May 6, 2012

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2012

@alwatandaily

Issue No. 1426

16 PAGES

www.alwatandaily.com

150 Fils with IHT

Open-door session for Al-Humoud’s interpellation

Staff Writers

KUWAIT: The government informed the Majority Bloc that it remains committed to right of interpellation motions, adding that the Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah will step up to the podium and respond to all the claimed items contained in the motion filed by Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammad Al-Juwaihel, according to sources. It was also reported that the minister will face the motion in an open-door session. The government also said that it will not ask to refer the interpellation to the Legislative Committee or the Constitutional Court to assess its constitutionality.

Meanwhile, a source told Al Watan that the government has equally demanded Al-Juwaihel to comply with the Parliament’s Rules of Order and to confine himself to the issues originally highlighted in the motion. In a related development, Al-Juwaihel will carry out a rehearsal tomorrow in order to prepare for the interpellation, where he ask for permission to allow his access to Abdullah Al-Salem Hall.

Commenting on the interpellation, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie said that Minister Al-Humoud needs to convince the lawmakers with his argument. “We are not going to defend the interior minister and we shall not present him with a carte blanche,” the

Social allowance to increase by 25 percent: Al-Majdali

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Process of maintaining Kuwait-Iraq borders may last 8 months

UNITED NATIONS: Kuwait’s permanent delegate at the United Nations Ambassador Mansour Iyad Al-Otaibi said planned process of maintaining border marks between Kuwait and Iraq might finish in approximately eight months.

However, the UN believes that accomplishing this project before end of October will not be an easy task, said the senior diplomat in remarks to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), as he emerged from a meeting that grouped him with his Iraqi counterpart, Hamed Al-Bayati, UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe. He praised atmosphere of the meeting, and indicated at “readiness on part of Kuwait and Iraq to urge the United Nations to start implementing the plan.” But he also hinted that the mission would not be executed in an easy manner, due to some “administrative and practical procedures” to be taken on the ground, as well as weather conditions.

Terrain along the borders is generally arid and these areas often witness dusty storms that alter features of the landscape More on 3 and result in ebbing visibility.

Recalled Saudi ambassador returns to Egypt CAIRO: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Egypt returned to Cairo on Saturday, Egyptian airport officials said, almost a week after he was recalled in a rare diplomatic row between the long-time allies.

Ambassador Ahmed Abdulaziz Kattan was withdrawn in response to street protests in Cairo against the arrest of an Egyptian lawyer in Saudi Arabia. Egypt sent a large parliamentary delegation to Riyadh this week to help rebuild ties with the Gulf kingdom which has promised 2.7 billion US dollars to support battered Egyptian finances. On Saturday, Saudi Arabia confirmed its plans to send aid.

“We’re taking procedures to execute the aid budget,” Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf told reporters after a meeting of Gulf Arab finance ministers in Riyadh.

Previously strong ties between Riyadh and Cairo were strained by last year’s uprising in Egypt that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak who was close to the Saudi leadership. -Reuters

lawmaker was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, a group of lawmakers within the Minority Bloc described the demands calling the parliamentary committee, tasked with investigating the illicit financial transfers, to continue its investigations until the next Legislative Term as an “attempt to maintain pressure on the government and the concerned ministers as well as keep the issue alive.”

An independent-minded MP contended that the conclusion of the investigation committee will render the Majority Bloc bankrupt of new ideas in the political arena. He added that the probe is the sole issue that has rallied members of the Majority, while not ruling out the possibility of a request for the extension of the work of the committee currently probing purported multimillion deposits.

In the same vein, informed sources have revealed that the two investigation committees have gone a long way in their assignment and are about to accomplish it. The sources added that although the deadline given to the two committees is not yet over, the heads of the two panels have requested more time in order to broaden their probes. Critics, however, argue that the task could be accomplished before the end of the current legislative term which is due to end on August 2.

Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 to take FA Cup

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Kuwaiti crude sees steep decline, drops $2.74

KUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiti crude oil dropped 2.74 US dollars to $111.85 per barrel (pb) in transactions on Friday, compared with $114.59 pb on Thursday, reported Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on Saturday.

Meanwhile, prices of the crude oil on the international markets continued falling for the fourth consecutive day, in shadow of jitters over global economy, rise of the American reserves, new reports about hike of unemployment in the US and increase of output by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In more news, Kuwait is assumed to have achieved about 2.5 billion Kuwaiti dinars in oil revenues by April 2012, a specialized economic report forecast Saturday.

The report, by Al-Shall Economic Consultants, went on to say that “assuming production levels and prices would continue at the present levels -an assumption which is unrealistic on the price side at least- the value of potential oil revenues for the entire current fiscal year would score about KD 30 billion, which is higher by approximately KD 17.2 billion than the budget estimate.” It added that approximately KD 1.2 billion in non-oil revenues would make budget revenues for the current fiscal year reach apMore on 9 proximately KD 31.2 billion.

LONDON: Didier Drogba of Chelsea takes on Glen Johnson of Liverpool during the FA Cup with Budweiser Final match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 5, 2012 in London, England. Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday to win the tournament for the seventh time and the fourth time in the last six years. Goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba either side of half-time put Champions League finalists Chelsea 2-0 up, with substitute Andy Carroll replying for Liverpool in the 64th minute. (AFP)

Breast cancer is rare in men, but they fare worse

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Chaotic start to Guantanamo trial of 9/11 suspects

Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch dies of cancer, aged 47 LOS ANGELES: Adam Yauch, a founding member of pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys who captivated fans with their brash style in early hits like “Fight for Your Right (To Party),” died on Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 47.

Yauch, Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz formed the band that gained fame in the 1980s and stood out not just for their music, but for their ethnicity. In a genre dominated by AfricanAmericans, they were three white Jewish kids from Brooklyn, New York.

The Beastie Boys sold some 40 million records worldwide over more than 20 years. As time passed, Yauch branched into filmmaking and activism, helping raise money for various causes including efforts to help free Tibet from Chinese rule.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam “MCA” Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys ... passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer,” said a statement posted on the band’s website.

More on 13

GUANTANAMO BAY US NAVAL BASE, Cuba: The arraignment of five Guantanamo prisoners accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks got off to a rocky start on Saturday when the defendants removed their earphones and refused to listen to a translation of the judge’s questions.

Star defendant Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the confessed mastermind of the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks, refused to respond to the judge’s questions about whether he was satisfied with his US military and civilian lawyers.

“I believe Mr. Mohammed will decline to address the court. I believe he’s deeply concerned about the fairness of the proceeding,” said his civilian lawyer, David Nevin.

Mohammed looked haggard and his full, scraggly beard had a reddish tinge.

He wore a round white turban and white tunic.

Defendant Ramzi Binalshibh stood up, then knelt on the courtroom floor and prayed as a row of burly guards in camouflage uniforms kept a close watch but did not interfere.

Defendant Walid bin Attash was tightly strapped into a restraining chair after refusing to come to court voluntari-

ly. The judge freed him after he promised to behave inside the courtroom.

When all the defendants refused to wear the earphones that allowed them to listen to the English-Arabic translations of the judge’s questions, the judge recessed the hearing briefly and then resumed it with an interpreter providing a translation that was audible to the whole court.

Mohammed and his co-defendants, who could all be subjected to the death penalty, face seven charges stemming from the 2001 attacks that killed 2,976 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania and propelled the United States into a deadly, costly and ongoing global war against Al-Qaeda and its supporters.

The defendants last appeared in court in December 2008 when Mohammed tried to confess and plead guilty.

They are accused of conspiring with AlQaeda, attacking civilians and civilian targets, murder in violation of the laws of war, destruction of property, hijacking and terrorism.

Cheryl Borman, a civilian attorney for bin Attash, wore a black hijab and long black robe and told the court that the treatment of her client at Guantana-

mo had interfered with his ability to participate in the proceedings.

“These men have been mistreated,” Borman said.

The judge said that until the question of the men’s legal representation was settled, the attorneys had no standing to make motions concerning the defendants’ treatment. But the defendants still refused to answer the judge’s questions.

“The reason that he’s not putting the earphones in his ears has to do with the torture that was imposed upon him,” Nevin said of Mohammed.

The judge grew testy as the defense lawyers repeatedly tried to raise the torture issue and moved to turn the focus back to the question of whether the defendants were satisfied with their attorneys. “We’ll get to it when I said we’ll get to it,” the judge, Army Colonel James Pohl, snapped at one of the defense lawyers. “I told you, I’m going to do it when we get to it.”

All five defendants were held for more than three years in secret CIA prisons before being sent to Guantanamo in 2006, and all have said they were tortured there. The CIA said Mohammed alone was waterboarded 183 times.

-Reuters

Japan nuclear power-free as last reactor shuts

Rescuers and locals search for bodies of victims of flash floods in Kharapani village of Kaski district, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of capital Katmandu, Nepal, Saturday, May 5, 2012. A flooded mountain river has swept away dozens of people along with their houses, farms and cattle Saturday in western Nepal, officials said. Police official Shailesh Thapa said more than ten bodies have been pulled out from the Seti river in Kaski district. (AP)

TOKYO: Japanese utility Hokkaido Electric Power Co began shutting the country’s last active nuclear reactor on Saturday, leaving the world’s third-biggest user of atomic energy with no nuclear-derived electricity for the first time since 1970.

A crisis at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where an earthquake and tsunami in March last year triggered radiation leaks, has hammered public faith in nuclear power and prevented the restart of reactors shut down for regular maintenance checks.

Hokkaido Electric said it started lowering output from the 912-megawatt No.3 unit at Tomari nuclear plant in northern Japan at 5 p. m. (0800 GMT).

The maintenance on the unit is set to begin at around 11 p.m. (1400 GMT) when power generation falls to zero, with the unit to be shut down completely by the early hours of Sunday.

The shutdown means all of Japan’s 50 reactors have been taken off line, marking the country’s first nuclear power-free day since May 1970.

Trade Minister Yukio Edano and three other ministers have been trying to win the support of communities to reactivate two idled reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi nuclear plant to help ease expected power shortages of nearly 20 percent in coming hot-weather months.

The two Ohi reactors are the first to be con-

Protesters hold anti-nuclear signs at a rally appealing to the Japanese government to put an end to nuclear power in Tokyo May 5, 2012. (Reuters)

sidered for reactivation by the central government, but it faces an uphill battle of winning public support.

Kansai Electric’s expected deficit for this summer was the highest among four Japanese nuclear plant operators that forecast shortfalls

when demand peaks in the summer.

The last time Japan was nuclear power-free was for five days to May 4, 1970, when the two reactors then existing were shut for maintenance, according to the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan. -Reuters

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ALWATAN DAILY

kuwait

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2012

Social allowance increase by 25 percent: Al-Majdali Heba Salem Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The Labor Restructuring Program awaits the official endorsement from the Cabinet after the Civil Service Bureau had granted its own approval to the increment for employees working in the private sector by 50 to 330 Kuwaiti dinars according to academic qualifications.

Meanwhile, the Assistant General Secre-

tary Fawzi Al-Majdali said that the previous decision made by the Cabinet for a 25 percent social allowance increase, to those who qualify for such increment, would be implemented after a new mechanism for such increase is put forward. Al-Majdlai is referring to 405/2012 in which it was decreed that the public sector employees will receive 25 percent, retired people will receive 12.5 percent, and 25 percent for those who qualify for social allowances.

“The due amount based on such increment will be 50 Kuwaiti dinars minimum which will be for female Kuwaitis and single male Kuwaitis, divorce or bachelor. As for married Kuwaitis, the social allowance will range between KD 53 minimum and KD 70 maximum based on academic qualification,” he explained.

He went on to say that the number of those who qualify for such social allowance increase is 563 at the total cost of KD 2,025,650. This is

applicable to Category A. As for Category B, it will cost the budget KD 87,062,205 which will begin July 2012 but is backdated to April 1.

Al-Majdli also pointed out that the Article 6 in 405/2012 grants increments to Kuwaiti employees working in the private sector, adding “whereas 391/2001 decree deals with the social allowance only without any reference to the children and bonuses.”

As for the Civil Service Bureau’s decision to grant Kuwaitis working in non-government

organizations, Al-Majdali said that the decision is praiseworthy. According to the decision, Kuwaitis will receive a special bonus on a monthly base.

Any increase in social allowances will not interfere with any increments approved by the Civil Service Bureau lately which specifically states that all Kuwaiti employees working in the private sector will receive increments ranges between 50 to 330 Kuwaiti dinars depending on academic qualifications.

Cabinet to endorse transferring Financial affairs committee proposes early retirement bill Amghara scrap yard to Salmi Mutairan Al-Shaman and Mohammad Al-Hajri Staff Writers

KUWAIT: The Cabinet is expected to discuss in its weekly session today the interpellation motion that was submitted by Member of Parliament (MP) Mohammad Al-Juwaihel against the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Homoud. The Cabinet will also discuss the points of the motion and the stance of the minister regarding it.

Meanwhile, an informed source told Al-Watan that the government informed the Majority Bloc about its desire to ask Al-Juwaihel to abide to the bylaw of the Parliament during the motion session. In addition, the government will also disallow the lawmaker from referring any questions to the interior minister that are not included in the motion document. The source affirmed that the government insists to hold the interpellation

motion in an open-door session.

Furthermore, the Cabinet will discuss in the same meeting the reports submitted by the minister of commerce and industry, minister of information and minister of interior in addition to the report by the Fire General Department that is to include the reasons behind the fire that broke out in Amghara on Friday evening.

A source unveiled that the government intends to endorse a law that stipulates transferring Amghara scrap yard to Salmi area. The government will also approve endorsing the draft laws concerning the establishment of Jaber University for Applied Sciences and the blasphemy. The Cabinet will discuss a report prepared by the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents Affairs regarding the 3,000 Bedoun (Stateless Arabs) that hold the official census of 1965, some of which who work for oil companies and others who hold high qualifications to be naturalized in a later stage.

Republic of Poland celebrates National Day

Photo of the members of the diplomatic community of Kuwait during the national day celebration of the Republic of Poland (Al Watan Daily) Ricky Laxa Staff Writer

KUWAIT: “Every national day is important to each one of us, because it symbolizes our freedom, independence and ideals of our nations”, said Ambassador of Poland to Kuwait Janusz Szwedo during the celebration of Poland’s National Day held Thursday night at Al-Hashemi Ballroom of the Radisson Blu Hotel. The event was attended by the diplomatic community, invited guests and media.

Ambassador Szwedo delivered a brief overview of how Poland fought for its freedom from its tyrants and emerged as one of the prominent member of the European Union (EU). He stated that for more than one hundred years Poland has ceased to exist due to failure by the nobles to uphold its government. Ambassador Szwedo commented, “A group of members of our Parliament took the initiative to save the government and introduce the Constitution, but it was too weak to stand on its own.

This caused the emergence of equal rights, Constitution and freedom proclaimed on third of May

1791”. Poland is a parliamentary republic. The supreme law of Poland is the Constitution passed on April 2, 1997, ratified by a national referendum. The government system of the Republic of Poland is based on the separation of and balance between the legislative, executive and judicial powers.

The Polish envoy concluded his speech by mentioning Kuwait as a country that has also undergone bitter occupation against its oppressors yet came out victors.

“Long live human rights, respect for human beings, this is what our constitution has taught us for hundreds of years,” concluded the Polish Envoy.

As for the issues of cooperation between Poland and Kuwait, Ambassador Szwedo said that in the sectors of trade and tourism, the cooperation is still weak.

However, he was optimistic that there is much development that can still be developed. “Kuwaiti tourists are not very much familiar with Poland due to its nature as a non family oriented destination unlike other parts of Europe,” the Polish Envoy added. He also said that Poland needs to develop good infrastructure for the country to be able to accommodate travelers form the Middle East, particularly Kuwait.

Russian Ambassador says American missile in Europe may lead to ‘new cold war’

Jameel Karaki Staff Writer

KUWAIT: On the sidelines of the Polish embassy event, Alexander Kenshak, the Russian Ambassador to Kuwait on his response to a question concerning the non-proliferation of missile technologies meeting in Moscow few days ago, the American threats to Russia and the Russian media attack on the American position, Kenshak said, “The American position is known and the deployment of an anti-missile system is a sovereign right of states that participate in this system”, adding that the Russian position is known and it stems from the need to maintain a balance between offensive and defensive capabilities.

“The existence of such missiles will reduce our

potential response to any possible aggression on our territory, and we won’t accept to bear the loss of this strategic balance. We have the right to veto their presence near our lands”, the ambassador said, noting that an early attack might be a necessity if things go in this direction. “It is a Russian sovereign right; however Russia is seeking diplomatic solutions among all members,” he said.

He also clarified that Russia respects the Polish right to sign an agreement in this regard, however stating that Russia is not comfortable with having a strategic American missile system in a neighboring country, indicating that it may lead to a “new cold war.”

As for the situation in Syria, he described the situation as “difficult” while expressing his sadness for the fact that all victims are Syrians.

Osama Al-Qatari Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Committee for Financial Affairs Member of Parliament (MP) Ahmad Lari said in a statement on Saturday that the committee still waits for the reply from the International Bank concerning a draft law that intends to amend some items in the social security law regarding early retirement. The committee is also expected to prepare an integrated report

about the matter, in which then will be referred to National Assembly for final approval.

Lari said that the Parliament intends to reduce the period of service, adding that the government will benefit from such step given that it will help provide employment for younger employees.

Meanwhile, the Public Authority for Social Security showed a different opinion on the proposed draft law in which it rejected. As a result, the parliamentary committee asked for the opinion of the

International Bank on the issue.

The International Bank has already declared an opinion supporting early retirement. The committee will meet representatives of the bank on May 13, added Lari. He said that the committee will conduct two studies covering the different aspects of early retirement, and then the committee will prepare its report and refer it to the Parliament. The committee hopes the draft law would be approved before the beginning of the next legislative term.

MPs, municipal officials eye viable model for urban Arab cities KUWAIT: A number of members of Parliament (MPs) and municipal officials hailed Saturday the Municipal Management and Urban Development for Sustainability of Arab Cities Conference, which kicks off here Monday, hoping it will end up with a viable model for urban cities in the Arab region.

In statements to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), MP Shaye Al-Shaye said the issues to be tackled by the conference are very important.

He noted that many Arab countries are in desperate need for extensive urban development.

Al-Shaye also noted that the conference will discuss the role of youth in achieving this development.

“Our country has the potential to achieve a quantum leap in urban development of its cities on the short and long run, both through youth,” he told KUNA. MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari expressed hopes this conference would be the start of a real Arab development based on a clear strategy that aims to overhaul deteriorating Arab cities.

He praised the themes of the confer-

ence, especially the urban economy and the role of youth in urban areas.

For his part, Municipal Council Chief Zaid Al-Azmi said Kuwait is eager to support all activities that aim to achieve sustainable development in the Arab region.

“We hope the conference will end up with the important and practical recommendations to achieve urban development of Arab cities in accordance with international standards,” Al-Azmi told KUNA. Meanwhile, Municipal Council member Jinan Bushehri stated that sustainable development can only be achieved through the development of the human resources, meeting the needs of youth and reducing unemployment rates.

She pointed out that there is an urgent need to re-evaluate and study the infrastructures and environment features of Arab cities. The conference is also organized by Kuwait Municipality and UNHABITAT, over three days in Kuwait, from 7 to 9 May 2012.

It will focus on the following themes: local urban governance and urban planning; affordable housing, slum upgrading

and urban regeneration; urban economy, urban labor market and youth employment; and climate change, urban energy and mobility.The conference is considered a preparatory meeting for Arab states for the WUF6 that will take place in Naples, Italy 1-7th September 2012. It will also discuss Arab States’ directions towards sustainable urban development prior to the United Nations Conference for Sustainable Urban Development scheduled for June, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The conference will mark the launch of the first report on the State of Arab Cities 2012. The report is the first attempt by UN-HABITAT and Arab Towns Organization with support from Kuwait Government to document urban trends in Arab cities and present a snap shot of Arab cities demographic, social, economic, environmental, physical and housing conditions (within sub-regional context).

It also provides an analysis of recent Arab uprising within national and local governance contexts and marks the potentials and merits of Arab cities within regional and international integration prospects. -KUNA

Investigative committee to finalize death of Al-Azmi Abdullah Al-Najjar Staff Writer

KUWAIT: A senior official confirmed to Al Watan that the committee, set up by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad AlHumoud Al-Sabah, and chaired by the Deputy Director of the General Directorate for Control and Inspection Colonel Basem Al-Ghadban, said Saturday that it has begun its own investigation with all parties concerned with the death of Kuwaiti citizen Nawwaf Al-Azmi.

The investigation includes Al-Addan Police Station, as it was the place where the death notification was registered. It also included Mubarak Al-Kabeer CID (Criminal Investigative Department) who

was in charge of the case.

Also included is the Department of Forensics, where the body had post mortem carried out at the direct instruction of the office of the Public Prosecutor. The result made available was sudden decline in blood flow causing the brain to stop functioning properly.

Parents of the deceased were informed immediately of the causes after Al-Azmi was found in an attached small flat known locally as “apartment append” which he rented in Al-Qurain.

None of the parents came to receive the body for burial. After two months, suddenly they showed up following Al Watan’s coverage.

Sources disclosed to Al Watan that it is expected that some form of negligence

would be substantiated. The sources say that one of the important facets in the investigation is to establish whether the parents were informed indeed. Lines of communication and especially telephone conversation will be checked to establish if the morgue had indeed informed the parents of their son’s case and whereabouts.

Sources also pointed out that the committee is expected to finish its investigation within the next few days. It will then pass its report to the minister to take the necessary measures. The report will have several documents attached to it and the feedback gleaned from various people investigated at the time including the brother of the owner of the building where Al-Azmi rented his apartment.

Open-door session for Al-Humoud’s interpellation CONTINUED from PAGE 1

Earlier, the head of the panel investigating the alleged financial transfers abroad MP Dr. Faisal Al-Mislem addressed a letter to the National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun demanding an extension of the panel’s assignment until the beginning of the next legislative term. AlMislem also requested the involvement of the State Audit Bureau in the process.

He justified his request citing the delay of government institutions in providing the panel with the documents necessary for its work, and argued that the two-month deadline is insufficient for the panel to compile its final report.

The speaker has already included the letter to those to be tabled before the National Assembly during the session slated for Tuesday.

In another development, members of the Majority Bloc are facing mounting

pressure from other parliamentary blocs, including the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), the Islamic Salafi Alliance and the Development and Reform Bloc, who are demanding speedy finalization for draft laws meant for financial disclosure, the appointment of senior officials, the integrity authority and conflict of interests. The said bills were touted as key priorities in electoral manifestos during the campaigns in the lead-up to the legislative polls. Members of the said blocs regarded these issues as fundamental pillars for political reform and combating corruption in the country.

An ICM member lamented the delay of reform-oriented bills, saying that far less important laws have taken precedence over them, and expressing concern that the current legislative term might end without these laws being passed.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Legislative Committee MP

Al-Tabtabaie called on the Parliament to refer five proposals to the joint legislative and financial committees. These proposals concern the appointment of senior government officials, special allowances and salaries.

In another development, the government is expected to call on the Parliament to expedite the State Budget for the fiscal year 2012-2013, given that the deadline was due in April. The lawmakers are now considered to be in violation of the law as they failed to debate the budget. It is worth noting that the Budgets Committee is running against time to finalize the rest of the budget in order to refer the reports to the National Assembly as soon as possible.

In a related vein, a source within the Parliament Office affirmed that the National Assembly is likely to hold extraordinary sessions to endorse the budgets in a speedy manner.

ALWATAN DAILY

KUWAIT

sundAY, may 6, 2012

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Process of maintaining Kuwait-Iraq borders may last 8 months UNITED NATIONS: Kuwait’s permanent delegate at the United Nations Ambassador Mansour Iyad Al-Otaibi said planned process of maintaining border marks between Kuwait and Iraq might finish in approximately eight months.

However, the UN believes that accomplishing this project before end of October will not be an easy task, said the senior diplomat in remarks to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), as he emerged from a meeting that grouped him with his Iraqi counterpart, Hamed Al-Bayati, UN Under Secretary-General for the Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe.

He praised it’satmosphere of the meeting, and indicated at “readiness on part of Kuwait

and Iraq to urge the United Nations to start implementing the plan.” But he also hinted that the mission would not be executed in an easy manner, due to some “administrative and practical procedures” to be taken on the ground, as well as weather conditions.

Terrain along the borders is generally arid and these areas often witness dusty storms that alter features of the landscape and result in ebbing visibility.

Elaborating, Al-Otaibi noted that the Kuwaiti and Iraqi officials, during the meeting, were informed in detail about “the maintenance project” from the special UN team, with participation of officials from the UN departments of political affairs, maps and se-

curity affairs. Matters related to the project were discussed, he said, indicating that these issues would be pondered further, ahead of the start of executing the project.

UN officials believe that the project of maintaining the border marks would warrant eight months to be finalized, indicating that a tender will be publicized to choose a contractor. Citing conditions put forward by the UN to embark on the operation, Ambassador AlOtaibi mentioned removal of border marks that obstruct visibility, “a term considered basic on part of the UN officials.” Moreover, the process will require a preliminary survey of the terrain, by a UN team to inspect condition of the existing border marks.

Amir thanks all who took part in putting out Amghara fire

One of the warehouses of wood, tires and iron in Amghara went on fire on Friday, May 4, 2012. Up to 17 firemen were injured or suffered suffocation at the scene, said the Ministry of Health on Saturday. (Al Watan)

17 firemen treated of suffocation at Amghara fire scene KUWAIT: Up to 17 firemen were injured or suffered suffocation at the scene of Amghara fire, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

Dr. Faisal Al-Ghanem, the director of the ministry department of medical emergency, said the emergency teams supported effort to put out the blazes at the burning warehouses of wood, tires and iron, adding that 17 firemen were treated of suffocation at the site of the fire. The department had taken a series of extraordinary measures, dispatching five ambulances with 10 medics. Now, the authority is downgrading medical staff at the scene, he added, noting that a team with a single ambulance will remain at the location.

Furthermore, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah addressed a cable to Major Gen-

eral Jassem Al-Mansouri, Director-General of Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, expressing gratitude to him personally and his staff and personnel of other departments for putting out Friday’s fire at Amghara.

The Amir expressed thanks to the chief of the fire department, teams and personnel of the Ministries of Interior, Defense, Health, the National Guard, Kuwait Municipality and Environment Public Authority for taking part in fighting the fire that flared up in the region of Amghara.His Highness praised teams of the diverse departments for exerting tremendous efforts, demonstrating great courage and devotion for sake of preserving safety of the citizens and properties. He also expressed appreciation for the high patriotic spirit and good wishes for all senior and junior civil servants in service of the homeland.

Identical cables were addressed to these authorities by the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlSabah and Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. -KUNA

Latest such examination process was conducted by the UN in 2006.

Ambassador Al-Otaibi also noted that the UN foresaw possible hike of expenses of the process, thus the relevant budget might be increased.

For his part, Al-Bayati dubbed the meeting, in remarks to KUNA, as historic, for it was the first time that the Kuwaiti and Iraqi ambassadors sat together with UN officials to follow up on the issue of what he termed as “renovating the border marks.” For his part, Pascoe told KUNA following the session that the UN and the Secretary-General in particular “has been keenly interested in the subject of improvement of Kuwait-Iraq

relations.” “We are delighted to see that the Ministerial meeting has gone well between the two sides last week. We are very glad to see the process moving forward and we will do everything we can to make sure it is fast,” he told KUNA. He also expressed satisfaction that the two sides have “decided to move forward and resolve the issues involving the border, the Chapter 7 issues,” but conceded that “this is something that cannot be done immediately.

It will require considerable amount of work.

The UN’s role is to do what we can to help facilitate and to help the two countries in order to resolve these outstanding issues.

-KUNA

Kuwait University, University of Indonesia sign MoU of cooperation Ricky Laxa Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The University of Kuwait and the University of Indonesia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Jakarta with thrust to enhance partnership and cooperation between institutions in the area of education.

“We would like to see the Southeast Asian countries, especially Indonesia”, commented Professor Dr. Abdul Latif Al-Bader during his meeting with the University of Indonesia Rector Professor Dr. Gumilar Rusliwa Soemantri.

The signing of the MoU was a part of Al-Bader’s visit to Indonesia.

He was accompanied by four officials that include Vice Rector for Planning Malek Hussein, Assistant Vice Rector for Education Relations and Development Firyal Bou Rabee, Dean of the Graduate Studies Nabeel Al-Loughani and Director for Administrative Affairs at the Rector’s Office Mohammed Al Sulaiman.

Both sides exchanged views and shared experience on various aspects of the university operations, such as entrance exams, graduate studies, international programs, alumni network, and more.

The signing of the MoU marked the launch of partnership and cooperation between the two universities which include scholarship grants for outstanding students of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Indonesia to continue their studies with the University of Kuwait.

The University of Kuwait Rector and the delegation also visited the Faculty of Public Health and met with its Dean and officials, the university’s library, and toured around the green campus areas.

The University of Indonesia is one of the best in the country, located at the outskirt of Jakarta on 300 hectares of lush green forest.

It provides complete and modern

Rector of Kuwait University Professor Dr. Abdul Latef Al-Bader with Rector of the University of Indonesia Professor Dr. Gumilar Rusliwa Soemantri sign the MoU of cooperation between both universities.

infrastructure for its students. It was founded in the 1849 from the embryo of medical faculty for the locals.

As the oldest education institution in Asia, the University of Indonesia has produced 400,000 alumni, who are currently employed in national and international sectors.

The University of Indonesia continues its mission to build its important role in national and international arenas.

It is also keep maintaining its quality educational institutions, research standards of the world and standards in a number of prestigious international journals.

One of the vision and mission of University of Indonesia is to be a “World Class University”.

To fulfill this vision and mission, University of Indonesia actively develops a global partnership with several world

renowned universities. Some universities include Washington University, Tokyo University, Melbourne University, Sydney University, Leiden University, Erasmus University, Kyoto University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Australian National University, and National University of Singapore.

In addition, University of Indonesia also strengthens its partnership with several associations of education and researches that include APRU (Association of Pacific Rim Universities) with a role as a Board of Director, AUN (ASEAN University Network), and ASAIHL (Association of South East Asia Institution of Higher Learning).

During his visit to Indonesia, the University of Kuwait Rector, accompanied by his delegation, also visited the Jakarta Institute of Art.

THIS WEEK IN KUWAIT’S HISTORY May 6:

1964: Kuwait Theatre Troupe is proclaimed to become one of four others working in the country.

1967: Rain in Kuwait reaches a record of 18.7 millimeters.

1974: An Amiri Decree is issued outlining the bylaws of the Constitutional Court.

2001: The Cabinet approves the establishment of a women’s authority at the Interior Ministry to support the police force.

2001: The Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, honors Arab League Secretary General Ismat Abdulmajeed and decorates him with the Kuwait Medal in appreciation for his efforts.

2002: Kuwait Sports Club wins the 40th Amir Football Cup, beating Jahra 1-0 in the final match.

May 7:

1975: Kuwait signs the 1974 agreement for establishing a fund to combat the Lake Volta disease.

1977: Decree by law 89/77 is issued approving the agreement to amend the new oil law between the Kuwaiti government and Arabian Oil Company Ltd. 1977: Decree by law 90/77 is issued approving the agreement to participate in oil installation operations signed between Kuwait and Arabian Oil Company Ltd., signed in Kuwait on August 23, 1974.

1979: Decree by law 21/79 is issued on civil defense with the aim of protecting civilians, transportation safety, and the protection of the installations, institutions, compounds, projects and private property.

1985: Kuwait, Turkey and Tunisia sign an agreement to establish a joint industrial company for the production of chemical fertilizers.

1986: Kuwait Airways plane Kazma returns to Kuwait from Tehran after being hijacked from Dubai Airport in 1984.

1988: A blast occurs at the American “Avis” car rental office, and material damage is incurred.

1990: Al-Jahra traditional cafe opens.

1994: Kuwait establishes diplomatic relations with South Africa.

1998: Khalid Abdulatif Al-Hamad, a pioneering contributor to the national economy boom, passes away at the age of 110.

2000: The Cabinet approves the national culture complex project in Shuwaikh.

2000: The Cabinet approves a draft law on Kuwait joining an agreement recognizing foreign verdicts in the commercial and civil cases.

2001: Kuwait signs an agreement to develop inter-Arab international highways.

2002: The Ministry of Planning launches the e-govern-

ment website, the first of its kind in the region.

2003: Al-Jahra traditional cafe is reopened, after being destroyed during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

2005: The Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah inaugurates the first Arabic Poetry from Iraq Forum, organized by Abdulaziz Saud AlBabtain Poetry Foundation.

May 8:

1964: Kuwait and Hungary establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial evel.

1984: An interpellation motion filed by Member of Parliament (MP) Ahmad Fahad Al-Tukhaim against Minister of Electricity andWater Khalaf Al-Khalaf is discussed, but is then withdrawn upon the request of the MP. 1996: Kazma Sports Club is crowned the champion of the football tournament for 1995-1996.

1999: Mohammad Abdulrahman Al-Bahar Ophthalmology Center is inaugurated at Al-Sabah Medical District.

2001: The Kuwaiti Charity for the Protection of the Family is established.

2005: Al-Arabi Sports Club is crowned the champion of the 43rd Amir Football Cup tournament.

2005: Kuwait hosts the fifth meeting of the executive council of the Arab Federation of Oil, Mines, and Chemical Workers.

2006: Kuwait and Belize establish ties at the ambassadorial level.

grill along Oqaila Beach, extending 350 meters and consuming more than two tons of fish and two tons of coal, with the participation of more than 2300 people.

May 10:

1967: By-elections are held for seven parliamentary seats left vacant after seven MPs submitted their resignations in the second legislative term.

1999: The Ministry of Planning signs a memorandum of understanding with Microsoft on licensing and protecting the property rights and trademark of all Microsoft in the Kuwaiti Public sector.

1999: The State of Kuwait and the International Atomic Energy Agency sign the controls and inspections safeguards agreement in Vienna.

2000: The Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, sponsors the inauguration of the headquarters of the International Islamic Charitable Organization.

2000: A team of surgeons remove a huge blood-tissue tumor from the liver of a lady in a 10-hour operation at Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, the first of its kind in Kuwait and the Middle East.

2005: First Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah inaugurates the technology and health complex.

2008: Doctors in Hamid Al-Essa Center succeeded in Pancreas and kidney transplant for a 23 year old male suffering from diabetes.

May 11:

May 9:

1960: Kuwait joins the World Health Organization.

1994: Kuwait is elected as three-year member of the World Health Organization’s executive council.

1998: Leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance, Hamas, Sheikh Ahmad Yaseen makes an official visit to Kuwait.

1998: The National Assembly approves a draft law to establish a 50 million Kuwaiti dinar fund for the Industrial Bank of Kuwait.

2001: Inauguration of Swimming Pool Complex.

2001: The Securities House purchases Al-Ghanim Holding Company for KD 13.

279 million.

2003: Kuwait joins the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies.

2003: Kuwait’s water jet skiers will all three titles in the UAE tournament for the 1200 cc Stock category, as well as the bronze medal for the 785 Stock category.

2008: The Touristic Enterprises Company makes a world record when it sets up the longest seafood

1964: Kuwait approves the charter of the Arab Organization for Education, Sciences and Culture, issued February 29, 1964, and the charter of the Arab cultural unification.

1967: The Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, issues a decree by law approving the Relinquishment Agreement signed between the Kuwaiti government and BP (Kuwait) Ltd, Gulf Kuwait Company, and Kuwait Oil Company Ltd. 1987: Blast targets the office of the American airways, TWA, in Kuwait, killing one person.

1992: The Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, issues a decree by law allowing the Central Bank of Kuwait to purchase the local bad debts and set date for the purchase on December 31, 1999.

1996: Kuwait University grants an honorary PhD in law to head of the International Court of Justice, Dr. Mohammad Bijawi, in appreciation for his achievements.

1999: Kuwait Stock Exchange signs a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with the Jordanian stock market.

2004: Kuwait signs at the UN headquarters an agreement stipulating terms and rules for construction of a mega railway network in the Gulf region.

2005: The Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, issues a decree by law approving a memorandum of understanding between the Kuwaiti government and the International Committee of the Red Cross on the establishment of a regional training center for judges and members of the general prosecution in the field of international humanitarian law, signed in Kuwait on October 12, 2004.

May 12:

1951: Radio Kuwait kicks off transmission at 7:00 P.M. with broadcaster Mubarak Al-Mayyal the first ever to announce “This is Kuwait.”

1959: Amiri Decree 11/1959 refers all press cases and journalists to the press and publications department.

1960: The corporate law is issued.

1962: A newly-published Amiri decree regulates the work of the Foreign Ministry, charging it with coordinating and executing the state’s foreign policy, supervising Kuwait’s relations with other countries and international organizations, and protecting the interests of Kuwaiti citizens abroad.

1964: The National Assembly decides to join the InterParliamentary Union (IPU), and was granted membership August 20, 1964.

1979: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visits Kuwait, accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

1998: The 309,000 deadweight ton supertanker “AlSalihiya” joins the Kuwait Oil Tankers Company fleet.

2002: France, represented by the French academy, honors Kuwaiti Iman Khalid Al-Musallam a medal with a level of knight for her efforts in caring for French in the educational field in Kuwait. Al-Musallam was the first Kuwaiti ever to receive this medal.

2004: A contract is signed, through donation by Kuwait Cooperative Societies Union, to establish a KD 12 million heart surgery hospital on 26,000 square kilometers.

2007: Al-Wasat daily political paper is issued by AlAkhbar press, publishing, and distribution house, with Mohammad Saad Al-Ouda as Editor in Chief.

2008: Ambassador Abdullah Al-Mansour presents his credentials as Kuwait’s permanent representative in the Arab League. -KUNA

4

ALWATAN DAILY

regional

Rebels do not learn by repetition

By Hossam Fathi Staff Writer

Please fear God and consider carefully what is happening around you in Egypt. Is this the Egypt which you dreamt of when you headed towards Tahrir Square on January 25, 22011? Is this the Egypt which our children dream of after 60 years of rule of oppressive regimes?

Do you accept shedding the bloods of Egyptians

by Egyptians? Are you happy when the world watches the thugs armed with guns and knives attacking the strikers and the Egyptian soldiers?

Haven’t we learnt anything from bitter experiences in the Port Saeed Stadium, Mohammad Mahmoud Street and burning the Scientific Compound, and shooting the martyrs earlier in Tahrir Square by snipers?

The same evil scenario; a gathering includes rebels or fans where criminals among them cannot be controlled then skirmishes take place with security forces or military. Then criminal attacks take place by hired criminals. So far, concerned authorities did not announce the results of investigations related to previous incidents. Will the Military Junta prove me wrong this time? I hope so.

Will it arrest the killers of the students at Medicine College and the killers of a military officer and other martyrs to fair trial?

I reject shedding the blood of any Egyptian national at the hands of Egyptians under any circumstances. I also express reservation over any unorganized gatherings in the wrong timing and place.

May God protect Egypt and its people from all harm, Amen! hossam@alwatan.com.kw Twitter:@hossamfathy66

sunDAY, may 6, 2012

Explosions hit Syria’s two main cities, five dead DAMASCUS: An explosion killed at least five people in Aleppo and two blasts hit a Damascus highway on Saturday in further signs that rebels fighting to topple President Bashar alAssad are shifting tactics towards homemade explosives.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Humans Rights, which monitors the 14-month-old revolt, said the Aleppo blast wrecked a car wash in Tal al-Zarazeer, one of the poorest suburbs of the mostly middle-class northern trading city.

A member of the rebel Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the bombing, telling Reuters in Beirut that the car wash was used by members of a pro-Assad militia.

“We placed a bomb inside a car,” Ali al-Halabi said, naming the car wash owner and accusing him of raping a woman in front of her husband. “I went to the area afterwards and saw seven bodies and many wounded.”

The Observatory put the death toll at five.

Aleppo has been spared the worst of a conflict that has turned some cities into battle zones, but on Thursday security forces and students wielding knives attacked anti-Assad protesters at the university, killing four and detaining 200.

In Damascus, two bombs exploded on central al-Thawra Street, destroying nine cars. There was no word on casualties.

Reuters journalists saw mangled mini buses and a smashed yellow taxi being dragged away from the area later.

“We heard a big explosion,” said a resident of the nearby Souq Sarouja neighborhood. “The security forces have blocked off the area now.”

The bombings dealt another blow to a crumbling UNbacked truce. Fifty out of a planned total of 300 United Nations observers are now in Syria to monitor the ceasefire declared on April 12, but their presence has not halted the violence.

Activists said at least 37 people were killed on Friday when security forces fired on protesters around the country.

Deadly blasts have shaken major cities as insurgents seek to even the odds between their outgunned forces and the tanks, artillery and helicopters in Assad’s military arsenal.

“We want to show foreign journalists in Syria that Damascus is not silent, to embarrass the regime,” said Emad, an activist who lives near al-Thawra Street, giving only his first name for fear of arrest.

On April 30, explosions blew the fronts off buildings in the northern town of Idlib, where state TV reported nine people killed and 100 wounded, including security personnel.

Three days earlier, a suicide bomber killed nine, includ-

A Syrian soldier inspects a destroyed vehicle after an explosion on al-Thawra Street in Damascus, Syria, Saturday, May 5, 2012. (AP)

ing security men, at a Damascus mosque, the Interior Ministry said.

An Islamist group calling itself the Support Front for the People of the Levant claimed responsibility for that bombing and for an April 24 attack on the Iranian cultural consulate in Damascus. Iran is one of Syria’s closest allies.

Assad has long argued that he is combating foreign-backed “armed terrorist groups” rather than a popular uprising. Syrian officials say rebels have killed more than 2,600 soldiers and police. The United Nations estimates that the security forces have killed more than 9,000 people since the rebellion began.

- Reuters

Egypt army deploys to ward off fresh protests Hunger-striking CAIRO: The army deployed around Cairo’s Defense Ministry on Saturday to deter protesters after a soldier died and 373 people were wounded in clashes during demonstrations against Egypt’s ruling generals, less than three weeks before a presidential vote.

Cleaners swept up debris after Friday’s violence in the Abbasiya district where streets were calm but strewn with rocks and other projectiles hurled by protesters at troops, who fired teargas and charged the crowd to drive them from the ministry.

It was the second time in a week that clashes had erupted near the ministry where protesters had gathered to vent their anger over the army’s handling of Egypt’s troubled transition from army rule to civilian government. Eleven people were killed on Wednesday.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 18 journalists had been assaulted, injured or arrested while covering the clashes.

“We call on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to identify the attackers and bring them to justice immediately, as well as to release journalists in custody,” Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said in a statement issued late on Friday.

A presidential election, which starts on May 23-24, will choose a replacement for Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled in February last year. Generals have governed since then but their rule has been punctuated by violence and political bickering.

Many protesters who gathered near the ministry were ultra-orthodox Salafi Muslims furious that a sheikh they backed for president was disqualified from the race.

Liberals and others were also there, accusing the army of seeking to manipulate or delay the vote.

The military has dismissed those allegations, insisting it will stick to its timetable of handing over power to a new president

by July first, or even earlier in the unlikely event of an outright winner in the first round of voting this month.

“Our mission ends with a successful handover of power, and we will not let anyone change the declared schedule,” an army source told the website of the state-

Palestinian prisoners hospitalized

Armored military vehicles close the road to Abbasiya Square, near Egypt’s Defense Ministry, in Cairo May 4, 2012. (Reuters)

owned Al-Ahram daily.

The authorities detained more than 170 people in connection with Friday’s violence after the army warned protesters a day earlier it would not tolerate threats to any of its installations. The funeral for the soldier killed was scheduled for later on Saturday, state media reported.

Troop carriers and soldiers formed cordons protecting the area around the ministry and deployed at nearby installations belonging to the army, which for the first time in six decades faces the prospect of a president who has not been plucked from its senior ranks.

Mubarak, like his predecessors since the king was toppled in 1952, had been a top military officer before becoming president.

Many of the protesters have called for the army to step aside sooner than planned.

Scenes of troops beating protesters with sticks in anti-army demonstrations in recent months have angered many Egyptians, who expect the generals to wield their influence from behind the scenes even after a formal handover.

But many other Egyptians are equally frustrated at the protesters, accusing them of stirring up trouble on the streets and helping drive the economy to the brink of a balance of payments crisis. The nation’s foreign reserves have plunged.

“The army is our leader in this period and they said a million times that they don’t want to stay in power. We have elections in a few days, so I don’t understand what all yesterday’s fuss and violence was all about,” said Essam Mohamed, 51, a government office worker in the Abbasiya area.

The presidential race broadly pits Islamists against more liberal-minded candidates who at one time or another served in Mubarak’s administration.

The two-front runners are Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, an Islamist who has won the backing of a broad range of voters ranging from liberals to hardline Salafi Islamists, and Amr Moussa, the former head of the Arab League and one-time foreign minister.

The Muslim Brotherhood is also fielding a candidate. -Reuters

JERUSALEM: Ten Palestinian prisoners participating in a mass hunger strike in Israeli jails were placed under medical supervision as their conditions worsened, officials said Saturday.

The ten men are among 1,500 to 2,500 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike to demand better conditions and an end to detention without trial.

Although Israeli officials and Palestinians give different numbers of hunger strikers, it is still one of the largest prison protests in years.

It involves a quarter to a half of all Palestinians held in Israeli jails, estimated at some 4,600 people.

The reasons for their detentions range from throwing stones to killing civilians in brutal militant attacks.

Most them began refusing food 19 days ago, but a smaller core have been striking longer, from periods of time ranging from 40 to almost 70 days.

Prison spokeswoman Sivan Weizeman said the 10 were transferred to a prison clinic for medical supervision. Weizeman did not say when they were transferred or what medical treatment they are currently receiving. Sahar Francis of Addameer, a Palestinian prisoner rights group, said the men were moved at different times last week. She said the men under medical supervision were those who had been on hunger strike the longest. Another prisoner, Bilal Diab, was moved to a civilian hospital last week. He has refused food for 68 days so far. The prisoners’ chief demands are a halt to imprisonment without charges for periods ranging from months to years, in a system called “administrative detention.”

They are also demanding an end to solitary con-

finement, and reinstating family visits from Gaza.

They also have smaller demands, such as being allowed to take a photo with their families once a year, instead of just once during their prison term.

Israeli officials say they use administrative detention to hold Palestinians who pose an immediate threat to the country’s security. They say they keep the evidence secret from lawyers and the accused, because it would expose their intelligence-gathering networks if it was released. Solitary confinement is used to keep influential prisoners away from the rest of the population. So far, Israeli prison authorities have responded by isolating the hunger strikers, denying them family visits and engaging with those prisoners who are not on strike.

The prisoners’ conditions is one of the most emotive issues for Palestinians, many of whom have had a loved one behind bars at some point. They are seen as heroes, regardless of the reason for their detention.

Leading members of the militant Islamic group Hamas, which rules the tiny neighboring seaside territory of Gaza, have warned Israel that if any of the prisoners die while on hunger strike, they will retaliate. This wave of strikes appears inspired by protests carried out by Palestinian prisoners Khader Adnan and Hana Shalabi earlier this year. Adnan refused food for 66 days to demand an end to his incarceration without trial, while Shalabi refused food for 43 days.Adnan and Shalabi both belong to Islamic Jihad, a militant group vowed to Israel’s violent destruction.

Both were held in administrative detention; neither were ever charged with a crime. -AP

Yemen’s Hadi vows to defeat Al-Qaeda, unify army SANAA: Yemen’s President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi vowed on Saturday to defeat anAl-Qaeda-linked insurgency in the south of the poor Arab country to allow thousands of displaced people to return home.

Militants linked to Al-Qaeda have seized significant chunks of territory in the semi-desert regions of southern Yemen in recent months, after taking control of several towns. Fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people, many of whom have fled to the port city of Aden. “The fight with Al-Qaeda terrorism will not end until after each district and village is cleared and displaced persons return to the safety of their homes,” Hadi said, quoted by state media.

The growing Islamist insurgency in Yemen is of serious concern to the United States and oil exporter

Saudi Arabia who both fear that a year of unrest that toppled the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, could give al Qaeda’s regional wing a foothold near oil shipping routes through the Red Sea. Hadi, who had been Saleh’s vice-president, was elected president unopposed in February under a US-backed power transition plan brokered by Yemen’s Gulf neighbors to end the political upheaval.

Hadi said his government would battle Al-Qaeda and encourage “elements of the terror organization to give up their weapons and their ideas that are in contradiction to Islam”. The president also vowed to unify the army, which is divided between pro-Saleh units and those supporting the demonstrators demanding his resignation. -Reuters

Conservative factions dominate Iran’s run-off elections DUBAI: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, now out of favor with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, suffered more setbacks in a run-off parliamentary election seen as a pointer for next year’s presidential race, results showed on Saturday.

The authorities hailed the outcome as a resounding triumph for Iran as it prepares for nuclear negotiations with the West.

Results announced by the Interior Ministry showed the United Principalist Front, closely linked with Khamenei and critical of Ahmadinejad, leading Friday’s vote, but with the hardline Resistance Front of the Islamic Revolution close behind.

The allegiance of the Resistance Front is tricky to fathom.

It also backs Khamenei, but some members have served under Ahmadinejad. Some still support him, others dislike his chief of staff, accused of trying

to undermine Iran’s theocratic system.

Sixty-five of parliament’s 290 seats went to run-offs, including 25 in the capital Tehran where initial results were split between the two main conservative fronts.

Confirmation was expected later on Saturday.

As in the first round, parties directly aligned with Ahmadinejad did not fare well, but independents had a strong showing and some of the more than 70 elected so far may help him in what is expected to be a tough final year in 1office.

The political outlook of these MPs, mostly elected in the provinces, is little known, but some may ally with the president because he backed their electoral campaigns, analysts say.

Khamenei endorsed Ahmadinejad’s 2009 re-election, rejecting opposition allegations of widespread fraud that led to eight months of the worst unrest in the Islamic Republic’s history.

But Ahmadinejad alienated Iran’s top authority by making his own policy decisions. Critics homed in on his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, accusing him of leading a “deviant current” bent on undermining the political role of the clergy.

Among the five confirmed winners in Tehran, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, an ally of Khamenei and father-in-law to his son Mojtaba, won most votes. He may be a contender to replace Ali Larijani, a fierce Ahmadinejad critic, as parliament speaker.

The election will have no major impact on Tehran’s nuclear or foreign policy, which are determined by Khamenei.

Iran and world powers meet in Baghdad on May 23 to discuss their dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The West suspects Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran says its activities are legitimate and peaceful.

-Reuters

Iranian voters check the list of the candidates and fill in the ballots in the parliamentary runoff elections at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, Friday, May 4, 2012. (AP)

ALWATAN DAILY

WORLD

SUndAY, may 6, 2012

London mayor’s win a relief to Cameron after dismal polls LONDON: Boris Johnson was re-elected mayor of Olympic host city London late Friday to the relief Prime Minister David Cameron, after his Conservative Party took a beating in midterm local elections.

Eccentric Johnson, famed for his disheveled blond locks and gift for buffoonery, said he would “continue to fight for a good deal for Londoners” as he accepted a second four-year term just before midnight.

“In just 84 days’ time London will welcome the world,” he said at City Hall in southeast London. “The world will see a city that is going through a neo-Victorian surge of investment in public transport.” The 47-year-old won 51.5 percent of the vote in a closely fought run-off with rival, Labor’s Ken Livingstone.

Elsewhere, the Labor Party made big gains in the local elections at the expense of the Conservatives and their Liberal Democrat coalition partners.

Capping a bad month for the government after Britain slid back into recession, Cameron’s push to create the posts of elected mayors in England’s biggest cities was widely rejected in referendums. Cameron said the partial polls in England, Wales and Scotland had taken place against a “difficult national backdrop”, and insisted he would not hide from taking unpopular decisions where necessary.

“These are difficult times and there aren’t easy answers,” he said.

“What we have to do is take the difficult de-

cisions to deal with the debt, deficit and broken economy that we’ve inherited and we will go on making those decisions.”

A BBC estimate put Labor up two percent on 38 percent, the Conservatives down four on 31, the Liberal Democrats unchanged on 16. They projected a low turnout of 32 percent.

With results in from all 181 local councils, the centre-right Conservatives controlled 42 councils, having lost power in 12. They had 1,006 seats, losing 403.

Centre-left Labor were the big winners, gaining control of 32 councils to give them power in 75, and taking 2,159 seats (up 824).

The centrist Lib Dems controlled six councils, down one, and had 438 seats (down 329).

Across Britain, fewer than a third of English seats were up for grabs, while all seats in Scotland and almost all in Wales were up for election.

Northern Ireland did not vote this time.

Labor’s showpiece gain was wresting back control of Birmingham from a Conservative-Lib Dem coalition after eight years.

And in another embarrassment for Cameron, the Conservatives even lost seats to Labor in his own constituency in Oxfordshire.

Cameron wanted elected mayors in all major English cities, but only Bristol backed the idea: voters in nine other cities rejected it. Labor’s gains also showed they were winning support in the towns and suburbs of the more affluent south of England, where they need backing if they hope to win the general election due in 2015. -AFP

Clinton in troubled Bangladesh to press stability

Japan switching off final nuclear reactor Incumbent London Mayor Boris Johnson (right) reacts next to Labour candidate Ken Livingstone (left) and Green Party candidate Jenny Jones as the results of the London Mayoral election are read out at City Hall in London, May 4. (Reuters)

Socialist party supporters wave flags during party leader Evangelos Venizelos’ addresses in front of the Greek Parliament, at Syntagma square in Athens on May 4. (AFP)

Holger Schmieding, economist at Germany’s Berenberg Bank, said there was a 40-percent risk of Greece leaving the eurozone this year, with a “high” risk that no stable government willing to implement more reforms can be formed.

Europe’s press shared these worries, with Germany’s Spiegel saying Greek politicians were behaving like “alchemists”, while Belgium’s Le Soir said it was “vital” for the eurozone that a new government is formed soon.

Election campaigning has been marked by voter anger with Greece’s two main parties over the cuts that the country has been forced to promise in return for its bailouts. In June new savings of 11.5 billion euros have to be found.

“People are spending half what they used to,” Panos Ioannidis, 41, the owner of a flower shop in an up-market area of Athens, told AFP. “If in June wages go down another 30 percent, we are expecting the worst.”

The two main parties, the socialist Pasok and the conservative New Democracy, want to be cut more slack on the terms of the bailout, and many of the smaller parties want to tear up the agreement entirely.

“We need to break from this corrupt political system of lackeys of foreign imperialism,” Petros Alachmar, 31, an activist from far-left Syriza party, one of several expected to steal votes from Pasok, told AFP late Friday. “We have had enough of austerity measures.” -AFP

Clinton leaves China as dissident Chen awaits departure BEIJING: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left Beijing on Saturday after a tense week of negotiations with China over the fate of blind rights activist Chen Guangcheng, who plans to travel to the United States under a deal to end the standoff.

Despite some speculation that Chen might fly out on the same plane as Clinton, the 40-year-old activist remained in the Beijing hospital he went to on Wednesday from the US embassy, where he had taken refuge after a dramatic escape from 19 months under house arrest in his home village.

In a sign the dispute over the activist, which threatened to worsen difficult China-US ties, might be easing, China indicated on Friday Chen would be allowed to go to the United States to study.

Later, in an interview with Radio Free Asia, Chen said he did not plan to leave his homeland for good. “This isn’t saying that when I leave it’s a one-off and there’s no coming back,” Chen told the Washington-based news service.

“Nobody should think that I’m emigrating or anything like that. As they (the Chinese government) have recognized that I’m free, then I should also have the freedom to go where I want.”

It is not clear how soon and how smoothly Chen will pass through China’s procedures that would allow him to travel, and even with Washington cautiously welcoming the proposed deal, some of his supporters said they remained under house arrest or under heavy police watch.

NEWS IN BRIEF

DHAKA: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Bangladesh to press tolerance, democracy and development in one of the world’s most impoverished nations that is now in the throes political turmoil. Clinton arrived Saturday in the capital of Dhaka, which has been increasingly tense in recent weeks with general strikes protesting the disappearance of an opposition leader and a crackdown on dissent. Homemade bombs have exploded around the city as the strikes have paralyzed the country, prompting the police to arrest dozens of opposition activists. However, Clinton’s visit - the first by a secretary of state to the country since 2003 - is expected to bring a brief respite as the opposition has suspended protests for the occasion in a goodwill gesture that reflects the importance Bangladeshis place on relations with the United States, one of their largest trading partners. -AP

Europe braces for Greek election

ATHENS: Not only Greece but also Europe braced on Saturday for an election here that polls indicate will fail to produce a clear winner, and which markets worry will plunge the eurozone into fresh turmoil.

In comments widely quoted by Greek newspapers on the eve of Sunday’s vote, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that if Greece’s new government deviated from its commitments the country would have to “bear the consequences.”

“Membership of the European Union is voluntary,” the minister from the eurozone’s chief contributor to Greece’s 240 billion euros (314.0 billion US dollars) in bailouts and the main proponent of European belt-tightening was quoted as saying.

Greece has written off a third of its debts, is in its fifth year running of recession, one in five workers is unemployed, its banks are in a precarious position and pensions and salaries have been slashed by up to 40 percent.

With Portugal and Ireland also getting aid and Italy and Spain on shaky ground as well, last year there were worries of some sort of break-up of the eurozone. These fears have subsided in recent months but have not completely disappeared.

For markets, it is Greece’s vote rather than France’s presidential decider also on Sunday that “weighs heavier” in investors’ minds, said Valerie Plagnol, director of research at the Credit Suisse bank.

5

Human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong said both his ears were injured, and his left eardrum seemed to have ruptured, after police officers beat him about the head after he went to the Chaoyang Hospital in a bid to visit Chen.

“The worrying problem is that I haven’t been allowed out of my home to see a doctor and check how serious this is,” Jiang told Reuters by telephone from his home. “The state security police have told me to wait while they ask if I can go to a hospital, and there’s been no answer.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Chen could apply to study abroad followed his dramatic appeal to a US congressional hearing on his case, when he asked to be allowed to spend time in the United States after escaping extra-judicial captivity in his home village and hiding in the US embassy in Beijing for six days.

Chen left the embassy under a deal that foresaw him staying in China to study at a university. But Chen, beset by worries about the safety of his family and his own tenuous freedom, then changed his mind and said he wanted to go to the United States.

Clinton, who was in Beijing for strategic and economic talks, said the US ambassador to Beijing, Gary Locke, had spoken to Chen on Friday and had confirmed that Chen planned to go to the United States.

Chen had complained that after he entered the Beijing hospital, US officials were not allowed to meet him. -Reuters

Armenia campaign rally blast hurts 144-officials

YEREVAN: More than 140 people were hurt at a campaign rally in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Friday, when hundreds of small balloons went up in flames, burning people and sparking panic, two days before an election, an emergency official said.

Gas-filled balloons appeared to have exploded after being ignited by a cigarette at the rally, staged by the ruling Republican Party in Republic Square in the centre of Yerevan, local media said.

“I heard an explosion and saw flames rising high,” said a 30-year-old woman who identified herself as Susan. “People rushed away from the square, and I saw a man with a burnt face and a girl whose back was on fire.”

A video posted online by Internet television station Panorama.am showed a large but short-lived flame billowing in the middle of the crowd where hundreds of white balloons had been flying moments before. Health Minister Harutyun Kushkyan told state television many people were injured in the chaos as people tried to flee. She described the condition of the injured as “satisfactory”.

Opinion polls have shown the Republican Party and its coalition ally, Prosperous Armenia, winning more than 60 percent of the votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election, signaling little or no change in government.

The 2008 presidential elections in Armenia - a landlocked ex-Soviet republic of 3.2 million that is Russia’s main ally in the South Caucasus - were marred by violent clashes between opposition protesters and police. -Reuters

TOKYO: A Japanese power firm began switching off the country’s last working reactor, leaving it without nuclear power just over a year after the world’s worst atomic accident in a quarter of a century.

As technicians close down the No. 3 unit at Tomari in Hokkaido, the debate over whether Japan needs nuclear power has been reignited, amid increasingly shrill warnings of summer power blackouts.

Hokkaido Electric Power, which runs the plant, said they started inserting control rods at 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) that would halt the chain reaction and bring the reactor to “cold shutdown” some time on Monday. -AFP

Roadside bomb kills five Afghan border police KABUL: An Afghan official says a roadside bomb has killed five border police in an eastern province near the border with Pakistan. Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, who is a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, says the five were killed Friday evening when the vehicle in which they were patrolling was hit by the remotecontrolled bomb. He said Saturday that the incident took place in the province’s Dur Baba district. -AP

Vietnam dissident has jail appeal rejected HANOI: A Vietnamese land rights activist will serve seven years in jail after a court rejected an appeal against his conviction for spreading anti-government propaganda, according to state media. Nguyen Ngoc Cuong, 56, and his son Nguyen Ngoc Tuong Thi were convicted in October 2011 in southern Dong Nai province of using an online forum “to distort the policies of the state and the party,” official media reported. “As the appeal of Nguyen Ngoc Cuong had no mitigating circumstances, the court decided to uphold his conviction of seven years imprisonment imposed in the first trial,” the Communist Party newspaper Nhan Dan said. -AFP

Medvedev quits Kremlin with a whimper MOSCOW: When the Kremlin door slams shut on Dmitry Medvedev after Vladimir Putin returns to the presidency on May 7, the sound reverberating off the ancient red-brick walls may be one of bitter failure.

Post-Soviet Russia is set to remember its only oneterm president as a man whose biggest achievement was keeping the Kremlin seat warm for Putin when he was barred by the constitution from running for a third consecutive term. Youthful, interested in technology and apparently open to the West, Medvedev’s promises to make Russia a freer, more democratic country created unprecedented hopes when he took office in 2008.

But his agreement at a congress of the ruling United Russia party last September to willingly renounce his claim to a second term and swap jobs with 59-year-old premier Putin earned him mockery not just from the opposition but also from many of his former supporters.

Incensed by the announcement and subsequent fraud-tainted parliamentary elections in December, tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets in protests on a scale unprecedented since the turbulent days of the early 1990s.

“Dmitry Anatoliyevich, we feel sorry for you,” prominent liberal television journalist Leonid Parfyonov, activist Ksenia Sobchak and singer Vasya Oblomov rapped in a song that went viral on the Internet.

“Someday they will write: ‘He was a good guy!’/ Russia’s president with a human face.’”

“Sat for four years, did not make any decisions,/ Vacated the seat, taught at Skolkovo,” said the song referring to the innovation centre outside Moscow, Medvedev’s brainchild.

The cherubic-faced Kremlin chief, 46, repeatedly

tried to break out of his mentor’s shadow and demonstrate that he was his own man. But most of those attempts were indecisive and even half-hearted.

He ordered Putin’s government allies to stand down from the boards of state-run companies, publicly sparred with Putin on matters of foreign policy and even solemnly declared in April 2011 that he would soon announce whether he would run for a second term.

Days later, the Russian president spent several hours with a tightly controlled pool of Kremlin reporters in the Chinese resort of Sanya seeking to explain himself as he sucked a tropical cocktail out of a coconut shell.

Not a single word from the closed-door briefing was allowed to be released to the public.

In a war of wills with his senior partner, Medvedev had apparently lost, and his promised announcement about his future plans never materialized. “Of course, if you are a visionary and ready to fight for your ideas, you achieve more,” Igor Yurgens, a Medvedev adviser who repeatedly urged the Kremlin chief to run for a second term, told opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

“But if you are a moderate liberal with an eye on your comrades, with a sense of gratitude towards the one who elevated you to such heights, everything comes out half-baked,” he said. The Internet-savvy, i-Pad-wielding Medvedev insists the country had become a freer nation during his four-year term, citing the recent mass protests as proof of irreversible change.

“I believe that we’ve truly come far when it comes to civil liberties,” he said in his last televised interview to liberal-leaning reporters late last month.

“Freedom is a sense of self. And in this respect we’ve done a lot.” -AFP

Russia’s outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev (center) speaks with his successor, Prime Minister and Presidentelect Vladimir Putin, at the Gorki residence outside Moscow, on May 4, before a meeting of of Russian Security Council. (AFP)

6

ALWATAN DAILY

OPINION

sunDAY, may 6, 2012

Subjecting the upcoming interpellation to the acid test Abdullah Al-Najjar

I

wish to join my hands in earnest prayer and pray to the Lord God Almighty to help and give the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior the strength and the courage to brave the odds against him in countering the interpellation motion that has been filed against him by MP Mohammad Al-Juwaihel. I wish the minister all the best in facing this particular interpellation motion; taking into consideration the fact that the points included in the motion are not weak or flimsy, but very serious indeed as is evident through the existence of irrefutable evidence and documents pertinent to fraud, corruption and manipulation of several official documents.

The minister has therefore precious little time and a glorious opportunity to rectify all those charges during this week. Strangely; although most, if not all, of those charges that have been filed against the minister did not occur during his tenure in service, it is expected of him (in his current capacity as minister) to clear and refute all those charges if he expected to retain his post; and it this capability (in the event that he succeeds) that will help him prove his mettle in his capacity as minister and hence; will not only emerge victorious, but will surely remain unchallenged.

On the other hand, I also pray to the Lord God Almighty to also help and inspire all those members of the Majority Bloc because of the position that are in due to the interpellation motion filed against the minister by MP Al-Juwaihel. I am also certain that all those MPs would definitely be faced with an embarrassing situation if (at this current point of time) they request holding the interpellation in a closeddoor session; simply because it is common knowledge they have never permitted holding closed-door sessions in the past. I have this uncanny feeling that the situation will only worsen in the event that those members have already pe-

I think the time has eventually dawned on this country and its people to finally witness and judge for themselves if their representatives stand true to their word or are mere actors who mislead the people!

rused the said forged official documents (to be submitted by Al-Juwaihel) earlier but chose to turn a blind eye in the faint hope that Al-Juwaihel would dare not file an interpellation motion against the minister.

In fact, all those members now stand to lose face because it is common knowledge that they always resort to issuing bold slogans and provocative statements against their opponents like: “Corruption must be eliminated, mistakes must be addressed and the corrupt must be brought to trial.” I think the time has eventually dawned on this country and its people to finally witness and judge for themselves if their representatives stand true to their word or are mere actors who mislead the people! MP Faisal Al-Yahya, on the other hand, told Al-Rai that His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah missed a golden opportunity when he chose not to let his government gain the confidence of members of the Majority Bloc.

I would personally like to ask the MP this question: “What precisely was the opportunity that he missed?” I would like to advise the respected MP to mention in his Twitter account or, better still, release an official statement to the press mentioning what would those eight MPs be expected to do in the event that were inducted as ministers as proposed by the Majority. Would they, in any way, be expected to do better than the current batch of ministers? In fact, it would be far better if he chooses not to mince his

Paying the price for Iran’s aggressive occupation

words and say matter-of-factly that they actually intend to take over the government in order to appease members of the parliament every step of the way.

The MP even went a step ahead and told the same newspaper that he would also submit other proposals pertinent to constitutional amendments and the organization of political action. I sincerely hope his proposals will also include an announcement over the establishment of political parties to enable the general public to know to which particular party each MP belongs to; instead of actually encouraging the double standards that are engaged in by some MPs together with their volatile positions that they retain just to realize their vested interests and their political ambitions, as it is happening now. I hope that the MP will, much sooner than later, be aware of the fact that some of his proposals on constitutional amendments can never be achieved due to the absence of political parties.

Dwelling further on the issue, I’m definitely not going to exalt Nabeel Al-Fadhl to the skies or glorify his stance just because he is a friend or a colleague but will surely do so over the sincerity and clarity of all his actions which are usually supported by official documents condemning the parties that he chooses to expose. MP Al-Fadhl has to date, never ever accused any MP or minister on charges of abusing power and authority unless and until he has bona fide documents and official papers in his possession -- sup-

porting his claims. To cite a case in point, just a few days ago he submitted substantial proof against his colleague MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaie proving that he abused his power and authority to achieve his personal interests.

On the other hand, we have never read any statement or explanation issued by any of the MPs belonging to the Majority Bloc, although they invariably state on every occasion that their main intention of contesting the elections is to fight corruption, expose the corrupt and bring them to justice. I urge all those MPs who intend to accuse any minister or MP to first garner adequate documents to support their claims before venturing out into the battlefield. Accusing people without substantial is not only an offence by law, it is impermissible in Islam. Slogans like “Al-Mohammad must leave, Al-Shamali must leave, Jaber Al-Khaled must leave, Al-Adsani must leave, Al-Fadalah must leave, Al-Kharafi must leave,” are mere empty slogans without any face value. It now seems that some lawmakers and political activists actually believe deep down inside that they are the actual decision-makers in Kuwait despite all their shortcomings.

Either that or they are under the erroneous impression that they can take the general populace for granted. Have they ever paused to actually ponder over the fact that there are indeed people out there who are actually efficient - contrary to what they believe? It is plain and simple that in the event they fail to see the reality of the situation, then why can’t they just leave and leave the political domain to those that are adept and can successfully manage those affairs?

Last but not least, I’d like to pay a fitting tribute to the newly appointed Director for Administrative Affairs at the Ministry of Interior; Ohoud Al-Khidr for the new mechanisms that she has initiated as well as for being very conversant with the policies and procedures of this vital department especially with regards to upgrading the procedural layouts within the administration.

Ali Farzat

Mubarak Bin Shafi Al-Hajeri

I

n an arrogant statement issued by Iran’s Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, the spokesman for Iran’s Joint Armed Forces Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff for Cultural Affairs and Defense Publicity, he alleged that the claims of the United Arab Emirates over the occupied islands “would cost the claimants a very high price.” Governments and peoples across the world are by now, used to listening to similar threats that have been issued by several other Iranian officials over a considerable period of time. Sensitive and provocative statements, such as these, reflect the evil intentions of the Iranian authorities towards peaceful countries in the Arabian Gulf, which lawyer Khalid Al-Shatti insists on calling it the Persian Gulf. Jazayeri said that claims such as these “are actually in the best interests of the United States and other arrogant colonial powers.” According to Jazayeri, the United Arab Emirates and other sheikhs across the Gulf Arab region should learn to give up their claims and just give up any hope of restoring their usurped lands simply because such demands will only help in realizing the aspirations of the United States and other colonial powers, which he once again described as “arrogant.” I cannot really comprehend in what way or for what reasons Iran sees any connection between the United States and its occupation of islands that belong to the UAE. Worse, I do not even know what kind of arrogance he is talking about. Why would he want to talk about the arrogance of colonial powers that ended their occupational ventures almost a century ago? Why does he not choose to talk about Iran’s scheming intentions of trying to establish its supremacy over countries in the region in futile attempts to restore the ancient Persian glory that was devastated and razed to the ground?

Jazayeri, along with a host of other lackeys in Iran, repeatedly keep threatening countries in the region of paying a high price if we do not concede to their demands or succumb to their threats. We, on the other hand, are fully aware of that fact and hence; will never allow them to dominate and control our region or tamper with the security of our states by interfering in our internal affairs. Yes, it’s high time that we make things clear and remind the powers-that-be in Iran that are indeed arrogant occupiers. It occupies three islands that belong to the UAE islands as well as the Arab Al-Ahwaz while it still dominates and commands the Iraqi decision. Moreover, it massacres Syrian rebels and nurses other ambitions that extend from Egypt to Morocco. It supports the Houthis in Yemen and deals with Gulf Arab states arrogantly. We have to know, understand and deal with these facts accordingly and effectively. We should never allow Iran to deceive us through its deceptive claims and intentions of seeking and forging healthy relations with us.

And in the event that we chose to simply lie low in the hope that Iran will eventually see the wisdom in extending a genuine hand of friendship, we will be sadly mistaken and taken for a ride. If we choose to take no action against Iran’s arrogant intentions and evil schemes, we will one day definitely have to pay a heavy price for our lethargic stance. Are we willing to pay that price, or should we initiate concrete and effective measures to counter its schemes in attempts to avoid paying such a heavy price? Dealing with Iran sensibly under the leadership of its current leaders is simply out of the question and hence; we need to be more cautious and assertive in dealing with them if we want to maintain our stability and security.We should seek a federal formula that combines our countries into one strong and mighty entity to enable us to counter the Safavid foe that is represented by leaders of this scheming neighboring country called Iran before it envelops us all into its evil stranglehold.

SYRIAN REGIME GULF HUMANITARIAN AID

Innocent victims of rash and reckless motorists Khalil Ali Haydar

A

recent detailed and in-depth study that was compiled by the renowned Dr. Fawzi Ayoub and subsequently published by Al-Qabas newspaper recently acquainted most of the readers over some of the negative aspects that is witnessed in the educational process in Kuwait. Now since that study is indeed extensive and hence; will require an equally extended article to highlight the author’s viewpoint, I would like to urge the newspaper to highlight and dedicate another article pertinent to the dangerous aspects of rash and careless driving by our youths on the streets of Kuwait. In fact, it is even worse when these drivers attempt to demonstrate their daredevilry even on streets that are chocka-block with traffic.

These careless drivers simply throw caution to the wind and not only endanger their own lives but more importantly; the lives of other innocent motorists and pedestrians who simply have the misfortune of crossing their dangerous paths. They pay no regard to traffic lights or traffic rules and regulations making it look like they are always in a big scurry to land somewhere; little realizing where their daredevilry will eventually lead them and other unfortunate victims too. Recent statistics issued by the Traffic Department and a subsequent study both indicate that road accidents have witnessed an alarming increase in re-

cent years and I would advise readers to go through that study which concentrates entirely on such a critical issue.

I am sure that most people; who choose to read the first part of the study titled: “Please don’t kill me,” have been involved in road accidents at some point of time in their lives while there are several others who might have even been on the verge of death but escaped unharmed.

I personally feel that all those persons who defiantly violate traffic laws especially during rush hours should be arrested and branded criminals simply because not only do they endanger their own lives but that of innocent people too. It is indeed appalling that these drivers actually put the lives of others at risk for no fault of their own. One can just imagine the predicament of all those that miraculously survive major accidents but are permanently disabled due to serious injuries caused by such accidents.

There are also those that drive huge vehicles and terrorize commuters and other motorists alike on the streets not to mention those who put their traffic negotiation skills to the test by zigzagging through cars without reserving any concern about their own safety and that of others. Such irresponsible drivers must be brought to justice and have severe penalties imposed on them while their licenses should be revoked permanently to ensure that they never ever take to the streets

again to exhibit their daredevilry.

On the other hand, we cannot really lay the entire blame on traffic policemen simply because they already have their hands full when they regulate and divert traffic; while at the same time are expected to keep a watchful eye over errant and reckless drivers. Moreover, they are also fully aware of the fact that despite executing their duties diligently, wasta always plays a big role in getting all those offenders released and hence all their efforts simply go down the drain.

And although the casualties and fatalities caused by these reckless drivers are not, in any way, any lesser than those committed by diehard terrorists; they are, more often than not, let off the hook by paying paltry fines only to return to their dangerous tactics once again.

When can we ever hope to witness the government tighten laws and enforce strict laws on all these drivers? The only way we can realize this is through putting an end to the scourge of wasta once and for all if we want to witness that promising day. It is only then that we can look forward to witness our citizens driving sensibly on our streets without endangering their own lives and that of others.

Let me recall a story of the youngest son of the former US President Theodore Roosevelt who died in 1919 (not president Franklin Roosevelt who ruled the US during the World War II). The president’s

son who was driving recklessly suddenly lost control over his car and to avoid running over some pedestrians, swerved and crashed into a huge tree by the roadside.

Police arrived on the scene, arrested him and subsequently produced him before a court. During the trial and just before the judge could announce his verdict, the boy requested the judge to call his father - the president - in attempts to help him be released without paying the $1,000 fine as well as avoid spending a month in jail.

The judge approved and the president’s son called his father after which the president told his son to hand the phone over to the presiding judge. When the judge came on the line the president said to him: “Sir, I believe you have sentenced my son to jail for a month in addition to paying a $1,000 fine, but since the boy has no money and can`t pay, I too refuse to pay just to teach him a lesson. Therefore I’d like to request you to extend the period of his confinement if he cannot pay the fine.”

The judge smiled, turned to the boy (who looked relieved believing that he would be released soon) and said: “Your father has just relieved you from paying the fine but suggested that you serve a longer time in jail to avoid paying the fine.” The judge then endorsed a three-month jail sentence against the boy who just stood there in mock horror; wondering if what he had just heard was right or the judge was trying to tease him a bit before releasing him.

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7

SUNDAY, may 6, 2012

Why a more flexible renminbi still matters Kenneth Rogoff Project Syndicate

O

ne of the most notable macroeconomic developments in recent years has been the sharp drop in China’s current-account surplus. The International Monetary Fund is now forecasting a 2012 surplus of just 2.3 percent of GDP, down from a pre-crisis peak of 10.1 percent of GDP in 2007, owing largely to a decline in China’s trade surplus - that is, the excess of the value of Chinese exports over that of its imports.

The drop has been a surprise to the many pundits and policy analysts who view China’s sustained massive trade surpluses as prima facie evidence that government intervention has been keeping the renminbi far below its unfettered “equilibrium” value. Does the dramatic fall in China’s surplus call that conventional wisdom into question? Should the United States, the IMF, and other players stop pressing China to move to a more flexible currency regime?

The short answer is “no.” China’s economy is still plagued by massive imbalances, and moving to a more flexible exchange-rate regime would serve as a safety valve and shock absorber. That said, the exchange rate has received far too much focus as a lightning rod for concerns over China’s growing engagement in the global economy. The link between the exchange rate and China’s pricing advantages in world markets is wildly exaggerated. At the same time, the exchange rate is by no means the most pressing macroeconomic problem facing China today. Rather, the biggest concern is China’s chronic over-reliance on investment as a driver of growth.

Investment constitutes almost half of GDP, more than twice the global average. At the same time, private consumption is under 40 percent of GDP, with 60 percent being a more normal figure for economies at similar levels of development. China’s investment appetite is unquestionably driven by huge intervention in the financial system: small savers receive only a paltry 1-2 percent on their deposits in an economy that until recently has been registering 10 percent annual growth.

The dramatic fall in China’s current-account surplus reflects four main factors. First, the cost of raw-material imports has risen sharply. At the same time, foreign demand for China’s exports is sufficiently sensitive that it cannot simply pass on the entire added cost.

A second important factor has been slow growth in the advanced economies, a byproduct of the financial crisis that is likely to persist for some time to come.

Third, China’s trade-weighted real exchange rate (the exchange rate adjusted for inflation differentials) has actually appreciated quite a bit in the past few years - by 14 percent since 2008, according to IMF estimates. China’s in-

An employee arranges bundles of renminbi banknotes at a bank in Suining, in this April 16, 2012 file photo. China’s weekend reform of its currency regime nails shut the coffin on the last remains of doubt about whether the world’s second biggest economy has successfully steered a course past a hard economic landing.

(Reuters)

With China continuing to record spectacular growth while the advanced economies were experiencing a deep slump, China’s exports, relative to imports, had nowhere to go but down. flation has been higher than the average of its trading partners, and the renminbi has in fact strengthened gradually in nominal terms.

Finally, China engaged in massive investment stimulus as a response to the financial crisis. China’s investment is far more import-intensive than its consumption, which has continued to trend downwards. Countries like Germany and Switzerland have been huge beneficiaries of China’s seemingly insatiable appetite for high-tech capital equipment.

Setting aside all of these specific drivers, we should hardly be surprised that China’s current-account surplus collapsed in the wake of the global financial crisis. With China continuing to record spectacular growth while the advanced economies were experiencing a deep slump, China’s

exports, relative to imports, had nowhere to go but down.

Indeed, in retrospect, what is surprising is that China’s trade surplus did not shrink even more.

The IMF reasonably predicts that, as the global economy normalizes over the longer term, China’s current-account surplus will again occupy the same weight in global imbalances as it did a few years ago (about 0.5 percent of global GDP). All of this underscores the point that there is no monotonic relationship between the exchange rate and the current account. Capital-flow pressures, for example, can exert strong pressures of their own on exchange rates, independently of trade.

China has very strong capital controls, but they are far from impervious. With the prospect of modest rates of re-

Better than Basel

turn in advanced economies, China has inevitably become a more attractive investment destination, despite a significant risk that China will someday experience its own sharp slowdown and financial crisis. (Those who think otherwise have succumbed to the “this time is different” mindset that Carmen Reinhart and I have emphasized in our research on financial crises through history.)

The real case for China moving to a more flexible exchange rate is that in any kind of crisis - economic, political, or otherwise - the exchange rate can provide an important stabilizer. Even if the renminbi appreciated in the near term, the effect on trade would probably be far less than American authorities wish and Chinese authorities fear. Studies on exchange rate pass-through suggest that US consumers would only see a small fraction of the cost change.

The simplistic logic often used to link the exchange rate and the current account is weak. But the case for China’s move to a more flexible exchange-rate regime, as part of broader financial-market liberalization, remains strong. * Kenneth Rogoff is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University, and was formerly chief economist at the IMF.

Why G-Zero is a good thing Zachary Karabell Reuters

Yes, the United States will remain the world’s largest economy for a while to come and its most dominant military power for a generation.

I FILE -- A sign of Swiss banking Credit Suisse is seen on April 27, 2012 in Bern. The new Basel III’s directives, designed to make the financial sector more secure, will have an “important” impact on banks that are experiencing a period of “historic changes,” said the president of Credit Suisse. (AFP)

Stefano Micossi Project Syndicate

T

he Basel Accords - meant to protect depositors and the public in general from bad banking practices - exacerbated the downward economic spiral triggered by the financial crisis of 2008. Throughout the crisis, as business confidence evaporated, banks were forced to sell assets and cut lending in order to maintain capital requirements stipulated by the Accords. This lending squeeze resulted in a sharp drop in GDP and employment, while the sharp sell-off in assets ensured further declines.

My recent study with Jacopo Carmassi, Time to Set Banking Regulation Right, shows that by permitting excessive leverage and risk-taking by large international banks - in some cases allowing banks to accumulate total liabilities up to 40, or even 50, times their equity capital - the Basel banking rules not only enabled, but, ironically, intensified the crisis.

After the crisis, world leaders and central bankers overhauled banking regulations, first and foremost by rectifying the Basel prudential rules.

Unfortunately, the new Basel III Accord and the ensuing EU Capital Requirements Directive have failed to correct the two main shortcomings of international prudential rules - namely, their reliance on banks’ risk-management models for the calculation of capital requirements, and the lack of supervisory accountability.

The latest example highlighting this flaw is

Dexia, the Belgian-French banking group that failed in 2011 - just after passing the European Banking Authority’s stress test with flying colors.

The stunning opacity of solvency ratios encouraged regulators to turn a blind eye to banks’ excessive risk-taking. The problem is that the Basel capital rules - whether Basel I, II, or III - are of no help in separating the weak banks from the sound ones. Indeed, more often than not, the banks that failed or had to be rescued in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis had solvency ratios higher than those of banks that remained standing without assistance.

Compounding the problem, the diversity in banks’ capital ratios also indicates a dramatic distortion of the international playing field, as increasingly competitive conditions in financial markets have led to national discretion in applying the rules. Meanwhile, the opacity of capital indicators has made market discipline impossible to impose.

Thus, large banks are likely to continue to hold too little capital and to take excessive risks, raising the prospect of renewed bouts of financial instability.

In order to overcome these shortcomings in international banking regulations, three remedies are needed.

First, capital requirements should be set as a straightforward ratio of common equity to total assets, thereby abandoning all reference to banks’ own risk-management models. The new capital ratio should be raised to 7-10 percent of total assets in order to dampen risk-taking by bankers and minimize the real economic impact of large-scale deleveraging following a loss of confidence in the banking system.

Second, new capital ratios with multiple and decreasing capital thresholds, which trigger increasingly intrusive corrective action, should serve

as the basis for a new system of mandated supervisory action. Supervisors should be bound by a presumption that they will act. They could argue that action is not necessary in a specific case, but they would have to do so publicly, thus becoming accountable for their inaction. In order to eradicate moral hazard, the system must have a resolution procedure to close banks when their capital falls below a minimum threshold.

Finally, solvency rules should be complemented by an obligation that banks issue a substantial amount of non-collateralized debt - on the order of 100 percent of their capital - that is convertible into equity. These debentures should be designed to create a strong incentive for bank managers and shareholders to issue equity rather than suffer conversion.

These three measures, if applied to all banks, would eliminate the need for special rules governing liquidity or funding (which would remain open to supervisory review, but not to binding constraints). There would also be no need for special restrictions on banking activities and operations.

The most remarkable feature of the policy deliberations on prudential banking rules so far has been their delegation to the Basel Committee of Banking Supervisors and the banks themselves, both of which have a vested interest in preserving the existing system. Governments and parliaments have an obligation to launch a thorough review of the Basel rules, and to demand revisions that align them with the public interest. * Stefano Micossi is Director General of Assonime, Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Member of the Board of Directors of Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), and Chairman of the Board of the CIR Group.

t’s said that predictions are risky business, especially those about the future.

No one knows that better than Ian Bremmer, who in addition to his multiple books has created one of the more successful risk analysis organizations.

Being in the business of highlighting risks, he has for the past few years focused on the breakdown of the world order most of us grew up with, whether a 20th century world of great-power struggles or an early 21st century world of American economic and military preponderance. Now, says Bremmer, those systems are finished and in their stead we have... nothing.

It’s a compelling, alarming and yet exhilarating vision - though few probably embrace that last adjective. Compelling because it admits that most of the models we use to predict what will be are based on a world that no longer exists and hence are likely to be wrong. Alarming because it leaves us with a tabula rasa whose outcomes are utterly uncertain. Yet exhilarating because it offers the promise of a brave new world that may go in any direction, including more productive and positive ones than many observers currently assume.

Bremmer extrapolates from current trends about what this world might look like, and tends to focus on the dangers that lurk rather than the diamonds in the rough. He sees tough times for China, whose model, he predicts, will be less able to adapt to a world of increased competition for natural resources and more state capitalism that competes directly with the Chinese. He sees hard roads for weak states and troubled societies, with Syria’s grinding civil war and lack of international action just a harbinger. He sees a United States constrained by debt and a public looking inward, and a euro zone mired in years of crisis.And while he does acknowledge that even a G-Zero world will have winners such as Brazil and Turkey, he sees the emerging vacuum as more of a challenge than an opportunity.

As a description of the world we are entering, it is trenchant. Yes, the United States will remain the world’s largest economy for a while to come and its most dominant military power for a generation. But the coercive power of those assets is and will be ever more muted. Fewer societies around the world believe that the American model is the one to copy, and a large military can preserve security but not prosperity. Multiple states around the globe have the confidence, the leadership and the means to chart their own way and refuse to bow to the will of any other nation. And as the 20th century mechanisms for handling all sorts of international affairs decay, unpredictable crises and unforeseeable outcomes will become more common.

But that doesn’t mean that the international system will be less stable or that prosperity and security will not proliferate. There is, in fact, a risk that peace will break out, rendering the traditional tools of states less useful. It’s clear already that global companies are reaping astonishing benefits from the growth of a global middle class and from a largely anarchic but effective flow of commerce and capital that seems to be working brilliantly almost everywhere except in its 20th century heartlands of Europe and the United States.

In essence, if the G-Zero idea is pushed further, you could be left with a world that truly doesn’t look like the 20th century, or like most centuries. It could be a world where the absence of great-power conflict - the rivalry of China and the United States notwithstanding - leads not to chaos and anarchy but to stability and, at most, low-level armed conflicts. You could be in a world where the dominant theme is the churning and rapid transition of billions of people from agrarian and urban poverty into a middle class that consumes apartments, white goods, food, clothing and entertainment. And you could be in a world where tension is ubiquitous, uncertainty constant, but actual lethal and societydestroying conflict preciously rare. A G-Zero world might bring the host of risks Bremmer suggests, but the old model was marked by lethal conflict, enhanced by technology. That is not a model whose passing any of us should mourn. The future may be fraught but the past...well, good riddance. *Zachary Karabell is a Reuters correspondent. The views expressed here are his own.

8

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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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Al-Rashid Hospital Dar Al-Shifa Hospital Hadi Clinic London Hospital Mowasat Hospital Salam Hospital

Qadsiya 2257 4386 Qurain 2542 3772 Rabiah 2474 2160 Rawda 2256 0058 Riqqa 2394 1958 Rumaithiya 2562 4123 Sabah Al-Salem 2551 7229 Sabahiya 2361 5619 Salhiya (Kuwait City) 2242 7157 Salmi 2457 6576 Salmiya 2572 6950 Salwa 2562 6950 Shamiya 2484 5953 Sharq 2244 2466 Shuaiba Ind. Area 2326 1789 Shuwaikh 2481 3726 / 2484 4842 Sulaibekhat 2487 6555 Sulaibiya 2467 0672 Sulaibiya Ind. Area 2467 2728 Surra 2531 2220 Tayma’a 2457 1700 Wafra 2381 0412 Waha 2455 7902 Zour 2395 0160

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

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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

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

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

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sundAY, may 6, 2012

BUSINESS

KSE ends week with 2.24% gain, Q1 declared companies at 17% KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the green zone.

The price index ended last week with an increase amounted to 2.24 percent, while the weighted index advanced by 0.99 percent compared to the closings of the week before. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover increased by 18.45 percent, compared to the preceding week, reaching 43.32 million Kuwaiti dinars, whereas trading volume average was 687.52 million shares, recording increase of 38.40 percent.

See Page 10

Kuwaiti crude sees steep decline, drops $2.74 Oil revenues till April hit KD 2.5 billion

KUWAIT: The price of Kuwaiti crude oil dropped 2.74 US dollars to $111.85 per barrel (pb) in transactions on Friday, compared with $114.59 pb on Thursday, reported Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on Saturday.

Meanwhile, prices of the crude oil on the international markets continued falling for the fourth consecutive day, in shadow of jitters over global economy, rise of the American reserves, new reports about hike of unemployment in the US and increase of output by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In more news, Kuwait is assumed to have achieved about 2.5 billion Kuwaiti dinars in oil revenues by April 2012, a specialized economic report forecast Saturday.

The report, by Al-Shall Economic Consultants, went on to say that “assuming production levels and prices would continue at the present levels -an assumption which is unrealistic on the price side at least- the value of potential oil revenues for the entire current fiscal year would score about KD 30 billion, which is higher by approximately KD 17.2 billion than the budget estimate.”

It added that approximately KD 1.2 billion in non-oil revenues would make budget revenues for the current fiscal year reach approximately KD 31.2 billion. Comparing this figure with expenditures allocations in the amount of KD 22.6 billion, the result will be a hypothetical surplus in the budget by approximately KD 8.6 billion for the entire fiscal year 2012-2013.

With regard to the stock market, the report pointed out that the Kuwaiti market achieved weak performance during April, with a drop in all its key indicators, including the value of AlShall index, which dropped by 19.9 points, or 4.4 percent, compared to its position in the end of preceding March, and scored 435.5 points. The decline in AlShall index since the end of 2011 (four months) was 14.7 points, or 3.3 percent.

Value of traded shares in twenty-two working days made about KD 780.3 million, - $2.82 billion, which is lower by 16.7 percent than its value in March.

Kamel Al-Harami Independent energy analyst Exclusive to Al Watan Daily

A tractor is driven on a country road on the outskirts of Havana. Cubans seem generally pleased that economic change is afoot. Some like the idea they can strike out on their own, with an opportunity to earn more than the paltry state wages. The average Cuban salary rose slightly in 2011 to the equivalent of $19 a month. While most Cubans say change is needed, they also worry about losing their social safety net if there is too big a dose of capitalism. They get low-cost or free housing, a heavily subsidized monthly food ration, and free health care and education, stated a specialized report on Saturday, May 5, 2012.

The highest trading value in one day scored nearly KD 48.9 million on April 18, while the lowest scored about KD 18.2 million on April 1, 2012.

Daily average trading rate has fallen to about KD 35.5 million, or 20.5% below its level during March.

Total volume of traded shares scored 8.7 billion shares, with daily average of about 397.2 million shares, a drop rate by 18.9 percent below March which achieved about 490.1 million shares.

Total number of concluded deals scored 104 thou-

Iraq aims to double power supply to 12,330 MW by 2013 BAGHDAD: Iraq plans to double its electricity supply to 12,330 megawatts (MW) by 2013 as it brings new sources of power online, the electricity ministry said on Saturday, but is still seen falling short of demand.

Iraq needs investment in most of its industries after years of war and economic decline. In a country where temperatures can top 50 degrees Celsius in summer, power generation is especially crucial.

The national grid supplies only a few hours of power a day to Iraqis. Sporadic electricity supply, one of the public’s top complaints, was at the heart of anti-government protests last year.

Total power supply, currently at 6,000 MW, is expected to reach 9,000 MW in

Hot summer oil prices

July and 9,600 MW in August, the electricity ministry said in a statement. It said by December, capacity would be up at around 10,400 MW and would reach 12,330 MW in April 2013.

Last year, the oil-producing nation managed to supply less than half of the demand, which peaked at 15,000 MW. The electricity ministry has said it plans to add 22,000 MW of production capacity across Iraq, except for the autonomous northern Kurdish region, by the end of 2015.

Iraq has signed a series of projects, ranging from gas to thermal power plants, with mainly foreign firms, which are expected to help it reach these targets. -Reuters

Increasing demand for NBK’s real estate services in London, Paris

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait’s (NBK) real estate services in London and Paris are witnessing an increasing demand from customers. NBK’s real estate services allow customers to easily own, rent and lease properties with legal consultations in London and Paris, with the chance to finance the property up to 70 percent of its value, according to a press release on Saturday.

In a simple and straightforward procedure, NBK customers can buy and sell, lease or rent, settle bills, receive real estate assessments and many other services with competitive prices.

NBK has dedicated a specialized unit in Ras Al-Salmiya branch to assists customers with their overseas banking needs. With its largest international network of any Kuwaiti bank, NBK provides customers with the best investment opportunities and services. NBK’s network extends to having more than 176 branches worldwide. NBK’s international network includes many of the world’s leading financial centers such as London, New York, Paris and Singapore, as well as China (Shanghai). Meanwhile, regional coverage extends to Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

sand deals, a daily average of about 4.7 thousand deals, less by 20.8 percent than March level.

By the end of April, the market value of (204) common listed companies between the period ending December 31, 2011 and the end of April 2012 scored about KD 29.206 billion, up by 0.5 percent (KD 29.071 billion in the end of 2011). The number of companies with rising capital value was 110, capital value of 65 companies dropped, and capital value of 29 companies remained stable. -KUNA

Saudi April PMI at 9-month high JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Growth in business activity in Saudi Arabia’s nonoil private sector jumped to a nine-month high in April, boosted by strong output and new orders, a survey of over 400 private companies published on Saturday showed.

The Saudi Arabia British Bank (SABB) - Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index, which measures activity in the manufacturing and services sectors, rose to 60.42 in April from 58.73 in March. The seasonally adjusted index stayed well above the 50-point mark distinguishing growth from contraction.

New order growth was the highest since June 2011, at 70.13 points in April against 66.87 in March. “Respondents commented on improved demand conditions and more business from government contracts,” the survey said, adding that data suggested the domestic market remained a key driver for new order growth.

Output growth levels also climbed, reaching 65.20 in April from 62.68 in March.The employment index rose sharply to 55.76 from 52.46.

Analysts in a Reuters poll conducted in March predicted Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product would expand 4.5 percent this year, after an officially estimated 6.8 percent last year. But the kingdom’s Economy and Planning Minister Mohammed Al-Jasser told reporters last month that the economy was at present headed for 6 percent growth this year.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s bourse ended at a three-week low as petrochemical and banking shares weigh following a drop in oil prices and global stocks.

The index of the largest Arab stock market fell 1.3 percent to its lowest close since April 16, as the petrochemical sector benchmark dropped 1.5 percent and the banking index declines 1.4 percent.

Heavyweights Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Al Rajhi Bank are down 1.7 percent and 1.3 percent respectively. -Agencies

Mideast lenders to create joint investment bank DUBAI: Middle East banks EFG Hermes and QInvest say they have reached a deal to combine some of their operations to create a joint investment bank meant to service the Arab world and beyond.

The deal announced late Friday will give Qatar’s QInvest a 60 percent stake in the new company. It will inject 250 million US dollars into the new bank.

Cairo-based EFG Hermes will own the rest of the new company, EFG Hermes Qatar. It has the right to sell its remaining stake for about $165 million after a year.

The companies said in March they were in talks to merge some of their operations.

EFG Hermes is Egypt’s largest investment bank. QInvest is a privately held bank based in the energy-rich Gulf state of Qatar. -AP

KUWAIT: Summer is getting closer and our Arab Gulf oil producers are preparing themselves for a huge surge in domestic oil demand. It’s happening at a time where the world is bracing itself to witness the impact of the Iranian oil boycott and the region’s surge in oil demand. The two related oil events are happening in line with the Holy month of Ramadan which is also occurring at the peak of hot summer oil demand. So will it ever be that oil prices will come down during the coming summer months?

Whatever the outcome of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) next meeting, it certainly can’t address the Iranian oil boycott and its impact on oil prices. One short-term outcome is that oil price levels will definitely not ease nor will they go down to the preferred level of 100 US dollars a barrel.

OPEC on its part is doing all it can to ease oil prices and the organization is pushing to have current oil prices reach and be at $100 level. Certainly there are no signs to show any easiness, despite the fact that OPEC is pumping the maximum amount of oil to the market in order to meet all customers demands and to fill all the storage available to them in anticipation of any shortage of oils any where in the world.

Demand on oil by Gulf oil producers will be reaching its peak by the beginning of next month when electricity reaches its maximum demand. They have to burn crude oil, finished petroleum products and gas to meet the surge on demand. Gulf oil producers will also be importing finished products like gas oil and fuel oil for electricity and will be importing motor gasoline too. All the Gulf oil producers are nowadays net importers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Such being the case that their exports of crude oil will be less and their imports will be more. This will consequently put more pressure on petroleum product prices which will impact crude oil prices at the end of the day.

OPEC is now producing 32.3 million barrels per day (bpd), or two million above the target of 30 million set in 2011, and still oil prices are at $118. Nobody is able to do anything as the other fear concerns the Iranian oil which is out of the oil market - this will make the market nervous fearing shortage or other non-anticipated factors.

An increase in oil production will not ease the tension, as long as the politics of Iran are not solved. There is not much OPEC can do nor its thirsty members. Nothing will bring down prices, unless we take the Iranian tension out of the market formula, and this will not happen in the coming few months.

Oil market are in fear of any oil disruptions knowing well that the Arab Gulf producers are going to consume their own oils reducing oil availability to the global markets. Such factors could well tick in the minds of the consumers transferred to the daily oil spectators by pushing oil prices higher and not lower. Isn’t it ironic that the same oil producers that are seeking oil price stability could be the main culprits behind oil prices being up and not down!

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

Wall Street ends worst week of 2012 as weak job growth

NEW YORK: Wall Street ended its worst week this year with a sharp selloff on Friday after a slowdown in job creation in the world’s top economy raised the biggest question mark yet about the prospects for US growth.

Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 168.32 points, or 1.27 percent, to end unofficially at 13,038.27. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index shed 22.47 points, or 1.61 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,369.10. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 67.96 points, or 2.25 percent, to close unofficially at 2,956.34. For the week, the Dow unofficially slid 1.4 percent, while the S&P 500 dropped 2.4 percent and the Nasdaq lost 3.7 percent.

The S&P 500 marked its worst weekly decline since December. For the Nasdaq, this was the worst week since November. -Reuters

Growth spreads across MENA in 2012 despite strain of historic transitions GCC continues to be regional growth driver with GDP growth projected at 5.3% in 2012

DUBAI: Hosted by the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the financial and business hub connecting the region’s emerging markets with the developed markets of Europe, Asia and the Americas, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched today its Regional Economic Outlook Update for the Middle East North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan region (MENAP). This was stated in a press release this week.

The Outlook, titled ‘Middle East and North Africa: Historic Transitions under Strain’, takes into consideration the near-term risks to the macroeconomic stability of the Arab countries which have increased due to a combination of political transition, pressing social demands, and an adverse external environment. While these risks were contained to some extent during 2011, faltering growth, rising unemployment and continued fiscal and external pressures, IMF expects 2012 to be an equally challenging year.

According to the report, MENAP oil exporters benefited from high oil prices which shielded them from the impact of the Eurozone crisis and its amplifications. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth of these countries decreased in 2011 to four percent but is projected to increase back up to five percent in 2012.

In 2011, the MENAP oil exporters’ combined external current account surplus almost doubled approaching 400 billion US dollars. Continued government spending due to intensified social demands and higher oil prices, will support to the non-oil sector, which is projected to grow at 4.5 percent in 2012.

As their oil production increased in 2011 to compensate for oil supply decreases, the GCC countries’ GDP growth reached eight percent last year. As stability returned to other oil producing countries, the GCC will return to normal oil production levels and its GDP growth will settle around 5.3 percent.

Masood Ahmed, Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Middle East and Central Asia Department, said: “Middle East oil exporters are benefitting from high oil prices, and we expect GDP growth to strengthen and become more broad-based this year. Nonetheless, fiscal vulnerabilities to falling oil prices have increased, and struc-

tural challenges remain, such as the need to create jobs for growing working-age populations and to further diversify the economies.”

Dr Nasser Saidi, Chief Economist at DIFC commented, “As the transitions taking place across the region continue, and with the depressed global environment, it is inevitable that economic growth will be impacted, even though the GCC and other oil exporters are continuing to benefit from high oil prices. Job creation is the clear economic and social policy priority and highlights the importance of having an inclusive agenda that supports and accelerates the growth of the private sector, notably SMEs and family businesses.

It also highlights the need for the effective mobilization of funds and the channeling of resources to meet the growing infrastructure and capital investment needs of the region. A cooperative and formal financing solution is required and I believe it is an opportune time to set up a dedicated Arab bank for reconstruction and development that could tailor solutions to the needs of individual nations in MENA, while catering for regional infrastructure projects that would support greater regional economic and financial integration.”

2011 was a difficult year for MENAP oil importers. The social unrest and resulting decline in tourism and investment as well as higher energy prices and slower global growth,

weakened economic activity and resulted in a decline in its growth to 2.2 percent.

With lingering concern over social instability and policy uncertainty, tourism - an important source of jobs and foreign exchange receipts - and private investment are likely to slowly recover this year. IMF expects the average real GDP growth for MENAP oil importers to increase slightly to 2.7 percent in 2012 with the main near-term downside risk being a potential large increase in oil prices which would impact these countries’ external balances.

The IMF report also highlights the gross external and fiscal financing needs of MENA oil importers, which are projected at about $90 billion and $100 billion in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and the consequent need of a timely official financing.

Ahmed added, “2012 is another challenging year for many oil-importing countries in the region, and in particular for those undergoing transition. Growth is faltering and unemployment is on the rise, and many countries are faced with diminished policy space, having eaten into their foreign exchange and fiscal buffers in 2011.A joint and sustained effort is needed to help these countries navigate through this challenging period and set out an economic vision that is fair and inclusive.”

10

ALWATAN DAILY

BUSINESS

sunDAY, may 6, 2012

KSE ends week with 2.24% gain, Q1 declared companies at 17% KSE weekly activity, May 3, 2012

The Services sector came in third as its index achieved 1.31 percent growth, ending the week at 14,632.0 points. The Insurance sector was the least growing as its index closed at 2,671.1 points with a 0.01 percent increase. On the other hand, the Industry sector was last week’s only loser as its index declined by 0.14 percent to end the week’s activity at 4,533.9 points.

Sectors’ activity

252.04 million, with a decline of 50.01 percent compared to same companies’ results for 2011.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 6,479.1 points, up by 2.24 percent from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 0.99 percent weekly gain after closing at 421.99 points.

Rallies ahead, opportunities in Asia

Since July 2011

What are the economic and financial implications?

Market volatility should be expected in 2012. Sovereign bonds yields are again on the rise: Spanish 10 year bonds went up from 5.33

Benchmark

Ÿ KSE - Price Index

Closing

6,479.1

Ÿ Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL) ź Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange ź Dubai Financial Market Ÿ Qatar Exchange Ÿ Bahrain Bourse Ÿ Muscat Securities Market Total GCC Equity Markets

7,545.9

2,501.4

1,582.1

8,669.9

(000's shrs)

(000's USD)

(USD Mln)

3,437,600

793,905

0.68%

9,686,877

4.1%

293,195

160,954

(4.23%)

16.9%

658,226

258,529

(1.2%)

86,273

624,510

1.3% 2.9%

12,855 63,417

5,049 46,531

6,228,473

11,576,355

1.14% 0.40%

Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE)

Top 10 Largest Kuwaiti Companies by Market Cap

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

P/B (X)

Yield (%)

0.610 0.440

1.9%

(1.3%) 1.4%

(4.1%)

(2.3%) 0.0%

0.0% 1.3%

3.4% 0.0%

4,702

6,298

6,675

15.5

1.9

3.3%

4,545

3,371

11.1

1.4

8.0%

2,149

6,175

4,522

26.7

1.5

1.8%

450

1,067

3.3

1.5

2.1%

1,132

5,830

2,478

37.0

2.5

0.0%

1,045

926

33.4

3.5

1.4%

7,545

4,493

NM

4.3

0.0%

345

267

NM

1.9

0.0%

65 4,060

39 1,763

18.3 13.4

1.8 1.4

2.3% 2.1%

3,168

1,190

1,053

1,032 1,018 923 680

103.00

78.00

42.30

13.60

69.25

184.50

50.75

12.15

24.90 36.20

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Return (%)

0.5%

0.0%

(0.7%)

(1.1%) 0.7%

2.5%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0% (0.8%)

(AED)

ź 4- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Ÿ 5- Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank ź 6- Union National Bank ź 7- Abu Dhabi National Energy ź 8- National Bank of Ras Al-Khaimah Ÿ 9- National Bank of Fujairah ő 10- AL DAR Properties Co.

8.65

8.83

8.99 3.16

3.19

2.99

1.17

4.60

4.95 1.13

Weekly

Return (%)

(1.0%)

(1.5%) 0.0%

(1.9%) 0.3%

(0.3%)

(7.1%)

(8.0%) 9.8% 0.0%

P/E (X)

23.90

P/B (X)

1.33

Dividend

Market Cap.

(SAR Mln)

309,000

Volume

(000's shrs)

2.9%

Value

(000's SAR)

Trailing

P/E (X)

Trailing

P/B (X)

Dividend

Yield (%)

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%

46,125

44,841

37,350 36,200

Weekly Trading Indicators

Market Cap.

(AED Mln)

Volume

Value

(000's AED)

6,634

57,563

11.7

1.7

8.1%

14,307

124,838

9.2

1.3

2.5%

3,722

33,350

7.3

1.0

5.6%

8,852

29,115

5.8

0.8

6.3%

927

2,956

6.5

0.9

7.7%

7,462

18,005

52,986

5.0

0.6

5.0%

5,699

6,904

9.7

0.6

8.5%

7,010

2,435

12,174

5.8

1.5

4.9%

2 62,275

10 72,023

19.4 7.2

2.6 0.7

2.0% 4.4%

34,212

26,970

17,682

7,543

7,283

5,445 4,616

P/B (X)

Dividend

(000's shrs)

68,359

P/E (X)

Trailing

2.08

3.4%

32.38

0.93

2.7%

9.81

12.34

10.54 12.54 15.76

1.08

4.8%

1.85

3.6%

0.92 1.57

5.1% 4.4%

1.86

2.9%

85

600

80 400

75 70 S&P 500 S&P 500

65

MSCI Asia ex Japan MSCI Asia ex Japan

200

ECB balance sheet Long term refinancing operations (rhs) ECB balance sheet Ͳ Long term refinancing operations (rhs)

AprͲ12 A

MarͲ12 M

FebͲ12

DecͲ11 D

NovͲ11

OctͲ11 O

SepͲ11

0

AugͲ11 A

60

Source: KCIC Research on DataStream, 2012.

www.kcicͲasia.com/research

It’s the moment to pick Asian stocks and stick to them while volatility dissipates. Second, the ongoing crisis is creating private equity opportunities in Europe. Solvent but cash starving firms look for investors. Those that cater emerging consumption trends in Asia are the best target.

financial and advisory services, and managing third party capital.

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

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

Price

(AED)

ź 1- EMAAR Properties

Beta

1.45

1.58

1.48

1.21

0.88

1.03

1.50

0.80

0.72 1.34

Beta

1.23

1.06

0.83 0.76

0.99

1.08

0.68

0.82

0.74 0.73

Yield (%)

Beta

1.00

1.17

ź 3- Emirates Integrated Telecom. ź 4- Mashreq Bank ź 5- Dubai Financial Market Ÿ 6- Dubai Islamic Bank ź 7- Commercial Bank of Dubai ź 8- Arabtec Holding P.J.S.C. ź 9- Air Arabia Co. ź 10- Dubai Investment

ROE YTD Price

13.0%

9.8%

12.9%

(10.5%)

6.2%

(9.5%)

39.6%

24.2%

7.1%

(11.4%)

12.0%

20.7%

3.3%

0.0%

0.2%

1.3%

10.3% 11.3%

(0.7%) (0.6%)

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

(0.6%)

67.000

(26.7%)

2.010

1.0%

1.100

(2.7%)

18,944

15,840

14,491

11,328

8,800

7,632

2.700

(5.6%)

5,504

0.607 0.776

(0.2%) (9.7%)

2,833 2,771

3.440

(4.4%)

5,143

Volume

Value

133.60

Return (%)

0.2%

146.20

0.6%

22.00

15.8%

26.70

(0.7%)

139.00

3.1%

78.00

0.9%

72.00

(0.4%)

141.30

0.8%

238.00 56.90

(2.5%) (2.9%)

Market Cap.

(QAR Mln)

Price

238,451

10.6

0.6

4.1%

602

1,701

6.3

0.5

7.0%

2,935

9,315

13.2

2.3

4.7%

139

11,570

13.8

0.9

3.0%

40,395

45,368

NM

1.2

0.0%

6,100

12,173

7.6

0.8

6.2%

315

858

6.7

0.9

7.1%

62,215

216,614

19.7

1.7

1.5%

19,672 19,392

11,816 15,866

9.3 13.7

0.5 0.3

7.4% 6.4%

Chg. (%)

(BHD)

21.2%

7.0%

22.5%

12.2%

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%

ő 6- Al Baraka Banking (Price in USD)

15.3%

8.9%

ő 7- Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait

2.5%

36.7%

ő 8- Investcorp Bank (Price in USD)

10.4% 16.8%

6.9% (11.1%)

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

Ÿ 1- Ahli United Bank (Price in USD) ő 2- Aluminum Bahrain

0.620

Return (%)

0.8%

0.570

0.0%

0.462

0.4%

0.420

0.0%

0.550

0.9%

0.930

0.0%

0.400

0.0%

796.950

0.0%

0.26 0.200

0.0% 29.0%

35,652

12.4

2.2

2.7%

1,114

162,693

10.1

3.1

5.1%

58,355

251

5,246

168.9

2.1

0.7%

640

89,099

12.2

1.5

1.7%

20,025

14,764

74,041

14.2

2.4

4.1%

349

27,133

13.5

1.6

5.8%

933

67,032

9.5

1.3

8.3%

220

31,137

10.9

4.7

4.6%

288 1,108

68,459 63,630

10.7 9.5

2.6 1.7

3.4% 7.9%

80,410

31,803 18,431

17,816

14,130

12,370 11,761

Market Cap.

(BHD Mln)

Volume

(OMR)

Chg. (%)

(5.3%)

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

8.9% 16.4%

ź 3- Bank Dhofar

13.7%

13.7%

ź 4- Omani Qatari Telecom (NAWRAS)

1.24

13.5%

0.9%

ő 5- National Bank of Oman

1.13

11.7%

3.5%

Ÿ 6- Raysut Cement

6.0%

(2.5%)

Ÿ 7- Shell Oman Marketing

0.14

25.6%

21.4%

Ÿ 8- Oman Cement Co.

13.6% 9.1%

8.8% 74.1%

ź 9- Oman International Bank ź 10- Ahli Bank

0.619

1.305

Return (%)

(3.1%) 1.6%

77

10.4

1.3

4.6%

973

555

3.8

1.0

11.8%

114

52

8.3

1.3

8.7%

0

0

6.4

0.4

0.0%

470

64

34

10.3

1.7

5.5%

9

3

8.0

0.8

8.6%

341

124

49

10.7

1.4

6.3%

0

0

121.3

0.6

0.0%

0 5,510

0 388

391.3 NM

1.0 1.0

0.0% 0.0%

809 665 492 356

240

217 211

Market Cap.

(OMR Mln)

1,112 979

488

0.298

0.0%

330

353

Volume

P/B (X)

Yield (%)

(000's shrs)

(000's OMR)

3,081

1,917

Trailing

P/E (X)

9.5

Trailing

P/B (X)

1.3

Dividend

Yield (%)

3.5%

1,207

1,570

8.8

2.0

7.7%

605

268.4

34.9

2.1

1.3%

657

360

7.4

3.0

7.0%

835

244

9.7

1.2

5.7%

1,779

16.6

2.4

4.0%

1.241

18.4%

248

1,512 31

73

18.4

7.8

5.0%

0.693

11.8%

229

2,515

1,667

17.9

1.5

4.3%

7,580 3,408

1,758 721

12.7 10.8

1.3 1.6

4.8% 0.0%

2.323

0.233 0.207

0.6%

(7.5%) (5.9%)

232

228 197

1.40

5.7%

21.0%

7.2%

(3.1%)

0.61

0.98

Chg. (%)

17.6%

9.7%

0.06

6.7%

(34.0%)

-0.1%

31.0%

1.14

11.1%

3.6%

13.0%

(6.9%)

1.61

0.27

1.31

1.01 1.23

8.8%

116.4%

5.8% 2.4%

3.6% 28.3%

Beta

0.85

1.07 0.53

0.64 0.85

1.03

1.14

0.79

0.71 1.04

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

17.9%

(3.8%)

30.2%

9.6%

1.2%

(9.9%)

12.4%

29.4%

16.6%

(3.8%)

12.2%

(7.7%)

13.2%

(14.8%)

42.9%

1.2%

24.0% 17.5%

21.4% (11.2%)

Beta

2.11

0.22

0.94

0.76

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

12.2%

(6.8%)

26.2%

(13.6%)

15.8%

17.9%

5.7%

0.0%

0.57

16.6%

(4.3%)

9.8%

(14.7%)

0.34

13.4%

(3.4%)

0.75 0.48

0.50 1.16

0.5% 0.3% NM

0.0% (13.3%) 207.7%

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Value

ROE YTD Price

Risk & Return

Dividend

330

1,223

P/E (X)

Trailing

(000's BHD)

(0.2%)

(1.5%)

Trailing

(000's shrs)

0.444

0.542

Yield (%)

Valuation Multiples

Value

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

P/B (X)

Beta

Risk & Return

Dividend

267

93,484

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

74,279

Volume

P/E (X)

Trailing

(000's AED)

Bahrain Bourse

ROE YTD Price

Trailing

(000's shrs)

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Top 10 Largest Bahraini Companies by Market Cap

13.9%

NA 1.52

0.0%

3.17

(QAR)

14.0%

1.34

2.850

Price

1.31

1.30

(4.3%)

(AED Mln)

Top 10 Largest Qatari Companies by Market Cap

Chg. (%)

14.8%

3.110

Return (%)

Market Cap.

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Weekly

Qatar Exchange (QE)

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples Trailing

15.74

Risk & Return

Valuation Multiples

13,387

84,600

800

90

Dubai Financial Market (DFM)

Yield (%)

Risk & Return

P/E (X)

Price

ź 2- National Bank Of Abu Dhabi

0.39%

(000's KD)

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)

ő 3- First Gulf Bank

3,089

(000's shrs)

Top 10 Largest Companies by Market Cap in Abu Dhabi

ź 1- Emirates Telecom. Co.

1.38% 0.59%

(KD Mln)

(SAR)

ź 4- Saudi Electricity Co.

230 102

Return (%)

Price

ź 3- Saudi Telecom

1.98%

(KWD)

Saudi Stock Exchange (TADAWUL)

ő 2- Al-Rajhi Bank

792,441

2,503

Valuation Multiples

Weekly Trading Indicators

Top 10 Largest Saudi Companies by Market Cap

Ÿ 1- Saudi Basic Industries Corp

16,839 17,241

0.16% (3.31%)

Dividend

0.800

Ÿ 9- Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait ő 10- Burgan Bank

129,043

127 (1,664)

Trailing

0.590

Ÿ 8- Commercial Bank of Kuwait

48,667

0.19%

Trailing

0.890

ő 7- Boubyan Bank

78,054

760

Value

0.430

ő 6- Ahli United Bank (Kuwait)

394,590

Volume

2.360

ź 4- National Mobile Telecom. Co.

0.96%

Market Cap.

0.740

ź 5- Gulf Bank

1,032

(%)

Weekly

0.740

Ÿ 3- Kuwait Finance House

(USD Mln)

Trailing Trailing

Price

1.080

ź 2- ZAIN

Weekly Chg.

3.1% 1,676,908

0.10%

95

Top 10 Largest Companies by Market Cap in Dubai

ő 2- Emirates NBD

17.6%

(0.26%)

108,006

Valuation Multiples

4.0%

0.06%

1,158.3 5,862.4

Ÿ 1- National Bank of Kuwait

Market Cap.

Return (%) YTD-12 Return

2,665.6

1000

100

3-May-2012

Current

0.99%

1200

105

3-May-12 Value

11.4%

110

KAMCO Research

Volume

2.24%

EUR bn EUR bn

KAMCO Research Benchmark

422.0

Ÿ KSE - Weighted Index Ÿ KSE - KAMCO TRW Index

Weekly

a month ago to 5.75 percent, Italian bonds rose from 5.10 to 5.51 percent. With weak fundamentals and harsh austerity plans in place, we expect Portugal to restructure its debt this year and Spain to access an International Monetary Fund (IMF) EU financing program. While a structural solution is needed, the EU is likely to resort again to temporary support programs.

Direct purchase of bonds in the secondary market is more efficient but less politically viable as Germany opposes it (for the time being).

The alternative is more Long-Term Recovery Organization (LTRO) which will increase risk appetite, triggering “core to periphery” flows.

During these rallies, returns in Asia will probably be higher than in G3, as a) Asian firms have smaller market caps, making them more sensitive to demand, and b) demand for Asia will be higher than that for G3 which offers less returns in market runs: equities in the UK rose by 3.7 percent year to date and the European Eurostoxx 600 index went up by 6.0 percent. Safe fixed income assets are a poor alternative: 10year bonds return 1.95 percent in the US, 1.66 percent in Germany and 0.88 percent in Japan.

The duration and intensity of this positive trend in Asia will depend on the size of the injection but will be only temporary. We still believe that the best investment opportunities in this global environment are linked to Asia, but catching volatile rallies is not the way to go. First, Asia has better fundamentals (2012 GDP is expected to grow seven to eight percent against 1-1.5 percent in G3) which will eventually play out.

JJulͲ11

What does the indicator tell us?

The graph shows the evolution of stocks markets in the United States (S&P 500) and Emerging Asia (MSCI Asia ex Japan) since July 2011, at the beginning of the market downturn, enhanced by the US sovereign debt downgrade last summer. Additionally, it shows the size of long term refinancing operation (LTRO) assets on the European Central Bank (ECB) balance sheet. The ECB uses this type of operations to provide liquidity to banks. The last two operations, in December 2011 and February 2012, provided more than 800 banks with over one trillion euro of three-year loans at one percent interest rates. The graph highlights how the strong injections of cash occurred shortly before market runs.

Weekly Trading Indicators

Index

Market capitalization

KSE total market capitalization grew by 0.98 percent during last week to reach KD 28.78 billion, as all of KSE’s sectors recorded an increase

Jul 2011 = 100 Jul. 2011 = 100

GCC Week No.18 GCC Equity EquityMarkets MarketsReport Reportforfor Week No. 18 GCC Equity Markets Weekly Performance

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.

Liquidity and financial markets

weak. Success in the second goal is unclear as no one knows how much banks need to cover for toxic assets (i.e.: real estate, EU periphery and Eastern Europe sovereign debt). The first and main goal was achieved albeit temporarily. Sovereign bonds in Italy and Spain moved away from danger zones. Additionally, with abundant liquidity in the markets, risk appetite grew in investors lifting stocks in most markets, as shown in the graph.

Why is this graph important?

Global financial markets posted significant gains since the beginning of 2012. The Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) World, an index of stocks’ performance across the globe, increased 10 percent year to date.

In the United States, the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 rose by 11.2 percent. In Asia, the MSCI Asia ex Japan gained 13.3 percent. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi rose by 17.5, Kuwait by 10 and United Arab Emirates/Dubai by 22.4 percent. Bullish analysts consider these numbers, along with good unemployment and production figures in the US, as a sign of an imminent global recovery, which would be fuelled by policy stimulus in China.

Unfortunately, the amount of evidence against this view is large. Despite significant liquidity injections, growth is softening across the globe.

In the US quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) growth annualized decreased from 3 to 2.2 percent in the first quarter (Q1). Chinese growth also softened from 8.9 to 8.1 percent year on year in the same period. The EU is expected to contract by 0.4 percent in 2012 while only six months ago consensus was that it would grow 0.6 percent. Liquidity explains the divergence between economics and markets.

Central banks are printing money across the globe with the intention of 1) supporting sovereign bonds, 2) providing liquidity to a fragile financial system and 3) revitalizing credit flows to the real sector. The third goal has not been achieved as credit to the private sector is still

Sectors’ indices

All of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green zone except for one sector. Last week’s highest gainer was the Real estate sector, achieving 8.29 percent growth rate as its index closed at 2,559.2 points.Whereas, in the second place, the Investment sector’s index closed at 4,144.3 points recording 3.17 percent increase.

The Real estate sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 1.38 billion shares changing hands, representing 40.05 percent of the total market trading volume.

The Services sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 28.48 percent of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 978.92 million shares. On the other hand, the Real Estate sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 58.99 million or 27.24 percent of last week’s total market trading value. The Services sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 52.52 million represented 24.25 percent of the total market trading value.

JanͲ12

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the green zone. The price index ended last week with an increase amounted to 2.24 percent, while the weighted index advanced by 0.99 percent compared to the closings of the week before. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover increased by 18.45 percent, compared to the preceding week, reaching 43.32 million Kuwaiti dinars, whereas trading volume average was 687.52 million shares, recording increase of 38.40 percent.

The market managed to end the week in the green zone for the fourth week, supported by the positive speculations, which concentrated on small stocks, especially on Investment and Real Estate sectors. Moreover, selective buying on some leading stocks supported the market, especially on Banking and Services sectors, despite some profit taking operations.

In addition, more companies announced its first quarter financial results during last week, the number of declared companies reached 17 percent so far. The total number of declared companies reached 35 out of 204 listed companies, realizing approximately KD

in their respective market capitalization except for one sector. The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD 1.79 billion, increasing by 3.32 percent. The Real Estate sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 2.77 percent increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 2.05 billion.

The third place was for the Investment sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 2.18 billion by the end of the week, recording an increase of 2.19 percent. The Insurance sector was the least growing with 0.16 percent recorded growth after its market capitalization amounted to KD 305.65 million. On the other hand, the Services sector was last week’s only decliner as its total market capitalization decreased by 0.67 percent to reach, by the end of the week, KD 6.87 billion.

Beta

1.21

0.88

0.66

1.29 1.02

0.97

0.38

0.99

1.00 0.81

ROE YTD Price

Chg. (%)

13.5%

(19.2%)

22.6%

(0.3%)

6.1%

(18.8%)

28.4%

(16.6%)

12.2%

(6.9%)

14.6%

63.3%

42.1%

(2.9%)

8.6%

60.4%

10.4% 10.9%

(16.8%) (21.9%)

LIFE

Halt cravings with this mental image

The easiest way to get your mind off that hot fudge sundae is to picture this instead: A white sandy beach in Tahiti. Or a scene from your favorite movie. Just picture something -- anything – delightfully pleasant that isn’t food related. Research suggests that doing so can help stop a craving, fast. In a recent study, college students were asked to vividly picture themselves engaged in a well-loved activity every time a food craving came up and to maintain the alternate image until the craving faded. Compared with control groups using other craving-quelling techniques like distraction or mentally challenging tasks, the daydreamers experienced a much more dramatic nosedive in both the strength and vividness of their food cravings. Researchers suspect that because the students employed their senses – like sight, sound, and smell – when imaging the enjoyable activity, it took the edge off their food urges and made the craved item seem less real.

sunDAY, may 6, 2012

Fertility treatment babies prone to ‘serious defects’ NEWYORK: Test-tube babies have higher rates of birth defects, and doctors have long wondered: Is it because of certain fertility treatments or infertility itself? A large new study from Australia suggests both may play a role.

Compared to those conceived naturally, babies that resulted from simple IVF, or in vitro fertilization - mixing eggs and sperm in a lab dish - had no greater risk of birth defects once factors such as the mom’s age and smoking were taken into account.

However, birth defects were more common if treatment included injecting a single sperm into an egg, which is done in many cases these days, especially if male infertility is involved. About 10 percent of babies born this way had birth defects versus 6 percent of those conceived naturally, the study found.

It could be that the extra jostling of egg and sperm does damage. Or that other problems lurk in the genes of sperm so defective they must be forced to fertilize an egg.

“I don’t want to scare people,” because the vast majority of babies are born healthy, said the study’s leader, Michael Davies of the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Couples could use simple IVF without sperm injection, freeze the embryos and implant only one or two at a time, he said. All of those can cut the chance of a birth defect.

The study was published online Saturday by the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a fertility conference in Barcelona, Spain. Health agencies in Australia paid for the research.

More than 3.7 million babies are born each year through assisted reproduction. Methods include everything from drugs to coax the ovaries to make eggs to artificial insemination and IVF. Fertility treatments account for about 4 percent of births in Australia and as many as 8 percent of them in Denmark, where costs are widely covered, Davies said.

In the United States, more than 60,000 babies were born in 2009 from 146,000 IVF attempts. About three-quarters of them used ICSI, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

ICSI was developed because of male infertility. But half the time, it was not done for that reason but to improve the

This undated handout photo, provided by Save the Children, shows a new mother as she is given help with her six-dayold baby. A large new study suggests that babies born through fertility treatments are prone to serious defects. (AP)

odds that at least some embryos will be created from an IVF attempt. Many clinics do it in all cases.

IVF costs around $10,000 to $12,000 per attempt and another $2,000 for sperm injection.

The study used records on nearly 303,000 babies con-

Breast cancer is rare in men, but they fare worse

CHICAGO: Men rarely get breast cancer, but those who do often don’t survive as long as women, largely because they don’t even realize they can get it and are slow to recognize the warning signs, researchers say. On average, women with breast cancer lived two years longer than men in the biggest study yet of the disease in males.

The study found that men’s breast tumors were larger at diagnosis, more advanced and more likely to have spread to other parts of the body. Men were also diagnosed later in life; in the study, they were 63 on average, versus 59 for women. Many men have no idea that they can get breast cancer, and some doctors are in the dark, too, dismissing symptoms that would be an automatic red flag in women, said study leader Dr. Jon Greif, a breast cancer surgeon in Oakland, Calif.

The American Cancer Society estimates 1 in 1,000 men will get breast cancer, versus 1 in 8 women. By comparison, 1 in 6 men will get prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.

“It’s not really been on the radar screen to think about breast cancer in men,” said Dr. David Winchester, a breast cancer surgeon in NorthShore University HealthSystem in suburban Chicago who was not involved in the study. Winchester treats only a few men with breast cancer each year, compared with at least 100 women.

The researchers analyzed 10 years of national data on breast cancer cases, from 1998 to 2007. A total of 13,457 male patients diagnosed during those years were included, versus 1.4 million women. The database contains about 75 percent of all US breast cancer cases.

The men who were studied lived an average of about eight years after being diagnosed, compared with more than 10 years for women. The study doesn’t indicate whether patients died of breast cancer or something else. Greif prepared a summary of his study for presentation Friday at a meeting of American Society of Breast Surgeons in Phoenix.

Dr. Akkamma Ravi, a breast cancer specialist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, said the research bolsters results in smaller studies and may help raise awareness. Because the disease is so rare in men, research is pretty scant, and doctors are left to treat it the same way they manage the disease in women, she said. Some doctors said one finding in the study suggests men’s breast tumors might be biologically different from women’s: Men with early-stage disease had worse survival rates than women with early-stage cancer. But men’s older age at diagnosis also might explain that result, Greif said.

The causes of breast cancer in men are not well-studied, but some of the same things that increase women’s chances for developing it also affect men, including older age, cancer-linked gene mutations, a family history of the disease, and heavy drinking.

There are no formal guidelines for detecting breast cancer in men.

The American Cancer Society says routine, across-the-board screening of men is unlikely to be beneficial because the disease is so rare.

For men at high risk because of a strong family history or genetic mutations, mammograms and breast exams may be helpful, but men should discuss this with their doctors, the group says. Men’s breast cancer usually shows up as a lump under or near a nipple. Nipple discharge and breasts that are misshapen or don’t match are also possible signs that should be checked out. Tom More, 67, of Custer, Wash., was showering when he felt a pea-size lump last year near his right nipple. Because a golfing buddy had breast cancer, More didn’t put off seeing his doctor.

The doctor told More that he was his first male breast cancer patient.

Robert Kaitz, a computer business owner in Severna Park, Md., thought the small growth under his left nipple was just a harmless cyst, like ones that had been removed from his back. By the time he had it checked out in 2006, almost two years later, the lump had started to hurt. The diagnosis was a shock.

“I had no idea in the world that men could even get breast cancer,” Kaitz said. He had a mastectomy, and 25 nearby lymph nodes were removed, some with cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation followed.

Tests showed Kaitz, 52, had a BRCA genetic mutation that has been linked to breast and ovarian cancer in women. He may have gotten the mutation from his mother, who is also a breast cancer survivor. It has also been linked to prostate cancer, which Kaitz was treated for in 2009.

A powerboater and motorcycle buff, Kaitz jokes about being a man with a woman’s disease but said he is not embarrassed and doesn’t mind showing his breast surgery scar.

The one thing he couldn’t tolerate was tamoxifen, a hormone treatment commonly used to help prevent breast cancer from returning in women. It can cause menopausal symptoms, so he stopped taking it. “It killed me. I tell you what - night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings, depression. I’d be sitting in front of the TV watching a drama and the tears wouldn’t stop pouring,” he said.

Now Kaitz gets mammograms every year. Men need to know that “we’re not immune,” he said. “We have the same plumbing.”-AP

ceived naturally and 6,163 conceived with help in Australia from 1986 through 2002, plus records on birth defects detected by age 5. Researchers counted heart, spinal or urinary tract defects, limb abnormalities and problems such as cleft palate or lip, but not minor defects unless they needed

treatment or were disfiguring.

They looked at birth defect rates according to type of fertility treatment. They also had three comparison groups of women who conceived naturally, including some with some history of infertility or who previously needed help to get pregnant.

Among fertility treatments, only ICSI, the sperm injection, resulted in higher rates of birth defects once other factors that affect these odds were taken into account.

“They take a sperm that is probably not normal and force it to conceive,” said Dr. Darine El-Chaar, an OB-GYN at Canada’s University of Ottawa. She led a smaller previous study of this and called the new work impressive and “the study that needed to be done” to sort out the source of these risks.

In the study, frozen embryos were less likely to result in birth defects than fresh ones used soon after they were created. Defective ones may be less likely to survive freezing and thawing, so the fittest embryos result in pregnancies, Davies said.

Babies born to women with a history of infertility who ended up conceiving on their own, or who had natural pregnancies after assisted ones, also had higher rates of birth defects. That suggests that infertility itself is playing a role.

Dr. Glenn Schattman, president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies and a Cornell University fertility specialist, said it was reassuring that ordinary IVF is safe. If ICSI is chosen because male infertility is involved, “parents have to be aware that by having a child with their own genetic material, they might be increasing their risk” of a birth defect, he said.

Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson, a geneticist and research chief at the March of Dimes, said doctors should take this work seriously and discuss it with patients. He said techniques have improved over the last decade and ICSI may be safer now than when this study began.

Even with genetic testing for various diseases, “we always tell our patients that this doesn’t guarantee a perfect baby,” he said.-AP

Antarctic waters changing due to climate: Study FRANCE: The densest waters of Antarctica have reduced dramatically over recent decades, in part due to man-made impacts on the climate, Australian scientists said Friday. Research suggests that up to 60 percent of “Antarctic Bottom Water”, the dense water formed around the edges of Antarctica that seeps into the deep sea and spreads out through the world’s oceans, has disappeared since 1970.

“This is a response to changes that are happening to climate in the Polar Regions, both natural and human causes,” lead researcher Steve Rintoul, from the Australian government’s science body the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, told AFP. “It’s not driving changes in climate, it’s responding to changes in climate. So it’s a signal to us that things are changing around Antarctica.”

Scientists are not sure what is causing the phenomenon but Rintoul said the leading hypothesis is that as more of the ice on Antarctica melts around the edges of that continent, it adds fresh water to the ocean. He said this could be causing the “sinking” of the dense water at high latitudes, a process that has been linked to major changes in climate in the past.

“We’re tracking these water masses to see if changes like have happened in past climates might be coming again in the future,” he said.

“We don’t see them yet, but this... contraction of the dense water around Antarctica might be the first indication that we’re on the way to do that.”

The research was done by Australian and US scientists onboard the Australian Antarctic Division’s vessel Aurora Australis, which sailed to Common-

9-month-olds show racial bias when looking at faces

Adults have more difficulty recognizing faces that belong to people of another race, and this deficit appears to start early. (Agencies)

WASHINGTON: Adults have more difficulty recognizing faces that belong to people of another race, and this deficit appears to start early, reports LiveScience.

New research indicates that by the time they are 9 months old, babies are better able to recognize faces and emotional expressions of people who belong to the group they interact with most, than they are those of people who belong to another race.

Babies don’t start out this way; younger infants appear equally able to tell people apart, regardless of race.

“These results suggest that biases in face recognition and perception begin in preverbal infants, well before concepts about race are formed.

It is important for us to understand the nature of these biases in order to reduce or eliminate [the biases],” said study researcher Lisa Scott, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in a statement.

In the study, 48 Caucasian infants were given the task of differentiating between faces of their own race and faces that belonged to another, unfamiliar, race.

In another experiment, sensors placed on the babies’ heads detected brain activity when the babies saw images of faces of Caucasian or African-American races expressing emotions that either matched or did not match sounds they heard, such as laughing and crying.

While 5-month-olds were equally able to distinguish faces from different races, 9-month-olds fared better with their own race. Likewise, brain-activity measurements showed the 9-month-olds processed emotional expressions among Caucasian faces differently than those of African-American faces, while the 5-month-olds did not.

Specifically, a shift was seen between 5 months and 9 months of age, whereby processing of facial emotions moved from the front of the brain to regions in the back of the brain in the older age group, the researchers found.

This brain shift will help scientists understand just how the brain develops with regard to their experiences with different races during the first year of life, Scott and colleagues report in a study published in the May issue of the journal Developmental Science.

wealth Bay, west along the Antarctic coast, and returned into Fremantle in Australia.

They took temperature and salinity samples at stages of the journey to the Earth’s southernmost continent, also revealing that the dense water around Antarctica has become less salty since 1970.

Rintoul said the change was “likely reflecting both human impact on the planet as well as natural cycles”.

“And the human impact includes both the increase in greenhouse gases but also the ozone hole over Antarctica,” he said, adding that this hole had caused winds of the Southern Ocean to strengthen.

Rintoul said it was important to resolve why the changes were occurring because it was relevant to how fast sea levels may rise in the future. -AFP

Prenatal smoking linked to high-functioning autism in kids

CAPITALS: If a woman smokes during pregnancy, it may increase her child’s risk of high-functioning autism, a new study suggests, reports HealthDay News. But the raised risk was slight, experts said.And researchers found no association between maternal smoking and more severe forms of autism. What the findings suggest is that although autism spectrum disorders share many of the same symptoms, subtypes of the disorder likely have many different genetic and environmental causes that vary from person to person and by type of autism, explained study author Amy Kalkbrenner, an assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Zilber School of Public Health. “We know ‘autism spectrum disorders’ is an umbrella term. What we’re showing is the response to an environmental toxin may differ by the subtype of autism a child has,” Kalkbrenner said. The study was published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Kalkbrenner and her colleagues examined data on maternal smoking from birth certificates of nearly 634,000 US children born in 11 states in 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998. That data was compared with information on 3,315 children aged 8 and under diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

About 13 percent of the mothers smoked during pregnancy, and 11 percent of the mothers of kids with an autism spectrum disorder smoked during pregnancy, the investigators found. According to the study, kids born to moms who smoked during pregnancy had about a 25 percent increased risk of having high-functioning autism, such as Asperger’s syndrome. However, the results did not reach statistical significance. Nor was smoking a clear risk factor for autistic disorder (a more severe form of autism). The researchers noted that the data used in the study may underestimate the true prevalence of autism spectrum disorders among mothers who smoke because lower-income kids are less likely to be identified as having autism, and lower-income mothers are also more likely to smoke during pregnancy. When researchers did another statistical analysis that took into account a suspected undercounting of kids with autism, the analysis did suggest a statistically significant association between smoking and highfunctioning autism in offspring.

Alycia Halladay, director for environmental research for Autism Speaks, said the research is consistent with prior studies that have found either no association or only a mild association between smoking during pregnancy and autism in children. What’s interesting about this paper is that it included data on large numbers of kids, she added, and it hinted at differences in the contributing factors for various types of autism spectrum disorders. “It really supports the idea that there are multiple causes of autism, both genetic and environmental. When we talk about autism being one group or disorder, we really need to ensure we have these groups as well-defined as possible,” Halladay said. “This is a very heterogeneous disorder.”

There are multiple reasons why tobacco might raise the risk of autism, Kalkbrenner noted. Tobacco can restrict oxygen flow to the baby, while the nicotine is known to interact with the nervous system and cross the placenta into the developing fetus. “There are many potential biological pathways for which tobacco can harm the developing baby,” she said. Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder that’s characterized by problems with social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and restricted interests and behaviors.

12

ALWATAN DAILY

Technology

APP OF THE WEEK

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2012

Samsung unwraps latest Galaxy SIII rival to iPhone Compiled by Al Watan Daily

Jumanah Al-Ghadban Staff Writer

App: Logos Quiz Game Category: Game Price: Free Platform: iOS Works with: iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Briefly: Commercialism has inspired app developers to develop a quiz game filled with different logos from different companies. We finally have a game that allows you to put that endless knowledge and wisdom gathered about different selling brands in order to achieve higher scores and unlock higher levels. More than 500 brands are featured in this game and you are given a chance to answer them, if you’re stuck don’t worry you can ask your friends on social networks or get a hint.

This game is truly addictive and if you have a competitive nature then you can use that as well and share y our high scores with friends on the Game Center or via social networks.

TECH TALK Microsoft hopes to lure Googlers with new Bing design: While Google has been busy adding additional search options to its feature-packed left hand Google Search menu, Microsoft has made the decision to remove unnecessary left hand “distractions” on Bing and is unveiling a new streamlined design for the site.

-AFP YouTube launches original programming: YouTube is adding to its original programming by launching channels specializing in female dramas and United States Olympic athletes. The Google Inc.owned video site announced the new channels Wednesday ahead of an upfront presentation to advertisers. -AP Nokia and Carl Zeiss extend camera phone deal: Nokia and lens-maker Carl Zeiss agreed an exclusive deal to make high-end camera phones, and said a new top-of-the-range model would be launched this month. The companies on Wednesday said the deal will run for several years, which Nokia hopes will help it compete more effectively against other smart phones. -Reuters Amazon unveils effort to develop original TV shows: Amazon.com Inc unveiled a new effort to develop original comedy and children’s TV shows to distribute over the company’s video streaming service. The move is part of a broader push

by Amazon to produce its own content, including video and e-books, to sell to its millions of customers over the Internet. The world’s largest Internet retailer said people will be able to submit ideas for television series to the website of its Amazon Studios unit. -Reuters Google+, Spotify, Facebook get top Web awards: Social networks Google+ and Pinterest and the music service Spotify each grabbed their first Webby Awards on Tuesday in the 16th edition of the competition for the top Internet sites. Facebook was named the winner of the first People’s Special Achievement for Social Change, topping Twitter, YouTube, Kiva, and Change.org for the award for using the Internet for social and political development. -AFP

CAPITALS: Samsung Electronics unveiled a new top-of-the-range Galaxy smartphone in London on Thursday, updating the most direct rival to Apple’s iPhone with a larger touch screen and more powerful processor.The South Korean technology group, which overtook Finnish company Nokia as the world’s biggest cellphone maker earlier this year, said the new Galaxy SIII model would go on sale in some markets in late May and around the world from June.

The new Galaxy SIII model will have a 4.8 inch touch screen, 8 megapixel camera and will use the latest version of Google’s Android software.

Analysts said the expected massive marketing campaign and features of the handset billed as the official smartphone of the London 2012 Olympics - were likely enough to generate strong sales, but the launch left many of them unexcited.

“It is not an eye-catching device that will overwhelm consumers,” said IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo.

The blue lights in the launch venue downtown London, echoing the cold rainy day outside, and the background sounds of nature, which Samsung said inspired the design, resulted in a fairly muted atmosphere in the room.

Analysts said the new device represented a formidable challenge to rivals, given a combination of the Galaxy brand, sales support from operators and heavy marketing.

A man uses Samsung Electronics’ new Samsung Galaxy SIII smartphone during its launch at The Earls Court Exhibition Center in London May 3, 2012. (Reuters) Exclusive Features and Opinions

Samsung has foregone cutting-edge design and world-first specs on the flagship device in

favor of an improved user interface, software optimization, exclusive on-board features and consumer-pleasing specs.

The device sports a desirable list of hardware specifications that include a huge 4.8” HD Super AMOLED (1280x720) display, a 1.4 GHz Exynos 4 Quadprocessor, an 8MP camera, a 2,100mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. It runs on a customized version of Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Added features such as Sirichallenging voice commands (S Voice), cloud storage, eye-tracking and lag-free photo taking will also help Samsung differentiate the device from its Android competitors.

While bloggers lamented the flagship smartphone’s lack of edgy design, they praised the device’s specs, improved user interface, software optimization and exclusive features.

Engadget said, “this is a good-looking phone, with an impressive high definition Super AMOLED screen and a processor that looks likely to spar for top spot among Android devices,” but complained it lacked stand-out design and “wowfactor hardware.”

Ars Technica called it “a conservative evolution of the Galaxy S II,” and added “It’s just a pity that for all the innovation on the inside, and all the work that Samsung has done on the software, the whole thing is wrapped up in a package that’s so mediocre. Flagship phones deserve better than flimsy plastic.”

“There’s no doubt that the SIII will be a big seller,” said The Next Web. The Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone will launch in Europe on May 29 before a wider rollout in global markets. Pricing has not been announced.

BlackBerry-maker RIM unveils prototype, fails to impress

TORONTO: Research In Motion’s new chief executive unveiled a newly-designed BlackBerry smartphone prototype powered by a re-imagined operating system -the very software the company has pinned its future on.

Thorsten Heins, who took the CEO job in January, on Tuesday revealed features of the BlackBerry 10 operating system running on a prototype device at the company’s BlackBerry World conference in Orlando. He provided no update on the software’s launch date.

Heins, who is trying to rally developers to make applications for the new operating system, promised that each developer at the conference will go home with the prototype BlackBerry. In a speech that was broadcast on the company’s BlackBerry World website, Heins stressed that the device is not the finished product.

The once iconic company has had difficulty competing with flashier, consumer-oriented phones such as Apple’s iPhone and models that run Google’s Android software. Investors were not impressed.

Heins made his first major speech since replacing longtime chiefs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis in January. Lazaridis announced a month earlier that the often-delayed operating system would be delayed again until later this year.

Analysts say RIM’s future depends on the new BlackBerry 10 software platform, although

many say it may be too late.

The prototype BlackBerry has a touchscreen, but no physical keyboard like most BlackBerry models. One of the new features is a modified

touchscreen keypad that will allow users to select full words with a single key stroke.

RIM has had limited success trying to enter consumer markets in recent years, particularly

Research in Motion Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins holds up a prototype of the BlackBerry 10 smartphone at the BlackBerry World event in Orlando May 1, 2012. (Reuters)

New iPhone rumored to be thinner and taller PARIS: A report from Apple-focused technology blog iLounge claims the next-generation iPhone will arrive this fall with an elongated glass-bodied design, a redesigned Dock connector and a 4” or bigger display. The iPhone rumor mill is heating up as Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC (June 11-15), draws closer.

While iLounge has correctly reported on unannounced i-device features in the past, the latest set of rumors should definitely be taken with a fist-full of salt. iLounge says the next-generation device (aka the iPhone 5) will be given a supermodel makeover that will see its profile shrink to 7.4mm (approximately 2mm thinner than the iPhone 4S) and its height increase by 10mm to accommodate a bigger display. Another major change will be the addition of a new, smaller Dock Connector

that will replace the existing 30-pin Dock Connector on the phone. “The new port will be a little larger than the bottom speaker or microphone hole on the iPhone 4/4S,” said iLounge, “and the shape of the hole is apparently closer to a pill shape than the prior rounded rectangle.” The blog claims the phone will not sport the long-rumored “teardrop design”; instead it will feature a glass-bodied design with a few major modifications. iLounge writes that “[a]ccording to our source, Apple will make one major change to the rear casing, adding a metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone. This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic.”

Mac blog maclife.com calls this “bizarre” design feature “dubious” while others agree that it doesn’t fit with Apple’s design aesthetic. -AFP

with high-end devices that sport touch screens popular with consumers. Touch-screen BlackBerrys that lack physical keyboards have largely flopped.

BlackBerrys also lag iPhones and Android phones when it comes to the number of thirdparty applications they can run.

The Canadian company has long dominated the corporate smartphone market. Its BlackBerrys are known for their security and reliability.

President Barack Obama even refused to part with his BlackBerry after he took office.

But RIM faces threats from the “bring your own device” movement, in which employees bring their personal iPhones or Android devices to work instead of relying on BlackBerrys issued by their employers. RIM declined to hold a presentation for analysts at the conference this year. Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Financial, called that a smart move because it kept a sense of doom out of the event.

Gillis said BlackBerry 10 is a solid operating system but it probably won’t be enough to turnaround the Canadian company. Gillis said it’s more important for them to get it out right than to quickly release a flawed product. “It’s too soon to cast final judgment on the platform. Let’s see what they do. Let’s see if people build (applications) for the platform,” Gillis said from New York. -AP

Judge urges more deliberations in Android case SAN FRANCISCO: A judge urged jurors to resume deliberating Oracle Corp’s copyright claims against Google over the Android mobile platform, after they indicated there was unanimous agreement on all but one of the questions they must decide.

“It’s worth you going home over weekend,” District Judge William Alsup told the jurors, adding that deliberations in the federal court in San Francisco should continue next week. Oracle sued Google in August 2010, saying Android infringes on its intellectual property rights to the Java programming language. Google says it does not violate Oracle’s patents and that Oracle cannot copyright certain parts of Java, an “open-source,” or publicly available, software language. Alsup had been prepared to allow the jury to deliver a partial verdict on Friday. But he changed his mind after one juror said others on the panel thought further deliberations might be useful.

“We should take advantage of that hope,” Alsup said.

The trial has been divided into three phases: copyright liability, patent claims, and damages. It began in April and was expected to last at least eight weeks. -Reuters

GAME REVIEW

Star Wars characters boost Kinect

gears

McLaren to increase more than its speed with MP4-12C supercar Compiled by Jameel W. Karaki Staff Writer

AGENICES: In the world of Formula One racing, the British and Italian outfits are already deep into another nail-biting season. The competition is no less intense when it comes to production cars, where McLaren is taking direct aim at the Ferrari 458 Spider with a drop-top variant of its own MP4-12C supercar. These renderings of a MP4-12C convertible provide a glimpse at what’s in store when this finely honed, British-built exotic

officially comes to market.

What’s new?

The rigid and extremely lightweight carbon fiber chassis of the MP4-12C coupe, along with the car’s twin-turbocharged V-8 engine, will make their way into the convertible model.With 592 bhp on offer, the 3.8-liter engine - coupled to a 7-speed twin-clutch Seamless Shift Gearbox (SSG) - helps rocket the McLaren coupe to a top speed of 205 mph. Some additional stiffening of the chassis is likely, though our sources confirm that McLaren

is eager to keep the MP4-12C convertible’s top speed above the 200-mph mark.

Part of that engineering plan seems to include a folding hardtop, constructed primarily of aluminum and/or carbon fiber. While folding hardtops generally weigh more than their less complicated cousins made out of cloth or vinyl, the use of exotic materials would keep extra pounds gained in the coupe-to-convertible transformation to an absolute minimum. A folding hardtop would also offer aerodynamic benefits, especially if McLaren wants to keep the performance level of the MP412C coupe.

Overview:

The new model will be based on the platform of the new MP4-12C supercar.

(Agencies)

With 592 bhp and a curb weight of about 3000 lb., the mid-engine carbon-tub McLaren MP4-12C is aimed directly at the Ferrari 458 Italia. The twinturbo V-8, developed with Ricardo, sends power to the 305/30ZR-20 rear tires via a 7-speed paddleshift twin-clutch automated transmission. We wish the McLaren had a traditional manual gearbox, but each shift of the Graziano dual-clutch transmission is 70-milliseconds quick, and there’s nothing quite like being on a track and pulling off beautifully rev-matched downshifts without the chance of making a mistake. McLaren claims the lightweight supercar hits 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and does the quarter in 10.9 sec. at 135 mph.

Pricing should be revealed closer to the onsale date, most likely mid-2013 (for the 2014 model year). With the MP4-12C coupe starting at $231,000, the convertible is likely to fall somewhere in the region of $250,000.

In this video game image released by Microsoft, a player wields a virtual light saber against Darth Maul in “Kinect Star Wars.” (AP)

NEW YORK: George Lucas’ sprawling “Star Wars” universe has always lent itself to games - even if they were as simple as pretend light saber duels in your backyard.

“Kinect Star Wars” (LucasArts, for the Xbox 360, $49.99) is a light saber fan’s dream title. Using Microsoft’s Kinect camera, which translates your motions into on-screen activity, you start with training against floating droids shooting red rays. Eventually, you can challenge Darth Vader himself. It’s a good upperbody workout, and you get the signature hum of the famous movie weapon.

Pod racing, though, really gets the blood flowing. Using your outstretched arms, you guide your hovering vehicle through a rocky, barren landscape. The racing controls are fairly intuitive, which is essential because there’s no steering wheel to hold in your hands. Racing as San Maxus, a devil-horned dude with red skin, I was able to earn enough alien cred to upgrade my pod with turbo speed.

There’s also “Rancor Rampage,” which lets you take control of a huge, destructive beast. Or if you’re in a more peaceful mood, “Galactic Dance Off” lets you bust some moves while Jabba the Hutt looks on. If you’re a fan of Harmonix’s “Dance Central” for Kinect, you’ll feel right at home. Three out of four stars. -AP

ALWATAN DAILY

entertainment Song Of The Day

Fahad AlSabah Staff Writer

Song: Easy Conversation Artist: Jill Scott Album: Brown Sugar OST Genre: Soul/Hip-Hop In short: Released on the soundtrack of Brown Sugar, Jill Scott’s “Easy Conversation” finds her between being a singer and a spoken-word artist, which really is what separates her from the crop of soultresses. A must-listen.

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

The Buzz Jonah Hill joins DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street Jonah Hill, fresh off an Oscar nomination for his performance in “Moneyball,” will star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The film, still in pre-production, is based on Jordan Delfort’s memoir about his meteoric rise and ignominious fall as a Wall Street trader.

Delfort made millions, living of a life of the utmost extravagance only to succumb to drug and alcohol addiction. Terence Winter, creator of “Boardwalk Empire” and a lead writer on “The Sopranos,” adapted the book for the big screen.

Hill will play Danny Borush, a close friend of Delfont who is lured into the world of yachts, partying and shady business dealings. Known largely for comedy thanks to “Superbad,” “Get Him to the Greek,” Hill has actively pursued roles outside that Judd Apatow-style comedy comfort zone, including his turns in “Cyrus” and “Moneyball.” Hill last appeared in the “21 Jump Street” remake and will appear this summer in Akiva Schaffer’s “Watch” (formerly “Neighborhood Watch”), but “The Wolf of Wall Street” gives him another run at drama. DiCaprio, whose involvement in the film was reported in February along with Scorsese’s decision to direct, is starring as Delfort and producing under the Appian Way banner. Production begins in August. -Reuters

Fox changes name of Neighborhood Watch film “Neighborhood Watch” will now be known as just “The Watch.” Fox said Friday that the name of the film starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn as suburban neighborhood watch volunteers who uncover an extraterrestrial plot was changed in light of the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Florida. “As the subject matter of this alien invasion comedy bears no relation whatsoever to the recent tragic events in Florida, the studio altered the title to avoid any accidental or unintended misimpression that it might,” the studio said in a statement. Fox previously pulled early promotional materials for the movie because of the Trayvon Martin case.

The unarmed, 17-year-old Martin was fatally shot in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman on Feb. 26, causing a national controversy. “The Watch” is set for release July 27. -AP

Showtime picks up season 3 of The Borgias Showtime is throwing in for another round of unholy intrigue with “The Borgias.” The cable channel has picked up the show’s third season, with production on the next 10 episodes slated to begin this summer in Budapest, Showtime’s President of Entertainment David Nevins announced on Friday.

The new season will premiere in 2013. Currently, Showtime is nearing the halfway mark of the show’s second season, with episode 5 of the Renaissance-era drama airing Sunday.

Jeremy Irons will reprise his scenery-chewing starring role as the corrupt Pope Alexander VI, paterfamilias of the 15thcentury Italian clan that inspired creator-executive producer Neil Jordan to reboot history. Jordan will also make his mark on season 3 as a writer and director of select episodes. The second season of “The Borgias” concludes on Sunday, June 17. -Reuters

CBS warns ABC it may sue over Glass House CBS’s lawyers have threatened ABC that its upcoming summer reality series, “Glass House,” is copying CBS’s “Big Brother” in a way that constitutes “a classic case of copyright infringement.” Saying that they will pursue “all available remedies if this course of action continues” (you’ll recognize that as lawyer talk for “we’ll sue”), the attorneys demanded a stop to ABC’s plans. ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The letter, from the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, comes just three days after ABC announced plans for “Glass House,” due to debut June 18. In its release about the show, ABC said it would feature “14 contestants will live and compete for a quarter million dollars in a totally wired, state-of-the-art house, playing not just against each other, but also playing to win over the viewing audience each week.” CBS noted several similarities to “Big Brother,” which features 12-14 people living in a wired, state-of-the-art house, competing to avoid eviction, with input from viewers at home. It also said “Glass House” is being led and staffed largely by “Big Brother” veterans, who have signed non-disclosure agreements barring them from revealing proprietary information or trade secrets. To signal how serious they are about litigation, they also demanded that ABC preserve all documents, including texts and emails, about the creation of the show. If the matter goes to court, CBS’s lawyers would scour them for evidence that the show ripped off ideas from “Big Brother.” -Reuters

sunDAY, may 6, 2012

13

Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch dies of cancer, aged 47 LOS ANGELES: Adam Yauch, a founding member of pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys who captivated fans with their brash style in early hits like “Fight for Your Right (To Party),” died on Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 47.

Yauch, Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz formed the band that gained fame in the 1980s and stood out not just for their music, but for their ethnicity. In a genre dominated by African-Americans, they were three white Jewish kids from Brooklyn, New York.

The Beastie Boys sold some 40 million records worldwide over more than 20 years. As time passed, Yauch branched into filmmaking and activism, helping raise money for various causes including efforts to help free Tibet from Chinese rule.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam “MCA” Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys ... passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer,” said a statement posted on the band’s website.

In July 2009, Yauch disclosed he had been diagnosed with a tumor in his left salivary gland and lymph node, and he later had surgery and sought medical treatment in Tibet, among other places. In October of that year, he said he was “feeling healthy, strong and hopeful” that he had beaten the disease.

But as recently as last month, it was apparent Yauch was very ill when he missed his group’s introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Yauch was born in Brooklyn on August 5, 1964, and taught himself to play bass guitar, forming a band on his 17th birthday that would later become the Beastie Boys. He went by stage name MCA. Diamond was Mike D and Horovitz, AdRock.

Initially, the group played punk rock, but soon switched to rap as that musical genre gained prominence on New York streets and in underground clubs in the early 1980s.

The group’s breakout album, “Licensed to Ill,” was released in 1986 and featured “Fight for Your Right” and “Brass Monkey,” and put it squarely on the music industry’s hitmaker map.

Music, Film, Philanthropy

The Beasties followed “Licensed to Ill” with “Paul’s Boutique” (1989), which broke from the hard rock and rap of their debut. That was followed by CDs like “Ill Communication” (1994), with its big single, “Sabotage,” and “Hello Nasty” (1998) that featured the hit “Intergalactic.”

Over the years, the Beasties challenged themselves with

FILE - In this photo, Beastie Boys members Adam Yauch “MCA,” center, Adam Horovitz “Adrock,” left, and Mike Diamond “Mike D,” reflected in a mirror, pose for a photograph during an interview in Toronto, July 26, 2006. (AP)

shifting musical styles, but their fans remained loyal. They released four No. 1 albums in their career and won three of the music industry’s top awards, the Grammys.

The Recording Academy, which gives out the Grammys, issued a statement calling Yauch “part of one of the most groundbreaking trios in hip-hop.”

Russell Simmons, a co-founder of Def Jam Records, the label that first signed the Beasties to a record deal, posted a message on his website saying, “Adam was incredibly sweet and the most sensitive artist, who I loved dearly.”

Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch also directed Beastie Boys videos such as “So Whatcha Want,” “In-

Sarah Ferguson tried in absentia in Turkey ANKARA: The trial of Britain’s Duchess of York for allegedly taking part in the secret filming of two orphanages in Turkey has been adjourned so the plaintiffs can evaluate a proposed out-of-court settlement, Turkey’s state-run news agency said.

Sarah Ferguson faces charges of going “against the law in acquiring footage and violating privacy” of five children at one of the orphanages, the Anadolu Agency said. If convicted, she could receive a maximum sentence of 22 1/2 years in prison.

The trial began Friday, and Ferguson did not attend the opening session, the agency said.

Ferguson, the former wife of Britain’s Prince Andrew, allegedly made an undercover trip to Turkey in 2008 during which she secretly visited the two staterun orphanages along with two British TV journalists.

An indictment filed against Ferguson in January said the two journalists are being separately investigated.

The footage of the five children was filmed at the Saray Rehabilitation and Care Center orphanage on Sept. 22, 2008 near Ankara and shown that year on the British ITV program “Duchess and Daughters: Their Secret Mission.” The filmed images appeared to show the children tied to their beds or left in cribs.

The government has accused the duchess of smearing Turkey’s image, while saying at the same time that it would investigate and address any problems at the orphanages.

The news agency quoted her lawyer, Cansu Sahin, as saying the duchess is seeking an out-of-court settlement. On Friday, the court told Sahin that Ferguson should attend next hearing, Anadolu reported.

Canan Yildiz, a lawyer representing the five children and Turkey’s Family and Social Policies Ministry, said her clients have been “harmed” and would like to join the public prosecution against Ferguson and the two British journalists who have been also indicted in the case and could be tried separately.

The court agreed to hear testimony from the five children who were filmed, but Yildiz said some of them are mentally retarded and others are handicapped, and

tergalactic,” “Body Movin” and “Ch-Check It Out.” He founded independent film company Oscilloscope Laboratories, which makes and distributes low-budget, art-house fare. It recently released the drama “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”

Outside music and film, Yauch formed the Milarepa Foundation, which raised money for post-September 11 disaster relief and other causes. In 1996, Milarepa produced the massive Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Yauch is survived by his wife, Dechen, and his daughter, Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents, Frances and Noel Yauch.

-Reuters

Bollywood’s Khan wants to ‘inspire’ India with show

FILE - In this Wednesday, June 10, 1998 file photo Britain’s Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson arrives at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. (AP)

that it would have been better if their testimony was taken at the orphanage.

Anadolu did not say when the trial would resume, and the lawyers in the case could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

One reason the Ferguson case angered Turkey’s government is that it emerged during the country’s long-standing effort to become a member of the European Union, despite opposition from some EU states about issues such as human rights and free speech in Turkey. -AP

FRANCE: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan will make a muchhyped television debut on Sunday, starring in a show dealing with real-life stories aimed at inspiring millions of Indians.

The weekly show is called “Satyamev Jayate” or “Truth Alone Triumphs”, a patriotic phrase inscribed on India’s national emblem and all Indian currency notes.

Khan has kept the plot secret but he was quoted in local media on Saturday as saying the show is “a journey of discovery, of change, of emotions and of human stories which touch and inspire us.”

“My dream is to impact lives,” said Khan, 47, who has also produced the show.

The program will be aired on state-run Doordarshan late morning on Sunday, a slot which most families in India remember for serials based on Hindu epics which would bring the entire country virtually to a standstill.

Khan’s show has been creating a buzz even before the first episode, thanks to a novel promotional cross-country campaign in which the actor mingled with locals and shared their meals.

Its teasers suggest the content is likely to tug at heartstrings of average Indians, who are struggling to make ends meet with salaries failing to keep pace with soaring prices.

Khan has made a name for himself as one of the Indian film industry’s leading actor-producer-directors, combining offbeat subjects with high-quality production.

He is credited with awakening Indians’ consciousness with the Bollywood blockbuster “Rang De Basanti” -- “Color it Saffron” -a film that showed the youth take to the streets and revolt against endemic corruption.

The 2006 movie is believed to have fed the anti-corruption movement by social activist Anna Hazare who drew tens of thousands to his protest rallies last year.

Khan also produced “Peepli Live” -- a biting satire about the poverty divide between rural and urban India and the problem of farmer suicides. Another of Khan’s big hits, “Three Idiots,” exhorted youngsters to take up careers of their choice and not get burdened by their parents’ expectations.

Many predict the show will be a runaway success, given Khan’s popularity. “If there is anyone who can pull this show off, it’s Aamir Khan,” said social commentator and Indian advertising guru Santosh Desai. -AFP

Police found no evidence Lohan hit club manager LOS ANGELES: Lindsay Lohan won’t face prosecution over a nightclub manager’s claims that the actress struck him with her sportscar due to lack of evidence and doubts about his credibility, prosecutors decided Friday.

Police had asked the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to review whether Lohan should be charged with leaving the scene of an accident, but the office determined there was insufficient evidence to pursue a case.

Police interviewed the manager, reviewed surveillance footage and looked at Lohan’s Porsche and found no evidence that an accident had occurred.

Thaer Kamal, manager of the Hookah Lounge in Hollywood, accused Lohan of striking him with her Porsche early on March 14, just two weeks before the actress’ supervised probation ended.

A charge evaluation worksheet noted that

although Kamal called 911, he refused medical treatment at the scene and told police he had been grazed by Lohan’s car along his right leg.

He refused to cooperate on follow-up interviews until roughly two weeks later, when he gave detectives a photo of a bruised left knee and appeared for the interview with his left knee bandaged, according to the prosecutor’s summary.

“There is no direct evidence to show Lindsay Lohan or anyone else struck victim Kamal,” Deputy District Attorney John Gilligan wrote. Victim Kamal’s changed story and lack of cooperation with law enforcement make him a non-credible witness.”

Kamal has been represented by attorney Mark Geragos, who did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Lohan’s spokesman Steve Honig declined comment on the decision. -AP

Lindsay Lohan attends the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner held at the Washington Hilton on April 28, 2012 in Washington, DC. (AFP)

14

ALWATAN DAILY

AROUND TOWN / TIME OUT

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2012

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

Feature o f

graffiti

the day

moderately confused

BSK students win award in Qatar

KUWAIT: Students from The British School of Kuwait (BSK) have had their most successful robotics season yet, returning as quarter finalists from the 8th Regional Botball Robotics Challenge held at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

It was a day to be proud of for members of BStroniKs, the school’s robotics team, as in addition to progressing so far in the competition they were also the only school chosen to receive the Judge’s Choice Award.

This is the second consecutive year that the team from BSK has been chosen for this accolade.

Educational Robotics is available to students at BSK as part of the extensive extra-curricular program offered by the school. The students from Years 9 - 13 get very involved and excited about the program, building a robot and getting it to work is challenging.

They get engaged with science, technology, computer science, sensors, mechanical engineering, electronics - a whole range of areas that they bring together to get their robot to perform. Students learn to program their robots using C; the most widely used programming language in industry and academia.

Botball gives students the tools

Month a t

Sudoku to develop sophisticated strategies using artificial intelligence with embedded systems. Participating in Robotics at BSK gives students the opportunity to try out to be a member of the school Robotics team, BStroniKs and compete at the annual Robotics Tournament, Botball which involves team members travelling to Carnegie Mallon University, Qatar on two occasions throughout the season.

The annual Botball season kicked off in Doha with a two-day workshop followed by an eight

week build period in which time they learn about current robotics technologies and how to apply the physics and math concepts to design, build and program the competing robots to maneuver autonomously across a game board, performing tasks according to the program theme.

The students returned from the Qatar Tournament feeling justifiably proud of their achievements.

They have learned a lot and are confident of building on their success next year.

Elementary

Intermediate

Advanced

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

a glance

Bread baking course April 19- May 10/ 6 p.m.-8 p.m. /TIES Center: TIES Ladies Club invites all ladies the unique course of preparing the ancient traditional food “The Bread Baking”. Baking of different kinds of breads will be demonstrated including Old English Toast, Italian Bread Stick, Strawberry Sweet Heart and many more.

For more information please contact us on 97228860/2523015/6 or emailinfo@tiescenter.net.

Aim high Golden era club May 11 and 25/ 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. / Rumaithiya: Golden Era Club presents ‘The Eight Fold Path to Yoga’. Yoga here! Yoga there! Yoga everywhere! Yet, few comprehend Yoga’s true nature! Join Yoga Guru - Aacharya Shashikala Pushkarna - on this unique journey to the true ‘union’ between the mind, body and spirit. All seniors (60+) are cordially invited. Venue- House #34, next to Abu-Tammam Intermediate School for Boys, Sate Alhusari St., Block 2, Rumaithiya. For registration call 97172788/ 66208183 or drop a line to goldenera60@yahoo.com

Diwaniya presentation May 8/ 7 p.m. / The AWARE Center: AWARE Center cordially invites interested Western expatriates to its diwaniya presentation entitled, “E-Marketing: How to Make Money on the Internet,” By An Swinnen on Tuesday. An Swinnen is the Owner and Managing Director of BECS, a British training company that specializes in business skills and management training and train the trainer. BECS has been established in Kuwait and the Gulf for five years. For more information, call 25335260/80

Annual lecture May 9/ 7 p.m. / AWARE Center: As the 22nd anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait approaches, the AWARE Center cordially invites all interested western expatriates to its annual lecture entitled, “Kuwait before and after: a photographic document,” presented by Gustavo Ferrari - Journalist and photographer. For more information, call 25335260/80

May 10/ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m./ Jabriya: Toastmasters Club would like to take this opportunity to invite you to a showcase meeting which is a part of a membership campaign drive to be held on Thursday at the Jabriya Public Library. The goals of the membership drive are; to promote Aim High meetings, to attract new members and to encourage members to invite guests to the club. This is a great opportunity for members and guests to meet and network with a cross section of individuals in Kuwait with common interest of improving their communications and leadership skills.

For information please call: Khaled Al-Hashem - President at 65588824 or Rhea Usman - VP Membership at 90024115.

K’S PATH invites applicants for the adoption of pets Sepp is a Domestic Long Haired (DLH) male cat. He will be 2-years-old April 2012. This friendly, laid-back boy loves a good cuddle and likes a high vantage point in a cat tree or ledge to look out from. He would do best in a home with children over 12 years of age.

To adopt, contact +965 67006122 or visit the website www.kspath.org

Mario is a gentle and affectionate 6-years-young Spitz male. This friendly boy does great with people and dogs of all ages.

Fayre trade May 12/ 10 a.m. -4 p.m. / Sadu House: Welcome to the fayre! A great day out for all the family. Do your summer souvenir shopping in the wonderful surroundings of Sadu house. Games for the kids, raffle, free admission. Relax after shopping with a scone and a nice cup of tea in the Diwaniya coffee shop.

Art and photography, handicrafts and gifts, jewelry rugs and carpets, sadu weaving, frankincense and myrrh, books, fashion. Supporting 5 charities. For more info: Fayretradeq8@yahoo.com Facebook: Fayre Trade Kuwait.

The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kuwait would like to inform the public that on the occasion of the Liberation Day, the Embassy will be closed on Tuesday, May 8, 2012.

Holiday Notice The Embassy of India will remain closed on May 6, 2012 on account of “Buddha Purnima”.

International bazaar May 26/ 10 a.m.-3 p.m. / TIES Center: Stop by and have the opportunity to see and even own some international antiques on display and taste the delicious foods on display. Also have your name inscribed in Arabic calligraphy at no cost and have a taste of our Arabic ice cream. Various items will be available for sale, such as pashmina shawls, accessories, jewelry, Mexican food, Indian food, cosmetics, cookies, handbags, traditional Kuwaiti - style dresses and many more. For more information please contact 2523105/6 or 97228860

Dilbert

Embassy of the Slovak Republic

Open House for Indian Citizens Ambassador of India would be holding an Open House for Indian citizens to address their problems\grievances on Wednesdays of the second and the fourth weeks of every month between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs in the Embassy. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day. To ensure timely action/follow-up by the Embassy, it is requested that, wherever possible, Indian citizens should exhaust the existing channels of interaction/grievance redressal and bring their problems/issues in writing with supporting documents.

Nancy

Horoscopes Aries: March 21 - April 19

Today you might find yourself feeling a little low, Aries, but it doesn’t seem as if there’s any real reason for it. You may just have had a bad night and need some extra sleep. Some good news from far away could cheer you up in the afternoon. You might receive an invitation to go out to dinner with a close friend. You should be feeling like your old self again by evening.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Old memories, traumas, and phobias from the past could affect your mood today, Taurus. You might feel depressed without really knowing why. An event in your life has just brought feelings near the surface without revealing the source. If you’ve had any disturbing dreams or visions lately, write them down. They might offer a clue as to what’s really bothering you.

Gemini: May 21- June 21

A friend might be feeling a little depressed today and need some cheering up. Social events or group activities will be of great help in doing that, and do you some good as well, Gemini. A long-term goal may finally be reached, justifying a celebration. Interacting with groups will take up a lot of your time and concentration.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

Pivotal career matters may need to be thought through today, Cancer.A lot will be at stake at work in the very near future. Whatever tasks you need to tend to could require a lot of effort and concentration. There’s a danger of sinking into a gloomy mood over it, but try to avoid this trap. You’ll probably accomplish whatever it is you’re hoping to do, so hang on!

Leo: July 23 - August 22

Today you might find that a long-term dream finally comes true. Perhaps a trip that you’ve fantasized about for a long time finally shows promise of actually happening, Leo. A practical and methodical approach to arranging the details should make it seem that much more real to you. Plan each step carefully so you don’t end up working harder than really necessary.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

Some strange and rather gloomy dreams could come your way tonight,Virgo. They could, if you let them, catapult you into a rather depressed mood during the day. Writing them down might help exorcise the negative emotions. You could also be a bit depressed over money.

Libra: September 23 - October 22

A lack of communication with an unhappy family member could have you feeling a little downhearted, Libra. You might wonder if you’ve done something to offend this person. Chances are you haven’t. The best way to handle situations like this is to encourage the person to communicate with you. The gloomy mood will pass, so don’t go crazy over it.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21

The promise of a promotion or raise could be on your mind today, Scorpio. You might try to visualize the next steps and anticipate tasks that take more effort and concentration than you’re used to.

Don’t panic. Just wait for a few days until the planets relax a little and just do what you need to do - no more, no less. You’ll be successful in the long run so don’t worry.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

You might decide to spend a large part of the day working on a project that requires a lot of mental energy. Plans to spend some time with either a close friend or lover might not turn out to be quite what you’d hoped, Sagittarius. Your friend could be in a rather gloomy mood.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

A gloomy guest could arrive today, Capricorn, and likely need some cheering up. Do the best you can, but don’t try to do it by cooking a meal. The results of your efforts might not be all that exciting. This is a great day to go for fast food. Take your friend to a movie, concert, or art gallery. This could get your mind off his or her troubles and your mind off your friend!

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Some rather depressing information could come your way, Aquarius, but don’t take it at face value.

It might not be as bad as it seems. Check the facts before making yourself crazy. This isn’t a good day for visiting or running errands in your neighborhood, as the traffic could be a nightmare. Anything you try to read today could seem boring so movies are likely to be best.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

Gloom over money matters might catch up with you at some point today, Pisces. However, there’s nothing really major to worry about. Financially, your business affairs should go well, so you’re probably doing better than you think. A little caution might be in order, especially regarding impulse buying or purchasing luxuries.

ALWATAN DAILY

SPORTS

SUNDAY, may 6, 2012

15

Basketball

Nuggets’ big men 76ers tops Bulls come up big, beat Lakers 99-84 79-74 in Game 3 for 2-1 lead DENVER: The Denver Nuggets swore if they could just play with a lead, this first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers would be a whole lot different.

When Danilo Gallinari made a reverse layup four minutes into the game, the Lakers trailed for the first time in the playoffs and the energized Nuggets used an astonishing 28-2 run to take control in their 99-84 win Friday night.

The fresh-legged and baby-faced Nuggets can tie up the best-of-seven series Sunday night at the Pepsi Center, where the grizzled but gassed Lakers will try to rebound from a 3-for-14 fourth-quarter shooting performance that doomed their comeback attempt.

Ty Lawson scored 25 points, setting the tone offensively, and JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried had double-doubles while stifling Andrew Bynum, who was shut out in the first half. Gallinari helped

Philadelphia 76ers’ Andre Iguodala (top) goes to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during their NBA Eastern Conference quarter-final playoff in Chicago May 4, 2012. (Reuters)

PHILADELPHIA: Spencer Hawes officially knocked off Chicago in Game 3 with a late jumper that capped a 14-point rally. The top-seeded Bulls can only hope injuries won’t finish them in this series. With Derrick Rose already out with a knee injury, the Bulls received a second serious scare when Joakim Noah crashed down on his side and clutched his sprained left ankle.

Hawes led a Philadelphia fourth-quarter comeback to remember, letting a late go-ahead jumper fly from just inside the 3-point arc to help the Sixers rally from 14 down to beat the Chicago Bulls 79-74 on Friday night and take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

The Bulls can’t afford any more injuries to their stars - or else the surprising Sixers could be the team advancing to the next round. The eighth-seeded Sixers are halfway toward eliminating the Bulls. They won Game 2 in Chicago with Rose out and stormed back in a fourth quarter where Noah was limited to 2 minutes. Noah left the arena on crutches and was wearing a protective boot. Noah, who finished with 12 points, has little time to recover. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Hawes scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth, grabbed nine rebounds and buried the winner with 2:11 left to give the Sixers their first lead since halftime.

Philadelphia scored only 11 points in the third quarter and trailed by double digits early in the fourth before taking off against the battered Bulls. Hawes

keyed the surge and buried two free throws to pull the Sixers to 71-70 with 3:28 left.

Holding a one-point lead, Omer Asik missed two free throws giving the 76ers new life. Hawes hit a 20footer for a 72-71 lead and Evan Turner made two free throws for a three-point lead with 1:24 left.

John Lucas III made a 3-pointer for the Bulls to make it a one-point game and a send a shiver into a team that faded down the stretch after a 20-9 start.

All of that is behind them now. Jrue Holiday hit two free throws to seal the win to the delight of 20,381 fans who packed the Wells Fargo Center.

The Bulls missed 10 straight field goals over 5-plus minutes in the fourth to lose all of their 14-point lead.

Carlos Boozer had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls and Richard Hamilton scored 17 points.

Holiday scored 17 points and Turner had 16 while reserve Lou Williams added 14. The Sixers missed 13 of 14 3-pointers and shot 34 percent (26 of 76) from the floor. Yet their late run was enough to help them win consecutive playoff games for the first time since 2003.

With the Philly crowd standing and waving their rally towels, the Sixers seemed primed for a comeback.

Hawes fought inside for a tough basket that pulled the Sixers to 69-64 to help them end the game on a stunning 26-7 run.

The Bulls need to figure out a new rotation without Rose and way to protect Noah if they don’t want this series to slip away. -AP

Tennis

Kanepi takes second 2012 title with Estoril success LISBON: Kaia Kanepi claimed her second WTA trophy of the season after saving two match points in a 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 victory over Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the final of the Estoril Open on Saturday.The Estonian sixth seed became the third woman to win the clay event after saving match points.

She lifted the title four months after winning Brisbane in early January.“I fought for every point,” said the 34th-ranked winner, aged 26. “This is a very special trophy for me. I don’t have a coach right now -- this is something that I did all on my own.”

Kanepi, a former French Open junior champion who now has three WTA titles, looked to be going out as the unseeded Suarez Navarro went up a break in the second set after winning the first.

But four breaks of serve in the last five games of the second led to a tie-break, where the Spaniard was betrayed by nerves as she conceded a 4-2 lead in the

decider. Kanepi closed the gap and then lifted her level even further as she saved back-to-back match points.

One set point for the Estonian was enough to take it into a deciding set after nearly two hours of play. Kanepi broke in the final game to conclude victory in two hours and 37 minutes with 20 winners and six breaks of serve, dropping to her knees on the clay after converting match point. “It was just so special,” said the player who missed nearly two months through injury from mid-January to mid-March. “I fought so hard, even when I was losing. I knew that it was not over until the last point and that’s the way it went. I’m so happy to win.”

Suarez Navarro, the world number 58, admitted she spurned her best chances because she tightened up.

“I had chances to win, but I got nervous,” said the Spaniard. “Kaia played a smart match. I can only look ahead now to Madrid. I didn’t play my best when I needed to. She wore me down, especially mentally.” -AFP

hound Kobe Bryant into a 7-for-23 shooting night.

Denver led 55-39 at halftime. The Lakers cut their deficit to four points in the third quarter but couldn’t get any closer and faded in the fourth.

“That’s a big hole to put yourself in, to be down 24, especially in the first half, is tough playing against a team that’s desperate,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said.

Bynum’s putback with 1:18 left in the third quarter not only pulled the Lakers to 68-64 but his inadvertent elbow on the play broke Al Harrington’s nose. He didn’t return, but the Nuggets went on a 12-5 run to regain their composure and control of the game.

“I felt like they played really well,” Bryant said. “They played with a lot of intensity and for us it was good learning experience. I’m proud of the way we battled to get back into the game.We just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Karl said he wasn’t sure but suspected Harrington will be back for Game 4. Bryant finished with 22 points after scoring 31 and 38 points in the two wins at Staples Center.

The Nuggets used a 28-2 run spanning the first and second quarters to take a stunning 38-14 lead. Lawson scored 13 of the Nuggets’ points as they scored 20 of the final 22 points of the first quarter, then teamed with Corey Brewer and Harrington on a trio of 3-pointers to stretch Denver’s lead to 41-17.

Nothing was going right for the Lakers and their stars. “I wasn’t on my sweet spots,” Bryant said. “They tried to keep me more on the perimeter. I wasn’t in the post a lot. I lived at the elbow the first two games and we got away from that a little bit in the second half. Pau (Gasol) as well.

We saw him on the perimeter way too much. We can’t do that. We have to stick to our ground and pound game.” -AP

Rondo helps Celtics beat Hawks 90-84 in OT

Rajon Rondo (9) of the Boston Celtics goes up for a shot against Kirk Hinrich (6) of the Atlanta Hawks in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs, May 4, 2012. (AFP)

BOSTON: Celtics coach Doc Rivers looked at his aging team at the end of regulation, and he wasn’t encouraged by what he saw.

Rajon Rondo returned from a onegame suspension and recorded his seventh career playoff triple-double. The Celtics point guard had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists one game after sitting out for bumping referee Marc Davis in the closing minutes of the series opener. Rondo did not have a basket in the first half of Game 3, and Rivers said he noticed Rondo struggling to run the offensive plays.

Rondo scored 10 in the second and the first two baskets of overtime, including a post-up hook shot over Jeff Teague that gave Boston the lead for good.

Ray Allen returned for Boston after missing almost a month and scored 13 points in 38 minutes. Kevin Garnett had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Paul

Pierce had 21 points one game after scoring 36 points with 14 rebounds to help the Celtics swipe home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in Atlanta.

Joe Johnson scored 29 points and Jeff Teague had 23 for the Hawks. McGrady had 12 points - his highest total since he had 40 for Houston in 2008 - but 10 were in the first half, before he landed awkwardly on his right ankle and went to the locker room. He did not have a field goal in the second half.

The Celtics went on an 11-1 run to open a double-digit lead with 7 minutes to play in regulation, but Atlanta rallied and tied it 80-80 on Johnson’s 3-pointer with 1:23 left. Both teams failed to score on their next two possessions, leaving the Celtics with the ball out of bounds with 3.9 seconds left.

Rondo inbounded to Pierce, who was defended by Johnson and had to take a long, fallaway jumper that bounced off

the rim at the buzzer.

The Celtics got Rondo back from his one-game suspension and Allen back on the court for the first time since April 10.

He played just five games over the final month of the regular season because of bone spurs in his right ankle and missed the first two games of the playoffs as well.

The Hawks kept losing players. With top centers Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia already out, forward Josh Smith was scratched with a sprained tendon in his left knee.

“I thought we were depleted but we were still in a position where we could have won the game,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “It says a lot about your team when they can step up in the playoffs short-handed and still put themselves in position to win the game. We certainly had our opportunity. We just fell short.”

-AP

Olympics

London stages final test events ahead of Olympics

Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi (right) and Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro hold their trophies at the end of the Estoril Open tennis final Saturday, May 5, 2012. (AFP)

Cilic, Kohlschreiber book places in Munich final

MUNICH: Croatian third-seed Marin Cilic will face Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in the final of Munich’s ATP tournament after they both enjoyed victories in Saturday’s semifinal.

Fourth-seed Kohlschreiber needed three sets and more than two hours to beat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez, the second seed, to seal a 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 victory and book his place in Sunday’s clay-court final In contrast, the 23-year-old Cilic needed just 75 minutes to secure a 6-3, 6-4 win over former world number two Tommy Haas, who defeated Marcos

Baghdatis in Friday’s quarter-finals and also saw off top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga earlier in the competition. “It was my best match of the week,” said Cilic, who is through to his first final of the season.

“I played and served extremely well. I believe he didn’t reach deuce on my serve. I waited for my chances on return. Tommy played really well this week and I went into the match with thoughts of that. It made good preparation for everything.”

Having lost the 2010 final to Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny, Cilic is bidding to lift his first clay-court trophy at the third attempt. -AFP

LONDON: Thousands of sports fans braved the rain and cold at the Olympic Park in London on Saturday as organizers staged the final test events ahead of the Summer Games.

Student athletes competed in water polo, wheelchair tennis, field hockey and track and field events, watched by about 75,000 spectators.

It marked the first time the main stadium in the heart of the Olympic Park in east London was open to the public for a track and field competition. Organizers said about 40,000 people are expected to attend the official opening of the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium on Saturday night.

The final days of test events come after the British military performed a series of operations to test Olympic security, including flights over London by fighter jets and helicopters this week.

“This is the one big opportunity, particularly with the number of people we’ve got in the park, to test our venues, to test the park management, the security and tickets,” said Sebastian Coe, who heads the local organizing committee.

With about 140,000 people attending test events over the past six days, the organizers also assessed the movement of spectators across the sprawling Olympic Park.

“We are actually in a very good shape, but with a mountain of work still to do,” Coe said. With just over 80 days

Athletes compete in a men’s 100m heat during the British Universities and Colleges Sport Athletics Championship (BUCS) at the Olympic Stadium in the Olympic Park in London, May 4, 2012. (AP)

before Olympic competition begins, the organizers’ main focus is the athletes, Coe said. Test events are used to gauge reaction from participants to fine tune any changes ahead of the Olympics.

“The thing that we will always take very seriously is the feedback from the athletes because they are the most im-

portant group of people that we have to deliver for,” Coe said. “Every time you see an athlete going into those venues they’ve probably given up half their lives for that moment, so that’s clearly important.” The Olympics run from July 27 to Aug. 12, while the Paralympics take place from Aug. 29 to Sept. 9. -AP

Sports Editors Highlight

SPORTS

sunDAY, may 6, 2012

ROME: Lecce are almost certain to be relegated from Serie A following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Fiorentina. Serse Cosmi’s team now trail Genoa in the final survival spot by three points but they have only one match left. Genoa, who play away to Udinese on Sunday, have two chances to get the one point they need to ensure they remain in Serie A next season. Fiorentina also ensured their own survival, having come into the game needing a point to be mathematically secure. On Sunday, champions AC Milan play Inter Milan in their city derby while leaders Juventus travel to Trieste to tackle Cagliari. Juve lead the table by a point from Milan, who need to win to ensure they take the title race to the final weekend. -AFP

Football

Chelsea seal FA Cup as Liverpool denied double LONDON: Chelsea withstood a late Liverpool onslaught to seal their fourth FA Cup final victory in six seasons here Saturday with a 2-1 win at Wembley.

A goal in each half from Brazilian midfielder Ramires and veteran striker Didier Drogba clinched a narrowly deserved win for Chelsea, with substitute Andy Carroll scoring for Liverpool.

The win saw Chelsea skipper John Terry enter the record books as the first man to captain one side to four victories in the competition having already lifted the famous trophy in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The defeat denied Liverpool the opportunity to end a largely disappointing season with a second piece of silverware following their League Cup triumph over Cardiff in February. However after controlling much of the game, Champions League finalists Chelsea were made to work hard for their win, and Carroll was denied what would have been a dramatic 82nd-minute equalizer when his close-range header was parried onto the underside of the crossbar by Petr Cech.

Carroll wheeled away to celebrate thinking the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and his assistants remained unmoved. Earlier, Chelsea dominated a poor Liverpool side throughout a poor first half which saw the Merseysiders struggle to get into the game. Liverpool midfielders Jay Spearing and Jordan Henderson were largely anonymous, all too often leaving captain Steven Gerrard overwhelmed.

Chelsea meanwhile looked comfortable throughout, with Frank Lampard and Jon Obi Mikel screening the back four against an impotent Liverpool attack.

Drogba had been the first to get a shot on goal, hooking a volley just over the bar after only 33 sec-

onds as Chelsea started brightly. The Blues then took the lead on 11 minutes through a Ramires strike that owed everything to poor play from Liverpool Spearing squandered possession in midfield and Juan Mata gratefully scooped up the loose ball and fired a pass in behind Jose Enrique for Ramires.

The rangy Brazilian shrugged off his man with ease and then took advantage of shoddy goalkeeping from Pepe Reina to lash home at the near post. Liverpool might have got back into the match almost immediately, only for Branislav Ivanovic to thwart Craig Bellamy’s fierce volley on 14 minutes with a gutsy block. Yet that was as good as it got for Liverpool for the remainder of the half, with Cech having little to do in the Chelsea goal.

Liverpool started the second half more purposefully, with Gerrard producing one surging run into the box and Downing looking lively down the flank.

But Chelsea delivered a hammer blow on 52 minutes when Drogba pounced, rifling home a low left foot shot after being picked out in space by Frank Lampard. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish responded immediately by bringing on Carroll for the ineffectual Spearing but it was Chelsea who continued to look the more threatening of the two sides. Drogba lashed a volley into the side netting but then the momentum shifted dramatically when Carroll pulled one back for Liverpool.

The £35 million striker pounced after Jose Bosingwa’s clearance ricocheted into his path, wrong-footing Terry to fire high into the net. It was all Liverpool thereafter, with the Reds galvanized by the presence of Carroll in the front line. -AFP

Arsenal Euro dream in balance after Norwich draw

Arsenal’s Robin van Persie shoots to score past Norwich City’s John Ruddy, during their English Premier League soccer match at Emirates stadium in London, May 5, 2012. (AP)

LONDON: Arsenal’s bid for a top-four finish suffered a major setback as Steve Morison’s late goal earned Norwich a deserved point in a six-goal thriller at the Emirates.

Yossi Benayoun’s opener in the second minute had seemed to put Arsene Wenger’s side on course for an easy afternoon.

But with Norwich having gone ahead through Wes Hoolahan and Grant Holt, a double from Robin van Persie seemed to have won it for the hosts before substitute Morison stunned the home crowd with a smart finish five minutes from time.

Without a victory in their last three matches, Arsenal came flying out of the blocks and took the lead inside the opening 70 seconds. Nothing seemed on when birthday boy Benayoun received the ball from Tomas Rosicky but he cut inside Kyle Naughton and curled a beauty beyond the reach of John Ruddy for his third Premier League goal of the season. It was a dream start but Norwich have proved they are no pushovers this season and they immediately went in search of an equalizer. Holt was unlucky to see his goal bound effort blocked

by Kieran Gibbs in the sixth minute, with the visiting skipper then heading over from Simon Lappin’s high cross.

Less than a minute later, however, Lambert’s side did draw level as Naughton’s low cross picked out Hoolahan and his firm side-footed shot somehow squirmed past an embarrassed Szczesny..

Van Persie was inches away of an immediate equalizer from Sagna’s weighted cross but Arsenal then struggled to break down Norwich’s rearguard effort.

Benayoun was lucky not to be shown a red card after lashing out at Bradley Johnson off the ball, while the visitors had two great shouts for penalties that were waved away by referee Anthony Taylor.

Hoolahan also went close to extending Norwich’s lead with a volley before the introduction of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Arsenal some much-needed extra impetus. Van Persie had wasted two great opportunities to equalize but he made no mistake when Song’s weighted ball into the box picked him out and he volleyed superbly into the corner of the net. The Dutchman could have doubled his tally soon after, although there was a touch of fortune when he finally did in the 80th minute.

The ball deflected straight into the 28year-old’s path 12 yards out and he swept home past Ruddy to give Arsenal the lead.

Amazingly, though, Norwich weren’t prepared to give up the ghost and a brilliant pass from Jonny Howson played in Morison to dispatch a perfect shot into the corner of the net. Wenger’s side were stunned but should have been awarded a penalty late on when Naughton appeared to nudge van Persie in the back, while the skipper and Song were both denied at the death by saves from Ruddy. -AFP

Juve know what is needed to win title, says Conte

ROME: Antonio Conte is sure that he and his players know exactly what is needed of them to come away from the final two games of the season with the Serie A title in their hands. Juventus lead AC Milan by just one point, although they also have the edge in head-to-head battles before their trip to Cagliari while the rossoneri tackle Inter in their city derby. However, Juve showed signs of nervousness in midweek when they gifted relegation threatened Lecce a point despite having led from the beginning and played most of the second half against 10-men.

Before that blip, though, they were on an eight match winning run and Conte believes his side are not about to crack. “To win you need your head, heart and legs.

With my players we have instant understanding and often all it takes is a look,” he said. “I’m aware of everyone’s feelings, emotions and state of mind and that’s why I’m calm because this team have always given me belief from every point of view and will continue to do so.” Conte claims there is no hangover from the Lecce disappointment. Had they held on to the three points, they would have been able to secure the title with victory on Sunday. -AFP

Chelsea’s players lift the cup after their FA Cup final soccer match against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium in London, May 5, 2012. (Reuters)

Modric is irreplaceable, says Tottenham boss

CHIGWELL, England: Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luka Modric is irreplaceable and the club must hold on to the Croatia international and their other top players to avoid becoming a mid-table team again, manager Harry Redknapp told reporters on Friday.

Modric and fellow midfielder Gareth Bale have been linked to several leading European clubs with British media reporting on Friday that Manchester City were interested in the Welshman.

But City manager Roberto Mancini said he doubted Bale would be sold by Spurs. “Gareth Bale is a fantastic player but I don’t think he will leave a big team like Tottenham,” he told reporters. Redknapp also cannot understand why anyone thinks Spurs would want to part with their

top players.

“I don’t know why Tottenham should be seen as a club that is going to be selling it’s best players,” he said. “We are certainly not looking to sell our best players. We are looking to build a team here, not dismantle.

The chairman made a stance with Modric last year - the stance was that we are looking to build, to add to the group we’ve got and improve for next year, not to go backwards. If we go backwards, we’re going nowhere basically are we? We will slump back into mid-table mediocrity and we don’t want that.”

With Roy Hodgson chosen as the new England manager this week instead of Redknapp attention has switched to the Tottenham manager’s contract at the club which expires next year.

But the 65-year-old said: “I have never spoken to anyone about a contract. I have not chased (Spurs chairman) Daniel (Levy), and he doesn’t have to chase me. I have a contract here still at the moment so there is no problem.

“I am pleased and privileged to be at a club like Tottenham. They are one of the top clubs in the country and in Europe. They are a great club to work for, so long may it continue.”

Spurs travel to Aston Villa on Sunday looking for the win that will keep them in the top four and put pressure on third-placed Arsenal who they trail by a point.

The fourth-placed Premier League team will go into the Champions League qualifying round unless Chelsea beat Bayern Munich in this season’s final on May 19. -Reuters

AC Milan’s Dortmund break another record, Cologne relegated Allegri braced for decisive day MILAN: Massimiliano Allegri says Sunday night’s penultimate match of the season will decide the destination of this season’s Serie A title. The AC Milan coach will lead his side out as the nominal away side in their city derby against Inter Milan, while Juventus travel to Trieste to take on Sardinians Cagliari.

Both leaders Juve and champions Milan finish the season with home games they will be expected to win, so Allegri believes whoever comes out on top on Sunday night will be the de facto champions. Milan must win to ensure they still have a chance of winning the title next weekend. They are a point behind Juve but the Turin giants have the head-tohead edge, meaning even if Milan draw, Juve could snatch the title on Sunday.

Allegri spent two years at Cagliari, where he made his name and convinced Milan to sign him. But the coach is not planning on ringing up his former charges to ask them to give his new team a helping hand.

While Milan are fighting for the title, Inter, champions two seasons ago, are battling for their Champions League lives.

They lost 3-1 at Parma in mid-week and now trail Napoli and Udinese by three points.

They must win to stand any chance of overhauling their rivals and featuring in Europe’s premier club competition next season.

Interim coach Andrea Stramaccioni was unbeaten in six games until he took his side to Parma.

But he does not expect Sunday’s derby to have too much influence on his own chances of landing the job full-time.

“I think I will be judged on what I have done and will do in the future,” he said.

“This is one of the games that will permit another judgment to be made about the coach. Of course it’s not a match like the others, everything’s worth double. We were fired up. After Parma there was also an element of anger. You will see from the first minute tomorrow what we want to demonstrate. We have two crucial games coming up and we want to take six points, then we’ll see where we are in the league.

There’s no calculations. We want to get as many points as possible and then we’ll see.” -AFP

Robert Lewandowski (center) of Dortmund lifts the trophy after winning the German championship after the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg, May 5, 2012. (AFP)

BERLIN: Cologne had their German league relegation confirmed on Saturday while Borussia Dortmund broke the Bundesliga record for the most German league points in a season with a 4-0 thrashing of Freiburg. On the last day of the league season, Cologne’s 4-1 defeat at home to Bayern Munich saw them drop to 17th in the league, synonymous with automatic relegation, after Hertha Berlin’s 3-1 home win over 10-man Hoffenheim lifted them to 16th.

Hertha must now win a two-leg play-off to stay in the top tier. The capital side discover who their opponents are on Sunday and play the first leg on Thursday. Hertha took the lead at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium when Tunisia midfielder Anis Ben-Hatira slammed home a direct free-kick just 14 minutes into the game. Hoffenheim were reduced to 10 men when ex-Liverpool striker Ryan Babbel was shown two yellow cards in quick succession after theatrics from Georgia’s Levan Kobiashvili convinced the referee he had been struck in the face.

Replays showed it was a harsh decision against Holland’s Babbel, who was dismissed with 42 minutes on the clock. Hertha made it 2-0 when BenHatira tapped home again on 78 minutes to secure Berlin’s play-off lifeline.

Ex-Germany defender Marvin Compper netted a late consolation for Hoffenheim before Brazil striker Raffael made it 3-1 to the hosts in the 92nd minute.

Arsenal-bound Lukas Podolski marked his Cologne farewell, but could not prevent his team suffering a home defeat to Bayern.

German international Thomas Mueller put Bayern ahead with a well-timed strike as the Cologne defense swarmed around Munich hot-shot Mario

Gomez, leaving Mueller to fire home on 34 minutes.

Cologne captain Pedro Geromel then turned the ball into his own net on 52 minutes and Bayern’s Dutch star Arjen Robben curled in a shot on 54 minutes. The hosts pulled a goal back, but Mueller netted Bayern’s fourth to compound Cologne’s misery and send them down.

With an end-of-season tally of 81 points Dortmund’s second consecutive title triumph allowed them to break a long-held record for the most points amassed in a league season. In the 1970s, when only two points were awarded for a win, the Bavarian giants set a record tally of 54 points. Had three points been awarded, Bayern would have won the 1973 title with 79 points. Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund also extended their unbeaten run to 28 games.

All four Dortmund goals came from Poland internationals as Robert Lewandowski netted twice while national team-mate Jakub Blaszczykowski also hit two goals to make it 4-0 at the break.

Hanvover claimed the last available Europa League qualification spot as their 2-1 win at home to Kaiserslautern left them seventh as Stuttgart’s 3-2 win at home to Wolfsburg denied Wolves a top seven finish and a place in Europe. Stuttgart’s win saw them score three goals in six second-half minutes to hit back from 3-2 down.

Germany’s Stefan Kiessling hit a hat-trick in Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-1 victory at Nuremberg as ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack made his final appearance for Leverkusen. Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was confirmed as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 29 goals in 32 games after he scored twice in his 3-2 win at Werder Bremen. -AFP