09 Mar 2012

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Kuwait National & Liberation Days

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

In my view

Silenced, Kuwait’s new habba

E

In my view

Beasts who kill animals

By Jamie Etheridge

By Priyanka Saligram

local@kuwaittimes.net

priyankasaligram@kuwaittimes.net

arlier this week, local artist Shurooq Amin’s latest exhibit, “It’s a Man’s World”, was shut down after being open for only a few hours. No official word has been given on why the exhibit was shuttered and everyone is waiting to see what will be the outcome.

The incident marks a sad moment in Kuwait’s social and political evolution. Dr Amin, a professor at Kuwait University, is an internationally recognized artist whose work is showcased in Bayan Palace among other locales in Kuwait. She has participated in many exhibitions in the country and abroad. Kuwait’s art scene is among the most vibrant, daring and creative in the region and it would be a shame to see it silenced.

Silencing creativity, criticism and independent thought, however, may be the next big trend (habba) in Kuwait. The newly elected and powerful Islamist bloc in parliament, also this past week, announced that it would submit a bill to dictate clothing and other personal choices. The bill will be part of a raft of ‘decency’ laws aimed at further expanding this bloc’s social and political reach.

Censorship in speech, art, clothing, etc. is never about the specific bikini or mixed media on canvas. It’s about power: About who has the right to decide what everyone else wears, hears, sees, does and thinks. It’s about control: About controlling those who would question, deny, criticize or even simply disagree.

Kuwait has long been held up as the leader in the Gulf for its early adoption of a constitution, of the freely elected parliament and a vibrant political discourse and lively and spirited free press. There have been dark moments - the shuttering of parliament, the detention of a writer or journalist, the suing of a blogger and many more. But these were the exception, not the rule. Indeed, when compared with the rest of the region, Kuwait is impossibly free and fair. It’s the only Arab state that does not have political prisoners or prisoners of conscience.

When regimes around the region are facing unprecedented challenges to their authority and legitimacy, Kuwait has remained a bastion of stability. The opposition protests last year may have been shocking but they were not part of the Arab Spring. Instead they represent a long running power struggle between Kuwait’s various stakeholders. That tug of war has yet to be decided - the opposition’s electoral victory notwithstanding.

Censorship is one of the key battles in this tug of war. This is where the contest over who’s in charge and who decides what will take place. Who determines what is and what isn’t decent? Should X-Box be banned? Valentine’s Day prohibited? Instagram outlawed? Should writers, artists, journalists, singers, musicians, bloggers, professors, poets, photographers, etc, etc, etc be forbidden from expressing their thoughts and feelings and opinions? Will we soon see the banning of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well?

I remember when I was a little girl there was a big brouhaha at our local library over the censoring of a book. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl was criticized by some because they felt it taught children to challenge the authority of their parents/caretakers. I guess those critics hadn’t read too much children or young adult literature and didn’t realize this is an almost universal theme. I had never even heard of the book or the author but the controversy stirred my interest and so I got a copy (not from the library) and read it. I would go on to read all of Roald Dahl...controversy is a great promoter. It’s easy to criticize almost any work of art or literature. Those who go looking for inappropriate or indecent content are sure to find it.

What is much more difficult is balancing a complex society of differing viewpoints, opinions, values and aspirations. Sadly, this week’s events suggest that the era of diversity, debate and difference in Kuwait may be drawing to a close.

K

illing of any kind can never be justified - senseless ones, especially. Whether it’s a man, woman, child or animal, it’s all the same. No religion anywhere in the world will forgive somebody for snuffing anyone’s life out.

Nobody has the right to play God to decide who lives and who dies. We have become desensitized to the idea of death, thanks to the gory killings in Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other parts of the world on a daily basis.

To us, the dead have become mere statistics; people who were breathing, talking and moving a while ago but now qualify as ‘bodies’ - lying in a bloody heap, awaiting a burial.

When this is how people feel about other people, would it be sane to expect them to feel more bothered or empathetic when animals are killed? When the bird flu scare hit most Asian countries, the sensible thing to do was to cull the infected birds and clip the spread of the disease in its wings. But what’s the logic behind killing dogs in Kuwait? And if they really have to be done away with, aren’t there more humane ways to do it instead of poisoning them, beating them to death, or burying them alive? To be honest, this kind of gruesome death is preferred to recorded instances of youngsters who physically gouge out dogs’ eyeballs or set their tails on fire, all in the name of entertainment.

Reading the front-page news in Kuwait Times recently about the poisoning of strays felt like our eyes were opened with a crowbar. The worst part of the whole story was not just that pets were consuming poisoned food and dying, but the duration of time the poor animal spent in agony before succumbing to its death. You only had to be partly human to feel sick in the stomach after reading about the suffering of the pet and the owner through the

fatal ordeal.

In another news report yesterday, a local daily carried a story about two specimens who used a massive stone to physically pound a couple of stray dogs to death in Wafra.

Why? Because they assumed that those strays were responsible for killing sheep on their farms. The sheepsaviours didn’t stop there. No. They clicked gory pictures of the dogs with their smashed heads, covered in a mixture of blood and sand and headed to the local newspaper to inform their heroic deed, eyeing a Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps. They also specifically said that they clobbered the dogs to ensure they didn’t kill any more livestock, despite not having any evidence to prove the same.

What kind of an explanation can anyone give to justify this kind of barbaric treatment? Local animal rights’ organizations say that they save animals from horrific deaths on a daily basis and disgustingly enough, most of them are abandoned pets which were loved and taken care of a while ago - not something that suddenly landed from outer space. Everybody has the right to preferences and it’s absolutely normal to not like animals or feel much for them. But what is certainly NOT normal is to torture it and put it through an excruciating death, just because it can’t stand up for itself or file a complaint at the local police station against the perpetrators.

It’s impractical and pointless to hope that people will grow a functional brainstem overnight and realize that animals feel physical pain as much as we do. But what can be hoped for is a set of strict laws and regulations which will classify any form of violence against them as a criminal act and curb this mindless torture. Mahatma Gandhi once said “A country or civilization can be judged by the way it treats its animals.” What does this say about us?

Just kiddin’, seriously

The breakup drama

By Sahar Moussa

sahar@kuwaittimes.net

“T

he hardest moment for me in a relationship is when we have that one massive fight when I think that it’s a breakup, and the best moment is when we resolve it and get back together,” said Reem a 34-year-old woman.

How many times do we see women and men depressed when they break up with their partners. A woman will cry, talk with every single girlfriend she has about the problem, analyze the situation over and over again to try to figure out where she went wrong, and feel sorry for herself. She considers that the whole world has ended and wishes that it is hit by a nuclear bomb. On the other hand men will feel angry, call one friend and hit the gym.

Yes, women are dramatic in their reactions, and men try to act that everything is under control simply because they were told and taught from a young age that ‘men should not show their emotions’ and ‘boys do not cry’ or else they will be considered as weak and acting like women. So for women who want to ease the pain of a breakup or pre-breakup period, here are some tricks you can do to help overcome the hurt.

The minute the fight happens between you and your partner, try to breath and relax and distract your mind by remembering any joyful memory because the first hour of a fight or breakup makes you irrational, unreasonable and pushes you to make foolish and stupid moves or mistakes that you will regret. They make you cry out the famous line: “Oh no, why did I do that?” So try to avoid contact as much as you can, and

try to talk with a rational friend who can give you some objective feedback. Stay away from emotional friends because they will only makes things worse.

Rule number two, never listen to sad songs because that will make you feel more depressed. No romantic or love songs either. Imagine this - while you are listening to sad songs over the radio and feeling sorry for yourself, to release their pain, men are speeding in their car with a close friend while throwing jokes at each other!

Everybody knows that chocolate and ice-cream are depressed women’s best friends. Best because chocolate stimulates and boosts the feel-good hormones, endorphins, and increases the level of serotonin in the brain. It is known that they produce similar feelings experienced by a person “in love”. So while you are eating and enjoying chocolate, and adding extra pounds to your thighs and stomach, men will hit the gym to release their anger. So you had better try to limit your chocolate craving as much as you can.

Try not to have a text war over your BlackBerry and post stupid and silly things. That will make you look desperate and attention seeking and, since men are trained to suppress their emotions, they usually ignore you anyway and make you go insane. And women - try not to become obsessive. Stop looking and checking your BlackBerry messages. Do not send a ‘Whatsapp’ or email every single minute, waiting to receive a message.

Finally, just try to do and think like men and distract yourself in any hobby, go out shopping, treat yourself with a present or hang out with positive friends that will surely make you feel better. Go to a beauty salon, book for a full body massage and enjoy yourself. Ultimately, regardless of whether you resolve it or not, remember what Mother Teresa said: “No man is worth my tears, and the one who is will never make you cry”.

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Local FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Local Spotlight

In my view

What do Kuwaitis want?

I am offended

By Muna Al-Fuzai

By Ahmad Jabr local@kuwaittimes.net muna@kuwaittimes.net

H

ow does an ordinary human judge a nation as developed? What makes people of a certain country appear to be civilized and others not? I thought this topic would seem the right one to be examined this week because in Kuwait there has been lots of talks and rumors about new laws like a decency law and another law for cosmetic operations that will be presented by some MPs! Can you believe that? I don’t!

I believe that nations are measured by human development, not by their fancy houses, cars or how many people go shopping in malls! Now, many are not seeing that in Kuwait and when you argue with someone about it, you get surprised that many people don’t care and have nothing to say - good or bad. Why this carelessness? Okay. So many don’t care about development, education, the environment, human rights, the empowerment of woman or traffic!

What exactly do the majority of Kuwaitis, especially women, want or think? Recently, I was talking to some ladies and I expressed my opinion about those who throw their cigarettes from car windows as ignorant and careless and should be fined. I said someone like that is irresponsible and is a bad model for others, especially expatriates.

But, the ladies said it is a small mistake, no big deal.

Why do we fail to see that small mistakes lead to bigger ones and the bad behaviors we see will never move us as a nation to the front! I think, unlike many countries, we are not moving forward, and unless we start to realize that and act like the rest of the world, this concept of development will end and may end any hopes we wish to see.

A

t least 40 people were killed in Afghanistan in violence sparked by the incident in which US soldiers burned copies of the Holy Quran among religious materials confiscated from Afghan prisoners. US officials have called the incident accidental, while President Barack Obama offered his “deep regret” on the incident to his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai.

Despite the US insisting that troops mistakenly burned copies of Islam’s holy book while disposing material thought to contain extremist inscriptions (and although Obama promised to investigate the case and hold those complicit accountable), thousands of Afghan civilians marched in streets to condemn the accident. That is understandable; for civilians to express their anger about the desecration of the sacred book - even if it was unintentional. It is when the expression of frustration goes extreme when things become hard for anyone to understand, though.

Last Monday, a Taleban suicide bomber blew himself up at an entrance to the Bagram Airfield, killing two civilians and wounding two others according to state officials.

Taleban called the attack as part of their “revenge campaign” for the Quran burning which took place at the same airfield. The Quran’s vandalism is one of the most offensive actions that Muslims might come across. I could think of a very limited list of actions that Muslims generally find more offensive. That list however includes killing a human being. It is more offensive when the victim is a fellow Muslim.

The news about the Quran burning incident have surely caused me as a Muslim to feel discontented. I would say that I would’ve felt even more upset if it turned out that the burning was intentional. But that didn’t happen.

Satire Wire

Facebookers ‘Like’ unfriending

By Sawsan Kazak sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

A

recent study tracking ‘Friending’ and ‘Unfriending’ on Facebook has come up with some very interesting data on people’s behavior towards adding and deleting friends. Facebook’s 800 million members have been busy becoming friends and then changing their mind. The numbers according to the new Pew Research study are as follows: The percentage of people who ‘unfriend’ rose to 63 percent in 2011 from 56 percent in 2009.

Women have a higher rate of unfriending with 67 percent than men who unfriend at 58 percent. People aged between 18 and 29 have been found to unfriend more than those aged between 30 and 49 with 71 percent and 63 percent respectfully.

Apparently, where it was cooler to collect friends just a few years back, it has now become cooler to delete them. So let me get this straight: unfriending has become the new friending? Therefore it is now cooler to have fewer friends than more. So that person you were making fun of because he only had 10 Facebook friends must be one really happening person. He must have unfriended hundreds of people to get down to such a low number. Getting on that friend list must be how it feels when you get into some ultra exclusive club; but the profile updates must get so boring though.

I guess it’s the natural cycle of things; I mean if we all continued friending each other at that same rate, we would have all been friends with each other within a few years.

Now that would have been an uncomfortable situation because you couldn’t bad mouth anybody without them finding out. New Facebook users are ‘friend happy’ and tend to add every and anybody that they can to their list; even people they have just met. Then within a few weeks of weird profile updates, strange postings on their wall and some obvious Facebook stalking, people tend to realize that they rushed into the friendship faster than they should have.

I mean in the real world, you wouldn’t just meet someone one day and then show them all your travel pictures, tell them about all your friends and tell them every other aspect of your life like where you studied, where you work and what you are eating right at this moment. And I understand why unfriending has become so popular, it’s the perfect way to insult another person virally. You are announcing to the world how you feel about this person: ‘you are no longer my friend because I think I am better than you, and everyone on Facebook should know it.’

But I guess what the statistics are actually showing is the fact that more and more people are taking Facebook seriously. This social networking website is used to stay in touch, make new connections and even work, it’s only natural that people are becoming more selective about who they are in contact with. At least on Facebook an unfriending is fast and to the point, with no messy conversation.

The US admitted that an error occurred, apologized and promised to look into the issue. Some might argue with how genuine these sentiments are. I for one believe that an apology does matter.

With that in mind, an ‘apology’ is definitely not something that a Taleban’s spokesman said when he announced that his group takes responsibility for the blast which killed two innocent Afghan civilians. No one made apologies when forty people, most of whom were civilians, were killed in violence erupted by protestors offended by what could basically be a huge misunderstanding.

I can’t help but find it ironic that you can be so passionate about the holy book being it containing the word of God, yet fail to show a similar compassion to lives of people who - according to words mentioned in the very same book - are more valuable to God than anything else.

As a Muslim, I would appreciate an apology for an action that offends my belief such as desecration of the Holy Quran. Many Muslims would even expect an apology in such case. And that’s exactly what I and all Muslims around the world got when such incident happened last month in Afghanistan.

Unlike the Taleban, I don’t blame civilians for the casualties of violence that happened more spontaneously during protests than being deliberate. I don’t blame the protestors because I believe they are victims of circumstance. The circumstance being that they are living for decades in a society suffering from poverty and lack of proper education that would produce productive generations rather than emotionally charged youth ready to erupt at the slightest instigation. The fact that we aren’t doing enough to help less fortunate societies develop offends me as a Muslim; same as burning a copy of the Quran or civilian killings do.

If you are a Muslim reading this column, I want you to ask yourself this question: what would’ve Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) done regarding the recent incident in Afghanistan?

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

By Ben Garcia

T

he passion and excitement of arcade games is what attracted Ahmed to the world of gaming.

“You have to keep your competition high in order to be successful and you need to have a high level of concentration when you play arcade games. You have to be faster than your opponent,” said Ahmad, who has been playing arcade games for over 10 years. With the prevalence of online gaming, the arcade game can be experienced in the comfort of one’s home - a development that many worry will make this hobby extinct.

Ahmad, however, disagrees. “The excitement of going to an arcade is incomparable to the home console. The interest is less but the future for arcades has not come to an end.”

His favourite arcade was in Burj Al-Abyat Complex, simply known as the ‘White Tower’, on Salem AlMubarak Street in Salmiya It is also known as the home of arcade video gaming in Kuwait. Famous arcade games popular in Kuwait are Street Fighter and Marvel games. As the oldest arcade venue in Kuwait, it is a place where gaming fans converge, make friends and create a ‘life’ away from the scrutiny of parents. The venue has been famous over the last 20 years as the ideal place where the likes of Mohammed Fadel, [player-turned-owner] spent time with friends over arcade games.

The second floor of Burj Al-Abyat Complex used to host young boys who were addicted to gaming. Not anymore.

Now, only a portion of the place is occupied by the ‘White Tower’- a place Fadel bought to preserve and rekindle memories of younger days. “I was young when I started playing Street Fighter and Marvel games here. I was maybe between 12 to 14 years old.

It was in the early 1990s,” said Fadel, who is now 34. He says that when one talks about arcade games, there is no other place in Kuwait that offers them, only Burj AlAbyat.

What is an arcade game?

An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, installed at restaurants, bars and particularly at recreational facilities. Nowadays it is home not just to arcade video games, but also modern computer and PlayStation games. In the late 1980s, Burj Al-Abyat was a venue for Japanese-made video gaming machines.

Arcade games became a rage among many young men throughout the world in the early 90s when they introduced a series of video games called Street Fighter and Marvel. “I remember that the entire second floor of the building was fully occupied by none other than arcade game enthusiasts. Young boys usually queued up here for hours and hours just to play and be part of the popular game. It was a hit during the late 1980s to early 1990s,” he reminisced.

According to Fadel, arcade gaming is unique because a player will always have an opponent unlike the computer-generated games. “You cannot play without an opponent, unlike the games we have today. You can play against the computer, but the arcade game is not like that. You need to have somebody to fight with maybe a friend,” he added. “Street Fighter game or Marvel are mind games. It is very easy but you need some skills to win. Street Fighter is also very challenging, you need to apply some techniques and if you are not clever enough, you can be outsmarted easily by your opponent,” he explained. “Being a man, you wouldn’t allow anyone to outdo you, so the game never ends and it is not scripted, you are making your own moves.”

End of an era But the lure of arcade games gradually declined, especially after the advent of PSPs and other computer and home game systems. That is when the owner of Abyat decided to sell the property. Fadel willingly acquired the arcade, hoping to preserve it for fans in Kuwait. “When I learned that the previous owner wanted to sell his place, I contacted him and expressed interest in preserving the place.

The venue is my home as I grew up here. I spent most of my childhood here so I really love this place and I don’t want to lose it. So, I bought it so that my old friends can come and have some fun,” Fadel noted.

True to his words, Fadel eventually hosted several international events to promote the arcade gaming system in Kuwait. He also participated in several international events including a Street Fighter tournament, even inviting a famous player from Japan. Street Fighter is a 1987 arcade game developed

by Capcom. It is the first competitive fighting game produced by the company and the inaugural game in the Street Fighter series. While it did not achieve the same worldwide popularity as its sequel Street Fighter II when it was first released, the original Street Fighter introduced some of the conventions made standard in later games, such as the six button controls and the use of command based special techniques.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

By Sawsan Kazak

R

ecently, winter boots have been all the trend here in Kuwait. Short boots, tall boots, boots with fur and boots made out of rubber are but a few of the styles being modeled in Kuwait’s malls, restaurants and any other public location.

Many of these boots are needless in Kuwait. Yes, the weather has been cold for the past few months and doesn’t seem to be letting up, but that is no reason to dress as though we are living in Alaska. The following list of boots are items that might be in vogue, but are absolutely useless in a desert country like Kuwait.

The rubber knee-high There is never really a need for rubber boots in Kuwait as it rains once a year and for three to five minutes. Boots like that should be worn when in torrential rains, when going to the barn to do some cleaning or if you were to climb down into the sewers and help the workers trying to clear a clog. These boots are never flattering as they only have one stiff shape and always look as though they should be on a three year-old girl going to kindergarten. Neither the weather nor the local pastime (shopping) necessitate that kind of foot protection. And with all this heat, having so much rubber on your feet cannot be so hygienic; it must get kind of smelly in there.

The leather thigh-high These boots look the strangest as they go past the knee and sometimes halfway up the thigh; add a few inches and you can forget wearing pants. These boots take the shape of the leg and bend at the knee, even have a slit in the back to aid in the walking process. These boots are skin tight and cover most of the person’s pants. Going back to necessity, covering 80 percent of your legs with leather does not seem appropriate in a country where it’s summer 80 percent of the time. Putting these boots on and taking them off must require assistance and a stepladder.

The fur enveloped Really? You are that cold that you would need to bundle your feet up as if you were about to walk into a freezer? Boots like that are made to be worn in countries like Canada and Iceland out of necessity and not style. When wearing boots covered in fur inside and out, you must accompany it with a big heavy winter coat, gloves and a knit hat. Seeing as a person would die if they attempted to walk out with that much clothes on, these boots have no place in Kuwait. And it is not responsible of us if we buy up all the fur boots.

The glow-in-the-dark There are some boots that come is such flashy colors that you could probably see them in the dark. Now there are very few blackouts in Kuwait and if there were, boots should not be the main source of light. It’s nice to make a statement with your fashion, it’s not nice to cause airplane accidents from the glare of your boots. People should be looking at you because you look stylish, not because they can’t look away.

Construction Construction boots seem to be making a comeback. They are

heavy, bulky and just as useless as the above mentioned boots.

These boots are even less flattering than the ever popular gumboots. Unless you are planning on building your own home, do not invest in these kinds of boots. Boots can shield you from the cold, protect you from the rain, but not here in Kuwait. Let’s dress responsibly by picking the right length, material and color to suit this country. We mustn’t be slaves to fashion, just slaves to style.

Covering 80 percent of your legs with leather does not seem appropriate in a country where it’s summer 80 percent of the time

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

By Lisa Conrad

“I

t’s amazing how you can have two realities: each as real as the other, but both so different,” says 27-year-old marketer, Jala. “I did my graduate degree in London, and for those four years I lived by my own rules doing whatever I wanted,” she says. Countless Kuwaiti students flock abroad every year, some in search of education, and some in search of independence. Whatever their motives, experiences of studying abroad expose students to worlds very different from their own, and can often create a great deal of confusion and conflict over which life they prefer. The UK is an especially popular destination for Kuwaiti students, and the British Council estimates that there are around 2,000-2,500 Kuwaiti students studying there at any given time.

“I was 17 when I went to the UK to study,” says 25-year-old dentist Rawan. “I had always wanted to study abroad and getting the chance to go was a dream come true.” Rawan spent five years completing her degree in dentistry, as well as one year going through an initial foundation year. “When I arrived I couldn’t believe that I was living alone, with no one supervising or watching over me. The freedom was overwhelming,” she recalls. “I adored living in the UK: I had my own routine, my own responsibilities, everything in my life was my own.”

The experience is such a positive one, she insists, that a fellow Kuwaiti student she knew at university even pursued a postgraduate degree purely to extend her stay.

Jala shares a similar sentiment, “I loved my time abroad. During my years in university, I actually became an adult. I made my own decisions and formed my own opinions on what’s right and wrong instead of being told or warned.” Jala admits to going to nightclubs with friends, but insists that people shouldn’t be so quick to judge, “Preventing someone from choosing what they think is right or wrong doesn’t make them ‘innocent’, it just removes the opportunity and forces them to ‘behave’. I went to clubs with friends, and I realized that it’s what you make of it: you don’t have to be in a club to be doing something wrong.”

However, both women feel their experience abroad came at a price, “People make snap judgments when girls go to study abroad alone. They think that they’ll misbehave without supervision, which is ridiculous,” said Rawan. “In fact, living abroad removes any curiosity about typically frowned upon activities and makes it much less likely that you’ll try and experience them secretly. Once something is no longer restricted, it doesn’t seem so interesting anymore,” she added. Jala agreed, adding, “Many of my friends were so curious about what I got up to when I was abroad, and when I said that I really was just going to class and exploring the city, they thought I was hiding something.”

New reality Given their considerable stays in the UK, both Jala and Rawan adapted and felt that their student lives had become their ‘new’ realities, only to be shocked upon their return to Kuwait, “As my final year winded down, I started to realize that the life I had been living was not going to be my reality forever, that I’d have to readapt to not having as much freedom,” said Jala. “There is a lot of pressure surrounding image and reputation, so keeping up the right image is a constant battle even if you’re genuinely not doing anything wrong,” added Rawan.

However, whilst Rawan laments the social pressures she feels in Kuwait, she also questions whether or not she could live anywhere else, “It was hard to readapt here, yes, but life in Kuwait has many benefits and perks.” Jala added, “I miss so much about the UK, but I don’t think I could have worked there. I

Students conflicted following return from studying abroad

got a job here very quickly because of my UK qualification, which is really valued. But in England, I’m just another graduate.”

No place like home Despite their shared enthusiasm for their time abroad, both women agree that their experiences weren’t indicative of real life in the West. “I lived as a student, which is a completely different thing than ‘real life’. It’s a lot more laid back than working a normal job, which is very hard in the UK right now,” said Jala. Rawan added, “Money also makes a big difference in how much you enjoy a country. I had generous support throughout my time in the UK, so I never worried about finances. I lived in a gorgeous apartment and had a big allowance, whereas my course mates had parttime jobs and lived in shared houses.”

Such ideal living conditions make it difficult for Jala and Rawan to determine whether it was the country they loved living in, or the lifestyle, “Living in England as a Kuwaiti is great, because there is so much to do and you can afford to do it. If I were living there as a Brit, I don’t think I would like it as much because their life is much harder because so many students have loans to worry about and parttime jobs and longer commutes to university,” said Jala.

The renting restrictions in Kuwait also mean that the women can’t enjoy the same level of independence that they experienced abroad. “I can’t leave home until I’m married, so my time in England was most likely the only time I ever lived alone in my life.

But I do love the closeness of families here. I love that my mom asks about me and what I ate every single day. I love those parts of our culture,” said Rawan. Despite missing the independence she enjoyed in the UK, Jala says that she wouldn’t want to live there. “People are too harsh on Kuwait. We’re a relatively new country and we’re still developing, so we can’t expect the same freedoms you see elsewhere. But we enjoy many other benefits such as financial support and very close family structures.”

She added, “I wouldn’t change anything in my life. I was in the UK, and I enjoyed it. Now I’m here, and I’m enjoying it here as well because being here allows me to be close to my family, live at a certain standard and travel regularly.”

Local

Shuwaikh High School

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Nucleus of Kuwait’s

modern generations

By Sherif Ismail

S

ome of Kuwait’s top-ranking officials today, and others who have retired, are all graduates of Shuwaikh High School - an educational institution that was built to be a role model in both Kuwait and the Gulf.

Unfortunately, it did not hold on for long as it was taken over by Kuwait University along with Khalidiya High School for Girls as an integral part of it, accommodating KU administration offices and some colleges.

Regular primary teaching commenced at Al-Mubarakiya School which was seen as the main pillar of education in Kuwait before it became a high school, and was then transferred to the Shuwaikh building. Al-Mubarakiya School later became an intermediate school. Ironically, the high school building that was chosen in the beginning of the 20th century was not actually located in Shuwaikh. The name Shuwaikh was used for the area near a charcoal store opposite Sheraton Hotel towards Qibla. ‘Shuwaikh’ is a shortened form of the name of guards’ kiosks.

The location of Shuwaikh High School and the area to its south is originally part of the Sulaibikhat area. When officials first decided to open the school, their thoughts were limited to just a high school with no future plans about introducing university education.

Therefore, when this school was established along with its counterpart - the industrial college - they only provided high school education after which students were usually sent abroad for further study.

On page 299 of the first volume of his encyclopedia, Hamad Al-Saeedan says the following: “High school education started in Kuwait in 1937 and the first high school, Shuwaikh High School for Boys, was officially established in 1953. Before having it as a separate school for boys in Shuwaikh and building a separate high school for girls in addition to Saladin High School in Mirqab, Al-Mubarakiya School used to include only a section for secondary stage boys.”So, Al-Saeedan reminds us

of high schools of that period 60 years ago. Today high schools are everywhere, and Shuwaikh High School has become a university. This high school was a prototype. It included a students’ dormitory, an ideal kitchen, a dormitory for teachers who came from Egypt and other places, in addition to buses to drive students back home.

I still remember the story of professor Dr Abdullah Al-Fuhaid (Abu Sulaiman), who retired recently from Kuwait University. He was a hardworking student who would come early in the morning from faraway Jahra and return in the evening. He worked hard

until he completed his study and left for the US where he earned his masters and PhD degrees. Al-Fuhaid then returned to start a long career, ending it as Kuwait University rector. He was in charge of the school in which he studied - Shuwaikh High School!

He developed Shuwaikh High School and built a clinic and a main mosque where Friday prayers were performed. It was difficult to reach Shuwaikh High School at that time because the long trip usually required special arrangements. Later, the high school building became part of the Kuwait University campus that was actually founded one year after the first university rector, the Egyptian science professor Abdul Haleem Muntaser, was hired. Muntaser actually remained a rector without university for one year because the univer-

believed that Kuwait had such a facility one that would remain a minaret for the future.

Shuwaikh High School, currently Kuwait University, hosts a number of colleges such as those of law, art, social sciences, the university administration, tall buildings for teaching staff, accommodation, and a large library for different kinds of colleges. This high school that has become a university today, was not accessible sixty years ago without a car. Today it is still hard to reach due to traffic congestion. Upon inauguration, it had no more than twenty students.

Today, it has thousands of students.

sity was still to be constructed. I remember visiting him at his residence at Shuwaikh High School by the sea, accompanied by the late head of the Fatwa and Legislation department, Hassan Al-Ashmawi and Dr Saeed AlNajjar. He told us about his research on Kuwait’s environment and the plants that can survive in such a desert area.

Thereafter Dr Muntaser left, and the then minister of education late Khalid Al-Masoud started working on promoting and developing the university. The beginning was in Al Khalidiya High School for Girls premises where the Art and Science Colleges were established and later followed by others until Shuwaikh High School became the main part of this university.

The outstanding campus of Shuwaikh High School comprises sever-

al Western style buildings, with its symbol; the sphere monument in the front yard, which is removed now. What was wrong with leaving it as it was? It was a symbol of an era with its own memories.

Nobody is listening, anyway. This sphere had a historical charm. I wish we had a similar one today. See how the Europeans cherish and nurture their historical buildings and heritage, and wellprotect them rather than destroy them the way we do.

Even the mosque that used to face that sphere was removed and still only exists as a photo in the American Life magazine issued on June 3, 1959. It recorded an impression of this edifice at a time when no one would have

Well, such is life; everything starts small and grows gradually.

Kuwait University should have retained the old building of the high school, as part of what the pioneers, who were born in the beginning of the 20th century, had built, and left their thumbprints. Newer generations would have been able to see what their forefathers had built and imagined how the students who studied in this school when it first opened. They would have admired that old building - the sphere, the mosque and the passage to the sea - an image that was only retained for us in Life magazine. This is the only existing evidence of this historic high school that was the among the first Kuwaiti high schools.

Local FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

KUWAIT: Members of the high-level Kuwaiti media delegation meet Abdulkerim Cay, the Chairman of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT). — KUNA

Kuwait leading investor in Turkey Waalan’s son’s case refuses to die down

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The case in which MP Mubarak Al-Waalan’s son was accused of beating two Asians refused to die down yesterday after accusations that Al-Waalan interfered at the police station to twist the case in favor of his son. Al-Waalan denied the accusation. MP Hussein Al-Qallaf warned the Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hmoud not to bury the case but to impose the law on Al-Waalan and his son.

“Laws should be applied equally to everybody, otherwise laws are doomed to die,” he warned, wondering about the silence of those whom he described as a majority who kept bragging about law enforcement on all. “The Minister of Interior should not be put under pressure to protect an MP’s son”, he added. MP Abdulhameed Dashti also stressed that the security apparatus should not be blackmailed or threatened by anybody including MPs. This request was also seconded by MP Mohammed Al-Juwaihel, who demanded to ignore Waalan senior’s pressure to save his son.

Maliki arrives Wednesday Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki is due to arrive in Kuwait on Wednesday, March 14, to discuss bilateral relations and unsolved issues with HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed AlJaber Al-Sabah, and top Kuwaiti officials. Al-Maliki will also meet Kuwaiti businessmen and members of the Iraqi community in Kuwait, an Iraqi official said. During a meeting last week with Ali Al-Momen, Kuwait’s ambassador to Baghdad, Al-Maliki stressed Iraq’s keenness on having constructive relations with all Arab countries, particularly with Kuwait. Ali Al-Allaq, Secretary General of the Iraqi cabinet, said the Kuwaiti side seemed ‘more open to solving issues’ such as compensation, Mubarak Port and getting Iraq out of the United Nations chapter seven.

Hoshiar Zebari, Iraqi Foreign Minister, also met Al-Momen. AlMomen delivered a letter from HH the Amir to the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani over Kuwait’s participation in the Arab Summit due in Iraq by the end of this month.

Customs plan strike The customs employees union recently gave Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali an ultimatum to agree to their increment demands by the 15th of this month to avoid a full strike. The union said annual custom fees of one billion will be lost to save KD 30 million, the cost of the increments they want.

Ahmed Ogla Al-Enezi, union chairman, said the demands are well-deserved in view of the efforts exerted by customs men at all borders.

ISTANBUL: Kuwait is a leading investor in the Republic of Turkey and the country is willing to consider further facilities to encourage further investments, said Chairman of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT) yesterday. The remark came as Abdulkerim Cay met with a delegation of Kuwaiti journalists and media figures, part of their official visit. He added Turkey has attracted Kuwaiti investments in many industrial and services sectors, most particularly banking, healthcare, industry and retail.

The ISPAT chairman presented a review of economic data and investment opportunities. He pointed out the country’s unprecedented economic leaps over the last ten years, stressing the country is a safe haven for investments at present, especially after many traditional choice markets suffered impacts of the euro crisis. Whereas flow of foreign investment to European countries is declining, the flow to Turkey is increasing.

The official added Turkey is seeking to attract investment to the renewable energy sector, and most particularly nuclear, solar and hydroelectric power. This is important, he said, to compensate for the country’s lack of any hydrocarbon energy sources to speak of. “Investment in this sector is both promising and comfortable and carries little risk.” The country plans to invest $100 billion in the sector, Cay added. On public-private sector partnership, he remarked that shared projects in healthcare and power sectors in Turkey are worth over $20 billion. Facilities offered by the government include land allocations, tax benefits, and customs fees exemptions for vital BOT ventures.

The Kuwaiti delegation also met another official, this time in their own field. Directorate General of Press and

Information Chairman Murat Karakaya told the delegation his country plans to bring offices of Arab television channels operating in Turkey under one roof and work on this is due to start next fall. All papers and news agencies would be brought along at a later stage as well. This step, he explained, aims to further relations and coordination in the field of media, which is the field of choice when there is need to push interaction and public support for stronger ties.

The official was specifically asked about Turkish dramas that are in vogue across the Arab World at present. Karakaya remarked the impact of the many series was more dramatic than official measures taken to encourage people, and Arabs in particular, to visit and get to know the natural attractions and culture of Turkey first hand. There is increasing interest in art and media productions with popularity of such works among Arab channels.

The official seized this subject as opportunity to say the decades of tepid relations between Turkey and the Arab World were very hard to overcome. It required genuine desire on the Turkish side to restore bridges of communication with the Arab region, he said. Members of the delegation remarked there is still no Turkish information and media bureau in Kuwait or any other Arab country to help along this cause. To this Karakaya responded by saying there is an ongoing effort to employ fluent Arabic-speaking diplomats at Turkish embassies as the first step to bridge this gap. The Kuwaiti delegation so far met senior Turkish officials including President Abdullah Gul and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Ali Babacan. They are still to meet a host of economic officials and academics and leaders of major media institutions. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Ministry of Interior assistant undersecretary for border and security affairs Maj Gen Sheikh Mohammed AlYousef Al-Sabah visits the American aircraft carrier USS Vinson yesterday upon an invitation by the US Fifth Fleet Commander Vice Adm Mark Fox. — KUNA

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Campaigners launch viral video on Kony’s atrocities

Romney’s lead over rivals grows wide

16

13

US, North Korea food aid talks end with progress

18

DAMASCUS: Anti-Syrian regime mourners carry the body of Muhannad al-Malla, who activists say he was a Syrian soldier who was allegedly killed last month by his colleagues in Homs, as they shout slogans during his funeral procession in east Mazzeh area, Damascus, Syria yesterday.—AP

Deputy oil minister resigns, joins revolt UN ‘devastated’ by the destruction in Homs

DAMASCUS: Syria’s deputy oil minister resigned yesterday, becoming the most senior official to join the rebel ranks, as Washington revealed it is considering nonlethal aid to the insurgency. The boost for the rebels came as UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan appealed in Cairo to Syria’s opposition to join his mission’s efforts to resolve the conflict that has left thousands dead in the past year. Abdo Hussameddin announced his resignation in a video posted by activists on YouTube, saying he was joining the revolt. “I, the engineer Abdo Hussameddin, the deputy oil minister... announce my defection from the regime and my resignation,” he said in the video.

“I am joining the revolution of the people who reject injustice and the brutal campaign of the regime, which is seeking to crush the people’s demand for freedom and dignity,” he added. The defection was quickly welcomed by Syrian opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun, who said he expects more government officials and politicians to do the same.

“I hail the deputy (oil) minister who defected and I call on all government members and public servants ... to abandon this regime and

join the ranks of the revolution for freedom and dignity,” said Ghalioun, head of the Syrian National Council, the main opposition group. “I expect for sure that there are other government officials and politicians who will follow suit,” he added. Former UN chief Annan told reporters in Cairo he had urged “the Syrian opposition to come together to work with us to find a solution that will respect the aspirations of the Syrian people.”

Annan was in the Egyptian capital for talks with officials ahead of a trip to Damascus on Friday. “We will do whatever we can to urge and press the cessation of hostilities and an end to the killing and violence,” he said ahead of talks with Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr. “But of course the ultimate solution lies in the political settlement,” Annan said. Late on Wednesday, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Washington was looking at delivering non-lethal aid to Syria’s rebels, hinting at the first direct US assistance to the forces seeking Assad’s downfall.

While outraged at the killing of civilians in Syria, the US government is opposed to taking unilateral military action and favors pursuing diplomacy to force Assad to step down,

Panetta told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We are reviewing all possible additional steps that can be taken with our international partners to support efforts to protect the Syrian people, end the violence and ensure regional stability, including potential military options if necessary,” Panetta stressed.

UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said yesterday she was devastated by the destruction she saw in Baba Amr district of the Syrian city of Homs and she wants to know what happened to residents there as result of an assault by government forces. “I was devastated by what I saw in Baba Amr yesterday,” Amos told Reuters TV after leaving a meeting with ministers in Damascus. “The devastation there is significant, that part of Homs is completely destroyed and I am concerned to know what has happened to the people who live in that part of the city.”

Amos, a Briton, is the first senior international figure to visit Baba Amr since the government launched its assault against opponents of President Bashar Al-Assad. Rebel fighters fled Homs a week ago after nearly a month of shelling by government forces.

Activists reported reprisals in Baba Amr by Assad loyalists after the rebels withdrew.

Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid workers who entered Baba Amr on Wednesday found it empty. Syrian state television broadcast footage yesterday of UN workers in blue bullet-proof vests and helmets taking photos of their crumbling surroundings, which the presenter said was Amos’ team in Baba Amr. Syria initially refused to grant Amos access to the country but relented after its allies Russia and China joined the rest of the UN Security Council in rebuking it. Amos met Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moualem on Wednesday and an aide said he told the UN humanitarian chief she would be able to go anywhere in Syria she wished to. Amos’ goal is to secure access for aid organizations, which have been barred from the heaviest conflict zones. The United Nations estimates that more than 7,500 civilians have been killed in the government’s year-long crackdown on an anti-Assad uprising around the country while the Syrian government say more than 2,000 members of the army and security forces had been killed in armed attacks. —Agencies

International FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Autonomy bid sparks fears of Libya break-up

TRIPOLI: Tribesmen and politicians in Libya’s oil-rich east have polarized public opinion, raised fears that the country might break apart and prompted some of his sharpest statements yet from the interim leader. Analysts say the problem lies not with the federalism they are proposing but with the unilateral way in which a political movement in the second city of Benghazi is seeking to carve out an autonomous territory in the oil-rich region. On Tuesday, tribal and political leaders in Benghazi declared the eastern region of Cyrenaica as autonomous but recognized the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) as Libya’s legitimate representative in foreign affairs.

Libyan university professor Sadiq Budawara said “many may agree that federalism is the most appropriate form of government for Libya and that it doesn’t necessarily pave the way for partition. “But it is an entirely different matter when the decision to go federal is made by one region unilaterally without consulting other regions. This will split the land.” Libya was a federal union from 1951 to 1963 under the late King Idris I, which divided the country into three states-Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan. Partisans of a return to federalism say it will prevent the east from being marginalized as was the case for decades, while opponents fear it will spark a power struggle that splits the country well before elections.

Benghazi-based Libyan political analyst Mohammed bin Hariz said federalism would exacerbate rather than ease tensions in Libya, which is striving for national reconciliation after last year’s conflict. “Advocates argue that federalism is a safety valve for national unity but federalism and unity are contradictory terms that cannot coexist,” bin Hariz said. The distribution of oil wealth, he warned, could engender conflict, especially since the issue of marginalization is a claim that can be easily staked across Libya, including poorer neighborhoods of the capital. “What did federalism achieve in Iraq,” he asked, pointing to the ongoing struggle between the autonomous oilrich northern region of Kurdistan and the central government in Baghdad.

Jamal bin Dardaf, member of the National Campaign to Raise Political Awareness, said the call for an autonomous region is a reaction to the problems caused by “the sharp centralism” of Gaddafi. That centralism meant that all official business had to be conducted in the capital, an expensive proposition for most pockets. But dividing Libya into separate states joined by a loose federation, as was the case under the monarchy, might not present the best formula because present conditions differ entirely from those days, he said. “Libya is a vast country and (back then) its areas where disconnected,” making regional autonomy a necessity, he said. Today, telecommunications and road networks facilitate greater cooperation and cohesion.

Political analyst Abdel Salam Al-Raqiyi says it is normal for the country to debate what system of governance it wants but that any decisions need to wait until the election of a constituent assembly in June. “The federalists have a democratic right to express their thoughts on the type of government they want and to field candidates for the election of a constituent assembly just like the other parties,” he said. “But if the intention was to secession of the region of Berqa (Cyrenaica) and the establishment of an independent date, then the move has no legitimacy and moreover no one will agree to it,” Raqiyi continued. Senior officials in Tripoli, including interim leader Mustapha Abdel Jalil and Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib, have flatly rejected the federalist project as a throwback to the past. Instead, they promote a program of decentralization that would give more than 50 local councils considerable decision-making powers and discretionary budgets.

On Tuesday, Abdel Jalil said he had been surprised by the Benghazi declaration, as Libyans from east to west had fought together to overthrow the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. He also charged that some unnamed Arab nations were supporting and financing “sedition” in eastern Libya to thwart the success of the revolution and prevent the so-called Arab Spring from reaching their doorsteps. On Wednesday, the usually soft-spoken leader toughened his tone, threatening force to preserve the country’s unity and calling on his brothers in the east to not be fooled by “infiltrators” and remnants of Gaddafi’s regime.—AFP

Al-Qaeda gaining ground in Yemen Troops kill seven militants in Zinjibar

UNITED NATIONS: The UN envoy to Yemen warned yesterday of a growing humanitarian crisis in the country, where 6.8 million people have been left without enough food during months of political turmoil that has allowed AlQaeda on the Arabian Peninsula to gain ground. UN envoy Jamal Benomar said some 3 million people are in need of immediate assistance and he urged international donors to help the Arab world’s poorest country at this time of need.

The UN humanitarian appeal for $446 million for Yemen is only 15 percent funded, he said. “There is a growing humanitarian crisis in the country,” Benomar told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council. He said Yemen has the second highest rate of chronic child malnutrition in the world and warned that 500,000 children are likely to die from malnutrition or suffer lifelong consequences this year if adequate support isn’t provided.

Benomar said the humanitarian crisis and Al-Qaeda’s increasing support are among the major challenges that the new government led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi face. He was sworn in on Feb. 25 to replace longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, following an election aimed at ending more than a year of political turmoil in Yemen. As

Hadi tries to bring stability to the country, he must also restructure powerful security forces packed with Saleh loyalists, launch a national dialogue that would include southern secessionists, and appease a restless religious minority in the north as well as disparate opposition groups in the heartland.

Benomar’s comments came as AlQaeda claimed responsibility for a weekend assault on a military base in southern Yemen, which officials say left almost 200 soldiers dead in the deadliest defeat the army has suffered in a nearly yearlong campaign against the militant movement in the south. The Security Council late Wednesday condemned the terrorist attacks “in the strongest terms” and called all terrorist acts “unjustifiable.”

Benomar said the first phase of the transition from Saleh to Hadi is complete, and the transition is now moving into the se c o n d p h a s e i n w h i c h a national dialogue conference must be organized and the constitution and electoral system reformed. General elections must be organized before the end of the transition period in two years. “In the long months of the crisis ... state authority collapsed in a number of areas around the country, benefiting Al-Qaeda, of course, and this is going to be a major challenge

in this new phase,” Benomar said.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni army has killed seven suspected Al-Qaeda militants in an artillery strike on Zinjibar, an extremist stronghold in the restive southern Abyan province, a military official said yesterday. The assault follows one of the deadliest Al-Qaeda attacks on Yemeni security forces in the southern outskirts of Zinjibar on Sunday that killed 185 troops. “The army fired artillery shells at Al-Qaeda positions in Zinjibar” late Wednesday night, the official said on condition of anonymity. A local official in the nearby town of Jaar meanwhile said that “the bodies of seven Al-Qaeda fighters” were transferred to the militant stronghold for burial.

Al-Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack, said in a statement it took “73 soldiers” captive and seized a tank, anti-aircraft weapons, a rocket launcher, rockets and 11 Kalashnikov assault rifles, as well as three military vehicles and “a large amount of ammunition.” Yemen’s newly formed cabinet at an emergency meeting late Wednesday condemned Al-Qaeda’s escalating attacks in the country’s mostly lawless south and urged the divided and battered security forces to “unite in the face of terrorism and extremism...that threatens Yemen’s security and stability.”—Agencies

RAMALLAH: Palestinian women holding a sign attend a rally marking International Women’s Day, as Israeli troops use a water canon to disperse the demonstration at Kalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. Sign in Arabic reads “No for administrative detention, free Hana Shalabi immediately”. —AP

Iraq moves second group of Iranian dissidents from camp BAQUBA: Iraq moved a second group of nearly 400 Iranian dissidents yesterday from a base founded under Saddam Hussein, part of its efforts to expel them and resolve one of the last diplomatic issues following the withdrawal of US troops last year. The People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), which calls for the overthrow of Iran’s clerical rulers, took refuge at Camp Ashraf, 65 miles from

Baghdad, during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. The fate of several thousand residents has been uncertain since the withdrawal of US forces in December. They provided protection for the group after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam but Iraq’s Shiite-led government, which has friendly ties with Iran, wants them out. The Iranian dissidents are now being moved to a “transit site” at a vacated former US mili-

tary base in Baghdad, where the United Nations aims to help them find places to settle as refugees outside Iraq.

Police in Baquba, capital of Diyala province where Camp Ashraf is located, said 395 Iranians were driven out towards Baghdad in 18 buses. The convoy was surrounded by Iraqi security forces, who were also deployed in force along the route to Baghdad. — Reuters

International FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

FBI says NYPD monitoring damaged Muslims’ trust NEW JERSEY: The top FBI official in New Jersey planned to continue efforts to repair relationships with the state’s Muslim leaders he said had been jeopardized by revelations that the New York Police Department conducted surveillance of mosques and student organizations in the neighboring state.

Michael Ward, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark division, said he planned to meet with worshippers at a mosque in Paterson yesterday evening that has been identified as a target of NYPD surveillance in documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Ward said Wednesday that news of the NYPD’s monitoring of Muslims in New Jersey

has damaged the good relationships law enforcement officials had worked hard to build in the community since Sept. 11, 2001.

The dispute laid bare the tensions between the FBI and NYPD that have existed for years.

But it also proved how New York and neighboring New Jersey view police spying programs differently 10 years after the terrorist attacks. In New York, polls show strong support for the NYPD and editorial pages have said broad surveillance is needed to protect the city. Just across the Hudson River, however, politicians have decried the NYPD’s programs and newspapers have editorialized against them. A series of AP stories has detailed that the NYPD monitored mosques

Family of US twins who died together found CALIFORNIA: It took 11 days and the help of dozens of strangers, but police have located the family of reclusive elderly twin sisters who were found dead in their California home last month. Patricia and Joan Miller lived for nearly 40 years in South Lake Tahoe but often shunned their neighbors.

Their shared life ended in a mysterious double death. Police found one sister in a bedroom and the other in a hallway during a routine check on Feb 26. They were 73.

Police usually do not release the names of the dead without first informing their relatives, but the sisters’ shrouded lives made that impossible, said detective Matt Harwood with the El Dorado County sheriff’s office. With little information about the twins’ personal lives to work from, investigators issued a public plea this week asking for help in notifying the sisters’ next of kin.

The response was overwhelming. Emails and phone calls poured in and with the help of amateur genealogists who read media accounts of the sisters’ deaths, investigators tracked down a first cousin and two second cousins late Wednesday. The discovery of next of kin provides some answers to the twins’ mysterious end, but their puzzle is far from solved. Medical investigators have not been able to determine how or when the women died, but their decomposed bodies suggest they had been dead for at least several weeks when they were found, Harwood said. Toxicology reports likely won’t be available for at least two more months.

There was no blood or signs of struggle. The sisters’ longtime home was not unkempt, a likely sign of mental or physical illness, and they didn’t have a history of severe health problems, Harwood said. “My perception is one died and the other couldn’t handle it,” he said this week. “It appears purely natural, but we are still trying to piece it all together.” The cousins hadn’t heard from the sisters in years. “They confirmed pretty much what everyone else told me,” Harwood said. “They were pretty reclusive and no one really knows why.” Their secluded lives in their final years stand in contrast to a youth full of glamour and entertainment. When the twins did talk to outsiders, they often spoke of the singing career they had shared in their younger years. The women briefly appeared on a 1950s television show called the “The Hoffman Hayride” and posed for a picture with Bing Crosby as children. The twins also entertained troops at military bases, a childhood friend told Harwood.

They appear young, beautiful and elegant in matching offthe-shoulder gowns in a picture released by police. But the twins never seemed interested in dating or expanding their social spheres. They listed each other as their next of kin, Harwood said. Harwood said the cousins told him they had lost touch with the sisters through the years as other family members passed away.

The cousins don’t share the Miller sisters’ last name, which might be why police had such a hard time finding them. They were tracked down by at-home sleuths, who passed on the family members’ contact information to police. In one case, someone called one of the cousins to confirm their blood line before giving the name to Harwood. Harwood said the sisters deserved to have their family know about their death, and he was pleased to complete that mission with help from “people from across the country, just your Average Joe wanting to try their hand on genealogy,” he said.—AP

and Muslim-owned businesses in New Jersey, and how it prepared a report cataloging the location of Muslim-owned businesses and mosques in Newark. Muslim student groups at Rutgers University and other colleges throughout the northeast also were monitored. The report didn’t describe any criminal activity or links to terrorism of any groups that were monitored.

Muslim leaders in New Jersey have been vocal in their criticism of the NYPD’s activities, and were planning to hold a news conference yesterday afternoon to renew demands for the state attorney general and federal authorities to launch a formal investigation into the NYPD’s activities. Similar

requests have been made by Muslim leaders in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and the US Justice Department has said it is reviewing the issue.

Mustafa El-Amin, the spiritual leader, or imam, of Masjid Ibrahim in Newark, which was one of the mosques included in the NYPD’s report, said Wednesday he was heartened by Ward’s comments and said his mosque had always opened its doors to law enforcement and the FBI. “As an imam in one of the masjid’s under surveillance, I appreciate that he (Ward) has highlighted the seriousness of this issue, and the importance of trust in obtaining reliable information,” he said.—AP

Romney’s lead over rivals grows wide

Santorum, Gingrich left with few options WASHINGTON: Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has built a lead in the race for his party’s nomination that is effectively, if slowly, closing off his rival’s chances of overtaking him in the battle to challenge President Barack Obama in November. The former Massachusetts governor’s victories in six of 10 states that held votes earlier this week effectively left former Sen. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, with few paths to deny Romney the nomination. One is an ugly and divisive fight at the Republican National Convention this August in Tampa, Florida.

Romney’s Super Tuesday victories put him on a delegate-winning pace that would secure the nomination - the needed 1,144 delegates - in June, and at their current rate none of his Republican foes will reach even half the number needed. To date, Romney has won 55 percent of the delegates at stake in primaries and caucuses. And now Romney is gently nudging his Republican opponents to drop out of the race. Romney’s campaign circulated a memo making the case that his six victories on a single night had increased his delegate lead to a point that it was increasingly hard for any of his rivals to catch up. And they were hurting the party by continuing to try, it suggested.

An aide to Romney said it would take an act of God for any other candidate to win. Santorum was defiant in his response.”What won’t they resort to, to try to bully their way through this race?” he said in Kansas. “If the governor now thinks he’s now ordained by God to win, then let’s just have it out.” Santorum can point to the all-important bellwether state of Ohio as cause for continuing his fight. Despite Romney’s huge financial and organization advantages, he managed only the narrowest of victories over Santorum there, underscoring yet again his failure to entice the party’s most-conservative voters to his candidacy.

Gingrich and Santorum both argue Romney is a latecomer to conservative causes, plagued by inconsistencies in his

record and unable to articulate significant differences with Obama. Romney’s plodding pace of winning delegates leaves open some opportunities for debilitating gaffes and intrigue - and plenty of incentive for Santorum and Gingrich to stay in the race and try to make up ground. In the aftermath of the Tuesday vote, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina, in a conference call with reporters, said Romney was “limping across the finish line” in primary states.

from him at the convention - a scenario that many Republican insiders see as farfetched.

In the overall race for delegates, Romney leads with 419. Santorum has 178 delegates and Gingrich, who won in the state of Georgia on Tuesday, has 107. He represented Georgia in Congress for nearly two decades.

Libertarian-leaning Ron Paul, a congressman from Texas, trails with 47, according to the tally by The Associated

BOSTON: Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses supporters at his Super Tuesday campaign rally in Boston on Tuesday.—AP He added that the weakness of the Republican field was giving the president an “expanded map” of states to work with in his re-election campaign.

Romney is projecting confidence.

“We’ve got the time and the resources and a plan to get all the delegates, and we think that will get done before the convention,” he said Wednesday on CNBC. Still, he also said he was “prepared to fight all the way” to the convention if needed. The delegate math is not good for Santorum and Gingrich, despite Santorum’s three victories on Tuesday. Their only hope is to stop Romney from reaching the victory threshold, then wrestle the nomination

Press. Neither Gingrich nor Santorum sound like they plan to leave the race though a Santorum ally urged Gingrich to abandon the race.

Gingrich referred to himself as “the tortoise” and pledged to overtake the hares. Santorum has tried to portray the race as a two-man contest, between Romney and him, hoping that he can solidify the anti-Romney vote behind him. That will remain a challenge as long as Gingrich, seen as a conservative visionary by his fans, remains in the race.

Next up: Tomorrow caucuses in Kansas, the Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Wyoming also wraps up its caucuses tomorrow.-AP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Ecuadorean judge in Chevron case dismissed QUITO: The judge who ruled against Chevron Corp. in a landmark $18 billion environmental damage case has been dismissed for improperly freeing an alleged drug trafficker, The Associated Press learned on Wednesday.

A resolution by Ecuador’s Board of Judges says Nicolas Zambrano and another judge were either deceitful or grossly negligent in the “inexcusable error” of not ordering preventive detention in October 2009 for a suspect caught with a half ton of cocaine.

It recommends they be placed under criminal investigation as a result. The AP obtained the internal document from a court official who asked not to be further identified for fear of losing his job. Zambrano and the other judge, Leonardo Ordonez, could not immediately be located for comment. The secretary at the Sucumbios state provincial court where both work, Alberto Cueva, said by telephone that they were on vacation and had not yet been notified of their dismissal. The Board of Judges said the two judges had allowed the suspect, Cristian Suquisupa, “to evade justice” by supposedly finding contradictions in the court papers requesting his detention. It noted that the third member of the court on which they sat, Luis Legna, had opposed their decision. In February 2011, Zambrano ordered Chevron to pay $18 billion to plaintiffs who say they represent 30,000 Amazon rainforest residents for environmental damage caused by Texaco during its 1972-1990 operation of an oil consortium in the rain forest. Chevron, which bought Texaco in 2001, has refused to recognize last year’s verdict, calling the case fraudulent and the Ecuadorean legal system corrupt.

The decision to dismiss Zambrano will not affect his ruling in the Chevron case, said a former Supreme Court justice, Rodrigo Bucheli. “In no way are previous rulings annulled by the dismissal of a judge,” he told the AP. Initially filed in the United States against Texaco, the oil contamination case was refiled in to Sucumbios in 2003. Last week, the plaintiffs said plan to pursue claim to Chevron assets wherever they can, likely starting in Venezuela and Panama.—AP

16 bodies found in north Mexico graves MONTERREY: Mexican authorities found 16 bodies in three clandestine graves on the outskirts of Monterrey, an industrial city that has seen an upsurge in drug cartel-related violence, officials said Wednesday. David Peralez, spokesman for Nuevo Leon state’s investigative agency, said the burial sites were located on an abandoned ranch in the township of Juarez, the same area where 51 bodies were found in mass graves in 2010.

The is no immediate information on the victims’ identities or those of their killers, but authorities said previously the 2010 burials were probably carried out by a drug gang. Many farmers and ranchers in the region have abandoned rural properties in the face of drug gang violence; cartels frequently take over the ranches to use them as operating bases, training grounds or clandestine burial sites.

Authorities said they went to the ranch outside Monterrey Tuesday after drug gang suspects revealed the burial sites during questioning. They found 15 human skulls and other bones. The bodies appeared to have been buried there at least 8 months ago. Further north in the border city of Piedras Negras, many parents kept their children home from school Wednesday following a fierce hour-long battle between gunmen and police. One female officer was killed and six people were wounded.

Tuesday night’s shootout left an atmosphere of fear across the city of Piedras Negras, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. Authorities have not identified the gunmen involved in the attack. Prosecutors in Coahuila state said one of the wounded police officers is in serious condition. The attackers fled following the shootout, leaving behind a large quantity of weapons, including assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and grenade launchers.—AP

Justice: Mexico should release jailed French woman ‘Authorities violated her rights’

MEXICO CITY: A Mexican Supreme Court justice will argue that a French woman serving a 60-year sentence for kidnapping should be released because authorities violated her rights, according to a written opinion released by the court on Wednesday. The opinion by Justice Arturo Zaldivar now must be discussed and voted on by a five-justice panel of the court, and no date has been set for that discussion.

Zaldivar’s opinion comes after a lingering diplomatic dispute between France and Mexico over Florence Cassez, who was arrested in 2005 and convicted of helping a kidnapping gang allegedly led by her boyfriend. Cassez has denied any involvement in the abductions, though she lived at the compound on the outskirts of Mexico City where victims were held in outbuildings. She said she was unaware of their presence. Zaldivar wrote that Mexican police violated her right to consular assistance, because they failed to immediately notify French consular officials of Cassez’s arrest.

That is a sensitive point, since Mexico has often defended its citizens in the United States on the same grounds. The opinion also notes that police took Cassez to the scene of the kidnappings for a re-enactment of her detention, when she should have been brought before a court. Police have said the reenacted the detention to allow news media to tape it. “These violations completely affected the trial process, in as much as they had a devastating effect on other fundamental rights, such as the right to be presumed innocent and the right to an adequate defense,” Zaldivar

wrote. The Supreme Court appeal, filed a year ago by Cassez’s lawyers, is her final legal recourse in Mexico. But any voiding of her conviction would be a serious setback for the Mexican government, which has repeatedly defended her arrest and rebuffed requests by France that she be returned to her home country. Cassez’s attorney, Agustin

Acosta, said it’s very likely the Supreme Court will rule her way on March 21, the scheduled date for the justices to meet.

“There is finally, finally, finally, a light that brightens the dark 6-year tunnel Florence Cassez has gone through,” he said. Acosta said he spoke to Cassez “She has been quiet, but she is clearly hopeful.”— AP

DUNKIRK: Bernard Cassez, the father of Florence Cassez, sentenced in Mexico to 60 years in prison for kidnapping, speaks to media yesterday in Dunkirk, northern France. —AFP

Strong space weather storm hits Earth WASHINGTON: The strongest space weather storm in five years struck Earth yesterday, causing some airlines to reroute their flights, threatening power disruptions and sparking a show of the northern lights. NASA and other agencies warned that the storm had the potential to disrupt global positioning systems, satellites and power grids, and had already caused some air carriers to change their planes’ polar flight paths.

However, the Earth’s magnetic field appeared to be absorbing the brunt of the shock and it was unlikely to reach the most severe levels, US experts said.

The leading edge of the coronal mass ejection - a burst of hot plasma and charged particles - that erupted from the Sun early Wednesday reached Earth yesterday at 1045 GMT (5:45 am Eastern time in the United States), said an update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Predictions that the storm would reach a level three on a scale of five, or a “strong” level of solar radiation and geomagnetic storming, continue to “look justified,” NOAA said. “So far the orientation of the magnetic field has been opposite of what is needed to cause the strongest storming. As the event progresses, that field will continue to change.”

NASA had forecast late Wednesday that the storm could reach “severe” levels, and its effects were expected to last through Friday. The storm is likely “the strongest one since December 2006,” NOAA scientist Joseph Kunches said on Wednesday. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station

were not expected to be affected by the radiation storm, NASA said. A vivid display of the northern lights - aurora borealis created when highly charged particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, causing a colorful glow, was expected to be visible over central Asia at nightfall yesterday.

Geomagnetic and radiation storms are growing more frequent as the Sun leaves its solar minimum period and moves into a solar maximum over the coming years, but people are generally protected by Earth’s magnetic field. However, some experts are concerned that because the world is more reliant on GPS and satellite technology now than it was during the last solar maximum, more disruptions to modern life are likely.

The fuss began late Sunday at an active region on the Sun known as 1429, with a big solar flare that was associated with a coronal mass ejection that thrust toward the Earth at some 6.4 million kilometers per hour.

A pair of solar flares and a CME followed overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, setting off a strong geomagnetic and solar radiation storm registering at level three on a five-step scale. NASA said the first of the two flares on March 6-7 - classified in the potent X class and facing directly at the Earth - was the biggest this year and one of the largest of this cycle known as the solar minimum, which began in early 2007. In fact, it was second only to a stronger one that erupted in August. The solar flares alone caused brief high frequency radio blackouts that have already passed, according to NOAA.— AFP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Queen Elizabeth begins Diamond Jubilee tour LONDON: Flag-waving crowds of Britons lined the streets and politicians proffered gushing praise as Queen Elizabeth launched a nationwide tour of her realm yesterday to celebrate 60 years as monarch.

Elizabeth’s four-month tour will take in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as part of celebrations for her reign which began on Feb 6, 1952.

It starts in Leicester in central England, where the 85-year-old monarch will travel by train with her husband Philip and Catherine, the wife of grandson Prince William, for a visit to a university, cathedral and the city centre. “The excitement and anticipation felt around our campus since this visit was announced is a measure of the great affection our students and staff have for the queen,” said Dominic Shellard, the vice-chancellor of De Montfort University.

“This special celebration will be history in the making, not just for De Montfort

University, but for the people of Leicester, and I have no doubt memories of this occasion will be cherished, for years to come, by everyone who witnesses it.”

The focal point of the diamond jubilee festivities will take place over four days in June, including a 1,000-ship pageant on the River Thames through London and a concert at Buckingham Palace. Millions of Britons thronged the streets of London for celebrations to mark her 50th year on the throne in 2002 and organizers expect a similar reaction this summer. Other members of the royal family are also taking part in a global tour of major Commonwealth countries and realms where Elizabeth is head of state, with grandson Prince Harry, William’s younger brother, currently in the Caribbean.

Elizabeth has overseen some tumultuous times since she became queen on the death of her father George VI in 1952. She has presided over the continued dismantling of

a centuries-old British empire which spanned the globe under her father, bid farewell to former colonies such as Kenya, Jamaica and Hong Kong, seen the marital indiscretions of her children skewer the royal family’s popularity at home, and witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of public grief over the deaths of her divorced daughter-in-law Diana and her mother-the last British queen to hold the title Empress consort of India. Republic, a group that opposes the monarchy, has promised to hold protests during the jubilee celebrations. The popularity of the royal family has been revived of late with the telegenic good looks and easy charm of Diana’s son William, a dashing future king who married his long-time girlfriend last year in a glittering ceremony at Westminster Abbey that was watched by some two billion people on television. “While the sands of culture shift and the tides of politics ebb and flow, her

majesty has been a permanent anchor, bracing Britain against the storms, grounding us in certainty,” Prime Minister David Cameron told parliament on Wednesday.

“Diamond is the appropriate epithet for this jubilee. For 60 years, Her Majesty has been a point of light in our national life-brilliant, enduring and resilient,” he added in a “humble address” on behalf of all lawmakers. “For that, she has the respect of the House and the enduring affection of all her people.” Parliamentarians from all parties joined the effusive praise, heralding all aspects of her life from her professionalism and dedication to public duty to her looks.

“For my generation, the abiding memory of our queen is her stunning beauty when she came to the throne,” said Sir Peter Tapsell, the oldest member of the House of Commons at 82. “There is nothing more inspiriting in the whole world than a beautiful woman.”— Reuters

Flagging economy dogs Sarkozy as vote near French premier reaches out to Jews, Muslims

BRATISLAVA: This is a Feb 10, 2012 file photo of demonstrators during a march against corruption in politics, in the center of Bratislava with a banner that reads: “For Sale - Slovakia - Sold out”. —AP

As vote looms, Slovakia rocked by bribes scandal BRATISLAVA: For two years, the dossier claims, politicians of all stripes were pocketing kickbacks from members of an influential private investment group. In the wall of the apartment where the clandestine meetings took place was a listening device planted by a secret agent intrigued by why so many high-level visitors were dropping in.

The “Gorilla” files - mysteriously posted online by an anonymous source in December and said to be based on the wiretaps have rocked the already-raucous world of Slovak politics ahead of elections Saturday. The fallout looks certain to propel populist former leader Robert Fico back into power, even though he himself has been implicated. The file purportedly documents shady dealings between 2005 and 2006, and suggests investment group Penta bribed government and opposition politicians to win lucrative privatization deals. Politicians from almost all major parties have been tainted in the scandal, named after a beefy Penta guard whose apartment provided the venue for the meetings. Prime Minister Iveta Radicova’s Slovak Democratic and Christian Union, whose free-market reforms earned the country NATO and EU membership, looks likely to be hit hardest. The party was in power in 2005-2006 and then-prime minister Mikulas Dzurinda is now foreign minister and party chairman. Polls indicate the party will win only about 5 percent, despite overseeing an economic boom driven by solid growth, strong exports and the implementation of much-needed pension reforms. The early elections were called when the government fell after failing to approve Slovakia’s contribution to an EU bailout fund.

The left-wing Fico, who ruled from 2006 to 2010, says he is innocent and doesn’t recall the meetings he was said to have attended, adding that he couldn’t have influenced any decisions because he was in opposition. One big winner in the scandal?

Fruit vendors. —AP

PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy cannot count on a late economic rebound to revive his struggling re-election bid, with fresh data yesterday flagging the fragility of the euro zone’s second-biggest economy ahead of next month’s election. With no end to the gloom in sight ahead of the election, the central bank forecast that the economy will have stalled in the first quarter. Other data showed that thousands of jobs were lost at the end of 2011 and the trade deficit widened again.

His economic record tarnished by soaring unemployment, limp growth and the loss of France’s AAA credit rating, Sarkozy is battling to catch up with Socialist challenger Francois Hollande in opinion polls for the two round election in April and May. A trillion euros of ECB liquidity injected into the European banking system has helped dispel worse-case scenarios in France and the euro zone as a whole, but economic data are nonetheless offering voters little ground for optimism.

The Bank of France’s latest forecast, unchanged from a first estimate, suggests the economy is unlikely to repeat its performance in the final quarter of 2011 when growth outpaced the broader 17-nation euro zone by expanding 0.2 percent. In a monthly report, the Bank of France said that sentiment in the industrial sector had weakened in February and held steady in services at a level well below the long-term average. Highlighting the bleak outlook on the corporate front, retail giant Carrefour cut its dividend and investment in anticipation that cash-strapped consumers are entrenching for tough times.

France’s prime minister scrambled yesterday to dispel concerns in the Jewish and Muslim communities after criticizing the ritual slaughter of animals for kosher and halal meat. Halal meat in particular has emerged as a hot-button issue in the campaign for presidential elections starting next month in France, a country with at least 5 million Muslims, the largest such population in western Europe. Francois Fillon’s call for religions to “reflect” upon what he called outdated traditions has fed

PARIS: Francois Hollande (C), France’s opposition Socialist Party (PS) candidate for the 2012 French presidential election, shakes hands with a woman as he arrives for a meeting at Les Lilas town hall outside Paris yesterday during a campaign trip focused on the International Women’s Day. —AFP a hyper-charged political atmosphere.

His boss, conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, has openly courted far right voters in hopes of boosting his lagging chances of re-election, with digs at Muslim practices and calls to shrink immigration. But for many, Fillon’s comments went too far. He hosted Jewish leaders Wednesday and was expected to meet with Muslim leaders Thursday in what appeared to be an attempt to ease concerns about his comments on French radio this week.

The Jewish leaders he met with Wednesday said Fillon assured them that Judaism wasn’t targeted, but insisted they would keep an eye on government policy.

France also has a large Jewish community, estimated at about half a million. Most French are Roman Catholic by heritage, and many French holidays and traditions are linked to Christianity. But for a century the government has professed allegiance to a strict separation of church and state.

It was in the name of this official secularism that Sarkozy - and many French people

- backed a 2010 law banning the face-covering Islamic veil such as the niqab or burqa in all public space in France. France also bans the Islamic headscarf and other obvious religious symbols from public schools.

Polls suggest Sarkozy is facing an uphill battle against front-runner Socialist Francois Hollande for the elections, to be conducted in two rounds April 22 and May 6. Sarkozy has been upfront about trying to lure votes from the far right National Front’s candidate Marine Le Pen, who shows in a strong third place in polls and whose father made it into the 2002 presidential election runoff. Sarkozy hit a nationalist note with his first big campaign rally last month and has continued the theme since. On Saturday, he criticized special indulgences for halal meat in schools or separate swimming hours for Muslim women in public pools. “There is no place in the republic for xenophobia, there is no place for racism. ...

There is no place for pools with hours for men and hours for women,” Sarkozy told a rally in Bordeaux.—Agencies

International FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Spain anti-eviction army counts conquests MADRID: Paco steps grinning from his front door, bearing a ladle for his friends to serve hot chocolate. On a chilly morning, what was to be a tense stand-off with bailiffs has turned into a street party. For months protestors have been turning up at dawn in neighborhoods like Getafe in Madrid, to defend homeowners like Paco against eviction. For him, as for scores of others, they succeeded. Sitting on evictees’ doorsteps, dragged away by riot police or left chanting triumphantly as the bailiffs retreat, they have waged a weekly fight to shield the penniless and jobless from Spain’s housing crisis.

Now they say they are winning. “It hasn’t been easy, but it can be done,” said Paco, 51, who would not give his full name. He signed a confidentiality deal with Deutsche Bank after it agreed at the last minute to settle his 130,000 euros ($170,000) of debt in return for his home, an apartment in a street of red-brick housing blocks with washing lines. He had fallen into arrears after losing his job and faced eviction until the “May 15” social movement-named after the date when a wave of protests broke out last year-helped him negotiate with the bank.

“The May 15 group accompanied me on visits to the bank and the town hall” in efforts to negotiate a settlement, Paco said, as some 20 friends and neighbors stood dipping churros-deep-fried breakfast pastries-in their chocolate.

“The bank found itself faced with the campaign group. It must have realized what it was faced with and it came to an agreement.” It cancelled his debt in return for surrendering his apartment and let him stay there while local authorities find him a council flat. The PAH, a group that defends those it considers victims of unfair lending, says it has blocked 156 evictions in Spain since the movement began in Barcelona in 2009, and 31 in Madrid since July. The group got a boost from the “May 15” movement, which provided it with an army of activists ready to help across the country. “The movement has managed to make some of its main demands enter the mainstream political debate,” it said in a statement. “It has the sympathy of the vast majority of public opinion.” Since its campaign began, town halls in three neighborhoods of Madrid have set up commissions to protect homeowners from eviction. Last month, Spain’s Economy Minister Luis de Guindos announced a new code of practice for banks, encouraging them to let insolvent borrowers write off their mortgages by surrendering their homes, even if the house’s value has fallen.

The wave of evictions “is a human tragedy,” said de Guindos, a former executive of the ruined US bank Lehman Brothers, when he announced the new code, which is due to be approved by the government today. The campaigners complained voluntary guidelines are not enough, demanding stronger protection against eviction in Spain, where banks, on top of seizing the home, can pursue the borrower for further repayments for years. Spain’s top civil ombudsman Luisa Cava de Llano in a report in January called on banks to ease the pressure on poor homeowners. “It is the bank that must evaluate a customer’s capacity for debt and refrain from offering loans that exceed his ability to repay,” she wrote.

At least two major banks, Bankia and Bankinter, have said they are open to this settlement procedure. But with property prices down, the prospect of gaining more empty real estate is a headache for the financial sector. The busting of Spain’s construction boom which triggered the current crisis in 2008 saddled banks with heaps of properties that have lost their value. “Before activating a foreclosure procedure, the banks analyse all the possibilities for renegotiating the terms of the loan with the customer,” said the Spanish Banks’ Association in an email.

“This is as much in the customer’s interest, to avoid them losing their home, as that of the bank,” it said. “It is clearly much more in line with its activities and interests to continue the loan than to sell the property.” The association warned: “Any reform of the regulatory framework must avoid introducing distortions in a mortgage market that historically has worked well and has allowed 85 percent of Spanish families to buy their home.” In Getafe the small crowd disperses, leaving Paco smiling on the pavement. At the start of the week the PAH had a list of five further antieviction protests planned in Madrid throughout March. By Wednesday, two of the evictions had been cancelled.— AFP

African giants try to end diplomatic row S Africa apologizes for turning away Nigerians PRETORIA: South Africa yesterday apologized for blocking 125 Nigerians from the country and unveiled new immigration procedures aimed at ending a diplomatic row between the continent’s two powerhouses. The dispute blew up after immigration officials at Johannesburg’s main airport on Friday refused entry to Nigerians over suspicions that their yellow fever vaccination cards were fake. Every day since, Nigeria has turned away dozens of South Africans in retaliation. “We apologize for this unfortunate incident and we hope this matter will not in any way affect our bilateral relations,” deputy foreign minister Ibrahim Ibrahim told reporters in Pretoria.

“We’ve put into place certain mechanisms to ensure this doesn’t happen again, and we believe that this matter is closed,” he added. “We are in contact with the embassy in Nigeria, to see that there are no longer problems, and that

any difficulties over vaccination certificates are dealt with before a visa is issued.” He did not expect an apology from Nigeria over its retaliatory actions, he said. “We understand the reaction of the Nigerian authorities.” The authorities have agreed to re-open an airport clinic that would allow travelers to receive yellow fever vaccines on arrival; and to require a foreign ministry official’s consent before immigration authorities turn away large groups of travelers.

South Africa, the richest country on the continent, is struggling with its reputation for xenophobia-a perception that was reinforced after nationwide attacks on immigrants left 62 dead in 2008. The government has moved quickly to mend this latest row. “Cabinet expressed shock and regret at the reports regarding how African foreign nationals, particularly Nigerians, and other nationals from other parts of the world have been treated” at

Johannesburg’s main airport, minister in the presidency Collins Chabane told reporters in Cape Town earlier yesterday.

On Tuesday Nigerian Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru had accused the South African authorities of targeting Nigerians. “What you see playing out is what we call xenophobia by South Africans against all Africans-not just Nigerians-including even those from their neighboring countries,” Ashiru added. Friday’s incident prompted Nigeria’s Arik Air to suspend its flights to Johannesburg, though it has since resumed its service. South Africa’s ambassador also called the Nigerian foreign ministry over the issue. Arik, one of two airlines affected, said health officials had given the reason as incorrect or unrecognized batch numbers on the documentation. Proof of vaccination is mandatory before one can enter the country. — AFP

SUDANESE BORDER: In this July 31, 2006 file photo, members of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army are seen as their leader Joseph Kony meets with a delegation of Ugandan officials and lawmakers and representatives from non-governmental organizations, in the Democratic Republic of Congo near the Sudanese border. —AP

Campaigners launch viral video on Kony’s atrocities KAMPALA: If Joseph Kony lived in relative anonymity before this week, he’s an Internet star now. A video about the atrocities carried out by Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army has become viral, racking up millions more views seemingly by the hour. The marketing campaign is an effort by the advocacy group Invisible Children to vastly increase awareness about a jungle militia leader who is wanted for atrocities by the International Criminal Court and is being hunted by 100 US Special Forces advisers and local troops in four Central African countries.

The group’s 30-minute video, which was released Monday, had more than 21 million views on YouTube by Thursday.

The movie is part of an effort called

KONY 2012 that targets Kony and the LRA. “Kony is a monster. He deserves to be prosecuted and hanged,” said Col Felix Kulayigye, the spokesman for Uganda’s military. But Kulayigye said that Kony’s forces - once thousands strong - have been so degraded that he no longer considers him a threat to the region. Because of the intensified hunt for Kony, his forces split into smaller groups that can travel the jungle more easily. Experts estimate that the LRA now has only about 250 fighters. Still, the militia abducts children, forcing them to serve as soldiers or sex slaves, and even to kill their parents or each other to survive.

Uganda, Invisible Children and (hash)stopkony were among the top 10

trending terms on Twitter among both the worldwide and US audience on Wednesday night, ranking higher than New iPad or Peyton Manning. Twitter’s top trends more commonly include celebrities than fugitive militants. Ben Keesey, Invisible Children’s 28-year-old chief executive officer, said the viral success shows their message resonates and that viewers feel empowered to force change. It was released on the website, www.kony2012.com.

“The core message is just to show that there are few times where problems are black and white. There’s lots of complicated stuff in the world, but Joseph Kony and what he’s doing is black and white,” Keesey said Wednesday.— AP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Indian reforms stymied

by Congress election rout Congress suffers thrashing in Punjab region

A handout picture released in London by the British Ministry of Defence yesterday shows a combination of pictures of six British service personnel killed in Afghanistan after their armoured vehicle was struck by an explosion on Tuesday.—AFP

UK: Afghanistan deaths won’t dent troop morale LONDON: Britain’s defense secretary insisted yesterday that the country’s troops are committed to their mission in Afghanistan, after the number of UK personnel killed in the conflict passed 400. Ministers have expressed fears that the deaths of six soldiers killed when an explosion hit their armored vehicle in the southwestern Helmand province on Tuesday evening would prompt new concern over the 11-year-long campaign.

The incident was the biggest loss of life for British forces in Afghanistan since a plane crash in 2006. It took Britain’s death toll in Afghanistan since 2001 to 404. “The people on the ground are acutely conscious of the risks that they are running, but they are also incredibly proud of the job that they are doing and rightly so, and hugely satisfied by the level of public support that they have back home,” Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told ITV television. He said morale remains “extremely high, and it’s high because the servicemen and women there know that they are doing a job and are doing it well and that is their professional commitment to get that job done.” Britain’s defense ministry named those killed as Cpl. Jake Hartley, 20; Pvt. Anthony Frampton, 20; Pvt. Christopher Kershaw, 19; Pvt. Daniel Wade, 20; Pvt. Daniel Wilford, 21; and Sgt. Nigel Coupe, 33.

Hammond said that full details of the incident were not yet established, but that it appeared “a massive” roadside bomb had exploded and “had a catastrophic impact on the vehicle.” Gen. David Richards, head of Britain’s armed forces, acknowledged that the military is likely to suffer further losses before the end of the international mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014. “As progress continues, the work of our servicemen and women will draw down, but our efforts will endure,” he wrote in an op-ed article in the Times of London. —AP

NEW DELHI: The rout of India’s ruling Congress party in state polls will make it tougher for the government to pursue far-reaching, pro-market reforms that could revive faltering economic growth, analysts say. Voters on Tuesday rebuffed Congress’s bid for a comeback in India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh, where the party managed to increase its holding in the 403-seat assembly from 22 to just 29 despite campaigning hard.

Congress also suffered a surprise thrashing in the wheat-bowl region of Punjab, another big state in the mid-term elections that were seen as a test for the national government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “The best that can be hoped for is muddle-through policies” by the Congress government, Goldman Sachs analyst Tushar Poddar said. The poll results will not “give it the confidence to carry through (politically) unpopular reforms.”

Investors have been waiting for the government to unleash a raft of reforms to decrease the economic role of the state, ease business regulation and open doors to more foreign investment since it was returned to power in 2009. These are structural changes that analysts say are key to boosting growth on a long-term basis. But recent attempts at reform have been hindered by a recalcitrant opposi-

tion as well as political allies, a string of corruption scandals and high inflation that have weakened Singh’s government and gridlocked parliament.

Now the elections, in which Congress fared poorly in four out of five states, have further undermined the chances that Singh, architect of the first reform wave two decades ago, can push through a new contentious reform agenda. “The policy drift in New Delhi is likely to continue” and “the possibility of an expeditious roll-out of reforms may come a cropper,” Ajay Bodke, investment strategy head at Prabhudas Lilladher brokerage, told AFP. Congress had hoped for a strong election showing to give it the clout to revive retail reforms allowing full entry to foreign firms, overhaul the pension and tax systems, and bring in new land laws to spur industrialisation. Now Singh’s government is left to limp towards the 2014 general elections relying on coalition allies such as the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, led by the mercurial Mamata Banerjee.

The Trinamool will “continue to torment Congress’s reformist agenda,” said Bodke, adding the regional socialist Samajwadi Party, which swept the polls in Uttar Pradesh, may step up demands for more development funding from New

Delhi. The state polls setback comes as Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee crafts his annual national budget, due on March 16, with the economy growing at 6.1 percent, its slowest pace since the 2008 global financial crisis.

The election results have dashed hopes that Mukherjee might present a reform-oriented budget and have heightened worries that he will balk at decisively reining in the ballooning deficit, analysts say. The government “will be much more on the defensive,” said Financial Express newspaper managing editor M.K. Venu, adding Mukherjee was now likely to present a “holding operation budget.”

“The regional parties are known to be more populist, much more welfare-oriented. The regional parties will take a much tougher stand (on reforms) as we approach the 2014 elections,” Venu told the NDTV Profit channel. Election data shows India’s politics becoming increasingly aligned along regional fault lines that will make long-term national economic policy-making even harder, analysts predict. In the run-up to 2014, traditional tactics of populist free-spending to win votes “may be the only strategy left for (Congress) to fall back on-which would be bad news for the markets,” said Jay Shankar, chief economist at Religare Capital Markets.—-AFP

S Lanka to resist US war crimes resolution COLOMBO: Sri Lanka yesterday dismissed as “ill-timed and ill-conceived” a US move at the UN Human Rights Council to censure Colombo over alleged crimes against humanity in the final phase of its separatist war. Water Supply Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said Sri Lanka was confident of defeating the three-point resolution at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva urging the island to probe alleged war crimes.

“This resolution is ill-timed, ill-conceived and borne out of ignorance,” Gunawardena, who is also the chief gov-

ernment whip in parliament, told reporters. He accused the US of ignoring Sri Lanka’s reconciliation moves. Sri Lanka has faced strong international criticism over the bloody finale of its separatist war in 2009 but has avoided censure at previous UN meetings thanks to support from China and Russia. The US resolution, seen by AFP, urges Sri Lanka to ensure “justice, equity, accountability and reconciliation” and says Colombo’s own probe, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, did not adequately address concerns. The Sri Lankan

government initiated nationwide demonstrations last month to coincide with the opening of the UNHRC sessions and denounced Washington for leading international calls for a war crimes probe.

Rights groups say up to 40,000 civilians perished in the final months of Colombo’s military campaign to crush the Tamil Tigers, who waged a bloody decades-long campaign for a separate homeland for minority Tamils. The UN estimates some 100,000 people died during Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict between 1972 and 2009.— AFP

Pakistani Taleban in talks to heal rift PESHAWAR: Pakistani Taleban commanders are locked in talks, trying to heal a damaging rift that has inflamed tensions over whether to pursue peace efforts with the government, insiders say. After months of relative calm, bomb and suicide attacks are again hitting Pakistan’s northwest, raising fears that militants are again on the offensive despite reports late last year that commanders were exploring peace contacts.

“The one-point agenda is how to adopt a uniform policy,” a Taleban commander told AFP from an undisclosed location on condition of anonymity. The umbrella Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan (TTP) is a loose confederation of rival commanders.

Divisions first came to the fore after founder Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in August 2009. The young and radical Hakimullah Mehsud-a clan relation

to Baitullah-ultimately won a leadership battle, pushing the TTP closer to Al-Qaeda and overseeing some of Pakistan’s bloodiest gun and suicide attacks yet.

Mullah Omar, the Afghan Taleban supreme leader, reportedly asked TTP commanders to stop attacks as his movement explores confidence-building talks with the Americans at the start of a nascent peace process in Afghanistan. The only TTP commander who refused to comply was Hakimullah Mehsud, putting him at odds with his arch-rival, the older and more measured Wali-ur Rehman, sources say.

Differences appeared to bubble over Sunday with the sacking of Mehsud’s deputy, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, who is considered close to Rehman, at a TTP meeting. “Dialogue with Pakistan is a secondary issue. First, we’re trying to end our disputes

and after that we will decide on holding talks with Pakistan,” the Taleban commander told AFP. “There are serious differences between Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur Rehman which everybody wants to end,” he added.

The TTP leadership has held several meetings with representatives from the Afghan Taleban and Afghanistan’s militant Haqqani network to try to unite, but commanders are constantly on the move, worried about US drone missiles. “Several rounds of talks have taken place but commanders can’t sit together in one place for long as they fear drone strikes,” another source told AFP. Experts are divided over the significance of Mohammad’s sacking with the government and former officials convinced that the TTP is now weaker than

ever, hit hard by the US drone strikes and

by Pakistani military offensives.

“Hakimullah Mehsud has his group with its own weight but TTP commanders are scattered. Some are in Afghanistan, some in the tribal areas. There is a lack of communication,” said Mehmud Shah, a former tribal belt security chief.

“There are commanders who aren’t listening to Mehsud... The shura (meeting) of some of its leaders is just to show their importance. The TTP structure is broken and they are making efforts to rebuild it and remove difference,” he added.

Mohammad has insisted that he initiated peace contacts in Bajaur, his home district and one of seven in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt, with the full knowledge of Mehsud’s TTP leadership as a “test case”.— AFP

International FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

US, North Korea food aid talks end with progress Talks positive and productive: King

BEIJING: Hostesses pose for photos outside the Great Hall of the People during the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing yesterday.

The 2012 NPC session is the last before a handover of power that begins later this year, and leaders are anxious to ensure the world’s second-largest economy grows at a steady pace while keeping a lid on social unrest. —AFP

High-flying Chinese leader absent from top meeting BEIJING: A high-flying Chinese politician dogged by a scandal involving a subordinate possibly seeking US asylum missed an important session of the national legislature yesterday, raising speculation about new setbacks to his political ambitions. Chongqing boss Bo Xilai’s highly unusual unexplained absence came as the mystery surrounding the city’s ex-police chief and Bo’s former right-hand man grew even murkier. A local businessman said Wednesday that police had threatened him over his plans to release information shedding light on connections between the former police chief and a local tycoon. Bo was the only one of the 25 members of the ruling Communist Party’s Politburo not at yesterday’s meeting of the National People’s Congress, and a seat or place card for him was not evident. The body is holding its annual 10-day session in Beijing this month. State broadcaster CCTV’s evening news showed Bo attending a meeting yesterday of the Chongqing delegation, although he was not heard speaking.

The Chongqing delegation to the congress is scheduled to hold a round-table with media on Friday, although it isn’t clear if Bo will attend. The telegenic, somewhat flamboyant, leader had already met with delegation members on Monday’s opening day of the session, and he attended Wednesday’ session, too. Bo’s political future has been under question since former police chief Wang Lijun was believed to have unsuccessfully sought political asylum last month at the US consulate in the city of Chengdu. Wang has since been taken into custody by investigators.

A spokesman for the NPC, who like many Chinese officials would not give his name, said he had no information about Bo’s absence from yesterday’s session. Bo, Chongqing’s Communist Party secretary and top official, was thought to have a strong chance of being named to the Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee later this year before Wang’s scandal broke.

Bo had entrusted Wang with carrying out a high-profile crackdown on Chongqing’s organized crime syndicates and their police protectors, a campaign later criticized for its alleged use of torture and other violations. Amid rumors that Wang was being investigated over past dealings in another city, he apparently fell out with Bo and made a dash for the Chengdu consulate. Chongqing officials have said Wang was suffering from stress and was undergoing therapy. However, central government officials say he is under investigation and will face legal sanction depending on the outcome.

In an interview this week with Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite Television, Chongqing Mayor Huang Qifan said he pursued Wang to Chengdu and had persuaded him to return to Chongqing before state security agents took him away. In doing so, Huang said he had avoided a “foreign policy crisis.”

US officials say Wang had an appointment at the consulate and left on his own volition, but have refused to discuss anything that happened inside the consulate. —AP

BEIJING: Key issues on deliveries of American food aid to North Korea have been resolved, though details remain to be settled after talks ended yesterday.

Envoy Robert King called the day-and-ahalf of talks with North Korean officials “positive and productive.” He declined to disclose details before reporting back to Washington. “We resolved the administrative issues we were concerned with,” King told reporters at Beijing’s main airport before boarding a flight for Washington.

He later said: “We’re still working on the details.”

The talks follow a deal announced last week in which the US offered 240,000 tons of food aid in return for North Korea freezing long-range missile and nuclear tests and for halting a uranium enrichment program that would be monitored

by UN inspectors. That agreement is the most substantive sign of warming US North Korean ties after three years of tensions during which Pyongyang exploded a nuclear device and engaged in armed provocations against South Korea.

If carried out, the agreement would bring the region closer to restarting multinational negotiations on North Korea’s nuclear disarmament. US officials have cautioned that Pyongyang must take other actions before resuming the talks, chiefly improving its mostly fraught relations with Seoul. North Korean and South Korean diplomats involved in the six-party nuclear talks are in the United States this week attending an academic conference that may help break the ice. Yet tensions remain as the US and South Korea staged war games in recent days, and in apparent response, North Korea held its own drills and called for a “sacred war” against the South.

Poor and reliant economically and diplomatically on China, North Korea has been looking at ways to reform its lagging economy. The regime is also believed to

be trying to lay in food and money for high-profile celebrations next month to celebrate the centenary of revolutionary founder Kim Il Sung. In the food talks, negotiators sparred in previous rounds over North Korean demands for rice, instead of the nutritional assistance, like vitamin supplements that the US agreed to provide. The US also wanted to ensure that the assistance reaches North Koreans who need it, rather than being diverted to the military or other groups as was suspected with some previous international aid shipments.

King, the US envoy, said in response to reporters questions said that those con-

cerns about the shipments had been resolved, though he did not discuss how deliveries would be monitored. North Korea’s positive outreach to Washington has surprised US diplomats. Though the uptick in relations began in the middle of last year, many North Korea watchers expected the momentum to stall after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il’s sudden death in December left power in the hands of his untested son and a coterie of advisers. Instead, US forensic teams are also expected to resume searches in North Korea next month for the remains of American military personnel missing from the 1950-53 Korean War.—AP

BEIJING: US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues Robert King, left, and senior official of U.S. Agency for International Development Jon Brause arrive to give a press briefing before they fly back to Washington at the Beijing International Capital Airport in Beijing yesterday.—AP

Fukushima nuclear plant still vulnerable OKUMA: Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima power plant remains fragile nearly a year after it suffered multiple meltdowns, its chief said, with makeshift equipment - some mended with tape - keeping crucial systems running. An independent report, meanwhile, revealed that the government downplayed the full danger in the days after the March 11 disaster and secretly considered evacuating Tokyo. Journalists given a tour of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant on Tuesday, including a reporter from The Associated Press, saw crumpled trucks and equipment still lying on the ground. A power pylon that collapsed in the tsunami, cutting electricity to the plant’s vital cooling system and setting off the crisis, remained a mangled mess.

Officials said the worst is over but the plant remains vulnerable. “I have to admit that it’s still rather fragile,” said plant Chief Takeshi Takahashi, who took the job in December after his predecessor resigned due to health reasons. “Even though the plant has achieved what we call ‘cold shutdown conditions,’ it still causes problems that must be improved.” The government announced in

December that three melted reactors at the plant had basically stabilized and that radiation releases had dropped. It still will take decades to fully decommission the plant, and it must be kept stable until then. The operators have installed multiple backup power supplies, a cooling system and equipment to process massive amounts of contaminated water that leaked from the damaged reactors. But the equipment that serves as the lifeline of the cooling system is shockingly feeble-looking. Plastic hoses cracked by freezing temperatures have been mended with tape. A set of three pumps sits on the back of a pickup truck. Along with the pumps, the plant now has 1,000 tanks to store more than 160,000 tons of contaminated water. Radiation levels in the Unit 1 reactor have fallen, allowing workers to repair some damage to the reactor building. But the Unit 3 reactor, whose roof was blown off by a hydrogen explosion, resembles an ashtray filled with a heap of cigarette butts. A dosimeter recorded the highest radiation reading outside Unit 3 during Tuesday’s tour - 1.5 millisieverts per hour. That is a major

improvement from last year, when up to 10 sieverts per hour were registered near Units 1 and 2. Exposure to more than 1,000 millisieverts, or 1 sievert, can cause radiation sickness including nausea and an elevated risk of cancer. Officials say radiation hot spots remain inside the plant and minimizing exposure to them is a challenge. Employees usually work for two to three hours at a time, but in some areas, including highly contaminated Unit 3, they can stay only a few minutes.

Since the March 11 crisis, no one has died from radiation exposure. Tuesday’s tour, organized by plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co, or TEPCO, came as an independent group released a report saying the government withheld information about the full danger of the disaster from its own people and from the United States. The report by the private Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation delivers a scathing view of how leaders played down the risks of the reactor meltdowns while holding secret discussions of a worst-case scenario in which massive radiation releases would require the evacuation of a much wider region, including Tokyo. —AP

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Hyundai’s European business gets noticed

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NEW YORK: A trader studies monitors on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. —AP

Greek hopes lift shares, euro Risk assets gain as Greek fears recede

LONDON: Stock markets rose yesterday and the euro gained as investors bet that Greece would pull off a bond swap needed to avoid a chaotic default and that the US economy would deliver more upbeat news.

But markets are expected to remain cautious ahead of the formal announcement on the Greek deal, as well as Friday’s keenly-watched US jobs report, while central banks are being closely monitored for signs they will keep promoting growth. “This (Greece) has been the game of anticipation.

I think it’s likely to remain volatile but overall ... we would be expecting more upside potential moving into next week,” Luca Solca, global head of European research at CA Cheuvreux, said. The MSCI world equity index gained 0.8 percent to 326.61 after gains across Asia and in US markets on Wednesday.

The broad FTSE Eurofirst 300 index of top European companies rose 0.5 percent to 1,063.8 with the banking sector, which is most directly linked to Greece’s debt worries through its sovereign debt holdings,

adding 1 percent. Hopes the Greek deal would get done lifted most other assets from copper and gold to oil, along with commodity-linked currencies such as the Australian dollar, while the US dollar took a back seat although it rose against the yen.

According to a Greek government official there has been a strong take-up of its bond swap offer by private investors ahead of the deadline, a key element in an 130 billion euro ($170 billion) second bailout.

But the depth of the country’s malaise was emphasized by news that its jobless rate rose to a fresh record of 21 percent in December from 20.9 percent in November.

The Greek swap and US nonfarm payrolls, due today, are seen as a test of whether markets can build on the optimism of recent months and overcome patchy growth figures that have dented sentiment.

The euro was up 0.5 percent to $1.3220, recovering from a three-week low of $1.3096 touched on Wednesday. German government bonds fell on all the optimism with the June futures contract down 38

ticks at 138.18. Yields on 10-year Italian government bonds fell 10 basis points to 4.84 percent, while the equivalent Spanish yield fell to 5.02 percent.

CENTRAL BANKS ON HOLD Market attention is switching back onto monetary policy settings after a US report that the Federal Reserve is considering a new approach to asset purchases, while rumors surfaced during the Asian trading session that Chinese authorities maybe considering a rate cut. The European Central Bank is expected to signal after its monthly policy meeting that it has played its part in fighting the euro zone crisis after pumping more than 1 trillion euros into the banking system since the end of December.

“We don’t expect any dramatic changes, but the inflation forecast for 2013, currently at 1.5 percent, should be watched closely,” Derek Halpenny, European Head of Global Currency Research at Bank of TokyoMitsubishi UFJ, Ltd said. The Bank of England will announce its latest monetary

policy decision earlier, though the UK central bank is widely expected to leave interest rates on hold at 0.5 percent and stick with February’s decision to buy an extra 50 billion pounds ($79 billion) of government bonds. Central banks in South Korea, New Zealand and Indonesia all left key rates on hold at policy meetings yesterday.

COMMODITIES FIRM Oil gained a lift from the Greek debt deal hopes, with prices for Brent crude staying above $124 a barrel also supported by continuing fears of supply disruptions from Iran. Front-month Brent climbed 66 cents to $124.78 a barrel, having touched earlier intra-day highs of $125.13. US crude was up 56 cents at $106.72 a barrel. Spot gold edged up 0.2 percent to $1,688.70 an ounce. “Greece has certainly lent support to the euro, that in turn has spurred commodities, specially the dollar-denominated commodities to rally or certainly stabilize,” said Tony Machacek, an energy broker at Bache Commodities. — Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Central bank revising banking laws Banks that can’t cash a cheque slow Iraq economy

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi businessman, trying to cash in on the billions of dollars pouring into the country from lucrative oil contracts, complains that his biggest headache is not bomb attacks or sectarian politics but primitive banks. “Where are the credit cards?” said the businessman, who represents a foreign automobile company in Iraq and declined to be identified because of his dealings with the government.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, he noted, credit cards are widely used. “How far away are we from this development?”

His frustration is typical of investors dealing with Iraq’s underdeveloped, bureaucratic and sometimes corrupt banking system, where it can be difficult to perform even the simplest of banking tasks: clear a cheque. The lack of efficient banking is holding the country back as it rebuilds its economy after the underinvestment of the Saddam Hussein years and the turmoil that followed the 2003 US-led invasion.

Without banks that are integrated into the global financial system, foreign investors outside the oil sector are likely to continue hesitating to commit large sums to Iraq.

The weaknesses of the banking sector are twofold: the dominance of state-owned institutions, which lack modern banking systems, and a plethora of small, privately owned banks that in some ways are more akin to family vaults than national financial institutions. Among Iraq’s more than 45 banks, seven are state-owned and control 85 percent of bank assets or about 42 trillion dinars ($36 billion), said Abdul-Aziz Hassoun, executive director of the Iraqi Private Banks’ League. “And what do they do? They do not invest the money in the market,

they don’t do any banking operations,” he said. “The Iraqi banking system is still suffering from the same problems of 10 years ago. The handful of government banks are just like safes for the government’s accounts, nothing else.”

A report last November by Iraq’s Dar Es Salaam investment bank said Iraq had only about 900 bank branches for a population of about 30 million. By contrast, neighboring Jordan, with a fifth of the population, had over 600 branches, it said. Bank lending in Iraq amounted to a mere $5.8 billion in the first half of 2010, the report said, citing the latest publicly available data from the central bank, compared to $20 billion for Jordan. The World Bank estimated that banks extended $8.1 billion of credit to the economy in 2010, or 9.8 percent of gross domestic product

compared to an average of 55 percent for countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Most banking activities are conducted by two state institutions, Rafidain and Rasheed. Privately owned banks were nationalized in 1964; they were permitted to operate again from the 1990s, but their business remains mostly limited to deposit services and personal lending. Deputy central bank governor Mudher Kasim said the state banks’ biggest weakness was their lack of internal networks connecting their branches. They have also struggled with electronic cheque clearing because they lack an electronic link with the central bank’s payments system, he said.

“These two banks have a monopoly of about 83 percent of Iraq’s banking

BAGHDAD: Two Iraqi men stand talking to a vendor at a market in downtown Baghdad. — AFP

Dubai tumble underlines risks in Gulf stocks rally

DUBAI: A plunge in Dubai stocks this week underlined the risks behind the Gulf’s equity market rallies, although most analysts do not think Dubai’s drop marks the start of any extended downtrend. The main Dubai index posted its largest drop in over two years on Wednesday as weak global stocks prompted traders to take profits in the emirate. The index lost 4.8 percent to 1,608 points, reducing its gains from a sevenyear low hit in mid-January to 24 percent. Nine Dubai stocks fell more than 9 percent, including property developer Deyaar and Dubai Financial Market.

With stock valuations not expensive historically and Dubai’s economic outlook for this year still positive, many analysts think the market’s uptrend may resume sometime in coming weeks or months. But gains in the past seven weeks were largely the result of buying by local, speculative investors rather than long-term funds, analysts said. That has left stocks vulnerable to sudden pull-backs.

One example was builder Arabtec, which plunged 9.9 percent on Wednesday ahead of the expected announcement of its 2011 earnings. Traders said the drop was not due to any expectations of poor earnings, but simply because the stock had soared previously as buying by a strategic investor prompted speculators to pile in. On Monday, a bourse filing showed Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments, which scrapped a $1.7 billion deal to take a majority stake in Arabtec two years ago, had raised its holding in the company to 5.3 percent.

“The market for the past two days has been very strong on the sell side-we’ve seen some huge profit-taking after six weeks of upside,” says Musa Haddad, head of the regional equities desk at National Bank of Abu Dhabi. “Dubai found

support at 1,600 points, but if there’s more downside it could fall to 1,470 to 1,500 points. I wouldn’t be buying at current levels and would wait to see if the market falls further.” The 200day moving average, seen as major technical support, is at 1,462 points. However, Haddad noted that trading volumes were higher when stocks were rising than when they were falling this week, a positive technical signal. “We still have 2,000 as a target for this year.”

SAUDI CEMENT Saudi Arabia’s stock market, which is up 15 percent this year and hit a 42-month high this week, has not suffered a significant pull-back. Analysts said it was in a strong uptrend, fuelled by high oil prices and government spending on infrastructure. However, Dubai’s experience suggests some sectors could be in for sharp pull-backs, if investors decide they have become fully valued and switch into other areas of the market.

One vulnerable sector could be cement, which is up 23 percent so far in 2012. Saudi Cement is trading at 18 times this year’s estimated earnings, while Yamamah Saudi Cement is at 15 times. Paul Gamble, head of research at Jadwa Investment, said there was still room for gains in the sector because building, construction and cement stocks would benefit from government spending. “On a valuation basis, a lot of the upside may well be priced into the cement sector, but the outlook is strong,” he said. However, Loic Pelichet, assistant vice-president for research at NBK Capital, said optimism over cement prices was driven partly by a temporary supply shortage caused by major building projects in and around Mecca, combined with a transportation bottleneck that slowed supplies to the region. —Reuters

activities. If we take all the government banks, that figure goes up to 90 percent and their technological abilities are zero,” Kasim told Reuters at his office in central Baghdad. The Iraqi businessman representing an automobile company said Rafidain had refused to cash his cheque at a branch other than the one where it had originated. Returning to the original branch would have meant a six-hour car journey. In desperation, he cancelled the cheque and asked for payment in cash.

But carrying suitcases stuffed with cash is risky in a country where bombings, kidnappings and shootings still happen daily. The central bank and finance ministry have been hit by bomb attacks in recent years and remain targets. To reach Kasim’s office, journalists had to be dropped off beyond blast walls and barbed wire and go through three checkpoints, pat-downs and bag searches, leaving their mobile phones behind. “In the end I was obliged to open the company account in a Turkish bank in Arbil,” the businessman told Reuters. Arbil is in the Kurdish north of Iraq, which has enjoyed an investment boom because it is the only part of the country to have largely escaped the violence of the past decade.

A World Bank report said Rafidain and Rasheed banks were “inefficient and both suffer from the legacy of past losses, as well as from performing quasi-fiscal operations”-that is, activities linked to the government’s spending policy rather than their own business interests. The government needs to clean up banks’ balance sheets, boost supervision of the financial system and level the playing field for competition from the private sector, the World Bank said. —Reuters

Gazans seethe over taxes and blackouts

GAZA: Palestinian Islamist group Hamas faces growing discontent in its Gaza stronghold because of renewed tax hikes and the mismanagement of a power crisis that has led to lengthy blackouts across the enclave. Traders who import goods from Israel and the West Bank say Hamas authorities have introduced additional fees beyond the usual tax they collect, putting their businesses at risk and threatening the livelihoods of thousands of workers.

Hamas says the increase in levies is meant to protect homegrown products.

But local analysts believe the group has been forced to tighten the fiscal screws at home because of a drop in funding from foreign allies, notably Iran.

Whatever the reason, many Gazans are fuming. A power crisis, sparked by a restriction on fuel smuggled into the Palestinian territory from Egypt, has only added to a widespread sense of discontent amongst the 1.7 millionstrong population.

“We don’t have what other human beings have. There is no electricity, no water and my husband tells me about a new tax every day,” said Gaza housewife Umm Abdel-Karim. “Whoever is unable

to serve the people should quit,” she added. Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist, won parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Territories in 2006 and immediately entered into a dispute with the Western-back Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.

The Islamist group seized control of Gaza 18 months later after a days-long civil war with forces loyal to Abbas, who has retained control of the near-by West Bank. Israel maintains a land, air and sea blockade of Gaza to stop material with potential military use from reaching Hamas, but this has not prevented the group from consolidating its power in the Mediterranean enclave.

However, public anger over electricity blackouts and tax increases comes at a delicate time for Hamas, which is struggling to overcome unprecedented internal divisions over efforts to reach out to Abbas and end their long-running feud. “Our leaders are unable to offer us a good life, or even to bring about (Palestinian) reconciliation. So what are they good for?” said Abu Ali, 47, an unemployed construction worker. —Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Deutsche Post Q4 earnings hit by Postbank effects BERLIN: Mail and express delivery company Deutsche Post DHL said yesterday that its fourth-quarter earnings were hit by valuation effects related to its sale of Postbank to Deutsche Bank AG, but growth in Asia helped revenues rise. Deutsche Post AG reported net earnings of 175 million euros ($230 million) for the October-December period, a 64 percent decline from 487 million euros a year earlier. The company said that, excluding the Postbank effects, net earnings would have risen 46 percent.

Revenue was up 2.1 percent to 14.13 billion euros from 13.84 billion euros. Deutsche Post reported a 7.5 percent increase at its express division and said the Asia-Pacific region fueled that growth. Revenue at the mail division rose 0.7 percent, helped by the growth in the parcel business, that was generated by Internet retailing. For the year as a whole, earnings were down 54 percent, also because of the Postbank effects. They dropped to 1.16 billion euros from 2.54 billion euros. Full-year revenue rose 2.8 percent to 52.83 billion euros from 51.39 billion euros, with express revenue growing by 5.9 percent and mail revenue inching 0.4 percent higher.

Deutsche Post said that it expects “further gains in revenues and earnings” in 2012, driven by its express-centered DHL divisions. It forecast that earnings before interest and taxes will grow to between 2.5 billion euros and 2.6 Billion euros.

The 2011 figure was 2.44 billion euros, a gain of nearly onethird that Deutsche Post credited to strong margin improvements at the DHL divisions. Deutsche Post shares were 1 percent higher at 13.06 euros in early Frankfurt trading, slightly outpacing the overall performance of the DAX index of bluechip stocks.— AP

Egypt looking at energy subsidies to cut deficit CAIRO: Egypt is pinning its hopes on natural gas to help it reduce energy subsidies that are eating up 20 percent of its state budget and are likely to continue growing if measures aren’t taken soon. For years, the government has resisted cutting subsidies for fear of igniting inflation and the wrath of its citizens. It is now under renewed pressure to tackle the issue as it negotiates a $3.2 billion emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund to avert a balance of payments crisis; the IMF is expected to require a commitment from Cairo to reform its finances. The subsidy problem has become more difficult politically since the uprising which overthrew president Hosni Mubarak last year, because the turmoil slashed economic growth, pushing up unemployment and poverty.

At the same time, a solution has become more urgent financially. In the last six months the government has struggled to finance a budget deficit inflated by post-uprising demands for higher wages and lower revenue growth.

Egypt’s energy subsidy bill is projected to soar 40 percent to 95 billion Egyptian pounds ($15.75 billion) in the current financial year which ends on June 30, because of a jump in international energy prices and a growing population, according to figures provided by three sources familiar with the government’s calculations. They declined to be identified because of the political sensitivity of the issue.

Oil Minister Abdullah Ghorab told reporters on Monday that budget allocations to keep down retail prices of petroleum products were scheduled to increase more than 25 percent in the next financial year to 120 billion pounds. Solving the energy subsidy conundrum “is crucial now because the fiscal state is very tight”, said Nada Farid, an economist with Beltone Research. “All the political parties, the IMF and the government are saying that energy subsidies must be tackled as soon as possible. It’s about having a government that is able to actually take decisions.”

Egypt subsidizes almost all of its energy products, including gasoline; its average domestic retail price of 23 US cents per liter is among the cheapest in the world. Although the country exports natural gas, it imports some of its oil. Cheap subsidized prices have contributed to a surge in energy consumption that the country can ill afford. In the last few years, consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has been rising at an annual rate of 10 percent, gasoline at 12 percent, diesel at 6 percent and fuel oil at 6 percent, according to figures provided by a Cairo-based energy firm. About 44 percent of government subsidies go to diesel, used mainly by transport and industry, and 22 percent to fuel oil, used by industry and power plants, the figures showed.— Reuters

BONN: The headquarters of German Deutsche Post DHL is pictured prior to the annual balance news conference of the post and logistics company in Bonn, western Germany. — AP

ECB holds its fire as critics pipe up ECB to keep rates at 1 percent FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates on hold yesterday and signal that it has played its part in fighting the euro zone crisis after unleashing a dramatic sweep of measures that has unsettled some at the bank. ECB President Mario Draghi is likely to put the onus on governments to fight the crisis now after the central bank pumped over 1 trillion euros into the euro zone banking system in the last two months with twin three-year funding operations. The ECB cut rates twice late last year to a record low of 1.0 percent and the policymaking Governing Council, which started meeting at 0800 GMT, is likely to hold the main refinancing rate at that level. The latest Reuters poll of 74 economists suggests it will do so until well into 2013.

The euro zone economy has stabilized over recent months, in part thanks to the ECB’s back-to-back rate cuts in November and December and the twin funding operations, which brought calm to euro zone debt markets. But that is likely to be it.

Draghi, who faces unease among his fellow Council members about the risks the ECB has taken on with the funding operations, told EU leaders last week it was now up to them to revive growth by implementing reforms. “They are not going to announce anything on rates or extraordinary measures or anything like that,” said Erik Nielsen, global chief economist at Unicredit. “In terms of tone, I expect Draghi to say: A lot

of money has been put out there now, let’s see it be put to work,” he added.

FORECASTS Financial markets will also scrutinize the ECB’s latest staff projections for changes in forecasts for growth and inflation, looking for hints whether the recent 20 percent rise in oil prices is rekindling inflation concerns at the bank. Inflation has come off last year’s peak of 3 percent as growth in the crisis-stricken euro zone has slowed, but it climbed again last month, remaining above the ECB’s inflation target of just below 2 percent for the 14th month in a row. “I would be surprised if the conversation would be about inflation,” said Nielsen. “If asked, almost for sure Draghi is going to say that any rise in the oil price will have only a temporary inflationary impact and so long as it does not spill into inflation expectations, its not an issue.”

Forecasts for 2012 and 2013 inflation could be raised from the respective midpoint estimates of 2.0 and 1.5 percent in the last round. At the same time, growth expectations are likely to be cut. France, Europe’s second largest economy, is set for flat economic growth in the first quarter, the country’s central bank said yesterday, adding that its indicator for industrial activity dipped in February.

December’s ECB projections showed euro zone gross domestic product in a -0.4 percent to +1.0 range this year - optimistic

compared with the latest Reuters poll consensus for a 0.4 percent decline. Draghi, however, in the 1330 GMT news conference is likely to stick to the bank’s view that there are “tentative signs of a stabilization” now showing in the economy. “The ECB is likely to signal that it expects a gradual stabilization of economic conditions to continue,” said Nordea economist Anders Matzen. “It’s quite clear that the LTROs have substantially removed the downside risk to the economic outlook for the euro zone.”

DIRTY LAUNDRY The ECB earned widespread praise for averting a euro zone credit crunch with its three-year loans - handing out 489 billion euros in December and 530 billion euros in February - and by loosening the rules for collateral banks can use in exchange for central bank money. However, some policymakers are worried. Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann aired his concerns in a letter to Draghi last month.

Juergen Stark, the ECB’s influential former head of economics, added his criticism by telling a German newspaper yesterday that the quality of the central bank’s balance sheet was now “shocking”. While Draghi is likely to be asked about the issue, Unicredit’s Nielsen expects a tight lipped response. “Draghi is not going to take the Governing Council’s laundry into public,” he said. “He is way too smart to get into any of that.”— Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Politics stymie hope of sharing Qatari gas DUBAI: Countries neighboring the world’s biggest natural gas field in the Gulf face years of importing fuel by ship from distant suppliers, after plans to share the gas through a pipeline were stifled by political rivalries and haggling over price. Qatar has become one of world’s richest countries by selling gas from the vast North Field under its waters to Europe, Asia and the Americas-bankrolling its preparations to host the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament with some of the profits.

Long before Qatar spent billions of dollars on building the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants to export the fuel, it began discussing with the other five countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates-the idea of creating a gas sharing grid to drive economic growth in the region. But over a decade later, only one under-used leg of the grid has been built. And Qatar has now committed itself to selling nearly all its gas to countries outside the Gulf, until it lifts a self-imposed moratorium on further export projects.

“The perception across the Gulf in the early part of the last decade was that there was not a gas shortage, and by the time a number of countries realized that they would be short, Qatar had called the moratorium and committed its gas,” a senior source in Qatar’s gas industry said. “Until the middle of the last decade, people were still expecting to get gas at very low prices,” said the source, who declined to be identified because of the political sensitivity of the issue. “People realize now that if they are going to have gas traded across (the Gulf), then it’s not going to be at low prices...For Qatar it’s not really a price issue-until the moratorium is lifted, there isn’t any gas.”

DEMAND For decades, Gulf countries saw natural gas largely as a byproduct of their oil production, with much of it burned off or sold cheaply to local industries. Gas became eagerly soughtafter in the region over the past decade as a population boom drove up demand for electricity and industries such as petrochemicals and aluminium smelting developed.

Saudi Arabia continues to burn large quantities of its oil reserves in power plants, but its less well-endowed neighbours want to burn more gas so they can keep oil for export. As a result, the International Energy Agency expects the Middle East to account for a fifth of the growth in global gas demand between 2011 and 2016.

Sharing Qatar’s huge gas reserves could have provided the GCC with a convenient solution to its supply problems and helped the integration of its economies, one of the organisation’s stated goals. Instead, politics intervened.

According to diplomatic cables from the U.S. embassy in Manama on Feb. 16, 2005, released by Wikileaks, Bahrain’s King Hamad complained to the U.S. ambassador that Saudi Arabia was blocking a proposed pipeline from Qatar to Kuwait via Bahrain. Manama appealed to Washington to pressure Riyadh to let Kuwait and Bahrain link to the North Field. — Reuters

Oil above $124 on Greek debt hopes Banks, pension funds support Greece’s bond swap LONDON: Oil rose yesterday, with prices staying above $124 a barrel, on hopes that Greece would win enough creditor support to avoid a messy default on its debt and on continuing fears of supply disruptions from Iran. Oil recovered from losses earlier in the week after a Greek government official said its bond swap offer was going well as banks and funds showed support, spurring optimism that the deal will pass and clear the way for a bailout package to avert an immediate default.

Front-month Brent climbed 66 cents to $124.78 a barrel by 0858 GMT, having touched earlier intra-day highs of $125.13.

US crude was up 56 cents at $106.72 a barrel. “Greece has certainly lent support to the euro, that in turn has spurred commodities, specially the dollar-denominated commodities to rally or certainly stabilize,” said Tony Machacek, an energy broker at Bache Commodities.

Analysts noted Greece would likely remain a source of uncertainty for markets ahead of a 2000 GMT deadline for investors to sign up to the restructuring designed to trim 100 billion euros off the country’s public debt. “It’s a very difficult situation to bet on either side and there is a possibility that the oil price movement will be larger than what we have seen over the last few days,” said Ken Hasegawa, a Tokyo-based commodity sales manager at Newedge Japan, adding that the swing either way could be $2-3.

The European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates on hold later today and signal that it has played its part in fighting the euro zone debt crisis after unleashing a dramatic sweep of measures that has unsettled some at the bank.

Investors were still focused on the tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, which have driven recent oil gains. Political risk in the Middle East has increased significantly with war between Iran and Israel almost inevitable, Swiss money manager and

long-term bear Marc Faber said. France on Wednesday voiced skepticism that a revival of talks between six world powers and Iran would succeed, saying Tehran did not seem sincerely willing to negotiate about the future of its nuclear program.

Supply tightness could become more apparent as Royal Dutch Shell starts looking for alternative crude when its deliveries of Iranian oil under outstanding contracts come to an end to comply with sanctions within weeks. Economic data also helped, with news that Japan’s economy shrank less than initially estimated in the fourth quarter, as companies ramped up spending, supporting oil prices. The revision to GDP showed a 0.2 percent contraction as companies look to an increase in demand due to reconstruction of the

country’s tsunami-battered northeast coast.

In the United States, data on Wednesday showed an accelerated pace of job creation in the private sector in February, raising optimism about Friday’s government employment report for that month. The private sector added 216,000 jobs last month, according to the ADP National Employment Report, topping economists’ expectations for a gain of 208,000, and raising hopes the labor market recovery was moving at a faster clip.

Today, the US will issue more comprehensive private and public sector employment data for February. Economists polled by Reuters expect a gain of 210,000 in nonfarm payrolls, with a rise in the private sector of 225,000 jobs offseting a modest dip in government jobs.— Reuters

ST JOSEPH: Bobby Thompson, of St Joseph, Mo, fills his gas tank at the Shop $ Hop at County Line Road and the Belt Highway Monday in St. Joseph, Mo. —AP

Saudi Telecom’s home boom may trim foreign ambitions DUBAI: Saudi Telecom Co’s (STC) rising domestic revenue, halting a downward trend for the former monopoly, may lead it to slow its overseas push where it faces a tougher operating environment and limited buying opportunities. STC has won back domestic market share by aggressively pricing broadband bundle packages, while the firm - majority-owned by the government - has operations across the Muslim world from Turkey to Indonesia.

“We are concentrating on ICT (information communication technology) in our local market as well as in other markets we operate in,” Saad al-Qahtani, group chief executive for strategic operations, told reporters at a conference in Doha. “We are more worried about that than expansion.”

In March 2011, STC upped its stake in Indonesia’s Axis to 80 percent and it has a minority holding in Malaysia’s Maxis . But the main jewel in STC’s foreign portfolio is

its 35 percent stake in Oger Telecom, which in turn owns 55 percent of Turk Telekom.

When asked whether STC wanted to up its stake in Oger Telecom - majority owner the Hariri family is thought to be a willing seller - Qahtani said STC was talking internally about it, but no decision had been made. “STC, like other Gulf operators, wants management control of their foreign subsidiaries and so they either up their stakes to get a majority shareholding or sell out altogether - no company wants to hold a minority stake for 10 years,” said Marc Hammoud, Deutsche Bank telecoms analyst. International revenue rose 9.8 percent last year, but group annual profit fell 19 percent to 7.67 billion riyals ($2.05 billion), largely due to 1.1 billion riyals of foreign exchange losses from its international operations. “Other Saudi companies have been more successful in hedging against FX risk,” said Asim Bukhtiar, Riyad Capital

head of research. “STC say this is because it’s tied up with partners and can’t force them to hedge one way or another, which is one reason STC has sought majority control of its foreign units.” STC’s foreign units provided 32 percent of revenue in 2011, the same as a year earlier and well short of its 50 percent target, while the firm’s push abroad mirrors similar moves by other former Gulf monopolies, such as Etisalat in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar Telecom.

They have often struggled outside their home region and away from the protection of a benign regulator, with markets in Asia and Africa more competitive and less affluent. Yet STC, unlike Etisalat, has a growing home market in its favor. Domestic revenue rose 8 percent in 2011 as STC won back customers from Mobily and Zain Saudi. “Capital expenditure for STC’s foreign operations has been expensive, so if the company is doing well at home is there

any need to expand internationally?” said Bukhtiar. “Expanding internationally also carries risks, whereas STC knows the Gulf markets and the regulatory environment here - it’s much safer.”

There is also a dearth of acquisition opportunities. Few new licenses are expected in the Middle East and Africa and Gulf operators no longer seem keen on entering markets as the third or fourth player, while the cheap borrowing that fuelled the previous decade’s spending splurge is a fading memory. “STC is now only looking at acquisitions that will be profitable from day one - it doesn’t want to pump in a load of money and then wait years for a return,” added Bukhtiar. “I see STC making acquisitions of companies providing peripheral services, such as data and content providers, rather than buying foreign mobile operators or new mobile licenses.”— Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Air France-KLM switches into loss on fuel costs PARIS: Air France-KLM switched into heavy loss last year owing to high and still rising fuel costs, disruption to traffic from unrest in North Africa and an earthquake in Japan, the firm said yesterday. Its figures also showed that the group is suffering from competition from low-cost airlines. The overall outcome was worse than analysts’ had expected and shares in the airline fell. “The 2011 year was difficult for the group because of an uncertain

PARIS: The new chief executive officer of Air France, Alexandre de Juniac, attends a press conference to present the Air France-KLM 2011 results yesterday. — AFP

economic environment and a large increase in the price of fuel,” Air France-KLM head Jean-Cyril Spinetta said.

The airline warned that in view of the uncertain business climate and the rising cost of fuel, the operating outcome for the first half of this year would be worse than in the first half of last year. But in the current first half the business should begin to benefit from the effects of a three-year plan to boost competitiveness. The airline reported results for the calendar year for the first time since it was structured in its current form in 2004, and revealed a net loss of 809 million euros ($1.065 billion) compared with net profit of 289 million euros on an equivalent basis in 2010. The group also reported an operating loss of 353 million euros compared with a profit of 28 million euros.

However the base figures for 2010 were boosted by an exceptional capital gain. The fuel bill, the second-biggest cost after staff pay, amounted to 6.438 billion euros last year, an increase of 904 million euros or 16.3 percent from the figure for 2010. The company foresaw that this cost item would rise again this year by 1.1 billion euros. The airline said that it had set an “absolute priority” of stabilizing its net debt this year at 6.5 billion euros.

The losses were higher than analysts had expected, as calculated by Bloomberg.

Overall, the analysts had expected a net loss of about 650 million euros and an operating loss of 241.5 million euros.

The price of shares in the airline was showing a fall of 2.60 percent to 4.09 euros in early trading on the Paris stock market which was rising overall. Spinetta told journalists, in a reference to the so-called Arab Spring, that unrest in North Africa, civil war in Africa and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan had “profoundly disorganized our network”.

Under the three-year plan to 2015 announced in January, the airline intends to cut debt sharply to 2.0 billion euros by the end of 2014, to improve productivity and to return to balanced results for the medium-haul segment by the end of 2014.

Air France is under particularly strong competition on medium-distance routes from low-cost airlines, and lost 700 million euros in this sector alone last year. Despite the overall figures, the board expressed confidence, saying that sales had risen by 4.5 percent to

24.36 billion euros. Spinetta said: “Our liquidity (acces to cash) remains at a comfortable level. We have a treasury of 2.9 billion euros and a line of credit of more than 1.8 billion euros.” He added: “We have a sufficiently comfortable treasury situation to be able to look to the future in a serious way but serenely.” Spinetta also said that Air France-KLM was holding informal talks with Abu Dhabi airline Etihad on a possible commercial agreement but ruled out any possibility of Etihad acquiring an interest in the French group.— AFP

PARIS: An Air France Boeing 777 taking off at Paris Roissy airport. Air FranceKLM passenger traffic rose 6.2 percent in February but freight traffic was down 5.1 percent, the group said. The group, currently suffering financial difficulties announced its 2011 earnings yesterday.— AFP

Cocoa smugglers on motorbikes evade Ivorian guards Smuggling to Ghana hits Ivory Coast tax revenue OSSEIKRO: In the dusty town of Osseikro just inside Ghana’s border with Ivory Coast, the only billboard for miles welcomes visitors with the order: “Stop Smuggling Cocoa”. But the garish sign, put up by Ghana’s cocoa sector body during this year’s harvest, has done little to deter smuggling through a town which is a hotspot for the illicit trade. “All of our cocoa is going to Ghana this year because of the prices,” said Eric Comoe, head of a cocoa-growers cooperative in the Ivorian town of Abengourou, 30 km over the border. “For the country it’s a problem because when there’s smuggling they don’t get the tax. But for the farmers it’s good,” he acknowledged.

West Africa accounts for nearly three-quarters of world cocoa output and Ivory Coast and Ghana are the number one and two producers of the main ingredient of chocolate. The smuggling is a problem because it deprives Ivory Coast of much-needed revenues as it seeks to rebuild after last year’s civil war, and also skews the production data on which the cocoa industry’s investment decisions are based. While it has always gone on, smuggling spiked during the four-month conflict last year as hold-ups at Ivory Coast’s two main ports prompted many farmers to funnel beans through Ghana to the east and north to Burkina Faso en route to port in Togo.

Industry estimates put the real size of last year’s harvest in Ivory Coast at around 1.7 million tons against the some 1.5 million tons that were officially declared - suggesting around 200,000 tons were smuggled out unrecorded. Yet even with the war over, the higher prices for cocoa in Ghana mean exporters and analysts forecast up to 145,000 tons of Ivory Coast’s crop will be smuggled out to the country, and to a lesser extent to Guinea and Liberia, by end-April. A reform of the Ivorian

sector to ensure price guarantees for its farmers may over time change that. But for now, farmers in its eastern region get an average 700-750 CFA francs a kg ($1.401.50) compared to Ghana’s set price of around 1,000 CFA. “The price premium in Ghana was almost $900 per ton at the start of the season but more recently has been close to $500 per ton,” said one commodities fund manager, noting the premium remained despite a recent increase in Ivorian prices.

POLICE LACK RESOURCES Four trucks brimming with cocoa beans stood confiscated outside the deserted customs office in Abengourou on Sunday. During a brazen attempt to cross into Ghana at the official border crossing in January, the trucks were stopped by customs, local cocoa dealers said. This followed the Ivorian government move to step up its efforts to catch smugglers by deploying dozens of extra border patrol agents to eastern cocoa-growing towns late in December. Local dealers said that while the capture of the four trucks had made smugglers more careful, it had not stopped the activity. “Comparing the number of lorries they pick up and the number that go through, it’s no comparison,” said Comoe.

Customs officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they were insufficiently resourced to tackle the problem. “We don’t have cars or communication systems,” said an Ivory Coast customs official. The Ivory Coast cocoa body CGFCC was not available to comment.

Much of the illegal cocoa trade happens away from the official border crossing in the bush on narrow dirt tracks, easily navigated by motorbike, local dealers explained.

Trucks move the cocoa to nearby the border and then motorbikes carry around three 60-kg bags at a time via

these tracks into Ghana, where it is re-bagged as Ghanaian cocoa. Given the border regions share similar soil and weather, the beans should in theory be similar.

However, Ghanaian cocoa officials insist their beans benefit from better handling, fertilization and crop spraying and so are far superior to Ivory Coast beans. Ivorian farmers disagree, saying they are capable of growing cocoa that is undistinguishable from Ghana’s.

BUSINESS IS GOOD In Osseikro, the premises of a middle-man, who said he sells large trade houses beans sourced from Ghanaian cooperatives and farms, is fronted by motorbikes on sale at 400,000 CFA each. Emmanuel Yeboah says the bikes are merely a good second business and denies the existence of any major cross-border smuggling. But, wherever the beans which he handles originally come from, he confides that business is good. “This year I get a fridge, freezer, a lot of things with my commissions,” said Yeboah, who makes around 100 CFA per kg of cocoa he sources.

As part of its planned cocoa industry reforms, Ivory Coast plans to reintroduce stabilized prices next season, to shield local farmers from price swings and to combat smuggling. But even then it is not expected that Ivory Coast and Ghana will set identical prices and any gap will still provide an incentive for smuggling. Ivory Coast’s cocoa reform aims to give farmers between 50 and 60 percent of the so-called CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) export price, while Ghana sets prices with the aim of giving farmers up to 70 percent of the CIF price. Exporters estimate that if you take the Ivorian government proposal of giving farmers 50-60 percent of the price, the farmer is still not going to get much more than 600-700 CFA, based on current prices.— Reuters

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Treasury launches sale of $6B of AIG stock WASHINGTON: The Treasury Department said it is selling $6 billion worth of the $41.8 billion in common stock it holds in insurance giant American International Group Inc, which received the biggest bailout of the financial crisis in 2008. The stock sale is a step by the government toward disentangling itself from AIG. It still owns 77 percent of the company’s common shares. Treasury said AIG plans to buy as much as $3 billion of the stock being sold. Treasury also said it has a deal with AIG for it to repay the government’s remaining $8.5 billion preferred-stock investment in the company. A price for the common shares wasn’t specified.

AIG shares closed at $29.45 in trading Wednesday. The share price at which taxpayers would break even on their AIG investment is about $28 or $29.

The government stepped in with $182 billion to rescue New York-based AIG from collapse in the depths of the financial crisis. Treasury has recouped $18 billion of the $68 billion it provided the company through its Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. The remainder of the money came from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

AIG has repaid all but $17.5 billion of those loans. Treasury made an initial sale of AIG stock in May 2011. The sales were expected to resume after the value of

News

in brief

IMF moves toward new power reform WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund’s executive board on Wednesday moved toward a fundamental restructuring of voting rights that will give more clout to emerging economies like China and Brazil, a source close to the board said. The board agreed on the outlines of a new structure for setting voting power and contributions in the Washingtonbased lender that will recognize the rise of the emerging economies in the global economy, the source said. The reform still has to be defined precisely and put down on paper, but the scope of accord on the restructuring-which would likely diminish Europe’s powerful role at the Fundsuggests the details could be sorted out quickly. A Fund spokesman contacted by AFP confirmed that the board discussed the issue, but declined to comment on any details of the talks. According to the source, the reform proposal advanced by Brazil’s IMF director Paulo Nogueira Batista was received favorably by the most important directors on the board. The proposed reform comes as the IMF is seeking to boost its resources for crisis intervention by some $500 billion. While Europe will be a major part of this, the lion’s share is expected to come from the cash-rich emerging economies-Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa, known as the BRICS, and others.

German output rises BERLIN: German industrial output rose in January, driven by increased activity across all sectors, official data showed yesterday. Industrial production in January rose by 1.6 percent from the level the previous month, the economy ministry said in a statement. That was better than expected: analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had been penciling in an increase of 1.2 percent. In December, output had dropped by 2.6 percent month-on-month. Manufacturing output increased by 1.4 percent in January, with output of capital goods rising by 3.5 percent. Energy output was up 1.7 percent and construction output powered ahead by 4.3 percent, the data showed. “Industrial output started the year with a perceptible increase, with impulses coming from both the manufacturing and the construction sectors,” the ministry said. “In view of a current lull in orders, output is likely to remain subdued for now, but brighter sentiment indicators suggest the current weakness will be overcome,” it said.

Japan economy shrinks TOKYO: Japan’s economy shrank less than first estimated in the final quarter of last year amid an increase in business investment as reconstruction from the March 2011 disasters picked up. The Cabinet Office said yesterday that the economy shrank an annualized 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter compared with its initial estimate of a 2.3 percent contraction. Domestic spending was stronger than first estimated, in part due to reconstruction from the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters in northeastern Japan. The world’s third-biggest economy has shrunk in four of the five past quarters. Its recovery from the tsunami disaster has been hampered by a strong yen, Europe’s debt crisis and flooding in Thailand that disrupted production at Japanese automakers.

AIG shares increased. Last year, the stock lost nearly half its value, partly fueled by government sales of the company’s stock and a volatile stock market.

Under the agreement for repaying the $8.5 billion preferred-stock investment plus interest, $5.6 billion will come from AIG’s newly announced sale of part of its stake in Hong Kong-based insurer AIA Group Ltd, $1.6 billion from a sale of securities by the New York Fed, and another $1.6 billion from AIG’s sale of its American Life Insurance Co subsidiary.

“The people of AIG have achieved another significant milestone in our progress toward our goal that American taxpayers recoup their entire investment

in AIG at a profit,” AIG President and CEO Robert Benmosche said in a statement.

AIG had a $19.8 billion profit in the fourth quarter of last year, nearly all of it due to a tax-related accounting gain. The company also earned $17.8 billion for 2011, its second straight year of profits.

Despite the two years of profitability, AIG’s recent financial results have been inconsistent.

Over the past two years, only half of its quarterly reporting periods have been profitable. Treasury said it has hired Citigroup Global Markets Inc, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC as joint coordinators for the common stock sale.— AP

Hyundai’s European business gets noticed ‘We are on the map’ GENEVA: Hyundai’s European business is getting noticed, and not just by competitors. Making a rare appearance in Europe, Hyundai Motor Co Ltd Chairman Mong Koo Chung stopped by the brand’s stand at the Geneva Motor Show yesterday before checking out the competition. “I think it shows from a professional perspective, we are on the map,” Hyundai’s chief operating officer for Europe, Allan Rushforth, said in an interview.

The South Korean automaker has improved sales and market share while posting a profit in a down market, in sharp contrast to most of its European mass-market competitors.

And, unlike its European competitors who are seeking strategic alliances to share technology and cut costs, Hyundai is going it mostly alone. “The general orientation of the group tends to be toward proprietary solutions and the development of the Hyundai Motor Group brands, rather than development forged on alliances,” Rushforth said.

The independent thinking has been working. Hyundai’s European sales grew 11.5 percent to 398,129 vehicles last year for a 2.9 percent market share, up from 2.6 percent. It is expected to reach a 3.5 percent market share in 2012. Rushforth declined to break out Hyundai’s European profits, which are consolidated into the group’s results. It is the European mass-market stalwarts that are taking the hit. “In Europe, in terms of conquest sales, we are taking business from Opel, from Volkswagen and from Renault,” Rushforth said.

Kia, which is part of the Hyundai Group, sold an additional 293,960 cars, increasing its market share to 2.2 percent from 1.9 percent. That’s in a European market that contracted 1.4 last year. By comparison, Toyota sales slid 6.3 percent, PSA Peugoet-Citroen’s dropped 8.8 percent and Fiat shed 12 percent, according to the European Automotive Manufacturers’ Association. Part of the success of Hyundai is because most cars sold in Europe are manufactured in the lower

production cost countries like the Czech Republic, where they could amp up production, and Turkey. With 20 percent of cars imported from South Korea, Hyundai also benefited from the EU-South Korea free trade agreement.Rushforth said that Hyundai was able to reach critical mass in Europe thanks to the scrappage schemes giving bonuses to consumers to junk clunkers for new cars just after it had introduced a range of vehicles with low carbon emissions into the market,

Hyundai has attracted new buyers with a five-year warranty, which he said also creates loyalty that they are working to translate into repeat purchases. IHS Automotive analyst Paul Newton warned that Hyundai’s moves to inch up its price position on models like the i-30 station wagon unveiled in Geneva could make it more difficult for the brand to continue it growth pace. “Hyundai will struggle to gain at the same rates as the last few years as they compete on brand values and

GENEVA: Hyundai Europe Motor GmbH CEO Allan Rushforth poses beside the i.oniq during the press preview days at the 82nd Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland.— AP including the top-selling i30 hatchback. “It was an opportunity. It was a one-off distortion in the market that provided us with a springboard to consolidate growth beyond scrappage,” Rushforth said. “We took advantage in Germany, and we were quickly able to transfer the knowledge to the UK, France, Spain and Italy.”

Although Hyundai is known as a value brand, Rushforth said its European models tend to come in at 96 percent of the median price of its competitors in a given segment.

image, rather than value,” Newton said, adding that the rise of Hyundai and Kia posed a “serious threat” to Europe’s mass-market brands. In Geneva, Hyundai also showed off the sculpted i-onig concept car, aimed at promoting a fresh design edge. “Until now our brand has been about value, low emission and high quality, and often the quality is far ahead of customer perception,” Rushforth said.

“We are a much more emotional purchase these days than we were four years ago,” he said.— AP

Business FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

Gold turns red-hot in China China set to knock off India as largest consumer of yellow metal

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bit player only a decade ago, China has emerged as one of the most important forces in the global gold market, helping fuel the rising value of the precious metal.

Already the world’s largest producer — it overtook South Africa in 2007 — China is now bedecking itself in bling. It’s on track to become the globe’s largest consumer of gold as early as this year, knocking off India — whose elaborate wedding dowries kept it on top for years.

Some of China’s gold is going to its central bank as the government qui-

how feminine gold makes me feel.”

On another floor, customer Zhang Li waited in line to purchase gold bars, an investment he describes as the only safe bet left for ordinary Chinese.

“If I had invested in stocks or property last year, I would have lost money,” said Zhang, 36. Chinese demand reached nearly 770 metric tons last year, up 20 percent from the year before, according to the World Gold Council in London. Desire for the yellow metal is so strong that China is buying record amounts from abroad

Today China accounts for 26 percent of global gold demand, up from 6 percent a decade ago. “Chinese demand has traded positions with the US in the last decade,” said Albert Cheng, Far East managing director of the World Gold Council. “It’s very clear the gold market is moving east.”

Meanwhile, consolidation and foreign investment in China’s mining industry produced larger, technologically sophisticated players. The result?

The nation’s gold production has nearly doubled in the past decade to 355 metric tons last year.

BEIJING: A salesgirl arranges gold jewelry at showroom in Beijing.

China is competing with India to have the worldís biggest gold market in 2012 as it slowly emerges as the new superpower in the international gold industry.

ZHAOYUAN: Zhu Licun, 33, seated in front, and Du Qingjun, 34, at left in doorway, are among the gold mine workers who live in small, one-room brick dwellings in Zhaoyuan, China. —MCT etly boosts reserves. But the biggest driver is Chinese consumers. They’re snapping up jewelry, coins and bars as a hedge against inflation and to flaunt their rising wealth.

To witness the frenzy firsthand, head to Beijing’s Caishikou Department Store, a four-story gold emporium that rang up sales of $1.5 billion last year. Visitors be warned: Sharpen your elbows and be ready to push.

To buy a necklace, shopper Wang Li recently fought her way through a scrum of cash-waving customers hanging over a glass counter loaded with gold chains, Mao pins, pendants of Christ on the cross and more. “I thought about buying Swarovski crystal, but I don’t think it will ever be as valuable as gold,” said Wang, a 24year-old teacher who treats herself to a new piece of yellow-metal jewelry about once a month. “Besides, I like

because its mines can’t keep pace.

China imported more gold than India in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Analysts said strong demand from China is a factor in gold’s recent runup. “There’s no doubt that China will eventually be No. 1,” said Jeff Clark, a senior precious metals analyst for Casey Research in Stowe, Vt. “Our jaws have been dropping at the volumes being imported for over a year now.”

Gold for centuries has been a store of wealth and a symbol of good fortune in China. But China’s heavyweight status in the gold market is more recent. In 2002 the central government lifted controls and set up the Shanghai Gold Exchange, allowing the metal to be priced by market forces.

In addition, Chinese consumers eventually were allowed to purchase bullion through commercial banks.

No group has welcomed China’s liberalization of gold more than the country’s middle class. Rising incomes have whetted consumers’ appetite for jewelry and other luxury goods. But it’s also about security. With the real estate and stock markets gyrating and banks paying minimal interest rates on savings accounts, many Chinese view gold as the best vehicle to protect their savings from inflation.

“Gold in China is always about safety,” said Andy Xie, an independent economist in Shanghai and the former chief Asia Pacific economist for Morgan Stanley. “It’s the preferred asset when the world is in chaos.

China has failed to give people a sense of security.” Although international gold prices have retreated from their peak of $1,891 an ounce in August, analysts expect values to be partly buoyed by demand from central banks in emerging markets,

including China. China’s government is suspected of quietly stockpiling more gold to diversify its $3.2-trillion holdings of foreign reserves and reduce its reliance on the US dollar.

China rarely discloses its purchases.

But it’s assumed the central bank holds a little more than 1,000 metric tons of gold — still a small fraction of government holdings in the US and euro-zone.

Add in strong demand from goldcrazy consumers and “it’s safe to say demand still has a long way to go in China,” said Clark at Casey Research.

That’s created a huge opportunity for retailers. Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook plans to open 2,000 stores in China. The luxury brand already boasts revenue greater than Tiffany & Co and raised $2 billion in an initial stock offering in Hong Kong in December. But no gold merchant is better known in Beijing than Caishikou, whose core customers are working-class Chinese.

Formerly a traditional department store selling clothes and other goods, Caishikou now specializes in gold. It sells a dazzling array of ornaments and jewelry at prices that range from $63 chains to an elaborately detailed $135,000 dragon encased in glass.

Everything is 24 karat, a prerequisite for Chinese buyers.

Fighting her way through the aisles recently was Li Jinfeng, a 45year-old chicken farmer who had traveled from neighboring Hebei province to buy jewelry for her daughter’s dowry. Business has been good, and Li didn’t think twice about tapping her savings.

“In the old days, only the rich people in my village could have gold,” said Li, whose pierced ears were adorned with flower-shaped gold ear-

rings. Nearby, Li Lei, a 49-year-old retiree, was picking out a pair of bright gold rings to give her parents on their 50th wedding anniversary. “I feel obliged to buy something nice for them,” Li said. “Money may lose its value, but gold will not.” — MCT

Some of China’s gold is going to its central bank as the government quietly boosts reserves. But the biggest driver is Chinese consumers.

They’re snapping up jewelry, coins and bars as a hedge against inflation and to flaunt their rising wealth.

Opinion

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Ahmadinejad down, but not quite out Trounced in parliamentary elections, he faces uphill battle to retain power

By David Rosenberg

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e is the public face of Iran, touring nuclear facilities the West suspects are being used to build a bomb, making veiled references to destroying Israel and outraging the world with comments questioning the Holocaust and denying there are any gays in Iran. Back at home Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad never quite had the power commensurate with the high profile he enjoys abroad. But now, with his loyalists trounced in elections for parliament (the Majlis) last week, his authority in the remaining 16 months of his presidential term looks considerably diminished, analysts say.

That does not mean the world will be seeing or hearing less of the Iranian leader, but even more than in the past his views will have little impact on Iranian policy particularly its nuclear program - as the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei exploits his electoral victory to harass the president and his allies, chip away at his power and perhaps dispense with the office of the presidency altogether. “He’ll still be out there. He’ll be in front of the Majlis for questioning. He’ll still be vocal, obstreperous, though probably less influential. He won’t disappear, he won’t make policy but he will be a force to be reckoned with,” Cliff Kupchan, Iran director for the Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm, told The Media Line.

With all ballots counted, Khamenei acolytes were on their way to capture more than three-quarters of the 290 seats in the Majlis (parliament), according to figures released by the Interior Ministry on Sunday.

Ahmadinejad’s forces did so poorly that even his sister, Parvin, running for a seat in their hometown of Garmsar, lost. On the other hand, some of the president’s most dangerous foes scored big. Ali Larijani, the previous parliamentary speaker and a possible presidential candidate, retained his seat while Gholam Ali Hadad Adel, a Khamenei in-law, was elected and is likely to head the next parliament.

Khamenei and Ahmadinejad joined forces to ensure the latter’s victory in the disputed 2009 presidential elections and eliminate reformists in a campaign of repression. But the alliance quickly unraveled and the two camps have been engaged in a bitter power struggle since then. One way Khamenei forces have struck the president’s allies is the pursuit of a massive $2.6 billion embezzlement scandal at a state-linked bank that ensnared people like Ahmadinejad’s chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie. In a sign of the president’s growing weakness, Prosecutor-General Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehi announced two days after the elections that the second round of the trial in the affair would commence in a week.

Parliament, too, is also going to give Ahmadinejad more trouble than before. He has already been summoned to the legislature next week to face questions over his hugely unpopular cuts to state subsidies and for failing to obey Khamenei by reinstating a minister last year. The new and potentially more hostile parliament could even push for impeachment.

Things may look bad for Ahmadinejad, but Ali Alfoneh, an Iran expert at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, said the president is a “tactical genius” and is unlikely to exit politics quietly. Although his term ends in 2013 and he is barred from seeking re-election, analysts say Ahmadinejad wants to install an ally in the office and

retain a role as elder statesman.”Mr Ahmadinejad is a survivor and so are the people who have benefitted from having him in the presidential office for two consecutive terms. I don’t see him fading into insignificance without putting up a serious fight,” Alfoneh told The Media Line.

Kupchan of Eurasia Group said Ahmadinejad had done better in the vote than popularly perceived and may be strengthened by the 65 seats that will be contested in April run-offs. “The Tehran seats are a bellwether and right now only five of the 30 have been decided,” he said, “He is poised to do well in those that remain.”

On Tuesday, Tehran said it would give the International Atomic Energy Agency access to the Parchin military complex, suspected as the place where Iran has conducted explosives research for nuclear weapons. That would appear to signal a little softening in Tehran’s stance, but even if it is, analysts say it does not reflect any post-election shift: Khamenei is more dedicated to the nuclear program than Ahmadinejad and distrusts the West too much to engage in talks.

“With God’s help, and without paying attention to propaganda, Iran’s nuclear course should continue firmly

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes the victory sign after voting at a polling station in Tehran on March 2, 2012. – AFP In that respect, he may have something of a meeting of minds with Khamenei, who wants to eliminate the office of the presidency because it is a rival for power but not just yet. In the meantime, he has an interest in keeping a lame-duck Ahmadinejad in power, according to Nikolay Kozhanov, who worked in the political and economic section of the Russian embassy in Tehran and is joining The Washington Institute for Near East Policy as a visiting fellow. “Khamenei has clearly demonstrated that he does not want to get rid of Ahmadinejad completely,” Kozhanov, wrote in a commentary on the eve of the elections. “The president’s disappearance from the political scene would inevitably strengthen other factions - an unwelcome scenario for Khamenei, whose main political principle is balance between rival forces.”

None of this will likely have an impact on Iran’s nuclear program, which has been the object of tightening international sanctions and threats of a military strike by Israel.

and seriously ... Pressures, sanctions and assassinations will bear no fruit. No obstacles can stop Iran’s nuclear work,” the supreme leader said a week before the parliamentary vote. Nearly three years ago, Ahmadinejad hinted at a compromise involving a nuclear fuel swap as a way to allay Western concerns about Iran’s intentions.

Reliant on the votes of the poor, the president has the most to lose from the economic squeeze created by sanctions. But with Khamenei’s backing, hardliners shot down the deal. — Media Line

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www.kuwaittimes.net

A model wears fashion from Iraqi folklore during celebrations in Baghdad on International Women's Day yesterday. —AFP

Technology FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Space heroes, samurais battle it out J

ust because you play PC games, doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance to get out. This season’s games allow players to visit a fantasy world, old Japan, the fictional city of Azbaristan, or even a whole new galaxy. Fans of role-playing and shooting games are especially looking forward to Mass Effect 3, which is supposed to bring the science fiction saga of Commander Shepard to a spectacular end.

The galaxy faces its end and only Shepard can save it. Thus starts Mass Effect 3 from Electronic Arts. Just like in previous versions, developer Bioware combines elements of shooting and role-playing games to create an unusual mix. And it’s not just about fighting.

In between the gunplay there are a lot of cinema-worthy conversation scenes in which players help decide the drama.

But developers insist Mass Effect 3 is much more accessible to beginners than the previous versions. However, old hands will be rewarded for their loyalty: the game analyses stored data from the first two parts and shapes the history of the newest installment accordingly. That means characters whose lives were saved previously reappear in the third part. There’s also a new cooperation mode, which allows up to four players to chase aliens in a separate adventure. Alongside the PC release, Mass Effect 3 will also appear for the Playstation 3 and XBox 360. It is recommended for players aged 16 and up and will appear March 8 for about 47 euros (63 dollars).

Jane’s Advanced Strike Fighters is more earthbound, but barely.

Produced by Evolved Games, it lets players try out 30 different fighter jets, including the Eurofighter. The singleplayer version includes 16 different missions over the airspace of the fictitious country of Azbaristan. Players take on the role of a US pilot protect-

ing the country’s inhabitants from the effects of a civil war.

There is also a comprehensive multi-player mode, which allows up to 16 players to compete against one another online. It’s designed to allow latecomers to jump into the fun. There are standard versions like Deathmatch, along with modes like basic attack and rabbit match, where players have to see how long they can evade an attack.

If you prefer to play with, rather than against, your friends, you can always just embark on the main mission as a team. The game is recommended for players aged 12 and up and costs about 30 euros.

The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav is designed for those of a quieter nature, taking players into a fantasy world

based on the role-playing game of the same name. But it has little in common with classics like Star Trail or Shadows Over Riva. Instead, publisher Daedelic Entertainment has created a classic adventure with two-dimensional handdrawn graphics in the universe of the Dark Eye. Players take on the role of Geron, a trapper who wants to free his hometown from a plague of ravens, but finds himself enmeshed ever deeper into the story of a deceased oracle and his last prophesy. Typical of the genre, Geron doesn’t reach for his sword or magic wand, but has to travel around seeking information from various characters and find ways to usefully combine various items he finds. The game is recommended for players aged 12 and up and will cost about 37

euros. Meanwhile, Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai, also takes things down a few notches. Set for a March 23 release by Sega, it takes players back to 19th century Japan, just as the era of the samurais comes to an end. Players can choose to take the side of the fighters and their traditional weapons, or the modern weapons of the emperor’s army, setting the stage for a conflict between swords and bows and machine guns and rifles. The game is a stand-alone expansion, which means you don’t need to play Total War: Shogun 2 to enjoy it. In contrast to the main game, there are about 40 multiple-player options from which to choose. It is recommended for players aged 12 and up and will cost about 30 euros. — dpa

Te c h n o l o g y FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Mum’s the word

Women navigate motherhood differently than in the past

Sue Makki (center) talks with her twins Sukina Bazzi, 15 (left) and Kamel Bazzi in their Dearborn, Michigan home.

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he is taking care of business at home and on the job. She is savvy about caring for herself and her family - even if it sometimes gets overwhelming. She taps the Internet for information and resources to lighten her load, ease her mind and share her burdens. Increasingly, she not only controls the purse strings, she’s putting a bigger share in the purse. She’s “the New Mom,” according to a recent report by Waterford, Mich.based Sphere Trending, compiled for Inforum, a professional women’s alliance in Michigan.

It’s the second in a series of reports commissioned by the alliance to examine the status of women in 2010. “This report confirms the growing power and influence that moms have,” says Terry Barclay, Inforum president and CEO. “It’s starting to reach a point that they’re such a critical mass that employers are going to have to help families balance work and family. “It used to be moms were the sole carriers of that banner. This gives us a chance to reframe the challenges as challenges of parents, not just women’s issues.”

Employers attempting to attract top talent, many of whom are women, must recognize that more workers come with a different mind-set - a mind-set that says I don’t want to choose between a career and a family and I’m not going to kill myself to achieve work-family balance, Barclay says. According to the report, America is increasingly becoming a more matriarchal society.

“As the economy shifts from a manufacturing economy - depending on muscle - to more service and creative industries, the jobs are changing,” says Susan Yashinsky, vice president for marketing for Sphere Trending. “At the same time, more women are becoming much more educated and more of a force in the economy.”

Job growth will be greatest in those fields dominated by women, particularly the service industry, while declining in the manufacturing fields dominated by men, Yashinsky says. The report compiles data from diverse research and trend information, Yashinsky says. For the report, Sphere looked at

the status of mothers in categories ranging from Prime Timers (senior citizens) to Zoomers - baby boomers zooming through life - to Generation Now (women usually living in the moment, capturing life on iPhones, iPads and iTunes).

10 FACTS AND STATS FROM THE REPORT “Women in 2010: The New Mom” 1. New Moms are the beneficiaries of decades of equality struggles resulting in higher education, greater job opportunities and more lifestyle choices.

2. New Moms have evolved from the “secondclass citizen” of the 1950s to a key decision-maker at home and work.

3. New Moms have been raised on the Internet and rely on a Web community of strangers as well as close personal friendships.

4. Today’s working wife brings home 42 percent of the family income. But four of 10 mothers many of them single women - are the primary breadwinners in their families.

5. The New Mom makes dinner 3.5 nights a week, goes out 1.2 times a week and brings home a prepared meal 1.3 times a week.

6. The caregiving stage of today’s mom extends as young adults live at home for longer periods of time and moms help care for aging parents.

7. A market of “mompreneurs” is blossoming as women find creative ways to add to their household income. An industry growing to address their needs includes blogs, Web sites, books, magazines and support groups.

8. The New Mom is smart about shopping for best deals online and consulting her peers about ways to stretch a dollar.

9. The New Mom educates herself to make smart decisions about the health and safety of herself and her family.

10. The impact of the New Mom’s influence is evident in products ranging from automobiles and office furniture to the growth in ready-made meals. — MCT

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Food

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Everyday Cooking

Lentils

lentils

20 facts about • • • • •

The lentil (Lens ensculenta) is a legume that grows in pods containing one or two lentil seeds.

They are believed to have originated in central Asia.

Lentils have been eaten by humans since Neolithic times and were one of the first domesticated crops.

In the Middle East, lentil seeds have been found dating back more than 8000 years.

In the Old Testament, Esau gives up his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of lentil soup.

•

In Judaism, lentils are considered to be a food for mourners because of their round shape symbolizing the circle of life.

• The Greek playwright Aristophanes called lentil soup the “sweetest of delicacies.”

• Lentils have been found in Egyptian tombs dating as far back as 2400 BC. • In India, the lentil is known as dal or daal.

• For many centuries, lentils were considered to be “the poor man’s meat.” In Catholic countries, those who couldn’t afford fish would eat lentils during Lent instead.

• In the 18th century, King Louis XV’s wife, Marie Leszczynska, made lentils fashionable among royalty and they were nicknamed “the queen’s lentils.”

• There are many different varieties and colors of lentils, including brown, yellow, black, orange, red and green.

• Beluga lentils are black and one of the smallest varieties of lentils, having an appearance similar to caviar.

• French green lentils are small, delicate, and flavorful and hold their shape after cooking better than many other types of lentil.

• The most common lentils used in the United States are green and brown, since these varieties are best at retaining their shape after cooking.

• The optical lens is named after the Latin word for lentil, lens.

• Unlike most other beans, lentils don’t need to be soaked before cooking.

• Lentils and rice is a popular staple dish in many countries, with many variations depending on the region.

• In Egypt, one of the national dishes is kushari, a dish made of rice, brown lentils, chickpeas, pasta, garlic, salsa, and vinegar. In fact, many restaurants in Egypt serve nothing but kushari.

• In the 1980s British sitcom “The Young Ones,” the character named Neil is a stereotypical hippie who is always eating lentils. (www.healthdiaries.com)

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Food

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 garlic clove, minced 3 cups water 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed 1 bay leaf 1 large tomato, diced 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley 2 green onions, sliced

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n a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic; set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, lentils, bay leaf and remaining oil to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 30 minutes; drain if necessary. Discard bay leaf. Add the tomato, parsley, onions and dressing; mix gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Oil for frying a small piece of ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp cumin seeds a pinch chilli flakes 1 onion , finely chopped 2 large carrots , peeled and grated 150g red lentils 1l vegetable stock fresh, cube or concentrate 1 lime , juiced to taste a small bunch coriander leaves

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eat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan and fry the ginger and spices for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes more then add the lentils and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the lentils are tender. Blend until smooth or leave chunky. Stir through a squeeze of lime juice and serve sprinkled with coriander.

2 cup lentils, rinsed 2-1/2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 3 Tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger 1 green chile, chopped 1 small zucchini, chopped Salt 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

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lace lentils, water, and turmeric in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil.

Continue cooking, removing the froth from the top from time to time. In a separate pot, heat half the ghee. Saute onion and garlic till golden.

2 1/3 cups lentils (1 lb) 1 small bay leaf 5 cups water 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 cup water 1?3cup honey

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n a dutch oven or saucepan combine lentils, bay leaf, 5 cups water and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl combine dry mustard, ginger, soy sauce, onions and 1 cup water. Add to lentils. Pour honey on top. Cover tightly. Bake for 1 hour.

Stir in ginger, chile, and zucchini. Mix thoroughly and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the lentils to the zucchini mixture. Stir in salt and garam masala. Half cover the pot, lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. In the remaining ghee, toss in the cumin seeds and heat till they sizzle and change color. Serve lentils hot with the ghee cumin seeds.

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend.

One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99!

THE STORY SO FAR : Jassim al-Qabaly, known as Mubdi the Creative, is visiting friends in Kuwait when one of the famed Kuwait Towers springs a water leak. But Jassim’s twin sister Qmasha is off using their shared Noor Stone on a remote mission for The 99, so Jassim and his friends come up with a

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2012, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

temporary solution for the problem -- without any super powers. But time is running out...

www.the99.org

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Top of the world in culture and hospitality

By Sawsan Kazak

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epal is a country with a rich culture, welcoming people and an abundance of natural beauty. Known for its proximity to the Himalayas and Mount Everest, Nepal is a paradise for mountain climbers and avid hikers; but Nepal has a lot more to offer than just mountains.

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, offers a great mix of modern shops and eateries as well as a taste of the traditional. The capital is lively and action packed place with bumpy roads and fashionable people renowned for their hospitality and generosity and welcome visitors with open arms.

A few days in any country is never enough to get the full experience, but it is enough to get a taste of what the country has to offer. Three days in Kathmandu was short, but my travel buddy and I were able to accomplish quite a bit in a short period of time.

Day one A few hours out of the city you can witness panoramic scenery and traditional Nepali culture. On our first

full day in the country we decided to take a trip off

Beef Momos

the beaten path with our recently made Nepali friend.

This young Nepali girl took us to her home town of Sankhu, a small village in the Bagmati zone in Kathmandu. About an hour drive out of the city, this scenic and peaceful village was a nice change from the hustle and bustle. The winding roads led us to an enchanting temple called Bajrayogini. We went as far as we can go by car and then climbed what felt like a thousand steps until we reached the temple. Our

‘guide’ regaled us with stories of growing

Traditional Nepali food

up near the temple, the mischief she and her siblings would get into and the many legends believed about the temple. What was nice about visiting this temple was that there were very few tourists, just worshipers.

This gave the visit a more authentic feel. After a steep walk down the mountain we were even able to see the house she grew up in; which now houses a cow.

After the visit to the temple we drove to Bhaktapur,

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

a popular tourist destination, is an ancient Newar town in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley.

Bhaktapur is referred to as Nepal’s Cultural Capital and rightly so.

Walking through the town you will see ancient temples, well preserved stone carvings and spectacular architecture. While in Bhaktapur one can visit Durbar Square, the Golden Gate, Navadurga Temple, Dattatreya Square and Hunuman Ghat (place of cremation); to name a few. This place offers great photo-ops and cultural experience.

Day Two On the second day, we decided to take up one of the most popular activities in the country; hiking.

Ghangu Narayan is one of the country’s most famous pilgrimage sites and definitely worth the trek. We began our journey with a drive into Nagarkot, a village located 32 km east of Kathmandu. The scenic road was calming and peaceful and the air was fresh. We had a quick stop at one of the hotels for some picture taking and Masala tea and then we were off.

My buddy and I underestimated our abilities and within a few minutes of slight uphill climbing we were exhausted. Luckily our guide was patient with us and allowed us many resting opportunities. About an hour later we found ourselves walking towards a majestic temple on the top of a hill. This monument sits 1541 meters above sea level and has historical, cultural, archeological and religious significance to the country.

We of course took too many pictures and bought too many souvenirs while there.

But our journey did not end there, about an hour drive away, our guide took us to Swayambhunath Temple, also known as Monkey Temple.

Visiting this temple is quite aweinspiring as the beautiful architecture is well preserved. And as its name suggests, there are many monkeys.

They keep to themselves, but are a joy to watch.

Day three On the third day, we decided to treat ourselves to some relaxing massages, seeing as we had hiked all of 10 minutes, we believed we deserved it. The reflexology was exactly what we needed to energize us for a day of shopping.

One of the most interesting streets to shop in is Tamil. This street is located in the city and is filled with little shops selling everything from tea, to clothing and even artwork. It is a great place to pick up all of your souvenirs and gifts. But when in Tamil always remember to bargain down your price. The vendor will always start off with a high price, but most of the time you can whittle down to something a little more affordable.

Since we had started off early we were also able to walk our way to New Road. This street is filled with locals, travelers, cars, animals and anything else you can imagine. It might be crowded but it is definitely worth the trouble. Sherpa mall, not too far away from Tamil area offers trendy brand names of clothing and cosmetics. Needles to say, a budget for shopping is necessary.

Food If you were to look up Nepal’s national dish you would probably find out that it was Daal Bhaat (boiled rice with a thin lentil sauce). This

beef or vegetables and is absolutely delicious. They are served either steamed or fried, with an accompanying sauce. If you have a taste for the spicy you should try the chili

restaurants, traditional Indian food stalls and fusion Chinese bistros.

There is always something delicious to try on every street. The city is filled with delicious restaurants, quaint coffee shops and trendy hangouts; some locations even offer live music.

There is always something to do in Kathmandu. sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

Aerial view of the Himalayas. —Photos by Sawsan Kazak

Monkeys are seen eating at Swayambhunath Temple (Monkey Temple)

might be the official dish, but unofficially Momos are slowly becoming just as popular. A Momo is a bite-size dumpling that is filled with chicken,

Momos. They are fried dumplings covered in a spicy red sauce.

Kathmandu also offers an array of ethnic cuisines from authentic Thai

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Books

Years

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Gender bias in books journalism remains acute, research shows I

t was the year when VS Naipaul infamously declared no woman writer to be his equal, so perhaps it’s not surprising that new research shows a huge skew towards male authors and reviewers in the literary establishment in 2011.

Vida, an American organisation supporting women in the literary arts, has compiled statistics on the gender split in books coverage at publications including the London Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, the New Yorker and the New York Times Book Review, each of which showed a substantial bias towards using male reviewers and covering male authors.

At the LRB last year 16% of reviewers were women (29 out of 184) and 26% of authors reviewed (58 out of 221); at the New York Review of Books 21% of 254 reviews were by women, 17 of 92 authors reviewed were female and 13% of 152 articles were by women.

Of 1,163 reviews in the TLS in 2011, 30% were by women, and of 1,314 authors reviewed, 25% were women. Granta was the only publication to have more female contributors, at 53%, but much of this was down to its women-only feminism issue.

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult, who caused a minor storm in 2010 when she hit out at the New York Times for its focus on “white male literary darlings”, said the Vida statistics were “mystifying”, given the amount of great fiction written by women, and the fact that more women buy books. “I don’t know how to even the odds for female authors except to thank Vida for reinforcing what many readers had a gut feeling about; and reminding the editors of these book review institutions: We are well aware of the gender gap you’ve helped to create; now we challenge you to help fix it,” she said.

At the Guardian and Observer, where over the last four weeks 37% of reviews were by women, and 25% of the books reviewed were by women, Review editor Lisa Allardice said she was “depressed but not surprised at the Vida findings, and it seems those publications with the most intellectual reputations are the worst offenders. This has got to be wrong.”

“It’s something as a female editor I feel extremely passionate about,” she said. “We make a very deliberate effort to raise the female byline count at every opportunity.”

Allardice said the imbalance was particularly evident in non-fiction: the Guardian and Observer’s nonfiction reviewers were 26% female, but its fiction reviewers were 55% women. “It’s a fact that women are writing less non-fiction, so as literary editors the experts we often turn to as reviewers for non-fiction tend to be male. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle which needs to be change all the way though our culture,” she said. “Although as commissioning editors there is no shirking responsibility for the imbalance, I have noticed, without wanting to fall into gender stereotyping, that women are much more reluctant to write or comment on subjects about which they don’t feel themselves to be complete authorities, something which doesn’t seem, in general, to trouble men to the same degree.”

The Guardian contacted a number of the UK’s largest publishing houses and found that 2011 nonfiction releases for Penguin, Atlantic Books, Random House and Simon & Schuster all painted a similar picture, with 74%, 73%, 69% and 64% per cent of all titles male authored respectively. Although John Freeman, editor of Granta magazine, felt it “would not be useful” for publishers to start using gender quotas, he said that publishers do “need to think about what they are choosing, and ask if their own assumptions for which work is the best are coloured by gender”.

Vida co-director Erin Belieu said the Vida statistics clearly showed that “some sort of systemic bias” was at work.

“Such a very wide discrepancy between the rates

of publication clearly points at some other external forces at work beyond an editor’s idea of ‘good’ and ‘not as good’,” she said. “And, you know, we live in a world where gender bias is embedded in practically every aspect of our lives - why would the literary world be different than the larger world in terms of the way women are viewed and valued? It’s not. No surprise there.”

Peter Stothard, editor of the TLS, said the magazine “would never discriminate” on gender but expressed the hope that the Vida statistics would “encourage more women” to submit to the magazine. “It always ends up with it looking like there’s some man in a leather chair spending half his time stopping women reviewing books, which is complete nonsense,” he said. “We would never take part in the business of setting up quotas but I’m 100% behind anything which encourages people to get out there, read the TLS, see what we want and get into the serious business of arguing why a particular book is important.”

Belieu was also against establishing a quota because “they don’t honour the individual art and inspiration that go into writing a brilliant poem, novel or essay”. Vida is instead trying to support women writers throughout their careers, and attempting to encourage people to examine their own biases. “Why are women generally more willing to read across gender? How do we teach our sons to be readers across gender? If women don’t submit as frequently to magazines and contests, why is this? What can we do to help editors develop more women writers for their publications? What can we do to help them to understand why it’s important to do so?” she asked.

Author Jennifer Weiner, who, with Picoult, has campaigned against the continuing gender bias of book reviews towards men over the last year, felt that the best response was to let the “vital conversations” take place elsewhere. “Instead of hoping that some day the boys’ club will open its doors, we can form our own clubs, define ‘worthy’ our own way, and celebrate the books and voices that we decide deserve celebration,” she said. “In the end, it’s going to take a New Girls’ (and Boys’) Network to counter the Old

“It’s something as a female editor I feel extremely passionate about,” she said. “We make a very deliberate effort to raise the female byline count at every opportunity.”

Boys’ Network. Men and women committed to change are going to have to step up and speak out, (and, of course, risk being called shrill, hysterical, annoying or ‘just jealous’ of the attention the men receive when we do).”—Guardian

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Books

Years

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Capital

By Claire Tomalin

T

he Observer, Sunday 4 March 2012 Article history According to Walter Bagehot, Dickens described London “like a special correspondent for posterity”. Dickens was a reporter before he became a novelist, and his reporter’s instincts remained strong, especially in his “condition of England” novels, from Bleak House to Our Mutual Friend. John Lanchester also has a reputation as a reporter and as a novelist, and with this “big, fat London novel” he is writing a report on London in 2008, peopling it with fictional but precisely observed Londoners - a touch of Mayhew as well as Dickens. His documentation is sharp and vivid as he follows their adventures: now we know what it feels like not to get your expected bonus at the bank, and what it’s like to be arrested before dawn, manhandled, handcuffed and carried off to a police cell without explanation or any mention of your rights as a citizen.

The book follows a small cross-section of the inhabitants of one south London street, and the people who come to work for them, over a year, in which the settled citizens interact with the newcomers who are trying to negotiate a place for themselves in British society. Among them are a Polish man working as a builder, a well-educated Hungarian woman who takes a job as a nanny, a Senegalese footballer being groomed for stardom at great expense, and also Quentina, a hated local traffic warden, who is a political refugee from Zimbabwe with a university degree, and can support herself only by paying for a forged work permit. All of them have to be tough, drawing on their wits, prepared to adapt themselves to what is required, ready to accept and brush aside humiliation. Their experience of London counterpoints with that of the luckier inhabitants.

The street Lanchester has imagined, Pepys Road, is one built for lower middle-class families in the late 19th century, and the story begins in December 2007, when the value of each house has risen so spectacularly that the people who currently own them are all rich, and have done much knocking through and enlargement of attics and basements, congratulating themselves on their good luck as they do so. “Having a house in Pepys Road was like being in a casino in which you were guaranteed to be a winner. If you already lived there, you were rich. If you wanted to move there, you had to be rich. It was the first time in history this had ever been true” - a truth universally acknowledged by house-owning Londoners.

There is one exception to the guaranteed wealth of the Pepys Road residents: the small modern shop at the end of the road, run by Ahmed Kamal, born in Lahore, with his wife and brothers.

The Kamals are given the most dramatic turn of events to deal with when Ahmed’s clever, computer-wise, free-spirited brother Shahid is arrested on suspicion of being a terrorist. His incarceration in a cell in Paddington Green police station is grim - he is unable to communicate with anyone in the outside world, and is persistently questioned and accused - although the police are shown to behave correctly, if mistakenly. A turning point comes for Shahid when, disoriented and reduced almost to despair in his smelly cell, he is brought his Qur’an by the lawyer his family finally gets to him. He begins to pray, and to feel that, although he is alone, he is alone before Allah; and “the exhilarating bleakness of the desert faith” comforts him.

Earlier, Shahid has expressed contempt for the pagan nature of Christmas celebrations in London,

Review

all drunkenness and shopping. We see his point.

One other reference to religion comes at the funeral of an elderly widow, Petunia Howe, the last inhabitant of Pepys Road to have been born there, who has asked for the service to be read from the Book of Common Prayer, in defiance of her late husband’s atheism. A kind-faced, decent Church of England woman priest reads the service, and the great words are heard respectfully by her grieving daughter and by the Polish builder Zbigniew, who has seen Petunia on her deathbed while working on the house, and attends the funeral, as do the Kamals, respecting the dignity of death, which is the same for all. Petunia’s final experience of life in London has not been good: unaware of the colossal value of the house she inhabits, she has struggled with worrying symptoms to a surgery where she never sees the same doctor twice, and then to a vast hospital where the consultant’s appointments are all fixed for the same time slot, ensuring that patients, however old, nervous and frail, have to wait for hours to be told whether they should expect to live or die. Petunia rejects the offered chemotherapy and you can see why.

London life is chronicled through the residents of a single street in this finely observed novel In one of the biggest and smartest houses in Pepys Road live Roger and Arabella Yount with their two small sons. He is a tall, good-natured Harrovian working in a City bank, his values closer to the old City, where everything depended on who you knew and how well you blended in, rather than the new City of risk and drug-taking. He married Arabella because she seemed to have a gift for making life seem easy, but the births of their sons have left her cross and resentful, and she has become addicted to shopping, spending, fashion, brochures and alcoholic lunches with a woman friend. Arabella is the nastiest character in the book, a bit too close to Ab Fab to be quite believable - selfish, vindictive and vacuous. In fine contrast is Matya, the hard-working and honourable Hungarian who comes to look after the Yount children. She falls in love at first sight with toddler Josh, and he with her. Lanchester notices that adults fall in love with small children and describes it truthfully: he has an eye for aspects of human behaviour that are not often acknowledged.

In his book, all the Londoners of foreign origin appear as more industrious than the native born; not surprisingly, perhaps, given that they are struggling to make their way from nothing and against the odds. But they are also shown as having better instincts: they have not yet been corrupted by the consumer society. Zbigniew appreciates the beauty of the lush overgrown garden at the back of Petunia’s house, and regrets its destruction.

Whereas for Roger a terrible moment of truth comes when, after the bank crash, he finds for the first time in his adult life that he has to worry about a taxi fare of £30.

A few strands of the narrative don’t quite work, but the best ones make you turn the pages faster to find out where they are going. There is a moral fable about money, so neatly done that its resolution comes as a shock. A near-sentimental tale of the conversion of Zbigniew from careless sexual predator into tremulous romantic suitor is also nicely handled. And if Lanchester chooses to reveal character largely through action and daily experiences, it makes the moments when he does open up an inner life at a turning point all the more striking. — Guardian

Beauty FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Meet the models breaking the mould D

o models eat biscuits? Daphne Selfe does. “And cake,” she says - “Are you sure you won’t have a sandwich?” before we sit down in the living room of her Hertfordshire home.

You may recognize Selfe from the fashion pages of the Guardian, or from Vogue, advertising campaigns and style magazines such as Dazed & Confused. She has been shot by Mario Testino, Rankin and Nick Knight. She is 83, and last year appeared more in demand than ever.

Her long silver hair has become her trademark, though today it’s pinned back. “I think it’s fine for a woman of my age to have long hair,” she says, “but I think we should wear it up.” She’s happy to talk and talk, so I let her get on with it while I study her face. Her cheekbones are sharp, her blue eyes shine and her skin looks lived-in and luminous. Her secret? “I have an Irish family behind me, which is good for looks,” she says with a smile.

“But everyone can look lovely. It’s what’s in your head that counts - your outlook.”

As a young woman, Selfe wanted to work with horses and helped run a riding school.

Then she moved to Reading and got a job in a department store. When a local photographer organised a modelling competition, the shop girls applied and Selfe won. After that, she trained with an agency - “We were taught how to walk, how to do hair and make-up, because in those days you had to do all that yourself. It’s not like now, when you have all these people to transform you.”

Around the same time, she met her future husband, Jim. Soon after, they were married with three children, and Selfe gave up modelling. Did she miss it? “No! With three children?

That was what you did. You expected to give up work when you got married.”

In the 60s, Selfe considered going back to modelling and approached a few agencies.

“No way,” she says, with a dramatic eye roll.

“They didn’t like the look of me. It was people like Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton. I just didn’t fit.” Was it a terrible rejection? “No! As a model you have to learn to be rejected. I know if I do five auditions, I might get one. And if I don’t,

which was working on an issue celebrating age. At the shoot, she met a scout for Models 1. “And I haven’t looked back.”

The fashion world has changed since she first became a model. Then she was a size 12 “A strapping girl” - but now the standard size is a six or eight. “That’s much too thin. If you’re very tall, you’ve got to have some flesh on you. I don’t think being too thin is awfully

Bring on the wrinkles... and the spare tyre and the brains, too.

Because you don’t have to be a silly, skinny teenager to make it in modelling these days pretty.”

She has undoubtedly stood up for diversity in a world that venerates youth. “People now get to 40 and think, ‘Oh my God’, but so what?

Everybody has to get old.”

We are not used to seeing older people presented in a sexy way - and Selfe has done some sexy shoots. She nods. “I don’t mind. I used to be an artists’ model. What upsets me is the way older people don’t bother any more. I never go out without make-up. I do my hair.”

She would never have cosmetic surgery.

“Or Botox. I think it’s a shame. Somebody I know went to America and they said, ‘All these people with these fabulous faces, then you see them on the beach and they’ve got wrinkly bodies.’ Why?” Selfe puts her good skin down to her genes, exercise, good diet and skincare. Does she mourn her youthful beauty? She shakes her head. “Age just makes you a bit slower.” She thinks for a while and then smiles. “I can’t wear high heels now, but I’m not bothered.”

What makes a good model, and whom do you admire?

Bone structure, attitude - and a good agent. You’ve got to be very adaptable. I like Gisele B¸ndchen.

What have you eaten today?

Every morning I put carrot, celery, apple and ginger in my juicer, and I make my own muesli. I’ll have a proper lunch - chicken or salmon with rice and lots of vegetables. I don’t eat as much red meat as I used to. I’ll have a piece of cake at tea, then soup for supper. I drink a lot of water, but I barely drink alcohol now. I might have a quarter of a glass of wine at dinner.

What was your worst job?

An ad I did for Bupa - I was photographed in a swimming pool with no heating.

so what?”

Not until 1998, aged 70, did Selfe - by then a widow - get her big break. The label Red Or Dead was looking for older models for its London fashion week show and Selfe, who had stayed registered with an agent, was cast.

The stylist suggested she contact Vogue,

Would you recommend modelling as a career to your granddaughter?

Yes. It’s fine as long as you know what you’re letting yourself in for, are strong-minded and take it with a pinch of salt. Some people [in the fashion industry] can be very rude.

Who is your favourite designer?

Etro - it’s bohemian but wearable. I like unusual clothes. I don’t like to go out looking

frumpy.—Guardian

Beauty

Crazy beauty tricks that really work

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Oatmeal The best beauty fixes come from the most surprising places. Beer for your hair, anyone?

Many of today’s top spa treatments take their cues from old-fashioned home remedies, and there’s science to back up the ingredients’ effectiveness. Take a look at our favorites.

Soothing and anti-inflammatory, oatmeal contains beta glucan, a soluble fiber that creates a thin, moistureretaining film on the surface of the skin. Place a handful of whole oats in a clean washcloth and use a rubber band to secure it. Next, immerse it in a sinkful of warm water and squeeze the bag four or five times. Once the water is cloudy, splash it on your face and then air-dry.

(If you must towel dry, pat as gently as possible.)

Avocado Oil Avocado oil’s abundant fatty acids help balance skin’s moisture levels, and the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E protect skin from further damage. Combine equal parts avocado oil and evening-primrose oil (which supports collagen synthesis with its gamma linoleic acid) in a sealable bottle and shake to blend. Massage five or six drops into clean skin, and then cover your face with a warm washcloth for a minute to help the oils sink in.

Walnuts Rich in oil, walnuts make for extra-gentle sloughing.

Blend 1/4 cup shelled walnuts, 1/2 cup olive oil (for extra emollients), and a tablespoon of honey (to seal moisture into your skin) in a food processor set on a slow speed, creating a fine-particle scrub. Standing in the shower (if you’re scrubbing your feet) or over a sink (if it’s for your hands), work the mixture thoroughly over your skin for a couple of minutes. Rinse with warm water.

inhospitable to blemish-causing bacteria. Place a handful of parsley (a skin-clarifying herb) into a French press and cover it with 1/2 cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes, then plunge and let the liquid cool. Transfer to a spray bottle along with a splash of vinegar and four drops of tea tree oil (an antiseptic), shake well, and spritz on a freshly cleansed face. Store the spray bottle in the fridge.

Sour Cream This thick dairy product makes a moisturizing mask and gentle exfoliant, since its lactic acid (an alphahydroxy acid) helps speed cell turnover, brightening dull complexions. Natural fats restore skin’s moisture.

Using your fingers, smooth 1 to 2 tablespoons of cool, full-fat sour cream in a thin layer over your clean face and neck, avoiding the eye and lip areas. Wait 7 to 10 minutes, then remove the mask with a wet washcloth. Splash skin with warm water and pat dry.

Chamomile Tea Use this soothing beverage to make a calming compress. A natural anti-inflammatory, chamomile reduces redness and puffiness around the eyes. It also soothes irritated complexions.

Soak a clean washcloth in cool chamomile tea steeped to a golden yellow and apply to the skin as a compress. (To treat puffy eyes only, roll the washcloth to create an eye pillow.) Rest the compress on your skin for at least 10 minutes before rinsing and drying.

Oranges The fruit acid loosens dead skin cells. Cut a fresh orange in half and squeeze the juice of one half into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup olive oil and then blend into a moisture-rich scrub. Next, rub the exposed side of the other half of the orange over knees, elbows, heels, and any other dry spots. Last, rub in the sugar mixture to slough off dead skin. Rinse with warm water and pat skin dry.

Milk The lactic acid in milk serves as a gentle skin exfoliant, while its natural fat content acts as a body moisturizer. Add a gallon of whole milk to a tubful of warm water and soak. It’s a great alternative to sugar and salt scrubs, which may be too abrasive for people who suffer from eczema, psoriasis, or sensitive skin. If you prefer a fragranced bath, add 10 to 20 drops of an essential oil, such as lavender.

Eggs Eggs’ high protein content helps improve hair’s resilience and luster. Whisk together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons coconut oil (rich in moisturizing fats), and 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Apply the mixture to dry hair and wrap a hot, moist towel around your head. Relax for 5 to 10 minutes. Without wetting hair first, work in a handful of shampoo, then rinse and condition your hair.

Apple-Cider Vinegar The high acidity of apple-cider vinegar makes skin

Almond Oil This nut oil makes a great hand moisturizer. With a light texture and loads of vitamin E, almond oil quickly penetrates dry skin and protects hands and nails from environmental damage.

Rub 1 teaspoon of oil into hands and cuticles. Wrap each hand in a small towel, and allow the oil to pene-

trate for at least 5 minutes. Wipe the excess oil off hands, but don’t rinse them; any remaining oil will be absorbed over the next few minutes. Follow with a rich hand cream.

Kiwi The high vitamin C levels in kiwi fight free-radical damage and even out skin texture. When scrubbed on the face, the seeds act as tiny exfoliators, leaving skin smooth.

Peel and slice a ripe kiwi, then mash the flesh thoroughly with a fork. With circular motions, work the kiwi paste onto a damp, clean complexion, avoiding the eye and lip areas. After 30 to 60 seconds of scrubbing, rinse skin with warm water and pat dry.

Olive Oil Rich in vitamin E and fatty acids, olive oil is a Mediterranean-inspired favorite for moisturizing brittle and overstyled hair.

Before showering, comb several tablespoons of “light” olive oil (it will say so on the label) through hair, working from roots to ends. Cover hair with a shower cap. After showering for 5 to 7 minutes, remove the cap.

Shampoo, rinse, and condition as usual. Hair will feel super soft. (www.wholeliving.com)

Health FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

How to build muscle T

he biggest muscle building mistake you can make is doing routines from muscle magazines. Most of those guys don’t train naturally, are genetically gifted and never started training that way. Doing their routines won’t make you build muscle fast.

The average person needs a different approach. One that builds muscle fast and prevents physical & mental overtraining from doing too much, too soon. Here’s how to build muscle: the definitive guide to building muscle.

1. Get Stronger. More strength is more muscle. Get into strength training. I recommend weight training because it allows you to start light and add weight endlessly.

Body-weight exercises work too. Start with an empty bar. Learn proper technique. Add weight each workout to keep pushing your body out of comfort zone.

2. Use Free Weights. You can lift the heaviest weights using barbells. More weight is more stress, thus more muscle.

Dumbbells are great for assistance exercises, but not for your main lifts. Stay away from machines.

Safe. Machines force you into fixed, unnatural movement patterns which can cause injuries. Free weights replicate natural motions.

Efficient. Free weights force you to control and balance the weight. This builds more muscle than machines, which balance the weight for you.

Functional. Strength built on machines doesn’t transfer to free weights or real life.

No machine balances the weight for you in real life.

Versatile. You can do hundreds of exer-

cises with just 1 barbell. Saves a lot of money and space, especially if you want to build a home gym.

3. Do Compound Exercises. Isolation exercises are ok once you’ve built base strength & muscle mass. But if you’re starting to build muscle, exercises that hit several muscles at the same time are better.

No endless Biceps Curls -> Pull-ups, Chinups & Barbell Rows Also no Triceps Kickbacks -> Bench Press, Overhead Press, Dips And definitely no Leg Extensions -> Squats & Deadlifts 4. Train Your Legs. Squats work your whole body, they’re the most important exercise. You’ll look totally different once you can Squat 300lbs. That’s a free weight Squat with hips coming lower than knees.

All your muscles tense when doing Squats & Deadlifts. They work your body as 1 piece and let you lift heavy weights. Don’t lose time with Biceps Curls. When you can Squat & Deadlift heavy weights, you’ll have bigger arms.

5. Do Full Body Workouts. Don’t do those muscle magazine workouts. Body part splits with isolation exercises is fine once you’ve built a foundation. That’s once you can Squat 300lbs.

You can’t Squat that much or never did Squats? It takes 3 workouts per week of about 1hour each and includes compound exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Barbell Rows, Overhead Press, Pull-ups, Dips, etc.

6 Get Recovery. Pro athletes workout 5-6 times per week. But they didn’t start that way. They added workouts as they got stronger & bigger. You’ll overtrain if you

jump into their routines. As a beginner you need more recovery.

Rest. Muscles grow when you rest, not when you workout. Start with 3 full body workouts per week and focus on intensity, not gym time.

Sleep. Growth hormone releases when you sleep, building muscle. Aim for 8 hours sleep. Nap post workout if your lifestyle allows.

Drink Water. Avoids dehydration and helps muscle recovery. Drink 2 cups water with each meal, and sip water during your workout.

Eat. “Eat like a horse. Sleep like a baby.

Grow like a weed”. Your training is useless if you don’t eat enough calories for recovery.

7. Eat Whole Foods. You’ll achieve a lower body fat, so the muscles you’ve built show better. And the vitamin & mineral content helps recovery. Stop eating food coming from a box. Eat whole foods 90% of the time.

8. Eat More. Training is more important than diet for muscle building. But you do need to give your body the food it needs for optimal recovery. Most guys don’t eat enough, you got to eat more to build muscle.

Eat Breakfast. Get calories from the first hour. Read how to build the habit of eating breakfast. Try these 7 breakfast recipes.

Eat Post Workout. Get proteins and carbs post workout to help muscle recovery and replenish your energy stores.

Eat Every 3 Hours. 6 meals/day. Gives your muscles a steady intake of protein, speeds up muscle repair & recovery, boosts your metabolism.

Eat BW in lbs x 18kcal. Track your daily

calorie intake using FitDay. You need at least your body-weight in lbs x 18kcal to maintain weight.

9. Gain Weight. You’ll never look muscular weighing 140lbs at 6”. No matter how much training you do.

Eat Calorie Dense Foods. 100g raw spinach is 25kcals. But 100g raw rice is 380kcals. Eat pasta, oats, olive oil, mixed nuts, etc.

Get Stronger. Increase your Squat to at least 300lbs. Muscle size is directly related with strength gains. You got to get stronger to build muscle.

Drink Whole Milk. If you don’t bother gaining some fat, drink 1 gallon whole milk daily on top of your current food intake. You can gain 25lbs in 1 month if you combine this with 3 weekly Squat sessions.

10. Get Protein. Proteins have the highest thermic effect. You need 1g protein per pound of body-weight daily to build & maintain muscle. That’s 160g of daily protein if you weigh 160lbs/72kg. Eat whole proteins with each meal.

Red Meat. Ground round, steaks, deer, buffalo, ...

Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey, duck, ...

Fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, ...

Eggs. Eat the yolk, it’s full of vitamins.

Dairy. Milk, cottage cheese, quark cheese, yogurt, whey, ...

If you weigh 160lbs: 1 can of tuna at lunch, 300g quark as snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 160g protein. Read also how to get your daily protein when you’re a vegeterian/vegan. (www.stronglifts.com)

Health FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Being a ‘Germaphobe’ can be an OCD symptom The line between Germaphobe and ocd is not always clear

M

any people openly admit to being a germaphobe. Although not an actual medical term, most people agree that a germaphobe is someone who is preoccupied or even obsessed with cleanliness, germs and infectious diseases.

While being a germaphobe does not necessarily mean that you have OCD, an obsession with sanitation, cleanliness and germs along with compulsive behavior around washing or disinfection may signal a deeper problem. Let’s explore when being a germaphobe may be an OCD symptom.

Worries About Germs are Common Worries about contamination by germs and/or catching infectious diseases are common in our society — you need not look further than the presence of hand sanitizer dispensers in public spaces or the barrage of advertisements for antibacterial products to realize that our society is, to some extent, preoccupied with germs.

That said, on a day-to-day basis, most people do not spend more than a few moments (if that) worrying about their hands being contaminated after touching the doorknob in an office building, pressing a button in an elevator or tying a loose shoelace after being in a public restroom.

For most, if thoughts of contamination cross the mind, a common sense approach of washing or sanitizing their hands for a few moments sets the mind at ease and they get on with their day.

However, if you are a germaphobe, you know that these kinds of situations can be anxiety provoking and may even make you want to avoid places where you are likely to encounter contamination or germs.

Importantly, an obsession with cleanliness,

contamination and/or germs is also a common OCD symptom. However, when does a preoccupation with germs cross the line into an obsession? When does a personal hygiene routine or cleaning regimen become a compulsion? Let’s try to answer these questions using two examples.

Tina and John: A Tale of Two Germaphobes Case 1: Tina is a 38-year-old financial analyst. Tina readily describes herself as a germaphobe, and people who know her well have noticed her preoccupation with germs. Tina will often cover her hand with a paper towel when opening the door of a public restroom and prefers not to touch the seats on the subway which she rides every day. She cringes when she has to take out the garbage each week but does so without fail. Tina almost always thinks about germs for a moment or two when shaking someone’s hand at a business meeting or in social settings, but this quickly leaves her mind after a few seconds. If she is really worried about her hands being dirty, a quick dab of hand sanitizer always does the trick. Importantly, Tina is not distressed by her preoccupation with germs; in fact, she feels that her vigilance allows her to avoid a number of colds each year and stay productive. Moreover, while her loft is usually spotless, she spends no more than three hours a week cleaning and often puts this off to head out for dinner with friends or to spend time with her partner.

Case 2: John is a 42-year-old part-time computer consultant. John also describes himself as a germaphobe, and his wife and children agree that this is the perfect label

for him. John rarely allows eggs or chicken in the house as he is afraid that they will contaminate the house with salmonella bacteria. When his wife does cook with eggs he makes her wash her hands in very hot water for well over two minutes.

Moreover, John has to wear thick rubber gloves when disposing of egg cartons and must wash his hands afterwords or else he feels extremely anxious. John refuses to go into public restrooms and has canceled numerous activities with friends over the years for fear of having to use the restroom in public. If John catches wind that someone at the office has come down with a stomach flu he will obsess for hours over whether he has come into contact with that person and will often take a shower because he feels “dirty”. He knows this makes no sense and often feels he is going crazy. John spends up to 5 hours a day bleaching all of the surfaces in his home.

His constant cleaning and preoccupation with contamination have put a significant strain on his relationship with his wife and children. Moreover, although he was initially able to cope with his obsessions while at work, his preoccupation with germs has started to affect his ability to perform the duties associated with this job.

The Analysis - Germaphobe, OCD or Both?

Both Tina and John describe themselves as “germaphobes”; however, it is clear that Tina’s preoccupation with germs has only a small impact on her day-to-day functioning, while John’s life is falling apart and dominated by obsessions with contamination (e.g., salmonella infection; catching a stomach flu; contracting germs from a

bathroom) and ruled by compulsions that are designed to relieve his anxiety (e.g., hand washing, sanitizing).

In addition, while Tina is not distressed by her preoccupation with germs, John often feels he is going crazy, cannot tolerate the possibility of contamination and goes to great excess to ensure that all germs have been removed. Most importantly, while Tina has healthy personal and professional relationships, John’s relationships at work and at home are being compromised by his obsession with contamination.

Thus, although they are both self-confessed “germaphobes”, John’s symptoms are very much consistent with OCD, whereas Tina is likely someone who simply has above-average concerns about germs. John would be very likely to benefit from consultation with his family doctor or a mental health professional to complete a clinical interview and medical history to make a definitive diagnosis of OCD and explore potential treatment options.

If you, a family member or someone else you know has a preoccupation with germs that is distressing, unwanted, uncontrollable and having an impact on day-to-day functioning, it may be time to consider speaking with a mental health professional — the problem may run deeper than simply being a germaphobe. Effective psychological and medical treatment for OCD is available.—About

Arts FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Russia’s Banksy does it for the motherland D ecorating the walls of Moscow with politically fuelled graffiti isn’t met with quite the same admiration as it is in the UK, yet an artist known only as P183 has made a name for himself by capturing the zeitgeist of modern-day Russia in his work.

P183’s portfolio includes a sprawling mural of a masked protester holding a flare, a CCTV camera fitted with machine guns and a cardboard cut-out of a young girl hanging baubles on a barbed-wire fence. After gaining notoriety when photographs of his art got picked up around the world, he is now preparing a new series that will be unveiled around the Moscow

streets soon.

Dubbed the Russian Banksy, or “Bankski”, his art resembles the world’s best-known street artist, although P183 insists he has never tried to imitate the Bristolian.

Speaking from Moscow over Skype, dressed in his usual black garb and balaclava, he says: “I fully understand that we both have a common cause, but I never sought to emulate him or anyone else. I use the

Russian street artist P183 is covering Moscow with his politically charged murals - and says he’s doing it for a ‘strong, educated and cultured homeland’

songs of people such as Yegor Letov and Konstantin Kinchev for inspiration - not public figures.”

P183 first began writing poems at the age of 11 on the Tsoi Wall in Moscow, which pays tribute to Soviet musician Viktor Tsoi. Then as he got older, he began to spray murals elsewhere in the city. Lately he has set up guerrilla installations, including a giant fork shovelling industrial piping that looks like a plate of spaghetti.

As with most street artists, P183’s canvas is all too soon covered with grey paint by the authorities. “The city government is categorically against street art, so any wall drawings are painted over. Graffiti with

political meaning and social subtext are painted over especially fast,” he says.

At the mere mention of this week’s Russian election, he scowls.

“I’m not going to talk about Putin, it’s too much. In our country, there is a very heavy atmosphere. People are closed-minded, and money is the most important thing. Our state does not support creativity. To me, street art is a tool to send thoughts to people.”

His motivation remains “to have a strong, educated and cultured homeland”. If photographers continue to get to his work before the authorities, he may help to achieve just that. —Guardian

Caravaggio gives us a glim of Renaissance rock n ro I

n Caravaggio’s picture The Lute Player, which the fiery Lombard artist painted in Rome in the mid-1590s, a beautiful man plays a round bodied instrument that was the electric guitar of the Renaissance. But a lot quieter. People learned the lute for the same reason that teenagers since the 1960s have learned rock guitar, because they thought it made them look sexy. In Caravaggio’s painting it works - the lutenist sings seductively among sensual fruits and flowers. But what is he singing?

I’ve been listening to modern recordings that attempt to capture the sound of Renaissance music, and I am more baffled than ever about what it really sounded like. Looking at Caravaggio’s lutenist, we imagine a romantic, alluring song. Yet in many recordings Renaissance madrigals sound like church music, they are so harmonious and pristine.

Maybe musicians who play early music should look harder at Renaissance and Baroque paintings. Works such as

Leonardo’s portrait of a musician, or Lorenzo Costa’s picture of a woman and two men singing together, give intimate glimpses of the world of Renaissance secular music. And again and again, what

and audiences. What Caravaggio’s painting shows is that it could be a dangerous, daring drama, with deep issues of love and longing electrifying the chamber where those tender lute notes sounded.

The alluring paintings of Caravaggio, Leonardo and Lorenzo Costa hint at the passion of Renaissance secular music they stress is the frisson of excitement and desire at the moment of performance.

There was no way to record music in that age; it was always live. That meant it was always a drama between performers

So perhaps when consorts and choirs today recreate early court music, they should have a bit more fun and think less of the harmonies of Pythagoras, and more of a rock concert’s drama compressed into a room that happens to be hung with

gorgeous tapestries and paintings.

There is one abundantly alive genre that links us directly to the emotional power of music in the age of Caravaggio: opera. Few would deny that opera tends to be passionate and extravagant. It was invented in late 16th-century Italy, drawing together the sounds and sights of the age in a spectacle that delighted the senses.

You can still feel a tension and mythic impulse in a very early opera like Monteverdi’s 1607 masterpiece Orfeo.

The story Monteverdi tells in his opera is disturbing: Orpheus pursues his lost love into the underworld, and almost succeeds in bringing her back to the realm of the living, but fails at the last moment. It is a story of sex and death that perfectly matches the provocative beauty of Caravaggio’s lutenist. This is what music meant 400 years ago: longing and deep emotions. Renaissance music is reborn every time an opera house thrills to grand passions. —Guardian

Arts FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

A CLOSER LOOK AT THOMAS ZIPP This German artist’s fantastical installations show the dreams and nightmares of history’s rebels, from Martin Luther to Dadaists Thomas Zipp’s installations of paintings and sculptures are the heavy metal of the art world: transgressive, blackly comic and trained on what the German artist has described as “the weirdness of mankind”.

Fascinated by people who go against the grain, try to change the world or buck the system, he offsets historical figures from the wilder side of art and music with those from science, religion and politics.

Z

ipp creates fantastical environments that conflate the dreams and nightmares of bygone eras. Whether installing the beds, shower rooms and rubber cells of an old psychiatric ward, or creating a black and white interpretation of an iconic surrealist painting, his work has the antiquated feel of old photos or musty sheets. His paintings and sculptures come in a careworn palette of ash white, granite grey and lots of black - as if they’ve spent the past hundred years darkening in a backroom somewhere.

The lynchpin for it all is the early 20th century, that pivotal moment when modernist artists and scientists imagined a new, better world - and so did the Nazis. Otto Hahn, the Nobel laureate considered “the father of nuclear chemistry”, has been a recurring figure in Zipp’s work, alongside other German world-changers such as the 15th-century Protestant monk Martin Luther, whose division of Europe, the artist has suggested, makes him a proto-Hitler figure. Disfigured with black scribbles or pins stuck in their eyes in his violent, gothic portraits, these ambiguous icons don’t escape history’s ire.

The angry moralist is just one role Zipp plays, however: the joker and the ecstatic artist visionary are other favourites. His 2008 show White Dada is a good example of his double-edged approach. Here, Dada-style montages and defaced pictures included a textbook description of electric shock therapy and images of drugs of the medical, non-recreational kind.

Meanwhile, dead plants, including long-stalked poppies, sprouted from vases. Equating Dada’s boundary-pushing artistic and narcotic experiments with the psychiatric institution, Zipp suggests that art is yet another box for controlling social aberration.

Why we like him: White Dada’s centrepiece was a Victorian-era lecture hall. A dark wood amphitheatre circled a white bust resembling one of Jacob Epstein’s machine-age marble sculptures and an incongruous drum kit, where Zipp’s band played a screaming set on the show’s opening night. But once the gig was over, it left a bad feeling in the gut: modern art’s radicalism is lost to the past, and our attempts at non-conformity ring hollow.

High on your own supply: For Zipp, painting is a lot like taking drugs - they both “suck you in and open you up to new points”.

Where can I see him? At Alison Jacques, London until 31 March

Comics

C R O S S W O R D

6 1 1

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

To Yester

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

ACROSS

1. An accidental hole that allows something (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape.

5. Affect with wonder.

10. A federally chartered savings bank.

13. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

14. Relating to or caused by a virus.

15. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers.

16. The amount a salary is increased.

18. An narrative telling the adventures of a hero or a family.

19. The network in the reticular formation that serves an alerting or arousal function.

20. Used of old persons or old trees.

22. In such a manner as could not be otherwise.

24. A French abbot.

25. Automatic data processing by electronic means without the use of tabulating cards or punched tapes.

26. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

29. Tag the base runner to get him out.

31. United States writer (born in Poland) who wrote in Yiddish (18801957).

35. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

37. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

39. Affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way.

40. A peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

42. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

44. A room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter.

45. The branch of information science that deals with natural language information.

50. A state in the United States in the central Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands.

53. A large metal or pottery vessel with a handle and spout.

57. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

58. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.

61. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.

62. Tall evergreen of Japan and China yielding valuable soft wood.

63. (Norse mythology) Goddess of old age who defeated Thor in a wrestling match.

64. A notable achievement.

65. A platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles.

66. The second largest city in Tunisia.

67. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

DOWN 1. North American yellow-breasted songbirds.

2. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause).

3. A fee charged for exchanging currencies.

4. The quarter of many North African cities in which the citadel is located.

5. The eleventh month of the civil year.

6. An incorrect deal.

7. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

8. An angular shape characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions.

9. Either of two large African antelopes of the genus Taurotragus having short spirally twisted horns in both sexes.

10. (nautical) Situated at or toward the bow of a vessel.

11. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

12. Having or denoting a low vocal or instrumental range.

17. A gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number).

21. The compass point that is one point north of due east.

23. A federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment.

27. God of death.

28. Any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent.

30. The cry made by sheep.

32. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

33. Large genus of African trees bearing kola nuts.

34. A song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation).

36. A mountain peak in the southern Sinai Peninsula (7,500 feet high).

38. Being nine more than ninety.

41. (classical mythology) A hero noted for his strength.

43. A state of Uganda and site of a former Bantu kingdom.

44. (nautical) Situated at or toward the bow of a vessel.

46. An informal term for a father.

47. A passage with access only at one end.

48. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

49. A linguistic element added to a word to produce an inflected or derived form v 1.

51. Wild sheep of northern Africa.

52. Something that remunerates.

54. A Gaelic-speaking Celt in Ireland or Scotland or the Isle of Man. 55. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

56. A quantity of no importance.

59. (folklore) Fairies that are somewhat mischievous.

60. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

Yesterday’s Solution

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Girls throw colored powder at each other during celebrations of the Hindu festival ‘Holi’ in Bangalore yesterday. Holi, the festival of colors marks the onset of spring across India.

— AFP

S

ome call him the king of cakes. Vogue dubbed him the “Picasso” of pastry. Whatever the moniker, Pierre Herme, who started as a humble apprentice at the venerable French patisserie Lenotre, is right at the top of his game. In Japan, where the 50-year-old French chef opened his first own-name boutique, he is a red-carpet star, and his wildly popular delicacies are rolled out in themed collections, like fashion lines, in London or Paris.

Yet as he receives guests on the top floor of the Paris mansion that is both his office and research kitchen, Herme’s feet seem firmly planted on the ground, his manner calm and professional, and his culinary curiosity boundless.

Like a perfumer, Herme explains how he draws on an inner library of flavors-hundreds of them stored over a 36-year career devoted to his craft to imagine each recipe, before having it tested out by his team. Lemon, for instance, is much more than a sin-

gle flavor. “There is the zest, the flesh, and the mixture of the two, there is cooked lemon, raw lemon, and juice, which can be more or less acidic,” the patissier explained to AFP. Following his instincts, he likes to play with novel combinations, like an olive oil and vanilla macaroon-the meringue-based treat becoming the subject of copious foodie column inches-or one with asparagus and cream of hazelnut. “I know where I am going, I have the tastes in my head,” he explained, “at once the flavour, the texture and the sensations I want people to feel.”

‘It never feels like working’ For his latest macaroon, for instance, he wanted the taster to experience “first the zest of lime, then the raspberry, and then, right at the end, the note of mild chili pepper, that rises-but not too high-and falls back quickly enough.” “Since we’re not used to

finding chili in our sweet foods it catches people by surprise,” Herme explained. “Some people take to it well, others are a little more reluctant.” At any one time, Herme will be juggling with up to 20 recipes, but his love of the art means that it “never feels like working.” Starting with a drawing, which sets out instructions on the shape and style of his creations, three dedicated patissiers-out of a company of 300 staff are in charge of testing them out.

Sometimes it works first time. Often, it will take several attempts. “I always have a very clear idea,” he explained. “But sometimes we can be slightly out of sync, when it comes to assembling the piece, the technique, the thickness of layers, the architecture of the cake.” —AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Harvey Weinstein:

French film’s golden age is now H

Whitney left nothing to ex husband W

hitney Houston left all of her assets to her daughter Bobbi Kristina, born from her troubled marriage to singer Bobby Brown who gets nothing, according to her will published Wednesday. Bobbi Kristina, who is currently 19, will receive the proceeds from all of the late singer’s money, furniture, clothing, personal effects, jewelry, and cars, according to the will published by news show Inside Edition. The inheritance will be placed in a trust until she is 21. She will get more money when she turns 25, and the rest when she is 30. Houston’s mother, Cissy, is the will’s executor, with her brother Michael and sister-in-law Donna trustees.

A copy of part of the will, first drafted in 1993 and amended in 2000 when she was still married to Brown, was published on the show’s website. The last testament states that if her daughter had died before Houston, her assets would have been shared between her ex husband, her mother Cissy and other relatives. Houston was found dead on February 11 in a Los Angeles hotel room, aged 48. She was laid to rest in a a New Jersey cemetery next to her late father, after a funeral ceremony celebrating her life on February 18.

The singer of hits including “I Will Always Love You” sold over 170 million records during a nearly three-decade career, but fought a long battle against substance abuse while trying to keep her performing talent alive.

Speculation has raged since her death that the singer may have succumbed to a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol, though official results from her autopsy were not expected for several weeks. —AFP

arvey Weinstein says “The Artist” is just the beginning. strikes-and-you’re-out system. Entertainment companies have “France is about to have a golden age of cinema,” said the cheered it but critics say it threatens civil liberties and is difficult to Hollywood titan, who produced the French-born silent fairly enforce.

Sarkozy also asked about Weinstein’s upcoming film “Bully,” a film that captured the world’s attention and five Academy Awards, including best picture. Weinstein told The Associated documentary examination of school bullying that follows five kids Press on Wednesday that his optimism is driven in part by a and families over the course of a school year. “That it’s on the French law cracking down on the Internet piracy that has stran- French president’s radar tells me, wow, we are having a bigger gled the US movie and music industries. The expansive New impact than I thought,” he said. In the United States, Weinstein is Yorker was feeling particularly well-disposed to France after a protesting the R rating given to the film because of six expletives.

Such a rating means kids Paris party celebrating “The under 17 can’t see it without Artist” this week and getting an adult - which Weinstein the esteemed Legion of Honor says defeats the purpose of award from French President the film by limiting its accessiNicolas Sarkozy on bility to those it speaks to Wednesday. most, adolescents.

Sarkozy turned out to be a “I’m sure in France it would big movie buff, and Weinstein be rated G. They’d put it on said that when they met, the TV. They would say this is realFrench leader quoted from a ly important for the social fabfive-hour documentary ric,” he joked. Weinstein says Weinstein and Martin Scorcese “The Artist” paved the way for once did and praising Danish another Oscar breakthrough: silent filmmaker Carl Dreyer. a foreign film - with dialogue “He sees a movie almost every next time - winning the best day. ... He understands that picture award. “The Artist” was movies can change somemade by a French director and body’s life,” Weinstein said. with French leading actors, Sarkozy’s office wouldn’t comment on the meeting with US film producer and movie studio chairman Harvey Weinstein but wasn’t relegated to the Weinstein, other than to say it during an interview with the Associated Press in Paris, foreign film category that most non-English films fall took place. Sarkozy, facing a Wednesday. —AP into because it was silent. tough bid for re-election next “We’ll break that barrier too. month, also understands that French cinema would be in much worse shape without govern- Whether it’s me or somebody else,” Weinstein said in a suite in ment subsidies, and made a point of saying so in a congratulatory the Ritz Hotel on tony Place Vendome, his Legion of Honor medal pinned to his chest. “This is a step in the right direction.” He preletter to the “Artist” Oscar winners.

Thanks to that government support, the success of “The Artist,” dicted more silent films and other “daring works of art” to come and especially the anti-piracy law that Sarkozy championed, from Hollywood, too. As for “Artist” star Jean Dujardin, Weinstein “France is having its most robust cinema on a global basis than at has high hopes, comparing him to Marcello Mastroianni. “He can any time,” Weinstein said. “Sarkozy has the guts to go and make charm anybody. He can do anything.” Dujardin won the best the toughest content law in the world,” he said. “It’s given French actor award because of his immense talent, Weinstein said, cinema a rebirth.” The French law allows authorities to cut off adding with a trademark belly laugh - “and because he’s good Internet access to people who download illegally, with a three- with dogs.” — AP

‘All-American Muslim’ canceled amid sagging ratings

A

ground-breaking reality TV show about Arab Americans is being canceled after one season in the face of flagging ratings, cast members and the cable channel behind the program said Wednesday. TLC’s “All-American Muslim,” the first series of its kind on US television, followed the lives of five families of Lebanese heritage in a middle-class Detroit suburb-stirring some controversy along the way. “It was not renewed for a second season,” a spokeswoman for TLC, owned by Discovery Communications, told AFP by email, as cast members blamed the cancelation on a slump in viewership.”We are well aware that, at the end of the day, it’s a business decision for any network,” Suehaila Amen, a judicial executive and event planner who appeared on the show with her sisters, told the Detroit Free Press newspaper.

“All-American Muslim” enjoyed mostly favorable reviews from TV critics, and pulled about one million viewers when the first of its eight weekly episodes aired in November, two months after the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It weathered a furor when Lowe’s, a national chain of home improvement stores, withdrew its advertising in the face of an email campaign waged against sponsors by an obscure Christian outfit in Florida. “All-American Muslim” went on to tackle the September 11, 2001 attacks in its penultimate episode, with its participants seething anger at Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda for upending their lives. —AFP

In this photo provided by StarPix, actress Julianne Moore, joins producer Tom Hanks for a photo at the New York premiere of their film ‘Game Change,’ Wednesday, March 7, 2012 in New York. Moore portrays Sarah Palin in the film premiering tomorrow, at 9 pm on HBO. —AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

British musician Roger Waters, founding member of former rock band Pink Floyd, performs on stage during the first of nine concerts in Buenos Aires on March 7, 2010 in his ‘The Wall Live’ world tour. —AFP

Teenager petitions to change R rating for ‘Bully’ K

aty Butler hasn’t forgotten what it was like to be bullied in the seventh grade, when a group of boys surrounded her, taunted her and broke her finger by slamming it into a locker. Now 17, Butler has become the face of a campaign to change the rating of “Bully,” a documentary that tracks victims and perpetrators of bullying in American schools. The film, set for release this month, has been rated R for its language content. Butler, along with distributors the Weinstein Co, wants the rating changed to PG-13 so more young people can see it.

“This could change bullying and save lives,” the high-school junior from Ann Arbor,

Mich, said. The Weinstein Co appealed the Rrating, but the Motion Picture Association of America, which oversees movie ratings, declined to change it. That inspired Butler to start an online campaign on Change.org, a website that publishes community petitions.

The teenage activist collected more than 200,000 signatures in just 10 days and delivered them Wednesday to the MPAA’s headquarters in hopes it might reconsider its decision. So far, 224,000 people have signed the online petition with the headline: “MPAA: Don’t let the bullies win! Give ‘Bully’ a PG-13 instead of an R rating!”

Butler carted four boxes packed with

Katy Butler, 17, a high school student, from Ann Arbor, Mich., poses by the petitions she delivered to the Motion Picture Association of America, Wednesday. —AP

papers containing the signatures she collected into the MPAA building in Los Angeles.

Officials met with the teenager and her mother but have declined to revise the film’s rating. “Even though we think this is a wonderful film and very worthwhile film for people to see, our main purpose is to give parents information on the level of content,” Joan Graves, chairman of the classification and rating administration, said in an interview. “She wants us to ignore the level of content because this is a good film, and we can’t do that. We have to be consistent.”

Graves said the organization often meets with individuals and groups seeking changes in film ratings, but this is the first time a teenager has spearheaded such a campaign.

“We always pay attention to groups who are trying to give us information about how they feel,” Graves said. “Our whole goal is to rate films the way the majority of American parents would rate them.” Butler’s mother, Anne Butler, has seen “Bully” and calls it “important and empowering,” despite the profanity it contains. “There’s some language in the film, but the language is the language kids use every day at school,” said Anne Butler, who is also the mother of a 13-year-old girl.

“This is kids’ language. It’s not an adult situation with adult language. This is what our kids see and hear every single day.”

Katy Butler, who is set to appear on the “Ellen” show to discuss the film and the larger problem of bullying, said she will keep collecting signatures in hopes of changing the MPAA’s position. “They didn’t say it was their final decision,” she said, noting the film won’t be released until March 30. Graves said a rating change would be unlikely. —AP

Russia chooses grannies to sing at Eurovision

R

ussia yesterday ignored established stars to choose a group of singing grandmothers from an obscure provincial village to represent the country at the 2012 Eurovision song contest. The group, the Buranovskiye Babushki (Buranovo Grannies) from the far-flung Udmurtia region, won Russia’s qualifying tournament for Eurovision with their cheerful folk-disco song “Party for Everybody”.

“Party for everybody, come on and dance!” sang in heavilyaccented English the elderly group of six women in traditional costumes as the studio audience at the televised qualifying contest clapped along to the beat and cheered with delight, giving them a standing ovation. The dancing pensioners beat off competition from some of Russia’s top pop stars, including a duet by 2008 Eurovision winner Dima Balan and former member of popular female duo Tatu, Yulia Volkova.

Their song is likely to be the first ever sung at Eurovision in a mixture of English and Udmurtian, a language from the Finno-Ugric group. One of the group, named as “Grandmother Olga”, said that all they wanted was to make enough money through singing to build a church in their home village. “That is our only goal. Grandmothers do not need glory and wealth,” she told the Vesti news website.

Russian media reacted with ironic amusement to the choice of a novelty song to represent the country at the glitzy pop extravaganza, which will be held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku in May. “It’s interesting and original, at least,” music producer Iosif Prigozhin told news agency RIA Novosti. “They’re not young, they’re not glamorous, they’re in national costumes. They should have gone to Eurovision even earlier.”

The Buranovskiye Babushki rose to fame in Russia by singing cover versions of hits such as the Eagles’ “Hotel California” and “Yesterday” by the Beatles in Udmurtian, the native language of a region in central Russia best-known for manufacturing Kalashnikov automatic rifles. Britain has also chosen a pensioner to represent it at this year’s Eurovision, the 75-year-old pop veteran Engelbert Humperdinck, best known for his 1960s hit song “Release Me”.—AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

L

ouis Vuitton capped a Paris fashion week dripping with jewels, sequins and glamorous jet-setters by going back in time to one of the most fashionable ages of travel: The era of the Orient Express. In a big-budget production, the house that made its name and built its early fortune with leather luggage wheeled out a steam-spewing locomotive on tracks at the Louvre Museum for its fall-winter show Wednesday. Models descended from the life-size replica Orient Express dressed as bourgeois dames in tall Edwardian hats. Each was trailed by a valet carrying - naturellement - Louis Vuitton hat boxes, vanity cases, and petite valises in crocodile and embroidered sequins.

It took a moment for the spectators to focus on the clothes on the platform catwalk. “It’s just sumptuous, and what a spectacle,” said French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve stepping onto the carriage after the show. The signature bold patterns of Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs traveled first-class alongside brocades and jacquards appliqued with laser-etched plastic stones.

Adding to the time warp, big bejeweled buttons and curved lapels on three-quarter length coats harked to 1960s’ fashion. Long heavy fabrics in brown, black, siennas and purple plunged to bottom-heavy and layered silhouettes. “We’re imagining the romance of a better time,” said Jacob speaking backstage. “Whatever you try, clothes never really live in the past. They are worn now so they are modern, with a modern take.” At which point Jacobs revealed he was wearing a knee-length black dress. “Oh, don’t worry, I’m wearing boxer shorts underneath.”

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

ELIE SAAB Among other shows Wednesday, glamor also filled the catwalk at Elie Saab’s show of a collection brimming with both traffic-stopping, sequined dresses and clients to buy them. A glitzy array of va-va-voom silhouette ended with statement evening dresses that are sure to turn up at the next big Hollywood party, but that’s a theme from last season and the season before. The slight variation this time was structure. The peplum made a comeback in lean, more architectural daywear. A beautiful ash sheath with an armor-like, jutting waist perfectly balanced sex with the business look. It said: Admire, but don’t touch. Prints in gray and black also marked a change from the total-color shock of the last ready-to wear collection, with body skimming panels and cutouts adding a dash of provocation to Saab’s slightly modified winning formula.

Models present creations by Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab during the Fall/Winter 2012-2013 ready-to-wear collection show, on March 7, 2012 in Paris. — AP/AFP photos

Lifestyle FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Talbot Runhof TALBOT RUNHOF German design house Talbot Runhof visited the world of Charles Dickens’ Miss Havisham on Wednesday, in a Paris ready-to-wear show that channeled green foliage - a nice touch for fall. A top in silk mousseline embellished with leaves opened the show, depicting the overgrown garden of the character from the 19th century Dickens novel who froze in time after she was left on her wedding day. As expected from an English country garden, there were a lot of different textures ranging from an elegant looking dress in fluid lame tweed, to sheer tops in crystal embroidered silk tulle. Stretchy skintight pants in leaf-printed satin worked a treat but somewhat jarred with the style of the show - more like Poison Ivy from “Batman Forever” than anything else. The best look of the shoulder-strong show was an iridescent gown capped with a flowing cape-like coat in emerald green. But there was a lack of cohesion in the overall look, making this feel more like an off-calendar show than one on the official Paris runway.Paris fall-winter menswear shows run from June 27 to July 1, followed by haute coute collections from July 2 to July 5.

ALLUDE There’s only so much you can do with wool, even if it’s cashmere. But Allude nevertheless managed to produce a tasteful, if repetitive, fall-winter collection Friday with some highly wearable clothes. Now a signature, the German company’s heavy cashmeres gave cardigans and sweaters in burgundy, russet and blue a weighty sweep in the first runway show.

Other, thinner knits added a sexy touch, silkily contouring the bust. Flashes like trapeze inserts kept the mood contemporary with a retro wink, as with cool, bulls-eye-patterned knits in blue and red. One beanie hat that looked like it could have been worn in the 1960s heyday of British model Twiggie was paired with a long cardigan that had the Bohemian feel of the decade after.— AP

Allude

Stars

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Aries (March 21-April 19) Keeping up-to-date with current events helps you to stay updated and in-the-know . . . knowledge is power. Being able to act effectively and wisely stay out of other people’s way will keep you in a powerful position. Look for ways in which you can get your ideas across to higher-ups without being confrontational. You are appreciated or valued for your ability to be productive and know where and when to take action.

Others may disagree or in some way oppose your ideas. You cannot please everyone but your attitude will prove that you are considerate and willing to listen to suggestions. Companionship with others is most rewarding and you should take every opportunity to be with friends this evening. This is a good time to deepen those friendships.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This is a day for workaholics to enjoy! Whatever project you work on now will be helpful toward a better job or job promotion. There is energy in the air and your creative mind is working overtime, ready to be applied to whatever project is at hand. You will experience considerable acclaim. Your organizational ability, discipline and detailed objectives put in motion today are bound to lead to success down the road. You could truly make the world a better place. You will find the flow of business most positive. Someone older or in authority needs you and you are able to pitch in and lend a helping hand. There is appreciation, although it may be a little hard to recognize. This evening is yours to spend as you like; you will not be alone.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You will most likely be full of energy at this time and ready to take on the world. This is an excellent time to accomplish many things on your to-do list. Big changes affecting your career, status and reputation are likely now; they are all positive. Daring to be different gets you noticed and could get you ahead in ways you never expected. New technology plays a role in your financial success. This is the perfect time for a new romance, or for renewal of an ongoing romance. There is confidence and assertiveness available for you to use in this adventure. If you are already involved, this is a good time to show your affections. Passion is strong this month, and children seem more pliable as well. Good feelings with a loved one make this a happy time.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) The level of work is high but the pressure to complete a particular job is not too strong for now. There seems to be plenty of help and time to successfully complete just about anything you set out to do.

The efforts of your hard work will show successful results, so keep on keeping on and you will surprise yourself in the way you can accomplish what you set out to achieve. Later this afternoon you will find yourself talkative and quickwitted and ideas flow clearly and quickly; you may have to stop and write a few of them down for posterity. You are invigorated. Your relationships with others, especially women, are much more harmonious than usual. On a practical level, this is a good time to effect subtle changes in your social life.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Hard work and responsibility, both in salvaging some endeavors that have your attention and in branching out in new directions, are evident today. You are skillful in problem-solving situations.

Suggestions to further your education may be just what you have been thinking about lately. It could be that you and a friend could take some renewal or update classes together. You are just plain witty now and ideas roll off your tongue. This is a real time for communication—by phone, letter or in person. Your eager mind will learn things very quickly today. Your communication skills are sharp. You will be choosing the perfect word or phrase with a difficult person in the family this evening. You are an inspiration to others.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You will be pleased to know that today you will help bring to close, some long-time, on-going project(s) in the workplace.

Properly channeled, your ambition is a powerful motivation and it will result in great achievements. You are filled with a pleasant disposition toward all you come into contact with now. Just about anything you do should be both rewarding and enjoyable. Work, achievement and ambition are the things that mean a lot to you now. There are opportunities today to expand your circle of friends—take advantage of it. Relationships begun during this time will have long-lasting results. You will have insights into your needs and perhaps those of a romantic partner now. Take the time to show your appreciation of a friend.

Libra (September 23-October 22) This is a time when the desire for material success and considerable monetary gain is great. You may be thinking about how to improve finances today—you have good ideas. Acting on these ideas one at a time will bring positive surprises. This should be one of those wonderful days when you feel like dancing or humming. You should be aware of the tendency to believe people that seem to offer quick and easy solutions to most anything. Your confidence is high, you have nothing to fear—you look at the bright side of everything and everybody. Engaging in heartfelt discussions with loved ones is a good idea today. You may feel that you are in touch and in harmony with others; the lines of communication are open.

Support is available.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Take some time away from your work at the noon break to walk around and exercise a bit or you will find that you become rebellious. Be prepared to work hard today! Work will become more secure as the month moves along. There may even be some push to work faster for a few days. It would be good for you to take a look at your eating and exercise habits and to create a balance in these areas. You would therefore have a reference point for maintaining good health. After an exercise session as well as a busy workday, make it a point to relax and enjoy some favorite pastime. If you do not have any outside activities that interest you, a hobby group or an educational interest such as a creative writing group or book club might be fun to join.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Today, old prejudices could obstruct reason. This is probably not a good day for important negotiations or decisions. There may be little help from your colleagues—they have their own problems. Just remember that emotions are not rational judgments. Knowledge is power—be responsible in attempts to improve your knowledge about your work. Clear decisions affecting others could be made this afternoon. After a very busy day, it may not be that easy to relax. Encourage a friend or loved-one to walk with you after dinner this evening. Check out the neighborhood or identify the stars—above all, enjoy each other’s company. By bedtime you will be nice and relaxed. Relationships with loved ones are excellent nourishment.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Your mind is quick and your conversational abilities observant.

You may race ahead of others when it comes to conversations; you will fare well to avoid making impulsive decisions and off the cuff comments. This is a good day for clear deliberation and solving and problem(s).

You are in a serious frame of mind and find yourself dealing with matters of much responsibility today. If you are looking for a second job, you might want to look in the direction of art shows or the field of art. Organizing and producing types of jobs are successful for you as well. This is a most beneficial time to exchange ideas and seek out new ways to multiply finances. You may also find yourself examining your position in society and your responsibilities as an adult.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your ambition, properly channeled, results in great achievements and brings recognition to you today. You may be a bit restless and feel like striking out on your own, giving your creative energies free rein. You have increased energy for work or play today. This is a good time to start new projects—small scale endeavors meet with success. You are feeling happy as well as lucky just now. Someone supports your ideas and feelings. You will be doing everything you can to find ways to secure a firm business relationship now. This evening you may find that those friendly neighbors next door are fun to visit and may have more in common with you and your family than you had previously thought. You may soon work on a community project.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) This should be one of those very welcome days during which you feel good and so does everyone else. You feel nothing but warmth, generosity and affection toward everybody around you—they in turn reflect it all back to you. Your benevolence extends to strangers—everyone you attract will be in a good mood. You have been working on keeping some sort of balance between your work and your private life. Keep up the good work.

Giving into imbalance can throw a kink in your physical strength as well as your self-esteem. You may find your interest in communication skills will spur you to join a group of like interests. This could involve a computer group, poetry group or storytelling group. Your inventiveness will help solve a problem tonight.

COUNTRY CODES Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African Republic 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands)0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062 Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland)0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK)0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

Stars

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Aries (March 21-April 19) Keeping up-to-date with current events helps you to stay updated and in-the-know . . . knowledge is power. Being able to act effectively and wisely stay out of other people’s way will keep you in a powerful position. Look for ways in which you can get your ideas across to higher-ups without being confrontational. You are appreciated or valued for your ability to be productive and know where and when to take action.

Others may disagree or in some way oppose your ideas. You cannot please everyone but your attitude will prove that you are considerate and willing to listen to suggestions. Companionship with others is most rewarding and you should take every opportunity to be with friends this evening. This is a good time to deepen those friendships.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This is a day for workaholics to enjoy! Whatever project you work on now will be helpful toward a better job or job promotion. There is energy in the air and your creative mind is working overtime, ready to be applied to whatever project is at hand. You will experience considerable acclaim. Your organizational ability, discipline and detailed objectives put in motion today are bound to lead to success down the road. You could truly make the world a better place. You will find the flow of business most positive. Someone older or in authority needs you and you are able to pitch in and lend a helping hand. There is appreciation, although it may be a little hard to recognize. This evening is yours to spend as you like; you will not be alone.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You will most likely be full of energy at this time and ready to take on the world. This is an excellent time to accomplish many things on your to-do list. Big changes affecting your career, status and reputation are likely now; they are all positive. Daring to be different gets you noticed and could get you ahead in ways you never expected. New technology plays a role in your financial success. This is the perfect time for a new romance, or for renewal of an ongoing romance. There is confidence and assertiveness available for you to use in this adventure. If you are already involved, this is a good time to show your affections. Passion is strong this month, and children seem more pliable as well. Good feelings with a loved one make this a happy time.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) The level of work is high but the pressure to complete a particular job is not too strong for now. There seems to be plenty of help and time to successfully complete just about anything you set out to do.

The efforts of your hard work will show successful results, so keep on keeping on and you will surprise yourself in the way you can accomplish what you set out to achieve. Later this afternoon you will find yourself talkative and quickwitted and ideas flow clearly and quickly; you may have to stop and write a few of them down for posterity. You are invigorated. Your relationships with others, especially women, are much more harmonious than usual. On a practical level, this is a good time to effect subtle changes in your social life.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Hard work and responsibility, both in salvaging some endeavors that have your attention and in branching out in new directions, are evident today. You are skillful in problem-solving situations.

Suggestions to further your education may be just what you have been thinking about lately. It could be that you and a friend could take some renewal or update classes together. You are just plain witty now and ideas roll off your tongue. This is a real time for communication—by phone, letter or in person. Your eager mind will learn things very quickly today. Your communication skills are sharp. You will be choosing the perfect word or phrase with a difficult person in the family this evening. You are an inspiration to others.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You will be pleased to know that today you will help bring to close, some long-time, on-going project(s) in the workplace.

Properly channeled, your ambition is a powerful motivation and it will result in great achievements. You are filled with a pleasant disposition toward all you come into contact with now. Just about anything you do should be both rewarding and enjoyable. Work, achievement and ambition are the things that mean a lot to you now. There are opportunities today to expand your circle of friends—take advantage of it. Relationships begun during this time will have long-lasting results. You will have insights into your needs and perhaps those of a romantic partner now. Take the time to show your appreciation of a friend.

Libra (September 23-October 22) This is a time when the desire for material success and considerable monetary gain is great. You may be thinking about how to improve finances today—you have good ideas. Acting on these ideas one at a time will bring positive surprises. This should be one of those wonderful days when you feel like dancing or humming. You should be aware of the tendency to believe people that seem to offer quick and easy solutions to most anything. Your confidence is high, you have nothing to fear—you look at the bright side of everything and everybody. Engaging in heartfelt discussions with loved ones is a good idea today. You may feel that you are in touch and in harmony with others; the lines of communication are open.

Support is available.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Take some time away from your work at the noon break to walk around and exercise a bit or you will find that you become rebellious. Be prepared to work hard today! Work will become more secure as the month moves along. There may even be some push to work faster for a few days. It would be good for you to take a look at your eating and exercise habits and to create a balance in these areas. You would therefore have a reference point for maintaining good health. After an exercise session as well as a busy workday, make it a point to relax and enjoy some favorite pastime. If you do not have any outside activities that interest you, a hobby group or an educational interest such as a creative writing group or book club might be fun to join.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Today, old prejudices could obstruct reason. This is probably not a good day for important negotiations or decisions. There may be little help from your colleagues—they have their own problems. Just remember that emotions are not rational judgments. Knowledge is power—be responsible in attempts to improve your knowledge about your work. Clear decisions affecting others could be made this afternoon. After a very busy day, it may not be that easy to relax. Encourage a friend or loved-one to walk with you after dinner this evening. Check out the neighborhood or identify the stars—above all, enjoy each other’s company. By bedtime you will be nice and relaxed. Relationships with loved ones are excellent nourishment.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Your mind is quick and your conversational abilities observant.

You may race ahead of others when it comes to conversations; you will fare well to avoid making impulsive decisions and off the cuff comments. This is a good day for clear deliberation and solving and problem(s).

You are in a serious frame of mind and find yourself dealing with matters of much responsibility today. If you are looking for a second job, you might want to look in the direction of art shows or the field of art. Organizing and producing types of jobs are successful for you as well. This is a most beneficial time to exchange ideas and seek out new ways to multiply finances. You may also find yourself examining your position in society and your responsibilities as an adult.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your ambition, properly channeled, results in great achievements and brings recognition to you today. You may be a bit restless and feel like striking out on your own, giving your creative energies free rein. You have increased energy for work or play today. This is a good time to start new projects—small scale endeavors meet with success. You are feeling happy as well as lucky just now. Someone supports your ideas and feelings. You will be doing everything you can to find ways to secure a firm business relationship now. This evening you may find that those friendly neighbors next door are fun to visit and may have more in common with you and your family than you had previously thought. You may soon work on a community project.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) This should be one of those very welcome days during which you feel good and so does everyone else. You feel nothing but warmth, generosity and affection toward everybody around you—they in turn reflect it all back to you. Your benevolence extends to strangers—everyone you attract will be in a good mood. You have been working on keeping some sort of balance between your work and your private life. Keep up the good work.

Giving into imbalance can throw a kink in your physical strength as well as your self-esteem. You may find your interest in communication skills will spur you to join a group of like interests. This could involve a computer group, poetry group or storytelling group. Your inventiveness will help solve a problem tonight.

COUNTRY CODES Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African Republic 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands)0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062 Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland)0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK)0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

W h a t ’s O n FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

VEVA KUWAIT INAGURATION ACTIVITIES VEVA Kuwait, in connection with the inauguration of activities-2012, conducted a pleasure trip to KOC Ahmadi Garden on 2nd March 2012 with splendid sports and games competition and cultural activities.

The programme committee covenors, shaji pazhhor, Ginu Abraham, Varghese coordinated the sports and games competition.

In the eve of the inaugural session of activities2012, Coordinatorof the Association, Shri. Rony M Skaria welcomed all, General Secretary Shri. Charles P. George presented Activities-2012 schedule.The President P. E. Georgekutty inaugurated the Programme by stressing the need to preserve and promote the heritage of our moral values and to

PTA - Al Madrasathul Islamiya holds family meet

P

TA Al Madrasathul Islamiya Salmiya conducted a family get together in Private Ministry Education Hall on Friday 24th February 2012. Meeting Started with Quran prayer by Master Mohammed Ameer. Meeting was Presided by PTA President Mohammed Rafi Padiyath and Vice President Abdul Salam welcomed the gathering. Secretary Nassar Oravinkal briefed the current and incoming events of PTA. President Mohammed Rafi expressed PTA’s gratitude to all the parents and kids for their presence and support.

KIG Vice President Janab Faisal Mancheri

conducted a class on Parenting with the help of multimedia presentation. Madrassa Principal Janab. Abdul Jaleel requested to parents to make sure their kids grown up with Islamic principles.

PTA honored all kids who scored highest marks in half yearly examinations and Maximum attendance scored kids was also honored. Kids who are in P1 and P2 sections were given away gifts. Master Mohammed Bassel who secured 1st prize in Senior catogory Malarvadi Mega Quiz was also honored with memento. PTA treasurer Abdul Majeed T C proposed vote of thanks.

“T

maintain the relationship between individuals and society. Prizes for the winners of the Lucky-draw were distributed by Rengith Babu, Area Manager, UAE Exchange. Vice president Roy Oommen and Treasure Mathew Oommen spoke over the function.

Lady Secretary Shibi Vigi rendered vote of thanks.

Aware Center

he AWARE Center cordially invites you to its diwaniya presentation Tuesday March 13, 2012 entitled, “The Fundamentals of Islamic Banking & Finance” by Dr Muhammad Al-Qattan. Have you ever wondered what is Islamic Banking?

How is it different? What principals is it based on? Does it work? Are there any benefits? Do

you have to be Muslim to have an account in an Islamic Bank? Come along to AWARE’s diwaniya at 7pm on Tuesday 13th March when Dr. Mohammed Al-Qattan will be discussing all these issues and more. For more information, call 25335260 ext 0 / 104 / 105 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw or email: saleha.aware@gmail.com “

Indigo Shadows African themed event “Drums of Africa”. Briefly this is what the event includes: • Live African Drumming • Live African Performances • Dinner - Buffet Cocktail Style • African music • Fashion Show - African theme • Hair Show - African theme • Mini “Market” - some African ladies displaying and selling African souvenirs (this is not part of the show, the area is before entering the ballroom) • Raffle for adults • Contest for children (age 4-12) - “Best African Costume”. The children interested in participating will have to register prior to the event when they get the tickets (limited places for this contest) and they will present their own African

costumes (created by their parents). The costumes do not have to be necessarily traditional African, they could be African fantasy based on the parent creativity and possibilities. There will be 3 main winners in the contest but all participating children will receive gifts and will have pictures. The contest is going to be fun.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

W h a t ’s O n FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form / Fale Conosco) in order to register or update contact information. The Embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the Embassy. The registration process helps the Brazilian Government to contact and assist Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency. nnnnnnn

I

Kuwait National English School Primary beach clean-up

n keeping with their quest of ‘Going Green’, the Primary pupils of Kuwait National English School participated in a successful beach clean-up at Sulaibikat Beach on Friday, 2nd of March 2012, with members of KS PATH (Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and their habitats). Pupils were amazed at the amount of litter that had accumulated at the beach which

posed a threat to the habitats of the insects, birds and marine life.

Pupils stumbled upon various habitats and species of birds, insects and animals and learnt how important it was to look after the environment. Our enthusiastic pupils are looking forward to the next beach clean-up taking place at Doha Beach on the 16th of March 2012.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah.

Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00 pm for lunch break. Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 A.M until 12:00 P.M on Sunday through Wednesday. Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait.

Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.uae.gc.ca. nnnnnnn

Announcements Desert get-together A full day in the desert with the collaboration of the BBF (British Business Forum), BLS (British Ladies Society), ANZAK (Australians & New Zealanders), Diwaniya Italia (Italians in Kuwait), UFE (French Community in Kuwait), and the Lebanese community as well. It’s a get together day with loads of fun and a chance to compete in a real Paint Ball arena in the desert, participate in a mini football tournament & volley ball tournament, and there will also be many other activities such as ATV (Quads) Karaoke and more! A BBQ buffet catering will be provided by Holiday Inn Salmiya, and entertainment will be provided by DJ Shatti and Chromatic Band). For more information and early booking please call 5010-0734.

Quiz night The TIES Center Ladies Club invites all ladies to an educational and entertaining quiz night session. Feel free to come with your family and enjoy this fun night together. Refreshments will be provided on March 14th from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. For more information/ registration: 2523-1015/6 or 97228860/9779-3440.

Latin Party Sizzling Latin Party at the Swiss Hotel Plaza†in Kuwait CIty (next to Al-Mouthana Complex)! The “fiesta” will be on March 16th, beginning at 8:30pm and will continue until 1:30am. For more information call Yolanda at 9922-4228 or Frank at 9739-6187.

What do you get...

When you mix African drums with a herd of elephants and delicious food, to which you add lots of African music & rhythms, unique fashion in a flavor of colors, a few drops of a sleepy panther, a mini African market and just the right amount of leopard spots... all sprinkled with inimitable African spirit?

Come and find out on Thursday, 22 March At Holiday Inn Hotel (Salmiya), Al Dana Ballroom from 7 pm - 10 pm For details regarding participation in the kids’ contest “Best African Costume”, e contact Lorie Beverly at lorie@indigoshadowsevents.com

TIES Ladies Club The TIES Ladies Club invites you to their Kuwaiti cuisine cooking classes which will start soon. Join them for a one month cooking program where you will learn to cook real Kuwaiti food. All ladies are invited to join their classes and let your family enjoy mouth watering Kuwaiti cuisine! on March 15th - April 5th frpm 6 pm to 8 pm. For more information/ registration: 2523-1015/6 or 9722-8860/9779-3440.

Kuwait Improv Fun lovers of Kuwait unite. A get together by people who love to surprise, be surprised and just be about at anything are welcome to Kuwait Improv, a gathering, reminiscent of the famous American TV program Whose Line is it Anyway, informally organized by American School of Kuwait teacher Brad Manker.

No histrionic talent required, but a willingness to share. Please contact: mankerb@ask.edu

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus requests Cypriot citizens living in Kuwait to register with the Embassy has moved. This registration service is provided so that the Embassy can update its contact list and assist Cypriot citizens in cases of emergencies.

Registration information can be emailed to cyprusembassykwt@gmail.com or faxed to 22253227 or given by phone to 65906048 (Mrs Christine). nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF KOREA The Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishes to inform that it has moved to Mishref. New Address: Embassy of the Republic of Korea Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2, Plot 6 The Embassy also wishes to inform that it will be opened to the public on the following office hours: Saturdays to Thursday Morning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm Lunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Afternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, Al-Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, e-mail:myankuwait11@gmai1.com

TV Listings FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

00:20 00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:30 04:55 05:25 06:20 06:45 07:10 08:00 08:25 09:15 09:40 10:10 10:35 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:20 13:50 14:15 14:45 15:40 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:25 19:20 20:15 20:40 21:10 21:35 22:05 23:00 23:55

Snake Crusader With Bruce George Pit Bulls And Parolees Untamed & Uncut Maneaters Untamed China With Nigel Marven Snake Crusader With Bruce George Snake Crusader With Bruce George Sharkman Escape To Chimp Eden Planet Wild New Breed Vets With Steve Irwin Orangutan Island Pandamonium The Really Wild Show Cats Of Claw Hill Extraordinary Dogs Extraordinary Dogs Sharkman Michaela’s Animal Road Trip RSPCA: On The Frontline Wildlife SOS Wild Africa Rescue Wild Africa Rescue Animal Cops Houston Sharkman Shamwari: A Wild Life The Really Wild Show Growing Up...: Orang-Utan Dogs 101 Trophy Cats Orangutan Island Wildlife SOS Escape To Chimp Eden Planet Wild Speed Of Life Deadly Waters Crime Scene Wild

00:20 00:50 01:20 02:15 02:45 03:25 04:00 04:20 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:05 05:25 05:35 05:50 06:10 06:20 06:35 06:45 06:50 07:10 07:20 07:35 08:05 08:35 09:20 09:50 10:25 10:50 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:45 14:15 14:45 15:15 16:25 17:10 17:40 18:10 18:40 19:10 20:00 20:50 21:20 21:50 22:20 22:50 23:35

Eastenders Doctors Last Woman Standing 2 Point 4 Children dinnerladies My Family Me Too! Charlie and Lola Gigglebiz Boogie Beebies Poetry Pie Fimbles 3rd & Bird Nina And The Neurons Me Too! Charlie and Lola Gigglebiz Boogie Beebies Poetry Pie Fimbles 3rd & Bird Nina And The Neurons 2 Point 4 Children dinnerladies The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Orang-Utan Diary Coast My Family 2 Point 4 Children The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Orang-Utan Diary Coast The Weakest Link My Family Doctors dinnerladies 2 Point 4 Children Doctor Who Jekyll Taking the Flak The Cup The Impressions Show The Impressions Show The Weakest Link Doctor Who

00:20 01:10 01:35 03:10 04:00 05:40 06:25 06:45 07:35 08:00 09:15 10:25 11:10

Antiques Roadshow French Food At Home James Martin’s Brittany 10 Years Younger Fantasy Homes By The Sea House Swap French Food At Home James Martin’s Brittany Cash In The Attic USA James Martin’s Brittany MasterChef Australia Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow

TREMORS ON OSN ACTION HD 12:00 12:50 13:40 15:10 15:55 16:40 17:25 18:20 19:00 21:05 21:55 23:35

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30 05:45 06:00 06:30 06:45 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 08:45 09:30 09:45 10:00

Come Dine With Me 10 Years Younger Celebrity Fantasy Homes Fantasy Homes By The Sea House Swap Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic USA James Martin’s Brittany 10 Years Younger Gok’s Fashion Fix Bargain Hunt

BBC World News America Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News America Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News

10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 World Business Report 11:45 Sport Today 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 Hardtalk 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 BBC World News 15:00 GMT With George Alagiah 16:00 Impact 16:30 Our World 17:00 Impact 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 World Have Your Say 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 19:40 Weekend World 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 BBC World News 21:30 Middle East Business Report 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Have Your Say Extra 22:40 Weekend World 23:00 BBC World News 23:30 Our World

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 The Situation Room 03:00 World Report 04:00 Anderson Cooper 360 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 Quest Means Business

06:45 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:45 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 22:45 23:00

CNN Marketplace Europe Erin Burnett Outfront World Sport Eco Solutions World Report World Report World Sport African Voices World Business Today CNN Marketplace Middle East Backstory Talk Asia World One Piers Morgan Tonight News Stream World Business Today International Desk The Brief News Special World Sport Inside Africa International Desk Quest Means Business CNN Marketplace Africa Piers Morgan Tonight

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:00 04:25 04:50

Wacky Races Dastardly And Muttley New Yogi Bear Show Duck Dodgers The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo The Jetsons Puppy In My Pocket Popeye Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You!

05:15 05:40 06:00 06:25 06:50 07:00 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:40 13:00 13:15 13:40 13:55 14:45 15:10 15:35 16:00 16:50 17:15 17:40 18:05 18:20 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:15 20:40 21:05 21:30 21:55 22:20 22:45 23:10 23:35

Droopy: Master Detective Wacky Races The Flintstones A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Popeye Classics The Garfield Show Bananas In Pyjamas Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Puppy In My Pocket The Scooby Doo Show Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones Duck Dodgers Tom & Jerry Kids Pink Panther And Pals Wacky Races Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Bananas In Pyjamas The Garfield Show A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo Looney Tunes Puppy In My Pocket Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show The Scooby Doo Show Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You! Droopy: Master Detective The Flintstones

00:15 00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:45 Junior 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 Junior 22:25 22:50 23:20

Destroyed In Seconds Gang Wars Dirty Jobs Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters How Does It Work How It’s Made Dirty Jobs Mythbusters Fifth Gear Fifth Gear American Chopper: Senior vs

00:40 01:35 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:35 05:00 05:25 06:20 07:10 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:35 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:05 14:55 15:20

Engineered Moon Machines The Tech Show Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory Sci-Trek How Does That Work?

How Stuff’s Made Science Of The Movies Thunder Races Moon Machines The Gadget Show The Gadget Show How Does That Work?

How Stuff’s Made Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory Sci-Trek Engineered Thunder Races Moon Machines Science Of The Movies How Does That Work?

How Stuff’s Made

How Does It Work Cake Boss Border Security Dirty Money Most Deadly Most Deadly Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters Cash Cab Us Border Security Dirty Money How It’s Made How Does It Work Cake Boss American Chopper: Senior vs Fifth Gear Fifth Gear Street Customs

15:50 16:15 16:40 17:05 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:05 20:30 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:25 23:50

The Gadget Show The Gadget Show The Tech Show Thunder Races Engineered Moon Machines Tech Toys 360 Tech Toys 360 Ways To Save The Planet The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Thunder Races Tech Toys 360 Tech Toys 360 Ways To Save The Planet

00:15 00:40 01:05 01:55 02:20 02:45 03:35 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:40 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:25 09:35 09:49 10:00 10:25 10:45 10:50 11:15 11:40 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 17:05 17:30 18:57 19:10 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:55 23:20 23:45

Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents BRANDY & MR WHISKERS REPLACEMENTS REPLACEMENTS EMPEROR’S NEW SCHOOL BRANDY & MR WHISKERS REPLACEMENTS REPLACEMENTS Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents FISH HOOKS RECESS TIMON AND PUMBAA PHINEAS AND FERB GOOD LUCK CHARLIE FISH HOOKS WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES HANDY MANNY THE HIVE RECESS SO RANDOM HAVE A LAUGH HANNAH MONTANA SUITE LIFE ON DECK JAKE & BLAKE SONNY WITH A CHANCE WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE PHINEAS AND FERB SO RANDOM SUITE LIFE ON DECK Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck SUITE LIFE ON DECK SUITE LIFE ON DECK 16 WISHES PHINEAS AND FERB GOOD LUCK CHARLIE HAVE A LAUGH WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE HANNAH MONTANA PHINEAS AND FERB SHAKE IT UP FISH HOOKS RECESS Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE KIM POSSIBLE

00:20 00:35 00:50 01:15 01:40 01:55 02:10 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:05 04:20 04:40 04:55 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:30 06:50 07:15 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:15 08:30 08:45 09:10 09:20 09:35

SPECIAL AGENT OSO SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown LITTLE EINSTEINS JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION LITTLE EINSTEINS SPECIAL AGENT OSO SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown LITTLE EINSTEINS JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION LITTLE EINSTEINS SPECIAL AGENT OSO SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown LITTLE EINSTEINS JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION LITTLE EINSTEINS LazyTown JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION HANDY MANNY SPECIAL AGENT OSO JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE THE HIVE HANDY MANNY JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES

TV Listings FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

09:55 10:15 POOH 10:18 POOH 10:22 POOH 10:26 POOH 10:30 10:45 10:55 11:20 11:45 12:10 12:35 12:45 13:10 13:25 13:40 14:05 14:15 14:25 14:50 15:15 15:45 16:05 16:25 16:40 16:55 17:20 17:45 18:15 18:35 18:55 19:10 19:35 20:00 POOH 20:05 20:25 20:40 20:50 21:05 21:20 21:30 POOH 21:35 21:40 21:45 22:00 22:25 22:40 22:55 23:20 23:30 23:45 23:55

JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE

00:25 00:55 01:25 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 10:15 12:05 13:05 14:05 14:35 15:00 15:30 16:25 16:55 17:55 18:55 19:55 20:55 21:25 22:25 23:25 23:55

Kendra Style Star Too Young To Kill 25 Most Stylish Sexiest Extreme Hollywood THS Behind The Scenes E! News Dirty Soap Christina Aguilera E! News Bridalplasty Keeping Up With The Kardashians Keeping Up With The Kardashians Style Star E!es Behind The Scenes Scouted E! News THS Dirty Soap Chelsea Lately E! Investigates E! News Chelsea Lately Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:40 01:30 02:15 03:05 03:50 04:40 05:25 06:15 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:25 11:10 11:35 11:55 12:40 13:25 14:15

Extreme Forensics The Haunted A Haunting Kidnap And Rescue Fugitive Strike Force Extreme Forensics The Haunted A Haunting Killer Outbreaks FBI Case Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Killer Outbreaks Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Murder Shift Killer Outbreaks

MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MOUK THE HIVE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE ART ATTACK IMAGINATION MOVERS SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown HANDY MANNY JUNGLE JUNCTION IMAGINATION MOVERS THE HIVE SPECIAL AGENT OSO LITTLE EINSTEINS LazyTown MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES MOUK HANDY MANNY JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES IMAGINATION MOVERS LazyTown ART ATTACK JUNGLE JUNCTION HANDY MANNY JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE 101 DALMATIANS 101 DALMATIANS JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES THE HIVE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE A POEM IS...

ANIMATED STORIES MOUK MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES SPECIAL AGENT OSO LITTLE EINSTEINS TIMMY TIME JUNGLE JUNCTION HANDY MANNY MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE

15:00 15:25 15:50 16:35 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:45 20:10 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:25 23:50

Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Case Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Killer Outbreaks Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared I Was Murdered I Was Murdered I Escaped Death

01:40 03:05 04:50 06:50 08:20 10:10 12:00 13:40 15:20 16:50 18:25 19:55 21:45 22:00 23:35

Three Fifteen-18 The Mean Season-PG Thieves Like Us-PG Hammer-PG Electra Glide In Blue-PG Hickey And Boggs-PG Romantic Comedy-PG A Shot In The Dark-PG Give Me Your Life-18 One Summer Love-PG Mannequin-PG The Perez Family-PG Mgm’s Big Screen-FAM Bar Girls Who’ll Stop The Rain?

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30

Departures Food School Bondi Rescue: Bali The Green Way Up The Green Way Up Exploring The Vine Market Values Making Tracks Making Tracks

05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Adventure Wanted Departures Food School Bondi Rescue: Bali The Green Way Up Exploring The Vine Market Values Making Tracks Adventure Wanted Departures Geo Sessions Travel Madness Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled Pressure Cook City Chase Marrakech Which Way To Geo Sessions Travel Madness Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled Pressure Cook City Chase Marrakech

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:15 16:00 18:00 20:15 22:00

The Speak-18 Sinners & Saints-18 The Craigslist Killer-PG15 True Justice: Deadly Crossing-PG15 Tremors-PG15 Fatal Secrets-PG15 X2-PG Tremors-PG15 Against The Ropes-PG15 X2-PG The Collector-18 The Alphabet Killer-18

01:00 At Risk-PG15 03:00 Battle: Los Angeles-PG15 05:00 Freakonomics-PG15 07:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella TalePG15 09:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 11:00 Make It Happen-PG15 13:00 The Spy Next Door-PG

15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Cars 2-FAM The Art Of Getting By-PG15 Calvin Marshall-PG15 Sanctum-18 Bloodworth-18

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report The Big C The Ricky Gervais Show The Cleveland Show The Simpsons Mr. Sunshine Dharma And Greg The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Seinfeld Just Shoot Me Til Death Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Dharma And Greg The Simpsons Seinfeld The League State Of Georgia Til Death The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Just Shoot Me Dharma And Greg The Simpsons Til Death Mr. Sunshine State Of Georgia The League The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Just Shoot Me Late Night With Jimmy Fallon New Girl Happy Endings The League Perfect Couples The Tonight Show With Jay Leno The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Neighbors From Hell The Ricky Gervais Show The Cleveland Show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

SANCTUM ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

American Idol Necessary Roughness Psych Bones Live Good Morning America The Good Guys Emmerdale Look-A-Like The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View American Idol The Good Guys Live Good Morning America The Ellen DeGeneres Show Law & Order: Los Angeles Glee American Idol Drop Dead Diva Survivor: One World Bones

00:00 01:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Smallville Necessary Roughness Psych Smallville Emmerdale Parks And Recreation Terra Nova Psych Law & Order: Los Angeles The Ellen DeGeneres Show Terra Nova White Collar Law & Order: Los Angeles The Ellen DeGeneres Show Terriers Glee Drop Dead Diva Survivor: One World Any Human Heart

01:00 02:45 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 12:30 15:30 17:30 19:30 21:15

Blood Out-18 Bram Stoker’s Dracula-18 Medium Raw-PG15 The Karate Kid II-PG The Sorcerer’s Apprentice-PG15 The Hit List-18 The Postman-PG15 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 Dad Savage-PG15 Lake Placid 3-18

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

13 Going On 30-PG15 Cemetery Junction-PG15 Sweet Home Alabama-PG15 Finding Lenny-PG15 My Father The Hero-PG15 Josie And The Pussycats-PG15 Tooth Fairy-PG 16 To Life-PG15 13 Going On 30-PG15 You Again-PG15 Submarine-PG15 American Virgin-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Exodus-PG15 The Mirror Has Two Faces-PG15 Mammoth-PG15 Sunny And The Elephant-PG15 Not Since You-PG15 The Sunset Limited-PG15 Mammoth-PG15 Tuck Everlasting-PG Le Syndrome Du Titanic-PG15 Secretariat-PG15 All The Pretty Horses-PG15 The Maiden Heist-PG15

01:00 03:00 04:30 06:30 08:30 10:00 12:00 14:30 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Indecent Proposal-18 Quest For Zhu-PG Too Big To Fail-PG15 The Green Hornet-PG15 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG The Lion King-FAM The Social Network-PG15 I Am Sam-PG15 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG Love N’ Dancing-PG15 The Dilemma-PG15 Super-18

00:15 02:15 04:00 06:00 08:15

Legend Of Sleeping Beauty-PG Young Fisherman-PG True Story Of Puss’n Boots-PG The Swan Princess-FAM Young Fisherman-PG

10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Lion King-FAM Rh+ The Vampire Of Seville-PG True Story Of Puss’n Boots-PG Gulliver’s Travels-PG The Lion King-FAM I’ll Be Home For Christmas-PG Rh+ The Vampire Of Seville-PG

00:00 Howl-18 02:00 Unstoppable-PG15 04:00 Bustin’ Down The Door-PG15 06:00 Furry Vengeance-PG 08:00 Citizen Jane-PG 10:00 St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold-PG15 12:00 Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 14:00 Citizen Jane-PG 16:00 Legendary-PG15 18:00 Our Family Wedding-PG15 20:00 The Dilemma-PG15 22:00 Handsome Harry-18

01:30 02:30 04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:30 11:30 13:30 14:00 16:00 16:30 20:00 22:00 22:30

WWE NXT UFC ODI Cricket Highlights Super Rugby Highlights Trans World Sport Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Futbol Mundial ODI Cricket Highlights Super Rugby Highlights Live Super Rugby Live NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial Live Super Rugby ODI Cricket Highlights Premier League Darts WWE SmackDown ODI Cricket Highlights Live Super League

00:00 00:30 01:30 02:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 12:00 12:30 14:30 15:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:45

Total Rugby Super Rugby Highlights Golfing World Premier League Darts Futbol Mundial Scottish Premier League Highlights Trans World Sport ICC Cricket World Premier League Darts NRL Full Time Live NRL Premiership ICC Cricket World Golfing World Super Rugby Super Rugby Golfing World European Tour Weekly ICC Cricket World Top 14 Highlights Live Top 14

00:00 00:30 01:30 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:30 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 20:30

European Tour Weekly Trans World Sports Cricket ODI Highlights SPL Highlights World Cup of Pool World Pool Masters Ping Pong World Championship Super Rugby Highlights Golfing World European Tour Weekly Total Rugby Cricket ODI Highlights Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket World Super Rugby Cricket ODI Highlights European Tour Weekly Futbol Mundial Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Top 14 Highlights NRL Premiership Premier League Darts

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 19:30 20:00 22:00 23:00

WWE NXT UFC Speedway UFC Unleashed WWE NXT WWE Vintage Collection Speedway Mobil 1 The Grid V8 Supercars Extra V8 Supercars Highlights WWE NXT WWE Experience V8 Supercars Highlights Speedway FIM World UFC The Ultimate Fighter V8 Supercars Extra WWE Smackdown WWE Bottom Line UFC

TV Listings FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

00:20 00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:30 04:55 05:25 06:20 06:45 07:10 08:00 08:25 09:15 09:40 10:10 10:35 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:20 13:50 14:15 14:45 15:40 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:25 19:20 20:15 20:40 21:10 21:35 22:05 23:00 23:55

Snake Crusader With Bruce George Pit Bulls And Parolees Untamed & Uncut Maneaters Untamed China With Nigel Marven Snake Crusader With Bruce George Snake Crusader With Bruce George Sharkman Escape To Chimp Eden Planet Wild New Breed Vets With Steve Irwin Orangutan Island Pandamonium The Really Wild Show Cats Of Claw Hill Extraordinary Dogs Extraordinary Dogs Sharkman Michaela’s Animal Road Trip RSPCA: On The Frontline Wildlife SOS Wild Africa Rescue Wild Africa Rescue Animal Cops Houston Sharkman Shamwari: A Wild Life The Really Wild Show Growing Up...: Orang-Utan Dogs 101 Trophy Cats Orangutan Island Wildlife SOS Escape To Chimp Eden Planet Wild Speed Of Life Deadly Waters Crime Scene Wild

00:20 00:50 01:20 02:15 02:45 03:25 04:00 04:20 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:05 05:25 05:35 05:50 06:10 06:20 06:35 06:45 06:50 07:10 07:20 07:35 08:05 08:35 09:20 09:50 10:25 10:50 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:45 14:15 14:45 15:15 16:25 17:10 17:40 18:10 18:40 19:10 20:00 20:50 21:20 21:50 22:20 22:50 23:35

Eastenders Doctors Last Woman Standing 2 Point 4 Children dinnerladies My Family Me Too! Charlie and Lola Gigglebiz Boogie Beebies Poetry Pie Fimbles 3rd & Bird Nina And The Neurons Me Too! Charlie and Lola Gigglebiz Boogie Beebies Poetry Pie Fimbles 3rd & Bird Nina And The Neurons 2 Point 4 Children dinnerladies The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Orang-Utan Diary Coast My Family 2 Point 4 Children The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Orang-Utan Diary Coast The Weakest Link My Family Doctors dinnerladies 2 Point 4 Children Doctor Who Jekyll Taking the Flak The Cup The Impressions Show The Impressions Show The Weakest Link Doctor Who

00:20 01:10 01:35 03:10 04:00 05:40 06:25 06:45 07:35 08:00 09:15 10:25 11:10

Antiques Roadshow French Food At Home James Martin’s Brittany 10 Years Younger Fantasy Homes By The Sea House Swap French Food At Home James Martin’s Brittany Cash In The Attic USA James Martin’s Brittany MasterChef Australia Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow

TREMORS ON OSN ACTION HD 12:00 12:50 13:40 15:10 15:55 16:40 17:25 18:20 19:00 21:05 21:55 23:35

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30 05:45 06:00 06:30 06:45 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 08:45 09:30 09:45 10:00

Come Dine With Me 10 Years Younger Celebrity Fantasy Homes Fantasy Homes By The Sea House Swap Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic USA James Martin’s Brittany 10 Years Younger Gok’s Fashion Fix Bargain Hunt

BBC World News America Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News America Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News

10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 World Business Report 11:45 Sport Today 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 Hardtalk 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 BBC World News 15:00 GMT With George Alagiah 16:00 Impact 16:30 Our World 17:00 Impact 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 World Have Your Say 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 19:40 Weekend World 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 BBC World News 21:30 Middle East Business Report 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Have Your Say Extra 22:40 Weekend World 23:00 BBC World News 23:30 Our World

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 The Situation Room 03:00 World Report 04:00 Anderson Cooper 360 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 Quest Means Business

06:45 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:45 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 22:45 23:00

CNN Marketplace Europe Erin Burnett Outfront World Sport Eco Solutions World Report World Report World Sport African Voices World Business Today CNN Marketplace Middle East Backstory Talk Asia World One Piers Morgan Tonight News Stream World Business Today International Desk The Brief News Special World Sport Inside Africa International Desk Quest Means Business CNN Marketplace Africa Piers Morgan Tonight

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:00 04:25 04:50

Wacky Races Dastardly And Muttley New Yogi Bear Show Duck Dodgers The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo The Jetsons Puppy In My Pocket Popeye Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You!

05:15 05:40 06:00 06:25 06:50 07:00 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:40 13:00 13:15 13:40 13:55 14:45 15:10 15:35 16:00 16:50 17:15 17:40 18:05 18:20 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:15 20:40 21:05 21:30 21:55 22:20 22:45 23:10 23:35

Droopy: Master Detective Wacky Races The Flintstones A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Popeye Classics The Garfield Show Bananas In Pyjamas Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Puppy In My Pocket The Scooby Doo Show Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones Duck Dodgers Tom & Jerry Kids Pink Panther And Pals Wacky Races Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Bananas In Pyjamas The Garfield Show A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo Looney Tunes Puppy In My Pocket Pink Panther And Pals Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show The Scooby Doo Show Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Pink Panther And Pals Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You! Droopy: Master Detective The Flintstones

00:15 00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:45 Junior 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 15:05 16:00 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 Junior 22:25 22:50 23:20

Destroyed In Seconds Gang Wars Dirty Jobs Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters How Does It Work How It’s Made Dirty Jobs Mythbusters Fifth Gear Fifth Gear American Chopper: Senior vs

00:40 01:35 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:35 05:00 05:25 06:20 07:10 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:35 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:05 14:55 15:20

Engineered Moon Machines The Tech Show Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory Sci-Trek How Does That Work?

How Stuff’s Made Science Of The Movies Thunder Races Moon Machines The Gadget Show The Gadget Show How Does That Work?

How Stuff’s Made Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory Sci-Trek Engineered Thunder Races Moon Machines Science Of The Movies How Does That Work?

How Stuff’s Made

How Does It Work Cake Boss Border Security Dirty Money Most Deadly Most Deadly Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters Cash Cab Us Border Security Dirty Money How It’s Made How Does It Work Cake Boss American Chopper: Senior vs Fifth Gear Fifth Gear Street Customs

15:50 16:15 16:40 17:05 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:05 20:30 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:00 23:25 23:50

The Gadget Show The Gadget Show The Tech Show Thunder Races Engineered Moon Machines Tech Toys 360 Tech Toys 360 Ways To Save The Planet The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Thunder Races Tech Toys 360 Tech Toys 360 Ways To Save The Planet

00:15 00:40 01:05 01:55 02:20 02:45 03:35 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:40 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:25 09:35 09:49 10:00 10:25 10:45 10:50 11:15 11:40 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 17:05 17:30 18:57 19:10 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:55 23:20 23:45

Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents BRANDY & MR WHISKERS REPLACEMENTS REPLACEMENTS EMPEROR’S NEW SCHOOL BRANDY & MR WHISKERS REPLACEMENTS REPLACEMENTS Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents FISH HOOKS RECESS TIMON AND PUMBAA PHINEAS AND FERB GOOD LUCK CHARLIE FISH HOOKS WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES HANDY MANNY THE HIVE RECESS SO RANDOM HAVE A LAUGH HANNAH MONTANA SUITE LIFE ON DECK JAKE & BLAKE SONNY WITH A CHANCE WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE PHINEAS AND FERB SO RANDOM SUITE LIFE ON DECK Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck SUITE LIFE ON DECK SUITE LIFE ON DECK 16 WISHES PHINEAS AND FERB GOOD LUCK CHARLIE HAVE A LAUGH WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE HANNAH MONTANA PHINEAS AND FERB SHAKE IT UP FISH HOOKS RECESS Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE KIM POSSIBLE

00:20 00:35 00:50 01:15 01:40 01:55 02:10 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:05 04:20 04:40 04:55 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:30 06:50 07:15 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:15 08:30 08:45 09:10 09:20 09:35

SPECIAL AGENT OSO SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown LITTLE EINSTEINS JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION LITTLE EINSTEINS SPECIAL AGENT OSO SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown LITTLE EINSTEINS JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION LITTLE EINSTEINS SPECIAL AGENT OSO SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown LITTLE EINSTEINS JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION LITTLE EINSTEINS LazyTown JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION HANDY MANNY SPECIAL AGENT OSO JUNGLE JUNCTION JUNGLE JUNCTION MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE THE HIVE HANDY MANNY JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES

TV Listings FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

09:55 10:15 POOH 10:18 POOH 10:22 POOH 10:26 POOH 10:30 10:45 10:55 11:20 11:45 12:10 12:35 12:45 13:10 13:25 13:40 14:05 14:15 14:25 14:50 15:15 15:45 16:05 16:25 16:40 16:55 17:20 17:45 18:15 18:35 18:55 19:10 19:35 20:00 POOH 20:05 20:25 20:40 20:50 21:05 21:20 21:30 POOH 21:35 21:40 21:45 22:00 22:25 22:40 22:55 23:20 23:30 23:45 23:55

JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE

00:25 00:55 01:25 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 10:15 12:05 13:05 14:05 14:35 15:00 15:30 16:25 16:55 17:55 18:55 19:55 20:55 21:25 22:25 23:25 23:55

Kendra Style Star Too Young To Kill 25 Most Stylish Sexiest Extreme Hollywood THS Behind The Scenes E! News Dirty Soap Christina Aguilera E! News Bridalplasty Keeping Up With The Kardashians Keeping Up With The Kardashians Style Star E!es Behind The Scenes Scouted E! News THS Dirty Soap Chelsea Lately E! Investigates E! News Chelsea Lately Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:40 01:30 02:15 03:05 03:50 04:40 05:25 06:15 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:25 11:10 11:35 11:55 12:40 13:25 14:15

Extreme Forensics The Haunted A Haunting Kidnap And Rescue Fugitive Strike Force Extreme Forensics The Haunted A Haunting Killer Outbreaks FBI Case Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Killer Outbreaks Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Murder Shift Killer Outbreaks

MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MOUK THE HIVE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE ART ATTACK IMAGINATION MOVERS SPECIAL AGENT OSO LazyTown HANDY MANNY JUNGLE JUNCTION IMAGINATION MOVERS THE HIVE SPECIAL AGENT OSO LITTLE EINSTEINS LazyTown MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES MOUK HANDY MANNY JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES IMAGINATION MOVERS LazyTown ART ATTACK JUNGLE JUNCTION HANDY MANNY JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE 101 DALMATIANS 101 DALMATIANS JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES THE HIVE MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE A POEM IS...

ANIMATED STORIES MOUK MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE JAKE & THE NEVERLAND PIRATES SPECIAL AGENT OSO LITTLE EINSTEINS TIMMY TIME JUNGLE JUNCTION HANDY MANNY MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE

15:00 15:25 15:50 16:35 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:45 20:10 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:25 23:50

Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Case Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Killer Outbreaks Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared I Was Murdered I Was Murdered I Escaped Death

01:40 03:05 04:50 06:50 08:20 10:10 12:00 13:40 15:20 16:50 18:25 19:55 21:45 22:00 23:35

Three Fifteen-18 The Mean Season-PG Thieves Like Us-PG Hammer-PG Electra Glide In Blue-PG Hickey And Boggs-PG Romantic Comedy-PG A Shot In The Dark-PG Give Me Your Life-18 One Summer Love-PG Mannequin-PG The Perez Family-PG Mgm’s Big Screen-FAM Bar Girls Who’ll Stop The Rain?

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30

Departures Food School Bondi Rescue: Bali The Green Way Up The Green Way Up Exploring The Vine Market Values Making Tracks Making Tracks

05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Adventure Wanted Departures Food School Bondi Rescue: Bali The Green Way Up Exploring The Vine Market Values Making Tracks Adventure Wanted Departures Geo Sessions Travel Madness Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled Pressure Cook City Chase Marrakech Which Way To Geo Sessions Travel Madness Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled Pressure Cook City Chase Marrakech

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:15 16:00 18:00 20:15 22:00

The Speak-18 Sinners & Saints-18 The Craigslist Killer-PG15 True Justice: Deadly Crossing-PG15 Tremors-PG15 Fatal Secrets-PG15 X2-PG Tremors-PG15 Against The Ropes-PG15 X2-PG The Collector-18 The Alphabet Killer-18

01:00 At Risk-PG15 03:00 Battle: Los Angeles-PG15 05:00 Freakonomics-PG15 07:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella TalePG15 09:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 11:00 Make It Happen-PG15 13:00 The Spy Next Door-PG

15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Cars 2-FAM The Art Of Getting By-PG15 Calvin Marshall-PG15 Sanctum-18 Bloodworth-18

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report The Big C The Ricky Gervais Show The Cleveland Show The Simpsons Mr. Sunshine Dharma And Greg The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Seinfeld Just Shoot Me Til Death Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Dharma And Greg The Simpsons Seinfeld The League State Of Georgia Til Death The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Just Shoot Me Dharma And Greg The Simpsons Til Death Mr. Sunshine State Of Georgia The League The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Just Shoot Me Late Night With Jimmy Fallon New Girl Happy Endings The League Perfect Couples The Tonight Show With Jay Leno The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Neighbors From Hell The Ricky Gervais Show The Cleveland Show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

SANCTUM ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

American Idol Necessary Roughness Psych Bones Live Good Morning America The Good Guys Emmerdale Look-A-Like The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View American Idol The Good Guys Live Good Morning America The Ellen DeGeneres Show Law & Order: Los Angeles Glee American Idol Drop Dead Diva Survivor: One World Bones

00:00 01:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Smallville Necessary Roughness Psych Smallville Emmerdale Parks And Recreation Terra Nova Psych Law & Order: Los Angeles The Ellen DeGeneres Show Terra Nova White Collar Law & Order: Los Angeles The Ellen DeGeneres Show Terriers Glee Drop Dead Diva Survivor: One World Any Human Heart

01:00 02:45 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 12:30 15:30 17:30 19:30 21:15

Blood Out-18 Bram Stoker’s Dracula-18 Medium Raw-PG15 The Karate Kid II-PG The Sorcerer’s Apprentice-PG15 The Hit List-18 The Postman-PG15 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 Dad Savage-PG15 Lake Placid 3-18

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

13 Going On 30-PG15 Cemetery Junction-PG15 Sweet Home Alabama-PG15 Finding Lenny-PG15 My Father The Hero-PG15 Josie And The Pussycats-PG15 Tooth Fairy-PG 16 To Life-PG15 13 Going On 30-PG15 You Again-PG15 Submarine-PG15 American Virgin-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Exodus-PG15 The Mirror Has Two Faces-PG15 Mammoth-PG15 Sunny And The Elephant-PG15 Not Since You-PG15 The Sunset Limited-PG15 Mammoth-PG15 Tuck Everlasting-PG Le Syndrome Du Titanic-PG15 Secretariat-PG15 All The Pretty Horses-PG15 The Maiden Heist-PG15

01:00 03:00 04:30 06:30 08:30 10:00 12:00 14:30 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Indecent Proposal-18 Quest For Zhu-PG Too Big To Fail-PG15 The Green Hornet-PG15 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG The Lion King-FAM The Social Network-PG15 I Am Sam-PG15 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG Love N’ Dancing-PG15 The Dilemma-PG15 Super-18

00:15 02:15 04:00 06:00 08:15

Legend Of Sleeping Beauty-PG Young Fisherman-PG True Story Of Puss’n Boots-PG The Swan Princess-FAM Young Fisherman-PG

10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Lion King-FAM Rh+ The Vampire Of Seville-PG True Story Of Puss’n Boots-PG Gulliver’s Travels-PG The Lion King-FAM I’ll Be Home For Christmas-PG Rh+ The Vampire Of Seville-PG

00:00 Howl-18 02:00 Unstoppable-PG15 04:00 Bustin’ Down The Door-PG15 06:00 Furry Vengeance-PG 08:00 Citizen Jane-PG 10:00 St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold-PG15 12:00 Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 14:00 Citizen Jane-PG 16:00 Legendary-PG15 18:00 Our Family Wedding-PG15 20:00 The Dilemma-PG15 22:00 Handsome Harry-18

01:30 02:30 04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:30 11:30 13:30 14:00 16:00 16:30 20:00 22:00 22:30

WWE NXT UFC ODI Cricket Highlights Super Rugby Highlights Trans World Sport Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Futbol Mundial ODI Cricket Highlights Super Rugby Highlights Live Super Rugby Live NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial Live Super Rugby ODI Cricket Highlights Premier League Darts WWE SmackDown ODI Cricket Highlights Live Super League

00:00 00:30 01:30 02:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 12:00 12:30 14:30 15:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:45

Total Rugby Super Rugby Highlights Golfing World Premier League Darts Futbol Mundial Scottish Premier League Highlights Trans World Sport ICC Cricket World Premier League Darts NRL Full Time Live NRL Premiership ICC Cricket World Golfing World Super Rugby Super Rugby Golfing World European Tour Weekly ICC Cricket World Top 14 Highlights Live Top 14

00:00 00:30 01:30 02:30 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:30 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 20:30

European Tour Weekly Trans World Sports Cricket ODI Highlights SPL Highlights World Cup of Pool World Pool Masters Ping Pong World Championship Super Rugby Highlights Golfing World European Tour Weekly Total Rugby Cricket ODI Highlights Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket World Super Rugby Cricket ODI Highlights European Tour Weekly Futbol Mundial Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Top 14 Highlights NRL Premiership Premier League Darts

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 19:30 20:00 22:00 23:00

WWE NXT UFC Speedway UFC Unleashed WWE NXT WWE Vintage Collection Speedway Mobil 1 The Grid V8 Supercars Extra V8 Supercars Highlights WWE NXT WWE Experience V8 Supercars Highlights Speedway FIM World UFC The Ultimate Fighter V8 Supercars Extra WWE Smackdown WWE Bottom Line UFC

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Years

Information

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines QTR JZR PIA JZR JZR THY UAE QTR DHX FDB ETD RJA GFA MLR ETH KAC THY RBG JZR JZR BAW KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD FDB IRA GFA JZR RBG MEA IYE MSR MSR JZR KAC GFA KAC FDB UAL OMA QTR RJA KAC JZR KAC QTR JZR JZR JZR ETD UAE GFA SVA ABY ALK

Flt 138 185 205 267 539 772 853 148 370 67 305 642 211 1405 3622 544 770 3563 555 529 157 206 53 352 302 332 676 284 344 855 125 132 301 55 619 213 165 3553 404 825 623 610 201 672 219 618 57 982 645 140 640 788 257 546 134 561 535 213 303 857 215 510 127 227

Arrival Flights on Friday 9/3/2012 Route DOHA DUBAI LAHORE BEIRUT CAIRO ISTANBUL DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI ABU DHABI AMMAN BAHRAIN COLOMBO ADDIS ABABA CAIRO ISTANBUL ASSIUT ALEXANDRIA ASSIUT LONDON ISLAMABAD DUBAI COCHIN MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI DHAKA CHENNAI DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI LAR BAHRAIN DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BEIRUT SANAA SOHAG CAIRO DAMASCUS DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI WASHINGTON DC DULLES MUSCAT DOHA AMMAN JEDDAH BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA DOHA SOHAG CAIRO DEIREZZOR ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHARJAH COLOMBO

Time 0:20 0:20 0:25 0:45 0:50 2:15 2:35 2:55 2:55 3:05 3:10 3:10 3:15 3:40 3:45 4:40 4:50 5:00 6:00 6:20 6:40 7:40 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:15 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:05 9:15 9:20 9:50 9:55 11:20 11:35 11:55 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:00 13:20 13:25 13:40 13:50 14:05 14:15 14:20 14:40 14:50 15:00 15:20 15:25 16:10 16:25 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:40 18:10

JZR RBG FDB KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC AIC KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB JAI KAC SVA MSR MLR DHX GRF FCX MEA GFA QTR JZR UAE SAI JZR UAL PIA DLH Airlines AXB UAL BBC AIC DLH PIA THY GRF FDB UAE DHX ETD MLR QTR QTR RBG THY JZR GFA RJA JZR KAC FDB KAC BAW JZR KAC JZR KAC JZR UAE ABY

177 3557 63 502 542 744 787 674 975 166 102 774 562 61 572 786 506 618 1407 372 81 304 402 217 136 135 859 441 239 981 215 636

DUBAI SOHAG DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO DAMMAM RIYADH DUBAI CHENNAI PARIS NEW YORK RIYADH AMMAN DUBAI MUMBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO BAHRAIN BAGHDAD RIYADH BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI LAHORE AMMAN BAHRAIN KARACHI FRANKFURT Departure Flights on Friday 9/3/2012 Flt Route 390 KOZHIKODE 981 WASHINGTON DC 44 DHAKA 982 AHMEDABAD 637 FRANKFURT 206 LAHORE 773 ISTANBUL 94 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 1405 COLOMBO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 3556 ALEXANDRIA 771 ISTANBUL 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 643 AMMAN 200 DAMASCUS 415 JAKARTA 54 DUBAI 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 256 BEIRUT 671 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 787 JEDDAH 560 SOHAG 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH

18:15 18:25 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:55 19:05 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 19:50 20:00 20:10 20:20 20:35 20:45 20:50 21:00 21:15 21:20 21:20 21:25 21:35 21:55 22:00 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:30 23:50 Time 0:05 0:45 1:00 1:05 1:20 1:25 3:15 3:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:40 4:40 5:40 5:40 5:50 6:55 7:00 7:10 7:30 8:00 8:25 8:30 8:40 9:00 9:00 9:15 9:25 9:30 9:40 9:45

ETD KAC FDB QTR KAC KAC GFA IRA JZR ETH KAC RBG KAC MEA KAC IYE MSR JZR MSR GFA FDB ETH KAC KAC KAC OMA UAL RJA JZR KAC KAC QTR JZR QTR ETD JZR UAE GFA ABY SVA RBG JZR ALK FDB JZR KAC FDB KAC KAC JAI MSR MLR SVA DHX MEA GFA KAC QTR KAC JZR KAC FCX UAE KAC JZR SAI KAC

302 117 56 133 617 177 214 618 212 3623 541 3558 103 405 501 825 624 176 611 220 58 3623 561 673 785 646 982 641 786 743 773 141 238 135 304 538 858 216 128 511 3554 134 228 64 184 361 62 343 351 571 619 1407 507 373 403 218 381 137 301 554 205 102 860 283 502 442 411

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Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

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FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

ACCOMMODATION Need executive bachelors with clean habits male/female or issueless couples to share accommodation with S Indian family, near 6th Ring Road, petrol pump, Touristic park, Indian Central School. Contact: 97534176 / 24312943.

(C 3890) 3-3-2012

An Indian man from Kokan (Ratnagiri) wants to marry an Indian lady (40-45 years) preferably from Kokan (Ratnagiri), Muslim, educated, (divorced or widow alone). Contact: P.O. Box 41529, Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Kuwait 85856. Email: mohd_younas59@yahoo.com (C 3895) 6-3-2012

SITUATION WANTED FOR SALE Mitsubishi Colt model 1993, white color, good condition.

Insurance till 25th Jan. 2013.

Price KD 250. Contact: 99322585/ 99337034.

(C 3899) 8-3-2012 Furniture for sale in good condition, sofa set (3+1+1), dining table, table 2 no, shoe rack, gas stove, fridge, washing machine, etc at very good price. Contact: 99172842.

(C 3892) 3-3-2012 Jeep Prado 2004 model, golden color, made 100,000 km only, 4 cylinder, factory paint, in excellent condition, price KD 4100. Tel: 99223221.

Jeep Nissan Armada 2005 model, white color, full option, open top, leather chairs, hydraulic trunk, CD, steering control, factory paint, in excellent condition, KD 4300. Tel: 90030093.

Prado 2009, through Al Sayer, 6 cylinder, white color, full option, leather seating, CD, central A/C, sensor steering control, almost new condition, subject to inspection, KD 7950. Tel: 97660800.

Prado 2009, through Al Sayer, 4 cylinder, silver color, velvet seating, full options, sensor, central A/C, steering control almost new condition, subject to inspection.

KD 6150. Tel: 99275550.

Toyota Prado, through Al Sayer, 2008 model, white color, velvet steering, 6 cylinder, touch A/C, CD, speed control, sensor, subject to inspection, KD 5650. Tel: 99275550.

MATRIMONIAL Proposals invited for a Keralite Marthoma girl 24/154, BBA, working in India (Baroda), seeks alliance from God fearing, well-educated employed boys (Kuwait/ India). Email: sunilvgs73@gmail.com (C 3898) 7-3-2012

Storekeeper, PDC passed, 10 years experience in Kuwait (Track, Oracle based application, stock inventory. Visa No. 18, transferable, expired date 16/05/2012. Mob: 66039535, 67084832.

(C 3894) 6-3-2012

SITUATION VACANT Maid required for a family, couple only, in Shaab from 9 am to 6 pm only Sri Lankan nationals with valid residency may call: 97285837. (C 3896) 7-3-2012 Professional cook for house good experience all kind of food, hard work, good salary, good accommodation, full time or part time. Call 66519719 / 23901053.

(C 3891) 3-3-2012

TUITION Math teacher for secondary stage, language schools, bilingual schools and intermediate stage: Algebra, Gmath, Geometry, Statistics for arts and science branches. Tel: 66974020.

English language teacher specialized in starting elementary and intermediate, 10th and 11th experienced in starting functions, grammar, set book, vocabulary, notes and model exams available. Tel: 65791555.

Female Syrian Arabic language teacher for elementary and intermediate, and starting the weak using Halaby method in her house located in Abdallah AlMubarak area. Tel: 50513699.

Senior biology and science teacher for 12th, 11th and 10th grades, and science for all intermediate classes, religious institutes, nursing, educational experience, simple explanation for fast understanding.

Tel: 66543474.

Arabic language teacher, masters in methods of teach-

ing for secondary and intermediate students. Tel: 50644685.

Senior Arabic language teacher, elementary and intermediate, long experience in Kuwait curricula, explaining grammar rules and starting those weak in reading and writing. Tel: 99262948.

Arabic language teacher to start elementary, intermediate and secondary stages.

Simple explanation of grammar and literature, experienced in Kuwait curricula.

Senior chemistry and physics teacher. Long experience for 10th, 11th and 12th stages. Intermediate science and applied institutions.

Highly competent. Tel: 99542922.

Mathematics and statistics female teacher for female students in the secondary, intermediate, university and applied institutions female students. Tel: 99410370.

Senior Arabic language and Islamic studies teacher to help weak and slow learning students in a short time. 20 years experience, teaching all elementary subjects excep E. Arabic and Islamic studies for elementary and intermediate. Tel: 66896088.

Senior mathematics and statistics teacher. Long experience in Kuwait curricula to teach secondary students both science and arts branches, and university admission exams. Tel: 97975096.

Senior chemistry teacher for secondary students and science for intermediate. All reviews and exams, and university qualification chemistry. Tel: 99560268.

Female senior mathematics teacher, 35 years experience in Kuwait for secondary, intermediate and elementary stages, applied, initial university, communications and navigation and special courses. Tel: 97926737.

Elementary stage teacher, 12 years experience, ready to give remedial lessons for all topics in the elementary stage in a simple method.

Tel: 66594901.

English teacher specialized in elementary and intermediate, experienced in grammar, book questions and synonyms. Highly experienced in Kuwait curricula. Tel: 97373301.

French language teacher, specialized in 11th and 12th grades, languages schools, Pakistani and Indian schools.

Long experience in Kuwait curricula.

Senior philosophy and logic teacher for the 12th stage, psychology for 11th grade, with notes and exams solutions. Tel: 99835421.

Senior mathematics and statistics teacher for the secondary and intermediate stages and fifth grade, clear and simple explanation for slow learners and exams method. Tel: 99410112.

Arabic language teacher, long experience in general secondary with simplifying grammar for institutions and universities. Tel: 66900427/ Secondary physics teacher 10th grade, 15 years experience. Tel: 677020697.

Syrian mathematics teacher for secondary and intermediate classes. Graduate from Damascus University. Tel: 99460277.

Syrian Arabic language teacher. Masters to initiate weak students using the Halaby method (the alphabet then the word), follow up of intermediate, secondary, university and religious institute. Tel: 50513599.

Female Syrian Arabic language teacher to initiate weak students using the Halaby method, and follow up of intermediate and elementary in her Abdallah AlMubarak area home. Tel: 50513699.

Mathematics teacher for universities, applied, secondary and intermediate, experienced in Kuwait. Simple explanation. Tel: 97725411.

Mathematics teacher for the elementary and intermediate stages. Experienced in Kuwait curricula. Tel: 60421808.

No: 15382

FOR RENT Flat in South Surra, 3 bedrooms, 2 of which are master + living room + kitchen + maid room, new, super deluxe. Tel: 97864628.

For rent, commercial flat in Hawally, can be used as workshop, large area. No middle men. Parking. Tel: 66043961.

Flat in Bneid Al-Gar, 2 rooms + 2 bathrooms + living room + kitchen + Gym + swimming pool overlooking the sea, central satellite + internet. For families, no middle men. Tel: 66043961.

Flat in Salmiya 3 bedroom + 2 bathrooms + living room + kitchen + central satellite + internet. 4x4 rooms, 4x8 living room for expatriates only. Rent KD 330. No middle men. Tel: 66043961.

Flat in Salmiya 2 rooms + 2 bathrooms + living room + kitchen + central satellite + internet. Families only, no middle men. Tel: 66043961.

A commercial floor in Salmiya. Close to Blajat. Car parking. No middle men. Tel: 66043961.

First floor in Shuhada, 4 rooms + living room + 5 bathrooms + maid room + balcony. Must be small family. Tel: 60308586.

Flat in Zahra, 2 rooms + living room + kitchen + 3 bathrooms + laundry room + maid room. Tel: 60308586.

A floor in Zahra, 4 rooms + living room + kitchen + 3 bathrooms, second floor, elevator. Must be small family.

Tel: 99719887.

Flat in west Jleeb, 3 rooms + living room + kitchen + 2 bathrooms first floor. No elevator. Must be newlyweds or one child only. Tel:99719887.

Flat in Salam, 3 rooms + living room + kitchen + 3 bathrooms + maid room. Must be newlyweds or two children only. 60308586.

First floor in Rumaithiya. 4 rooms + living room + kitchen + maid room + 6 bathrooms. Super deluxe.

Must be foreigners and expats only. Tel: 60308586, 99719887.

Large first floor with the roof in Firdous. No middle men.

Tel: 99490502.

Fully furnished flat in Mahboula 2 rooms + 2 baths + living room + Gym + DSL, Satellite + full sea view. Rent starts from KD 450. Tel: 66060822.

Furished flat in a Salmiya resort 3 rooms + maid room + garden + swimming pool + children play room + DSL. Sea view + hotel service + car parking. Rent KD 800. Tel: 66060299.

For rent or investment, medical clinics in Salmiya. Good location licensed and unlicensed. No brokers. Tel: 66060299.

Flat in Salmiya, 3 bedrooms (2 master) + maid room + 3 bathrooms + 2 balconies + sea view + Gym. No brokers.

Rent KD 550. Tel: 66060299.

Commercial floor in Salmiya, main street, sea view, good location. Can be used for saloon, clinics, lawyer office.

Rent KD 1650. Tel: 66297171.

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Penguins drop Maple Leafs PITTSBURGH: Pascal Dupuis scored twice and had an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied to beat the slumping Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Wednesday night for their seventh straight victory.

Jordan Staal added a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to a career-best six games and rookie Brad Thiessen stopped 22 shots.

The Penguins started the day by unveiling a statue honoring Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux outside Consol Energy Center.

The three-time MVP, now the team owner, watched from his box as Pittsburgh won for the 11th time in its last 12 home games to strengthen its hold on fourth-place in the Eastern Conference.

Phil Kessel and Carl Gunnarsson scored for Toronto. The Maple Leafs let an early two-goal lead slip away while falling to 1-2 since Randy Carlyle took over as coach following Ron Wilson’s firing. The Maple Leafs have lost six of seven and are five

points behind eighth-place Winnipeg.

Sabres 3, Hurricanes 2 At Buffalo, Jason Pominville scored on a power play 56 seconds into overtime to lift the Sabres past Carolina. Thomas Vanek and Tyler Myers also scored to help the Sabres (31-28-8) jump into a share with Washington for ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Ryan Miller stopped 22 shots, Pominville and Vanek also had assists, and the Sabres outshot the Hurricanes 42-24.

Pominville converted in overtime after Bryan Allen was sent off for hooking with 55 seconds left in regulation. Parked atop the left circle, Pominville took a pass from Christian Ehrhoff and blasted it inside the far post.

Goalie Cam Ward appeared to be screened by defenseman Jay Harrison.

Jaroslav Spacek and Chad LaRose scored for Carolina. — AP

NHL results/standings Buffalo 3, Carolina 2 (OT); Pittsburgh 3, Toronto 2.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA NY Rangers 42 16 7 180 137 Pittsburgh 40 21 5 212 170 Philadelphia 37 21 7 213 193 New Jersey 37 24 5 184 176 NY Islanders 28 29 9 155 195

PTS 91 85 81 79 65

Western Conference Central Division St. Louis 42 18 7 174 132 Detroit 43 21 3 211 156 Nashville 38 21 7 188 171 Chicago 36 25 7 203 200 Columbus 21 38 7 156 216

91 89 83 79 49

Northwest Division 41 18 8 211 166 35 29 4 178 181 30 25 12 164 185 28 29 10 144 187 26 34 6 175 198

90 74 72 66 58

Pacific Division 36 26 5 179 180 33 25 9 173 170 33 24 8 181 166 31 23 12 147 143 29 28 10 170 188

77 75 74 74 68

Boston Ottawa Buffalo Toronto Montreal

Northeast Division 39 23 3 214 154 35 25 8 209 201 31 28 8 166 188 30 30 7 200 209 25 32 10 174 189

81 78 70 67 60

Vancouver Colorado Calgary Minnesota Edmonton

Florida Winnipeg Washington Tampa Bay Carolina

Southeast Division 31 22 12 163 184 32 27 8 176 187 32 28 6 175 188 31 29 6 187 226 25 27 15 177 203

74 72 70 68 65

Dallas Phoenix San Jose Los Angeles Anaheim

PITTSBURGH: Penguins’ Zbynek Michalek (4) collides with Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mikhail Grabovski (84) in the first period of an NHL hockey game. —AP

Bulls brace for feisty Blues SYDNEY: Table-topping South African outfit Northern Bulls are aiming to make it three Super 15 wins out of three as surprise package Otago Highlanders of New Zealand chase another big scalp this weekend.

The Pretoria-based Bulls have knocked over the Coastal Sharks and Central Cheetahs to lead the southern hemisphere provincial tournament and on Saturday host the Auckland Blues, desperate for their first win of the season.

The Highlanders remain New Zealand’s only unbeaten team after upsets over the Waikato Chiefs and Canterbury Crusaders and face Australian opposition in the New South Wales Waratahs in Dunedin on Saturday.

Bulls’ skipper Pierre Spies has warned his team of a motivated Blues side after a disappointing start to the 2012 campaign with losses to the Crusaders and the Chiefs.

“It actually says nothing, this competition is so tough,” Spies said. “With the quality players they have in their team, I am sure they will pitch on Saturday to rectify those first two games.”

Former Lions scrum-half Jano Vermaak will get his first start for the Bulls, replacing suspended number nine Francois Hougaard.

The Highlanders, so often eclipsed by their better-resourced New Zealand rivals, have defied pre-season expectations with spirited performances in the opening weeks against the backdrop of Otago rugby’s dire financial situation. “It’s been a tough time for Otago rugby,” Highlanders’ coach Jamie Joseph said.

“I played all my footy for Otago and to see in the news what’s potentially going to happen was really saddening, so it’s important we carry it on.”

Otago’s precarious financial position

does not affect the Otago Highlanders, which is a separate legal entity. Two-time finalists Waratahs are in the top six after a bonus-point loss to the Queensland Reds and a commanding win over the Melbourne Rebels last week.

Wallaby Berrick Barnes is listed to play at inside-centre after missing the Waratahs’ first two games with a groin injury.

Defending champions Queensland have World Cup Wallaby forwards Scott Higginbotham and Saia Faingaa returning from injury for Saturday’s home encounter with the Rebels.

Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale is expected to make his debut for the Rebels after recovering from a hamstring injury to join fellow big-name recruit James O’Connor in the Melbourne backline.

Pat McCabe is another Wallaby returning from injury to make his first appearance of the season for the ACT Brumbies against

bottom team the Cheetahs in Canberra on Saturday.

McCabe has not played since dislocating his shoulder at last year’s Rugby World Cup and subsequently underwent surgery.

The Chiefs are intact for Friday’s derby with the Crusaders in Napier, meaning that World Cup All Blacks Sonny Bill Williams and Richard Kahui are again in the centres against the seven-time Super Rugby champions. The Crusaders, looking to kick-start their season, have made four changes, among them Corey Flynn at hooker, Owen Franks at prop and Zac Guildford on the wing. Elsewhere this weekend, Western Force look for their first win of the season against New Zealand’s Wellington Hurricanes in Perth, while the Sharks have home advantage in a South African derby against the Golden Lions in Durban. South Africa’s Western Stormers have a bye this weekend. — AFP

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Wizards stun Lakers, Spurs roll WASHINGTON: Roger Mason led a spirited fourth-quarter comeback and Kobe Bryant lost his shooting touch down the stretch as the Washington Wizards rallied from a 21-point deficit Wednesday night to stun the Los Angeles Lakers 106-101.

Mason hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, turning what had been a pro-Lakers scene into an unusually raucous show of home support for a team that is 20 games below .500. The same arena that rocked to “M-V-P!” for Bryant in the first half was bellowing “Beat L.A.!” in the final minute.

Nick Young scored 19 points for the Wizards, who beat the Lakers for the first time since 2006 - a stretch of nine straight losses. Trevor Booker had 18 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, and Kevin Seraphin scored a career-high 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting.

Mason also finished with 14 points, and John Wall had nine assists to help make up for four points on 1-for-8 shooting.

Bryant scored 30, but he went 1 for 10 from the field in the fourth quarter.

Pau Gasol had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Andrew Bynum scored 19 points for the Lakers, who dropped both ends of a road back-to-back.

Spurs 118, Knicks 105 At San Antonio, Tony Parker scored 32 points as the Spurs dealt the sliding Knicks a third consecutive loss. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili added 17 points apiece in Ginobili’s second game back after missing two weeks with a strained stomach muscle. Like the Knicks, the Spurs are finally at full strength again, but are doing a far better job of blending rotations and fitting all their pieces together.

The Knicks have lost six of nine. They bear little resemblance to their Jeremy Lin-inspired resurgence before the AllStar break, and booting Landry Fields from the starting lineup before the game didn’t help much. Anthony led New York with 27 points. Lin had 20.

76ers 103, Celtics 71 At Philadelphia, Evan Turner scored a career-best 26 points, helping the 76ers rout the Celtics to maintain their lead in the Atlantic Division.

Before tip-off, Turner denied a radio report that a mystery problem was causing his inconsistent play. Then Turner went out and proved he’s just fine. He shot 11 of 19 and grabbed nine rebounds. Six Sixers scored in double figures, including Elton Brand (18), Lou Williams (15) and Nik Vucevic (14).

Vucevic’s 12 rebounds were a high for the rookie. Andre Iguodala had 10 points, eight assists and seven boards.

The Sixers, a surprise contender a month ago, had lost eight of 10 to drop their lead in the division to one game over Boston, which had won five in a row.

Jazz 99, Bobcats 93 At Charlotte, Al Jefferson had 31 points and nine rebounds as the Jazz controlled the paint, where they outscored the Bobcats 54-36 and outrebounded them 43-34.

Jefferson was 11 of 19 from the field and hit all but one of his 10 foul shots in a dominating inside effort. Paul Millsap scored 16 points while Derrick Favors added 14 points for the Jazz, who won for just the fifth time this season on the road. The victory helped pull the Jazz

Nets 101, Clippers 100 At Newark, Jordan Farmar hit a 3pointer from the right wing with 0.2 seconds left and the Nets squandered an 18-point, second-half lead before beating the Clippers.

Deron Williams had 21 points and picked up his 10th assist with a pass to Farmar as the Nets won the chippy contest that featured five technical fouls.

Chris Paul put the Clippers ahead for the first time since the opening minutes when he made two free throws with 8.9 seconds to play after being fouled 20 feet from the basket. Williams nearly lost the ball on the Nets’ first inbounds play and the ball went out of bounds near halfcourt. Williams took the ensuing inbounds pass from Farmar and returned the ball for the game-winning shot.

back to .500 at 19-19.

Corey Maggette scored 25 points to lead the Bobcats, who failed in their quest to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. It’s the third straight 20-point game for Maggette, who’s averaging 19.7 points per game over the last 10 games.

Raptors 116, Rockets 98 At Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points as the Raptors used a rare offensive outburst to beat the Rockets.

Linas Kleiza added 19 points while Jose Calderon had 17 points and 12 assists for the Raptors, who wrapped up a 2-2 homestand with one of their strongest games of the season. Toronto set season highs in points and shooting percentage (59.2) while overcoming a shaky third quarter by dominating the weary Rockets over the final 12 minutes.

Leandro Barbosa added 15 points and Amir Johnson had 14 for the Raptors.

Chandler Parsons scored 17 points to lead the Rockets, who have dropped five straight in Toronto, and five in a row overall.

Heat 89, Hawks 86 At Miami, LeBron James had 31 points and 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 18 points and set up Udonis Haslem for an alley-oop dunk with 12 seconds left. Miami won its 11th straight at home and had to come from 10 points down in the third quarter to extend the streak. Another Heat streak ended - it was Miami’s first time since April 6, 2006, without making a 3-pointer, a span that included 455 regular-season games and 60 more in the playoffs.

The Heat were 0 for 10 from beyond the arc. Josh Smith scored 23 for the Hawks, who were without Joe Johnson and Tracy McGrady, among others.

T’wolves 106, T Blazers 94 At Minneapolis, Wes Johnson scored 19 points to back Kevin Love’s 29 points and 16 rebounds for Minnesota.

Johnson went 3 of 4 on 3-pointers and Luke Ridnour added 22 points for the Timberwolves (21-19), who moved into the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. They own the tiebreaker over Houston, which lost earlier Wednesday.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 points and Gerald Wallace had 13 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for the Blazers, who have lost four of their last five games. Aldridge went 2 for 3 from the free throw line - his first foul shots in four games - but was badly outplayed by Love for the second straight game. He was held to just five points in the second half.

Thunder 115, Suns 104 At Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and James Harden added a career-high 30 off the bench as the Thunder roared back for their 14th straight home win.

Kevin Durant also chipped in 30 points and Serge Ibaka contributed 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as the Thunder overcame a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter.

Oklahoma City limited the Suns to two baskets over an 11-minute stretch, outscoring Phoenix 33-9 to eliminate a big deficit and take control.

Marcin Gortat had a career-best 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead Phoenix, which built the largest lead for an oppo-

SACRAMENTO: New Orleans Hornets guard Jarrett Jack (center) is double teamed by Sacramento Kings’ Marcus Thornton (left) and Tyreke Evans during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game. —AP

NBA results/standings Utah 99, Charlotte 93; Philadelphia 103, Boston 71; Toronto 116, Houston 98; Washington 106, LA Lakers 101; Miami 89, Atlanta 86; Oklahoma City 115, Phoenix 104; Chicago 106, Milwaukee 104; Minnesota 106, Portland 94; New Jersey 101, LA Clippers 100; San Antonio 118, NY Knicks 105; Cleveland 100, Denver 99; Sacramento 99, New Orleans 98; Memphis 110, Golden State 92.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Philadelphia 23 17 .575 Boston 20 18 .526 2 NY Knicks 18 21 .462 4.5 Toronto 13 26 .333 9.5 New Jersey 13 27 .325 10 Central Division Chicago 33 8 .805 Indiana 23 14 .622 8 Milwaukee 15 24 .385 17 Cleveland 14 23 .378 17 Detroit 13 26 .333 19 Southeast Division Miami 30 9 .769 Orlando 25 15 .625 5.5 Atlanta 23 16 .590 7 Washington 9 29 .237 20.5 Charlotte 5 32 .135 24

nent this season inside Chesapeake Energy Arena only to watch it disintegrate.

Bulls 106, Bucks 104 At Milwaukee, Derrick Rose drilled a long jumper at the buzzer to win it for the Bulls. Holding the ball for the last shot in a tie game, Rose pulled up just inside the 3-point line and hit it just as time expired. Rose was mobbed by his teammates near halfcourt, and cheered wildly by a predominantly pro-Bulls

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City 31 8 .795 Denver 22 18 .550 Minnesota 21 19 .525 10.5 Utah 19 19 .500 Portland 19 20 .487 Pacific Division LA Clippers 22 15 .595 LA Lakers 23 16 .590 Phoenix 17 21 .447 Golden State 15 21 .417 Sacramento 13 26 .333 Southwest Division San Antonio 26 12 .684 Memphis 23 15 .605 Dallas 23 17 .575 Houston 21 19 .525 New Orleans 9 30 .231

9.5 11.5 12 5.5 6.5 10 3 4 6 17.5

crowd. Rose scored 30 and Joakim Noah added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight straight.

Ersan Ilyasova had a career-high 32 points and Drew Gooden added a season-high 27 for the Bucks, who were coming off a home win over Philadelphia on Monday.

The Bulls held Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings to 11 points on 4-for-18 shooting. Jennings had scored 27-plus points in his previous three games coming into Wednesday.

Cavaliers 100, Nuggets 99 At Denver, Kyrie Irving hit a driving layup with 4 seconds left to cap a seesaw battle in the final minutes. Irving scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, all in the last 2:36 of the game, and Antawn Jamison had 33 to help the Cavaliers snap a six-game skid. Al Harrington had 22 points and Andre Miller 16 for the Nuggets, whose fourgame win streak ended.

Neither team could pull away in the fourth quarter. Denver scored the first six points to go ahead 78-76 and the lead changed hands nine times in the final 2:36,, with the point guards staging a personal duel down the stretch.

Ty Lawson had five of his 18 points to give Denver a 95-94 lead and Irving had two three-point plays and a driving layup to put Cleveland up 98-97 with 24 seconds left. He saved his best for the final seconds.

Kings 99, Hornets 98 At Sacramento, John Salmons made the go-ahead layup with 6.8 seconds left, Marcus Thornton scored 25 points, and the Kings snapped a four-game losing streak. The Hornets led by one and inbounded with 8.9 seconds left, but Isaiah Thomas stole Trevor Ariza’s pass and quickly spotted Salmons cutting to the basket for a left-handed layup.

Jarrett Jack had 25 points and Ariza 20 for the Hornets, who lost their third straight and fifth in six games. Chris Kaman had 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Tyreke Evans had 13 points for the Kings, who had dropped 10 of their previous 12 games. Jason Thompson, Salmons and Thomas all had 12 points, and Jimmer Fredette scored 11.

Grizzlies 110, Warriors 92 At Oakland, Rudy Gay had 26 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to lead the Grizzlies to their fifth straight victory.

Marc Gasol added 17 points and 12 rebounds and Marreese Speights scored 18 points to pace the hot-starting and hard-closing Grizzlies, who sprinted to a 21-4 lead, lost it, then built back a 21point lead late. Memphis has won nine of its last 10 games and is gaining momentum for the second straight season in the deep Western Conference.

Monta Ellis had 16 points and a hobbled Stephen Curry came off the bench to score 15 points for a Warriors team that just returned home from a solid 3-3 road trip only to turn in another perplexing performance. —AP

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

SA Test in balance as NZ take slim lead

ADELAIDE: Australiaís players celebrate the series victory over Sri Lanka at the end of the One Day International series cricket match yesterday. —AP

Aussies edge Sri Lanka to clinch ODI tri-series ADELAIDE: Paceman Clint McKay bowled Australia to a 16-run victory over Sri Lanka to capture the one-day international tri-series in the third final at the Adelaide Oval yesterday.

Man of the match McKay claimed five wickets for 28 off 9.5 overs to go with his 28 off 32 balls in

SCOREBOARD ADELAIDE: Scoreboard in the one-day international between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval yesterday: Australia: M. Wade c Sangakkara b Herath 49 D. Warner c Sangakkara b Maharoof 48 S. Watson c Herath b Dilshan 19 M. Hussey run out (Dilshan) 1 D. Hussey lbw b Maharoof 19 P. Forrest b Herath 3 D. Christian c Jayawardene b Maharoof 19 B. Lee b Kulasekara 32 C. McKay c Maharoof b Herath 28 X. Doherty not out 5 N. Lyon c sub (Senanayake) b Kulasekara 0 Extras (b2, lb3, w3) 8 Total (all out; 49.3 overs) 231 Fall of wickets: 1-75 (Warner), 2-115 (Watson), 3-119 (M. Hussey), 4-123 (Wade), 5-135 (Forrest), 6-151 (D. Hussey), 7-177 (Christian), 8-217 (McKay), 9-231 (Lee), 10-231 (Lyon) Bowling: Dilshan 10-1-41-1 (1w), Kulasekara 9.3-0-402 (1w), Malinga 10-0-69-0 (1w), Maharoof 10-0-40-3, Herath 10-0-36-3 Sri Lanka: M. Jayawardene b McKay 15 T. Dilshan c Hussey b Lee 8 K. Sangakkara c Watson b Lee 19 D. Chandimal lbw b McKay 5 L. Thirimanne c Warner b Watson 30 U. Tharanga c Wade b Watson 71 C. Kapugedera c Wade b McKay 7 N. Kulasekara c Lyon b Lee 15 F. Maharoof not out 18 R. Herath b McKay 0 L. Malinga b McKay 6 Extras (lb9, w12) 21 Total (all out; 48.5 overs) 215 Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Dilshan), 2-47 (Sangakkara), 3-52 (Chandimal), 4-53 (Jayawardene), 5-113 (Thirimanne), 6-142 (Kapugedera), 7-172 (Kulasekara), 8-204 (Tharanga), 9-205 (Herath), 10-215 (Malinga) Bowling: Lee 8-0-59-3 (3w/7), Doherty 8-0-49-0 (2w/5), McKay 9.5-1-28-5, Watson 7-0-13-2, Lyon 8-0-36-0, Christian 8-1-21-0 Australia won by 16 runs Australia win finals series 2-1 Man of the Match: Clint McKay (AUS) Man of the Series: Tillakaratne Dilshan (SRI)

Australia’s innings as he proved the winning difference over the World Cup finalists.

Australia looked as though their total would not be enough when they were dismissed for 231 with three balls left of the 50 overs.

But inspired bowling by McKay, backed up by veteran paceman Brett Lee’s three wickets, squeezed the home side across the line.

The Australians head to the West Indies on Friday buoyed by their victory which came on top of their 4-0 thumping of India in the Test series to complete an arduous international season at home.

McKay helped rescue Australia after a middlebatting collapse ruined hopes of a big total. Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene had won the toss and sent the home side into bat.

The Victorian paceman, mixing it up with deceptive slower deliveries out of the back of his hand, snared his best one-day figures in a match-winning performance.

McKay bowled Jayawardene for 15 and trapped the dangerous Dinesh Chandimal leg before wicket for five, before claiming the wickets of Chamara Kapugedera, Rangana Herath and last man Lasith Malinga.

A fired-up Lee snared the initial two victims-dangermen Tillakaratne Dilshan (eight) and Kumar Sangakkara (19 off nine balls) before later taking the key wicket of big-hitting Nuwan Kulasekara for 15.

Upul Tharanga, batting at number six, hit a resilient 71 off 122 balls before he was caught behind off stand-in Australian captain Shane Watson in the 46th over.

Watson took over the captaincy after Michael Clarke was ruled out with an injured left hamstring, which will also force him to miss Australia’s ODI series against the West Indies next week.

Earlier, opening batsman Matthew Wade topscored for Australia with 49 off 74 deliveries and batting partner David Warner hit 48 off 45.

Farveez Maharoof claimed three for 40 off 10 overs, while left-arm spinner Herath picked up three for 36 from his 10 overs as well as taking a brilliant tumbling catch to dismiss Watson for 19.

The Australians got away to a breezy start with Wade and Warner scoring 75 off the opening 14 overs, but their progress stalled as Sri Lanka’s bowlers and fielders, coupled with Jayawardene’s imaginative captaincy, reeled in the Australia’s runrate.The home side were 115 for one in the 21st over but fell away losing five wickets in the next 12 overs. Australia won the opening final in Brisbane by 15 runs with Sri Lanka taking the series into a decider after an eight-wicket win in Adelaide last Tuesday. — AFP

DUNEDIN: Debutant wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk and former captain Daniel Vettori staged a middle order fightback to help New Zealand establish a slim first innings lead at the close of play on the second day of the first Test against South Africa yesterday.

The South African-born Van Wyk (36) combined with Vettori (46) in a 53-run partnership and then with bowler Doug Bracewell (25) for 41 runs as the hosts made 243 for nine in reply to South Africa’s 238 on a sun-drenched University Oval in Dunedin.

New Zealand, however, squandered an opportunity to build a substantial advantage when they lost four wickets in the middle session and then two more in one Vernon Philander over just before the close after South Africa took the new ball.

Brendon McCullum (48) and captain Ross Taylor (44) had been subjected to a torrid spell of hostile, controlled pace bowling with Taylor hit three times by Morne Morkel, but looked well placed to build a comprehensive partnership before tea.

McCullum, however, top-edged a delivery from leg-spinner Imran Tahir to

be caught and bowled before Taylor fell 10 runs later when was caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher off Morkel.

Kane Williamson had also started to look comfortable before he feathered a catch to Boucher off Philander to leave New Zealand floundering at 135-5 and in danger of a first innings deficit before Vettori and van Wyk buckled down.

The 32-year-old van Wyck, who moved to New Zealand in 2006, was caught by Graeme Smith in the slips off Philander, who repeated the dismissal two balls later with Tim Southee falling for a duck before Trent Boult (eight not out) and Chris Martin (nought) saw the hosts through to the close.

Philander had figures of 4-50 from 17 overs, while Tahir impressed with his flight, control and variation to finish the day with 1-55 from 24 overs but could be a factor in the final innings.

The visitors had earlier been bowled out midway through the first session after Martin had run through their middle order on Wednesday and he finished with 4-56. If South Africa sweep the series 3-0, they will take over the world number one test ranking from England. — Reuters

SCOREBOARD Scoreboard at the close of play on the second day of the first test between New Zealand and South Africa at University Oval in Dunedin yesterday.

South Africa first innings (overnight 191-7) G. Smith c Nicol b Martin 53 A. Petersen lbw b Boult 11 H. Amla c Taylor b Vettori 62 J. Kallis c Taylor b Martin 0 AB de Villiers lbw b Martin 0 J. Rudolph c Boult b Bracewell 52 M. Boucher run out 4 D. Steyn c Taylor b Bracewell 9 V. Philander c Williamson b Martin 22 M. Morkel not out 13 I. Tahir run out 10 Extras (lb-1 nb-1) 2 Total (all out, 68.2 overs) 238 Fall of wickets: 1-34 2-86 3-90 4-90 5156 6-161 7-179 8-214 9-222 10-238.

Bowling: Martin 18-2-56-4, Southee 101-40-0, Boult 8-0-58-1, Bracewell 16.2-252-2 (nb-1), Vettori 15-4-31-1, Nicol 1-10-0

New Zealand first innings R. Nicol c Smith b Philander 6 M. Guptill b Morkel 16 B. McCullum c&b Tahir 48 R. Taylor c Boucher b Morkel 44 K. Williamson c Boucher b Philander11 D. Vettori c&b Kallis 46 K. van Wyk c Smith b Philander 36 D. Bracewell b Steyn 25 T. Southee c Smith b Philander 0 T. Boult not out 8 C. Martin not out 0 Extras (lb-3) 3 Total (for nine wickets, 86 overs) 243 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-41, 3-106, 4-116, 5-135, 6-188, 7-229, 8-229, 9-239 Bowling: Steyn 19-4-71-1; Philander 171-50-4; Morkel 18-5-52-2; Tahir 24-6-551; Kallis 8-2-12-1 New Zealand won the toss and opted to field.

DUNEDIN: South African keeper Mark Boucher makes a dive to retrieve a ball in front of Jacques Kallis against New Zealand on the second day of the first international cricket Test. — AP

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Audi unveils Auto giant plans big showroom in Kuwait

By Chidi Emmanuel INGOLSTADT, Germany: Audi has set the bar high for motorsports as it unveiled its latest prototype e-tron quattro in Ingolstadt, Germany. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the first Audi race car which no longer accelerated exclusively by a combustion engine.

With its partially electrified hybrid drive e-tron quattro, the prototype hails a new era in LMP1 sports cars. “The project e-tron quattro for motor sport started in February 2010. Only 18 months passed from the initial conceptual ideas

to the first test. This is a relatively short cycle for a technology that has never been tested in motor sport and which still doesn’t even exist in production,” Dr Martin Muhlmeier, Head of Technology at Audi Sport said.

“The first big hurdle on the threshold of a new era was defining the concepts.

As so often the case in the past, Audi also

aims to play a pioneering role in this technology. For the R18 e-tron quattro ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ (Advancement through technology) means the development of an independent hybrid system including complete networking, control, software, algorithms and interfaces,” he added.

In the latest technology, Audi adopted a flywheel accumulator system since the requirements at Le Mans differ slightly to those in everyday life. “A high power density is crucial during energy recuperation,” Christopher Reinke, Technical Project Leader LMP stated. He explained that “the system integrated into the front axle is comprised of two drive shafts, the Motor Generator Unit including planetary gears, an electronic flywheel accumulator

alongside the driver, an insulation monitoring unit for high voltage safety and the control system. The regulations allow 500 kJ of energy to be transferred to the front wheels between two braking phases. The planetary gears adapt the transmission ratio during acceleration and braking. The two independently powered axles on the e-tron quattro are synchronized exclusively via electronic control strategies”.

“The subject of lightweight design and construction was the focus throughout the entire car,” Christopher Reinke, Technical Project Leader LMP at Audi Sport said. “We have systematically and logically pursued ultra lightweight design and construction without compromising the aspects of safety and reliability. The

same applies to the monocoque just as it does for the engine, gearbox and other components,” he added.

Audi - which, was the first to win Le Mans with a TFSI engine and TDI engine has also sets the bar extremely high for the DTM competition in Germany. The auto giant had a perfect year in 2011 with Audi’s Martin Tomczyk as the champion; Mattias Ekstrom- the runner-up; Edoardo Mortara - rookie of the year and the Audi Sport team ABT Sportline - winner in team scoring. “To develop the hybrid technology for Le Mans is at least as ambitious as and challenging as our diesel project was in its early stages. We are intrigued to see how this technology performs in combination with our ultra lightweight technology on the race track at Le Mans,” the Head of Audi Motosport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich said.

The racing car has a developed a highly efficient system incorporating many technical innovations. “The hybrid quattro is just the foretaste of an innovative hybrid fleet. Our objective is very clearnot only to defend our title in Le Mans but also to become the first carmaker ever to win the most famous long-distance race in the world with a hybrid prototype sports car. This is only in keeping the Audi tradition,” Rupert Stadler, the Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG said. With regards to the Middle East, Stadler said the auto giant is planning to build a huge showroom in Kuwait, not a plant as previously reported. The Chairman sees a great growth potential in the Middle East, especially in the GCC region where a tremendous growth has already been recorded.

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Tevez nears comeback as City, United enter run-in

Jose Mourinho

La Liga top clubs take duel to crisis-hit regions MADRID: The world’s two richest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, take up their lonely duel for the title against sides battling for financial as well as La Liga survival this weekend.

Jose Mourinho is closing in on Real’s first league title in four years as they travel to face Real Betis tomorrow with a 10-point lead over Barca and 13 games left to play.

The European and Spanish champions journey to play Racing Santander on Sunday with Pep Guardiola’s hopes of a fourth consecutive league title looking ever more remote.

As rumours ripple through the media of multi-million euro deals to lure away perhaps world’s two most soughtafter coaches, Mourinho and Guardiola, Betis and Racing operate in a completely different environment.

The two La Liga sides have around 214 years of history between them and share more than just a mainly green strip.

They are both in administration with a combined debt of around 100 million euros and have both suffered from institutional instability caused by recent disputed changes in ownership.

Betis finished fourth in La Liga in 2005 and played in the Champions League the following season when they beat Chelsea in the group stage, but suffered relegation in 2009.

Under Pepe Mel they have played some eye-catching attacking football on their return to the top-flight but lie 12th, six points above the relegation places.

Real have only dropped points in three of 25 matches so far and arrive after a run of nine consecutive away wins.

La Liga top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo has 30 goals which is more than Betis have managed between them all season (29).

“There are very few who know how to stop this Madrid side,” Betis defender Antonio Amaya told the club’s radio station. “It’s a team from another league, but we aren’t scared. In our stadium with our fans will give them the odd fright.”

Racing sacked their second coach of the season on Wednesday, Juan Jose Gonzalez following Hector Cuper out of the door, without a full-time replacement being named.

They shape up to host Barcelona three points from safety in 18th place and without a win in seven outings. Barca have Lionel Messi back from suspension, the three-time World Player of the Year has scored 28 goals, seven more then the entire Racing squad all season.

The Argentine struck an incredible five goals against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday and is likely to face Racing reserve keeper Mario Fernandez with Tono suspended.

“I’ve never had the chance to play a team as important as Barca,” Fernandez told reporters. “You can surprise Barca, even though they compete in a different league, and they have already dropped a number of points away from home. All we can do is go out and give our all.”

Guardiola’s side have dropped 16 of their 18 points so far away from the Nou Camp this season. —Reuters

LONDON: The once-impossible idea of Carlos Tevez ever playing for Manchester City again could actually become reality on Sunday when the leaders travel to Swansea City as the race for the Premier League title enters the home straight.

Argentina striker Tevez, who had a spectacular falling out with manager Roberto Mancini last September, netted in a 3-1 win for the reserves against Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday watched by an appreciative crowd of around 1,000.

Mancini said Tevez was finished at the club when he ignored an order to warm up as a substitute against Bayern Munich in a Champions League match. However, after City failed to sell him and Tevez apologised, the forward is back in contention.

“His attitude has been absolutely first class,” City reserve team coach Andy Welsh told the club website. Title rivals Manchester United killed off Tottenham Hotspur’s championship hopes with a 3-1 win last weekend and on Sunday host inform West Bromwich Albion, whose 1-0 victory over Chelsea last Saturday cost Andre Villas-Boas his job.

The young Portuguese boss was sacked on Sunday after an erratic eight months in charge at Stamford Bridge. His former assistant Roberto Di Matteo is now preparing for his home debut as interim manager against mid-table Stoke City on Saturday.

Di Matteo’s stint got off to a winning start on Tuesday when his side beat Birmingham City 2-0 in an FA Cup fifth round replay and despite their ups and downs this season, Chelsea are very much in the hunt for the fourth Champions League place.

With 11 matches to play, City lead the standings with 66 points - two clear of United - followed by Spurs on 53, Arsenal on 49 and Chelsea on 46. Newcastle United have 44.

Spurs, who beat League One (third tier) Stevenage 3-1 in their FA Cup fifth round replay on Wednesday, visit Everton on

Carlos Tevez of Manchester City Saturday and will be looking to get their league campaign back on track as the race for third hots up.

Harry Redknapp’s side have suffered two successive demoralising league defeats, losing 5-2 at rivals Arsenal after leading 2-0 and being beaten 3-1 at home

by Manchester United.

If Spurs had beaten Arsenal they would have moved 10 points clear of Arsene Wenger’s men but their rivals could narrow the gap to one point if Spurs lose again and Arsenal beat Newcastle on Monday.

Arsenal, who won 2-1 at Liverpool last weekend, almost pulled off an impossible feat on Tuesday when they beat AC Milan 3-0 in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie having lost the first leg 4-0. The London side were very impressive in the first half against Milan and their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny believes they are good enough to overhaul Spurs and finish third despite trailing

them for most of the season.

“I would not settle right now for fourth place. We are four points behind the other north London club - I am not going to say their name - and hopefully we can challenge them,” he said after Tuesday’s bittersweet match.

“Hopefully Chelsea can challenge them for fourth place and I would be really pleased to see them (Spurs) in the Europa League next season. That would be fantastic. Hopefully they will be looking at this result and are looking over their shoulders.

“The momentum is with us. We won two fantastic games against Liverpool and Tottenham and we won a great game against Milan.” At the other end of the table there are vital relegation battles on Saturday with Bolton Wanderers hosting Queens Park Rangers and Wolverhampton Wanderers welcoming Blackburn Rovers, four of the five bottom clubs. Wigan Athletic, who are bottom, are at mid-table Norwich City on Sunday. — Reuters

The death of football in France?

PARIS: The best and therefore richest footballers in France fled as fast as their sports cars would carry them, pockets stuffed with cash from hurriedly emptied bank accounts and trailing agents and tax lawyers gleefully rubbing their hands.

Quite a doomsday scenario, eh? Yet French football administrators, coaches and players say an exodus like this could become reality if the would-be next president of France levies his proposed new 75 percent salary tax on the super-rich.

Basically, they are warning: If you take more of our money, we’re off; goodbye, not au revoir. Forget that old chestnut often trotted out by those in sport that they’re not concerned with politics, that the political and sporting worlds shouldn’t mix. When politicians start eyeing sport’s high earners and question whether their wages are financially and morally justified, it seems they are very interested. In sport, too, it appears all politics are local. If alarmist warnings of a player exodus are true, France could be facing a fascinating debate if Socialist candidate Francois Hollande is elected president on May 6. In times of economic crisis, what is more important: supplying opium to the people in the shape of top-quality football that can entertain otherwise unhappy fans or squeezing more tax from superwealthy players, even if that drives them away? What does France want: to be a great football nation or a fairer nation?

Even though the vast majority of earners in France wouldn’t be liable, Hollande’s tax has been a headline-grabber in the presidential campaign, partly because football is proving to be among the most vocal of its critics. Only income above 1 million euros ($1.31 million) would face the top whack of 75 percent.

The first million earned would be taxed at lower rates. Just 3,000 of the highest-earning taxpayers in France are likely to be affected. From French league president Frederic Thiriez down, the refrain is often the same: top players will flee to countries with lower taxes, leaving France - the 1998 World Cup champion with second-rate football. Thiriez estimates 120-150 players about one-quarter of those in France’s top division - earn enough to make them liable for Hollande’s tax. In Italy, Germany, England and Spain, which have Europe’s strongest leagues and clubs, top income tax rates range from 43 to 52 percent. The current top rate in France is 41 percent.

“It would be the death of French football,” Thiriez told sports newspaper L’Equipe. To RMC radio, he spoke of a “catastrophe” and of France relegated to “play in the second division of Europe, along with Slovenia or countries like that.”

Michel Seydoux, president of current French champion, Lille, said Hollande’s tax would produce “an impoverished spectacle.”

“What do people come to see? Good matches. Especially in a period of crisis, they need happiness and distractions,” he told RMC. “Less spectacle on the pitch means fewer spectators.

Broadcasters will pay less for a spectacle that will be less interesting. The sponsors will disappear.” Hollande claims to have ample support from sports people and opinion polls suggest his tax proposal is striking a chord with voters. He’s thrown back the criticism from football, suggesting it is living too well.

Specifically, he cited the multimillion euro salary the Qatari owners of Paris Saint-Germain reportedly pay their Italian manager, Carlo Ancelotti. —AP

Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

Struggling Bayern get Schweinsteiger boost BERLIN: Bayern Munich playmaker Bastian Schweinsteiger could make his comeback after a lengthy injury break against Hoffenheim tomorrow with the Bavarians desperate to keep pace with leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern have seen their three-point Bundesliga lead since the winter break transform into a seven-point deficit, after an erratic start to the year which looks to have derailed their treble chances.

Schweinsteiger’s absence since early February with a ligament injury has proved costly with Bayern winning only

two of their five games in all competitions during that time.

His return could not have come at a more crucial moment in the championship race with another slip-up almost certain to end their title hopes.

“I am not 100 percent yet. Ideally I would need two or three games but as things are now I have to be ready from the word go,” Schweinsteiger told reporters after returning to training this week. “We need to find our own game again,” said the Germany international in reference to their winning streak earlier

this season. Bayern, who are still in the Champions League and the German Cup semi-finals, will have their work cut out against Hoffenheim, who have yet to lose under coach Markus Babbel — a former Bayern player — in four games.

“When you play 16 years for such a club, (winning) becomes your second nature,” Babbel said. “We will try to keep up with them and maybe even spring a surprise. We have to use any of our chances to the full.”

Dortmund, top on 55 points, are traveling to relegation-threatened Augsburg,

looking to extend their unbeaten run to 19 games.

They have also won their last eight league games in a row to leave them eyeing a second consecutive title. “The way they are playing at the moment it is difficult to catch up with them,” said Schweinsteiger. Third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach, on 47 points and one behind Bayern, entertain gutsy Freiburg, who lifted themselves off the bottom spot with a spectacular 2-1 win against fourth-placed Schalke 04 last week. — Reuters

Neymar, Deco shine for Brazil in Libertadores

Lionel Messi

Guardiola lauds ‘unique’ Messi BARCELONA: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola predicted he would not see another footballer of the calibre of Lionel Messi in his lifetime after the Argentine World Player of the Year became the first man to score five goals in a Champions League match on Wednesday.

Messi tore through a hapless Bayer Leverkusen in their round of 16 second leg at the Nou Camp as holders Barca crushed the German side 7-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of Europe’s elite club competition 10-2 on aggregate.

The 24-year-old’s stunning opener and his third goal were particular highlights, each a wonderfully executed chip over Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno, first with his stronger left foot and then with his right.

“You won’t see anyone like him in your lifetime and neither will I,” Guardiola said at a news conference. “We witnessed one of Messi’s special nights tonight, it’s a gift and I will always be able to say that I coached him,” the former Barca and Spain midfielder added.

“The only credit I can take is that I always put him in the team and we just try to make sure he gets the ball. After that our task is done. “The throne belongs to him and only he will decide when he wants to relinquish it.”

Messi now has 12 goals in seven Champions League appearances this term, equalling the record for a single season he shares with former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. He has 49 in the competition overall.

His tally of 228 goals for Barca is only seven short of the club record set over 17 seasons by Cesar Rodriguez, while Messi is in his eighth campaign with the Spanish, European and world champions.

“Messi already deserves a tribute because it’s incredible that he is seven short of Cesar at the age of only 24,” Guardiola said.

“He is unique for his innate talent and his capacity to compete and he teaches us how to compete too.” Ten players managed the feat of scoring five goals in a match in the old European Cup but Messi is the first to do so since the Champions League replaced it from the 1992-93 season. — Reuters

VILA BELMIRO: A Neymar hat-trick for Santos and Deco’s winner for Fluminense in Boca Juniors’ Bombonera cauldron highlighted a stunning night for Brazilian sides in the Libertadores Cup on Wednesday.

Corinthians made it three wins for Brazil while a bad night for Argentine sides was compounded by a first defeat for Velez Sarsfield.

Brazil striker Neymar netted a penalty and two brilliant second-half goals as holders Santos beat fellow Brazilian side Internacional 3-1 in Group One. Santos, upset 2-1 by Bolivia’s The Strongest at high altitude in La Paz three weeks ago, have three points from two matches. The Strongest lead the group with six points.

Neymar, Brazil’s big hope for the 2014 World Cup, converted a penalty to give Santos a 1-0 halftime lead at their Vila Belmiro ground before exploding after the break.

In the 54th minute, he picked up the ball in his team’s half and dribbled his way past three defenders before steering it past goalkeeper Muriel at close quarters.

Inter striker Leandro Damiao pulled one back 10 minutes later, but within two minutes Neymar had completed his treble, his speed on the ball leaving two defenders in his wake before he chipped over Muriel.

Fluminense beat Boca 2-1 to lead Group Four with a maximum six points, while Boca have only one from a disappointing 0-0 draw against weak Venezuelan side Zamora.

Argentine champions Boca, six times South American title winners, lost for the first time in 37 matches in all competitions.

“We knew the pressure would be strong here and Boca tried to push us back into our half,” man of the match Deco told Fox Sports.

“But we defended well when we had to and controlled the match, playing with quality and personality,” added the former Barcelona, Chelsea and Portugal playmaker.

Fluminense took an early lead when Brazil striker Fred headed home a Deco free kick flighted into the box in the 10th minute.

ABIDJAN: Ivory Coast’s Wilfried Bony (left) vies with Guinea’s goalkeeper Naby Yattara (right) during the Friendly football match between Ivory Coast and Guinea at the Felix Houphouet Boigny stadium, February 29, 2012. — AFP

The goal, the first Boca goalkeeper Agustin Orion had conceded in eight matches in all competitions this year, stunned the home side and they took most of the first half to settle into their stride.

Visiting goalkeeper Cavalieri parried three stinging chances in quick succession in the last minute of the first half from defender Juan Insaurralde, striker Santiago Silva and playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme.

Boca, their tails up, equalised right after the break from a 47th minute free kick taken by supreme specialist Riquelme. The playmaker’s curling kick hit the base of the post and came back into the middle off Cavalieri’s

back only for midfielder Leandro Somoza to rifle it home.

Fluminense were not to be deterred and eight minutes later Wellington turned Matias Caruzzo on the left and crossed low for Deco to shoot first time under Orion restoring the Brazilians’ lead.

Corinthians beat Paraguay’s Nacional comfortably 2-0 at home at the Pacaembu in Sao Paulo to notch up four points, two less than Group Six leaders Cruz Azul of Mexico.

Velez still lead Group Seven with six points from three matches after their 3-0 defeat by Deportivo Quito at the Atahualpa in the Ecuadorean capital. — Reuters

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ADELAIDE: Australian bowler Clint McKay (right) celebrates with teammate Michael Hussey after dismissing Sri Lankan batsman Chamara Kapugedera in the final of the one-day cricket series. —AFP

Aussies clinch ODI tri-series Page 60