May 8, 2012

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012

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Issue No. 1428

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150 Fils with IHT

Second interpellation filed against Al-Shamali MP Al-Wasmi files separate motion against Finance Minister

Mohammed Al-Salman Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Although the Majority Bloc claims that it works synergistically, the fact that the bloc has filed two interpellations against Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali casts doubts on such claims. Parliamentary sources revealed that the new bloc will witness division, and that disagreements will be more glaring during the coming period.

Disagreements surfaced before the press on Monday when MP Obaid Al-Wasmi filed an interpellation against Al-Shamali, during the time MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Khaled Al-Tahous, and Abdulrahman Al-Anjari also planned to file an interpellation against the same minister. Informed sources mentioned that Al-Wasmi decided to file his interpellation against Al-Shamali after the Popular Action Bloc refused to include him as one of the signing parties of the interpellation, since the bylaw allows only three MPs to sign the interpellation. Such conflicts have negatively impacted the bloc’s image among common Kuwaiti citizens, since these conflicts show that the bloc is unable to reach agreements with its members; thus casting doubts regarding its ability to reach a decision concerning the no-confidence vote.

Constitutional sources at the National Assembly explained that since Al-Shamali faces two consecutive interpellations within a short interval, the discussion regarding both interpellations will be merged.

MP Al-Barrak criticized MP Al-Wasmi for not attending four meetings that were held to discuss the interpellation. It is worth noting that Al-Wasmi was in Jordan and therefore missed the meetings. Al-Wasmi did not contact Al-Barrak and the other MPs to coordinate with them in regards to the interpellation after he returned from Jordan. However, he asserted that there are no conflicts with Al-Wasmi, since they all seek the interest of the Kuwaiti people.

The interpellation filed by MPs Al-Barrak, Al-Tahous, and AlAnjari will tackle Al-Zour Station, the cancellation of the power and water desalination station project in Al-Sebbeya while increasing the value of the contract, violations of Kuwait Investment Authority, the previous management of Offset, Kuwait Investment Company, taking advantages of bonuses, the Touristic Enterprises Company, favoring interests of banks over welfare of citizens, preventing citizens from taking advantage of drops in interest rates, failing to handle defaulters’ issues and favoring debtors, leniency that led to the loans crisis, not investigating violations that occurred at the Customs Department, alcohol found at embassies, Kuwaitis terminated from the private sector, leniency in enforcing the law regarding state property, and social insurance.

The issues included in the interpellation filed by Al-Wasmi are: failing to shoulder supervisory responsibilities over bank loans policies, misleading the public, extending the period of loans which violates banking instructions, leniency in protecting national wealth, misappropriating funds, smuggling of diesel, and refraining from collecting due state funds.

Moreover, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei stated that the Development Bloc will support both interpellations filed against Al-Shamali. He added that the bloc members will meet after the first round of deliberations of Al-Humoud’s interpellation, in order to reach a decision regarding that issue. He stressed that the bloc has no preconceptions regarding the interpellation, and that the interpellation will either be supported or rejected after listening to all parties.

Meanwhile, today’s National Assembly session witnesses the deliberation of the interpellation filed by Al-Juwaihel against Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud. Parliamentary sources expect a heated session, since Al-Juwaihel will reveal names and documents that will cause disputes among MPs and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 provoke the government.

Ambassador denies Kuwaiti student abuse in Egypt

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Karzai says Afghan civilian deaths could hinder US pact

KABUL: The strategic pact sealed by US President Barack Obama last week in Afghanistan is at risk of becoming “meaningless” if Afghans do not feel safe, President Hamid Karzai said on Monday, referring to a string of recent civilian casualties by NATO. Karzai summoned US General John Allen, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker, to his palace to discuss the civilian deaths, a longstanding thorn in ties between Karzai and his Western backers.

The killing of civilians also has soured the feelings of many ordinary Afghans towards foreign forces in a war that is becoming increasingly unpopular and is dragging into its 11th year.

“Karzai signed the strategic pact with the United States to avoid such incidents (civilian casualties) and if Afghans do not feel safe, the strategic partnership loses its meaning,” a

presidential palace statement said, referring to an agreement setting out a long-term US role in Afghanistan.

The statement added that dozens of civilians had been killed in the eastern provinces of Kapisa and Logar, northwestern Badghis province and the southern Taliban stronghold of Helmand over the past three days in NATO air strikes.

A spokesman for NATO said the air strikes were under investigation, and the palace statement quoted Allen as saying: “I personally take responsibility for these incidents.”

Obama swooped into Afghanistan for the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death on May 2 to sign the strategic partnership, which lays out plans for future aid and advisers. The deal may provide Afghans with reassurances that they will not be abandoned when most NATO combat troops leave as planned in 2014. -Reuters

New video of US aid worker kidnapped in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: A 70-year-old American aid worker kidnapped 9 months ago in Pakistan said in a video released by Al-Qaeda that he would be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the militant group’s demands.

The video posted on militant websites Sunday followed one issued in December in which Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahri said Warren Weinstein would be released if the US stopped airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. He also demanded the release of

all Al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects around the world.

“My life is in your hands, Mr. President,” Weinstein said in the new video.

“If you accept the demands, I live; if you don’t accept the demands, then I die.”

It was unclear when the video was recorded.

The White House had no comment Monday on Al-Qaeda’s demands or Weinstein’s plea.

A woman who answered the phone Monday at a number listed for Weinstein

in Rockville, Md., said she had no comment when an Associated Press reporter identified herself. Phone messages left for Weinstein’s relatives were not immediately returned.

Weinstein was abducted in August in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore after gunmen tricked his guards and broke into his home. He was the country director in Pakistan for J.E. Austin Associates, a US-based firm that advises a range of Pakistani business and government sectors. -AP

Putin sworn in as Russia’s president

Guns shoot salute in honor of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during his inauguration ceremony in Moscow’s Kremlin, on May 7, 2012. Putin took his oath of office today to become Russia’s president for a historic third mandate at a glittering ceremony inside the Kremlin. (AFP)

MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin has been sworn in as Russia’s president for a third term after four years as prime minister.

Putin was first elected president in 2000 and the new six-year term will keep him in power until 2018. Putin’s inauguration on Monday comes a day after an opposition protest drew more than 20,000 people, fewer than the mass demonstrations that preceded his election but still a sign that the anger over Putin’s return to the Kremlin has not faded. The protest turned violent when some demonstrators tried to march toward the Kremlin and helmeted riot police beat back the crowds with batons and detained more than 400 people. A ceremony is under way in a glittering Kremlin hall for the inauguration of Vladimir Putin, who is starting a third presidential term after four years as prime minister.

Putin was first elected president in 2000 and the new six-year term will keep More on 5 him in power until 2018.

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (center) attends, on behalf of the Amir, the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Zakat House, on Monday, May 7, 2012. (KUNA)

Cabinet OKs privatization council bill KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Cabinet has approved a draft law authorizing a supreme privatization council under His Highness the Prime Minister, said Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Sabah.

Emerging from the weekly Cabinet meeting, Sheikh Sabah told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) the council comprises the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, minister of commerce and industry, minister of public works and minister of state for planning and development affairs, minister of communications, minister of electricity and water and minister of state for municipal affairs, in addition to experts Dr. Mohammad Monther Al-Zuhair, Dr. Abdulhamid Ali Hussein and Engineer Naif Al-Lafi.

Sheikh Sabah added said the Cabinet was apprised of a recent letter to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia on bilateral relations and within consultations between the two brotherly countries.

The Cabinet was also briefed by the letter to the Amir from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, where the latter expressed content over the advanced level of cooperation reached between Kuwait and the international body at all levels.

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Israeli court rules against Palestinian hunger strikers

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK: Israel’s Supreme Court turned down on Monday an appeal by two Palestinians, who have been on hunger strike for the past 70 days, to free them from detention without trial.

But in its decision, released by the Justice Ministry, the court said security authorities should consider freeing them for medical reasons.

Thaer Halahla and Bilal Diab, described by the court as active members of the Islamic Jihad militant group, have been refusing food in protest at their “administrative detention”, a policy Israel applies in many security-related cases.

Around 1,550 Palestinian prisoners have forsworn food in Israeli jails for three weeks in a protest against the detentions, wide denial of family visits and solitary confinement.

Qaddoura Fares, chairman of the main Palestinian prisoners’ organization, decried the ruling as a “death sentence” and accused the court of being politically motivated.

“The court knows the gravity of their status and health, but it has decided to reject the petition. This court is a tool More on 4 of the,” Fares said.

Researchers say step closer to meningitis B vaccine

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Rock analysis suggests France cave art ‘oldest’ in world

WASHINGTON: Experts have long debated whether the sophisticated animal drawings in a famous French cave are indeed the oldest of their kind in the world, and a study out Monday suggests that yes, they are.

The smooth curves and fine details in the paintings of bears, rhinoceroses and horses in the Chauvet cave in southern France’s picturesque Ardeche region are so advanced that some scholars believe they date from 12,000 to 17,000 years ago.

That would place them as relics of the Magdalenian culture, in which human

ancestors used tools of stone and bone and created increasingly advanced art as time went on. But scientists have previously shown through radiocarbon dating evidence of rock art, charcoal and animal bones in the Chauvet cave that the drawings are older than that, likely between 30,000-32,000 years old, befuddling some who believed that early art took on more primitive forms.

Now, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a US journal, scientists believe they have confirmation that the paintings are “the oldest and most elabo-

rate ever discovered.”

Their findings are based on an analysis - called geomorphological and chlorine-36 dating - of the rockslide surfaces around what is believed to be the cave’s only entrance. The research shows that an overhanging cliff began collapsing 29,000 years ago and did so repeatedly over time, definitively sealing the entrance to humans around 21,000 years ago.

That would mean the drawings had to have been done before that, and bolsters the notion that they were created by people in the Aurignacian culture which lived 28,000 to 40,000 years ago. -AFP

Al-Qaeda surprise attack kills 22 Yemeni soldiers

SANAA: Al-Qaeda militants staged a surprise attack Monday on a Yemeni army base in the south, killing at least 22 soldiers and capturing 25 just hours after a US drone strike killed a senior figure in the terror network wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. It was not immediately clear if the pre-dawn attack on the military base in the southern Abyan province was in retaliation for the death of Fahd Al-Quso, a top Al-Qaeda leader on the FBI’s most wanted list. The militants managed to reach the base both from the sea and by land, gunning down troops and making away with weapons and other military hardware after the blitz attack, Yemeni military officials said. Government forces later shelled militant positions elsewhere in Abyan, killing 16 militants, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to More on 4 speak to the media.

Supporters wave at Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she leaves the National League for Democracy party Lanmadaw township branch office’s opening ceremony in Yangon May 7, 2012. (Reuters)

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ALWATAN DAILY

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Cabinet OKs privatization council bill National Assembly housing committee meets, issues recommendations on prefab homes

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Cabinet has approved a draft law authorizing a supreme privatization council under His Highness the Prime Minister, said Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Sabah.

Emerging from the weekly Cabinet meeting, Sheikh Sabah told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) the council comprises the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, minister of commerce and industry, minister of public works and minister of state for planning and development affairs, minister of communications, minister of electricity and water and minister of state for municipal affairs, in addition to experts Dr. Mohammad Monther Al-Zuhair, Dr. Abdulhamid Ali Hussein and Engineer Naif Al-Lafi.

Sheikh Sabah added said the Cabinet was apprised of a recent letter to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia on bilateral relations and within consultations between the two brotherly countries.

The Cabinet was also briefed by the letter to the Amir from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, where the latter expressed content over the advanced level of cooperation reached between Kuwait and the international body at all levels.

His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (center) heading the cabinet’s weekly meeting Monday, May 7, 2012. (KUNA)

The Cabinet welcomed Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, who is currently in an official visit to the country. It also congratulated newly-elected French President

Francois Hollande, wishing him, and the friendly people of France, all the best, and affirming Kuwait’s keenness on further strengthen bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, First Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah briefed the Cabinet with outcomes of the 13th consultative meeting of GCC interior ministers, recently concluded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“Security cooperation between the Interior Ministry and its GCC counterparts is serious and deep-seated in order to sustain mutual understanding among Member States, so as to achieve shared goals,” Minister Ahmad AlHumoud said during the meeting.

He also informed the cabinet with the grilling motion filed against him, covering all its legal angles and addressing its constitutional viability.

The Cabinet also tasked representatives from the ministries of defense, communications, information and interior, along with the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, with conducting a feasibility study for the project of launching a satellite and then forward it to the Cabinet.

Finally, the ministers looked into reports on the latest Arab and international political situations.

Meanwhile, The Housing Affairs Committee of the National Assembly held a meeting Monday and issued several recommendations concerning state housing units built according to prefabricated (prefab) building methods.

In press remarks after the meeting, Committee Chairman Dr. Ahmad Mutay Al-Azmi said the committee had approved on a sum of 70,000 Kuwaiti dinars to be extended to owners of state-awarded prefab homes to be used in reconstruction.

“The committee approved a monthly rent allowance of KD 1,000 for two years, or till electricity is connected to their finished homes, whichever sooner.”

The committee’s report also recommended the government abandon pre-fabricated homes schemes to avoid a repetition of the current problems in these houses in the future. –KUNA

EducationUSA to hold seminar MP Al-Wasmi: Motion’s for Kuwaiti students today items discussed with Majority bloc KUWAIT: The most recent official number of Kuwaiti students studying in the United States is 2,998, said Kristen Cammarata, Regional Educational Advising Coordinator of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at EducationUSA on Monday.

“It is a pretty good number; a surge of 22.8 percent from last year, but we are always looking to increase it in order for us to keep up the competition with other countries such as the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia,” Cammarata noted.

Her remarks to reporters came on the occasion of holding a seminar on higher education opportunities in the United States for Kuwaiti students, especially high-school graduates.

EducationUSA is a global network of more than 400 advising centers supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State.

The seminar, entitled “Planning your Future: An Introduction to the US Higher Education System”, will be held on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, as Cammarata, representatives from the US Embassy, the Ku-

wait Ministry of Higher Education and the Public Authority for the Disabled will talk about opportunities of higher education in US universities for distinguished students, including students with disabilities. It will take place at Kuwait Graduates’ Society, in Bnaid Al-Qar, Al-Soor Street at 7:00 pm.

“The (Kuwaiti) Ministry of Higher Education is definitely our top client, so our goal at EducationUSA is to make sure that we are reaching the ministry’s goals and priorities, and it’s our objective to help the students find their best fit,” Cammarata told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The Morocco-based official said that prior to her visit to Kuwait; she met in Washington DC with members of the Kuwaiti Cultural Mission “just to make sure that they (the mission) are familiar with EducationUSA’s line of work.” Along with the academic aspect of the seminar, the cultural angle is also present, where, according to Cammarata, EducationUSA “always give a pre-departure orientation here in Kuwait to any student from any nationality going on to study in the United States,” in order to address the issue of cultural gaps. –KUNA

Ambassador denies Kuwaiti student abuse in Egypt CAIRO: Kuwaiti Ambassador in Cairo Dr. Rasheed Al-Hamad dismissed as untrue reports claiming that a Kuwaiti student at an Egyptian military college was beaten by Egyptian officers.

In a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Ambassador Al-Hamad said the circulated news is far from reality, urging media to be more accurate before publishing such baseless news.

He pointed out that the Kuwaiti student has felt ill during military exercise and was

taken to hospital, adding that the Embassy staff members have accompanied the student till he completed medical checks and left the hospital. Al-Hamad stressed that the Kuwait Embassy in Cairo, particularly the military attach, has offered all necessary care for the Kuwaiti student, especially medical care, till his departure from Cairo.

The Ambassador underscored that the Embassy spares no effort to provide all support to all Kuwaitis living in Egypt, whether students or tourists. -KUNA

Somali President extols bilateral ties

Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Obaid Al-Wasmi stressed that he decided to file an interpellation against Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali after he discussed the points included in the interpellation with members of the Majority Bloc during their meeting in the diwaniya of MP Mubarak Al-Walaan. He added that he postponed filing the interpellation until Monday in response to the decision made by the bloc.

In a press conference held Monday after submitting the interpellation, Al-Wasmi said he postponed filing the interpellation against Al-Shamali until the other lawmakers drafted theirs, adding that he filed it after ensuring that MPs Al-Barrak, Al-Anjeri and Al-Tahous intend

to file their motion.

Al-Wasmi said that his interpellation consisted of three items, which were agreed on during the meeting in Al-Walaan’s diwaniya. Al-Wasmi said that he informed the lawmakers who attended the meeting that they were prepared to submit his quizzing, while MPs Al-Barrak, AlTahous and Al-Anjeri asked for some time until they draft the remaining points. He said that he informed that the said MPs will file another interpellation.

“As a result of an earlier agreement on the points included in the interpellation, and expressing intention by the three MPs to file a motion, I submitted mine”, said Al-Wasmi, noting that filing another interpellation doesn’t change anything, as there is possibility to discuss the

Kuwait marks Arab Traffic Week with campaign

KUWAIT: Kuwait marks Arab Traffic Week for it is a significant event for promoting coordination with other Arab countries in face of irregular acts on roads, said a ranking official of the Ministry of Interior on Monday.

The event, themed “Till When?” falling on May 4-10, is a significant occasion for authorities to exert fresh efforts for raising awareness of traffic rules, through exchange of experience with “brothers in the Arab states and getting acquainted with more information in this field with support of the senior leadership, for sake of finding scientific and practical solutions to the traffic problems,” said Colonel Adel Al-Hashash, the director of the public relations, morale guidance of the MoI, in a statement.

Affirming that abidance by the traffic law is a responsibility that must be shouldered by all segments of the society, the security official said that the relevant legislations and rules had been enacted for sake of sparing souls. Elaborating, Colonel AlHashash said up to 35,311,791 traffic violations were registered, in the past months of the current year. Bulk of these breaches was excessive speed, amounting to 1,526,436.

In 2011, number of traffic accidents reached 75,194, with 493 deaths, majority of whom were males, 89 percent, compared to 11 percent among females. He indicated a current campaign marking the occasion and renewed warning against wrong acts on the roads, such as usage of mobile telephones and reading SMSs, noting that up to 13,860 accidents were related to such distractions. Up to 30 children, aged between one month and 10 years, died because of sitting in front seat. –KUNA

Second interpellation filed against Al-Shamali

CONTINUED from PAGE 1

Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmad a meeting that included a number of Arab and African ambassadors to Kuwait on Monday, May 07, 2012. (KUNA)

KUWAIT: The Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmad expressed his gratitude to the distinguished Kuwaiti-Somali bilateral ties, indicating that the leaderships of the two countries are immensely interested in developing the ties on the different levels.

He released his statement after meeting

a number of Arab and African ambassadors to Kuwait, wherein he affirmed that the aim of his visit is to thank His Highness the Amir of Kuwait for supporting the Somali people during the drought wave that swept the country recently. The president described the visit as a successful one. -KUNA

The government will meet before the session to discuss its options if the deliberations escalate and violate the bylaw, and to ensure that Al-Humoud is ready to face the interpellation successfully. Sources at the Minority Bloc revealed that Al-Juwaihel has important facts to disclose during the deliberations, which will embarrass the government and some MPs. However, sources mentioned that there are no intentions to file a no-confidence request against the minister, unless the MPs are convinced to take that step at the end of the deliberations due to the failure of the minister in facing the interpellation.

The Majority Bloc decided to support Al-Humoud during the interpellation, since its members are aware of the goals of this interpellation. Sources revealed that three members of the bloc were assigned to block any attempts to cause sedition or unrest during the session.

MP Ali Al-Rashed denied claims that the MPs met at his diwaniya to agree to file a no-confidence request against Al-Humoud. He added that this issue will be tackled after the interpellation.

In another development, the Head of the Bedouns Committee MP Mohammad Al-Khalifa revealed that Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Sabah will hold a meeting soon to submit a list of the names of bedouns who are entitled to receive Kuwaiti citizenship.

two motions in a specific time.

Asked about the possibility of merging the two motions, Al-Wasmi said “the two interpellation motions are separate. I submitted the interpellation which includes certain points, while the three MPs decided to file a joint interpellation separately.” He said that it was possible to discuss them on the same day, or on separate days based on the minister’s desire.

Asked about his relation with the Majority Bloc in case it did not support the interpellation, Al-Wasmi said “I abide by all the decisions of the bloc. I had earlier announced that the interpellation was ready and requested to submit it, but the members of the bloc asked me to postpone foiling it until they complete drafting their motion”.

New Smart Civil ID machines issue cards in 5 minutes

A citizen is seen using the new Smart Civil ID machine. The machines were launched on Monday, May 07, 2012. (Al Watan) Mervat Abduldayem Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The General Manager of the PublicAuthority for Civil Information (PACI) Musaed Al-Asousi, announced on Monday the launch of the immediate smart Civil Identity cards machines for Kuwaiti citizens, adding that the service will be executed by very developed technology. The new machines will print and issue cards to the citizens in five minutes, unlike the previous unites that required more time for issuance.

He said, in a press conference held yesterday at the headquarters of authority, that the new machines include more than one option that are designed for card issuance.

“The old machines issued the cards during 24 hours, but the new developed ones can prepare and issue the cards in just five minutes,” said Al-Asaousi.

He disclosed that the new machines provide all the needed requirements for issuing the identity cards, except in cases that include changing the address and is-

suing a replacement.

The new service is available from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m.

He added that PACI introduced the new system after examining it for two weeks, where it issued more than 150 cards a day.

Al-Asousi indicated that this is the first stage of the project and the authority intends to increase the numbers of the machines from nine to 30 in order to facilitate the different services.

In addition, Al-Asousi said that the fees for civil ID issuance will remain the same, two Kuwaiti dinars per card. PACI also opened Customer Service Center to reply the inquiries by dialing 1889988 from 7:30 a.m. until 11 p.m.

After completing this service successfully to Kuwaiti citizens, it will be available for expatriates, added Al-Asousi.

Regarding issuance of smart cards to expatriates, he said that PACI has already started doing so for employees working at the government sectors, adding that the coming stages will include the entire expats population.

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Zakat House celebrates 30 years of accomplishments KUWAIT: Zakat House celebrated its 30th anniversary of establishment, on Monday, under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah at the Zakat House headquarters in South Surra.

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah attended the celebration on behalf of His Highness the Amir.

His Highness the Crown Prince was received at the venue by Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Board of Directors of Zakat House Jamal Ahmad Al-Shahab and Director-General of Zakat House Abdulqader Al-Ajail as well as members of the board.

National Assembly Speaker Ahmad AlSaadoun, Deputy Chief of National Security Apparatus Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah were present at the event.

The ceremony was also attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and top state officials.

The ceremony began with a performance of the national anthem and a recitation of few

verses from the Holy Quran.Then, Minister AlShahab delivered his opening speech where he highlighted 30 years of achievements since the establishment of Zakat House in 1982 by an Amiri decree. These accomplishments led to an overall solidarity among individuals inside and outside of the country.

Al-Shahab noted that the Zakat House has spent 250,000 Kuwaiti dinars on local charity projects inside the state of Kuwait that included financial aid to the needy, education and health projects. Zakat House has also given full support to the various charity bodies in the country.

As for projects outside the country, the Minister pointed out that a total of KD 140 million were spent on building mosques, schools, health centers and orphanages in many Arab and Islamic countries. The number of projects done by Zakat House reached 4,627 in 74 countries. Furthermore, the Minister emphasized that more than 30,000 orphans in 37 countries are sponsored by Zakat House.

The benefactors’ speech was delivered by Adnan Abdullah Al-Othman who stressed that the aid-givers’ support has greatly impacted charity body’s humanitarian mission. -KUNA

GCC Disability Society keen on furthering integration of the disabled MUSCAT: The State of Kuwait is in the forefront of legislating laws that enable integration of people with special needs in mainstream society and workforce, said Kuwait’s representative to the 12th Gulf Disability Society (GDS) Forum.

The forum began here Monday under the title “Comprehensive Social Interaction in the Light of International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’, and Sheikha Sheikhah AlAbdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in sideline remarks that the Kuwaiti law on those with disability is a vital contribution and the state is keen on offering all forms of assistance required by this segment of society.

Kuwait is a state of law, and its laws grant the disabled great incentives to interact with society, and the benefits granted include special exemptions when it comes to housing, traffic laws, social benefits, and more, she said.

The forum is being attended by people with special needs, families and care providers, those in the field of teaching and rehabilitation of the disabled, and experts from the host state and Gulf countries. It is organized by the Ministry of Social Development in cooperation with the GDS. The forum, the Kuwaiti official pointed out, aims to review the current state of affairs where integration is concerned, with reference to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It also aims to review the latest in related technology and education and training programs.

She said the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is processing many documents and draft laws to benefit the disabled, and the states had actually come “a long way” in this field.

The GDS is currently chaired by Jassim Bin Mohammed Siyadi. -KUNA

International municipal management conference kicks off KUWAIT: Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim inaugurated here Monday the Kuwait-UN Conference for Municipal Management and Urban Development for Sustainability in Arab Cities.

The three-day conference, held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, is co-organized

by Kuwait Municipality and the United Nations Human Settlements Program, UNHABITAT. “This conference will debate solutions to the challenges facing Arab countries at the forefront of which are the growing unemployment rates among youth, social justice, hiking food and energy prices,” Minister AlIbrahim said in the opening speech.

He added that the conferees will tackle a wide array of key issues related to the development of Arab cities.

The Minister pointed out the conference is considered a preparatory meeting for Arab states for the World Urban Forum 6 (WUF6) that will take place in Naples, Italy, September 1-7, 2012. It will also discuss Arab States stances 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,” Al-Ibrahim said.

The report is the first attempt by UNHABITAT and Arab Towns Organization with support from the Kuwaiti Government to document urban trends in Arab cities and present a snapshot of Arab cities demographic, social, economic, environmental, physical, and housing conditions.

The Minister said the report put Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on

Kuwait adopts contemporary knowledge economy concepts KUWAIT: The state that started reaping fruits of development of human resources’ schemes would press ahead on development path, nudged with strong support of the political leadership, said the Minister of Public Works.

Dr. Fadhil Safar, also the Minister of State for Development and Planning, said in a statement on fringes of the second meeting of the board of trustees of Kuwait Award for Knowledge Economy, held late on Sunday, that the civil servants have shown capacity of absorbing requirements and terms of the strategy.

“Now we are altering the plan and preparing for presentation of the fourth scheme,” he said.

Speaking to the press, the minister said that this time the development plans are getting the endorsement and support they need by the political leadership.

Dr. Safar added that the development plans have been accepted by the state employees as inevitable. He went on to say that there are early preparations for new plans for the fourth year.

Asked about the award for Cognitive Economy for this year, the minister replied by saying that the criteria are set up according to the definition of the new Cognitive Economy, which is now being applied in advanced countries to take full advantage of the development plans with the added value.

“The Secretaries Council of Kuwait Award for Cognitive Economy has visited His Highness the Prime Minister and soon we will have the honor to visit His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah May God bless him to market this new concept and glean the maximum benefit in different ways as it is a modern idea which we

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah (fifth left) with former prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah, the Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Board of Directors of Zakat House Jamal Ahmad Al-Shahab, Director-General of Zakat House Abdulqader Al-Ajail and National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun at the celebration held by Zakat House in celebration of its 30th anniversary on Monday, May 7, 2012. (KUNA)

hope will bring in better results to the country as a whole,” he explained.

The minister added that the all members of the Secretaries Council represent different and various sectors in the country and “are thoroughly enthusiastic about the idea and to indoctrinate it in various walks of life to ensure maximum benefit for all.”

On the award, minister Safar indicated that it was in line with the contemporary concept of knowledge economy, applied in advanced nations, with emphasis on training and human personnel aspects.

The knowledge economy, according to the online service, Wikipedia, is a term that refers either to an economy of knowledge focused on the production and management of knowledge in the frame of economic constraints, or to a knowledge-based economy. In the second meaning, more frequently used, it refers to the use of knowledge technologies (such as knowledge engineering and knowledge management) to produce economic benefits as well as job creation.

Elaborating, the minister said members of the board visited His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Sabah, for deliberating this newly-introduced concept for development, adding that they would hold an identical meeting with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, soon.

For his part, the secretary general of the award, Khaled Al-Hashash, affirmed that it was intended to boost adoption of this new approach, indicating necessity of this field for economic program and transfer of international know-how to the country.-KUNA

Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim giving a speech during the inauguration of KuwaitUN Conference for Municipal Management and Urban Development for Sustainability in Arab Cities on Monday, May 7, 2012. (KUNA)

the list of the most developed urban communities in the world.

He also underscored Kuwait eagerness to continue cooperation with the UN-HABITAT to address challenges and catch up with latest developments related to urban development of Kuwaiti and Arab cities.

Minister Al-Ibrahim said that Kuwait has hosted the regional office UN-HABITAT and offered it all support to help its mission prove successful.

Kuwait government has also signed a letter for intention with the UN-HABITAT to set up urban observatories as well as to develop the skills of urban development and municipal bodies personnel, he noted.

Al-Ibrahim said that Kuwait was pio-

Sheikha Amthal Al-Sabah speaking to Minister of Electricity and Water and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim during the KuwaitUN Conference on Monday, May 7, 2012. (Al Watan)

neering in the efforts to urbanize and modernize Arab countries.

“Kuwait has proposed and helped founding the Organization of Arab Towns in 1967,” he said.

The conference 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.

It also provides an analysis of recent Arab uprisings within national and local governance contexts and marks the potential and merits of Arab cities within regional and international integration prospects.

“I hope this gathering and the constructive debate would end up with practical recommendations to meet the challenges facing Arab cities,” the Minister said.

For his part, Joan Clos, Under-SecretaryGeneral and Executive Director of UNHABITAT expressed gratitude for Kuwaiti hosting and the Amir sponsorship of this important event.

“This conference is a milestone in the 30-year stint of the UN-HABITAT,” he said.

Clos said the projects of the program in the Arab region represents nearly third of the its world activities.

He also praised Kuwait generous support to UN-HABITAT to conduct the first report on the State of Arab Cities 2012. -KUNA

Kuwait, Iran sign program for cultural, media cooperation

Iranian Cultural Week ceremony on Monday, May 7, 2012. (KUNA)

KUWAIT: Kuwait and Iran on Monday signed an executive program for 2012-2015 of the cultural and media cooperation accord bounding the two countries, an authority declared.

Secretariat-General of the National Council of Culture, Arts and Letters said in a statement that the program was signed on fringes of the Iranian Cultural Week. It was signed by the Secretary General of the Council Ali Al-Yoha and Head of the Culture and Islamic Relations Organization of Iran Mohammad Baqer Khorramshad. The ceremony was attended by the Iranian ambassador and other Iranian officials visiting the country.

The two sides agreed through the program on cooperation in sectors of cultural heritage, museums, maintenance of ancient buildings and organization of workshops for artists. They also agreed on cooperation in theatre, music, holding of fairs and cinema.

Moreover, they agreed on holding information seminars, development of cooperation in the audiovisual media, exchanging programs marking national occasions of the two countries, holding joint courses and exchanging media expertise. They will also organize reciprocal visits for media figures, exchange information and publications. -KUNA

Kuwait Transparency Society urges authorities to fight corruption Mervat Abduldayem Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Kuwait Transparency Society Chairman Salah Al-Ghazali urged government bodies to cooperate with the two investigatory committees probing the foreign money transfers and the multimillion bank deposits in order to reach the truth.

He also said that the information collected by the two committees should be dealt with as confidential information. He also stressed the need for an official spokesperson for each committee in order to notify people about the results reached by the two committees without accusing anybody or exposing the secrecy of deliberations.

Al-Ghazali said that the KTS report on April detected the local developments within a month in

different areas related to transparency and fighting corruption, especially issues related to the executive and legislative bodies and supervisory bodies.

Regarding the file of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, Al-Ghazali urged the ministry to hold a national dialogue to include the institutions under its authority in order to reach legislative forms and proper mechanisms to address problems.

Regarding electricity and water, the report indicated the increase of due payments in an unprecedented way, as they reached more than 300 millions Kuwaiti dinars. The report added that there were talks about deliberate delay of awarding a tender on reading meters, a suspected violation in the automated system which could result in manipulating bills.

The report said that about 10 thousand people

did not pay electricity insurance fees, estimated at the cost of about three million Kuwaiti dinars.

There were suspicions surrounding a tender on providing copper cables in the second third of the month, regarding the quantity and the withdrawal of the contractor who won the tender because of pressure put on him, and the price. It seems that this file will be closed as the ministry asked the Central Tenders Committee to cancel the tender. In another development, a former Director of Siemens branch in Kuwait confessed before the German courts that he attempted to bribe a former Minister of Electricity and Water in order to win a contract of an electricity distribution station located south of Kuwait City. Until the end of the month, there has been no announcement about a government investigation about this issue.

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ALWATAN DAILY

regional

What a great candidate!

By Hossam Fathi

I

believe that the TV interviews some satellite channels conduct with prominent candidates of the coming presidential election will play a significant role in changing the thoughts of voters, which might also lead to essential changes in the whole electoral process.

Khalid Ali the youngest candidate running proved through appearing on a TV program - that he deserves the nickname of the candidate of the poor. The other positive thing is that young candidates can reach the hearts of the people during dialogue on these programs; the impression given may be that of a younger brother or even an intelligent son with the potential to surprise his parents by doing great things.

His first goal is drumming up interest in the poverty situation and fighting corruption. Although he is very young, his great achievements as a law activist qualify him to be amongst the prominent presidential candidates. I was pleasantly surprised when the candidate began talking about economic affairs as well.The other candidate Abu Al-Fotouh is witnessing an increase in support every day from different Islamic movements in addition to political ones. He scored positive points after attending a TV debate with the young candidate Khalid, especially after attacking the Muslim Brotherhood movement, although the youths of the movement support Abu Al-Fotouh. Such a blatant verbal attack proves that there is nothing going on under the table between Abu Al-Fotouh and the Muslim Brotherhood movement. hossam@alwatan.com.kw Twitter:@hossamfathy66

Iraq court rules to release Hezbollah prisoner

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi court on Monday declared a Hezbollah commander accused of killing US soldiers in Iraq in 2007 not guilty for lack of evidence and ruled that he be set free. The case of Ali Mussa Daqduq has been a thorn in diplomatic relations between Baghdad and Washington since the American military pullout last December. US terror experts have described Daqduq as among “the worst of the worst” militants who would remain a severe threat to Americans if freed. He is a Lebanese commander for Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group linked to numerous deadly attacks. US officials say he trained Shiite militias in Iraq and helped plot the 2007 killing of four American soldiers in the holy city of Karbala, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Baghdad. Daqduq was captured late 2007 and held in US custody in Iraq as officials tried to decide where to charge him.

When the American military left Iraq late in December, US officials were forced to hand over Daqduq to Iraqi authorities - despite fears in Washington that he would be quietly freed by the Shiite-led government in Baghdad. “The judge found that there wasn’t enough evidence to keep him in jail and ruled to set him free for lack of evidence,” Daqduq’s attorney, Abdul-Mahdi Al-Mitairi, told The Associated Press after the three-hour trial on Monday. However, under Iraqi law the verdict will be appealed automatically so Daqduq has still not been released, Al-Mitairi said. He added it was unclear when the court would decide on the appeal but it would take no more than six months. Charges against Daqduq included terrorism and forging official documents. Nine officials from the US Embassy in Baghdad attended the trial in Baghdad’s Central Criminal Court, the lawyer added. The US Embassy in Baghdad did not have an immediate comment. -AP

Al-Qaeda surprise attack kills 22 Yemeni soldiers

SANAA: Al-Qaeda militants staged a surprise attack Monday on a Yemeni army base in the south, killing at least 22 soldiers and capturing 25 just hours after a US drone strike killed a senior figure in the terror network wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. It was not immediately clear if the pre-dawn attack on the military base in the southern Abyan province was in retaliation for the death of Fahd Al-Quso, a top Al-Qaeda leader on the FBI’s most wanted list. The militants managed to reach the base both from the sea and by land, gunning down troops and making away with weapons and other military hardware after the blitz attack, Yemeni military officials said. Government forces later shelled militant positions elsewhere in Abyan, killing 16 militants, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Yemen has been waging an offensive on Al-Qaeda, whose fighters took advantage of the country’s political turmoil during the past year to expand their hold in the south, seizing entire cities and towns and large swathes of land. Abyan’s provincial capital of Zinjibar has been held by Al-Qaeda for a year. The new Yemeni president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, has promised improved cooperation with the US to combat the militants. On Saturday, he said the fight against Al-Qaeda is in its early stages.

Hadi took over in February from longtime authoritarian leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. On Sunday, Al-Quso, the top Al-Qaeda leader, was hit by a missile as he stepped out of his vehicle along with another operative in the southern Shabwa province,Yemeni military officials said. The drone strike was carried out by the CIA, after an extended surveillance operation by the CIA and US military, two US officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Al-Quso, 37, was on the FBI’s most wanted list, with a 5 million US dollar reward for information leading to his capture. He was indicted in the US for his role in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the harbor of Aden, Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed and 39 injured. He served more than five years in a Yemeni prison for his role in the attack and was released in 2007. He briefly escaped prison in 2003 but later turned himself in to serve the rest of his sentence. A telephone text message claiming to be from Al-Qaeda’s media arm confirmed Al-Quso was killed in the strike. -AP

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012

Syria holds legislative vote snubbed by opposition DAMASCUS: Syrians were voting on Monday in the country’s first “multiparty” parliamentary election in five decades, being held against a backdrop of violence and dismissed as a sham by the opposition.

Young and old cast their ballots in neighborhoods of the capital and various other regions, while in opposition strongholds residents boycotted the vote, instead holding protests and a general strike.

The election was being held despite unrest that has swept the country since March 2011 when President Bashar Al-Assad resorted to force in a bid to quash a revolt against his autocratic regime. The vote, initially scheduled for last September, was postponed to May 7 after Assad announced the launch of a reform process backed by a referendum. A total of 7,195 candidates have registered to stand for the 250 seats, state news agency SANA said.

The opposition has dismissed the vote as a sham and a ploy by the government to buy time and to dupe the international community into believing the regime is serious about reforms.

“Whoever drowns Syria in blood, displaces ... Syrians and shoots at the Syrian people does not have the legitimacy to draw up a constitution, an electoral law, or to run elections,” the Syrian National Council, an exile umbrella opposition organization, said in a statement.

Several towns and villages across the country, including some neighborhoods of Damascus, held demonstrations, boycotted the vote and organized a general strike amid reports of continued violence.

Three people were killed in an ambush by regime forces in the eastern province of Deir El-Zor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Clashes between soldiers and rebels were also reported in several areas of central Hama province as well as other regions, the Britain-based watchdog added.

“There are no signs of a national election in (northwest) Idlib or the surrounding areas,” activist Nureddin Al-Abdo told AFP via Skype.

“The regime is trying to delude itself that it still holds power by organizing these fake elections, but it is only capable of ruling with tanks.” Another activist, Shakeeb Al-Jabri, tweeted: “Let me put it this way: Syrians were more interested in the French elections (on Sunday) than they are in their own elections”.

Shops were closed and streets empty in several areas of central Hama, northwest Idlib, Daraa in the south of the country and Damascus itself, according to activists. State television however reported high turnout in several of the same regions.

In Yabrud village, Damascus province, children led an anti-regime demonstration, waving independence-era flags, according to amateur video posted on YouTube by activists. “If you demand

Syrians wait to cast their vote in the parliamentary elections outside a polling station in Damascus on May 7, 2012. (AFP)

freedom and dignity, does that turn you into an armed terrorist?” read a poster held up by a child. Another video showed shops closed in Assili market of Damascus, as merchants went on strike to protest the election, activists said.

In one village of Hama province, a shopowners’ strike did not go without reprisals by regime forces, activists said. A video showed an unidentified man in Midaq village blaming paramilitary regime forces for burning down shops after their owners decided to join the strike.

According to the Observatory, more than 11,100 people have died in violence, mostly civilians, since March last year.

Monday’s election marked the first time Syria has held a multiparty vote since the adoption in February by referendum of a new constitution that ended the five-decade stranglehold on power of the ruling Baath party.

Nine parties have been created, and seven have candidates vying for a parliamentary seat. Pro-regime parties led by the Baath are represented under a coalition called the National Progressive Front. Information Minister Adnan Mahmud said at the weekend that by voting, Syrians would be casting a ballot against “terrorism.”

More than 600 people have died since the truce began, according to the Observatory. UN observers deployed in the country to monitor the truce have reported violations by both regime and rebel forces.

Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said Monday that his government was “facilitating” the work of the observers, state news agency SANA reported. There are currently some 50 observers based in various cities affected by the violence and their number is to increase to 300 in the coming weeks. -AFP

Israeli court rules against Palestinian hunger strikers RAMALLAH, WEST BANK: Israel’s Supreme Court turned down on Monday an appeal by two Palestinians, who have been on hunger strike for the past 70 days, to free them from detention without trial.

But in its decision, released by the Justice Ministry, the court said security authorities should consider freeing them for medical reasons.

Thaer Halahla and Bilal Diab, described by the court as active members of the Islamic Jihad militant group, have been refusing food in protest at their “administrative detention”, a policy Israel applies in many security-related cases.

Around 1,550 Palestinian prisoners have forsworn food in Israeli jails for three weeks in a protest against the detentions, wide denial of family visits and solitary confinement. Qaddoura Fares, chairman of the main Palestinian prisoners’ organization, decried the ruling as a “death sentence” and accused the court of being politically motivated.

“The court knows the gravity of their status and health, but it has decided to reject the petition. This court is a tool of the,” Fares said.

The scope of the hunger strike has posed a new challenge to Israel, which has come under international criticism over detention without trial and could face a violent Palestinian backlash if any of the protesters die.

Looking frail, Halahla and Diab had appealed against their detention on Thursday, appearing in court in wheelchairs. Their lawyers and human rights groups said their lives were in jeopardy, and Diab was taken

Israeli soldiers fire tear gas during clashes outside the Ofer Prison close to the West Bank city of Ramallah, following a march in support of Palestinian prisoners who are on hunger strike while being held in Israeli prisons, on May 7, 2012. (AFP)

back to an Israeli hospital after he fainted.

In its ruling, the court said “administrative detention causes unease to every judge” but was a “necessary evil” because Israel is “constantly fighting terror”.

But it drew authorities’ attention to a law under which a prisoner can be released conditionally “if as a result of his illness, his days are numbered or if keeping him in prison significantly endangers his life”.

Many Palestinians have family members in prison or experienced detention first-hand during decades of Israeli occupa-

tion in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Solidarity tents have been pitched in main squares from Gaza to Ramallah.

Demonstrations outside the main Israeli prison in the West Bank are held almost daily, repeatedly descending into confrontations stone-throwing Palestinians and Israeli soldiers who respond with teargas and stun grenades.

“We will teach the Zionist enemy a tough lesson should any of the striking prisoners die,” Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed Al-Hindi said in Gaza. -Reuters

UN says housing, job woes fuelling Arab unrest KUWAIT: Poor urban infrastructure and high youth unemployment helped fuel the Arab Spring and governments across the region must tackle both if they are to prevent further unrest, the United Nations said in a report on Monday.

The urban population of Arab cities is expected to more than double to 438.6 million by 2050, increasing demand for housing, social services and infrastructure, the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) said.

Although the primary trigger for unrest across the region in the past year appeared to be a desire for more freedom in the face of entrenched autocracies, the report said social factors had intensified people’s frustration and would need to be addressed along with their political concerns.

“What is often less understood is that the Arab Spring is really a call for social reform and urban policies that can deliver adequate living conditions for rapidly growing young and poor urbanites,” UN Habitat said at the launch of its ‘State of Arab Cities 2012’ report in Kuwait.

“Youth employment is very high in the Arab region and the chances of finding affordable housing is a dim prospect for many urban youths too,” it said.

“These two trends converge in Arab cities in an explosive mixture that has fuelled the region’s social unrest over the past year.”

The revolts that erupted last year have toppled Arab autocrats in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, are still raging in Syria and Bahrain, and have sent shockwaves across the whole region.

The trigger was the self-immolation of a young Tunisian vegetable seller, an act of protest against poverty and official repression. The UN noted that the uprisings were mostly an urban phenomenon and that cities across the region became meeting grounds for citizens demanding better governance, economic management and transparency.

Around 60 percent of the region’s population is under 25 and overall unemployment rates range from 11 percent in Kuwait to 35 percent in Morocco, the agency

added. It criticized hugely complex urban governance systems and authorities’ disregard for sustainable town planning.

Even in richer countries like Kuwait and other Gulf states, meager water resources pose a serious risk to food supply, health and economic development, it said.

“Currently available groundwater reserves are being depleted at alarming rates,” it said, describing the oil-rich Gulf as one of the world’s most water-scarce areas with the region’s most rapid population growth.

Five Gulf countries rank among the world’s ten countries with the lowest per capita renewable water resources, it said, adding that low tariffs have discouraged water conservation.

“This trend of increasing demand and decreasing supply is unsustainable and will start to affect population health and economic development.”

It cited Yemen as the country most vulnerable to water shortages and said the capital Sanaa would run out of supplies within 10 to 15 years. -Reuters

US wants ‘urgent’ Iranian steps in nuclear talks

VIENNA: The United States called on Iran on Monday to take “urgent practical steps” to build confidence during nuclear talks with world powers, and the European Union said Tehran must suspend sensitive atomic activities.

Iran and the six powers resumed discussions in mid-April in Istanbul after a gap of more than a year - a chance to ease escalating tension and help to avert the threat of a new Middle East war.

The major powers - the United States, France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany - and Iran are to meet again on May 23 in Baghdad.

“We remain concerned by Iran’s persistent failure to comply with its nonproliferation obligations,” US envoy Robert Wood told an international nuclear conference in Vienna, attended also by Iran.

“We seek a sustained process that produces concrete results, and call on Iran to take urgent practical steps to build confidence and lead to compliance with all its international obligations,” Wood added.

At the same meeting, the 27-nation European Union said in a joint statement that Iran “must suspend” its uranium enrichment activities - something Tehran has repeatedly refused to do.

The West says Iran’s nuclear work is a cover for developing atomic bombs and wants verifiable assurances to the contrary from Tehran - for example, by accepting much more intrusive UN inspections and curbing its enrichment capacity.

Israel and the United States have not ruled out military action to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons if diplomacy fails to resolve the long-running row.

Iran denies having a weapons agenda, saying it is enriching uranium solely for peaceful energy purposes, not for bombs.

The week before the broader political negotiations take place in Baghdad, the UN nuclear agency and Iran will hold a new round of discussions on May 14-15 in Vienna after two meetings earlier this year failed to make any headway.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants Iran to address questions raised in a report it issued last November detailing what it said were suspected Iranian research and development activities relevant to making nuclear weapons.

Iran has dismissed the allegations as fabricated.

Western diplomats say Iran appears to be stonewalling an IAEA request for access to a military site, Parchin, where it believes military-related nuclear research may have taken place.

The diplomats say they suspect Iran may be “sanitizing” the site southeast of Tehran of any incriminating evidence before UN inspectors can visit, a suspicion Tehran dismisses.

Wood said: “We are concerned that Iran has not agreed to grant the IAEA access to all relevant sites, information, documents and persons necessary to resolve questions about its nuclear program.”

“We stress the urgent need for Iran to reach agreement with the IAEA on a structured approach ... to resolve all outstanding issues,” Wood, acting head of the US mission to the Vienna-based IAEA, added. -Reuters

ALWATAN DAILY

WORLD

tuesdAY, may 8, 2012

France gets new leader, Europe new direction PARIS: France handed the presidency late on Sunday to leftist Francois Hollande, a champion of government stimulus programs who says the state should protect the downtrodden - a victory that could deal a death blow to the drive for austerity that has been the hallmark of Europe in recent years.

Mild and affable, the president-elect inherits a country deep in debt and divided over how to integrate immigrants while preserving its national identity. Markets will closely watch his initial moves as president.

He narrowly defeated the hard-driving, attention-getting Nicolas Sarkozy, an Americafriendly leader who led the country through its worst economic troubles since World War II but whose policies and personality proved too bitter for many voters to swallow.

“Austerity can no longer be inevitable!”

Hollande declared in his victory speech after a surprising campaign that saw him transform from an unremarkable figure to an increasingly statesmanlike one. He will take office no later than May 16.

Speaking to exuberant crowds, Hollande portrayed himself as a vehicle for change across Europe.

“In all the capitals ... there are people who, thanks to us, are hoping, are looking to us, and want to finish with austerity,” he told supporters early Monday at Paris’ Place de la Bastille.

“You are a movement lifting up everywhere in Europe, and perhaps the world.”

Celebrations continued into the night on the iconic plaza of the French Revolution, with revelers waving French, European and labor union flags and climbing the base of its central column. Leftists were overjoyed to have one of their own in power for the first time since Socialist Francois Mitterrand was president from 1981 to 1995.

Sarkozy is the latest victim of a wave of voter anger over spending cuts in Europe that has ousted governments and leaders in the past couple of years.

In France, with 95 percent of the vote count-

France’s newly-elected President Francois Hollande (center) arrives at his presidential campaign headquarters, the morning after winning the 2012 French Presidential Election, Paris, France, May 7. (EPA)

ed, official results showed Hollande with 51.6 percent of the vote compared with Sarkozy’s 48.4 percent, the Interior Ministry said. The turnout was a strong 81 percent.

“Too many divisions, too many wounds, too many breakdowns and divides have separated our fellow citizens. This is over now,” Hollande said in his victory speech, alluding to the divisive Sarkozy presidency. “The foremost duty of the president of the Republic is to unite ... in order to face the challenges that await us.”

Those challenges are legion, and begin with Europe’s debt crisis.

Hollande has said his first act after the elec-

Greek voters punish outgoing coalition for austerity drive

ATHENS: Greek voters delivered a stunning anti-austerity election verdict Sunday, punishing the ruling coalition and leaving the country’s political future and the eurozone’s stability hanging in the balance.

Greece’s two-party coalition, which imposed a harsh austerity program in return for an international bail-out, was routed near-complete official figures showed early Monday.

The Socialist Pasok party and the conservatives of New Democracy (ND) scored just 32.4 percent between them, plummeting from 77.4 percent in the 2009 vote, according to interior ministry figures based on 95 percent of the vote. That makes it extremely difficult for the two parties to pursue the public spending cuts agreed in return for the multi-billion euro bail-outs from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank.

Having barely escaped bankruptcy earlier this year, Greece now looks likely to plunge into a fresh political and economic crisis, with shock waves that could also destabilize other eurozone economies.

While the conservative New Democracy scraped into first place in the election, it was with the party’s lowest ever score: 19.6 percent of the vote, winning them 109 seats in the 300-seat parliament.

In second place came the leftist, anti-austerity Syriza party, with 16.6 percent of the vote and 51 seats, more than tripling its 2009 showing.

The once-mighty Pasok was reduced to third place, its vote more than halved to 13.31 percent - 41 seats - the voters’ deserting it for having pushed through punishing public spending cuts.

But the election also fragmented the political landscape, with voters sending at least seven parties to parliament, two more than previously.

And one of the newcomers is the neo-Nazi Hryssi Avgi (Golden Dawn), breaking into parliament for the first time in nearly 40 years.

The party’s claims that immigrants had stolen Greeks’ jobs and were responsible for a wave of crime found an audience in a country struggling with 20 percent unemployment and rising poverty.

Its 6.9 percent of the vote should give it 21 deputies, according to the latest ministry figures.

“May the God of Greece help us,” socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos said as he called for the formation of a “national unity government” among pro-European parties.

But more than 50 percent of Greeks cast votes for parties opposing the public spending cuts that attached to the bail-out.

They include a new nationalist party called Independent Greeks and the staunchly Stalinist Communist party who between them could elect nearly 60 deputies.

The election’s nominal victor, New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, nevertheless said he would piece together a unity government to keep Greece in the euro and seek better terms from the country’s EU-IMF creditors on growth. -AFP

tion will be to write a letter to other European leaders calling for a renegotiation of a budgettrimming treaty aimed at bringing the continent’s economies closer together. Hollande wants to allow for government-funded stimulus programs in hopes of restarting growth, arguing that debts will only get worse if Europe’s economies don’t start growing again.

Sarkozy and Germany’s Angela Merkel spearheaded the cost-cutting treaty, and many have worried about potential conflict within the Franco-German “couple” that underpins Europe’s post-war unity.

Merkel called Hollande to congratulate him on his victory. Hollande has said his first trip

would be to Berlin.

President Barack Obama also offered congratulations and an invitation to theWhite House ahead of this month’s summit of the Group of Eight leading economies at Camp David, Md., the White House said. After that, Hollande will attend a NATO summit in Chicago, where he will announce he is pulling French troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year.

While some market players have worried about a Hollande presidency, Jeffrey Bergstrand, professor of finance at the University of Notre Dame, said it’s a good thing that Hollande will push for more spending throughout Europe to stimulate the economy.

Europe is “going into a really serious and poor situation,” Bergstrand said. Hollande “is going to become the speaker for those countries that want to do something about economic growth.”

Sarkozy conceded defeat minutes after the polls closed, saying he had called Hollande to wish him “good luck” as the country’s new leader.

“I bear responsibility. ... for the defeat,” he said. “I committed myself totally, fully, but I didn’t succeed in convincing a majority of the French. ... I didn’t succeed in making the values we share win.”

Sarkozy came to office on a wave of hope for change that critics say he squandered even before the economic crises hit. They saw his tax reforms as too friendly to the rich, his divorce in office and courtship of supermodel Carla Bruni as unseemly, and his sharp tongue as unfitting for his esteemed role.

French politicians now turn their attention to parliamentary elections next month. With what appears to be a thin victory margin, Hollande must more than ever count on a healthy majority in June legislative elections - the next challenge for Sarkozy’s conservatives.

“The hour is one of mobilization. ... We must not give all the power to the left,” said Jean-Francois Cope, leader of Sarkozy’s UMP party. -Reuters

Putin sworn in as Russia’s president MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin has been sworn in as Russia’s president for a third term after four years as prime minister.

Putin was first elected president in 2000 and the new six-year term will keep him in power until 2018.

Putin’s inauguration on Monday comes a day after an opposition protest drew more than 20,000 people, fewer than the mass demonstrations that preceded his election but still a sign that the anger over Putin’s return to the Kremlin has not faded.

The protest turned violent when some demonstrators tried to march toward the Kremlin and helmeted riot police beat back the crowds with batons and detained more than 400 people.

A ceremony is under way in a glittering Kremlin hall for the inauguration of Vladimir Putin, who is starting a third presidential term after four years as prime minister.

Putin was first elected president in 2000 and the new six-year term will keep him in power until 2018.

Putin’s inauguration on Monday comes a day after an opposition protest drew more than 20,000 people, fewer than the mass demonstrations that preceded his election but still a sign that the anger over Putin’s return to the Kremlin has not faded.

The protest turned violent when some demonstrators tried to march toward the Kremlin and helmeted riot police beat back the crowds with batons and detained more than 400 people.

Putin will take over from Dmitry Medvedev as president after a four-year absence from the Kremlin, in a lavish ceremony that aims to remind the world of post-Soviet Russia’s status as a great global power.

Medvedev has served as president since 2008 as Putin was constitutionally barred from serving more than two consecutive terms, having become head of state in 2000 following the resignation of Boris Yeltsin.

Few doubted that Putin remained fully in charge as he instead took the job of prime minister, yet analysts say he now faces unprecedented challenges in his

NEWS IN BRIEF Nepal flood death toll rises to 17, 47 missing KATMANDU: Rescuers searching through mud and debris for flash-flood victims in northwestern Nepal had found 17 bodies by Monday, police said. Another 47 people, including three Ukrainian tourists, were missing and presumed dead. Houses, farms, trucks and trailers were swept away when the Seti River, held back by an avalanche, burst through the snow blockage and sent water gushing through villages along its banks. The flooding came with little warning Saturday - a day when villagers traditionally wash clothes and bathe in the Seti and picnic with family and friends along the river. Police official Shailesh Thapa, who is coordinating recovery efforts, said soldiers and police were working with villagers, wading through the muddy areas to search for bodies. Excavators were being used in the recovery work. -AP

Malaysian clerics issue fatwa against demos KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian clerics have issued a fatwa against demonstrations, days after Prime Minister Najib Razak said a quashed election reform rally was being used to topple the government ahead of polls. Tens of thousands defied a government ban and took to the streets on April 28 to demand clean elections, breaking through barricades and clashing with police, who fired tear gas and chemical-laced water, arresting 513 people. “Rioting, causing disturbance and damaging public property are all forbidden by Islam,” National Fatwa Committee chairman Abdul Shukor Husin told state media late Sunday. “This also applies to any intention to topple a duly-elected government by organizing such demonstrations,” he added. -AFP

Taliban militants behead two Pakistani soldiers DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Taliban militants beheaded two Pakistani soldiers and hung their heads from wooden poles in a town in the country’s northwest on Monday, a day after they killed nine soldiers in an ambush there, officials said. The killings in Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, highlight the dilemma facing the Pakistani military in dealing with the most important militant sanctuary in the country. NorthWaziristan is a key base for the Pakistani Taliban, which have waged a bloody battle against the government and its security forces over the past several years. But it is also a refuge for Afghan and Pakistani militants battling US-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan who are believed to be close to the government in Islamabad. -AP

Observers say Armenia vote fell short of commitments

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and former President Dmitry Medvedev (right) seen during an inauguration ceremony at the Cathedral Square in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 7. (EPA)

third term after mass opposition protests and an explosion in Internet use.

Police on Sunday used batons and charging tactics to break up an anti-Putin rally in the centre of Moscow which had been sanctioned by the authorities but had descended into chaos.

More than 400 people were arrested, including three key leaders of the nascent protest movement: anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny, liberal leader Boris Nemtsov and ultra-left wing activist Sergei Udaltsov.

Placing his hand on a copy of the constitution, he will swear to “respect and protect the rights and freedoms of the people and citizens” as well as “observe and protect the constitution of the Russian Federation.”

He will also pledge to protect “sover-

eignty and independence and the security and integrity of the state”.

But activists accuse Putin of having sacrificed rights in the pursuit of stability and of having kept Russia’s former richest man Mikhail Khodorkovsky in jail for almost a decade for daring to oppose him.

The opposition has vowed to press on with protests, lambasting the March 4 presidential elections, as tainted by fraud and dirty tricks.

Putin won the election with a firstround knockout, winning 63.6 percent of the vote.

Medvedev, meanwhile, is expected to take on Putin’s old job as prime minister but remain largely in the shadows after his presidency failed to deliver initial promises of political and economic modernization. -Agencies

Germany’s CDU and FDP lose majority in state election in Schleswig-Holstein

German chancellor Angela Merkel (center) receives flowers from main candidate for SchleswigHolstein’s state election Christian Democrats Jost de Jager (right) as they arrive with the CDU general secretary Hermann Groehe (left) for a meeting of their conservative party on May 7, in Berlin. (AP)

5

BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition of Christian Democrats and pro-business Free Democrats suffered a defeat in a closely-watched state election in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein Sunday, according to initial exit polls broadcast on German television.

The election is being closely watched as a measure of support for Merkel’s coalition at the national level, which has suffered in opinion polls and faces a general election in 2013. According to the exit polls, the incumbent state coalition of CDU and FDP failed to gain enough support to continue to govern.

The Christian Democrats won 30.5% of the vote, just ahead of the main opposition left-leaning Social Democrats, who took 29.5%. The FDP, junior coalition partner to the CDU in the state and in the federal government, won 8.5% of the vote, and the Greens won 14%. The maverick upstart Pirates continued their string of successes and won 8% of the vote, ensuring that they would enter their third state legislature. -AP

YEREVAN: International monitors praised Armenia on Monday for conducting a peaceful parliamentary election but criticized violations of campaign law and interference by political parties in the vote won by President Serzh Sarksyan’s ruling party. The mixed assessment followed a vote which Armenian leaders hoped would be a landmark for democracy after irregularities marred the last parliamentary election in 2007 and clashes killed 10 people after the presidential vote in 2008. “Armenia deserves recognition for its electoral reforms and its open and peaceful campaign environment,” said Francois-Xavier de Donnea, head of the observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. -Reuters

Al-Qaeda chief is in Pakistan, says Clinton NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday she believes Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is in Pakistan and she vowed to keep up pressure on miltant groups in the country. “We want to disable Al-Qaeda and we have made a lot of progress in doing that,” Clinton told an audience in India, a week after the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by US special forces. “There are several significant leaders still on the run. Zawahiri, who inherited the leadership from Bin Laden is somewhere, we believe, in Pakistan,” she added. -AFP

Cameron vows to ‘focus on what matters’ LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday that the coalition government must “focus on what matters” in the wake of dismal local election results for his Conservative party.

Cameron said his party cannot use “familiar excuses”, such as low turnout and economic downturn, for the dip in its popularity.

“I get the message, loud and clear. I know that the familiar excuses aren’t enough,” Cameron said in an op-ed article in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Voters punished the government’s leading coalition partner, for unpopular austerity measures that failed to avert a double-dip recession.

“The message people are sending is this: focus on what matters, deliver what you promise - and prove yourself in the process. I get it.”

Cameron said the government must not be seen as a “bunch of accountants,” but must encourage the “strivers, the battlers, the people with aspiration” and stop their lives becoming a “daily grind”. The re-election of Boris Johnson in the London mayoral race softened the blow, but there was no mistaking the message from voters to the Conservatives and their Liberal Democrat coalition partners.

“People want to know that we’re not just a bunch of accountants trying to turn around the British economy like it is a failing company, but that we are resolutely on their side as we do this vital work,” said Cameron. -Reuters

6

ALWATAN DAILY

OPINION

tuesDAY, may 8, 2012

Lending unstinted support to revive the Istiklal Club Abdullah Besharah

E

ver since the Istiklal (Independence) was shut down due to the fragile political situation at that time; we have been hearing, from time to time, several voices calling for its revival. And although these voices appear to be subdued at some point of time while they are loud and clear during most other times, a recent request voiced by MP Mohammad Al-Saqer to reopen the club has been met with a thunderous round of applause.

I personally feel that the main reason behind a lack of enthusiasm towards its reopening is the difference of views and opinions that are still maintained by those in authority.

While some supporters simply chose to stay in the background due to the political chaos that prevailed soon after the devastating invasion when unheard of political parties were formed and involved themselves in political disputes; there were others who simply resigned themselves to their fate prompted by the unsavory developments that devastated the country and which, in turn, negatively affected their overall progress and creative abilities.

I am not trying to imply here that the founding members of the club were lethargic and hence; have failed to maintain pace with the intellectual, political and ideological developments that stormed the region at that time. What I am trying to point out here is that those founding members should have pooled in their mental and physical resources and worked diligently towards its revival over a period of time.

Founding members of the Kuwaiti elite, who established the club, should have reconsidered and pooled in their political and ideological resources in honorable attempts to present a sound and realistic “manifesto” to the Kuwaiti people after several negative developments were witnessed in the country and across the region due to the invasion.

At that time, the club boasted members who were indeed blessed with a “magnetic integrity,” as was evident in the fact that they were genuinely concerned about the

I personally believe that reopening the doors of the Istiklal Club will be a positive step in the right direction; one that can bring all these groups together and unite them into one consolidated bloc.

hopes and aspirations of the citizens in going ahead with the country’s development and modernization. They dedicatedly and wholeheartedly devoted themselves towards achieving not only their set goals but in maintaining their principles too. All those who chose to remain steadfast towards achieving their goals continued to maintain their integrity and conscience, as was evident in the campaigns that were promoted by Abdullah Al-Nibari who insisted on resisting the negative sentiments that were existent at that point of time. Nowadays, it seems like we are living in another era altogether; one that is devoid the voice of conscience which should actually be screaming against the destruction of society prompted through the scourge of sectarianism and tribalism.

The time when law was maintained, respected and applied is over. The time when the authorities were respected is also over while on the other hand, the parliament has become an undesirable venue to not only sow the seeds of sectarian and tribal intolerance but to also disrespect and overlook the dire need of promoting deserving, diligent and efficient and officials. These facts cannot be ignored simply because they are the outcomes of negative developments which have surely affected the Kuwaiti demographic balance due to random naturalization and awarding Kuwaiti citizenship to those who are not worthy of being inducted into Kuwaiti society. This in turn negatively affects the performances of state institutions including the army, police

Succumbing to undue pressure

and government employees that are expected to provide and fulfill demands of the modern state.

Despite tremendous changes witnessed in the demography of Kuwait, the founding members of the club have yet to extend and improve their dialogue in attempts to keep abreast with developments, while they also failed to do away with the ideological norms of Arab nationalists and their illogical and unrealistic slogans, especially after the invasion which has put an end to the dream of establishing a united Arab state. And while each and every one of us wants our country intact with its borders and sovereignty we are still proud of our distinct national identities. We shouldn’t forget that our country was not attacked by aliens, but was invaded by those whom we trusted with our lives in ensuring a bright future for both the Arab nations.

At this current point of time, we Kuwaitis are eagerly looking forward to the revival of the club with a national plan of action that can translate all Kuwaiti concepts that are devotedly supported by dynamic young people who can benefit of the experiences of the founders through working together as a team. And although there are some minor groups of liberals they are simply not as effective due to their weaknesses, differences among themselves coupled with an acute shortage of political figures that have that “familiar touch.” I personally believe that reopening the doors of the Istiklal Club will be a positive step in the right direction; one that can bring all these groups together and unite

them into one consolidated bloc and most importantly; one that will be further consolidated by public opinion because of its moderation and clear programs and through defending national identity.

A month ago, soon after the massacre that was committed in Toulouse by an Algerian immigrant, a heated argument ensued with regards to the French identity. Ever since, there has been plenty of talk about “integration” as was evidently clear in the United States of America, where arguments were rife that the Algerian offender was the product of another culture and hence just couldn’t comprehend the ways of French society. Likewise, here we are talking about integrity in the Kuwaiti society with respect to the Kuwaiti heritage concerning respecting the law and state institutions. Since this is a cultural process that can take long time, the need of the hour is to call for and encourage social integration. Al-Istiklal Club is one of the mechanisms which can achieve this goal as it includes citizens from all segments of Kuwaiti society. There is no room today for the old intellectual map of the Istiklal Club after its members became aware of the ground reality of Arabs after the invasion.

I recently had a long conversation with some of my friends with regards to reviving the club and resume activities because a majority of Kuwaitis are aware of the fact that the club members appreciate and encourage national enthusiasm with openness and that they are devoted towards maintaining Kuwaiti traditions for as long as they possibly can. The expressions used by the United Nations on the reality of global societies are so accurate while the expression “social and intellectual ghetto” is repeated quite often and it is this expression that gives a clear image to the intellectual and demographic differences within any given society, whose quest is to address all negative effects in society. However, the argument still continues over the need to boost political and social activities in order to enrich the domestic political scene.

BU QUTADA & BU NABIL

The government should not attempt to appease parliamentarians every step of the way; bearing in mind the fact that not all Kuwaiti citizens are radically inclined.

I don’t want you on the board ... get out!

d o n ’t a A n d yo u , t ... yo u t e n d t h e m e e h a v e fa ti r too m ng e x pe r i e uch nce

Yeah, you mean your ancient cronies don’t want me ...

Yeah and replace me with the infirm

Hassan Ali Karam

P

olitical developments at this particular point of time surely indicate that people across the country should brace themselves for more radical developments unlike other Muslim countries that have already embarked on endorsing more open policies. In fact it is such a welcome reassurance that even those Muslim countries that had exhibited showed radical tendencies in the recent past are now witnessed exerting exemplary efforts in attempts to transform themselves into tolerant states; a positive development that we have yet to witness in our own country!

We simply cannot lay the blame squarely on the democratic system of governance especially since we are fully aware of the fact that it this system of governance that has elected members of the current parliament to office through free and fair parliamentary elections. On the other hand, there are those that are under the erroneous impression that there are certain people who are actually responsible for the situation that is existent among members of the current parliament but these people are absolutely wrong simply because it is the government’s unwitting contribution that has lead to such an impasse.

We also cannot deny the fact that most of the electorate must have been unsuspecting victims of the crises that occurred in the country that led to the dissolution of the National Assembly and the subsequent appointment of a new premier together with the induction of some new ministers. All these developments could possibly prompt the Kuwaiti people to vote for radical candidates but the government, on the other hand, should not cow down to the whims and fancies of these radical MPs simply because the government is blessed with a constitutional immunity.

The government should also not appease parliamentarians every step of the way (under the pretext of cooperating with the National Assembly) bearing in mind the fact that not all Kuwaiti citizens are radically inclined.

In fact, contrary to popular perception, a considerable majority of Kuwaiti citizens actually support the promulgation of free, fair and open policies.

Radicalism is a transient culture for the Kuwaiti people wherein it will only prosper for a brief period of time after which it will be eradicated for good; somewhere down the line. What most people do not realize at this current point of time is the fact that the country is running in the opposite direction and that the government should be held responsible for that.

Our problem lies mainly in the fact that certain personalities leave no stone unturned in mixing religion with politics and it is even worse when they claim that their main intention is to do the will of God Almighty by appeasing Him and only then work for the welfare of the nation and its citizens. The underlying reality of the situation is such that these persons actually work for themselves so that they can achieve their personal goals through maintaining their positions and this is the main reason why they sow the seeds of sedition.

These are the personalities that are actually leading the country down a dark and dangerous tunnel while it is open knowledge that they will simply abandon the government the minute the government refuses to comply with their demands. The government must have a clear vision and nurse a strong agenda but unfortunately; the current government is not that exemplary government that the Kuwaiti people are looking forward to. I personally believe that the current government will not last long if it pursues its current policies while the premier has got to prove that his government is independent and not one that succumbs to pressure imposed upon it by MPs and the Majority Bloc.

I don’t wa nt you at the meeti ng ....

Yo u object too mu ch

You mean you don’t want anyone to express their views!

After gaining control, we are all in agreement over perpetuating failed projects!

Agreeeeed!!!

BOARD MEETING

Mohmmed Thallab

mthallab@alwatan.com.kw

Serving the nation through exemplary values Khalid Sultan Al-Sultan

I

have, over the years, formed this glorious habit of carrying an interesting book to read whenever I embark on long journeys abroad - not only to keep me engrossed and bide my time; but most importantly because my ever-so-busy schedule usually does not permit me to indulge in such a luxury. Books also increase a person’s general knowledge while it is the basic foundation for all those aspiring writers to sharpen their literary knowledge and enhance their writing skills.

The book that I choose to read during my sojourns abroad usually depends on the duration of my visits; like brief visits usually necessitate books or novels containing lesser pages while extended visits necessitate lengthy novels that I usually finish reading by the time I touch base once again. During a recent trip out of the country, I selected a book titled “Categorizing people through speculation and reality,” which is written by the renowned Arab scholar Bakr Bin Abdullah Abu Zayed. The book was first published in 1414 according to Hijri calendar.

I met the renowned scholar for the first time in his office in Riyadh and then again in Qatar where I had gone to finalize some business issues. Now since the scholar is indeed renowned in the Arab world and his

writings are equally inspiring, I like to convey some of his thoughts and ideas that he included in one of his theses. Here, he describes in detail how self respect can never be demanded through holding political positions, self-imposed titles, fame and ill-gotten fortunes.

Similarly it is the morals and values that a man ascribes to; that actually mould him into the personality that people actually see and judge him as. And in this context, it is the magnitude of a citizen’s respect for his country and his dedication towards serving the nation and its people that contributes towards and enhances his personality in every sense of the word.

The author also speaks about and denounces all those who degrade others just because they are under the erroneous impression that they are far superior than those that are less fortunate in life. In fact, these selfish and unscrupulous people actually look for an opportunity to scrutinize any shortcomings in others - especially where their rivals are concerned - and in the event that they come up with nothing, they keep digging and delving further into their intended victims’ personal lives in desperate attempts to find skeletons in their cupboards and expose them before the world.

These people fail to realize the fact that we are all humans and hence; are prone to committing mistakes at some point of our lives or another. In fact they tend to

overlook their own shortcomings simply because they are consumed with devastating the lives and tarnishing the images of their adversaries at any cost. In fact, it is even worse when they fail to find any fault and then; go about creating situations to devastate the lives of their intended victims just to realize their evil schemes.

There are also those that actually try to dig deep into the personal lives and private affairs of their adversaries just to stir the seeds of hatred and sedition in the minds of people. In fact, the situation gets worse when they actually go one step ahead and attempt to sir sedition in the hearts and minds of those people that are pious, religious and nurse goodwill towards one and all.

If you even happen to come across this book, I would advise one and all not to miss the glorious opportunity and read it - especially since it contains the verse of the holy Quran -- Surat Al-Nour; Verse 15 that is inscribed on the cover of the book: “And when you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge and thought it was insignificant while it was; in the sight of Allah, tremendous.” Last, but not least, all of us at Al Watan would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to our brother Abdulaziz Qurais on the sad demise of his mother. May the Lord God Almighty embrace her dear departed soul with His mercy, Amen!

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ALWATAN DAILY

views

tuesDAY, may 8, 2012

Are humans getting better?

In essence, humans living today are less likely to meet a violent death, or to suffer from violence or cruelty at the hands of others, than their predecessors.

Peter Singer Project Syndicate

W

ith daily headlines focusing on war, terrorism, and the abuses of repressive governments, and religious leaders frequently bemoaning declining standards of public and private behavior, it is easy to get the impression that we are witnessing a moral collapse. But I think that we have grounds to be optimistic about the future. Thirty years ago, I wrote a book called The Expanding Circle, in which I asserted that, historically, the circle of beings to whom we extend moral consideration has widened, first from the tribe to the nation, then to the race or ethnic group, then to all human beings, and, finally, to non-human animals. That, surely, is moral progress.

We might think that evolution leads to the selection of individuals who think only of their own interests, and those of their kin, because genes for such traits would be more likely to spread. But, as I argued then, the development of reason could take us in a different direction.

On the one hand, having a capacity to reason confers an obvious evolutionary advantage, because it makes it possible to solve problems and to plan to avoid dangers, thereby increasing the prospects of survival.

Yet, on the other hand, reason is more than a neutral problem-solving tool. It is more like an escalator: once we get on it, we are liable to be taken to places that we never expected to reach. In particular, reason enables us to see that others, previously outside the bounds of our moral view, are like us in relevant respects.

Excluding them from the sphere of beings to whom we owe moral consideration can then seem arbitrary, or just plain wrong.

Steven Pinker’s recent book The Better Angels of Our Nature lends weighty support to this view. Pinker, a professor of psychology at Harvard University, draws on recent research in history, psychology, cognitive science, economics, and sociology to argue that our era is less violent, less cruel, and more peaceful than any previous period of human existence. The decline in violence holds for families, neighborhoods, tribes, and states. In essence, humans living today are less likely to meet a violent death, or to suffer from violence or cruelty at

Armored Egyptian military vehicles block the road outside of the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 4, 2012 to stop a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence. There are grounds to believe that our improved reasoning abilities have enabled us to reduce the influence of those more impulsive elements of our nature that lead to violence, analysts said. (AP)

the hands of others, than their predecessors in any previous century.

Many people will doubt this claim. Some hold a rosy view of the simpler, supposedly more placid lives of tribal hunter-gatherers relative to our own. But examination of skeletons found at archaeological sites suggests that as many as 15 percent of prehistoric humans met a violent death at the hands of another person. (For comparison, in the first half of the twentieth century, the two world wars caused a death rate in Europe of not much more than 3 percent.)

Even those tribal peoples extolled by anthropologists as especially “gentle” - for example, the Semai of Malaysia, the Kung of the

Kalahari, and the Central Arctic Inuit - turn out to have murder rates that are, relative to population, comparable to Detroit, which has one of the highest murder rates in the United States.

In Europe, your chance of being murdered is now less than one-tenth, and in some countries only one-fiftieth, of what it would have been had you lived 500 years ago.

Pinker accepts that reason is an important factor underlying the trends that he describes.

In support of this claim, he refers to the “Flynn Effect” - the remarkable finding by the philosopher James Flynn that since IQ tests were first administered, scores have risen considerably.

The average IQ is, by definition, 100; but, to achieve that result, raw test results have to be

standardized. If the average teenager today took an IQ test in 1910, he or she would score 130, which would be better than 98 percent of those taking the test then.

It is not easy to attribute this rise to improved education, because the aspects of the tests on which scores have risen the most do not require a good vocabulary, or even mathematical ability, but instead assess powers of abstract reasoning. One theory is that we have gotten better at IQ tests because we live in a more symbol-rich environment. Flynn himself thinks that the spread of the scientific mode of reasoning has played a role.

Pinker argues that enhanced powers of reasoning give us the ability to detach ourselves

Chinese shadows

from our immediate experience and from our personal or parochial perspective, and frame our ideas in more abstract, universal terms.

This, in turn, leads to better moral commitments, including avoidance of violence. It is just this kind of reasoning ability that improved during the twentieth century.

So there are grounds to believe that our improved reasoning abilities have enabled us to reduce the influence of those more impulsive elements of our nature that lead to violence.

Perhaps this underlies the significant drop in deaths inflicted by war since 1945 - a decline that has become even steeper over the past 20 years. If so, there would be no denying that we continue to face grave problems, including of course the threat of catastrophic climate change. But there would nonetheless be some reason to hope for moral progress. * Peter Singer is Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. His books include Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, The Expanding Circle, and The Life You Can Save.

Put Palestine first

Ian Buruma

A.B. Yehoshua

Project Syndicate

Project Syndicate

T

hese are interesting times in China. A senior Communist Party official, Bo Xilai, is brought down - accused of offenses that include wiretapping other party bosses, including President Hu Jintao - while his wife is investigated for her alleged role in the possible murder of a British businessman. Meanwhile, a blind human-rights activist escapes from illegal house arrest, finds refuge in the United States’ embassy in Beijing, and leaves the compound only after claims that Chinese authorities in his hometown had threatened his family.

Despite exhaustive press coverage of these events, it is remarkable how little we actually know. The British businessman’s body was allegedly cremated before any autopsy was conducted.

None of the lurid tales about Bo’s wife have been proven. And the reasons for her husband’s political disgrace remain murky, to say the least. Things always tend to get interesting in China before a National People’s Congress, where the Party’s next leaders are anointed. Leadership change in most democracies is a relatively transparent process; it follows national elections. To be sure, even open democracies have their share of opaque jockeying and deal-making in what used to be called smokefilled rooms. This is particularly true in East Asian countries, such as Japan.

But, in China, everything takes place out of sight. Because leaders cannot be ousted through elections, other means must be found to resolve political conflicts. Sometimes, that entails deliberate public spectacles. The disgrace of Bo, Chongqing’s former Party leader, certainly falls into this category. A handsome, charismatic populist born into the Party elite, Bo was known as a tough official, whose methods in fighting organized crime - and others who got in his way - were often unrestrained by law. Bo’s ex-police chief, who is said to have done the dirty work, embarrassed the Party by fleeing to the US consulate in Chengdu in February, after he fell out with his boss.

Despite Bo’s nostalgia for Maoist rhetoric, he is conspicuously wealthy. His son’s expensive lifestyle as a student at Oxford and Harvard has been described in lavish detail in the press. In other words, Bo bore all the hallmarks of a gangster boss: corrupt, ruthless towards his enemies, contemptuous of the law, and yet moralistic in his self-presentation. But the same could be said of most Party bosses in China. They all have more money than can be explained by their official pay. Most have children studying at expensive British or American universities. All behave as though they are above the laws that constrain normal citizens.

What was unusual about Bo was his open ambition. Chinese party bosses, like Japanese politicians - or, indeed, Mafia dons - are supposed to be discreet in their appetite for power. Bo behaved more like an American politician. He liked to throw his weight around in public. That was enough to annoy other party bosses. Since factional rivalry inside the Party cannot be handled discreetly, some of Bo’s colleagues felt that he had to go. The way that party bosses, in China no less than in Japan, get rid of irksome rivals is to bring them down through public scandals, leaked to an obedient press, which then fans the flames.

The appearance of a wicked wife in Chinese

7

Muslims, whether Shia or Sunni, should resolve their conflicts between themselves, while the United States and Europe should worry about their own key interests.

N A woman walks near a residential area under construction in Chongqing municipality in this March 13, 2012 file photo. China’s biggest municipality, Chongqing, has approached Hong Kong investors with the aim of selling distressed property assets and bolstering its finances, which are under a cloud after the fall of its ambitious leader, Bo Xilai, a source said. (Reuters)

There has been a great deal of speculation about the consequences of Bo’s fall, and of the daring escape of the human-rights activist, Chen Guangcheng, after 18 months of house arrest. public scandals is a common phenomenon. When Mao Zedong purged his most senior Party boss, Liu Shaoqi, during the Cultural Revolution, Liu’s wife was paraded through the streets wearing ping-pong balls around her neck as a symbol of wicked decadence and extravagance. After Mao himself died, his wife Jiang Qing was arrested and presented as a Chinese Lady Macbeth. It is possible that the murder accusations against Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, are part of such political theater.

In fact, Bo’s fall from grace involves not only his wife, but his entire family.This, too, is a Chinese tradition. The family must take responsibility for the crimes of one of its members. When that individual falls, so must they. On the other hand, when he is riding high, they benefit, as was the case with many of Bo’s relatives and his wife, whose businesses thrived while he was in power. There has been a great deal of speculation about the consequences of Bo’s fall, and of the daring escape of the human-rights activist, Chen Guangcheng, after 18 months of house arrest. Will his flight to the US embassy harden the attitudes of China’s leaders? Will it force the US to get tougher on human rights in China? If so, what will follow from that?

Since Bo presented himself as a populist critic of modern Chinese capitalism and an authoritarian promoter of Maoist ethics, his natural enemies

inside the Party leadership would seem to be the more “liberal” bosses, who favor free-market capitalism and perhaps even some political reforms.The current premier,Wen Jiabao, would seem to be this faction’s leader. He has made speeches about the need for democratic reform, and has been openly critical of Bo. Chen asked him to investigate abuses against him and his family.

So, could the fall of Bo lead to a more open society, less hostile to dissident voices? It is possible that Chinese Communists who favor more economic liberalism would also be more receptive to a more open society? But the opposite could also be true: the wider the disparities in wealth, and the more people protest against economic inequality, the more the regime will crack down on dissidents. Such repression is not meant to protect communism, let alone what little is left of Maoism.

On the contrary, it is meant to protect the Chinese Communist Party’s brand of capitalism. That may be why Bo had to be toppled, and certainly why dissidents like Chen, as well as his family, have to suffer so much that refuge in a foreign embassy is their final, desperate option. * Ian Buruma is Professor of Democracy and Human Rights at Bard College, and the author of Taming the Gods: Religion and Democracy on Three Continents.

ot long ago, a Dutch journalist interviewed me about the Iranian nuclear question. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has allegedly banned politicians from giving interviews on the subject, so the journalist had no choice but to seek other candidates, perhaps more “intellectual,” but with no authoritative information to offer. The journalist asked me, first, if I thought that Israel would launch an attack against Iran’s nuclear plants; second, if I thought that it would be worth destroying Iran’s nuclear-research program to prevent the regime from producing an atomic bomb; and, third, if I thought that Iran might deploy a nuclear bomb against Israel.

To each question, I replied that I didn’t know. He then asked whether I thought that Israel would consider the West’s sanctions against Iran a sufficient deterrent. Once again, I said that I didn’t know. At this stage, the journalist, showing signs of despair, asked me what I did know.

I replied immediately, saying that I knew what had to be done to render all of his questions irrelevant: resume the peace process with the Palestinians in earnest and achieve the goal of two states for two peoples, a target that even the current right-wing Israeli government has openly claimed as a political objective. Furthermore, Israel should stop the expansion of existing settlements and dismantle illegal ones. Iranians would then be forced to abandon their inflated rhetoric and their evil threats.

The main point here is not whether Iran’s threat to its Arab neighbors - Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States - is real or fictional. Muslims, whether Shia or Sunni, should resolve their conflicts between themselves, while the United States and Europe should worry about their own key interests. If the West believes that Iran’s nuclear power represents a threat, they have the economic and military means to eliminate the risk without danger to themselves.

When Israel was founded, Iran and Turkey - two Muslim countries - recognized it. Moreover, treatment of the old Jewish communities in both of those countries remained respectful and tolerant, in contrast to Arab countries - and some Christian ones - where Jews were mistreated and humiliated.

Even when Arab hostility toward Israel was extreme and unambiguous, Iran and Turkey maintained economic, diplomatic, and military relations with Israel.

Even after the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when they and other countries around the world were calling for the creation of a Palestinian state, they did not sever their diplomatic relations with Israel.

No Israeli soldier has ever killed an Iranian soldier, and vice versa. The two countries have no common border and no territorial conflict. These facts beg the question: are Iran’s declared intentions serious, or are they simply slogans aimed at reinforcing national unity? After all, despite its cruel and fanatical regime, Iran is not North Korea. This is apparent in the country’s sophisticated films, as well as in the massive post-election protests in 2009. Moreover, Iranians are well aware of developments across the Middle East, particularly of the Arab Spring’s impact on the internal politics of their neighbors.

Of course, after the Holocaust, we must take seriously any mad and irrational declarations by totalitarian states. I cannot blame the Israeli authorities for threatening to bomb Iranian nuclear plants. But I am sure that each real step towards peace with the Palestinians will encourage them to join the call to stop the march to war. The incentive is great, for, in a violent conflict between Israel and Iran, the Palestinians’ goal of independence in their homeland could be the first casualty. * A. B. Yehoshua is one of Israel’s pre-eminent novelists. His latest novel is Friendly Fire.

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Oil falls below $113 on Europe polls, weak US data

BUSINESS

tuesdAY, may 8, 2012

m ar ket watc h KUWAIT

DUBAI

0.32% 6492

0.3% 1564

LONDON: Oil dropped to four-month lows below 113 US dollars a barrel on Monday, on worries that election results in Europe could thwart efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis and after weak US jobs data prompted concern about oil demand growth. Oil prices, which have fallen for four straight sessions, suffered a sell-off on Friday after data showing US nonfarm hiring slowed for a second month in a row in April, fuelling fears of falling demand in the world’s top oil consumer.

OIL MARKETS

QATAR

OMAN

ABU DHABI

BAHRAIN

0.4% 8652

1.0% 5792

0.3% 2488

0.1% 1161

EGYPT 1.1% 5026

SAUDI

0.4% 7352

US Crude $97.27 $1.22 London Brent $112.58 0.60 Kuwait Crude $110.72 $0.09 Information Courtesy: KAMCO

See page 10

CURRENCIES US Dollar

British Pound

Saudi Riyal

Qatari Riyal

Indian Rupee

Euro

Japanese Yen

UAE Dirham

Bahraini Dinar

Philippine Peso

Buy 0.2778 Sell 0.2783 Buy 0.362 Sell 0.3628

Zain’s Q1 profit up 2%, revenues reach KD 325.7 million

Buy 0.4489 Sell 0.4499

Buy 0.003474 Sell 0.003482

Buy 0.0741 Sell 0.0742

Buy 0.07563 Sell 0.07577

Buy 0.07644 Sell 0.07629 Buy 0.7369 Sell 0.73826

Buy 0.005257 Sell 0.005244 Buy 0.006572 Sell 0.006549

Prices in Kuwaiti fils as of May 7, 2012 Courtesy: KAMCO

In Focus

Commercial flash dances

Compiled by Al Watan Daily

KUWAIT: Zain reported a two percent rise in quarterly profit on Monday, in line with analysts’ estimates, and the telecoms operator said it had won over new customers and improved its operations in Iraq.

For the first quarter of 2012, the Zain Group, which operates in seven countries, generated consolidated revenues of 325.7 million Kuwaiti dinars ($1.172 billion), reflecting a one percent increase over the same period of Q1, 2011. The net income has witnessed an increase of two percent year-on-year to reach KD 70.9 million ($255.1 million). The group’s consolidated Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) reached KD 150.8 million ($ 542.5 million), up two percent over the same period of last year and reflecting an EBITDA Margin of 46.3 percent. The earnings per share reached 18 Kuwaiti fils ($0.07).

Analysts forecast average profit of 72 million dinars, according to a Reuters poll.

“The local, regional and international markets continue to suffer from the global financial crisis, which imposes more challenges on the group’s operations,” Chairman Asaad Al-Banwan said in a statement.

“Yet in spite of this, Zain has managed to maintain encouraging growth rates during this difficult period.”

In March, Banwan said the group’s 2012 profits would likely be equal or higher to 2011.

Zain Group chief executive officer (CEO) Nabeel Bin Salamah stated, “While the Group adopted more stringent standards in the identification and definition of its active customers, and the reclassification of its customer base on the basis of the new rules, the company was still able to achieve good results in its markets. The Group continues to benefit from the available growth opportunities, which is reflected in the size of its customer base that grew by seven percent to reach 40.3 million active customers at the end of March 2012.”

Bin Salamah said that the investments the Group made in many of its markets during this period have

Savio S. Gomes Exclusive to Al Watan Daily

Afghan women and young girls work in a traditional wool factory in Herat on May 7, 2012. About 170 poor women and girls work in the wool factory and receive about $3 per day. (AFP)

greatly enhanced its competitive position.

He continued by saying, “Our expansion and development projects in Iraq have helped us to deploy more of our operations in the northern regions of the country, and we have experienced great success at the operational level of our business in Iraq during this period.”

The Zain group restructured a $433 million syndicat-

ed short term loan into a syndicated revolving long term loan during the quarter. Its Sudanese unit also repaid a 220 million euro loan, eliminating the group’s largest exposure to the ailing common currency.

Shares in Zain, which has mobile licenses in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Sudan, Iraq and Jordan, closed at 730 Kuwaiti fils on Monday.

Global announces operating KGOC seeks income of KD 14.1 million in 2011 to lift its oil output to KUWAIT: Global Investment House announced in a press release on Monday its financial results for the year ended Dec. 31 2011. In 2011 Global generated 14.1 million Kuwaiti dinars operating income from the fee-based businesses of asset management, investment banking and brokerage. During 2011, the Asset Management business remained resilient with KD 1.0 billion (3.7 billion US dollars) of assets under management (AUM). Several funds managed by Global outperformed their respective indices and peers.

Standard and Poor’s Fund Services assigned an ‘A’ rating to Global Saudi Equity Fund. Currently four of the funds managed by Global are rated ‘A’ by Standard and Poor.

Global was named Kuwait Asset Manager of the year by MENA Fund Manager (MENA FM), one of the leading organizations that monitor the regional asset management industry. Global Buyout Fund received ‘Best Private Equity Fund’

by The Banker Middle East during the period.

During the year (ended Dec. 31, 2011), the Principal Investments losses stood at KD 23.0 million. This is mainly attributable to fair valuation adjustments stemming from continued weakness in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) equity markets where most of Global’s principal investments are located and also due to the cost of funding associated with the principal investments portfolio.

Global continues its drive to rationalize its cost base. Other operating expenses in 2011 were 18 percent lower than the 2010. A strategic review of the Company’s entire operations and branches was conducted 2011, and where near-term break even was not feasible, a decision was made to close the operations. The strategic review resulted in closure of brokerage operations in Saudi Arabia and Dubai branch, downsizing of investment banking operations in Egypt and Jordan and downsizing of human resources across all geographical locations the Company operates.

During 2011, interest costs increased by two percent to KD 24.3 million compared to 2010 interest cost of KWD 23.8 primarily due to increase in the margin of the restructured facility by one percent.

During 2011 Global made $63.7 million principal repayments, bringing the total repayments since inception under the restructured bank debt to $242.0 million (13.7 percent of the original principal amount). On March 12, 2012 a further $21 million principal repayment was made bringing the repayments to little over 15 percent of the original principal amount.

KSE gains 20.8 points at close of trading KUWAIT: Trading ended at Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) Monday with the main indices in green, the price index gained 20.8 points to reach 6,492.4 points, while the weighted index came to 418.81 points, a slip of 0.9 points. Trades came to 6,724 spot transactions worth 44,680,240 Kuwaiti dinars, with 735,100, 000 shares changing hands till end of session. As for sector indices, five were green and two were red. Biggest gainer sector was real estate which gained 38.7 index points.

Top share for the day was that of Taameer Real Estate Investment Company, while biggest loser was Al-Maidan Dental Clinic Company. -KUNA

350,000 barrels per day KUWAIT: Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) is implementing a strategy, effective till 2030, aimed at increasing its daily output of oil from 250,000 barrels to 350,000 barrels by 2014-2015, according to the company’s Chairman and Managing Director Hashem Al-Rifaee.

Al-Rifaee, in remarks to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), incorporated in a lengthy report, prepared by the news agency, addressing status of work of the oil company, and prices of the crude oil in light of a sequence of geopolitical crises and wars, indicated that the company aimed at hiking the daily output of gas, extracted out of the oil fields, to 500 million cubic feet (cf) by 2014-2015.

The scheme stipulates exploration and development of sites rich in natural gas in the divided zone, development of Lulu field, developing surface facilities of AlDurra field, construction of a station for gas extraction, in addition to exploration and development of deep strata of the ground.

Elaborating, he said the strategy aimed at upgrading the underground traps to enhance productivity, increasing efficiency of land and marine exploration, hiking profit making and applying state-of-art technology. Hiking the KGOC output falls within framework of strategy of the national um-

brella authority of the oil sector, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), to increase the output of crude oil to four million barrels per day by 2020. Shedding light on the KGOC projects, Al-Rifai singled out the gas gathering venture, upgrading the marine rigs and replacing pipes at sea bed.

Moreover, the company is involved in several projects in the joint operations zone, Al-Khafji and Al-Wafra, in the coming five years, at a projected sum of 615 million Kuwaiti dinars, including KD 152 million this year. He alluded in particular to development of Al-Durra and Al-Wafra fields and explorations in Lulu.

Due to shortage of resources of natural gas, the company is also involved in various other exploration and development ventures for extraction and treatment of oillinked gas, hinting at a plan to secure 400 million cf of gas by 2020 and 500 million cf by 2030.

Although the company is seeking to maximize the gas output, it is simultaneously sparing no effort to keep proportion of burning gas at 62 percent, with the aim of cutting this proportion further gradually.

Al-Rifai disclosed a contract with a specialized company to secure 40 million cf of gas per day from Al-Khafji for the local market, through a network of pipes. -KUNA

KUWAIT: Frequent fliers in China are accustomed to frequent delays and frequent groundings. The proliferation of new airports, younger fleet and better services has not helped to improve punctuality. Less than 70 percent of flights arrive on time in China. Reasons include the confinement of non governmental aircraft to narrow air corridors, inexperienced crews and inadequate management skills.

Passengers have begun to stage protests on the runways by standing on the tarmac. The Chinese authorities have adopted a carrot and stick approach to quell passenger dissent. At some locations, police officers patrol check-in areas to control complaining passengers. Recently, travellers who were waiting for their flights to take off were entertained with refreshments and dancing cheerleaders - a first for airports worldwide. While training crews, improving management and privatization of airspace (less than 30 percent of Chinese airspace is free for civilian use) all can take decades, the authorities and the public are probably going to engage in competitive flash dances on Chinese tarmacs - the new age non violent protests.

A ‘cheapskate’ is a person who will avoid paying a fair share, who has money but will not spend it, or having decided to spend will spend it on quantity instead of quality.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation (the most active driller of wells in the US, leading producer of natural gas and a leader in oil field services) recently got matters a little mixed, showing that there is something after all in a name. Chesapeake had previously granted its chief executive officer (CEO), founder well participation rights of up to 2.5 percent of all the company’s wells. The program however, required the CEO to make large cash contributions (1.01 billion US dollars between 2009 and the first quarter of 2012) and to make matters worse the CEO’s salary was dropped by 15 percent in 2011. This left the CEO with a pile of debt against his stakes in the well. While natural gas prices have weakened upfront, investments in new wells continue to drain cash.

The discounted value of earnings of the wells continued to decline and reached levels far below the debt on the CEO’s table.

Chesapeake moved to end the grant of the grant of the 2.5 percent stake in the company’s wells and the CEO’s tenure as well, reneging on a promise that backfired. While more traditional stock options are frequently ‘underwater’ (market price less than the grant price), this is the first case of an employee option going underground literally. Shareholders at banks continue to protest non-violently and vote against executive management payouts. Citigroup, Barclays and UBS all recently faced shareholder dissent on executive compensation. Shareholder representatives are pushing for bank bonuses to be more closely aligned with profit and stock performance, and risk management. The votes of dissent, however, are non binding and it is not inconceivable that shareholders in the US may eventually follow the example of Chinese airport authorities and flash dance their way into general body meetings.

More interesting occupations (than expressing dissent in novel ways) actually exist in this decade. The job of ‘piracy risk analyst’ (‘PRA’) is fast developing into a worthwhile occupation. A PRA (as opposed to a PRO) uses data from events, weather forecasts and debriefs from captives (released) to predict the possible incidence of future pirate attacks on the high seas.

Ships in transit, in the likely line of fire are provided with alerts and shipping lines are assisted with planning routes.

PRAs are typically ex naval navigating officers with some experience in the Indian Ocean. The growing incidence of piracy attacks in that region makes the Bermuda triangle look friendly and bemused in comparison. Not far beyond this occupation is surely related insurance and tax planning (for corporate payments of ransom made to pirates - presumably, pirates do not file tax returns).

The views expressed above are the writer’s own and do not necessarily represent those of Al Watan Daily and its staff. Savio is a financial and management advisor with a background in economics. He has carried outconsulting and management intervention projects in several countries such as USA, UK, Australia, Kenya, Armenia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia etc. The writer may be contacted on saviosgomes@ gmail.com.

S&P reports on risks for Middle East, North African sovereigns CAPITALS: Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services rates 13 sovereigns in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, all with high political risks and limited monetary policy flexibility that constrain the sovereign credit ratings.

This is according to a survey published on May 3, 2012, titled ‘Political Risk And Monetary Inflexibility Continue To Weigh On MENA Sovereign Ratings,’ on the Global Credit Portal. This was part of a statement released by the ratings agency.

The nature of political risk differs across the region, and includes domestic political turmoil and succession and geopolitical risk. Institutional transparency and accountability are a further consideration in our assessment of political risk.

The limits to monetary policy flexibility in the region stem from fixed or heavily managed exchange rates, compounded

by small and underdeveloped capital markets.

Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and Tunisia have negative outlooks, indicating at least a one-in-three chance that we could lower the sovereign ratings in the next one to two years.

For all five, the negative outlook reflects our view that we could lower the ratings if political tensions were to escalate and further weaken economic prospects economic prospects or external and fiscal performance.

The ratings on Abu Dhabi, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Ras Al Khaimah, and Saudi Arabia have stable outlooks, indicating that we currently do not expect to raise or lower the ratings over the 2012-2013 ratings horizon.

The report includes individual sections on the rated sovereigns, and looks at the considerable divergence between the creditworthiness of those MENA sovereigns with a substantial hydrocarbon endowment and those without. -Agencies

Greenback exchange rate up against Kuwaiti dinar

KUWAIT: Exchange rate of the US dollar against the Kuwaiti dinar rose to KD 0.278, whereas the euro dropped to KD 0.361, compared to Sunday’s figures, said the daily bulletin of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) on Monday.

Exchange rate of the Sterling pound stabilized at KD 0.448, and the Japanese yen remained unchanged, at KD 0.003.

The Swiss franc dropped to KD 0.300.

-KUNA

10

ALWATAN DAILY

BUSINESS

tuesDAY, may 8, 2012

Oil falls below $113 on Europe polls, weak US data LONDON: Oil dropped to four-month lows below 113 US dollars a barrel on Monday, on worries that election results in Europe could thwart efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis and after weak US jobs data prompted concern about oil demand growth.

Oil prices, which have fallen for four straight sessions, suffered a sell-off on Friday after data showing US nonfarm hiring slowed for a second month in a row in April, fuelling fears of falling demand in the world’s top oil consumer.

This was compounded by the outcome of elections in France and Greece that raised concerns over their ability to implement further austerity measures seen as key to tackle the region’s debt crisis.

“Optimists who recently believed that most of the risks concerning the euro were already ‘priced in’ are now discovering that this is by no means the case,” said Commerzbank analysts Carsten Fritsch and Eugen Weinberg in a note.

“The results of the elections in Greece and France are evidence that voters are not willing to pay for the severe programs of austerity measures.

“We believe that this will weigh on the euro, market sentiment and commodity prices for some time to come.” By 1112 GMT, Brent crude futures lost 25 US cents to $112.93 a barrel, after touching a low of $110.34, the weakest since late January. The benchmark contract fell 2.5 percent on Friday.

US crude futures were down 61 cents at $97.88 a barrel, after dropping to as low as $95.34, its weakest since Dec. 20, 2011. US oil fell by around four percent on Friday, its biggest drop since December, to break below $100 for the first time since February.

“In France, the victory of Socialist candidate (Francois) Hollande will be closely watched by markets in particular, following his announcements of a turning away from austerity policies throughout his election campaign,” JBC Energy consultants said in a note.

French voters ousted Nicolas Sarkozy, an architect of bailouts for indebted countries and an advocate of austerity

ter the leader of the Democratic Left party Fotis Kouvelis, which secured 6.1 percent of the votes on Sunday’s election, refused to join any pro-bailout coalition of the conservative New Democracy and Socialist PASOK parties.

Greek voters turned against the traditional parties at the urns as they protest against troika-sanctioned austerity measures, key to securing the country’s financial future within the euro zone.

The election outcome in the euro zone saw some investors turning risk-averse. The US dollar gained around 0.3 percent against a basket of currencies on Monday, weighing on dollar-denominated assets like oil and gold.

Supply fears ease

FILE - An attendant prepares to refuel a car at a petrol station in downtown Rome March 13, 2012. Oil dropped to four-month lows below 113 US dollars a barrel on Monday, on worries that election results in Europe could thwart efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis and after weak US jobs data prompted concern about oil demand growth.

(Reuters)

measures, in Sunday’s presidential vote.

Brent is on track for a four-day loss of around six percent, its biggest since August last year, while US crude is

headed for a decline of over eight percent in the same period, the largest such drop in over six months.

In Greece, consensus-building appeared challenging af-

Iran government denies plans to treble gasoline price DUBAI: Iran’s government denied on Monday it would treble the price of gasoline as part of subsidy reforms that have been commended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but caused anger at home among a population struggling under Western trade sanctions.

In a statement carried by the Fars news agency, the office of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said talk of a threefold price increase - broadcast on Friday by Ahmadinejad’s bitter critic, the speaker of parliament - was “entirely false”.

Speaker Ali Larijani had said the government was looking to triple petrol prices and to double the cost of natural gas as part of a further stage of efforts to reduce spending on subsidies while trying to target relief at the poorest Iranians.

In the statement, Ahmadinejad’s office said:

“Comments published saying the government has decided to sell gasoline at 2,000 Iranian toman per liter are entirely false.”

That price, equivalent to 20,000 Iranian rials, compares to the 7,000 rials - roughly 57 US cents at the official rate - which Iranians now pay for petrol once they use up a 50-litre monthly allowance to purchase fuel at 4,000 rials.

The presidency said: “The government has never sought such figures in any of its programs and it has and will continue to put all necessary information directly to the people.”

The government implemented the first-stage of its Targeted Subsidies Plan towards the end of 2010 in an attempt to wean the country off food and fuel subsidies. At the time, Ahmadinejad called it the “biggest economic plan of the past 50 years”.

On Saturday, a parliamentary committee rejected its plans for the second stage of subsidy reform.

Critics have accused Ahmadinejad of pushing through a program of wasteful public spending that has caused soaring inflation and of using the reforms for his own political gain.

In contrast, the policy has been hailed by Iran’s most powerful authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as an important means of distributing welfare in a more balanced way.

Last year the International Monetary Fund commended the Iranian government for the policy has which it said had led to a reduction in fuel consumption and inflationary pressure.

Yet the reforms coincide with tightening external pressure on Iran’s economy caused by harsher sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies early this year. -Reuters

Middle East exports exceed 30 million tons of petrochemicals in 2011 KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company said in a press release on Monday that the Middle East has exported over 30 million metric tons (MT) of petrochemicals during 2011. On the occasion of EQUATE’s sponsorship of Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Fourth Supply Chain Conference in Dubai, EQUATE President and chief executive officer (CEO) Mohammed Husain said, “Such exports have increased from only 10 million MT in 1999 which is an increase of over 250 percent in just 12 years with an average annual growth of exports by five percent.”

Husain noted a number of challenges facing Gulf exports, such as port congestions, inadequate

infrastructure and instability of market conditions, explaining that despite all these challenges, the Gulf’s international exports continue to increase.

Husain said that EQUATE’s total exports, from plants owned and operated by it, exceed three million tons of products, including solid material such as polyethylene and polypropylene, as well as the main liquids that include ethylene glycol, styrene monomer and paraxylene.

In addition to leading EQUATE, Husain is a member of GPCA Board and heads it Supply Chain Committee. EQUATE is one of GPCA’s main founders.

Sponsored by EQUATE, the GPCA Supply Chain Fourth Conference is taking place in Dubai,

the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from May 8-9, with the attendance of several senior officials from supply chain and petrochemical companies discussing various relevant affairs.

Established in 1995, EQUATE is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated worldscale manufacturing facility producing over 5 million tons annually of high-quality petrochemical products which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

UAE panel proposes cut in local fuel prices DUBAI: Fuel prices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are too high and should be brought down to match levels in other Gulf countries according to a proposal by an advisory council’s committee, daily newspaper Gulf News said on Monday.

“The petrol price in the UAE is the third highest in the Arab world after Syria and Tunisia, which does not fit a country that is ranked seventh in the world with an oil reserve of 97.8 billion barrels or 6.65 percent of the world’s oil reserve,” the paper quoted the committee’s report as saying.

The committee suggested fuel prices in the UAE, one of the world’s top five oil exporters, should be brought down either by a direct cash subsidy for Emiratis or a general subsidy for petroleum products.

The Federal National Council (FNC), the government’s advisory body which cannot initiate new legislation, is scheduled to debate the proposal on Tuesday. It has to vote before submitting the proposal to the cabinet.

“Emiratis are a minority and a majority of the population will benefit from the proposal,” the paper quoted the FNC speaker Mohammed Ahmad Al-Murr as saying.

Heavy gasoline subsidies are a common feature of the Gulf cradle-to-grave welfare systems. The UAE, which has not been affected by a wave of social unrest sweeping the Middle East over the past year, raised fuel prices by 26 percent in 2010.

The UAE caps its gasoline prices at 1.72 US dirhams (0.47 US dollars) per liter, a fraction of what retailers pay to buy it from global markets and well below prices in Europe. For example, the average British retail price rose to a record high last month of $2.23 per liter.

“High prices of petrol and fuel heavily affect lives of people with low and medium income, not to mention the country’s devel-

DSS road show visits Kuwait showcasing summer activities Nancy Oteifa Staff Writer

KUWAIT: Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE) in collaboration with Emirates Airline unveiled on Monday its summer-long agenda of fun family entertainment and events set to be staged in Dubai.

Hosting a press conference at the Marina Hotel as part of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) wide road show, the contingent announced the start of a summer of fun with the highly anticipated Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) 2012, due to be held from June 14 to July 14, 2012.

The launch of DSS will once again coincide with the opening of the highly popular Modhesh World one of the largest family edutainment venues in the Middle East, which will run until the end of Eid Al Fitr, expected to be around August 22, 2012.

Other signature DEPE events making up this year’s summer in Dubai calendar include Ramadan in Dubai and Eid in Dubai, which will mark Eid Al Fitr.

Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of DEPE named Kuwait among one of Dubai’s most important inbound feeder markets, with 273,000 Kuwaitis visiting the city last year alone, based on hotel and hotel apartment occupancy figures. Saleh drew attention to the high visitor traffic being eased by the availability of an average of 15 daily direct flights between Dubai and Kuwait City.

Saleh stated to Al Watan Daily, “Kuwaiti visitors are very important to us and they come after Saudi Arabia.

There are more than 70 malls in Dubai where our guests can enjoy shopping. In 2011 there were nearly two million visitors to the DSS festival from around the world. The number of visitors increased in 2011 by around 79 percent from 2010. Since 14 years - when DSS started - till now we had more than 25 million visitors to Dubai. There are 15 flights

(from left) Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of DEPE and Bader Ahli, Emirates’ Country Manager Kuwait.

to Dubai daily from Kuwait which gives the opportunity for guests to travel any time of the day. From August 1, there will be an extra flight by Emirates airlines going from Kuwait to Dubai - making it a fifth flight daily.”

He added, “Last year we expected a growth of seven percent in the DSS, this year we expect a growth of 10 percent and we might exceed this figure too.”

Higher supply from the 12-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which is pumping 32.3 million barrels per day (bpd) - 2.3 million bpd more than OPEC’s target of 30 million bpd, also weighed on oil prices.

The extra OPEC oil has offset a decline in exports from Iran, which is facing stiffening Western sanctions over its disputed nuclear energy program.

“We maintain that the path of least resistance for oil is down, especially as bearish catalysts continue to emerge,” said analysts at Morgan Stanley in a report on Monday.

“Lackluster macroeconomic conditions, easing global tensions and bearish fundamentals have already started to weigh on oil prices.” Brent is now lower than it was in early November, when a UN report on Iran’s nuclear program stirred new action against Tehran.

“Iran remains a risk, but risks may be abating,” the Morgan Stanley analysts wrote.

Iran and major powers resumed talks in mid-April in Istanbul after a gap of more than a year, during which time the United States and European Union stepped up efforts to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions through new sanctions and an oil embargo which come into effect over the summer.

They are to meet again on May 23 in Baghdad. -Reuters

Saleh said, “Dubai is a perfect destination for Kuwaitis, especially those choosing to travel with their families, because of the many cultural similarities as well as geographical proximity of the two cities which enable an easy commute. Dubai’s packed activity calendar and highly mature tourism infrastructure makes touring the city fun and easy to arrange, while the wide variety of events, activities and

opment as a whole,” the paper quoted Ahmad Ali Al-Za’abi, a member from Sharjah, as saying.

At $0.16 a liter, Saudi Arabia offers the second cheapest fuel price in the world, after Venezuela, while Qatar’s heavy subsidies allow it to sell fuel at $0.19 a liter, well below the Middle East average of $0.56, according to World Bank data.

The UAE’s oil minister Mohammed bin Dhaen Al-Hamli initially opposed the debate, arguing that the government’s subsidy is already at 1.20 dirhams per liter and retailers have been making losses since 2003, the paper said.

“Losses of the four fuel distribution companies caused by a subsidized petrol price reached 8.5 billion dirhams in 2011, while the expected losses this year were 12 billion dirhams,” Hamli was quoted as saying.

In June last year a shutdown of some fuel stations by Dubai’s government-owned Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) and its subsidiary Emirates Petroleum Products Co (EPPCO) forced people in the northern emirates to drive for kilometers to find a functioning station and then wait for hours in queues to fill their tanks.

Dubai’s government said in a prospectus for its recent bond issue that subsidies payable to ENOC and EPPCO totalled 5.59 billion dirhams ($1.5 billion) at the end of 2011.

The UAE, whose per capita income of $48,200 is one of the highest in the world and where locals and expatriates alike enjoy driving gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, has raised public pay and military pensions over the past year.

It has also pledged to invest $1.6 billion in improving infrastructure in the less developed northern emirates and introduced food price controls. -Reuters

diversified shopping options - ranging from high-end malls to traditional souks - helps make for a vibrant destination.”

“DSS has dramatically transformed the summer months into an exciting and hugely beneficial period not just for the shopaholics, but also for the entire family. Kuwait’s geographical closeness to Dubai renders the Emirate a perfect and exciting getaway for summer. With its remarkable shopping malls, architectural achievements, and entertainment options, Dubai continues to lead the way as one of the most popular destinations for travelers in the GCC,” said Bader Ahli, Emirates’ Country Manager Kuwait.

Saleh showcased highlights of the summer season which begins with Dubai Summer Surprises 2012, which celebrates its landmark 15th edition this year under the slogan “Dubai. Summer Fun and More.” The popular summer festival will feature various events such as World of Stories, Min Beladi, Sheila and Abaya Fashion and Kids Fashion Week, in addition to international cartoon stage shows such as the Smurfs, Telettubbies, Hello Kitty, Barbie, Ice Age, and more.

DSS presents a great opportunity for shopaholics with fantastic shopping offers and discounts at more than 6000 retail outlets in 70 shopping malls. The summer period will also see a return of the ever-popular “Spa Packages” - an exclusive campaign offering unbeatable discounts on treatments at some of Dubai’s most renowned spas all through DSS. Adding to the family-friendly focus of Dubai’s summer activity calendar, Saleh highlighted the return of Modhesh World, the largest indoor edutainment venue in the region, which this year will take place at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. As always, the exciting venue will play host to numerous games, shows and activities in multiple themed zones, all enclosed in an air-conditioned area to allow families to enjoy a fun day out in complete comfort.

ALWATAN DAILY

BUSINESS

TUESdAY, MAY 8, 2012

11

Dubai’s Drydocks restructuring Fair pay, home ownership displace democracy as top priorities for youth hit by Singapore snag ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey reveals shift in priority trends

FILE - Cars pass on a road in front of Dubai DryDocks in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, April 2, 2012. (AP)

DUBAI: Legal proceedings in the 2.2 billion US dollars debt restructuring of Dubai World’s shipbuilding unit have been delayed due to a court challenge in Singapore over a rig-building contract, a lawyer said on Monday. Drydocks World, a shipbuilding and repair business with operations in Southeast Asia as well as Dubai, sought insolvency protection last month and is using a special tribunal in Dubai to force creditors to sign up to the plan. It also filed legal proceedings in Singapore to push through the proposal.

Singapore’s Court of Appeal overturned an initial ruling which prevented the calling of a refund guarantee provided to the buyer by three Singaporean banks concerning the delayed rig, a Drydocks lawyer told the special tribunal on Monday.

Discussions aimed at securing a consensus -- letting banks gain security over the rig in exchange for forfeiting the claim against Drydocks - were at an advanced stage but would now be pushed back.

“I’m very confident by the time we are next here, this is a problem that will have gone away,” lawyer Mark Hyde told reporters outside the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) Courts. A commercial agreement with the three banks had been reached but now required the approval of the wider creditor group before it can be put in place, Hyde added.

The three banks are Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, United Overseas Bank and DBS Group,

who is also a creditor in the main debt deal, he said.

Under the terms of a refund guarantee, banks agree to pay back the buyer’s capital outlay on a project if it encounters issues such as a delay or if it is cancelled.

Hyde would not comment on how much the affected guarantee was worth, nor who the buyer was.

No deal before August

Drydocks has been in negotiations to restructure its loan facility in an effort to put an end to lengthy and complex debt talks. Restructuring talks have been complicated by the involvement of hedge funds, who forced it to seek redress under Decree 57, a form of insolvency protection developed after Dubai’s 2009 debt crisis.

Drydocks lawyers were expected to present the voluntary arrangement agreed with creditors on Monday but that has now been scheduled for June 5. Once that occurs, the 19-member creditor group will vote on the final terms on or around July 8, Hyde told the court.

A final hearing to sanction the restructuring under Decree 57 would not be held before the beginning of August, he added.

“The short delay should not have any material impact on the business or its operations,” Drydocks Chairman Khamis Juma Buamim said in a statement issued after the hearing. The company said last month it had the agreement of all but one creditor to its proposed restructuring plan. -Reuters

Trading Prices of Kuwait Exchange Trading Prices of Kuwait StockStock Exchange

Date of Closing Prices:

Company

Ÿ

High

Low

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

1,080 430 760 580 890 275 435 730 600

1,060 425 760 580 890 270 430 720 590

Kw Investment Commercial Facilit.

Int'L Financial Adv. National Invest.

Kw Projects Ahlia Holding Coast Invest.

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

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

106 150 330 60 110 43.5 152 52 38 42.5 69 44.5 285.0 102.0 69.0 194 35.5 68 58 52 112

106 148 320 59 102 41.0 146 51 36 41.0 67 43.0 275.0 97.0 66.0 192 33.5 67 58 51 110

-

-

Global Index - Banking

ź

Global Index - Investment

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

-

Global Index - Insurance

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

59 112 128 246 31.0 238 144 124 46.0 95 1,000 76 24.5 64.0 89 66 72 97 84 41.0 86 45.5 58 95 49.5 39.0 46.0 41.0 60 355

Global Index - Real Estate

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

Heavy eng. & Ship.

Marine Services Portland Cement

Ÿ ŷ ź ź ŷ Ÿ ŷ ź ŷ

230 120 440 184 1,340 275 880

224 118 440 184 1,320 265 870

1060 430 800 610 890 270 435 730 600 319.28

1,025,750 289,100 7,600 5,800 13,350 127,000 425,750 324,550 133,550 2,352,450

1,060 425 760 580 870 270 430 720 590

1,080 430 800 600 890 275 435 730 600

3.7% 0.0% 0.0% 2.6% 1.7% 1.8% 2.3% 2.1% 0.0% 2.0%

1,220 510 800 680 930 285 480 900 600 326.42

1,040 425 700 600 790 236 410 720 530 314.20

15.55 36.98 1193.50 17.44 33.38 26.31 13.29 26.03 130.71 19.43

2 -2 10 1 4 2.0-4 -1 -1 0.5 10.0 1.01.0 2.0 -1.5 -1 0.57

220,000 480,000 420,000 1,520,000 25,120,000 15,040,000 4,860,000 3,880,000 23,760,000 1,280,000 320,000 3,280,000 4,000,000 5,100,000 5,360,000 260,000 400,000 120,000 560,000 440,000 2,820,000 99,240,000

8 13 12 24 308 139 60 45 206 15 5 40 202 77 87 9 4 3 9 9 40

104 260 148 320 59 108 116 40.5 148 51 36 39.0 68.0 236 43.5 280.0 97.0 67.0 192 34 69 67 57 51 110.0

106 265 150 330 60 230 110 118 102 41.5 150 52 36 41.0 70.0 56 44.0 285.0 98.0 68.0 194 280 34 77 69 59 52 112.0

0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 6.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.6% 4.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.3%

112 285 67 182 345 18.5 69 25.0 130 36.0 230 122 120 102 52 35.5 150 65 35 71 44.0 48.5 70.0 26.0 295 65 39 51 47.5 104 270.0 130.0 25.0 33.5 96.0 29.0 190 310 114 32 89 73 60 59 64 42.5 140.0 85.99

104 255 40 144 295 11.5 50 25.0 130 21.0 230 99 102 50 52 24.0 106 47 21 71 28.5 48.5 64.0 26.0 242 51 36 51 26.0 61 99.0 19.5 19.0 16.0 38.0 29.0 154 255 114 26 58 50 51 47 64 42.5 106.0 74.96

16.47 10.02 0.00

1,315

23,320 71,400 136,450 89,800 2,699,320 637,600 724,160 198,880 871,960 53,600 21,760 143,760 1,117,150 505,080 366,400 50,080 13,800 8,120 32,480 22,600 312,800 8,100,520

-

-

-

280 480 450 116 -

300 530 460 130 -

6.7% 3.8% 5.4% 4.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4.9%

325 610 540 148 220 134 40.5 44.91

13.38 280 13.67 520 10.96 450 20.49 102 66.32 220 102 40.5 64711.96 12.95 42.22

9,680,000 820,000 160,000 80,000 1,360,000 1,240,000 620,000 820,000 12,480,000 2,360,000 130,000 1,240,000 88,800,000 29,160,000 7,920,000 6,480,000 2,600,000 240,000 800,000 16,880,000 520,000 3,840,000 3,640,000 120,000 23,640,000 6,640,000 8,880,000 46,080,000 1,240,000 1,240,000 279,710,000

80 8 4 4 13 9 19 18 136 52 6 27 422 154 57 120 30 6 14 141 1 36 65 3 153 70 86 307 28 27 2,096

564,920 90,240 20,480 19,680 40,640 294,320 88,200 99,480 557,720 222,520 130,000 92,920 2,098,360 1,850,840 694,040 415,560 183,120 22,840 66,160 684,800 44,720 171,960 201,480 10,600 1,150,580 251,000 402,000 1,839,000 72,520 439,650 12,820,350

58 110 128 246 31.0 236 144 124 43.5 94 990 73 23.5 63.0 86 66 69 97 37.5 82 41.0 86 44.5 58 154 48.5 36.5 44.0 41.0 37 59 350

59 112 132 248 238 44.0 120 95 1,000 74 24.0 64.0 87 70 39.5 83 92 45.0 90 170 49.0 37.5 44.5 39 60 355

0.0% 4.5% 0.0% 6.1% 0.0% 3.4% 0.0% 5.6% 0.0% 6.4% 0.0% 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.9% 6.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.9%

63 118 152 246 37.5 250 130 100 52.0 120 104 1,080 85 20.0 68.0 97 75 73 90 38.0 92 23.0 91 17.5 45.0 70 80 174 52.0 39.5 40.5 28.5 25.5 134 40 220 70 480 60.26

47 97 108 200 28.5 224 114 77 27.0 108 94 840 62 11.0 35.0 77 54 52 74 33.0 59 13.5 87 17.5 31.0 57 64 116 27.5 22.0 25.0 17.5 15.0 134 31 220 49 270 49.06

9,800,000 9 800 000 340,000 70,000 200,000 20,000 130,000 60,000

113 11 6 4 4 13 4

2,210,240 2 210 240 40,720 30,800 36,800 26,750 35,500 52,400

228 118 435 184 1,340 265 136 870

230 120 445 1,360 280 148 880

0.0% 0 0% 0.0% 3.4% 0.0% 5.4% 3.6% 0.0% 7.5%

260 136 475 158 1,480 345 222 920

214 116 415 122 1,240 290 134 660

Ex-D Ex-D Ex-D -

Ÿ

59 110 128 246 31.0 236 144 124 44.0 110 95 1,000 74 24.0 63.0 87 66 70 97 37.0 82 41.0 86 17.5 45.0 58 85 160 49.0 37.0 44.0 17.5 41.0 134 134 220 60 355 59.93

58 112 132 246 28.5 234 134 114 44.5 110 93 1,000 72 23.0 64.0 89 61 70 92 37.0 83 38.5 87 17.5 44.5 53 90 160 48.0 37.5 44.5 17.5 38.5 134 134 220 56 355 59.84

1 -2 -4 3 2.0 10 10 0.52 2 1.0 1.02.05 5 -1 2.5 1.00.5 5 -5 1 0.50.52.5 Ex-D 4 0.09

Ÿ Ÿ ź Ÿ ŷ ź ŷ ź

228 120 440 184 1,340 275 144 870

226 118 450 174 1,340 280 144 880

2 2 -10 10 -5 -10

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

Last Ask

40 18 1 2 3 18 27 39 19 167

300 520 460 126 220 122 40.50 42.44

ŷ ŷ

Last Bid

MTD YTD 0.39% 0.28% 5.31% 11.66% Div. Annual Close High Yield Low P/E

952,500 680,000 10,000 10,000 15,000 470,000 990,000 445,000 225,000 3,797,500

300 520 460 126 220 122 40.50 42.44

ŷ ŷ

DTD -0.24% 0.32%

20 -40 -30 5 -10 0.82-

104 265 52 150 320 13.0 59 25.0 130 25.0 230 106 116 102 52 43.0 154 51 36.5 71 41.5 48.5 68 26.0 275 51 38.5 51 43.5 100 275.0 99.0 22.0 22.5 67.0 29.0 192.0 265 114 35.00 72 68 59 52 64 42.50 112 83.48

ŷ

57 110 128 246 27.5 234 136 118 43.0 93 1,000 72 22.0 62.0 87 60 70 94 82 39.0 86 44.5 51 85 48.0 37.0 43.5 37.0 55 350

1080 430 760 580 890 275 435 720 600 318.46

Previous Close Change 180.44 -0.44 6,471.60 20.80 Trading Activity Tran. Value(KD) Chng Volume

106 265 52 148 330 13.0 60 25.0 130 25.0 230 110 116 102 52 41.0 150 51 36 71 41.0 48.5 68 26.0 275 51 38.5 51 44.0 100 285.0 98.0 22.0 22.5 68.0 29.0 194 265 114 33.50 72 68 58 52 64 42.50 112 84.05

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

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Last Close 180.01 6,492.40 Last Prev.

Close Close

05 / 01 / 2012

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

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

Key findings: • The rising cost of living is the greatest concern among Middle East youth; 63 percent of Arab youth now say that they are “very concerned” about the cost of living, up from 57 percent last year, when this was also their greatest concern • 41 percent of Arab youth say that the lack of democracy is the biggest obstacle facing the region; an equal percentage identify civil unrest as the biggest obstacle

• 72 percent of Middle East youth agree that, following the events of the Arab Spring, the region is better off today; 68 percent of Arab youth say they are also personally better off now than they were a year ago • Nearly three-quarters of Middle East youth believe their government has become more trustworthy and transparent since the events of the Arab Spring at the same time that concerns about corruption have skyrocketed • A majority of young people in every Middle East state agrees that traditional values are paramount; however, the percentage of youth who say that such values are outdated and need to be replaced continues to increase • When Arab youth look across the region and the world, they see the United Arab Emirates as the country where they would most like to live - and as the country they would most like their own nation to emulate • Young people in the Middle East today view France most favourably among all foreign nations, with 46 percent of respondents saying they are “very favourable” towards that nation; positive views of China and India have also increased • Arab youth are following the news far more keenly than ever before - with 52 percent of regional young people now saying they update themselves on news and current affairs every day, up from just 18 percent in 2011 • Television remains the most important source of news for Arab youth, with 62 percent of respondents saying their turn on the TV to get their news - but that number has declined from 79 percent in 2011 • Today, reading or writing blogs is the top online activity among young people in the region, with 61 percent saying they engage with blogs, up from only 29 percent in 2011 A wide range of materials based on the findings of the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2012 are available to the public at: www.arabyouthsurvey.com.

Trading Prices of Kuwait Stock Exchange Date of Closig Prices: 7/05/2012

Date of Closing Prices: 07 / 05 / 2012 For more information please contact “Global” at (+965) 180 42 42 or www.globalinv.net Global General Index KSE Price Index

KUWAIT: Earning a fair wage and owning a home are now the two highest priorities for young people in the Middle East - displacing ‘living in a democracy’ as the greatest aspiration of regional youth, according to the findings of the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2012, the largest study of its kind of the region’s largest demographic. This was stated in a press release this week.

Informed by 2,500 interviews conducted by international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) in 12 Middle East states one year after the start of the Arab Spring, the findings of the Fourth Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey highlight how larger political concerns have now been superseded by more personal, economic anxieties.

Today, being paid a fair wage is not only the highest collective priority among those surveyed - with 82 percent of all Arab youth citing it as ‘very important’ but is also the highest individual priority in each of the 12 countries covered.

Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who said that living in a democratic country is ‘very important’ to them declined by 10 percentage points in the 2012 survey. This year, 58 percent of Arab youth said that this is “very important” to them, down from 68 percent in 2011.

These findings and others were unveiled today in Dubai at the launch of the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2012. The survey includes face-toface interviews with Arabs between the ages of 18-24 in the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE), as well as in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and, for the first time, Libya and Tunisia. These interviews, which were conducted exclusively with nationals of each of the surveyed countries, took place in December 2011 and January 2012.

“Eighteen months after the start of the Arab Spring, we all know that Middle East youth are committed to forging an even brighter future,” said Joseph Ghossoub, Chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the MENACOM Group, regional parent of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller.

“While these young people have shared their profound concerns about the cost of living and the price of home ownership, to cite just two examples, they remain firmly optimistic. It is so heartening that when Arab youth look forward, they also continue to look up.”

“You can see the great promise of Arab youth throughout this survey: in the level of engagement in current affairs, in the sophisticated use of technology, and in the tempered expectations for the postArab Spring era,” said Jeremy Galbraith, CEO, Burson-Marsteller, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“Since 2008, we have been conducting the most representative and authoritative study of the attitudes of young Arabs - polling opinion, analyzing this data and then sharing these important findings with the public, including governments, private-sector firms and civil society groups,” said Sunil John, CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller. “We continue to make this signal investment in thought leadership - requiring a significant investment of our time, energy and capital - because we understand how important it is to be able to access reliable data here in the Middle East, where research into public opinion is in short supply.

14.68 0.00 9.03 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 47.26 0.00 0.00 71.95 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 19.36 20.94 16.18 550.15

0.00 0.00 5.59 14.42

53.01 12.93 17.17 23.03 13.10 15.16 23.87 29.41 0.00 15.17 410.74

227.74 0.00 15.57 8.00 211.32 0.00 0.00 26.88 439.41 0.00 0.00 19.45

19.67 7.75 12.40 18.03 31.17

Shuaiba Industrial

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Metal Collecting Global General Index 130 Kuwait Foundry 355 KSE Price Index

255 ACICO 90 United Industries Company High 620 Boubyan Petroch.

1,140 Gulf Glass National Bank Gulf Bank 495 Hilal Cement Commercial Bank 770 Al Kout Ind. Project Ahli Bank 640 K-PAK Ahli UnitedMaterial Bank 850 Building International 248 Nat. Ind.Co.Bank 460 Burgan BankHolding Equipment 186 Kw Finance House Consumer Industries 890 Boubyan Bank 590 Kuwait Gypsum Global Qurain Index - Banking 218 Salbookh Trading Kw Investment -44 IKARUS 188 265 Commercial Facilit.

Boubyan Int'LAdv. Ind. 4173 Int'L Financial 174 National GlobalInvest.

Index - Industrial Kw Projects 300 National Cinema Ahlia Holding 13.5 Kw Hotels Coast Invest.

53 Agility 415 Int'L Investor Market Complexes Securities House ZAIN 740 Ind. & Fin. Inv. Safat Energy 87.0 Securities Group Educational Group Int'L Finance Indep. Petroleum 110 MARKAZ National Cleaning 160 KMIFIC Sultan - 106 Int'L Inv. Center Group Arabi 148 Aref Inv.Group Group City Group 550 Investment Dar Tele.

2,300 AlWataniya AMAN Inv. Kw Gulf Link 128 ALOLA Inv. 110 Kw Cable ALMAL Inv. Vision 50 Automated System - Gulf Inv. House NAPESCO - A'ayan Leasing KCPC 370 32.5 Bayan Inv. K.S.H Inv. GLOBAL EyasInv. Osoul Hits Telecom GULFINVEST - 95 KFIC - 25.0 Al Safwa Holding KAMCO - Human Soft Int'l Leasing & Holding Inv. -80 Privatization Nat. Int'l Holding Nafaaes Holding 104 - Housing Finance National Slaughter MADAR Aref energy 128 26.5 AlSafwan Deera Holding 610 AlGulf Safat Inv. Petroleum 67.0 122.0 AlGulf Salam Group Franchising 34.0 41.0 Ekttitab Credit Holding & Collection AlNational Qurain Holding -25.0 Ranges Sokouk BurganHolding Well Drilling 16.5 255 Al-Madina 40.0 IFA H&R Finance NOOR 1,760 Combinted Group Tamdeen Inv. 160 94 Jeeran Holding KW BH Int'l Exch.

Palms Agro 108 Taiba Kuwaiti Holding 81.0 Safat TEC Kuwait Syrian Mushrif Trading 108 Strategia UPAC 53 Kuwait China Inv. ALAFCO 295 Manafae Inv. Al-Muwasat - Gulf North Africa Mashaer Holding 280 Amwal Fuel AlOula Masar - 244 Future Comm.

Al-Imtiaz 132 120 Hayat Comm.

Global Index - Investment 68 Mubarrad Transport Kuwait Insurance -Kuwait Resorts Gulf Insurance - Advanced Technolgy Ahlia Insurance 375 Yiaco Medical 112 Warba Insurance 420 Al Jazeera Airways Kuwait Re-Ins. Al Soor Fuel 224 First Takaful - Future Kid Ins. Wethaq Insurance KGL 280 Global Index - Insurance82 Al Nawadi Alrai Media 120 Kuwait R.E. 48 Zima R.E. Holding United 100 National 126 GlobalR.E. Index - Services Salhia R.E. 204 LiveStock Trans.

Pearl R.E. Dana Al-Safat 22497 Tamdeen R.E. United Poultry Ajial R.E. - Kw FoodStuff 1,360 Massaleh R.E. United Food Arab R.E. 30.0 Kout R.E. Food - Union

- ŷ 130 źŸ 355 źŸ 248 Ÿ 88 ź Low 610 ŷ 1,120 - ŷŷ 490 - ŷŷ 770 - ŷŷ 640 - źŷ 800 - Ÿ 248 - ŷŷ 455 170 źŸ 880 - źŷ 580 - ŷ 216 źŸ -36 ŷŸ 188 źŷ 260 4073 źź 170 źŸ 300 - Ÿŷ 12.5 ŷ - ŷ 52 ź 410 ź ŷ - ŷ - ŷ 730 ź ŷ 84.0 ź - ŷ - ŷ - ŷ 108 - ŷŷ 156 - ŷŷ - 106 ŷŷ 146 - ŷŸ 550 - ŷŷ 2,280 ŷź 124 ŷŸ 108 49 - źŷ - - ŷŷ - - ŷŷ 360 ŷź 31.0 - ŷŷ -ŷ - 90 ŷź - 23.0 ŷŸ - - ŷŷ -74 ŷŸ - ŷŸ 102 - - ŷŷ - ŷź 126 26.5 610 ŷŸ - ŷź 66.0 114.0 34.0 ŸŸ 39.0 - źŷ -23.0 ŷŸ 16.5 255 ŷŷ 38.5 - źŷ 1,680 ŷź 158 źŸ 94 - ŷ 108 Ÿ - ŷ 80.0 Ÿ - ŷ 104 Ÿ - ŷ - ŷ 53 ŷ 295 - ŷŷ - - ŷŷ 275 - ŷŷ - 242 ŷź 124 - źŷ 118 źź 67 Ÿ -- ŷŷ - - ŷŷ - ŷŸ 365 108 415 źź 224 ŷ - -ŷ 275 ŷŷ 81 źŸ 118 źź 48 100 - Ÿŷ 118 Ÿź 200 ź - ŷ ŷ 22496 źź - - ŷŷ 1,360 - ŷź 30.0 - źŷ - - ŷŷ

Global Index - Food 98 96 ERESCO 86091 84087 Mabani Sharjah Cement 75 7496 INJAZZAT RE Gulf Cement 102 Inv. Holding Um QuwainGrp Cement 12.072 11.568 Int'L Resorts 95 98 Fujaira Cement 78 77 Commercial R.E 118 122 Ras AlKheimah 70 65 Sanam R.E. ARIG 54 53 Aa'yan R.E United Gulf Bank Aqar 295 Egypt Kw Holding 295 Kuwait R.E Holding Bahrain Kw Ins. 59 AL Mazaya 60 58.0 House 60.0 14.0 AlGulf Dar Fin. National R.E 14.0 InovestInt'L Holding -74 -71 Themar Ahli United Bank - 168 Grand R.E Projects - 170 - 68.0 Tijara & R.E Invest -68.0 Ithmaar Bank AlGlobal TameerIndex - Non-Kuwaiti Arkan Al-Kuwait R.E 70 70 Markaz Real Estate Safat Global AlInvestment Argan Int'L Funds 28.5 28.0 Abyaar Al-Bareeq Holding 23.5 - 23.5 Munshaat AFAQ First Dubai 26.0 - 25.5 Al-Shamel KBT 27.0 Al-Safat Real Estate 27.0 Manazel 16.534 15.533 Ajwan Real Estate REAM - - Specialities Group - Mena Real Inter.

Estate - Masaken AlDulaqan MoudonR.E Intl. R.E - - Markaz Real Estate 5790 5690 Eid Food Kuwait Remal 295 285 1,960 1,960 Maidan ClinicR.E Global Index - Real Estate Flex Dar Al-Thuraya Real E 242 Nationl Ind. Group 232 Kw Medical Services 128 - 126 Pipes Ind. & Oil Kuwait Amar Cement For Fin. & Leas. 455 - 450 Refrigeration Ind.Market Total Parallel 1,420 1,420 Gulf Cables & Elec.

Heavy & Ship.

Totaleng.

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

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

Last Close Previous Close DTD - Change 216 216 216 40,000 2 2 130 176.53128 -0.40% 130 177.24 -0.70 5,200 122 10 5,754.20 20,000 2 -27.30 7,100 345 3555,726.90 340 -0.47% 360 7 200,000 10 49,980 248 255 250 255 Last Prev.

Trading Activity -1 840,000 16 74,280 Last88 Last 89 89 88 Close Close Ask 620 Chng - Volume 20 Value(KD) 480,000Tran.

620 620 293,050 Bid610 1,000 1,000 3,796,050 - 1,120 - 1120 1120 69 3,377,500 1,100 1,140 20 495 495 - 830,000 407,950 222 222 490 495 770 770 10,000 1 7,700 - 415 770 780 415 390 640 -20 2 6,400 660 10,000 640 660 275 275 300 255 800 50 850 350,000 23 282,700 840 850 224 Ex-D 224 16 248 248 - 700,000 173,600 246 248 310 310 300 315 460 465 -5 4 500,000 1025 229,750 460 465 178 620,000 182 113,280 180 182 890 -10 880 1,280,000 66 1,127,050 880 870 102 102 590 590 607,850 1,035,000 33 590 580 128 Ex-D 128 319.37 319.54 8,092,500 6,639,050 0.17-2 216 860,000 24032 185,800 218 218 214 17,440,000 44 41 156 680,320 106 106 -3 10244 106 188 100,000 188 18,800 188 194 260 265 -5 250,000 14 3 65,750 260 265 1,200,000 87,600 4073 1,680,000 -1-1 67,160 4174 1318 4072 4073 32,420,000 439 0.12 3,948,620 169.27 169.15 170 1,040,000 20 172 -2 177,720 172 168 300 110,000 5 33,000 295 5 295 300 1,000 1,000 1,020 7,040,000 12.5 12.5 46 90,920 12.5 13.0 280 280 1,280,000 22 52 53 -1 67,280 51 52 415 460,000 24 188,950 -5 410 410 415 25.0 25.0 52 52 130 130 732,350 740 -10 990,000 730 35 730 740 31.0 31.0 33.5 1.06,440,000 85.0 82 548,720 86.0 84.0 85.0 230 230 110 110 102 102 325 325 -315 350 108 112 73,920 680,000 18 106 110 113,640 720,000 160 160 -158 160 50 50 -22 420,000 106 106 44,520 44.0 44.0 -17 - 106 - 108 1,440,000 212,400 148 146 146 150 52 52 -2 -21 75,000 41,250 550 550 560 74 74 - -1 27,500 2,300 63,150 2,280 2,280 2,300 28.5 28.5 - -20 -7 27.0 29.5 1,120,000 142,240 128 126 126 128 108 1424 54,920 108 -2 500,000 110 108 58 4958 49.5 15,840 -1 320,000 4 49 50 295 295 285 320 23 - - 23 - - 21 24 330 330 320 71 - - 71 - - - 370 200,950 550,000 365 370 360 31.0 31.0 58,760 1,840,000 2239 --5 31.0 32.5 255 255 48.5 - 48.5 - - - 250 260 260 - - 68 68 -Ex-D - 64.0 569,040 6,160,000 92 93 20.5 20.5 - -1 -93 - 92 - 93 26.0 26.0 1 83,920,000 23.5 24.5 390 2,016,840 - 24.0 - 24.5 244 - 244 - - - - 238 270 270 275 9480 -5 9475 -79 -80 20,920,000 165 1,626,080 -2 51 51 -2 54 40,000 4,120 104 102 100 104 - 36 36 - - - 154 154 144 184 -5 51 51 --2 126 128 100,000 12,720 128 126 26.5 26.5 21 6,360 - 40 240,000 26.0 27.0 610 570 5,000 3,050 620 570 75 75 -33 1.067.0 68.0 1,440,000 95,520 67.0 66.0 8.0 120.0 112.0 1,305,280 120.0 2.5 11,180,000 640,000 212 8 31.5 34.0 21,760 118.0 34.0 2.0- 39.5 41.5 24 77,080 1,920,000 39.0 120 120 130 19.0 19.0 - 1.5 20.0 18.0 336 2,032,840 23.5 25.0 83,840,000 25.0 24.5 16.5 51 7,920 16.5 480,000 16.0 16.5 5,100 255 255 20,000 255 39.0 0.5- - 10,640,000 93 419,440 38.5 38.5 39.0 400 400 400 380 29.0 29.0 - -80 -22 152,500 1,760 1,680 260,800 1,700 1,680 160 2.0158 12,680 80,000 4 156 160 4 1 94 90 3,760 40,000 90 95 255 255 270 1 108 2,160 102 6 20,000 104 108 114 114 22 81.0 78.0 277,800 3.0 3,440,000 77.0 80.0 26.00 26.00 27 20 4 060 000 433 120 108 106 2.0 4,060,000 103 433,120 106 108 68 68 63 73 330 330 330 345 53 200,000 53 10,600 2 53 52 295 295 191,750 21 650,000 290 295 60 60 61 168 168 178 46.5 - - - - 46.5 47 - 275 275 143,600 520,000 280 275 64 - -19 64 69 242 19,400 246 80,000 42.50 --4 42.50 -4 - 240 - 244 265 265 275 128 130 -2 1,240,000 38 157,920 - 124.0 128.0 118 105,120 120 2.0- 40,720,000 880,000 55835 120 118 76.02 0.1275.90 2,702,550 68 145,240 67 37 1 2,160,000 68 67 - - 325 325 - 325 300 49.0 49.0 -50.0 48.5 - - 560 560 - 610 510 810 810 -750 -37 485 485 460 500 375 255,700 365 10.0 690,000 380 375 118 -8-5 120,000 110 63 13,200 108 114 415 16,750 420 40,000 410 425 220 220 Ex-D 224 224 4,480 1 20,000 222 224 114 114 - - - 110 106 106 Ex-D 102 108 40.50 40.50 43.0 275 222,800 275 44 810,000 270 275 43.63 43.43 0.19-2 120,000 63 13,200 82 13,000 80 160,000 83 78 122 160,000 18,960 118 122 116 15 3,840 49 -1-4 48 80,000 49 48 98 92,000 9 100 9998 1 920,000 100 99 383,920 124 120 4 105 3,100,000 126 122 1,664 733.54 10,789,680 739.52 223,210,000 5.9812 104,680 200 204 -4 520,000 202 200 184 184 37.5 37.5 37.5 98 176,960 1,840,000 97 -1 329 224 10.0100,000 22,400 234 22497 -96 136 136 128 146 120 120 110 130 1,360 1,380 3,400 2,500 --20 1,360 1,380 82 -1 82 85 335 335 1 30.0 80,000 30.5 0.5- 2,400 31.5 540 540 510 - 108 108 - - 112 118 4.09180,360 334.32 338.41 1,842,500 31,160 -1 320,000 98 97 830 95 98 1,656,950 10-1 1,935,000 850 5756 860 86086 87088 88 291,320 3,280,000 87 2 8,960 120,000 2 7597 7397 7688 7186 10,680,000 1,060,960 154 15 23,960 11.5 12.0 0.52,000,000 11.596 12.097 70 Ex-D 1,082,240 68 15,440,000 210 38.0 38.0 35.5 37.0 97 2,360,000 227,920 4 38 93 67 68 3 18,520 78 77 1 240,000 77 79 118 118 180,000 8 21,560 97 96 67,400 17 1,000,000 65 70 -5 65 114 114 118 120 4 10,720 54 -1 55 200,000 53 54 170 170 116 112 90 90 91 5,900 295 295 20,000 1 178 164 38.0 38.0 40.5 455 Ex-D 455 295 300 11 59 26,160 440,000 -4 63 60 57.0 2 3,242,040 59.0 449 55,280,000 1 80,000 1,120 14.0 14.5 0.514.5 13.5 5,120,000 368,880 - -2 -69 9172 9174 9459 9058 26,960 168 170 160,000 - -2 -3 17.5 17.5 - 72 - 71 -25 31.0 31.063.0 2,360,000 68.0 160,480 5 33.5 168.0 30.0 170.0 59 59 57 1,013 6,488,260 45.22 0.21 45.42 94,880,000 -4 320,000 2 22,400 70 74 70 74 122 122 48.5 48.5 - - - 124 124 116 126 12 0.52,720,000 76,880 28.0 28.5 28.0 28.5 144 144 1.0- 80,000 1 1,880 23.5 24.5 25.0 23.5 106 106 0.5240,000 6,160 3 26.0 25.5 25.0 25.5 250 Ex-D 250 255 35,040,000 946,080 - 4 27.0 27.0 24.5 28.0 21.5 21.5 21.0 24.0 1,200,000 89 1.0-3 19,240 16.5 15.5 15.534 16.0 27,000 34 800,000 32 - - - 134 134 130 510 510 485 500 - - - 134 134 29 3250 51 51 - - - - 220 220 - 218 345 345 -1 240,000 61 13,520 5790 5890 55 5795 3,600 40,000 47 610,850 295 290 5 2,110,000 290 295 2,260 -300 2,500 1 4,900 1,960 1,960 0.02- - 53,085,000 - 332 4,151,200 49.73 49.75 39.5 39.5 37.0 42.0 102.0 102.0 -102.0 242 -10 13,220,000 - 154 3,111,120 232 232 128 - 140,000 6 17,800 128 75 75 12275 13080 470 -20 50,000 2 22,550 450 455 465 55 55 150 150 -11 150 842,500 35,500 1,460 -40 2,500 1 1,420 3,550 1,420 1,440 335 335 735,100,0006,724 44,680,240 310 340 212 212 216 Close Prev. Close Change 710 DTD 720 230,000 720 19 165,600 720 ź 189.65 -0.54 -0.29% 180 189.10 180 178 190 ź 183.25 -0.99 -0.54% 182.26 106 -2 104 80,000 3 8,480 104 108 460 566.99 460 ź 435 569.16 -2.17 -0.38%

MTD YTD 0.0% 216 180 13.22 -1.55% -1.55% 0.0% 120 102 495 0.0% 315 -1.50% -1.50% 230 2.0% 196 31.65 Div. Annual Close 79 0.0% 102 36.02 Yield High630 Low550 P/E88.41 0.0% 1,400 1,100 15.82 4.0% 3.6% 1,120 1,100 14.74 0.0% 510 490 33.95 216 206 12.73 6.8% 1.9% 790 770 88.62 340 9.94 415 8.4% 3.1% 660 640 17.34 300 0.0% 275 5.20 1.6% 850 790 29.68 228 35.32 2.2% 224 0.0% 255 248 23.59 260 25.33 325 3.2% 0.0% 475 46051 12.26 152 0.0% 2.3% 900 88093 25.07 102 0.0% 0.0% 590 590 18.88 128 112.24 128 5.5% 2.0% 18.61 222 318.41 210 13.27 0.0% 319.54 0.00 0.0% 0.0% 10651 10641 40.56 162 214 16.76 4.3% 8.5% 265 260 12.09 0.0% 0.0% 4288 4070 163.04 13.90 174.76 2.7% 0.0% 174 170 88.93 6.7% 305 295 12.13 18.77 910 4.2% 1,120 0.0% 13.5 12.5 1.33 280 0.0% 280 0.0% 54 52 430 15.87 340 7.3% 0.0% 25.0 25.0 0.00 65 41 0.00 0.0% 0.0% 130 130 900 690 11.00 8.9% 0.0% 36.0 31.0 45.0 81.0 0.0% 0.0% 230 230 110 110 58.86 0.0% 0.0% 102 102 0.00 295 350 0.0% 9.3% 116 108 170 20.44 110 3.1% 0.0% 50 50 0.00 102 136 0.0% 0.0% 44.0 44.0 0.00 12.50 132 0.0% 0.0% 52 5284 0.00 530 550 0.0% 0.0% 74 74 0.00 11.90 1,920 2,440 2.2% 0.0% 28.5 28.5 0.00 0.0% 132 0.0% 112 10895 0.00 0.0% 0.0% 5168 4958 230 21.81 8.5% 350 0.0% 23 22 7.6% 340 8.13 395 0.0% 71 71 0.00 2.7% 260 12.47 305 0.0% 31.5 31.0 7.1% 255 12.82 260 0.0% 48.5 48.5 260 260 4.79 7.7% 0.0% 68.0 68.0 32.31 303.21 0.0% 132 0.0% 20.5 20.554 0.0% 26.0 26.0 0.00 14.0 0.0% 23.5 0.0% 244 244 270 12.91 280 0.0% 0.0% 9484 9461 0.00 14.16 6.3% 0.0% 51 5184 116.80 0.0% 104 0.0% 36 36 0.00 154 9.95 0.0% 154 0.0% 51 5191 0.00 0.0% 120 0.0% 26.5 27.5 520 14.81 4.4% 710 0.0% 75 75 0.00 30.0 10.40 0.0% 78.0 99.0 0.0% 120.0 16.0 0.0% 28.5 19.5 0.0% 41.5 120 0.0% 140 19.0 0.0% 19.0 0.00 22.5 0.0% 12.0 0.0% 17.0 16.5 41.84 198 0.0% 275 0.0% 39.0 38.0 87.26 490 380 0.0% 0.0% 29.0 0.00 % 29.0 15.98 1,740 1,500 4.2% 156 8.28 3.8% 162 6.24 0.0% 89 73 255 22.77 255 5.1% 12.52 9.3% 126 86 11.92 114 0.0% 114 0.0% 78.0 57.0 26 0.0% 28 0 0% 0 00 0.0% 104 80 0.00 68 43.00 0.0% 68 340 11.98 9.1% 270 53 0.0% 55 280 3.4% 315 3.86 60 0.0% 60 130 7.71 6.0% 168 47 10.8% 47 172 4.7% 9.78 305 64 0.0% 64 20.64 305 265 0.0% 42.5 0.00 0.0% 42.5 300 128.0 18.62 265 0.0% 0.0% 132.0 5.19 0.0% 124 75.90 70 10.01 2.4% 76.32 0.0% 72 51 16.97 6.2% 325 325 0.0% 62.0 44.0 21.34 12.90 4.5% 560 560 1.9% 770 640 33.57 9.91 5.2% 520 485 4.0% 390 12.29 345 17.37 9.1% 118 110 485 410 9.51 0.0% 220 220 2.7% 0.0% 270 236 296.83 16.48 0.0% 134 11498 4.7% 14.64 114 40.5 0.0% 40.5 300 218 8.42 7.3% 12.60 4.7% 44.80 92 43.43 77 7.12 8.5% 114 156 21.95 0.0% 37.20 0.0% 49 48 0.0% 110 12.83 0.0% 100 9994 0.0% 120 22.21 128 791.90 705.36 11.17 12.3% 10.0% 200 17.83 208 182 15.27 222 0.0% 0.0% 37.5 37.5 114 0.0% 4.5% 234 22490 16.20 126 6.02 3.7% 136 0.0% 130 120 1,360 11.38 4.8% 1,500 6.1% 82 82 5.29 390 43.95 340 1.5% 0.0% 30.5 30.0 500 9.68 5.6% 610 6.5% 108 108 15.28 365.22 331.33 11.35 4.2% 0.0% 100 96 39.65 0.0% 860 840 21.70 0.0% 44 95 0.0% 76 7355 0.0% 108 0.0% 0.00 12.573 11.543 31.60 10.3% 0.0% 38.0 38.0 46 0.0% 122 0.0% 78 14.56 77 118 10.58 8.5% 126 0.0% 75 65 102 0.0% 132 54 26.32 0.0% 55 172 0.0% 232 370.29 0.0% 90 90 6.8% 330 250 6.57 0.0% 38.0 38.0 5.5% 455 0.00 455 63 0.0% 59 0.0% 74.0 560.45 40.5 14.5 4.15 14.0 0.0% 0.0% 5.5% 91 91 9.27 7.1% 17.5 17.5 0.0% 0.0% 31.0 31.0 19.44 0.0% 0.0% 59 59 47.16 40.74 8.67 4.0% 0.0% 78 70 11.37 1,220 1,220 0.0% 0.00 48.5 48.5 0.0% 144 124 5.38 0.0% 29.0 28.0 27.28 0.0% 0.0% 24.5 23.5 4.7% 5.03 0.0% 26.0 25.5 6.0% 13.99 0.0% 28.5 27.0 0.0% 0.0% 16.5 15.5 0.0% 3.7% 134 134 23.07 5.6% 16.37 0.0% 32 32 0.0% 220 0.0% 220 18.82 0.0% 816.78 57 60 0.00 0.0% 0.0% 8.47 0.0% 295 270 0.00 0.0% 1.1% 49.86 49.73 16.27 22.19 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.2% 0.0% 3.3% 0.7% 4.6% 4.71% 3.0% 2.4% 13.9% 5.6% 0.0% 4.3%

232 260 130 128 470 450 158 150 1,460 1,420 340 335 212 222 MTD 710 740 -0.01% 180 180 -0.53% 104 116 460 460 0.47%

70.58 18.38

14.29 6.49 14.61 8.02 193.84 YTD 96.15 -0.23% 10.91 -4.12% 23.15 26.77 0.89%

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

12

ALWATAN DAILY tuesday, may 8, 2012

April 2009 May21, 07, 2012 Rebased RebasedPerformance Performance 113

1% 6%

2% 6% Oman

113 111

1%

Qatar

2%

108

0%

Bahrain

GCC Best Performers

Saudi

95 7-Feb-12 85

7-Mar-12

7-Apr-12

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

-6%-2

19-Apr-0

1

Country (Index)

% Chg.

YTD

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

Index 7,352

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

2,488 5,250

-0.3% -4.0%

Qa UAUAE Qatar (DSM Index) (ADSM Index)

8,652 2,695

-0.4% 0.6%

Ba Qa Bahrain Qatar(BSE (DSMIndex) Index)

1,161 5,590

-0.1% 3.9%

Jo Jordan (Amman General Index)

1,976

Ku Kuwait (KSE Weighted Index)

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

OmOman UAE(MSM (DFMIndex) Index)

Level 419

1,564 406

5,792 1,745

Eg Egypt (EGX 30 Index)

OmOman (MSM Index)

Ba Bahrain (BSE Index)

M Morocco (Casa All Shares Index)

Eg Egypt (Hermes Egypt Index (HFI))*

Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index)

Jo Jordan (Amman General Index)

Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index)

M Morocco (Casa All Shares Index)*

Tu Tunisia (Tunis SE Index)

Le Lebanon (Beirut SE Index)* *Market Closed

Pa Palestine (Al-Quds Index)

5,026

5,478

1,681

10,261

463

1,178

2,825 466

10,621

5,065

1,094 546

Tu Tunisia (Tunis SE Index)* * Market Closed

3,282

52 Wk High

%-0.4% Chg.

52 Wk 7,931 High

14.6% YTD

-0.2%

3.3%

3.5% 9.3%

2,775 10,090

-1.4% 12.8%

8,892 5,148

0.3% 1.8%

15.6% -0.2%

-1.0% 1.9%

1.7% 6.6%

1.1%

5.1%

0.3%

0.4%

-0.4%

0.0%

-

2.2%

-0.3%

0.0%

-

-

0.9% -

464

1.6% -18.8%

38.8%

0.7%

-6.8%

129 122

1,391 12,627

1,129 4,230

1 196

2,212

1,921

6,286 5,860

5,419 1,433

1,033

0.1%

1,403

2.4%

5,044 513

-3.3%

14,635

23.6%

739

6.4%

5,115

-7.2%

2,119

13.6%

3,418

Mkt. Cap. 383,671 USD million

161

8,071 2,137

1,301 316

2,903

-2.3%

396

10 305

1,572 328

1,164

2,551 465

9,406

0.74 1.52

18,096 37,413

17,402 65,352

15,024

63,640

7.67

-

2,837

-

4

18,727

1

12.71

3.20

1.56

9,871

15.49

0.85

2.15

9.23

59,990

1.10

18.36

8,507

2

1.29

6.32

33,782 2,500

3

1.60

15.05

10,544

0

1.68

8.07

55,952

67

1.36

9.50

-

3.95

6.47

2,079

13.85

101 Riyad Bank

-6.4%

115

225,116,291 144,433,667

Turnover (USD)

139,599,827

201 Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (KSA)

343,553,085 78,783,526 119,955,261 76,801,065

115 (KSA) 422Alinma EmaarBank the Economic City (KSA)

97,126,838

NBKNational Bank of Kuwait (KUW)

88,742,222

8,150,247

Turnover (SAR '000)

110

108

105

1,438,957,361

Market Cap. (SAR '000)

109

20Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

4300.SSE Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co.

Turnover (SAR) 844,298,651 3050.SSE Southern Province Cement Co. 541,698,469 4250.SSE Jabal Omar Development Co. 523,569,151 1140.SSE Bank AlBilad

1 Alinma Bank

7-Apr-12

2380.SSE Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co.

295,477,614

70Zain - Saudi Arabia

7-May-12

% Chg.

37.10

1.4%

23.90

1.3%

27.20

1.1%

22.50

1.1%

11.95

0.8%

Worst Performers

43Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co.

7-Mar-12

Close

2250.SSE Saudi Industrial Investment Grp.

Highest Turnover

100

64,280,166

7,931 / 5,916 1020.SSE Bank Al Jazira

Tadawul Index 52 week High / Low

-6.8%

Turnover (USD)

MENA Highest Turnover

0.65

Advance/Decline Ratio

-7.7%

SAR 24.70

430 Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co. (KSA)

83% 1050.SSE Banque Saudi Fransi

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

% Chg.

SAR 13.70

7,352 (-0.4%)

Tadawul Index (% Chg.)

120

8.0%

-4.6% -8.6%

EMAEmaar Properties (UAE) Best Performers

Summary

2.4%

8.0%

KWD 1.680 SAR 48.00

KFI Kuwait Finance House (KUW)

Rebased Performance

3.1% 8.6%

AED 1.75% Chg. -5.4% Close

GCC Highest Turnover

201 Corp. (KSA) 703Saudi Zain -Basic SaudiIndustries Arabia (KSA)

3.8% 8.8%

KWD 0.760 -13.1% -5.0% KWD 0.265 KWD 0.580 -4.9% SAR 22.95 -8.9%

225 Saudi Industrial Inv. Grp.

2.50

4.3% 9.8%

QAR 20.50

NBQNational Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain

115 Alinma Bank (KSA)

1.92

SAUDI ARABIA *Market Closed

95 7-Feb-12

Close

EREEzdan Real Estate Co.

1.76

0.86

8.67

6,576

MENA Worst Performers

0.89 201 CGSaudi Combined Contracting 1.74 BasicGrp Industries Corp. Co.

9.92

13.18

1,043 407

9.05 8.85

27,186

OMR 0.720

GCC Worst Performers

1.94 FAC CBK CommercialFacilities Bank of Co. Kuwait 1.37 Commercial 1.60 ABK Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait 0.88 238 Rabigh Petrochem.

10.41 6.87

57,287

1

1.02 1.77

11.58 7.29

11

-

4,091

1.94

10.01 9.99

8.38 10.24

QAR 21.60

BKMBankMuscat

PB

32,530 98,547

46

10,218

12.50

AED 2.10

QGTQatar Gas Transport Co.

PB1.43

77

4,224

Trailing

KWD 0.330 QAR 6.35

ADNAbu Dhabi National Hotels

PE 14.18

127,928 69,783

KWD 0.110 OMR 0.703

KPRKuwait Projects Co. (Holding) KCB Al Khaliji Commercial Bank

100,902 65,782 264,263

68 718

3,587

PE

AED 1.22 SAR 5.60

IFCGalfar International Finance Co. GEC Engineering & Contracting

Trailing

Mkt. Cap. USD million

Turnover 2,173 USD million

1,754 787

12,203

8.5%

52 Wk 5,916 Low

19 2,183

12,109

-7.7%

Turnover USD million

2,293 4,130

5,628

-0.8%

52 Wk Low

% Chg.

USD 0.240% Chg. 9.1% Close

TAM TamweelHldg. Co. 3 428 Kingdom

Period's Liquidity Ratio (PLR x)*

Index Level

Close

4 ITH Ithmaar Bank

Period's Liquidity 1 Ratio (PLR x)

-1

MENA Indices Highlights

MENA Indices Highlights

MENA Best Performers

Oman

-1%

7-May-12

Abu Dhabi

Saudi

Qatar

Tunisia Abu Dhabi

-6%

Palestine Palestine

-2%

Kuwait

Abu Dhabi

90

-4%

Dubai Dubai

95

Bahrain

Qatar Saudi Saudi

0%

-2% -1%

Oman Qatar

0%

Kuwait

Oman Morocco

100

Abu Dhabi

0%

Kuwait Kuwait

105

105

Dubai Dubai

Return DailyDaily Return (%)(%)

105

Jordan

110

4%

Egypt Jordan

110

100

DailyIndex Index Performance Snapshot Daily Performance Snapshot

Bahrain Bahrain

115115

Bull/Bear Indicator Bull/Bear Indicator

288,042,393

42Emaar the Economic City

3030.SSE Saudi Cement Co. 1120.SSE Al Rajhi Bank

Close

% Chg.

100.25

-3.6%

29.10

-1.4%

21.10

90.00 75.75

-3.0% -1.1% -1.0%

Saudi SE

Quotes Company Name 1 Al Rajhi Bank

1 Alinma Bank 2 Almarai Co.

1 Arab National Bank

1 Bank AlBilad

1 Bank Al Jazira

1 Banque Saudi Fransi

Close 75.75

-1.0%

67.50

-0.4%

29.10

-1.4%

37.10

1.4%

14.60

30.10

27.20

4 Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Dev. Co.

11.95

7 Etihad Etisalat Co.

66.50

4 Emaar the Economic City

4 Jabal Omar Development Co. 4 Jarir Marketing Co.

4 Kingdom Holding Co.

2 National Industrialization Co.

2 Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co.

1 Riyad Bank

1 Samba Financial Grp.

2 Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co.

1 Saudi Arabian Mining Co.

2 Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

Daily % Chg. 0.0% 0.0%

1.1%

21.10

-3.0%

11.85

0.4%

0.0%

7 Zain - Saudi Arabia

21.55

155.75 11.90

34.20

-0.6%

24.40

-0.4%

183.00

-0.8%

184.50

-0.3%

100.00

-0.4%

13.50

22.50

49.70

32.30

99.50

1.1%

0.2%

0.6%

34.30

22.50

24.50

49.90

32.40

3,076

32.90

17.20

-11.6%

46.6%

56.5%

35.90

5,820

160

40.00

30.00

0.0%

0.0%

13.60

6.20

3,929

26.20

25,547

42.40

-12.4%

29.30

61,662

1,987

24.25

0.0%

182.00

19,798

91.50

523,569

13.35

72,125

21.60

17,485

16.65

13,414

13,944

34.30

4,610

970

41.10

26,215

100.25

-3.6%

104.75

99.25

17,252

48.80

-0.4%

49.00

48.40

30,472

9.40

295,478

9.60

-0.5%

0.0%

51.00 9.65

105.50

56.75

41.90

50.75

165.00

245

7,385

0.2%

35.40

50.00

12,114

24.10

127,717

0.6%

69.25

49.10

17.00

35.20

1,174

0.0%

21.20

0.3%

34.80

6.05

28.20

17.20

-0.6%

13.85

2,637

18,798

34.50

70,950

-14.7%

58,956

31.10

21.10

41.90

15.75

0.0%

22.10

58,761

21.40

17.20

31.90

26.60

0.0%

427

-0.7%

18.50

33.70

0.0%

5,052

21.35

-0.3%

955

48.41

9.05

11.75

10,158

27.60

18.35

131

71.75

16.25

0.0%

227,516

28.00 23.90

781

67.25

20.75

141.50

0.0% 1.3%

37,561

82.75

288,042

88.25

23.90

1,452

11.85

90.50

13.45

12 mths

89,545

29.80

76,511

12.90

YTD

29.00

60.75

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

2 Yanbu National Petrochemicals Co.

37.80

on high

50,360

541,698

66.50

28.00

3 Yamama Saudi Cement Co.

27.50

% Change

Low

60.75

14.25

0.0%

1 Saudi Hollandi Bank

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

30.40

29.40

52-Week High

109,930

844,299

-1.1%

Saudi International Petrochemical Co.

67.50

Volume ('000)

75.50

11.65

90.00

22 Saudi Industrial Investment Grp.

14.60

Turnover (SAR '000)

12.10

-0.8%

3 Saudi Cement Co.

5 Saudi Electricity Co.

76.50

Low

0.8%

12.80

154.50

High

32.10

49.80

22,832 66,076

22,690 10,787 69

1,761 304

22.90

13.10

50.75

26.90

108

200.00

5,284

109.75

5,373

16.30

156

37.50

0.0%

0.0%

34.20

23.10

165.00 87.75

-32.6%

0.0%

-9.3%

0.0%

0.0%

-12.7%

15.50

0.0%

134

35.50

171

106.75

627

83.25

698

1,318

30,991

37.00

56.25

11.50

3.8

0.0%

12.85

18.55

15.55

33.00

23.70

63.25

27.82

0.0%

0.0%

-16.0%

0.0%

33,539,063

11.5

1.7

0.0%

10,880,000

nmf

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-8.3%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

19,064,054

0.0% 8.4%

0.0%

0.0% 0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

45,750,000

29,877,500

298,500,000

56,040,687

30.1

11.7

1.7

0.8

1.5

8.8

2.6

17.2

9.5

nmf

nmf

8.0

2.2

1.6

1.6

nmf

2.4

10.4

1.6

11.6

11.3

48.5

10.4

1.2

5.0

1.7

2.1

13,770,000

14.6

4.7

0.0%

11,113,200

11.0

1.5

1.7%

7,828,333

10.6

1.5

0.0%

0.0% 0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

10,755,000 10,092,500

25,800,000 83,800,000

17,250,000

14,035,000

23.2

21.7

14.3 nmf

1.1

1.7

1.2

1.7

9.8

1.7

14.7

5.7

13.6

2.1

0.0%

35,200,000

12.2

2.1

3.2%

28,546,875

9.0

2.5

-30.3%

-13.2%

5.25

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

15.3%

36,600,000

0.0%

0.0%

-41.4% -9.8%

43,914,705

0.0%

47.50

41.60

9,270,000

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

19,610,340

44,730,000

-5.1%

0.0%

0.0%

46,550,000

-8.0%

0.0%

0.0%

12,906,000

6.7%

-1.5%

0.0%

8,160,000

19,710,000

0.0%

1.5

0.0%

43.2%

0.0%

4.7%

11.8

1.4

2.6

-3.2%

0.0%

25,585,000

nmf

26.7

-17.5%

0.0%

21,900,000

8,730,000

0.0%

17.75

42.60

0.0%

23.6

0.0%

24.45

633

0.0%

27,000,000

0.0%

884

21.30

0.0%

0.0%

7.05

21.42

7,473

60.5%

3.5

0.0%

49.0%

29.30

21.00

0.0%

15.4

73.7%

0.0%

35

783

0.0%

PB

113,625,000

-7.9%

55.50

26.10

0.0%

Trailing PE

0.0%

11.10

98.00

756

0.0%

Market Cap. (SAR '000)

9,882,000

13,440,000

11.8 nmf

2.8 3.4

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

13

ALWATAN DAILY tuesday, may 8, 2012

KUWAIT Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 6,492 (0.3%)

KSE General Index (% Chg.)

115

419 (-0.2%)

KSE Weighted Index (% Chg.)

54%

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

0.41

Advance/Decline Ratio

110

NBK.KSE

National Bank of Kuwait

1.080

1.9%

0.218

0.9%

Kuwait International Bank

Highest Turnover 100

Turnover (KWD) 2,699,320 2,210,240

N National Industries Grp. Holding

1,025,750

N National Bank of Kuwait 7-Mar-12

7-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

732,350

ZA Zain Kuwait

7-May-12

3.1%

0.275

1.9%

Worst Performers

IFInternational Finance Co.

95 7-Feb-12

0.330

28,060,742

Market Cap. (KWD '000)

104

3.8%

KPROJ.KSEKuwait Projects Co. (Holding)

44,696

Turnover (KWD '000) 105

0.110

464 / 396 ALQURAIN Qurain Petrochemicals Industries Co.

KSE Weighted Index 52 week High / Low

% Chg.

International Finance Co.

6,523 / 5,694 KIB.KSE

KSE General Index 52 week High / Low

108

Close IFC.KSE

694,040

A The Commercial Real Estate Co.

Close CBK.KSE

Commercial Bank of Kuwait

0.760

CGC.KSE

Combined Grp Contracting Co.

1.680

ABK.KSE

NRE.KSE

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait

% Chg. -5.0%

0.580

National Real Estate Co.

-4.9% -4.6%

0.128

ALTIJARIA The Commercial Real Estate Co.

-3.0%

0.087

-2.3%

KSE Weighted Index

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily % Chg.

High

Low

Turnover (KWD '000)

A Agility

0.410

-1.2%

0.415

0.410

189

T Al Themar Intl. Holding Co.

0.086

-1.2%

0.086

0.086

45

A AREF Energy Holding Co.

0.126

-1.6%

0.620

0.0%

A Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait

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

B Boubyan Petrochemical Co. B Burgan Bank

0.580

0.295 0.600 0.435

A Burgan Co. for Well Drilling

0.255

C Commercial Bank of Kuwait

0.760

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

-4.9%

1.680 0.265

134

225

0.610

0.530

-1.6%

0.0%

0.435

0.430

426

990

0.524

0.410

-17.0%

1.680

261

-4.6%

-5.0% -

-

0.620 0.255

1.760

0.760

0.610

293

0.255

5

0.760

-

-

0.275

K Kuwait Projects Co. (Holding)

0.330

P Kuwait Portland Cement Co.

-

-2.2%

-15.8%

-

0.440

27

19

0.730

0.720

325

1.9%

0.275

0.270

127

3.1%

0.330

0.320

136

1.360

0.124

-14.4%

0.315

52

70

0.610

3

1.620

0.096

0.236

0.415

0.981

0.720

1.340

420

0.395

0.281

-16.5%

1.000

130

130

1.020

0.691

1.080

1.9%

1.080

1.060

1,026

953

1.145

N National Industries Grp. Holding

0.228

0.9%

0.230

0.224

2,210

9,800

N National Real Estate Co.

0.128

-3.0%

0.128

0.128

20

160

0.216

186

0.106

45

N National Industries Co.

N National Investments Company O Oula Fuel Marketing Co.

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

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

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

Z Zain Kuwait

0.310 0.148 0.242 0.218

-

-1.3%

-1.6%

0.9%

-

-

-

-

0.150

0.244 0.218

0.148

71

0.242

19

0.0%

0.246

0.246

20

0.236

0.9%

0.238

0.234

294

0.0%

0.087

-2.3%

2.280

-0.9%

0.130

0.730

-

-1.4%

0.106 0.089 -

0.087

694

2.280

63

-

-

2.300

0.740

0.660

0.186

0.200

1,240

0.270

0.216

-

-

-

0.136

0.093

0.097

28

0.067

2.480

990

1.880

1.180

0.690

-9.4%

-28.4%

4.2

nmf

1.4

300,762

34.3

1.2

53,454

36.5

1.0

966,737

nmf

162,339

-19.1%

nmf

13.3

1.5

16.4

4.0

1.8

142,242

10.0

0.9

-17.9%

1,132,228

40.1

2.6

-1.2%

181,553

nmf

0.0%

64,309

-18.3%

281,308

nmf

3.1

7.7

1.6

3.7

-8.8%

224.2%

100,430 72,408

9.5

nmf

3.9

-4.3%

-27.9%

280,568

19.7

1.9

-8.1%

-11.7%

546,723

11.4

1.9

7.8%

12.7%

-13.6%

-56.9%

88,317

1.9%

nmf

-25.2%

2,090,998

7.8%

-19.1%

285,265

24.1

13.8%

-16.5%

441,069

14.7

0.056

0.226

-45.7%

1.5

0.9

0.168

0.242

6.9%

1.0

5.8

16.8

0.192

0.144

94,500

1.8

141,000

0.280

0.260

5.0%

0.5

19.3

30.6%

-5.7%

-

0.248

7,920

10.6%

0.909

80

420

-5.6%

27.9%

0.360

860

0.0%

-2.0%

0.280

80

1.9%

22.5%

0.340

480

6.3%

-41.2%

-

-

732

0.730

1.480

-

-

0.246 0.106

60

-

-16.0%

-21.4%

1.000

-

-27.9%

-26.6%

0.236

0.0%

0.033

-12.7%

0.350

1.000

N National Bank of Kuwait

-54.5%

470

-1.1%

M Mena Holding

0.870

0.485

0.870

M Mabanee Co.

0.880

-12.2%

-

445

-19.3%

0.138

0.242

40

1.240

-3.9%

0.214

25,120

3

1.360

1.660

100

17

-1.4%

-1.5%

20

31

0.440

-3.8%

-19.2%

-

-

-18.3%

0.285

2,699

0.415

0.110

20.3%

0.495

0.102

0.420

3.8%

-39.3%

-

-

0.019

nmf

672,061

-11.5%

0.051

87,075

877,679

-15.4%

10.7%

-29.3%

-17.3%

-11.7%

-3.8%

-1.6%

-22.1%

-

0.255

15.9

1,048,941

0.425

0.375

429,203

-1.6%

18.9%

PB

-2.4%

1.7%

-4.5%

-13.6%

PE

230,033

0.552

1.300

0.700

Trailing

Market Cap. (KWD '000)

-19.2%

680

1.945

12 mths

-6.3%

289

-

0.198

-5.5%

0.930

-

-1.2%

0.530

-7.8%

10

-

1.320

0.085

0.630

153

8

0.425

0.415

480

-

-

0.132

9.3%

0.420

0.430

1.340

100

YTD

20

-

-

JAJazeera Airways

K Kuwait International Bank

0.0%

13

0.126

0.188

1.360

-17.3%

0.590

0.128

0.188

F Kuwait Food Co.

-11.7%

0.600

0.0%

0.440

0.079

0.580

0.0%

-

0.720

0.104

0.657

-20.3%

0.400

K Kuwait Finance House

520

10

-4.7%

0.280

0.188

K Kuwait Cement Co.

0.248

0.370

0.0%

0.275

0.430

650

IK Ikarus Petroleum Industries Co.

K KIPCO Asset Management Co.

460

192

0.430

0.110

on high

0.295

1.340

IF International Finance Co.

% Change

Low

0.295

C Gulf Cable and Electrical Industries Co.

IF IFA Hotels & Resorts

6

0.580

High

0.0%

0.0%

0.049

G Gulf Bank

0.580

52-Week

Volume ('000)

-41.2%

79,087

0.8 0.9

26.9

1.6

1.4

31.2

1.2

0.8

42.9%

611,189

29.4

4.2

6.1%

-5.7%

4,701,777

15.5

2.1

-18.6%

-12.3%

-18.6%

295,283

nmf

-23.8%

0.0%

20.8%

0.0%

-8.8%

-47.1%

0.0%

10.7%

-14.0%

0.0%

-8.8%

-19.3%

-24.4%

-0.8%

18.3%

1.9%

107,323

-47.1%

-32.8% -3.5%

21,780

-

0.6

126,130

17.6

1.0

-9.2%

88,056

23.0

88,400

nmf

7.9%

239,800

20.8%

159,629

-8.1%

17.5%

14.0%

1,149,195

-18.9%

nmf

16.0%

13.0%

-38.1%

0.7

0.8

2.0

-10.3%

0.0%

nmf

20.6

-11.7%

0.0%

1.4

83,777

-11.7%

2.6%

0.1

25.3

129,680

-22.1%

-12.6%

2.3

61,356

0.0%

-38.1%

3,144,500

13.3

1.2

nmf

1.6

0.9

15.2

0.6

7.0

3.2

1.4

11.0

1.5

UAE Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 1,564 (0.3%)

DFM Index (% Chg.)

120

2,488 (-0.3%)

ADSM Index (% Chg.)

Advance/Decline Ratio

DFM Index 52 week High / Low

110

Highest Turnover

101

100

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

7-Apr-12

E Emaar Properties

Abu Dhabi SE

17,415,382

TATamweel

7-May-12

1.9%

Worst Performers

E Etisalat

7-Mar-12

1.9%

0.60

Turnover (AED) 88,786,861 NBQ.ADSM National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain 42,784,715 DANA.ADS Dana Gas 17,724,862 ARKAN.AD Arkan Building Materials Co.

A Arabtec Holding

95 7-Feb-12

2.3%

1.09

389,335,420

Market Cap. (AED '000)

106

105

2.4%

0.90

320,275

Turnover (AED '000)

108

4.3%

2.10

2,775 / 2,293 AIRARABIA Air Arabia

ADSM Index 52 week High / Low

% Chg.

1.22

50% ADNH.ADS Abu Dhabi National Hotels 0.64 SIB.ADSM Sharjah Islamic Bank 1,754 / 1,301 DFM.DFM Dubai Financial Market

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

115

Close TAMWEEL Tamweel

10,880,235

D Dubai Financial Market

UPP.DFM

Close

% Chg.

1.75

-5.4%

0.89

-2.2%

1.08

-1.8%

0.43

Union Properties

0.41

SOROUH.A Sorouh Real Estate Co.

-2.3% -2.2%

Dubai FM

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily % Chg.

High

Low

Turnover (AED '000)

A Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

3.11

-1.0%

3.12

3.07

4,080

T Abu Dhabi National Energy Co.

1.20

0.0%

1.20

1.19

A Air Arabia

0.60

1.9%

0.61

0.60

A Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

A Abu Dhabi National Hotels A ALDAR Properties

3.18

2.10

0.0%

2.4%

D Deyaar Development Co. D du

0.36

3.09

D Dubai Financial Market

1.09

D Dubai Islamic Bank

1.99

E Emirates NBD

2.79

E Emaar Properties E Etisalat F First Gulf Bank

G Gulf Cement Co. M Mashreq

0.76

61

-2.3%

0.44

0.42

3,301

1.7%

-1.1%

0.9%

-0.3%

-

1.83

2.75 0.36

3.13

-

1.80

2.75 0.35

3.08

1.9%

1.09

1.05

0.5%

2.00

1.98

0.0%

2.84

2.79

3.04

-0.3%

8.62 8.96

0.0% -0.6%

67.00

-

1.24

9,684

579

0.88

0.43

2.75

5,839

0.92

D Dana Gas

C Commercial Bank of Dubai

1.41

-2.2%

0.89

1.83

652

42,785

A Arkan Building Materials Co.

A Aramex

781

484

3.29

-0.1%

-

1.12

1.6%

3.05

8.67 9.01

1.24 -

-

1,754 6

2,451 3,691

10,880 1,733

153

276

8,738 -

6,982

1,196

10,213 873

-

20

1.50

2.65

-39.7%

0.67

-17.3%

1.02

0.80

-

9.00 2.24 1.45

-14.9%

-11.9%

740

620

-21.5%

1.88

3.00

3.95

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

4.63

-15.1%

-17.4%

4.95

U United Arab Bank

-

2.26

2.80

-6.6%

0.68

-

-1.0%

0.42

3.63

1.32

0.20

67.00

2.95

2.99

0.46

2.67

102.00

U Union National Bank

-2.2%

3.24

8.57 6.98

408

4,926

0.41

7.38

1.7%

-0.4%

67.6% 6.9%

-11.4%

0.0%

8.8%

9.4%

0.24

-17.2%

58.9%

2.82

3.28

-24.4%

-12.2%

1,018,160 -

34,367,333

-8.9%

2,800,000

2,835,000

-12.2%

0.50

15,506,191

6.4%

10.0%

8.5%

16,421

4.50

-10.3%

-19.2%

6,633

-

1.8 1.0

2.1%

0.40

-

11.7 7.1

-25.0%

102.3%

-

68,150,927 26,880,000

27.1%

-18.1%

3.90

-16.7% -2.3%

-25.5%

0.53

0.8

0.6

0.67

1.49

1.2

9.4

-3.3%

7.1%

4.8

2.3

18,517,365

-21.9% -11.8%

7,556,137

nmf

0.3

-4.7%

1.63

14,802 648

12.9

74.6%

-34.0%

0.5

14,125,714

-30.3%

-34.3%

0.9

5.6

-6.4%

8,720,000

1.4

7.0

nmf

-5.1%

-5.6% 16.0%

5,605,468

12.0

2,062,746

-8.7%

-23.0% -16.7%

2,679,303

18.2%

2.6%

18.3%

17,415 1,911

-5.3%

-18.0%

-7.9%

-1.4%

-1.6%

29.8%

1.13 2.92

1.1

2,838,861

5,310

U Union Properties

0.6

-36.8%

1.07

1.23

0.0%

-4.4%

1.09

4.3%

0.0%

4.9

-37.7%

-1.8%

1.22

0.0%

4,534,493

0.34

1.08

T Tamweel

nmf

-28.4%

0.69

2

11.20 10.75

667

1,530,000

20.7%

0.3

7,689

2,055 1,013

0.90

0.5

-28.4%

8.4

1.0

200

0.91

10.5

2,100,000

nmf

350

2.3%

2,814,020

-27.6%

1,557,500

17,725 9,078

-

-17.4%

-4.5%

-39.5%

8.60 8.90

-

2.9%

-27.6%

1.1

-11.9%

2.41

25

1.0

-39.5%

1.69

3.30

-

11.4

0.71

1.96

29,657

-

7,470,000

6.5

1.47

88,787

1.24

-16.7%

7,519,765

69

965

2.93

1,142

0.0%

-1.9%

1.8

1.75

0.90

-

0.8

0.6%

20.6

1.75

S Sorouh Real Estate Co.

-20.1%

0.76

5.4

5,227,268

-5.4%

S Sharjah Islamic Bank

0.57

1.98

17,402,308

144.5%

1.75

N National Bank of Umm Al Qaiwain

-14.9%

-10.4%

PB

7.6%

119.9%

5,500

-

-

1.14

2.92

PE

-3.7%

8.85

-

1.55

11.9%

Trailing

Market Cap. (AED '000)

1.18

8.90

4.95

2.90

-6.3%

12 mths

3.46

-0.3%

N National Bank of Fujairah

3.55

YTD

12,849

8.87

N National Bank of Abu Dhabi

on high

2.69

3.38

3.33

A Arabtec Holding

2.09

% Change

Low

3.32

9,727

-0.9%

1.02

2.10

3.17

High

1,310

1.10

1.11

A Amlak Finance

3.18

52-Week

Volume ('000)

1.1%

8.8

nmf

13.8

1.3

8.3

0.9

18.5

2,182,950

8.3

8.0

23.2%

1,220,000

13.2

2.2%

1,380,411

nmf

3,935,785

0.8

0.9

9.0

5,445,000

7,362,094

0.4

4.8

11.4

2.7

0.5

0.4

0.5

0.7

0.6

2.0

STOCKS WITH NBK CAPITAL

14

ALWATAN DAILY tuesday, may 8, 2012

QATAR Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 8,652 (-0.4%)

DSM Index (% Chg.)

115

50% QNNS.DSMQatar Navigation 0.45 QIIK.DSM Qatar International Islamic Bank 8,892 / 8,071 BRES.DSMBarwa Real Estate Co. 468,873 MARK.DSMMasraf Al Rayan

% of stocks trading above 1yr avg. price

Advance/Decline Ratio

DSM 52 week High / Low

110

Turnover (QAR '000)

108

465,849,998

Market Cap. (QAR '000)

CBQK.DSMThe Commercial Bank of Qatar

Close

% Chg.

68.20

0.3%

51.50

0.2%

27.10

0.2%

26.90

0.2%

72.10

0.1%

105

Highest Turnover 100

100

Worst Performers Turnover (QAR) 55,830,285 ERES.DSMEzdan Real Estate Co. 49,649,377 QIBK.DSM Qatar Islamic Bank

MMasraf Al Rayan Q Qatar Telecom

36,995,980

IQIndustries Qatar 95 7-Feb-12

7-Mar-12

7-Apr-12

7-May-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

11,233,779

B Barwa Real Estate Co.

9,472,439

Q Qatar Gas Transport Co.

Close

% Chg.

20.50

AHCS.DSMAamal Co.

-7.7%

78.40

-1.8%

144.60

-1.0%

16.74

IQCD.DSM Industries Qatar VFQS.DSM Vodafone Qatar

-1.5%

8.69

-0.7%

Doha SM

Quotes Company Name A Aamal Co.

Close 16.74

K Al Khalij Commercial Bank

16.31

C The Commercial Bank of Qatar

72.10

E Ezdan Real Estate Co.

20.50

B Barwa Real Estate Co. D Doha Bank

26.90

Daily % Chg.

High

-1.5%

-0.4%

0.2%

Low

17.10

16.36

16.60

2,296

26.70

11,234

56.80

1,688

16.30

27.20

Turnover (QAR '000)

-15.7%

-14.2%

-7.7%

22.45

20.20

2,172

103

24.97

18.60

-17.9%

Q Qatar Electricity & Water Co.

140.90

-0.4%

141.80

140.60

3,501

0.2%

51.70

51.00

800

-0.3%

134.00

132.80

5,878

-0.5%

138.00

136.90

49,649

-0.2%

78.40

-1.8%

68.20

0.3%

137.40

V Vodafone Qatar

0.2%

16.30

Q Qatar Telecom

Q Qatar Navigation

8.69

-10.2%

68.00

36,996

133.30

-17.4%

85.50

144.20

Q Qatar National Bank

26.80

-5.0%

128

146.00

Q Qatar Islamic Bank

32.55

-9.4%

15.8%

9,256

-1.0%

51.50

16.06

-23.6%

YTD

71.30

144.60

Q Qatar International Islamic Bank

14.00

18.01

416

on high

72.60

IQIndustries Qatar

Q Qatar Gas Transport Co.

21.90

49

% Change

Low

0.1%

-0.2%

27.10

High

137

792

56.80

M Masraf Al Rayan

52-Week

Volume ('000)

-0.7%

57.40

27.50 16.40 79.50

68.50 8.83

27.00

55,830

16.28

9,472

78.40

6,497

67.50

331

8.62

30

50.00

255

148.50

118.80

25

148.00

129.50

16

56.20

45.50

44

141.73

122.73

361

140.40

64.09

2,048 581 82 5

6,635

67.00

760

28.10

18.47

85.30

87.50 9.22

-15.2% -2.6%

22.50

-3.6%

16.30

-11.7%

76.30

-8.1%

-4.8%

-2.1%

-8.9%

5,871,600

-13.9%

10,467,453

PB

18.9

1.5

12.0

1.1

7.7

0.9

-7.7%

-12.0%

54,376,182

nmf

-2.7%

19.3%

-6.9%

-10.0%

-7.0%

-0.9%

18,525,387

-10.9%

-19.2%

7,810,619

10.8

0.7

15.1%

9.0%

7,346,526

nmf

1.1

-11.4% 8.7% 0.9%

-3.5%

-5.7%

9,114,930

9.3

-5.9%

7.24

2.6%

Trailing PE

17,840,883

-4.6%

-22.1%

Market Cap. (QAR '000)

-0.8%

-8.4%

68.00

12 mths

114.4%

8.8%

11,740,435

-1.0%

79,530,000

20,325,000

0.8%

14,090,000 9,027,657

9.6% 5.5%

96.9%

9.3

1.8

2.0

10.3

3.3

10.3

4.7

14.2

2.4

11.0

7,795,491

11.6

93,273,934

11.9

31,437,120

1.3

4.7

1.7

12.9

1.7 2.2

12.4

1.5

OMAN Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 5,792 (-1.0%)

MSM Index (% Chg.)

115

42% BKDB.MSMBank Dhofar NBOB.MSMNational Bank of Oman

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

6,286 / 5,419 OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co. 3,734 RCCI.MSM Raysut Cement Co.

MSM 52 week High / Low

110

Turnover (OMR '000)

108 105

6,966,907

Market Cap (OMR '000)

104

Turnover (OMR) 393,501 RNSS.MSMRenaissance Services 375,642 OCOI.MSM Oman Cement Co.

O Oman Cement Co.

295,152

R Raysut Cement Co. 7-Mar-12

7-Apr-12

S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

198,406

O Oman Telecommunications Co.

7-May-12

% Chg.

0.44

-0.2%

1.30

-0.6%

0.29

-0.3%

1.24

-1.2%

0.61

-1.3%

Worst Performers

B Bank Muscat

95 7-Feb-12

BKMB.MSMBank Muscat

Highest Turnover

100

Close

113,825

R Renaissance Services

Close

% Chg.

0.60

-2.3%

0.67

BKMB.MSMBank Muscat

-2.2%

0.61

RCCI.MSM Raysut Cement Co.

OTEL.MSMOman Telecommunications Co.

-1.3%

1.24

-1.2%

1.30

-0.6%

Muscat SM

Quotes Company Name

Close

Daily % Chg.

High

High

O Oman Telecommunications Co.

1.301

-0.6%

1.306

1.295

198

152

1.425

1.041

-8.7%

R Renaissance Services

0.600

-2.3%

0.608

0.598

114

190

1.006

0.458

-40.4%

O Oman Cement Co.

R Raysut Cement Co.

0.672 1.235

-0.3%

-2.2% -1.2%

0.299

0.604

394

0.668

376

1.200

295

0.292

0.686 1.250

0.541

on high

0.293

0.617

90

Low

N National Bank of Oman

-1.3%

0.436

40

% Change

0.440 0.609

0.441

52-Week

Volume ('000)

B Bank Dhofar

B Bank Muscat

-0.2%

Low

Turnover (OMR '000)

646

40

0.671

135

559

0.693

239

-18.7%

-3.3%

-19.9%

0.291

-9.6%

-6.1%

-3.3%

0.416

1.250

12 mths

0.423

0.572

0.324

YTD

0.711

-9.2%

-3.0% -1.2%

-8.6% 55.6%

Market Cap. (OMR '000)

-8.8%

324,651

9.0

1.2

8.7

2.0

nmf

1.0

16.1

247,000

16.5

975,750

10.1%

-40.8%

169,257

2.1

8.9

222,346

15.0%

14.0%

PB

12.1

-0.6%

62.5%

PE

484,051

1,094,247

13.7%

Trailing

1.3

1.5 2.4

BAHRAIN Rebased Performance

Summary

Best Performers 1,161 (-0.1%)

BSE Index (% Chg.)

115

32% ITHMR.BSE Ithmaar Bank - BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co.

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

1,391 / 1,129 AUB.BSE 395 #N/A

BSE 52 week High / Low

110

Turnover (BHD '000)

108

6,562,163

Market Cap. (BHD '000)

#N/A

Ahli United Bank #N/A

Close

% Chg.

0.24

9.1%

0.47

1.3%

0.62

0.0%

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

#N/A

105

Highest Turnover

102 100

Worst Performers Turnover (BHD) 300,491 AUB.BSE Ahli United Bank 13,063 BATELCO.BBahrain Telecommunications Co.

IT Ithmaar Bank

B Bahrain Telecommunications Co.

1,350

B Bahrain Islamic Bank

95 7-Feb-12

7-Mar-12 7-Apr-12 S&P GCC Large/Mid Composite

633

A Ahli United Bank

7-May-12 Bahrain SE

-

B Albaraka Banking Grp.

ITHMR.BSE Ithmaar Bank

BARKA.BS Albaraka Banking Grp. #N/A

Close

% Chg.

0.62

0.47

0.24

0.93 -

#N/A

#N/A

0.0%

1.3%

9.1%

#N/A

Quotes Company Name

Close

A Ahli United Bank*

0.620

A Arab Banking Corp.*

0.420

B Albaraka Banking Grp.* B Bahrain Islamic Bank

B Bahrain Telecommunications Co. B BBK

IN Investcorp Bank* IT Ithmaar Bank*

N National Bank of Bahrain U United Gulf Bank

* Closing Prices, Turnover and Market Cap. in USD

0.930

Daily % Chg.

High

0.0% -

0.089

0.0%

0.400

-

0.468 797

1.3% -

0.240

9.1%

0.260

-

0.550

-

0.620 -

Low 0.620 -

0.089

0.089

-

-

0.468 -

0.464 -

0.240

0.235

-

-

-

-

Turnover (BHD '000) -

-

2 1

-

-

13

797 -

52-Week

Volume ('000)

-

-

High 3

15 28

% Change

Low

0.676

0.599

0.530

0.420

1.029 0.116 0.486

0.420 797

0.857 0.082 0.380 0.390 797

3,311

0.240

0.065

-

0.424

0.260

-

0.600

0.545

on high -8.3%

YTD 2.8%

-9.6%

-0.4%

-23.3%

-1.1%

-20.8%

0.0%

-3.7%

19.4%

0.0%

0.0%

-4.8%

-3.4%

12 mths -8.3%

3,243,944

-26.3%

1,305,854

-12.5% -23.3% -3.3%

-6.1%

-13.3%

-30.1%

10.3

1.3

83,631

nmf

0.8

340,542

10.6

673,920

470,448

-38.7%

PB 0.8

-5.2%

166.7%

Trailing PE 8.0

637,391

269.2% -4.3%

943,212

-30.0%

0.0%

-8.3%

Market Cap. (BHD '000)

642,493

216,986

6.2

0.4

8.6

1.3

4.5

0.6

10.2

1.7

nmf

nmf

1.4 1.1 1.0

LIFE

Work on Good Posture

If you have lower back pain, sitting at an office desk all day can aggravate your symptoms.

The University of Michigan Health System offers these suggestions for managing back pain at work: * Make sure your feet are flat on the floor, either by adjusting the seat or using a footrest. * If your chair doesn’t offer sufficient lower back support, place a rolled towel or small cushion behind you. * Make sure your reading materials are at eye level. * Set up your desk so all supplies are easily reached; don’t lean, bend or twist at the waist. * Take regular breaks to stand up, stretch and move around.

tuesDAY, may 8, 2012

Hubble to watch historic Venus transit, using moon as mirror WASHINGTON: Scientists are planning to use NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to observe next month’s historic transit of Venus across the sun’s face, reports SPACE. But there’s a twist. Researchers can’t point Hubble anywhere near the sun, because our star’s bright light could damage the telescope’s super-sensitive instruments. So Hubble will watch the June 5-6 Venus transit by using the moon as a mirror.

The goal is to see if Hubble can determine the makeup of Venus’ atmosphere by studying sunlight that has poured through it. Astronomers already know a great deal about Venus’ air, so next month’s observations are a test run to see if the technique could be used to determine the atmospheric composition of faraway alien planets, researchers said.

Scientists hope the method can help them find an “alien Earth,” a habitable planet much like our own, orbiting a distant star. Venus is an excellent proxy for this search because it’s nearly the same size and mass as Earth, researchers said.

Hubble will be locked onto one location on the moon’s surface for the entire seven-hour transit, during which Venus will appear as a tiny black dot crossing the sun’s face.

Astronomers need the long observation time because they’re looking for extremely faint spectral signatures. Only 0.001 percent of the sun’s light will filter through Venus’s thick atmosphere and be reflected off the moon, researchers said.

The team will use several different Hubble instruments - including the Advanced Camera for Surveys, the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph - to view the transit in a range of wavelengths, from near-infrared to ultraviolet light. Hubble will snap images and perform spectroscopy, dividing the sunlight into its constituent colors.

Astronomers have already begun training for the events of June 5-6. In January, for example, Hubble took some photos of the moon’s Tycho Crater, a huge hole in the ground about 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide. During the test observations, researchers made sure they could repeatedly point Hubble at precisely the same target area.

Next month’s Venus transit is a special event - the last chance for astronomers and amateur sky-

watchers alike to watch the planet trek across the solar disk. The last Venus transit occurred in 2004, but the next one won’t happen until 2117.

The Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its

Spain showed them developing an immune response without serious side-effects, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases medical journal.

After taking the drug, the test group gener-

FILE - A nurse prepares a vaccine. (AFP)

New methods to quit smoking include acupuncture, hypnosis LONDON: Acupuncture and hypnosis have been promoted as drug-free ways to help smokers kick the habit, and there is some evidence that they work, according to a research review that looked at 14 international studies.

Researchers, whose findings appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, said that there are still plenty of questions, including exactly how effective alternative therapies might be and how they measure up against conventional methods to quit smoking. But the alternatives should still stand as options for smokers determined to break the habit, said researchers led

by Mehdi Tahiri of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In general, smokers who want to quit should first try the standard approaches, which include nicotine-replacement therapy, medications and behavioral counseling, Tahiri said. “But some people are not interested in medication,” he said, adding that in many cases the standard therapies had not worked. “Then I think we should definitely recommend (acupuncture and hypnosis) as choices.”

Researchers found that some studies showed that smokers subjected to acupuncture were more than three times as likely to be tobaccofree six months to a year later.

NEW YORK: There’s a lot going on inside the average brain. And to help manage all the sensory input and though processes, signals, brain networks communicate at different frequencies to avoid traffic jams at busy intersections, a new study suggests, reports LiveScience.

“We found that different brain networks ticked at different frequencies, like clocks ticking at different speeds,” said lead author Joerg Hipp of the University Medical Center at Hamburg-Eppendorf and the University of T­bingen, both in Germany.

Brain studies are commonly done using magnetic resonance imaging, which tracks blood flow. But it can’t measure frequency. “It only allows us to track brain cell activity indirectly, and it is unable to track activity that occurs at frequencies greater than 0.1 hertz, or once every 10 seconds, said study team member Maurizio Corbetta, a neurologist at Washington University. “We know that some signals in the brain can cycle as high as 500 hertz, or 500 times per second.”

The new study used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to analyze brain activity in 43 healthy volunteers. MEG detects very small changes in magnetic fields in the brain that are caused by many cells being active at once. It can detect these signals at rates up to 100 hertz.

“Many neurological and psychiatric conditions are likely to involve problems with signaling in brain networks,” Corbetta explained. “Examining the temporal structure of brain activity from this perspective may be especially helpful in understanding psychiatric conditions like depression and schizophrenia, where structural markers are scarce.”

The study showed that networks that included the hippocampus, a brain area critical for memory formation, tended to be active at frequencies around 5 hertz. Networks constituting areas involved in the senses and movement were active between 32 hertz and 45 hertz. Many other brain networks were active at frequencies between eight and 32 hertz.

These “time-dependent” networks resemble different airline route maps, the researchers explained. They overlap but each ticks at a different rate.

“There have been a number of fMRI studies of depression and schizophrenia showing ‘spatial’ changes in the organization of brain networks,” Corbettta said. “MEG studies provide a window into a much richer ‘temporal’ structure. In the future, this might offer new diagnostic tests or ways to monitor the efficacy of interventions in these debilitating mental conditions.”

FILE - Michael Wilce of Central London, UK took 20 composite shots to create this image of Venus transit on June 8, 2004. (Agencies)

22nd year in orbit earlier this month. The instrument launched in April 1990, and over the years it has made more than 1 million observations of the universe.

Researchers say step closer to meningitis B vaccine PARIS: Researchers said Monday they were a step closer to developing a vaccine against the type of meningitis that mostly affects Europe and North America and kills hundreds every year.

A trial in adolescents in Australia, Poland and

Brain functions on different frequencies to avoid mental jams

Similarly, across four trials of hypnosis, smokers had a higher success rate with the therapy compared to people who had minimal help. But there were some caveats, researchers said. The success rate was not consistent in all the tests conducted, although the broad trends pointed to the benefits of alternate treatment.

A 2008 study that ran a few sessions of laser acupuncture on 258 smokers found that 55 percent who’d received the treatment quit the habit in six months, compared with four percent who were not given the treatment.

But a 2007 study from Taiwan that looked at needle acupuncture around the ear, the area typically targeted for smoking cessation, reported a lower success rate. Only nine percent of those who were given acupuncture had quit after six months compared with six percent who stopped smoking without the treatment.

The situation was similar across the hypnosis trials. Two studies showed a significant impact: 20 to 45 percent of hypnosis patients were smoke-free six months to a year later. The other two trials showed smaller effects.

Nonetheless,Tahiri said, there was a “trend” toward a benefit across all of the studies of acupuncture and hypnosis. -Reuters

ated antibodies that are active against 90 percent of strains in the meningitis B group affecting the United States and Europe.

“Our data suggest that this vaccine is a promising and broadly protective meningococcal serogroup B vaccine candidate,” said study lead author Peter Richmond from the University of Western Australia’s School of Pediatrics and Child Health.

Meningitis, an inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord, mostly targets teenagers -- with a fatality rate of between five percent and 14 percent.

Many survivors suffer permanent neurological damage and limb or hearing loss. Vaccines exist against types A and C meningitis, but none that is broadly effective against strains in serogroup B, mostly prevalent in industrialized nations.

Type A is the primary cause of epidemic meningitis in Africa. “The results showed that three doses produced an immune response, indicating protection, in 80 percent to 100 percent of adolescents,” said a statement. “Mild to moderate pain at the injection site was the most commonly reported side effect.”

The authors said further trials must be held to determine the duration of vaccine protection.

“If additional studies show similar immunogenicity (the ability to produce an immune response) and tolerability, this vaccine might help to reduce the global burden of invasive meningococcal disease,” said Richmond. -AFP

Smart fitness puts premium on the personal touch

NEW YORK: Even in the vastness of the online fitness universe, it all comes down to the human touch on your touch screen. The latest, smartest devices and websites are enlisting online dating and gaming technology to forge real relationships in the virtual fitness world.

“We sell the relationship between trainer and client,” said Jeff Marinucci, president and CEO of InerTRAIN, an online personal training service launched in 2010. To unite clients with the personal trainer of their dreams, the Chicagobased company uses algorithms similar to those of Match.com, the online dating service. “This is the next generation of fitness,” said Marinucci. “Too much online fitness was generic. Our trainers will fit your workouts to your needs anytime, anywhere, just not in real time.” He said his company targets world travelers, stay-at-home mothers, and others with tight and shifting schedules.

“When I was a client, my biggest problem was that workouts were not customized around the individual,” Marinucci said. “I need that person that’s looking over my shoulder, even virtually.” The game designers, artists and technicians at Striiv, which is based in Redwood City, California, have aimed to build a Smart Pedometer that is as habit-forming as a computer game. “The power of a simple pedometer is mindboggling but people get bored so fast,” said Striiv CEO David Wang. “We put technology inside ours that learns your behavior and gives you challenges depending on what motivates you.” Wang said the pedometer’s learning algorithm resembles the one that delivers recommendations on Netflix, the internet subscription service for movies and television. “People are addicted to game mechanics,” said Wang. “We can get people addicted to fitness.”

The pedometer can connect to competitions involving friends, family members, strangers and prizes. “Even if you don’t have a lot of friends, you have a community,” Wang said. Santa Monica, California-based exercise physiologist Amy Dixon believes that when you create a community around an activity, people are more likely to come back because they’ve made a connection.

“Look at Garmin Connect,” Dixon, creator of the “Give Me 10” DVD series, said of a web community-based website for the runners, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts who track their activities with Garmin devices. “There are numbers people who like to know how fast they ran, how many calories they burned,” she said. “This (website) allows them to go back home, post their information and communicate with other people.” Similarly, she said, the Nike Plus website allows users to share information from the pedometers built right into their Nike shoes. Unfortunately, Dixon said, this brave new world can be daunting for some. “It makes some people just not try,” she said. “Maybe if you wore that smart device you’d get fitter. But it’s just too complicated.” Dixon recommends the beginner stick to established companies and check online reviews before investing in smart technology.

For Marinucci, online fitness is simply the logical future. Dixon agrees that smart technology is spreading: rapidly and everywhere. -Reuters

Australia had ‘globe-trotting’ dinosaurs: Study PARIS: Scientists said Monday a new fossil discovery suggested Australia’s dinosaurs were cosmopolitan globe-trotters, unlike the “unique weirdos” of its current wildlife.

Paleontologist Erich Fitzgerald said an ankle bone fossil found 87 kilometers (54 miles) from Melbourne indicated that meat-eating dinosaurs known as ceratosaurs lived in what is now Australia some 125 million years ago.

He said the finding suggested that back then Australia had the same large, well-known predators such as tyrannosaurs and allosaurs which are found around the world. “The dinosaurs we see here are not unique weirdos like modern koalas and kangaroos on a global scale,” Fitzgerald told AFP. “Contrary to the modern animals we see in Australia, these meat-eating dinosaurs in Australia represent globe-trotting groups which spread out across the world before the continents began to separate.

“We’ve got representatives of groups that are actually found everywhere else. We really have this melting pot... where it was really a cosmopolitan bunch of dinosaurs which called Australia home 125 million years ago.” The ceratosaur was a relatively small, meat-eating dinosaur which grew to be one to two meters high and could be as long as three meters.

The discovery, announced in the journal Naturwissenschaften, adds to the picture about

An undated handout illustration by Brian Choo and released by Museum Victoria on May 7, 2012 shows a meat-eating dinosaur, known as a ceratosaur, which lived in Australia some 125 million years ago. (AFP)

dinosaurs in eastern Gondwana, the continent which broke into Australia, Antarctica and India between 80 and 130 million years ago.

“It had been thought that isolation played a lead role in the formation ofAustralia’s dinosaur fauna,” said Fitzgerald, a Museum Victoria paleontologist. “But the ceratosaur and other new discoveries show that several dinosaur groups were here. These dinosaur lineages date back to the Jurassic, 170 million years ago, when dinosaurs could walk between any two continents.

“Until now, this group of dinosaurs has been

strangely absent from Australia, but now at last we know they were here -- confirming their global distribution.” Fitzgerald added the ankle bone, found near the coastal town of San Remo by an amateur paleontologist in 2006, was only six centimeters (2.4 inches) wide but was of great significance in understanding dinosaurs in Australia. “Apart from Antarctica, Australia has the world’s most poorly-known dinosaur record,” he said, adding that even “tantalizing fragments” can end up providing researchers with a wealth of information. -AFP

16

ALWATAN DAILY

CULTURE

tuesdAY, may 8, 2012

Zimbabwe’s ‘black Jews’ observe traditions, if not faith FRANCE: Yarmulkes bob as voices swell in a sacred song carried from ancient Judea to the scenic fields of a farflung southern African village that is home to a “lost tribe” of Israel.

“We have been singing this song for about 2,600 years.

It’s an old, old song,” said Perez Hamandishe, wearing a white crocheted skullcup with a blue Star of David in a small village near Gutu, some 200 kilometers south of the capital Harare.

DNA evidence has proven that the verses were brought thousands of years ago from the Middle East to Zimbabwe, where members of the Lemba tribe still observe Jewish traditions.

The secretive Lembas observe strict rules that have more in common with norms in Tel Aviv than Harare: a ban on pork, ritual slaughter of livestock and male circumcision.

They see themselves as southern Africa’s tribe of “black Jews” who have honored their Semitic roots for centuries, despite converting to faiths like Christianity or Islam.

Their oral histories have been borne out by their genes: Unlike other groups with similar claims, the Lemba can point to genetic proof of links to the eastern Mediterranean.

Causing a splash in the late 1990s, tests showed that around 55 percent of Jews called Cohen shared an ancestor in the time of Moses -- and that a Lemba clan did as well.

“They also shared this ancestor who lived about 3,000 years ago in the Middle East,” said Lemba expert Tudor Parfitt.

“It’s a very interesting genetics story, and it’s a very interesting human story in that the genetics supports the very passionate belief,” he added.

There is no written history of their forefathers’ passage to what is now Zimbabwe, but the Lemba believe that their forefathers arrived with a replica ark -- known as the ngoma lungundu -- that went missing.

They say they are the descendants of white men who came from a place believed to be modern Yemen.

FILE-Lemba women bring their own cooking utensils to a local gathering on Jan.28, 2012 in Gutu, 250 kms southeast of the capital Harare in Zimbabwe. (AFP)

But their ties to Judaism are cultural and not religious, they say.

“If you remove Judaism, you have removed our culture,” said Hamandishe, who is a member of Zimbabwe’s parliament. “So we know Judaism as a culture, not as a religion.”

“We tried to tell everyone about us, but people wouldn’t believe. But now that hard science has proved it, we are now happy that what we have been telling them has now come to

Glass images of India found in shoebox allow glimpse into days of the Raj

be the truth,” said Hamandishe, who has visited Israel.

Numbering around 70,000, Lembas are also found in northern South Africa and share customs which are kept secret from the outside world through several cultural associations that interact with one another.

“Lemba is culture,” said Shepherd Tseisi, the son of the chief in Mberengwa, another Lemba stronghold further south, reached via a bone-rattling drive down dirt roads that

wind deep into the countryside.

“Because of our movements and the environment that we live within, some of our cultural activities tend to change. But that kind of concept of being a Lemba ... that’s the same.”

The Lemba, who claim to have built Great Zimbabwe, a medieval stone city now in ruins that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, have managed to prevent their customs from being absorbed or wiped out by dominant local and colonial cultures.

“Because of the passing of time, quite a number of things were forgotten, but very important things were actually remembered,” said local headmaster Jacob Nyikavaranda, one of the elders who act as custodians of Lemba history.

“We are using Shona because Shona is now our local language. We have forgotten our original language (Hebrew),” Hamandishe said.

The Lemba have also relaxed a ban on marrying outside the tribe.

While similar communities with Judaic identities exist in Africa, the Lemba have science in their corner.

“I think it’s fair to say that in absolutely the whole of Africa, they are unique because there are plenty of other tribes, many, many, many other tribes throughout Africa, who claim to have Israelite origins,” Parfitt said.

“But the (Lemba) are the only one who claim to have Israelite origins that’s actually got any genetic proof that they do. There is this very strong DNA evidence that they came from the eastern Mediterranean,” he said.

“But they’re black, they’re a fairly well-integrated part of southern African society, they speak only local languages and they’re Christians for the most part, so their identity is very complicated in racial terms. And quite what they make with it in the future ... we’ll have to see.”

Views are mixed on taking advantage of Israel’s “right of return,” ranging from enthusiasm for settling in the Jewish homeland to reluctance to being uprooted to find a new home and learn a new language. -AFP

Muti to conduct Vivaldi, Verdi concert for pope

VATICAN CITY: Riccardo Muti will be conducting a concert in the Vatican in honor of Pope Benedict XVI. He’s the second big-name maestro to be conducting for the pope this spring. La Scala opera house announced last week that Daniel Barenboim would conduct Beethoven’s Ninth symphony when the pope visits Milan on June 1.

According to a statement on his website Sunday, Muti will lead Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera in selections from Vivaldi and Verdi in the May 11 concert, which is being offered to the pope by Italy’s president

in honor of the seventh anniversary of his election to the pontificate.

Benedict is a classical music aficionado and himself plays the piano.

It’s not the first time Muti will conduct for a pope: He conducted selections of Verdi in 1983 when Pope John Paul II became the first pontiff to attend a performance at La Scala.

Muti left La Scala in 2005 amid bitter controversy over artistic and programming differences and is currently music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. -AP

Women trekking guides take a lead in Nepal

FILE-Ships arriving at Chandpal ghat (quay), Kolkata - one of several images capturing life in India found in a shoebox. (Agencies)

LONDON: A size-nine shoebox found in an Edinburgh archive has yielded a treasury of glass plate images of India a century ago, including renderings of the lavish celebrations for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911 and 1912, the first and last visit by a British monarch claiming the title Emperor of India, reports The Guardian.

The royal couple attended a spectacular durbar in Delhi to celebrate his proclamation as emperor, at a cost of almost £1m.

It was the only occasion that the £60,000 Imperial Crown of India, now part of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, was worn. Studded with more than 6,000 diamonds, it weighed almost 1kg and, after wearing it for hours in the blazing sun, the king complained that his head hurt.

Among the 178 glass plate negatives, found in an unlabelled box in the archives of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), are images of buildings along the waterfront

in Kolkota including the enormous Writers Building - originally built for the East India Company, now a state government building - flashing with lights in honor of the royal visit.

Another shows lights picking out the H Hobbs premises where an Englishman called Harry Hobbs set up as a piano importer and tuner and lived for more than half a century: he lived to be 92, and his obituary in 1956 claimed that he was the oldest European in India.

The images are presumed to be amateur but John Falconer, curator of photographs at the British Library, who helped identify some of the scenes, regards their quality as outstanding.

The photographer remains unidentified but since the images include many of commerce and shipping, there is speculation they may have come back with somebody working in the lucrative jute trade, where many Scots were employed.

POKHARA: When Saraswati Biswakarma first started working as a trekking guide a decade ago, she was greeted by jeers from male porters and trekking guides. “’You’ve snatched our job’, they would shout when I walked up the mountains with over 10 kilograms on my back,” said the 28year-old.

Biswakarma was one of the first - and is still one of the few - women in Nepal to take up the profession of trekking guide. She is also one of only four women to have ascended Annapurna IV, considered one of the toughest walks in Nepal.

The struggle to get there has been uphill in more ways than one.

“When I first started, my family was under a lot of pressure from my relatives and neighbors to make me quit,” she says. “Women who work and travel with foreigners are often seen as those who have tainted characters,” she said.

“It wasn’t easy for me to continue.”

She persevered with support from her father and uncle, who also worked as trekking guides, and now lives and works with the Chettri Sisters Trekking Company. Since it was established in 1998, the company has been helping women like Biswakarma who want to be part of the trekking industry, an activity traditionally for men.

Company founder Lucky Chettri, 47, saw a business opportunity in the lack of women working as porters or guides. “I was operating a tourist lodge in the late 90s in Pokhara, when two young foreigner women who had just returned from a trek told me they had been sexu-

ally harassed by their drunk guides,” she says.

“They were helpless and actually wept, and that immediately got me thinking about how we could cooperate.”

The story inspired her to set up a trekking agency operated by women that would offer services to female travelers. Women in the country’s rural areas already carry heavy loads daily, she thought, so it should be feasible for them to make a living out of it. Also, they were well-placed to show the country to travelers, as they were already familiar with the local terrain.

Lucky was soon joined by her younger sisters, Dicky and Nicky. Together, they offered themselves as trekking guides for women travelling in the Himalayas. It wasn’t easy at first to recruit more women “as it was a new concept and there was the social stigma attached to it,” says Nicky. But gradually, more women wanted to become trekking guides.

In 1999, the sisters also started a non-governmental organization called Empowering Women of Nepal, which offers free trekking guide training to women. The centre has trained over 16,000 so far.

“We train them in the classroom for a month and five months is spent on the field, trekking, where they earn while getting trained,” says Nicky. Most women set off as independent guides, while some work for the Chettri sisters.

They acquire better fitness, learn to use trekking equipment and to survive in the wilderness, and also learn foreign languages.

Laura Ortlieb, a German volunteer who has been teaching the women English and German

for six months, says the exchange is beneficial for her as well. “Every day, I learn more from their experiences.”

The three sisters were also moved by the plight of children they saw working as laborers as they trekked through remote villages.

So the next part of their mission was setting up a children’s home in 2006 to rescue and shelter such children. Most of the children have been rescued with the help of the International Labor Organization and government officials.

Sarada Nepali, 14, is one those rescued. She had been sold by a relative to a hotel in Mustang, in Nepal’s north-western mountains for 1,000 rupees (13 dollars). There are 17 other children like her who now live at the children’s home run by the sisters and attend nearby schools.

“Rescuing the children is not an easy task, so we start by warning people how abusing children could be detrimental to their business and we seek legal help,” says Dicky, the third sister.

The children’s home also serves as a care centre for the children of the guides, as their treks can last from five to 12 days.

Each year, during the tourist season from September to March, 120 women trekking guides from the Chettri Sisters Trekking Agency lead a total of up to 800 female guests through Nepal’s treks.

“The worst time to be trekking is when you’re having your period, as you have a backache and it’s not convenient to change,” says Biswakarma. “But when people appreciate the fact that you’re rubbing shoulders with men, walking the wild, much of that tiredness just disappears.”-dpa

In photographs taken on May 6, 2012, models present creations during designer Guo Pei’s bridal fashion show entitled “Chinese Brides, Dragons Story” in Beijing. Modern Chinese couples spend large sums of money compared to their parents’ generation on lavish weddings and other expenses linked to starting a family. (AFP)

ALWATAN DAILY

entertainment Song Of The Day

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012

17

Avengers smashes record: $200.3 million debut

Fahad AlSabah Staff Writer

Song: Next Artist: The Weeknd Album: Echoes of Silence Genre: R&B/Hip-Hop In short: The Weeknd has released three mixtapes that made a huge impact all around the world, building a large fan base that is eagerly awaiting his debut LP. Popularized greatly by Canadian rapper Drake, The Weeknd’s big break came in the form of a collaboration with the latter on “Crew Love” off his latest record. Clocking at 6 minutes, “Next” is a moody number that builds slowly and takes its time to settle into listener’s heads. A grower.

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

The Buzz Celebrities pay tribute to Adam Yauch on Twitter Top musicians and celebrities have taken to social media to pay their respects to the late Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys, who died at the age of 47 on Friday after a long battle with cancer. Rapper Ludacris wrote on Twitter: “R.I.P. MCA from the Beastie Boys. He was an integral part of building the Def Jam label that I am a part of today. Condolences to the Fam.” Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan tweeted: “Sad news about Adam Yauch’s passing, a man of dignity + spiritual conviction. I always had great respect for him in times we met and talked.” Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote on Twitter: “Prayers and all the love I could ever muster for Adam Yauch. What a beautiful man.

God bless his beautiful soul. A class act all the way.” Occupy Wall Street wrote on Twitter: “Adam Yauch marched with us in November over the Brooklyn Bridge. He was a visionary artist who never lost sight of his community. #RIP” Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong tweeted: “Lollapalooza94 talked to Yauch almost everyday He was full of wisdom & encouragement for a freaked out kid like I was. Thank you MCA. LoveBJ” Musician Cee Lo Green tweeted: “Now playing: something’s got to give: BEASTIE BOYS R.I.P. M.C.A. One of the best hip-hop groups of all time!much love to MIKE-D and AD-ROCK.” -AFP

Precious souvenirs stolen from top Edith Piaf composer French singer-songwriter Charles Dumont, who wrote the music to one of Edith Piaf’s top hits, appealed Sunday for the return of precious mementos that were stolen from his Paris apartment. “They took a lot of money but especially my souvenirs of Edith,” Dumont, who wrote the music to the 1960 hit “Non, Je ne Regrette Rien” (No, I Have No Regrets), told the Paris daily Le Parisien. The objects were in a safe that was ripped out of its place and removed from the apartment while Dumont, who is in his early 80s, was touring in Canada, the report said. “The robbers took enough things of value. I ask them simply to return a few souvenirs to me, those of Edith and then also my father’s wedding ring which I inherited a few years ago when he died,” said Dumont. “They can put them in an envelope and send them to my address,” he said, listing a gold watch engraved with her signature and a pair of cufflinks as among gifts from the diminutive Piaf, a cultural icon in France and an international star who died in 1963 aged 47. The total value of the haul was estimated at nearly 200,000 euros ($260,000), Le Parisien said. -AFP

ABC, Univision teaming for news network in English ABC News and Univision are teaming up to start an Englishlanguage news network aimed at Latinos. The networks said Monday that a website and mobile content will be available this summer. A television network is expected next year. The venture doesn’t have a name yet. Univision News President Isaac Lee says the network will not only inform Latino Americans, but let viewers of all nationalities know what issues are important to people within this growing demographic. Disney and ABC Television Group chairwoman Anne Sweeney say the venture is an important step in broadening ABC’s reach. -AP

Lady Gaga teacup fetches $75,300 in Japan auction A teacup and saucer used only once by pop diva Lady Gaga has sold for more than 6.0 million yen ($75,000) at auction, the sale’s organizer said Monday. With more than 1,300 bids, the week-long auction finished at 1400 GMT Sunday, with a top offer of 6,011,000 yen, said Yahoo! Japan, which managed the charity event. Payment was required before the winning bid could be confirmed, it said. The cup was used

by Lady Gaga at a press conference in Tokyo three months after the massive tsunami of March last year swamped a large stretch of coastline. Lady Gaga told reporters at the time that she would auction the cup, marked with her lipstick and bearing the Japanese message “We pray for Japan” along with the star’s autograph. All the money raised will be used to help young Japanese artists who want to study in the United States. The natural disaster killed some 19,000 people on Japan’s northeast coast and sparked the world’s worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, leading to a plunge in visitors to the country. -AP

In this film image released by Disney, Chris Hemsworth portrays Thor, (left), and and Chris Evans portrays Captain America in a scene from “The Avengers”. (AP)

In this film image released by Disney, Samuel L. Jackson portrays Nick Fury in a scene from Marvel’s “The Avengers.” (AP)

LOS ANGELES: Hulk, smash.

That’s what Captain America tells the Incredible Hulk to do in “The Avengers,” and that’s what the Marvel Comics superhero mash-up did at the box office, smashing the domestic revenue record with a $200.3 million debut. It’s by far the biggest opening ever, shooting past the previous record of $169.2 million for the debut of last year’s “Harry Potter” finale.

“The Avengers” added $151.5 million overseas over the weekend to bring its total to $441.5 million since it began opening internationally a week earlier.

That raised the film’s worldwide haul to $641.8 million in barely a week and a half, more than its Marvel superhero forerunners “Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor” and “Captain America” took in during their entire runs. If distributor Disney’s domestic estimate Sunday holds when the final weekend count is released Monday, “The Avengers” would be the first movie ever to haul in $200 million in a single weekend.

While the number could dip below $200 million come Monday, Disney spent the weekend revising its forecasts upward as business kept growing.

Fury.

A $200 million total for every movie in release is considered a great weekend for the business as a whole, so “The Avengers” redefines the standards for a blockbuster debut.

“If ‘The Avengers’ is any indication, we’re going to see a leap rather than a gentle little nudge into new territory, and the lineup is there to justify it going forward,” said Greg Foster, chairman and president of the hugescreen IMAX cinema chain.

Crowds were so anxious to see the film on IMAX’s giant screens that Foster said the company had only one problem: it ran out of seats to sell.

Overall domestic revenues came in at $248 million, climbing 49 percent compared to the same weekend last year, when “Thor” opened with $65.7 million, according to boxoffice tracker Hollywood.com. “The Avengers” accounted for four-fifths of the weekend’s domestic receipts.

Hollywood launched a potentially recordshattering summer with a vengeance, “The Avengers” landing as just the first of three huge superhero tales that highlight a lineup filled with other blockbusters in the making.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” follows on

“There aren’t even words, to be honest.

I’m running low on double takes. Every time we looked at a number, it just got bigger than what we could have hoped for in the best-case assumption,” said Dave Hollis, Disney’s head of distribution. “With this film, this weekend, anything is possible.”

“The Avengers” started with solid midnight crowds Friday, though nowhere near a record. Then it did $80.5 million for the full day Friday, second only to the “Harry Potter” finale’s $91.1 million first day.

Revenues held up much better than expected with $69.7 million Saturday, and Disney estimated that the film would bring in $50.1 million more on Sunday.

The record weekend was the culmination of years of careful planning by Marvel Studios, which has included teasers for an “Avengers” dream team collaboration in its solo superhero adventures.

Directed by Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), “The Avengers” features Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick

Sky News Arabia launches across the Arab world KUWAIT: On Sunday at 8pm(UAE time)Sky News Arabia, the multi-platform 24-hour Arabic rolling news channel, broadcast for the first time to over 50 million homes across the Middle East and North Africa according to a press release.

A joint venture between Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC) and BSkyB, the UK’s leading pay television provider, Sky News Arabia will offer a new and fresh approach to news across the Arab world.

A channel committed to providing independent news, whatever the story, Sky News Arabia will offer its audience must-view content from breaking stories to sport, from business to entertainment.

The channel is supported by an Editorial Advisory Committee - a first for the region - to ensure Sky News Arabia delivers balanced, accurate and consistent news. Broadcasting from its state of the art head-quarters in Abu Dhabi, the channel promises a ‘new horizon’ in the way it delivers news across multiple platforms.

Servicing the tech-savvy generation, Sky News Arabia also launched its mobile apps - available on iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, and Android devices. Key features include live streaming, news photo galleries, interactive maps as well as the ability to share stories via social media.

The website, www.skynewsarabia .com, which launched in BETA form in February, is now fully completed with features including blogs from presenters and correspondents, live twitter feeds and the ability for users to interact and comment on the topics of the day. At a launch ceremony hosted by the Chairman of ADMIC and Sky News Arabia, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, over 400 guests were witness to a live countdown of the launch from the Jumeriah Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.

Promising objective and impartial news delivery Dr Al Jaber said in his

Cohen’s dictator congratulates new French president

FILE - The control room of the new Sky News Arabia channel. (Agencies)

launch speech: “The region demanded an Arab news product which incorporates both the technological developments and the fast changing media consumption habits that are transforming how news is gathered and disseminated.

“Our market research uncovered a strong appetite from Arab audiences for a high calibre, independent news channel which delivers news in real time and across multiple media platforms, be they high definition television sets, the internet, smart phones or tablets.

“This, coupled with the pace of change and development of the global media landscape, reaffirms the need for Sky News Arabia - a channel launched from the heart of the Arab world for the Arab world. I am confident Sky News Arabia will become an icon for objective

news reporting,” Al Jaber explained.

He added: “With the vibrant cultural movement in the UAE, Abu Dhabi is attractive for an organization like Sky news Arabia to objectively disseminate news in the Arab World.”

Dignitaries at the launch event were treated to a behind the scenes look at the making of a news channel from the 18-month journey to set up one of the Middle East’s most advanced broadcast centres, to a live studio feed capturing the Sky News Arabia team’s last minute preparations in the countdown to launch.

The channel will broadcast on Transponder 15 on Arabsat Badr 4, Transponder 14 on Nilesat 201, on du IPTV and e-Life platforms plus in high definition on the OSN pay-TV platform as well as the Abu Dhabi TV Network.

Tradition and sunshine close out Jazz Fest NEW ORLEANS: The Neville Brothers carried on the tradition of closing out the big stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Funky Meters, regulars at the fest since 1989, were back, too. And festival creator George Wein played with an all-star cast at the Preservation Hall and Friends 50th Anniversary Celebration.

That was Sunday’s big nod to tradition.

The closing day lineup also included Bonnie Raitt, the Foo Fighters and the Rebirth Brass Band as part of the more than 60 groups performing on 11 stages. Clouds and brief showers rolled across the bright blue morning skies, providing fans with an occasional drop in temperature and a cooling breeze to offset the steamy humidity. It was the first rain during Jazz Fest, and never lasted long enough or came down hard enough to drive fans to take shelter.

Although attendance would not be announced until later in the week, the festival was jammed throughout its 7-day run

thanks to a combination of acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Jimmy Buffett, as well as more traditional jazz, blues and gospel performers.

“It was the biggest crowd ever,” said Wein, 86, who founded both the New Orleans and Newport jazz festivals. “I was told over 70,000 people went through gates just Saturday.”

Ron York, a 47-year-old salesman from Detroit, said he had attended both weekends of the festival and spent nights taking in music at the clubs around town. “It was just what I needed after a Detroit winter,” he said as he feasted on boiled crawfish and alligator sauce picante. “I’m going to come ‘till I die and it’s in my will they have to bring my ashes every year after that.” At the other end of the Fairgrounds race track, where the festival is held, the Neville Brothers - Art, Cyril, Charles and Aaron -, blended their special combination of funk and heart-grabbing songs to a jam-packed crowd.

“I only get to see them once a year,” said Sally Grant, 47,

July 3 and “The Dark Knight Rises” wraps up the current Batman series on July 20.

Until the “Harry Potter” finale, 2008’s “The Dark Knight” had held the revenue record with a $158.4 million debut. Before that, the record-holder was 2007’s “Spider-Man 3” with $151.1 million.

So anticipation for those two films could rival that of “The Avengers.”

As admission prices rise, Hollywood’s record-breakers often take in more money but sell fewer tickets than previous blockbusters. But “The Avengers” took in so much money that it’s the undisputed champ among debuts.

Based on average admission prices the years they were released, “The Dark Knight” and “Spider-Man 3” had led with about 22 million tickets sold each over opening weekend.

Today’s average prices put “The Avengers” tally at around 25.6 million tickets sold.

Along with the superhero films, Hollywood’s summer lineup includes the action tales “Men in Black 3,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “Battleship,” “Total Recall” and “Prometheus,” director Ridley Scott’s return to the sci-fi territory of his horror hit “Alien.”-AP

LONDON: After Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande was elected Sunday, he joined the country’s entertainment business to welcome him, but also shared his personal choice for president.

Socialist leader Francois Hollande was named president of France on Sunday night, and everyone from Sacha Baron Cohen’s General Aladeen to Gallic A-list stars have been giving their two Euro cents on the vote.

Cohen, alias his latest character Admiral General Shabazz Aladeen, also known as The Dictator, sent a video message to Hollande that aired on Canal Plus’ special elections coverage episode of “Le Grand Journal.”

“Congratulations to the new president, Francois Holidays,” he said, adding: “However, the only president of France that I acknowledge is Dominique Strauss-Kahn. You should have picked him, people of France! He has some of the best rape excuses I have ever heard.”

Comedian Gad Elmaleh, who had a small role in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, wrote on Twitter: “Private jet. Outdoor concert. New gal. Welcome to show business. Change starts tonight!”

On a more serious note, the Gallic entertainment business is waiting to see how Hollande will affect the industry. Outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy strictly enforced France’s piracy laws, and Hollande had said during a speech in March that he planned to change those laws while still being in support of the industry against piracy.

Hollande hasn’t announced any planned specific amendments to the so-called Hadopi law that he considers an invasion of privacy by requiring Internet service providers to report illegal content downloading and a “three strike” policy for pirates.

The global economy will also be an issue affecting the film business. France’s resident enfant terrible director Mathieu Kassovitz tweeted: “Joking aside, I wish the best to [Francois Hollande] for the next five years. Let’s hope there’s not another global financial crisis.” -Reuters

of New Orleans. “So I never miss this. It’s their tradition to end things by playing, and mine by watching.”

Composer-musician-producer Allen Toussaint, who played Saturday, was back on Sunday for a guest appearance at the Preservation Hall show. He also sat in with Bonnie Raitt.

The 74-year-old Toussaint has been performing at Jazz Fest since 1975 and said it was more than the size of the crowds that impressed him.

“They have been such a good crowd, so appreciative of the music,” Toussaint said. “It’s a pleasure to perform for people like this.”

Jazz Fest caps a string of major tourist events in New Orleans since winter that included the BCS college football championship, the NCAA Final Four, Mardi Gras and the French Quarter Festival. All provided a huge economic boost for a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina in many areas. -AP

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ALWATAN DAILY

AROUND TOWN / TIME OUT

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012

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

Feature o f

graffiti

the day

moderately confused

SACGC hosts parent orientation for Kuwait’s first-ever ‘Gifted Students Program’

KUWAIT: Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC), an initiative by HH the Amir that supports gifted and talented Kuwaitis, hosted an orientation session with the Ministry of Education for the parents of gifted students selected to be part of the ‘Gifted Students’ Program.”

The program initiated in October 2011, provides students in the third and fourth grade the educational program that adheres to their aptitude especially in math and science. SACGC and the Ministry of Education together prepared parents for the ‘Gifted Students’ Program.”

Under Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Tamadur Al-Sdairawi said: “Supporting our children by providing the right educational programs in various subjects is one of the most important factors for the development of our society, and the Ministry of Education strives to support promising generations that Kuwait will be proud of. By establishing the ‘Gifted Students’ Program,” we have presented young students in Kuwait the opportunity to advance into a curriculum that allows them to excel at higher intelligence pace.”

Month a t

Sudoku SACGC and the Ministry of Education have developed the ‘Gifted Students’ Program” based on both local and international measurement and talent assessment tools to help identify gifted and talented children at the third and fourth grades, and then foster them to help them reach their maximum potential.

General Manager of SACGC, Dr. Omar Al-Bannai said: “The partnership between the Ministry of Education and SACGC will provide young Kuwaiti talents with

the best tools to excel intellectually and creatively. Together, we know we will have both the support and skill to establish a program that will help find them and support them.”

Thirty students were selected based on their IQ levels and international standards to enter the program designed to meet the needs of elementary students who have been identified as gifted or talented. Female students will join Um Atiah Al-Ansariya School and male students will join Abdulatif Al-Dain elementary school.

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.

Embassy of the Slovak Republic 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.

Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main May 18/ 7 p.m. / Maidan Hawally: Indian Cultural Society presents” Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main” with renowned playback singer from Bollywood Abhijeet and world fame theater cum comedy king Umar Sharif from Pakistan. The Chief Guest for the event will be Ambassador of India, Kuwait. Also guest of honor will be prominent personalities from Kuwait and respected embassies from different countries. It will take place at Dr. Kamil Al Rayes Auditorium, AIS opposite Police Station. Contact numbers for your assistance and information: 97270386, 94450833.

Dilbert

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

Nancy

Horoscopes Aries: March 21 - April 19

You might feel as if you can’t access your physical energy now, Aries. You may experience frustration when you try to engage in a sport. You don’t feel as if things click into place as easily as they should.

This feeling is taking a toll on your sense of self. Don’t get down on yourself for feeling this way. Accept the fact that there are some good times and bad times.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

Your physical vitality should be quite strong, Taurus, and you’re encouraged by greater self-confidence. At the same time, however, someone seems to be trying to ruffle your feathers by being selfish and disrespectful. This is likely to lead to conflict you don’t need.

Good news is that it is likely to open you up to a different perspective in understanding the situation.

Gemini: May 21- June 21

Things could be moving more quickly than makes you comfortable right now. You may feel as if your own needs and agendas are getting lost in the fury bubbling around you. The secret key to add to your toolbox is the ability to go with the flow. It’s very crucial to be adaptable and roll with the punches rather than be victimized by them.

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

Your physical strength is topnotch, Cancer. Now is a terrific time to join a sports team or start a company soccer program. Others will respect your leadership abilities. Your glow as a self-confident, constructive being is radiating positive energy. This combination of forces is extremely powerful. You will have the opportunity to be wonderfully productive at this time.

Leo: July 23 - August 22

You may feel indecisive, insecure, and stuck in the middle of a difficult situation, Leo. Your energy could be drawn in one direction while your selfconfidence is pulled in another. This dilemma has to do with your inability to integrate different aspects of your life that you try to keep separate. Your actions in one part of your life have a ripple effect everywhere else.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

Communication with others should be very effective, Virgo, and your social calendar will be full.

You’re feeling good about yourself, thanks to a boost in confidence that reminds you that you can do anything. You have the ability to juggle many things at once and the physical endurance to keep up a quick pace.

Libra: September 23 - October 22

Relating to people may be difficult for you, since you get the feeling that others don’t see things as deeply or emotionally as you, Libra. Perhaps you feel everyone is shallow, making them luckier in one sense yet deprived in another. Try not to focus on others so much. Just concentrate on you. Don’t take yourself seriously and adopt a lighthearted approach to life.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21

You have a great deal of physical energy, Scorpio.

At times, you may feel as if you have an endless wellspring of power. You’re at a climactic point in your yearly cycle, when things are coming to a dramatic apex. Difficulties that pertain to this climax are likely to make you act out in an aggressive manner if things don’t go your way. Find a constructive outlet for energy.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

Finding the comfort point may be difficult for you, Sagittarius. You might feel as if you aren’t connecting with your ideals or goals. Even though you try to put things in motion, they don’t really pan out the way you’d like. There’s a difficult energy making you feel you need to join one camp or another to be accepted.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

Your upbeat, lively nature is fueled by the fastpaced energy at hand. You have a great deal of physical strength available to you, Capricorn, and you can make tremendous strides in your yearly goals with very minimal effort. Take advantage of this time by focusing on your own needs. There is a great deal of support in place that will help you accomplish your goals.

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Your indecisiveness may plague you, Aquarius. This is one of those times when you feel as if one second of hesitation will cost you dearly. Yet you take a while to process and internalize things before you act on them. Others may act and speak before they think. Don’t get upset for handling things the way you do. It’s your lack of self-confidence that’s holding you back.

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

You’re now in a terrific position to make a significant move in your life, Pisces. With a great deal of physical energy coupled with incredibly high selfesteem, you have what it takes to make a major push toward larger goals. There’s opportunity coming at you from all angles, and the energy is fast and furious.

ALWATAN DAILY

SPORTS

TUESDAY, may 8, 2012

19

basketball

Supporting cast gives Lakers 3-1 edge over Nuggets

Pierce helps Celtics top Hawks for 3-1 series lead

Kobe Bryant (left) of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs a rebound away from Kenneth Faried (center) of the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs, May 6, 2012. (AFP)

DENVER: Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum put up their usual big numbers.

Their supporting cast came up even bigger, sealing the Los Angeles Lakers’ 92-88 victory over Denver on Sunday night that put the Nuggets on the brink of elimination.

Bryant had 22 points and Bynum added 19 to help the Lakers overcome a sixpoint halftime deficit and take a 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series that they can wrap up Tuesday night when the series shifts back to Staples Center for Game 5.

Sixth-man Jordan Hill had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and recently acquired guard Ramon Sessions and reserve point guard Steve Blake each hit crucial 3-pointers in the final minute as the Lakers broke free. Those were the players the Nuggets preferred had the ball in crunch time, and Bryant wasn’t at all hesitant to oblige.

“Sessions has hit big 3s. Even when I was out he hit some big 3s to win games.

He did it again tonight. I have confidence in him,” Bryant said. “If you’re observing the game in the third quarter I hit Sessions for an open shot, Blake for an open shot and (Matt) Barnes for an open shot and they missed all three of them. George (Karl), being observant as he is, saw I was (ticked). I was and didn’t think I would trust them at the end of the game to knock down those shots, but they stepped up and knocked them down.”

With the game tied at 86, Danilo Gal-

linari was covering Bryant when a hard screen from Pau Gasol sent the Italian to the floor grabbing his throat. While Gallinari stayed down, Sessions’ 3-pointer from just in front of the Nuggets bench put the Lakers ahead 89-86 with 48 seconds remaining. “It was a tough pick, you’ve got to expect that in the playoffs,’’ Gallinari said. “I’ve got to be ready and play defense. Unfortunately, they hit a big shot out of that.”

Andre Miller was whistled for basket interference at the other end, and Bryant found Blake for a 3-pointer from the left corner with 18.9 seconds left for a sixpoint cushion, L.A.’s biggest of the night.

Blake got a bear hug from Bryant during the 20-second timeout.

Sessions, whose acquisition from Cleveland this spring led to the trade of five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher, finished with 12 points, and Blake had 10.

Instead, it was Sessions, Blake and Hill that did the damage. Gallinari led the Nuggets with 20 points, and Miller had 15.

After torching the Lakers for 50 points combined in the previous two games, Ty Lawson was held to 11 points and Nuggets big men Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee weren’t nearly as effective on offense or disruptive defensively as they were in Game 2, when they combined for 28 points and 30 rebounds.

Together, they had 14 points and 11 re-

bounds Sunday.

Bynum, who blamed his scoreless first half 48 hours earlier on failing to properly prepare in the pregame, was much more active early on, scoring 11 in the first half, which ended with the Lakers trailing 5145.

The game was briefly delayed with 1:10 left in the first half when a female fan started walking across the court while the Nuggets were setting up a play. The woman walked several steps onto the court as Lawson brought the ball past halfcourt. Officials blew the whistle to stop the play and the woman was escorted away by security.

The woman, identified as 20-year-old Savannah McMillan-Christmas of Denver, was cited for trespassing.

Al Harrington scored nine points in his return to the Nuggets’ lineup. He started out with a clear face mask protecting his nose that was broken Friday night by an inadvertent elbow from Bynum, but he ditched the mask in a matter of minutes.

Harrington missed his first six shots but then sank four straight, including a 3-pointer that put the Nuggets ahead 7675 early in the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets, who have hung tough since getting blown out in the series opener, face a daunting task of winning three straight, including two at the Staples Center, where they never led in Games 1 and 2. -AP

Track and Field

Cricket

China’s Liu Xiang wins 110 hurdles in Japan

Windies make uncertain start on and off the field

Liu Xiang (left) of China reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the Men’s 110m Hurdles during the Seiko Golden Grand Prix Kawasaki at Todoroki Stadium on May 6, 2012. (AFP)

KAWASAKI, Japan: Chinese star Liu Xiang stepped up his Olympic preparations by winning the 110-meter hurdles in rain and wind Sunday at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix meet. Allyson Felix of the US won the women’s 100 meters in 11.22. She beat Melissa Breen of Australia by 0.16 seconds. Chisato Fukushima of Japan was third in 11.39.

Liu, the 2004 Olympic champion and 2007 world champion, finished in 13.09 seconds in his first outdoor race of the year. He was 0.24 seconds ahead of Omo Osaghae of the US Another American, Ronald Brookins, was third in 13.69. “Considering there was some wind and rain today I am satisfied with the time,” Liu said. “This was my first outdoor race of the season, so it was a good result.”

Looking toward the London Games, he added: “There are a lot of strong rivals so you just have to concentrate on your own conditioning and training.”

Liu’s victory follows a flawless 60-meter hurdles final of 7.41 seconds at the Birmingham Grand Prix in February. He finished almost a tenth of a second ahead of world record-holder Dayron Robles in their first meeting since last year’s world championships. China’s Su Bingtian beat two Americans to win the men’s 100 meters in 10.04. He was 0.01 seconds ahead of Mike Rodgers, with Kim Collins third in 10.07.

Felix said the weather made things “a bit crazy.”

“But I just tried to stay focused,” she said. ‘’You never know what can happen in a major competition like this when the conditions aren’t ideal.’’

Felix, a two-time Olympic silver medalist over 200 meters, said she is working hard toward a gold medal at London.

“I don’t feel desperate, I feel very motivated,” Felix said. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about being a silver medalist. It’s definitely something that has been making me work hard and hopefully it was all come together.” -AP

LONDON: West Indies insisted they still had enough time to prepare properly for their upcoming Test series against England and get all their squad on board after another rain-marred day at Hove on Sunday. After seeing the first day of their three-day tour opener against Sussex washed out on Saturday, the tourists struggled to 46 for two in the 18 overs possible at the south coast ground on Sunday. Meanwhile the West Indies, who currently only have 11 players fit and available with them in England, have yet to hear when visa and transit issues involving Assad Fudadin, Narsingh Deonarine and Marlon Samuels will be resolved.

They are all thousands of miles away, with the two Guyanese in Jamaica awaiting visas and Samuels still to begin his journey from the Indian Premier League.

However, a team spokesman said the trio were expected shortly. “We are not concerned about it,” he said. “We are hopeful that they will be here in time for the (England) Lions match.” That four-day fixture in Northampton, central England, starts on Thursday and that means the tourists have a maximum of just five days’’ competitive play to come before the first of three Tests starts at Lord’s on May 17. And, with more bad weather forecast, they may not even get that. However, opener Adrian Barath said: “I think there’s sufficient time. “Normally we wouldn’t have all this time, coming in a week before,” the 22-yearold added. “That will serve us well. We’re looking to grasp the opportunity, and make every opportunity count. They’re very important. It’s good that we’re here two weeks before the first Test match.”

In typical early season English conditions, West Indies lost the toss on Sunday and were sent into bat.

Barath fell when he deflected a ball from 20-yearold Kirk Wernars, a former South African Under19 international, onto his stumps off the bottom of his thigh pad. New batsman Kirk Edwards ought to have gone for a second-ball duck, but was dropped at second slip by Luke Wells off Chris Liddle. But it was not too costly an error with left-arm seamer Liddle dismissing Edwards for eight with the aid of a catch by third slip Chris Nash. When the umpires abandoned play for the day, Kieran Powell was 19 not out and Darren Bravo one not out. Barath insisted he and his colleagues were ready to tough it out in what are set to be trying circumstances, even for batsmen used to England in May. “I don’t mind the extreme conditions. It’s nice to experience these things,” he said. “We’re not surprised about these conditions. It’s something we expected.” -AFP

BOSTON: By the time Avery Bradley, who is recovering from a dislocated shoulder, sank a free throw to give the Boston Celtics a 37-point lead early in the third quarter, Paul Pierce was done for the night, riding a stationary bicycle under the stands and trying to keep his sore left knee from stiffening up.

Ray Allen went to the bench soon after to rest his ailing right ankle. He grabbed a seat near Kevin Garnett, who is about to turn 36 and played 42 minutes in the previous game - surpassing 50,000 total minutes in the regular season and playoffs in his 17-year NBA career.

“We had a lot of things going on on our bench today with bodies,” coach Doc Rivers said on Sunday night after the Celtics coasted to a 10179 victory over the Atlanta Hawks to take a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series. “The whole game I kept looking down there (to see if) there were enough guys to put in the game.”

Pierce scored 24 points in 18 minutes before heading to the stationary bicycle in the tunnel leading to the locker room, getting some muchneeded rest after the Celtics scored 16 of the first 18 points in the second half.

Boston can close out the Hawks with a victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Atlanta. Game 6 would be in Boston in Thursday, if necessary.

“Their team set the tone from the jump ball and we weren’t able to recover,” said Al Horford, who played for the first time in almost four months and scored 12 points. “It’s disappointing for us to lose this way, but the good thing is we’re going back home. It’s 3-1 and I’m sure a lot of people are writing us off already. But we feel pretty good about going back home.”

Horford returned from a torn pectoral muscle that has kept him out since Jan. 11, but he wasn’t available in the fourth quarter. Josh Smith returned after missing Friday’s game and had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta. Tracy McGrady, a key contributor in the first half of Game 3 before turning his ankle, played just nine minutes and scored two points.

“We were beaten in every phase of the game,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “We just didn’t respond very well. I haven’t seen that type of per-

formance in our team in quite some time.”

Two nights after Rajon Rondo had a tripledouble to help turn back the Hawks in overtime, he may have been even better, scoring 20 points with 16 assists. The point guard shot 8 for 11 from the floor, sinking a pair of 3-pointers to tie a career high.

Perhaps the biggest boost of all for the aging and injured Boston lineup: Rondo and Brandon Bass were the only Celtics to play more than 30 minutes.

Pierce limped off the court favoring his left knee midway through the second quarter, but he returned for the start of the third. He was on the court as Boston went on a 16-2 run to start the second half and open an 80-37 lead with 8:13 left in the third quarter.

That was enough to earn Pierce, who played 47 minutes on Friday and tweaked his knee during Sunday’s shoot-around, some much-needed rest. Bradley, who dislocated his shoulder in Game 3, played just 19 minutes Sunday and Allen sat down after scoring 12 points and pulling down five rebounds in 19 minutes in Game 4.

The teams went to the locker rooms at the half with Boston holding a 63-41 lead. But during the break, the officials reviewed a jumper by Allen and changed it from a 2-pointer to a 3-pointer.

Rondo hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, giving Boston a 26-point lead, then Bass made a jumper and Pierce hit a 3 to make it 72-41.

By the time the Hawks recovered, Boston led 80-43 and Rivers was emptying his bench. Pierce tried to keep his legs moving in case he was needed again.

He wasn’t.

Now he’s hoping for a long break if the Celtics can eliminate the Hawks in five games.

The Hawks weren’t able to get any closer than 22 points before Rondo and Allen hit backto-back 3-pointers, then Rondo made a behindthe-back fake to clear out the lane for an easy layup as Boston closed out the third quarter with a 90-63 lead.

Atlanta did cut it to 20 points in garbage time before Keyon Dooling made a 3-pointer with just under two minutes to play. -AP

Tennis

Madrid sees top seeds sail through to next round

Serena Williams from US returns the ball to Elena Vesnina from Russia during the Madrid Open tennis tournament, in Madrid, Monday, May 7, 2012. (AP) Compiled by Al Watan Daily

MADRID: Serena Williams defeated Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-1 to reach the second round of the Madrid Open on Monday.

The ninth-seeded Williams fired 13 aces and 40 winners during her opening match against Vesnina.

Williams broke her Russian opponent four times during the first match at the Madrid tournament that is being played on the blue-clay court.

The ninth-ranked American will play Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round.

Czech Petra Kvitova kick-started her title defense at the Madrid Masters on Monday with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic.

The third-seeded Wimbledon champion, who defeated Victoria Azarenka in straight sets to lift the 2011 trophy, went through into the second round in 67 minutes, firing five acres and producing 28 winners. Erakovic, the number 39 who has lifted her game in recent months with a Memphis final and semifinal showing last week on clay in Budapest, was broken five times. American ninth seed Serena Williams, the former number one now seeded ninth, started out with a victory over Russian Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-1, the second Madrid win from four matches played for the veteran whose schedule has never been over-taxing.

But the 30-year-old has picked up her pace in recent months, reaching a Miami quarter-final, winning the title in Charleston and travelling to the Ukraine for Fed Cup to insure London Olympics eligibility.

Elsewhere, Czech Andrea Hlavackova out Australian Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-4 while Lucie Hradecka beat China’s Peng Shuai 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. None of the women have yet voiced complaints about the new blue clay laid down at the Caja Magica, an issue which has some men led by Rafael Nadal up in arms and outraged at a change in tradition from the classic orange.

Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and second-seeded Maria Sharapova advanced to the second round of the Madrid Open with straight-set wins on Sunday.

Azarenka beat Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a tough opening match. The Australian Open champion and Kuznetsova traded breaks in the first set. Just when it looked as if the second set was going to end in another tiebreaker, Azarenka broke again to close out the match.

“It was a really close match, so I was just happy that I won because they were difficult games to break,” said Azarenka.

Sharapova had an easier debut with a comfortable 6-0, 6-3 victory over Irina-Camelia Begu. Sharapova stormed to an early lead by winning the first seven games. After Begu saved a match point the Romanian player had a double break chance, but Sharapova saved both points to hold serve and secure a secondround meeting with Klara Zakopalova. Also, sixthseeded Caroline Wozniacki served six aces in a 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-4 win over Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan.

Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska didn’t give up a single break chance in her 6-3, 6-1 win over Lara Arruabarrena-Veci.

tuesDAY, may 8, 2012

SPORTS

Sports Editors Highlight BERLIN: Germany coach Joachim Loew has rejected calls for a boycott of Euro 2012 over jailed former Ukrainian prime ministerYulia Tymoshenko. Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison last October for abuse of office after a trial the West said was politically motivated. She is in prison in the city of Kharkiv, one of the Euro 2012 venues, and is on hunger strike in protest at what she said was an assault by guards, an allegation denied by the prison administration. Her case has sparked calls for a boycott of next month’s tournament co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. “Clearly a boycott does not make sense,” Loew told reporters on Monday. “But it is a good opportunity, with all eyes on the tournament, for these issues to be discussed and maybe something positive comes out.” -Reuters

Football

City close in on first title since 1968 LONDON: Manchester City took a huge step towards their first title for 44 years when they won 2-0 at Newcastle United to stay top of the Premier League on goal difference from Manchester United with one match left.

Both teams have 86 points after United beat Swansea City 2-0 at Old Trafford but City’s goal difference of 63 is eight better than United’s and could be the deciding factor in the race.

Unless City, who have won 17 and drawn one of their 18 home league matches, drop points against relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers, managed by former City boss and United striker Mark Hughes, and United beat Sunderland, City will claim the title for the third time in their history.

If both teams win their final matches, the only way United could clinch their 20th title would be with victory at Sunderland by at least eight goals more than City and even in this wildly unpredictable season that is very unlikely to happen.

Roberto Mancini’s men, who have clawed back the eight-point advantage United held a month ago, played superbly to win at Newcastle, whose own hopes of a Champions League place now hang in the balance.

Yaya Toure scored twice in the last 20 minutes after being pushed forward by Mancini whose side have now won their last five league games and enjoyed a great week after beating United 1-0 on Monday.

Goals from Paul Scholes and Ashley Young brought some joy to a subdued Old Trafford crowd, resigned to the nightmare of the title going across town to the

club dubbed as “the noisy neighbors” by manager Alex Ferguson when they emerged as a force following the millions spent by owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi a few years ago.

The Champions League places and final relegation spots will also be decided on the last day.

Arsenal, who were held to a 3-3 draw at home by Norwich City on Saturday, stayed third on 67 followed

by Spurs on 66, Newcastle 65 and Chelsea on 61.

Chelsea have two matches left, their first a visit to Liverpool on Tuesday, postponed from Saturday when the two sides met in the FA Cup final which Chelsea won 2-1.

Chelsea look unlikely to finish on the top four but they can still qualify for the Champions League by beating Bayern Munich in the final of Europe’s premier club competition on May 19. They would qualify as holders at the expense of the team finishing fourth in the Premier League.

At the other end of the table, QPR improved their chances of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship (second division) when they beat Stoke City 1-0 with Djibril Cisse scoring his fifth goal in seven league appearances to seal his side’s fifth successive home win.

That result left Bolton Wanderers deep in trouble in 18th place after being held to a 2-2 draw at home

by West Bromwich Albion.

With Villa safe on 38 points and Wolves relegated, two from Wigan Athletic, QPR, Bolton and Blackburn will go down. Blackburn play Wigan on Monday and will be relegated if they fail to win. -Reuters

Invincible Juve claims glory on the road to Serie A

Manchester City’s Yaya Toure celebrates scoring his second goal against Newcastle United during their English Premier League soccer match in Newcastle, May 6, 2012. (Reuters)

Bayern must break losing streak, demands Mueller BERLIN: Germany star Thomas Mueller has said Bayern Munich must break their four-match losing streak at the hands of German champions Borussia Dortmund when the teams meet in Saturday’s German Cup final. Bayern face the first of consecutive cup finals this Saturday when they take on Dortmund for the German Cup at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, then face Chelsea at Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 19 in the Champions League final.

The Bavarian giants have a score to settle with Dortmund having lost to them

in their last four league meetings both home and away, while Borussia have never won the league and cup double.

They lifted the Bundesliga shield for the second consecutive season on Saturday after their 4-0 hammering of Freiburg, with second-placed Bayern trailing by eight points in the league table.“When you lose four times, there is a certain anger,” Mueller told German daily Bild. “We want to show them that this isn’t how it’s going to be for the next five years.”

Mueller is not the only Bayern star

itching to break the losing streak.

“We all have a burning desire, we want to win,” said Munich’s Dutch winger Arjen Robben.

Dortmund will travel to Berlin in confident mood: they are undefeated in their last 28 games and broke Bayern’s record for the most points collected in a single German league season with their tally of 81. “We want the double! It’s never been done before in the 103-year history of Borussia Dortmund,” said Dortmund wing Kevin Grosskreutz. -AFP

Europa final promises goals from Spanish rivals

Juventus’ fans celebrate after the team won the Serie A title after their match against Cagliari at the Nereo Rocco stadium, May 6, 2012.

(Reuters)

ROME: Having gone the entire season unbeaten with one match to play, no-one could begrudge Juventus their 28th Italian league title, secured with a 2-0 victory over Cagliari on Sunday. It was Juve’s 41st match in the league and cup in this campaign without suffering a single defeat.That statistic is partly due to a technicality as Juve did in fact lose 2-1 to AC Milan over 90 minutes in their Italian Cup semi-final second leg, but that result brought extra time and the Old Lady of Turin equalized to finish the supplementary period level and preserve their unbeaten run. Whatever the details, the stats will forever tell the tale of a remarkable run that is not entirely undeserved. There have only been a pair of games in which Juve really flirted with defeat, other than that one against Milan when in fact they totally dominated the extra period.

Away to Napoli in November they trailed 2-0 and 3-1 before their hosts’ defensive frailties cost them dearly and Juve snatched a 3-3 draw.

Then in February they were 1-0 down to Milan at San Siro when a poor refereeing mistake denied the hosts a second goal. Antonio Conte’s men hit back late on and came away with a 1-1 draw.

Back then Juve were struggling to score goals and paying for that deficiency with too many dropped points in draws that should have been turned into wins.

But since a 0-0 draw with Genoa on March 11,

Juve reeled off eight straight Serie A successes before a blip in mid-week when they were held 1-1 at home by 10-man Lecce. That run is the simple reason they are champions today.

Juve have undoubtedly earnt this title and can rightly claim to have been the best side this season, taking six points off Inter Milan and four each off Milan, Napoli, Lazio, Udinese and Roma. Strangely, it is only strugglers such as Chievo, Bologna and Genoa who have avoided defeat at Juve’s hand.

But despite this success, there have still been some cracks that have been but papered over. Namely, Juve lack a real hitman, or bomber, as they are called in Italy. Their top scorer is Alessandro Matri with just 10 league goals, Milan, Napoli, Inter and Udinese all have a player who has scored at least double that.

While the goal scoring has been evenly spread among the Juve team, with Mirko Vucinic, Simone Pepe, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal all chipping in with at least half a dozen in Serie A, the lack of a get-out-of-jail-free goalscorer is something that may be addressed for next season. Juve have managed to put it together this time around and come out on top but they have been aided by their sabbatical from European competition. Next time around they will not be having that mid-week rest while their rivals are slugging away on the continent. -AFP

BUCHAREST: With potent attacking talent in abundance on both sides, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao should serve up a Europa League final to remember on Wednesday and remind the continent that Spain is not just about Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The 2010 champions Atletico have won 11 successive matches to reach the final while fearless Athletic, who only field players of Basque origin, have lit up the competition under eccentric Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa with their possession-based style that has drawn comparisons with Barca.

Athletic made the rest of Europe take notice when they beat Manchester United home and away in the last 16, then accounted for Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals with an attacking intensity that the Bundesliga side, like United before them, could not handle.

Powerful centre forward Fernando Llorente’s physical presence is sure to cause problems for an Atletico defence that is vulnerable in the air, particularly at set pieces, while versatile attacking midfielder Iker Muniain, only 19 and attracting the attention of bigger clubs, pulls the strings.

If Atletico pay too much attention to Muniain and Llorente, then they risk being punished by the equally talented Ibai Gomez, Markel Susaeta and Javi Martinez.

Atletico, who have improved steadily under their former player and Argentina captain Diego Simeone since he took over in December, also boast a potent strikeforce in summer signings Adrian Lopez and Colombian Radamel Falcao, who hit the winner for Porto in last year’s final. After comfortably winning their group following a journey that began in the third qualifying round back in July, Atletico under Simeone have knocked out Lazio, Besiktas, Hanover 96 and La Liga rivals Valencia.

Simeone’s side will try to match Athletic for intensity and not allow their opponents time on the ball. Gabi is likely to replace the suspended Tiago, sent off in the second leg against Valencia, alongside Mario Suarez in central midfield.

Simeone and Bielsa know each other well, with Simeone playing the last 30 of his 106 international appearances during Bielsa’s six-year run at the helm between 1998 and 2004.

Bielsa said he had not spoken directly to Simeone, only through his opposite number’s assistant, another Argentine he knows well,

Malaga’s goalkeeper Kameini (right) vies for the ball with Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez (left) during the Spanish league football match Atletico Madrid against Malaga, May 5, 2012. (AFP)

former international goalkeeper German Burgos. Athletic have never won a European trophy, their only previous final coming in 1977 when they lost the UEFA Cup showpiece match to Juventus.

The last time two Spanish teams contested the final of the competition, formerly known as the UEFA Cup, was in 2007 when Sevilla beat Espanyol on penalties after a 2-2 draw. -Reuters

Champions League still in Spurs’ sights: Redknapp Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp (2nd left) talks to his players during their English Premier League soccer match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham May 6, 2012.

(Reuters)

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has insisted his team have not blown their hopes of third place and automatic qualification for the Champions League despite only drawing with Aston Villa. Ten-man Spurs spurned the chance leapfrog Arsenal into third spot in the Premier League as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against a Villa side who all but guaranteed their own top flight survival on Sunday.

An intriguing finale certainly awaits, with Redknapp needing Roy Hodgson and his West Brom team to do him and Spurs a favour by taking points off Arsenal in what is his final game before he takes up the England post for which his Tottenham counterpart had long been favourite.

That Martin Jol, the former Spurs manager, brings his Fulham team to White Hart Lane adds another dimension to proceed-

ings. “I think when you’re down to 10 men and 1-0 down it’s a point gained but on the balance of the play it’s two points lost,” said Redknapp, who insisted it was a scenario he would have settled for come the start of the weekend.

“If we can win next week, Arsenal could well draw, it wouldn’t surprise you. Arsenal have suddenly gone off the boil a little bit. It’s all to play for. It will be exciting. I won’t be ringing Roy (about Arsenal), I’ve already rung him about England. Fulham is a tough game for us, Martin Jol won’t be coming back to Tottenham wanting to help us. It’s all to play for still, there are so many permutations: it could be Chelsea, us, Arsenal, Newcastle. It will be an interesting last day.”

Ciaran Clark gave the hosts the lead at Villa Park via a deflected first-half opener and their cause was bolstered when Spurs

were reduced to 10 men when Danny Rose was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Alan Hutton.

Although Tottenham responded via Emmanuel Adebayor’s penalty, they were unable to force a winner. Redknapp had no complaints regarding the dismissal of Rose.

“It didn’t look a great tackle. He’s not a nasty player, it’s not in his nature, it was a bit out of character.”

Villa, meanwhile, are three points clear of 18th-placed Bolton and have a goal difference advantage of 17 over the Trotters, all but assuring them of their top-flight status.

Whether it is sufficient to save manager Alex McLeish remains to be seen, however, as home supporters greeted the final whistle with fresh calls for the Scot to be sacked.

He remained defiant however, saying: “There has not been any indication an urgent meeting is needed.” -AFP