10 Feb 2012

Shooting pets for fun

12

Parker leads Spurs over Sixers 100-90

60

FR EE

6

Syria’s Homs under new deadly blitz

Max 23º Min 13º

www.kuwaittimes.net

NO: 15355- Friday, February 10, 2012

Sadrists hail exit of US ‘occupiers’

SEE PAGE 11

Iraqi supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr wave their national flag and a Bahraini flag (center) during a celebration marking the departure of US troops from Iraq in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in northern Baghdad yesterday. — AFP

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Why Islamists won

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

I

t was not a surprise to see Islamists winning the elections in Kuwait and in the Arab world. It was a very obvious end for the liberals in Kuwait. Why are the Islamists wining elections in the Arab countries? Are they expected to bring miracles with regards to development? What about the so called liberals?

There are those who became westernized with western education only to come back home and return to their Islamic roots.

Islam is not only a religious ritual. It includes values, ethics and good social behaviors.

In Kuwait, political parties are not allowed officially - yet we have groups that call themselves Islamic Brothers and other names. I believe our society is still a conservative one and liberal speeches are not widely welcomed at this time. This is

Local Spotlight

reflected in the election results. The Arab Spring is ushering in a radical change in the region. More so, corruption scandals helped the Islamists as key figures were forced to leave the stage.

From Tunisia to Egypt, the Islamists have been active all through the Arab Spring and have taken over power even though they did not show any real interest in reforms and developments. The scene now is vague and time will show how the new opposition MPs will create a balance between their agenda, public calls and government formation. Islamists won the election in Kuwait because they knew how to shape public opinions in a time when the liberal parties were busy fighting over irrelevant issues. I guess there is a lesson to be learnt.

Satire Wire

Get the hint and hang up

By Sawsan Kazak

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

A

lexander Graham Bell developed the telephone in the mid 1870s.

Truly a technology that has stood the test of time as it is still in use over 135 years later. You would think that with over a century of practice and being passed down from one generation to another, people would have the general phone rules and etiquette down by now. It baffles me that to this day there are people completely oblivious to proper behavior when on a phone conversation.

I’m not going to talk about those people who keep you waiting on one line while they answer and converse on the other, or those that talk to you and to those in front of them at the same time, and don’t even get me started on the ‘miss-callers’. My beef is with phone users that do not know when it is time to wrap up the conversation and hang up.

These people do not pick up on obvious hints like you haven’t said anything for the past 23 minutes or you keep saying “ok, then...”. They talk and talk, completely inconveniencing your life and making you hate the moment you ever started using a telephone. Yes, there are conversations that are intended to be hours long, but there are also those that are only meant to be a quick efficient. These phone conversations consist of a greeting, usually hello or in my case a ‘wazzzuppp’, the stating of the business or reason for the call, and then a prompt ‘goodbye’.

The trick is to understand what kind of conversation you are in by listening to the other person carefully. If the other person’s voice is winding down, they don’t seem that into what you are saying and keep making hints that they are really busy at the present moment, it’s time to wrap it up. A telephone is supposed to be a convenient technology, not one that inconveniences our life.

There is the extreme opposite of the above mentioned, the people that have never heard of the word ‘bye’. These phone users call you, state their business immediately and then hang up. These people will leave you talking to yourself long after they have unceremoniously left the conversation. If you ask me, I would prefer these people rather than the ‘dragger-ons’. But there should be a balance and mutual understanding of the type of phone conversation about to take place. If it sounds like you are talking to yourself, you can feel the other person’s eye rolling through the phone or there has been multiple attempts of a departure on the other side, simply get the hint and wrap it up.

LETTER TO SAWSAN Dear Sawsan, I spent a year (2008/2009) in Kuwait and I was so surprised to see new cars still with cassette players. In the music stores I was impressed to see new releases still available for sale in cassette format. In video stores I was amazed to see new release VHS tapes for sale alongside DVDs. Just before I left for Kuwait I packed up my Washington State house and moved my wife to Texas. For the move I disposed off my VHS and cassette library. I tried to sell them at a yard sale but no one was interested in them. I finally put them all in the trash. I couldn’t sell my VHS VCR machine nor could I sell my old style televisions. It’s even hard to obtain music on CD. The majority of music purchase is made online and directly downloaded onto computers. FORD has ceased to offer a radio/CD player in its popular FOCUS model. The only way to play music is via MP3/MP4. I have trouble keeping up with this technology.

Yours, Dave Hood

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

From the editor’s desk

By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan Editor-in-Chief

myopinion@kuwaittimes.net

T

he Lebanese Ambassador to Kuwait HE Bassam Al-Omani hosted a lunch banquet in honor of Archbishop Hanna Al-Oun who was visiting Kuwait to celebrate the day of Maronites with the Lebanese community in Kuwait. I attended the banquet, which gathered all the Lebanese sects under one roof united as Lebanese people. The ambassador followed protocol and gave a nice welcoming speech. In that speech the ambassador highlighted the responsibilities of an ambassador towards the country he serves. He said, “Don’t come and ask me who are you with or are you with us or against us? I am neither with you nor against you!”

The ambassador clarified that every Lebanese has a right to have his/her own political or religious views and to follow a certain sect or party but he on the other hand is here to serve all the Lebanese people in Kuwait. He explained that he does not take sides in these matters and respects all sects.

Bravo, well said Your Excellency! It would be great if MPs in Lebanon, Kuwait and the rest of the Arab world shared your beliefs and actually worked for the benefit of their countries and citizens as a whole rather than a tribe, religious sect or a political group. I really wish our parliament would take that point and apply it to their political agenda.

Speaking of political agendas, I went through the whole elections without seeing one political agenda that has a plan for the benefit of Kuwait and

Conspiracy Theories

Wrongly diagnosed

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

I

came into the office yesterday afternoon to hand in my Friday Times article. I found gloomy faces and freaked out people in the editorial. So I wondered what was I missing? Did the police come and collect any illegals? I don’t think so because we at Kuwait Times don’t have that kind of colleagues. We always abide by the rules and regulations.

I was surprised if the news in Syria was so horrific that the staff was sympathizing. I thought that our cosmopolitan team was sympathizing with the people of Syria. Was this possible? And as we don’t have a representative of a veto nation on board (I mean any Russians), I doubted that that was the reason for the pale faces I saw around me.

To my surprise I discovered that Sawsan, bless her, bought a new gadget.

Guess for what? She is known for toying with gadgets. All of a sudden she became a doctor and she was checking everybody’s blood pressure. It looks like her gadget was not the perfect brand that was making reliable measurement.

It gave everybody a high blood pressure result. Suddenly, everyone in the editorial was misdiagnosed by Sawsan with high blood pressure. When my turn came and she seated me on a chair, to my surprise my blood pressure was towards the high end. Usually, I am the kind of gal who has her blood pressure on the low side. I also freaked out. But inside myself something told me that her machine was not measuring properly. I told her to change her measurement way. Then she got my pressure right.

At this point I asked her to reassure everybody else and recheck their blood pressure so they can get some peace of mind. I tell you guys, some of them were asking for appointments and calling doctors for a thorough medical checkup. Sawsan, however, declined to do the recheck again because she said she was going back to the editor’s desk and stopped being a nurse.

She insisted she has a deadline for her pages. She left everyone else in panic.

The funniest part is that when she checked the pressure of our editor-inchief and misdiagnosed him too, he immediately called the finance department to settle her indemnity (jokingly, of course). She could not mess with him when she knew that her gadget was wrong. He was the only one who was rechecked in the proper way. I sympathized with our editor Shakir, a young chap, who discovered that his misdiagnosis lasted for a week. She insisted that he go and see a doctor because he crossed the danger zone.

Guys, never trust anybody outside a clinic or who is not professional or a paramedic and who does not carry a badge indicating that he or she belongs to the medic family. This can manipulate your health and you can freak out easily.

With me or against me? its future. The opposition MPs have a very clear agenda but nothing political about it; oppose, oppose, oppose; don’t cross us we are free heroes and then threaten to trample people and wipe the floor of the parliament with them?!

Sounds like an agenda from the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The religious sect has an agenda to make everything forbidden except for halal food and drink, marriage, work, prayers and sleep!

Then there are people like the now MP Al-Juwaihel who thinks only he and a handful of people are Kuwaiti and that the rest should be thrown out! Then there are others who have slogans such as: “for Kuwait”, “we want it better”, “we

want change”, “for a beautiful tomorrow” etc. OK. All sounds good but what is your political agenda? What is your plan?

What are you going to change? I think some people’s understanding of change is: “Hey, vote for me to change faces in parliament”.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I see no hope in this parliament and it seems that Kuwait is going to face difficult times under the current situation.

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

In my view

Top 10 things I won’t write about this week

By Jamie Etheridge local@kuwaittimes.net

T

he news is filled with horror stories this week. I’m not a big fan of Stephen King (American author of contemporary horror) but I wish it were his imaginations creating the headlines rather than the real life nightmares taking place around the region. As expected, the clashes in Egypt have only worsened and despite parliamentary elections being held, the situation continues to deteriorate. In Syria, my heart aches for the people of Homs and I can only hope that international intervention soon helps stop the bloodshed (though I’m far from optimistic.) In the Gulf, the recent Twitter scandal and death threats are really scary but I won’t go into it. Nowadays, even offering your opinion or poetry can get you killed.

In the spirit of supporting those who cannot speak their minds across the region, I’m offering up the top 10 things I will not write about this week: 10. Politics in Kuwait: The burning of a tent, the storming of a parliament, the victory of the opposition.

Each day brings a new challenge for Kuwait. So much potential wasted.

9. Business doldrums: Across the region, businesses

aren’t doing well and some very big fish are suffering a lot more than anyone wants to admit.

8. Playground politics: I recently joined a great group of moms only to find out that politics and snarky comments can be found on the playground as easily as the parliament.

7. Marathon shopping: Those who have visited the Avenues know what I mean.

6. Money: Everyone needs it and wants it. Many here are working some angle trying to get it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We all need it. But I loathe the dishonesty and bulls**t associated with the scramble. Perhaps we could use a barter system? I’ll babysit for breakfast, write columns for coffee and tap dance for trips to the Maldives.

5. Nationality: In fact, this is the first thing pretty much everyone asks: Where are you from? I love to tell people ‘the moon’ but it just leads to more questions.

We are all from somewhere and nowhere and this should not define us. Why not just come out and ask:

How much money do you make? What passport do you hold? It would save us all so much time and irritation.

4. Taboos: It seems the more sophisticated we become, the more media savvy and connected, the more we strive to limit other people’s choices. I will never understand why people care who others are spending time with. As long as no one gets hurt, get your own life, for goodness sake!

3. Turkish coffee: I love it so much. I’m going to have three cups and pretend I’m in Istanbul.

2. Justice vs equality, freedom vs respect, cultural clashes: A British man has lost an appeal against a jail sentence in the UAE for insulting mosques. He probably lost his temper and has apologized. But some things, many, many things, it seems cannot be tolerated. Who do you think is right in this case?

1. Madonna at the Superbowl: I mean really, who cares?

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

What’s life like post-Kuwait?

Expats report difficulties in readapting to life back home

By Lisa Conrad KUWAIT: “I could never go back to living without a maid,” says 29-yearold English expatriate, Megan. “I don’t understand anymore how people manage to do it all without any help, seriously,” she added. People have asked endlessly how expats can adapt to the Gulf and deal with culture shock, should they experience it. What they fail to realize, however, is that once expats successfully settle in to their new routines and lifestyles, they may well have trouble readapting to their home countries.

For Megan, returning to the UK is unfathomable, “So much is catered to making the life of the expat easy here,” she says. “A cleaner comes to my apartment twice a week. My car is cleaned daily by the building keeper. My insurance scheme covers more than the NHS (the UK’s National Health Service) does. All utilities are included in my rent, which is half what I’d pay for something similar in the suburbs of London,” she compares. “I could not go back. I know I couldn’t. I miss it terribly and when I’ve been here a while I’m convinced I want to move back to London, but the second I visit I get culture shock at how stressful everything is and I’m reminded of why I’ll stay in this region.”

Return regrets 42-year-old Michael initially worked as a Marketing Executive in Dubai, but returned to the UK after five years, “I’d become so sick of all the materialism. I really felt like everything revolved around money and wealth and items. I missed home. It was great when I first returned. I went to galleries and theatres and really unwound.” However, just six months after returning, he began applying for Gulf jobs again, “I started to feel the difference.

I was earning less, and realized that I could not keep up the lifestyle of travel that I’d become accustomed to. I also missed being able to relax after work and go to the beach on the weekends. Even work was less fun because of the smaller budgets.” Michael now refers to his experience as a ‘lesson’ and says he appreciates working in the Gulf, “I still miss certain things, but there are more benefits to being here. I was somewhat spoilt before, and didn’t realize what I had.” He successfully managed to secure a new job in the Gulf, and is finding it a more positive experience second time around, “I couldn’t get my job back in Dubai, but got a better offer in Kuwait anyway. I go to Dubai once a month, as well as Bahrain and Beirut.

Every three months I go further afield, usually Europe.”

Just a means to an end However, not all expats want to work in the Gulf in the long-term, and see it as a temporary means to save money before returning home. Wael, 27, who is from Lebanon, worked in Kuwait for three years before leaving, “I worked in Saudi for two years, and Kuwait for three. It was an investment of time so I could set myself up back home.” Following his ‘investment’, Wael managed to buy an apartment in Beirut, which he now rents out as an extra source of income until he decides to get married. “I don’t miss it at all. It’s not the same being in someone else’s country. Plus, the lifestyle here is amazing, we have some of the best nightlife in the world, beaches, mountains, skiing in the winter, everything. The only thing missing here is many opportunities to make decent money.”

By the time he returned to Lebanon, Wael had accumulated enough savings to buy his apartment and enough experience to secure a decent job in Beirut, and says the slight drop in salary was worth it, “I only make a little bit less than I did in Kuwait. But I go out every night with friends, and being back by my family is amazing. I’d never go back to the Gulf, but I’d recommend it in the short term.”

The grass is always greener Is it a matter of the degree in lifestyle change, therefore, that makes it easier for some to return to their home countries than others? According to Lebanese expatriate Nahed, it’s not, “I know many expatriates who returned to their home countries. They insist that they couldn’t take living in the Gulf and that things are so much better now that they left, but I know from their family that they’re dying to return.” Nahed insists that it’s stubbornness that keeps those who want to return to the Gulf from doing so, “Before someone leaves, they make sure that they constantly whine and complain about the Gulf, as if they’re trying to rub their move in the faces of those staying. But then when they get there and they suddenly miss the money and the ease of life here, they’re too stubborn to admit that they made the wrong decision.” She continues, “The grass is always greener on the other side, and there are many things here that can be really difficult to adjust to. But so many expats I know forget about the issues and difficulties we have back home. They get a rude awakening when they return.”

The value of time The ease of life for many expats in the Gulf seems to be a major factor keeping them around, but Michael insists it’s more than materialism, “You certainly make more money, but it’s not just a matter of materialism. Life is also about experiences, and they don’t come cheap either.” He added, “I’ve been on safaris in Africa, to the Taj Mahal, seen the Himalayas, and trekked in South America. Some of the most amazing moments in my life were on these trips, which I wouldn’t have been able

to afford on my UK salary. I cannot readapt to the feeling that I’m missing out.”

Megan agreed, adding “We don’t have a cleaner at home in England. It sounds really petty, but it takes so much time to clean and I hate having to do it when I’m there. It’s valuable time you could spend doing something else, and here you

don’t get so bogged down in errands. You can actually do more of what you want to be doing with your time.” She continued, “I like the freedom of feeling I don’t have as many obligations. My friends in England go out a few times a week to a local place, and that’s fine. I go to Dubai once a month or more for an insane weekend, and that’s amazing.”

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

By Sawsan Kazak

A

nyone who has had a pet can tell you that the animal cared for slowly becomes a member of the family. Their cuteness melts our hearts, their antics keep us entertained and their unconditional love soothes us. Any owner can also tell you that each pet has a distinctive personality, with unique likes and dislikes and sometimes strange behavior.

Pictures are a good way to capture our greatest moments, and of course, our pet’s greatest moments. That is exactly what Jaber Al-Hazzaa does with his pet photography service named Q8 Petography. “I have always loved animals and photography growing up.

Over the past few years I have been more into photography taking my camera with me almost everywhere I go and taking pictures of anything I see whether it’s people, scenery,

buildings, landmarks or just a simple foot print in the sand,” says the 26-year-old Kuwaiti of his passion for photography.

Adding: “Growing up I also always had dogs around me and at one point in my life I lived with about six dogs at the same time. My passion and love for both dogs and photography gave me the idea and inspiration I needed to start Q8 Petography; which is ultimately be my dream job.”

Starting up The company began in early December 2011. At the moment Al-Hazzaa works alone but has the support and help of family and friends. The young entrepreneur studied at the American University of Kuwait and obtained a BA in Graphic Design. “I’ve also taken a few courses on photography to enhance my knowledge in that field, and attended a few seminars on design,” says Al-Hazzaa.

Q8 Petography’s main target animals are dogs and cats, but the services are open to any type of pet or animal that the client may require pictures of. “I haven’t really done any photo shoots with any weird animals but the toughest was a horse because they are large animals and move fast especially if they are attempting a jump which requires a lot of

patience and focus to capture the perfect image. Using flash is also a bad idea because it can startle the horse, especially if the area isn’t well lit which adds to the difficulty,” says Al-Hazzaa of his recent experiences.

Keeping the pet comfortable “At the moment I do my editing from

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

home. My services include visiting the clients home or outdoor location. I do this because the pets are more likely to be at ease at their home or a location frequented often and it is more likely that they will be well behaved, thus making the photo shoot flow smoother in most cases,” explains Al-Hazzaa.

The photos of the animals at Q8 Petography are distinct and have an art-like quality to them. “I believe this type of service has not been successfully accomplished before in Kuwait and is something unique.

Anyone can capture an image of a pet but what makes my services special is that it is done by a professional camera and a professional photographer,” explains Al-Hazzaa.

“The service also includes an editing process which requires time and effort to complete.

The end result is something spectacular and the printed and digital images can be used as a decoration around the house or you can share them with your family and friends in person or through the internet.”

The Q8 Petograghy service includes a photo shoot at home or any other location and a digital file on CD with all the original images.

There is an extra fee for any additional requirements such as image manipulation done through Photoshop/Illustrator or printing. The images are developed on photo print paper or canvas print paper with three different sizes to choose from. “In addition I can also capture images for events or websites.

My services for Q8 Petography are unlimited and if possible I try my best to get any special requests done. My main objective is to make

the client happy any way necessary, says AlHazzaa.

Al-Hazzaa presently has one dog, a Jack Russell hunting terrier which he has had for over a year now. “I spend a lot of my time with him, tried my best at training him, walk him, taught him a few tricks and take him out almost everywhere I go. Becoming attached to him over the past year gave me the inspiration I needed in order to start a business like this in Kuwait,” explains the pet enthusiast.

What the future holds “Q8 Petography is a new unique idea and concept to the Kuwait culture and I hope in time to make Q8 Petography something more appreciative and noticeable to the youth and the population. In the future I plan to expand

my business by opening up a photo studio just for pets and plan to offer more services allowing the client to be able to print images of their pets on almost anything you can imagine, says Al-Hazzaa about his future plans for the company.

Al-Hazzaa thinks the sky is the limit when it comes to his company saying: “Also I plan to host pet events, offer pet training, pet supplies, accessories and possibly even a pet shelter. But all of this requires time and support. I am coming up with new ideas and visions everyday to find ways to expand my business and to make it successful.”

Q8 Petography is on Facebook and Twitter.

—sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Become a

designer for a

day

Countess Birgit Tyszkiewicz is seen with her daughter Toska.

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Young girls had a chance to dress up mannequins in a clothes shop in Kuwait before taking photos of the result during a three-day workshop held at the Every Moment store in Avenues Mall. Presented by the designer Countess Birgit Tyszkiewicz, the workshop called “get styled by the designer” was the first workshop held in Kuwait by Roma e Tozka brand. Similar workshops were previously held in London and Germany. “I thought girls here would like it, so I organized it,” Birgit said.

According to her, the girls wanted to be on the cover of the online mag Every Moment that will be published soon. They also want to be on the website. “It’s amazing that they were able to work alone in dressing up the mannequin without the interference of their mothers.

They were choosing the outfits and combining them together. They know how to be stylish as they saw casting shows on TV,” she explained.

During the workshop, the designer took some photos of the participants which were later placed on the pinboard. Attendees got some gifts - cameras. Such pinboards served as inspiration for Brigit in the previous and present collections. “I used some photos of the pinboards and included them in some of my designs.” The theme of the spring/summer 2012 collection is ‘beauty of the ordinary’ and was inspired by the Fukushima disaster.

“During the past months, we have became aware of how frightening, dangerous and difficult our world can be. I thought about how to respond to it as a designer and creative person. So I focused on our small world of neighborhood, hidden corners, backyards, and I found the beauty of the ordinary,” noted Brigit. She said that the focus was how to make the world become rich and colorful again. “I never left the house without my small digital camera and many of these visual discoveries became motifs for the new fabrics. For instance the pin board, my daughter’s love letter, the chair in the restaurant, the pottery in the old house, the broken pink window, close-up, blowup,” she added.

The process of making a collection became part of the collection. “In this way, the summer 2012 collection is a very personal collection and shows the new trend of privacy against an anonymous global world which we don’t understand. In the new collection, she says, “We followed the tradition of Chanel in creating sets with matching fabrics. There are no longer borderlines between the basics, fashion and the couture. It is beyond fashion, once a girl creates her own style,” she stressed.

The workshop which was held free of charge for the young girls (4 to 16 years old) coincided with the arrival of the new collection of Roma e Toska summer 2012.

The girls who attended the workshop may become a “Top Model” for the new ‘Fashion News Catalogue of Spring Summer’.

“The main theme of this workshop is to get styled the mannequin, style yourself, and get photographed. The girls like to get photographed and to wear stylish dresses, so they enjoyed this workshop,” said Tyszkiewicz.

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Egypt heart of Arab region: Kuwait PM New Cabinet to have qualified ministers CAIRO: “Egypt is the heart of the Arab region shall therefore focus on realizing goals in and its strength and sovereignty is that of all record time. As for the opposition, I say ‘you of us Arabs, and Kuwait is ever grateful for are welcome to express your views’ and the final say is that of the Egyptian support and its Kuwaiti people.” contributions in politics, On the relationship science and education between parliament and and culture,” said HH the government, Sheikh Kuwaiti Prime Minister Jaber remarked, “let us Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak be optimistic. And, I Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in an declare anew, through interview published yesyour publication, that I terday. Interviewed by am extending my hand Editor in Chief of Egyptian to cooperate with MPs of weekly 24 Sa’a (24 hours) all affiliations and perSamir Ragab, the premier suasions, with no excepsaid whatever the state of tion. Let our motto be affairs in Kuwait, it would ‘development and conalways be keen on further struction, first and forebolstering relations with most.’”

Egypt.

Sheikh Jaber was “We in Kuwait would also asked about the forever recall Egypt’s honnew Cabinet formation, orable stances and which is expected to be Egyptians’ contributions announced next week. in development in our “There shall be a major country in all fields ... Our reshuffle, yes. I shall do hands shall be in yours my best to nominate always,” Sheikh Jaber said. qualified people who On the recently held parSheikh Jaber Al-Sabah have shown good liamentary elections in Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said, “I come understanding and appreciation of facts on to my post with the desire to see real and tan- the ground, regardless of their identities gible accomplishments, for I know very well and backgrounds and regardless of criteria this is what the people want since I live such as tribal or religious beliefs or posiamong them and share their joys and woes. I tions.”— KUNA

No place in Cabinet for powerful ex-ministers Saadoun lobbies for speakership

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Well-informed sources said that the new Cabinet will not include former ministers Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

The sources also said that Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled would remain as the foreign minister in the new Cabinet with the same job title - Deputy PM and FM. The sources added that the development dossier would be entrusted to a skilled economist. In another development, HH the PM Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak AlSabah would meet with a number of MPs soon to discuss the appointment of ministers. Meanwhile, parliamentarians close to MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun have sent a message to MP Marzouq Al-Ghanem saying that his grilling motion against former minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd would not have enough support unless Saadoun becomes speaker.

The sources also stressed that Saadoun’s supporters are keen on penetrating various parliamentary blocs to

win enough support for Saadoun and make Mohammed Al-Sager withdraw from the race.

But Ghanem refused the bargain and stressed that he will vote according to his beliefs. In a bid to win more support, Sager recently met with a number of MPs in the fourth and fifth constituencies, said informed parliamentary sources, noting that Sager would also meet with other lawmakers to discuss his views and projects.

Meanwhile, MP Abdulhameed Dashti has urged the PM Sheikh Jaber to take all necessary measures against writer Mohammed Al-Mulaifi over his article against Shiites and warned that such writers are dangerous for national unity.

In a press release, Dashti urged Sheikh Jaber to read Mulaifi’s article and have it legally responded to. Commenting on Syria, Dashti said that Kuwait’s decision to expel Syrian ambassador came in compliance with the GCC’s decision. “I hope Kuwait would take its own decisions to maintain its sovereignty,” he stressed.

With added flavor, a mix of food and education In a Web-program, teachers are gourmet literary chefs

By Sunil Cherian

I

t is from the known to the unknown and from the familiar to what is new. A literacy program that caters to the thirst of teachers and students alike has placed what else, food, as a learning method. Terming instructions as recipes and comprehension as consumption, the Web-based program adds flavor to the educational needs of people across the world. Just like Web forums can make an aspiring teacher familiar with the socio-cultural background of the place she is going to work, there is an array of teaching programs on the Net that offers ways to familiarize with the classroom.

This ‘food for thought’ program, coordinated by Dr Dale Willows, a Canadian educator, tastes different because of the way it is served.

When the program, aptly named The Balanced Literacy Diet, was introduced at Fawsec Kuwait Educators’ Conference recently at Bayan Bilingual School, Hawally, the participating teachers felt like they had a sumptuous meal. Dr Willows’ presentation, ‘A Recipe for Successful Literacy Education in Elementary Classrooms’ cooked many ideas and methodologies that can be digested continentally. “In primary school, it doesn’t matter what the first language or the second language of the students are,” Dr Willows said. “It’s about teaching. Learning to teach literacy is a seeing and doing activity”. A participant-teacher agreed saying, “In Kuwait, children who start their education at

foreign schools, in effect, learn three languages: English, classical Arabic they are taught and colloquial Arabic they pick up from their peers and outside classrooms”.

Dr Willows who teaches at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto says Toronto speaks over a 100 languages. Her lit diet program, by the Miami based non-profit organization Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment through education, speaks more visual, considering what is seen is more remembered. Thus the program (www.litdiet.org) has over 100 videos on teacher demonstrations and student learning. In one of the virtual classroom visit videos, a teacher asks his students to describe a photo, integrating art, technology and psychology. In another, a teacher demonstrates how to put on a jacket, engaging role play, costume, culture and occupation.

Teachers should be gourmet literary chefs, Dr Willows said, with a winked comparison between some educational programs and hospital food. When teaching is like medicine, education is a nightmare. Dr Willows’ food pyramid has phonemic awareness as the basic. From letter sounds to reading comprehension through strategies, vocabulary and expression, it is a long way. But it is worth a healthy meal. Teachers enjoy serving it, learners enjoy having it. When you enjoy your work, you don’t feel tired.

Dr Willows’ youthful smile is the proof.

Dr Dale Willows speaks during her presentation at Fawsec Educators’ Conference at Bayan Bilingual School, Hawally.

Local FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Kuwaiti shot in Andalus KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti was shot during a scuffle in Andalus, said security sources. Case papers indicated that two young men arrived at a wedding hall in the area holding machine guns and firing shots in the air. When the groom’s family asked the gunmen to leave, one of the gunmen fired at them, injuring one person and damaging many vehicles nearby. The injured was rushed to hospital and the three gunmen were arrested.

Sister’s hair shaved off A young man ‘taught his sister a good lesson’ after he caught her whispering to her boyfriend over the phone.

According to security sources, the young man punished her sister by completely shaving off her hair. After hearing her sister’s voice on the phone, the brother dashed into her room and snatched the phone, only to find out that she had been talking to her boyfriend. He read all the text messages he had sent her and decided to punish her by cutting off her hair.

Stolen car found Farwaniya policemen have found a car that had been reported stolen two months ago, said security sources noting that patrol officers suspected a car that was parked in an open yard in Jleeb and on checking it, they found out it was reported stolen.

Stealing original parts A Kuwaiti reported that a mechanic at a Shuwaikh industrial area garage had swindled him by fixing secondhand spare parts in his car and stealing the original new ones he had bought. The man added that after collecting his car, he still heard the same noise and on checking the parts, he found out that they were not the new ones he bought. He also claimed that the mechanic stole some other genuine parts from his car and fixed used ones in place. He drove back to the garage and they had a fight before the police arrived at the scene.

Mother, son arrested A mother and her son have been arrested for breaking open and robbing cars in Mishref, security sources said. In response to many car theft reports at Mishref jogging lane, detectives conducted surveillance in the area. The two suspects were caught red-handed while trying to steal from one of the cars. A couple told the police that the woman’s daughter had also participated in scores of robberies. A search is still on for the girl.

Kuwait to hike investments in Egypt: Shamali CAIRO: Kuwaiti investments in Egypt have been untouched since the revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak a year ago, visiting Minister of Finance Mustafa AlShamali said yesterday. “We consider Egypt a base for the whole Arab world and plan more investments to help it in the future,” Shamali, also Minister of Health, said in an interview with KUNA on sidelines of 89th session of the Arab Economic and Social Council. He added that Kuwaiti investors are looking for more stability in Egypt to increase their investments.

He underlined that Kuwait has distinguished ties with Egypt and Kuwait investments there date back to the 1950s.

On the other hand, Shamali revealed the Arab Economic and Social Council is preparing for the coming Arab economic and development summit which will be held in Riyadh in Jan 2013. The ministers also reviewed the rate of achievement of last summit’s recommendation.

He hailed HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah’s initiative in the last summit to launch a special Arab fund for financing small and medium-sized enterprises. The contributions to this fund have amounted to $1.3 billion so far, he revealed. Shamali also said that Kuwait will participate in the coming Arab summit which will be held in Iraqi capital Baghdad. —KUNA

Kuwait budget surplus widens, spending slow Expenditure at only 43% of 2011-12 plan DUBAI: Kuwait’s budget surplus widened to KD 13.2 billion ($47.6 billion) in the first nine months of its 201112 fiscal year, nearly double its year-ago level on higher than expected oil income and lower spending, central bank data showed yesterday. The surplus accounted for 37 percent of the OPEC member’s 2010 gross domestic product, the last year for which figures are available, according to Reuters calculations. It stood at KD 7.0 billion in the same period a year ago. Revenues were KD 21.4 billion in April-December, while spending was KD 8.3 billion, a mere 42.5 percent of the full-year plan, the data posted on the Central Bank’s website showed. Kuwait is one of the world’s top 10 oil exporters.

“Kuwait has seen a volatile year in 2011 and this is certainly impacting their spending plans,” said Nancy Fahim, economist at Standard Chartered in Dubai. Kuwait’s budget spending has tripled since 2004, with a record KD 19.4 billion planned for fiscal year 2011-12, which started in April, fuelled in part by rising wage costs.

Kuwait also boosted social spending in 2011, including cash grants and free food rations for its citizens, mirroring a trend seen in much of the Gulf as unrest

swept through the Middle East, although it saw only small scale protests last year.

“There has been a limited progress on their four-year development plan, which was very ambitious but we have seen most of the expenditures go towards current expenditures, mainly wages and salaries,” Fahim said. “It is important to address public needs and public demands but at the same time we want to see expenditure into a longer term projects that can bring about growth,” she said.

Parliament cleared a $110 billion development plan in Feb 2010, aiming to diversify away from oil and boost the private sector, but little has been spent so far, partly due to political clashes which led two governments to resign last year. Following last week’s parliamentary elections, ratings agency Fitch warned that ongoing “friction” within Kuwait’s government would continue to weigh on reforms and hinder political effectiveness. In August, HH the Amir said the misuse of budget surpluses, including unproductive spending, has helped create structural imbalances in the Gulf Arab economy. The country of 3.6 million people has no plans to boost budget spending in the next fis-

cal year, nor does it expect budget cuts, its finance minister said in September.

Oil revenue reached 20.3 billion dinars in April-December, accounting for 95 percent of the total, the data showed. The 2011-12 budget is based on an oil price of $60 per barrel. Brent crude prices have been floating between $98 and $127 per barrel since the fiscal year started in April.

Yesterday, Brent crude held near sixmonth highs above $117 per barrel supported by worries of supply disruptions due to tension in the Middle East and hopes that Greece was closer to a debt deal among other factors.

Revenue was set at KD 13.4 billion in the 2011-12 budget, approved by parliament in June 2011, bringing the projected deficit to KD 5.99 billion, or 16.8 percent of 2010 gross domestic product, according to Reuters calculations.

However, the 2011-12 revenue estimate is very conservative given last year’s surge in the price of oil. A Reuters poll in December forecast Kuwait’s economic growth would slow to 3.5 percent in 2012 from an estimated 4.5 percent last year and generate a fiscal surplus of 22.9 percent of GDP in 2011-12, the largest among Gulf Arab oil exporters. — Reuters

Kuwait explains trade policy after WTO review GENEVA: Kuwait has said it would be maintaining its policy of 20 percent ownership of some privatised companies in order to protect the interests of the state and consumers something which it said was the responsibility of every government. The state is committed to providing private company employees with extra wages and social incentives for increased productivity, Kuwait’s representative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dhirar Erzouqi said, clarifying his country’s trade policies after they were reviewed by the WTO. Erzouqi also reiterated Kuwait’s commitment to abandoning custom charges on all products related to the information technology sector this year. On the issue of commercial agents who represent foreign companies in Kuwait, he explained it was crucial and that foreign firms could at any time end such a partnership. Kuwait has just completed legislation on intellectual property rights, according to the Bern and Paris agreements, and that the issue was also on the verge of being jointly agreed upon on the wider regional Gulf Cooperation Council level. The discussion and assessment of the trade policies of each of the WTO’s member countries is carried out on an annual basis.

Meanwhile, the Arab group at the WTO praised the report of Kuwait as part of its trade policy review before the organization. The group considered in its statement read to the organization that the report allowed the opportunity to know its full trade capabilities, policies and practices and the extent of its strong support for international cooperation in international trade and multilateral systems. The Arab Group focused in particular on the role of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) which was established in 1961, saying it was the first fund for development in the Middle East to help developing countries develop their economies.

It expressed admiration of Kuwait’s commitment to the principles, rules and disciplines of the WTO, whether in local or international practices, despite the global financial and economic crisis based on the achievement a growth rate of

GENEVA: Kuwait’s representative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dhirar Erzouqi is seen yesterday. —KUNA 4.5 percent over the past year. At the same time, the Arab group praised the role of Kuwait’s Economic and Trade role in the GCC and Arab trade agreements through a policy of openness and its support of the organization’s efforts in the mechanisms of multilateral trade. It also extolled Kuwait’s strong support for trade liberalization and the creation of friendly- environment investments as well as its 2035 vision, which aims to diversify the economy and thus enhance the participation of Kuwait in the multilateral trading system.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

‘Top Gun’ Prince Harry set for Afghanistan return

Syria forces bombard Homs

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Police issue warrant for ex Maldives president

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BAGHDAD: Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr smash a symbolic British flag as they celebrate the US withdrawal in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday.—AP

Sadrists fete Iraq departure of US ‘occupiers’ Tens of thousands turned out for event BAGHDAD: Supporters of anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, whose militia fought pitched battles with American forces, yesterday officially celebrated the departure of the “occupiers” from Iraq. The last American soldiers except for a small number under US embassy authority departed Iraq in midDecember, after almost nine years in the country. But the official Sadrist celebration was held yesterday after the end of Arbaeen, the 40-day period of mourning following the Ashura commemorations, which mark the death in battle of Imam Hussein, a formative event in Shiite Islam. Tens of thousands of people turned out for the event, which was held in Sadr City in northern Baghdad, an area named for Moqtada’s father, Grand Ayatollah

Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, who was killed along with two of Moqtada’s brothers in 1999 by gunmen allegedly sent by dictator Saddam Hussein. “The armies of resistance terrified the occupiers, so they left after they lost,” Moqtada said in a recorded message broadcast on a large screen at the celebrations.

American forces “turned from being a liberating army, as they said, into an occupying army,” he said. “The occupying forces were working for strife and destruction and to destabilise security. The occupier is not the one who can bring peace and safety to Iraq, but rather you, and only you.” At the urging of the cleric, his supporters shouted, “Yes, yes, to unity, yes, yes, to peace, yes, yes, to resistance.” Sadr also called “on the government to

release the resisters,” in an apparent reference to insurgents detained by Iraqi authorities.

Thousands of Sadr Movement members marched in formation with Iraqi flags at the event, while supporters gathered on the roadside, some holding banners reading, “No, no to America, no, no to Israel.” Among those attending the event, which was held under tight security, were cabinet ministers, members of parliament and religious figures, as well as representatives of some Arab countries. Hazem Al-Araji, one of the leaders of the Sadr Movement, told AFP that, “Today is the day of the real victory for the people and a message of unity that we throw in the face of the occupier.”

“The occupier can never divide the Iraqis,”

Araji said. “Today, the Sadr Movement is sending a positive message to all of the Iraqi people requesting that they preserve the country’s unity,” Abbas al-Bayati, an MP from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law list told AFP. Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, a Sunni, travelled from Anbar province to join the celebrations.

“We are participating today because there is no difference between Sunnis and Shiites, and everyone called for resisting the occupier,” he said. Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia, which the cleric has since deactivated, fought and lost-brutal battles with US forces in Najaf in February and August 2004, and with Iraqi forces backed by the Americans in Sadr City in March 2008. — AFP

International FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

S Korean president arrives in Qatar DOHA: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak arrived in Doha yesterday for talks on oil supplies and construction projects for the 2022 World Cup finals to be held in Qatar, according to an interview with a local daily. The scheduled two-day visit came after the South Korean president, expected to visit the United Arab Emirates after Qatar, secured Saudi pledges to ensure a stable supply of oil to the east Asian nation.

Lee said in comments published on Qatari daily AlSharq’s website yesterday that his discussions with the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, will address issues pertaining to “energy, climate change and green growth.” Qatar is the top natural gas exporter to South Korea, accounting for 23.7 percent of the country’s entire natural gas imports, according to a presidential statement released prior to Lee’s arrival.

The Gulf state will also be this year’s host of the UN Conference on Climate Change. According to an Arabic translation of his interview with Al-Sharq, Lee said that he also “anticipates cooperation between the two countries” in the development of infrastructure ahead of the 2022 games. The South Korean president hailed Qatar’s diplomacy efforts in the wake of the Arab Spring revolutions, saying the Gulf state had played a “prominent role in resolving conflicts and establishing peace and stability in the Middle East.”

Qatar has led the Arab League efforts to end Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on antiregime protests that has so far left more than 6,000 people dead. Qatar has also played a crucial role in cementing a reconciliation agreement between rival Palestinian factions, and the gas-rich state openly admitted to sending troops to support Libyan rebels who overthrew long-time dictator Moamar Kadhafi last year.

Lee left Saudi Arabia earlier yesterday after a twoday visit in which he secured pledges from the kingdom for a stable supply of oil. He met King Abdullah in Riyadh on Wednesday, where they agreed to “bolster bilateral relations in a variety of sectors,” according to a statement by the Saudi news agency SPA, which gave no further details. Their meeting came after Lee held talks with Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi and the head of state oil giant Saudi Aramco, Khalid Al-Faleh.

“Regarding oil supply-demand, we will meet any request and additional demand from South Korea,” Korean presidential press secretary Choe Geum-nak quoted Naimi as saying. The kingdom also agreed to strengthen defence cooperation with South Korea.

Washington wants close ally Seoul to reduce purchases of Iranian crude in line with a US-led drive to sanction Tehran for its suspected nuclear weapons program.

South Korea, the world’s fifth-largest oil importer, accounts for around 10 percent of Iran’s oil exports but has yet to cut Iranian crude imports due to fears of economic damage. In 2011, top world oil exporter Saudi Arabia sold 270 million barrels of oil to South Korea, accounting for 31.4 percent of Seoul’s entire oil imports.—AFP

Syria forces bombard Homs UN condemns ‘appalling brutality’ AMMAN/BEIRUT: Syrian forces bombarded opposition-held neighborhoods of the city of Homs with rocket and mortar fire yesterday, activists said, as divided world powers struggled to find a way to end the violence. The United Nations chief condemned the ferocity of the government assault on the heart of a revolt against President Bashar Al-Assad that broke out nearly a year ago and is getting bloodier by the day.

“I fear that the appalling brutality we are witnessing in Homs, with heavy weapons firing into civilian neighborhoods, is a grim harbinger of things to come,” UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon said after briefing the Security Council in New York. Activists and residents report hundreds of people killed over the last week as Assad’s forces try stamp out opposition in Homs and as yesterday dawned, rocket and mortar fire rained down again on Baba Amro, Khalidiya and other districts. Armored government reinforcements also poured into the eastern city.

A Syrian doctor, struggling to treat the wounded at a field clinic in a mosque, launched an emotional video appeal over the Internet for the world to stop the killing and send aid. Concern was growing over the plight of civilians and the United States said it was considering ways to get food and medicine to them - a move that would deepen international involvement in a conflict which has wide geopolitical dimensions and has caused division between foreign powers. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said before flying to Washington for talks on Syria that Turkey, which once saw Assad as an ally but now wants him out, could no longer stand by and watch. Turkey wanted to host an international meeting to agree ways to end the killing and provide aid, he said. “It is not enough being an observer,” he told Reuters, though Russia and China have warned against “interference”. Foreign ministers of the Arab League, which the UN ‘s Ban said was planning to revive an observer mission it suspended last month, are due to meet in Cairo on Sunday. They may want to hear other governments’ ideas by then. China, cool to Western lobbying for international involvement, nonetheless reported its first formal contact with a Syrian opposition figure who visited Beijing last week.

The Syrian Revolution Coordinating Commission said at least 30 civilians in Homs were killed in bombardments yesterday morning on mainly Sunni Muslim neighbourhoods that have been the

HOMS: An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube yesterday shows a wounded Syrian woman in the town of Rastan in the central province of Homs.—AFP focus of attacks by the government forces led largely by members of Assad’s Alawite religious minority. Such sectarian divisions have been coming to the surface as killings have increased on either side of the conflict.

The main street in Baba Amro was strewn with rubble and at least one house was destroyed, according to YouTube footage broadcast by activists from the district who said troops had used anti-aircraft cannon to demolish the building. The video showed a youth putting two bodies wrapped in blankets in a truck. What appeared to be body parts were shown inside the house.

Hussein Nader, an activist in Baba Amro, told Reuters: “Silence reigns for four to five minutes, then another barrage of tank fire or rockets or mortar rounds comes in.” “Whole houses have come down and we do not know how many more have been killed. They are not advancing and it seems that they are content by continuing to shell Baba Amro until every inhabitant is killed.”

A doctor, his name given only as Mohammed, broadcast a cry for help on YouTube from his makeshift surgery in a mosque. Standing next to a bloody body on a table, he said: “We appeal to the international community to help us transport the wounded. We wait for them here to die in mosques. I appeal to the United Nations and to international

humanitarian organisations to stop the rockets from being fired on us.” The Syrian Human Rights Organisation (Sawasiah)said this week’s assault on Homs had killed at least 300 civilians and wounded 1,000, not counting yesterday’s toll. International officials have estimated the overall death toll in Syria since last March at more than 5,000.

Activists said neighborhoods of Homs remained without electricity and water and basic supplies were running low. There was no comment from the Syrian authorities, who have placed tight restrictions on access to the country and it was not possible to verify the reports of local activists. Mazen Adi, a prominent Syrian opposition figure in Paris, said rebels loosely organised under the Free Syrian Army were fighting back and staging hit-and-run guerrilla attacks against government forces in Homs. “The regime cannot keep tanks for long inside opposition neighborhoods because they will be ambushed,” he said.

The role of the FSA, largely made up of soldiers who have defected from the government forces, highlighted the slide in the uprising against the Assad family’s 42-year dynastic rule from civilian demonstrations to armed insurgency over the past few months. The Assad government contends it is fighting foreign -backed “armed terrorists”.

Islamists halt filming of Egyptian TV series CAIRO: Islamist students halted the filming of an Egyptian television series at Cairo’s Ain Shams University protesting against the “indecent” clothing of the actresses, the production company said yesterday. Misr International films had obtained permission from the university’s management to film on site, the head of the company, Gaby Khoury, told AFP. But “when the shooting started, the director of the engineering faculty,

Sherif Hammad, came to tell us that some students and teachers were against it, because of the clothing worn by the actresses,” he said. The series, adapted from the novel “Dhat”

by Egyptian author Sonallah Ibrahim, takes place in the 1970s, “when women wore short clothing.”

Hammad “insisted that the filming should stop and that we would be reimbursed ... explaining that he was not able to guarantee the protection

of the materials or the artists,” Khoury added.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, the production company said “the student members of the Muslim Brotherhood at Ain Shams University had prevented the film crew from the ‘Dhat’ TV series from shooting the scenes set at the university.” The students had objected to the “indecent” clothing, it said, and “categorically refused” to let the filming continue

unless the costumes were changed.

Islamists have become a potent force in Egypt’s already conservative society in recent years, and won more than two-thirds of the seats in the recent parliamentary elections.

Earlier this month, the Arab world’s most famous actor, Adel Imam, was sentenced to three months in jail for “defaming Islam” in several roles on stage and screen. Imam said he would appeal the sentence.—AFP

International FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Lawyer for Cuban agents vows last-ditch appeal HAVANA: A lawyer for five Cuban agents sentenced to long jail terms for spying in the United States said Wednesday he is preparing a last-ditch appeal, arguing that one of the men received bad counsel and that the jury for all five was prejudiced because the US paid several journalists who covered the trial. Attorney Thomas Goldstein said he would submit the appeal Feb 15 before US District Judge Joan Lenard, who can either rule on the matter, ask to hear arguments or order a full evidentiary hearing.

Four of the men have been jailed since 1998. The fifth, Rene Gonzalez, was released last year after 13 years in jail, but has been ordered to remain in the United States while he serves out his probation. Gonzalez’s lawyer, Phil Horowitz, said he would also appeal that probation decision shortly. He said the 55-year-old dual Cuban-American citizen is working as a caretaker at a private home, but would not reveal the location out of concern for his client’s security.

The lawyers were interviewed by The Associated Press in a restricted area of Havana limited to government activities and hosting visiting foreign dignitaries. While the agents’ case is largely forgotten in the United States, it remains a cause celebre in Cuba, where the government hails the “Cuban Five” as heroes who were only trying to detect and prevent violent attacks against their country by exile groups. Cuban state-run media publish near daily accounts of solidarity from around the world, and images of the men stare down from billboards along rutted country roads.

Goldstein said he will argue that inadequate counsel from his lawyer resulted in a murder conviction and life sentence for one of the agents, Gerardo Hernandez, and he said all of their cases were prejudiced by a US government program that was paying thousands of dollars to key journalists while the highprofile trial was going on, a fact that only came out later. The journalists were paid for appearances on US -funded Spanishlanguage radio and TV broadcasts primarily aimed at Cuba but available in Florida, while also publishing critical reports in local media.

Advocates for the five also say the trial court was wrong to reject their request for a change of venue from South Florida, which is home to a large Cuban exile community. “I don’t think anyone can deny that it is a serious issue when you try supposed Cuban agents in a Miami court ... and that it obviously is going to be a very political, very fraught trial,” Goldstein said.

“On top of that, to learn that the media is being paid by the US government, we think raises a serious issue.”

Goldstein, a Washington-based Supreme Court litigator, said he would take the case all the way to America’s highest court if necessary, and that if the appeal fails, it will mean “the end of the road” for the legal process in the case. After that, he said, the only hope would be a political solution. That is the same situation facing Maryland native Alan Gross, who was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to 15 years in jail after being caught bringing satellite phones and other equipment into Cuba illegally while on a USAID-funded democracy program.

His appeal to Cuba’s top court was denied last year, so Gross’s only chance at release rests on a humanitarian pardon by Cuban President Raul Castro or some form of prisoner exchange. Cuba has stopped short of linking the cases, but senior officials have said no one should expect the island to free the 62-year-old American in a “unilateral gesture.”

Goldstein rejected any attempt to compare the cases legally, but that the symmetry of the two cases presented a political opportunity. He stressed, however, that he was a private lawyer and not privy to the thinking of the Cuban government on Gross.

“Alan Gross is entitled absolutely to individual justice,” he said. “I would never encourage anyone to link what happens to him to what happens to my clients. You can’t hold someone literally hostage,” he said. “But it strikes me that to the extent that there are political solutions to both sets of cases, then there could end up being linkage ... on the political front.”

Goldstein said the politically charged atmosphere in the leadup to the US election in November complicated any efforts to find common ground, particularly given the importance of Florida in presidential politics and strong feelings about the agents’ case among many Cuban-Americans. But he said he hoped President Barack Obama would ultimately see that freeing the men was good politics, and something that would likely lead to reciprocal gestures from Havana.—AP

Brazil: Striking police leave occupied building Not yet clear if standoff affects Carniva SALVADOR: Striking police officers in the northeastern city of Salvador yesterday evacuated the state legislative building they occupied in protest for more than a week. It was not immediately clear, however, whether the conclusion of the dramatic standoff between the strikers and 1,000 army soldiers and elite federal police officers would also mark the end of the 10day-long work stoppage that has threatened one of the globe’s biggest Carnival celebrations here.

Army spokesman Marcio Cunha didn’t know whether the estimated 10,000 striking officers would return to the job, and some local media reported that negotiations were to continue. The strike had sparked an immediate spike in violence here in Brazil’s third-largest city, with murder rates more than doubling since it started last Tuesday. The murders, as well as a rash of shop lootings and holdups, have scared tourists away from Salvador in the run-up to the city’s iconic Carnival festivities. State authorities have been under intense pressure to resolve the strike.

A total of 245 strikers evacuated the building early yesterday, filing out between rows of soldiers surrounding the building. All were adults. About 10 kids were evacuated earlier this week. Earlier in the week, there were reports that several children were inside the building. An initial group of several dozen men and a handful of women left the building on foot early yesterday, while a steady stream followed on motorcycles and on cars packed with blankets and other gear. They were greeted with cheers by a group of family and friends, many of whom had camped out on the building’s grounds for days.

Army spokesman Cunha said the legislature building appeared to be “dirty but in OK conditions.” He declined to say whether arms had been found in the building or on those leaving it. The officers had been carrying their work weapons earlier in the building. The strike’s head, Marco Prisco, and another top leader were

detained, said Cunha. Under the terms of an agreement with government negotiators, both were spirited out through a back entrance, far from the media scrum.

They were taken to a military police facility in Salvador, Cunha said.

broadcast on television here late Wednesday.

The strikers have narrowed their demands to amnesty for the walkout and payment of bonuses that would add about $350 a month to officers’ paychecks.

SALVADOR DE BAHIA: Brazilian soldiers run to secure the Legislative Assembly after the surrender of the police on strike who occupied the building in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil yesterday.—AFP The fate of Prisco and other leaders was a major sticking point in the negotiations.

Arrest warrants have been issued against 12 of the leaders on charges of organizing roaming bands to stir up panic in the city and of robbing police cars. Seven remain at large following yesterday’s arrests.

Bahia Gov. Jaques Wagner has alleged that the strikers were partly responsible for the wave of violence in a bid to strike fear into the public. Recordings of what were purported to be Prisco’s phone conversations suggested the strike leader incited his followers to commit acts of vandalism. Bahia’s public security authority made the recordings, which were

Monthly salaries for officers in Bahia now range between $1,100 and $1,330, depending on rank and experience. The state government has offered a raise of 6.5 percent as well as bonuses but refused to offer amnesty for the striking officers.

The evacuation in Bahia coincides with a meeting later yesterday in Rio de Janeiro where police, fire fighters and others were to decide on whether to strike. A walkout by workers there could spell disaster for Brazil’s premier Carnival showcase, slated to being on Feb. 18. The festivities in Rio attract upward of 800,000 tourists and pump more than $500 million into the city’s economy annually.— AP

TV producer in Mexico to face murder charges

CANCUN: A reality televison producer arrived in Mexico escorted by nearly a dozen agents yesterday after being extradited from the United States so he can face trial in his wife’s killing. Former “Survivor” producer Bruce BeresfordRedman landed at Cancun’s airport and was whisked away in an SUV accompanied by three police vehicles. The noncommercial jet touched down on a separate runway where reporters didn’t have access.

Minutes after landing, agents drove the producer to the state prosecutors’ office, which is charging him in the death of his wife whose body was found in a sewer cistern at a swank Cancun resort following an April 2010 family vacation.

Gaspar Armando Garcia Torres, attorney general for the state of Quintana Roo, said the suspect will be taken to a jail in the Caribbean resort. The producer could see a judge anytime within the next three days. Reporters couldn’t approach Bruce Beresford-Redman. From afar, the produc-

er could be seen handcuffed wearing a white T-shirt and a bulletproof vest. The legal saga of Beresford-Redman has played out on both sides of the border.

The US Marshals Service turned the Emmy-nominated producer over to Mexican federal police Wednesday, roughly two weeks after State Department officials signed a warrant clearing his extradition.

The producer and his wife Monica Beresford-Redman had gone to the resort with their young children in an attempt to save their marriage after she learned her husband was cheating on her. Bruce Beresford-Redman opted in December not to appeal a US court ruling upholding his extradition. “Bruce eagerly wants to set the record straight, confront the charges in a fair trial and return to his children,” spokesman Stephen Jaffe wrote in an email.

Beresford-Redman has denied that he killed his wife and his attorneys have

attacked evidence in the case. His US attorneys fought his return to Mexico, but two federal judges ruled there was ample reason to send him abroad for trial. Garcia Torres told The Associated Press the prosecution has gathered strong evidence in the case. A judge has yet to see the suspect and decide when he will be tried.

Beresford-Redman has employed attorneys in Mexico to challenge the validity of the case there. The lawyers couldn’t be reached yesterday. Beresford-Redman was arrested on a fugitive warrant in the Los Angeles area in November 2010. Mexican and US authorities say he left Mexico without permission, although BeresfordRedman’s lawyers have claimed he was under no obligation to stay and needed to return to the US to help care for his children.

The family of Monica BeresfordRedman said the extradition “marks a major milestone in our journey to ensure justice for Monica.”— AP

International FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Republicans regroup during primary lull Romney tries to shore up weakened standing

TEXAS: Following the church services, for John and Wanda Casias, their grandson, Cristian Cave, 15, bowed his head and waited quietly outside the mourners tent before playing Taps on his mellophone during the graveside ceremony at Old Hall Cemetery, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 in Lewisville, Texas. —AP

Congress report questions Gitmo releases WASHINGTON: Facing domestic political pressures, the Bush and Obama administrations released or transferred 600 terror suspects deemed an acceptable threat from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, only to face the challenge that 27 percent re-engaged in terrorist or insurgent activities, according to a report by Republicans on a House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittee.

The report, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, provides the Republican perspective on an issue that has divided Washington since the start of the Afghanistan war and the use of the Navy prison for those captured. And it split the White House and Congress last year over how to write rules on handling detainees. The report comes as the Obama administration officials have acknowledged that they are considering whether to release several Afghan Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo and send them to a third country as an incentive to bring the Taliban to peace talks. The step is certain to create an uproar in Congress, especially among Republicans. The 93-page study is likely to be part of the Republican effort to influence the ongoing debate.

In a rare break on a committee that typically is bipartisan on defense issues, Democrats dissented from the report despite efforts to reconcile their differences. The report from the Armed Services investigations panel cites testimony before the committee last year that 27 percent of former detainees “were confirmed or suspected to have been re-engaged in terrorist or insurgent activities,” up from 25 percent the previous year. Intelligence officials had indicated that the number would increase.

“The Bush and Obama administrations, reacting to domestic political pressures and a desire to earn goodwill abroad, sought to reduce the Guantanamo population by sending detainees elsewhere,” the report said. “Both administrations faced the persistent challenge of ensuring that the potential threat posed by each detainee had been aptly assessed before transfer or release, and that the countries that received the detainees had the capacity and willingness to handle them in a way that sufficiently recognized the dangers involved.

“Despite earnest and well-meaning efforts by officials in both administrations, the re-engagement rate suggests failures in one or both aspects of the process,” the report concluded. The report recommended that the Defense Department, CIA and other intelligence agencies report to Congress on the factors that contribute to a former detainee re-engaging in terrorist activities. The committee also is seeking reports on the effectiveness of agreements with other countries. As of Jan. 1, 779 individuals have been held at Guantanamo, 600 have left the installation, eight died there and 171 remain, the report said, citing the Defense Department.

The report noted that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld held the view that the military should not be a jailer and there was a plan to get detainees out. President Barack Obama also had vowed to close Guantanamo, though he has met strong resistance in Congress. Lawmakers repeatedly have added provisions to various bills blocking the government from transferring detainees from Guantanamo to the United States, or barring the construction of facilities domestically to house terror suspects.

Rep. — AP

WASHINGTON: Republican candidates were using a lull in the primary season to reset the race for the nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in November. Mitt Romney was trying to shore up his weakened standing as the party’s inevitable choice, while Rick Santorum worked to sustain momentum from a stunning sweep of nominating contests Tuesday in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.

A flagging Newt Gingrich fought to recapture his place as Romney’s top challenger, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul vowed to keep grinding away through the long primary season to capture a strong number of the 1,144 delegates needed to get the nomination at the Republican National Convention in August. Romney, who served one term as Massachusetts governor and is hugely wealthy after a career in venture capitalism, remained the frontrunner. He has a massive campaign treasury and well oiled organization. He is generally seen as the most formidable potential opponent for Obama, who faces a tough re-election campaign because of the weak US economy.

The Republican race has been especially volatile, with several candidates taking their turn as front-runner. Noting Santorum’s triumphs, Gingrich said Wednesday that the Republicans could arrive at their convention this summer without any candidate in control, the first time that would have happened since 1940. As long as Gingrich and Santorum are both viable, they could split the conservative vote, allowing Romney to win nominating contests even if he falls short of a majority. Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, remains poorly funded despite millions of

dollars injected into his campaign by a Las Vegas gambling mogul and his family. His campaign organization is minimal, and there are no nationally televised candidate debates which he has used to build support. The Santorum campaign, while reporting a spike in campaign donations after the former Pennsylvania senator’s triumph this week. Santorum said he raised more than $1 million since the wins as donors started to take a second look at his candidacy.

“We definitely are the campaign right now with the momentum, the enthusiasm on the ground,” he said. But Santorum’s campaign is pauper-like in comparison with Romney’s. The libertari-

an Paul, who appears to have the money to meet his limited campaign objectives, does not look to be a significant player in the campaign except as a spoiler who drains support away from the other candidates. The next test, although not a definitive one, comes when Maine Republicans report the results of their weeklong caucus meetings on Saturday.

Then there are the far more important primaries in Michigan and Arizona on Feb 28. After that comes the delegate windfall available on so-called Super Tuesday, when 10 states vote March 6. Romney holds a considerable lead in delegates so far, with 112 to 72 for Santorum and 32 for Gingrich.— AP

ATLANTA: Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Wednesday.—AP

US sets vote on first nuclear reactor since 1978 WASHINGTON: US regulators are considering a plan to build the nation’s first nuclear power plant in a generation. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is set to vote yesterday on Southern Co.’s request to build two new reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. If approved, the $14 billion reactors could begin operating as soon as 2016 and 2017. The NRC last approved construction of a nuclear plant in 1978, a year before a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania raised fears of a radiation release and brought new reactor orders nearly to a halt.

The planned reactors are the remnants of a once-anticipated building boom that the power industry dubbed the “nuclear renaissance.”

President Barack Obama and other proponents say greater use of nuclear power could cut the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and create energy with-

out producing emissions blamed for global warming. A new government permitting process strongly encourages utilities to use pre-approved reactor designs rather than building custom models, a strategy intended to make construction easier and less expensive.

Obama has offered the Vogtle project $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees as part of its pledge to expand nuclear power. The once hoped-for boom has been plagued by a series of problems, from the prolonged economic downturn to the sharp drop in the price of natural gas, due in part to improved drilling techniques that have allowed energy companies to tap previously unavailable underground shale formations.

The nuclear disaster in Japan after an earthquake and tsunami last year also increased scrutiny of the industry and led to a series of recommendations by the NRC to improve safety at

the nation’s 104 nuclear reactors. The changes are intended to make the plants better prepared for incidents they were not initially designed to handle, such as prolonged power blackouts or damage to multiple reactors at the same time.

The agency also has proposed increased protection against earthquakes, floods and fires. The Vogtle project is considered by many observers as a major test of whether the industry can build nuclear plants without the endemic delays and cost overruns that plagued earlier rounds of building decades ago. The NRC approved a new reactor design for the Vogtle plant in December. Utility companies in Florida and the Carolinas also plan new reactors that use the same design by Westinghouse Electric Co. South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. is also seeking permission to build two reactors at an existing plant in South Carolina.—AP

International FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Sarkozy vows to keep oldest nuclear plant running PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed yesterday to keep France’s oldest nuclear power plant at Fessenheim running and slammed his Socialist opponent for promising to close it. “We will not close this station, it’s out of the question,” Sarkozy told cheering workers during a visit to the plant, in Alsace in northeastern France. Ahead of a two-round presidential election in April and May, Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande has promised to reduce France’s reliance on nuclear energy from 75 percent to 50 per-

cent by shutting down 24 reactors by 2025.

The Socialist plan includes shutting down the two reactors at the Fessenheim plant, which dates from 1977. Without mentioning Hollande by name, Sarkozy said the closure of the plant would come “at the cost of jobs in the nuclear industry, the cost of our industrial competitiveness and the cost of our energy independence. “I will never accept the closing of the Fessenheim station for political reasons,” Sarkozy said. “Wanting to close Fessenheim is a scandal, because it would mean

sacrificing your jobs for backward political thinking.”

About 30 anti-nuclear protesters demonstrated outside the plant during the visit and an aide to Sarkozy met with anti-nuclear activists. France, the world’s most nuclear-dependent country, operates 58 reactors and has been a leading international proponent of atomic energy. But the country’s reliance on nuclear power has been called into question since the Fukushima disaster in Japan, which prompted Germany to announce plans to shut all of its reactors by the end of 2022. — AFP

Gorbachev: Putin has ‘exhausted’ his potential MOSCOW: Mikhail Gorbachev said yesterday that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has “exhausted” his potential as Russia’s leader and his inability to change the Kremlin’s political system might prompt more massive anti-government protests. Putin - who became prime minister after serving as Russia’s president in 2000-2008 - is almost certain to become president again during the March election, despite recent opposition rallies that have been the largest protests Russia has seen since the Soviet collapse. Gorbachev, a former Soviet leader, said of Putin: “He won’t carry that weight. By now he has exhausted himself. Looks like that.” Gorbachev recently urged Putin to give up power and annul the results of December’s fraud-tainted parliamentary vote, which triggered the rallies. The thousands of protesters also have joined Kremlin critics in accusing Putin’s government of cracking down on dissent, limiting press freedoms and breeding widespread corruption in Russia.

“If he does not overcome himself, change the way things are and I think it will be difficult for him to do that - then everything will end up on city squares,” Gorbachev said at a news conference. “We can’t let it happen. We’ve already seen what happens on city squares,” Gorbachev said, referring to the Arab Spring rallies in northern Africa and the Mideast.

Gorbachev led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its collapse in 1991. He remains admired abroad, but he is regarded as insignificant at home and his comments are not likely to affect public opinion or threaten Putin’s grip on power. — AP

Spain’s judge guilty of misusing authority MADRID: The Spanish judge celebrated for pursuing international human rights cases was convicted of overstepping his jurisdiction in a domestic corruption probe yesterday the culmination of a spectacular fall from grace of one of Spain’s most prominent people. A seven-judge panel of the Supreme Court unanimously convicted Baltasar Garzon, 56, and barred him from the bench for 11 years. Garzon had enjoyed rock star status among human rights groups but made a lot of enemies at home, in particular among judicial colleagues uncomfortable with his celebrity.

He is still awaiting a verdict in a separate trial on the same charge - knowingly overstepping the bounds of his jurisdiction - for launching a probe in 2008 of right-wing atrocities during and after the Spanish civil war even though the crimes were covered by an amnesty. That trial concluded on Wednesday but the verdict is expected to take weeks.

Garzon has been suspended from his job at the National Court since 2010 when when he was indicted in the civil war case. Yesterday’s conviction relates to Garzon’s decision in 2009 to order wiretaps of jailhouse conversations between detainees and their lawyers. The detainees are accused of paying off politicians to obtain lucrative government contracts. Such wiretaps are expressly allowed in terrorism cases, but Spanish law is more vague on non-terror cases. Garzon argued during the trial that he had ordered the wiretaps because he thought the lawyers were being given instructions by the detainees to launder money. — AP

HAMBURG: A boat makes its way through floating ice on the river Elbe in Hamburg, northern Germany yesterday. A cold spell has reached Europe with temperatures plummeting far below zero. —AP

Ice shuts Danube in half-a-dozen countries Scores of ships confined to port BELGRADE: Thick ice has closed hundreds of kilometres (miles) of the Danube river in half-a-dozen countries and confined scores of ships to port on the busiest European waterway, officials said yesterday. The 2,860-kilometre (1,780-mile) river, which flows through nine countries and is vital for transport, power, irrigation, industry and fishing, was wholly or partially blocked from Austria to its mouth on the Black Sea. With ice floes in the river around Belgrade up to half a metre (1.7 feet) thick, the Belgrade port authority said that all vessels on the 600-kilometre stretch through Serbia were safely in port. A government ban on navigation on all the country’s waterways was expected to remain in place for some 10 days, deputy infrastructure minister Pavle Galic told the Beta news agency. Upstream in Croatia an operation was being mounted to rescue the three-member crew of a Croatian vessel trapped in the ice near the main Danube port of Vukovar since last Friday and running out of food, port official Ivan Barovic said.

All shipping has been halted since Wednesday on the 137 kilometres (85 miles) of the Danube flowing through Croatia, Barovic told AFP. Serbian railways meanwhile said yesterday that the famed Balkan Express train that runs from Belgrade to Istanbul would only go as far as Sofia for the time being

because of flooding in Bulgaria related to the cold snap. Top Serbian water official Aleksandar Prodanovic said he hoped for a slow thaw by some five degrees Celsius daily “so the snow melts slowly and causes no bigger problems.”

A quick rise in temperature could trigger floods because of the high levels of snow in Serbia which is up to 1.5 metres in some parts, he told Radio Belgrade. Bulgarian authorities, who have also banned all navigation on the river, reported the Danube frozen between 50 and 90 percent, while a total of 224 vessels were stuck in six ports and a river channel in Bulgaria. In Romania the river was completely frozen along a 120-kilometre stretch between Moldova Veche and Turnu Severin at the Serbian end, and a further 117 kilometres downstream between Calarasi and Harsova, as well as at Isakcha, in the Danube delta.

Upstream in Hungary ships were still being allowed on the Danube but “at their own risk” the authorities said, adding that ice was covering between 60 and 70 percent of the river But in Austria navigation was impossible as the river had an ice layer up to 12 centimetres (4.7 inches) thick in parts. “For the Danube to freeze we need temperatures of under minus 10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) for at least a week. That is currently the case,” the river traffic body Via Donau said. — AFP

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Uganda govt distances itself from anti-gay bill KAMPALA: Uganda’s government does not support a parliamentarian’s decision to reintroduce a bill that originally proposed the death penalty for some homosexual acts, the government said in responding to renewed criticism by rights activists who oppose the bill. The bill is not part of the government’s legislative agenda but debate on it must go on, read a government statement released Wednesday.

“As a parliamentary democracy the process of debate will continue,” it said. “Whilst the government of Uganda does not support this bill, it is required under our constitution to facilitate this debate. The facilitation of this debate should not be confused for the government’s support for this bill.” The bill was reintroduced on Tuesday by legislator David Bahati, who said when he first introduced the bill in 2009 that

his goal was to protect Ugandan children from Western homosexuals who lure them with money and other promises.

The bill proposed the death penalty for certain homosexual acts, such as when gay people infected with AIDS were caught having sex, as well as life imprisonment for other offenses. It also proposed a jail term for heterosexuals who failed to report homosexual activities to the police. Bahati now says he has rewritten the bill to remove the death penalty provision, leaving life imprisonment as the maximum sentence for what he calls “aggravated homosexuality.”

Homosexuality remains taboo in Uganda, where Pentecostal clerics have made the fight against gay culture one of their core messages. Homosexuality is already illegal under Uganda’s penal code. It remains

unclear if the bill will ever be voted on by parliamentarians. Analysts say it would be passed immediately and that it hasn’t been considered only because it lacks the political blessing of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who says it undermines his foreign policy agenda.

The bill has been condemned by leaders in Europe and the US, including by President Barack Obama.

European countries such as Sweden have threatened to cut aid to Uganda if the bill is passed. “The knock-on effect of passing this bill would reach far beyond gay and lesbian people in Uganda, impeding the legitimate work of civil society, public health professionals, and community leaders,” Michelle Kagari, the deputy program director for Africa at Amnesty International, said in a statement. — AP

Nigerians flee to Cameroon to escape Islamist violence FOTOKOL: Nigerians have fled in droves to neighbouring Cameroon to escape violence claimed by the Islamist Boko Haram group and revenge attacks by Christians. “Everybody is insecure in Nigeria. The fear is all-pervading,” said a Nigerian Christian priest, speaking on condition of anonymity, in Fotokol, a Cameroonian border town where dozens have taken shelter in the last few weeks. It is located about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the bastion of the shadowy Boko Haram sect which has been blamed for a slew of terror attacks that have sowed panic in Africa’s most populous nation.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Boko Haram has claimed to be fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria’s north, but its demands have varied. “Many Nigerians like myself have fled their villages in the south. We feel secure in Cameroon,” the priest said in Fotokol.

“That is why I am sheltered here,” he added. He has rented a house which is about 10 minutes by motorcycle to the nearest town in Nigeria, Gamboru Ngala, where he heads the local Catholic church. It is difficult to gauge the exact number of Nigerians who have fled to Cameroon as they cross the border illegally, but there are easily dozens sheltered here since the attacks and tit-for-tat ripostes by Christians.

Mahamat Tujani, a Muslim trader from Maiduguri, fled to Kousseri near Fotokol. “I abandoned my business and my family to seek refuge at the home of my cousin,” a Cameroonian, he said. “I escaped out of fear.” He hoped to return home soon, he said, “but if the killings continue, I will bring over my family members here.” Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of bomb attacks in Nigeria’s Muslimdominated north. It claimed responsibility for January 20 coordinated bombings and shootings in Nigeria’s secondlargest city of Kano that left at least 185 people dead-Boko Haram’s deadliest attack yet.

The August suicide bombing of UN headquarters in the capital Abuja which killed at least 25 people was also attributed to the group. “When you scent danger, you must escape,” the priest said. “Even in the Gospel, the Lord says the moment you sense danger, you must escape. If you don’t it’s suicide,” he said. The priest said two Christians from the mainly Christian Igbo ethnic group were killed in Mobi in Adamawa state about three weeks ago.

“When the other Igbos went to reclaim their bodies the Boko Haram struck and killed 29 others,” he said. Sectarian violence has been rising since elections in July last year. He urged both Christians and Muslims to “return to God.” The priest said Muslims were also targeted by Boko Haram.

Between January 28 and 30, three people-including a Muslim-were killed in Gamboru Ngala, Nigerian and Cameroonian police and medical sources said. The priest was following an Africa Cup of Nations match on television at a bar, along with six other compatriots. In another room, eight other Nigerians sat, drinking.— AFP

MOGADISHU: A handout image made available by the African Union-United Nations Information Support Team yesterday shows African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Deputy Head of Mission Wafula Wamunyinyi giving a press conference with Somali journalists at the mission’s headquarters in Mogadishu. —AFP

Islamist bomb attack toll in Somalia rises to 15 2 lawmakers slightly injured in blast MOGADISHU: At least 15 people were killed by a suicide bomber from the Al-Qaeda linked Shebab, officials said yesterday, as details emerged of the heavy blast in Somalia’s wartorn capital Mogadishu. “The horrible suicide blast, carried out by desperate and violent criminals, killed at least 15 innocent civilians, while 20 others are injured,” said Mogadishu mayor Mohamed Ahmed Nur, updating an initial toll of 11.

Nur said two lawmakers were also slightly injured in the blast Wednesday afternoon at a small cafe where people had gathered to drink tea, in the heart of the government quarter and close to the presidential palace. “They are cowards, attacking soft targets-innocent people drinking tea,” Nur said of the attack, the latest in a string of blasts including roadside bombs and grenade explosions that have rocked the Somali capital.

Extremist Shebab fighters said their attack had targeted government officials at the nearby Mona hotel, a site infamous for an August 2010 attack when Shebab suicide gunmen killed 32 people including six lawmakers. “The mujahedeen fighters carried out a bomb attack against Mona hotel, where the apostate lawmakers and security officials stay,” said Shebab spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab.

“We will continue targeting them everywhere.”

Mogadishu has seen an increase in such attacks since the hardline Shebab abandoned fixed positions there in August and switched to guerrilla tactics against the Western-backed government and African Union troops. The explosion was the

deadliest in the war-torn city since October, when a truck packed with explosives killed at least 82 people. The attack took place hours after European Union Special Representative for the Horn of Africa Alexander Rondos visited the warwracked city, where he met officials from the embattled government at the presidential palace.

Jerry Rawlings, the former Ghanaian leader and African Union special envoy to Somalia, had also visited the palace on Wednesday. The attack comes two weeks ahead of a conference in London that is supposed to address the various problems besetting Somalia, and the British ambassador to Somalia Matt Baugh condemned the “barbaric” attack in a statement from Mogadishu.

“This event will only strengthen our resolve to work harder in helping the Somali people to build a better future that is free from violence and extremism,” Baugh said. Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991 and the government in Mogadishu is propped up by a 10,000strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti. Hardline Shebab insurgents control large parts of central and southern Somalia, but are facing increasing pressure from government forces and regional armies.

Armies from neighboring countries are converging on the Shebab-Kenyan forces in the south, Ethiopia’s army in the south and west, and the AU troops in Mogadishu. The United Nations says Somalia is suffering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. — AFP

International FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

India upgrades military with China in mind NEW DELHI: India has decided to buy 126 fighter jets from France, taken delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia and prepared for its first aircraft carrier in recent weeks as it modernizes its military to match China’s. India and China have had tensions since a 1962 border war, and New Delhi has watched with dismay in recent years as Beijing has increased its influence in the Indian Ocean.

China has financed the development of ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, and its recent effort to get access in the Seychelles prodded New Delhi to renew its own outreach to the Indian Ocean island state off western India.

With its recent purchases, running into tens of billions of dollars, India is finally working to counter what it sees as aggressive incursions into a region India has long

dominated.

“The Indian military is strengthening its forces in preparation to fight a limited conflict along the disputed border, and is working to balance Chinese power projection in the Indian Ocean,” James Clapper, the US director of national intelligence, told a Senate committee last week. India has created new infantry mountain divisions and plans to raise a strike corps aimed at countering aggression by China.

Their border still has not been set despite 15 rounds of talks, and patrols frequently face off on the ground.

Analysts say that although the probability of a conflict between the two Asian giants is remote, a short, sharp conflict in the disputed Himalayan heights can’t be ruled out. “Over the last couple of years, the Chinese have been acting more and

more aggressively in the political, diplomatic and military arena,” said retired Brig.

Gurmeet Kanwal, director of the Indian army-funded Centre for Land Warfare Studies in New Delhi.

Indian leaders and defense strategists have fretted as China modernized its forces and extended its military advantage over India. For some in India, countering China is taking precedence even over checking longtime rival Pakistan. “Of late, there has been a realization (in India) that China is the real danger of the future,” Kanwal said. But Zhao Gancheng, an South Asian expert from the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Studies, said India’s reasons for building up its military go well beyond China.

“Of course, India takes a cautious attitude against China due to some unsettled

historical issues. But I still believe India’s fundamental goal of developing the military ability is to become a globally big country,” Zhao said. “Next, it wants to make certain preparation for so-called potential threats coming from China and other countries.” From China’s perspective, India’s military buildup is “not a main factor” in its defense plans, Zhao said. “Not many people in China regard India as a threat and China has no intention to take part in a military contest with India,” he said.

The drive to modernize Indian forces was long overdue as much of the equipment was obselete Soviet-era weapons, and the orders for fighter jets, naval frigates, helicopters and armaments have made India the world’s largest importer of arms. —AP

US kills Qaeda-linked militant in Pakistan Five killed in drone attack CALIFORNIA: A handout image obtained on February 8, 2012, in London, from Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) shows EX Crimson Eagle Captain Wales (Britain’s Prince Harry) preparing to go out on an Apache helicopter training mission at the Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro in California.—AFP

‘Top Gun’ Prince Harry set for Afghanistan return LONDON: Britain’s Prince Harry could return to Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday, after he qualified as an Apache attack helicopter pilot with a special award for his gunnery skills. The 27-year-old-the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and third in line to the throne-has completed 18 months of “intensive” training including a stint in the United States. Harry received a prize for being the best co-pilot gunner at a dinner on Wednesday to celebrate the completion of training by around 20 pilots, St James’s Palace said in a statement. He was given a polished 30-millimetre round from an Apache cannon, mounted on a stand, at the dinner at Wattisham Air Station in Suffolk, eastern England, where he has been training.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that Harry could serve in Afghanistan but said that the young royal first had to gain further operational experience. “We do not comment on individual states of deployment. But in the normal run of things we would expect that he would be deployed in eight to 12 months,” the spokesman told AFP. Harry’s father, heir to the throne Prince Charles, was “very proud” of his son’s achievement, the Prince of Wales’s office said. Harry, a captain with the Army Air Corps, is keen to return to combat in Afghanistan after he was hastily withdrawn from his first tour of duty in 2008 when a media blackout was broken.

His elder brother Prince William is currently on a six-week tour in the Falkland Islands as a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot-a deployment that Argentina, which claims the British-ruled archipelago as its own, has slammed as “a provocation”. Britain has around 9,500 service personnel fighting Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan, the second largest contingent after the United States.

Britain has used the two-man Apache helicopters in Afghanistan to hunt Taleban fighters, gather intelligence and provide cover for larger Chinook transport helicopters. As co-pilot gunner, Harry sits in the front seat of the Apache and is responsible for commanding the mission, firing weapons and liaising with forces on the ground, with some flying duties. —AFP

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A US drone fired two missiles at a house in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region yesterday, killing five suspected militants, intelligence officials said. The Taleban identified one of them as a prominent commander who has served as a key link to Al-Qaeda. The commander, Badar Mansoor, led a group of over 200 Pakistani Taleban fighters in the North Waziristan tribal area, the main sanctuary for militants in Pakistan, said a fellow insurgent.

Pakistani intelligence officials could not confirm that Mansoor was one of the five suspected militants killed in the strike in the main bazaar in Miran Shah, the biggest town in North Waziristan. The intelligence officials and Taleban fighter spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The strike was the second in as many days in North Waziristan, an indication the drone program is picking up steam again after a slowdown caused by tensions with Pakistan over accidental American airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last year.

The US held off on carrying out drone strikes for over six weeks after the deadly accident on Nov 26. There have been a handful of attacks since they resumed in January, but the last two are the first consecutive strikes since the border incident. Mansoor, the militant commander who was killed before dawn yesterday, was from Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, and migrated to North Waziristan in 2008, said the Taleban fighter who reported his death. The 230 fighters he led were also from Punjab, said the insurgent.

The enlistment of Punjabis in the Pakistani Taleban has been a serious concern for the government because it is easier for them to export violence from the hinterlands near the Afghan border to the heart of the country. Mansoor was allegedly involved in many suicide attacks throughout Pakistan.

On Wednesday, another salvo of US missiles hit a house in North Waziristan’s Spalga village, killing nine people including some Pakistani Taleban militants, said Pakistani

intelligence officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. President Barack Obama spoke publicly about the covert CIA-run drone program for the first time in a recent interview. But he and other US officials refuse to openly say more about the details of the strikes because they are classified.

The border region is home to both Afghan and Pakistani Taleban fighters, both of whom are targeted by the strikes. The Afghan Taleban crosses the border to attack NATO and government forces in Afghanistan, while the Pakistani militants mainly focus on fighting Islamabad. Pakistani officials regularly denounce the strikes as a

raged by the US attack that killed its soldiers at two Afghan border posts in November.

Pakistan retaliated by closing its border to supplies meant for NATO troops in Afghanistan and by kicking the US out of a base used by American drones.

The US and Pakistan disagree over who should be blamed for the incident, but there are signs that tensions are easing. The Pakistani army held talks with NATO and Afghan forces Wednesday on how to improve coordination across the PakistanAfghanistan border to avoid such incidents in the future.

The top US military commander in the

MULTAN: A Pakistani protester holds a burning US flag as they shout slogans during a protest in Multan yesterday against the US drone attacks in the Pakistani tribal region. —AFP violation of the country’s sovereignty. But the government is widely believed to have facilitated the program in the past, especially when the attacks have targeted Pakistani Taleban militants at war with the state.

US -Pakistan cooperation has come under strain as the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated. Pakistan was out-

region, Gen. James Mattis, is scheduled to travel to Pakistan this month, the first highranking official to visit since the Nov. 26 strikes. Senior Pakistani officials have said in recent days that the government should reopen its border to NATO supplies as long as it can negotiate better fees from the coalition.—AP

International FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Another Tibetan sets himself on fire in China BEIJING: Another Tibetan has set himself on fire in western China to protest government policies while thousands marched in another part of China to show support for their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, a report said. The London-based International Campaign for Tibet and Free Tibet groups said the Tibetan who set himself on fire on Wednesday in Sichuan province’s Aba prefecture was a 19year-old former monk from the local Kirti monastery, which has been the scene of protests over recent months.

Both groups said the monk had been taken to hospital.

US-funded Radio Free Asia said the man was taken away by soldiers and police. It said he shouted slogans before setting himself ablaze, citing a statement from Losang Yeshe and Kanyag Tsering, exiled Tibetan monks in India. If confirmed, the incident would bring to at least 17 the number of monks, nuns and lay Tibetans believed to have set themselves on fire over the last year, mostly in traditionally Tibetan areas of Sichuan province. There were reports of three other selfimmolations on Friday but the government has denied them and there are doubts within the exile community.

Most of those who have set themselves on fire have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama and his supporters of encouraging the immolations. Radio Free Asia also said Tibetan protests erupted Wednesday in two counties in Qinghai province in northwest China, with about 1,000 people marching in each. Citing local sources and exiles with contacts in the region, it said security surrounded protesters but no violence occurred.

The broadcaster said protesters shouted slogans and carried banners calling for a “free Tibet,” the release of all Tibetan political prisoners, and the return of the Dalai Lama.

A police officer reached yesterday by telephone in Nangqian, where one of the protests allegedly occurred, said he had no reports of any protests. Like many Chinese officials, he refused to give his name.

Amateur video shot Wednesday and shared with The Associated Press by a person with contacts in China’s Tibetan community showed hundreds of Tibetans gathered on the side of a main street in Nangqian, some sitting on the curb and others milling about. A few men threw what appeared to be dry tsampa, a popular Tibetan food, into the air. Throwing or eating dry tsampa during Tibetan rituals can symbolize despair.

The person who sent the video said the group later gathered at a stadium and chanted slogans before being surrounded by police and the demonstration broke up without incident after it became dark. In recent protests in Sichuan, Tibetan activist groups said at least six Tibetans were killed when police fired on protesters. The Chinese government says two rioters died and 24 police and firefighters were injured when rock-wielding Tibetan separatists attacked police stations.

This has been the region’s most violent period since 2008, when deadly rioting in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, spread to Tibetan areas in adjoining provinces. China responded then by flooding the area with troops and closing Tibetan regions entirely to foreigners for about a year. Western media trying to visit areas where unrest has been reported in the last several weeks have been turned away by security forces.

Lobsang Sangay, the leader of Tibetans’ self-declared exile government, said Wednesday that convoys of Chinese security forces have been seen moving toward Tibet in recent days, ahead of the Tibetan New Year on Feb. 22 and the March anniversary of the failed 1959 uprising.

“If the Chinese government think that the Tibet issue can be solved through violence, intimidation, then it’s not going to happen, because the Tibetan spirit is strong,” he said in Dharmsala, India. China has vowed to crack down on the unrest and accuses overseas activist groups and the Dalai Lama of fomenting the violence. Asked yesterday about the recent spread of instability in Tibetan areas, Deputy Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai told reporters that China has a responsibility to protect “lives and property and to curb violent criminal activities.” He also rebuffed the idea of the unrest as a human rights concern.

“The Chinese government has the responsibility to protect the safety of the vast majority of the general public and that is the most important human right,” Cui said. —AP

Police issue warrant for ex Maldives president Police: Not clear if warrant was constitutional MALE: A Maldives court issued an arrest warrant yesterday for former President Mohamed Nasheed, one day after his supporters rampaged in the capital and his claim of being ousted by a coup left unclear the stability of the fledging Indian Ocean democracy. Police spokesman Abdul Mannan Yusuf refused to disclose the grounds for the criminal court’s warrant, or say when Nasheed - who is living at his Male home, surrounded by supporters would be arrested. Later, Police Commissioner Abdullah Riaz said it was not clear if the warrant was constitutional.

He declined to provide details, but said the warrant’s legality was still being examined.

Nasheed had announced he was voluntarily resigning Tuesday after months of protests against his rule and fading support from the police and the army. But the next day, as former Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan was forming a new government, Nasheed suddenly announced he had actually been pushed from power at gunpoint. Thousands of his supporters swept into the streets. They clashed with security forces in Male, the capital, and attacked police stations in remote parts of this 1,200-island archipelago nation off southern India. The new government insists there was no coup.

The dispute threatens the crucial tourism industry of this mostly Muslim nation of 300,000 people, which relies on dozens of high-end resorts that cater to the rich and famous. The developments also raise questions about the future of a democracy that only shed a 30-year, oneman rule with the 2008 multiparty elections that brought Nasheed to power.

Britain advised this week against all but essential travel to Male Island because of protests in the capital, but it noted the international airport and resort areas were operating normally. The United States is advising travelers to exercise caution, avoid protests and not engage in political activity while in the Maldives.

The city of Male was calm but tense yesterday, with the streets crowded with com-

muters. Police said the violence in outlying islands had stopped. Maldives police commissioner Abdullah Riyaz said 18 police stations on several islands, along with an undetermined number of court houses and police vehicles, were destroyed in the violence. Police said they detained 49 people after the Male rioting. The new defense minister vowed to punish those responsible for Wednesday’s violence, calling the destruction “acts of terrorism.”

“The Maldives national defense force remains vigilant in enforcing the law and order and upholding the constitution of the Maldives,” Mohammed Nazin told

engineered by rogue elements of the police and supporters of the country’s former autocratic leader, whom Nasheed defeated in 2008. Others blamed Islamic extremists. Hassan, who was Nasheed’s vice president, has denied claims of a plot to oust Nasheed and called for a unity coalition to be formed to help it recover.

The military also denied that it forced Nasheed to resign at gunpoint. “There is no officer in the military that would point a gun toward the president,” said Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Didi. “The military did not call for his resignation, he resigned voluntarily.”

Hassan, who had promised to protect

MALE: Former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed (C) reaches out to a supporter at his residence in the capital island Male yesterday.—AFP reporters yesterday, barely 12 hours into his new job. Nasheed’s next move was not clear yesterday evening, with some of his statements indicating he might wait to press his cause in next year’s elections.

“The ballot should decide, not battles,” Nasheed said. He said he was confident he would win in the 2013 elections.

Nasheed’s party insisted his ouster was

Nasheed from retribution, said his predecessor was not under any restriction and was free to leave the country. However, he said he would not interfere with any police or court action against Nasheed. Nasheed’s wife arrived Wednesday afternoon in nearby Sri Lanka, according to Bandula Jayasekara, the Sri Lankan presidential spokesman.—AP

US seeks more access in Philippines MANILA: The United States is seeking more access to Philippines ports and airfields to re-fuel and service its warships and planes, diplomatic and military sources said yesterday, expanding its presence at a time of tension with China in the South China Sea. But it is not trying to reopen military bases there. Washington’s growing cooperation in the Philippines, a US ally which voted to remove huge American naval and air bases 20 years ago, follows the US announcement last year of plans to set up a Marine base in northern Australia and possibly station warships in Singapore. It also coincides with diplomatic and military friction in the South China Sea and its oil-rich Spratly Islands, which are subject to disputed claims by China, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations. Last month, senior Philippine defense and foreign affairs officials met their US counterparts in Washington to discuss ways to increase the number and

frequency of joint exercises, training, ship and aircraft visits and other activities. “It’s access, not bases,” a foreign affairs department official familiar with the strategic dialogue told Reuters.

“Our talks focus on strengthening cooperation on military and non-military activities, such as disaster response and humanitarian assistance, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation. There were no discussions about new US bases,” he said.

These activities would allow the US military more access in the Philippines, stretching its presence beyond local military facilities and training grounds into central Cebu province or to Batanes island near the northern borders with Taiwan.

US ships and aircraft are seeking access for re-supply, re-fueling and repairs, not just for goodwill visits, exercises and training activities, the diplomat said. The Philippines was ruled by the United States for nearly five decades between the

departure of the Spanish and the Japanese occupation during the Second World War, and is now one of its foremost allies in Asia, despite expelling the US from its former military bases at Clark and Subic Bay in 1992.

Since 1987, the Philippine constitution has explicitly banned a permanent foreign military presence. But Washington maintains close military ties under a 1951 defense treaty, and its special forces have been helping the Philippine military combat Islamic militants in the south of the country since 2002. A Filipino diplomat said Washington’s expanding presence is allowed under the under a 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement and a 2002 Mutual Logistics Support Agreement. The issue is likely to be raised during a visit to Manila from Friday by US Assistant Secretary Andrew Shapiro, senior advisor on political-military affairs to Secretary Hillary Clinton. —Reuters

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ATHENS: A stray dog stands in front of a banner reads ‘We resist’ carried by electricity company employees Public Power Corporation, PPC, during a protest against Greek government’s plans to privatize part of the power distribution service, in Athens, yesterday. — AFP

Greeks agree on austerity, unions call general strike Markets buoyed by news of debt deal ATHENS: Greek leaders did a last minute deal on austerity cuts yesterday, clearing the way for the eurozone to decide on a bailout package, but unions called a new strike against the terms.

A ‘final agreement’ has been reached among Greek political leaders on additional austerity measures demanded by EU-IMF creditors in return for a loan bailout, a government source said yesterday.

“There is a final agreement on the measures,” the source told AFP hours before eurozone finance were set to decide on a new bailout worth 130 billion euros ($171 billion), averting a default and ending a chapter in the eurozone crisis.

A deal by banks to write-down Greek debt was also at hand, an EU diplomat said. The Greek government coalition parties had balked overnight at cutting 650 million euros in supplementary pensions, and argued until almost the last minute on Thursday over finding savings in other areas of the budget.

The message from Brussels meanwhile

was that the shortfall in cuts, however small, had to be bridged, by whatever means.

European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi told reporters in Frankfurt that he had received a phone call from Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos just minutes earlier and “he told me that agreement has been reached and has been endorsed by major parties.” An EU diplomat told AFP there is also “consensus” on the voluntary writedown by private creditors of their holdings of Greek bonds-”the biggest debt restructuring ever.”

Private creditors, who are negotiating an exchange of bonds that will save Greece at least 100 billion euros, met yesterday in Paris before the Europgroup meeting, according to a spokesman.

Greece has run up total debt of about 350 billion euros, roughly 160 percent of its gross domestic product, and the IMF has insisted that level be brought down to a maximum of 120 percent of GDP in 2020 in order for a further bailout to go ahead.

The deal would likely see the face value of the 200 billion euros in bonds that private creditors hold be cut in half, but their total losses may hit 70 percent given they will receive 30-year bonds at lower interest rates.

The bond exchange will take several weeks to perform, raising concerns whether it can completed before Greece faces 14.5 billion euros in payments due on March 20 and defaults, which could spark a domino effect that undermines the entire euro common currency project.

The main private and public-sector unions called a 48-hour general strike on Friday and Saturday to fight “barbaric” new wage and pension cuts. “We categorically reject this framework to impoverish and bankrupt society and the economy,” the leading union GSEE said.

According to the Greek press, the measures under consideration included slashing the minimum wage by 22 percent, sweeping cuts to salaries and pensions and 15,000 public sector job losses. Anguish over the

measures was exacerbated as official data showed the jobless rate exceeding a million people, or 20.9 percent of the workforce.

If eurozone finance ministers approve the deal at a meeting due to begin at 1700 GMT the programme of reforms will be put before the Greek parliament today, ahead of a vote on Sunday. In principle, the government coalition can rely on support from 255 of the 300 deputies, but the political stakes are high as the parties prepare for early legislative elections in April. Far-right leader Georgios Karatzaferis, the first to emerge from the coalition talks, denounced the troika for heaping unreasonable pressure on the Greek government to enact more painful cuts to public spending.

“I made clear my intentions right at the start of the meeting. I cannot in one hour sign up to a plan which will affect the country for 40 or 50 years with receiving (legal) assurances that the measures are going to get the country out of its impasse,” he told reporters. — AFP

Business FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Gulf carrier Etihad posts first profit of $14m DUBAI: Etihad Airways, the fast-growing Gulf carrier, yesterday posted its first annual profit since starting operations just over eight years ago. The airline said it moved into the black with net earnings of $14 million.

That is better than its previously stated goal, which had been to break even for the first time in 2011.

It declined to say how much it lost a year earlier.

Etihad is based in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi. It and its larger Gulf rivals, Dubai-based Emirates and Qatar Airways, are increasingly challenging older airlines in the battle for long-haul international passengers.

Etihad President and Chief Executive James Hogan said the company aims to generate sustained annual profits, and expects to make money again this year.

“We had a very clear vision to create an airline that is best in class, is safe and would make money,” he told The Associated Press by phone. “The move to profitability is another important milestone and certainly

changes the tempo of the company.”

Etihad said it generated $4.1 billion in revenue in 2011, up 36 percent from the previous year. Its earnings before interest and tax stood at $137 million. Sales rose as the airline expanded its fleet and filled more seats. It reported carrying 8.3 million passengers last year, up 17 percent from 2010. The airline’s seat factor which measures the share of paying passengers - rose nearly two percentage points to 75.8 percent.

Although it racked up significant start-up costs in the early years, Hogan said Etihad is becoming more efficient as it grows, and has put in place “vigorous cost controls.” The airline gets no fuel subsidies from the government, he insists.

“The trick is we set up with a clean sheet of paper. ...

What’s core we do well, what’s not core we outsource,” he said. The oil-rich Abu Dhabi government set up Etihad in 2003, and remains its sole owner. The carrier has grown rapidly, with a network stretching as far as

Tokyo, Sydney and Chicago. It boasts 65 mostly widebody planes in its fleet and has orders for 100 more.

It has sought to expand its reach further by buying stakes in struggling airlines overseas.In December, Etihad agreed to raise its stake in Germany’s Air Berlin to nearly 30 percent by buying about euro73 million (then worth $95 million) in new shares. It also pledged to lend Air Berlin up to $255 million over the next five years to support development of its fleet and future growth.

Little more than a month later, Etihad said it would spend $20 million to buy 40 percent of Air Seychelles, the national carrier in the tiny island country. Hogan said Etihad is interested in pursuing similar deals, including in Europe, while pushing ahead with the growth of its own network. He declined to discuss specific airlines in which Etihad might buy a stake. “There could be one or two more ... We continue to look at opportunities globally,” he said. — AP

Etisalat takes $829m hit over India unit Bahrain’s Batelco exiting Indian venture DUBAI: Etisalat wrote off the $827 million value of its operation in India, a week after the country’s Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of licences awarded during a scandal-tainted 2008 auction, including those held by the Gulf carrier’s joint venture. The move by Emirates Telecommunication Corp Ltd, the Gulf’s No. 1 telecom operator by market value, took a bite out of its 2011 earnings and follows a similar step by Norway’s Telenor, which last week wrote down $721 million in licences and goodwill in India.

Bahrain Telecommunications said on Wednesday it was selling its 43 percent stake in its Indian affiliate, in the first exit by a foreign operator since the Feb. 2 ruling ordered that 122 second-generation licences held by eight operators be revoked.

Abu Dhabi-based Etisalat said yesterday it booked an impairment charge of 3.04 billion dirhams ($827 million), before federal royalties, against the full carrying value of goodwill for its Indian operations, including licences. Etisalat paid $900 mil-

lion in 2008 for a 45 percent stake in a nascent Indian company, then called Swan Telecom, after the licence had been granted. Etisalat has said it invested more than $1 billion in the venture, since renamed Etisalat DB. Top executives of Etisalat’s India partner DB Group and the joint venture mobile company are among 19 people and six companies charged by police in the telecoms licence scandal, awaiting trial.

Etisalat DB has licences for 15 of India’s 22 telecom zones and its 1.7 million subscribers as of December ranked it 14th in a 15-operator market. It was slow to roll out services, for which it was rebuked last year by the Indian government. Etisalat and Telenor argue that they invested in their Indian joint venture partners after the licences were awarded and played by the rules. Etisalat said it was still considering its strategic options in India and that there may be more financial impact.

The Indian Supreme Court’s ruling, which orders that the spectrum be

revoked in four months and be auctioned off, roiled the world’s second-largest cellular market by users, where fierce competition is squeezing margins.

Market leaders including Bharti Airtel and the Indian arm of UK-based Vodafone are seen as beneficiaries of the shakeout expected following the ruling.

Etisalat has been frustrated in its efforts to make a success of its Indian business. In 2010, it said it was considering a deal to buy a stake in India’s No.2 telecoms carrier Reliance Communications and was also looking at another carrier Idea Cellular for a possible investment, but a deal did not happen. Etisalat said its 2011 net profit fell 23.4 percent to 5.84 billion dirhams from 7.63 billion dirhams in the year-ago period due to the impairment charge.

Etisalat had a fourth-quarter net profit of 710 million dirhams, according to Reuters calculations, compared with a profit of 2.02 billion dirhams in the same period a year earlier. Etisalat shares ended flat on the Abu Dhabi bourse prior to the announcement. — Reuters

COLOGNE: Production workers prepare a Ford Fiesta on the production line of the car manufacturer Ford yesterday in Cologne, Germany. German exports climbed 11.4 percent last year to top the $1.3 trillion (1 trillion euro) mark for the first time, official figures showed, though a decline in December underlined the likelihood of slower growth ahead as Europe grapples with its debt crisis. — AP

Ex-CEO wins lawsuit against Nakheel DUBAI: Nakheel’s former chief executive won a lawsuit for breach of contract against the indebted developer yesterday and was awarded $3 million in damages by a Dubai court. Chris O’Donnell, who left Nakheel last June after five years as chief executive, had sued the developer for $3.7 million in lost incentives, entitlement fees, interest, exchange rate losses and salary-related claims. He also sought a business class airline ticket from Dubai to Australia.

The Dubai World special tribunal rejected the interest and airfare claims but awarded O’Donnell $3 million for long-term incentive payments.

An additional amount of about 916,000 dirhams ($249,400) was also awarded for lieu days during his stint.

O’Donnell was heading Dubai’s flagship firm when a collapse in property prices forced Nakheel into a $16 billion restructuring. The company wrote down over $21 billion in property assets.

O’Donnell’s annual salary amounted to around 4.8 million dirhams during this time, the court heard in one of its earlier sessions.

“Whilst I have been entirely vindicated by the Dubai World Tribunal, I am naturally disappointed that ... the matter was not able to be resolved amicably without the need to take costly legal proceedings that vented Nakheel’s internal business in a public forum,” O’Donnell said in a statement after the verdict.

Nakheel’s lawyers said the case should have been first brought to the ministry of labour but considered the rejection of certain additional costs as a good result.

“We respect today’s court ruling. However, we firmly believe we have a strong case and if we had the right to appeal we would have done so,” a Nakheel spokesman said in a statement.

It is Nakheel’s second loss this week. The developer was ordered to pay about 60 million dirhams to Technical Architects General Contracting Company (TAGC) earlier this week, as compensation for a 950 million dirham project that was halted.

Nakheel, the ambitious developer behind palm shaped man-made islands, was at the center of Dubai’s 2009 debt crisis when it was owned by flagship conglomerate Dubai World. The government took over Nakheel in 2011 as part of Dubai World’s $25 billion debt restructuring agreement with banks. — Reuters

Business FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Hungary burns old notes to warm the needy MISKOLC: Hungary’s central bank is pulping wads of old notes into briquettes to help heat needy humanitarian organisations, a gesture that has warmed many bodies and hearts amid a deadly cold snap. “It’s a very useful charitable act, a vital aid for our foundation because we can save part of our heating costs,” said Krisztina Haraszti, the head of a centre for autistic children in the impoverished northeastern town of Miskolc.

It helped the centre, which also provides aid to autistic adults, save between 50,000 and 60,000 forints (180 and 200 euros/ $238 and 265) a month, which is a “considerable sum in this time of crisis,” she told AFP. The central bank has been converting unusable notes into briquettes for the

past four years. The centre and another association dealing with handicapped children in the south-eastern town of Veszto are the institutions chosen to receive the briquettes this year.

There was palpable excitement when a truck from the central bank’s cash logistics centre arrived Tuesday to unload four tons of compressed old notes at the centre for autistic children, which has been receiving them since September. The monthly delivery is due to continue until March or April. Since the briquettes have a high calorific value, “one only needs to add a few bits of wood and the rooms are really warm,” said Haraszti. The head of the central bank’s cash logistics centre, Barnabas Ferenczi, said: “Our examination showed that the heating properties of these

shredded currency briquettes are similar to brown coal so they are pretty useful for heating ... and resolve the problem to find fuel.” They can be used in boilers that use mixed fuel, he added.

When the initiative started, the notes were simply burnt. Then the centre decided to compress them into briquettes for better heating efficiency and got machines to transform the unusable cash. “Approximately, 200 billion Hungarian forints are turned into briquettes that is useful for heating in poor regions. “For the central bank, corporate social responsibility is an important thing. That’s why we thought that since we destroy approximately 40 or 50 tons of currency every year, this thing can be useful for charities that have a problem finding fuel for burning.”

It takes about 5 million forints (17,000 euros) to make a single one-kilogram briquette. The notes are cut into pieces of 1 to 5 millimetres and then the paper is compressed without any chemicals being added.

Every year, the central bank withdraws about a quarter of the notes in circulation and prints new money to replace the unusable and old currency.

The process of turning old cash into briquettes is held under tight security.

People working here have to wear pocketless clothes.

The institutions are chosen they make bids for the briquettes. This year, some 20 organisations made a pitch. The central bank just has one criterion: that the organisations chosen have no public debt. — AFP

Market anticipates string of Qatari bond issues DUBAI: Qatar National Bank’s announcement yesterday that it had picked five banks to arrange a series of fixed income investor meetings could signal the start of a series of global bond issues by Qatari companies.

Gulf issuance of bonds totals nearly $3 billion so far this year, with Abu Dhabi’s Dolphin Energy the last borrower to tap the market, issuing a $1 billion 10-year conventional bond earlier this week. Order books for the paper were reportedly over $9 billion.

Dubai companies have been active issuers of sukuk; three of the four Islamic bond sales this year have been from Dubai issuers. The sukuk have been relatively small in size but have also attracted considerable demand.

But bond issuance from Qatar, one of the world’s richest countries with economic growth estimated by analysts at over 17 percent last year, has been minimal. Qatar’s only international issue in 2011 was the sovereign’s $5 billion in multi-tranche bonds, sold in November; the only significant domestic bond issue last year was also by the sovereign, a sale of 50 billion riyals in January 2011.

“The borrowing needs of Qatari banks and GREs (government-related enterprises) haven’t suddenly evaporated, they are still there, and any issuance from top-tier Qatari names would be well-received by the markets,” said Chavan Bhogaita, head of the markets strategy unit at National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

Traders noted that despite an overall tightening in Qatari credit default swaps and bonds in recent weeks, some Qatari names have been under pressure this week, which could be in anticipation of new supply expected to hit the market.

“There has been a sell-off in Qatari paper recently but the market is still net buyers. It could be due to some widening of spreads on selective names and growing market expectations of new issues from Qatar, thus making way for new paper,” one trader said.

QNB, Qatar’s largest bank by market value, said a dollar-denominated bond issue might follow the investor meetings. It mandated Barclays Capital, Citigroup , HSBC, Standard Chartered and its own unit, QNB Capital, to manage the roadshows beginning Feb. 13. Any bond issue would come from its $7.5 billion Euro Medium Term Note programme, set up in August by Barclays, HSBC and QNB Capital. Improving market conditions make a run of Qatari issues more likely. Since the third quarter of 2011, when bond yields and CDS rose across the region rose because of euro zone tensions, yields on Qatari sovereign issues have tightened by almost 25-80 basis points.

Qatar’s $2 billion 3.125 percent bond maturing 2017 , issued at a spread of 225 bps over five-year Treasuries, was bid at 190.5 bps on Wednesday, while the $2 billion 4.5 percent 2022 bond, issued at 262.5 bps over 10-year Treasuries, was quoted at 203.3 bps. — Reuters

JAKARTA: In a file picture taken on July 15, 2009 a technician checks the Rolls Royce engine of Garuda Indonesia’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft at the company hangar in Jakarta airport. Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce posted soaring 2011 profits yesterday and raised its shareholder dividend after the group was lifted by strong demand for civilian and military jet engines. — AFP

World stocks inch higher amid Greek debt talks Property firms continue to gain BANGKOK: World stocks moved cautiously higher yesterday as confidence rose that Greece will get its next bailout despite an 11th hour snag and investors took in stride data showing inflation in China is heating up again. Benchmark oil hovered below $99 per barrel while the dollar fell against the euro but rose against the yen.

European stocks rose early in the day as investors grew increasingly confident that Greece would finally be extricated from a festering debt mess before it engulfs financial institutions and lenders beyond its borders. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.4 percent to 5,897.93. Germany’s DAX gained 0.8 percent to 6,803.83 and France’s CAC-40 added 0.6 percent to 3,429.92.

Wall Street was set for a mixed opening, with Dow Jones industrial futures marginally higher at 12,849 but S&P 500 futures slipping slightly to 1,346.70. Asian shares were muted by Chinese inflation data and a government report showing a decline in

machinery orders in Japan. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed down 0.2 percent to 9,002.24. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.5 percent to 2,014.62. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped marginally to 20,010.01 and Australia’s S&P ASX/200 shed 0.2 percent at 4,282.90. Investor sentiment in Asia hit a hurdle after China released data showing consumer prices had risen 4.5 percent in January over a year earlier, up from the previous month’s 4.1 percent. Food prices jumped 10.5 percent, driven by a 25 percent gain in the cost of pork, the staple meat in China. The People’s Bank of China eased lending curbs in December to promote growth in the slowing economy. But the unexpected jump in the cost of living could make the central bank wary of carrying out further steps to loosen credit.

“They will not be relaxing monetary supply anytime soon,” said Francis Lun, managing director of Lyncean Holdings in Hong Kong. “Actually that shows the economy,

despite the various tightening measures, is still relatively strong.”

On mainland China, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.1 percent to 2,349.59. The Shenzhen Composite Index gained 0.6 percent to 898.89. “The market actually performed not too badly after the unexpectedly strong inflation data,” said Guo Yanhong, an analyst at Huachuang Securities, based in Beijing.

Although the jump was mainly attributed to a seasonal increases in food costs due to the Lunar New Year holiday, the data underscore the pressure Beijing still faces to control living costs while also trying to boost slowing growth.

Property firms continued to gain following news earlier this week that the central bank has ordered banks to supply loans to first-time home buyers. Poly Real Estate, China’s second largest listed property developer, gained 1.3 percent while industry China Vanke gained 1.5 percent.— AP

Business FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Samsung can continue selling Galaxy in Germany FRANKFURT: South Korea’s Samsung Electronics can continue to sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet computer in Germany, a German court ruled yesterday, rejecting a bid by arch-rival Apple to have them banned.

In the third such blow to United States giant Apple, the regional court in Duesseldorf ruled that Samsung’s redesigned tablet computer-which Apple had claimed infringed on its patent rights-was now sufficiently different to the US maker’s iconic iPad. Furthermore, “following the design changes undertaken by Samsung, the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1N does not contravene competition law. Apple’s iPad computers and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1N are rival products of equal value,” the court said in a statement.

In November, the Duesseldorf court had slapped a temporary ban on Samsung’s previous model, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, saying it copied the iPad. But the changes Samsung made to the successor model now rendered the tablet computer sufficiently different, it said. Earlier this month, two other courts in Germany-in Munich and Mannheim also quashed Apple’s request to impose a preliminary ban on sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1N and Nexus smartphone. The two technology giants are engaged in a legal battle involving dozens of cases worldwide as they struggle for leadership in the hugely lucrative smartphone and tablet computer market.

Apple launched legal action in April last year, accusing Samsung of “slavishly” copying its iPhone and iPad designs. Samsung has focused its own lawsuits on technology patents rather than design.

The South Korean giant received two legal boosts in December. A court in San Jose, California, denied Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have banned the sale of three Samsung smartphones and a tablet computer.

Australia’s High Court cleared the way for Samsung to sell its Galaxy 10.1 tablet in the country in time for Christmas, dismissing Apple’s bid to have a ban extended. Last month, European regulators opened an antitrust probe against Samsung to determine whether it has distorted competition in European mobile device markets.

The European Commission said it would investigate whether Samsung went too far last year when it sought injunctions against competitors in various EU national courts, alleging infringements of Samsung’s patent rights. — AFP

Indonesia cuts interest rate JAKARTA: Indonesia cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low of 5.75 percent yesterday, as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy tries to keep growth on track amid a global slowdown. Bank Indonesia (BI), the country’s central bank, lowered its overnight interest rate by one-quarter of a percent, the first cut in three months. “The board of governors’ meeting today decided to cut BI’s rate by 25 basis points to 5.75 percent,” a bank spokesman said in a statement. “This decision was made as a continuous step to provide stimulus for Indonesia’s economic growth in the midst of the decreasing performance of the global economy,” he added. The country’s economy is still relatively strong, although slower growth is expected this year with easing inflation, the central bank spokesman said.

“The economic growth within the first quarter of this year was expected at 6.5 percent, while full-year growth could reach as low as 6.3 percent (down from 6.5 percent in 2011),” he added.

Indonesia has recently been basking in a welter of positive economic news, including a record $20 billion in foreign direct investment in 2011, a 29 percent surge in exports, and a credit rating upgrade from Moody’s last month. Indonesia’s inflation was 3.79 percent in 2011, lower than the government’s 5.0 percent target, while January’s year-on-year rate of 3.65 percent was the lowest in nearly two years.— AFP

DATONG: This photo taken on February 7, 2012 shows shoppers outside a mall in the city of Datong, Shanxi province.

China’s inflation rose 4.5 percent year-on-year in last month, the highest level in three months, official data showed, as the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday boosted consumer prices. — AFP

China’s January inflation jumps to three-month high Holiday hits China auto sales BEIJING: China’s annual inflation rate hit 4.5 percent in last month, the highest level in three months, data showed yesterday, after consumers splashed out on food and gifts over the Lunar New Year holiday.

The country’s consumer price index, a key gauge of inflation, was higher than the 4.1 percent in December and ended five straight months of easing price pressures caused by government restrictions on lending and property purchases.

Analysts said the holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, was unusually early this year and had distorted the monthly data.

Retail spending typically soars during the week-long festival, the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar, as consumers ramp up spending on food, wine and gifts for family and friends.

Before January, inflation had eased for five months in a row after hitting a more than three-year high of 6.5 percent in July and analysts said the downward trend would likely resume in February as the economy continued to slow. “It was inevitable that we would see some impact of the Lunar New Year holidays, which were in January this year but February last year, but it seems that this impact was bigger than expected,” said Brian Jackson, a senior analyst at Royal Bank of Canada in Hong Kong.

Analysts had expected inflation to rise 4.1 percent, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey. The market barely reacted to the data, with the Shanghai Composite Index closing up 2.06 points, or 0.09 percent, at 2,349.59. The rebound in inflation was driven by food prices, which soared 10.5 percent year-on-year in January compared with 9.1 percent in December, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.

The producer price index, which measures the cost of goods at the farm and factory gate, rose an anaemic 0.7 percent in January compared with 1.7 percent in December, the statement said, indicating consumer price pressures would ease in the coming months.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch economist Lu Ting said the data was “significantly dis-

torted” by the holiday “so investors definitely should not read too much into the inflation” figure. UBS economist Wang Tao agreed, saying “the downward trend of CPI inflation has not been altered”.

There is mounting evidence that China’s growth is slowing as the ongoing debt crisis in Europe and weakness in the United States hurts demand for Chinese exports, a key driver of the world’s second-largest economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week warned that an escalation of Europe’s fiscal woes could slash China’s economic growth by half this year, and it urged Beijing to prepare stimulus measures in response.

In the IMF’s “downside scenario” China’s growth would fall by around 4.0 percentage points this year from the 8.2 percent rate it projected in January. But Chinese leaders have been very cautious about opening the credit valves for fear of reigniting inflation, which has the historic potential to trigger social unrest in the country of more than 1.3 billion people.

Late last year the central bank eased lending restrictions on banks and analysts expect similar moves this year as authorities try to spur economic activity and prevent a damaging collapse in the property market.

Policymakers are also easing taxes and improving funding channels for small and medium-sized businesses which are huge employers but are often shunned by the major banks. “There remains plenty of downward momentum in China, despite a moderation in the slowdown,” said Alistair Thornton, a Beijing-based analyst for IHS Global Insight.

“The property market remains in the throes of a correction, which is dragging down investment spending and spreading deflationary pressure (and) the eurozone will act as a drag on export growth this year.”

Car sales in the world’s biggest auto market fell 24 percent in January from a year earlier, industry figures show. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said yesterday that 1.16 million passenger cars were sold in China in January, down

from a monthly record 1.5 million a year earlier. It said total vehicle sales, including trucks and buses, dropped 26 percent from a year earlier to 1.39 million. Total vehicle sales in January 2011 were 1.89 million. China’s weeklong Lunar New Year holiday, which usually falls in February but began in midJanuary this year, was the main reason for the sharp drop. Such factors can play havoc with year-on-year comparisons of data, and sales this month may be similarly distorted, upward. But the country’s once-booming auto market has been losing steam as the economy has slowed in recent months, with vehicle sales rising a scant 2.5 percent in 2011 to 18.5 million. “I think sales in 2012 will be about the same as last year, or perhaps even worse,” said Zhang Xin, an analyst at Guotai Jun’an Securities, in Beijing.

A 3 percent increase in fuel prices this week will further discourage first-time buyers in provincial cities where sales had been growing fastest, since such consumers tend to be more price and cost conscious, he said.

The government also has announced moves to curb use of cars by officials, which would also hit demand, he said. In some ways the auto market has mirrored the overall economy, with sales gradually slowing as tax incentives and subsidies enacted to fight off the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis expired.Traffic restrictions imposed by Beijing to help reduce emissions contributing to choking smog have also kept some buyers away from showrooms.

Foreign automakers, whose sales have tended to perform better than their domestic competitors, are also feeling the pinch.

General Motors Co. and its joint ventures reported selling 246,654 vehicles in January, down 8 percent from a year earlier, though up 25 percent from the month before.

Ford said it sold 30,976 vehicles in January, down 42 percent from the 53,340 sold in January 2011. Both domestic and foreign automakers are continuing to build capacity in China, anticipating strong future sales in this market of 1.35 billion people, where few still own their own cars. — Agencies

Business FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Finnair Q4 loss widens, seeks joint venture HELSINKI: Finnair PLC yesterday reported that losses deepened in the fourth quarter as it struggled against stiff competition and said it was discussing a joint venture in the Nordic region with several partners.

The Finnish airline’s loss of euro32.6 million ($43.27 million) compared with a euro6 million shortfall a year earlier.

Net revenue in the period grew 12 percent to euro577.4 million, from euro517 million in 2010. CEO Mika Vehvilainen said Finnair had begun talks with about a half-dozen airlines and hoped to have the joint venture operational in 2013.

“We started months ago and were positively surprised by how many airlines were interested in the idea,” Vehvilainen told The Associated Press. “We have quite an ambitious target and are aiming to have a framework agreement by summer and to have the new company in operation during the first half of 2013.” Vehvilainen said the Finnish national carrier needs to improve competitiveness on European routes.

“We really compete on two fronts at the same time - in longhaul traffic against large European airlines flying regular routes, where our competitiveness is fairly good, and then in the regional series ... where our price competitiveness is very poor,” Vehvilainen said. “Our European traffic is causing major losses now and we have to find a way to break that spiral.”

The Finnish national carrier saw 12 percent revenue growth in the full year but profits continued to tumble as it was hit by high oil prices and increased competition from budget airlines. It warned that continuing uncertainty in the world economy, seasonal fluctuations and high fuel costs would hurt the company during the first half of the year, expecting it to be in the red.

Finnair stock was down 3.5 percent euro2.54 ($3.37) in early afternoon trading in Helsinki. The company predicted 5 percent growth in passenger traffic in 2012, mainly on Asian destinations and said it expects to reach euro80 million in savings by year-end of a total goal of euro140 million.

The airline flies to 65 destinations in 30 countries and is based in Helsinki which it uses as a gateway for Asian routes that saw huge growth in demand until the March tsunami in Japan followed by a weakening of the global economy during the second half of 2011. Vehvilainen said Finnair will continue to focus on Asian routes with the aim of grabbing passengers from the planned joint venture. “This is our aim. In a way once we solve the problem of local (European) traffic ... we will be able to be more efficient with the feeder traffic for Asia,” Vehvilainen said in a telephone interview. Last year, Finnair joined forces with Europe’s largest regional airline, Flybe, to form a joint venture in northern Europe to further expand into Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia.

Vehvilainen said the move was an important step in getting a “firmer foothold” in Europe.— AP

BoE to pump economy with £50bn of new cash Keeps interest rates at record-low LONDON: The Bank of England will inject another £50 billion into Britain’s weak economy and keep interest rates at a record-low 0.50 percent, it announced yesterday. After a two-day gathering, the BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee voted in favour of increasing its quantitative easing (QE) by £50 billion (60 billion euros, $80 billion) to £325 billion over a three-month period. The nine-member MPC panel also decided to keep the main interest rate at a record-low 0.50 percent, the central bank said in a statement.

London’s stock market and sterling were little changed followed the expected announcements, which were made as Britain’s economy buckles under the combined impact of state austerity and the eurozone crisis.

Also yesterday, the European Central Bank held its key lending rate at 1.0 percent, ahead of a crucial Brussels meeting seeking to avert a potentially catastophic default by debt-laden Greece.

The BoE meanwhile warned that the economic outlook remained clouded by the chronic crisis in the eurozone, which is Britain’s main export market.

“In the United Kingdom, the underlying pace of recovery slowed during 2011, with activity falling slightly during the final quarter,” it said in the statement.

“Some recent business surveys have painted a more positive picture and asset prices have risen. “But the pace of expansion in the United Kingdom’s main export markets has also slowed and concerns remain about the indebtedness and competitiveness of some euro-area countries.” The BoE rate has stood at 0.50 percent since March 2009 when it also began injecting £200 billion into the economy under QE. The bank opted last October to increase the amount to £275 billion in an operation due to end this month.

Under QE, the central bank creates new cash that is used to purchase assets such as government and corporate bonds in the hope of giving a boost to lending and economic activity. Recent official data

revealed that the economy contracted by more than expected in the fourth quarter, placing it dangerously close to another downturn.

Gross domestic product (GDP) dipped 0.2 percent in the three months to December. Another quarter of contraction would place Britain in a technical recession. But official data published yesterday painted a slighly rosier picture, showing

by a gentle recovery in household real incomes as inflation falls, together with the continued stimulus from monetary policy,” it said. “But the drag from tight credit conditions and the fiscal consolidation together present a headwind.

“The correspondingly weak outlook for near-term output growth means that a significant margin of economic slack is likely to persist.” Recent data showed that

LONDON: In a file picture taken on December 9, 2011 a city worker walks past the Bank of England in central London. The Bank of England will inject another 50 billion British pounds into Britain’s weak economy and keep interest rates at a record-low 0.50 percent, it announced yesterday.—AFP that industrial output rose in December, when Britain’s trade-in-goods deficit also fell. The BoE added that ongoing QE measures and falling inflation should help stimulate growth later in the year, despite a weaker outlook for the coming months.

“A gradual strengthening of output growth later this year should be supported

annual inflation fell in December by the biggest amount in more than two years.

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) slowed to a rate of 4.2 percent in December from 4.8 percent in November.

The BoE’s main task is to keep annual inflation close to a government-set target of 2.0 percent. —AFP

Food prices rise after a 6-month down trend MILAN: Global food prices rose in January for the first time in six months and may show another rise for this month, as concern about bad weather in main growing regions boosted grain and vegetable oil values, the United Nations’ food agency said yesterday.

January’s increase was not expected to heap as much inflationary pressure on economies as a year ago, when prices were climbing towards record highs, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said ahead of the European Central Bank’s decision on interest rates.

Global food prices, which have been falling since July 2011, rose nearly 2 percent in January from the previous month, with the FAO food price index averaging 214 points. “It is a pause in a downward trend rather than reversal, with a lot of unpredictability,” the FAO’s

senior economist Abdolreza Abbassian told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“There is scope for an increase in prices in February given what we’ve seen in the first week,” Abbassian said, adding that high energy prices, exchange rate and strong equity markets could push food prices higher this month. Weather in main producing countries remained a key factor for prices adding greater uncertainty, Abbassian said.

US corn and soybean prices have gained recently on expectations of smaller crops in the drought-hit South America. “Inflationary pressure from food prices is not as significant as a year ago,” Abbassian said.

World food prices measured by the FAO hit a record in February 2011, helping fuel inflation and stoke the unrest of

the Arab Spring. Prices have dropped in the second half of 2011.

FAO’s food price index, which measures monthly price changes for a food basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, remained 7 percent below the January 2011 figure and well below the 238 point record hit in February 2011.

The ECB is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold in February but may signal it is ready to cut rates in March to help support the euro zone economy. Strong supplies with better than earlier expected 2011 crops and carry-over stocks could add downward pressure to food prices, Abbassian said.

The FAO raised its estimate of world cereal output to a record 2.327 billion tonnes, up by 4.6 million tonnes from its previous forecast and 3.6 percent higher

than 2010 output. It also raised its view on world cereal stocks by the end of seasons in 2012 by 5 million tonnes to 516 million tonnes. In January, coarse grains, such as maize, registered the steepest gain in the FAO’s index, with prices rising 6 percent, mostly driven by a tight global supply and demand balance and concerns over crop prospects in South America, the FAO said. Wheat prices also gained with the wheat index rising 1.5 percent driven by maize prices, depleting export supplies in Russia and unfavourable weather in several important growing regions, the agency said.

Global food prices were set to fall further this year as a weaker world economy dampens consumer demand while food supplies increase, but a possible rise in oil prices could reverse the trend, the World Bank said last month .— Reuters

Business FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Feds charge Chinese firm with trade secret theft SAN FRANCISCO: Federal prosecutors significantly expanded a long running trade secrets case when they unsealed an indictment that accuses a company owned by the Chinese government of conspiring with a California couple to steal trade secrets from DuPont Co. The indictment unsealed in San Francisco alleges Pangang Group, several of its subsidies and two others conspired with Walter Liew and Christina Liew to steal secrets on how to manufacture titanium oxide, which is used to whiten an array of products from paint to toothpaste. Last month, DuPont reported nearly $2 billion in quarterly revenue for the unit that makes the compound.

The case began in April when DuPont filed a civil lawsuit against the Liews. The FBI began investigating

Hard-hit Californians more optimistic about economy CALIFORNIA: Two thirds of Californians believe their personal financial situation will improve in the next 12 months, a sign that residents in one of the hardest-hit states in terms of unemployment and foreclosures are becoming more optimistic about the US economy, according to a survey issued yesterday.

California, which boasts the world’s eighth-largest economy, is often described as being “first in, last out” of any US recession, so financial optimism in the Golden State may be an indicator that consumer confidence is growing nationally.

Yet the report issued by Citibank also found a stark divide in attitudes between the state’s north, home to a booming Silicon Valley, and its south, where high jobless rates and depressed housing markets continue to dog such cities as Los Angeles and San Diego.

The survey found residents in the San Francisco Bay area, where many wealthy technology executives live, far more bullish about the coming year than those in Southern California cities.

“What really struck me this time was the incredible difference between the north and south of the state. It really was quite striking,” said Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann, president of Citibank California.

In all, nearly half of Californians believe 2012 will be better than 2011, according to the survey, compared to 33 percent who expect this year to be roughly the same and 17 percent who believe things will get worse.

But California consumers are also expressing caution about the economic recovery. Nearly two-thirds say the way they spend and save has changed permanently. Nearly 60 percent say they have put off buying a major item such as a car.

Seven in 10 have cut down on credit card use and nearly two-thirds have reduced the amount of money they owe. And almost half of those aged 35 to 54 are considering putting off retirement.

The quarterly Citi California Pulse survey was conducted from Dec. 16 to 22 last year, among a random sample of 1,480 California residents, aged 18 and older. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. — Reuters

and obtained a warrant to search the Liews’ Orinda home on July 19. According to an FBI affidavit, agents found keys to a safety deposit box during the search.

When agents asked about the keys, the Liews looked at each other and, according to the FBI, Walter Liew said to his wife, “You don’t know, don’t know,” in Mandarin Chinese. The FBI said one of the agents searching the Liews’ house that day spoke Mandarin Chinese, apparently unbeknownst to the couple.

The agents ultimately traced the keys to the Bank of East Asia, where an employee said Christina Liew had been in the branch on the same day as the search. The safety deposit box was also in Christina Liew’s name. In addition to trade secret theft, the couple have been charged with lying to investigators.

Walter Liew has been jailed on a no-bail warrant, while his wife is free on $1 million bail. Lawyers for the couple didn’t return phone calls. The FBI says it seized several incriminating documents from the safety deposit box that that appeared to belong to DuPont and contracts tying the couple to Pangang, a steel manufacturer owned by the Chinese government in China’s Sichuan province. Three other subsidiaries of Pangang also were indicted.

According to the latest indictment, the Liews secured trade secrets from former employees of DuPont, which is based in Wilmington, Delaware. They allegedly reaped millions of dollars when they sold them to Pangang, which was planning to build a new production plant. — AP

Wall Street ends flat Cisco gains after the bell NEW YORK: US stocks closed flat in another thinly traded session on Wednesday as Greece remained in a standstill over accepting tough reforms in exchange for a bailout critical to avoiding a chaotic default.

Underlying confidence kept the Dow near an almost four-year high notched on Tuesday, though trading has been quiet since last week’s stellar employment report. The S&P and Nasdaq are both up 0.3 percent so far this week while the Dow is essentially unchanged.

Randy Frederick, director of trading for Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas, said he would use any pullback on Greece as a buying opportunity. “And if the situation there gets resolved, we’ll move higher even faster.” Greek party leaders gathered on Wednesday to agree to reforms demanded by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund after delays.

European Central Bank policymakers were still divided on what contribution the bank could make to a restructuring of Greece’s sovereign debt, sources said. The ECB has ruled out joining private creditors in voluntarily accepting a reduction in the value of the Greek bonds it holds. “We would take a hit if Greece is unable to come to a deal, but lately we’ve been decoupling from Europe as markets catch up to how strong the economy appears to be,” said Frederick.

Dow component Walt Disney Co rose 0.7 percent to $41.27 a day after it reported quarterly profit that topped expectations. Of the 315 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings to date, 61 percent have come in above analysts’ expectations, a rate below that of previous quarters.

Cisco Systems Inc, another Dow component and a bellwether for the networking industry, rose 2.4 percent to $20.93 in extended trading after reporting adjusted second-quarter earnings that beat expectations. Shares of Groupon Inc, the largest daily deal company, plunged 7.6 percent to $22.70 after the bell after it unexpectedly posted an adjusted quarterly loss, even as revenue almost tripled from the prior year.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 5.75 points, or 0.04 percent, at 12,883.95. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 2.91 points, or 0.22 percent, at 1,349.96. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 11.78 points, or 0.41 percent, at 2,915.86.

The Dow on Tuesday marked its highest close since May 2008; stocks have rallied from late last year on central bank action and signs of an improving economy. On Wednesday, high-profile Wall Streeters raised eyebrows with their endorsement of stocks.

Laurence D. Fink, chief executive of BlackRock,

the world’s largest money manager, told Bloomberg Television that investors should be 100 percent in stocks.

That followed bullish comments from the staff of renowned market bear Nouriel Roubini. Gina Sanchez, Roubini’s director of equity and allocation strategy, told CNBC that the rally “has some legs.”

The Dow has gained 21 percent since early October and has retraced over 80 percent of its bear market slide from 2007 to early 2009. The blue-chip index is now about 10 percent away from the all-time high it hit in October 2007, while the S&P and Nasdaq are both on track for a sixth week of gains.

The speed and magnitude of the gains have some suggesting a pullback could be imminent.

While major indexes are slightly higher for the week, the CBOE Volatility index, which is consid-

ered a gauge of investor fear and generally moves inversely to the S&P, has spiked 6.3 percent.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp surged 9.2 percent to $171.49 after the clothing maker reported betterthan-expected results for the holiday quarter and raised its margin forecast. Energy shares were the biggest decliners, as Brent and US crude oil futures pared gains after a report showed a buildup in US crude inventories. The S&P energy index fell 0.5 percent. Exxon Mobil Corp was one of the biggest losers on the Dow, falling 0.6 percent to $85.32.

Volume was light, with about 6.97 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, below last year’s daily average of 7.84 billion. About 56 percent of stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchanged closed in positive territory while 54 percent of the Nasdaq closed higher. — Reuters

NEW YORK: In this Feb. 8, 2012 photo, trader Gregory Rowe, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Markets remained optimistic yesterday, that Greece will secure its next bailout despite an 11th hour snag that has delayed the signing off of another batch of austerity measures. — AP

Business FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

The devil in details

Swiss bank indictment bares tax evasion ploys

(Left) The Swiss National Bank headquarters in Zurich. (Right) Wegelin and 10 other Swiss banks are now in the legal cross hairs.

I

t was a cool August Tuesday in 2007 when Swiss banker Urs Frei walked into a Manhattan restaurant for meetings with two US clients. One of the clients carried an unmarked envelope containing $16,000 in cash.

For an extremely expensive lunch? Hardly.

For what a new federal indictment alleges was a secret rendezvous in a plot that enabled more than 100 wealthy Americans to evade federal taxes on at least $1.2 billion in assets hidden in foreign bank accounts. Federal prosecutors in New York on Thursday announced criminal conspiracy charges against Wegelin & Co, Switzerland’s oldest bank; Frei, a client adviser in the bank’s Zurich branch, and two fellow bankers there.

Prosecutors separately used a civil forfeiture action to seize more than $16 million in Wegelin funds held in a correspondent account at Swiss banking giant UBS’ Stamford, Conn., location. Wegelin, which has no US branches of its own, used that account for transactions with its American clientele.

The charges provide a rare inside glimpse at anti-spy maneuvers the well-heeled account holders and their bankers allegedly used in an effort to avoid detection and prosecution. The techniques included recruiting American clients via a website titled SwissPrivateBank.com, identifying the clients’ accounts only by numbers, by a special code marked “BNQ” or, in one case, by an “Elvis”

pseudonym.

“It’s standard procedure for private bankers like this to go to extreme lengths to conceal their clients’ transactions. You hear stories about hiding money in ski poles or using phony names and things like that,” said George Clarke, a Miller & Chevalier law firm partner in Washington, DC, who has represented clients with foreign accounts.

The charges, the first time a foreign bank has been indicted on charges of facilitating US tax fraud, mark the latest escalation of a long-

decided to come clean.

Wegelin and 10 other Swiss banks are now in the legal cross hairs as federal prosecutors attempt to force them to make similar disclosures for additional American clients. Swiss finance authorities, hoping for a universal legal settlement for all their country’s banks, on Tuesday gave US counterparts encrypted data on bank employees who served American clients suspected of tax evasion. The key to unlocking the encryption would be turned over once a settlement is reached, the Swiss officials said.

The Westchester resident, identified in the indictment only as Client GG, authorized the money to be wired from a Wegelin account that had been properly disclosed to the IRS. The bank sent the funds in two transactions on successive days in a bid to avoid any suspicion.

In turn, the Westchester resident withdrew the money in three transactions, and brought it to the luncheon meeting with Frei. “During the lunch, the head waiter informed Frei that someone else at the restaurant wished to speak with him,” the indictment charged. Frei

The charges, the first time a foreign bank has been indicted on charges of facilitating US tax fraud, mark the latest escalation of a long-running Justice Department crackdown on offshore tax evasion that has shattered Switzerland’s vaunted tradition of banking secrecy running Justice Department crackdown on offshore tax evasion that has shattered Switzerland’s vaunted tradition of banking secrecy. UBS in 2009 paid a $780 million settlement to avoid criminal prosecution on charges that its bankers helped thousands of American clients duck federal taxes.

UBS ultimately gave US authorities the names and account data for more than 4,500 of those clients.

The handover resulted in dozens of tax-related indictments and convictions, and prompted thousands of others with undisclosed offshore accounts to take advantage of IRS voluntary disclosure programs that promised leniency for those who

But federal prosecutors announced the historic indictment two days later. The charges arguably will have limited impact on Wegelin or its employees, because the bank recently separated its US operations from the rest of its financial business, and because Switzerland does not permit US extradition efforts for tax-related charges.

According to the indictment, Frei allegedly asked a banking client in Westchester County, NY, a largely affluent suburb just north of New York City, if he could wire $16,000 to that person’s local bank account on behalf of a second, unrelated US client.

excused himself and met with the second diner, who was another banking client, and gave that person the cash-stuffed envelope he’d just received.

“Frei then returned to Client GG and noted that it was becoming increasingly difficult to move funds out of Switzerland, and, that to do so, he employed this technique of transferring cash directly between his clients,” the indictment alleged.

Afterward, Wegelin credited $16,000 to an account held by the Westchester resident that had not been disclosed to the IRS, the indictment charged. “That’s probably money laundering,” Clarke said of the alleged episode. The indict-

ment also alleged that an American identified only as client EE in 2010 mailed a letter with no return address to an independent asset manager in Switzerland. The letter consisted of a single page that specified the amount — approximately $37,000 — he needed Wegelin to wire as payment for an African safari.

Client EE allegedly sent a second letter with wiring instructions for a safari company’s bank account in Botswana, the indictment charged.

While on safari, Client EE allegedly called the asset manager by satellite phone to request additional fund transfers from Wegelin for his African adventure.

“When UBS entered into its deferred prosecution agreement Wegelin recruited UBS clients under the mistaken belief that since it did not have branches in the US. it would not be subject to US laws,” said Robert McKenzie, a tax attorney at the Arnstein & Lehr law firm in Chicago. “As you can see in the indictment, that strategy was terribly flawed.”—MCT

Opinion FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

India’s reluctant young emperor, Rahul Gandhi Elections in India’s biggest state will be pivotal

By Raju Gopalakrishnan

T

hey call him the Yuva Samrat, or young emperor. Yet Rahul Gandhi has so far shown no inclination to claim the throne of the world’s largest democracy. The scion of India’s NehruGandhi political dynasty could be prime minister if he asked for it, according to many members of his ruling Congress party. But instead he is focused on grassroots politics in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most politically vital state, which votes in local elections this month and where Congress struggles for support at the ballot box. “Rahul Gandhi’s obsession is not to be PM,” the 41-yearold told a news conference while campaigning in the state on Monday. “Rahul Gandhi’s obsession is to work for the people.”

Party insiders and confidants say Gandhi is looking beyond the government’s present troubles, and his strategy of building support from the ground up guarantees a long-term future for Congress and, by extension, for himself. “Tomorrow if he gets up in the morning and wants to become prime minister, he will be sworn in,” said a federal minister, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “It will take a few hours, only the procedural time.” But the minister added: “Rahul is not in a hurry, he does not want to grab any post, he wants to earn it. He is reluctant to do it any other way. He is a long-race horse.”

Still, with the party mired in corruption scandals and in danger of being forced into an early general election or thrown out at the next scheduled poll in 2014, Gandhi may find he has no throne to ascend to. Pressure is mounting on him from within the troubled party to take charge because Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is seen as a lame-duck and an electoral liability.

Long Apprenticeship The Nehru-Gandhi family has ruled the country for most of its 65 years since independence, and many Indians seem to take it for granted that Rahul, the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, will also one day be their leader. He has studied at Harvard and Cambridge universities, worked under a false name at a London management consultancy and has spent the last seven years as a member of parliament from a family constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

It has been a long apprenticeship, in the shadow of his Italianborn mother, Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress party and many say - the real centre of power in India. Sonia underwent treatment overseas last year, reportedly for cancer, and while she has resumed party duties there are doubts about how long she can maintain the pace. Given the risk of a leadership vacuum, it may soon be now-or-never time for her son. But since 2004 when he first joined parliament, Gandhi has focused much of his political energy on Uttar Pradesh, which with 200 million people would be the world’s fifth-most populous country if independent. It sends 80 members to the 543 elected parliamentary seats in New Delhi, making control of the state crucial to run the federal government.

The family is notoriously shy of the media and Gandhi did not respond to requests for an interview. But aides say he sees Uttar Pradesh as a microcosm of India and chafes at the fact that the state government is headed by an opposition party. “He and his family belong to the state, and that is something the whole nation is aware of,” said junior Communications Minister Sachin Pilot, who is often mentioned in the local press as part of Gandhi’s “brigade”. “There is a need not just for a change in political leadership but more importantly to bring about a transformation in the lives of the people. That is a much more compelling theme behind his actions as opposed to just grabbing of power.”

Indeed, Gandhi seems much more comfortable on the stump in the dusty plains of Uttar Pradesh than he is in parliament. In Bhakurai, a village 5 km down a dirt-track off a state highway, more than 10,000 people gathered recently amid wheat and mustard fields to hear him speak, and cheered when he waved at them with a broad smile. “I have learned more from you in these

seven years than I ever could have studying in America and Britain,” he said in the sing-song Hindi dialect of the region. “Arrey bhaiyya (Hey, brother) I haven’t come to win an election, I have come here to help Uttar Pradesh stand up for itself.”

“The elephant,” he said, referring to the election symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party that rules the state, “is eating money. I have heard of an elephant eating grass, but this one eats money. “The cycle has got punctured,” he said referring to the symbol of another rival party. The similes go down well with the crowd.

“There will be change this time,” said Ramesh Tiwari, a middleaged man watching Gandhi speaking from a rickety wooden stage festooned in Congress’ orange, white and green colours.

This photo taken on Jan 31, 2012 shows Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi greeting people during a Congress election campaign rally in Sitapur, some 85 km northwest of Lucknow. – AFP Tiwari said he and many others had cycled over 10 km to hear Gandhi speak. Some, he conceded, had come to see the helicopter that would whisk him away but, he added: “He is talking sense.

He knows what he is saying.”

Not the Nation’s Favourite Congress has not won a state election in Uttar Pradesh for 22 years, which largely explains its inability to take power on its own in New Delhi. It has won the last two federal elections with coalition governments, which have left it vulnerable to demands for cabinet posts and policy compromises. And it is seen losing ground. An opinion poll by the India Today weekly said that Congress would win only about 110 seats in parliament if national elections were held now, its lowest tally ever and against the 206 it won at the last elections. “There is clear public dissatisfaction over the manner in which the government has responded to

charges of corruption,” the magazine said. “The government’s economic mismanagement, reflected in stalling growth and persistent inflation, is also taking a toll on its electoral fortunes.”

Gandhi’s slowly-slowly strategy and his decision to stake so much on Uttar Pradesh could go horribly wrong if Congress fails to make a good showing in the state assembly elections and at least become part of a coalition government there. Nationwide, the India Today poll had Gandhi favoured by only 17 percent of respondents to be the next prime minister, bested by 24 percent for Narendra Modi of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who has an image as a hardline Hindu leader.

It doesn’t help that Gandhi has not made much of a mark in parliament in his seven years as a lawmaker. His speeches have been lacklustre, he rarely initiates debate and a much-awaited statement when the country was riveted by a hunger-striking anti-graft campaigner last year did not rise above the mundane.

“We still have an inadequate understanding of him to form an opinion,” said Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition BJP in the upper house of parliament. “Unless people interact beyond a point with different sections of society and are open for grilling and questioning, their real worth is not known. Politics is a lot more than merely photo opportunities. “I have just heard him making some unilateral statements and those statements have pedestrian sentences like ‘We give money to the states and the states don’t spend them’ and ‘I want youth to get into politics’.”

India’s Kennedys No one in the family has been as good an orator as Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister. Still, they are perhaps the only politicians whose appeal cuts across caste and religious lines, which decide most elections in the country. The political lineage, likened to the Kennedys in the United States both for the power it has enjoyed and the tragedies that have befallen it, started with Motilal Nehru, a Brahmin from Kashmir who practised law in Uttar Pradesh in the early 20th century and gave up a Western lifestyle to become president of the Congress party.

His son, Jawaharlal, was independence hero Mahatma Gandhi’s closest confidant and prime minister from 1947 until 1964. Jawaharlal’s daughter, Indira, married a Gandhi who was no relation to the Mahatma, but the name was certainly no handicap in politics. Indira became prime minister in 1966, but was voted out in 1977 after imposing a harsh internal emergency on the country, becoming the first of her family to lose a national election. But the mystique of the dynasty brought her back to power within three years and her son Rajiv took over after she was shot dead by two bodyguards in 1984. Rajiv Gandhi served one term as prime minister and when he was campaigning for a comeback in 1991, he was assassinated by a suicide bomber.

Those killings have made Rahul, his mother Sonia and sister Priyanka among the most protected people in the world. Armed men in suits and dark glasses guard them at public functions and, for security reasons, Rahul even used a false name at university and when he worked in London at the turn of the century. But the family tries to balance the security constraints with campaigning and regular public appearances.

Big Gamble on State Election Sonia, who took over the presidency of the Congress some years after her husband’s death but refused to become prime minister, gets much respect in public, for eschewing office, her faultless Hindi and conservative Indian dress and also for staying on despite the tragedies. Priyanka Gandhi attracts large crowds when she campaigns for her brother, partly because of her uncanny resemblance to her grandmother, Indira, but she is staying away from a wider role.

In the end, what Rahul Gandhi does or is able to do will be decided by the Uttar Pradesh elections. A poor performance by Congress may embolden the opposition and force an early general election; a good showing will give the party more space to put its house in order and allow Gandhi to take his time.— Reuters

A

y

e niv rsar n

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Years

www.kuwaittimes.net

A young grey seal appears in partly frozen water at a breeding station for seals in Friedrichskoog,northern Germany, yesterday. Six grey seals are currently kept at the breeding station. —AFP

Te c h n o l o g y FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Lots of texture, little shadow

Gaming with older computers

A

nyone looking for an escape from everyday drudgery only needs to go to their computer to find a fantasy world, a lush jungle or the adventures of outer space. Gaming is a welcome escape for many computer owners, but if your PC is not top of the line, these trips can become a little more cumbersome.

However, they are not impossible. Indeed, where upgrades were once key - faster versions of graphics cards once seemed to come out the moment you’d bought the newest, top-of-the-line card - they aren’t quite as urgent as before.

“Especially with graphics cards, development has slowed down,” says gaming expert Tobias Arns of Bitkom, a German technology industry association. “Current PC titles can be played pretty well with hardware that’s two-years-old.” But contemporary titles like Battlefield 3 or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will not run at the highest resolution or with the best graphic detail on older computers. To make sure the game looks good and still runs fluidly, users have to pick the right settings.

A lot of titles have options menus, where details like shadow and transparency effects or the field of view can be set separately. You can get a lot done here, though it can be tedious work to find the right settings. Better to know, in advance, which settings provide the most benefit. Daniel Hoehne, who chairs the computer graphics and visualization department at Dresden’s Technical University, says settings like motion blur or lighting tricks like Bloom or HDR Rendering should be shut off. “They look very nice, but take up a lot of graphics memory,” he explains. And that is a major bottleneck with gaming PCs. “The working memory of the card often has a lot more influence than the gaming capacities of the graphics processor.”

Next on the chopping block are shadow rendering and anti-aliasing effects, which

smooth edges. The latter is important in making sure figures appear smooth, and not blocky. “The impact on the picture quality is pretty slim, when compared to the resources it uses up,” says Daniel Moellendorf of the German computer magazine PC Games Hardware.

The performance improvement in following such a step is especially big when the graphics card is the weakest link to a gaming computer. And there are other options: shadow rendering often has multiple settings. But choosing the medium setting gives you a picture almost as good as the high setting and allows a lot more spare computing capacity.

But keep the texture quality settings which control the way surfaces and objects appear - as high as possible. “If I turn that down, I don’t just make individual objects, but the whole field of play, ugly,” warns Moellendorf. However, not every game has such a wide array of settings. Still, there are alternatives to activating functions like anti-aliasing, and these might work on all games run on the computer.

Owners of faster PCs who want to spruce up some older games can especially benefit from this tip. Right-click on the Nvidia system controls of a Nvidia card or the Catalyst Control Center of an AVI card. The graphics card can also be configured with shareware or freeware programs like RivaTuner or PowerStrip. Another way to up your game is to regularly update your graphics card’s software. “If you just set up a new driver once a year, you’ve given yourself a lot of playing performance,” notes German com-

puter magazine Gamestar Hardware. And the two big manufacturers of graphics cards, Nvidia and AMD, provide new updates monthly, and sometimes even weekly. The cards might even look for updates on their own.

Hoehne also recommends updates.

“How much additional gaming power it really brings is hard to measure. But at least this way you’re certain that there aren’t any compatibility problems with new games.”

There’s also the issue of setting the graphics card to run at a higher frequency than intended by the manufacturer. Although it provides a boost in performance, there are also risks, warns Moellendorf. “Parts that run at higher than the intended frequency get hotter faster, can crash and cause defects.”

Many manufacturers will void warranties if they find proof of frequencies being boosted. But others boost the frequency themselves, offering Overclock Editions with extra cooling. Moellendorf recommends amateurs not to try boosting frequency too much. “I would never risk more than 10 per cent extra frequency as a beginner,” he says. RivaTuner or Power Strip can also be used to fine-tune frequencies. — dpa

F e a t u re s FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Frank Mitchell (center) and other members of the St. Paul Clown Club create balloon animals as they prepare a truck for the Stockyard Days Parade in New Brighton, Minnesota. — MCT

Life is all haha hehe here

T

Volunteer clown clubs are seeking more members as longtime merrymakers age

he transformation from Frank Mitchell of Cottage Grove to Knufie of the St. Paul Clown Club takes about an hour, starting with precision application of face paint, followed by a colorful and comically oversized outfit, topped with a yellow bowler hat that’s much too small. The wacky ensemble, on top of a sunny disposition, belies a challenge that’s anything but funny for Mitchell, 77, and other volunteer clowns around the metro area: They are getting old.

Young members are scarce and shrinking membership has meant the St. Paul, Minn., troupe is doing fewer outings, including cutting back on their once-regular visits to nursing homes and hospitals. “We only go when one of us is in there,” joked Denise Chapeau, aka Sassie. Blame scary clown movies, busy family schedules or lack of civic spirit. But clown clubs, like other classic community clubs such as the Lions or American Legion, wonder what the future holds as their enthusiastic members grow gray.

“As age creeps in, it gets a little more difficult to do the parades and stuff,” Mitchell said. “The clubs are dwindling, which is kind of sad, I think. We’re trying to attract younger people.”

As the St. Paul Clown Club traversed the New Brighton Stockyard Days Parade route, taking turns hopping off a pickup truck decorated with balloon animals to entertain the crowds, there were waves and smiles aplenty. “It’s been a part of history,” spectator Karen Carlson said. “Without them, it wouldn’t be coming to a parade.”

The clubs’ origins are intertwined with the metro area’s largest festivals. Both the St. Paul Clown Club and the Minneapolis Aqua Jesters were formed by community leaders to bring laughter and boost interest in the cities’ marquee festivals - the Winter Carnival and the Aquatennial - after World War II. The Powder Puffs, a women’s troupe, was formed later as a sister group to the then-

all-male St. Paul club. The clubs once counted 50 to 100 active members, a number that’s now more like a couple dozen per troupe. They teach each other the tricks of the trade - face painting, balloon animals and magic tricks - and seek opportunities to cavort at hospitals, nursing homes and charity events and in shows at libraries or community centers.

“It’s a good hobby, that’s for sure,” said Betty Cash, an early member of the Powder Puffs and now known nationally as a clown costume seamstress. Her clients may skew older, she said, but people of all ages are still interested in making others laugh: “There’s so many different kinds of clowns.”

Frank Mitchell paints on his clown face at his home in Cottage Grove. —MCT

Dan Butler, founder and executive director of Circus Juventas in St. Paul, agrees. He said that plenty of kids are enrolled in clowning classes at his circus school. Yet as circuses have evolved from three-ring, big-top spectacles to more sophisticated shows (think Cirque du Soleil), clowning has changed, as well.

“There’s somewhat of a resurgence, but I would say it has a new contemporary flair to it,” Butler said, explaining that it’s less about red-nosed, Bozo-the-clown antics and more about developing a comedic character with other skills.

Nicole Anderson, who at 23 is one of the younger members of the Aqua Jesters, occasionally hears the fear line from her peers, but doesn’t let it deter her. She’s walks parades with her dad, Tom Anderson, 57, and grandpa, Ken Anderson, 91. “It is such a rewarding thing to do, seeing the smiles on everybody’s faces,” she said.

Tom said the recruiting challenges aren’t unique to clown clubs, as people are generally busy. “It’s just like any other club out there, whether it’s the Elks or Lions or anything like that. It’s really tough to get younger (adults) into it,” he said. Still, clowns see hope for the future in retiring baby boomers who may have extra time and in people like Arenda Onsare, who paused to consider the St. Paul Clown Club after laughing at their antics with her niece at the New Brighton Parade. “They just brighten the atmosphere. It’s who you are at heart,” said Onsare, who fondly recalled donning a clown costume to entertain kids when working at a restaurant years ago. “It seems like a blast.” — MCT

FOOD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Gluten-free diet

What’s allowed, what’s not Croutons * French fries * Gravies * Imitation meat or seafood * Matzo * Pastas * Processed luncheon meats * Salad dressings * Sauces, including soy sauce * Seasoned rice mixes * Seasoned snack foods, such as potato and tortilla chips * Self-basting poultry * Soups and soup bases * Vegetables in sauce Certain grains, such as oats, can be contaminated with wheat during growing and processing stages of production. For this reason, doctors and dietitians generally recommend avoiding oats unless they are specifically labeled gluten-free.

You should also be alert for other products that you eat or that could come in contact with your mouth that may contain gluten. These include: Food additives, such as malt flavoring, modified food starch and others Medications and vitamins that use gluten as a binding agent Play dough

Definition A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).

A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Eating a gluten-free diet helps people with celiac disease control their signs and symptoms and prevent complications.

Initially, following a gluten-free diet may be frustrating. But with time, patience and creativity, you’ll find there are many foods that you already eat that are gluten-free and you will find substitutes for gluten-containing foods that you can enjoy.

Purpose The gluten-free diet is a treatment for celiac disease.

Diet details Switching to a gluten-free diet is a big change and, like anything new, it takes some getting used to. You may initially feel deprived by the diet’s restrictions. However, try to stay positive and focus on all the foods you can eat.

You may also be pleasantly surprised to realize how many gluten-free products, such as bread and pasta, are now available. Many specialty grocery stores sell gluten-free foods. If you can’t find them in your area, check with a celiac support group or go online.

If you’re just starting with a gluten-free diet, it’s a good idea to consult a dietitian who can answer your questions and offer advice about how to avoid gluten while still eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Allowed foods Many healthy and delicious foods are naturally gluten-free: Beans, seeds, nuts in their natural, unprocessed form Fresh eggs Fresh meats, fish and poultry (not breaded, batter-coated or marinated) Fruits and vegetables Most dairy products Avoiding wheat can be challenging because wheat products go by numerous names.

Consider the many types of wheat flour on supermarket shelves - bromat-

ed, enriched, phosphated, plain and self-rising.

Here are other wheat products to avoid: * Bulgur * Durum flour * Farina * Graham flour * Kamut * Semolina * Spelt * Avoid unless labeled ‘gluten-free’ In general, avoid the following foods unless

they’re labeled as gluten-free or made with corn, rice, soy or other gluten-free grain: * Breads * Cakes and pies * Candies * Cereals * Cookies and crackers

Watch for cross-contamination Cross-contamination occurs when glutenfree foods come into contact with foods that contain gluten. It can happen during the manufacturing process, for example, if the same equipment is used to make a variety of products. Some food labels include a “may contain” statement if this is the case. But be aware that this type of statement is voluntary. You still need to check the actual ingredient list. If you’re not sure whether a food contains gluten, don’t buy it or check with the manufacturer first to ask what it contains.

Cross-contamination can also occur at home if foods are prepared on common surfaces or with utensils that weren’t thoroughly cleaned after being used to prepare gluten-containing foods.

Using a common toaster for gluten-free bread and regular bread is a major source of contamination, for example. Consider what steps you need to take to prevent cross-contamination at home, school or work.

— (www.mayoclinic.com)

FOOD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Flourless peanut butter cookies

Delicious gluten-free pancakes I

1 cup rice flour 3 tablespoons tapioca flour 1/3 cup potato starch 4 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder 1 packet sugar substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum 2 eggs 3 tablespoons canola oil 2 cups water

n a bowl, mix or sift together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, dry buttermilk powder, sugar substitute, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.

Stir in eggs, water, and oil until well blended and few lumps remain.

Heat a large, well-oiled skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Spoon batter onto skillet and cook until bubbles begin to form.

Flip, and continue cooking until golden brown on bottom. Serve immediately with condiments of your choice.

1 cup peanut butter 1 cup sugar 1 large egg , beaten 1 teaspoon baking soda

P

reheat oven to 350ยบ C and grease cookie sheets. Beat together peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add beaten egg and baking soda to peanut butter mixture and beat until

well combined. Roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball and place on cookie sheet. Place dough balls one inch apart on cookie sheet and flatten with tines of fork making a cross pattern. Bake until puffed and a golden pale, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet about 2 minutes and then transfer with spatula to rack to cool. May be kept in air tight container at room temperature for 5 days. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Gluten-free pizza dough

2 1/2 cups gluten-free pizza and pastry flour 7g sachet dried instant yeast Pinch salt 1 cup warm water 1 tablespoon olive oil

S

ift flour into a bowl. Add yeast and salt. Stir to combine. Make a well in the centre. Add water and oil. Mix to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Stand in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. Using your fist, punch dough down. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide dough in half.

Chocolate-fudge brownies (wheat and gluten free) 1/2 cup rice flour 1/2 cup plain gluten-free flour (we used Orgran brand) 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1 1/4 cups caster sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 150g butter, melted

P

reheat oven to 180ยบ C. Grease a 4cm-deep, 20cm x 30cm (base) slab pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends. Sift flours, baking powder and cocoa into a large bowl. Add sugar.

Stir to combine. Make a well in the centre. Add eggs and melted butter to flour mixture. Using a metal spoon, mix until just smooth. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with crumbs clinging. Remove from oven.

Allow to cool in pan. Lift from pan. Cut into squares.

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 : A tsunami threatens a remote Pacific island -- but the island doesn’t respond to The 99’s offers of help. Dr. Ramzi sends Mukit and Jaleel to stop the storm from offshore, while Batina hides them from view...

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

www.the99.org

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

10 best BEACHES

in Hawaii

H

awaii has some of the best beaches in the world, some accessible only by helicopter or landing watercraft, some built around the high drama of intense waves crashing against razor-sharp lava rocks, and some that literally disappear under the high winter surf on the north shores of the islands. But which beaches are best for a day at the beach?

Lanikai Beach, Oahu Considered by many locals to be the best swimming beach in Hawaii, Lanikai’s clear waters, clean, wide beach, and swaying coconut palms also make it a photographer’s dream.

A mile-long stretch of powderedsugar sand is perfect for sunbathing.

Sparkling turquoise waters sheltered by a wide, protective offshore reef provide ideal swimming conditions.

Other popular activities on Lanikai include kayaking, outrigger canoeing, sailing, surfing, and windsurfing.

With the twin Mokulua Islands in the distance (one called the “Chinaman’s Hat” due to its profile), Lanikai Beach truly lives up to its translated name of “heavenly sea.”

Hanalei Bay Beach, Kauai Lovely Hanalei Bay on Kauai’s North Shore may be the most beautiful beach setting in all of Hawaii.

Hanalei is the largest bay on the island of Kauai and nearly a perfect semi-circle of white sand. Behind the beach is an utterly breathtaking backdrop of waterfalls and emerald mountain peaks wrapped in mist, soaring thousands of feet towards

the heavens. The beach is two miles long, 125 feet wide, and bordered by the Hanalei River to the east and the Waipa River to the west. The ocean bottom slopes gently to overhead depths, and there are large coral reefs at both ends of the bay. Every ocean recreation activity you can imagine is available, from boating and windsurfing to kayaking up the placid Hanalei River. The bay is very popular with serious surfers. There is a public boat ramp and a 300-foot long pier used for fishing and swimming. The many “no dogs” and “no jumping off the pier” signs are blissfully ignored.

Kaanapali - Black Rock Beach, Maui For some reason, this beach has many different names (among them Keka’a Beach, Canoe Beach, Dig Me Beach). Whatever you call it, Kaanapali Beach in West Maui is a watersport lover’s paradise. Virtually every type of ocean recreation is available. Snorkeling and scuba diving are outstanding. The Black Rock is a large lava rock that divides the beach. This is a busy, popular beach that fronts two resorts. What you give up in solitude you gain in big time fun-shopping, restaurants, boat tours, fishing, kayaking, sailing, sunbathing, people-watching, and more.

Hanauma Bay, Oahu Pretty and popular, Hanauma Bay is a victim of its own success. Formed thousands of years ago by the flooding of a volcanic crater, this nearly

circular bay is home to an amazingly diverse and abundant population of fish life. Hanauma Bay is one of the best and most popular snorkeling and swimming areas in the world.

However, excessive swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving have threatened the bay’s marine residents. The area’s designation as a marine life conservation district in 1967 wasn’t enough protection, so in 1990 strict visitor limits were initiated. Hanauma Bay is another of Hawaii’s most beautiful bays, but to enjoy its treasures you’ll have to plan ahead and arrive early for a visit.

Ke’e Beach Park, Kauai Incredible sunsets are synonymous with Ke’e Beach Park. Located literally at the end of the road on Kauai’s North Shore between the dramatic Na Pali Coast and Limahuli Stream, the reef lagoon at Ke’e Beach is a favorite snorkeling site.

The water is clear and there are tons of colorful reef fish and turtles. Ke’e Beach has a very tropical look with a backshore lushly vegetated by ironwood trees, coconut palms, ti, and guava.

Kapalua Bay Beach, Maui Golden sand, swaying palms, calm waters. What more can you ask for? It’s just another day in paradise on this West Maui pocket beach.

Situated between two lava points and bordered by a coconut tree grove, Kapalua is known for its tranquil surf, ideal for the less-thanadventurous swimmer and families wit small children.

Hapuna Beach State Park, Big Island A one-half mile long band of white sand that is over 200 feet wide in the summer months plus clean, clear water would describe anyone’s perfect imaginary beach.

In winter, wild, thundering waves pound the shoreline. Fortunately, Hapuna Bay, on the Big Island’s west side, is for real and it is the most popular beach on the island.

The ivory sands slope gently into a shallow sandbar that extends approximately 25 yards into the ocean. Swimming and boogie boarding conditions are excellent.

Abundant fish and coral make for superb snorkeling and the wide beach is just right for frolicking and sunbathing.

Hulopoe Beach, Lanai Formerly known as the “Pineapple Island,” where for decades the fruit was grown by the Dole Company, Lanai is now a remote and secluded vacation destination. Hulopoe Beach Park is an exquisite pocket beach at the head of Hulopoe Bay. The shoreline is quite steep, making it fine for swimming. Hulopoe has some of the best snorkeling in all of Hawaii due to the rich variety of colorful fish and stunningly clear water. The waters of Hulopoe Bay are part of the marine life conservation district, so fishing is limited to hook and line from the shore.

For romance and intimacy, you won’t find a better beach than Hulopoe.

Poipu Beach, Kauai The most popular beach on Kauai’s south shore, Poipu Beach is ideal for families. A small boulder breakwater creates a protected poollike area where children and parents can play and snorkel. Outside the swimming area, the ocean bottom slopes gently to overhead depths.

The south shore’s bays create yearround ideal wave conditions for body boarders and surfers. The beach is a pretty curve of white sand about 1,000 feet long and 50 feet wide, with plenty of room for sandcastle building or strolling.

Sunbathers are occasionally joined by endangered monk seals that come up for a snooze on the shore.

Papohaku Beach, Molokai How about miles of long, straight white sand beach, hundreds of feet wide, completely empty except for skittering crabs and soaring sea birds? Papohaku Beach is as close as you can get to the deserted tropical island of your dreams. Located on the west end of Molokai, which itself is between Oahu and Maui, Papohaku Beach also offers swimming, snorkeling, bodysurfing, body boarding, and surfing. This is the beach where you leave your troubles behind and get away from the world.

On this remote beach on this remote island, the only footprints in the sand may be your own. (www.bestplaceshawaii.com)

Tr a v e l FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Tips and trick when converting money abroad Currency conversions So has foreign currency been surpassed in favour of cards? The answer is generally, yes. If you have the right card you will almost certainly save money when compared to exchanging your Sterling for foreign currency.

However, for some, any forms of cards, whether it is a credit card with charges or the new breed of prepaid cards, are off-putting and of course the wrong card can carry risks.

Cash is also the easiest to use but, at the same time, is the easiest to lose or have stolen so don’t take more than your travel insurance covers. In those cases, exchanging money is probably right for you - but still make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Don’t assume that a sign saying ‘commission free’ automatically means you’re going to get a great rate. In actual fact you should be very wary of ‘commission free’ offers because the chances are that you will be offered a worse exchange rate than the bureau itself receives, allowing them to make profit that way. The only way to tell is to ask how many euros/dollars, etc, you will get in exchange for your pounds. Simple as that!

Some companies don’t have commission charges - so if their exchange rate is competitive they are worth a look. However, don’t rule out those that do charge commission, as their rates can still be more competitive.

Be wary however, of flat fees and minimum charges. Minimum charges make it difficult to change small amounts of money but flat fees can offer good value if you are changing larger sums of money. Watch out for handling fees too, which are normally about £3 but can be higher. Also consider your own bank or building society as they might have preferential rates for their account holders.

On the moneysupermarket.com forum we’re often asked about who offers the best rates. As rates change constantly that’s almost impossible to answer, and there’s no one

bureau that is consistently ahead of the rest.

Cheque Mate Option two is the trusty travellers cheque, which is certainly one of the most secure methods of carrying your money abroad.

Indeed that’s the overriding advantage of travellers cheques because as long as you make a note of the cheque number or make a photocopy (and don’t lose that too!) you can travel with peace of mind.

The downside however, is that they’re not always the cheapest way to carry your money abroad. In fact expenses can mount up as you are usually charged commission when you buy Sterling cheques and an exchange rate is applied when you exchange them into local currency. Once again, shopping around for the best deal becomes crucial.

With foreign currency travellers cheques those who think ahead, get ahead. Keep an eye on the exchange rate and look to transfer funds potentially well ahead of time. If you find a good rate, capitalise on it - and if you think the rate is going to drop further then why not play safe and change half your money? Also look out for good deals. Some providers may offer free commission, especially for students.

Deals that don’t charge commission won’t automatically be the best deals - you have to

check their exchange rate and make sure it is competitive. Also be aware that when cashing in

cheques abroad you are likely to face an additional charge (normally an extra couple of pounds) - so try and take your cheques in larger amounts, as it will cost the same to cash-in £100 as it will cost to cash-in £10.

As with foreign currency, exchange rates for foreign currency travellers cheques constantly change so shop around and take a thorough look at the market before deciding on the right option for you.

Give me credit A lot of providers will have special travel credit cards purposefully targeting the frequent flyer with points and other loyalty rewards. Of course these bonuses are great but the fees and the interest rate should always be your first consideration if you intend to use your card abroad and also if you plan to borrow. With that in mind it’s often a good idea to have a credit card just for using when overseas - and that can be paid off in full each month.

If you have a credit card then watch out for immediate interest charges, particularly for cash withdrawals. These incur interest when your balance is not repaid in full. In general it’s best to avoid using a credit card to withdraw cash abroad, as you would at home.

Despite the potential charges, if you shop around there are some fantastic credit cards to use overseas which don’t carry loading charges and have low ATM fees.

One of the crucial advantages of a credit card is that there are a host of cards with 0% on purchases for as much as 12 months. This will allow you to make purchases without being stung by interest charges - but do be wary to make sure you are not being hit with a loading fee, and make sure there are no restrictions on overseas purchases. Also, the majority of credit card providers will supply a free replacement card. So if you misplace your credit card or it is stolen, contact your credit card company and they will send you a replacement. This offers a level of security that simply isn’t available with cash.

Post Office Classic - The Post Office Classic card is one of the leading credit cards to use at home and abroad with its typical rate of 14.9%APR. Where this card comes into its own for travellers however, is that it is commission free for use abroad. There is an introductory offer for purchases of 0% p.a. fixed for three months and an introductory offer for balance transfers of 0% p.a. fixed for eight months. In addition, there is a 24hr service available so if you do misplace your card whether at home or abroad you can call the emergency contact number and receive a replacement card for no charge.

Make sure you shop around to find the card with the best rates The new plastic power Prepaid cards are the alternative way to pay abroad. The advantages of prepaid cards are numerous as they offer increased safety and, if you’re buying online or on the phone and your card is used fraudulently you will be able to get your money back. Furthermore, there is no debt risk as you control the funds you place on the card, and prepaid cards are more accessible - you can get a prepaid card without hav-

ing to worry about your credit history.

From a travel perspective, there are numerous advantages to prepaid cards. Safety is again a key feature because if you lose your prepaid card, you can contact your provider and they will cancel your lost or stolen card and issue a replacement. Additionally, depending on the provider, you can use a prepaid card worldwide and some providers will even offer 0% foreign exchange fees.

So what’s the downside? Unfortunately, with prepaid cards being a relatively new phenomenon the market isn’t too competitive just yet (though it is expanding). Consequently, there are still a lot of fees to be wary of such as card application fees, ATM withdrawal fees (which is often higher overseas) and charges for top-ups. However, more prepaid cards are emerging which drives these fees down, and, additionally, there are prepaid cards designed specifically for travel which limit overseas costs such as spending overseas, ATM withdrawals, etc.

It’s also important to consider HOW you can top up. Some prepaid cards will only allow you to top up face-to-face, while others give you the chance to top-up face-to-face, on the phone or on the internet. When travelling it is crucial to think about how you can top up your card overseas - face-to-face is instantly ruled out and phone calls are often difficult to make, so look for a prepaid card that allows you top-up over the internet.

Again, take a complete look at the market before opting for the right card for you.

Moneysupermarket.com now offers a prepaid card comparison tool, which will compare the best deals instantly.

Card users beware: dynamic currency conversion Merchants and retailers overseas might offer you something called ‘dynamic currency conversion’. This means they charge you in Sterling (or for overseas readers, whatever your currency may be) rather than the currency of the country you’re travelling in. This can be convenient and gives you a familiar perspective of the price you’re paying - but you will normally be hit with a higher exchange rate for this service so never use it and always CHECK before signing anything or entering your PIN - they might not always ask! So if you see a conversion, make sure you ask to be billed in the local currency.

Moneysupermarket.com recommends...

So with all these alternatives what do we suggest you do? Well generally, we’d say opt for a credit card or travel currency card as your main source of travel money, when travelling abroad. Choose one that doesn’t charge loading fees. Currently the Post Office comes out on top in the credit card category with no commission charge for use abroad. If you can’t be bothered applying for a new card then do not use them for cash withdrawals unless you really need to. That is why we also suggest taking cash with you for small ticket items - such as buying drinks and for transport. Change your cash before you travel and be sure to shop around to get the best exchange rates.

As a back up, for security, you might also consider travellers cheques and prepaid cards in case of emergencies. Good luck and enjoy your trip! (www.moneysupermarket.com)

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Books

Years

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Best selling fiction books 2012 (Combined Print & E-Book)

Extremely loud and incredibly close

Taken

By Robert Crais

By Jonathan Safran Foer

J

onathan Safran Foer emerged as one of the most original writers of his generation with his best-selling debut novel, Everything Is Illuminated. Now, with humor, tenderness, and awe, he confronts the traumas of our recent history.

What he discovers is solace in that most human quality, imagination. Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist, correspondent with Stephen Hawking and Ringo Starr. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York.

His mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

The Help

W

hen the police tell a wealthy industrialist that her missing son has faked his own kidnapping, she hires Elvis Cole and Joe Pikeand Cole soon determines that it was no fake. The boy and his secret girlfriend have been taken, and are now lost in the gray and changing world of the professional border kidnappers who prey not only on innocent victims but also on one another-buying, selling, and stealing victims like commodities.

Fortunately, the kidnappers don’t yet know who the boy is, but when Cole goes undercover to try to buy the two hostages back, he himself is taken and disappears. Now it is up to Pike to retrace Cole’s steps, burning through the hard and murderous world of human traffickers . . . before it is too late.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By Kathryn Stockett

By Stieg Larsson

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T

our peerless actors render an array of sharply defined black and white characters in the nascent years of the civil rights movement. They each handle a variety of Southern accents with aplomb and draw out the daily humiliation and pain the maids are subject to, as well as their abiding affection for their white charges. The actors handle the narration and dialogue so well that no character is ever stereotyped, the humor is always delightful, and the listener is led through the multilayered stories of maids and mistresses. The novel is a superb intertwining of personal and political history in Jackson, Miss., in the early 1960s, but this reading gives it a deeper and fuller power.

his debut thriller—the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson— is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a oncerespected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch—and there’s always a catch—is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson’s novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don’t want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

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Books

Years

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Best selling nonfiction books 2012 (Combined Print & E-Book)

Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America

Heaven is for Real

By Todd Burpo

W

hen Colton Burpo made it through an emergency appendectomy, his family was overjoyed at his miraculous survival. What they weren’t expecting, though, was the story that emerged in the months that followed-a story as beautiful as it was extraordinary, detailing their little boy’s trip to heaven and back. Colton, not yet four years old, told his parents he left his body during the surgery-and authenticated that claim by describing exactly what his parents were doing in another part of the hospital while he was being operated on. He talked of visiting heaven and relayed stories told to him by people he met there whom he had never met in life, sharing events that happened even before he was born. He also astonished his parents with descriptions and obscure details about heaven that matched the Bible exactly, though he had not yet learned to read.

Steve Jobs

By Walter Isaacson

B

ased on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years-as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues-Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

By Mark R. Levin

H

ailed by Rush Limbaugh as “the most compelling defense of freedom for our time,” and “the necessary book of the Obama era” by The American Spectator, Mark R. Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny made the most persuasive case for conservatism and against statism in a generation. In this most crucial time, this leading conservative thinker explores the psychology, motivations, and history of the utopian movement, its architects, and its modern-day disciplesand how the individual and American society are being devoured by it.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

By Susan Cain

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t least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled “quiet,” it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society—from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Beauty FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

The truth about

Conditioner An important thing to consider is what type of shampoo you are using. It would probably we wise to use a conditioner that is the same brand and formula as your shampoo to ensure optimal results

S

hampoos are designed to remove all the dirt and oil from your hair. Conditioners are designed to leave your hair soft, silky and manageable. Picking a conditioner can almost be as complex as picking a shampoo.

There are several things that you will want to consider before you head out to buy a conditioner: you hair type, texture, color, condition, health and length. All of these factors work together to help you pick the conditioner that is just right for you. Look below for your hair type to find out more about what conditioner you should choose: * Normal Hair- For normal hair, your options are endless. You can opt for creamy conditioner if you want extra body or normal conditioner if you just want to keep things

simple. Another option is to use a shampooconditioner in one if you always find yourself being rushed in the mornings. * Dry Hair- For dry hair, you will want to find a conditioner that is specially formulated to repair dull, unhealthy looking hair. You will also want to find a conditioner that will help restore moisture and vibrancy to the hair follicles. Look for rich, creamy formulas and use daily. * Thinning Hair- You will not be able to find a magic formula for thinning hair in a shampoo or conditioner. However, it is possible to find a conditioner that will help to make your hair appear thicker. You will want to find a conditioner that promised to help make hair follicles fuller and more stable.

* Oily Hair- Many people who have oily hair think that they shouldn’t condition their hair at all because it will only make it appear oilier.

Even if you do have oily hair, you should condition your hair. If you wish to condition you hair only every other time that you shampoo, that would be okay too.

There are many factors that you should consider when you are choosing a conditioner. Another important thing to consider is what type of shampoo you are using. It would probably we wise to use a conditioner that is the same brand and formula as your shampoo to ensure optimal results. (www.beautysecrets101.com)

Everything you need to know about toners toner is a skin care product that you apply to the face after you cleanse and before you moisturize. Toners can also be classified as fresheners and astringents.

Toners are suppose to restore the pH balance of the skin, remove any makeup that was not fully removed, or any soap residue. Toners leave skin feeling very refreshed and clean.

There are also toners that claim to help fight the aging process and to help prevent and clear blemishes.

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aren’t aware of. You’ll want to cleanse the skin thoroughly and try to get rid of all traces of makeup. Pat face with a towel until skin is completely dry. Then apply a thin layer of toner with a cotton ball or sponge all over the face. Don’t pat dry, let the toner dry naturally.

After the toner is completely dry, apply moisturizer. You should only use toner once a month, either in the morning or at night. If you use it more than once a day, it will leave the skin too dry.

Choosing a Toner If you decide to use a toner, it is important to know just what product is right for you.

One of the best things that you can do to find a toner is to experiment with many different brands and formulas to find the toner that is ideal for you. Ask yourself questions like: Does the toner make my skin feel too oily or too dry? Does my skin feel clean and refreshed after I use it? Does it make my skin feel too tight? If your answers were good to all of these questions, then chances are that you have found a good toner for you.

Toner Tips use toner more than once a day, especially if you have dry skin. l If you have dry skin, try using toner only every other day. l Find a toner that has very natural ingredients, some toners can have a high amount of chemicals in them. l Always apply moisturizer after you use toner, otherwise your skin will get very dry and feel tight. l Toner is suppose to make your skin feel refreshed, if it burns or gets becomes red, you are using the wrong toner. l Toner is suppose to make your skin feel clean, if your skin feels oily or have residue after use, try to find a new toner.

Applying toner Not knowing when to apply their toner is one of the most commonly made mistakes.

There is just the right time to apply the toner in the skin care process that many people

l Don’t

(www.beautysecrets101.com)

Beauty FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Got wrinkles? Get a face lift A

s an individual gets older, there are many signs of aging that they may wish to fix. These signs of aging may include wrinkles, loose skin, age spots and fine lines. After many people see these signs of aging, they may wonder what can be done to help reduce and prevent them. This is when many people may look to plastic surgery for answers. A face lift is a surgical procedure that may help reverse obvious sign of aging and help a person look years younger in a matter of minutes!

How does a face lift work?

A face lift can vary quite a bit, but all of them are intended to help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. The traditional face lift, which delivers the best results, is a medical procedure that needs to be done in the proper medical facility and requires anesthetic and other medical tools. For a face lift, incisions are made near the ear to allow the skin’s tissue to be reconstructed for firmer, more youthful skin. A face lift is a one-time procedure, and multiple face lifts are generally discouraged. After a face lift, significant healing time may be necessary for a full recovery.

During this time you should abstain from doing lots of physical activity. The person who got the face lift should also abstain from wearing makeup or touching their face exces-

sively for at least a couple of weeks. Talk to your plastic surgeon or doctor to see what is right for your individual needs.

Alternatives to face lifts If you don’t want to go under the knife for a full-on face lift, but still want to have a more youthful appearance, their might be techniques for you that will avoid getting a full face lift. Keep in mind that many of the alternative techniques to facelifts will not have the same results as surgical techniques. They will most likely not be as dramatic and will probably not last as long. Some of these treatment methods might be radio frequency emitters, lasers and topical creams.

Benefits of face lifts A face lift can have many benefits that will improve a person’s appearance and their selfesteem. In your day to day life, a facelift can make all the difference in the world. It can give you more confidence and allow you to exude a more youthful appearance day by day. It can also allow makeup to go on with less spots and creases, giving a more youthful appearance as well. (www.beautysecrets101.com)

Battle the bulge with

liposuction F

or many people who suffer from unwanted fat on their body might find that liposuction is an answer to their problems. It can make them more confident and give them the body that they have always dreamed of. However, before you go under the knife there are certain critical things that you should consider.

Before you go under the knife...

There are many things to be considered before you get liposuction. First of all, liposuction is only recommended for people who are very overweight. People who are just a little out of shape may find that just simply dieting and exercising may be more effective for them in the long run. Second, are you willing to work out after you get the surgery performed?

Liposuction is not a miracle surgery. If you do not do your part after the surgery is performed, such as dieting and exercising, you may find that you simply gain all the way back. Also, liposuction is not designed to be a problem to all of your problems. It is just meant to be something to help you get started on the weight loss process. It is designed to help get you motivated to continue losing weight.

How liposuction can help Many people have fat deposits beneath their chin and on their hips, abdomen, thighs and their lower legs. These areas are commonly very resistant to weight loss and exercising and it can be very difficult to lose weight in these parts of the body. Liposuction can help these areas drastically. During liposuction a thin suction tube is placed into the body through small incisions. A vacuum is applied through a hose into the suction tubes. This tube then draws the fat out the body and into the tube.

Before you get liposuction, try to lose the weight naturally first. This is the best way to loose weight and you will usually keep the weight off much longer as opposed to getting liposuction. You will also feel the added benefit of knowing that you lost the weight all yourself. However, if you have tried everything and nothing works, it may be time to consider getting liposuction. Talk to your doctor to see if this is the right option for you. (www.beautysecrets101.com)

Health FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

How to boost your immune system

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n the whole, your immune system does a remarkable job of defending you against disease-causing microorganisms. But sometimes it fails: A germ invades successfully and makes you sick. Is it possible to intervene in this process and make your immune system stronger? What if you improve your diet? Take certain vitamins or herbal preparations? Make other lifestyle changes in the hope of producing a near-perfect immune response?

The idea of boosting your immunity is enticing, but the ability to do so has proved elusive for several reasons. The immune system is precisely that - a system, not a single entity. To function well, it requires balance and harmony. There is still much that researchers don’t know about the intricacies and interconnectedness of the immune response. For now, there are no scientifically proven direct links between lifestyle and enhanced immune function.

But that doesn’t mean the effects of lifestyle on the immune system aren’t intriguing and shouldn’t be studied. Quite a number of researchers are exploring the effects of diet, exercise, age, psychological stress, herbal supplements, and other factors on the immune response, both in animals and in humans. Although interesting results are emerging, thus far they can only be considered preliminary. That’s because researchers are still trying to understand how the immune system works and how to interpret measurements of immune function. The following sections summarize some of the most active areas of research into these topics. In the meantime, general healthy-living strategies are a good way to start giving your immune system the upper hand.

Adopt healthy-living strategies Your first line of defense is to choose a healthy lifestyle. Following general goodhealth guidelines is the single best step you can take toward keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Every part of your body, including your immune system, functions better when protected from environmental assaults and bolstered by healthy-living strategies such as these: lDon’t smoke. lEat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in saturated fat. lExercise regularly. lMaintain a healthy weight. lControl your blood pressure. lGet adequate sleep. lTake steps to avoid infection, such as washing your hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly. lGet regular medical screening tests for people in your age group and risk category.

What about diet?

Like any fighting force, the immune system army marches on its stomach. Immune system warriors need good, regular nourishment. Scientists have long recognized that people who live in poverty and are malnourished are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Whether the increased rate of disease is caused by malnutrition’s effect on the immune system, however, is not certain.

There are still relatively few studies of the effects of nutrition on the immune system of humans, and even fewer studies that tie the effects of nutrition directly to the development (versus the treatment) of diseases.

There are studies of the effects of nutritional changes on the immune systems of animals, but again there are few studies that address the development of diseases in animals as a result of changes in immunity. For

example, one group of investigators has found that in mice, diets deficient in protein reduce both the numbers and function of T cells and macrophages and also reduce the production of immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody.

There is some evidence that various micronutrient deficiencies - for example, deficiencies of zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C, and E - alter immune responses in animals, as measured in the test tube. However, the impact of these immune system changes on the health of animals is less clear, and the effect of similar deficiencies on the human immune response has yet to be assessed.

But the research at this stage is promising, at least for some of the micronutrients.

So what can you do? If you suspect your diet is not providing you with all your micronutrient needs - maybe you don’t like vegetables or you choose white bread over whole grains - taking a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement brings health benefits of many types, beyond any possibly beneficial effects on the immune system. Taking megadoses of a single vitamin does not.

More is not necessarily better. Researchers are investigating the immune boosting potential of a number of different nutrients.

Selenium. Some studies have suggested that people with low selenium levels are at greater risk of bladder, breast, colon, rectum, lung, and prostate cancers. A large-scale, multiyear study is currently in progress to look at the effects of combining selenium and vitamin E on prostate cancer prevention.

Vitamin A. Experts have long known that vitamin A plays a role in infection and maintaining mucosal surfaces by influencing certain subcategories of T cells and B cells and

cytokines. Vitamin A deficiency is associated with impaired immunity and increased risk of infectious disease. On the other hand, according to one study, supplementation in the absence of a deficiency didn’t enhance or suppress T cell immunity in a group of healthy seniors.

Vitamin B2. There is some evidence that vitamin B2 enhances resistance to bacterial infections in mice, but what that means in terms of enhancing immune response is unclear.

Vitamin B6. Several studies have suggested that a vitamin B6 deficiency can depress aspects of the immune response, such as lymphocytes’ ability to mature and spin off into various types of T and B cells.

Supplementing with moderate doses to address the deficiency restores immune function, but megadoses don’t produce additional benefits. And B6 may promote the growth of tumors.

Vitamin C. The jury is still out on vitamin C and the immune system. Many studies have looked at vitamin C in general; unfortunately, many of them were not well designed. Vitamin C may work in concert with other micronutrients rather than providing benefits alone.

Vitamin D. For many years doctors have known that people afflicted with tuberculosis responded well to sunlight. An explanation may now be at hand. Researchers have found that vitamin D, which is produced by the skin when exposed to sunlight, signals an antimicrobial response to the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Whether vitamin D has similar ability to fight off other diseases and whether taking vitamin D in supplement form is beneficial are questions that need to be resolved with further study.

Health FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Vitamin E. A study involving healthy subjects over age 65 has shown that increasing the daily dose of vitamin E from the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 30 mg to 200 mg increased antibody responses to hepatitis B and tetanus after vaccination. But these increased responses didn’t happen following administration of diphtheria and pneumococcal vaccines.

Zinc. Zinc is a trace element essential for cells of the immune system, and zinc deficiency affects the ability of T cells and other immune cells to function as they should.

Caution: While it’s important to have sufficient zinc in your diet (15-25 mg per day), too much zinc can inhibit the function of the immune system.

Herbs and other supplements Walk into a store, and you will find bottles of pills and herbal preparations that claim to “support immunity” or otherwise boost the health of your immune system. Although some preparations have been found to alter some components of immune function, thus far there is no evidence that they actually bolster immunity to the point where you are better protected against infection and disease.

Demonstrating whether an herb - or any substance, for that matter - can enhance immunity is, as yet, a highly complicated matter.

Scientists don’t know, for example, whether an herb that seems to raise the levels of antibodies in the blood is actually doing anything beneficial for overall immunity.

But that doesn’t mean we should discount the benefits of all herbal preparations.

Everyone’s immune system is unique. Each person’s physiology responds to active substances differently. So if your grandmother says she’s been using an herbal preparation for years that protects her from illness, who’s to say that it doesn’t? The problem arises when scientists try to study such a preparation among large numbers of people. The fact that it works for one person won’t show up in the research data if it’s not doing the same for a larger group.

Scientists have looked at a number of herbs and vitamins in terms of their potential to influence the immune system in some way.

Much of this research has focused on the elderly, children, or people with compromised immune systems, such as AIDS patients. And many of the studies have had design flaws, which means further studies are needed to confirm or disprove the results.

Consequently, these findings should not be considered universally applicable.

Some of the supplements that have drawn attention from researchers are these: Aloe vera. For now, there’s no evidence that aloe vera can modulate immune response. Because many different formulations and compounds have been used in studies, comparing the results is difficult.

However, there is some evidence that topical aloe vera is helpful for minor burns, wounds, or frostbite, and also for skin inflammations when combined with hydrocortisone. Studies have found aloe vera is not the best option for treating breast tissue after radiation therapy.

Astragalus membranes. The astragalus product, which is derived from the root of the plant, is marketed as an immune-system stimulant, but the quality of the studies demonstrating the immune-stimulating properties of astragalus are poor. Furthermore, it may be dangerous.

Echinacea. An ocean of ink has been spilled extolling echinacea as an “immune stimulant,” usually in terms of its purported ability to prevent or limit the severity of colds.

Most experts don’t recommend taking echi-

nacea on a long-term basis to prevent colds.

A group of physicians from Harvard Medical School notes that studies looking at the cold prevention capabilities of echinacea have not been well designed, and other claims regarding echinacea are as yet not proven.

Echinacea can also cause potentially serious side effects. People with ragweed allergies are more likely to have a reaction to echinacea, and there have been cases of anaphylactic shock. Injected echinacea in particular has caused severe reactions. A well-designed study by pediatricians at the University of Washington in Seattle found echinacea didn’t help with the duration and severity of cold symptoms in a group of children. A large 2005 study of 437 volunteers also found that echinacea didn’t affect the rate of cold infections or the progress and severity of a cold.

Garlic. Garlic may have some infectionfighting capability. In laboratory tests, researchers have seen garlic work against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Although this is promising, there haven’t been enough welldesigned human studies conducted to know whether this translates into human benefits.

One 2006 study that looked at rates for certain cancers and garlic and onion consumption in southern European populations found an association between the frequency of use of garlic and onions and a lower risk of some common cancers. Until more is known, however, it’s too early to recommend garlic as a way of treating or preventing infections or controlling cancer.

Ginseng. It’s not clear how the root of the ginseng plant works, but claims on behalf of Asian ginseng are many, including its ability to stimulate immune function. Despite the claims of a number of mainly small studies, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) considers there have been insufficient large studies of a high enough quality to support the claims.

NCCAM is currently supporting research to understand Asian ginseng more fully.

Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice root). Licorice root is used in Chinese medicine to treat a variety of illnesses. Most studies of licorice root have been done in combination with other herbs, so it’s not possible to verify whether any effects were attributable to licorice root per se. Because of the potential side effects of taking licorice and how little is known about its benefits - if any - for stimulating immune function, this is an herb to avoid.

Probiotics. There are hundreds of different species of bacteria in your digestive tract, which do a bang-up job helping you digest your food. Now researchers, including some at Harvard Medical School, are finding evidence of a relationship between such “good” bacteria and the immune system. For

instance, it is now known that certain bacteria in the gut influence the development of aspects of the immune system, such as correcting deficiencies and increasing the numbers of certain T cells. Precisely how the bacteria interact with the immune system components isn’t known. As more and more intriguing evidence comes in to support the link that intestinal bacteria bolster the

immune system, it’s tempting to think that more good bacteria would be better. At least, this is what many marketers would like you to believe as they tout their probiotic products.

Probiotics are good bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, that can safely dwell in your digestive tract. You’ll now find probiotics listed on the labels of dairy products, drinks, cereals, energy bars, and other foods. Ingredients touted as “prebiotics,” which claim to be nutrients that feed the good bacteria, are also cropping up in commercially marketed foods. Unfortunately, the direct connection between taking these products and improving immune function has not yet been made. Nor has science shown whether taking probiotics will replenish the good bacteria that get knocked out together with “bad” bacteria when you take antibiotics.

Another caution is that the quality of probiotic products is not consistent. Some contain what they say they do; some do not. In a 2006 report, the American Academy of Microbiology said that “at present, the quality of probiotics available to consumers in food products around the world is unreliable.” In the same vein, the FDA monitors food packages to make sure they don’t carry labels that

claim the products can cure diseases unless the companies have scientific evidence to support the claims. Does this mean taking probiotics is useless? No. It means the jury is still out on the expansive health claims. In the meantime, if you choose to take a probiotic in moderation, it probably won’t hurt, and the scientific evidence may ultimately show some benefit.

The stress connection Modern medicine, which once treated the connection between emotions and physical health with skepticism, has come to appreciate the closely linked relationship of mind and body. A wide variety of maladies, including stomach upset, hives, and even heart disease, are linked to the effects of emotional stress. But although the relationship between stress and immune function is being studied by a number of different types of scientists, so far it is not a major area of research for immunologists.

Studying the relationship between stress and the immune system presents difficult challenges. For one thing, stress is difficult to define. What may appear to be a stressful situation for one person is not for another.

When people are exposed to situations they regard as stressful, it is difficult for them to measure how much stress they feel, and difficult for the scientist to know if a person’s subjective impression of the amount of stress is accurate. The scientist can only measure things that may reflect stress, such as the number of times the heart beats each minute, but such measures also may reflect other factors.

Most scientists studying the relationship of stress and immune function, however, do not study a sudden, short-lived stressor; rather, they try to study more constant and frequent stressors known as chronic stress, such as that caused by relationships with family, friends, and co-workers, or sustained challenges to perform well at one’s work. Some scientists are investigating whether ongoing stress takes a toll on the immune system. But it is hard to perform what scientists call “controlled experiments” in human beings. In a controlled experiment, the scientist can change one and only one factor, such as the amount of a particular chemical, and then measure the effect of that change on some other measurable phenomenon, such as the amount of antibodies produced by a particular type of immune system cell when it is exposed to the chemical. (www.health.harvard.edu)

C h i l d re n FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

maze

alfa-search

Can you find the hidden words? Each word ends with the letter G. The words may be horizontal or vertical.

BOXING, EATING, FLAG, FROG, HIDING, ICING, JOKING, KING, RING, SONG, STAG,

STING, STRONG, THING, WAVING, WRONG, YOUNG.

Spot the difference

C h i l d re n FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

mystery word

connect the dots

Can you enter the words correctly into the grid? The letters in the shaded boxes will spell out the name of the mystery word.

4 letters BRAN CORN EGGS FISH MEAT SALT 5 letters

BREAD CREAM HONEY PASTA SUGAR SYRUP 6 letters BUTTER

CEREAL CHEESE PEPPER POTATO TOMATO 7 letters LETTUCE

number-search

sudoku

solution Can you find the hidden numbers? They may be horizontal or vertical.

03838, 09223, 10383, 14398, 18384, 26782, 26983, 27365, 27883, 33589,

34785, 68966, 75976, 81621, 85766, 91479

Comics

C R O S S W O R D

5 8 4

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

To Yester

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

ACROSS

1. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

4. No longer frozen solid.

10. (computer science) A measure of how densely information is packed on a storage medium.

13. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

14. The outermost region of the sun's atmosphere.

15. A boy or man.

16. A Kwa language spoken by the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria.

17. Relating to the blood vessels or blood.

19. God of wealth and love.

21. A public promotion of some product or service.

23. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

25. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.

26. Free from risk or danger.

29. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

30. Eurasian rose with prickly stems and fragrant leaves and bright pink flowers followed by scarlet hips.

34. The dialect of Malay used as the national language of the Republic of Indonesia or of Malaysia.

37. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

38. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

43. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

46. Eaten as mush or as a thin gruel.

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

50. Flat and uninspiring.

54. A luminance unit equal to 1 candle per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source.

57. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

58. (informal) Of the highest quality.

59. (psychology) Characterized by avoidance or withdrawal.

61. The month following January and preceding March.

62. An interest followed with exaggerated zeal.

63. A mountainous republic of south-central Europe.

64. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

DOWN 1. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

2. The cardinal number that is the fifth power of ten.

3. Largest known toad species.

4. A landlocked desert republic in north-central Africa.

5. A tool with a flat blade attached at right angles to a long handle.

6. A large fleet.

7. A blue dyestuff obtained from the woad plant.

8. An inflammatory complication of leprosy that results in painful skin lesions on the arms and legs and face.

9. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

10. Divulge information or secrets.

11. A large indefinite number.

12. The content of cognition.

18. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.

20. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

22. A small cake leavened with yeast.

24. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

27. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

28. The federal agency that insures residential mortgages.

31. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

32. By bad luck.

33. Fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used.

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

36. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.

39. Kauri pine.

40. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

41. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

42. Fermented alcoholic beverage similar to but heavier than beer.

44. Any plant of the genus Erica.

45. Held back.

47. Understood in a certain way.

48. Of or relating to Oman or its people.

51. (British slang) Cafe.

52. In bed.

53. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

55. A light touch or stroke.

56. A dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived.

57. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

60. A hard gray lustrous metallic element that is highly corrosion-resistant.

Yesterday’s Solution

Lifestyle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Family, fashion dominate the days of

Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera

D

Kalamandalam Radhakrishnan performs Chakyar Koothu, a performance art from Kerala, on the third day of the five-day long ‘Soorya Festival’ at Natarani in Ahmedabad, late on February 8, 2012.

Soorya Festival presents rare feast of Kerala’s traditional art forms. —AFP

Kate push Lady Gaga off fashion’s map

B

ritain’s Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa have bumped Lady Gaga off the international fashion map. The wife of Prince William, now formally known as the Duchess of Cambridge, topped a fashion buzzword list for a second year running while outrageous pop star Lady Gaga disappeared from sight. The Global Language Monitor (GLM), which tracks print, electronic and social media for top words and phrases, said on Wednesday that “The Duchess Effect” was its top fashion word for 2012. The proclamation comes as New York begins its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week of runway shows and celebrity parties. Kate’s sister Pippa Middleton-who made waves as a bridesmaid at the Duchess’ London wedding last year-also made the list. “Pippa’s Bum” came in at No 5, reflecting what the GLM

Kate and Pippa Middleton

said was the “absurdly large media interest in the Duchess’s sister in general and her bum in particular.” The Duchess can sell out a fashion line in 24 hours just by wearing a dress or sweater from a retail store at a public event. Indeed, her style choices have influenced a more feminine look all round in fashion.

“The Duchess Effect appears to extend much further than the economic impact of Kate’s fashion choices; this year the fashion landscape seems to be a brighter, more accessible place with the styles more colorful, feminine and graceful than we’ve observed in many years,” said the Global Language Monitor’s fashion expert Bekka Payack. It’s the first time the same person has come atop the GLM’s annual fashion buzzword list for two years running. —Reuters

esigner Carolina Herrera didn’t grow up dreaming of a fashion career. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she spent her childhood riding horses and pursuing favorite pastimes on the family estate. But fashion became her calling and after a lifetime of design, winning awards and providing red carpet looks for stars ranging from Oscar winner Renee Zellweger to Grammy winner Lady Gaga, industry watchers know that family is the thread that runs through Herrera’s personal and professional success.

“Maybe fashion was sleeping in me and suddenly it woke up,” Herrera, 73, told Reuters. “Because when I was growing up, my great interest was my horses, tennis and that’s it, and dogs and normal life, not about fashion.”

A huge portrait of the designer by Andy Warhol, a memento of her night-clubbing years in the 1970s with superstar peers such as Mick Jagger, hung in her showroom behind her as she spoke with Reuters in an interview ahead of the Feb. 13 debut of her latest collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. Her office is filled with art books and framed family photos, and two silver statuettes from the Council of Fashion Designers of America-the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award she received in 2008 and the Womenswear Designer of the Year Award in 2004 — take a prominent place.

With her Fall 2012 runway show set for Monday, Herrera talked about her 30 years in fashion and how she built her New York-based company, the privately held Carolina Herrera Ltd., into a global billion-dollar brand.

A family affair Her mother, who was “a very romantic, poetic, cultivated woman,” her grandmother and the other women in her family loved haute couture, prizing “the craftsmanship that made them as beautiful on the inside as on the outside,” she said.

Herrera saw her first fashion show at age 13 when her grandmother took her to see the Balenciaga collection. When she was almost 16, she began to wear stylish clothes to dances and parties. She married young and her first marriage ended in divorce.

A second marriage, to childhood friend Reinaldo Herrera who has ties to Spanish nobility, has lasted.

As a young mother who belonged to the jet set, Herrera caught the eye of photographers with her regal beauty and exquisite taste in clothes. She became a fixture on the bestdressed List in the 1970s and wound up in its Hall of Fame. But by 1980, Herrera wanted something more and she credits Diana Vreeland, the formidable editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, with giving her the nod to become a fashion designer.

“I said, you know, ‘I think I want to be a designer for material, for fabrics.’ And she looked at me straight in the eyes and said, ‘Oh my dear, how boring that is. You can’t. You have to do something else. Why don’t you try to have a collection, or a whole collection from daytime to evening and try to do something like that, which you will like much better.’ She gave me the idea,” Herrera said.

She showed her first collection in 1981, and said she felt “lucky” to get her start in New York because “the Americans were very generous.” Her friend, the late Bill Blass, who was a favorite designer of Nancy Reagan, helped her, coaching her on how to stage a runway show. Herrera’s couture line of women’s clothes and her Carolina Herrera collection are sold in boutiques and stores from New York to Moscow, Hong Kong and Dubai. The trendiest part of her business is CH Carolina Herrera, a more casual line that offers menswear, children’s wear, women’s wear, handbags, shoes and other accessories, eyewear, fragrances and products for the home. —Reuters

Lifestyle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Nasseman, a Liberian musician, performing at a restaurant in Monrovia, Liberia, on October 30, 2011. — AP

TakunJ, a Liberian musician, performs at a restaurant in Monrovia.

Liberian rappers

eye big time with homegrown tunes

T

he beat is infectious US-style hip hop but the rhymes come straight from the streets of Monrovia, a city which for years has had very little to sing about. In a sound-proof recording booth in the centre of Liberia’s teeming capital, sweat beads on the forehead of 30-year-old Jonathan Koffa-aka Takun J-as he spits out a stream of improvised lyrics into a microphone.

Koffa is one of the founding fathers of “hipco”, a homegrown musical mash-up of hip hop and the Liberian “colloquial” English. In a nation still reeling from years of conflict and with a high rate of illiteracy, it’s a style of music that’s speaking to the young people of Liberia in words they understand.

“We had just come from war and people just wanted to cancel the stress and just dance and wanted to hear something different-and we relate to one another easily with hipco” says Koffa, smoothing a narrow goatee that sits low under his chin in the style of US rapper Snoop Dog. The on-off 14-year civil war in the west

African nation left around a quarter of a million people dead-but also deprived an entire generation of an education and of a chance to engage with Liberia’s music scene. Only now, with the relatively stable government of Africa’s first and only elected female president Ellen JohnsonSirleaf, is the continent’s oldest republic beginning to show its creative colors.

And with the help of new radio stations, and the limited but expanding use of mobile phones and the Internet, hipco is leading the charge.

Every inch the hip hop artist with wide-rimmed black baseball cap, baggy T-shirt and thick silver chain, Koffa recalls a time when rapping wasn’t quite so easy. His first hipco song in 2007, “Policeman Coming”, attacked police corruption with the lyrics: The policeman can take sides when he see money / The policeman not fair, policeman not right / Policeman judge your case, brother you’ll be scared... “People understood what I was saying in the song-every five minutes they (police) beat me and chased me and sent

cent living below the poverty line, few can afford to buy music on tape or CD. “We are just young people trying to build a career in this industry but there is no money in it,” says 33-year-old Hazem Harb, co-owner of the HOTT FM radio station, and part-time promoter for Takun J and other hipco artists.

Harb made 10,000 copies of his first hipco compilation CD, giving most of them away.

“We’re still trying to figure out how to make money out of this music-now we’re just getting the buzz out there, we’re not concerned about money. But I will tell you that if you come here after one maybe two years or even where you come from, you will hear the music from right here in Liberia.” Taking his turn on the microphone, 32 year-old Rabbie Nassrallah-aka Nasseman-adds his distinctive reggae style to the mix. The only way for artists like him to earn any money is to sell the rights to his songs for a few hundred dollars a time-or to hope to sell a few CDs after a concert. —AFP

The Beach Boys to start party early at Grammys

Stop the war!

We want Madonna, Israeli fan pleads

“P

lease don’t stop the music!” That’s the plea of one Israeli fan of Madonna who has set up a Facebook group calling for Israel to delay until after the diva performs here in May what some fear will be an attack on Iran. “Bibi! No war with Iran until after Madonna’s performance on May 29,” the anonymous enthusiast pleads in Hebrew in the newly created group, using a popular nickname for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

International music icon Madonna is set to kick off her hotly anticipated 2012 world tour in Israel in May, with local media reporting she will arrive weeks before the performance so she can participate in final rehearsals. But while Israeli fans gear up to purchase tickets for the performance, speculation is building about a possible Israeli attack against Iran’s nuclear program, which the Jewish state believes masks a weapons drive. Tehran denies the charges, but reports have said Israel believes Iran could reach the point of obtaining nuclear weapons this autumn, and is considering a military strike in spring or summer to prevent such a capability.—AFP

me to jail.” The music bridges the gap between the much-admired symbols of American culture and young Liberians for whom the bling, cars and cash seen in hip hop videos is as foreign as the bright lights of downtown Manhattan. Liberia was founded in 1847 by freed American and Caribbean slaves and the links remain strong-not least in the red and white stripes of the national flag. “People tried to do their music like the Americans but we’re not American so we came out with this hipco stuff which is our own way of talking to Liberian people,” Koffa says. “I’m from the streets and I write about the people who have been neglected and rejected, who feel they cannot make it in society and so that’s why we write these songs.”

Koffa no longer gets locked up for the lyrics he writes and recent songs like “Six Jue” and “Who Make You Cry” talk more about relationships than running from the police. But while he dreams of fame, wealth remains out of reach. In a country of mass unemployment and with more than 60 per-

G

et the sunglasses and tanning oil out: The Beach Boys are reuniting at The Grammy Awards for their first live performance in more than two decades.

The original lineup of Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks will be joined by Grammy nominees Foster the People and Maroon 5 in a special performance.

File photo shows Mike Love of the Beach Boys singing for a crowd of thousands during the Colorado Remembers 911 event at Civic Center Park in Denver. — AP A news release Wednesday also says The Civil Wars, Diana Krall and Joe Walsh have been added to the performance lineup and Common, Reba McEntire and Diana Ross will be presenters. The Beach Boys announced late last year that they would reunite to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a new album and tour. The Grammy Awards will be broadcast live Sunday night on the television network CBS. —AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

French Revolution drama D

iane Kruger stars as Marie Antoinette in “Farewell My Queen”, a lush costume drama set on the eve of the French Revolution that opened the 62nd Berlin film festival yesterday. The Germanborn Hollywood actress leads a French cast that includes Lea Seydoux, who appeared in last year’s Woody Allen hit “Midnight in Paris”, and Virginie Ledoyen, best known abroad for her turn in “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio. The festival opener, directed by France’s Benoit Jacquot, tells the story of the frantic last hours at Versailles palace from the point of view of the servants.

The French-Spanish co-production is one of 18 pictures vying for the Golden Bear top prize at the first major European film festival of the year, which tends to reward timely, politically charged cinema. Festival director Dieter Kosslick said he chose the film for the opening in part due to the parallels it draws with today’s popular uprisings including the Arab Spring and the “Occupy” movement against gross inequality of wealth. “It’s been a year since (Egyptian leader) Hosni Mubarak was driven out of office and I suspect that the last 48 hours that he and the other despots had didn’t look much different than Marie Antoinette’s,” he told reporters.

Filmed on location at Versailles, southwest of Paris, the picture is a screen adaptation of Chantal Thomas’ prize-winning novel of the same name. Jacquot said Kruger, who speaks French with a light German accent throughout the movie, was the obvious choice to play the doomed Austrian-born monarch. “I wanted a foreigner and Diane happens to have similar roots to the queen,

Lady Gaga world tour to kick off in Seoul

A

merican pop diva Lady Gaga Wednesday unveiled the first dates for her upcoming world tour which she has dubbed the “Born This Way Ball” and will kick off in Seoul. She is expected to do 110 shows this year following on the success of her smash hit “Born This Way,” and revealed the dates and locations of an initial 11 concerts.

The eccentric star tweeted the first dates to her massive fanbase on Twitter-just under 19 million followerssaying the shows will kick off in Seoul on April 27. From there Gaga will take her pop hits and extravagant costumes to Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and then perform six shows around Australia including Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. “The Born This Way Ball will perform 110 shows around the world. The opening dates are out today, with more announcements to ensue,” Gaga announced.

Gaga, known for sporting the pop industry’s most lavish and often most impractical outfits, is expected to produce a show-stopping series of concerts. “Just saw first photos of the stage being built. Just peed all the way down to my Chanel shoes!!” Gaga wrote on Twitter last month as preparations were ramping up for the tour. The singer, real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta from New York, is famous for the hit songs “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face,” and has become a strident voice for gay rights and anti-bullying campaigns. —AFP

to open 62nd Berlin film fest

she is blonde like her and about the same age,” about 35, he told AFP. But above all, Kruger had a “desire for this role that was so passionate that she was irresistible to me.”

Last year’s Golden Bear went to the Iranian family drama “A Separation” by Asghar Farhadi, which also swept the acting prizes and is now nominated for two Academy Awards. Farhadi will this year serve on the jury, led by British director Mike Leigh and including actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Barbara Sukowa, photographer Anton Corbijn, director Francois Ozon and writer Boualem Sansal.

Leigh said the responsibility of being a jury member weighed heavy. “We know that we will make decisions that can, could possibly affect the future journey of films and their makers,” he told a press conference. He said he believed Hollywood’s domination of the world of cinema was beginning to erode and praised film festivals in Berlin, as well as Cannes and Venice, for being “Hollywoodproof”. “There is world cinema and there is Hollywood, and I feel personally, for the first time ever, one can begin to be a little bit confident that the inevitable domination of Hollywood over world cinema is diminishing,” he said. Meryl Streep will pick up an honorary Golden Bear for her life’s work and the festival will show the top films of her acting career culminating in a gala screening of her new Margaret Thatcher biopic “The Iron Lady”. And Angelina Jolie is to present her directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey”, a Bosnian drama about rape as a weapon of war, and take part in an audience discussion after the screening. Also in competition is 2007 Golden Bear winner Wang Quan’an, who

(From left) Members of the jury Dutch director Anton Corbijn, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, US actor Jake Gyllenhaal, Franco-British actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, British director Mike Leigh, German actress Barbara Sukowa, French director Francois Ozon and Algerian writer Boualem Sansal pose for photographers yesterday in Berlin during a photo call before the opening of the 62nd Film Festival. — AFP will unveil his sweeping Chinese epic, “White Deer Plain”, based on “one of the most controversial novels in modern Chinese literature,” Kosslick said.

Chen Zhongshi’s prize-winning bestseller depicts the struggle for survival of generations of rural families before the rise of communism. US actor and film-maker Billy Bob Thornton, who won a screenwriting Oscar for his first outing as a feature film director, 1996’s “Sling Blade”, will premiere the Vietnam War-era drama “Jayne

Mansfield’s Car” in the competition.

Meanwhile a series of documentaries on the Arab Spring and Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster will appear in the event’s sidebar sections. But the festival will also be serving up lighter fare, including “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson in British drama “Bel Ami” about a young man who manipulates Paris’s wealthiest women-played by Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci-to realize his ambitions. It will screen out of competition. — AFP

The Vaccines seek shot in the arm for rock music

S

ome say these are bad times to be in a rock band. Pressure for instant success has never been greater as illegal downloads hammer industry profits and manufactured pop talent shows reign supreme. But after a furious rise to fame that has seen packed gigs, fainting girls and a debut album stuffed with three-minute bursts of Ramones-tinged rock that last year broke into Britain’s top four, The Vaccines disagree.

“We’ve never played a concert that hasn’t been sold out,” noted guitarist Freddie Cowan in an interview with AFP ahead of a string of Asia dates taking in Singapore and Taiwan before shows in Hong Kong on Saturday and Japan next week. “The fact that music can be shared freely has done us a lot of good. We make fine money doing concerts and other things. I don’t feel cheated, or that we haven’t got what we deserve. It’s just the way it is.” The past decade has seen many acts enjoy a blaze of fast success before a second album sees sales decline, something recently experienced by the likes of the Kaiser Chiefs.

Cowan and the rest of The Vaccines-vocalist Justin Young, Icelandic bassist Arni Hjorvar and drummer Pete Robertson-were hailed as last year’s breakthrough guitar act and will next month embark on a follow up album. But whether or not the Londonbased band can attain longevity-or even just keep it going for another album-is “out of our control”, said Cowan. “All you have to do is look at your own iTunes library and the bands you liked six months ago, you probably don’t listen to any more,” he said.

“We just want to do it for as long as we can. If we’re not good at it any more, we’ll just stop. I’d be really happy if we could do this for five years. That would be a really major result.” The Vaccines have been held aloft by a British music press desperate for a genuinely thrilling guitar band to match the arrival of The Strokes in 2001 and

The Vaccines compensate for the underachievement of The Libertines a few years later. Last year’s “What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?”-a whirl of melodies evoking 1960s girl groups, The Beach Boys, 1970s punk and occasional wisps of The Jesus and Mary Chain-hit number four in the UK albums chart.

It came after their first uploaded song “If You Wanna” set the blogosphere buzzing and a tour on which they played to sold-out halls, with hundreds of ticketless punters left stranded outside at one London concert. Along with three nominations for “Best New Act” from the MTV, Mojo, and Q Awards, the platitudes have come thick and fast from the British media, in one instance hailing them as as “a band that will kickstart a new era”-perhaps a little disproportionate for an act that had barely got started. —AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Fashion Week’s first trend:

Heart-health awareness

The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection 2012 Fashion Show - Runway Singer Chaka Khan, center, poses with other celebrity models at the conclusion of the Heart Truth Red Dress fashion show in New York, Wednesday. — AP

R

ed is Christie Brinkley’s color. The veteran supermodel returned to the runway Wednesday night for the Red Dress Collection fashion show, an annual New York Fashion Week kickoff event that aims to draw

“Millionaire Matchmaker” star Patti Stanger models Marc Bouwer.

attention to women’s heart health by putting celebrity catwalkers in a parade of gowns by some of the country’s most famous designers. Strutting to “Uptown Girl,” she was all smiles in her Pamella Roland gown - even after a little stumble on the dress’s hem.

Brinkley is a supporter of the Heart Truth campaign, headed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and has participated in this event before. This year, though, she hesitated before deciding to don a dress again. Her own mother is suffering from serious heart disease, having experienced five strokes and a heart attack, and right now Brinkley says she feels like she should be spending quality time with her parents. But they’re the ones who actually nudged her to do it, she said in a teary telephone interview Tuesday.

“My parents understand more than anyone about the importance of getting the right care. They’re proud of me that I’ve reached a place where I can give back.”

Something else she’s learned from them is to maintain a healthy lifestyle with daily exercise and a careful diet. That wasn’t always easy when she was a young model, jet-setting from place to place and trying every fad diet that came along, said Brinkley, now 58, but she’s learned the best way to have the good life is to live it. “I make time for this. I used to always put myself on the back burner, but I want to be strong and able for my kids, myself and my parents.” She said she also finds strength and camaraderie within the modeling world, and she hopes the first-time “models” at the Red Dress show will feel that way, too. “I’ve always felt the catfight thing is a cliche, but especially when we’re all together and subject is the

Country singer Jennifer Nettles models David Meister.

heart, we’re all united.”

Jennifer Nettles of the country band Sugarland said after the show that she enjoyed the experience but stuck to her strategy of not looking at the monitor while she was walking in her V-neck David Meister gown with a high slit. “I was afraid of falling,” she said. “It’s my first time modeling - at New York Fashion Week! Why not start big?” she said. Minka Kelly looked like a seasoned pro in a sequin-covered wrap dress by Diane von Furstenberg and Gloria Estefan in Narciso Rodriguez. It’s a parade of great dresses, and red looks good on so many people, said Marchesa cofounder Georgina Chapman. Marchesa once again lent a dress for the event, worn by model and actress Rebecca Romijn.

“I love the color red. It’s such a passionate color and it’s a fabulous color when you want to make a splash,” Chapman said. If she were on the catwalk, she said she’d probably wear it with black heels or neutral makeup. “There’s no matchy-matchy with red,” she advised. “I especially love to wear black with a hint of red.”Jenna Elfman, making her Red Dress debut, wore a strapless Alberta Ferretti. “I love fashion, I love performance, I love charity,” she said in an interview before the show. She said she has wondered what models think about while they’re strutting in front of hundreds of people, but her mantra was going to be “take big steps.”

“Thank God I’m tall,” Elfman said. “I will get to the end much faster.” Brinkley’s advice to the newbies was simple: “You can’t take a bad step when you’re on that runway. You’re there supporting this worthwhile, meaningful cause. And if you slip and fall, you’ll make the news and spread the word even more.” — AP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Former model and actress Rebecca Romijn models Marchesa.

Actress Elisabeth Rohm models Nicole Miller.

Jeannette Torres-Alvarez models Carlos Miele.

Actress Minka Kelly models Diane Von Furstenberg.

Music legend Chaka Khan models Chris March.

Actress Jenna Elfman models a dress designed by Alberta Ferretti.

Culture-jammer or neo-dandy, meet post-metrosexual man

F

rom culture-jamming youths wired into a networked world, to neo-dandies or take-it-slow types, what tomorrow’s man will look like-and what he might want to buy-is a capital issue for big brands. Back in 1994 the term “metrosexual”, short for “metropolitan heterosexual”, was coined to describe an emerging breed of male: urban, single, sophisticated and ready to spend what it takes to look good. To find out what lies in store for the growing men’s lifestyle market, trend consultants Peclers Paris scanned the globe looking at consumer behavior, art, film, high-tech, product design and the all-changing rise of social networks.

“We always challenged the metrosexual model as too narrow,” said Emma Fric, director of research and forecasting at the firm whose clients include Microsoft, Sony, Reebok and BMW. In Paris last week, she offered a series of pen portraits of urban man in his post-industrial, 21st-century habitat, from Europe to the United States, Japan or Latin America. First is a group aged 15 to 30, a wired generation raised in the Internet age, dubbed “transitioners” by Peclers Paris.”We are dealing with a generation of men who truly embrace flexibility as a way of life,” said Fric.

Many will have “slash” careers, a term derived from the slash signs on the business cards of multiskilled free-

lancers like a musician/designer/consultant. Their tastes are just as kaleidoscopic, with a culture-jamming approach to fashion and aesthetics.

And having grown up with computer games they expect to have fun as consumers too. Cutting edge products already cater to this generation, such as trainers with an embedded chip in the sole that can link two people as Facebook “friends” when each stands on a tactile pad. Like the “metrosexual”, these young men are willing to spend money on a suit, a body scrub or the latest tech gadget, but this is also a generation that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Humour is an important part of the mix: a taste for the absurd joke and comic self-deprecation, in the vein of the prank clips that regularly go viral on Facebook or YouTube. With one in two urbanites now single, many are exploring new forms of no-stringsattached relationships, as seen in the movie “Sex Friends”, and they accept a blurring of lines between masculine and feminine. “But this is not the Calvin Klein androgyny of the 1980s,” said Fric. “It is much more subtle. By allowing themselves to be fragile, men are finding a new humanity.” Like young men through the ages they challenge the establishment, but while the 1960s generation was told to “turn on, tune in, drop out,” they believe in changing the system from

within, using new forms of consumption like group-buying to make brands hear their concerns.

A man who prefers to go incognito Then there is a second family of man-generally older, often richer- who cultivates singular tastes, values silence and quiet luxury. “These are men who say, ‘The networked world is all very well, but what about my private life?

What about individuality?’” said Fric.

Many will be anti-conformists, with “a subversive edge, who don’t fit the mould,” Fric said. An example from popular culture could be the figure of Don Draper, the hero of the US TV series “Mad Men”. Some will thrive on the idea of anonymity, of recreating secrecy in a world where all is on display, a trend reflected by the influence of anonymous street artists like Banksy, or the shadowy online hackers group “Anonymous”.

This man maybe someone who “makes his presence felt without making a big noise,” said Fric. “Less is more”-incidentally the name of a new range of men’s cosmetics is the driving motto for these men, who seek out hidden, performance-boosting features as opposed to flashy designs. A booming offer of customized clothes and goods is emerging to cater to them, with new technologies like 3D body imaging making made-to-measure accessible to

a much larger demographic.

The pinnacle of this trend could be a wallet with built-in biometric fingerprinting that unlocks to the user’s touch, or intelligent-designed running shoes that detect his pulse and speed, and zap the data straight to his smartphone. Finally, there comes a man bent on reconciling nature with modern society.”This is a kind of masculinity enhanced by a spiritual dimension-by a link to the natural world,” said Fric. With this more gentle kind of masculinity, comes a whole art de vivre, fed by the “Slow” movement, or publications like “The Idler”, an annual magazine devoted to the lost art.

Other signs of the philosophy include the MovNat trend, just spreading from the United States into Europe, which urges men-and women-to get in shape by moving like animals, climbing trees barefoot or hanging upside down. Luxury brands are tapping into this trend, the epitome being an Hermes man’s watch that can be “stopped” to take a few hours out from the rat race. Ergodesign is a big part of this man’s life, so when he settles down at his desk, his chair bends to allow the practice of Chinese martial art tai chi. He may also be a keen consumer of high-tech goods that aim to achieve zero-loss recycling, or “nutricycling”, like a biodegradable sneaker with seeds in its sole, that when planted grows into a tree. —AFP

Lifestyle FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Gender-bending

model pushes limits of the runway O

n a chilly winter afternoon, Andrej Pejic settles into a Manhattan cafe with a cup of Earl Grey tea, sitting gracefully, long legs crossed. The blue-eyed fashion model gazes out a window, unaware that almost every man sitting at surrounding tables is transfixed. A man in a black leather jacket walks up to the window, presses his face against the glass and kisses it. Pejic giggles and admits: “I find it flattering.” The admirers are likely unaware that the beautiful blonde is actually a man. As Fashion Week gets under way in New York City, Pejic is one of the most recognizable - and controversial - faces in the industry. He’s the only top-tier fashion model who can walk down the runway as either a man or a woman. And his androgynous beauty has turned him into a trendsetter in an industry that’s always seeking to push the envelope.

“He’s just this beautiful thing that everyone wants a piece of,” says stylist Ken Anderson, who dressed Pejic for a German magazine cover. He has the kind of face that makes even the vainest woman jealous: high cheekbones, flawless skin and plump, shapely lips. When he speaks, his ever-so-slight Adam’s apple is the first sign of his masculinity.

Though Pejic isn’t trying to be a woman, many in the transgender community

Andrej Pejic is groomed by Cecelia Romero.

have already claimed him as their own.

He is seen as a bit of a maverick, someone who has embraced his sexuality without any need for explanation or justification. Last year, the gay and lesbian magazine Out named him “stylemaker of the year” and put him on its cover wearing a bridal veil and flowers in his hair.

Pejic graced the covers of 14 magazines last year alone, including an ad campaign for a Dutch push-up bra. In 2011, he was the face for a fashion line by designer Marc Jacobs. He has walked the runways for heavyweight designers, including John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier. French designer Gaultier was so enamored with Pejic that he used his gender-bending look as a source of inspiration for his 2011 men’s and women’s wear shows, both of which Pejic modeled in. In the Gaultier men’s show, a pistol-packing, bare-chested Pejic wore a sleek black suit as “James Blonde.”

That was a stark contrast to the women’s show, where Gaultier crowned Pejic with the prized piece in the women’s wear collection: a couture bride’s dress.

French photographer Sebastien Micke, who has photographed transgender models, says Pejic’s femininity is effortless. “Andrej’s got this thing that supermodels have: how to pose in front of the camera,” Micke says.

“It’s just natural.” But life hasn’t always been so easy or glamorous for the 20-year-old. Born in Bosnia, Pejic spent much of his childhood living in a Serbian refugee camp before his family fled the country for Australia. He was discovered by a talent scout while working at a McDonald’s as a teenager.

From an early age, Pejic exhibited qualities thought of as traditionally feminine, for instance, preferring Barbie dolls over toy cars. As a teenager, he often hung out with girls and was once busted for stealing makeup from a drugstore. Pejic says acceptance from his friends and family made him comfortable in his own skin. “I’m lucky in that sense,” he says. “If I had big muscles and were hairy with a beard, I might not be comfortable with that.”

At 6-feet-1, he’s rail-thin, a women’s size 2 or 4. His shoe size is the most problematic. Technically a women’s size 11, he’s forced to squeeze his feet into a size 10 to walk in women’s shows. Gene Hogan, a representative at DNA models, the agency representing Pejic in the U.S., says dozens of calls pour in every week touting a slew of hot new androgynous models: “They say, ‘Oh, you’ve got to see this guy! He’s the black Andrej Pejic!’” For Pejic, every fashion season brings a new surge of headlines and opportunities, including talks of a fragrance line or a possible reality TV

Photographer Sebastien Micke, left, and assistant Russ Heller, photographs transgender model Andrej Pejic on a rooftop in New York.

Photographer transgender model Andrej Pejic has make-up applied by Cecelia Romero for a fashion shoot in New York. —AP photos

show. With New York Fashion Week when designers debut their fall collections - beginning Thursday, it’s unclear which shows he will walk in - if any at all.

With the frenzy of media attention over the past year, industry insiders say Pejic runs the risk of being overexposed.

Given his very niche look, Pejic’s ability to stay relevant may become difficult.

And as his star rises, it’s possible designers could hesitate to book him, fearing his persona may overshadow the clothes. Pejic is all too aware of the fickle nature of the fashion business. He plans to attend college eventually, having deferred his acceptance to a university in Australia. If fashion doesn’t work out, he’d like to go back to school and major in economics or law. Although open to discussing almost anything, Pejic remains secretive about his sexual orientation. When asked whether he prefers men or women, he coyly smiles.

“Love has no boundaries,” he says. —AP

Photographer transgender model Andrej Pejic looks over wardrobe choices with photographer Sebastien Micke, right, for a photo shoot as Micke’s assistant Russ Heller checks the weather in New York.

Stars

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Aries (March 21-April 19) You can make a favorable deal for any business, financial or legal ventures! Your mind is alert, your objectives are clear and your buoyant optimism will help win your way. Athletic energy also is high— a great time to jog around the park. You are well-disposed to others at this time and buoyed with confidence now to succeed at any project you attempt. Make sure both your expectations and abilities are realistic before diving into something you may not be able to get out of without harm or embarrassment. Your desire to succeed, not only financially, but personally as well, is strong at this time. This is a time that signifies an interest in friends and family and an excellent time to get to know someone better. Hold fast to friends and family.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today, your mind is clear and fertile and going a mile a minute. You will enjoy communicating, with quick responses, writing letters, playing mental games and puzzle solving—anything to give your active mind things upon which to think. Making your mark on the world has special significance for you. Achievement, ambition and authority are the things that take on a greater importance. Administering to people and projects will become central to your lifestyle. Those around you, or the situation you find yourself in, may not feel right to you this afternoon—you could be challenged. You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing with others. You will know just what to do and will create positive outcomes for yourself and others. Relax.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Your sensitive emotions have taken a short vacation, giving you some time to calmly reflect on where you are and where you are going. If something puzzles you, an older, wiser head may give guidance. If problems arise, you can handle them without panic. You may take comfort in the past, with its old ways and old solutions. If they worked once, they will probably work again. This is an excellent time to sit down alone and get many things accomplished, however. You spend much time in contemplation this afternoon. Tonight you are able to express your feelings to others in positive ways. This is a good day to step back and contemplate your next step. This is the time to use your energy constructively. It is time now to pull close to a loved one.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You should enjoy great success and attention through your profession. Today is a good day to do some serious thinking about work or a certain project; much benefit comes from this type of thinking. However, you should be wary of making large-scale transactions during this time. You look to the social setting to improve your professional standing this evening and may find yourself networking and getting to know a variety of new people. Your independent nature can be a threat to your loved one.

Take some time to show your loved one that you care about his or her story.

Set a date and a time for a night out and then . . . be there, all dressed up and on time whether you are married, live together or just hang out from time to time; expand enthusiasm.

Leo (July 23-August 22) This is a good day to get things done. Your good eye-hand coordination and sustained effort make almost any task run well. Your experiences now will be out of the ordinary and you will likely feel generous. Great opportunities may emerge in the work or in spiritual affairs.

Your growth as an individual is being stunted by some inhibition or constraint. Concentrate on work and career this morning; later today there will be time to enjoy activities with friends. A period of greater social involvement—especially with neighbors and brothers or sisters—sets in now.

Learning and teaching seems to satisfy an important need. You could take in extra money as a tutor. Being more in touch with other people gives you a sense of belonging. Life is good.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Business dealings may be particularly fruitful today. Every time you take a quick look at the clock, you are surprised at how quickly the day moves along. Mental stimulation from others is positive and you make every effort to cooperate and compromise. The project today should be a great success. You may schedule meetings with family members this afternoon just to get different opinions of the changes you may have been thinking of taking on. This is a good time to try and foster a sense of togetherness. The need for emotional security is emphasized, though you should not pressure a person into doing things just to please you. The desire for intimacy and love with a partner is great at this time, with the expression of affection being most satisfying.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Do not let new circumstances change or throw you from achieving your goals. Foggy situations will become clear to you soon. You will understand better how to handle an ongoing problem.

There could be a certain degree of carelessness in your business dealings today. You should take care to examine all aspects of your dealings for it could lead to success. This is also a good time to work with members of the opposite sex. You should not let office gossip or intrigue interfere with the normal flow of business. This is an excellent time to emphasize practicality and realism to any endeavor you are engaged in now. Expressing affections should come easily and can do much good for your disposition. Make time for your family this evening.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Excitement! New discoveries, encounters and ideas should make this a day to remember. You will not have to look for them; they will find you. Perhaps an old problem can finally be resolved due to some original thinking. Chuck your routine or schedule and leave part of your day open for surprises and new adventures. Expand your insights with some fascinating nonfiction. Also, this is a time when you seek intellectual stimulation in both love and social activities. You should take full advantage of this very creative time in your life. You are particularly witty and make stimulating company. Be careful with your experimentation regarding new diets.

Fad diets are out—balance is in! Exercise is great and when you have fun while you exercise—you see results.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Emotions can affect your health—cultivate an attitude of gratitude. It is best for now to take it easy and let others have their way.

Demanding what you want could lead to frustrations and ill feelings among friends. Your mind is quick and may induce flashes of intuitive brilliance.

Today is a day to plan for the future and look at the big picture. As you think on important issues, try to avoid being insensitive to others. You may experience abrupt changes in fortune, good or bad, in a relatively short period of time. You will feel the urge for excitement and should consider traveling— avoid extravagance, however. You may have time this evening to shop for a loved one. There are reasons to find a very special gift that will convey your feelings.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) This could be a day of whimsical daydreams and imaginings— there is nothing wrong with this. It could be fun. There is a danger, however, that it could go too far and you could lose your grip on the day.

Gain control by getting away from your desk or job for a few minutes. With your next coffee break, walk around or go outside for a while. Upon returning to your tasks you will find that the normal flow of business returns quickly.

You may want to get things done as quickly as possible. However, you should not be impulsive or too quick to act just now. It’s a good time to carefully examine your work and career and then make the necessary adjustments that you may need. You may be restless this evening. You may decide to seek out a good time with friends.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your business day is full of paperwork; even if you don’t usually have to fill out any papers . . . it is time to do the paperwork dance. Some new rule or necessary information needs updating. Finances come into play later today and you make sensible decisions about your finances. You should expend great zest in moneymaking efforts and show caution as to the type of activities with which you involve yourself. If you decide to shop or enjoy an evening of entertainment after your workday, you are wise to surround yourself with good people that enjoy their time away from work and home with healthy, fun activities. Perhaps dinner out and a play or comedy theater would be just the thing to lift your spirits. Enjoy an evening with friends or a mate.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Taxes, investments and other financial ties or obligations grab your attention today. This could mean you are helping tend to these matters on the professional level or it could mean you are getting these things in good shape for your personal income tax filings. Opinions are not enough for you now; they must be backed by authority or evidence and above all, they must have practical worth and application. This could be a time of intense study and thought. In the workplace you could be teaching, lecturing or giving a demonstration. Your efforts are successful and everyone will know just what you mean. You could find that you are appreciated for your ability to act and get things done. This is not a good time to take risks.

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, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

KNES early years children visit Kuwait Aquarium

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he Early Years children of Kuwait National English School recently visited the Kuwait Aquarium to help build their understanding of Sea Animals and the beauty of Kuwait’s National Treasures. The children were amazed by many of the creatures on this adventure and even worried for the safety of Penguins as the

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handler tried to catch one to give him a medical checkup. As we strive to understand the world’s precious resources and the need to protect them, the Kuwait Aquarium is an integral part of that process. Many thanks to the staff of the Aquarium from the youngest of Kuwait National English School children!

The 7th annual PAWS dog show

egistration is now open for entry into the 2012 ‘PAWS for the Cause’ Kuwait Dog Show.

The show will take place in the beautiful gardens of the British Embassy on Friday March 9th from 11 - 4pm.

Join us for a variety of lighthearted dog shows, Best junior Handler, Most Mysterious Heritage and the Pet Pageant, (to name but a few). Shop for pet products, visit a variety of stalls, strut your mutt for others to admire or enjoy a tasty lunch in the gardens.

PAWS’ Dog Show is always a fun filled event for all the family, whether or not you own a pet’ If you wish to enter your dog into the show, or attend without pets, download the registration form from the PAWS’ website www.paws-kuwait.org This is strictly a pre registered event and no ‘walk-ins’ by un regis-

tered guests can be permitted.

Full names of all attendees must be submitted in advance via the show registration form (on website). All participating dogs must be pre registered and adult Civil ID (or passport) must be shown on entrance.

Completed registration forms can be left at drop off points on certain days, details of these will be found on our website. Please ensure you bring your form with correct admission fee to one of these venues. Registration closes March 3rd. It is not necessary to own or bring a dog in order to enjoy a fun-filled family day out. Entry is strictly by pre-registration of pets and people. Please read show rules and regulations on the Registration Form carefully. No mobile phones or cameras will be al lowed into the embassy.

Canada’s top twelve universities to visit Kuwait

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welve of Canada’s elite universities are coming to Kuwait, 12 to 14 February, to hold an information session on Canada as a destination for higher education. The delegation is led by Kristen Sutherland of Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, and assisted by Daralyn Holt from TrentUniversity in Ontario. The group’s visit to Kuwait is part of a larger initiative which will take them to Jordan, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The tour is being organized by the Canadian Higher Education Committee under the aegis of Council of International Schools (CIS). It is Council’s ninth consecutive Canadian tour to visit Kuwait. The tour is of special interest to senior secondary students who exhibit strong academic standing, as well as to their parents. The schedule includes school visits, information sessions, and opportunities to interact with school guidance counsellors.

“The Middle East is a key undergraduate stu-

dent market for Canadian universities,” said Kristen Sutherland of Saint Mary’s, and Tour Director.

“Students from Kuwait and the broader region are sought for their strengths and their rich contributions to student life on Canadian university campuses. In turn, increasing numbers of students from the region are making Canada their first choice for study- as evidenced on this tour. Kuwaiti students are drawn to our universities’ common attributes of international reputations for academic excellence, state of the art resources, and safe campuses in welcoming locations,” Sutherland said.

Each year, tour organizers work to strengthen existing relationships with secondary schools in the city they visit, and also expand outreach to new regions. The 2011 tour included a professional development workshop for school counsellors from across the region, and there are discussions about the inclusion of additional cities in the 2013 tour itinerary.

W h a t ’s O n FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

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Balavedi-Kuwait celebrates Republic Day

alavedi-Kuwait, the unity of Children under the auspices of KALA, Kuwait celebrated Republic day in Mangaf Auditorium. KALA General Secretary Saji Thomas Mathew formally inaugurated the function witnessed by many children & parents.

The function commenced with the welcome address by Master Sidharth Rajeev, executive member of Balavedi followed by the Presidential Address by Fahaheel Convener Anakha Siddique stressing upon the importance of the Republic Day and the patriotic involvement of students in a progressive community. Balavedi Fahaheel area patron Rahil K. Mohandas explained aims and

intentions of Balavedi for the sake of newcomers to the organization and their parents. Fahaheel Art Convener Aparna Shine conveyed the condolence message on the demise of veteran legend of Kerala Sukumar Azhikode and the well known singer Dipali Joshi in Kuwait.

Republic day message to the audience were presented by Gowri Nirmal, Fahaheel Jnt. Convener while Joseph Noby sketched his message on Dr B.R Ambedkar and his role on the formation of Indian constitution. Principal Patron of Balavedi Kuwait P.R Babu, Vanithavedi Jnt Secretary Sobha Suresh, James K Thomas of KALA, Mangaf Unit felicitated the function while Balavedi executive

member Chatan Rajesh rendered vote of thanks. Thereafter Sanal Kumar lead the discussion actively participated by Children on importance and significance of Republic Day. Patriotic song, group songs, dance etc were the highlights of the cultural programmes. The choreographic presentation on ‘Mile Swar Mere Thumhara’ scored the applause of the audience.

The programmes were coordinated from the concept by regional patrons of Balavedi Rahil K Mohandas and Subha Shine with their team Jawahar.K, Bindu Sajeev, Shinu Jinu, Sindhu Nirmal, K.P Shine, Sanal Kumar, T.R Sudhakaran and James K Thomas.

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Free Arabic language course

PC and all its branches is opening free Arabic language course for ladies accessible in beginners and advanced levels. Class will commence on March 2, 2012. Islamic and Quran courses are also presented in different languages.

Registration is on! Call the nearest IPC branch: Rawdah: 22512257 / 97290278; Salmiyah: 25733263 / 97533263; Mangaf: 23723002 ext. 124/123; Jahra: 24558830 / 97533948; Khaithan: 24730137.

Announcements Kuwait Improv 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

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Parents’ day at Gulf Indian School

he students of III, IV & V of Gulf Indian School celebrated Parents’ Day on 25th January 2012 in the school auditorium with an extravaganza of dance, music and drama.

The curtain raiser was an inspirational song which was followed by a scintillating mix of Indian, Arabic and Western style dances. The dancers took the audience on a quick cultural tour of the world. The efforts of the students and teachers paid off when it was highly appreciated by the parents.

The highlight of the day was a Hindi Drama which carried the audience away on a magic carpet to the time of the ‘Arabian Nights’ bringing ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ alive once again. This was in keeping with the celebration of ‘Hindi Divas’ which was observed on the 10th of January.

The program came to a close with the famous song of unity ‘Mile Sur Mera Thumhara....’ - an apt dedication to India on the occasion of its 63rd Republic Day.

Palpak 4th AGM Palakkad Pravasi Association of Kuwait (Palpak) is conducting its Fourth Annual General Body Meeting on February 24, Friday at Hiphop Auditorium, Fahaheel from 10 am. The main agenda include as following, annual report on the activities during the year of 2011, the audited accounts report for the year of 2011. All members of Palpak are kindly requested to treat this as an official Invitation and attend the said Annual Genera1 body meeting on time. For more details please contact President P.N.Kumar (99771830) and General Secretary Aravindha Shan (66535989).

TV Listings FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

22:25 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 22:50 Cow And Chicken 23:00 Ben 10 23:25 Ben 10 23:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog

00:20 Snake Crusader With Bruce George 00:50 Pit Bulls And Parolees 01:45 Untamed & Uncut 02:40 Maneaters 03:35 Baboons With Bill Bailey 04:30 Snake Crusader With Bruce George 05:25 Almost Human With Jane Goodall 06:20 Escape To Chimp Eden 06:45 Dolphin Days 07:10 Clinically Wild: Alaska 08:00 Gorilla School 08:25 Panda Adventures With Nigel Marven 09:15 The Really Wild Show 09:40 Project Puppy 10:10 Cats Of Claw Hill 11:05 Almost Human With Jane Goodall 12:00 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 12:55 SSPCA: On The Wildside 13:20 Wildlife SOS 13:50 Wild Africa Rescue 14:45 Animal Cops Philadelphia 15:40 Almost Human With Jane Goodall 16:30 Echo And The Elephants Of Amboseli 17:00 The Really Wild Show 17:30 Growing Up...

18:25 Dogs 101: Specials 19:20 Dogs vs. Cats 20:15 Gorilla School 20:40 Wildlife SOS 21:10 Escape To Chimp Eden 21:35 Dolphin Days 22:05 Daniel And Our Cats 23:00 Air Jaws 2 23:55 Crime Scene Wild

00:20 01:20 01:50 02:20 03:10 03:40 04:10 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:05 05:25 05:35 05:50 06:10 06:20 06:30 06:45 06:50 07:10 07:20 07:35 08:35 09:20 09:50 10:20 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:45 14:15 14:55 15:35 16:25 17:10 17:40 18:10 19:00 20:00 20:50 21:20 21:50 22:35 23:05 23:50

Great Expectations Eastenders Doctors Princess Margaret: A Love Story Oliver Twist Oliver Twist Balamory The Large Family Bobinogs Buzz & Tell Tweenies Little Prairie Dogs Nina And The Neurons Balamory Charlie and Lola The Large Family Bobinogs Buzz & Tell Tweenies Little Prairie Dogs Nina And The Neurons Oliver Twist The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Chimp Family Fortunes Princess Margaret: A Love Story Oliver Twist The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Chimp Family Fortunes Princess Margaret: A Love Story The Weakest Link Last Of The Summer Wine Doctors Doctor Who Great Expectations Survivors Lead Balloon Ideal Live At The Apollo Little Britain Doctor Who Doctors

00:00 00:45 01:35 02:05 02:55 03:20 04:10 05:00 05:50 06:40 07:30 08:00 08:50 09:35 10:20 11:05 12:00 12:50 13:35

Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow What To Eat Now - Autumn James Martin’s Brittany James Martin’s Brittany Indian Food Made Easy 10 Years Younger Fantasy Homes By The Sea Antiques Roadshow Indian Food Made Easy Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt Masterchef Australia Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow Come Dine With Me 10 Years Younger Celebrity Fantasy Homes

00:15 00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 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 23:20

MINDHUNTERS ON OSN ACTION HD 14:25 15:10 15:55 16:40 17:25 18:15 19:00 19:30 19:55 20:20 20:45 22:20 23:05 23:55

Celebrity Fantasy Homes Fantasy Homes By The Sea Holmes On Homes Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow Cash In The Attic USA James Martin’s Champagne Indian Food Made Easy James Martin’s Brittany Indian Food Made Easy Celebrity Fantasy Homes Bargain Hunt Antiques Roadshow Indian Food Made Easy

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 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

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! 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

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

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

00:40 Samurai Jack 01:05 Samurai Jack 01:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 02:20 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 02:45 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 03:10 Best Ed 04:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:25 Adventure Time

04:50 Generator Rex 05:15 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 05:40 Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy 05:55 I Am Weasel 06:55 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 07:20 Powerpuff Girls 07:45 Angelo Rules 08:00 Casper’s Scare School 08:30 Gumball 08:45 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 09:15 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 09:40 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:05 Angelo Rules 10:30 Chowder 10:55 Adventure Time 11:20 Eliot Kid 11:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 12:00 Ben 10 12:25 Sym-Bionic Titan 12:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 13:15 I Am Weasel 13:40 Best Ed 14:05 Cow & Chicken 14:30 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:50 Eliot Kid 15:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 15:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 16:05 Courage The Cowardly Dog 16:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 16:55 The Amazing World Of Gumball 17:10 Adventure Time 17:35 Regular Show 18:00 Cow & Chicken 18:25 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 18:50 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:15 Angelo Rules 19:30 Total Drama World Tour 19:55 Hero 108 20:25 Sym-Bionic Titan 20:50 Adventure Time 21:25 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 21:50 Courage

Destroyed In Seconds Rampage!

Dirty Jobs Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters How Does It Work?

How It’s Made Dirty Jobs Mythbusters How Do They Do It? Turbo Specials American Chopper: Senior vs How Does It Work?

Cake Boss Border Security Auction Hunters Built From Disaster Built From Disaster Overhaulin’ Ultimate Survival Mythbusters Cash Cab Us Border Security Auction Hunters How It’s Made How Does It Work?

Cake Boss American Chopper: Senior vs How Do They Do It? Turbo Specials Wheeler Dealers

00:40 Cosmic Collisions 01:35 I, Videogame 02:25 The Tech Show 02:50 Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention 03:15 Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention 03:40 Science of the Movies 04:35 How Does That Work?

05:00 How Stuff’s Made 05:25 The Kustomizer 06:20 Prototype This 07:10 Cosmic Collisions 08:00 The Gadget Show 08:25 The Gadget Show 08:50 How Does That Work?

09:15 How Stuff’s Made 09:40 Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention 10:05 Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention 10:35 Science of the Movies 11:25 The Kustomizer 12:20 Prototype This 13:15 Cosmic Collisions 14:05 Weird or What?

14:55 How Does That Work?

15:20 How Stuff’s Made 15:50 The Gadget Show 16:15 The Gadget Show 16:40 The Tech Show 17:05 Prototype This 18:00 Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman 18:50 The Kustomizer 19:40 Tech Toys 360 20:05 Tech Toys 360 20:30 Ecopolis 21:20 Prototype This 22:10 The Gadget Show 22:35 The Gadget Show 23:00 Tech Toys 360 23:25 Tech Toys 360 23:50 Ecopolis

00:00 00:25 00:50 01:15 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:20

KIM POSSIBLE FAIRLY ODD PARENTS FAIRLY ODD PARENTS STITCH STITCH REPLACEMENTS REPLACEMENTS EMPEROR’S NEW SCHOOL EMPEROR’S NEW SCHOOL STITCH STITCH REPLACEMENTS REPLACEMENTS FAIRLY ODD PARENTS FAIRLY ODD PARENTS HANNAH MONTANA RECESS

06:45 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:10 08:35 09:00 09:15 09:25 09:40 09:47 POOH 09:50 10:15 10:40 10:45 11:10 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:30 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:40 17:05 17:30 18:55 19:10 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

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 MINI ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE

00:00 00:25 00:40 00:55 01:20 01:30 01:45 01:55 02:20 02:35 02:50 03:05 03:15 03:40 03:55 04:10 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:15 05:25 05:50 06:05 06:20 06:40 06:55 07:10 07:25 07:35 08:00 08:15 08:30 08:50 09:00 09:15 09:30 09:45 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:10 11:20 11:35 11:50 12:05 12:15 Pooh 12:18 Pooh 12:21 Pooh 12:25 Pooh 12:30 12:45 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins Timmy Time Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Hive Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Mini Adventures Of Winnie The

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 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE HAVE A LAUGH PHINEAS AND FERB Good Luck Charlie MY BABYSITTER’S A VAMPIRE FISH HOOKS PHINEAS AND FERB PHINEAS AND FERB PHINEAS AND FERB CAMP ROCK PHINEAS AND FERB Good Luck Charlie HAVE A LAUGH WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE HANNAH MONTANA PHINEAS AND FERB SHAKE IT UP FISH HOOKS RECESS SHAKE IT UP SHAKE IT UP WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE SONNY WITH A CHANCE

Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Jungle Junction The Hive Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Little Einsteins Imagination Movers Special Agent Oso

TV Listings FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

14:45 15:10 15:25 15:40 16:05 16:15 16:25 16:50 17:15 17:40 18:05 18:20 18:30 18:40 18:55 19:20 19:45 (Cema) 20:30 20:45 20:55 21:25 21:35 22:00 Pooh 22:05 22:25 22:50 23:20 23:30 Pooh 23:35 23:40 23:45

Lazytown Handy Manny Jungle Junction Imagination Movers The Hive Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny Handy Manny The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Lazytown Imagination Movers In Concert Jungle Junction Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Little Einsteins Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 101 Dalmatians Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Mini Adventures Of Winnie The A Poem Is...

Animated Stories Jungle Junction

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 21:55 22:25 23:25 23:55

Kendra Style Star 20 Hottest Women Of The Web 25 Most Stylish Sexiest Extreme Hollywood THS Behind The Scenes E! News Dirty Soap THS E! News Bridalplasty Keeping Up With The Kardashians Keeping Up With The Kardashians Style Star THS Behind The Scenes Scouted E! News E!es Dirty Soap Chelsea Lately E!es Kourtney & Kim Take New York 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 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

Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting Kidnap And Rescue Fugitive Strike Force Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting Mystery Diagnosis FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Jones Disappeared FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Jones Disappeared I Was Murdered I Was Murdered I Escaped Death

00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45

Leopard Queen Africa’s Deadliest Animal Extractors Wild Russia Zambezi

04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Caught In The Act Journey Into Amazonia Fish Warrior That Shouldn’t Fly Nordic Wild Animal Extractors Wild Russia Zambezi World’s Deadliest Animals Fishzilla: Snakehead Invasion Redwoods: Anatomy of A Giant Nordic Wild Animal Extractors Wild Russia Zambezi Fishzilla: Snakehead Invasion Redwoods: Anatomy of A Giant Nordic Wild Animal Extractors Wild Russia

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:15 10:15 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

4.3.2.1.-18 Cross-18 The Collector-18 King Arthur-PG15 Rocky II-PG15 The Box-PG15 Flight Of The Phoenix-PG15 Rocky II-PG15 The Three Musketeers-PG15 Flight Of The Phoenix-PG15 Mindhunters-18 A Perfect Getaway-18

01:30 Goodbye Baby-18 03:15 The Answer Man-PG15 05:00 Ice Dreams-PG15 07:00 Love The Beast-PG 09:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 11:00 Alabama Moon-PG15 13:00 Miles From Nowhere-PG15 15:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 16:45 Just Wright-PG15

18:45 Flash Of Genius-PG15 21:00 Dear John-PG15 23:00 From Paris With Love-PG15

03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:30 06:00 08:30 09:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 16:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:30

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

Friends Friends Dharma And Greg The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne Malcolm In The Middle Friends Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne Malcolm In The Middle Dharma And Greg Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne Just Shoot Me Friends How I Met Your Mother The Simpsons Happy Endings The League Perfect Couples The Tonight Show With Jay Leno The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Neighbors From Hell Funny Or Die Presents Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

American Idol Necessary Roughness Psych The Gates Good Morning America Eureka Emmerdale Look-A-Like The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View American Idol Eureka Live Good Morning America

17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Bachelor Glee American Idol Drop Dead Diva Damages Off The Map

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Cold Case Necessary Roughness Supernatural American Idol Psych Cold Case The Cape Parenthood Psych American Idol The Cape The Ellen DeGeneres Show Parenthood Cold Case The Cape The Ellen DeGeneres Show Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior Glee American Idol Drop Dead Diva Damages Supernatural

01:00 03:00 04:45 07:00 09:00 11:30 13:30 16:00 18:30 21:00 23:00

Fighting-PG15 Wrong Turn At Tahoe-18 Windtalkers-PG15 Star Trek: First Contact-PG Iron Man 2-PG15 A Stranger Among Us-PG15 The Karate Kid I-PG15 Spiderman 2-PG15 Iron Man 2-PG15 The Siege-18 The Clinic-18

FLASH OF GENIOUS ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Just Married-PG15 Return To Sleepaway Camp-PG15 Post Grad-PG15 102 Dalmatians-PG Love Happens-PG15 The Out Of Towners-PG15 The Lizzie McGuire Movie-PG Lost In Yonkers-PG Just Married-PG15 Kuffs-PG Without A Paddle-PG15 Defendor-PG15

01:15 03:15 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Whatever-18 Red Rock West-18 The Third Wave-PG15 North-PG The Hudsucker Proxy-PG15 Who Is Clark Rockefeller-PG 9-PG Timeline-PG15 Unstrung Heroes-PG15 Skirt Day-PG15 The Reckoning-18 Bram Stoker’s Dracula-18

01:00 03:00 04:45 PG15 07:00 09:00 10:30 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:30 21:00 23:00

Chico & Rita-18 The Client List-PG15 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps-

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:15 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Gladiators: The Conspiracy-PG The Spy Next Door-PG Christmas In New York-PG Big Fat Liar-PG Hua Mulan-PG Open Season 3-FAM How To Train Your Dragon-PG The Spy Next Door-PG Gladiators: The Tournament-PG Open Season 3-FAM How To Train Your Dragon-PG Zorro’s Secrets-PG

Defendor-PG15 Quest For Zhu-PG The Karate Kid-PG A Christmas Carol-PG The Green Hornet-PG15 Quest For Zhu-PG Eat Pray Love-PG15 The Fighter-PG15 The Town-18

00:30 02:30 04:15 06:15 08:00 PG15 10:00 12:15 14:15 16:00 PG15 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Spirit-PG15 The Other Side Of The Tracks-PG15 City Of Life-PG15 Calvin Marshall-PG15 Everybody Wants To Be Italian-

01:30 02:00 06:30 07:15 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 22:30

European Tour Weekly European PGA Tour ODI Cricket Highlights Live Cricket ODI Futbol Mundial Trans World Sport Volvo Ocean Race European PGA Tour Live Super League

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00

WWE NXT UFC The Ultimate Fighter V8 Supercars Speedway Intercontinental Le Mans Cup UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed WWE NXT WWE Vintage Collection Speedway Le Mans Series Highlights V8 Supercars Championship WWE This Week Live PGA European Tour WWE This Week Aquabike World Aquabike World UFC Unleashed UFC The Ultimate Fighter

City Of Life-PG15 The Lightkeepers-PG15 Family Gathering-PG15 Everybody Wants To Be ItalianLottery Ticket-PG15 The Fighter-PG15 Please Give-18

20:00 WWE SmackDown 22:00 WWE Bottom Line 23:00 WWE NXT

00:00 00:30 01:30 02:00 03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 09:30 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:30 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 18:00 21:00 21:30 22:00

Futbol Mundial Golfing World ODI Cricket Highlights Asian Tour Highlights Pro 12 Celtic League Golfing World Trans World Sport Pro 12 Celtic League Top 14 Highlights Trans World Sport European Tour Weekly ICC Cricket World Asian Tour Highlights Asian Tour Golf Show Golfing World Top 14 Highlights Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket World Pro 12 Celtic League Sevens World Series Futbol Mundial ODI Cricket Highlights Live Pro 12 Celtic League

01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 22:00 22:30 23:30

Pro 12 Celtic League World Cup of Pool World Pool Masters US Bass Fishing FIVB Beach Volley Ball FIVB Beach Volley Ball Golfing World Live Asian Tour Golf Volvo Ocean Race Highlights ICC Cricket World Pro 12 Celtic League Trans World Sport Futbol Mundial Scottish Premier League Highlights Golfing World Top 14 Highlights ICC Cricket World ODI Cricket Highlights Futbol Mundial Pro 12 Celtic League ICC Cricket World Golfing World Trans World Sport

01:40 03:10 04:45 06:24 07:55 09:55 11:25 12:55 14:30 16:40 18:15 19:50 21:45 22:00 23:30

The Ranch Body And Soul-18 Mad Dog Coll-PG Lord Of The Flies-PG Taras Bulba-PG Murder Live!-PG Danielle Steel’s Mixed Blessings-PG The Secret Invasion The Pride And The Passion-PG .Com For Murder Delirious-PG The Bridge At Remagen-PG Mgm’s Big Screen-FAM Mannequin-PG Cuba-PG

00:00 Globe Trekker 01:00 Planet Food 02:00 The Path To Shaolin 03:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 04:00 4real 04:30 Life’s A Trip 05:00 Globe Trekker 06:00 Planet Food 07:00 Opening Soon 07:30 Wild At Heart 08:00 Globe Trekker 09:00 Intrepid Journeys 10:00 Indian Times 11:00 Planet Food 12:00 Opening Soon 12:30 Wild At Heart 13:00 Globe Trekker 14:00 Cruise Today 14:30 Chef Abroad 15:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Globe Trekker 18:00 Travel Today 18:30 Flavours Of Mexico 19:00 Sophie Grigson In The Home Counties 19:30 Chef Abroad 20:00 Globe Trekker 21:00 Intrepid Journeys 22:00 Planet Sports 23:00 Tall Ship Explorers

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Information

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 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 LMU JZR QTR PIA JZR JZR ETH THY UAE DHX QTR MSR FDB ETD RJA GFA MLR JZR KAC THY JZR KAC BAW DHX KAC FDB KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD FDB IRA GFA RKM RBG JZR MEA IYE MSR MSR KAC GFA KAC FDB UAL OMA QTR RJA KAC KAC JZR KAC QTR JZR JZR JZR ETD UAE GFA SVA RBG ABY

Flt 1109 185 138 205 267 539 620 772 853 370 148 612 67 305 642 211 1405 189 544 770 555 416 157 170 206 53 302 529 332 676 344 855 125 132 301 55 619 213 310 3555 165 404 825 623 610 672 219 618 57 982 645 140 640 788 284 257 546 134 561 535 213 303 857 215 510 3557 127

Arrival Flights on Friday 10/2/2012 Route ALEXANDRIA DUBAI DOHA LAHORE BEIRUT CAIRO ADDIS ABABA ISTANBUL DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO DUBAI ABU DHABI AMMAN BAHRAIN COLOMBO DUBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL ALEXANDRIA JAKARTA LONDON BAHRAIN ISLAMABAD DUBAI MUMBAI ASSIUT TRIVANDRUM DUBAI CHENNAI DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI LAR BAHRAIN RAS ALKHAIMAH ALEXANDRIA DUBAI BEIRUT SANAA SOHAG CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI WASHINGTON DC DULLES MUSCAT DOHA AMMAN JEDDAH DHAKA BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA DOHA SOHAG CAIRO DEIREZZOR ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH SOHAG SHARJAH

Time 0:01 0:20 0:20 0:25 0:45 0:50 1:45 2:15 2:35 2:55 2:55 3:00 3:05 3:10 3:10 3:15 3:40 4:00 4:40 4:50 6:00 6:25 6:40 6:40 7:40 7:45 7:55 8:00 8:05 8:10 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:05 9:15 9:20 9:50 9:55 10:40 11:05 11:20 11:55 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:25 13:40 13:50 14:05 14:15 14:20 14:40 14:50 15:00 15:00 15:20 15:25 16:10 16:25 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:35 17:40

ALK JZR SVA KAC FDB KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC AIC KAC KAC KAC FDB JAI KAC SVA MSR MLR DHX GRF FCX MEA GFA QTR JZR UAE KAC SAI JZR UAL PIA DLH

227 177 2102 1676 63 542 744 787 674 166 975 102 774 562 61 572 786 506 618 1407 372 81 304 402 217 136 135 859 502 441 239 981 215 636

Airlines UAL LMU AXB BBC AIC JZR DLH PIA KAC ETH THY FDB UAE ETD MSR DHX MLR QTR QTR THY JZR GFA RJA FDB KAC BAW JZR KAC JZR KAC JZR UAE

Flt 981 1110 390 44 982 528 637 206 283 621 773 68 854 306 613 371 1405 139 149 771 164 212 643 54 545 156 256 671 534 787 560 856

COLOMBO DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI DUBAI CAIRO DAMMAM RIYADH DUBAI PARIS CHENNAI NEW YORK RIYADH AMMAN DUBAI MUMBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO BAHRAIN BAGHDAD RIYADH BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT LAHORE AMMAN BAHRAIN KARACHI FRANKFURT Departure Flights on Friday 10/2/2012 Route WASHINGTON DC ALEXANDRIA MANGALORE DHAKA AHMEDABAD ASSIUT FRANKFURT LAHORE DHAKA ADDIS ABABA ISTANBUL DUBAI DUBAI ABU DHABI CAIRO BAHRAIN COLOMBO DOHA DOHA ISTANBUL DUBAI BAHRAIN AMMAN DUBAI ALEXANDRIA LONDON BEIRUT DUBAI CAIRO JEDDAH SOHAG DUBAI

18:10 18:15 18:30 18:35 18:40 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 22:00 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:30 23:50

Time 0:45 0:45 0:50 1:00 1:05 1:10 1:20 1:25 2:40 2:45 3:15 3:45 3:50 4:00 4:00 4:30 4:40 4:40 5:40 5:50 6:55 7:00 7:10 8:25 8:30 8:40 9:00 9:00 9:15 9:25 9:30 9:40

ABY ETD KAC FDB QTR KAC KAC GFA IRA JZR RKM RBG KAC KAC MEA IYE MSR JZR MSR KAC GFA FDB KAC KAC KAC OMA UAL RJA JZR KAC KAC KAC QTR JZR JZR QTR ETD JZR UAE GFA RBG ABY SVA JZR ALK FDB SVA JZR KAC FDB KAC KAC JAI MSR MLR DHX SVA DHX MEA GFA KAC QTR KAC JZR KAC FCX UAE JZR SAI KAC

126 302 117 56 133 617 177 214 618 212 311 3558 541 103 405 825 624 176 611 1675 220 58 561 673 785 646 982 641 786 743 501 773 141 552 238 135 304 538 858 216 3556 128 511 134 228 64 9102 184 361 62 343 351 571 619 1407 171 507 373 403 218 381 137 301 554 205 102 860 502 442 411

SHARJAH ABU DHABI NEW YORK DUBAI DOHA DOHA FRANKFURT BAHRAIN LAR DEIREZZOR AS ALKHAIMAH SOHAG CAIRO LONDON BEIRUT DOHA SOHAG DUBAI CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI JEDDAH MUSCAT BAHRAIN AMMAN RIYADH DAMMAM BEIRUT RIYADH DOHA ALEXANDRIA AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN” ALEXANDRIA SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI COLOMBO DUBAI CHENNAI KOCHI MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO BAHRAIN JEDDAH BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN DELHI DOHA MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA ISLAMABAD DUBAI DUBAI LUXOR LAHORE BANGKOK

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

9:45 10:00 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:25 10:35 10:40 10:50 10:50 11:40 11:45 12:00 12:30 12:55 13:05 13:30 13:50 13:55 14:10 14:20 14:35 14:45 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:20 15:35 15:50 16:15 16:15 16:25 16:30 17:00 17:15 17:25 17:35 17:40 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:35 19:05 19:10 19:20 19:30 19:55 20:20 20:40 20:55 21:05 21:10 21:45 21:50 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:10 23:35 23:50 23:55

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CHANGE OF NAME I, Medamalli Venkata Subbaiah, holder of Indian Passport No: F4933824, resident of S/o M. Subbaiah, Kuppavari Palli (Village), Seetharampuram (Post), Rajampet (Mandal), Kadapa District, Andra Pradesh, have changed my name to Medamalli Sreenivas.

10-2-21012

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for decent executive bachelor in Abbasiya near United Indian School.

Separate toilet, bedroom & balcony with coolpex & AC, new building. Contact: 97208351. (C 3866) 9-2-2012 Immediate sharing accommodation available for a decent Indian Christian bachelor or couple near Salmiya Garden. Contact: 66884273 / 25657832.

(C 3862) Sharing accommodation available in C-A/C flat in Abbasiya for two Christian bachelors or couple from 15 Feb. Contact: 65625804.

(C 3863) 8-2-2012

FOR SALE Honda Accord 2003, sky blue color, mileage 300,000 kms, owner driven, excellent condition, new tires, registered up to Dec 2012.

Contact 99456340 (C 3857) 5-2-2012

SITUATION WANTED Diploma Engineer/ 16 years project sales experience (9 yrs in Kuwait) seeking suitable position from reputed companies.

Contact: 55339596/ 99759183.

(C 3860) 7-2-2012

MATRIMONIAL Proposals invited for a Keralite C.S.I. boy (31, 5ft 7�) studied B.Com, presently well employed in own business seeks alliance from God fearing Keralite girl (C.S.I / Martomite) from India or residing in Kuwait. Contact: thjo53@yahoo.com with full details.

(C 3864) Orthodox parents in Kuwait invites proposals for their daughter (26 / 165 fair) B.Tech, B/B and currently working in Kuwait, from a well qualified/ employed Orthodox/ Marthoma boys.

Contact: invitesproposal@yahoo.com (C 3865) 9-2-2012 A proposal comes from a man, an Engineer, 50 years old seeks an Asian woman, decent, working, respectful preferable, who is coming recently to Kuwait. Email: bareer_96@yahoo.com (C 3859) Orthodox well-settled parents invite proposals for their son, 28, 180cm, fair, MBA (Finance) from a reputed institution, employed in reputed bank in Kuwait from parents of professionally qualified God-fearing girls.

Contact: dr.matt32@gmail.com 7-2-2012

SITUATION VACANT Required live-in maid for a small Indian family living in Riggae. Contact: 99694619.

(C 3861) 8-2-2012

MISCELLANEOUS Original guaranteed Palestinian virgin olive oil, large black and green olives for sale. Tel: 66517417 Whole Floor or small villa needed for rent in Shaab, Mansoriya, Nozha, Abdullah Al-Salem or Shamiya. Direct contact with owner. Tel: 9989018-99169016 A camp for rent in Kabed including five tents with all services. Complete privacy + game arcade. Tel: 97177714 Size 36 air pressure gun for sale in addition to a scope, safety lock. Shooting range 350 meters +bag+25 shots.

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Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Tour winner Ullrich found guilty by CAS BERLIN: Retired former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has been found guilty of doping in relation to a blood-doping scandal that engulfed his sport six years ago and has been banned for two years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said yesterday.

The ruling comes three days after CAS banned another former Tour winner, Spaniard Alberto Contador, for doping. The Operation Puerto scandal broke in 2006, when Spanish police launched raids that uncovered more than 200 code-named blood bags, some of which were linked to cyclists.

Ullrich, who retired in 2007 after also winning an Olympic gold and silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Games, became the first German to win the Tour de France in 1997.

The rider, a huge sports name in his home country during his prime, also finished second in the world’s greatest race on five occasions, three times behind seven-times champion Lance Armstrong. With his name linked to Operation Puerto, Ullrich was barred from starting the Tour de France in 2006 and was then fired by his T-Mobile team although he repeatedly denied he had links with Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor at the heart of the investigation. CAS, however, ruled that, based on the evidence, Ullrich, who had waited for more than five years for a final ruling, had engaged “at least” in blood doping. The court also annulled all Ullrich’s results from 2005 until his retirement.

“Given the volume, consistency and probative value of the evidence...the Panel came to the conclusion that Jan Ullrich engaged at least in blood doping in violation of Article 15.2 of the UCI (International Cycling Union) anti-doping rules,” CAS said.

It said there had been “documentary evidence” that Ullrich, now 38, had been in contact with Fuentes and had paid him 80,000 euros ($106,000) for “services that had not been particularised”.

“A DNA analysis confirmed Jan Ullrich’s genetic profile matched blood bags ready for use for doping purposes found in the possession of Dr Fuentes,” CAS said in its decision. The UCI said it had already annulled Ullrich’s results for the period 2005-2007. “The UCI acknowledges the decision of CAS to impose a suspension of two years on the rider Jan Ullrich starting retroactively on August 2011, following the UCI’s appeal. All results achieved by the athlete on or after 1 May 2005 until his retirement, on February 26, 2007, are annulled,’ it said in a statement.

“The UCI will now examine in detail the reasoning of the CAS award. In the meantime the UCI will not issue any further comments on the matter.”

CAS rejected calls for a lifetime ban for Ullrich, saying that despite a 2002 doping offence for amphetamines, this was essentially his first violation. They banned him for two years, starting Aug. 22, 2011, the day of the CAS hearing.—Reuters

Former German cycling star Jan Ullrich

Cavendish wins Qatar stage AL KHOR: British rider Mark Cavendish won the fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar yesterday while Tom Boonen closed in on the overall victory by protecting his lead on the penultimate day. Cavendish secured his second stage win in three days by taking a mass sprint at the end of a 160-kilometer ride from a camel race track in the east of the country to Al Khor in the north. The Team Sky rider arrived in Doha with a bout of flu but still beat Liquigas-Cannondale duo Daniel Oss and Peter Sagan to the finish line.

Boonen retained a 31-second lead over Tyler Farrar going into Friday’s final stage. Spanish rider Juan Antonio Flecha is third, while Cavendish moved up to seventh—AP

SAN JOSE: Calgary Flames right wing Tim Jackman (15) has his helmet taken off by San Jose Sharks defenseman Jim Vandermeer (2) during the second period of an NHL hockey game.—AP

Sabres trounce Bruins 6-0 BUFFALO: With Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff nursing three broken ribs and watching from the press box, goalie Ryan Miller made 36 saves to help the Sabres trounce the Boston Bruins 6-0 in the NHL on Wednesday.

Miller earned his second shutout in three games and Jason Pominville scored twice, set up both times up by Ville Leino. Tyler Ennis had a goal and assist, and Drew Stafford, Christian Ehrhoff and Patrick Kaleta also scored for Buffalo, which has not lost in regulation in its past nine home games.

The Northeast Division-leading Bruins pulled starting goalie Tuukka Rask inside 22 minutes after allowing three goals on 10 shots. Boston missed the chance to move within a point of Eastern Conference leader New York.

Ruff was injured in a collision in practice earlier in the week.

Flames 4, Sharks 3 In San Jose, Olli Jokinen capitalized on a turnover to break a third-period tie with his hat trick goal, lifting Calgary over San Jose.

San Jose overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 before Jokinen gave the Flames the lead for good early in the third period.

The winner was set up by a poor clearing attempt which went straight to Alex Tanguay, who set up Jokinen for his seventh career hat trick and first in three seasons.

Jokinen also assisted on Jarome Iginla’s second-period goal as the Flames ended a five-game skid against the Sharks. Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff became te 27th NHL goalie to earn his 300th NHL win, in the same place where he got his first. Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Michal Handzus scored for the Sharks.

Red Wings 4, Oilers 2 In Detroit, Drew Miller and Henrik Zetterberg scored in the third period as Detroit extended its home winning streak to 18 games with a 4-2 victory over Edmonton.

The Red Wings overcame two more goals by Edmonton’s Sam Gagner to move within two wins of the NHL record of 20 straight home victories, set by the Boston Bruins in 1929-30 and matched

by Philadelphia in 1976.

Johan Franzen and Cory Emmerton also scored for Detroit, but Gagner answered with a pair of goals to tie the game. He has eight goals and six assists

in four games.

Ducks 3, Hurricanes 2 In Anaheim, Corey Perry scored in overtime to lift Anaheim over Carolina.

Perry tripped Jussi Jokinen as the Hurricanes left wing was taking the puck from behind the net. Carolina coach Kirk Muller began yelling from the bench, believing Perry should have been called for a penalty.

Saku Koivu and Nick Bonino added goals for the Ducks. The Hurricanes, the East’s worst team, blew two one-goal leads after Eric Staal and Tuomo Ruutu netted.—AP

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on Wednesday. Buffalo 6, Boston 0; Detroit 4, Edmonton 2; Anaheim 3, Carolina 2 (OT); Calgary 4, San Jose 3.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division

NY Rangers Philadelphia New Jersey Pittsburgh NY Islanders

W 33 30 31 30 22

L OTL GF 13 5 141 16 7 173 19 3 150 19 5 163 22 8 126

GAPTS 103 71 157 67 148 65 141 65 150 52

Boston Toronto Ottawa Buffalo Montreal

Northeast Division 33 17 2 180 117 28 20 6 168 157 27 22 7 162 174 23 24 6 132 154 21 24 9 140 147

68 62 61 52 51

Washington Florida Winnipeg Tampa Bay Carolina

Southeast Division 28 21 4 149 149 24 17 11 131 149 25 24 6 131 151 23 24 5 148 176 20 25 10 139 168

60 59 56 51 50

Detroit St. Louis Nashville Chicago Columbus

Western Conference Central Division 36 17 2 176 131 31 14 7 129 106 32 17 5 152 140 29 18 7 171 163 15 32 6 123 175

74 69 69 65 36

Vancouver Minnesota Calgary Colorado Edmonton

Northwest Division 33 15 5 171 133 25 20 8 122 136 25 22 7 130 147 27 25 3 140 153 21 28 5 143 162

71 58 57 57 47

San Jose Los Angeles Phoenix Dallas Anaheim

Pacific Division 29 16 6 148 26 18 10 118 25 21 8 143 27 23 2 137 21 24 8 138

64 62 58 56 50

121 117 143 148 158

Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L).

Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Cabrera-Bello leads Dubai Classic

PEBBLE BEACH: Actor Lucas Black (left) celebrates with partner Chris Berman after making a chip shot to win the celebrity challenge at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament. — AP

Pebble Beach celebrities, a distraction or tonic?

PEBBLE BEACH: While golf fans will relish the chance to rub shoulders with celebrities such as Huey Lewis and Bill Murray at this week’s Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the event’s pro-am format can be a mixed blessing for the players.

For some, the entertaining antics and incessant autograph signings by big-name actors and musicians can be a frustrating distraction. Others, however, regard it all as a welcome and relaxing tonic.

“I have played with my same playing partner every year for the last six years so I enjoy the week here,” Irishman Padraig Harrington told reporters at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s opening round.

“It is one of the more relaxed events, especially all around ... on the golf course and off the golf course. It’s one of the events you always enjoy going to.” Harrington, a triple major champion, will once again be partnered by Irish businessman and racehorse owner JP McManus.

American film star Murray, a tournament fixture in recent years, is probably the slowest moving celebrity in the field with his unique approach to the week. The most notable amateur to compete in the event since fellow actor Jack Lemmon, Murray is renowned for his high-octane and unpredictable entertainment out on the course.

He has swung baseball bats on the 18th green, wrestled a woman in a sand trap, attacked television cameramen and tackled a windblown umbrella. Last year, Murray’s wise-cracking antics proved to be a perfect formula for his golf professional DA Points who won both the tournament and the pro-am title.

“Bill is an entertainer and he knows that,” said Points who, like Murray, is a native of Illinois. “When we’re out there I learned quickly that he’s there to entertain the people who are watching. “Sometimes it’s at my

expense � sometimes it’s at Duffy Waldorf’s expense, whoever. But he’s not trying to be a distraction. He’s like: ‘Hey, this is what I’m here for. This is why I’ve been coming here for so many years. I love to play golf, and I love to have fun with the fans.’

“He even said to me: ‘Let’s have fun.’ If it’s taking a bite of a donut on the second green after we make a birdie or chest bumping or giving knuckles or whatever it is, it’s about having fun.”

Tiger Woods, who will partner Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo this week, believes most of his fellow players are well accustomed to being distracted out on the course.

“Yeah, it’s different and there are distractions,” the former world number one said. “Some guys have the gallery clapping when they’re putting. It’s very interesting sometimes.

“It can be distracting, there is no doubt. But then again, we play week-in and week-out and we have plenty of distractions when you’re in the last few groups (in a tournament). It’s just like that for all four days here.”

In Romo, Woods has a partner who plays off scratch and has previously tried to qualify for the U.S. Open. “He can play just about any sport he wants.

He’s one of those gifted athletes that whatever he picks up, he can do,” said 14-times major winner Woods.

“He understands how to play and, on top of that, he can really move the ball. Post football, he wants to play golf. He wants to maybe give it a run on the mini tours or the Senior Tour eventually.”

Entertainment has been part-andparcel of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am since the event was first held in 1937 as the Bing Crosby Professional-Amateur at Rancho Santa Fe Country Club north of San Diego.

After six years at Rancho Santa Fe, the tournament moved up the Pacific Coast to the picturesque Monterey Peninsula where crooner Crosby provided the $10,000 purse.—Reuters

DUBAI: Rafael Cabrera-Bello was the early pace-setter in the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic golf yesterday, ending on nine under par after sinking seven birdies in his opening nine holes.

Tournament favourite Rory McIlroy was on par after three holes, while world number two Lee Westwood finished on three under.

Cabrera-Bello, 27, belied his lowly world ranking of 119 and looked poised to challenge Ernie Els’s record 11 under at the Majlis course after surging to nine under with 11 holes played, but the Spaniard found the final seven tougher going, holing all of them for par.

Cabrera-Bello was joined on the leaderboard by German Marcel Siem and Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, who both shot seven under.

Siem blotted his copybook with a bogey on the par-five 18th, while Jamieson bagged two birdies and an eagle on his final six holes.

Thomas Bjorn, a Classic winner in 2011, was tied for fourth on six under. “I played well today, anytime you shoot 66 on any golf course you have to be happy,” the Dane told Reuters.

“Conditions were very good today and these greens are as good as they come, people are going to hole putts and that always gives good scoring. It doesn’t matter how hard you set up a golf course, when you offer guys these conditions, there is always someone who is going to shoot numbers.” World number two McIlroy teed off in the afternoon with last month’s Abu Dhabi Championship winner Robert Rock and defending Dubai champion Alvaro Quioros, who were one and two over respectively. — Reuters

DUBAI: Ross Fisher of England plays a shot on 1st hole during the first round of Dubai Desert Classic yesterday. — AP

All Black Williams’ title victory draws criticism WELLINGTON: Rugby World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams won the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association’s heavyweight title but his fight against an overweight American opponent who showed little skill or interest in fighting has been disparaged at home.

Williams, 26, won the belt with a first round technical knockout over Clarence Tillman in Hamilton on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old journeyman Tillman, an American living in New Zealand, was a late replacement for the original opponent Richard Tutaki, who was scratched from the fight after being arrested on a number of charges. Williams and Tillman had been involved in a shoving match on Tuesday at the weigh-in, though local media questioned whether the altercation had been staged to boost pay-per-view sales.

Tillman shoved Williams then caught him with a glancing right hook before he was dragged away by Australian professional boxer and former rugby league player Anthony Mundine, a friend and stable mate of Williams under manager Khoder Nasser.

The real fight lasted less than three minutes, with the grossly overweight Tillman showing little enthusiasm for the fight or any technical skill when Williams managed to land his shots, forcing referee Lance Revill to stop the bout.

Boxing commentator and historian Bob Jones, however, was disparaging of the fight, calling Tillman a “joke opponent” and the bout itself a farce.

“Tillman’s record is appalling. Five of his fights were against blokes who had never fought before and even then he lost one of them,” Jones told

Fairfax Media on Thursday. “Have a look at all the bouts he’s had in New Zealand and Australia, his name has never once appeared in the press. He’s a joke opponent and they’ve built him up, and suddenly he’s fighting in the limelight. “He’s hopeless.

To see all this over the front page is silly. “The whole thing was a joke from the start. This sort of farce degrades boxing.”

Williams, who has a clause in his New Zealand Rugby Union contract to pursue boxing and fought shortly before the World Cup last year, is one of the world’s highest profile rugby players and there has been immense media interest in his fights despite the poor calibre of opposition.

Media academic and former journalist Alan Samson said the attention on Williams’ boxing pursuits was being fed by the public’s obsession with the player.

“I’m not a marketing person but he is the most carefully constructed media brand I have ever seen,” Samson, a Massey University journalism lecturer, told Reuters.

“Everything is carefully thought through, seemingly at the behest of his advisers. “Journalistically I can understand why we are obsessed with Sonny Bill, why he achieves such attention, because the public is obsessed with him. It is a chicken and egg situation.

“I think some of the cover of the current and earlier fights has been absurd and if we are going to be covering him, it should be covered honestly. Warts and all. “He has to be written about in the context of real news.”— Reuters

Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Corretja begins Davis Cup reign with Spain B team

CLEVELAND: Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin (right) puts up a shot against Cleveland Cavaliers’ Samardo Samuels in the second half of an NBA basketball game. — AP

Spurs roll over Sixers PHILADELPHIA: San Antonio’s Tony Parker scored 37 points to lead the Spurs to a 10090 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Wednesday’s clash of two NBA divisional leaders.

Gary Neal added 18 off the bench for the Southwest Division-leading Spurs, who improved their road record to 5-8, against their impressive home record of 13-1.

Lou Williams scored 22 points for the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers, who are 4-2 nearing the end of a seven-game stretch against the league’s top teams. They have lost to the Spurs and Miami but beat Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Magic 102, Heat 89 In Orlando, Dwight Howard had 25 points and 24 rebounds as long-shooting Orlando beat Miami. Ryan Anderson scored 27 for the Magic, who hit 17 3-pointers. Anderson had five 3s - all in the first half - and grabbed 11 rebounds while Howard posted his 20th double-double of the season.

Orlando set a team record with 42 3-point attempts but were two short of the record for most converted. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 33 points, but only 11 after halftime, as Miami’s three-game streak was ended.

Hawks 97, Pacers 87 In Atlanta, Josh Smith scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Atlanta defeated Indiana to snap a three-game home losing streak. The Hawks, who had fallen behind by big margins in each game on the homestand, finally got off to a good start. Atlanta built a 21-point lead in the first half and withstood repeated runs by Indiana over the final two quarters. Joe Johnson added 20 points for the Hawks. Danny Granger scored 21 points to lead the Pacers, who have lost nine straight in Atlanta, dating back to 2006.

Mavericks 105, Nuggets 95 In Denver, Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points as Dallas snapped a three-game losing skid by beating undermanned Denver. Vince Carter added 17 for the Mavericks, who won despite the ongoing absence of the injured

Jason Kidd. Rudy Fernandez and Al Harrington each had 17 points off the bench to lead the Nuggets, who lost their fourth straight.

Arron Afflalo and Nene returned to Denver’s lineup after sitting out Monday’s loss to Houston, but Denver was still without leading scorer Danilo Gallinari (left ankle) and Timofey Mozgov (left ankle). Corey Brewer was absent following the death of his father.

Rockets 103, Trail Blazers 96 In Portland, Chase Budinger had 22 points off the bench to lead Houston past Portland.

Starting guard Kyle Lowry had 12 points before he left with an arm injury late in the third quarter and he did not return. The extent of the injury was not immediately known. Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 21 points for the Trail Blazers, who rallied to tie it 77-77 in the fourth quarter.

Bulls 90, Hornets 67 In New Orleans, Chicago held New Orleans in check, with the hosts only just avoiding a franchise-record low score. Marco Belinelli’s 3-pointer with just a second left carried the Hornets past the club low of 65 points. Carlos Boozer scored 18 points and Joakim Noah had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who won their fourth straight game. Chris Kaman scored 17 for the Hornets.

Grizzlies 85, T’wolves 80 In Memphis, Rudy Gay had 19 points and nine rebounds as Memphis halted a threegame slide with victory over Minnesota.

Quincy Pondexter added a career-high 17 points for the Grizzlies, who won despite shooting just 37 percent. JJ Barea led the Timberwolves with 17 points and six assists.

Minnesota was also inaccurate, shooting just 39 percent and setting a season low for points. They played without leading scorer Kevin Love, who completed his two-game suspension.

Cavaliers 99, Clippers 92 In Cleveland, Ramon Sessions scored 24 points in his first start of the season as a last-

minute replacement for injured Kyrie Irving as Cleveland downed Los Angeles.

Antawn Jamison scored 27 points to lead Cleveland. Blake Griffin had 25 points and 15 rebounds for the Clippers, who tied it at 8787 with 2:10 left after having trailed by 15 in the third quarter, but could not get ahead.

Los Angeles was playing its first game without injured guard Chauncey Billups, out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Bucks 105, Raptors 99 In Toronto, Carlos Delfino scored a season-high 25 points against his former team as Milwaukee won its first game in four, beating Toronto. Delfino, who played for the Raptors in 2007-08, matched his season high with nine rebounds.

Drew Gooden had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who have won seven of the past eight against the Raptors.

DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points for Toronto, which has lost three straight.

Knicks 107, Wizards 93 In Washington, Jeremy Lin had 23 points and a career-high 10 assists as New York beat Washington and notched a third straight win. Tyson Chandler scored 25 points with 11 rebounds, finishing two points short of his career high, but it was Lin’s night again.

Following his breakout games of 25 points against New Jersey and 28 against Utah, Lin was 9 for 14 from the field and 5 of 6 from the line.

The Knicks won again without leading scorers Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, and made it eight straight victories over Washington. John Wall led the Wizards with 29 points.

Pistons 99, Nets 92 In Newark, Greg Monroe had 20 points and 12 rebounds to lift Detroit over New Jersey for its season-best third straight victory. Jonas Jerebko added 16 points as the Pistons snapped a seven-game road losing streak despite giving away most of an 18point second-half lead. Deron Williams scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Nets, who have lost four in a row. — AP

LONDON: There will be an unfamiliar look about Spain when they begin the defence of the Davis Cup against Kazakhstan today with a new captain and without several regulars, most notably Rafa Nadal.

Former world number two Alex Corretja, who took over from Albert Costa shortly after Spain beat Argentina in December’s final, will have to make do without the team’s talisman in Oviedo while the likes of world number five David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez are also missing.

Nicolas Almagro played no part in Spain’s four ties last year but will shoulder much of the singles burden for Corretja, who will also call upon Marcel Granollers, veteran Juan Carlos Ferrero and doubles specialist Marc Lopez for a tie five-times champions Spain should still win comfortably.

“It’s not something I’m thinking about at the moment because I have the duty to build a team with the four players that we think are best suited,” Corretja, who may have to get used to doing without 10-times grand slam champion Nadal, told the Davis Cup website (www.daviccup.com) about making his debut with virtually a ‘B team’.

“I have the luck of having four big players that are very keen to play and that’s what matters the most. There are others that could be here but are not, but I also thank them for their availability.

“Spanish tennis is not only four players, there are a lot more and I think that it’s extremely important to have different options to build a team depending on different conditions, surfaces and rivals.”

While Nadal’s participation in this year’s competition is unlikely as he tries to ease his schedule, there are plenty of top names in action as the World Group begins this weekend.

Roger Federer will line up for Switzerland at home against the United States while JoWilfried Tsonga is in the French side up against Canada in Vancouver. Tomas Berdych will spearhead the Czech Republic’s challenge as they begin against Italy in Ostrava.

Federer’s appearance so early in the competition is a rarity, but a clash with the United States brings back memories for the 16-times major champion, who 11 years ago won all three rubbers in a victory over the Americans in Basel.

“I think it was my first emotional outburst on a tennis court because I was so exhausted on Sunday after winning singles, doubles and singles,” the 30-year-old Federer, who has never won the Davis Cup, said in the build-up to the tie which will not feature former US number one Andy Roddick. “It was a start of great things for me and I’m happy playing America again.”

In other first round ties, Japan make their first World Group appearance for 27 years against Croatia in Hyogo with Kei Nishikori hoping to maintain his impressive start to the season after reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Serbia, the 2010 champions, will not have world number one Novak Djokovic in their ranks as he recovers from his Australian Open triumph but his absence should make no difference against a weak Sweden team missing Robin Soderling. Last year’s runners-up Argentina face Germany in Bamberg while Austria are at home to Russia. —Reuters

Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

McCullum ton gets NZ past Zimbabwe

SHARJAH: Pakistan’s cricket captain Misbah-ul Haq (right) and his Afghan counterpart Nawroz Mangal (left) hold the One-Day International trophy during a press conference at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. — AFP

Misbah says Afghans need to play more Test nations SHARJAH: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq wants fast-improving teams like Afghanistan to play more international matches against test-playing nations to be better able to gauge their progress.

Having been awarded one-day international status in 2009, Afghanistan will play its first ODI against a test-playing country on Friday when it takes on Pakistan.

“Once you play against test teams, only then you can know what type of improvement is required,” Misbah said. “It’s very important that such matches are organized so that these teams can realize where they stand.” The match will serve as a warm-up for Pakistan for the four ODIs against England, starting next week.

Misbah came across some of the players as captain of the Faisalabad Wolves when the Pakistan Cricket Board invited Afghanistan to compete in domestic Twenty20 tournament.

“They are fighters, they have good fielders and you can’t take them easy,” Misbah said.

Former captains Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik are back for the shorter format of the game after Misbah led Pakistan to a clean sweep against England in the test series.

Malik was a surprise inclusion in the squad with the allrounder taking only five wickets and scoring 35 runs in his last eight ODIs. Misbah requested Malik after he was left out from the original squad last week.

“I think there was some misunderstanding,” Misbah said.

“Maybe he didn’t bat well last year, but his bowling played a vital role against Sri Lanka here in Sharjah.

“Since the opposition is struggling against spinners and sometimes our batting also struggles, I thought Malik’s inclusion will benefit the team.” Misbah also reminded his players not to rest on the laurels of the recent past and to prepare hard for the upcoming challenges against Afghanistan and England.

“I always say that whatever performance you have given in the past is history and one should look ahead,” he said. “It’s true we won the test series and we did celebrate it, but for us tomorrow’s match is important to mold us back in this format.”

Afghanistan suffered a blow on the eve of the match after fast bowler Hamid Hasan was ruled out after failing to recover from a knee injury. But captain Nowroz Mangal is still confident his team will put up a strong fight against the likes of Pakistan spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.

“It’s a very good challenge for us,” said Mangal, who has played all of Afghanistan’s 18 ODIs against associate and affiliate teams. “All the players are excited and waiting anxiously to play against the best side in the world.

“We are not targeting any specific individuals, we are here to play the game not the names. We have done our homework and we will try our best to execute our plans accordingly and achieve the desired results.” Afghanistan warmed up by playing a limitedovers series against Pakistan’s north western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Kabul last month, winning 3-1.

Interim Afghanistan coach Iqbal Sikander, who played in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning squad, rated Afghanistan among the top three affiliate teams in the world.

“They lacked experience before but they have played so much cricket that they are now ready for this level of cricket, and this team on their day can give any team a tough time,” Sikander said. — AP

NAPIER: Captain Brendan McCullum smashed his fourth one-day international century off 79 balls as New Zealand completed a sweep of their three-match series against Zimbabwe with a 202-run victory at McLean Park in Napier yesterday.

McCullum capitalised on being dropped by Regis Chakabva while on 48 to guide New Zealand to their third-highest total of 373 for eight. He was out for 119 on the final ball of the innings, having hit seven boundaries and five sixes.

Zimbabwe were never in the match when they batted, though captain Brendan Taylor (65) and Tatenda Taibu (26) combined for a 67-run third wicket partnership.

Both well caught by substitute fielder Colin de Grandhomme, leaving the visitors floundering at 115 for five.

New Zealand had looked like they may post a target of 400-plus following the blistering 153-run opening stand between Martin Guptill (85) and Rob Nicol (61).

Nicol, who scored 146 in the second match in Whangarei, was dropped by Tino Mawoyo on 10 in just the third over and made the Africans pay before he was trapped lbw by Prosper Utseya on the final ball of the 22nd over.

Guptill, who scored 70 in the first match and 77 in the second, had looked well placed for a century but was dismissed on the next ball when he missed a wide down the leg side by left-arm spinner Ray Price, fell over and was stumped by Taibu.

Left arm seamer Brian Vitori was the most expensive of the bowlers, conceding 105 runs from just nine overs, while Elton Chigumbura finished with figures of one for 92 off 10 overs.

Zimbabwe’s tour concludes after the two sides meet for two Twenty20 internationals, at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday and Seddon Park in Hamilton on Feb. 14. — Reuters

NAPIER: New Zealandís Brendon McCullum (left) and Zimbabwe’s Brian Vitori watch the flight of his shot during the third and last one-day international match between New Zealand and Zimbabwe. —AP

SCOREBOARD NAPIER: Scoreboard after New Zealand beat Zimbabwe by 202 runs at McLean Park in Napier yesterday in the third and final one-day international match.

New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat New Zealand R. Nicol lbw b Utseya 61 M. Guptill st Taibu b Price 85 J. Oram b Jarvis 25 B. McCullum c Mawoyo b Jarvis 119 K. Williamson lbw b Chigumbura 38 N. McCullum c Matsikenyeri b Price 21 A. Ellis run out 5 D. Bracewell c Taylor b Vitori 1 T. Latham not out 7 Extras: (w-8, b-1, lb-1, nb-1) 11 Total: (for eight wickets, 50 overs) 373 Fall of wickets: 153-1, 154-2, 192-3, 276-4, 320-5, 344-6,364-7 Did not bat: Tarun Nethula, Michael Bates Bowling: Vitori 9-0-105-1 (w-4); Jarvis 9-058-2 (nb-1); Chigumbura 10-0-92-1 (w-3); Price 10-0-59-2 (w-1); Utseya 10-1-47-1; Waller 2-0-10-0 Zimbabwe T. Mawoyo run out S. Matsikenyeri lbw b Bracewell B. Taylor sub b Williamson

9 5 65

T. Taibu sub b Bates 26 M. Waller un out 4 R. Chakabva sub b N. McCullum 24 E. Chigumbura bw b Nethula 16 P. Utseya Williamson b Nethula 5 R. Price Bates b Williamson 14 B. Vitori B. McCullum b N. McCullum 0 K. Jarvis ot out 0 Extras: (w-3) 3 Total: (all out, 44 overs) 171 Fall of wickets: 14-1, 14-2, 81-3, 101-4, 1155, 137-6, 147-7, 168-8, 171-9 Bowling: Bracewell 8-1-26-1; Bates 8-1-24-1; Oram 4-0-17-0 (w-2); Nethula 10-1-41-2; Ellis 8-1-29-0 (w-1); N. McCullum 3-0-21-2; Williamson 3-0-13-2 Previous results: Feb 3 - 1st ODI - New Zealand won by 90 runs Feb 6 - 2nd ODI - New Zealand won by 141 runs Remaining fixtures: Feb 12 - 1st Twenty20, Eden Park, Auckland Feb 14 - 2nd Twenty 20, Seddon Park, Hamilton

Gavaskar inducted into ICC Hall of Fame DUBAI: India batting great Sunil Gavaskar was inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Admired for his batting technique and powers of concentration, the former India captain was the first test batsman to score 10,000 runs and the first to score 30 test centuries.

“It is a huge honor because it is the peers in the game who decide who is going to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame,” Gavaskar said. “This means that you are in select company and, therefore, it becomes all the more special. To be an original inductee is an even bigger honor.”

During his 16-year career, Gavaskar was captain in 47 of 125 tests and scored 10,122 test runs at an average of 51.12.

He also made 3,092 runs in 108 one-day internationals, hitting his only century against New Zealand at the 1987 World Cup. He was also a member of the India squad that won the 1983 World Cup in England, defeating West Indies in the final. Hall of Fame inductee and former teammate Kapil Dev described Gavaskar as the “best-ever opening batsman.”

“Sunil was the greatest player in my era and certainly was the best I played with,” Dev said in a statement. “He was the best captain I played under. The team was struggling in those days. We did not have those great players that we have today. But under the circumstances, Sunil was a big influence on the side. He gave us motivation and taught us how to fight.” —AP

Sports FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Preview

Sevilla look to Michel to revive Europe drive MADRID: Sevilla traditionally expect to be challenging for European honors and it has fallen to former Real Madrid player Michel to get their faltering campaign for a European spot next season back on track.

The Andalusian side, UEFA Cup winners under Juande Ramos in 2006 and 2007, sacked coach Marcelino earlier this week after they managed only two points from their last seven league games and were eliminated from the Europa League and the King’s Cup. Michel, who coached Getafe until the end of last season, will make his debut away at Real Sociedad on Monday and begin the task of steering the team from 11th in the standings.

Missing out on a lucrative place in the Champions League or Europa

League would be a severe blow to the club’s finances.

Michel said after overseeing his first training session on Wednesday that it was “unthinkable” that Sevilla were not among the championship leaders and he was confident the squad was strong enough to turn the season around.

“The sensation is one of hope,” the sharp-dressing 48-year-old, told a news conference. “I thought I might find players who were emotionally weary but instead we have felt tremendously satisfied. “We have three months of the season left and we want them to be exciting.” Sevilla’s biggest problem is a lack of goals - just 22 in 21 La Liga games - and the club is hoping Michel can get the best out of leading striker Alvaro Negredo and forward Manu Del

Moral, with whom he worked at Real Madrid and Getafe respectively.

“This is a change we hope will also serve to alter the negative dynamic that we have,” Del Moral told a news conference on Wednesday.

“He (Michel) arrived at Getafe with the club in similar straits and he was able to turn things around and help avoid relegation. “If I had to choose a coach to change this situation, Michel is without doubt the best equipped.”

While Sevilla have been struggling along with other sides who regularly appear in Europe, including Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, leaders Real and second-placed Barcelona have been pulling inexorably away at the top.

The gap in wealth between the dominant pair and their domestic rivals

was underlined on Thursday when accounting firm Deloitte confirmed them as the world’s richest clubs by income in their annual ranking for a third straight year.

Valencia, who are 11 points behind Barca in third with just over half the season played, were 19th on the Deloitte list, the only other Spanish club to make the top 20.

Champions Barca, chasing a fourth straight title, can trim the gap with Real to four points with a win at Osasuna tomorrow, before Jose Mourinho’s side host fourth-placed Levante on Sunday.

Valencia host struggling Sporting Gijon on Sunday following their elimination at Barca’s hands in Wednesday’s King’s Cup semi-final second leg.—Reuters

Preview

Evra, Suarez to fan derby flames Stuart Pearce

Pearce in charge as England start search to replace Capello LONDON: Stuart Pearce will manage England for this month’s friendly against Netherlands while they search for a permanent successor to Fabio Capello, FA chairman David Bernstein told a news conference yesterday.

Italian Capello resigned on Wednesday in the wake of a row over deposed England captain John Terry, leaving the national team without a manager four months before the start of Euro 2012.

England Under-21 and British Olympic team coach Pearce will lead the team when they host Netherlands at Wembley on Feb. 29 as they continue preparations for the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.

“He has huge experience inside and outside this organisation ... he knows the players very well,” Bernstein said. “I have great confidence in Stuart, we will be in good hands.

“Our priority then will be to appoint a new England manager ... with a total focus on getting the best person in place as soon as we sensibly can. “We don’t want to rush the process, we want to do it properly, do it professionally ... we’ll be putting a shortlist together of key people. We’ll do that as soon as we can.” Bernstein said the board would be sitting down today to discuss the issue.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is the hot favourite to take over the job on a permanent basis but the Englishman said yesterday he was not even thinking about it as his focus was on his club duties.

While Bernstein would not comment on the widespread media speculation over Redknapp, he said there was a preference for an Englishman to get the job.

“He will not definitely be English but clearly there is a preference for an Englishman or a British person but in the end we want the best person so I’m certainly not prepared to rule out anything at this stage,” Bernstein said.

The FA chairman was keen to emphasise that Capello had left the job in amicable circumstances, saying he had always behaved with “dignity and honor” and that Wednesday’s events had been concluded with a handshake. —Reuters

LONDON: The focus will be on Patrice Evra of Manchester United and Luis Suarez of Liverpool when the arch-rivals clash in the Premier League at Old Trafford tomorrow.

It will be the pair’s first meeting since Suarez racially abused Evra at Anfield in October, earning an eight-match suspension from which he returned to the Liverpool side as a substitute in Monday’s 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs, meanwhile, will go into their clash against fellow high-flyers Newcastle United at White Hart Lane tomorrow buoyed by the news that manager Harry Redknapp has been found not guilty of tax evasion charges.

He will delighted to be totally focused on the football as third-placed Spurs continue their unlikely challenge for the title and a more realistic one for a Champions League spot against their in-form opponents who are fifth.

Tensions at White Hart Lane will be nothing like those at Old Trafford where a delicate situation was exacerbated when Liverpool’s pugnacious manager Kenny Dalglish said after the Spurs game that Suarez should never have been banned, despite Uruguayan admitting using the word “negro” in an on-field exchange with Evra during the 1-1 draw. Tomorrow’s match, featuring one of the fiercest rivalries in English football, is being shown live in more than 200 countries with an estimated global audience of about 900 million and while most of the attention will be on the match, the cameras will also closely follow the pre-match handshake.

The FA has said the handshake will go ahead at Old Trafford and Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Football Association, said: “It is an opportunity for football to show it can deal with these issues, and everyone can learn and move on.”

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Tuesday that football needed to take a hardline stance against racism which has begun to rear its head in the English game again after seemingly lying dormant for years.

Evra has not said if he will shake Suarez’s hand, but whoever dominates on the pitch could hold the key to a victory that will either lift United above leaders Manchester City at the top of the table - at least until Sunday - or take Liverpool closer to the top four.

Liverpool beat United in the FA Cup fourth round on 10 days ago when Suarez was banned, but will find United in a defiant mood after they came back from a 3-0 deficit at Chelsea on Sunday to draw 3-3. That lifted United on to 55 points, two behind City who travel to Aston Villa on Sunday.

City manager Roberto Mancini, who has been without Yaya and Kolo Toure on African Nations Cup duty, said it was

Patrice Evra of Manchester United important his side remained in first place until they returned. “Next week we will have a difficult game at Villa, but if we have the same attitude that we had on Saturday we will do well. It is important that we stay top and don’t think about the other teams,” Mancini said.

Tottenham eked out a point from the goalless draw with Liverpool and Redknapp will be further cheered if Younes Kaboul, Jermain Defoe and Rafael van der Vaart return after injury against Newcastle United.

Chelsea, who are third on 43 points, and Arsenal, sixth on 40, travel north for tough matches at Everton and Sunderland respectively.—Reuters

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Cabrera-Bello leads Dubai Classic Page 59

www.kuwaittimes.net

NEWARK: Detroit Pistons’ Ben Gordon (8) shoots against New Jersey Nets’ Keith Bogans (6) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game.—AP

Spurs roll over Sixers, Pistons get past Nets Page 60