Arab News - 09 November 2010

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 • Dul Hijjah 3, 1431 A.H. • 2 Riyals • Vol. XXXV • No. 343 • 16 Pages • www.arabnews.com

obama backs india’s Un bid Chides Delhi for not speaking out against Myanmar abuses AGENCIES

NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama endorsed on Monday India’s long-held demand for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, a reflection of the Asian country’s growing global weight and its challenge to rival China.

India says a seat on the council would reflect the importance of the G20 nation as its trillion dollar economy helps spur global growth and its government exerts more and more influence over issues from Doha trade to climate change talks.

“In the years ahead, I look forward to a reformed United Nations Security Council that includes India as a permanent member,” Obama said in a speech to India’s Parliament on his first official visit to the world’s largest democracy.

“Let me suggest that with increased power comes increased responsibility,” he added at the end of the first leg of a 10-day Asian tour that has also been seen about gathering support from countries like India to exert pressure on China on its currency.

Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser, said ahead of Obama’s speech that “this was a full endorsement” for India’s permanent membership of a reformed Security Council.

The UN seat could be a pipe dream

for India and face resistance from some of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. But it is Obama’s most headline-grabbing announcement in a visit that has seen the US leader seek greater trade with India’s massive yet underdeveloped and restricted markets as well as to help counterbalance the rise of China.

Among the first to object to Obama’s endorsement of India’s UN bid was the country’s archenemy Pakistan. A statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Obama’s remarks added to the complexity of the process of reforms of the council. It cited India’s continued disregard for UN Security Council resolutions calling for a plebiscite in Kashmir coming in the way of Delhi’s aspirations for the grant of a permanent seat on the council.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said: “Pakistan hopes that the US will take a moral view and not base itself on any temporary expediency or exigencies of power politics.”

Obama also warned that India would have to take a more responsible role in international affairs, such as pressuring Myanmar to embrace democracy. “India has often shied away from some of these issues. But speaking up for those that cannot do so for themselves is not interfering in the affairs of other countries.”

ARAB NEWS

US President Barack Obama is greeted by Indian parliamentarians on his arrival at Parliament House for a speech on Monday. (AFP)

The West is increasingly dependent on India and China to power their moribund economies. It was unclear how much Delhi would reciprocate to Obama’s plea for opening its economy more to foreign firms.

“I don’t think India is emerging. It has emerged. India is a key actor on the world stage,” Obama told a joint news conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier Monday.

The US leader also said he was ready to play “any role” requested by India and Pakistan to foster peace between them. He said that while both India and Pakistan have an interest in reducing tensions in the region, the US “cannot impose a solution to these problems.”

Singh appeared to rebuff calls by the US president for the nuclear foes to move forward on peace talks. “You

Young man Muhammad Abdu Yamani gets a year for harassing Former minister respected and loved by all man of the Saudi Research and Publishing Company’s board of trustees. Loved and respected by all, Yamani was women a well-known philanthropist. He was vice chairman of

cannot simultaneously be talking and at the same time the terror machine is as active as ever before,” Singh said.

Obama criticized Pakistan over its failure to clamp down on militants.

“We will continue to insist to Pakistan’s leaders that terrorist safe havens within their borders are unacceptable and that the terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks be brought to justice,” he said.

passes away

md HUmaidan & galal FakkaR | ARAB NEWS

md al-sUlami | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: A young Saudi man has been sentenced to one year in jail for harassing and giving his number to women throughout Jeddah.

He also targeted those who had come to spend Eid Al-Fitr on the Corniche.

A judge at Yanbu General Court handed out the punishment on Monday after the man’s case was transferred to the court by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia).

The Commission for Investigation and Public Prosecution in Yanbu had set the youth free on bail after completing investigations.

The court found the man guilty of several incidents in which he harassed women.

“After studying the various complaints against the young man and hearing the arguments of the public prosecutor, the judge gave a guilty verdict,” a source told Arab News.

“The judge sentenced the man to a year’s imprisonment, which will not be covered by general amnesty.”

In a related development, Haia officials arrested a Bangladeshi national for practicing sorcery in Al-Eis, near Yanbu.

The commission sent one of its undercover agents who pretended to be affected by black magic. While the man was practicing his sorcery on the agent, Haia officials caught him red-handed.

Government machinery geared for pilgrimage

JEDDAH: Former Information Minister Muhammad Abdu Yamani died here on Monday following a stroke. He was 72. He will be buried at Maalla graveyard in Makkah on Tuesday after Dhuhr prayers in the Grand Mosque.

Yamani died at the Saudi-German Hospital.

Born in Makkah in 1359H, Yamani obtained a doctorate degree in geology from Cornell University in the US. He had worked as lecturer at various Saudi universities before becoming the president of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.

He served as minister of information from 1395 to 1403H. He was author of 35 books, which covered cultural and religious topics. Some of his works have been published in English. In 2008, he was elected chair-

Dallah Al-Baraka, one of the Kingdom’s leading companies. He was also chairman of 12 national and international companies and establishments, which specialized in culture, publishing, health, education and investment.

He was a member of the boards of directors of at least 10 companies including banks. He won several honors including the King Abdul Aziz Sash as well as medals from the governments of Mauritania, Indonesia, Jordan, France, Spain, Qatar and the UAE. Yamani was admitted to hospital after the stroke on Sunday. According to close relatives, his condition had been improving until Monday morning, when he went into a coma.

RIYADH: The Council of Ministers on Monday reviewed preparations made by the various government departments for Haj, which starts Nov. 14 with the participation of more than 2.5 million Muslims including 1.75 million from abroad.

Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, who is also chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, chaired the Cabinet meeting. He welcomed the guests of God who have come from different corners of the world for Haj, the fifth pillar of Islam.

“Saudi Arabia is honored to serve the Two Holy Mosques and those who come to the Kingdom to perform Haj and Umrah,” Prince Naif told the meeting. The Cabinet heard reports from different ministries and departments about the preparations made for the largest gathering of Muslims in the world.

The Saudi government has implemented a number of new projects to help pilgrims perform their religious duties easily and comfortably.

Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet expressed its satisfaction over the success of international efforts to foil a number of terrorist attacks. It emphasized the need for greater global cooperation and exchange of information to fight terrorism.

The Cabinet also decided to stop distribution of agricultural land for 10 years. The Ministry of Agriculture has been instructed to give a report on the outcome of the measures six months before ending this period and advise whether its extension was required.

However, agricultural land can be rented for activities such as fodder factories (that depend on imported raw materials), apiaries and veterinary clinics and hospitals.

The Cabinet endorsed the memorandum of understanding signed in Ireland for cooperation in technical and vocational training. It reshuffled the board of directors of the Saudi Credit Bank, which will be chaired by Deputy Finance Minister Hamad Al-Bazie.

The Cabinet urged government departments to preserve state-owned lands under their custody and use them for the purpose they were granted. A government agency will have the right to obtain parts of these lands if they have convincing reasons.

Government departments are allowed to invest part of their public land under certain conditions. They can sell part of the land to the private sector to carry out activities that are supplementary to the department’s mission.

The Cabinet approved the Kingdom’s admission to the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage. The meeting took the decision on the basis of a proposal made by the foreign minister to protect the rights of GCC countries in case of radioactive leakage from nuclear plants.

Qantas extends grounding of A380s over engine leaks AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

SYDNEY: Qantas extended the grounding of its Airbus A380 superjumbos for at least three more days on Monday after finding oil leaks in some engines, heightening safety fears after two midair blowouts last week.

However, Singapore Airlines said inspections of its 11 A380 superjumbos had found no problems with their Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, as it continues flying the planes.

Rolls-Royce shares fell further on Monday in reaction to Qantas problems.

In Sydney, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said rigorous testing had uncovered anomalies on the Rolls-Royce engines on three separate aircraft, pushing back the

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5 rest stations planned on Al-Hada Road P2

return to action of the long-haul planes by 72 hours.

“The oil leaks were beyond normal tolerances,” Joyce told journalists. “All of these engines are new engines.

“At this stage, Qantas does not expect to operate the A380 fleet for at least another 72 hours.”

Qantas’ impeccable safety record — the Australian flag-carrier has never had a fatal jet crash in 90 years — has come under the spotlight after two engine explosions in as many days last week.

On Thursday, a Qantas Airbus A380 was forced to return to Singapore for an emergency landing after one of its four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines exploded minutes into its flight, showering an Indonesian town with debris.

middlE East

Airbus engine Qantas has extended the grounding of its A380 fleet after finding “anomalies” in their Rolls-Royce engines Rolls-Royce Trent 900

Largest engine built by Rolls-Royce Developed for the A380 Certified in 2004 Length: 4.55 m Weight 6.71 kg

2.95 m diameter fan Thrust rating 70,000 and 72,000 lb

A day later, a Qantas Boeing 747 — which was carrying the A380’s captain — also had to turn back to Singapore after another model of Rolls-Royce engine failed in midair.

Both flights, which were carry-

Kingdom’s house, land prices rise in H2: Report P5

Makers claim engine optimised for noise reduction and reduced emissions Source: Rolls-Royce

EConomY

Iraqi leaders fail to resolve crisis

Can be transported on a Boeing 747 freighter

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ing a total of 897 passengers and crew, arrived safely back in Singapore but some of those on board have spoken of their fear at hearing blasts as the engines failed.

“I just looked at my wife and

held hands and I really thought I was going to die,” New Zealander Hamzah Munif said of his experience on the Boeing 747-400.

But Swedish passenger Peter Geisler said he was not frightened by the malfunction, which he described as “no big deal” given the aircraft was able to operate on its three other engines.

Qantas’s six double-decker A380s, the world’s biggest commercial jet, serve lucrative routes from Los Angeles and London to Australia’s major cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

The grounding has forced the carrier — which has refused to speculate on the cost of the decision — to add extra services and use other aircraft to allow thousands of passengers to make their journeys.

Joyce said Qantas’ A380s would not take to the skies until the airline was “100 percent sure that we can assure the safety of our operations.”

Qantas said last week an engine design flaw may be responsible, and Joyce said the oil leaks would help narrow investigations into Thursday’s blast, which also caused damage to the wing and one other engine.

It was possible “this is a problem with the engine not meeting its design criteria”, he said.

However he added he still expected the aircraft to fly again within days.

On the London stock market, Rolls-Royce shares slumped over 3.21 percent in initial trades, making it the biggest loser on the benchmark FTSE 100 index.

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sPoRts

Italy thumps US to bag Fed Cup P13

9 771319 833054

Bahrain 200 Fils; Iran 200 R; Egypt LE 3; India 12 Rs; Indonesia 2000 R; Japan 250 Y; Jordan 250 Fils; Kuwait 200 Fils; Lebanon 1000 L; Morocco 2 D; Oman 200 P; Pakistan 15 Rs; Philippines 25 P; Qatar 2 QR; Singapore $3; Syria 20 L; Thailand 40 BHT; UAE 2 AED; UK 50 P; US $1.50; Republic of Yemen R 50; Sudan 25 P.

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KINGDOM

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

5 rest stations planned on Al-Hada Road

NEWS IN BRIEF

Contracts signed for university projects n RIYADH: Minister of Higher Education Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari signed in Riyadh on Monday six contracts worth nearly SR383 million for new projects. Thy include infrastructure development for the University of Al-Kharj, the establishment of a general location for the University of Baha and the construction of a power station at the University of Tabuk. The minister expressed his appreciation to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif for their generous support for higher education.

MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS

Civil Defense investigating hoax call n RAFHA: The Civil Defense is investigating a hoax call from someone reporting a fire at a women’s college in Rafha, press reports said on Monday. Teams from the Civil Defense and ambulances rushed to the location only to find that there was nothing wrong with the college building. As a precautionary measure, officers evacuated the college building for further inspection. Civil Defense authorities said they often receive hoax phone calls from unknown numbers.

Saudi obtains loan using forged papers n JEDDAH: Police arrested a Saudi who managed to obtain a SR67,000 bank loan using forged documents. The bank officials discovered the forgery when his papers went for verification. Police are currently questioning the man. Meanwhile, police are investigating 117 cases of bounced checks. The total value of these checks is over SR20 million. Issuing a check with no balance in the bank account is a criminal offense. An issuer of a bounced check will be released provided he pays the full amount immediately or reaches an agreement with the recipient.

20-year-old killed in gang fight n QASSIM: A 20-year-old man died from a serious head injury following a gang fight, a newspaper reported on Monday. Police rushed to the location and arrested seven people involved in the brawl. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment but he died shortly after arrival. Police are still questioning the arrested.

African arrested for burning cars n RIYADH: Police arrested an African national who allegedly stole a car and then set four other vehicles belonging to a car rental company alight, a local newspaper reported on Monday. Police at a checkpoint tried to stop the man after noticing the car he was driving did not have license plates. However, he ignored the officers and fled, but was later arrested. Police found several car plates inside his car.

He later confessed to police that he set the four cars alight.

— Compiled by Arab News

Saudi workers sew Islamic calligraphy in gold thread on a drape to cover the Kaaba at the Kiswa factory in Makkah on Monday. The Kaaba cover is called Kiswa and is changed every year at the culmination of the annual Haj. (AFP)

High-tech lab minimizes time for treatment of sick pilgrims MAHER ABBAS | ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said a highly advanced laboratory system capable of identifying more than 1,000 varieties of viruses and microbes is in place in Makkah and other holy sites to serve pilgrims this year.

“The most important feature of the system is that a disease-causing virus will be instantly identified without resorting to the timeconsuming process of virus culture and thus the treatment of pilgrims could be started without any loss of time,” said Al-Rabeeah.

The high-tech system, a first in the Middle East, has been introduced in line with the orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah

to offer the best health services to pilgrims, said the minister.

Another feature of this year’s health arrangements for Haj is the recruitment of 135 consultant doctors in rare specializations.

“Medical facilities such as units for cardiac catheterization and dialysis will be working round the clock, particularly in the holy sites where millions will be spending the nights of Haj,” he added.

Muhammad Khushaim, undersecretary for planning and development at the ministry, said development projects for this year included the construction of a SR11 million building for emergency treatment at the Hira Hospital with 55 beds, in addition to the expansion of the hospital’s intensive care unit.

“Infrastructure at the Al-Noor Hospital has been expanded at a cost of SR120 million, in addition to refurbishing the operation theater at a cost of SR40 million. A SR6 million outpatient unit has been added at the King Abdulaziz Hospital,” Khushaim said.

“The ministry runs 24 hospitals with over 4,000 beds for sick pilgrims. While seven hospitals are in Makkah, four are in Mina, three in Arafat and 10 in Madinah.”

He put the total number of health centers for pilgrims at 144 in Makkah and Madinah.

Thirty-one are in Makkah, 46 in Arafat, 28 in Mina, six in Muzdalifah, 16 on the Jamrat Bridge, and five in the courtyards of the Grand Mosque.

Boy Scouts assist anti-fraud squad YOUSUF MUHAMMAD | ARAB NEWS

MADINAH: Boy Scouts have been recruited to assist anti-fraud inspectors in Madinah markets.

They follow a daily schedule prepared jointly by the local branch of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Madinah Haj Committee.

Scout Commander Fahd Abu Saif said the volunteers accompany anti-fraud inspectors visiting shops that sell food items and electronic goods to make sure no counterfeit products are sold to pilgrims.

They recently seized a large number of forged watches from some shops close to the Prophet's Mosque, he said. The most common counterfeit electronic goods sold during the Haj season include digital cameras, watches and MP3 players.

The inspectors impose fines on traders of counterfeit products and confiscate the illegal wares.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Department in Makkah has started enforcing a ban on cars in the central area of Makkah before and after prayers to ease congestion. The area around the Grand Mosque will be reserved for pedestrians only. More than 2,000 officers have been deployed to direct traffic.

Teenager escapes rape attempt SULEIMAN AL-DIYABI | ARAB NEWS

TAIF: Three Saudi youths were arrested for attempting to sexually assault a teenager on Sitteen Street in Taif Sunday evening.

The boy told police after he escaped from the youths that he was walking down the road when a car with three men pulled up and invited him to join them. When he refused to get in, two of the men tried to drag him into the vehicle, but he resisted and managed to run away. They had also taken his mobile phone.

With the help of a Bangladeshi worker, the boy called police and described the car his attackers were driving.

A police patrol detained a car matching the victim’s description when it passed through a checkpoint later in the night.

After being interrogated, the youths admitted to trying to sexually assault the boy. They also confessed that they had sold the victim’s mobile phone for SR300 in a nearby market.

They took the police to the shop where they sold the phone and officers interrogated the shopkeeper.

Meanwhile, a police patrol arrested Sunday night a gang of youths while they were trying to break into a car and handed them over to Al-Salama police.

RIYADH: Plans are under way to build five rest stations on the Al-Hada Road from Taif to Makkah as part of a SR150 million project to develop domestic tourism in the area.

“The ceremony for the development of an array of facilities in Taif was launched recently by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal,” Bandar bin Moammar, managing director of Taif Investment and Tourism Company, told Arab News on Monday. Prince Khaled is honorary chairman of the company.

Bin Moammar added that the project includes the construction of rest stations on the Taif-Makkah highway, residential units at the Al-Hada mountaintop and developing a water park at the bottom of the mountain to include valueadded facilities and services.

He said around 1 million vehicles use the highway annually, hence the necessity of having extra rest stations there.

“Families who use the road for pilgrimage, business and leisure trips do not often find proper rest stations to refresh themselves during their journeys to and from Makkah,” he added.

The stations will include gas stations, supermarkets, auto ser-

vice stations, restaurants and restrooms.

The project is being carried out in coordination with the Taif municipality, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, and other governmental organizations engaged in promoting tourism.

Bin Moammar said 70 residential units are being built at the mountaintop, catering mainly for upper middle class families.

“The 2,000-meter high mountain peak, which already has a 160 room hotel, will have these residential units along with recreation facilities, a swimming pool, shopping complex, a multipurpose hall, a mosque and a car park.”

He said the existing park at the foothills of Mount Hada would be further developed into a fullyfledged theme park.

The company operates a cable car service opened some years ago

by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah when he was crown prince. The cable car covers a distance of four kilometers and takes passengers to the Al-Hada mountaintop.

Bin Moammar said the whole project has been designed and implemented with the help of wellknown consultancy firms such as Price Waterhouse Coopers, Sim Leisure, Global Century and Fifth Financial Transaction House.

Expats running fake Haj service office detained MD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Security officers in Tabuk have arrested a gang of foreigners who were operating a fake Haj service office in the city to swindle money from people intending to perform Haj this year.

The gang was busted while a committee in charge of following up the activities of domestic Haj

service agents and companies in Tabuk raided the fake firm.

The committee found a large amount of money with the gang members, which they had collected from prospective pilgrims.

The gang members were ordered to pay back the amount to their victims.

The public prosecutor transferred their case to the court.

KINGDOM Blast of brilliance at AMPS quiz competition ARAB NEWS

DAMMAM: Which SABIC company is named after an influential Arabic scientist and philosopher? Which product of the Canadian company Research in Motion was the subject of recent controversy in Saudi Arabia? The 400th anniversary of which scientific invention was celebrated in 2009? Which country has two AK-47 guns on its national flag? These were some of the stimulating questions from the high tech “Brain Hunt World Quiz” competition organized by the Association of Malayalee Professionals in Saudi Arabia (AMPS) at SASREF beach camp.

Over 500 students from various schools in the Kingdom competed in this flagship annual event of AMPS, which has been held since 2004. In the preliminary elimination round, 164 teams, each consisting of three members, competed with one another to clinch a position in the final round.

The questions were from a mix of history, literature, politics, religion, current affairs, music, fashion, print and visual media and business world. Children often stunned the quiz master and the audience with their instant answers.

In the hair-raising final rapid-fire round, the International Indian School, Dammam, represented by Sharo Glany Costa, Vinitha Selvaraj and Fatima Matin Khan, emerged as the champions while second and third places were claimed by IIS Jubail (represented by Ruchir Dave, Asif Ali Soudagar and Shariq Mohammed) and IIS Dammam (Aman Yusuf Shaikh, Talha Afsal Sharif and Fraser Borgio).

Top winners of AMPS World Quiz with chief guest Fahad Al-Turairi, AMPS President Anil Thomas, fourth left, quiz master P.G.R. Nair, third right, and event manager, Kumarji N. (AN photo)

The chief guest on the occasion, Fahad Al-Turairi, general manager of SASREF, extolled AMPS and rated the event as the most illuminating and edifying education event he had ever witnessed. He endorsed the support of SASREF in perpetuating such mind energizing competitions among students in Saudi Arabia.

The main quiz master was P.G.R. Nair, a seasoned Toastmaster and social activist in Jubail. He was supported by Krishnakumar Raghupathy and Salma Raheem. The preliminary quiz was compeered by Suresh

RIYADH: The Shoura Council on Sunday unanimously agreed to a code of conduct to combat sea piracy in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

The code of conduct, framed in Djibouti, is a regional agreement that provides cooperation among signatory states for the repression of sea piracy through existing resources.

In January last year, the Kingdom participated in the meeting organized by the International Maritime Organization in Djibouti where the code of conduct was drafted for the Protection of Vital Shipping Lanes. It focused on maritime security, piracy and armed robbery against ships for states from the western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea areas.

The code of conduct includes investigation, arrest and prosecution of persons suspected of having committed an act of piracy and armed robbery against ships; the interdiction and seizure of

suspect ships and property on board such ships; and the facilitation of proper care and treatment of seafarers and passengers who have been subjected to piracy and armed robbery.

Sunday’s session was chaired by Vice President of the Shoura Council Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar. Its chairman, Abdullah Al-Asheikh, is currently visiting Albania.

The council's secretary-general, Muhammed Al-Ghamdi, who made a statement following the session, said the repression of armed robbery and sea piracy was debated when the council's security affairs committee presented its report on the code of conduct.

The council also approved a draft memorandum of understanding on scientific and educational cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education and its counterpart in New Zealand.

The draft, which included 19 articles, aimed at strengthening the bonds of friendship existing between the two countries.

Role of IT in preventing medical errors in focus GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: The King Khaled University Hospital (KKUH), a 800bed health facility, marked an Information Technology Day in Riyadh on Sunday.

The event was organized to generate IT awareness among the hospital’s staff and also among health personnel at other hospitals.

“Preventing medical errors and improving patient safety are among the most important potential advantages of adopting IT in health care, a message which the event sent across,” said Salman Khaled, systems administrator at King Saud University (KSU) hospitals. KKUH is operating under the Riyadh-based KSU. Khaled said several IT events were staged during the day. Some research papers were also presented on the theme of IT awareness.

The College of Medicine and an intranet portal, ICITY, were also launched.

Prominent organizers and speakers included Mansour Al-Swaidan, KKUH’s IT chief, and his deputy Khawla Al-Harbi.

Khaled said studies about the use of IT tools have demonstrated that the use of individual IT applications, such as computerized order entry and clinical decision support systems, are associated with desirable health outcomes.

“Hospitals may be able to significantly reduce the time it takes to dispense medications to patients and complete X-rays and lab tests by having physicians fill out orders via computer rather than paper,” said a study conducted by Ohio State University.

The results of the study showed that computerized ordering also eliminated prescription drug errors that occurred when doctors' handwritten prescriptions were misread.

“Digitizing physician orders cut turnaround times for medication by 64 percent, X-rays and other radiology procedures by 43 percent, and lab tests by 25 percent,” said the study.

Moreover, computerized physician order entry enhances patient care by improving work flow and efficiency, and reduces transcription errors.

Kumar. The visual and audio pyrotechnics in the final quiz were masterminded by Seju Davis and Murali Krishnan.

An indigenously designed buzzer for the exciting “Buzz the Button” round was designed by AMPS engineer VCS Nair and his team. A vibrant ambience coupled with the remarkable mastery of Nair led to an electrifying atmosphere.

Anil Thomas, president of AMPS, said: "Discovering the hidden talents in schoolchildren is our primary goal in programs such as the Children Fest and World Quiz.

The entire AMPS family marches with a single heartbeat and that is the secret to the success of all our programs.”

Indian school principals Mohammed Shaffe, Syed Hameed, and Sreedevi Menon along with other dignitaries from various organizations graced the occasion. Thomas presented a recognition memento to IISD Principal Shaffe for receiving the national award as best academician of 2009 from the President of India. Kumarji was event manager while Blessy Seju Davis was anchor.

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Subsidies fail to cut cattle prices MD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS

Shoura ratifies accord to combat sea piracy MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

JEDDAH: Members of the Saudi public believe that government subsidies for fodder is a waste of resources because livestock prices in the country still remains high.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry decided to subsidize fodder to control rising prices of livestock and keep them affordable. However, consumers complain that cattle breeders refuse to cut prices even after receiving fodder at subsidized rates.

“Subsidies for barley is not leading to lower prices in the cattle markets and therefore they should be stopped,” said consumer Folail Al-Hujjaji.

The price of barley, which spiraled to SR53 per bag three years ago, came down after the subsidies were introduced, Al-Hujjaji said.

Cattle breeders have used the subsidies to maximize their profits by continuing to increase prices, said Al-Hujjaji.

“The present livestock price is unjustifiable. Before the prices of fodder started rising three years ago, the average price of a camel was SR1,800,” he added.

But despite the price of fodder returning to its old level, the price of a camel has risen to SR4,000. The price of a Harri sheep has increased from SR500 to

SR1,300 and a Sawakni sheep now costs SR950 against SR350 earlier.

Fellow citizen Muslim Al-Dosary agrees that the subsidies have proven useless for consumers. “These greedy traders do not deserve subsidies. They are supposed to pass on the savings they make to consumers, which they never do,” he said.

“They pocket the subsidy and sell their products at an inflated price, as is also the case with rice, sugar and flour. The government is keen to help the common man by giving subsidies, which are then abused by greedy traders.”

Nasser Al-Suweilih believes subsidies should be given only to rural livestock breeders who depend on the cattle for their livelihood and not to large-scale breeders who are more likely to keep their prices high.

Saleh Al-Sinani, a Saudi sheep trader, said sales of sheep, at SR1,350 per head, have been slow despite Eid Al-Adha approaching. “Demand for our sheep is down because people are now looking for cheap sacrificial animals supplied by Islamic Development Bank and other charity organizations,” he said.

A source at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said it planned to publish a price index for sacrificial animals in domestic markets in all provinces as Eid Al-Adha approaches.

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KINGDOM

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

LOCAL PRESS

Housing shortage is a problem of perception ABDULLAH BAJUBAIR | AL-EQTISADIAH

T

HE annual shortage of housing units in the Kingdom was put at 150,000. Despite ongoing efforts to build more housing units, the shortage shows no signs of abating but rather increasing. So, what is the actual underlying problem?

As observed by AT Kearney, a global strategic management consulting firm, we can say that the problem is that of perception. In another words, the philosophy of building homes in the Kingdom needs change. The existing trend is to construct high-cost residences such as palaces, villas and luxurious apartments.

At the same time, the general trend in the remaining Middle East region as well as in Africa, and perhaps in the world as a whole, is building low-cost homes. In other words, it is a trend to have access to affordable housing for the middle class who can neither buy villas nor be satisfied with living in huts or nests.

Hence, it is high time for real estate developers and investors to change their major housing plans or strategies. They should come forward with ideal models of low-cost houses. They should develop a well-planned model in terms of reasonable space to accommodate a family. At the same time, the homes should be affordable regardless of whether it is for renting or renting that ends in ownership.

In this regard, the mayoralties and municipalities in various parts of the Kingdom should make available land at reasonable rates, and carry out infrastructure projects such as building roads and setting up utility services. As far as local banks are concerned, they should enter the real estate market by extending soft loans either to companies or individuals.

The loans should reflect the social commitment of the banks. This also warrants a closer relation between banks and real estate companies in a way that protects both parties’ rights and fulfills their obligations and social commitments with regards to implementing housing projects.

It is unfortunate that Saudi families spend about 50 percent of their income on luxury and recreation. They never consider saving a major component of their spending to build prosperous futures for generations to come. The percentage of bank savings by Saudi individuals is meager when compared to other countries in the world where the savings of both individuals and families exceeded 20 percent.

We are facing the problem of rising inflation every year without there being any basic solutions. The obstacle, as I mentioned in the beginning, is changing in our perception to building houses in accordance to the income of families rather than constructing mansions and huge villas.

Saudi boys sort through Zamzam water containers at the Zamazemah United Office in Makkah on Monday. Distributing the holy Zamzam water among pilgrims is an age-old tradition of Arabs living in Makkah. The Zamazemah United Office was established by the Haj Ministry to keep this tradition alive and distribute the holy water to pilgrims. (AFP)

Embassy ignoring plight of distressed OFWs, says Filipino workers alliance RODOLFO ESTIMO JR. | ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: Migrante-Middle East, an alliance of Overseas Filipino Workers in the region, has complained that several cases it has passed to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah have not been addressed.

"We have been endorsing several cases of distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) through e-mails and calls to the embassy and consulate officials," said John Leonard Monterona, the organization's regional coordinator.

"However, we have not received

any reply regarding these cases."

An embassy official said on condition of anonymity that the e-mails regarding these referrals was addressed to the Department of Foreign Affairs' Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) and that the e-mails were only copied to the embassy, suggesting that it's the DFA-OUMWA that is responsible for responding to the referrals.

In an e-mail to Arab News on Thursday, Monterona said that one of the cases endorsed by Migrante was that of Marvin Malanggay who is currently

detained in a prison in Riyadh.

Migrante sought government help in acquiring clemency. Malanggay was caught allegedly selling liquor in December 2009 and Migrante has requested "an update on his case."

Monterona said Philippines officials have declined the request for this update. For his part, the embassy official claims that Malanggay himself "did not want to give what the group wanted."

Nevertheless, he added, the embassy has asked Saudi officials to expedite the case.

Migrante-Middle East says it receives between seven and ten

requests a day from distressed OFWs working in the Kingdom.

"Most of the cases involved abuse or maltreatment of maids," Monterona said.

OFWs working in the Kingdom who face labor abuses often resort to fleeing their employers, seeking either illegal work in the black market for labor or trying to get themselves deported outside of the proper channels. In many cases, women are better off because the embassy and consulates offer shelter to them. Men, on the other hand, often find themselves with nowhere to go except to seek illegal work. Both often rely on char-

ity to survive. One of these OFWs is Carlo (not his real name), a family driver who is from Sta. Rosa, Laguna, south of Manila. He used to work in Riyadh's Naseem district for a sponsor whom he said used to intimidate him. Eventually he found himself being bounced around the system to no avail.

First the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) gave Carlo a letter for the Office of the Governorate in Riyadh. The case officer at the Governorate's office attempted to call Carlo's former employer who could not be contacted. Eventually, the case officer gave a letter to Carlo for the

municipality where the former employer lived.

"But the municipality could not contact my former employer, so I was given a letter, which I brought to my former employer's house.

But my former employer refused to accept it," Carlo said.

For an OFW who does not have a job, it's very difficult to fend for himself while waiting for or attending a hearing of his case.

One of them is Jimmy (not his real name). While the hearing of his case is going on, he applied for a job as a waiter in a Filipino restaurant but the restaurant could not hire him because he was a

runaway. "The management told me that from time to time, the religious police visit the restaurant and check if all staff members are legal residents or not," he said.

While the Ministry of Labor can provide a temporary work permit to employees seeking to break their relationship with their sponsor due to labor violations, the permit is difficult to obtain.

"The temporary work permit is issued depending on a runaway's ability to convince the Ministry of Labor to issue him a work permit," said an official at the POLO on condition of anonymity.

MIDDLE EAST

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Iraqi leaders fail to resolve crisis Car bombs targeting Iranians kill 18 in Najaf and Kerbala AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

IRBIL, Iraq: Iraq’s political rivals met to discuss a proposed new power-sharing accord on Monday but ended a first day of talks without a deal as the Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish blocs stuck to their demands.

While the leaders said talks would continue in Baghdad on Tuesday and Wednesday, twin bombings in the cities of Kerbala and Najaf killed at least 18 people and wounded 58, mostly Iranians.

The meeting in the northern city of Arbil attended by Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and his chief rival, former Premier Iyad Allawi, followed an agreement on Saturday between the main Shiite bloc and a Kurdish coalition.

But their opening remarks to the three-day meeting indicated neither Al-Maliki nor Allawi had backed down from their positions, prolonging a deadlock which has left Iraq without a government since a March 7 legislative election.

With the political deadlock still in place, a suicide bomber in Kerbala drew his booby-trapped vehicle next to a bus carrying Iranians, detonated his payload and killed 10 people, four of them pilgrims from Iran, police said.

A second attack targeted three buses carrying Iranians in Najaf, also in southern Iraq, where a bomb explosion killed eight people, all but two of them from Iran.

Against the background of a flare-up in violence since the end of October, Iraqiya members said their Sunni-backed party was being pressed to accept the post of Parliament speaker.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s regional President Massud Barzani had called the meeting in the Kurdish capital of Irbil. The Kurds — kingmakers by virtue of their seats in Parliament — have been shrewdly trying to extract as many concessions as possible from both sides in return for their support.

Government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said on Sunday a deal had been clinched the previous

AMMAN: About 2.4 million Jordanian voters go to the polls Tuesday to choose a new lower house of Parliament amid boycott by the country’s main opposition grouping, the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front (IAF).

A total of 763 candidates, including 134 women, will be competing for the house’s 120 seats, 12 of them are set to be won by women in accordance with the feminist quota system.

Many of the candidates have been fielded by their own tribes, families and factional interests in preliminary local elections and have been campaigning with individual slogans that came without any systematic program. Most of election slogans focused on local economic and

Awlaki calls for killing Americans AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

SANAA: US-Yemeni radical cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki has called for the killing of Americans “without hesitation,” in a video message posted on jihadist websites, US monitoring group SITE said on Monday.

“Do not consult anyone in killing Americans,” Awlaki said in the 23-minute video, according to SITE. “Killing the devil does not need any fatwa (religious edict),” he added.

“It’s either us or you,” Awlaki said, addressing Americans in the video which first surfaced on Oct. 23 when one minute of footage was posted on jihadist forums.

Speaking in Arabic, Awlaki appears sitting behind a desk with a sheathed dagger in his belt.

The cleric, who was charged last Tuesday in Yemen over alleged ties with Al-Qaeda and incitement to kill foreigners, is wanted in the United States on terrorism charges.

Washington has linked the young imam and son of a former Yemeni government minister to a shooting rampage last November at a US army base and to the botched Christmas Day alleged Al-Qaeda attack on a US airliner.

Prosecutors on Tuesday told a Yemeni court specializing in terrorism cases that Awlaki had for months corresponded with Hisham Mohammed Assem, a Yemeni accused of shooting dead French energy contractor Jacques Spagnolo near Sanaa last month, encouraging him to kill foreigners.

social issues with few candidates opting to refer to the Arab-Israeli conflict and Iraq.

Official records indicate that 86 candidates are running under the umbrella of political parties and seasonal gatherings, but local columnists suggested that most of them were relying on tribal and family backing to ensure seats under the dome.

The polling process is conducted on the basis of a new controversial one-person-one-vote law which sought to plug loopholes in the previous legislation that previously facilitated a variety of election fraud, including vote buying, but excluded the proportional representation system.

The IAF and the allied left-leaning Popular Unity Party (PUP), rejected the new law and decided to boycott the polls, saying the government

More Jewish homes in Jerusalem planned AGENCIES

From left: Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, are seen during their meeting in the Kurdish capital of Irbil on Monday. (AP)

day between the National Alliance, which represents the main Shiite parties, and the Kurdish coalition.

“An agreement was reached ... in which Jalal Talabani (a Kurd) will continue as head of state, (Shiite) Nuri Al-Maliki will stay on

as prime minister and Iraqiya will choose its candidate for Parliament speaker,” Dabbagh said.

Al-Maliki’s alliance with the Kurds gives the sitting prime minister a clear majority in Parliament.

Iraq’s second general election

since the 2003 US-led invasion ended in deadlock after none of the main parties won enough seats form a majority government.

Iraqiya won the election with 91 seats, followed by Maliki’s State of Law Alliance with 89. Parliament

has since remained in hiatus, but on Oct. 24 the Supreme Court ordered MPs to resume work and choose a speaker. The constitution stipulates that a speaker, president and prime minister must be elected in that order.

Boycott mars parliamentary polls in Jordan Kingdom solves issue of ABDUL JALIL MUSTAFA | ARAB NEWS

5

failed to provide adequate assurances that the new elections would not be “rigged” as happened in the 2007 polls when the IAF won only six seats, compared with 17 in the earlier chamber.

The state-funded National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) seemed to support the Islamists’ viewpoint when it confirmed that the 2007 polls had witnessed certain “irregularities.”

Apparently against this backdrop, King Abdallah decided in November to dissolve the outgoing House of Representatives, two years before the completion of its four-year term amid reports that the chamber had failed to perform his legislative and supervisory functions in a proper manner.

Prime Minister Samir Rifai pledged to hold “fair and transparent” elections, but failed during two sessions of dialogue to sway Islamic

leaders to back out on their boycott decision.

“We hope that our boycott of the polls will prompt the government to embark on real political reforms, including the adoption of a proportion representation election system,” IAF Secretary General Hamzeh Mansour told Arab News.

“We think the priority now should be given to reforms, because the executive branch of the government has been riding roughshod on the Legislature since the adoption of the partial one-person-one-vote system in 1993,” he added.

Rifai said that changing the election system would be the responsibility of the new lower house, but Mansour insisted that the chamber would be a “reflection” of the government and would not be able to adopt such reforms.

200 Palestinian pilgrims MOHAMMED MAR’I | ARAB NEWS

RAMALLAH: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has agreed to receive 200 Palestinians from the families of prisoners and martyrs who were earlier excluded from performing the Haj this year as part of the generous gesture made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, a Palestinian official said on Monday.

Qaddoura Faris, head of Nadi Al-Asir (Prisoners Club) and former minister of detainees and ex-detainees, said that the issue of the 200 pilgrims from the West Bank city of Hebron was solved following the intervention of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad with Saudi officials.

Faris said that the 200 pilgrims will receive their visas from the Saudi Embassy in Amman and will travel to Makkah on Wednesday on board Saudi Arabian Airlines.

He added that the 200 invitees will be included in King Abdullah’s initiative to receive 1200 pilgrims as his guests from Hebron and 800 pilgrims from Gaza Strip.

The development came two days after dozens of family members of prisoners, ex-detainees and martyrs from Jerusalem rallied outside the house of Fayyad. They accused Palestinian Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash of removing their names from the list of pilgrims after they were instructed to prepare themselves for Haj.

JERUSALEM: Israel is pushing ahead with plans to build 1,300 new apartments for Jewish families in Arab East Jerusalem, the Interior Ministry said Monday, despite fierce opposition from Palestinians.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Efrat Orbach said plans for some 1,300 Jewish housing units in two neighborhoods on land Israel seized in a 1967 war had been made public, passing another procedural stage toward eventual construction. She said the public could still raise objections to the plans and it could take a long time before building commenced.

“It can take months or years from this point until building can actually begin, or even before tenders for building are issued,” Orbach said.

News of this latest planning move came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US Vice President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a Jewish conference in New Orleans.

When Biden visited Israel in March, the Interior Ministry announced a plan to build 1,600 homes for Jews in an area of the West Bank that Palestinians want for a future state, seriously straining relations between Israel and the United States.

Netanyahu said at the time he had no prior knowledge of the announcement and it was not clear if his office was aware of the latest move during his visit to the United States.

Israel captured East Jerusalem, along with the West Bank, in 1967 and regards all of Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Palestinians reacted angrily to the announcement. “We thought that Netanyahu was going to the United States to stop settlement activity and restart negotiations but it is clear to us that he is determined to destroy the talks,” Saeb Erekat said.

INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

EU may blacklist high-risk airports AGENCIES

BRUSSELS: EU interior ministers met Monday to consider a plan to tighten air cargo security that would include blacklisting highrisk airports that are deemed to have inadequate security measures.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere says his fivepoint plan also calls for “special controls” on suspect parcels “like technical material from Yemen destined for a Jewish organization in Europe or the United States.”

The ministers are expected to set up a panel to review the proposed measures.

Last month, authorities intercepted two package bombs in Britain and Dubai that had been sent from Yemen. The addresses on the packages were outdated locations for two Chicago synagogues.

The terror group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility.

Those bombs contained 300 and 400 grams of the powerful industrial explosive PETN. The failed attempts were fol-

lowed last week, by a spate of small bombs mailed in Greece to embassies and foreign leaders. Several countries, including the US, Germany, Britain and France, have temporarily banned all air freight from Yemen. If de Maiziere’s proposal is approved, it would be the first time the 27-nation European has adopted a blacklist of foreign airports.

The EU has had a list of unsafe airlines since 2006. It currently includes 278 banned airlines from 17 countries — mostly small carriers from Africa and Asia — and is

regularly updated. The EU said on Monday it would lift visa requirements for travelers from Albania and Bosnia next month, aiming to encourage democratic reforms in the Balkan states, but warned that restrictions could be re-imposed if travel rules are abused.

The bloc’s home affairs ministers approved a proposal by the EU executive, the European Commission, to scrap travel restrictions for holders of biometric passports, that have a digitally recorded photo, during a meeting in Brussels. However, they insisted

the European Commission would continue to monitor how the two countries comply with EU rules on border controls and passport security, underscoring reluctance in the bloc to open up to unrestricted travel.

Some EU governments doubt the two EU membership hopefuls can cope with issues such as illegal immigration and trafficking along drug routes from Asia to Europe, because of weak institutions and alleged corruption.

Such concerns increased after a relaxation of visa requirements for

citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia last year led to a spike in applications for asylum in the EU from the three western Balkan states.

“This has ... prompted the European Commission to set up a post-visa monitoring process that aims at preventing risks of misuse and abuse of the asylum procedures,” said the EU’s commissioner for internal affairs, Cecilia Malmstrom. “A visa-free regime also comes with responsibilities,” she said in a statement, commenting on the ministers’ decision.

Deadly clashes erupt in Myanmar after polls India rejects peace overtures: Zardari AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

YANGON: Deadly clashes erupted Monday between Myanmar government troops and ethnic minority rebels, prompting an exodus across the border in the wake of an election that the junta’s proxies looked sure to win.

At least three civilians were killed when heavy weapons fire hit the town of Myawaddy in Karen State, an official said. There was no information on any troop casualties on either side. Clashes were also reported further south near Myanmar’s Three Pagodas Pass.

Zipporah Sein, the Thailandbased general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU), said there had been fighting between government forces and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops in the two areas. “I don’t think the DKBA will surrender,” she added.

About 10,000 people fled across the frontier to neighboring Thailand, including many women and children, said Samart Loyfah, the governor of Thailand’s Tak province on the border. Sporadic fighting continued to be heard in Myanmar, he said.

A simmering civil war has wracked parts of the country, including Karen State, since independence in 1948 and observers say the junta’s determination to crush ethnic minority rebels appears to have strengthened.

Many groups have signed ceasefire agreements with the regime, but tensions have increased after the junta’s attempts to bring minority armies under state control as “bor-

Flights to Indonesia resume AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia: International flights to Jakarta returned to normal Monday after ash clouds from Indonesia’s most active volcano caused a weekend of travel chaos ahead of a visit by US President Barack Obama.

The toll from a series of eruptions of Mount Merapi over the past two weeks rose to 141 on Monday as bodies were pulled from the sludge that incinerated villages on Friday, the volcano’s biggest blast since the 1870s.

The latest eruption forced airlines to cancel 44 flights at the weekend, but officials said there would be no repeat of events in Iceland this year when a volcano disrupted transport across Europe.

“Everything has returned to normal today,” Air Transport’s director general Herry Bakti told AFP, referring to flights in and out of Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.

Merapi lies 430 km east of Jakarta but only 26 km north of Yogyakarta, the historic capital of Central Java province, where the airport was closed for a fourth day on Monday.

Rescuers said Monday they found six bodies, including those of four rescuers, in Glagaharjo village about 10 km from the mountain.

“We found the bodies of two villagers and four rescuers today. They were charred beyond recognition.

The rescuers were killed while trying to save victims,” rescue worker Anwar said. Friday’s eruption killed at least 97 people and destroyed villages up to 18 km away.

AGENCIES

People flee from the town of Myawaddy toward the border River Moei and into Thailand after clashes erupted in Myanmar on Monday. (EPA)

der guard forces” met with fierce resistance.

The violence came a day after an election that was strongly criticized

by Western governments because of widespread complaints of intimidation and the detention of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington would maintain “rigorous sanctions” against the regime while it holds political prisoners, abuses human rights and refuses dialogue with the opposition. The electoral process was “severely flawed, precluded an inclusive, level playing field, and repressed

fundamental freedoms” Clinton said. Many areas were uncontested by pro-democracy candidates because of major financial and other hurdles. A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said voter turnout was estimated at more than 60 percent but the results from the whole country could take one week.

However, with 25 percent of the seats in parliament reserved for military appointees whatever the outcome, the two main pro-junta parties needed to win just another 26 percent from the elected seats to secure a majority.

Despite the regime’s unpopularity its political proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), was expected to fare well, helped by huge financial and campaigning advantages as well as a climate of fear.

In many constituencies the poll was a two-way battle between the USDP and the National Unity Party (NUP), which is the successor to late dictator Ne Win’s party and also closely aligned with the military.

Although it was unclear when the results would be announced, the poll seemed to have gone largely according to the generals’ plan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president has accused India of rejecting what he termed peace overtures made earlier this year, a sign of how far apart the neighboring countries remain two years after relations crumbled in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Asif Ali Zardari made the comments late Sunday just hours after President Barack Obama urged the two nations to resolve their differences through dialogue. Obama was speaking to students in Mumbai, where he was on the second day of a four-day visit to India.

The US president said in Delhi that he was ready to play “any role” requested by India and Pakistan to foster peace between them as he moved delicately to address tensions between the neighbors.

“We are happy to play any role the parties think is appropriate,” Obama said at a joint news conference with India’s Prime Minister Manmoham Singh.

After the news conference, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reiterated that his country was willing to talk to India and was committed to eliminating terrorism and dismantling any networks operating from his country.

“We condemn terrorism. We do not and will not allow Pakistani soil to be used against anyone and that includes India,” he told India’s CNN-

IBN news channel. “We have taken considerable steps in the last two years to deal with this situation.”

Better ties between India and Pakistan would help Washington in the war in Afghanistan because it would allow Islamabad to shift troops to the western border to fight militants there.

Moreover, Pakistan’s alleged support for the Taleban in Afghanistan is motivated partly by its fear of Indian influence there.

Islamabad invited India’s foreign minister for talks in July in Islamabad, but they achieved little except public recriminations on both sides.

“The democratic civil government went out of the way in our peace overtures toward India,” Zardari said in a speech to a South Asian journalist association, a copy of which was released Monday. “It would have been most helpful if our initiatives had been welcomed and responded to in a positive manner.” Zardari said Pakistan was cooperating in bringing to justice those behind militant attacks.

Pakistan has arrested seven people in connection with the Mumbai attacks, but their trials have not properly begun yet.

Pakistan’s army and spy agencies — which operate largely out of the control of Zardari’s government — have for years treated militants who attack India as allies, not enemies.

Analysts say they have not fully severed their ties with such groups.

7

US drafts timetable for Afghan transition AGENCIES

LONDON/KABUL: The US commander in Afghanistan has drafted a timetable for the handing over of control of its provinces to local security forces, The Times newspaper reported Monday. US Gen. David Petraeus’s color-coded map, which will be presented to NATO leaders at a summit in Lisbon on Nov. 19, contains a small number of “green” areas which are designated for handover within six months.

The plan indicates that the western province of Herat is due for an early handover, while NATO forces are expected to remain in the violence-torn southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand for at least two more years. Alliance diplomatic sources told the newspaper that Petraeus did not want the map to be published, fearing certain provinces and districts would become “bull’seye” targets for the Taleban.

The sources added that Petraeus will use the Lisbon summit to reaffirm that the changeover will be a gradual process of NATO withdrawal and strengthening of Afghan forces.

Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces, with violence mainly concentrated in nine to the south and east. Of over 300 districts within the provinces, it is hoped that around two-thirds could be handed over without serious risk.

The summit is expected to give full support to the proposals which support US President Barack Obama’s promise that he will begin pulling US troops out of Afghanistan from July next year. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that the Afghan government’s plan to take over security from foreign troops by 2014 was realistic.

But the head of Britain’s armed forces, Gen. Sir David Richards, ruled out any reduction before 2012 in the British force of more than 9,500 in Afghanistan.

Richards told the Sun newspaper they had to stay for “as long as it takes,” adding: “We are in a demanding part of Afghanistan and therefore, inevitably, we’re going to be shouldering the burden at least through next year.”

8

OP-ED

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

EDITORIALS

A welcome move Some 23,000 people die each year from smoking-related diseases in the Kingdom

T

HE good news is that smokers at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah are now being fined for lighting up. Not before time. There have been “No Smoking” signs up at the airport and others in the Kingdom for months. But they have been ignored despite the fact that there was already a royal decree in place banning smoking in public buildings.

Smoking is potentially deadly. The Health Ministry estimates that six million people, mostly men but over half a women as well, smoke 15 billion cigarettes a year. That works out at an average of just over two packets per smoker per week. As a result, 23,000 people die each year from smoking-related diseases.

Saudi Arabia has to go a lot further if that figure is to be brought down and attitudes to smoking change. It can be done. The drop in smoking in countries where bans have been enforced proves it.

Everything depends on the determination of the authorities. Until now the emphasis has been on awareness campaigns. They have great value if linked to a change in the law. But if they are all there is, they will not work. They have about as much chance as an anti-settlement campaign among Jewish settlers on the West Bank. People will do what they want to do unless curbed by force. Even laws are not enough if they are not enforced. Only now is action being taken at Saudi airports because a specific law against smoking there came into effect on Nov. 1 and because the General Authority for Civil Aviation was told to implement it and impose a SR200 fine on offenders.

Jeddah’s Serafi Mall has also just banned smoking. It is to be congratulated for such a responsible move. But it cannot be left solely to private businesses to act. A ban by this restaurant or that shopping mall will only scratch the surface of the issue.

Something much bigger is required. The ban on smoking in public buildings has to be extended to include malls, shops, restaurants and places of entertainment such as football stadiums. And, as with the airports, there has to be a set fine for those who break the law — and an even heftier one for premises that allow people to do so. It will work.

People here abide by anti-smoking laws when visiting Dubai or London.

It is the same with traffic laws. They act responsibly when in Bahrain or elsewhere, but on Saudi streets they jump traffic lights and ignore speed limits because the chances of getting caught are minimal — or were, until the introduction of the Sahel automated traffic control system. The system, with its fines, has reduced traffic accidents.

There is no automated system as yet to film and fine illicit smokers — and probably never will be. It will have to be left to the police or some other authority to enforce smoking bans. Stopping people smoking at the country’s airports is only the first step. There have to be more. We are confident that they will come. It is the way the world is going. Through bans, through awareness programs, through its becoming increasingly socially unacceptable, smoking will be forced into retreat.

Showdown in Seoul

T

he G20 will need to consider ideas of managing trade if it is to avoid an unseemly trade squabble, said The Guardian in an editorial on Monday. Excerpts: To get an idea of the kind of pressure Barack Obama is under this week, as he heads to South Korea for the G20 summit of leading economies, take a look at a recent video from a group called Citizens Against Government Waste. Easy to find on the Web, it is set in a classroom 20 years from now. A Chinese professor asks students “Why do great nations fail?”, and charts the decline of the US — which apparently borrowed and spent its way into collapse. “We owned most of their debt,” he explains in front of a flag of the People’s Republic. “So now they work for us.” The classroom laughs.

Hysterical? Surely. But this video undeniably reflects a wider national anxiety, one played out on Capitol Hill, cable news, and the op-ed columns: If crisis-hit America is losing its economic pole position, say the worrymongers, it is still-booming China that will overtake it. And so the free trade and open markets that Bill Clinton and George Bush told voters were so important for national prosperity are now depicted as part of the reason why America is struggling to find its groove.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Economic crises have a habit of reviving protectionist politics. Within months of the Great Crash of 1929, Washington politicians brought in the Smoot-Hawley tariff, which slapped duties on tens of thousands of imported goods. When policy wonks talk about the harm done by trade wars, it is the Great Depression they normally mine for their richest source material. This time around, the Obama administration is complaining about Chinese manipulation of its currency, which make its exports more competitive.

For their part, the Chinese, and plenty of others besides, grumble that the new round of quantitative easing begun by the American central bank last week will weaken the dollar and so harm their exporters. In many cases, governments are moving from words to action. In Canada, the administration last week all but killed an Australian takeover bid for a fertilizer company, ruling that it was not “of net benefit” to the country.

And it is not alone in shooing away foreign cash; a study last week by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development totted up a whole series of protectionist measures by governments around the world, from Australia to Saudi Arabia.

Israel digging its own grave We see the paradox of eternal aggressors posing as eternal victims BY refusing to make any real concessions to achieve peace, Earlier this month, Yadlin came out with a grave warning. “The recent security calm is Israel is digging its own grave. Israelis exist in a state of low-key unprecedented,” he said, “but there should be no mistake that there are efforts (by elements) fear of obliteration that has become absorbed into their psyche. in the area to grow stronger. The next military confrontation will not be between Israel and They’re so used to it that it has become part of who they are. The another country but between Israel and two or three different fronts at the same time. It will Jewish state may call itself a democracy but in fact it’s a milita- not be similar to anything we have grown accustomed to during the Second Lebanon War or rized entity always alert to criticism and attacks from its foes Operation Cast Lead,” he told a Knesset panel.

Yadlin predicted a far greater threat from a strengthened Syria that has acquired within and without.

If Israelis feel vulnerable it’s their own fault. They’ve had advanced S-300 anti-aircraft mobile systems from Russia. “The effective, deadly missiles will several opportunities to make peace during past decades but, on make it more difficult for the air force to have freedom of operations,” he said. He further each occasion, they’ve chosen to hang on to Palestinian land warned that Hezbollah is also growing stronger in terms of advanced weaponry and expects illegally grabbed in 1967. They believe they have the right to S-300 missiles will be passed by Damascus to Hezbollah’s military wing.

LINDA HEARD continually flout international humanitarian law, send assassisierra12th@yahoo.co.uk nation squads around the world and militarily threaten neighrecent report published by A-Sharq Al-Awsat expresses the concerns of a former Lebanese President Amin Gamayel that Hezbollah may be plotting with its allies to boring Lebanon, Syria and Iran without any comeback. They see take over Lebanon and turn it into an Iranian satellite or a launching pad to attack themselves as eternal victims when they are, in reality, the region’s aggressors.

This type of siege mentality reminds me of the abandoned dog I recently found cowering the Jewish state. If that is the plan, a fuse may be lit by indictments of Hezbollah members in the street that I felt compelled to bring home. He never stopped growling and snarling and expected to be issued next month by the UN tribunal tasked with investigating the assassinawhen approached he sank his teeth into my hand. The difference is that dog was acting tion of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denies any involvement and has, instead, produced instinctually; he didn’t possess the thought processes needed to realize that offering his paw evidence that points the finger at Israel. On Tuesday, one of Hezbollah’s top officials Naim in friendship was the fastest route to his own comfort and security.

Israelis have the necessary, exclusively human, critical faculties to understand that Qassem told the BBC that any indictment constitutes “a warning bell equivalent to lighting the fuse, to igniting the wick for an explosion, and is dangerous aggression begets aggression but their addiction to power and Peace would put an end to Israel’s for Lebanon.” It goes without saying that an Iranian satellite on expansionism acts as a veil over reason. Each year that passes the its doorstep would also be dangerous for Israel. window for peace narrows. If Israelis fail to lift that veil in the security worries, bring increased There is a very simple answer to such looming regional crises foreseeable future long enough for sincere cooperation with the prosperity, and dampen demographic and to Israel’s ultimate security. Israel holds the key but refuses to peace process, the only alternative is war.

Most Israelis don’t admit their fears that are either buried deep concerns that Israeli Jews will soon be walk through the door. Engaging in a peace process that would involve the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as or converted into bravado. They’ve enjoyed a string of military outnumbered. its capital — blessed by the Palestinians and all Arab League successes in the past and until they received an unexpected beating from Hezbollah in 2006 they thought their army was invincible. Since, they have become member countries — would put a lid on any bubbling conflict and diminish the crowdfar more vulnerable. Israel may be a nuclear-armed power but a nuclear capability is worth pleasing abilities of Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Tehran has indicated on several occasions that it would endorse the will of the Palestinians little against Lebanon or Syria due to its close proximity while any nuclear attack on Iran should any peace process be sealed and would be expected to quit saber rattling. At the same would affect its US ally that has a substantial presence in the vicinity. time, Hezbollah’s military raison d’être, as the only organization capable of defending he next regional war will be no picnic and it appears that Netanyahu’s government Lebanon from the Israeli aggressor, would be substantially weakened once Lebanon’s only is acutely aware of impending danger primarily from Iran. In May, Israel began dis- foe is rendered benign.

And from a broader world perspective, Middle East peace would likely diminish the numtributing gas masks to its population and there are plans to dig massive underground bunkers, each one capable of protecting tens of thousands of citizens from biological or bers of recruits queuing up to join extremist entities such as Al-Qaeda.

Peace would put an end to Israel’s security worries, bring increased prosperity, and chemical attacks. The first of eleven will hold 5,000 and is scheduled to be built 260 feet down under a Jerusalem train station with a 35-mile-long tunnel linking it to a central dampen demographic concerns that Israeli Jews will soon be outnumbered. Moreover, there bunker in Tel Aviv. It will be equipped with supplies of food and water for the long term as would be no more anti-Israel boycotts, no need for all young Israelis to be conscripted into well as sophisticated air filtering machinery, communications tools and everything needed military service, no necessity for such high taxation — and Israelis could go out into the world with their heads held high. for medical emergencies.

US President Barack Obama’s inability to give this country addicted to war a dose of tough No government would undertake such an extensive and expensive project in today’s cashstrapped times unless it viewed the potential threat as real. Certainly Israel’s outgoing head love is doing Israelis no favors. The million-shekel question is this: What will it take for Israelis to say ‘Enough already!’ of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin thinks it is.

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OPINION

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

9

A group held together by Fox TV, big money The Tea Party is not a new phenomenon, it’s simply a new name for America’s hard right

Research conducted over several months by the Washington Post to contact every Tea Party group in the country found that many did not exist. Seventy percent said they had not been involved in a political event in a year — a year in which the Tea Party was credited with transforming the nation’s politics.

“When a group lists themselves on our website, that’s a group,” Mark Meckler, a founding member of the Tea Party Patriots, told the Post. “That group could be one person, it could be 10 people, it could come in and out of existence — we don’t know.”

GARY YOUNGE | THE GUARDIAN

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ECTURES about fiscal responsibility from the occupants of a plush suite on the 20th floor of one of the fanciest hotels in Las Vegas stick in the craw like a slice of cantaloupe swallowed sideways. Appropriately, the Tea Party Express’s open bar, trays of fruit and skyline view at the Aria hotel on election night smacked more of a corporate event than a political, let alone a populist, one. his is less of a criticism than a description. Movement-building is hard, messy work that, if it is to be truly at grassroots At one stage I turned to a man standing next to me and asked if he was a Tea Party supporter. “No,” he said. “I was level, produces uneven results. In that sense it’s no different from, say, the anti-war movement, and would have been about hoping you were.” He was a State Department official who had brought some foreign journalists in the hope of meeting some real as successful were not it for two key factors.

Tea Party supporters to interview. But they couldn’t find any. There is a reason for that.

The first is that the Tea Party has its own “news” channel — Fox — devoted to its growth. It promotes Tea Party demonstrations The “Tea Party” does not exist. It has no members, leaders, office bearers, headquarters, policies, participatory structures, budget or representatives. The Tea Party is shorthand for a broad, shallow sentiment about low taxes and small government shared by as though they are events of national celebration and showcases those who pose as its leaders as though they are national celebriloosely affiliated, somewhat like-minded people. That doesn’t mean the right isn’t resurgent. It is. But the forces driving its political ties. Second, it has money. A lot of it. When it comes to elections it has the backing of huge amounts of money from private corporations and individuals who are behind institutions — like the Tea Party Express, Freedomworks, Americans for Prosperity and Tea energy are not those that underpinned its recent electoral success.

The Tea Party is not a new phenomenon. It’s simply a new name for an old phenomenon — the American hard right. Over the Party Patriots — which are run by people with a proven track record of right-wing Republican activism.

The relationship between these organizations and the base of people who call themlast two years the term has provided a rallying point for a coalition of disparate groups, most of which have been around for many years. Minutemen (anti-immigrant vigilantes), Most of the characters now closely associated with selves Tea Party supporters is episodic and erratic. They show up in different places where they sense an opportunity for a breakthrough, throw money at it, attract media attention birthers (who deny that Obama was born in the US), Promise Keepers (Conservative the Tea Party are not new to right-wing politics. for it, and then see what sticks. Sometimes it works, sometimes it backfires — mostly it Christian men), Oath Keepers (military and police, retired and current, who vow to resist makes barely any difference. They have no organic, let alone democratic, relationship unconstitutional government “by any means necessary”), Fox News watchers, Glenn Beck They have just moved from the margins to the with the grassroots that they claim, in some way, to represent. Sarah Palin, for example, lovers and Rush Limbaugh listeners who had no unifying identity before. endorsed 64 candidates this season. Half of them won last Tuesday; 10 lost in the primaHaving a name helps. It has offered a political identity to a significant number of people mainstream. What we witnessed on Tuesday was ries, 19 lost in the general elections, and three races are still too close to call. Her support who were either not active or might not have understood themselves to be in any way connected. That name has helped reorient the stated priorities of the right away from not a realignment of American politics but the first is important, but hardly decisive.

It would be too easy to deduce from this that the Tea Party is simply a creation of big social issues and toward fiscal ones. But this is no more than the old whine in new bottles. real test of the reconfiguration of the balance of business and the right-wing media. Neither, alone, can explain the 50 or so conservative Most of the characters now closely associated with the Tea Party are not new to right-wing forces in the American right. old men who have met at the Nugget Casino in Pahrump, a hard-scrabble town in rural politics. They have just moved from the margins to the mainstream. Sharron Angle, the failed Nevada, every Friday for the last five years, or most of the other groups I have seen around Senate candidate from Nevada, has held state office since 1998. While in the 42-member state assembly she voted no so often on consensual matters that such votes were sometimes referred to as “41-to-Angle”. The much-maligned the country. It would also be too naive to suggest that such groups would boast anything other than a marginal presence without Delaware Tea Party candidate, Christine O’Donnell, stood unopposed in the Republican primary in 2008 before going on to challenge Joe big money and media to amplify their voices.

What we witnessed on Tuesday was not a realignment of American politics but the first real test of the reconfiguration of the Biden. These people didn’t join the Tea Party, the “Tea Party” term attached itself to them. balance of forces in the American right. Exit polls show an electorate even more polarized than two years ago, where registered T is difficult to imagine a candidate earning the Tea Party label who is not against abortion, for the simple reason that no independents swung to Republicans but self-described moderates continued to back the Democrats. Sixty percent of the seats that such candidate could exist. White Christian evangelicals still formed one of the most crucial bedrocks of last week’s Republican the Democrats lost were in districts where John McCain beat Obama in 2008.

Last December I interviewed Rand Paul, after he addressed about 12 people in a small town in Leitchfield, Kentucky, and asked what success — comprising 25 percent of the electorate and giving 79 percent of their vote to the GOP. That’s far more clout than the Tea Party meant to him. “I call it the national open mic movement,” he joked. “It’s kind of good in a way. Some people were tired black and Latino votes combined give the Democrats.

At first the term Tea Party helped us understand the insurgent, inchoate force that took to the streets last year; now it may be of not being able to speak their piece. But I don’t think it has a cohesion yet. It’s yet to be seen whether it can transform itself.”

Back then Paul was a rank outsider; now he is a senator-elect. The Tea Party still has no cohesion, but it has been transhindering analysis of its more choreographed march to power. For when people ask what the Tea Party will do, talk about Tea Party demands, or lay down Tea Party threats, they mistake (willfully or otherwise) the Tea Party for a coherent formation with power formed. Not from the inside or below, but from the outside and above. Its name reflects a popular mood, its actions reflect an elite capability. of cohesive action. It’s not.

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Obama’s Jakarta trip may repair frayed ties DAVID FOX | REUTERS

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S President Barack Obama visits his childhood home of Jakarta this week a weakened leader who has lost much of the goodwill that followed his election, but he may get a boost from an unlikely source: China.

Obama arrives in Indonesia, fresh from a mauling at midterm polls that has diminished his stature at home and abroad, and just as strategic rival China is trying to play an increasingly assertive role in the region.

But China may have been overplaying its hand — and that gives Obama an opportunity.

Beijing’s hawkish behavior over maritime disputes involving several Asian nations has concerned Indonesia and other countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and they are looking to Washington to act as a balancing force that helps them protect their interests and steer an independent course.

“Gloating references to the decline of American power and the coming demise of American influence were the daily staple of the Asian intelligentsia and media until recently,” wrote Anindya Bakrie, a businessman and son of leading Indonesian political powerbroker Aburizal Bakrie, in the Jakarta Post newspaper. “Then came the South China Sea dispute and the Asian mood soured considerably.

ASEAN nations turned to Washington for help in facing what they saw as an increasingly assertive and intransigent Beijing.”

So while Washington may have squandered some of its goodwill, it still may be able to bolster its regional influence. “The United States’ lack of interest in Southeast Asia during much of the 2000s, though that is changing, opened the door for China,” said Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. “But China has done itself some damage in the region, and also in Indonesia, by taking a more aggressive public posture over the past year on a lot of issues, like the South China Sea.” Most Indonesians rejoiced when Obama was elected president two years ago — the world’s largest Muslim country saw him as a leader who not only could repair ties with the Islamic world but who also had a special understanding of a country he lived in as a boy. But the honeymoon is definitely over.

“Obama is weakened at home, and is weakened in the world now,” said Wimar Witoelar, a veteran political commentator and former Indonesian presidential spokesman. “Excitement here has long gone over his visit. But one must not misunderstand — support is still here.”

Obama has twice canceled previous planned visits. Even his latest trip — he is scheduled to arrive today for a 24-hour visit — is in some doubt because of concerns over volcanic ash from repeated eruptions of Indonesia’s Mount Merapi.

Indonesia’s importance as an ally of the United States is rising. A decade ago, Washington’s primary interest was securing Jakarta’s cooperation in crushing militant groups in the region loyal to Al-Qaeda. That effort has been a success — while the militant threat still exists, it is greatly diminished. But now Indonesia’s growing economic and geopolitical clout make it the key player in Southeast Asia.

Regarded as the region’s basket case until recently, Indonesia is now seen as joining the “BRIC” bloc of emerging economic powerhouses Brazil, Russia, India and China, and hopes to attain an investment grade sovereign rating before long. With authoritarianism on the rise in Thailand, Indonesia also stands out as the torchbearer for democracy in Southeast Asia.

“We see in Indonesia the intersection of a lot of key American interests and we see this as a partnership that is very important to the future of American interests in Asia and the world,” said US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes.

Obama will announce increased aid for education and seek to deepen relationships on economic and security issues. Obama and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono — who like his US counterpart faces waning popularity after an initial tide of enthusiasm — are expected to sign the “Comprehensive Partnership” pact they agreed a year ago.

“The partnership includes major initiatives in trade and investment, maritime security, counterterrorism, higher education, and climate change cooperation, and effectively enhances ties with Indonesia to a substantively new level,” said Ernest Bower, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR HSW, not maid This refers to the article, “Long queues to get housemaid not respectful” by Haya Al-Manie (Nov. 7).

I am a Filipino and it is our great pride to serve other people. Our people leave their homes in the Philippines in spite of uncertainty about what kind of life awaits them in the Kingdom. They did not come here to be embarrassed and humiliated.

Please be informed that we do not use the term “maid” anymore. We call ourselves “household service workers” (HSW) in recognition of our outstanding and remarkable dedication to the work we have chosen.

It is indeed unfair that “household service workers” are being accused of crimes just because some of them have run away from their sponsors.

Take into consideration those Saudi nationals who have employed HSW for more than a decade. I have an employer who up to now has employed only Filipinos. It shows that Saudis prefer Filipinos to locals. Why? It is because of their immense enthusiasm and love for their job.

Saudi men spend long hours in queues just for these reasons. They know Filipinos are honest, capable and trustworthy. They understand moral values; they can give good guidance to the children when the parents are at work.

Saudis are not obliged to hire HSW, locals or expatriates, if they can’t afford one. Saudi families can continue their lives, perform household chores if parents and children, cooperate with each other and, get proper orientation.

But if you employ a HSW you should show them respect because they deserve it. Every year there are cases of complaints filed at the Philippine Embassy here in Riyadh, about labor malpractices, rape and worse still, unsolved deaths.

There are employers who do not know how to value life. “Khaddamas” are not animals to be fed with spoiled and leftover foods, their bodies are not ashtrays, they are no machines that works 24 hours and they are also not women who are ready to do anything for some extra money.

Andrew Larce Riyadh

Obama in India This is regarding your editorial about US President Barack Obama’s visit to India.

Yes, this is more of a business trip with

Let them prosecute Tony Blair I read in Arab News (Nov. 6) that under British law any one can be prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity even if they were not committed in Britain and President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka has called off his state visit to Britain because of fears of arrest over war crimes.

Can any one prove that Rajapaksa has committed war crimes? Did he order his air force to bomb any neighboring country or ask his armed forces to invade any country to kill or rape innocent civilians?

The first to be prosecuted under the British law should be Tony Blair who, as prime minister of Britain, sent troops to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. The whole world knows the crimes and human rights violations committed by Anglo-American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even if they did not commit any crimes, the invasion of sovereign countries is enough to charge him and Bush with war crimes. The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, which followed World War II, has called the waging of aggressive war “essentially an evil thing... to initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime, differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”

Benjamin Ferencz, a former chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials who successfully convicted 22 Nazi officers says there is a case for trying Bush for the “supreme crime against humanity, an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation.” Nobody in Britain can’t be unaware that their own Blair was Bush’s complicit in the two wars.

MFR By e-mail Obama himself acting as CEO of 200 large American companies. US economy is in the doldrums. Politically also the US is facing difficult times with two unfinished wars and the threat of terrorism.

Hence it is more important for India to analyze what is best in its interests. As things stand now the US needs India more than India needs the US. Indian economy is booming. The US wants business tie-ups with Indian companies. This will create more jobs for Americans.

Hence it is most imperative that India should take this opportunity to further its economic and strategic interests.

Ramesh G. Jethwani Bangalore

2 No sooner had US President Barack Obama landed in India, than the Indian media started an ill-mannered campaign, beseeching, and pleading, almost begging the visiting president to indulge in overt Pakistan-bashing. Obama is into his third day of the visit and calls for the same have only gotten louder and to the extent of seeming ugly and obscene.

It goes to the credit of Obama that he has kept his cool and not said anything to please the Indian media, who want to

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Letters sent from within the Kingdom should include the writer’s name, address, phone and ID numbers. E-mails from readers abroad should include a name and city.

hear nothing but anti-Pakistan outbursts from him! It’s a real shame that blind hostility to Pakistan makes the Indian media forget the norms of hospitality.

In his visit to India, the same treatment was meted out to British Prime Minister David Cameron and he caved in by issuing a hasty comment for which he was duly taken to task by the Pakistani leadership and the British media. Obama obviously is more cerebral and has demonstrated remarkable elan.

India is opposed to third-party interference in Kashmir but its leaders and media waste no time to encourage statements against Pakistan from visiting dignitaries. It’s no rocket science to realize that if India longs for a sustainable and amicable relationship with Pakistan it has to strive for it. No one except themselves can do anything about it.

Pakistan is an extremely important member of the world community, so strategically placed that it can alter the global order for good or bad. Any effort to destabilize Pakistan will only prove catastrophic for the world at large, especially for India.

Pakistan Army is currently busy fighting the extremist elements on its soil and any efforts by the Indian media to incite

hatred will have disastrous ramifications in Kashmir.

Asif Sufi Riyadh

3

US President Barack Obama is now in India — the world’s second fastest growing economy. Is this trip more important than the 2000 visit of Bill Gates and the 2006 visit of George W. Bush?

An increasingly confident India wants recognition of its global weight. It wants a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. It wants the United States to allow exports of dual-use technology.

Obama described US-India relations as the defining partnership of the 21st century before embarking on his historic state visit with a large business delegation. Yes, India’s has proved that “it is slow and steady who wins the race.”

India badly needs the flow of technology from the US. Bush gave India a nuclear deal on a platter without asking for much in return. India’s officials also need to appreciate the form of the new emerging security paradigms.

Siva Sooryaa Riyadh

Letters should be mailed to P.O. Box 10452, Jeddah 21433, Saudi Arabia Fax: 02-283-6228 • E-mail: letters@arabnews.com

10

ECONOMY

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

NEWS IN BRIEF

Indian catalog show in Dammam n DAMMAM: The Indian Embassy has organized a multisector catalog exhibition at the Asharqia Chamber in Dammam on Wednesday at 10 am It is expected to bring together Saudi and Indian business executives.

Asharqia Chamber Acting Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al-Wabel and Manohar Ram, deputy chief of mission at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, will open the show.

The exhibition will remain open for everybody from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition will showcase catalogs, CDs and other product literature from Indian companies engaged in various businesses in the Kingdom.

Nasair to expand Pakistan Haj ops n JEDDAH: The first flight carrying 150 pilgrims from Pakistan by nasair landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah on Saturday and the second flight carrying another 150 pilgrims landed on Monday. Simon Stewart, nasair CEO, said, “nasair has lately focused on the transportation of pilgrims after carrying over 25,000 pilgrims during the 2009 pilgrimage season and we considered this as a positive incentive to expand nasair services in this area, particularly with the continued expansion of nasair routes, which has now reached 24 international and domestic destinations.”

UAE cuts spending by 6% in budget n DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates government has decided to cut public spending in the 2011 federal budget by six percent and expects to end the year without a deficit, press reports said on Monday.

Spending is projected at 41 billion dirhams ($11.17 billion) in 2011 compared to 43.63 billion dirhams ($11.89 billion) for the current fiscal year, Gulf News reported. The UAE Cabinet approved total public spending for the next three fiscal years of 122 billion dirhams (33.2 billion dollars), the daily said.

KIPCO Q3 profit rises slightly n KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait Projects Co., the biggest private holding firm in the Gulf state, said on Monday its net profit for the third quarter of 2010 rose slightly but nine-month income declined sharply. KIPCO posted a net profit of 21.5 million dinars ($76.8 million) in the three months to September 30, up just 1.6 percent on 21.15 million dinars ($75.5 million) posted in the same period of 2009.

Aramex eyes 4-5 acquisitions n DUBAI: United Arab Emirates courier firm Aramex is eyeing acquisitions in Africa and Asia, the company’s chief executive said on Monday. Fadi Ghandour said the focus for acquisitions would be in southeast Asia, Africa and CIS countries.

“There’s going to be four to five acquisitions by Q1 2011 in Asia and Africa and at least three before year-end,” he added.

Drake profit dips; plans expansion n DUBAI: Dubai contractor Drake & Scull International reported a 45 percent drop in profit on Monday, below expectations, as the company focuses on expanding its operations and entering new markets. Net profit in the June-September quarter fell 45 percent from a year earlier to 34.1 million dirhams ($9.3 million), the developer said.

— Compiled by Arab News

Kingdom’s house, land prices rise in H2: Report ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Housing and land prices in Saudi Arabia continue to rise as a growing population and expectations of a long-awaited mortgage law drive demand, according to Banque Saudi Fransi’s H2 real estate survey.

The half-yearly survey released on Monday — which covers Makkah, Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province cities of Dammam, Alkhobar and Dhahran — shows a broad acceleration in asking sale and rental prices for apartments, villas and plots of land in the Kingdom.

Large apartment prices across the biggest Arab economy climbed 4.7 percent in the second half of the year while smaller apartments gained 8 percent, the survey report said. Residential land plots rose 8.3 percent.

With a population of 27 million, 70 percent under the age of 30, Kingdom needs to build one million housing units to meet 80 percent of expected demand over the next four years.

Villa sale prices have jumped across the country, including median gains for small villas at 19 percent in Riyadh and 17.1 in Jeddah since the first half of the year (H1).

Median residential land prices rose 8.3 percent across the Kingdom, while plot prices jumped 10 percent or more in Alkhobar and Dammam.

Apartment sale prices climbed moderately in all 12 areas surveyed, with asking prices returning to 2008 levels in Riyadh after 2009 drops.

Rents for large apartments have gone up by median 8.1 percent since H1. Villa rents have risen

almost 10 percent and office rents climbed for the first time in two years.

Saudi Arabia has been, for years, working on a mortgage law to make home ownership more affordable for its young population. But the law, which was expected to come out this year, has been delayed.

“Anticipation that a long awaited mortgage law will be introduced by the first quarter of 2011 has energized demand for land and finished properties as buyers hope the regulatory framework will unleash pent-up demand in the coming years,” the report said.

In addition to large demand by the 18 million locals, an increase in the number of expatriates in the country have contributed to a rise in residential rent costs, a trend that is expected to continue.

Median villa rent prices climbed

almost 10 percent while large apartment rents rose by 8.1 percent in the second half, the survey said.

“Rising rents have been a key driver of historically high consumer price inflation... and the pressures are unlikely to let up.

Following a dip in home rental rates in the first half of this year, survey findings indicate that rents are accelerating quite quickly in the Kingdom,” the report said.

Office rents and commercial land plots also increased, although to a lesser degree than the residential units.

Average annual office rents climbed 2.6 percent in the second half of this year, but are still 20.4 percent from a year ago, while the cost of commercial land plots rose by 1.6 percent according to the median, the survey showed.

— With input from agencies

Zain agrees to open books for Etisalat AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s Zain telecom said on Monday it has agreed to open its books for due diligence to UAE operator Etisalat which has offered to buy a controlling stake in the firm worth around $12 billion.

The move follows a formal request by Al-Khorafi Group, the largest private shareholder in Zain,

said a statement posted on Zain’s website after a lengthy meeting by the board of directors on Sunday.

“Following the meeting, the Zain board announced that it had formally accepted the (Al-Khorafi) request to permit Etisalat to commence this process,” added the statement, which was also posted on Kuwait bourse website.

“Furthermore, Zain’s executive

management will fully cooperate with Etisalat in completing all the necessary procedures of the due diligence, while at the same time ensuring the preservation of the company and shareholder interests,” it said.

“It is important to note that one of the conditions for completing the transaction is the sale of Zain Group’s stake in its mobile opera-

tion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement said.

Etisalat, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the biggest telecoms provider in the region by market value, said on Wednesday it had signed a preliminary agreement with Khorafi Group to buy 51 percent of Zain shares traded on the Kuwait Stock Exchange at 1.7 dinars ($6.1) per share.

World Bank head seeks return to gold standard REUTERS

LONDON: Leading economies should consider adopting a modified global gold standard to guide currency rates, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said on Monday in a surprise proposal before a potentially acrimonious G20 summit.

Writing in the Financial Times, Zoellick called for a “Bretton Woods II” system of floating currencies as a successor to the Bretton Woods fixed-exchange rate regime that broke down in the early 1970s.

The former US trade representative, who served in several Republican administrations, said such a move “is likely to need to involve the dollar, the euro, the yen, the pound and (a yuan) that moves toward internationalization and then an open capital account.

“The system should also consider employing gold as an international reference point of market expectations about inflation, deflation and future currency values,” he added.

Analysts were cautious. “Going forward that would be something that we could look toward, but it’s not going to happen within a short period of time,” said Ong Yi Ling, analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, adding that gold prices barely reacted to the comments.

Gold briefly hit a record high of $1,398.35 an ounce in early trade on Monday on concerns of a continued weakening dollar trend after the US Federal Reserve last week acted to resume buying Treasuries.

That policy has fed acrimony among leading economies in the Group of 20 in the run-up to their

Italian help desk to be set up in Saudi Arabia to promote trade MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: In an effort to promote economic cooperation between Italy and Saudi Arabia, a help desk is to be set up in the Kingdom to help Saudi businessmen know of business opportunities in Italy.

Emma Marcegagli, president of the Italian employers' federation, Confindustria, said that it was during talks with Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Zainal Alireza that both parties agreed to set up an Italian desk in the Kingdom to help local businessmen.

"We have still not decided where to locate the help desk. Our preference is to have it at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, but we also feel that such a center would be more useful if it is located at the headquarters of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA),” she said.

She said the help desk will focus on Italian SMEs. "We have proved our excellence in this particular field by establishing 4.5 million SMEs in Italy," she said.

Marcegagli accompanied a team

Emma Marcegagli

of 250 individuals, which included representatives from 130 companies, 10 banks and senior government officials including Minister of Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini and Italian Minister for Economic Development Paolo Romani.

Describing her brief visit to the Kingdom as fruitful, Marcegagli said Italy has extended an invitation to Alireza who has kindly accepted to visit the country in April next year.

She said that such visits would strengthen existing bilateral relations between the two countries.

She added that a visit by SAGIA officials to Italy is also due early next year. She added that there is a

SAGIA office in Rome and that a delegation headed by a senior official from the SAGIA headquarters will be more effective to help the Kingdom penetrate the Italian market.

She said that this was the largest delegation to ever come to the Kingdom from Italy. "In future, we will bring a sectoral delegation to focus on particular products and services in the Kingdom," she said, adding that there are plenty of business opportunities in the Kingdom for Italian entrepreneurs and there are adequate chances for Saudi businessmen in Italy.

She added that there are only 30 Saudi students studying in Italy, compared to 30,000 in the United States. “We have good universities that could cater to the needs of Saudi youths,” she said.

Amazed at the presentation made at the SAGIA headquarters, Marcegagli said that Italian companies are interested in partnering with Saudi companies in projects such as renewable energy, transport, information and communication technology, health and education.

NEW YORK: Stocks pulled back Monday as the dollar rose and traders retreated from a rally that brought indexes to their highest levels since the peak of the financial crisis in September 2008.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 40.80, or 0.4 percent, to 11,403.28 in midday trading. It had surged 2.9 percent last week after the Federal Reserved announced a $600 billion stimulus package for the US economy.

The Standard and Poor’s 500 index fell 3.98, or 0.3 percent, to 1,221.87. The Nasdaq composite index slid 0.21, or 0.1 percent, to 2,578.84.

Technology companies were the only group among the 10 industry areas of the S &P 500 index to post gains.

Financial companies were down the most, at 1.3 percent.

“Today is shaping up to be a modest sell-off and that’s to be expected,” said Barnaby Levin, a managing director at HighTower Advisers.

Stocks have risen in recent weeks on better-than-expected corporate earnings reports and the introduction of a bond-buying program by the Federal Reserve that is intended to stimulate the economy by driving interest rates lower and encouraging spending.

The dollar rose 0.7 percent against a broad basket of currencies. That’s a negative for big US companies like Caterpillar Inc. that do a lot of business overseas, since a higher dollar makes their products more expensive in other countries. Caterpillar was off 1.1 percent, and Boeing Co., another big exporter, was off 1.9 percent, making it the biggest loser among the 30 companies that make up the Dow.

Hewlett-Packard’s 1.4 percent gain made it the best performing company among the 30 stocks that make up the Dow, followed by Bank of America Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. The Travelers Co. fell 1.5 percent as the index’s laggard.

The euro fell 1.1 percent from recent highs, in part on renewed concerns about the debt burdens of the weaker economies among countries that use the Euro.

Ireland announced Thursday that it would raise taxes and seek additional cuts in government services to rein in its deficit. Yields on 10-year Irish bonds rose sharply in response. US markets had swooned this spring over concerns that a fiscal crisis in Greece would spread to Portugal, Spain and other weak economies in the euro zone.

Prices for Treasury bonds rose.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond fell slightly to 2.52 percent, from 2.53 percent late Friday.

summit in Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday.

China and Germany, major exporting nations, have both decried the Fed’s quantitative easing — effectively printing money — which is weakening the dollar.

Investors are pumping dollars into emerging markets in search of higher yields, and the potentially destabilizing impact of this, along with big current account deficits and surpluses as well as China’s reluctance to let the yuan appreciate faster, are set to dominate the G20 debate.

France, which takes over the G20 chair after this week’s summit, says it plans to work on a new international monetary system to bring greater currency stability.

Beijing’s central bank chief has suggested an alternative monetary system based on using the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights, a notional unit of value based on a basket of major currencies, instead of the dollar as the sole global reserve currency.

Aramco extends offshore gas work bidding REUTERS

Arup Roy, head of Transaction Banking SABB, receives the award. (AN photo)

SABB bags top honor ARAB NEWS

RIYADH: The Saudi British Bank (SABB) has been named “Best Trade Finance Bank in Saudi Arabia 2010,” one of the banking industry’s most prestigious awards in the world, by Global Finance magazine, the highly reputable international publication.

Arup Roy, head of Transaction Banking SABB, received the award certificate from Joseph D Giarraputo, publisher and editorial director of

Stronger dollar sends US stocks falling DAVID K. RANDALL | AP

Robert Zoellick

Traders will get a better indication of consumer spending later in the week as several major retailers announce earnings. Kohl’s Corp., Macy’s Inc. and J.C. Penny Co. Inc. will release their third-quarter earnings starting Wednesday.

Retailers such as The Gap Inc. and Macy’s rose more than 8 percent last week on better-than-expected October sales that suggest that consumers will increase their spending this holiday season.

Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized and developing nations will meet Thursday and Friday in Seoul. Tensions have risen between the group regarding trade imbalances and the respective strength of the Chinese yuan and the dollar.

Officials from several countries have criticized the Fed’s bond-buying program amid concerns that it will spark asset bubbles in emerging economies.

Global Finance magazine in a ceremony held recently at the National Press Club in Washington DC., US. Nearly 200 senior executives from 90 banks in more than 75 countries attended the two-hour event and received their certificates in front of an audience of their peers and industry experts.

This is the second consecutive year that SABB has been recognized as a market leader for providing innovative solutions to its valued clients.

ALKHOBAR: State oil company Saudi Aramco has extended the deadline for companies to bid for offshore work at non-associated gas fields related to its Wasit program by one month to Dec. 7, industry sources said.

Wasit is Aramco’s second project to develop gas fields that are not associated with oil production to meet rising domestic gas demand.

Work at the first, Karan, which will have a capacity of 1.8 billion cubic feet per day (cfd), is expected to be completed in 2013. The development of Wasit is split into onshore and offshore construction packages.

Last week, foreign engineering companies submitted proposals for the onshore packages to build the plant, which will be the largest in the Kingdom. A source told Reuters that companies has asked for more time to prepare their Wasit bids.

The work calls for the installation of tie-in platforms along with associated pipelines and cables to provide the feed gas to the Wasit central processing facility, Aramco said.

CURRENCIES & BULLION Rates in riyal by one for November 8, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.

Currency

Conversion

Australian Dollar Bahraini Dinar Bangladesh Taka Canadian Dollar Cyprus Pound Danish Kroner Egyptian Pound Euro Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Iranian Riyal Japanese Yen Jordanian Dinar Kenyan Shilling Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Malaysian Ringgit Mauritius Rupee

3.7989 9.9464 0.0533 3.7434 1.4905 0.7012 0.6551 5.2238 0.4838 0.0846 0.00042 0.00036 0.0462 5.3053 0.0466 13.3869 0.0025 1.2131 0.1302

Currency Conversion

Morocco Dirham New Zealand Dollar Norwegian Kroner Omani Riyal Pakistani Rupee Philippine Peso Pound Sterling Qatar Riyal S.African Rand Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Swedish Krona Swiss Francs Syrian Pound Thailand Baht Tunisian Dinar UAE Dirham US Dollar Yemen Riyal

0.4646 2.9601 0.6466 9.7468 0.0440 0.0870 6.0544 1.0307 0.5498 2.9134 0.0336 0.5616 3.8882 0.0812 0.1268 2.7016 1.0210 3.7498 0.0176

168,701

10 Tola

100 Gram

19,677

16,870

The above conversion rates are supplied

by ThomsonReuters.

London

Euro Pound Sterling Japanese Yen Canadian Dollar Danish Crown Australian Dollar

0.7105 0.6180 81.15 0.9997 5.2941 1.0161

New York Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Danish Crown Swedish Krona

0.7180 0.6193 1.0022/24 .9643/45 1.12/16 4.29/34 .3515/27 6.6955/6962

Gold bullion (in dollars) Hong Kong London New York Bombay Karachi

late (Rs. per 10 gm)

37,414

1,389.35 1,394.22 1,399.90 20,150 Silver (London) Spot (late)

26.83

Gold (SR) 1 Kilo

The US dollar November 8, 2010 Currency

Oil ($ a barrel) Brent (late) US (late)

85.33

82.80

Bombay silver: 28,300 (Rs. per kg) London base metals (in dollars per ton) Tin Copper ----Aluminum --Lead --Nickel Zinc -----

ECONOMY

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

TASI dives for second day Obama fires back after

China slams Fed’s plan

ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Late selling condemned Saudi Arabia’s index to a second straight decline.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

(SABIC) fell 0.5 percent, Samba Financial Group lost 0.8 percent and Yanbu National Petrochemical Co.’s (Yansab) dropped 0.9 percent.

The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) closed at 6,431.18 points after gaining 5.03 points; a drop of 0.08 percent. The sector activity for the day was mostly negative with six gaining sectors against nine losing sectors. The gaining sectors ranged from 0.04 percent by the hotel and tourism sector to 0.92 percent by the energy and utilities sector. On the other hand the losing sectors for the day ranged from -0.04 percent by the petrochemical industries sector to -1.47 percent by the transport sector. The overall market breadth for the day was negative with 43 advancers against

REUTERS

Source: FTH

74 decliners giving it an AD ratio of 0.58. The liquidity for the day reached SR3.34 billion, the Financial Transaction House said in its daily market commentary.

In UAE, Dubai Financial Market slumped to a two-month low after the firm swung to a third-quarter loss, while contractor Drake & Scull also declined as its quarterly profit drops, weighing on Dubai’s index. DFM fell 3.1 percent to its lowest level since Sept. 7.

Arabtec dropped 2.9 percent, taking its losses to 7.9 percent in two sessions, after bigger-than-

expected provisions weighed on earnings. Emaar Properties fell 1.1 percent. Telecoms operator Du edged 0.3 percent higher after its quarterly profit more than doubles from the year-earlier period.

The index dropped 0.6 percent to 1,711 points, with support seen at 1,670 points.

Investors dumped Kuwait stocks ahead of Eid. Kuwait bluechips plunged as investors closed positions ahead of an extended break for the Eid Al-Adha holidays, weighing on the country’s index.

— With input from agencies

NEW DELHI: President Barack Obama defended the Federal Reserve’s policy of printing dollars on Monday during a trip to India, after Chinese officials stepped up criticism ahead of this week’s Group of 20 meeting.

The G20 summit has been pitched as a chance for leaders of the countries that account for 85 percent of world output to prevent “currency wars” from spreading to become a rush to protectionism that could imperil the global recovery.

It has been overshadowed by disagreements over the US Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing (QE) policy under which it will print money to buy $600 billion of government bonds, a move that could depress the dollar and cause a potentially destabilizing flow of

money into emerging economies.

“I will say that the Fed’s mandate, my mandate, is to grow our economy. And that’s not just good for the United States, that’s good for the world as a whole,” Obama said.

“And the worst thing that could happen to the world economy, not just ours, is if we end up being stuck with no growth or very limited growth,” he said.

The US has frequently criticized China, saying it deliberately undervalues its currency to boost exports.

Despite US officials repeating the mantra that they believe in a “strong dollar,” China says Washington is engaged in the same thing that it stands accused of.

“As a major reserve currency issuer, for the United States to launch a second round of quantitative easing at this time, we feel that it did not recognize its responsibility

to stabilize global markets and did not think about the impact of excessive liquidity on emerging markets,” Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said at a briefing in Beijing on Monday.

The US quantitative easing policy was unveiled last week to jeers from emerging market powerhouses from Latin America to Asia. Russia renewed its assault on the program on Monday.

“Russia’s president will insist... that such actions are taken with preliminary consultations with other members of global economy,” said Arkady Dvorkovich, a Russian official who is preparing the country’s position in Seoul.

The US measures have triggered concerns over inflation and gold, a traditional hedge against rising prices, briefly powered to a record high above $1,398 an ounce.

US eases curbs on technology exports to India WALID MAZI | ARAB NEWS

NEW DELHI: The US has decided to ease control on exports of technology to India, it was revealed at a joint press conference addressed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama after their one-on-one meeting here.

“This is a manifestation of the growing trust and confidence in each other. We have also agreed on steps to expand our cooperation in space, nuclear and defense and other high-end sectors,” said Singh.

On his part, Obama said the major trade deals, worth about $15

billion, announced in Mumbai on Saturday, were an “important step in elevating India to one of the US’ top trade partners.”

“We agreed to keep working to reduce trade barriers and protectionism. We are already implementing nuclear-civil agreement,” he said, referring to the commitments made by both the leaders to enhance the bilateral cooperation in technology transfer, enhancement of trade and investment flow to create jobs in the respective nations and raise the living standards.

The two countries also agreed to enhance cooperation in several

areas including agriculture. “The cooperation would cover weather and crop forecast, critical to the Indian agriculture which employs more than 50 percent of its people,” Singh said.

Welcoming the US initiatives, Singh said this was essential for sustaining a remarkable growth.

“Our (India’s) objective is to sustain a growth rate of 9-10 percent per annum in the next three decades. And in that process, the help of the US is of enormous significance,” he said.

Singh pointed out that India needed $1 trillion of investment in infrastructure over the next five

years. “We need American assistance by way of capital exports.

India needs an investment of more than a trillion dollars in next five years in its infrastructure development. We welcome American investment in our economy,” Singh said.

“In my discussion with the (US) president, we have decided to accelerate the deepening of our ties and our work as equal partners to strengthen our relationship that will positively and decisively influence world peace, stability and progress,” said the Indian prime minister.

Singh asserted that India was

not trying to snatch jobs from Americans. “India is not in the business of stealing jobs from the US... outsourcing (work to India) has helped improve the productive capacity and productivity of America,” he added.

On outsourcing, Obama said both countries were “operating on stereotypes that have outlived their usefulness.”

The US president said that the deals with India will create 50,000 jobs back home. The purchase of US Cargo planes by India alone will create 22,000 jobs in America, he added.

Defending his promotion of the

fact that the deals were going to create tens of thousands of jobs, Obama said he wants to tell his fellow countrymen that it was “not a one-way street.”

“Whenever I’m asked about Indians taking away our jobs, I want to say, you know what?

They’ve just created 50,000 jobs.”

Obama added.

The Indian prime minister, meanwhile, said that economic growth of the country was necessary to deal with the problem of poverty. “Foremost concerns of the Indian polity is to grapple with the problem of poverty which still afflicts millions of our citizen.

11

Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways posts six-fold profit in third quarter REUTERS

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways posted a nearly six-fold jump in third-quarter net profit on Monday, beating analysts’ forecasts.

Net profit in the three months to September 30 came in at 4.4 million dinars ($15.7 million), compared with 0.76 million dinars in the year earlier period, Jazeera said in a statement, adding that it was the firm’s best-performing quarter since its establishment in 2005.

Analysts surveyed by Reuters had expected the carrier to post an average net loss of 1.1 million dinars in the third quarter.

“This quarter’s results are the direct outcome of the initiatives we’ve put in place since the beginning of the year, starting with the 100 percent acquisition of Sahaab Aircraft Leasing in February and the introduction of the TurnAround Plan in May,” Jazeera’s Chairman Marwan Boodai said in the statement.

Jazeera made a loss of 4.7 million dinars in the second quarter of this year.

In August, the airline canceled a premium on a planned rights issue and said it expected support from its shareholders and lenders to provide liquidity.

The carrier, which aims to fly 82 routes in the Middle East within the next five years, competes with United Arab Emirates-based Air Arabia and Dubai-based carrier flydubai which started operations last year.

Jazeera’s shares closed 10 percent higher on Monday after the market closed.

SPORTS

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Saeed Al-Moori lifts Toyota Autocross title ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Saeed Al-Moori won the two-day final round of Toyota Saudi Star Autocross Championship 2010, which ended on the Jeddah Corniche racetrack over the weekend.

Al-Moori became the overall champion clocking 00:41:837, followed by Majed Al-Ghamdi 00:41:902 and Hatem Neto 00:42:112. “No one can deny that I was the best and I deserve to win,� Al-Moori said of his victory.

Majed Al-Ghamdi, the favorite of the round who participated in Pharaons rally in Egypt 2010, remained the first runner-up.

Thirty-three car racing enthusiasts pitted skills in a marathon battle as each tried to score the maximum under the new points system of scoring. When the dust settled it was Al-Moori who led the podium winners clocking the best time of 00.41.837 in the Camry challenge stage on the second day.

In the first group (SS) Bander Ghaleb won (00:39:181) to move to the second stage. In the second group (AS) Majed Al Ghamdi won with 00:39:960. In the third group (DS) Hatem Neto clocked 42:327. In the fourth group (BS) Abdulrahman Al Harki registered a best time without any mistakes 00:41:220. In the fifth

group (CS), Khaled Al Sadoon won with 00:44:110. In the sixth group (ES) Asem Al Oufi clocked 00:43:792. In the last group (FS), Saeed Al Moori topped with 00:39:488.

The last round of the second day featured the Toyota Camry challenge. All qualified drivers had two trial rounds. Outsmarting his rivals, Al-Moori clinched the championship. It was a thrilling and interesting round where Al-Ghamdi finished second and Hatem Neto third.

Results were calculated on the times the racers achieved on their own cars. Top drivers of each category had to compete again using

two Toyota Camrys. Al-Moori, the flamboyant driver who blazed the tarmac with his skillful and stunt driving, won on the Camry by fraction of a second from his rival Majed Al Ghamdi.

The tournament, held under the supervision of Saudi Automobile Federation (SAF), has helped discover and rediscover many motorsport talents, said Abdullah Bakhashab who organized the event and crowned the round winner in the presence of Fahd Al Tamemi from Jeddah Youth Welfare Office and Waleed Al Shehri from ALJ, Toyota dealer in the Kingdom.

CLASSIFIEDS To advertise your Classified ads, please contact directly your advertising agency or: For Personal Classifieds: Jeddah: +966 2 283 6200 X 3114, Riyadh: +966 1 212 8000 X 1423 Dammam: + 966 3 8353838 X 4105 Email: p.classified@srpc.com

TO SUBSCRIBE TO ARAB NEWS CALL 8002440076

12

SPORTS Zulqarnain lands in England after Dubai no-show REUTERS

LONDON: Pakistan wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has arrived in England after mysteriously disappearing hours before the fifth and final One-Day International against South Africa in Dubai.

Television pictures clearly showed Zulqarnain arriving at Heathrow Airport on Monday afternoon.

Earlier, Pakistan’s team management said the keeper was last seen at the team’s hotel in Dubai early in the morning.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Zulqarnain had not informed them he was planning to leave the hotel nor had he told them the reason for his sudden decision.

“A full inquiry will be held into the circumstances surrounding this incident and no further comment will be made until the facts are known,” the PCB said in a statement.

In a message on his Facebook account, Zulqarnain appeared to suggest he was worried about his personal safety after receiving threats.

“Leaving Pakistan cricket because get bad messages for lose the match in last game,” he wrote.

Pakistan officials reported Zulqarnain’s disappearance to the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security unit, as well as local police.

The 24-year-old scored an unbeaten 19 and hit the winning runs as Pakistan leveled the fivematch series 2-2 in the fourth one-dayer on Friday.

Scoreboard India (first innings): 487 New Zealand (first innings): McIntosh c Dhoni b Khan 0 B. McCullum st Dhoni b Ojha 65 BJ Watling b Ojha 6 56 R. Taylor c Laxman b Harbhajan J. Ryder lbw Sreesanth 103 K. Williamson c Laxman b Ojha 131 41 D. Vettori c Dhoni b Raina G. Hopkins lbw b Ojha 14 14 J. Patel b Sreesanth H. Bennett b Khan 4 C. Martin not out 3 22 Extras: Total: 459 Fall of wkts: 1-8, 2-27, 3-131, 4-137, 5-331, 6-417, 7-417, 8-445, 9-445.

Bowling: Khan 28.4-6-70-2, Sreesanth 26-2-88-2 (5nb), Ojha 53-14-107-4, Harbhajan 43-7-112-1, Sehwag 1-0-7-0, Raina 12-1-42-1, Tendulkar 2-0-16-0.

India (second innings): 0 G. Gambhir c Hopkins b Martin V. Sehwag run out 1 1 R. Dravid c Hopkins b Martin S. Tendulkar b Martin 12 VVS Laxman lbw b Vettori 91 S. Raina c Taylor b Martin 0 MS Dhoni b Martin 22 H. Singh c Watling b Taylor 115 Z Khan lbw b Vettori 0 PP Ojha not out 9 S Sreesanth c Hopkins b Taylor 4 Extras: 11 Total: (all out; 102.4 overs) 266 Fall of wkts: 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-15, 5-15, 6-65, 7-228, 8-228, 9-260 Bowling: Martin 27-8-63-5, Vettori 38-8-81-2, Patel 23-1-72-0, Williamson 4-0-18-0, Taylor 2.4-2-4-2, McCullum 6-1-18-0 New Zealand (second innings): 0 T. McIntosh lbw Khan B. McCullum not out 11 BJ Watling not out 2 Extras: 9 Total: (for 1 wkt) 22 Fall of wkt: 1-4 Bowling: Khan 4-2-7-1, Sreesanth 1-0-4-0, Ojha 3-2-1-0, Raina 1-0-1-0, Dhoni 1-0-5-0 (1w).

His brother Reza said from Lahore that Zulqarnain had expressed fears after receiving threatening messages.

“The last time I spoke to him he told me he was getting threatening messages after the fourth match and to pray for him,” said Reza before adding his family was in touch with Zulqarnain and concerned about his safety.

“We would like to know a lot of things like why did the PCB management give him his passport, were they aware of the threats he had got?” Reza said.

The PCB said Zulqarnain had asked Pakistan officials for his passport.

“Zulqarnain was in possession of his passport at the time he left the hotel, which he had taken from the team management the previous evening for personal use,” said the board.

PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi said that Zulqarnain had breached his central contract.

“He will definitely face an inquiry and disciplinary action whenever he contacts us. But we are concerned about this whole situation,” said Rizvi.

Lahore police official Rana Faisal said they were investigating Zulqarnain’s disappearance.

“We have received no official complaint but taking note of the media reports we have sent some officers to his house (in Lahore) to find out details,” Faisal said.

Zulqarnain has played one Test, four One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 games for Pakistan.

Kallis fires Proteas to ODI series win over Pakistan AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

DUBAI: All-rounder Jacques Kallis scored a brilliant half-century and took three wickets to guide South Africa to a commanding 57-run win over Pakistan in the fifth and final One-Day International here on Monday.

The 35-year-old scored 83 — one of four half-centuries in the innings — to steer South Africa to an impos-

Scoreboard South Africa innings: H. Amla c Akhtar b Afridi 62 G. Smith c Afridi b Akhtar 14 83 J. Kallis c Riaz b Afridi AB de Villiers c Younis b Hafeez 61 JP Duminy not out 59 C. Ingram run out 1 J. Botha not out 28 Extras: 9 Total: (for 5 wkts; 50 overs) 317 Fall of wkts: 1-37, 2-98, 3-219, 4-227, 5-228.

Bowling: Akhtar 7-0-77-1, Razzaq 3-0-18-0, Rehman 10-0-33-0, Afridi 10-0-59-2 (2w), Hafeez 10-0-47-1 (1w), Riaz 8-0-64-0 (2w), Younis 2-0-15-0 Pakistan innings: 39 S.Hasan c Morkel b Kallis M. Hafeez c Kallis b Botha 59 Younis Khan c de Villiers b Kallis 3 M. Yousuf c de Villiers b Kallis 3 1 Fawad Alam c de Villiers b Steyn U.Akmal c Smith b Steyn 60 S. Afridi st de Villiers b Peterson 24 A. Razzaq c Botha b Tsotsobe 39 W. Riaz c Morkel b Peterson 9 9 A. Rehman not out S.Akhtar b Peterson 1 Extras: 13 Total: (Off 50 overs) 260 Fall of wkts: 1-82, 2-90, 3-96, 4-101, 5-119, 6-166, 7-226, 8-245, 9-252.

Bowling: Steyn 8-0-47-2 (2w), Tsotsobe 9-047-1 (1w), Morkel 7-0-45-0, Kallis 5-0-30-3 (3w), Botha 7-0-49-1 (1w), Peterson 8.5-042-3 (3w)

South African bowler Jacques Kallis, center, celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf during the fifth and last day-night international match at the Dubai Cricket Stadium in Gulf emirate on Monday. (AFP)

ing 317-5 before he took 3-30 to dismiss Pakistan for 260 in reply, giving South Africa a 3-2 series win.

Pakistan, hoping to win their firstever bilateral series win over South Africa, were cruising along nicely with openers Mohammad Hafeez (59) and Shahzaib Hasan (39) gave them a robust 82-run start in their quest for their third best-ever chase in one-day cricket.

But Kallis derailed Pakistan’s innings with a triple strike in as many overs, removing Hasan, Younis Khan (three) and Mohammad Yousuf (three) off 13 balls to make his opponents struggle from 82-0 to 96-3.

As if his batting and bowling were not enough, Kallis took a well-judged catch at long-on off fellow paceman Dale Steyn to dismiss Hafeez in the

23rd over. Umar Akmal (60) and Abdul Razzaq (39) briefly threatened during their firey 60-run sixth wicket partnership before South Africa wrap up the innings in the 45th over.

Akmal hit three sixes and one boundary during his 71-ball knock.

It was Kallis who built South African innings after Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to bat.

Kallis propelled the total during his 95-ball innings, adding an invaluable 121 with AB de Villiers (61) for the third wicket and another 61 for the second wicket with Hashim Amla (62).

Kallis, who scored a brilliant 66 in the first match, hit four boundaries before he cut leg-spinner Afridi straight into the hands of Wahab Riaz in the 39th over.

When Kallis reached 81, he com-

pleted 11,000 one-day runs in his 307th match. He became the sixth batsmen to score 11,000 or more runs in 50-over format of the game.

India’s Sachin Tendulkar (17598), Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya (13428), Australian Ricky Ponting (13082), Pakistan’s Inzamam-ulHaq (11739) and Indian Sourav Ganguly (11363) were the others to cross the 11,000-run mark.

Graeme Smith (14) and Amla started at brisk pace to take their team to 37 inside five overs, when Akhtar removed the South African skipper, caught by Afridi.

Amla, when on 23 reached 1,000 one-day runs in 2010, hit eight boundaries and a six to reach his tenth fifty. He hit one more four before holing out to Afridi after his brisk 47-ball knock.

13

Ronaldo wins libel payout over partying claim by paper REUTERS

LONDON: Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo won substantial libel damages on Monday over false British newspaper claims he put a serious ankle injury at risk by dancing the night away with four models in a Hollywood nightclub.

An article published in the Daily Telegraph in July 2008 alleged that on arriving in Los Angeles to attend a sports award ceremony Ronaldo, who was on crutches at the time, “headed straight” for a trendy nightclub.

The story said the Portuguese international, who joined Real from Manchester United for a world record transfer fee of 80 million pounds last year, cast his crutches aside and danced with the models into the night while being served “10,000 pounds worth of Cristal champagne.”

The piece also carried a photograph of the player saying his then club manager, Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson, would be shocked at the sight of him “living it up” and jeopardizing his recovery.

His lawyer, Allan Dunlavy, argued in London’s High Court that the story was completely fabricated and caused him significant embarrassment, offense and distress.

The newspaper accepted the allegations were false and should never have been published. It agreed to pay the player substantial undisclosed damages as well as legal costs, the Press Association reported. “...while he did attend the nightclub in question, he did not drink any alcohol at all whilst there, nor at any time whilst in Los Angeles,” Dunlavy said.

Bhajji hits maiden ton to earn India draw Big guns crash at Asian Games soccer REUTERS

AHMEDABAD: Harbhajan Singh emerged as India’s unlikely batting hero when he scored his maiden hundred to bail the hosts out of a tight situation for a draw in the first Test against New Zealand on Monday.

The right-handed batsman, who had hit a career-best 69 in the first innings, combined in a 163-run partnership with Vangipurappu Laxman for the seventh wicket, and put paid to any hopes the visitors had of winning.

A fiery spell of fast bowling by Chris Martin had reduced India to 15 for five on Sunday, and it required a dogged innings from the dependable Laxman (91) and the unlikely Harbhajan (115) to arrest the collapse. Resuming on a precarious 82 for six, India finished their second innings on 266, setting New Zealand an improbable target of 295 runs from 24 overs.

The visitors lost Tim McIntosh, who went for a golden duck, to Zaheer Khan and reached 22 for one before the captains settled for a draw.

Harbhajan brought up his maiden Test century by lofting New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori over the long-off boundary to bring the sparse crowd for the final day’s action at the Sardar Patel Stadium to their feet.

Haile Gebrselassie April 18, 1973 Arssi, Ethiopia

MARK LAMPORT-STOKES | REUTERS

Career highlights: (Gold medals won) Olympics: 10,000 m (1996, 2000) World championships:

10,000 m (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999)

Indoor world championships:

1,500 m (1999) 3,000m (1997, 1999, 2003)

World halfmarathon championships:

Individual and team event (2001)

Current Marathon - 2hrs 03:59 world record: Berlin Marathon, 2008 Set 15 world record and world bests in different events, including three records for 10,000 m

He then celebrated by mimicking the batting stance of his team mate and scorer of 49-Test centuries Sachin Tendulkar, much to the amusement of the rest of the team, who were seen laughing on the dressing-room balcony.

Harbhajan danced down the wicket to pacer Martin and reverse swept the spinners, to hit 10 fours and three huge sixes in his knock.

“I never dreamt I would be man of the match in Test matches for my batting. But it’s fantastic to get my first Test hundred,” Harbhajan said at the presentation ceremony.

“I just wanted to stay there with Laxman. It was for him I got the hundred.” Laxman and Zaheer (0) fell in consecutive deliveries from left-arm spinner Vettori, to dubious leg before decisions by umpire Steve Davis. Television replays appeared to show that on both occasions the batsmen had managed an inside edge before the ball hit their pad.

The New Zealand bowlers, hampered by injuries to Hamish Bennett and Jesse Ryder, were unlucky earlier in the day as they found a number of edges only to watch the ball land short of their fielders.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was disappointed with the draw and hoped conditions at the next match would suit the bowlers a bit more.

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

India’s Harbhajan Singh celebrates after he completed his century against New Zealand at The Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium at Motera on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on Monday. (AFP)

GUANGZHOU, China: Japan and North Korea put China and South Korea to the sword at the Asian Games on Monday, inflicting demoralizing defeats as the football tournament kicked into gear.

The Japanese humbled their bitter rivals China 3-0 while 10-man North Korea outlasted neighbors South Korea 1-0 to secure three precious points.

Hosts China are the perennial under-achievers of regional football and they were outplayed before a large crowd at the Tianhe Stadium, although many left early.

The writing was on the wall when Ryohei Yamazaki bundled the ball over the line after 10 minutes, with China immediately put on the back foot.

They held on till half time before Kensuke Nagai picked up a loose ball in the penalty area and buried it in the net on 58 minutes.

China were stunned and Daisuke Suzuki put the game beyond their reach six minutes later to seal an impressive win for Japan.

“We played the game very intensely. Our priority was to play a great game and cooperate well with each other,” said Japan coach Takashi Sekizuka, adding that his team excelled under the pressure of 43,000 Chinese fans.

The defeat leaves China with a big job ahead to qualify from Group A after Malaysia earlier beat Kyrgyzstan 2-1.

North Korea also scored an impressive win at a mostly empty Yuexiu Stadium.

Ri Kwang-Chon got the decisive goal, heading home nine minutes before half time, with Hong Myung-Bo’s men unable to find a reply despite playing against 10 men for the final 25 minutes.

Only the top two and four of the best third-placed teams from the six groups advance to the round of 16.

Malaysia, meanwhile, got their Games off to the best possible start with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Kyrgyzstan, while Vietnam upset Bahrain 3-1.

Italy thumps US to bag Fed Cup

The Ethiopian athletics legend announced his retirement on Sunday Born: Birthplace:

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Source: IAAF

SAN DIEGO: Fed Cup specialists Italy won the cherished women’s tennis team trophy for a third time in five years on Sunday by swatting hosts the United States 3-1.

Italy’s second singles player Flavia Pennetta earned the winning point in the best-of-five match final by crushing American teenager Coco Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2.

Melanie Oudin had earlier kept the US alive with a 6-3, 6-1 upset of Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, the world number seven, at the

San Diego Sports Arena. But although Pennetta failed to hold serve in the first game of her match, she had little trouble from that point on, brushing aside Fed Cup debutant Vandeweghe in only 80 minutes to secure the trophy for her country.

The Italian world No. 23 broke her 114th-ranked opponent three times in the opening set and twice in the second before wrapping up victory when a Vandeweghe backhand service return sailed long.

Pennetta raised her arms into the air and was warmly congratulated by Italy captain captain Corrado Barazzutti before she ran

across to join her teammates in a group hug.

“It’s very special for me, for the team and for everybody,” Pennetta said courtside, while nodding her head in the direction of the Italian supporters in the stands.

With Italy leading 2-0 overnight and needing just one more win to clinch the trophy, Oudin outplayed the French Open champion with a solid and often inspired performance from the baseline.

The 19-year-old broke Schiavone four times in a mistake-ridden opening set and twice in the second to complete victory in one hour 14 minutes.

The Italian Fed Cup team from left: Flavia Pennetta, Roberta Vinci, Sara Errani and Francesca Schiavone hold up the Fed Cup trophy after defeating the US to take the title at the San Diego Sports Arena on Monday. (AFP)

14

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

SPORTS

Scola, Martin fire Rockets to victory points and Ron Artest played stringent defense on Portland star Brandon Roy during a smooth night of work for the Lakers, who led by 24 points in the first half and 29 down the stretch while outrebounding the Blazers 49-25.

Andre Miller scored 20 points and Nicolas Batum added 17 for the Blazers, who lost for just the second time in their last six meetings with the Lakers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON: Luis Scola of Argentina scored 24 points and Kevin Martin added 21 to help the Houston Rockets win their first game of the season with a 120-94 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Yao Ming, playing under a strict time limit while recovering from foot surgery, had 13 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. Shane Battier added 17 points for Houston, which lost its first five games. The Rockets lost their first 10 games in 1982-83.

Minnesota lost for the sixth time in seven games. Kevin Love led the Timberwolves with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Michael Beasley added 15 points.

Celtics 92 Thunder 83: At Oklahoma City, Ray Allen scored 19 points and Boston’s bench helped prevent a big lead from slipping away in the fourth quarter as the Celtics opened a four-game road trip with a win over Oklahoma. Glen Davis had three foul line jumpers during a 15-6 push by the Celtics after their 22-point lead had been cut to 73-67 early in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Durant scored 34 points and Russell Westbrook had 16 points and 10 assists to lead Oklahoma City, which played without third-leading scorer Jeff Green. Green is day to day with a sprained left ankle.

Suns 118 Hawks 114: At Atlanta, Jason Richardson scored 21 points and Steve Nash added 19 as Phoenix dealt Atlanta its first loss of the season.

There were four ties in the fourth quarter but the Hawks, who trailed by 18 in the third period, could not take the lead.

Nash, who had 15 assists, made four free throws in the final 7 seconds to protect the lead.

Joe Johnson had 34 points and Al Horford added 30 — one shy of his

Boston Celtics forward Glen Davis, left, Oklahoma City Thunder center Nenad Krstic, center, of Serbia, and Celtics guard Marquis Daniels fight for control of the ball in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City on Sunday. (AP)

career high — for Atlanta. Johnson and Horford each set season scoring highs.

76ers 106 Knicks 96: At New York, Elton Brand scored 20 points, and Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday each had 19 as Philadelphia beat New York.

Evan Turner, the No. 2 pick and last season’s college player of the year, added 14 points and 10 rebounds in his first NBA start as the 76ers snapped the Knicks’ two-game winning streak. Turner started in place of Andre Iguodala, out with a strained right Achilles’ tendon.

It was the fourth straight game with 20 or more for the resurgent Brand, his best stretch since late in the 2006-07 season, before he came to Philadelphia.

Amare Stoudemire had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks.

Pistons 102 Warriors 97: At Auburn Hills, Michigan, Richard

Hamilton scored 27 points and Rodney Stuckey added 21 points and nine assists to help Detroit beat Golden State.

The Pistons have now won two straight after losing their first five games of the season. Golden State, which hasn’t lost in four home games, is now 0-2 on the road.

Charlie Villanueva added 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Detroit, while Tayshaun Prince scored 14. Monta Ellis led Golden State with 24 points and Dorell Wright had 19.

Lakers 121 Trail Blazers 96: At Los Angeles, Pau Gasol had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists while completing his fourth career triple-double by the third quarter, as the Los Angeles Lakers easily improved to 7-0 for the fifth time in franchise history with a victory over Portland.

Lamar Odom had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Kobe Bryant scored 12

Iverson arrives in Istanbul for Turkish stint Meantime, Former NBA star Allen Iverson arrived in Istanbul on Monday to begin a stint with Turkish club Besiktas, promising to give fans “something they haven’t seen before.”

Dozens of fans greeted the 11-time All-Star at Ataturk Airport. Sporting a Besiktas jersey and a Philadelphia Phillies baseball hat, Iverson waved at fans from inside his car before being driven to his hotel.

Iverson, who agreed to a $4 million, two-year contract with Besiktas, is the Turkish league’s biggest signing. He has called his move to the Istanbul club “a chance to get back on track with my basketball career” after no NBA team was willing to offer him a contract this season.

Many see his stint in Turkey as a test of his ability to revive his NBA career because teams are likely to monitor Iverson’s performance and behavior at Besiktas. The guard has said he still believes he can play in the NBA and hopes his performance in Europe will lead to another chance next season. His career was troubled by numerous run-ins with coaches and team officials. He’s also had several legal problems that landed him on probation. Iverson is expected to make his debut with Besiktas on Nov. 13 when the team plays Oyak Renault at its home arena that seats about 4,500 fans. The club hasn’t won the Turkish league since 1975.

Boys from Jeddah City Football Club before a crucial match in the 100 Plus Trophy tournament. (AN photo)

100 Plus Trophy football tilt lures over 300 boys RIMA AL-MUKHTAR | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Over 300 boys joined together to play a highly competitive football tournament at Fireball field last week in Jeddah.

Arsenal of Jeddah were the big winners, beating Jeddah City Football club in the final of the under-18 competition.

Jeddah City Football Club is a private football club that gives lessons to boys aged six to 20. Qualified European trainers give lessons to the budding footballers six times a week.

“We aim to blend Saudi children with expatriates in a friendly and sporty atmosphere and from one time to another we arrange football tournaments to give them a challenge,” said Phil Denton, who runs Jeddah City.

“In this tournament, we challenged our

team to play against teams from all over the country in social and competitive games and to help them test their talent on the field,” he added.

Four different age groups competed in the two–day tournament, held from Nov. 3.

“The tournament was full of enthusiasm and good spirit, which gave the games a good vibe,” said Omar Almaeena, partner of tournament sponsors OPCO, which distributes the isotonic sports drink 100 Plus. The drink’s logo appears on the Jeddah City’s new kit.

“We wish to have many more of these tournaments that encourages a healthy competition for the younger generation,” Almaeena added.

Other winners at the event include Gee, which won the under-13 division, while the American School in Jeddah dominated both the under-11 and under-9 categories.

Coffee break Level:

SUDOKU

1 2

SOLUTION TO MONDAY’S PUZZLE

© 2010 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

15

CROSSWORD

Thomas Joseph

3 4 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk

11/9/10

BEETLE BAILEY

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

BLONDIE

DILBERT

SUPER QUIZ Take this Isaac Asimov’s Super Quiz to a Ph.D. Score 1 point for each correct answer on the Freshman Level, 2 points on the Graduate Level and 3 points on the Ph.D. Level.

Subject: LAMPS Each answer contains “lamp.” (e.g., “He made the night a little brighter wherever he would go.” Answer: “The Old Lamplighter.”)

FRESHMAN LEVEL 1. When rubbed, it brought forth a genie.

Answer________ 2. A nickname for Florence Nightingale.

Answer________ 3. The best-known type of stained-glass lamps.

Answer________

HAGAR

GRADUATE LEVEL 4. It was created for use in coal mines.

Answer________ 5. A light to indicate whether power is on.

Answer________ 6. It contains a soft gel that moves and grows as the light heats it.

Answer________ Ph.D. LEVEL 7. These Tibetan lamps traditionally burned clarified yak butter.

Answer________ 8. What precedes: “... and a light unto my path”?

Answer________ 9. What follows: “Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me”?

Answer________

CRYPTOQUOTE

MUTTS

ANSWERS: 1. Aladdin’s lamp. 2. “Lady With the Lamp.” 3. Tiffany lamps. 4. Davy lamp. 5.

Pilot lamp. 6. Lava lamp. 7. Butter lamps. 8. “Your word is a lamp unto my feet.” 9. “I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

SCORING: 18 points — congratulations, doctor; 15 to 17 points — honors graduate; 10 to 14 points — you’re plenty smart, but no grind; 4 to 9 points — you really should hit the books harder; 1 point to 3 points — enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0 points — who reads the questions to you?

CONTRACT BRIDGE

Steve Becker

Reprinted with permission from Barracade Books Inc. North America Syndicate Inc.

WORD SLEUTH

PEANUTS

Solution

POPEYE

CHALLENGER

DENNIS THE MENACE

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MTV goes Gaga with 3 prizes for Lady of pop

SIDELIGHTS

‘High-flying’ monks needed n GENEVA: Wanted: Bankers, traders or lawyers for fulltime, lifelong position. No pay. An order of Roman Catholic monks in Switzerland has started an unconventional recruitment drive by advertising in a classifieds section normally reserved for high-flying executive roles. The Capuchin order says it is looking for an unmarried Catholic man aged between 22 and 35 capable of communal living.

The advert in a Sunday newspaper specifies that instead of a salary the successful application will enjoy “freedom from personal material wealth” along with plenty of time for prayer.

High heels injure over 3m women n LONDON: More than three million women have received medical attention or been rushed to hospital because of their passion for killer heels.

Researchers say a fifth of women have gone to such extreme lengths to wear trendy shoes that they have ended up twisting their ankle or tearing a tendon. And a third have fallen flat on their face as a result of their heels, with many damaging their teeth and breaking their wrists. The poll of 3,000 women, published on Friday, found other injuries sustained in the name of fashion include broken ankles and twisted knees, reports the Daily Mail. But six in 10 said they would grimace and continue to wear a pair of uncomfortable shoes if they were complimented on their footwear on a night out. The nationwide study of women aged 18-65 also found that 89 percent admitted uncomfortable shoes had ruined an evening. Only two percent of women said they did not wear high heels.

Art believed destroyed found n BERLIN: Artwork deemed “degenerate” by the Nazis and believed to have been destroyed has been unearthed during construction near Berlin's city hall and is going on display. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation said Monday the works include 11 primarily bronze statues by artists Otto Baum, Edwin Scharff and Otto Freundlich. They are to go on display to the public starting Tuesday in a Berlin museum.

Construction workers found the pieces while digging four weeks ago.

‘Back Gear’ looks forward to record n BHATINDA, India: In the unruly traffic of this southwest Punjab town, where driving can be torturous at times, one man stands out — for driving his car in reverse gear. Meet Harpreet Pappu, better known as Pappu ‘Back Gear’! Driving a Cressida in reverse through the congested city traffic or speeding in excess of 80 km per hour seems like an unbelievable prospect, but the way and ease with which Pappu maneuvers the vehicle put anxiety to rest. Pappu has recorded over 16,250 km of driving — in reverse gear — in the last over 10 years.

— Compiled from agencies

Singer beams acceptance speech from Budapest ASSOCIATED PRESS

US first lady Michelle Obama speaks to students during a visit to the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum in New Delhi. (AP)

Charming Michelle in chitchat with girls ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI: Michelle Obama strolled with 15 schoolgirls and took turns holding each one's hand during a field trip Monday through a museum of Indian craft work.

She delivered a strong message to the girls, telling them to study hard and be educated. She also said she likes to exercise because “women have to stay strong.”

After the tour, the group sat under a canopy of trees and shared mango juice while Mrs. Obama entertained their questions, some of which were probing.

Fourteen-year-old Manpreet Kaur, who came by overnight train from her village in Punjab, had asked the first lady if American girls struggled like those in India

with the issue of gender preference for men. Mrs. Obama replied that things in the US had improved and that there now were as many women in universities as men.

Manpreet asked another tough question: whether Mrs. Obama or the president had to apologize first after they get into a fight. “She said of course the president makes up first,” the girl said, drawing giggles from the rest of the group.

The girls said they were surprised by the answer and would go home and tell their mothers.

Mrs. Obama greeted the 10- to 14-year-olds under a peepal tree, a tree of worship considered the personification of Buddha in India.

Together with the museum director, the US ambassador's wife and a translator, Obama and the girls toured the National Crafts muse-

um's terra-cotta animal statues, bronzed Hindu deities, replicated village huts and painted scrolls of mythical kings.

Most of the children are the first girls in their families to study.

The low-key field trip was the first lady's last solo outing in India before the Obamas fly to Indonesia on Tuesday.

The girls, prim in braids, bows and school uniforms, pointed out elephants and tigers in ancient tapestries and listened intently to the museum director's descriptions of blue-faced Krishna (a Hindu deity) dolls and a woodcarved four-armed statue of Durga (another Hindu deity).

Mrs. Obama smiled at a giant statue, and pumping both hands in the air, told the girls “women and power.”

MADRID: Lady Gaga won three prizes at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday, claiming Best Female, Song, and Pop honors, just a year after taking the plaudits for best new act.

The ceremony converted two of the Spanish capital's most iconic landmarks into glittering venues from which to present its 2010 honors.

Tens of thousands of music fans crowded downtown Puerta de Alcala and Caja Magica to hear 14 separate performers, including acts by Jared Leto and Shakira.

Lady Gaga beamed her acceptance speech from Budapest, Hungary, where she was on tour.

She interrupted a live act in the Hungarian capital to convey by video link her delight at the crop of awards which just kept on coming and spotlighted her song “Bad Romance” as the year's best.

Best New Act went to KE$HA, while the 16-year-old Justin Bieber won the Best Male Artist award, Paramore the Best Alternative act, and Eminem got the Best Hip Hop award.

The new MTV Global Icon award went to Jon Bon Jovi, who thrilled fans with a live performance of “Shot through the heart” and “You're to blame” at the spectacularly decorated, yearold Caja Magica venue, sometimes used for sports events.

At the center of the Caja Magica hall a brilliantly illuminated hollow cube acted as a focal point for indoor acts while the Puerta de Alcala — once the location of the eastern entrance in the long disappeared city wall — provided an

outdoor flavor to the show. Katy Perry got Best Video for “California Gurls” and raised a cheer when she collected the award wearing an ornate, dark outfit. Presenter Eva Longoria also regaled viewers with a dazzling array of elegant dresses and at one point had the audience in fits of laughter by saying she

had discovered her long-lost Spanish relatives in Madrid. She then introduced four statuesque and muscular young men dressed only in underpants bearing the letters “Longoria” at the back.

“That's my family, which I'm going to introduce to the girls backstage,” she said.

US singer Lady Gaga (born as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) performs during a concert at Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena in Budapest. Lady Gaga couldn’t attend the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony in Madrid the same night but accepted her awards via satellite link from Budapest. (EPA)

NEWSMAKERS Madonna, 52, has a new toyboy: Rachiki

Bollywood can wait: Abida Parveen

n LOS ANGELES: Pop singer Madonna is dating her young choreographer Brahim Rachiki. He choreographed the 52-year-old singer's Sticky & Sweet tour. The “Material Girl” denied the reports, but Rachiki's mother Patricia Vidal has revealed that her son is dating the singer. She said that Rachiki recently called to tell her he has a new girlfriend who is older than him and she was shocked when he revealed that the lady in question is Madonna, reports aceshowbiz. “My jaw dropped when I realized that my son was Madonna's new boyfriend. It's something I'm still trying to come to terms with,” said Vidal. “Madonna was already a big star when I was a schoolgirl, let alone when Brahim was growing up.

The whole situation is very strange indeed — surreal even,” she added.

n MUMBAI: She has immersed herself in Sufi music and is busy spreading peace with her singing. So Bollywood offers can wait, says noted Pakistani singer Abida Parveen. “I keep on getting offers. Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai and many others have offered to me to sing in their films. But I have immersed myself in Sufi music and to spread that message across is what I am busy doing,” Abida, 56, told IANS from Lahore. “It’s a time-consuming thing to spread the message of Sufism and that is why I have not got enough time to say yes to any of the film offers till now,” she added. Sufi music has been increasingly making inroads into the film industry with many movie soundtracks having at least one song with Sufi influences. Commenting on the trend, Abida said: “The taste and touch of Sufi music started coming in Bollywood through my song ‘Thaiyyan thaiyyan’, which was converted into ‘Chaiyyan chaiyyan’ (‘Dil Se’).” “Then it started spreading and many films started having songs with a Sufi touch.

Today it has become really popular in Bollywood, which is a good thing. These songs keep love and humanity intact,” she added.

Headed for split, Aguilera hides beau in car n LONDON: Singer Christina Aguilera, who filed for divorce from her husband of five years just last month, has apparently started dating, but hiding her male friend from prying eyes. The singer was spotted leaving Soho House in Hollywood along with Matthew D. Rutler, who she hid under a blanket in her car, reports dailymail.co.uk. So far Aguilera has not revealed the reasons for her divorce. “Out of respect for my husband, I prefer to keep the specifics private, right now, I'm just trying to figure out how to make it through each day,” the website quoted her as saying. Rutler allegedly met Aguilera on the sets of her new movie “Burlesque” in which she plays a small town girl learning the ropes at a Burlesque lounge.

Rehab ‘life-changing’ for Lindsay: Mother n NEW YORK : Lindsay Lohan’s mother says her daughter’s treatment for addiction at the Betty Ford Clinic has been “life-changing.” Dina Lohan says the world-renowned addiction center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., is “an amazing place” that has really dug into the “Mean Girl” actress’ problems and brought them to the surface. She said Lindsay, who was seen shopping on an approved outing over the weekend, is happy and relaxed. Her mother said on NBC’s “Today” show on Monday: “She’s just a different person.” Jail and rehab have failed for the actress in the past. She was sentenced to stay at Betty Ford until early January.

Lohan’s interview with Matt Lauer was far less contentious than a similar one with Lauer this summer, and much shorter..

Houellebecq wins top French literary prize n PARIS: The controversial best-selling author Michel Houellebecq has won France's most coveted literary prize — the Prix Goncourt — for his new novel “La Carte et Le Territoire.” The novel tells of a solitary, misanthropic artist who becomes a critical darling and commercial success almost in spite of himself. It is equal parts murder mystery and a meditation on the decline of postindustrial France, depicted as a sort of Disneyland for Chinese and Russian tourists. Houellebecq's previous novels courted controversy with explicit sex scenes and disparaging comments about women and minorities. His new book — whose title translates as “The Map and The Territory” — hit French bookstores in September.

Oliver brings obesity fight Down Under n SYDNEY: British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is bringing his battle against obesity to Australia, setting up his “Ministry of Food” in the Queensland town of Ipswich, he announced Monday. Oliver said that diet-related disease was the biggest killer in the country, where twothirds of men and half of women are estimated to be overweight or

dazzling: Spanish actress Paz Vega at the premiere of the film “Abel” at American Film Institute’s AFI Fest 2010 in Los Angeles on Sunday. (AP)

obese, according to a Sydney University study. “Australia for me is a country full of open-minded cooking, incredible produce, some of the best chefs in the world,” Oliver said in a video message. “And yet, even though there are cooking shows all over TV, there is this massive health epidemic related to food.” Ipswich, close to the east coast city of Brisbane, will host a food cooking center which will provide classes and demonstrations designed to give residents tips on “how to make beautiful, tasty quick meals,” Oliver said.

MSNBC brings back suspended anchor n LOS ANGELES: Suspended liberal anchor Keith Olbermann will return to the MSNBC lineup on Tuesday, four days after the Cable News Network suspended him for giving money to three Democratic politicians. MSNBC said in a statement on Sunday that Olbermann had been punished enough off for violating parent company NBC News' policy against making such donations without prior approval. “After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night's program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night,” MSNBC president Phil Griffin said.

— Compiled from agencies