a young team that has just one 30-year-old, Elton Brand, getting significant playing time.

The Celtics, who have three in the starting lineup alone, are 3-2 in seventh games since the new Big Three was assembled in 2007.

Brand said his younger teammates are ready. Philadelphia point guard Jrue Holiday, who called Game 6 the “end of the world,” said this would be ‘’The End of the World II.” That’s also the mood in Boston, where they are gearing up for the last run of

the new Big Three. Pierce is under contract, but Garnett and Ray Allen are free agents at the end of the season.

Still, Garnett wasn’t manufacturing anything to motivate himself for the game, like he did for the finale against Atlanta when he fixated on comments by a Hawks owner calling him a dirty player.

He then fed the Sixers bulletin board material this week when he said they had fair-weather fans.

Allen said he wasn’t thinking - yet - about the possibility it could be his last game in a Boston uniform.

The Celtics will be without guard Avery Bradley, who also missed Games 5 and 6. Rivers said Friday that Bradley will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on a left shoulder that frequently popped out of its socket during the regular season and playoffs. Bradley has been a key part of the Celtics’ defense.

Without him, Allen moves back into the starting lineup and Rajon Rondo will be expected to cover the best Sixers’ backcourt player in the game. Rondo, who had an off-night in Game 6 with nine points, six assists and nine rebounds - the first time these playoffs he has failed to reach double-digits in any of them - laughed at the suggestion that the added responsibility will be too much for him. It’s not the first injury for the Celtics, who lost Jeff Green to an aortic aneurism before the season began and got just 25 games out of starting center Jermaine O’Neal. During the playoffs, Allen has struggled with bone spurs in his ankle and Paul Pierce has a sprained MCL in his left knee.Before practice, Rivers was presented with the Rudy Tomjonavich Award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association for excelling at his job while also helping the media do theirs. -AP

Olympics

Usain Bolt aims for pre-Olympic boost

Serena and Sharapova set for French Open bids PARIS: Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, two players better known for their hardcourt and grasscourt abilities, are the form players going into the climax of the claycourt season at the French Open. Between them they won the four main leadup events on the surface at Charleston and Madrid for the American and at Stuttgart and Rome for the Russian. The question is whether one of them can sustain their form through two weeks and seven matches in the often unpredictable playing conditions that are a mark at the famed Roland Garros complex on the western edge of Paris.

Williams, whose only win here came 10 years ago when she defeated sister Venus in the final, has staged yet another impressive return to form in recent weeks.

The 30-year-old defeated Lucie Safarova in the final at Charleston before pounding world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3 to take the Madrid Open title at the start of May. She subsequently withdrew from the semi-finals of last week’s Italian Open with a lower back injury but has expressed confidence she will be fully fit to challenge for the title in Paris.

Sharapova, at 25, is a late convert to claycourt tennis having once described her movement on the slippy red dirt surface as being “like a cow on ice”.

She reached the semi-finals last year before losing to eventual champion Li Na and it was the Chinese player she defeated last weekend to defend her Italian Open crown in Rome.

She also chalked up a straight sets win over Azarenka in the final at Stuttgart, a win that followed losses to the Belarussian in the finals at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.

Perez, who crashed heavily last year and missed the race, will start right at the back after he smacked into the barriers at the Swimming Pool in the first part of qualifying with a wheel bouncing off.

The session was red-flagged and then re-started once the Sauber had been safely removed. The Mexican appeared to have a problem with the steering that may have been related to the earlier impact with the Venezuelan.

McLaren’s Jenson Button, the 2009 champion and Monaco winner with Brawn GP, also faces a tough race on Sunday after qualifying a disappointing 13th.

-Reuters

Prost pessimistic on French GP future

But her only encounter so far this year with Serena Williams resulted in a 6-1, 6-3 thumping in the quarter finals in Madrid.

There is also the question of whether Sharapova’s notoriously inconsistent serve can survive through two weeks of outdoor conditions with gusts of wind whipping up the dirt particles and causing all sorts of havoc.

The Russian though is quietly confident that she has a realistic chance of completing her career haul of Grand Slam titles having previously won Wimbledon and the US and Australian Opens once apiece.

Defending champion Li, who last year made history in Paris by becoming the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title, showed in her run to the Rome final, where she stretched Sharapova to a third set tie-breaker, that she is running into form at just the right time and could challenge again.

Azarenka, however, seems to have stalled after a tremendous start to the year that saw her win four tournaments, including the Australian Open, and rise to number one in the world rankings for the first time.

She will be the top seed in Paris but there are injury doubts following her withdrawal from her third round match in Rome with a shoulder injury. She has also has been troubled by a wrist injury. The east European challenge could also come from Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and the consistent, but lightweight, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, while US Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia and 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone of Italy both have the games to go deep at Roland Garros. -AFP

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic: Sprinters of the world, unite!

Usain Bolt, the athlete who has galvanized the sport with a sensational series of world record-breaking performances, can have an off day. The Jamaican, so solid on the track since his stunning rise to world fame and acclaim when he set then-world bests in the 100 and 200m in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had, in his own words, an absolute shocker here on Friday.

In cold, blustery conditions and following a false start, Bolt staggered to victory in 10.04 seconds, a time virtually unheard of for the man who has dipped under the mythical 10sec mark, and more tellingly, 9.8sec on numerous occasions.

His performance was his “worst” since running 10sec flat when winning in Toronto in a rainstorm in June 2009 -- shortly before he went on to win double sprint gold in the Berlin worlds in the current world record times of 9.58 and 19.19sec respectively.

The 25-year-old Bolt must be thankful he was not up against a classier field in the eastern Czech city. Veteran Kim Collins claimed second in 10.19sec with American Darvis Patton taking third (10.22). The race went wrong from the start, a shocking reaction time leaving him last out of the blocks, with the 20,000capacity crowd on their feet. Bolt then failed to muscle his way through his famed “drive” phase, the mid-race period when the Jamaican unfurls his imposing physique to its maximum, setting him on fast flight to the finish line.

“I haven’t run that badly since a meet in Canada. My coach will watch the race on YouTube and will tell me what I must do before Rome,” he said of his outing over 100m in the Diamond League meet in the Italian capital next week.

“I had no feeling at all in the race, no feeling. I went out of the blocks badly and then nothing came.

“The false start did not affect me, that’s no excuse. I’ll have to go back to the drawing board, talk to the coach. It was just a bad day, I have to get past it and look forward to the next one.”

Bolt, however, still owns the world leading time of 9.82sec, set earlier this month. “I don’t know what my rivals will think about it,” he said of his performance on Friday.

“But it’s all about the Olympics. Losing one or two races doesn’t really matter. It’s about getting to the Olympics and doing your best.”

Collins, the 36-year-old St Kitts and St Nevis sprinter who

Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after crossing the finish line to win the 100 meters men’s race at the IAAF World Challenge Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava May 25, 2012.

(Reuters)

finished second, said the result showed that Bolt was merely “human”. Compatriots Yohan Blake, who took the world 100m title in Daegu, Asafa Powell and the American duo Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin will be looking on with interest.

Bolt, who faces Powell in Rome, will be hoping his Ostrava outing was merely a blip on his way to more Olympic glory, denying that he had too many off-track demands from sponsors or found himself under too much pressure to perform. - AFP

SUNDAY, may 27, 2012

SPORTS

Sports Editors Highlight BUDAPEST, Hungary: Franz Beckenbauer says deadlocked matches should continue to be decided with penalty-kick shootouts.

Beckenbauer Beck, who is the former Bayern captain and the head of FIFA Task Force to improve football for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, says the shootouts “bring emotions into play and are a lot more attractive than the toss of a coin, for example.”

Beckenbauer’s comments were carried by German newspaper Bild on Saturday, a day after FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Beckenbauer’s panel of experts should find an alternative to shootouts. -AP

Football

Barca talk continuity as Last chance to Guardiola hands over to Vilanova impress for Euro 2012 hopefuls

Barcelona’s coach Josep Guardiola leaves after a press conference on May 24, 2012 at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on the eve of the 2012 King’s Cup final football match between Athletic Bilbao and FC Barcelona.

(AFP)

MADRID: Tito Vilanova’s step up from assistant to Barcelona coach for next season is a sign of continuity rather than the end of an era, the outgoing Pep Guardiola said after Friday’s 3-0 King’s Cup final triumph.

Guardiola signed off the same way that he started at Barcelona with a Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao, securing his 14th trophy from the 19 competitions he has competed in since taking charge in 2008.

“The important thing is that, with the concept we have, it will continue,” Guardiola told his last postmatch news conference at the Calderon in Madrid.

“These players will be just as competitive. Everything will continue the same. The way we play didn’t start and doesn’t finish with me. I leave with my head held high and with the club in a position so that everything will carry on functioning the way it has been doing.”

Guardiola has said he is taking time out to rest but reports in England and Italy have speculated that European champions Chelsea and Inter Milan are keen to lure him back to football as soon as possible.

He embraced his close friend Vilanova on the touchline at the final whistle after Barca wrapped up a comprehensive victory to ease some of pain after losing their La Liga and Champions League titles.

Pedro scored twice and Lionel Messi bagged the other in a whirlwind opening half hour that swept aside Bilbao, who also lost the Europa League final to Atletico Madrid by the same scoreline two weeks ago.

Barca fans chanted Guardiola’s name in the second

half and club president Sandro Rosell said it was a fitting send off for the 41-year-old.

“He has left a legacy that Tito will continue,” Rosell told Barca’s television channel. “We don’t forget Tito has also been a part of all this. He will do just as well.

The players are united and they all back him. I don’t see any end of an era. Those who see it that way will be proved wrong.”

Barca and Spain defender Gerard Pique celebrated by cutting out part of the net and hanging it around his neck.

“I keep a piece of the net from all the goals where we have won titles. I have a small museum at home,” he told reporters. “We have had a good year with four titles,” he added, referring to the European and Spanish Super Cups, the Club World Cup and the King’s Cup. A cycle ends but a new door opens and we are very enthusiastic.”

Vilanova’s first official game as Barca coach will be against arch-rivals and La Liga champions Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup in August, the traditional curtain-raiser to the new season.

He is suspended for the first leg, as is his opposite number Jose Mourinho, after both were punished following a melee among the squads at the end of last season’s edition.

Mourinho received a two-match Super Cup ban for jabbing his finger into Vilanova’s eye while the Barca man got a one-game ban for responding with a cuff to the back of Mourinho’s head. -Reuters

US prepare for Scotland friendly ahead of 2014 qualifiers

FILE - Coach Jurgen Klinsmann of USA looks on during a pre match training session prior to the International Friendly between France and USA, Nov.11, 2011.

(AFP)

WARSAW: A busy weekend of friendly action will be the final chance for many players to secure a ticket on the plane for Euro 2012 before the UEFA deadline for squad submissions next Tuesday.

Reigning European champions Spain take on Serbia in the Swiss town of St Gallen with a host of fringe players expected to get their chance to impress coach Vicente Del Bosque.

The door is open for the likes of Atletico Madrid duo Juanfran and Adrian Lopez, Isco of Malaga and Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo to stake their claim.

“There is always healthy competition for places in the national squad,” insists Negredo.

“Everyone here has come to try and win a place at the Euros. We are competing with world-class players in every position so you just have to work hard and make sure the coach sees you are ready if and when needed.”

The biggest challenge to Spain’s defence of the Euro crown is expected to come from Germany, and Joachim Loew’s side are in action on Saturday against Switzerland in Basel.

Four men will have to be dropped from Loew’s initial 27-man list next week,

so the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan and Schalke’s Julian Draxler will know that it is now or never for them. Meanwhile, the Netherlands host Bulgaria in Amsterdam.

Coach Bert van Marwijk took a 27man squad with him to a training camp in Lausanne, Switzerland and oversaw a 3-2 friendly win against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. However, he has admitted that he may announce his final squad before facing Bulgaria.

The Oranje begin their Euro 2012 bid against Denmark on June 9, and the Danes face Brazil in the German city of Hamburg on Saturday.

Danish coach Morten Olsen will not be experimenting here, however -- he named his final 23-man Euro squad on Thursday.

World Cup 2014 hosts Brazil are using this game as part of their preparations for the London Olympics.

England take on Norway in Oslo in their first game since Roy Hodgson was appointed as coach.

Hodgson only directed his first training session on Wednesday but will want a positive result as European Championship preparations are stepped up.

Frank Lampard is one of several members of the squad to have come straight from winning the Champions League with Chelsea and is hoping that success can rub off on his England colleagues.

“If we can bring some of the play, the spirit, the determination into the England team then hopefully that can help this summer,” Lampard said.

France entertain Iceland on Sunday in the first of three friendlies that coach Laurent Blanc has lined up ahead of their opening Euro 2012 match against England on June 11.

“We will make a significant number of changes to the team in the game against Iceland,” Blanc said.

“After that we will see. Our aim is to know what the majority of our likely starting line-up to face England will be by the time we play Estonia in our last friendly.”

Elsewhere, the Republic of Ireland host Bosnia-Herzegovina with coach Giovanni Trapattoni likely to be without several first-choice players.

Defenders Richard Dunne, John O’Shea, Kevin Foley and Sean St Ledger are doubts, while goalkeeper Shay Given recovers from a knee injury. -AFP

Prince Ali stunned by FIFA experts’ hijab knock back BUDAPEST: Evidence from FIFA’s medical experts on why the ban on Muslim women footballers wearing the Islamic headscarf or hijab should remain in place was deeply flawed and had no foundation, the campaign’s principal supporter said on Friday. Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, whose presentation to soccer’s law-making body IFAB six weeks ago saw the approval of the headscarf pending health and safety checks, said he was “shocked and disturbed” by the evidence presented on Thursday. “If it is true, I would accept it, but I believe it was without foundation,” he told reporters.

The IFAB, or International Football Association Board, comprises FIFA and the four British Home Associations.

Michel D’Hooghe of Belgium, the head of FIFA’s medical committee, said he would only recommend to the extraordinary IFAB meeting on July 5 in Zurich that extra tests should be carried out on the headscarf which is crucial to millions of Muslim women playing the game all over the world.

Prince Ali, the youngest member of FIFA’s executive committee, declined to comment when asked if he faced opposition from the committee’s older, more conservative officials but there was no hiding his anger when he spoke on Friday.

“I was shocked when I heard about Dr D’Hooghe’s press conference on Thursday. We covered all the issues raised including heat coming out of the head, breathable material, the neck issue. I was very disturbed by the comments he made. I am usually not very emotional but this is very important. There are women serving in combat zones across the world and many of them are wearing the headscarves so I am disturbed by this being used as an argument. All we are asking is for women to be allowed to play football. This affects many, many Muslim women. I hope this issue is being treated with the same respect and seriousness that other issues are, for example goal-line technology.”

Although IFAB has approved the headscarf, pending further tests in March, the decision will be reviewed in July and FIFA’s quartet on the law-making body can change between meetings.

Prince Ali’s fear is that opponents of the hijab could sit on the July meeting and block approval of the headscarf because a law change needs a 6-2 majority from the board.

He accepted that further testing may be needed in the future but added: “I am hoping, at the very least, IFAB will allow a proper evaluation and that these players will be allowed to play in it on the field. If the medical committee and FIFA wants to monitor further, let them do it.

D’Hooghe, speaking after FIFA’s two-day medical confer-

FILE - Teammates escort Iran’s Fatemeh Shirafkannejad’s (center) as she struggles to put her head covering back on after it was dislodged, Aug. 24, 2010. (Reuters)

ence on Thursday said: “We have received some samples and some doctors, including from the Muslim countries, said the headscarves represented a danger. He said the specially designed velcro-clasping headscarves, were safer than zipped fastenings but there was still room for improvement.

“If tomorrow we receive a proposal and we have no doubt it is medically okay we can give the green light. But to be specific, we have to avoid any problems on the side of the neck or the carotid artery if it gets pulled.” -Reuters

France’s Ben Arfa keen to seize second chance

FLORIDA: With Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore unavailable, a trio of US strikers are eying a chance to prove themselves in a friendly against Scotland Saturday with 2014 World Cup qualifiers looming.

Dempsey, who scored 17 Premier League goals and 23 overall this season for his English club Fulham, is nursing a nagging groin injury and Altidore wasn’t released by his Dutch club in time for Saturday’s match.

Both could be back in coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s lineup when the United States face Brazil in a friendly on Wednesday. In the meantime, Sunday’s clash with Scotland in Jacksonville, Florida, is a chance for Chris Wondolowski, Herculez Gomez andTerrence Boyd to make an impression before the United States begins 2014 World Cup qualifying in the North and Central America and Caribbean region on June 8.

Wondolowski, the star striker of Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, has scored 11 goals this season.

The 21-year-old Boyd is the least tested of the three, who were all named to Klinsmann’s 23-man squad Friday for a series of five matches, three friendlies and the first two World Cup qualifiers.

However, Klinsmann predicted the 21-year-old Boyd, whose 20 goals helped Borussia Dortmund’s second team earn promotion to Germany’s third tier, will likely be with another club next season.

Klinsmann admitted he was disappointed that Altidore’s club, AZ Alkmaar, declined to release him until

required to do so by FIFA, even though their season is over.

“They were not open to change their opinion, which is not very nice for us,” Klinsmann said. Defenders Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst also won’t play against Scotland after arriving at training camp late Thursday after the end of their Danish clubs’ season.

After playing Scotland on Saturday, the United States will face Brazil near Washington and Canada in Toronto on June 3.

They open 2014 World Cup qualifying against Antigua and Barbuda in Florida on June 8 and visit Guatemala on June 12.

United States head coach Juergen Klinsmann hopes that his forward Clint Dempsey gets a move to a Champions League club after his fine season with English side Fulham.

Dempsey scored 17 goals in 37 league appearances for Fulham this season and has made it clear that he would relish the chance to play with a bigger club in Europe’s top competition.

Landon Donovan is in the US squad after missing a number of friendly games during Klinsmann’s first year in charge and Klinsmann sympathised with the player, who said this week that he was finding it hard to find the hunger for the game. “I think every player goes through those moments. Some a bit earlier, some a bit later,” said Klinsmann. -AFP

PARIS: Hatem Ben Arfa looks set to end almost two years in the international wilderness by playing in France’s Euro 2012 warm-up game against Iceland on Sunday and show his bad boy image is a thing of the past.

The 25-year-old, who scored on his last appearance for the French against Norway in what was Laurent Blanc’s first game in charge in August 2010, has earned a reputation for being tricky and difficult and saw him leave both Lyon and Marseille under a cloud.

However, a stunning season for Newcastle, including some wonderful goals, has earned him a recall to the squad and a good performance against Iceland should seal his place in Blanc’s final squad.

Ben Arfa returned to France’s national football centre in Clairefontaine with a renewed sense of purpose and an urge to shed the label of being a troublemaker.

“I am really eager to prove myself,” said Ben Arfa, who won four league titles with the outstanding Lyon side from 2005-08 and then another with Marseille in 2010. “I have earned myself a certain reputation. It was very, very difficult to return. There is only me and those around me who know how difficult it was.”

Blanc for one is satisfied that Ben Arfa has turned the page. “I believe that he has reached a new level, both as a player and as a person,” said Blanc.

Ben Arfa, capped eight times, has shown great determination to rebound from an horrific double-fracture to his left leg in October 2010 and revealed how at

that low moment his desire to return to the international stage was revived.

“When I was treated here at Clairefontaine, I already had this objective, to emerge from that and regain my international spot. It hasn’t yet been reached, but I’m happy, it’s already huge. When everyone began to talk about the selection around me, then it really sank in.”

Ben Arfa’s irresistible club form helped the Magpies mount a serious challenge for Champions League qualification and led Newcastle boss Alan Pardew to

compare him to Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

The attacking midfielder has rediscovered his ability to tear apart an opposition defence, the quality that made him such a force in the first place.

Having made a compelling case for his inclusion, barring a huge surprise or injury setback, there appears little standing between the prodigiously talented Ben Arfa and him making his first appearance at the finals of a major tournament.

-AFP

French midfielder Samir Nasri (center) kicks the ball near forward Hatem Ben Arfa (left) during a training session in Clairefontaine, outside Paris, May 18, 2012.

(AFP)